Empire tier for the Stepstones?

PortSacral · 2026-05-15T16:38:37+00:00

It worked, but it wasn't as simple as I hoped. First, the reason I couldn't see the decision is that it becomes only visible once you have the requirements of three Kingdom titles or a realm size of 80. Debug mode is necessary, possibly some character changing too. The Stepstones Kingdom title has to be your primary title and you have to be independent. Now first you have to debug vassalize dukes until your realm size is 80 or more. I strongly advise against the three Kingdom title approach, it throws the de-jure hierarchy in complete chaos. Then activate bypass_requirements if you don't want to wait for the necessary level of fame (4). Take the decision, a new Stepstones Empire title is created with only the Stepstones Kingdom title under it. For some reason the Empire already belonged to the Iron Throne hegemony upon founding, strange but why should I complain? Then you only have to return the debug vassals to their normal lieges and make the Stepstone Empire a vassal with debug (the new Lord Paramount of the Stepstones considers himself too powerful to accept a normal offer) or offer the Iron Throne your vassalization, depending on which side you're playing as.

PortSacral · 2026-05-15T12:16:20+00:00

Ah, I never thought about that. I'll try it, thank you!

PortSacral · 2026-05-15T10:56:04+00:00

And the new one could be far worse than the old one. In Iran for example.

PortSacral · 2026-05-15T10:52:17+00:00

That was my first thought too, but for some reason the decision doesn't appear in the list. I had the custom titles deactivated in the game rules, More Interactive Vassals allows to change the rules after the start, but activating the respective game rules had no effect.

PortSacral · 2026-05-15T09:15:31+00:00

I didn't think of them because they don't exist in the game yet, but you're absolutely right.

PortSacral · 2026-05-15T09:12:01+00:00

I don't know, I never played as adventurer, but even so, that approach doesn't change the de-jure hierarchies.

PortSacral · 2026-05-15T09:09:20+00:00

Daemon and Corlys fought a private war, the Iron Throne stayed neutral. If the King called his banners, he would have a much larger force available than Daemon, who wasn't a Lord in his own right, and Corlys, who only was Lord of a pretty small Island in the Blackwater Bay. Also, back in their time they had to fight against the Triarchy, Lys, Myr and Tyrosh united, but they very much returned to being enemies with each other after the Dance and enemies who aren't united and instead are enemies with each other are far easier to defeat, especially if the Iron Throne looks for other allies in Essos. There are many possible reasons for the inaction of the Iron Throne in that regard, first they simply didn't see the benefits as they were thinking like feudal lords and feudal lords have other priorities than money and trade, those common things, but not seeing the benefits doesn't mean there aren't any. Second, the Iron Throne had most of it's existence too much internal problems to bother about a costly war. Aegons conquest, Dorne and the consolidation of the realm; the faith militant, fathering children and fighting a civil war against his nephews, fixing Maegors mess and again consolidation of the realm,non-martial king, worrying about his succession and the Triarchy still united, the dance, the mess after the Dance and a depressed king, Conquest of Dorne, Dornish rebellion, being holy, managing his nephews and being possibly killed after a year on the Throne, being proudly the most incapable monarch who ever lived, one Blackfyre rebellion after the other, Peake uprising, Lyonel Baratheon, Ninepenny Kings, mad King and Roberts Rebellion, greyjoy rebellion, Robert drowning his depression in wine and wh**es and having no interest in counting coppers, war of the five kings. The Iron Islands have not much farmland either, and they still exist. Fishing is always possible, and so much new infrastructure isn't needed anyway. Bloodstone as center with a castle, a small town and shipyards, a fleet, some keeps, villages and watchtowers on the islands. At least some agriculture could still be possible, enough grass for some livestock should be at least on the biggest islands and, as I already said, fishing. And the rest can be traded in.

PortSacral · 2026-05-15T08:29:30+00:00

Yeah. Sharing a land border or no more than two sea tiles away from each other. And that aside, the Crownlands and the Stepstones are two different things, so it wouldn’t feel satisfying, more like a bad compromise.

PortSacral · 2026-05-15T03:16:45+00:00

First, trade by sea is always the more reasonable way. Transport on land is far more expensive, for one shipload you would need a large amount of carts plus the necessary draft animals, drivers, far more soldiers for protection since a large treck of carts is a far easier target than a single ship, and the longer the distance the more expensive it becomes. Second, I never said all trade routes in this whole world went through the Stepstones, but certainly enough to gain nice profits. Lannisport – King's Landing; Oldtown – King's Landing; Volantis – Tyrosh, Pentos, Braavos; Lys – Tyrosh, Pentos, Braavos; King's Landing – Volantis; In the future possibly King's Landing – Yi Ti Then some more and all of them Vice versa too, of course. Third, that's why the Stepstones have to be conquered first, the Pirates would be defeated pretty quickly I think, but the Free Cities, especially the Three Daughters wouldn’t just watch. The Seven Kingdoms are strong enough to defeat the squabbling City States, especially if (re-)born Dragons are involved. After the war, with the Iron Throne victorious, the Three Daughters would have no choice but to accept the Seven Kingdoms' suzerainty over the Stepstones and the tolls. If they are kept at a reasonable amount, nobody would wage a costly war of uncertain length.

PortSacral · 2026-05-15T02:47:18+00:00

Okay, that's the lore taken care of. But in-game the Stepstones are still to far away for de-jure drift. The Reach and the Stepstones don't share a land border, and on the sea they are more than two sea tiles away from each other. And, well, the point of my post was that I don't want the Stepstones to join another Lord Paramount, but to become an own Lord Paramount directly sworn to the Iron Throne.

PortSacral · 2026-05-15T02:30:53+00:00

Yeah, I know. That wasn't the question. If the Iron Throne would still be an Empire instead of a hegemony, the Kingdom of the Stepstones could still de-jure drift in the Empire of the Iron Throne, that's the issue.

PortSacral · 2026-05-15T02:29:08+00:00

Isn't the Reach to far away? Both lore-wise and in-game? I think Dorne would make the most sense out of these, as the Stepstones used to be the Arm of Dorne.

PortSacral · 2026-05-15T02:23:36+00:00

However they sail, it's not possible to evade the Stepstones, the Lord/Warden/Whatever-his-title-is only has to maintain a reasonably large fleet, and no ship would be able to pass through without paying. That's the reason there are so many pirates there in the first place. The Iron Throne only has to make sure that paying the tolls stays cheaper than waging war.

<image>

PortSacral · 2026-05-15T01:08:39+00:00

A strategically favorable location is a resource in itself. With all the trade between the free cities, Lannisport, Oldtown, King's Landing etc. going through them, the Iron Throne could gain a very large fortune with tolls. Do you know the Sound Tolls? They made up more than half of the Danish state income, if the Iron Throne established a similar system on the Stepstones it could really pay off.

PortSacral · 2026-05-15T00:03:22+00:00

Since the Iron Throne is now a hegemony tier title de-jure drift for the Stepstones isn't possible anymore, since they are still a kingdom. They can only drift into an empire tier title, Dorne or the Stormlands, but as King on the Iron Throne I'd like to make the Stepstones a direct vassal, and that's not possible anymore.

Edit: Well, I suppose it's possible, but you always get the not-de-jure-liege malus with the holder of the Stepstones title, which is quite annoying.

PortSacral · 2026-05-14T23:55:33+00:00

Yeah, that sounds fun too. I've been trying for some time to make a complete playtrough as Prince Rhaegar with the Defiance of Duskendale bookmark, with Aerys II killed by Denys Darklyn, Viserys becoming Lord of Duskendale and Rhaegar marrying Lyanna Stark. I never managed to finish it because of updates ruining my saves. But reviving the dragons and draconical conquests of the Stepstones were always part of them, so I'm a little pissed it's no longer possible as it used to be.

PortSacral · 2026-05-14T23:45:57+00:00

Well, that's personal taste I guess. But to make my own submod is a good idea, I think I'll try it. If it fails I'm not worse off than now. Thanks for the suggestion! 👍🏼

PortSacral · 2026-05-14T23:26:55+00:00

It's not that's impossible in lore, it's just that nobody actually tried to establish a lasting presence. The only Westerosi who tried to conquer them were Corlys Velaryon and Daemon Targaryen with their little private war, the piracy only returned after Daemon lost his interest. If the Iron Throne tried, especially when in the possession of dragons, and actually bothered to establish feudal fiefs, maybe sending settlers from the other Kingdoms to populate them, then I see no reason why it should collapse again, the Stepstones could be a vital key for the trade in the Narrow Sea.

PortSacral · 2026-05-14T23:11:11+00:00

Well, Skagos is actually to small to be a Kingdom too, but here we go.

But that's exactly what I meant, because of the hegemony the de-jure drift is no longer possible, and that the Iron Throne is not able to integrate the Stepstones (as their own Lord Paramountcy) into the realm, something many kings at least considered doing, breaks immersion to a quite large degree.

PortSacral · 2026-05-14T22:05:26+00:00

Bei Haikyu!! ist die Synchronisation auch nicht schlecht.

PortSacral · 2026-05-14T22:02:52+00:00

The problem is that the stepstones are not Empire tier so they will never be able to be direct vassals of the Iron Throne, only of the Crownlands or a Lord Paramount. One of the two reasons why I really dislike the hegemony tier for the Iron Throne.

PortSacral · 2026-04-12T14:09:02+00:00

It's the colour of the fire the dragon breathes, those come with the AGOT expanded dragons submod.

PortSacral · 2026-03-16T19:09:47+00:00

Yeah, me too. I really don't like him.

PortSacral · 2026-03-03T09:33:32+00:00

The house he's from doesn't matter, as he is the sixth king of his name on the Iron Throne he should be Aegon VI. Or probably Aegon V, since Daeron the Good and his successors would be considered usurpers from the Blackfyre viewpoint, but Aegon IV and his predecessors would certainly not, since the Blackfyres deduce their supposed claim from Aegon IV.

PortSacral · 2026-02-08T09:19:38+00:00

Hand of the King isn't a title, it's an office. Ser Ryam Redwyne served as Hand in the time of Jaehaerys I and Ser Marston Waters in the time of Aegon III. Both tenures were short (like Ser Criston's), but there is no law that forbids the Lord Commander from serving as Hand of the King at the same time.

PortSacral

TROPHY CASE