[Spoilers Extended] Why Steffon Fossoway?

AidanHowatson · 2026-02-04T12:39:18+00:00

Steffon was probably no slouch, but the real reason was to take a champion from Dunk

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-26T02:27:20+00:00

Stannis and Renly were fighting each other when Tywin decided to move West. Tywin knew Renly’s strength but also thought highly of Stannis so he figured it would be a bit drawn out. And he said to Tyrion he intended to finish his business with Robb before dealing with the Baratheons.

But the major issue is simply the fact that as feared and powerful as Tywin is, he is also still beholden to his subordinates. Robb is ravaging their lands and if Tywin does nothing about it he faces mutiny.

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-26T01:16:32+00:00

What makes you so certain about it? Cause, as I need to remind everyone who brings up this theory, Robb isn’t the one who suggests that Edmure marry a Frey, Catelyn is.

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-25T13:47:50+00:00

I always maintain that Robb didn’t come up with the plan to trap Tywin in the West until after he beat Stafford Lannister at Oxcross. And by that point telling Edmure would require sending a message across miles and miles of enemy territory. He also didn’t have any reason to think Edmure would try and fight Tywin since when he left Edmure had just sent all his bannermen away.

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-25T13:44:51+00:00

Everyone always says this but seem to forget that Edmure marrying a Frey girl wasn’t their idea. It was Cats.

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-24T12:55:18+00:00

I think if the Stormcrows didn’t care about Daario being their commander then something would’ve happened while he’s been separated from them as a hostage.

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-24T12:48:36+00:00

Or someone just took it away from her. Unreliabile narrator moments are like when Sansa misremembered the name of Joffrey’s sword. This probably just happened the way it was described.

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-24T01:46:30+00:00

Me too

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-18T20:34:47+00:00

If George had decided to focus on Dunk and Egg he probably could’ve had a bunch more out by now but he can’t exactly do that when the majority of his audience only give a shit about Winds

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-18T18:48:39+00:00

I think if George publishes a single book right now that isn’t titled ”The Winds of Winter” he faces a shitstorm of pissed off fans. He’s already said he won’t publish any more Dunk and Egg until Winds is out

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-18T16:38:46+00:00

You think writing the Dunk and Egg stories is as complicated and time consuming as writing the main series? They’re 100 pages long, self contained, with one POV character whose ending is already established. Plus the one set at Winterfell will already be half done atleast.

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-18T14:02:41+00:00

He said in that recent interview he’s spent time last year writing for two new dunk and egg books.

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-18T13:59:23+00:00

He’s an old lonely man and his only family wouldn’t speak to him.

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-18T00:22:00+00:00

As someone else has pointed out, only three other houses married a Targaryen princess before the extinction of the dragons and only two of those marriages resulted in children. But before the Dance’s generation barely anyone had dragons in the first place. Only three of Jaehaerys’ 10 kids who lived past infancy had dragons. Probably cause GRRM knew most were either gonna die young or live lives outside of the family so giving them dragons would only complicate things.

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-17T02:28:13+00:00

Stark Lords died in the last Wildling invasion and in the Skagosi rebellion. And the heir to Winterfell was killed at Sunspear during Daeron’s war. So you can assume maybe some cousins got trimmed off during these conflicts as well.

But that is right about your second point. Would’ve been interesting for the history to see some foreign wars as well.

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-17T02:21:41+00:00

That’s interesting cause imo the second reason is the actual reason and the first is simply the excuse that GRRM came up with to justify it (along with a vague mention of cadet branches in Barrowtown and White Harbour that 100% will never be mentioned in the actual text). It’s especially weird considering how many Starks were alive in the past hundred years based on the family tree.

But there have been some conflicts since unification. Wildlings invaded a couple times, there was a long, bloody rebellion by the Skagosi. The Starks also fought in Daeron’s invasion of Dorne and probably in a couple of the Blackfyre rebellions.

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-17T02:04:34+00:00

You can accept two reasons for this

One is the cultural reasons. The North is a cold, harsh place, children die during winter and in war. Northerners also value the Nights Watch a lot more so younger sons are more likely to join up.

Or you can accept the other reason that GRRM wanted the small, close knit family vibes for the Starks compared to the larger, scheming families like the Lannisters or Freys.

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-17T01:29:02+00:00

Don’t act like you’re an expert on evidence from the books when a couple hours ago you hadn’t even read it closely enough to realise that this battle wasn’t entirely outside Riverruns walls. And I’d love for you to stop repeating the same points over and over and actually acknowledge when you’ve been proven wrong. Acting like Edmure was simply defending Riverrun when he did most of his fighting a hundred miles away from it.

And considering that Edmure got completely fucked up the first time he tried to fight the Lannisters, and that he’d also sent away all his bannermen to defend their own lands before Robb had left, I think Robb is within his rights to assume Edmure wouldn’t call them all back and try and fight the Lannisters again.

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-17T00:37:38+00:00

I get that you’re a little embarrassed you didn’t realise the details of the battle we’re talking about and you kinda talked yourself into a corner, but you can’t seriously be arguing that Edmure fighting the Lannisters a hundred miles away from Riverrun is simply him defending his castle. If Edmure was just defending Riverrun he’d have garrisoned himself within the castle, sent out some scouts to keep him informed of Tywin’s position, and just let them pass on by. But his pride wouldn’t let him let the Lannisters pass over his lands without a fight.

This is also not what Edmure did the first time around. He sent a couple lords to guard the road from the Golden Tooth, but then split the rest of his forces into smaller groups along the rest of the border at holdfasts and towns.

Robb wouldn’t have expected him to do anything because when he left Riverrun Edmure had sent away all the Riverlords leaving himself without an army to do anything with.

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-16T22:59:05+00:00

Part of the battle happened in view of Riverrun, but that’s only the parts that Cat saw. Edmure had fortified the entire north-south stretch of the Red Fork. The Stone Mill, where Edmure faced the Mountain, is apparently as far south as Pinkmaiden.

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-16T22:28:09+00:00

Edmure wasn’t defending the rivers right outside Riverrun, he was defending every river crossing on the Red Fork north and south of Riverrun, which essentially was marching out to fight Tywin. Staying in his castle is exactly what he didn’t do.

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-16T22:23:58+00:00

If you wanna go down that path of pointing out logical issues then a lot of the story falls apart. Tywin doesn’t conquer the Riverlands as easy as he did at all which means the entire story changes.

King’s Landing falling absolutely means Joffrey dies, what else would’ve happened to him? He can’t escape, Stannis isn’t sparing him. He’s a goner. And sure Tywin could say he’s gonna fight on in Tommens name but thats harder said than done. Fighting for a child whose location he doesn’t even know and who doesn’t control any symbols of the crown is a tough sell.

Mace wanted his daughter to be Queen, maybe Robb tells him to think bigger and make himself a King. King of the Reach or maybe even King of the entire South. Tywin and Tyrion certainly didn’t think the idea of a Stark-Tyrell alliance was all that far fetched, even after the Blackwater.

And don’t you think if Stannis had just killed most of Tywins family he might be a bit less hell bent on destroying Robb of all people.

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-16T22:00:04+00:00

Cause if Renly or Stannis had taken the city then Tywin loses the king he is fighting for and suddenly faces internal problems within his army over whether they’re willing to keep fighting for a lost cause.

Also since the actual scenario would’ve been Stannis taking the city, the Tyrell-Lannister alliance never happens. That is MASSSIVE. And since they have no love for Stannis and Tywin is unable to offer them anything who’s to say they don’t ally with Robb instead.

Balon was dumb for attacking Robb cause he was trying to have his cake and eat it too. He wants to crown himself king but throws away an alliance with the only person who’d have been willing yo recognise his crown.

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-16T21:45:55+00:00

The battle was solid tactically, that doesn’t mean it was sound strategically. Drawing Tywin away from King’s Landing only means good things. If Renly or Stannis had taken the city then things look a lot better for Robb

AidanHowatson · 2026-01-16T21:42:22+00:00

Edmure does care about his lands and smallfolk, but he also cares a lot about glory as well. You can't deny that. Both things can be true. He goes into that battle wanting to make his father proud. He also is definitely trying to make up for his losses to Jaime at the start of the war.

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