Survivor’s Guide to Westeros

The seven kingdoms are at war, and the characters from far and wide seem to be heading towards Westeros for the Iron Throne. Ravaged by war and winter, Westeros is in poor condition to play host to those descending upon it. With the increasing proximity of the impending war, let’s see how people survive on the lands of Westeros.
IV. Self-defense — Learning the skill of physical self-defense seems wise in a land that follows the principle of survival of the fittest. One’s age, birth or station doesn’t count when in a fight.
Characters that got it right:
- Arya Stark— A classic tomboy, this firebrand wanted precisely what she was denied, and went after it. Her persistence in her ‘dance lessons’ gave her the required skills to escape the Red Keep and have been honed to keep her afloat and alive in Braavos. Now, she is back to exact her revenge and cross people off her list.
- Jon Snow — Trained by a proper master-at-arms, Jon was equipped to fight even when he joined the Night’s Watch. As a Crow, he has fought battles, against and with the wildlings, and is now the King in the North.
- Bronn — Our favourite sellsword, just like any other, has one primary skill — killing. He is not a tourney champion, but has beheaded many of those. Rather than performing for applause, he is paid to kill, and is ruthless in his way.
Characters that refused to learn:
- Sansa Stark — The older Stark girl was too much of a lady to learn to fight physically. She chose a different game to play.
III. Being a Turncoat — Loyalty may be a virtue, but has very little value in Westeros. Indeed, only sellswords and whores seem to keep adrift with the tide, due to having no attachments.
Characters/Houses that switched colours:
- House Tyrell — The Tyrells started the war by supporting Renly Baratheon, and got Margaery married to him. Upon his untimely demise, they immediately switched camps and allied themselves with the Lannisters. Margaery married Joffrey, and was widowed yet again during her wedding. Finally, she was married to Tommen. After all, the face doesn’t matter, only the title of King does.
- House Bolton — The Boltons began as bannermen to the Starks, but joined forces with the Lannisters to orchestrate the Red Wedding.
- Jaqen H’gar — He takes the term ‘turncoat’ to a different level, as he takes on new faces each time.
Characters/Houses that do not change their spots:
- House Stark — The Starks have a strong sense of honour and loyalty. This prevents them from being able to let go of their ties and go wherever the tide takes them. After all, the North remembers.
- House Martell — Interestingly, House Martell had managed to remain neutral in the war. They put up a pretence of allying with House Lannister, which was effectively brought to an end with Myrcella’s death.
- Theon Greyjoy — Brought up by the Starks, Theon did not remember much about the Iron Islands, but is instigated by his family to betray those to whom he was a ward. In spite of following these instructions, Theon was unable to kill the Stark boys, and had more familial regard and comradeship for the Starks than he did for the Greyjoys. Now, he has sided with Daenerys Targaryen and sails towards Westeros for the war.
II. Willingness to do what it takes — When things become dire, the ruthless ones do what needs to be done — be it for their own sake, or for the greater good. As this is Westeros, there are rarely any selfless acts, and most of these involve killing.
Characters that screwed up some courage:
- Catelyn Stark, or the person with the maximum right to say ‘I-told-you-so’ to her family, did what was in her capacity and freed the Kingslayer in exchange for her girls from King’s Landing. In spite of knowing well that the rest of the Stark bannermen would not see this exchange as fair, she resorted to the only means available to her. Unfortunately, the Red Wedding shattered the possibility of a family reunion.
- During patrol, Jon and Qhorin Halfhand were overcome by wildlings. Against his will, Jon killed Qhorin Halfhand as had been planned, and joins the wildlings while pretending to have deserted the Night’s Watch.
- Ramsay Bolton has proven to be ruthless and sadistic in various ways. Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to do as he pleased with his father alive, he stabbed Roose Bolton and killed his stepmother Lady Walda Frey and her newborn son.
- Daenerys is a beloved leader by her people for the reason that she is unafraid to do what is best for them even if it requires her to topple practices that have been going on for generations, such as slavery. Yet, her saviour complex might get in the way of doing what is truly needed, particularly in Westeros.
- The promo for Season 7 featured the quote: ‘Whatever stands in our way, we will defeat it. We are the last Lannisters. The last ones who count’ said by Cersei to Jaime. At the end of the last season, we saw Cersei blow up most of the Tyrells and the High Sparrow in the Red Keep. This line echoes what she had once told Joffrey in Season 1: ‘Everyone who isn’t us is an enemy’. Evidently, she became tired of letting the small council rule over her.
I. Manipulation — The chief ability that a person needs to possess in order to survive in Westeros is to be able to manipulate people or situations. Possession of other skills is not as important if you can get someone else to do the work for you.
Characters who will con you:
- Cersei Lannister— She is the queen of manipulation indeed. She gets people to do what she wants, particularly Lancel Lannister to kill Robert Baratheon, and controls the small council (minus Varys & Littlefinger). She bribed witnesses at Tyrion’s trial in order to get him sentenced. Always thinking a step further, she named Ser Gregor Clegane as the champion for trial by combat against Tyrion. She tried to manipulate the High Sparrow and got the Crown’s debt pardoned by restoring the Faith Militant. She also made her dislike of Margaery evident to her, and they engaged in a tussle over Tommen. Finally, during the final few episodes, she walked around unassumingly without interacting much, and lulled everyone into a false sense of security before her final stroke. For her to do all she has done and survive it, she sure deserves recognition for her manipulative skill.
- Sansa Stark— The older Stark girl remains a novice at this skill, but learned a lot by observing Littlefinger, Olenna Tyrell and Cersei, who are people she had once trusted to deliver her from her perceived miserable state. Now, she is older and wiser, and it remains to be seen as to who is truly managing the other — Littlefinger or her.
- Petyr Baelish/Littlefinger — Who truly knows his game? His only weaknesses are Tully women, his exaggerated sense of self and the possibly unfounded belief that he is the one controlling the game. He is one to watch out for, as he was behind the murder of Joffrey, forged the marriage alliance between Sansa Stark and Ramsay Bolton, and wants to take the Iron Throne with Sansa. It is likely that he will sow discord between Sansa and Jon.
- Lord Varys — The stone in the shoe for Littlefinger, Varys has been playing the game much longer than Petyr Baelish. They find themselves supporting very different houses (Baelish is for the Starks and Varys is for the Targaryens). They are both adept at knowing the other’s game and countering it, and are possibly the true power players — the ones without visible power. What if Westeros was to turn into a democracy? They’re the ones that control the will of the people.
- Tywin Lannister — A master manipulator who managed to get Frey & Roose Bolton to betray their own liege lord. He was calculating and ruthless in his decisions. He controlled his children against their will and used them as pawns by getting Tyrion married to Sansa, and trying to get Cersei to remarry in order to get allies. He even managed to get House Martell to King’s Landing with the promise of Ser Gregor’s head.
- Tyrion Lannister — Forever having a way with words, Tyrion managed to get out of sticky situations by gambling with high stakes on calculated odds. He convinced Bronn to fight as his champion at the Eyrie, uproots Cersei’s supporters in favour of his own without getting her realization, and devises the city’s defenses using wildfire against Stannis’ forces. He is the only one who understands that compromise is needed in trying to stop slavery and violence, and contracts with the slavers of Yunkai, Astapor and Volantis to abolish it in 7 years. Now, he is acting advisor to Daenerys and is returning to Westeros to fight against his brother and sister for the Iron throne.
Houses/Characters who are too faithful to change:
- House Tully — This house seems to share the Starks’ black and white thinking that anything Lannister is bad and that anyone affiliated with the Starks are with them too. This view causes them to trust the Boltons and Freys, who deflect and join Tywin Lannister
- Jon (Snow?)— Targaryen or otherwise, Jon (no longer Snow) was brought up by Ned Stark and adopted the same values. He prizes honesty as the highest virtue. Yet, he has realized the hard way that the world doesn’t function the same way. He continues to make decisions based on what is moral/right. Now he is King in the North, but will he be able to sift through the politics as required?
- House Stark — To clarify, this applies to the dead Starks (and Bran). Ned Stark was the paragon of virtue and moral goodness — and see where that got him (and gave us our first taste of the nature of the show). Catelyn was more skeptical than he was, but was never heeded, and ended up dead as well. Bran may have psychic abilities, but remains at the mercy of his loyal, yet dwindling friends.
- Tommen — Tommen was the poor Lannister boy who believed in good and right. He was controlled by his mother for too long, and began to try to express himself and shake off her yoke. All he did was get tangled in the games played between his wife and his mother, as a result of which both Margaery and Tommen live no more.
- Daenerys Stormborn— At present, she is too steeped in ‘what is rightfully hers’ *cough* Stannis *cough*. Her most memorable moment was when she got her dragons to burn the slave masters at Astapor.
- Ser Davos Seaworth — The loyal vassal of Stannis, and now Jon, this man seeks the tide that opposes the Lannisters. He is truthful, clear-headed, and a good battle commander, but only in a fair fight.
How proficient are you at these skills? If it’s any comfort, remember, Valar Morghulis.
Author’s note: Cersei has, what in the author’s opinion is a quality, and not a gender-specific term, the bitch-trait, that everyone must aspire to possess, even if not to get the Iron Throne.
