u/Beacon2001

Both Otto and the Velaryons wanted their daughter married to the king. There's only two differences between them:

1. Otto is merely a second son, thus he does not have the power and clout to confront the king directly. He is not the Lord of Oldtown; that would be his brother Hobert, Ormund's father.
2. Otto was better at the game so he got the Velaryons beat on time.

I'm not going to act like the Tower of Ferelden is perfect, but the difference between Ferelden and Kirkwall is night and day.

I'm just gonna say this, if Justice/Vengeance saw Ferelden, he wouldn't have turned into a terrorist. Actually, he'd probably find it cool that mages and templars are working together to restore the tower.

There will always be institutional abuse against mages, and unfortunately there aren't many alternatives. But Ferelden's circle is as good as a gilded cage can possibly get.

Bro just wants a slaver regicidal traitor to pay for his crimes the old-fashioned way.

Her post-S1 arc doesn't negate her S1 arc. In Season 1, she was pretty much the main player of the Game and the one moving the pieces forward. She shouldn't be reduced to merely the "Rhaenicent" part of her character because she's so much more than that. She's historically one of the most important figures in the history of Westeros, whose scheming and politicking played a key role in starting one of the most devastating civil wars in the history of the Seven Kingdoms.

Was she a pawn of her house? Sure. She's a woman in a patriarchal medieval society. It's ingrained in their DNA to treat women like pawns and brood mares. But she absolutely had rage, bitterness, and above all else, AMBITION.

EDIT - I want to clarify that the only thing I dislike about post-S1 Alicent is her attempts to murder her sons. However, her desire for peace above all else, sniveling and humiliations before Rhaenyra, and attempted peace deals behind her faction's back is in line with the historical source. It's part of her complex character... Alicent, like many players written by GRRM, is nuanced and deconstructed. It's important that we see her downfall from a powerful queen to a weak, powerless prisoner at Rhaenyra's mercy. This is all in the book.

This dude is underrated. Janus Hassildor, Count of Skingrad. He's the most noble Vampire I've ever met in Oblivion + Skyrim + ESO.

As a great sorcerer, no doubt he adores Vampirism FOR HIMSELF, because he can learn and research spells for eternity. But his wisdom is admirable. He knows that Vampirism is a sickening condition and a curse to the average mortal, so he respects his wife's decision to end herself rather than continue a miserable existence as a monster. He doesn't try to force his viewpoint on his beloved. He's not delusional, he doesn't lie to himself. He knows what Vampirism is. He grieves for his consort, of course, but he respects her last wish.

What I like most about Hassildor is that he's a good man who happens to be a Vampire. He might have Vampirism, but he genuinely cares about his mortal subjects. Under his reign Skingrad is the best city in Cyrodiil, with the highest living conditions. He actually hates other Vampires because they behave like beasts against the common folk, and also attract the attention of vampire hunters, which brings turmoil and fear to his city. He doesn't want his people to be afraid. And he doesn't think himself superior to mortals. He wants to protect mortals and he understands that they are all threatened by Oblivion - mortals and Vampires alike, all in the same boat.

His lines in the main quest are badass:

Whatever you may think of me, I still protect my own. This is my city, and Mehrunes Dagon will not have it while I remain Count of Skingrad. Believe me, Mehrunes Dagon will know he was in a fight if he tries to take this city from me."

Mehrunes Dagon has no more love for my kind than for my mortal subjects. Less, perhaps, as we make poor slaves.

I also like his relationship with the Mages Guild. As a Vampire, he obviously dislikes the preachy and sanctimonious nature of the Mages Guild, but he's wise, so he doesn't let his personal feelings get in the way of what's best for the Empire. So he helps the Mages Guild root out the Worm Cult and defeat Mannimarco.

Also, since he's a Vampire, he's still alive 200 years later and he might get an easter egg in TES:VI. That would be cool.

Janus is honestly the best Vampire in the series. Wise, admirable, and unproblematic as long as you leave Skingrad alone. A good subject of the Empire... who happens to be a Vampire. Way better than Serana or Ravenwatch from ESO.

"Secret vampire who rules over a city from a solitary castle, practices sorcery, and is suspected of aiding necromancers" sounds like a recipe for disaster, so I like that Oblivion subverts this by having the immortal vampire sorcerer be not only the best Count in Cyrodiil, but also a good person.

No, Ancano is not the Thalmor, he's a rogue agent driven mad by prolonged exposure to the Eye of Magnus, one of the most enigmatic things in the setting.

There is absolutely no evidence in the lore that the Thalmor want to unmake the world. Not one.

As far as WE KNOW, the Thalmor are an elf supremacist party who want to destroy the Empire and bring Tamriel under Elven hegemony, which is really no different than what Queen Ayrenn was trying to do in the Interregnum. That's it.

They made the Empire abandon worship of Talos because they hoped some dumbfuck asset like Ulfric Stormcloak would throw a hissy fit and undermine the Empire from within. Not because they want to "erase Talos from existence" or whatever.

The Thalmor are a political threat, TES games generally deal with metaphysical enemies.

I feel like people who ask this question don't understand the logistics of this war.

1. As it's made abundantly clear in the show, Rhaenyra only has two armies at her disposal right now. The Velaryon army, which was decimated at the Gullet, is presently focused on defending the Crownlands from left-over pirates of the Triarchy. Also, Corlys and Rhaenyra didn't exactly leave on good terms. The other army Rhaenyra has at her disposal is the Riverlands + Winter Wolves, which admittedly is a pretty impressive force, but it's needed to combat Ormund at Tumbleton. If Rhaenyra sent this army to attack Oldtown instead, then Ormund could simply march to King's Landing without opposition.

2. Oldtown is on the other side of the continent. In addition, to march to Oldtown, an army would first have to cross the lands of Highgarden - the lands of House Tyrell. The Tyrells have so far remained neutral in the war, however, if Rhaenyra sent an army marching down their lands, Ormund could easily use this as a pretext to sway House Tyrell to the Greens. It goes without saying that medieval armies don't behave when they're marching through highly fertile, rich lands with lots of thriving towns and farmsteads just waiting to be plundered.

3. "Why doesn't she send her dragons at least?" Rhaenyra currently has 6 dragons at her disposal: Syrax, Caraxes, Vermithor, Silverwing, Seasmoke, and Moondancer. Tyraxes (Joffrey) and Stormcloud (Aegon the Younger) are too small to fight. However, of these 6 dragons, 2 are needed to find Vhagar in the Riverlands (Moondancer and Seasmoke), and at least 1 dragon should be kept at King's Landing. This means that of these 6 dragons, only 3 can actually be used for battle.

So Rhaenyra could send Caraxes, Vermithor, and Silverwing towards Oldtown, however they would not be supported by an army (for the reasons I explained above), and there would only be Syrax defending King's Landing from the Hightower army and Tessarion.

4. We should also keep in mind that Oldtown is a heavily-fortified city, with some of the largest and most impressive walls in Westeros. In addition, the Hightower itself is one of the largest and most formidable castles in Westeros; it is the tallest structure in the Seven Kingdoms, higher even than the Wall. You remember how high the Wall is? The Hightower is EVEN higher. So it would already be a challenge to march an army to Oldtown, never mind to take the city.

5. Without even mentioning the horrible PR Rhaenyra would get with the Faith and the Citadel, both of which are headquartered at Oldtown.

In conclusion, it actually makes sense that Rhaenyra doesn't try to attack Oldtown. It would be a foolish plan and would almost certainly lead to disaster.

It's true that by taking his army to Tumbleton, Ormund is exposing Oldtown to an attack... but the inverse is also true. If Rhaenyra sends all her forces to take Oldtown, then King's Landing will be made vulnerable to Aemond or Daeron.

If I time traveled back to November 2022 (right after Season 1 wrapped up) and told you Rhaenyra was gonna sneak into King's Landing as a septa to negotiate peace with Alicent, would you believe me?

How did this even get approved by the writing board?

Yes, he hurled sexist insults at Rhaenyra.

Yes, he conspired to have Aegon crowned in defiance of the fan-favorite king's last wish.

But Jaime also said sexist things about Cersei. Robert. Daemon the wife-killer. I'm sure there's many other characters who have said sexist insults and done shady things.

Why does Cole provoke such a unique reaction of visceral, primordial hate in the audience? Just why? What did he do that is so much worse than Robert, Jaime, Tywin, characters who AREN'T so hated and reviled by people? Aerion Brightflame? Hello?

Like, remember Jaime? Remember how he tried to kill a child? Said "the war for Cersei's cunt"? Assaulted Cersei at their kid's funeral? Yet Jaime is a fan-favorite and Cole is not.

I don't get it. I'm not saying people should love Cole - he is a controversial character who's committed many crimes. But seriously, I've never seen a character get so much hate in GOT/HOTD/Knight, and I don't understand why it's Cole specifically.

The ONLY other character who I've seen get so much hate is Joffrey Baratheon. But quite obviously Cole isn't nearly as cruel as Joffrey.

Imagine being told that a young priest was just kidnapped and likely 🍇 ed by rabble and that's your only reaction, which in itself is a mockery of the Faith (since she WON'T light any candle, everyone knows she's not religious). Literally the "oh no, anyway" meme.

She's a terrible queen, and above all else, do you know what she is?

A terrible, spoiled, self-entitled woman.

Do anything about corruption in the Assembly ❌

Do anything about the mistreatment of the Casteless ❌

Do anything about Orzammar's crippling isolation ❌

Do anything to fight the darkspawn ❌

Start a useless war with Ferelden cuz you can't keep Branka in check ✅

Randomly die of a broken heart like Padme ✅

Alicent Hightower is not only remembered as a queen, but also a queen beloved by the smallfolk.

Alicent and Cersei might be similar on many things... I will not deny this. I will not deny that Alicent and Cersei have a lot of similarities...

But one main distinction between them is that Alicent actually got the smallfolk of King's Landing to love her through good rulership, while Cersei was hated (to be fair, her house sacked the city like 18 years ago).

Meanwhile, the princess Rhaenyra is first of all remembered only as a pretender princess, but she was also hated by the smallfolk of King's Landing. So hated that they chased her out of the city. In this way, Rhaenyra is a lot closer to Cersei, because they were both hated and reviled by the smallfolk. (Cersei's still a queen though, while Rhae-Rhae is not)

Alicent >>> Rhaenyra, I think that's rather obvious.

I thought it was interesting that Ormund's agent in the city is the same guard who appears in 3x02 when Alicent orders the garrison of the Red Keep to surrender.

Those guardsmen were likely Targaryen soldiers, not Hightower soldiers, because they bore the sigil (golden dragon) of Aegon II and his branch of House Targaryen, not the sigil of the Hightowers. The show usually distinguishes between the soldiers of the Green Targaryens and those of the Hightowers. The former bear the sigil of Sunfyre, the symbol of the green branch of House Targaryen; while the latter obviously have the tower of the Hightowers.

(Important reminder that this civil war is not between Hightower and Targaryen, but between two branches within House Targaryen.)

So I thought it was interesting that Ormund's agents in the city aren't actually Hightowers sent by him, but former Targaryen guards who were sworn to King Aegon and are now serving King Daeron, after Aegon's "murder" and Aemond's "disappearance". I think it makes sense that not all guardsmen loyal to Aegon bent the knee to Rhaenyra; some of them went into hiding to continue the fight for what they believe are true heirs to the Iron Throne, and are undoubtedly happy to cooperate with Lord Ormund, whose stated goal is to "restore the rightful line of House Targaryen on the Iron Throne", and is even minting coins bearing the imagery of King Daeron.

Just a little reminder that the Dance is, ultimately, House Targaryen at war with itself. And not all Targaryen guards are loyal to Rhaenyra - some remain loyal to the Green Dragons.

Ocato sounds so joyful and happy after the final battle, but if you know the lore, well... you are aware that Ocato will be murdered 15 years later by the Thalmor to plunge Cyrodiil into a period of chaos and anarchy known as the Stormcrown Interregnum.

The Empire will eventually be reunified in 4E 22 by Emperor Titus Mede I (a warlord from Colovia), but by then it will be too late. The Thalmor will have overthrown the rightful kings of Alinor, seized control of the Summerset Isles + Valenwood, and established a supremacist, tyrannical Aldmeri Dominion.

Replaying Oblivion feels downright eerie at times. Poor Ocato is all happy and celebrating that the Empire is saved and they can finally start to rebuild... but little does he know.

(Also, it's messed up that he was murdered by members of his own race... it goes to show you just how evil the Thalmor truly are, they only care about their slaves and will kill any Altmer who doesn't agree with them)

Second image is from The Elder Scrolls Legends.

It took me quite a while to realize that Ormund Hightower from House of the Dragon has the same voice as the lovable sweetheart Cole.

Ormund would definitely tell Cole that he smells of piss and shit and that he should take a bath. 🤣

I don't get it. From the way some people are talking about Ormund online, you'd think he's worse than Tywin, Cersei, and Euron. I don't agree at all with the people claiming that Ormund is just a "generic evil villain."

Ormund is described as an avid scholar of history, and Oldtown is home to the Order of the Maesters. The Hightowers are the patrons of the Citadel, which is the throne of knowledge and history in the Seven Kingdoms. Ormund knows the history of his house very well, he knows that Aegon the Conqueror burned entire armies at the Field of Fire and roasted whole families alive in Harrenhal. Ormund knows that both Aegon the Conqueror and Maegor the Cruel threatened to bring war and destruction to Oldtown if the Hightowers did not bend the knee. As well, the Citadel is trying to construct a world of humans, where magic is swept aside as a relic of the past. Ormund, who likely studied a lot of history with maesters at the Citadel, is quite obviously not going to have a positive opinion of magical creatures. Ormund is probably aware of the theories linking dragons to dark magic, blood magic. The Valyrians weren't exactly good guys.

In the previous episode, we saw the same with the High Septon. He condemned dragons as an abomination, and accused the Targaryens of practicing blood magic. I think people should keep in mind that King's Landing is only one part of Westeros. It's the (ugly) city of the Targaryens, so obviously the people of King's Landing will be loyal to the Targaryens and revere the dragons, but that isn't guaranteed in other parts of Westeros. Especially in the Reach, where entire armies were burned to ashes by the dragons, as well as their entire royal line (House Gardener).

Orrmund is also likely aware of the ancient prophecy of House Hightower, stating that Oldtown will burn in dragonfire, her great monuments torn down and cast into the sea, if the Hightower opposes the Blood of the Dragon.

So from Ormund's perspective, it makes perfect sense to hate the Targaryens and the dragons, does it not? He knows that the Targaryens are willing to threaten Oldtown with dragons to get their way, he knows that dragons are fire-breathing lizards, and he knows that there's a prophecy stating that Oldtown will burn if it opposes the dragons. From Ormund's perspective, Tessarion is not a cute pet, it's an agent of destruction. Daeron is not "just" his ward, but also a Targaryen, meaning that, from Ormund's perspective, he carries the "taint" of his warmongering ancestors.

From this perspective, Ormund's plan makes perfect sense. He wants to groom Daeron into a puppet and place him on the Iron Throne, safeguarding the future of Oldtown. The prophecy can never come to fruition - Oldtown cannot burn, House Hightower can never be threatened again - if a Hightower puppet sits the Iron Throne.

Like I don't get it. I don't get these complaints about Ormund online. I thought the writing for this scene was very nuanced and deeply respected the world-building of this setting, the histories of Houses Hightower and Targaryen.

Secondly, I know that it's awful that an innocent man was executed for defending his family, however you must keep in mind that the smallfolk don't matter in Westeros. Nobody cares about the smallfolk. Legally, that man hit a guard of House Hightower, an extension of Lord Hightower and Prince Daeron. Ormund did punish the rapist by gelding him and breaking his arm, but he must also punish the innocent man in order to make people fear House Hightower.

It's awful, to be sure. It's evil. But it's the norm in that world. Westeros is evil. A few scenes earlier, Daemon horrifically murdered an innocent shepherd so he could protect his highborn daughter. And recall Rhaenys and the Dragonpit?

My point is: What Ormund did, and what Ormund said in this scene is cruel. He did a cruel thing (having an innocent man executed), and he said a cruel thing (gaslighting Daeron into thinking there's anything wrong with him).

But seriously, the online fandom completely stripped this scene of its nuances. From Ormund's perspective, it makes perfect sense to see Tessarion as a dangerous weapon, the Targaryens as rivals. Westeros don't care about the smallfolk, so of course Ormund's gonna have an innocent man killed to prove a point to Daeron. Unfortunately, smallfolk have been killed for far less.

I absolutely do not agree with the people who claim that Ormund is just a "cartoon villain". He's not a ridiculous villain, he's a realistic character, with realistic perspectives considering the world he lives in, and the culture that raised him.

This is my favorite episode of the season for sure.

More specifically, I really liked the High Septon's arguments against Rhaenyra. I remember thinking to myself: "Wow, the writers did their homework and truly researched how the world of Westeros is supposed to work."

1. Since the time of Aegon the Conqueror, all the rightful kings of House Targaryen were anointed and crowned by the High Septon in the Starry Sept of Oldtown (the heart of the Faith of the Seven). Aegon burned whole armies on the field of battle, but he was able to rule over the Seven Kingdoms thanks to the High Septon, who anointed him, crowned him, and in so doing legitimized his and House Targaryen's right to rule over the Seven Kingdoms. Rhaenyra understands that she cannot be recognized as a queen until she has the High Septon's support - until she has been anointed.

Westeros is largely inspired by Medieval Europe, where kings and queens were anointed and crowned by the Church inside of the cathedrals. Any would-be monarch must play a cautious game of politics with the faith to legitimize their rule.

2. Yet the High Septon cannot anoint Rhaenyra yet, because he has already anointed Aegon II. Unless Rhaenyra can prove that Aegon is dead, then the High Septon cannot simply anoint any would-be queen while legally the throne is still being held by Aegon. This is not a casual thing that you can do whenever you want. It is an official act of great importance, the High Septon cannot make any mistake, or it will reflect terribly on the Faith.

When Aegon II was crowned, you will recall that Queen Alicent and the Greens had to spread word to the Seven Kingdoms that Viserys had died through ravens, and had to request Silent Sisters from the Faith so that the Faith could properly ensure Viserys' passing and take care of his remains. This is simply a requirement: The High Septon cannot anoint a new monarch until the old monarch's death has been verified by the Silent Sisters.

3. I've seen some people confused by the High Septon's hatred for dragons. Why is that strange? Dragons are fire-breathing lizards that can only be controlled (allegedly) by foreign conquerors who practice incest and poligamy. Of course followers of the Faith of the Seven - the people of Westeros - distrust or downright loathe dragons. They don't exactly have good PR, burning people alive is not good PR. But beyond that, the Faith of the Seven is intertwined with the Citadel (both are based in Oldtown, both under the shield of House Hightower), and the Citadel abhors magic in all its forms.

The world the Citadel intends to build is a world that has no place for magic and dragons.

So I think it makes perfect sense that the High Septon despises dragons and sees them only as creatures of death and destruction. And he's not even wrong, because what are you gonna with a dragon, besides threatening to burn people alive and destroy cities?

4. Lastly, I really liked that the High Septon reminded Rhaenyra of the great power the Faith wields. The Faith might not have a standing army, however it possesses great influence and soft power. The Faith of the Seven is the primary religious institution in the Seven Kingdoms, only the North and the Iron Islands do not follow it (and it should be noted that the city of White Harbor, the gateway to the North, follows the Seven; and there were attempts made by iron kings of the past to bring the Seven to the Iron Islands).

Septons and septas act as shepherds and guides of the smallfolk, and knights are the heroes of Westeros (reminder that knighthood is a tradition deeply intertwined with the Faith of the Seven). In addition, the Faith is a very rich institution, to the point that Robert Baratheon requested many debts from the Faith during his reign.

It is unwise to antagonize a powerful, influential, and wealthy institution like the Faith.

In conclusion, I thought this scene was very well-written, I really liked the arguments the writers gave to the High Septon, and I thought the writers truly made an attempt to respect the complex world-building, lore, and history of this setting.

After Cersei blew up the Great Sept of Baelor with no repercussions of any kind, I liked this scene so much. It's good to remind the audience that the Faith of the Seven is, in fact, very powerful, and you DON'T wanna piss them off.

I'm getting flashbacks to when BioWare old guard writers were laid off in 2023. I'd like TES:VI to not be a repeat of Dreadwolf. 🙄🙄