Tyrion 3, ASOS: an Impactful Chapter. Your Nominations?

[honeyed chicken]

I've been slowly creating a massive excel spreadsheet of ASoIaF for my own use.

I'm up to p.272 of ASOS - the end of Tyrion 3.

I think Tyrion 3 may be the most loaded chapter to this point.

Here's a list of action discussed/revealed in this chapter (I will spoiler this list, just in case):

Busy chapter: -

-intro of Mace Tyrell, Paxter Redwyne & Mathis Rowan

-Council: LittleFinger, Varys, Cersei, the new High Septon, Mace Tyrell, Paxter Redwyne, Mathis Rowan, Tywin, Tyrion, & Kevan Lannister.

1) Glover/Tallheart defeat @ Duskendale p.255&6

2) Robb headed north, to retake WF. Daven Lannister & Forley Prester to siege Riverrun soon as he leaves.-256

3) Mace Tyrell's dubious military experience p.256.

4) Balon Greyjoy styles himself "King of Isles & No.", offers the Lannisters an allliance. p.257.

5) Lysa Arryn lack of fealty? LF will wed her & bring Vale into fold.He is to leave immeditely, which means he will not be present for the PW and suspicion won't fall on him p.257,8 *

6) Tyrion named master of coin, p.259

7) p.260, back to Balon G. He offers "fight the Starks? He's doing that already" **

8) Joff/Marg (PW) wed plans. p.260

9) Dornish contingent.Tyrell-Martell enmity. Dorne claiming seat on council & justice for Elia as promised by Tyrion p.260,1

10) spoils of victory to the high lords. Florent lands to Mace Tyrell p.262.
11) Replacement crown ordered for High Septon. p262.

12) Varys reports 3 headed dragon seen in east. Tywin unfazed p.263. ***

13) Tyrek Lannister still not found. Gold cloak deserters knees broken p.263.

14) Wildlings astir at the Wall p.263,4 "wildlings will flood the no.& Stark & Greyjoy will have another enemy to contend with." Tywin. ****

15) Mance Rayder useful ally? 264

(Lannisters only; others leave)

A)Tywin reveals that LittleFinger suggested Tyrion to Master of Coin. Only Tyrion's has doubts about LF. Kevan & Tywin see him as clever, but not a threat because of his low birth and not being a soldier.

b) Tyrell plot to spirit Sansa to Highgarden & marry her to Willas revealed. "LF brought us word and not our master of whisperers? How interesting." - Tyrion.

C) Cersei: "Sansa goes nowhere without my leave" Tywin: "Leave you must grant if Tyrell asks"

D) how to forestall Tyrell-Stark allaince? Marriage: Cerei/Willas. Cersei stomps out. 265 .
E) Tyrion/Sansa marriage discussed. History of Tywin's attempts to find a match for Tyrion: Hoster Tully refused Tyrion for Lysa after Jamie joined KG and ended the possibility of his marriage to Lysa. Other matches for Tyrion after Lysa: Dorne; Royce (Myranda?); Hightower; Florent (mother of Edric Storm)

G) Robb & Jeyne Westerling mess: "He broke his sworn word?" - Tyrion.

H) Westerling/Spicer lineage. Jeyne's great grandmother is Maegi (Cersei's Maggy the Toad) - "frightening old crone" "brought back from east" - Kevan.

I) The Westerling betrayal does not bother Tywin as much as one would expect . . . (RW hint) *****

J) Reynes of Castamere story. Also Tarbecks.

* as sharp as Tywin is in general, he has a big blind sot for LF which costs him in the end.

** Tywin being smart. Not paying for help he's being given for free.

*** Tywin's blindshpot again. Varys is not a military man, so Tywin underestimates the danger here. Varys is up to his eyeballs in helping the Targs come back to Westeros riding dragons, yet here he is telling Tywin to his face this danger is coming. It actually allows him to claim (later should the issue arise) that he was truthful and told Tywin of the danger. But of course, he knows Tywin well enough to know he'll ignore the rumor.

**** Smart Tywin again. Seeing the opportunity in every event. Even seeing a potential alliance with Mance.

***** Tywin up to no good. He doesn't tell Tyrion everything, but Tyrion can tell his father has something up his sleeve.

In that ASoIaF reads like a mystery at times, Tyrion 3 provides us with more info than any ten other chapters combined (I can think of).

What other information filled chapters do you like?

[Robin the Mighty]

This is one of my favorite ones, also one other tytion chapter the road to meet griff and the bran one when he visits the weirwood.

[honeyed chicken]

This is one of my favorite ones, also one other tytion chapter the road to meet griff and the bran one when he visits the weirwood.

I keep thinking I'll start a list of best chapters and maybe suggest it for an Elimination Game someday.

[Lord Martin]

Aryx X from A Clash of Kings. Probably my favorite chapter in the series.

Harrenhal has fallen to Roose Bolton, he executed the Maester and blacksmith.

Harren's curse is introduced.

Good descriptions of how evil the mummers are, "Septon Utt likes little boys, Qyburn does black magic and your friend biter eats people."

We meet Elmar Frey, Arya's betrothed and she doesn't even know it. Later in the chapter she will tell Elmar, "I hope your princess dies." An eerie calling for her own death.

Then we get our first view of Lord Bolton since he split with Robb at the Twins. He's laying in bed naked, getting fed on by leeches and still commands respect enough to give orders... bad ass.

We learn a little about the size of Harrenhal and get introduced to more Freys, like Aenys, Hosteen and Ronel Rivers. Also, Steelshanks Walton.

Roose has lots of knowlege of Tywin Lannister's plans, suggesting he's been in contact with Tywin. "He has many matters to attend to at King's Landing. He will not march on Harrenhal for some time."

Ser Aenys shook his head stubbornly, "you do not know the Lannisters as we do my Lord. King Stannis thought that Lord Tywin was a thousand leagues away and it undid him."

The pale man smiled faintly as the leeches nursed of his blood, "I am not a man to be undone, ser." Chilling, just chilling.

We learn Highgarden has allied with the Lannisters if that wasn't already clear to us. We also learn that Qyburn had his chain taken for necromancy.

We get the odd letters with Lady Walda that some have suggested might be a code or cypher.

Then Roose calls Helman Tallhart down from Darry to meet up with Robbett Glover and march on Duskendale. The single biggest loss for Robb Stark and its a just a passing line in this chapter.

Then my favorite exchange in the whole chapter:

"I will hunt today," Roose Bolton announced as Qyburn helped him into a quilted jerkin.

"Is it safe, my lord?" Qyburn asked. "Only three days past, Septon Utt's men were attacked by wolves. They came right into his camp, not five yards from the fire, and killed two horses."

"It is wolves I mean to hunt. I can scarcely sleep at night for the howling." Bolton buckled on his belt, adjusting the hang of sword and dagger. "It's said that direwolves once roamed the north in great packs of a hundred or more, and feared neither man nor mammoth, but that was long ago and in another land. It is queer to see the common wolves of the south so bold."

"Terrible times breed terrible things, my lord."

Bolton showed his teeth in something that might have been a smile. "Are these times so terrible, Maester?"

"Summer is gone and there are four kings in the realm."

"One king may be terrible, but four?" He shrugged. "Nan, my fur cloak." She brought it to him. "My chambers will be clean and orderly upon my return," he told her as she fastened it. "And tend to Lady Walda's letter."

"As you say, my lord."

It doesn't get any more foreboding than this.

And this bit is excellent as well:

The hunting party returned near evenfall with nine dead wolves. Seven were adults, big grey-brown beasts, savage and powerful, their mouths drawn back over long yellow teeth by their dying snarls. But the other two had only been pups. Lord Bolton gave orders for the skins to be sewn into a blanket for his bed. "Cubs still have that soft fur, my lord," one of his men pointed out. "Make you a nice warm pair of gloves."

Bolton glanced up at the banners waving above the gatehouse towers. "As the Starks are wont to remind us, winter is coming. Have it done." When he saw Arya looking on, he said, "Nan, I'll want a flagon of hot spice wine, I took a chill in the woods. See that it doesn't get cold. I'm of a mind to sup alone. Barley bread, butter, and boar."

Some of the authors of the food code have noted that boars seems to portend regime changes. Robert was killed by a boar. Roose is making plans to turn against Robb Stark. The boar and his skin changer (Borroq?) appear at the wall before the ides of marsh.

I also really enjoy, "Winter is coming. Have it done."

Then Roose oddly burns a book, again part of the reason some suspect the letters from Lady Walda are a cypher and the book was the key.

Then we learn Hoat is getting control of Harrenhal when Roose marches.

Then Elmar returns and we learn of Robb's betrayal of the Freys.

Then Arya goes to the godswood, hears her father's voice and makes plans to escape.

Then Arya kills a man in order to escape. Her chapter ends with her thought that the rain will wash her clean again....

All and all, this chapter is just the best... I love it....