Aegon Targaryen, Sixth of his Name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men.

[Universal Sword Donor]

15 minutes ago, King Merrett I Frey said:

Stannis' rule feels more like a transition one. In a moment where there are so many factions fighting each other for the Throne, I would prefer a hardhand king who would not take shit from anyone. Aegon's charisma, good looks and proffiency at many things are more of a King during prosper times. If Stannis sits the Throne, thing would matter should be his succession and that's where is really his weak point. People accepted the incestuos Targaryens in the past. Why not the Red God, with the proper persuasion. There were dragons in the past. If Rahloo can work wonders, people will accept him as well.

It would be pretty funny if Stannis managed to live until the end and the last line of the books was him breaking the 4th wall:

"What did you expect that Snow kid or the mother of dragons on the throne?"

[John Doe]

10 hours ago, Lord Varys said:

Stannis doesn't have it in him to let bygones be bygones if he ever ended up on the throne, and that's why he would become a second Maegor the Cruel and end the way he did in the end. Especially with the rise of the sparrow movement. The common people would never accept this heretic and demon-worshiper as their king. And one could even make a case that Stannis lost whatever claim he thought he had when he turned against the Faith of the Andals and broke the solemn vow of Jaehaerys I that the Iron Throne would always protect and defend the Faith.

Even the way he dispenses justice is a joke. The kind of justice Davos got is not the kind the overwhelming majority of the people of Westeros - nobility and commoners - would accept.

All that makes him a very bad king simply because he would not be able to establish a (lasting) peace. The only kind of peace Stannis could create is the peace of a graveyard. And that would make him a king of corpses.

Aegon has the name, the looks, the charisma, and possibly the ability. Stannis has neither of those things.

He let bygones be bygones when he forgave the men that had turned to Renly and asked the northern bannermen for help even though they had sided with Robb Stark.

 

But all that doesn't matter, no matter what your stance on Stannis is, looks, charisma and a fancy name don't make a good king. Renly had all of those and he didn't look very promising. Joff had those before it was obvious he was mad. As far as Aegon's ability is concerned, I'm not sure. He did get played by Tyrion and how he threw the chess board wasn't exactly kingly, but him wanting to lead the attack on Storm's End does show that he may not be a complete pushover.

[Universal Sword Donor]

12 minutes ago, John Doe said:

He let bygones be bygones when he forgave the men that had turned to Renly and asked the northern bannermen for help even though they had sided with Robb Stark.

 

But all that doesn't matter, no matter what your stance on Stannis is, looks, charisma and a fancy name don't make a good king. Renly had all of those and he didn't look very promising. Joff had those before it was obvious he was mad. As far as Aegon's ability is concerned, I'm not sure. He did get played by Tyrion and how he threw the chess board wasn't exactly kingly, but him wanting to lead the attack on Storm's End does show that he may not be a complete pushover.

Actually Renly did look pretty promising. He amassed a shit ton of power, force, and financial capacity on the basis of his charisma and ability to establish personal relationships. We can argue whether or not he was a skilled warrior or general, but that's kind of irrelevant when he had men like Mathis Rowan and Randyll Tarly willingly following him.

[John Doe]

13 minutes ago, Universal Sword Donor said:

Actually Renly did look pretty promising. He amassed a shit ton of power, force, and financial capacity on the basis of his charisma and ability to establish personal relationships. We can argue whether or not he was a skilled warrior or general, but that's kind of irrelevant when he had men like Mathis Rowan and Randyll Tarly willingly following him.

Not on the basis of his charisma. Loras loved him, so he got a pretty sweet deal with Mace, who wanted nothing more than a Tyrell queen, that's all. Joff and Tommen got offered the same deal, not because of their legendary charisma.

[Universal Sword Donor]

18 minutes ago, John Doe said:

Not on the basis of his charisma. Loras loved him, so he got a pretty sweet deal with Mace, who wanted nothing more than a Tyrell queen, that's all. Joff and Tommen got offered the same deal, not because of their legendary charisma.

Mace went against the established power to make Renly king. But frankly Penrose's words 

“If that is so, why is the Knight of Flowers not among you? And where is Mathis Rowan? Randyll Tarly? Lady Oakheart? Why are they not here in your company, they who loved Renly best? Where is Brienne of Tarth, I ask you?”

And the actions of Tarly and Brienne speak far louder than the Tyrells taking a huge boon to ally with the crown after they rebelled.

[Lord Varys]

1 hour ago, Universal Sword Donor said:

He definitely has an acceptable name, elsewise a "Baratheon" would not sit on the throne or have inherited it. He's a *bit* more flexible/tolerant than most people give him credit for -- see accepting Renly's former bannermen, forbidding burning of non believers in the crofter's village, relieving deepwood instead of attacking the dreadfort, et al -- but he would not be accepted as a king. No one likes him. He's converted to a foreign religion. His sole heir is a physically marked young girl. He want to ban whores.

'Baratheon' isn't a royal name. 'Targaryen' is. One king doesn't make a royal dynasty.

Stannis can agree to compromises if force him to do it at sword point, basically. When he has to decide between certain defeat and a chance of success. That's not what you want in a king. And it is so evident that the man never forgets a slight and always think about the moment when he is going to be in a position dispense real justice, the kind of he so desperately wants to dispense. Which means killing a lot of lords of Westeros and eradicating entire bloodlines.

Or does anybody think Stannis would have pardoned any Lannisters or Tyrells for their transgressions, not to mention all the Stormlanders and Crownlanders who defected to Joffrey at/after the Blackwater? I don't see that.

But even if he would stand his hand there the lords would never love that man, and a king who isn't loved will become a bad king by default. He'll face more opposition, more open rebellions, will have to deal with more conspiracies and assassination attempts. And that's all not good of this subjects.

He has a certain chance to win the respect and loyalty of the Northmen he has met now - but only because those men don't really know him. And only if he plays his cards differently than he is used to.

1 hour ago, King Merrett I Frey said:

Stannis' rule feels more like a transition one. In a moment where there are so many factions fighting each other for the Throne, I would prefer a hardhand king who would not take shit from anyone. Aegon's charisma, good looks and proffiency at many things are more of a King during prosper times. If Stannis sits the Throne, thing would matter should be his succession and that's where is really his weak point. People accepted the incestuos Targaryens in the past. Why not the Red God, with the proper persuasion. There were dragons in the past. If Rahloo can work wonders, people will accept him as well.

Royal incest isn't the same as the attempt to convert an entire continent to your foreign religion, especially in a climate where the head of the majority religion is a fundamentalist with his own growing army.

Whether Aegon will be able to manage the turmoils of war, treason, and betrayal we don't know yet. But unlike Stannis he has a strong chance to be loved by pretty much everyone (but Stannis himself and the Lannisters), an advantage Stannis clearly not has. If that happens he is not going to be face as much opposition as Stannis faced - which likely means he is not going to be forced to fight as many battles, etc. That is, until Daenerys arrives.

1 hour ago, John Doe said:

He let bygones be bygones when he forgave the men that had turned to Renly and asked the northern bannermen for help even though they had sided with Robb Stark.

But do we know he has truly forgiven them for their treason? I honestly don't think he has. Stannis doesn't forgive, and he doesn't forget. Robb never took up arms against him directly, yet Stannis essentially sentenced him to death in his talks with Catelyn. He wanted to see him dead. He confirms that when he burns the leeches.

And it is the same with Renly's followers. He uses them during the campaign because he has to - just as he now needs the Northmen. But we don't know what he would have done five years from now after he has dealt with all his open and declared enemies. Surely Stannis wouldn't have allowed any traitors and turncloaks escape their punishment.

1 hour ago, John Doe said:

But all that doesn't matter, no matter what your stance on Stannis is, looks, charisma and a fancy name don't make a good king. Renly had all of those and he didn't look very promising. Joff had those before it was obvious he was mad. As far as Aegon's ability is concerned, I'm not sure. He did get played by Tyrion and how he threw the chess board wasn't exactly kingly, but him wanting to lead the attack on Storm's End does show that he may not be a complete pushover.

Renly looked a lot better than Stannis. He is basically the Robert Baratheon/Daemon Blackfyre of his generation. He has shitty claim compared to the claims of others but he is the king who should be. The openhanded, charismatic guy loved by all. 

And Joffrey doesn't had charisma. He is a petulant boy who can pretend to be friendly and courteous if he has to - if he is essentially forced to play that role by his elders - but he never shows any charisma. He is a coward, and he delivers any sort of inspiring speech nor does he have a string of genuine friends that's drawn to him because he such a great guy.

Aegon did get played by Tyrion in a sense, but the whole thing only worked because Dany wasn't coming and the idea to go to Westeros instead of Meereen was indeed better at that point. Tyrion may have had a different intention but this was actually sound advice. Tyrion is the guy Aegon will have to thank for his throne later on, and we all can also thank him for the Second Dance because he also convinced Aegon not to go to Daenerys.

But the more important lesson Aegon learned there is that he should trust no one and only grant favors/reward men of proven loyalty. He shows this tendency when he gives a white cloak to Duck, most likely one of the best decisions he made since it is really crucial that a future king can completely trust his Kingsguard.

The cyvasse board is just a sign that Aegon doesn't like to be tricked with, fucked with, or mocked. I mean, how would you want him to react in that situation? Calmly sitting down and ignoring the fact that you were unable to realize that the guy you were playing with was playing you?

[Universal Sword Donor]

24 minutes ago, Lord Varys said:

'Baratheon' isn't a royal name. 'Targaryen' is. One king doesn't make a royal dynasty.

Baratheon is literally a royal name. It's royal because the reigning king is named "Baratheon." And frankly it's 3 kings, not 1. It's 4 if you include Stannis by any stretch or if he manages to succeed.

[John Doe]

2 hours ago, Universal Sword Donor said:

Mace went against the established power to make Renly king. But frankly Penrose's words 

“If that is so, why is the Knight of Flowers not among you? And where is Mathis Rowan? Randyll Tarly? Lady Oakheart? Why are they not here in your company, they who loved Renly best? Where is Brienne of Tarth, I ask you?”

And the actions of Tarly and Brienne speak far louder than the Tyrells taking a huge boon to ally with the crown after they rebelled.

Tarly supported the Tyrells, not Renly. Brienne fell in love with him and is now on a guilt trip because she let him die, that's hardly an unbiased opinion, furthermore, Renly didn't really give a fuck about her.

1 hour ago, Lord Varys said:

But do we know he has truly forgiven them for their treason? I honestly don't think he has. Stannis doesn't forgive, and he doesn't forget. Robb never took up arms against him directly, yet Stannis essentially sentenced him to death in his talks with Catelyn. He wanted to see him dead. He confirms that when he burns the leeches.

And it is the same with Renly's followers. He uses them during the campaign because he has to - just as he now needs the Northmen. But we don't know what he would have done five years from now after he has dealt with all his open and declared enemies. Surely Stannis wouldn't have allowed any traitors and turncloaks escape their punishment.

Renly looked a lot better than Stannis. He is basically the Robert Baratheon/Daemon Blackfyre of his generation. He has shitty claim compared to the claims of others but he is the king who should be. The openhanded, charismatic guy loved by all. 

And Joffrey doesn't had charisma. He is a petulant boy who can pretend to be friendly and courteous if he has to - if he is essentially forced to play that role by his elders - but he never shows any charisma. He is a coward, and he delivers any sort of inspiring speech nor does he have a string of genuine friends that's drawn to him because he such a great guy.

Aegon did get played by Tyrion in a sense, but the whole thing only worked because Dany wasn't coming and the idea to go to Westeros instead of Meereen was indeed better at that point. Tyrion may have had a different intention but this was actually sound advice. Tyrion is the guy Aegon will have to thank for his throne later on, and we all can also thank him for the Second Dance because he also convinced Aegon not to go to Daenerys.

But the more important lesson Aegon learned there is that he should trust no one and only grant favors/reward men of proven loyalty. He shows this tendency when he gives a white cloak to Duck, most likely one of the best decisions he made since it is really crucial that a future king can completely trust his Kingsguard.

The cyvasse board is just a sign that Aegon doesn't like to be tricked with, fucked with, or mocked. I mean, how would you want him to react in that situation? Calmly sitting down and ignoring the fact that you were unable to realize that the guy you were playing with was playing you?

I think he said he forgave them, but did not forget. And I think that is true. He won't punish them, but he won't treat them quite with the same trust he will treat his more loyal men, like Massey, Horpe, or Davos. I don't think it's in character for him to turn on them after he officially forgave them, but of course, neither of us can prove the other wrong. 

 

But that aside, I didn't compare Stannis to Renly. I think Stannis is a lot more able for several reasons, but that doesn't belong in this thread. 

 

Damon was hardly a better king than the alternative. More popular, yes, but that doesn't mean better. And we know that Robert didn't turn out to be a great king despite of all his charisma. So the examples you provided don't exactly make Renly look good. 

 

Can Aegon trust Duck? I'm not sure. I think Varys has a spy in Aegon's camp and it's completely possible that's Duckfield. 

 

The cyvasse thing was still a bit imature for a seventeen year old boy.

[Amris]

The more often I read the books the more I like the Aegon plot.

However he has not faced a real test yet. Compared to Jon and Dany (not to mention Tyrion) Aegon is an untried boy. They have faced trial after trial (growing up in the process) while Aegon has yet to prove himself.

I agree that he does have potential.

As to Aegon's little temper tantrum at the Cyvasse board: One shouldn't read too much into that IMO.Yeah, of course he did not behave like Gandalf there. But you know what? He is still a youth. Give him a pass. I am sure we have all down worse things at hat age.

[Stormourne]

1 hour ago, Amris said:

The more often I read the books the more I like the Aegon plot.

However he has not faced a real test yet. Compared to Jon and Dany (not to mention Tyrion) Aegon is an untried boy. They have faced trial after trial (growing up in the process) while Aegon has yet to prove himself.

I agree that he does have potential.

As to Aegon's little temper tantrum at the Cyvasse board: One shouldn't read too much into that IMO.Yeah, of course he did not behave like Gandalf there. But you know what? He is still a youth. Give him a pass. I am sure we have all down worse things at hat age.

From what know so far, he lead the Golden Company and conquered Storm's End, a feat never achieved before. With his eagerness to fight, I'm sure he actually fought when taking the castle. So this might be an early indication of his potential.

[The Sleeper]

2 hours ago, Dawn of Fyre said:

From what know so far, he lead the Golden Company and conquered Storm's End, a feat never achieved before. With his eagerness to fight, I'm sure he actually fought when taking the castle. So this might be an early indication of his potential.

If they fought taking the castle, they would have failed. The only plausible answer is that they fought the token force left behind by Mace and convinced the garrison that they were in Stannis' employ.

Connington relates that his plan was to take the castle by guile

[Stormourne]

23 minutes ago, The Sleeper said:

If they fought taking the castle, they would have failed. The only plausible answer is that they fought the token force left behind by Mace and convinced the garrison that they were in Stannis' employ.

Connington relates that his plan was to take the castle by guile

Smarts over brawn. Still effective, I think.

[The Sleeper]

Ok, here goes.

Aegon is introduced with parallels to Egg, wearing a straw hat and Duck instead of Dunk as protector and trainer. He is preaented as charming, genial and educated. Then Martin chooses to show him under relative pressure. He doesn't know how to react when Tyrion makes his exposition, he chokes when he is threatened by the stone men and behaves like an ass when Tyrion goades him.

Let's look at Varys' speech. Again this is a veiled reference to Egg, who was considered half a peasant by his lords. The goal is to create a king who is dutiful rather than entitled. (As Tommen is given as a counter-example, it should be noted that his has never shown any particular sense of entitlement. On the contrary, he is deacribed as trying his best). Examining the circumstances of Aegon's upbringing, it should be noted that at no point do we see him interacting with smallfolk. Furthermore peasants, do not grow up with a devoted retinue of protectors and educators, nor with the expectation that they are meant to rule a continent. Neither did Egg for that matter. More than that due to the necessity of him being protected and hidden it looks more likely that he grew up in a bubble.

This allows some basis to make an examination of this experiment of kingmaking. The result is a king that is expected to be brave (training at arms), intelligent (his education by Haldon), humble (education in the Faith) and to lack entitlement. First marks on all those counts are negative. While this may be dismissed not unjuatifiably due to age, it is certainly not encouraging and moreover he is thrust into thick of things by his own choice.

A king is not just an individual. His support consists of Jon Connongton, Varys with Illyrio to provide financial support and the Golden Company. Connington has stated his intent to murder Tommen and Myrcela and his paradigm of being Hand is Tywin's brutality. Varys and Illyrio are slavers and gangsters and the Golden Company are sellswords. Not only that, but they have different agendas and ideas about how they should proceed. In particular Connington has also stated his intent to punish Varys and there is the foundation of enmity between him and Strickland.

Moreover, the realm needs order and food and all he has is a shoddy claim and more conquest.

Aegon has the makings of a disaster of epic proportions.

[Universal Sword Donor]

8 hours ago, John Doe said:

Tarly supported the Tyrells, not Renly. Brienne fell in love with him and is now on a guilt trip because she let him die, that's hardly an unbiased opinion, furthermore, Renly didn't really give a fuck about her.

Then why isn't Mace listed as the one who loved him best? Tarly put a lot of Florents to the sword without Mace's thumbs up or thumbs down. Cortenay Penrose lists Rowan, Oakheart, and Tarly along with two people who actually love him. If you have any support for your position, I'd like to see it. Everything else is pointing in the direction of, Tarly actually liked and was following Renly because he wanted to, not merely because Mace declared for him, which to be fair played it's part. You do find Randyll with Renly, who also stayed at Horn Hill, and not with Mace for a reason.

[Lord Varys]

10 hours ago, Universal Sword Donor said:

Baratheon is literally a royal name. It's royal because the reigning king is named "Baratheon." And frankly it's 3 kings, not 1. It's 4 if you include Stannis by any stretch or if he manages to succeed.

Only Robert Baratheon was the the guy who could, more or less, declare he was a universally accepted king (if you ignore the Greyjoy Rebellion). Joffrey and Tommen never were. And Stannis most definitely wasn't.

8 hours ago, John Doe said:

I think he said he forgave them, but did not forget. And I think that is true. He won't punish them, but he won't treat them quite with the same trust he will treat his more loyal men, like Massey, Horpe, or Davos. I don't think it's in character for him to turn on them after he officially forgave them, but of course, neither of us can prove the other wrong. 

That may be the case but do you recall how shitty Stannis treats men like Horpe and Massey who actually are loyal to him? Just reread Theon 1 and you'll get the picture. The man only sees the flaws in the men serving him. Davos is a huge exception there, but only because he is mad enough to actually like the fact that Stannis cut of parts of his fingers which is essentially completely sick.

Stannis might intend to never move against the men he pardoned but they will never be granted any royal favors and Stannis will let them feel the remainder of their lives that they failed him and that he doesn't like them at all. That is not a good working relationship and could eventually lead into another rebellion.

8 hours ago, John Doe said:

But that aside, I didn't compare Stannis to Renly. I think Stannis is a lot more able for several reasons, but that doesn't belong in this thread. 

Stannis could be a better king - if he was a different man. He has certain good qualities but his bad qualities equal those out and his most important bad features - his characters and temperament - make it impossible for him to ever be a good king. He could be a good Hand or perhaps even a good lord but not a good king. A king has to inspires his subjects and followers. Stannis couldn't do that even if he wanted to try. And he doesn't even want to try.

8 hours ago, John Doe said:

Damon was hardly a better king than the alternative. More popular, yes, but that doesn't mean better. And we know that Robert didn't turn out to be a great king despite of all his charisma. So the examples you provided don't exactly make Renly look good. 

Still, Daemon and Robert had the potential to win the love and support of a lot of people simply because of their personalities. That is what makes you king if you don't inherit the throne or don't conquer a kingdom. They had their flaws, too, of course, especially Robert, but Stannis just has more character flaws than either of them.

And of course even more than Renly. Renly is essentially Robert without his bad habits. He could have been a great king if the people had been able to forget that he would have to take the throne over the dead bodies of his nephews and brother.

8 hours ago, John Doe said:

Can Aegon trust Duck? I'm not sure. I think Varys has a spy in Aegon's camp and it's completely possible that's Duckfield. 

That doesn't sound likely. If Varys has spies there those are Haldon or Lemore. Or Aegon himself, who is, after all, indebted to Varys. Rolly is a man Aegon knows, a man he knows he can trust. Connington's plan to throw white cloaks on some great names just to gain support isn't completely bad, either, but it undercuts the purpose of the Kingsguard which is to protect the king - having a Kingsguard who isn't all that loyal could mean you have a potential traitor and kingslayer directly beside the king. And that's not something you want.

8 hours ago, John Doe said:

The cyvasse thing was still a bit imature for a seventeen year old boy.

That's what I said, too. It is not all that realistic for a modern-day 15-18-year-old (but then, the people in Martinworld are not really trained to rule their passions, right?). But it is no hint or sign that Aegon is mad, cruel, or a hothead who reacts completely irresponsible if you provoke when he is in a bad mood. As I've said above, he could have slapped him, he could have beaten him, or he could given command to kill him.

And Tyrion really pushed him there. It is very shitty behavior to give somebody the impression you have a game where you are giving the other player honest advice and then you end up lying to him.

In fact, his insistence that Connington save Tyrion just a short while ago shows his potential for compassion and his willingness to go out of the way to help people he considers part of his family/group.

A man with the temperament or Joffrey, Aerion, Aerys, Maegor, etc. would never have done that. Tyrion was an ugly dwarf and a potential danger since he had (apparently) figured out Aegon's true identity. If they don't know they can trust him - and they didn't know that at that point - why not allow him to drown in the Rhoyne?

[Lord Varys]

28 minutes ago, Universal Sword Donor said:

Then why isn't Mace listed as the one who loved him best? Tarly put a lot of Florents to the sword without Mace's thumbs up or thumbs down. Cortenay Penrose lists Rowan, Oakheart, and Tarly along with two people who actually love him. If you have any support for your position, I'd like to see it. Everything else is pointing in the direction of, Tarly actually liked and was following Renly because he wanted to, not merely because Mace declared for him, which to be fair played it's part. You do find Randyll with Renly, who also stayed at Horn Hill, and not with Mace for a reason.

There are indeed strong hints that Tarly was a personal Renly fan. He speaks up very often to defend the claim of his king, and is quick to counter any criticism of Renly's actions.

But you are wrong that Renly didn't stay with Mace. The Renly-Margaery wedding and his coronation took place at Highgarden. The odd part is that Mace decided not to accompany Renly, and only Margaery and Loras came with him.

[Universal Sword Donor]

39 minutes ago, Lord Varys said:

There are indeed strong hints that Tarly was a personal Renly fan. He speaks up very often to defend the claim of his king, and is quick to counter any criticism of Renly's actions.

But you are wrong that Renly didn't stay with Mace. The Renly-Margaery wedding and his coronation took place at Highgarden. The odd part is that Mace decided not to accompany Renly, and only Margaery and Loras came with him.

I never said he didn't stop at Highgarden or stay there during the wedding.

“I was camped at Horn Hill when Lord Tarly received his letter, and I must say, it took my breath away.” ”

Horn hill is directly south of Highgarden by 200-300 miles. If he went to Horn Hill before or after the wedding, he went well out of his way to do so. And he did go to Horn Hill.

[Lord Varys]

2 hours ago, Universal Sword Donor said:

I never said he didn't stop at Highgarden or stay there during the wedding.

“I was camped at Horn Hill when Lord Tarly received his letter, and I must say, it took my breath away.” ”

Horn hill is directly south of Highgarden by 200-300 miles. If he went to Horn Hill before or after the wedding, he went well out of his way to do so. And he did go to Horn Hill.

Well, he effectively is on some sort of royal progress there, is he not? And it could make some sense to take that route if he intended to make a tour of the Dornish Marches on the Reach side and give the Stormlands time to join him. It is quite clear that Renly must have went to Horn Hill after his wedding since the latter took place in AGoT while Stannis is only sending his letters in ACoK.

[Universal Sword Donor]

7 minutes ago, Lord Varys said:

Well, he effectively is on some sort of royal progress there, is he not? And it could make some sense to take that route if he intended to make a tour of the Dornish Marches on the Reach side and give the Stormlands time to join him. It is quite clear that Renly must have went to Horn Hill after his wedding since the letter took place in AGoT while Stannis is only sending his letters in ACoK.

Might be a royal procession but the entire route is a bit confusing. He'd have called his banners when he was crowned. Gathering on the rose road at Bitterbridge should give them plenty of time for the SL to gather their troops. More than anything, though, it's the only location we know of that he went to after he left Highgarden and Tarly is noted as one who loved him best.

[Lord Varys]

6 minutes ago, Universal Sword Donor said:

Might be a royal procession but the entire route is a bit confusing. He'd have called his banners when he was crowned. Gathering on the rose road at Bitterbridge should give them plenty of time for the SL to gather their troops. More than anything, though, it's the only location we know of that he went to after he left Highgarden and Tarly is noted as one who loved him best.

Sure, honestly I think George didn't yet know where exactly Horn Hill was located when he wrote that whole thing there.

How Renly recruited the Stormlords is also a huge question mark. I guess he could have gone first to Storm's End before he continued to Highgarden, thus giving his men in the Stormlands more time to gather their troops and join him on the road.

If he only informed them after he had crowned himself he has far too many men far too quickly.