The Might of Skagos

[juanml82]

Why the obsession with unicorns? If even mammoths do not make a difference on the battlefield then what difference is a big goat going to make?

If they can charge like horses, then there is something awesome in an unicorn cavalry charge in which the unicorns use their horns to impale the enemy infantry. And just picture them against the giant ice spiders:

The Wall has fallen, the lands of the Umbers are under attack by White Walkers. The remaining wildlings, brothers of the night's watch and Umber soldiers retreat in the snow, they are getting surrounded by giant ice spiders, who hunt them like hounds. The Last Hearth is just too far. There is no hope. Amidst the blizzard, the Badass Skagosi Unicorn Cavalry form up to the rescue. They charge at the wights and ice spiders. The wights fall beneath their hooves, the unicorns impale the ice spiders and throw them against the winds, saving the day for the North.

Come on! It has to be awesome :drool:

[Nite's King]

If they can charge like horses, then there is something awesome in an unicorn cavalry charge in which the unicorns use their horns to impale the enemy infantry. And just picture them against the giant ice spiders:

The Wall has fallen, the lands of the Umbers are under attack by White Walkers. The remaining wildlings, brothers of the night's watch and Umber soldiers retreat in the snow, they are getting surrounded by giant ice spiders, who hunt them like hounds. The Last Hearth is just too far. There is no hope. Amidst the blizzard, the Badass Skagosi Unicorn Cavalry form up to the rescue. They charge at the wights and ice spiders. The wights fall beneath their hooves, the unicorns impale the ice spiders and throw them against the winds, saving the day for the North.

Come on! It has to be awesome :drool:

Let's be real here. Unicorns won't make the difference when it comes to dead things. They can stab the Wights all they want with their horns and nothing will happen. Only fire will kill them.

[juanml82]

Let's be real here. Unicorns won't make the difference when it comes to dead things. They can stab the Wights all they want with their horns and nothing will happen. Only fire will kill them.

Spoilsports :frown5: :P

[C0bR]

Let's be real here. Unicorns won't make the difference when it comes to dead things. They can stab the Wights all they want with their horns and nothing will happen. Only fire will kill them.

Yeah? Are you telling me you can't set a horn on fire?

Oh man, the picture in my head: the unicorn cavalry with burning horns? Game over.

[Nite's King]

Yeah? Are you telling me you can't set a horn on fire?

Oh man, the picture in my head: the unicorn cavalry with burning horns? Game over.

Instead of setting Unicorns on fire I think it may be easier to just fly a single dragon over head. RAIN FIRE.

[RKOpanther]

Let's be real here. Unicorns won't make the difference when it comes to dead things. They can stab the Wights all they want with their horns and nothing will happen. Only fire will kill them.

Yeh sorry juanmI82, I cant see Martin adding Unicorns. Maybe the Skagosi put some kind of protection on their horses heads that makes them look like Unicorns.

[The Witch King of Braavos]

I doubt the island has too many people on it, but it was at one time able to rebel in such a way that it was a struggle to put the rebellion down. So even if it's not heavily populated, something about it — the people's methods, percentage of the population that can fight — is formidable.

This seems likely, I'd say they could field 7,000 fighters, at a guess. Maybe they have woman fighters?

[jarl the climber]

Why the obsession with unicorns? If even mammoths do not make a difference on the battlefield then what difference is a big goat going to make?

Actually Stannis broke up his army into three battle groups and the group that ran into the giants fell apart. The horses were terrified of them. I was under the impression that most the Giants escaped. On the other hand they were not able to launch an effective counterattack.

As far as numbers go, once a species falls under a 1,000 or 2,000 specimens, they become extremely vulnerable and start to lack diversity in the gene pool. So if their only hundreds of them left and they are used by the Skagosi in battle thats probaly the end of the species.

[juanml82]

Yeh sorry juanmI82, I cant see Martin adding Unicorns. Maybe the Skagosi put some kind of protection on their horses heads that makes them look like Unicorns.

Actually, there is one Jon chapter when he sees the other direwolves and it looks like Shaggydog was eating an unicorn, and was hurt by the unicorn's horn while hunting it.

Whether they are used for warfare, of course, is a completely different matter.

[Veltigar]

That sounds about right. For the population size. But if they are a warlike culture like the Ironborn, then they would be able to raise a larger portion of their population to arms than other similar sized regions.

In any case, my view is that the Skagos storyline will in fact entail a lot more than just some troops aiding Rickon. I think that the Skagosi will be trying to escape the very real threat of the Northern Ocean freezing over, thus linking their island to the mainland Beyond the Wall - and thus leaving them utterly vulnerable to the Others.

Hence, Skagos as a whole will need to be evacuated, so I don't expect just a couple of thousand Skagosi troops to come with Rickon, I expect their entire civilization migrating with Rickon at their head, to find refuge in the North itself. So not 2000 or 3000 troops. Rather, 100,000 people, all migrating en masse, much like the Wildlings did.

Only instead of invading, they will now have a legitimate reason to move in, namely that they have the true heir to the North at their head.

A shrewd political move, with their very survival as its underlying motivation.

Interesting idea. I expected to see several mass evacuations/migrations in tWoW (Dany & co from Slaversbay to Westeros and the Maesters from Oldtown to Horn Hill and of course the Lannister court from KL to Casterley Rock), this could really fit in that theme.

However, I do think that there are other more interesting possibilities than what you proposed to achieve such a mass evacuation. Are you familiar with GRRM's short story "And Seven Times Never Kill Man"? (if not it is really worth a read). Anyway (without spoiling anything) in the story there is a group of modern crusaders named the Steel Angels who worship a God called Bakkalon the Pale Child (in fact the God also exists on Planetos. He's worshipped in the House of Black and White).

I think that an interesting storyline for Davos would revolve around Rickon supposedly being the Pale Child of the Skagosi. You know I like to think that when Davos lands he'll find Rickon in one of the keeps, being worshipped as some sort of messenger from the Old Gods thanks to his bond with Shaggy Dog. They will not want to have Rickon leave, thus Davos has to spirit Rickon away from the island. When the Skagosi find out that Rickon is missing they all set out to find their little Pale Child. I think it would be rather funny if Rickon and Davos on their way to Stannis were caught by Bolton loyalists, only for those same Bolton loyalists to realize that a 100 000 mad cannibalistic Skags are pretty pissed about someone trying to steal their God. That would be a fun battle to read about and something different than what we have seen so far in this series when it comes to battles.

[illrede]

Let's be real here. Unicorns won't make the difference when it comes to dead things. They can stab the Wights all they want with their horns and nothing will happen. Only fire will kill them.

If they can be ridden, winter-compliant mounts are worth it just for getting around on.

[Kasporio]

unicorns are goats, did you ever tried to ride a goat? No? Know why? Because its cant.

I see troll people everywhere... like Shyamalan said

[C0bR]

Interesting idea. I expected to see several mass evacuations/migrations in tWoW (Dany & co from Slaversbay to Westeros and the Maesters from Oldtown to Horn Hill and of course the Lannister court from KL to Casterley Rock), this could really fit in that theme.

However, I do think that there are other more interesting possibilities than what you proposed to achieve such a mass evacuation. Are you familiar with GRRM's short story "And Seven Times Never Kill Man"? (if not it is really worth a read). Anyway (without spoiling anything) in the story there is a group of modern crusaders named the Steel Angels who worship a God called Bakkalon the Pale Child (in fact the God also exists on Planetos. He's worshipped in the House of Black and White).

I think that an interesting storyline for Davos would revolve around Rickon supposedly being the Pale Child of the Skagosi. You know I like to think that when Davos lands he'll find Rickon in one of the keeps, being worshipped as some sort of messenger from the Old Gods thanks to his bond with Shaggy Dog. They will not want to have Rickon leave, thus Davos has to spirit Rickon away from the island. When the Skagosi find out that Rickon is missing they all set out to find their little Pale Child. I think it would be rather funny if Rickon and Davos on their way to Stannis were caught by Bolton loyalists, only for those same Bolton loyalists to realize that a 100 000 mad cannibalistic Skags are pretty pissed about someone trying to steal their God. That would be a fun battle to read about and something different than what we have seen so far in this series when it comes to battles.

I like this. The more badass this gets, the better.

[Nite's King]

Silly us. We've been waiting for AAR or TPTWP to save Westeros from the Others. When all along, there was a massive army on Skagos with goat-lookin unicorns that will save the day!

[Nite's King]

But seriously, you know what Rickon will REALLY find on Skagos?

.....

....wait for it....

....his....

....grandmother

[Lord Klax Stark]

I have heard a lot of trollish theories, but let's be real. Rickon's grandmother is NOT a unicorn bro :/

[Nite's King]

I have heard a lot of trollish theories, but let's be real. Rickon's grandmother is NOT a unicorn bro :/

Please provide textual examples to prove this. The only thing we know at this point is that Rickon's grandmother was HALF FLINT. That is literally the only time in the entire saga Ned's mother is mentioned. There is definitely something fishy going on there and this trip to Skagos could very well unravel the parentage.

[Shadrich]

Unicorn cavalry would be pretty badass.

Or gay.

Depends which way you look at it.

[Erkan12]

There is no way Unicorn troops happen. Sure they are exist, maybe someone can use them, but 'troops' would be absurd.

[The Great and Mighty Poo]

Guys guys guys Skaggos has 100000 strong flesh eating monsters.

Just kidding. I'm hoping for around 3k and loyal to the starks.

Eta: I love the unicorn idea that's so "fresh" people who say oh "that's so cliche" can finely eat their foot.