Dragon Foes

One of the most vulnerable areas on most animals is the front of their neck. One well placed or lucky arrow could penetrate, hitting the esophagus, trachea, etc. If it has enough force, it is possible for the arrow to reach the animal's brain. Knowing Martin's realism, I would assume that this would apply to dragons.
 
Culhwch, it was by no means a chastising, i Was simply stating Martin allows bodkins to pierce plate.

A bit out there, yes, but it is his world.

I should have included the full paragraph where in third person the bodkin pierces a breastplate.
 
No worries, WS, never felt chastised in the least. I'll have to reread that bit, I didn't realise it showed the action, I'd interpreted it to mean Anguy had told Arya as much. But again, as per my oiginal disclaimer, fiction. Look at the Wall after all...

I'm still in the camp that'd it take far too many arrows and far too long to bring down a dragon that way. Besides, where's the drama? It needs to be something big and bold, like Tyrion's chain and wildfire...
 
I cant help but think, if I had derailed this thread it would still be going strong. This is me, whistling in self-righteousness. Except I really cant whistle so its actually just me pursing my lips and blowing air through them in self-righteousness. But lets be honest, that lacks any sort of lingustic impact, so go back to whistling...:D
 
I thought this thread was still focused. In Cully's last post, he wants to see a dramatic and gargantuan gesture in trying to stop the Dragons. He compares it to Tyrion's chain... which reminded me of Aegon's comments earlier in this thread of how to bring your enemy into a predictable pattern, how to dictate the geography (or hydrography, is this even a word?) of the battle, and how to use weapons that can inhibit the enemy's ability to move. Tyrion did all of that to Ser Imry Florent's fleet.

Tyrion may be the one to best devise a plan to stop Dragons.

But then again, will the Dragons (sorry, I can't stop capitalizing that word) be stopped? What if the Song ends with the Targaryen restoration, the repopulation of Dragons, and the return of Magic?

Does anyone in Westeros, barring Euron Greyjoy, actually have a preconceived notion of how to stop Dragons?

I'm currently rereading Ilium by Dan Simmons. Not to give the story away (so don't think of the following as a spoiler, think of it as a teaser), but it's the Illiad gone awry. Anyway, near the end Achilles and Hector team up and attack Apollo and Athena. (For those of you familiar with the Iliad, I repeat Homer's story has gone haywire.) Hector guts Apollo and cuts off an arm while Achilles opens Athena from shoulder to navel and hacks off a leg before Athena can teleport Apollo and herself to the infirmary. Hector and Achilles had a plan to deal with lesser gods, but when Zeus starts nuking Ilium they're SOL.

Dany may recruit more Dothraki to join her. She may buy more Free Companies. She may train more Unsullied. The smart commanders in the Seven Kingdoms will devise plans for dealing with horse archers, mercenaries, and unbreakable infantry. But dealing with Dragons?

If, on the off chance, someone devised a successful anti-Dragon strategy... why send in the Dragons against an entrenched position? Let the Dragons devour the wagons and supplies. Send the Dragons against strategic targets and force the enemy to to assault of surrendur.
 
Uh, ...........I'm pretty sure that a FULL GROWN dragon's fire can melt metal/chains pretty easily. Question is.............how long till they are considered " full grown"? When you can ride one? When they are 50 ft long? 75 ft? When they can make babies/ mate? After their first big animal/ human kill?
I still think a lure( ie cow/sheep ) coated in poison will do the trick.........even on a pack of ravening wolves!

My Axe....................quickly!
 
I'm not suggesting a chain per se, I'm suggesting that to deal with a Dragon you'll need a weapon to limit it's mobility (like Tyrion used his chain to keep Stannis' fleet from fleeing) and then use a nasty weapon that does immediate and lethal damage (like wildfire did to Stannis' ships).

Yes, Tears of Lys is a great idea.
 
I'm going to throw a little wrench in here. So far the best option seems to be poison, but I don't know how effective that would be. Maybe it is just me, but I have taken it for granted that the Dragons are magical creatures, and we have all seen how well poison worked against magic (Melisandre). While R'hollor probably has nothing to do with the Dragons, I think it is still a valid thought to not assume that poison would do the trick.
 
Dont forget differing physiologies make for uncertainty of poisons effectiveness....

So in addition to the magic angle I dont know how effective poisons would be anyhow

Actually the best idea is still 1)Shred its wings 2) 2000 axemen attack....

the how that would happen I leave to you
 
I just saw Beowulf and while I dont want to get into what I thought of the movie (except it was very pretty) there was an excellent dragon killing scene that illustrates most of what we discussed....


Archers lined up in a predictable place for the dragon to pass over....check

A solid field of arrows to counter the dragons mobility and armor....check

Dragon still being too quick for that to be ultimately effective....check

Dragons ability to bring an excess of firepower to bear making massed formations unwise....check

Ballistae shredding a wing and making dragon less manueverable.....check

Wing membrane being soft and a good attacking place.....check

Dragon taking a whole lot of people with them on their way out.....check

All in all it was absolutely what I was envisioning all the while we discussed this. So its a good jumping off point if anyone wants to reopen this discussion again.....
 
It appears that most of the people who were responding to this thread aren't around much anymore. Do you think you could catch the rest of us new people up on this 5 page thread?
 
Question: Does anyone know what became of the 3 dragons belonging to Aegon The Conqueror?

Since I don't believe we've been given any information on the lifespan of the dragons, it could be by the time Dany is ready to invade Westeros, the dragons will be-while formidable-still young and unchallenged. I don't know how many years the next 3 (?) books will encapsilate, but it may be that only Balerion will ever really be used in any type of war setting.

Short of some magic, I don't believe there is any way to stop 3 full grown dragons in battle (atleast according to Westeros history). Treachery on the other hand is GRRM's lovechild, so I imagine someone will betray Dany and dispose of her dragons, or try to anyway.
 
Is there any need in dragon slying?

I think you should consider the plot from a macro point of view. Is there anything to suggest a battle between the knights of westerose to dany's army and dragons?
The final battle is between the realm of man the icy others
Rahalor vs. the cold one winner takes all (I don't vouch for the theological details, the red priests may have botched it all and there is no Rahalor, but Ice vs. fire there is).
Dany and her dragons seem to be the salvation of the people of westerose.
No doubt that the plot will have a twist or ten, but in my mind, the hole setting suggests that only our villains (pyter first and foremost) are bound to end at the toasty side of the conflict.
Consider the regal aspects of the dragon in westerose. A king is basically a man with a dragon. The fall of the trgaryns in essence lies in the fall of their dragons. I don’t see any real obstacles between Dany and the iron thrown (well actually two obstacles, the crow's eye and the citadel).​

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As far as ASOIAF goes, here are my thoughts on dragonslaying:

- I think it was mentioned somewhere else in this thread that getting 'em young would be a good option... Dany's dragons seem to be a good few years off full maturity.

- Impair their mobility: first wings, then legs. I guess siege equipment to take out wing webbing, maybe finishing with heavy chain nets (though getting a massive chain net over a dragon, even on the ground, might be a bit hard). Chain nooses/snares? Could use nets/nooses attached to anchors to drown them?

- The Westerosi have crossbows, so it may be that they'd have scorpions capable of wounding/killing a dragon.

- Once the dragon's wounded/ground-bound, I'd suggest that nothing less than the lance of a charging knight would be powerful enough to strike a killing blow. Perhaps a massive guy with a massive axe might get through the neck, but this would depend on the dragon holding very still.

- Warging could prove an invaluable tool, turning one dragon against another. Whether it's possible for a warg to control a dragon is yet to be seen.

- Poison it with a cow stuffed with manticore venom.

- Arrows would probably have little use against a dragon, but could possibly blind them. A blind, enraged dragon could well prove as dangerous to its own side as to yours. Unless taken care of, a blind dragon may well die of hunger.

- Getting your own dragon who's bigger and meaner than the opposition's would also be a good strategy.
 
Well, we know from Melisandre's flames that she will call forth a stone dragon that shoots forth shadowflame. Whether at the wall or perhaps from Dragonstone even though it was taken. Stannis' daughter had a dream that a stone dragon awoke and came to eat her. But on that note, I think there might be agents for the nameless God, the Other, who are working to manipulate Westeros into weakening itself. Melisandre mentioned about how some have dark hearts and work for him. Matter of fact, she could be one of them. I mean, putting an empty glamour on a sword to make it shine? Well, then you would have to know that it isnt Lightbringer cuz your the one who made it like that! So, like Aemon said, that will only lead deeper into darkness believing the wrong PTWP, but then again, maybe that is her plan all along???
 
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