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Lord Varys

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  1. Thanks, didn't remember that. The only time Randyll does something remotely positively in relation to the Faith is when he punishes that poor guy even harsher when it turns he had stolen from a sept. But that shows Randyll being cruel and uncaring, not that he is pious. The source for Sam's song about the Seven is also his mother. If Randyll was a pious guy (like Lord Butterwell was, of instance) one would expect him to visit the sept with his children and perhaps being a good singer, too. Sam could have learned a few pious songs from his father in such a scenario. But there is no indication of anything like that. @Free Northman Reborn I'm not remembering my numbers right now but the two combined Tyrell armies in KL might actually be insanely huge. They are what remains of Renly's about 80,000 men at Bitterbridge, after all. It could still be 40,000-50,000 men. Half of them would be 20,000-25,000 men, more than double what the Golden Company has right now. But numbers do not matter all that much in the coming battle. The Golden Company is made up of professional soldiers and veterans, and most of the Tyrells levies will just be peasants with pikes. And Harry Strickland has elephants. The crucial factors will be choosing the right terrain for the battle (one assumes Aegon V lured the Golden Company into a trap at the Wendwater Bridge during the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion) and making use of that advantage. Jon Connington can do that. The man is a Stormlander by birth, he should know the right place and way to lure the Tyrell men into a trap. And with the Kingswood close by they might even be able to use the elephants as a surprise element. Tarly might be the best soldier in Westeros, but the fact is that there aren't many professional soldiers in Westeros. But every man in the Golden Company is a soldier, so he might find his master there. The man certainly did never fight against elephants before, nor would have any experience with archers as professional and effective as the Golden Company's. The knights of the Reach might be more than a match for the Golden Company's knights, but we don't know yet how they will react when they realize they will have to ride against horses and elephants. The Tyrell foot most likely will break as soon they see the knights or their fellows being trampled by the beasts. I don't see any chance that any Tyrell men right now in KL will fight Euron while the Golden Company hasn't been dealt with. They don't have any ships to get them down south, and there is little to no chance that Mace would split up his troops before Aegon is defeated. The source for the token force at Storm's End was actually the App. The books have yet to mention where the hell Mathis Rowan is. But I remember mentioning/suggesting that he must be down at Storm's End (unless he died offscreen) and the first major Reach Lord joining Aegon pretty early after ADwD came out. Rowan should have a few hundred men at least, though. He has to have more men than Stannis has inside or else the garrison could just butcher the force besieging them. Considering the strength and size of Storm's End the only way how Aegon could take the castle if they can convince Stannis' people to open the gates. And they can achieve that two ways. First by simply attacking the Tyrell forces pretending to be Baratheon men (disguising the Golden Company banners as golden Baratheon banners) or by revealing themselves as the Golden Company but claiming that they have been hired by King Stannis on whose command they have invaded the Stormlands to end the siege of Storm's End. The latter version could also be supported/aided by a ruse involving ravens. Connington has now control over the rookery of Griffin's Roost and he could send a raven to Storm's End claiming that Griffin's Roost has already been joined the Golden Company which is working on behalf of Stannis. Stannis' people would have no way of double-checking that. If such a raven would reach the castle a few hours before the Golden Company arrived there the chances that Stannis' people would open the gates would be very high indeed. And that is really all they would need to succeed. Winterfell most certainly is one of the strongest castles in Westeros, however I don't think it has the same reputation of impregnability or invincibility as Harrenhal once had, or as Storm's End, Casterly Rock and the Eyrie still have. We don't have any evidence for that but I'm pretty sure that Winterfell (especially earlier incarnations of it) were conquered and sacked by enemy hosts in the past. Both by rival First Men kings as well as by rival Stark pretenders for the Northern crown.
  2. Toyne may have known. But Toyne is dead. And not necessarily of natural causes (or death in battle, a sort of natural cause of death for a sellsword captain). I see no signs that Strickland knows who Aegon actually is. There are hints that he doesn't really believe the story that he is Rhaegar Targaryen's son (insisting that they need Dany to vouch for him suggests as much) but that's not the same as believing/knowing he is a descendant of Daemon Blackfyre (or perhaps even Daemon Blackfyre and Bittersteel). We don't know when exactly Strickland was told about the pact with Illyrio but all he needed to know until he was contacted by Illyrio presumably and told to meet Jon Connington at Volantis there was no reason to give him any details. Strickland himself distances him from this pact, pointing out that he had nothing to do with it and was only honoring an arrangement made by Myles Toyne. In light of the fact that Jon Connington does not - and presumably must not - know that Aegon isn't Rhaegar's son it would be very dangerous to tell anyone in the Golden Company the truth. People talk, after all. And they behave differently if they are privy to things others aren't. Any captain/man in the Golden Company knowing how they have fooled Rhaegar Targaryen's friend Jon Connington into raising Aegon under false pretenses would face great difficulty concealing that knowledge. Connington should reasonably be surrounded by a lot of faces smiling at him the way Theon Greyjoy used to smile... As to Randyll Tarly: He makes it clear to the Small Council that he doesn't want them to go along with Margaery's Faith trial. That entails that he would not hand Margaery over to the High Septon for such a trial if King Tommen's Small Council made the decision to cancel that trial. Which would be contrary to his 'holy oath'. Tarly most certainly would not urge/advisers his peers against the sparrow trial and then also insist on keeping his holy oath he as sworn to the High Sparrow. That would be contradictory behavior. And Tarly is generally a pretty decent piece of shit. Not just towards Samwell but to other kin as well. He put down a lot of Florent levies sworn to his own father-in-law in Renly's camp, and he also had a another kinsman of his wife, Erren Florent, arrested (Selyse's brother who is still a captive at Highgarden). To everyone: No ideas/thoughts on the Lady Nym/Tyene/Myrcella matter? Are they going to slip past the Golden Company or will Arianne meet them as 'guests' in Storm's End. They are taking the Boneway and the Kingsroad which means they are going to pass Storm's End directly. And nothing suggests that they were told about the Golden Company invasion in time.
  3. It should take quite some time until the Quentyn story reaches Westeros. Doran has spies and contacts in Lys and elsewhere, but it takes time for such news to travel. And we have to keep in mind that a lot of stuff happened in Meereen and the people there are not inclined to be very interested in Quentyn or his demise - assuming they learned that he is dead yet. One assumes Barristan didn't announce to the public how and why the dragons were loosed. Events leading to inevitable alliance between Dorne and Aegon go like that: 1. Whatever positive first impression Arianne has of Aegon. 2. Aegon's success in the coming battle against the Tyrells as well as his success in taking Storm's End (once the details are revealed to Arianne and the reader - George has confirmed long ago that the Storm's End battle is going to be covered in another chapter, most likely the first Jon Connington chapter of TWoW). 3. The news about the events in Daznak's Pit. Those will spread quickly and travel fast considering Daenerys' importance to the political situation in the region. Even more so, because the slavers will want to spread that tale. And it will be unambiguously about Daenerys Targaryen's gruesome death through her own dragon not a version that makes it appear likely that she survived and might return. Even if Doran receives a report suggesting that Dany could have survived/making it clear that he ultimate fate is unclear, he most likely will deduce that her movement is going to crumble/rip itself apart and she might not have any men left once she returns to Slaver's Bay. 4. Even more importantly, the story about Daenerys Targaryen's alleged death in Daznak's Pit will include the small but very important detail about her recent marriage to one Hizdahr zo Loraq, hammering home the fact that nothing is going to come out of the Quentyn plan as well as leading to the not unreasonably conclusion that Daenerys I intended to settle in Slaver's Bay as a conqueror-queen and had no intention to ever travel to distant Westeros. Perhaps those news will even include the story of Quentyn's arrival at Meereen and Dany spurning him. Those points will force Dorne into bed with Prince Aegon and the Golden Company, even if they believe/realize/know that he is not Rhaegar's son. Revenge and power with the help of a fake Targaryen is much better than nothing with the non-existing help of a real Targaryen. The news about Quentyn's death and the way he died will later be a very important reason for the enmity between Dorne/Aegon and Daenerys. But that is not exactly going to be an issue in the immediate future. @Ibbison from Ibben I don't think the captains of the Golden Company knew anything about Aegon's real identity if he isn't Rhaegar's son. It would be stupid to tell them anything. Maar might know something if he is Varys/Illyrio's confidant and agent, but that remains to be seen. But I see no reason for him to tell the truth about having seen one male Targaryen even if that's Viserys (and he knows Aegon isn't a Targaryen). The man wants that Arianne believes Aegon is her first cousin so he is going to tell her that Aegon is a Targaryen/Rhaegar's son. We can safely assume that Randyll Tarly is not particularly devout and doesn't give a damn about that 'holy oath' he swore to the High Septon. But Tarly might have sense enough to not unduly provoke the High Septon - which actually would mean that Aegon had a harder time taking KL under his command than if it is Mace in charge of the city near the end. @LordToo-Fat-to-Sit-a-Horse I certainly can see Mace scrapping the Margaery trial now that Kevan is no longer pushing him. In fact, he might even decide to not allow Cersei her trial-by-combat. That's what I would do. Accuse her of the murder of the Lord Regent and the Grand Maester and conduct a trial against her on the basis of that. A trial which - as I'd claim - takes precedence over the Faith trial and will conducted by the Iron Throne. That way Mace could rid himself of Cersei for good without involving the Faith into the whole thing at all. However, I'm not sure Mace is as stupid or vainglorious enough to insist on marching against Aegon personally instead of sending Tarly and remaining back in the Red Keep to keep the Iron Throne warm and the city under Tyrell control. My personal take on Randyll Tarly is that eventually there must be some sort of confrontation between him and Sam. Considering that Samwell is likely to end up in team Daenerys considering his knowledge about the Others and other things I'd not be surprised if Randyll eventually ended up in team Aegon. But Sam going to court eventually under Aegon could be interesting, too. The boy might not be the prophesied savior but if he takes the Iron Throne Sam and Sarella most likely would feel obliged to inform him on the real danger threatening the Realm.
  4. Come on, they are passing through the Rainwood. That is a place we have never visited before. George's prose is pretty unadorned as it is. Rooms, chambers, places, castles, faces, bodies, etc. are only seldom described at all. He likes to dwell on clothes and food, but aside from that most of the chapters consist of dialogue and thoughts, the actual world the series takes place in is seldom described in detail. @Veltigar Honestly, I don't think Prince Aegon and Jon Connington want many 'Blackfyre loyalists' among their ranks. Prince Aegon is Rhaegar's son, for the Golden Company as much as Westeros (or else this whole campaign is lost already). This chapter shows that the rank and file of the Golden Company seem to be descended from veterans fighting with Daemon Blackfyre and Bittersteel, but this is shown as the distant past. They serve a different dragon now, after all. In that sense I'm also not sure whether 'the friends in the Reach' quote really refers to old Blackfyre loyalists or rather to blood relations/private connections some of the members in the Golden Company still have to their old homeland. Laswell Peake might have connections to his (distant) cousin Lord Titus Peake which have nothing to do with ancient Blackfyre stuff. A pretty obvious friend of the Golden Company in the Reach might be Lord Orton Merryweather who may have served with the Golden Company during his exile. Considering that he and Taena have apparently returned to Longtable there is a pretty good chance that we'll next meet them with a pretty sizable army of Reach men at Storm's End. Just as Jon Connington might be able to strike deal with some of the Marcher Lords and other Stormlords he personally knows from his time in Westeros. The man has invaded the Stormlands but he is/was also one of their peers and might be able to recruit quite a few lords to Aegon's cause whose castles they never even attacked. In that sense I don't think it matters on which side House Tarly fought during the First Blackfyre Rebellion. I'm with you that the Tarlys might have been one of the houses who backed the Black Dragon to a degree but that would be ancient history now. The picture Kevan draws of Tarly in the Epilogue is that he is a more dangerous man that Mace (which I'm not sure is correct). But if that's true then what Tarly should be doing right now is wanting to climb to the top of the food chain. And that is not trying to join some fake Targaryen pretender but rather becoming the dominating power at King Tommen's court, a sort of second version of Lord Unwin Peake during the Regency of Aegon III. That would mean real power. And he could actually get that by crushing the Golden Company and becoming the savior of the Realm (and the king) in that process. Defecting to Prince Aegon would just make him one among many again, since Aegon has to reward the captains of the Golden Company first and foremost rather than turncloak Westerosi lords.7 If the scenario is Randyll turning cloaks after he has been defeated it is another story entirely. But then Randyll isn't one of 'the friends in the Reach' but rather just an opportunistic guy among many. Because even Mace Tyrell most likely will turn his cloak should he be crushed by the Golden Company and become Aegon's prisoner. And we have the whole queen situation to take into the equation, too. Whatever happens in KL will effect what the Tyrell armies will and can do. If Margaery is convicted, Mace has no reason to stick to Tommen. If Tommen dies, Mace has no reason to stick to Tommen. If Cersei effectively destroys the Lannister-Tyrell alliance for good (say, by trying to murder either Mace or Margaery or by creating a situation in which it comes to blows between the Tyrells and the Lannisters in the castle) Mace might be forced to cut his ties to Tommen. And so on. As to Tarly's personal situation: The man did profit under Mace Tyrell and was rewarded for his services. There is no reason to believe he felt he had been overlooked. He has just been appointed to Tommen's Small Council which - in the present situation - means that Randyll is one of the direct rulers of the Realm and has quite a lot of power. And as to his turncloak plans (if he has any): Actually handing over the Iron Throne to Aegon could win Tarly a pretty decent reward. Marching his army out of KL and adding it to Aegon's would be profitable for Aegon, too, of course, but it would be nothing extraordinary (and technically actually a very suspicious move that would be met with mistrust rather than quick acceptance by Aegon's people). Aegon would still have to take the Iron Throne by force, and there would have to be battles and such. I'm more inclined to think that Tarly will march against Aegon and give us a real battle which he'll then lose to - assuming he survives - join Aegon thereafter. But not exactly in a very influential position. Mace is more likely to fuck things up if he remains back in KL without Tarly to advise him while wielding technically all the king's power. I don't think he'll be able to keep the peace with Cersei (if she's still there) and the Faith. If the Margaery situation has not yet been resolved when Mace/Tarly hear about the fall of Storm's End (and Rowan's defection to Aegon?) then Mace will have to do something, and considering that I don't see him leaving Margaery while she has not yet been cleared I expect he would sent Mace against the Golden Company. Perhaps with half the Tyrell forces in the city, or even two thirds of them, depending how serious they will take the threat by then. I don't think the Ironborn threat to the Reach will have any influence on Tarly's actions, either. Willas and Garlan Tyrell (and the Hightowers) are trying to defend the Reach and the Reach Lords don't seem to be stupid enough to turn against each other in face of an outside threat. The destruction of the Redwyne fleet - which I think will happen - would be a huge catastrophe for the entire Reach and actually more likely to drive all the Reach Lords - Tyrells included - out of camp Tommen because Cersei is to be blamed for all that and the people know it. In light of such a development the Hightowers, surviving Redwynes, coastal Reach lords most likely would bent the knee to King Euron because they would realize that, for the time being, they have no chance to hope rid themselves of the Ironborn. And without some sort of agreement/treaty Oldtown and the Arbor will soon cease to be attractive for traders and merchants because the entire region is controlled by pirates. In general on Lysono Maar/Aegon: Guys, Lysono's effeminate looks and behavior makes Arianne's skin crawl (or something about his manners) not his Valyrian features. Connington has a similar feeling in ADwD. Arianne's reaction to Maar is no real hint how she'll react when she first meets Aegon. Aegon is described as very beautiful and handsome by Tyrion but there is a chance that Arianne will find him not manly/dangerous enough considering his apparent age. The length of Aegon's eyelashes (very long) is once mentioned by Tyrion. No idea whether Arianne likes long eyelashes on her men, though. I'm also not really expecting an Elia-Aegon affair. There is no hint Aegon likes his girls masculine, and even Elia should know better than to try to mess with a Targaryen prince. Especially if Arianne should get the hots for Aegon - if Arianne decides to try to seduce Aegon I think the boy will have no chance resisting her. She is really good in that department.
  5. @Veltigar It is very difficult to assess the KL situation on the basis of that. Especially since we don't know anything on Haldon's source on the army marching against Storm's End. But if Varys is the source then it is most likely very good information. The question as to who is going to lead the army is completely open. We don't know what is going to happen in KL in the wake of Kevan's death, but we do know that the plan was to have Cersei's trial three days later. Whether that's going to happen as planned is an open question, too, as is what's going to happen directly thereafter. Say, for instance, what's going to happen if Ser Robert Strong's true identity/status is revealed to a larger public in the wake of that. How will people in the city react to that? There is also no reason to believe Margaery's trial is going to postponed indefinitely (assuming Mace is going to continue with that now that Kevan's gone and can no longer push him) All they need is four septons and three septas, after all. Regardless of all that it is reasonable to assume that Mace will not sent his entire strength against the Golden Company. He'll keep half his strength or more in the capital to ensure that he can keep the Faith Militant and the remaining Lannister loyalists in check and the peace in the city. I'm inclined to assume Mace will remain in KL because he is now completely in control of Tommen's government and may enjoy sitting on the Iron Throne and all but that is by no means certain. He might also decide to win glory by smashing the Golden Company. Tarly commanding the army alone or alongside Mace is also an option. However, I don't think it likely that Tarly is a secret Golden Company ally or Targaryen loyalist. If that was the case then a battle could easily be avoided completely simply by Tarly either arresting Mace or murdering Mace and then opening the gates to the approaching Aegon. I think we'll see the Golden Company fighting and crushing the Tyrell troops whoever is going to command them. After all, Jon Connington is now a seasoned and experienced commander and the Golden Company is made up of professional soldiers who know how to fight and what to do. Their lines won't break easily (unlike those of the Tyrell levies) and they will continue to fight even if things seem confusing or dangerous for a time. Finally, the Golden Company has elephants. Neither knights nor peasants in Westeros seem to have any experience in fighting against war elephants. A general question: How likely do you guys think is the possibility that Arianne is going to meet Nymeria, Myrcella, and her party at Storm's End. We learned in that chapter that they took the Boneway and crossed the Stormlands so the chances that they walked right into the clutches of the Golden Company are pretty big, actually. And thanks to Kevan not mentioning any of that to Mace of Cersei (that Myrcella was coming with Nymeria to KL) the Tyrells have no clue about that at all. I don't expect the Dornish to commit to Aegon's cause prior to the Golden Company showing their mettle against the Tyrell. Arianne will play wait and see until she is sure that they can win if they combine their forces. And if Dorne then declares for Aegon publicly during the victory celebration after this battle the effect of that could ripple through the entire Realm. Many disgruntled lords everywhere might decide to throw in their lot with this Targaryen pretender rather than suffer this clearly fake Baratheon boy king. Not just in the Reach but also in the Riverlands, the Crownlands, and possibly even the West and the Vale. A Targaryen restoration means hope and tastes like the good old days, whereas Cersei's brood is not exactly popular and well-liked.
  6. Hm. If we go with the assumption that the Dondarrions have a drop of Targaryen blood this could explain how and why Beric rose. And perhaps a fire wight with a workable 'fire magic package' in his system can pass it on - if Catelyn hasn't any Targaryen blood of her own which is not completely impossible (for instance, due to Tully closeness to the Iron Throne either Aerea or Rhalla could have married into House Tully back during the reign of Jaehaerys I). If this is the reason why this stuff works then Jon Snow's chances of being dead and becoming revived by Melisandre - and this being a first proof about his heritage - have just gotten much better!
  7. Check TWoIaF. In recent times there were unidentified connections (of the blood tie sort) between House Tarth and House Targaryen. We don't know through whom but we do know that Selwyn and Brienne embody the main branch of House Tarth and thus presumably the Tarths affected by this. My personal take on this whole thing is that Dunk married Dunk's elder sister, Princess Daella, Egg's former betrothed, and had at least one daughter with her who eventually married into House Tarth - becoming the mother of Lord Selwyn and Brienne's grandmother. Thus we would slay two birds with one stone - the Targaryen connections thing would be explained as well as the pretty strong hint that Brienne is descended from Dunk, too. The other option would be that both a daughter of Dunk and a Targaryen married into House Tarth independent of each other. While possible this would be rather convoluted whereas a Dunk-Daella match should have potential for a great D&E story as well as for a constellation that sets the ground for an overall interesting development.
  8. Actually, I've no reason to believe that either Brienne or Jaime are dead. What Brienne will do in the future will completely hinge on the question what task/mission Catelyn gives her. She has returned into her service, after all. And since she already lured Jaime into a trap we can assume she is willing to serve her again. Considering that Brienne actually has Targaryen blood I'd not be surprised if she and Jaime both eventually ended up in Aegon's Kingsguard.
  9. Shadrich has no clear way to get himself and Sansa out of the Vale. He cannot go through the mountains as the passes are already closed (and it would be utterly stupid to take that road without a strong escort anyway). This would leave only a way by ship, and he is hundreds of leagues away from the coast. Even if he could reach a port he would also have to chance upon a ready ship - which could be possible if he works with Varys/Illyrio - but he cannot possibly hope to get her from the Gates to a port without being caught days before he arrives there. It just doesn't make any sense logistically. Now, if the gang goes to Gulltown or closer to the coast in future chapters things might change and real opportunities for such a thing may arise. But right now they are effectively impossible. Not that I believe Shadrich wants to abduct Sansa. I really hope those whole abduction plot lines are over now. On Littlefinger's motivation regarding Sansa: We should note that Petyr already wanted to marry Sansa once - back after Ned was disgraced (Cersei remembers that in ADwD). I don't think he has lost that wish/desire. While Sansa is still Alayne, his daughter, he may be able to keep his desire in check but I really don't see him actually giving Sansa Stark's hand away in marriage. Especially not to Harrold Hardyng. That would be my main reason for the assumption that he may have 'other plans' for Harry. I'm also not inclined to believe he wants to have sex with Sansa prior to their marriage. That would spoil the fun as he cannot want her to deliver his bastard - if he actually cares about fathering a dynasty. With a character like him that's far from clear. He may actually only care becoming a great man himself not necessarily the father of a dynasty, although that would be the usual mindset of a nobleman. And he is very aware of his own heritage. Surprise guests: I doubt that Sandor or Brienne/Jaime will show up in the Vale. It seems as if major stuff is going to happen in the Riverlands (which is why I think Brynden Tully is not going to pay the Vale a visit, either), and I see Jaime/Brienne returning to/be drawn into events in KL rather than someplace else. And Sandor should be drawn to KL, too, when he learns about the abomination his brother has become.
  10. Any unpublished stuff could also be marked 'preliminary information' or something like that. Any unpublished manuscript is preliminary and should be subject to change until it is published to correct mistakes and make it better (and that's usually what is done). Somebody should rework Harrold Hardyng in any case as the article blatantly states Harry would rule the Vale as 'Harrold Arryn' when we don't really know that. It may be the case, and Harry's personal arms certainly indicate that he sees himself as an Arryn.
  11. Okay, then I guess I imagined it. Or it was 'regency wars' or 'regent war' or something like that. Have you found the comment where George talks about the word count of Gyldayn's account on the Regency?
  12. Regent Wars: If my memory serves me correctly - which actually could be the case - then George himself used that term on his NAB when he mentioned how many worlds he had written on the Regency of Aegon III. That would be in the commentary section on an entry on either TPatQ, TRP, TWoIaF, or something else related. Whether this is an appropriate term at all I do not know. Ran/Linda do not paint the Regency era as a series of wars although it very well could have been. There were campaigns against the Stepstones and the Ironborn, the battle in the Red Keep itself following the arrest of Thaddeus Rowan, and the fighting in the Vale that killed Corwyn Corbray. Whether this had anything to do with the regents and their parties fighting each other or a general uprising/unrest due to the fact that the central authority was weak I cannot possibly say. Battle of the Kingsroad: Well, TWoIaF makes it clear that Borros the Illiterate (or rather Borros the Moron) lost that battle because he dismissed the threat posed by women and children. 40,000 men in total would also surprise me as we know from both TPatQ and TWoIaF that there was fighting in the Riverlands from the beginning of the Dance which should be an indication that the Riverlords were pretty spent by then. The fact that Elmo Tully stayed at home with the Tully levies until Second Tumbleton could be a hint that there were some untapped resources but it should not have been that much. There has to be a reason, though, why Borros had not all Stormlanders at his back. Either there was previously fighting in the Stormlands or Borros let a good portion of his strength back in the city to hold it against other Black forces. But with both the Tully and the Stark army this would seem unlikely to me.
  13. Not doing wiki stuff at all, or only when I'm feeling up to it, but I'd recommend that this theory thing proposed above is expanded in hindsight of TWoIaF. There will be tons of hard facts to be included eventually, but there will also be theories mentioned, weighed, and dismissed by Maester Yandel, and the wiki should, I think, correctly reflect those things, perhaps also including commentaries how the broader community (i.e. the consensus of the readers - if such a thing exists on the particular topic) judge the proposed theories on various phenomena, developments, and so forth.
  14. For the record: I've reached out to the German dubbing guys to get 'Only Cat', Doran/Oberyn's mother, and Tanda Stokeworth back into the show in the German version. Asha is in there, too, so hopefully this will work. On Lysa: I really missed Sheepshit. It would be great for both Littlefinger's and Lysa's back story to go there, and have the wedding there, to illustrate how much Littlefinger resents his origin. That really shows in his talks with Sansa while there are 'at home'... And there was really no need to rush into AFfC territory.
  15. Thanks, didn't realize that the site was still on.
  16. Thought somebody looking into this thread could no the answer: Does amoka permit that his portraits are used on the net in an ASoIaF context? I've written an on line review of TPatQ and would like to add the portraits of Aegon II and Rhaenyra. But I'm not sure if I'm allowed to do that...
  17. I have to admit it: I really cried in this episode, first when they introduced Stannis' family, and then when Shireen sang Patchface's songs. This was priceless. But I'm also quite pissed with how they ruined (again!) Loras' and Littlefinger's character. Why did he have to act on Cersei's orders? In the book he did everything on his own accord to ensure that Sansa stays in the city. That element still remains in the show, but to make Sansa clever Loras has to become an idiot. And to make Loras Tyrell heir to Highgarden is soo wrong.
  18. Mel is changed, she is not dead. I doubt that the Red Priests use this fire ritual to change their priests. Neither Red Priest we have met as of yet, has died himself (Thoros, Benerro, Moqorro, the fat one at Braavos, and so on). Mel's chapter seems to indicate to me that whatever magical fire/heat burns within her, burns within a living women. She has been changed, not resurrected. Mel remembers her past as Melony, if I'm not mistaken, and it seems that she (has been forced to drink) drunken fire to change. Mel is no longer an ordinary human being, that much is true, but I do not doubt that she has died and been resurrected the same way Beric and Cat were. We know from Thoros that the reviving fire kiss actually is part of a funeral ritual, and the fact that it can resurrect people, is a huge surprise to him. This makes me think it only works that way since fire magic is on the rise again (i.e. since the return of the dragons into the world).
  19. Well, I really laughed throughout the whole 'Jeyne-thing'. Can anybody imagine Robb Stark, the King in the North, would fall for a common camp follower nurse? Love does not overcome class distinctions in Westeros. How can they possibly integrate Davos and him being uncomfortable about being a noble of sorts, and intend to make this girl a queen? It really is too ridiculous to rant about it... I also missed Renly's peach, but Stannis, Davos, and especially Mel really were awesome this week. It's a change that Stannis is actually privy to the whole shadow thing, but I don't mind. Stannis did know later on when he charged Davos to help Mel to kill Ser Cortnay.
  20. Actually, I thought Loras asking Cat if Robb had already attacked Lord Tywin strongly indicated that TV Renly also made the strategic decision to let the Lannisters and Starks weaken each other before he made his move. I'm really happy with TV Renly by the way. He showed confidence in himself in public. He makes decisions as he sees fit and is not pushed around by Loras and Margaery. And they also gave us a glimpse why his men loved him. Of course, we knew from last season that he would not be book Renly. The one thing I found irritating is that he is supposed to be this closeted about his relationship with Renly. Margaery revealing that she knew was a great scene in itself, but book Renly would not have cared about his bannermen knowing about his sexual preferences. And the Tyrells most certainly knew everything about it, that's why they sent Loras as Renly's squire to Storm's End in the first place. But I really liked the fact that Renly was not able to consummate his marriage. Both Loras and Margaery are very aware of the fact that Highgarden expects that Mace's grandson will sit on the Iron Throne. Margaery's character is also not really distorted. Yes, she is older, and yes, she shows her intelligence/capabilities as a plotter early no, but so what? We only get innocent book Margaery because we are never in her head, nor privy to any personal conversation between the Tyrells or Margaery and Renly. That Sansa does not see through Margaery in ASoS does not mean that Margaery is a nice and innocent girl. Oh, and by the way, I can't see that 'adult Margaery' can be interpreted as a sign that they will drop Lady Olenna in the series. It's unthinkable that they would even consider omitting like the Queen of Thorns from the series. She would be far to great fun on screen! And I also really like the reason why Tyrion is going to send Littlefinger to Renly. Tyrion and Cat did not 'bond' all that much during their trip to the Vale, so it would have been rather difficult to establish why Catelyn would trust that any Lannister would exchange Jaime for her daughters. But if Littlefinger is going to deliver an official offer from the Hand of the King she will not only consider it... But I really hope we will not going to see all that negotiation stuff for Margaery's hand after Renly's death. The Tyrells saving the day at the Blackwater should be as much a surprise in the series as it was in the books.
  21. Oh, and I really have to compliment Conleth for this episode. He really can be menacing without being becoming all that explicit. That's how Petyr should be as well. Littlefinger does not make threats. He, ah, say that he would appreciate to be left out of Tyrion's intrigues. That's how he threats. And Varys, well, Varys never actually threats anyone at all. He just makes conversation. They really got that one right, I have to admit it. The only thing they have to repair eventually is Varys's disguise stuff. But as of yet there is no real use for it, I guess.
  22. In my opinion, this episode shows us why it was a huge mistake to downplay Selyse: Truly, why is Stannis even married if this woman did not give him an heir? And Shireen can't be cut. Stannis may not be dead at the end of ADwD, but he is supposed to be dead. Shireen will be declared Queen. So what's going to happen in the TV series if they ever reach that point? They have to give us Shireen back. The girl is as 'important' as Tommen and Myrcella. She may have little/no screen time, but her existence is important politically. As to the sex scene: I don't mind it, nor do I mind the setting. Stannis Baratheon cannot be as 'opposed' to sex as his appearance makes us believe. But I do not believe that Mel could seduce Stannis by promising him a son. Nor do I believe that he longed this desperately for a son. If he did, he would have sex with Selyse on a regular basis. As king Stannis would be able to legitimize his bastard son by Mel, true, but would he do this? If Stannis never got an child from Selyse, would he not rather put his wife aside, divorce her, and take Melisandre as his new queen? I think he would, so this does not make any sense at all. There is a love story between Stannis and Mel. But this only begins after the Blackwater. Before that, Stannis saw Mel only as means to an end (i.e. the Iron Throne). She was his red falcon. Afterwards, she really started to comfort him. And the line in ADwD strongly indicates that Stannis spends his nights with Melisandre on a regular basis. Apparently you can have sex with that woman and not making (shadow) babies ;-). But even then, Stannis is never under her thumb/in her thrall. He outright threatened to kill her in ASoS during the Edric Storm business. He would have done it, if they had ended up sacrificing him without the promised results... The better thing would have been to play the religious/royal card. Promising Stannis that by laying with her the Lord of Light would give him what he wanted (i.e. the Iron Throne and justice). Also, with Selyse as devoted follower of Melisandre we would have gotten a rather interesting dynamic here. As I see it, it's quite likely that Selyse encouraged Stannis to have sex with Melisandre because it's 'God's will'. Making all of Stannis's followers R'hllorians (and Matthos Seaworth the only talking face of them) lead to that stupid dialogue about religion and atheism between Stannis and his son. Davos only said that Stannis was his god to Axell Florent if I'm not mistaken, because he was afraid that they would consider still a follower of the Seven. But Matthos never would 'report' Davos to Mel/Stannis, so this whole stuff seemed quite out of place to me. They also gave the first chance away to have Salladhor Saan tell us about the original Azor Ahai and Nissa Nissa. Telling this story is one of the main purposes of Salladhor Saan in the books, so I really think they missed an opportunity here. As to Littlefinger and Ros: Completely pointless. Spying and whores and customers alike further makes Littlefinger a moron. The man does not care about sex. He only cares about money, influence, and power. Sure, owning brothels and spying on customers can give him leverage over them, but he would not do this personally. The man is head of the royal treasury. He has work to do. As for Ros, I simply do not care. I don't see where she is going from here nor do I care. I just found this scene a waste of time. We already knew Littlefinger is an ass, so what was the point? I also don't like the Joffrey-Cersei-change. Joff is not that much older in the series, and since adulthood starts at the age of 18, not 16, Joffrey should be as far from being a man grown in the series as he was in the books. The Regent rules, the king does not. Considering Cersei's personality she would not back down this easily, nor should series-Joffrey have the cunning to circumvent his mother. Giving Slynt an order is not the same thing than diverging from the script in public. Cersei and the council had real difficulties to countermand Joff's order of executing Ned, but the whole thing makes Cersei a stupid, whining mother. But it's somewhat coherent with Joff's character. He would do this, and it's not that unbelievable that he would have heard talk about Robert's various affairs and his bastard brothers. Killing them is the right thing to do after Stannis sent out his letters. The rest, Pyke, Asha, Balon, and the captain's daughter, the Kingsroad, Arya, Gendry, Jaqen, Hot Pie and especially Lommy ('I'd yield!') were really great. Not sure about the Jon scene in the end, though. Hundreds of NW men slept around Craster's Keep that night. Would Craster risk to slip out to deliver a boy to the Others? I don't think so...
  23. I'd be really surprised if Roose Bolton would be assassinated by his freak son. That man is too cold and too calculating to fail to see that coming. But it's really funny how he now is about to go down the same path Vargo Hoat went down. A path he analyzed with such merciless clarity in ASoS during his supper with Jaime. Hoat bet on the wrong horse (Stannis), and he, Bolton, also bet on the wrong horse (Tywin). I'm pretty sure that Tywin's death is going to make the consolidation of Bolton power in the North much more difficult. Without Tywin - or rather the specter of Tywin looming as unyielding as Casterly Rock down in King's Landing - I doubt that most of the Northern lords will subject to Bolton authority. Stannis is still out there as an alternative, and without the mean old lion of Casterly Rock even a small Stark boy could become a powerful force and figurehead against traitorous usurpers from the Dreadfort. Roose most certainly is not able to keep his involvement in the Red Wedding a secret. Maybe people don't know that he murdered Robb Stark personally, but they have to know that he had something to do with the whole affair. And the Bolton reputation has to be as bad as the Frey reputation down in the south after this betrayal.
  24. If Varys believed in this whole prophecy, and if this was the reason why he apparently is still working for the Targaryens after 15 years, it would make no sense at all if he let the promised prince die. Varys once mentioned Rhaenys - but not Aegon - as example for a child suffering senselessly, and I'd not be surprised if he was still pissed off about himself for not foreseeing that whoever Tywin had charged with killing Aerys' male heir would also kill the girl.
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