Salt Wives, Spear Wives, and Sister Wives (ASOIAF/GoT Interest Check)

[Odanrav]

Hello all, and welcome to my small group, A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones inspired interest search. Long story short, despite some of my misgivings on the direction of the TV adaptation, I have a deep and abiding respect and love for the world that George RR Martin has masterfully crafted, and have always been a bit frustrated that I haven’t been able to experience a long and successful RP in the series, after many attempts. Lately, I’ve actually been playing a TON of the Game of Thrones mod for Crusader Kings 2 (which is amazing by the way) and have been enjoying founding a new Ironborn house (a character below is inspired by it) and all the raiding, looting, and expansion that comes with it. It’s got my juices flowing to write in the setting again. So I’m trying once again to accomplish this in either a solo or small group capacity with other writers who are passionate and (at least somewhat) knowledgeable of the world, or at least willing to learn.

Be forewarned, all of my proposed ideas in some way involve two central themes: A bastard or “black sheep” type male character who will, for all intents and purposes, be the main viewpoint character of his particular setting (in the sense that the story follows where he goes primarily). And the second of the two themes is that each setting, depending on the culture involved, will entail multiple female characters (2-4 ideally) who are, or will become, a wife/secondary wife/slave/etc. of the main male character. The individual original character below will delve more deeply into the possibilities therein. I have created three distinct characters so that anyone interested has options in terms of what they’d like to explore, as well as explore the possibility with particularly ambitious folks who want to try more than one of them concurrently (timelines can be adjusted as needed). Anyway, feel free to look at the folks below and feel free to sound off if you’re interested, along with any character ideas you may have. Hoping to carve out some sort of story involving one of these blokes with 2-4 others.

Aedan

Name: Aedan
Aliases: Touched by Ice, Pale Demon, Ice-Eyes
Age: ~25
Setting: Beyond the Wall
Time Period: Any
Musical Inspiration: Zach Hemsey - The Runner

Appearance: Aedan has a stark appearance with shimmering blue eyes, deathly pale skin, and grey hair that falls loosely down his long face and a stubble of grey hair over his lip and on his chin. He possesses a half-feral demeanor, as defensive and guarded as his shadowcat companion. Aedan typically wears furs and boots, and rusted weapons that he has scavenged off the dead. (Ignore the frilly, fancy armor in the picture)

Background: Aedan has been alone for much of his life, so long as he can remember. He remembers a mother, black hair and a soft voice, but nothing else. And his name. She’d say it to him often. Aedan. Aedan. Then there was the wilds. Years and years of being alone with nothing but the snow and trees and animals. And the cold, but he liked the cold. It was… comforting. He survived, as best any child could. Many times he found clans scattered across the Frostfangs, but his presence was never tolerated long among them. His appearance frightened most, was nearly the death of him on multiple occasions. One evening, while hunting in the Haunted Forest, Aedan found tracks in the snow, paw prints unlike he’d seen before. He followed them until they led to a dark cave, and a deep growling sound. Through the dim sunlight he could barely see the yellow eyes and white stripes of a near-adult shadowcat lurking within, it’s maw still bloody from the carcass of a freshly killed wolf. Despite every instinct to run, Aedan approached the beast as he tried to calm it, feeling an unnatural pull. To his shock, as his shivering, gloved hand reached out, the beast did not snap back. For months, Aedan visited

the shadowcat’s lair, bringing it spare meat from his hunts, until it began to follow Aedan. Shadow, as she came to be called, has scarcely left her master’s side since.

Aedan eeks out a living as a nomad hunter, selling furs, claws, teeth, scavenged weapons and armor, and anything else he can find to what few clans will allow him to trade with them.

Personality: Tending to keep to himself, Aedan talks little and rarely can be found in a jovial state.

Potential Story Directions: Aedan’s story will be of survival, as an outcast seen as an abomination by most chiefdoms, few will suffer his presence. By sheer force of strength and will, I could see him taking/founding his own chiefdom and eventually vying to become a new King Beyond The Wall and staging an invasion of The North.

Female Characters: Spear Wives who he kidnaps from other Chiefs and proves his strength to, as well as the possibility of an unknown incestuous relationship with his twin sister, separated at birth (PM for more details).

Garald Ardrada/Hoareson

Name: Garald Ardrada/Rivers (Adopted Lyseni name, bastard of the black-blooded Hoare line)
Aliases: Hoareson/Whoreson, The Whoreson Who Lived
Age: 38
Setting: The Iron Islands, The Stepstones, The Seas, all over the place
Time Period: After Aegon’s Conquest (300 years before the show/book period)
House Music: Zach Hemsey - Soothsayer

Appearance: Garald possesses two distinct traits: fiery red hair swept to the side of his face, and heavy scarring that litters nearly his entire body from countless raids and battles over his life. Garald is a tall, swashbuckling looking fellow with an easy smile and charismatic demeanor.

Background: Garald is the bastard son of Lord-Commander Rodrik Hoare of the Night’s Watch (before he became a man of the Night’s Watch) and a Lyseni whore named Phira who had been captured during a raid and made into Rodrik’s salt wife for a few years before she died of the Lover’s Pox. Rodrik by that point had been banished to the Wall by his brother, Harren the Black, to ensure his rule and Garald was left to be raised in Harrenhal with little to no supervision. Garald was a “wild child” running up and down the corridors of Harren’s great keep and fighting anyone who taunted him over being the bastard of a whore.

He was still yet a child when Aegon the Conquerer came into Westeros and demanded King Harren give up his crown and swear fealty. Harren refused, and Belerion the Black Dread melted Harren’s great work down around him. Garald was there when it happened, watched the black fire spew forth for hours on end as the castle erupted into smoke and ruin. Yet he lived, the whoreson who lived.

Garald found his way back to the Iron Islands and gained position in Old Wyk among House Drumm, as the Lord Roryk Drumm was a close friend of Rodrik when they sailed together as young men, raiding along the Naathian coast. Garald began serving aboard the Thunderer and proved himself quickly as a warrior, navigator, and leader, outshining Roryk’s own son and heir Dunstan. They rivaled each other for many years, culminating in a love triangle over Alysane Blacktyde who was betrothed to Dunstan, yet fancied Garald far better.

On Alysane's wedding night, Garald stole her virtue before the bedding took place, not because he cared for her but out of spite for Dunstan. Drunkenly, Garald later than night bragged of the whole ordeal and word quickly reached Dunstan's ear. Dunstan went to his lord-father and demanded to have the Whoreson put in the dungeon then sent to the Drowned God, but was instead chastised for allowing the man who fucked his wife to live long enough to see a dungeon. Urged on by Roryk's challenge, Dunstan sought Garald out and they fought on the beaches of Old Wyk the following day. Unarmed and unarmored, the two young men wrestled and blooding their firsts and knees for the better part of an afternoon. Dunstan, throwing sand into Garald's eyes, got the better of his opponent and forced him to his back as the waves washed in. Garald found himself underwater, hands around his throat and seawater filling his lungs. In desperation, his hand found a stone embedded into the sand and swung up with all of his might, cracking the rock against Dunstan's temple and killing him outright. For the crime of laying with the wife of a higher lord, Garald was sentenced to exile from the Iron Islands, but was allowed to keep his life after proving himself in his trial by combat.

Years passed as Garald jumped from one crew to another, gaining prominence and wealth with each ensuing ship, until he finally staged a successful mutiny with only three fellows, a bag of flour, and a turnip and took over the ship that he would rename The Red Tear as his flagship. Garald carved out a base of operations for himself on the island of Bloodstone in the Stepstones chain between Dorne and Essos, and has been reaping and raiding from there ever since, achieving a status as one of the most feared pirates in the seas, yet an exile to his own people. For a sigil, Garald chose a coiled red serpent on a black ocean field. The Ardrada house words are, “Of The Black Blood”

Personality: Garald is boisterous, pompous, and commanding in the presence of his crew, but a quieter and more reflective individual in private. He’s well read on the topics of history and philosophy and capable of deeper conversation than one might think of a famed reaver. Garald rejects the Old Ways of the Ironborn, and rejects the Gods of the Andals and Northmen too, believing there to be no greater deity controlling the currents of his life.

Potential Story Directions: I imagine the story direction for Garald and co. to involve exploration, betrayals, raiding, and potentially trying to establish a new kingdom in the Stepstones, or attempting to take back control of the Iron Islands, as the last of the Hoare line. I also like the idea of Garald converting to R’hllorism/The Lord of Light and possibly even being ressurected by a Red Priestess at some point.

Female Characters: Salt Wives, a Rock Wife, a Red Priestess (love this idea), a Whore/Prostitute, or female Crewmen are all possibilities to me.

Haedrys Aeragor

Name: Haedrys Aeragor
Aliases: None Yet.
Age: 19
Setting: King’s Landing, At Sea, Essos, Further East
Time Period: Any Time during the Targ Dynasty.
House Music: Zach Hemsey - No Man’s Land

Appearance: Haedrys possesses boyish good looks with a perfectly clean-shaven face, violet eyes, wispy silvery-blonde shoulder length hair, and a tall, lithe, swimmer’s body.

Background: When Daenys the Dreamer had her prophetic vision of the Doom of Valyria, and her lord-father Aenor chose to move the Targaryen seat of power to the far west, the Targaryen’s brought with them their retainers, slaves, and servants as well. House Aeragor, a bastard cadet branch, had served House Targaryen as castellans for many centuries, and thus when the stronghold of Dragonstone was erected, the Aeragor’s were given a small island castle to the south as their own seat called Windwyrm. They served faithfully through the conquest of Westeros by Aegon I, and continue to serve.

In recent times, troubles have befallen the House. Due in part to the poor natural resources available on their small island and low economic standing. While other houses like the Celtigars, Baratheons, and Velaryons have achieved greater standing the Targaryens, the Aeragor’s have all but faded from thought and consideration. Lord Vaedras, who ruled the island for nigh on two decades, has died and left the future and security of his House and Hold to his young son Haedrys and his older sisters-wives.

House Aeragor’s ancestral seat is the island castle of Windwyrm, located southeast of Dragonstone. The castle is far smaller than Dragonstone, but made of the same oily black rock material which forged the towers and stone dragons of the Targaryen’s adopted seat of power. Their sigil is a five-headed (may change this depending on how many sisters Haedrys has) black hydra rising from a blue-green sea. Their words are, “One Falls, Another Rises.”

Personality: Haedrys is young, but ambitious. He grew up on the tales of Aegon, and the Valyrian heroes of old, riding on the backs of powerful dragons into battles and scorching armies to cinders in one swoop. He likes to picture himself as a warrior, as a man of action who will one day bring glory to his house’s name, and raise them up from being known (or rather unknown) as the forgotten Valyrians of Westeros.

Potential Story Directions: Though Haedrys is not a bastard himself, the Aeragor’s are a bastard line of Targaryens. This story will involve attempting to elevate their house’s prominence. I foresee Haedrys and his sisters going to Essos, maybe even the farther east to Asshai, in search of either a dragon egg to hatch, or trying to recover Blackfyre or Dark Sister, the ancestral, lost Valyrian Steel blades of the Targaryens.

Female Characters: My primary thoughts involve Haedrys’s older sisters becoming his sister-wives, given he has no male siblings. A minimum of two. Open to other ideas of course. Perhaps one of them has “Dragon Dreams” or prophetic visions that leads them all to decide to leave for Essos.

[Odanrav]

A sad lonely bump.

[Anouk Daae]

So this is essentially a harem story set in the Iron Islands?

[Odanrav]

So this is essentially a harem story set in the Iron Islands?

That was one possible direction for a proposed group game, but I'm also open to using one my characters in a solo game as well, the Ironborn bastard included.

Edit: Also, to clarify, I wouldn't characterize it as just a "harem" story. The thrust of the story, whichever region or characters that are involved, will be about a pursuit of power, war, and political machinations of some sort. I was just interested in exploring some canon themes that are in the series with salt wives (concubines taken by Ironborn during raids), spear wives (wives taken by a man of the free folk), and sister wives (which is prominent in traditional westerosi valyrian houses).

[Hamadryad]

I wouldn't mind playing this, what do you need from me?

[Anouk Daae]

I guess I'm asking if you're allowing other male characters to join?

[Odanrav]

I guess I'm asking if you're allowing other male characters to join?

I'm not opposed to it. I was just interested in a small group, 3-4 people ideally, and prioritized multiple female characters, based on the theme of the RP, over a second or third male character. At least to start with.

[Anouk Daae]

And all of these female characters would be involved with your characters? In some way?

[Odanrav]

And all of these female characters would be involved with your characters? In some way?

Yes, unless we attempted to have multiple plot threads going focusing on different characters on each "front." I think it's just easier that way if the 2 or however many female characters there are are attached to eachother, or my character someway.