NightApril

Thank you for that super relevant comment! You're absolutely right about Dornish culture in the canon, and it's true that this version of Oberyn can be surprising. Actually, what I'm trying to explore is precisely how even a brilliant mind like Oberyn can be blinded by his pride when faced with something that challenges everything he is. Imagine: Oberyn has spent his life accumulating rare knowledge - poisons, medicine, strategy. That was his treasure, what made him unique. And now, Val-Engrenage is turning this precious knowledge into something... common, industrial. It's as if his secret weapon has been democratized. His disdain isn't really aimed at the smallfolk, but at a system that makes his erudition obsolete. And let's be honest - however progressive Dorne may be, Oberyn is still a prince. When he sees that Val-Engrenage could make noble bloodlines less important in favor of pure competence, it panics him. His reaction stems from that fear: the fear of becoming irrelevant in a new world he doesn't control. The cherry on top? Four years ago, he underestimated Tony Stark, tossing him a coin like a beggar. Today, that kid has become his equal, if not more. His current disdain is partly his way of hiding his shame at having been wrong. To be clear, Oberyn doesn't necessarily want to be Tony's antagonist. He's not seeking a feud. But their reunion was always going to be incredibly tense—they started off on the worst possible foot. That initial humiliation and his own wounded pride now color every interaction. He feels a need to push back, to resist being completely overshadowed. So, his attitude isn't really a betrayal of Dornish culture, but rather how his ego distorts that culture when he feels threatened. Even the most enlightened people can become reactionary when you touch what defines them. His tension with Tony is a personal, almost intimate level of conflict, not a simple case of hero vs. villain. Anyway, thanks for bringing this up! These exchanges make writing even more interesting.

Not for now, but when I start publishing original stories, I’ll make one.

😂 You could say that. But the ones who are interested in Tony aren’t as crazy or unhinged as the other nobles. Still, no worries — Tony has backup plans. His work can’t be destroyed that easily.

I completely understand your point of view. In the MCU, Tony died in his forties or fifties, so spending only about a decade in Westeros hasn’t been enough to erase his habits and mindset. I did some research — there are no codified laws in Westeros, and unlike in Essos, there are no guilds to regulate industries. That’s why the people who dislike him are mostly merchants and others without significant political power. As for his transformation into a warlord, money is the nerve of war. Yes, it’s a medieval world where resources are abundant, but since they all exist in raw form, it takes money to refine them and turn them into something usable. So beyond his hatred for the eight thousand years of stagnation in this world, he needs money — a lot of money — to create weapons, extract and refine resources, and wage war properly. Because of his modern sensibilities, Tony would never wage war by pillaging or committing atrocities. That’s why he needs a massive enterprise capable of funding his campaigns. And we all know that, in the long run, knights, swords, and the rest will become relics of a bygone age — once Tony truly makes his mark.

You’re absolutely right. But at this stage, the Crown doesn’t care yet. We’re two years after the war, Tony’s been here for a year, so it’s 285, soon to be 286. The realm is fragile, so any economic boom is welcome — in fact, they might even convince themselves that it’s their rise to power that inspired people to innovate and all that. As for Varys, as usual, he’s going to pull a dirty trick on our protagonist.

I’m using the same system as in the books. 1 dragon = 210 silver stags = 11,760 pennies. But since the prices of everyday items aren’t really explained in the books except for bread (3 pennies), a knight’s horse (1 gold dragon), and a poor man’s meal (3–5 pennies), I used medieval prices as a reference (adjusted up or down as needed) for the other things.

Thank you for the comment, it’s a shame you didn’t enjoy the characterization.

Why would Tony even need a special power? You talk about intelligence as if it were some sort of reality-altering magic. The pacing issue you mention was clearly stated in the synopsis — it’s meant to be slow. And The Iron Dragon is a metaphor, not a literal dragon. I usually ignore bad reviews, but I decided to reply because yours isn’t just negative — it’s disrespectful and written in bad faith.

I understand that the introspective style doesn’t appeal to you. Even though Tony is brilliant, he can make mistakes—he’s made plenty in the past. The slow pace is meant to give a believable progression to what he’s undertaking and how he adapts to his environment. Thanks for the feedback anyway.

thank you