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Do you think the WOIAF book depicted enough of the Free Cities?


Lesly

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They definitely are the most developed places outside of Westeros. I would have liked more, but I'm glad we at least got info on the more mysterious cities like Qohor, Norvos and especially Lorath.

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I find that the plot just doesn't allow too much space for places like the Free Cities to actually unfold their whole charm. On the other hand though what is their to see that needs special introductions and chapters? I don't see why GRRM would bother depicting every little detail about those cities when they in fact don't even add to the story build up.

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There are a lot of things we don't know about the Free Cities.

 

How are they ruled? How do they choose their governments? What kind of power and influence do old nobility exert on the rule of Lys? Can somebody not of lysene ancestry become a magister, or is money enough? What about Pentos and Myr, how do you become a magister? Do you have to be inducted by the current magisters, do you buy the title, or is being rich enough? How do you become a member of the conclave that chooses the Archon of Tyrosh?

 

What rights do freed slaves have at the Free Cities? Are they citizens? Second-class citizens? No citizens at all? What about their children? And foreigners? And what about foreigner's children born in the Free Cities? What rights do they have, can they become politically relevant?

 

What about marriage, bastardry, surnames, inheritance? Can a man have more than one wife? Is marriage considered a civil or a religious affair? Do they have divorce? Do they have something akin to Dornish paramours? Do concubines and their children have any rights? Can a bastard inherit his or her father's name and fortune? Is there a social stigma attached to bastardry?

 

...etc.

 

So man stuff I wanted answered! I hope some of this is revealed somewhere else.

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Short answer, NO.
 
I got to Asshai and was like, uhh, what? So disappointed, but I am laughing while I write this. I am happy to have bought the book, and there was plenty of cool info on history there, but a few things were a bit scant.


Agreed. I love that they had so much Targ history in there but some things were just cut off to short, though I do believe that Asshai's article was intended to be kept this short so the mystery would be preserved
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Short answer, NO.

 

I got to Asshai and was like, uhh, what? So disappointed, but I am laughing while I write this. I am happy to have bought the book, and there was plenty of cool info on history there, but a few things were a bit scant.

 I agree that the skimpiness of the Asshai chapter was a bit of a let-down but this only leads me to believe that Asshai is being kept under a shroud of mystery for a reason. I also believe Asshai and the secrets it holds will be a key element in the upcoming fight against the Others. 

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I thought the Asshai-chapter was perfect, and read it as "nobody knows what the hell is going on there, and we'll see it in the books at some point."

 

It wouldn't make sense for the Maesters to know a whole lot about Asshai but basically nothing about the lands beyond or whether they even exist. The Asshai-part was a great final chapter, it's mysterious and makes you exited to learn more about it in the future.

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