1. Spending Influence tends to vary somewhat on how much gold it would stand for, both depending on the wealth/capability of who you are commanding and what you are telling them to do.
2. Spending Influence and gold equal to the action cost is guaranteed to avoid any ill will. Spending gold equal to the action cost has a low risk of being taken badly.
1. Spending Influence tends to vary somewhat on how much gold it would stand for, both depending on the wealth/capability of who you are commanding and what you are telling them to do.
2. Spending Influence and gold equal to the action cost is guaranteed to avoid any ill will. Spending gold equal to the action cost has a low risk of being taken badly.
Your bannermen pitching in again to have a small chance of finishing things faster, absolutely no chance of House Mormont losing opinion, a possibility of them gaining opinion
Maybe we ought to ask House Glover to help the Mormonts build the Shipyards, and ask House Manderly to send them shipwrights?
Since Manderly has the shipwrights, and House Glover is the house that is located closest to Bear Island and therefor able to help them with a larger construction project?
That would also have the effect of involving both our sons marriage alliances, which would be a good thing I think?
Something like this:
-[] Issue Command (House Manderly): To send shipwrights to aid House Mormont in their fleet construction. Resources devoted to this: Eddard to make the most of his relationship to Lord Manderly (his grandfather) and Lord Mormont (father of his betrothed); 300 Gold, 1 influence.
-[] Issue Command (Western Lords): Establish Shipyards at (Bear Island). Resources devoted to this: Edwyle to make the most of his relationship with Lord Glover (father of his betrothed); 750 Gold.
We could even probably drop the gold to House Manderly to 200, since they do have a 9/10 opinion of us.
I think that would be a good idea. In fact, I'm going to add the Western Lord command to establish a shipyard at Bear Island to my own plan.
EDIT: Oh, for some reason I thought you were giving the command to the Manderlys to build a shipyard. Now I see that you already had it as the Western Lords. Guess I was seeing things.
On a side note... should we have the weddings at the first of Spring? Seems like that might be a good thing to do before we go off to war (seeing as our sons are likely to go into battle).
Your bannermen pitching in again to have a small chance of finishing things faster, absolutely no chance of House Mormont losing opinion, a possibility of them gaining opinion
So, I'm new to this quest. Been offline for a few months, and might not be always available due to my current job hunt, but found this quest interesting and wanted to add my two cents.
Of course, much of this might have already been discussed. I've read all the story posts but not the discussion in between. So please forgive me if I'm repeating things already talked about. It's also going to probably be a huge post, so I'll try to break it up and organize it.
First thoughts are about the long term uplift we are going for. It seems to me that a textile mill is the big next step. Historically that was the big step that led to industrialization and the dominance of Britain (a cold, and relatively poor agricultural climate), plus we specifically have experience with textile mills. We've already developed water power, so this seems like the natural next step. Of course, we don't have flax or cotton to feed a lot of textile mills (but neither did Britain), but that's actually probably a benefit, since it will increase trade. We get the southern kingdoms to ship their raw flax and cotton to us, we turn it into completed goods, and then sell it back at a profit.
That makes the east coast the natural place to emphasize, with the White Knife and the Manderlys the most obvious choice to push this forward, but not the only ones. Plus, looking at the power blocs page, and seeing all the rivalries in the eastern region it makes this something we can probably get our vassals to do without having to make much expenditure ourselves. First we develop the textile mill in an uplift action. Then we build a proof of concept (probably focused on wool at first, to go with our sheep farming). After that we might need to take another action to refine it to work with finer material like flax and cotton. Then we arrange for the Eastern lords to visit with us, starting with the Manderlys.
We show Lord Manderly the prototype, suggest that he invest in building a textile mill on the White Knife, and arrange to trade for cotton and flax from the south to be shipped to White Harbor to be transformed in to clothing to be sold again to southern markets. Inform him that we intend to offer the same advice to the Boltons, Flints, and the Hornwoods, but that we informed him first beacuse we think he will be able to make the most use of it. Then we meet with the Flints and Hornwoods, give the same demonstration and advice, suggesting they cooperate to build a textile mill on the Broken Branch (the river dividing their lands), again telling them that we have given the same advice to the Manderlys and will be speaking to the Boltons as well. Then we meet with Lord Bolton, give him the same advice pointing to the Weeping Water.
Their own rivalries with each other will drive them to develop textile mills using their own resources. And that will create a trade route of cotton and flax to the North that we can then piggy back on with the development of our own textile mills.
I've focused on the eastern side since until the Ironborn are permanently dealt with there cannot be safe trade on the west coast. But if they can be dealt with, then there should be very profitable trade with the Reach. In that case Barrowtown becomes the best location for a textile mill.
After textile mills, I think the next thing to focus on would be the development of a chemical industry. Sulfuric Acid being the first priority - for one thing it can be used to develop fertilizer, which means both our knowledge skills should help with it, and food is an immediate benefit in the North.
So speaking of dealing with the Ironborn, I'm not sure what everyone else is thinking, but personally I think a population of rapacious pirates is nothing but bad news and frankly we ought to exterminate their culture. Now maybe the black monsters that Harren is using will turn out to not be the work of the Drowned God, in which case I just we can allow the Drowned God worship to continue, but if it is behind those monsters then I say we root out the Drowned God as well.
So in my mind that means we want to conquer the Iron Islands, not just raid them and weaken the Ironborn, but basically deprive them of their islands and add them to the North. So that's going to be a very expensive mission, but well worth it I think, as it will certain we us to tie the kingdoms together (our long term goal) and open up significant trade routes along the west coast. I see that there are basically three ways to try and approach the native Ironborn:
1: We put all Ironborn males above the age of 16 in chains and ship them to the Wall. All noble children are distributed around the North as wards/hostages. Essentially decapitate the entire Ironborn culture. Free all the thralls. Import large numbers of smallfolk, second sons, etc into the Iron Islands, with new Lords to rule over them, aid them in setting up an iron mining and smelting economy to go with trade and fishing. Plant Godswoods everywhere.
This is basically the nuclear option. We just get rid of the ironborn. It's also probably the safest thing to do. We could either put Edwyle as the overlord of the Iron Isle (his alliance with the Glovers being useful, as well as his high diplomacy and piety), or I guess we could pull a Prince of Wales/Dragonstone gambit and have the Iron Isles always be held by the heir to the throne. Having the heir rule there is a good way to make sure they stay under Northern control.
2: We deport the vast majority of Ironborn to settle in the Stony Shore, with the biggest potential troublemakers sent to the Wall. Set up a Lord to rule over them (someone with a lot of Glover support - so maybe Edwyle?) All noble children are distributed around the North as wards/hostages. Free all the thralls. Import large numbers of smallfolk, second sons, etc into the Iron Islands, with new Lords to rule over them, aid them in setting up an iron mining and smelting economy to go with trade and fishing.
This is similar, but different in that we try to make use of the population by exiling them to the mainland where we can keep better control over them. However, it's probably the most dangerous option.
3: We remove the nobility (send them to the Wall, or take as hostages), but leave the Ironborn smallfolk in the isles. We limit their raiding to kingdoms that don't have a peace treaty with us. So they can no longer raid the Riverlands or the Vale, but they can raid the Westerlands. Basically implement the "New Way" that historically King's Landing imposed on them. Would mean importing new lords who are okay with raiding - so basically wildlings or Skagos lords.
This is probably the least costly approach, but not very satisfactory as the Ironborn culture will survive and always be at risk of relapsing in times of weakness in the North.
Of course we could also combine or choose something in between the different options. But those seem like the three major ideas I can come up with.
Currently I tend to favor the first option. Which means that maybe we ought to spread some word in the Vale that second sons, and landless knights ought to join us in the attack on the Iron Isles, because we intend to reward lands to those who fight valiantly there. And then grant lordships over the Iron Islands to several of the Valemen (in addition to Northmen), as long as they are willing to swear fealty to us of course. Basically as a way to gain more manpower in holding the Iron Islands in submission. It would also provide us with another place of unity between those that follow the Seven and the Old Gods. As those holding the Iron Islands are going to be unity by the need to keep the Ironborn down.
What have other people thought of as the way to deal with the Ironborn?
Speaking of the Stony Shore, I think we would like to repopulate it, so we ought to keep our eyes open for any opportunities to poach some people from another region and settle them there. Some specific skills that would be nice would be sea going experience (of course), but also experience with minerals and river bed mining. Looking at the environment of the Stony Shore (stony, not near an induction zone, cold environment and having been under glaciers) it is very likely that there should be deposits of magnetite (Fe3O4), ilmenite (FeTiO3), and rutile (TiO2) along the riverbeds (in the form of black stony sand) which means those minerals ought to be in the area - along with smaller deposits of zircon (ZrSiO4). These are all very useful minerals.
Magnetite can be magnetized to create a compass. It can also be used as blueing for steel, and of course it can be smelted into iron. Ilmenite and rutile are the mineral sources of Titanium and white pigment. Zircon is a gemstone, and when processed into zirconium is very anti-corrosive and so can be used for containers in chemical processing.
This is probably more long term improvements, but we ought to keep our ears out for any people who maybe are displaced by war or something else, and settle them on the Stony Shore.
I'd rather not kneel to them, though I think the easiest way to handle them would be to simply promise to kneel to them if the conquer all 6 other Kingdoms. They were not able to conquer Dorne the first time around, so I doubt they will be able to this time either. That would be a simple way to focus them away from us. It's one of the reasons I don't really want to send them any prophecies, real or fake right now, since I'd prefer them to just focus elsewhere, and so do not want to bring attention to us.
As for combat with them. Well, really, gunpowder and cannons seem rather reasonable counters to focus on. Gunpowder is relatively simple to make, and to make cannons we basically need a bellmaker. It's actually very possible to develop without the need for an extensive industry, so seems relatively cheap, especially since it will also invigorate other parts of the economy.
[X] Plan Preparations for Spring
-[X] Issue Command (House Manderly): To send shipwrights to aid House Mormont in their fleet construction. Resources devoted to this: Eddard to make the most of his relationship to Lord Manderly (his grandfather) and Lord Mormont (father of his betrothed); 300 Gold, 1 influence.
-[X] Issue Command (Western Lords): Establish Shipyards at (Bear Island). Resources devoted to this: Edwyle to make the most of his relationship with Lord Glover (father of his betrothed); 750 Gold.
-[X] Gifted Warriors: There are nearly a thousand wargs in Wintertown, and more scattered about your lands. There are a few hundred men and women blessed with incredible strength, albeit not to the level of the Mormont berserkers. There are people who can heal with a touch, people who can steal the courage of their foes with a song…the blessings of the Old Gods are many and mighty. Brandon intends to organize some of the Gifted into a force to be reckoned with upon the battlefield, or possibly in the more strategic sense. He has filled papers with possible uses for wargs alone – everything from delivering messages to using armored bulls as living battering rams. Time: 3 seasons. Cost: 600 gold, upkeep. DC: 55. Reward: Some sort of Gifted force attached to Winterfell guard. Type will be determined by dice rolls.
-[X] Matters of Trade: Some of the other peoples of the world are amenable to trading with you at least. Northern steel and wool crosses the Narrow Sea and travels southward, and food and salt and fine goods from Essos and Westeros come north. House Manderly has grown fat off this trade and your coffers benefit as well. Formalizing your relationships with your trading partners and ensuring dockyard inspectors are not being…problematic will strengthen the flow, although you suspect for the moment value is leaving the north rather than coming to it – wool returns as cloth and fine tapestries, timber as furniture. Only steel and silver and copper and gold arrives in a form less valuable then it leaves. Time: 2 seasons. Cost: 200 gold. DC: 40/80. Reward: Formalized, normalized trade agreements. Increase to trade/ Favorable trade agreements. Substantial increase to trade.
-[X] Speak to Pyrite: The Rite in the Vale is something of a concern, as is the sudden presence of beastmen and House Upcliff. While your relationship with the Vale is generally fairly good, it is not good enough to get the sort of information you need by going through Queen Sharra, so you must speak to Pyrite, who is still loyal to you in many ways. Even though he has been reluctant to broach many of these subjects in detail, if you ask he will surely tell you, right? Time: 1 season. Cost: 20 gold. DC: 70. Reward: Partial information about the Vale ritual, Lord Upcliff, and the beastmen.
--[X] DOUBLE DOWN on Speaking to Pyrite
-[X] From Wool To Yarn: You have arranged for a sheep farming business that is doing well enough, but you want to improve it. Selling yarn is much more valuable than selling raw wool. Hire some more workers and have them scour and card the raw wool and make it into yarn to sell. Time: 2 seasons. Cost: 300 gold. DC: 55. Reward: Increase to trade.
-[X] Water and Steel: Construct waterwheels by the Royal Forges, and link them to enormous hammers, allowing the metal to be beaten with greater force and more regularity than is humanly possible. Most likely the main use will be for helping to process ore for the smelters and for producing more wrought iron. It will not revolutionize smithing, but it will make iron cheaper and increase the amount of good quality metal in the North, and neither is a bad thing. Time: 2 seasons. Cost: 200 gold. DC: 30. Reward: Increase to trade income, increase to farming income.
-[X] Improving Rivers: Not all rivers are suitable to place waterwheels on. Some don't have the necessary current to drive a wheel, some don't have a steep enough drop, some are simply to narrow. There are beasts which can shape the water to their needs – most prominently beavers, which are admittedly rare through much of the North. But if they can do it, surely men can as well? Time: 3 seasons. Cost: 600 gold. DC: 65. Reward: Dams, weirs, and mill ponds. New actions unlocked.
-[X] Valyrian Steel Link: Have Archmaester Wyllym send you some trustworthy acolytes with a Valyrian steel link or two to help make sense of all these new magics and study some of the examples of more hostile magic such as the skin you found on the sea. Time: 1 season. Cost: 300 gold. DC: 70. Reward: New actions unlocked, bonus to some Piety and Learning actions, further attention from Citadel.
-[X] Strange Magics: Frost has heard reports of strange and dangerous magic in the Westerlands and on the sea, not to mention whatever is going on in Harrenhal and the Riverlands in general. And of course, there is the ritual in the Vale, although that is probably far less hostile than the other examples. He does not know them, or how to counter them, and so he intends to retreat to Castle Green for a time to contemplate what they could be and visit the sea to try and make his own judgment on this skin as well. You have your suspicions, which you have shared, but unless you examine it again you will not be able to confirm them. And you need more skill for that…Time: 3 seasons. Cost: 50 gold. DC: 60. Reward: Information about the Beasts of the Westerlands and the skin on the ocean.
-[X] Further Afield (Essos): You have ways of hearing what happens in the immediate south, but now you find yourself concerned with what's happening even further away. Pick a kingdom or nation and let Snow get to work. Time: 2 seasons. Cost: 100 gold. DC: Varies. Reward: Rumor mill for chosen location.
-[X] Further Afield (Iron Islands): You have ways of hearing what happens in the immediate south, but now you find yourself concerned with what's happening even further away. Pick a kingdom or nation and let Snow get to work. Time: 2 seasons. Cost: 100 gold. DC: Varies. Reward: Rumor mill for chosen location.
-[X] The God's Eyes: While you can open the God's Eyes more or less at will now, it can be difficult to keep them open, especially in places full of magic like Winterfell. You also suspect you are missing a great deal of nuance when you look at people or more complicated items like your crown, which just looks like plain metal. Or that skin, which makes you shudder whenever you think of it. Further practice could also extend how long you can use this gift. Time: 1 season. Cost: 0. DC: 70. Reward: Greater control and skill with the God's Eyes, more information about the skin.
-[X] Train Your Children (Diplomacy): You have been making your sons go to lessons like green boys. Now it is time to teach them like men. Have them learn by shadowing you, by leading their own projects, and by discussion. You'll probably rely a lot on history for those discussions, ones you remember having with your own father as he taught you the arts of persuasion and deception. You will have to decide what to focus on teaching your sons of course. Time: 3 seasons. Cost: 0. DC: 55. Reward: Eddard's and Edwyle's stats improve, chance of trait, chance of your stats improving.
-[X] FREE ACTION: Uplift Anti-Fouling Sheathing: You recall an invention or system, and try to figure out how it worked well enough that someone else can make it a reality. Time: 1 season. Cost: 0. DC: Varies. Reward: New action unlocked
[X] Plan Outreach
-[X] Improve the Wardens: The Wolfsguard do not quite have the strength or heavy equipment of the Winterfell Guard. Adding a small force of heavily trained and well armored men to their ranks would be a substantial force multiplier. It might be a bit upsetting to some of your vassals however – creating such a force implies that you think they will need them, and not everyone knows about your plans for the Ironborn. Time: 1 season. Cost: 800 gold, vassal approval, medium upkeep increase. DC: 40. Reward: Force roughly equivalent to Winterfell Guard added to the Wardens
-[X] Speak to Kings (Braavos): There are other kings to the south of you. Perhaps you should open up talks with one of them. Though all of them are Andals and ironborn, you doubt any of them would outright refuse you…Time: 1 season. Cost: 50 gold. DC: 50. Reward: Positive diplomatic contact.
-[X] Speak to Kings (The Reach): There are other kings to the south of you. Perhaps you should open up talks with one of them. Though all of them are Andals and ironborn, you doubt any of them would outright refuse you…Time: 1 season. Cost: 50 gold. DC: 50. Reward: Positive diplomatic contact.
-[X] Speak to Kings (Dorne): There are other kings to the south of you. Perhaps you should open up talks with one of them. Though all of them are Andals and ironborn, you doubt any of them would outright refuse you…Time: 1 season. Cost: 50 gold. DC: 50. Reward: Positive diplomatic contact.
-[X] Water and Steel: Construct waterwheels by the Royal Forges, and link them to enormous hammers, allowing the metal to be beaten with greater force and more regularity than is humanly possible. Most likely the main use will be for helping to process ore for the smelters and for producing more wrought iron. It will not revolutionize smithing, but it will make iron cheaper and increase the amount of good quality metal in the North, and neither is a bad thing. Time: 2 seasons. Cost: 200 gold. DC: 30. Reward: Increase to trade income, increase to farming income.
-[X] Building on Gifts: Many Gifts are useful for construction. While some might claim it blasphemy to use the blessings of the Old Gods for something so mundane, you think that improving the lives of your subjects is hardly mundane. Shapers would be the most useful for this…hire some from across the North to assists you in building projects. Hopefully, stone shapers can work with concrete, it would be less useful otherwise. Time: 2 seasons. Cost: 300 gold. DC: 50. Reward: Decreased cost for building projects.
-[X] Valyrian Steel Link: Have Archmaester Wyllym send you some trustworthy acolytes with a Valyrian steel link or two to help make sense of all these new magics and study some of the examples of more hostile magic such as the skin you found on the sea. Time: 1 season. Cost: 300 gold. DC: 70. Reward: New actions unlocked, bonus to some Piety and Learning actions, further attention from Citadel.
-[X] Search for Prophecies: Greensight allows for men to see glimpses of the future, even if they are strange visions that are notoriously difficult to interpret. Many of the books in the library were not fully read through, just studied enough to organize the library somewhat, so it's entirely possible prophecies could have been written down in some of the older books and then copied into the newer ones. Searching through every book would take some time, but a real prophecy would be an invaluable aid in dealing with the dragonlords. Time: 3 seasons. Cost: 25 gold. DC: 30/60/90. Reward: Prophecy found.
-[X] Strange Magics: Frost has heard reports of strange and dangerous magic in the Westerlands and on the sea, not to mention whatever is going on in Harrenhal and the Riverlands in general. And of course, there is the ritual in the Vale, although that is probably far less hostile than the other examples. He does not know them, or how to counter them, and so he intends to retreat to Castle Green for a time to contemplate what they could be and visit the sea to try and make his own judgment on this skin as well. You have your suspicions, which you have shared, but unless you examine it again you will not be able to confirm them. And you need more skill for that…Time: 3 seasons. Cost: 50 gold. DC: 60. Reward: Information about the Beasts of the Westerlands and the skin on the ocean.
-[X] Further Afield (Dragonstone): You have ways of hearing what happens in the immediate south, but now you find yourself concerned with what's happening even further away. Pick a kingdom or nation and let Snow get to work. Time: 2 seasons. Cost: 100 gold. DC: Varies. Reward: Rumor mill for chosen location.
-[X] What's going on in Essos?: You have been hearing reports from Essos every so often, but nothing credible. Have Snow collect rumors and sailor's tales and try and spin them together into something coherent and at least a little accurate, although it will be vague as well. Time: 1 season. Cost: 25 gold. DC: 58. Reward: Mostly accurate but very general description of what's going on in Essos.
-[X] Propose Fostering/Betrothal: It's a simple matter for you to agree to the proposals you received about fostering and betrothals, either in whole or in part. Time: 1 season. Cost: None. DC: Varies. Reward: Betrothal and/or Fostering(s) arranged
-[X] Train Your Children (Stat): You have been making your sons go to lessons like green boys. Now it is time to teach them like men. Have them learn by shadowing you, by leading their own projects, and by discussion. You'll probably rely a lot on history for those discussions, ones you remember having with your own father as he taught you the arts of persuasion and deception. You will have to decide what to focus on teaching your sons of course. Time: 3 seasons. Cost: 0. DC: 55. Reward: Eddard's and Edwyle's stats improve, chance of trait, chance of your stats improving.
--[X] Double Down
[X] When winter first begins to bite
-[X] Issue Command (Western Lords): Give a command to those under your command, spending gold and favors to ensure that they will do so without dragging their feet. Even with the best of wills, failure is still possible of course. Time: Varies. Cost: Varies. DC: Varies. Reward: Varies.
--[X] Establish Shipyards (Bear Island) Cost: 750 gold, 1 Influence
-[X] Build a Fleet (Torrhen's Square): Ironborn and slavers threaten your coasts, and you have gone long enough without a fleet. Order one of your vassals to begin constructing ships, and offer gold and workers to see it done. Time: 2 seasons. Cost: 3000 gold. DC: 45. Reward: A new fleet
-[X] Ironborn Raid: You don't have the ships to attack the Iron Islands, but there are Ironborn in much easier reach. Sending a small force through the Neck to launch attacks on parties of Ironborn will serve as a minor, probably insignificant distraction to Harren, but it could also allow you to capture some of these mysterious hulks or black armored warriors and gain some insight into the magics of the Drowned God…and they could have a more mundane use as well. Time: 1 season. Cost: 100 gold, Ironborn attention. DC: 50/80. Reward: Ironborn killed/captured. Bonus to Strange Magics, bonus to Deceptive Attack.
-[X] Matters of Trade: Some of the other peoples of the world are amenable to trading with you at least. Northern steel and wool crosses the Narrow Sea and travels southward, and food and salt and fine goods from Essos and Westeros come north. House Manderly has grown fat off this trade and your coffers benefit as well. Formalizing your relationships with your trading partners and ensuring dockyard inspectors are not being…problematic will strengthen the flow, although you suspect for the moment value is leaving the north rather than coming to it – wool returns as cloth and fine tapestries, timber as furniture. Only steel and silver and copper and gold arrives in a form less valuable then it leaves. Time: 2 seasons. Cost: 200 gold. DC: 40/80. Reward: Formalized, normalized trade agreements. Increase to trade/ Favorable trade agreements. Substantial increase to trade.
-[X] Speak to Pyrite: The Rite in the Vale is something of a concern, as is the sudden presence of beastmen and House Upcliff. While your relationship with the Vale is generally fairly good, it is not good enough to get the sort of information you need by going through Queen Sharra, so you must speak to Pyrite, who is still loyal to you in many ways. Even though he has been reluctant to broach many of these subjects in detail, if you ask he will surely tell you, right? Time: 1 season. Cost: 20 gold. DC: 70. Reward: Partial information about the Vale ritual, Lord Upcliff, and the beastmen.
-[X] Building on Gifts: Many Gifts are useful for construction. While some might claim it blasphemy to use the blessings of the Old Gods for something so mundane, you think that improving the lives of your subjects is hardly mundane. Shapers would be the most useful for this…hire some from across the North to assists you in building projects. Hopefully, stone shapers can work with concrete, it would be less useful otherwise. Time: 2 seasons. Cost: 300 gold. DC: 50. Reward: Decreased cost for building projects.
-[X] Water and Steel: Construct waterwheels by the Royal Forges, and link them to enormous hammers, allowing the metal to be beaten with greater force and more regularity than is humanly possible. Most likely the main use will be for helping to process ore for the smelters and for producing more wrought iron. It will not revolutionize smithing, but it will make iron cheaper and increase the amount of good quality metal in the North, and neither is a bad thing. Time: 2 seasons. Cost: 200 gold. DC: 30. Reward: Increase to trade income, increase to farming income.
-[X] What about Wind?: Water can be harnessed in a variety of ways, but wind has power too. Could it be harnessed to spin millstones or saw trees into usable lumber? It will be a difficult process, but between a couple of theories discussed in some of the newly copied books and the aid of the acolytes, Maester Brynden thinks he has good odds of developing something useful. Time: 3 seasons. Cost: 600 gold. DC: 60. Reward: Windmills. New actions unlocked
-[X] Search for Prophecies: Greensight allows for men to see glimpses of the future, even if they are strange visions that are notoriously difficult to interpret. Many of the books in the library were not fully read through, just studied enough to organize the library somewhat, so it's entirely possible prophecies could have been written down in some of the older books and then copied into the newer ones. Searching through every book would take some time, but a real prophecy would be an invaluable aid in dealing with the dragonlords. Time: 3 seasons. Cost: 25 gold. DC: 30/60/90. Reward: Prophecy found.
-[X] Blood of the Bear: House Mormont were never kings, and they have been conquered many times. Umber blood runs in their veins, as does the salty blood of Ironborn. Nevertheless, they have their own gift. Some could call bears to their side, some could become them. Have Frost try and awaken this in Lyanna Mormont. Time: 1 season. Cost: 150 gold. DC: 55. Reward: The Gift of the Bear-kin reawakens in Lyanna Mormont.
-[X] Further Afield (The Reach): You have ways of hearing what happens in the immediate south, but now you find yourself concerned with what's happening even further away. Pick a kingdom or nation and let Snow get to work. Time: 2 seasons. Cost: 100 gold. DC: Varies. Reward: Rumor mill for the chosen location.
-[X] Make a Prophecy (The Wolf and the Dragon*): Why find a prophecy when you can just take some parchment, stain it so it looks old, and then write down whatever nonsense you want? Whether to persuade the dragonlords to go to Essos or to suggest that they should tread carefully around the direwolf, make up a prophecy and pass it off as the real thing to Aegon and his sisters, hopefully convincing them that whatever you wrote is real. Or at least that you were fooled by the "prophecy" too. Fortunately, given the way Rhaenys talked, it shouldn't take too much to persuade her of its veracity. She seemed quite obsessed with them. Time: 2 season. Cost: 100 gold. DC: 65. Reward: Fake prophecy about chosen topic.
--[X] Double Down
-[X] Uplift (Anti-Fouling Sheathing): You recall an invention or system, and try to figure out how it worked well enough that someone else can make it a reality. Time: 1 season. Cost: 0. DC: Varies. Reward: New action unlocked
-[X] Train Your Children (Diplomacy): You have been making your sons go to lessons like green boys. Now it is time to teach them like men. Have them learn by shadowing you, by leading their own projects, and by discussion. You'll probably rely a lot on history for those discussions, ones you remember having with your own father as he taught you the arts of persuasion and deception. You will have to decide what to focus on teaching your sons of course. Time: 3 seasons. Cost: 0. DC: 55. Reward: Eddard's and Edwyle's stats improve, chance of trait, chance of your stats improving.
Not that a quick check can find. There does appear to be a reference to a "Rillwater Crossing" located in the Rills, which might suggest that the major river in the Rills (meaning the center one) is called the Rillwater.
EDIT: At the risk of being un-creative we could call the northern most river the "Stony River" and the river running through the Barrowlands the "Hill Water"
So speaking of dealing with the Ironborn, I'm not sure what everyone else is thinking, but personally I think a population of rapacious pirates is nothing but bad news and frankly we ought to exterminate their culture. Now maybe the black monsters that Harren is using will turn out to not be the work of the Drowned God, in which case I just we can allow the Drowned God worship to continue, but if it is behind those monsters then I say we root out the Drowned God as well.
So in my mind that means we want to conquer the Iron Islands, not just raid them and weaken the Ironborn, but basically deprive them of their islands and add them to the North. So that's going to be a very expensive mission, but well worth it I think, as it will certain we us to tie the kingdoms together (our long term goal) and open up significant trade routes along the west coast. I see that there are basically three ways to try and approach the native Ironborn:
1: We put all Ironborn males above the age of 16 in chains and ship them to the Wall. All noble children are distributed around the North as wards/hostages. Essentially decapitate the entire Ironborn culture. Free all the thralls. Import large numbers of smallfolk, second sons, etc into the Iron Islands, with new Lords to rule over them, aid them in setting up an iron mining and smelting economy to go with trade and fishing. Plant Godswoods everywhere.
This is basically the nuclear option. We just get rid of the ironborn. It's also probably the safest thing to do. We could either put Edwyle as the overlord of the Iron Isle (his alliance with the Glovers being useful, as well as his high diplomacy and piety), or I guess we could pull a Prince of Wales/Dragonstone gambit and have the Iron Isles always be held by the heir to the throne. Having the heir rule there is a good way to make sure they stay under Northern control.
2: We deport the vast majority of Ironborn to settle in the Stony Shore, with the biggest potential troublemakers sent to the Wall. Set up a Lord to rule over them (someone with a lot of Glover support - so maybe Edwyle?) All noble children are distributed around the North as wards/hostages. Free all the thralls. Import large numbers of smallfolk, second sons, etc into the Iron Islands, with new Lords to rule over them, aid them in setting up an iron mining and smelting economy to go with trade and fishing.
This is similar, but different in that we try to make use of the population by exiling them to the mainland where we can keep better control over them. However, it's probably the most dangerous option.
3: We remove the nobility (send them to the Wall, or take as hostages), but leave the Ironborn smallfolk in the isles. We limit their raiding to kingdoms that don't have a peace treaty with us. So they can no longer raid the Riverlands or the Vale, but they can raid the Westerlands. Basically implement the "New Way" that historically King's Landing imposed on them. Would mean importing new lords who are okay with raiding - so basically wildlings or Skagos lords.
This is probably the least costly approach, but not very satisfactory as the Ironborn culture will survive and always be at risk of relapsing in times of weakness in the North.
Of course we could also combine or choose something in between the different options. But those seem like the three major ideas I can come up with.
Currently I tend to favor the first option. Which means that maybe we ought to spread some word in the Vale that second sons, and landless knights ought to join us in the attack on the Iron Isles, because we intend to reward lands to those who fight valiantly there. And then grant lordships over the Iron Islands to several of the Valemen (in addition to Northmen), as long as they are willing to swear fealty to us of course. Basically as a way to gain more manpower in holding the Iron Islands in submission. It would also provide us with another place of unity between those that follow the Seven and the Old Gods. As those holding the Iron Islands are going to be unity by the need to keep the Ironborn down.
What have other people thought of as the way to deal with the Ironborn?
The other stuff you have I more or less agree with (the Targ stuff, we've already drawn their attention by establishing contact, so from my perspective our attitude needs to be "in for a penny, in for a pound", hence the faux prophecy, with a dash of hoping that they'll join the fledgling Westerosi League we're establishing) but I wanna warn you to tread very lightly on your talk re: the Ironborn and their culture. Mods here are not hesitant about coming down like a hammer if they see any "delenda est" plans/attitudes being set forth, and talking about "exterminating" a culture, fictional or not, has been shown to fall under that umbrella, as does genocidal stuff like "Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group". I don't believe it's your intent to wander that far into "delenda est" territory, but I wanna caution you that the mods take this stuff very seriously.
We could always use propaganda to change their minds on the matter no? It will take longer(far longer) but it is a far more ethical way to curtail the Ironborn.
Heck we can even use their own culture, they very much believe might makes right dont they? If so than we can simply put an Gift awakened Umber in charge of the Iron Isles (assuming we take it, which I believe we can) and have them change the culture piece by piece have him take any opposition as a challenge based thing. Allows us to change them ethically in a way their culture wouldnt be too mad about.
-Issue Command (Western Lords): Have House Mormont construct a shipyard on Bear Isle to better support their fleet. Time: 2 seasons. Cost: 750 gold, 1 Influence. DC: 50. Reward: Cost reduction for shipbuilding, improved results and chance of success for shipbuilding actions, possible increase to trade. Cooperation between vassals improved
--Establish Shipyards (Bear Island): 1d100+18 = 63. House Mormont received their orders to build a shipyard gladly. Especially when those orders come on a ship bearing additional materials and far more importantly, several experienced shipbuilders from White Harbor. Eddard and Lyanna were the ones to persuade Lord Manderly to send them, and though he grumbled at first, he eventually decided a betrothal present for his beloved grandson was long overdue. House Glover sent supplies as well, although House Tallhart did not, prioritizing the completion of their own fleet. Work on the fleet slows to accommodate the placement of docks and construction of warehouses, and the driving snow forces halts several times. A storm nearly smashes the partially completed fleet, forcing several ships to be rebuilt, but thanks to House Glover's contribution there is no delay. Will continue for at least one more season, shipbuilding slowed but improved.
Military:
-Build a Fleet (Torrhen's Square): 1d100+23+25 = 88. Disaster was narrowly averted when storms rocked Torrhen's Square just as the sleigh containing the experienced shipbuilders arrived. Though caught in a blinding blizzard, they were able to find shelter under an immense standing stone that blocked the worst of the wind. The sleigh continued on to the shipyard, and there, in the shelters built just for this purpose, the keels and ribs of a great many galleys and a much lesser number of cogs. The hulls begin taking shape on some, and on the flagship, it is almost complete. There is still a great deal of work to be done for everything to be ready, but even the many minor accidents which plague cannot prevent the fleet from launching in a few months. Locked 1 season.
-Ironborn Raid: 1d100+23 = 102. 1d100+2 = 19. It is mountain men you send down to hunt Ironborn, equipped with broad snowshoes to allow easy passage over the thick coating of snow that covers the land like a heavy blanket and can catch a man's legs and trap them until he freezes. They lose some of their number to frostbite, dropping them off in Winterfell where they slowly recover, at the cost of fingers and a nose, while the remainder is guided through the Neck by crannogmen. They fall upon a band of Ironborn, slaying all and losing twelve of their own, carrying every body back in an attempt to conceal who was responsible. Two black-armored figures were responsible for all but one of the deaths. Vile, salty slime seemed to sprout on those who touched the armor, so they wrapped it in the clothes of the other Ironborn and carried the bodies back to Winterfell. Just looking at them made you feel sick to your stomach as your eyes revealed a coating of magic like you saw on the sea, with winding tendrils like the tentacles of some primeval leviathan stretching south and west. No Ironborn attention, +5 to Deceptive Attack, +10 to Strange Magics
-Extra Forts: From the Flint Cliff to the Wall, men say you cannot go a day without finding some holdfast or tower. It's not quite true – there are several stretches of mostly empty land at the edge of the mountains where there are no holdfasts – but it is easy to believe looking at the map of the western coast, where every single fortification within a day's march of the sea has been marked. There are so many black spots on the western coast that the line to mark the end of the land looks two or three times thicker than it should be. Of course, Brandon still spots gaps at the Rillwater and other river mouths, but the smallfolk will be protected from anything but a full-blown invasion. Western coast heavily fortified.
Diplomacy:
-Matters of Trade: 1d100+20 = 77. The Stormlands favor you, the Vale is getting steadily closer to you. Ravens fly south from Winterfell, bringing simple proposals to formally open trade, ensure custom inspectors and docking agents are all aware of your relationship, and otherwise simplify the flow of goods between your three kingdoms. The agreements between three monarchs are quickly made – you detect impatience in the replies you receive. Now, all that needs to happen is for the agreements to be made clear at Tarth, Weeping Town, and Gulltown. Locked 1 Season
-Speak to Pyrite: 1d100+20 = 31. He is still loyal to you, and his reply is apologetic and extremely polite, bordering on obsequious. He remembers who raised him up, who gave him purpose, who turns his foolishness into something useful and forgave what could not be fixed. But he owes his loyalty to the Vale and the Old Gods too. He does assure you that everything is being handled, but if things get worse or he gets permission, he will be happy to inform you. Failure, DC increased.
Stewardship:
-Building on Gifts: 1d100+18 = 87. Thanks to the survey Frost did, you know roughly how many of each Gift there are in the North, and you have nearly exact numbers for Wintertown. There are a disproportionate number of wargs, several of whom are happy to warg into livestock and help direct their strength, while the utility of shapers is clear to even a blind man. And yes, stoneshapers can shape concrete, before and after it sets. Teams are slowly being formed to contribute to construction. Locked 1 season.
-Water and Steel: 1d100+18 =83. Several of the master smiths are reluctant to have waterwheels hooked up to their forges, but others are eager. The real obstacle comes in the form of patches of ice and debris flowing down the river which damage several wheels, but construction continues despite these obstacles. Locked 1 season.
Learning:
-What about Wind?: 1d100+20+5 = 124. 1d100+24 = 122. 1d100+22 = 48. There are quite a few books about engineering in the Winterfell library, as well as some which detail various experiments on the power of wind and gearing. Included in some of these books, hidden in the middle of a dissertation on Essosi herbs of all things, one of the acolytes finds a diagram describing something like what you remember of windmills, although parts are missing and the document is stained and torn. Still, months of work are made unnecessary as a test design is slowly constructed, the winter storms the only obstacle left. Locked 1 season.
-Search for Prophecies: 1d100+20+5 = 42. It's not found in a book, but when Maester Brynden places a dozen tomes on an old table in the back corner, a leg gives way. Something falls out from between where the leg was. It's not paper or parchment, but something similar and unusually durable. And green. On it is writing. At the top is the word "Prophecy" written in the Old Tongue, but the rest is in a different language Maester Brynden doesn't know. He's scouring all the old tables in Winterfell in hopes of finding a clue. Locked 2 seasons.
Piety:
-Blood of the Bear: 1d100+25 = 50. It's just bad timing. You discuss the matter with Frost while Lyanna is in White Harbor, charming your goodfather into sending aid to her house gladly instead of begrudgingly, but she decides to head directly to Bear Island instead of back to Winterfell to continue rallying aid, so she misses the proper times for the ritual this season. Failure, costs recouped.
-Rites of Battle: Frost hasn't learned quite as much of war magic as he did of the rites of the field. He's not certain, but he suspects something else aided him and his fellow Green Men in those attempts. Here he depended solely on flashes of memory from the weirwoods and his own wit. But he did find something…two somethings, actually. The first is a rite which spreads weirwood dust into the air, seeking the eyes of the foe and making one man appear to be two and ten to appear to be a hundred. It requires extensive preparation, however, and the dust must be fresh. The second rite also requires long and complex preparation, along with the blood of the brave, willingly given. Arrows of weirwood are carved and shaped before the eyes of the gods, creating a single immense, lethal bolt marked with runes that guide it through the air and grant it unnatural lethality. Rite of the Thousand Foes discovered, Rite of the Sacred Arrow discovered.
Intrigue:
-Further Afield (The Reach): 1d100+19 = 60. The main problem with getting people into the Reach now is simply that the weather makes travel at such distances incredibly difficult. Once you do get people in the Reach, you start hearing word of fey running rampant, a dozen High Septons dead, and bannermen slaying each other before the court of the Gardener kings. Locked 1 season.
-Make a Prophecy (The Wolf and the Dragon*): 1d100+19+10+20 = 103. 1d100+3 = 30. You take care to mention your efforts at finding prophecies when you speak with Rhaenys by raven, despite her request you use the glass candle. You describe the legends of greensight, how it was said the Warg King of Sea Dragon Point could see the future when he fought and used it to anticipate his foes as their blades clashed, you prime her to believe the North is a land of prophecy. Then you describe the long and ominous prophecy you "found". You receive no response for a long time. Locked 1 season.
Personal:
-Uplift (Anti-Fouling Sheathing): 1d100+16 = 47. Your worry over the ominous silence you received from House Targaryen distracts you whenever you sit and think about copper sheathing. The basic concept is easy enough, it's how to attach it that you struggle with. There's something you can't remember about what the nails are made of and how that keeps the sheathing from falling off…you will pass your ideas on to Maester Brynden, who has been getting far more open to experimentation than you believed was typical of the knights of the mind. Learning action unlocked.
-Train Your Children (Diplomacy): 1d100+19 = 103. 1d100+3 = 13. You are not the best teacher you find. You just don't have the knack for it. But what you have is storytelling and half-remembered tabletop game experience. Between the two you fashion something where your sons are given a situation and have to figure out a way to diffuse whatever the problem is. Sometimes they are kings dealing with unruly vassals and presiding over trials, sometimes they are servants delivering bad news to their masters, wildlings negotiating with black brothers, or even septons attempting to preach. You want them to try and see different perspectives than the ones they grew up with. Locked 2 seasons, chance of traits improved.
Well, not as good as last time, but still pretty good -- only three 'failures', two of which aren't really failures, and I take Pyrite at his word (and will hold him to it) that if things get worse, he'll spill. The Targaryen silence is concerning, of course (this, in part, is why I wanted a spy network there before we reached out officially) but the prophecy creation carried off better than I dared to hope for. Meanwhile, the windmill action and the Ironborn raid went off splendidly. Time to start planning some nefarious deeds with that armor, after it's been thoroughly cleaned and studied.
-Make a Prophecy (The Wolf and the Dragon*): 1d100+19+10+20 = 103. 1d100+3 = 30. You take care to mention your efforts at finding prophecies when you speak with Rhaenys by raven, despite her request you use the glass candle. You describe the legends of greensight, how it was said the Warg King of Sea Dragon Point could see the future when he fought and used it to anticipate his foes as their blades clashed, you prime her to believe the North is a land of prophecy. Then you describe the long and ominous prophecy you "found". You receive no response for a long time. Locked 1 season.
-Train Your Children (Diplomacy): 1d100+19 = 103. 1d100+3 = 13. You are not the best teacher you find. You just don't have the knack for it. But what you have is storytelling and half-remembered tabletop game experience. Between the two you fashion something where your sons are given a situation and have to figure out a way to diffuse whatever the problem is. Sometimes they are kings dealing with unruly vassals and presiding over trials, sometimes they are servants delivering bad news to their masters, wildlings negotiating with black brothers, or even septons attempting to preach. You want them to try and see different perspectives than the ones they grew up with. Locked 2 seasons, chance of traits improved.
This is pretty awesome though. I really like the teaching strategy we came up with. We should also see if there is any way to involve them in the diplomacy actions we undertake for the next two turns.
-Issue Command (Western Lords): Have House Mormont construct a shipyard on Bear Isle to better support their fleet. Time: 2 seasons. Cost: 750 gold, 1 Influence. DC: 50. Reward: Cost reduction for shipbuilding, improved results and chance of success for shipbuilding actions, possible increase to trade. Cooperation between vassals improved
--Establish Shipyards (Bear Island): 1d100+18 = 63. House Mormont received their orders to build a shipyard gladly. Especially when those orders come on a ship bearing additional materials and far more importantly, several experienced shipbuilders from White Harbor. Eddard and Lyanna were the ones to persuade Lord Manderly to send them, and though he grumbled at first, he eventually decided a betrothal present for his beloved grandson was long overdue. House Glover sent supplies as well, although House Tallhart did not, prioritizing the completion of their own fleet. Work on the fleet slows to accommodate the placement of docks and construction of warehouses, and the driving snow forces halts several times. A storm nearly smashes the partially completed fleet, forcing several ships to be rebuilt, but thanks to House Glover's contribution there is no delay. Will continue for at least one more season, shipbuilding slowed but improved.
Awesome. This is terrific. Also, should we start planning for a double spring wedding for Eddard and Edwyle? Maybe we should at least float the idea and see if the Mormonts and Glovers are up for it? THat would also be a great excuse to have all our bannermen come to Winterfell and for us to reveal our plans to invade the Iron Isles.
-Speak to Pyrite: 1d100+20 = 31. He is still loyal to you, and his reply is apologetic and extremely polite, bordering on obsequious. He remembers who raised him up, who gave him purpose, who turns his foolishness into something useful and forgave what could not be fixed. But he owes his loyalty to the Vale and the Old Gods too. He does assure you that everything is being handled, but if things get worse or he gets permission, he will be happy to inform you. Failure, DC increased.
Well, I'm not too worried. I'm sure that he will let us know if we really need to know. Maybe we should have taken the Talk to the Mountain CLans option when we could have.
-Further Afield (The Reach): 1d100+19 = 60. The main problem with getting people into the Reach now is simply that the weather makes travel at such distances incredibly difficult. Once you do get people in the Reach, you start hearing word of fey running rampant, a dozen High Septons dead, and bannermen slaying each other before the court of the Gardener kings. Locked 1 season.
Arrows of weirwood are carved and shaped before the eyes of the gods, creating a single immense, lethal bolt marked with runes that guide it through the air and grant it unnatural lethality.
We'll have to see how they take that prophecy delivery before making too much further planning on that front. If it's possible to butterfly away the Conquest altogether...that's too great an opportunity not to take
1 Martial Action slot open:
[] Gifted Warriors: There are nearly a thousand wargs in Wintertown, and more scattered about your lands. There are a few hundred men and women blessed with incredible strength, albeit not to the level of the Mormont berserkers. There are people who can heal with a touch, people who can steal the courage of their foes with a song…the blessings of the Old Gods are many and mighty. Brandon intends to organize some of the Gifted into a force to be reckoned with upon the battlefield, or possibly in the more strategic sense. He has filled papers with possible uses for wargs alone – everything from delivering messages to using armored bulls as living battering rams. Time: 3 seasons. Cost: 600 gold, upkeep. DC: 55. Reward: Some sort of Gifted force attached to Winterfell guard. Type will be determined by dice rolls.
Since this will take three turns, seems like we ought to get it started.
1 Diplomacy slot open:
[] Speak to Kings (Vale and Stormland): There are other kings to the south of you. Perhaps you should open up talks with one of them. Though all of them are Andals and ironborn, you doubt any of them would outright refuse you…Time: 1 season. Cost: 50 gold. DC: 50. Reward: Positive diplomatic contact.
I guess it would be something like this option? What I'd like to do is get the Vale in the loop on the Stormland offer to join our anti-Ironborn alliance, and see if we can formalize it so that the Stormlands can start preparing for the war as well. @notbirdofprey Is this the option we should use for that? Or does that need to be a special action?
Alternatively, we could maybe do an action preparing for a wedding? Although it seems to me that that really at this point is just us raising the issue with our wife, seeing what she thinks, then talking to our children and their fiancees about it, and only then would we start doing something that requires an action.
No open Stewardship slots.
No open Learning slots.
1 Open Piety slot:
[] Strange Magics: Frost has heard reports of strange and dangerous magic in the Westerlands and on the sea, not to mention whatever is going on in Harrenhal and the Riverlands in general. And of course, there is the ritual in the Vale, although that is probably far less hostile than the other examples. He does not know them, or how to counter them, and so he intends to retreat to Castle Green for a time to contemplate what they could be and visit the sea to try and make his own judgment on this skin as well. You have your suspicions, which you have shared, but unless you examine it again you will not be able to confirm them. And you need more skill for that…Time: 3 seasons. Cost: 50 gold. DC: 60. Reward: Information about the Beasts of the Westerlands and the skin on the ocean.
I think we got to take this option next turn, and double down on it. That skin on the water is a big warning in my mind, and I don't want to commit to a sea battle without knowing more about it.
No open Intrigue slots.
1 Personal slot open:
[] The God's Eyes: While you can open the God's Eyes more or less at will now, it can be difficult to keep them open, especially in places full of magic like Winterfell. You also suspect you are missing a great deal of nuance when you look at people or more complicated items like your crown, which just looks like plain metal. Or that skin, which makes you shudder whenever you think of it. Further practice could also extend how long you can use this gift. Time: 1 season. Cost: 0. DC: 70. Reward: Greater control and skill with the God's Eyes, more information about the skin.
Again I think we should gather as much information about the skin as possible.
And then we have our Free Action:
We could pick from another of the various Martial actions that are preparing our forces:
[] Guard Training: Brandon has replaced all the dead or severely wounded guardsmen by now, or at least selected men who will serve as adequate replacements after their training is done. With some of his spare time, he could train other men to a similar standard for other houses. And naturally, he will encourage those men to remember their loyalties to Winterfell should the unthinkable happen…Time: 2 seasons. Cost: 150 gold. DC: 45. Reward: Other houses gain small number of men trained and equipped equivalent to Winterfell guard, vassal loyalty increased.
[] The Royal Order: The Wolfswood Wardens proved to be a substantial boon, hunting bandits across your lands and those of House Glover and Tallhart. Even with their limited numbers, the benefits were immense. Brandon envisions an order of men dedicated to patrolling and protecting your loyal subjects all across the North, all sworn directly to House Stark and the King of Winter. It would be an incredibly expensive proposition, in influence to found and persuade your vassals to accept this massive increase in royal authority, and in gold to upkeep and provide for. You would need to find and equip a vast amount of men, pay them…but having such a force would be incredibly useful, for a variety of reasons, especially if you burned your brain and remembered what the best armies in history did. Time: 2 seasons. Cost: 900 gold. DC: 70. Reward: Influence Interludes
[] Improve the Wardens: The Wolfsguard do not quite have the strength or heavy equipment of the Winterfell Guard. Adding a small force of heavily trained and well armored men to their ranks would be a substantial force multiplier. It might be a bit upsetting to some of your vassals however – creating such a force implies that you think they will need them, and not everyone knows about your plans for the Ironborn. Time: 1 season. Cost: 800 gold, vassal approval, medium upkeep increase. DC: 40. Reward: Force roughly equivalent to Winterfell Guard added to the Wardens
[] Expand the Guard: Alternately, you could directly expand the Winterfell Guard. Increasing their size will upset your vassals less, since the cost will be borne entirely by you, and having the entire under your direct command is a comfort as well. If you increase the size of the guard anymore after this, you will likely need to build new barracks for them though. Time: 1 season. Cost: 800 gold, chance of vassal approval, high upkeep increase. DC: 45. Reward: Winterfell Guard increased in size.
[] Review Levies: It has been some time since Brandon had the opportunity to ride your immediate lands and make sure that the levies are in order and ready to come when called, and he has never done so for the newly expanded Wintertown. Have him take a few guards and make sure the sergeants are doing their jobs and that there aren't any villages or hamlets slacking on the number they will send. Time: 2 season. Cost: 250 gold. DC: 40. Reward: Levy readiness improved, ??
[] Train the Scouts: Brandon and the Ghost-folk are incredibly stealthy. It seems likely that this has something to do with those cloaks you see sometimes, but it's also at least partly mundane skill. Have them show this to your Scouts and make them even stealthier. Time: 1 season. Cost: 150 gold. DC: 55. Reward: Winterfell Scouts better trained, more recruits.
Looking at it, I think Guard Training is likely to be more accepted by the vassals after we inform them of our invasion plans. Royal Order would be nice, but I think we really need to rebuild our influence before taking that action. Again Improve the Wardens can wait until after we inform our vassals (I'm assuming we do that 2 to 3 seasons before the invasion starts). So that leaves Expand the Guard, Review the Levies, and Train the Scouts. Leaning towards Review the Levis if we choose a Martial action. Although maybe we should wait on that until the Winter ends so that we can get the +15 Bonus from the Smallfolk Goal?
Instinctively I'd want to use the Free Action on a Stewardship option, but looking at then there are not a lot available that are feasible in the winter. Just Wool to Yarn, and Setting Standards. Maybe Establishing More Logging Camps? We need to pick a building option to reassure the Bureaucrats and fulfill their goal. So maybe New Mills? Or perhaps we go the whole way and do the Improved Roads Advanced - which is a 5 year project. Nah... maybe the following turn.
Perhaps the best option is a diplomacy action, since we really need to rebuild our influence. Maybe we should just pick Play Nice, and get that 1d4-1 Influence gain. Or we could just pick Speak to Kings again and target the Sealord of Bravoos. Since the Green Men have a quest to make contact with Essos. Actually... failing that gives some nasty penalties, so we should probably make sure we do that.
@notbirdofprey Will contacting the Sealord of Bravoos with Speak to Kings meet the Green Men's Quest? Or do we need Essos Rumor Mill?
Speaking of Quests, since influence is our biggest deficit right now, perhaps we ought to focus some on achieving them:
Snowy Sept Quest: Allow members of the Warrior's Sons to accompany septons while traveling. Reward: 1d2-1 Influence. Failure: 10% chance of Opinion loss. Time: By Summer 118 AD
- I don't think we are going to do this one. Besides, it's a distant deadline, and the penalties are small
Green Men Quest: Make some form of contact with Essos. Reward: 1d3-1 Influence, additional information. Failure: -1 Opinion, 60% chance of Opinion loss from all allies. Time: By Winter 109 AD
- Relatively easy to do, we should try to do this one
Northern Lords: Quest: Keep food supplies higher than Scant for the duration of the long winter. Reward: 1d4 Influence, 500 gold. Failure: - 2 Opinion, 20% chance of -1 Influence. Time:
- So we need to keep an eye on their food supplies and send them food if they are running low.
Manderly Quest: Make a favorable trade arrangement with a kingdom or one of the Free Cities. Reward: 1d3 Influence, +10 bonus to Other Artisans. Failure: - 1 Opinion. Time: By Summer 110
- Already working on doing
Bolton Quest: Help improve reputation of House Bolton. Reward: 1d2 Influence, +10 to The Red Gift. Failure: -1 Opinion. Time: By Summer 110
- Seems easy enough to do... but frankly I'm not interested in the Red Gift
The Rival Eastern Lords Quest: Fail a House Manderly or House Bolton quest. Reward: 1d2 Influence. Failure: -1 Opinion, -1d2 Influence. Time: By Summer 110
- Yeah, have to choose between this and the Bolton Quest, and the cost of failure is worse for this one. Sorry Boltons.
Western Lords Quest: Build a fleet on the western shore. Reward: 1d2-1 Influence, +15 to next Build a Fleet action if it is on the western coast. Failure: -3 Opinion. Time: By Autumn 110
- Already doing
Barrow Lords Quest: Build a fleet in Barrowton. Reward: 1d4 Influence, +15 to next Build a Fleet action if it is on the western coast. Failure: -2 Opinion. Time: By Autumn 110
- This provides significantly more influence than building a fleet at Torren's Lake, we probably ought to do this. Frankly, a double fleet build may be needed anyway to break through the Iron Fleet.
Smallfolk Quest: Avoid substantial disaster. Reward: 1d2-1 Influence, +15 to Review the Levies. Failure: -3 Opinion. Time: By the end of the next long winter.
- Well obviously we want to do this anyway.
Merchant Quest: Develop another guild in Wintertown. Reward: 1d2-1 Influence, additional trade income. Failure: Loss to trade. Time: Summer 109.
- Once the Trade Deals are established fulfilling the Manderly Quest, we can grab the Other Artisan option, and hopefully will get this quest as well.
Bureaucrat Quest: Reassure them by launching a building project in or around Wintertown. Reward: +15 to Review the Levies, + 15 to the next three Stewardship actions in or around Wintertown. Failure: No penalty. Autumn 109.
- It appears that the Water and Steel action isn't doing this. Makes me thing we have to pick either The Wolf's Walls, or Improved Roads.
It looks like all of them are achievable as long as we keep them in mind. The only one that might be tricky is the one about building a fleet at Barrowtown.
Makes me think we need to use an Issue Command on the Barrow Lords next turn telling them to construct Shipyards at Barrowtown. I wonder if granting the Dustins the right to open a concrete factory in Barrowtown will aid in that?
Any ways, some thoughts for us to discuss when think about what to do next turn while we are still waiting for the next turn to be posted.
We should also look at using Issue Command to the Green Men to have them awaken the Gift of Might in the Umbers.
