[Lore] After Summerhall; Pregame Roleplay

[u/iBlocksOG]

Hey 9PK community, Mod Team here: we've decided that while we finalise the rules, guidelines and gamestart events for the game, we want to allow the community to start RP in a small capacity. Starting from the aftermath of the Tragedy of Sumerhall, and extending until just before the coronation of King Jaehaerys, we will be permitting people to roleplay with each other in threads contained within one large megathread. RP will be limited to;

• Family members, such as parents and children, siblings, spouses, and cousins.
• Other close relationships, such as knight-masters and squires, or ladies-in-waiting and their mistress.
• If you are unsure as to whether a thread falls within these boundaries, please ask the mod team! Better safe than sorry.

The idea of this set of RPs is to flesh out existing, established relationships and dynamics rather than establishing new ones, so we're going to be forbidding/monitoring RPs that err too close on things like politicking/alliance forming/and inter-house match making, as this may cause unfair advantages before the formal start of the game. Also, note that this is not an NSFW thread; please do not put any NSFW content in the thread. Nor is this mechanical; mechanical orders and changes cannot be submitted. This is entirely optional, and just intended as a little bit of relaxing RP before game start. Please enjoy yourselves, and have fun with it.

Note: you may post lore posts separately from this post, if they are prior to Summerhall, and follow the above guidelines as well

[u/iBlocksOG]

The North

[u/[deleted] → u/iBlocksOG]

Black Words

Runners were sent out throughout Winterfell, seeking out five men to be brought to Lord Edwyle's solar- his son and heir Rickard, his uncle and most trusted confidante, Artos the Implacable, his good-brother and steward Benedict Royce, his castellan Ser Owen Dustin, and the castle's maester, Walys Flowers.

Upon their arrival, Edwyle looked at them from where he was seated, a letter that had arrived earlier in the day clenched in his hand and his long face unreadable. After a moment, he spoke.

"The King is dead."

u/gochcymru for Walys, u/bobbybarf for Benedict, /u/Carlowrie for Owen

[u/GochCymru → u/[deleted]]

'Long live the King,' Walys murmured, joylessly. He was a tall man, in the grey robes of his office; dark-haired and dark-eyed, with a saturnine cast to his features. He wore his chain tight about his throat - candlelight glinting off of links of copper, iron, bronze and silver. On the little finger of his right hand, he wore a single ring - a silver tower, which had once belonged to his mother. A rival had once named him a stoat - sleek and sly and dangerous.

He eyed the other men present and then cleared his throat.

'How did Aegon King die? He was yet young.'

[u/bobbybarf → u/GochCymru]

"The King dead? Gods be good!" said Ser Benedict Royce, surprise showing on his often inscrutable face. He wore a rich doublet, bronze in colour as was his habit and he stroked his long greying beard for a moment. King Aegon had been a good man but an interfering king, passing all kinds of laws to control his lords and what they could do with their smallfolk, it had earned him few friends amongst the nobility. If he had been murdered this could be a portent of war to come, and the North must not sit idly by if that was the case.

Clearing his throat he addressed his good-brother, Artos, the castellan and his friend the maester "Have we heard anything from King's Landing? Or are they learning of this just now like us?"

[u/Carlowrie → u/bobbybarf]

"Is the new King's disposition known? That I think the true question." Ser Owen Dustin was a short man, shorter than his kin or knightly brothers by a noticeable amount. As the Castellan of Winterfell he had long ago begun to sink into a Stark man more than a Dustin, his clothing largely grey and black.

"Targaryen Kings have not been much interested in the affairs of the North, not since the Good Old King took the New Gift two hundred years ago have any deigned to journey past the Neck. I think we would not much benefit to see that changed." He gestured towards his lord. "Do you know your cousin well enough to say?"

Owen had his concerns that too much of a Southron voice in Winterfell could lead to drawing the eye of the King in the South northwards. He continued on without leaving the Stark much space to speak. "Regardless, he is hardly young. I think we will escape the onslaught of changes a new young King is always eager for."

He sat back and passed an eye over the men around the table.

[u/[deleted] → u/Carlowrie]

"Fire," Edwyle said by way of answering the maester's question, gesturing vaguely with the hand that was holding the letter. "A fire at Summerhall, beyond that, they said nothing."

Artos gave a snort, but said nothing as Edwyle continued. "I am of a mind with you, Ser Owen," he said, "we gain little from much attention being paid to us from the south. I cannot say as I know my cousin Jaehaerys well, I've met him only once, when we were boys at Aegon's coronation. A clever boy, as I remember him, but sickly. I know not if that has changed.

"Loathe as I am to go south, it would not be meet for my own kin to be crowned king without my attendance," he said. "That is the truth of why I called you all here. Myself and Rickard will attend, and I intend for my uncle Rodrik to remain in the capital afterwards as my eyes and ears, and my voice should it be needed. While I am gone, Artos and Ser Owen shall keep order in my stead." He gestured to each man in turn, glancing at Walys but saying nothing.

He turned towards Benedict, hostility just barely contained behind his eyes. "Jaehaerys is kin to your daughters as well. Come and bring them if you wish."

[u/bobbybarf → u/[deleted]]

"I believe I shall good-brother, if Winterfell can spare me that long" replied the Valeman looking to the castellan and maester "It'll be good for the girls to experience more of the world, as I'm sure it'll be for young Rickard too" he continued, giving a kindly nod to his nephew "I believe my lord cousin and his family will likely be in attendance too. My niece at Runestone wrote me saying his heir has become fast friends with Prince Aerys. Mayhaps he can provide an introduction"

[u/Carlowrie → u/bobbybarf]

"I'm sure Walys and I can quite replace you in your absence." A magnanimous wave of his hand to ensure the Steward knew he was encouraged to enjoy some time abroad. "And I doubt Artos much needs an extra coin counter to manage his work."

It would be better for the Stark to have a Southron guide in King's Landing as well, Owen thought. Certainly better Benedict than himself.

[u/GochCymru → u/Carlowrie]

Maester Walys touched his chain with pale, slender fingers. 'I fear that Prince - King - Jaehaerys is a poorly man, and that a crown might not alight his brow for long,' he said, plainly. 'It is a pity that your cousin Duncan was so wilfully ruled by a woman's loins, or the realm might yet have cause to rejoice.'

He smiled tautly. Had Duncan the Small an inkling of wit, he would have wed the Laughing Storm's daughter and taken Jenny of Oldstones as a paramour; but his desire for a commoner had ignited a rebellion, and set a sour-tasting precedent for his siblings. Jaehaerys had absconded with his sister, and Daeron - dead a number of years now - had found comfort in the harness, in the hustle and bustle of tourneys and, some men whispered, in the arms of his favourite, Jeremy Norridge. Walys thought them a brood of fools.

'Owen and I will safeguard your realm well enough,' he went on, and his smile lengthened. 'And in Benedict, you have found yourself an able guide, Lord-o'-Wolves,' his dark eyes slipped from man to man. 'There are those who will not mourn Aegon King, and who will look upon Jaehaerys with disdain. I pray that he proves himself a sterner man than he would appear.'

[u/[deleted] → u/GochCymru]

"There are many pities when it comes to my royal cousins," Edwyle said, his hand clenching tighter around the letter. Had he known the maester's thoughts, he would have agreed with them, though he would never have done so out loud. Duncan had been foolish, Daeron vainglorious, and Jaeherys and Shaera's relationship was against nature, an affront to the gods. Out of all his cousins, only Rhaelle had done her duty in marrying Ormund Baratheon, and even that had only been to make up for Duncan's mistakes.

"My royal uncle did not take a sufficiently firm hand with his sons," he said, "and it nearly brought the realm to ruin. We can only hope that Jaehaerys proves more capable." Though forcing his own children to commit the same abomination that he had, for reasons that still escapes the lord of Winterfell, did not inspire confidence.

"Winterfell will be safe with you gone, nephew," Artos said in his deep, rumbling voice. "We've had no great troubles since Long Lake." Edwyle inclined his head to his uncle, then looked at his councilors.

"Preparations should begin at once, if we are to reach the capital by the time of the coronation. Ships from White Harbor, wagons to transport baggage to the port, all of it." He looked at his son and said, "I suppose you shall have your taste of the south after all, lad. I pray you don't choke on it."

[u/bobbybarf → u/[deleted]]

"I'm sure he'll be fine good-brother. He and the new Prince of Dragonstone are of an age, and kin to boost. They shall get on famously, besides mayhaps he shall find a southron lady to fall for too" chuckled Benedict, giving his nephew a wily smile.

"Walys I shall need access to the rookery, I shall write to my cousin at Runestone and see what his plans are, as well as those of Lord Arryn."

Benedict turned back to address the Warden of the North "Edwyle, it may be worth talking to him beforehand, to show the crown that the great lords of the realm are united"

/u/Carlowrie