No. I think the Grand Maester is something the Conclave came up with after Aegon’s Conquest in order to ensure that their representative at King’s Landing would be sufficiently grand and important.
Author: stevenattewell
why are we not show any communication between ned and cat after she took tyrian prisoner? If there was time for jaime to find out and plan the attack on ned, surely there was time for and cat to communicate
Because Cat couldn’t communicate while she was travelling from the crossroads to the Eyrie. And by the time she got to the Eyrie, Ned would have been in recovery from his injuries.
If Stannis survives in the books long enough for Dany to show up (I recall GRRM saying a character who died in the show is still alive at the same time in the books), do you think there is any chance he would bend the knee and serve her? I recall you observing that Stannis wrestled with loyalty to King Aerys and Robert in the rebellion, bowing to the belief that the young brother follows the older. With Robert gone could Stannis be convinced to yield to Dany? Do you think he’d make a good Hand?
I think the result of Stannis’ interactions with Dany will be him taking the black.
How is possibile that Dorne hasn’t a fleet considering its closeness with stepstones the pyrates of Lys and Myr and the Threath they pose to their east coast!?
Due to its geography, Dorne doesn’t have much in the way of viable harbors, and Martell policy has historically been anti-naval as part of their larger cultural policy of forging a unitary Dornish identity. Moreover, a lot of their resources would be focused on the land-based threats from the Reach and the Stormlands.
However, we know they have some small naval forces, hence their intervention in Prince Daemon’s war for the Stepstones, their attack on Cape Wrath during the First Dornish War, etc.
On the deal Renly offers to Catelyn, given the already-decent autonomy the great lords have, exactly what could he offer Robb that Robb didn’t already have besides the right to call himself ‘king’ while still de facto being a lord?
Eh?
With respect, Steven, I think you’re wrong? Renly absolutely does offer Catelyn (who is speaking for Robb, so he’s offering it to Robb) the right to call himself a King while still being a de facto lord.
From Catelyn II, ACOK:
That’s not the deal Renly offers Catelyn in the books, only in the show.
Renly’s offer in the books is: see how I destroy my enemies, join me or I’ll do the same to you.
“He can even go on calling himself the King in the North if he likes, so long as he bends the knee and does my homage as his overlord. King is only a word, but fealty, loyalty, service… those I must have.”
That seems like an offer to me?
Accountability Corner Time!
Yeah, you’re right. I answered that ask first thing on waking up and wasn’t paying close enough attention. I should probably wait to reply to asks until I’m fully alert.
So to give it another pass: I would say that Renly’s offer is a largely symbolic one, and doesn’t really deal with some of the material issues – Robb’s vendetta against the Lannisters, whether or not he’s the overlord of the Riverlands, any of the war aims Robb put forward, etc. – necessary for a Dornish Option to work.
Moreover, the sincerity of Renly’s offer is somewhat undermined by his actions in Catelyn III when he refuses to allow her to leave so that “you shall see what befalls rebels with your own eyes, so your son can hear it from your own lips.”
On the deal Renly offers to Catelyn, given the already-decent autonomy the great lords have, exactly what could he offer Robb that Robb didn’t already have besides the right to call himself ‘king’ while still de facto being a lord?
That’s not the deal Renly offers Catelyn in the books, only in the show.
Renly’s offer in the books is: see how I destroy my enemies, join me or I’ll do the same to you.
Is the Grand Maester nominally in charge of the Citadel or is he just supposed to advise the crown? I imagine it would be difficult to supervise the entire organization from King’s Landing.
The latter. The Citadel is governed by the Conclave of Archmaesters, although they elect a Seneschal to do the day-to-day governance on a yearly basis.
To use a modern-day analogy: the Seneschal is the department chair no one wants to hold because it distracts from their research, the Conclave is the department meeting that’s full of vicious petty politics despite having very low stakes, and the Grand Maester is the guy they send to advise the government so that they don’t have to be distracted from their research.
Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis: Jon II, ASOS
Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis: Jon II, ASOS
It was easy to lose your way beyond the Wall. Jon did not know that he could tell honor from shame anymore, or right from wrong. Father forgive me. Synopsis: As the wildlings reach the Fist of the First Men, Jon has a talk with Mance and gets his first mission as a turncloak. SPOILER WARNING: This chapter analysis, and all following, will contain spoilers for all Song of Ice and Fire novels and…
on the subject of that Vale AU you discussed, would you expect Stannis’ position as regeant of the vale to result in Robb allying with him by default?
If Stannis declares earlier than OTL, yes.
What if Robert Arryn had been fostered at Dragonstone with Stannis Baratheon? Would the Vale have rallied to Stannis’ cause when crowned himself? Could the Vale have mobilized enough troops to make a difference?
Yes and yes.
As Robert’s foster father, Stannis would almost certainly become the Regent of the Vale rather than Lysa Arryn.
As Regent, Stannis would command the Vale’s army of some 30,000 and their fleet at Gulltown – this would allow him to go for King’s Landing right away, rather than diverting to Storm’s End. Without the time to prepare, Tyrion would have not been able to stop him from taking the city and Stannis would have sat the Iron Throne. How long he would have kept it is another question.
RFTIT Tumblr Backup 