The Dragon Has Three Heads - ASOIAF Quest

[Lunasmeow]

Voting Tutorial
Condensed and Updated
Please Read & Follow
#StickiedForAReason
Votes that do not follow the template will not be counted!​

Spoiler: Write-in Vote Guide

At this time I am using a counter system, listing the number of days votes take to be put into action. However for write-in votes you don't know how many days an action may take. For this we will use the old system of Major/Minor Decisions, and I will tell you how many days/weeks/months the plan will take. Remember that every month has 28 days, and that there are 13 months in the year with New Years as a special day alone outside the months. There is no leap year, as their calendar is not accurate to that degree.

Spoiler: Major Decisions

Major decisions are any new endeavors. Finding new investments. Finding new allies (specify what type, where you're looking if possible, what you want from them, etc) finding new trainers, starting new training even if it is with people you already know... Anything new.

No mixing something that would qualify as a minor decision or free action into your major votes! If you have a question about your votes, ask me.

Spoiler: Minor Decisions

Talking with specific people about specific subjects. You can generally only talk with one person at a time with this. There are simple logical exceptions, Husband & Wife combos can be put together as one conversation, brother & sister, stuff like that. I'll clarify if a combo is unacceptable when I see the vote. This is also for continuing any long term action. Any major decision that you have already voted to start (not just mused about in-story) can be a minor action the next time around. Continuing training that you have already begun for example. Continuing a long-term investigation or plot. Stuff like this.

Spoiler: Free Actions

Making small talk with characters. You will not learn anything special really, but it gives you more insight into their backgrounds and history, can raise/lower their loyalty or other relationship points with you, etc. Raising/lowering and how much depends on rolls.

Spoiler: Immediate Actions

These can interrupt any current action(s) and will take precedence over the current plan. A way to change things on the fly as you discover new information or alternate ways to potentially enhance your plan, or change it completely if needed.

Spoiler: Party Members

Remember for all votes if you take a guard or other individual with you, you will need to write-in which guard/person you take with you (just saying take a guard or ally will leave the decision of which one up to me) and also whether Daenerys tries to use any future knowledge on the decision as well if it is one of hers or she is present. (She still may decide to try and use her future knowledge without your consent if she thinks it necessary.) These details are sub-votes.

Spoiler: Plan Votes

[] [Plan] X (Current Month, Short Term, Long Term, Immediate Actions, Purchases, etc.)
-[] Major Decisions: Character name here
--[] Major Decision 1
---[] Sub-conditions of Major Decision 1
---[] Sub-conditions of Major Decision 1
--[] Major Decision 2
---[] Sub-conditions of Major Decision 2
---[] Sub-conditions of Major Decision 2
-[] Minor Decisions: Character name here
--[] Minor Decision 1
---[] Sub-conditions of Minor Decision 1
---[] Sub-conditions of Minor Decision 1
--[] Minor Decision 2
-[] Free Actions: Character name here
--[] Free Action 1
---[] Sub-conditions
--[] Free Action 2
---[] Sub-conditions

You get the jist of this.

However, under the plan vote, you will then put a "Priority" Vote.

[] Aegon Priority: 1. Major Decision 1, 2. Free Action 2, 3. Minor Decision 1, 4. Major Decision 2, etc.
[] Daenerys Priority: 1. Free Action 2, 2. Major Decision 3, 3. Minor Decision 1, etc.

This way we can vote on the general plan, then I can separate the order of events in said plan.

Don't put V1, V2, or any other such revision information into your plan. Just leave it like I have it. Nothing extra. The tally system will update to your newest post. No need to make version markers. It just makes things harder for me.

If an action in a plan is not one for a specific character, more a general idea of what needs to be done, it will still need to go into the priority matrix.

Spoiler: Reasoning For Votes

At the end of all your votes, put your reasons explaining your vote choice. As I've said before, a plan with reasons will get more weight than one without. Because reasons matter. I care about reasons more than numbers. I need reasons to help build the characters. Get used to putting reasons into your plans, as eventually reasons will become a requirement rather than a suggestion. This post will change when that occurs.

Spoiler: Following Another Person's Plan

[] [Plan] X

You may (but are not required to) put additional reasons to agree with that plan beneath your vote if there are reasons for it that the original vote creator didn't put in that you thought of. The more/better the reasoning inside explaining a vote, the greater the chance it will be added into the story.

Spoiler: Vote Closings and Tiebreakers

Votes are typically closed after either 12 or 24 hours unless real life interferes. Ties will be either decided by me, or by whoever is in the forum or the Discord that has not voted already at the time. I will @ whoever is currently in the forum or Discord that I choose to be the tiebreaker.

Plans have specific timelines. Immediate Actions are obviously immediate. Current Month is similarly self-explanatory. Short Term is something that can conceivably be done within 1-3 months, and Long Term is 3-6 months.

 

[Lunasmeow]

Can we change our minds at a later date – if we decide not to take the Seven Kingdoms then maybe we can keep slavery in any Essosi holdings, but the propaganda of us being a slaver doesn't bear thinking about.

Click to shrink...

So the reason it says "tentative, voted on again later" is that this is his current ideas on things. For character building and whatnot. There will be a 2nd vote later. Right nlw I need how he reacts to it. Blind hate, disgust, understandable distaste, acceptance...

Also because it helps him start planning even if he can't carry out any plans yet.

All of this is why I said his reasons are important. And yes, changing your mind later is of course allowed.

 

[Genji]

[X] Keep slavery active in Essos if you forge any sort of kingdom there.
-[X] But at a minimum, criminals, thieves, and indentured servitude are all options.

 

[PurpleSunset]

Mayhaps a look into standard essosdian slavery practices would be helpful - Rome had a fairly effective and comparatively gentle system compared to other slaving empires. As long as we don't go full Old Kingdom Egypt or Ancient China with this and kill thousands upon thousands with megaprojects it should be semisustainable, especially if there is a somewhat more reliable way to give slaves a chance to earn freedom. Mayhaps find a way to culturally incentivise raising skilled slaves - ie those who dont work hard, menial labor - to be successful enough to become free? Set a tradition as this act being the equivalent of birthing a new Valyrian to bring his talents forth in raising the empire to new heights?

Naive I know, but the one thing all forms of slavery need to take into consideration is that foreign slaves may not always be easily accessible and an institution that preys upon the loyal subjects of the parent nation is a cancer on the whole. It can lead to immense amounts of corruption, and that's my only real worry for implementing this. They have thousands of years of cultural inertia and legend reinforcing slavery due to the old Valyrian Empire, so I do not realistically see a way for slavery too be destroyed without it cropping up in other practices liked indentured servitude. Too much background foundation for most of daily essosian life.

The only real case I can see for a freedom run is if you take Westeros first, doing as Aegon the Conqueror did, and then establish a firm grip there. Once that is accomplished the stepstones would be next as a staging area for slave trade raids and/or an invasion of Tyrosh or Lys to prelude an invasion of Essos proper. We would need to pull some major bs and come in as a foreign ruler bringing foreign law and cultural domination. Which isnt realistic considering that polity wise the free cities are closer to early renaissance governments and Westeros is firmly mid-late middle ages. Its hard to reconfigure something so completely. Only case I have ever seen that work with is the more tribal/clan/village based forms of governance with low centralization ala the norman invasion of england bringing feudalism and the onset of Catholicism/Eastern Orthodoxy bringing feudalism in a form to Scandinavia/Russia.

Any way, lets try too get Aegon thinking about long term viability in his empires slave practices so that constant raids ala slavers bay and the disputed lands dont need to be a thing.

 

[Rune_Fireheart]

Do note that there is one key benefit to ending slavery from a ruling perspective: liberty makes people want to keep you in power. Honestly we'll most likely want to remove the Masters anyway since they are not going to want some random shit overthrowing them anyway, so why not earn some points with the commoners along the way? Those are my thoughts on it.

 

[Rivain]

[X] Plan Foresight
-[X] You think the practice of slavery to be immoral, but understand the economic benefits. You also are aware of how much social, economic and political upheaval would result from removing slavery outright. So you'll keep slavery active in Essos, but take steps to slowly replace it with alternatives, and to provide slaves with alternate training, so that you may one day get rid of it.

 

[Isaacssv558]

[X] Plan Foresight
-[X] You think the practice of slavery to be immoral, but understand the economic benefits. You also are aware of how much social, economic and political upheaval would result from removing slavery outright. So you'll keep slavery active in Essos, but take steps to slowly replace it with alternatives, and to provide slaves with alternate training, so that you may one day get rid of it.

 

[RideTheWalrus]

[X] Keep slavery active in Essos if you forge any sort of kingdom there.
-[X] But at a minimum, criminals, thieves, and indentured servitude are all options

Abolishing slavery would be great but starting slow would be better I think

 

[NúmenoreanNazgûl]

Abolishing slavery would be great but starting slow would be better I think

Click to shrink...

[X] Plan Foresight
-[X] You think the practice of slavery to be immoral, but understand the economic benefits. You also are aware of how much social, economic and political upheaval would result from removing slavery outright. So you'll keep slavery active in Essos, but take steps to slowly replace it with alternatives, and to provide slaves with alternate training, so that you may one day get rid of it.

Click to shrink...

This is just a more refined version of that plan. With actual reasons IC for doing the same thing your plan does.

 

[FractiousDay]

There is a lot you'd have to do to free slaves effectively and not just leave them open to exploitation. But that's life.

Click to shrink...

It was more a matter of me thinking there was more we could be usefully doing. As you say there's the issue of exploitation, but there's also a problem of supply and demand, given basically the entire Essos economy involved heavily in slavery. I also don't see how the Westerosi system is actually better.

 

[Loinvoyant]

[X] Keep slavery active in Essos if you forge any sort of kingdom there.

People both in quests and in fanfictions tend to always vilify slavery whether or not this is consistent with the life the character has led, probably because slavery IRL is something most of us feel strongly about morally speaking, which creates a particular bias.

In this particular instance, Aegon has lived in the Free cities all his life and currently resides in Braavos; he has met slaves, he employs former slaves (freed or runaways) meaning radically different outlooks about slavery are completely possible without beeing out of character.

I would personally choose the option of Aegon having no problem at all with slavery for the following reasons:
-it would be original (literally the only quest I read where this choice is made, though a few stories explore the idea) and this quest is well written so I am intrigued by how that would turn out and frankly I tire a bit of medieval characters having surprisingly modern outlooks in everything I read

-it would be in character with Aegon going back all the way to his valyrian roots as he seems to be doing (worshiping the gods of Old Valyria, boldly acknowledging his valyrian descent and ties to the Freehold even when assuming a different identity, being interested in dragons and valyrian sorcery...)

-it would make some possible avenues more convenient to explore (like sorcery and blood sacrifices) while creating difficulties for the character to overcome (like the hostility of westerosi nobility should he try to reclaim his grandfather's throne)

-it would be an opportunity to explore (scenaristically) should the characters go literally anywhere beyond Braavos and the Seven Kingdoms (though there are thralls in the Iron Islands)

-it makes actual economic sense (as terrible as it is) in pre-industrial societies so it would play on his greed (he IS a Dragon after all) and it would not force him to embark on a lonely crusade against everyone powerful in Myr, Pentos, Lys, Volantis and all the cities of Slaver's bay (edit. and frankly the way westerosi nobility treats the "smallfolk", I am not sure things are much better over there)

 

[Lunasmeow]

Winning Vote

Major: Practice new abilities. Train with Ser Jorah.
Minor: Talk with Dany about secrets. Train with Matalarr.
Free: Talk with Ser Jorah and Matalarr.​

---

If you didn't notice, this is the 3rd update today. Start from here, then read here and here if you didn't see the picture of the Dragon Goddess, read Daenerys' dream sequence, or the training with Ser Jorah segment.​

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Stretching One's Wings - Part Four
Fourth Week of the Fifth Month 297 AC​

Your training with Ser Jorah goes rather well, unsurprisingly as you are now blessed by the God of Conquerors. You could feel the blade being guided by a hand not quite your own, allowing you to parry and strike with greater skill than you previously should have had. However you also realize that the blessing adds skill on top of your own base skill, and so willfully ignore the guiding hand for the rest of your training. The better you become on your own, you feel, the more effect the blessing will have.

Ser Jorah is surprised when your skill suddenly takes a step down and you go from being relatively confident with your moves to swinging the sword around awkwardly, not being used to this type of blade, but after a few minutes of confusion he simply brushes off his concerns and starts again from the top. You grasp the basics readily enough, as at least some things are the same from blade to blade, but you are not as good as you could be if you let that otherworldly presence guide your blows.

After training with Ser Jorah you pause for lunch before you begin training with Matalarr as usual. Again you feel the otherworldly presence ready and waiting to help guide your strikes, but you refuse its aid, wishing to increase your own skill as much as possible before relying on the blessing of Balerion. You again feel that you have learned more than usual, no doubt due to the nature of the blessings you gained.

After the sparring match you sit to the side with Matalarr, talking more about the life he had in Lys as a part of their gladiatorial fighting ring. He tells you of the days when he was in training, learning the sword from masters who were far more brutish than he, at least until they saw that he actually had potential with a blade and could actually be an artist instead of a brute. Those blade masters he says, were bitter from having to train those who had absolutely no talent, to die at the whim of the crowd. A student like him? One who could make a master proud to have trained him? Those they lived for.

The treatment of the masters changed when they saw his natural aptitude, and the other slaves noticed. This naturally led to jealousy, and infighting became common. There were more than a few attempts on Matalarr's life, but they all obviously ended in failure. Still, some of his more prominent scars came not from the ring, but from the attacks in the night by his fellow "brethren". Still, he says, life wasn't all bad there. There were good days and bad, as in all life.

Once the training with Matalarr is over you still feel restless. You have some sort of energy that you need to expend. You head back to the training yard and swing your swords around but that isn't what you need. Eventually you put them away and start swinging your hands as if at an imaginary opponent. You are punching, dodging, moving faster and faster, getting more and more in the moment, allowing the blessing of Balerion to guide your fists and then- Flame. Your hands are wreathed in fire, and when next you swing your fist a gout of flame shoots out, nearly ten feet away.

The power takes the excess energy away and you feel drained. Tired like you haven't been in a long time. Like the first day of training with Matalarr, when your muscles were unused to holding a sword for long periods of time, let alone swinging one for hours on end. You are bent over, hands on your knees as the exertion catches up to you, but you feel amazing all the same. You have just used magic. Battle magic. It took far too much out of you for you to actively use in a real fight for anything other than a final desperate attack, but with practice... You look down and notice that your hands still have flames dancing across the knuckles. You know now how to start and stop the flames, and you know that it costs less than projecting it outward like you just did.

Out of your peripheral vision you notice Daenerys standing in the window, watching with a proud smile. Yes, it is time we had that conversation.

---

Next up you finally learn IC what Dany has been up to! Shouldn't be a long conversation. I was debating putting it in this update since it is pretty much that then the vote for next week, but my stomach is telling me that it is time for lunch. Still, if I am as free with computer access and time as I have been today, there might even be a fourth update coming. Who knows. Certainly not me.​

 

[godofsmallthings]

Wow we are the Johnny Storm AKA The Human Torch of Westeros.

 

[Loinvoyant]

Quite the opposite actually, we don't burn after all.

 

[pbluekan]

Oh hey. Bending.

 

[OnlineArmadillo]

Oh hey. Bending.

Click to shrink...

Dragons were the original firebenders after all

 

[godofsmallthings]

Thomas: So what blessings did the Valyrian Gods give you?

Aegon: I look much cooler when I snap my fingers.

Thomas: Huh ?

Aegon:

 

[McDonkey1]

Oh hey. Bending.

Click to shrink...

Long ago, the Seven Kingdoms lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Stormlands attacked.

Only the Dragon Prince, Lord of all Seven Kingdoms, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he died at the Trident.

15 years passed and my brother and I discovered a temple of Valyria, swearing ourselves to the Dragon Gods of Dreams and Conquerors. And although our firebending skills are great, we have a long way to go before we can conquer anything. But I believe, we can take the world.

 

[Hamadryad]

Long ago, the Seven Kingdoms lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Stormlands attacked.

Only the Dragon Prince, Lord of all Seven Kingdoms, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he died at the Trident.

15 years passed and my brother and I discovered a temple of Valyria, swearing ourselves to the Dragon Gods of Dreams and Conquerors. And although our firebending skills are great, we have a long way to go before we can conquer anything. But I believe, we can take the world.

Click to shrink...

That's actually pretty good.

 

[Lunasmeow]

Long ago, the Seven Kingdoms lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Stormlands attacked.

Only the Dragon Prince, Lord of all Seven Kingdoms, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he died at the Trident.

15 years passed and my brother and I discovered a temple of Valyria, swearing ourselves to the Dragon Gods of Dreams and Conquerors. And although our firebending skills are great, we have a long way to go before we can conquer anything. But I believe, we can take the world.

Click to shrink...

Now you have to make an Avatar Omake.

 

[Lunasmeow]

I just have to ask... In light of that last chapter of Dany's, where the three different versions of her show up, how many of you remembered this?

Seeing the somewhat hopeful look in her eyes you decide now is as good a time as any to tell her of your decision. "I have decided-" you start before hurriedly changing your verbiage "that is it occurred to me to ask, if you might prefer that I not find you a husband among the Great Houses here or abroad after all."

You see a moments confusion in her eyes, before her eyes widen in understanding. Rather than a simple yes or no, you are surprised with a giant hug, the girliest squeal, and the biggest smile you've seen on Dany in a long while. Then she pulls back eyes searching yours for the slightest hint of deceit. "You mean it? Truly?" she asks, knowing that being given in marriage to another house would be more beneficial to your goals when it comes to building an army with which to storm Westeros.

When you look her directly in the eye and nod she squeals again and peppers your face with butterfly kisses. "When will we be married? Oh, there's so much to plan!"

Feeling quite a bit guilty at having to curb her excitement so soon, you nevertheless tell her the truth. "Dany," you say, getting her attention from whatever place it is women tend to go when they are planning an event of any kind. "I'm afraid it's not quite that simple."

Daenerys looks back at you instantly, her attitude once more doubtful and hesitant. "What do you mean?" she asks uncertainly.

"We shall indeed marry, but as much as I may wish to announce our betrothal here and now, we can't afford to. We need to make connections first, gather wealth and raise our acclaim in this city. Then once we are well known, we can announce a betrothal ball, and invite many influential people. Announcing it now might make us happy, but it would be a waste of an opportunity. We can ill afford such, when we are already sacrificing chances to build alliances among other Great Houses."

Dany's hesitance drops away and steel once more settles into her face. "But we will marry? You give me your oath? By your honor, your blood, and our name? By the 14 flames from which we sprang?"

A thrice sworn oath is given before the gods they say, and she has asked it of you. "Aye," you agree solemnly. "Once fame and fortune are ours, or three years hence, whichever occurs first." You could almost swear that you feel your blood rushing through your veins, heated at twice the normal temperature. The doubt leaves Dany's eyes almost instantly, replaced by an intensity that practically shimmers; a trick of the sun's light no doubt.

She smiles once more, placated by your words and places another light kiss upon your face. "Then I am content," she says once more back to her normal self. "Come then, mine husband-to-be. We still have aught else to do today." And with that you head into the market, searching out information on ventures that you might invest into and thus increase your prosperity.

Click to shrink...

Because I've been waiting to spring that vision on you all since the beginning. Took this long to roll high enough. Heh... I wonder what hints in here you all can find.

 

[McDonkey1]

@Lunasmeow

Am I close?

Then she pulls back eyes searching yours for the slightest hint of deceit.

Echoes of the first vision – cautious, some what hesitant to believe.

When you look her directly in the eye and nod she squeals again and peppers your face with butterfly kisses. "When will we be married? Oh, there's so much to plan!"

Third vision Dany returns.

Daenerys looks back at you instantly, her attitude once more doubtful and hesitant. "What do you mean?" she asks uncertainly.

Distrustful of us.

Dany's hesitance drops away and steel once more settles into her face. "But we will marry? You give me your oath? By your honor, your blood, and our name? By the 14 flames from which we sprang?"

A thrice sworn oath is given before the gods they say, and she has asked it of you.

I'd suggest that the aforementioned points and this in particular is very important – we are, by some distance, the person which Dany cares for most in the world and thus the ones she should trust. Her first reaction is distrust, followed by an almost Machiavellian plot to get us to swear an oath before the gods, a thrice bound oath (three appears to be a magically significant number – perhaps the Valyrian equivalent to seven? Three heads of the Dragon?).

This may seem like a cute moment but it shows the steel of Dany in getting her ambition – we could not back out of this even of we wanted to, without ruining anything we have with the gods – we are stuck. This is pure vision one Dany.

"Aye," you agree solemnly. "Once fame and fortune are ours, or three years hence, whichever occurs first." You could almost swear that you feel your blood rushing through your veins, heated at twice the normal temperature. The doubt leaves Dany's eyes almost instantly, replaced by an intensity that practically shimmers; a trick of the sun's light no doubt.

I'd bet anything that the trick of the sun's light was no trick. She hides some of herself from us – the unfeminine greed – a typical draconic habit.

She smiles once more, placated by your words and places another light kiss upon your face. "Then I am content," she says once more back to her normal self.

And Dany is happy. Normal Dany, or vision three Dany is back.

---

What I'm getting from this is that whilst Dany is normally the flirty, happy girl who we know and love, looking more closely we can see a few underlying traits covered by the gregarious exterior.

She's distrustful, which is probably wise after years on the run, but she's distrustful of us as well. Maybe this has something to do with Viserys leaving, and a fear we'll leave to – which may be why the instance on marriage arises.

She's ambitious and somewhat greedy, but more she's a little cunning, able to manipulate us into binding our promise before the gods – I suspect that Dany won't be going around screaming 'where are my dragons' in this quest.

Basically, she smart, she loyal, but she could go mad and use us as a sex slave. Flip a coin.

Very interested to hear what she's been keeping from us.


Edit: typed up on phone, please over look any SPAG mistakes

 

[RideTheWalrus]

So do we have to worry about her sanity as well? That's a bit troublesome

 

[Lunasmeow]

Hahahaha. No insanity. But...

"This is not the only chance You have You know."

Click to shrink...

 

[Lunasmeow]

@LunasmeowAm I close?

Click to shrink...

Heh. As those from the Discord can tell you, I often hint. I very rarely tell. Especially when I am Tessarion.

 

[RideTheWalrus]

Hahahaha. No insanity. But...

"This is not the only chance You have You know."

Click to shrink...

I feel a bit stupid but I have to admit I don't understand what you mean here with the quote. Oh well, at least the insanity mechanic won't make the game unplayable. Playing as an insane character would be interesting but I suspect it would get old quickly.