Diplomacraft in the North: Turn 2, Months 4-6

[leonardothered]

Winterfell Player - Baconomics as Lord Cregan Stark
Vassals: Cerwyn, Tallhart, Oakwood
Prestige: 9
Legitimacy: 10
Population: 420,000 / 3,200 foot, 1000 mounted
Income and coffers: Medium / 230,000 GD
Resources: Furs, Lumber
Traits and Notes:
The Starks of Winterfell - Inspires great loyalty, great troop morale, and has inherent magic, as well as being the rightful rulers of the North.
The Library of Winterfell - Aside from Castle Black and White Harbor, the only notable area encouraging study is the library of Winterfell, where many an ancient tome are kept

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STATE OF AFFAIRS:


-The trial of Lord Manderly has begun; the outcome of said event may prove to be minor, or may very well shape the King/Vassal relationship for generations to come...


White Harbor Player - Kingpoleon as Lord Cyrus Manderly AND acting Lord Nikeos Manderly
Vassals: Ram, Woolfield, Flint
Prestige: 5 (The prestige of House Manderly hangs in precarious balance with the trial...)
Legitimacy: 5 (Your conflicts with House Stark are making your vassals nervous, as well as dealings with those outside of the realm)
Population: 655,000 / 5,050 foot, 1,500 mounted
Income and coffers: High / 800,000 GD
Resources: Silver, Luxury Resource - Ale
Traits and Notes:
White Knife: One of the best trade routes in the North, this is vital to trade and whoever controls it recieves extensive benefits
The Seven: Gives troops poor morale and causes friction in the city between the two factions of believers
Silver Mines: Though it takes more time than trade, you can pull your wealth directly out of the ground if need be by setting up subsidized work projects. Pulls directly from soldier pool however due to the hard labor
Trade Fleet: House Manderly possesses a large trade fleet and a few warships, with the ability to convert these for battle or expand this fleet

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STATE OF AFFAIRS:

-At what may be called a rather bad time, your maester thinks White Harbor is suffering from the growing power of a gang. Its members are only being identified by pieces of parchment of a blue hand, and the mark has been popping up at several recent robberies and murders...

The Dreadfort Player - X Marks The Spot as Mychel Bolton
Vassals: Locke, Blackpool, Oldkind
Prestige: 9 (House Bolton stands at the center of Northern politics)
Legitimacy: 10
Population: 410,000 / 3,100 foot, 1000 mounted
Income and coffers: Medium / 250,000 GD
Resources: Furs, Lumber, Fish
Traits and Notes:
Trade Route: The new road leading east to the sea has given the Boltons somewhat of a monopoly on the trade central to the North not flowing up the white knife, as few ships visit the eastern coast at all
The Flayed Man: House Bolton inspires great fear, giving solid morale(though not as good as some) and makes revolt very unlikely

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STATE OF AFFAIRS:

-Jon has started to see things that are not there; he is complaining of dreams in the night and he wakes screaming often. The problem has become more and more frequent and is affecting his day to day behavior as he grows more paranoid and lashes out. He often will be staring into the distance and then say he has seen some sort of waking dream. The most recent involved a man wearing a coat of skins climbing to the top of a burning tower... A tower he was lighting as he climbed... Your maester suggests he can treat him perhaps by sending word to the citadel, but if word gets out of such occurrences in the prominent family it may undermind your power in the North.

Sable Hall Player - Dereich as House Ryswell
Vassals: Ryder, Fisher, Branch
Prestige: 7 (House Ryswell is known far and wide for their horseflesh and command a sizable chunk of the North, though not capable of the shows of force House Stark or Bolton can muster)
Legitimacy: 9 (The White Stag inspires awe in those who see it)
Population: 280,000 / 1,800 foot and 1000 mounted
Income and coffers: Medium* / 475,000 GD
Resources: Horses
Traits and Notes:
Horsemen - The rills boast the swiftest and fastest horses of the north, as well as the best riders
Longships - A number of fishing boats are available as well as a few longships to House Ryswell to help protect its coasts
Irrigation - Due to the nature of the rills, farmland is abundant due to easy irrigation methods, though not fit for all crops

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STATE OF AFFAIRS:

-Jyana Ryswell, your lady mother, has become pregnant; it is not clear who the father is, and she is being tight lipped about the situation. Your maester says he may be able to terminate the pregnancy if things are not too far along without endangering her health, though he says the lady is determined to carry the pregnancy to term. Will you welcome this event or will you choose another route?


Barrowton Player - Not Senator Not Madigan as Lord Gideon Dustin
Vassals: Stout, Long, Blackbone
Prestige: 7 (In short, House Dustin is known for its mead, not for its famous victories in the field; however, despite this they have managed to hold onto a sizable portion of land, a deal of it being the best farmland the North has to offer)
Legitimacy: 6
Population: 460,000 / 3,600 fighting men, 1000 mounted
Income and coffers: Medium / 450,000 GD
Resources: Mead, Honey, Dairy products
Traits and Notes:
Best Farmland - The lands beholden to Barrowton are both vast and fruitful; a great deal of the best land is already in full production, but much of the outliers such as Cape Kraken remain unsettled
Rapid Growth - Due to its location and bountiful harvests, Barrowton can experience a great deal of population growth and is a hotbed for refugees of war

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STATE OF AFFAIRS:

-Your bond with Joanna is growing; though perhaps not to all, it has become clear to yourself you may very well be a "skinchanger" of lore. Will you embrace this "gift" and attempt to learn more of it, or will you try to repress the mark of the beast?


Last Hearth Player - Badgate as Lord Ossfryd "The Hammer" Umber
Prestige: 8 (Marrying into the Stark household has seriously bolstered Umber credibility)
Legitimacy: 10 (The Umbers and their vassals keep the old ways such as First Night and blood sacrifice. By allowing them to hold to these traditions you command their undying loyalty, though it causes some in the realm to shun you)
Population: 340,000 / 2000 foot, 1000 men with garrons, 400 mounted
Income and coffers: Low / 129,000 GD
Resources: Lumber, Weirwood, Gold?*, precious resources?*, secrets?*
Traits and Notes:
Wildling raids - The Umbers suffer from raiding wildlings due to the lack of natural cover the mountain clans can boast, and some say they use passages and ways now lost to the North to pillage
Cave Systems - Underneath the North and extending even beyond the wall are vast caves of unknown origin; though some return with fables of riches untold waiting to be mined or secret passages with secrets, more return with tales of monsters and demons, or not at all
Weirwood Grove - The Umbers possess the largest natural grove of weirwoods south of the wall, rivalling Winterfell's godswood. The Umbers swear by its power and make regular prayer here, which they say explains their harvests which seem larger than should be possible...

-Your men have found wildlings loose in your realm; though they were executed, it was clear from the sight of their camp there must be more. If there indeed has been a breach in the wall, it must needs be made secure, and the Night's Watch guards it... In the meantime, these wildlings must be tracked; who will command the tracking?


The Wall Player - Garlan Gunter as Lord Commander Lorimer Hill
Prestige: 10
Legitimacy: 10
Population: 10,000 / 1,000 rangers, 3,000 foot, 1,000 mounted
Income and coffers: Low / 45,000 GD
Resources: None
Traits and Notes:
The Decline of the Watch - The Night's Watch is an institution of great prestige, however over the course of time this begins to decline as the watch forgets its true purpose
Libraries of Castle Black - If there is a center of learning of the North, it is ironically at the wall, where thousands of books lie dating from beyond living memory
Eastwatch Fleet - The Watch commands a number of large galleys from Eastwatch

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STATE OF AFFAIRS:


-Lord Commander Lorimer Hill awoke to the news no fewer than 24 men have deserted; this kind of group desertion is unheard of. This will undoubtedly shake the morale of the wall, and aside from tracking them down and delivering justice(or not), you must also raise the wall's morale to prevent a further mass desertion... or mayhaps give a demonstration of your authority to show what happens to deserters.

9. Bear Island as Lord Harald Mormont
Prestige: 3
Legitimacy: 9 (None question the rule of House Mormont but your coastal vassals, who provide nearly half your manpower)
Population: 170,000 / 1300 foot, 400 mounted
Income and coffers: Low / 85,000 GD
Resources: Fish, Exotic Furs
Traits and Notes:
Large Game - There are no better hunters than those of bear island, who tangle with the largest prey available south of the wall
South Coast - The South coast of Bear island remains fishable even in the deeps of winter, providing a steady though less consistent source of food, with the rest being free of ice the rest of the time
Skinchangers - House Mormont boasts a large number of skinchangers, rumors say
Fleet - The Bear has not forgotten the Kraken; House Mormont has the only sizable fleet this side of the North

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-Josua of House Bolton has promised House Mormont much and more in their latest meeting; whether or not he will be held to some of these promises, made in front of many witnesses and in the eyes of both gods and men must be answered.

-An escaped slave of the ironborn has wound up on the shores of Bear Island; he claims to be a son of House Reyne of Castamere... and also admits that he was being followed as recently as Cape Kraken. Without a doubt, the ironborn will come looking for him. What is to be done with this possible noble born youth?

[Donerail]

A Statement from House Mormont
House Mormont does not consider the promises made by intoxicated young men to hold the same weight as other oaths — to take such advantage of a guest, drunk off our beer, would be a grave violation of our obligations of hospitality. We are confident that we shall become fast friends with House Bolton, without the need for such underhanded tactics.
Harald Mormont, Lord of Bear Island

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

A Statement from House Mormont
House Mormont does not consider the promises made by intoxicated young men to hold the same weight as other oaths — to take such advantage of a guest, drunk off our beer, would be a grave violation of our obligations of hospitality. We are confident that we shall become fast friends with House Bolton, without the need for such underhanded tactics.
Harald Mormont, Lord of Bear Island

Your wise words are a credit to the honor of House Mormont.  I too am quite confident that House Bolton shall be able to count House Mormont among its most trusted friends.

Mychel Bolton, Lord of The Dreadfort
 

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Official Proclamation of Lord Mychel of House Bolton, Lord of The Dreadfort:

“Lady Roselin of House Bolton, is henceforth betrothed and engaged to be married to Erikar of House Mormont. The ceremony and a feast held in their honor shall occur at The Dreadfort one week time, one week after the wedding of Vickard of House Dustin and my daughter, Barbrey of House Bolton.  I cordially request the attendance of all Northern Lords. 

The dowry for Lady Roselin shall come in three parts.  First, I shall permit the soon to be wed couple to live at The Dreadfort rather than on Bear Island for the first few years of their lives together.  Lord Mormont and I have agreed that this is for the best.  Furthermore, this will provide Vickard and Erikar with an opportunity to become fast friends and it always pleases me when House Bolton has an opportunity to help strengthen the ties that bind all Northmen together. 

Second, Lord Mormont shall receive a dowry of 5,000 gold.  Third, my House is willing, should it be House Mormont’s wish, to extend a loan of up to 10,000 gold to assist House Mormont in constructing a navy to help defend their shores from the savage water Wildlings who lurk in their lair on the Iron Islands in the event of an attack.  I would also be remiss not to thank Lord Mormont for his generosity in agreeing to pay in full for the wedding.  It is known that House Mormont is a House not of copper-counters, but of honorable men and Lord Mormont is no exception.” - Lord Mychel of House Bolton, Lord of The Dreadfort

[Donerail]

Official Proclamation of Lord Mychel of House Bolton, Lord of The Dreadfort:

“Lady Roselin of House Bolton, is henceforth betrothed and engaged to be married to Erikar of House Mormont. The ceremony and a feast held in their honor shall occur at The Dreadfort one week time, one week after the wedding of Vickard of House Dustin and my daughter, Barbrey of House Bolton.  I cordially request the attendance of all Northern Lords. 

The dowry for Lady Roselin shall come in three parts.  First, I shall permit the soon to be wed couple to live at The Dreadfort rather than on Bear Island for the first few years of their lives together.  Lord Mormont and I have agreed that this is for the best.  Furthermore, this will provide Vickard and Erikar with an opportunity to become fast friends and it always pleases me when House Bolton has an opportunity to help strengthen the ties that bind all Northmen together. 

Second, Lord Mormont shall receive a dowry of 5,000 gold.  Third, my House is willing, should it be House Mormont’s wish, to extend a loan of up to 10,000 gold to assist House Mormont in constructing a navy to help defend their shores from the savage water Wildlings who lurk in their lair on the Iron Islands in the event of an attack.  I would also be remiss not to thank Lord Mormont for his generosity in agreeing to pay in full for the wedding.  It is known that House Mormont is a House not of copper-counters, but of honorable men and Lord Mormont is no exception.” - Lord Mychel of House Bolton, Lord of The Dreadfort

xLord Harald of House Mormont, Lord of Bear Island

[Garlan Gunter]

Lords of the North,

Matters high and low have brought me south from the Wall. A rout of motley rogues and fools have abandoned the black, and there are tales too of trifling numbers of wildlings; I trust all true Northmen will think nothing of joining our Sworn Brothers in hunts after such vermin.

Of more moment, the Watch requires funds for a venture that, if brought a successful conclusion, could redound to the credit and the bounty of any who aid us. House Dustin have already showed themselves honourable and stalwart friends to the Wall; I hope and trust to see others yet follow.

Yours in service and the sight of the Old Gods,

Lorimer Hill, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch