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High Tide, Chapter 69: The Death of Peace
🕑 Added 2024-05-18 13:52:18 +0000 UTC-Excerpt from 'The Sea Snake', the biography of Corlys Velaryon, Abridged Edition.
Shortly after the letter from Prince Aemon arrived, Corlys and Viserra Velaryon and their four would journey to King’s Landing with a full retinue of Tide Guard and servants. They made a stunning return to court for the first time in twenty years, awing many with their splendor and majesty, with their fine clothes in Tyroshi fashions never before seen in Westeros, their jewelry of gems, gold, silver, and Valyrian steel, and their otherworldly beauty and demeanor. Some observers whispered in secret to each other that in that moment, the Velaryons looked more like royalty than the Targaryens did.
This lasting first impression in two decades did much to lure many to the Velaryons’ side in the coming years, eventually leading to the formation of the Narrow Sea League in 112 AC. The League was an economic and implied military and political alliance of House Velaryon and its by then traditional allies of Celtigar, Grafton, and Tarth as well as Houses Grafton, Royce-Arryn, Sunderland, Upcliff, Pyror, Elesham, Estermont, and Whitehead. House Darklyn, Mooton, and several Northern houses were also invited to join, though for various reasons, none of them would accept the invitation.
However, the stunning entrance into court did not merely attract allies, but also emboldened enemies. Historic rivals like the Western Bloc, Lannister, Hightower, Redwyne, and their allies and vassals, were noted to have rumormongered in court, casting aspersions of treason and impropriety on the Velaryons. For the most part though, the Western Bloc was insignificant and barely merited thought in the Velaryons’ minds. What was most concerning however, was the jealousy and anger their entrance would arouse in many already hostile members of House Targaryen, and this would sow the seeds for things ahead.
With all of his descendants gathered, King Jaehaerys would openly confess his regrets and mistreatment of several family members, including his daughter Viserra and her children. He would then openly implore his children and grandchildren to put aside their animosities and make peace with each other. ‘Peace is a precious commodity that will run dry if steps are not taken to preserve it,’ he warned.
Many historians consider this very ironic given what would later come and how much of the blame for it is laid at Jaehaerys’ feet. His own paranoia and prideful actions had caused the whole feud with the Velaryons to even begin and his venomous teachings to his youngest daughter and eldest three grandchildren poisoned any chance of peace even when he changed his own mind on his deathbed.
Jaehaerys’ legacy today is very mixed. East of the Narrow Sea, he is remembered as Jaehaerys the Tyrant. Even in Westeros, you would find as many who would call him Jaehaerys the Confused as would call him the Conciliator, for he was successful in so many things and his work and good deeds cannot be denied but neither can the indecisiveness, inconsistency, and stubbornness with which he dealt with the Velaryons and to a lesser extent his other daughters’ families like the Mootons and Arryns.
Some have even speculated that in his advancing age, Jaehaerys had become increasingly senile and no longer as capable and wise as he once was, and given his later deterioration before his death, perhaps this is reasonable. Others postulate that his childhood under his weak father and cruel uncle had shaped the young Jaehaerys and had twisted his mind in ways no one could have predicted until the Velaryon issue had arisen.
Perhaps it was one or both of these or some other reasons. Whatever the cause ultimately, Jaehaerys would die the very same night he had that fateful conversation with his family. He would prove no more successful in uniting his family in death than he was in life however and the seeds that he had sowed would soon show.
Immediately after the funeral of Jaehaerys, his second grandson Daemon would claim his dragon Vermithor and rebuff an attempt by his cousins Aemma Arryn and Aegor Mooton to steal him, sowing the seeds for tensions between the three houses. Meanwhile, the now King Aemon began negotiating with his sister Viserra and her husband Corlys with the aid of his brother and Hand. The young Jacaerys Velaryon was in attendance of those negotiations as his parents’ heir, though curiously, Rhaenys his Targaryen counterpart was not, and neither was her mother Queen Jocelyn, the Lady of the Stormlands.
This would later come back to bite Aemon because when he presented his agreement with the Velaryons to the rest of his house, there was widespread opposition to it and he was supported only by his siblings Baelon and Alyssa, and the Queen Mother Alysanne.
His wife and queen Jocelyn, his daughter and heir Rhaenys, his nephews Viserys and Daemon, and his youngest sister Gael, all demanded a renegotiation of the agreement and for them to be present at the new negotiations. Perhaps Aemon was too weak-willed or too loving to his family members to make it clear his will was law as King, or perhaps he did not seek to make the mistakes his father had in ignoring the counsel of kin, either way, Aemon consented to their demands.
The next day, the Small Council, House Targaryen, and House Velaryon all sat for negotiations. The previous arrangement that Aemon had come to with House Velaryon is presented here in an abridged form.
- The respective sanctions and unfair tariffs that both houses had placed on each other’s trade since the conquest of Tyrosh were to be removed.
- The Iron Throne would recognize Corlys Velaryon as Archon of Tyrosh and he would in turn swear fealty to the throne, annexing Tyrosh into the Iron Throne’s domain. Corlys would keep his styling of ‘Excellency’ and be allowed to retain a great deal of internal autonomy and privileges with regards to governance, laws, reduced taxes, and so on.
- The Velaryons would stop the minting and printing of their own currency in exchange for currency reforms in the Seven Kingdoms such as decimalization to ease the reintegration of the currencies.
- The Velaryons would be allowed the right to wage war in Essos and Sothoryos to protect their borders and trade routes from pirates and slavers without consulting the throne and without it being considered breaking the King’s Peace. In exchange the Iron Throne would bear no responsibility for the protection of Velos and Viserria or those trade routes but would receive their dues in tax revenues from them regardless.
- Lord Otto Hightower of Highwatch would be dismissed as Governor of the Stepstones and Corlys Velaryon named hereditary Lord Paramount of the Stepstones in his place, with Otto Hightower and all the other Stepstones lords swearing to Corlys Velaryon. The island of Veil would be transferred directly to the Stormlands and would not be a fief under Velaryon jurisdiction.
- Lord Corlys was offered back his old position as Master of Ships to hold himself or delegate to a family member.
- Prince Aegon and Princess Rhaenyra were to be betrothed to Lady Laena and Lord Jacaerys respectively.
- The possibility of a betrothal between Princesses Baela and Rhaena and Lord Lucerys and Daeron was also raised.
Many arguments and oppositions were raised to this agreement, with many saying that it rewarded the Velaryons for their defiance of the Iron Throne or empowered them too much. Some even raised concerns that Princess Rhaenyra, the third in line to the Iron Throne was to be married to Jacaerys Velaryon, making it possible they would even become the Royal House should the worst befall her brother Aegon.
The most vehemently opposed to this arrangement were Prince Daemon and Princess Gael who desired for Prince Aegon and Princess Rhaenyra to marry their own children and who greatly disliked the Velaryons, having absorbed all of Jaehaerys’ teachings. Their passionate arguments found rapt support both in the Small Council and in court for Daemon had secretly leaked the details of Aemon’s proposal to court, causing a general outcry against it from enemies of the Velaryons. However, the key figure that they swayed was Princess Rhaenys, who herself had many misgivings and urged her father to slow down and reconsider his negotiations further.
As a result, the original and comprehensive deal was whittled down and altered to these points instead:
- The respective sanctions and unfair tariffs that both houses had placed on each other’s trade since the conquest of Tyrosh were to be removed.
- The matter of Prince Aegon and Lady Laena’s betrothal, the Stepstones, as well as Tyrosh’ place in Westeros would all be deferred to a later date to be settled permanently. In the meantime however, the Iron Throne would recognize Corlys Velaryon as Archon of Tyrosh and House Velaryon’s independence and sovereignty in Tyrosh alone.
- As a recognition of their sovereignty in Tyrosh, the Velaryons would be allowed the right to wage war in Essos and Sothoryos to protect their borders and trade routes from pirates and slavers without consulting the throne and without it being considered breaking the King’s Peace. In exchange the Iron Throne would bear no responsibility for the protection of Velos and Viserria or those trade routes.
- The island of Bloodstone was formally transferred to the Lordship of Driftmark to prevent and further jurisdiction disputes between House Velaryon and the Stepstones Governorate.
- Princess Rhaenyra was betrothed to Prince Jaehaerys the Younger to consolidate the claims and line of succession for stability meanwhile Princesses Baela and Rhaena were betrothed to Lord Jacaerys and Lord Lucerys respectively.
Once again Aemon had failed to properly enforce his will on either his family or his subjects to preserve his comprehensive peace agreement. When he finally put his foot down and refused to budge any further, it was for an agreement that bewildered many in how generous it was to the Velaryons for seemingly nothing in return. For little in return, Aemon gave full recognition of Velaryon sovereignty in Tyrosh and the right to wage war as well as effectively giving two dragonriders for none in return in the form of his nieces Baela and Rhaena.
Many wondered if Aemon was going as senile as his father before him though others have defended him by pointing out that Aemon had never intended for this to be the final deal but merely a stopgap to cool tempers and allow for further negotiations to proceed to a lasting arrangement that would permanently resolve the matter and end the feud.
Unfortunately for Aemon, his stopgap deal did little but escalate tensions. Prince Daemon was enraged by it and he had an altercation with Lord Jacaerys that had escalated from a ‘friendly’ duel in the training yard. This altercation sowed the seeds for a troubled marriage between Lord Jacaerys and his betrothed Princess Baela and also of Prince Aegon’s eventual change of heart.
After his altercation with Prince Daemon, Lord Jacaerys was reprimanded by both of his parents and after several private conversations with them, he seemed much humbler and wiser, though his ambitions remained no less strong. With his feelings of duty to his family reinforced, Lord Jacaerys would put aside his first love, Lady Cassandra Celtigar, in favor of honoring his betrothal, feeling the latter would serve and protect his family’s interests far more.
The next four years would pass quite uneventfully with the exception of the death of Queen Alysanne in 110 AC and the claiming of her dragon Silverwing by Prince Viserys and the formation of the aforementioned Narrow Sea League and the complex socioeconomics and geopolitics associated with it in 112 AC. In 113 AC, the next major event of note occurred, the dual wedding of Princesses Baela and Rhaena to Lords Jacaerys and Lucerys respectively.
It was an incredibly lavish event, as the two dragonlord houses both collaborated to show off their immense wealth and power. There was also a tourney hosted in which all of the esteemed lords and knights of the realm took part in. Lord Jacaerys ultimately emerged victorious and crowned his new bride his Queen of Love and Beauty with the victor’s flower wreath. In the preceding four years, the two pairs of twins had written many letters to each other as well as made personal visits and despite the misgivings that the princesses had for the two men whom they deemed responsible for their father’s injuries, there seemed to be promise for the marriages to succeed.
Despite this good news however, the cracks had already begun to show under the surface. Lord Jacaerys’ opponent in the final bout of the tourney was none other than Prince Aegon. It was a fine show of martial skill from both of them, as they tilted thirteen times before an accident injured Prince Aegon’s horse and threw him from it. Though Lord Jacaerys was courteous and tried to yield the match as an apology for the accident, the Prince refused and demanded to continue in a contest of arms, brandishing Blackfyre against Lord Jacaerys’ Seafang in a manner which many on the Velaryon side would argue was overly aggressive, perhaps even with killing intent.
Despite the danger, Lord Jacaerys successfully won and with the difficulty in determining the line between enthusiastic passion and killing intent, Prince Aegon was not subject to any scrutiny for his actions, not even from his best friend Daeron and his beloved Laena, whom he promised that he would present an ultimatum to his mother to consent to his marriage by his twentieth nameday in the fifth moon of 114, the following year, or he would go over her and straight to his grandfather to marry Laena with or without her approval. This promise greatly endeared Aegon to his beloved and gave her and her family new hope that peace was possible.
Meanwhile, Lords Jacaerys and Lucerys had a good time showing their new brides around Driftmark and Tyrosh and starting to build a loving relationship with them. They were also able to convince them to join their expedition to the Basilisk Isles at the start of 114 AC. This expedition had long been one of Jacaerys’ ambitions. His goals were simple, clear out all the corsairs and annex the Basilisk Isles to create a pirate-free trade route for his house in the Summer Sea and a colony to produce tropical goods for his house to export and profit. Secretly he was also very interested in what secrets might lie within the ruins of Gogossos.
He was perhaps too successful. After a dangerous high-stakes adventure that had almost seen Jacaerys dead from the Red Death in Gogossos, the Velaryons successfully cleared out all the corsairs from the Basilisk Isles as well as eradicated a hidden cache of bloodmagic-engineered chimeras and the Red Death they were carrying in Gogossos. This experience seems to have forged in fire the bonds between the two pairs of twins and they would begin the journey back home to the Narrow Sea as the fifth moon of 115 AC began.
They returned in glorious triumph and victory, having accomplished every single one of their goals. The Basilisk Isles had been cleared of all corsairs, safeguarding the trade lanes in the Summer Sea from piracy and allowing the islands to be settled and cultivated by Velaryon settlers to strengthen the house’s control of the Summer Sea and make money from the export of tropical goods. (Refer to The Summer Sea and House Velaryon for an in-depth look at how the region developed after the Velaryon conquest.)
By far however, the most incredible gain of all had been the treasures of Gogossos. First of all was a priceless and immense sum of gold, silver, jewelry, ivory, and other fineries that was equivalent to two-thirds of the substantial wealth of House Velaryon at the time (already the rulers of Tyrosh and one of the wealthiest families in the world). The Velaryons took only half of this treasure and gave the other half as a reward to their army who had served them loyally even when facing monstrous chimeras that seemed to have come from the depths of the seven hells.
An increase in wealth by one third was no small gain for House Velaryon but money they already had aplenty and most of that wealth would be reinvested in developing the Basilisk Isles anyway. No what they truly prized in Gogossos was the enormous cache of Valyrian steel, glass candles, and arcane secrets and lore.
Some estimates suggest that there was enough Valyrian steel in Gogossos to forge five hundred Valyrian steel swords, and this combined with their earlier windfall of Valyrian steel from Slaver’s Bay and their more conventional wealth solidified House Velaryon’s place as the indisputably richest family in the world, fulfilling yet another of Jacaerys’ ambitions. The arcane lore also held the secrets to using and mastering the glass candles as well as fire magic and blood magic, though all of this was kept utmost secret for the time being.
Upon their return to Tyrosh, Jacaerys and Lucerys would learn that their parents and siblings, whom they had thought were waiting for them on Driftmark, had in fact come to Tyrosh, impatient to see them and reassure themselves of their safety and health. Once they had unloaded all of their precious Gogossi treasures and secrets, they made their way to Zaldilaros Palace and it was there that their triumph turned to ashes.
For while Jacaerys and Lucerys had been off fighting in the Basilisk Isles, Prince Aegon’s supposed ultimatum had gone nowhere, as the fifth moon of 114 AC came and went without him marrying Laena Velaryon. This was because the Prince hesitated seeing what his would-be goodbrothers were doing in the Basilisk Isles. For many years since he had witnessed Jacaerys Velaryon beating up his uncle Daemon, or perhaps even before that, Aegon had come to nurse a growing hatred of the eldest Velaryon brother. A hatred that allowed his parents and his aunt and uncle to sway his conviction with doubts about the sincerity of House Velaryon’s desire to make peace.
Aegon came to fear the growing power of House Velaryon and when word reached of the enormous windfall of Valyrian steel and glory and the possible magical secrets that House Velaryon had attained in Gogossos, he could take it no longer. He broke off his relationship with Laena Velaryon to marry his cousin Helaena instead, much to the delight of his aunt and uncle and with his parents’ approval and his grandfather Aemon’s begrudging acceptance. But not before he offered Daeron and Laena one last chance to join his side, for Laena to elope with him without her family receiving what they wanted from that marriage and for Daeron to become the Heir to Driftmark and be granted the Stepstones in the place of his brother Jacaerys.
Refusing to betray their elder brothers and parents, Laena and Daeron refused Aegon and he grew wroth at their refusal, cursing at them and ending their life-long friendship. The two Velaryons returned home to High Tide distraught and were comforted by their own worried parents. For that very morning, Lady Viserra had had a dream. She dreamed of death and destruction, of their beloved castle High Tide aflame and burning.
The dream had come to her before, but never so vivid, and it would repeat many times over the coming weeks and would never truly leave her until the day she died, haunting her sleep every few months, repeating and warning the same thing, over and over again. The dream’s meaning was clear then, war between House Velaryon and House Targaryen was inevitable and could no longer be averted.
Upon their eldest sons’ return to Tyrosh, the Velaryons held a secret meeting that would decide the fate of the world. In that meeting, they determined their strategy to win the Dance, outlining and beginning the planning for the methods and tactics they would use in that war, such as Valyrian steel armor, wingsuit gliders and parachutes for dragon riders, and the intensive study of fire magic and glass candles for their tactical and strategic advantages.
It was also at that meeting that House Velaryon would decide to pursue the Triunification of the Second Triarchy in order to increase their conventional power and wealth to challenge Westeros and create a buffer zone between their capital and other economically important regions and their enemies, Targaryen or otherwise.
Sadly, that meeting would also determine that Baela and Rhaena Targaryen had to kept in the dark about the upcoming Dance until they had had children and were irrevocably bound to House Velaryon by blood, a plan made all the more cruel and tragic when both were revealed to be pregnant shortly after that meeting.
The following years would pass quickly and relatively uneventfully save for the births of more children in both houses and their respective preparations for conquest. For the Targaryens, the Conquest of Dorne announced to win back prestige after the Velaryon success in Gogossos had humiliated them, and the Velaryons the Triunification to prepare for the Dance.
In 120 AC, House Targaryen invaded Dorne and would encounter many difficulties subjugating the fanatically defiant populace. In the midst of this distraction, Velaryon spies in the Iron Islands triggered a revolt that further distracted the Targaryens. Near simultaneously, agents in Lys and Myr sparked slave revolts in those cities and House Velaryon mobilized to intervene, conquering and annexing both cities and a vast swathe of land in Essos in only a few months before the Targaryens could even react.
Though the Iron Islands had been pacified, Dorne continued to burn with the fires of rebellion for several more years while the Velaryons consolidated their new holdings in Essos. As part of the Triunification, the line of Corlys and Viserra were formally elevated above the rest of House Velaryon, now known as Velaryon Minor, and made the House of Zaldilaros Velaryon, royals in all but name.
It was around this time that the Faith of the Seven in Westeros finally denounced their Essosi counterparts as heretics, formally dividing the two religions from that point on as both sects mutually excommunicated each other. From then on, the religion in the Velaryon State was no longer known as the Essosi or Tyroshi Faith of the Seven but instead became increasingly identified as the Zaldilaros Cult after the key doctrine that summarized its beliefs, the Zaldilaros Creed, which in short is basically House Zaldilaros Velaryon’s divine right to rule the world.
As an offshoot of the Faith of the Seven, the Zaldilaros Cult preached many things that the downtrodden slaves of Essos found very attractive, such as a complete ban on and hatred of slavery. It was the de-facto official religion of the Velaryon State for decades and now that it was an established religion in its own right, it was formally proclaimed so in 121 AC.
Nonetheless honoring the basic principles of civility, mutual respect, and the tenets of Old Valyria’s religious tolerance, all faiths were welcomed and protected within the Triarchy so long as they followed certain conditions including a ban on any kind of conversion by violence or any violent religious doctrines (automatically outlawing the Ironborn’s Drowned God, the Black Goat of Qohor, the Bearded Priests of Norvos, and many sects of the Red Faith of Rh’llor), obedience and obeisance to the Velaryons over their priests and gods, and acknowledgement of the House of Zaldilaros’ right to rule the Triarchy and the validity of their exceptional marriage customs.
The Velaryons also levied a special tax on all non-Zaldilarosi for the privilege of religious tolerance and reserved the right to tax temples and clergy if they felt the need. No government aid or subsidies would be given to non-Zaldilarosi temples and clergy and all clergy no matter their status, sect, and origins, would be tried in state civil courts and not religious ecclesiastical courts; this applied to the Zaldilaros Cult as well. Furthermore, interfaith marriages between Zaldilarosi and other religious beliefs were only recognized as valid and legitimate in the Triarchy if the non-Zaldilarosi parent conceded in a binding legal document that any children were raised in the Light of the Seven and the Zaldilaros Creed.
The non-Zaldilarosi religious clergy and denominations had to accept all of these conditions to be given religious tolerance and protection in the Triarchy. As a result, despite the tolerance, it was clear to all that the Zaldilaros Cult was the favored religion of House Zaldilaros Velaryon, and why wouldn’t it be when they bore the same name and the Cult was directly controlled by House Velaryon and espoused the Creed that declared they were chosen by the gods to save and rule the world?
Many subsidies, tax breaks, and the like were given to the Zaldilaros Cult and its adherents and unofficially and subtly the Velaryon government worked to convert the entire populace to the Zaldilaros Cult, either out of genuine belief and zeal or political pragmatism. Consequently, by 132 AC, the Zaldilaros Cult would be the dominant majority religion in the Triarchy, with 60% of the population estimated to be Zaldilarosi. This ranged from true fanatical adherents of the Zaldilaros Creed to those who had converted for convenience, no longer able or wanting to pay the special tax for religious tolerance and seeking to benefit from the Zaldilaros Cult’s many privileges and protections. The vast majority of the elites in the Triarchy converted for political reasons, namely the perceived likelihood of greater favor in the government if they were Zaldilarosi.
Conversion rates went up even further when the Synod of the Zaldilaros Cult announced that any polygamist converts would not be required to give up their secondary wives to convert, though it was made clear that this was only for wives married before conversion and no new wives could be married unless all of their current wives died. It was also stressed that this was a limited dispensation given to converts and no existing adherent of the Zaldilaros Creed should seek to marry more than one wife unless they were a member of House Zaldilaros Velaryon.
The Zaldilaros Cult’s influence was not restricted solely to the borders of the Triarchy however. Ever since the religion’s founding in Tyrosh in the 90s AC, its missionaries had preached in secrets to the slaves and smallfolk across all of the Free Cities and even beyond in Ghiscar and Sarnor and reaching as far as Qarth or the Jade Sea following the Velaryon trade routes. Even in places where the Zaldilaros Creed did not take hold, its message of freedom from slavers and cruel tyrants and the actions of House Velaryon to liberate more of Essos and seemingly prove the Creed right were inspiring to many who had previously lost hope.
As a result, following the Triunification in 120 AC, revolts broke out across all of Essos from the Narrow Sea to the Bone Mountains. In each of the slaver ‘Free’ Cities, the slaves rose in revolt against their cruel masters, to varying success, ranging from a near total overthrow of the slaver order in Volantis, to the Velaryon-mediated uneasy abolition of slavery and truce between former slaves and masters in Pentos, to the outright suppression and brutal crushing of the slaves in Qohor and Norvos.
Beyond the Free Cities, Sarnor, Omber, Ghiscar, Lhazar, Qarth, Yinishar, and Ibben went to war with the Dothraki in an attempt to overthrow their cruel yoke over Central Essos even as the slaves revolted in Ghiscar and Qarth and the eunuchs rose up in Yinishar. For a time, it looked like they might even succeed before the Dothraki Khalasars rallied around a Great Khal for the first time since the Century of Blood.
Great Khal Drogo was a reformer who believed that the Dothraki’s nomadic ways had caused them to splinter and become divided prey to their subjects. He believed that they had to directly conquer and rule over their tributaries rather than be content to receive slaves and tribute before returning to the plains. He would go on to wage a decades long war to establish the Dothraki Empire.
By 132 AC, the situation in Essos had somewhat quieted down. The slave revolts had petered out in the Free Cities though resentment continued to simmer. The failure of the revolts had led to increased fervor for the Zaldilaros Cult as the slaves and oppressed smallfolk now believed that they could not save themselves and they waited and prayed for House Velaryon, believing that only they had the power to free them.
Further east, Khal Drogo’s Dothraki Empire had exploited the internal chaos to crush Ghiscar, Yinishar, and Qarth, as well as rolled over Lhazar, placing Dothraki Khals to rule over the cities. The surviving Qaathi able to escape the Dothraki onslaught fled across the Jade Gates to Qal and their territories on the north of Great Moraq. With most of Central Essos subjugated to their will, Khal Drogo’s Dothraki Empire, now exhausted from years of war but dedicated to their great leader, prepared for one final push into Sarnor and Omber and some in the Free Cities feared that they would continue across the Sarne afterward.
The Dothraki’s rampage further east was of minor concern to the Triarchy however. The Dothraki were far away and could be dealt with by their now twenty-two dragons, thirteen of which had riders 12 or older. The Triarchy’s concerns dwelt on a much more existential threat, one that was far far closer to home.
Following the attempted reconciliation in 109 AC, there had been a thaw of sorts in the coolness of relations between House Targaryen and House Velaryon. In 115 AC after Velaryon success in Gogossos and the slights of Prince Aegon, relations deteriorated even further and would be near breaking point following the Triunification in 120 AC. In fact, in a violation of his previous agreement, Aemon made a law forbidding any vassal from waging any kind of war, external or internal, that was not self-defense without the direct permission of the Iron Throne, and this explicitly named and included the Velaryons, using the legal limbo that was Driftmark to affect them.
Fortunately, the Velaryons had no intentions to break this limit and were content to continue their preparations for the impending war between their houses, though they did skirt awfully close to the limit when they mediated a truce in Pentos.
Nonetheless as the years went by, tensions continued to rise. The Targaryens took the Summer Isles in 126 AC and from that point onward the tensions reached near boiling point as the Westerosi South Sea Company and the Targaryen loyal Governor and lords in the Summer Isles clashed with Velaryon traders and fleets from the neighboring Basilisk Isles.
These conventional clashes in the distant south ramped up tensions closer to home as relations continued to deteriorate. Prince Baelon died in 126 AC and Princess Alyssa the following year in 127, leaving King Aemon as the last in House Targaryen who truly desired peace, though in an ironic turn of events, Daemon and Gael who had once opposed reconciling with the Velaryons now opposed going to war with them unless absolutely necessary since their eldest daughters were married into the house and had children.
The claiming of Sheepstealer in 126 AC by Jacaerys’ eldest son Corlys and the retaliatory claiming of the Cannibal and Grey Ghost by Jaehaerys and Rhaenyra Targaryen’s younger sons, Aelyx and Gaemon, in 131 AC only further worsened relations and deepened the mistrust as it became obvious to both dragonlord houses across the Narrow Sea that the other was preparing for war. Their respective paranoia and fears had caused them to enter into a spiraling trap from which there was no escape but war.
It was a shame because there was much potential for peaceful innovations and discoveries in this period. In Westeros the universities continued to advance and the Western Bloc had begun exploring the Sunset Sea. Braavos and Ibben had begun making tentative expeditions to explore beyond Nefer in the Shivering Sea that had had their funding cut due to the wars in Essos.
In the Triarchy, new ship designs were being developed and tested all the time, while some such as the clipper had their designs theorized decades or even a century ahead of when the technology was actually able to make them. Further research was also made on the marine chronometer though again it would be years yet before success was attained. Nonetheless, it was clear that the Age of Exploration had well and truly begun.
While the advancement of technology did slow down for the most part compared to the dramatic growth it had been experiencing between 60 and 100 AC once all the ‘low-hanging fruits’ as Lord Corlys deemed them had been picked, it was still progressing and the standard of living increased dramatically not only in the Velaryon domains but in parts of Westeros as well.
One particular field that did not seem to slow nearly as much was that of the development and production of new wines and liquors. The North and Vale experimented with ice wine while the Arbor and Oldtown finally figured out how to distill wine to concentrate it. For their part, the Velaryons continued making all of the wines and liquors they had been used to and began experimenting to create more, creating rice wines, fruit wines, fortified wines like port and sherry, sparkling wines, and more. Lord Corlys rather darkly joked at one point that the ceaseless advancement of the wine and liquor business in the Triarchy would help them all get drunk enough to forget about the imminent war.
It came to the point that the one and only thing preventing war was the continued health and wellbeing of King Aemon. Like his father, Aemon’s legacy is very mixed on both sides across the Narrow Sea, some say that he was weak, unable to control his family, his realm, or the Velaryons, some say he was peaceful and kind though misguided, all agree though that Aemon the Weak and Peaceful could have prevented the war that came if he had only acted differently, but at the very least those who support the Velaryons say that his actions gave them the time they needed to prepare for the war, even to the detriment of Aemon’s own house.
As 131 AC came to an end, Aemon’s health declined rapidly, finally worn down after years of ceaseless stress, worry, and grieving for his wife and everyone else that he had lost over the course of his long, long life. He became ill and was forced into bedrest as Rhaenys took over the running of the realm and began putting her plans into action. By the new year Aemon was dead, and peace died with him.
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Military Update – 132 AC
The year 120 AC or 27 AZ (Age of Zaldilaros) represented a major shift in the doctrine of the Velaryon Army. Up until that point, the Velaryon State had been a sprawling thalassocractic and maritime empire, with mostly island territories and small hinterlands on the mainland next to said islands, divided across the world without a truly dominant center of mass.
While Tyrosh and its mainland hinterlands were the capital and the center of this scattered state, they weren’t large enough to truly justify the doctrine of land-based warfare being the norm. The Velaryon Army had been designed for garrison and combat duties across a sprawling island empire. That all changed with the Triunification in 120 AC.
With the Triunification, a massive center of mass formed as the core of the Velaryon State, with a vast amount of open lands and plains to defend and three massive Free Cities and all their vassal towns and hinterlands to feed the war machine. Thus the Velaryon Army adapted and changed its doctrines to reflect that.
From then on, all maritime combat doctrine and duties were left entirely to the senior service, the esteemed Velaryon Navy and its marines. Velaryon Army units took up garrison duties in the Basilisk Isles, Velos, and Viserria as they always had, but in the new Triarchy, some changes were needed.
While the structure and organization of the ranks of the Velaryon Army remained the same as they were in 113 AC (Refer: Military and Maritime Organization of the Velaryon State – 113 AC), the Army itself was massively expanded and changed from what it had been previously.
In 113 AC, the Velaryon Army stood at a strength of 64,792, a count including the 40,000 strong regular Velaryon Army units, the 10,000 Unsullied auxiliaries, the Tide Guard, and all their dedicated support staff complements in addition to an uncounted levy force of 3000-5000 from Driftmark and Massey’s Hook.
Now in the year 132, things have changed greatly. With Driftmark and Stonedance denuded of their populace, the Massey’s Hook vassals deemed treacherous and unreliable, and all of the Unsullied retired due to age, the only units left in the Velaryon Army are the standard divisions, the Tide Guard, and any additional support staff.
As befitting its greatly increased budget and responsibilities, the Tide Guard has increased further from the 512 it rested at in 113 and now boasts exactly one thousand proud knights and zealous guards. Each a fierce believer of the Zaldilaros Creed and devoted enough to die in the service of that house. In addition to this force of knights, the Tide Guard has a dedicated support staff tending to their horses, armor, weapons, logistics, and injuries that numbers around 600, which brings their total number to around 1600 with support staff included.
As for the regular Velaryon Army units, in 113 AC there were 8 standard divisions. Back then a standard division would be around 5 regiments of 5,000 soldiers in total, consisting of 3,000 infantry, 1,500 archers, 500 cavalry, and 1,500 support staff, as well as a command staff consisting of 10 regimental commanding officers and 2 divisional Commanding Officers for a combined number of 6,512 men. With 8 divisions, there would be a total of 52,096 in a standard structure, discounting any additional support or command staff.
The composition and size of this structure has been amended to reflect the changing needs of the Velaryon State. With vast open plains to defend in Essos now and with the land to support a large number of horses, an increase in cavalry was ideal
Previously within each regiment, there would be 10 companies. 6 companies of infantry, 3 companies of archers, and 1 company of cavalry. The cavalry company would be a mix of knights and kataphracts, heavy cavalry but also given the task of serving as scouts and outriders. This has since been altered.
The knights and kataphracts are now considered the same designation with the further development of the Zaldilaros Faith and there is now an additional company of light cavalry in each regiment that is more lightly armored with mail and scale and equipped with bows, scimitars, and javelins. These are the horse archers or the light cavalry. This company is now given all the scouting, outriding, and the bulk of the foraging duties for a regiment, a role that is much more fitting for them than the knights previously.
As a result, the composition of a regiment has now been changed. There are still 10 companies, with 3 companies of archers, but there are now only 5 companies of infantry. The remaining two companies are cavalry, one company being heavy cavalry, the kataphract knights, and the other being light cavalry, the horse archers.
Thus the new composition for a standard division would be around 5 regiments of 5,000 soldiers, consisting of 2,500 infantry, 1,500 archers, 500 kataphract knights, 500 horse archers, and 1,500 support staff, as well as a command staff consisting of 10 regimental commanding officers and 2 divisional Commanding Officers for a combined number of 6,512 men.
The vastly increased size of the Velaryon State after the Triunification has also allowed the Velaryon Army to raise an additional 12 divisions so there are now 20 divisions in the army total. Thus House Zaldilaros Velaryon as of the year 132 AC has the ability to raise 20 standard divisions from its peacetime standing regiments, consisting of a total of 50,000 infantry, 30,000 archers, 10,000 cavalry, 10,000 horse archers, and 30,000 support staff. There is also a standard command staff of 200 regimental commanding officers, and 40 divisional commanding officers, for a total of 130,240 standard personnel, not counting any additional support or command staff. In addition to the approximately 1600 Tide Guard and support staff, as well as any non-standard additional staff, this leads to a total personnel number of around 132,000.
As for deployment, the Tide Guard are of course deployed to guard the members of the House of Zaldilaros Velaryon and their residences at all times. Tide Guard protection has also been stripped from the majority of House Velaryon Minor and is now extended only to the lines of Lord Corlys’ brothers, due to expire upon the death of the last members of those lines alive at the time of the Triunification and the formal elevation of the House of Zaldilaros above the rest of House Velaryon.
For the twenty standard divisions of the Velaryon Army, the deployment is as follows. 14 divisions in the Triarchy (70,000 soldiers), 1 division each in Velos and Viserria, (5,000 and 5,000 soldiers) and 4 divisions in the Basilisk Isles (20,000 soldiers).
With so many divisions present in these theatres, the special and oft wartime rank of Captain General has also been created to coordinate multiple divisions under a corps without the presence of the Field Marshal (the Archon of the Triarchy, Head of House Zaldilaros Velaryon) since the Magisters of the provinces have no authority to command Velaryon Army units and are considered equal in rank to Division Generals who work alongside them for the protection and pacification of the provinces during peacetime. There is at present three Captain Generals commanding three corps, two in the Triarchy and one in the Basilisk Isles, having been brevet promoted from one of the existing division generals and maintaining command of their personal divisions in addition to the corps.
Driftmark and Stonedance have been all but abandoned and between them both have only a force of 1000, most of which are either Tide Guard or have been detached from a Triarchy Division for a special deployment. The rising tensions in the Summer Sea have necessitated the deployment of 4 divisions to the region, double what there was before the conquest of the Summer Isles by House Targaryen in 126.
With the perceived imminence of the outbreak of war between Westeros and the Triarchy, plans are already underway for the immediate evacuation of all Velaryon Army personnel from House Velaryon’s holdings in Westeros and the simultaneous invasions of the Stepstones and the Summer Isles by the divisions in the Triarchy and Basilisk Isles respectively.
Such an invasion would of course necessitate the involvement of the esteemed Senior Service, the Velaryon Navy. And truly Velaryon Rules the Waves indeed. After the Triunification and the acquisition of naval assets in Lys and Myr, the Velaryon Navy’s numbers and deployment stand as such in the year 132.
Total Maritime Manpower: 470,000 (approx.)
Velaryon Navy: 280,000
-Sailors: 190,000
-Marines: 90,000
Velaryon Merchant Navy: 190,000
Total Ships: 7262
Velaryon Merchant Marine: 6311
Velaryon Navy: 951
-Triarchy: 400
-Corlantis: 300
-Velos: 50
-Viserria:50
-Patrol/convoy/trade duty: 131
-Driftmark: 21 including the Sea Snake as the 21st, these ships are waiting to evacuate all remaining personnel from Driftmark and Stonedance to the Triarchy at a moment’s notice.
Of course such a massive number of Navy warships is only possible because during peacetime the vast majority of those warships join the Merchant Marine serving as convoys, patrols, or even carrying cargo themselves for trade. That being said, with the imminence of war, most of the ships on those duties have been reassigned to the Triarchy or the Basilisk Isles in preparation for the invasion of the Stepstones and Summer Isles and also in expectation of battle with the Westerosi fleets.
In 132 AC, the population of the Velaryon State, including the Triarchy, Basilisk Isles, Velos, and Viserria, is estimated at around 23 million people, with Driftmark and Massey’s Hook no longer counted in the census and this vast population alongside external recruitment has helped maintain the large numbers in the Velaryon military.
Before winter started in 130, the population in Westeros was estimated at around 35 million, 40 million if the Summer Isles are included. The feudal nature of Westeros makes it harder to determine its military strength but it is estimated that they could muster a theoretical combined total of 350,000 to 400,000 soldiers from their knights, men-at-arms, sergeants, and levies. They are also estimated to be able to field around 900-1100 warships in total from all of their combined fleets.
In other words, the Velaryon Navy is roughly equivalent to the entire naval strength of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. The Velaryon Army is theoretically only a quarter the size of their total military strength but is a trained and professional army facing against levies. Westerosi ships also do not differentiate between sailors and marines like the Velaryon Navy does, adding another 90,000 trained soldiers to the Velaryon Army if Navy Marines are counted, making the gap even closer to around half that of Westeros.
Logistics and quality favors the Velaryon military significantly as it can bring to bear almost its entire force on its chosen targets and supply them adequately while it is highly unlikely that Westeros can muster most of its forces due to the distances involved, the lesser emphasis on logistics, and the feudal nature of the kingdom.
In a conventional war, it is probable that the Velaryon State could achieve all of its goals and emerge victorious over the Iron Throne since their limited war aims are perceived to be full independence and the acquisition of the Stepstones and the Summer Isles, and possibly parts of Dorne and the Stormlands.
That being said, the war ahead is anything but conventional given the ruling houses of both polities possess dragons and it is likely that the war will be decided in the skies long before all the various armies and fleets amount to anything.
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The Dragons
The Targaryens in 132 AC (17 dragons total)
Rhaenys - Meleys
Viserys - Silverwing
Daemon - Vermithor
Gael - Syrax
Aegon - Sunfyre
Helaena - Stormcloud
-Aemond - Vhagar
-Maelor - Nightfyre/Drogon
-Jaehaera - Jadewing/Rhaegal
Jaehaerys - Tyraxes
Rhaenyra - Seasmoke
-Visenya - Vermax
-Viserys - Arrax
-Aelyx - Cannibal/Aegarax
- Gaemon - Grey Ghost
-Elaena - Caraxes
-Vaella – Goldfyre/Viserion
The Velaryons in 132 AC (22 dragons total)
Viserra - Dreamfyre
Jacaerys - Tessarion
Baela - Moondancer
-Corlys - Telarion/Sheepstealer
-Daemon - Saffyre
-Aurion - Artaxes
-Daena - Shadowdancer
-Valaena - Vassarion
Lucerys - Morghul
Rhaena - Morning
-Baelor - Aegion
-Serra - Starflame
-Aethan - Gaelithox
-Aeryn - Azantys
Daeron - Terrax
Laena - Shrykos
-Jaenara - Urrax
-Rhaelle - Krythax
-Naerys - Talaxes
-Maelys - Falkael
-Daenaera - Pealfyre
-Daerea - Gemtail
The Youngest Generation of House Velaryon and House Targaryen, circa 132 AC
Born to Jacaerys Velaryon and Baela Targaryen:
- Corlys Velaryon ‘the Younger’, born 116 AC, 16 years old. Rides the male dragon Sheepstealer, renamed Telarion; a rich mahogany-brown beast, lean and huge. Sheepstealer hatched when King Jaehaerys was young sometime in the 50s AC from an egg on Dragonstone of uncertain parentage but believed to be Vhagar before she was moved to the Dragonpit in 56 AC.
- Daemon Velaryon, born 119 AC, 13 years old. Rides a sapphire and saffron-purple colored she-dragon named Saffyre which hatched from an egg of Dreamfyre in 119 AC.
- Aurion Velaryon, born 122 AC, 10 years old. Bonded to a silver male dragon named Artaxes, with black claws, horns, crests, and white belly scales that hatched from an egg of Dreamfyre in 122 AC.
- Daena Velaryon, born 126 AC, 6 years old. Bonded to a black and dark magenta dragon named Shadowdancer which hatched from an egg of Dreamfyre in 127 AC.
- Valaena Velaryon, born 129 AC, 3 years old. Bonded to a young emerald she-dragon with yellow crests, claws, accents, and wing membranes named Vassarion, that hatched from an egg of Dreamfyre in 129 AC.
Born to Lucerys Velaryon and Rhaena Targaryen:
- Baelor Velaryon, born 116 AC, 16 years old. Rides an iron and silver-colored male dragon named Aegion which hatched from an egg of Dreamfyre in 116 AC.
- Serra Velaryon, born 118 AC, 14 years old. Rides a violet and white-blue she-dragon named Starflame which hatched from an egg of Dreamfyre in 118 AC.
- Aethan Velaryon, born 125 AC, 7 years old. Rides a red male dragon with orange wings and yellow accents and scales looking like the dawn, named Gaelithox, that hatched from an egg of Dreamfyre in 125 AC.
- Aeryn Velaryon, born 128 AC, 4 years old. Bonded to an auburn and bronze male dragon named Azantys that hatched from an egg of Dreamfyre in 128 AC.
Born to Daeron and Laena Velaryon:
- Jaenara Velaryon, born 117 AC, 15 years old. Rides a crimson and gold colored male dragon named Urrax which hatched from an egg of Dreamfyre in 117 AC.
- Rhaelle Velaryon, born 120 AC, 12 years old. Rides a sky-blue she-dragon with white belly scales, crests, horns, accents, and wing membranes named Krythax, which hatched from an egg of Dreamfyre in 120 AC.
- Naerys Velaryon, born 123 AC, 9 years old. Rides a sandy brown and peach male dragon named Talaxes, that hatched from an egg of Dreamfyre in 123 AC.
- Maelys Velaryon, born 125 AC, 7 years old. Bonded to a red and green male dragon named Falkael, that hatched from an egg of Dreamfyre in 125 AC.
- Daenaera Velaryon, born 128 AC, 4 years old, twin of Daerea. Bonded to a pearlescent white and cream she-dragon with white pearly flames named Pearlfyre, which hatched from an egg of Dreamfyre in 128 AC.
- Daerea Velaryon, born 128 AC, 4 years old, twin of Daenaera. Bonded to an obsidian jet-black male dragon that is near entirely black save for its tail which is colored a dazzling emerald green. The dragon’s name is Gemtail and it hatched from an egg of Dreamfyre in 128 AC.
Born to Aegon and Helaena Targaryen:
- Aemond Targaryen, born 116 AC, 16 years old. Rides the great dragon Vhagar, the largest and oldest in the world, bronze with greenish blue highlights and bright green eyes. She hatched from an egg laid by one of the four older dragons of House Targaryen before Balerion in the Century of Blood and is now 184 years old.
- Maelor Targaryen, born 119 AC, 13 years old. Rides a ferocious male dragon with scarlet wings and horns, black scales streaked with scarlet, and eyes as red as coals named Nightfyre which hatched from an egg of Dreamfyre in 119 AC.
- Jaehaera Targaryen, born 122 AC, 10 years old. Rides a cunning male dragon, with dark jade-green scales and wings, molten gold-bronze eyes and orange-yellow flames shot through with veins of green and black claws and needle teeth, named Jadewing.
Born to Jaehaerys and Rhaenyra Targaryen:
- Visenya Targaryen, born 117 AC, 15 years old. Rides an olive-green male dragon with pale orange wing membranes named Vermax that hatched from an egg of Syrax in 117 AC.
- Viserys Targaryen ‘the Younger’, born 117 AC, 15 years old. Rides a pearlescent white male dragon with golden eyes and chest named Arrax that hatched from an egg of Syrax in 117 AC.
- Aelyx Targaryen, born 119 AC, 13 years old. Rides the Cannibal, now renamed Aegarax. The male dragon is black as coal with menacing green eyes. It hatched from an unknown parentage at an uncertain time though now commonly held by House Targaryen to be sometime in the 30s AC and from an egg laid by Vhagar and sired by Balerion.
- Gaemon Targaryen, born 121 AC, 11 years old. Rides Grey Ghost, who is believed to have hatched from an egg of Silverwing in the year 115 AC, during Prince Viserys’ residence on Dragonstone with his wife Rhaenys, the Princess of Dragonstone. Grey Ghost is a rather shy dragon and even now only enjoys the company of his rider. He is a pale grey-white, the color of morning mist.
- Elaena Targaryen, born 123 AC, 9 years old. She has claimed and now rides her recently deceased great-grandfather’s dragon, Caraxes the Blood Wyrm who hatched from an egg sired by Balerion and laid by Vhagar in 54 AC on Dragonstone and was later moved to the Dragonpit with his parents in 56 AC.
- Vaella Targaryen, born 126 AC, 6 years old. She is bonded to the young male dragon Goldfyre, who hatched from an egg of Dreamfyre in Vaella’s cradle in 126 AC. The majority of the dragon’s scales are cream but his horns, wing bones, and spiral crest, are gold. His teeth are shining black daggers, his eyes pools of molten gold, and the flame for which he is named is a pale gold shot through with red and orange. Goldfyre’s egg initially belonged to Prince Aemond but upon his claiming of the dragon Vhagar, he gave the egg which had not hatched in his cradle to his recently born youngest Targaryen cousin Vaella.
From this list, the youngest are Rhaelle on the Velaryon side (born 120) who is 12 in 132 and Aelyx and Maelor on the Targaryen side (born 119) who are 13 in the Dance. Thus it is likely that they and everyone younger than them from the list above will not fight in the Dance but will be kept in safety away from the Dance, with Aelyx, Maelor, and Rhaelle helping to protect their younger siblings and cousins.
Corlys, Baelor, Daemon, Serra, and Jaenara would fight on the Velaryon side, adding five dragons to theirs. On the Targaryen side, Aemond, Visenya, and Viserys would fight, though Aemond has Vhagar, a huge advantage.
With Aemon dead and Caraxes in the Dragonpit and not in play due to Elaena being too young to be a relevant rider, there are 13 dragonriders on each side that are 12 years old or older. The combat-ready dragons are thus as such:
Targaryen – 13
1) Vhagar
2) Vermithor – 90% Vhagar
3) Aegarax/Cannibal – 85% Vhagar
4) Silverwing – 80% Vhagar
5) Meleys – 70% Vhagar
6) Syrax – 45% Vhagar
7) Sunfyre – 40% Vhagar
8) Seasmoke – 40% Vhagar
9) Stormcloud – 35% Vhagar
10) Tyraxes – 35% Vhagar
11) Vermax – 20% Vhagar
12) Arrax – 20% Vhagar
13) Nightfyre – 25% Vhagar
Average Size – 52.7% Vhagar
Velaryon – 13
1) Dreamfyre – 80% Vhagar
2) Telarion/Sheepstealer – 65% Vhagar
3) Tessarion – 50% Vhagar
4) Morghul – 50% Vhagar
5) Shrykos – 45% Vhagar
6) Terrax – 45% Vhagar
7) Moondancer – 37% Vhagar
8) Morning – 37% Vhagar
9) Saffyre – 25% Vhagar
10) Aegion – 27% Vhagar
11) Starflame – 25% Vhagar
12) Urrax – 25% Vhagar
13) Krythax – 20% Vhagar
Average Size – 40.8% Vhagar
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Author’s Note: Hope you guys liked the recap history interlude and the attached appendixes (they are pretty important for the coming chapters, the appendixes especially). Check out the images below as they will help out greatly in visualizing the situation.. The time has finally come. Next chapter, the Dance Arc begins!
Lmk your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below or in the patron chats over on Discord! https://discord.com/invite/NSEwuzpcWm
Reminder that this exists. Any of you have the time and knowledge to really make it pop? Please do contribute if so! https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/HighTide
Comments
Tertius711
Stay tuned! Already gotten started on 70! Hope to get it out by Tuesday!
ksri
Can’t wait for the war to start :)
Tertius711
Well let's see how it goes in the end! Good analysis.
NJ
The cadet branch Targaryens of Dorne are already stronger and more numerous dragon wise than the main line branch of Targaryens of King's Landing. Sure they are all well aligned now against the Velaryons(and even so we already know Daemon and Gael and probably Jaehaerys to a lesser extent are not as committed to this fight against the Velaryons as the KL Targs) that is a problem in the long run for the mainline Targs, especially since I reckon they (being the mainline Targs) will be the ones that the Velaryons aim to take out the hardest in any possible decap strike. (Daemon and Gael will have far more reasons and incentives to negotiate with them to end hostilities if they find themselves losing in the Dance than a Aegon, Rhaenys, Viserys and even Aemond)
Tertius711
There are certainly plans for Driftmark. I didn't plan any for Stonedance but now that you raise the matter, I am considering it.
Tertius711
It's never revealed which country the excerpt is from :) AC is for consistency with the previous excerpts and for ease of reader use as no one really knows the Age of Zaldilaros calendar among readers.
Jack K
“Driftmark and Stonedance have been all but abandoned and between them both have only a force of 1000.” I’m hoping they are rigged to the teeth with traps or other surprises. Would love to see the “vassals” of the hook/ the the staunch anti-Velaryon houses think they were successful in their loyalty to the crown in taking their overlord’s seat/seat of their rival only to pay dearly for it.
Kolek
As a minor note, if this is supposed to be an excerpt from a future textbook in the Velaryon realm, it should probably use the Zaldilaros Calendar rather than the AC calendar to mark events.
Tertius711
Lol don't count on that. Dragonstone is rather too close to King's Landing tbch. The Velaryons need to be careful not to overstretch themselves. Dorne is another easy target.
Maciek
So would that mean that next update will appear in Tuesday in three days :) ? To be honest I thought rather about somewhat wider spectrum, including Dorne and Crownlands. Maybe not King's Landing, but Dragonstone would be a valuable target too.
Tertius711
Aemon was Neville Chamberlain sadly, whether that's fair or not. If there's no Dance Aemon would probably be remembered really well tbch.
Tertius711
Well I did say Saturday-Tuesday update period, time to use the full range lol. Yeah the history interludes and the appendixes are generally much easier for me to write, just need to word vomit without worrying too much about character development and feelings and foreshadowing and all that stuff lol. We'll see about that next update. They are indeed roughly equal though in a straight 13v13, the Targaryens may edge out a costly victory given their size advantage so yeah, wolfpack tactics. Let's see how they work out. Westeros' east coast? Absolutely yes. Seems like an obvious target doesn't it? Stormlands are oh so juicy. Let's see how those raids proceed and what exactly the Velaryon warplan is next chapter!
Omar
So glad that historians can see Jaehaerys fuck ups. though I do feel really bad for Aemon. His dad basically sabotaged his reputation as king. Though if there was no Dance, how would Aemon be viewed by historians?
Maciek
Quite unexpected, but very welcome update :) Can only wish that next update would appear so quickly ;) So it looks like opposing forces are roughly equal - still, given that Targs dragons are generally bigger, Velaryons will probably have to use wolfpack tactic, at least at the beginning. That'd be safer, though becoming an Ace would get much more difficult ;) One question: while there are plans to invade Summer Isles and Stepstones, are Velaryons also planning to launch some raids at the Westeros East Coast. Given both their spy rings and glass candles, they HAVE to know about preparations, and even destroying an infrastructure and conventional forces would be a boon. Plus that could force Targs to divide their dragons, thus making some ambush more doable.
