I myself am really looking forward to Kentuck's story getting started, especially since so many stories are inactive at the moment. Plus new stories are always exciting.
And I am doing something I don't usually do and make a shout-out in a second post, for once to put a bit more emphasis onto it, and as well … moreto avoid a pet peeve of mine, which is posting a new part as the last post of this page
As said, there is a shout-out to be made. I am always excited to see a new story in the forums, especially as they have gotten a bit rare nowadays. This new story is written by @Kentucks and it is called The Walking Dead: Blood of the Covenant. As the name already clues you in, it is a story set in the Walking Dead setting, the first new Walking Dead story in a long time and written by a new user on top, which I already consider a good reason to support it. The story is about to start, which means if you join now, you have a chance to be a part of it from the very beginning. I already said it above, I am very interested in seeing this story growing and with how the Forum Games section is not exactly very active to … [view original content]
Keat frowned a bit as he thought about the possibilities. “Eh, I don't like it...”, he mumbled. “But Vivielia should be the one to start with” Hishi smiled, presumably in an approving way, but Keat really couldn't tell. “A wonderful choice”, she replied. “I presume you wish to catch up with your friend?”
After a moment of silence, Keat shook his head with dedication. “I want to prevent her from leaving the city”, he spoke. “This Nicola is new to Oldtown as you said. But Viv, she's been here before, she's been here for a while and I know for a fact, she's not one to stay in one place for the rest of her life”
Hishi raised an eyebrow. “Rather fickle, that one?”, she asked, to which Keat nodded firmly. “Not what I'd call reliable, but I am hardly the least biased person around” To this, the woman chuckled slightly. “I expected that much”, she admitted, before giving him a curious glance. “Just what exactly happened between you and her?”
Keat sighed. “I... uh, kinda stole from her”, he revealed, to which Lanford rolled his eyes. Hishi however seemed amused by this new piece of information. “Will you be insulted when I imply that I am hardly surprised?”, she asked and Keat briefly reciprocated her expression, before becoming more dour again. “Well, I stole from her the morning after we... well”
Hishi's smile grew brighter and she gave him a wink. “You are a sly hound”, she complimented him. “Albeit that was kind of a bad move. I can understand why she might be upset at you” Keat shook his head again. “Well, I am pretty sure I just stole from her before she was able to steal from me”, he said. “That is what really pisses her off. I double crossed her first”
“Thieves”, Lanford mumbled, while Hishi seemed almost impressed. “I see there is a lot you two have to talk about”, she stated. “Can I count on this not compromising your mission?” Keat waited for a moment, before he nodded. “I'm a professional”, he said. “And if she hasn't changed all that much, so is Viv. We get the job done”
“You better do”, Hishi said, before she helped him up. Placing both hands on his shoulders, she gave him a deep look and Keat noticed the strong scent of her perfume, a dizzying mixture, meant to lure someone in. The look in her eyes was deep, yet calm. “Do not fail me here, Keat”, she told him. “I grant you a second chance, but I doubt you'll get more in this world”
It wasn't much of a threat, at least her voice did not sound threatening, but it was a rather accurate statement about his current situation. In a way, he was almost glad Hishi found him first, not counting that madman Bannister. Tavner's men wouldn't have been so kind. At the same time, he cursed his luck, his terrible Keat luck, that any of them had found him at all. A year ago, he would have slipped through the city unnoticed, avoiding anyone who might have posed a threat to him. The long absence from Oldtown had left its mark apparently.
Uncomfortable at the strong, alluring perfume Hishi had applied, Keat took a step back. “I won't”, he promised. “It'll be done in no time” Hishi smiled thinly. “Then Lanford shall escort you upstairs now”, she proclaimed. “Seresa has kept an eye on your belongings”
Lanford had already started to move, opening the door at the other end of the room. Behind it, Keat saw a set of stairs. “With me then, Trickster”, he growled. “Time is of the essence in your particular mission” He mentioned something there that caused Keat to look at Hishi again. “That reminds me...”, he said. “Hishi, uh, what exactly am I supposed to steal? Please be as little cryptic as possible here”
Hishi chuckled merrily at his request. “If I am cryptic, it is because I don't know all of the details either”, she admitted. “But I am working on it. My contact is reluctant to share everything, but he won't resist forever” She gave him a wink. “They all give in, in the end”, she spoke. “I just have to find out what he wants”
Keat gulped. “Whom are you working with?”, he asked and Hishi shook her head. “A man who wouldn't appreciate me telling everything to a simple thief”, she replied. “Trust me, it is better for you if you don't know all about it” She moved closer again. “What you are looking for is in the Hightower, but I am still working on the exact location. Chances are Lord Manfred keeps it close”, she revealed. “It is a small box, wooden, engraved with runes. Ancient in origin, yet valuable beyond measure”
“A box”, Keat mumbled. “I suppose you don't know what's inside it?” Hishi smiled. “Even if, I wouldn't tell you”, she stated. “But I honestly don't know. My partner might, but I suspect even he has no idea what he is dealing with here”
The thief rolled his eyes. “Great”, he sighed. “Just my fucking luck. Well, I don't want to keep him waiting then, your mysterious backer. Lead the way, I shall retrieve my stuff and then go and meet Sam” Hishi nodded, before Keat and Lanford left the room, both men walking up the stairs.
“You truly have the worst luck I've ever seen in a man”, Lanford admitted. “And I once saw someone breaking his neck after slipping on his own wet shit” Keat sighed. “Trust me, that sounds preferable”, he admitted. “Breaking into the Hightower, that is probably the most dangerous thing I'll ever do and the dumbest”
“Not the dumbest”, Lanford told him. “Me and the boss, we spoke about what to do with you if you'd refuse. Hishi would have followed my advice in that case” Keat raised an eyebrow. “And that would have been?”, he asked.
The older man smirked. “Giving you to those you are in debt to”, he replied. “Without the coin. I am certain Bannister would love to finish the job” Keat suppressed the urge to move a hand to the bandaged side of his head, where his ear used to be. Whatever Hishi had given him, it dulled the pain, but the uncomfortable burning sensation remained.
“Agreed, that would be worse”, he admitted. “I guess you can't tell me more about the people I have to deal with now?” Lanford glanced at him from the side. “Your team? Hand-picked. Joshawa is convinced they are the best”, he spoke, to which Keat shook his head. “Not them. Fuck, I know most of them personally, aside from your man and this acrobat”, he said impatiently. “The ones working with Hishi. One man, is it?”
Lanford was quiet after this one. “Only one”, he stated. “And the sort I would avoid. I have adviced against this partnership, because something about that guy is seriously wrong” This did not exactly help with easing Keat's troubled mind. “What do you mean?”, he dared to ask, to which Lanford coldly mustered him. “I suppose I should pity you, Trickster”, he admitted. “No name, you're better off that way, in case you ever meet him again. But I have heard the rumours, did some investigation of my own. Seven Hells, I dragged Joshawa into the Citadel to read me a fucking book about the topic. With that Wulvren guy gone, I know whom to bribe to get a look into his parts of the library and what I found... on some nights it's what keeps me up” He grabbed Keat by the shoulder and narrowed his eyes. “If you fail him, he'll do things to you neither of us can even imagine”
Keat had a vivid imagination, Lanford had been a soldier, a sellsword for decades. Between them, there was little they could not imagine. And as little as he knew the man, Lanford was not one to tell tall tales. If he was concerned, then so should Keat. And yet, he had no choice. It was either that, or having to face the ones he was in debt with. Forrester. Vogero. Bannister... there wouldn't be a chance with them.
Only briefly walking through the lavish interior of the Thousand Shades of Flowers, just the hint of a single hallway, mighty, dark red tapestries adorning the walls and hot air carrying a multitude of exotic scents, the two men entered the next room, which was notably less lavish and likely one for the workers as such.
It was clearly a storage room, holding rows of weapons for the Thorns, but also wine, more wine than Keat himself could ever drink in a lifetime. Two people were sitting around a small table on the far side of the room. One of them was a man, in Keat's age, with plain features, a long nose and a rough beard, his face framed by dark hair. The other was an older woman, her hair already completely grey and her olive skin wrinkled, her face telling of faded beauty.
“There he is”, the woman said and her voice carried the hint of an accent. “Hope you have been kind to him, it has been a pain to patch him up” Lanford chuckled. “Depends on what you consider to be kind, old hag”, he said in a warm, affectionate tone that caused her to smile. “Keat, this is Seresa Stassohr. You owe her, because she treated your wound”
Keat awkwardly stood firm in front of this old woman, before he gave her a nod. “I, well, thank you”, he said and she humbly shook her head. “Ah, bollocks”, she spoke. “Not for this, young man. Your condition has been worse than you probably thought. Next time they cut off one of your ears, you come directly to me and don't run through the streets again. Almost would have gotten infected”
“And this here is Erik Inchfield”, Lanford spoke and the younger man raised an eyebrow. “He's part of your team” Keat gave the man a nod, but Erik did not reply in kind. “Yeah, great to meet you and all”, the sellsword said, as he gave Keat a long look, before glancing at Lanford. “He's the one? Really?”
Lanford nodded with slight regret on his face. “Unfortunately”, he spoke, to which Keat gave him a sharp look. “Hey”, he hissed and the sellsword merely shrugged. “I only say it how it is”, he stated. “This partnership is unfortunate for all of us, you included, or would you say otherwise?”
Keat sighed. “Probably not”, he spoke, before he looked at Erik. “So... anything I got to know about you?” Erik shook his head. “I'm not here to share the story of my life with you”, he replied. “Just get some coin, prove my worth and stuff like that. I don't drink while on duty and I like to get paid for killing stuff”
“Sounds... lovely?”, Keat asked, to which Lanford briefly shook his head. “So... great, glad to meet you all, but when that is settled, I'd really like to collect my stuff and catch up with my siblings” This put a smile onto Seresa's wrinkly face. “Of course, sweetheart”, she said. “It's right here. Your backpack, your dagger... of course we keep the coin, to guarantee your loyalty”
He rolled his eyes. “Of course”, he mouthed, but he gave the woman a thankful smile. “I appreciate it”, he added, as Erik raised an eyebrow. “You let him go just like that, Ser?”, he asked. To Keat's surprise, Lanford nodded. “I consider Keat to be an intelligent man”, he complimented him. “Means I assume he knows our goodwill is the only thing keeping certain people off his back”
“So... I can leave?”, Keat asked and the leader of the Thorns nodded. “Meet up with your family, then report back with us. Then, we'll tell you where to find the Sand girl”, he ordered him. “That is, unless you want to take one of ours with you, for your own protection. I suppose Erik would be up for the task”
The younger sellsword sighed. “I suppose Erik has no say in this”, he replied. “But yeah, fine, if you want to, my sword is yours” Keat took a moment to come up with a decision here. He felt no particular fondness for the sellsword. In fact, he felt like the man might get on his nerves easily. That was the last kind of person he wanted to spend time with. At the same time, an extra blade could be useful, with the sort of people out to get him. And they were supposed to be a team, somehow...
[Take Erik with you][Leave Erik at the brothel]
Sadie
After riding over the hill, Sadie could see Castamere in the distance, lying close to the mountainside, but surrounded by vast plains from the other three sides. And it was... honestly not particularly overwhelming. Sadie had seen castles before, the old, proud fortress of Nightsong, the spacious walls of Blackhaven, even the impenetrable Storm's End.
Castamere however, it was smaller than each of them, despite belonging to a family richer than almost every other in all Westeros. A modest keep, worthy of most lords, but perhaps not what she had expected from House Reyne. Though the walls were sturdy, they weren't particularly impressive and the castle only had two towers to guard the front and a third half built into the mountainside, allowing excellent view over the plains. Behind it, she spotted a small courtyard, but nothing too wild.
“This is it?”, she asked, not entirely able to hide her disappointment. If anything, she had somewhat hoped for a breathtaking sight at least. Leo smirked. “Are you disappointed?”, he asked and she gave him a sheepish nod. “I always liked castles”, she admitted. “This one isn't anything special though”
The sellsword captain chuckled at her words. “Wait until you see it from the inside”, he told her. “I never liked the idea of it, to use wealth solely to give these highborn arseholes some fancy place to live in, but I gotta admit, it looks spectacular. Castamere more than most castles I've been to” His finger wandered down, pointing at the ground. “Don't let it fool you”, he told her. “Most of the castle is below. Their mines run deep, but the upper levels have long since dried out. So the Reynes made the best of it, converting them into halls and galleries and bedchambers” He gave her a friendly wink. “There's even a ballroom in there, if you're the dancing type”
She rolled her eyes. “I don't think so”, she stated, to which he grinned. “You didn't thought you were the riding type either”, he remembered her. “Though to be fair, I've always been a horrible dancer. My cousins went to the great balls in Casterly Rock, but their little bastard cousin had to stay behind of course”
To her surprise, Sadie found herself smiling. “Perhaps there are hidden talents in you, Hill”, she spoke. Admittedly, she was keeping herself in the saddle quite well. It had been a source of concern for her, especially whenever Leo was directing a faster pace for their horses, where she feared her lessened grip on the reins would be a drawback. Truth be told, she barely noticed it. With the wind in her hair, chasing across the plains, she felt happy for the first time in months. Free and almost unburdened.
Then, her companions brought her back to the way things should be. Wether it was Aklen's cruel remarks, mostly done in secret, when Leo wasn't around to hear them, or Wylie's concern. Of course, the latter was significantly more appreciated. The old healer had joined their trip to Castamere despite Leo's protests, but he had proven himself to be a surprisingly capable rider. It seemed as if he had to do preciously little to get the animal to do his bidding. Where Aklen had to force his horse to move, all it took was a gentle touch from Wylie and the animal started moving, always fast enough to keep up with the sellswords, but always making it easy for the old man to remain in the saddle. And his help was certainly still needed. Though the wound itself had fully closed quite some time ago, the new skin was thin and sensitive, requiring thick bandages treated with Wylie's special mixtures, to accelerate the healing process, as he called it. What would have sounded cynical from anyone else was entirely genuine when coming from him, as Sadie had realized. It was true, she needed this old man's help, his advice and support, perhaps more than she felt comfortable with.
Right now, Wylie was riding next to Rhogarn Snow, both behind Sadie and Leo, with Aklen still behind them as the last of the five riders. The two men were talking, with Rhogarn telling the healer something about his northern home. Wylie was listening, a hand moving through his thick beard. “Hm, perhaps I should have spent more time in your North”, he admitted softly. “I've been to White Harbour once and spoke with Lord Manderly, but I never travelled farther than that”
“In another life perhaps, old man”, Rhogarn stated. “We can't be everywhere in one lifetime” Wylie smiled at this comment. “We can talk again when you're in my age”, he spoke. “But I have seen my fair share of beauty. The wonders of the east”
“That might be something I'd like to see one day”, Rhogarn admitted. “The farthest I've been was Myr and I've heard it's nothing compared to what you find beyond. What's the farthest you've ever been?” Wylie thought for a moment about this, before a dreamy look appeared in his gaze. “Yi Ti”, he said softly. “Those were happy years for me”
Rhogarn raised an eyebrow. “You have seen a lot of the world then, old man”, he admitted. “Perhaps we should continue this talk some time” Wylie nodded at this, as his gaze fell upon Sadie, who had been listening to his stories with one ear. He smiled as their glances met. “I would like that”, he spoke. “And Sadie, I had to hear your talk with Leo. If you wish to try your luck on Lord Reyne's ballroom, I, as your healer, have no medical concerns”
She smirked thinly. “You obviously haven't seen me dancing yet”, she stated. “It requires a certain grace which I just never had” With this, she looked at Leo. “No offence, I mean...” He chuckled. “Oh, it wasn't me who would have taken the dance”, he said. “I was asking... on Blane's behalf”
Sadie sighed. “You know, it does take a particular talent to ruin my mood this quickly”, she said. From behind her, Aklen's dirty chuckle filled the air. “Pretty sure the last one who made her upset this quickly was Stallhart”, he snorted. Just a few days ago, his comment would have stung, but now, Sadie reacted only with cold annoyance.
“Remind me again, what were you doing during the battle?”, she asked. “Staying behind and kicking some corpses? Or did you skip that and went straight to the point where you pissed yourself?” Aklen narrowed his eyes at her, his smile dying down in and instant, while Leo smirked. “Aklen did well during the fight”, he complimented the man. “Helped with attacking the Ironborn longships. Put pressure on them. You both did well”
The man in the back raised his hands. “Well, I got out of it a bit better though”, he snarled and gave Sadie a wink. “Just saying” Sadie groaned in frustration, as she looked at Leo again. “Will you send him away if I try a dance with Blane?”, she asked and Leo chuckled. “I am not sure which of these would be worse for you”, he stated. “Had some debts with Blane though, so I promised to ask him on your behalf”
“And you didn't want to put too much effort in it, eh?”, Sadie asked, to which he laughed. “I owed him”, he repeated. “Not enough for effort though. Trust me, I know all the tricks. Be glad there was no effort” Sadie rolled her eyes at this. “Yeah, I'm so glad”, she said quietly, her voice oozing sarcasm.
Leo gave her a wide smile. “You're feeling better again, huh?”, he asked and after a moment of thinking about it, she nodded. “Yeah...”, she replied slowly. “A bit at least. It's... nice, you know. Getting away from all this. No Blane, no Gyles. I'm worried for Melanie though, as much as she can be a pain to deal with”
“Edward is keeping an eye on her”, Leo tried to assure her. “He can be trusted” Though he was going to add something else, it was there that the gates of Castamere got opened, with horns sounding from the walls. Their presence had been noted and while they were not riding under any banner, it was clear that they were expected, for she quickly recognized the man who came to meet them. A frown appeared on her face, as Two-Face rode closer.
“Took you long enough, Hill!”, he greeted them and Leo raised a hand in return. “Good to see you as well, Waters”, he stated. “I suppose Lady Reyne is informed about our arrival?” To this, Two-Face nodded. “And she expected you hours ago”, he informed him. “Luckily, Lady Mileena is a patient woman”
“Then we shouldn't keep her waiting for much longer”, Leo decided as he and his companions followed Two-Face, riding through the gates and entering the courtyard of Castamere. It really wasn't as large as some of those Sadie had been to before, but if what Leo said was true, she was almost certain the refugees from Maybros would find some place to settle in, even if it was in one of these rumoured halls beneath the ground.
There were few people here, as she noticed. Most of them were women, or men who were either too young or too old. A land at war, as she realized, with the able-bodied all out to fight King Loren's war. The doors to the Great Hall stood open, a handful of guards in front of them. They were mustering them carefully and Leo gave Two-Face a glance. “You told her?”, he asked.
The disfigured man nodded, albeit reluctantly. “She wasn't too keen on your request”, he replied. “But I convinced her you can be trusted. You can keep your weapons, but the moment you draw them, you're a dead man” Leo raised an eyebrow. “She's a brave one, that Reyne lady”, he admitted.
“It's the Tarbeck blood in her”, Two-Face told her. “Always been a reckless line. However, your cousin convinced her to grant you only a single companion in this meeting. The rest will receive rooms and the opportunity to take a hot bath” He glanced at them, his gaze resting on Aklen in particular. “Lady Mileena has invited all of you to dinner and Seven Hells, do some of you need a bath before that”
“Hint taken”, Aklen growled. “Not like I care for the negotiations in any way. I take the bath and I really need to take a shit” Wylie stretched his back, as he gently stopped his horse. “I agree with the former”, he said. “I am too old for politics, but a bath? I doubt I can ever refuse that”, he confirmed.
With this, Sadie and Rhogarn looked at each other, then at Leo. The bearded sellsword leader shrugged. “One of you?”, he stated. “Eh, I don't really care. I'd take both of you, but Lady Reyne demands” These last words were spoken in a slightly colder tone. “Fuck her though. I leave it to you”, he said and looked at Sadie. “I wanted you with me here and you came. Can't blame you if you don't care for the politics, but figure I should give you the choice”
[Accompany Leo] I think Sadie has a better mindset when she's working/doing the serious stuff rather than relaxing.
Blane's the one with a crush on Sadie right? I think when he was introduced that he was one of the fighters you could bet on? Does Sadie genuinely dislike him or is it a situation where some of the stuff he says is just annoying to her?
Keat
Keat frowned a bit as he thought about the possibilities. “Eh, I don't like it...”, he mumbled. “But Vivielia should be the one to s… moretart with” Hishi smiled, presumably in an approving way, but Keat really couldn't tell. “A wonderful choice”, she replied. “I presume you wish to catch up with your friend?”
After a moment of silence, Keat shook his head with dedication. “I want to prevent her from leaving the city”, he spoke. “This Nicola is new to Oldtown as you said. But Viv, she's been here before, she's been here for a while and I know for a fact, she's not one to stay in one place for the rest of her life”
Hishi raised an eyebrow. “Rather fickle, that one?”, she asked, to which Keat nodded firmly. “Not what I'd call reliable, but I am hardly the least biased person around” To this, the woman chuckled slightly. “I expected that much”, she admitted, before giving him a curious glance. “Just what exactly happened between you and … [view original content]
Keat
Keat frowned a bit as he thought about the possibilities. “Eh, I don't like it...”, he mumbled. “But Vivielia should be the one to s… moretart with” Hishi smiled, presumably in an approving way, but Keat really couldn't tell. “A wonderful choice”, she replied. “I presume you wish to catch up with your friend?”
After a moment of silence, Keat shook his head with dedication. “I want to prevent her from leaving the city”, he spoke. “This Nicola is new to Oldtown as you said. But Viv, she's been here before, she's been here for a while and I know for a fact, she's not one to stay in one place for the rest of her life”
Hishi raised an eyebrow. “Rather fickle, that one?”, she asked, to which Keat nodded firmly. “Not what I'd call reliable, but I am hardly the least biased person around” To this, the woman chuckled slightly. “I expected that much”, she admitted, before giving him a curious glance. “Just what exactly happened between you and … [view original content]
Yes, you remember correctly about Blane, that's him. When it comes to Sadie's feelings about him, it is a bit more complicated. She actually reacted more positively to his advances up to the raid on Maybros, but afterwards, right in the aftermath of losing her hand, she considered it extremely distasteful by him to just continue flirting as if nothing happened. While it can be argued that she was and still isn't fully thinking straight, Blane's timing is definitely terrible, giving her a reason perhaps not to dislike him, but to be quite annoyed by his behaviour. So, I'd say she isn't actively hating him or anything, but at the very moment, she has way more important issues to face than to deal with a man crushing on her, so he's getting on her already stressed nerves. However, we haven't actually seen Blane in Book 2 yet, so it remains to be seen if he has realized this by now and changed his behaviour towards her accordingly.
[Accompany Leo] I think Sadie has a better mindset when she's working/doing the serious stuff rather than relaxing.
Blane's the one with … morea crush on Sadie right? I think when he was introduced that he was one of the fighters you could bet on? Does Sadie genuinely dislike him or is it a situation where some of the stuff he says is just annoying to her?
[Leave Erik at the brothel] We work alone. The heist part is later.
[Let Rhogarn accompany Leo] Must be clean. Must take bath.
Keat sighed. “I... uh, kinda stole from her”, he revealed, to which Lanford rolled his eyes. Hishi however seemed amused by this new piece of information. “Will you be insulted when I imply that I am hardly surprised?”, she asked and Keat briefly reciprocated her expression, before becoming more dour again. “Well, I stole from her the morning after we... well”
I do wonder what ol' Keat stole. I'm sure it'll be mentioned, but I am certainly curious.
Keat
Keat frowned a bit as he thought about the possibilities. “Eh, I don't like it...”, he mumbled. “But Vivielia should be the one to s… moretart with” Hishi smiled, presumably in an approving way, but Keat really couldn't tell. “A wonderful choice”, she replied. “I presume you wish to catch up with your friend?”
After a moment of silence, Keat shook his head with dedication. “I want to prevent her from leaving the city”, he spoke. “This Nicola is new to Oldtown as you said. But Viv, she's been here before, she's been here for a while and I know for a fact, she's not one to stay in one place for the rest of her life”
Hishi raised an eyebrow. “Rather fickle, that one?”, she asked, to which Keat nodded firmly. “Not what I'd call reliable, but I am hardly the least biased person around” To this, the woman chuckled slightly. “I expected that much”, she admitted, before giving him a curious glance. “Just what exactly happened between you and … [view original content]
Keat
Keat frowned a bit as he thought about the possibilities. “Eh, I don't like it...”, he mumbled. “But Vivielia should be the one to s… moretart with” Hishi smiled, presumably in an approving way, but Keat really couldn't tell. “A wonderful choice”, she replied. “I presume you wish to catch up with your friend?”
After a moment of silence, Keat shook his head with dedication. “I want to prevent her from leaving the city”, he spoke. “This Nicola is new to Oldtown as you said. But Viv, she's been here before, she's been here for a while and I know for a fact, she's not one to stay in one place for the rest of her life”
Hishi raised an eyebrow. “Rather fickle, that one?”, she asked, to which Keat nodded firmly. “Not what I'd call reliable, but I am hardly the least biased person around” To this, the woman chuckled slightly. “I expected that much”, she admitted, before giving him a curious glance. “Just what exactly happened between you and … [view original content]
Keat
Keat frowned a bit as he thought about the possibilities. “Eh, I don't like it...”, he mumbled. “But Vivielia should be the one to s… moretart with” Hishi smiled, presumably in an approving way, but Keat really couldn't tell. “A wonderful choice”, she replied. “I presume you wish to catch up with your friend?”
After a moment of silence, Keat shook his head with dedication. “I want to prevent her from leaving the city”, he spoke. “This Nicola is new to Oldtown as you said. But Viv, she's been here before, she's been here for a while and I know for a fact, she's not one to stay in one place for the rest of her life”
Hishi raised an eyebrow. “Rather fickle, that one?”, she asked, to which Keat nodded firmly. “Not what I'd call reliable, but I am hardly the least biased person around” To this, the woman chuckled slightly. “I expected that much”, she admitted, before giving him a curious glance. “Just what exactly happened between you and … [view original content]
[Take Erik with you] Oldtown is a dangerous place (and I suppose that is wise start to make the members of the A team cooperate)
[Accompany Leo] It give us a more interesting read
RT: 1)Wow Keat,not only you steal from the lockpicker but you even do that after that! You really are full of surprises! 2) So the guy that has a partnership with Hishi and want part of the McGuffin is so dangerous that even know his identity make people have nightmares...now I'm really curious to learn his identity 3) We see a little more of Hishi's brothel,meet a new character and see Erik be Erik,nice 4) Wow,even after months we see only now Sadie's PoV start it storyline for this chapter ! 5) Finally we see again Castamere (but we will have to wait still a little for meet the Reynes) 6) It seems that Sadie is recovering from her wounds 7)Am I wrong or we have some PoV's that still have to start it storyline for this chapter? (Probably Willfred)
Keat
Keat frowned a bit as he thought about the possibilities. “Eh, I don't like it...”, he mumbled. “But Vivielia should be the one to s… moretart with” Hishi smiled, presumably in an approving way, but Keat really couldn't tell. “A wonderful choice”, she replied. “I presume you wish to catch up with your friend?”
After a moment of silence, Keat shook his head with dedication. “I want to prevent her from leaving the city”, he spoke. “This Nicola is new to Oldtown as you said. But Viv, she's been here before, she's been here for a while and I know for a fact, she's not one to stay in one place for the rest of her life”
Hishi raised an eyebrow. “Rather fickle, that one?”, she asked, to which Keat nodded firmly. “Not what I'd call reliable, but I am hardly the least biased person around” To this, the woman chuckled slightly. “I expected that much”, she admitted, before giving him a curious glance. “Just what exactly happened between you and … [view original content]
Yes, you remember correctly about Blane, that's him. When it comes to Sadie's feelings about him, it is a bit more complicated. She actually… more reacted more positively to his advances up to the raid on Maybros, but afterwards, right in the aftermath of losing her hand, she considered it extremely distasteful by him to just continue flirting as if nothing happened. While it can be argued that she was and still isn't fully thinking straight, Blane's timing is definitely terrible, giving her a reason perhaps not to dislike him, but to be quite annoyed by his behaviour. So, I'd say she isn't actively hating him or anything, but at the very moment, she has way more important issues to face than to deal with a man crushing on her, so he's getting on her already stressed nerves. However, we haven't actually seen Blane in Book 2 yet, so it remains to be seen if he has realized this by now and changed his behaviour towards her accordingly.
Keat
Keat frowned a bit as he thought about the possibilities. “Eh, I don't like it...”, he mumbled. “But Vivielia should be the one to s… moretart with” Hishi smiled, presumably in an approving way, but Keat really couldn't tell. “A wonderful choice”, she replied. “I presume you wish to catch up with your friend?”
After a moment of silence, Keat shook his head with dedication. “I want to prevent her from leaving the city”, he spoke. “This Nicola is new to Oldtown as you said. But Viv, she's been here before, she's been here for a while and I know for a fact, she's not one to stay in one place for the rest of her life”
Hishi raised an eyebrow. “Rather fickle, that one?”, she asked, to which Keat nodded firmly. “Not what I'd call reliable, but I am hardly the least biased person around” To this, the woman chuckled slightly. “I expected that much”, she admitted, before giving him a curious glance. “Just what exactly happened between you and … [view original content]
I do wonder what ol' Keat stole. I'm sure it'll be mentioned, but I am certainly curious.
It will be mentioned indeed, because Vivielia has not forgotten. Actually, it isn't anything too wild though, the issue she has is mostly that he stole from her before she was able to steal from him. It is actually kinda petty, because if Keat can be believed, she had planned to do the exact same thing, but more will definitely be revealed in the next chapter, which is where she'll be introduced
[Leave Erik at the brothel] We work alone. The heist part is later.
[Let Rhogarn accompany Leo] Must be clean. Must take bath.
Keat… more sighed. “I... uh, kinda stole from her”, he revealed, to which Lanford rolled his eyes. Hishi however seemed amused by this new piece of information. “Will you be insulted when I imply that I am hardly surprised?”, she asked and Keat briefly reciprocated her expression, before becoming more dour again. “Well, I stole from her the morning after we... well”
I do wonder what ol' Keat stole. I'm sure it'll be mentioned, but I am certainly curious.
1)Wow Keat,not only you steal from the lockpicker but you even do that after that! You really are full of surprises!
At the same time, it could be said that he is exactly as one would think when thinking about a man with the nickname "Trickster". There might be honour among thieves in some cases, but when Keat really wants something, the thieves code is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules.
2) So the guy that has a partnership with Hishi and want part of the McGuffin is so dangerous that even know his identity make people have nightmares...now I'm really curious to learn his identity
Well, his identity isn't what's causing the nightmares for Lanford, it's more the stuff he is implied to be capable of. Since it is mentioned that Lanford and Joshawa did research in Wulvren's personal library, magic might be involved and for a man as grounded in reality as Lanford, who has never met something he cannot fight nor understand, any sort of magic could easily be unsettling on its own.
3) We see a little more of Hishi's brothel,meet a new character and see Erik be Erik,nice
Aye, slowly fleshing out the brothel and the characters in it, that is one of the goals I have for this. Erik meanwhile, he can be a bit of a jerk. I wouldn't say he's too bad, but he has some huge trust issues and Keat, being a thief and all, isn't exactly the company he'd consider trustworthy.
4) Wow,even after months we see only now Sadie's PoV start it storyline for this chapter !
Yeah, this chapter has dragged on for too long with the introductions. I realized, the issue lies in me writing longer one-PoV parts. The key to fasten the pace is putting two PoV's in one part as often as possible and that is what I am going to do. There will be exceptions obviously, big and important parts and the like, but the extended length limit allows me to put two PoV's in one part consistently, which will also mean longer parts in general. Be assured, I aim to finish this chapter in the next two months at latest.
5) Finally we see again Castamere (but we will have to wait still a little for meet the Reynes)
I originally even planned to show the Reyne's here, but then I came up with a possible alternative storyline for Sadie and I wanted to put this choice in there. We'll see the Reyne family regardless of which choice will win, but one is obviously going to introduce Mileena a bit earlier than the other.
6) It seems that Sadie is recovering from her wounds
Slowly, ever so slowly. She still has miles to go, but she's in the right direction. There will be good days, there will be bad days, this one's a good day. But just because she isn't constantly depressed doesn't mean she's all recovered again, as several moments in this chapter will show.
7)Am I wrong or we have some PoV's that still have to start it storyline for this chapter? (Probably Willfred)
You are right, Willfred is the last PoV who still has to start his storyline for the chapter. I feel bad that it's always Willfred, especially as he is intended to have one of the most important storylines of the chapter, but the reason for that is that he is intended to interact with Petyr in his first part, who in turn was kinda preoccupied with being a part of Jenna's storyline so far. But be assured, he will appear soon and he will have a sizeable storyline in this chapter
[Take Erik with you] Oldtown is a dangerous place (and I suppose that is wise start to make the members of the A team cooperate)
[Accompa… moreny Leo] It give us a more interesting read
RT:
1)Wow Keat,not only you steal from the lockpicker but you even do that after that! You really are full of surprises!
2) So the guy that has a partnership with Hishi and want part of the McGuffin is so dangerous that even know his identity make people have nightmares...now I'm really curious to learn his identity
3) We see a little more of Hishi's brothel,meet a new character and see Erik be Erik,nice
4) Wow,even after months we see only now Sadie's PoV start it storyline for this chapter !
5) Finally we see again Castamere (but we will have to wait still a little for meet the Reynes)
6) It seems that Sadie is recovering from her wounds
7)Am I wrong or we have some PoV's that still have to start it storyline for this chapter? (Probably Willfred)
[Take Erik with you] Like others have brought up, we know very well by now that Oldtown can be very dangerous, and Keat has extra reason to be cautious. Not only can Erik protect Keat if he gets attacked on the streets, but even more importantly he can confirm to whomever would bother them that Keat is under Hishi's protection, which should be enough for most people to leave them alone. And as a bonus, we'll probably get some entertaining interaction between Keat and Erik
Hm, so from what I gather this person that Hishi is working with is connected to some kind of dark magic. I mean, first of all he wants this box that is clearly connected to the one from Raylansfair's archive, and we've already learned that the relic in that one had some powerful magic to it. Secondly, Lanford says he did research on this man with Maester Wulvren's books, and Wulvren was the archmaester of magic. Now, I could see this man being Nain Anturion for example, or perhaps Lupin, but I also have another idea whom it could be, but I won't go into detail about that for now, because my assumption is based on info that hasn't been revealed in the story yet
[Accompany Leo] I was going to vote other option first, but now that I think about it, perhaps it would be good for Sadie to get more involved with this kind of stuff, since obviously she won't be making much of a career as a fighter anymore. So, maybe she could become a diplomat of sorts, idk
Keat
Keat frowned a bit as he thought about the possibilities. “Eh, I don't like it...”, he mumbled. “But Vivielia should be the one to s… moretart with” Hishi smiled, presumably in an approving way, but Keat really couldn't tell. “A wonderful choice”, she replied. “I presume you wish to catch up with your friend?”
After a moment of silence, Keat shook his head with dedication. “I want to prevent her from leaving the city”, he spoke. “This Nicola is new to Oldtown as you said. But Viv, she's been here before, she's been here for a while and I know for a fact, she's not one to stay in one place for the rest of her life”
Hishi raised an eyebrow. “Rather fickle, that one?”, she asked, to which Keat nodded firmly. “Not what I'd call reliable, but I am hardly the least biased person around” To this, the woman chuckled slightly. “I expected that much”, she admitted, before giving him a curious glance. “Just what exactly happened between you and … [view original content]
Hm, so from what I gather this person that Hishi is working with is connected to some kind of dark magic. I mean, first of all he wants this box that is clearly connected to the one from Raylansfair's archive, and we've already learned that the relic in that one had some powerful magic to it. Secondly, Lanford says he did research on this man with Maester Wulvren's books, and Wulvren was the archmaester of magic. Now, I could see this man being Nain Anturion for example, or perhaps Lupin, but I also have another idea whom it could be, but I won't go into detail about that for now, because my assumption is based on info that hasn't been revealed in the story yet
Very interesting speculation there. You bring up some good points, this mysterious box Hishi and this ally want to steal could very likely be related to the one currently in Willfred's possession. Magic in general is involved, likely with the box, even more likely with Hishi's ally. Of course, Lanford is not all-knowing, but he did actual research on the topic and together with Joshawa, he found out some stuff he actually would have preferred not to know in that much detail. We'll see if it is truly connected to Hishi's ally. The identity of this ally is also going to be revealed, but this is something for later. You have some nice guesses there and while I obviously cannot comment on them for too much, let's just say I expected you to come to that conclusion here
[Take Erik with you] Like others have brought up, we know very well by now that Oldtown can be very dangerous, and Keat has extra reason to … morebe cautious. Not only can Erik protect Keat if he gets attacked on the streets, but even more importantly he can confirm to whomever would bother them that Keat is under Hishi's protection, which should be enough for most people to leave them alone. And as a bonus, we'll probably get some entertaining interaction between Keat and Erik
Hm, so from what I gather this person that Hishi is working with is connected to some kind of dark magic. I mean, first of all he wants this box that is clearly connected to the one from Raylansfair's archive, and we've already learned that the relic in that one had some powerful magic to it. Secondly, Lanford says he did research on this man with Maester Wulvren's books, and Wulvren was the archmaester of magic. Now, I could see this man being Nain Anturion for example,… [view original content]
Keat
Keat frowned a bit as he thought about the possibilities. “Eh, I don't like it...”, he mumbled. “But Vivielia should be the one to s… moretart with” Hishi smiled, presumably in an approving way, but Keat really couldn't tell. “A wonderful choice”, she replied. “I presume you wish to catch up with your friend?”
After a moment of silence, Keat shook his head with dedication. “I want to prevent her from leaving the city”, he spoke. “This Nicola is new to Oldtown as you said. But Viv, she's been here before, she's been here for a while and I know for a fact, she's not one to stay in one place for the rest of her life”
Hishi raised an eyebrow. “Rather fickle, that one?”, she asked, to which Keat nodded firmly. “Not what I'd call reliable, but I am hardly the least biased person around” To this, the woman chuckled slightly. “I expected that much”, she admitted, before giving him a curious glance. “Just what exactly happened between you and … [view original content]
Keat
Keat frowned a bit as he thought about the possibilities. “Eh, I don't like it...”, he mumbled. “But Vivielia should be the one to s… moretart with” Hishi smiled, presumably in an approving way, but Keat really couldn't tell. “A wonderful choice”, she replied. “I presume you wish to catch up with your friend?”
After a moment of silence, Keat shook his head with dedication. “I want to prevent her from leaving the city”, he spoke. “This Nicola is new to Oldtown as you said. But Viv, she's been here before, she's been here for a while and I know for a fact, she's not one to stay in one place for the rest of her life”
Hishi raised an eyebrow. “Rather fickle, that one?”, she asked, to which Keat nodded firmly. “Not what I'd call reliable, but I am hardly the least biased person around” To this, the woman chuckled slightly. “I expected that much”, she admitted, before giving him a curious glance. “Just what exactly happened between you and … [view original content]
Well, those were choices that, while probably not too huge on the consequences, will lead to some interesting differences, this I can say already. Keat and Erik might not become super best friends anytime soon, but working together early on is likely to have a positive effect on their rather forced partnership. Meanwhile, when it comes to Sadie, this choice mostly means I get to show Mileena Reyne a bit earlier than it would have been the case otherwise She might also learn something important, as Leo will make some hard negotiations with Mileena, something that won't be easy for either party here.
The next part will be out today. I am currently writing an Irae part and there is a 50% chance I'll manage to include a second PoV, which will be Jaron's. If not, then Jaron will appear in the next part, with another PoV, most likely Garthon. I also got a little announcement to make first. Namely, I will be gone for exactly a week, starting with the coming Wednesday, as I will visit my grandfather for the easter celebrations. His upstairs neighbour told me last time there is supposed to be wi-fi I can use, but he is not particularly skilled with all that tech stuff, so I would not exactly count on it. If it happens, great, in that case there won't be any sort of break for the story. If not, I'll let you know and you can expect the next part to arrive when I return (likely with several other parts pre-written and stuff like that). I'll remain active regardless, but being limited to my phone and atrocious mobile internet will be different from a laptop and proper wi-fi. But I will release another part right before leaving on Wednesday, means the current voting won't be open as long as usual.
So, last time we saw Irae was also the first time we saw her. You remember her, the apprentice warlock from Qarth, who underwent a ritual with her mentor, Moros Qo Malxis. In this ritual, she saw a mysterious figure, apparently a spirit, calling itself "The Blood Witch", a being who is in league with the Dothraki Khal Rhavarro, also known as the Witch Khal. The Blood Witch, an ancient enemy of the Warlock order, demanded a specific girl from Qarth, going by the name of Naela Orlatis, daughter of the largest fur trader in the entire city, for reasons that are currently unknown. In return for Irae delivering her this girl, she would spare Qarth from the wrath of Rhavarro's massive Khalasar. When informing Moros about this vision, he reacted with concern, taking this very seriously. He adviced Irae to follow the Blood Witch's demand for now and Irae decided to approach Naela with the intention to win her trust in order to essentially lure her to the Blood Witch. Meanwhile, Jaron's part will deal with his experiences in Lys. Last time he got a part, he arrived there, truly stunned at the foreign beauty of the city, so completely unlike anything he had ever seen and likely even stretching the things he thought possible. He and John chose to split up and though you chose for him to take Temari with him instead of Samuel, I screwed up and got the choice wrong in John's part, means this is the first and only time I had to overrule one of your choices, albeit completely by accident. So, this part will show Jaron and Samuel teaming up and I know many of you wanted Jaron/Temari, I can only say that I am sorry again and then move on to deliver hopefully still enjoyable interactions between Jaron and Samuel, as they move to find and hopefully recruit Ayden's brother, Arryn.
And the part is here at last. Unfortunately, there was no room for Jaron's PoV this time, but I can assure you that he will be seen next. The second PoV in the next part is, by the way and against my previous statement, not going to be Garthon, but Ysilla, as I noticed she had a longer wait. For now, this part is all Irae and I hope you'll enjoy it
Irae
“I don't feel well, tricking the girl”, Irae admitted, as she stood in front of the House of the Undying. She never considered the building itself worthy of the power the warlocks commanded, nor appropriate of the respect they deserved. It had been a ruin for as long as she could remember. Ancient it was, a dusty, grey palace, long and low, without windows or towers, lacking any sort of ornate decorations. A palace of dust, as slander on the streets had it, though never when the warlocks were near.
Moros rolled his eyes at her remark, his blue, wrinkled lips tightening. “Your concern for the girl is misplaced”, he told her. “It is us you should be worried about, you and me and the Order of Warlocks, if the Blood Witch does not get what she wants. Besides, remember it has been you who chose this path” He raised a thin finger. “Choices breed consequences”
Irae sighed. “I am not so sure I even had a choice”, she brought up. “The rest is... too risky. Forcing her, that is not my style. Besides, I doubt she is without protection. The last we need is unwanted attraction. And straight up telling her... I don't think she has enough respect for me to take my word”
“It is because you are not a full warlock yet”, Moros reminded her. “Once you have given yourself to the Order, to the Undying Ones, the world will see a different you, one that deserves their respect, one that commands their fear” Irae nodded, though she narrowed her eyes at his remark. “And when will that be?”, she asked sharply. “I have dedicated my entire life to the Order”
Moros raised an eyebrow. “And how many years would that be?”, he asked. “Two decades? I know men who have spent twice this amount without ever receiving the honours. You have served us a very long time, young Irae, but you have yet to serve your purpose” His bony hand rested on her shoulder. “Follow the Blood Witch's demand and maybe we will consider you worthy at last”
With these words, he handed her a satchel, which Irae only briefly inspected. “Will this heal him?”, she asked and Moros nodded. “It will”, he promised. “If his illness isn't magical in nature, this should help him recover. Neutralizes poison as well, if his rivals are truly behind this”
“Rivals?”, Irae asked and Moros' smile was a crooked mockery of genuine joy. “Perhaps you have already spent too much of your youth behind these walls”, he said. “Of course, my own time among the younglings of Qarth is long over, but I have my sources” He narrowed his eyes. “Kareq Orlatis is an enemy of the Tourmaline Brotherhood”, he explained. “The Thirteen back him, of course, for they enjoy the misery of their Brotherhood rivals and this gives him an edge. They wage war over something as trivial as fur and Kareq, he is winning”
Irae glanced at Moros' dusty, black robe and she kept her thought to herself, for the old warlock was unlikely to know much about good fur. Well, neither did she, but she could at least imagine the value. “So you think he might have been poisoned?”, she asked and Moros shrugged. “I never assume what I don't know for certain”, he spoke. “But it is a possibility. It doesn't matter. This will help”
“Good”, Irae gave in. “Thank you, Moros” The old man took a step back from her. “You will not disappoint”, he stated mildly, before he turned around. “Return once you have won the girl's trust and you will receive further orders. I shall arrange passage out of Qarth”
“Not by sea, I hope”, Irae brought up and Moros chuckled, a hoarsy noise that quickly turned into coughs. “There is a ship's captain in debt to the warlocks”, he revealed, something that caused Irae to sigh. “Figures”, she mumbled, before she stood firm in the presence of the ancient warlock. “Whatever you deem best”
Moros nodded silently, while Irae turned around, to the dark alley that led to the main street of Qarth. The House of the Undying was located in the middle of a small grove, filled with black-barked and blue-leaved trees. None dared to build close to the warlocks and as such, it was a small refuge in the middle of the Queen of Cities.
She knew there were some who found it unsettling to walk among these trees, their hungry leaves eating the sunlight, making it a gloomy twilight beneath even on the brightest of days. Irae however always considered the darkness relaxing, putting her mind at ease even in stressful times. Right now, she needed this more than ever. There was not a single ounce of her that enjoyed having to trick Naela, but it was an absolute necessity. Moros had told her preciously little about the Blood Witch, but what she had seen with her own eyes was enough to convince her of the urgency. For Qarth, for the warlocks, even for herself. Yet the only thing she remained unconvinced of was if following the Blood Witch's order was truly the right approach. After all, she had no idea what kind of a power Naela would grant the wraith, should they ever meet.
As always, Irae barely noticed that she had reached the end of the path. Twisted by warlock magic, it was more than the straight, short path it appeared to be, but she knew the secret of passing it. There were others, as some of the older warlocks said, who were lost forever beneath the blue leaves.
The heat hit her. While the lack of sunlight caused a refreshing coldness beneath the trees, stepping out of them reminded her that the Queen of Cities was located near the red waste. Hot and merciless, the sun burned down and Irae frowned at it. Though she had ways to prevent a sunburn, she could not deny that her pale skin was aching, while the bright light wasn't something she was used to in the darkness of the House of the Undying.
Shielding her eyes for a moment, she stepped into the streets, past the small wall that separated the warlocks' palace from the rest of the city. The Qartheen presented themselves to her in all their colours. Despite the sunlight, most of them were pale and remarkably tall, often slender, clad in linen and samite, the richer among them in tiger furs. There were others of course, but they could easily be distinguished from the natives by their darker skin, be it the faint olive of the people from Yi Ti, the teak of the Lengii, or the dark amber of the Ghiscari, often bringing their own ornate garments with them to mingle with the Qartheen.
It was a lavish city, the sort that screamed its wealth out for the world to see and standing here, outside of her home, Irae felt barely fitting. It wasn't fitting for a warlock to mingle with lesser beings, even the attempt of impressing them was frowned upon among her companions. As such, Irae wore not the Qartheen dress so favoured by the highborn women of her city, but a plain, beaded robe. That she wasn't frowned upon in this rich part of the city was solely because people knew her, they knew whom her masters were.
Two men on camelback crossed her path, entering one of the smaller streets, but aside from them, none dared. In fact, she had the feeling they instinctively made room for her, as she walked among them, in the middle of the streets. Other warlocks were relishing in the attention they received her, though Irae always felt a bit odd at their fear, for she meant them no harm.
On another day, perhaps in another life, she would have taken the time to marvel at the sheer wealth displayed so readily. Women, clad in finest silk and fur, with golden rings around their necks and through their ears. Men carrying cloaks made out of tiger fur, walls displaying the bright colours of their respective owners, the noble families of Qarth and their respective allegiance to one of the Qartheen guilds.
Kareq Orlatis' manor was among the more impressive. Build on one of the central squares of Qarth, it was close to the fur market, possibly closer to it than the headquarters of the Torumaline Brotherhood. And right as she laid eyes on it, Irae knew that getting anyone out of there would be a harder task than she feared. After all, who would leave such a palace by their own free will? It was a large building, four stories high. A set of stairs led up to a row of columns, supporting a closed balcony with narrow, high-arched windows. The flat roof was bathed in the sun and palm trees grow in the front yard, around two small fountains.
Slave guards stood watch in front of the manor, tall and broad-shouldered men from the Summer Islands, their helmets closed, with tusks spouting from the steel and long, black plumes. Irae counted half a dozen of them in front of the building alone, holding spears in one hand and small shields in the other. Undoubtedly, there were more inside, probably even watching the streets from the windows.
At first, the slaves guards paid her no mind as she crossed the large square, past the merchants that had put up their wares here, for the wealthy of Qarth to see. None tried to offer their goods to Irae though and even the most cheerful of merchants became serious the moment he saw her. A warlock outside their palace meant business and only fools dared to disturb them.
As she came closer though, she noticed the men tensing up. They weren't Unsullied, but mere slaves, probably trained to kill, but not fearless. And they weren't stupid enough to not fear her, as she approached them. Neither did they point their weapons at her though. Instead, they only slowly narrowed their eyes, moving closer together, to block her from outright entering the mansion.
“Halt, warlock”, one of them said, his voice muffled beneath the helmet. “State your business at the manor of Kareq Orlatis” Irae raised an eyebrow. “Move aside, slave”, she said in a determined, cold tone. “Lady Naela asked for my aid in the case of your master's condition. Move aside, or you might be at fault for his death”
This had the intended effect. The slave grew visibly nervous at the implication and the grip around his spear weakened. “Lady Naela is inside”, he stated, his voice stressed, while another guard glanced at him. “We have to check her for weapons”, he reminded his fellow slave, a remark that caused Irae to smirk. “Go ahead, try to remove my weapons”, she spoke coldly and the slave stopped, before letting out a sigh. “Might not be necessary with this one”, he spoke, while another shook his head. “This is one of the warlocks”, he hissed, taking a slight bow in front of Irae. “Allow me to lead you inside”
She accepted this gesture, as the slaves made way for her, with the one speaking taking the lead, up the stairs and towards the large, wooden door. It stood open already, as if she had been expected, leading through the gate and below the balcony into a spacious inner courtyard.
From a corner, a well-dressed slave with olive skin approached, his hands folded behind his back. He had a questioning look on his face and the two men exchanged a few words in a fast-paced foreign language. For a moment, the man looked at her, tilting his head a bit, before nodding and hurrying into the main building. The slave guard waited for a moment, before signalling Irae to follow.
They had barely crossed the courtyard, as the door got opened again. This time, the one who walked through it was a woman Irae recognized by now. A tall beauty, fair-skinned and with brown hair and eyes. As it was fashion with the Qartheen, her dress was quite revealing, leaving bare one of her breasts and being generally form-fitting. The fabric was fine, as expected from the daughter of the Prince of Furs, consisting of silk and a lion's mane at the collar and around the shoulder.
There was relief on Naela Orlatis' face, even a slight smile, though she raised an eyebrow in a cocky way. “Finally, a warlock”, she said. “I sought help from your order days ago. Wasn't sure when you'd come, if you have a list or something like that. Actually, I wasn't sure if you'd come at all” She paused for a moment, before extending her hand. “Ah, where are my manners. The name is Naela. Naela Orlatis”
Irae gave her a nod, realizing that the young woman wasn't staring, a rarity given her eyes and hair. She must be truly desperate to get her father healed and Irae came to this conclusion not only because she had sought help from the warlocks to begin with. “I know”, she said. “We have met before”
Now, Naela narrowed her eyes, before placing a hand on her forehead. “Of course, you're right”, she said. “You're the one I brought this up to. Glad you were able to come, really” Irae did not reciprocate the smile, though she placed a hand on her chest. “My name is Irae Caleris”, she spoke. “And I was sent by the Order of Warlocks to heal your father, for a price”
If the girl was surprised, she did a fine job in hiding it. “A price was never mentioned”, she spoke and now, Irae smiled. “Mylady, in this world few things are ever truly free. A warlock's medicine certainly isn't among them”, she explained and instantly, Naela nodded. “Whatever it is, I will pay”, she promised. “Once my father is healed” Then, a slight look of distrust, the expression Irae had come to know and spot with ease, appeared on her face. “What kind of a price is it though?”, she asked. “It's not something creepy, eh? Like my monthly blood, or my firstborn child, that'd be unsettling”
Briefly and almost involuntarily, a smile flashed across Irae's face. “Nothing like that”, she assured her. “Occasionally, warlocks have need for the mundane” This seemed to put the girl at ease. “If it is coin, you'll find plenty here”, she stated, as she glanced at Irae's dress. “Albeit my father might agree to pay you in fabric. If you don't mind me saying, you warlocks could do well with a change of clothes” Instantly, she raised both of her hands. “No offence though”
“None taken”, Irae assured her. “I doubt it will be fabrics though. The price is for my superiors in the order to decide and I doubt they'll be inclined to agree with you” To this, Naela shook her head. “Proper attire isn't something to debate about”, she claimed. “You either look your absolute best at all times, or you don't put enough effort into it”
Irae smirked at her and she noticed that this surprised the girl. “I don't think I have ever seen a smiling warlock”, she admitted and Irae shrugged. “You don't know much about our order”, she claimed and Naela gave her a deep look. “Yeah, I bet there's countless warlock jokes I've never heard about. Real jesters in your palace of dust, I bet”, she replied and Irae's smirk widened. This girl amused her. And this sent a sharp sting of regret through her for what she intended to do. At least she could help her father, maybe that'd balance things out a bit.
“So, how is he doing?”, she asked and Naela sighed. “He is stable”, he claimed. “Running a fever the past few weeks, but it hasn't gotten worse from when he returned from his journey” Irae put a hand onto her satchel. “Can you tell me what happened?”, she asked and Naela nodded. “I can”, she said. “Inside”
She turned around and Irae followed, accompanied by the well-dressed slave. Naela led her into the manor and she had to admit, the interior fit perfectly with the lavish exterior. The hallway she entered was panelled with teak, the walls covered in fur, ranging from bears, to tigers, to zorses, as well as paintings.
Briefly, the girl stopped in front of one of them. It depicted a man, tall and muscled. His moustache was thick, dangling down below his lower jaw, while his hair showed a hint of grey already. One hand was holding onto a longbow, the other was resting on the shoulder of a young girl with brown hair and eyes.
“That's him”, Naela said softly. “In better days” She sighed and Irae briefly raised a hand behind her back, as if to comfort her, before lowering it again. This was one of these moments she had not been prepared for. Tricking the girl into liking her sounded so easy in Moros' words, but what if she started to feel sympathy for the girl? It was in this moment, as she heard the pained sigh from Naela's throat that she knew, she would do her best to prevent the Blood Witch from harming her.
“What happened to your father?”, she asked again and Naela looked back at the painting. “They say it was a pirate attack”, she hissed. “An arrow to the gut, but his vest saved his life. Our healers treated the wound, managed to close it, but he has been bed-ridden ever since. The fever came and went by and then it came back, but I think it is slowly getting worse...”
Irae paused for a second. “They say it was a pirate attack”, she repeated Naela's words. “You don't believe them?” The girl shook her head. “The Tourmaline Brotherhood”, she growled, her voice showing anger for a moment. “A bunch of cutthroats, jealous of my father's success. Pirates are among their ranks, so is it truly that far fetched?”
“I am afraid I don't know enough about your guilds to say this with certainty”, Irae admitted. “But it does not matter. What I have been given will help him back on his feet, my master assured me of this” She raised a finger. “Unless magic is involved”
This seemed to catch Naela off guard. “I thought magic is precisely your strength”, she stated and Irae shook her head. “It isn't all that easy”, she tried to explain, even if she had to admit, the topic was difficult to fully comprehend even for her, after studying it for her entire life. “We assume a mundane injury, maybe a mundane illness as a result of it, perhaps simple poison if your suspicion is correct. But magic requires a wholly different approach and in the end, it is mostly a test of raw strength between the two mages”
The Fur Princess gulped. “You... are a powerful mage, are you not?”, she asked and Irae smiled, in an attempt to calm her down. “If my skills are not enough, I shall call for my mentor, the wise Moros Qo Malxis. You won't find a warlock of greater skill in all Essos”
She wasn't so certain if Naela truly believed her, but it wasn't too far away from the truth. Moros was powerful, albeit healing had never been among the skills she had seen from him. “Then you should start thinking about your price”, Naela stated. “There is nothing I'd refuse”
Irae gave her a warning look. “You can tell me”, she spoke. “But be careful with such statements in the future. There are people in this city who will abuse this, taking everything you have and more” She shook her head. “I think it is time. Bring me to your father and I will see what I can do for him”
Naela gulped. “Thanks for the warning”, she admitted. “Uh, this might be awkward right now, but before we meet my father, would you care for some refreshments? Water, wine, some fruit, that stuff. He always gets mad when I'm not courteous to guests” Irae raised an eyebrow. “Do we have time for that?”, she asked.
To this, the girl nodded affirmatively. “I... I think so. It's not as if he's dying in this very moment”, she explained. “His condition is stable, he might even be awake at this time and...” She sighed. “Listen, I don't know. He's the one usually dealing with guests, so I'm trying to do things the way he would, as if I'd be the head of the family and you just a normal guest and not... you”, she admitted, slightly stuttering as she said this and the mask of confidence she had surrounded herself with revealed more than just a few cracks. It was a wonder that she did not cry, especially for a Qartheen highborn.
Irae could feel her concern, the hint of insecurity and in a way, she almost envied her for it, for this pure love she had for her father. It was clear that Naela wanted him to get better as quickly as possible. After all, she had been desperate enough to call the warlocks for help. But at the same time, she had just given out this invitation. Winning the girl's trust was the primary objective, even above healing her father and this could be a chance. At least it might be impolite, but proper etiquette was not something she learned with the warlocks. Tensing up, Irae gave Naela a smile, as she thought on how to answer.
[Accept Naela's invitation][Insist on seeing Kareq first]
[Accept Naela's invitation] while fraternizing would increase her empathy for the girl, she needs to earn her trust in some way. Dang it you forget how unusual and opulent is this city in comparison to the rest of the world, and is also interesting to know Qarth didn't gain its current glory until after the Valyrians were gone. That and the fact Dothraki destroyed all other Qaathi settlements and drove them behind their triple walls.
Even though Irae has only had two parts, I'm already in love with the storyline. Qarth is just such a fascinating location. I hope more exotic locations will start popping up in the story soon.
[Accept Naela's invitation] This should give Irea a chance to get to know Naela a bit better, and perhaps build some trust. I do feel bad for tricking her, but at least it's good to know that Irea doesn't intend to let the Blood Witch hurt Naela. Not sure if she'll truly be able to prevent that, but at least her heart is in the right place.
And like others already brought up, Qarth is a very interesting location, and while it for now feels very distant from the rest of the story (though I can kinda see the links between them already), it doesn't even bother me because the place is so darn fascinating Century of Blood was quite a turning point for Qarth, on one hand pretty much all of their outer settlements were destroyed by the Dothraki (though I suppose they were sort of dying out anyway thanks to the Red Waste), but on the other hand they got a complete naval hegemony on the eastern Summer Sea thanks to the Valyrian fleet being destroyed and Volantis concentrating on their wars with the other Free Cities. I wonder if this time period was when all these merchant guilds truly rose to power, and the Purebloods' power declined. It would make sense, since the power the city has now is so dependent on trade. Anyway, perhaps that's enough rambling about Qarth and its history, I've just been thinking about it alot recently while making plans for TAoS Great part, I'm really looking forward to how this storyline will unfold!
And the part is here at last. Unfortunately, there was no room for Jaron's PoV this time, but I can assure you that he will be seen next. Th… moree second PoV in the next part is, by the way and against my previous statement, not going to be Garthon, but Ysilla, as I noticed she had a longer wait. For now, this part is all Irae and I hope you'll enjoy it
Irae
“I don't feel well, tricking the girl”, Irae admitted, as she stood in front of the House of the Undying. She never considered the building itself worthy of the power the warlocks commanded, nor appropriate of the respect they deserved. It had been a ruin for as long as she could remember. Ancient it was, a dusty, grey palace, long and low, without windows or towers, lacking any sort of ornate decorations. A palace of dust, as slander on the streets had it, though never when the warlocks were near.
Moros rolled his eyes at her remark, his blue, wrinkled lips tightening. “Your conce… [view original content]
And the part is here at last. Unfortunately, there was no room for Jaron's PoV this time, but I can assure you that he will be seen next. Th… moree second PoV in the next part is, by the way and against my previous statement, not going to be Garthon, but Ysilla, as I noticed she had a longer wait. For now, this part is all Irae and I hope you'll enjoy it
Irae
“I don't feel well, tricking the girl”, Irae admitted, as she stood in front of the House of the Undying. She never considered the building itself worthy of the power the warlocks commanded, nor appropriate of the respect they deserved. It had been a ruin for as long as she could remember. Ancient it was, a dusty, grey palace, long and low, without windows or towers, lacking any sort of ornate decorations. A palace of dust, as slander on the streets had it, though never when the warlocks were near.
Moros rolled his eyes at her remark, his blue, wrinkled lips tightening. “Your conce… [view original content]
And the part is here at last. Unfortunately, there was no room for Jaron's PoV this time, but I can assure you that he will be seen next. Th… moree second PoV in the next part is, by the way and against my previous statement, not going to be Garthon, but Ysilla, as I noticed she had a longer wait. For now, this part is all Irae and I hope you'll enjoy it
Irae
“I don't feel well, tricking the girl”, Irae admitted, as she stood in front of the House of the Undying. She never considered the building itself worthy of the power the warlocks commanded, nor appropriate of the respect they deserved. It had been a ruin for as long as she could remember. Ancient it was, a dusty, grey palace, long and low, without windows or towers, lacking any sort of ornate decorations. A palace of dust, as slander on the streets had it, though never when the warlocks were near.
Moros rolled his eyes at her remark, his blue, wrinkled lips tightening. “Your conce… [view original content]
Dang it you forget how unusual and opulent is this city in comparison to the rest of the world, and is also interesting to know Qarth didn't gain its current glory until after the Valyrians were gone. That and the fact Dothraki destroyed all other Qaathi settlements and drove them behind their triple walls.
Yeah, I consider the current express of wealth in Qarth as a relatively recent development, the sort of behaviour that is typically associated with the newly rich. While probably never poor and humble, the destruction of Valyria took away their most major rival in Essos, allowing them to thrive, at least in Qarth itself. It probably would be different if the Dothraki wouldn't have destroyed the other settlements, because now, all the wealth of Qarth is centralized in this single, massive city and they make a show of proudly showing it to the world, knowing they are protected by their walls.
[Accept Naela's invitation] while fraternizing would increase her empathy for the girl, she needs to earn her trust in some way. Dang it you… more forget how unusual and opulent is this city in comparison to the rest of the world, and is also interesting to know Qarth didn't gain its current glory until after the Valyrians were gone. That and the fact Dothraki destroyed all other Qaathi settlements and drove them behind their triple walls.
Ah, I am so glad to hear this! Always a great feeling to start a storyline that is well received so quickly I am also glad you like Qarth, I'll definitely show more of it soon. As for more exotic locations, I believe your wish will be granted. Irae's storyline is of course going to be the most major provider of these locations. To a lesser degree, this will apply to Janae, Jaron and John as well, albeit their storylines are in the more grounded, familiar part of Essos for now and there might be one or two truly exotic locations in Westeros I manage to sneak in as well
[Accept Naela's invitation]
Even though Irae has only had two parts, I'm already in love with the storyline. Qarth is just such a fascinating location. I hope more exotic locations will start popping up in the story soon.
And like others already brought up, Qarth is a very interesting location, and while it for now feels very distant from the rest of the story (though I can kinda see the links between them already), it doesn't even bother me because the place is so darn fascinating Century of Blood was quite a turning point for Qarth, on one hand pretty much all of their outer settlements were destroyed by the Dothraki (though I suppose they were sort of dying out anyway thanks to the Red Waste), but on the other hand they got a complete naval hegemony on the eastern Summer Sea thanks to the Valyrian fleet being destroyed and Volantis concentrating on their wars with the other Free Cities. I wonder if this time period was when all these merchant guilds truly rose to power, and the Purebloods' power declined. It would make sense, since the power the city has now is so dependent on trade. Anyway, perhaps that's enough rambling about Qarth and its history, I've just been thinking about it alot recently while making plans for TAoS Great part, I'm really looking forward to how this storyline will unfold!
Oh yes, I already said it above, but I consider it the same, the Century of Blood was a major turning point for the Qartheen civilization and in the end, I would say the good outweighs the bad. The settlements in the red waste, I cannot possibly imagine them to be lucrative, so they were likely vanity projects. Losing them has allowed the Qartheen to focus entirely on the main city, turning it into the Queen of Cities, as they say. That, and the added sense of self-worth after the destruction of Valyria and the resulting lack of significant rivals in this part of the known world. The losers of this were definitely the Purebloods, because with this change in mentality came a stronger focus on trade and commerce, allowing the merchant guilds to grow stronger in importance. The Purebloods might still rule the city and they are definitely not without influence, but for them, even having rivals is kind of a disgrace.
[Accept Naela's invitation] This should give Irea a chance to get to know Naela a bit better, and perhaps build some trust. I do feel bad fo… morer tricking her, but at least it's good to know that Irea doesn't intend to let the Blood Witch hurt Naela. Not sure if she'll truly be able to prevent that, but at least her heart is in the right place.
And like others already brought up, Qarth is a very interesting location, and while it for now feels very distant from the rest of the story (though I can kinda see the links between them already), it doesn't even bother me because the place is so darn fascinating Century of Blood was quite a turning point for Qarth, on one hand pretty much all of their outer settlements were destroyed by the Dothraki (though I suppose they were sort of dying out anyway thanks to the Red Waste), but on the other hand they got a complete naval hegemony on the eastern Summer Sea thanks to the Valyrian fleet being destroy… [view original content]
Well, as far as I've understood the land began to dry up (and thus turn into what is now the red waste) only after these cities were built. So it's not like the Qaathi just decided to build settlements in the middle of the most infertile place imaginable for no reason, but rather the land around them just turned to desert over time. That said, by the time of the Doom of Valyria those cities would've probably already been fully dependent on food imported from elsewhere, which would indeed make maintaining them a vanity project. And yeah, obviously the Purebloods can't be quite out of the picture yet, since we know they'll cling onto at least some power for another three centuries
And like others already brought up, Qarth is a very interesting location, and while it for now feels very distant from the rest of the story… more (though I can kinda see the links between them already), it doesn't even bother me because the place is so darn fascinating Century of Blood was quite a turning point for Qarth, on one hand pretty much all of their outer settlements were destroyed by the Dothraki (though I suppose they were sort of dying out anyway thanks to the Red Waste), but on the other hand they got a complete naval hegemony on the eastern Summer Sea thanks to the Valyrian fleet being destroyed and Volantis concentrating on their wars with the other Free Cities. I wonder if this time period was when all these merchant guilds truly rose to power, and the Purebloods' power declined. It would make sense, since the power the city has now is so dependent on trade. Anyway, perhaps that's enough rambling about Qarth and its history, I've … [view original content]
Hehe, glad you enjoy her I am not sure if I said it before, Naela was actually the original choice for the PoV, with Irae as the enigmatic warlock whom she keeps crossing paths with, but it would have felt way too much like copying a storyline from WildlingKing's story, at least in the beginning, so I decided that switching the PoV role to Irae might change things enough to prevent things from feeling too similar. Nonetheless, Naela is supposed to be a major character in Irae's parts, so I am really happy to hear that you already like her. Irae definitely feels amused by her and as you can imagine, warlocks are not exactly the kind of people to be amused on a regular basis, so this is intriguing for her. She definitely fears that she'll get too attached to her, because she fully believes what Moros and the Blood Witch told her and it is likely that starting to genuinely like this girl will make things more difficult for her.
[Accept Naela's invitation]
I like Naela already! She's amusing and sassy. I love it. I'm almost certain that Irae will get attached and continue to feel bad.
Hehe, glad you enjoy her I am not sure if I said it before, Naela was actually the original choice for the PoV, with Irae as the enigmatic … morewarlock whom she keeps crossing paths with, but it would have felt way too much like copying a storyline from WildlingKing's story, at least in the beginning, so I decided that switching the PoV role to Irae might change things enough to prevent things from feeling too similar. Nonetheless, Naela is supposed to be a major character in Irae's parts, so I am really happy to hear that you already like her. Irae definitely feels amused by her and as you can imagine, warlocks are not exactly the kind of people to be amused on a regular basis, so this is intriguing for her. She definitely fears that she'll get too attached to her, because she fully believes what Moros and the Blood Witch told her and it is likely that starting to genuinely like this girl will make things more difficult for her.
Yeah, they were probably never intended as vanity projects and started off as genuine expansions of the Qartheen empire, but given that the land started to turn into the current desert just as they were properly established, they were likely kept up as vanity projects, to proof to the people of Qarth that it was not a mistake to build them in the first place. I believe the loss of these cities has been a major blow to the Pureborn's power, they would have already lost face by just having to abandon them, but now it holds the added shame of being unable to protect them from a Dothraki horde, appearing weak in the process. I'd say this is the beginning of their decline and the void they leave is filled by the merchant guilds.
Well, as far as I've understood the land began to dry up (and thus turn into what is now the red waste) only after these cities were built. … moreSo it's not like the Qaathi just decided to build settlements in the middle of the most infertile place imaginable for no reason, but rather the land around them just turned to desert over time. That said, by the time of the Doom of Valyria those cities would've probably already been fully dependent on food imported from elsewhere, which would indeed make maintaining them a vanity project. And yeah, obviously the Purebloods can't be quite out of the picture yet, since we know they'll cling onto at least some power for another three centuries
Ah, of course I can give you a reminder. So, Irae has seen Naela in a vision, more precisely, the Blood Witch has shown her. While the witch has been very vague about it, she mentioned that she wants Irae to deliver Naela to her, which means bringing her to the Dothraki Sea, where her great-grandson, Rhavarro the Witch Khal, resides. In return, she would prevent Rhavarro from sacking Qarth with his massive horde. Moros believes that these aren't empty threats, so he is fully on board with bringing Naela to the witch, even if it might mean that she will be harmed in the process, so that he and the Undying Ones, the elite of the warlock order, have more time to prepare against their old enemy. The problem there is that last time they faced her, about a hundred years ago, they allied with several other groups of magic users and they were significantly more powerful, as magic was more potent in general and it still took a lot to kill her. Now, they have grown notably weaker, while Moros at least assumes that the Blood Witch has only grown stronger. As such, he follows a very pragmatic, unscrupulous approach, seeing it as necessary to keep the Blood Witch busy with Naela until the warlocks manage to find a way to defeat her for good. Irae has seen the Blood Witch and her power, whereas she knows Moros her entire life and both tell her that this is necessary, so as much as she doesn't like it, she has no reason to doubt their words.
she fully believes what Moros and the Blood Witch told her
I honestly don't even remember what they said or what Irae's intentions are. Sorry but would you mind giving me another reminder?
Ah, of course I can give you a reminder. So, Irae has seen Naela in a vision, more precisely, the Blood Witch has shown her. While the witch… more has been very vague about it, she mentioned that she wants Irae to deliver Naela to her, which means bringing her to the Dothraki Sea, where her great-grandson, Rhavarro the Witch Khal, resides. In return, she would prevent Rhavarro from sacking Qarth with his massive horde. Moros believes that these aren't empty threats, so he is fully on board with bringing Naela to the witch, even if it might mean that she will be harmed in the process, so that he and the Undying Ones, the elite of the warlock order, have more time to prepare against their old enemy. The problem there is that last time they faced her, about a hundred years ago, they allied with several other groups of magic users and they were significantly more powerful, as magic was more potent in general and it still took a lot to kill her. Now, th… [view original content]
[Insist on seeing Kareq first] It isn' t the choice that make Naela trust Irae but I suppose that first we should heal the father as soon as possible
RT: 1)Qarth is a really cool location! 2) I think that the rivalry between Naela's father and the Tourmalaine Brotherhood will be something part of Irae's storyline 3) Ah ah Naela fear that the warlocks want her blood or unborn child! She is not too wrong since it is two of the possible four things that the Blood Witch want from her
And the part is here at last. Unfortunately, there was no room for Jaron's PoV this time, but I can assure you that he will be seen next. Th… moree second PoV in the next part is, by the way and against my previous statement, not going to be Garthon, but Ysilla, as I noticed she had a longer wait. For now, this part is all Irae and I hope you'll enjoy it
Irae
“I don't feel well, tricking the girl”, Irae admitted, as she stood in front of the House of the Undying. She never considered the building itself worthy of the power the warlocks commanded, nor appropriate of the respect they deserved. It had been a ruin for as long as she could remember. Ancient it was, a dusty, grey palace, long and low, without windows or towers, lacking any sort of ornate decorations. A palace of dust, as slander on the streets had it, though never when the warlocks were near.
Moros rolled his eyes at her remark, his blue, wrinkled lips tightening. “Your conce… [view original content]
Trust me, I love having these exotic locations in the story The more grounded locations in Westeros don't always allow for scenic descriptions, given that some of the most major settings in the story, the Reach and the Riverlands, are also the most comparable to the medieval european setting that can be seen in every historical and fantasy movie ever. Qarth, Merman's Rest, Lys, later on Volantis, those are locations I really enjoy featuring for once, especially after most of Book 1 was focussed solely on the Reach.
2) I think that the rivalry between Naela's father and the Tourmalaine Brotherhood will be something part of Irae's storyline
In a way, it even already is. I can say, you are right here, the Tourmaline Brotherhood will have a certain role in Irae's storyline, but wether they will become more than just a footnote, allies or enemies, that remains yet to be seen.
3) Ah ah Naela fear that the warlocks want her blood or unborn child! She is not too wrong since it is two of the possible four things that the Blood Witch want from her
Yeah, Naela is smart enough to know that a warlock's payment might include things some would consider unorthodox. Blood and babies, that is the standard and the Blood Witch got the former in her name already, although it should be noted that she is anything but a standard witch. We'll see, you can count on this being revealed eventually, but probably in the more distant future.
[Insist on seeing Kareq first] It isn' t the choice that make Naela trust Irae but I suppose that first we should heal the father as soon as… more possible
RT:
1)Qarth is a really cool location!
2) I think that the rivalry between Naela's father and the Tourmalaine Brotherhood will be something part of Irae's storyline
3) Ah ah Naela fear that the warlocks want her blood or unborn child! She is not too wrong since it is two of the possible four things that the Blood Witch want from her
And the part is here at last. Unfortunately, there was no room for Jaron's PoV this time, but I can assure you that he will be seen next. Th… moree second PoV in the next part is, by the way and against my previous statement, not going to be Garthon, but Ysilla, as I noticed she had a longer wait. For now, this part is all Irae and I hope you'll enjoy it
Irae
“I don't feel well, tricking the girl”, Irae admitted, as she stood in front of the House of the Undying. She never considered the building itself worthy of the power the warlocks commanded, nor appropriate of the respect they deserved. It had been a ruin for as long as she could remember. Ancient it was, a dusty, grey palace, long and low, without windows or towers, lacking any sort of ornate decorations. A palace of dust, as slander on the streets had it, though never when the warlocks were near.
Moros rolled his eyes at her remark, his blue, wrinkled lips tightening. “Your conce… [view original content]
Qartheen scum. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.
Luckily though, Irae is not the warlock you are looking for Be excited for future storylines, involving Naela shooting first and Irae meeting a seemingly crazy hermit in the desert who turns out to be a space wizard.
That might be a good opportunity to reveal that it is my headcanon (and therefore arguably the canon) that Irae's mentor Moros Qo Malxis is speaking with a voice not unlike that of Emperor Palpatine. Whenever writing stuff for him, I have to actively resist the urge to have him tell Irae about the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise.
[Insist on seeing Kareq first] Sooner we the heal the sooner she will trust us.
Qartheen scum. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.
And the part is here at last. Unfortunately, there was no room for Jaron's PoV this time, but I can assure you that he will be seen next. Th… moree second PoV in the next part is, by the way and against my previous statement, not going to be Garthon, but Ysilla, as I noticed she had a longer wait. For now, this part is all Irae and I hope you'll enjoy it
Irae
“I don't feel well, tricking the girl”, Irae admitted, as she stood in front of the House of the Undying. She never considered the building itself worthy of the power the warlocks commanded, nor appropriate of the respect they deserved. It had been a ruin for as long as she could remember. Ancient it was, a dusty, grey palace, long and low, without windows or towers, lacking any sort of ornate decorations. A palace of dust, as slander on the streets had it, though never when the warlocks were near.
Moros rolled his eyes at her remark, his blue, wrinkled lips tightening. “Your conce… [view original content]
Comments
That's an odd pet peeve.
I myself am really looking forward to Kentuck's story getting started, especially since so many stories are inactive at the moment. Plus new stories are always exciting.
Keat
Keat frowned a bit as he thought about the possibilities. “Eh, I don't like it...”, he mumbled. “But Vivielia should be the one to start with” Hishi smiled, presumably in an approving way, but Keat really couldn't tell. “A wonderful choice”, she replied. “I presume you wish to catch up with your friend?”
After a moment of silence, Keat shook his head with dedication. “I want to prevent her from leaving the city”, he spoke. “This Nicola is new to Oldtown as you said. But Viv, she's been here before, she's been here for a while and I know for a fact, she's not one to stay in one place for the rest of her life”
Hishi raised an eyebrow. “Rather fickle, that one?”, she asked, to which Keat nodded firmly. “Not what I'd call reliable, but I am hardly the least biased person around” To this, the woman chuckled slightly. “I expected that much”, she admitted, before giving him a curious glance. “Just what exactly happened between you and her?”
Keat sighed. “I... uh, kinda stole from her”, he revealed, to which Lanford rolled his eyes. Hishi however seemed amused by this new piece of information. “Will you be insulted when I imply that I am hardly surprised?”, she asked and Keat briefly reciprocated her expression, before becoming more dour again. “Well, I stole from her the morning after we... well”
Hishi's smile grew brighter and she gave him a wink. “You are a sly hound”, she complimented him. “Albeit that was kind of a bad move. I can understand why she might be upset at you” Keat shook his head again. “Well, I am pretty sure I just stole from her before she was able to steal from me”, he said. “That is what really pisses her off. I double crossed her first”
“Thieves”, Lanford mumbled, while Hishi seemed almost impressed. “I see there is a lot you two have to talk about”, she stated. “Can I count on this not compromising your mission?” Keat waited for a moment, before he nodded. “I'm a professional”, he said. “And if she hasn't changed all that much, so is Viv. We get the job done”
“You better do”, Hishi said, before she helped him up. Placing both hands on his shoulders, she gave him a deep look and Keat noticed the strong scent of her perfume, a dizzying mixture, meant to lure someone in. The look in her eyes was deep, yet calm. “Do not fail me here, Keat”, she told him. “I grant you a second chance, but I doubt you'll get more in this world”
It wasn't much of a threat, at least her voice did not sound threatening, but it was a rather accurate statement about his current situation. In a way, he was almost glad Hishi found him first, not counting that madman Bannister. Tavner's men wouldn't have been so kind. At the same time, he cursed his luck, his terrible Keat luck, that any of them had found him at all. A year ago, he would have slipped through the city unnoticed, avoiding anyone who might have posed a threat to him. The long absence from Oldtown had left its mark apparently.
Uncomfortable at the strong, alluring perfume Hishi had applied, Keat took a step back. “I won't”, he promised. “It'll be done in no time” Hishi smiled thinly. “Then Lanford shall escort you upstairs now”, she proclaimed. “Seresa has kept an eye on your belongings”
Lanford had already started to move, opening the door at the other end of the room. Behind it, Keat saw a set of stairs. “With me then, Trickster”, he growled. “Time is of the essence in your particular mission” He mentioned something there that caused Keat to look at Hishi again. “That reminds me...”, he said. “Hishi, uh, what exactly am I supposed to steal? Please be as little cryptic as possible here”
Hishi chuckled merrily at his request. “If I am cryptic, it is because I don't know all of the details either”, she admitted. “But I am working on it. My contact is reluctant to share everything, but he won't resist forever” She gave him a wink. “They all give in, in the end”, she spoke. “I just have to find out what he wants”
Keat gulped. “Whom are you working with?”, he asked and Hishi shook her head. “A man who wouldn't appreciate me telling everything to a simple thief”, she replied. “Trust me, it is better for you if you don't know all about it” She moved closer again. “What you are looking for is in the Hightower, but I am still working on the exact location. Chances are Lord Manfred keeps it close”, she revealed. “It is a small box, wooden, engraved with runes. Ancient in origin, yet valuable beyond measure”
“A box”, Keat mumbled. “I suppose you don't know what's inside it?” Hishi smiled. “Even if, I wouldn't tell you”, she stated. “But I honestly don't know. My partner might, but I suspect even he has no idea what he is dealing with here”
The thief rolled his eyes. “Great”, he sighed. “Just my fucking luck. Well, I don't want to keep him waiting then, your mysterious backer. Lead the way, I shall retrieve my stuff and then go and meet Sam” Hishi nodded, before Keat and Lanford left the room, both men walking up the stairs.
“You truly have the worst luck I've ever seen in a man”, Lanford admitted. “And I once saw someone breaking his neck after slipping on his own wet shit” Keat sighed. “Trust me, that sounds preferable”, he admitted. “Breaking into the Hightower, that is probably the most dangerous thing I'll ever do and the dumbest”
“Not the dumbest”, Lanford told him. “Me and the boss, we spoke about what to do with you if you'd refuse. Hishi would have followed my advice in that case” Keat raised an eyebrow. “And that would have been?”, he asked.
The older man smirked. “Giving you to those you are in debt to”, he replied. “Without the coin. I am certain Bannister would love to finish the job” Keat suppressed the urge to move a hand to the bandaged side of his head, where his ear used to be. Whatever Hishi had given him, it dulled the pain, but the uncomfortable burning sensation remained.
“Agreed, that would be worse”, he admitted. “I guess you can't tell me more about the people I have to deal with now?” Lanford glanced at him from the side. “Your team? Hand-picked. Joshawa is convinced they are the best”, he spoke, to which Keat shook his head. “Not them. Fuck, I know most of them personally, aside from your man and this acrobat”, he said impatiently. “The ones working with Hishi. One man, is it?”
Lanford was quiet after this one. “Only one”, he stated. “And the sort I would avoid. I have adviced against this partnership, because something about that guy is seriously wrong” This did not exactly help with easing Keat's troubled mind. “What do you mean?”, he dared to ask, to which Lanford coldly mustered him. “I suppose I should pity you, Trickster”, he admitted. “No name, you're better off that way, in case you ever meet him again. But I have heard the rumours, did some investigation of my own. Seven Hells, I dragged Joshawa into the Citadel to read me a fucking book about the topic. With that Wulvren guy gone, I know whom to bribe to get a look into his parts of the library and what I found... on some nights it's what keeps me up” He grabbed Keat by the shoulder and narrowed his eyes. “If you fail him, he'll do things to you neither of us can even imagine”
Keat had a vivid imagination, Lanford had been a soldier, a sellsword for decades. Between them, there was little they could not imagine. And as little as he knew the man, Lanford was not one to tell tall tales. If he was concerned, then so should Keat. And yet, he had no choice. It was either that, or having to face the ones he was in debt with. Forrester. Vogero. Bannister... there wouldn't be a chance with them.
Only briefly walking through the lavish interior of the Thousand Shades of Flowers, just the hint of a single hallway, mighty, dark red tapestries adorning the walls and hot air carrying a multitude of exotic scents, the two men entered the next room, which was notably less lavish and likely one for the workers as such.
It was clearly a storage room, holding rows of weapons for the Thorns, but also wine, more wine than Keat himself could ever drink in a lifetime. Two people were sitting around a small table on the far side of the room. One of them was a man, in Keat's age, with plain features, a long nose and a rough beard, his face framed by dark hair. The other was an older woman, her hair already completely grey and her olive skin wrinkled, her face telling of faded beauty.
“There he is”, the woman said and her voice carried the hint of an accent. “Hope you have been kind to him, it has been a pain to patch him up” Lanford chuckled. “Depends on what you consider to be kind, old hag”, he said in a warm, affectionate tone that caused her to smile. “Keat, this is Seresa Stassohr. You owe her, because she treated your wound”
Keat awkwardly stood firm in front of this old woman, before he gave her a nod. “I, well, thank you”, he said and she humbly shook her head. “Ah, bollocks”, she spoke. “Not for this, young man. Your condition has been worse than you probably thought. Next time they cut off one of your ears, you come directly to me and don't run through the streets again. Almost would have gotten infected”
“And this here is Erik Inchfield”, Lanford spoke and the younger man raised an eyebrow. “He's part of your team” Keat gave the man a nod, but Erik did not reply in kind. “Yeah, great to meet you and all”, the sellsword said, as he gave Keat a long look, before glancing at Lanford. “He's the one? Really?”
Lanford nodded with slight regret on his face. “Unfortunately”, he spoke, to which Keat gave him a sharp look. “Hey”, he hissed and the sellsword merely shrugged. “I only say it how it is”, he stated. “This partnership is unfortunate for all of us, you included, or would you say otherwise?”
Keat sighed. “Probably not”, he spoke, before he looked at Erik. “So... anything I got to know about you?” Erik shook his head. “I'm not here to share the story of my life with you”, he replied. “Just get some coin, prove my worth and stuff like that. I don't drink while on duty and I like to get paid for killing stuff”
“Sounds... lovely?”, Keat asked, to which Lanford briefly shook his head. “So... great, glad to meet you all, but when that is settled, I'd really like to collect my stuff and catch up with my siblings” This put a smile onto Seresa's wrinkly face. “Of course, sweetheart”, she said. “It's right here. Your backpack, your dagger... of course we keep the coin, to guarantee your loyalty”
He rolled his eyes. “Of course”, he mouthed, but he gave the woman a thankful smile. “I appreciate it”, he added, as Erik raised an eyebrow. “You let him go just like that, Ser?”, he asked. To Keat's surprise, Lanford nodded. “I consider Keat to be an intelligent man”, he complimented him. “Means I assume he knows our goodwill is the only thing keeping certain people off his back”
“So... I can leave?”, Keat asked and the leader of the Thorns nodded. “Meet up with your family, then report back with us. Then, we'll tell you where to find the Sand girl”, he ordered him. “That is, unless you want to take one of ours with you, for your own protection. I suppose Erik would be up for the task”
The younger sellsword sighed. “I suppose Erik has no say in this”, he replied. “But yeah, fine, if you want to, my sword is yours” Keat took a moment to come up with a decision here. He felt no particular fondness for the sellsword. In fact, he felt like the man might get on his nerves easily. That was the last kind of person he wanted to spend time with. At the same time, an extra blade could be useful, with the sort of people out to get him. And they were supposed to be a team, somehow...
[Take Erik with you] [Leave Erik at the brothel]
Sadie
After riding over the hill, Sadie could see Castamere in the distance, lying close to the mountainside, but surrounded by vast plains from the other three sides. And it was... honestly not particularly overwhelming. Sadie had seen castles before, the old, proud fortress of Nightsong, the spacious walls of Blackhaven, even the impenetrable Storm's End.
Castamere however, it was smaller than each of them, despite belonging to a family richer than almost every other in all Westeros. A modest keep, worthy of most lords, but perhaps not what she had expected from House Reyne. Though the walls were sturdy, they weren't particularly impressive and the castle only had two towers to guard the front and a third half built into the mountainside, allowing excellent view over the plains. Behind it, she spotted a small courtyard, but nothing too wild.
“This is it?”, she asked, not entirely able to hide her disappointment. If anything, she had somewhat hoped for a breathtaking sight at least. Leo smirked. “Are you disappointed?”, he asked and she gave him a sheepish nod. “I always liked castles”, she admitted. “This one isn't anything special though”
The sellsword captain chuckled at her words. “Wait until you see it from the inside”, he told her. “I never liked the idea of it, to use wealth solely to give these highborn arseholes some fancy place to live in, but I gotta admit, it looks spectacular. Castamere more than most castles I've been to” His finger wandered down, pointing at the ground. “Don't let it fool you”, he told her. “Most of the castle is below. Their mines run deep, but the upper levels have long since dried out. So the Reynes made the best of it, converting them into halls and galleries and bedchambers” He gave her a friendly wink. “There's even a ballroom in there, if you're the dancing type”
She rolled her eyes. “I don't think so”, she stated, to which he grinned. “You didn't thought you were the riding type either”, he remembered her. “Though to be fair, I've always been a horrible dancer. My cousins went to the great balls in Casterly Rock, but their little bastard cousin had to stay behind of course”
To her surprise, Sadie found herself smiling. “Perhaps there are hidden talents in you, Hill”, she spoke. Admittedly, she was keeping herself in the saddle quite well. It had been a source of concern for her, especially whenever Leo was directing a faster pace for their horses, where she feared her lessened grip on the reins would be a drawback. Truth be told, she barely noticed it. With the wind in her hair, chasing across the plains, she felt happy for the first time in months. Free and almost unburdened.
Then, her companions brought her back to the way things should be. Wether it was Aklen's cruel remarks, mostly done in secret, when Leo wasn't around to hear them, or Wylie's concern. Of course, the latter was significantly more appreciated. The old healer had joined their trip to Castamere despite Leo's protests, but he had proven himself to be a surprisingly capable rider. It seemed as if he had to do preciously little to get the animal to do his bidding. Where Aklen had to force his horse to move, all it took was a gentle touch from Wylie and the animal started moving, always fast enough to keep up with the sellswords, but always making it easy for the old man to remain in the saddle. And his help was certainly still needed. Though the wound itself had fully closed quite some time ago, the new skin was thin and sensitive, requiring thick bandages treated with Wylie's special mixtures, to accelerate the healing process, as he called it. What would have sounded cynical from anyone else was entirely genuine when coming from him, as Sadie had realized. It was true, she needed this old man's help, his advice and support, perhaps more than she felt comfortable with.
Right now, Wylie was riding next to Rhogarn Snow, both behind Sadie and Leo, with Aklen still behind them as the last of the five riders. The two men were talking, with Rhogarn telling the healer something about his northern home. Wylie was listening, a hand moving through his thick beard. “Hm, perhaps I should have spent more time in your North”, he admitted softly. “I've been to White Harbour once and spoke with Lord Manderly, but I never travelled farther than that”
“In another life perhaps, old man”, Rhogarn stated. “We can't be everywhere in one lifetime” Wylie smiled at this comment. “We can talk again when you're in my age”, he spoke. “But I have seen my fair share of beauty. The wonders of the east”
“That might be something I'd like to see one day”, Rhogarn admitted. “The farthest I've been was Myr and I've heard it's nothing compared to what you find beyond. What's the farthest you've ever been?” Wylie thought for a moment about this, before a dreamy look appeared in his gaze. “Yi Ti”, he said softly. “Those were happy years for me”
Rhogarn raised an eyebrow. “You have seen a lot of the world then, old man”, he admitted. “Perhaps we should continue this talk some time” Wylie nodded at this, as his gaze fell upon Sadie, who had been listening to his stories with one ear. He smiled as their glances met. “I would like that”, he spoke. “And Sadie, I had to hear your talk with Leo. If you wish to try your luck on Lord Reyne's ballroom, I, as your healer, have no medical concerns”
She smirked thinly. “You obviously haven't seen me dancing yet”, she stated. “It requires a certain grace which I just never had” With this, she looked at Leo. “No offence, I mean...” He chuckled. “Oh, it wasn't me who would have taken the dance”, he said. “I was asking... on Blane's behalf”
Sadie sighed. “You know, it does take a particular talent to ruin my mood this quickly”, she said. From behind her, Aklen's dirty chuckle filled the air. “Pretty sure the last one who made her upset this quickly was Stallhart”, he snorted. Just a few days ago, his comment would have stung, but now, Sadie reacted only with cold annoyance.
“Remind me again, what were you doing during the battle?”, she asked. “Staying behind and kicking some corpses? Or did you skip that and went straight to the point where you pissed yourself?” Aklen narrowed his eyes at her, his smile dying down in and instant, while Leo smirked. “Aklen did well during the fight”, he complimented the man. “Helped with attacking the Ironborn longships. Put pressure on them. You both did well”
The man in the back raised his hands. “Well, I got out of it a bit better though”, he snarled and gave Sadie a wink. “Just saying” Sadie groaned in frustration, as she looked at Leo again. “Will you send him away if I try a dance with Blane?”, she asked and Leo chuckled. “I am not sure which of these would be worse for you”, he stated. “Had some debts with Blane though, so I promised to ask him on your behalf”
“And you didn't want to put too much effort in it, eh?”, Sadie asked, to which he laughed. “I owed him”, he repeated. “Not enough for effort though. Trust me, I know all the tricks. Be glad there was no effort” Sadie rolled her eyes at this. “Yeah, I'm so glad”, she said quietly, her voice oozing sarcasm.
Leo gave her a wide smile. “You're feeling better again, huh?”, he asked and after a moment of thinking about it, she nodded. “Yeah...”, she replied slowly. “A bit at least. It's... nice, you know. Getting away from all this. No Blane, no Gyles. I'm worried for Melanie though, as much as she can be a pain to deal with”
“Edward is keeping an eye on her”, Leo tried to assure her. “He can be trusted” Though he was going to add something else, it was there that the gates of Castamere got opened, with horns sounding from the walls. Their presence had been noted and while they were not riding under any banner, it was clear that they were expected, for she quickly recognized the man who came to meet them. A frown appeared on her face, as Two-Face rode closer.
“Took you long enough, Hill!”, he greeted them and Leo raised a hand in return. “Good to see you as well, Waters”, he stated. “I suppose Lady Reyne is informed about our arrival?” To this, Two-Face nodded. “And she expected you hours ago”, he informed him. “Luckily, Lady Mileena is a patient woman”
“Then we shouldn't keep her waiting for much longer”, Leo decided as he and his companions followed Two-Face, riding through the gates and entering the courtyard of Castamere. It really wasn't as large as some of those Sadie had been to before, but if what Leo said was true, she was almost certain the refugees from Maybros would find some place to settle in, even if it was in one of these rumoured halls beneath the ground.
There were few people here, as she noticed. Most of them were women, or men who were either too young or too old. A land at war, as she realized, with the able-bodied all out to fight King Loren's war. The doors to the Great Hall stood open, a handful of guards in front of them. They were mustering them carefully and Leo gave Two-Face a glance. “You told her?”, he asked.
The disfigured man nodded, albeit reluctantly. “She wasn't too keen on your request”, he replied. “But I convinced her you can be trusted. You can keep your weapons, but the moment you draw them, you're a dead man” Leo raised an eyebrow. “She's a brave one, that Reyne lady”, he admitted.
“It's the Tarbeck blood in her”, Two-Face told her. “Always been a reckless line. However, your cousin convinced her to grant you only a single companion in this meeting. The rest will receive rooms and the opportunity to take a hot bath” He glanced at them, his gaze resting on Aklen in particular. “Lady Mileena has invited all of you to dinner and Seven Hells, do some of you need a bath before that”
“Hint taken”, Aklen growled. “Not like I care for the negotiations in any way. I take the bath and I really need to take a shit” Wylie stretched his back, as he gently stopped his horse. “I agree with the former”, he said. “I am too old for politics, but a bath? I doubt I can ever refuse that”, he confirmed.
With this, Sadie and Rhogarn looked at each other, then at Leo. The bearded sellsword leader shrugged. “One of you?”, he stated. “Eh, I don't really care. I'd take both of you, but Lady Reyne demands” These last words were spoken in a slightly colder tone. “Fuck her though. I leave it to you”, he said and looked at Sadie. “I wanted you with me here and you came. Can't blame you if you don't care for the politics, but figure I should give you the choice”
[Accompany Leo] [Let Rhogarn accompany Leo]
[Take Erik with you]
We need to keep Keat safe.
[Let Rhogarn accompany Leo]
I really don't like Leo, let's take the bath. Sadie could use a rest anyway.
[Accompany Leo] I think Sadie has a better mindset when she's working/doing the serious stuff rather than relaxing.
Blane's the one with a crush on Sadie right? I think when he was introduced that he was one of the fighters you could bet on? Does Sadie genuinely dislike him or is it a situation where some of the stuff he says is just annoying to her?
[Take Erik with you]
[Accompany Leo]
Yes, you remember correctly about Blane, that's him. When it comes to Sadie's feelings about him, it is a bit more complicated. She actually reacted more positively to his advances up to the raid on Maybros, but afterwards, right in the aftermath of losing her hand, she considered it extremely distasteful by him to just continue flirting as if nothing happened. While it can be argued that she was and still isn't fully thinking straight, Blane's timing is definitely terrible, giving her a reason perhaps not to dislike him, but to be quite annoyed by his behaviour. So, I'd say she isn't actively hating him or anything, but at the very moment, she has way more important issues to face than to deal with a man crushing on her, so he's getting on her already stressed nerves. However, we haven't actually seen Blane in Book 2 yet, so it remains to be seen if he has realized this by now and changed his behaviour towards her accordingly.
[Leave Erik at the brothel] We work alone. The heist part is later.
[Let Rhogarn accompany Leo] Must be clean. Must take bath.
I do wonder what ol' Keat stole. I'm sure it'll be mentioned, but I am certainly curious.
[Take Erik with you] Is better if he starts to work with him, we don't want arguments while in such a delicate operation.
[Accompany Leo] It would be interesting if we see the interaction between Leo and Mileena. The Reynes of Castamere.
[Take Erik with you]
[Let Rhogarn accompany Leo]
[Take Erik with you] Oldtown is a dangerous place (and I suppose that is wise start to make the members of the A team cooperate)
[Accompany Leo] It give us a more interesting read
RT:
1)Wow Keat,not only you steal from the lockpicker but you even do that after that! You really are full of surprises!
2) So the guy that has a partnership with Hishi and want part of the McGuffin is so dangerous that even know his identity make people have nightmares...now I'm really curious to learn his identity
3) We see a little more of Hishi's brothel,meet a new character and see Erik be Erik,nice
4) Wow,even after months we see only now Sadie's PoV start it storyline for this chapter !
5) Finally we see again Castamere (but we will have to wait still a little for meet the Reynes)
6) It seems that Sadie is recovering from her wounds
7)Am I wrong or we have some PoV's that still have to start it storyline for this chapter? (Probably Willfred)
[Take Erik with you] Sorry! Completely forgot to vote for Keat's part.
[Take Erik with you]
[Accompany Leo]
It will be mentioned indeed, because Vivielia has not forgotten. Actually, it isn't anything too wild though, the issue she has is mostly that he stole from her before she was able to steal from him. It is actually kinda petty, because if Keat can be believed, she had planned to do the exact same thing, but more will definitely be revealed in the next chapter, which is where she'll be introduced
At the same time, it could be said that he is exactly as one would think when thinking about a man with the nickname "Trickster". There might be honour among thieves in some cases, but when Keat really wants something, the thieves code is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules.
Well, his identity isn't what's causing the nightmares for Lanford, it's more the stuff he is implied to be capable of. Since it is mentioned that Lanford and Joshawa did research in Wulvren's personal library, magic might be involved and for a man as grounded in reality as Lanford, who has never met something he cannot fight nor understand, any sort of magic could easily be unsettling on its own.
Aye, slowly fleshing out the brothel and the characters in it, that is one of the goals I have for this. Erik meanwhile, he can be a bit of a jerk. I wouldn't say he's too bad, but he has some huge trust issues and Keat, being a thief and all, isn't exactly the company he'd consider trustworthy.
Yeah, this chapter has dragged on for too long with the introductions. I realized, the issue lies in me writing longer one-PoV parts. The key to fasten the pace is putting two PoV's in one part as often as possible and that is what I am going to do. There will be exceptions obviously, big and important parts and the like, but the extended length limit allows me to put two PoV's in one part consistently, which will also mean longer parts in general. Be assured, I aim to finish this chapter in the next two months at latest.
I originally even planned to show the Reyne's here, but then I came up with a possible alternative storyline for Sadie and I wanted to put this choice in there. We'll see the Reyne family regardless of which choice will win, but one is obviously going to introduce Mileena a bit earlier than the other.
Slowly, ever so slowly. She still has miles to go, but she's in the right direction. There will be good days, there will be bad days, this one's a good day. But just because she isn't constantly depressed doesn't mean she's all recovered again, as several moments in this chapter will show.
You are right, Willfred is the last PoV who still has to start his storyline for the chapter. I feel bad that it's always Willfred, especially as he is intended to have one of the most important storylines of the chapter, but the reason for that is that he is intended to interact with Petyr in his first part, who in turn was kinda preoccupied with being a part of Jenna's storyline so far. But be assured, he will appear soon and he will have a sizeable storyline in this chapter
[Take Erik with you] Like others have brought up, we know very well by now that Oldtown can be very dangerous, and Keat has extra reason to be cautious. Not only can Erik protect Keat if he gets attacked on the streets, but even more importantly he can confirm to whomever would bother them that Keat is under Hishi's protection, which should be enough for most people to leave them alone. And as a bonus, we'll probably get some entertaining interaction between Keat and Erik
Hm, so from what I gather this person that Hishi is working with is connected to some kind of dark magic. I mean, first of all he wants this box that is clearly connected to the one from Raylansfair's archive, and we've already learned that the relic in that one had some powerful magic to it. Secondly, Lanford says he did research on this man with Maester Wulvren's books, and Wulvren was the archmaester of magic. Now, I could see this man being Nain Anturion for example, or perhaps Lupin, but I also have another idea whom it could be, but I won't go into detail about that for now, because my assumption is based on info that hasn't been revealed in the story yet
[Accompany Leo] I was going to vote other option first, but now that I think about it, perhaps it would be good for Sadie to get more involved with this kind of stuff, since obviously she won't be making much of a career as a fighter anymore. So, maybe she could become a diplomat of sorts, idk
Very interesting speculation there. You bring up some good points, this mysterious box Hishi and this ally want to steal could very likely be related to the one currently in Willfred's possession. Magic in general is involved, likely with the box, even more likely with Hishi's ally. Of course, Lanford is not all-knowing, but he did actual research on the topic and together with Joshawa, he found out some stuff he actually would have preferred not to know in that much detail. We'll see if it is truly connected to Hishi's ally. The identity of this ally is also going to be revealed, but this is something for later. You have some nice guesses there and while I obviously cannot comment on them for too much, let's just say I expected you to come to that conclusion here
[Take Erik with you] Ahh Keat, always having some sort of angle in every part you are featured in. This alliance is fucked
[Accompany Leo] Why not?
[Take Erik with you]
[Accompany Leo]
The Voting is closed!
Keat is going to take Erik with him
Sadie is going to accompany Leo
Well, those were choices that, while probably not too huge on the consequences, will lead to some interesting differences, this I can say already. Keat and Erik might not become super best friends anytime soon, but working together early on is likely to have a positive effect on their rather forced partnership. Meanwhile, when it comes to Sadie, this choice mostly means I get to show Mileena Reyne a bit earlier than it would have been the case otherwise
She might also learn something important, as Leo will make some hard negotiations with Mileena, something that won't be easy for either party here.
The next part will be out today. I am currently writing an Irae part and there is a 50% chance I'll manage to include a second PoV, which will be Jaron's. If not, then Jaron will appear in the next part, with another PoV, most likely Garthon. I also got a little announcement to make first. Namely, I will be gone for exactly a week, starting with the coming Wednesday, as I will visit my grandfather for the easter celebrations. His upstairs neighbour told me last time there is supposed to be wi-fi I can use, but he is not particularly skilled with all that tech stuff, so I would not exactly count on it. If it happens, great, in that case there won't be any sort of break for the story. If not, I'll let you know and you can expect the next part to arrive when I return (likely with several other parts pre-written and stuff like that). I'll remain active regardless, but being limited to my phone and atrocious mobile internet will be different from a laptop and proper wi-fi. But I will release another part right before leaving on Wednesday, means the current voting won't be open as long as usual.
So, last time we saw Irae was also the first time we saw her. You remember her, the apprentice warlock from Qarth, who underwent a ritual with her mentor, Moros Qo Malxis. In this ritual, she saw a mysterious figure, apparently a spirit, calling itself "The Blood Witch", a being who is in league with the Dothraki Khal Rhavarro, also known as the Witch Khal. The Blood Witch, an ancient enemy of the Warlock order, demanded a specific girl from Qarth, going by the name of Naela Orlatis, daughter of the largest fur trader in the entire city, for reasons that are currently unknown. In return for Irae delivering her this girl, she would spare Qarth from the wrath of Rhavarro's massive Khalasar. When informing Moros about this vision, he reacted with concern, taking this very seriously. He adviced Irae to follow the Blood Witch's demand for now and Irae decided to approach Naela with the intention to win her trust in order to essentially lure her to the Blood Witch. Meanwhile, Jaron's part will deal with his experiences in Lys. Last time he got a part, he arrived there, truly stunned at the foreign beauty of the city, so completely unlike anything he had ever seen and likely even stretching the things he thought possible. He and John chose to split up and though you chose for him to take Temari with him instead of Samuel, I screwed up and got the choice wrong in John's part, means this is the first and only time I had to overrule one of your choices, albeit completely by accident. So, this part will show Jaron and Samuel teaming up and I know many of you wanted Jaron/Temari, I can only say that I am sorry again and then move on to deliver hopefully still enjoyable interactions between Jaron and Samuel, as they move to find and hopefully recruit Ayden's brother, Arryn.
And the part is here at last. Unfortunately, there was no room for Jaron's PoV this time, but I can assure you that he will be seen next. The second PoV in the next part is, by the way and against my previous statement, not going to be Garthon, but Ysilla, as I noticed she had a longer wait. For now, this part is all Irae and I hope you'll enjoy it
Irae
“I don't feel well, tricking the girl”, Irae admitted, as she stood in front of the House of the Undying. She never considered the building itself worthy of the power the warlocks commanded, nor appropriate of the respect they deserved. It had been a ruin for as long as she could remember. Ancient it was, a dusty, grey palace, long and low, without windows or towers, lacking any sort of ornate decorations. A palace of dust, as slander on the streets had it, though never when the warlocks were near.
Moros rolled his eyes at her remark, his blue, wrinkled lips tightening. “Your concern for the girl is misplaced”, he told her. “It is us you should be worried about, you and me and the Order of Warlocks, if the Blood Witch does not get what she wants. Besides, remember it has been you who chose this path” He raised a thin finger. “Choices breed consequences”
Irae sighed. “I am not so sure I even had a choice”, she brought up. “The rest is... too risky. Forcing her, that is not my style. Besides, I doubt she is without protection. The last we need is unwanted attraction. And straight up telling her... I don't think she has enough respect for me to take my word”
“It is because you are not a full warlock yet”, Moros reminded her. “Once you have given yourself to the Order, to the Undying Ones, the world will see a different you, one that deserves their respect, one that commands their fear” Irae nodded, though she narrowed her eyes at his remark. “And when will that be?”, she asked sharply. “I have dedicated my entire life to the Order”
Moros raised an eyebrow. “And how many years would that be?”, he asked. “Two decades? I know men who have spent twice this amount without ever receiving the honours. You have served us a very long time, young Irae, but you have yet to serve your purpose” His bony hand rested on her shoulder. “Follow the Blood Witch's demand and maybe we will consider you worthy at last”
With these words, he handed her a satchel, which Irae only briefly inspected. “Will this heal him?”, she asked and Moros nodded. “It will”, he promised. “If his illness isn't magical in nature, this should help him recover. Neutralizes poison as well, if his rivals are truly behind this”
“Rivals?”, Irae asked and Moros' smile was a crooked mockery of genuine joy. “Perhaps you have already spent too much of your youth behind these walls”, he said. “Of course, my own time among the younglings of Qarth is long over, but I have my sources” He narrowed his eyes. “Kareq Orlatis is an enemy of the Tourmaline Brotherhood”, he explained. “The Thirteen back him, of course, for they enjoy the misery of their Brotherhood rivals and this gives him an edge. They wage war over something as trivial as fur and Kareq, he is winning”
Irae glanced at Moros' dusty, black robe and she kept her thought to herself, for the old warlock was unlikely to know much about good fur. Well, neither did she, but she could at least imagine the value. “So you think he might have been poisoned?”, she asked and Moros shrugged. “I never assume what I don't know for certain”, he spoke. “But it is a possibility. It doesn't matter. This will help”
“Good”, Irae gave in. “Thank you, Moros” The old man took a step back from her. “You will not disappoint”, he stated mildly, before he turned around. “Return once you have won the girl's trust and you will receive further orders. I shall arrange passage out of Qarth”
“Not by sea, I hope”, Irae brought up and Moros chuckled, a hoarsy noise that quickly turned into coughs. “There is a ship's captain in debt to the warlocks”, he revealed, something that caused Irae to sigh. “Figures”, she mumbled, before she stood firm in the presence of the ancient warlock. “Whatever you deem best”
Moros nodded silently, while Irae turned around, to the dark alley that led to the main street of Qarth. The House of the Undying was located in the middle of a small grove, filled with black-barked and blue-leaved trees. None dared to build close to the warlocks and as such, it was a small refuge in the middle of the Queen of Cities.
She knew there were some who found it unsettling to walk among these trees, their hungry leaves eating the sunlight, making it a gloomy twilight beneath even on the brightest of days. Irae however always considered the darkness relaxing, putting her mind at ease even in stressful times. Right now, she needed this more than ever. There was not a single ounce of her that enjoyed having to trick Naela, but it was an absolute necessity. Moros had told her preciously little about the Blood Witch, but what she had seen with her own eyes was enough to convince her of the urgency. For Qarth, for the warlocks, even for herself. Yet the only thing she remained unconvinced of was if following the Blood Witch's order was truly the right approach. After all, she had no idea what kind of a power Naela would grant the wraith, should they ever meet.
As always, Irae barely noticed that she had reached the end of the path. Twisted by warlock magic, it was more than the straight, short path it appeared to be, but she knew the secret of passing it. There were others, as some of the older warlocks said, who were lost forever beneath the blue leaves.
The heat hit her. While the lack of sunlight caused a refreshing coldness beneath the trees, stepping out of them reminded her that the Queen of Cities was located near the red waste. Hot and merciless, the sun burned down and Irae frowned at it. Though she had ways to prevent a sunburn, she could not deny that her pale skin was aching, while the bright light wasn't something she was used to in the darkness of the House of the Undying.
Shielding her eyes for a moment, she stepped into the streets, past the small wall that separated the warlocks' palace from the rest of the city. The Qartheen presented themselves to her in all their colours. Despite the sunlight, most of them were pale and remarkably tall, often slender, clad in linen and samite, the richer among them in tiger furs. There were others of course, but they could easily be distinguished from the natives by their darker skin, be it the faint olive of the people from Yi Ti, the teak of the Lengii, or the dark amber of the Ghiscari, often bringing their own ornate garments with them to mingle with the Qartheen.
It was a lavish city, the sort that screamed its wealth out for the world to see and standing here, outside of her home, Irae felt barely fitting. It wasn't fitting for a warlock to mingle with lesser beings, even the attempt of impressing them was frowned upon among her companions. As such, Irae wore not the Qartheen dress so favoured by the highborn women of her city, but a plain, beaded robe. That she wasn't frowned upon in this rich part of the city was solely because people knew her, they knew whom her masters were.
Two men on camelback crossed her path, entering one of the smaller streets, but aside from them, none dared. In fact, she had the feeling they instinctively made room for her, as she walked among them, in the middle of the streets. Other warlocks were relishing in the attention they received her, though Irae always felt a bit odd at their fear, for she meant them no harm.
On another day, perhaps in another life, she would have taken the time to marvel at the sheer wealth displayed so readily. Women, clad in finest silk and fur, with golden rings around their necks and through their ears. Men carrying cloaks made out of tiger fur, walls displaying the bright colours of their respective owners, the noble families of Qarth and their respective allegiance to one of the Qartheen guilds.
Kareq Orlatis' manor was among the more impressive. Build on one of the central squares of Qarth, it was close to the fur market, possibly closer to it than the headquarters of the Torumaline Brotherhood. And right as she laid eyes on it, Irae knew that getting anyone out of there would be a harder task than she feared. After all, who would leave such a palace by their own free will? It was a large building, four stories high. A set of stairs led up to a row of columns, supporting a closed balcony with narrow, high-arched windows. The flat roof was bathed in the sun and palm trees grow in the front yard, around two small fountains.
Slave guards stood watch in front of the manor, tall and broad-shouldered men from the Summer Islands, their helmets closed, with tusks spouting from the steel and long, black plumes. Irae counted half a dozen of them in front of the building alone, holding spears in one hand and small shields in the other. Undoubtedly, there were more inside, probably even watching the streets from the windows.
At first, the slaves guards paid her no mind as she crossed the large square, past the merchants that had put up their wares here, for the wealthy of Qarth to see. None tried to offer their goods to Irae though and even the most cheerful of merchants became serious the moment he saw her. A warlock outside their palace meant business and only fools dared to disturb them.
As she came closer though, she noticed the men tensing up. They weren't Unsullied, but mere slaves, probably trained to kill, but not fearless. And they weren't stupid enough to not fear her, as she approached them. Neither did they point their weapons at her though. Instead, they only slowly narrowed their eyes, moving closer together, to block her from outright entering the mansion.
“Halt, warlock”, one of them said, his voice muffled beneath the helmet. “State your business at the manor of Kareq Orlatis” Irae raised an eyebrow. “Move aside, slave”, she said in a determined, cold tone. “Lady Naela asked for my aid in the case of your master's condition. Move aside, or you might be at fault for his death”
This had the intended effect. The slave grew visibly nervous at the implication and the grip around his spear weakened. “Lady Naela is inside”, he stated, his voice stressed, while another guard glanced at him. “We have to check her for weapons”, he reminded his fellow slave, a remark that caused Irae to smirk. “Go ahead, try to remove my weapons”, she spoke coldly and the slave stopped, before letting out a sigh. “Might not be necessary with this one”, he spoke, while another shook his head. “This is one of the warlocks”, he hissed, taking a slight bow in front of Irae. “Allow me to lead you inside”
She accepted this gesture, as the slaves made way for her, with the one speaking taking the lead, up the stairs and towards the large, wooden door. It stood open already, as if she had been expected, leading through the gate and below the balcony into a spacious inner courtyard.
From a corner, a well-dressed slave with olive skin approached, his hands folded behind his back. He had a questioning look on his face and the two men exchanged a few words in a fast-paced foreign language. For a moment, the man looked at her, tilting his head a bit, before nodding and hurrying into the main building. The slave guard waited for a moment, before signalling Irae to follow.
They had barely crossed the courtyard, as the door got opened again. This time, the one who walked through it was a woman Irae recognized by now. A tall beauty, fair-skinned and with brown hair and eyes. As it was fashion with the Qartheen, her dress was quite revealing, leaving bare one of her breasts and being generally form-fitting. The fabric was fine, as expected from the daughter of the Prince of Furs, consisting of silk and a lion's mane at the collar and around the shoulder.
There was relief on Naela Orlatis' face, even a slight smile, though she raised an eyebrow in a cocky way. “Finally, a warlock”, she said. “I sought help from your order days ago. Wasn't sure when you'd come, if you have a list or something like that. Actually, I wasn't sure if you'd come at all” She paused for a moment, before extending her hand. “Ah, where are my manners. The name is Naela. Naela Orlatis”
Irae gave her a nod, realizing that the young woman wasn't staring, a rarity given her eyes and hair. She must be truly desperate to get her father healed and Irae came to this conclusion not only because she had sought help from the warlocks to begin with. “I know”, she said. “We have met before”
Now, Naela narrowed her eyes, before placing a hand on her forehead. “Of course, you're right”, she said. “You're the one I brought this up to. Glad you were able to come, really” Irae did not reciprocate the smile, though she placed a hand on her chest. “My name is Irae Caleris”, she spoke. “And I was sent by the Order of Warlocks to heal your father, for a price”
If the girl was surprised, she did a fine job in hiding it. “A price was never mentioned”, she spoke and now, Irae smiled. “Mylady, in this world few things are ever truly free. A warlock's medicine certainly isn't among them”, she explained and instantly, Naela nodded. “Whatever it is, I will pay”, she promised. “Once my father is healed” Then, a slight look of distrust, the expression Irae had come to know and spot with ease, appeared on her face. “What kind of a price is it though?”, she asked. “It's not something creepy, eh? Like my monthly blood, or my firstborn child, that'd be unsettling”
Briefly and almost involuntarily, a smile flashed across Irae's face. “Nothing like that”, she assured her. “Occasionally, warlocks have need for the mundane” This seemed to put the girl at ease. “If it is coin, you'll find plenty here”, she stated, as she glanced at Irae's dress. “Albeit my father might agree to pay you in fabric. If you don't mind me saying, you warlocks could do well with a change of clothes” Instantly, she raised both of her hands. “No offence though”
“None taken”, Irae assured her. “I doubt it will be fabrics though. The price is for my superiors in the order to decide and I doubt they'll be inclined to agree with you” To this, Naela shook her head. “Proper attire isn't something to debate about”, she claimed. “You either look your absolute best at all times, or you don't put enough effort into it”
Irae smirked at her and she noticed that this surprised the girl. “I don't think I have ever seen a smiling warlock”, she admitted and Irae shrugged. “You don't know much about our order”, she claimed and Naela gave her a deep look. “Yeah, I bet there's countless warlock jokes I've never heard about. Real jesters in your palace of dust, I bet”, she replied and Irae's smirk widened. This girl amused her. And this sent a sharp sting of regret through her for what she intended to do. At least she could help her father, maybe that'd balance things out a bit.
“So, how is he doing?”, she asked and Naela sighed. “He is stable”, he claimed. “Running a fever the past few weeks, but it hasn't gotten worse from when he returned from his journey” Irae put a hand onto her satchel. “Can you tell me what happened?”, she asked and Naela nodded. “I can”, she said. “Inside”
She turned around and Irae followed, accompanied by the well-dressed slave. Naela led her into the manor and she had to admit, the interior fit perfectly with the lavish exterior. The hallway she entered was panelled with teak, the walls covered in fur, ranging from bears, to tigers, to zorses, as well as paintings.
Briefly, the girl stopped in front of one of them. It depicted a man, tall and muscled. His moustache was thick, dangling down below his lower jaw, while his hair showed a hint of grey already. One hand was holding onto a longbow, the other was resting on the shoulder of a young girl with brown hair and eyes.
“That's him”, Naela said softly. “In better days” She sighed and Irae briefly raised a hand behind her back, as if to comfort her, before lowering it again. This was one of these moments she had not been prepared for. Tricking the girl into liking her sounded so easy in Moros' words, but what if she started to feel sympathy for the girl? It was in this moment, as she heard the pained sigh from Naela's throat that she knew, she would do her best to prevent the Blood Witch from harming her.
“What happened to your father?”, she asked again and Naela looked back at the painting. “They say it was a pirate attack”, she hissed. “An arrow to the gut, but his vest saved his life. Our healers treated the wound, managed to close it, but he has been bed-ridden ever since. The fever came and went by and then it came back, but I think it is slowly getting worse...”
Irae paused for a second. “They say it was a pirate attack”, she repeated Naela's words. “You don't believe them?” The girl shook her head. “The Tourmaline Brotherhood”, she growled, her voice showing anger for a moment. “A bunch of cutthroats, jealous of my father's success. Pirates are among their ranks, so is it truly that far fetched?”
“I am afraid I don't know enough about your guilds to say this with certainty”, Irae admitted. “But it does not matter. What I have been given will help him back on his feet, my master assured me of this” She raised a finger. “Unless magic is involved”
This seemed to catch Naela off guard. “I thought magic is precisely your strength”, she stated and Irae shook her head. “It isn't all that easy”, she tried to explain, even if she had to admit, the topic was difficult to fully comprehend even for her, after studying it for her entire life. “We assume a mundane injury, maybe a mundane illness as a result of it, perhaps simple poison if your suspicion is correct. But magic requires a wholly different approach and in the end, it is mostly a test of raw strength between the two mages”
The Fur Princess gulped. “You... are a powerful mage, are you not?”, she asked and Irae smiled, in an attempt to calm her down. “If my skills are not enough, I shall call for my mentor, the wise Moros Qo Malxis. You won't find a warlock of greater skill in all Essos”
She wasn't so certain if Naela truly believed her, but it wasn't too far away from the truth. Moros was powerful, albeit healing had never been among the skills she had seen from him. “Then you should start thinking about your price”, Naela stated. “There is nothing I'd refuse”
Irae gave her a warning look. “You can tell me”, she spoke. “But be careful with such statements in the future. There are people in this city who will abuse this, taking everything you have and more” She shook her head. “I think it is time. Bring me to your father and I will see what I can do for him”
Naela gulped. “Thanks for the warning”, she admitted. “Uh, this might be awkward right now, but before we meet my father, would you care for some refreshments? Water, wine, some fruit, that stuff. He always gets mad when I'm not courteous to guests” Irae raised an eyebrow. “Do we have time for that?”, she asked.
To this, the girl nodded affirmatively. “I... I think so. It's not as if he's dying in this very moment”, she explained. “His condition is stable, he might even be awake at this time and...” She sighed. “Listen, I don't know. He's the one usually dealing with guests, so I'm trying to do things the way he would, as if I'd be the head of the family and you just a normal guest and not... you”, she admitted, slightly stuttering as she said this and the mask of confidence she had surrounded herself with revealed more than just a few cracks. It was a wonder that she did not cry, especially for a Qartheen highborn.
Irae could feel her concern, the hint of insecurity and in a way, she almost envied her for it, for this pure love she had for her father. It was clear that Naela wanted him to get better as quickly as possible. After all, she had been desperate enough to call the warlocks for help. But at the same time, she had just given out this invitation. Winning the girl's trust was the primary objective, even above healing her father and this could be a chance. At least it might be impolite, but proper etiquette was not something she learned with the warlocks. Tensing up, Irae gave Naela a smile, as she thought on how to answer.
[Accept Naela's invitation] [Insist on seeing Kareq first]
[Accept Naela's invitation] while fraternizing would increase her empathy for the girl, she needs to earn her trust in some way. Dang it you forget how unusual and opulent is this city in comparison to the rest of the world, and is also interesting to know Qarth didn't gain its current glory until after the Valyrians were gone. That and the fact Dothraki destroyed all other Qaathi settlements and drove them behind their triple walls.
[Accept Naela's invitation]
Even though Irae has only had two parts, I'm already in love with the storyline. Qarth is just such a fascinating location. I hope more exotic locations will start popping up in the story soon.
[Accept Naela's invitation] This should give Irea a chance to get to know Naela a bit better, and perhaps build some trust. I do feel bad for tricking her, but at least it's good to know that Irea doesn't intend to let the Blood Witch hurt Naela. Not sure if she'll truly be able to prevent that, but at least her heart is in the right place.
And like others already brought up, Qarth is a very interesting location, and while it for now feels very distant from the rest of the story (though I can kinda see the links between them already), it doesn't even bother me because the place is so darn fascinating
Century of Blood was quite a turning point for Qarth, on one hand pretty much all of their outer settlements were destroyed by the Dothraki (though I suppose they were sort of dying out anyway thanks to the Red Waste), but on the other hand they got a complete naval hegemony on the eastern Summer Sea thanks to the Valyrian fleet being destroyed and Volantis concentrating on their wars with the other Free Cities. I wonder if this time period was when all these merchant guilds truly rose to power, and the Purebloods' power declined. It would make sense, since the power the city has now is so dependent on trade. Anyway, perhaps that's enough rambling about Qarth and its history, I've just been thinking about it alot recently while making plans for TAoS 
Great part, I'm really looking forward to how this storyline will unfold!
[Accept Naela's invitation]
[Accept Naela's invitation]
I like Naela already! She's amusing and sassy. I love it. I'm almost certain that Irae will get attached and continue to feel bad.
Yeah, I consider the current express of wealth in Qarth as a relatively recent development, the sort of behaviour that is typically associated with the newly rich. While probably never poor and humble, the destruction of Valyria took away their most major rival in Essos, allowing them to thrive, at least in Qarth itself. It probably would be different if the Dothraki wouldn't have destroyed the other settlements, because now, all the wealth of Qarth is centralized in this single, massive city and they make a show of proudly showing it to the world, knowing they are protected by their walls.
Ah, I am so glad to hear this! Always a great feeling to start a storyline that is well received so quickly
I am also glad you like Qarth, I'll definitely show more of it soon. As for more exotic locations, I believe your wish will be granted. Irae's storyline is of course going to be the most major provider of these locations. To a lesser degree, this will apply to Janae, Jaron and John as well, albeit their storylines are in the more grounded, familiar part of Essos for now and there might be one or two truly exotic locations in Westeros I manage to sneak in as well 
Oh yes, I already said it above, but I consider it the same, the Century of Blood was a major turning point for the Qartheen civilization and in the end, I would say the good outweighs the bad. The settlements in the red waste, I cannot possibly imagine them to be lucrative, so they were likely vanity projects. Losing them has allowed the Qartheen to focus entirely on the main city, turning it into the Queen of Cities, as they say. That, and the added sense of self-worth after the destruction of Valyria and the resulting lack of significant rivals in this part of the known world. The losers of this were definitely the Purebloods, because with this change in mentality came a stronger focus on trade and commerce, allowing the merchant guilds to grow stronger in importance. The Purebloods might still rule the city and they are definitely not without influence, but for them, even having rivals is kind of a disgrace.
Well, as far as I've understood the land began to dry up (and thus turn into what is now the red waste) only after these cities were built. So it's not like the Qaathi just decided to build settlements in the middle of the most infertile place imaginable for no reason, but rather the land around them just turned to desert over time. That said, by the time of the Doom of Valyria those cities would've probably already been fully dependent on food imported from elsewhere, which would indeed make maintaining them a vanity project. And yeah, obviously the Purebloods can't be quite out of the picture yet, since we know they'll cling onto at least some power for another three centuries
Hehe, glad you enjoy her
I am not sure if I said it before, Naela was actually the original choice for the PoV, with Irae as the enigmatic warlock whom she keeps crossing paths with, but it would have felt way too much like copying a storyline from WildlingKing's story, at least in the beginning, so I decided that switching the PoV role to Irae might change things enough to prevent things from feeling too similar. Nonetheless, Naela is supposed to be a major character in Irae's parts, so I am really happy to hear that you already like her. Irae definitely feels amused by her and as you can imagine, warlocks are not exactly the kind of people to be amused on a regular basis, so this is intriguing for her. She definitely fears that she'll get too attached to her, because she fully believes what Moros and the Blood Witch told her and it is likely that starting to genuinely like this girl will make things more difficult for her.
I honestly don't even remember what they said or what Irae's intentions are. Sorry but would you mind giving me another reminder?
Yeah, they were probably never intended as vanity projects and started off as genuine expansions of the Qartheen empire, but given that the land started to turn into the current desert just as they were properly established, they were likely kept up as vanity projects, to proof to the people of Qarth that it was not a mistake to build them in the first place. I believe the loss of these cities has been a major blow to the Pureborn's power, they would have already lost face by just having to abandon them, but now it holds the added shame of being unable to protect them from a Dothraki horde, appearing weak in the process. I'd say this is the beginning of their decline and the void they leave is filled by the merchant guilds.
Ah, of course I can give you a reminder. So, Irae has seen Naela in a vision, more precisely, the Blood Witch has shown her. While the witch has been very vague about it, she mentioned that she wants Irae to deliver Naela to her, which means bringing her to the Dothraki Sea, where her great-grandson, Rhavarro the Witch Khal, resides. In return, she would prevent Rhavarro from sacking Qarth with his massive horde. Moros believes that these aren't empty threats, so he is fully on board with bringing Naela to the witch, even if it might mean that she will be harmed in the process, so that he and the Undying Ones, the elite of the warlock order, have more time to prepare against their old enemy. The problem there is that last time they faced her, about a hundred years ago, they allied with several other groups of magic users and they were significantly more powerful, as magic was more potent in general and it still took a lot to kill her. Now, they have grown notably weaker, while Moros at least assumes that the Blood Witch has only grown stronger. As such, he follows a very pragmatic, unscrupulous approach, seeing it as necessary to keep the Blood Witch busy with Naela until the warlocks manage to find a way to defeat her for good. Irae has seen the Blood Witch and her power, whereas she knows Moros her entire life and both tell her that this is necessary, so as much as she doesn't like it, she has no reason to doubt their words.
Thanks for that!
I remember now... I don't like that at all! Naela must be protected!
[Insist on seeing Kareq first] It isn' t the choice that make Naela trust Irae but I suppose that first we should heal the father as soon as possible
RT:
1)Qarth is a really cool location!
2) I think that the rivalry between Naela's father and the Tourmalaine Brotherhood will be something part of Irae's storyline
3) Ah ah Naela fear that the warlocks want her blood or unborn child! She is not too wrong since it is two of the possible four things that the Blood Witch want from her
Trust me, I love having these exotic locations in the story
The more grounded locations in Westeros don't always allow for scenic descriptions, given that some of the most major settings in the story, the Reach and the Riverlands, are also the most comparable to the medieval european setting that can be seen in every historical and fantasy movie ever. Qarth, Merman's Rest, Lys, later on Volantis, those are locations I really enjoy featuring for once, especially after most of Book 1 was focussed solely on the Reach.
In a way, it even already is. I can say, you are right here, the Tourmaline Brotherhood will have a certain role in Irae's storyline, but wether they will become more than just a footnote, allies or enemies, that remains yet to be seen.
Yeah, Naela is smart enough to know that a warlock's payment might include things some would consider unorthodox. Blood and babies, that is the standard and the Blood Witch got the former in her name already, although it should be noted that she is anything but a standard witch. We'll see, you can count on this being revealed eventually, but probably in the more distant future.
[Insist on seeing Kareq first] Sooner we the heal the sooner she will trust us.
Qartheen scum. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.
Luckily though, Irae is not the warlock you are looking for
Be excited for future storylines, involving Naela shooting first and Irae meeting a seemingly crazy hermit in the desert who turns out to be a space wizard.
That might be a good opportunity to reveal that it is my headcanon (and therefore arguably the canon) that Irae's mentor Moros Qo Malxis is speaking with a voice not unlike that of Emperor Palpatine. Whenever writing stuff for him, I have to actively resist the urge to have him tell Irae about the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise.
[Insist on seeing Kareq first]
[Accept Naela's invitation]