In my personal character creator opinion, Donnel Selwyn is not the worst in his family/house. We've haven't met/gotten to know everyone well yet, but man, there's two (3? if Liquid chooses to go a certain way), that are just, definitely going to be unpopular the longer we get to know them. Fun fact: I had no idea Oakheart was evil when I made his sister wife of Donnel. Oops.
Hehe, I knew That was actually something that I found particularly amazing, finding out that Donnel is married to Devrin Oakheart's sister. The very moment I received him as a character, I knew I wanted him to appear in that storyline, in that exact role, as this powerful, uncomfortable lord Petyr and Maron try to win over and somehow have to arrange themselves with, but him being the brother-in-law of the third conspirator suddenly gave him a much more personal angle in these things. I think it arguably makes it easier for me to work with Donnel, so this coincidence has been as amazing as it has been welcome.
Also, I do wonder where ol' Wolfius and Kreep, and Clayton are too. I have a feeling Liquid has sworn off villainous assassin characters for a few chapters. I don't know where they'll reappear, but they got too. But if they do, I think they'd either have to die or kill the POV because unless we get a new POV, I can't see any of the current ones wanting to be around/likely to be around them. They'd all want revenge though, so, yeah.
Wolfius and Kreep are still out there and we'll see them at some point in Book 2. Clayton, well, last time we saw him he's been bleeding out from having his arm chopped off, but I can promise, there will be a resolution to his fate eventually. For the time being, none of them has much of a place in the story, but I have huge plans for Wolfius and Kreep. I mean, from a certain definition The Fang could be seen as a villainous assassin, being a villain sent to kill two characters. But well, there have been so many of them in Book 1, mostly because assassins are an understandably popular concept, that I have indeed decided to cut down on them a bit, especially in Westeros. Thematically, I feel like they fit better into the societies of Essos, which is where we'll meet some new assassin characters in Book 2.
Man, if only we went down that choice path is early book 1 where Richard could have murdered Wolfius in prison. Much would be different.
Oh man, so much would have been different! See, back when that choice was up on the table, Wolfius wasn't that much of a developed character. He started off relatively simple, to be honest and only as the story progressed did his creator expand on him in a seriously massive way. Since I had never revealed much about Wolfius so far, all of these additions felt natural, but I can confirm for example, he wasn't a skinchanger back when he first met Lyria in Chapter 1. Had he died before that point, a lot of development would have never happened. From a storytelling perspective, I gotta say that would have been a shame, because I love these additions.
Abbas is another character I've really grown to like, he seems to be more complex than Bakr, and I'm rooting for him despite him being a vil… morelain.
I am very shocked but interested that Abbas still have fans. Man I used to be a huge fan, but even then I knew they were slavers, and now that character trait has come to the forefront.
Fake Leonard Leo Hill, he's such a self-righteous bastard (literally and figuratively). And Sadie by association because she defended him, and was needlessly harsh on lady Reyne.
Nothing brings more joy to my heart than other people calling Leo Hill fake Leonard. Makes me so proud.
And obviously, everyone's least favorite Maron fucking Mullendore, his lapdog Oakheart, Donnel Selwyn (not his kids tho), and all the other annoying villains that have been around since book 1 (Wolfius and Kreep, the elusive Frostborn brothers).
In my personal character creator opinion, Donnel Selwyn is … [view original content]
Actually, no. I don't think that the creator of Devrin Oakheart has intended for him to be a villain. While he doesn't have any particularly heroic traits either, there's plenty of grey aspects or even outright good traits about him which I all kept. His involvement with the conspiracy is a direct result of him being a very ambitious man, but there's plenty good in his submission which I kept in its entirety. He has not been involved with any conspiracy in his submission, but it was simply an addition I considered to be very fitting. And well, while your mileage may vary, I still consider him to be the most grey of the trio, for aspects that will be revealed later on. At least from what you know so far, he is merely working with the kinslayer Petyr and the absolutely bonkers crimelord Maron, but he never did any of this by himself.
Fun fact: I had no idea Oakheart was evil when I made his sister wife of Donnel. Oops.
Huh, that's a funny coincidence. I wonder who submitted Oakheart, and whether he was always meant to be evil, as opposed to a more gray area character.
Ellena, as I'm a Targ fanboy through and through so being able to see Dragonstone and interact with some of the bigwigs was quite enjoyable to me! Ysilla, as her story is shaping up to be great and we're starting to see some of the big names of Dorne with the Allyrions and hearing about others. Willfred, who has always been one of favorite characters and has only gotten better. And then Drent because he's awesome and was Jax's soldier. =p Tallian is great and was one of my favorites. (RIP potentially) And then Asher Velaryon because he's a fireball and i'm Biased.
Hehe, it is a good bias! Can't say I'm not the most biased person ever, that'd be a shameful lie But ah, I am glad you enjoyed Ellena's storyline. I know she wasn't exactly everyone's favourite back in Book 1, regularly being among the least favourites even, but I knew I'd take her around with her Book 2 storyline
Looved Dragonstone, and actually really liked seeing some more of Dorne. Nothing I can say I particularly disliked other than the Essos storyline seemed slower but it might be because of the slower chapter which is not a problem really, just felt slower!
I think it was indeed a bit slower. I mean, in Essos, I had to introduce a wholly new continent for once. It was Jaron's first time there, Janae isn't in a position for rapid plot development and Irae's storyline just got started. But be assured, this should all change soon!
My advice would be not to burn out and not worry about the time things take if you're dealing with stuff. Need to take time for yourself and to enjoy the story you're creating for us!
Aye, thank you. I don't think I am burning out, but I appreciate the concern. If I truly need some time off, I will take it. In fact, I fully expect to deal with some pretty heavy stuff before the year is over and if I feel I need a break, I'll have no choice but to take it. FoT is here for the long haul, I want to tell the story all the way to the very end and for that, I need to remain motivated for years to come. There's really no way but to take breaks when I need them, as forcing myself to write when I don't feel like it is a safe way of ruining my excitement. And given just what I have planned, that'd be a freaking shame.
As for what I'm anticipating, I'm hoping for more clashing in Raylansfair and getting the Gardener King's 'spy' into some of these discussions and to potentially start forming a plan! Also really looking forward to the tension with Orys and the Stormlands. Finally, I'm looking forward to the Dorne storyline to see where Ysilla goes next and what Houses will be seen!
Ah, I can say your hopes sound reasonable! Tensions are running high in Raylansfair and it'll be perfect for Kasyn. I mean, he was present when the heir to House Reyne was almost murdered by Maron Mullendore and while you can bet everyone's favourite will find some justification for his actions, it will definitely be more than just a bit questionable.
Who were your favourite characters in Chapter 2?
Ellena, as I'm a Targ fanboy through and through so being able to see Dragonstone and inte… moreract with some of the bigwigs was quite enjoyable to me! Ysilla, as her story is shaping up to be great and we're starting to see some of the big names of Dorne with the Allyrions and hearing about others. Willfred, who has always been one of favorite characters and has only gotten better. And then Drent because he's awesome and was Jax's soldier. =p Tallian is great and was one of my favorites. (RIP potentially) And then Asher Velaryon because he's a fireball and i'm Biased.
Who were your least favourite characters in Chapter 2?
Devrin, Maron, Donnel, and THE TOM. Screw em all lol.
Who were your favourite PoV's in Chapter 2?
Ysilla, Ellena, Drent, Willfred.
Who were your least favourite PoV's in Chapter 2?
Wasn't a huge fan of Alys but I think that's just me not being connected to her storyli… [view original content]
Oh dear! So much to comment on. How exciting...
Let's start with my thoughts on the chapter finale:
Just when you though dear Maron co… moreuldn't get any worse, well, he gets worse. TWENTY-EIGHT STAB WOUNDS worse. To be honest, we should have seen this coming. This guy has raped and murdered for less. Off the top of my head, he raped and then stabbed a young woman, framed two knights for her murder, beat a man to death with a cane, has had several people tortured to death, orchestrated the raid and pillage of a city for his own gain, costing hundreds of lives, indirectly/directly led to a knight being forced to do a trial by combat for something he did not do, causing his death, uh, being a crime lord, hiring psycho assassins like Wolfius, Rayden, Clayton, Alysanne and Kersea to murder many people. And the Chapter 6 finale, don't get me started on that. And I know I've missed some stuff!
Frankly, and my fellow long-time readers may notice… [view original content]
Good, a bit absent in the forums, but good. Man its been so long, do you remember when we used to do the TWD rp with Gustav and Blue? Those were great times.
Good, a bit absent in the forums, but good. Man its been so long, do you remember when we used to do the TWD rp with Gustav and Blue? Those were great times.
Supersagig! My god, it has been ages! That is quite the return, welcome back. I know there's a lot to catch up to, so if there's anything I can do to help you with that beyond offering the chapters with better readability on google docs, just let me know
OMG SUPERSAGIG I remember you! And Gustav and Blue too! Back in the days when interactive TWD fanfics were a huge thing. I believe you guys read mine as well. Gosh, how wonderful! I nearly teared up. All my old friends on this forum are mostly gone, it's good to see someone back.
Oh, thank you for your appreaciation Liquid. The only thing that would make it easier for me would be having the first part of Book 2 in a doc, though i think it´s better if you occupy yourself with writing first and your own stuff right now.
Supersagig! My god, it has been ages! That is quite the return, welcome back. I know there's a lot to catch up to, so if there's anything I … morecan do to help you with that beyond offering the chapters with better readability on google docs, just let me know
Yeah, i remember those days too. They were great. I wish there were more interactive fanfics now like before, but i don´t that will happen if until Telltale gets into another franchise. It is nice to talk to you again, it really is.
OMG SUPERSAGIG I remember you! And Gustav and Blue too! Back in the days when interactive TWD fanfics were a huge thing. I believe you guys … moreread mine as well. Gosh, how wonderful! I nearly teared up. All my old friends on this forum are mostly gone, it's good to see someone back.
Just curious. I miss you guys sometimes, you were the first friends I found here. I remember you used to joke that me and Blue were a couple.
Man it's just so great seeing you again!
Yeah. i always found it weird how Blue and Gustav just kinda left. I talked to Blue afterwards a few times but she was always hard to contact. Gustav just disappeared. Igmorph joined the readers of Prime (which is suffering a VERY long hiatus) but left around the beginning of the year. A lot of our other old friends are gone, only occasionally appearing for a second or two.
Yeah, that happens a lot. What happens, i think, it´s that people just change paths in lifes and, it doesn´t have to be a bad thing. It just how life works. If you beat yourself up about everything that has happened to you or because of you, you will never happy. That´s just is something i have learnt. But i miss them too
Yeah. i always found it weird how Blue and Gustav just kinda left. I talked to Blue afterwards a few times but she was always hard to contac… moret. Gustav just disappeared. Igmorph joined the readers of Prime (which is suffering a VERY long hiatus) but left around the beginning of the year. A lot of our other old friends are gone, only occasionally appearing for a second or two.
Ah, this I can do, of course! Actually, I am in the process of doing just that. The weekend has been busy for me, but I want to finally update the parts on google docs. I have started and should get done with it at some point tomorrow, after, finally, posting the alternative choices for this chapter. So, I'll send you the links once I got this ready!
Oh, thank you for your appreaciation Liquid. The only thing that would make it easier for me would be having the first part of Book 2 in a doc, though i think it´s better if you occupy yourself with writing first and your own stuff right now.
And as promised, here are the alternative choices for this chapter! This is going to be a long one and it took me a lot longer than I thought it would, though I hope you'll enjoy what could have been I'll wrap the post-chapter stuff (namely, the 'What if?' section) up tomorrow, means the next chapter will start right after that, probably around Wednesday. As always, thank you for reading!
Alternative Choices: Book 2, Chapter 2
Jenna I:
[Nod]
By nodding here, Jenna would confirm that she is afraid of Petyr. While this wouldn't have changed anything about the way the events of Chapter 2 played out, it was a major character building choice for her, as well as shaping the way Petyr sees her. Now, she is actually not all that afraid of him, something he definitely has noted, but his reaction towards her would have been different if she would have shown fear.
Kyra I:
[Stay with Harrick]
This would have been a rather large choice, allowing me to show more of the wedding celebrations, with further appearances of Durren Stallhart and the Blacktyde siblings. It would have been the option highly preferred by Harrick, but Harmund would have been incredibly displeased by Kyra's decision to ignore his orders. Though without immediate repercussions, Kyra would have felt his anger eventually. It would have also caused her to miss the return of Rell Vessels and his account of Garthon's death, leading to her only learning of it at the end of the chapter.
Jaron I:
[Take Temari with you]
Ah, this was the first time I actually messed up. You chose for Temari to accompany Jaron, but I accidentally continued using the other choice, with Samuel being by Jaron's side instead. Temari would have actually acted similar to Samuel and both characters do have a lot in common, but he would have been less concerned for Jaron's well-being.
Arthur I:
[Follow her order]
Not trying to attack Lucia would have actually surprised her. See, she fully expected Arthur to cause trouble, so following her order would have caught her off guard, a first glimpse behind her tough act. It would have caused her to treat Arthur more decently, but wouldn't have ultimately changed much, given that the Sphynx would have still arrived shortly.
Janae I:
[Say nothing]
This choice would have changed nothing about the storyline itself, but it was a choice how Janae would see her own role in shaping the man Abbas eventually became. By apologizing, she effectively admitted that her actions drove Abbas down a dark path, leading him to become the ruthless slaver he is today, whereas saying nothing would have caused her to reject her own involvement in this, putting the full blame on Abbas for making the decision to become a slaver.
Irae I:
[Suggest forcing Naela]
Forcing Naela would have been the route the warlocks would have fully endorsed. In fact, Moros would have offered his assistance there, through his own tremendous skills. Irae would have still tried to save Kareq Orlatis, because no matter what, Naela is still a paying customer, but she would have not taken her feelings into account and would have openly tried to strongarm her into doing what she wants. Save to say, she would have regretted this behaviour heavily after getting to know Naela.
[Suggest revealing everything to her]
This is the most risky of the options and some of the warlocks would have vehemently protested against this. However, to Irae's surprise it would have worked. Naela would have agreed to accompany Irae by her own free will, fully knowing what is in store for her and what is at stake. Appreciating the honesty, she would have easily trusted Irae, for the better or the worse.
Drent I:
[Decline the invitation]
Besides me not getting a chance to flesh out Bernard and Malcolm, it would have affected the way these two see Drent. Bernard will be heavily featured in the next chapter, so his opinion will actually have a direct influence on the way they interact during it. While Malcolm won't appear in a while, his opinion on Drent will also be taken into account in the things to come. By accepting the invitation, you gave both a positive impression on Drent, whereas declining would have led to a negative or at least neutral impression.
Ilish I:
[Escort Lawsen outside]
This would have led to Wildor following the pair. Ilish's storyline in this chapter would have been all about avoiding detection, with Wildor chasing after them. Depending on your choices, they could have either successfully avoided him entirely, or they would have been confronted by him, resulting in Ilish knocking him out and having to flee Raylansfair.
Keat I:
[Recruit the acrobat first]
This is one of the few choices without any influence at all on the way the storyline would play out in this chapter. However, it will have a major effect on his next chapter, as it will decide the very core of his goal for the next couple of parts
Alys I:
[Go outside and talk to Edward]
This would have given Edward a larger role in this chapter. Most notably, he would have voiced his suspicion about a couple of captains, Saan among them, leaving Alys to either follow his warning or to ignore them, which in return would have led to her being either better prepared for the eventual attempt to capture her, or worse, the last of which could have actually resulted in her being captured by the thug at the end of her chapter.
Kersea I:
[Sneak in through the back]
This would have shown some further insight in how untrustworthy Drake and Elias are. While Leonard would have gotten into a conversation with the two in the front, Kersea would have been able to gather intel on them in the back, with her receiving the option to reveal herself and start a fight at any moment during the confrontation.
Ysilla I:
[Follow after Alester and Theodan]
Screw-up Number 2 for me, as you chose this vote and I wrote the continuation with Ysilla showing Jen and Allar around. My bad, my bad. Anyways, this would have actually been Alester's big part. In the storyline we got, Ashara and Belandra got a particular chance to shine during the parts, but this one would have led to a deeper talk between Alester and his children, better fleshing him out as a character. Beyond mere dialogue, this wouldn't have changed anything though and I hope I still get a chance at showing more of Alester later on.
Lachlan I:
[Enter the room]
No big changes here either, but by pressing Remi for details, you as the readers gained some earlier insight into the events that led to Lachlan being summoned to Runestone. None of this information is secret though and Orson would have readily parted with it during their later meeting.
The Hawk I:
[Meet up with the Rat first] and [Meet up with the Pig first]
These two choices were virtually identical in the outcome, as the Hawk would have prioritized one leader of the three companies over the other. This would have increased his relationship with the one he picked and decreased his relationship with the other. I also would have been able to flesh out some characters for the companies beyond the leaders.
Ellena I:
[Go to your room with Hemys]
This would have given a notably smaller role to Rhaenys in this chapter and as a result, Ellena wouldn't have met Asher or spied on Aegon's war council either. Instead, she would have met a couple other characters (including the woman who eventually interrupted her time in Orys' room) and she would have learned a couple hints that something at Dragonstone is not as it seems to be.
Garthon I:
[Reveal your connection to the Sons of the Trident]
A bold choice, this one would have caused trouble for Garthon. While Petyr's family and Maurice would have been pleased by this decision, someone would have eventually revealed it to the wrong person, leading to Garthon's connection to the Sons of the Trident (and the Sons' general involvement in Raventree Hall) becoming more of an open secret. Eventually, it would have reached Harren's ears to disastrous consequences.
[Come up with a lie]
For now, this wouldn't have had significant consequences on the way the story progresses. Petyr and his family would have apparently believed the tale for the time being, albeit Maurice would have been more distrustful, eventually confronting Garthon towards the end of the chapter, giving him the option to come clean about it or stick to his lie.
Raenna I:
[Attempt to follow Kory]
This option would have cut out the entire scene in the Great Hall of the Last Heart, as Raenna would have followed “Kory” right away. She would have managed to pursue him, listening on the entire conversation between him and Myrla. Without the added support from Roffe though, Raenna wouldn't have been able to intervene. The talk would have ended in violence and Markus would have been left beaten by the other wildlings as a warning. Raenna would have then revealed herself to him after Myrla and her raiders had left, leading to a choice in which she could have either agreed to keep his identity a secret in return for him helping to find the real Kory (essentially taking over Erik Flowers' role) or revealed everything to Roffe, resulting in Markus being forced to guide them beyond the wall.
Jenna II:
[Search for Saerya]
The opposite of Vali's choice, this option would have seen Saerya showing a softer side of hers, in which she offers emotional support to Jenna. They wouldn't have made much progress against Maron and Petyr though, even if Saerya would have tried to stir Jenna into a certain direction. And while the Vali route saw more screentime for Dunaver Flowers and Dustran Selwyn, the Saerya route would have fleshed out the characters of Derik Selwyn and Maester Gylbert.
Arthur II:
[Refuse to work with Rodrik]
Quite a massive option, as this route would have resulted in serious consequences for later chapters, potentially really negative ones, as Rodrik's support does bring its benefits. Rodrik himself would have let Arthur go, as he knows that the city guard can be helpful in his struggle against Wolfius and Lupin. However, Ryler would have eventually decided to stay with his newfound family instead of working with Arthur, resulting in a rift between them.
John I:
[Approach the ships]
This choice would have still led to an alliance between John and Aidan Storm. However, instead of the captain himself, this route would have given more screentime to his first mate, a man named Gil, who would have recruited them to help Aidan in his cause. As such, this option would have mostly resulted in dialogue changes ultimately and they still would have met Lysara Rogare in the end.
Edrick I:
[Remain silent]
As a result of this, Normund would have taken the blame, leading to Gawayne savagely flogging him. However, Sylvi would have still intervened, though Normund wouldn't have been in the shape to work for days. He also wouldn't have ended up trying to free Edrick and co., as Edrick taking the blame was something that really impressed him in the route you ultimately took.
Drent II:
[Admit that you will attempt to defeat Warrick Fell]
Being honest and straightforward with Malcolm would have improved Drent's relationship to the knight. Seeing his suspicions confirmed, he would have gotten a good laugh out of Argella's struggle to avoid the unwanted marriage. He even would have offered help to take down Warrick, pointing out some weaknesses Drent could have exploited during the melee. However, he also would have been honest with his friend Bernard, leading to him learning the truth about this.
Ilish II:
[Agree to help Wildor]
In quite a massive change from the original winning choice, Ilish would have worked with Wildor here. Depending on her options, she could have either managed to capture Lawsen and delivered him to Wildor, allowed him to leave after hearing his story, or flat out failed to capture him.
[Try to mislead him]
Here, Ilish would have actually succeeded. Wildor is a cunning man, but he got nothing against a full-time barmaid, essentially a professional liar. Misleading him, she would have made things significantly easier for Lawsen. However, Wildor would have realized the truth later on, which would have spelled trouble for her in a later chapter.
Kyra II:
[Go to your room]
This option would have caused Kyra to ignore her friends and Harrick for the evening, which would have concerned all of them. In a rare moment of sharing the same goal, Harrick and Gravven would have tried to talk some sense into her, about Garthon being dead and her having to accept this.
Keat II
[Leave Erik at the brothel]
In this chapter, this would have changed relatively little. However, Erik's presence will make things easier for Keat in the next chapter, when he has to face Thorrin Bannister once again, as a result of his decision to help Rose.
Sadie I:
[Let Rhogarn accompany Leo]
Here, Sadie would have spent no time with the Reyne family. Rhogarn would have been unable to convince Mileena to give Leo a chance, leading to the group having to camp outside the walls of Castamere for the foreseeable future. Instead, Sadie would have spent more time with Wylie and potentially even winning the respect of Aklen.
Irae II:
[Insist on seeing Kareq first]
No big change here in terms of how the story would have played out, it would have given Irae a smaller third part, as merely her treatment of Kareq would have been shown. As such, a potentially valuable bonding session with her and Naela would have been skipped entirely.
Jaron II:
[Walk away]
Rather hilariously, after being hyped up for quite some time, this choice would have caused Arryn to disappear from the story. Jaron wouldn't have bothered with him and as such, he wouldn't have accompanied him to Volantis. Maybe I would have found a way to reintroduce him later down the line, but at this point, I haven't made any plans into that direction.
Ysilla II:
[Sit next to Theodan]
In return, this would have meant that Jen would have taken a seat next to Alester, which would have been highly exciting for her and rather embarrassing for the lord. He wouldn't have been pleased by Ysilla's decision to ignore his request. As a result, he wouldn't have even tried to stop her from following Theodan after the inevitable fallout. On a positive side, Jen would have had the time of her life trying to start a conversation with Alester.
Alys II:
[Go with Edward and Jadith]
This would have massively changed Alys' storyline, as instead of spending more time in Merman's Rest, she would have been by Edward's side during his attack on the dornish fleet. This would have been a big one, as Alys would have learned more about Edward's long-term plans, likely resulting in a highly different Chapter 3 for her as well.
Kersea II:
[Accept the drink]
Surprisingly, the drink was not spiked. Kersea would have accepted it, pleasing Drake and Elias and making them seem more at ease. As a result, Drake would have attacked them in a different way after waiting for longer, catching Leonard off guard and shifting the fight in his favour.
Willfred I:
[Go with Petyr]
Going with Petyr would have allowed me to further flesh out the Selwyn family during their talk with Petyr, with Donnel himself receiving some particular screentime, establishing some aspects to his character and the nature of his stay in Raylansfair. It would have also come with the potential to greatly affect the ending of Willfred's storyline, as it would have ruined any chance of making an ally out of Mullendore.
Lachlan II:
[Agree with Valydyn]
More of a character-building choice, this option wouldn't have changed anything about the outcome of the chapter. However, Lachlan would have grown a bit closer to Valydyn, improving their relationship at least a little bit.
The Hawk II:
[Take Sharako] and [Take Hazar]
This choice would have allowed me to show more of Sharako or Hazar instead of Montoya, as in the choice that ultimately won. While taking Hazar wouldn't have changed much, Sharako, as the spymaster of the three companies, would have been able to offer a bit of surprising intel on the characters the Hawk eventually interacted with, as well as gathering some more, which would have been at least interesting, I presume.
Raenna II:
[Leave Briar with Malina]
This option would have pleased Malina and greatly upset Briar. At the same time, it would have probably been the safer option for her, given that Raenna unknowingly led her right into a pretty serious combat. Knowing this, Raenna would have felt validated in her decision to keep Briar out of harm's way.
Ellena II:
[Remain silent]
The third and final time I messed up in this chapter. You chose to remain silent, yet I continued as if Ellena spoke out of line towards Aegon. This would have been the more respectful option and arguably the better one. See, while Aegon, Orys and Wulvren did not mind that Ellena spoke before she was ordered to, Visenya and Daemon took offence to that. They would have been more pleased if Ellena would have remained silent until ordered.
Edrick II:
[Continue to work]
Arguably, this option would have been a bad one. Edrick received pretty bad injuries, so continuing to work would have negatively affected his health. Eventually, he would have collapsed and while Normund would have still offered to free them, Edrick would have been in pretty bad shape and would have had a way harder time going through with it.
Garthon II:
[Tell Petyr to contact Lord Tully] and [Tell Petyr to contact Lord Frey]
Neither option would have changed anything in the current chapter. However, I can reveal that Lord Tully wouldn't have travelled to Raventree Hall either way, leading to House Blackwood gaining no allies in the next chapter. Lord Frey would have arrived though, just as readily as Lord Piper in the choice that won.
Kyra III:
[Take Herman prisoner]
This would have been a big change for the next chapter. See, Damon fully expected Kyra to give in to her anger and execute the man on the spot. As such, Herman's survival was not planned for. In fact, his knowledge could have caused some pretty severe trouble for Damon going forward. As such, he would have been displeased by Kyra's decision. He also would have tried to have Herman executed during the next chapter, but not before some of his dangerous knowledge would have reached the ears of Harrick Hoare.
Janae II:
[Remain standing]
Commendable as such a decision might have been, I am afraid it wouldn't have been a smart one. See, refusing his order to kneel would have enraged Abbas greatly and he would have essentially forced Janae to kneel, using his whip. The fact that he has to resort to such actions would have amused Vanis though, whose snarky comments would have further riled Abbas up.
John II:
[Come up with a lie]
Well, you do know that Aidan has a hatred against slavers, so telling him the truth has definitely been the smarter decision. However, lying to him would have resulted in a different kind of deal. While still supporting him against Lysara, he'd also demand payment, not knowing that John is after a slaver and this payment would have taken the absolute majority of the coin Daghan gave to John at the end of Book 1.
Drent III:
[Watch the rest of the joust]
Watching the remainder of the first half of the joust would have given Drent a better understanding of some of the knights. Mostly, I would have been able to name-drop some of them, most importantly Gerald Grandison, the man who ultimately won the whole deal. Beyond that though, nothing of consequence would have happened.
Jenna III:
[Leave it be]
Leaving the box be would have been, well, the smart choice. At the same time, it would have deprived you of some further information on the nature of the box. Vali would have moved it upstairs without experiencing anything and none of them would have even considered anything to be weird about it.
Arthur III:
[Go with Ryler]
Now, this option would have been an interesting one. By going with Ryler, Arthur would have spent more time at the clinic, with further screentime for Mathea and particularly for Rosalie. Surprisingly, she would have been able to offer valuable intel on Wolfius. However, picking Ryler's route would have resulted in you not witnessing the introduction of the Fang. As a result, he would have just appeared at some point in the future without warning.
Raenna III:
[Storm the lodge]
This choice would have led to big consequences. Storming the lodge would have deprived Raenna and Roffe of the information that the man they know as Kory is actually an impostor. During the fighting, “Kory” and Myrla would have escaped and Erik Flowers would have been taken prisoner. However, he would have played along, not revealing the information about the fake Kory until much later, instead just trying to find a way to save his own skin, while kind of tricking Raenna into not learning about the Kory switch.
Irae III:
[Give him the strong antidote]
Surprisingly, Kareq would have reacted well to the strong antidote, for the time being. So, this choice wouldn't have changed much for now. However, the antidote will have big consequences on his fate in the next chapter, so it remains to be seen if you chose wisely.
Sadie II:
[Leave the talking to him]
With Sadie not speaking up in Leo's favour, he would have taken matters into his own hands. In that talk, his full bias and hatred towards the nobility of the Rock would have shined through and actually, Leo would have made things only worse for him. Seeing her suspicions confirmed, Mileena would have essentially kicked the sellswords out, resulting in Sadie's storyline taking a vastly different turn.
Keat III:
[Keep him out of it]
Again, not much of a game changer for now, but with that choice, Samuel wouldn't have joined the heist. This would, in return, lead to the heist itself being harder, because Samuel's skills will be extremely useful in that environment.
Ysilla III:
[Remain in the Great Hall]
Remaining in the Great Hall is the other option that would have given me the opportunity to develop Alester, albeit at the cost of screentime for Belandra. Ysilla would have witnessed more of a discussion between her father and her half-sister, fleshing out Alester's own thoughts on the topic a bit better, as well as highlighting the relationship between him and Ashara. The elusive Yandry would have also gotten a bit of a larger role in this chapter.
Jenna IV:
[Talk in the presence of Dustran]
This would have led to Dustran being present for the talks between Vali, Jenna and Dunaver. He would have taken her accusations towards Maron quite seriously, more so than Dunaver who insists on evidence. He would have restrained himself enough to take no immediate action and to accept Dunaver's suggestion of finding evidence for Maron's and Petyr's schemes, but he would have immediately informed his father about this, resulting in a vastly different relationship between Donnel and the conspiracy.
Ilish III:
[Go to the docks]
Pretty simple, going to the docks would have meant missing Lawsen for now, though they would have reunited later on. Wildor would have followed Ilish, eventually confronting her and getting into a fight with her. This would have led to her knocking him out, but without Lawsen's guidance, Ilish would have still made the decision to flee to Oldtown, yet making several mistakes along the way which the experienced deserter Lawsen obviously avoids. This would have made it easier for Wildor to chase her down later on.
Ellena III:
[Go with Hemys]
Going with Hemys would have meant a larger role for Rhaenys in this chapter, as Ellena would have returned dutifully. Hemys herself would have been highly pleased by this, albeit Asher would have been a bit disappointed and you would have missed out on the opportunity to spy on Aegon's war council.
Willfred II:
[Refuse to work with Maron and Devrin]
Another big choice, this one would have locked Willfred out of an alliance with Maron and Devrin. Both lords would have accepted his decision on a surface level, but Maron would have instantly felt threatened about this, making it far more likely that he eventually snaps, as he did in the chapter finale. Maron would have even ended up trying to discredit Willfred towards Petyr, to make it less likely that they'd form an alliance.
Kersea III:
[Fight Elias]
Well, fighting Elias means leaving Leonard to fight against Drake on his own. Eventually, he would have actually succeeded at that. However, during the fight, Leonard would have been wounded and he would have blamed Kersea for that for not helping him. Drake would have died regardless, but their relationship would have taken a massive hit.
Alys III:
[Try to enter your room]
Alys would have succeeded at entering her room, but the man would have caught up to her, leading to quite an intense struggle. Carvin would have thankfully heard the noise and would have intervened, but things would have been overall more of a close call for Alys.
Willfred III
[Knock the box from Eddard's hands]
Aside from being a more violent option, meaning Willfred giving in to the box's darker urges, this option would have horrified Eddard, for reasons only partially obvious. You also would have received some information about a secret surrounding the new maester that will be revealed in a later chapter now.
The Hawk III:
[Agree with the Pig's plan]
Again, for the time being nothing would have changed. However, the leaders of the companies each have their own way of dealing with stuff and supporting the Pig would have led to more violence than supporting the generally cunning Rat.
Lachlan III:
[Accompany Valydyn and Redmond to Gulltown]
Like most choices towards the end of the chapter, nothing big would have changed. However, this was an important direction choice for Lachlan, who is now going to be approaching Gull Tower. At Gulltown, his story would have taken a massively different route.
Kyra IV:
[Dont promise him]
Not promising Damon here, well, I can tell you that would have been a stupid choice. Damon is already not terribly pleased with Kyra lately, so her refusing to promise him would lead to some of his darker traits becoming more obvious. Kyra herself would have never been in danger from her brother, but Gravven, well, he would have gotten into some pretty serious problems.
Garthon IV:
[Focus on Torvin Hale]
No changes in this chapter, but I can tell you, there will be differences between spying on Marie Redloon and on Torvin Hale, as well as giving Maurice the other one to keep an eye on. I'd say Marie is the more sensible option, given Maurice's obvious sexism, so Torvin would have likely been the worse option out of the two.
Arthur IV:
[Protest against using the Fang]
Here, Arthur would have slightly angered Maron, who would have asked himself who that guardsman is for speaking out against him. Rodrik however would be pleased by his new ally having his back and as a result, he would have opened up a bit further towards him in the things to come, being more willing to actually trust him.
[Speak in favour of using the Fang]
This option meanwhile would have pleased Maron, who would have taken note of the young guardsman who speaks so boldly. Being in Maron's favour is not actually as bad as you might think and he would have tried to outright test Arthur to find out how valuable an asset he can be in the chapters to come, resulting in Arthur, the only one to know the full truth, becoming Maron's favourite member of the city guard, ironically.
Raenna IV:
[Send Briar to Winterfell]
While Briar obviously won't accompany Raenna beyond the wall, this choice will determine if she'll be seen at all in the next chapter. She will return to Winterfell sooner or later regardless, but sending her back right away would have been deeply disappointing to her.
Edrick III:
[Reveal his plan to Viveka]
Again a big choice, as it will determine how well Edrick's escape goes. Obviously, telling Viveka would result in her making plans to sabotage the escape, using Edrick to lead her right to the Riverborn. Should Normund have learned about this, he would have shown a different side of his, a downright vicious anger.
Ilish IV:
[Say your goodbyes to the tavern staff]
As affectionate as this option would have been, Lawsen's suggestion to just leave is the more sensible one. When it comes to escaping without leaving a trace, he is the expert. So, Ilish saying her goodbyes to the staff would have given Wildor a lead, making it easier for him to eventually catch up to her.
Janae III:
[Attack Haar]
Attacking Haar would have been a surprisingly effective way of getting him to back off. Actual consequences for his actions, that is not something he is used to have, so he would have been taken by surprise. In the future, he would have taken things easier on the girls, perhaps out of some twisted sort of respect for Janae, or perhaps the hint of fear.
[Threaten Haar]
However, a threat is not something he takes seriously. Merely threatening the man would have resulted in him laughing it off. He would have actually made it a point to treat the girls particularly badly from now on, simply to show Janae that he cannot be threatened.
John III:
[Advice him to ambush Lysara]
This choice would have resulted in a fairly major change for Jaron's final part in this chapter. Ambushing Lysara would have been a disaster. The woman is a skilled fighter herself and half the guards in Lys are on her father's pay roll. So, after initially overpowering the Rogare men and taking Lysara hostage, she would have managed to free herself, resulting in her demanding terms way less reasonable for Aidan to get rid of his debt.
Irae IV:
[Agree to consider the warlocks' suggestion]
Obviously, considering their option would have pleased the council of evil old folks. They love it when people follow their orders, so this would have given Irae some favour among them. However, it would have been horrible for Naela and Irae would have actually gotten second thoughts, resulting in choices during the next chapter to actually go through with abducting her, mutilating her and dominating her mind on the order of the council.
Drent V:
[Refuse it]
Now, that is an interesting one. See, if I remember correctly Drent and Argella are a fairly popular ship. And as strange as it seems, refusing the ring would have been the more romantic gesture in this situation. It is important to take into account that Argella is rich beyond measure. When she gives away jewellery for Drent following her wishes, it doesn't have a sentimental value to it, it is a gesture in the same way we would pay a cab driver. She expected Drent to do this for a reward, so she offered it, pretty much the only reward she knows how to give. If he would have refused, that would have taken her by surprise, to say the least. And it would have caused her to pause and think about this. She would have deeply been touched by the idea of someone helping her not because they expect a reward, but because they actually appreciate her.
Keat IV:
[Send her away]
Sending Rose away would have been a major choice. You can probably see it at the end of this very chapter, this was one of the truly huge choices, because Keat's relationship with Rose will prove to be a massive plot point for his entire story going forward. Sending her away would have resulted in her being chased away by Bannister, giving her a truly negative impression on Keat.
Willfred IV:
[Tell him what you discussed with Petyr]
Perhaps the single most massive diversion from the finale you eventually got. Maron simply wouldn't have attacked Willfred, resulting in the survival of Roger and Tallian for the time being. Prins however would have still died, for a reason I'll get to below. See, knowing that Petyr is plotting against him, Maron would have made his move pretty quickly, hoping to win Willfred over. In an attempt to display his power, he would have tried to kill Hugo Farnham, to teach Petyr a lesson. This would have failed and backfired, resulting in Hugo actually fighting off the Tom to a standstill. Chaos would have broken out in the castle, with Petyr's and Maron's men locked in an open fight for a short time until the two would have formed a truce. During the chaos, Prins would have been killed by a Vyrwel man-at-arms. Of course, this would have massively changed public opinion on Petyr and Maron both. For example, Donnel Selwyn would have been extremely tempted to call off any further negotiations, given that both men got his family in danger with their power struggle. While Maron and Petyr would have continued to work together, it would have been clear their alliance is essentially broken beyond repair, to a degree that isn't the case in the option you picked. As for Willfred, he would have actually gotten the choice. Either he could have stayed in Raylansfair, or he could have fled after Prins' death, to avoid Petyr's vengeance.
[Refuse to tell him]
This option would have resulted in a similar outcome as lying to him, so most of it is the same. However, Willfred would have essentially told Maron to fuck off, which would have been amusing for me to write.
Kersea IV:
[Allow him to accompany you to Oldtown] and [Tell him to go to Oldtown on his own]
While neither option would have changed anything about this chapter, Elias' whereabouts will massively impact the future due to how diverse things could have been. Now, he will reappear in Raylansfair, but he could have potentially been a part of Kersea's storyline, or would have appeared in Ilish's. And his presence or absence in either of these three storylines will actually change a lot about how things are going to progress.
Jenna V:
[Suggest searching through Petyr's room]
Another choice that will impact the next chapter in quite a big way. Searching through Petyr's room means working closer with Vali, though Saerya would have been disappointed about constantly being locked out of the loop. And while I obviously cannot tell you what Jenna would have found in Petyr's room, I can tell you that her actions would have been discovered eventually, for further consequence.
Ysilla IV:
[Tell her you can't promise it]
Mostly a character-building choice, as well as one that was meant to determine the relationship between Ysilla and Belandra. Her promise will ultimately be irrelevant to the actual plot, since she would not return to Godsgrace if anything happens to Theodan, whereas her promise won't matter if she brings him back safe regardless. However, not promising it would have greatly concerned Belandra and would have negatively affected her relationship with Ysilla.
Alys IV:
[Keep it a secret]
Well, not telling Warmond about Alys' real identity would have still gained his support, if only because he wants to prevent Sargasso Saan from capturing her and gaining an advantage. However, he would have underestimated the severity of the situation and as a return, he would have offered less valuable support.
Ellena IV:
[Stay with Asher]
Staying with Asher would have ultimately been the worse option of the two. By being discovered, Ellena would have created a small scandal and that would have impaired Ellena's position at court. More specifically, Rhaenys would have been disappointed and would have reconsidered giving Ellena any task of importance. Asher would have been similarly punished by Orys, something that will happen either way though. For a while, some elements at court, most importantly Laevon and Queen Visenya would have even been convinced that she's actively spying on them on behalf of their enemies.
Jaron IV:
[Confirm John's lie]
This one will, at first, determine the way Lysara sees Jaron and the others. By confirming John's lie, she would have paid them no further mind, seeing them just as Aidan's new sellsword friends. However, she would have grown suspicious about their true agenda and could have, depending on your choices, potentially discovered it later, resulting in further consequences.
I finally caught up with the story again (been pretty busy lately) and HOLY SMOKES! My boy Willfred! Whyyy ;_; For the first time since Lucas' trial by combat I was deeply anxious. I can't believe Roger and Tallian are dead. Willfred is in a very fucked up situation too. Imagine his family's reaction... and the Lannister's. The Field of Fire is coming yet Loren has plenty of shit to deal with!
Congrats on finishing this chapter. I wish you all the inspiration.
Trying to hide would have actually worked. Ellena's involvement in spying on the war council wouldn't have been discovered, especially as Hemys would have kept her mouth shut about it. Asher would have gotten into trouble though, because squire or not, this sort of behaviour is not tolerated. However, he wouldn't have been mad at Ellena or anything, as he essentially requested her to do this.
Just wanted to point out before you start writing Ellena's next part that we did actually choose to hide
And as promised, here are the alternative choices for this chapter! This is going to be a long one and it took me a lot longer than I though… moret it would, though I hope you'll enjoy what could have been I'll wrap the post-chapter stuff (namely, the 'What if?' section) up tomorrow, means the next chapter will start right after that, probably around Wednesday. As always, thank you for reading!
Alternative Choices: Book 2, Chapter 2
Jenna I:
[Nod]
By nodding here, Jenna would confirm that she is afraid of Petyr. While this wouldn't have changed anything about the way the events of Chapter 2 played out, it was a major character building choice for her, as well as shaping the way Petyr sees her. Now, she is actually not all that afraid of him, something he definitely has noted, but his reaction towards her would have been different if she would have shown fear.
Kyra I:
[Stay with Harrick]
This would have been a rather large … [view original content]
Ah, this I can do, of course! Actually, I am in the process of doing just that. The weekend has been busy for me, but I want to finally upda… morete the parts on google docs. I have started and should get done with it at some point tomorrow, after, finally, posting the alternative choices for this chapter. So, I'll send you the links once I got this ready!
Hello alternate choices my old friend. I've come to type for you again...
Kyra I:
[Stay with Harrick]
This would have been a rather large choice, allowing me to show more of the wedding celebrations, with further appearances of Durren Stallhart and the Blacktyde siblings. It would have been the option highly preferred by Harrick, but Harmund would have been incredibly displeased by Kyra's decision to ignore his orders. Though without immediate repercussions, Kyra would have felt his anger eventually. It would have also caused her to miss the return of Rell Vessels and his account of Garthon's death, leading to her only learning of it at the end of the chapter.
DURREN STALLHART man I wish we got to see more of him.
Raenna I:
[Attempt to follow Kory]
This option would have cut out the entire scene in the Great Hall of the Last Heart, as Raenna would have followed “Kory” right away. She would have managed to pursue him, listening on the entire conversation between him and Myrla. Without the added support from Roffe though, Raenna wouldn't have been able to intervene. The talk would have ended in violence and Markus would have been left beaten by the other wildlings as a warning. Raenna would have then revealed herself to him after Myrla and her raiders had left, leading to a choice in which she could have either agreed to keep his identity a secret in return for him helping to find the real Kory (essentially taking over Erik Flowers' role) or revealed everything to Roffe, resulting in Markus being forced to guide them beyond the wall.
Be kind of fun. Markus would be a fun forced guide.
Jenna II:
[Search for Saerya]
The opposite of Vali's choice, this option would have seen Saerya showing a softer side of hers, in which she offers emotional support to Jenna. They wouldn't have made much progress against Maron and Petyr though, even if Saerya would have tried to stir Jenna into a certain direction. And while the Vali route saw more screentime for Dunaver Flowers and Dustran Selwyn, the Saerya route would have fleshed out the characters of Derik Selwyn and Maester Gylbert.
Well, dagger! I think? Probably not, just some screentime missed for some characters, not a deal. Chapter 3 it will be!
Arthur II:
[Refuse to work with Rodrik]
Quite a massive option, as this route would have resulted in serious consequences for later chapters, potentially really negative ones, as Rodrik's support does bring its benefits. Rodrik himself would have let Arthur go, as he knows that the city guard can be helpful in his struggle against Wolfius and Lupin. However, Ryler would have eventually decided to stay with his newfound family instead of working with Arthur, resulting in a rift between them.
Interesting. Don't like Rodrik and I certainly don't like Lucia, but at least something positive came out of it.
Ilish II:
[Agree to help Wildor]
In quite a massive change from the original winning choice, Ilish would have worked with Wildor here. Depending on her options, she could have either managed to capture Lawsen and delivered him to Wildor, allowed him to leave after hearing his story, or flat out failed to capture him.
[Try to mislead him]
Here, Ilish would have actually succeeded. Wildor is a cunning man, but he got nothing against a full-time barmaid, essentially a professional liar. Misleading him, she would have made things significantly easier for Lawsen. However, Wildor would have realized the truth later on, which would have spelled trouble for her in a later chapter.
Fascinating options. Ilish wouldn't have to leave Raylansfair, for now at least.
Jaron II:
[Walk away]
Rather hilariously, after being hyped up for quite some time, this choice would have caused Arryn to disappear from the story. Jaron wouldn't have bothered with him and as such, he wouldn't have accompanied him to Volantis. Maybe I would have found a way to reintroduce him later down the line, but at this point, I haven't made any plans into that direction.
Would have been great. Just...gone. Arryn gets his brief flash of the sun and disappears into the night.
Alys II:
[Go with Edward and Jadith]
This would have massively changed Alys' storyline, as instead of spending more time in Merman's Rest, she would have been by Edward's side during his attack on the dornish fleet. This would have been a big one, as Alys would have learned more about Edward's long-term plans, likely resulting in a highly different Chapter 3 for her as well.
I wish we saw this. That'd be nice. Death! Destruction! Pirates!
Willfred I:
[Go with Petyr]
Going with Petyr would have allowed me to further flesh out the Selwyn family during their talk with Petyr, with Donnel himself receiving some particular screentime, establishing some aspects to his character and the nature of his stay in Raylansfair. It would have also come with the potential to greatly affect the ending of Willfred's storyline, as it would have ruined any chance of making an ally out of Mullendore.
Seems like this would have been a wise choice. More Donnel, how exciting. And more family. The nature of stay in Raylansfair, come to think of it, that isn't something we know the exact details of. And most importantly, we would have never made the poor choice of trying to work with Mullendore, and might have not been stabbed.
Janae II:
[Remain standing]
Commendable as such a decision might have been, I am afraid it wouldn't have been a smart one. See, refusing his order to kneel would have enraged Abbas greatly and he would have essentially forced Janae to kneel, using his whip. The fact that he has to resort to such actions would have amused Vanis though, whose snarky comments would have further riled Abbas up.
Arthur III:
[Go with Ryler]
Now, this option would have been an interesting one. By going with Ryler, Arthur would have spent more time at the clinic, with further screentime for Mathea and particularly for Rosalie. Surprisingly, she would have been able to offer valuable intel on Wolfius. However, picking Ryler's route would have resulted in you not witnessing the introduction of the Fang. As a result, he would have just appeared at some point in the future without warning.
Wolfius! News! AHhhhhhhhhhhhh man I would liked to hear about that. Not Rosalie though. Although I am not sure if not knowing about the Fang would be bad, because Leonard and Kersea still don't know about it, plus now we know he's coming and he's a real creep it's scarier. Unless Kersea kept thinking she saw something, all throughout her parts...
Jenna IV:
[Talk in the presence of Dustran]
This would have led to Dustran being present for the talks between Vali, Jenna and Dunaver. He would have taken her accusations towards Maron quite seriously, more so than Dunaver who insists on evidence. He would have restrained himself enough to take no immediate action and to accept Dunaver's suggestion of finding evidence for Maron's and Petyr's schemes, but he would have immediately informed his father about this, resulting in a vastly different relationship between Donnel and the conspiracy.
Would have been helpful, no Donnel alliance? Or maybe Donnel would want in on the conspiracy. I think it's best that he doesn't know. Dustran seems...rather passionate.
Willfred II:
[Refuse to work with Maron and Devrin]
Another big choice, this one would have locked Willfred out of an alliance with Maron and Devrin. Both lords would have accepted his decision on a surface level, but Maron would have instantly felt threatened about this, making it far more likely that he eventually snaps, as he did in the chapter finale. Maron would have even ended up trying to discredit Willfred towards Petyr, to make it less likely that they'd form an alliance.
I can't believe we agreed to this. Maron snapping makes sense, he's a rather...intense fellow. A shame we made the poor old man do that, not good for his heart health...
Kersea III:
[Fight Elias]
Well, fighting Elias means leaving Leonard to fight against Drake on his own. Eventually, he would have actually succeeded at that. However, during the fight, Leonard would have been wounded and he would have blamed Kersea for that for not helping him. Drake would have died regardless, but their relationship would have taken a massive hit.
You know, don't want Leonard hurt, but man I kind of would have liked to see him get pissed at Kersea again. Need more anger.
Willfred III
[Knock the box from Eddard's hands]
Aside from being a more violent option, meaning Willfred giving in to the box's darker urges, this option would have horrified Eddard, for reasons only partially obvious. You also would have received some information about a secret surrounding the new maester that will be revealed in a later chapter now.
MY PRECIOUS! Would have loved to see this. Secrets? I like secrets. I want to know secrets. I want to know this secret.
The Hawk III:
[Agree with the Pig's plan]
Again, for the time being nothing would have changed. However, the leaders of the companies each have their own way of dealing with stuff and supporting the Pig would have led to more violence than supporting the generally cunning Rat.
More violence? Awwwwww
Arthur IV:
[Protest against using the Fang]
Here, Arthur would have slightly angered Maron, who would have asked himself who that guardsman is for speaking out against him. Rodrik however would be pleased by his new ally having his back and as a result, he would have opened up a bit further towards him in the things to come, being more willing to actually trust him.
[Speak in favour of using the Fang]
This option meanwhile would have pleased Maron, who would have taken note of the young guardsman who speaks so boldly. Being in Maron's favour is not actually as bad as you might think and he would have tried to outright test Arthur to find out how valuable an asset he can be in the chapters to come, resulting in Arthur, the only one to know the full truth, becoming Maron's favourite member of the city guard, ironically.
Protesting was a bad idea no matter what. Speaking in favor, heheh, sounds fun. Maybe good ol' Arthur would have become a Mullendore lackey. I am excited to hear "What If's" on this in the far future.
Edrick III:
[Reveal his plan to Viveka]
Again a big choice, as it will determine how well Edrick's escape goes. Obviously, telling Viveka would result in her making plans to sabotage the escape, using Edrick to lead her right to the Riverborn. Should Normund have learned about this, he would have shown a different side of his, a downright vicious anger.
Viveka would have given Edrick a big kiss and a bag of chips and then threw him into a cell again. How lovely.
Drent V:
[Refuse it]
Now, that is an interesting one. See, if I remember correctly Drent and Argella are a fairly popular ship. And as strange as it seems, refusing the ring would have been the more romantic gesture in this situation. It is important to take into account that Argella is rich beyond measure. When she gives away jewellery for Drent following her wishes, it doesn't have a sentimental value to it, it is a gesture in the same way we would pay a cab driver. She expected Drent to do this for a reward, so she offered it, pretty much the only reward she knows how to give. If he would have refused, that would have taken her by surprise, to say the least. And it would have caused her to pause and think about this. She would have deeply been touched by the idea of someone helping her not because they expect a reward, but because they actually appreciate her.
But it's a ring! It's shiny, and it's my precious...…..that Drent will totally use to save his skin.
Willfred IV:
[Tell him what you discussed with Petyr]
Perhaps the single most massive diversion from the finale you eventually got. Maron simply wouldn't have attacked Willfred, resulting in the survival of Roger and Tallian for the time being. Prins however would have still died, for a reason I'll get to below. See, knowing that Petyr is plotting against him, Maron would have made his move pretty quickly, hoping to win Willfred over. In an attempt to display his power, he would have tried to kill Hugo Farnham, to teach Petyr a lesson. This would have failed and backfired, resulting in Hugo actually fighting off the Tom to a standstill. Chaos would have broken out in the castle, with Petyr's and Maron's men locked in an open fight for a short time until the two would have formed a truce. During the chaos, Prins would have been killed by a Vyrwel man-at-arms. Of course, this would have massively changed public opinion on Petyr and Maron both. For example, Donnel Selwyn would have been extremely tempted to call off any further negotiations, given that both men got his family in danger with their power struggle. While Maron and Petyr would have continued to work together, it would have been clear their alliance is essentially broken beyond repair, to a degree that isn't the case in the option you picked. As for Willfred, he would have actually gotten the choice. Either he could have stayed in Raylansfair, or he could have fled after Prins' death, to avoid Petyr's vengeance.
[Refuse to tell him]
This option would have resulted in a similar outcome as lying to him, so most of it is the same. However, Willfred would have essentially told Maron to fuck off, which would have been amusing for me to write.
How cow that sounds so awesome. Chaos! Hugo vs. Tom! The Moggy probably getting involved. Evil Vs. Evil, Grievous vs. Ventress! Poor Prins. Donnel Selwyn definitely would be pissed. Man, it would screw over those two bastards too.
Kersea IV:
[Allow him to accompany you to Oldtown] and [Tell him to go to Oldtown on his own]
While neither option would have changed anything about this chapter, Elias' whereabouts will massively impact the future due to how diverse things could have been. Now, he will reappear in Raylansfair, but he could have potentially been a part of Kersea's storyline, or would have appeared in Ilish's. And his presence or absence in either of these three storylines will actually change a lot about how things are going to progress.
We are going to regret the choice we made. A man with no allegiance can't be up to no good. He should be coming with us as muscle. Oh well.
Jenna V:
[Suggest searching through Petyr's room]
Another choice that will impact the next chapter in quite a big way. Searching through Petyr's room means working closer with Vali, though Saerya would have been disappointed about constantly being locked out of the loop. And while I obviously cannot tell you what Jenna would have found in Petyr's room, I can tell you that her actions would have been discovered eventually, for further consequence.
Batman? General Grievous? A pack of orcs? A portal to Narnia? The Starship Enterprise? Grape soda? The DeLorean? T-rex? The Terminator? A Krabby Patty? Mullendore key-chains and snow cones? Maybe a lover? Sherryl-Frankenstein style?
And as promised, here are the alternative choices for this chapter! This is going to be a long one and it took me a lot longer than I though… moret it would, though I hope you'll enjoy what could have been I'll wrap the post-chapter stuff (namely, the 'What if?' section) up tomorrow, means the next chapter will start right after that, probably around Wednesday. As always, thank you for reading!
Alternative Choices: Book 2, Chapter 2
Jenna I:
[Nod]
By nodding here, Jenna would confirm that she is afraid of Petyr. While this wouldn't have changed anything about the way the events of Chapter 2 played out, it was a major character building choice for her, as well as shaping the way Petyr sees her. Now, she is actually not all that afraid of him, something he definitely has noted, but his reaction towards her would have been different if she would have shown fear.
Kyra I:
[Stay with Harrick]
This would have been a rather large … [view original content]
Ah, I am so glad you enjoyed the finale! For the longest time during this chapter, I actually wasn't too sure which scene I want to be the final one, but giving it to Willfred here felt like the right decision and given the reactions, it seems it worked And this one will have consequences arguably even more massive than Lucas' death, who, despite his importance to the narrative, is now seen as simply a convicted criminal whose death won't negatively affect Mullendore in any way, quite the contrary. Willfred's survival and the deaths of General Tallian and Roger Hill, who was Darren Reyne's half-brother and a personal friend of Loren, will mean consequences, not just for Maron, but for the Reach itself, the latter of which is likely even something he intended. Loren is just barely fighting the Ironborn to a stalemate, he hoped to rely on the Reach, especially in the coming war against Aegon, but this right there is something he absolutely must deal with first.
I finally caught up with the story again (been pretty busy lately) and HOLY SMOKES! My boy Willfred! Whyyy ;_; For the first time since Luca… mores' trial by combat I was deeply anxious. I can't believe Roger and Tallian are dead. Willfred is in a very fucked up situation too. Imagine his family's reaction... and the Lannister's. The Field of Fire is coming yet Loren has plenty of shit to deal with!
Congrats on finishing this chapter. I wish you all the inspiration.
Hnnnggh, it seems I can't even avoid to mess up while writing the alternative choices I don't know what it is with this chapter, this is just weird. It is fixed now though, thank you for bringing this to my attention
Ellena IV:
[Try to hide]
Trying to hide would have actually worked. Ellena's involvement in spying on the war council wouldn't… more have been discovered, especially as Hemys would have kept her mouth shut about it. Asher would have gotten into trouble though, because squire or not, this sort of behaviour is not tolerated. However, he wouldn't have been mad at Ellena or anything, as he essentially requested her to do this.
Just wanted to point out before you start writing Ellena's next part that we did actually choose to hide
DURREN STALLHART man I wish we got to see more of him.
You eventually will, I promise! Durren still has a role to play in the things to come and while he'll likely never be the most important character ever (albeit I am taking note of his popularity, be assured ), his importance will increase in some later parts of Book 2.
Well, dagger! I think? Probably not, just some screentime missed for some characters, not a deal. Chapter 3 it will be!
Aye, indeed. It was always either Dustran and Dunaver or Derik and Gylbert. More screentime for the latter would have come at the expense of the former, as Jenna, for all her character development, has not yet developed the opportunity to be in two places at once. While there are a lot of characters to develop in the Selwyn family, given enough time I just know all will get their opportunity to shine.
Would have been great. Just...gone. Arryn gets his brief flash of the sun and disappears into the night.
In a way, this is would have been hilarious. I would have probably been completely baffled at that option, but there would have been no way for me to show Arryn for the time being. Maybe I would have gained a later chance, but well, I never would have seen that one coming.
Seems like this would have been a wise choice. More Donnel, how exciting. And more family. The nature of stay in Raylansfair, come to think of it, that isn't something we know the exact details of. And most importantly, we would have never made the poor choice of trying to work with Mullendore, and might have not been stabbed.
At the same time, this would have made it more likely that Willfred works with Petyr and that was precisely what got him stabbed in the end. Working with Mullendore, but not doing half-measures of trying to play both sides, that would have been the only safe way of preventing this. But yeah, this option would have given a better idea of what Donnel wants from Petyr. As you can imagine, this is not just Petyr wanting an ally, but Donnel having very specific ideas of what he should gain out of it.
Wolfius! News! AHhhhhhhhhhhhh man I would liked to hear about that. Not Rosalie though. Although I am not sure if not knowing about the Fang would be bad, because Leonard and Kersea still don't know about it, plus now we know he's coming and he's a real creep it's scarier. Unless Kersea kept thinking she saw something, all throughout her parts...
Well, it would have mostly been a choice for you. I imagine the Fang's possible presence in Oldtown will influence your choices for Kersea's parts, whereas you not knowing might have resulted in different options. Therefore, even if I'd hint at his presence, he'd pretty much come out of nowhere eventually, not just for Kersea, but also for you.
Would have been helpful, no Donnel alliance? Or maybe Donnel would want in on the conspiracy. I think it's best that he doesn't know. Dustran seems...rather passionate.
Aye, I'd say Dustran can be a very passionate when his family is concerned. Especially when it comes to his father, you know how he thinks of him. As such, while Dunaver is way more level-headed, Dunaver would have acted quickly. Potentially a mistake even, being rash is not always a good idea.
I can't believe we agreed to this. Maron snapping makes sense, he's a rather...intense fellow. A shame we made the poor old man do that, not good for his heart health...
Oh, I can confirm that Maron is a likely candidate to get health problems in his later years from all the time he snaps and gets so viciously angry. It shouldn't be an immediate problem, but he is a likely candidate for heart problems in his later years. Not yet though, he's in his early fifties, but at that rate, his days actually are numbered and it's only a matter of time. Of course, he can easily live to his late sixties, so just waiting things out cannot be an option.
MY PRECIOUS! Would have loved to see this. Secrets? I like secrets. I want to know secrets. I want to know this secret.
And you will learn about this secret later on. One way or the other, just because you didn't get a hint at it right now doesn't mean you missed your opportunity to learn about it at all.
Protesting was a bad idea no matter what. Speaking in favor, heheh, sounds fun. Maybe good ol' Arthur would have become a Mullendore lackey. I am excited to hear "What If's" on this in the far future.
Well, Arthur knows about Mullendore's true nature thanks to Sherryl, so he would have never been loyal to him. But he could have fooled Maron. Underestimating the unlikely enemies, that's perhaps Mullendore's greatest weakness. Some pretty neat What If's will come out of this though, that much I can confirm.
How cow that sounds so awesome. Chaos! Hugo vs. Tom! The Moggy probably getting involved. Evil Vs. Evil, Grievous vs. Ventress! Poor Prins. Donnel Selwyn definitely would be pissed. Man, it would screw over those two bastards too.
In the end, yes, that would have been the worst outcome for Petyr and Maron. Both would have been locked in a huge power struggle and the only thing preventing Mern from ending things right there would have been the coming war against Aegon Targaryen, claiming his full attention right now. But their plans would have been brought to a stand still for the time being, as they'd have to focus on restoring their alliance or replacing each other with a more trustworthy ally.
Batman? General Grievous? A pack of orcs? A portal to Narnia? The Starship Enterprise? Grape soda? The DeLorean? T-rex? The Terminator? A Krabby Patty? Mullendore key-chains and snow cones? Maybe a lover? Sherryl-Frankenstein style?
Hm, you guessed correctly, it would have been a Krabby Patty and a portal to Narnia, only to be revealed if Jenna would have searched his wardrobe. There, she would have met Batman and General Grievous. Not the Terminator though, that would be the Fang and he's already unleashed.
Hello alternate choices my old friend. I've come to type for you again...
Kyra I:
[Stay with Harrick]
This would have been a rat… moreher large choice, allowing me to show more of the wedding celebrations, with further appearances of Durren Stallhart and the Blacktyde siblings. It would have been the option highly preferred by Harrick, but Harmund would have been incredibly displeased by Kyra's decision to ignore his orders. Though without immediate repercussions, Kyra would have felt his anger eventually. It would have also caused her to miss the return of Rell Vessels and his account of Garthon's death, leading to her only learning of it at the end of the chapter.
DURREN STALLHART man I wish we got to see more of him.
Raenna I:
[Attempt to follow Kory]
This option would have cut out the entire scene in the Great Hall of the Last Heart, as Raenna would have followed “Kory” right away. She would have managed to pursu… [view original content]
A slight bit later than planned, but here is the What If section for this chapter. With this, the post-chapter stuff is also officially wrapped up and I'll start writing the next part right now. Expect me to release it tomorrow. I hope you'll enjoy these and the next part as well
What would have happened...
...if Harmund, King Hoare, would have been a thing?
As you know by now, a certain route could have led to me diverting from the canon and killing off none other than Harren back in Book 1. And well, the more time I plan into his character, the more happy I am this never happened, simply because Harren is someone I greatly enjoy writing. And well, certainly a villain he might be, but he's a saint compared to Harmund. Perhaps the only person in the entire kingdom who would have benefited from him being king would have been Elaena. Without a father to force him, Harmund simply would have rejected the offer, forcing both Mallister's away under the threat of execution. This would have removed his last ally among the Riverlords, while also making sure that Arrec stands with truly no one. However, Lord Mallister, being absolutely desperate, would have eventually found a new ally, in none other than Damon Greyjoy. An expert on playing both sides, Damon would have used Arrec in return for a rather questionable promise of protection from the Riverlords once Harmund would be dealt with.
...if Leonard would have remained in Raylansfair?
A choice particularly important for the end of this chapter. As I told you last time I did these, Leonard remaining in Raylansfair would have turned him into a somewhat loyal Vyrwel knight, as he would have never seen any reason to believe Lucas' accusations. And while later choices could have turned him against his new lord, the time wouldn't have come yet. This would have meant that he would have participated in the chapter finale, resulting in an actual duel between him and Willfred. This duel would have ended in Willfred's favour, but he would have spared the knight's life. This act of mercy from a man who supposedly tried to murder Mullendore would have sowed the first doubt in Leonard's mind about the men he serves.
...if Alys would have told the pirates her true name during their first meeting?
I already said it last time, this would have been one hell of a foolish thing to do. But the consequences would have arrived in this part. Knowing about her real identity, Blacksails and Saan would have both tried to use her for their purposes. Effectively isolating her from Edward, Blacksails would have been nothing but polite towards her, compared to the more openly ill-meaning Saan. However, he would have shown his true colours when eventually attempting to outright imprison her, revealing that he intends to send her home for a hefty ransom. To this end, he already sent a letter to her father. Depending on your choices, she could have escaped with the help of Carvin. Perhaps the one positive change would have been that her father would have received word of her still being alive.
...if Sadie would have stayed at the sellsword camp instead of going to Castamere?
Surprisingly, this one would have actually been an important choice. See, with her not going to Castamere, Leo would have failed to convince Mileena to keep him there. At the same time, Sadie would have been an important witness of events currently unfolding in the sellsword camp, with tensions running high between Edward Lancaster, Gyles Gomblinger and a third, newly arrived party. Without saying too much, she could have intervened in negotiations with Edward and this third party, potentially making a heavy difference on the way things will unfold in the later chapters.
...if Raenna wouldn't have travelled to the North?
Raenna's journey north was a direct consequence of her meeting Brandon Snow and him saving her life after her fight with Alysanne in the lighthouse. This would have given me the need to find a new Northern PoV and I am honestly not entirely sure whom I would have picked. I never planned into that direction, but someone from the current Northern cast would have stepped up to the role, with the exception of Malina Karstark, who has no reason to travel beyond the wall. Raenna herself would have instead joined a different story in a different location, namely the Vale, the Eyrie, taking over a storyline in the northern Vale I have now planned for a different PoV. But yeah, if not Torrhen Stark, she would have served Sharra Arryn, giving us an earlier PoV at her court.
...if Hackor Nathamer would have survived the raid?
As you know, a certain route could have resulted in the survival of Hackor Nathamer during the raid. While his injuries would have forced him to step down from any active leadership role (in fact, he would have been permanently disabled, leaving him barely able to walk and completely unable to lift his heavy armour), he would have remained a figure of importance in the city and a very uncomfortable subject for Petyr and Maron. Out of sheer instinct, he would have investigated the latter in secret, using his successor with the city guard, Daemion Stratford, for this goal. He would have eventually uncovered at least a few glimpses of the man's true nature and past in Oldtown, but would have been too smart to directly confront him. Instead, he would have collaborated with Kasyn Luck, working on turning the city guard against their lord to hopefully take down both men in a later coup. As you can imagine, I can tell you more about how that would have went at a later point.
...if Richard would have survived the last chapter?
While a confrontation with Mullendore has always been the more likely fate for Richard, always resulting in his death, through certain choices this confrontation itself could have been prevented. A big one was confronting Alan about his behaviour. Not doing that would have given Richard the chance to avoid a confrontation with Mullendore for now. Kersea and Leonard would have still left, but on better terms instead of the outright hasty escape they had to make. Jenna would have been in a far better place, avoiding attention from Petyr and Maron both, but Richard's situation would have still grown more tense. His chapter would have been all about destroying evidence of Kersea's and Leonard's stay, not knowing that Alan already took some of it in order to later turn on his brother. He would have, however, made more allies for his goals, namely Mathea and Nora. Through the latter, especially Jenna could have taken on an interesting new task. Her role in this chapter would have been about trying to gain the trust of either Darren Tallwood or Ian Shortwood, who, as Raylansfair's household knights, would have potentially been highly valuable allies. The former would have even been receptive to that, while the latter, not knowing Raylansfair as well, would have been more hesitant.
Hey this question is usally asked so I think I will ask it this time
Do you think you could give us a list of characters that might get introduced in this chapter?
A slight bit later than planned, but here is the What If section for this chapter. With this, the post-chapter stuff is also officially wrap… moreped up and I'll start writing the next part right now. Expect me to release it tomorrow. I hope you'll enjoy these and the next part as well
What would have happened...
...if Harmund, King Hoare, would have been a thing?
As you know by now, a certain route could have led to me diverting from the canon and killing off none other than Harren back in Book 1. And well, the more time I plan into his character, the more happy I am this never happened, simply because Harren is someone I greatly enjoy writing. And well, certainly a villain he might be, but he's a saint compared to Harmund. Perhaps the only person in the entire kingdom who would have benefited from him being king would have been Elaena. Without a father to force him, Harmund simply would have rejected the offer, forcing both Mallister'… [view original content]
Ah, yes of course, I can gladly do that! Keep in mind, this list might not be complete (as I might decide to either include a character who is not on this later on, or keep the presence of a planned to appear character secret for spoiler reasons), nor does it mean that every character on here has to appear for certain, it just means that there's a really good chance, though I might end up realizing that while writing the chapter itself, my plans for the character to appear in that spot won't work out as well as I hope. For example, in the last chapter this happened with Marie Redloon, a servant at Raventree Hall who is now going to appear in the very next chapter. It could also happen that during the chapter itself, a character will be submitted that is just perfect for a role in the chapter itself, kinda the same thing that happened with your characters Myrla and Erik in the last chapter. The last chapter in general introduced way more characters than I named at first. But here's the list of characters planned for now, in order of their submission.
New characters to appear in Chapter 3:
Carth Nerisial, Ozerog Pilaj, Kovaggo Rednar, Beopin, Maester Coracinus, Semsi the Slicer, Marie Redloon, Sebastian Sand, Salazar Redwind, Daenos, Vivielia Sand, Kaya, Naelys Qaranor, Lazaaros Fyllaar, Aren, Konrad Blacktyde, Edric, Erwin, Gilbar Cale, Sophey, Vitihho, Liam Lannister, Yusuf Hillsider, Tym Flumble, Grulk, The Iron Viper, Zixun, Bazaeya Braesendys, Aentihys, Bea, Rowan Crios, Lord Chrass Serry, Otho Wayland, Mariya Piper, Lady Margo Serry, Lucas Lolliston, Ser Gerold Grimm, Khar Shun, The Mask, Ser Edgar Grafton, Eraenys Solus, Aena Solus, Ser Logan Lydden, Wimp, Audrey Crakehall, Serendine Myros, Matt Pole, Joe Pole, Serysha Nahatis, Heleri Hewett, Ser Garibald Chester, Ser Addison Hill, Jodie Hill, Gill, Gareth, Naidal Serry, Emerson Tollet, Ser Theon Toyne, Arianna Hewett, Drevyn Pyke, Nakan the Guilty, Flinch, Irrario Paenys, Alaela Paenys, Deja, Robert Flowers, Ragnar Smyte, Dagon Darkeyes, Alvarus Orkwood
You might notice, this is significantly less than the last chapter, which is probably for the better. The last chapter was a novelty with how many characters it introduced and I felt it was a bit too much at times. Unless completely new storylines are started (which there won't be in the next chapter, we'll just get two returning PoV's in Samantha and Maya), expect this to be the usual amount of new characters per chapter, potentially even less in some future chapters. That won't be enough to introduce every submitted character, but it should be enough for most of them.
Hey this question is usally asked so I think I will ask it this time
Do you think you could give us a list of characters that might get introduced in this chapter?
Ah, yes of course, I can gladly do that! Keep in mind, this list might not be complete (as I might decide to either include a character who … moreis not on this later on, or keep the presence of a planned to appear character secret for spoiler reasons), nor does it mean that every character on here has to appear for certain, it just means that there's a really good chance, though I might end up realizing that while writing the chapter itself, my plans for the character to appear in that spot won't work out as well as I hope. For example, in the last chapter this happened with Marie Redloon, a servant at Raventree Hall who is now going to appear in the very next chapter. It could also happen that during the chapter itself, a character will be submitted that is just perfect for a role in the chapter itself, kinda the same thing that happened with your characters Myrla and Erik in the last chapter. The last chapter in general introduced way more chara… [view original content]
...if Harmund, King Hoare, would have been a thing?
I am also glad we did not do this, because ALL HAIL HARREN. That is all.
...if Leonard would have remained in Raylansfair?
This is certainly an interesting turn of events. Man, how many people Leonard could duel/fight in alternate realities. I don't remember them all, but there have been some interesting matchups. Well, could have been. This choice continues to be one of the more important ones.
...if Alys would have told the pirates her true name during their first meeting?
Ooo, a dumb choice. These are always fun.
...if Sadie would have stayed at the sellsword camp instead of going to Castamere?
That Gyles guy sucks. I am glad we did not do this.
...if Raenna wouldn't have travelled to the North?
Interesting. We'll see if it was a good choice for Raenna in the future. Poor Briar girl, probably not so much.
...if Hackor Nathamer would have survived the raid?
If I recall, Aditha would have been raped if this was the case? I am sure Hackor is happier dead than with that. Plus if I remember correctly Aditha was way worse than she normally is.
...if Richard would have survived the last chapter?
Ah poor Richard. Tallwood and Shortwood, heh, can't make those last names up, didn't see them this chapter if I recall correctly. Wonder what they are up to now.
Hate to interrupt your chapter writing, but may I ask some other "What If's"? Like, if Jenna died in Chapter 3? What if Lucas survived Chapter 9 (I know he could have!)? What if Willfred had actually supported someone through and through in Chapter 6 and 7 (also, reading back on all of that, and thinking about allying with Mullendore, then Petyr, then lying to Mullendore, there is one word that describes Willfred perfectly: indecisive)?
Marak alive? Kersea and Alysanne not friends? What if the Burned Man survived? (could he survive?) Also, one choice that was so dumb but I must ask: What would have happened if Wolfius was freed by Arthur? Man, that was more "What If's" than I meant I ask.
A slight bit later than planned, but here is the What If section for this chapter. With this, the post-chapter stuff is also officially wrap… moreped up and I'll start writing the next part right now. Expect me to release it tomorrow. I hope you'll enjoy these and the next part as well
What would have happened...
...if Harmund, King Hoare, would have been a thing?
As you know by now, a certain route could have led to me diverting from the canon and killing off none other than Harren back in Book 1. And well, the more time I plan into his character, the more happy I am this never happened, simply because Harren is someone I greatly enjoy writing. And well, certainly a villain he might be, but he's a saint compared to Harmund. Perhaps the only person in the entire kingdom who would have benefited from him being king would have been Elaena. Without a father to force him, Harmund simply would have rejected the offer, forcing both Mallister'… [view original content]
This unlucky bastard is currently the 4th oldest name on the unintroduced character. Only Yoreen poor Jeyne Redwyne who will wait years for and Ai'sha al-Meereeni, who I believe was supposed to be an associate of Abbas and Bakr.
Beopin
Lando Calrissian here we come!
Bazaeya Braesendys
So many e's and a's and just how in the world would this be pronounced.
The Mask
The most terrifying character of them all. Is his face green? Please tell me it isn't.
Flinch
Cousin to Roach.
Obviously a bunch of these characters are from the Shield Islands. Some are ironborn, there's a few Valemen (probably have to do with Maya), some Volantenes I think? Other Essos characters.
Ah, yes of course, I can gladly do that! Keep in mind, this list might not be complete (as I might decide to either include a character who … moreis not on this later on, or keep the presence of a planned to appear character secret for spoiler reasons), nor does it mean that every character on here has to appear for certain, it just means that there's a really good chance, though I might end up realizing that while writing the chapter itself, my plans for the character to appear in that spot won't work out as well as I hope. For example, in the last chapter this happened with Marie Redloon, a servant at Raventree Hall who is now going to appear in the very next chapter. It could also happen that during the chapter itself, a character will be submitted that is just perfect for a role in the chapter itself, kinda the same thing that happened with your characters Myrla and Erik in the last chapter. The last chapter in general introduced way more chara… [view original content]
Aye, there's quite a number of yours among them I can say, Naelys, Lazaaros and the Iron Viper are guaranteed to appear, the only one I am yet unsure about is Theon. He will be in the same place as a PoV in Chapter 3 (without spoiling too much, the Iron Viper will be in the same place and he is set to appear for certain) and I plan for him to have a notable role in said PoV's later storyline, but I am not sure if there will actually be room to introduce him properly right now, or if the other events and characters might end up requiring more screentime. If not in this chapter, you can expect him to appear in Chapter 4 though!
Ah, yes of course, I can gladly do that! Keep in mind, this list might not be complete (as I might decide to either include a character who … moreis not on this later on, or keep the presence of a planned to appear character secret for spoiler reasons), nor does it mean that every character on here has to appear for certain, it just means that there's a really good chance, though I might end up realizing that while writing the chapter itself, my plans for the character to appear in that spot won't work out as well as I hope. For example, in the last chapter this happened with Marie Redloon, a servant at Raventree Hall who is now going to appear in the very next chapter. It could also happen that during the chapter itself, a character will be submitted that is just perfect for a role in the chapter itself, kinda the same thing that happened with your characters Myrla and Erik in the last chapter. The last chapter in general introduced way more chara… [view original content]
This is certainly an interesting turn of events. Man, how many people Leonard could duel/fight in alternate realities. I don't remember them all, but there have been some interesting matchups. Well, could have been. This choice continues to be one of the more important ones.
Oh yes, a very huge choice indeed and one you can expect to be featured here regularly. To be fair, I haven't planned this all out when I gave it to you back in Chapter 1, but this is how the story would have logically continued by then. Leonard would have still been a major character, so his involvement would have changed a lot. That being said, him being with Kersea in the Oldtown route will also open up a number of interesting fights for him, even if duels against Willfred or Wolfius are not going to happen now.
Interesting. We'll see if it was a good choice for Raenna in the future. Poor Briar girl, probably not so much.
Aye, this would have been bad for Briar, as she would have been brought north without anyone she knows. Brandon would have still taken her and outright offered her the chance to live at Winterfell, which she would have accepted, but beyond that, things wouldn't have been great for her there either.
If I recall, Aditha would have been raped if this was the case? I am sure Hackor is happier dead than with that. Plus if I remember correctly Aditha was way worse than she normally is.
You do recall correctly. Given the choice between his own death and his daughter being raped, Hackor would always choose the former and this was actually outright in his mind when he urged Jenna to take her instead of him. So, he would have been actually bitter towards Jenna as well, but that wouldn't have played much of a role in the parts themselves. Aditha would have been in a way worse spot by now, which is amazing, given that she is not particularly happy now either, her way of grieving being downright self-destructive. But by now it would have been clear, she would have actually gotten pregnant by this, which you can imagine would have caused some major conflict for her.
Ah poor Richard. Tallwood and Shortwood, heh, can't make those last names up, didn't see them this chapter if I recall correctly. Wonder what they are up to now.
They both had minor roles, being present in the scene where Donnel arrived at Raylansfair. Beyond that though, I have some good plans for them and I can say that both will be part of one of the most crucial scenes in the entire story. Scratch that, it'll be the most crucial scene, making stuff like the Chapter 4 finale or Lucas' death look like nothing in comparison. I shouldn't talk too much about it, so that I don't hype myself up too much about something I mustn't reveal, but expect some huge things in store for both.
Hate to interrupt your chapter writing, but may I ask some other "What If's"?
Why of course! I'll try to keep things brief, but I can gladly give you a bit of an overview of what would have happened there. Not all of these would have been consequential for this chapter, so I kept them out of there, but some of them will actually reappear in the future!
Like, if Jenna died in Chapter 3?
This for example is a choice that would have been of surprisingly little consequence in this chapter. Jenna had some pretty massive involvement before and she will have a huge role in the things to come, but come to think of it, in this chapter she had a talk with Petyr and then helped out Vali a bit, but there was little she did that no one else could have done. Vali's schemes would have worked without her as well. If I am not mistaken, the need for another Raylansfair castle PoV would have come up and that would have likely been Saerya, so you can probably guess that a lot would have changed from that. Saerya for example would have been unable to ever win the full trust of Vali, but depending on your choices, she could have tricked him somewhat.
What if Lucas survived Chapter 9 (I know he could have!)?
He could have! I am sort of glad he did not, because his story wouldn't have been tied to the Raylansfair plot in quite some time, but in the case of his survival, he would have been part of the Stormlands story for now. In a way, he would have made Drent's storyline in this chapter redundant, because given the choice between her loyal soldier and her knight, Argella would have approached Lucas to ask for help in the melee. Unlike Drent, he could have had actual chances of winning this, because he is, at the core, a far more well-trained fighter.
What if Willfred had actually supported someone through and through in Chapter 6 and 7 (also, reading back on all of that, and thinking about allying with Mullendore, then Petyr, then lying to Mullendore, there is one word that describes Willfred perfectly: indecisive)?
Indecisiveness, that is a big trait in Willfred, hailing right from his inexperience. His father, a skilled administrator and all around cunning man, would have had no problem with picking an option he considers to be the right one (which, in Darren Reyne's mind, would have been Harris), but Willfred's back and forth and complete inability to pick just one ally eventually made things only easier for Mullendore. Depending on whom he would have picked, things could have changed massively. In the end, it would have been Harris who could have changed the most out of these options. The fact that neither Argilac Durrandon nor Hobert had a rightful claim to Raylansfair would have made any long-term victory pointless, as Mern Gardener would have never decided in their favour, with Argilac being a foreign king and Hobert being thoroughly unlikeable. However, he would have appreciated Harris' utter dedication to the good of Raylansfair and would have appointed him as Steward of Raylansfair, with the city itself becoming property of the crown. To honour Petyr's role in saving the city though, he would have given him a chance to prove his worth, with the opportunity to gain lordship at a later point. Though well-meaning, Mern's own weakness when dealing with highborn critics would have effectively lead to a three-way power struggle between Petyr, Maron and Harris. However, it would have been the only way to prevent the current situation for good.
Marak alive?
Marak's survival would have given Noelle some extra muscle. It would have made it less likely for Ellena to accompany them, as you know she hates Marak. He would have settled in at court though, in his very own way. This is, he would have barely settled in at all. Can you imagine Marak having an actual conversation with Rhaenys? The thought is so hilarious that I somewhat regret killing him off. I'd also say he would have developed a major crush on Visenya, because she is exactly the type he'd be genuinely attracted to, whereas she would have been more disgusted by him.
Kersea and Alysanne not friends?
So far, little would have changed, actually. but that would have changed big time in future chapters. Them not becoming friends means that Alysanne and Clayton would both be alive and active by now, in service of Mullendore. Also and way more importantly, they would have been chosen to hunt down Kersea and Leonard instead of the Fang, as they are notably more reliable. For now, Mullendore would have also planned to use them to take down any potential enemy in the city, up to the point of planning to potentially use them on Petyr should he outlive his usefulness. And well, I do think that the two of them are way more dangerous than the Fang, so this route would have been bad for Kersea and Leonard.
What if the Burned Man survived? (could he survive?)
He actually could have survived, yes! The main way to achieve that would have been sparing the fake Butterfly in Chapter 4. This could have led to the Burned Man ultimately triumphing in Oldtown (though Harpy would have still been captured by Abbas) or possibly at least surviving by escaping the city in time. Had he triumphed, the city would be a different one by now, with several new crimelords trying to take spotlight and him trying to remain in power. Without the calming influence of Harpy, he would have also resorted to more ruthless methods and would have eventually become a villain who has to be put down by the new Oldtown PoV's, the very thing he always tried to avoid. In the route where he escaped, he would have accompanied Jaron in these early routes, but his poor health would have made the journey to Slaver's Bay impossible for him. Instead, he would have ammassed what wealth he still has, what contacts he could still mobilize, in order to become a major ally for Jaron in his search, though he would have ultimately left his side in Volantis, in order to not be a physical burden on the group, supporting them from afar instead. He would have settled down in his home town of Lorath and would have picked up actually honest work (for a given value of honesty, he would have become a merchant), regularly sending support to Jaron in his quest. This is by far the most positive outcome for the Burned Man and he would have ended the story alive, at peace with himself and in an actually positive role.
Also, one choice that was so dumb but I must ask: What would have happened if Wolfius was freed by Arthur?
Hehe, I still can't believe that choice almost won Definitely the single worst choice in the entire story. However, by now it would have led to the same outcome, with Lyria dying to Wolfius, but wounding him in return, forcing him into hiding. However, it would have massively impacted Arthur's career. Aditha, bitter over the additional murder Wolfius would have done until Chapter 8, would have revealed his role in freeing the man and that would have ended with Arthur being suspended from the city guard, with only respect for his father's legacy preventing him from being actually imprisoned and potentially hanged. Wolfius, as you can imagine, wouldn't have been even remotely thankful and would have still included Arthur and Aditha on his murder list.
...if Harmund, King Hoare, would have been a thing?
I am also glad we did not do this, because ALL HAIL HARREN. That is all.
.… more..if Leonard would have remained in Raylansfair?
This is certainly an interesting turn of events. Man, how many people Leonard could duel/fight in alternate realities. I don't remember them all, but there have been some interesting matchups. Well, could have been. This choice continues to be one of the more important ones.
...if Alys would have told the pirates her true name during their first meeting?
Ooo, a dumb choice. These are always fun.
...if Sadie would have stayed at the sellsword camp instead of going to Castamere?
That Gyles guy sucks. I am glad we did not do this.
...if Raenna wouldn't have travelled to the North?
Interesting. We'll see if it was a good choice for Raenna in the future. Poor Briar girl, probably not so much.
...if Hackor N… [view original content]
This unlucky bastard is currently the 4th oldest name on the unintroduced character. Only Yoreen poor Jeyne Redwyne who will wait years for and Ai'sha al-Meereeni, who I believe was supposed to be an associate of Abbas and Bakr.
I can say, it is quite likely that Ai'sha will be the longest unintroduced character of them all. The issue I am facing with her is that she was submitted later than Abbas and Bakr and I didn't just want to pull a third slaver out of the hat. Means, now she remained in Slaver's Bay. We'll see Yoreen in Book 2, relatively soon even. Jeyne meanwhile, she will appear either in late Book 2 or early Book 3, but most likely before we'll see Ai'sha. Keep note, this next chapter will also introduce Ozerog Pilaj, currently Number 5 on the waiting list.
Lando Calrissian here we come!
Ackchyually that'd be Bespin, not Beopin That being said, I cannot imagine anyone could ever reasonably guess what sort of a character Beopin is going to be. I think I can rightfully say that out of the entire cast, he will be easily the most unique character.
So many e's and a's and just how in the world would this be pronounced.
Don't give too much on my pronounciation skills, but I would say her name is pronounced something similar to Bazeah Bresendys, just with the vocals stretched slightly longer, giving it a more pleasant and exotic ring to it. I think it's pretty clear, she will appear in Essos.
The most terrifying character of them all. Is his face green? Please tell me it isn't.
It... is not The Mask will be a very mysterious character, perhaps not easy to pull off correctly, but I greatly look forward to introduce him!
Obviously a bunch of these characters are from the Shield Islands. Some are ironborn, there's a few Valemen (probably have to do with Maya), some Volantenes I think? Other Essos characters.
Yes indeed, the bulk of new characters here is for Essos, with a couple new Ironborn, Vale, Rock and Shield Islands characters mixed into it. But the Essos storylines will have most of the new introductions. Last chapter, Jaron and John together only encountered two new characters in the form of Arryn and Lysara, but Volantis will harbour much more opportunity for that. Similarly, Irae and Janae will encounter some new faces.
Ooo, let's pick a few names and make fun of them:
Carth Nerisial
This unlucky bastard is currently the 4th oldest name on the … moreunintroduced character. Only Yoreen poor Jeyne Redwyne who will wait years for and Ai'sha al-Meereeni, who I believe was supposed to be an associate of Abbas and Bakr.
Beopin
Lando Calrissian here we come!
Bazaeya Braesendys
So many e's and a's and just how in the world would this be pronounced.
The Mask
The most terrifying character of them all. Is his face green? Please tell me it isn't.
Flinch
Cousin to Roach.
Obviously a bunch of these characters are from the Shield Islands. Some are ironborn, there's a few Valemen (probably have to do with Maya), some Volantenes I think? Other Essos characters.
Comments
Hehe, I knew
That was actually something that I found particularly amazing, finding out that Donnel is married to Devrin Oakheart's sister. The very moment I received him as a character, I knew I wanted him to appear in that storyline, in that exact role, as this powerful, uncomfortable lord Petyr and Maron try to win over and somehow have to arrange themselves with, but him being the brother-in-law of the third conspirator suddenly gave him a much more personal angle in these things. I think it arguably makes it easier for me to work with Donnel, so this coincidence has been as amazing as it has been welcome.
Wolfius and Kreep are still out there and we'll see them at some point in Book 2. Clayton, well, last time we saw him he's been bleeding out from having his arm chopped off, but I can promise, there will be a resolution to his fate eventually. For the time being, none of them has much of a place in the story, but I have huge plans for Wolfius and Kreep. I mean, from a certain definition The Fang could be seen as a villainous assassin, being a villain sent to kill two characters. But well, there have been so many of them in Book 1, mostly because assassins are an understandably popular concept, that I have indeed decided to cut down on them a bit, especially in Westeros. Thematically, I feel like they fit better into the societies of Essos, which is where we'll meet some new assassin characters in Book 2.
Oh man, so much would have been different! See, back when that choice was up on the table, Wolfius wasn't that much of a developed character. He started off relatively simple, to be honest and only as the story progressed did his creator expand on him in a seriously massive way. Since I had never revealed much about Wolfius so far, all of these additions felt natural, but I can confirm for example, he wasn't a skinchanger back when he first met Lyria in Chapter 1. Had he died before that point, a lot of development would have never happened. From a storytelling perspective, I gotta say that would have been a shame, because I love these additions.
Actually, no. I don't think that the creator of Devrin Oakheart has intended for him to be a villain. While he doesn't have any particularly heroic traits either, there's plenty of grey aspects or even outright good traits about him which I all kept. His involvement with the conspiracy is a direct result of him being a very ambitious man, but there's plenty good in his submission which I kept in its entirety. He has not been involved with any conspiracy in his submission, but it was simply an addition I considered to be very fitting. And well, while your mileage may vary, I still consider him to be the most grey of the trio, for aspects that will be revealed later on. At least from what you know so far, he is merely working with the kinslayer Petyr and the absolutely bonkers crimelord Maron, but he never did any of this by himself.
Hehe, it is a good bias! Can't say I'm not the most biased person ever, that'd be a shameful lie
But ah, I am glad you enjoyed Ellena's storyline. I know she wasn't exactly everyone's favourite back in Book 1, regularly being among the least favourites even, but I knew I'd take her around with her Book 2 storyline 
I think it was indeed a bit slower. I mean, in Essos, I had to introduce a wholly new continent for once. It was Jaron's first time there, Janae isn't in a position for rapid plot development and Irae's storyline just got started. But be assured, this should all change soon!
Aye, thank you. I don't think I am burning out, but I appreciate the concern. If I truly need some time off, I will take it. In fact, I fully expect to deal with some pretty heavy stuff before the year is over and if I feel I need a break, I'll have no choice but to take it. FoT is here for the long haul, I want to tell the story all the way to the very end and for that, I need to remain motivated for years to come. There's really no way but to take breaks when I need them, as forcing myself to write when I don't feel like it is a safe way of ruining my excitement. And given just what I have planned, that'd be a freaking shame.
Ah, I can say your hopes sound reasonable! Tensions are running high in Raylansfair and it'll be perfect for Kasyn. I mean, he was present when the heir to House Reyne was almost murdered by Maron Mullendore and while you can bet everyone's favourite will find some justification for his actions, it will definitely be more than just a bit questionable.
My character... mentioned on the favourites list of Leonard’s creator? I’m honoured good sir
This story is amazing! I will try to read all again, but it seems like it would be a good use of my time!
SUPER You're back. Its been so long, how have you been my friend?
Very good, very good. It´s been a long time, Lord. How have you been?
Good, a bit absent in the forums, but good. Man its been so long, do you remember when we used to do the TWD rp with Gustav and Blue? Those were great times.
Yeah, they were good times. Good times indeed
Supersagig! My god, it has been ages! That is quite the return, welcome back. I know there's a lot to catch up to, so if there's anything I can do to help you with that beyond offering the chapters with better readability on google docs, just let me know
OMG SUPERSAGIG I remember you! And Gustav and Blue too! Back in the days when interactive TWD fanfics were a huge thing. I believe you guys read mine as well. Gosh, how wonderful! I nearly teared up. All my old friends on this forum are mostly gone, it's good to see someone back.
Oh, thank you for your appreaciation Liquid. The only thing that would make it easier for me would be having the first part of Book 2 in a doc, though i think it´s better if you occupy yourself with writing first and your own stuff right now.
Yeah, i remember those days too. They were great. I wish there were more interactive fanfics now like before, but i don´t that will happen if until Telltale gets into another franchise. It is nice to talk to you again, it really is.
Its seriously awesome to have you back. Have you heard from Gustav or Blue? They have also disappeared for a while now.
No, i haven´t heard from them. Why?
Just curious. I miss you guys sometimes, you were the first friends I found here. I remember you used to joke that me and Blue were a couple.
Man it's just so great seeing you again!
Yeah, i remember that now!
Yeah, it´s great to see you again too
Throwback: https://telltale.com/community/discussion/86770/the-walking-dead-roleplay#latest
haha yeah, i remember that too. It was great fun those times of the past
Yeah. i always found it weird how Blue and Gustav just kinda left. I talked to Blue afterwards a few times but she was always hard to contact. Gustav just disappeared. Igmorph joined the readers of Prime (which is suffering a VERY long hiatus) but left around the beginning of the year. A lot of our other old friends are gone, only occasionally appearing for a second or two.
Yeah, that happens a lot. What happens, i think, it´s that people just change paths in lifes and, it doesn´t have to be a bad thing. It just how life works. If you beat yourself up about everything that has happened to you or because of you, you will never happy. That´s just is something i have learnt. But i miss them too
Ah, this I can do, of course! Actually, I am in the process of doing just that. The weekend has been busy for me, but I want to finally update the parts on google docs. I have started and should get done with it at some point tomorrow, after, finally, posting the alternative choices for this chapter. So, I'll send you the links once I got this ready!
And as promised, here are the alternative choices for this chapter! This is going to be a long one and it took me a lot longer than I thought it would, though I hope you'll enjoy what could have been
I'll wrap the post-chapter stuff (namely, the 'What if?' section) up tomorrow, means the next chapter will start right after that, probably around Wednesday. As always, thank you for reading!
Alternative Choices: Book 2, Chapter 2
Jenna I:
[Nod]
By nodding here, Jenna would confirm that she is afraid of Petyr. While this wouldn't have changed anything about the way the events of Chapter 2 played out, it was a major character building choice for her, as well as shaping the way Petyr sees her. Now, she is actually not all that afraid of him, something he definitely has noted, but his reaction towards her would have been different if she would have shown fear.
Kyra I:
[Stay with Harrick]
This would have been a rather large choice, allowing me to show more of the wedding celebrations, with further appearances of Durren Stallhart and the Blacktyde siblings. It would have been the option highly preferred by Harrick, but Harmund would have been incredibly displeased by Kyra's decision to ignore his orders. Though without immediate repercussions, Kyra would have felt his anger eventually. It would have also caused her to miss the return of Rell Vessels and his account of Garthon's death, leading to her only learning of it at the end of the chapter.
Jaron I:
[Take Temari with you]
Ah, this was the first time I actually messed up. You chose for Temari to accompany Jaron, but I accidentally continued using the other choice, with Samuel being by Jaron's side instead. Temari would have actually acted similar to Samuel and both characters do have a lot in common, but he would have been less concerned for Jaron's well-being.
Arthur I:
[Follow her order]
Not trying to attack Lucia would have actually surprised her. See, she fully expected Arthur to cause trouble, so following her order would have caught her off guard, a first glimpse behind her tough act. It would have caused her to treat Arthur more decently, but wouldn't have ultimately changed much, given that the Sphynx would have still arrived shortly.
Janae I:
[Say nothing]
This choice would have changed nothing about the storyline itself, but it was a choice how Janae would see her own role in shaping the man Abbas eventually became. By apologizing, she effectively admitted that her actions drove Abbas down a dark path, leading him to become the ruthless slaver he is today, whereas saying nothing would have caused her to reject her own involvement in this, putting the full blame on Abbas for making the decision to become a slaver.
Irae I:
[Suggest forcing Naela]
Forcing Naela would have been the route the warlocks would have fully endorsed. In fact, Moros would have offered his assistance there, through his own tremendous skills. Irae would have still tried to save Kareq Orlatis, because no matter what, Naela is still a paying customer, but she would have not taken her feelings into account and would have openly tried to strongarm her into doing what she wants. Save to say, she would have regretted this behaviour heavily after getting to know Naela.
[Suggest revealing everything to her]
This is the most risky of the options and some of the warlocks would have vehemently protested against this. However, to Irae's surprise it would have worked. Naela would have agreed to accompany Irae by her own free will, fully knowing what is in store for her and what is at stake. Appreciating the honesty, she would have easily trusted Irae, for the better or the worse.
Drent I:
[Decline the invitation]
Besides me not getting a chance to flesh out Bernard and Malcolm, it would have affected the way these two see Drent. Bernard will be heavily featured in the next chapter, so his opinion will actually have a direct influence on the way they interact during it. While Malcolm won't appear in a while, his opinion on Drent will also be taken into account in the things to come. By accepting the invitation, you gave both a positive impression on Drent, whereas declining would have led to a negative or at least neutral impression.
Ilish I:
[Escort Lawsen outside]
This would have led to Wildor following the pair. Ilish's storyline in this chapter would have been all about avoiding detection, with Wildor chasing after them. Depending on your choices, they could have either successfully avoided him entirely, or they would have been confronted by him, resulting in Ilish knocking him out and having to flee Raylansfair.
Keat I:
[Recruit the acrobat first]
This is one of the few choices without any influence at all on the way the storyline would play out in this chapter. However, it will have a major effect on his next chapter, as it will decide the very core of his goal for the next couple of parts
Alys I:
[Go outside and talk to Edward]
This would have given Edward a larger role in this chapter. Most notably, he would have voiced his suspicion about a couple of captains, Saan among them, leaving Alys to either follow his warning or to ignore them, which in return would have led to her being either better prepared for the eventual attempt to capture her, or worse, the last of which could have actually resulted in her being captured by the thug at the end of her chapter.
Kersea I:
[Sneak in through the back]
This would have shown some further insight in how untrustworthy Drake and Elias are. While Leonard would have gotten into a conversation with the two in the front, Kersea would have been able to gather intel on them in the back, with her receiving the option to reveal herself and start a fight at any moment during the confrontation.
Ysilla I:
[Follow after Alester and Theodan]
Screw-up Number 2 for me, as you chose this vote and I wrote the continuation with Ysilla showing Jen and Allar around. My bad, my bad. Anyways, this would have actually been Alester's big part. In the storyline we got, Ashara and Belandra got a particular chance to shine during the parts, but this one would have led to a deeper talk between Alester and his children, better fleshing him out as a character. Beyond mere dialogue, this wouldn't have changed anything though and I hope I still get a chance at showing more of Alester later on.
Lachlan I:
[Enter the room]
No big changes here either, but by pressing Remi for details, you as the readers gained some earlier insight into the events that led to Lachlan being summoned to Runestone. None of this information is secret though and Orson would have readily parted with it during their later meeting.
The Hawk I:
[Meet up with the Rat first] and [Meet up with the Pig first]
These two choices were virtually identical in the outcome, as the Hawk would have prioritized one leader of the three companies over the other. This would have increased his relationship with the one he picked and decreased his relationship with the other. I also would have been able to flesh out some characters for the companies beyond the leaders.
Ellena I:
[Go to your room with Hemys]
This would have given a notably smaller role to Rhaenys in this chapter and as a result, Ellena wouldn't have met Asher or spied on Aegon's war council either. Instead, she would have met a couple other characters (including the woman who eventually interrupted her time in Orys' room) and she would have learned a couple hints that something at Dragonstone is not as it seems to be.
Garthon I:
[Reveal your connection to the Sons of the Trident]
A bold choice, this one would have caused trouble for Garthon. While Petyr's family and Maurice would have been pleased by this decision, someone would have eventually revealed it to the wrong person, leading to Garthon's connection to the Sons of the Trident (and the Sons' general involvement in Raventree Hall) becoming more of an open secret. Eventually, it would have reached Harren's ears to disastrous consequences.
[Come up with a lie]
For now, this wouldn't have had significant consequences on the way the story progresses. Petyr and his family would have apparently believed the tale for the time being, albeit Maurice would have been more distrustful, eventually confronting Garthon towards the end of the chapter, giving him the option to come clean about it or stick to his lie.
Raenna I:
[Attempt to follow Kory]
This option would have cut out the entire scene in the Great Hall of the Last Heart, as Raenna would have followed “Kory” right away. She would have managed to pursue him, listening on the entire conversation between him and Myrla. Without the added support from Roffe though, Raenna wouldn't have been able to intervene. The talk would have ended in violence and Markus would have been left beaten by the other wildlings as a warning. Raenna would have then revealed herself to him after Myrla and her raiders had left, leading to a choice in which she could have either agreed to keep his identity a secret in return for him helping to find the real Kory (essentially taking over Erik Flowers' role) or revealed everything to Roffe, resulting in Markus being forced to guide them beyond the wall.
Jenna II:
[Search for Saerya]
The opposite of Vali's choice, this option would have seen Saerya showing a softer side of hers, in which she offers emotional support to Jenna. They wouldn't have made much progress against Maron and Petyr though, even if Saerya would have tried to stir Jenna into a certain direction. And while the Vali route saw more screentime for Dunaver Flowers and Dustran Selwyn, the Saerya route would have fleshed out the characters of Derik Selwyn and Maester Gylbert.
Arthur II:
[Refuse to work with Rodrik]
Quite a massive option, as this route would have resulted in serious consequences for later chapters, potentially really negative ones, as Rodrik's support does bring its benefits. Rodrik himself would have let Arthur go, as he knows that the city guard can be helpful in his struggle against Wolfius and Lupin. However, Ryler would have eventually decided to stay with his newfound family instead of working with Arthur, resulting in a rift between them.
John I:
[Approach the ships]
This choice would have still led to an alliance between John and Aidan Storm. However, instead of the captain himself, this route would have given more screentime to his first mate, a man named Gil, who would have recruited them to help Aidan in his cause. As such, this option would have mostly resulted in dialogue changes ultimately and they still would have met Lysara Rogare in the end.
Edrick I:
[Remain silent]
As a result of this, Normund would have taken the blame, leading to Gawayne savagely flogging him. However, Sylvi would have still intervened, though Normund wouldn't have been in the shape to work for days. He also wouldn't have ended up trying to free Edrick and co., as Edrick taking the blame was something that really impressed him in the route you ultimately took.
Drent II:
[Admit that you will attempt to defeat Warrick Fell]
Being honest and straightforward with Malcolm would have improved Drent's relationship to the knight. Seeing his suspicions confirmed, he would have gotten a good laugh out of Argella's struggle to avoid the unwanted marriage. He even would have offered help to take down Warrick, pointing out some weaknesses Drent could have exploited during the melee. However, he also would have been honest with his friend Bernard, leading to him learning the truth about this.
Ilish II:
[Agree to help Wildor]
In quite a massive change from the original winning choice, Ilish would have worked with Wildor here. Depending on her options, she could have either managed to capture Lawsen and delivered him to Wildor, allowed him to leave after hearing his story, or flat out failed to capture him.
[Try to mislead him]
Here, Ilish would have actually succeeded. Wildor is a cunning man, but he got nothing against a full-time barmaid, essentially a professional liar. Misleading him, she would have made things significantly easier for Lawsen. However, Wildor would have realized the truth later on, which would have spelled trouble for her in a later chapter.
Kyra II:
[Go to your room]
This option would have caused Kyra to ignore her friends and Harrick for the evening, which would have concerned all of them. In a rare moment of sharing the same goal, Harrick and Gravven would have tried to talk some sense into her, about Garthon being dead and her having to accept this.
Keat II
[Leave Erik at the brothel]
In this chapter, this would have changed relatively little. However, Erik's presence will make things easier for Keat in the next chapter, when he has to face Thorrin Bannister once again, as a result of his decision to help Rose.
Sadie I:
[Let Rhogarn accompany Leo]
Here, Sadie would have spent no time with the Reyne family. Rhogarn would have been unable to convince Mileena to give Leo a chance, leading to the group having to camp outside the walls of Castamere for the foreseeable future. Instead, Sadie would have spent more time with Wylie and potentially even winning the respect of Aklen.
Irae II:
[Insist on seeing Kareq first]
No big change here in terms of how the story would have played out, it would have given Irae a smaller third part, as merely her treatment of Kareq would have been shown. As such, a potentially valuable bonding session with her and Naela would have been skipped entirely.
Jaron II:
[Walk away]
Rather hilariously, after being hyped up for quite some time, this choice would have caused Arryn to disappear from the story. Jaron wouldn't have bothered with him and as such, he wouldn't have accompanied him to Volantis. Maybe I would have found a way to reintroduce him later down the line, but at this point, I haven't made any plans into that direction.
Ysilla II:
[Sit next to Theodan]
In return, this would have meant that Jen would have taken a seat next to Alester, which would have been highly exciting for her and rather embarrassing for the lord. He wouldn't have been pleased by Ysilla's decision to ignore his request. As a result, he wouldn't have even tried to stop her from following Theodan after the inevitable fallout. On a positive side, Jen would have had the time of her life trying to start a conversation with Alester.
Alys II:
[Go with Edward and Jadith]
This would have massively changed Alys' storyline, as instead of spending more time in Merman's Rest, she would have been by Edward's side during his attack on the dornish fleet. This would have been a big one, as Alys would have learned more about Edward's long-term plans, likely resulting in a highly different Chapter 3 for her as well.
Kersea II:
[Accept the drink]
Surprisingly, the drink was not spiked. Kersea would have accepted it, pleasing Drake and Elias and making them seem more at ease. As a result, Drake would have attacked them in a different way after waiting for longer, catching Leonard off guard and shifting the fight in his favour.
Willfred I:
[Go with Petyr]
Going with Petyr would have allowed me to further flesh out the Selwyn family during their talk with Petyr, with Donnel himself receiving some particular screentime, establishing some aspects to his character and the nature of his stay in Raylansfair. It would have also come with the potential to greatly affect the ending of Willfred's storyline, as it would have ruined any chance of making an ally out of Mullendore.
Lachlan II:
[Agree with Valydyn]
More of a character-building choice, this option wouldn't have changed anything about the outcome of the chapter. However, Lachlan would have grown a bit closer to Valydyn, improving their relationship at least a little bit.
The Hawk II:
[Take Sharako] and [Take Hazar]
This choice would have allowed me to show more of Sharako or Hazar instead of Montoya, as in the choice that ultimately won. While taking Hazar wouldn't have changed much, Sharako, as the spymaster of the three companies, would have been able to offer a bit of surprising intel on the characters the Hawk eventually interacted with, as well as gathering some more, which would have been at least interesting, I presume.
Raenna II:
[Leave Briar with Malina]
This option would have pleased Malina and greatly upset Briar. At the same time, it would have probably been the safer option for her, given that Raenna unknowingly led her right into a pretty serious combat. Knowing this, Raenna would have felt validated in her decision to keep Briar out of harm's way.
Ellena II:
[Remain silent]
The third and final time I messed up in this chapter. You chose to remain silent, yet I continued as if Ellena spoke out of line towards Aegon. This would have been the more respectful option and arguably the better one. See, while Aegon, Orys and Wulvren did not mind that Ellena spoke before she was ordered to, Visenya and Daemon took offence to that. They would have been more pleased if Ellena would have remained silent until ordered.
Edrick II:
[Continue to work]
Arguably, this option would have been a bad one. Edrick received pretty bad injuries, so continuing to work would have negatively affected his health. Eventually, he would have collapsed and while Normund would have still offered to free them, Edrick would have been in pretty bad shape and would have had a way harder time going through with it.
Garthon II:
[Tell Petyr to contact Lord Tully] and [Tell Petyr to contact Lord Frey]
Neither option would have changed anything in the current chapter. However, I can reveal that Lord Tully wouldn't have travelled to Raventree Hall either way, leading to House Blackwood gaining no allies in the next chapter. Lord Frey would have arrived though, just as readily as Lord Piper in the choice that won.
Kyra III:
[Take Herman prisoner]
This would have been a big change for the next chapter. See, Damon fully expected Kyra to give in to her anger and execute the man on the spot. As such, Herman's survival was not planned for. In fact, his knowledge could have caused some pretty severe trouble for Damon going forward. As such, he would have been displeased by Kyra's decision. He also would have tried to have Herman executed during the next chapter, but not before some of his dangerous knowledge would have reached the ears of Harrick Hoare.
Janae II:
[Remain standing]
Commendable as such a decision might have been, I am afraid it wouldn't have been a smart one. See, refusing his order to kneel would have enraged Abbas greatly and he would have essentially forced Janae to kneel, using his whip. The fact that he has to resort to such actions would have amused Vanis though, whose snarky comments would have further riled Abbas up.
John II:
[Come up with a lie]
Well, you do know that Aidan has a hatred against slavers, so telling him the truth has definitely been the smarter decision. However, lying to him would have resulted in a different kind of deal. While still supporting him against Lysara, he'd also demand payment, not knowing that John is after a slaver and this payment would have taken the absolute majority of the coin Daghan gave to John at the end of Book 1.
Drent III:
[Watch the rest of the joust]
Watching the remainder of the first half of the joust would have given Drent a better understanding of some of the knights. Mostly, I would have been able to name-drop some of them, most importantly Gerald Grandison, the man who ultimately won the whole deal. Beyond that though, nothing of consequence would have happened.
Jenna III:
[Leave it be]
Leaving the box be would have been, well, the smart choice. At the same time, it would have deprived you of some further information on the nature of the box. Vali would have moved it upstairs without experiencing anything and none of them would have even considered anything to be weird about it.
Arthur III:
[Go with Ryler]
Now, this option would have been an interesting one. By going with Ryler, Arthur would have spent more time at the clinic, with further screentime for Mathea and particularly for Rosalie. Surprisingly, she would have been able to offer valuable intel on Wolfius. However, picking Ryler's route would have resulted in you not witnessing the introduction of the Fang. As a result, he would have just appeared at some point in the future without warning.
Raenna III:
[Storm the lodge]
This choice would have led to big consequences. Storming the lodge would have deprived Raenna and Roffe of the information that the man they know as Kory is actually an impostor. During the fighting, “Kory” and Myrla would have escaped and Erik Flowers would have been taken prisoner. However, he would have played along, not revealing the information about the fake Kory until much later, instead just trying to find a way to save his own skin, while kind of tricking Raenna into not learning about the Kory switch.
Irae III:
[Give him the strong antidote]
Surprisingly, Kareq would have reacted well to the strong antidote, for the time being. So, this choice wouldn't have changed much for now. However, the antidote will have big consequences on his fate in the next chapter, so it remains to be seen if you chose wisely.
Sadie II:
[Leave the talking to him]
With Sadie not speaking up in Leo's favour, he would have taken matters into his own hands. In that talk, his full bias and hatred towards the nobility of the Rock would have shined through and actually, Leo would have made things only worse for him. Seeing her suspicions confirmed, Mileena would have essentially kicked the sellswords out, resulting in Sadie's storyline taking a vastly different turn.
Keat III:
[Keep him out of it]
Again, not much of a game changer for now, but with that choice, Samuel wouldn't have joined the heist. This would, in return, lead to the heist itself being harder, because Samuel's skills will be extremely useful in that environment.
Ysilla III:
[Remain in the Great Hall]
Remaining in the Great Hall is the other option that would have given me the opportunity to develop Alester, albeit at the cost of screentime for Belandra. Ysilla would have witnessed more of a discussion between her father and her half-sister, fleshing out Alester's own thoughts on the topic a bit better, as well as highlighting the relationship between him and Ashara. The elusive Yandry would have also gotten a bit of a larger role in this chapter.
Jenna IV:
[Talk in the presence of Dustran]
This would have led to Dustran being present for the talks between Vali, Jenna and Dunaver. He would have taken her accusations towards Maron quite seriously, more so than Dunaver who insists on evidence. He would have restrained himself enough to take no immediate action and to accept Dunaver's suggestion of finding evidence for Maron's and Petyr's schemes, but he would have immediately informed his father about this, resulting in a vastly different relationship between Donnel and the conspiracy.
Ilish III:
[Go to the docks]
Pretty simple, going to the docks would have meant missing Lawsen for now, though they would have reunited later on. Wildor would have followed Ilish, eventually confronting her and getting into a fight with her. This would have led to her knocking him out, but without Lawsen's guidance, Ilish would have still made the decision to flee to Oldtown, yet making several mistakes along the way which the experienced deserter Lawsen obviously avoids. This would have made it easier for Wildor to chase her down later on.
Ellena III:
[Go with Hemys]
Going with Hemys would have meant a larger role for Rhaenys in this chapter, as Ellena would have returned dutifully. Hemys herself would have been highly pleased by this, albeit Asher would have been a bit disappointed and you would have missed out on the opportunity to spy on Aegon's war council.
Willfred II:
[Refuse to work with Maron and Devrin]
Another big choice, this one would have locked Willfred out of an alliance with Maron and Devrin. Both lords would have accepted his decision on a surface level, but Maron would have instantly felt threatened about this, making it far more likely that he eventually snaps, as he did in the chapter finale. Maron would have even ended up trying to discredit Willfred towards Petyr, to make it less likely that they'd form an alliance.
Kersea III:
[Fight Elias]
Well, fighting Elias means leaving Leonard to fight against Drake on his own. Eventually, he would have actually succeeded at that. However, during the fight, Leonard would have been wounded and he would have blamed Kersea for that for not helping him. Drake would have died regardless, but their relationship would have taken a massive hit.
Alys III:
[Try to enter your room]
Alys would have succeeded at entering her room, but the man would have caught up to her, leading to quite an intense struggle. Carvin would have thankfully heard the noise and would have intervened, but things would have been overall more of a close call for Alys.
Willfred III
[Knock the box from Eddard's hands]
Aside from being a more violent option, meaning Willfred giving in to the box's darker urges, this option would have horrified Eddard, for reasons only partially obvious. You also would have received some information about a secret surrounding the new maester that will be revealed in a later chapter now.
The Hawk III:
[Agree with the Pig's plan]
Again, for the time being nothing would have changed. However, the leaders of the companies each have their own way of dealing with stuff and supporting the Pig would have led to more violence than supporting the generally cunning Rat.
Lachlan III:
[Accompany Valydyn and Redmond to Gulltown]
Like most choices towards the end of the chapter, nothing big would have changed. However, this was an important direction choice for Lachlan, who is now going to be approaching Gull Tower. At Gulltown, his story would have taken a massively different route.
Kyra IV:
[Dont promise him]
Not promising Damon here, well, I can tell you that would have been a stupid choice. Damon is already not terribly pleased with Kyra lately, so her refusing to promise him would lead to some of his darker traits becoming more obvious. Kyra herself would have never been in danger from her brother, but Gravven, well, he would have gotten into some pretty serious problems.
Garthon IV:
[Focus on Torvin Hale]
No changes in this chapter, but I can tell you, there will be differences between spying on Marie Redloon and on Torvin Hale, as well as giving Maurice the other one to keep an eye on. I'd say Marie is the more sensible option, given Maurice's obvious sexism, so Torvin would have likely been the worse option out of the two.
Arthur IV:
[Protest against using the Fang]
Here, Arthur would have slightly angered Maron, who would have asked himself who that guardsman is for speaking out against him. Rodrik however would be pleased by his new ally having his back and as a result, he would have opened up a bit further towards him in the things to come, being more willing to actually trust him.
[Speak in favour of using the Fang]
This option meanwhile would have pleased Maron, who would have taken note of the young guardsman who speaks so boldly. Being in Maron's favour is not actually as bad as you might think and he would have tried to outright test Arthur to find out how valuable an asset he can be in the chapters to come, resulting in Arthur, the only one to know the full truth, becoming Maron's favourite member of the city guard, ironically.
Raenna IV:
[Send Briar to Winterfell]
While Briar obviously won't accompany Raenna beyond the wall, this choice will determine if she'll be seen at all in the next chapter. She will return to Winterfell sooner or later regardless, but sending her back right away would have been deeply disappointing to her.
Edrick III:
[Reveal his plan to Viveka]
Again a big choice, as it will determine how well Edrick's escape goes. Obviously, telling Viveka would result in her making plans to sabotage the escape, using Edrick to lead her right to the Riverborn. Should Normund have learned about this, he would have shown a different side of his, a downright vicious anger.
Ilish IV:
[Say your goodbyes to the tavern staff]
As affectionate as this option would have been, Lawsen's suggestion to just leave is the more sensible one. When it comes to escaping without leaving a trace, he is the expert. So, Ilish saying her goodbyes to the staff would have given Wildor a lead, making it easier for him to eventually catch up to her.
Janae III:
[Attack Haar]
Attacking Haar would have been a surprisingly effective way of getting him to back off. Actual consequences for his actions, that is not something he is used to have, so he would have been taken by surprise. In the future, he would have taken things easier on the girls, perhaps out of some twisted sort of respect for Janae, or perhaps the hint of fear.
[Threaten Haar]
However, a threat is not something he takes seriously. Merely threatening the man would have resulted in him laughing it off. He would have actually made it a point to treat the girls particularly badly from now on, simply to show Janae that he cannot be threatened.
John III:
[Advice him to ambush Lysara]
This choice would have resulted in a fairly major change for Jaron's final part in this chapter. Ambushing Lysara would have been a disaster. The woman is a skilled fighter herself and half the guards in Lys are on her father's pay roll. So, after initially overpowering the Rogare men and taking Lysara hostage, she would have managed to free herself, resulting in her demanding terms way less reasonable for Aidan to get rid of his debt.
Irae IV:
[Agree to consider the warlocks' suggestion]
Obviously, considering their option would have pleased the council of evil old folks. They love it when people follow their orders, so this would have given Irae some favour among them. However, it would have been horrible for Naela and Irae would have actually gotten second thoughts, resulting in choices during the next chapter to actually go through with abducting her, mutilating her and dominating her mind on the order of the council.
Drent V:
[Refuse it]
Now, that is an interesting one. See, if I remember correctly Drent and Argella are a fairly popular ship. And as strange as it seems, refusing the ring would have been the more romantic gesture in this situation. It is important to take into account that Argella is rich beyond measure. When she gives away jewellery for Drent following her wishes, it doesn't have a sentimental value to it, it is a gesture in the same way we would pay a cab driver. She expected Drent to do this for a reward, so she offered it, pretty much the only reward she knows how to give. If he would have refused, that would have taken her by surprise, to say the least. And it would have caused her to pause and think about this. She would have deeply been touched by the idea of someone helping her not because they expect a reward, but because they actually appreciate her.
Keat IV:
[Send her away]
Sending Rose away would have been a major choice. You can probably see it at the end of this very chapter, this was one of the truly huge choices, because Keat's relationship with Rose will prove to be a massive plot point for his entire story going forward. Sending her away would have resulted in her being chased away by Bannister, giving her a truly negative impression on Keat.
Willfred IV:
[Tell him what you discussed with Petyr]
Perhaps the single most massive diversion from the finale you eventually got. Maron simply wouldn't have attacked Willfred, resulting in the survival of Roger and Tallian for the time being. Prins however would have still died, for a reason I'll get to below. See, knowing that Petyr is plotting against him, Maron would have made his move pretty quickly, hoping to win Willfred over. In an attempt to display his power, he would have tried to kill Hugo Farnham, to teach Petyr a lesson. This would have failed and backfired, resulting in Hugo actually fighting off the Tom to a standstill. Chaos would have broken out in the castle, with Petyr's and Maron's men locked in an open fight for a short time until the two would have formed a truce. During the chaos, Prins would have been killed by a Vyrwel man-at-arms. Of course, this would have massively changed public opinion on Petyr and Maron both. For example, Donnel Selwyn would have been extremely tempted to call off any further negotiations, given that both men got his family in danger with their power struggle. While Maron and Petyr would have continued to work together, it would have been clear their alliance is essentially broken beyond repair, to a degree that isn't the case in the option you picked. As for Willfred, he would have actually gotten the choice. Either he could have stayed in Raylansfair, or he could have fled after Prins' death, to avoid Petyr's vengeance.
[Refuse to tell him]
This option would have resulted in a similar outcome as lying to him, so most of it is the same. However, Willfred would have essentially told Maron to fuck off, which would have been amusing for me to write.
Kersea IV:
[Allow him to accompany you to Oldtown] and [Tell him to go to Oldtown on his own]
While neither option would have changed anything about this chapter, Elias' whereabouts will massively impact the future due to how diverse things could have been. Now, he will reappear in Raylansfair, but he could have potentially been a part of Kersea's storyline, or would have appeared in Ilish's. And his presence or absence in either of these three storylines will actually change a lot about how things are going to progress.
Jenna V:
[Suggest searching through Petyr's room]
Another choice that will impact the next chapter in quite a big way. Searching through Petyr's room means working closer with Vali, though Saerya would have been disappointed about constantly being locked out of the loop. And while I obviously cannot tell you what Jenna would have found in Petyr's room, I can tell you that her actions would have been discovered eventually, for further consequence.
Ysilla IV:
[Tell her you can't promise it]
Mostly a character-building choice, as well as one that was meant to determine the relationship between Ysilla and Belandra. Her promise will ultimately be irrelevant to the actual plot, since she would not return to Godsgrace if anything happens to Theodan, whereas her promise won't matter if she brings him back safe regardless. However, not promising it would have greatly concerned Belandra and would have negatively affected her relationship with Ysilla.
Alys IV:
[Keep it a secret]
Well, not telling Warmond about Alys' real identity would have still gained his support, if only because he wants to prevent Sargasso Saan from capturing her and gaining an advantage. However, he would have underestimated the severity of the situation and as a return, he would have offered less valuable support.
Ellena IV:
[Stay with Asher]
Staying with Asher would have ultimately been the worse option of the two. By being discovered, Ellena would have created a small scandal and that would have impaired Ellena's position at court. More specifically, Rhaenys would have been disappointed and would have reconsidered giving Ellena any task of importance. Asher would have been similarly punished by Orys, something that will happen either way though. For a while, some elements at court, most importantly Laevon and Queen Visenya would have even been convinced that she's actively spying on them on behalf of their enemies.
Jaron IV:
[Confirm John's lie]
This one will, at first, determine the way Lysara sees Jaron and the others. By confirming John's lie, she would have paid them no further mind, seeing them just as Aidan's new sellsword friends. However, she would have grown suspicious about their true agenda and could have, depending on your choices, potentially discovered it later, resulting in further consequences.
I finally caught up with the story again (been pretty busy lately) and HOLY SMOKES! My boy Willfred! Whyyy ;_; For the first time since Lucas' trial by combat I was deeply anxious. I can't believe Roger and Tallian are dead. Willfred is in a very fucked up situation too. Imagine his family's reaction... and the Lannister's. The Field of Fire is coming yet Loren has plenty of shit to deal with!
Congrats on finishing this chapter. I wish you all the inspiration.
Just wanted to point out before you start writing Ellena's next part that we did actually choose to hide
Okay, thank you. And if you can, will you reply to my PM? If you would, i would be glad
Hello alternate choices my old friend. I've come to type for you again...
DURREN STALLHART man I wish we got to see more of him.
Be kind of fun. Markus would be a fun forced guide.
Well, dagger! I think? Probably not, just some screentime missed for some characters, not a deal. Chapter 3 it will be!
Interesting. Don't like Rodrik and I certainly don't like Lucia, but at least something positive came out of it.
Fascinating options. Ilish wouldn't have to leave Raylansfair, for now at least.
Would have been great. Just...gone. Arryn gets his brief flash of the sun and disappears into the night.
I wish we saw this. That'd be nice. Death! Destruction! Pirates!
Seems like this would have been a wise choice. More Donnel, how exciting. And more family. The nature of stay in Raylansfair, come to think of it, that isn't something we know the exact details of. And most importantly, we would have never made the poor choice of trying to work with Mullendore, and might have not been stabbed.
Snarky comments! We've missed that? NOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooo
Wolfius! News! AHhhhhhhhhhhhh man I would liked to hear about that. Not Rosalie though. Although I am not sure if not knowing about the Fang would be bad, because Leonard and Kersea still don't know about it, plus now we know he's coming and he's a real creep it's scarier. Unless Kersea kept thinking she saw something, all throughout her parts...
Would have been helpful, no Donnel alliance? Or maybe Donnel would want in on the conspiracy. I think it's best that he doesn't know. Dustran seems...rather passionate.
I can't believe we agreed to this. Maron snapping makes sense, he's a rather...intense fellow. A shame we made the poor old man do that, not good for his heart health...
You know, don't want Leonard hurt, but man I kind of would have liked to see him get pissed at Kersea again. Need more anger.
MY PRECIOUS! Would have loved to see this. Secrets? I like secrets. I want to know secrets. I want to know this secret.
More violence? Awwwwww
Protesting was a bad idea no matter what. Speaking in favor, heheh, sounds fun. Maybe good ol' Arthur would have become a Mullendore lackey. I am excited to hear "What If's" on this in the far future.
Viveka would have given Edrick a big kiss and a bag of chips and then threw him into a cell again. How lovely.
But it's a ring! It's shiny, and it's my precious...…..that Drent will totally use to save his skin.
How cow that sounds so awesome. Chaos! Hugo vs. Tom! The Moggy probably getting involved. Evil Vs. Evil, Grievous vs. Ventress! Poor Prins. Donnel Selwyn definitely would be pissed. Man, it would screw over those two bastards too.
While neither option would have changed anything about this chapter, Elias' whereabouts will massively impact the future due to how diverse things could have been. Now, he will reappear in Raylansfair, but he could have potentially been a part of Kersea's storyline, or would have appeared in Ilish's. And his presence or absence in either of these three storylines will actually change a lot about how things are going to progress.
We are going to regret the choice we made. A man with no allegiance can't be up to no good. He should be coming with us as muscle. Oh well.
Batman? General Grievous? A pack of orcs? A portal to Narnia? The Starship Enterprise? Grape soda? The DeLorean? T-rex? The Terminator? A Krabby Patty? Mullendore key-chains and snow cones? Maybe a lover? Sherryl-Frankenstein style?
What could it be?
Ah, I am so glad you enjoyed the finale! For the longest time during this chapter, I actually wasn't too sure which scene I want to be the final one, but giving it to Willfred here felt like the right decision and given the reactions, it seems it worked
And this one will have consequences arguably even more massive than Lucas' death, who, despite his importance to the narrative, is now seen as simply a convicted criminal whose death won't negatively affect Mullendore in any way, quite the contrary. Willfred's survival and the deaths of General Tallian and Roger Hill, who was Darren Reyne's half-brother and a personal friend of Loren, will mean consequences, not just for Maron, but for the Reach itself, the latter of which is likely even something he intended. Loren is just barely fighting the Ironborn to a stalemate, he hoped to rely on the Reach, especially in the coming war against Aegon, but this right there is something he absolutely must deal with first.
Hnnnggh, it seems I can't even avoid to mess up while writing the alternative choices
I don't know what it is with this chapter, this is just weird. It is fixed now though, thank you for bringing this to my attention 
You eventually will, I promise! Durren still has a role to play in the things to come and while he'll likely never be the most important character ever (albeit I am taking note of his popularity, be assured
), his importance will increase in some later parts of Book 2.
Aye, indeed. It was always either Dustran and Dunaver or Derik and Gylbert. More screentime for the latter would have come at the expense of the former, as Jenna, for all her character development, has not yet developed the opportunity to be in two places at once. While there are a lot of characters to develop in the Selwyn family, given enough time I just know all will get their opportunity to shine.
In a way, this is would have been hilarious. I would have probably been completely baffled at that option, but there would have been no way for me to show Arryn for the time being. Maybe I would have gained a later chance, but well, I never would have seen that one coming.
At the same time, this would have made it more likely that Willfred works with Petyr and that was precisely what got him stabbed in the end. Working with Mullendore, but not doing half-measures of trying to play both sides, that would have been the only safe way of preventing this. But yeah, this option would have given a better idea of what Donnel wants from Petyr. As you can imagine, this is not just Petyr wanting an ally, but Donnel having very specific ideas of what he should gain out of it.
Well, it would have mostly been a choice for you. I imagine the Fang's possible presence in Oldtown will influence your choices for Kersea's parts, whereas you not knowing might have resulted in different options. Therefore, even if I'd hint at his presence, he'd pretty much come out of nowhere eventually, not just for Kersea, but also for you.
Aye, I'd say Dustran can be a very passionate when his family is concerned. Especially when it comes to his father, you know how he thinks of him. As such, while Dunaver is way more level-headed, Dunaver would have acted quickly. Potentially a mistake even, being rash is not always a good idea.
Oh, I can confirm that Maron is a likely candidate to get health problems in his later years from all the time he snaps and gets so viciously angry. It shouldn't be an immediate problem, but he is a likely candidate for heart problems in his later years. Not yet though, he's in his early fifties, but at that rate, his days actually are numbered and it's only a matter of time. Of course, he can easily live to his late sixties, so just waiting things out cannot be an option.
And you will learn about this secret later on. One way or the other, just because you didn't get a hint at it right now doesn't mean you missed your opportunity to learn about it at all.
Well, Arthur knows about Mullendore's true nature thanks to Sherryl, so he would have never been loyal to him. But he could have fooled Maron. Underestimating the unlikely enemies, that's perhaps Mullendore's greatest weakness. Some pretty neat What If's will come out of this though, that much I can confirm.
In the end, yes, that would have been the worst outcome for Petyr and Maron. Both would have been locked in a huge power struggle and the only thing preventing Mern from ending things right there would have been the coming war against Aegon Targaryen, claiming his full attention right now. But their plans would have been brought to a stand still for the time being, as they'd have to focus on restoring their alliance or replacing each other with a more trustworthy ally.
Hm, you guessed correctly, it would have been a Krabby Patty and a portal to Narnia, only to be revealed if Jenna would have searched his wardrobe. There, she would have met Batman and General Grievous. Not the Terminator though, that would be the Fang and he's already unleashed.
A slight bit later than planned, but here is the What If section for this chapter. With this, the post-chapter stuff is also officially wrapped up and I'll start writing the next part right now. Expect me to release it tomorrow. I hope you'll enjoy these and the next part as well
What would have happened...
...if Harmund, King Hoare, would have been a thing?
As you know by now, a certain route could have led to me diverting from the canon and killing off none other than Harren back in Book 1. And well, the more time I plan into his character, the more happy I am this never happened, simply because Harren is someone I greatly enjoy writing. And well, certainly a villain he might be, but he's a saint compared to Harmund. Perhaps the only person in the entire kingdom who would have benefited from him being king would have been Elaena. Without a father to force him, Harmund simply would have rejected the offer, forcing both Mallister's away under the threat of execution. This would have removed his last ally among the Riverlords, while also making sure that Arrec stands with truly no one. However, Lord Mallister, being absolutely desperate, would have eventually found a new ally, in none other than Damon Greyjoy. An expert on playing both sides, Damon would have used Arrec in return for a rather questionable promise of protection from the Riverlords once Harmund would be dealt with.
...if Leonard would have remained in Raylansfair?
A choice particularly important for the end of this chapter. As I told you last time I did these, Leonard remaining in Raylansfair would have turned him into a somewhat loyal Vyrwel knight, as he would have never seen any reason to believe Lucas' accusations. And while later choices could have turned him against his new lord, the time wouldn't have come yet. This would have meant that he would have participated in the chapter finale, resulting in an actual duel between him and Willfred. This duel would have ended in Willfred's favour, but he would have spared the knight's life. This act of mercy from a man who supposedly tried to murder Mullendore would have sowed the first doubt in Leonard's mind about the men he serves.
...if Alys would have told the pirates her true name during their first meeting?
I already said it last time, this would have been one hell of a foolish thing to do. But the consequences would have arrived in this part. Knowing about her real identity, Blacksails and Saan would have both tried to use her for their purposes. Effectively isolating her from Edward, Blacksails would have been nothing but polite towards her, compared to the more openly ill-meaning Saan. However, he would have shown his true colours when eventually attempting to outright imprison her, revealing that he intends to send her home for a hefty ransom. To this end, he already sent a letter to her father. Depending on your choices, she could have escaped with the help of Carvin. Perhaps the one positive change would have been that her father would have received word of her still being alive.
...if Sadie would have stayed at the sellsword camp instead of going to Castamere?
Surprisingly, this one would have actually been an important choice. See, with her not going to Castamere, Leo would have failed to convince Mileena to keep him there. At the same time, Sadie would have been an important witness of events currently unfolding in the sellsword camp, with tensions running high between Edward Lancaster, Gyles Gomblinger and a third, newly arrived party. Without saying too much, she could have intervened in negotiations with Edward and this third party, potentially making a heavy difference on the way things will unfold in the later chapters.
...if Raenna wouldn't have travelled to the North?
Raenna's journey north was a direct consequence of her meeting Brandon Snow and him saving her life after her fight with Alysanne in the lighthouse. This would have given me the need to find a new Northern PoV and I am honestly not entirely sure whom I would have picked. I never planned into that direction, but someone from the current Northern cast would have stepped up to the role, with the exception of Malina Karstark, who has no reason to travel beyond the wall. Raenna herself would have instead joined a different story in a different location, namely the Vale, the Eyrie, taking over a storyline in the northern Vale I have now planned for a different PoV. But yeah, if not Torrhen Stark, she would have served Sharra Arryn, giving us an earlier PoV at her court.
...if Hackor Nathamer would have survived the raid?
As you know, a certain route could have resulted in the survival of Hackor Nathamer during the raid. While his injuries would have forced him to step down from any active leadership role (in fact, he would have been permanently disabled, leaving him barely able to walk and completely unable to lift his heavy armour), he would have remained a figure of importance in the city and a very uncomfortable subject for Petyr and Maron. Out of sheer instinct, he would have investigated the latter in secret, using his successor with the city guard, Daemion Stratford, for this goal. He would have eventually uncovered at least a few glimpses of the man's true nature and past in Oldtown, but would have been too smart to directly confront him. Instead, he would have collaborated with Kasyn Luck, working on turning the city guard against their lord to hopefully take down both men in a later coup. As you can imagine, I can tell you more about how that would have went at a later point.
...if Richard would have survived the last chapter?
While a confrontation with Mullendore has always been the more likely fate for Richard, always resulting in his death, through certain choices this confrontation itself could have been prevented. A big one was confronting Alan about his behaviour. Not doing that would have given Richard the chance to avoid a confrontation with Mullendore for now. Kersea and Leonard would have still left, but on better terms instead of the outright hasty escape they had to make. Jenna would have been in a far better place, avoiding attention from Petyr and Maron both, but Richard's situation would have still grown more tense. His chapter would have been all about destroying evidence of Kersea's and Leonard's stay, not knowing that Alan already took some of it in order to later turn on his brother. He would have, however, made more allies for his goals, namely Mathea and Nora. Through the latter, especially Jenna could have taken on an interesting new task. Her role in this chapter would have been about trying to gain the trust of either Darren Tallwood or Ian Shortwood, who, as Raylansfair's household knights, would have potentially been highly valuable allies. The former would have even been receptive to that, while the latter, not knowing Raylansfair as well, would have been more hesitant.
Hey this question is usally asked so I think I will ask it this time
Do you think you could give us a list of characters that might get introduced in this chapter?
Ah, yes of course, I can gladly do that! Keep in mind, this list might not be complete (as I might decide to either include a character who is not on this later on, or keep the presence of a planned to appear character secret for spoiler reasons), nor does it mean that every character on here has to appear for certain, it just means that there's a really good chance, though I might end up realizing that while writing the chapter itself, my plans for the character to appear in that spot won't work out as well as I hope. For example, in the last chapter this happened with Marie Redloon, a servant at Raventree Hall who is now going to appear in the very next chapter. It could also happen that during the chapter itself, a character will be submitted that is just perfect for a role in the chapter itself, kinda the same thing that happened with your characters Myrla and Erik in the last chapter. The last chapter in general introduced way more characters than I named at first. But here's the list of characters planned for now, in order of their submission.
New characters to appear in Chapter 3:
Carth Nerisial, Ozerog Pilaj, Kovaggo Rednar, Beopin, Maester Coracinus, Semsi the Slicer, Marie Redloon, Sebastian Sand, Salazar Redwind, Daenos, Vivielia Sand, Kaya, Naelys Qaranor, Lazaaros Fyllaar, Aren, Konrad Blacktyde, Edric, Erwin, Gilbar Cale, Sophey, Vitihho, Liam Lannister, Yusuf Hillsider, Tym Flumble, Grulk, The Iron Viper, Zixun, Bazaeya Braesendys, Aentihys, Bea, Rowan Crios, Lord Chrass Serry, Otho Wayland, Mariya Piper, Lady Margo Serry, Lucas Lolliston, Ser Gerold Grimm, Khar Shun, The Mask, Ser Edgar Grafton, Eraenys Solus, Aena Solus, Ser Logan Lydden, Wimp, Audrey Crakehall, Serendine Myros, Matt Pole, Joe Pole, Serysha Nahatis, Heleri Hewett, Ser Garibald Chester, Ser Addison Hill, Jodie Hill, Gill, Gareth, Naidal Serry, Emerson Tollet, Ser Theon Toyne, Arianna Hewett, Drevyn Pyke, Nakan the Guilty, Flinch, Irrario Paenys, Alaela Paenys, Deja, Robert Flowers, Ragnar Smyte, Dagon Darkeyes, Alvarus Orkwood
You might notice, this is significantly less than the last chapter, which is probably for the better. The last chapter was a novelty with how many characters it introduced and I felt it was a bit too much at times. Unless completely new storylines are started (which there won't be in the next chapter, we'll just get two returning PoV's in Samantha and Maya), expect this to be the usual amount of new characters per chapter, potentially even less in some future chapters. That won't be enough to introduce every submitted character, but it should be enough for most of them.
Oh man, I see surprisingly many familiar names in there
All the more excited for Chapter 3 now 
I am also glad we did not do this, because ALL HAIL HARREN. That is all.
This is certainly an interesting turn of events. Man, how many people Leonard could duel/fight in alternate realities. I don't remember them all, but there have been some interesting matchups. Well, could have been. This choice continues to be one of the more important ones.
Ooo, a dumb choice. These are always fun.
That Gyles guy sucks. I am glad we did not do this.
Interesting. We'll see if it was a good choice for Raenna in the future. Poor Briar girl, probably not so much.
If I recall, Aditha would have been raped if this was the case? I am sure Hackor is happier dead than with that. Plus if I remember correctly Aditha was way worse than she normally is.
Ah poor Richard. Tallwood and Shortwood, heh, can't make those last names up, didn't see them this chapter if I recall correctly. Wonder what they are up to now.
Hate to interrupt your chapter writing, but may I ask some other "What If's"? Like, if Jenna died in Chapter 3? What if Lucas survived Chapter 9 (I know he could have!)? What if Willfred had actually supported someone through and through in Chapter 6 and 7 (also, reading back on all of that, and thinking about allying with Mullendore, then Petyr, then lying to Mullendore, there is one word that describes Willfred perfectly: indecisive)?
Marak alive? Kersea and Alysanne not friends? What if the Burned Man survived? (could he survive?) Also, one choice that was so dumb but I must ask: What would have happened if Wolfius was freed by Arthur? Man, that was more "What If's" than I meant I ask.
Ooo, let's pick a few names and make fun of them:
This unlucky bastard is currently the 4th oldest name on the unintroduced character. Only Yoreen poor Jeyne Redwyne who will wait years for and Ai'sha al-Meereeni, who I believe was supposed to be an associate of Abbas and Bakr.
Lando Calrissian here we come!
So many e's and a's and just how in the world would this be pronounced.
The most terrifying character of them all. Is his face green? Please tell me it isn't.
Cousin to Roach.
Obviously a bunch of these characters are from the Shield Islands. Some are ironborn, there's a few Valemen (probably have to do with Maya), some Volantenes I think? Other Essos characters.
Aye, there's quite a number of yours among them
I can say, Naelys, Lazaaros and the Iron Viper are guaranteed to appear, the only one I am yet unsure about is Theon. He will be in the same place as a PoV in Chapter 3 (without spoiling too much, the Iron Viper will be in the same place and he is set to appear for certain) and I plan for him to have a notable role in said PoV's later storyline, but I am not sure if there will actually be room to introduce him properly right now, or if the other events and characters might end up requiring more screentime. If not in this chapter, you can expect him to appear in Chapter 4 though!
Umm The Mask the character i am waiting eagerly
Oh yes, a very huge choice indeed and one you can expect to be featured here regularly. To be fair, I haven't planned this all out when I gave it to you back in Chapter 1, but this is how the story would have logically continued by then. Leonard would have still been a major character, so his involvement would have changed a lot. That being said, him being with Kersea in the Oldtown route will also open up a number of interesting fights for him, even if duels against Willfred or Wolfius are not going to happen now.
Aye, this would have been bad for Briar, as she would have been brought north without anyone she knows. Brandon would have still taken her and outright offered her the chance to live at Winterfell, which she would have accepted, but beyond that, things wouldn't have been great for her there either.
You do recall correctly. Given the choice between his own death and his daughter being raped, Hackor would always choose the former and this was actually outright in his mind when he urged Jenna to take her instead of him. So, he would have been actually bitter towards Jenna as well, but that wouldn't have played much of a role in the parts themselves. Aditha would have been in a way worse spot by now, which is amazing, given that she is not particularly happy now either, her way of grieving being downright self-destructive. But by now it would have been clear, she would have actually gotten pregnant by this, which you can imagine would have caused some major conflict for her.
They both had minor roles, being present in the scene where Donnel arrived at Raylansfair. Beyond that though, I have some good plans for them and I can say that both will be part of one of the most crucial scenes in the entire story. Scratch that, it'll be the most crucial scene, making stuff like the Chapter 4 finale or Lucas' death look like nothing in comparison. I shouldn't talk too much about it, so that I don't hype myself up too much about something I mustn't reveal, but expect some huge things in store for both.
Why of course! I'll try to keep things brief, but I can gladly give you a bit of an overview of what would have happened there. Not all of these would have been consequential for this chapter, so I kept them out of there, but some of them will actually reappear in the future!
This for example is a choice that would have been of surprisingly little consequence in this chapter. Jenna had some pretty massive involvement before and she will have a huge role in the things to come, but come to think of it, in this chapter she had a talk with Petyr and then helped out Vali a bit, but there was little she did that no one else could have done. Vali's schemes would have worked without her as well. If I am not mistaken, the need for another Raylansfair castle PoV would have come up and that would have likely been Saerya, so you can probably guess that a lot would have changed from that. Saerya for example would have been unable to ever win the full trust of Vali, but depending on your choices, she could have tricked him somewhat.
He could have! I am sort of glad he did not, because his story wouldn't have been tied to the Raylansfair plot in quite some time, but in the case of his survival, he would have been part of the Stormlands story for now. In a way, he would have made Drent's storyline in this chapter redundant, because given the choice between her loyal soldier and her knight, Argella would have approached Lucas to ask for help in the melee. Unlike Drent, he could have had actual chances of winning this, because he is, at the core, a far more well-trained fighter.
Indecisiveness, that is a big trait in Willfred, hailing right from his inexperience. His father, a skilled administrator and all around cunning man, would have had no problem with picking an option he considers to be the right one (which, in Darren Reyne's mind, would have been Harris), but Willfred's back and forth and complete inability to pick just one ally eventually made things only easier for Mullendore. Depending on whom he would have picked, things could have changed massively. In the end, it would have been Harris who could have changed the most out of these options. The fact that neither Argilac Durrandon nor Hobert had a rightful claim to Raylansfair would have made any long-term victory pointless, as Mern Gardener would have never decided in their favour, with Argilac being a foreign king and Hobert being thoroughly unlikeable. However, he would have appreciated Harris' utter dedication to the good of Raylansfair and would have appointed him as Steward of Raylansfair, with the city itself becoming property of the crown. To honour Petyr's role in saving the city though, he would have given him a chance to prove his worth, with the opportunity to gain lordship at a later point. Though well-meaning, Mern's own weakness when dealing with highborn critics would have effectively lead to a three-way power struggle between Petyr, Maron and Harris. However, it would have been the only way to prevent the current situation for good.
Marak's survival would have given Noelle some extra muscle. It would have made it less likely for Ellena to accompany them, as you know she hates Marak. He would have settled in at court though, in his very own way. This is, he would have barely settled in at all. Can you imagine Marak having an actual conversation with Rhaenys? The thought is so hilarious that I somewhat regret killing him off. I'd also say he would have developed a major crush on Visenya, because she is exactly the type he'd be genuinely attracted to, whereas she would have been more disgusted by him.
So far, little would have changed, actually. but that would have changed big time in future chapters. Them not becoming friends means that Alysanne and Clayton would both be alive and active by now, in service of Mullendore. Also and way more importantly, they would have been chosen to hunt down Kersea and Leonard instead of the Fang, as they are notably more reliable. For now, Mullendore would have also planned to use them to take down any potential enemy in the city, up to the point of planning to potentially use them on Petyr should he outlive his usefulness. And well, I do think that the two of them are way more dangerous than the Fang, so this route would have been bad for Kersea and Leonard.
He actually could have survived, yes! The main way to achieve that would have been sparing the fake Butterfly in Chapter 4. This could have led to the Burned Man ultimately triumphing in Oldtown (though Harpy would have still been captured by Abbas) or possibly at least surviving by escaping the city in time. Had he triumphed, the city would be a different one by now, with several new crimelords trying to take spotlight and him trying to remain in power. Without the calming influence of Harpy, he would have also resorted to more ruthless methods and would have eventually become a villain who has to be put down by the new Oldtown PoV's, the very thing he always tried to avoid. In the route where he escaped, he would have accompanied Jaron in these early routes, but his poor health would have made the journey to Slaver's Bay impossible for him. Instead, he would have ammassed what wealth he still has, what contacts he could still mobilize, in order to become a major ally for Jaron in his search, though he would have ultimately left his side in Volantis, in order to not be a physical burden on the group, supporting them from afar instead. He would have settled down in his home town of Lorath and would have picked up actually honest work (for a given value of honesty, he would have become a merchant), regularly sending support to Jaron in his quest. This is by far the most positive outcome for the Burned Man and he would have ended the story alive, at peace with himself and in an actually positive role.
Hehe, I still can't believe that choice almost won
Definitely the single worst choice in the entire story. However, by now it would have led to the same outcome, with Lyria dying to Wolfius, but wounding him in return, forcing him into hiding. However, it would have massively impacted Arthur's career. Aditha, bitter over the additional murder Wolfius would have done until Chapter 8, would have revealed his role in freeing the man and that would have ended with Arthur being suspended from the city guard, with only respect for his father's legacy preventing him from being actually imprisoned and potentially hanged. Wolfius, as you can imagine, wouldn't have been even remotely thankful and would have still included Arthur and Aditha on his murder list.
I can say, it is quite likely that Ai'sha will be the longest unintroduced character of them all. The issue I am facing with her is that she was submitted later than Abbas and Bakr and I didn't just want to pull a third slaver out of the hat. Means, now she remained in Slaver's Bay. We'll see Yoreen in Book 2, relatively soon even. Jeyne meanwhile, she will appear either in late Book 2 or early Book 3, but most likely before we'll see Ai'sha. Keep note, this next chapter will also introduce Ozerog Pilaj, currently Number 5 on the waiting list.
Ackchyually that'd be Bespin, not Beopin
That being said, I cannot imagine anyone could ever reasonably guess what sort of a character Beopin is going to be. I think I can rightfully say that out of the entire cast, he will be easily the most unique character.
Don't give too much on my pronounciation skills, but I would say her name is pronounced something similar to Bazeah Bresendys, just with the vocals stretched slightly longer, giving it a more pleasant and exotic ring to it. I think it's pretty clear, she will appear in Essos.
It... is not
The Mask will be a very mysterious character, perhaps not easy to pull off correctly, but I greatly look forward to introduce him!
Yes indeed, the bulk of new characters here is for Essos, with a couple new Ironborn, Vale, Rock and Shield Islands characters mixed into it. But the Essos storylines will have most of the new introductions. Last chapter, Jaron and John together only encountered two new characters in the form of Arryn and Lysara, but Volantis will harbour much more opportunity for that. Similarly, Irae and Janae will encounter some new faces.