Unable to keep the Valyrian looks as Dornish Dayne?

[ramblymanguthri]

So I've recently taken to playing as the Daynes (Stone Dornish in western Dorne), given that I find their history pretty cool. I managed to marry Myrcella Lannister (in case that matters), but I find that no matter how many times I reload I never get any white-haired children (I console-age them to maturity to check). I'm not entirely sure how CK2's "genetics" work (and to be honest I would've assumed it worked on basis of character information rather than by culture), but as soon as I switched culture to West Valyrian, my first child ended up white-haired. Was my inability to continue my pseudo-Valyrian heritage as a Dornishman just a series of bad luck, or is it dependant on culture as well?

 

[Vortex_13]

Always try to marry a wife with Valyrian looks. Otherwise you tend to lose the white hair even with Targs.

 

[Galrun]

That's the reason for Targaryens incest. If they don't keep marrying siblings to each other they will loose the typically High Valyrian white hair and purple eyes sooner or later (and I think also the High Valyrian culture get's lost as you can often see for the Velaryons and Celitigars).

 

[Lhutien]

West Valyrian isnt 100% white hair, it also has brown, black, etc.

 

[ramblymanguthri]

Always try to marry a wife with Valyrian looks. Otherwise you tend to lose the white hair even with Targs.

Hence why I reload until I get white hair. The problem was that I weren't able to get any even with reloading.

As I looked around, though, I found that the other landed Dayne, the so called "Darkstar" who rules High Hermitage, managed to get himself three silvered wee ones, and they even have the Valyrian child portrait - none of my silver haired children has gotten that icon, and neither did Edric (who starts the Clash of Kings date as a child). Could this be related somehow? He's Stone Dornish as well, so I don't see why his side would get those but not my.

 

[cosmeIII]

Hence why I reload until I get white hair. The problem was that I weren't able to get any even with reloading.

As I looked around, though, I found that the other landed Dayne, the so called "Darkstar" who rules High Hermitage, managed to get himself three silvered wee ones, and they even have the Valyrian child portrait - none of my silver haired children has gotten that icon, and neither did Edric (who starts the Clash of Kings date as a child). Could this be related somehow? He's Stone Dornish as well, so I don't see why his side would get those but not my.

I believe it's luck. One of my sons (normal dark haired man) married a tyroshi wife while he was away in a mercenary company. All his children had tyroshi white hair.

 

[ramblymanguthri]

Yeah, it was definitely bad luck - I've tested it out some more today and I've gotten lots of silver-haired kids of Dornish culture. The only question that remains now is why none of Edric's children (or Edric himself) get a silver-haired child portrait, when his - also Stone Dornish - relative "Darkstar" does. It would've been so much easier if I didn't have to cheat them to adult age to see their Valyrian features. Right now I betrothed my heir two one of Darkstar's daughters, though, so it might solve itself in time if I'm lucky.

 

[Lhutien]

Darkstar is high valyrian for some reason(With portrait)

 

[ramblymanguthri]

Ah, now I understand. Edric and Darkstar start out as Valyrian (western and high respectively) and are then changed into Dornish during startup, presumably to give them their valyrian look, I suppose? Changing Edric's history file entry from Western Valyrian to High Valyrian gives him a Valyrian child portrait as well - I didn't know it worked that way. Well, I feel I learned a little more about CK2 file structure today, at least. Thanks for the help reaching this conclusion, folks.

Lastly, though, I think the reason Darkstar is High Valyrian->Dornish instead of Western Valyrian->Dornish like the rest of the Daynes is because (according to a ASoIF wiki, at least) the Valyrian blood was particularly strong in him - or his appearance was particularly Valyrian, anyway.

 

[Gwyn ap Nud]

After character gen, graphical culture has absolutely nothing to do with the character's culture. It's a 50% chance any kid takes the graphical culture of either parent. Changing your own culture during the game won't affect the graphical culture of your children. If it seems to be doing so it is only chance.