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What is Roose's End Game?


Bluesnow

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I really have no idea what Roose's long term plan is in this situation...

1. He made an alliance with the Lannisters and Freys to help murder his lord and King, but in payment to be put in charge of the north. 
These decisions clearly seemed to be based on ambition more than anything else. 
Rob may have made a mistake or two, but he seemed to be a competent commander... if he had gotten the opportunity to go home the south had little chance of securing the north by force any time soon. With Rob back in power in the North, even though they didn't win the War- life would have gone back to normal after a while under Stark rule. 
So to me... the only 3 things I can think Roose wants is either: 
-----Power for himself
-----Didn't want Rob or Status quo in the North
-----An unknown personal reason/vendetta against the Starks

Power for himself seems to be the most forefront reason, but Ramsay completely contradicts that as his goal. 
Is Roose wanted power he would be most concerned with stability.... and at first that does seem to be his goal. He's trying to make alliances with all the major northern houses, he has a wife with he Frey alliance and will procreate, and he marries his son to what is believed to be Arya who has the blood of thousands of years of Stark Rulers in her veins... he even goes out of his way to have Theon present to protect her identity- and they feast and party in what has been the traditional seat of power in the North in Thousand of years. These steps all make sense if you want power... but....
1. Roose seems to be aware none of his future children with Fat Walda will not survive because RAMSAY, infact Ramsay already did away with his adult son and heir. So even if Roose  gets a solid hold on the north- his family's role as ruler will have no future. Ramsay will be his only heir, and it seems to be unlikely that his lords would be able to put up with Ramsay as a leader long term. 
2, Now... if Roose actually wants Ramsay to be his heir he did set him up with a wonderful, if completely fraudulent bride- but rather than honoring tradition and stability with these actions its more like he's publicly peeing on the Stark graves. Roose presents his son which the lords all know or learn to be a monster- and he allows Ramsay to rape, abuse, and defile what could be the last living Stark in her own home. This isn't going to gain the support of people who liked the Starks. 
3. Theon's defense of Arya was not needed. The lords present at the wedding are either just playing loyal subjects because of hostages, and even if they know its not Arya they cannot say anything- or they are loyal to Roose and they aren't going to say anything. I think what is more important about the gesture with Theon is Roose is parading around the man who supposedly captured Winterfell and burned two young Stark boys to death and left their bodies out for all to see. He has this man give away the last Stark Lady to a complete monster.... This is a complete insult to Arya and the entire Stark name. 

So based off these things I feel that long term power is not Roose's goal... if he really wanted that he should have killed Ramsay to ensure he had future living heirs, tear down the stones of Winterfell, and kill off any Starks that he happens to find Castamere style. 
While he's being extremely disrespectful to the Stark name it could be he has a personal vendetta against their family... but this far i to the books I find that defense to be lacking. I mean... Roose doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would go all out for revenge... his own son was killed by Ramsay and he doesn't seem to give a crap. What could the Starks have done to tick him off beyond that that he'd be willing to risk everything?

So of my last three ideas it seems most likely that Roose just didn't want Rob and the status quo back in the north- him letting Ramsay do his thing further supports this idea as he is an extremely destabilizing element. 
If this is his long term plan though.... WHY? Roose is taking alot of risks and really doesn't get any rewards back in this situation. He basically accepts his family tree will not continue outside of Ramsay, and I can't imagine Roose thinks Ramsay will long outlive him. The only side that would benefit from the North's destabilization at this point would be the others- and While I have heard some theories proposing that Roose is in cahoots with the others I hadn't really taken that idea seriously till now. 

Does anyone else have any idea to Roose's endgame beyond this? 
 

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Roose is called "The Leech Lord," and the name is pretty fitting to characterize how he operates - perhaps even a bit too much. Roose mostly seeks:

  • Incremental advantage for himself, and to his house to the extent that it benefits him.
  • Shoving off incremental losses on his rivals rather than suffering them himself.
  • Avoiding direct confrontation or revolt that would put his position in jeopardy - "A peaceful land, a quiet people."

Other than that, he generally goes with the flow. I don't think he has an "endgame" in mind and is fine with continuing to gradually increase his power and influence, assuming that for the long term he will be going back to the North.

Roose's creepiest quality is that if something doesn't line up with those three things, he doesn't really care about it. He avoids making emotional decisions as much as possible. He's not passionately greedy, he's not spiteful or vengeful, and he doesn't covet things that are out of his reach. It's just whenever he sees a decision, he makes the call that is most beneficial to him without causing him major trouble.

Roose called his banners for Robb Stark not because he wanted war, but because he didn't want a confrontation with the Starks either now or down the line as long as the Starks were strong. In every battle he fought, he put other people's troops in the front and his own in the back. He wrecked the Glovers and the Tallharts by throwing them into the Crownlands in a situation he knew they would lose, but for which he knew he would never be held accountable.

Roose was generally loyal to Robb and did what he asked out of self-interest as long as he felt Robb was a threat to him and a possible source of advantage. But once he figured out that he could trick Robb and Robb wouldn't catch him, and that Robb wouldn't listen to his counsel, and not provide him with other advantages he wanted, and that he didn't respect Robb's decisionmaking enough to have faith he would win the war, Roose made the calculated decision to betray Robb - but he made sure to do it in a way that the Stark forces were wiped out and he wouldn't have to face them later, while simultaneously making other powerful friends who would generally leave him alone.

I think Roose is fine with the status quo in the north in general, he just always knew the Starks could come down on him and wipe him out if he ever gave them a reason, so he was glad to have the opportunity to remove that threat. But I don't think he set out from the Dreadfort expecting this would happen or even dreaming it.

As for Ramsay, I think Roose plans to kill Ramsay as soon as he has another male heir, but only if Ramsay gives him an opportunity to do it that is easy and doesn't create a direct confrontation. Kinslaying, after all, is a grave sin, and it could turn the people against him. He wouldn't want to do it without knowing he could get away with it. His biggest mistake, depending on what happens, might be thinking that the Lannisters and the Freys would be blamed for the Red Wedding, not him. That seems to be how he perceives other Northern lords' attitudes about him, although they are likely keeping their true feelings secret.

One possibility is Roose married Fat Walda for the money, and expects Ramsay to kill her and his son with her, at which point he will execute Ramsay in a way that is publicly defensible, and then he will marry someone else and have other children. Possibly.

Or perhaps he is an ancient vampire zombie who is going to farm Ramsey for his skin and identity. I always liked that theory.

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Boltons are historical rivals to Starks. There is no love lost between them. If most of North Lords once conquered by Stark Winter Kings became loyal subjects, Boltons notoriously were not. They rebelled, killed Stark Princeling or two, even burned Winterfell once or twice. 

Roose called up his men in support of Starks, not because he was loyal or wanted revenge for Ned, its because as one of the richest and most powerful Houses in the North he was expected to answer his lord's call, otherwise it would be considered to be an act of open rebellion from him. Same for Robb, it was expected that he would appoint Roose as one of his military generals because Boltons were one of largest Houses in the North and most powerful. But Robb should have never relied so much and trusted so unquestioningly  

The only question I have is what is Roose's plan for his future or is he just so completely concerned with what he has now that he doesn't care what happens, after he is gone, to his house.. He knows what Ramsey is and how stupid, greedy and awful he would be as his successor. Its not a stretch to assume that Roose knows that Ramsey would not be able to hold support of the North and will screw up spectacularly if given leeway and Boltons will loose the North, everything that Roose's gained, perhaps even their own lands/Dreadfort be threatened. But he allows Ramsey to live on and apparently have a free hand in killing any new sons he might have, who might be better than Ramsey.

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@GyantSpyder: I pretty much agree with your analysis of his character.... but I guess thats why it all seems so contradictory for me- Roose is not someone who likes to stir the pot... He murdered his Lord and now is throwing a party with thousands of people that want him dead while his bastard son rapes what is known to be the last of the Starks.... this seems like the exact opposite of what Roose would do based off his personality. 

53 minutes ago, GyantSpyder said:

As for Ramsay, I think Roose plans to kill Ramsay as soon as he has another male heir, but only if Ramsay gives him an opportunity to do it that is easy and doesn't create a direct confrontation. Kinslaying, after all, is a grave sin, and it could turn the people against him. He wouldn't want to do it without knowing he could get away with it. His biggest mistake, depending on what happens, might be thinking that the Lannisters and the Freys would be blamed for the Red Wedding, not him. That seems to be how he perceives other Northern lords' attitudes about him, although they are likely keeping their true feelings secret.

One possibility is Roose married Fat Walda for the money, and expects Ramsay to kill her and his son with her, at which point he will execute Ramsay in a way that is publicly defensible, and then he will marry someone else and have other children. Possibly.

But what I don't get it if this is his goal... why doesn't he just kill Ramsay now? 
Maybe he hoped that he would get (f)Arya pregnant first before he finishes him off... but there is zero benefit to having Ramsay alive beyond that...  Unless he wants him to live and future children to die. 

I was looking for a quote and I found this interesting: 

Quote

"And won't my bastard love that? Lady Walda is a Frey, and she has a fertile feel to her. I have become oddly fond of my fat little wife. The two before her never made a sound in bed, but this one squeals and shudders. I find that quite endearing. If she pops out sons the way she pops in tarts, the Dreadfort will soon be overrun with Boltons. Ramsay will kill them all, of course. That's for the best. I will not live long enough to see new sons to manhood, and boy lords are the bane of any House. Walda will grieve to see them die, though."

Roose seems to be completely unconcerned that any future sons he has will die at Ramsay's hands.... he thinks thats for the best actually. 

And another quote from Lady Dustin sheds light on what she feels his game plan is: 

Quote

Roose has no feelings, you see. Those leeches that he loves so well sucked all the passions out of him years ago. He does not love, he does not hate, he does not grieve. This is a game to him, mildly diverting. Some men hunt, some hawk, some tumble dice. Roose plays with men. You and me, these Freys,Lord Manderly, his plump new wife, even his bastard, we are but his playthings

She thinks its all just a game xD
Which maybe it is and Ramsay is just like his dad... no real plan, just likes to have fun playing with his toys? 
Maybe in some twisted way Roose actually recognizes Ramsay as his true heir? 

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I don't think Roose really has an endgame in mind. He seems the kind of man who's done what he's done for the sake of shits and giggles. Kinda like Littlefinger but without as grand a scope to the chaos he's created. His belief that he can hold onto his new positions of Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell is a bit amazing when you consider that almost the entire North hates him. Whether they know the extent of his involvement in the Red Wedding or not, most of the Northern houses suffer great losses at the Twins, but Roose shows up with his own army mostly intact, with a Frey wife, and a Frey army to help him hold Winterfell. How does that look to people who know that the Freys are responsible for murdering their King and their families?

I think Roose's biggest mistake (aside from keeping Ramsay alive, because we all know that bastard doesn't engender any goodwill among his subjects) is arrogantly believing that the rest of the North would be too weak/gullible/etc to challenge him once he took Winterfell.

Theon even notes, when Wyman Manderly shows the reader just how big his balls are, that for the first time, Roose looks afraid. That surprised me, because if I was in Roose's position, I'd never be able to sleep. Roose is just kind of an idiot. When your people are arguably the fiercest and most honorable people in the Seven Kingdoms, you don't allow yourself to have any proximity to something as horrible as the Red Wedding (and Ramsay) if you hope to rule them and have their support. Roose got creative in a bid to advance himself, and it's clearly biting him in the arse.

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2 hours ago, Bluesnow said:

@GyantSpyder: I pretty much agree with your analysis of his character.... but I guess thats why it all seems so contradictory for me- Roose is not someone who likes to stir the pot... He murdered his Lord and now is throwing a party with thousands of people that want him dead while his bastard son rapes what is known to be the last of the Starks.... this seems like the exact opposite of what Roose would do based off his personality. 

Roose most certainly is very unsatisfied by Ramsays behaviour but at this point still needs him.

2 hours ago, Bluesnow said:

But what I don't get it if this is his goal... why doesn't he just kill Ramsay now? 
Maybe he hoped that he would get (f)Arya pregnant first before he finishes him off... but there is zero benefit to having Ramsay alive beyond that...  Unless he wants him to live and future children to die. 

 

Roose definitely needs another male Bolton heir and a Bolton-Stark fathered by Ramsay would be massively more valuable then a Bolton-Frey without a historical claim to Winterfell.

2 hours ago, Bluesnow said:

 


I was looking for a quote and I found this interesting: 

Roose seems to be completely unconcerned that any future sons he has will die at Ramsay's hands.... he thinks thats for the best actually. 

We dont know if he was sincere when he mentioned that to Theon, but a rational could be that he wants to avoid future rivalry between Ramsays son and his son.

2 hours ago, Bluesnow said:



Maybe in some twisted way Roose actually recognizes Ramsay as his true heir? 

There might be some truth to that since he took no action after Domerics death but Ramsays continuing irrational behavior likely convinced Roose not to rely on Ramsay in the long run to keep the Boltons in power.

 

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2 hours ago, Ser Ronan Storm said:

Theon even notes, when Wyman Manderly shows the reader just how big his balls are, that for the first time, Roose looks afraid. That surprised me, because if I was in Roose's position, I'd never be able to sleep. Roose is just kind of an idiot. When your people are arguably the fiercest and most honorable people in the Seven Kingdoms, you don't allow yourself to have any proximity to something as horrible as the Red Wedding (and Ramsay) if you hope to rule them and have their support. Roose got creative in a bid to advance himself, and it's clearly biting him in the arse.

In that moment Roose must have realized that he misjudged and underestimated Manderly severely.

Without Manderly a Stark restoration seemed unlikely but with the wealth and power of Whiteharbor an anti Bolton alliance would have the odds strongly in their favor.

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3 hours ago, Ser Ronan Storm said:

Theon even notes, when Wyman Manderly shows the reader just how big his balls are, that for the first time, Roose looks afraid. That surprised me, because if I was in Roose's position, I'd never be able to sleep. Roose is just kind of an idiot. When your people are arguably the fiercest and most honorable people in the Seven Kingdoms, you don't allow yourself to have any proximity to something as horrible as the Red Wedding (and Ramsay) if you hope to rule them and have their support. Roose got creative in a bid to advance himself, and it's clearly biting him in the arse.

^This. What I think GRRM did with Roose was give him a taste of his own medicine. While many will always point to not marrying the Frey girl the true downfall of Robb was due to an event outside of his control of the Tyrell marriage. Now Roose gets a state of that as he is know in a terrible position due to events outside if his control ie Joffery being poisoned and Tyrion killing Tywin.

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17 minutes ago, Stannis is the man....nis said:

^This. What I think GRRM did with Roose was give him a taste of his own medicine. While many will always point to not marrying the Frey girl the true downfall of Robb was due to an event outside of his control of the Tyrell marriage. Now Roose gets a state of that as he is know in a terrible position due to events outside if his control ie Joffery being poisoned and Tyrion killing Tywin.

 Roose was always on his own. Tywin never meant to help him controll the north, the original plan was to let the North to bleed out during the winter fighting internally and against the Ironborn.

Then following spring have Tyrion take control of Winterfell and rule as regent for his son with Sansa.

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5 hours ago, Bluesnow said:


So of my last three ideas it seems most likely that Roose just didn't want Rob and the status quo back in the north- him letting Ramsay do his thing further supports this idea as he is an extremely destabilizing element. 
If this is his long term plan though.... WHY? Roose is taking alot of risks and really doesn't get any rewards back in this situation. He basically accepts his family tree will not continue outside of Ramsay, and I can't imagine Roose thinks Ramsay will long outlive him. The only side that would benefit from the North's destabilization at this point would be the others- and While I have heard some theories proposing that Roose is in cahoots with the others I hadn't really taken that idea seriously till now. 

The Boltons are Parasites, they feed off those who are strong around them. Roose embraces this tactic. He even does leeching on himself. When Robb Stark call his banners, Roose saw a chance to feed off the whole North, then he betrayed his Northmen and starts feeding off the Lannisters and the Freys. Now he's attached to all the house left in the North. He is a destablizing factor but he's not doing anything in the North that other commanders in his position wouldn't do, he just a soulless motherf**ker.  

The think that I have always wondered about is Why didn't Roose take Ramsey to war with him? Maybe he thought taking Ramsey to a real war would be sensory overload and his blood lust would go crazy out of control... Or he wanted to keep him in the North to kill and rape common women and steal Hornwood land and just generally mess shit up and destabilize the region. 

I don't think Roose or Ramsey is working for the Others directly but I think that the Boltons will be the first ones to turn against their fellow men when the Others come.  

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The destruction of the Starks and having the Boltons become the Lords of the North.  Roose may be warden, but that seems like a military title, and possibly not hereditary like Lord (its just customary for the Lord and the Warden to be one and the same).

 

His House has warred against the Starks off and on for generations.  This indicates the Boltons see themselves as at the least the equal of, and probably greater than, the Starks.  The Bolton's have been nursing a vendetta against the Starks for a few thousand years or more.  Seems like they go back at least as far as the Starks given comments about the Nights King possibly having been a Stark or Bolton.  To see the destruction of the Starks, indeed to contribute to it, has probably been the goal of any number of Boltons forever. 

As for Ramsay, perhaps he didn't know the extent of Ramsay's crazy or he thought he could correct it.  There was clearly an intent in making Ramsay his heir.  He was likely impressed with how Ramsay secured the North and removed the Ironborn from Moat Cailin and Winterfell.  Ramsay's got plenty of issues psychologically, but I don't see Roose necessarily believing him to be a liability.  His men seem to be fond of him, despite all the crazy.  He seems to reserve his torture for enemies of his House.  Showing off Theon is probably perceived (by Roose, at least) as a positive.  Here's the guy who killed the heirs to House Stark and helped plot the attempt by the Iron Islands to conquer the North.  Yeah, we could just kill him, but he's suffering so much more this way.  Not a big surprise that the Lord of the Dreadfort would see things that way, with the flayed man being his house's symbol. 

As long as Roose considers Ramsay to be his true heir, I doubt that he'll find Ramsay killing off any son's of his own as a problem.  Roose considers a bunch of Boy Lords running around to be a problem, probably because you have to get them married off and such.

 

I believe that Roose was close to his endgame.  His family's enemy is gone (or seems to be).  His son is married to FArya, the 'last' surviving member of the Stark lineage.  Once FArya has a son, he's secure in his family becoming the Lords of the North.  Tywin, Tyrion, and Sansa are no longer in the picture to say otherwise.  Once Ramsay is secure as the Lord of Winterfell, Ramsay probably won't be as keen on killing off the future Roose son, who will inherit Dreadfort.  The Wildcard is Stannis and the rebellion within his ranks (Manderley's, especially) that he didn't count on. He's also clearly disappointed that Ramsay can't get his worst impulses under control.  I believe he tries to push Ramsay to leech himself on a few occasions as it would be good for Ramsay.

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5 hours ago, Bluesnow said:

@GyantSpyder: I pretty much agree with your analysis of his character.... but I guess thats why it all seems so contradictory for me- Roose is not someone who likes to stir the pot... He murdered his Lord and now is throwing a party with thousands of people that want him dead while his bastard son rapes what is known to be the last of the Starks.... this seems like the exact opposite of what Roose would do based off his personality. 

But what I don't get it if this is his goal... why doesn't he just kill Ramsay now? 
Maybe he hoped that he would get (f)Arya pregnant first before he finishes him off... but there is zero benefit to having Ramsay alive beyond that...  Unless he wants him to live and future children to die. 

I was looking for a quote and I found this interesting: 

Roose seems to be completely unconcerned that any future sons he has will die at Ramsay's hands.... he thinks thats for the best actually. 

And another quote from Lady Dustin sheds light on what she feels his game plan is: 

She thinks its all just a game xD
Which maybe it is and Ramsay is just like his dad... no real plan, just likes to have fun playing with his toys? 
Maybe in some twisted way Roose actually recognizes Ramsay as his true heir? 

Roose is a psychopath, Ramsay is a psychopath...and a sadist. 

Roose wants power and he's got it.  He doesn't care a bit what happens when he is gone.

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1 hour ago, House Beaudreau said:

The Boltons are Parasites, they feed off those who are strong around them. Roose embraces this tactic. He even does leeching on himself. When Robb Stark call his banners, Roose saw a chance to feed off the whole North, then he betrayed his Northmen and starts feeding off the Lannisters and the Freys. Now he's attached to all the house left in the North. He is a destablizing factor but he's not doing anything in the North that other commanders in his position wouldn't do, he just a soulless motherf**ker.  

The think that I have always wondered about is Why didn't Roose take Ramsey to war with him? Maybe he thought taking Ramsey to a real war would be sensory overload and his blood lust would go crazy out of control... Or he wanted to keep him in the North to kill and rape common women and steal Hornwood land and just generally mess shit up and destabilize the region. 

I don't think Roose or Ramsey is working for the Others directly but I think that the Boltons will be the first ones to turn against their fellow men when the Others come.  

I think at that point (when Robb called the banners) that Ramsay was pretty much, not neccessarily disowned by Roose, but definitely put out to pasture.  Ramsay makes himself relevant again through his subterfuge towards Theon and retaking Winterfell.  Its only at that point that he kind of, re-enters Roose's thoughts and plans.

 

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2 hours ago, fenr1s said:

 Roose was always on his own. Tywin never meant to help him controll the north, the original plan was to let the North to bleed out during the winter fighting internally and against the Ironborn.

Then following spring have Tyrion take control of Winterfell and rule as regent for his son with Sansa.

^This.

Roose saw a chance to raise up House Bolton and consolidate control of the North. It seems that he's accepted that Ramsey is a chaotic variable that he can't truly control, but thus far he's managed to use Ramsey to his advantage. Especially if you believe that Ramsey's actions during Clash of Kings were directly or indirectly part of Roose's plans as Roose only rebukes Ramsey for his lack of subtlety rather than the actual bloodshed.

But Roose was truly just a pawn of Tywin's plan and now that Tywin's dead and the Lannisters are doomed to collapse in on themselves, Roose's actions have left him practically surrounded by all of the lords and people that he and his son pissed off.

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I'm going to throw out a minor contributing factor people really overlook:

The Starks are dangerous monsters (like, literally, they are a type of creature that appears in monster stories), and Roose knows this.

We never get a Roose PoV or much insight into his character, but right around the time he's planning the red wedding, we hear this:

Quote

"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."

And then he goes out to hunt, seemingly trying to kill Nymeria. He's also personally seen Robb with Grey Wind (the wolf that's said to have acquired a taste for human flesh) and is a big reader. His house's sigil is a flayed man, and there are off-and-on implications that it's specifically meant as a flayed Stark. The Bolton identity as Stark-killers is literally the symbol they use to rally their troops.

Robb possessing and, to an extent, being influenced by a giant wolf that may embolden hundreds of its kin to know no fear of man or beast runs counter to the whole idea of "A peaceful land, a quiet people." We know Jon acquired bloodthirst from his wolf, so it's not just the young children who are prone to such influence. Roose may be "evil" but it's in a controlled, human way. He would never bite his vassals in front of the court, or howl to the moon.

Roose Bolton: Monster Hunter

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7 hours ago, Masha said:

Boltons are historical rivals to Starks. There is no love lost between them. If most of North Lords once conquered by Stark Winter Kings became loyal subjects, Boltons notoriously were not. They rebelled, killed Stark Princeling or two, even burned Winterfell once or twice.

Most of these damage done to House Stark were done before Starks united the North, I am sure House Bolton suffered at least as much more likely more than House Stark in that long and bloody war

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1 hour ago, LordPathera said:

^This.

Roose saw a chance to raise up House Bolton and consolidate control of the North. It seems that he's accepted that Ramsey is a chaotic variable that he can't truly control, but thus far he's managed to use Ramsey to his advantage. Especially if you believe that Ramsey's actions during Clash of Kings were directly or indirectly part of Roose's plans as Roose only rebukes Ramsey for his lack of subtlety rather than the actual bloodshed.

But Roose was truly just a pawn of Tywin's plan and now that Tywin's dead and the Lannisters are doomed to collapse in on themselves, Roose's actions have left him practically surrounded by all of the lords and people that he and his son pissed off.

1) In the novel Roose has Ramsay firmly under control, Ramsay was just an userful tool for Roose, DO NOT confuse novel with that stupid TV show

2) Roose was a junior partner of House Lannister, house Roose was number two house of the North for thousands of years, that means they have plenty of supportors in the North, so it is wrong to assume they were " surrounded by all of the lords and people" in the North

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The show has gone downhill but in the first two seasons it was very good. This quote captures the motivations of each house... 

Quote

Your mother's dead. Before long I'll be dead, and you and your brother and your sister and all of her children, all of us dead, all of us rotting underground. It's the family name that lives on. It's all that lives on. Not your personal glory, not your honor... but family. You understand? 

Borrowing from the definition of economics, we can say that politics is the allocation of power (in all all its forms, soft and hard) among competing ends (houses) with the objective being to maximize returns to power. 

So Roose's end game should to increase the power of his house relative the power of the other houses in the North and Westeros. 

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