[Game of Thrones] The Prince that was Promised [alternate history, NC]

[Karma]

Robert’s Rebellion came to its end on the Trident, in a fated battle between Robert himself and Prince Rhaegar. Though Robert had appeared to have the upper hand during the battle, a stray arrow struck the Storm Lord in his helm at an opportune moment, stunning him just long enough for Rhaegar to strike Robert down. Though Robert had the dragon’s sword through his gut, he managed to stay alive for a full day before succumbing to his wound. Regardless, the rebellion was lost that day. The battle around them broke as the men realized Rhaegar had won, rousing Rhaegar’s flagging army and deflating Robert’s, leading to a rout and ultimate Targaryen victory. Eddard Stark was surrounded and taken during the retreat.

Prince Rhaegar was not unsympathetic to Robert’s cause, nor did he deny his part in sparking the conflict. He openly admitted that his father’s reign had become unsustainable, though before the war he had been hoping to convene a Great Council to discuss those matters. With the seemingly unstoppable gears of war now ground to a halt with the death of Robert and the capture of Eddard, such a council was convened, and within seven days they had deposed Aerys and installed Rhaegar as King. Aerys took this poorly and attempted to contact his pyromancer allies, but was taken into custody by the Kingsguard before he could enact any of his plans.

In the wake of the battle, Tywin Lannister woke from his apparent slumber, bolstering Mace Tyrell’s siege of Storm’s End. Not at all content to simply wait at the gates, a Lannister force led by Gregor Clegane and Amory Lorch scaled the poorly manned walls, easily killing the emaciated guards who stood in their way, and opened the gates from the inside. In the ensuing slaughter, Clegane personally murdered an already weak Stannis Baratheon while Lorch killed Renly with inexplicable brutality. Tywin’s decisive stroke ended the Baratheon line totally, and in presenting their bodies to Rhaegar before the court, professed his loyalty.

Following his appointment as King Rhaegar I Targaryen, the first of his name, Rhaegar negotiated the final terms of Arryn, Tully, and Stark surrender. Wards were taken by the crown, most notably Edmure Tully, the heir to Riverrun. Stark was not required to provide wards, for reasons Eddard would see when Rhaegar took him to the Tower of Joy in Dorne. Lyanna Stark was there, newborn babe in her arms. She supported Rhaegar’s claims that she was taken with her consent, and was supported by Gerold Hightower and Arthur Dayne, two of the most unquestionably honorable men in the kingdoms. Queen Elia’s opinion was never publicly heard, but she did not complain. It was Lyanna’s fierce word, supported by Eddard’s softer ones that calmed the North and the Storm Lands in the tumultuous time immediately following the war. The lords returned to their homes, and an unsteady peace seemed to take root.

Though Rhaegar was well-loved before the war and his generous treatment of all involved gave him great initial support, much is whispered about his habits and interests. Even before the war he had been fascinated with legends, prophecies, and Summerhall in particular, and with the distractions of the rebellion past, it was said that his eccentricities had begun to grow rapidly. Strange priests in red who consorted with fire began appearing in Westeros, crying doom and championing Rhaegar. Ravens flew between the Wall and King’s Landing practically daily, to what end none knew but for Rhaegar’s trusted few. More ships from Asshai docked in ports around the kingdoms in a month than had in a year previously. Strange things were afoot, but none could say what.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE * indicates OC

KING’S LANDING

King Rhaegar I Targaryen – Already beloved by the realm, Rhaegar commands an almost god-like appeal with the smallfolk after defeating Robert Baratheon. However, at the closing of the war, Rhaegar brought comparisons between himself and Aerys I, the namesake of his father. Though he appeared at court, particularly for treating with supplicants (earning him further love with the smallfolk as being easily approachable), he left most other duties to Tywin and his council. Most of Rhaegar’s time is spent buried in books and speaking privately with cryptic individuals (such as red priests, woods witches, and gods know who else). The smallfolk may love him, but his lords find him confounding.

Lyanna Stark – As wild as her brother Brandon had been, Lyanna found herself well-suited to Rhaegar’s romantic dreams, but not as much to the politics of King’s Landing. Rhaegar trusts her implicitly in a way that even Elia could not claim, though this does not serve her well at court. Seen as a different kind of usurper, though one protected by royal favor, her presence is a constant reminder of Rhaegar’s infidelity and the North’s rebellion. Rhaegar went so far as to swear before the High Septon that no child of his born out of wedlock would ever be legitimized, but that has only diminished the danger to Lyanna, not solved it. She is attended by her brother Benjen as captain of her personal guard.

Queen Elia Martell – The beleaguered wife of Rhaegar is, to some extent, understanding of Rhaegar’s goals regarding Lyanna, and her own inability to give him more children. Rhaegar respects her greatly, and kept her in the loop all along. This is difficult for anyone else to understand, of course, leading to backroom offers of revenge that she must regularly turn down. Elia, already sickly and mistreated by Aerys, is under ever-mounting stress. Her brother, the Red Viper of Dorne Oberyn Martell, has traveled to King’s Landing to watch over her. As quiet as Elia is, Oberyn is very much the opposite, taking it upon himself to defend Elia’s honor even where she won’t contend it herself.

Tywin Lannister – Tywin’s destruction of the Baratheons was seen as excessive by most and openly reprehensible by the former rebels, but his loyalty cannot be questioned. As long as Rhaegar fought for Aerys, he could not openly support Rhaegar, as Aerys had gravely wronged Tywin. Having (apparently) leapt to the crown’s support as soon as Aerys’ grip upon it was no longer certain, his position is now solidified. Rhaegar has restored Tywin to Handship. His son Jaime protects Rhaegar as a loyal Kingsguard, and he has also brought his daughter Cersei back to court.

Torin Lannister* - Called ‘the largest lion of Lannister’ he is Tywin’s second son and heir since Jaime’s advancement to the Kingsguard, a man of broad stature. Not as gifted with the sword as his brother, but he makes up the difference with his strength and ferocity. During the Rebellion he was a squire for his Uncle, Tygett. He was made a Knight after his involvement in the attack on Storm’s End. Since the end of the war he has spent most of his time in Casterly Rock working with his Uncle Kevan, now he has arrived in King’s Landing to aide his father, bringing with him the sworn sword Sandor Clegane, a brutal lad of matching size.

Ellyn Lannister* - Daughter of Gerion Lannister, the Laughing Lion, Ellyn takes after her father. She is quick to smile and joke, a trait that makes her a favorite of her cousins Jaime and Tyrion. She is one of Elia’s ladies-in-waiting, attending court with Cersei.

Donell Darry* – As one of Rhaegar’s oldest friends and part of his inner circle, Donell was always at the Prince’s side in battle. Had his prowess with a sword been the equal of his skill with a bow, he might have made the Kingsguard. It was his fated arrow that struck Robert Baratheon and ended the duel, an act that, for some that viewed it, was considered to have sullied the sacredness of single combat. Donell knew better, of course, as he had seen that Rhaegar was losing ground constantly and would have lost without intervention. Rhaegar rewarded his faithfulness with the position of Master of Laws.

Juliena Sand* – A friend of Ellaria Sand, Juliena is one of the highest-placed followers of the Lord of Light in Rhaegar’s court. Though more than one high-level priest and priestess can be seen with Rhaegar, they come and go and rarely take the time to interface with the rest of King’s Landing. Juliena has become the face of the religion for many in her time at court, but thus far has managed to avoid alienating the rest of the court.

DRAGONSTONE

Aerys II Targaryen – The Mad King truly lost his mind when his own son informed him that he had been removed from rule. His insane laugh echoed throughout the throne room even as the Iron Throne cut him again and again, leaving him a bloody mess as he was escorted from the hall by Jaime Lannister and Barristan Selmy. Aerys was consigned to Dragonstone, to live out his days in peace, if such a thing was possible for the man.

STORM’S END

Jon Connington – Months after being exiled by Aerys for his failure to capture Robert, Jon was welcomed back to the realm by his close friend, and now King, Rhaegar. For lack of a Baratheon, and due to both Jon’s loyal service and the proximity of Griffin’s Roost to Storm’s End, Jon was raised to high lordship and seated in Storm’s End. The Storm Lands were not particularly pleased about this.

WINTERFELL

Eddard Stark – Ned was never as fiery as his brother Brandon had been about Lyanna’s apparent kidnapping. Despite his major role in leading armies during the rebellion, his actions had been primarily in support of Robert, rather than any desire to wage war. Eddard knew he was thoroughly beaten after the Trident, and with the testimony of Lyanna and deposing of Aerys, he had little left to fight for. He returned to the North, defeated but alive, along with his friends and minor lords.

CASTERLY ROCK (Castellan: Kevan Lannister)

THE EYRIE

Jon Arryn – Jon’s goal in the war had been the protection of his wards and the destruction of the Mad King. With one of his wards dead, another having lost the will to fight on, and Aerys forced out, Jon knew he could press the matter no further. He returned to the Eyrie to embark upon fathering heirs on his new wife, Lysa Tully.

DORNE

Prince Doran Martell
 
THE WALL

Maester Aemon

THE SMALL COUNCIL
Hand of the King Tywin Lannister
Grand Master Pycelle
Lord Commander Gerold Hightower
Master of Whispers Varys
Master of Coin
Master of Laws Donell Darry
Master of Ships Paxter Redwyne

As you’ve surely gathered, this is an alternate history based on Rhaegar winning the Trident. This game is envisioned with many similarities to ASOIAF’s sequence of events, but with the magical element accelerated, and the Targaryens still in power rather than the Baratheons. There won’t be any intentional difference between ASOIAF’s style and this game’s, except of course for the sexualization of minors, which is unacceptable here at Elliquiy.

Original characters are welcome and perhaps encouraged; adherence to canon can become a crutch and a limitation when it comes to playing canon characters. The asterisked characters listed will be the “main” characters so to speak for myself (Ellyn and Donell), Primarch (Torin), and Daylily (Juliena). Meanwhile we will also be handling a few of the main canon characters (Rhaegar and possibly Elia for me, Tywin for Primarch, and Lyanna for Daylily). Everyone else is essentially open for play, such as Jaime and Cersei, Benjen, and so forth. However, the game will be focused on King's Landing for the time being as it is just too much to try to keep track of otherwise. If you really have to play Eddard Stark, for example, you'll need to provide some pretty compelling reasoning as to why he's in KL long term. Someone like Jon Connington, on the other hand, can pretty easily come and go. If the game goes particularly well you can certainly expect the setting to branch out beyond KL.

GMing will be a collaborative affair between myself, Daylily, and Primarch. Three years have passed, which means everyone will be over 18 by game start. Most will be older. Any characters that are not (Viserys, Brynden, etc) will as previously stated be involved in exactly zero sexual situations. Please be careful about that kind of thing.

This is a game of intrigue – expect a lot of dialogue and scheming, and not so much dragons and armies, at least to start. Those things will absolutely play a large part eventually but for now we’ll just be having fun in the universe. Allons-y!

[Primarch]

Yeah, so we're looking for more people. As mentioned above the game is currently taking place in King's Landing a few years after the Rebellion itself. The position of Master of Coin is open an OC (or Petyr, if someone so wishes to play him). Not to mention Gerold Hightower of the Kingsguard (I'll be playing Arthur Dayne to back you up!) and others. I'll also representing House Lannister and playing our main man Tywin and an OC son, Torin. I'll be glad to plot with anyone interested in getting involved.