The War of the Five Kings
Introduction
Welcome back to Westeros. With HBO's House of the Dragon well underway, the time is ripe for another journey into the world of George R.R. Martin.
In this RP, we will be exploring Westeros from the very beginning, all the way back in 298 AC. King Robert Baratheon sits on the Iron Throne, overseeing a troubled Realm. Eddard Stark, the Hand of the King, has picked up the trail left by his predecessor Lord Jon Arryn of the Eyrie, investigating a secret so troubling, its reveal could cause the entire realm to shake. As Robert continues to hunt, drink, and whore himself into an early grave, the pieces are moving and the board is set for an epic confrontation. Thus, through this RP, you will take on a myriad of possible roles, from Lord Paramount of one of the Seven Kingdoms, to a lowly hedge knight or sworn shield, a foreign pirate or begging brother, a Maester or reaver from the Iron Islands. All possibilities are available. With any luck, this RP will come to a conclusion that is more satisfying, and more enjoyable, than what we received all the way back in 2019.
Premise and Rules
This RP takes place in 298 AC, some time after the death of Jon Arryn, but prior to the execution of Eddard Stark. The beginning of the IC will take place right after the Hands Tourney, as Stark is starting to recognize just exactly what is going on in King's Landing. Catelyn has yet to capture Tyrion. This is a critical point in the narrative, and how the players react to unfolding events, hopefully differently than the books, will inform how the RP progresses.
Given the centrality of the capital, I am willing to be lenient as to the location of characters. For example, if one is playing the Tully's, it is entirely reasonable to think that Edmure could begin the RP in King's Landing as an attendee of the Hand's Tourney. However, we must not stuff one location with all our active characters. Please consider your justifications for altering a character's starting location carefully.
This RP is a sandbox style, character driven RP. This means that you can choose to play as anyone, from a King to a peasant, but must remain cognizant of what your role entails. Character interaction will be at the crux of the RP; nation-building, army management, battles, and all the more overtly strategic considerations will be of importance but will not be central. You are expected to be playing a character, not a kingdom.
Given that consideration, the characters that are available have set personalities. There are certain actions that would not do, and certain actions that they must. For instance, whomever plays Stannis is expected to at the very least approach issues as Stannis might; it would be silly to have him bend the knee without fighting for his claim, for instance. This ensures that the RP does fit the world that we have set it in.
This focus on character interaction does present us with an issue, namely, how do we resolve wars, plots or duels? Well, we plan ahead and we look at the lore. If one player is Edmure Tully, and the other Jaime Lannister, any combat between the two is expected to be pre-scripted, discussed by each player before hand. In this instance, Jaime, the obviously superior swordsman, should be accepted as the winner by bother players. A similar situation goes for large battles, which must take into account army quality, supply, positioning, commanders and other factors. In an instance where there is an inability to come to an agreement, an OP will look at the case and make a ruling.
Character deaths is also a critical aspect of ASOIAF, and must be accepted by players who make mistakes. If the character playing Eddard Stark remains in King's Landing for too long, it is highly likely he will be put on the same path as his book counterpart. If a player allows their character to be captured, for instance, they are at the mercy of another player. Discussion should occur as to what would be the most fun and interesting way to proceed.
All in all, I want this to be a character centric RP, and that means communicating with other players.
Moving on to the hard and fast rules;
1. Standard site rules apply, in particular metagaming, Godmodding etc. You should know the drill. If you do not, this RP is probably not for you.
2. Accept the OP or Co-Ops rulings. Dissent is fine but their word goes.
3. Be realistic and write well. One liners are a big no-no, as are unrealistic story arcs or events. If you are marching an army to Winterfell from Sunspear, its going to take a while.
4. Accept that you will make mistakes and may lose or even die.
5. Consult with the ASOIAF wiki and make sure you know your way around the Lore.
6. Activity is important; if you are going to be off for a period longer than a couple of days, please let us know.
7. Everything East of the Free Cities is off limits. Essosi characters are fine, but they will likely be limited in what they can do. This is a Westeros centric RP. This also means that both Daenerys Targaryen and Aegon VI are non-playable.
8. Have fun
The Applications
Applications are very important; they let me judge your ability to write and to play the character you want. If you are rejected from the RP for reasons of quality, please do not take it personally. This RP is meant to hit a certain standard of writing and some people just are not there yet, there is no shame in that. Likewise, if your application is rejected on technical issues, please simply address them and reapply.
You may make a custom House, but, and this is a big but, you may not displace another House in terms of land or titles, and you must not be particularly powerful or wealthy. Custom Houses will be subject to rigorous review before being accepted.
When writing the application, keep in mind you only need to make a character sheet for your primary character. For example, if one wants to play as House Lannister, you would write the character application for Tywin. If another player would later on want to apply for Cersei, they would make the application for her, taking into consideration any events that had occurred over the course of the RP. If you want to RP as a character in another House that is already being played (ie. Cersei in this instance) please discuss this with the other player. If they do not want to give up that character, please pick another.
House Application
- Code: Select all
House Name:
Sigil:
Words:
House Culture: (ie. Riverlander, Northerner, Dornish etc.)
House Head:
Titles:
Holdings/Lands:
Allegiance: (ie. who you are sworn to, such as Yronwood->Martell->Baratheon of Kingslanding)
Military Strength:
House History: (Minimum of 3 good paragraphs)
List of House Characters: (ie. House Tyrell -> Mace, Olenna, Margaery etc.)
Character Application
- Code: Select all
Character Name:
Titles:
Age:
Culture:
Appearance:
Personality:
Skills:
Religion:
Character Biography: (Minimum 3 good paragraphs)
RP Example: (Required - Dont forget to include a link or writing sample)
When applying, please ensure to fill out all the fields properly.
Final Notes
We were all disappointed by GOT's 8th Season. I made this RP because, having gone through the books again for the umpteenth time, I think its time to revisit ASOIAF and see if we can redeem it and make a better story than what we ended up with.
Thanks for reading and I do hope you will drop an application!
Miscellaneous