The world is changed. You can feel it in the water, you can sense it in the earth, you can smell it in the air. Magic is here, and everywhere around you. But those who are not attuned to the weave of the world go on much as they have -- full of their own comings and goings, focussed on their projects and individual desires. You and they have designs to finish together, and things to begin anew. It's tricky to focus on those sometimes, though, as Arianne keeps making bedroom eyes at you. Not too much longer, now…
[some selected options]
Martial (choose zero this turn)
Advisor: Stannis Baratheon
[ ] An Army of Some: While the campaign to exterminate the Band of Bastards was brief, you can't really be sending your Kingsguard every time a conflict or concern arises. You've been batting around the idea of a Royal Army, sworn directly to the Iron Throne, but you know that would be a
tall order to get accepted by the Lords of the Realm. DC 100. Reward: you can begin recruiting for a Grand Army of the Seven Kingdoms. Many lords will be uneasy with the prospect. (100,000 Dr)
[ ] A Gold Standard II: The Goldcloaks are trained, now, but Aegon is still dissatisfied. A good knight is not quite the same as a good watchman, he's realized. The position has its own unique requirements … has anyone ever tried writing this down? DC 70. Reward: increase quality of the Gold Cloaks to Professional, may improve the city's attributes. (20,000 Dr) (locks for 2 rounds)
Once the second round of Gold Standard I completed, you would be able to take (basically) Advanced Goldcloaks, and make the City Watch something to be proud of serving in.
The Royal Army concept is one that I was and am deeply uncomfortable with, because of the inherent implausibility of it in the setting. But people did argue for it, and I would at least let you try.
Intrigue
Advisor: Oberyn Martell
[ ] From Forth the Fatal Loins: The Usurper is dead and buried, and so are his (alleged) legitimate children. But what of the illegitimate? Just because Lord Stannis has renounced his claim to the throne doesn't mean that a bastard of Robert's with sufficient charisma and cunning couldn't make a claim and find themselves with backers against you. You know of a few, but only a few. You'll task Prince Oberyn to find the rest. DC 75. Reward: discover the natural-born children of Robert Baratheon, their personalities, and locations. (7,500 Dr)
[ ] The Lonely Dragons: At the moment, the entirety of House Targaryen consists of you and your infant children, your sister, and your nephew (and your other nephew, Snow). Is it possible that there's more family out there? Your father and brother may have had bastards, and who knows how many female relatives married into other families? Your knowledge of your family tree is woefully incomplete, and you would know more. DC 50/75/100. Reward: learn more about the branches of the Targaryen family, ??? (15,000 Dr)
Filling out the family tree is something I had hoped to be able to do, especially for how thin on the ground House Targaryen and any potential heirs are, and House Baratheon is in even worse shape.
Learning
Advisor: Grand Maester Jacaerys
[ ] The Iron Throne: You have an odd sense about the Iron Throne, like there's something to the smallfolk tales that it's cursed. It's definitely not just a throne of half-melted swords, you know that much for sure. You'll have the Grand Maester look into it. DC 80. Reward: gain information about the Iron Throne, ??? (1,000 Dr)
[ ] The Dragon's Bane: Wildfire was an obsession of your father, and of other Targaryens before him (Aerion 'Brightflame' makes your father look sane in contrast). You like a bit of fire and destruction as much as the next dragon, but maybe there is something else here? DC 60. Reward: gain understanding of wildfire's properties, potential uses (10,000 Dr)
[ ] Silence Lay Steadily Against the Wood and Stone: You know hardly anything about Summerhall, one of the darkest marks in your family's long and checkered history in Westeros. Your brother went there often, but spoke nothing of it; your father wouldn't hear the name in his presence; your mother wept at the very thought of it. Perhaps an impartial third party, an observer like the Grand Maester, can give you the salient details – what the buildup was, what if anything went wrong, anything you don't know but should. DC 75. Reward: information about Summerhall, ??? (7,500 Dr)
[ ] The Night was Long and Full of Unknowns: With the insights of Lady Melisandre, comments of Maester Aemon and observations by Grand Maester Jacaerys, you have a strong inkling that a second Long Night is on the horizon. But the first was long ago, and much that should not have been forgotten is lost -- history became legend, legend became myth (oh, that's rather good, you should write that down). So much has been lost, you don't even know how long ago it was. It'll be a tall order, but you need to try to sort the fables from the facts. DC 95. Reward: information about the Long Night is gathered. (15,000 Dr) (This project must succeed 3 times to be completed)
So, the Iron Throne is functionally an amplifier; it builds on what is already there. So, in this timeline's Robert, it took his paranoia and retributive nature and turned them up to eleven; with Viserys, it would over time begin to make him more prone to complicated schemes and endeavours that would see this universe's TVTropes page titled "Viserys Gambit" instead of "Xanatos Gambit".
Wildfire is something that, if it was handled properly, I was willing to let people try and test some industrializing with. For instance, if you treated it as a stand-in for nitroglycerin, you could try to mix it with a stabilizing agent to create dynamite. I personally was intrigued by the possibility of developing firearms if you used it in a similar manner as nitroglycerin for making smokeless powder.
Summerhall, I speak on a bit further down.
The Long Night, I speak on a bit further down.
Heroes (Pick one task each)
Daenerys Targaryen
[ ] The Dragon in the Dome: Ned has been impressed by her work during the Dragonpit Trials so far, and wants her to stick with it. He thinks she could make a real difference in getting widespread acceptance of the trial's results, maybe get some recalcitrant lords to internalise the new world order. Diplomacy, DC 65. Reward: Dany helps conclude the Dragonpit Trials, may gain traits.
[ ] Shadows of the Past: For good or ill, the most powerful and consequential of Targaryen women have always had martial skills. To advance her in this arena, you'll have Dany train with Ser Bonifer. Martial, DC 55. Reward: increase Martial, gain combat-related traits. (Free)
[ ] Sisters in Scales: Dany has never been one for the traditional route, and neither have you. She's forged good relationships with the Sand Snakes, and they could probably teach her things that would never occur to Ser Bonifer. Martial/Intrigue, DC 40. Reward: increase Martial and Intrigue, may gain combat-related and intrigue-related traits. (Free) (assigns the Sand Snakes to Dany for the round)
Dany's character advancement would depend on the path you chose for her; she could become a diplomat and poet like Rhaenys, she could become a warrior in the vein of Visenya … or she could become something different. I personally found myself hoping that people would want to pursue the third option, and see what a Dany influenced by the Dornish could become.
In general, I didn't have any major shipping plans for Dany; I was teasing at Willas Tyrell and was willing to entertain Robb Stark if people could find a way to have them meet, but I wasn't attached to anything. Hell, if people decided that she and Aegon made a good pair I wouldn't have fought it (though I would have looked at it a bit askance).
Aegon Targaryen
[ ] A Mind that Burns: The Prince of the City is smart, and received much of the training for kingship that you never did. You would have him improve on those subjects, as they will not only benefit his work with the Goldcloaks, but when he becomes a lord somewhere as well. Learning, DC: 50. Reward: increase Stewardship and Diplomacy, gain related traits. (Free)
[ ] Children of the One: Ser Aegon has been making inroads with his half-brother, Jon Snow. He would like your permission to bring Jon into the City Watch, and to begin the process of making him a knight. Diplomacy, DC 50. Reward: recruit Jon Snow to the City Watch, squire him to Ser Aegon (Jon Snow becomes a Hero Unit). (Free)
[ ] The Shape of Dreams: Many Targaryens across history have been touched by some kind of influence beyond the mortal coil – some dream of the future or the past, some discover things in the present beyond their ken, some speak with the dead … Ser Aegon wonders, in his few quiet moments, if he has inherited something of this from his father. Willpower, DC 60. Reward: increase Willpower, may gain related traits. (Free)
[ ] Along the Nascent Echo: Summerhall sits long ruined, a scar on the Stormlands and a sobering reminder of your house's fragility and fallibility. Ser Aegon has some curiosity about the place, given his father's connection to it, and he's dreamed of visiting it sometime. Reward: ??? (2,500 Dr)
So, before I dive in, a quick aside: the vote option names for Aegon are all quotes from Battlestar Galactica. I dunno why they fit so well for me, they just did.
I dunno how "Ser Aegon and Squire Jon" would have gone, but I bet it would have been at least interesting.
Depending on how much Egg dived into the magic stuff (and how well he rolled) he might improve his "what will happen in the next five seconds" combat foresight ability, he might begin to figure out magic-empowered strikes, or (with a nat100) some other crazy shit I hadn't thought of yet.
Summerhall, as the "Silence Lay Steadily Against the Wood and Stone" name under Jace's options might imply, is Westeros' version of "The Haunting of Hill House". If Aegon (and whoever joined his party for that adventure) survived, they would have discovered that the ruins of Summerhall have been warped by its own magic to protect a clutch of seven dragon eggs deep in its bowels. (I had a plan where, each turn you didn't select the Summerhall option for Aegon, each of the eggs rolled a d100, starting with a DC 10 to endure, adding 5 each time after that. Maybe all seven would be viable when you arrived; maybe only three; maybe none. Not that this would be intended as a punishment for not choosing the option, just a realistic thing of "time and the world both progress regardless of what your players do" kind of DM/QMing. And, regardless of other events, Summerhall would resist any and all attempts to end its haunting, violently if necessary. Aegon would want to find a different place to live and call home.
Beshka the Basilisk
[ ] A Lovely Goatherd: You've heard the songs, same as anyone else. You'd like to get some firmer details, and if there is indeed a martial-minded woman in the Vale, you know just who to send. And, because she possesses the subtlety of a dragon in a glassworks, you know just who to send with her. Martial/Intrigue, DC 40. Reward: Beshka and Asha Greyjoy will go to the Eyrie and see what they find, and maybe what they can return with. (2,500 Dr)
[ ] A Golden Cloak: Ser Aegon is quite fond of Beshka, and would be happy to bring her into the City Watch, if she and the King would be amenable to it. She would be the first woman in a golden cloak, and there could be some resistance within and without, but it could also smooth the path towards women as knights or in the Kingsguard. Martial, DC 60. Reward: Beshka joins the City Watch, lowers DC of Brothers and Sisters by 10. (1,000 Dr)
[ ] A Future Unknown: You can ask or order Beshka to do things, but what does
she want to do? What life does she see for herself? Willpower, DC 50. Reward: ???
I talked a bit previously about the Lovely Goatherd. Mya Stone would have been a potential friend and compatriot of Beshka's, depending on how things went. In her future, maybe she would have joined the Queensguard, or Beshka's mercenary company, or (this idea amused me greatly) she could fall head over heels for Aegon, and be surprised (though pleased) by him being equally into her.
This specific vote would have greatly shaped the path that Beshka's story took from here. Myself, I am shipper trash, and if a Queensguard was formed, Beshka would have taken it on and tried mightily to talk Asha Greyjoy into joining her. With lucky rolls and character development, I had liked the idea of Asha, Beshka and Asher quietly falling into a nice little triad that kept their relationship to themselves and kept getting into barfights in places no one would recognise them. But she could also have become a goldcloak, or have gone to the Iron Islands with Asha (when Balon inevitably croaked and Asha inherits in this potential future) and been her 'woman-at-arms' on Pyke, or she could have founded a mercenary company serving Viserys' interests directly … Beshka had an open-ended future, something that scared her, a lot. Asha made things feel not scary, and Beshka was not gonna let that go without a fight. (I am shipper trash. Sue me.)
Arianne Martell
[-] The Queen is recovering from delivery of the twins, and will be available for actions in three months.
When she became available, these would have been her task options:
[ ] An Honorary Viper: Arianne loves her uncle and her cousins, and after spending so much time with them, has picked up a lot of their skills. While she is well-suited to the life of a Queen, she does sometimes miss getting her hands dirty. (Allows you to take on an additional Intrigue Project) (Please specify which one when voting)
[ ] A Learned Lady: Your Queen is even more well-read than you, and she might be the only person in the Red Keep able to keep pace with the Grand Maester. She has impressed him more than once, and he seems to possess none of his order's usual disdain for women's intellect. (Allows you to take on an additional Learning Project) (Please specify which one when voting)
[ ] A Mother's Mercy: The giving of alms is an old and popular tradition. The people would be honored if their Queen were to give them bread from her own hands. Diplomacy, DC 40. Reward: Increase Happiness, improve relationship with the Faithful (500 Dr)
This upcoming turn, partway through I had planned an interlude for Viserys, where you would be deciding the fates of the men in the Dragonpit Trials, but I had another vote planned for that as well.
I had been laying the groundwork for Tyene Sand to possibly have a more intimate place in your family's life. In canon, she's very close with Arianne (it's heavily implied, if not outright stated, to be sexual) but we never see Tyene, or any of the Sand Snakes, really, outside of the worst time in their lives in canon: their father dead, their uncle and sort-of-stepmother unsupportive, consumed by vengeance and bloodlust. I wanted to explore what they would be like in a good place, and very quickly Tyene found a place in Arianne's company in my writing.
So, Tyene has very old and very deep-seated feelings for Arianne to say nothing of her loyalty here (if Arianne gave the word, Viserys would be dead before she finished talking). She likes Viserys, likes that he's clever and that he's good to Arianne (the fact that he's a looker doesn't hurt anything) so Tyene would be amenable to getting closer (and, in general, Viserys feels much the same towards her). Arianne would feel conflicted, because she loves Viserys and also loves Tyene, but would have to choose the father of her children if push came to shove, and she would fear her children's safety/legitimacy if this relationship became known. That said, she would want to try. So, it would be down to the word of the king: a "yes", a "no but please don't leave", and a "no, leave my sight forevermore" would all have far-reaching consequences -- some of which would be good, I wanna be clear! But so too I would want to be clear, this would not be a casual thing to enter into lightly.
