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The Broken Crown - A ASOIAF GSRPG

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The King's Council and the Great Officers of the Crown


One of the King's Council Chambers, located inside the Giant's Lance at the Gates of the Moon
​
The King's Council (also known as the Royal Council), is a general term for the administrative and governmental apparatus around the king of the Vale, designed to prepare his decisions and give him advice. The Council traces its roots all the way back to Artys I himself, who invited seven Lords from across the Vale to help him administer his newly forged Kingdom following the submission of all the Lords of the Vale under a single monarch. Since then, it's fortunes have grown and waned over the past 3,500 years. At times, the Council has ruled the Vale entirely in all but name, and on numerous occasions the Council was charged with governing the realm while the King was away on campaign (most notably during the War Across the Water). Six times in recorded history, Arryn Kings simply disbanded the Council altogether (with mixed results depending on the King), while six further times the Council helped avoid succession disputes by helping to designate a proper heir. Indeed, no institution in the Vale perhaps the Faith itself has played a more dynamic role in helping to shape the Vale's laws, culture, and society as the King's Council.

Prior to the reign of King Robin VIII "The Scholar", the King's Council lacked any proper formal procedures or governing by-laws. The Council was as powerful or weak as its members, and its role shifted back and forth over thousands of years depending on a litany of circumstances. "Robin's Reforms" spelled out (among other things) the role of the King's Council, its relationship to the King and the Royal Family, as well as its proper functions, powers, limitations, and day-to-day operations. These edicts, collectively known as "Robin's Rules of Order" remain in force today. In order to understand how the Vale is administered, one must understand the King's Council.

Robin VIII's successor, Ronnel IX, established the principle that the king should not act without the advice (but not necessarily the consent) of his council. Under Mathos V, it was put forward that the king made decisions only after "good and careful deliberation", and this principle has since been maintained by his successors; the closing formula of royal acts "The King in his Council" expressed this deliberative aspect. Even though the Vale remains by all legal accounts an absolute monarchy, the expression "because such is our pleasure" has applied to royal decisions made with consultation.

Due to the strong chivalric nature of the Vale and her Lords, it is expected that any Council member(s) must resign from their office if they had recommend the King take a certain action, which in turn resulted in failure or otherwise brought embarrassment upon the King, the Royal Family, or the Vale. Likewise, should the King act against the views of his council and said action in turn brings about embarrassment upon the King, the Royal Family, or the Vale, it is custom for the entire Council to offer their resignations to His Majesty for their failure to successfully persuade or dissuade the King on the issue in question. Whether the King accepts any resignations is usually determined by a combination of the circumstances involved, as well as the King himself. This system usually results in the general public and other nobility to criticize "The King's Councilors" rather than the King himself when things go wrong, which has helped to build House Arryn's predominant political hold over the Vale over the millennia. Despite the risk of becoming a political scapegoat, holding an office on the King's Council is almost universally regarded as a great honor rivaled by few others.

The Council only holds a a consultational role, meaning the final decision is always the king's. Although scholars frequented praised the advantages of consultative government (with the agreement of his counsellors, the king could more easily impose the most severe of his decisions, or he could have his most unpopular decisions blamed on his counsellors), mainstream legal opinion never held that the king was bound by the decisions of his council. The opposite argument however has been put forward twice in history, during "The Anarchy of 2735–2738", and by the "Lords Declarant", a rebellious group of nobles who attempted to force upon King Alester II a "Great Charter of the Realm" restricting his absolute rule at the dawn of the third millennia.

Under Robin's Rules of Order, the Council's purview concerns all matters pertaining to government and royal administration, both in times of war and in times of peace. In his council, the king receives ambassadors, signs treaties, appoints administrators and gives them instructions (known as "Mandates"), elaborates on the laws of the realm (called "Ordinances" or "Edicts"). The council also serves as the highest court in the land, and regularly renders royal justice on those matters that the king reserves for himself or decides to discuss personally. Robin's Rules also dictate that Council meetings must take place "at least once every fortnight", though by now a semi-regular schedule has been established whereby the Council usually meets at least four or five times a week.

In addition to the King's Council, the consultative governing of the country also depended on other intermittent and permanent institutions, such as the "Council of Lords" (made up of every land-owning Noble Lord in the Vale), which has only met roughly once every thousand years for a grave emergency or to settle a succession dispute which the King's Council was unable to clarify.

Historical Composition of the King's Council
​
The composition of the King's Council has changed constantly over the millennia and according to the needs and desires of the king. The King's Council has almost always included:
  • The Queen of the Vale (both as Queen Consort or as Queen Mother) - ever since Queen Teora made the suggestion of building the Eyrie at its present location, the Queen of the Vale has always had a seat at the King's Council, though her influence on it has waxed and waned over time
  • The Crown Prince of the Eyrie - if he was of age to attend the council
  • The most powerful Lords and Archseptons of the Vale (this number often fluctuates)
  • At least one "Champion of the Realm" - the Knight of the Bloody Gate, Keeper of the Gates of the Moon, or the Grandmaster of the Order of the Falcon (if the office was not held by the King himself)
As is the case with nearly all of Westeros, the feudal aristocracy has maintained great control over the King's Council for most of history. The most important positions in the court are those of the Great Officers of the Crown of the Vale, headed by the Constable (chief military officer of the realm) and the High Steward (chief administrator of the realm, and the one who governs in the king's name). Certain kings were unable to reduce their importance (Jasper X, Osgood VI, Jon II, Hugo V), while others were more successful (Rodrik V, Ronnel XI, Roland I).

Over the centuries, the number of legal scholars, generally educated at the University of Gulltown, steadily increased as the technical aspects of the matters studied in the council mandated specialized counsellers. Coming from the lesser nobility or in some rare cases even the merchant classes, these scholars (whose positions sometimes gave them or their heirs nobility, though rarely any lands of importance) helped in preparing and putting into legal form the king's decisions. They formed the early elements of a true royal administration – a system which began under Artys XII – and provide a sense of stability and continuity to the royal council, despite its many reorganizations.

In their attempts at greater efficiency, various Kings of Mountain and Vale have at times tried to reduce the number of counselors or to convoke "reduced councils". Rodrik V had a council of 12 members. Under Ospin VIII and Oswell XII the king's council was dominated by members of twenty or so noble or rich families. Under Jonos I the total number of councillors increased to roughly 70 individuals (the old nobility was proportionally more important than in the previous century thanks to The Anarchy of 2735–2738).

Well over a thousand years ago, the most important matters of state were discussed in a smaller council of 6 or fewer members (3 members in 2435, 4 in 2554), while the larger council was consulted for judicial or financial affairs. Jonos I was sometimes criticized for relying too heavily on a small number of advisors, while Jonos II, and his sons found themselves frequently unable to negotiate between rival members of Houses Royce and Waynwood on their councils. In periods of crisis, the number of members of the Council tended to increase, sometimes dramatically. Perhaps the most notable example would be the chaotic reign of Artys IX, which saw some 100 councilors during the worst moments of the War Across the Water fought with the Kingdom of the North.

Despite common opinion, most Kings of Mountain and Vale do in fact listen to their councilors and often adopt the opinion of the majority: according to Archsepton Simon (whose distrust of Ronnel XIV makes this statement all the more believable), Ronnel XIV only went against the advice of his council six times during his over 70 year reign.

The King's Council and the Great Officers of the Crown in the year 3521​
  • His Majesty - Osric VI Arryn, King of Mountain and Vale, High Lord of the Giant's Lance, Master of the Mountains of the Moon, Protector of the Vale of Arryn, Grand Master of the Order of the Falcon, and Sword of the Seven
  • Her Majesty - Marianne Arryn (nee Grafton), Queen of Mountain and Vale
  • Crown Prince of the Eyrie, the Heir to the Kingdom of the Vale - Ser Arthur Arryn
  • Keeper of the Gates of the Moon, administers the Gates of the Moon - Ser Ronnel Arryn
  • High Steward of the Vale, the head of the Council in the absence of the king. Governs the realm in his name. The High Steward is assisted in his tasks by the "Keeper of the Seals", who records and distributes all ordinances, edicts, and laws - Lord Robert Royce
  • Constable of the Vale, the First Officer of the Crown and highest commander of the armies of the Vale. The office is not always filled and at many times in history has been abolished and merged with the office of High Steward - Lord Lyonel Waynwood
  • Grand Chamberlain of the Vale, in charge of the king's chamber and household - Lord Donnel Belmore
  • Grand Admiral of the Vale, highest commander of the Royal Navy - Lord Marq Grafton
  • Grand Knight of the Vale, a dignity bestowed only on to Knights for exceptional achievements. The office is considered junior to the Constable of the Vale, though is not always filled, - Ser Kyle Templeton
  • Grand Justiciar of the Vale, upholds the king's peace, justice, and laws, as well as conducts the king's espionage - Lord Lynn Corbray
  • Grand Treasurer of the Vale, oversees all royal finances, tariffs, revenues, expenditures, as well as the Mints of Gulltown and the Eyrie - Lord Mathew Redfort
  • The Archsepton of the Vale of Arryn, - Archsepton Jonothor
  • Great Officer Without Portfolio, an advisory position handed out to powerful nobles - Lord Simon Sunderland
  • Great Officer Without Portfolio, an advisory position handed out to powerful nobles - Lord Criston Waxley
The current positions are not on the King's Council due to them being held by individuals who already hold a council seat:
  • Knight of the Bloody Gate, commander of the most important military fortification of the realm, which guards entry into the Vale - currently held by Ser Arthur Arryn
  • Grand Master of the Order of the Falcon, head of the Vale's most elite military force - currently held by King Osric VI
 
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The Falcon in the Dusk

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Among the first of the grand events this year was a wedding -- a good omen, many proclaimed, for the rest of the year to come. Peace, prosperity, and a profundity of children, those were what the men and women of the Dusklands and the Vale wanted for the future, and they placed their hopes in the bride and groom as a symbol for this.

The wedding itself was extraordinary. A host of knights had ridden from Duskendale, King Denys and Ser Lucifer at the head, glimmering in plate and pennons flying in the wind. The groom, however, was conveyed in more glorious style. Riding behind his cousin, flying high above the Mountains of the Moon, they descended to the Eyrie on dragonback.

The bride was a youth, still flush in the first years of womanhood. She was scared, clearly, but excited, her fear with luck outweighed by hope. The Arryn maiden cloak laid heavily upon her shoulders, and her twin sister walked behind her, lifting the trail so it didn't slow the bride. But Aemma Arryn was still radiant in her youthful beauty, wearing a dress of blue silk and samite with complex whirling falcons and moons done in sapphires and lace.

The groom was older, a man of twenty-two, and while still youthful, looked weather compared to his wife to be. Ronnet Darklyn hadn't earned the honors his brother had, and while still intelligent and skilled was in his brother's shadow. It was clear that he was happy for the spotlight to be on him and him alone. Well-defined, he wore fine wool in black with yellow highlights, a caution against the cold winds of the Eyrie.

Under the blessings of the Seven, and the eyes of men and women alike, Ser Ronnet placed the cloak of yellow and black chequy on his fiance's shoulders, and the two were wed.
 
From: King Osric VI
To: Lords of the Vale, Great Lords and Kings of Westeros @Sidheach
My son and heir, Arthur Arryn, remains unwed. As the current Knight of the Bloody Gate he is one of the foremost knights in all of the Vale, and will no doubt make an excellent King one day.

Let all those worthy of such a prestigious match come forward.
 
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The Azure Dynasty
  • Threadmarks
    • Mod Event
    News From The Far East



    Emperor Luo Xuan of the Azure Dynasty

    ---
    ​
    Word has begun to trickle in from the Far East where the Era of the Five Kingdoms, a long running civil war that has divided Yi Ti, has finally come to an end with Luo Xuan, a former bandit turned rebel warlord, crowning himself Emperor in Xin and the first of the Azure Emperors after defeating his rivals to the throne. Though much of the information flowing westward from Yi Ti remains contradictory, exaggerated, and sparse, it is generally agreed that the Era of the Five Kingdoms only came to an end after a great battle at Yin which saw many hundreds of dragons take to the sky in battle alongside near a million soldiers who fought upon the ground. While the numbers involved may be exaggerated, at it's height, the Yellow Dynasty only ever mustered one hundred and twenty dragons, that peace has come to Yi Ti is a generally accepted truth as evidenced by the dispatching of tribute to Xin from Asabahd, the Bone Mountains, and places such as Faros in the hopes of winning the favour of the new Emperor.​
     
  • Threadmarks
    • From: Narkyros Moparis, Magister of Pentos
    To: King of Whitefoot, King of Father's Hill, King Andros of Whitecastle, King of Hagfoot     @Sidheach @Texan @Wade Garrett

    Noble Lords of the Andals,

    we have traded much in the past, your people have been honoured guests in my manse in Pentos and we know each other as men of our word. It is because of this trust and friendship, that I invite you to join me in celebration. Lysynno, oldest of my grandsons, will jump the bull this year, leaving boyhood behind and becoming a man in his own right. So come, friends, feast on my table, drink my wine and share my joy.
     
    @Sidheach
    To: Lord Reyne
    From: His fateful and loving sister Alienor Lannister

    Brave brother, I write on behalf of our king to offer our thanks for your gifts on his last nameday, he's delighted with his new toy though he wonders as much as the rest of us when his favourite nuncle will pay him a visit. He really does miss your visits, especially without his father. On the topic of our sweet sovereign, I have a favour to ask of you, he is such a playful boy but so very limited by the demands of Royal dignity, I fear that a King cannot run through the halls with stablehands and the broods of knights. Would you be kind enough to a child to foster with us for a time? I mean to ask some of the other Lords first but I fear they would smell politics at play.
     
    THE KINGDOM OF THE HILLS, This the EIGHT THOUSAND, SIX HUNDRED AND THIRTEENTH YEAR OF THE REVELATION UNTO HUGOR

    Name: The Blessed Kingdom of the Holy Hill, The Kingdom of the Hills, Hagsfoot, ("The Stranger's Arsehole" if you want to pick a fight)

    Type of Government: Elective Monarchy

    Current Ruler: Queen Janna "Crowsbeak", Anointed of the Seven Above All and Warden of the Hill, Chieftan of Clan Nomak


    Heir:     N/A (successor will be chosen by the Council of Chieftans upon Queen Janna's passing)

    Capital: Hagsfoot
    Largest City: Hagsfoot


    According to the septons and singers who wanders its rolling hills, moors, and mist shrouded bogs, the Kingdom of the Hills is the oldest of the Andal Realms, with the five clans who claiming direct descent from the Hundred Sons of Hugor. As sung in the halls of the Clanholds, the founders of Clan Kolpec, Surany, Nomak, Orosz, and Mathys were charged by Hugor himself to guard the lands where the Seven once walked among men, a duty they have performed faithfully for nigh on ten thousand years, even as the other descendants of the Hundred fell to foreign conquerors and fratricidal infighting or fled across the Narrow Sea in fear.

    Or so say the septons and singers of the Blessed Kingdom of the Holy Hill.

    Only a small, precious portion of Hagfoot's lands are fertile in the manner of Pentos' famed plains, but its hillsides and marshes are dotted with herds of cattle and sheep, hardy breeds that have thrive in Hagfoot's environs. Though smaller than their kindred in more pleasant climes, Hagsfoot livestock wax fat on fodder that would poison other animals, and are notoriously belligerent in disposition, with documented instances of Hagfoot sheep and cattle driving off away attacking wolves and panthers.



    More than a few ribald ballads link the size and temperament of their sheep and cattle with the size and temperament of the clansfolk, although rarely when a Hagfoot native is within earshot.


    Sigil of Clan Nomak, current ruling family

    Words: "From Wounds, Courage"

    Truculent even by the standards of Hagsfoot, Nomak still keeps to the custom of the Warrior's Pilgrimage, where boys and girls swear blood oaths before the altar of the fiercest of the Seven and buy passage to adulthood with spilled blood and plundered treasure.

    In olden times, this meant raids upon Ghoyan Drohe, Pentos, and the neighboring Andal powers, but in this more enlightened era it is generally fulfilled by a few years of sellswording (or a bit of freebooting on a Braavosi vessel).
     
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    Imperial Volantis

    ​

    The great Volantis, sometimes referred to as Imperial Volantis nowadays, is governed by the House Nogarys, descended from some of the Valyrian colonists who thousands of years ago founded the city. Imperial Volantis is governed in a much different fashion than, for example, the feudal kingsoms and empires across the Narrow Sea. From amongst the Old Blood, bureaucrats are appointed to the government of the provinces and the command of the armies, each eager to prove their worth to the Emperor.
    ​
    • His Imperial Majesty, Malaquo, First of His Name, of the House Nogarys. Emperor, Defender of Volantis, Lord of the Rhoyne and of the Summer Sea. ( b.171, Volantis - d. 231, Volantis, natural causes. )​
      • His brother, Horonno, of the House Nogarys. Commander of Imperial Volantis. (b.173, Volantis - d. 217, Anyria, felled by an enemy arrow. )
        • His son, His Imperial Majesty, Nyessos, First of His Name, of the House Nogarys. Emperor, Defender of Volantis, Lord of the Rhoyne and of the Summer Sea. (b.200, Volantis.)
        • His daughter-in-law, Velliana Lohar. (b. 205)
          • Their daughter, Princess Helaria, of the House Nogarys. (b.220, Volon Therys.)
          • Their daughter, Princess Meshanea, of the House Nogarys. (b.222, Volon Therys.)
          • Their daughter, Princess Taenora, of the House Nogarys. (b.225, Lys. )
          • Their daughter, Princess Daenesa, of the House Nogarys. (b.230, Volantis.)

    ​
     
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    Pirx said:
    From: Narkyros Moparis, Magister of Pentos
    To: King of Whitefoot, King of Father's Hill, King Andros of Whitecastle, King of Hagfoot     @Sidheach @Texan @Wade Garrett

    Noble Lords of the Andals,

    we have traded much in the past, your people have been honoured guests in my manse in Pentos and we know each other as men of our word. It is because of this trust and friendship, that I invite you to join me in celebration. Lysynno, oldest of my grandsons, will jump the bull this year, leaving boyhood behind and becoming a man in his own right. So come, friends, feast on my table, drink my wine and share my joy.
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    That will not be happening.

    Not that I gave any objections to partaking of your larder, but it is a poor ruler who quits their kingdom when the murder make gathers on their borders. I am told Lord Bleda of Rhyos has offered up seven black bullocks upon the Warrior's altar, and the fires of his forges outshine those of your Red Temple.

    Still, I would not have it said that I have spurned the friendship of Pentos' Magisters. My grandson Matyas Rawbread will attend in my place. The lad will bring far more cheer to your feast than I would.

    Queen Janna Crowsbeak
     
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    -THE TOLL OF DEVOTION-

    The monarchs of Hagsfoot have, in the main, four duties. To lead the armies of the Hill in war, to arbitrate disputes among the five clans, to serve as high priest or priestess in certain rites of the Seven...and to collect and distribute offerings of coin and goods from the pilgrims who travel to the Kingdom of Hills to walk where the Seven's feet trod upon earth and stone.

    According to various Hagfoot rulers, the "shield tithe" is no more than their due for providing these wanderers with protection from beasts and bandits as they journey across their lands, an assertion that has been questioned by septons and lords of the Eastern and Western Faith.

    In the present year, pilgrims return to Westeros with troubling news: while the fees collected from travelers professing the Eastern Rite remain unchanged, the amount demanded of those who follow the septon of Oldtown has risen sharply, as has the forcefulness with which it is collected.

    Hagsfoot tithe collector, 239 A.D.

    @Sidheach
    @Ceslas
    @Brightflame
    @ByzantineCaesar
    @EliudFS1
    @comradepitrovsky
    @ShapelessPhobos
    @Mortis Nuntius
     
    Wade Garrett said:
    That will not be happening.

    Not that I gave any objections to partaking of your larder, but it is a poor ruler who quits their kingdom when the murder make gathers on their borders. I am told Lord Bleda of Rhyos has offered up seven black bullocks upon the Warrior's altar, and the fires of his forges outshine those of your Red Temple.

    Still, I would not have it said that I have spurned the friendship of Pentos' Magisters. My grandson Matyas Rawbread will attend in my place. The lad will bring far more cheer to your feast than I myself would.

    Queen Janna Crowsbeak
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    The boy will be received with all honours. But if your situation is as dire as you make it out to be, I pray that your swords are not as blunt as your words.
     
    ChaosTheVoid said:
    From: Mantarys
    To: Elos, Telyria @Sidheach
    Secret
    Perhaps we can have more in-depth talks of what actions we could take?
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    *Both Elos and Telyria suggest a secret agreement to come to each other's aid in the event of the League attacking them*

    Deathwing said:
    Hmm. The ones in the league sound good.
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    Feel free to name them then.

    Pirx said:
    From: Narkyros Moparis, Magister of Pentos
    To: King of Whitefoot, King of Father's Hill, King Andros of Whitecastle, King of Hagfoot     @Sidheach @Texan @Wade Garrett

    Noble Lords of the Andals,

    we have traded much in the past, your people have been honoured guests in my manse in Pentos and we know each other as men of our word. It is because of this trust and friendship, that I invite you to join me in celebration. Lysynno, oldest of my grandsons, will jump the bull this year, leaving boyhood behind and becoming a man in his own right. So come, friends, feast on my table, drink my wine and share my joy.
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    *The Andals of Whitefoot and Father's Hill dispatch representatives to attend the festivities along with gifts*

    Mortis Nuntius said:
    @Sidheach
    To: Lord Reyne
    From: His fateful and loving sister Alienor Lannister

    Brave brother, I write on behalf of our king to offer our thanks for your gifts on his last nameday, he's delighted with his new toy though he wonders as much as the rest of us when his favourite nuncle will pay him a visit. He really does miss your visits, especially without his father. On the topic of our sweet sovereign, I have a favour to ask of you, he is such a playful boy but so very limited by the demands of Royal dignity, I fear that a King cannot run through the halls with stablehands and the broods of knights. Would you be kind enough to a child to foster with us for a time? I mean to ask some of the other Lords first but I fear they would smell politics at play.
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    When it is safe to leave my lands without my leadership, of course. The Ironborn still raid as they always have, not only from sea but now by land from the Crag, the uncouth brutes, and I fear any lengthy absence on my part might embolden the savages to visit hell upon my lands for perceived weakness on my part. As for the King, if he seeks companionship, I have a younger son who might serve as his playmate that I shall dispatch to the Rock for I know that he shall be in good company there, being both in the presence of kin but also my friends the regents.
     
    Sidheach said:
    *Both Elos and Telyria suggest a secret agreement to come to each other's aid in the event of the League attacking them*


    Feel free to name them then.


    *The Andals of Whitefoot and Father's Hill dispatch representatives to attend the festivities along with gifts*



    When it is safe to leave my lands without my leadership, of course. The Ironborn still raid as they always have, not only from sea but now by land from the Crag, the uncouth brutes, and I fear any lengthy absence on my part might embolden the savages to visit hell upon my lands for perceived weakness on my part. As for the King, if he seeks companionship, I have a younger son who might serve as his playmate that I shall dispatch to the Rock for I know that he shall be in good company there, being both in the presence of kin but also my friends the regents.
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    The finest of company, I will make enquries elsewhere. As for the Ironborn...I fear I am no warrior Queen to drive them into the sea for good but I will ask the regents their opinion. Please do have your Lady wife send a raven of her own about the boy's tastes and needs my sweet nephew will lack for nothing.
    To: Regents
    From: Queen Alienor
    My Lords, my gallant brother the Lord of Castamere reports increased raiding on the part of the Ironborn and their puppets in the Kingdom of the Crag. May I beg your wisdom?
     
    Arcvalons said:
    From: Imperial Volantis
    To: Orosi League @Deathwing
    Private.
    We are interested in closer economic and military cooperation.
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    ...

    Hmm, let us think about this. While you are a powerful player, you are also heathens to the Gods.

    To Fellow Cities of the Orosi League @Sidheach
    from: General Galyx Draconys
    Private
    Sends Volantis message out,

    What do you think, should we find a way to ally with the heretics? They would serve a good buffer against Mantarys but I don't really trust these heretics.
     
    Events of the Torrentine

    The Kingdom of the Torrentine is in shock as a grave illness has struck King Arthur. The Honorable "Sword in the Morning" had been slowly but surely ageing with the passage of time. As the years passed, so did his health. Old scars have been coming back to haunt him, as the old king became infirm with every year that passed. Soon enough, it was clear to everyone that the mighty King that saw the Torrentine's freedom from the Martell yoke, was not long for this world.

    As the prospect of the monarch's death came upon the royal court, so did the issue of succession. King Arthur had a son and a daughter to carry on his name. Prince Edgar and Princess Alyssa Dayne. Princess Alyssa had married into the Blackmont family, Lords of Castle Blackmont. Edgar had married into House Dayne of High Hermitage, marrying his third cousin and lady love Leona, who bore him his son Edric. Unfortunately, some years later, she died in childbirth, giving birth to Elysa Dayne.

    Edric "Ned" Dayne had quickly grown to be the favorite of the old king. They where often seen together along the battlements and courtyards of Starfall. It was obvious to all that the Old King was grooming his grandson for kingship, bypassing his father Edgar in the process. Under any other situation, it would have been scandalous for the grandfather to pass over his son, in favor of his grandson, had it not been for Prince Edgar's mental state. After the loss of his Leona, Prince Edgar had fallen on a deep depression. Never seeing the light of day, and holing up in his quarters for weeks at a time. What he did, in isolation... no one knew, but it was obvious that prince Edgar was not fit to rule the Kingdom of the Torrentine.

    In other news, News of the threats of the Stormlands towards Nightsong soon reached the ears of the aging king. Determined to not let age or sickness detain him from taking command, King Arthur ordered the construction of watchtowers and forts along the Red Mountains that guarded the Territory of the Torrentine. If the Storm King was set on expanding, it bode ill news for the rest of the independent realms. The Daynes had long established a policy of no interference with foreign wars, but they weren't ignorant as to be lax in their defenses.
     
    To the Sword of the Morning, Ser Arthur Dayne, King of the Torrentine
    From the Bloodroyal, Ynys IX Yronwood, High Queen of Dorne

    Private: The drums of war beat over the Red Mountains once again. I would send my brother Ser Cletus to Starfall to have words.
     
    ByzantineCaesar said:
    To the Sword of the Morning, Ser Arthur Dayne, King of the Torrentine
    From the Bloodroyal, Ynys IX Yronwood, High Queen of Dorne

    Private: The drums of war beat over the Red Mountains once again. I would send my brother Ser Cletus to Starfall to have words.
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    From: King Arthur
    To: Ynys IX Yronwood, The Bloodroyal

    Private

    It would be an honor to host Ser Cletus, if you intend for a member of your household to talk and visit. While the drums of war beat over your side of the Red Mountains, they do not over the Torrentine.

    (Would you like to rp? Once we have a thread for it I mean)
     
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    The Principality of Dorne
    239
    ​
    Name: House Martell of Sunspear
    Monarch: Nymeria VI Martell
    Heir presumptive: Ser Agravaine Martell
    Words: Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken
    Religion: Faith of the Seven (Western Rite)
    Ancestral Blade: None
    Seat: Sunspear
    Other Holdings: Plankytown, Ghaston Grey, Bloodstone.



    Princess Nymeria VI Martell, The 'Snakesbane'​

    Princess Nymeria Martell the Sixth (b.186), Princess of Dorne, Lady of Sunspear, and Mistress of the Stepstones. Called 'Snakesbane'.
    • Her Husband, Prince-Consort Alessandor Allyrion (b.183, d. 229), The greatest knight of Dorne in his time.
      • Her First Son, Ser Agravaine Martell (b. 205), Heir to Dorne. Oft called 'Snake Eater' though just as often 'The Arrogant'. Commander of the Nymerian Guard.
        • His Wife, Lady Rachelle Qorgyle (b. 208),
          • His First Son, Qoren Martell (b. 225), Squiring for Lord Quentyn Qorgyle.
          • His First Daughter, Nymella Martell (b. 228)
          • His Second Son, Antonin Martell (b. 232)
      • His Paramour, 'Lady' Joy of Father's Hill (b. 201), An apparent former Sellsword from Essos, an officer in the Nymerian Guard.
        • His Bastard Son, Adom Sand (b.231),
      • Her First Daughter, Aliandra Gargalen (Nee' Martell) (b. 210), Called 'Rattleskirt', Keeper of the Prince's Purse.
        • Her Husband, Lord Farien Gargalen (b. 200), Lord of Salt Shore
          • Has Issue.
      • Her Second Daughter, Sybilla Toland (Nee' Martell) (b. 213), Keeper of the Tower of the Sun
        • Her Husband, Ser Gideon Toland(b. 214), Heir to Ghost Hill, Keeper of the Spear Tower
          • Has Issue.
      • Her Second Son, Ser Bastian Martell (b. 217), Master of Ceremonies
        • His Paramour Closest Friend, Ser Castor Vaith (b. 212), Officer of the Threefold Gate. Called 'Red Paw'
    • Her Brother, Ser Rhodry Martell (b. 189), Knight of the Bloodfort, Lord-Admiral of the Dornish Fleet
      • His Wife, Lady Selaesoria of Myr (b. 192),
        • His First Daughter, Septa Obara Martell (b. 209), Twin to Oberyn, A Septa of the Faith.
        • His First Son, Ser Oberyn Martell (b. 209), Twin to Obara, Captain in the Dornish Fleet.

    ​

    Prince Agravaine Martell
    ​
    It has since been some thirty years since Princess Nymeria succeeded her father after cutting him out from the belly of a giant snake (Hardly the bloodiest beginning to a Dornish ruler's reign but certainly a memorable one none would deny.). In this time the Sixth Nymeria to sit the throne of Dorne has managed the Principality of her ancestors ably. The majority of the Stepstones have been brought fully under the Princess's control with the aid of her only brother, Rhodry, now ruler from within the Bloodfort upon Bloodstone in his sister's name. The internal division which allowed first Yronwood and then Dayne to claim (Though some might say reclaim is the better term.) crowns of their own has been put to rest for much of the Snakebane's rule. Even the strife Dorne had suffered with it's neighbors has been settled to some degree since Princess Nymeria's donning of the crown.

    Alas, not all is perfection and contentment in Sunspear for while Princess Nymeria is an able diplomat and more than able user of subtler tactics her heirs have shown themselves not quite to be her equal in such matters. Her firstborn, Agravaine, is a man of great martial leaning with no lack of a certain cunning yet his proud and sometimes irascible temperament leave him little skill in the finer details of diplomacy that cannot be settled on a training field. Her second eldest, Aliandra's chosen vice is well known to be her greed, having even chosen from all the matches put forward that which held the most potential to bring her greatest wealth. A fact that Dorne's growing trade can well attest, filling House Martell's coffers in general and House Gargalen's in particular. Her youngest son fills his time with revelry and hedonism the likes of which leave even the people of Dorne with raised brows. Her youngest daughter and third eldest, Sybilla, though shows fewer signs of such...quirks of character as her siblings possess (At least not openly.) though more than one courtier has noted that the Princess is sometimes overly quiet, some might even say too quiet.

    Yet even with these failings in her descendants the Princess of Dorne is not afraid of putting some use to her sometimes frustrating offspring. This is best shown by her assignment of positions for her children with Ser Agravaine being made the head of the family's finest force, The Nymerian Guard, to fine enough results. Though to add to this the Princess was certain to find him a match to a woman after her own heart which she found in the shrewd Lady Rachelle Qorgyle, a woman often found in Princess Nymeria's confidence. Aliandra has been named to the position of Keeper of the Prince's Purse that her desire for a fuller purse of her own might bring a fuller treasury to Dorne as whole. Princess Sybilla, alongside her husband Ser Gideon Toland, has been placed in control of maintaining the smooth running of the Towers of Sunspear. Even Bastian has found a place for his seemingly endless desires to bring some good to his House, being named to the position of Master of Ceremonies which he has taken to with a passion he had only shown previously for his many erstwhile paramours.

    Even with all these appointments and the more-or-less smooth running of her lands the Princess of Dorne holds out hope that her grandchildren might prove truer descendants.

    The Nymerian Guard.​
    Events:​
    • Under the tender care of Princess Aliandra the Dornish economy slowly grows as she works to increase the amount of exports, mainly to Essos though there more than a bit to the various cities of Westeros. Of particular note is growing amount of salt being produced from her husband's lands though the Princess does not shy away from more famous commodities such as the many citrus fruits, wines, peppers and others.​
    • The events to the north of the Principality has more than piqued the interest of Princess Nymeria as well as stoke some not so warm sentiments in the Dornish Court.​
     
    Lions, Dragons, and Shadows, Oh My!
    ​
    Two more marriages would be arranged by House Darklyn for its members before the year was out.

    In the west, the entirety of the Darklyn court sailed to Dragonstone in order to attend the marriage of the heir-presumptive to Dragonstone, Jaehaerys of the House Targaryen, and the Lady Victaria Darklyn, a raven-haired beauty. Besides a small spat over hair tips by a few of the ladies-in-waiting, the wedding went off splendidly.

    The same could be said of the other match, between the uncle of the Lord Lannister, Ser Jaime Lannister, and the maiden Merianne Darklyn. While with slightly sparser attendance, due to distance, it was still a wedding fit for the Golden Kings of Casterly Rock.

    @Mortis Nuntius @Kristopherw
     
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