[VIDEO] backdated, shortly after NPC post

[dorzalta]

» 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. )

Comments

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[pharmakis]

Do you think it's possible to anticipate another attack like that?

I agree we need to organize ourselves into a true force, but we can't possibly know what these gods have in store for us.

[video]

[northerndragon]

That's not what we're trying to do. We're trying to be prepared in the event of any future attack.

We won't know when it's coming or what will happen, but we'll have some idea of what our strengths are and how to plan if it comes from the air, or the ground like a usual army, or up from under the ground.

[pharmakis]

Ah, forgive me, I misunderstood.

How do you propose this council would work? Too many voices can lead to discontent. Would someone mean to run this or would we be equals? I ask not to cause suspicion or discomfort, but simply curiosity. I have seen to many try to rule and it lead to bickering and warring between factions.

[northerndragon]

We mean to be equals, though some may be wiser in the ways of war than others.

I'm no king here. I hold no power of punishment, if someone disobeys my rule. It seems the gods have that power, if they want to use it, but I do not, and I haven't asked for it. I don't know what a king is without that power.

[pharmakis]

You were a king before?

What gives a king his power? Perhaps knowledge that could save others is the manifestation of your crown?

[northerndragon]

Different things can make a king, but if his men won't follow him, he's finished. And the land he rules may be finished too, and the people in it, when all is said and done.

I was a king because the men of my lands wanted to follow me. It was the same for my brother; it's the same for Daenerys.

[pharmakis]

A pity you are taken from them. We are all of us equals now.

We don't know what the threat is we face. If it comes from the gods or something else. We haven't gotten clear answers to why we are here.

[northerndragon]

Aye, but none of that is our purpose today. Our purpose is only to prepare for a war if a war comes to us -- to know what we have.

These gods could crush us at any time if they chose. Instead, they've helped us. That's all the answer I need for now. We concern ourselves with dragons, armies -- not the gods of Asgard.

[pharmakis]

A war with whom? Are there more armies beyond the dragon?

[northerndragon]

We don't know. We don't know what will happen. If we found ourselves here, what else might end up here?

Do you have skills that might aid any defensive efforts?

[pharmakis]

A fair point. Perhaps I am not cautious enough in this matter.

I am not skilled in combat. I had magic before I came here, but it's gone now. I still have my knowledge of herbs, I'm capable of healing when needed.

[northerndragon]

People who can look after the wounded are an important part of planning for war. Healing them if they can be healed, easing their pain whether or not they'll ever recover.

Can you brew dreamwine, milk of the poppy, both of them, if you can find the right ingredients?

[pharmakis]

I'm afraid I have never heard of these potions before. Are they from your world? If you tell me what they do, I could likely find a way of replicating them.

Though I might have something similar. My potions never had names.

[northerndragon]

Milk of the poppy is for pain. You can't take too much of it, and it's hard to stay alert when you're taking it. Strong medicine. It's made with -- well, it's made with poppies.

Dreamwine isn't so strong. It helps you sleep. It can take the sharpness out of pain, for a while, but not so well as milk of the poppy does. Made with herbs, but I don't know which ones -- a maester would know.

[pharmakis]

There are better pain potions that won't leave you sluggish. Willow bark is far more effective and doesn't detract from your senses. Poppy has a tendency to cloud the mind, even when it isn't used for pain.

Dreamwine is reasonable, but that seems to be a mixture of a pain solution and a sleep solution. So long as it isn't a dangerous combination, those are easy to replicate. There are a few herbs I know are in this world that could help give sleep and alleviate pain.

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[needsnoheadsman]

No. But if there is another attack—and I don’t doubt it will happen—I’d rather we’d already be prepared to face it. The dragon caught us off our guards, and we paid dearly for our complacency.

[And that’s twice now that’s happened to Robb, personally. He does not want it to happen a third time.]

And I know I would fight with an easier heart if I knew what the men fighting beside me could do.

[pharmakis]

For those who can fight, perhaps it would assist in training those who cannot? Unless I missed this proposal already made?

We know so little of this land and the potential magic ruling it, it makes me wonder we are prepared to physically fight whatever comes.

[needsnoheadsman]

No, you haven’t. And certainly we could use people willing to train others to fight, but we can use people who can heal, who can carry supplies back and forth, who can assist in rebuilding in the aftermath.

Perhaps we’re not. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make the effort anyway—at the very least we’ll stand a better chance against whatever comes than we did against the dragon.

[pharmakis]

That at the very least I can offer. I don't know if all the herbs I used before are here, but there enough that I can make draughts and salves I use for healing.

I lived alone, so many repairs were left to me. I wish I had more to offer, but they limited me when I arrived.

[needsnoheadsman]

Have you searched for the rest of them yet?

It’s all right, my lady, what you can offer us is immense enough. I’ve a feeling we’ll need quite the number of healers.

[pharmakis]

Some, but I didn't want to risk myself between the storms and the dragon. I had no means of protecting myself.

I heard so little about the aftermath of the dragon. I wish I had known as I could have been useful.

This suggestion is a good one to at least alert us to what was needed.

[needsnoheadsman]

I picked up a shield as the storms were happening. You can have it if you want.

It was—a shock, to say the least. But you can help now, if you could not before, I know that there is an effort to rebuild what the dragon destroyed in its rage. But you may have to talk to Turgon for that. I know he's spearheading the rebuilding effort, I'm certain he'd like the help.

[pharmakis]

Thank you, I would be glad for it. I took a dagger as well, but I don't know how to use it. [She laughed.] Well, I know what you do with it, but rather poorly in my hands.

I spoke to Turgon before I saw this. I think that he will keep many of us busy. Do you plan to help rebuild as well?

[needsnoheadsman]

I know how to use a sword, and I'm passably good with a dagger. If you want, I can teach you how to wield a sword—it works in much the same way as a knife, but with a much longer reach.

Aye. I haven't spoken to him yet, but I will, if he's willing to take on more help.

[pharmakis]

If you wouldn't mind? I can't say that I will be a quick learner, but I will work diligently. I have no interest in being left helpless and as the gods have taken away my means of protection, I must make do with what is available.

I imagine he will be. There is a lot of work ahead of us.