Ezekiel

[ASOIAF]: Before the Dragons Danced

Nah, I think I'll write up an original Greyjoy character. Or maybe go with a lesser house - if I go Bracken, would anyone be interested in playing a Blackwood?

@Not Fishing

I can always write up a Blackwood sheet, for a non-GM character.

[ASOIAF]: Before the Dragons Danced

The Canon Red Kraken is around this time. He inherited Pyke a year before the Dance.

Edit: wait, I'm an idiot. For some reason I got it into my head that this is a year before.

@Not Fishing

No worries. I'm not against rewriting the Red Kraken into this period, just think it needs a little retailoring to do that,

[ASOIAF]: Before the Dragons Danced

House Greyjoy

Words: We Do Not Sow

Recent History: House Greyjoy is one of the oldest and most prestigious of the Iron Island houses, styling themselves as Lord Reapers of Pyke. Their island is not the wealthiest, nor the largest, but they commanded a great deal of respect and influence among the other houses. When Harrenhall burned, the line of House Hoare ended, and the Conqueror descended on the Iron Islands with Blackfyre and Dragonfire. After Aegon subdued the leaderless ironborn, he allowed them to elect their own Lord Paramount, and they turned to House Greyjoy.

After that, the Iron Islands fell into a decline. The Ironborn no longer had the Riverlands to draw resources from, and Aegon had forbidden them from reaving mainland Westeros. If they wished to raid, they must do so either under the guise of freelance pirates, or by sailing to distant Essos. The newly elected Lord Paramount, Lord Vickon Greyjoy, even allowed septons to come to the Iron Islands; angering the Drowned Men.

Naturally, there have been some attempts to revive the Old Way. In 37 AC, the Priest King Lodos the Twice-Drowned, who claimed to be the Son of the Drowned God, rose in rebellion against Aegon's son, King Aenys. Vickon Greyjoy sent his head to King's Landing, preserved in a jar, and as a reward Aenys offered him any boon he wished. To regain the respect and loyalty of his vassals and the Drowned Men, Lord Vickon chose to expel all Septons and Septas from the Iron Isles.

The Iron Islands tend to keep away from the politics of the Iron Throne.

The Red Kraken

Name: Dalton Greyjoy
Age: 15
Appearance:


Biography: Dalton as a child was young, strong, and wild. Following his uncle to sea, the boy had been rowing since the age of five and reaving since the age of ten; he grew up on the waves. They sailed throughout Essos, plundering and pillaging as they pleased, mainly around the Basilisk Isles, but at one point they went as far as Old Ghis. Dalton himself fought in over a dozen battles, and claimed four salt wives.

Dalton is ruthless and bloodthirsty to the extreme, but beneath that there is also a deep cunning. Some may think him mad or rash, and they wouldn't be wrong, but he is no idiot. On the contrary, he can be very cunning and shrewd when he puts his mind to it. Ironborn to the core, he has earned the love, respect, and loyalty of those he sails with. He also has a deep belief in the Drowned God.

During one fateful raid, Dalton saw his beloved uncle get cut down in heavy fighting by a corsair who wielded a Valyrian Steel Sword. The Young Greyjoy flew into a rage, and charged into the midst of the battle along. He avenged his uncle by slaying the corsair, and emerged from the fight covered in red and bleeding from a dozen wounds, Valyrian blade in hand. He dubbed the sword "Nightfall", while his men called him "The Red Kraken."

Not too long after, he received word that his father had died. It is now time to return home and claim the Seastone Chair.

Yes, I know this seems ridiculous. But apparently it's canon. awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Dalton_…

I would like to propose that @Kingfisher's character is Dalton's cousin, daughter of the uncle that he went reaving with. Maybe, on his way back to Westeros, he can stop by Meereen and inform her of his death, then invite her back to the Iron Islands?

@Not Fishing

Is this intending to simply move the canon red Kraken earlier in time?

[Approved] Selene, Dark force user.

STAMP OF APPROVAL

GO MY CHILD AND DO EVIL.

[ASOIAF]: Before the Dragons Danced

@Ezekiel how closely do you want to stick to the canon? Dorne are my favourite kingdom and would be my first choice but obviously they weren't part of the Seven Kingdoms at this time and played no role in the Dance of the Dragons (please correct me if I'm wrong). I haven't given too much thought to how exactly I'd get Dorne involved but just wanted to know to what extent it would be possible if at all. I'm more than happy to play as another house for the sake of simplicity.

@Blitzy

Dorne might not play a huge role in the Dance, but they're very involved in the current conflict over the Steptones. They're allied with a bunch of the Free Cities against Daemon/House Velaryon/Pentos/Braavos and the unaligned pirates, so they're really involved right now.

Sticking to Canon is less important for those houses not tied to the established Royal family at this point, so, you'd have a lot of creativity with House Martell.

[ASOIAF]: Before the Dragons Danced

Hello!

Was wondering if I could maybe apply for either Rhaenys or Rhaenyra Targaryen?

The two of them are some of my fav historical figures in ASOIAF and would love to play one of them if that was allowed ^^.

@Stormborn

You totally can!

Applications for any character/house are always open until a sheet gets approved.

[ASOIAF]: Before the Dragons Danced

@Ezekiel

I understand your concerns in that regard. So keep in mind any of the four rebel houses named can be changed to another Stormland house if a player doesn't want them to be, well rebelling. I don't want to do a peasant rebellion or outsider invasion as that would unite the power of the Stormlands under the Baratheon's, and at the start I want their power to be basically zero.

Still, I don't want to step on your toes, or anyone else's so please take a gander at this WIP and let me know if the scenario is too crazy, and not too your liking.

House Baratheon of Storm's End

HOUSE BARATHEON of STORM'S END

'OUR'S IS THE FURY!'

---

Recent History


The youngest of the the seven great houses of Westeros, House Baratheon of Storm's End was installed by Aegon I during his conquests of the region, and named Lords Paramount of the Stormlands. For nigh nintey years the sons of Orys 'The One Hand' Baratheon have ruled the Stormlands, taking the words, castle, and honor of the Storm King who came before. The Storm men are a resilient and fractious people, with a long memory, and a righteous fury. House Baratheon, from Orys then to Robbas in the present have struggled to rein in the proud Storm lords, keeping them loyal to the wishes of the Targaryn King on the Iron Throne. Their efforts have not been in vain, and it could be said that with a Baratheon at their head the armies of the Stormlands are the most loyal and dangerous force in all the Seven Kingdoms. Though many of the great houses would beg to differ on this point there is no denying the Stormlands, at least before that pincer grip on power and loyalty has slipped under the chaotic rule of Robbas Baratheon I.

During his reign as Lord Paramount, Robbas Baratheon was known as an effective yet ruthless ruler, the veteran of a score of battles and a master of fear. He fathered two sons and a daughter, with the Lady Sayella Baratheon, née Tarth. During the time of his rule he gathered few friends, but a great many foes, including the houses of Connington and Selmy, Fell, and Buckler, by insult and disrespect among other acts. For example, Robbas bedded the new wife of Lord Selmy during his wedding day celebrations, disarmed Lord Buckler in a duel for Buckler's daughter's honor, and spit in Lord Fell's face for the slightest backtalk. He executed the Lord Connington for being late to battle, and installed the man's son as Lord, an act that has never been forgotten by the Connington's. Robbas was no man to make amends, and actively furthered the bad blood, antagonizing the lords of his sworn houses. Even those families he was not openly feuding with him looked on disapprovingly. Of Houses Selmy, Buckler, Fell, and Connington he made open mockery, and dug salt into their wounds as was his combative nature. Despite this, those four houses could do not but grit their teeth and bend to his will, weathering their Lord Paramount's disdain. For it was known that Robbas Baratheon harbored little patience, and was terrifying to draw battle lines against. Instead they were relegated to plotting silently behind his back in hopes of revenge.

Of the Baratheon children Robbas II, 'The Younger', was the heir to Storm's End. He was as blusterous and promiscuous as his father. He resided at Storm's End, married to Tolana née Swann with a young son of his own, Robbas III, perhaps his fifth child, but his only true-born. Robbas The Elder's second born was Oryon, a man of twenty who was seen far more favorably then his father and elder brother by the Stormlords, he was soft spoken, and true hearted, loyal to a fault, or a "weak willed follower" as his father called him. He spent much of his time away in the Reach, courting his intended bride to be. Mellaran the youngest at only twelve remained at Storm's End, she is a pretty enough girl, and well known for being cleverer then Robbas, and bolder than Oryon. Together they made a rather broken family, with the only ties maintaining their family cohesion being blood and honor.

Nevertheless due to Robbas I's iron will they maintained their power in the Stormlands, never giving an inch to their foes in battle or otherwise. In recent days however, disaster struck, and Lord Robbas Baratheon's demons came for him all at once. In the night a grave sickness took the middle-aged lord, and he was forced to lay abed, his maester tending to him. Meanwhile Robbas II was summoned from the Weeping Town where he had been spending the month feasting with his friend, Lord Whitehead. The ravens sent were mysteriously lost, and new ones were required to call the young lord home from his whoring and jousting to be with his father one last time. The ravens arrived to late, and whilst Robbas II was still preparing for the journey home, Lord Robbas the Elder perished in his bed, a mere week after taking ill. It was at this time when Lord Buckler, accompanied by a score of knights and two score sergeants-at-arms called upon Storm's End to pay his final respects to the ailing lord, he was admitted, foolishly by the castellan of the castle, who did not think as to who it was calling to give his 'respects'. Within the hour the Lady Saynella, Robbas II's heir Robbas III, and Mellaran were all seized and any man suspected of being loyal to Robbas Baratheon were put to the sword. There were few of these, it seemed most of the household had turned against their lord. Within a fortnight the massed forces of House Selmy, and House Connington arrived at Storm's End, reinforcing Lord Buckler's position and by the right of the sword named him Lord Paramount of the Stormlands.

Furious the new Lord Robbas gathered up the might of House Swann and House Whitehead and marched on Storm's End laying siege to the castle. But he was a young commander, only lightly blooded and lacking in the skill and experience of his father. The Lords Selmy and Buckler counted upon this, and sallied forth to meet him in battle. Their forces clashed in a furious storm before the gates, but when it seemed that Lord Robbas II might prevail the men of House Fell took his rear, smashing through his back lines. Caught in a trap Robbas fought to the last and with all the anger of a Baratheon, but the four houses surrounded his hastily gathered army and they fought with little mercy. It was no battle, but a slaughter, and the Lord Robbas was taken, executed, and his head hung on a spike above the gates of Storm's End. His heir Robbas III was held as a hostage against the good behavior of the Stormlords who might still be loyal to House Baratheon. The boy of two was forced to recant his claims and heritage, and swear oaths to Lord Jonnol Buckler. Ser Tytan Baratheon, Robbas I's brother was hunted, but the man had escaped his holdfast before the traitors fell upon him, and went into hiding. Ser Oryon was in the Reach, and temporarily safe...

Many of the Stormlords were shocked and outraged by this aggressive replacement of power. But the four rebel houses together were more powerful then all the others combined, with House Baratheon, House Swann, and House Whitehead shattered. One by one the Stormlords bent, rejecting their oaths to Robbas' heir, who was held by the Buckler's, and swearing fealty to Lord Jannol Buckler. Only House Tarth refused, safe on their island seat, they did not name Jonnol Lord Paramount, vowing to serve only Lord Robbas III and demanding the release of Lady Saynella for captivity. Their efforts were in vain, and even now Lord Buckler eyes the Sapphire Island with malicious intent. In a single bloody month the Baratheon's iron grip on power had been lost in full, and the scattered remains of their family were in hiding, in far off lands, or in captivity.


House Members

House Baratheon Family

Name: Lord Robbas I Baratheon
Age: Forty-two Deceased
Appearance: (Or description)
Biography:

Name: Lady Saynella Baratheon née Tarth
Age: Thirty-three
Appearance: (Or description)
Biography:

---

Name: Lord Robbas II "The Younger" Baratheon
Age: Twenty-one Deceased
Appearance: (Or description)
Biography:

Name: Lady Tolana Baratheon née Swann
Age: Eighteen
Appearance: (Or description)
Biography:

Name: Lord Robbas III Baratheon
Age: Two
Appearance: (Or description)
Biography:

---

Name: Ser Orion Baratheon
Age: Twenty
Appearance: (Or description)
Biography:

---

Name: Lady Mellaran Baratheon
Age: Twelve
Appearance: (Or description)
Biography:

---

Name: Ser Tytan Baratheon
Age: Forty
Appearance: (Or description)
Biography:

@Dusty

Ok so, the sheet's really well written and I understand the desire to want to play a weakened house, but there's a few things to note here.

Firstly; House Baratheon is the Lord Paramountship closest to the Targaryen Crownlands, and this is an age of relative stability and peace for the Iron Throne (at least initially). Not to mention the Targaryens still have their dragons 'and' Storm's End is one of the most powerful seats on the Narrow Sea for the Kingdom to maintain. I don't really see a situation in which the Targaryens allow the Baratheons to entirely lose control of the Stormlands. It might be worth altering the end situation to one of the rebellious Lords being installed as the Regent to the young Baratheon heir, and ruling through him, that way.

Secondly, one of the main potential claimants to the Iron Throne, Rhaenys Targaryen, is half Baratheon through her mother, Jocelyn Baratheon. As mentioned you're more than welcome to change canon to play different characters, this is quite an important link. To keep this connection intact, I'd like to offer the solution that Robbas the Elder was a younger brother of both Jocelyn and Boremond (making him a son of Lord Rogar Baratheon and Dowager Queen Alyssa Velaryon) and that, unlike in canon, Boremond died without heirs. Let me know if that works for you.

[ASOIAF]: Before the Dragons Danced

FEAST YER EYES ON THIS!

Yadira Blacktooth

We do not sow.

Name: Yadira Greyjoy. “Yadira Blacktooth”.

Age: Nineteen.

House/Affiliation: Independent/Self-serving.

Appearance:



Face Claim: @black_bunny on Instagram.

Yadira Greyjoy is a squatly built young woman, with the hard physique of a warrior, supplemented with an element of softness, and the beginnings of a wine belly, due to a tad too much time spent revelling in the spoils of her conquests.

She has the dark hair typical of her family, and a slew of decorative tattoos are inked across her body in swirls and coils; depicting the various conquests and achievements of her reaving days.

Her right canine and premolar have been replaced with onyx dentures, sharpened to have fang-like points.

Biography:

From an early age, it became apparent that Yadira Greyjoy was “the mad one”. If she wasn’t playing twisted mind games on other children, she was getting into fights, or taking out her fits of rage on any small animals unlucky enough to cross her path. She was always an effortless liar, and showed no remorse for those she hurt. Her childhood was defined by strife and disorder, much to the anger of her family.

It was obvious that Yadira no interest in being subservient to anyone, be they man or woman, and that the life she sought was one of adventure and violence.

Although she was reviled by most on the Iron Islands, for her sadistic nature, Yadira began to attract a crowd of some of the more savage islanders to her side, who became known colloquially known as “The Cunt’s Corsairs”.

The young woman’s life truly changed on the fifteenth name day of her younger brother, when a drunken argument between the two culminated in Yadira smashing her sibling over the head with a metal goblet, which split his skull open, and left him blind in one eye.

Her father furiously struck her, knocking out the teeth which she would later replace. Years of depraved behaviour, coupled with her recent transgressions, soon saw Yadira exiled from the Iron Isles, and cast out from House Greyjoy.

Yadira and her followers stole one of her father’s galleys, Stormdrinker, and set sail for Old Town. Once they arrived in the port city,, the reavers encountered the Mereenese merchant Sqkur Zo Alois, after introducing themselves as simple sell-swords. Sqkur hired Yadira and her crew to escort him back across the Summer Sea, which was an opportunity that they all were eager to seize. Sqkur was impressed with the efficiency at which they dealt with the pirates that tried to raid the merchant’s ship, throughout their voyage, and found the idea of Yadira, a foreign woman with a knack for fighting and cruel tendencies, to be rather delightful.

Striking a deal, Sqkur sponsored Yadira to train as a gladiator, before entering her into the fighting pits of Meereen, where she has since gained herself an infamous reputation as “Blacktooth the Brutal”.

Yadira has adapted well to life in Meereen, and draws savage enjoyment from her victories over beasts, and other gladiators, in the fighting pits.

@Kingfisher

Very fast! I like the sheet, but I just want to clarify one point. Is her father meant to be the Lord Paramount of the Iron Isles and the head of House Greyjoy or just a part of the Greyjoy house? Mainly just as a reference for someone wishing to possibly play the Greyjoys.

[ASOIAF]: Before the Dragons Danced

I tend to prefer breaking from canon to mainly come in the form of additional characters or changes to backgrounds rather than events which change the history of the whole region because that can dictate what anyone else willing to play a Stormlander house might be able to do.

That said I'm not dead set against it as the Stormlands are a pretty fractious 'kingdom' during the earlier Targaryen period. What might be better is rather than rival houses uprising against House Baratheon would be a rebellion of peasants combined with a particularly succesful Cornish raid? Maybe a new Vulture King of the Red Mountains. Just a thought.

[ASOIAF]: Before the Dragons Danced

An interest thread for this RP!: https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/178117-asoiaf-before-the-dragons-danced/ooc

Some may remember in the distant annals of history that a group of us used to host Advanced ASOIAF/GoT games with a generally open approach to player action and collaboration. Well, with a substantial break and the last season of GoT running down, consider us out of retirement in this regard.

The RP is something of a blend of an open character based rp and a nation rp, with most players taking on houses or influential characters and their network of political and other such influence. Posts are generally from the point of view of characters rather than an 'overview' as a Nation RP might be. We're all big ASOIAF nerds who host this, so we like to take our guide from canon, but it's certainly not a canon game, players may be creative with their houses and characters, and the story may go a dramatically different direction.

The RP itself is set long before the books and the TV show, even prior to the Targaryen Civil War, the Dance of Dragons, which spelt the end of the reign of true Dragons in Westeros. For those interested in the period, there are several books dealing with this period of canon, such as 'The World of Ice and Fire' and 'Fire and Blood' from which the inspiration for this RP has formed.

Hope to see plenty of you 'in game' as it were :)