Upthread I mentioned a quest idea and I'm half thinking about starting it. I thought I'd drop the opening here and see if there was any interest for me to spread myself even thinner.

Ned Quest

Waking up from the greatest night of your life, the culmination of the greatest week of your life, to find a sword at your throat was not exactly how you’d planned to go. Even worse you had a particular song in your head, but something told you that humming the Dornishman’s wife while Ser Barristan was looking down at you enraged would be a terminal error.

Speaking of the Dornish Ashara twisted in your arms, the sudden light from the opening of the tent waking her. “Arthur?” Her eyes were still shut, “I hope you don’t mind us using your tent, Ned’s brother was occupying his.” She finally opened her violet eyes, a smile in them for you before she looked up at the knight. “You’re not Arthur.”

“And this is not his tent.” Barristan looked ready to murder someone, someone in this case was definitely you.

Events went downhill from there, half an hour passing found you in front of Ashara’s father and brother, both of whom looked as amused as Barristan. It might have been different if they hadn’t been Stony Dornish, however the Daynes were not inclined to casually accept the deflowering of the daughter of the house.

“What makes you think you’re worthy of marrying my daughter?” Ashara had apparently claimed that you’d proposed which was probably one of the only things saving you from summary execution, that and your father literally having an army.

You tried to work that fact into your answer, generally alluding to incredible wealth and power worked wonders on girls’ fathers, lesson three from the Robert Baratheon school of conflict resolution, but he wasn’t having any of it. Maybe taking advice from a man who was born to fight about de-escalating wasn’t the best idea.

“No, I don’t care if you’re a Stark or how much ancient ice is in your veins. If you want to marry my daughter,” his face was etched with a glare that indicated how much of an error any answer other than complete agreement would be, “you’ll need to prove yourself worthy. Maybe if I’m lucky you’ll die trying.”

“What’s this about dying?” Robert burst into the tent then, half armored with his hammer spinning in his hand in a way twenty pounds of metal shouldn’t. You’d never been quite as happy to see him as at that moment. “Ned and I have a longstanding agreement to include the other in any adventure.”

“That’s what he’ll have Lord Robert. If he wishes to marry my daughter-” Robert turned to you at that and very obviously gave you a thumbs up, “he shall retrieve the lost Crowns of the Seven.”

“We’re in.” Robert’s agreement was instant, and you looked to him betrayed. “What? You knew I’ve always wanted to go to Essos adventuring, this is perfect. You get to marry the second most beautiful woman in the world,” Arthur Dayne nearly drew his sword at that description of his sister and you had to agree, even if she wasn’t related Lyanna wasn’t in Ashara’s league but Robert had always been blind, “and I get to go on one last unmarried excursion, my last stag party.” He looked to you, trying for the pouting look that had gotten maids into his bed until he developed muscles. “We need this Ned.”

“Right.” Lord Dayne, you should probably learn his first name at some point, drawled. “So next time I see you Stark, you’d better have seven crowns on you, or I think Ser Barristan will be the second one in line to try to kill you.”

___
The whole quest will basically be Robert and Ned smashing Essos. Pirates, zombies, warlocks and Lovecraftian beasts from beyond the stars will all make appearances. I think it will be a lot of fun, no canon, no metagaming, no waifu wars. Let me know what you think.

 

Hello everyone, I'm here to discuss my idea for:

Steffon Baratheon Quest - AU Setting​

This Quest would have its main pull as a what if the Great Council of 233 A.C. never happened, and the following butterflies. It doesn’t happen because Maegor Brightflame birth was after Maekar’s death, so no one was sure it would be a man, or it would even live. Aegon is pushed to be king ‘by default’.

To make sure that the politics aren't fragmented and the Quest loses focus among the endless squabbling of the Kingdoms, I used author fiat to make sure that the politics remained centripetal, always coming back to the Iron Throne in the end. These are my ideas for the 'Royal' lines:

• The Targaryens
  The Targaryen family is vast, but fragile, with many resenting the ‘Peasant’ King - with no great council to legitimate his rule, his base is fragile, with some of the Lords resenting Aegon’s reforms, since they see it as an attempt to strip them of their traditional powers and giving to the Crown, with them being afraid of becoming mere puppets of a completely centralised monarchy. The mistrust brought by the decades of Bloodraven’s rule, where the Crown did whatever it wanted and rule through fear and paranoia, lead many to think Aegon is Bloodraven’s creature, in one more plot to get rid of troublesome Lords, ie, all of them.
  
  In an action that shocked the realm and gave singer much work, Jenny of Oldstones, the ‘the fairest rose of the world, the darling of the realm’ and a tale came true, was found dead, throat slit. Soon enough rumours emerged, pointing towards the elderly Hand of the King, Bloodraven, as the one who ordered it, after Duncan’s refusal to marry anyone but her. To prevent a revolt, Bloodraven quickly announces that he is taking the black, with his supporters silently but ostensibly removed positions on King’s Landing.
  
  Prince Duncan announcement of going on a Errantry Quest sends the Realm in a feverish pitch, as he soon disappears from sight. This leaves Aegon with a fractured family, his children resenting his refusal to execute Bloodraven over rumours, but the fear of similar repercussions (and Aegon’s firmer than ever position about it) makes them go with their arranged betrothals, much to general misery. Shiera is more or less exiled to the Reach after an aborted attempt to flee with Jahaerys, while the now apparent heir sulks and isolates himself amidst books. Olena Redwyne gracefully agrees to end her betrothal to Daeron Targaryen so he could marry Argella Baratheon to pacify an increasingly belicose Lyonel, while herself marries his heir, Ormund, a very talked about romance involving two very contrasting figures. Young Rhaelle refuses to marry, with Aegon relenting after all of his children silently, but strongly, supported her.
  
  The Targaryen line continues through cadet lines, with Aegon’s sisters marrying Marcher Lords after their fundamental support to Daeron II sons. Daena marries the heir to Stonehelm, becoming Lady Swann while Rhae marries the Conningtons of the Roost. Finally, sweet and simple Vaella was married to the new Lord Velaryon, rewarded with his cousin’s seat after the former Lord his head supporting the (apparently) last of the Blackfyres invasions.

• The Blackfyres
  Across the Narrow Sea there is a new monarchy for the first since Daemon Targaryen claimed the crown of the Stepstones, the fledgeling Kingdom of Tyrosh is ruled by the Blackfyres, achieved through ample Adarys support. The trading family, whose head had recently lost the election to Archon by the third time saw opportunity when the young Aenys I refused to obey Bittersteel and invade Westeros. The young man had been convinced of the folly of such measure when he sent his favorite spy and bedwarmer to sense the support to his family and woke up to her partially flayed head staring at him.
  
  With a strategic wedding between Sierra Adarys and Aenys I in place and support of the Golden Company and exiled Lords who were tired of ruling only lands of air and castles of dust a coup was mounted, the Archon deposed and his supporters executed. The colorful streets of Tyrosh were dyed red for weeks until a promise of a permanent, state-paid, navy to protect Tyroshi’s ‘interests’ won over the powerful slavers, dissatisfied after decades of suffering under Dagon Greyjoy’s brutal sackings and the following one by pirates from the Stepstones after the sellsails usually used by the merchants were smashed by the ‘Last Reaver’, the Archons inability to deal with the problem aggravating the problem severely.
  
  Not only the young King succeeded beyond almost all expectations, his navy and smashing of the plague that were the Stepstones pirates left that region open to conquest, something his brother’s young son, the bloodthirsty Maelys campaigned and got himself a fleet, to conquer those islands or die trying, and that’s how Tyrosh now has the vassal Principality of the Stepstones under its aegis. Though only a title in name at first, island by island Maelys is doing good on his assumed title of Prince. Lys and Myr, who until recently were under a bloody war over trade rights on Volantine goods going west watched it warily, with rumours flying on how they would deal with this new troublesome player. Decisively, if Aenys premature death under mysterious circumstances are an indication.

• The Brightflames
  Maegor Brightflame Targaryen. Son of an exile, a man who was only known by the smallfolk as the Monstrous, the only legacy of a monstrous and insane man whose end could not be more fitting. Born in a land surrounded by whores and slaves and his father’s bastards by them. With such birthright, one would wonder if its pressure would crush the young babe, denied a throne by an entire nation, who would rather back a ‘half-peasant’ king than the unborn child. However, the child thrived, with a keen mind and an uncanny talent towards languages and writing. He was personally instructed and knighted by Rodrik Stark, the Wandering Wolf. After Rodrik’s return to his cold home Maegor followed his mentor's footsteps and joined the Second Sons.

These and many other ideas, including my plans for each of the Great Houses and their regions, including family trees (not finished, specially the Blackfyre and Targaryen ones) with the AU changes can be found here:
ASOIAF AU - Steffon Baratheon Quest

Criticism, feedback, opinions, suggestions, are more than welcome. What do you think that works? What is too contrived? What is contrived but acceptable?

A AU setting not only stops metagaming (at least as much as possible), but it adds completely new possibilites which I think could be really fun to explore.