Is there really any chance of there being a "Euron the Conquerer"

[Lord Littlefinger's Lash]

Difficult to say. Euron has the potential to be some kind of Littlefinger level cunning. He could just as conceivably be a chaotic evil bastard who burns out fairly quickly. I don't really know which interpretation I prefer, but I think both are valid. At this point, I think the best way to describe him is as a wildcard. I expect he is going to do something big in the future. What is it? Will it work? Those are questions that we can't really answer at this point. It's almost certain to involve dragons, though.

I think he's smarter than Petyr, from what we've seen so far.

[Lord Martin]

How does any one?

The first time the Targs did it with Dragons. The second time Robert did based on a variety of factors including his own strength, that of his closest allies and through those with ambition who wanted to change the status quo. So will Euron follow Path 1 or Path 2?

It appears as though he has chosen Path 1. Seems like a long shot hail Mary.

I question the likelihood that people will ally with Euron the way they did with Robert. He had his own troops in the Stormlands, his best friend's in the North and his surrogate father in the Vale. Even still, he did not win until the Lannisters sided with him over the Targs.

Euron doesn't have the same connections. Thus it will be much more difficult to gain allies.

IMO, when all is said and done, no one will be able to unite Westeros. I see no indication in the books that Westeros wants to be United or really cares all the much about being united.

How is that any different than for anyone? And anyone who truly refused to bend the knee would already be dead as dumb dead Robb Stark by now.

Some people will bend the knee for one person but not another. The POVs we have give the distrinct impression that the Ironborn are universally despised. When given the choice between being ruled by Robert Baratheon or death, many and more will choose Robert. But I suspect that most of those knee benders wouldn't bend to Euron... Dragons being the one exception.

He only has 10,000 men scattered half way from the Rainwood to Volantis

Your assuming that he has not gained any allies since then. Based on Jon Conn's chapters at the end of ADWD and the Arienne chapters, we know he's gaining numbers. So its already over 10,000 now and could be much larger by the time Euron gets to the other side of Westeros.

I'm not disagreeing that he could do it. And I agree that it would be difficult for most Lords to do without Dragons. But as much as some think this world is 100% might makes right... there are enough people out there who will fight to the bitter end if its Euron. A Baratheon, Stark, Targ or even a Lannister would be easier to swallow than an Ironborn King.

[Parwan]

1. So Euron abandons the north, loosing men and longships, even though it could have been won. Not exactly an act of military genius.

he doesn't want it. and the only men he loses are the Cods (who's words are "though all men do despise us", and Victarion left them to die. Victarion could have gone back and gotten them after the Kingsmoot. Asha could have rescued them as well.) And those men loyal to Asha. All together a couple hundred men of dubious quality and/or loyalty.

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2. They should be opposing them because they don't want their lands invaded their people enslaved, etc.

That's a reason to help them. Then they and the Iron Born can invade other people's lands an enslave them, something the Lords of Westeros are fond of.

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There is a strong argument to be made that the seven kingdoms is (or at least is right on the edge of becoming) a high fantasy version of a failed state.

Not really that's a modern definition of state, being applied to a feudal society. Its a bit like calling Germania a failed state.No.

1. How is it that he doesn't want it? He wants Westeros, and the north is clearly part of Westeros. If you have something and it is a significant part of what you want, it doesn't make a lot of sense to just give it up. A few hundred men are a few hundred men. If you lose them, they are lost. You will almost certainly lose a lot more trying to take back what you have given away. It seems to me that Asha did try to rescue the men. She just wasn't able to do it.

2. Depends on your definition of "enslaving." Slavery is illegal in the seven kingdoms. More importantly, I think your main point is weak. If someone is invading your land, you should help them because they will help you to invade other lands? That seems to be what you're saying. If not, then what are you saying? Should Balon have just surrendered when Robert's forces approached the Iron Islands? He could have just said, "Hey man, let's get together and invade other places."

3. I said, "a fantasy version of a failed state." The seven kingdoms do not constitute a feudal society. The place is a fantasy land rather roughly modeled on a medieval society. Germania did not have decade-long winters. It did not face a looming threat from some really frightening zombie creatures. These are very real threats to a lot of people who are either incredibly stupid, willfully ignorant, or both. The "leaders" have more than adequate information to see what is coming. Indeed, some people see it well enough. Elsewhere, I've put the matter this way:

Stark Words: Winter is coming.

King's Landing Words: Nobody gives a damn.

I'd say the place qualifies pretty well as a fantasy version of a failed state.

Siege craft and mounted opposition will be the greatest conventional challenge for the Iron Born

That might well be the case in the long run. It is another reason for doubting that the ironmen will be successful. I still say that the Iron Fleet will be the biggest conventional challenge to this point. Dividing your force and sending the most important part of it across a storm-tossed sea to return "who knows when" is a poor move.

Not if your objective is to conquer Westeros. Having the whole fleet won't allow you to do that anyway.

My point is that having your whole fleet will be important when facing a strong enemy fleet. This is particularly true if the Redwyne commander is competent. The ironmen are spread out all over the place--in the Shields, up the Mander, near Oldtown...A good enemy commander, capable of massing his forces and delivering decisive blows, could smash them to bits, defeating them in detail and leaving Euron with essentially no sea power in Westeros.

No. You have to send a moron. Anyone of medium to high intelligence would recognize the probability of death and picayune rewards.. Anyone who is a genius would just take the dragons for themselves.

So the mission has a high probability of failure with picayune rewards? That seems to be what you're saying. If that's the case, anyone of intelligence, including geniuses, would turn the mission down. Why would anyone send anyone on the mission? Are you saying that the person who is in charge of the mission might succeed but die? That might be possible in some sense, but it seems unlikely. Victarion is the commander of the fleet. If he dies, mission success seems quite unlikely. There is a very large enemy fleet approaching from Volantis, and Victarion has neglected to tell his men about this. Disaster seems fairly likely even if the commander lives. If he dies, and the ironmen are blindsided, then I'd say that's the end of the mission. You might say, well the iron islanders are going to grab the dragons, bind them, train them, and perhaps have riders for them before the enemy fleet (which they don't know is coming) arrives. Yeah, right. That will happen right after Victarion sails the longboats onto the Dothraki sea and meets up with Dany.

Or are you saying that only a genius would succeed? Well, obviously Euron didn't send a genius.

the fact that Quentyn thinks his crap of paper will win out even after Dany is married. Even after Dany flies off on a Dragon. That he then decides he wants his friend's death to"have meaning" and decides to try to tame a dragon with a fucking whip. Qnentyn makes Victorian look like a rocket surgeon. And anyone who met him would recognize that Quentyn is a moron. Doran has met Quentyn. Therefore Doran recognizes that Quentyn is a moron.

The facts that you mention all take place in Meereen. Doran would not have known of them when he sent Quentyn out. At any rate, what does that have to do with your point about sending Victarion to fetch dragons? You claim that Euron had to send a moron. Do you think that Doran had to do the same?

Also, Quentyn was a Prince of Dorne. He was accompanied by 5 Dornishmen. At least a few of them seemed to be pretty intelligent. Are all the people of Dorne fools, even the intelligent ones?

First of all that was in Storm of Swords, when Jamie reveals that, the battle of the blackwater is in Clash of Kings. Second of all, Jamie's fear of what wildfire might do is not the same as proving what it does do.

The fact that it was reveled in A Storm of Swords doesn't mean it wasn't known earlier. Aerys, though he went crazy, did not seem to be stupid. Jaime certainly isn't stupid. He can tell what a dangerous weapon is. And wildfire is a weapon. A king, a Hand (e.g. Tyrion) or any competent person can test it. I find it unbelievable that wildfire has not been tested. A dragon horn on the other hand? You have to have dragons around to test the thing properly. If you just have the horn and you claim you can bind dragons, you are claiming way too much.