Opening post by Ser Roland Crakehall · #1
Look, open with the lord’s name and one true courtesy: Lord Halys, your watch on the eastern road has not gone unnoticed. Ask for one thing only, such as a meeting at dusk, and give the reason. A warm letter is not a sack of flour; it should arrive with its purpose intact, should it?
Right, praise a deed rather than a bloodline, and name it plainly. If a lord sends grain through winter, thank him for the three wagons reaching your kitchens, not for being a fine fellow. Offer something you can keep: an escort, a map, or a place at your fire.
Look, end by making room for refusal: say no answer is needed before the next moon, and sign with your banner and oath. Do not hint that silence means insult or compare his wall to yours. Keep the jest small, and never joke about his dead, dragons, or cheese, unless you fancy a siege.