Once again unanimously, Emerson will warn Jamison, about the fact that there are people in Godsgrace who actually want to murder him. However, it's another question how seriously will Jamison take such warnings. A question that we will get an answer immediately! Well, very soon anyway, as soon as I've gone through the part once more to check if there is something to fix/change, and posted it here in the thread. So, look forward to Jamison part very very soon!
”Listen to me, Dayne.” Emerson Allyrion spoke with strict and stern words, and Jamison raised an eyebrow. “There are people here who want to kill you.” The young man said, dead serious, making Jamison narrow his eyes.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him.” Ser Laroy weighed in, but Jamison ignored him. “Who?” He asked from Emerson, looking him straight to the eyes. The Allyrion boy looked uncomfortable, gulping and glancing around himself nervously. “It doesn’t matter.” He finally muttered as an answer. “The point is, you are not safe in Godsgrace, especially not outside of the castle walls.”
After thinking about it for couple seconds, Jamison let out a sigh, and shook his head. “Fuck it, let them try it then, if they really think they can kill me. I haven’t had a good fight in a while anyway.” The Prince spoke with a subtle smirk on his face.
“Mother have mercy.” Ser Laroy muttered behind Jamison. “Are you really so eager to throw your life away?” He asked, but once again Jamison ignored him. “Thanks for the warning, Eddison.” He said lightly, tapping the guy on the back as he walked past him to the doors of the keep. Laroy came quickly after him, and they made their way out to the courtyard. The sun was still up, Jamison noticed, but it would set within an hour.
Laroy walked next to Jamison, with a clanking sound from his armor. On top of his armor Ser Laroy had a Dayne tabard. “You know, Laroy, I think people would pay less attention to me if you weren’t with me with that armor of yours.” Jamison remarked dryly, but the knight just chuckled coldly. “You’ll be thankful of me and my armor if someone tries to kill you.” He replied, as they walked out the gates of the castle.
Soon the street they walked down was split into three. “On the right is the western gate, and I think the sept is on that street that goes to left.” Jamison spoke his thoughts out loud. “Not going to find whores in a sept, so let’s go the street in the middle.” He decided, and Laroy reluctantly agreed. They walked past several tanners, cobblers, carpenters and glassblowers, until they finally made it to the city square. The merchants had left the square for today, as the sun was close to setting, leaving the square almost empty.
“And where do you plan to go from here?” Ser Laroy asked sternly. Jamison gave him a smirk before answering. “We just have to follow our noses.” He answered calmly. “If you ask me, the eastern side of the city smells more lively.”
“You mean it smells like shit, and piss, and sweat?” Laroy asked unenthusiastically, and Jamison nodded. “Exactly.” He replied with a grin. “Let’s head that way.” He added, and Laroy sighed in frustration, but followed the orders of his Prince.
Now they started to see butcher’s shops, bakeries and inns. Jamison glanced at the alleyways that separated from the main street that would take them to the eastern gate. Finally, in one of them, he saw something interesting. Half-naked girls were flocked in front of the door of a house that was at the very end of one of the alleys. “That’s our place.” Jamison said decisively, and turned to the alley, Ser Laroy following after him.
A young boy, probably no more that twelve, noticed them, and ran quickly inside one of the houses. And before Jamison and Laroy could make it to the brothel, a bunch of men walked out of the house that the young boy had just ran in. There were five of them to be precise, all of them armed, and they effectively blocked the way to the brothel. The man who was leading them had a long scar running through his ugly face, and he was carrying a crossbow. His four thugs stood in front of him, three of them armed with a sword, and one with an axe.
Then a door was opened behind Jamison and Laroy, and three thugs walked out to block their way out of the alley. One of them had a spear, and the two others had swords. Jamison chuckled quietly, surprised to see that this was actually happening. “What did I fucking tell you.” Laroy muttered quietly, unsheathing his sword, and turning to face the three men behind them.
“Prince Jamison Dayne.” The man with the crossbow said, putting emphasis on every word. “I’m afraid this is where your road ends, Sword of the Night.” He continued, and Jamison nodded, with a mildly amused expression on his face. Then he unsheathed his sword. He pointed the dark and slightly curved blade at his enemies – a young lad with nervous look on his eyes, a muscular man with full beard and an axe, a tall man with long face and bright blue eyes, and a plump bald man. And behind them, the man with the scar.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” Jamison asked, a blood-thirsty smirk on his face, feeling the excitement rising. He moved his sword slowly through the air, pointing each of his enemies with it. “I call her the Darkness. I would like to thank you, fine men, because Darkness hasn’t been happy lately. It’s been a while since she last tasted blood, you see. And oh boy, she is thirsty.“ Jamison spoke the last words with a dark and menacing tone, with the aim of weakening the confidence of these thugs. Anger flashed on the face of the man with the scar, as he listened to Jamison’s words.
“Kill them!” He finally ordered, and so the thugs attacked. The three men behind them against Ser Laroy, and the four men in front of them against Jamison.
Jamison started with moving quickly against the nervous young boy. The boy never had a chance, with two swift moves Jamison outplayed him, opening his stomach with a ruthless slash. With a scream of agony the boy fell to the street, trying to keep his internals inside. Now the axeman and the tall man rushed towards Jamison. The Prince made a bold move, rushing straight towards the man with the axe. The man had no time to swing his axe, and Jamison tackled him to the ground. This gave him time to face the tall man, who attacked with a predictable but strong swing. Jamison parried it, as well as his next swing, until he saw an opening, and immediately used it. With an elegant move he deflected the man’s sword away, and slit his throat. The blue eyes widened in terror, and the man fell to the ground. Jamison turned around, seeing that the axeman was up again, and the plump bald man was charging towards him. He dodged the bald man’s swing, and hit him on the ribs, sending him staggering backwards.
This gave Jamison a small moment to glance towards Laroy, seeing that he had already killed one of his opponents, and was struggling with the other two. Then the axeman attacked. Jamison parried his swing, and kicked him behind the right leg, dropping him on his knees. Without mercy, Jamison slit the axeman’s throat, and let him go down with gurgling noises. Only the plump man was left, and he looked hesitant to attack. Jamison used his enemy’s moment of doubt, charging against him with a scream. The poor man couldn’t even parry the first strike, and the Darkness sunk deep into his left shoulder, almost chopping off the arm. Jamison pulled out the sword, and let the shocked plump man sunk into the ground, where he would soon bleed to death.
As he turned around, he saw the scarred man’s fingers on the trigger of the crossbow. Instinctively, Jamison leaped to right. However, he wasn’t able to fully dodge the bolt, and it hit him on his left shoulder. Jamison grimaced in pain, but kept charging towards the scarred man, which clearly surprised him. The man dropped his crossbow in panic, and unsheathed his scimitar. However, he was way too slow, and Jamison’s first strike hit him on his swordhand, forcing him to drop his weapon. Jamison continued with smashing the man on the face with the pommel of the sword, and pushing him on the ground. The man tried to desperately crawl away, but Jamison crushed his right ankle, and kicked him in the guts to keep him from moving. Then he moved the edge of his sword to the throat of the man.
Jamison glanced behind him, seeing that Laroy was just impaling the last of his opponents. Then he turned his eyes to the scarred man again. “Who are you?” He asked coldly, breathing heavily, the pain on his left shoulder getting more prominent all the time. “WHO ARE YOU!?” He repeated his question with a loud roar.
“Horidos… my name is Horidos.” The man muttered nervously, and Jamison gave him a cold grin. “Horidos, huh? Well, tell me Horidos, who ordered you to kill me?” Jamison asked with threatening tone, but Horidos just shook his head. “No one, no one ordered me.” He answered, panic in his words. “This was my own decision.”
“Your own decision, huh? Well, do you feel like it was a wise decision, Horidos?” Jamison asked, softly pushing the blade against the man’s throat. Horidos shook his head subtly, closing his eyes. “N-no, it wasn’t.”
“We all must suffer the consequences of our choices, I’m afraid.” Jamison spoke coldly, but just then Ser Laroy interrupted him. “Wait!” He shouted, rushing next to Jamison. “Don’t kill him.” He pleaded, and Jamison furrowed his eyebrows.
“And why the fuck not?” He asked with annoyed tone. Laroy took a moment before answering, taking a couple deep breaths to calm down.
“We should take him to Lord Morgan, and tell him what happened here.” The knight finally said, a calm tone on his voice. “Perhaps that way we could find out why this happened.”
Jamison let out a sigh. He knew that Laroy had a good point, but it would be such a pity to give Horidos for Morgan, when Jamison was the one who deserved this kill. Especially if Morgan was the one who sent this bastard.
Whoa, Jamison is a beast in combat. If I remember correctly, this was the first time we have actually seen him fighting and it was awesome! Those fuckers didn't stand a chance
[Take him to Morgan]
This was another extremely hard choice for me. On the one hand, just killing Horidos would be the safer thing to do. That way, he wouldn't be a threat to Jamison anymore. However, on th other hand, while I believe him when he claims to have acted out of his own free will, maybe taking him to Morgan could pose problems for Esperence's plans. While I want her to succeed in allying House Allyrion with the Martell's, I fully believe that her plans go even further, that they include Emerson's death, so that she can become the Lady of Godsgrace. So, the more problems she runs into, the more likely it is that Emerson gets a chance at surviving this. If Morgan learns of her plans, this would provide some formidable opposition for her and would ultimately, I hope, strengthen Emerson's position. I am just afraid that endangering Esperence's plans too much could end up as the opposite of what I want, that the Martell's crush Godsgrace and put Emerson's survival into an equally bad position.
Jamison
”Listen to me, Dayne.” Emerson Allyrion spoke with strict and stern words, and Jamison raised an eyebrow. “There are people here … morewho want to kill you.” The young man said, dead serious, making Jamison narrow his eyes.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him.” Ser Laroy weighed in, but Jamison ignored him. “Who?” He asked from Emerson, looking him straight to the eyes. The Allyrion boy looked uncomfortable, gulping and glancing around himself nervously. “It doesn’t matter.” He finally muttered as an answer. “The point is, you are not safe in Godsgrace, especially not outside of the castle walls.”
After thinking about it for couple seconds, Jamison let out a sigh, and shook his head. “Fuck it, let them try it then, if they really think they can kill me. I haven’t had a good fight in a while anyway.” The Prince spoke with a subtle smirk on his face.
“Mother have mercy.” Ser Laroy muttered behind Jamison. “Are you really so … [view original content]
Well safe to say that was a phenomenal first showing of Jamison's fighting abilities in the story! He fought just as imagined and it really was something to see how he chopped down all of those men with such ease. I don't think they knew exactly who they were dealing with and I will have to admit seeing how Horidos' personality completely changed with 'Darkness' pointed at him was pretty great Plus having the fight go down at nighttime was a pretty awesome idea! As for the choice, I am sure you know what I will go with
[Kill Horidos]
I am going with this choice largely because I am really not sure what exactly Lord Morgan would do here. Lord Morgan has showed that he is not a fan of Jamison's and with Jamison making the remark about Emmett, I am sure that has not changed. Of course however, Jamison has done a great favor to the city of Godsgrace bringing Horidos in and killing several of his thugs too so maybe Lord Morgan would be willing to help Jamison get to the bottom of this but from what I have seen of him, I am not sure that is the case. On top of that, Horidos told the truth in saying no one provoked him to try this but however the idea came to his mind through Esperence's meeting when she brought Jamison up so albeit very indirectly she was the cause for Horidos trying this attack. I don't know if this was just the one instance but it does seem that Esperence may be playing a game she is in over her head on trying to have all of these shady people around her as shown with Horidos completely ignoring her words not to attack Jamison. If I am right with that suspicion then eventually Esperence's plans will probably blow up in her face anyway when she truly realizes that she can not control any of these people that supposedly follow her orders. I will also admit that as soon as Horidos said he wanted to kill Jamison, I was absolutely ready for Jamison to kill him if the opportunity arose
As for Emerson, I think killing Horidos may do him an indirect favor as well. It would take who looks to be an very important member out of Esperence's inner circle out of the equation and with that I would say that Esperence loses alot of her criminal contacts since without their leader around, I could see most of the thugs still alive not really caring about helping Esperence and they definitely would not care about trying to avenge Horidos since they would have to fight arguably the best knight in Dorne to do that. Liquid does have a very good point about wanting Esperence to succeed in securing an alliance with the Martells though but at the same time, if she were the one to secure the alliance with them and her being Morgan's daughter, I could see Nymeria giving her the ladyship and Emerson would miss out on what he rightfully deserves again. Esperence is a pretty shady character and I believe it is best to undermine her every chance that is possible since it is shown she will do whatever it takes to secure Godsgrace for herself even if that means undermining her own father and potentially killing Emerson when the time comes. I would say Emerson's best bet is not to completely alienate himself from Esperence but to play both sides of the fence with Morgan and Esperence as much as possible taking the best things from both of them and when the time comes, hopefully Emerson will be able to earn the lordship that is rightfully is.
On a side note though I am really curious since Ser Laroy was a very big help in this fight taking nearly half of the burden off of Jamison killing three to Jamison's five potentially. What would have happened if Jamison would have went by himself? Would the three men Laroy killed not been there for Jamison to fight, would Jamison have had more trouble or would he have killed the other three too?
Jamison
”Listen to me, Dayne.” Emerson Allyrion spoke with strict and stern words, and Jamison raised an eyebrow. “There are people here … morewho want to kill you.” The young man said, dead serious, making Jamison narrow his eyes.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him.” Ser Laroy weighed in, but Jamison ignored him. “Who?” He asked from Emerson, looking him straight to the eyes. The Allyrion boy looked uncomfortable, gulping and glancing around himself nervously. “It doesn’t matter.” He finally muttered as an answer. “The point is, you are not safe in Godsgrace, especially not outside of the castle walls.”
After thinking about it for couple seconds, Jamison let out a sigh, and shook his head. “Fuck it, let them try it then, if they really think they can kill me. I haven’t had a good fight in a while anyway.” The Prince spoke with a subtle smirk on his face.
“Mother have mercy.” Ser Laroy muttered behind Jamison. “Are you really so … [view original content]
Whoa, Jamison is a beast in combat. If I remember correctly, this was the first time we have actually seen him fighting and it was awesome! Those fuckers didn't stand a chance
Indeed, Jamison's skills have been hyped throughout the story, so I figured it was time to show a bit of proof for them This was child's play to him - without Laroy it would've been already a challenge. Glad you liked it though
Whoa, Jamison is a beast in combat. If I remember correctly, this was the first time we have actually seen him fighting and it was awesome! … moreThose fuckers didn't stand a chance
[Take him to Morgan]
This was another extremely hard choice for me. On the one hand, just killing Horidos would be the safer thing to do. That way, he wouldn't be a threat to Jamison anymore. However, on th other hand, while I believe him when he claims to have acted out of his own free will, maybe taking him to Morgan could pose problems for Esperence's plans. While I want her to succeed in allying House Allyrion with the Martell's, I fully believe that her plans go even further, that they include Emerson's death, so that she can become the Lady of Godsgrace. So, the more problems she runs into, the more likely it is that Emerson gets a chance at surviving this. If Morgan learns of her plans, this would provide some formidable opposition for her and would ultima… [view original content]
Well safe to say that was a phenomenal first showing of Jamison's fighting abilities in the story! He fought just as imagined and it really was something to see how he chopped down all of those men with such ease. I don't think they knew exactly who they were dealing with and I will have to admit seeing how Horidos' personality completely changed with 'Darkness' pointed at him was pretty great Plus having the fight go down at nighttime was a pretty awesome idea!
I'm very glad you enjoyed the scene! I have really been looking forward to this, and safe to say, it won't be the last time we see Jamison fight
As for Emerson, I think killing Horidos may do him an indirect favor as well. It would take who looks to be an very important member out of Esperence's inner circle out of the equation and with that I would say that Esperence loses alot of her criminal contacts since without their leader around, I could see most of the thugs still alive not really caring about helping Esperence and they definitely would not care about trying to avenge Horidos since they would have to fight arguably the best knight in Dorne to do that.
This is a good point, losing Horidos will be a massive blow for Esperence, and will force her to rebuild many of her connections in the city. And yeah, I doubt that there are many in Godsgrace willing to challenge Jamison right now
On a side note though I am really curious since Ser Laroy was a very big help in this fight taking nearly half of the burden off of Jamison killing three to Jamison's five potentially. What would have happened if Jamison would have went by himself? Would the three men Laroy killed not been there for Jamison to fight, would Jamison have had more trouble or would he have killed the other three too?
Had Ser Laroy not been there, Jamison would've indeed had to face all these thugs alone. It would've been a much harder task, and Jamison would've got worse injuries, but he would've killed them all. His fight with Horidos would've also been harder, and it would've ended in Jamison killing Horidos, and passing out on the street. In his next part he would've woken up in the brothel, where the whores would've patched him up.
Well safe to say that was a phenomenal first showing of Jamison's fighting abilities in the story! He fought just as imagined and it really… more was something to see how he chopped down all of those men with such ease. I don't think they knew exactly who they were dealing with and I will have to admit seeing how Horidos' personality completely changed with 'Darkness' pointed at him was pretty great Plus having the fight go down at nighttime was a pretty awesome idea! As for the choice, I am sure you know what I will go with
[Kill Horidos]
I am going with this choice largely because I am really not sure what exactly Lord Morgan would do here. Lord Morgan has showed that he is not a fan of Jamison's and with Jamison making the remark about Emmett, I am sure that has not changed. Of course however, Jamison has done a great favor to the city of Godsgrace bringing Horidos in and killing several of his thugs too so maybe Lord Morgan would be wi… [view original content]
I'm very glad you enjoyed the scene! I have really been looking forward to this, and safe to say, it won't be the last time we see Jamison fight
I am very glad to hear you enjoyed writing the scene as much as I did reading it! It really was a great scene and showed Jamison's personality perfectly. He fights very boldly and with alot of courage when the time arises but also has an arrogance and ruthlessness to him. You have Jamison's character down to a tee! When it comes to Jamison fighting again, I am definitely down to read that anytime it comes up
This is a good point, losing Horidos will be a massive blow for Esperence, and will force her to rebuild many of her connections in the city. And yeah, I doubt that there are many in Godsgrace willing to challenge Jamison right now
Indeed, Horidos seems to play a very huge role in Esperence's more dishonorable side. It will be very interesting to see what Esperence thinks about Horidos' big idea and failure once she hears about it through either him being brought to Morgan or hearing that Horidos was killed. Haha yeah It seems like one of those things where Horidos and his thugs were willing to try to attack Jamison intially because they figure most of his reputation was hype and that he was just a pampered prince who would fold once cornered in a real fight at least in their mind. So safe to say that opinion would probably be changed now
Had Ser Laroy not been there, Jamison would've indeed had to face all these thugs alone. It would've been a much harder task, and Jamison would've got worse injuries, but he would've killed them all. His fight with Horidos would've also been harder, and it would've ended in Jamison killing Horidos, and passing out on the street. In his next part he would've woken up in the brothel, where the whores would've patched him up.
Well that is pretty beast hearing that Jamison would have killed eight men by himself in an eight on one situation! That is a huge accomplishment but regardless of that I am glad we chose to bring Ser Laroy with us I would have probably been a bit worried seeing the no decision at the end of the part but the thought of the whores patching him up is a pretty neat one since I am sure Jamison would have had plenty to say about that
Overall whichever way the vote ends up going, I am sure it will be really interesting to see the aftermath of this attempted attack on Jamison's life since Jamison is no doubt not happy about it and it will be interesting to see what the Allyrion's say.
Well safe to say that was a phenomenal first showing of Jamison's fighting abilities in the story! He fought just as imagined and it really… more was something to see how he chopped down all of those men with such ease. I don't think they knew exactly who they were dealing with and I will have to admit seeing how Horidos' personality completely changed with 'Darkness' pointed at him was pretty great Plus having the fight go down at nighttime was a pretty awesome idea!
I'm very glad you enjoyed the scene! I have really been looking forward to this, and safe to say, it won't be the last time we see Jamison fight
As for Emerson, I think killing Horidos may do him an indirect favor as well. It would take who looks to be an very important member out of Esperence's inner circle out of the equation and with that I would say that Esperence loses alot of her criminal contacts since without their leader around, I could see most of the thugs … [view original content]
“Isn’t she beautiful?” Jamison asked, a blood-thirsty smirk on his face, feeling the excitement rising. He moved his sword slowly through the air, pointing each of his enemies with it. “I call her the Darkness. I would like to thank you, fine men, because Darkness hasn’t been happy lately. It’s been a while since she last tasted blood, you see. And oh boy, she is thirsty.“
Ahh, this line I knew I recognised it. It looks like we have a Negan/Lucille duo here, which quite literally terrifies me However, for some reason in this part I felt like I was watching Viserys Targaryen over someone like Negan, don't ask, I have no clue why This was a really good part though, a great alley fight, kinda reminded me of all the fun ones i read in FoT
[Kill him]
I think I'm doing this more out of Emerson's favour than anyone else's. Horidos knows that Emerson attended Esperence's council meeting, and I feel like this could easily be flipped onto him if Horidos is given a chance to live. While handing him over to Morgan would be a decent idea, I'm fearful the man would have little to do about it. Trying to track down conspirators in his own castle would not be an easy task, especially with a war rising up, though as he has shown is disinterest for the war I can imagine he may be the same in this case. Horidos is also a criminal, and I fear that bringing him to Morgan would only bring imprisonment if he was not executed, in which case Esperence can just free him. I'm already starting to fear that telling Jamison that there was someone after him is already going to come bite Emerson on the arse. Here's hoping something good comes out of this...
Jamison
”Listen to me, Dayne.” Emerson Allyrion spoke with strict and stern words, and Jamison raised an eyebrow. “There are people here … morewho want to kill you.” The young man said, dead serious, making Jamison narrow his eyes.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him.” Ser Laroy weighed in, but Jamison ignored him. “Who?” He asked from Emerson, looking him straight to the eyes. The Allyrion boy looked uncomfortable, gulping and glancing around himself nervously. “It doesn’t matter.” He finally muttered as an answer. “The point is, you are not safe in Godsgrace, especially not outside of the castle walls.”
After thinking about it for couple seconds, Jamison let out a sigh, and shook his head. “Fuck it, let them try it then, if they really think they can kill me. I haven’t had a good fight in a while anyway.” The Prince spoke with a subtle smirk on his face.
“Mother have mercy.” Ser Laroy muttered behind Jamison. “Are you really so … [view original content]
I think letting him live and turning him in to Morgan will not only cause problems for Esperence but also possibly Emerson. He knows that Emerson was at Esperence's meeting. He might sell both of them out to try and save himself. Plus, Jamison is probably not going to stay much longer; he won't be in anymore danger, from these criminals, once he leaves.
Jamison
”Listen to me, Dayne.” Emerson Allyrion spoke with strict and stern words, and Jamison raised an eyebrow. “There are people here … morewho want to kill you.” The young man said, dead serious, making Jamison narrow his eyes.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him.” Ser Laroy weighed in, but Jamison ignored him. “Who?” He asked from Emerson, looking him straight to the eyes. The Allyrion boy looked uncomfortable, gulping and glancing around himself nervously. “It doesn’t matter.” He finally muttered as an answer. “The point is, you are not safe in Godsgrace, especially not outside of the castle walls.”
After thinking about it for couple seconds, Jamison let out a sigh, and shook his head. “Fuck it, let them try it then, if they really think they can kill me. I haven’t had a good fight in a while anyway.” The Prince spoke with a subtle smirk on his face.
“Mother have mercy.” Ser Laroy muttered behind Jamison. “Are you really so … [view original content]
Ahh, this line I knew I recognised it. It looks like we have a Negan/Lucille duo here, which quite literally terrifies me However, for some reason in this part I felt like I was watching Viserys Targaryen over someone like Negan, don't ask, I have no clue why This was a really good part though, a great alley fight, kinda reminded me of all the fun ones i read in FoT
I'm not really a TWD fan, but I think I know the scene you're referring to While my intention wasn't to nod to it, or to Negan, I admit the scene did cross my mind while writing this line And what comes to physical appearance at least, Jamison is definitely closer to Viserys than Negan. He's just much more dangerous than poor Viserys ever was
Also, FoT is a big inspiration of mine, so it's nice to hear the scene reminded you of it
“Isn’t she beautiful?” Jamison asked, a blood-thirsty smirk on his face, feeling the excitement rising. He moved his sword slowly through th… moree air, pointing each of his enemies with it. “I call her the Darkness. I would like to thank you, fine men, because Darkness hasn’t been happy lately. It’s been a while since she last tasted blood, you see. And oh boy, she is thirsty.“
Ahh, this line I knew I recognised it. It looks like we have a Negan/Lucille duo here, which quite literally terrifies me However, for some reason in this part I felt like I was watching Viserys Targaryen over someone like Negan, don't ask, I have no clue why This was a really good part though, a great alley fight, kinda reminded me of all the fun ones i read in FoT
[Kill him]
I think I'm doing this more out of Emerson's favour than anyone else's. Horidos knows that Emerson attended Esperence's council meeting, and I feel like this could easily be flipped onto … [view original content]
Jamison
”Listen to me, Dayne.” Emerson Allyrion spoke with strict and stern words, and Jamison raised an eyebrow. “There are people here … morewho want to kill you.” The young man said, dead serious, making Jamison narrow his eyes.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him.” Ser Laroy weighed in, but Jamison ignored him. “Who?” He asked from Emerson, looking him straight to the eyes. The Allyrion boy looked uncomfortable, gulping and glancing around himself nervously. “It doesn’t matter.” He finally muttered as an answer. “The point is, you are not safe in Godsgrace, especially not outside of the castle walls.”
After thinking about it for couple seconds, Jamison let out a sigh, and shook his head. “Fuck it, let them try it then, if they really think they can kill me. I haven’t had a good fight in a while anyway.” The Prince spoke with a subtle smirk on his face.
“Mother have mercy.” Ser Laroy muttered behind Jamison. “Are you really so … [view original content]
Jamison
”Listen to me, Dayne.” Emerson Allyrion spoke with strict and stern words, and Jamison raised an eyebrow. “There are people here … morewho want to kill you.” The young man said, dead serious, making Jamison narrow his eyes.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him.” Ser Laroy weighed in, but Jamison ignored him. “Who?” He asked from Emerson, looking him straight to the eyes. The Allyrion boy looked uncomfortable, gulping and glancing around himself nervously. “It doesn’t matter.” He finally muttered as an answer. “The point is, you are not safe in Godsgrace, especially not outside of the castle walls.”
After thinking about it for couple seconds, Jamison let out a sigh, and shook his head. “Fuck it, let them try it then, if they really think they can kill me. I haven’t had a good fight in a while anyway.” The Prince spoke with a subtle smirk on his face.
“Mother have mercy.” Ser Laroy muttered behind Jamison. “Are you really so … [view original content]
And Jamison will kill Horidos. This is definitely in-character for Jamison, and while taking Horidos alive to Morgan would've been interesting, killing him will lead to an equally badass scene - which we will see in the next Emerson part. However, now we are taking a break from the Godsgrace and head to Hellgate Hall, with the next Dalia part. Last time she arrived to Hellgate Hall with the Wild Suns, and her daughter Desirea. She met with King Lucifer, who promised her that if she conquers Vaith for him, she will be legitimized. As Dalia brought up her devotion to R'hllor, Lucifer pointed out that if she wishes to be Queen of Brimstone someday, she will be expected to follow the Seven. Dalia decided not to argue about this.
The part will probably be ready either today or tomorrow.
Also, I just remembered that I drew a new portrait of Jamison recently, and now after his first fight in the story is the perfect time to post it! I made the old one quite a while ago, and I prefer this one over it.
Voting is closed!
And Jamison will kill Horidos. This is definitely in-character for Jamison, and while taking Horidos alive to Morgan wo… moreuld've been interesting, killing him will lead to an equally badass scene - which we will see in the next Emerson part. However, now we are taking a break from the Godsgrace and head to Hellgate Hall, with the next Dalia part. Last time she arrived to Hellgate Hall with the Wild Suns, and her daughter Desirea. She met with King Lucifer, who promised her that if she conquers Vaith for him, she will be legitimized. As Dalia brought up her devotion to R'hllor, Lucifer pointed out that if she wishes to be Queen of Brimstone someday, she will be expected to follow the Seven. Dalia decided not to argue about this.
The part will probably be ready either today or tomorrow.
Whoa, nice job! I liked the original one a lot already (and actually just saw it today again when I went through the gallery), but I must admit that this one is even better. If I'm not mistaken, Jamison's portrait was among the first you did for NW and this shows the progress you made just perfectly. I especially like the facial expression for him here. That is one of my favourites of the NW portraits now
Also, I just remembered that I drew a new portrait of Jamison recently, and now after his first fight in the story is the perfect time to post it! I made the old one quite a while ago, and I prefer this one over it.
”So be it.” Dalia said lazily. “If the people want their leader to follow the Seven, I suppose I can play that role for them.” Lucifer smiled for his daughter’s words.
“You certainly have matured from that reckless girl who left Hellgate Hall fifteen years ago.” The King said, almost proudly. “Speaking of that, are you not going to tell me what have you been doing all these years?” It surprised Dalia that Lucifer was interested to hear about it, but she wasn’t really in the mood for telling stories of her years in Essos. “It’s a long story.” She said lazily.
“I’m not in a hurry.” Lucifer replied dryly, and Dalia sighed. After thinking about it for a moment, she begun. “The first years were pretty much what I had expected when I left this place.” She said quietly, not even looking at Lucifer as she spoke. “It was all an adventure, seeing new places, meeting new people. I fought in a company called the Stepstone Squirrels, and I had no care for tomorrow. I do miss those days sometimes, for how free I was, free and young. Then, when I was no more than seventeen, I had a child I was not ready for, with a man who was even less interested in taking care of a baby than I was. Back then I would’ve said that having the child was the biggest mistake of my life, but in truth the mistake was what I did soon after – something I later came to regret, more than anything else in my life.” Dalia stopped talking, and turned her gaze down with a gulp.
“You are talking about your bastard daughter, I assume?” Lucifer asked calmly, and Dalia nodded. “Desirea.” She said the name softly, the image of her beautiful daughter in her mind. “I told myself that I couldn’t keep the child, that I was never meant to have her… And as the opportunity came, I gave her away to the Temple of Light, convincing myself that the priests there would take better care of her than I ever could. I acted like it meant nothing to me, and I believe my act convinced everyone except myself. For months, I heard the voice of that girl in my dreams, crying for her mother. All I could think of was that I was the worst mother who ever lived.”
“There are plenty worse, I can guarantee you that.” Lucifer said calmly. His voice was as hard and cold as ever, but Dalia believed she could spot a touch of empathy in those words. “I know that now.” She answered with a sigh. “That girl is the most important thing to me in this world, but it doesn’t change the fact that I abandoned her, for years. I didn’t see her grow up, I didn’t hear her first words, I didn’t witness her learning how to read, nor did I share her moments of happiness and sadness. All she had were the Red Priests. They taught her well, but she never got to be a child.” Dalia felt slightly uncomfortable as she finished speaking. She wasn’t sure if she should’ve opened up to Lucifer like this – there was little reason to trust that he wouldn’t use any weakness he’d see in her for his own advantage.
“What are your plans with that girl?” Lucifer finally asked, after a tense moment of silence. Dalia narrowed her eyes, wondering what her father meant with this question. “My plans?” Her tone was puzzled. “My plans are to raise her as well as I can, and to keep her safe.” Lucifer nodded, but also let out a dry chuckle.
“I wouldn’t want to tell you how to be a mother, but dragging her to a war hardly does good for those plans.” He spoke calmly, eyeing Dalia with a meaningful look on his eyes. Dalia knew there was truth to what Lucifer said, but in reality the situation wasn’t that simple. “Desirea is a priestess of R’hllor, and she is on a mission here.” Dalia said, a touch of uncertainty in her words. “It’s her duty, and I respect that – it would be wrong of me to deny her what she has come here to do.”
Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “So, what exactly are you to her?” He asked. “A mother, a bodyguard, or a follower?”
“All of those at once, I suppose.” Dalia answered dismissively, and her father responded with a slow nod, a skeptical look still on his eyes. “Well, I suppose giving birth to that girl wasn’t the only thing you did in Essos – after all, you have somehow made your way to the top of a fairly large sellsword company.” He said, and Dalia nodded with a small smirk.
“Indeed, a lot happened. I pissed off a Dothraki horselord and got sold to the fighting pits of Meereen, got my fair share of scars there, until eventually I was awarded with freedom, after saving my pit fighter from an assassin.” Dalia took a break, taking in a breath. “And then, not so long after leaving Meereen, a couple coincidences led me to freeing two hundred slaves from a Norvoshi slaver, which gave me a basis for my own sellsword company. One of the men said the company would need a name, and I remembered what they used to call me here – the Wild Sun.”
“So, how did the Wild Suns grow to be a company of thousand men?” Lucifer asked curiously, scratching his chin. “Well, slowly, at first.” Dalia replied nonchalantly. “But in time we got a mission in Volantis, which led to many good things. The mission itself was nasty work – we had to quarantine the slums, due to an epidemy among the poor. However, the Volantene had also hired two other companies: Bloodfangs, and Stepstone Squirrels. During my years in the pits, Mizro had risen to the lead of the Squirrels. Our companies worked in cooperation, cutting down the angry mobs that tried to break free from the slums. I even ended up saving Mizro, who was wounded in one of the riots. I took him to the Temple of Light, where the Red Priests were taking care of the wounded. Later, as the mission was already over, I fell sick – and the symptoms matched with those of the ones in the slums. But I was saved, by a skilled young priestess… my daughter.” Dalia let out a sigh, but continued shortly. “I had abandoned her all those years ago, and now she saved my life. I decided then that I would never abandon her again.”
“So, it was the newfound love towards your daughter that made you find religion.” Lucifer stated dryly, and Dalia narrowed her eyes. “I looked into the flames, and saw the truth with my own two eyes.” She replied firmly, but the King didn’t look convinced. “Anyway, after the mission was over, all three companies had suffered significant losses – some died in the riots, others fell for the disease. So, I, Mizro, and Khazor the leader of Bloodfangs, held a meeting, which led to the uniting of our companies. We have hired more men after that, including more than a hundred Unsullied.”
“And do you trust your generals, these, Mizro and Khazor?” Lucifer asked, and Dalia nodded. “I do.” She simply answered, and her father flashed her a smile. “Good.” He said. “So, how soon do you think you could begin your march to Vaith?” The King asked, raising his chin and looking at Dalia with questioning eyes.
“A couple days of rest would do good for the troops.” She answered, and Lucifer nodded. “In two days, then.” He said decisively, and Dalia nodded in agreement.
“I think I should go get some rest myself now.” She stated casually, and her father nodded. “You can take your old quarters, and your daughter can take the ones next to it.” Lucifer spoke with a calm tone. Dalia gave her father one more look, and then stood up from her chair. “Thank you, father.” She said tensely, glancing quickly at her father’s bodyguard, Ser Blackheart, and then walked out of the room.
Outside Lucifer’s office, Red Maggot, Marduk and Lewyn Tiddle were waiting for Dalia. The Unsullied commander stood there dutiful as ever, and gave Dalia a bow as she approached them. Marduk on the other hand looked a bit impatient, with a bored expression on his face. “You can return to the camp now.” Dalia said to her captains. “But send Desi here.”
“My Lady, your daughter is already here.” Lewyn spoke up, and Dalia turned to look at him with confusion. “What? How?”
“I sent someone to invite her.” The man answered with a polite tone. “I figured the granddaughter of the King should sleep in the castle, bastard or not. She arrived a while ago, escorted by her bodyguards.” Dalia nodded to Lewyn’s words, though she was mildly annoyed that this man had done this behind her back.
“I’ll go see her then.” She said sternly, and Lewyn nodded with a smile. “Shall I escort you?” He asked, but Dalia shook her head.
“I know my way around.” She replied, a cold look on her eyes. With these words she separated from these three men, making her way to the northern tower, where her quarters were. On her way, Dalia's thoughts drifted back to her conversation with Lucifer. She had to admit, it had gone better than she expected – especially the fact that he had promised to legitimize her if she succeeded in conquering Vaith. Now I just have to succeed, and hope that Lucifer keeps his word.
As Dalia arrived to the door of her quarters, she saw Vyran the Lion and Belan the Brave standing in guard at the door. "Is Desi inside?" Dalia asked calmly, and Vyran nodded to him, a stern expression on his face. "Yes, my Lady." He answered, making way for her.
Dalia opened the door, and walked inside. It was the room she remembered from her childhood, though some things had changed. All that she had left behind when she left Hellgate Hall had been taken away, replaced with old books, maps, and notes. Dalia's gaze shifted to the brazier, and she noticed charred coals in it, many of them still glowing red. She has looked into the flames.
Now Dalia turned her eyes to Desi, who sat quietly on a chair next to the window, a thoughtful look on her eyes. "What did you see this time?" Dalia asked quietly, and her daughter turned to look at her.
"Are we going to Vaith?" She asked calmly, and Dalia nodded. Somewhere in the past she would've been surprised of how did Desirea know this, but she had learned the extent of this girl's skills by now. "We are... Did you see Vaith in the flames?"
"I saw black mist shrouding the city, and the Lady of Darkness walking down its streets, hiding in the shadows." Desirea's tone was gloomy, and the look on her eyes was almost shaken. "Lady of Darkness?" Dalia spoke with quiet and tense words, and Desirea nodded to her. "One who dances with demons." She said. "Worshiper of the Great Other."
Dalia's eyes widened. A worshiper of the Great Other in Vaith? She gulped, taking a couple steps closer to her daughter. "So, that means... Your mission, it's in Vaith." Dalia said quietly, looking Desirea to the eyes.
"It begins there, yes." She replied, letting out a sigh. Dalia nodded, now putting her left hand on Desi's shoulder. "I will help you." She said softly, and Desi turned her eyes towards her, a tender look in them. "Thank you, mother." She whispered, and Dalia closed her in a hug. I will protect you, my little flame.
I must say, I was initially a bit surprised by the fact that Desi's next goal will be in Vaith. I was pretty sure she'd just end up directly cutting of the head of the snake by going for Aisha, but after thinking about this again, I shouldn't have been so surprised. The hints have been there, I just haven't been careful enough to connect them. Dalia's mission to take Vaith fits perfectly with what we learned in Emerson's most recent part, about the Lady of Vaith being rumoured to be a dark witch. I am certainly happy that this dark witch is likely going to be taken care of before Gwendis runs into any danger of meeting her, but at the same time, I think I should be concerned enough as it is.
For once however, I can say that I don't hope for Dalia and Desi to fail. I mean, I won't outright say that I want them to succeed, but I want them to fail less than I want the servants of the Great Other to fail. After all, it has been a priestess of the Great Other who dragged Gwendis into this mess, not a Rollmop fanatic. That means, I want the Great Other followers to fail. And the less of these followers Gwendis has to interact with, the less chance there is for her to run into one of these followers whom even Aisha would describe as fucking nuts. So, this is likely going to be the only time I'm ever going to say this, but I want this dark witch to go down even more than I want the death of Dalia and Desi. I'm not quite going to root for them, but I think you get the picture.
That said, I have expected Desi to go west already, to confront Aisha before she can get any stronger by recruiting her warrior. I don't know if this is a good thing that they won't do it immediately, as it could give Gwendis some time to get the hell away from both parties there, or if it is a bad thing, as it gives Aisha and her warrior more time to do whatever the hell they want with her. But well, for the time being I want Dalia and Desi to succeed with this initial part of their mission, even if I am still highly on the fence when it comes to the rest of their goals. Maybe this dark witch can weaken them to the point where they merely manage to kill Aisha and her warrior afterwards, but don't have enough strength to harm Gwen or Trentan. Maybe a mutual kill between Dalia/The Warrior and Desi/Aisha would be possible as well, I think that's the safest possible outcome for Gwendis there. Anyways, this dark witch of Vaith is no one I'd like to protect, so they can surely go for her first. One less freak to worry about. I must say though, despite the fact that this Lady Vaith can die for all I care, I am a bit worried by Desi claiming that her mission just begins there, which implies she could go for a complete culling of the Great Other followers in Dorne. I mean, I surely won't object to killing the majority of them, but I am afraid that she could end up seeing Gwendis as yet another Great Other follower to cut down.
One thing I am curious about, if you can answer it, will we see Vaith in this chapter or is that something for the next one?
Dalia
”So be it.” Dalia said lazily. “If the people want their leader to follow the Seven, I suppose I can play that role for them.” Luci… morefer smiled for his daughter’s words.
“You certainly have matured from that reckless girl who left Hellgate Hall fifteen years ago.” The King said, almost proudly. “Speaking of that, are you not going to tell me what have you been doing all these years?” It surprised Dalia that Lucifer was interested to hear about it, but she wasn’t really in the mood for telling stories of her years in Essos. “It’s a long story.” She said lazily.
“I’m not in a hurry.” Lucifer replied dryly, and Dalia sighed. After thinking about it for a moment, she begun. “The first years were pretty much what I had expected when I left this place.” She said quietly, not even looking at Lucifer as she spoke. “It was all an adventure, seeing new places, meeting new people. I fought in a company called the Stepstone Squirrels, and I … [view original content]
I must say, I was initially a bit surprised by the fact that Desi's next goal will be in Vaith. I was pretty sure she'd just end up directly cutting of the head of the snake by going for Aisha, but after thinking about this again, I shouldn't have been so surprised. The hints have been there, I just haven't been careful enough to connect them. Dalia's mission to take Vaith fits perfectly with what we learned in Emerson's most recent part, about the Lady of Vaith being rumoured to be a dark witch. I am certainly happy that this dark witch is likely going to be taken care of before Gwendis runs into any danger of meeting her, but at the same time, I think I should be concerned enough as it is.
Yeah, if Desi is ever going to confront Aisha, it will be Chapter 3 material, right now she will be fully concentrated on this threat in Vaith. The Lady of Darkness that apparently lurks in Vaith shouldn't be underestimated though, as Desi was clearly shaken of what she saw.
For once however, I can say that I don't hope for Dalia and Desi to fail. I mean, I won't outright say that I want them to succeed, but I want them to fail less than I want the servants of the Great Other to fail. After all, it has been a priestess of the Great Other who dragged Gwendis into this mess, not a Rollmop fanatic. That means, I want the Great Other followers to fail. And the less of these followers Gwendis has to interact with, the less chance there is for her to run into one of these followers whom even Aisha would describe as fucking nuts. So, this is likely going to be the only time I'm ever going to say this, but I want this dark witch to go down even more than I want the death of Dalia and Desi. I'm not quite going to root for them, but I think you get the picture.
I'm glad to hear you are for once, sort of, kinda, almost, rooting for Desi and Dalia, even if only temporarily I can say that in this particular case, I'd definitely see them as the "good guys". In the bigger picture it's more questionable though. And yeah, if Desi manages to eliminate this Great Other worshiper, it would probably be a good thing for Gwen as well
One thing I am curious about, if you can answer it, will we see Vaith in this chapter or is that something for the next one?
We will see Vaith in this chapter. There will actually be a major event there at the end of this chapter, and at this point I think you can guess what it will be
I must say, I was initially a bit surprised by the fact that Desi's next goal will be in Vaith. I was pretty sure she'd just end up directly… more cutting of the head of the snake by going for Aisha, but after thinking about this again, I shouldn't have been so surprised. The hints have been there, I just haven't been careful enough to connect them. Dalia's mission to take Vaith fits perfectly with what we learned in Emerson's most recent part, about the Lady of Vaith being rumoured to be a dark witch. I am certainly happy that this dark witch is likely going to be taken care of before Gwendis runs into any danger of meeting her, but at the same time, I think I should be concerned enough as it is.
For once however, I can say that I don't hope for Dalia and Desi to fail. I mean, I won't outright say that I want them to succeed, but I want them to fail less than I want the servants of the Great Other to fail. After all, it has been a priestess of … [view original content]
Yeah, if Desi is ever going to confront Aisha, it will be Chapter 3 material, right now she will be fully concentrated on this threat in Vaith. The Lady of Darkness that apparently lurks in Vaith shouldn't be underestimated though, as Desi was clearly shaken of what she saw.
Chapter 3 material, that is... well, I'm not sure if it is reassuring or concerning, since it means the confrontation I dread so much comes closer. It seems this Lady of Darkness (very likely the dark witch that has been mentioned in Emerson's part) is very powerful though, if she has shaken Desi so much. It makes me assume that she is among the Great Other followers that even Aisha would like to stay away from.
I'm glad to hear you are for once, sort of, kinda, almost, rooting for Desi and Dalia, even if only temporarily I can say that in this particular case, I'd definitely see them as the "good guys". In the bigger picture it's more questionable though. And yeah, if Desi manages to eliminate this Great Other worshiper, it would probably be a good thing for Gwen as well
Well, I still root for them to be weakened to the point where they won't be a threat to Gwendis anymore. Though I'd very much like for Dalia to at least kill Aisha's warrior, maybe even that blasted witch herself, but I am kind of afraid that if she has enough strength to kill the warrior, she'd certainly be able to do all sort of bad stuff to Gwendis as well. Neither am I sure if she would, or if she would actually be a potential ally to free Gwendis from the manipulations of Aisha. So, I am really not sure if I root for them in this conflict in Vaith, at least not as much as I probably should. That said, I see them as the good guys even in the bigger picture, to be honest. R'hllor and his followers are morally ambiguous, capable of good and bad, whereas the Great Other is the only god in the Ice and Fire setting whom I don't see as ambiguous at all. There's no doubt to me that this demon is incapable of doing a single good thing and the same goes for his followers, whereas Dalia and Desi at least serve a marginally better god who occasionally helps people. So, for a lack of alternatives, I see them as the good guys here. However, I only root for Gwendis in this conflict and they still pose a severe threat to her, so I'm still violently opposed to them. At the same time, I am just as opposed to Aisha and her freakshow, maybe even more. It's just the thing, I don't know how bad Aisha's plans for Gwendis are, though I'm leaning towards very bad, but neither do I know how Desi and Dalia would react to Gwendis, though I'm leaning towards very bad as well. So, I really hesitate to side with them and I feel awful for hoping that they succeed to kill this witch, because of the continuous threat they pose. Though it is concerning that you see their status as the good guys as a questionable thing I thought that they were at least less evil than Aisha and her warrior, but this piece of information really does not sit well with me, because it means they might be willing to do some seriously bad stuff to Gwen as well, maybe even worse than whatever atrocity Aisha has planned. Now I don't know which fanatic I should rather root for, or better yet, which fanatic I am more justified to wish death upon. In the Vaith conflict, it's clearly the Dark Witch I rather want to see dead, but it's still a mystery whom I should root for in the grand scale of things. Maybe neither of them? Argh, if they could all just drop dead and leave her in peace, I'd be so happy.
We will see Vaith in this chapter. There will actually be a major event there at the end of this chapter, and at this point I think you can guess what it will be
Hm, the sacking of Vaith at the hands of the Wild Suns? Together with the death of the dark witch? Yeah, that's my guess here. It seems all but confirmed that a confrontation between Dalia and Aisha, with Gwendis caught in the middle, is not going to happen in Chapter 2, but I could see the set-up for this to happen there. Perhaps Aisha wants to recruit the Vaith witch for her evil Avengers as well and goes there not knowing that Vaith has fallen already. Or perhaps Desi receives another vision that she has to stop Aisha (and I am highly afraid for what she could see in Gwendis there). In either way, I am pretty sure that they will meet in Chapter 3, so this means that Dalia's storyline in Chapter 2 will likely end with the conquest of Vaith.
I must say, I was initially a bit surprised by the fact that Desi's next goal will be in Vaith. I was pretty sure she'd just end up directly… more cutting of the head of the snake by going for Aisha, but after thinking about this again, I shouldn't have been so surprised. The hints have been there, I just haven't been careful enough to connect them. Dalia's mission to take Vaith fits perfectly with what we learned in Emerson's most recent part, about the Lady of Vaith being rumoured to be a dark witch. I am certainly happy that this dark witch is likely going to be taken care of before Gwendis runs into any danger of meeting her, but at the same time, I think I should be concerned enough as it is.
Yeah, if Desi is ever going to confront Aisha, it will be Chapter 3 material, right now she will be fully concentrated on this threat in Vaith. The Lady of Darkness that apparently lurks in Vaith shouldn't be underestimated though, as Desi was cle… [view original content]
Chapter 3 material, that is... well, I'm not sure if it is reassuring or concerning, since it means the confrontation I dread so much comes closer. It seems this Lady of Darkness (very likely the dark witch that has been mentioned in Emerson's part) is very powerful though, if she has shaken Desi so much. It makes me assume that she is among the Great Other followers that even Aisha would like to stay away from.
Yeah, it gets closer all the time, but tbh, it still feels like something pretty far in the future And yeah, the Great Other worshiper in Vaith is definitely strong, and very dedicated - she could very well be one of these cases that Aisha warned Gwendis of, someone who has basically sold her soul just to please the Great Other.
Though it is concerning that you see their status as the good guys as a questionable thing I thought that they were at least less evil than Aisha and her warrior, but this piece of information really does not sit well with me, because it means they might be willing to do some seriously bad stuff to Gwen as well, maybe even worse than whatever atrocity Aisha has planned. Now I don't know which fanatic I should rather root for, or better yet, which fanatic I am more justified to wish death upon. In the Vaith conflict, it's clearly the Dark Witch I rather want to see dead, but it's still a mystery whom I should root for in the grand scale of things. Maybe neither of them? Argh, if they could all just drop dead and leave her in peace, I'd be so happy.
Well, you can rest assured that Dalia and Desi certainly are not as evil as Aisha and her warrior, but they are still morally ambiguous, and as you know at the moment a threat to Gwendis, who is one of the main protagonists of the story. So, that's really what I meant with their good guy status being questionable in the big picture But yeah, with all these R'hllor and Great Other characters it's really anyone's guess who should one root for
Hm, the sacking of Vaith at the hands of the Wild Suns? Together with the death of the dark witch? Yeah, that's my guess here. It seems all but confirmed that a confrontation between Dalia and Aisha, with Gwendis caught in the middle, is not going to happen in Chapter 2, but I could see the set-up for this to happen there. Perhaps Aisha wants to recruit the Vaith witch for her evil Avengers as well and goes there not knowing that Vaith has fallen already. Or perhaps Desi receives another vision that she has to stop Aisha (and I am highly afraid for what she could see in Gwendis there). In either way, I am pretty sure that they will meet in Chapter 3, so this means that Dalia's storyline in Chapter 2 will likely end with the conquest of Vaith.
Indeed, the Wild Suns will soon begin their march to war, so conquest of Vaith is very likely to happen in this chapter. What happens to this dark witch is still very unclear though, as we know next to nothing about her, but it's certainly a possibility that we will see Dalia and Desi confronting her as they take the city. And Desi made clear that Vaith is only the beginning of her mission, so her going after Aisha in Chapter 3 is a good guess.
Yeah, if Desi is ever going to confront Aisha, it will be Chapter 3 material, right now she will be fully concentrated on this threat in Vai… moreth. The Lady of Darkness that apparently lurks in Vaith shouldn't be underestimated though, as Desi was clearly shaken of what she saw.
Chapter 3 material, that is... well, I'm not sure if it is reassuring or concerning, since it means the confrontation I dread so much comes closer. It seems this Lady of Darkness (very likely the dark witch that has been mentioned in Emerson's part) is very powerful though, if she has shaken Desi so much. It makes me assume that she is among the Great Other followers that even Aisha would like to stay away from.
I'm glad to hear you are for once, sort of, kinda, almost, rooting for Desi and Dalia, even if only temporarily I can say that in this particular case, I'd definitely see them as the "good guys". In the bigger picture it's more questionable though. … [view original content]
Well this is a unexpected surprise, awesome but unexpected nonetheless! I greatly enjoyed your original drawing of Jamison and had not really thought about if it could be topped but it is safe to say you have indeed topped it! Jamison's facial similarities to Vorian are even more apparent here and quite honestly it is as if you have read my mind on how I thought Jamison looked and then drew it out. It no doubt has to be very difficult to draw a character from scratch with just a written description from our submissions to go off of which makes it even more impressive that you draw these characters so well! Like Liquid, I also enjoy Jamison's facial expression here. I imagine this as the smirk he gave Horidos before unsheathing his sword and as Jamison's trademark smirk overall! This drawing truly is spectacular and it is pretty great seeing these characters come to life in a visual form as well as the written form. Thanks again for drawing him!
Also, I just remembered that I drew a new portrait of Jamison recently, and now after his first fight in the story is the perfect time to post it! I made the old one quite a while ago, and I prefer this one over it.
This was a very enjoyable part! It really is interesting getting to see this different side of Lucifer where it really seems like he is very much playing the role of a proud father at this point. However I could also be reading this completely wrong and he could just be acting that way because she brought 1,000 men to fight for him. It seems now that Dalia and Desi's mission is clear and really it seems there will be tons of action coming to the houses of Central Dorne sooner rather then later. With the Fallen Dragons and the Martells planning to attack Salt Shore and the Wild Suns attacking Vaith, it seems that the Martell and Dryland forces will certainly be meeting up very soon and that Nymeria's first big war is coming up
Dalia
”So be it.” Dalia said lazily. “If the people want their leader to follow the Seven, I suppose I can play that role for them.” Luci… morefer smiled for his daughter’s words.
“You certainly have matured from that reckless girl who left Hellgate Hall fifteen years ago.” The King said, almost proudly. “Speaking of that, are you not going to tell me what have you been doing all these years?” It surprised Dalia that Lucifer was interested to hear about it, but she wasn’t really in the mood for telling stories of her years in Essos. “It’s a long story.” She said lazily.
“I’m not in a hurry.” Lucifer replied dryly, and Dalia sighed. After thinking about it for a moment, she begun. “The first years were pretty much what I had expected when I left this place.” She said quietly, not even looking at Lucifer as she spoke. “It was all an adventure, seeing new places, meeting new people. I fought in a company called the Stepstone Squirrels, and I … [view original content]
Yeah, it gets closer all the time, but tbh, it still feels like something pretty far in the future And yeah, the Great Other worshiper in Vaith is definitely strong, and very dedicated - she could very well be one of these cases that Aisha warned Gwendis of, someone who has basically sold her soul just to please the Great Other.
Ah, I don't know, it feels like far too soon for me XD Though I'm not sure if I should be anticipating this confrontation because it would finally, at the very least, give me clarity, or if I should hope for it to be even farther away. And for all I know, it might come before I'm truly ready for it. Which, admittedly, doesn't mean much, because I don't think I'm ver ready for that confrontation. With the Vaith witch... well, if she's the Lady of Vaith, then she already has a dark reputation. If it would be anyone else confronting her, I'd be afraid for these characters, because she, at the very least, sounds like someone who is seriously strong. Certainly not the kind of person I want Gwendis to interact with, so perhaps her death won't be that much of a bad thing.
Well, you can rest assured that Dalia and Desi certainly are not as evil as Aisha and her warrior, but they are still morally ambiguous, and as you know at the moment a threat to Gwendis, who is one of the main protagonists of the story. So, that's really what I meant with their good guy status being questionable in the big picture But yeah, with all these R'hllor and Great Other characters it's really anyone's guess who should one root for
Ah, I understand. Well, when it comes to rooting for someone in this conflict, it's definitely none of these Great Other freaks. Aisha, her warrior, the Vaith witch, they can all die. They are evil and horrible and should all die. Dalia and Desi... well, as you know, I heavily hesitate to root for them as well, but the reasons are of a far more personal nature. Honestly, if it wouldn't be for them being this looming threat for Gwen, I'd probably root for them, but the way it is, I just can't do it. Gwendis is the only one I can root for in this conflict and the way it seems right now, she has no real allies, so no other character to root for. Don't get me wrong, I hope that Dalia and Desi are going to kill every Great Other fanatic in Dorne, but I hope even more that they will realize that Gwendis is not the enemy, or that they will, at the very least, not succeed in killing her. If it would save her life, I'd even be willing to work with the Great Other freaks against the pseudo-good guys from Team R'hllor, but frankly, I am utterly convinced that working with Aisha is going to save no one's life, especially not Gwen's. So, right now the only thing I am unsure about is if I should try for her to get away on her own, or if I should put my trust in some red priestess in the making, which is honestly a very hard thing for me to do. Not for the first time, I miss that calm, cozy Skyreach storyline and I deserve to be punched in the face for choosing Aisha
Indeed, the Wild Suns will soon begin their march to war, so conquest of Vaith is very likely to happen in this chapter. What happens to this dark witch is still very unclear though, as we know next to nothing about her, but it's certainly a possibility that we will see Dalia and Desi confronting her as they take the city. And Desi made clear that Vaith is only the beginning of her mission, so her going after Aisha in Chapter 3 is a good guess.
Hm, it would be intriguing, yet concerning, if the dark witch manages to escape Vaith and to flee towards Aisha, prompting her to interact with Gwendis, while Dalia and Desi are going after her, therefore provoking this confrontation in Chapter 3. If she somehow survives the conquest of Vaith (considering there will be a conquest), then this is yet another aspect to worry about, because the more I think about it, the more would I like to see this witch dead. So, for once, and I wholeheartedly promise it will be the only time I'm ever going to say this, I hope that Dalia is going to kick some witch ass. Gosh, I can't believe I just said that I feel like I need a shower. And booze. Maybe a booze shower to get that feeling of momentarily cheering for Dalia out of my head again
Chapter 3 material, that is... well, I'm not sure if it is reassuring or concerning, since it means the confrontation I dread so much comes … morecloser. It seems this Lady of Darkness (very likely the dark witch that has been mentioned in Emerson's part) is very powerful though, if she has shaken Desi so much. It makes me assume that she is among the Great Other followers that even Aisha would like to stay away from.
Yeah, it gets closer all the time, but tbh, it still feels like something pretty far in the future And yeah, the Great Other worshiper in Vaith is definitely strong, and very dedicated - she could very well be one of these cases that Aisha warned Gwendis of, someone who has basically sold her soul just to please the Great Other.
Though it is concerning that you see their status as the good guys as a questionable thing I thought that they were at least less evil than Aisha and her warrior, but this piece of information … [view original content]
Glad to hear you liked the part! I'd say it's a bit of both with Lucifer. He can't help but feel proud seeing how strong Dalia has become, and how she has matured, but he definitely also kinda plays nice to make sure he gets the support of the Wild Suns. And yeah, Central Dorne will be very much the main focus of the story now - the battleground of the Dryland-Martell war.
This was a very enjoyable part! It really is interesting getting to see this different side of Lucifer where it really seems like he is very… more much playing the role of a proud father at this point. However I could also be reading this completely wrong and he could just be acting that way because she brought 1,000 men to fight for him. It seems now that Dalia and Desi's mission is clear and really it seems there will be tons of action coming to the houses of Central Dorne sooner rather then later. With the Fallen Dragons and the Martells planning to attack Salt Shore and the Wild Suns attacking Vaith, it seems that the Martell and Dryland forces will certainly be meeting up very soon and that Nymeria's first big war is coming up
Okay, no voting to close this time, but I just wanted to inform that I'll try my best to get the next part out today. However, there is a lot to write still, and it could very well be that I won't get it ready until tomorrow. The part will be a Nealia PoV. In her last part she and the Rose Company, now allied with Corren (who works for the Bandit Lord), were leaving Salt Shore. However, just before leaving, Nealia bounced to Ser Rolan Nightfall, Lyreon Nightfall, and around a dozen more men that Jamison had sent to meet with Lord Gargalen. Rolan asked if there was something Nealia would like him to say to Jamison when he'd go back to him, and you voted for her to say "tell him to stay out of trouble". With the next part we will jump ahead a bit, and Nealia & co. will already be out of Salt Shore.
Also, another portrait, this time Lord Morgan Allyrion:
Well hello there handsome! This portrait like all others is amazing, and once again you've captured the image in my mind, so you're doing something right You can really see the sadness in his eyes, and there's some history there which I'm happy to see within this portrait. His hair is on fleek, and if he could be just a little more orange than I'd request that he becomes Lord Donald Trump Fantastic work man, another great portrait as always!
Okay, no voting to close this time, but I just wanted to inform that I'll try my best to get the next part out today. However, there is a lo… moret to write still, and it could very well be that I won't get it ready until tomorrow. The part will be a Nealia PoV. In her last part she and the Rose Company, now allied with Corren (who works for the Bandit Lord), were leaving Salt Shore. However, just before leaving, Nealia bounced to Ser Rolan Nightfall, Lyreon Nightfall, and around a dozen more men that Jamison had sent to meet with Lord Gargalen. Rolan asked if there was something Nealia would like him to say to Jamison when he'd go back to him, and you voted for her to say "tell him to stay out of trouble". With the next part we will jump ahead a bit, and Nealia & co. will already be out of Salt Shore.
Also, another portrait, this time Lord Morgan Allyrion:
They had been riding towards east along the southern coast the whole day, and now the sun was finally setting. The Rose Company and Corren's men were making their camp on a cliff above the Summer Sea.
Nealia sighed tiredly, looking at the vast and glimmering sea opening in front of her. After her brief meeting with Ser Rolan she had been thinking a lot about her family, and especially Jamison. It had been far too long since she had last seen any of them, and here she was, heading to a war she couldn't care less about. Drylands, Martells, Tryden Flowers, the Bandit Lord – they all meant nothing to her, yet she could end up dying fighting their war. Knowing that Jamison was taking part in this war was also a concerning thought. I'm sure he'll manage to get himself in trouble.
Nealia heard steps behind her, and turned to see Illor approaching her. "Is everything alright?" He asked with his warm and deep voice, and Nealia nodded subtly. "You look troubled." Illor continued, and Nealia let out a sigh, turning her eyes to the sea again.
"What do you want from me, Illor?" She asked sternly, as the Braavosi stepped next to her, also gazing at the sea beneath them. "What do you expect me to want?" He asked calmly. Nealia bridled and shook her head. "Probably the same thing most men want." She answered coldly. "Sadly, you are not going to get that from me."
"Mm, it is sad, but I'd like to think we can nonetheless be friends." Illor spoke with a small smirk on his face. Nealia turned towards him, seeing that the look on his eyes was genuine. "Sure." She muttered, turning her eyes away again.
"So, what's troubling you, Nealia?" Illor asked softly. Nealia stayed quiet, taking in a deep breath, and keeping her gaze on the sea. "I miss my family." She finally admitted quietly. Illor nodded, an understanding look on his eyes.
"You said earlier that there is no role for you in Starfall, that you were not meant to be a princess." He reminded calmly, and Nealia sighed. It was true, she wasn't meant to be a princess, but perhaps even that would be better than what she was doing with her life now.
"I meant it." She stated with a powerless tone, gulping and turning to look at her own feet. "But sometimes I can't tell what exactly am I meant to be." Illor moved his hand smoothly to Nealia's shoulder. "You are a fighter Nealia, a true warrior." He said with encouraging tone. "I saw that in the warehouse when you punched Corren. Sure, it was reckless, but I couldn't help but marvel at how fierce and powerful you were."
Nealia chuckled, turning to look at Illor, and they both smiled. "Yeah, I've always been a fighter." She replied quietly, and then her smile vanished. "And what do fighters spend their life doing? War after war, leaving bodies behind, until one day they become one of those bodies themselves. Is that a life worth living?" Now Illor put his other hand on Nealia's other shoulder, and looked him deep into the eyes. "Yes." He answered firmly. "You will find a meaning for your life, Nealia, a reason to fight for. Trust me." There was something encouraging and enchanting in the deep voice of this Braavosi man, and Nealia couldn't help but give him a smile.
"You remind me of my father." She said with a smirk, and Illor raised an eyebrow. "I do?" He asked with amused tone, taking his hands away from her shoulders, and Nealia nodded. "Well, your father must be a magnificent guy." Illor quipped, and Nealia rolled her eyes. She turned towards the camp, and her eyes immediately found Tryden and Corren, who were speaking with each other. Seeing Corren's slimy face immediately angered Nealia, and clearly Illor noticed it.
"Just ignore that man." He said calmly, and Nealia turned her eyes to him again. "None of us like working with him, but sometimes it's just part of the job to tolerate assholes like Corren."
"Aha, just have to wonder what kind of man the Bandit Lord is, if he has assholes like Corren working for him." Nealia spoke with a dry tone, and Illor let out a small chuckle. "Indeed." He replied with a sigh. "Well, let's not judge the man before we meet him."
Now Nealia's eyes moved to Lien, Ying and Manda, and Illor followed her gaze. "So, what's your deal with Lien?" He asked calmly, and Nealia turned to look at him with furrowed eyebrows. "Why do you care?" She asked strictly, but Illor just shrugged. "Just curious, I guess." He said nonchalantly.
"It's nothing." Nealia said lazily, turning to look at them again. "I was drunk, she was drunk, we had some fun. That's it."
"I understand." Illor said, a forced smile on his face. "Well, I think I should go get some rest now. Good night." Nealia gave the man a nod, and replied. "Good night."
After Illor left, Nealia stood there for a couple of minutes, just looking at the sea, while the sun got lower and lower, and the shadows grew taller. Finally, she turned around, and decided to approach Lien, Ying and Manda.
"Hey, Nealia!" Lien said cheerfully as she got closer to them. Ying also looked at her, though her gaze was cold and stern. "Hi." Nealia said quietly, sitting down next to them. "Is everything okay?" Manda asked with her strong accent, and Nealia nodded with a small smile.
"I'm fine, how about you?" She asked with a carefree tone. "All good." Manda answered with a rare smile on her face.
"Nealia." Ying suddenly spoke up, her tone and expression telling that she was very serious. "Could you come talk with me for a moment?" Technically it was a question, but Ying didn't even wait for the answer before starting to walk away from the group, and Nealia knew she had to follow.
As they were a couple dozen feet away from Lien and Manda, Ying finally turned to look at Nealia. "Listen, if this is about last..." She started, but then Ying cut her off. "I don't care who my sister sleeps with, that is her bussiness, but do not hurt her." Her mismatched eyes stared deep into Nealia's soul as she spoke these quiet but stern words.
"I won't." Nealia finally answered, after a moment of hesitation. "Though I must say, we were just having fun, it's nothing serious."
"Good." Ying said coldly. "I mean no offence to you, but she deserves someone who can take care of her, and protect her." Nealia furrowed her eyebrows, mildly annoyed of the YiTish woman's statement. "So, you are the one taking care of her now, huh?" She asked, and Ying narrowed her eyes. "We take care of each other, like sisters do." She answered firmly, and then took in a deep breath. "Lien is a fragile soul, you would only break her heart. Like I said, I don't care that you slept with her once, but you must promise me that you will not pursue romance with her."
Nealia gulped, turning her eyes down. She was honestly taken aback by Ying's words, even if she hadn't planned to pursue a romance with Lien. The worst thing was that Ying was probably in the right about this. I am a bad choice of partner. Nealia turned her gaze up, looking Ying straight to the eyes.
This was one of these choices that I can't see to have super huge, world-shattering consequences, but that are very hard for me to mak regardless, because it's a moral choice completely beyond right or wrong. One of these character-building choices, I suppose. On the one hand, promising Ying that Nealia won't pursue anything further with Lien would be a nice thing to do and would likely help the friendship between the two. On the other hand, I firmly believe that Ying has no right to decide on such a thing for her sister and that Lien should get a say on this. It just doesn't seem fair to her if Ying and Nealia make this decision between them, without taking her opinion into account. If nothing further develops between the two, so be it, but if it does, then it just doesn't sit right with me to have Ying decide on this for her sister. That said, this is a choice where I was really conflicted and I was hoping someone else would have voted before me, so I will gladly take any argument in favour of the other option into account as well and might change my vote later on.
Nealia
They had been riding towards east along the southern coast the whole day, and now the sun was finally setting. The Rose Company an… mored Corren's men were making their camp on a cliff above the Summer Sea.
Nealia sighed tiredly, looking at the vast and glimmering sea opening in front of her. After her brief meeting with Ser Rolan she had been thinking a lot about her family, and especially Jamison. It had been far too long since she had last seen any of them, and here she was, heading to a war she couldn't care less about. Drylands, Martells, Tryden Flowers, the Bandit Lord – they all meant nothing to her, yet she could end up dying fighting their war. Knowing that Jamison was taking part in this war was also a concerning thought. I'm sure he'll manage to get himself in trouble.
Nealia heard steps behind her, and turned to see Illor approaching her. "Is everything alright?" He asked with his warm and deep voice, and Nealia nodded s… [view original content]
Nealia
They had been riding towards east along the southern coast the whole day, and now the sun was finally setting. The Rose Company an… mored Corren's men were making their camp on a cliff above the Summer Sea.
Nealia sighed tiredly, looking at the vast and glimmering sea opening in front of her. After her brief meeting with Ser Rolan she had been thinking a lot about her family, and especially Jamison. It had been far too long since she had last seen any of them, and here she was, heading to a war she couldn't care less about. Drylands, Martells, Tryden Flowers, the Bandit Lord – they all meant nothing to her, yet she could end up dying fighting their war. Knowing that Jamison was taking part in this war was also a concerning thought. I'm sure he'll manage to get himself in trouble.
Nealia heard steps behind her, and turned to see Illor approaching her. "Is everything alright?" He asked with his warm and deep voice, and Nealia nodded s… [view original content]
Nealia
They had been riding towards east along the southern coast the whole day, and now the sun was finally setting. The Rose Company an… mored Corren's men were making their camp on a cliff above the Summer Sea.
Nealia sighed tiredly, looking at the vast and glimmering sea opening in front of her. After her brief meeting with Ser Rolan she had been thinking a lot about her family, and especially Jamison. It had been far too long since she had last seen any of them, and here she was, heading to a war she couldn't care less about. Drylands, Martells, Tryden Flowers, the Bandit Lord – they all meant nothing to her, yet she could end up dying fighting their war. Knowing that Jamison was taking part in this war was also a concerning thought. I'm sure he'll manage to get himself in trouble.
Nealia heard steps behind her, and turned to see Illor approaching her. "Is everything alright?" He asked with his warm and deep voice, and Nealia nodded s… [view original content]
Nealia
They had been riding towards east along the southern coast the whole day, and now the sun was finally setting. The Rose Company an… mored Corren's men were making their camp on a cliff above the Summer Sea.
Nealia sighed tiredly, looking at the vast and glimmering sea opening in front of her. After her brief meeting with Ser Rolan she had been thinking a lot about her family, and especially Jamison. It had been far too long since she had last seen any of them, and here she was, heading to a war she couldn't care less about. Drylands, Martells, Tryden Flowers, the Bandit Lord – they all meant nothing to her, yet she could end up dying fighting their war. Knowing that Jamison was taking part in this war was also a concerning thought. I'm sure he'll manage to get himself in trouble.
Nealia heard steps behind her, and turned to see Illor approaching her. "Is everything alright?" He asked with his warm and deep voice, and Nealia nodded s… [view original content]
Nealia
They had been riding towards east along the southern coast the whole day, and now the sun was finally setting. The Rose Company an… mored Corren's men were making their camp on a cliff above the Summer Sea.
Nealia sighed tiredly, looking at the vast and glimmering sea opening in front of her. After her brief meeting with Ser Rolan she had been thinking a lot about her family, and especially Jamison. It had been far too long since she had last seen any of them, and here she was, heading to a war she couldn't care less about. Drylands, Martells, Tryden Flowers, the Bandit Lord – they all meant nothing to her, yet she could end up dying fighting their war. Knowing that Jamison was taking part in this war was also a concerning thought. I'm sure he'll manage to get himself in trouble.
Nealia heard steps behind her, and turned to see Illor approaching her. "Is everything alright?" He asked with his warm and deep voice, and Nealia nodded s… [view original content]
Well this is a pretty tough choice. While it probably won't be a huge choice in the grand scheme of things, it does seem like a choice that could very well affect Nealia's relationship with Lien and Ying which could be good or bad depending on if we pick the right choice or not. With that said, I think having Nealia promise seems to be an okay choice here. Nealia has said she does not plan on pursuing a romance with Lien and pursuing a romance in this kind of environment with war around them to begin with seems like a recipe for disaster. With that said, If Nealia truly does not plan on a pursuing a romance with Lien then she should not have any problems keeping her promise so hopefully there should be nothing to worry about here,
Nealia
They had been riding towards east along the southern coast the whole day, and now the sun was finally setting. The Rose Company an… mored Corren's men were making their camp on a cliff above the Summer Sea.
Nealia sighed tiredly, looking at the vast and glimmering sea opening in front of her. After her brief meeting with Ser Rolan she had been thinking a lot about her family, and especially Jamison. It had been far too long since she had last seen any of them, and here she was, heading to a war she couldn't care less about. Drylands, Martells, Tryden Flowers, the Bandit Lord – they all meant nothing to her, yet she could end up dying fighting their war. Knowing that Jamison was taking part in this war was also a concerning thought. I'm sure he'll manage to get himself in trouble.
Nealia heard steps behind her, and turned to see Illor approaching her. "Is everything alright?" He asked with his warm and deep voice, and Nealia nodded s… [view original content]
Oh well, looks like it's a tie. Since the creator of Nealia hasn't been active in a while, I'll go with the choice that got the 3 votes first, meaning that Nealia won't promise to Ying that she won't pursue anything further with Lien. This of course doesn't mean that she'll necessarily pursue anything with Lien, but now she has made no promises to Ying. At the same time, Ying definitely won't be happy about this.
The next part I hope to get ready today, and it will be a Verro PoV. Last time we saw him, he was in a raiding party led by Efran, and they attacked a fishing village in the lands of House Bravespear. In the village Verro followed Axel, and they broke into a small house, with a fisherman, his wife, and their daughter. Axel killed the man who tried to protect his family, smacked the mother aside, and proceeded to tore apart the daughter's clothes. As Axel had his back turned, the mother reached for the trident of her husband, meaning to attack Axel from behind. You chose for Verro not to intervene, and that's where we will continue.
Also, I have two new portraits! An updated Gwendis, and a brand new Trentan
Gwen! Ah, I have so many conflicted feelings about this portrait. I was actually just recently looking through the portraits, back when you drew the updated Jamison portrait and I was thinking that her first portrait is no longer accurate, with her changed situation and all. So, this was a very nice surprise I also very, very much like it, though that background, man, that background is equal parts awesome and terrifying. Like, seriously terrifying and it only strengthens my opinion that getting away from that demon is the best thing Gwendis can do in her situation. But I like it, I like that portrait very much. As much as I prefer the Gwendis from the old portrait, I must also say that I like this portrait of her very much as well as it looks awesomely detailed. Both portraits have been great and I am very happy about this. So, thank you very much! And Trentan is awesome as well. He looks older than I imagined him to look. It doesn't make his relationship with Aisha any less unsettling, but at least I don't have to imagine her being in a relationship with a boy anymore. I can't quite put my finger on it, but he reminds me of some actor, though I really can't recall where I've seen him before.
Voting is closed!
Oh well, looks like it's a tie. Since the creator of Nealia hasn't been active in a while, I'll go with the choice that… more got the 3 votes first, meaning that Nealia won't promise to Ying that she won't pursue anything further with Lien. This of course doesn't mean that she'll necessarily pursue anything with Lien, but now she has made no promises to Ying. At the same time, Ying definitely won't be happy about this.
The next part I hope to get ready today, and it will be a Verro PoV. Last time we saw him, he was in a raiding party led by Efran, and they attacked a fishing village in the lands of House Bravespear. In the village Verro followed Axel, and they broke into a small house, with a fisherman, his wife, and their daughter. Axel killed the man who tried to protect his family, smacked the mother aside, and proceeded to tore apart the daughter's clothes. As Axel had his back turned, the mother reached for the trident … [view original content]
Haha, I expected that you'd be equally pleased and terrified with the Gwen portrait And what comes to Trentan (who is 17 btw), perhaps you're thinking of Toby Sebastian (actor of Trystane), because I took some inspiration from there, especially with the hair. Another one I could think of would be Robert Sheehan
Gwen! Ah, I have so many conflicted feelings about this portrait. I was actually just recently looking through the portraits, back when you … moredrew the updated Jamison portrait and I was thinking that her first portrait is no longer accurate, with her changed situation and all. So, this was a very nice surprise I also very, very much like it, though that background, man, that background is equal parts awesome and terrifying. Like, seriously terrifying and it only strengthens my opinion that getting away from that demon is the best thing Gwendis can do in her situation. But I like it, I like that portrait very much. As much as I prefer the Gwendis from the old portrait, I must also say that I like this portrait of her very much as well as it looks awesomely detailed. Both portraits have been great and I am very happy about this. So, thank you very much! And Trentan is awesome as well. He looks older than I imagined him to look. It doesn't make h… [view original content]
Oh man, I can't get over these glowing eyes. That is haunting and I will have nightmares now. But the important thing about the portrait is Gwen and she's always great, so the portrait is great as well It really puts emphasis on how serious her situation is though. And Toby Sebastian might be one that came to mind when I saw Trentan's portrait. Indeed, I think it could have been him, but I'm still not sure. Maybe I'm mixing several actors together there. His hair and general features also remind me a bit of Liam Kosta from the next Mass Effect game, so it's really hard to say whom he exactly reminded me of. It's one of these faces that look familiar in general.
Haha, I expected that you'd be equally pleased and terrified with the Gwen portrait And what comes to Trentan (who is 17 btw), perhaps you'… morere thinking of Toby Sebastian (actor of Trystane), because I took some inspiration from there, especially with the hair. Another one I could think of would be Robert Sheehan
Voting is closed!
Oh well, looks like it's a tie. Since the creator of Nealia hasn't been active in a while, I'll go with the choice that… more got the 3 votes first, meaning that Nealia won't promise to Ying that she won't pursue anything further with Lien. This of course doesn't mean that she'll necessarily pursue anything with Lien, but now she has made no promises to Ying. At the same time, Ying definitely won't be happy about this.
The next part I hope to get ready today, and it will be a Verro PoV. Last time we saw him, he was in a raiding party led by Efran, and they attacked a fishing village in the lands of House Bravespear. In the village Verro followed Axel, and they broke into a small house, with a fisherman, his wife, and their daughter. Axel killed the man who tried to protect his family, smacked the mother aside, and proceeded to tore apart the daughter's clothes. As Axel had his back turned, the mother reached for the trident … [view original content]
Verro looked at the old woman clutching tightly on the trident, while Axel pushed her daughter against the wall. Verro could've stopped the woman, but he didn't, he let her make her move. With a desperate scream the woman charged and thrusted the trident on Axel's back. It hardly pierced the leather, but Verro could see the blood, and he could hear Axel screaming in pain as he let go of the daughter and turned towards the mother. His face was red from pain and anger, and he immediately slammed the trident off from the woman's hands. "YOU FUCKING BITCH!" Axel screamed as he sent the woman to the floor with a hard punch.
"RUN!" The woman screamed frantically, blood draining from her nose, and after a small moment of hesitation, the daughter followed her mother's advice. Her dress was torn apart, and she had to held it together with her hands as she ran. Again, Verro could've easily stopped the girl, but he let her run right past him and out of the house.
Meanwhile, Axel grabbed the trident, and with one heavy thrust he nailed the woman to the floor, impaling her stomach, and left the trident standing there. The fisherman's wife died beside the body of her husband, coughing out blood and muttering prayers with her last breath. And then Axel turned towards Verro. The look on his eyes was murderous, but the injury on his back also clearly slowed him down.
"The girl... Did you let her go?" He asked with a low growl. Verro was nervous, but he managed to keep his composure, and gave Axel a stern nod. It was easy to predict the man's next move, but his speed surprised Verro, and he couldn't fully dodge the punch. It hit him on the forehead, and sent him staggering backwards against the wall of the house. Before Axel could move for another punch, Verro draw his sword, and pointed it against him.
"Put that fucking sword down, so I can punch some respect into you, boy." Axel's words were oozing of anger, but Verro shook his head nonchalantly. "Calm down, Axel." He said, keeping his sword up. Axel didn't answer, but instead grunted in pain, pressing his left hand on his back where the trident had wounded him him. "You should get that wound patched up." Verro stated calmly, and Axel let out a sarcastic laugh. "You think I'll just forgive you?" He asked, breathing heavily. "You let that bitch attack me, and you let that girl escape." With these words Axel raised his axe. "Tell me why shouldn't I kill you right there?"
"Lord Efran would not approve of that." Verro answered with confident and calm tone, even if he wasn't sure if what he said was true. "I don't fucking care." Axel growled, taking a step closer, and Verro gulped, ready to fight this big man.
"What's going on here?" A female voice asked, and both Verro and Axel turned to see Nesila at the door. The Myrish woman raised her eyebrow as she observed the two bodies on the floor. "You've made quite a mess." She stated dryly, and then turned her eyes to Verro and Axel again. "What the fuck are you doing?"
"Nothing." Axel growled painfully, lowering his axe and walking out of the house. Nesila let the man past her, and then approached Verro, who also lowered his weapon now. "What the fuck was that?" Nesila asked sternly, and Verro let out a sigh.
"Nothing, just a little disagreement." Verro answered quietly. Nesila narrowed her eyes, eyeing Verro for a moment. "Fine, whatever." She finally said. "Let's go then."
"Shouldn't we loot the house first?" Verro asked, but Nesila just chuckled dryly. "It's not that important, let's just go." With these words she walked out, and Verro followed. Outside he saw several men being dragged to the center of the village, and screams could be heard from inside the houses. Verro sighed, blocking the screams from his mind and following Nesila to the center.
There were six men lined up on their knees, and Efran and the leader of the Thunder Crew stood in front of them. Nesila and Verro stopped on the side to see what would happen next.
"You may have heard of me," Efran started with his calm and charismatic voice, "I am Lord Efran Dalt. Of course, you might know me by the name Bandit Lord, or perhaps the Bastard's Bastard. No matter, you are now under my authority. All this is happening because Lord Bravespear opposes my claim to the Lordship of Lemonwood, and continues to harass my campaign to defeat the usurper Lord Darin." Efran twiddled the Valyrian steel sword on his right hand as he finished speaking, and turned his eyes to the man beside him. "Next to me stands Malanos Vynos, the leader of the Thunder Crew, one of my many great allies that are spread throughout the Eastern Dorne. After I have taken Lemonwood, all those who have loyally supported me will be rewarded handsomely. And those who refuse to kneel, will be destroyed. This is the moment for you, a moment when you get to choose. Those who would like to pledge their loyalty for me, the true Lord of Lemonwood, stand up now."
A small moment of tense silence followed, until finally one of the men stood up, receiving cold glares from the men who stayed on their knees. He was a young and skinny man, with long black hair and nervous look on his green eyes. "What is your name?" Efran asked calmly, a small smirk on his face. "Maxar, mylord." The young man answered, keeping his eyes down. "You have made a wise decision, Maxar." Efran said smoothly, gesturing for him to walk away from the rest of the men, and Maxar obeyed.
"No one else?" Efran asked with slightly amused tone, and the men in front of him remained silent. "So be it." He said coldly, and gave a nod to the soldiers behind the remaining five men. From Efran's signal the soldiers stepped forward, and without any hesitation, they cut the throats of the five villagers. Verro shuddered at the sight, but kept his cool. He shifted his gaze at Efran, who had a cold smirk on his face, and then to Maxar, whose eyes were widened in shock.
"Well, that was miserable." Nesila stated with quiet and dry tone, and Verro nodded in agreement. He saw Axel coming out of one of the houses, bandages wrapped around him. He gave a terrifying glare at Verro, but nothing more. Hopefully he doesn't murder me in my sleep.
-
The sun was setting, and they were having a feast in the largest house of the village. Verro had already eaten and stood at the corner, constantly ready to defend himself. He could see that Axel was getting drunk with Cullen, and he knew that man wouldn't just forget what happened earlier.
The air was smoky, and the crowded house was full of noise and laughter. Verro wished he could be having as good time as some of these people did, but frankly this day had been his worst day since the shipwreck. Suddenly, Verro noticed Efran approaching him with a mug of ale on his hand.
"Not enjoying yourself?" The Bandit Lord asked smoothly. Verro gulped, considering for a moment what he should answer. "I'm not feeling that well." He finally muttered as an answer, and Efran chuckled.
"I heard what happened between you and Axel." He said, slowly taking a sip from his mug. "Don't worry, I told him not to do anything stupid. I have to wonder though, why didn't you defend Axel?"
"He was going to rape that girl." Verro answered firmly, and Efran raised an eyebrow. "I have to say, this is a surprise." He spoke quietly, eyeing Verro with a narrowed eye. "A Dothraki who shies away from raping... That's a first one."
"And have you met many Dothrakies, mylord?" Verro asked sternly. Efran looked confused for a moment, but finally let out a small laugh. "Can't say I have, but still, it's in your culture." He answered calmly, and Verro nodded. "Thankfully I am not a slave to my culture." He said, and now Efran nodded with a smile.
"I will forgive you this time, but from now on I expect you to defend your brothers-in-arms, in all situations." Efran said, his voice more serious now. "Any army is doomed to fail, if there is not a sense of loyalty between the men fighting in it. Do you understand?"
"I do." Verro answered shortly. Efran took a step closer to him, a curious look on his one eye. "Good." He said softly, his lips forming a smile again. "Because what you saw today, will be nothing compared to what's coming." With these ominous words, Efran turned away from Verro, leaving him to watch the cheerful drinking alone from the corner. Verro shifted his attention to Axel again, wondering if he should apologize to him.
Comments
Voting is closed!
Once again unanimously, Emerson will warn Jamison, about the fact that there are people in Godsgrace who actually want to murder him. However, it's another question how seriously will Jamison take such warnings. A question that we will get an answer immediately! Well, very soon anyway, as soon as I've gone through the part once more to check if there is something to fix/change, and posted it here in the thread. So, look forward to Jamison part very very soon!
Jamison
”Listen to me, Dayne.” Emerson Allyrion spoke with strict and stern words, and Jamison raised an eyebrow. “There are people here who want to kill you.” The young man said, dead serious, making Jamison narrow his eyes.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him.” Ser Laroy weighed in, but Jamison ignored him. “Who?” He asked from Emerson, looking him straight to the eyes. The Allyrion boy looked uncomfortable, gulping and glancing around himself nervously. “It doesn’t matter.” He finally muttered as an answer. “The point is, you are not safe in Godsgrace, especially not outside of the castle walls.”
After thinking about it for couple seconds, Jamison let out a sigh, and shook his head. “Fuck it, let them try it then, if they really think they can kill me. I haven’t had a good fight in a while anyway.” The Prince spoke with a subtle smirk on his face.
“Mother have mercy.” Ser Laroy muttered behind Jamison. “Are you really so eager to throw your life away?” He asked, but once again Jamison ignored him. “Thanks for the warning, Eddison.” He said lightly, tapping the guy on the back as he walked past him to the doors of the keep. Laroy came quickly after him, and they made their way out to the courtyard. The sun was still up, Jamison noticed, but it would set within an hour.
Laroy walked next to Jamison, with a clanking sound from his armor. On top of his armor Ser Laroy had a Dayne tabard. “You know, Laroy, I think people would pay less attention to me if you weren’t with me with that armor of yours.” Jamison remarked dryly, but the knight just chuckled coldly. “You’ll be thankful of me and my armor if someone tries to kill you.” He replied, as they walked out the gates of the castle.
Soon the street they walked down was split into three. “On the right is the western gate, and I think the sept is on that street that goes to left.” Jamison spoke his thoughts out loud. “Not going to find whores in a sept, so let’s go the street in the middle.” He decided, and Laroy reluctantly agreed. They walked past several tanners, cobblers, carpenters and glassblowers, until they finally made it to the city square. The merchants had left the square for today, as the sun was close to setting, leaving the square almost empty.
“And where do you plan to go from here?” Ser Laroy asked sternly. Jamison gave him a smirk before answering. “We just have to follow our noses.” He answered calmly. “If you ask me, the eastern side of the city smells more lively.”
“You mean it smells like shit, and piss, and sweat?” Laroy asked unenthusiastically, and Jamison nodded. “Exactly.” He replied with a grin. “Let’s head that way.” He added, and Laroy sighed in frustration, but followed the orders of his Prince.
Now they started to see butcher’s shops, bakeries and inns. Jamison glanced at the alleyways that separated from the main street that would take them to the eastern gate. Finally, in one of them, he saw something interesting. Half-naked girls were flocked in front of the door of a house that was at the very end of one of the alleys. “That’s our place.” Jamison said decisively, and turned to the alley, Ser Laroy following after him.
A young boy, probably no more that twelve, noticed them, and ran quickly inside one of the houses. And before Jamison and Laroy could make it to the brothel, a bunch of men walked out of the house that the young boy had just ran in. There were five of them to be precise, all of them armed, and they effectively blocked the way to the brothel. The man who was leading them had a long scar running through his ugly face, and he was carrying a crossbow. His four thugs stood in front of him, three of them armed with a sword, and one with an axe.
Then a door was opened behind Jamison and Laroy, and three thugs walked out to block their way out of the alley. One of them had a spear, and the two others had swords. Jamison chuckled quietly, surprised to see that this was actually happening. “What did I fucking tell you.” Laroy muttered quietly, unsheathing his sword, and turning to face the three men behind them.
“Prince Jamison Dayne.” The man with the crossbow said, putting emphasis on every word. “I’m afraid this is where your road ends, Sword of the Night.” He continued, and Jamison nodded, with a mildly amused expression on his face. Then he unsheathed his sword. He pointed the dark and slightly curved blade at his enemies – a young lad with nervous look on his eyes, a muscular man with full beard and an axe, a tall man with long face and bright blue eyes, and a plump bald man. And behind them, the man with the scar.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” Jamison asked, a blood-thirsty smirk on his face, feeling the excitement rising. He moved his sword slowly through the air, pointing each of his enemies with it. “I call her the Darkness. I would like to thank you, fine men, because Darkness hasn’t been happy lately. It’s been a while since she last tasted blood, you see. And oh boy, she is thirsty.“ Jamison spoke the last words with a dark and menacing tone, with the aim of weakening the confidence of these thugs. Anger flashed on the face of the man with the scar, as he listened to Jamison’s words.
“Kill them!” He finally ordered, and so the thugs attacked. The three men behind them against Ser Laroy, and the four men in front of them against Jamison.
Jamison started with moving quickly against the nervous young boy. The boy never had a chance, with two swift moves Jamison outplayed him, opening his stomach with a ruthless slash. With a scream of agony the boy fell to the street, trying to keep his internals inside. Now the axeman and the tall man rushed towards Jamison. The Prince made a bold move, rushing straight towards the man with the axe. The man had no time to swing his axe, and Jamison tackled him to the ground. This gave him time to face the tall man, who attacked with a predictable but strong swing. Jamison parried it, as well as his next swing, until he saw an opening, and immediately used it. With an elegant move he deflected the man’s sword away, and slit his throat. The blue eyes widened in terror, and the man fell to the ground. Jamison turned around, seeing that the axeman was up again, and the plump bald man was charging towards him. He dodged the bald man’s swing, and hit him on the ribs, sending him staggering backwards.
This gave Jamison a small moment to glance towards Laroy, seeing that he had already killed one of his opponents, and was struggling with the other two. Then the axeman attacked. Jamison parried his swing, and kicked him behind the right leg, dropping him on his knees. Without mercy, Jamison slit the axeman’s throat, and let him go down with gurgling noises. Only the plump man was left, and he looked hesitant to attack. Jamison used his enemy’s moment of doubt, charging against him with a scream. The poor man couldn’t even parry the first strike, and the Darkness sunk deep into his left shoulder, almost chopping off the arm. Jamison pulled out the sword, and let the shocked plump man sunk into the ground, where he would soon bleed to death.
As he turned around, he saw the scarred man’s fingers on the trigger of the crossbow. Instinctively, Jamison leaped to right. However, he wasn’t able to fully dodge the bolt, and it hit him on his left shoulder. Jamison grimaced in pain, but kept charging towards the scarred man, which clearly surprised him. The man dropped his crossbow in panic, and unsheathed his scimitar. However, he was way too slow, and Jamison’s first strike hit him on his swordhand, forcing him to drop his weapon. Jamison continued with smashing the man on the face with the pommel of the sword, and pushing him on the ground. The man tried to desperately crawl away, but Jamison crushed his right ankle, and kicked him in the guts to keep him from moving. Then he moved the edge of his sword to the throat of the man.
Jamison glanced behind him, seeing that Laroy was just impaling the last of his opponents. Then he turned his eyes to the scarred man again. “Who are you?” He asked coldly, breathing heavily, the pain on his left shoulder getting more prominent all the time. “WHO ARE YOU!?” He repeated his question with a loud roar.
“Horidos… my name is Horidos.” The man muttered nervously, and Jamison gave him a cold grin. “Horidos, huh? Well, tell me Horidos, who ordered you to kill me?” Jamison asked with threatening tone, but Horidos just shook his head. “No one, no one ordered me.” He answered, panic in his words. “This was my own decision.”
“Your own decision, huh? Well, do you feel like it was a wise decision, Horidos?” Jamison asked, softly pushing the blade against the man’s throat. Horidos shook his head subtly, closing his eyes. “N-no, it wasn’t.”
“We all must suffer the consequences of our choices, I’m afraid.” Jamison spoke coldly, but just then Ser Laroy interrupted him. “Wait!” He shouted, rushing next to Jamison. “Don’t kill him.” He pleaded, and Jamison furrowed his eyebrows.
“And why the fuck not?” He asked with annoyed tone. Laroy took a moment before answering, taking a couple deep breaths to calm down.
“We should take him to Lord Morgan, and tell him what happened here.” The knight finally said, a calm tone on his voice. “Perhaps that way we could find out why this happened.”
Jamison let out a sigh. He knew that Laroy had a good point, but it would be such a pity to give Horidos for Morgan, when Jamison was the one who deserved this kill. Especially if Morgan was the one who sent this bastard.
[Kill Horidos] [Take him to Morgan]
Whoa, Jamison is a beast in combat. If I remember correctly, this was the first time we have actually seen him fighting and it was awesome! Those fuckers didn't stand a chance
[Take him to Morgan]
This was another extremely hard choice for me. On the one hand, just killing Horidos would be the safer thing to do. That way, he wouldn't be a threat to Jamison anymore. However, on th other hand, while I believe him when he claims to have acted out of his own free will, maybe taking him to Morgan could pose problems for Esperence's plans. While I want her to succeed in allying House Allyrion with the Martell's, I fully believe that her plans go even further, that they include Emerson's death, so that she can become the Lady of Godsgrace. So, the more problems she runs into, the more likely it is that Emerson gets a chance at surviving this. If Morgan learns of her plans, this would provide some formidable opposition for her and would ultimately, I hope, strengthen Emerson's position. I am just afraid that endangering Esperence's plans too much could end up as the opposite of what I want, that the Martell's crush Godsgrace and put Emerson's survival into an equally bad position.
Well safe to say that was a phenomenal first showing of Jamison's fighting abilities in the story!
He fought just as imagined and it really was something to see how he chopped down all of those men with such ease. I don't think they knew exactly who they were dealing with and I will have to admit seeing how Horidos' personality completely changed with 'Darkness' pointed at him was pretty great 
Plus having the fight go down at nighttime was a pretty awesome idea! As for the choice, I am sure you know what I will go with 
[Kill Horidos]
I am going with this choice largely because I am really not sure what exactly Lord Morgan would do here. Lord Morgan has showed that he is not a fan of Jamison's and with Jamison making the remark about Emmett, I am sure that has not changed. Of course however, Jamison has done a great favor to the city of Godsgrace bringing Horidos in and killing several of his thugs too so maybe Lord Morgan would be willing to help Jamison get to the bottom of this but from what I have seen of him, I am not sure that is the case. On top of that, Horidos told the truth in saying no one provoked him to try this but however the idea came to his mind through Esperence's meeting when she brought Jamison up so albeit very indirectly she was the cause for Horidos trying this attack. I don't know if this was just the one instance but it does seem that Esperence may be playing a game she is in over her head on trying to have all of these shady people around her as shown with Horidos completely ignoring her words not to attack Jamison. If I am right with that suspicion then eventually Esperence's plans will probably blow up in her face anyway when she truly realizes that she can not control any of these people that supposedly follow her orders. I will also admit that as soon as Horidos said he wanted to kill Jamison, I was absolutely ready for Jamison to kill him if the opportunity arose
As for Emerson, I think killing Horidos may do him an indirect favor as well. It would take who looks to be an very important member out of Esperence's inner circle out of the equation and with that I would say that Esperence loses alot of her criminal contacts since without their leader around, I could see most of the thugs still alive not really caring about helping Esperence and they definitely would not care about trying to avenge Horidos since they would have to fight arguably the best knight in Dorne to do that. Liquid does have a very good point about wanting Esperence to succeed in securing an alliance with the Martells though but at the same time, if she were the one to secure the alliance with them and her being Morgan's daughter, I could see Nymeria giving her the ladyship and Emerson would miss out on what he rightfully deserves again. Esperence is a pretty shady character and I believe it is best to undermine her every chance that is possible since it is shown she will do whatever it takes to secure Godsgrace for herself even if that means undermining her own father and potentially killing Emerson when the time comes. I would say Emerson's best bet is not to completely alienate himself from Esperence but to play both sides of the fence with Morgan and Esperence as much as possible taking the best things from both of them and when the time comes, hopefully Emerson will be able to earn the lordship that is rightfully is.
On a side note though I am really curious since Ser Laroy was a very big help in this fight taking nearly half of the burden off of Jamison killing three to Jamison's five potentially. What would have happened if Jamison would have went by himself? Would the three men Laroy killed not been there for Jamison to fight, would Jamison have had more trouble or would he have killed the other three too?
Indeed, Jamison's skills have been hyped throughout the story, so I figured it was time to show a bit of proof for them
This was child's play to him - without Laroy it would've been already a challenge. Glad you liked it though 
I'm very glad you enjoyed the scene! I have really been looking forward to this, and safe to say, it won't be the last time we see Jamison fight
This is a good point, losing Horidos will be a massive blow for Esperence, and will force her to rebuild many of her connections in the city. And yeah, I doubt that there are many in Godsgrace willing to challenge Jamison right now
Had Ser Laroy not been there, Jamison would've indeed had to face all these thugs alone. It would've been a much harder task, and Jamison would've got worse injuries, but he would've killed them all. His fight with Horidos would've also been harder, and it would've ended in Jamison killing Horidos, and passing out on the street. In his next part he would've woken up in the brothel, where the whores would've patched him up.
I am very glad to hear you enjoyed writing the scene as much as I did reading it! It really was a great scene and showed Jamison's personality perfectly. He fights very boldly and with alot of courage when the time arises but also has an arrogance and ruthlessness to him. You have Jamison's character down to a tee! When it comes to Jamison fighting again, I am definitely down to read that anytime it comes up
Indeed, Horidos seems to play a very huge role in Esperence's more dishonorable side. It will be very interesting to see what Esperence thinks about Horidos' big idea and failure once she hears about it through either him being brought to Morgan or hearing that Horidos was killed. Haha yeah
It seems like one of those things where Horidos and his thugs were willing to try to attack Jamison intially because they figure most of his reputation was hype and that he was just a pampered prince who would fold once cornered in a real fight at least in their mind. So safe to say that opinion would probably be changed now 
Well that is pretty beast hearing that Jamison would have killed eight men by himself in an eight on one situation! That is a huge accomplishment but regardless of that I am glad we chose to bring Ser Laroy with us
I would have probably been a bit worried seeing the no decision at the end of the part but the thought of the whores patching him up is a pretty neat one since I am sure Jamison would have had plenty to say about that 
Overall whichever way the vote ends up going, I am sure it will be really interesting to see the aftermath of this attempted attack on Jamison's life since Jamison is no doubt not happy about it and it will be interesting to see what the Allyrion's say.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” Jamison asked, a blood-thirsty smirk on his face, feeling the excitement rising. He moved his sword slowly through the air, pointing each of his enemies with it. “I call her the Darkness. I would like to thank you, fine men, because Darkness hasn’t been happy lately. It’s been a while since she last tasted blood, you see. And oh boy, she is thirsty.“
Ahh, this line
I knew I recognised it. It looks like we have a Negan/Lucille duo here, which quite literally terrifies me 
However, for some reason in this part I felt like I was watching Viserys Targaryen over someone like Negan, don't ask, I have no clue why 
This was a really good part though, a great alley fight, kinda reminded me of all the fun ones i read in FoT 
[Kill him]
I think I'm doing this more out of Emerson's favour than anyone else's. Horidos knows that Emerson attended Esperence's council meeting, and I feel like this could easily be flipped onto him if Horidos is given a chance to live. While handing him over to Morgan would be a decent idea, I'm fearful the man would have little to do about it. Trying to track down conspirators in his own castle would not be an easy task, especially with a war rising up, though as he has shown is disinterest for the war I can imagine he may be the same in this case. Horidos is also a criminal, and I fear that bringing him to Morgan would only bring imprisonment if he was not executed, in which case Esperence can just free him. I'm already starting to fear that telling Jamison that there was someone after him is already going to come bite Emerson on the arse. Here's hoping something good comes out of this...
[Kill him]
[Kill Horidos]
I think letting him live and turning him in to Morgan will not only cause problems for Esperence but also possibly Emerson. He knows that Emerson was at Esperence's meeting. He might sell both of them out to try and save himself. Plus, Jamison is probably not going to stay much longer; he won't be in anymore danger, from these criminals, once he leaves.
I'm not really a TWD fan, but I think I know the scene you're referring to
While my intention wasn't to nod to it, or to Negan, I admit the scene did cross my mind while writing this line 
And what comes to physical appearance at least, Jamison is definitely closer to Viserys than Negan. He's just much more dangerous than poor Viserys ever was 
Also, FoT is a big inspiration of mine, so it's nice to hear the scene reminded you of it
[Take him to Morgan]
This is a show of confidence to the enemies, but can also be considered a sign of trust in Morgan
In either case, I see this as a win-win scenario with minimal risks
[Take him to Morgan]
Voting is closed!
And Jamison will kill Horidos. This is definitely in-character for Jamison, and while taking Horidos alive to Morgan would've been interesting, killing him will lead to an equally badass scene - which we will see in the next Emerson part. However, now we are taking a break from the Godsgrace and head to Hellgate Hall, with the next Dalia part. Last time she arrived to Hellgate Hall with the Wild Suns, and her daughter Desirea. She met with King Lucifer, who promised her that if she conquers Vaith for him, she will be legitimized. As Dalia brought up her devotion to R'hllor, Lucifer pointed out that if she wishes to be Queen of Brimstone someday, she will be expected to follow the Seven. Dalia decided not to argue about this.
The part will probably be ready either today or tomorrow.
Also, I just remembered that I drew a new portrait of Jamison recently, and now after his first fight in the story is the perfect time to post it!
I made the old one quite a while ago, and I prefer this one over it.
Whoa, nice job! I liked the original one a lot already (and actually just saw it today again when I went through the gallery), but I must admit that this one is even better. If I'm not mistaken, Jamison's portrait was among the first you did for NW and this shows the progress you made just perfectly. I especially like the facial expression for him here. That is one of my favourites of the NW portraits now
Dalia
”So be it.” Dalia said lazily. “If the people want their leader to follow the Seven, I suppose I can play that role for them.” Lucifer smiled for his daughter’s words.
“You certainly have matured from that reckless girl who left Hellgate Hall fifteen years ago.” The King said, almost proudly. “Speaking of that, are you not going to tell me what have you been doing all these years?” It surprised Dalia that Lucifer was interested to hear about it, but she wasn’t really in the mood for telling stories of her years in Essos. “It’s a long story.” She said lazily.
“I’m not in a hurry.” Lucifer replied dryly, and Dalia sighed. After thinking about it for a moment, she begun. “The first years were pretty much what I had expected when I left this place.” She said quietly, not even looking at Lucifer as she spoke. “It was all an adventure, seeing new places, meeting new people. I fought in a company called the Stepstone Squirrels, and I had no care for tomorrow. I do miss those days sometimes, for how free I was, free and young. Then, when I was no more than seventeen, I had a child I was not ready for, with a man who was even less interested in taking care of a baby than I was. Back then I would’ve said that having the child was the biggest mistake of my life, but in truth the mistake was what I did soon after – something I later came to regret, more than anything else in my life.” Dalia stopped talking, and turned her gaze down with a gulp.
“You are talking about your bastard daughter, I assume?” Lucifer asked calmly, and Dalia nodded. “Desirea.” She said the name softly, the image of her beautiful daughter in her mind. “I told myself that I couldn’t keep the child, that I was never meant to have her… And as the opportunity came, I gave her away to the Temple of Light, convincing myself that the priests there would take better care of her than I ever could. I acted like it meant nothing to me, and I believe my act convinced everyone except myself. For months, I heard the voice of that girl in my dreams, crying for her mother. All I could think of was that I was the worst mother who ever lived.”
“There are plenty worse, I can guarantee you that.” Lucifer said calmly. His voice was as hard and cold as ever, but Dalia believed she could spot a touch of empathy in those words. “I know that now.” She answered with a sigh. “That girl is the most important thing to me in this world, but it doesn’t change the fact that I abandoned her, for years. I didn’t see her grow up, I didn’t hear her first words, I didn’t witness her learning how to read, nor did I share her moments of happiness and sadness. All she had were the Red Priests. They taught her well, but she never got to be a child.” Dalia felt slightly uncomfortable as she finished speaking. She wasn’t sure if she should’ve opened up to Lucifer like this – there was little reason to trust that he wouldn’t use any weakness he’d see in her for his own advantage.
“What are your plans with that girl?” Lucifer finally asked, after a tense moment of silence. Dalia narrowed her eyes, wondering what her father meant with this question. “My plans?” Her tone was puzzled. “My plans are to raise her as well as I can, and to keep her safe.” Lucifer nodded, but also let out a dry chuckle.
“I wouldn’t want to tell you how to be a mother, but dragging her to a war hardly does good for those plans.” He spoke calmly, eyeing Dalia with a meaningful look on his eyes. Dalia knew there was truth to what Lucifer said, but in reality the situation wasn’t that simple. “Desirea is a priestess of R’hllor, and she is on a mission here.” Dalia said, a touch of uncertainty in her words. “It’s her duty, and I respect that – it would be wrong of me to deny her what she has come here to do.”
Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “So, what exactly are you to her?” He asked. “A mother, a bodyguard, or a follower?”
“All of those at once, I suppose.” Dalia answered dismissively, and her father responded with a slow nod, a skeptical look still on his eyes. “Well, I suppose giving birth to that girl wasn’t the only thing you did in Essos – after all, you have somehow made your way to the top of a fairly large sellsword company.” He said, and Dalia nodded with a small smirk.
“Indeed, a lot happened. I pissed off a Dothraki horselord and got sold to the fighting pits of Meereen, got my fair share of scars there, until eventually I was awarded with freedom, after saving my pit fighter from an assassin.” Dalia took a break, taking in a breath. “And then, not so long after leaving Meereen, a couple coincidences led me to freeing two hundred slaves from a Norvoshi slaver, which gave me a basis for my own sellsword company. One of the men said the company would need a name, and I remembered what they used to call me here – the Wild Sun.”
“So, how did the Wild Suns grow to be a company of thousand men?” Lucifer asked curiously, scratching his chin. “Well, slowly, at first.” Dalia replied nonchalantly. “But in time we got a mission in Volantis, which led to many good things. The mission itself was nasty work – we had to quarantine the slums, due to an epidemy among the poor. However, the Volantene had also hired two other companies: Bloodfangs, and Stepstone Squirrels. During my years in the pits, Mizro had risen to the lead of the Squirrels. Our companies worked in cooperation, cutting down the angry mobs that tried to break free from the slums. I even ended up saving Mizro, who was wounded in one of the riots. I took him to the Temple of Light, where the Red Priests were taking care of the wounded. Later, as the mission was already over, I fell sick – and the symptoms matched with those of the ones in the slums. But I was saved, by a skilled young priestess… my daughter.” Dalia let out a sigh, but continued shortly. “I had abandoned her all those years ago, and now she saved my life. I decided then that I would never abandon her again.”
“So, it was the newfound love towards your daughter that made you find religion.” Lucifer stated dryly, and Dalia narrowed her eyes. “I looked into the flames, and saw the truth with my own two eyes.” She replied firmly, but the King didn’t look convinced. “Anyway, after the mission was over, all three companies had suffered significant losses – some died in the riots, others fell for the disease. So, I, Mizro, and Khazor the leader of Bloodfangs, held a meeting, which led to the uniting of our companies. We have hired more men after that, including more than a hundred Unsullied.”
“And do you trust your generals, these, Mizro and Khazor?” Lucifer asked, and Dalia nodded. “I do.” She simply answered, and her father flashed her a smile. “Good.” He said. “So, how soon do you think you could begin your march to Vaith?” The King asked, raising his chin and looking at Dalia with questioning eyes.
“A couple days of rest would do good for the troops.” She answered, and Lucifer nodded. “In two days, then.” He said decisively, and Dalia nodded in agreement.
“I think I should go get some rest myself now.” She stated casually, and her father nodded. “You can take your old quarters, and your daughter can take the ones next to it.” Lucifer spoke with a calm tone. Dalia gave her father one more look, and then stood up from her chair. “Thank you, father.” She said tensely, glancing quickly at her father’s bodyguard, Ser Blackheart, and then walked out of the room.
Outside Lucifer’s office, Red Maggot, Marduk and Lewyn Tiddle were waiting for Dalia. The Unsullied commander stood there dutiful as ever, and gave Dalia a bow as she approached them. Marduk on the other hand looked a bit impatient, with a bored expression on his face. “You can return to the camp now.” Dalia said to her captains. “But send Desi here.”
“My Lady, your daughter is already here.” Lewyn spoke up, and Dalia turned to look at him with confusion. “What? How?”
“I sent someone to invite her.” The man answered with a polite tone. “I figured the granddaughter of the King should sleep in the castle, bastard or not. She arrived a while ago, escorted by her bodyguards.” Dalia nodded to Lewyn’s words, though she was mildly annoyed that this man had done this behind her back.
“I’ll go see her then.” She said sternly, and Lewyn nodded with a smile. “Shall I escort you?” He asked, but Dalia shook her head.
“I know my way around.” She replied, a cold look on her eyes. With these words she separated from these three men, making her way to the northern tower, where her quarters were. On her way, Dalia's thoughts drifted back to her conversation with Lucifer. She had to admit, it had gone better than she expected – especially the fact that he had promised to legitimize her if she succeeded in conquering Vaith. Now I just have to succeed, and hope that Lucifer keeps his word.
As Dalia arrived to the door of her quarters, she saw Vyran the Lion and Belan the Brave standing in guard at the door. "Is Desi inside?" Dalia asked calmly, and Vyran nodded to him, a stern expression on his face. "Yes, my Lady." He answered, making way for her.
Dalia opened the door, and walked inside. It was the room she remembered from her childhood, though some things had changed. All that she had left behind when she left Hellgate Hall had been taken away, replaced with old books, maps, and notes. Dalia's gaze shifted to the brazier, and she noticed charred coals in it, many of them still glowing red. She has looked into the flames.
Now Dalia turned her eyes to Desi, who sat quietly on a chair next to the window, a thoughtful look on her eyes. "What did you see this time?" Dalia asked quietly, and her daughter turned to look at her.
"Are we going to Vaith?" She asked calmly, and Dalia nodded. Somewhere in the past she would've been surprised of how did Desirea know this, but she had learned the extent of this girl's skills by now. "We are... Did you see Vaith in the flames?"
"I saw black mist shrouding the city, and the Lady of Darkness walking down its streets, hiding in the shadows." Desirea's tone was gloomy, and the look on her eyes was almost shaken. "Lady of Darkness?" Dalia spoke with quiet and tense words, and Desirea nodded to her. "One who dances with demons." She said. "Worshiper of the Great Other."
Dalia's eyes widened. A worshiper of the Great Other in Vaith? She gulped, taking a couple steps closer to her daughter. "So, that means... Your mission, it's in Vaith." Dalia said quietly, looking Desirea to the eyes.
"It begins there, yes." She replied, letting out a sigh. Dalia nodded, now putting her left hand on Desi's shoulder. "I will help you." She said softly, and Desi turned her eyes towards her, a tender look in them. "Thank you, mother." She whispered, and Dalia closed her in a hug. I will protect you, my little flame.
No Decision
I must say, I was initially a bit surprised by the fact that Desi's next goal will be in Vaith. I was pretty sure she'd just end up directly cutting of the head of the snake by going for Aisha, but after thinking about this again, I shouldn't have been so surprised. The hints have been there, I just haven't been careful enough to connect them. Dalia's mission to take Vaith fits perfectly with what we learned in Emerson's most recent part, about the Lady of Vaith being rumoured to be a dark witch. I am certainly happy that this dark witch is likely going to be taken care of before Gwendis runs into any danger of meeting her, but at the same time, I think I should be concerned enough as it is.
For once however, I can say that I don't hope for Dalia and Desi to fail. I mean, I won't outright say that I want them to succeed, but I want them to fail less than I want the servants of the Great Other to fail. After all, it has been a priestess of the Great Other who dragged Gwendis into this mess, not a Rollmop fanatic. That means, I want the Great Other followers to fail. And the less of these followers Gwendis has to interact with, the less chance there is for her to run into one of these followers whom even Aisha would describe as fucking nuts. So, this is likely going to be the only time I'm ever going to say this, but I want this dark witch to go down even more than I want the death of Dalia and Desi. I'm not quite going to root for them, but I think you get the picture.
That said, I have expected Desi to go west already, to confront Aisha before she can get any stronger by recruiting her warrior. I don't know if this is a good thing that they won't do it immediately, as it could give Gwendis some time to get the hell away from both parties there, or if it is a bad thing, as it gives Aisha and her warrior more time to do whatever the hell they want with her. But well, for the time being I want Dalia and Desi to succeed with this initial part of their mission, even if I am still highly on the fence when it comes to the rest of their goals. Maybe this dark witch can weaken them to the point where they merely manage to kill Aisha and her warrior afterwards, but don't have enough strength to harm Gwen or Trentan. Maybe a mutual kill between Dalia/The Warrior and Desi/Aisha would be possible as well, I think that's the safest possible outcome for Gwendis there. Anyways, this dark witch of Vaith is no one I'd like to protect, so they can surely go for her first. One less freak to worry about. I must say though, despite the fact that this Lady Vaith can die for all I care, I am a bit worried by Desi claiming that her mission just begins there, which implies she could go for a complete culling of the Great Other followers in Dorne. I mean, I surely won't object to killing the majority of them, but I am afraid that she could end up seeing Gwendis as yet another Great Other follower to cut down.
One thing I am curious about, if you can answer it, will we see Vaith in this chapter or is that something for the next one?
Yeah, if Desi is ever going to confront Aisha, it will be Chapter 3 material, right now she will be fully concentrated on this threat in Vaith. The Lady of Darkness that apparently lurks in Vaith shouldn't be underestimated though, as Desi was clearly shaken of what she saw.
I'm glad to hear you are for once, sort of, kinda, almost, rooting for Desi and Dalia, even if only temporarily
I can say that in this particular case, I'd definitely see them as the "good guys". In the bigger picture it's more questionable though. And yeah, if Desi manages to eliminate this Great Other worshiper, it would probably be a good thing for Gwen as well 
We will see Vaith in this chapter. There will actually be a major event there at the end of this chapter, and at this point I think you can guess what it will be
Chapter 3 material, that is... well, I'm not sure if it is reassuring or concerning, since it means the confrontation I dread so much comes closer. It seems this Lady of Darkness (very likely the dark witch that has been mentioned in Emerson's part) is very powerful though, if she has shaken Desi so much. It makes me assume that she is among the Great Other followers that even Aisha would like to stay away from.
Well, I still root for them to be weakened to the point where they won't be a threat to Gwendis anymore. Though I'd very much like for Dalia to at least kill Aisha's warrior, maybe even that blasted witch herself, but I am kind of afraid that if she has enough strength to kill the warrior, she'd certainly be able to do all sort of bad stuff to Gwendis as well. Neither am I sure if she would, or if she would actually be a potential ally to free Gwendis from the manipulations of Aisha. So, I am really not sure if I root for them in this conflict in Vaith, at least not as much as I probably should. That said, I see them as the good guys even in the bigger picture, to be honest. R'hllor and his followers are morally ambiguous, capable of good and bad, whereas the Great Other is the only god in the Ice and Fire setting whom I don't see as ambiguous at all. There's no doubt to me that this demon is incapable of doing a single good thing and the same goes for his followers, whereas Dalia and Desi at least serve a marginally better god who occasionally helps people. So, for a lack of alternatives, I see them as the good guys here. However, I only root for Gwendis in this conflict and they still pose a severe threat to her, so I'm still violently opposed to them. At the same time, I am just as opposed to Aisha and her freakshow, maybe even more. It's just the thing, I don't know how bad Aisha's plans for Gwendis are, though I'm leaning towards very bad, but neither do I know how Desi and Dalia would react to Gwendis, though I'm leaning towards very bad as well. So, I really hesitate to side with them and I feel awful for hoping that they succeed to kill this witch, because of the continuous threat they pose. Though it is concerning that you see their status as the good guys as a questionable thing
I thought that they were at least less evil than Aisha and her warrior, but this piece of information really does not sit well with me, because it means they might be willing to do some seriously bad stuff to Gwen as well, maybe even worse than whatever atrocity Aisha has planned. Now I don't know which fanatic I should rather root for, or better yet, which fanatic I am more justified to wish death upon. In the Vaith conflict, it's clearly the Dark Witch I rather want to see dead, but it's still a mystery whom I should root for in the grand scale of things. Maybe neither of them? Argh, if they could all just drop dead and leave her in peace, I'd be so happy.
Hm, the sacking of Vaith at the hands of the Wild Suns? Together with the death of the dark witch? Yeah, that's my guess here. It seems all but confirmed that a confrontation between Dalia and Aisha, with Gwendis caught in the middle, is not going to happen in Chapter 2, but I could see the set-up for this to happen there. Perhaps Aisha wants to recruit the Vaith witch for her evil Avengers as well and goes there not knowing that Vaith has fallen already. Or perhaps Desi receives another vision that she has to stop Aisha (and I am highly afraid for what she could see in Gwendis there). In either way, I am pretty sure that they will meet in Chapter 3, so this means that Dalia's storyline in Chapter 2 will likely end with the conquest of Vaith.
Yeah, it gets closer all the time, but tbh, it still feels like something pretty far in the future
And yeah, the Great Other worshiper in Vaith is definitely strong, and very dedicated - she could very well be one of these cases that Aisha warned Gwendis of, someone who has basically sold her soul just to please the Great Other.
Well, you can rest assured that Dalia and Desi certainly are not as evil as Aisha and her warrior, but they are still morally ambiguous, and as you know at the moment a threat to Gwendis, who is one of the main protagonists of the story. So, that's really what I meant with their good guy status being questionable in the big picture
But yeah, with all these R'hllor and Great Other characters it's really anyone's guess who should one root for 
Indeed, the Wild Suns will soon begin their march to war, so conquest of Vaith is very likely to happen in this chapter. What happens to this dark witch is still very unclear though, as we know next to nothing about her, but it's certainly a possibility that we will see Dalia and Desi confronting her as they take the city. And Desi made clear that Vaith is only the beginning of her mission, so her going after Aisha in Chapter 3 is a good guess.
Well this is a unexpected surprise, awesome but unexpected nonetheless! I greatly enjoyed your original drawing of Jamison and had not really thought about if it could be topped but it is safe to say you have indeed topped it! Jamison's facial similarities to Vorian are even more apparent here and quite honestly it is as if you have read my mind on how I thought Jamison looked and then drew it out. It no doubt has to be very difficult to draw a character from scratch with just a written description from our submissions to go off of which makes it even more impressive that you draw these characters so well! Like Liquid, I also enjoy Jamison's facial expression here. I imagine this as the smirk he gave Horidos before unsheathing his sword and as Jamison's trademark smirk overall! This drawing truly is spectacular and it is pretty great seeing these characters come to life in a visual form as well as the written form. Thanks again for drawing him!
This was a very enjoyable part! It really is interesting getting to see this different side of Lucifer where it really seems like he is very much playing the role of a proud father at this point. However I could also be reading this completely wrong and he could just be acting that way because she brought 1,000 men to fight for him. It seems now that Dalia and Desi's mission is clear and really it seems there will be tons of action coming to the houses of Central Dorne sooner rather then later. With the Fallen Dragons and the Martells planning to attack Salt Shore and the Wild Suns attacking Vaith, it seems that the Martell and Dryland forces will certainly be meeting up very soon and that Nymeria's first big war is coming up
Ah, I don't know, it feels like far too soon for me XD Though I'm not sure if I should be anticipating this confrontation because it would finally, at the very least, give me clarity, or if I should hope for it to be even farther away. And for all I know, it might come before I'm truly ready for it. Which, admittedly, doesn't mean much, because I don't think I'm ver ready for that confrontation. With the Vaith witch... well, if she's the Lady of Vaith, then she already has a dark reputation. If it would be anyone else confronting her, I'd be afraid for these characters, because she, at the very least, sounds like someone who is seriously strong. Certainly not the kind of person I want Gwendis to interact with, so perhaps her death won't be that much of a bad thing.
Ah, I understand. Well, when it comes to rooting for someone in this conflict, it's definitely none of these Great Other freaks. Aisha, her warrior, the Vaith witch, they can all die. They are evil and horrible and should all die. Dalia and Desi... well, as you know, I heavily hesitate to root for them as well, but the reasons are of a far more personal nature. Honestly, if it wouldn't be for them being this looming threat for Gwen, I'd probably root for them, but the way it is, I just can't do it. Gwendis is the only one I can root for in this conflict and the way it seems right now, she has no real allies, so no other character to root for. Don't get me wrong, I hope that Dalia and Desi are going to kill every Great Other fanatic in Dorne, but I hope even more that they will realize that Gwendis is not the enemy, or that they will, at the very least, not succeed in killing her. If it would save her life, I'd even be willing to work with the Great Other freaks against the pseudo-good guys from Team R'hllor, but frankly, I am utterly convinced that working with Aisha is going to save no one's life, especially not Gwen's. So, right now the only thing I am unsure about is if I should try for her to get away on her own, or if I should put my trust in some red priestess in the making, which is honestly a very hard thing for me to do. Not for the first time, I miss that calm, cozy Skyreach storyline and I deserve to be punched in the face for choosing Aisha
Hm, it would be intriguing, yet concerning, if the dark witch manages to escape Vaith and to flee towards Aisha, prompting her to interact with Gwendis, while Dalia and Desi are going after her, therefore provoking this confrontation in Chapter 3. If she somehow survives the conquest of Vaith (considering there will be a conquest), then this is yet another aspect to worry about, because the more I think about it, the more would I like to see this witch dead. So, for once, and I wholeheartedly promise it will be the only time I'm ever going to say this, I hope that Dalia is going to kick some witch ass. Gosh, I can't believe I just said that
I feel like I need a shower. And booze. Maybe a booze shower to get that feeling of momentarily cheering for Dalia out of my head again 
Glad to hear you liked the part!
I'd say it's a bit of both with Lucifer. He can't help but feel proud seeing how strong Dalia has become, and how she has matured, but he definitely also kinda plays nice to make sure he gets the support of the Wild Suns. And yeah, Central Dorne will be very much the main focus of the story now - the battleground of the Dryland-Martell war.
Okay, no voting to close this time, but I just wanted to inform that I'll try my best to get the next part out today. However, there is a lot to write still, and it could very well be that I won't get it ready until tomorrow. The part will be a Nealia PoV. In her last part she and the Rose Company, now allied with Corren (who works for the Bandit Lord), were leaving Salt Shore. However, just before leaving, Nealia bounced to Ser Rolan Nightfall, Lyreon Nightfall, and around a dozen more men that Jamison had sent to meet with Lord Gargalen. Rolan asked if there was something Nealia would like him to say to Jamison when he'd go back to him, and you voted for her to say "tell him to stay out of trouble". With the next part we will jump ahead a bit, and Nealia & co. will already be out of Salt Shore.
Also, another portrait, this time Lord Morgan Allyrion:
Well hello there handsome! This portrait like all others is amazing, and once again you've captured the image in my mind, so you're doing something right
You can really see the sadness in his eyes, and there's some history there which I'm happy to see within this portrait. His hair is on fleek, and if he could be just a little more orange than I'd request that he becomes Lord Donald Trump 
Fantastic work man, another great portrait as always!
Nealia
They had been riding towards east along the southern coast the whole day, and now the sun was finally setting. The Rose Company and Corren's men were making their camp on a cliff above the Summer Sea.
Nealia sighed tiredly, looking at the vast and glimmering sea opening in front of her. After her brief meeting with Ser Rolan she had been thinking a lot about her family, and especially Jamison. It had been far too long since she had last seen any of them, and here she was, heading to a war she couldn't care less about. Drylands, Martells, Tryden Flowers, the Bandit Lord – they all meant nothing to her, yet she could end up dying fighting their war. Knowing that Jamison was taking part in this war was also a concerning thought. I'm sure he'll manage to get himself in trouble.
Nealia heard steps behind her, and turned to see Illor approaching her. "Is everything alright?" He asked with his warm and deep voice, and Nealia nodded subtly. "You look troubled." Illor continued, and Nealia let out a sigh, turning her eyes to the sea again.
"What do you want from me, Illor?" She asked sternly, as the Braavosi stepped next to her, also gazing at the sea beneath them. "What do you expect me to want?" He asked calmly. Nealia bridled and shook her head. "Probably the same thing most men want." She answered coldly. "Sadly, you are not going to get that from me."
"Mm, it is sad, but I'd like to think we can nonetheless be friends." Illor spoke with a small smirk on his face. Nealia turned towards him, seeing that the look on his eyes was genuine. "Sure." She muttered, turning her eyes away again.
"So, what's troubling you, Nealia?" Illor asked softly. Nealia stayed quiet, taking in a deep breath, and keeping her gaze on the sea. "I miss my family." She finally admitted quietly. Illor nodded, an understanding look on his eyes.
"You said earlier that there is no role for you in Starfall, that you were not meant to be a princess." He reminded calmly, and Nealia sighed. It was true, she wasn't meant to be a princess, but perhaps even that would be better than what she was doing with her life now.
"I meant it." She stated with a powerless tone, gulping and turning to look at her own feet. "But sometimes I can't tell what exactly am I meant to be." Illor moved his hand smoothly to Nealia's shoulder. "You are a fighter Nealia, a true warrior." He said with encouraging tone. "I saw that in the warehouse when you punched Corren. Sure, it was reckless, but I couldn't help but marvel at how fierce and powerful you were."
Nealia chuckled, turning to look at Illor, and they both smiled. "Yeah, I've always been a fighter." She replied quietly, and then her smile vanished. "And what do fighters spend their life doing? War after war, leaving bodies behind, until one day they become one of those bodies themselves. Is that a life worth living?" Now Illor put his other hand on Nealia's other shoulder, and looked him deep into the eyes. "Yes." He answered firmly. "You will find a meaning for your life, Nealia, a reason to fight for. Trust me." There was something encouraging and enchanting in the deep voice of this Braavosi man, and Nealia couldn't help but give him a smile.
"You remind me of my father." She said with a smirk, and Illor raised an eyebrow. "I do?" He asked with amused tone, taking his hands away from her shoulders, and Nealia nodded. "Well, your father must be a magnificent guy." Illor quipped, and Nealia rolled her eyes. She turned towards the camp, and her eyes immediately found Tryden and Corren, who were speaking with each other. Seeing Corren's slimy face immediately angered Nealia, and clearly Illor noticed it.
"Just ignore that man." He said calmly, and Nealia turned her eyes to him again. "None of us like working with him, but sometimes it's just part of the job to tolerate assholes like Corren."
"Aha, just have to wonder what kind of man the Bandit Lord is, if he has assholes like Corren working for him." Nealia spoke with a dry tone, and Illor let out a small chuckle. "Indeed." He replied with a sigh. "Well, let's not judge the man before we meet him."
Now Nealia's eyes moved to Lien, Ying and Manda, and Illor followed her gaze. "So, what's your deal with Lien?" He asked calmly, and Nealia turned to look at him with furrowed eyebrows. "Why do you care?" She asked strictly, but Illor just shrugged. "Just curious, I guess." He said nonchalantly.
"It's nothing." Nealia said lazily, turning to look at them again. "I was drunk, she was drunk, we had some fun. That's it."
"I understand." Illor said, a forced smile on his face. "Well, I think I should go get some rest now. Good night." Nealia gave the man a nod, and replied. "Good night."
After Illor left, Nealia stood there for a couple of minutes, just looking at the sea, while the sun got lower and lower, and the shadows grew taller. Finally, she turned around, and decided to approach Lien, Ying and Manda.
"Hey, Nealia!" Lien said cheerfully as she got closer to them. Ying also looked at her, though her gaze was cold and stern. "Hi." Nealia said quietly, sitting down next to them. "Is everything okay?" Manda asked with her strong accent, and Nealia nodded with a small smile.
"I'm fine, how about you?" She asked with a carefree tone. "All good." Manda answered with a rare smile on her face.
"Nealia." Ying suddenly spoke up, her tone and expression telling that she was very serious. "Could you come talk with me for a moment?" Technically it was a question, but Ying didn't even wait for the answer before starting to walk away from the group, and Nealia knew she had to follow.
As they were a couple dozen feet away from Lien and Manda, Ying finally turned to look at Nealia. "Listen, if this is about last..." She started, but then Ying cut her off. "I don't care who my sister sleeps with, that is her bussiness, but do not hurt her." Her mismatched eyes stared deep into Nealia's soul as she spoke these quiet but stern words.
"I won't." Nealia finally answered, after a moment of hesitation. "Though I must say, we were just having fun, it's nothing serious."
"Good." Ying said coldly. "I mean no offence to you, but she deserves someone who can take care of her, and protect her." Nealia furrowed her eyebrows, mildly annoyed of the YiTish woman's statement. "So, you are the one taking care of her now, huh?" She asked, and Ying narrowed her eyes. "We take care of each other, like sisters do." She answered firmly, and then took in a deep breath. "Lien is a fragile soul, you would only break her heart. Like I said, I don't care that you slept with her once, but you must promise me that you will not pursue romance with her."
Nealia gulped, turning her eyes down. She was honestly taken aback by Ying's words, even if she hadn't planned to pursue a romance with Lien. The worst thing was that Ying was probably in the right about this. I am a bad choice of partner. Nealia turned her gaze up, looking Ying straight to the eyes.
[Promise] [Don't promise]
[Don't promise]
This was one of these choices that I can't see to have super huge, world-shattering consequences, but that are very hard for me to mak regardless, because it's a moral choice completely beyond right or wrong. One of these character-building choices, I suppose. On the one hand, promising Ying that Nealia won't pursue anything further with Lien would be a nice thing to do and would likely help the friendship between the two. On the other hand, I firmly believe that Ying has no right to decide on such a thing for her sister and that Lien should get a say on this. It just doesn't seem fair to her if Ying and Nealia make this decision between them, without taking her opinion into account. If nothing further develops between the two, so be it, but if it does, then it just doesn't sit right with me to have Ying decide on this for her sister. That said, this is a choice where I was really conflicted and I was hoping someone else would have voted before me, so I will gladly take any argument in favour of the other option into account as well and might change my vote later on.
[Promise]
[Don't promise]
Well, because heart don't always listen to your head.
[Promise]
Because Nealia doesn't need to be making enemies with any of the people that she lives, trains, and fights with.
[Don't promise]
[Promise]
Well this is a pretty tough choice. While it probably won't be a huge choice in the grand scheme of things, it does seem like a choice that could very well affect Nealia's relationship with Lien and Ying which could be good or bad depending on if we pick the right choice or not. With that said, I think having Nealia promise seems to be an okay choice here. Nealia has said she does not plan on pursuing a romance with Lien and pursuing a romance in this kind of environment with war around them to begin with seems like a recipe for disaster. With that said, If Nealia truly does not plan on a pursuing a romance with Lien then she should not have any problems keeping her promise so hopefully there should be nothing to worry about here,
Voting is closed!
Oh well, looks like it's a tie. Since the creator of Nealia hasn't been active in a while, I'll go with the choice that got the 3 votes first, meaning that Nealia won't promise to Ying that she won't pursue anything further with Lien. This of course doesn't mean that she'll necessarily pursue anything with Lien, but now she has made no promises to Ying. At the same time, Ying definitely won't be happy about this.
The next part I hope to get ready today, and it will be a Verro PoV. Last time we saw him, he was in a raiding party led by Efran, and they attacked a fishing village in the lands of House Bravespear. In the village Verro followed Axel, and they broke into a small house, with a fisherman, his wife, and their daughter. Axel killed the man who tried to protect his family, smacked the mother aside, and proceeded to tore apart the daughter's clothes. As Axel had his back turned, the mother reached for the trident of her husband, meaning to attack Axel from behind. You chose for Verro not to intervene, and that's where we will continue.
Also, I have two new portraits! An updated Gwendis, and a brand new Trentan
Gwen! Ah, I have so many conflicted feelings about this portrait. I was actually just recently looking through the portraits, back when you drew the updated Jamison portrait and I was thinking that her first portrait is no longer accurate, with her changed situation and all. So, this was a very nice surprise
I also very, very much like it, though that background, man, that background is equal parts awesome and terrifying. Like, seriously terrifying and it only strengthens my opinion that getting away from that demon is the best thing Gwendis can do in her situation. But I like it, I like that portrait very much. As much as I prefer the Gwendis from the old portrait, I must also say that I like this portrait of her very much as well as it looks awesomely detailed. Both portraits have been great and I am very happy about this. So, thank you very much! And Trentan is awesome as well. He looks older than I imagined him to look. It doesn't make his relationship with Aisha any less unsettling, but at least I don't have to imagine her being in a relationship with a boy anymore. I can't quite put my finger on it, but he reminds me of some actor, though I really can't recall where I've seen him before.
Haha, I expected that you'd be equally pleased and terrified with the Gwen portrait
And what comes to Trentan (who is 17 btw), perhaps you're thinking of Toby Sebastian (actor of Trystane), because I took some inspiration from there, especially with the hair. Another one I could think of would be Robert Sheehan 
Oh man, I can't get over these glowing eyes. That is haunting and I will have nightmares now. But the important thing about the portrait is Gwen and she's always great, so the portrait is great as well
It really puts emphasis on how serious her situation is though. And Toby Sebastian might be one that came to mind when I saw Trentan's portrait. Indeed, I think it could have been him, but I'm still not sure. Maybe I'm mixing several actors together there. His hair and general features also remind me a bit of Liam Kosta from the next Mass Effect game, so it's really hard to say whom he exactly reminded me of. It's one of these faces that look familiar in general.
Wow Wildling, you did great on these portraits. Trentan looks a lot like how I imagined him.
Verro
Verro looked at the old woman clutching tightly on the trident, while Axel pushed her daughter against the wall. Verro could've stopped the woman, but he didn't, he let her make her move. With a desperate scream the woman charged and thrusted the trident on Axel's back. It hardly pierced the leather, but Verro could see the blood, and he could hear Axel screaming in pain as he let go of the daughter and turned towards the mother. His face was red from pain and anger, and he immediately slammed the trident off from the woman's hands. "YOU FUCKING BITCH!" Axel screamed as he sent the woman to the floor with a hard punch.
"RUN!" The woman screamed frantically, blood draining from her nose, and after a small moment of hesitation, the daughter followed her mother's advice. Her dress was torn apart, and she had to held it together with her hands as she ran. Again, Verro could've easily stopped the girl, but he let her run right past him and out of the house.
Meanwhile, Axel grabbed the trident, and with one heavy thrust he nailed the woman to the floor, impaling her stomach, and left the trident standing there. The fisherman's wife died beside the body of her husband, coughing out blood and muttering prayers with her last breath. And then Axel turned towards Verro. The look on his eyes was murderous, but the injury on his back also clearly slowed him down.
"The girl... Did you let her go?" He asked with a low growl. Verro was nervous, but he managed to keep his composure, and gave Axel a stern nod. It was easy to predict the man's next move, but his speed surprised Verro, and he couldn't fully dodge the punch. It hit him on the forehead, and sent him staggering backwards against the wall of the house. Before Axel could move for another punch, Verro draw his sword, and pointed it against him.
"Put that fucking sword down, so I can punch some respect into you, boy." Axel's words were oozing of anger, but Verro shook his head nonchalantly. "Calm down, Axel." He said, keeping his sword up. Axel didn't answer, but instead grunted in pain, pressing his left hand on his back where the trident had wounded him him. "You should get that wound patched up." Verro stated calmly, and Axel let out a sarcastic laugh. "You think I'll just forgive you?" He asked, breathing heavily. "You let that bitch attack me, and you let that girl escape." With these words Axel raised his axe. "Tell me why shouldn't I kill you right there?"
"Lord Efran would not approve of that." Verro answered with confident and calm tone, even if he wasn't sure if what he said was true. "I don't fucking care." Axel growled, taking a step closer, and Verro gulped, ready to fight this big man.
"What's going on here?" A female voice asked, and both Verro and Axel turned to see Nesila at the door. The Myrish woman raised her eyebrow as she observed the two bodies on the floor. "You've made quite a mess." She stated dryly, and then turned her eyes to Verro and Axel again. "What the fuck are you doing?"
"Nothing." Axel growled painfully, lowering his axe and walking out of the house. Nesila let the man past her, and then approached Verro, who also lowered his weapon now. "What the fuck was that?" Nesila asked sternly, and Verro let out a sigh.
"Nothing, just a little disagreement." Verro answered quietly. Nesila narrowed her eyes, eyeing Verro for a moment. "Fine, whatever." She finally said. "Let's go then."
"Shouldn't we loot the house first?" Verro asked, but Nesila just chuckled dryly. "It's not that important, let's just go." With these words she walked out, and Verro followed. Outside he saw several men being dragged to the center of the village, and screams could be heard from inside the houses. Verro sighed, blocking the screams from his mind and following Nesila to the center.
There were six men lined up on their knees, and Efran and the leader of the Thunder Crew stood in front of them. Nesila and Verro stopped on the side to see what would happen next.
"You may have heard of me," Efran started with his calm and charismatic voice, "I am Lord Efran Dalt. Of course, you might know me by the name Bandit Lord, or perhaps the Bastard's Bastard. No matter, you are now under my authority. All this is happening because Lord Bravespear opposes my claim to the Lordship of Lemonwood, and continues to harass my campaign to defeat the usurper Lord Darin." Efran twiddled the Valyrian steel sword on his right hand as he finished speaking, and turned his eyes to the man beside him. "Next to me stands Malanos Vynos, the leader of the Thunder Crew, one of my many great allies that are spread throughout the Eastern Dorne. After I have taken Lemonwood, all those who have loyally supported me will be rewarded handsomely. And those who refuse to kneel, will be destroyed. This is the moment for you, a moment when you get to choose. Those who would like to pledge their loyalty for me, the true Lord of Lemonwood, stand up now."
A small moment of tense silence followed, until finally one of the men stood up, receiving cold glares from the men who stayed on their knees. He was a young and skinny man, with long black hair and nervous look on his green eyes. "What is your name?" Efran asked calmly, a small smirk on his face. "Maxar, mylord." The young man answered, keeping his eyes down. "You have made a wise decision, Maxar." Efran said smoothly, gesturing for him to walk away from the rest of the men, and Maxar obeyed.
"No one else?" Efran asked with slightly amused tone, and the men in front of him remained silent. "So be it." He said coldly, and gave a nod to the soldiers behind the remaining five men. From Efran's signal the soldiers stepped forward, and without any hesitation, they cut the throats of the five villagers. Verro shuddered at the sight, but kept his cool. He shifted his gaze at Efran, who had a cold smirk on his face, and then to Maxar, whose eyes were widened in shock.
"Well, that was miserable." Nesila stated with quiet and dry tone, and Verro nodded in agreement. He saw Axel coming out of one of the houses, bandages wrapped around him. He gave a terrifying glare at Verro, but nothing more. Hopefully he doesn't murder me in my sleep.
-
The sun was setting, and they were having a feast in the largest house of the village. Verro had already eaten and stood at the corner, constantly ready to defend himself. He could see that Axel was getting drunk with Cullen, and he knew that man wouldn't just forget what happened earlier.
The air was smoky, and the crowded house was full of noise and laughter. Verro wished he could be having as good time as some of these people did, but frankly this day had been his worst day since the shipwreck. Suddenly, Verro noticed Efran approaching him with a mug of ale on his hand.
"Not enjoying yourself?" The Bandit Lord asked smoothly. Verro gulped, considering for a moment what he should answer. "I'm not feeling that well." He finally muttered as an answer, and Efran chuckled.
"I heard what happened between you and Axel." He said, slowly taking a sip from his mug. "Don't worry, I told him not to do anything stupid. I have to wonder though, why didn't you defend Axel?"
"He was going to rape that girl." Verro answered firmly, and Efran raised an eyebrow. "I have to say, this is a surprise." He spoke quietly, eyeing Verro with a narrowed eye. "A Dothraki who shies away from raping... That's a first one."
"And have you met many Dothrakies, mylord?" Verro asked sternly. Efran looked confused for a moment, but finally let out a small laugh. "Can't say I have, but still, it's in your culture." He answered calmly, and Verro nodded. "Thankfully I am not a slave to my culture." He said, and now Efran nodded with a smile.
"I will forgive you this time, but from now on I expect you to defend your brothers-in-arms, in all situations." Efran said, his voice more serious now. "Any army is doomed to fail, if there is not a sense of loyalty between the men fighting in it. Do you understand?"
"I do." Verro answered shortly. Efran took a step closer to him, a curious look on his one eye. "Good." He said softly, his lips forming a smile again. "Because what you saw today, will be nothing compared to what's coming." With these ominous words, Efran turned away from Verro, leaving him to watch the cheerful drinking alone from the corner. Verro shifted his attention to Axel again, wondering if he should apologize to him.
[Apologize to Axel] [Don't apologize]