The Shadow Council

278AC

Undisclosed location, Braavos,

In a deep underground location in Braavos, 

The moon hung low in the cloudless night sky over the secret chamber hidden deep within the labyrinthine canals of Braavos. The air was thick with tension as representatives from the Free Cities of Braavos, Lorath, Norvos, Qohor, Myr, and Tyrosh gathered in utmost secrecy. For centuries, this clandestine assembly had convened, ever since the Doom of Valyria shattered the once-dominant empire into ruins. They were bound by a shared desire to assert their own power and to prevent the influence of the Targaryens, the dragonlords who were the last remnants of Valyria. "We have had an exciting few years, isn't it?" the representative for Lorath broke the ice as he addressed everyone, to which stifled grumbles emanated from his colleagues while their leader from Braavos maintained a stony silence.

"It's been all kinds of fun, I must admit," the representative for Myr spoke out, the tone of the voice distinctly indicating that its owner is a woman. It would be hard for anyone to assume, though, that she was a woman based only on the robes she was wearing. She was actually the lone female member of the council.

The representative of Qohor angrily exclaimed, "Fun? I do not think that the possibility of our great plan failing at its very threshold of success is fun by any means! Do you have any idea of the potential trouble we may face?" Lorathi and Myrian fell silent at this.

"I agree!" the representative for Tyrosh nodded in agreement, "The Targaryen prince is not as mad as we hoped. Our plans of providing him with a wife under our control have already failed !"

Their leader raised his right hand and everybody became silent. Acknowledging the silence, their leader spoke out. "Varys, has sent his report to us."

"Oh, and what does the eunuch say?" the Tyroshi representative asked as everybody leaned forward to hear the answer.

"He has heard of whispers of a tourney being organized at Harrenhal by the Prince to dethrone his father. He believes that Rhaegar Targaryen will invite all Lord Paramounts for these discussions. There is a high chance of Aerys being dethroned. With the death of Steffon Baratheon, The Baratheon-Lannister-Targaryen friendship made during the War of the Ninepenny Kings had already broken down, and his unfettered indulgence in acts of burning people with the slightest bout of paranoia is rapidly pushing the people in the Prince's direction."

"Hmm, there is truth in what you say," the representative from Qohor spoke out for the first time. "His excesses were usually curbed and tempered by both, the strictness of Tywin and the boisterousness of Steffon, but with the latter's death by our hands, Tywin's strictness is not enough. Whether it was pre-planned or an act of coincidence, and I believe it is the latter, Aerys Targaryen's failings are rapidly becoming public. By killing Steffon we had hoped that Aerys madness would be ignited, which would lead to the triggering of Rhaegar's madness. By the time it became public, the Seven Kingdoms would have been fed up of the Targaryen's and secede. But now, this plan is working against us."

"At any rate, the plan of this council to weaken and impoverish Westeros so that they break back into 7 Kingdoms and pose no threat to the interests of Essos is now in jeopardy, as we can now no longer be certain that the Kingdoms will rebel against a sane Targaryen. We may very well be looking at a competent King in charge of Westeros, which will bode ill for us," the representative for Norvos grunted in anger while everybody else became silent.

"These council's objectives are inviolable," declared their Braavosi head. "This council has worked to guarantee that no one civilization, family, or dynasty becomes strong enough to ever again impose its will on the rest of humanity since the fall of Valyria. We have made sure that the free cities stay that way, which is why they are still free. This council exterminated any family that emerged that had the strength or ability to establish a ruling dynasty over one of the free cities. We have worked extremely hard to destroy House Targaryen, the last standing house in Valyria and the only one with the power to rule the world. Our great enemies, Volantis, Pentos and Lys, the traitors who still cling to the ideals of the Valyrian empire still have their last great hope, and we must ensure that they do not succeed."

The Shadow Council of Essos, Report to Lord Robb Stark, Heir to the North, dated 294AC, submitted by the Northern Intelligence Research and Analysis Wing

For three centuries since the downfall of Valyria, there had existed a deep cold war between Volantis, Pentos, Lys and the rest of the free cities. Upon the fall of Valyria, Volantis, the so called first daughter of Valyria, had sought to impose itself as a replacement for the Valyrian empire and had sought to continue the imposition of Valyrian ideology upon the rest of the world. However, it had been rebuffed, with extreme violence. Braavos, the bastard daughter as it was known, had despised the traditions and customs of Valyria to the point of fanatic zealotry and had risen up in rebellion. With the loss of Valyria and its dragons, Braavos had risen in open revolt, and had rallied other free cities with similar beliefs to its banner. For nearly forty years after the doom, the wars had been extremely brutal and fierce with no victory on either side. However, the combined might of the six cities was powerful enough to ensure their independence, but not enough to claim victory over the other three. Part of it stemmed from the fact that Volantis and its sister cities were in a perpetual alliance with the cities of Slaver's bay. Astapor, Yunkai and Mereen. Cities which would have been razed to the ground by the Braavosi coalition as they espoused everything that Braavos stood against. So, the battles had entered into a stalemate.

Then came the news of Aegon the conqueror and his complete subjugation of Westeros which came as a dire shock to the Braavosi coalition. Just when they had believed that they had escaped the tyranny of Valyria, the last remnant house of Valyria had again spread its wings in the world. Immediately, the council, then newly-formed, turned its focus to the Kingdom of Westeros with one aim only. The absolute destruction of House Targaryen. To destroy it and ensure that they would not turn their attentions to Essos. In this, they had gained an unexpected ally. The Faith Militant of the Seven gods. Their plan to cause an uprising in Westerosi citizenry by inciting a rebellion on religious grounds against the invading heathen Valyrian overlords had met an extremely quick and violent end at the hands of Maegor the cruel.

Afterwards, the council had decided to take a subtler route. In this, they were aided by a certain section of Maesters from the citadel of Knowledge in the Reach. This sect was fanatical in its opposition to magic and any other esoteric arts and sought to impose the pre-eminence of knowledge in the world. For the next two centuries, working in conjunction with the council, the sect had slowly and deliberately weakened and brought low the bloodline of the House of Targaryen. Ensuring through the judicious use of poisons and medical cocktails, they had introduced a strain of mental illness in the royal bloodline. Furthermore, plots were deliberately enacted to engender civil strife inside the dynasty which had culminated spectacularly in the dance of the dragons which destroyed the power of House Targaryen for good. Whenever, certain Targaryen rulers had shown great promise, the faceless men had been employed to nip that problem in the bud.

Nearly a hundred years after the dance, House Targaryen had grown desperate enough to regain the power of dragons in its hand once again by any means necessary, and thus they attempted to hatch them again in Summerhall. This time, the council had finally decided to move to extreme measures and had enacted their plans in brutal fashion, which had culminated in the tragedy of Summerhall, where almost all the members of House Targaryen perished except for a few members.

After Summerhall, the throne had passed into the hands of Jaehaerys, the father of Aerys 'the mad' Targaryen. At the time, the council faced a few threats. Lady Lyarra Stark, the wife of Lord Rickard Stark, who somehow had extensive resources in Essos, had begun to suspect the existence of their council. We now have reliable knowledge that the council had her assassinated, through means currently unknown. Another person who came close was Tywin Lannister, another new rising star in the power structures of Westeros at that time, who was avaricious and totally ruthless. However, Tywin at that point, was reluctant to go against his childhood friend. So, Steffon Baratheon was assassinated and the paranoia of Aerys Targaryen was inflamed with the help of Varys, the Master of Whispers. Emissaries were sent once again, and both sides sent feelers about engaging in acts of mutual interest. The council opened its coffers, and wealth flowed into the coffers of Casterly Rock. Soon, Tywin was able to compete with the Reach more easily and became the richest and most powerful man in Westeros as planned. The objective was simple. Ensure that Tywin would continue to serve as hand faithfully for a decade or two to give off the impression of absolute loyalty to House Targaryen. Then, arrange for the death of Aerys and have Tywin's daughter marry the crown prince and for the old lion to serve as regent. Then again, after the birth of his grandchild, arrange for a second Summerhall and ensure that the ruling family perished to an end this time. Then rule, with his grandchild having a claim over the throne. It was a perfect plan.

However, the trap at Duskendale was foiled by Barristan Selmy of the Kingsguard. So, new plans were devised. Under the council's guidance, Varys continued to flame the king's paranoia to new heights, and Aerys executed people at random.

For a while, the council had been…