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cyrileom

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Jun 2, 2012
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Chapter I: A Reversal of Fates
I rode into King's Landing, trailed by my honor guard. I had hoped to return before things came to a head, but the rumors sweeping the land said otherwise. As I rode through the streets to the Red Keep, I heard the bells of the Great Sept tolling. I frowned. The last time they did that father had returned from Duskendale. What had happened now? I kept riding. The Red Keep seemed eerily quiet as we approached.

"Prince Rhaegar! Welcome back!" A voice, coming from a man in golden armor, reached my ears. I nodded at Ser Jaime, handed my horse off to a page, and asked to see my father. Jaime stopped in his tracks.
"You mean you haven't heard?" I shook my head. "Heard what?"
"Your father's dead," said Jaime, "slain by Ser Barristan after he cruelly executed Brandon and Rickard Stark."
I stared incomprehensibly at him for a long time. I finally found my voice. "Where is Ser Barristan now?"
"Dead. We killed him first, but he had dealt a grievous wound to your father. He died in hours."
Everyone was quiet after that. Finally, I asked to see my father.
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My father's corpse looked better than he had been for years. His nails had been cut; his hair trimmed. He looked presentable, now. An actual king. Unfortunate that it was so late.

I turned to my wife. "What did he do to the Starks?"
She shivered. "I didn't actually see, but I'm told Brandon was strangled by some contraption as he sought to free his burning father. They died horribly." She took a deep breath. "Half the realm is in rebellion, following the banner of Robert Baratheon. He says your family is corrupt, unjust, and needs to be removed. He says you are a rapist and a kidnapper, the worst of the lot." She said nothing more, but I could tell we would have words later.
I turned to Ser Arthur. "Rally the troops. We march south when they're assembled."
"South, my lord?"
I nodded. "Maybe we can end this without unnecessary bloodshed. Probably not however."

I strode out of the Sept.
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I sat upon my horse, flanked by Ser Jaime, Ser Gerold, Ser Arthur, and ten other knights. I held the flag of parley myself. We'd been sitting for hours.
Finally Ser Gerold spoke: "Should we stay, Your Grace? It seems he's not coming--"
He was cut off by the thundering of a group of knights. At their head rode a large man, armored in full plate and wearing a giant stag's helm. They approached as one, followed by Robert Baratheon approaching on his own. I mirrored his action and approached him.

We stopped a few paces away from each other and took off our helms. His eyes stared at me, burning with rage. "If you're not here to surrender, then I don't see the point in continuing this." Robert spoke through gritted teeth. I shook my head sadly. "I truly apologize for all my father has done. I did not know he was so far gone." Robert exploded. "THAT'S IT? THAT'S YOUR APOLOGY? AND WHAT ABOUT LYANNA?" I reached into a saddlebag and pulled out a note, presenting it to Robert. "I doubt you would believe a word that is written on this, but I have to try. It's from Lyanna." He stared at me with barely contained rage, snatched the letter from my hand, tore it open, and devoured it quickly. He stood shaking for a moment before ripping the letter to shreds. His voice took on a cold tone. "You're supposed to have honor, aren't you?" He looked up at me. "Then fight me. Let's get this over with now. Winner takes all." He laughed mirthlessly.

"I accept." He stopped and looked at me. Perhaps he thought I would say no. He stared a moment longer before bellowing "Make a ring!" I nodded to my retainers and handed my horse away. I put my helm back on, donned my shield, and drew my sword. Robert had drawn his massive warhammer and turned to face me. I noticed his younger brother Stannis was in his party.

Wordlessly, we assumed our positions. It didn't take long before he charged at me like a bull. I stepped to the side and slashed him across his hands. His gauntlets prevented any serious damage, but it did force him to drop his warhammer. I heard him snarl and turn on me. Clearly enraged, he charged me empty handed, seeking to bludgeon me to death with his fists. I met him head on, smashing our helmets together. While I was still recovering, I swung my sword wildly and felt it connect. When my eyes finally refocused, I saw Robert staggering from a blow that had cut into his side.
"Do you yield?" I asked. His response was another wordless charge. This time I smashed him in the face with my shield and stuck him through the eye slits with my sword. He died quickly, and I wiped my sword clean of his blood. I turned to look at Stannis.

"Do you insist on continuing with this rebellion?"
He nodded. "Your family must still be punished. They broke the laws of the realm." Without another word, his men collected Robert's body and left.
I turned to Ser Gerold. "Tell Prince Lewyn and Lord Mace to prepare for an assault in the morning. It seems they will fight, and we need to get to Storm's End as soon as we can."
We rode off, leaving only the blood on the ground to tell where a sordid tale had ended.
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Well that was interesting. I got lucky with Barristan killing Aerys almost instantaneously, giving me control of all of the Iron Throne's armies. Rhaegar actually managed to lose skilled fighter for trained fighter before the duel with Robert, but still managed to wipe the floor with him, which was quite lucky since defeat was certain had I died. Still, I was hoping Robert's death would end the Rebellion, but alas.
 
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Already we've entered an alternate universe with these changes. That is to say, should be interesting. Subscribing.
 
What a reverse of fate ! Let us hope the Rhaegar will be victoriosu but please spare Ned Stark

No promises, but he doesn't seem to be suicidal so it should be fine.

Already we've entered an alternate universe with these changes. That is to say, should be interesting. Subscribing.

Yeah, there's a lot of weird twists of fate this time a lot.

I'm a sucker for Rhaegar and loathe Robert, so I'm already hooked. Look forwards to seeing where it goes.

It goes pretty amusingly well, so far.
 
Chapter II: One does not simply stop a storm
(Bad I know, but we already have Sean Bean)

I rose at the crack of dawn to survey Stannis's host. They were a pitiful host. A single flank of my combined Targaryen-Tyrell host outnumbered his, and yet he still planned to take the field. Stubborn to a fault, and determined to get ten thousand good men killed. I shook my head and returned to my tent. After the pages were through with me, most of the camp had risen. I sent my pages out for wine and awaited my commanders.

As a member of the Kingsguard, Prince Lewyn arrived first. He nodded towards me and took his seat as we waited for Lord Mace to arrive. He finally came about half an hour later, dressed in full panoply. I gestured for him to sit and studied the impromptu battle map that had been assembled in the early morning.

"This should be an easy victory. We outnumber them three-to-one and a simple charge is likely to break them." I looked at my generals as I spoke. They pointedly ignored each other, but they both nodded in response.
"Good. In that case, Prince Lewyn, you will take the left flank. Lord Mace, you will take the right. I will personally command the center. Tell the drummers to beat advance when the hour is done."

The two of them nodded and went to take their respective places.

"One last thing, sers. If you can find Stannis, taking him alive is preferable. It would end the war in a single stroke."
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A half hour later, the army was assembled. Men armored in black-and-red and green-and-yellow were arrayed against a singularly colored host. Sometimes these battlefields felt like paintings, what with the wide diversity of colors that clashed on the canvas of the battlefield.

I raised my lance and then lowered it again - the signal to charge. A great roar arose from my army, and was echoed by the enemy on the other end of the battlefield. There would be no grand maneuverings today, only copious amounts of blood and death.

My honor guard and I made first contact, the Bull on my right and the Sword of the Morning on my left. I broke my lance upon what seemed to be a sergeant, and then threw the shattered remains at an approaching spearman before drawing my sword and setting about the enemy. The main strength of my force connected a moment after me, producing a great clamor as the two armies clashed against each other.

I fell back into the rote movements of my childhood training: swing, block, counter-attack, evade. The fighting lasted for hours, and by the time I noticed that the swell of Baratheon men around me was thinning, the sun was already high in the sky. Stannis' men had fought like demons and had held for an inexplicably long time, but now they were starting to break and run. I left the rest of my men to finish the enemy host and retired to my tent.
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I was breaking my fast when Prince Lewyn arrived. "We have a serious problem, Your Grace." I put my food down. "Of what kind, ser?" Prince Lewyn turned and spat. "The Tyrell army is abandoning us, ser. They're returning to Highgarden." My jaw fell in shock. "But why?" "It seems that Stannis was smarter than we gave him credit for. He kept a small group of knights in reserve and engaged Lord Mace when that fool charged headlong into the enemy line, like you. Unlike you, however, Stannis found and killed him. Even now, Stannis has fled with the remnants of his host, and the Tyrells are leaving. Our only significant force in the area is now our own host of ten thousand. My nephew is still months away, stuck in the Dornish Marches."

The news was certainly sobering. After a moment, I spoke. "Prepare the army for a forced march."
Prince Lewyn furrowed his brow. "Where, Your Grace?"
I took my wine glass and downed it in one gulp. "Storm's End. Taking Stannis prisoner is now our only chance of victory." I put the glass down. "And make sure that word of this doesn't spread. The longer we have to starve out Storm's End uninterrupted, the better."
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Life in the siege camp had settled into regular patterns months ago. Storm's End was an imposing fortress, but it's large garrison meant that it consumed foodstocks at an alarming rate. No doubt the granaries that were once filled to bursting were starting to run more than a little thin by now. Unfortunately, the war camp was not faring much better. An outbreak of disease a few weeks back had devastated the camp and killed hundreds of men. I looked at the imposing walls a moment longer before returning to the war tent.

When I arrived, a messenger was waiting for me. "King Rhaegar, I bear grave news." I motioned for him to speak. "The rebel armies have taken multiple keeps on the outskirts of King's Landing, and it seems that Lord Gyles Rosby has turned coat and joined the rebels. In addition, Lord Arryn is marching south as we speak to break the siege of Storm's End. It'll take him about another two weeks to reach us, Your Grace. The capital still stands, but the full might of the rebel armies will soon fall upon it."
I took a deep breath and motioned for him to leave before taking the eagle piece and placing it close to the dragon that represented my own small army. Ser Gerold spoke first. "We can't hope to fight them, not with Stannis's garrison at our backs. As distasteful as it is, surrender might be our only option."
I idly fingered the piece that represented Storm's End. "Surrender, or cruelty." "Cruelty, Your Grace?" Prince Lewyn spoke. I nodded. "Have our loudest men inform the garrison that they have a fortnight to surrender Stannis, and that if they don't, their darkest nightmares will seem like inconsequential frights compared to what our army will do when we capture the fortress. Spread whatever lies you wish, as long as it gets the point across. Place the drummers just outside of bowshot and have them beat until they surrender. If they still hold by the end of the fortnight, we will just have to mount an assault." I knocked over the piece that represented Storm's End and stormed out of the war tent.
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The rebel army arrived as predicted at the end of the fortnight. Parley was requested and accepted, and I rode out with my company to meet with Jon Arryn, ostensibly the most sensible of the rebels. I prayed that Jon Arryn lived up to his reputation.

This time around, the other party arrived on time to the parley. Pleasantries were exchanged, introductions made, and the meeting had a generally lighter tone than the previous one. Jon Arryn cut right to the chase. "Your cause is hopeless, King Rhaegar. Ned Stark and Lord Tully march on King's Landing as we speak, and your army is in no shape to fight mine. It's over, Rhaegar. Surrender. We are not Robert and we understand you had no control over what your father did to Ned's family, but you still committed a grievous crime. It's finished. Surrender."
I shook my head. "You are mistaken, Lord Arryn." I motioned to my Kingsguard. "It is your cause that is hopeless." Moments later, Stannis and Renly were brought forward and presented to Lord Arryn. He stared at them, fully comprehending what was happening.
"I believe this will turn out much smoother if we return to King's Landing and hold a council. It is not like you have much of a choice. Refuse, and the Baratheon line, and your justification for this war, dies tonight."
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I don't actually know if the Mannis physically killed Mace Tyrell, but even if he didn't his troops certainly did, and it makes for a nice poetic touch. Still, I managed to win this war despite being outnumbered about five to one.
 
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The AI just doesn't like Mace this game. Stannis kills him and someone else takes Storm's End in a siege.

Now let's see if the silver prince can truly make himself a King. Ser Mormont's turn of phrase might still come to pass.
 
Iron Throne is wounded and vultures are alla round you should be just and harsh together to keep the seven Kingdoms united ,Lord Rheagar
 
By the Old Gods and Melissandre's ass, this AAR is beautiful! I tried playing as Rhaegar before but I always end up being defeated by the combined rebel army who always seem to pile up before the Tyrells reach King's Landing.
 
So this means the war is officially over? Good show.

Was an assault actually mounted, I take it?
 
Rhaegar might've won, but he's in a worse position than Robert was at the end of his rebellion in the OTL. Robert actually full-on won his side of the war, meanwhile Rhaegar in this AAR's timeline won via hostages, his army drained and his main ally dead. Hell, even with his victory Robert had to give Mace Tyrell and Doran Martell a pass on supporting the Targaryens. Rhaegar's going to be in even less of a position to try to punish those who rose up against him, because he only just narrowly avoided a loss by taking a knife to two hostages throats.

Should be interesting to see if he still tries to do anything more than attain the status quo though.
 
It will be interesting to see how the former rebels take to their new king. Perhaps realizing he is no Mad King, things may go better... but, then again, this is a Song of Ice and Fire, so...
 
Chapter III: The Second Great Council
The meeting was held in the small council room. The only lords inside were the affected high lords: Eddard Stark, Hoster Tully, Jon Arryn, Stannis Baratheon, even Prince Doran had come up from Sunspear for this occasion. I sat at the head of the table, Prince Doran on my right. Behind me stood the towering frame of the Bull, and the Sword of the Morning stood guard outside the door. Across from me sat the Lords Baratheon, Stark, and Tully. Jon Arryn sat at the middle of the table, across from Prince Doran. Wineglasses, all untouched, lay in front of everyone.

I spoke first. "Is anyone confused about the purpose of this meeting?" Every head in the room shook in the negative. I nodded and unraveled the scroll I had worked on while my army had marched back to King's Landing. I cleared my throat and started reading. "By order of King Rhaegar, First of his Name, the rebel lords of the Houses Stark, Baratheon, Tully, and Arryn are hereby unconditionally pardoned. My family will hold no grudge against them for their actions against my father, and they will hold no grudges against me and mine for the actions of my father. They will swear their oaths of fealty and abide by them until the end of their days." I stopped reading partway through and looked around the room. No one seemed to be expressing discontent, so I continued. "Robert Baratheon's remains will be returned to his family, to be interred in the family crypt at Storm's End. As for the lords leal to the rebels, they share the unconditional pardoning of their lords, with a few notable exceptions. These notable exceptions are charged with disregarding all their oaths of fealty and 'swaying with the wind.' These lords will be apprehended and brought to trial. If they refuse, they are free to rebel and die." I reached the end of the scroll. The only lords of any real note to have done that during the war were the Lords Frey and Rosby. The room was silent for a moment until Eddard Stark spoke.
"And what about my sister, Lyanna?"

"Yes, Prince Rhaegar, what about me?" A lyrical voice sounded from the doorway as Lyanna Stark strode in, pulled up a chair, and sat at my left. Everyone turned to stare at her in surprise, especially her brother. She savored the looks around the room for awhile before filling her voice with mock confusion. "Oh, right. I'm supposed to be in the dungeons right now, aren't I?" Jon Arryn found his voice first. "Are we to assume then, lady, that the tale of your kidnapping was not the whole truth?" She laughed softly. "Kidnapping is most certainly the wrong word. Eloping sounds closer to the truth." Her voice took on a more somber tone. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen, however. I'm truly sorry Ned, about all of this." He sat silent for a long time, and we all turned to look at him. When he looked up, his eyes were cold. "At least come back to Winterfell with me for our family's funeral." Lyanna nodded wordlessly. I passed the scroll around the room with a quill and watched as everyone signed.

"Let us pray this never happens again." I said as I ushered everyone out of the room. Once everyone had left, I sat back down at the table and started to pen the arrest warrants of Walder Frey and Gyles Rosby, to be delivered alongside a royal army. Once those were done, I penned another letter to Tywin Lannister, asking him to return to the Red Keep to take up his former position. Sealing all three letters, I left to find Grand Maester Pycelle.
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Couple points of order: Walder Frey I arrested just because I could and I despise him as a player. Stannis Baratheon I actually left imprisoned, but since I later released him without doing anything to him, I just sped up his release. Finally, sorry for the shortness of this, but I felt that it didn't really mesh well with any other parts and that none of the participants of the council were greatly confrontational.
 
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By the Old Gods and Melissandre's ass, this AAR is beautiful! I tried playing as Rhaegar before but I always end up being defeated by the combined rebel army who always seem to pile up before the Tyrells reach King's Landing.

I remember one playthrough as Ned where I literally walked all the way to Starfall completely unmolested by any enemy troops because the Tyrell AI was shitting in a straitjacket. I got lucky that they at least managed to help crush Robert's host.

So this means the war is officially over? Good show.

Was an assault actually mounted, I take it?

A Hail Mary assault was mounted, yes. It was delayed until the last possible moment when I either had to do it or lose to Jon Arryn. It was not pretty.

Rhaegar might've won, but he's in a worse position than Robert was at the end of his rebellion in the OTL. Robert actually full-on won his side of the war, meanwhile Rhaegar in this AAR's timeline won via hostages, his army drained and his main ally dead. Hell, even with his victory Robert had to give Mace Tyrell and Doran Martell a pass on supporting the Targaryens. Rhaegar's going to be in even less of a position to try to punish those who rose up against him, because he only just narrowly avoided a loss by taking a knife to two hostages throats.

Should be interesting to see if he still tries to do anything more than attain the status quo though.

True, but no one cares to stand for House Frey and House Rosby, so those two little traitors can just go and die.

It will be interesting to see how the former rebels take to their new king. Perhaps realizing he is no Mad King, things may go better... but, then again, this is a Song of Ice and Fire, so...

Ned Stark, despite being the one who hates me the most, actually seems to be the most stable. The rest are a little more belligerent.
 
Oh dear. Forcing Lyanna to join the Silent Sisterhood would be a bloody mercy after all that. Caused the death of his father, brother, best friend, and many thousands because she couldn't keep her legs together, only to prance into the Small Council like nothing happened.
 
Chapter IV: A Series Of Very Fortunate Events

"How long will you be gone?" My wife asked, holding me tightly. We stood on the docks of King's Landing as our servants loaded supplies for the long journey I was about to undertake. The merchantman I had contracted to ferry me in accordance with that old man's map. It's been about a month since he showed up with his map, spouting tales of Valyrian Steel blades hidden all over the world. The man seemed unstable, but his map seemed trustworthy. "A few months at most." Hopefully, I added silently. I held Elia for a moment longer before turning to board the boat. The Golden Mask was a large ship, with a cargo hold the size of a house, a crew of forty, and one skilled healer.

The Small Council would rule in my place while I was gone. Tywin Lannister, Hand of the King, and my wife, the Master of Law, held the lead positions. The Master at Arms was Ser Gerold Bull, and the Masters of Coin and Whisperers were two minor lords from the Crownlands. Grand Maester Pycelle had died a few months ago and had since been replaced by a Reachman named Zarabelo.

The trip itself was uneventful, for the most part. I kept apart from most of the crew, save in the case of the captain Ardayne and his daughter Jorda. I had many conversations with both of them, as there was not much better to do. We docked at every "Free City" on the way to Slaver's Bay. We would pass around the ruins of Valyria, and the map stated that the supposed castle that held the supposed sword was on the very southern tip, at one of the safer places to traverse. It was unfortunate that a few days out of Volantis a pirate ship attacked us. When the captain determined that we could not outrun them, I went into my cabin to put on my plate mail. By the time I was done and came back out, fully suited, the pirates were almost upon us.

The pirates never stood a chance. Their captain was the third over, and the second I engaged. The first was unceremoniously cut down as he landed on the deck. As the rest of the pirates and the crew ran to engage, the enemy captain and I began circling each other. I was not as good as I would have liked, but this captain was no Robert Baratheon. He respectably held his own for a few moments, but his lack of armor meant that he simply could not keep up with the constant blows I was raining on him. At the end, bloody and tired, he tried one last gambit that saw him unsuspectingly impale himself on the end of the sword. After shaking his body off, I turned to the other pirates and began to lay into them. They broke a minute after their captain died, either jumping into the ocean or trying to escape back to their ship. Few made it either way. On our side six crewmen had died, with as many more wounded to some degree or another. That night, I shared Jorda's bed.

The trip itself came to a rather unexpected and unpleasant end when a wayward storm hit our ship off the coast of Valyria. The boat finally capsized a few hundred feet away from shore, and I had to leave almost all of my possessions behind as I tried to swim to shore. I passed out moments after, arms burning. When I awoke, I searched for other survivors, but only found an unconscious and shivering Jorda. Picking her up, I started walking towards the distant castle I had spied.
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"Hail!" A voice sounded from atop the walls in High Valyrian. "Identify yourselves! We don't see many travelers around here."
"I'm Zollo, of Pentos." I yelled back in the same tongue. "This woman is from Westeros. We were shipwrecked not long ago off your shore. We seek shelter and refuge in your hall."
The walls were silent for a long while. Presumably my request was being conveyed to the lord or lady of this castle. At long last, a response came. "You may enter the holdfast of House Valyr."
Jorda stirred on my shoulder. "Rhaegar? Where are we? What happened?" "I found you on the shore after the storm had wrecked the ship, and brought you along to this castle. Do you speak any High Valyrian?" She shook her head. "A shame. Don't call me by my name while we stay here. For now, my name will be Zollo." She nodded her head in understanding and I placed her on her feet. When the gate was opened and the portcullis raised, we walked inside.

Lord Valyr stood inside to welcome us. He was a graying and stout man with a strange look on his face. "Welcome to my humble abode. Can I offer you some refreshments." He spoke in marvelous High Valyrian. "That would be good, my lord. But my companion here cannot understand you. She is Westerosi." Lord Valyr took the comment in stride and switched to our common tongue, though with a far smaller degree of fluency, and repeated the offer. Jorda replied in the affirmative. As we walked through the castle though, things seemed a bit odd. The geometry seemed a bit deformed, and our host strange and nervous. When he led us into a banquet hall brimming with guards, my suspicions deepened. "What kind of drink would you like?" Yes, this was almost certainly a trap, but I would have to rush head on into it regardless. "Arbor Gold, if you have it." The drink of deception. To my surprise, a servant quickly procured it and poured it into our glasses. I took a small sip, and it had a distinctly different taste than the wine I drank back at King's Landing. It was definitely drugged. Still, nothing too it. I gave a glass to Jorda, motioned for her to drink, and gulped down my glass in one go.

The effects were swift and near instantaneous. I stayed conscious long enough for Jorda to finish drinking it and to watch it take its effect on her as well. Then everything went black.
When I awoke, I was in a cell. After a cursory inspection, I noticed only two other human beings: a guard by the door, and Jorda in the cell next to mine. I waited for her to awaken, and when she did quietly asked if she could lure the guard over here. I went to lie on my cot, faking rest, as she quietly ushered the guard over and told him that if he could kill "that vile and lewd monster" in the next cell she would be eternally grateful. The guard was not especially bright it seems, and evidently full of lust, for he readily came into my cell. When he raised his sword to strike, I sprung into action. One hand went to his mouth, the other to his sword. Wresting it away from him, I drove it through his chest, entering from the right side of his body and exiting from the left. Once I was certain he was dead, I took the keys off his body. After I released Jorda, we debated on what we were going to do next, before she noticed that the wall at the end opposite the door looked to be fake. Lo and behold, it was.

We wandered for a long time in dark passages before we discovered a mural, a number of pillars, and a lever in a well lit room. The mural looked confusing, and the text below it seemed to be gibberish. Looking at the pillars, however, I discovered that the murals depicted the necessary arrangement of the pillars. After moving the three pillars around into their proper facings, I pulled the lever. Another fake wall swung open where the mural was hanging, and we went through. Inside, impossibly, lay the ancient blade of my House, Blackfyre. How it came to be here I do not know, but it seems that the map had been true and genuine. After securing it, Jorda and I fled. We wandered back along the coast for a long while until we were picked up by what turned out to be an Astaporian fishing boat. From there, it only took us a few weeks to reach Astapor and Slaver's Bay.
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This game. Seriously, day 5 Aerys killing followed by a rare ambition fulfilled not 3 years in to the campaign.
 
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