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As this rule continues to enforce order and removes any discussion of tripcodes, I'll maintain it until the moment it stops being useful.
>Anyone who posts with a tripcode or a name will be ignored. If you wish for your contributions to the quest to be read, then you will post anonymously.

>The quest has a Twitter account, if you really need that sort of thing to keep track of when the quest is running. You can find me at this url:
>https://twitter.com/HouseHarrock

In addition, Page has started up his own Game of Thrones quest again. I suggest you read the adventures of Lord William Bordain for yourself. It predates the Quest of House Harrock and to be frank, if you like this quest, then you'll love Page's take on GoT. It takes place every Saturday, starting at roughly 9PM EST.
>http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Iron%20and%20Hate%20Quest

Finally, I may have to disappear for an hour at any point in this thread. Family time comes before 4chan, sorry.

>>25894366
Ready and waiting to continue.

Damn right Plasma. Been waiting all day for it man.

Oh my, I'm in time for a trehad? How delightful.

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>>25894457
>>25894420
>>25894413
Three's enough to start.

A collection of important characters for those who need to catch up.
>UPDATED ON 08/07/13, CONTAINS HOUSE STATISTICS AS WELL.
>http://pastebin.com/QCxuAPcu

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Westpass. This is your land, your territory, your home. It's a harsh and unforgiving place, sparsely populated by evergreens and hardy shrubs. It's a steep valley filled with sudden falls, treacherous cliffs and unexpected gutters and furrows. Anyone who lives in this part of the Vale of Arryn quickly learns to walk softly and with great care.

Splitting Westpass in half is a great river just as unimaginatively named, the Westflow. Born from a great sheet of water that descends from the mountains, the small stream quickly transforms into a great raging current, with many muddy little rills and brooks contributing to its size. Despite the dangerous pace at which it flows, there are a few safe places where the river can be forded.

Clinging to the mountains on either side of the Westflow, the road for which the region is named winds and bends, a well-worn path of gravel and dirt that it is your duty to protect and maintain. One of the few routes in and out of the Vale, many merchants use the Westpass for their trade routes for a certain fee. To the North, the road leads to Strongsong. To the East, the road leads to Crown Crag.

Finally, there are the great structures of Westpass. The hub of civilisation is High Harrock, a grim and foreboding structure that brings comfort to the inhabitants of the region as the sole provider of protection, boasting an iron mine and great solid stone walls. Then there are the two towers that guard it; Skycliff built amongst the peaks and Wetrock built upon a solid stone foundation beside the Westflow.

But what about the people who live here? There are a few thousand smallfolk scattered throughout the land, in huts and hovels that dot the rocky landscape. It's a hard life but honest life, where they harvest and farm what they can, whenever they can. Some keep herds of hardy mountain goats for their meat and milk, while others farm lettuces, berries and edible ferns.

This is your land and these are your people. Treat them well.

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>>25894366
>>25894488
>>25894521
You've arranged for a meeting with the more important members of the household. This isn't necessarily about military matters so the only knight there is Ser Morys, slumped back on his litter. Maester Llelewyn is by his side, occasionally checking the poor old soldier's health and looking uncomfortable to be amongst humans rather than ravens. Then there is tired Uncle Alric and your beloved Deyya, although she seems more nervous and flighty than ever. Finally there's your air, the thick and sturdy Ser Brock. Little Katrin is absent, considering the more delicate matters you're about to discuss.

Speaking of which, you will need to choose one topic first:
>Your new economic situation, thanks to Lord Walder Frey's decision to withdraw all trade from your House, which might potentially cripple your military at the end of the month. There are other Houses you might be able to trade with but you're unsure whether they will offer a deal as fine as the Late Walder Frey.
>The business with Lady Anya Waynwood. She would be happy to send her two relatives to visit you, so long as in return they bring Katrin with them back to Ironoak, to show her the land she will call home. If you let her visit, she will not be able to meet Lord Alesandor Saul, who is coming to meet her a suitor. If you don't let her visit, this might jeopardise your plans with the Waynwoods.
>Your wife. According to rumour, she has not bled for over a month now. There are a few possibilities. Deyya might be with child, she might be undergoing the change that comes to women as they grow older or she might just have skipped a month. Whatever the case, you need to find out the truth yourself. You shouldn't hear about this through rumours.

Which are you more interested in first?

>>25894539

>Your new economic situation, thanks to Lord Walder Frey's decision to withdraw all trade from your House, which might potentially cripple your military at the end of the month. There are other Houses you might be able to trade with but you're unsure whether they will offer a deal as fine as the Late Walder Frey.

Absolutely need to get this taken care of right now. Call in our Uncle and potentially our wife, whose ties to the Manderlys might help as well.

>>25894539
>Your new economic situation, thanks to Lord Walder Frey's decision to withdraw all trade from your House, which might potentially cripple your military at the end of the month. There are other Houses you might be able to trade with but you're unsure whether they will offer a deal as fine as the Late Walder Frey.

This needs to be taken care of immediately.

Don't forget we had planned to send some letters to lesser Riverlords who had fallen out of grace after the rebellions, we could potentially make a better trade agreement with one of them, as they might be desperate. I don't remember all of ones being brought up but I do remember Darry being one.

>>25894628
Sorry, forgot to take off the name.

>>25894539
Why did Frey do this?

>>25894751

We may or may not have sent back a less then polite letter when he offered to marry one of his children to ours.

Because you know, fuck the Freys. And apparently groupthink. To be fair it was a funny as hell letter.

There are other Lords far more worthy than the fop Frey of our patronage.

Leave him and offer our iron at a reduced cost to any who'll have it.

>>25894784
Anyone have a pasta of the letter?

>Your new economic situation.

>>25894702
>>25894662
>>25894572
Your uncle is in his element, quickly producing a neat little list of nearby lords who might be able to supply your house with the necessary grain. He explains the situation even as he lays the parchment across the surface of the table, candle light illuminating the text.

"The problem lies in transport. Although we hold a valuable trade route, the fastest way of transporting goods is through ships and we do not possess a port, nor do we have a sailor loyal to our House. Any long distance trade would be either unreliable or expensive without a vessel so we are limited to the nearby regions. The Riverlands to the East of the Trident and the lords of the Vale who have surplus to sell. Although Westpass is not the richest land in Westeros, there are many other valleys far more fertile and fruitful.
"At this point, we would need to rely on either House Belmore or House Egen in order to conduct trade by boat so I advise against it, at least until we are sure that Loras and his knight plan no treachery."

>RIVERLAND HOUSES
>House Terrick of Wycombe (you are already trading with them - your iron for their gold.)
>House Erenford of Erenford (you are already trading with them - your iron for their gold.)
>House Keath of Green Fork
>House Wayn of Chiltern
>House Hawick of Saltpans
>VALE HOUSES
>House Hersy of Newkeep
>House Corbray of Heart's Home
>House Redfort of Redfort

"Are there any houses in particular that you wish to learn more of?"

>>25894843

>Lord Artys Harrock of Westpass
>My most honourable and venerable lord father was greatly amused by the words in your response and he would like to extend his thanks to you for 'putting some joy into his withered old heart,' to quote him directly. He understands the ambition of your house and your desire to marry your children to the most noble and renowned suitors and maidens you can find. Unfortunately, my father does not believe that you were wise in your choice. As such, he wishes to withdraw from all further trade with your house.
>He asks that you do not take this as an insult or a slight. It is simply business and you made it clear in his eyes that you wished to conclude all transactions with my good lord father. I extend my sincere apologies and I hope that his decision has not greatly impacted your house. I wish you and your children the greatest of fortune.
>Ser Stevron Frey

>>25894956
Of the houses we are not currently trading with, who are the three closest?

>>25895107
In order:
>House Corbray of Heart's Home. The Westpass Road leads into Crown Crag and directly through its forests, straight into Heart's Home on the other side. Technically less than a day's ride away.
>House Keath of Green Fork. On the other side of the mountains that the Westpass Road goes through, there is Erenford to the North and Wycombe to the South. West of these is the Green Fork of the Trident, where House Keath dwells. It takes a day to reach Erenford through the mountains and another day to reach the Green Fork from there. That's in good conditions.
>House Wayn of Chiltern. A day South of the Green Fork, it lies directly on the Eastern bank of the Trident.

>>25895179
Hmm, that's a good start I guess. Ask our uncle what our current relations with those Houses are and how keen would they be to trade with us?

>>25894956

What about the two houses we already trade with? Also are any of the houses on that list in a particularly bad way after the rebellions? We could either bully our way to a good trade relation or "take pity on them".

>>25894956
We need food. Who is the closest house with a surplus of grain to sell?

We need to be mindful of the poltical ramifications. Better trade with someone we already have a good relationship with.

>>25895457
I wonder if we can get some trade deals out of some of the families that are going to visit us.

>>25895255
"You likely know our relationship with House Corbray better than me, seeing as you were the one who attended the tournament. Although Ser Lyn Corbray was our welcome guest, he did little to make himself welcome. I find all three of the Corbray brothers to be far too regal, arrogant and self-obsessed. However, trade is always a possibility so long as we do not try to make it anything more than that. Hopefully they have a mind for impersonal business and have no desire to make it more than that."
"House Keath is thrives on its fishing but makes most of its gold from selling surplus crops. It possesses fertile land by the Green Fork and it has perfect growing conditions. Thankfully they weren't so badly impacted by the Battle of the Trident so their harvest is still strong."
"On the other hand, House Wayn is on the verge of destruction. Almost all of its villages were razed before the Battle of the Trident and its people scattered to the wind. They have little in the way of crops to sell and little in the way of support. The lord of the land there is far too dedicated to his duty as Lord Hoster Tully's stewards to give much attention to his own land and when he dies as a childless old man, it'll likely be passed to a younger, more ambitious family that can make the best of it."
>>25895425
"That would likely be House Corbray."
>>25895385
"We recently managed to bend House Terrick into accepting our iron for a higher price. Their only alternative was to find another provider and you managed to convince them that we were their best choice.
"As for House Erenford, they are in almost as bad a position as House Wayn. The land has always be sour and poor for the Riverlands but they still make the best of it and produce as much wheat and corn as they are able."

>Sorry for the delay with that post.

>>25895564
Sounds like houses Keath is our best bet.

How much wealth did we spend on buying food from Frey? Hopefully we can buy a similar amoount of food from Keath. I mean, our deal with house Frey was probably not all too much in our favour anyhow.

Ask our uncle how well he knows house Keath, and how likely it is that they'll trade with us on favourable terms.

>>25895564
Keath sounds okay, but I am a newcomer so I have little knowledge of our relationship with them. If it would not adversely affect anything else, Keath.

>>25895564
Sending a raven to both Houses Corbray and Keath seems to be a solid course of action.

Given the poor state of affairs in House Wayn's lands, I doubt it'd be too hard to start a local rebellion against the local lord. If we helped out a successor, we could gain a valuable trade ally for the future... Just a thought.

>>25895564

I really thin Corbray might be a solid answer. If we get to talk to the brother we dehorsed that is. So long as they don't take personal affairs into account when they talk of trade deals. So I'd send a letter to them for sure.

House Wayn I think we should a letter too just as an opening remark type of deal. See if they''d be interested in a possible trade and if/when the title is passed on we'd already be in good with them. Speaking of would it be possible to figure out the heir so we could directly speak to him?

Also send a letter to House Terrick, expanding a previous trade agreement would be much easier then forging a new one and they would likely profit and grow from it as well. So might as well.

>>25895564
If they have spare crops to sell, House Terrick is most likely willing to do business with us, seeing how they trust us as business partners. How much can they sell us?

>>25895716
>>25895712
Fuck corbray. Fucking faggots. Lyn already hates us, and we beat his faggy brother in the joust. The house probably hates us for good, now.

>>25895703

We traded a fair part of our iron production for the grain. Really what we have the most to deal with right now is our iron so that is what the hope is to use as our trade good. Otherwise it might get sketchy.

Also I like the cut of this guys jibe, >>25895712. Having an up and coming House that we helped with in the Riverlands may be a fantastic way to bounce expansion.

>>25895756

Lyn is a dick head but his brother was nothing but cordial with us about his dehorsing. But there is really no reason to not send a letter, they are the closest.

>>25895790
Alright. but they're a house form the vale, I doubt they'll have much need for iron. We'll probably have to spend cashmoney on their food.

>>25895564

What about Lord Redfort, and the rest of the lords? Is there anything that can be said about those?

>>25895703
>>25895707
"Our House has had no previous relationship with House Keath, beyond their merchants frequently travelling with crops, smoked fish and scrimshaw through Westpass."
>>25895730
>>25895703
>Here are the mechanics of the situation.

>You generate 10 units of surplus Iron per month. Currently, you have 5 units of surplus Iron that isn't going anywhere.
>You can either sell your surplus for other surplus goods or you can sell it for an increased House Fortune modifier.
>Similarly, you can purchase other surplus goods with your surplus or you can purchase them by reducing your House Fortune modifier.

>Surplus Crops can be converted into Population or Power.
>Lord Frey was giving you 13 units of Crops in exchange for 5 units of Iron.
>You used these 13 units to provide 5 Population and 8 Power.
>As the deal has ended, at the end of the month, you're losing those bonuses.
>You need to find these 13 units from another source.
>>25895712
"Of course. What offers do you wish to make?"

>You are unaware of how much these other Houses currently have available in terms of Crops. Would you like to enquire first, or would you like to make offers to House Keath and House Corbray now?
>Remember, you can either exchange your Iron for their Crops or you can reduce your House Fortune for their Crops.

>>25895971
Let's offer them both 1 iron for every 2 crops then. Then we can reduce our fortune by 3 for 3 crops. Problem solved.

>>25895971
Write something flattering to House Keath, saying how it never made much sense to us that so much of their wares traveled through westpass, but never actually towards us. We'd like to change that. Ask how much food they have available for sale, and then tell them we've got quality iron for trade.

>>25894956
Could we cut a deal with Egen- he supplies us with grain at Freys old price, and we waive the dowry?

>>25895564
> Almost all of its villages were razed before the Battle of the Trident and its people scattered to the wind. They have little in the way of crops to sell and little in the way of support. The lord of the land there is far too dedicated to his duty as Lord Hoster Tully's stewards

Hmm. long term could we see about maneuvering with House Wayne? They seem weak enough that some economic incentive would be a good way to get long term grain supplies back in order

>>25895971
Here's the situation- we need grain by the end of the month. We'll probably have to pay more then normal
Secondly we need to find a long term replacement for Frey. The first and the second need not be the same sources

>>25895971
Can we actually do something with all the iron we have other than selling it? I mean, could we get some serious industrial smithing going on and sell castle grade armor or weaponry or something? I mean selling iron is nice and all, but selling arms is probably far more profitable.

Goat products may be another chip. How are our pioneers doing?

>>25896222
That's the plan anon, we're simply too poor to do anything other than mine it at the moment.

>>25895971

Oh boy technical stuff.

I mean we kind of had the right set up with Frey so if we can do that again either with one house or split then that'll work. Though now that we have this knowledge we can prepare to build from it eventually. I think right now we need to get our situation fixed not mess around with other things.

Also inquire about their current stocks first, then ask about trade things.

>>25896027
>Does anyone concur with this?
>>25896076
>Do you want to send a request for more information to House Keath before you offer a deal?
>>25896092
House Egen primarily deals in fruits and lumber rather than crops. It's still food and can still be used for the same purpose - but you already have a few deals with House Egen and they're hardly large enough to provide the same quantity that House Frey was able to.
>>25896147
>Do you want to send a letter to House Wayn for further information?
>>25896222
Your smiths aren't of any excellent quality and they're already hard at work arming and repairing the equipment of your soldiers. It's surplus because you're simply not able to do anything with it fast enough - it's just piling up. As for becoming an arms merchant, that is the domain of the brooding William Bordain, who already has the market on castle-forged weapons cornered in this region. He may be anti-social but he certainly is industrious.
>>25896239
Five more months until your goat herd is able to produce surplus materials. They need to breed and multiply, so that you can produce milk, meat and leather without culling the herd unnecessarily.

>>25896346
So, let's arrange an order before we move on, so we do not dither.
>Inquire into House Keath's available resources.
>Inquire into House Wayn's available resources.
>Do you wish to ask anything of House Corbray?
>Do you wish to make a request of House Egen, a steady supply of food in exchange for the lifting of a dowry?

>>25896346

I will concur with the first once we receive information from both, if we can make a better deal then we should.

I wouldn't want to get into it with Egen right now if our coup theory is correct.

House Wayn information would be great, especially if we found out the heir and just some general scouting, we could help a fledgling lord like ourselves and it could be profitable.

>>25896377

Can we inquire into the other houses, plasma?

>>25896377
I'm fine with all of this except for talking to House Egen. Let's wait and see what happens over there.

>>25896346
Send a raven requesting more information from all 3 nearby houses ad sound out their receptiveness to a trade deal; don't mention any figures just yet though.

>>25896346
I concur. However, it is an opening deal, if they are willing to accommodate a better deal, we could just deal with one of them for all our iron.

>>25896377
I saw we ask Corbray about available resources as well just to see. I see potential for splitting our iron 3 ways, it would be much easier to cancel a trade deal or have one fall out from under us and recover from it unlike this one.

Also leave Egen out, the less we deal with them right now the better.

I think we would get away with trading with House Redfort if we offered to take one of Lord Horton's boys in as a squire

>>25895971
Inquire. We are willing to exchange fortune for crops now as a foray into establishing an iron for crops exchange

>>25896377
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. No
4. Maybe, lets see how the others play out.
Also, didn't the warrior woman's house, what's their Name, wainright? We're sending our daughter to them... anyway, don't they have fertile fields? Maybe we could work something out with them.

Also, Manderly is an avenue we haven't explored yet

Plan of action is: inquire and try to find a house to trade food for iron long term, short term iron and fortune for food.
We should get a sounding from our uncle, our wife and the maester. It's about time he did some actually advising, hell maybe he could do science magic for our current food supplies to expand them?
Anyway, get their opinions on the houses we're eyeing as new trade partners

>>25896493
Manderly is too far away, we'd need a port.

>>25896558

Actually solid plan. Let's at the very least get our Uncle's opinion perhaps allow him to pen the letters, he needs to feel like we trust him a bit.

We need to talk to our maester more though.

>>25896577
We could build a port in a few months or so, so they could still be a possible partner

>>25896639

Current plan is to rebuild a tower in our lands and land one of our knights. Port is a potential but a long ways off.

And would likely take longer then a few months. A fancy tavern we built took a month.

>>25896391
"House Hersy is a more recent creation, led by Lord Penthar. His reputation isn't a positive one. He's a paranoid recluse, living in his castle of Newkeep which the land is named after with little concept of manners and a fear of almost everything. During King Robert's Rebellion he dithered so long that his soldiers were never a part of a single battle. Still, the slopes of his land are filled with black soil perfect for growing edible roots and fruits, especially pumpkins. They're four days away, North of the Snakewood.
"As for Lord Horton Redfort, he's a dangerous and powerful man. One of the stronger lords in the Vale, for certain and like House Harrock and House Royce, his family descends from the First Men. Although they're famous for their stone, they have some of the richest fields in the Vale hidden in the valley they call their home. Redfort is as far from Westpass as Ironoak is. The further away our trade partners are, the more expensive the caravans are. Too far and we might need to pay additional costs."
>>25896493
"I'm afraid Manderly isn't a possibility, as we would need boats in order to trade with him and in order to use boats, we'd need a port. We could use House Egen's, if we did not distrust them so much at this moment. Even then, we'd need to hire a captain and his crew."
>The warrior girl belongs to House Hunter. House Waynwood does have fruit to trade, yes, but they're quite distant.
>>25896493
>>25896459
>>25896426
>>25896419
>>25896391
>Inquire into Keath.
>Inquire into Wayn.
>Redfort?
>Hersy?
>After this, moving on to the next issue.

Hot damn, this looks awesome. But I can't play right now. Is there a way of knowing when the next thread will be?

Also, how did you make that banner? Is there a house making thing on the website?

>>25896670
No, we're not building a port, we're reclaiming that tourney port from Belmore.

>>25896682

I'd rather just inquire the former two given Redfort will cost more money and we don't need to associate with Hersy. I wish more people were receptive to at least inquiring with Corbray. But fine whatever.

>>25896682

>inquire into all 4

We can then assess everything based on what everyone has demanded/has to offer

>>25896688
Grimarbour's an island. We need a port in order to access Grimarbour.

>>25896738
>>25896733
>>25896688
>>25896758
>>25896604
Settling for Keath and Wayn, you look over your uncle's shoulder occasionally as you have him write the letters, ensuring that everything is reasonable. Of course it is; Alric's writing is impeccable and even if he is a bore in person, he is quite charismatic on paper. Signing it personally and giving it your seal, you hand the letters to the Maester to send off by raven. Bowing profusely, Llelewyn makes his exit.

"Now, on to the next issue Artys."

>The business with Lady Anya Waynwood. She would be happy to send her two relatives to visit you, so long as in return they bring Katrin with them back to Ironoak, to show her the land she will call home. If you let her visit, she will not be able to meet Lord Alesandor Saul, who is coming to meet her a suitor. If you don't let her visit, this might jeopardise your plans with the Waynwoods.
>Your wife. According to rumour, she has not bled for over a month now. There are a few possibilities. Deyya might be with child, she might be undergoing the change that comes to women as they grow older or she might just have skipped a month. Whatever the case, you need to find out the truth yourself. You shouldn't hear about this through rumours.

Which are you more interested in second?

>>25896894
Hey, can you tell me when the next thread will be?

>>25896908
>Next Monday, 9PM GMT.
>Also, please remove your name tag when you participate please.

>>25896936
Sorry, I'm OPing something else. Will do next time.

>>25896894
How old is Saul?

>>25896894

>Your wife. According to rumour, she has not bled for over a month now. There are a few possibilities. Deyya might be with child, she might be undergoing the change that comes to women as they grow older or she might just have skipped a month. Whatever the case, you need to find out the truth yourself. You shouldn't hear about this through rumours.

The wife needs some love and attention. We barely had any time for her when we got saddled with all of the responsibilities of the House so now we should rekindle some love again.

>>25896894
Sorry to say Saul isn't exactly a proper suitor. We should have given our rejection by letter and invitation as a personal guest.

We can try to delay Waynwood (either by negotiation or covertly in our trade hub). Otherwise, I fear we may have to displease him in this one matter.

>>25897006
We might want to bring this up in private however...

>>25897060

Agreed on that front, let's go to her. And take a quick gander outside at our son and knights doing whatever along the way.

>>25896984
Twenty. From what you remember he was an extremely attractive man with no flaws you could recognise, except perhaps his tendency to delve into the secrets of others a bit too often. Intelligent, perceptive and wise with the only problem being his extremely poor, decrepit lands and massive lack of wealth.

>>25897087
Oh snap, I thought he was a lot older than that. That's the impression he made anyway.

I don't think that he's a proper match for our daughter. I do however think he'd be a great ally and friend of our House.

>>25897016
this

>>25897112
Ditto.

I don't know why we asked him to come honestly. We should probably reimburse some of his travel expenses as he probably thought we were considering him for marriage.

Oh, and go hunting of course.

>The business with Lady Anya Waynwood. She would be happy to send her two relatives to visit you, so long as in return they bring Katrin with them back to Ironoak, to show her the land she will call home. If you let her visit, she will not be able to meet Lord Alesandor Saul, who is coming to meet her a suitor. If you don't let her visit, this might jeopardise your plans with the Waynwoods.

I think this. Write him a letter saying that he has our greatest apologies and that he is still more than welcome at High Harrock (maybe a hunt and a feast?)

Actually, as his House is poor, he was probably going to use the dowry anyway. We could offer him a better deal in any one of our projects. He'll be denied once, but we'll make it up to him.

>>25897083
>>25897060
>>25897006
Standing, you ask for a brief moment to retire and speak with your wife in privacy, on the topic of private matters. You're hardly so callous to bring up such a sensitive topic amongst your advisers. At least, you try not to be. The last thing you want to do is ruin your wife's mood.

Standing beside plump Deyya in the fresh air, you watch the garrison as they train and drill, sparring with one another and exercising. They're certainly not proper soldiers, not yet but they need to be soon. High Harrock is precious and it needs strong warriors to defend it. Warriors like your son, perhaps even like your brother. Dismissing that thought, you let your wife break the silence at last.

"I... don't know the truth of the situation, Artys. I can't say anything that you haven't already heard, most likely. I know I am not that old, not yet but perhaps my change is coming early? What if I can't give you any more sons or daughters? There's always the chance that I am carrying one but... Are you sure that it's such a good idea to struggle to create another child? Seven Hells, Brock is already a knight and Katrin is soon to be married! Maybe the time for children has passed. How would we even raise this one, after how we failed our first two?"

>>25897244

Ouch she was really hard on herself there. Given how things have begun to unfold and work out she hasn't failed our children, we might have for a moment but she was the ever watchful and dutiful teacher/mother. She was the only reason we were even able to get our children to open up to us.

If another child is to be born then we will make it work, no matter what, and if isn't the case we do not fault her for it and continue on. And if she is with child and truly hell bent on the idea we failed the first two, then the third is her chance to do everything she believes is right by that child.

>>25897244
"If....you think it would be better, then I would not force you to bear me another child. As you said, Brocke is finally coming into his own...and Katrin is truly blossoming like some....flower of womanhood that uh...blossoms.
But...I have to admit, I do wish for another child. Harrock has always been ruled by two brothers. Until Ulfric and I... well, you know. I would hate to see the tradition end with me. And... to be honest, I sometimes think that Brock and Katrin have grown into good persons despite me instead of because of me. I have not been a very good father... or husband, for that matter. I neglected you, and my children. It's only until recently I feel like I've come into my own, and, well, stepped up to be a real man for my family, and the house. I want to raise another child with the love and attention I should have been giving since I married you."

>>25897244
"We have not failed our children. For the time being Brock is one of the most well-known knights of the Vale and a sought-after husband from a dozen Houses. Katrin is a bright child and beautiful, the best of both of us. She will have a good life wherever she spends her days.

"Do not be afraid, Deyya. I have faith that the Mother has blessed us with another child. But if that faith is misplaced, then I will trust the Crone's wisdom and make as good of lives for our children as I can. And I want you to be there with me, barren or not. You are my wife."

>>25897244
Harrock always had two.

And certainly our dear wife has been very efficient at making the best of our situation.

>>25897244
Has she talked to a midwife or...well whoever would be able to tell us about womans nether bits and whether they're working or not

>>25897348

That is the perfect combination of awkward Artsy and then serious driven Artys. I love it.

>>25897244

>How would we even raise this one, after how we failed our first two?

'We never failed our first two children. We stumbled, yes, but never stopped completely, and that is why Brock is the knight he is now and Katrin is the very icture of beauty. We will raise this child with and to the best of our abilities. This child is a gift from the Seven, and like all gifts, we will protect it'

I'd forgotten Harrock was running tonight!

>runs off to read the thread before contributing.

>>25897426
>>25897365
>>25897348
Your awkward compliment on Katrin is enough to earn an honest laugh from your wife, who is unable to prevent herself from smiling despite the worry. She's come to adore that awkward side of you, all it ever took was the two of you to give each other a chance. Perhaps the same applies to Brock. When you gave him the opportunity, he became one of the greatest fighters in the Vale. It's just a case of opportunities and knowing when to give them.

"If you really think this is a good idea, if you really think that our child won't grow up forgotten by us or dominated by us... Then maybe we should give it a chance. It's just... I've pushed Katrin so hard her entire life and you, you never realised Brock was there until the moment you became a lord. What if we do it again? What if we make the same mistake or what if our children repeat them? By the grace of the Seven we made this work but what if we didn't? What if it fell apart? It still can, it still could. Nothing lasts forever and I don't want to raise our next daughter or son like we did Katrin and Brock.

"If you want to give this a chance then so shall I. But if not... Moon tea is always an option for us."

>>25897576
Doesn't an heir cost influence? It did in iron and hate quest.

>>25897576

A reassuring awkward embrace and less awkward kiss for our dear lady wife is in order. Assure her that even if things fall apart we will find a way, there is always a future for us, and our our next child who we will do everything in the world for so she doesn't have to fear. We can do this and our future is always being striven towards even in times of doubt and worry, we'll always look to that Last Ridge.

>>25897576
"See how well we have brought up our children, even with my faults. I might have ignored Brock until he was nearly a man born, but he has turned in only a few months from a brawler in the dirt with the children of the castle into a Knight of the Seven, and Katrin, she has always been so bright and eager to learn. If she were a boy, I imagine she'd be the one growing up in my shoes, to take the reigns of our lands alongside Brock once I pass on.

Imagine what chance we give a child if I actually pay attention to them this time, and we also need not push as hard as we might have done Katrin, for we have our first-born children. I... I think we would make good parents, Deyya, because see how well we did when we were not."

>>25897652
>It'll take that Influence when born.

>>25897576
"One thing at a time, love. We may not know the future but one thing is for certain: I will never abandon our family. I'll always be here for our children, and for you. I promise."

>>25897668
>>25897676
These two!

>>25897695
>>25897676
>>25897668
Taking in a breath and spending a brief moment of apprehension and uncertainty in your embrace, Deyya simply nods and doesn't offer a reply or a retort this time. She has decided to give it a chance. Perhaps this child shall grow to be someone spectacular, so long as she gives it the chance? Brock certainly did and Katrin is soon to.

Together, you return to the feast hall where Llelewyn, Alric and Morys are speaking to one another with Brock simply following the conversation in silence. While you were away with your wife, it seems like they began the discussion on the topic of Alesandor Saul. This time, it's Morys who speaks.

"M'lord, if you forgive me I must say that I think that Ser Donnel would be a better match than Lord Alesandor. He may be a lord but his family has nothing to its name while House Waynwood has one of the oldest legacies in all of the Vale. They're the truest sort of nobility, m'lord."
"Morys is right, Artys. I've never met this lord and I've barely heard anything of him either. His lands do nothing but take the brunt of the cold Northern winds so that the Vale doesn't have to endure it. Only the hardiest goats can graze on the grasses there and from what I hear, the cliffs are too sheer even for fishing or for boats. It's barren. The only thing of value that they have there is a coal mine and they barely have the infrastructure for it to function. The Scorched Vale is an apt name for the place and a lord of a land such as that has no purpose marrying into our House, when compared with House Waynwood. We should send this Lord Saul another raven before he leaves for our home."

>>25897217
We promised our daughter that she could stay at High Harrock. Promised.

We are not going back on that and sending her off to fucking nowhere within a month or two. She 12, man.

>>25897887
I'm torn - we promised, but that would be fucking awesome for us... but we'd break our daughter's heart.

Shit sucks man.

>>25897866
"This is true, though I think he could yet be a good ally to us. He has a keen mind, and hears much of what goes on in the Vale, which we could greatly benefit from... perhaps we should invite him still, but not for Katrin's hand. I imagine he likes his desolate land as much as anyone else does, and so a visit to High Harrock, to discuss the Vale and the potential for alliances, might still be worth his trip?"

>>25897866
Our knights have the way of it as well. Saul just doesn't have the necessary credentials to really court our daughter right now. Unless he has a trump card to play I say we apologize for the giving of false hope, arrange a purely Lordly business visit, go on a hunt, and make good with the man.

Also I'm not keen on sending her off. We promised our little girl she could stay home for a bit and relax, the fact we are parading through line of suitors is almost crossing the line I'd say.

>>25897866
I'm entirely against sending Katrin off with the Waynwoods.

However, I do still think that the best marriage for us would be into the Royce family. It's only marriage after all, we're not being sworn into vassalage. On top of that, we know that Yohn:

1) Is honourable and unlikely to screw us over unless we try something against him first.
2) Has no love for Belmore and, if push comes to shove, can probably be convinced to support us (with his considerable forces) in our claim for Grimarbour.

>>25897938
>>25897952

Somehow I don't think promising Saul a hunt is going to cut it. It's going to be painfully obvious that we don't think he's worth our daughter's hand and, given the state of his land, it's likely he's been experiencing that his whole life.

>>25897972

I agree entirely. Even though it isn't his first son, if things go wrong (i.e. first son dies, only his daughters, or no children at all) our grand children will become the heirs, so we could potentially win. Plus the alliance it would bring is just too good to turn down. Despite what our Uncle may say.

>>25897952
>arrange a purely Lordly business visit, go on a hunt, and make good with the man.

I agree 100%.

>>25897972
True also, but we do have to be careful about how close we get to Royce. We are friends, but he is sending his troops to occupy our castle, and maesters to paw through our ledgers, because he believes we may have been trading illegally, etc. He can't be such good friends with us if he wasn't willing to take our word.

>>25897866
They give good counsul. I agree. We should go with the waynwood proposals

>>25898019
no we are not forcing are little girl to leave right after we said she would not have to for now we should go with saul since long term it could be very good

>>25897994

I doubt that as well so we'll have to host him properly regardless. Perhaps build something a bit more of an alliance. Plus his potential coal industry could help us out if we ever decide to get into castle forged steel trading. But eh, random thoughts.

>>25897866
How about?
>>25897238
Goats, you say? Can't handle their mine, you say? We have one working right now, and pioneers ready.

>>25898040
Well we should talk to Katrin. It'll be a month or so before the Waynwoods arrive. maybe she'll be ready to spend time with them away from home (in the company of a family member) by then

>>25897972
>>25897952
>>25897938
>>25897887
"Artys, you might have promised your daughter something but this is for the family. She must learn to serve it just as we do. It is not pleasant and it is not enjoyable. She is almost an adult and she must learn her duty. There is truth in the words of House Tully.
"I still advise against marriage into House Royce. Their hold over our family is already far too strong and I feel no need for us to strengthen it. It should remain a possibility but the last thing we want to do is offend Lady Anya Waynwood. If we deny her Katrin, she may very well deny us Carolei in return.
"We can discuss this later but it seems that we have at least settled on one thing. We shall not allow this Lord Alesandor Saul to court Katrin. If you truly wish to play host for the man, so be it. Whether a hunt or something else, the choice is yours."

"Is there anything else you wish to discuss? I believe we have covered everything on the agenda for now, Artys."

>>25898067
that's true! While the slight to the honor may sting, we can easily soothe that with gold

>>25898058
this is long term thinking unlike most people here that are only thinking in the short term

>>25898019
>>25898040
Aye, we promised lads.

>>25898058
I say we should word it so that a question of marriage is not entirely impossible. But as a father AND a Lord it is our responsibility to both look to who our daughter desires most and to who can further the well-being of our House.

Basically, give him a shot but don't talk up his chances.

>>25898074
Well, why don't we ask our advisors if they have anything they want to discuss. even if it's something small like a new raven eyrie yes we saw the sketches Maester you shouldn't leave them out they'll be covered in droppings we want to know what they think we should be concerned with

>>25898074
No on the Waynwoods. We made a promise to our girl.

That said, we can still play this to our advantage. In our letter, come across and a worried father devoted to his daughter rather than an actual Lord per-se. It wouldn't likely work on the other lords, but Lady Waynwood might understand.

If not, fuck her.

Where are Royce's stewards? haven't heard about them in a while

Also, fairly certain Nestor Royce is coming as well

>>25898131
Llelewyn speaks up, for once.

"Actually, you asked me to work on the creation of beacons for use in combat, my lord. Signals in order to improve coordination between separate commanders. I'm afraid that I have not had as much success as I would hope. I am able to refine a metallic powder that burns a bright yellow, my lord. I can make it burn longer or shorter, brighter or duller. However, I cannot make it burn a different colour without knowledge that only the Alchemist's Guild possesses.
"I have been more successful in other endeavours however, my lord. I have been able to create another powder. It is slow to burn and produces vast amounts of smoke and I have even discovered a handful of dyes that affect the colour of the smoke. Perhaps not quite as effective as the beacon of light you initially proposed - it does not catch the eyes and it requires far more powder. Still, it is progress no matter how expensive it is."

"Would you like me to move on to a new project or would you wish me to focus on a new aspect of this one, my lord?"

>>25898338

I was literally just thinking about this, thanks for bringing it up again.

I say we allow him some coin to pursue the original idea, smoke is too much of an issue and if our enemy knows our tactics can drown out our own smoke with theirs.

Besides, the Alchemist's Guild sounds like a fun little aside, ask him if he would like to invite a member to High Harrock or go himself. Both could prove interesting.

>>25898338
Hmm, the colored smoke has real interest on my part. It could be used to great effect in transmitting simple commands. Could the yellow powder be made to burn longer or hotter? Maybe find something that would be used to replace candles in lighting huge areas like a mine, or to melt metals or something.

Also, new projects- land fertility?

>>25898338
Smoke could be a signal, but one easily copied by our enemies.

I'd say invest in the bright yellow, bright as possible, and have a stache of it at our towers. That way we'll know immediately of any attack, especially at night. And respond all the quicker.

>>25898116
>>25898180

Agreed with both of theses, they sound the most constructive.

I really don't want our daughter to resent us for not keeping our promise. Though perhaps we should sit down with her soon and speak to her about her feelings.

Also, once we are done with our maester I say we speak to our new knight and Brock, get reports on their squires and how they are doing with their new men.

Also get a report on how the hounds are doing with our rangers.

>>25898436
Well the different colors would be very hard to replicate, though that means of course that they could only be used in clear weather.

>>25898436
I like that idea, though I do still like the idea of the coloured smoke - perhaps use those for during the day, so our towers can accurately tell us, from a distance, what size force is attacking?

>>25898449
I think we need a proper sit-down talk with our daughter too, to be honest.

>>25898449
Seconding talking with Ser Brock about the squires/archers and Ser Tenry about the rangers.

Smoke is just too easy to replicate for my taste, only drown out if our enemy knows.

I mean it could work, but the original idea is a lot more interesting to me personally.

>>25898469
We could also use different colored smokes to transmit simple messages. How many colors can he make?
>>25898469
Yeah, we should talk to her. It is her marriage after all

>>25898338
Awesome, colored smoke is a great Idea. Heck, if he can produce a decent amount of even the non-colored version we can have smoke grenades to hide our troop movements.

Katrin will probably have to leave the castle, even though we promised, it will be like, a month or two before she leaves, and I think Deyya should go with her.

>>25898458
In stormy weather they'd have to resort to the more common ways of messaging an attack. This is just so that in clear weather we'll know almost instantly and respond quickly.

With a little luck we'll catch the guerillas who have been harassing us with this tactic.

>>25898538
Already wiped them out, for the most part.

>>25898553
>With a little luck we'll catch the guerillas who have been harassing us with this tactic
>With a little luck we'll catch the !anyone else! who have been harassing us with this tactic.

So for the smoke what would we do? Create a custom "torchbearer" unit for each unit, they wield a large torch and use different color things they keep on their vest to quickly change orders via smoke color.

mite b cool

>>25898608
great idea kudos for u

>colored smoke or bright flare

We have rangers, right? I think if he can make an explosive arrow that both Booms and shines long or fast, we have our signals.

>>25898553
We gave them a bloody nose, but as far as I recall they still number 80-something.

>>25898535
If she is pregnant, then that is an awful idea.

>>25898658

Well we're more aware of them at least and their original employer is well aware of the issue as well. We have a lot more cards in our hands now then they do.

>>25898668
That's true. maybe brock could accompany her?

>>25898668
Fuck, wasn't thinking. We need someone to go with her though, keep her company.

Brock?

>>25898759
>>25898658

No. Fuck you, she not going.

We promised.

>>25898759
Lorenna?

>Colored torches or arrow flares
Wait, are we using these on the move or from static positions? At day or at night?

>>25898759

That would be his first major foray into being an actual Lord then. That's a lot to put on our son our of nowhere. Maybe, some planning will need to go into that.

Ser Morys, even in his crippled state, would be a good idea.

>>25898775
why do they keep trying to make use break are word to are little girl

>>25898775
>Artys, you might have promised your daughter something but this is for the family. She must learn to serve it just as we do. It is not pleasant and it is not enjoyable. She is almost an adult and she must learn her duty.


Ahem.

>>25898795
Because real life sucks balls, and she needs to learn that no one keeps a promise sooner rather than later.

>>25898791
Yeah, let's send a crippled knight to protect our daughter. That's a great idea, anon.

>>25898791
He's not a Lord yet, only a Knight.

Let's chill out on thinking of sending our little girl anywhere until after we personally speak to her.

That goes for both sides. We may need to compromise on this one.

>>25898795
Well she could have changed her mind. Besides this would be better for house harrock

>>25898800
Yeah, well our uncle is hardly a hit with the kids no is he?

>>25898815
Sure, and who better to teach her then her own beloved father?

>>25898815
Being honest, the Waynwood's is probably a nicer place for impressionable girls than Harrock

>>25898829
Ok ok. Anything on the maester?

We should give him some coin to continue his studies in illumination. See if he can make powder that burns longer, brighter, produces different colored smokes, etc. See if he wants an alchemist guild to help?

Also ask about the possibility of him coming up with something to increase production of crops

>>25898833
they want us to send her since their lady thinks we are weak since we are male fuck her

>>25898829
>>25898833

Really we're pushing it far enough by parading her in front of these suitors as it is.

All she wanted was to stay at home a little while longer.

Can we timeskip? I'd like to hear the results of our letters

>>25898392
>>25898436
>>25898458
>>25898469
You instruct the Maester to focus more on the burning powder than the smoking powder. You want something unique and difficult to replicate. Encouraging him to try and engage in contact with the Alchemist's Guild, you ask that he informs you of his progress more often.

After this is done, you proceed to have a look about your castle, starting off with Brock as he goes to train with Royter the Youngest. Of all things, he chooses to try and educate the boy with a sword and to tell the truth, he's not half bad with one. Certainly better than his squire and enough to teach the boy a few tricks, although perhaps he's going a bit too soft on the lad and a bit too slow. At least, that's compared to the brutal training he suffered at the hands of Lyn Corbray. As for Ser Banton and his squire Mawn, the pair of them are focusing on the semantics of warfare and how a battle works. Hardly as active and physical as the training your son is providing but it is just as useful, if this dog-trainer's grandson is to be a sworn sword.
Managing to question the two knights about the progress of their tuition, you find that Banton seems to be quite happy with the progress of his pupil while Brock is far more uncertain. Perhaps he is simply not used to the idea of teaching or perhaps he is just unable to relay ideas. He did always seem a little slow in your eyes - but that was then and this is now. Bronze Yohn wouldn't knight someone who was slow.
Quite frankly, training with the archers is enough to bore Ser Brock stiff. He has absolutely no interest in that method of fighting and barking orders and routines is hardly his idea of commanding. Similarly, Ser Banton admits to stress when it comes to handling the Woodsmen. Leadership is alien to him and considering how rowdy they are after the 'discipline' Ser Tenry bestowed on them, they're extremely difficult for him to direct and command.

>>25898914

Then there's the case of the dogs. Opinions vary on them. The more serious rangers do not approve as at this moment in time, they are noisy and have yet to realise when to keep their mouths shut. Stealth is as important as tracking when it comes to being a ranger. On the other hand, they are quite good at sniffing out prey and in a few cases, even a few mountain men that have been caught out. One thing is for certain, the hounds are a definite morale boost and are a valued part of the team. It'll taken a while for them to be trained properly and truly but the dogs will get there eventually.

And after all of this, you go to visit your daughter. The day is growing later and she's chattering with her friends, the other girls raised in House Harrock. Is there anything specific that you would like to mention to her?

>>25898833
>>25898878
Do arranged marriages really have to take place immediately? Can't we arrange it so they marry after her 14th birthday or something?

>>25898914
Ask Ser Banton if he would be affronted if we passed the leadership of the Woodsmen on to Ser Brock.

(Really, we gain nothing by leaving it with Ser Banton)

Stress to Ser Brock that they need disclipline beaten back into them. We'll have words with the Woodsmen ourselves if we need to.

>>25898948
>She will be going to visit them for a handful of days, just like how Carolei is visiting you. It is not a permanent affair.

>However, it is likely that once she is betrothed, she may have to leave to live with the husband. Depending on the preference of the family she's marrying into and how adamant you are about keeping her until she's 14.

>>25898948

It is a betrothal, which while not actually marriage is a step away from

>>25898914

Hm, perhaps we'll need to sit down and figure out how best to handle our units then. We did put Brock over with the archers for purpose to teach him some patience in battle.

Though Banton might just need some encouragement, and even our own hand involved, the Woodsmen are the best armed and armored of our forces, perhaps it is time we took a very personal interest in the unit to straighten them out. Because obviously having a new leader isn't doing it nor trying to humble them a bit by patrolling Lower Harrock. And I'm getting real tired of their shit personally.

>>25898914
The dogs are working as somewhat expected, encourage the breeding of the dogs that the rangers find the most use of, we'll get a proper noble hound in their ranks damn it.

And time for our little girl. I suppose we just need to sit down with her and ask her her opinion, ask her to spill all her thoughts she keeps veiled up behind that pretty smile, because we know we can see weariness in her eyes.

>>25898928
Uh yeah, how about we DON'T talk about considering sending her off to Lady Waynwood and instead have a nice chat with her and the girls.

Like, I dunno, a father.

>>25899048
We could select a friend of hers to accompany her. And for sure the girl's family will flip over.

So really random thought only because I live near an area that produces truffles.

Truffles grow in the mountains and hills and some dogs are capable of finding them. Perhaps some of the dogs that don't work out for hounds could be repurposed to find truffles? I mean it is a really random thought but if we find a good vein of them, we could cultivate them and produce a decent industry of gourmet mushrooms.

Really random thought, but I thought it might be cool for a new resource.

>Roll 4d6. Accepting the third roll.

>>25899022
Typical boot camp tactics should work.

I'm talking irregular 2am rousing and running around in the fucking muddy fields until they're exhausted as piss. And strict alcohol rationing, punishing the whole unit for failures of a few, that kind of thing.

In time they'll police themselves.

>>25898914
Woodsmen need to be worked on. We really need to get them back in line
>>25898928
"Hello Kaitlin. I don't know if your mother has mentioned this but...we've been looking into suitors for you. We've picked a few men who we think would be good for the house and, of course, good husbands. They will be coming soon to meet you. Within the month actually.

...I know that you haven't had much time since the end of the tournament to rest and that this is a lot to take in, but recent events have...made it very important that we settle the matter soon. We- your mother and I- think it would be best if you were to marry into the Waynwoods. They would ask that you stay with them for a month. I know that I promised you wouldn't need to travel but I think that you would like this. You could travel with Brock or whoever else you wish, and get to see the Vale with new friends. What do you think?"

Rolled 3, 3, 2, 3 = 11

>>25899109

Rolled 1, 1, 3, 2 = 7

>>25899109
Father/Daughter Time

>>25899108
If we don't have them, we could look into importing them maybe.

>>25899121
No. No, fuck you.

>>25899159
WHOEVER ROLLS NEXT DO NOT SCREW THIS UP

>>25899121

I really don't want to be this upfront, our daughter should have the right to tell us everything she feels before we say, this is what's happening deal with it.

>>25899159
>If there's not another roll in the next five minutes, I'm accepting this roll.

Rolled 1, 4, 3, 6 = 14

>>25899109

how to roll?

>>25899197
Oh shit no

Rolled 4, 4, 4, 5 = 17

Rollin

>>25899203
...it could have been worse? Woohoo

>>25899203
Nice

>>25899186
Absolutely, otherwise even having the suitors come at all is a farce.

I still think Royce is the better looking offer anyway.

>>25899225
oh come ON

>>25899203
Acceptable.

>>25899161
Also acceptable, I just dig the idea of branching out, we have all this land so we might as well use the mountains and hills for what they are good for. And the dogs could serve a new purpose so we gain more from a separate breeding line from the tracking hounds.

Creating new resources in creative ways is fun as hell and throwing a curveball at Plasma is also fun from time to time.

>>25899186
>>25899170
>>25899121
>>25899048
>>25899022
>I'll wait for a solid decision before I commit to any one post.
>Do you want to mention Waynwood or do you want to just talk with your daughter for the time being?

>>25899248
We have been scouring the mountain men from our lands. But crops of truffles would be pretty hard to protect indefinitely.

Enough to provide basic sustenance for some, I suppose.

>>25899274
Just talk with our daughter. About anything that little girls like to talk about.

For chrissakes people.

>>25899274
Talk with her, find out how she feels since coming back home, but we should definetly bring up the fact that we're looking for a suitor for her. It'll be worse to spring it on her out of nowhere in the longrun. Maybe ask her if she'll feel up for a little trip

>>25899274

Talk to our daughter about her feelings in general. If it comes to it after this chat then we can talk to our Lady Wife about the Waynwoods come up with a solution and then talk to our daughter about it. Right now, we just need quality time with our daughter.

>>25899280
Well they are also mostly underground fungus that a mountain man wouldn't find of interest, best part of them really. They hide themselves. And they are a gourmet item, so nothing used to really feed the masses, mostly for our own keep and potentially trading, via oil, the shroom itself, or if we are feeling up to it vodka/alcohol.

>>25899292

At some stage it neefs to be brought up. We can't just coddle her and hope the assorted lords give us a marriage

>>25899354
Yes, but we haven't given her a break from all that. We don't even know her best friends names or anything.

This whole time we've been viewing her as a political tool, not our own flesh and blood. At least we gave a damn about Brock and spent some quality father/son time with him.

Let's just have this be a nice father/daughter hang out session. We can talk politics later.

>>25899354
I agree. She is a Harrock, Harrocks aren't to be coddled. That being said, I don't want to be a dick to her, since she has, by so intently observing her studies and her manners has already been helping the House. I think we should broach the subject after some light chit chat. Artys is a pretty direct guy, and we should extend that to our daughter.

We will literally never agree about this Plasma. We've become too attached to this fictional daughter and everyone is doing their best "father knows best" impression.

>>25899405
seconding this.

>>25899354
>>25899346
>>25899327
>>25899292
You sit with your daughter and happily just chatter and listen to her as she explains how her day has gone, how she's been feeling, all sorts of little secrets, even down to their favourite boys. According to the tittering Jenifer, probably the closest friend to your daughter of the bunch, the handsome Dornish Ser Boros is certainly loved by all of them, something that brings a fluorescent blush to your daughter's cheeks and for her to quickly scold the others into silence, finally realising it was her father she was talking to. Some things were not meant to be mentioned and suddenly, she was inquisitive. What was the real reason for you speaking with her?

You tell her the truth. Suitors are coming, men who saw her beauty and who were impressed by her and wish to marry her. As she listens, her smile doesn't leave her face once, remaining fixed in an almost unnerving mask as she accepted the truth of the matter. You assure her that you're only looking out for what's best for her and you're looking for the man that she deserves above all, someone who will cherish her and protect her. While her words are so polite and thankful, you find it almost impossible to tell what your daughter is really thinking behind that smile. Does she feel like you betrayed her or is she genuinely thankful?

Anything else you wish to say or do before we move on?

>>25899603
Tell her she can be honest with us. Break the mask, just this once, or try to. I have a feeling our daughter can dance circles around us in an intrigue.

>>25899603
See, we fucked it up guys.

We should mention that her opinion on the men she meets will be our foremost concern. And ask her if she wants to do anything before they arrive. Like riding, hunting with the hounds or bloody gardening for all I care.

>>25899630
Damn straight.

Even from a heartless dickhead perspective, we want her on our side. She could probably win around any husband to our cause if she saw fit.

>>25899603

That hurts me man. It hurts me so.

I believe our Lady Wife will need to speak with her, the gentle words of a mother will likely go better then our own. Something to suggest to her once we head to bed.

Otherwise I've got nothing. Time skip time?

We need to sort out the Woodsmen.

Again I repeat my suggestion that Brock should be given command of them. We should stress that he is not to go easy on them. Don't be as much as a dick as Corbray was (perhaps say that verbatim) but drill the everloving fuck out of them until this discipline issue is over.

>>25899603
...ah, you hate it. Don't you? No don't try to protest I can see it. That's the same look your mother gave me when I tried to get forty dogs on the same ship as us going home.

Katrin, you're my only daughter, and I love you. And I trust you to speak your mind to me, open and honest. I promise the same to you. I may not like everything you tell me, and vice versa, but it's better then hiding it away. Whatever happens, we'll always be a family, and as a family we need to trust each other.

>>25899772
This sounds pretty good. I support it.

>>25899772

Solid wit there.

I second this.

File: 1373334030834.jpg-(35 KB, 525x481, thumbsup.jpg)

35 KB JPG

>>25899772
I like it

>>25899734
I like this idea. Just switch Brock and Banton for the time being. Or, we could drill them, and have Brock drill with them for a little bit, then give Brock the command. That way the men will respect him, since he went through the same shit for a while.

>>25899772
thumbs up. lets do this.

>>25899908
Hey that's a good idea.

Introduce him to the men (they know who he is, duh), have Brock train, drill, eat and sleep alongside them to prove that he can do what they can, or better. Banton drills the fuck out of them for say, a week, then have Brock take command.

>>25899908
Hey that's a good idea.

Introduce him to the men (they know who he is, duh), have Brock train, drill, eat and sleep alongside them to prove that he can do what they can, or better. Banton drills the fuck out of them for say, a week, then have Brock take command.

Basically to say "Men, I'm tired of your shit. My son is going to show you what it means to demonstrate some fucking discipline."

>>25899671
>>25899638
>>25899630
>>25899772
Smiling and thanking you for caring so much about her, she even walks over to wrap her arms about you in an affectionate hug although your mind is unable to determine the truth of it. Is she trying to comfort you and assure you, trying to hide her own doubts and fears? Or is she genuinely thankful for this opportunity and the men you are bringing to present to her? Whatever the case, as soon as she has parted from you she returned to chattering happily with her friends in her own eloquent, restrained way and you take that as your cue to leave. She might have been sincere. Then again, she might have not been

>MONTH 4, DAY 2.
You take the opportunity to have Ser Banton force discipline into the Woodsmen. You're giving him one last chance before you offer Ser Brock a hand at leadership. He is to drill them ruthlessly, to force them into routine and obedience once again. If nothing else, he's an obedient knight eager to do as you ask of him, even if he finds that task to be difficult.
At long last, the men of Bronze Yohn arrive. A hundred infantrymen dressed in oranges and brown in addition to the heavy mail draped over their bodies, with a single purpose of accompanying a pair of rather boorish old men, Almor and Panryn. Both of them are quite withered with little separating them over than height and noses. One has a squat, bulbous thing with wide nostrils while the other has a narrow and regal one, long and slender. The former is taller while the latter is shorter. Both possess wrinkled old skin and greying hair, wearing robes almost most suited to Maesters. They waste no time settling in and beginning their work, monitoring every transaction your House makes and everything that goes through your territory. Dull, boorish watchers. They're nothing more.

In addition, Lorenna Egen is to arrive in the afernoon with Ser Crowlys. How do you wish to greet her and treat her throughout the day?

>>25899999
>>25900014
Oops

>>25900019
Have Brock meet her with a detachment of guards.

>>25900019
>I wonder if our Maester would want to talk shop with these two.

Greet Lorenna with our family and Brock, of course, like she is our family. Keep a very good eye on Ser Crowlys. Damn, that spymaster better report back soon

>>25900019

Aw no suit of armor for Brock yet? Damn that would have been an awesome way to greet Lorenna and Ser Crowleys.

Well no worries. At least they are here and seemingly just boring scribes.

>>25900019
We will meet her with Brock, along with a small retinue of our finest men.

>>25900093
I'm half expecting him to be part of Ser Crowlys' retinue.

>>25900019
Lorenna is better away from all the soldiery and lording. Let's give her a quiet room. Remind her we just purchased a lot of hounds.

>>25900114
That'd be gold.

>Right, I'm afraid I can't keep my eyes open any longer. I hoped for a faster pace than that but oh well - we will do better next week!

>The next episode is on Monday the 15th of July, 9PM GMT. See you then!

>>25900203
This was pretty short, but fair enough. See you next week, Plasma.

>>25900221
Almost six hours.

>>25900203
See yah next week, Plasma. Fun session.

I'll archive it as usual now, Plasma.

>>25900203

It served its purpose, got through some boring bits and got us back into it after two weeks off. So good session Plasma. Next week will be fun for sure.

>>25900237
Archived thread is here:

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/25894366/

General archive is here:

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=House%20Harrock

Remember to vote lads!

>>25900019
>one hundred men to watch over two
that seems a bit over the top. Perhaps we should be worried

>>25900381
He also sent them so they'd protect them from any of the archers/guerillas/bandits/mountain men that are still in our lands.

>>25900415
in which case that is an offense to us by suggesting our own men cannot do their jobs properly

>>25900552
We accepted his offer to send them.

I'm not sure we had a choice in the matter though.

That daughter will make us end up with a dagger in our back or a poisoned cup.

>>25900831
because daughters often kill their fathers when they don't agree with them.

>>25900831
Is there any character in our family that the psychotic-paranoid people haven't wanted dead?

>hurr durr son is useless poison him
>hurr durr uncle wants to ruin house wall him
>hurr durr daughter wants to backstab us marry her off

>>25900381
We actually did mention the attack by the guerillas. So we pretty much asked him to send more.

Which I'm okay with. Royce isn't going to fuck us over out of nowhere, and it means we have a little more freedom with deployment in reaction to any attacks.

>>25901078
That's pretty much true.

Though to be fair, the Uncle could be considered a legitimate issue. He seems fairly on board now though.

>>25901078
I think at one point someone even suggested offing the wife.

Okay, in all seriousness what's the general plan for the future, fellow Anons?

To be frank, I think Harrocks chances look grim, both for him and his family. Our funny little "joke" to Frey just put our house one month away to ruin, and we're balancing VERY precariously over this little web of support we've spun to prop up our house. All in all we've done good at setting up some future windfall, but we're being very shortsighted in a few other areas.

I think the Harrock daughter would do very well in Waynwoods hall. We've recognized that Katrin has a LOT of potential, and a place like Ironoak would allow her a chance Artys never could provide.

Right now we're developing an iron mine, but House Bordain already has the weapon market cornered. Rather than spending a LOT of wealth in order to compete, we should find another niche for our own iron. Possibly making finished goods or armor? Bardings for horses?

I have the feeling that we're setting ourselves up for failure by juggling all of these suitors. We're going to end up offending someone in a bad way. Perhaps we should slow down on the whole making enemies thing for a bit?

Which brings me to my next point. Belmore. He blames us for the maiming of his heir. If his son is paralyzed in certain ways, we may have caused the ruin of his house unless he has a spare or a bastard somewhere. He's undoubtedly plotting his revenge RIGHT THIS SECOND. Brock is probably going to be his target, as it'd be a son for a son.

Speaking of Brock, is it wise to put a green knight who reeks of summer in charge of a bunch of seasoned warriors? Lets face it, Brock got knighted because he nearly out-bruted that brute Royce. Asking him to assume command of ANYTHING without first serving was a mistake. Corbray may be a prick, but he was right: Brock isn't a knight quite yet. He's got the heft, but he needs the finesse.

Any thoughts?

>>25902205
good analysis. I don't think the joke caused Frey to flip us off. That was just Walder being the son of a bitch he always is.

I agree a lot with what you said though.

>>25902205
I like my idea I posted earlier. Put Brock into the intense discipline regiment for the Woodsmen, then, once they are squared away put him in command of them. He gets a bit of experience in following someone who isn't Ser Lyn or us, and the men should gain some respect for him.
I agree with you about too many suitors but it is too late. They are coming. To cancel now could easily be seen as insulting. We just need to prep for it as best as possible. I would throw some wealth at it just to make sure things go smoothly and just be a rock in the social storm, hopefully weather it with as few problems as possible.
As for marriages. I'm all about Brock to Waynwood and Katrin to Royce. I'm cool with other options, though. The one thing we SHOULD NOT do is marry Katrin to Royce and then Brock to a house which couldn't challenge Royce in the probably unlikely event of him truly dicking us over and forcing us to the knee at sword point.

>>25902205
I agree that house harrock is in a precarious position but if we play it safe we should be able to get through.
I think you are blowing the Frey thing out of proportion as they aren't even a house of the vale. All we really did was lose a source of food which we are taking steps to replace and I'm also fairly certain that we have done some things to improve the food production of our own lands.

I think more action is required for taking back that land from the Belmores. At the moment we aren't really doing anything and are waiting for opportunities to arise when we should be creating them ourselves.

>>25902402
I agree with your thoughts about the marriages

>>25902453
>I think you are blowing the Frey thing out of proportion as they aren't even a house of the vale. All we really did was lose a source of food which we are taking steps to replace and I'm also fairly certain that we have done some things to improve the food production of our own lands.

If there's one thing we should know from history, it's that you do NOT fuck with a soldiers food supply. We're one month away from not having enough food to feed our soldiers. We don't even know if the Houses we're reaching out to can even meet our demand!

Frey is a good example of a diplomatic episode we should avoid in the future. Having to find another food source is a needless setback we could have avoided had we been courteous in our reply to his marriage proposal.

>>25902658
Agreed. I'm not even sure why we tried to be bawdy about. That doesn't seem Artys-esque to me at least.

>>25902658
Amendment: I'm not all doom and gloom. I think we'll be ok, this time. By why go through it at all? Just skip it and be courteous.

>>25902402
>Put Brock into the intense discipline regiment for the Woodsmen, then, once they are squared away put him in command of them.


>I agree with you about too many suitors but it is too late. They are coming. To cancel now could easily be seen as insulting.
Which would be more insulting?

A. Receiving a letter that's essentially a polite "Thanks, but the position has been filled" message.
or
B. Taking the time, attention, money, and energy to Ride days away from your home, lands, and people to a strange hall, only to find out you're being played by the host against other suitors to see who's the highest bidder.

One will earn us a snippy remark at a feast, the other will start a feud.

>>25902756
Those are good points. I can't deny that.

>>25902948
That's a good point. damn it I'm tired. Yeah. You raise a god point.