▲ 44 r/CK3AGOT

A Maiden's Fantasy

>“He saw the king as he had been in the flower of his youth, tall and handsome, his great antlered helm on his head, his warhammer in hand, sitting his horse like a horned god. He heard his laughter in the dark, saw his eyes, blue and clear as mountain lakes.” (A Game of Thrones: Eddard XV

I will also post this on CKTinder, but I am very proud to show you my own rendition of young (and old) Robert. I like the mod's DNA, but I have to say this is closer to how I imagined him while reading. I hope you like it!

>"The king was a great disappointment to Jon. His father had talked of him often: the peerless Robert Baratheon, demon of the Trident, the fiercest warrior of the realm, a giant among princes. Jon saw only a fat man, red-faced under his beard, sweating through his silks. He walked like a man half in his cups." (A Game of Thrones: Jon I)

u/bulwerberry — 7 days ago
▲ 138 r/CK3AGOT

My perfect heir made it out alive!

I just wanted to share my joy, normally, my perfect heirs always die before inheriting my titles. Long live the king!!

u/bulwerberry — 1 month ago

Unpopular opinions?

As the title says, what are your unpopular opinions? (I made the post thinking about asoiaf ocs, but you can comment any you have)

Personally, I think Targaryen ocs are overhated and the jokes around them quickly became a way to covertly bully people in the fanfic scene. It's true that there are many ocs who are plain mary sues or gary stus, and therefore the fanfics around them usually are boring, unless you were specifically looking for a lighthearted piece; But no, not all of them are "Visenya II rider of the Cannibal", many are given this mocking epithet for daring to have a canon love interest and/or platonic relationship with a canon character.

On the same vein, I think it's way too common to prejudge fanfics whose oc protagonist is already a consolidated archetype (Cersei and Robert's only bio child, Maegor or Visenya's child, secret bastard who is a claimant to the throne) every writer has something different to add to a story that has been told before, this is the reason why standard literature repeats itself, we all have different takes, no matter how "overdone" it is.

reddit.com
u/bulwerberry — 1 month ago
▲ 46 r/CK3AGOT

A Tale of Black and Tarnished Green

The question of who would become Queen of the Seven Kingdoms was like wildfire sweeping through the realm, from every corner, nook and cranny, the people, common and noble spoke their minds. Some said the queen should come from a formerly green house, to build bridges between the great houses, others, that she should be from a black house, to reward loyalty and faithfulness. 

But beneath the talk of the town, of which lady was more beautiful or better spoken, another vital issue was being discussed: heirship. 

The candidates, this time, were fewer, but nevertheless the council was fiercely opinionated.

It should not have been a problem at all, by law, the next in line was Queen Rhaenyra's second-eldest child, prince Joffrey Velaryon. Alas, the poor boy had been tortured in the usurper's dungeons, his mind was fragile, and so was his body. If the King were to perish unexpectedly, very few would bend the knee as the High Septon crowned a King that lacked control of his own sphincter amidst nightmares.

The next suitable candidate was Aegon the younger, son of Queen Rhaenyra and Prince Daemon; he was a Targaryen, and a dragonrider. He was a quiet child, who felt overwhelmed in large crowds and had yet to forget the memory of his mother. Most lords agreed that despite his reclusive nature, he was balanced and strong enough to hold the title of heir and prince of Dragonstone. 

Only a few voices dissented, voices with great sway over the king, one of them, Lord Corlys the Sea Snake. He wanted for Lady Rhaena to be named heir. She was older and certainly more fitted than her younger brother, as well as having the merit of descending from Princess Rhaenys, the Queen Who Never Was. Jacaerys, however, was not moved. "My claim comes from my mother, not my grandmother, it was her who wore the crown, I remind you, Lord Corlys." Altough the pair held each other in great steem, most agreed that Corlys was overzealous of his position as regent, and hoped to direct the realm as he had done when Queen Rhaenyra and Prince Daemon were in battle. Jacaerys was trusting, it was true, but not blind.

With that settled, the call for a Queen came back to front and center. And one by one, the seven most notorious candidates to marry the King were cast aside. 

  1. Lady Floris, the prettiest daughter of the late lord Borros, was found out to have hidden a swollen belly, with the fruit of King Aegon, nonetheless, or so she claimed; she changed her tune once she was under the scrutiny of Lord Larys of Harrenhal, then she revealed the bastard to be from a soldier she had met when King Aegon's armies were in Storm's End. The lady cried her eyes out in front of the septas, saying she had only given him her maidenhead under a promise of marriage, but he died too early. Despite her great love, Lady Floris refused to name him.

  2. Lady Maris, the cleverest daughter of the late lord Borros Baratheon, had already wed, against the wishes of her mother, who seemed to want to atone for her husband's lack in judgement. Maris ran away to marry Lord Estermont, of course, the rumors of her not wanting to share her bed with a bastard, were quick to arrive and quick to vanish. 

  3. Lady Samantha Tarly, if we are to believe mushroom the fool had grown impatient, and sent the king a salacious letter, accompanied by a painting of her own naked bosom. The king, captivated, flew on Vermax to Oldtown, only to find her abed already with her own step-son. There is no record of the letter or the portrait, neither of Jacaerys' flight of fancy, in reality, lady Samantha was probably ruled out due to her no longer being a maiden, with that being considered unfitting for a Queen of Westeros. And though we can deny the accusations against her, it is true that she married Lord Lyonel after the King's own marriage. 

  4. Daenaera Velaryon, altough a healthy little girl, was too young for the marriage to be consummated, and so, the ward of Driftmark was instead bethroted to Viserys, the king's younger brother. 

  5. Princess Jaehaera Targaryen had initially been chosen, but when she was given the news, the princess wailed until she had no voice left, and her mother started a fast that had her fainting twice a morn. Jacaerys supposedly found it in himself to spare the girl out of compassion; Maester Fritz writes that Jaehaera was examined by the maesters of the Red Keep, who claimed she had not yet bled at the age of thirteen, neither she exhibited the traits of a maiden so near womanhood, the princess would surely die in her first labor, or worse: would become barren for the rest of her life, depriving Jacaerys of offspring. This, he claimed, was the true reason.

Even knowing this, the princess had to marry, and to someone within the King's inner circle.

Alyn Velaryon was a bold and brave sailor, the bastard son of Lord Laenor and a peasant woman named Marilda. Most already referred to him as the heir of Driftmark, for his older brother, Addam, had expressed interest in becoming a maester. So it took the entire realm by surprise to see the green princess with an aquamarine wedding cloak, next to Addam the Loyal, called the future lady of Driftmark. The ceremony was a lavish one, with a feast that lasted hours and various shows to delight the guests. 

There was no bedding ceremony, to the misfortune of some, but the stained sheet was shown around court as proof of the bride's purity. On their first year of marriage, princess Jaehaera, of nine-and-ten would give birth to Aegon Velaryon, a healthy boy with his father's eyes. The boy was the couple's pride and joy, and would make the princess's smile a frequent sight at castle Driftmark.

To the heartbreak of the realm, and her husband, Princess Jaehaera died at the age of twenty-and-three, in childbirth. A Velaryon by marriage, but the king did not allow her to be buried in their traditions. A Targaryen would die a Targaryen. Before the princess was ready for her funeral pyre, lord Addam cut a lock of her hair, which he would keep in a locket around his neck for the rest of his life.

When King Jacaerys had been torn on which woman to wed, all it took was a visit to Raventree Hall, under the guise of a hunt with his dear friend, 'Bloody' Ben, to help him make up his mind to marry his loyal subject, Lady Alysane. 

The King was taken with her, and Lady Alysane could not seem to stop smiling in his presence. The desicion was was unquestioned at large, but a lord of house Butterwell thought it wise to voice his concerns about the bride's faith. The usually gentle Benjicot Blackwood retorted saying: "Faithless has a different meaning for all, it seems. Some would call you faithless." Which started an altercation that had to be stopped by Ser Templeton, member of the Kingsguard. 

If someone had further objections, they were not voiced.

The wedding lasted five days, and while it  included feast, dance, drink and a tournament, it was thought to be far more austere than royal weddings prior. The couple would prove to be happy and fruitful, with seven childen, all whom survived to adulthood, with the first of them being Prince Laenor, born in the year 137 after the conquest, who was bethroted to his cousin, the girl Princess Jaehaera would die birthing: Lady Rhaena Velaryon, finally uniting the warring factions with the marriage that two kings and a queen had refused.

_____________

Thank you so much for your comments and thoughts, it really made my week to see people interested in my game <3

u/bulwerberry — 3 months ago
▲ 67 r/CK3AGOT

Symur Longfingers was a travelling bard regarded well in the court of King Aegon The Elder back in the days where his raunchy lyrics were the one thing to make the prince-turned-king laugh. He expected the same welcomeness from his nephew, and was sorely mistaken. He wrote a song called "Seven brides for a King." (some say it was originally called Seven brides for a bastard) that went like this:

"The new king needed a bride

Seven ladies came forth

And seven nights he took to decide

Some ladies shy and some ladies bold, 

Yet the morning found them all with a smile."

King Jacaerys, harsh but apparently more forgiving than his mother, threw the bard out of the court, not before having him whipped seven times, one for each of the women he offended. Symur Longfingers would soon begin to be called "Symur Sevenwhips" in pubs and taverns.

The seven ladies he spoke of were

  1. Lady Rhaena Targaryen

  2. Lady Alysanne, the one they called "Black Aly" Blackwood, aunt of lord Benjicot Blackwood 

  3. Lady Samantha Tarly, the newly widowed lady of the High Tower

  4. Lady Floris Baratheon, the prettiest daughter of the late lord Borros, 

  5. Lady Maris Baratheon, the cleverest daughter of the late lord Borros 

  6. Lady Daenaera Velaryon, daughter of Ser Daeron Velaryon

  7. Princess Jaehaera Targaryen

 

Lady Rhaena was the eldest surviving child of Prince Consort Daemon 'The Rogue Prince' and the granddaughter of The Sea Snake, she was very popular with the smallfolk and the last of few dragonriders left in the world. She would have been married already to the King had she been borne a moment earlier, but Jacaerys asked his council for more candidates. "Let them realm see I am closer to them than my ancestors were, that they should see me as a king of theirs, not as one who rules above them." Sweeter words for a more bitter truth: Th king needed allies, were it be the case the realm rose in arms against him, as they had done his mother and uncle, tensions that had yet dissolved entirely. King Jaehaerys, another boy king, had been handed a fragmented realm, Jacaerys received a divided one.

Another answer was found in Maester Fritz, that King Jacaerys felt it was ill to take Lady Rhaena to wife, when she looked so much like his impetous and brave Baela. 

The second candidate was suggested by Lord Benjicot of Raventree Hall, who had grown intimately close with Jacaerys after the war. He suggested his aunt, lady Alysanne, who had won the heart of the Riverlands as she fought bravely for the King's mother. A woman in which a strong ally and a clever and beautiful queen could be found.

The third woman of note to come up was the recently widowed Samantha Tarly, of proven fertility, known beauty and even more renowned intellect. The lady, as some said, would be of more use than the King's current master of coin, lord Bartimos Celtigar, who remained at the small council for his notable loyalty to the blacks. And little more.

The two next ladies were both older sisters to lord Royce Baratheon, the little lord of the Stormlands, much too young to voice desires for a possible alliance. Lady Cassandra, the eldest of the four storms, had already wedded a knight of House Connington, but the three remaining ladies were available for marriage; the strongest contenders being lady Floris and Lady Maris. Lady Floris was of age for marriage, and had no strong arguments against her, a graceful lady, of noble blood and festive albeit frivolous personality. Her older sister, lady Maris, though more clever than Floris, some felt had too long of a tongue and too short of a sense. If whispers were to be believed after all, it was her crass words that drove prince Aemond to end the life of the well-loved brother of the king, Prince Lucerys Velaryon; it could hardly be rewarded with queenship, if rewarded at all.

The next lady to be offered by the attendants, was the ward of lord Alyn "Oakenfist", bastard brother of Jacaerys and future lord of Driftmark. Lady Daenaera Velaryon. Though she was of a lesser birth than some of the aforementioned, the little girl was all giggles and sweet words, and very dear to lord Alyn and lord Corlys, both who felt she would make a fine wife for Jacaerys one day. Most of the lords present looked down on the proposition, thinking a daughter of a lesser branch of House Velaryon, who was still a child, was ill-fit for a Queen consort of the Seven Kingdoms. Yet the king, perhaps out of respect for his brother and grandsire, said nothing against it, as if seriously considering the suggestion.

The last of the seven brides was suggested by lord Larys Strong. He started with a concise speech. "King Aegon's reign may have been short-lived, but his friends still walk these hallways." He said. 

He spoke of nameless conspirators, and the scandalous rumours that hung over Jacaerys' reign like a dark cloak, all to finalize with who he believed to be the right choice to make the Seven Kingdoms one, as they had been when king Viserys ruled: marrying Jaehaera Targaryen.

Queen Helaena, her mother, had went mad with grief, and it was said that if her tears at the sound of prayer where something to trust, she would sooner take the vows that become a wife once again. King Aegon's only surviving son was Maelor Targaryen, who was ridden with sickness ever since his father died, and few believed he would survive the consumption that each day made him a little sadder and a little bloodier. Making Jaehaera the heir apparent to what remained of the Green's cause, the embers of the fire stoked ever since she took her first flight atop Morghul. "If his grace would to allow the princess to marry once of age, to a lord of dubious loyalties, we only can expect the worst," The clubfoot assured.

King Jacaerys let all the lords of his council speak, those with sensible suggestions, and those who shamelessly threw their daughters and other female relatives onto the King's bed. If Jacaerys made a choice that day, it eludes our account's knowledge.

_________

I think Rhaena is the obvious choice, but exactly because of that, it may be a little boring, let me know who has your vote to become the next queen of Westeros!! Also sorry about the no effort collage

u/bulwerberry — 4 months ago
▲ 90 r/CK3AGOT

Her name is Daenys and I became very attached to her in my last game.

Also Aegon never became king of Westeros here.

u/bulwerberry — 4 months ago
▲ 280 r/CK3AGOT

First time I've seen someone claim Cannibal and it was my idiot son who got burned the past two times that he tried to claim SPECIFICALLY The Cannibal (there was three other dragons free, and I have the suggest bond submod), and who I sent to Braavos as a ward just to keep him from getting killed by this dragon.

u/bulwerberry — 4 months ago
▲ 677 r/CK3AGOT

I've seen a lot of people talk about marrying Targaryens for eugenics in their games, but what other houses do you marry characters into to "embelish the family tree" so to speak? I usually use the Arryns or Daynes. Lannisters too, but with them it can also result in some exaggerated traits (like lips or cheekbones)

u/bulwerberry — 4 months ago