What about maesters? I may have been reading too much into it, but I remember in one of the books getting the feeling that the maesters may have been conspiring together to the detriments of their lords. Just an idea, I'm still not sure I understand what societies are supposed to be or do.
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Societies like the Iron Bank, the Maesters, the Faceless Men run into the small little problem that those aren't the sort of societies that accept lay members. You either dedicate your life to them or you don't. I mean, being a feudal ruler who moonlights as a Faceless Man is simply stupid. And the Maesters explicitly give up their family name after joining, let alone any titles they might have had. So having an entire society just for landless AI characters seems kinda useless.
Yeah, I concur. If societies are going to be in AGOT, then most of them are going to have to be made up and canonical ones are going to have to be situational. Sure, the Sparrows can be a society, but having them exist when Aegon held the Seven Kingdoms without internal strife unlike the actual lore reason they became a thing is not reasonable. Society and orders just don't appear to be a thing in the A Song of Ice and Fire universe unlike they were in Europe.
The only way I can think of societies like the Faceless Men, Iron Bank, and Order of Maesters can exist in this mod is instead of being members, you can join societies as patrons or investors. Being semi a part of them, but not functional members.
The only way I can think of societies like the Faceless Men, Iron Bank, and Order of Maesters can exist in this mod is instead of being members, you can join societies as patrons or investors. Being semi a part of them, but not functional members.
It could be interesting to have the player act as a stand in for a close relative who "really" joins it. Like, you send your youngest son to the citadel, and this let's the player join the society. But all of the flavor text indicates that it's your son doing the actual work. With events to keep membership tied to the "real" member (i.e. giving your heir the same rank as you as long as your family member remains a maester), it could maybe work.
You could be like one of those soccer moms, living vicariously through your kids and gaining all the fame.
What about the various minor cults and unfinished religions? Some of them could be downgraded into possible societies dependent on traits.
I'd like to see something like a generic "patrician" religion that represents wealthy essosi who don't have any strong attachment to one particular religion. Societies for each minor cult representing temporary dynastic patronage could be a good way to represent them.
Can't you just use the generic chest icon as a stand-in? That's what the base game uses for the handgun you can invent.
Yeah, things like the Storm God would make more sense as societies.
I'd put an anti-slavery society in as an option. We know from DWD that the Volantene slaves are plotting something, and that they have at least some support from non-slaves.
I agree with Maesters and Faceless Men, but apparently assassin society members can ask for a loan or be asked to make other member pay their debt, I think it makes sense for the Iron Bank.
Might I suggest a Kingsguard, small council and dragon (rider) society. Even though most of them would be landless. It would make it easier to see all of them in one list, as they would be famous for everybody in westeros and seeing who their members would be would be far more easier than using the event system.
For the Kingsguard society:
It would also remove the necessity of having a holding for the Kingsguard. The members could be part of the royal court of the king himself or be distributed as guardsmen of the royal family. The king could have special abilities due to this. Like sending a member to deal with robbers in a holding, sending a member to a household (like sending them to the court of the reach so they can use them in their battles) or recalling them from said household, fire a member, promote Commander, etc.
The ranks would be:
King/Queen
Commander
Kingsguard members
(Family members of the king, so they can demand protection)
Small council society:
King/queen
Hand of the king/queen
High ranking members
Low ranking members
This would make sure that the members would still be a member of the small councill during a war, it would also make sure you can promote a person like littlefinger to the small councill. The king could per example have a power to make a vassal of that member so they can be part of their court. During a war within their dominion they could flip back, participate in the war and then flip back to the iron throne.
Dragon/ dragon rider society:
This society would have a list of the dragons and/or their riders. The higher they are within their ranks. The more powerfull a dragon is. It wouldn't really be a society but a overview of the dragons ranking them from least to most powerfull.
For the Kingsguard society:
It would also remove the necessity of having a holding for the Kingsguard. The members could be part of the royal court of the king himself or be distributed as guardsmen of the royal family. The king could have special abilities due to this. Like sending a member to deal with robbers in a holding, sending a member to a household (like sending them to the court of the reach so they can use them in their battles) or recalling them from said household, fire a member, promote Commander, etc.
The ranks would be:
King/Queen
Commander
Kingsguard members
(Family members of the king, so they can demand protection)
Small council society:
King/queen
Hand of the king/queen
High ranking members
Low ranking members
This would make sure that the members would still be a member of the small councill during a war, it would also make sure you can promote a person like littlefinger to the small councill. The king could per example have a power to make a vassal of that member so they can be part of their court. During a war within their dominion they could flip back, participate in the war and then flip back to the iron throne.
Dragon/ dragon rider society:
This society would have a list of the dragons and/or their riders. The higher they are within their ranks. The more powerfull a dragon is. It wouldn't really be a society but a overview of the dragons ranking them from least to most powerfull.
No.
There are already decisions to show you all of those things and that works perfectly well.
Also it would stop them from joining any other societies.
For the Sparrows they can function like the "secret religion" societies but you would have to add a Faith of the Seven heresy that could then form that society so that it's not always there.
And a lot of the Holy Orders in M&M have you join as a "lay member" so that's not too different than being a patron/major client of the Iron Bank.
Though I will point out you could definitely get the first few ranks as a Maester society without being a Maester anyways, like how Oberyn forged some chains but never joined.
Fair enough, as I said it was mere suggestion and I didn't know that you could only join one society. Thanks for the quick reply
But you can join Satanists together other society in the base game, right? At least that was said in development videos.
No you can only join one society at a time, you can join the Satanists then leave and join the Hermetics but you cannot be a member of both at the same time.
You know, in a sense, most of the Free Cities' major and minor religions could be/have societies.
Religions like:
"The Black Goat" of Qohor could have a "Followers of the Goat" society. A secret society that the followers of the Black Goat religion could join in without any trouble but the rest of the Essosy faiths would have more trouble and special requirements. This society could basically work like the Satanist society with some different lore and all that.
"The Weeping Lady" of Lys is a small minor faith that could easily be a open society. Not much is known of this religion so it could go whichever way one wants it to, specially when the loose connections of this faith to the "Tears of Lys" poison as well as the possibility that she might also be considered a love goddess.
"The Pattern Studiers" in Braavos and, I assume, Lorath could be a society whose sole purpose is studying ancient ruins and discovering artifacts.
"The Merling Cult" could be an interesting open society even without a fleshed out naval mechanic to back it up. It could be associated with trade and offer up some more favourable events regarding fleets, sea beasts and whatever else.
"The Valyrian Faith" could also have a "Worshipers of Dragons" society wholy focused on prestige and acquiring dragon eggs. This society could also have some special events if you are part of the whole Elephant/Tiger conflict in Volantis.
"The Bakkalon Cult" could be a martial focused society that gives out various martial bonuses in exchange for piety and the like.
And the "Iron Bank" could have a "Iron Shareholder" society, all based on making money and giving out loans.
Heck, even the Summer Islanders could have a "Summer Lovers" or some such weirdly named society based on fertility and diplomacy with other summer islanders. There could even be some crazy orgy, holy prostitution, lovemaking competition and exposition events!
So I guess what I am trying to say is that there is no lack of potential for societies outside of Westeros. I am however not sure what societies would there be within it.
Edit: Just as soon as I wrote this I came to realise that Westerosi societies are actually pretty simple.
The "Faith of the Seven" could just have societies focusing on either one or some of the 7 deities.
"The Warriors" would be a martial focused society.
"The Maiden, Mother and Crone" would be focused on diplomacy and fertility.
"The Father and Smith" would be focused on stewardship.
"The Others" would be the Satanist-light secret society
The "Old Gods" and the "Drown God" faiths however, aside from a possible "Evil Spirits" and "Storm God" society, I still have no clue what societies they could have.
Religions like:
"The Black Goat" of Qohor could have a "Followers of the Goat" society. A secret society that the followers of the Black Goat religion could join in without any trouble but the rest of the Essosy faiths would have more trouble and special requirements. This society could basically work like the Satanist society with some different lore and all that.
"The Weeping Lady" of Lys is a small minor faith that could easily be a open society. Not much is known of this religion so it could go whichever way one wants it to, specially when the loose connections of this faith to the "Tears of Lys" poison as well as the possibility that she might also be considered a love goddess.
"The Pattern Studiers" in Braavos and, I assume, Lorath could be a society whose sole purpose is studying ancient ruins and discovering artifacts.
"The Merling Cult" could be an interesting open society even without a fleshed out naval mechanic to back it up. It could be associated with trade and offer up some more favourable events regarding fleets, sea beasts and whatever else.
"The Valyrian Faith" could also have a "Worshipers of Dragons" society wholy focused on prestige and acquiring dragon eggs. This society could also have some special events if you are part of the whole Elephant/Tiger conflict in Volantis.
"The Bakkalon Cult" could be a martial focused society that gives out various martial bonuses in exchange for piety and the like.
And the "Iron Bank" could have a "Iron Shareholder" society, all based on making money and giving out loans.
Heck, even the Summer Islanders could have a "Summer Lovers" or some such weirdly named society based on fertility and diplomacy with other summer islanders. There could even be some crazy orgy, holy prostitution, lovemaking competition and exposition events!
So I guess what I am trying to say is that there is no lack of potential for societies outside of Westeros. I am however not sure what societies would there be within it.
Edit: Just as soon as I wrote this I came to realise that Westerosi societies are actually pretty simple.
The "Faith of the Seven" could just have societies focusing on either one or some of the 7 deities.
"The Warriors" would be a martial focused society.
"The Maiden, Mother and Crone" would be focused on diplomacy and fertility.
"The Father and Smith" would be focused on stewardship.
"The Others" would be the Satanist-light secret society
The "Old Gods" and the "Drown God" faiths however, aside from a possible "Evil Spirits" and "Storm God" society, I still have no clue what societies they could have.
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