SoftSpell

Also it's a patriarchal society. So the perception was automatically that her father outranked her just by being a male. There had never been a ruling Queen, by herself, in Westeros. A civil war was inevitable for any woman barking orders from the Iron Throne.

When you're not head of an aristocratic family,yeah, you need permission. Nitpicking about locations is a waste of effort. Distances for communication are compensated by raven and couriers on two legs. House Hightower participated.

When he was Lord of House Hightower received a letter from his younger brother, Ser Otto; On no account can Prince Daemon be allowed to ascend to the Iron Throne.[...] He would be a second Maegor the Cruel, or worse.[...] Better the Realm’s Delight than Lord Flea Bottom. So he KNEW about it being likely to happen in the future. Ormund would lead his family's forces in the Reach. So yes, 'House Hightower' as in more than one member, as a broader political entity, participated in the coup.

The OP is wrong to say Allister Thorne was 'higher status' than Jon. He was sent to the Night's Watch as a punishment by Tywin Lannister for opening up King's Landing to be sacked. Jon wasn't there with a crime as reason for joining it.

Even if he did know, Jon Arryn needed an alliance with the Riverlands and got it via marriage. Just as people seemed to guess that Rayenna was sleeping around and perceived her children were illegitimate. Aaaaaaanyway, there's no way to know how things would have unfolded even if she admitted it publicly. House Hightower and co. were preparing for their coup-by-the-backdoor steadily. They would have just used it to denounced her and cement a desire in most nobles' minds someone else needed to ascend to the Iron Throne.

Hello all from Melbourne. Can anyone give me info regarding avatars? Got one pic that should be the right size but can't use it. Anywhere online I should go? ____________________ Actually, nvm, got one. Gandalf leading the way through Moria ;)