Diplomacraft: The North game topic

[Leonardo]

Diplomacraft: The North, Turn 1, Year: 0001/Spring

The Map: http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m49/Shyox/northDiplomacraftbordersandcitycastle2.jpg

The North has recently come out of a long winter that shattered the power structure of the North. After 2 years, life has slowly begun to take on its usual rhythm, and the games and grabs for power begin anew. The Karstarks try and balance the appeasement of their vassals with the cost of large influxes of gold through trading with the Braavosi; word is spreading of a new chieftain beyond the wall with eyes on greatness far beyond his blood and station; the Mormonts deal with local matters made no less trivial by the fact they're mainland vassals still hold resentment towards the bears of the isle.

PLAYER LIST:

1. Lord Lyman - House Mormont of Bear Island

2. Minstral - House Karstark of Karhold

3. Bright Blue Eyes - Mead King of Ruddy Hall

4. Stannis Joplin - House Ryswell of Sable Hall

5. TheCrannogDweller - The Night's Watch

6. Dobromir - House Flint of Widow's Watch

1. Lord Lyman Mormont (45) 3/5/2 : Bear Island Player: Lord Lyman
Vassals: Glover, Woodfoot, Bole,
Castles: Mormont Keep, Deepwood Motte
Prestige: 3 (While an old house, bear island is rural, and this new song is doing nothing to help your credibility)
Legitimacy: 9 (None question the rule of House Mormont but your coastal vassals, who provide nearly half your manpower)
Population: 170,000 / 1300 foot, 400 mounted
Income and coffers: 55,000 GD a yr / 75,000 GD
Resources: Fish, Exotic Furs
Traits and Notes:
Large Game - There are no better hunters than those of bear island, who tangle with the largest prey available south of the wall
South Coast - The South coast of Bear island remains fishable even in the deeps of winter, providing a steady though less consistent source of food, with the rest being free of ice the rest of the time
Skinchangers - House Mormont boasts a large number of skinchangers, rumors say
Fleet - The Bear has not forgotten the Kraken; House Mormont has the only sizable fleet this side of the North


HOUSE MEMBERS:

Lysa Monrmont 3/1/0 (Lyman's wife, 40)
Luwin Mormont 2/2/5 (Lyman's brother, 41)
Lancel Mormont 4/1/4 (Lyman's first son, 20) *Lancel is a fine hunter
Lyanna Mormont 3/0/2 (Lyman's Daughter, 16) *Lyanna has a curious affinity with animals
Lyn Mormont 1/1/1 (Lyman's second son, 6)


COURT:

The Oakwoods are two brothers and one sister. Their House overun during a Rebellion in the Riverlands. At the time Lord Oakwood placed his children on a boat and sent them forth. The Mormonts have gracesouly taken them in. They have been on Bear Island for 12 years now and have been loyal to the Mormonts.

Aegon Oakwood 0/4/3 (25)
Aerys Oakwood 4/0/3 (23)
Visera Oakwood 4/0/0 (17)
Nathyn Cayden 0/0/2 (30)(Captain of the guard)

PLAYER CRISES:

-Your wife has begun to show signs of pregnancy, and while there was much rejoicing the first night, in the sobering morning air
your maester has expressed concerns about your wife's age. While he says chances of survival are better than not, it could be dangerous
to let the pregnancy come to fruition. He suggests a strong dose of certain herbs and medecines may cause the pregnancy to fail and
he says it's a much better chance of your wife coming through fine. Your wife is adamant about having the child and angered with the maester
for even suggesting it, saying she is strong and can deliver you the child. What will you do?

-Your courtier Aegon Oakwood has come from a trip to the south coast to report that your land and hunting rights are being violated, with any
commoner able to claim game in the woods. He suggests either policing it or even building a new holdfast to firmly establish your presence and
maintain strict control of the hunting grounds, as game has begun to grow scarce in places, especially the large game Bear Island is known for as well as
the fine fishing of the south coast.
Many leave carcasses with large amounts of meat to rot, taking only the preferred bits or treasured prizes such as a rack of antlers or hide.
Your castellan estimates a 10,000 GD cost to building a new holdfast to the south, as well as a further 10,000 to accomodate its new landed knight or
lord and its people comfortably

-"The Bear's Derrier" is a humorous song passing throughout your realm, and you are the target of its degradation. It japes of bears mating with men in
bear's skins and claws, who then give birth to hairy children that smell. While not poetic, it is on the lips of every tavern singer at least once a night,
even becoming a drinking song. While harmless enough at first sight, the smallfolk are beginning to mock you openly when you're not around and treat you with
disrespect while your back is turned. You can outlaw the song for a small cost of policing taverns, but this may even make the song more desperate to be heard



2. Lord Atheld Karstark 0/1/1 (7), Karhold Player: Minstral
HIS REGENT: Adaric Karstark, Uncle- 4/5/4 (31)
Vassals: Greystark, Long, Greatwood
Castle: Karhold
Prestige: 6 (House Karstark doesn't enjoy the same status as their namesake kin, though they are known as doughty fighters. Too rural and somewhat remote to be considered with the same reckoning as Stark or Bolton)
Legitimacy: 8 (Your vassals are humble, but enjoy staying at home and dislike your dealings with the Braavosi, who they claim have begun to settle some of your coastlines to enact their own small logging operations)
Population: 300,000 / 2,300 foot, 700 horse
Income and coffers: 180,000 GD a yr. / 100,000 GD
Resources: Lumber(See below), Fish
Traits and Notes:
Greatwood Trees - The trees if Karhold are both plentiful and one of a kind; the greatwood tree only takes root in great number here, and Braavosi shipmakers pay highly for this as well as lumber for firewood, representing most of the Karstark income
Rural Coasts - The coasts are broad and the fishing is here is some of the best in the North, though it begins to freeze during winter and are somewhat hard to police
Woodland - This confers a bonus while fighting on your land, while also taking more time to mobilize men as well as making it more difficult to keep them fed in one place

-Heir/Regent: Adaric Karstark, Uncle (32) 4/5/4
-Runtheld Karstark "the Silent" Uncle (29) 5/3/0 *Runtheld is an excellent sailor and Cyvasse player after his time in Braavos, where he met Uquello
-Barthold Karstark, Uncle (27)- 0/0/4 *complete sot and idiot, but strong
-Mirissma Karstark: Aunt and only sister of the siblings (24): 1/1/0
-Antheld Karstark, uncle (22) 2/4/5

Court:

-Uquello Fento, a Braavosi Merchant/administrator (28) 2/4/0
-Maester Lyonden: (58) 4/2/0
-Hawthold Hawthorn, The master of Arms (35): 0/3/5

PLAYER CRISES:

-A woman has come to the castle claiming Berthold fathered a bastard on her. He counterclaims ignorance, but it is plain to see the babe shares the same coloring
as well as his rather bulbous nose. What will you do?

-A Pentoshi nobleman was caught travelling your lands without warrant or any plain cause. When brought before you(rather roughly) he informs you he is merely touring the North. He has no notable possessions but a decent supply of gold (8,000 GD equivalent) and an retinue, half of which are unsullied eunuchs. He offers you a eunuch with impressive mathematical skills, and asks for hospitality worthy of his station. He wears a badge of high office and with documents that verify he is an associate of one of the Pentoshi magisters.

-Lord Long has come before you to ask for better policing of the coasts. While your deals with the Braavosi have drastically increased income, there are now Braavosi settling his lands as well as your own slice of coast, who pay no taxes and are learning the lay of the land to better help the logging operations you have negotiated with the Braavosi. He claims they will soon be rooting through the forests for Greatwood trees and selling them at discount by going over your head as he believes they are already doing with the lumber from the coasts.



3. Theon, mead king of Ruddy Hall (22) Chief Beyond The Wall Player: Bright Blue Eyes
Prestige: 1 (You are a chief of the Free Folk, where respect and loyalty is earned through action, not birth)
Legitimacy: 1 (Your holdings are small, but those under your command are loyal)
Population: 200, 25 doughty experienced fighters, 15 green boys, 10 spearwives
Income and coffers: 100 GD in valuables, 5 horses, 10 garrons
Resources: Mead
Traits and Notes:
Mead - Ruddy Hall produces the finest mead this side of the wall, and has even interested brother's of the watch at times

THE CLAN OF RUDDY HALL:

Theon, Mead-King of Ruddy Hall (22) 2/4/5
A young raider, talented, charismatic and with great dreams. Gobbles up everything he can learn about southern military tactics and strategy. Is head over heels in love with Aly.
*Posseses an old book on the military history of the North from before the conquest
*Theon is an excellent drinker

Aly Flint (19) 4/5/1
Daughter of the Mountain Clans Spent the last winter as guest of House Stark in Winterfell, learning a lot about the inner workings of the North and how to run bigger stuff. Got stolen by Theon and took to the lifestyle of the Free Folk like a duck to the water.

Rodrik the Grey 5/4/2 (63)
Former ranger out of Icemark, originally an Ironborn. Was on a ranging when he got stolen by Theon's and Morna's great-aunt twenty years ago. Being in his sixties, he isn't as fit as he used to be by a large margin, limiting his prowess in personal combat. But the brain is just fine and he's got a lot of experience. Taught Theon and Morna most of what they know about the South. Well, North actually, but who cares beyond the Wall?
*Rodrik was a superb duelist in his prime

Morna Catskin and Star 3/0/5 (23)
Theon's sister, a skinchanger, and her shadowcat, named after the bright patch on her breast. Definitely emotionally affected by Star, she is a loner by preference, but devious when called upon. Star is responsible for her prowess in personal combat. And stalking. And skulking. And being a bitch.

PLAYER CRISES:

-A chief of the one of the ice river clans has died and left a power vacuum in his wake. His son scrambles to hold things together and has recently won a bout against a rival chief to take control. There are 200 fighting men under his command as well as 2,000 free folk; another 1,000 and 100 fighters are holding out their support as they do not think he is worthy of loyalty. It's 2 weeks march, 6 day ride from Ruddy Hall, and Rodrik claims this could be a chance to expand your holdings...

-It has come to your attention that hundreds of freefolk are being lead down the eastern shore to hardhome where slave traders from the free cities have landed and setting up a camp in which to ship slaves from. They are mostly hornfoot, and there is to be a meeting nearby of their clan chiefs 8 days march/4 days ride away to discuss a possible move against the slavers. Your own scouts have reported a eighty me at least
in just the column leading the slaves, with the possibility of more waiting at hardhome.

-Direwolves have been growing in number, managing to scatter a small herd of goats from your own farm lands. Your captains and your free folk all ask for some action against them, but hunting wolves and direwolves is unlike hunting any other animal due to their own impressive skills and instincts as a hunter. They are known to be led by a large one eyed brute


NOTES: BBE I forgot to get you to pick a location you believe Ruddy Hall is, so ignore the map as it's actually in the spot just to the right of where it is now, below the valley of the Thenns.
Any changes on ages or anything just let me know and I'll fix 'er up.
If you wish to sign up for the game check out the sign up topic

Crises will come and go with the turns; this however does NOT mean these are the only things to respond to or do, on the contrary, you should be setting up your own plans and things in conjunction to settling the matters that come before you and your court.

[Leonardo]

4. Lord Mathis Ryswell (31) 5/5/5 : Sable Hall ​Player: Stannis Joplin

Vassals: Ryder, Fisher, Branch

Castles:Sable Hall, Lamebole Keep(Branch), Footfall Den (Ryder)

Prestige: 7 (House Ryswell is known far and wide for their horseflesh and command a sizable chunk of the North, though not capable of the shows of force House Stark or Bolton can muster)

Legitimacy: 8 (Your vassals are rich through the horse trade, though many also now push for ways to expand this revenue such as finding new sources of trade and land)

Population: 280,000 / 1,800 foot and 1000 mounted

Income and coffers: 280,000 GD / 500,000 GD

Resources: Horses

Traits and Notes:

Horsemen - The rills boast the swiftest and fastest horses of the north, as well as the best riders
Longships - A number of fishing boats are available as well as a few longships to House Ryswell to help protect its coasts
Irrigation - Due to the nature of the rills, farmland is abundant due to easy irrigation methods, though not fit for all crops

HOUSE MEMBERS:

Lord Mathis Ryswell (31) 5/5/5

Seign Ryswell (29) 2/5/3

Willem Ryswell (41) 4/1/5

Jon Ryswell (22) 5/0/0
*Jon is an avid reader

COURT:

Jackameau Stout 4/1/5
*Jackameau is an impressive gambler, but is worse at losing; exceptional in a duel but not well liked

Corvin of the Rills 1/4/5

PLAYER CRISES:

-A white stag has been spotted in a patch of woods a week's ride from Sable hall; this is a good test of mettle for a young up and coming hunter, but the glory it will bestow upon the man who can catch this intelligent and elusive beast will be song-inspiring.

-A group of merchants from Sable town have come to you to let them set up shop in the settlement; this will provide you with a substantial amount of income as their merchant guild grows, though eventually will begin to annoy vassals who believe they are siphoning their income, and possibly even neighboring lords...

-Jarman Ryder is a son of Lord Hallis Ryder, your vassal; he has recently been apprehended on the outskirts of your lands and is a deserter of the watch. Justice and custom decree you behead the deserter, though mayhaps you could bargain with the watch to accept him back or come up with some other solution, though beware of the precedent you set and possible changes in prestige and legitimacy. Regardless of what occurs, the relationship with one of your most powerful vassals will doubtlessly be affected.

5. Lord Commander Lucas Norrey (48) 5/5/4 : The Wall Player: TheCrannogDweller

Vassals: N/A

Castles: All castles of the wall are currently manned

Prestige: 10

Legitimacy: 10

Population: 10,000 / 1,000 rangers, 3,000 foot, 1,000 mounted (1000 horses, 1500 garrons)

Income and coffers: 15,000 GD / 50,000 GD (The Watch's income has been carefully allotted to maintain such a large standing force of men. As a consequence there is little liquid capital coming in.)

Resources: Virtually none

Traits and Notes:

The Decline of the Watch - The Night's Watch is an institution of great prestige, however over the course of time this begins to decline as the watch forgets its true purpose
Libraries of Castle Black - If there is a center of learning of the North, it is ironically at the wall, where thousands of books lie dating from beyond living memory

NOTABLE BROTHERS OF THE WATCH:

Lucas Norrey, 48 (5/5/4) - Lord Commander

Lucas was born a third son of the Norrey. Handsome, loyal and quick to smile, he was a favourite of both of his older brothers; the first of them taught him how to fight and the second - how to drink. After surpassing both of his brothers in those respective areas, Lucas took part in several drunken brawls, some of which have become the stuff of legend among his clansmen. His female conquests, on the other hand, are only spoken about in whispers.

His father decided to put an end to this devil-may-care ways when Lucas was 18. The Norrey packed all of his third son's belongings and sent him to Winterfell. There, under the influence of Lord Stark (and, some say, his beautiful, wild, 15-year-old daughter) Lucas finally grew up. He soon proved himself not only a great fighter, but also a diligent student - to the delight of Winterfell's maester.

All of this ended on the eve of Lucas's 22-nd nameday. That fateful night, he went to Lord Stark to speak with him in private. What words were uttered in that solar none can say, but on the next morning Lucas was gone. Some say he was banished, some - that he left voluntarily. All agree that the next time anyone heard of him, he was already at the Wall, wearing the black.

His first years in the Watch were not gentle ones. Lucas took back to drinking and spent many a night sobering up in the ice cells. He reconnected with his brothers, the second of which started visiting him from time to time. On one of those visits, Lucas's brother decided to take a trip to the top of the Wall "to piss on the wildlings". This piss turned out to be his last, as a strong gust of wind made him lose his balance and fall to his death.

His brother's death served to sober Lucas up. He finally became reliable enough for the First Ranger to regularly take him on his forays into the Haunted Forest. Lucas slowly rose through the ranks, until he was elected as Lord Commander when he was 41.

Cregan Snow, 32 (4/2/5) - First ranger

Cregan was born the bastard of the daughter of a small lordling, sworn to the Hornwoods. In his early years, it was rumored that his father was a Manderly, because Cregan spent much of his young adulthood in White Harbor. There, he learned how to read and write from one of the scribes in service of Lord Manderly's maester.

A formidable fighter, at the age of 16 Cregan took service with Lord Locke's personal guard. The commander of that guard was a grizzled, old bear of a man, who never had a son; he took to the young bastard and taught him much and more about warfare and tactics. Unfortunately, that man died and the new commander was not overly fond of Cregan. He accused him of theft and had him thrown in a cell in Oldcastle.

That cell was where a brother of the Night's watch found him a year later. Cregan, 22 at the time, welcomed the opportunity to take the black instead of rotting in the dungeon. After proving his martial prowess and hunting skills, he was made a Ranger - and 8 years later found himself in command of that order.

Larence Bolton (27) 4/4/4 (Commander of the Shadow Tower)
*Larence is a veteran of the last war in the North, having chosen exile at the wall

Frederic Bole (42) 1/3/1 (First Steward and commander of Eastwatch by the sea)

Willem Flowers (41) 3/3/5 (ranger)
*Willem is a capable teacher and can read despite his birth

Wallace Manderly (22) 0/4/1 (First Builder)

Player Crises:

-A fire priest named Colloquo has been found wandering the gift after being chased off Umber lands, claiming to serve a a red god and that he has knowledge of fire magic. Many laughed until he managed to conjure a ladder of fire which he used to climb halfway up the wall; now the men are torn between wonder, fear, and pronouncing the magic as evil. Many of the men hold to the old gods, but there is no doubt to the man's power. He requests either housing or passage to the east, and promises reward; it is unlikely he will be interested in taking the black, but it is possible. His stats are 5/0/2

-Lord Ryswell has sent word of a Night's Watch deserter; it is a difficult situation as he is the son of a powerful vassal, and exercising justice may estrange this house and possibly even House Ryswell for years to come. The Watch have elected to send a delegation, who is leading and who will be present for these talks? (Even if the problem is solved player to player, the delegation and who is sent will still affect the outcome)

-The village of Frostfall in the western side of the gift has begun to report a wave of sickness; the symptoms are fever and a wracking cough, as well as small lesions developing on the skin. If this reaches the confines of the watch it could turn into an epidemic, though if the watch could stop the tide they would save many lives who are under their command.

-There has been a murder at the nightfort; there are no clear suspects as of yet and tensions have grown very high as it was the commander of the castle. He must needs be replaced and the case investigated

-A Lannister of Casterly Rock has arrived at the wall wishing to take the black; also sent however is a letter from House Reyne offering 150,000 GD to deliver him to them in the Westerlands. If you deny his wish to take the black you will receive a hit to your legitimacy and prestige, but not doing so will sever relations with one of the most powerful houses in the west, and this may just be a foot in the door for further cooperation. He is a notably intelligent but not martial man, likely making a good steward or commander.

6. Lord Crow Flint (31) 5/5/5 : Widow's Watch Dobromir

Vassals: N/A

Castles: Widow's Watch, Dayglow Keep

Prestige: 5 (House Flint has many branches scattered throughout the North, but those of Widow's Watch boast the highest prestige. They have no truly sizable vassals, controlling their lands and castles directly. However their reputation as wreckers is a bit too well known...)

Legitimacy: 9 (Your rule is unquestioned, but somewhat burdened by the vast amount of minor lords and landed knights needed to be attended)

Population: 140,000 / 1100 foot and 300 mounted

Income and coffers: 40,000 GD a yr. / 80,000 GD

Resources: Hardy Grain

Traits and Notes:

Abandoned Mines* - The lords of widow's watch at one time were made rich in trade of pale blue sapphires, but the mines supposedly dried up long ago and are now home to 'ground folk'

Lighthouse - Widow's Watch is a lighthouse

Wreckers - In conjunction with the lighthouse trait, the lords of Widow's Watch have been known to use guile to steer ships into crashing upon their shores and taking their bounties

Hardy Grain - The combination of strain of grain and ground around widow's watch has led to them being able to farm further into autumn and winter than anywhere else in the North

HOUSE MEMBERS: I/S/M

Lord Crow Flint (33) 5/5/5

*Lord Crow became a Lord at the age of 15 and was shortly after merried to Lady Andice. Since then, he was trying to avoid the wars if possible, but he is not a weak person and if pushed, he will strike back swiftly.

Lady Andice Flint (32) 5/5/0

*Lady Andice was always there for Crow, ever since the beginning. She despises wars and death, but knows how to use cunning actions in order to gain what she wants and what is best for her family.

Bron Flint ( (45) -/-/- )

Mariori Flint ( (44) -/-/- )

Johanson Flint (26) 1/4/0

*Johanson is a charismatic man of the people. He is the smaller brother of Lord Crow and has never seen a fight in his life.

Bayron Flint (12) 1/3/1

*Bayron is the oldest son of Lord Crow. He is spending his days studying with the teachers.

Leeroy Flient (11) 2/1/2

*Leeroy is the second son of Lord crow. He is almost constantly around his father, trying to soak up his knowledge.

COURT:

Stonehead Strat 3/2/5

Bayior Greyfield 0/5/5

Player Crises:

-According to the captain in charge, 20 men of widow's watch were on a routine patrol when they ran into Bolton scouts. For some reason, communications went awry and a skirmish began. In the end it left all five of the Bolton's men dead along with two of Flint. Selyse Bolton has sent a raven with the implications that the Flint men attacked hers without cause. The Boltons have a deal of might to throw around and are not known for suffering sleights against them; this requires some action or more patrols may find themselves entangled with Bolton men.

-A man who claims to be a genius engineer has come to the Flint court to offer his services to Lord Crow; he is a strange man prone to nervous ticks, but after waxing long and loudly about mathematics and architecture, it is clear he does in fact have some knowledge of building castles and great structures. He says he can draw up plans to either create a new castle or make an existing one far stronger. Widow's Watch is a stone castle with motte(hill) and Bailey(wall) along with the lighthouse which acts as a keep and houses the nobility, but there are many other possible improvements to be made as well.

A new castle would be very expensive, but the man's skill would make it the envy of all the North and word would spread throughout Westeros. It would carefully tread the line between bankruptcy, but the steward assures Lord Crow can afford it if he keeps other expenses light. On the other hand, Widow's Watch could be built up into a great fortress itself for half the cost and less time.

-A knight has come to court; he is experienced in the lists and has an authoritative booming voice. He stands at close to seven feet and wields a large warhammer fiercely. He is an excellent fighter, though he cannot read. He claims to be a cousin of King Mudd in the Riverlands, and the quality of his arms, armor, and horses lend credence to his being high born. He hints without any subtlety that in exchange for a small land grant and gold enough to build a hall he would swear his service to Lord Crow. (5000 GD)

Perceival Mudd (26), 0/2/5

[Leonardo]

Armies of the realm and their dispositions:

Lord Lyman of House Mormont

100 men at arms, good morale and garrisoning Mormont Keep

100 Glover men at arms, good morale and garrisoning Deepwood Motte

Lord Atheld of House Karstark

200 men at arms, good morale and garrisoning Karhold

50 men at arms, good morale and guarding the port of Karhold

Lord Mathis of House Ryswell

150 men at arms, good morale and garrisoning Sable Hall

50 men at arms, good morale and guarding the pass south of Icetown

Theon, Mead king of Ruddy Hall

50 raiders, high morale at Ruddy Hall

The Night's Watch

200 rangers on hand at Castle Black with 100 more as permanent garrison, the rest in garrisons of varying sizes along the wall

===

Added House Ryswell and the watch, and a new section detailing the current forces immediately available to each player. The turn will have an update regarding resolution of events or any action that occurs before the middle of the turn; players will have a chance to follow up these conclusions before the next turn starts and the remaining military engagements play out.

[Leonardo]

MID TURN, YEAR 0001

BEAR ISLAND:

Aegon Oakwood set out from Mormont Keep and before even reaching the coast had apprehended 6 poachers, sending them on to the capital for judgment. All are fisher folk, but probably have possessions to be taken in fines. He believes the rest have merely fled for a short time, and thus continued a campaign throughout to set up patrols, working with any minor landholders. He had apprehended another 11 poachers by the end, and game is starting to be seen in the woods again.

While on his mission he found a cliff overlooking a valley and main trail to the south coast; he determined a large stone towerhouse with a surrounding wall could provide a strategic purpose as well as maintain a powerful presence in the Mormont's demesne. There is a plain nearby in a treeless grove that could provide some farmland as well.

Lord Lyman hired a troop of singers from the mainland and had "The Bear's Derrier" performed at court; they turned out to be poor performers and made such a poor attempt at the song that it was entirely forgotten in the laughter of the audience, Lord Lyman laughing first and loudest. "Neither tooth nor claw" has been circulating among the higher courts and the tavern houses and pot shops are now following suit; with the end of a long and widespread spree of poaching the Mormont name is on everyone's tongue again, and in a much more favorable light. Among the court of Glover it is whispered the new adage was written by Lord Lyman himself!

Lady Mormont's pregnancy is progressing normally and the babe is expected within 7 months. You now have 17 poachers whom require judgment, though this can be delegated to one of your family or court.

===

KARHOLD:

Adaric has successfully taken the girl with the bastard into his service as a spy, but she has so far yielded nothing of interest other than Barthold meeting with certain uncouth and scummy characters in taverns.

Meeting with Maester Lyonden, he judges the relations between house Karstark and Umber to be good, with open trade and no border incursions, its peoples keeping to their own lands. The Karstarks and bannermen do not hold the same views on right to first night and blood sacrifices whispered about the Umbers, but in the last war they fought on the same side. House Bolton on the other hand has long has a pattern of disrespect to the landrights of Karstark, freely allowing smallfolk to be seen carrying off lumber and carrying it by raft back over to Bolton lands. They also met in battle during the last war, in the same bout that the Umbers and Karstarks fought side by side on. It was a costly victory for the Umber/Karstark coalition, and various arms can still be found washing up on the coasts after being heaved with the man holding them into the river.

Atheld is taking well to martial endeavors but is showing to be a slow and impatient reader. While he is beginning to show promise ahorse and with blade in hand, his other learnings are stagnant. He showed himself to be capable in greeting Lord Long, but when asked for his opinion later away from prying ears he said he didn't understand why the Braavosi weren't pushed back into the sea. Adaric has successfully managed to move the Braavosi into settlements in large numbers, and has arranged an extremely beneficial tax situation. The coasts are still hard to police in terms of the wood being cut, but the Karstark incomes are higher than ever, easing in 180,000 GD a year with no end in sight to the wood.

The Pentoshi is treated fairly, asking only for a glass of wine while allowing his retinue to be led to the inn offered by Lord Karstark. Over the coming days it is clear from gossip talk heard by Runtheld that Braavos and Pentos may soon be at war. This follows in accordance with a meeting with the Pentoshi noble who desires to buy greatwood trees at great cost, paying a deal more than the Braavosi but asking for an exclusive contract. He begs that you forgive the deception, but that his mission was to view the extent of the Braavosi logging operations. The Pentoshi plan to build their own fleet to counter Braavos, and the contract could effectively double the incomes of House Karstark. The amount of resource required is hefty however, and after a year or two the greatwood population could be reduced drastically.

Antheld reports there is a system of trails throughout the province, many sections of which could be turned into something closer to a road and increase speed of traffic. The cost is estimated at 20,000 GD. Toasts in Antheld's name are made throughout the province after hunting down two outlaws who had burned an inn to the ground after putting its inhabitants to the sword. He has made a number of maps as well detailing these trails and sent them to Adaric. There is a bluff to the North of Karhold situated between House Greystark in the distant west of Karhold's wood and House Long in the east near the coast; it would serve for a small holdfast and is located near the Braavosi settlements to enable easier management. It could cost anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 depending on how much stone is used in construction; the lumber will obviously be quite cheap.

===

THE RILLS:

Lord Ryder arrives promptly and, kneeling, takes the hand of Lord Mathis and begins thanking him profusely for summoning his ownself first. He appears disconcerted when told there is already a raven dispatched to the wall to inform them as well, but seems comfortable with Mathis' handling of the situation. They soon returned a raven with word they were sending a delegation to discuss the matter; what retainers Lord Mathis brings with him to this meeting will surely affect its outcome.

The Merchant's Guild is extremely disappointed in the decision to allow a tariff on their goods and lobbies to you with a greater share of net profits for a cessation of tariffs. The Rills' vassals on the other hand shout the Ryswell name proudly and profess undying loyalty before collapsing in a drunken heap after drinking to the name of Mathis' for the hundreth time.

The Starks of Winterfell receive Seign and the Ryswell offer warmly, offering to seal pact with a marriage to the daughter of Lord Brandon Stark, Lyessa, a maid of seventeen.

The Dustins of Barrowton however are less enthusiastic at Seign's proclamation, though they do offer him bread and salt and their hall to stay in. Seign reports with time and with something to sweeten his words he may be able to secure a more favorable course.

The smiths of Sable Hall's surrounding township have begun work on armor and weaponry to outfit the newly planned standing army. The steward warns that such an endeavor will be costly to maintain, as the soldiers will be required regular pay and feed. Though the income of the Ryswell demesne will cover such costs, the accumulation of wealth in the holdings will be much slower. It is expected to meet size expectations and will train over the coming months.

The local shipwrights have met with you and decreed a minimum price of 38,000 GD per galleon, and 4,000 GD for every longship. They have already begun production on the first galleon and have two longships to be sold immediately.

A large number of smallfolk have begun relocating to the Rills with promises of small land grants; a number of other grants are set aside for House Ryswell itself, with three new inns beginning construction. The castellan estimates costs of refurnishing the current town at 100,000 GD, the inns 25,000 GD apiece, and 140,000 to develop a true system of roads throughout the Ryswell holdings. He now is fervent that the incomes of the house cannot accommodate such expenses, and neither can the treasury; there must be a choice to be made in projects, showing the yearly incomes of House Ryswell to be no greater than 220,000 GD a year at present. (55,000 GD a turn)

On a bright side, the Ryswell vassals show complete confidence in rule, and with legitimacy at an all time high they may be persuaded to offer loans to the cause. Jackameau has returned after a long hunt with the white stag as prize, offering it to his lordship Mathis' as gift.

===

BEYOND THE WALL:

http://awoiaf.westeros.org/images/6/6c/Westeros_-_Byound_the_wall.jpg

Rodrik set out first for the valley of the Thenns due to its proximity; they met with a small storm and almost lost a horse. It took half a day to track it down and Rodrik gave the boy a thwack for letting it scare. They met few on the road and did almost no trading along the way. One of the few was a man herding sows along the road in front of a pullcart; he didn't want to trade but Rodrik offered him a free skin of mead and told him to stop in at Ruddy Hall.

Upon arriving and being brought before who he thought was a local chieftain in a hall made of bones and mortared stone, Rodrik unknowingly disrespecting custom by accepting the first drink handed to him instead of insisting it go to the chieftain first; he soon realized after that he must be speaking to the Magnar of Thenn, Sigorn the Lusty. The hall was in uproar and himself nearly skewered while giving halted phrases in the old tongue when a young boy spoke in defense of the traveller. By offering a substantial gift of mead to the magnar, the hall was calmed and soon in high spirits; this prompted the magnar to propose an exchange of gifts: he will send regular shipments of bronze armaments to Ruddy Hall in exchange for tributes of mead. He also offers a large lump sum of arms in exchange for the horses he has seen. He then gave Rodrik a suit of bronze scale armor

Rodrik sent word with one of the green boys with two of the horses and orders to pass through the skirling pass with fresh supplies of mead to meet him when he comes down past the milkwater. He is being guided downriver by the boy Swygert who spoke up for him in the magnar's hall, who is one of the many many bastards of Sigorn. They will soon reach the frozen shore and will have met with the ice river clans by turn's end, though the boy of the old tongue has warned the only way to win the favor of those under the up and coming ice river chief will be to successfully challenge him. (1/1/3)

Aly successfully organizes a rotation of the herds and loses only 2 more goats before she puts together an adequate plan to guard them. She is then able to secure pigs for a hefty sum of mead and aid with cart repair to a drunken traveller on the road who had broken a spoke. She sets up a work detail which elicits grumbles, but offers payment in mead. They begin preparation of new fields and the most able being trained to work with the bees; more to the good, as Aly notes mead reserves are already reaching the halfway point after the shipments sent with Theon and Rodrik, and the latest batch will require another 3 months before it's reached close to its peak in taste. With the proper tools, these fields and new apiaries will be near ready to produce in 2 months give or take, the fields now double their original size and continuing to grow. The freefolk grumble about the manual labor details but by supplying such high quality mead as payment, the work is getting done.

Morna has sent back a spearwife with word that the slavers are stopped near the Antler River and trying unsuccessfully to find a crossing. Morna and Star killed 3 of the slavers while they were trying to climb over the river in a tree with ropes. Two bodies washed downriver covered in claw marks, while a third was barely pulled out by Star before floating away with a dagger in his back. He didn't live long enough to say anything useful as he didn't know the common tongue of Westeros. She is currently trying to gather more intel while slowing their trek around the river, but mentioned there are 2 giants with the party.

A second spearwife was sent to Theon with the same information; he has successfully rallied the hornfoots and earned the drunken loyalty of the coalition after drinking all the other chiefs under the table the first night there. While unable to organize them into anything but two masses of troops, he hears the scouting details from Morna and ambushes the slavers. They were well armed, with 40 iron swords and 23 crossbows, 48 wore light leather armor and 5 had chainmail, but Theon only lost one man to a wound that later went bad, and the hornfoots only 14 due to the efficiency of command. No slavers made their escape thanks to Star and Morna, and 67 lie dead. Their bodies are looted and left for the crows.

The hornfoots mourn and celebrate their dead, drinking long into the night. By morn they are sobered and seem to have no wish to march on Hardhome. Theon cracks open the rest of the mead that night however and challenges a chief to a wrestling match. He loses, but is admired for taking on a man twice his size and once again has secured the support of the Hornfoots; further victories will bind them further to the cause and a number have pledged loyalty to Theon independent of the chieftains. Morna takes the 5 spearwives and returns to scouting. You have gleaned from wounded slavers there are 3 galleys just offshore, and a fortified camp with 200 men at least they claim. There are no significant valuables, and they will be awaiting warily, their leader a shrewd and tested man with a cruel face and a limp. They have gathered up close to 800 slaves but are running low on supplies and must soon leave.

After the battle, the now truly freed free folk have gathered around the encampment of the hornfoots and grow restless. They are starting to melt away, though with glowing tales of the brave mead king of Ruddy Hall, those same tales enticing the free folk to remain in his company. The count has come out differently each time, but hovers around 400, with not many suited to be fighters, at most 30 or so true warriors.

Armies of the realm and their dispositions:

Lord Lyman of House Mormont

50 men at arms, good morale and garrisoning Mormont Keep

50 men at arms, high morale under Aegon Oakwood in the South Lowlands

50 newly trained men on patrol throughout Bear Island

100 Glover men at arms, good morale and garrisoning Deepwood Motte

24 Longships

3 Galleons

Lord Atheld of House Karstark

200 men at arms, high morale and drilling under Hawthorn in Karhold

50 men at arms, good morale and guarding the port of Karhold

Lord Mathis of House Ryswell

100 men at arms, good morale and garrisoning Sable Hall

50 heavy horse, good morale and garrisoning Sable Hall

50 men at arms, good morale and guarding the pass south of Icetown

370 freshly levied soldiers, low morale under Willem Ryswell

8 Longships

Theon, Mead king of Ruddy Hall

31 raiders, high morale at Hornfoot encampment

108 hornfoot men, high morale at Hornfoot encampment

5 spearwives, high morale, led by Morna and Star, scouting Hardhome

5 raiders, 10 spear wives, 8 green boys, good morale at Ruddy Hall

The Night's Watch

200 rangers on hand at Castle Black with 100 more as permanent garrison, the rest in garrisons of varying sizes along the wall

[Leonardo]

HOUSE STARK

Brandon Stark (28), Lord of Winterfell, widowed

Alys Stark (39), aunt

Lyessa Stark (17), niece to Brandon, married to Mathis Ryswell

Cora Stark (15), niece to Brandon

Jorah Stark (11), Brandon's son, heir to Winterfell

HOUSE BOLTON

Lady Selyse Bolton (23), of the Dreadfort, unmarried

Marence Bolton (18), nephew to Selyse, heir apparent

Lyanna Bolton (21), sister to Selyse, unmarried

Locke Snow (42), bastard uncle of Selyse on her father's side

HOUSE DUSTIN

Lord Martyn Dustin (44), of Barrowton, married to his cousin

Margaery Dustin (40), Lady of Barrowton

Marq Dustin (25), heir to Barrowton, married

Falyse Dustin (24), daughter of Martyn, unmarried

Edric Dustin (21), second son of Martyn, unmarried

Myles Dustin (16), third son of Martyn, unmarried

HOUSE UMBER

Lord Benjen Umber (62), of Last Hearth, widowed

Wylis Umber (44), heir to Last Hearth, married

-Robert Snow (24), bastard son of Wylis

-Wendel Umber (19), son of Wylis

-Jonnella Umber (17), daughter of Wylis

Abel Umber (37), second son of Benjen

Harlan Umber (34), third son of Benjen

Orwyle Umber (32), fourth son of Benjen

Cassana Umber (26), only dauther to Benjen, unmarried

===

I will be adding more as we go along, as well as fleshing out certain vassal houses and clans. Some players have already turned in orders so I have begun work on Turn 2, and it will be ready to post when we get orders in :D

After this turn we should be able to count on a more consistent schedule.

[Leonardo]

Got 3 in so far

[Leonardo]

Mid turn update added

[Leonardo]

Bump for vision of well sculpted excellence; first turn went well for most endeavors, some good plotting and planning all around

[Leonardo]

Bump for pirates

Still looking for more players, though I think we'll have a satisfactory game either way at the rate things are moving

[Leonardo]

Nogg has joined the game as Lord Commander of the watch, he's been added to the main posts accordingly. I have post mid turn orders from two players so far

[Leonardo]

Bump for viewership

[Leonardo]

Another new player incoming, he will be taking House Flint of widow's watch. I've gone ahead and drawn up houses for the factions of the North people are beginning to negotiate with, and I also have set in stone(or gold rather) the incomes of all the players in number value to make it easier to plan finances.

[Leonardo]

Updated the map as well, should let people know where vassals are situated.

[Leonardo]

Added Widow's Watch, sorry for the weird formatting, I don't understand it either ;D

Also added the players list, looking at ending turn tomorrow if possible

[Leonardo]

Bump

[Deadwood]

THis similar to the Crownlands/Midlands game?

[Leonardo]

THis similar to the Crownlands/Midlands game?

It's gone through a format change; players take control of a faction in the North that's already established. It's a lot more freeform in terms of what you can do from there though, and every turn there are random events and crises for each player to deal with. For example, BBE our chief beyond the wall got word of slavers moving free folk down the shore line. He used guerrilla tactics to slow them down and scouted them with a skinchanger, then he convinced a clan nearby to move in and free the prisoners. He didn't have to free the prisoners, he even could have sold more free folk into slavery if he wanted and set up a base for people to enslave free folk from, or set the woods on fire, or just ignore it and focus on something else. His plan to unite the clans to take out the slavers may have failed as well, as there's an element of randomness to the game. He sweetened the already good odds(free folk obviously despise slavery) by getting them all drunk on mead the night before. Now he has to figure out what to do with the wildlings he's saved and whether or not the raid the slavers main camp at Hardhome.

tl;dr It's less about killing eachother(though it'll come to that eventually) and more about running a fiefdom and noble house.