You’ve said before that “The Old Way” is unsustainable. If your were in charge of the Iron Islands what would you do to make them as powerful and rich as the could given their limited size and resources? What should the Ironborn really be doing right now beside following doomed leader after doomed leader?

nobodysuspectsthebutterfly:

librationpoint:

racefortheironthrone:

1. Trade, trade, trade. The Iron Islands should have the biggest fleet possible, and should invest in ocean-going ships that can sail west to Asshai. 

2. Manufacturing. Lots of tin and iron, probably lots of coal around. Start making iron goods and selling them, rather than selling raw iron. 

3. If they hadn’t fucked it up, negotiate with the North for available land. 

You know, Point 1 bring ups something that I’ve been wondering since reading AWOIAF. It appears that the maesters believe that the world is a sphere, and I see no reason to believe that it’s not a regular planet in geographic terms. There’s also questions about how far east Essos goes and if there’s much beyond Asshai. It seems like they should have been able to calculate the approximate size of Planetos since that’s something managed by Eratosthenes with much less cartographic information/accuracy and institutional support compared to the maesters. Obviously their maps of Essos are probably less accurate than those of Westeros, but they should have a decent idea of how much space is missing. 

This is not to say that it’s a distance that’s crossable by longship, or that there’s not some huge landmass in the way like Columbus lucked into, but at the very least they should have a decent idea of what the raw distance is, much like Europeans did in the 15th century. I suppose it’s possible in the book Yandel is being Yandel and not wanting people to get any funny ideas about visiting Asshai by a shortcut.

I think Steven typoed east as west above, but in case he didn’t, and in re your question — nobody has ever sailed west from Westeros, crossed the Sunset Sea. It’s not just Yandel or a maester thing (they do know the world is round), it’s just that nobody’s ever managed to get very far west without dying. (Not even the Summer Islanders, who go everywhere.) The Lonely Light is the westernmost point of the known world, and it’s only eight days sail from the main Iron Islands.

Perhaps it is possible that some venturesome Iron Islander will be the Leif Ericsson of Westeros, but they will most likely find a continent in the way, yes. Perhaps whatever part of Essos and Ulthos that extends east of Asshai (per The Lands of Ice and Fire), perhaps some other “new world” unknown continent that’s even further east.

Still, I agree that a proper ocean-going trade fleet that could sail east to Asshai (and the other lands of the Jade Sea on the way) would help the Iron Islands’ economy tremendously. (A trade fleet, not a raiding fleet.) And the rest of what was suggested above, too.

No, I meant west to Asshai. Yes, it’s true that no one’s successfully made the trip, but look at the ships they’re sailing with – cogs, carracks, dromonds, galleys – they’re not super-big ocean-going ships. Even the swan ships of the Summer Islands, according to their depiction in the Worldbook (p. 279), look like three-masted carracks.

If they’re going to make it across the Sunset Sea, you’re going to need a ship big enough to hold a lot of food and water – your proper 18th century ship of the line. And a maester who grows lemon trees in pots.