Jon Fossoway

I think that storming the castle was the optimal decision. In this, Tywin was right. What Barristan did was exceptional, which could not be expected in a similar case. So I will lean towards Tywin and his army, and not for the heroic intervention of another character.

Uh, well. First book would be completely different, since a lot of events revolve around Eddard. He even got some POVs for Rahloo sake.

For the sake of simplicity and plot advance they don't. Factual don't. In Martinsworld, I doubt several big families have wards of its principal bannermen. It just adds noise to the narrative.

I was feeding the idea that the Five Forts are very much like the Wall. A place where a militarized order patrols the borderlands. They are currently linked to Yi Ti. Yi Ti is not a glorious empire anymore, but a fractioned feudal state, very much like Westeros. In short: Yi Ti and the Five Forts are a mirror of the Seven Kingdoms and the Wall.

They may be using Davos Paypal account to pay for stuff.

Oh, this is a promising thread.

The perks of not having a POV.

Since I guess George's aim was to weaken the Watch (even more) during the story, I am thinking Jeor would have sent a lot of that strenght up north to be massacred again by wights.

The last First Men King in the Vale was a Royce, and he was defeated by an andal Arryn. Would be fun if a modern Royce (i.e., Myranda) snatches the rule of the Vale from the feeble Bobby Arryn.

Perhaps Theon 'betrayed' Robb while in the Islands, far away from the Stark influence. So wolves had no way of tellin'.

I picture it as going back from a inter stellar civilization to one confined to its solar system. Or, as the Starks giving up the outer continent travels or conquering pretentions. Theon Stark travelled to Andalos with pressumably a fleet before Brandon the Burner. To think they became actually shipless is kinda naive. Giving up conquering outer regions prolly made them even more culturally secluded.

Grown men have been leading their families during the saga, as posters here say. Stevron is a very discreet one, though. Seeing lord Walder was too old to get out of the Twins for anything, maybe he needed Stevron to ride along Robb to monitor stuff. I have the notion that Walder didn't trust any of his sons and descendants for important leading matters save for Stevron. The Freys have good commanders and warriors, but not leaders.

I'm not sure on the honesty of Stevron if he was the Lord of the Twins by the time Robb came down south. He is sorrounded by a lot of possible heirs, and that pressure could have made him be as an ass his father was to the Starks. In the end, I believe Walder acted for the best interest of his numerous family. Any lord Frey would, considering the fragile equilibrium that family is in.

Honestly, all people around the Wall at the time is meat for wighting. The climate is worsening, so I doubt they can effectively move south in force or in numbers in search for new places to stay, they can't possibly move north and the Wall itself is becoming a ground for free for all killing. If the Others do some reasoning, they would think, 'let's move these little monkeys south, where there are other little monkeys guarding a wall; logic says they flock together and then start killing each other; then it's a safe time for us to come in'. Only small pockets of humans will be able to escape south after the massacre. Hopefully Shireen among them.

Noice. So humans were aliens to Planetos, that thrived, formed a great empire, made it explode and eventually killed off natives (Deep Ones, children of the forest, giants, Others)? Or valyrians engineered humans?