asgardgenesis | [VIDEO] backdated, shortly after NPC post

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[VIDEO] backdated, shortly after NPC post

» WHO: All
» WHEN: The morning following Tyr and Laufey's announcement on 7/17
» TYPE: Live broadcast

[ It takes some tinkering and awkwardness at first, along with a series of huffs and grumbles you thankfully miss... but when the feed does appear, enjoy a perplexed Daenerys looking at the screen (as well as a reflection of herself, Jon, and Robb). They are wearing modern clothes: button-down shirts for the men, a blazer for Robb, and a royal blue halter-like dress for Dany. ]

Well met, Wanderers. [ … she is speaking to you all, she hopes. ] My name is Daenerys Targaryen. This is Jon Snow and Robb Stark.

[ The feed will jerk as she attempts to angle the screen to both men, respectively. It's not at all elegant, and is, in fact, an eyesore to watch. Which is why seconds later she gives up on it and leaves the strange screen in place in front of her. (Robb gets up as if to try and help her, but his attempts are just as bad as hers. Eventually, he gives it up as a bad job too. Jon, who had inclined his head when Daenerys attempted to introduce him, merely watches now with a skeptical expression: it's going to take a while for them all to get the hang of this.) ]

In our world, war is commonplace. We have armies and generals, as well as a means to communicate when there is an attack on a city or castle. Here, that doesn't seem to be the case. [ Which is strange to her. For all her wariness of these self-proclaimed gods, the smallfolk of Asgard appear to be happy. ] It's why we've approached the gods about a means of gathering. The chaos which followed the dragon's appearance makes us believe that a type of war council is necessary for this realm.

[As Jon begins to speak, he seems a little bit uneasy, slightly awkward, but as his words spin out and gather momentum, he becomes visibly more comfortable with the idea of addressing everyone. It doesn't come as naturally to him as it seems to come to Daenerys.]

When the people of a realm don't work together to face a threat, the end is calamity -- death and hunger and suffering, for those who fought and for those who could not fight. When we know what our strengths are, we know how best to defend against what may come. And when we know what to do, we can be ready to do it, even when we face something that seems impossible to overcome. This is our realm now, all of us. Today, we can put our strengths together. We can begin to make those plans. Maybe we won't ever need them, it's true, but if we do, we won't be caught unawares again.

I know that you may not know us. Each of us has been a king or a queen; not one of us was born with that title. None of us means to try to rule anyone else here, none of us expects to be the loudest voice on any council, but we all have experience with planning for war, and with several kinds of threat.

Daenerys rides a dragon at home, and has taken cities in the East and freed thousands upon thousands of slaves there. I have been Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and King in the North: I've spent long years scouting and defending and preparing for great attacks on my homeland, fighting Wildlings first, and then making an alliance with them to fight the Army of the Dead. My brother Robb was King in the North before me; he was a successful general several times over in campaigns in the southron lands. He knows tactics, battle strategy, better than almost anyone you'll ever meet.

We have all fought for the lives and safety and freedom of our fellow men. We want to continue to do that here and now. We want you to join us, if you will.

[ Jon looks over at Robb, and Robb picks the thread up: ] Understand, we are not asking to go to war. This council is only meant to make certain that we are not caught so off our guard as we were when the dragon attacked. In order to do that, we’re going to organize the council into different groups: preparations, battle and response. We Wanderers come from different worlds, and in times of crisis our different strengths come out. We need to combine our strengths and work together if we are to effectively respond to whatever threats may come next.

( OOC #1: if you want to address a specific cast member, please indicate that in the subject of your comment--otherwise we’ll read it as fair game for any of us to attack C:

OOC #2: We made a spiffy ooc post detailing the war council, as well as sign ups for it. Check it out HERE. )

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[Ivar's mostly been rather flippant when talking to people thus far, seemingly enjoying his status as eternal gadfly, but right now he's all business. War is not a joke or something to be talked lightly about.]

I was the strategist among my brothers for our army. I've won almost every battle I've ever planned for and fought in, including when I reigned as king. [That's not conceit, that's just straight-up fact.] If you need someone who can see things others don't, then I will be able to contribute much.

Then you'll be most welcome.

[Jon has lost one battle: a surprise attack with odds that had seemed absurd even to someone who had become resigned to poor odds. But it had, at least, given him an idea of what he would be fighting.

A terrifying idea, and a cost that had left him lost for words.]

Your battles, have your people been attacking, or defending?

Both. Attacking the nearest country called England and then defending the kingdom I ruled called Kattegat.

[He's still sore about that last one because the only reason his brother had won was by Ivar's wife betraying him.]

'When.' Should one assume you no longer claim king as your title?

[ Oh, she remembers you, Ivar... and how much of a pain in the arse you were. ]

May I ask what things you saw with the dragon?

My oldest brother overthrew me. But I'll take back what is mine. Eventually.

[Ivar can be patient and gather his forces again. When he goes back, he's going to run Bjorn out of Kattegat on a rail. He's still on the fence about putting his head on a pike or letting him live.]

Not enough people thought to go for the eyes or wings, either of which would've kept the beast grounded. Some did, but it still managed to take flight. And there simply weren't enough people working together. I saw a lot of people attacking by themselves and that just wasn't enough. If more people had aimed for the same spot, it would've been easier to cripple, even with such a thick hide.

[Yes, he is a pain, but he's a pain who knows what he is doing.]

Edited (gah wrong icon) 2019-07-26 22:58 (UTC)

[ Take back what is mine. Against better judgment, she smirks. Seems they've something in common. ]

I'd advised some about keeping it grounded. [ So he's a good mind to him. He'll prove useful. ] Easier said than done, when we'd all only just met. But this may prove enough an opportunity to unite those with similar skills, so we avoid what you noticed if there's to be a next time.

[ Part of her wonders what he did during the dragon's attack. ]

How did your brother overthrow you?

[ Why are you alive if he did, she doesn't ask. ]

I don't mind combining forces with others. Better to stand united against threats then all fall individually. Though I do worry about the egos that will likely be attracted to help. [There's a lot of strong personalities in the mix here and that will cause troubles down the road.]

I could've held him off forever. Bjorn's like the bear he's named for: all he knows how to do is charge into battle and crush anyone in his path. [Though he means it to sound bitter, there's some grudging affection still there. Ivar's always admired his oldest brother and the physical prowess he has on the battlefield. But he also doesn't hesitate in knowing he's far smarter then Bjorn too. He'd played right into Ivar's hands in their first battle.]

But my wife betrayed a secret entrance to him and he took the city. The last of my warriors were fighting him when I made my escape. He never had any interest in ruling, so I can only assume his bitch of a mother must have been whispering in his ear. Or maybe he was just annoyed I took the throne from her to being with and told him I was going to kill her. [Ivar's complicated soap opera of a family history could rival any of the drama going on with the great houses in Westeros.]

I've experience with a great many egos and still rule as queen. [ Sometimes, it merely takes a strong word to soothe a bruised ego. And in the instances where it doesn't, there are other ways to convince a person. ] Consider diplomacy one of the skills I offer in return.

[ Bear makes her think of her old bear, which might threaten to leave her in a state of missing him were they not speaking of far more serious things. ]

What does 'Ivar' mean, if Bjorn means bear? House Mormont in my world has a bear as their sigil. One of my dearest friends and advisor claims the name as his own.

[ What he speaks of next is a complicated story, if only because the way Ivar speaks of his brother's mother suggests one of them may be a bastard. But did his world view bastards in the same way Westeros did? ]

Are you unconcerned your brother, wife, and... his mother will not further plot against you?

Good. I tend to lack in that area. [Ivar's version of diplomacy tends to be burning the people who speak out against him alive. He would've fit right in the Mad King's court.]

It means 'archer'. Or 'warrior on horseback' if you break down the two syllables into separate parts. [Very fitting considering how Ivar acted when the Red Death had attacked.]

[Surprisingly, they're both legitimate. Ivar's father Ragnar had two wives in his life, divorcing one to marry the other, which hadn't created too much trouble when he was alive. After he died, however.....] My wife is dead, so I have no need to fear her betrayals any longer. My brother and his mother don't have enough brains between the two of them put together to create a single one. So I will not worry. I shall simply regroup, find more allies, go back, and take back what has always been mine.

[ Seems burning people alive is a commonality they share. Just a difference in opinion behind who deserves it. ]

Warrior on horseback... You'd find some of my people interesting. [ Here, there's a faint smile. ] The Dothraki are known as horse lords. Warlords on horseback. They learned how to fight at a young age.

[ And yet again, they've another thing in common with a deceased husband and wife. He doesn't seem upset over her death, so she's little reason to concern herself with the niceties of condolences. ]

Arrogance, my lord, will never serve you well. [ Not to the extent upon which he displays it, now. ] Perhaps he used that to his advantage when he usurped you.

Now they sound like my kind of people. [Indeed, Ivar would likely have a lot in common with the Dothraki. There's that same love in him to fight and pillage all those who cross his path.]

What he used was a blind spot that I no longer have rather then his own strengths. It wasn't by his own means that he defeated me. It was betrayal that I didn't see coming. [There's a very good reason he's not as broken up by the death of his wife as he should be. He'd loved Freydis so much, and in the end, she'd been no different then the others who had stabbed him in the back.]

I'm sure they would enjoy you. I'm sure they would also question you, and seek to war with you, if you had something they desired.

[ Battling him, drinking with him, doing all the things men love to do in the aftermath of battle. ]

Isn't that the entire point of a betrayal? [ She shakes her head. There's no point in arguing with him about arrogance or why the betrayal came in the first place. That's none of her business.

...Though if he finds a commonality with her Dothraki, she can't help but wonder what his wife must have suffered with him as a husband. ]

Save for ensuring that weakness is no longer one, after the fact.

If they enjoy battle, then we would certainly get along. The Norse fight to please our gods, among other things. [Honor and glory were prominent among them, but above all else, they wished to die a glorious death on the field of battle and go straight to Valhalla.]

Indeed, I made sure she wasn't. [There's something a little manic and unhinged in his eyes when he says that. Whatever way his wife Freydis had died, it certainly hadn't been pleasant.]

How many gods do you worship? [ These gods the Norse follow sound far more like something the Dothraki would appreciate, if they're a warring culture. Nothing like the Seven... or even the Lord of Light for all that Melisandre spoke of sacrifices. ] They have but one, though they acknowledge that other gods might exist.

[ The look to his eyes reminds her, surprisingly, of the look Viserys sometimes had to his own when he spoke of vengeance against the Usurper. That, if nothing else they've spoke of thus far, would be a clear warning to handle this one with some caution. ]

Tell me of the times during your rule. What made you want to rule?

Many. These gods, in fact. I believe it was fate that must have led me here to them. [It was the only explanation in his mind for how he'd ended up in Asgard without dying.

He lets out a long, resigned-sounding sigh when she asks why he had wanted the crown.]

That is a long, complicated story. I recommend getting something to eat and drink while you listen.

[Yep, they're going to be here a while. The tale of Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons is worthy of any of the complicated saga of how the Great Houses of Westeros operate.]

These gods? Really? [ That reminds her of Hiccup speaking of his familiarity with the gods of Asgard. So it wasn't just talk. ] But you're not of Asgard?

[ She leans back in her seat, waving a hand to encourage him to begin with his tale. No need for her to fetch anything. He'll have her attention. ]

Go on.

Really. I must be the only person here who hasn't questioned why they were brought here. [Really, why not? He's an awesome Norseman, of course he belongs in Asgard even before death.] No. I'm from Midgard, one of the other Nine Realms.

[He starts the tale in the same sort of tone storytellers reserve for dramatic tales, for Ragnar Lothbrok's life was nothing short of a soap opera most of the time.]

My father was a very famous king and he had two wives. His first divorced him in a huff when my mother became pregnant. [In Norse culture, it wasn't considered cheating if the woman being cheated with was unmarried. But it was in bad taste for her to get pregnant afterwards.] The old hag never forgave her for the insult. She twisted it around in her mind until my mother was some sort of witch to her who had cast a spell on my father to bewitch him into being with her. Claimed she had stolen everything from her when she's the one that left to begin with and lost all right to the crown. She got my brothers and I all out of the way first and then took over as queen by bullying my mother off the throne.

She said she would let her go-- [And here Ivar's eyes flare up with anger.] --then shot her in the back instead. When I found out what she'd done, I swore I would take the throne back. Not because it belonged to me by right, for I'm the youngest. But because she'd murdered my mother and I would have my revenge. She then had the audacity to call me the usurper for wanting the crown as if she'd not done the same thing herself!

[So that was why Ivar what made Ivar want to rule: not because he thirsted for the crown but simply because he wanted revenge on the woman who'd cost him his beloved mother. Some might have thought that would make him better at ruling, not lusting for power, but they would have been wrong.]

They're your gods. Seems reason enough for the rest of us to question it. The gods of Valyria might've taken me — even the Great Stallion — if I'd died. The only time that's happened was when I stepped upon the lands of this realm.

[ Nine realms. Not quite like the Seven Kingdoms. Not anything like the state of Essos, to her understanding of what he's explained of things thus far. This place with these gods didn't sound like a single continent or city in a larger world.

His story, of course, does hold her attention. She's not rude enough to roll her eyes despite hearing of the quarrel between two women who shared a man. Aegon the Conqueror wed his sisters and ruled with them up until one's death. ]

Are the two wives not each expected to carry the king an heir in your world? I'm afraid I don't understand her upset with your mother's pregnancy. [ The rest of the story is met with a cooler look, darker. ] I was the youngest of my brothers. And now I'm the only left. Any usurper deserves Fire and Blood, my lord.

[Really, polyamory would've solved so many issues that had happened between Ragnar and the two women he'd loved. Really, Lagertha might have gone for it had her pride not caused her to act rather rashly.]

A man is expected to have only a single wife even if he has many mistresses. His first took offense because she was barren and could give him no more children. And my father dearly wanted more sons. She was always an impulsive bitch, so rather then remain married to him, she left, leaving my mother to be able to marry him as his second wife.

Fire and Blood, hmmm? [He gets a thoughtful if dark look on his face.] I like that phrase. That would suit what I plan to do to her quite well.

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