Noble House Scenario - Westerlands

[James Steller]

Imagine that you're the head of a noble house in the Westerlands (assume that it's been around for as long as the others). You are a 32 year old man with four young children: Belgar (13), Branwen (11), Kurk (8), and Rhila (3).

During your father's time as lord, the Lannisters made war on the Reach, but any gains that King Tybolt III had made during the war ended with his death in a terrible battle near Old Oak. The king and all but one of his sons died that terrible day, along with your elderly father, his brothers, and your own brothers. You were only spared because you fell from your horse and broke your leg in the first battle of the war and went home to recover.

Fortunately, the King of the Reach is also dead, and a dispute has arisen between his sons on who shall be king. However, the Westermen have no time to lick their wounds: crows have smelt blood, and they are circling in to feed.

King Kybo Justman is leading an army of Rivermen into the Westerlands to plunder it. The last living son of Tybolt is a child of 10, so Queen Sybelle Lannister is marshalling a new force to defend the kingdom. Summons have just arrived today to bring all your surviving bannermen to the Golden Tooth, which is said to be on the verge of being taken. Your lands are north of Ashemark, so you are among the first which will have to deal with King Kybo if he invades the Westerlands.

Meanwhile, large parties of Ironborn have landed on the shores of the Westerlands, also seeking to conquer and plunder. The worst affected is House Banefort. Since you are just southwest of the Baneforts, they have turned to you first. Yesterday evening, a raven arrived to your hall; Lord Saltar Banefort pleads with you to lead all your remaining bannermen to defeat the Ironborn before they establish a footing. He promises to wed his 16-year old daughter to Belgar, and take Kurk in as a ward as incentives to disobey the muster to the Golden Tooth (you do not have sufficient numbers to send a decent fighting force to both locations). Lord Banefort's father had warded two of King Tybolt's sons, and the Banefort family is still in good favour with the Lannisters.

These recent events have changed things considerably with you. Lord Karvil Marbrand, a personal enemy of Lord Banefort, was in negotiations to betrothe Rhila to his infant son, and take Kurk as a ward. If you ride to the defence of Banefort, however, he will withdraw his offer and include you in his enmity.

Engaging Belgar to Lord Banefort's daughter would also insult Ser Marc Lumba, head of a knightly house and whose great-grandfather died in service to your house. He was hoping to engage his son to Branwen, and his daughter to Belgar. He promised a generous dowry, which you know would nearly bankrupt his estates. To turn around and accept the much wealthier House Banefort's offer would make sense, but it would deeply offend House Lumba after years of loyalty and friendship on their part.

Elsewhere, your 24- year old sister, Sela, is pregnant and married to the much older Lord Felix Westerling, whose lands are also being threatened by the Ironborn invaders. She has sent a letter urging you to aid your relatives, citing the deaths of all your other siblings as a reason to defend your remaining blood. Lord Westerling is not wealthy, and does not offer any rewards for this service: your sister declares it is your duty to protect your family, regardless of reward.

Finally, your stewart remarks that your smallfolk are struggling to gather the harvest and work the mines with so many men having died in the south. To march out again would make it impossible for most to pay taxes to you. In fact, many will plead for financial aid to survive, which would wipe out your personal fortunes until work was restored to their proper levels. This is also a personal problem, because your wife and youngest daughter Rhila are very ill, and there are few doctors in the Westerlands who are skilled enough to heal them. Hiring any one of them in these times of war will be a large expense.

What do you do?
 

Note to administrators: This is purely a hypothetical scenario, not a game. It's meant to illicit thought and discussion rather than awarding a win or loss.

[Universal Sword Donor]

Burn it all down and head east to Bitterbridge and start a fishing charter

[TMIFairy]

3 hours ago, Universal Sword Donor said:

Burn it all down and head east to Bitterbridge and start a fishing charter

u r mean!!!!11

[Equilibrium]

...And than Northmen and Dornishmen invade and somehow you are on both of their paths and volcano your castle is built upon is about to erupt

Only reasonable course it to send forces in my sister's and Banefort's aid, I get great marriage pact and besides from saving little sis from getting reaved I secure myself against Ironborn.

If Lannister queen manages to squirm through my new father in law will certainly use his influence to save my hide and if Kybo continues his march to my estate than I would have no choice than to let him in the castle peacefully and swear fealty. Guy named Justman will certainly make sure my family, servants and livestock aren't diddled with, whereas with the Ironborn swearing fealty would do no such thing.

If anyone of the two Kybo or queen decides I should hand over part of the land, I will do so, fuck it it represents nothing but peasants to provide social security to anyway.

As for the sick wife and daughter I turn to the Seven in the age in which leaching is height of the medicine I might as well pray and save some money.

[devilish]

Jeez that's one hell of apocalyptic scenario. Cersei might have inherited all Sybelle's genes and luck

 - Send Belgar to the GT with a token force. The message is pretty simple. I am the one responsible for not answering to the queen's call not Belgar. My family had served the Lannisters for generations. In fact most of my family had died alongside her husband the former king.  If she wants me dead, then once this ordeal is over, I'd be willing to have myself removed.  However my family must be spared. 

- Save Benefort's ass. The last thing you want is for the IB to ravage my lands (especially since my wife and daughter is sick) 

- Id accept Lumba's offer to marry Branwen but he must go past me marrying my son to Benefort first. Loyalty is rewarded but rewards have its limits.

- Id offer my sister and her family refuge in my castle and they can stay there for as long as they want. However I cant save their arses right now

- Use the dowries I will get from my children's marriage to survive. 

[Floki of the Ironborn]

Justmans invading our eastern front, Ironborn on our northern front, my smallfolk struggling, and my wife and daughter ill? Interesting.

In any case, my first loyalty is to the Lannisters of Casterly Rock. And unlike the Ironborn, if the Justmans invade, they will be here to stay, which the Queen understands. I decline the Hooded Lord's bribery and regretfully inform him that my duty comes first.

I beg forgiveness to my sister, and offer the same reason. I try to explain that the Justmans are the more dangerous threat right now, but she is always welcome to flee inland to my keep.

In case I die in battle, I wrap up the negotiations with Ser Marc, and insist on an upfront payment of the dowry. Before I leave, I immediately distribute said dowry to my smallfolk so that their families are financially assured without bankrupting me in the process. I send Branwen to live on the Lumba estates, while Belgar and my steward rule in my absence.

I also accept Lord Marbrand's offer, provided that he pay for a doctor to oversee my wife and daughter's recovery.

Finally, I marshal my surviving forces and march for the Golden Tooth, with Kurk beside me (I leave him at Ashemark as I pass by). Hopefully the Golden Tooth is still standing, so that I'll join in the defence of the Westerlands.

[Canon Claude]

Since this is the Westerlands, I shall put family first.

I agree to Ser Marc's proposal, on the condition that instead of paying me the dowry, he instead leads his bannermen to the Crag and defend my sister from the Ironborn. I bolster his forces with my household knights as a sign of good faith, and I take his children into my care for safety reasons and also so they can become more acquainted with their future spouses.

My smallfolk have bled enough, so they may stay home. The Westerlands will need food and I'll make sure I have plenty to spare (and sell).

I ride for Ashemark and agree to Lord Marbrand's deal as well. I also offer to lead his troops to the Golden Tooth in his stead as a sign of good faith. Therefore, none can say that I was a coward, for even if he refuses me command, I'll ride alone to the Golden Tooth to fight my enemies. 

[James Steller]

On 8/22/2017 at 11:35 AM, devilish said:

Jeez that's one hell of apocalyptic scenario. Cersei might have inherited all Sybelle's genes and luck

Haha, well, I think I was intending for Sybelle to be more Catelyn-like than Cersei-like. Given Catelyn's equally terrible luck, it's still a fair comparison.

 

[John Doe]

Banefort isn't worth the hassle. I honor my old obligations with the Marbands and the Lumbas (what a stupid name). 

 

I tell my sister that it's my duty to follow my king as well, so I have to send my troops elsewhere. However, I offer her to return to my castle periodically, for her own safety. To not raise suspicions I offer that to other people of Lord Westerling's household too, of course. Should she (or her husband, if her safety is of any concern to him and he doesn't just want to keep her hostage) accept and her husband die in the heavy fighting against the Ironborn, this could make her child the lord of the Crag and my family even more powerful. Maybe I can even hire someone to make sure the Lord of the Crag dies in the fighting. 

 

I send my troops to the Golden Tooth, which will no doubt endear me to Lord Marbrand, Lord Lefford and Lady Lannister. And the Golden Tooth is strategically a good position, , so I'm confident in our victory. After we won, I can still count on those lords being grateful enough to help me against any Ironborn raiders that may want to raid my territory. 

 

The Smallfolk shall be tax free, but I will help them with all the gold my other endeavours leave me with if need be. Skilled workers will be needed for the rebuilding following the war, and I want them to know that just like the Lannisters, I pay my debts, as I'm no doubt indepted to them for the years they spent fighting for me. Nonetheless l want the best healers possible for my family, and to ensure I get them I use the money I get from Ser Lumba, as it's described as a "generous" dowry, and it has to be to marry above his station, I assume that will be enough.

 

[1000th Lord Commander]

I go with the Baneforts offer. It gives me a decent dowry that I can use to help out my smallfolk in thier times of need, and still have money to help my wife and sick daughter (who are looking at me while I type)

If Marc Lumba is still willing to wed his son to Branwen, I maintain the offer to try and keep on good faith, as well as a ally in the future. It also means that he doesn't have to bankrupt himself for a dowry.

I write to my sister, explaining that I will try and draw off as much of the ironborn as I can to the Baneforts, hopefully helping them out a little.

I get my maester to swear that the summons to the Golden Tooth arrived after I had already marched, thereby telling the Queen that I didn't disobey her deliberetly.

 

[Universal Sword Donor]

After I started that river charter, I'd probably open a brewery and burn the charter down. 

Also burn down everything else in Westeros because role playing is amazing.

[LordImp]

I'll march on the Golden tooth because I am loyal to house Lannister.

[Ser Frasier of House Crane]

I would have to aid House Banefort. As much as it might offend House Lumba, I have to explicitly tell him that if the ironmen seize their lands, ours are ripe for the taking. I tell him that he and his family will not be forgotten, and that if he must wait a generation for our debt to his house to be repaid, such shall it be. Lord Marbrand might get pissy as well, but I’ll tell him exactly what I said to Ser Marc: the ironborn threat is immediate and if it is not dealt with swiftly, there may be no marriage alliances for anyone.

I will tell my sister that she and her brood can take shelter in my home, but our lack of manpower necessitates that I deal with the immediate encroachment of the ironborn on our lands and those neighboring it. If Westerling can hold off long enough for us to drive off the threat to the Baneforts, then we will ride hard to their aid.

I will ask House Banefort that if we aid them and drive off the ironborn threat, they help with my tax situation. As for my wife and daughter, I can only pray to the Mother for their health and trust in the maesters.