The pavilion was dim, with only a few candle lights keeping the tent lit. In the centre was a large table with a map, and strangely enough l… moreooked to be a strategic battle plan in the centre of it. Maxwell quickly ushered Tylar to a seat, and rolled away the map.
Tylar sighed, rubbing his head with his tired hands. He was tired, and needed rest. Yet there was so much on his mind, he knew his sleep would be poor unless he were to get everything off of his chest. Maxwell put the map away and grabbed a flask, inside Tylar hoped there was ale.
“Water?” Maxwell asked, and Tylar miserably shook his head. Tylar quickly spoke up, to shut away the awkward tension.
“Am I interrupting something?” He asked, and Maxwell smiled and shook his head.
“No, just speaking with Lord’s Broom and Greenfield. They are apparently having a dispute over land, which I am trying to settle through a matter of finance.” Maxwell said, giving Tylar a sly wink. Tyl… [view original content]
Hey buddy, that's a real nice compliment to hear, and I'm happy to see you appreciate the story Likewise, I'm glad to be so fortunate to have a lot of the same readers from day one, so this really couldn't have happened without the participation of you guys, so thank you all
[Return to Gwyn]
i'd explain the reason with a quote from a character we all love : "My wife must be lonely "
also i wanted to say , yo… moreur stories are awesome , keep going !
From all stories cancelled in these forums , i'm glad this one's still here , You're awesome !
The rolling waves bashed against their ship as they entered the port of Storm’s End. The sail had been short, though the weather had tried its hardest to make their journey as uncomfortable as it could. However, it was not the rolling seas and horrific winds that had put Ted in a position of discomfort, but the current state of his family.
He thought back to the rude awakening from his cousin, who had escorted him out of his quarters and forced him into a rowboat, all to protect him from the brothers of the Night’s Watch who came to collect their deserter. The fighting had taken place as Ted had been taken away, yet the mist had rolled in and obscured his vision.
Ted feared for his cousin, who he had left fighting the brothers that outnumbered him. His uncle, Lord Gryff Connington, who had openly denied the black brothers in handing over Ted to them. Ted could still hear the bashing of metal against metal, the horrid sound ringing in his ears.
The Swimming Bird pulled close to the stone harbour of Storm’s End, the crew throwing the thick lines down to the fishers and dock workers who were on the arm they were docking on at the time. Ted stood beside Marten Tarth, who had also been hitching a ride with the ship when Ted had climbed aboard.
Marten was a taller man, strong and robust. His hair was short, blonde and slicked back. There was something intimidating about his stature, perhaps the sheer size of the man, but he had proven to be nothing but a kind giant on their short voyage to Storm’s End.
The two of them stood by each other’s side, standing at the bow of the ship as it came into dock. Marten’s expression was heavily weighed, it was clear something was on his mind. Ted stared at him with wonder, but also with fear. He had lied to him about his identity, and not yet revealed that to him.
Ted sighed, crossing his arms. His mind had drifted off elsewhere, his thoughts on his family back at Estermont. He wondered how his dreadful cousin fared with the Andal invaders, he wondered if he even cared. Both Tarth and Estermont had been heavily attacked by the Andal’s, though Ted was surprised on his lack of emotion for the matter. All of those he cared for were dead, or had been taken away from him.
He turned his gaze to Marten, who was now looking at the tall walls of Storm’s End. The large drop off the side of it’s rounded walls into Shipbreaker Bay.
“Do you come here often, my lord?” He asked, his tone polite and baffled by the sight of the kingdom. Ted shook his head, his thoughts on his fake title made him somewhat remorseful on lying to the kind man.
“No, not often.” Ted remarked, staring at the magical beauty of the castle. Marten’s sigh dragged his gaze from the sight, forcing him to look at the tall man.
“Has Estermont fared well, since the Andal’s arrival?” He asked, almost biting his tongue. “I suppose you’re here for the same reason as myself, Tarth is in true need of House Durrandon’s assistance.” Ted nodded in agreeance, however he was curious on just how bad their homes had suffered.
“How has Tarth fared, since the Andal’s invaded?” Ted asked, avoiding Marten’s previous question. Marten barely seemed to notice, though Ted could see the hard look in his eyes.
“They have completely taken it from us, forced us off the island, slain anyone who remained. Lord Damon, my nephew, was a stubborn man. Following much like his father, he remained and tried to fight the Andal invaders. They slaughtered him, taking his youngest brother captive, the new Lord Dagon, a boy of fifteen.” Marten’s words were heavy, weighed with the dread of near almost certain destruction of his house. Ted sighed, feeling the suffering on his chest.
“Is Lord Dagon the last Tarth, aside from you?” Ted asked, his voice monotone. Marten shook his head.
“No, Dagon has an older brother and sister. Dromon left without a word, sailing to Essos many years ago. We haven’t seen him since. Iola has been missing for many months now, and then there are my sons: Chrys and Ben. Chrys is a member of the kingsguard for King Qarlton, and Ben is a squire at Blackhaven.” Ted nodded warmly, though he could see the pain deep in Marten’s eyes. The man was suffering, it was clear in the dim light of the mooded day.
The Swimming Bird was pulled in and tied to the docking arm, the fishers returning back to their rods and nets while the dockhands and sailors made sure the vessel would not detach itself from the wharf.
Ted turned his gaze towards the large curtain walls of Storm’s End, where the king’s keep resided. Ted sighed, almost reluctant to continue with his decision, however he had made his choice. Now, he had to act on it. He turned his eyes to Marten, who looked back at him with worried eyes.
“Ready?” Ted asked, and received a small frown from the man. He stood himself up straight and let out a deep sigh, before nodding gently. Ted gave a weak smile in return. It’s time.
-
The Storm Keep was dim and formidable, with weapons hung in display on the cold stone walls, and one family portrait of House Durrandon. Ted stared at the painting as he and Marten awaited a meeting with the king, who had ‘urgent business’ to attend to, rather than speak to his own people.
Ted sighed, staring at the blank faces in the portrait. The eldest boy stood beside his father, a fierce outrage hidden beneath his deep blue eyes. Beside them, yet separated with a gap, was two other boys, as well as a young girl and a pregnant mother.
Ted turned to the noise of Marten clearing his throat, begging for his attention. The man stared at him with worried eyes, and quite apparent distress. He clasped his hands together, looking around the waiting room. He met Ted’s eyes after a short moment.
“What will we do if Qarlton denies our pleads for assistance?” Marten asked with his shaky voice, Ted sighed, shaking his head.
“I don’t know, perhaps we may just have to look elsewhere.” The two were silent for a moment, until Marten spoke up, oddly enough his tone had gained some confidence.
“What about the Reach?” He suggested, his eyes brightened with a sudden idea that Ted could not understand.
“The Gardener’s? I heard they worked alongside with the Andal’s, why would we get any help from them?” Marten shrugged, turning his eyes away from Ted.
“From what I’ve heard, the Gardener’s are in a desperate plea for help. The Manderly’s have risen up and gained nearly full control of the Reach, the Gardener’s naturally want to take their homelands back.” His eyes widened, almost as if he was in recognition of something so blatantly obvious. “If House Tarth and Estermont were to give them their allegiance, perhaps they would return our homes and family safely back to us. After all, they are sided with the Andal’s.” His idea was an one of excellent thought, yet there was only one significant issue.
“Our isles are located in the Stormlands, Marten. If we were to break our oaths to House Durrandon in order to side with the Gardener’s, they would surely have all of our heads on wooden spikes.” Ted was surprised by the confidence in Marten’s eyes, as he shook his head to disagree.
“Qarlton is too busy with his own selfish agendas, the Stormlands would be open to both the invaders from the east as well as the Reachmen from the west.” Marten grinned and walked back to the doors at which they had earlier entered. “I will sail there in the morn, I hope you choose to join me.” He smirked at Ted, then left the hall, leaving Ted confused on the sudden change of events.
-
An hour passed before Ted entered the Storm Keep of Storm’s End. In his throne, King Qarlton sat with his fist against his cheek, boredom clearly expressed to all. Beside him were his kingsguard, and in the hall were the nobles of the court.
Ted felt slightly awkward entering a room filled with such noble birth, even the fact that the room was filled with so many people was enough to make him feel uncomfortable. He walked passed the nobles and lords that stood in the audience, his travelling gear filthy with dirt and salt. He had not bothered to change since his escape from Griffin’s Roost.
He stopped before the kingsguard that guarded the throne, falling on one knee. He stared at the cool stone slabbed floor, wordless and expressionless, however on the inside was a fury which he struggled to contain.
“Rise, Master…” The King stumbled on his words, clearly not recognising him. Ted rose, as ordered.
“Estermont, your grace. I’m here to inform you your bannermen have been rallied, and are on their way to Storm’s End as I speak.” Ted spoke with a formality he had not had to use in many years, his tongue felt awfully poisoned with tricks and lies, yet he kept a calm face. The King nodded, now recognising who he was.
“The deserter.” He proclaimed, gaining the full attention of the audience behind Ted. “Your duty will not go unnoticed. Once my conquest is complete, I will lift your sentence.” Ted could feel the anger building up inside of him, he should have expected as much. His containment for his fury was oozing out of him, slowly but at a dangerous rate.
“Your grace, during my time at Griffin’s Roost, the Night’s Watch came for me. The men of House Connington fought bravely for my protection. You promised that once I had served your wishes, I would be relieved of my sentence. Now, my family may be dead because of your lie.” Ted’s words were cold, intimidating and as sharp as a bronze point.
However, his bronze pointed dagger was no match for the fist of the Stormlands. The king stood from his throne, his steps slow but deliberate. He passed his kingsguard, stopping only a few centimetres in front of Ted. His guard has flocked around him, their hands resting on the hilts of their blades.
Ted looked up at the king, whose deep blue eyes stared down at him with a fury that outmatched his own. There was a menacing gaze in his formidable eyes, yet as much as Ted urged himself to break eye contact, he knew he would be perceived as weak if he did.
“Are you trying to insult me, boy?” His voice was thick, his tone deep with a lower rumble to it. Ted gulped, taking a step back. He shook his head almost immediately, realising the position he was in. A hush of silence fell over the crowd.
“No, your grace.” Ted finally managed, taking in a deep breath. Quickly regathering his strength and courage, he spoke up in his defense. “Though your people are begging for your help, and you continue to ignore them. Tarth and Estermont have been overrun by Andal’s, though you continue to persist in making this conquest a top priority. It must wait, my king.” Ted was surprised to see a grin widen on the king’s face.
“You’re brave, Estermont. You confront the most powerful man in the Stormland’s, and perhaps all of Westeros.” He said, his voice low enough only for Ted to hear. Ted lowered his gaze, realising his position.
“Your grace.” He mumbled, dropping to his knees. The King smirked and stepped passed Ted, lifting his arms to show his power and glory.
“My great people, lords and nobles of the court! This deserter claims that your are unhappy with me, that you believe my plans are foolish and dreadful for our great lands.” Mumbling could be heard over the court, though it all was quickly hushed with Qarlton’s interruption.
“My people, I plan to bring our extend our land, making us larger and more powerful than ever before! We will take Massey’s Hook, and after that we will take the Blackwater. The Andal’s have nowhere near the power to defy us, no one in all of Westeros has the power to defy us! We are the storm, and ours is the fury!” With this he received an applause and uproar from his crowd, which seemed to to fully believe in their king.
Ted felt a powerful large hand grasp his by the collar, the hot breath of Qarlton running down his neck. Ted shut his eyes, wincing at the consequences he was to endure.
“You have done me a service by rallying my banners, and for that I will lift your sentence. Though never again try to challenge my authority, or you will suffer far worse than public humiliation.” He grumbled, releasing Ted from his grasp. “If you wish to redeem yourself, join me in the conquest. Otherwise, get out of my sight.” Ted stood up and looked at the man, who stared at Ted with disapproval.
Ted nodded abruptly, and obeyed his command, quickly leaving the hall. Once he was outside the doors of the hall, and outside of the waiting room, he crumbled to the floor and rested against the wall. He buried his head in his hands, unsure of whether to weep or yell in anger. He did neither.
His options were clear to him, Qarlton had supposedly lifted his sentence once again, though could he really trust the man? It was clear the man was deluded with his cocky outlook at his power, and Ted truly feared that his family at Griffin’s Roost had suffered the worst from the rangers of the Night’s Watch.
Ted was unsure if he truly wanted to follow Qarlton into his pointless war, though he feared any other alternatives. Perhaps Marten was correct in his plan, though it was once again another war he would be getting tangled into. One provided hope and promise, whereas the other provided pointless death for another warmongering king.
[Follow Qarlton into war] [Join Marten in finding help at the Reach]
Right, well it doesn't look like everyone is going to vote, but I'll close it anyway. Tylar will choose to seek out Loras, which will have consequences of its own.
I'd like to apologise firstly about my absence recently, I've actually had a lot of enthusiasm to write but this new change in the forums has just really turned me off of it for some reason. Apart from it burning my eyes, it's just something I'll have to get used to until they bring out the final version.
I've released the most recent part, which goes to Teddy Estermont. If you can't remember who he is, or what his storyline is, here is a short reminder: Teddy is a deserter of the Night's Watch, who has managed to make his way down to his homeland in the Stormland's. While learning that Estermont has been completely overrun by the Andal invaders, Ted found himself assisting King Qarlton Durrandon by rallying his banners. In return, Ted would have his desertion sentence lifted. Ted arrived at Griffin's Roost first, meeting with Lord Gryff Connington and Robar Connington, to which he later learned were his uncle and cousin. However, this sudden happy reunion was short-lived as the Night's Watch turned up on his doorstep and created havoc for House Connington. Ted escaped with his life, though is unaware of the status of his family. Now he sails back to Storm's End, with plans to speak to the king...
The pavilion was dim, with only a few candle lights keeping the tent lit. In the centre was a large table with a map, and strangely enough l… moreooked to be a strategic battle plan in the centre of it. Maxwell quickly ushered Tylar to a seat, and rolled away the map.
Tylar sighed, rubbing his head with his tired hands. He was tired, and needed rest. Yet there was so much on his mind, he knew his sleep would be poor unless he were to get everything off of his chest. Maxwell put the map away and grabbed a flask, inside Tylar hoped there was ale.
“Water?” Maxwell asked, and Tylar miserably shook his head. Tylar quickly spoke up, to shut away the awkward tension.
“Am I interrupting something?” He asked, and Maxwell smiled and shook his head.
“No, just speaking with Lord’s Broom and Greenfield. They are apparently having a dispute over land, which I am trying to settle through a matter of finance.” Maxwell said, giving Tylar a sly wink. Tyl… [view original content]
[Join Marten in finding help at the Reach]
Simply because I don't want Ted to follow Qarlton anymore. He gave him a choice to get out of his sight - let's do it.
Ted
The rolling waves bashed against their ship as they entered the port of Storm’s End. The sail had been short, though the weather had … moretried its hardest to make their journey as uncomfortable as it could. However, it was not the rolling seas and horrific winds that had put Ted in a position of discomfort, but the current state of his family.
He thought back to the rude awakening from his cousin, who had escorted him out of his quarters and forced him into a rowboat, all to protect him from the brothers of the Night’s Watch who came to collect their deserter. The fighting had taken place as Ted had been taken away, yet the mist had rolled in and obscured his vision.
Ted feared for his cousin, who he had left fighting the brothers that outnumbered him. His uncle, Lord Gryff Connington, who had openly denied the black brothers in handing over Ted to them. Ted could still hear the bashing of metal against metal, the horrid sound ringin… [view original content]
I don't really trust Qarlton like Mathea, but I feel it may lead to pretty interesting storyline. I know this voting may be close, so I have a request - if my choice don't win, let me know what would happen to Ted in my chosen option, cause I am pretty sure it will not be just "pointless death".
Ted
The rolling waves bashed against their ship as they entered the port of Storm’s End. The sail had been short, though the weather had … moretried its hardest to make their journey as uncomfortable as it could. However, it was not the rolling seas and horrific winds that had put Ted in a position of discomfort, but the current state of his family.
He thought back to the rude awakening from his cousin, who had escorted him out of his quarters and forced him into a rowboat, all to protect him from the brothers of the Night’s Watch who came to collect their deserter. The fighting had taken place as Ted had been taken away, yet the mist had rolled in and obscured his vision.
Ted feared for his cousin, who he had left fighting the brothers that outnumbered him. His uncle, Lord Gryff Connington, who had openly denied the black brothers in handing over Ted to them. Ted could still hear the bashing of metal against metal, the horrid sound ringin… [view original content]
[Follow Qarlton into war] only because if he wants allies in the Reach, he should ask the King of the Seas :P
If there were an option to ally with House Manderly I would pick that, for obvious reasons.
edit: I got your message but can't respond to it, and I don't want to start a dozen conversations with just a single message in all of them o_O
Ted
The rolling waves bashed against their ship as they entered the port of Storm’s End. The sail had been short, though the weather had … moretried its hardest to make their journey as uncomfortable as it could. However, it was not the rolling seas and horrific winds that had put Ted in a position of discomfort, but the current state of his family.
He thought back to the rude awakening from his cousin, who had escorted him out of his quarters and forced him into a rowboat, all to protect him from the brothers of the Night’s Watch who came to collect their deserter. The fighting had taken place as Ted had been taken away, yet the mist had rolled in and obscured his vision.
Ted feared for his cousin, who he had left fighting the brothers that outnumbered him. His uncle, Lord Gryff Connington, who had openly denied the black brothers in handing over Ted to them. Ted could still hear the bashing of metal against metal, the horrid sound ringin… [view original content]
While Qarlton is anything but a pleasant person, he is Ted's liege. His house is sworn to Durrandon and will continue to be sworn to them in the coming centuries. If they break their oaths to him, his revenge might not come immediately, but it will come and it will be brutal. After all, he's the Storm King. Aside from that, they need quick help. Joining House Gardener, who are in their own little war against the Manderlys, will not provide quick help, if it even provides any help at all. The Reach is still a rival kingdom and allying with a rival kingdom is always a risk. I'd rather take the devil I know.
Ted
The rolling waves bashed against their ship as they entered the port of Storm’s End. The sail had been short, though the weather had … moretried its hardest to make their journey as uncomfortable as it could. However, it was not the rolling seas and horrific winds that had put Ted in a position of discomfort, but the current state of his family.
He thought back to the rude awakening from his cousin, who had escorted him out of his quarters and forced him into a rowboat, all to protect him from the brothers of the Night’s Watch who came to collect their deserter. The fighting had taken place as Ted had been taken away, yet the mist had rolled in and obscured his vision.
Ted feared for his cousin, who he had left fighting the brothers that outnumbered him. His uncle, Lord Gryff Connington, who had openly denied the black brothers in handing over Ted to them. Ted could still hear the bashing of metal against metal, the horrid sound ringin… [view original content]
The damn site 'Upgrade' (sarcasm included) came at a bad time, I can't finish the characters for your game or for Stigz this way. The songs can't be played in the forum anymore either.
[Follow Qarlton into war]
While Qarlton is anything but a pleasant person, he is Ted's liege. His house is sworn to Durrandon and will co… morentinue to be sworn to them in the coming centuries. If they break their oaths to him, his revenge might not come immediately, but it will come and it will be brutal. After all, he's the Storm King. Aside from that, they need quick help. Joining House Gardener, who are in their own little war against the Manderlys, will not provide quick help, if it even provides any help at all. The Reach is still a rival kingdom and allying with a rival kingdom is always a risk. I'd rather take the devil I know.
Haha, I needed a PoV on both sides, which is why I put the option on for Ted. You'll have a PoV in your Manderly Kingdom, just gotta wait till of these PM things are fixed XD
[Follow Qarlton into war] only because if he wants allies in the Reach, he should ask the King of the Seas :P
If there were an option to al… morely with House Manderly I would pick that, for obvious reasons.
edit: I got your message but can't respond to it, and I don't want to start a dozen conversations with just a single message in all of them o_O
Well, you could always use the regular submission box for that. If I remember correctly, I even told you I'd prefer it that way and I can only imagine that Stigz feels the same. It's just far easier to have your characters saved in the same spot as all the others and it would make it easier to find specific information about your characters, like their looks. Another benefit would be that you could continue to write them immediately, without having to wait for the technical staff to fix the PM's, which could potentially take a while. If it would be easy to fix, I guess they would have done so by now.
The damn site 'Upgrade' (sarcasm included) came at a bad time, I can't finish the characters for your game or for Stigz this way. The songs can't be played in the forum anymore either.
A big problem is I myself would not have access to them once I post the submission that way, I created 4 characters to a game earlier via that system and I already forgot most of the first 2 characters while I wrote the 4th. I need to have it before me to work out the connection between characters and to avoid repetitive concepts or themes as much as possible.
Well, you could always use the regular submission box for that. If I remember correctly, I even told you I'd prefer it that way and I can on… morely imagine that Stigz feels the same. It's just far easier to have your characters saved in the same spot as all the others and it would make it easier to find specific information about your characters, like their looks. Another benefit would be that you could continue to write them immediately, without having to wait for the technical staff to fix the PM's, which could potentially take a while. If it would be easy to fix, I guess they would have done so by now.
okay, I just wish i could work on the dynasty more, I think I will start up a .txt file for them all so I can spam flood you with all characters at once when forums work again
Haha, I needed a PoV on both sides, which is why I put the option on for Ted. You'll have a PoV in your Manderly Kingdom, just gotta wait till of these PM things are fixed XD
You could keep them saved in a separate document. I do it that way, I submit the characters with the submission sheet, but I keep everything I have written down for them saved in a word document, which I keep in a special folder on my PC and twice saved on external hard drives. Whenever I need to read through them, I have them once again. It also means I don't have to write them all at once (which, frankly, is nearly impossible given the length my more recent characters mostly reach), but can write them with breaks. It's practical and regardless of wether or not you decide to use the regular character submission, I'd advice you to save them in a document.
A big problem is I myself would not have access to them once I post the submission that way, I created 4 characters to a game earlier via th… moreat system and I already forgot most of the first 2 characters while I wrote the 4th. I need to have it before me to work out the connection between characters and to avoid repetitive concepts or themes as much as possible.
Alright, well I'm not going to close the vote quite just yet, but I have already written the next part. This introduces a new character, and puts an end to the introductory of this chapter (basically meaning we've now seen all the new and old PoV's at least once since I restarted this chapter XD). Of course, there are still new characters to come, but I'm getting off topic here.
So, this new character is Kira Tyner, ring any bells? Yes, Kira is the sister of Ser Darren Tyrner. Without saying anymore, I'll allow you to read the part now! So here she is, Kira Tyrner!
Her hands worked tirelessly through the silk fabric, threading the iron needle through the seams to mend them into the garment she had been working on. The fabric would soon make up a magnificent jacket for a well-known merchant.
As his size was larger than most orders, she had spent more time than usual on this piece of clothing. Of course, the special order has entitled her to put as much time and effort into the jacket, however it was tiresome work and something that could not be rushed.
The factory was boiling in steam, the atmosphere stinking with heat and unbearable to most. Kira was fortunate to adjust to the constant heat, however even today was a battle for her. Sweat coursed down her brow, her hands were sore from the constant motion of threading the needle through the silk coat.
Her co-workers sat beside her on the long wooden bench that they were designated to when given a special order. They were fortunate to have their own bench when they were given this specific order, and it racked up the best pay as well. Otherwise, Kira would be located in the back of the factory, sewing together cotton shirts or collecting silk from the worms.
Despite the hard work, Kira always kept herself focused on the task at hand, as she knew the consequences were dire for those who did not. Only a week before last, the young girl working beside Kira had fainted due to the suffocating heat in the factory. She had been given thirty lashes by the slave guard, and then was sent back to work without any sort of treatment to her wounds.
The end of that day came slowly, and the young girl’s weeps only brought her more pain as the guard would pass by each time, beating her each time she whimpered. Kira recalled when that day came to a conclusion, when she was finally free of the factory.
She had found the young girl left in the side of the ditch, her body still warm with the heat, but limp and without a heartbeat. Yet what shocked Kira the most that day was not her death, but how defiled her body was. Her clothing had been torn from her, her body was bloody and the ejaculents of men oozed from her corpse. Kira had learned a great amount on that day, and it was one she would never forget.
Kira snapped out of her trance, realising she had completely sewn off track of the jacket during her sudden daydream. She quickly grabbed for the seam ripper, slicing through her mistakes before anyone could notice. Though it was too late, in the corner of her eye she saw two slave guards walking towards her, one with a whip in his hand and another with a spiked baton.
Kira clenched her fists, forcing her eyes shut and preparing herself for a round of lashes. To her surprise, the footsteps passed her, climbing the steps that led to the back of the factory. They were just passing on patrol. She told herself, allowing a sigh of relief.
Her unexpected noise caught the attention of the girl beside her, who looked over to Kira’s project. Kira recognised the girl to be one of the friends of the girl she found dead in the ditch, her hair was cut short and was a dirty dark brown. Her blue eyes were polluted, like most of the canals in Andalos, leaving a brownish tinge to her mysterious eyes. Tara was it? Talia? Kira stared at the girl with wonder.
“That’s a pretty coat. Who’s it for?” She asked, her tone of voice sounded innocent, but Kira saw through it. There was mockery, even if it was only subtle.
“The Plum Merchant, Lohrren.” Kira stated, looking over to the girl’s work.
It was a small pink frock, with white puffy sleeves and a lavish puffy skirt. Clearly it was designed for a young girl, someone small and likely the daughter of a rich merchant or lord. Kira nodded to her dress.
“Your’s looks nice as well, who ordered it?” The girl shrugged, staring down at the dress with a distasteful glare.
“Some lord who wished to dress his little brat up for a wedding. Though, I don’t think that lord is too worthy of my beautiful dress, I might keep it.” She turned her eyes to Kira, her expression showing a sudden serious look. “You wouldn’t tell anyone, would you?” Kira raised her eyebrows, feeling herself tense up. She looked around, uncertain of how to answer.
“I…” She started, before the serious girl giggled and placed her gentle hand on Kira’s forearm. Kira looked at her with confusion, and the girl’s lips formed a warm smile.
“I’m only jesting, I’m Tayla by the way.” Her dirty eyes looked into Kira’s, which searched the room to check if the guards were around. They weren’t.
“Kira.” She replied, still slightly hesitant. Tayla smiled, releasing Kira from her gaze.
“You’re a pretty one, you from the Freehold? I hear the weather over there is nice this time of year, suppose with all those dragons roaming about though it is a different story.” The two returned back to their work, still maintaining their discussion. Kira gave a weak smile and shook her head.
“No, I’m not from the Freehold. Born into an Andal family, on a farm outside of the city.” Kira flickered her eyes over to Tayla, who was now looking at her.
“Really? Those silver linings and bluey lilac eyes, I would have sworn you were Valyrian.” Kira smiled, but her attention remained focused on her work.
“Perhaps somewhere in my heritage, but that’s lost to history now.” Tayla grinned and rolled her eyes, picking up her thread and needle.
“Whatever you say, Kira.” A giggle followed her final words, before they both focused entirely on their work.
Another hour passed before the dinging of the break bell echoed through the humid rooms of the factory. It was the final bell of the day, which meant they were free to leave. Kira picked up her coat and deposited it in her designated project box, before exiting the suffocating building.
‘Fresh air’ was not the best way to describe the stench outside of the factory, but it beat the stench of blood, sweat and tears. Every seamstress flocked out of the factory and quickly fled to their own homes, like terrified swans when disturbed by an unknown presence. The slave guards collected the tired stragglers for their own amusement in their long night.
Tayla had accompanied Kira as far as the Rats Hole Inn, where Tayla’s father worked as the Innkeeper. Tayla stopped before entering the Inn, her warm smile looking back to Kira.
“So where’s home for you, Kira?” Kira shrugged, rubbing her sore hands.
“I have an apartment at Southpoint.” Tayla’s eyes widened in surprise, her hands landing on her hips.
“Southpoint District? You mean to say that you walk all the way to Westside District, every morning?” Kira nodded, as she did whenever she revealed this sort of information. “Now that’s what I call determination to work. Say, would you like to come in? I could fetch us a meal and something to drink?” Kira felt slightly suspicious with the sudden kindness of the girl she had only just spoken to for a few hours. Perhaps she truly was genuine, but Kira had been played before.
“It’s a tempting offer, but I’m going to have to decline. I have someone to feed at home.” Kira stated, even though it was a fib.
She knew her rodent cat could feed itself. Admittedly, Kira just wanted to return home in hopes to find a letter waiting by the door from her brother, Darren. It had been a week since she had sent the letter, and it usually did not take him this long to reply.
She was getting short on money, and even though she worked overtime as a seamstress, the pay never seemed to be enough to pay the rent. Even to this day, she was still somewhat reliant on her bigger brother, despite her claim of being an independent woman.
A disappointed but understanding smile was followed by a slow nod from Tayla, who waved Kira off and retreated into her home. Kira stood out in the muddy street wondering if she had made the right decision. She knew she hadn’t made the wrong decision.
-
The walk had been long, and with Kira being already tired from her long day of work, the travel had left her exhausted. It was not too far from her apartment now, but ever since she had parted company from Tayla she had felt like she was being watched, followed.
She had targeted a man to be the culprit of this uneasiness, who had been one of the few men she had seen every time she checked behind her. She quickened her pace, and found the man to still be on her tail despite every shortcut she took.
Kira was desperately in the mood to race home and fall into her bed, however this sudden paranoia had brought up another situation. Kira looked around for a route to escape this man’s sight. Even if it was nothing, she still did not feel safe.
Kira’s eyes landed on a familiar sign, which hung on a building she knew well enough. The sign read: Vittori’s Workshop. Kira sighed and quickly approached the wooden door. She was not in a mood to deal with Florentio’s jealousy, though if it meant she could escape the man pursuing her then she would do it.
A bell rang as the door swung open, and Kira quickly made sure she shut it behind her. As always the counter was empty, which meant that Florentio was out the back working on one of his ‘grand inventions.’
Kira did not bother to use the tap bell, and instead climbed over the counter and entered the back. As expected, she found Florentio had focused at his worktable, unaware of Kira’s existence.
The tanned podgy man loomed over his table. His head was covered with his long, sleek black hair, which was oiled back in the style of the Pentoshi. His clothing was as colour and as vibrant as always, with today being a light green tunic with a golden sash over the top. His clothing was wide, which added onto his podginess.
Kira cleared her throat, gaining the attention of the off guarded man. His dark brown eyes met hers with a tense gaze, which relaxed after he recognised her. His face was heavily powdered, in an attempt to cover the tanned skin he so dearly dreaded. Beneath his big snub nose was a long black twirly mustache.
“Kira!” He exclaimed, his voice high pitched, quickly rushing to her with open arms. Kira accepted the embrace as she always had. The man was certainly effeminate, which did not bother Kira in the slightest.
The two held in the embrace for a long and awkward moment, before he finally released her. His eyes looked at hers with a warm smile, yet also curiosity.
“What brings you to my workshop? Have you finally taken up my offer to become my apprentice?” He asked, a touch of hope in his voice. Kira grinned and shook her head.
“No, just thought I should drop by and check in on you. You know, before you drive yourself crazy with your creations.” Florentio replicated Kira’s grin, exposing his yellow teeth. He wrapped an arm around her and led her to his worktable.
“You’re a good friend, Kira. I’m fortunate to have one like yourself.” He admitted, releasing her and quickly rushing over to the other side of the table. Kira looked at the contents of the table.
Copper wire was connected to some machinery that not even Kira could understand. It was certainly something out of the ordinary, which was nothing new when it came to Florentio. However, it was clear that this was out of his own interest, and not something ordered by a customer to be modelled or crafted.
“What is this?” Kira asked, following the copper wires to a wooden box, on top was a rounded glass bulb with an iron cylinder tube inside it. Florentio’s lips widened into a large grin.
“This year’s Inventor’s Contest would have every inventor create a source of light. I plan to be able to create fire with the flick of a switch!” He proclaimed, staring at his work-in-progress with pride. Kira nodded, rolling her eyes.
“And how’s that going for you?” Kira watched as the grin slowly died on Florentio’s face, which was replaced with a frown.
“Not so well, I’m afraid. I lack the parts to complete such a structure. Though I have ordered them, and once this piece of machinery is finished I will finally be able to annihilate that damned Allick Finch!” His voice squeaked at the mention of Allick Finch. Kira could see the determination in his eyes, the meaning as he slammed his fist against the table. Kira sighed.
“Keep speaking like that, and I might worry for the man’s life.” Florentio chuckled coldly, rubbing his recently slammed fist.
“Only his inventing life.” He assured her, which made Kira feel no better.
She wondered if the man following her had finally given up, she was now more tired than she could have ever imagined. She sighed and turned her gaze to Florentio, who was staring with great wonders at his creation.
“Well, I better get going, Florentio.” The man looked up and nodded, too focused on his ideas to show any interest.
Just as Kira was about to exit the backroom, she heard the familiar sound of the doorbell, and footsteps of someone entering. The tap bell was rung twice, and the irritated voice of Florentio piped up.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!” He groaned, wiping his hands on his clothing.
He walked over to the mirror on the wall to check his appearance, before making his way to the counter. Kira caught him by the forearm, her worry had struck her again. The man looked down at her, curiosity in his eyes.
“What?” He asked, clearly noticing the distress in her expression. Kira shook her head, not knowing where to begin.
“I fear someone may be following me, if someone is asking for me, please don’t say anything.” She begged, and Kira saw the confusion in Florentio’s eyes.
“Why would anyone be looking for you? They’re coming into the great store of Florentio Vittori! The greatest inventor of Andalos!” He proclaimed, in an attempt to cheer her up. Kira shook her head, and stared at him with worried eyes. “Alright, alright. You have my word.” He finally said, before exiting the backroom.
The mumbled chatter was barely audible in the backroom, but Kira could tell enough that the customer was not a regular, with the sound of Florentio’s high praise of his work. The conversation lasted only minutes, but it felt like hours and Kira could already feel herself starting to drift off. Perhaps all of this worry was just a result of being overtired.
Florentio walked into the backroom, and to Kira’s surprise it was not for his own invention. He looked at Kira with curious eyes, rubbing his hands.
“That customer denied any of my services, he only stated he was looking for you.” Kira could hear a touch of disappointment in Florentio’s voice. However, Kira was worried for her own sake.
“And what did you tell him?” She demanded, walking towards him. Florentio shrugged, looking elsewhere.
“I told him nothing, as I promised you.” Kira was not convinced, she decided to push on further.
“Florentio…” The man turned back at her with agitated eyes.
“I said I told him nothing! You are becoming trouble for my store, I must ask you to leave before authorities come around and shut me down.” His high pitched voice made his shout hard to take seriously, though Kira could tell he was indeed serious.
Kira muttered some words under her breath and made her way to the counter, before she was stopped at the call of her name. She turned back to Florentio, who was now looking at her with apologetic eyes, though she knew well enough that he was not the man to admit he was wrong.
“It’s not safe to go out the front.” He stated, his voice slightly shaky. “I’ll take you out the back. Do you want me to take you home?” He asked, and Kira shook her head.
“Walking with you would be like trying to hide in the dark with a torch lit, but I thank you anyway.” Florentio nodded, leading her to the back door.
On his way, he grabbed a dusty brown cloak and wrapped it over her shoulders. He pulled the hood over, which was far too large for her. He opened the barged door, and the heat flooded the cool room.
“Head straight home, Kira. I don’t know why that man was looking for you, but he did not seem like a nice one.” Kira looked up at Florentio, this sudden behaviour was not like him, and had certainly caught her off guard. She nodded to him, and exited his workshop.
-
Kira climbed the steps to her apartment, the iron key shaking in her unsteady hands. She had speedily made her way home, avoiding the open streets and sticking to the alleyways. She had never felt so afraid, not since she had first came to the capital. Though she was finally home now, a safe haven.
The key fumbled in her hands, though the door finally unlocked after her third attempt. She quickly entered and instantly shut the door behind her, deadbolting the rusted locks. It would not hold if someone were to break it down, but it gave her a sense of protection.
She took off the cloak and rolled it up, placing it on the table beside the door. She was quickly met by Zola, her pet cat. Zola had lived in this apartment far longer than Kira had, and she had learned to accept it. Zola kept the rooms free of mice, and in reward Kira allowed her to stay uncontested.
The two had grown a bond over the years, and Zola rushed towards Kira once she entered the living room. The cat was not the prettiest sight, with a missing ear and patches of missing fur. However, she was a company which Kira warmly accepted.
She picked Zola up from the ground, embracing her gently before placing her back down. Kira then entered her room, exhausted and deprived. She stripped from her clothing and climbed into her bed. She was starving, but had no energy to cook anything for herself.
She tucked herself into a tight ball under the sheets, and closed her eyes. Thoughts roamed around in her head, thoughts of Tayla and Florentio. Though most prominent was the man following her, and to her surprise Darren as well. She had not seen a letter when she came inside, though then again she had not looked. Just as she was considering to get up and check, her aching body fell into a slumber. Shortly after, she did too.
-
The sound of clattering pots and something being broken outside of her room awoke Kira from her deep sleep. She looked around, the window was still open but the night sky was out. How long have I been out? She wondered, pulling the sheets in closer.
She steadied her breathing, remaining quiet and listening for another noise. She was convinced it was Zola knocking plates of the shelves again, though then again she feared the worst. A thud on the wooden floorboards was the next thing she heard, which was either Zola jumping off the bench tops, or something else. Either way, Kira was awake now, and starving.
She stood herself up, grabbing a nightgown from her wardrobe. The candle beside her bed was dimly lit, surrounded by a puddle of melted wax. She picked up the flame, which seemed to reignite by the sudden movement, but it would not last much longer.
Prepared to exit her room, she heard another thud, followed by another. Footsteps? She shook her head, wondering if she was imagining it all. Perhaps she was dreaming. She turned back and looked at the dagger on her bedside table. I’m safe here, this is my home. She reminded herself, but her eyes kept drawing back to the weapon.
[Leave the room without the dagger] [Leave the room with the dagger]
Kira
Her hands worked tirelessly through the silk fabric, threading the iron needle through the seams to mend them into the garment she h… moread been working on. The fabric would soon make up a magnificent jacket for a well-known merchant.
As his size was larger than most orders, she had spent more time than usual on this piece of clothing. Of course, the special order has entitled her to put as much time and effort into the jacket, however it was tiresome work and something that could not be rushed.
The factory was boiling in steam, the atmosphere stinking with heat and unbearable to most. Kira was fortunate to adjust to the constant heat, however even today was a battle for her. Sweat coursed down her brow, her hands were sore from the constant motion of threading the needle through the silk coat.
Her co-workers sat beside her on the long wooden bench that they were designated to when given a special order. They were fortunate to hav… [view original content]
[Follow Qarlton into war] It is probably best if Ted follows his liege on this one because as others have said, Ted could face serious trouble if it is found out that he is aiding the Reach over him and I think this war would be a intriguing storyline for Ted as well.
Ted
The rolling waves bashed against their ship as they entered the port of Storm’s End. The sail had been short, though the weather had … moretried its hardest to make their journey as uncomfortable as it could. However, it was not the rolling seas and horrific winds that had put Ted in a position of discomfort, but the current state of his family.
He thought back to the rude awakening from his cousin, who had escorted him out of his quarters and forced him into a rowboat, all to protect him from the brothers of the Night’s Watch who came to collect their deserter. The fighting had taken place as Ted had been taken away, yet the mist had rolled in and obscured his vision.
Ted feared for his cousin, who he had left fighting the brothers that outnumbered him. His uncle, Lord Gryff Connington, who had openly denied the black brothers in handing over Ted to them. Ted could still hear the bashing of metal against metal, the horrid sound ringin… [view original content]
[Leave the room with the dagger] It is no doubt better to be safe than sorry on this one.
Also, I have not been able to get on the site for a few days so this is one of my first times viewing the new site layout. This has probably been asked multiple times but I am curious. Does anyone know what is wrong with the private messages? I have been trying to send them and the site won't let me send them. Is this a common glitch? Sorry for the people I have not gotten back with, but I will send my replys as soon as I figure out what is wrong with the PM system!
Kira
Her hands worked tirelessly through the silk fabric, threading the iron needle through the seams to mend them into the garment she h… moread been working on. The fabric would soon make up a magnificent jacket for a well-known merchant.
As his size was larger than most orders, she had spent more time than usual on this piece of clothing. Of course, the special order has entitled her to put as much time and effort into the jacket, however it was tiresome work and something that could not be rushed.
The factory was boiling in steam, the atmosphere stinking with heat and unbearable to most. Kira was fortunate to adjust to the constant heat, however even today was a battle for her. Sweat coursed down her brow, her hands were sore from the constant motion of threading the needle through the silk coat.
Her co-workers sat beside her on the long wooden bench that they were designated to when given a special order. They were fortunate to hav… [view original content]
[Leave the room with the dagger] From what we've seen, Andalos is a complete shithole. It shouldn't be surprising when a young woman is ready to defend herself from anything that might happen to her. It's safer to take a weapon with her, just in case.
Anyways, great part I'm very happy about this introduction to Kira, even if it still did not give any answers to wether or not she really got abducted by someone, as Darren learned. After all, her part could happen weeks or months before Darren's. I have also noticed this name, Jorrhen, and I realized Darren met his son and got into a fight with him. I wonder if the letter he received has something to do with that. It also means that this Jorrhen might be a threat to Kira. Also I enjoyed Florentio in here, it was a nice little teaser for him.
Kira
Her hands worked tirelessly through the silk fabric, threading the iron needle through the seams to mend them into the garment she h… moread been working on. The fabric would soon make up a magnificent jacket for a well-known merchant.
As his size was larger than most orders, she had spent more time than usual on this piece of clothing. Of course, the special order has entitled her to put as much time and effort into the jacket, however it was tiresome work and something that could not be rushed.
The factory was boiling in steam, the atmosphere stinking with heat and unbearable to most. Kira was fortunate to adjust to the constant heat, however even today was a battle for her. Sweat coursed down her brow, her hands were sore from the constant motion of threading the needle through the silk coat.
Her co-workers sat beside her on the long wooden bench that they were designated to when given a special order. They were fortunate to hav… [view original content]
Private messages currently do not work correctly. Everyone seems to have the problem that it is impossible to answer to private messages. It is possible to send entirely new private messages, but it is not possible to answer to these either, so to keep a PM discussion going, you currently have to start a new PM discussion for every single message. The technical staff is working on it, though it might take a while until it is properly fixed. Don't worry, we all have the same problem
Other things you have to be careful of at the moment is that you have to make sure that you still follow the story whenever you comment, as the field where you follow the discussion is automatically unchecked whenever you write a new comment, meaning you have to manually check it. Also, you don't get a separate notification for responses, which I hope is going to be fixed very soon.
By the way, it appears from your reasoning you want to vote to leave the room with the dagger, though you have voted to leave without. Just thought I'd point it out in case it was a mistake.
[Leave the room with the dagger] It is no doubt better to be safe than sorry on this one.
Also, I have not been able to get on the site f… moreor a few days so this is one of my first times viewing the new site layout. This has probably been asked multiple times but I am curious. Does anyone know what is wrong with the private messages? I have been trying to send them and the site won't let me send them. Is this a common glitch? Sorry for the people I have not gotten back with, but I will send my replys as soon as I figure out what is wrong with the PM system!
Oh okay I see, this new site layout is no doubt something that will take time to get used to since I definitely enjoy the last version far better. It seems a lot has changed and not for the better but of course I am sure it is just temporary until they get everything fixed to how it was.
Thanks for letting me know on that Liquid since I had no clue what was going on with it and thanks for pointing out that mistake, I definitely want her to leave with the dagger!
Private messages currently do not work correctly. Everyone seems to have the problem that it is impossible to answer to private messages. It… more is possible to send entirely new private messages, but it is not possible to answer to these either, so to keep a PM discussion going, you currently have to start a new PM discussion for every single message. The technical staff is working on it, though it might take a while until it is properly fixed. Don't worry, we all have the same problem
Other things you have to be careful of at the moment is that you have to make sure that you still follow the story whenever you comment, as the field where you follow the discussion is automatically unchecked whenever you write a new comment, meaning you have to manually check it. Also, you don't get a separate notification for responses, which I hope is going to be fixed very soon.
By the way, it appears from your reasoning you want to vote to leave the roo… [view original content]
Alright, time to close the vote. Ted will follow Qarlton into war.
Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed with how this vote turned out. There was quite an interesting storyline ahead for Ted if he were to follow this arc, but no matter. I shall still get a PoV in time down at the Reach, that is without any doubt. However, we now have two PoV's following Qarlton's war, which is not necessarily a bad thing though it is not exactly ideal as well. At any rate, we will see where this leads Ted into the future
Ted
The rolling waves bashed against their ship as they entered the port of Storm’s End. The sail had been short, though the weather had … moretried its hardest to make their journey as uncomfortable as it could. However, it was not the rolling seas and horrific winds that had put Ted in a position of discomfort, but the current state of his family.
He thought back to the rude awakening from his cousin, who had escorted him out of his quarters and forced him into a rowboat, all to protect him from the brothers of the Night’s Watch who came to collect their deserter. The fighting had taken place as Ted had been taken away, yet the mist had rolled in and obscured his vision.
Ted feared for his cousin, who he had left fighting the brothers that outnumbered him. His uncle, Lord Gryff Connington, who had openly denied the black brothers in handing over Ted to them. Ted could still hear the bashing of metal against metal, the horrid sound ringin… [view original content]
Alright, I'll put this vote to a close. Kira will leave the room with the dagger.
This is certainly the safest choice, but it also adds onto paranoia as well, which may not be all that good. However, I'll leave that matter for another time, as I have other things I must announce.
Firstly, my holidays are over so I'm officially back at college. So if my writing wasn't already slow, just expect it will be slower. I'm not too stacked on work, so this weekend I should be able to produce one or two parts, but weekends are likely my safest bets when it comes to writing the story.
Secondly (is secondly a thing?), I'm starting to get a little impatient with the forums. No complaint to the tech team, who are without a doubt working hard to resolve all of the current issues, but I am loathing no PM's or notifications at the moment. So forgive me if I'm a little inactive, as you know it's mostly my schooling but another is simply lack of interest. Hopefully these bugs will be resolved soon, and with that my motivation
Kira
Her hands worked tirelessly through the silk fabric, threading the iron needle through the seams to mend them into the garment she h… moread been working on. The fabric would soon make up a magnificent jacket for a well-known merchant.
As his size was larger than most orders, she had spent more time than usual on this piece of clothing. Of course, the special order has entitled her to put as much time and effort into the jacket, however it was tiresome work and something that could not be rushed.
The factory was boiling in steam, the atmosphere stinking with heat and unbearable to most. Kira was fortunate to adjust to the constant heat, however even today was a battle for her. Sweat coursed down her brow, her hands were sore from the constant motion of threading the needle through the silk coat.
Her co-workers sat beside her on the long wooden bench that they were designated to when given a special order. They were fortunate to hav… [view original content]
I'm starting to get a little impatient with the forums. No complaint to the tech team, who are without a doubt working hard to resolve all of the current issues, but I am loathing no PM's or notifications at the moment.
This!
Btw, sorry I have fell a bit behind with this story, but I'll be doing some catching up soon. One reason is precisely that I've spent a bit less time here now that the site doesn't really operate as well as it used to
Alright, I'll put this vote to a close. Kira will leave the room with the dagger.
This is certainly the safest choice, but it also adds o… morento paranoia as well, which may not be all that good. However, I'll leave that matter for another time, as I have other things I must announce.
Firstly, my holidays are over so I'm officially back at college. So if my writing wasn't already slow, just expect it will be slower. I'm not too stacked on work, so this weekend I should be able to produce one or two parts, but weekends are likely my safest bets when it comes to writing the story.
Secondly (is secondly a thing?), I'm starting to get a little impatient with the forums. No complaint to the tech team, who are without a doubt working hard to resolve all of the current issues, but I am loathing no PM's or notifications at the moment. So forgive me if I'm a little inactive, as you know it's mostly my schooling but another is simply lack of interest. Hopefully these bugs will be resolved soon, and with that my motivation
Hey, well I'm glad to have you back! I presume that means you're settled where you wanted to be now?
Btw, sorry I have fell a bit behind with this story, but I'll be doing some catching up soon. One reason is precisely that I've spent a bit less time here now that the site doesn't really operate as well as it used to
That's fine, take your time with it It's really not going anywhere as I mentioned in my announcement. Unfortunately the status of the forums are not at the level we all love and appreciate, but in time that'll be fixed. Meanwhile though, we impatient few get slightly irritated by there's nothing we can really do. I can only look forward to resuming the PM's that I miss ever so much XD
I'm starting to get a little impatient with the forums. No complaint to the tech team, who are without a doubt working hard to resolve all o… moref the current issues, but I am loathing no PM's or notifications at the moment.
This!
Btw, sorry I have fell a bit behind with this story, but I'll be doing some catching up soon. One reason is precisely that I've spent a bit less time here now that the site doesn't really operate as well as it used to
Hey, well I'm glad to have you back! I presume that means you're settled where you wanted to be now?
I'm actually living with my parents these couple weeks before moving to my new apartment, so yeah, I've kinda settled down for a moment!
And yeah, it's the bugs with PMs that annoy me the most, considering all the buzz there was around people wanting to do the Histories & Lore -parts in Nymeria's War.
Hey, well I'm glad to have you back! I presume that means you're settled where you wanted to be now?
Btw, sorry I have fell a bit behi… morend with this story, but I'll be doing some catching up soon. One reason is precisely that I've spent a bit less time here now that the site doesn't really operate as well as it used to
That's fine, take your time with it It's really not going anywhere as I mentioned in my announcement. Unfortunately the status of the forums are not at the level we all love and appreciate, but in time that'll be fixed. Meanwhile though, we impatient few get slightly irritated by there's nothing we can really do. I can only look forward to resuming the PM's that I miss ever so much XD
I can definitely understand you The update has definitely more problems than the last one and especially the lack of Private Messages is bothering me a lot. I have no doubt it will be fixed soon and then we can resume our talk. I have like 3/4th of the next message saved and can't wait to finally send it XD Other than that, take your time! This story is worth the wait and I'm super excited for the parts to come, even if the wait between them will be a little bit longer.
Though I have just heard the good news that reply notifications are supposed to be back. Have you received a notification for this comment?
Alright, I'll put this vote to a close. Kira will leave the room with the dagger.
This is certainly the safest choice, but it also adds o… morento paranoia as well, which may not be all that good. However, I'll leave that matter for another time, as I have other things I must announce.
Firstly, my holidays are over so I'm officially back at college. So if my writing wasn't already slow, just expect it will be slower. I'm not too stacked on work, so this weekend I should be able to produce one or two parts, but weekends are likely my safest bets when it comes to writing the story.
Secondly (is secondly a thing?), I'm starting to get a little impatient with the forums. No complaint to the tech team, who are without a doubt working hard to resolve all of the current issues, but I am loathing no PM's or notifications at the moment. So forgive me if I'm a little inactive, as you know it's mostly my schooling but another is simply lack of interest. Hopefully these bugs will be resolved soon, and with that my motivation
I can assure you I am still interested in writing a Histories&Lore part! Haven't forgotten about it and in fact, I have made some plans for it However, I will have to talk to you first of course, so it sadly has to wait until PM's are back.
Hey, well I'm glad to have you back! I presume that means you're settled where you wanted to be now?
I'm actually living with my par… moreents these couple weeks before moving to my new apartment, so yeah, I've kinda settled down for a moment!
And yeah, it's the bugs with PMs that annoy me the most, considering all the buzz there was around people wanting to do the Histories & Lore -parts in Nymeria's War.
Though I have just heard the good news that reply notifications are supposed to be back. Have you received a notification for this comment?
I have 6 notifications! Hallelujah! Honestly, this is so great, I'm so happy to see notifications return. Any luck and soon we will have PM's back
I can definitely understand you The update has definitely more problems than the last one and especially the lack of Private Messages is bothering me a lot. I have no doubt it will be fixed soon and then we can resume our talk. I have like 3/4th of the next message saved and can't wait to finally send it XD Other than that, take your time! This story is worth the wait and I'm super excited for the parts to come, even if the wait between them will be a little bit longer.
I decided to reply to this one last just because I was so excited about notifications XD I look forward to resuming our discussion, as you last brought up some mentions which have me worried, intrigued and overall excited to get back with it all. Happy to read it's basically ready to go! The story will be delayed unfortunately, but of course that is nothing new with my horrible standards XD Once this weekend comes I'll write a new part, which will either be a Torv or Steffon part I think.
Edit: I checked your message, as well as a couple of others. Looks like PM's work for all but me! XD Still get the same old problem, can't reply and it just duplicates the original message. Oh telltale, how you replicate your love...
I can definitely understand you The update has definitely more problems than the last one and especially the lack of Private Messages is bo… morethering me a lot. I have no doubt it will be fixed soon and then we can resume our talk. I have like 3/4th of the next message saved and can't wait to finally send it XD Other than that, take your time! This story is worth the wait and I'm super excited for the parts to come, even if the wait between them will be a little bit longer.
Though I have just heard the good news that reply notifications are supposed to be back. Have you received a notification for this comment?
That's good to hear! And actually we are at the moment working on a H&L part with Crips, even with the inconviniences of the site, so there should be one coming soon!
I can assure you I am still interested in writing a Histories&Lore part! Haven't forgotten about it and in fact, I have made some plans for it However, I will have to talk to you first of course, so it sadly has to wait until PM's are back.
Though I have just heard the good news that reply notifications are supposed to be back. Have you received a notification for this comment?
… more
I have 6 notifications! Hallelujah! Honestly, this is so great, I'm so happy to see notifications return. Any luck and soon we will have PM's back
I can definitely understand you The update has definitely more problems than the last one and especially the lack of Private Messages is bothering me a lot. I have no doubt it will be fixed soon and then we can resume our talk. I have like 3/4th of the next message saved and can't wait to finally send it XD Other than that, take your time! This story is worth the wait and I'm super excited for the parts to come, even if the wait between them will be a little bit longer.
I decided to reply to this one last just because I was so excited about notifications XD I look forward to resuming our discussion, as you last brought up some mentions w… [view original content]
His head thudded at the rhythm of each heartbeat, the increasing pain unbearable. His body was stained with sweat, and he shuddered at each thought that entered his mind. Dulled figures roaming and dancing in the darkness, haunting the cursed world Torv had found himself in.
He stared at the creatures around him, misshapen and unlike anything he had ever seen. Slowly the black liquid creatures began to form into familiar shapes. Men, women, newborn babes. Torv found himself looking at an oddly familiar scenario, yet he could not pick what he saw.
Before him he saw a woman, her legs spread and two men in front of her. One wore a crown, the other wore robes that fell to his feet. The woman’s screams filled the oily halls like a haunted echo, shrieking some demonic chant rather than a regular scream.
Torv approached the shadow creatures, passing the robed and crowned beings. He found the woman, she lay on her back while the robed man was between her legs. She screamed in agony, the pain on her unidentifiable face was strong and unmistakable.
A final scream came from the woman, followed by the whining of another. A second babe. Torv looked at the two, the liquid children. One a male, the other a female. He turned his eyes back to the shadow woman, which had melted down to nothing more but a disintegrating black puddle.
Before long, the entire world Torv had found himself in crumbled around him. The black liquid splattered around him, forming yet another shape. A solid black wall, taller than any he had ever seen. This yet again crumbled, and a final shape took its form.
This shape was unlike any of the previous that had been created, and Torv recognised what it was immediately. The tablet stood off the ground, its black stone carved face weeping a stream of black tears. Around the edges, three fingers with sharp claws holding the stone up high. Beneath the stone, a creatures stared at him with beady eyes.
It spoke, and it’s voice was old and croaky. Yet no matter how hard Torv tried, he could not understand the tongue it spoke. It was made quickly apparent that the creature knew this, and instead the creature put the stone down and flicked it’s hand at Torv. Three flicks, three motions, one notion. Away, evildoer.
-
Torv awoke with a pain so potent it made him wince with any movement. He felt the soft touch on his cold trembling hands, nagging at him for his attention. Torv hesitantly opened his eyes, fearful from the odd dream he had just had.
His eyes met a sorry sight, that of Lord Samwick. The burly man stared down at him with menacing eyes, and with Torv’s mind still on the frightening dream he had, he was petrified. Torv’s mouth instinctively fell open, and followed by that was a scream that was deafening.
Desperate to escape, Torv shuffled his seemingly paralyzed body, screaming at the top of his lungs while doing so. He successfully managed to fall off the bench that he had been placed on, bashing his head against the cool stone slab floor.
The pain that accompanied the sudden movement was excruciating, and unlike anything he had ever felt before. The thudding in his head trying desperately to escape, bringing critical pain with every beat.
Torv’s screams of terror turned to screams of agony, and he barely noticed that two men had gently lifted him back into his bed. Torv felt his jaw being pulled down, and a liquid being poured down his throat. After a long moment of shuddering agony, the pain slowly began to dull, though not enough to return him back to his sleep.
Torv looked around at the men in the room. A frustrated Lord Samwick stood with his arms crossed, beside him was a younger man. Beside Torv stood a guard, and a man in robes who stared at Torv with shock. His mouth was gaped open, almost in disbelief.
“My lord… The poppy mead should have-” The low irritated groan cut the man off, and left the room in silence. “Leave us.” Samwick grunted, and shortly after his order the three men flooded out of the room.
Silence lingered for a short moment, until the heavy armoured footsteps made contact with the stone floor, drawing closer to Torv. Before he was aware of it, Torv’s eyes met once again with the light blue eyes, which contrasted the look they gave him.
“I should have killed you, boy. I should have let that portcullis crush your skull, and handed that cursed stone back to the Starks. Yet here you are, and the Stark’s are not.” Samwick’s tone was harsh and rough on the ears. Torv felt the effects of the poppy mead on him, how it dulled his senses.
“Rose.” Torv mumbled, his eyes breaking contact with the formidable light blue of Lord Samwick. He stared at the ceiling. “Rose.” He repeated, feeling his words drift away from him. In the corner of his eye, he could see Samwick’s expression turn to a light frown.
“She’s in the next room. Safe, and unharmed. I cannot say the same for my traitorous guard, however.” Samwick spoke in a tone which blamed Torv for the corruption of his guard. Torv rolled his head back towards Samwick.
“I have to find Rolland.” Torv muttered to himself, gaining only confusion from the impatient lord.
“What do you want? Why did you come to Torrhen’s Square?” The impatience left frustration in his voice, and the stench of thick ale lingered in his breath. Torv did not answer, and for his failure he felt his shoulder being grasped and his body being shook around. The pain brought Torv back to reality for a short moment.
“The Weeping Stone. We have to deliver it to the Barrow King.” Torv quietly said, and in return he was released from the man’s grip.
“The Weeping Stone? Are you sure?” Torv rolled his head over, feeling like he was about to drift off into a deep slumber. Another body shake aided that, with a frustrated expression on Lord Samwick’s face.
“Yes, the stone.” Torv muttered, before being released once again. Samwick stood from the bench, crossing his arms and pacing around the room. Finally, he came to a halt and nodded.
“Very well, you may take a raft and make passage to Barrowton. Though be wary, with the Ironborn closeby, the Saltspear…” The words shot through Torv’s ear and out the other, he felt himself falling into his slumber. “Torv!” Samwick yelled irritably, before Torv fell asleep.
-
The sunlight beamed down on Torv’s weary shoulders, his mind still suffering the after-effects of the poppy mead. They stood on the wharf to Torrhen’s Pond, where soldiers stood guard out of fear for another Stark attack.
They had repelled the Stark garrison, but had lost a lot of men in the process. Lord Samwick had locked down the fortress in an attempt to save lives, though they were not prepared to last it out if the Stark’s were to return.
Torv nursed his mauled arm, which had been rebandaged since his rest. His head was also bandaged heavily, and his arm was now in a sling. Torv wore the lizard lion vest that Rolland Reed had outfitted him in before departing Greywater Watch. His bronze shortsword was sheathed in a scabbard on his waist.
Beside Torv stood Rose “The Black Thief” and Jesse the Exile, a new title that Samwick had branded him with. The young man was bruised and bloody from his previous comrades, his expression was sullen and his gaze was lowered.
Lord Samwick stood with a half-a-dozen guards behind him, outfitted in green bronze plating with his armored hands on his armored hips. His eyes were formidable, yet somewhat tamed around Torv now. Where they were dreading, they were also pleading.
“Remember, Torv. Once you’re out of the pool and onto the river, it should lead you straight to the Saltspear. There, you will be able to sail to Barrowton. Remember to inform King Dustin of our plea for more men.” Torv nodded gently, trying not to further injure his already sore head.
Without anymore words needing to be said, Torv and Rose climbed aboard the raft, followed by Jesse the Exile. Jesse had been forced to leave Torrhen’s Square, and would only accompany Torv and Rose until he could find a new place for himself.
The guards on the wharf quickly untied the ropes from the posts, tossing them onto the raft until they were free to drift. They were fashioned with a sail and a set of oars, yet the current would pull them out towards the river at this time of the day.
The raft drifted slowly towards the entrance of Torrhen’s outlet, with the aid of the sail getting them there slightly quicker. However, the journey had been silent for the most part. Rose had nursed the bags, and the Weeping Stone, while Torv steered the raft at the tiller. Jesse sat forred of the vessel, silent and dreadful.
Torv cleared his throat anxiously, attracting the icy blue eyes of Rose. However, Jesse remained stationary, with his eyes staring forward. Torv sighed, turning his gaze to Rose. She looked at him with curiosity, though there was a small smile across her face that broke any sense of tension.
“How’s your head?” She asked, her words smooth and subtly flirtatious, though not enough for Torv to pick up. He shrugged, lowering his gaze.
“Sore.” He muttered, barely audible to her eyes. Surprisingly she could pick up his quiet comments, and she calmly crawled towards him, her movements swift and precise. The raft did not sway.
She stopped only centimetres from him, placing her hand on his forehead. Torv instantly reacted negatively to this, backing away. His instincts only brought him more trouble, though were it not for her quick reflexes then he would be in the water.
The two awkwardly laughed, now in eachother’s arms. Her eyes gave him an odd sense of comfort, which he could not entirely comprehend. She stared into his eyes, as if she was expecting something from him, some sort of reward. Torv gave into her temptation, his lips forming into a warm smile.
“Thank you.” He said kindly, yet to his shock he only saw disappointment flash in her eyes. She nodded, backing off him. What did I do? Torv asked himself in a frantic panic.
As if to pick out the dead silence, Jesse’s sullen face turned and met Torv’s. Unaware on how to react, Torv simply smiled at him. Jesse did not replicate the smile, instead he stood and walked towards him, stopping in front of him. Torv wondered what the purpose of his sudden change in mood was, instinctively Torv extended his hand.
Jesse reached out his, though instead of meeting Torv’s hand he instead grabbed the tiller, pushing it slightly to the right. His glare turned to Torv, and then to Jesse.
“If you two lovebirds are finished, starting steering the boat in the direction we need to go.” Jesse grumbled, turning back and returning forred of the raft. Torv and Rose shared a look before turning their attention to Jesse.
“We’re not lovebirds?” Torv started, but received only a glare from the man. Torv backed down, lowering his gaze. Rose shook her head with frustration, crossing her arms.
“What’s your problem anyway?” She asked, and the glare she received belittled her. Jesse rolled his eyes and turned away.
“You’re my problem. Thanks to you, I’m in exile.” He put emphasis onto the final word, then lowering his voice to a whisper. “My family, they’ll die now.” His words were quiet, barely audible. Rose looked to Torv for assistance.
“You said you knew Rolland Reed…” Torv began, and was cut off with a mocking laugh. Jesse shook his head.
“Not personally, though yes he did pass through Torrhen’s Square. He didn’t cause any trouble either, unlike you two.” Torv sighed, feeling somewhat defeated. However, Rose was contempt to continue the investigation Torv had begun.
“He passed through? Where is he now?” She asked, and Jesse shrugged.
“He took a raft, like us. He was injured, the healers tended to his wounds but he claimed he had urgent matters elsewhere.” Rose did not look impressed with the answer, and continued to persist.
“Did he say where he was going? What ‘matters’ he had to attend to?” Jesse shrugged, shaking his head.
“No.” He muttered quietly, then turned his eyes forward of the raft. “The outlet is coming up, and the sun is going down. I’m going to rest.” Rose seemed to be at an agreeance with this suggestion, she turned her eyes to Torv.
“I’ll try to do the same, will you be alright?” Torv shrugged, looking elsewhere.
“All right, all left. I’ll try to keep a steady course.” He mumbled, and received a smile and rolling of eyes.
-
Torv awoke to the sound of soft ripples against the raft, the western sunset shining into his eyes. The raft was stationary, and landed against the mud shore. The sky was a deep-set blue, with orange and pink clouds.
Torv looked around, noticing that the outlet they had entered had narrowed, and come to a dead end. How did we get here? He pondered, which did his head no good. He stood up, barely affecting the already beached raft. They had gone off course.
He quickly woke Rose and Jesse, who both were confused about the sudden fuss that Torv had created. Jesse was the first to react, groaning in frustration. Rose still looked around with genuine confusion, sleep still in her eyes.
“You steered us off course!” Jesse yelled, his voice agitated. “You had one job, stone skull.” He muttered, approaching Torv with clenched fists. Saved only by the immediate reaction of the wakening Rose, who stared out to something.
“What is that?” She asked, somewhat baffled. Jesse stopped in his tracks, turning his eyes to where Jesse looked, Torv follow their gaze.
Obscured by the dark shadows, a rectangular wooden platform rested beside the water’s edge. Dozens of narrow shafts stuck out of it, but neither Torv or the others could figure out what it was. Rose stood up, being the first to exit the raft.
Torv and Jesse followed her with curiosity, the object coming closer to their gaze. Rose came to a halt a few metres away from their raft, and Torv observed Jesse’s eyes widen. A raft. Torv finally realised, as the dark object took its shape. However, what was distressing was what stuck out of it. Arrows.
“We should leave.” Jesse finally said, backing away. Though Rose continued to walk forward with awe, pausing as she was next to the raft.
“Rose!” Torv whispered, yet harshly to try and grab her attention. She ignored him, kneeling down beside the raft. She pulled one of the arrows free, observing the tip.
“Obsidian.” She announced, turning her eyes back to Torv. He had no idea what it meant, but it had put horror into Jesse’s eyes.
“We really need to go.” He ushered Torv, trying to nudge him back to their raft. Torv stood strong, not budging.
“What if this was Rolland’s raft?” Torv suggested, and Rose quickly joined their group once again, nodding in agreeance.
“Aye, which means he could be somewhere around here. I’d say we make a camp here, and look around in the morning when there’s more light.” Jesse immediately shook his head, already against the idea.
“We can’t stay here, it’s not safe! We should continue for the Saltwater.” Jesse said, his voice shaky with fear. Rose stared at him with ignorance.
“And risk colliding with the submerged logs, or get lost in the darkness? You would have us kill ourselves. Besides, Torv needs the rest, that much is certain.” Rose turned her eyes to Torv, giving him a weak smile. Jesse grunted and shook his head.
“Are you not seeing that those are arrows? Even if this is your friend’s raft, he was clearly attacked and that is not a good sign for us. We must leave!” Jesse’s tone sounded genuinely fearful, yet Torv could already feel himself starting to sway.
“Torv, what’s your opinion?” Her soft voice barely reached Torv, who was focusing on standing up. He shook his head, unsure of what to do.
Finding Rolland meant more to him than their mission, despite if Rolland would have thought otherwise. If this raft was his, then he could be in danger and Torv needed to find him. He needed the rest, and simply abandoning this discovery did not feel right. However, Jesse seemed to know something they did not, something which urged him to leave.
[Camp for the night] [Risk trying to backtrack in the dark]
Hey guys! So lately, as most of you know, @CM3434 started up a grand idea of making History and Lore stories on @WildlingKing 's awesome story: Nymeria's War. I noticed how awesome these were, and I thought it would be a pretty cool idea if we started something like that here. It's a good way to keep the story interactive while I don't always have time to write, and I a better way for me to understand your characters better
At any rate, feel free to PM me if you guys wanna start this up. Just send me your ideas and draft, and we'll work from there!
Torv
His head thudded at the rhythm of each heartbeat, the increasing pain unbearable. His body was stained with sweat, and he shuddered … moreat each thought that entered his mind. Dulled figures roaming and dancing in the darkness, haunting the cursed world Torv had found himself in.
He stared at the creatures around him, misshapen and unlike anything he had ever seen. Slowly the black liquid creatures began to form into familiar shapes. Men, women, newborn babes. Torv found himself looking at an oddly familiar scenario, yet he could not pick what he saw.
Before him he saw a woman, her legs spread and two men in front of her. One wore a crown, the other wore robes that fell to his feet. The woman’s screams filled the oily halls like a haunted echo, shrieking some demonic chant rather than a regular scream.
Torv approached the shadow creatures, passing the robed and crowned beings. He found the woman, she lay on her back while the robe… [view original content]
Torv
His head thudded at the rhythm of each heartbeat, the increasing pain unbearable. His body was stained with sweat, and he shuddered … moreat each thought that entered his mind. Dulled figures roaming and dancing in the darkness, haunting the cursed world Torv had found himself in.
He stared at the creatures around him, misshapen and unlike anything he had ever seen. Slowly the black liquid creatures began to form into familiar shapes. Men, women, newborn babes. Torv found himself looking at an oddly familiar scenario, yet he could not pick what he saw.
Before him he saw a woman, her legs spread and two men in front of her. One wore a crown, the other wore robes that fell to his feet. The woman’s screams filled the oily halls like a haunted echo, shrieking some demonic chant rather than a regular scream.
Torv approached the shadow creatures, passing the robed and crowned beings. He found the woman, she lay on her back while the robe… [view original content]
Alright, so I have the honor to present you the first Histories & Lore part of this story! I wrote it with the assistance of Stigz himself
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Davios Tallman - Promises to the Seven Gods
Davios Tallman sat down on the simple wooden chair. The almost empty sept echoed as the legs of the chair scraped against the floor. An old man in white robes sat opposed to Davios, a serene expression on his face.
“Why have you come to me, Davios?” The old man asked calmly.
“I am leaving the Andalos, and I have promises to make. Promises to the Seven Gods.” Davios spoke with quiet determination in his words. “I see that you are filled with anger, young man.” The Septon said, narrowing his eyes. “What kind of promises would you make to gods, with your heart full of rage?”
The Septon’s words echoed in the sept, and Davios closed his eyes. “Promises of revenge.” He said sternly, and the look that the Septon gave him was full of concern. “Has your father not taught you the true way to serve the gods?” The Septon asked. “The way of praying, the way of helping those that are in need. Revenge is not the way of the gods.”
“We all have our own way of serving the Seven.” Davios replied dismissingly. “For my father, and for me, the sword is the way.” The Septon let out a sigh to this. “So what is it that you’ve come here for?” He asked with defeated tone, and Davios fell on his knees.
“I have promises to all of the Seven Gods.” He said quietly, and the Septon nodded subtly. Davios closed his eyes now, taking in a deep breath. “To the Father Above, I promise to bring justice to the enemies of the Seven, I promise to destroy the false gods, and I promise to do it all in your name.” Davios stayed silent for a moment before continuing.
“To the Mother Above, I promise to show mercy to those who deserve it, I promise to spare women and children, and I promise not to dishonor myself with needless cruelty.” Davios still kept his eyes closed, continuing to speak with stern words.
“To the Warrior, I promise my sword will always be yours, and I promise I’ll fight in your name with honor. I promise to you that until my dying breath I will fight with your strength in my arms and your courage in my heart, because you are the one who will slay the sinful and drive the evil from the lands.” Davios could feel his heart beat intensely as he spoke these words, and he clenched his fists. Silence lingered in the air, until he released a long breath of air, calming himself.
“To the Maiden, I promise that all that I shall do, every life I shall end, I will do it all to protect those that are innocent. And to the Smith, I promise that no work done by the Andals will go to waste because of the enemies of the Seven. I promise that I will defend our people so they can prosper and live in peace. To the Crone, I promise I will always follow the voice of reason, as long as it isn’t against the Seven.” Now Davios opened his eyes, and looked at the Septon who had a doubtful look on his eyes. “Those are big promises, Davios.” He said with barely audible tone, but Davios shook his head. “I’m not done yet.” He grunted. “To the Stranger, I promise to avenge my father, and take the lives of every First Man filth that would get in my way.”
The Septon gave a disapproving look at Davios, but his opinions were beneath him. He stood up and turned his back to the old man, walking out of the sept.
This was an awesome H&L, and definitely gives more insight to Davios as a person rather than as an enemy to all our favourite First Men houses. I really enjoyed reading this, prominently because his zealous behavior is one of the key parts of his personality which I have shown little of. Excellent starter to hopefully a stream of H&L's!
Alright, so I have the honor to present you the first Histories & Lore part of this story! I wrote it with the assistance of Stigz hims… moreelf
-
Davios Tallman - Promises to the Seven Gods
Davios Tallman sat down on the simple wooden chair. The almost empty sept echoed as the legs of the chair scraped against the floor. An old man in white robes sat opposed to Davios, a serene expression on his face.
“Why have you come to me, Davios?” The old man asked calmly.
“I am leaving the Andalos, and I have promises to make. Promises to the Seven Gods.” Davios spoke with quiet determination in his words. “I see that you are filled with anger, young man.” The Septon said, narrowing his eyes. “What kind of promises would you make to gods, with your heart full of rage?”
The Septon’s words echoed in the sept, and Davios closed his eyes. “Promises of revenge.” He said sternly, and the look that the Septon gave him was full of concern. “H… [view original content]
This is great! I'm loving this idea of H&L parts written by the readers and it's nice seeing them spreading over to another story. It also made me very excited for the idea of writing an H&L part for the Invasion as well. Already have a rough plan for the one I want to write for Nymeria's War and some early ideas for the Invasion
Alright, so I have the honor to present you the first Histories & Lore part of this story! I wrote it with the assistance of Stigz hims… moreelf
-
Davios Tallman - Promises to the Seven Gods
Davios Tallman sat down on the simple wooden chair. The almost empty sept echoed as the legs of the chair scraped against the floor. An old man in white robes sat opposed to Davios, a serene expression on his face.
“Why have you come to me, Davios?” The old man asked calmly.
“I am leaving the Andalos, and I have promises to make. Promises to the Seven Gods.” Davios spoke with quiet determination in his words. “I see that you are filled with anger, young man.” The Septon said, narrowing his eyes. “What kind of promises would you make to gods, with your heart full of rage?”
The Septon’s words echoed in the sept, and Davios closed his eyes. “Promises of revenge.” He said sternly, and the look that the Septon gave him was full of concern. “H… [view original content]
Comments
[Return to Gwyn]
i'd explain the reason with a quote from a character we all love : "My wife must be lonely "
also i wanted to say , your stories are awesome , keep going !
From all stories cancelled in these forums , i'm glad this one's still here , You're awesome !
Hey buddy, that's a real nice compliment to hear, and I'm happy to see you appreciate the story
Likewise, I'm glad to be so fortunate to have a lot of the same readers from day one, so this really couldn't have happened without the participation of you guys, so thank you all 
Ted
The rolling waves bashed against their ship as they entered the port of Storm’s End. The sail had been short, though the weather had tried its hardest to make their journey as uncomfortable as it could. However, it was not the rolling seas and horrific winds that had put Ted in a position of discomfort, but the current state of his family.
He thought back to the rude awakening from his cousin, who had escorted him out of his quarters and forced him into a rowboat, all to protect him from the brothers of the Night’s Watch who came to collect their deserter. The fighting had taken place as Ted had been taken away, yet the mist had rolled in and obscured his vision.
Ted feared for his cousin, who he had left fighting the brothers that outnumbered him. His uncle, Lord Gryff Connington, who had openly denied the black brothers in handing over Ted to them. Ted could still hear the bashing of metal against metal, the horrid sound ringing in his ears.
The Swimming Bird pulled close to the stone harbour of Storm’s End, the crew throwing the thick lines down to the fishers and dock workers who were on the arm they were docking on at the time. Ted stood beside Marten Tarth, who had also been hitching a ride with the ship when Ted had climbed aboard.
Marten was a taller man, strong and robust. His hair was short, blonde and slicked back. There was something intimidating about his stature, perhaps the sheer size of the man, but he had proven to be nothing but a kind giant on their short voyage to Storm’s End.
The two of them stood by each other’s side, standing at the bow of the ship as it came into dock. Marten’s expression was heavily weighed, it was clear something was on his mind. Ted stared at him with wonder, but also with fear. He had lied to him about his identity, and not yet revealed that to him.
Ted sighed, crossing his arms. His mind had drifted off elsewhere, his thoughts on his family back at Estermont. He wondered how his dreadful cousin fared with the Andal invaders, he wondered if he even cared. Both Tarth and Estermont had been heavily attacked by the Andal’s, though Ted was surprised on his lack of emotion for the matter. All of those he cared for were dead, or had been taken away from him.
He turned his gaze to Marten, who was now looking at the tall walls of Storm’s End. The large drop off the side of it’s rounded walls into Shipbreaker Bay.
“Do you come here often, my lord?” He asked, his tone polite and baffled by the sight of the kingdom. Ted shook his head, his thoughts on his fake title made him somewhat remorseful on lying to the kind man.
“No, not often.” Ted remarked, staring at the magical beauty of the castle. Marten’s sigh dragged his gaze from the sight, forcing him to look at the tall man.
“Has Estermont fared well, since the Andal’s arrival?” He asked, almost biting his tongue. “I suppose you’re here for the same reason as myself, Tarth is in true need of House Durrandon’s assistance.” Ted nodded in agreeance, however he was curious on just how bad their homes had suffered.
“How has Tarth fared, since the Andal’s invaded?” Ted asked, avoiding Marten’s previous question. Marten barely seemed to notice, though Ted could see the hard look in his eyes.
“They have completely taken it from us, forced us off the island, slain anyone who remained. Lord Damon, my nephew, was a stubborn man. Following much like his father, he remained and tried to fight the Andal invaders. They slaughtered him, taking his youngest brother captive, the new Lord Dagon, a boy of fifteen.” Marten’s words were heavy, weighed with the dread of near almost certain destruction of his house. Ted sighed, feeling the suffering on his chest.
“Is Lord Dagon the last Tarth, aside from you?” Ted asked, his voice monotone. Marten shook his head.
“No, Dagon has an older brother and sister. Dromon left without a word, sailing to Essos many years ago. We haven’t seen him since. Iola has been missing for many months now, and then there are my sons: Chrys and Ben. Chrys is a member of the kingsguard for King Qarlton, and Ben is a squire at Blackhaven.” Ted nodded warmly, though he could see the pain deep in Marten’s eyes. The man was suffering, it was clear in the dim light of the mooded day.
The Swimming Bird was pulled in and tied to the docking arm, the fishers returning back to their rods and nets while the dockhands and sailors made sure the vessel would not detach itself from the wharf.
Ted turned his gaze towards the large curtain walls of Storm’s End, where the king’s keep resided. Ted sighed, almost reluctant to continue with his decision, however he had made his choice. Now, he had to act on it. He turned his eyes to Marten, who looked back at him with worried eyes.
“Ready?” Ted asked, and received a small frown from the man. He stood himself up straight and let out a deep sigh, before nodding gently. Ted gave a weak smile in return. It’s time.
-
The Storm Keep was dim and formidable, with weapons hung in display on the cold stone walls, and one family portrait of House Durrandon. Ted stared at the painting as he and Marten awaited a meeting with the king, who had ‘urgent business’ to attend to, rather than speak to his own people.
Ted sighed, staring at the blank faces in the portrait. The eldest boy stood beside his father, a fierce outrage hidden beneath his deep blue eyes. Beside them, yet separated with a gap, was two other boys, as well as a young girl and a pregnant mother.
Ted turned to the noise of Marten clearing his throat, begging for his attention. The man stared at him with worried eyes, and quite apparent distress. He clasped his hands together, looking around the waiting room. He met Ted’s eyes after a short moment.
“What will we do if Qarlton denies our pleads for assistance?” Marten asked with his shaky voice, Ted sighed, shaking his head.
“I don’t know, perhaps we may just have to look elsewhere.” The two were silent for a moment, until Marten spoke up, oddly enough his tone had gained some confidence.
“What about the Reach?” He suggested, his eyes brightened with a sudden idea that Ted could not understand.
“The Gardener’s? I heard they worked alongside with the Andal’s, why would we get any help from them?” Marten shrugged, turning his eyes away from Ted.
“From what I’ve heard, the Gardener’s are in a desperate plea for help. The Manderly’s have risen up and gained nearly full control of the Reach, the Gardener’s naturally want to take their homelands back.” His eyes widened, almost as if he was in recognition of something so blatantly obvious. “If House Tarth and Estermont were to give them their allegiance, perhaps they would return our homes and family safely back to us. After all, they are sided with the Andal’s.” His idea was an one of excellent thought, yet there was only one significant issue.
“Our isles are located in the Stormlands, Marten. If we were to break our oaths to House Durrandon in order to side with the Gardener’s, they would surely have all of our heads on wooden spikes.” Ted was surprised by the confidence in Marten’s eyes, as he shook his head to disagree.
“Qarlton is too busy with his own selfish agendas, the Stormlands would be open to both the invaders from the east as well as the Reachmen from the west.” Marten grinned and walked back to the doors at which they had earlier entered. “I will sail there in the morn, I hope you choose to join me.” He smirked at Ted, then left the hall, leaving Ted confused on the sudden change of events.
-
An hour passed before Ted entered the Storm Keep of Storm’s End. In his throne, King Qarlton sat with his fist against his cheek, boredom clearly expressed to all. Beside him were his kingsguard, and in the hall were the nobles of the court.
Ted felt slightly awkward entering a room filled with such noble birth, even the fact that the room was filled with so many people was enough to make him feel uncomfortable. He walked passed the nobles and lords that stood in the audience, his travelling gear filthy with dirt and salt. He had not bothered to change since his escape from Griffin’s Roost.
He stopped before the kingsguard that guarded the throne, falling on one knee. He stared at the cool stone slabbed floor, wordless and expressionless, however on the inside was a fury which he struggled to contain.
“Rise, Master…” The King stumbled on his words, clearly not recognising him. Ted rose, as ordered.
“Estermont, your grace. I’m here to inform you your bannermen have been rallied, and are on their way to Storm’s End as I speak.” Ted spoke with a formality he had not had to use in many years, his tongue felt awfully poisoned with tricks and lies, yet he kept a calm face. The King nodded, now recognising who he was.
“The deserter.” He proclaimed, gaining the full attention of the audience behind Ted. “Your duty will not go unnoticed. Once my conquest is complete, I will lift your sentence.” Ted could feel the anger building up inside of him, he should have expected as much. His containment for his fury was oozing out of him, slowly but at a dangerous rate.
“Your grace, during my time at Griffin’s Roost, the Night’s Watch came for me. The men of House Connington fought bravely for my protection. You promised that once I had served your wishes, I would be relieved of my sentence. Now, my family may be dead because of your lie.” Ted’s words were cold, intimidating and as sharp as a bronze point.
However, his bronze pointed dagger was no match for the fist of the Stormlands. The king stood from his throne, his steps slow but deliberate. He passed his kingsguard, stopping only a few centimetres in front of Ted. His guard has flocked around him, their hands resting on the hilts of their blades.
Ted looked up at the king, whose deep blue eyes stared down at him with a fury that outmatched his own. There was a menacing gaze in his formidable eyes, yet as much as Ted urged himself to break eye contact, he knew he would be perceived as weak if he did.
“Are you trying to insult me, boy?” His voice was thick, his tone deep with a lower rumble to it. Ted gulped, taking a step back. He shook his head almost immediately, realising the position he was in. A hush of silence fell over the crowd.
“No, your grace.” Ted finally managed, taking in a deep breath. Quickly regathering his strength and courage, he spoke up in his defense. “Though your people are begging for your help, and you continue to ignore them. Tarth and Estermont have been overrun by Andal’s, though you continue to persist in making this conquest a top priority. It must wait, my king.” Ted was surprised to see a grin widen on the king’s face.
“You’re brave, Estermont. You confront the most powerful man in the Stormland’s, and perhaps all of Westeros.” He said, his voice low enough only for Ted to hear. Ted lowered his gaze, realising his position.
“Your grace.” He mumbled, dropping to his knees. The King smirked and stepped passed Ted, lifting his arms to show his power and glory.
“My great people, lords and nobles of the court! This deserter claims that your are unhappy with me, that you believe my plans are foolish and dreadful for our great lands.” Mumbling could be heard over the court, though it all was quickly hushed with Qarlton’s interruption.
“My people, I plan to bring our extend our land, making us larger and more powerful than ever before! We will take Massey’s Hook, and after that we will take the Blackwater. The Andal’s have nowhere near the power to defy us, no one in all of Westeros has the power to defy us! We are the storm, and ours is the fury!” With this he received an applause and uproar from his crowd, which seemed to to fully believe in their king.
Ted felt a powerful large hand grasp his by the collar, the hot breath of Qarlton running down his neck. Ted shut his eyes, wincing at the consequences he was to endure.
“You have done me a service by rallying my banners, and for that I will lift your sentence. Though never again try to challenge my authority, or you will suffer far worse than public humiliation.” He grumbled, releasing Ted from his grasp. “If you wish to redeem yourself, join me in the conquest. Otherwise, get out of my sight.” Ted stood up and looked at the man, who stared at Ted with disapproval.
Ted nodded abruptly, and obeyed his command, quickly leaving the hall. Once he was outside the doors of the hall, and outside of the waiting room, he crumbled to the floor and rested against the wall. He buried his head in his hands, unsure of whether to weep or yell in anger. He did neither.
His options were clear to him, Qarlton had supposedly lifted his sentence once again, though could he really trust the man? It was clear the man was deluded with his cocky outlook at his power, and Ted truly feared that his family at Griffin’s Roost had suffered the worst from the rangers of the Night’s Watch.
Ted was unsure if he truly wanted to follow Qarlton into his pointless war, though he feared any other alternatives. Perhaps Marten was correct in his plan, though it was once again another war he would be getting tangled into. One provided hope and promise, whereas the other provided pointless death for another warmongering king.
[Follow Qarlton into war] [Join Marten in finding help at the Reach]
Right, well it doesn't look like everyone is going to vote, but I'll close it anyway. Tylar will choose to seek out Loras, which will have consequences of its own.
I'd like to apologise firstly about my absence recently, I've actually had a lot of enthusiasm to write but this new change in the forums has just really turned me off of it for some reason. Apart from it burning my eyes, it's just something I'll have to get used to until they bring out the final version.
I've released the most recent part, which goes to Teddy Estermont. If you can't remember who he is, or what his storyline is, here is a short reminder: Teddy is a deserter of the Night's Watch, who has managed to make his way down to his homeland in the Stormland's. While learning that Estermont has been completely overrun by the Andal invaders, Ted found himself assisting King Qarlton Durrandon by rallying his banners. In return, Ted would have his desertion sentence lifted. Ted arrived at Griffin's Roost first, meeting with Lord Gryff Connington and Robar Connington, to which he later learned were his uncle and cousin. However, this sudden happy reunion was short-lived as the Night's Watch turned up on his doorstep and created havoc for House Connington. Ted escaped with his life, though is unaware of the status of his family. Now he sails back to Storm's End, with plans to speak to the king...
[Join Marten in finding help at the Reach]
Simply because I don't want Ted to follow Qarlton anymore. He gave him a choice to get out of his sight - let's do it.
[Follow Qarlton into war]
I don't really trust Qarlton like Mathea, but I feel it may lead to pretty interesting storyline. I know this voting may be close, so I have a request - if my choice don't win, let me know what would happen to Ted in my chosen option, cause I am pretty sure it will not be just "pointless death".
[Follow Qarlton into war] only because if he wants allies in the Reach, he should ask the King of the Seas :P
If there were an option to ally with House Manderly I would pick that, for obvious reasons.
edit: I got your message but can't respond to it, and I don't want to start a dozen conversations with just a single message in all of them o_O
[Follow Qarlton into war]
While Qarlton is anything but a pleasant person, he is Ted's liege. His house is sworn to Durrandon and will continue to be sworn to them in the coming centuries. If they break their oaths to him, his revenge might not come immediately, but it will come and it will be brutal. After all, he's the Storm King. Aside from that, they need quick help. Joining House Gardener, who are in their own little war against the Manderlys, will not provide quick help, if it even provides any help at all. The Reach is still a rival kingdom and allying with a rival kingdom is always a risk. I'd rather take the devil I know.
The damn site 'Upgrade' (sarcasm included) came at a bad time, I can't finish the characters for your game or for Stigz this way. The songs can't be played in the forum anymore either.
Haha, I needed a PoV on both sides, which is why I put the option on for Ted. You'll have a PoV in your Manderly Kingdom, just gotta wait till of these PM things are fixed XD
Well, you could always use the regular submission box for that. If I remember correctly, I even told you I'd prefer it that way and I can only imagine that Stigz feels the same. It's just far easier to have your characters saved in the same spot as all the others and it would make it easier to find specific information about your characters, like their looks. Another benefit would be that you could continue to write them immediately, without having to wait for the technical staff to fix the PM's, which could potentially take a while. If it would be easy to fix, I guess they would have done so by now.
A big problem is I myself would not have access to them once I post the submission that way, I created 4 characters to a game earlier via that system and I already forgot most of the first 2 characters while I wrote the 4th. I need to have it before me to work out the connection between characters and to avoid repetitive concepts or themes as much as possible.
okay, I just wish i could work on the dynasty more, I think I will start up a .txt file for them all so I can spam flood you with all characters at once when forums work again
edit: after all, the Flood is Coming XD
You could keep them saved in a separate document. I do it that way, I submit the characters with the submission sheet, but I keep everything I have written down for them saved in a word document, which I keep in a special folder on my PC and twice saved on external hard drives. Whenever I need to read through them, I have them once again. It also means I don't have to write them all at once (which, frankly, is nearly impossible given the length my more recent characters mostly reach), but can write them with breaks. It's practical and regardless of wether or not you decide to use the regular character submission, I'd advice you to save them in a document.
Alright, well I'm not going to close the vote quite just yet, but I have already written the next part. This introduces a new character, and puts an end to the introductory of this chapter (basically meaning we've now seen all the new and old PoV's at least once since I restarted this chapter XD). Of course, there are still new characters to come, but I'm getting off topic here.
So, this new character is Kira Tyner, ring any bells? Yes, Kira is the sister of Ser Darren Tyrner. Without saying anymore, I'll allow you to read the part now! So here she is, Kira Tyrner!
Kira
Her hands worked tirelessly through the silk fabric, threading the iron needle through the seams to mend them into the garment she had been working on. The fabric would soon make up a magnificent jacket for a well-known merchant.
As his size was larger than most orders, she had spent more time than usual on this piece of clothing. Of course, the special order has entitled her to put as much time and effort into the jacket, however it was tiresome work and something that could not be rushed.
The factory was boiling in steam, the atmosphere stinking with heat and unbearable to most. Kira was fortunate to adjust to the constant heat, however even today was a battle for her. Sweat coursed down her brow, her hands were sore from the constant motion of threading the needle through the silk coat.
Her co-workers sat beside her on the long wooden bench that they were designated to when given a special order. They were fortunate to have their own bench when they were given this specific order, and it racked up the best pay as well. Otherwise, Kira would be located in the back of the factory, sewing together cotton shirts or collecting silk from the worms.
Despite the hard work, Kira always kept herself focused on the task at hand, as she knew the consequences were dire for those who did not. Only a week before last, the young girl working beside Kira had fainted due to the suffocating heat in the factory. She had been given thirty lashes by the slave guard, and then was sent back to work without any sort of treatment to her wounds.
The end of that day came slowly, and the young girl’s weeps only brought her more pain as the guard would pass by each time, beating her each time she whimpered. Kira recalled when that day came to a conclusion, when she was finally free of the factory.
She had found the young girl left in the side of the ditch, her body still warm with the heat, but limp and without a heartbeat. Yet what shocked Kira the most that day was not her death, but how defiled her body was. Her clothing had been torn from her, her body was bloody and the ejaculents of men oozed from her corpse. Kira had learned a great amount on that day, and it was one she would never forget.
Kira snapped out of her trance, realising she had completely sewn off track of the jacket during her sudden daydream. She quickly grabbed for the seam ripper, slicing through her mistakes before anyone could notice. Though it was too late, in the corner of her eye she saw two slave guards walking towards her, one with a whip in his hand and another with a spiked baton.
Kira clenched her fists, forcing her eyes shut and preparing herself for a round of lashes. To her surprise, the footsteps passed her, climbing the steps that led to the back of the factory. They were just passing on patrol. She told herself, allowing a sigh of relief.
Her unexpected noise caught the attention of the girl beside her, who looked over to Kira’s project. Kira recognised the girl to be one of the friends of the girl she found dead in the ditch, her hair was cut short and was a dirty dark brown. Her blue eyes were polluted, like most of the canals in Andalos, leaving a brownish tinge to her mysterious eyes. Tara was it? Talia? Kira stared at the girl with wonder.
“That’s a pretty coat. Who’s it for?” She asked, her tone of voice sounded innocent, but Kira saw through it. There was mockery, even if it was only subtle.
“The Plum Merchant, Lohrren.” Kira stated, looking over to the girl’s work.
It was a small pink frock, with white puffy sleeves and a lavish puffy skirt. Clearly it was designed for a young girl, someone small and likely the daughter of a rich merchant or lord. Kira nodded to her dress.
“Your’s looks nice as well, who ordered it?” The girl shrugged, staring down at the dress with a distasteful glare.
“Some lord who wished to dress his little brat up for a wedding. Though, I don’t think that lord is too worthy of my beautiful dress, I might keep it.” She turned her eyes to Kira, her expression showing a sudden serious look. “You wouldn’t tell anyone, would you?” Kira raised her eyebrows, feeling herself tense up. She looked around, uncertain of how to answer.
“I…” She started, before the serious girl giggled and placed her gentle hand on Kira’s forearm. Kira looked at her with confusion, and the girl’s lips formed a warm smile.
“I’m only jesting, I’m Tayla by the way.” Her dirty eyes looked into Kira’s, which searched the room to check if the guards were around. They weren’t.
“Kira.” She replied, still slightly hesitant. Tayla smiled, releasing Kira from her gaze.
“You’re a pretty one, you from the Freehold? I hear the weather over there is nice this time of year, suppose with all those dragons roaming about though it is a different story.” The two returned back to their work, still maintaining their discussion. Kira gave a weak smile and shook her head.
“No, I’m not from the Freehold. Born into an Andal family, on a farm outside of the city.” Kira flickered her eyes over to Tayla, who was now looking at her.
“Really? Those silver linings and bluey lilac eyes, I would have sworn you were Valyrian.” Kira smiled, but her attention remained focused on her work.
“Perhaps somewhere in my heritage, but that’s lost to history now.” Tayla grinned and rolled her eyes, picking up her thread and needle.
“Whatever you say, Kira.” A giggle followed her final words, before they both focused entirely on their work.
Another hour passed before the dinging of the break bell echoed through the humid rooms of the factory. It was the final bell of the day, which meant they were free to leave. Kira picked up her coat and deposited it in her designated project box, before exiting the suffocating building.
‘Fresh air’ was not the best way to describe the stench outside of the factory, but it beat the stench of blood, sweat and tears. Every seamstress flocked out of the factory and quickly fled to their own homes, like terrified swans when disturbed by an unknown presence. The slave guards collected the tired stragglers for their own amusement in their long night.
Tayla had accompanied Kira as far as the Rats Hole Inn, where Tayla’s father worked as the Innkeeper. Tayla stopped before entering the Inn, her warm smile looking back to Kira.
“So where’s home for you, Kira?” Kira shrugged, rubbing her sore hands.
“I have an apartment at Southpoint.” Tayla’s eyes widened in surprise, her hands landing on her hips.
“Southpoint District? You mean to say that you walk all the way to Westside District, every morning?” Kira nodded, as she did whenever she revealed this sort of information. “Now that’s what I call determination to work. Say, would you like to come in? I could fetch us a meal and something to drink?” Kira felt slightly suspicious with the sudden kindness of the girl she had only just spoken to for a few hours. Perhaps she truly was genuine, but Kira had been played before.
“It’s a tempting offer, but I’m going to have to decline. I have someone to feed at home.” Kira stated, even though it was a fib.
She knew her rodent cat could feed itself. Admittedly, Kira just wanted to return home in hopes to find a letter waiting by the door from her brother, Darren. It had been a week since she had sent the letter, and it usually did not take him this long to reply.
She was getting short on money, and even though she worked overtime as a seamstress, the pay never seemed to be enough to pay the rent. Even to this day, she was still somewhat reliant on her bigger brother, despite her claim of being an independent woman.
A disappointed but understanding smile was followed by a slow nod from Tayla, who waved Kira off and retreated into her home. Kira stood out in the muddy street wondering if she had made the right decision. She knew she hadn’t made the wrong decision.
-
The walk had been long, and with Kira being already tired from her long day of work, the travel had left her exhausted. It was not too far from her apartment now, but ever since she had parted company from Tayla she had felt like she was being watched, followed.
She had targeted a man to be the culprit of this uneasiness, who had been one of the few men she had seen every time she checked behind her. She quickened her pace, and found the man to still be on her tail despite every shortcut she took.
Kira was desperately in the mood to race home and fall into her bed, however this sudden paranoia had brought up another situation. Kira looked around for a route to escape this man’s sight. Even if it was nothing, she still did not feel safe.
Kira’s eyes landed on a familiar sign, which hung on a building she knew well enough. The sign read: Vittori’s Workshop. Kira sighed and quickly approached the wooden door. She was not in a mood to deal with Florentio’s jealousy, though if it meant she could escape the man pursuing her then she would do it.
A bell rang as the door swung open, and Kira quickly made sure she shut it behind her. As always the counter was empty, which meant that Florentio was out the back working on one of his ‘grand inventions.’
Kira did not bother to use the tap bell, and instead climbed over the counter and entered the back. As expected, she found Florentio had focused at his worktable, unaware of Kira’s existence.
The tanned podgy man loomed over his table. His head was covered with his long, sleek black hair, which was oiled back in the style of the Pentoshi. His clothing was as colour and as vibrant as always, with today being a light green tunic with a golden sash over the top. His clothing was wide, which added onto his podginess.
Kira cleared her throat, gaining the attention of the off guarded man. His dark brown eyes met hers with a tense gaze, which relaxed after he recognised her. His face was heavily powdered, in an attempt to cover the tanned skin he so dearly dreaded. Beneath his big snub nose was a long black twirly mustache.
“Kira!” He exclaimed, his voice high pitched, quickly rushing to her with open arms. Kira accepted the embrace as she always had. The man was certainly effeminate, which did not bother Kira in the slightest.
The two held in the embrace for a long and awkward moment, before he finally released her. His eyes looked at hers with a warm smile, yet also curiosity.
“What brings you to my workshop? Have you finally taken up my offer to become my apprentice?” He asked, a touch of hope in his voice. Kira grinned and shook her head.
“No, just thought I should drop by and check in on you. You know, before you drive yourself crazy with your creations.” Florentio replicated Kira’s grin, exposing his yellow teeth. He wrapped an arm around her and led her to his worktable.
“You’re a good friend, Kira. I’m fortunate to have one like yourself.” He admitted, releasing her and quickly rushing over to the other side of the table. Kira looked at the contents of the table.
Copper wire was connected to some machinery that not even Kira could understand. It was certainly something out of the ordinary, which was nothing new when it came to Florentio. However, it was clear that this was out of his own interest, and not something ordered by a customer to be modelled or crafted.
“What is this?” Kira asked, following the copper wires to a wooden box, on top was a rounded glass bulb with an iron cylinder tube inside it. Florentio’s lips widened into a large grin.
“This year’s Inventor’s Contest would have every inventor create a source of light. I plan to be able to create fire with the flick of a switch!” He proclaimed, staring at his work-in-progress with pride. Kira nodded, rolling her eyes.
“And how’s that going for you?” Kira watched as the grin slowly died on Florentio’s face, which was replaced with a frown.
“Not so well, I’m afraid. I lack the parts to complete such a structure. Though I have ordered them, and once this piece of machinery is finished I will finally be able to annihilate that damned Allick Finch!” His voice squeaked at the mention of Allick Finch. Kira could see the determination in his eyes, the meaning as he slammed his fist against the table. Kira sighed.
“Keep speaking like that, and I might worry for the man’s life.” Florentio chuckled coldly, rubbing his recently slammed fist.
“Only his inventing life.” He assured her, which made Kira feel no better.
She wondered if the man following her had finally given up, she was now more tired than she could have ever imagined. She sighed and turned her gaze to Florentio, who was staring with great wonders at his creation.
“Well, I better get going, Florentio.” The man looked up and nodded, too focused on his ideas to show any interest.
Just as Kira was about to exit the backroom, she heard the familiar sound of the doorbell, and footsteps of someone entering. The tap bell was rung twice, and the irritated voice of Florentio piped up.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!” He groaned, wiping his hands on his clothing.
He walked over to the mirror on the wall to check his appearance, before making his way to the counter. Kira caught him by the forearm, her worry had struck her again. The man looked down at her, curiosity in his eyes.
“What?” He asked, clearly noticing the distress in her expression. Kira shook her head, not knowing where to begin.
“I fear someone may be following me, if someone is asking for me, please don’t say anything.” She begged, and Kira saw the confusion in Florentio’s eyes.
“Why would anyone be looking for you? They’re coming into the great store of Florentio Vittori! The greatest inventor of Andalos!” He proclaimed, in an attempt to cheer her up. Kira shook her head, and stared at him with worried eyes. “Alright, alright. You have my word.” He finally said, before exiting the backroom.
The mumbled chatter was barely audible in the backroom, but Kira could tell enough that the customer was not a regular, with the sound of Florentio’s high praise of his work. The conversation lasted only minutes, but it felt like hours and Kira could already feel herself starting to drift off. Perhaps all of this worry was just a result of being overtired.
Florentio walked into the backroom, and to Kira’s surprise it was not for his own invention. He looked at Kira with curious eyes, rubbing his hands.
“That customer denied any of my services, he only stated he was looking for you.” Kira could hear a touch of disappointment in Florentio’s voice. However, Kira was worried for her own sake.
“And what did you tell him?” She demanded, walking towards him. Florentio shrugged, looking elsewhere.
“I told him nothing, as I promised you.” Kira was not convinced, she decided to push on further.
“Florentio…” The man turned back at her with agitated eyes.
“I said I told him nothing! You are becoming trouble for my store, I must ask you to leave before authorities come around and shut me down.” His high pitched voice made his shout hard to take seriously, though Kira could tell he was indeed serious.
Kira muttered some words under her breath and made her way to the counter, before she was stopped at the call of her name. She turned back to Florentio, who was now looking at her with apologetic eyes, though she knew well enough that he was not the man to admit he was wrong.
“It’s not safe to go out the front.” He stated, his voice slightly shaky. “I’ll take you out the back. Do you want me to take you home?” He asked, and Kira shook her head.
“Walking with you would be like trying to hide in the dark with a torch lit, but I thank you anyway.” Florentio nodded, leading her to the back door.
On his way, he grabbed a dusty brown cloak and wrapped it over her shoulders. He pulled the hood over, which was far too large for her. He opened the barged door, and the heat flooded the cool room.
“Head straight home, Kira. I don’t know why that man was looking for you, but he did not seem like a nice one.” Kira looked up at Florentio, this sudden behaviour was not like him, and had certainly caught her off guard. She nodded to him, and exited his workshop.
-
Kira climbed the steps to her apartment, the iron key shaking in her unsteady hands. She had speedily made her way home, avoiding the open streets and sticking to the alleyways. She had never felt so afraid, not since she had first came to the capital. Though she was finally home now, a safe haven.
The key fumbled in her hands, though the door finally unlocked after her third attempt. She quickly entered and instantly shut the door behind her, deadbolting the rusted locks. It would not hold if someone were to break it down, but it gave her a sense of protection.
She took off the cloak and rolled it up, placing it on the table beside the door. She was quickly met by Zola, her pet cat. Zola had lived in this apartment far longer than Kira had, and she had learned to accept it. Zola kept the rooms free of mice, and in reward Kira allowed her to stay uncontested.
The two had grown a bond over the years, and Zola rushed towards Kira once she entered the living room. The cat was not the prettiest sight, with a missing ear and patches of missing fur. However, she was a company which Kira warmly accepted.
She picked Zola up from the ground, embracing her gently before placing her back down. Kira then entered her room, exhausted and deprived. She stripped from her clothing and climbed into her bed. She was starving, but had no energy to cook anything for herself.
She tucked herself into a tight ball under the sheets, and closed her eyes. Thoughts roamed around in her head, thoughts of Tayla and Florentio. Though most prominent was the man following her, and to her surprise Darren as well. She had not seen a letter when she came inside, though then again she had not looked. Just as she was considering to get up and check, her aching body fell into a slumber. Shortly after, she did too.
-
The sound of clattering pots and something being broken outside of her room awoke Kira from her deep sleep. She looked around, the window was still open but the night sky was out. How long have I been out? She wondered, pulling the sheets in closer.
She steadied her breathing, remaining quiet and listening for another noise. She was convinced it was Zola knocking plates of the shelves again, though then again she feared the worst. A thud on the wooden floorboards was the next thing she heard, which was either Zola jumping off the bench tops, or something else. Either way, Kira was awake now, and starving.
She stood herself up, grabbing a nightgown from her wardrobe. The candle beside her bed was dimly lit, surrounded by a puddle of melted wax. She picked up the flame, which seemed to reignite by the sudden movement, but it would not last much longer.
Prepared to exit her room, she heard another thud, followed by another. Footsteps? She shook her head, wondering if she was imagining it all. Perhaps she was dreaming. She turned back and looked at the dagger on her bedside table. I’m safe here, this is my home. She reminded herself, but her eyes kept drawing back to the weapon.
[Leave the room without the dagger] [Leave the room with the dagger]
[Leave the room with the dagger]
Always better to have dagger than not to have it when needed.
[Follow Qarlton into war] It is probably best if Ted follows his liege on this one because as others have said, Ted could face serious trouble if it is found out that he is aiding the Reach over him and I think this war would be a intriguing storyline for Ted as well.
[Leave the room with the dagger] It is no doubt better to be safe than sorry on this one.
Also, I have not been able to get on the site for a few days so this is one of my first times viewing the new site layout. This has probably been asked multiple times but I am curious. Does anyone know what is wrong with the private messages? I have been trying to send them and the site won't let me send them. Is this a common glitch? Sorry for the people I have not gotten back with, but I will send my replys as soon as I figure out what is wrong with the PM system!
[Leave the room with the dagger] From what we've seen, Andalos is a complete shithole. It shouldn't be surprising when a young woman is ready to defend herself from anything that might happen to her. It's safer to take a weapon with her, just in case.
Anyways, great part
I'm very happy about this introduction to Kira, even if it still did not give any answers to wether or not she really got abducted by someone, as Darren learned. After all, her part could happen weeks or months before Darren's. I have also noticed this name, Jorrhen, and I realized Darren met his son and got into a fight with him. I wonder if the letter he received has something to do with that. It also means that this Jorrhen might be a threat to Kira. Also I enjoyed Florentio in here, it was a nice little teaser for him.
Private messages currently do not work correctly. Everyone seems to have the problem that it is impossible to answer to private messages. It is possible to send entirely new private messages, but it is not possible to answer to these either, so to keep a PM discussion going, you currently have to start a new PM discussion for every single message. The technical staff is working on it, though it might take a while until it is properly fixed. Don't worry, we all have the same problem
Other things you have to be careful of at the moment is that you have to make sure that you still follow the story whenever you comment, as the field where you follow the discussion is automatically unchecked whenever you write a new comment, meaning you have to manually check it. Also, you don't get a separate notification for responses, which I hope is going to be fixed very soon.
By the way, it appears from your reasoning you want to vote to leave the room with the dagger, though you have voted to leave without. Just thought I'd point it out in case it was a mistake.
[Leave the room without the dagger] sometimes being armed is not the best idea as it just makes you a target
Oh okay I see, this new site layout is no doubt something that will take time to get used to since I definitely enjoy the last version far better. It seems a lot has changed and not for the better but of course I am sure it is just temporary until they get everything fixed to how it was.
Thanks for letting me know on that Liquid since I had no clue what was going on with it and thanks for pointing out that mistake, I definitely want her to leave with the dagger!
Alright, time to close the vote. Ted will follow Qarlton into war.
Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed with how this vote turned out. There was quite an interesting storyline ahead for Ted if he were to follow this arc, but no matter. I shall still get a PoV in time down at the Reach, that is without any doubt. However, we now have two PoV's following Qarlton's war, which is not necessarily a bad thing though it is not exactly ideal as well. At any rate, we will see where this leads Ted into the future
Alright, I'll put this vote to a close. Kira will leave the room with the dagger.
This is certainly the safest choice, but it also adds onto paranoia as well, which may not be all that good. However, I'll leave that matter for another time, as I have other things I must announce.
Firstly, my holidays are over so I'm officially back at college. So if my writing wasn't already slow, just expect it will be slower. I'm not too stacked on work, so this weekend I should be able to produce one or two parts, but weekends are likely my safest bets when it comes to writing the story.
Secondly (is secondly a thing?), I'm starting to get a little impatient with the forums. No complaint to the tech team, who are without a doubt working hard to resolve all of the current issues, but I am loathing no PM's or notifications at the moment. So forgive me if I'm a little inactive, as you know it's mostly my schooling but another is simply lack of interest. Hopefully these bugs will be resolved soon, and with that my motivation
This!
Btw, sorry I have fell a bit behind with this story, but I'll be doing some catching up soon. One reason is precisely that I've spent a bit less time here now that the site doesn't really operate as well as it used to
Hey, well I'm glad to have you back! I presume that means you're settled where you wanted to be now?
That's fine, take your time with it
It's really not going anywhere as I mentioned in my announcement. Unfortunately the status of the forums are not at the level we all love and appreciate, but in time that'll be fixed. Meanwhile though, we impatient few get slightly irritated by there's nothing we can really do. I can only look forward to resuming the PM's that I miss ever so much XD
I'm actually living with my parents these couple weeks before moving to my new apartment, so yeah, I've kinda settled down for a moment!
And yeah, it's the bugs with PMs that annoy me the most, considering all the buzz there was around people wanting to do the Histories & Lore -parts in Nymeria's War.
I can definitely understand you
The update has definitely more problems than the last one and especially the lack of Private Messages is bothering me a lot. I have no doubt it will be fixed soon and then we can resume our talk. I have like 3/4th of the next message saved and can't wait to finally send it XD Other than that, take your time! This story is worth the wait and I'm super excited for the parts to come, even if the wait between them will be a little bit longer.
Though I have just heard the good news that reply notifications are supposed to be back. Have you received a notification for this comment?
I can assure you I am still interested in writing a Histories&Lore part! Haven't forgotten about it and in fact, I have made some plans for it
However, I will have to talk to you first of course, so it sadly has to wait until PM's are back.
I have 6 notifications! Hallelujah! Honestly, this is so great, I'm so happy to see notifications return. Any luck and soon we will have PM's back
I decided to reply to this one last just because I was so excited about notifications XD I look forward to resuming our discussion, as you last brought up some mentions which have me worried, intrigued and overall excited to get back with it all. Happy to read it's basically ready to go! The story will be delayed unfortunately, but of course that is nothing new with my horrible standards XD Once this weekend comes I'll write a new part, which will either be a Torv or Steffon part I think.
Edit: I checked your message, as well as a couple of others. Looks like PM's work for all but me! XD Still get the same old problem, can't reply and it just duplicates the original message. Oh telltale, how you replicate your love...
That's good to hear!
And actually we are at the moment working on a H&L part with Crips, even with the inconviniences of the site, so there should be one coming soon!
good for you, I only got one notification until today, and that was you managing to somehow send that one PM to me
didn't get any more PMs since then
Torv
His head thudded at the rhythm of each heartbeat, the increasing pain unbearable. His body was stained with sweat, and he shuddered at each thought that entered his mind. Dulled figures roaming and dancing in the darkness, haunting the cursed world Torv had found himself in.
He stared at the creatures around him, misshapen and unlike anything he had ever seen. Slowly the black liquid creatures began to form into familiar shapes. Men, women, newborn babes. Torv found himself looking at an oddly familiar scenario, yet he could not pick what he saw.
Before him he saw a woman, her legs spread and two men in front of her. One wore a crown, the other wore robes that fell to his feet. The woman’s screams filled the oily halls like a haunted echo, shrieking some demonic chant rather than a regular scream.
Torv approached the shadow creatures, passing the robed and crowned beings. He found the woman, she lay on her back while the robed man was between her legs. She screamed in agony, the pain on her unidentifiable face was strong and unmistakable.
A final scream came from the woman, followed by the whining of another. A second babe. Torv looked at the two, the liquid children. One a male, the other a female. He turned his eyes back to the shadow woman, which had melted down to nothing more but a disintegrating black puddle.
Before long, the entire world Torv had found himself in crumbled around him. The black liquid splattered around him, forming yet another shape. A solid black wall, taller than any he had ever seen. This yet again crumbled, and a final shape took its form.
This shape was unlike any of the previous that had been created, and Torv recognised what it was immediately. The tablet stood off the ground, its black stone carved face weeping a stream of black tears. Around the edges, three fingers with sharp claws holding the stone up high. Beneath the stone, a creatures stared at him with beady eyes.
It spoke, and it’s voice was old and croaky. Yet no matter how hard Torv tried, he could not understand the tongue it spoke. It was made quickly apparent that the creature knew this, and instead the creature put the stone down and flicked it’s hand at Torv. Three flicks, three motions, one notion. Away, evildoer.
-
Torv awoke with a pain so potent it made him wince with any movement. He felt the soft touch on his cold trembling hands, nagging at him for his attention. Torv hesitantly opened his eyes, fearful from the odd dream he had just had.
His eyes met a sorry sight, that of Lord Samwick. The burly man stared down at him with menacing eyes, and with Torv’s mind still on the frightening dream he had, he was petrified. Torv’s mouth instinctively fell open, and followed by that was a scream that was deafening.
Desperate to escape, Torv shuffled his seemingly paralyzed body, screaming at the top of his lungs while doing so. He successfully managed to fall off the bench that he had been placed on, bashing his head against the cool stone slab floor.
The pain that accompanied the sudden movement was excruciating, and unlike anything he had ever felt before. The thudding in his head trying desperately to escape, bringing critical pain with every beat.
Torv’s screams of terror turned to screams of agony, and he barely noticed that two men had gently lifted him back into his bed. Torv felt his jaw being pulled down, and a liquid being poured down his throat. After a long moment of shuddering agony, the pain slowly began to dull, though not enough to return him back to his sleep.
Torv looked around at the men in the room. A frustrated Lord Samwick stood with his arms crossed, beside him was a younger man. Beside Torv stood a guard, and a man in robes who stared at Torv with shock. His mouth was gaped open, almost in disbelief.
“My lord… The poppy mead should have-” The low irritated groan cut the man off, and left the room in silence. “Leave us.” Samwick grunted, and shortly after his order the three men flooded out of the room.
Silence lingered for a short moment, until the heavy armoured footsteps made contact with the stone floor, drawing closer to Torv. Before he was aware of it, Torv’s eyes met once again with the light blue eyes, which contrasted the look they gave him.
“I should have killed you, boy. I should have let that portcullis crush your skull, and handed that cursed stone back to the Starks. Yet here you are, and the Stark’s are not.” Samwick’s tone was harsh and rough on the ears. Torv felt the effects of the poppy mead on him, how it dulled his senses.
“Rose.” Torv mumbled, his eyes breaking contact with the formidable light blue of Lord Samwick. He stared at the ceiling. “Rose.” He repeated, feeling his words drift away from him. In the corner of his eye, he could see Samwick’s expression turn to a light frown.
“She’s in the next room. Safe, and unharmed. I cannot say the same for my traitorous guard, however.” Samwick spoke in a tone which blamed Torv for the corruption of his guard. Torv rolled his head back towards Samwick.
“I have to find Rolland.” Torv muttered to himself, gaining only confusion from the impatient lord.
“What do you want? Why did you come to Torrhen’s Square?” The impatience left frustration in his voice, and the stench of thick ale lingered in his breath. Torv did not answer, and for his failure he felt his shoulder being grasped and his body being shook around. The pain brought Torv back to reality for a short moment.
“The Weeping Stone. We have to deliver it to the Barrow King.” Torv quietly said, and in return he was released from the man’s grip.
“The Weeping Stone? Are you sure?” Torv rolled his head over, feeling like he was about to drift off into a deep slumber. Another body shake aided that, with a frustrated expression on Lord Samwick’s face.
“Yes, the stone.” Torv muttered, before being released once again. Samwick stood from the bench, crossing his arms and pacing around the room. Finally, he came to a halt and nodded.
“Very well, you may take a raft and make passage to Barrowton. Though be wary, with the Ironborn closeby, the Saltspear…” The words shot through Torv’s ear and out the other, he felt himself falling into his slumber. “Torv!” Samwick yelled irritably, before Torv fell asleep.
-
The sunlight beamed down on Torv’s weary shoulders, his mind still suffering the after-effects of the poppy mead. They stood on the wharf to Torrhen’s Pond, where soldiers stood guard out of fear for another Stark attack.
They had repelled the Stark garrison, but had lost a lot of men in the process. Lord Samwick had locked down the fortress in an attempt to save lives, though they were not prepared to last it out if the Stark’s were to return.
Torv nursed his mauled arm, which had been rebandaged since his rest. His head was also bandaged heavily, and his arm was now in a sling. Torv wore the lizard lion vest that Rolland Reed had outfitted him in before departing Greywater Watch. His bronze shortsword was sheathed in a scabbard on his waist.
Beside Torv stood Rose “The Black Thief” and Jesse the Exile, a new title that Samwick had branded him with. The young man was bruised and bloody from his previous comrades, his expression was sullen and his gaze was lowered.
Lord Samwick stood with a half-a-dozen guards behind him, outfitted in green bronze plating with his armored hands on his armored hips. His eyes were formidable, yet somewhat tamed around Torv now. Where they were dreading, they were also pleading.
“Remember, Torv. Once you’re out of the pool and onto the river, it should lead you straight to the Saltspear. There, you will be able to sail to Barrowton. Remember to inform King Dustin of our plea for more men.” Torv nodded gently, trying not to further injure his already sore head.
Without anymore words needing to be said, Torv and Rose climbed aboard the raft, followed by Jesse the Exile. Jesse had been forced to leave Torrhen’s Square, and would only accompany Torv and Rose until he could find a new place for himself.
The guards on the wharf quickly untied the ropes from the posts, tossing them onto the raft until they were free to drift. They were fashioned with a sail and a set of oars, yet the current would pull them out towards the river at this time of the day.
The raft drifted slowly towards the entrance of Torrhen’s outlet, with the aid of the sail getting them there slightly quicker. However, the journey had been silent for the most part. Rose had nursed the bags, and the Weeping Stone, while Torv steered the raft at the tiller. Jesse sat forred of the vessel, silent and dreadful.
Torv cleared his throat anxiously, attracting the icy blue eyes of Rose. However, Jesse remained stationary, with his eyes staring forward. Torv sighed, turning his gaze to Rose. She looked at him with curiosity, though there was a small smile across her face that broke any sense of tension.
“How’s your head?” She asked, her words smooth and subtly flirtatious, though not enough for Torv to pick up. He shrugged, lowering his gaze.
“Sore.” He muttered, barely audible to her eyes. Surprisingly she could pick up his quiet comments, and she calmly crawled towards him, her movements swift and precise. The raft did not sway.
She stopped only centimetres from him, placing her hand on his forehead. Torv instantly reacted negatively to this, backing away. His instincts only brought him more trouble, though were it not for her quick reflexes then he would be in the water.
The two awkwardly laughed, now in eachother’s arms. Her eyes gave him an odd sense of comfort, which he could not entirely comprehend. She stared into his eyes, as if she was expecting something from him, some sort of reward. Torv gave into her temptation, his lips forming into a warm smile.
“Thank you.” He said kindly, yet to his shock he only saw disappointment flash in her eyes. She nodded, backing off him. What did I do? Torv asked himself in a frantic panic.
As if to pick out the dead silence, Jesse’s sullen face turned and met Torv’s. Unaware on how to react, Torv simply smiled at him. Jesse did not replicate the smile, instead he stood and walked towards him, stopping in front of him. Torv wondered what the purpose of his sudden change in mood was, instinctively Torv extended his hand.
Jesse reached out his, though instead of meeting Torv’s hand he instead grabbed the tiller, pushing it slightly to the right. His glare turned to Torv, and then to Jesse.
“If you two lovebirds are finished, starting steering the boat in the direction we need to go.” Jesse grumbled, turning back and returning forred of the raft. Torv and Rose shared a look before turning their attention to Jesse.
“We’re not lovebirds?” Torv started, but received only a glare from the man. Torv backed down, lowering his gaze. Rose shook her head with frustration, crossing her arms.
“What’s your problem anyway?” She asked, and the glare she received belittled her. Jesse rolled his eyes and turned away.
“You’re my problem. Thanks to you, I’m in exile.” He put emphasis onto the final word, then lowering his voice to a whisper. “My family, they’ll die now.” His words were quiet, barely audible. Rose looked to Torv for assistance.
“You said you knew Rolland Reed…” Torv began, and was cut off with a mocking laugh. Jesse shook his head.
“Not personally, though yes he did pass through Torrhen’s Square. He didn’t cause any trouble either, unlike you two.” Torv sighed, feeling somewhat defeated. However, Rose was contempt to continue the investigation Torv had begun.
“He passed through? Where is he now?” She asked, and Jesse shrugged.
“He took a raft, like us. He was injured, the healers tended to his wounds but he claimed he had urgent matters elsewhere.” Rose did not look impressed with the answer, and continued to persist.
“Did he say where he was going? What ‘matters’ he had to attend to?” Jesse shrugged, shaking his head.
“No.” He muttered quietly, then turned his eyes forward of the raft. “The outlet is coming up, and the sun is going down. I’m going to rest.” Rose seemed to be at an agreeance with this suggestion, she turned her eyes to Torv.
“I’ll try to do the same, will you be alright?” Torv shrugged, looking elsewhere.
“All right, all left. I’ll try to keep a steady course.” He mumbled, and received a smile and rolling of eyes.
-
Torv awoke to the sound of soft ripples against the raft, the western sunset shining into his eyes. The raft was stationary, and landed against the mud shore. The sky was a deep-set blue, with orange and pink clouds.
Torv looked around, noticing that the outlet they had entered had narrowed, and come to a dead end. How did we get here? He pondered, which did his head no good. He stood up, barely affecting the already beached raft. They had gone off course.
He quickly woke Rose and Jesse, who both were confused about the sudden fuss that Torv had created. Jesse was the first to react, groaning in frustration. Rose still looked around with genuine confusion, sleep still in her eyes.
“You steered us off course!” Jesse yelled, his voice agitated. “You had one job, stone skull.” He muttered, approaching Torv with clenched fists. Saved only by the immediate reaction of the wakening Rose, who stared out to something.
“What is that?” She asked, somewhat baffled. Jesse stopped in his tracks, turning his eyes to where Jesse looked, Torv follow their gaze.
Obscured by the dark shadows, a rectangular wooden platform rested beside the water’s edge. Dozens of narrow shafts stuck out of it, but neither Torv or the others could figure out what it was. Rose stood up, being the first to exit the raft.
Torv and Jesse followed her with curiosity, the object coming closer to their gaze. Rose came to a halt a few metres away from their raft, and Torv observed Jesse’s eyes widen. A raft. Torv finally realised, as the dark object took its shape. However, what was distressing was what stuck out of it. Arrows.
“We should leave.” Jesse finally said, backing away. Though Rose continued to walk forward with awe, pausing as she was next to the raft.
“Rose!” Torv whispered, yet harshly to try and grab her attention. She ignored him, kneeling down beside the raft. She pulled one of the arrows free, observing the tip.
“Obsidian.” She announced, turning her eyes back to Torv. He had no idea what it meant, but it had put horror into Jesse’s eyes.
“We really need to go.” He ushered Torv, trying to nudge him back to their raft. Torv stood strong, not budging.
“What if this was Rolland’s raft?” Torv suggested, and Rose quickly joined their group once again, nodding in agreeance.
“Aye, which means he could be somewhere around here. I’d say we make a camp here, and look around in the morning when there’s more light.” Jesse immediately shook his head, already against the idea.
“We can’t stay here, it’s not safe! We should continue for the Saltwater.” Jesse said, his voice shaky with fear. Rose stared at him with ignorance.
“And risk colliding with the submerged logs, or get lost in the darkness? You would have us kill ourselves. Besides, Torv needs the rest, that much is certain.” Rose turned her eyes to Torv, giving him a weak smile. Jesse grunted and shook his head.
“Are you not seeing that those are arrows? Even if this is your friend’s raft, he was clearly attacked and that is not a good sign for us. We must leave!” Jesse’s tone sounded genuinely fearful, yet Torv could already feel himself starting to sway.
“Torv, what’s your opinion?” Her soft voice barely reached Torv, who was focusing on standing up. He shook his head, unsure of what to do.
Finding Rolland meant more to him than their mission, despite if Rolland would have thought otherwise. If this raft was his, then he could be in danger and Torv needed to find him. He needed the rest, and simply abandoning this discovery did not feel right. However, Jesse seemed to know something they did not, something which urged him to leave.
[Camp for the night] [Risk trying to backtrack in the dark]
Hey guys! So lately, as most of you know, @CM3434 started up a grand idea of making History and Lore stories on @WildlingKing 's awesome story: Nymeria's War. I noticed how awesome these were, and I thought it would be a pretty cool idea if we started something like that here. It's a good way to keep the story interactive while I don't always have time to write, and I a better way for me to understand your characters better
At any rate, feel free to PM me if you guys wanna start this up. Just send me your ideas and draft, and we'll work from there!
[Camp for the night]
[Camp for the night] I've still got some catching up to do, but I skipped ahead to read this
Alright, so I have the honor to present you the first Histories & Lore part of this story!
I wrote it with the assistance of Stigz himself 
-
Davios Tallman - Promises to the Seven Gods
Davios Tallman sat down on the simple wooden chair. The almost empty sept echoed as the legs of the chair scraped against the floor. An old man in white robes sat opposed to Davios, a serene expression on his face.
“Why have you come to me, Davios?” The old man asked calmly.
“I am leaving the Andalos, and I have promises to make. Promises to the Seven Gods.” Davios spoke with quiet determination in his words. “I see that you are filled with anger, young man.” The Septon said, narrowing his eyes. “What kind of promises would you make to gods, with your heart full of rage?”
The Septon’s words echoed in the sept, and Davios closed his eyes. “Promises of revenge.” He said sternly, and the look that the Septon gave him was full of concern. “Has your father not taught you the true way to serve the gods?” The Septon asked. “The way of praying, the way of helping those that are in need. Revenge is not the way of the gods.”
“We all have our own way of serving the Seven.” Davios replied dismissingly. “For my father, and for me, the sword is the way.” The Septon let out a sigh to this. “So what is it that you’ve come here for?” He asked with defeated tone, and Davios fell on his knees.
“I have promises to all of the Seven Gods.” He said quietly, and the Septon nodded subtly. Davios closed his eyes now, taking in a deep breath. “To the Father Above, I promise to bring justice to the enemies of the Seven, I promise to destroy the false gods, and I promise to do it all in your name.” Davios stayed silent for a moment before continuing.
“To the Mother Above, I promise to show mercy to those who deserve it, I promise to spare women and children, and I promise not to dishonor myself with needless cruelty.” Davios still kept his eyes closed, continuing to speak with stern words.
“To the Warrior, I promise my sword will always be yours, and I promise I’ll fight in your name with honor. I promise to you that until my dying breath I will fight with your strength in my arms and your courage in my heart, because you are the one who will slay the sinful and drive the evil from the lands.” Davios could feel his heart beat intensely as he spoke these words, and he clenched his fists. Silence lingered in the air, until he released a long breath of air, calming himself.
“To the Maiden, I promise that all that I shall do, every life I shall end, I will do it all to protect those that are innocent. And to the Smith, I promise that no work done by the Andals will go to waste because of the enemies of the Seven. I promise that I will defend our people so they can prosper and live in peace. To the Crone, I promise I will always follow the voice of reason, as long as it isn’t against the Seven.” Now Davios opened his eyes, and looked at the Septon who had a doubtful look on his eyes. “Those are big promises, Davios.” He said with barely audible tone, but Davios shook his head. “I’m not done yet.” He grunted. “To the Stranger, I promise to avenge my father, and take the lives of every First Man filth that would get in my way.”
The Septon gave a disapproving look at Davios, but his opinions were beneath him. He stood up and turned his back to the old man, walking out of the sept.
This was an awesome H&L, and definitely gives more insight to Davios as a person rather than as an enemy to all our favourite First Men houses. I really enjoyed reading this, prominently because his zealous behavior is one of the key parts of his personality which I have shown little of. Excellent starter to hopefully a stream of H&L's!
This is great! I'm loving this idea of H&L parts written by the readers and it's nice seeing them spreading over to another story. It also made me very excited for the idea of writing an H&L part for the Invasion as well. Already have a rough plan for the one I want to write for Nymeria's War and some early ideas for the Invasion