Not really totally related, but cleaving to Westerosi intrigue at least, I feel like a reminder is due that Tywin Lannister bound a number of his Lords with enchantments and didn't stop there, but also put a mage minder on them to keep them docile and obedient indefinitely.
If there wasn't a Conclave going, I would almost say that our position in the Reach is almost strong enough that we should start working at that knot in the Westerlands instead, because that is some seriously prime ground for sedition.
Also vaguely related, but to outline
1) We quite literally own three Small Council Seats, and hopefully by the end of the month will have full Inquisition presence in King's Landing.
1.1) For those not leery of counting the Narrow Sea Houses in the same tally, given their relative isolation, half the Houses in the Crownlands are Targaryen loyalists. The other half is about to become less certain that they drank too much of the Lannister kool-aid to go back after we allowed Sandor motherfucking Clegane to become our sister's sworn sword (ON NATIONAL MIRRORVISION!) while conversationally dismissing a largesse of land until one or the other has claimed Tywin's head.
2) Again, a third of the Riverlands Houses are Targaryen Loyalists (or Opportunists), a third are more concerned with murdering their neighbors to pay Hoster Tully any mind at all, and the other third has an overlord who's sniping at Tywin Lannister about how weak their position is. This, when Hoster probably realizes his dynastic alliance is practically worth shit. The only heir of House Arryn from Lysa a cursed babe in arms? Stark-Baratheon tensions? Good luck, Hoss.
3) We own the Iron Islands. Literally. And the Westerlanders did the work for us and helped clean house. Is it possible to be accidentally competent? It must be, because it is perfectly possible to be circumstantially incompetent while performing competently. The Lannisters have zero luck.
4) We are slowly whittling away at the North one House at a time. But leaving aside our plans to make every single one of Ned's bannermen drag their feet when he calls them to Winterfell, we're basically maneuvering to place him in a position where his only two options are to stay out the way, or help us make Robert look even weaker than he already does. No, there isn't a third option. We accounted for that (it involves a black cloak, and the people rocking that latest fashion love us). Tl;Dr, plots and schemes, what will our next Eldrad impersonation involve next?
5) Dorne wanted to kill all our enemies out of simple convenience before we really got rolling. The rest was just a bonus.
6) Conversely, House Tyrell's ploy to secure their rear ended predictably. Not being able to find their ass with both hands and every single one of their fractious bannermen jumping ship faster than the Royal Fleet did when Stannis got sent after us the second time.
7) The Vale has as much in common with the rest of the Seven Kingdoms as Azema does in a Lyseni whore house. Everyone there wants to kill each other, and there's a friend somewhere in the middle fucking everyone else over at the same time.
A year ago I would have commented that we have done precious little in Westeros given how much work is involved sorting through all the politics and regional peculiarities involved.
Now I wonder if people will even react to our domino chain of events leading up to the invasion as if we're responsible, or if it will come across as just monumental misfortune and incompetence on their part, because it's not as if we are leaving much of a trail leading to us with our efforts.
Of course I realize that on the whole incompetence isn't the only answer to our enemies' woes.
We're just that good.
