1.
A Great Honor.
The court gathers. Noble Lords and Ladies rush up and down the stairwells. The Hand of the King, Lord Melwyn Rosby, has called for a gathering of all dignitaries at the Red Keep.
As the masses shuffle into the great hall, the occasion is clear to all.
On the steps to the Iron Throne, on either side of Lord Rosby stand two men of great renown in King's Landing.
On his left, Lord Bryden Tully, a man of measured temperance and a steely gaze.
On his right, Lord Admiral Billy Mormont, with a swaying confidence about him.
The two men look like opposites. Yet, they are the first to sit besides the Lord Hand, as the small council rules in the King's stead.
Lord Rosby addresses the crowd as he bestows the honor onto the two Lords.
"Lord Bryden Tully. In the name of his grace, King Aerys Targaryen, first of his name, I name you Master of Coin. May the Crone guide your steady hand in times of need.
Lord Billy Mormont. In the name of his grace, King Aerys Targaryen, first of his name, I name you Master of Ships. May the Warrior give you strength for the wars to come."
year 210 after conquest - 5 Chapters
Bryden Tully
Billy Mormont
2.
Four Seats in the Council.
As Lord Tully and Lord Mormont are heralded by everyone, others are working tirelessly to position themselves in the remaining two seats of the small council.
The Master of Whispers:
For almost a year now, the old Maester Bugeater has been haunting the halls of the Red Keep, and the thoughts of Lord Rosby, who has received steady information, secret whispers and reports of hushed conversations from him.
Sure to stand on the dais with the others houses, Bugeater was taken aback when confr0nted with Jon Cafferen, a Knight of known valor, in the tower of the hand, speaking news of House Blackfyre's schemes in the Stormlands and possibly elsewhere with Lord Rosby.
Turning from courtly intrigue to matters of Targaryen survival, Bugeater has felt unwelcome in the tower of the hand as of late, placing doubt on his uncontested ascension to the small council.
Jon Cafferen
Bugeater
The Master of Laws:
Many sights have become routine in the Red Keep. One of them are the endless debates over justice and the upholding of King's law in the realm. And no three faces are closer tied to that debate than the cold Lady Jodi Tully, the Domineering Lord John Cormick Bolton and the eloquent Lady Linda Lefford.
Yet, neither seem to allow the other to ascend, to stand next to Lord Rosby and rule. As the confident Lord Bolton, has been cast down in a bout of absence lately. Lady Tully has taken his place as the top contender with each being close to the position, ahead of the old Lady Lefford.
Jodi Tully
John Comrick Bolton
Linda Lefford
A Speech of Justice:
Lord Bolton's absence is explained, however quickly, as he usurps the attention of the gathered court, mere weeks after the appointments to the council are made. At a banquet, Lord Bolton raises a chalice to justice and the King's peace. He then swears an oath to always uphold the law of the land, to pursue evil with an iron determination.
Those unsure of the Lords intentions are shocked when he proclaims that those who break the sacred peace, those who violate the laws of gods and men, the justice of the King's realm, must be dealt with quickly, and without hesitation.
Lord Bolton denounces House Lannister, announcing them the root of the misfortune that has struck the North of late. He states, he does not stand for the unlawful and disgusting acts of House Lannister and neither will Winterfell.
It is a miracle that blades are not drawn as the hall erupts in shocked awe and conflict alike. Noble's are ushered out as the stir caused by Lord Bolton's oath boils over.
3.
The Hour of the Wolf.
As the tourney at Winterfell came to a close, many spent their last night in the North, ready to ride back south. On that last night, in the hours before dawn, tumult washed through the halls of Winterfell.
Stark guardsmen rushed through the darkness in candlelight. Two members of Lannister, having attended the tourney as guests, were removed from their bedchambers amidst shouts and protest.
News spread quickly amongst those awoken by the noise and the staff of the castle about Sarah Lefford and Tylan Swyft of House Lannister being thrown into the dungeons of Winterfell.
Many had heard northerners call Lord Edward Stark "my Emperor" due to his harsh and authoritative nature. But many now see past the humor as rumors regarding the fates of the Lannister nobles run rampant.
4.
The Falcon fights the Black Dragon.
The Knights of the Vale gather. In the
hundreds, the thousands...
Lord Artys Arryn calls his banners, readying
his army. Day after day, his bannermen arrive
outside his fortress at the Eyrie, amassing
thousands of troops.
He stands at the Gates of the Moon, amidst
his bannerlords to address them.
Missives travel across the realm about this,
sent by house Arryn, together with rumors, shared by the Lords in attendance that day. Lord Artys spoke of House Blackfyre. Of how many Lords across the realm supported the false black dragon and how these rebellious lords had reached a fever pitch.
For months Lord Arryn dealt with a potential Blackfyre uprising in the Vale and now it was here. So, he argued, his banners were called to put an end to this madness. So confirm the missives sent to the other kingdoms, that the army readied at the Eyrie has one objective:
The total destruction of House Blackfyre to remove the ever-present danger of revolt across the realm.
As Lord Artys unites the troops of Mountain and Vale, an army, ready to march into battle, gathers at the Eyrie.
Others however, do not stand idle. As Lord Artys calls his banners, the realm is still preparing and fortifying.
In the Vale and the Reach, war galleys leave the harbor steadily. In the Riverlands and the Westerlands, banners are expanded to be called one day. The realm holds its breath as the first Westerosi army stands at the ready.
5.
House Greyjoy and Blackfyre.
As the Houses squabble about council positions
and about plots in the dark, House Greyjoy reaves
with delight, sailing up the Narrow Sea, attacking
Runestone and Ironoaks in the Vale.
The Lord Reaper, Dagon Greyjoy boasts of his
plunder as he disappears in the waves, his warfleet
growing ever stronger and bolder with the bounty
of the mainland. He begins calling himself the
second coming of Harren the Black, a mockery of
all the major houses unable to defend their lands.
But the Kraken is not the only viper hiding in the
tall grass. House Blackfyre seem to be emboldened
by the realms inability to remain united under this
new, ineffectual king.
The project of building a royal fleet lays abandoned at the bottom of Blackwater Bay as only very few Lords actually contributed to the effort.
King's Landing lies undefended in the eyes of the Black Dragon and the Kraken alike, a crucial prize to win.
Past Omens of Winter...
The Spring Sickness lingers:
The joy surrounding the ending of a long winter was cut short in the year 209AC. Spring brought plague. Cruel & indiscriminate. The realm still battles the remnants of this silent assassin.
Now again, the sickness rises in the countryside. It travels on the back of oxcarts and the bows of merchant galleys.
Each lord paramount must make sure to meet precautions against this recent outbreak.
- Bid resources to prepare, as the plague takes its toll:
A total of 2 coin, 4 supply, 3 materials, and 1 arms.
Failure: if the necessary provisions are not gathered, the disease may overwhelm the smallfolk, leading to a decrease in available banners for all kingdoms (-10k, including npc's).
Additionally, the sickness may return sooner even if unprovoked.
