Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature currently requires accessing the site using the built-in Safari browser.
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
I've thought about it, but I think I'll probably stop at Wolves, with an outside chance of doing a Crowned Krakens AAR. The reason being is I'm basing these around recent events in the ASOIAF universe, so I get to use characters from the series. I also want it to be mostly-lore-friendly, so I want them to be actual logical kings. Aegon VI landed in Westeros to reclaim the crown, Robert was obviously king, Robb was King in the North, and Balon crowned himself King of the Iron Islands. It wouldn't really make sense for me to have a Tully, Tyrell, Martell or Arryn king in this time frame.
I remember playing A Clash of Kings scenario as House Tully where Robb lost the war and got imprisoned. He got sent to the Night's Watch and, as Hosten Tully, I declared a trial-by-combat with Brynden Tully as my champion. Brynden slew Jaime Lannister and won me my freedom. I then declared war for the independence of the Riverlands and named myself the King of the Trident aka the Crowned Trout.
I love your AARs so expect me to follow whatever you decide to write! kutgw!
To be fair, save for post-ACoK Jaime, Kevan and Tyrion, most of the main Lannisters are pretty awful. It mystifies me that the show seems to like them so much.
To be fair, save for post-ACoK Jaime, Kevan and Tyrion, most of the main Lannisters are pretty awful. It mystifies me that the show seems to like them so much.
The war was over for Robert, but it was not yet so for me. Robert, Jon and Tywin Lannister had crushed the remaining loyalists outside of the capital, before giving chase to the Mad King and his heir. When the men loyal to the new king gathered in King's Landing, the future of the realm was decided. As foolhardy as ever, Robert made his intention to find Lyanna known, but luckily I was able to talk some sense into him. "Lyanna is my sister," I told him, "I will bring her back." It was at that very moment that I departed, wasting no time in beginning the search for Lyanna. All we knew was that Rhaegar Targaryen had taken her to Dorne, though we did not know where. The Spider did what the Spider was known to do, and sent out his many informants to start the search as I departed from the capital. I had intended to travel light and fast, but not alone.
In all, near every Northern lord offered to make the journey with me. Generations have given talk of the Starks and their honor, the love the Northerners feel for our house. How could we not act so, with such esteemed men surrounding us? We were at war for many months, and not one went by where I was not thankful to the Gods for the men around me, for you could find none better. In the end, four companions were settled on. Lords Howland Reed, Willam Dustin, Ethan Glover and Ser Mark Ryswell would accompany me to Dorne, each on their own accord. I would not have any man make the journey if he did not wish to do so of his own volition, and they all did. I thought again, how lucky we Starks are to rule over such fine men.
After weeks of travel, the Red Mountains were finally in sight. Crossing into Dorne was about as foreign a feeling as a Stark could imagine. The heat was intense. It felt as if it could boil the leather on our backs, if it weren't for the fact that it was already boiled. There were few trees, and what trees the country had were far different to those that made up the Wolfswood. People spoke of the North as if it were some harsh, desolate land, but Dorne seemed every bit as harsh. Life was hard here, away from the seas and the rivers. The people were smaller and less brutish than our own, but hard all the same. The rest of our travel was spent mostly in simple attire, for the leather we had journeyed in was too much in such weather. Now, at last within the boundaries of Dorne, Lyanna was close by.
We spent many more days, nearing on weeks, waiting for news, before eventually Lord Varys' little birds reached us. They spoke of a single Tower at the base of the Red Mountains, where it was clear people were staying, but no one ever came or went. Four horses were kept outside, but the people never saw who came to feed and water them. All they knew was that on occasion, a woman could be seen from one of the windows. "That could be anyone." I inquired, unsure if this was truly Lyanna, but the Spider's little birds assured me. "Not from Dorne." they said. "Foreign." It was the best lead we had, and sitting in wait was getting us no closer to my sister. We made for the tower the next day.
The tower was two days ride northwest of where we were positioned, and it did not take long to find it, with the information from the Spider's many informants. While most of the journey was suited to small clothes, now was a time to be prepared. Myself and my companions donned our armor, mounted our horses and made the final short journey to the tower. Standing alone at the foot of the mountains, the red stones were stacked high, a few windows dotted throughout the structure. I scanned them, in hopes of spotting the woman the informants had mentioned, but none showed their face. As our horses trotted towards the base of the tower, our hosts emerged.
"Sers." I said, as I dismounted my horse, my four companions following suit. "Lord Commander." Three men had emerged from the tower, and it was no task to tell who they were. All three were covered from heck to toe in the white plate of the Kingsguard. At the conclusion of the fighting, only three of Aerys' Kingsguard were unaccounted for, and it was presumed they had headed east, yet here they were. Ser Oswell Whent, Ser Arthur Dayne and Lord Commander Gerold Hightower. Three of the Kingdom's finest swords would not be sitting in the middle of Dorne, while their king and prince fought a war, and ultimately lost their lives. No, they were here on orders. We had come to the right place.
"Lord Stark." Came Ser Oswell's reply. "What brings you so far south?"
"Not your games, Ser.", I said. Even the Lord Commander seemed unimpressed by his subordinate's jape. "I am here for my sister, Lyanna Stark. Bring her to me, and we will leave you here as quickly as we came. Do not, and you shall answer to me."
"Forgive me, Lord Stark.", It was now the Lord Commander himself, the White Bull, addressing me. "It seems my old eyes are not what they used to be. Is that a crown of brown hair you wear on your head, or just your own? We take our orders from the king, not from you."
"I come in the name of the king." It was a simple statement that was fully understood by all three men. They had obviously not received word, but now they knew. Robert had won and taken the crown, and they surely knew what that meant for the fates of the Targaryens.
"I am afraid I know not which king you speak of, for our king would not send a traitor to parlay with his own sworn swords." Both Ser Arthur and Ser Oswell laughed, clearly amused by the stubbornness of the Lord Commander.
"Enough of this, Lord Commander. Give me my sister and I swear, you shall be free to leave. Return to your homes, your families, live out your lives in peace. Do not, and you will die this day."
Now, Ser Arthur took his turn to speak. Perhaps the finest living swordsman, Ser Arthur had reason to be assured of his abilities. "I thought you were Northerners, do you not have snow up there?" He said. "Do you forget the color you see before you? We are the Kingsguard, Lord Stark, we do not tremble at the sound of air leaving a man's lips. We are the finest knights alive, my lord, we won't be dying today."
"Perhaps we should have brought Ser Lyn along with us." Lord Willam japed from behind me, as my other companions laughed. Ser Lyn Corbary had personally slain two of Aerys' Kinsguard, a feat that gained him much respect among our forces, and a place in Robert's new Kingsguard, yet the remark was lost on the three men across from us.
I took a breath, before reaching over my shoulder, grasping at the hilt of Ice. "You are men, not Gods," I said, as I wrestled Ice from its sheathe, "and all men bleed."
The four men stood behind my reached for their own weapons, as did the three Kingsguard. Ser Arthur unsheated Dawn, a magnificent shining blade, glimmering in the daytime sun. With a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, the Lord Commander spoke.
"Then by all means, my lords, come show us."
***
The melee had been a blur, and did not last longer than ten or so minutes. In the thick of battle, there is little time to stop and think about what is happening, actions are what matter, and I had acted as best I could. At the end of it all, I stopped for a moment to assess the outcome. Eight men had entered into the melee, and now only three remained standing. Strewn across the floor were the bodies of Willam Dustin, Howland Reed and all three Kingsguard. Myself, Lord Ethan and Ser Mark were all that remained. I approached each body individually, to assess the damage done to them.
Lord Willam Dustin. Lord Ethan witnessed both his and Lord Howland's deaths. Both men engaged Ser Arthur, and both fell to him. Lord Willam was apparently ended by a single stab through the heart.
Lord Howland Reed. Like Lord Willam, Lord Howland also fell to Ser Arthur Dayne. Apparently, Ser Arthur had incapacitated Lord Howland, and delivered a clean death to the lord, pushing his sword down through Lord Howland's shoulder.
Ser Oswell Whent. Fell to the combined efforts of Lord Howland and Ser Mark. Ser Mark had found a gap in Ser Oswell's leg armor, and incapacitated him, before Lord Howland drove his spear through the man's throat.
Lord Commander Gerold Hightower. While my companions were busy with the other two Kingsguard, I faced the Lord Commander alone. Luckily Valyrian Steel was of use to me, as the Lord Commander's shield did little to stop by strike, which broke through the shield, and then his plate, dealing the death blow to his side.
Ser Arthur Dayne. By far the most difficult man to subdue, Ser Arthur had already killed two of my companions by the time Lord Ethan and I confronted him together. Only combined, we were barely enough to overcome the knight, but eventually, we did so. While his guard was open thanks to Lord Ethan's efforts, I drove Ice through his stomach, killing him almost instantly.
***
With the fight over, I made my way up the tower, with Lord Ethan and Ser Mark close behind. Eventually, we reached a locked door at the top of the stairwell, and Lord Ethan used his brutish strength to knock it down. Inside, I found her.
"Lyanna."
"Ned."
The relief was unimaginable. I had not seen my sister for over two years. We went to war in part for her, my friends had now fought and died for her, and here she was, as far south as can be, and well. I embraced her like I had seldom done since we were small children.
"Gods, it's good to see you." I said with a smile. After what had happened to Brandon and to father, seeing Lyanna again seemed to make it all feel like it was worth it. In truth, I knew that it wasn't. We had no choice but to go to war, but the thousands dead, and the men outside this very tower, would never see another day because of it. Even with the happiness of having Lyanna back, it was hard to forget about the dead.
"Ned, I've been so alone." She said. The words wounded me. I knew not of what Rhaegar did to her, but in truth, I did not believe what Robert thought of it. Rhaegar Targaryen may have stolen my sister, but he was not the man Robert thought he was. Underneath the secrecy, he was still a good man, a kind man. I know he did not harm Lyanna, that much was clear.
"Hush now, you're alright. The Targaryens are gone, and Robert is king. We're taking you home."
The artwork used at the top of the chapter is from a comic created by Urukki Saki, real name Uros Obradovic. You can see the actual piece in its entirety here.
Went far better than I expected, honestly. Facing off against those three doesn't normally end well. As for this meaning the end of conflict for a while, one can dream.
I like the comic a lot, but I didn't intend on using much of it. I wanted to head up the chapter with a picture of the three Kingsguard, and I just thought it was a great picture of them.
I didn't want any of the text or anything, because as you said, my version alters. Plus, I wanted to make it feel like my own thing. The 'now it begins', 'no, now it ends' quote is awesome, but it isn't mine. I tried to just come up with my own little dialogue between the men, rather than using George's.
Sorry to not get round to commenting, but I've been following from the start.
And so far, Robert is having a much better time than in the series. Maybe we'll see a good Robert as king (Or maybe not.....) and not have to worry about a clash of kings.
Sorry to not get round to commenting, but I've been following from the start.
And so far, Robert is having a much better time than in the series. Maybe we'll see a good Robert as king (Or maybe not.....) and not have to worry about a clash of kings.
In regards to having the right color hair, I've always been a bit disappointed that the mod isn't able to hard code that Baratheon children always have black hair. Always a bit immersion breaking for me to see a blond-haired Baratheon that, when you check with charinfo, is actually Robert's.
