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>>4876835
You sit down in front of the elderly man, taking up the bottle of Ale that he is offering

> "Well... I don't know if this brings you peace, but at least your years of experience and knowledge won’t fall on deaf ears, Valarr"

He nods, slowly twirling the ale left in his mug, listening to you

> "But a thing that we should face, is that our paste selves died in the Doom – we all lost something irreplaceable on that damned day.
It's a deep wound the one we have, one that makes us bleed, a scar that won't disappear.”

The old Patriarch can only nod, before speaking

“…and yet life goes on, Rhogar. If you mean it and wish to learn, here is another lesson – the world doesn’t give a damn about you, your pain and your hopes, unless you force it to care. “

> “Well then, we will force the world to care: we have just won a great strategic victory and uncovered something our enemies wished to keep hidden. We have a solid ground to rebuild upon with you, my uncle, and the other great men that survived the destruction of Old Valyria. We have lost much, true, but maybe this could be the occasion to start anew – to take the first step toward a new age for the Dragonlords, for us all.”

Seeing as the old man is silent, you place a hand on his shoulder

> "Remember what I first said when we started this campaign, back in Elyria? That I also “hoped to learn from you and to crash our foes”? I did mean it. Both parts. Our enemies are many, but we are the sons of the Dragon, Ayrmidon. With loyal soldiers behind us and men like you and my uncle, experienced commanders, to lead us, there is nothing we cannot achieve.”

You sit down on the stool, taking another sip from the bottle. After a few minutes have passed, you begin searching for something to break the gloomy atmosphere and notice the pieces of paper on Valarr’s camp desk

> “Writing down a report?”

”No. I began putting down on paper my memories…the memory of our lost home, so that future generations will know where they came from. I admit I hit a bump after only a couple of pages. Alcohol doesn’t mix well with memory”

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>>4876836
You’d agree with him

> “Oh well... I couldn't get to sleep, and it isn't a good idea that a General drink too much in a mission like ours, so if you want we could drink, talk and you tell me those useful things you learn all these years you lived... And also a little about blood magic if you're good about it”

”Boy, I will let you know that your uncle doesn’t hold a candle to me – his parlor tricks with the glass candle may impress the unwashed masses, but real power…the power to kill with but a glance, or to revive someone at death’s door, that lies in the blood coursing through your veins.”

> Unlocked Option – Learn Blood Magic from Ayrmidon Valarr, a master of the offensive Techniques of the Lore

Blood Magic relevant Abilities – Cunning, Endurance (you sacrifice blood and take damage any time you use sorcery)

You will need at least Will 4, and to spend a Destiny point to gain the Benefit “Sorcerer”

> Unlocked Option – Learn basic Heartwife’s protection from Ayrmidon Valarr

One of the only 2 ways to raise your Sorcerous Defense against enemy magic.

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>>4876838
The meeting with the main representatives of the Council that night is a tense one – you didn’t know that someone could become so enraged they would almost fade out of the shared vision, and yet that’s what happened to your uncle Aurion when you and Valarr reported what you discovered.

The fact that the ashes in the atmosphere were finally beginning to have a noticeable effect on the temperature of the area, however small, was bad enough thanks to the need to coordinate the logistics of distributing food, but the presence of potentially hostile elements in Mantarys, a key hub for the remaining loyal regions, put the entire network at risk.

You and Valarr received your new orders from an enraged Aurion – to seize Mantarys from the currently unavailable Archon, to restore order, and, were enemies to be found in the area, to proceed with their extirpation.

The Council approved of Valarr’s plan to deal with the tribesmen once north of the Mountains, and plans were drafted up to distribute their women among the various cities to avoid any potential congregation of those that would soon become potential enemies of the Freehold.

On the other hand, Rhaella was able to provide some interesting news – when you mentioned the presence of the Asshai’i, she replied that she knew of the presence of a small congregation, sent from the ruler of Far Asshai to gather information about the status of the western trade networks (her own speculation is that this was done in order to appease some internal faction clamoring for further expansion of their mercantile power, as if the city-state was not already a powerhouse in that regard).

She hypothesized that some mages would surely have been sent West with said delegation, and so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that one or two of their numbers could have been tempted away with promises of power…or simply knowledge plundered from the great libraries of Tyria.

Your mother-in-law advised you to put clean water, as pure as you could find, beneath Aelora’s bed. She told you to add salt to it, while asking Sheira to recite any protective charm she knew, for while she’d need to know the exact sorcery used to attempt to counteract it, this would at least cast a general protection upon the feverish “bandit queen”, thus helping her ward off whatever was affecting her.

As far as Valarr…the old man did not speak much during this meeting, content with observing you and merely intervening when needed – Aurion noticed this, and you feel as if you missed some unspoken communication that went on between the two men.

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>>4876841
It was only when the rest of the people had disappeared that your uncle and mother-in-law invited you to contact them…and only them, together with your wife, for apparently they had something to tell you two. After Rhaella was gone as well, Aurion finally spoke to you directly.
“We suspected traitors in our midst, and managed to apprehend some wannabe spies in Tolos, but…hells, I’d have never suspected something like this. And yet it makes perfect sense – the rebels, especially in the East, have shown too much coordination even after splintering and pursuing their own separate war efforts. We thought it could be thanks to some initiative on part of their current leadership to better defend themselves against our reaction, but honestly...it makes much more sense that they would coordinate thanks to some pre-existing network connecting the various cells that led the revolt in the first place. The question now is whether this…network? Organization? Whatever it is, is still leading the revolt or not”

You can only nod

“Oh, right – we received some messages from your Westerosi allies – apparently they have sent some additional galleys to patrol around the Stepstones, and opened a small trade mission in Volantis. I heard your mother-in-law talk with some of the Westerosi merchants you brought with yourself about entering in her employ..I swear, that woman could make money selling sand in a desert.”

He laughs

> Is there anything you wish to ask your uncle?

>>4876842
>Write In
"Dear Uncle things are going, well somehow despite all of this. The men start to like me, as well my officers and Valarr. Horonno as prove himself capable as an officer, and our forces coordinated well in battle. But after this nights, and with this kind of foe .... it s a must for me to have a small group of my own spies. Could you provide one with loyal men handpicked by you, and send it to me with the reinforcements ? I don t trust to recruit men for that kind of work in Mantarys. I am also starting to wonder if the rebels, have means for take out us in combat beside magic and war machines, so i have put the maesters under my service on working for find out anything that could be just that. Ah could you provide us with the council list of contacts in Mantarys ?""

"I have manage to tell Sheira and Horonno, of you know... him. They are a little shaken, but they have fully understood my situation, as well help me of i need."

"That said, do you have any tips for Mantarys ? I don t remember it very well. Neither the locals for that matter."

>>4876880
I left out this part

"And what about you ? How is the war going there ? Did you talk with father and Rhaella ?"
"And if you can, put on my name a commision for a statue of Aerys fighting lyseni and assasins. I want it to be a surprise for Valarr and Horonno when we return to Elyria. As well for celebrate an hero. This should help the morale at home as well."

Sorry for grammar errors.

>>4876884
always me btw

>>4876886
Np. I am going to adopt a slightly slower pace, since during the working day (for us Europeans) few can post and even fewer Americans are around.

Also a quick question, for you but also whomever will post later - what is the final goal you guys wish to pursue? Since so far we've changed said goal various times - establishing a kingdom in Essaria, restoring the Freehold, etc.

Succeeding Aurion as Princeps of the Freehold? Reform the Freehold in a principality? Doing the 26 AND the 8 (26 provinces, counting the Valyrian Peninsula itself)?

>>4876892
yeah that s fine

Our objective ?

I think the imperial ambition is still what we want and the main objective, with all the freehold under us. Things have change a bit, but it can be achieved.

For this reforming the Freehold in an empire seems the best way, obtaining power and favour in war and politics is one of the way we will go about it.
As well working for uniting the remaining dragonlords families, since their numbers are low and their blood must be kept for ensure variety.

And we will succeed Aurion after his rule, thanks to him and Valarr we can become the most prominent member and one of the best future candidates. But for start the change to an empire, Aurion needs to start taking more authority and power. Slowly but surely. Gaining favour with the people and soldiers is needed too.

There also other minor objectives that have pop up : a valyrian steel armor, being well versed with magic, creating a sort of trade corporation by combining the contacts and merchants of all the dragonlords families, conquests of other lands (sandor, westeros and so on) and more like a new capital (unless we make Volantis the capital, for ensure loyalty).

>>4876909
Speaking of magic, you didn't vote here >>4876838

You can learn the 2nd option immediately, and the first later on if enough of the players are willing to spend their XP/Destiny Points in sorcery.

Also note that you have come into contact with 3 different Lores so far - Blood, Divination and Malediction

What else ? We need to give Humfrey, Adam and Gareth some titles and land. Need to organize when we do it, and what to assign.

Also working out something in Essaria for give Tessario and his soldiers some free land for their service. As well the step stones garrison.

>>4876912
Yeah I forgot that thanks.
Might be a good idea to look in to those as well. Btw can we ask Valarr if he is fine to teach magic even to Horonno and Sheira ?


>>4876838
> Unlocked Option – Learn basic Heartwife’s protection from Ayrmidon Valarr

We can learn the first later on.

>>4876842
>>4876880
This anon covered it pretty well (despite the grammar). I can't think of anything I'd add.
Although I'd suggest a fresco rather than a statue. Feels more Valyrian to me.

>>4876892
Personally my goal is to rebuild as much of Valyria as possible (crushing the rebellion in the process), succeed Aurion as princeps over the Freehold Reborn and establish our own personal dominion over Essaria and Sarnor (fending off the Dothraki hordes in the meantime). I'd like to keep the democratic elements in place in Valyria proper but would want to aim for more direct control over E+S. Possibly waifuing the Sarnori princess in the process especially if she has any magical talents.
Valyrian steel armour would be dope.

I'd definitely want to learn both forms of magic from Valarr and the suggestion of including our family in the teaching is a good one.

Ghis delenda est

>>4876909
Volantis seems the obvious choice for capital imo, especially if they do well in support of us over the next few years and deserve a reward.

>Sorry for grammar errors.
What country you from mate?

Writing

>>4876880
>>4876884
"Dear Uncle things are going, well somehow despite all of this. The men start to like me, as well my officers and Valarr. Horonno proved himself capable as an officer, and our forces coordinated well in battle. But after these nights, and with this kind of foe .... it's a must for me to have a small group of my own spies. Could you provide one with loyal men handpicked by you, and send it to me with the reinforcements ? I don t trust to recruit men for that kind of work in Mantarys. I am also starting to wonder if the rebels have means to take out us in combat besides magic and war machines, so I have put the maesters under my service on working to find out anything that could be just that. Ah could you provide us with the council list of contacts in Mantarys ?""
"I have managed to tell Sheira and Horonno, if you know... him. They are a little shaken, but they have fully understood my situation, as well as help me if I need."
"That said, do you have any tips for Mantarys ? I don't remember it very well. Neither do the locals for that matter.``
"And what about you ? How is the war going there ? Did you talk with your father and Rhaella ?"
"And if you can, put on my name a commision for a statue of Aerys fighting lyseni and assassins. I want it to be a surprise for Valarr and Horonno when we return to Elyria. As well to celebrate a hero. This should help the morale at home as well."


i think it's mostly because i kind of rushed in writing the text, i didn't bother to look at it.

>>4877005
i was mostly thinking a statue because it can be placed in a plaza and can be seen by all

I would like to complete the reconquest fully, destroying any rebellious element and giving plenty of retaken land to our loyalists and men.

For the freehold itself, the situation is a bit too difficult to keep a proper freehold, at least that's how I see it. It's also a great opportunity for our dynasty to gather a lot of power for itself.

Most dragonlord families are too small to continue to exist alone and I don't want to give too much power to cities. So it's a unique case, for transition in an empire, especially if the other families are united under us. But I would keep some elements of the freehold and avoid fully replacing it (so we aren't accused of tyranny or similar accusations). But the Belaerys would undoubtedly rule.

Volantis is ok for the capital, though a new one would avoid that any other loyalist cities grumble about it for picking Volantis.

For conquests, I wouldn't mind expanding further across different nearby lands, and enslaving the dothraki horde would be useful.

ita

>>4876892
Personally I want to rebuild the freehold and then get declared dictator for life or something. But then again you tend to run when I'm asleep.

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>>4876842
You think for a second – many thoughts crowd your mind, and yet your time is limited

> "Things are going well somehow, despite all of this. The men have started to respect me, if their reactions are anything to go by. It is harder to say about the officers, but I have a pretty good relationship with Tessario and Valarr . Horonno as prove himself capable as an officer, and our forces coordinated well in battle. But after this night, and with this kind of foe .... it’s a must for me to have a small group of my own spies. Could you provide some loyal men handpicked by you, and send them with the reinforcements? I don’t trust to recruit men for that kind of work in Mantarys.”

Aurion nods, motioning with his hand for you to continue.

> “…I am also starting to wonder if the rebels might have means for take us out in combat beside magic and war machines. I have tasked the maesters…the scholars in my service to think about it. What else..I have spoken to Sheira and Horonno, of you know... him. They seemed a little shaken, but they have fully understood my situation. Apart from that..do you have any idea of what we could face in Mantarys?”

“You mean apart from the land which is being poisoned by the filth thrown in the water and the air by the Doom? No idea. Reports from the city described a situation of pure chaos, thanks to the refugee problem, the food beginning to become scarce and the infighting. Add to that the fact that the Archon is “indisposed” and you have a recipe for disaster. I suggest making extensive use of the scouts you gained thanks to your deal with this “Bandit Queen”, if she survives the night. If she doesn’t…her men will blame you. Her daughter seems too young to command respect from what you said..”

You don’t like where he’s headed one bit.

“We cannot deal with tens of thousands of angry raiders in our backyard Rhogar. Make sure she survives. If you can’t do that…make sure her men won’t become a problem. That’s an order nephew – we all have to do what it takes if our homeland is to survive. We have our hands full dealing with the Eastern Front, the issues up in Bhorash and that idiot Valarr down in Tyria..”

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>>4877488
This catches your attention – Aurion did not mention a relative of Ayrmidon survived that far south, barely 50 Km north of Valyria

> “In Tyria? Isn’t that the ancestral city of the Valarr Dynasty? What is he doing still there?”

“He refused to evacuate. Aegon was present when…when the Doom happened. It seems that the boy has decided to “reclaim Valyria”. He has kept intermittent communications with the Council in the last weeks; if we were to believe his claims, for some reason the number of people with a predisposition for warding magic has increased substantially among the people who have chosen to follow the Archon of Tyria. If nothing else, his people seem to have blind faith in their – extensive usage of wards and blood magic appear to have kept any side-effect from the Doom to a minimum…but it’s too early to say.”

> “Has he had any success in dealing with those “things” that we san in your memory, uncle?”

He sighs

“His last report contained mentions of “something” that they killed in their push south, around 45 Km north of Valyria. He mentioned…well, let’s just say he said a lot of things. You should concern yourself with Mantarys – we have dispatched men south to Oros, to link with him and take a look at the corpse.”

And so the vision ends, and you find yourself back in your bed with your beautiful wife hugging you as she sleeps. You kiss her forehead, before gently waking her up to explain the situation.

…

The morning comes too soon and you face the consequences of your actions.

> Roll me a flat 1d100.

>>4877368
Sadly I can't run during the night (for us Europeans) except in the weekend. Still I am going to take a more relaxed pace from now on, so that more people may get the chance to vote

Rolled 35 (1d100)

>>4877492

Rolled 12, 17, 21, 26, 21 = 97 (5d100)

>>4877537
Well...fuck. I hoped you rolled above 50. She's going to die.

I'm going to roll for some modifiers (e.g. if her daughter finds out on her own, if the news spreads before you can contain it etc)

>>4877546
fucking hell

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>>4877546

Rolled 11 (1d100)

>>4877492
>>4877500
>Sadly I can't run during the night (for us Europeans) except in the weekend. Still I am going to take a more relaxed pace from now on, so that more people may get the chance to vote
I understand. It's the euros and combining the matches with a different timezone is not that easy.
Also Italy 3-0, 3-0. Holy shit let's go.

No easy way out of this one. I will let you burn the Destiny Point you have if there is a large majority in favor of it - you can convert her successful test into a failed one, thus partially negating the following ones, but still..

Before explaining what the rolls mean, and someone accuses me to railroad - I rolled (>>4877546) for each variable.

So here is what these rolls mean:
>>4877537 - their leader is going to die (35/100)
a) Her daughter finds out on her own (12/100)
b) She won't believe it was due to someone else's work (17/100)
c) The news spreads out before you can contain it (21/100)
d) The tribesmen become aggressive (26/100). Had it been above 30, but beneath 50 I would have simply made them bitter and unruly, but not aggressive enough to..
e) ...attack some of your men and your men (rightfully) fight back, causing the collapse of the truce. (21/100)

First of all - do you wish to burn the Destiny point?
> Yes
> No

IF NOT - how do you wish to deal within the confines of the situation?
> Aurion gave you a direct order to make sure they won't become an army of raiders
> Valarr planned to deal with them on the other end of the Painted Mountains
> You know the location of the passes they would have to use to retreat North of the mountains.
> You know the location of their main villages (not all)

So..ideas? Or simple, plain slaughter? You can attempt to solve this with diplomacy, but I tell you straight away I will allow it only if there is a clear, concise plan on how to essentially stop two armies fighting.

Yes, a dragon can intimidate, no it won't be enough on its own since you could stop the fighting in a small area...but then if you don't have a good explanation and a good plan, guess what happens when the men slither away in the forest to tell the other tens of thousands of their compatriots how "the Dragonlord killed their "Queen" with their evil magic?

>>4877574
I clarify that I will require a large majority if you wish to burn the DP, given how rare it is that I give you one.

>>4876892
Turn the freehold into a empire with a more stable leadership and a new doctrine that installs more loyalty

>>4877574
let me think more about this
hell


what would the destiny point do ? Like would it be enough for do what exactly ?

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>>4877581
Here is a list of what it can do for you.

>>4877581
Essentially you could make her fail the first test, so you'd be the one communicating her her mother died, and then use your diplomacy stat to convince her to (try) and convince her mother's men to calm down. It won't solve the issue, but it'd give you a huge bonus to the diplomacy route if you guys want to go that way.

>>4877585
that looks bad

I'm going to let this vote run for as long as it takes. Still, to fail 5/5 rolls it's remarkable

>>4877574
> Yes
This is a destiny point thing.
News of what happened here can spread and fuck us in the ass hard.

and the daughter doesn t look that great at talking with her men, even if we convince her. Which is very difficult, even if we write several good write ins

god

>>4877574
yes

i will think of a write in and hope it works out.
i hope this will not be wasted, fucking sorcery. When we find and capture one in the service of those rebels, we are going to have fun with him.

>>4877574
Fuck me

I really don’t want to waste a destiny point on this when we’re going to kill the men later anyway…

>>4878137
I'll let the vote run overnight given few people voted so far, but remember that you could simply accept some temporary damage and deal with the issue in...well, a bloody manner for a lack of a better expression.

>>4877574
>>Yes
Fucking hell, failing 5/5 rolls is insane. I hate to use our DP but the situation demands it.

>>4878149
>>4877651
>>4877604
IF you are going to burn a destiny point on this, I tell you straight away that I'll use QM fiat and actually make it so that the tribesmen won't be dispersed, but instead will follow you North. What you do with after that...it's up to you, but you will be able to gather the loyalty of their people over time (between 80 and 85 thousand people overall).

Also note that while I call them tribesmen, they have a relatively well-developed society with tech level (on average) equal to yours, just much less resources and expertise.

Dunno if relevant, but they're technically a mix of Valyrians, Ghiscari, pre-Valyrian people and whatever else washed up on their mountains.

In the end you can choose between the original plan, aka taking them out due to their past disloyalty to Valyria, or burn a DP, gain their loyalty and deal with the issue by making them "your" people - they won't be loyal to the Freehold, but to you/your family personally.

>>4878149
I agree yolo
Spend that point

Are we going to continue tommorow ?

QM phoneposting and yes - it seems there is unanimity for burning the DP. I just wanted to let the vote run longer since burning a DP is a big deal

>>4877574
I'll support burning a DP for this.

>>4878158
On this basis I’ll support it

We can’t use the men as fodder anymore though - we must install within them a personal loyalty to us

>>4877574
>no
Just kill 'em all

>>4878443
No
>>4878411
>>4878300
>>4878185
>>4878149
>>4878137
>>4877651
>>4877604
Yes

Overwhelming support for burning the Destiny Point. I will set up the stage along these lines (>>4878158), but it will be up to you guys to roll the dices.

Alright, writing.

Rolled 8 (1d100)

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>>4877492
“By the gods, wake up Rhogar!”

You awake with all the grace befitting a Dragonlord, rulers of the greatest civilization this world has ever seen

> “Uh?”

...for a true Son of the Dragon does not shy away from expressing himself however he sees fit, confident that the innate greatness that is his birthright will carry his through any obstacle

> “Five more minutes mo…wait.”

Sheira looks at you as if asking if you’re stupid, before shaking her head and simply sitting down next to you

“Rhogar…beloved. I went to check on our “guest”. She is fading, fast. I think it’d be better if you come to see her”

This wakes you immediately, and you quickly don a pair of pants and a random shirt before strolling outside your tent with Sheira in tow, quickly walking toward the one where Aelora resides

> “Did anyone see you come and go from her tent?”

Sheira Belaerys
> Rolled 8/100 – Nobody detected you

Sheira shakes her head

“I have taken a long tour that led me toward where Neltharion and Urrax slept. I am quite certain nobody saw me”

Alright…you might salvage this and turn it to your advantage if you play your cards right. It is along the way that you find Aelora’s daughter (who in the last couple of days has just begun to be a little less hostile toward you…while being scared of Valarr) who is going in the same direction to visit her mother

“Good morning..coming to check if we have run away in the night yet?”

> “Totally”

You reply with a small smile – it takes effort on your part, but it’s rather easy to pull off given how little connection you have with these people.

Your reply is a simple nod toward her mother’s tent – a silent invitation for her to follow you. She does so.

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>>4879498
…

At your arrival in Aelora’s tent, you see that your wife’s words were truthful – the woman weakly turns her head to look at you, and yet you can see that her sunken eyes have lost focus, while she attempts to form words…without any noise coming out.

You notice that the cup with water is missing from beneath her bed – a simple look at your wife is enough for her to nod, confirming that she removed it…a wise move, since it removes the only foreign elements that could tie death to you.

Sheira then releases a (fake) scream at the sight, bringing her hands to her mouth.

Daenerea was but a couple of steps behind your wife, and as soon as she heard the scream she entered the tent, before releasing a small scream of her own at the sight of her mother and moving to sit by her mother’s side

“Mom! What’s wrong? Mom!”

The young woman holds her mother, while desperately crying

Your words will likely shape the impression this situation will have on Aelora’s men..
> “Bloody Asshai’i! I will burn them alive for what they have done!”
> “What. The. Fuck.”
> “Sheira! Take her away!” – open the tent flaps and scream for Ayrmidon and a doctor
> Write-in

Sorry for the extremely long wait, but I had to rewrite the "chart" on how I wish to play this one out to actually let you be in control and give input - it'd have been way too railroad-y otherwise.

>>4879501
>> Write-in
"what ? Your mother had fading memories yesterday and now this ? Sheira go take a doctor and Ayrmidon, this looks like sorcery through and through"
go near and look at the corpse, with barely anyone in the tent now. we have our bodyguards with us ?

"By the looks of it seems, that your supposed allies didn t take any chances with your mother. Whatever they said to her was mostly unknown by her yesterday, but they might attempt to definetly kill her."
rise up
"Afterall what did i say to you Daenerea ? Your people where used a pawn, you did your job for enough time and if you lost, informations needed to be destroyed alongside the only one of your kin that had talked with your allies. Which is.... your mother."
"You know there have been several assasinations on me during this campaign, it s not unlikely that your allies might have taught to dispose of an ally that would have likely lost, against a powerful foe. Like a professional army with two dragonlords."

"I suspect you have been betrayed."

>>4879562
I'll let the vote go on for another 10-15 minutes, then simply use your write-in if nothing else appears, since it's a good plan.

>>4879596
np

>>4879501
> “Sheira! Take her away!” – open the tent flaps and scream for Ayrmidon and a doctor.
> Write-in
Call the maester too

Roll me 6D6 (Persuasion 5D6, Charm 1B)

Rolled 2, 5, 1, 6, 6, 1 = 21 (6d6)

>>4879686

Rolled 2, 1, 2, 1, 4, 6 = 16 (6d6)

>>4879686

Rolled 2, 6, 2, 2, 4, 5 = 21 (6d6)

>>4879686

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>>4879501
You curse loudly

> “Sheira! Take care of Daenerea!”

Your wife moves to stand beside the young, crying woman, while you move outside the tent, quickly ordering your two bodyguards (Gareth and Adam) to go fetch a maester and a doctor. You then move toward Ayrmidon’s tent to call him – you find the older man sitting at his portable desk, writing.

Your entrance does not seem to faze him, for he simply raises his eyes to look at you

“Rhogar. I guess from your face our common friend met her demise?”

You nod, he sighs

“Well then..this is bad news. I guess we’ll need to deal with their men sooner rather than later. I never enjoyed doing a butcher’s job, but”

> Persuasion (charm) Test – 20 vs 18!
> Marginal Success! One Degree of Success!

You interrupt him, fully knowing that this is the moment you need to argue your case, if you wish to avoid a gruesome fate for the tribesmen…a fate that would deny you potential troops

> “There is no need to go to such lengths Ayrmidon – my wife masked what happened. Nobody expect me, you and her know what is going on..and Aelora is not long for this world. Her daughter has only seen us entering and quickly calling for a doctor – she has no reason to blame us.”

“But she will.”

> “You don’t know that! She’s a child, easily swayed – this could be a great opportunity to truly turn a pawn of our mysterious enemy against them for good, while gaining the willing help of thousands of soldiers! I remind you we’ll need all the help we can get given what might await us in Mantarys”

He sighs – your argument struck a nerve it seems

“Rhogar. What do you propose to do, exactly? Turn this child into a puppet ruler? It could work, don’t misunderstand, but what of the people who won’t accept such a weakling as ruler? Have you forgotten what Aelora herself told us about how these men chose her as their leader? By strength of arms. The kid has no such strength. And yet…”

He stands up and begins to pace around the tent, in deep thought, before speaking

“…we could try to do it your way – turn her against their erstwhile allies, purging whatever opposition might be mounted against her leadership from within the tribes, thus tying her to us even more for survival…it could work, but we’d walk a knife edge. I don’t like it one bit.”

> “…would you rather deal with tens of thousands of potential raiders in our back? These men and women waged a guerilla war on the Freehold for decades before being brought to heel less than 50 years ago. And that was when our homeland was at its zenith. We only have two dragons and a relatively small army Ayrmidon. We can’t hold back if they collectively decide to turn on our defenseless people ”

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>>4879806
You put emphasis on this simple fact – there are too many potential targets in North Valyria due to the presence of refugees, half-evacuated towns etc. You can’t protect them all. You can’t protect any of them actually, with the meager forces you got.

“Alright then. Let’s put up a scene.”

And so, the General of the Northern Army walks with you back to the other tent.

The scene you find is vastly different from the one you left – Daenera is quietly crying in the corner, with your wife attempting to console her by holding her close; a maester and an Elyrian doctor are in deep discussion, while a Tolosi one is examining Aelora’s pupils using a candle as a tribal-looking “doctor” is observing what the Tolosi is doing with narrowed eyes, as if trying to catch him doing anything uncalled for to his leader. Gareth and Adam are guarding the entrance to the tent, keeping away curious people

“What is going on?! I got thrown out of bed by my junior commander, and then find out our honored guest is suffering? Doctors, give me a report!”

The look on their faces is one of uttermost confusion at first, terror second, for they know just how ruthless the Patriarch can be when unsatisfied with his subordinates. In the end it is the Westerosi scholar that speaks up, maybe feeling safer in the knowledge that he answers to you, not to Valarr

“We do not know what is afflicted her, my Lord. I…we have never seen such discordant symptoms. It is as if someone mixed symptoms from a myriad of different illnesses together somehow”

Valarr moves toward the older woman, before raising a hand over her head and proffering a word – his hand begins to glow red. It is then that the tribal doctor catches his arm, stopping him from touching Aelora.

You notice that the foolish man has a hand over his knife, as a clear threat

“…I am trying to divine what is going on with your “Queen”, given our “expert doctors” are useless, including you. Now are you going to let me try and save her, or would you rather stand watch as she wastes away?”

The man grumbles in rage, but takes away his hand, letting Ayrmidon examine Aelora. The tent is bathed in a red hue as he moves his hand over various parts of her body.

In the end, it is her daughter that speaks up

“I..what’s wrong with my mother? Tell me!”

Valarr grumbles at the interruption, before dissipating the blood red light and turning toward Daenera

“As far as I can tell your mother feel afoul of some kind of curse. I am not familiar with it, so any attempt on my part to dispel it might worsen the situation…but I can guess who placed it”

The first part of the phrase caused the young woman to fall into tears once again, while the second caught everybody else’s attention. It is then that you intervene

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>>4879808
> “Fading memories and now this..by the looks of it, it seems that whomever Aelora considered an ally chose to not take any chance with her. Whatever they might have discussed with her was already vanishing from her mind…could it be they targeted her mind itself, trying to wipe it clean and killing her in the process, Ayrmidon?”

He looks down for a couple of seconds, as if to give the impression of being in deep thought, before addressing Daenera directly (speaking loud enough for everyone else to hear, though)

“It could be. I…am sorry, young lady. We may have not met under the best circumstances, but your mother chose to side with us to ensure the continued prosperity of her people. I don’t know if I can cure her, but know this…she is worthy of the title of queen of her people.”

He then walks out of the tent, signaling the scholars to follow him. The tribal doctor looks at Daenera, before shacking his head and going back to tend to his fallen leader.

You sit down on a small chair, speaking to the young woman, yet loud enough that everyone left (Sheira, the tribal doctor and Aelora, more dead than alive by now) can hear

> “I am sorry, Daenera. I hope you believe me when I say this: I hold no ill will toward your mother. She decided to help us all to try and find a way to coexist…she does not deserve this.”

Your words cause more tears to form in her eyes, but you can see a small nod – it seems she agrees with your sentiment, if not the specific words. This is your opening.

> “…remember what I told you, Daenera? That your people had been used a pawn, and that if you had lost, those monsters would have made sure any relevant information would be destroyed…alongside the only one that spoke with them personally. I wish to rid the world of people like those.”

You stand up and move closer to the twitching body of Aelora, looking first her, then the doctor in the eyes

> “Our people have fought each other for so long..your mother believes in a better path for us all, Daenera. So do I. Will you help me avenge her and walk that path?”

You turn toward her, but not before witnessing doubt enter the doctor’s eyes – it seems even he was partly moved by your words.

“…yes. I will make them pay for what they have done to my mom..”

> “You need to act fast Daenera – word of what’s happened will spread fast…and it will likely create a rift between us and your people. A rift your mother gave her life to close. We will support you..but they need to see YOU deciding to honor Aelora’s will, not us “forcing you to do so” “

Daenera nods, before giving a short order to the tribesman, who reluctantly exits the tent, Daenera in tow.

You are now alone with your wife, and a dying Aelora

> Any last words for a dying leader? Or shall we move on to the next scene? Yes, it might have some lasting effect.

>>4879813
"You are on death door, bandit queen. For what is worth, I am kind of jealous of your daughter. With the doom most of my family was gone. I didn t have the possibility to stay with them until their end."
"But she has remain with you in your last. She truly loves you and wants to at least imitate you. The courage she showed to me and my dragon, wasn t out of simple stubbornes."
"Now though, she is alone beside her people that need a ruler. I will tell you this, because I know you would ask for something if you where still here."
"I am going to protect her and avoid she dies, if she keeps her word. Same for your people. If she betrays me though, you know already what happens."
"Good voyage to the underworld, Aelora bandit queen of the painted mountains."

Close her eyes and mouth, and order some men to put the corpse wrapped in some clothing for now. We don t know how they give their dead s funerals.

>>4879845
This sounds good

>>4879845
Supporting

>>4879845
>>4879866
>>4879930
Writing using the Write-in as basis.

>>4879813
>>4879948
The write-in is good but can we also ask her if she has any last message she wants us to pass on to her daughter? Perhaps some final memory of our mutual foes, or some advice to help her daughter secure the throne?

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>>4879813
You look at the dying woman, before walking to her side and speaking to Aelora one last time

> "You are on death’s door, “bandit queen”. And yet…for what is worth, I envy your daughter. When the Doom hit, most of my family died while I was far away; I didn’t have the possibility to stay with them until their end, unlike your daughter.”

It might be your imagination, but it almost seems to you that the woman’s eyes, currently slowly rotting from the inside out, have tears forming at their corners

> “…Daenera has remained with you in your last moments. She truly loves you and wants to at least imitate you. The courage she showed to me and my dragon, wasn’t out of simple stubbornness. Now though, she will be alone in front of her people…a people that need a ruler. I will tell you this, because I know you would ask for something if you could - I am going to protect her, if she keeps her word. Same for your people. See you in the underworld, Aelora"

She tries multiple times to whisper something – you might be hearing things as well, but you honestly think she said something along the lines of “Tell her I love her”. You nod.

You gently close her eyes and mouth, before leaving the tent with Sheira in tow. Your last orders are for two soldiers (one Elyrian, one tribesman) to stand guard in front of the tent, and to come and tell you when Aelora will be finally dead.

…

The news of Aelora’s current status spread like wildfire among the tribesmen, as well as your own soldiers.

To say the reactions were opposite and yet equally explosives would be a lie.

The tribesmen first reaction was to begin accusing you or Valarr of having killed her…and yet the word of what turned out to be a very high ranking member of their medical caste pointed the blame not at you, but rather at those that the tribes had until recently helped. The fact that Aelora’s own daughter, Daenera, did not blame you was noted. The final result was that an unease confusion settled among the tribesmen, for many did not know what to think – some of their elders were openly accusing the Valyrians of murdering their leader, and yet…said leader’s daughter and other elders were saying that their people had been betrayed, yes, but not by your people. Some simply wished to use the opportunity to throw the yoke of centralized power off once and for all.

Among your soldiers there was more confusion regarding how they should react to the news, rather than the news itself. As far as the Valyrian soldiers were concerned, the death of the leader of what was until very recently a rebel group was a good thing. Except…some of the brighter ones (especially those soldiers from the mainland, rather than Elyria itself) understood what a return to full blown war could mean for the already strained situation back home – famine, disorders…illnesses.

To say the situation is confusing, would be to tell the truth.

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>>4880116
It is in the evening that the formal announcement of Aelora’s death is to be made by her presumptive heir – her daughter, who will have to speak in front of the assembled elders (at least, the ones that could make the trip on such short notice. Essentially the ones that accompanied the tribesmen south to fight you).

It is maybe too soon to say Daenera trusts you, but it seems that she does trust Sheira, at least enough to sit with your and your wife to go over her talking points – the shock of seeing her own mother reduced in that sad state has apparently pushed the young women to seek advice from others in similar positions to hers.

Given how Valarr scares the girl just with his presence, and the tribal elders would be her audience that evening, she sought the company of you and your wife – an opportunity you are more than eager to exploit.

You advised her to open the discourse with…

> A show of strength – bring your weapon and put up a strong face. Show them you won’t be denied your birthright and that you are your mother’s worthy heir – It will ingrate Daenera to a majority of the elders, but it might embolden some to attempt and control (politically or via other means..) the young leader, given she’d “need experienced advisors”. It will be a quicker path to stabilizing your new ally, but it might lead to reduced influence on your part, if you were trying to shape Daenera to be closer to you/Sheira/etc

> A show of wisdom beyond you years – invite a larger audience, including both high-ranking members of other castes, as well as a few chosen officers of the Valyrian Army. Show them that you possess wisdom befitting a leader by temporarily calling on the collective wisdom of the assembly - It will ingratiate Daenera to a larger part of her people and will make some of your high-ranking officers familiar with the one that will (if your plan bears fruit) a permanent ally of yours. It will also alienate a part of the more warmongering elders given you reduce their options of influencing Daenera (traditional role of the elders was to advise and help the chieftain lead. You are denying this traditional role in other words, by advising Daenera to broaden her support base at the cost of much lower support on part of the traditional powers in their society).

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>>4880119
The key point of the debate should be…

> The need of a strong ally in the pursuit of revenge toward the ones who essentially sent them to be slaughtered by your army. – Emphasizing the warrior spirit of her people will ensure that the older generation shall support this course of action wholeheartedly, even if it meant a temporary (from their pow) alliance with the slavers (you). A quick and safe option, but will need more efforts on your part to ensure the continuation of the alliance later on.

> Her people’s future as part of a larger Valyrian Freehold: your peoples do not have to be enemies. If even the Doom and the destruction of Valyria couldn’t wipe out the Dragonlords…a few tribals won’t succeed. You have the strength, resources and expertise they desperately need to finally improve their lot in life; if what you ask in return is integration…so be it. Their people’s culture shall prosper beneath the banner of the dragon – You will advise her to expand on the potential benefits of closer cooperation. This will make the younger generation MUCH more amenable to the idea of integration, but it will antagonize the older generations. If you picked “A show of Wisdom”, its effects will be magnified both in good…and bad.

And she should conclude by..

> Putting the onus of proving her wrong on the assembled elders, for in accord with their time-honored tradition, they might challenge their ruler to a duel, in order to impose their own ideas on a particular subject – “Trial by combat” under a different name and with a different goal. If she wins, MANY of the old guard will follow her wholeheartedly. But if she loses, she might lose a lot of face.

> Rebuke the elders by pointing out how her mother acted on their ideas of allying with the foreigners that led to her death. Moreover, it was their idea 50 years ago that led to the tribes revolting against Valyria by invading the northern half of the Peninsula…the defeat decimated the tribesmen. Deny their right to challenge the chieftain. – A bold option that I will roll for to see how it is received. It could centralize and bolster Daenera’s authority by quite a lot, or it could make her seem like an iconoclast.

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>>4880121
And the final piece…do you wish to intervene in the discourse to say a piece?

> No - if you picked the “A Show of Wisdom” option, this will be perceived as a signal of the Valyrian respecting the tribes autonomy. Otherwise, it will simply be perceived as natural (no good or bad modifier)

> Yes – if you picked the “A Show of Wisdom” option, this will be received as a signal of potential cooperation for the long term, otherwise it will simply be perceived as you expressing respect for a fellow warrior.

How should Aelora’s corpse be disposed of?

> Let the tribes deal with it as they see fit.

> Offer Daenera to burn it in the manner of a true noble (it will be perceived as a great honor you are bestowing upon her leader by the more cultured tribal leaders, but it will slight the traditionalists)

NOTE – the first options represent you respecting their autonomy, the second options represent you influencing Daenera to begin to push the idea of integration.

The former options are relatively straightforward and will ensure you get the complete cooperation of the tribes, for the vast majority will see your alliance as one of convenience. You will have to deal with this later on if you wish to convince them to join you permanently, but it should be very easy to do if you grant them autonomy.

The latter options are much more long-term. You won’t get the complete cooperation of the tribes as many of their more traditionalist members shall desert the new, unproven leader. Your CONSTANT support will also be expected, be it in the form of supplies…or direct command. You will find it much easier to get the remaining tribesmen to join you at the end of the campaign North.

Picking the 2nd options and rolling very well when required will inevitably lead to you working alongside Daenera and the tribesmen more and more over time, until you will be essentially forming a separate, autonomous army under your direct command, if you were to lead them well enough. Your forces would not be traditional Valyrians but a mishmash of Westerosi, Valyrians, Tribesmen, and ??? .

You WILL be required to manage the resources of the army if this happens, in a way similar to managing a house’s resources.

We shall continue tomorrow, and depending on this vote we might finally introduce the management aspect of ASOIAF, but adapted for an army. Thank you all for playing.

On a related note, I adopted a much slower/relaxed pace as of late. Did it help, or you preferred the earlier, more engaged but much faster pace?

Note that you can mix and match the options. It will simply lead to different results from the 2 "straight" paths I exposed above.

>>4880119
>> A show of wisdom beyond you years – invite a larger audience, including both high-ranking members of other castes, as well as a few chosen officers of the Valyrian Army. Show them that you possess wisdom befitting a leader by temporarily calling on the collective wisdom of the assembly - It will ingratiate Daenera to a larger part of her people and will make some of your high-ranking officers familiar with the one that will (if your plan bears fruit) a permanent ally of yours. It will also alienate a part of the more warmongering elders given you reduce their options of influencing Daenera (traditional role of the elders was to advise and help the chieftain lead. You are denying this traditional role in other words, by advising Daenera to broaden her support base at the cost of much lower support on part of the traditional powers in their society).


>>4880121
>> Her people’s future as part of a larger Valyrian Freehold: your peoples do not have to be enemies. If even the Doom and the destruction of Valyria couldn’t wipe out the Dragonlords…a few tribals won’t succeed. You have the strength, resources and expertise they desperately need to finally improve their lot in life; if what you ask in return is integration…so be it. Their people’s culture shall prosper beneath the banner of the dragon – You will advise her to expand on the potential benefits of closer cooperation. This will make the younger generation MUCH more amenable to the idea of integration, but it will antagonize the older generations. If you picked “A show of Wisdom”, its effects will be magnified both in good…and bad.

> Rebuke the elders by pointing out how her mother acted on their ideas of allying with the foreigners that led to her death. Moreover, it was their idea 50 years ago that led to the tribes revolting against Valyria by invading the northern half of the Peninsula…the defeat decimated the tribesmen. Deny their right to challenge the chieftain. – A bold option that I will roll for to see how it is received. It could centralize and bolster Daenera’s authority by quite a lot, or it could make her seem like an iconoclast.

>>4880133
> Yes – if you picked the “A Show of Wisdom” option, this will be received as a signal of potential cooperation for the long term, otherwise it will simply be perceived as you expressing respect for a fellow warrior.

If we can talk, we can influence this whole thing further. Which would be useful for us.

> Offer Daenera to burn it in the manner of a true noble (it will be perceived as a great honor you are bestowing upon her leader by the more cultured tribal leaders, but it will slight the traditionalists)

>>4880181
Yes, if a majority picks the option to talk you can make a write-in or simply throw ideas about what you want to say in a post and I'll try to mix them together.

>>4880119
>> A show of wisdom beyond you years – invite a larger audience, including both high-ranking members of other castes, as well as a few chosen officers of the Valyrian Army.
>> The need of a strong ally in the pursuit of revenge toward the ones who essentially sent them to be slaughtered by your army.
>> Putting the onus of proving her wrong on the assembled elders, for in accord with their time-honored tradition, they might challenge their ruler to a duel, in order to impose their own ideas on a particular subject
>> Yes – if you picked the “A Show of Wisdom” option, this will be received as a signal of potential cooperation for the long term
>> Let the tribes deal with it as they see fit

>>4880119
>A show of wisdom beyond you years
> The need of a strong ally in the pursuit of revenge
>Trial by combat
>Yes intervene
>Offer Daenera to burn it in the manner of a true noble

>>4880119
>> A show of wisdom beyond you years – invite a larger audience, including both high-ranking members of other castes, as well as a few chosen officers of the Valyrian Army. Show them that you possess wisdom befitting a leader by temporarily calling on the collective wisdom of the assembly - It will ingratiate Daenera to a larger part of her people and will make some of your high-ranking officers familiar with the one that will (if your plan bears fruit) a permanent ally of yours. It will also alienate a part of the more warmongering elders given you reduce their options of influencing Daenera (traditional role of the elders was to advise and help the chieftain lead. You are denying this traditional role in other words, by advising Daenera to broaden her support base at the cost of much lower support on part of the traditional powers in their society).
>>4880121
>> Her people’s future as part of a larger Valyrian Freehold: your peoples do not have to be enemies. If even the Doom and the destruction of Valyria couldn’t wipe out the Dragonlords…a few tribals won’t succeed. You have the strength, resources and expertise they desperately need to finally improve their lot in life; if what you ask in return is integration…so be it. Their people’s culture shall prosper beneath the banner of the dragon – You will advise her to expand on the potential benefits of closer cooperation. This will make the younger generation MUCH more amenable to the idea of integration, but it will antagonize the older generations. If you picked “A show of Wisdom”, its effects will be magnified both in good…and bad.

>> Rebuke the elders by pointing out how her mother acted on their ideas of allying with the foreigners that led to her death. Moreover, it was their idea 50 years ago that led to the tribes revolting against Valyria by invading the northern half of the Peninsula…the defeat decimated the tribesmen. Deny their right to challenge the chieftain. – A bold option that I will roll for to see how it is received. It could centralize and bolster Daenera’s authority by quite a lot, or it could make her seem like an iconoclast.
>>4880127
>> Yes – if you picked the “A Show of Wisdom” option, this will be received as a signal of potential cooperation for the long term, otherwise it will simply be perceived as you expressing respect for a fellow warrior.

>> Offer Daenera to burn it in the manner of a true noble (it will be perceived as a great honor you are bestowing upon her leader by the more cultured tribal leaders, but it will slight the traditionalists)

>>4880119
>A show of wisdom beyond you years
>The need of a strong ally
>Rebuke the elders
>Yes
>Let the tribes deal with it as they see fit.

>>4880441
>>4880335
>>4880315
>>4880270
>>4880181
A show of Wisdom Locked in

>>4880441
>>4880315
>>4880270
Strong Ally Locked in

>>4880335
>>4880181
Part of a larger Freehold

>>4880270
>>4880315
Trial by Combat

>>4880181
>>4880335
>>4880441
Rebuke the Elders Locked in

>>4880181
>>4880270
>>4880315
>>4880335
>>4880441
Intervene Locked in

>>4880441
>>4880270
Le the tribes deal with the body burial

>>4880181
>>4880315
>>4880335
Offer to burn the body Locked in

Writing.

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>>4880127
You rest your back against the chair you were provided by one of your attendants, and calmly survey the clearing chosen by the young tribal leader. You see many figures of renown among their ranks – tribal elders, members of the wise “caste”, their equivalent for scholars and doctors…surprisingly, you even see some Valyrians sitting on the side.

Daenera seems to have followed your advice in this, transforming what would have traditionally been a congregation of the tribal elders and chieftains into something different – a statement that times are changing. By imposing your people’s presence here, in defiance of tradition, she is making a statement about the role of elders in society as well – the new ruler won’t abide by tradition, that’s what she is saying, essentially laying down a challenge to the traditional institutions of power in their society.

Still, one only has to take a look at the assembled mob to see the difference in attitude between the younger crowd and the older one – a large part of the youth wears either complete or partial armor in the Valyrian fashion, while the older generation wears the typical leather armor-robes of their people.

A drum rings, and all eyes (including yours) are drawn to the center of the clearing – the presumptive leader of the tribes has arrived, after all.

As the young woman enter the central stage, your eyebrows raise, like many others you are sure, for Daenera has chosen to wear an armor resembling that of the soldiers raised from what were the central regions of the Valyrian Peninsula, or the capital itself. And yet…she wear a cloak of the same light material the older generation uses to make the outer layers of their armors.

A symbol of the combined strength of Valyria and the Tribes, it seems.

You look to the side, seeing your wife smile a knowing smile – it is clear who gave her the permission slip to take an armor from the equipment stores of the army now.

“Honored Elders, Warriors..here I am”

She begins her speech with a small bow of the head toward the assembled people, before slowly walking toward the funeral pyre where her mother’s body lies

“I am here to tell you a story. A story of betrayal and backstabbing. I am here to tell you who killed my mother”

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>>4881226
This catches everybody’s attention, including that of many of your comrades, who so far seemed more busy looking around themselves as if ready to pick a fight (not that the other side was not behaving in the same way, with some just waiting for an excuse to incite violence.)

“For the past few decades, longer than I have been alive, the elders of our society have advised my mother and our chieftains to pursue a policy of raiding the sons of the dragon. To take back our land, they said. To ally with others in order to destroy our enemies. And yet here we are, witnessing the results of their advice: my mother died in terrible pain, caused by a curse laid upon here by those same “allies” we helped. And we are here, alive, only thanks to the mercy of those same people we spent decades raiding and killing.”

Her words cause shock at first, followed by bursts of anger from various exponents of the caste called into question. The words “child” and “traitor” come out quite easily when one’s own lies and hypocrisies are pointed out, you think.

Daenera let’s the elders speak up, until a single warrior stands up – he’s a middle aged man, carrying himself with the self-assuredness of someone who has survived many fights in his own life

“Enough! Even if what you say is true, it gives you no right to besmirch those who have led us for so long, nor does it give you the right to invite foreigners who until recently slaughtered our own people in what is supposed to be a sacred gathering for us all. I, Harnos, challenge you to prove in front of the gods the rightfulness of your right to succeed Aelora. You may be her daughter by blood, but you show none of the qualities that made your mother worthy of leading us”

A single raised eyebrow is your reaction – this was so easily foreseen. Members of a faction that gained power from maintaining the status quo will always fight against the ones looking to shatter it.

“I refuse.”

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>>4881232
This catches everyone by surprise

“You..refuse? Are you such a coward that you would dishonor your own mother by refusing to back your words with strength in front of her dead body as we send her to the otherworld?”

It is clear to all that the words bit deep, for Daenera has put her hand over her sword…and yet, as she looks in the general direction of your wife, you see that she withdraws her hand from the handle. It seems that your wife has made an impression on the young woman after all, if she’s willing to stick to what those two have planned together.

“I refuse because you do not have the authority to challenge me. You lot lost that right when you led us to the massacre five decades ago. You lost it when you pushed my mother to make a decision that cost her everything. You lost it because it is only thanks to your idiotic ideas that I am now an orphan and we all lost one of our greatest warriors and leader!”

Harsh words, fighting words. Harnos puts a hand on his sword sheath and the elders grumble, and yet..looking around the clearing, you (and them as well) can clearly see that they are in the minority. Daenera spoke the truth, as harsh and cutting as it is – everyone old enough to remember what happened the last time the tribes caused enough troubles to Valyria to warrant a campaign of extermination, knows that it was the elders who pushes for a radical increase of raiding.

It seems that the young leader has taken this angry murmuring as a signal to continue her speech

“All we have known from our so-called allies was betrayal. They sent us to our deaths when they told us to attack the Valyrians at the cliffs, they sent us to our deaths when they told us to attack them in their camp. During the last fight I would be dead, like so many of our own, were it not for the mercy of the one called Rhogar Belaerys, a dragonrider of Valyria”

Many eyes turn toward you at this revelation, and you can only hope that you pass their silent judgement

“We all have seen the strength of Valyria, but I have seen something else – their mercy and willingness to cooperate with others. One of their commanders offered my mother the possibility to let us settle in their towns, or to send resources up our mountains, if we accepted to help them against their enemies and cooperate with them, instead of fighting them.”

More angry shouts emerge this time, for it would be like “spitting on the graves of our fathers!” like one of the warriors eloquently put it. And yet, you notice many of the younger generations speaking back to their elders, a fact that did not happen when Daenera began her speech.

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>>4881253
“We have all seen where our “self-reliance” led us – death of our kin and progressive destruction of our people against a foe that even the heavens itself could not destroy. If what our “allies” told us is true, Valyria is no more. And yet I see dragons and tens of thousands of armed men marching through what they promised us would become “our land”. I say no more: the sons of the dragon offer us prosperity and help in taking revenge against those who wronged us. I say we listen to what they have to say. Belaerys, come forward”

This was not planned.

What do you wish to say/emphasize (pick two)?
> The strength of Valyria and how they could have a place in the new Freehold
> How the monsters who killed Aelora are still out there, free, and how the tribes will need the support of the Freehold to make them pay for what they have done
> Emphasize the potential benefits of cooperation
> Challenge the champion of the elders to a fight, to prove that even their gods approve of what young Daenera is doing
> Write-in

>>4881258
>Write in

"Our people have fight for long, never winning against one another, many died and we certainly gained your lands. But at the end of the day you where never truly defeated, broken or submit. It never happened. At the same time though, your dreams where never fullfilled."

"Perhaps then, it s time we try something new and never tried before. If we offer your people a place in the new freehold, you would never need again to raid, you wouldn t need to fear our attacks and you could grow with us. Thanks to our trade and our knowledge, administration and laws. Your religion ? We wouldn t touch it. All of this could sound unrealistic .. at first. Look around though. Look ! Look at us right now, valyrians and tribesmen all around the same fire, talking with eachother in the same camp. Did any of you believe something like that could happen in your lives ? Yet it did, even it should be impossible."

"Would all of you be so afraid to attempt something new ? It s not everyday that my people decide to push away old grudges, and instead offer an hand."

"Or is better to continue an endless fight without a true side winning ? On top of becoming a part of our freehold, you could fight alongside us, against people that used you as pawns, and for the most considered you stubborn tribals on mountains ranges. Not certain someone they would have actually reward with lands."


> The strength of Valyria and how they could have a place in the new Freehold

>>4881322
*not certainly

"Our people have fought for long, never winning against one another, many died and we certainly gained your lands. But at the end of the day you were never truly defeated, broken or submitted. It never happened. At the same time though, your dreams were never fulfilled."

"Perhaps then, it's time we try something new and never tried before. If we offer your people a place in the new freehold, you would never need to raid again, you wouldn't need to fear our attacks and you could grow with us. Thanks to our trade and our knowledge, administration and laws. Your religion ? We wouldn't touch it. All of this could sound unrealistic .. at first. Look around though. Look ! Look at us right now, valyrians and tribesmen all around the same fire, talking with each other in the same camp. Did any of you believe something like that could happen in your lives ? Yet it did, even it should be impossible."

"Would all of you be so afraid to attempt something new ? It's not everyday that my people decide to push away old grudges, and instead offer a hand."

"Or is it better to continue an endless fight without a true side winning ? On top of becoming a part of our freehold, you could fight alongside us, against people that used you as pawns, and for the most considered you stubborn tribals on mountain ranges. Not certain someone they would have actually rewarded with lands."

much better

>>4881322
>>4881258
+1 Because that write in. That write in is way too good to pass up. Man you should start writing speeches. You could get paid a lot.

>>4881365
thanks

>>4881365
>>4881348
I'm going with this write-in to wrap up the scene, also because an hour and half is more than enough for others, had they wanted to make a different write-in. Well done mate

>>4881471
thanks again, i really mean it.


Anyway, this Harnos could be a bit of a hard bone. Not impossible to deal with, but definetly a nuisance if he continues is little show. Or he is just the first traditional chieftain that jumped in the light, for try and gain some political advantage. Of course, we can use that light against him and making him look like an absolute fool.

He might hold a grudge for that, but it would put all the traditionalists by association where they belong and making them lose much support if not all.

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>>4881258
You stand up and begin to walk toward the center of the clearing, well aware of the hundreds of eyes tracking any movement. You are also well aware that many of said eyes belong to people very angry at the moment, people that would quite likely be your equal or superior in a straight fight.

Better to thread carefully.

As you stand next to Daenera, you spread your arms and begin to speak

> "Our peoples have fought for long, never winning against one another, yet many died and we certainly gained the upper hand. But at the end of the day you were never truly defeated, broken or submitted. It never happened. At the same time though, your dreams of independence were never fulfilled"

Your words cause grumble among the assembled warriors, but there is nothing they can say – it’s the simple truth

> "…perhaps then, it's time we try something new and never tried before. If we offer your people a place in the new Freehold, you would never need to suffer famine or fear reprisal again. You wouldn't need to fear our attacks and you could grow with us. Thanks to our knowledge, potential trade and laws, Valyria has become the foremost power in the world. Why not join us and share in the bounty?”

Your words seem to be beginning to cause a stir, at least among some of the young wisemen

> “...your religion, your customs? We wouldn't touch them. We are not interested in which god citizens of the Freehold worship, or how they handle their internal affairs…so long as they respect the laws of the Freehold. All of this could sound unrealistic... at first. Look around though. Look! Look at us right now, Valyrians and tribesmen all around the same fire, talking with each other in the same camp. Did any of you believe something like that could happen in your lives? Yet it did, even it should be impossible"

Time to capitalize on the feelings your words stirred.

"Would all of you be so afraid to attempt something new? It's not every day that my people decide to push away old grudges, and instead offer a hand. Or is it better to continue an endless fight without a true side winning? On top of becoming a part of our freehold, you could fight alongside us, against people that used you as pawns, and who abandoned you to be slaughtered, just to weaken us and buy them time to flee.”

It seems your words had the intended effect, for you can see that while the vast majority of the elders and chieftains look at you with open disgust and hatred, there are quite a few of the younger crowd or the wisemen who actually seem troubled by your words

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>>4881573
> “Daenera..your mother was exceptional. She has been able to keep up with the military of the Freehold at its zenith. This speaks volume of the fighting spirit of your people…and of her qualities as leader. If you and your people are ok with it, I would like to extend a final olive branch and grant Aelora of the Mountains, as we knew her, a burial by dragonflame, a burial only offered to the Lord of the Freehold and great generals such as her”

Daenera raises an eyebrow, before looking to the assembled crowd.

“This is not a decision for me to take alone..you all followed my mother just as I did. Should we let her be sent to the otherworld on the flames of a dragon?”

Chaos is rarely a word that truly describes a situation…and yet it is apt to describe what happens after the young woman asked that single question – many of the more traditionalist members of the assembled crowd are literally screaming words such as “blasphemer”, while another faction, primarily made up of the youth and a minority of the elders, are simply moving to stand by Daenera’s side to signal their support.

The situation almost comes to blows, until the split between the two factions is complete and it is clear that while there is a sizeable portion of the people who wish to refuse what the young chieftain proposes, there are just as many if not more that wish to embrace it.

The former is primarily composed by elders and warriors belonging to the older generations, with some younger men and women choosing to stand with them. The other faction is primarily composed by the youth of the tribes, as well as the wisemen and a minority of the elders, apparently those who are humble enough to acknowledge their own faults in bringing the current situation about.

Daenera observes the situation, before moving to stand in front of her supporters

“The majority of our people supports me. Will you not stand with us as well, proud warriors and elders?”

Her sincere plea seems to have moved a couple of the warriors and a few of the elders, for they cross the clearing and come to stand with the rest of their people.

It is now only a minority (you’d guess a third) of the people who assembled to see Aelora off that now stand on the opposite side of the clearing. Harnos takes stock of the people in his group, before coming forward

“How far you have fallen Daenera. You wish to submit to the people we all swore to fight until our homeland would be free…and now believe the lies that come out of this man. I call on you to once again accept my challenge – let the gods decide this..or face us on the battlefield with the full knowledge that you caused this.”

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>>4881577
While some of the people standing behind Aelora seem to be observing her with decision with attention, there are just as many who are looking at the older warrior with open disgust. You know…you and Daenera both know that she is likely no match for Harnos, a much more experienced warrior.

“I know the gods are on my side Harnos. If they were on yours, why would they punish us continuously by never granting us victory? Why would they stand by as more and more of their faithful die by the hands of our enemies? No – it is clear to me that your ideas are wrong”

Neither of them appears ready to back down.
It is clear to you that this situation will only be solved either by direct confrontation now (with the forced, grudging reintegration of the dissidents, which could and will cause many issues later on by sabotaging cooperation, but would allow you to slowly chip away at their numbers) or later (in other words they will split off and return to their homes in peace..for a time. You can already foresee a time, in the near future, where they would return to raid your people due to lacking enough food and provisions. This option would require you or Daenera to deal with them..in a permanent fashion).

What will you do?
> Intervene and offer to be Daenera’s champion (First option)
> Do not intervene for now (Second option)

>>4881579
> Do not intervene for now (Second option)
But some magic may be very nice.

Difficult decision. On one hand, he is definetly a tough fighter and a veteran. On the other even it will be fewer, it s still some tribesmen left behind doing raids.

>>4881579
>Do not intervene for now (Second option)

>>4881579
>>4881617
Maybe mention that there will not be another chance for mercy for those who return to raiding.

>>4881620
see
>>4881579
>You can already foresee a time, in the near future, where they would return to raid your people due to lacking enough food and provisions. This option would require you or Daenera to deal with them..in a permanent fashion

It's implied what their fate will be - they lack enough resources to carry on, given the sheer amount of people will leave them to follow you and their new leader. They'll seek to return to raid..and Valarr will be almost too glad to put a permanent end to the tribes of the Painted Mountains that did not follow you

>>4881579
>> Do not intervene for now (Second option)
Ok let s try this

>>4881579
Intervene, I reckon we can take him.

>>4881579
>Intervene and offer to be Daenera’s champion (First option)

We can’t let them return to raiding

Offer to be her champion - but also accuse him of insulting the mother’s memory by denying her this great honour

>>4881654
>They'll seek to return to raid..and Valarr will be almost too glad to put a permanent end to the tribes of the Painted Mountains that did not follow you
I figured as much, I thought we'd send them one last threat on their way out.

>>4881579
>Do not intervene for now (Second option)

>>4882325
>>4881669
>>4881617
>>4881603
Do not intervene

>>4882085
>>4882230
Come at me brah.

It seems that these traditionalists will serve as a testament to the power of the Freehold.

>>4882677
A Union of two opposing peoples baptized by the fire and blood of traitors. Almost poetic, and from a political point of view it could be very useful to immortalize such a scene as soon as possible. A fresco or mosaic would be ideal.

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>>4881579
It seems neither will back down…and yet it is not your place to intervene between them, for you doubt anyone would appreciate your interference…hells, even the ones who sided with Daenera might turn against her if she was seen as nothing more than a tool of the Valyrians.

Better to wait this one out.

After what seems like an eternity, Harnos spits on the ground in the direction of the tribal leader, before turning away from her

“You may keep your pathetic, little band of slaves, Daenera. As far as I am concerned, Aelora died childless – anyone willing to remain faithful to our ancestors follow me. The others…you are all dead to me”

And with this the giant of a man slowly walks away toward the edge of the clearing, followed by the many elders and warriors from his side of the divide.

….

The rest of the evening went by fast - it is over it seems. And yet, nobody is cheering as you ordered Urrax to lit the body of Aelora with dragonflame, for a sizeable minority of the tribes has decided to depart come the morrow.

It seems that you gained allies, at the cost of shattering a people.

…you do not wish to know what Valarr was thinking when his men told him what happened – all you know is that you noticed a significantly smaller number of members of the “SIA” corps (essentially spies, infiltrators and similar) in the morning.

Your meeting with Daenera, this time not as your prisoner, but as an ally, seemed surreal – she might be impetuous and young, but the woman is not stupid. She understands the situation her people are in, having loss so many to Harnos’ little stunt last night.

Add on top of that that the coward took with himself the majority of their provision during the night, and the situation is not the best…for either your army or the tribals. You signed a requisition order to request more provisions from Tolos, the nearest city that you know for certain stands with the Council, and then proceeded to finalize the informal “treaty” you have with Daenera and the 4 elders that decided to stay by the side of the new “Queen”.

It was a simple matter, for it was nothing more than a rephrasing of what her own mother agreed with you and Valarr – the protection and right to settle in the Freehold that came with Valyrian citizenship, and a writ of mercy, extinguishing all past crimes against the Freehold. The hardest selling point was your refusal, fully backed by Ayrmidon, to let them re-settle in the Mountains in large numbers, for fear of them retuning to their old ways in a couple of generations.

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>>4882888
All of this, in exchange for their undying loyalty…and what is essentially a binding of their people’s destiny to yours, for they agreed to fight for Valyria against their enemies – enemies that, you pointed out, had been their allies until recently. It is only fair, after all, that the tribes who dealt such blow to Valyria serve to remedy to the damage they caused; a simple logic, that is fair when one considers you would have been in your right to exterminate the enemies of the state that they were until recently.

And yet this causes a huge problem, as Ayrmidon made sure to point out after the meeting, when it was only you, him and Tessario..

“You realize you will have to join them with some of our own men to make sure they respect the conditions imposed, as well as to protect them from their former compatriots, right?”

The older man smiles a wicked smile, that is both challenging your to raise to your natural role, and seeing if you have the courage to do so.

You are presented with various options going forward:
> Take the role you were born for – you are a leader of men, a Dragonlord of Valyria, an Archon of the Freehold. Take the Westerosi mercs, the men from the Stepstones with you (as well as some of the other Valyrians), and join the tribes as you lead them to war – you will form an autonomous command that will pursue its own objectives within the boundaries of the established military strategy.
> Delay the decision – you can let the tribes gather their strength in the area as you march with Valarr toward Mantarys and clear the situation.

NOTE – this is an extremely important decision, for if you choose the first option, you will from now on rely only on yourself, the allies you’ll gather along the way, and the occasional reinforcements from the Council/your allies.

You will be allowed to set your own targets within certain boundaries, and will receive the formal approval to, if the Archon Belicho has truly turned traitor, declare a campaign of conquest for Essaria – I remind you that you know the location of the passes through the Painted Mountains. If you wanted to, you could then directly hit the Military Frontier, or turn around and crush Meereen from the back.

Well now you have why it took me so long to write the scene - I was setting up how the management of an army would effectively work. If you guys decide to pick the first option, I will write down a detailed breakdown of your forces going forward, as well as the (simple) management system you'll make use of (provisions, etc).

So..strength in numbers (remain with Valarr), or Blitzkrieg (deep knowledge of the land thanks to the tribes and the use of dragons as extremely heavy cavalry)?

Ok give me a moment just returned home
Looks like a big update

Today the main updates will deal with me updating/creating a new sheet for your army, if the players choose that option. Having said that you will be able to make a laundry list of things you wish to request from Aurion/Valarr (aka select from a list) to "customize" a bit what you get.

After all you burned a bloody DP for this, so I'm making it worth your while.

This is a good of oppurtunity for show our worth. At the same time though further lessons on war, magic, politics from Valarr would be a blessing. And in that army we can grow with contacts and influence.

It s a very cool choice, because taking out all those tribesmen that defect as our first objective while being a general would be nice, for a first victory as an indipendent general.
And now we could even complete a main objective which is having, a connection with Essaria.


>>4882921
This would be pretty great honestly.

>>4882890
>Take the role you were born for – you are a leader of men, a Dragonlord of Valyria, an Archon of the Freehold. Take the Westerosi mercs, the men from the Stepstones with you (as well as some of the other Valyrians), and join the tribes as you lead them to war – you will form an autonomous command that will pursue its own objectives within the boundaries of the established military strategy

>>4882926
Remember to vote though

>>4882980
yeah


>>4882890
well time to see how good we are. Though we could still finish off mantarys, if we take out the remaining tribesmen

> Take the role you were born for – you are a leader of men, a Dragonlord of Valyria, an Archon of the Freehold. Take the Westerosi mercs, the men from the Stepstones with you (as well as some of the other Valyrians), and join the tribes as you lead them to war – you will form an autonomous command that will pursue its own objectives within the boundaries of the established military strategy.

>>4882890
> Take the role you were born for – you are a leader of men, a Dragonlord of Valyria, an Archon of the Freehold. Take the Westerosi mercs, the men from the Stepstones with you (as well as some of the other Valyrians), and join the tribes as you lead them to war – you will form an autonomous command that will pursue its own objectives within the boundaries of the established military strategy.

>>4882890
>Take the role you were born for – you are a leader of men, a Dragonlord of Valyria, an Archon of the Freehold. Take the Westerosi mercs, the men from the Stepstones with you (as well as some of the other Valyrians), and join the tribes as you lead them to war – you will form an autonomous command that will pursue its own objectives within the boundaries of the established military strategy.

We should still join the campaign to finish off Mantarys though

>>4882890
>> Take the role you were born for – you are a leader of men, a Dragonlord of Valyria, an Archon of the Freehold. Take the Westerosi mercs, the men from the Stepstones with you (as well as some of the other Valyrians), and join the tribes as you lead them to war – you will form an autonomous command that will pursue its own objectives within the boundaries of the established military strategy.

>>4882890
>>Take the role you were born for – you are a leader of men, a Dragonlord of Valyria, an Archon of the Freehold. Take the Westerosi mercs, the men from the Stepstones with you (as well as some of the other Valyrians), and join the tribes as you lead them to war – you will form an autonomous command that will pursue its own objectives within the boundaries of the established military strategy

>>4882890
>> Take the role you were born for – you are a leader of men, a Dragonlord of Valyria, an Archon of the Freehold. Take the Westerosi mercs, the men from the Stepstones with you (as well as some of the other Valyrians), and join the tribes as you lead them to war – you will form an autonomous command that will pursue its own objectives within the boundaries of the established military strategy.
I mean, who could say no?

But I will be sad to say goodbye to Valarr so soon. I'll be voting for any opportunity to reunite our forces.

Ceterum autem censeo Ghiscar esse delendam

>>4882890
> Take the role you were born for – you are a leader of men, a Dragonlord of Valyria, an Archon of the Freehold. Take the Westerosi mercs, the men from the Stepstones with you (as well as some of the other Valyrians), and join the tribes as you lead them to war – you will form an autonomous command that will pursue its own objectives within the boundaries of the established military strategy.

>>4884091
Ghiscar delenda est

Unanimous vote - a rare sight.

Tomorrow I should be freer than today and thus able to run as usual during the work day, but in the meantime, I'm going to write a quick scene reflecting the new situation.

>>4885109
Nice


>>4884091
>>4885088
they will get what they deserve soon enough.
Still yeah hopefully we can keep contact with Valarr.

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>>4882890

> Take the role you were born for – you are a leader of men, a Dragonlord of Valyria, an Archon of the Freehold. Take the Westerosi mercs, the men from the Stepstones with you (as well as some of the other Valyrians), and join the tribes as you lead them to war – you will form an autonomous command that will pursue its own objectives within the boundaries of the established military strategy

You feel it.

A tug in your soul, a certainty that this is the path you were always meant to walk upon – you are a leader of men, forged in the fires and magic of Old Valyria, in the shape of your ancestors, the great men and women who made an entire continent prostate itself in front of them.

Looking back from where you are now, you barely recognize the weak, soft man that began walking down this path – as far as similarities go, you are a completely different person.

The loss of everything you held dear has robbed you of almost all the people you loved, but it has also tempered your weakness into unbending strength of character. Your father, your cousin…even your uncle, to an extent, have all been broken by the losses suffered during the Doom.

Viserys has essentially given up on this world. Horonno has taken up an obsessive tendency to live day by day, as if denying the world will make it disappear. Your beloved…the loss and fear of losing you too have caused Sheira unending anguish – it happens rarely, but her mask sometimes slips and you see the wounds the loss of everything she held dear caused her.

And yet..not all the pain was for naught.

Ayrmidon was a retired general resigned to a slow death by alcoholism. The loss of his homeland and his family caused him to swear off alcohol, and made him a truly scary individual, remorseless and ruthless toward his enemies. Your uncle, the rock upon which your grandfather rested, has come out of Valyria a changed man, valuing his family a lot, and nominating you his heir in all but name. If before the Doom Aurion had always been unbending steel, now he is nothing but blackened Valyrian Steel. Your mother-in-law, Rhaella Soranyen, has fulfilled her lifelong dream of being by the side of the man she loved for her entire life.

The Doom robbed you of much, and gave only pain in exchange…but pain is just what one needs to change sometimes – at least, this was your case.

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>>4885150
> “I know that, Ayrmidon. And I am ready.”

The older man doesn’t answer – he simply smiles a full toothed smile, not one of his usual sadistic ones either.

“Then you shall have my full support, Rhogar…no, that’s no right. You shall have my full support, Archon. From this day forward, you are not my subordinate, but my equal”

Valar raises to his full height – something that you have almost never seen him do, due to the pain it causes him in his advanced age – and raises his glass in the air

“Tessario! Take a mug as well! And you, Rhogar…grant a wish to this old man, and celebrate with me. It is so rare nowadays to have anything to celebrate”

You spent the night listening to the older men swapping war stories, chipping in from time to time to contribute with your own’s – your flight from Lys, how you burned the Lyseni fleet and negotiated a treaty with the Triarchs of Volantis…how you saw something in Aurion’s memories and attempted to kill it.

It is a long, merry night, and yet like everything in this world, even this has to come to an end sooner or later. As you make your exit, you turn around just in time to catch something – a small brooch in the shape of a leaf made of red gold.

“A memento of my son..the one that did not make it out of Valyria. I will want it back when we meet again Belaerys.”

The older man stands up and walks until he stands in front of you

“…stay alive, Rhogar”

And with this Valarr pulls you into a warrior handshake, grabbing your forearm at the elbow with his hand, as you do the same.

A single nod is the final communication between what were two men working together, one superior to the other. A single nod is the first communication between two men of equal standing, Archons of the Valyrian Freehold.

>>4885150
>>4885155
this is cool, now that we are a general we will now have a stronger voice same for our actions. Also we have considerably improve relations with both Valarr and Tessario, which is nice as well.

In case it wasn't clear, this is the end of the 1st part of Arc 3 of the Quest, the Northern Campaign.

Tomorrow we'll deal with the specific composition of your army, but in the meantime, put down some requests you would like to send back to Elyria - if they are within reason, your uncle might grant them.

As far as siege engines, go, Valarr will give you some of his own as well as the necessary specialists (and some of the wagons that you requested at the beginning), so you don't have to worry about that.

On the same note, tomorrow I will play out the entire scene, but think what are your priorities in the meantime, aka do you wish to support Valarr in retaking Mantarys (he'll still have over 30 000 men - he won't be starved for men or equipment), push north through the mountains toward Essaria, or to go East to deal with Meereen? Or simply a write-in.

>>4885237
Good.

Well let s see :


- A personal guard of 10. We have already our Westerosi knights but it s better to have some more guards. Beside we have others to protect as well.
- i left it out, but we would need a spymaster for coordinate the spies you have send on our way to me. If you have a spare man that can do that job, it would be very appreaciated if you send it.
- A few traductors, mainly for understand what sarnoshi or dothraki could say.
- Some spare infantry (300 heavy infantryman and 1000 light infantryman), cavalry (light 200) and archers (500). A small force that would improve things considerably. If you have a good man and officer to send with this force, it would be excellent.
- Council letter for recruit in North Valyria, send one to Valarr too. (With a limit of course)

- Humfrey, Adam and Gareth will be made minor nobles. As well Arys.
- Begin to improve our lands in the stepstones, an improvment of the food situation there would be a start, as well better fortifications. Pay with our own money for invest in fishing and agriculture in our lands, as well for further fortifying them.
- We are interested in improving the equipment of our men (we will do it in mantarys), we will use our own money. If they aren t enough we request for some chests to be send to us.
- Council signed paper for assign land to the refugees, for the Archon of Essaria.
- Council signed paper for assign land to soldiers and veterans of the Freehold (includes both stepstones garrison and Tessario men, as well other Freehold soldiers), for the Archon of Essaria.
- Council signed paper for give land to the most noble and great families of the Freehold (dragonlord families gets land. We can give some of that to our knights), for the Archon of Essaria.


- Tell the Reynes that they can make a tradepost in Elyria when the situation is improved.
- A good warhorse for Horonno and a better armor, that fits him.
- Pay with our own money a commision for a statue of Aerys fighting lyseni and assassins, from a sculpture in Elyria.
- We have just made an union with the tribes of the painted mountains. Something for symbolize this incredible event is needed. Their queen is also unmarried, so this could be an occasion for our family for gain more power. Horonno perhaps ?

- On regard to the Archon of Tyria, it might be wise to convince him to not go deeper south. We could attempt a council meeting with glass candles with him and maybe a more private one later. We can t permit ourselves to lose more dragonlords blood, as well good men.

- On regard to the diplomat that will be send to the Targaryens, it could be wise to send him with Xabo fleet. Unknown by the rebels likely. Additional guards and a few spies are also ideal.
- Send a man of the council to the Reynes court. This should help our trade, as well organizing future ideas. A few spies need to be send for the security of the Reynes, we will deploy here before the rebels even think about it.
Cont.

>>4885400
- A group of personal loyal servants. Preferably that know how to fight too.
- If there is any Westerosi mercenaries in Elyria, we would like to employ them. It s unlikely they are here for the rebels (not impossibile, but unlikely). If they are here is probably after hearing the news of a dragonlord taking westerosi mercenaries and promising them money, land and glory.


///


Objectives

- First, neutralize or destroy the painted tribesmen that defected. Killed for message or made slaves
- Coordinate with Valarr for utterly destroy, any Mantarys rebels. That young man and those norvoshi priests should be tracked and captured if possible.
- Proceed to Essaria. (Suggest Valarr that he should help clean up the roads for Volantis, so we are connected, and then he should proceed to Bhorash, hopefully with Aegon convinced in the south to join him he wouldn t be alone).


We will maintain our war routine. In addition though we will make great use of the land knowledge of the painted tribesmen for our army movement and camp defense while in North Valryria.

Any unknown men or group that approaches the camp, should be considered hostile if not confirmed (even then, avoid being fully relaxed with strangers. And never alone).

>>4885430
*impossible

For anyone that doesnt know or remember, this is the current war routine i have placed some threads ago Solid and simple. It could be good to also have some basic fortifications around our camp whenever we make it. We have engineers with us, so it would be easy.

//

War Routine

- Control our surroundings before we land. Twice
- watch over our army from an high position
- whenever we land, our personal guard should be ready to be near us.
- help establish the camp with our dragon help as well our own, so we get the soldiers respect.
- Our tent should have a clear space around it, so that Urrax can sleep near us. Preferably in a elevated position. Makes easier to see anyone coming to our tent too.
- We are at war. Armor on, weapons on and controls of suspicious people. Double the guards around the camp.

>>4885237
>do you wish to support Valarr in retaking Mantarys (he'll still have over 30 000 men - he won't be starved for men or equipment), push north through the mountains toward Essaria, or to go East to deal with Meereen?
I’d like to discuss the matter with Valarr, if he wants our assistance in subduing Mantarys then I’m happy to support him. If he’s happy to go it alone then I’d suggest we turn our army East - we can use our newly recruited tribesmen’s skills to sweep the traitors out of the hills surrounding Bhorash before striking Meereen. Mereen is a wealthy and powerful city, the sooner we deprive the rebels of its support the better off things will be for the region.

Also, even if we begin marching our army east, we personally can still support Valarr in his assault on Mantarys. We have dragons and we need to take advantage of the strategic mobility that affords us - it took us a day or so to fly from Lys to Dorne, we can begin the slow process of marching our infantry East and then, when Valarr reaches Mantarys, we fly over with our two dragons to support his assault and can be back with our own forces by supper time.

>>4885237
>do you wish to support Valarr in retaking Mantarys (he'll still have over 30 000 men - he won't be starved for men or equipment), push north through the mountains toward Essaria, or to go East to deal with Meereen? Or simply a write-in.
Honestly I think we should take a detour and put down Meereen before we head to Essaria. I have a feeling the Ghiscari will prove to be a major headache if we choose to ignore them.

>>4885653
Agreed. I’ve been pushing for Essaria and Sarnor since the first thread but right now it just makes more sense to head to Meereen first.

>>4885237
>go East to deal with Meereen

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>>4885155
And so it came the day.

Atop your warhorse, Urrax flying above, you enter the separate camp the tribesmen have set up a couple of kilometers away from the one of the Valyrian army.

Of course you did not come to this meeting alone – Sheira (as well as your bodyguards and a small detachment from your westerosi knights), came with you to talk with Daenera.

While not strictly necessary, it seems the young woman has taken a liking to your wife – maybe due to her behaving in a motherly manner just as Aelora died..

Still, to see two dragonlords stride in their camp, dragons flying above, must be a sight for these tribesmen, many of which have never even seen a true city..

…

You sit in front of their young “Queen” and take the measure of your surroundings - she is flanked by an old man (who you presume has taken the role of an elder, or an advisor in other words) and a young warrior, while you are flanked by Sheira, Gareth and Adam.

The tent is…spartan, to say the least. A “bed”, a small portable table, and what you presume functions as a wardrobe. Say what you want, but the tribal leader likes to travel light.

“I’ll admit I didn’t expect a visit..Belaerys”

She says, looking at you as if unsure how to call you

> “Rhogar will be fine when we are in an informal setting. It is only in formal situations or when dealing with my own superiors that you will need to call me by my rank or Dynastic name”

She smiles hearing this, before continuing

“Well what do you need? Don’t tell me you missed me already”

Cheeky brat.

Still, her attitude is..refreshing. Too many people look at you only in fear, due to either your status, family or position.

What do you wish to discuss?
> The tribesmen current situation
> Supplies for them
> Plans on how to proceed/orders
> Write-in

Essentially you are free to discuss whatever you wish with your new "lieutenant", Daenera of the Painted Mountains. Give her marching orders, ask advise, etc.

Regarding what you asked for your new army, I will include it in the next scene.

>>4886214
>>The tribesmen current situation
>>I also want to know more of her family's magical gift

>>4886227
>>>I also want to know more of her family's magical gift

Sorry if I don't remember (since I write as the QM it'd be strange if I don't remember something I wrote, I admit), but what are you referring to?

>>4886229
The time were we captured her and her mother, when we were talking with those two and Valarr, the mother said that her tribe can see the "Aura" of a person, and when she tried to read the Aura of Rhogar, she said that she saw a laughing mouth or something

>>4886214
>Write In
Smile
"Well there is much to discuss, first of all though we need to talk of Harnos and his men. I think you know all too well, that there is a good chance for them to return to raiding. If that happens it will put us in a bad light, so it s ideal we track them down and deal with them. Before he attempts to rally more men. Do you know which allies he has beside the men that did go with him ? Where is his own village ? And where he is heading most likely?"

"On regard to our campaign, I will need your people knowledge of the mountains both for our movement and the defense of our camps."
"Our army will act as one, though i will need your aid for better direct our scouts in the mountains. For the camps, we will set them up with my people expertise for fortifications, and your people for the terrain."

"For supplies, i can order more for us and with your men providing with foraging and hunting it should give us no issues on this problem."

"For our movement, we will move our army in a standard line formation, but more open for better move in the uneven terrain. At our flanks we will have cavalry and some light infantry, they will be a first response in case an enemy attempts to attack us. All around us there will be scouts groups that will control our surroundings and the roads ahead. Me and Sheira will overlook from above our movement, as well control any strange sights from our scouts or anything we see on our own."

"You will be at the head of your forces, though i will need you to obey my orders, as i will see from above far more that anyone else is able to see. And that is highly valuable for the positioning of our troops, as well counter the attacks of our foes or intercept them. Though you may take initiative if needed, for example if a position is more advantageous, and i am unable to provide you with more information if i am fighting in another part of the battle."

"Do you have any suggestions or questions ? What about your two officers ?"

"After we are done with Harnos and the defectors, i will need to see if Valarr will need our help in his campaign, if not we will either proceed towards Bhorash or north towards Essaria, after we have resupply."
>>4886229
I think he means when her mother was able to sense the mark of the White Sun on Rhogar, but she didn t know what it was since she was dumbfounded upon attempting to understand it. And only her mother seemed to understand, so i am not sure Daenera would understand. Unlikely do to her age.

The aura seems more to understand how is a person, with Valarr being a soldier that has plenty and that is quite bloody.

>Regarding what you asked for your new army, I will include it in the next scene.

Nice

>>4886323
*that has seen plenty

>>4886295
Oh that - sure you can ask. It was her mother's gift though, but sure, you can ask

I will let the vote go on for another 20-30 min, then write.

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>>4886214
> “Well, there is much to discuss. But first…I am here to ascertain what your people will need as far as supplies go. We both know that words are nothing if not backed by actions. And so here I am”

Daenera openly smiles at that, looking at the elder as if to convey “I told you so” – the older man has the decency to look ashamed

> “On that note, we need to discuss what will happen to Harnos and his men. You know all too well that with the current scarcity of food and this blasted ash in the sky, they will have to resort to raiding. I’d rather avoid bloodshed if possible, but I will tell you this – I am the odd one out of my peers Daenera. If your people…no, that’s not right. If the ones who refused our peace offer resort to violence toward my people…you know what will happen, don’t you, elder?”

You look at him as you finish, asking the question directly to him – he nods

“Elder Joachim…and I do. We who were alive to remember what happened 5 decades ago remember all too well….I wish to ask you a question, Archon – would Valyria really go so far? Even in its weakened state?”

His are calculating eyes, used to mediate disputes among people far more powerful than him.

> “Do not mistake my wish to avoid bloodshed with willingness to let my compatriots die, Joachim. I will personally set the mountains aflame if that’s what it takes.”

Silence falls on the tent at your words, and you see the young warrior tensing, before Daenera waves her hand, signaling him to calm down

“Rhogar…I hate it. No other way to say it. But I can see the logic of solving a problem, one way or another. If we can help avoid further bloodshed..ask”

File: Valyria Map.jpg (80 KB, 564x779)

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>>4886476
You spent the rest of the afternoon discussing various topics: gathering information regarding the potential locations Harnos’ men could use, where they could gather strength, how to organize supply convoys while maximizing what could be taken from the land itself (thanks to the experience of the tribesmen in gathering from the local terrain), as well as the more practical aspects of how to unify your different forces into a cohesive one.

The elder did not like the idea one iota, but when his leader reminded him how the treaty you signed explicitly indicated they would participate in the military campaigns of the Freehold in exchange for mercy and land, even he could not come up with an argument.

Surprisingly…or maybe not, considering how many experienced warriors left with Harnos, Daenera did not put up a fight when you told her she’d be taking orders from you during the campaign. She was curious about the places you indicated on the map as your potential targets (Essaria, Bhorash, Meereen), but…in an innocent way, as if she had never even heard of such places (not hard to believe given her people lived so deep in the mountains).

The basic strategy you came up with was to deal with Harnos first, and then reconsider the situation.

A simple, yet effective one.

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>>4886480
The “meeting” with your uncle went well that night – for a change, it was only you and him.

Maybe it’s your impression, but it seems almost as if Aurion is behaving more fatherly with you as of late – likely due to the fact that his own son was barely two years older than you -, but it could also simply be that you are, for now, the only potential heir to your dynasty as things stand.

Your request of additional troops doesn’t seem to raise too many issues with him once you explain the situation – your small forces cannot be expected to keep an eye out on more than ten times their number after all, while also fighting..

You spend quite a bit of time discussing the details of what you’re requesting, as well as updating him on what has happened so far (you are not surprised he already knows – one of the advantages of his position being constant access to long-range surveillance personnel..).

In the end you received a preliminary “ok” for the following:
> The XIV Regiment from Old Valyria will join your army (2 500 men)
> 150 members of the SIA corps will join the Regiment on their way to your camp
> Some translators will be made available for your expedition north, or you could simply take them from Valarr’s camp
> Letters for Archon Belicho, if he is still loyal to Valyria, instructing him to assign land to the refugees that will be sent North, as well as the soldiers and the tribesmen who joined the Freehold.

When you raised the idea of improving your land in the Stepstones, your uncle raised an eyebrow and commented that he thought strange you never made use of the funds that are yours by right as Archon – it is customary that an Archon sent to war leaves a list of improvements/orders to be executed as he is on campaign.

This revelation hits hard…just as much as your scream of frustration hits your uncle when you make him notice that he is the “politician” of the family, and so if he didn’t teach you these things, nobody would.

He sighs, and proceeds to explain you how things work..

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>>4886507
We will now proceed to create the “house” that is the Archonate of the Stepstones.

NOTE – this process will follow the standard rules of AGOT, but I will modify them accordingly given that we are in a different age and very different location.

> Roll me 7D6 for starting resources

Given I will apply static modifiers due to the war situation, and the fact I have adapted the values from AGOT, I will take the best of 3 to represent the nature of the scenario – much wealth flows through the Stepstones as we are at the end of the “High Period” of the Freehold, much more than it would be available to a normal house of the Seven Kingdoms.

> Roll me 1D6/player

Rolled 2, 2, 2, 5, 6, 2, 1 = 20 (7d6)

>>4886510
Roll good

Damn that s small

Rolled 5, 6, 1, 3, 6, 6, 3 = 30 (7d6)

>>4886510

>>4886553
Better, but I'll wait to see if someone rolls better, since it's true that the 1D6/player will help, but the modifiers are predominantly negative, and you will have to split the resources among the entire region (the 1D6 per player is meant to help increase the amount you get).

On the other hand you will get a small, passive increase of wealth/other resources thanks to your deals with Volantis and the Reynes.

Rolled 3, 2, 3, 4, 5, 3, 2 = 22 (7d6)

>>4886510

>>4886613
Thankfully we have in mind for find other trade deals, such as Essaria and as soon as we can with Xabo for the summer islands.

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4886510
Give me a 6 babyyyy

>>4886665
nice

>>4886683
>>4886623
>>4886553
Do me a favor and roll 1D6 each

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4886510
sure, sy

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4886694

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4886694

Please ignore my last post - I didn't add the modifiers, like an idiot. A second

Alright - the starting resources are the following:

Realm: The Stepstones
Defense 5 *5 = 25 + 10 (Regional Modifier) = 35
Influence 6 *5 = 30 - 5 (Regional Modifier) = 25
Lands 3 *5 = 15 + 0 (Regional Modifier) = 15
Law 4 *5 = 20 + 5 (Regional Modifier) = 25
Population 6 *5 = 30 - 5 (Regional Modifier) = 25
Power 6 *5 = 30 - 10 (Regional Modifier) = 20
Wealth 3 *5 = 15 + 15 (Regional Modifier) = 30

The formula is to simply roll 1 single D6 (Best of 3) per resource, and then multiply it for the number of relevant locations that are present in the sub-region (or, in this particular case, region, given how small it is..)

Now, each of you can add their D6 to one resource, and no resource can have more than 2 rolls added to it. Please tell me in which resource you wish to add your roll.

For potential lurkers, feel free to roll and add your role following the same rules.

I am re-writing the pastebin of the region, which I will obviously complete once we finish rolling.

>>4886768
i will wait for the other two, my roll is currently the lowest

>>4886768
I'll do power I guess

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>>4886771
Sure. In the meantime, here is a map.

>>4886768
i will add it to lands, at least one point

>>4886768
QM, do you think you can describe what each of the stats do? Because I have various options to give my 5. Like for example Defense and secure our 30 of Wealth if they attack us, but maybe there can be other stat that can be useful to have it a little bit high, like Lands or Power, or even boost Wealth, idk

>>4886782
nice

>>4886799
To put it simply, unlike in normal AGOT quests, the resources have a larger meaning given you control an entire region, rather than a small feudal area - if we go by the rules of AGOT, you'd be more akin to a Great House than a "normal" house.

E.g. - Land represents the actual inhabited land in the region you control - I've always envisioned this Valyria as an empire in the style of the Principate of Rome, where the Archon is the governor of the province, not a "mere" feudal lord. You can, through your actions, colonize more areas of the region.

Note that there are hard caps in certain resources (e.g. you cannot reach over a certain amount of Land in the Stepstones simply due to lack of space).

Essentially you shall be setting the general direction of the entire region, rather than micromanaging it, unless you wish to, which you can at any time. You can buy holdings as normal, including the ones in the "Out of Strife, Prosperity" expansion. I expanded on the cities/description in the pastebin, which I set to private until we finish rolling.

To put in other words, go by the standard AGOT description of what each resource does, and simply expand upon its description so that it would encompass an entire region. E.g. roads fall in the "Defense" resource in AGOT, but they will also have an obvious economic benefit were you control a region with many merchants (e.g. Essaria)

>>4886790
Land
>>4886781
Power
>>4886799
?
>>4886731
?

>>4886825
Put mine in Defense

>>4886825
Law

Realm: The Stepstones
Defense 35 + 5
Influence 25
Lands 15 +1
Law 25 + 6
Population 25
Power 20 + 2
Wealth 30

I'm going to let the rolling go overnight, and I'll pick it up in the morning, since maybe some more players will want to roll 1D6 and add their results to some categories.

Tomorrow we'll deal with the historical events and the holdings

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4886873

>>4886899
Remember to say to which category you wish to add the roll.

>>4886623

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4886768
Land

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4886873
How are you going to interpret land?
Because currently it’s 22 and iirc that won’t be enough to afford an island with even a small village.

>>4887088
see
>>4886812
>E.g. - Land represents the actual inhabited land in the region you control - I've always envisioned this Valyria as an empire in the style of the Principate of Rome, where the Archon is the governor of the province, not a "mere" feudal lord. You can, through your actions, colonize more areas of the region.
>Note that there are hard caps in certain resources (e.g. you cannot reach over a certain amount of Land in the Stepstones simply due to lack of space).

It represents the land you actually control, not the one you "theoretically" control. The King of the Seven Kingdoms theoretically controls the entirety of Westeros, when in practice sometimes he doesn't even control KL. An Archon has almost complete power within his territory thanks to literal millennia of propaganda telling the people that their leading class is made up of what amounts to demigods, on top of good old fashioned military (and economic) power, with the possibility for the Dragonlords to call for backup in very little time thanks to glass candles/speed of flight of the dragons.

>>4887100
So, for example, we don’t control any sort of settlement, since even a hamlet is well beyond what we can afford.

Regardless, I’ll put my 2 toward Law

>>4886916
Oops.

Power please.

Ghiscar delenda est

>>4887180
I mean we have several people there, more than a village for sure (like we left several people there, we didn t take all i believe). So Idk how the system counts them ? I recon Tagaros has an idea for make it work

>>4887205
Ye we have some colonists with us. Which are the garrisons families.

Final results:
> Realm: The Stepstones
> Defense 5 *5 = 25 + 10 (Regional Modifier) = 35 + 5 = 40
> Influence 6 *5 = 30 - 5 (Regional Modifier) = 25
> Lands 3 *5 = 15 + 0 (Regional Modifier) = 15 + 1 + 6 = 22
> Law 4 *5 = 20 + 5 (Regional Modifier) = 25 + 6 + 2 = 33
> Population 6 *5 = 30 - 5 (Regional Modifier) = 25
> Power 6 *5 = 30 - 10 (Regional Modifier) = 20 + 2 + 4 = 26
> Wealth 3 *5 = 15 + 15 (Regional Modifier) = 30

The system works like this: the values you see represent an average that I will let you “customize” for each area of the region, if the final result is below a minimum value – these regions would, in vanilla ASOIAF, represent the normal lands of your House. We are operating on a scale of management (what amount to a kingdom) that ASOIAF was not meant to operate on, so please understand that all of this is heavily homebrewed so as to be the least disruptive as possible. Expect me to correct "on the fly" any big hole in the system.

Realm - The sub-region (e.g. The islands of Elyria, Volantene capital region, the Orange Coast, etc), which determines the modifiers I apply. Note that they are not balanced.
Defense – Same as in vanilla ASOIAF; the military infrastructure of the sub-region
Influence - The overall political "weight" of the region you control, in gameplay terms we treat it the same as ASOIAF does, except you can’t “buy” a son/daughter. It will instead be usable in the political arena to supplement your dealings with your peers, now that you have both a territory AND an army.
Lands – The lands you effectively control.
Law – Works the same as in vanilla ASOIAF, and it represents by how much the principle of law trumps the principle of “the strong rules over the weak”.
Population – Same as in vanilla ASOIAF; an abstract representation of the population of the territory
Power – Same as in vanilla ASOIAF; values adjusted to represent the much larger scale of warfare
Wealth – Same as in vanilla ASOIAF; values adjusted to represent the much larger scale.

Before we see the final results, let's roll for events.
> Roll me 1D6 for how many events the region has experienced so far (we are using table 6.3 of the ASOIAF manual)

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4887855

Roll me 1D6+1

Rolled 4 + 1 (1d6 + 1)

>>4887863

>>4887863
Alright, now roll me 15D6 (3D6 per each event)

Rolled 6, 5, 2, 1, 1, 3, 2, 5, 6, 6, 2, 4, 4, 1, 1 = 49 (15d6)

>>4887869

>>4887872
Alright, let's go in order otherwise I will mix things.
First result - Favor.
Second result - Catastrophe.
Third Result - Favor
Fourth Result - Ascent
Fifth Result - Madness

Let's begin with the simple ones, before passing to Madness - roll me 16D6

Rolled 5, 5, 2, 6, 2, 4, 1, 1, 2, 6, 2, 4, 4, 4, 1, 5 = 54 (16d6)

>>4887874

>>4887875
Now roll me 14D6

Rolled 3, 1, 6, 3, 5, 1, 6, 4, 5, 4, 5, 3, 6, 1 = 53 (14d6)

>>4887876

>>4886768
Final results:

Realm - The Stepstones
Defense 42
Influence 33
Lands 37
Law 35
Population 30
Power 32
Wealth 35

I will need to redraw the map before you can choose how to allocate your resources, otherwise it won't make much sense to you.

I honestly look forward to the debate whether to settle in Essaria like many decided a while back and thus try to preserve resources to bring them over from the Stepstones, or whether you guys will decide to settle down there in the end after building them up.

cool, it depends honestly is better in an actual place for a capital. Essaria/stepstones can still be our lands

Rolled 5, 4, 3, 2, 5, 5, 1, 3, 6, 4, 1, 5 = 44 (12d6)

Rolling for political changes in the Council.

Belaerys vs Balemon and Naerion

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>4887992
Alright, now to see in which faction the Targaryens take place, or if they prefer to abstain from joining a definite faction.

60% chance they won't join any faction due to their self-imposed exile and wishing to keep a free hand.

>>4887935
The Stepstones have been granted to the Belaerys until the end of the Rebellion. Do note that Aurion's term ends at the same time as yours (end of the years, 9 months from now).

Moreover if you are familiar with the "Cursus Honorum" of the Roman Empire, I modelled the politics of Valyria on that model - Rhogar is too young to be an Archon (Proconsul), that simple. He simply "grabbed" the title and it got validated by the Council.

It's up to you to prove you worthy enough to continue making an exception to the rules. Also note that the Test to convince the other Dragonlords to let you keep control of two provinces when there are so few spoils to share will have an extremely high DC, even with you 5D6 in Persuasion. Yes, there are ways around this.

>>4888002
we will work for that, not just in war but politics and more. In 9 months we should be able to complete several things if we plan and organize them

>>4888002
>>4888038
Or we could ask our homie Sun to lower the DC if we don't make enough acts to prove ourselves

>>4888150
we have more than enough time and we are skilled enough, we will manage

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>>4887901
>>4876835
Here is the redrawn map, as well as the updated pastebin for the Stepstones.

I updated everything, but left it in extremely general terms, so that you may now spend your initial resources as you wish.

>Pastebin: https://pastebin.com/jR0bGi5J

Resources to spend:
>Defense 42
>Influence 33
>Lands 37
>Law 35
>Population 30
>Power 32
>Wealth 35

It is up to you guys now to decide what you wish to invest your resources into - we use both the vanilla AGOT manual, as well as the "Sword Chronicle" manual and its modules ("Chronicle of Sorcery", "Out of Strife, Prosperity"), given the Sword Chronicle system was built as an extension for ASOIAF RPG.

I divided the population among the main town and the 2 outposts, with the rest dispersed on the various islands, living in hamlets. You can decide what is built where - I gave some ideas in the description of the individual islands, but it's up to you.

>>4888357
Alright, I finished reading the updates and the pastebin, could you give us a rough outline on how many points a few example things would cost?

>>4888351
Give me a moment this looks important

>>4888572
Read
ghostbin.com/paste/CfY64

>>4888606
Take all the time you need. I expect this vote to be concluded tomorrow, given half of the players are Americans/from N.America

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>>4888572
>>4888351
So regarding defence we should just go for single castle rather than dividing it between two keeps or something.
>Castles are significantly harder to breach
>Can garrison more troops (meaning more forces can benefit from their higher defence value)
>Take FAR longer to build (so if we go for a castle now we could potentially build a hall or tower later in the quest whereas if we go for two towers now then the quest will likely be long dead before we could finish a castle)
>Iirc include a substantial curtain wall which would mean a safe and enclosed landing space for Urrax if the castle is ever besieged
>Are a necessary requirement for many of the wealth holdings

As for lands, I’lol post up my ideas in a moment but here is a reference for anyone without the books

>>4889120
The way it works is you buy 1 or more domains by choosing a terrain type and features for each of them.

Assuming any domains of ours are islands we’ve got a minimum cost of 13 (wetlands+island) for each domain.
We could either concentrate on one strong domain for now - perhaps Hills+Island+Small Town for a total of 37. Hills are a requirement for mines and a small town is a requirement for both marketplaces and ports (those are some of the more valuable wealth holdings IMO).
Alternatively we could go for two domains - perhaps island+hills+stream and island+plains+light wood+grassland.

Personally my vote is for the former, single domain option because a small town is such a great asset and we can’t afford one otherwise.

>>4889139
The current resources are essentially what you get to develop 1 area, unless you wish to divide them among different islands. On the other hand, to give an example, it's not like there won't be some defenses in a military outpost, even if you won't develop it at this time.

I'll let the vote go until tomorrow afternoon for me.

In the meantime - if people don't want to use the ghostbin, use this website, for it has all the basics
>https://apps.ajott.io/sifref/house.html#holdings

>>4889186
>>4889139
I almost forgot - in the pastebin I indicate the terrain/resources for each island, so that's the one I'll go with, unless you wish to "reshape" them using your resources

>>4888351
The islands
I) Bloodstone - The largest of the Stepstones, Bloodstone is so named for the dark-red sand beaches on the southern and eastern sides of the island, Bloodstone is pockmarked with abandoned outposts, burnt harbours and forgotten smugglers dens. It is also the location of the main military outpost set up by Valyria in the Stepstones, Laenor's Gate. The island is notable for the rich iron deposits that lie in its central mountains range, as well as the presence of a limited steel industry to provide for the garrison needs.
II) Sunstone - A large island, Sunstone is located deceptively close to Dorne. The island itself is large enough to support agriculture, thanks in no small part to it being continuously shrouded in mists. A small river, large when compared to the territory occupied by the island, makes the cultivation of grain and other staples possible in the northern coastal plains of the island. Rocks and crags hidden by fog litter the waters around the island, and the land itself is fraught with caverns and cliffs that threaten to drop the unwary to a quick death. The human presence on the island is limited to a large number of small hamlets, with no noteworthy town, but surveys on part of the Freehold indicate that the soil would allow for intense agriculture with adequate investments.
III) Last Refuge - Found just beneath the headland of the Heel of Essos, Last Refuge is one of the larger Stepstones islands. Its high cliffs and mountainous outcrops largely protect the nearby islands from the storms that sweep through the Narrow Sea, facilitating the diverse bounty of life found upon Wreckstone. The island is noteworthy for its harbor town -Prys-, which has traditionally been used as harbor for the II Western Fleet of the Valyrian Freehold due to its position, which allows it to control the southern entry of the "safe canal" through the Stepstones


I think I would like to spend points on this three.

- On Bloodstone for reclaim one unused outposts and make a settlement out of it. Could be made for fishing and mining. It s also safe with having Laenor Gate in the same island.
- On Sunstone, a settlement for agriculture and fishing would be nice.
- On Last Refuge, we could help the town of Prys grow further with commerce and fishing.

We can also give the Reynes trade posts here too. And that would facilitate their trade east.

Bloodstone : 10 def, 10 inf, 10 lands, 10 law, 10 pop, 10 power and 10 wealth
Sunstone : 10 def, 10 inf, 10 lands, 10 law, 10 pop, 10 power and 10 wealth
Last Refuge : 10 def, 10 inf, 10 lands, 10 law, 10 pop, 10 power and 10 wealth

A balanced idea, maybe it s not best for this system. Remaining points :
>Defense 12
>Influence 3
>Lands 7
>Law 5
>Population 0
>Power 2
>Wealth 5

>>4889194
Where are the costs for each island? I’m looking here and I don’t see it.
https://pastebin.com/jR0bGi5J

>>4889206
>>4889194
Or do already control all the islands and only need to spend resources if we want to make improvements to an island (in which case I’m not really sure what we’d be spending Land for)

>>4889206
You are looking at the description of the islands - you can either use the pdfs in the ghostbin here >>4888619 for a list of all the available holdings, or use this website (>https://apps.ajott.io/sifref/house.html#holdings) to see them.

Land is spent on Features, not just Terrain. If you wish to, for example, found a new town to host the refugees, you will need to spend Land. Check table 6-7 at page 108 of the ASOIAF manual.

But yes, you already control the islands. And yes, you need to spend resources to improve your territory. Pick an area to improve, or divide the resources among the various towns/islands. Hell, if you want you can very easily colonize another island by investing Land and the other resources.

>>4889198
Each Outpost would cost 10 Land. Refer to table 6-7 in that regard. Dividing resources is a decent idea if you can attract foreign investments (e.g. the Reynes setting up a small trade post/settling some men), but be wary of spreading yourself too thin - that's just my opinion eh, you can do as you wish.

I think we should build:

>Defense
>a castle on Dark Den
It's the most populous island we have and it's right next to rebel territory

>Lands
>Outposts on:
>Sunstone
Invest some points into aqueducts as well
>Shame Isle
Maybe rename the island after ourself, nobody knows where the old name came from anyway
>The Skulls
These are generally the best suited to housing growing settlements, and they will grow considering how many refugees there are
We should also investigate the prospect of gold in torturer's deep, but it's not really worth investing in without confirmation

>Wealth
>Mine
>Bloodstone
Iron is useful if we're rebuilding the Valyrian army
>Market/Bazaar
>Dark Den
We should try to make our land as profitable as possible
>Bloodstone
>Aqueduct
I assume this would fall under wealth if not then maybe guilds on Bloodstone

>Power
>Bannermen
I'm not sure whether or not we really want them but I'll put the suggestion out there

Given it seems the vast majority of the players are not familiar with the AGOT management system, let's do like this - whomever wants to, they can simply read the website/books and write what they want to invest the resources in.

The others can write down what they'd like to build and in the end I'll try to put all the requests together in a proposal to be voted on.

File: OOSP.jpg (307 KB, 2000x699)

307 KB JPG

In the meantime, in addition to the standard AGOT holdings, we're using these from OOSP

>>4889872
I think it could be wise to combine it in a proposal to be voted on, unless others want to put forward something too. Sorry for late reply

>>4890698
Nothing to say sorry about. I guess that the players that follow this quest are not familiar with normal ASOIAF quests, given I did not give much weight to the management part of the quest.

I will combine >>4889649 >>4889198 in a few hours, to give whomever wishes to a little time to write what they'd like to see built on the islands.

my id changed too

>>4890701
yeah that could be.
Sound like a good idea

>>4889649
+1

>>4890701
Hol up, I got a vote for you.

>>4890701
>Re. Lands
I think it's more about the fact that things are similar but different to the normal ASOIAF rules. Normally we'd start off by spending Land on the domains, terrain and features of our choice but since the islands in our territory already exist we're not sure what to do.
It seems like our territory already includes forests, towns, rivers and everything else we need so I'm not going to vote on lands except to make sure we have at least 1 large town somewhere.

Re. defence
>I agree with the plan for a castle on Dark Den. It sounds like it is in a key strategic position if we want to control transit through the islands.

Re. Power
>1 unit of veteran warships (13)
>1 unit of green warships (8) (also open to two trained warships instead of veteran+green if anons prefer)
>1 unit of veteran garrison (5)
>1 unit of trained engineers (5) (alternatively could go for trained archers (6) but engineers can direct siege weapons and I reckon that'd be more effective in holding off enemy warships)

Re. wealth
>Port with Dry Docks and Traders Warehouses (20)
Expensive but boosts both House Fortune and Wealth (the most important stat imo since it can be most easily converted to any others), and makes any of our warships in the area far more resilient
>Marketplace in Dark Den (with a plan to build Trade Routes with the Reynes and Volantenes) (10)
>Timber Holding (5)
Together these add +1 HF and +2 wealth which is alright (not as much as a mine) but they will become exponentially more valuable if we get the Trade Routes improvement with some of our allies. The Timber holdings combined with the port would also allow us to build shipyards in the future.
Alternatively
>Valuable Mine, presumably on Bloodstone
Pretty sure this is the most cost-effective holding when it comes to boosting both wealth and house fortune (+2 HF and +2 Wealth). Doesn't have the scope for improvement that a Marketplace has though.

>>4891291
>>4889649
>>4889198
Alright, I will try to combine these 3 in a single proposal to let the players vote, given that 2 days is more than enough.

Big thing to note (for >>4891291), the units you raise will be sized as per ASOIAF rules, unlike the Regiments. This is to represent the simple fact that the Stepstones have barely 31 000 inhabitants counting the refugees and thus cannot supply as many soldiers. On the other hand, these men will get bonuses when defending their land due to knowing said land.

The Stepstones can make for a wonderful defensive location, thanks to there being literally 2 safe entry points and only 1 safe exit point for any relatively large ship. If you guys put outposts around like >>4889649 said and reinforce your position, it'll be hell to dislodge you from the islands.

Test

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64 KB JPG

>>4891291
>>4889649
>>4889198
>>4889120

Land:
>>4889198
Bloodstone - Expand the presence on Bloodstone by founding another outpost
Sunstone – Found a new town
Last Refuge – Expand the town of Prys
>>4889649
Sunstone - Outpost
Shame Island - Outpost
The Skulls – Outpost
>>4891291
Ensure we have at least 1 large town

It seems to me there is a consensus on founding an outpost on Sunstone (Hamlet – 10 Land), and a general wish to expand. Seems to me that there is also a wish to expand our pre-existing towns, so:

Proposal
Given there is no unanimity, I propose the following
> New outpost on Sunstone (Hamlet - 10 Land)
> Pay 3 Land for a river to pass through the new outpost on Sunstone – the island is good for agriculture, and with more than the small streams already present, you could make it a good place to grow your food.
> Pay 4 Land for Grassland on Dark Den, Last Refuge, Shame Island and Bloodstone. If you brought over horses, this could be a good terrain to start a breeding program, at least for the local garrisons on the 3 main islands, and you could even sell horses to the Martells, given you are their neighbor.

And finally, since it seems you guys wish to expand further, you got 2 options with the 20 Land left:
> Found a new outpost on Shame Island (Hamlet – 10 Land) to secure the south-western entrance to the safe canal through the Stepstones and another outpost on Dark Den (Hamlet – 10 Land), since there was intention to found a Castle on the island
OR
> Expand a town – choose: Prys, Laenor’s Gate (Small Town – 20 Land)


Defense:
>>4889198
Expand defenses on Bloodstone, Sunstone and Last Refuge
>>4889198
Expand defenses on Sunstone, Bloodstone and Last Refuge
>>4889649
Castle on Dark Den
>>4891291
Castle on Dark Den

Proposal:
> Castle on Dark Den (40 Defense)

This one surprised me, since there are no towns/etc on Dark Den. But still – majority vote is clearly in favor of building up the small island over fortifying the pre-existing towns.

>>4892521
> Found a new outpost on Shame Island (Hamlet – 10 Land) to secure the south-western entrance to the safe canal through the Stepstones and another outpost on Dark Den (Hamlet – 10 Land), since there was intention to found a Castle on the island
+1 to proposal
Also free/cheap housing for artistans/doctors, if you can work it in somewhere
Love the quest