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Post by Balon Blackbriar on May 14, 2020 22:07:49 GMT 1
Fireball may have reacted with such fervor at the disappointment as to be caught by his own words and deeds, swearing to serve the man obviously appointed by King Aegon as his true successor. He can in fact deeply respect those having taken similar vows for King Daeron, but he has sworn to see him dethroned. Part of him would even hope that Ser Daemon would place Blackfyre in the hand of Prince Baelor, to put an end to the war before it begins. Hope is for fools, there will be a war, and Fireball is nowhere near as optimistic as certain others as to winning it. Bitterseel and Peake thinks it is all about winning The Reach then sweep through the Westerlands to link all the friends of the cause in the Riverlands to defeat the Blackwoods, the Stormlords, the Vale and the North one by one. A nice story, but it assumes that their enemy doesn't look at the map and sees the same strategy. As if they will be so chivalrous as to line up each of their hosts to be defeated in turn. Gallantry is the first casualty in any real war. At the mention of Blackfyre (the sword) Balon had a epiphany. "So Ser Daemon *does* want to be king." he said quietly. "Has he told you as much?" Daemon's intentions were unknown to most. He rarely, if ever, commented on the words spoken by those who would see him king. If the Valyrian sword represented Daemon's legitimacy and all he had to do to stop a civil war was pass the sword onto Ser Baelor then why didn't he? Because he believes he should be king..."The strategy is sound. The Riverlands and Westerlands are split. The North, Dorne, and the Vale can be stopped at chokepoints. The majority of the Reach supports Ser Daemon and boasts the largest army in the Seven Kingdoms. If the Tyrells can mobilize fast enough we can overrun the Lannisters and Blackwoods before the Starks even reach the Neck." The military side of things favored the rebels which segued Balon to the political side of things. "You say we need to convince lords to join us because we're better than the current rulers, we're morally superior. What do we do with those that don't care for that? The Pennypincher. Lord Marq (Durwell)." Balon didn't mention Longtable. "What is the acceptable middle ground to bring them into the fold?"
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Post by Father on May 15, 2020 13:41:42 GMT 1
Like all young men, worship gets to him, when high lords with honeyed tongues speak to him as if he is the true king, he starts seeing himself as such. But he is also a man of honor, rebellion to usurp the throne simply because he desires it is not the deeds of the paragon of chivalry as he also desires to be. And likely live with the accusation of kinslaying is not something that appeals to him.
Fireball can imagine that Queen Dowager Alicent once claimed that the majority of The Reach supported her son, but if it were not for Tessarion, it would not be Lord Hightower marching towards King's Landing for Aegon, it would be Lords Rowan, Tarly and others for Rhaenyra. The Reach is large, fragmented, and Lord Tyrell thinks war is like a tourney, as does half the lords and knights of The Mander. And half again of the others will care more about plunder, ransoms and settling old grudges than whoever happens to win the war. Most of the rest will prioritize keeping their family and lands as unscathed as they can. The splendor of a Reacher Host, with more gold spent on golden embroidery and enamel than the plain good steel would cost reminds Fireball of the parade to mark the start of the harvest festival. Mummer's Troupes and their monkeys. If the Reacher knights will have their way in Battle Valley, there will be massed cavalry charge tilting against one another. If Bloodraven and Ser Morgarth holds sway in Lord Blackwood's counsel, we better pray that the Reacher fools on our side does not convince Lord Bracken that a mass cavalry charge is a good idea against the massed wall of pike they will form up to meet it.
Numbers does not win a battle, or a war, they sure help, but not making foolish mistakes is more important. And while Highgarden can amass an army of a hundred thousand, amassing such a host makes for slow and cumbersome marching, you need to feed it, and the enemy will be nimble enough to avoid open battle. And no way your food will outlast the enemy in a siege, so you must storm the walls with it. Say Lord Tyrell does that, and the Targaryens simply evacuate to Dragonstone? The Longfool will take the city, feast in the Red Keep and then he must withdraw, leaving a tenth of his force to hold the city while the rest wither and melt away returning to The Reach. Woe to us if Ser Daemon in his vanity seats himself on the Iron Throne, for there will be no food to withstand the siege that follows when Lord Stark arrives. The Northmen understands the practicalities of war better than any Southron ever will.
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Post by Balon Blackbriar on May 26, 2020 7:39:18 GMT 1
Like all young men, worship gets to him, when high lords with honeyed tongues speak to him as if he is the true king, he starts seeing himself as such. But he is also a man of honor, rebellion to usurp the throne simply because he desires it is not the deeds of the paragon of chivalry as he also desires to be. And likely live with the accusation of kinslaying is not something that appeals to him. Fireball can imagine that Queen Dowager Alicent once claimed that the majority of The Reach supported her son, but if it were not for Tessarion, it would not be Lord Hightower marching towards King's Landing for Aegon, it would be Lords Rowan, Tarly and others for Rhaenyra. The Reach is large, fragmented, and Lord Tyrell thinks war is like a tourney, as does half the lords and knights of The Mander. And half again of the others will care more about plunder, ransoms and settling old grudges than whoever happens to win the war. Most of the rest will prioritize keeping their family and lands as unscathed as they can. The splendor of a Reacher Host, with more gold spent on golden embroidery and enamel than the plain good steel would cost reminds Fireball of the parade to mark the start of the harvest festival. Mummer's Troupes and their monkeys. If the Reacher knights will have their way in Battle Valley, there will be massed cavalry charge tilting against one another. If Bloodraven and Ser Morgarth holds sway in Lord Blackwood's counsel, we better pray that the Reacher fools on our side does not convince Lord Bracken that a mass cavalry charge is a good idea against the massed wall of pike they will form up to meet it. Numbers does not win a battle, or a war, they sure help, but not making foolish mistakes is more important. And while Highgarden can amass an army of a hundred thousand, amassing such a host makes for slow and cumbersome marching, you need to feed it, and the enemy will be nimble enough to avoid open battle. And no way your food will outlast the enemy in a siege, so you must storm the walls with it. Say Lord Tyrell does that, and the Targaryens simply evacuate to Dragonstone? The Longfool will take the city, feast in the Red Keep and then he must withdraw, leaving a tenth of his force to hold the city while the rest wither and melt away returning to The Reach. Woe to us if Ser Daemon in his vanity seats himself on the Iron Throne, for there will be no food to withstand the siege that follows when Lord Stark arrives. The Northmen understands the practicalities of war better than any Southron ever will. "When the Dance of Dragons ended did they call the surviving Targaryens kinslayers?" When he was a page at Starpike Gormon regaled him with tales about Lord Unwin and his influence at the Red Keep during the reign of Aegon III. At no point was the term kinslayer used. "Or did no one utter the ignoble term because the Blacks were the winners and victors write the history books." Ser Daemon was truly noble and Balon assumed the thought of kinslaying horrified him. However when the dust settled if the rebels won Daemon's kin would need to be quietly be put to the sword. If any of King Daeron's children or grandchildren lived they'd be a threat to Blackfyre's rule. Kill one to save thousands. It was the mantra Balon used regarding the death of Ser Walton Wyl. "How do we bridge the gap between him declaring for the Iron Throne and maintaining his status as the most chivalrous knight alive?"When the topic switched to the Reach Balon asked, "If Lord Leo sees war like a tourney how do we surround him with men that posses a soldier's mind. Men who'll treat the rebellion like a war to be won. Knight and lords chivalrous enough that he'll respect but pragmatic enough to prosecute the war correctly." Balon had gone over the potential list of candidates many times. The Tarlys. Lord Graceford. Lord Walgrave. Perhaps Lord Roxton. Balon hoped Fireball would provide a list of potential targets for him to recruit to their cause. "Furthermore if Lord Leo's host is enormous but ponderous how do we use that to our advantage? Do we treat them like a locust swarm that consumes everything in it's path until the loyalists are forced to deal with it? Do we treat it as a diversion while a smaller more elite army takes the key objectives? I see only two scenarios. Win the war immediately or find a way to keep the loyalists isolated and eliminate them piecemeal." There was a scenario where by the time the full might of the Reach and the other rebels assembled they'd face an army including the North and Dorne. The sheer magnitude of such a battle left Balon almost dumbstruck. "What do you propose then? Let me help you set the groundwork in the Reach." A massive army that could be split up and keep the strategic initiative fascinated Balon.
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Post by Father on May 27, 2020 13:31:19 GMT 1
Chiefly because the only Targaryens to survive the dance by more than half a year had no part in it, Fireball suspects. Neither Rhaenyra or Aegon II are remembered kindly in King's Landing, both were accused of kinslaying, and Princes Daemon and Aemond besides. Besides, that war had no winner, only those who emerged largely unscathed and those who did not. Should Daemon prevail, those of rival claim must die for it, and he knows that this is the consequence of the choice of declaring himself king, men will call him kinslayer for it, and he will bear it because it is true.
Fireball has not much of a mind for politics, he hates politics, and Balon can forget about learning to play it in time, for there isn't enough of it. Lord Tyrell is unlikely to be fully committed to the cause the way Peake and Oakheart are, and so it will be for most lords. Those in the Dornish Marches will watch the Red Mountains, The Prince's Pass chiefly, but Lord Martell will march up the boneway with his host.
The way to win this war is to move through enemy lands, burning as one goes to force those flying the banner of the red dragon to give battle against a larger force. The way wars usually are fought is that one side holds King's Landing and the other will march on it. In this war, that will be a disaster. So what to do? Forget Highgarden, Lord Tyrell should be won over to the cause, surely, a fool he might be, but if he sides with the red dragon, the war will be remembered as a failed rebellion as most lords of The Reach will take the safe choice of doing what Highgarden and most of the others do, it will embolden all who support the red dragon in the first place and make others who care more about comfort than their honor forget their support of the black, Lord Leo is the ram with the biggest horns in that flock of bleating sheep. The one to surround by proper men is Ser Daemon, so that when the time comes, the black dragon himself moves where those loyal to his cause and not to their own grudges and comforts must go. To do that, he must offer opportunities for these to join, and he must score quick victories to bolster his support. Which means he must have enough good men on hand to break through at Bitterbridge or whatever Stormlords would block his way if one deems it best to avoid coming too close to Goldengrove on his way to Starpike. Where to go from there is hard to say, preferably Tyrell to march on King's Landing with the sheep, while the real army burns the Westerlands, force Lord Lannister to give desperate battle then keep him besieged at The Rock while the bulk of the forces marches on the Riverlands to defeat Tully, Arryn and Stark each in turn, while hoping that Lord Leo can deal with the Dornish and the Stormlords.
More likely, Fireball suspects sourly, is that The Reach will be so busy fighting against themselves that Lord Leo will timidly watch, unwilling to march on his own bannermen, and they are forced to hope that Daemon's host might take the Westerlands, Riverlands and beat the others one by one to finally settle the matter with a march on King's Landing. Hence, he thinks, it would be better if Daemon acted as the true paragon of knighthood as he and others like to see him as and just give back the sword and renounce all claims. But if he does not, and Fireball doubts he will, nor could he ever advise the one he has sworn to serve as if he was the true king to do that, Fireball will serve as best he can to help see him crowned. But he does not share the optimism of most others of his side, men of either color thinks they will win, Fireball believes their enemy has the better claim to being right on that account, the black dragon must win The Reach, it must win The Riverlands, it must win against Martell, Lannister, Arryn and Baratheon before there is hope that all the heads of the The Red Dragon might have been cut off. Take too long and the Dire Wolves must be beaten as well, and that is likely at least one battle too many to win for a host that will be weakened by hunger, disease and having left behind too many of it's best men to silent sisters or healers, the Starks will bring a fresh army of Northmen, and those tends to include thousands of gray haired veterans thinking it better to die in the south while they still have strength in their limbs than to be a burden when winter comes.
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Post by Parmen Redwyne on Jun 7, 2020 4:53:13 GMT 1
ParmenWhen in the camps, Parmen is approached by Ser Brynden Rivers, Bittersteel having a mind to discuss his brother and marriages. Not one to beat around the bush or have the patience for any flowery speeches or courtesies, the great bastard simply states that they need Redtusk to pursue the hand of Lady Daena Roxton, or else they are like to lose out against Ser Sebaston Rowan, and that would surely bring Lord Owen to the wrong side. The problem being that Redtusk takes a rather cavalier attitude when asked about it. Parmen doesn't find that surprising at all, his brother never much had any great patience for someone as humorless as Bittersteel. {OOC: I thought Ser Brynden was Bloodraven? If I have that incorrect I can edit below.} Parmen flashed back to a conversation with Wyldfyre where the subject of Roland marrying Daena Roxton had come up, along with a debate as to how is brother’s new wife would react to having to share the bed and her husband’s affections with his new valyrian sword he might gain from the marriage. Judging by Ser Aegor’s scowl some of Parmen’s mirth must have shown on his face. Or not. Bittersteel wore scowls the same way that he wore his sword and armor: easily and with constant use. “ Lady Daena is a beautiful young woman from a noble family, she will make some lucky knight a wonderful wife. You are kind to offer to play matchmaker for my brother Ser Aegor although I wonder why you are bringing this to my attention and not Roland’s?”
Parmen couldn't help trying to get at least a grin out of Bittersteel. Perhaps the brother's were more alike than either one like to let on.
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Post by Father on Jun 7, 2020 21:37:28 GMT 1
"I did, ser, he did not see reason" Bittersteel states curtly in a manner suggesting to Parmen that Redtusk would be disinclined to help the Great Bastard pull down Ser Simon's breeches so he could be spanked good and proper on account of how "nicely" he was asked.
Even so, knowing Redtusk like Parmen does, it is not hard to see why his brother would hear none of it, he does so love his freedom and had brushed aside the topic of marriage that some great lord will eventually put up the hand of his beautiful daughter in a joust, which had been a tolerable stance at The Arbor as long as there was a good chance that Lord Starling might just do that. Now? Maybe not for that much longer.
Yeah, it should say Aegor
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Post by Balon Blackbriar on Jun 11, 2020 7:46:08 GMT 1
...Should Daemon prevail, those of rival claim must die for it, and he knows that this is the consequence of the choice of declaring himself king, men will call him kinslayer for it, and he will bear it because it is true. Fireball has not much of a mind for politics, he hates politics, and Balon can forget about learning to play it in time, for there isn't enough of it. Lord Tyrell is unlikely to be fully committed to the cause the way Peake and Oakheart are, and so it will be for most lords. Those in the Dornish Marches will watch the Red Mountains, The Prince's Pass chiefly, but Lord Martell will march up the Boneway with his host. So Daemon knows what must be done. Balon's mind went back to the conversation he'd had with his mother on the subject. "It's a burden he has to bear, but it's one he doesn't have to bear alone." Empty words to someone as noble as Blackfyre. While Balon wasn't offering to do the would-be-king's dirty work he acknowledged the more of his kin that died during the war the better. It's the children that will haunt Daemon until his dying day. "What of Lord Yronwood?"I'm basing this question on Lord Yronwood's description in Cast of 1000 and some of his public actions in Off Season events. If the Marcher lords could secure the Prince's Pass then the Boneway was the remaining problem to solve when it came to bottling up the Dornish army. "He controls the second most powerful army in Dorne and from what I hear he has nothing but contempt for his peers. Could he not be persuaded to join us? He doesn't have to win any great battles, just delay them long enough to let us fight without worrying about our rear." From what Balon had been told of the Boneway the Yronwoods could turn the numbers of a larger army against itself with their advantageous terrain. The way to win this war is to move through enemy lands, burning as one goes to force those flying the banner of the red dragon to give battle against a larger force. The way wars usually are fought is that one side holds King's Landing and the other will march on it. In this war, that will be a disaster. So what to do? Forget Highgarden, Lord Tyrell should be won over to the cause, surely, a fool he might be, but if he sides with the red dragon, the war will be remembered as a failed rebellion as most lords of The Reach will take the safe choice of doing what Highgarden and most of the others do, it will embolden all who support the red dragon in the first place and make others who care more about comfort than their honor forget their support of the black, Lord Leo is the ram with the biggest horns in that flock of bleating sheep. The one to surround by proper men is Ser Daemon, so that when the time comes, the black dragon himself moves where those loyal to his cause and not to their own grudges and comforts must go. To do that, he must offer opportunities for these to join, and he must score quick victories to bolster his support. Which means he must have enough good men on hand to break through at Bitterbridge or whatever Stormlords would block his way if one deems it best to avoid coming too close to Goldengrove on his way to Starpike. Where to go from there is hard to say, preferably Tyrell to march on King's Landing with the sheep, while the real army burns the Westerlands, force Lord Lannister to give desperate battle then keep him besieged at The Rock while the bulk of the forces marches on the Riverlands to defeat Tully, Arryn and Stark each in turn, while hoping that Lord Leo can deal with the Dornish and the Stormlords. More likely, Fireball suspects sourly, is that The Reach will be so busy fighting against themselves that Lord Leo will timidly watch, unwilling to march on his own bannermen, and they are forced to hope that Daemon's host might take the Westerlands, Riverlands and beat the others one by one to finally settle the matter with a march on King's Landing. Hence, he thinks, it would be better if Daemon acted as the true paragon of knighthood as he and others like to see him as and just give back the sword and renounce all claims. But if he does not, and Fireball doubts he will, nor could he ever advise the one he has sworn to serve as if he was the true king to do that, Fireball will serve as best he can to help see him crowned. But he does not share the optimism of most others of his side, men of either color thinks they will win, Fireball believes their enemy has the better claim to being right on that account, the black dragon must win The Reach, it must win The Riverlands, it must win against Martell, Lannister, Arryn and Baratheon before there is hope that all the heads of the The Red Dragon might have been cut off. Take too long and the Dire Wolves must be beaten as well, and that is likely at least one battle too many to win for a host that will be weakened by hunger, disease and having left behind too many of it's best men to silent sisters or healers, the Starks will bring a fresh army of Northmen, and those tends to include thousands of gray haired veterans thinking it better to die in the south while they still have strength in their limbs than to be a burden when winter comes. Balon nodded along as Fireball laid out the overall strategy. Unify the Reach. If Lord Leo wouldn't act against his bannermen then they all needed to be of one purpose. Of the ten principal bannermen House Rowan was the only true supporter of the King and if they remained isolated they could be dealt with. Balon counted five great houses that supported Daemon and the chance to change that to seven or eight was within grasp. The conversation came back around to it's beginnings, Balon's actions. "I will sway the remaining neutral houses as best as I can. If the Reach is unified it makes this rebellion that much closer to succeeding." Balon paused, unsure how to ask Fireball the question that had plagued him for months, "Ser I know my words and actions have displeased you but I need to know is it better to win ugly or lose with our honor intact."
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Post by Father on Jun 13, 2020 15:03:20 GMT 1
To be a ruler or a leader, is to be alone, Fireball shrugs. If he decides to end the uprising in his name before it even begins, the little children will not die, thus if he rises up, and wins, their deaths will be his responsibility. Some men, like Peake, wouldn't care, but those men does not have a host of knights willing to rise up for their claim on account of their character.
Lord Yronwood is a young blind fool, not unlike an old squire of Ser Quentin's, he will find himself alone, and lose.
Those who win the war ugly will often enough find that they lost the peace, and rarely would it appear that the honorable path leads to certain defeat, it is always a path of small choices, with tempting shortcuts to gain cheap advantages at the expense of one's character. Give in too often, and one will no longer realize that one took the wrong way and lash out with fury, blaming everyone else for being treacherous scum to band against you. It happened to both Rhaenyra and her half-brother in the dance. And to petty kings beyond counting before the conquest. It's what likely will happen to Bittersteel or Bloodraven, depending on who wins the war and whether they survive it. Best not suggest to Ser Aegor just how alike he and his half-brother truly are when it comes to their attitude towards the cost of victory.
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Post by Parmen Redwyne on Jun 20, 2020 4:30:35 GMT 1
"I did, ser, he did not see reason" Bittersteel states curtly in a manner suggesting to Parmen that Redtusk would be disinclined to help the Great Bastard pull down Ser Simon's breeches so he could be spanked good and proper on account of how "nicely" he was asked. Even so, knowing Redtusk like Parmen does, it is not hard to see why his brother would hear none of it, he does so love his freedom and had brushed aside the topic of marriage that some great lord will eventually put up the hand of his beautiful daughter in a joust, which had been a tolerable stance at The Arbor as long as there was a good chance that Lord Starling might just do that. Now? Maybe not for that much longer. "My brother has many admirable qualities Ser Aegor, but reason is not one that he is famous for. He loves his freedom, and why not? Still there is much to like...Has anyone talked to Ser Owen yet and felt out his opinions regarding the match?" "I can talk to my brother but only he will decide if he wants to listen. If this is important ask Ser Daemon to push the idea."
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Post by Father on Jun 20, 2020 18:28:43 GMT 1
Lord Owen's opinions appears to be to let his daughter decide, provided the choice does not happen to have the unfortunate quality of being a blackguard. And as far as Bittersteel understands, Lady Daena leans towards securing an alliance with a house of great influence, Rowan and Redwyne would appear to have the most fitting candidates under the circumstances, Ser Simon Tarly have been thought to be in contention by some, but that has certainly not been the case at the Ringfort since Highgarden.
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Post by Parmen Redwyne on Jun 24, 2020 3:04:09 GMT 1
Lord Owen's opinions appears to be to let his daughter decide, provided the choice does not happen to have the unfortunate quality of being a blackguard. And as far as Bittersteel understands, Lady Daena leans towards securing an alliance with a house of great influence, Rowan and Redwyne would appear to have the most fitting candidates under the circumstances, Ser Simon Tarly have been thought to be in contention by some, but that has certainly not been the case at the Ringfort since Highgarden. "Ser Sebaston is a distinguished tourney knight but he is a pale copy of Roland. Ser Simon...his only saving grace is that he is good with a lance. That doesn't keep him from being a sot and a shitstain on his family's honor." In truth either knight would likely easily defeat Parmen in a joust, although Parmen was a better swordsman.
"I will talk to my brother and to Lord Owen to who I know a bit. We fought together during the Melee at Highgarden. Lady Daena is a good match for Roland. Again, I recommend asking Ser Daemon to speak with him, for my brother values his friendship and will listen to his words." A thought occurred to Parmen ..."Does Daemon know that you are suggesting this match?"
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Post by Father on Jun 25, 2020 17:32:15 GMT 1
Often enough the quality of a man's character are of only secondary consideration to the quality of his family, or should one say, power of his family, Bittersteel shrugs as if that is the way of things. And Blackfyre does not involve himself in such a matter, he is not the sort to suggest that a friend should marry for any other reason than that he wants to. One could get the impression that Bittersteel is somewhat frustrated with his half-brother's lack of action when it comes to securing the throne.
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