Salt Shore, seat of house Gargalen

[Alexandrine]

Along the rocky shore of Dorne he was forced to admit there was a warm beauty not unlike the Isles, but bàthed in light and colour. His galleon anchored in the shadow of the castle and his longboat was rowed ashore. Under the banners of fifty men he rode to the keep and presented himself as hoping to look upon the renowned beauty of the Gargalen. He announced himself as the King of Salt and Rock; one of the few remaining ancient if ineffectual titles allowed to him.

He and he alone was admitted to the throne room of Gargalen Castle. The air was hostile. And the lady of Salt Shore sat on her little throne, in the Dornish style. "Who enters the keep?" she wanted to know.

[Adamat]

"Never mind that little mouse, its never as big as our Albatraoz." she said with a cheeky grin and sipped from her wine.

Eon laughed again. "You have to tell me, My Lady. You must have an insane amount of power at your command. Not only are you the highest nobility in all of the surrounding lands in a wide range, but you are a woman as well! As if one of the two didn't grant enough power on its own." He drank from his wine as well, but not quite as sophisticated as the lady sipped on hers. This Dornish Red got better the more he drank of it.

[Alexandrine]

"I am the lady of Salt Shore, which is my right." She snobbed at him. Those Andals with there damned customs! Misunderstanding him that he would insinuate that a lady would not be able to hold power. She then calmed down. She did not apologize. "You will understand the feeling of power. You are of house Arryn. Born into privilege and unrivalled by all the other houses in the Vale - and since you are a Princely family now, let us not forget; the other noble houses in the realm. And also the most purest line of Andal blood, I have heard?"

[Adamat]

He scraped his throat, realising that he shouldn't have said that. "We do not mingle with any other than Andals," he said. "Well, at least the firstborn. It is not unheard of that a second daughter, for example, marries a man from the Free Cities. But the firstborn son? He marries with a pure Andal, it's a custom. How do these things work with the Rhoynish?"

[Hengest]

He and he alone was admitted to the throne room of Gargalen Castle. The air was hostile. And the lady of Salt Shore sat on her little throne, in the Dornish style. "Who enters the keep?" she wanted to know.

Dagon had little practice nor knowledge of chivalric etiquette, nevermind Dornish custom. He decided being Ironborn was the best way. That was after all what his zealot uncle always said. He strode slowly but proudly up to her seat whilst saying: "I am the High Chief of the Iron Islands, King of Salt and Rock, Son of the Sea Wind, Lord Reaper of Pyke. I have come to look upon your beauty, for it is fabled as far as the green seas of my country."

[Alexandrine]

He scraped his throat, realising that he shouldn't have said that. "We do not mingle with any other than Andals," he said. "Well, at least the firstborn. It is not unheard of that a second daughter, for example, marries a man from the Free Cities. But the firstborn son? He marries with a pure Andal, it's a custom. How do these things work with the Rhoynish?"

"We are a lot more tolerant in the South. We came with Nymeria to Dorne, and we usually mated with the local Andals here; but as you can see in our skin colour what race is the most dominant. There are some of our kind who still uphold the old Rhoynish customs.. they are called the Orphans of the Green Blood. Because they lost their mother Rhoyne, but did not mingle with the Dornish."

[Alexandrine]

Dagon had little practice nor knowledge of chivalric etiquette, nevermind Dornish custom. He decided being Ironborn was the best way. That was after all what his zealot uncle always said. He strode slowly but proudly up to her seat whilst saying: "I am the High Chief of the Iron Islands, King of Salt and Rock, Son of the Sea Wind, Lord Reaper of Pyke. I have come to look upon your beauty, for it is fabled as far as the green seas of my country."

She was flattered, of course. "Welcome to my keep Lord Reaper of Pyke. But I only recognize but one king, the one on the Iron throne." she twirled her hair. "Now you have looked upon my face, was it all you expected it to be?"

[Adamat]

"We are a lot more tolerant in the South. We came with Nymeria to Dorne, and we usually mated with the local Andals here; but as you can see in our skin colour what race is the most dominant. There are some of our kind who still uphold the old Rhoynish customs.. they are called the Orphans of the Green Blood. Because they lost their mother Rhoyne, but did not mingle with the Dornish."

Eon sniffed. "Quite poetic," he said. Not really my thing, he thought. "I like how you use the word 'mating', he said with a laugh. "It certainly makes it sound as if it was a neccesity to mingle with the Andals, rather than a choice."

[Pericles of Athens]

A group of Northmen arrive at the Salt Shore having taken the long, and dangerous, journey south. They march under the banner of House Manderly of White Harbor, a respected if young house built on and sustained by trade. Leading the small group of men was a tall and lean man of ten and seven - though he looked closer to twenty and one - with a thick head of dark red hair and a bristling beard to match. The red headed giant requests entrance to treat with the lady of the keep.

[Alexandrine]

Eon sniffed. "Quite poetic," he said. Not really my thing, he thought. "I like how you use the word 'mating', he said with a laugh. "It certainly makes it sound as if it was a neccesity to mingle with the Andals, rather than a choice."

"Queen Nymeria and her people came ashore in a thousand ships; most of them filled with woman and children. I dare say it was a necessity. Very much like queen Nymeria herself who took lord Martell as her husband and gave him the strength to unify the whole of Dorne, a conquest no men had done before, nor ever did again." She looked at him. "Speaking of which, how your lady wife, ser?"

[Alexandrine]

A group of Northmen arrive at the Salt Shore having taken the long, and dangerous, journey south. They march under the banner of House Manderly of White Harbor, a respected if young house built on and sustained by trade. Leading the small group of men was a tall and lean man of ten and seven - though he looked closer to twenty and one - with a thick head of dark red hair and a bristling beard to match. The red headed giant requests entrance to treat with the lady of the keep.

He was granted entrance to he keep and her Ladyship. "I do know but one house who wears the signal of a Merman. A proud house who's origins lay at the banks of the Mander river. But they cannot be here; as they are now so far away.."

[Pericles of Athens]

The gruff red-headed giant laughed heartily. "Very perceptive my Lady, I might've said the same thing when my uncle told me to go on this errand. Might have saved me the trip!" He quickly recovered from his bout of laughter, busy was busy and he came to Dorne with a purpose in mind. "I am Jon Manderly or the Smalljon if you like my Lady, first born son of the Greatjon and nephew to The Lord Manderly himself." He took a good look at the lady of Salt Shore - perhaps too long a look for her taste - she was beautiful he concluded if aging but there was something else striking about he that he couldn't quite place. "I was sent all the way here to find trade partners my Lady, but if you don't mind my saying I think I've found something better. Certainly more pleasing to look at."

[Alexandrine]

"Smalljon? hah! You look like a bloody giant to me." she said. She was used to being flattered; but she was not used to redhead boys saying it to her. "What did you find to look at, my lord?" she teased him.

[Adamat]

"Queen Nymeria and her people came ashore in a thousand ships; most of them filled with woman and children. I dare say it was a necessity. Very much like queen Nymeria herself who took lord Martell as her husband and gave him the strength to unify the whole of Dorne, a conquest no men had done before, nor ever did again." She looked at him. "Speaking of which, how your lady wife, ser?"

"Dead," he said grimly. "The Summer Sickness. At least my children were spared." He thought about his son Jaime. He'd be in Riverrun by now, squiring for Daryn Tully. "You don't have a husband, do you," he remembered. "Sometimes it's good to have only a small number of relatives."

[Pericles of Athens]

The Smalljon's laugh thundered through the hall once again. "A northmen joke at my expense, I suppose." He explained. "I'm a large enough man for you but my father is larger still and there can't very well be two Greatjons in White Harbor!" He pondered her words for naught but a moment before responding, his father had raised him to be blunt and honest - important traits to the Northmen. "Why what else but your splendid bosom, my Lady?! One could mistake those for the Maiden's own twins." He stated only half jokingly, it had been a long journey south after all.

[Alexandrine]

"Dead," he said grimly. "The Summer Sickness. At least my children were spared." He thought about his son Jaime. He'd be in Riverrun by now, squiring for Daryn Tully. "You don't have a husband, do you," he remembered. "Sometimes it's good to have only a small number of relatives."

She nodded understandably; but she did not. The sickness did not spread to Salt Shore, but she had seen many losses at the Red Keep. "The Mother has blessed you with children, you should be grateful for that." she advised him. "I am not married no. I was married a long time ago, when my father was still alive - my husband was a famous knight, in his time I have been told, from a respectable family." She shrugged her shoulders. "The Yronwoods, the Ullers, are still my family. And I have my brother."

The Smalljon's laugh thundered through the hall once again. "A northmen joke at my expense, I suppose." He explained. "I'm a large enough man for you but my father is larger still and there can't very well be two Greatjons in White Harbor!" He pondered her words for naught but a moment before responding, his father had raised him to be blunt and honest - important traits to the Northmen. "Why what else but your splendid bosom, my Lady?! One could mistake those for the Maiden's own twins." He stated only half jokingly, it had been a long journey south after all.

The lady Valena laughed at his directness. She touched her bosom. "If you want a better look of them, you only have to come closer.. Smalljon."

[Pericles of Athens]

The Smalljon's composure crumbled again in the face of his thunderous laughter. Adulterous, sly, and beautiful yes, but no one had told him Dornish women could be so funny as well. He approached the Lady Valena at her offering, quickly covering the distance between them with his large strides. "Be carful what you say my Lady, don't you know we Northmen have ravenous appetites for southern women?"

[Alexandrine]

When he came closer, Valena extended her hand and.. slapped his face. "You insult me, Northman. I am the Lady of Salt Shore and you are on my property. You will not speak to a Dornish woman in that manner. I always thought that Andals treated their woman courteous and good. In the South, alas, we are. Now get back in your place, before I will have you flogged."

[Pericles of Athens]

"Salt Shore is certainly lucky to have one like you ruling her, my Lady." The slap hurt his pride more than it hurt his flesh, but the woman's spunk made him laugh once again. He returned to his previous location with the same strides as ordered though he had no fear of being flogged. "Most of my blood comes from through the First Men my Lady, hopfully you'll forgive my transgression."

[Adamat]

She nodded understandably; but she did not. The sickness did not spread to Salt Shore, but she had seen many losses at the Red Keep. "The Mother has blessed you with children, you should be grateful for that." she advised him. "I am not married no. I was married a long time ago, when my father was still alive - my husband was a famous knight, in his time I have been told, from a respectable family." She shrugged her shoulders. "The Yronwoods, the Ullers, are still my family. And I have my brother."

He nodded. "My brother passed away too, along with most of my cousins. Aparently it wasn't such a great plan to treat the sick in the Eyrie, where everyone is quite close to eachother at all times." A forced laugh. Yes, it was years ago, but the memory of his close relatives still hurt him.