I love this Let's Play. HOUSE TARGARYEN WILL PREVAIL
streme Wheelie
Recognized Member
okay time to buy this game I think
I love the twist it has taken. House Targaryen endured a huge downfall but not in a "yeah they're all dead" way - such an interesting alternate fiction, becoming just a regular house.
Yeah CK2 can be great that way, with all sorts of different outcomes!
I should have an update up sometime today, by the way
Where's Dany in all this? Was she even born?
As it happens, she's in this very chapter! Prepare yourself for a surprise!
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Chapter 5: Ambitions and Marriages and Tourneys, Oh My!
I am Aegon Targaryen and I am rightwise king of all Westeros, from Dorne to the Wall. This heritage has been stolen from my family by the usurper Robert Baratheon and his brother Stannis, who now sits upon the Iron Throne. I was raised at the Wall among the Night’s Watch - a harsh, rough climate surrounded by harsh, rough men. My companions were exiles, slavers, rapers, killers, thieves. A handful were good men, men like my father Rhaegar, forced to abdicate what little titles remained to him long before his time. He raised me at the Wall and I have mixed with the lowest in society throughout my youth. There are those at the Wall I respect, and a few I call friends, but that time is behind me now. I have returned to Sharp Point, a place I barely remember from my youth.
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In my absence my regent and the council have made some small improvements to the area, but nothing much could be done with such limited funds. After paying my respects to my liege lord Jon Massey, I set about the business of my realm, limited as it might be.
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I am myself betrothed to my aunt Daenerys. Already at just twelve years of age she is beautiful and brilliant, and I do not doubt she will be a rock upon which House Targaryen can stand. My elder sister Rhaenys remains unmarried, and one of my first tasks would be to seek a suitor for her. However, she has crossed the Narrow Sea and half of Essos to live in Mantarys. She insists that the people there, who follow the old ways of Valyria in worshipping the Dragon, are our people more than the westerners could ever be. Our people or not, this place belongs to the Targaryens. She is an irrelevance for the time being.
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When I was young, father emphasized the importance of adopting a goal and setting myself to pursuing it as fully as possible. I decide upon my first goal: I wish to have my martial prowess recognized and be appointed to Master of Arms for Jon Massey. It is a position of some note and one which, should I serve well, will help me to both understand military matters better and accrue renown to myself.
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My next order of business is my court of advisers. However there is little to be done in this regard, for my regent has found the more capable people in my small demesne and appointed them. I simply do not have a large enough realm to need to concern myself with political appointments very much, and there are very few members of the family eligible for any positions.
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News comes to me that Lord Paramount Renly of the Stormlands has wedded Lady Margaery Tyrell of the Reach. This makes them a powerful bloc indeed, though Renly is not renowned as a very able man.
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From Pyke we hear that Lord Paramount Balon Greyjoy has passed away of natural causes. He is succeeded by his son Rodrik, who is a man that lacks his father’s strategic skills.
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The peasants are displeased with our efforts to gather needed taxes and have expressed their dissatisfaction with an attack upon my Master of Coin. He is injured, but there is little to be done according to my officers. The assailants were numerous and cannot be identified. It vexes me deeply.
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In pursuit of my upcoming requirements to sire an heir, I have aided art devoted to the Mother, hoping she will in return bless me with fertility. Judging from how distracting I now find the serving girls, I suspect it worked.
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I receive a letter inviting me to a minor tourney to take place at Ghost Hill. It will not bring me special renown but I hope to test my mettle and bring home a trophy. (Also, Toland!)
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Shocking news reaches me at the tourney - Lord Jon Massey has been murdered, apparently on the orders of Falena Massey, his own aunt! Her motivations elude me. At any rate young Lord Morgan has asked that I become his Master of Laws. It is not the Master at Arms I hoped for, but it is too prestigious a position to decline.
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I am honored to be offered knighthood by a fellow competitor at the tourney. It is a position of prestige and of responsibility. In the tourney itself, I am beaten in the final event by Ser Aron Santagar, a competitor who proves to be talented and ferocious. However, I succeed in taking second place. It is not what I would hope for, but it is adequate. I remind myself I am still young as I take the road back home.
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Soon enough I am invited to another tournament of arms, this one at Haystack Hall. I respond in the affirmative. My experience at the prior event serves me well, for I am declared the victor of the tourney! It is a proud moment for myself, and I hope it presages things to come. I certainly intend to ensure that it does.
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The time has come to wed my aunt, Daenerys! She is a beautiful young lady who possesses an evident spark of brilliance. We are not close but I trust that, given time, we will grow to like and perhaps even love one another. For the time being she returns to Dorne to continue her tutelage under Oberyn Martell, a close friend of my father’s. Whilst the wedding is a modest affair, I am given to understand that word of it spreads across the Realm. Fitting for the Targaryens no matter how far we might fall.
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We have saved up a modest sum in our coffers, and I decide it is time to put it to use. Through a variety of tax reductions, inducements, and minor changes to the law, I am helping to establish a small town around the castle. The increased economic activity this will bring should ensure our financial situation grows better. I am no Maester with money but I am aware of its importance.
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As it grows increasingly clear that I will not be appointed to Master at Arms, I have decided I will adopt a new ambition. Valyrian Steel is the finest metal in the world and House Targaryen must have such a blade if we are to regain our holdings and glory. I will pay close attention to any possible leads on where I might acquire such a weapon.
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Money is vital. I am learning this rapidly, as almost all possible goals rely on it. I am no Petyr Baelish, Master of Coin in the Vale, a magician with gold, but I resolve to seek out a man of his caliber. I decide to impose a modest tax upon my feudal vassals - they grumble, but accept it. It is not an onerous burden but will hopefully fill my coffers more quickly, meaning I can do more.
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My wife has returned from Dorne. I do not know what transpired since I last saw her but… well let us say that I am dismayed that the tournament I have called in her honor allows me to participate only in a single ceremonial bout, limiting my chances of being killed, or at least blinded.
The tournament is a success, applauded by those who attended. I also spotted two competent hedge knights among the competitors and hired them as bodyguards. They are hardly Kingsguard material but then I’m hardly a king at the moment. (Both die within a couple of weeks of being generated by the game. I assume this is a bug.)
Last edited by Madame Adequate; 05-23-2014 at 12:44 AM.
DANY WHAT THE HELL
So I think what happens with Dany is that the game enforces her name if a female child is born to Aerys, and it gives her the Attractive and Quick traits, but everything else is as random as it would be for anyone else. Hence her somewhat unfortunate genetics.
streme Wheelie
Recognized Member
That is a strange creature you are wed to.
Chapter 6: The Heir to House Targaryen
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With little taking place at the moment except my daring efforts to sire an heir, I organize a grand hunt to take place here in Sharp Point. It’s not a large enough area to have particularly good hunting lands, but there ought to be enough for the event to be an enjoyable test of skill.
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A couple of days into our event my courtier Matarys has located a buck. He offers me the honor of the kill and whilst it’s not exactly the most prestigious kill in history, it is nonetheless a gesture I appreciate greatly. I make a note of his loyalty and humility - he may prove to be a valuable friend in times to come.
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The hunt was a modest success. As I expected there weren’t many impressive or dangerous animals, but there were enough to make it a worthy endeavor and one which I hope my few courtiers and vassals enjoyed.
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In an effort to show my elder sister the importance of the family and my readiness to accept her different religious faith, I dispatch a missive with a small gift for her in Mantarys. I inform her that she will always be welcome at my court, and invite her to at least visit me at some point.
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My wife Daenerys informs me at lunch one day that she is with child. The septa has confirmed it. I am happier than I expected. This is not only the scion of House Targaryen but proof that I will do my duty. Still, I must not speak ill of her. She may not be Margaery Tyrell’s match in looks, but she has many talents in the affairs of state.
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For some time the days are quiet while we await the arrival of the child. What little realm I possess is running smoothly enough and the coffers are comfortable enough, if not exactly bursting. Then a raven comes. Hand of the King Tyrion Lannister, popularly known as The Imp, faces a revolt from one of his vassals. Lady Alysanne Lefford, Duchess of The Golden Tooth, has proclaimed Tyrion a tyrant and is rebelling against his authority.
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By all accounts Lord Tyrion does not match this description. I am not privy to the specifics of Lady Alysanne’s charges but nothing I can uncover indicates The Imp deserves to be called Tyrant. My father told me of my grandfather’s acts against the Lannisters, burning Jaime Lannister alive and having Tywin assassinated, but whatever the foibles of that generation Tyrion is known as competent and well-intentioned man. (Traits: Elusive Shadow, Dwarf, Genius, Ugly, Cynical, Kind, Just, Honorable, Charitable, Gregarious)
In any event, the Lannisters can call upon vastly more wealth and manpower than the Leffords can. Perhaps Tyrion will not repeat Twyin’s treatment of House Reyne, but I doubt House Lefford will have a prayer anyway.
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Closer to home, the exceedingly unfortunately named Lord Dick Crabb invites me to a regional tourney. This is a distinctly larger affair than my previous engagements, so I eagerly reply in the affirmative. And I win! The money and prestige it brings me are rather more considerable than small tourneys as well. But I know I must train harder and gain more experience if I am to continue building my reputation and working towards the restoration of my house.
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Lord Morgan Massey has come of age and is holding a feast to celebrate as much. I reply that I will attend. As I am penning the letter to Lord Morgan, a handmaid excitedly bursts into my study. Before I or my guard can react she tells me that my wife is in labor! I dash to her chambers where I am blocked from entering by a woman as stern as any palace guard, but a short while later the child is born. I am allowed in to see my new daughter!
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We decide on the name Rhaella, after my grandmother.
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Shortly thereafter it is time for the feast, and I am greeted with congratulations and well-wishes. The feast itself is sumptuous and plentiful and during the course of it Lord Morgan and I share some wine and get to talking. I rather like the young man actually, he has his vices but he’s clearly a just and brave soul. Just days after I return to my castle, I get another invitation from him. He is to wed Lady Sylvia Thorne, a lass of fourteen. The wedding, like the feast, is lavish and delicious.
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It is something of a surprise when at this bright occasion Lord Morgan corners me and reveals a plot he is currently engaged in. He seeks to have his great-uncle Humfrey killed. I am shocked by this, but Morgan relates that Humfrey is an honorless coward and, even worse, a kinslayer. I have no compunctions about doing away with a kinslayer, so I accept. I hide my nerves quite well.
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After the feast I make a new friend, unexpectedly. Lady Catelyn Bracken and I find ourselves talking and exploring the grounds, and then sharing quite a bit of wine. She cares about the Seven as I do, but is funny and content as well. We talk a lot, and I think we might be firm friends. Eventually the wedding celebrations draw to a close and I return home, to my wife and new daughter.
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When I arrive, a different piece of news greets me. My father has written to me from Castle Black, informing me that the Lord Commander has died and a new one, Tion Dayne, has been elected to replace him. My father gives not a trace of disappointment or dissatisfaction in his letter, but it must be a bitter blow to remain in his position as Master of Arms instead of being elevated to Lord Commander. Still, there is time yet.
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Sharp Point sees the arrival of a group of wandering hedge knights. I have no particular love for their kind, but I know we all fall on hard times now and again. I direct the castle staff to see to the lodging of these men and their steeds, and to prepare a plentiful feast for them. They leave after a couple of days without anything of note happening, but as they depart a raven arrives, inviting me to another tournament. I eagerly accept! I also name Dany my Master of Laws now that she has recovered from childbirth. She is far better with words and diplomacy than anyone else in my court.
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The tournament does not go my way, not by any stretch of the imagination. I win a few minor duels but nothing of note, and I come away shamefully empty-handed. I resolve myself to do better next time!
Last edited by Madame Adequate; 05-23-2014 at 12:45 AM.
streme Wheelie
Recognized Member
Didn't hear any disappointment about the birth of a daughter instead of a son. Who knows, though; perhaps her marriage will secure some power in the future.
Dick Crabb
Can't imagine a man as great as Rhaegar being passed over for Lord Commander. Also I swear Dick Crabb is in the books too!
Aegon's just happy to have SOMEONE to continue the Targaryen line right now, because everyone else is either dead or in the case of his sister, refusing to marry or come home. He has generally positive traits as well like kind and none like ruthless, so he wouldn't really be too put out. Plus they can marry siblings because Targs, so if he has a son then a daughter ready to go is pretty good anywayOriginally Posted by Jiro
Dick Crabb.
Dick Crabb is indeed a character in the books.
Dick Crabb - A Wiki of Ice and Fire
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