Universal Sword Donor

They’d use their money if they had to, but the older guys are smart enough to get the young to pay for it

“Serjeant said I was too young, that I’d only waste it all on whores and such.”

How much milk of the poppy has he drank?

Rob is his father's son. Jon is somewhat more pragmatic He starts off as a brooder but he's not. He makes friends in the NW very easily

Uhhh.... “With Balon’s “moat” now undefended, King Robert had no difficulty bringing his host across Ironman’s Bay from Seagard and Lannisport. With his Wardens of the West and North beside him, Robert forced landings on Pyke, Great Wyk, Harlaw, and Orkmont, and cut his way across the isles with steel and fire.” Don't get me wrong, there's clearly a lot of enmity between Stark and Lannister -- though I don't think Tywin gives a shit -- but they've already fought together less than a decade ago. As for the Riverlands, wouldn't surprise me if a couple jumped ship but we know Hoster has only been sick for two years (post 295 AC). Moreover Piper and Vance listened to Edmure to camp out in the pass and the rest* seemed to have assembled at RR when he faced off against Jaime. Even if Hoster isn't able to campaign, they seem to listen to the pair of them. Walder Frey is going to wait it out. It's what he does * Walder obviously did not

We do actually thanks to Davos: “Any boy stands five feet tall can find a place in his lordship’s barracks, long as he can hold a spear.” He’s raising men, then. That might be good … or bad, depending. ” Robett Glover is in the city trying to raise men too but without luck. The guys at the bar Davos visits are talking about Umbers and other people raising troops as well.

I'll help! “One glance was sufficient to tell Catelyn that the castle would not be taken by storm. The battlements bristled with spears and swords and scorpions, there was an archer at every crenel and arrow slit, the drawbridge was up, the portcullis down, the gates closed and barred. **** The Greatjon began to curse and swear as soon as he saw what awaited them. Lord Rickard Karstark glowered in silence. “That cannot be assaulted, my lords,” Roose Bolton announced.” ***** “Nor can we take it by siege, without an army on the far bank to invest the other castle,” Helman Tallhart said gloomily. Across the deep-running green waters, the western twin stood like a reflection of its eastern brother. “Even if we had the time. Which, to be sure, we do not.” ******* “They’ll be twenty thousand fresh corpses when Lord Tywin gets here,” the old man shot back. “Don’t you try and frighten me, my lady.”

Yes to both

Sicily was fairly powerful in its own right in the middle ages but it was often held in conjunction with other territory (e.g. Calabria/Apulia or HRE with territory in northern italy and obviously the Germany/Austria/Poland area).

It wasn't. The loyalty he had to prove? Blackwood bent the knee at the bitter end and lost a few villages, a mill, and gave a hostage. Going over like the Freys did needn't be done at all. Hell just leaving Robb, preventing his crossing, and telling Tywin Robb's plan would have been more than enough. People always mention the Reynes and Tarbecks but its at odds with basically everything that Tywin has done since then. He even tells Joffrey as much himself: Joffrey, when your enemies defy you, you must serve them steel and fire. When they go to their knees, however, you must help them back to their feet. Elsewise no man will ever bend the knee to you.

This is a black rock. It has also been mentioned in ASOIAF. 52 TIMES!

Because Robert was still alive, re Renly's fear. Luckily we don't need to debate the veracity of the theory as Cersei tells us herself who needed to die.

Not really. Baratheon children with a Lannister parent, as noted in that draft tome, always look like Robert going back hundreds of years. All his bastards have the same hair as himself and his brothers. Nowhere does the book set up that all Starks or all Lannisters have the exact same hair. What it does kind of set up is that family members who marry will generally share the same looks with their children (see Tywin/Joanna-Cersei/Jaime or Rickard/Lyarra-Ned/Benjen/Lyanna/Brandon). The only exception there is Tyrion* and my god I hate that I brought that up. * plz no one call him a son of aerys'

Because Cersei was trying to kill him (and Robert and Stannis). See my above post

He was doing it to get rid of Cersei because he thought she was trying to kill him -- and she was. He says as much to both Catelyn and Eddard. He's not trying to be king; he doesn't want to die.