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Iron Islands Noble House Scenario


James Steller

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Imagine you're the head of a noble house on the Iron Islands (imagine it’s been around for as long as the others and assume you have your own little island to rule). You were married to the youngest daughter of Hollis Botley, but she died giving birth to twin boys. You’ve taken the time to raise them on your own for the last nine years. You became head of your house when, four years ago, your father relinquished his titles and property to you, his last living son, in order to become a priest of the Drowned God. Unfortunately, the priest in charge of the ritual was unable to resuscitate him, and he died.

Your family has always been taught to worship the Drowned God, which has alienated you from the current king, Halfdan Hoare. Like his predecessors, he discourages the Old Way. This stance is forcing him into several petty conflicts. The Iron Islands are divided between those who support the Drowned God, and those who worship the Andal heresies. The Harlaws of Harlaw all see the benefits of trade, and they are happy to grow rich from it, while the Botleys, Greyjoys, and Wynches on Pyke denounce Halfdan and the ‘gold-pricers’ who follow him. They give shelter to drowned men and secretly continue to reave under Halfdan’s nose. They sometimes even attack Ironborn trading ships, which has even led to occasional battles on the sea.

Your father openly spoke against the Hoares and sheltered many priests during his time. After his death, you sent them away in a crisis of faith, and focused entirely on raising your two boys in peace, neither supporting nor rebelling against King Halfdan.

One of your sons, Ivarr, is physically crippled in one leg, but he is without a doubt incredibly intelligent. He trains with weapons as best he can, and despite his pronounced limp, he learns quickly. He has a lot to prove, and is determined to get around his disability. He also speaks longingly to go on raids and follow the Old Way.

Your other son, Sigrud, is much more charismatic and well-liked, but he is also more careless. Physical obstacles are easily triumphed by him, and he is developing the laid-back attitude of one to whom life is not challenging. He enjoys the adventures of the Old Way, but if push came to shove, you imagine that Sigrud would be content with fishing.

You have never decided which of them is to be your heir, but you already see in them a fierce rivalry for your affection and approval.

In the meantime, others are suggesting you should marry again and father more children. And because you have thus far maintained a quiet and neutral position, nobody is sure whom you support. The elderly Lord Erlend Harlaw of Harlaw Hall has sent an envoy offering his 25-year old daughter, Astrid, as your bride. The reason Astrid is still unmarried at her age is that half her face was horribly burnt in a tragic accident during her childhood. But Harlaw points out that she is his heir, and any son she has will become the next lord of Harlaw Hall, which means having a share in the wealth being built up by the Harlaw’s trading. Not to be outdone, Torstan Greyjoy offers his 16 year old daughter, Hilda, to marry you. While Hilda’s beauty is often spoken of, Torstan offers her on the condition that you help him plan an attack on the next envoy of Harlaw ships sailing south to Oldtown. Meanwhile, the lord of House Stern (the noble house which rules the other half of your island) offers his youngest sister, Bryda to wed, taking in Sigrud as a ward, as well as joining forces to go raid in far-away Essos, and then trade the spoils in Westerosi ports, as a way to ride down the middle regarding the two opposing viewpoints in the Iron Islands right now. It’s a bold plan, but a lot can go wrong with it.

Meanwhile, a group of drowned men who live on your island have come to your door, begging for help. Your house has never persecuted worshippers of the Drowned God, and word is out that men sworn to King Halfdan are chasing down this particular group for preaching against the black blooded King. They need a place to hide, or they will be slaughtered brutally. You are still in the grips of your crisis of faith, which is made no easier by the fact that one of the priests is the very man who failed to resuscitate your father.

What do you do, and how do you run this household?

Note to the administrators: I assure you this is not a game, this is strictly a hypothetical scenario that is entirely subjective and up to each person who answers.

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At last!

So I, Floki Vilgerdarrsen, have finally broken from my father's faith. The First Men thralls in my keeping have spoken of the Old Gods, and they have convinced me to convert to their worship. Therefore I will have no interest in either the Andal cult, or the Drowned God. Sigrud, therefore, shall become my heir so long as he converts to the Old Gods' faith, while I send Ivarr to the Wall before he causes trouble.

I refuse to take any of the brides offered to me. I go amongst my folk and find out who is willing to embrace the true faith of the Old Gods. Anyone who does must swear oaths to me and to the Old Gods.

I confront the Hoare envoys when they arrive, saying they are no longer welcome on this island. When they question me, I have them killed in the ambush I'd prepared for them. The men under my command will think I'm doing this for the Drowned God, and by the time they figure out they are wrong, I'll have already told the Hoare King of my deeds and denounced him as a heretic.

I take all who are willing to follow me into a boat and set sail without telling anybody.

Instead I shall go to the North and bend the knee to House Stark, citing the Manderly House as a precedent. As proof of my faith, I show him the heads of the drowned men who tried to take shelter in my home without my permission, and also the heads of the Hoare officials I had killed. I also say that I shall take a Northern woman of Lord Stark's choice to wife, and defend Cape Kraken from the Ironborn to my last breath.

And so will begin the legacy that is House Vilgerdarssen of Cape Kraken, serving the true Kings in the North.

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If I'm really an Ironborn, then I'll understand the risks of becoming a drowned man. So while it really sucks that my father died before his time, it's clear that the Drowned God willed it. 

Ivarr is hampered by his leg, but that means he'll always be working hard, and he won't take anything for granted. I name him my heir.

The drowned men are welcome to hide out on my lands. The priest who tried to convert my father didn't do it on purpose, and what is dead may never die. I'll welcome the Hoare bannermen, make them my guests, and deny any knowledge of the priests they're chasing.

After they leave, convinced of my lack of hostility, I accept the Greyjoy offer. I marry Hilda and have more children. I'll send ships to join in the Greyjoy raid but I urge him to target the Hoares instead of the Harlaws. We can't alienate anyone who isn't the Hoares, so that we don't give them any more allies than they already have.

As for Sigrud, I raise him to understand the importance of family over personal ambitions. I'll also keep him around in case I ever have to give a hostage to the Hoares if things go south.

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Ok, firstly - while I do like the Hoare ideas of trade and economic progress, I do think they are willing to sell out our culture and our identity a little too fast. I have been taught to worship the Drowned God and while I don´t really care if said religion is true or not, it is certainly true that the Drowned god is of cultural importance. I see no interest in importing soft, greenlander gods. And while ending raiding is a noble goal, abolishing over night is seldom a good idea due to its cultural importance (and taking stuff from other people is what we lords do in the first place. Thats why we are lords). Nor will everyone have something of value to trade. Not all of us have iron in their hills. 

So when I see those priests on my doorstep, my reaction will be to protect them. I might not agree with all the criticism of the Hoares, but on Iron Islands lords, priest and captains alike have (or should have) the right to speak openly. Indeed, we created the Kingsmoot - we are the forerunners of democracy. Galon Whitestaffs word should be upheld today and the Hoares are spending too much time killing off those that rigtly points out their flaws. As for the priests, my idiot father decided to accept becoming a priest in the first place. It is all on him. Indeed, his abdication made me a lord sooner rather than later. So maybe I should be grateful.

As for my sons, they are both strong and worthy in their own way. Ivarr for refusing to give up in face of his disability and Sigrud for surpassning things so they won´t be a problem in the first place. I think Ivarr will make the better candidate due to his intelligence but I think I will put them both to the test.

Because I am going with House Sterns offer. I really, really don´t want to be involved in the actions between the ironborn families. One camp is pro-trade but again willing to spit on our culture and the other is war-crazy and have no problems with fighting other ironborn either - something that should be a big no-no. Placing myself in the middle not only gives me a good neighbor but also make it possible for me to test my two sons mettle. They are both going to Essos, joining said raid. Astrid was a tempting offer (since I could possibly push myself as regent for my son and getting a large piece of that money) and the Harlaws are an important family, but I am basically putting myself into a camp which I have some issues with.

So, pro-trade, pro-drowned god, pro-kingsmout, pro-finding a third way between both groups of hardliners and pro-changing things slowly. I am going to spend time in the future making myself to be seen as the "reasonable voice" of the Iron Islands.

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1 hour ago, Floki of the Ironborn said:

At last!

So I, Floki Vilgerdarrsen, have finally broken from my father's faith. The First Men thralls in my keeping have spoken of the Old Gods, and they have convinced me to convert to their worship. Therefore I will have no interest in either the Andal cult, or the Drowned God. Sigrud, therefore, shall become my heir so long as he converts to the Old Gods' faith, while I send Ivarr to the Wall before he causes trouble.

I refuse to take any of the brides offered to me. I go amongst my folk and find out who is willing to embrace the true faith of the Old Gods. Anyone who does must swear oaths to me and to the Old Gods.

I confront the Hoare envoys when they arrive, saying they are no longer welcome on this island. When they question me, I have them killed in the ambush I'd prepared for them. The men under my command will think I'm doing this for the Drowned God, and by the time they figure out they are wrong, I'll have already told the Hoare King of my deeds and denounced him as a heretic.

I take all who are willing to follow me into a boat and set sail without telling anybody.

Instead I shall go to the North and bend the knee to House Stark, citing the Manderly House as a precedent. As proof of my faith, I show him the heads of the drowned men who tried to take shelter in my home without my permission, and also the heads of the Hoare officials I had killed. I also say that I shall take a Northern woman of Lord Stark's choice to wife, and defend Cape Kraken from the Ironborn to my last breath.

And so will begin the legacy that is House Vilgerdarssen of Cape Kraken, serving the true Kings in the North.

So, your character has basically gone nuts, I take it ;)

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2 hours ago, Floki of the Ironborn said:

At last!

So I, Floki Vilgerdarrsen, have finally broken from my father's faith. The First Men thralls in my keeping have spoken of the Old Gods, and they have convinced me to convert to their worship. Therefore I will have no interest in either the Andal cult, or the Drowned God. Sigrud, therefore, shall become my heir so long as he converts to the Old Gods' faith, while I send Ivarr to the Wall before he causes trouble.

I refuse to take any of the brides offered to me. I go amongst my folk and find out who is willing to embrace the true faith of the Old Gods. Anyone who does must swear oaths to me and to the Old Gods.

I confront the Hoare envoys when they arrive, saying they are no longer welcome on this island. When they question me, I have them killed in the ambush I'd prepared for them. The men under my command will think I'm doing this for the Drowned God, and by the time they figure out they are wrong, I'll have already told the Hoare King of my deeds and denounced him as a heretic.

I take all who are willing to follow me into a boat and set sail without telling anybody.

Instead I shall go to the North and bend the knee to House Stark, citing the Manderly House as a precedent. As proof of my faith, I show him the heads of the drowned men who tried to take shelter in my home without my permission, and also the heads of the Hoare officials I had killed. I also say that I shall take a Northern woman of Lord Stark's choice to wife, and defend Cape Kraken from the Ironborn to my last breath.

And so will begin the legacy that is House Vilgerdarssen of Cape Kraken, serving the true Kings in the North.

You know, I would actually love to see that play out. The idea of a noble Andal family coming to the North as a refuge is interesting on its own, but a noble Ironborn family? After all the crap that Theon Stark and so many other Starks had to go through to protect their western coast? I assume that the Starks wouldn't kill a man under a flag of truce, but I also doubt they would welcome those men into the North. Not unless they had something valuable to give the Starks. The Manderlys had to build White Harbour. What the hell would an Ironborn have to have to do?

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1 hour ago, Protagoras said:

So, your character has basically gone nuts, I take it ;)

Or I'm just true to the closest equivalent of the Norse Gods that Westeros has.

Out of character, I should say that I'm a big fan of the North, especially the Starks and the Manderlys. Their story is fascinating, so when a previous post asked me to make up a backstory for my username, I came up with the idea of Floki from Vikings defecting to the North and adopting the Northern customs after being driven out of the Iron Islands. I fell for my backstory and decided to own it as much as possible in this scenario.

9 minutes ago, James Steller said:

 I assume that the Starks wouldn't kill a man under a flag of truce, but I also doubt they would welcome those men into the North. Not unless they had something valuable to give the Starks. The Manderlys had to build White Harbour. What the hell would an Ironborn have to have to do?

The Starks didn't require a city to be built. We can assume the Manderlys must have promised something along those lines, but we ultimately don't know why the Starks allowed House Manderly into the North. Maybe the Manderlys managed to smuggle their wealth along when they fled the Reach, but I don't buy it. They were described as being hounded and driven out of their home with nobody to turn to, so I imagine they were very desperate when they knocked on the Starks' door. And it was maybe the pity of House Stark, coupled with the need for somebody to guard the White Knife from enemies? Either way, they let a strange Andal house in. I bet if an Ironborn nobleman renounced the Old Way and converted to the old gods, I think that would be enough to convince the Starks that he was trustworthy.

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6 hours ago, James Steller said:

Imagine you're the head of a noble house on the Iron Islands (imagine it’s been around for as long as the others and assume you have your own little island to rule). You were married to the youngest daughter of Hollis Botley, but she died giving birth to twin boys. You’ve taken the time to raise them on your own for the last nine years. You became head of your house when, four years ago, your father relinquished his titles and property to you, his last living son, in order to become a priest of the Drowned God. Unfortunately, the priest in charge of the ritual was unable to resuscitate him, and he died.

 

Your family has always been taught to worship the Drowned God, which has alienated you from the current king, Halfdan Hoare. Like his predecessors, he discourages the Old Way. This stance is forcing him into several petty conflicts. The Iron Islands are divided between those who support the Drowned God, and those who worship the Andal heresies. The Harlaws of Harlaw all see the benefits of trade, and they are happy to grow rich from it, while the Botleys, Greyjoys, and Wynches on Pyke denounce Halfdan and the ‘gold-pricers’ who follow him. They give shelter to drowned men and secretly continue to reave under Halfdan’s nose. They sometimes even attack Ironborn trading ships, which has even led to occasional battles on the sea.

 

Your father openly spoke against the Hoares and sheltered many priests during his time. After his death, you sent them away in a crisis of faith, and focused entirely on raising your two boys in peace, neither supporting nor rebelling against King Halfdan.

 

One of your sons, Ivarr, is physically crippled in one leg, but he is without a doubt incredibly intelligent. He trains with weapons as best he can, and despite his pronounced limp, he learns quickly. He has a lot to prove, and is determined to get around his disability. He also speaks longingly to go on raids and follow the Old Way.

 

Your other son, Sigrud, is much more charismatic and well-liked, but he is also more careless. Physical obstacles are easily triumphed by him, and he is developing the laid-back attitude of one to whom life is not challenging. He enjoys the adventures of the Old Way, but if push came to shove, you imagine that Sigrud would be content with fishing.

 

You have never decided which of them is to be your heir, but you already see in them a fierce rivalry for your affection and approval.

 

In the meantime, others are suggesting you should marry again and father more children. And because you have thus far maintained a quiet and neutral position, nobody is sure whom you support. The elderly Lord Erlend Harlaw of Harlaw Hall has sent an envoy offering his 25-year old daughter, Astrid, as your bride. The reason Astrid is still unmarried at her age is that half her face was horribly burnt in a tragic accident during her childhood. But Harlaw points out that she is his heir, and any son she has will become the next lord of Harlaw Hall, which means having a share in the wealth being built up by the Harlaw’s trading. Not to be outdone, Torstan Greyjoy offers his 16 year old daughter, Hilda, to marry you. While Hilda’s beauty is often spoken of, Torstan offers her on the condition that you help him plan an attack on the next envoy of Harlaw ships sailing south to Oldtown. Meanwhile, the lord of House Stern (the noble house which rules the other half of your island) offers his youngest sister, Bryda to wed, taking in Sigrud as a ward, as well as joining forces to go raid in far-away Essos, and then trade the spoils in Westerosi ports, as a way to ride down the middle regarding the two opposing viewpoints in the Iron Islands right now. It’s a bold plan, but a lot can go wrong with it.

 

Meanwhile, a group of drowned men who live on your island have come to your door, begging for help. Your house has never persecuted worshippers of the Drowned God, and word is out that men sworn to King Halfdan are chasing down this particular group for preaching against the black blooded King. They need a place to hide, or they will be slaughtered brutally. You are still in the grips of your crisis of faith, which is made no easier by the fact that one of the priests is the very man who failed to resuscitate your father.

 

What do you do, and how do you run this household?

 

Note to the administrators: I assure you this is not a game, this is strictly a hypothetical scenario that is entirely subjective and up to each person who answers.

 

I'll just call Ragnar and he'll fix all my problems ;)

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I allow that religion should never be forced on a child and that a man makes his own decision in life. If Ivarr wishes to follow the Old Way, he has my blessing. If Sigrud were to settle into a lifetime of fishing, I’d be fine with that as well. Whichever son came first would be my heir.

 

I would take the Stern offer, and send the drowned men with the fleet in Essos “to bless them.” It keeps them out of reach of Halfdan, and keeps them preaching (if that is what they wish).

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31 minutes ago, Ser Frasier of House Crane said:

Whichever son came first would be my heir.

Assume you weren't in the room when they were born, and nobody told you which son was born first. Who would you pick?

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It pays of to ally with the king, especially in the places like Isles where kings tend to be baddest dudes around or else they wouldn't be kings.

Take the Harlaw bride, her disfigurement is not a big deal, they did have bags in Iron Islands :D She would bring Harlaw in the family and my grandson would be great lord. Send the crippled Ivarr (where have I heard that before) to the Harlaws to be mentored in the commerce and business, while his ideas about Old Way are pushed from his head.

Next agree to go with the Stern if he will give his sister to Sigurd to marry. Leave Sigurd behind with some trusted veterans as counsel. I have to go reaving somewhere because I have ugly wife so I need me some hot young salt wives (Lyseni perhaps). Going far from Isles takes me from the conflict, Harlaws wouldn't allow anyone to attack me, and besides opponents have no purpose to do so, Greyjoys would think twice before attacking someone who isn't engaged against them and who is a kin (Sigurd) to their allies Botleys. 

Stern can, you know, get into the accident while reaving it is dangerous job. He undoubtedly will, and I will remain with his men, bunch of which would then support Sigurd's claim of Stern lands even if he has brothers or sons who will be taken by surprise. Maybe even pull the Bolton move and instruct Sigurd to take the Stern lands while we are away.

As for the priests, I drown them all and then say that I did helped them, they asked for protection and I ensured they find themselves in Drowned God halls, what better service could I give to them. Some believers may find that questionable, and king would surely prefer to have them tortured for info or executed publicly to prove a point, but no one should be particularity mad at me, since I didn't betray them, I avenged my father and I was right theologically in the fucked up way, but that is Ironborn religion to you, and king has one less problem to worry about.

 

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On 3/19/2017 at 0:30 PM, James Steller said:

Imagine you're the head of a noble house on the Iron Islands (imagine it’s been around for as long as the others and assume you have your own little island to rule). You were married to the youngest daughter of Hollis Botley, but she died giving birth to twin boys. You’ve taken the time to raise them on your own for the last nine years. You became head of your house when, four years ago, your father relinquished his titles and property to you, his last living son, in order to become a priest of the Drowned God. Unfortunately, the priest in charge of the ritual was unable to resuscitate him, and he died.

 

Your family has always been taught to worship the Drowned God, which has alienated you from the current king, Halfdan Hoare. Like his predecessors, he discourages the Old Way. This stance is forcing him into several petty conflicts. The Iron Islands are divided between those who support the Drowned God, and those who worship the Andal heresies. The Harlaws of Harlaw all see the benefits of trade, and they are happy to grow rich from it, while the Botleys, Greyjoys, and Wynches on Pyke denounce Halfdan and the ‘gold-pricers’ who follow him. They give shelter to drowned men and secretly continue to reave under Halfdan’s nose. They sometimes even attack Ironborn trading ships, which has even led to occasional battles on the sea.

 

Your father openly spoke against the Hoares and sheltered many priests during his time. After his death, you sent them away in a crisis of faith, and focused entirely on raising your two boys in peace, neither supporting nor rebelling against King Halfdan.

 

One of your sons, Ivarr, is physically crippled in one leg, but he is without a doubt incredibly intelligent. He trains with weapons as best he can, and despite his pronounced limp, he learns quickly. He has a lot to prove, and is determined to get around his disability. He also speaks longingly to go on raids and follow the Old Way.

 

Your other son, Sigrud, is much more charismatic and well-liked, but he is also more careless. Physical obstacles are easily triumphed by him, and he is developing the laid-back attitude of one to whom life is not challenging. He enjoys the adventures of the Old Way, but if push came to shove, you imagine that Sigrud would be content with fishing.

 

You have never decided which of them is to be your heir, but you already see in them a fierce rivalry for your affection and approval.

 

In the meantime, others are suggesting you should marry again and father more children. And because you have thus far maintained a quiet and neutral position, nobody is sure whom you support. The elderly Lord Erlend Harlaw of Harlaw Hall has sent an envoy offering his 25-year old daughter, Astrid, as your bride. The reason Astrid is still unmarried at her age is that half her face was horribly burnt in a tragic accident during her childhood. But Harlaw points out that she is his heir, and any son she has will become the next lord of Harlaw Hall, which means having a share in the wealth being built up by the Harlaw’s trading. Not to be outdone, Torstan Greyjoy offers his 16 year old daughter, Hilda, to marry you. While Hilda’s beauty is often spoken of, Torstan offers her on the condition that you help him plan an attack on the next envoy of Harlaw ships sailing south to Oldtown. Meanwhile, the lord of House Stern (the noble house which rules the other half of your island) offers his youngest sister, Bryda to wed, taking in Sigrud as a ward, as well as joining forces to go raid in far-away Essos, and then trade the spoils in Westerosi ports, as a way to ride down the middle regarding the two opposing viewpoints in the Iron Islands right now. It’s a bold plan, but a lot can go wrong with it.

 

Meanwhile, a group of drowned men who live on your island have come to your door, begging for help. Your house has never persecuted worshippers of the Drowned God, and word is out that men sworn to King Halfdan are chasing down this particular group for preaching against the black blooded King. They need a place to hide, or they will be slaughtered brutally. You are still in the grips of your crisis of faith, which is made no easier by the fact that one of the priests is the very man who failed to resuscitate your father.

 

What do you do, and how do you run this household?

 

Note to the administrators: I assure you this is not a game, this is strictly a hypothetical scenario that is entirely subjective and up to each person who answers.

 

Ok, most immediate problem first; the Drowned Men are given refuge, but for a limited amount of time. I'm not going to get involved in this inter-Islands conflict so I'll leave the Hoare men chasing them alone, but even in a crisis of faith I know hunting people down because of their religion is wrong. The priests can stay until a few days after the Hoare men are gone, but then they've got to keep moving as well.

On the neutrality note, I'm marrying Bryda Stern. Both camps have pro and con arguments, but a fight like this is going to blow up in everyone's faces and I want no part of it. Claiming I'm just trying to unite my island gives me a perfect excuse to both camps, and this approach also gives me a unique opportunity to solve the issues surrounding my sons.

Sigrud is going on the joint Essos raid. Even if he's too young to fight (not really sure how strict the rules are about that) he can learn a lot, and being in an environment where he'll be given orders but has clear opportunity to take initiative will give me a good way to test his suitability to Lordship. Ivarr, meanwhile, stays home and gets given positions of small-scale responsibility that grow if he proves successful. If he's ever to be Lord he'll need to be able to command respect, and being physically impaired in a society that's not exactly progressive will take more than just my support. He needs to be able to command respect on his own, and figuring out how to use his intelligence and work ethic to do that will be a key test.

Keeping the two away from each other for a few years (or however long the raid takes) won't solve their rivalry problem, but it will buy me some time. Once Sigrud returns home, each one will be re-evaluated to see who will be a better heir. The one that doesn't get it will be married into a house that's been decimated by the local civil war and has only a female heir, which should be a nice consolation prize and make use of their respective talents.

The only serious flaw is not knowing exactly how the local conflict will shake out, particularly if it will be winding down in comparable time to when I'll be looking to marry off my spare son. I'm also sure that both sides will keep pushing me to get involved, but if I've sent enough men to Essos with the Sterns I should be able to claim i need to withhold what I have for defense.

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I'd make my son  Sigrud  my heir but just to make appareance. I know how the Iron islands work, they favor strenght over inteligence, but I know that sometime in the future I'll need good inteligent man, and strenght goes by over the years. Making my strongest son my heir would please the rest of the island and I'd make my second son my counselor and future counselor of Ivarr. I would instruct them to not fight over my lands but rather realize they're family and need to stick together. I would marry the ugly woman to ensure the growth of my family name inside the islands. Even if she's ugly now, my children with her wouldn't be ugly, she didn't born ugly after all. Then I would support my king no matter what to show how loyal I can be I'd shelter the priests just to tell the royal guards where they are. I'm not a religious person anymore so I couldn't care more about them, I care about my family and power growth. After all that I'd marry my sons to increase my reach but not so much as to increase suspiction over my family. And that's it.

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On 3/20/2017 at 3:30 AM, James Steller said:

Imagine you're the head of a noble house on the Iron Islands (imagine it’s been around for as long as the others and assume you have your own little island to rule). You were married to the youngest daughter of Hollis Botley, but she died giving birth to twin boys. You’ve taken the time to raise them on your own for the last nine years. You became head of your house when, four years ago, your father relinquished his titles and property to you, his last living son, in order to become a priest of the Drowned God. Unfortunately, the priest in charge of the ritual was unable to resuscitate him, and he died.

 

Your family has always been taught to worship the Drowned God, which has alienated you from the current king, Halfdan Hoare. Like his predecessors, he discourages the Old Way. This stance is forcing him into several petty conflicts. The Iron Islands are divided between those who support the Drowned God, and those who worship the Andal heresies. The Harlaws of Harlaw all see the benefits of trade, and they are happy to grow rich from it, while the Botleys, Greyjoys, and Wynches on Pyke denounce Halfdan and the ‘gold-pricers’ who follow him. They give shelter to drowned men and secretly continue to reave under Halfdan’s nose. They sometimes even attack Ironborn trading ships, which has even led to occasional battles on the sea.

 

Your father openly spoke against the Hoares and sheltered many priests during his time. After his death, you sent them away in a crisis of faith, and focused entirely on raising your two boys in peace, neither supporting nor rebelling against King Halfdan.

 

One of your sons, Ivarr, is physically crippled in one leg, but he is without a doubt incredibly intelligent. He trains with weapons as best he can, and despite his pronounced limp, he learns quickly. He has a lot to prove, and is determined to get around his disability. He also speaks longingly to go on raids and follow the Old Way.

 

Your other son, Sigrud, is much more charismatic and well-liked, but he is also more careless. Physical obstacles are easily triumphed by him, and he is developing the laid-back attitude of one to whom life is not challenging. He enjoys the adventures of the Old Way, but if push came to shove, you imagine that Sigrud would be content with fishing.

 

You have never decided which of them is to be your heir, but you already see in them a fierce rivalry for your affection and approval.

 

In the meantime, others are suggesting you should marry again and father more children. And because you have thus far maintained a quiet and neutral position, nobody is sure whom you support. The elderly Lord Erlend Harlaw of Harlaw Hall has sent an envoy offering his 25-year old daughter, Astrid, as your bride. The reason Astrid is still unmarried at her age is that half her face was horribly burnt in a tragic accident during her childhood. But Harlaw points out that she is his heir, and any son she has will become the next lord of Harlaw Hall, which means having a share in the wealth being built up by the Harlaw’s trading. Not to be outdone, Torstan Greyjoy offers his 16 year old daughter, Hilda, to marry you. While Hilda’s beauty is often spoken of, Torstan offers her on the condition that you help him plan an attack on the next envoy of Harlaw ships sailing south to Oldtown. Meanwhile, the lord of House Stern (the noble house which rules the other half of your island) offers his youngest sister, Bryda to wed, taking in Sigrud as a ward, as well as joining forces to go raid in far-away Essos, and then trade the spoils in Westerosi ports, as a way to ride down the middle regarding the two opposing viewpoints in the Iron Islands right now. It’s a bold plan, but a lot can go wrong with it.

 

Meanwhile, a group of drowned men who live on your island have come to your door, begging for help. Your house has never persecuted worshippers of the Drowned God, and word is out that men sworn to King Halfdan are chasing down this particular group for preaching against the black blooded King. They need a place to hide, or they will be slaughtered brutally. You are still in the grips of your crisis of faith, which is made no easier by the fact that one of the priests is the very man who failed to resuscitate your father.

 

What do you do, and how do you run this household?

 

Note to the administrators: I assure you this is not a game, this is strictly a hypothetical scenario that is entirely subjective and up to each person who answers.

 

Ivarr, I think should become my heir. Sigrud would be content to let the house rest upon its laurels, whereas Ivarr would seek greater glory.

As for the marriage, I'll marry Bryda, which gives me a chance to maintain my neutrality, by raiding off in Essos. Sigrud can be a ward for Lord Stern for a while, but he will be close enough to foster brotherhood between Ivarr and Sigrud, so they don't erupt in civil war after I die.

I take the drowned men off on my raid to Essos, if they prove to be too troublesome, they can meet thier god. The one who drowned my father can do so anyway, he's obviously incompetent. They can get lost between the islands, Essos and Westros.

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I marry Bryda although I make it obvious that since I don't really have a heart I can't love her and since I don't have voice I cant sing. Afterwards I plan a raid to Essos with the Sterns. I’ll take Ivarr with me despite being a cripple. If my ships get sunk, I’d offer myself to the Essosi leaders on the condition of allowing Ivarr to return home safely. I am aware that they would probably kill me, however I am pretty sure that Ivarr and Sigrud would work together to revenge me and guess what, they will be successful. Hopefully Ivarr won’t kill Sigrud though.The former is very intelligent but he’s probably sensitive of his disability. The latter is quite careless in what he does. I have a funny feeling that he will do that. 

 

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