- Pronouns
- They/Them
The difficulty there is that presuming the Dance of the Dragons actually happens, we'll probably be spending the better part of a decade or more just recovering from that and marshaling our strength.
The Heir of the Dragon: A Rhaenyra Targaryen Quest
The difficulty there is that presuming the Dance of the Dragons actually happens, we'll probably be spending the better part of a decade or more just recovering from that and marshaling our strength.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Depends on how bad the Dance is. And it would be possible to invade Dorne or other places before that, that just involves convincing dad.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Honestly, I'm mostly worried about the prospects of a Dance of the Dragons where we're heavily outnumbered in dragons and am not sure how to avoid that.
Because 2-on-1 dragon fights tend to end very badly for the solo dragonrider.
Because 2-on-1 dragon fights tend to end very badly for the solo dragonrider.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
We're probably decades away from a Dance and with the Velaryons it's not a binary situation. Depending on the situation you could end with Rhaenys and her children simply staying out of matters. Corlys nearly did exactly that in canon.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Yeah. Well, suffice to say that when I say "I worry about it," I mean "this is something where we clearly need to put a lot of thought and effort into making sure it doesn't go badly."
The enmity of a house like, oh, the Tyrells or the Lannisters as a collective unit in the event of a Dance of the Dragons would be a problem. The collective enmity of the Velaryons, it seems to me, would be a disaster because of the dragon count.
Toaster cult
I Am An Imaginary Living Body
- Location
- Tokyo
- Pronouns
- She/Her
yeah unless Viserys decides to get aquainted with the business end of a dagger, we've got a while, plenty of time for a wonderous military campaign in dorne!
- Location
- Who knows?
I am desperately hoping Rhaenyra can somehow spread/influence the development of "Defiant" in Laena (maybe Laenor) where it results in her flipping off dragonless daddy dearest to do her own thing.
Voting Closed
New
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Since my work week is done and I have time to actually work on this now I'm gonna close the vote.
- Pronouns
- He
[X] Plan The Full Winterfell Experience
Regency
PFP by vanathema (previously yubishines)
- Location
- Morioh Town, Mt. Ebbot
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Vote's already closed, your pick won
- Location
- Lake Wobegon
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
I'd take a rift between Laena and Daemon over one between Laena and Corlys, really. Perhaps she can have Vhaegar eat him?
- Location
- Who knows?
Lmao that'd be good but in my dreams she decides she's had enough of Corlys pairing her off with old Targ fuckos and swans away before he can toss her at Daemon.
- Location
- Spain
You do realise that the main reason why he married Daemon was because se decided "flipping off dragonless daddy dearest to do her own thing", NO?
- Location
- Who knows?
Huh I always thought it was partially Corlys hedging his bets after failing to get Laena as Viserys' second wife. Aka something he encouraged.
Ah, so many relationships we want to make dysfunctional, so little time.
- Location
- United States
Laena, you should be more defiant. And by defiant I mean cut ties with my political enemies and not seek to advance your own position and status, or those of your natural political allies. This would be sticking it to the patriarchy, I swear. No, see, me advancing my own position and status and those of my own natural allies is necessary for me to stick it to the patriarchy.
I mean, it's worth a shot but I'd honestly be kind of disappointed if it works.
I mean, it's worth a shot but I'd honestly be kind of disappointed if it works.
Turn 12: Results Part I
New
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Turn 12: Results Part I
You stood on the walls of Winterfell and watched alongside Lord Rickon Stark as numerous men, nobles and smallfolk alike, from greybeards to boys no older than yourself were gathered into one of the larger courtyards of the castle. You watched as one by one, they passed around a heavy leather bag, each taking a single stone before passing it to the next man. Most would withdraw a simple white stone but every so often a man would pull out a stone as black as a starless night. Each man reacted differently. Some wore the expressions of condemned men, others seemed surprised and a bit fustrated, while a few accepted it with stone faced indifference.
"Before the onset of Winter, every noble house in the North sends one in ten from their household to serve the Night's watch. Such has been the way since Torrhen Stark bent the knee to your ancestor," Lord Rickon explained.
"That is a heavy sentence to impose on so many," you said, unable to hide your horror.
Serving the Night's Watch meant a lifetime of toil at the far end of Westeros, away from any family or friends, surrounded by murderers and rapists, fighting against wildlings with little chance of gaining any glory or renown. Part of you wanted to ask if there was any other way of easing the North's burdens so that they need not keep up this tradition, but you could tell that at best the man would consider it an offer born of pity and thus an insult.
"It is not a sentence, it is an honor," Lord Stark clarified. "Those chosen will ensure many others don't go hungry should Winter prove longer than expected. And they will spend the rest of their lives knowing their duty will serve to protect their kin and countless others."
"It is not easy sacrifice to make," he acknowledged, "but all duty is sacrifice. And nothing is more important than one's duty."
They were the words of a man who had lived many years, many hard years no doubt, full of choices you hoped you would never have to make yourself.
You thought to Aegon's prophecy, of the horrors that would one day come from the north. Did the Starks know anything about it? As far as you know, Aegon only told his son Aenys, the pyromancer who engraved his dagger, and perhaps his sister-wives as well. But if there was anyone else he might have told, the Starks would have been it.
For a moment you considered asking Lord Rickon what he knew of the dangers to the North, but as quickly as the thought emerged you brushed it away. Your dreams at Harrenhal plagued your sleep enough as it was. Best not trouble yourself even further with Aegon's.
"I must confess, Princess Rhaenyra," Lord Rickon said gruffly, "I was rather surprised to hear you had made Winterfell and the Night's Watch part of your progress, even willing to make the trip by Dragonback to do so."
"Why does it surprise you?" you questioned. "I am making a tour of the entire realm. It would be rather remiss if I neglected to visit a Lord Paramount and the Warden of the North."
"I am told the Conqueror spent much of his reign traveling and he visited White Harbor many times," Lord Rickon explained. "But he only traveled to Winterfell once, near the end of his life."
"Jaehaerys and his Queen visited when I was a much younger man," Stark sighed wearily. "And that was to heal wounds that had been festering since he was crowned. That is all Winterfell has seen of the dragons in the century since Aegon's Conquest. So your presence here is unusual, though not unwelcome, Princess."
"Ahh," you nodded in understanding. "Yes I suppose this stop does seem unusual when you take that into consideration. I apologize for any undo confusion, but my goal was simply to visit as much of the realm as I could during my Progress, so the realm could better know their future queen and I could better understand the kingdoms I will one day rule."
"Well, I would say you've accomplished the first part of that already in White Harbor," Lord Rickon remarked. "I think everyone from Castle Black to Dorne understands just what kind of woman you are."
You found Lord Stark's words curious. You had hoped for praise of your prowess, but had come prepared for worse. But Stark seemed almost indifferent the whole matter.
"And what are your thoughts on the tourney?" Your curiosity got the best of you. "Do you approve?"
"I would say such behavior is not suitable for a girl, let alone one your age," he remarked, "but you're a Targaryen. Targaryens are held to a different standards. Compared to marrying brother to sister, allowing a girl to fight is rather tame if you ask me. Lord Manderly and Lord Dustin are both impressed, so that is good. And if your actions in the Eyrie are anything to go by, I would say your training has given you the right mindset to rule."
"Ser Arnold's behavior had left me no recourse," you found yourself defensive despite the praise. "I had to do it."
"Aye," Rickon nodded, "I've read accounts of the trial. His words demanded personal action. And from what I read, you handled his execution better than many northern lords I must confess."
"It was a trial by combat, not an execution," you corrected.
A small but notable smirk appeared on Lord Stark's face.
"That's not what the ravens have said," he replied.
You would have laughed but the sight of so many men and boys before you realizing they would soon be torn away from their home and lives drained most of the humor from the moment.
"I swore an oath before you and your father," Lord Stark declared. "While I very much doubt I will live to see you claim the throne, I will uphold my word, just as I know Cregan will uphold it, unless your father has him swear a new oath."
"I never doubted that, my lord," you assured him.
Starks may have been aloof but any noble with the slightest bit of sense knew they took their oaths more seriously than almost any other.
Lord Rickon nodded.
"Though I will admit I am looking forward to how you handle sentencing this afternoon," he admitted. "I will be glad to better know what kind of Queen my son will one day serve."
You nodded before turning your gaze towards the men below, largely in an effort to hide your doubt. As messy as things got with Ser Arnold, the actual trial part of things was dreadfully simple. Arnold's guilt was as clear as day. You rather doubted the same would prove true here.
Relationship Established with House Stark
You sat on the throne of Winterfell, where countless Kings of Winter and Wardens of the North had sat before you, your arms resting on two stone wolf heads. Lord Stark stood to your side, his massive Valyrian Steel sword Ice on his back. Of course, he had no intention of using the massive blade today. He was there simply to provide clarification and context when need be. If anyone was to meet the blade today, it would be by your hands.
The hall was filled with various lords and courtiers. They seemed considerably more sedate than the ones in the Eyrie, though that was likely due to nature of the trials today, yet their expressions still had an air of curiosity about them. It seemed a lot of them where just as curious as Lord Stark was as to what kind of Queen you would be.
There was not to be one great trial today for you to oversee, but rather a number of smaller cases for you to rule on. It was nicer to be dealing with matters of less intensity, but you couldn't help but worry that you would find yourself soon out of your depth.
"On behalf of King Viserys Targaryen, his daughter and heiress Rhaenyra Targaryen shall pass judgement in the King's name this day," Lord Stark's Steward declared to the hall. "Her word carries not only the
weight of the Iron Throne behind it but the full support of Lord Stark as well."
Neither you nor Lord Stark wanted anyone trying to undermine your rulings by trying to go around you to him. It would have looked bad for the Crown and Winterfell alike.
"Bring forth the first case," the steward declared before stepping back towards your side.
The First case before you was not a criminal matter, but rather something of a land dispute. Two people stepped forward and quickly knelt before you. The first was a young man with a thick brown beard and fierce grey eyes. He was dressed in a dark outfit with bronze buckles. The second was a woman of about 30 years of age, distinctly stout, but held herself proudly, with a head of red hair tied up in two curling buns in the back. Her dress a deep blue with mountain patterns woven into it.
"Princess Rhaenyra, may I present Lady Lyanna Whitehill, Lady of Highpoint, bannerman of Lord Bolton. And Brandon Forrester, Heir to Ironwraith and bannerman of House Glover."
Vassals of Lord Stark's vassals. Minor houses at best, but more than just landed knights at least.
"Princess Rhaenyra," Brandon Forrester said hurriedly. "My lord father apologizes for not being able to attend, but he is quite ill."
"It is quite alright. Send him my regards," you replied formally. "Now, I've been briefed on the basics of this matter by Lord Stark, though I want to hear both of your views on this affair."
Forrester motioned for Lady Whitehill to speak first. Even with a such a civil gesture it was easy to see the hate boiling behind both of their eyes.
"I apologize dear Princess for bringing such a trivial matter to your attention," Lady Lyanna said warmly. "Recently a dam has broken on Forrester lands and they have chosen to use roads through our lands to transport their ironwood until repairs are made. House Forrester is upset for the tolls we've imposed for their use of our roads."
You were admittedly unfamiliar with the laws regarding this kind of land, dispute but it seemed simple enough.
"What Lady Whitehill is neglecting to mention," Forrester said with a fury he was using every once of his strength to keep even remotely contained, "is that the dam was sabotaged by a Whitehill armsmen and that road was built by the Kings of Winter centuries ago for both our houses! We shouldn't even have to pay a toll let alone the robbery she has imposed upon us."
"There is no record of who built that road or of any such agreement," Lady Whitehill retorted. "And we have no records of this bandit serving house Whitehill."
"He confessed to working for you!" Forrester hissed.
"A confession you only gained after hours of sharp questioning that left the man dead," Lady Whitehill sneered. "And all you could attain was that he allegedly served my house. I give my word before the old gods and new that I do not know this man and I certainly never ordered him to do this vile act."
You looked towards Lord Stark, hoping for some insight.
"We have no records matching House Forresters claim," he admitted, "but Lord Glover speaks highly of House Forrester. I have no reason to doubt to they at least believe they are telling the truth."
"And what does House Bolton say of House Whitehill?" you asked.
"That they are honorable and true, few more so than Lady Whitehill," Lord Stark replied, cause Lady Whitehill to puff up with pride.
The Forrester heir and Lady Whitehill looked ready to fight right there and then as they awaited your response.
You were a bit unsure if House Whitehill even had the right to impose a toll in this situation. The nuances of the situation were rather unknown to you.
If you believed Lyanna and house Whitehill, then this was one house trying to use you to get out of a reasonable toll and score a political victory against a rival. If Brandon Forrester's claim was true than this was a clear act of sabotage if not outright warfare between two houses. But House Forrester's claim had no proof, only their word.
Both houses were held in respect. Both houses had reason to lie.
You could simply ask for House Whitehill to cut the tolls in half. Neither house would be fully appeased, but both would come away thinking they had achieved a partial victory.
If you sided with Lady Whitehill, all you had to do was let the toll stand as is and be done with it. If you sided with Brandon Forrester, then you could just remove the toll, or perhaps demand even more. It was House Whitehill's man who lead to this situation after all, even if they had not ordered him to do anything, and that was in doubt. It had been a man in their service who committed the original crime.
How do you Rule on the First Case?
[] [First] Side with House Whitehill, Keep the Tolls in place.
[] [First] Side with neither, Reduce the Tolls by half
[] [First] Side with House Forrester, Remove the Tolls
[] [First] Side with House Forrester, Remove the Tolls and order House Whitehill to help reconstruct the Dam.
[] [First] Write-in (Subject to QM approval)
After that, you were barely given a few moments to breath before the next case was presented. This time, a man in chains was dragged before you. His attire was rather dirty, but even through the caked on mud you can tell it was once a fine outfit. His hair was neatly cut, though his face was covered with several days of uneven, red and black fuzz.
The man glanced at you briefly before turning his eyes towards the stone floor.
"Amos here is a merchant by trade," the steward declared. "Five days ago, he started a drunken brawl in Wintertown that saw the deaths of three men. He is being charged with High Treason, Three Counts of Murder, and Disorderly conduct. Amos has claimed that he had not thrown the first punch and had only acted to defend himself, something half a dozen witnesses said was false. Though he does not deny it was his words that started the fight in the first place. "
You raised an eyebrow.
"I'm afraid I'm rather uncertain where the charge of treason fits into a drunken brawl," you noted pointedly.
"The merchant... Ah," the steward hesistated for a moment. "He insulted your father, Princess. That's why the fight started in the first place. The others believed the accused was trying to incite something before your arrival."
That just left you with even more questions.
"What could this man have said to provoke such a reaction?" you questioned.
You liked to believe the smallfolk loved your father, and you knew some of them loved you for your actions in White Harbor while others sneered at you for it. But your father had ruled justly for over a decade. Who could say something vile enough to provoke a fight against him?
The steward looked like he wanted to be anywhere else right now, his words choking in his throat.
"I need to know what the man said," you urged.
"He, he..." The steward hesitated for a moment longer before finally blurting it out. "He called King Viserys a thrice-damned abomination born of degenerate incest, who's foul blood should not be allowed to pollute the North."
While the hall had been relatively quite, that set off a wave of mummers among the crowd as the merchant's gaze fell even lower.
"Well now, that is quite something," you sat back in the throne, hands folded in front of you. "Does the accuse have anything to say in his defense?"
Your grandparents were brother and sister, as where your great-grandparents. For you, this was nothing unusual. Indeed, had your mother given your father a son earlier in your life, there would have been every expectation you would be his consort and queen. You were a Targaryen. This was what your family had always done. But you weren't blind to how Andals and First Men often reacted to it. There had been a whole revolt over it decades ago after all.
"I was quite drunk at the time," the man said, barely glancing up to show you his fearful expression before his eyes lowered again.
"Do you deny saying these things?" you questioned.
"No, I do not," The merchant admitted. "I said what I said, but I never wanted a fight. I tried to calm things down. They threw the first punch."
"But it was your words that provoked the fight in the first place," the steward said pointedly.
"Aye," the merchant nodded.
Had it just been words, even an insult as vile as this, you knew your father might let them off lightly. Muttered discontent would do nothing to change succession after all. But your father wasn't here, Lord Stark was, and men where dead.
The man's words had started the fight, but he had not been the one to punch first. So, was he to blame for the fight?
You could just remove his tongue or send him to the Wall for his words, but that would be seen as saying the fight was not his fault. And you had no idea how that would go down in the North. You could always let him go, but that seemed almost certain to go down poorly.
If you found him guilty of all charges, there was really only one option before you. The chopping block. You had killed a man before, but that had been in the heat of the moment. You weren't entirely sure if you were ready to purposefully set out to take a man's life.
How Do You Rule in the Second Case?
[] [Second] Let Him Go
[] [Second] Remove his Tongue
[] [Second] Send him to the Wall
[] [Second] Execute Him
[] [Second] Write-in (Subject to QM Approval)
For your final trial, guards brought in a older man. His hair long and graying, his clothes simple and well worn, sorrow etched across his face as he was dragged towards you in chains.
"Standing before you is Pate, a farmer who lives a four days walk from here," the steward announced. "He was caught poaching on Lord Stark's lands. Armsmen found him dragging a large buck he had killed himself."
You found yourself confused once more, but for vastly different reasons. Poaching was one of the more basic crimes in the seven kingdoms and the punishment was clear. Either send them to the wall or cut off their hand to ensure it did not happen again. Why bring such a simple crime before you.
"Does the accused have anything to say in his defense?" you questioned. The man deserved a chance even if you knew there was little he could say to change his fate.
"My daughter was dying!" Pate cried as he knelt before you. "Foulness corrupted my fields! The rot killed my brother and I couldn't let my family suffer the same fate, but we had nothing else to eat. Summer snows had eaten through our reserves. My daughter had barely eaten anything in weeks! Please, princess! Mercy! I beg of you!"
You stared at the man with wide eyes, you'd never had anyone beg you for their life before.
"Is this true?" you asked, forcing yourself to break the farmer's gaze and look at the steward.
"Hmm, yes," the steward said as he checked his notes. "The armsmen who found him did report his fields had been overtaken by a foulness known to rot the limbs and drive a person mad. But Lord Stark has provisions set aside for such incidents. If he had simply come to Winter Town, his family would have been provided for."
"My daughter wouldn't survived that long!" the farmer replied sharply. "She's only alive because the soldier who found me took pity and provided some of his own ration."
His gaze turned towards Lord Stark who stared back impassively.
"I apologize profusely, mi'lord," his voice wavering as he spoke. "You have always been good to me and mine, but I had no other option. I swear before the gods of the forest it will never happen again."
"It is the princess' decision, not mine," was all Lord Stark said.
The farmer's gaze turned back to you.
"Please, princess," he begged. "My family needs me. My girl's barely reached her eight nameday and my wife cannot handle the farm alone. Please spare me."
You sat uneasy in the throne. The law was clear here. A hand or the Wall. But you had to imagine that farming with only one hand was quite the difficult feat. And sending him to the Wall would leave his wife alone to raise their daughter and run their farm come winter's end.
But it didn't take the wits of Lord Strong to realize that if you spared this man, every lord here would think you soft and word would spread to the smallfolk that all it took was a sad story to get away with poaching. Lords would be dealing with criminals for years because of your mercy.
It didn't feel right to punish this man for such a desperate act though. You only saw a few options here, and none of them were to your liking.
How Do You Rule in the Third Case?
[] [Third] Remove his Hand
[] [Third] Send him to the Wall
[] [Third] Spare Him
[] [Third] Write-in (Subject to QM Approval)
QM's Notes: So I had originally intended to cover the hunt as well, but a combo of both the Hunt and judgement being the long options in plans and the hudgement being somewhat tricky to write since Rhaenyra is out of her depth here. So, I decided to cover the start of the hunt in the next update. Just to be clear, the stress gained from executing the man is not gonna be nearly as bad as the stress from killing Ser Arnold. It's just it's an execution instead of the heat of the moment so it's a still stressful for her right now.
House Forrester and Whitehill are from the Telltale Game of Thrones Game, though House Forrester gets a very minor mention in the books themselves. I admit I like the two houses in concept even if I despise the Telltale game with a burning passion, and their rivalry felt like good material to use here.
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- Pronouns
- They/Them
I think we need to combine our actions so that we don't show only compassion/forgiveness or only the iron hand of justice. So far as it goes, I have far more sympathy for the third than the second, so right now I'll vote...
[X] [Second] Execute Him
[X] [Third] Spare Him
This will give us stress, but we do have to get used to it.
Obviously if a lawyer has contrary claims, or thinks of some clever dodge for either the second of third, I'd happily go along with it, to be clear.
[X] [Second] Execute Him
[X] [Third] Spare Him
This will give us stress, but we do have to get used to it.
Obviously if a lawyer has contrary claims, or thinks of some clever dodge for either the second of third, I'd happily go along with it, to be clear.
- Location
- Germany
[X] [First] Compromise: With no document proving if the road can be tolled or not, you find it reasonable that House Whitehill does so. However, you also find it reasonable that House Forrester is receiving recompense for the actions of the Whitehill armsman. House Whitehill will have to pay for the reconstruction of the dam.
While toll rights usually are clearly enumerated, there isn't really anything here one way or another, so it makes sense that the Whitehill's can toll that road.
For the dam though, the matter is fairly clear. The damage was done by an armsman of House Whitehill, and thus they are responsible for the damages. Doesn't matter if they ordered it or not. It's their guy, so it's their responsibility.
[X] [Second] Send him to the Wall for inciting the fight and have a wergild paid to the families of the dead from his possessions.
I think it's very reasonable to declare that he started this without outright declaring it treason. I do want to add a wergild though since he should have the money to make that viable.
[X] [Third] Send him to the Wall
It's more merciful than the hand, which is a slow execution for a farmer, but the law is pretty clear here, mitigating circumstances or not.
While toll rights usually are clearly enumerated, there isn't really anything here one way or another, so it makes sense that the Whitehill's can toll that road.
For the dam though, the matter is fairly clear. The damage was done by an armsman of House Whitehill, and thus they are responsible for the damages. Doesn't matter if they ordered it or not. It's their guy, so it's their responsibility.
[X] [Second] Send him to the Wall for inciting the fight and have a wergild paid to the families of the dead from his possessions.
I think it's very reasonable to declare that he started this without outright declaring it treason. I do want to add a wergild though since he should have the money to make that viable.
[X] [Third] Send him to the Wall
It's more merciful than the hand, which is a slow execution for a farmer, but the law is pretty clear here, mitigating circumstances or not.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Hmm, would it be beyond our remit to basically order/etc that something be done for the wife and daughter?
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Both write-ins approved.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Wait a second, we have a bunch of money and these are peasants. Can we just dip into some fraction of our money to make sure, privately as it were, that his wife and daughter are cared for or have an opportunity or whatnot, @Teen Spirit ?
- Location
- Your pantry
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I was thinking along those lines, does Winterfell need more maids? or do we need a few maids for our trip? That might be a solution, trying to find some way of supporting his daughter and wife, while also adhering to the law by sending the dad to the Wall. Gold seems like a short-term solution, which doesn't feel satisfactory.
- Location
- Germany
Pretty much and it's kind of unnecessary. The update clearly establishes that the family would be provided for if they moved to Wintertown. That means his wife has a few years in which she can either try to find employment in Winterfell, a new husband or make other arrangements.
That's why I want him on the Wall. Saddling the family with a crippled father is genuinely worse than just having him disappear and letting his family arrange themselves with the new reality.