I would be careful there. There are actually quite a few examples in history and when the harpies meddle enough, we might get exactly that state of affairs.
Also, 95% of the ruling class isn't the same as 95% of the population. Dany started her rule by pretty much killing 100% of the ruling class of Mereen after all.
And better to plan for the worst-case then hoping for the best-case.
No, she killed a single member of most families that make up said ruling class.
Giving each family an individual reason to hate her.
I think we missunderstand each other on what ruling class means?
I used "the class from which the current rulers of the city come", so basically all Good/Wise/etc. Masters. all slavetrader-families over a certain level of wealth. What did you mean?
No, she killed a single member of most families that make up said ruling class.
Giving each family an individual reason to hate her.
I think we missunderstand each other on what ruling class means?
I used "the class from which the current rulers of the city come", so basically all Good/Wise/etc. Masters. all slavetrader-families over a certain level of wealth. What did you mean?
The movers and shakers in local politics and that are usually the patriarchs, with the other family members playing secondary roles at most. Granted, Dany might have gotten a good deal less then 100%, but our purges will be more thorough.
No, she didn't have that many people willing to die to openly oppose her. EVERYONE wanted her dead, in practical terms, unless they were slaves or just too persistently terrified of her, and she did not do much ongoing terrorizing anyway. She just killed their patriarchs and other influential heads of houses and hoped their spirit would be crushed. And then let that canker fester.
The minute any organized resistance manifested we would crush it, which would stir the more panicky sorts into fucking up sooner, leading to more deaths and purges, leading to more outrage and more rebellion, leading to more crushing of dissidence.
Ultimately this. We will start with some good old mass hangings for the worst offenders as usual and this being the culture that is proud of inventing the Unsullied, that will be a lot of rope.
Then the Inquistion will start making people disappear. The slaves won't mind, but the Masters will.
That is... well... I think we could find a way to offend them more, but I can't think of anything right now and it will take quite some effort to find something.
I'm expecting over 95% losses in the ruling class. This ain't a joke or an exaggeration. A Valyrian ruler comes with dragons to break the power of the Ghiscari, abolishing slavery and thus pretty much the only industry in the entire region, and casting down their harpy temples in favor of his own gods.
That is... well... I think we could find a way to offend them more, but I can't think of anything right now and it will take quite some effort to find something.
Honestly I would not mind eliminating all traces of their already bastardized culture. The Slaves have no particular attachment to any of it and they vastly outnumber the Ghiscari.
@Artemis1992, another argument why a whole damn lot of the Masters will die. The thread gives negative fucks about them and I can think of a vast number of better causes to fight for then preserving them.
@Artemis1992, another argument why a whole damn lot of the Masters will die. The thread gives negative fucks about them and I can think of a vast number of better causes to fight for then preserving them.
That's true for literally anyone we set up there. The Ghiscari will fucking hate us. Frothing at the mouth hate us.
Well, I do plan to placate them by rebuilding Old Ghis under a acceptable (read: loyal) Ghiscari ruler. But keeping New Ghis in the Imperial Lands would be great for us, as it provides a neat presence in central Essos for us.
I think this has already been mentioned, but weren't our first Legion trainers hired from Ghis? I'd think that's where to start regarding finding an acceptable Ghiscari ruler to instate.
There should be plenty of sellswords, mages, etc. All that needs to happen is they need to realize how mind-bogglingly stupid it is to fight us, then spend a few months getting familiar with the opportunities available to loyal PCs.
I can't remember where missandei is from would. she work for the unsullied slavers right now Duesal? Do you think she could qualify as a pc somehow. Have her be some mind of pc class?
I can't remember where missandei is from would she work for the unsullied slavers right now Duesal? Do you think she could qualify as a pc somehow. Have her be an archivist or something.
It would not be entirely fair to say Randyll drops his son in your lap like a sack of turnips, though it must certainly feel like that to the poor boy. When he asks for his chest from the inn his father simply hands you a heavy pouch of gold saying that you should 'dress Samwell as suits his heritage and his diligence' making Samwell's face fall even further. He must have brought some keepsakes along, you realize, making a mental note to track down that chest rather than leaving it to the mercies of the innkeeper as Lord Tarly is obviously content to do.
Waving off the offer of translocation by explaining that arriving early would be more awkward than arriving late, the Lord of Horn Hill sweeps out of the tower with the same sure relentless step he had in the depths of the Shadow Tower. Though he does turn at the door to address his son it is merely with an order to 'be a credit to the Tarly name'. There is only the faintest shadow of regret in his gaze, one you doubt Samwell is perceptive enough to spot as he loudly promises to make his father proud.
Once you, Dany, and Lya are alone with the boy you do your best to set him at ease: "There are many more ways than just one to slay monsters. I myself have rarely wielded a blade of steel against them. Lya and Dany not at all."
"I did use a crossbow that one time against those bandits," Lya interjects. "All things being equal I much prefer sorcery as you might have guessed." The lights in her eyes flicker with mirth.
"Father would call it weak, womanly," Samwell says sadly, taking advantage of his moment of fearlessness still.
From the way your sister's eyes flash you suspect she would much rather vent about where Randyll Tarly can take his opinions, but she knows as well as you that this is not what Samwell needs to hear right now. "I do not think he would," she says instead. "Your father is a very practical man, one much concerned with lordship and war. If you succeed in those tasks I do not think he would be overly concerned with the means."
"Well then, I'd better hurry and learn that spell the princess used on me," he answers, looking at his feet as he follows you out of the room and up the tower's coiling stairs. "You know, we went to the arena a few days ago and saw that woman fight the Hound to the bloody end. She looked like she almost died, but she just kept on and on and on until she collapsed, a woman, father said..." he trails off, obviously not wanting to sound lacking in filial piety though you can well guess what Randyll Tarly would have said.
"And they were doing it just for the prize. I don't think I can be like that." Voice falling to a whisper, he says, "I'm not sure I want to..."
Given that he had picked Sandor Clegane and a Fallen Angel for his comparison, that is hardly a dreadful confession for a boy of ten to make.
"Samwell, we are all different. Even those of us who go into battle do not all do so for the same reasons, and certainly not with a light heart at the thought of being wounded or the possibility of falling." With a smile you add, "There is a reason why they start pages off with polishing armor and memorizing house emblems and not contemplation of their own mortality, you know. You have plenty of time to learn, and that includes learning about yourself."
From his wide-eyed nod it had likely never occurred to him that he might be a worthy object of self-reflection.
After climbing in silence for a while you speak up again: "Before we meet Headmistress Teana of the Scholarum, there is one more thing you should know."
"Yes?" Samwell asks, obviously hesitant.
"She is going to ask you about previous experiences with magic so she knows where to assign you." You pause, waiting for an answer, but none is forthcoming. "There would be little point in you learning the basics of spellcraft, wouldn't there?"
"Yes, I..." he sounds resigned to some sort of angry tirade.
"I am not upset about it, nor am I shocked, considering..." you give Dany a long meaningful look which she returns with an impish smile. Returning your attention to Samwell, you continue: "I am, however, intrigued about how you learned it." And worried about fey pacts, you add silently to yourself.
"There was this maester..." he stops, then clears his throat. "There is no reason to tell father if I'm going to be learning magic here too, is there?"
"I don't imagine there would be any cause to bother him with that, no," you assure him, somewhat relieved to see he is not wholly without guile. That would be much harder to train from nothing than arcane aptitude.
"His name is Marwyn, he's really an archmaester. When he passed by Horn Hill last year I spotted him doing magic and..." the boy blushes crimson. "I took a peek through his books."
When he realized there was still no scolding he continued. "He caught me and said those weren't books for children, but he didn't seem angry about it so I asked him if there were simpler magic books at the Citadel. He just frowned and said that the Citadel would rot my mind like termites in wood. Why would he say that when he's an archmaester?"
"I don't imagine archmaesters all agree with each other any more than any other sort of people," Lya interjects. "Scholarly disagreements can be rather vicious things in their own way."
Samwell is perceptive enough to be dissatisfied with the answer he got, but that is the best he is going to get regardless. You certainly have no intention to discuss murderous conspiracies with him. Instead you turn his attention back upon his story. "So this Marwyn did eventually give you books on magic suited to you?"
"One book, he said it would not do him much good where he was going so I might as well get some use out of it. It's with my things at the inn." The request implicit in the words is obvious.
"We will get it back, don't worry," you assure the boy as you knock on Teana's door.
A few simple tests later show Samwell to be quite adept by the standards of Scholarum entrants, certainly remarkable for one who had to learn alone and in secret.
Samwell Tarly revealed to be a Level 2 Wizard
***
Though your mind often flies to the play tomorrow and your more personal plans, for the moment the tasks of rule never truly pause. With the melee duels about to end and the jousting lists narrowed down to thirty two contestants you will have to consider how to formalize large scale land grants before pondering knight's fiefs.
Ser Bonifer Hasty (Hedge knight)
Ser Benjicot Brown (Hedge knight)
Ser Criston Storm (Hedge knight)
Ser Horas Redwyne (Mystery knight)
Ser Hyle Buckwell (Mystery knight)
Ser Gerold Dayne, known as Darkstar, the Knight of High Hermitage (Mystery knight)
Ivezhqoy 'The Dothraki'
Ser Jon Redford (Mystery knight)
Ser 'Red' Ronnet Connington
Jaedor Taraellis (Volantine Old Blood/Tiger/Distant cousin of Hermetia)
Ser Karl Terrick (Mystery knight)
Ser Raymun Darry (Mystery knight)
Tytos Brune (Not a Mystery Knight)
Vaevar called 'the Valiant' (Sellsword, formerly in the service of Lys met Valaena on the battlefield and surrendered to her)
Ser Walder Frey called the Black (Mystery knight)
Ser Wendel Manderly (Mystery knight)
Ser Gerold Torchwood (General of 1st Legion and newly raised nobility, trying to be a 'real' Westerosi)
Ser Richard Horpe (Mystery knight)
Ser Philip Foote (Mystery Knight)
Ser Roger 'Reyne' Hill (Hedge knight)
Ser Forley Waters (Legion Lancer)
Ser Harras Harlaw (Mystery knight)
Ser Quincy Peake called the Quarreller (Hedge knight)
Ser Erren Florent (Mystery knight)
Ser Harmen Flowers (Bastard son of Lord Graceford)
Vardis Sunderland (Mystery 'knight')
Ser Halys Belmore (Mystery knight)
Ser Karyl Grafton (Mystery knight)
Ser Archibald Yronwood (Mystery knight)
Ser Raynald Mooton (Mystery knight)
'Ser' Gaevon Nargaris (Braavosi 'knight')
Ser Vinarr Laeraenor (Tyroshi Magister)
What titles do you wish to hand out at the Grand Festival?
[] Write in
OOC: I figured I could leave the big plan vote overnight, you guys can of course include any ceremony you want to use too.
