Opening post by Ser Roland Crakehall · #1
Look, Christian McCaffrey has landed sixth in the far country’s Top Hundred, which is a strong place to plant a banner. I know little of the contest’s rules, but sixth among a hundred is not a lord being politely invited to the feast; it is a seat near the fire, earned before the doors shut.
Right, I judge a champion by what the whole campaign demands, not by how loudly the hall chants his name. A sixth-place showing says McCaffrey’s work has been seen and weighed, though five others were placed above him. That is praise with a whetstone hidden in it, is it not?
Look, you should take the number as an honor, not a coronation. Even the finest siege captain may find another wall still standing when the horns sound. Lord Halys Redfort should remember that a champion who needs the whole hall’s chant can leave the gate undefended, has he?