I was very conflicted about this choice.On one hand we know that Efran will not be successful, in his rebellion. On the other hand, we don't know how successful he will be before Nymeria's forces and her allies are able to weaken him. I don't want Verro to die in a battle against Nymeria or her allies. However, I also don't want Efran or his men to hunt Verro down if he refuses. Since, Verro knows that they were threatening him, I'm hoping he might use the opportunity to travel to a safer location, after he is well rested in the village. Also, these lands are not all under Efran's control yet. I think Efran will have more important matters to deal with when he engages Nymeria and her allies forces, then hunting Verro down. I kept weighing the two choices in my mind, but this is what I went with. There is a possibility that I might change my mind and my choice later.
Verro
He could hear and smell the sea, feel the wind and the burning sun on his skin, and he could feel pain. I’m alive, Verro realized, … moreand opened his eyes. At first he was dazzled by the sun, but as his eyes adjusted he realized he had been washed ashore to a beach with white sands. It had to be Dorne – they had been close to its shore when the storm had surprised them.
Verro’s clothes were torn and wet, his long dark brown hair was even messier than usually – and sand was everywhere. He could feel his back aching, as well as a numbing pain on his right leg. He looked to both directions of the coast, but he couldn’t see a wreckage anywhere. Where is Donillos? Verro didn’t care if Captain Scar had died, or Marco, or the Limpfoot, but he had to find Donillos. For so long that man had been like a brother to him, that even the thought of losing him was gut-wrenching.
As he started taking faltering steps on the sand, Verro realized he h… [view original content]
Verro
He could hear and smell the sea, feel the wind and the burning sun on his skin, and he could feel pain. I’m alive, Verro realized, … moreand opened his eyes. At first he was dazzled by the sun, but as his eyes adjusted he realized he had been washed ashore to a beach with white sands. It had to be Dorne – they had been close to its shore when the storm had surprised them.
Verro’s clothes were torn and wet, his long dark brown hair was even messier than usually – and sand was everywhere. He could feel his back aching, as well as a numbing pain on his right leg. He looked to both directions of the coast, but he couldn’t see a wreckage anywhere. Where is Donillos? Verro didn’t care if Captain Scar had died, or Marco, or the Limpfoot, but he had to find Donillos. For so long that man had been like a brother to him, that even the thought of losing him was gut-wrenching.
As he started taking faltering steps on the sand, Verro realized he h… [view original content]
I was a bit conflicted about this. On the one hand, I am very sure that these lands won't remain under Efran's control forever. In fact, I'm even guessing that he's going down relatively soon, maybe at the end of Book 1. He doesn't really strike me as a major antagonist for the Martell's in the endgame.
Obviously he won't be the downfall of Martells, but there are many ways his story could go, and not all of them end to him being totally destroyed. And at the moment he is surprisingly strong.
And what really convinced me to join the rebellion is the chance to actually see Efran, who sounds more and more interesting with every new mention of him
This is a good point I can reveal that joining will give us opportunity to see Efran sooner than with refusing. We will of course see him anyway (in someone else's storyline), but it will take a bit longer.
Especially since it seems we chose wrong with our last choice for Dianna, since Byrron and his people appeared at the cost and not at some stronghold in the lands of House Granit.
Indeed it seems so. Though as Hors said there is always a piece of truth to every rumor, so there will definitely be something interesting in the lands of House Granit.
[Join]
I was a bit conflicted about this. On the one hand, I am very sure that these lands won't remain under Efran's control forever. In… more fact, I'm even guessing that he's going down relatively soon, maybe at the end of Book 1. He doesn't really strike me as a major antagonist for the Martell's in the endgame. This means, joining him could be highly dangerous. On the other hand, I am not sure if Verro truly has a choice here. Byrron gave it to him, but he's obviously angry about the idea that he could refuse. And what really convinced me to join the rebellion is the chance to actually see Efran, who sounds more and more interesting with every new mention of him Especially since it seems we chose wrong with our last choice for Dianna, since Byrron and his people appeared at the cost and not at some stronghold in the lands of House Granit.
[Join] It is a tough choice but I would say I will vote for Verro to join since it probably is the safest option for him at this point. It would also give us a PoV on Efran's side and it would give us a chance to see Efran sooner.
Verro
He could hear and smell the sea, feel the wind and the burning sun on his skin, and he could feel pain. I’m alive, Verro realized, … moreand opened his eyes. At first he was dazzled by the sun, but as his eyes adjusted he realized he had been washed ashore to a beach with white sands. It had to be Dorne – they had been close to its shore when the storm had surprised them.
Verro’s clothes were torn and wet, his long dark brown hair was even messier than usually – and sand was everywhere. He could feel his back aching, as well as a numbing pain on his right leg. He looked to both directions of the coast, but he couldn’t see a wreckage anywhere. Where is Donillos? Verro didn’t care if Captain Scar had died, or Marco, or the Limpfoot, but he had to find Donillos. For so long that man had been like a brother to him, that even the thought of losing him was gut-wrenching.
As he started taking faltering steps on the sand, Verro realized he h… [view original content]
An interesting new PoV, certainly one I'm looking forward to vesting into. My choice is heavily aided by a lot of the others here, and mainly I just want a PoV with the swag master Efran Sand. Seriously, why not have a PoV with a blue haired pirate with an eye patch? The opportunities are endless! Though I think at this rate, Verro is in a bad place. He's wounded, and that village seems like an awfully far place to travel, especially with no supplies on him. In this case, we get at least the hope of safety for Verro Awesome new part!
Verro
He could hear and smell the sea, feel the wind and the burning sun on his skin, and he could feel pain. I’m alive, Verro realized, … moreand opened his eyes. At first he was dazzled by the sun, but as his eyes adjusted he realized he had been washed ashore to a beach with white sands. It had to be Dorne – they had been close to its shore when the storm had surprised them.
Verro’s clothes were torn and wet, his long dark brown hair was even messier than usually – and sand was everywhere. He could feel his back aching, as well as a numbing pain on his right leg. He looked to both directions of the coast, but he couldn’t see a wreckage anywhere. Where is Donillos? Verro didn’t care if Captain Scar had died, or Marco, or the Limpfoot, but he had to find Donillos. For so long that man had been like a brother to him, that even the thought of losing him was gut-wrenching.
As he started taking faltering steps on the sand, Verro realized he h… [view original content]
Man, this was absolutely terrific! Loved every bit of it, and as always I was disappointed that it ended so soon I already love Naemon and Gwendis, but after this H&L I have a deeper respect for him, especially after seeing his values and thoughts on knighthood. What a lad. Anyway, excellently written and a beautiful read!
Nymeria's War: Histories & Lore
Naemon Blackmont – Knighthood
It was true what they said, every man had a weakness. More than one,… more in most cases. During the tourneys he had attended, during the duels he had fought, Naemon had learned that this was especially true for knights. He had fought against knights who were strong, but too slow to land a hit. He had fought against knights who were fast, but who barely managed to lift a proper sword, even less so to land a hit that actually hurt.
Even men like his cousin Jamison, undoubtedly strong and fast as Naemon begrudgingly had to admit, had their flaws. Their biggest one was overconfidence in their skills. They were unaware of their weaknesses or consciously refused to see them and their arrogance was a weakness in itself. Of course, Naemon freely admitted that he was not without flaws either. In his case, his biggest weakness were redheads.
One particularly fine example of a redh… [view original content]
Verro will join Efran Sand's rebellion. Great, this will make a very interesting storyline
No need for recap, because the next one will be a minor PoV who we haven't seen yet. But more importantly, the next part will be Chapter 1 finale! So get ready, it'll be out later today
Donovar Toland stood on a barren hill, overlooking his army as the sun was setting. Hundreds of pavilions were standing on the valley and thousands of banners flickering in the wind. He took a deep breath of the air, closing his eyes and envisioning the moment of victory. He would crush the Martells, he knew it. This was the beginning of a great dynasty that would one day reach all of the Eastern Dorne from Ghost Hill to Salt Shore. If I won’t achieve that, my son will.
Donovar had left his fifteen-year-old son Levor to Ghost Hill to lead in his stead. The King of Ghost Hills was proud of his son, and knew that he would one day make a great King. Levor had of course wanted to march to war with Donovar, but the King couldn’t gamble with the life of his heir. Of course he also had a second son, Mateo, but he would not be ready to take charge if both Donovar and Levor would fall.
“Your Grace.” Donovar heard a stern voice call behind him, and he turned to see General Tylan Sager. Tylan was a sturdy man on his late forties, a military man to the core, and perhaps the most important advisor King Donovar had right now. Tylan’s eyes were dark green, he had a chiseled jawline with coarse stubble, and his dark blonde hair was medium-length. He wore his heavy black armor, and carried a bastard sword on his back.
With Tylan were standing two men, and Donovar only recognized one of them. The one who Donovar recognized was Ser Garibald of Sevengrace, a young knight who had rode with Tomas and the sellswords to terrorize the lands of the Martells. The other man was tall and muscular, sported a bushy black beard and red turban.
“Your Grace.” The man with red turban said with a smile, while Ser Garibald gave Donovar a deep bow. “What is the meaning of this?” Donovar asked with a frown, eyeing at Garibald and the stranger.
“I am Dono Mopera, and I’ve traveled here from the lands of Lemonwood.” The man with the beard and turban said with a smooth voice. “I have come to deliver you an offer.”
“Offer from whom?” Donovar asked with slightly interested tone. The grin got wider on Dono’s face, but he wasn’t the first to answer. “The Bastard’s Bastard.” Grunted Tylan, which made Dono send him a glare.
“Lord Efran Dalt.” He corrected the general. “Son of Jaxar Dalt.” He also added, and Donovar chuckled for this. “Oh, I remember the failed rebellion of Jaxar Sand.” He replied with a sly smile. “I had forgotten he had a son though.”
“Well now you remember.” Dono spoke calmly, but there was a small touch of anger in his words. “And I’m sure you would like to hear what he wants to offer.” Donovar shrugged, taking couple steps closer to this Dono Mopera. “I don’t know, what can a bastard with no home offer to a king?” He asked, staring the man with the turban to the eyes. Dono didn’t back down, and even flashed a smirk for the King.
“Efran can make sure that the Dalts will not help the Martells when you attack.” He said, a confident look on his face. Donovar raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t he doing that already?” He asked, amusement in his tone, and Dono let out a small laugh.
“Indeed.” He admitted. “But he needs more men to tighten his grip on the lands around Lemonwood. Right now we have enough men to keep Lord Darin worried, but to put him in true danger we need more. We have already been in contact with King Lucifer Dryland, but we are not expecting much help from him.”
“So you want troops from me.” Donovar stated dryly, and the man in red turban nodded. “Yes, troops, perhaps some supplies too.” Dono said with a sigh. “I’m sure you want Martells to be as powerless as possible when you face them – that is what I offer.”
Donovar took in a deep breath. He looked at General Tylan, who seemed doubtful. “I’ll consider it.” The King said calmly. “Tylan will find a place for you to sleep tonight, we’ll continue this conversation tomorrow. And Tylan, come to my pavilion when you are done with him. We need to talk.” Tylan nodded to him sternly, and so they left their separate ways. Donovar walked down from the hill, and into his pavilion. He yawned as he walked to the table – it had been a long day.
He rolled out a map of the eastern coast of Dorne to the table, the offer of Dono Mopera in his mind. He knew this Efran was filth, and it wouldn’t be a pleasure to make an alliance with him. However, Donovar knew that one day the Bastard’s Bastard would either kneel to him or die. Preferably die.
Donovar’s eyes focused on Spottswood in the map. Making the Santagars bow would be harder, they were a proud old house with their own royal history. That however was something to worry about later, now Donovar’s eyes moved down to Sandship. It wasn’t a strong fort, so the best option would be to lay siege on it, and make an assault after the enemy would be weakened. However, Donovar knew that the Martells would try to avoid that – they knew their own weaknesses and strengths. What the Martells would want would be a battle on the field, and Donovar was ready to give them one. He sighed, putting the map aside. It was hard to relax – this was the most important but also the most stressful time of his life.
“Ghost King.” He suddenly heard the voice of Tylan say behind him. “What did you call me?” Donovar asked as he turned around, but what he saw wasn’t Tylan Sager. The man had Tylan’s black armor, and carried his bastard sword, but the face was different. This man was bald, his face had sharp edges, and the look on his deep blue eyes was unsettling. “What the-“
King Donovar was cut off by the man blowing a dart that landed straight to his throat. He stumbled backwards, crashing against his table. He could feel the poison entering him. Now a small smile appeared on the bald man’s face.
“I don’t like violence, you know.” He said, and now his voice was completely different from Tylan’s. “It’s sad how often it ends up being the only option.” The man spoke casually, as if he was just talking about what he had for dinner. Donovar tried to scream, but only blood drained out of his mouth.
“This little dream of yours, it was doomed to fail, I’m just here to end it less painfully.” The man said, now twiddling a dagger in his hand and walking closer to Donovar. “Because sadly for you, you were an inconvenience for me. You see, I’ve invested a lot of money to someone else’s dream, so I just can’t take the risk of you spoiling it.” The man grabbed the King from the collar as he said this. Donovar’s eyes started to fade, he tried to stay in the light, but darkness creeped in, pulling him away from life.
“Whichever gods you’ll meet, tell them that Forovos Norvoshi sent you.” The man spoke with calm and cold words, and plunged his dagger to King Donovar Toland's heart.
So the first chapter is over, and it's time for me to ask you some questions! Your answers can be as lenghty or short as you wish, I'd just like to hear your opinions/thoughts
1. Who is your favorite PoV after Chapter 1? Why? (You can give several)
2. Who is your least favorite PoV after Chapter 1?
3. Who is your favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
4. Who is your least favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
5. What has been your favorite moment in the story so far? (You can also tell your least favorite if you wish )
6. Do you have any advises/ideas/suggestions regarding the story that you'd like to share? Go ahead
And if you have any questions for me, those are also welcome!
That was awesome! A great return for Forovos! Safe to say that I'm eager to see more of him, even if it's going to be hard to track him down Great finale! This will certainly cause some issues down the track. Will the Toland's kneel, or be destroyed, is the question. I guess Toland may still be alive.
The Ghost King
Donovar Toland stood on a barren hill, overlooking his army as the sun was setting. Hundreds of pavilions were standing on… more the valley and thousands of banners flickering in the wind. He took a deep breath of the air, closing his eyes and envisioning the moment of victory. He would crush the Martells, he knew it. This was the beginning of a great dynasty that would one day reach all of the Eastern Dorne from Ghost Hill to Salt Shore. If I won’t achieve that, my son will.
Donovar had left his fifteen-year-old son Levor to Ghost Hill to lead in his stead. The King of Ghost Hills was proud of his son, and knew that he would one day make a great King. Levor had of course wanted to march to war with Donovar, but the King couldn’t gamble with the life of his heir. Of course he also had a second son, Mateo, but he would not be ready to take charge if both Donovar and Levor would fall.
“Your Grace.” Donovar heard a stern voice … [view original content]
Who is your favorite PoV after Chapter 1? Why? (You can give several)
Man, this is a tough one. Being biased, I naturally lean towards Missy and Myke, Missy more or less because of her unique traits which not too many PoV's show. Though out of that, I think all of them are great! Especially the Blackmont's, which have been presented in a manner that makes them my favourite house at the moment. Considering I was a die hard Dayne follower up to this point, that says quite a lot
Who is your least favorite PoV after Chapter 1?
This is a difficult one, plainly because I think they're all great! There were a few PoV's introduced pretty late, or barely covered, so I'd probably say that my least favourite at the moment is Nymeria, only because we haven't seen much of her as of late. She's been stuck in politics, which certainly isn't her favoured topic.
Who is your favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
After reading the finale, Forovos?? Apart from him, I'd say the Purple Ocelot was probably one of the most entertaining ones which I liked. Something about these assassins, Lyla Sand is another great one
Who is your least favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
Least favourite... Hmm. Maybe Zereth, because he killed the swag master? I've always been a bit skeptical of Queen Sofina, I feel like there's more to her then what meets the eye, but that's just my paranoia speaking.
What has been your favorite moment in the story so far? (You can also tell your least favorite if you wish )
Well, this finale was fantastic, without a doubt. Though Missy has had some spotlight moments, like killing Ronny and the likes
Do you have any advises/ideas/suggestions regarding the story that you'd like to share? Go ahead
Hell, how do I advise the inspiration? I think you're doing great, and while the story is slowly building up, I'm eager to see it reach the climax moments. Great work with this chapter, I'm excited to see the next very soon!
That was awesome! A great return for Forovos! Safe to say that I'm eager to see more of him, even if it's going to be hard to track him down
Whoa, I'm glad you liked it, I was afraid I hyped it too much for you And you are right, Forovos is the kind of character who might stay off the radar for a long time - actually I'm not sure if people still remember that we've seen this guy before XD You of course remember, because he is your character But anyway, we will definitely see more of him in the future.
This will certainly cause some issues down the track. Will the Toland's kneel, or be destroyed, is the question. I guess Toland may still be alive.
Aha, the House (and Kingdom) is now in the hands of a fifteen-year-old boy, so it'll be interesting to see what's the next move of the Tolands. And I assume you are referring to Tomas in that last sentence? We'll see in the next chapter what exactly happened to him
That was awesome! A great return for Forovos! Safe to say that I'm eager to see more of him, even if it's going to be hard to track him down… more Great finale! This will certainly cause some issues down the track. Will the Toland's kneel, or be destroyed, is the question. I guess Toland may still be alive.
Man, this is a tough one. Being biased, I naturally lean towards Missy and Myke, Missy more or less because of her unique traits which not too many PoV's show. Though out of that, I think all of them are great! Especially the Blackmont's, which have been presented in a manner that makes them my favourite house at the moment. Considering I was a die hard Dayne follower up to this point, that says quite a lot
Haha, nothing wrong with being a bit biased. And I'm definitely happy that you are satisfied with Missy and Myke so far And Blackmonts did get pretty much attention in this chapter, good to hear they've won your sympathies.
This is a difficult one, plainly because I think they're all great! There were a few PoV's introduced pretty late, or barely covered, so I'd probably say that my least favourite at the moment is Nymeria, only because we haven't seen much of her as of late. She's been stuck in politics, which certainly isn't her favoured topic.
Yeah, I assume people's least favorite for now being (mostly) the ones who have got the least attention, and it has really been a long while since Nymeria got a part. She'll have a pretty interesting storyline in Chapter 2 though, even if due to her plotarmor she'll probably never be the most exciting PoV
After reading the finale, Forovos?? Apart from him, I'd say the Purple Ocelot was probably one of the most entertaining ones which I liked. Something about these assassins, Lyla Sand is another great one
The Purple Ocelot should have a fanclub XD But yeah, assassins are always fascinating characters - after all their job is to murder people, gotta be a pretty "interesting" person to make your living like that
Least favourite... Hmm. Maybe Zereth, because he killed the swag master? I've always been a bit skeptical of Queen Sofina, I feel like there's more to her then what meets the eye, but that's just my paranoia speaking.
Yeah, there is really no reason to love Zereth, I give you that. What comes to Queen Sofina, well, she is no saint, but far from the worst person in Kingsgrave... That doesn't really say much, does it?
Well, this finale was fantastic, without a doubt. Though Missy has had some spotlight moments, like killing Ronny and the likes
Again, I'm very happy that you liked the finale! And I can say that Missy killing Ronny was one of my personal favorites.
Hell, how do I advise the inspiration? I think you're doing great, and while the story is slowly building up, I'm eager to see it reach the climax moments. Great work with this chapter, I'm excited to see the next very soon!
Yeah, this was very much a build up chapter, but hopefully there was some enjoyment in it too But I hope that I can get a tad more excitement to Chapter 2, even if it obviously isn't the climax chapter of Book 1. Still, war is coming
* Who is your favorite PoV after Chapter 1? Why? (You can give several)
Man, this is a tough one. Being biased, I naturally lean towards… more Missy and Myke, Missy more or less because of her unique traits which not too many PoV's show. Though out of that, I think all of them are great! Especially the Blackmont's, which have been presented in a manner that makes them my favourite house at the moment. Considering I was a die hard Dayne follower up to this point, that says quite a lot
* Who is your least favorite PoV after Chapter 1?
This is a difficult one, plainly because I think they're all great! There were a few PoV's introduced pretty late, or barely covered, so I'd probably say that my least favourite at the moment is Nymeria, only because we haven't seen much of her as of late. She's been stuck in politics, which certainly isn't her favoured topic.
* Who is your favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
After reading the final… [view original content]
Well the ending to Chapter one was certainly a twist! I figured that King Toland would end up being killed but I did not expect it to happen this soon and for him to die the way that he did. It was shocking for sure! With what has happened here, there is alot of mystery with how Chapter 2 will go for the Tolands. It will be interesting to see if the Tolands conquest already died out before it truly began and probably the biggest thing I am curious about from is if Nymeria and House Martell approved of what Forovos has done or if they even know. I know for sure that it will be exciting to see how this unfolds in Chapter 2! Great return for Forovos by the way!
The Ghost King
Donovar Toland stood on a barren hill, overlooking his army as the sun was setting. Hundreds of pavilions were standing on… more the valley and thousands of banners flickering in the wind. He took a deep breath of the air, closing his eyes and envisioning the moment of victory. He would crush the Martells, he knew it. This was the beginning of a great dynasty that would one day reach all of the Eastern Dorne from Ghost Hill to Salt Shore. If I won’t achieve that, my son will.
Donovar had left his fifteen-year-old son Levor to Ghost Hill to lead in his stead. The King of Ghost Hills was proud of his son, and knew that he would one day make a great King. Levor had of course wanted to march to war with Donovar, but the King couldn’t gamble with the life of his heir. Of course he also had a second son, Mateo, but he would not be ready to take charge if both Donovar and Levor would fall.
“Your Grace.” Donovar heard a stern voice … [view original content]
1. Who is your favorite PoV after Chapter 1? Why? (You can give several)
Well I enjoyed all of them in their own way so it is hard to go with a favorite but of course if I am choosing, I will go with Jamison and Isabella. I have been a huge fan of Jamison and Isabella's storylines with Jamison being apart of a something where he seems to be learning something completely new to him and the overall mystery behind who Isabella will end up marrying but now that I have gotten the biased portion out of the way, I will mention my other favorites Gwendis and Naemon have both been excellent with both being very likable characters with very interesting storylines which I look forward to with Gwendis most likely going to Skyreach where she will probably get to interact with Isabella which will be neat and Naemon who will be visiting Starfall and with that a return of King Vorian, Malcolm and the rest of the Starfall cast. I would also like to mention Missy as well since she is such a unique character and PoV.
2. Who is your least favorite PoV after Chapter 1?
I can't really say I have a PoV that is my absolute least favorite but if I were to choose a least favorite it would probably be Nymeria. Primarily because her story does not as much mystery to it since we know she wins in the end compared to the other PoV's that have been submitted where their fates are a mystery but with that said, I still have enjoyed the parts that she has had immensely. Edit: Well I just seen you mentioned that Nymeria will have a pretty interesting storyline in Chapter 2 so it looks pretty likely that I will be eating my words on this one
3. Who is your favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
My favorite non-PoV at this point is most defintely a tossup between King Garrison Fowler and King Benedict Blackmont. They both are far different than how I imagined them to be with myself initially imagining Garrison as a pretty kind man but he also showed that he can be cunning and ruthless while Benedict Blackmont intially seemed like a cold and evil man but as the chapter rolled on, he showed that he does have a soft spot for his children especially Gwendis which was a pleasant surprise! Overall both of these characters were great examples of people who has a bit of good and bad both in them which is something I enjoy immensely in characters.
4. Who is your least favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
I would say King Albin Manwoody since he is such an excellent villain that you just love to hate! I have enjoy the parts he has appeared in immensely and it will be interesting to see when his downfall does come.
5. What has been your favorite moment in the story so far? (You can also tell your least favorite if you wish )
I have so many favorite moments but the ones that have stuck out to me are the negotiation scenes with Jamison and King Lucifer Dryland, Naemon's duel with Alester Upton, Isabella confronting Ferris and Garrison, Gwendis confronting Benedict, and Missy killing Ronny are the ones that stick out off the top of my head at the moment.
6. Do you have any advises/ideas/suggestions regarding the story that you'd like to share? Go ahead
Well, I have been a huge fan of this story since it started and you are a far better writer than I am so I can't say I have any advice or suggestions other than keep up the great work!
So the first chapter is over, and it's time for me to ask you some questions! Your answers can be as lenghty or short as you wish, I'd just… more like to hear your opinions/thoughts
1. Who is your favorite PoV after Chapter 1? Why? (You can give several)
2. Who is your least favorite PoV after Chapter 1?
3. Who is your favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
4. Who is your least favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
5. What has been your favorite moment in the story so far? (You can also tell your least favorite if you wish )
6. Do you have any advises/ideas/suggestions regarding the story that you'd like to share? Go ahead
And if you have any questions for me, those are also welcome!
It will be interesting to see if the Tolands conquest already died out before it truly began and probably the biggest thing I am curious about from is if Nymeria and House Martell approved of what Forovos has done or if they even know.
Interesting things to look forward to indeed! The Tolands probably won't just kneel without any resistance - their King just got assassinated which is certain to piss off some people, the son of Donovar in particular. And you also bring up a good question on wheter this was approved by Nymeria and Mors - we'll find out that too in Chapter 2
PS. I'll answer your PM tomorrow, just saying so you know I've noticed it
Well the ending to Chapter one was certainly a twist! I figured that King Toland would end up being killed but I did not expect it to happen… more this soon and for him to die the way that he did. It was shocking for sure! With what has happened here, there is alot of mystery with how Chapter 2 will go for the Tolands. It will be interesting to see if the Tolands conquest already died out before it truly began and probably the biggest thing I am curious about from is if Nymeria and House Martell approved of what Forovos has done or if they even know. I know for sure that it will be exciting to see how this unfolds in Chapter 2! Great return for Forovos by the way!
Well I enjoyed all of them in their own way so it is hard to go with a favorite but of course if I am choosing, I will go with Jamison and Isabella. I have been a huge fan of Jamison and Isabella's storylines with Jamison being apart of a something where he seems to be learning something completely new to him and the overall mystery behind who Isabella will end up marrying but now that I have gotten the biased portion out of the way, I will mention my other favorites Gwendis and Naemon have both been excellent with both being very likable characters with very interesting storylines which I look forward to with Gwendis most likely going to Skyreach where she will probably get to interact with Isabella which will be neat and Naemon who will be visiting Starfall and with that a return of King Vorian, Malcolm and the rest of the Starfall cast. I would also like to mention Missy as well since she is such a unique character and PoV.
Just like with Stigz, I'm happy that you are satisfied with my portrayals of the characters you've submitted! And the Blackmonts seem to be getting a lot of love, which I'm not really surprised of. They are great characters and it's been a pleasure writing them. The things you mentioned that you are looking forward to, I can say that I am too Naemon interacting with the Dayne cast especially is something we'll get pretty soon, and I'm really much looking forward to it.
I can't really say I have a PoV that is my absolute least favorite but if I were to choose a least favorite it would probably be Nymeria. Primarily because her story does not as much mystery to it since we know she wins in the end compared to the other PoV's that have been submitted where their fates are a mystery but with that said, I still have enjoyed the parts that she has had immensely. Edit: Well I just seen you mentioned that Nymeria will have a pretty interesting storyline in Chapter 2 so it looks pretty likely that I will be eating my words on this one
Yeah, as I said to Stigz, she will probs never be the most exciting PoV, but I'm pretty sure I can offer some interesting stuff with her in the future
My favorite non-PoV at this point is most defintely a tossup between King Garrison Fowler and King Benedict Blackmont. They both are far different than how I imagined them to be with myself initially imagining Garrison as a pretty kind man but he also showed that he can be cunning and ruthless while Benedict Blackmont intially seemed like a cold and evil man but as the chapter rolled on, he showed that he does have a soft spot for his children especially Gwendis which was a pleasant surprise! Overall both of these characters were great examples of people who has a bit of good and bad both in them which is something I enjoy immensely in characters.
Both of them characters that I like very much! Probably my two favorites when it comes to the Kings of Dorne. And I'm glad I've managed to surprise you with these characters and their personalities - we'll definitely dive deeper into them in the coming chapters
I would say King Albin Manwoody since he is such an excellent villain that you just love to hate! I have enjoy the parts he has appeared in immensely and it will be interesting to see when his downfall does come.
Haha, he's one of the few characters where I've taken the freedom to go pretty much full dark, with hardly any shades of grey (there are some, but still, he is no doubt an evil character). It's been quite enjoyable to write, but there definitely shouldn't be too many characters like him in a story
I have so many favorite moments but the ones that have stuck out to me are the negotiation scenes with Jamison and King Lucifer Dryland, Naemon's duel with Alester Upton, Isabella confronting Ferris and Garrison, Gwendis confronting Benedict, and Missy killing Ronny are the ones that stick out off the top of my head at the moment.
All of those are moments I really enjoyed writing, good to hear you liked them and remember them! Hopefully there will be more such moments in the coming chapters.
Well, I have been a huge fan of this story since it started and you are a far better writer than I am so I can't say I have any advice or suggestions other than keep up the great work!
1. Who is your favorite PoV after Chapter 1? Why? (You can give several)
Well I enjoyed all of them in their own way so it is hard to go … morewith a favorite but of course if I am choosing, I will go with Jamison and Isabella. I have been a huge fan of Jamison and Isabella's storylines with Jamison being apart of a something where he seems to be learning something completely new to him and the overall mystery behind who Isabella will end up marrying but now that I have gotten the biased portion out of the way, I will mention my other favorites Gwendis and Naemon have both been excellent with both being very likable characters with very interesting storylines which I look forward to with Gwendis most likely going to Skyreach where she will probably get to interact with Isabella which will be neat and Naemon who will be visiting Starfall and with that a return of King Vorian, Malcolm and the rest of the Starfall cast. I would also like to mentio… [view original content]
Wow, this was a seriously awesome finale! I did not expect things to end like this, but it's safe to say that this was perfect and I loved it The first king is actually dead and he got killed by some pretty cool guy. Seriously, what the hell is Forovos? From the voice-changing, I'd say Faceless Man, which would be equal parts dangerous and intriguing. I mean, Donovar Toland did not seem to be a nice guy at all and I guess he's better off dead, but I'm kind of afraid Forovos could later on prove to be a danger for those whom I actually like. But I can't deny that he is cool as hell. And with the king's death, I'm sure the Toland's will bend the knee pretty soon. His son is fifteen and I somehow doubt he's any bit the leader his father seemed to have been. But we'll see. You got me hyped for Chapter 2
The Ghost King
Donovar Toland stood on a barren hill, overlooking his army as the sun was setting. Hundreds of pavilions were standing on… more the valley and thousands of banners flickering in the wind. He took a deep breath of the air, closing his eyes and envisioning the moment of victory. He would crush the Martells, he knew it. This was the beginning of a great dynasty that would one day reach all of the Eastern Dorne from Ghost Hill to Salt Shore. If I won’t achieve that, my son will.
Donovar had left his fifteen-year-old son Levor to Ghost Hill to lead in his stead. The King of Ghost Hills was proud of his son, and knew that he would one day make a great King. Levor had of course wanted to march to war with Donovar, but the King couldn’t gamble with the life of his heir. Of course he also had a second son, Mateo, but he would not be ready to take charge if both Donovar and Levor would fall.
“Your Grace.” Donovar heard a stern voice … [view original content]
1. Who is your favorite PoV after Chapter 1? Why? (You can give several)
I could make it easy now and say Gwendis. Actually, I'm going to do just that, because you surely did write her perfectly. I have the deepest connection to her parts, so obviously I enjoyed them and her incredibly much and I am excited and scared for what you have in mind for her in the next chapter. That said, she is far from my only favourite. In fact, it might almost be quicker to just mention the one's that are not among my favourites XD One of my other favourites is Jamison. His storyline was arguably not the most action-packed and I guess it mostly laid the foundations for his future storyline, but he had this intense talk with Lucifer and he is just a great character in general, complex and flawed, yet not evil and certainly a huge wildcard in the events to come. Another favourite of mine is Missy, who is a similarly complex character in a highly intriguing setting. The court of Manwoody is perhaps the most fucked-up location in the story and Missy is the most fucked-up PoV and I mean this in an entirely positive way XD Seriously, she's great. A dark and tragic character, but I definitely like her. And finally, one character that has sneakily become one of my favourites is Isabella. I really enjoyed that, for once, there is character without any schemes going on, just a genuinely sweet young girl. I doubt she will remain that way forever, but I'm sure I will like her change just as well, if it happens. She and the court of Skyreach have been one of the highlights in Chapter 1 and I can't wait for her to interact with Gwendis.
2. Who is your least favorite PoV after Chapter 1?
Now that is a bit of a harder decision. I won't repeat myself from last time, where I said Nymeria, because after a bit of thinking, I actually enjoy the possibilities of her PoV. No, I think if I had to name anyone, it would be Tomas, who was not only a jerk, but to whom I had no real connection. His parts themselves were nicely written, but if there is anyone whom I don't really like, it's him. I doubt he's dead though, so maybe he'll get a way to go up in my good graces in the next chapter.
3. Who is your favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
This one was a bit easier than the first two questions. The answer is Benny and Garry. God, that sounds like a horrible folk music duo from the sixties XD Of course I mean Benedict Blackmont and Garrison Fowler, the cool kings. I initially disliked Benedict and was sure he'd be a bad guy and early parts seemed to prove me right. Then, completely out of the blue, there was this tiny glimpse of the real Benedict in his final appearance in this chapter and it marked the point where I actually started to sympathize with him and now I see a lot of positive qualities in him. He obviously loves his daughter and it pains me that they both ended up hurting each other in this chapter. Hopefully Gwendis will realize that her father truly loves her some day. And Garrison has instantly become another of my favourites from the moment of his introduction. He's amazing, a guy who has to rely on his cunning to survive, who seems like a more or less good guy, but who was still forced to do some pretty bad stuff. Of course, his adorable interaction with Isabella helped a lot with making me like the guy, or else I wouldn't be quite that forgiving for him dragging the Blackmont's into his war (and therefore ultimately ruining all my theories about Gwendis Yronwood XD), but now I must admit that I like the guy a lot. He's another character whom I can't wait to read about through Gwendis' PoV.
4. Who is your least favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
Now to the hard question again. There are several characters that are not my least favourites, but whom I feel conflicted about. Aisha, that shady priestess of Fantasy-Satan, still makes me uncomfortable, even if I no longer dislike her. Albin Manwoody is a character whom I hate with a passion, but I love to hate him and he is a great antagonist. Lyla has been a grade-A bitch, but ever since I had that short-lived crack idea of shipping her with Gwendis, I can't hate her anymore Alester has been a huge jerk, but I don't dislike the guy and found him really entertaining. So, none of them is my least favourite. I guess if I have to choose anyone, it would be Zereth, for almost being even more of a dick to Missy than Tom the Animal and especially for murdering the Purple Swag-A-Lot. Rest in peace, you stylishly turbaned motherfucker
5. What has been your favorite moment in the story so far? (You can also tell your least favorite if you wish )
First of all, I don't have a least favourite, that would be just absurd But I have several favourites, which I found to be super intense. The one that I found to be the strongest was Missy just snapping and murdering Ronny, that was dark, violent, but after the crap she has been through in the parts before, it was cathartic to see her striking back for once. Another one of my favourites was Gwendis and her vision, a source of speculation and worry for me. It was mysterious, concering, exciting, all of it at the same time and I will continue to speculate on its contents in later chapters, I'm sure of it. I also enjoyed Isabella's talks with Garrison, all of them, because both characters are working so well together and because they have given me almost as much speculation as Gwendis' vision. And I really liked the atmosphere of Myke's parts in Gravesend, from the suspiciously friendly Septon to the beginning peasant revolution, that one really drove the point home that shit is going to hit the fan in Blackmont.
6. Do you have any advises/ideas/suggestions regarding the story that you'd like to share? Go ahead
No, none at all. I wouldn't dare. This story has been close to perfection so far and I am beyond words for how excited I am about the next chapter and the chapters beyond. Just keep up the awesome work and I see truly great things in the future.
So the first chapter is over, and it's time for me to ask you some questions! Your answers can be as lenghty or short as you wish, I'd just… more like to hear your opinions/thoughts
1. Who is your favorite PoV after Chapter 1? Why? (You can give several)
2. Who is your least favorite PoV after Chapter 1?
3. Who is your favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
4. Who is your least favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
5. What has been your favorite moment in the story so far? (You can also tell your least favorite if you wish )
6. Do you have any advises/ideas/suggestions regarding the story that you'd like to share? Go ahead
And if you have any questions for me, those are also welcome!
There was a lot of interesting things about this chapter. Particularly the following line: "Donovar tried to scream, but only blood drained out of his mouth." That is obviously the fulfillment of a part of Gwendis's vision. When she saw a ghost with blood coming out of his mouth. Another thing that is interesting will be if the Tolands think Efran Dalt ordered his assassination. They would at least be suspicious knowing that this stranger Dono Mopera arrives, who is serving Efran, and right after their King is assassinated. Even if they were watching Dono, they might think the whole situation to be suspicious. If Dono brought guards with him, they might think one of them did it while they weren't watching. Anyways, this whole situation can cause a breakdown in relations between both factions and possibly cause a war.
The Ghost King
Donovar Toland stood on a barren hill, overlooking his army as the sun was setting. Hundreds of pavilions were standing on… more the valley and thousands of banners flickering in the wind. He took a deep breath of the air, closing his eyes and envisioning the moment of victory. He would crush the Martells, he knew it. This was the beginning of a great dynasty that would one day reach all of the Eastern Dorne from Ghost Hill to Salt Shore. If I won’t achieve that, my son will.
Donovar had left his fifteen-year-old son Levor to Ghost Hill to lead in his stead. The King of Ghost Hills was proud of his son, and knew that he would one day make a great King. Levor had of course wanted to march to war with Donovar, but the King couldn’t gamble with the life of his heir. Of course he also had a second son, Mateo, but he would not be ready to take charge if both Donovar and Levor would fall.
“Your Grace.” Donovar heard a stern voice … [view original content]
Gwendis, because her storyline so far engaged me the most.
2. Who is your least favorite PoV after Chapter 1?
Nymeria, because so far not much happened in her storyline in my opinion. It's story about her war, but I don't feel that way for now.
3. Who is your favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
King Benedict, all the storyline of Blackmont is really interesting but I am curious how it will go for Benedict, surrounded by all this mysterious people.
4. Who is your least favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
Well, I guess I won't be different than others - Albin is one crazy and MAD King, as his nickname suggests.
5. What has been your favorite moment in the story so far? (You can also tell your least favorite if you wish )
Favourite I guess would be how Gwendis trusted Aisha and thanks to her, experienced the vision which may be really important for not only Gwendis storyline. This makes things even more interesting, when we have a little sneak peek in the "future" in such way.
6. Do you have any advises/ideas/suggestions regarding the story that you'd like to share? Go ahead
So the first chapter is over, and it's time for me to ask you some questions! Your answers can be as lenghty or short as you wish, I'd just… more like to hear your opinions/thoughts
1. Who is your favorite PoV after Chapter 1? Why? (You can give several)
2. Who is your least favorite PoV after Chapter 1?
3. Who is your favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
4. Who is your least favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
5. What has been your favorite moment in the story so far? (You can also tell your least favorite if you wish )
6. Do you have any advises/ideas/suggestions regarding the story that you'd like to share? Go ahead
And if you have any questions for me, those are also welcome!
I could make it easy now and say Gwendis. Actually, I'm going to do just that, because you surely did write her perfectly. I have the deepest connection to her parts, so obviously I enjoyed them and her incredibly much and I am excited and scared for what you have in mind for her in the next chapter. That said, she is far from my only favourite. In fact, it might almost be quicker to just mention the one's that are not among my favourites XD One of my other favourites is Jamison. His storyline was arguably not the most action-packed and I guess it mostly laid the foundations for his future storyline, but he had this intense talk with Lucifer and he is just a great character in general, complex and flawed, yet not evil and certainly a huge wildcard in the events to come. Another favourite of mine is Missy, who is a similarly complex character in a highly intriguing setting. The court of Manwoody is perhaps the most fucked-up location in the story and Missy is the most fucked-up PoV and I mean this in an entirely positive way XD Seriously, she's great. A dark and tragic character, but I definitely like her. And finally, one character that has sneakily become one of my favourites is Isabella. I really enjoyed that, for once, there is character without any schemes going on, just a genuinely sweet young girl. I doubt she will remain that way forever, but I'm sure I will like her change just as well, if it happens. She and the court of Skyreach have been one of the highlights in Chapter 1 and I can't wait for her to interact with Gwendis.
Well I could guess Gwendis, but it's nice to see that you have a wide variety of other PoVs there too! Jamison was one who I kinda wished I could've used more, but there wasn't really that much I needed him to do in the first chapter. And Missy is the kind of character that when I write her, I really need to focus, because it's pretty hard to get into her crazy mindset XD And at the same time she still has to be relatable at least on some level. I'm a bit surprised (positively of course) to see Isabella there! I mean I've enjoyed writing her, especially the scenes with Garrison, but didn't really expect her to be among people's favorite PoVs.
Now that is a bit of a harder decision. I won't repeat myself from last time, where I said Nymeria, because after a bit of thinking, I actually enjoy the possibilities of her PoV. No, I think if I had to name anyone, it would be Tomas, who was not only a jerk, but to whom I had no real connection. His parts themselves were nicely written, but if there is anyone whom I don't really like, it's him. I doubt he's dead though, so maybe he'll get a way to go up in my good graces in the next chapter.
I'm surprised no one mentioned Tomas before you Yeah, he has had two parts so far, and been kind of a dick in those, so not really surprising. And we'll see, maybe he will get a chance to redeem himself.
This one was a bit easier than the first two questions. The answer is Benny and Garry. God, that sounds like a horrible folk music duo from the sixties XD Of course I mean Benedict Blackmont and Garrison Fowler, the cool kings. I initially disliked Benedict and was sure he'd be a bad guy and early parts seemed to prove me right. Then, completely out of the blue, there was this tiny glimpse of the real Benedict in his final appearance in this chapter and it marked the point where I actually started to sympathize with him and now I see a lot of positive qualities in him. He obviously loves his daughter and it pains me that they both ended up hurting each other in this chapter. Hopefully Gwendis will realize that her father truly loves her some day. And Garrison has instantly become another of my favourites from the moment of his introduction. He's amazing, a guy who has to rely on his cunning to survive, who seems like a more or less good guy, but who was still forced to do some pretty bad stuff. Of course, his adorable interaction with Isabella helped a lot with making me like the guy, or else I wouldn't be quite that forgiving for him dragging the Blackmont's into his war (and therefore ultimately ruining all my theories about Gwendis Yronwood XD), but now I must admit that I like the guy a lot. He's another character whom I can't wait to read about through Gwendis' PoV.
Benny & Garry XD Haha, yeah, as I said earlier they are my favorites of the kings. I'm glad to say there will be much more to come for these two in the future, and I certainly will be enjoying writing it
Now to the hard question again. There are several characters that are not my least favourites, but whom I feel conflicted about. Aisha, that shady priestess of Fantasy-Satan, still makes me uncomfortable, even if I no longer dislike her. Albin Manwoody is a character whom I hate with a passion, but I love to hate him and he is a great antagonist. Lyla has been a grade-A bitch, but ever since I had that short-lived crack idea of shipping her with Gwendis, I can't hate her anymore Alester has been a huge jerk, but I don't dislike the guy and found him really entertaining. So, none of them is my least favourite. I guess if I have to choose anyone, it would be Zereth, for almost being even more of a dick to Missy than Tom the Animal and especially for murdering the Purple Swag-A-Lot. Rest in peace, you stylishly turbaned motherfucker
Haha, still not trusting Aisha. Well great, because there will be some hard decisions related to her in the future Albin definitely deserves all the hate, no question. It'll be a sad day for Gwyla shippers when Gwendis leaves Blackmont XD And yeah, fuck Zereth
First of all, I don't have a least favourite, that would be just absurd But I have several favourites, which I found to be super intense. The one that I found to be the strongest was Missy just snapping and murdering Ronny, that was dark, violent, but after the crap she has been through in the parts before, it was cathartic to see her striking back for once. Another one of my favourites was Gwendis and her vision, a source of speculation and worry for me. It was mysterious, concering, exciting, all of it at the same time and I will continue to speculate on its contents in later chapters, I'm sure of it. I also enjoyed Isabella's talks with Garrison, all of them, because both characters are working so well together and because they have given me almost as much speculation as Gwendis' vision. And I really liked the atmosphere of Myke's parts in Gravesend, from the suspiciously friendly Septon to the beginning peasant revolution, that one really drove the point home that shit is going to hit the fan in Blackmont.
Yeah, I can say that I'm personally very satisfied with that Ronny scene XD As dark and brutal as it was, Ronny definitely had it coming to him. What comes to the vision, it was a bit harder to write, because I had to think through my plans for the future of the story, think what kind of clues should I give, etc. It was still fun though! As I've said earlier I love writing Garrison, so Isabella's scenes with her were nice - good to see they had some impact on the readers as well And I'm also glad to see that the Gravesend riot made it to someone's favorite moments, because I really enjoyed writing it.
No, none at all. I wouldn't dare. This story has been close to perfection so far and I am beyond words for how excited I am about the next chapter and the chapters beyond. Just keep up the awesome work and I see truly great things in the future.
Questions! Hell yes
1. Who is your favorite PoV after Chapter 1? Why? (You can give several)
I could make it easy now and say Gwendis… more. Actually, I'm going to do just that, because you surely did write her perfectly. I have the deepest connection to her parts, so obviously I enjoyed them and her incredibly much and I am excited and scared for what you have in mind for her in the next chapter. That said, she is far from my only favourite. In fact, it might almost be quicker to just mention the one's that are not among my favourites XD One of my other favourites is Jamison. His storyline was arguably not the most action-packed and I guess it mostly laid the foundations for his future storyline, but he had this intense talk with Lucifer and he is just a great character in general, complex and flawed, yet not evil and certainly a huge wildcard in the events to come. Another favourite of mine is Missy, who is a similarly complex character in… [view original content]
The first king is actually dead and he got killed by some pretty cool guy. Seriously, what the hell is Forovos? From the voice-changing, I'd say Faceless Man, which would be equal parts dangerous and intriguing.
Good question, and I'll just say that there is a great H&L coming soon that might answer your question. And yeah, first king down!
I mean, Donovar Toland did not seem to be a nice guy at all and I guess he's better off dead, but I'm kind of afraid Forovos could later on prove to be a danger for those whom I actually like. But I can't deny that he is cool as hell.
Yes, very dangerous man. Dangerous, rich, elegant and ambitious. Good combination, aye?
And with the king's death, I'm sure the Toland's will bend the knee pretty soon. His son is fifteen and I somehow doubt he's any bit the leader his father seemed to have been. But we'll see. You got me hyped for Chapter 2
We'll see, we'll see. But it is obvious that this is a very big loss for Tolands - especially now that even Tomas isn't there to help his nephew.
Wow, this was a seriously awesome finale! I did not expect things to end like this, but it's safe to say that this was perfect and I loved i… moret The first king is actually dead and he got killed by some pretty cool guy. Seriously, what the hell is Forovos? From the voice-changing, I'd say Faceless Man, which would be equal parts dangerous and intriguing. I mean, Donovar Toland did not seem to be a nice guy at all and I guess he's better off dead, but I'm kind of afraid Forovos could later on prove to be a danger for those whom I actually like. But I can't deny that he is cool as hell. And with the king's death, I'm sure the Toland's will bend the knee pretty soon. His son is fifteen and I somehow doubt he's any bit the leader his father seemed to have been. But we'll see. You got me hyped for Chapter 2
There was a lot of interesting things about this chapter. Particularly the following line: "Donovar tried to scream, but only blood drained out of his mouth." That is obviously the fulfillment of a part of Gwendis's vision. When she saw a ghost with blood coming out of his mouth.
Good catch! I think you are the first one to mention this
Another thing that is interesting will be if the Tolands think Efran Dalt ordered his assassination. They would at least be suspicious knowing that this stranger Dono Mopera arrives, who is serving Efran, and right after their King is assassinated. Even if they were watching Dono, they might think the whole situation to be suspicious. If Dono brought guards with him, they might think one of them did it while they weren't watching. Anyways, this whole situation can cause a breakdown in relations between both factions and possibly cause a war.
Very interesting point. It's not clear what happened to Dono himself though when "Tylan" took him away.
There was a lot of interesting things about this chapter. Particularly the following line: "Donovar tried to scream, but only blood drained … moreout of his mouth." That is obviously the fulfillment of a part of Gwendis's vision. When she saw a ghost with blood coming out of his mouth. Another thing that is interesting will be if the Tolands think Efran Dalt ordered his assassination. They would at least be suspicious knowing that this stranger Dono Mopera arrives, who is serving Efran, and right after their King is assassinated. Even if they were watching Dono, they might think the whole situation to be suspicious. If Dono brought guards with him, they might think one of them did it while they weren't watching. Anyways, this whole situation can cause a breakdown in relations between both factions and possibly cause a war.
Hello! Just wanted to make a post about couple things, first being a list of interesting choices from Chapter 1. The meaning of this little list is to remind what kind of (possibly important) choices we've made so far. I won't of course speculate any further than that about what will their significance be in Chapter 2, for obvious reasons, but if you want to do that then go ahead I'll be doing this kind of list after every chapter.
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Interesting choices from Chapter 1:
Bitter Love: After the assassination of Purple Ocelot, Missy swallowed her anger and told King Albin that she loves him.
Brotherly Love: Naemon chose Gwendis' mission over their father's, and headed to Starfall without the approval of the King.
Loyalty: Isabella decided to stay loyal to her father, after finding out the truth about his schemes on dragging the Blackmonts into the war.
Trusting a Stranger: Gwendis trusted Aisha the Dark Priestess, which led to them both seeing a vision.
Exchanging Histories: After hearing Illor's backstory, Nealia decided to also share her's with him.
Fierce Nature: Dianna gave Lord Darin Dalt a fierce and rude answer to the insulting question about the worthiness of the Rhoynar women warriors.
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The other things I wanted to mention are that there are actually a couple of neat H&L's coming fairly soon, the first one hopefully within couple days, and it should be a very interesting one. And the last thing I wanted to mention is, that tonight I started writing Chapter 2's first part - it's going to be a Missy PoV However, I'd say I won't get it done until the weekend, so I'll do the recap a bit closer to that.
Surprise! I finished the part faster than I thought I would
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Chapter 2: Kings and Snakes
Missy
The throne room of Kingsgrave wasn’t nearly as crowded as usually on the court sessions, and King Albin sat on his throne with a bored expression, while a middle-aged knight in dark green vest reported casualties and damage caused by deserters. The army had marched away from Kingsgrave a little more than week ago, led by Lords Mors Littlemill and Gregor Purell, and Prince Arvin - apparently they were at the Wide Way now. Missy stood on the gallery, dressed in one of her new gowns, red velvet with silver ornamenting. There were few other ladies of the court on the gallery, firmly keeping their eyes away from Missy. Those women despised her, she knew it, but at the same time they felt fear and respect – after all, Missy was very close to the King.
It had been two weeks from the Purple Ocelot’s death, and for some reason it still bothered Missy now and then. She hadn’t seen Zereth since that night, and at this point she hoped she never would. King Albin however had visited almost every night, and every time they made love. Sometimes Missy took great pleasure of it, whilst other times it felt extremely agonizing, both mentally and physically. She had to put those feelings aside though, because it was her duty to please the Great King.
Missy’s eyes focused on Queen Sofina, whose left eye was still visibly surrounded by a bruise, even if it was starting to get lighter. The King had not been happy with his wife’s actions, and Missy had not been talking with Sofina anymore. Despite the bruise the Queen looked as strong-willed as ever with her emotionless expression. When it came to Alaric however, Missy had seen him only once after the killing of Purple Ocelot, and even if he didn’t look to have any marks of physical punishment, he had looked somehow shaken – almost traumatized. Who knows what Albin did to him.
Next Missy’s eyes traveled to the corner of the throne room, where he could see Tom the Animal and his friends. The freaks. They were whispering to each other, some of them were grinning, but Missy noticed that someone was missing…
“My Lady.” Missy heard the voice of Larry the Kind behind her, as he arrived next to her. “What do you want?” Missy hissed quietly, and Larry let out a chuckle. “Just wanted to come here to watch the show with you, it’s a better view from here than the corner.” He explained with his polite tone, and Missy frowned.
“The show?” Her tone was irritated and confused. “It’s just some knight reporting from the war.” She said, and Larry nodded in agreement. “Indeed, but there will be something much more entertaining soon.” He said slyly, and Missy let out a sigh. “But you are not going to tell me what it is, right?” She asked tiredly, and a cheeky grin appeared on Larry’s face.
“That would spoil the fun.” He replied quietly. Missy didn’t bother to continue the conversation, so she just kept her eyes firmly on the King. Larry noticed this, and his grin got wider. “Albin the Great King.” He said with quiet and stretched out words. “Your whole life depends on him, doesn’t it?” Missy could spot a touch of bitterness in Larry’s words.
“And yours doesn’t?” She asked coldly, making Larry raise his eyebrow. “He is my King.” He stated smoothly. “But when he dies, I’ll be able to make myself useful to his heir. How about you?” Larry’s question was sharp, and it made Missy gulp. “Do you think Prince Arvin would enjoy fucking his father’s crazy whore? Have you ever even had a conversation with him?”
“He is in war now.” Missy said quietly, and Larry nodded. “So you are hoping he dies there. And do you think the younger Princes would have any better opinion on you? What would they think of the mistress of the man who kept beating and mistreating their poor mother?” Missy clenched her teeth, deciding not to answer. At the same time the middle-aged knight bowed to the King, and walked away from the throne. Soon the door of the throne room was opened, and now in walked a pale knight, dressed in black armor and standing well over seven feet high. It was Ser Mordekhai Crusher, cousin of King Albin.
“Ah, this is what I’ve been waiting for.” Larry said gleefully. “You remember the Skeletal Knight, right?” He asked, and Missy nodded nervously. It had been a long time since he had last seen that monster of a man – it had been months ago, back when she had still been weak. The memories weren’t fond, quite the contrary, they were one of the worst memories she had. Ser Mordekhai walked silently through the hall, carrying a dirty bag filled with something, and his dark red eyes glowed visibly under his black helmet. He arrived in front of Albin, and kneeled. A smile appeared on the face of the King.
“Welcome home, cousin.” He said and gestured Ser Mordekhai to stand up. “It looks like you have brought me something.” The Skeletal Knight stood up, still staying silent, as he untied the bag. A rotting head rolled out of the bag, falling on the floor with a thump, making some of the ladies gasp in shock or turn their eyes away. The head was so disfigured that it was hard to tell, but it looked like one of a young woman. “So, you found her.” The King said, clearly proud of his cousin.
“Yes, Your Grace.” Ser Mordekhai answered with his booming voice, sending shivers down Missy’s spine.
“Do you know whose head that is?” Larry asked quietly, his voice slightly amused. Missy turned to look at him, at first oblivious of what was he implying, but then the realization hit her. “Shana?” Her voice cracked slightly as she said this, and the arrogant grin on Larry’s face got ever wider. Missy turned her eyes away, she could feel her heart starting to beat faster. After the death of Purple Ocelot, the one thing that Missy could comfort herself with had been that she had saved Shana. Not anymore.
“Do you still feel like a hero?” Larry asked with mocking tone. “Shut your mouth.” Missy hissed, but Larry only let out a sarcastic laugh. “Or what? You’ll kill me in middle of the court?” He grabbed Missy from her left wrist as he said this. “You are not going to kill me, Missy.” Larry’s words were quiet but intense, and he tightened his grip. Missy clenched her teeth, holding back her anger. “Do anything to me and you’ll answer to the King.” She said with trembling words, now staring straight to the eyes of Larry.
“Do anything to me, or any of my friends, and you’ll answer to the Skeletal Knight.” He replied coldly, and let go of Missy.
Missy turned her eyes back to the King, seeing the guards cleaning the head away from the floor, and Ser Mordekhai walking away, towards the doors. For a moment it felt like the whole throne room was silent, until gradually people started to chat as they walked away from the hall - the court session was over.
“By the way, we have a new prisoner at the cells.” Larry said suddenly, his voice calm and polite again. Missy turned towards him, raising her eyebrow. “And?” She spat bluntly, which made Larry chuckle. “He’s a deserter who murdered three of his brothers in arms and tried to escape. Me, Tom, Mordekhai and couple others are going to have some fun with him later today. Care to join? Or are you too much of a fancy lady for that now?” Larry stared at her with piercing eyes, making her feel slightly uncomfortable.
Missy took in a deep breath. Perhaps this would be a chance to win the trust of the freaks again. Or perhaps it would be a terrible mistake.
Yeah, no. I think it's better to stay the hell away from these freaks. They know what she did and surprisingly, none of them stroke me as the forgiving type. I hardly see how Missy could ever regain their trust from here. While most of them don't appear to be terribly bright, Larry and Tom in particular seem to have a wicked sort of cunning and I doubt they'd ever be able to trust her again. Neither do I think Missy should risk spending more time close to them. Last time she got lucky that she managed to kill Ronny by surprise and she shouldn't press her luck any further.
Also, this was a great start for the chapter This Mordekhai guy is already creepy, without even saying that much. I suppose he can only get more terrifying from here. Guess that means Zereth and Tom the Animal are officially no longer the most creepy people in Kingsgrave. I don't know if I'm excited or scared to learn more about this guy.
Surprise! I finished the part faster than I thought I would
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Chapter 2: Kings and Snakes
Missy
The throne room of Kingsgrave w… moreasn’t nearly as crowded as usually on the court sessions, and King Albin sat on his throne with a bored expression, while a middle-aged knight in dark green vest reported casualties and damage caused by deserters. The army had marched away from Kingsgrave a little more than week ago, led by Lords Mors Littlemill and Gregor Purell, and Prince Arvin - apparently they were at the Wide Way now. Missy stood on the gallery, dressed in one of her new gowns, red velvet with silver ornamenting. There were few other ladies of the court on the gallery, firmly keeping their eyes away from Missy. Those women despised her, she knew it, but at the same time they felt fear and respect – after all, Missy was very close to the King.
It had been two weeks from the Purple Ocelot’s death, and for some reason it still bothe… [view original content]
Surprise! I finished the part faster than I thought I would
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Chapter 2: Kings and Snakes
Missy
The throne room of Kingsgrave w… moreasn’t nearly as crowded as usually on the court sessions, and King Albin sat on his throne with a bored expression, while a middle-aged knight in dark green vest reported casualties and damage caused by deserters. The army had marched away from Kingsgrave a little more than week ago, led by Lords Mors Littlemill and Gregor Purell, and Prince Arvin - apparently they were at the Wide Way now. Missy stood on the gallery, dressed in one of her new gowns, red velvet with silver ornamenting. There were few other ladies of the court on the gallery, firmly keeping their eyes away from Missy. Those women despised her, she knew it, but at the same time they felt fear and respect – after all, Missy was very close to the King.
It had been two weeks from the Purple Ocelot’s death, and for some reason it still bothe… [view original content]
Surprise! I finished the part faster than I thought I would
-
Chapter 2: Kings and Snakes
Missy
The throne room of Kingsgrave w… moreasn’t nearly as crowded as usually on the court sessions, and King Albin sat on his throne with a bored expression, while a middle-aged knight in dark green vest reported casualties and damage caused by deserters. The army had marched away from Kingsgrave a little more than week ago, led by Lords Mors Littlemill and Gregor Purell, and Prince Arvin - apparently they were at the Wide Way now. Missy stood on the gallery, dressed in one of her new gowns, red velvet with silver ornamenting. There were few other ladies of the court on the gallery, firmly keeping their eyes away from Missy. Those women despised her, she knew it, but at the same time they felt fear and respect – after all, Missy was very close to the King.
It had been two weeks from the Purple Ocelot’s death, and for some reason it still bothe… [view original content]
Surprise! I finished the part faster than I thought I would
-
Chapter 2: Kings and Snakes
Missy
The throne room of Kingsgrave w… moreasn’t nearly as crowded as usually on the court sessions, and King Albin sat on his throne with a bored expression, while a middle-aged knight in dark green vest reported casualties and damage caused by deserters. The army had marched away from Kingsgrave a little more than week ago, led by Lords Mors Littlemill and Gregor Purell, and Prince Arvin - apparently they were at the Wide Way now. Missy stood on the gallery, dressed in one of her new gowns, red velvet with silver ornamenting. There were few other ladies of the court on the gallery, firmly keeping their eyes away from Missy. Those women despised her, she knew it, but at the same time they felt fear and respect – after all, Missy was very close to the King.
It had been two weeks from the Purple Ocelot’s death, and for some reason it still bothe… [view original content]
[Stay away from the freaks] I will have to agree with the others on this one. Missy starting to associate with the freaks again would most likely bring even more trouble to her.
Surprise! I finished the part faster than I thought I would
-
Chapter 2: Kings and Snakes
Missy
The throne room of Kingsgrave w… moreasn’t nearly as crowded as usually on the court sessions, and King Albin sat on his throne with a bored expression, while a middle-aged knight in dark green vest reported casualties and damage caused by deserters. The army had marched away from Kingsgrave a little more than week ago, led by Lords Mors Littlemill and Gregor Purell, and Prince Arvin - apparently they were at the Wide Way now. Missy stood on the gallery, dressed in one of her new gowns, red velvet with silver ornamenting. There were few other ladies of the court on the gallery, firmly keeping their eyes away from Missy. Those women despised her, she knew it, but at the same time they felt fear and respect – after all, Missy was very close to the King.
It had been two weeks from the Purple Ocelot’s death, and for some reason it still bothe… [view original content]
Looks like no more votes coming, and I doubt the result could be changed anyway, so Missy will stay away from the freaks. Tagging along with them could've had some benefits, but it also could've gone wrong so to say. This is definitely the safer choice.
What comes to next part, it's almost ready, I'll post it before Monday And it is a Naemon PoV, bringing us to Starfall. As a recap, in the last chapter Naemon took Gwendis' mission to go to Starfall and plead for the help of the Daynes. Naemon traveled along the Torrentine with his buddy Ser Myle, though they had some troubles in the lands of House Upton. They spent a night in the Sword's Edge (the stronghold of Uptons), and Naemon had his troubles with Lord Alester Upton - including a little duel where Alester basically almost killed Naemon, though was disarmed by him afterwards. Later (most likely encouraged by his mother Alerah), Alester decided to apologize his behavior, and also announced that he was joining them on the journey to Starfall. His reasoning was that if the Daynes decide to join the war, House Upton needs to know.
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Also, another portrait. This one is actually related to the next part - it's King Vorian Dayne.
Naemon stood on a balcony of Starfall’s highest tower. He looked towards south, seeing the small port located on the southern shore of the island, fewer than ten ships docked to it. Naemon could also see the beautiful lands on both sides of the Torrentine, and the vast blue Summer Sea opening ahead of him. It was spectacular, but somehow also a peaceful sight. Even from up here Naemon could hear the seagulls, feel the fresh wind, and smell the sea.
It had been over a week since Naemon, Myle and Alester arrived to Starfall, where they had been welcomed by Vorian and his family. Every day Naemon reminded that he had come to talk about the war, and every time Vorian promised they would talk about it soon. Malcolm had been friendly towards Naemon, showing him around Starfall, talking about history, tourneys, politics, and everything really. Queen Arenna had been curious of how was Gwendis doing, and seemed worried about the coming war. King Vorian’s brother, Prince Garret, had shown Naemon the few warships of House Dayne, and rambled on about the ancient days when House Dayne had sailed to Oldtown and raided it. Garret’s fourteen-year-old son Davos was a respectful and well-mannered young man, and happy to talk about knighthood with Naemon, whereas his younger sister Madilyn was also well-mannered and kind, but mostly interested in making dresses. What had surprised Naemon though was that Jamison was nowhere to be found – not that it really bothered him, at least not as much as it clearly bothered Alester. Vorian had just told that Jamison was on a diplomatic mission, which sounded almost ridiculous to Naemon – until he realized that he was in a very similar situation himself.
Overall Naemon couldn’t complain. Starfall almost felt like home to him, and the thought of having these people as his real family was something out of a dream, even if he would never trade Gwendis to them. Naemon let out a sigh, as part of him wished he could just live the rest of his life like he had lived this past week, but he knew harder times were ahead.
“I thought I’d find you here.” He suddenly heard the polite voice of Prince Malcolm, and turned to look at him. “What do you mean?” Naemon asked with slight confusion, and a small grin appeared on Malcolm’s face. “You vultures like high places.” He said with calm words.
“Oh.” Naemon blurted, not knowing how to reply, which made Malcolm let out an awkward chuckle. “Don’t worry, I know it was a stupid joke.” He said and scratched his silver hair. “But you do seem to like this place.” The heir to Torrentine continued with his polite tone, and Naemon gave him a nod.
“It’s a great view.” He said calmly, not sure what else there was to say. “It sure is.” Malcolm replied with a smile. This man surely was polite and friendly, but somehow Naemon felt that they were almost too different to really being friends. “Anyway, I wanted to tell you that father plans to arrange a great feast tonight, you will of course have a seat at the royal table. I’m afraid you friend Myle will have to sit at the lower tables though, it would be scandalous for some to see a commoner sit with the King.”
“It’s alright.” Naemon assured with a forced grin. “I’m pretty sure Ser Myle prefers it that way anyway, he is not really one for fancy dinners.”
“More like one for messy nights in a tavern, then?” Malcolm asked jokingly, and Naemon gave him a little laugh. “Yeah, something like that.” He replied with a smile. “I assume you father is not yet ready to have a conversation about the war?” Naemon changed the subject, expecting that Malcolm wouldn’t really like it, but surprisingly he smiled to him.
“Actually, I think he might want to talk about it with you after the feast.” He said casually. “You see, a raven from Jamison arrived early in the morning, so he now knows what’s the situation there.”
“Where exactly is Jamison?” Naemon wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to ask this, but it had been bothering him. Malcolm let out a sigh, clearly he wasn’t keen on talking about this. “He is at Hellgate Hall, to improve our relationship with the Drylands.” He explained calmly. “I would’ve gladly done it myself, but for some reason father deemed this a fitting mission for Jamison.” Naemon was quite surprised of this, and furrowing his eyebrows made it clear for Malcolm.
“Why is there a need to improve your relationship with the Drylands?” Naemon asked, keeping his words calm. “To put it shortly, we are trying to put down the threat in the east.” Malcolm answered, which didn’t really say anything to Naemon. “In the east?” He muttered with a questioning look, and Malcolm chuckled.
“You haven’t heard?” There was clearly a touch of amusement in his words, but Naemon didn’t care. “I’m not really into politics.” He stated firmly, and Malcolm gave him a small nod. “Well, it’s the Martells, they are allied with the Rhoynar and some of the other houses of Eastern Dorne. There will soon be a war between them and the Drylands, and we need to make sure that the Drylands will be victorious.” Even after this explanation Naemon was still a bit confused.
“Why do Drylands need to be victorious?” He asked bluntly, making Malcolm chuckle again. “Because the Martells don’t just want to crush the Drylands, they want to conquer the whole Dorne.” He said, putting emphasis on the last words, and it didn’t sound like he was joking.
“The whole Dorne?” Naemon was baffled of this. “That is just absurd.” He mumbled, and Malcolm nodded in agreement. “Indeed, but there is no need to think about this now. Would you like to come to the courtyard for some sparring?” He asked with a friendly tone. “Ser Myle is already there, teaching some techniques to Davos.”
“Sure, let’s go.” Naemon answered softly, though the news about Drylands and Martells still bothered him. He decided to put those thoughts aside now, as they made their way down from the tower.
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Naemon and Malcolm went first to the armory to get themselves dulled swords, and then they walked to the courtyard, where Myle and Davos were sparring. This was the first time Naemon saw Davos Dayne with a sword, and the skill of the boy surprised him. Myle still had the upper hand, but Naemon could see that if his friend would slack for even a moment he’d get smacked by Davos.
After a while the sparring match ended to Myle doing a maneuver that undermined Davos’ defense. “Damn! You got me again.” Davos muttered in disappointment, and Naemon could see Myle letting out a sigh of relief.
“You did well, cousin.” Malcolm said with a supportive tone, and Davos gave him a nod. “Thanks Malcolm, but I must get better if I want to be a real knight one day.” The boy spoke with serious tone.
“I wouldn’t worry about that too much.” Myle said with a tired chuckle. “I know many knights who you’d already defeat easily, and you are only going to get better in time.”
“But not as good as Jamison, not without a lot of training.” Davos said with a sigh, now turning his eyes to Naemon. “If you don’t mind me asking, have you ever fought with Jamison?” Davos’ asked this with his voice full of curiosity. Naemon thought back to the short time he and Gwen had been wards in Starfall, and a smile was formed on his face.
“Back when I was a kid I had many brawls with Jamison.” He said quietly, and Davos narrowed his eyes, clearly interested to hear more. “You were just a toddler back then. After that, well, we’ve faced many times in jousts, but we haven’t fought with swords.” Davos nodded to him, looking like he still wanted to ask something.
“I stopped sparring with him many years ago.” Malcolm joined the conversation. “It was pretty hard to admit to myself that he was simply better than me. But we all have our strengths and weaknesses.” He spoke with pondering tone, and for a moment they were all quiet.
“So, how about we stop talking and keep swinging!” Myle quipped with a grin on his face. “I mean, I’m a bit worn out at this point, but you guys definitely need some warm up.” Malcolm nodded with a chuckle, taking a couple swings at the air with his sword.
“Oh gods, hopefully I won’t completely embarrass myself – it has been awhile.” The Prince of Starfall chatted as he took his position. “So, who wants to fight me?” He asked in a joking tone. Naemon let out a sigh, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to fight Malcolm – he knew he was better than him, but he didn’t want to embarrass the Prince in his own castle.
[Spar with Malcolm][Suggest Davos to spar with Malcolm]
Not an easy choice because of how much can go wrong there. I don't want Naemon to humiliate or accidentally wound Malcolm, but if I am right with my opinion on Malcolm, he might appreciate an honest fight, even if it means that he's going to loose. What I know for sure is that suggesting Davos to spar with Malcolm could be taken as an insult. At least in my opinion it is incredibly rude, because it would basically suggest that Malcolm is just good enough to fight against this 14-year old boy. Besides, Naemon doesn't have to embarrass him. There's nothing wrong with winning and Malcolm doesn's strike me as the kind of guy who demands to win everything just because he is the crown prince. As long as Naemon doesn't take it too far, like for example playing with him instead of directly defeating him, I don't think the sparring match in general would be too bad. But still, a lot of things could go wrong there. At the same time, a lot of things could go right as well. I'm willing to risk it, especially since the other option strikes me as a bad one in any way.
Naemon
Naemon stood on a balcony of Starfall’s highest tower. He looked towards south, seeing the small port located on the southern shor… moree of the island, fewer than ten ships docked to it. Naemon could also see the beautiful lands on both sides of the Torrentine, and the vast blue Summer Sea opening ahead of him. It was spectacular, but somehow also a peaceful sight. Even from up here Naemon could hear the seagulls, feel the fresh wind, and smell the sea.
It had been over a week since Naemon, Myle and Alester arrived to Starfall, where they had been welcomed by Vorian and his family. Every day Naemon reminded that he had come to talk about the war, and every time Vorian promised they would talk about it soon. Malcolm had been friendly towards Naemon, showing him around Starfall, talking about history, tourneys, politics, and everything really. Queen Arenna had been curious of how was Gwendis doing, and seemed worried about the coming wa… [view original content]
I have to agree with Liquid on this one. Naemon sparring against Malcolm should not be a big deal and from what we seen in Naemon's duel with Alester, Naemon is able to hold back when need be. Malcolm also seems like he would have more sportsmanship than Alester as well so I would guess that Naemon and Malcolm would just have a friendly sparring match and leave it at that. Malcolm would accept defeat without a problem I would imagine and it also does seem to me that having Davos spar Malcolm would be seen as an insult as well. Regardless of how skilled Davos is for his age, he is still only 14 and I believe it would be more humiliating toward Malcolm for Naemon to suggest that. Malcolm and Naemon sparring here should be alright overall since both are capable with Naemon obviously being more so. Great Part!
Naemon
Naemon stood on a balcony of Starfall’s highest tower. He looked towards south, seeing the small port located on the southern shor… moree of the island, fewer than ten ships docked to it. Naemon could also see the beautiful lands on both sides of the Torrentine, and the vast blue Summer Sea opening ahead of him. It was spectacular, but somehow also a peaceful sight. Even from up here Naemon could hear the seagulls, feel the fresh wind, and smell the sea.
It had been over a week since Naemon, Myle and Alester arrived to Starfall, where they had been welcomed by Vorian and his family. Every day Naemon reminded that he had come to talk about the war, and every time Vorian promised they would talk about it soon. Malcolm had been friendly towards Naemon, showing him around Starfall, talking about history, tourneys, politics, and everything really. Queen Arenna had been curious of how was Gwendis doing, and seemed worried about the coming wa… [view original content]
Naemon
Naemon stood on a balcony of Starfall’s highest tower. He looked towards south, seeing the small port located on the southern shor… moree of the island, fewer than ten ships docked to it. Naemon could also see the beautiful lands on both sides of the Torrentine, and the vast blue Summer Sea opening ahead of him. It was spectacular, but somehow also a peaceful sight. Even from up here Naemon could hear the seagulls, feel the fresh wind, and smell the sea.
It had been over a week since Naemon, Myle and Alester arrived to Starfall, where they had been welcomed by Vorian and his family. Every day Naemon reminded that he had come to talk about the war, and every time Vorian promised they would talk about it soon. Malcolm had been friendly towards Naemon, showing him around Starfall, talking about history, tourneys, politics, and everything really. Queen Arenna had been curious of how was Gwendis doing, and seemed worried about the coming wa… [view original content]
Naemon
Naemon stood on a balcony of Starfall’s highest tower. He looked towards south, seeing the small port located on the southern shor… moree of the island, fewer than ten ships docked to it. Naemon could also see the beautiful lands on both sides of the Torrentine, and the vast blue Summer Sea opening ahead of him. It was spectacular, but somehow also a peaceful sight. Even from up here Naemon could hear the seagulls, feel the fresh wind, and smell the sea.
It had been over a week since Naemon, Myle and Alester arrived to Starfall, where they had been welcomed by Vorian and his family. Every day Naemon reminded that he had come to talk about the war, and every time Vorian promised they would talk about it soon. Malcolm had been friendly towards Naemon, showing him around Starfall, talking about history, tourneys, politics, and everything really. Queen Arenna had been curious of how was Gwendis doing, and seemed worried about the coming wa… [view original content]
Hey guys, sorry to interrupt in the voting, but I figured this H&L was already overdue and in need of posting before I put it off any longer. Apologies for the wait, and if you haven't already voted on the most recent part (Naemon), please take into mind that there's that to do Enjoy!
Nymeria’s War Histories & Lore
Forovos Norvoshi – The Origin of the Keyholder
The room was dimly lit with a few hanging lanterns, Forovos stood over the desk of tools. A variety of blades were laying on the table, ranging from scalpels and needles to daggers and dirks. Forovos turned his gaze to the man in the chair behind him, who stared back at Forovos with fearless eyes.
“You followed me here. You’ve been following me for a while, am I right?” Forovos asked, grabbing a scalpel from the table. The man remained silent, though did not break eye contact with Forovos.
Forovos walked towards the man, pulling a stool for himself to sit on. He kept his distance, despite knowing the man was bound to the chair. Down Forovos’ line of work, he had seen a lot of tricks up assassin’s sleeves, he’d witnessed them first hand.
Forovos sat himself on the stool, taking in a deep breath and observing the man’s features. He was a skinny man, though Forovos knew there was strength to him that couldn’t be seen by an untrained eye. His hair was short and dirty, and his black eyes stared into an endless void, which was in Forovos’ general direction. He had once worn plain rugged robes until Forovos had stripped him of that benefit.
“I know who you are.” Forovos calmly stated, playing with the tip of the scalpel. “There’s no need to withdraw from me.” His words were calm and confident, yet not persuasive enough to convince the assassin to speak. Forovos sighed, leaning forward on his knees, spinning the blade between his hands.
“I can only see two ways this will end for you. One, you tell me what I need to know and I give you a quick death.” Forovos caught the assassin’s eyes flicker to the ground, he continued. “Or, I simply cut the answers out of you. So I’ll ask again, why have you been following me?” Silence lingered in the air after Forovos spoke his words, and disappointment filled his chest.
He had wanted to avoid violence, though his own safety was prioritized the highest, and executing the man without answers was further endangering himself. Forovos sighed and stood from his stool, adjusting his grip on the handle of the corroding steel blade scalpel. As Forovos approached the man, he noticed a trickle of sweat run down his brow, his eyes lifted. Still fearless.
“You betrayed our order.” The man muttered, glaring directly into Forovos’ eyes. Forovos nodded, stopping before him.
“I did, and I was punished accordingly. That doesn’t explain why you’re here.” The man scowled at Forovos, spitting at his feet. Forovos ignored the useless intimidation, the man would not provoke him.
“Go to hell.” The man spat, lowering his eyes. Forovos smiled, taking a step closer to him. He could feel the shuddering breaths of the young man, each was agonizing for him. His body was bruised and bloody from the beating he endured, and it was clear that he was finished. His choice.
“I’m already there, assassin. The mistake you made was following me there, and now you will suffer until you give me what I want.” Without hesitation, Forovos drove the scalpel into the man’s shoulder. He winced, gritting his teeth, though that was all the reaction that Forovos received. He raised his eyes, smirking at Forovos.
“You’ll have to do better than that, traitor.” He said, and Forovos grinned in reply, freeing the scalpel from the man’s shoulder.
“Is that an offer?” Forovos asked mockingly, slapping the assassin with the back of his hand. A bloody chuckle was the reward Forovos received next, to which he returned with a clenched fist. His punch was hard and direct, catching the man in the lower jaw. The sheer force of the blow knocked the chair backwards. The assassin laughed, spitting out the teeth and blood from his mouth.
“You’re shit at torturing, you know that?” His words were slurred, and there was pain beneath them. Forovos smiled, kneeling down beside him.
“Well, I can’t say that our cult ever taught me how to torture. Though, perhaps I just didn’t stick around long enough to learn.” Forovos grabbed the man’s bound hand, with his opposite hand he slowly inserted the rusted blade between the flesh and finger nail of the man’s finger. Now he screamed.
The agonizing yelps echoed in the dark room, the flames in the lanterns dancing to the noise. Forovos smiled with satisfaction, slowly ripping the nail from the man’s bloody mess of a finger. The screams became a melodic tune, yet Forovos found little enjoyment from it. He freed the nail from the man’s flesh.
“Are you ready to speak now?” Forovos asked impatiently, boredom in his tone. The assassin gritted his teeth, pain in his eyes.
“Fuck you!” He groaned, holding back the pain he was enduring. Forovos smiled, gently applying pressure on the scalpel against his raw flesh. His body squirmed desperately, trying to free himself from the pain, his screams becoming near deafening. “YIELD!” He finally yelled, and Forovos released the pressure for a moment.
“What was that?” Forovos asked, taunting the assassin. The man’s voice shuddered, tears building up in his eyes.
“Mercy, please!” He pleaded desperately, still shaking. Forovos sighed and shook his head. “Not until I get what I want from you.” Forovos reapplied the pressure, and the screams continued.
“PLEASE!” He yelped, tears streaming down his face. “I’LL TELL YOU ANYTHING, JUST MAKE IT STOP!” Forovos pulled the blade away, nodding in agreement.
“Why were you following me?” Forovos repeated his earlier question, and this time the man was more cooperative. His eyes teary, his voice shaking, his body shuddering. “You were my contract.” He finally revealed, letting out a moan of agony. Forovos nodded, frowning.
“Why?" He asked. "I was banished for my treachery.” The man smirked, despite being in horrible pain. He shook his head. “No one gets away that easily.” He muttered, and Forovos smiled. “So they sent an acolyte to kill me, after I left willingly.” The man scowled in reply, spitting out more blood from his mouth.
“You broke your contract, killing that keyholder out of your own petty vengeance.” Forovos grinned to this, the memory still fresh in his mind.
“Stellios Favaal. Do you want to know why I did it?” Forovos asked, and the man groaned. “Do I have a choice?” He asked, and Forovos’ grinned died down to a smile. “No.” He admitted, thinking back to the keyholder.
“My father was a merchant from Lys, though he was not your usual merchant you see. He sold poisons, like the Strangler and Tears of Lys. I’d often help him deliver his merchandise to his clients, though I never knew how big a business this was for him.” Forovos sighed, the recollection of his father was something he seldom thought on, and it bothered him somewhat.
“He was in debt with the Iron Bank, with the corrupted bastard Stellios Favaal. One day I was delivering his merchandise, and when I returned I found him dead on the floor of our home, a letter signed from that bastard keyholder. He claimed our debt was paid, yet he wanted interest. Greedy fucker.” Anger flashed through Forovos as he remembered that day. “So I left home, with nowhere to go. Once I reached the House of Black and White, I trained. I wanted vengeance, and I got it. No, he was not my contract, though I was in the Iron Bank and I seized the opportunity. Now I’m filthy rich as a consequence.” Forovos said with a smirk, but the assassin chuckled dryly, shaking his head.
“It won’t last. They’ll send more of us after you, we won’t stop until a debt is repaid.” Forovos smiled, standing himself up. “Good luck finding me.” Forovos turned his gaze to the lantern on the table, the oil canister next to it.
He walked to the desk and grabbed them both, removing the lid on the canister. Returning to the assassin, he drizzled the oil onto his chest and face until the can was empty. He hovered the burning flame of the lantern over the man, peering down at him.
“Any last words?” Forovos asked, genuinely curious. The man smirked at him and sighed, shaking his head.
“Only that I hope you enjoy your life while it lasts. Money can buy you many things, though it will soon run out, as will your luck.” Forovos smiled, releasing the lantern. “I buy my own luck.”
Flames engulfed the man, screams filled the room, until there was only silence and a charred stench. Forovos wiped the blood from his hands on his coat, frowning at the sight. Valar Morghulis.
Well I've been waiting for this! Anyway, thanks once again for a great H&L, shedding light on the mysterious Forovos. Can't wait to write him in the story again
Hey guys, sorry to interrupt in the voting, but I figured this H&L was already overdue and in need of posting before I put it off any lo… morenger. Apologies for the wait, and if you haven't already voted on the most recent part (Naemon), please take into mind that there's that to do Enjoy!
Nymeria’s War Histories & Lore
Forovos Norvoshi – The Origin of the Keyholder
The room was dimly lit with a few hanging lanterns, Forovos stood over the desk of tools. A variety of blades were laying on the table, ranging from scalpels and needles to daggers and dirks. Forovos turned his gaze to the man in the chair behind him, who stared back at Forovos with fearless eyes.
“You followed me here. You’ve been following me for a while, am I right?” Forovos asked, grabbing a scalpel from the table. The man remained silent, though did not break eye contact with Forovos.
Forovos walked towards the man, pulling a stool for himself to sit on. H… [view original content]
Comments
[Refuse]
I was very conflicted about this choice.On one hand we know that Efran will not be successful, in his rebellion. On the other hand, we don't know how successful he will be before Nymeria's forces and her allies are able to weaken him. I don't want Verro to die in a battle against Nymeria or her allies. However, I also don't want Efran or his men to hunt Verro down if he refuses. Since, Verro knows that they were threatening him, I'm hoping he might use the opportunity to travel to a safer location, after he is well rested in the village. Also, these lands are not all under Efran's control yet. I think Efran will have more important matters to deal with when he engages Nymeria and her allies forces, then hunting Verro down. I kept weighing the two choices in my mind, but this is what I went with. There is a possibility that I might change my mind and my choice later.
[Refuse]
Obviously he won't be the downfall of Martells, but there are many ways his story could go, and not all of them end to him being totally destroyed. And at the moment he is surprisingly strong.
This is a good point
I can reveal that joining will give us opportunity to see Efran sooner than with refusing. We will of course see him anyway (in someone else's storyline), but it will take a bit longer.
Indeed it seems so. Though as Hors said there is always a piece of truth to every rumor, so there will definitely be something interesting in the lands of House Granit.
[Join] It is a tough choice but I would say I will vote for Verro to join since it probably is the safest option for him at this point. It would also give us a PoV on Efran's side and it would give us a chance to see Efran sooner.
[Join]
An interesting new PoV, certainly one I'm looking forward to vesting into. My choice is heavily aided by a lot of the others here, and mainly I just want a PoV with the swag master Efran Sand. Seriously, why not have a PoV with a blue haired pirate with an eye patch? The opportunities are endless!
Though I think at this rate, Verro is in a bad place. He's wounded, and that village seems like an awfully far place to travel, especially with no supplies on him. In this case, we get at least the hope of safety for Verro 
Awesome new part! 
Man, this was absolutely terrific! Loved every bit of it, and as always I was disappointed that it ended so soon
I already love Naemon and Gwendis, but after this H&L I have a deeper respect for him, especially after seeing his values and thoughts on knighthood. What a lad. Anyway, excellently written and a beautiful read! 
Voting is closed!
Verro will join Efran Sand's rebellion. Great, this will make a very interesting storyline
No need for recap, because the next one will be a minor PoV who we haven't seen yet. But more importantly, the next part will be Chapter 1 finale! So get ready, it'll be out later today
The Ghost King
Donovar Toland stood on a barren hill, overlooking his army as the sun was setting. Hundreds of pavilions were standing on the valley and thousands of banners flickering in the wind. He took a deep breath of the air, closing his eyes and envisioning the moment of victory. He would crush the Martells, he knew it. This was the beginning of a great dynasty that would one day reach all of the Eastern Dorne from Ghost Hill to Salt Shore. If I won’t achieve that, my son will.
Donovar had left his fifteen-year-old son Levor to Ghost Hill to lead in his stead. The King of Ghost Hills was proud of his son, and knew that he would one day make a great King. Levor had of course wanted to march to war with Donovar, but the King couldn’t gamble with the life of his heir. Of course he also had a second son, Mateo, but he would not be ready to take charge if both Donovar and Levor would fall.
“Your Grace.” Donovar heard a stern voice call behind him, and he turned to see General Tylan Sager. Tylan was a sturdy man on his late forties, a military man to the core, and perhaps the most important advisor King Donovar had right now. Tylan’s eyes were dark green, he had a chiseled jawline with coarse stubble, and his dark blonde hair was medium-length. He wore his heavy black armor, and carried a bastard sword on his back.
With Tylan were standing two men, and Donovar only recognized one of them. The one who Donovar recognized was Ser Garibald of Sevengrace, a young knight who had rode with Tomas and the sellswords to terrorize the lands of the Martells. The other man was tall and muscular, sported a bushy black beard and red turban.
“Your Grace.” The man with red turban said with a smile, while Ser Garibald gave Donovar a deep bow. “What is the meaning of this?” Donovar asked with a frown, eyeing at Garibald and the stranger.
“I am Dono Mopera, and I’ve traveled here from the lands of Lemonwood.” The man with the beard and turban said with a smooth voice. “I have come to deliver you an offer.”
“Offer from whom?” Donovar asked with slightly interested tone. The grin got wider on Dono’s face, but he wasn’t the first to answer. “The Bastard’s Bastard.” Grunted Tylan, which made Dono send him a glare.
“Lord Efran Dalt.” He corrected the general. “Son of Jaxar Dalt.” He also added, and Donovar chuckled for this. “Oh, I remember the failed rebellion of Jaxar Sand.” He replied with a sly smile. “I had forgotten he had a son though.”
“Well now you remember.” Dono spoke calmly, but there was a small touch of anger in his words. “And I’m sure you would like to hear what he wants to offer.” Donovar shrugged, taking couple steps closer to this Dono Mopera. “I don’t know, what can a bastard with no home offer to a king?” He asked, staring the man with the turban to the eyes. Dono didn’t back down, and even flashed a smirk for the King.
“Efran can make sure that the Dalts will not help the Martells when you attack.” He said, a confident look on his face. Donovar raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t he doing that already?” He asked, amusement in his tone, and Dono let out a small laugh.
“Indeed.” He admitted. “But he needs more men to tighten his grip on the lands around Lemonwood. Right now we have enough men to keep Lord Darin worried, but to put him in true danger we need more. We have already been in contact with King Lucifer Dryland, but we are not expecting much help from him.”
“So you want troops from me.” Donovar stated dryly, and the man in red turban nodded. “Yes, troops, perhaps some supplies too.” Dono said with a sigh. “I’m sure you want Martells to be as powerless as possible when you face them – that is what I offer.”
Donovar took in a deep breath. He looked at General Tylan, who seemed doubtful. “I’ll consider it.” The King said calmly. “Tylan will find a place for you to sleep tonight, we’ll continue this conversation tomorrow. And Tylan, come to my pavilion when you are done with him. We need to talk.” Tylan nodded to him sternly, and so they left their separate ways. Donovar walked down from the hill, and into his pavilion. He yawned as he walked to the table – it had been a long day.
He rolled out a map of the eastern coast of Dorne to the table, the offer of Dono Mopera in his mind. He knew this Efran was filth, and it wouldn’t be a pleasure to make an alliance with him. However, Donovar knew that one day the Bastard’s Bastard would either kneel to him or die. Preferably die.
Donovar’s eyes focused on Spottswood in the map. Making the Santagars bow would be harder, they were a proud old house with their own royal history. That however was something to worry about later, now Donovar’s eyes moved down to Sandship. It wasn’t a strong fort, so the best option would be to lay siege on it, and make an assault after the enemy would be weakened. However, Donovar knew that the Martells would try to avoid that – they knew their own weaknesses and strengths. What the Martells would want would be a battle on the field, and Donovar was ready to give them one. He sighed, putting the map aside. It was hard to relax – this was the most important but also the most stressful time of his life.
“Ghost King.” He suddenly heard the voice of Tylan say behind him. “What did you call me?” Donovar asked as he turned around, but what he saw wasn’t Tylan Sager. The man had Tylan’s black armor, and carried his bastard sword, but the face was different. This man was bald, his face had sharp edges, and the look on his deep blue eyes was unsettling. “What the-“
King Donovar was cut off by the man blowing a dart that landed straight to his throat. He stumbled backwards, crashing against his table. He could feel the poison entering him. Now a small smile appeared on the bald man’s face.
“I don’t like violence, you know.” He said, and now his voice was completely different from Tylan’s. “It’s sad how often it ends up being the only option.” The man spoke casually, as if he was just talking about what he had for dinner. Donovar tried to scream, but only blood drained out of his mouth.
“This little dream of yours, it was doomed to fail, I’m just here to end it less painfully.” The man said, now twiddling a dagger in his hand and walking closer to Donovar. “Because sadly for you, you were an inconvenience for me. You see, I’ve invested a lot of money to someone else’s dream, so I just can’t take the risk of you spoiling it.” The man grabbed the King from the collar as he said this. Donovar’s eyes started to fade, he tried to stay in the light, but darkness creeped in, pulling him away from life.
“Whichever gods you’ll meet, tell them that Forovos Norvoshi sent you.” The man spoke with calm and cold words, and plunged his dagger to King Donovar Toland's heart.
End of Chapter 1
-
So the first chapter is over, and it's time for me to ask you some questions!
Your answers can be as lenghty or short as you wish, I'd just like to hear your opinions/thoughts 
1. Who is your favorite PoV after Chapter 1? Why? (You can give several)
2. Who is your least favorite PoV after Chapter 1?
3. Who is your favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
4. Who is your least favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
5. What has been your favorite moment in the story so far? (You can also tell your least favorite if you wish
)
6. Do you have any advises/ideas/suggestions regarding the story that you'd like to share? Go ahead
And if you have any questions for me, those are also welcome!
That was awesome! A great return for Forovos! Safe to say that I'm eager to see more of him, even if it's going to be hard to track him down
Great finale! This will certainly cause some issues down the track. Will the Toland's kneel, or be destroyed, is the question. I guess Toland may still be alive.
Man, this is a tough one. Being biased, I naturally lean towards Missy and Myke, Missy more or less because of her unique traits which not too many PoV's show. Though out of that, I think all of them are great! Especially the Blackmont's, which have been presented in a manner that makes them my favourite house at the moment. Considering I was a die hard Dayne follower up to this point, that says quite a lot
This is a difficult one, plainly because I think they're all great! There were a few PoV's introduced pretty late, or barely covered, so I'd probably say that my least favourite at the moment is Nymeria, only because we haven't seen much of her as of late. She's been stuck in politics, which certainly isn't her favoured topic.
After reading the finale, Forovos??
Apart from him, I'd say the Purple Ocelot was probably one of the most entertaining ones which I liked. Something about these assassins, Lyla Sand is another great one 
Least favourite... Hmm. Maybe Zereth, because he killed the swag master? I've always been a bit skeptical of Queen Sofina, I feel like there's more to her then what meets the eye, but that's just my paranoia speaking.
Well, this finale was fantastic, without a doubt. Though Missy has had some spotlight moments, like killing Ronny and the likes
Hell, how do I advise the inspiration?
I think you're doing great, and while the story is slowly building up, I'm eager to see it reach the climax moments. Great work with this chapter, I'm excited to see the next very soon! 
Whoa, I'm glad you liked it, I was afraid I hyped it too much for you
And you are right, Forovos is the kind of character who might stay off the radar for a long time - actually I'm not sure if people still remember that we've seen this guy before XD You of course remember, because he is your character 
But anyway, we will definitely see more of him in the future.
Aha, the House (and Kingdom) is now in the hands of a fifteen-year-old boy, so it'll be interesting to see what's the next move of the Tolands. And I assume you are referring to Tomas in that last sentence? We'll see in the next chapter what exactly happened to him
Haha, nothing wrong with being a bit biased. And I'm definitely happy that you are satisfied with Missy and Myke so far
And Blackmonts did get pretty much attention in this chapter, good to hear they've won your sympathies. 
Yeah, I assume people's least favorite for now being (mostly) the ones who have got the least attention, and it has really been a long while since Nymeria got a part. She'll have a pretty interesting storyline in Chapter 2 though, even if due to her plotarmor she'll probably never be the most exciting PoV
The Purple Ocelot should have a fanclub XD But yeah, assassins are always fascinating characters - after all their job is to murder people, gotta be a pretty "interesting" person to make your living like that
Yeah, there is really no reason to love Zereth, I give you that. What comes to Queen Sofina, well, she is no saint, but far from the worst person in Kingsgrave... That doesn't really say much, does it?
Again, I'm very happy that you liked the finale! And I can say that Missy killing Ronny was one of my personal favorites.
Yeah, this was very much a build up chapter, but hopefully there was some enjoyment in it too
But I hope that I can get a tad more excitement to Chapter 2, even if it obviously isn't the climax chapter of Book 1. Still, war is coming 
Well the ending to Chapter one was certainly a twist! I figured that King Toland would end up being killed but I did not expect it to happen this soon and for him to die the way that he did. It was shocking for sure! With what has happened here, there is alot of mystery with how Chapter 2 will go for the Tolands. It will be interesting to see if the Tolands conquest already died out before it truly began and probably the biggest thing I am curious about from is if Nymeria and House Martell approved of what Forovos has done or if they even know. I know for sure that it will be exciting to see how this unfolds in Chapter 2! Great return for Forovos by the way!
1. Who is your favorite PoV after Chapter 1? Why? (You can give several)
Well I enjoyed all of them in their own way so it is hard to go with a favorite but of course if I am choosing, I will go with Jamison and Isabella. I have been a huge fan of Jamison and Isabella's storylines with Jamison being apart of a something where he seems to be learning something completely new to him and the overall mystery behind who Isabella will end up marrying but now that I have gotten the biased portion out of the way, I will mention my other favorites
Gwendis and Naemon have both been excellent with both being very likable characters with very interesting storylines which I look forward to with Gwendis most likely going to Skyreach where she will probably get to interact with Isabella which will be neat and Naemon who will be visiting Starfall and with that a return of King Vorian, Malcolm and the rest of the Starfall cast. I would also like to mention Missy as well since she is such a unique character and PoV.
2. Who is your least favorite PoV after Chapter 1?
I can't really say I have a PoV that is my absolute least favorite but if I were to choose a least favorite it would probably be Nymeria. Primarily because her story does not as much mystery to it since we know she wins in the end compared to the other PoV's that have been submitted where their fates are a mystery but with that said, I still have enjoyed the parts that she has had immensely. Edit: Well I just seen you mentioned that Nymeria will have a pretty interesting storyline in Chapter 2 so it looks pretty likely that I will be eating my words on this one
3. Who is your favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
My favorite non-PoV at this point is most defintely a tossup between King Garrison Fowler and King Benedict Blackmont. They both are far different than how I imagined them to be with myself initially imagining Garrison as a pretty kind man but he also showed that he can be cunning and ruthless while Benedict Blackmont intially seemed like a cold and evil man but as the chapter rolled on, he showed that he does have a soft spot for his children especially Gwendis which was a pleasant surprise! Overall both of these characters were great examples of people who has a bit of good and bad both in them which is something I enjoy immensely in characters.
4. Who is your least favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
I would say King Albin Manwoody since he is such an excellent villain that you just love to hate! I have enjoy the parts he has appeared in immensely and it will be interesting to see when his downfall does come.
5. What has been your favorite moment in the story so far? (You can also tell your least favorite if you wish
)
I have so many favorite moments but the ones that have stuck out to me are the negotiation scenes with Jamison and King Lucifer Dryland, Naemon's duel with Alester Upton, Isabella confronting Ferris and Garrison, Gwendis confronting Benedict, and Missy killing Ronny are the ones that stick out off the top of my head at the moment.
6. Do you have any advises/ideas/suggestions regarding the story that you'd like to share? Go ahead
Well, I have been a huge fan of this story since it started and you are a far better writer than I am so I can't say I have any advice or suggestions other than keep up the great work!
Interesting things to look forward to indeed! The Tolands probably won't just kneel without any resistance - their King just got assassinated which is certain to piss off some people, the son of Donovar in particular. And you also bring up a good question on wheter this was approved by Nymeria and Mors - we'll find out that too in Chapter 2
PS. I'll answer your PM tomorrow, just saying so you know I've noticed it
Just like with Stigz, I'm happy that you are satisfied with my portrayals of the characters you've submitted! And the Blackmonts seem to be getting a lot of love, which I'm not really surprised of. They are great characters and it's been a pleasure writing them. The things you mentioned that you are looking forward to, I can say that I am too
Naemon interacting with the Dayne cast especially is something we'll get pretty soon, and I'm really much looking forward to it. 
Yeah, as I said to Stigz, she will probs never be the most exciting PoV, but I'm pretty sure I can offer some interesting stuff with her in the future
Both of them characters that I like very much! Probably my two favorites when it comes to the Kings of Dorne. And I'm glad I've managed to surprise you with these characters and their personalities - we'll definitely dive deeper into them in the coming chapters
Haha, he's one of the few characters where I've taken the freedom to go pretty much full dark, with hardly any shades of grey (there are some, but still, he is no doubt an evil character). It's been quite enjoyable to write, but there definitely shouldn't be too many characters like him in a story
All of those are moments I really enjoyed writing, good to hear you liked them and remember them! Hopefully there will be more such moments in the coming chapters.
I'll do my best
Wow, this was a seriously awesome finale! I did not expect things to end like this, but it's safe to say that this was perfect and I loved it
The first king is actually dead and he got killed by some pretty cool guy. Seriously, what the hell is Forovos? From the voice-changing, I'd say Faceless Man, which would be equal parts dangerous and intriguing. I mean, Donovar Toland did not seem to be a nice guy at all and I guess he's better off dead, but I'm kind of afraid Forovos could later on prove to be a danger for those whom I actually like. But I can't deny that he is cool as hell. And with the king's death, I'm sure the Toland's will bend the knee pretty soon. His son is fifteen and I somehow doubt he's any bit the leader his father seemed to have been. But we'll see. You got me hyped for Chapter 2 
Questions! Hell yes
1. Who is your favorite PoV after Chapter 1? Why? (You can give several)
I could make it easy now and say Gwendis. Actually, I'm going to do just that, because you surely did write her perfectly. I have the deepest connection to her parts, so obviously I enjoyed them and her incredibly much and I am excited and scared for what you have in mind for her in the next chapter. That said, she is far from my only favourite. In fact, it might almost be quicker to just mention the one's that are not among my favourites XD One of my other favourites is Jamison. His storyline was arguably not the most action-packed and I guess it mostly laid the foundations for his future storyline, but he had this intense talk with Lucifer and he is just a great character in general, complex and flawed, yet not evil and certainly a huge wildcard in the events to come. Another favourite of mine is Missy, who is a similarly complex character in a highly intriguing setting. The court of Manwoody is perhaps the most fucked-up location in the story and Missy is the most fucked-up PoV and I mean this in an entirely positive way XD Seriously, she's great. A dark and tragic character, but I definitely like her. And finally, one character that has sneakily become one of my favourites is Isabella. I really enjoyed that, for once, there is character without any schemes going on, just a genuinely sweet young girl. I doubt she will remain that way forever, but I'm sure I will like her change just as well, if it happens. She and the court of Skyreach have been one of the highlights in Chapter 1 and I can't wait for her to interact with Gwendis.
2. Who is your least favorite PoV after Chapter 1?
Now that is a bit of a harder decision. I won't repeat myself from last time, where I said Nymeria, because after a bit of thinking, I actually enjoy the possibilities of her PoV. No, I think if I had to name anyone, it would be Tomas, who was not only a jerk, but to whom I had no real connection. His parts themselves were nicely written, but if there is anyone whom I don't really like, it's him. I doubt he's dead though, so maybe he'll get a way to go up in my good graces in the next chapter.
3. Who is your favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
This one was a bit easier than the first two questions. The answer is Benny and Garry. God, that sounds like a horrible folk music duo from the sixties XD Of course I mean Benedict Blackmont and Garrison Fowler, the cool kings. I initially disliked Benedict and was sure he'd be a bad guy and early parts seemed to prove me right. Then, completely out of the blue, there was this tiny glimpse of the real Benedict in his final appearance in this chapter and it marked the point where I actually started to sympathize with him and now I see a lot of positive qualities in him. He obviously loves his daughter and it pains me that they both ended up hurting each other in this chapter. Hopefully Gwendis will realize that her father truly loves her some day. And Garrison has instantly become another of my favourites from the moment of his introduction. He's amazing, a guy who has to rely on his cunning to survive, who seems like a more or less good guy, but who was still forced to do some pretty bad stuff. Of course, his adorable interaction with Isabella helped a lot with making me like the guy, or else I wouldn't be quite that forgiving for him dragging the Blackmont's into his war (and therefore ultimately ruining all my theories about Gwendis Yronwood XD), but now I must admit that I like the guy a lot. He's another character whom I can't wait to read about through Gwendis' PoV.
4. Who is your least favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
Now to the hard question again. There are several characters that are not my least favourites, but whom I feel conflicted about. Aisha, that shady priestess of Fantasy-Satan, still makes me uncomfortable, even if I no longer dislike her. Albin Manwoody is a character whom I hate with a passion, but I love to hate him and he is a great antagonist. Lyla has been a grade-A bitch, but ever since I had that short-lived crack idea of shipping her with Gwendis, I can't hate her anymore
Alester has been a huge jerk, but I don't dislike the guy and found him really entertaining. So, none of them is my least favourite. I guess if I have to choose anyone, it would be Zereth, for almost being even more of a dick to Missy than Tom the Animal and especially for murdering the Purple Swag-A-Lot. Rest in peace, you stylishly turbaned motherfucker 
5. What has been your favorite moment in the story so far? (You can also tell your least favorite if you wish
)
First of all, I don't have a least favourite, that would be just absurd
But I have several favourites, which I found to be super intense. The one that I found to be the strongest was Missy just snapping and murdering Ronny, that was dark, violent, but after the crap she has been through in the parts before, it was cathartic to see her striking back for once. Another one of my favourites was Gwendis and her vision, a source of speculation and worry for me. It was mysterious, concering, exciting, all of it at the same time and I will continue to speculate on its contents in later chapters, I'm sure of it. I also enjoyed Isabella's talks with Garrison, all of them, because both characters are working so well together and because they have given me almost as much speculation as Gwendis' vision. And I really liked the atmosphere of Myke's parts in Gravesend, from the suspiciously friendly Septon to the beginning peasant revolution, that one really drove the point home that shit is going to hit the fan in Blackmont.
6. Do you have any advises/ideas/suggestions regarding the story that you'd like to share? Go ahead
No, none at all. I wouldn't dare. This story has been close to perfection so far and I am beyond words for how excited I am about the next chapter and the chapters beyond. Just keep up the awesome work and I see truly great things in the future.
There was a lot of interesting things about this chapter. Particularly the following line: "Donovar tried to scream, but only blood drained out of his mouth." That is obviously the fulfillment of a part of Gwendis's vision. When she saw a ghost with blood coming out of his mouth. Another thing that is interesting will be if the Tolands think Efran Dalt ordered his assassination. They would at least be suspicious knowing that this stranger Dono Mopera arrives, who is serving Efran, and right after their King is assassinated. Even if they were watching Dono, they might think the whole situation to be suspicious. If Dono brought guards with him, they might think one of them did it while they weren't watching. Anyways, this whole situation can cause a breakdown in relations between both factions and possibly cause a war.
1. Who is your favorite PoV after Chapter 1? Why?
Gwendis, because her storyline so far engaged me the most.
2. Who is your least favorite PoV after Chapter 1?
Nymeria, because so far not much happened in her storyline in my opinion. It's story about her war, but I don't feel that way for now.
3. Who is your favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
King Benedict, all the storyline of Blackmont is really interesting but I am curious how it will go for Benedict, surrounded by all this mysterious people.
4. Who is your least favorite non-PoV after Chapter 1?
Well, I guess I won't be different than others - Albin is one crazy and MAD King, as his nickname suggests.
5. What has been your favorite moment in the story so far? (You can also tell your least favorite if you wish
)
Favourite I guess would be how Gwendis trusted Aisha and thanks to her, experienced the vision which may be really important for not only Gwendis storyline. This makes things even more interesting, when we have a little sneak peek in the "future" in such way.
6. Do you have any advises/ideas/suggestions regarding the story that you'd like to share? Go ahead
Just keep writing, we are all curious! :-)
Well I could guess Gwendis, but it's nice to see that you have a wide variety of other PoVs there too!
Jamison was one who I kinda wished I could've used more, but there wasn't really that much I needed him to do in the first chapter. And Missy is the kind of character that when I write her, I really need to focus, because it's pretty hard to get into her crazy mindset XD And at the same time she still has to be relatable at least on some level. I'm a bit surprised (positively of course) to see Isabella there! I mean I've enjoyed writing her, especially the scenes with Garrison, but didn't really expect her to be among people's favorite PoVs.
I'm surprised no one mentioned Tomas before you
Yeah, he has had two parts so far, and been kind of a dick in those, so not really surprising. And we'll see, maybe he will get a chance to redeem himself.
Benny & Garry XD Haha, yeah, as I said earlier they are my favorites of the kings. I'm glad to say there will be much more to come for these two in the future, and I certainly will be enjoying writing it
Haha, still not trusting Aisha. Well great, because there will be some hard decisions related to her in the future
Albin definitely deserves all the hate, no question. It'll be a sad day for Gwyla shippers when Gwendis leaves Blackmont XD And yeah, fuck Zereth 
Yeah, I can say that I'm personally very satisfied with that Ronny scene XD As dark and brutal as it was, Ronny definitely had it coming to him. What comes to the vision, it was a bit harder to write, because I had to think through my plans for the future of the story, think what kind of clues should I give, etc. It was still fun though! As I've said earlier I love writing Garrison, so Isabella's scenes with her were nice - good to see they had some impact on the readers as well
And I'm also glad to see that the Gravesend riot made it to someone's favorite moments, because I really enjoyed writing it.
Alrighty, I'll keep doing my best!
Good question, and I'll just say that there is a great H&L coming soon that might answer your question.
And yeah, first king down! 
Yes, very dangerous man. Dangerous, rich, elegant and ambitious. Good combination, aye?
We'll see, we'll see. But it is obvious that this is a very big loss for Tolands - especially now that even Tomas isn't there to help his nephew.
Good catch!
I think you are the first one to mention this 
Very interesting point. It's not clear what happened to Dono himself though when "Tylan" took him away.
Hello! Just wanted to make a post about couple things, first being a list of interesting choices from Chapter 1. The meaning of this little list is to remind what kind of (possibly important) choices we've made so far. I won't of course speculate any further than that about what will their significance be in Chapter 2, for obvious reasons, but if you want to do that then go ahead
I'll be doing this kind of list after every chapter.
-
Interesting choices from Chapter 1:
Bitter Love: After the assassination of Purple Ocelot, Missy swallowed her anger and told King Albin that she loves him.
Brotherly Love: Naemon chose Gwendis' mission over their father's, and headed to Starfall without the approval of the King.
Loyalty: Isabella decided to stay loyal to her father, after finding out the truth about his schemes on dragging the Blackmonts into the war.
Trusting a Stranger: Gwendis trusted Aisha the Dark Priestess, which led to them both seeing a vision.
Exchanging Histories: After hearing Illor's backstory, Nealia decided to also share her's with him.
Fierce Nature: Dianna gave Lord Darin Dalt a fierce and rude answer to the insulting question about the worthiness of the Rhoynar women warriors.
-
The other things I wanted to mention are that there are actually a couple of neat H&L's coming fairly soon, the first one hopefully within couple days, and it should be a very interesting one. And the last thing I wanted to mention is, that tonight I started writing Chapter 2's first part - it's going to be a Missy PoV
However, I'd say I won't get it done until the weekend, so I'll do the recap a bit closer to that.
Surprise! I finished the part faster than I thought I would
-
Chapter 2: Kings and Snakes
Missy
The throne room of Kingsgrave wasn’t nearly as crowded as usually on the court sessions, and King Albin sat on his throne with a bored expression, while a middle-aged knight in dark green vest reported casualties and damage caused by deserters. The army had marched away from Kingsgrave a little more than week ago, led by Lords Mors Littlemill and Gregor Purell, and Prince Arvin - apparently they were at the Wide Way now. Missy stood on the gallery, dressed in one of her new gowns, red velvet with silver ornamenting. There were few other ladies of the court on the gallery, firmly keeping their eyes away from Missy. Those women despised her, she knew it, but at the same time they felt fear and respect – after all, Missy was very close to the King.
It had been two weeks from the Purple Ocelot’s death, and for some reason it still bothered Missy now and then. She hadn’t seen Zereth since that night, and at this point she hoped she never would. King Albin however had visited almost every night, and every time they made love. Sometimes Missy took great pleasure of it, whilst other times it felt extremely agonizing, both mentally and physically. She had to put those feelings aside though, because it was her duty to please the Great King.
Missy’s eyes focused on Queen Sofina, whose left eye was still visibly surrounded by a bruise, even if it was starting to get lighter. The King had not been happy with his wife’s actions, and Missy had not been talking with Sofina anymore. Despite the bruise the Queen looked as strong-willed as ever with her emotionless expression. When it came to Alaric however, Missy had seen him only once after the killing of Purple Ocelot, and even if he didn’t look to have any marks of physical punishment, he had looked somehow shaken – almost traumatized. Who knows what Albin did to him.
Next Missy’s eyes traveled to the corner of the throne room, where he could see Tom the Animal and his friends. The freaks. They were whispering to each other, some of them were grinning, but Missy noticed that someone was missing…
“My Lady.” Missy heard the voice of Larry the Kind behind her, as he arrived next to her. “What do you want?” Missy hissed quietly, and Larry let out a chuckle. “Just wanted to come here to watch the show with you, it’s a better view from here than the corner.” He explained with his polite tone, and Missy frowned.
“The show?” Her tone was irritated and confused. “It’s just some knight reporting from the war.” She said, and Larry nodded in agreement. “Indeed, but there will be something much more entertaining soon.” He said slyly, and Missy let out a sigh. “But you are not going to tell me what it is, right?” She asked tiredly, and a cheeky grin appeared on Larry’s face.
“That would spoil the fun.” He replied quietly. Missy didn’t bother to continue the conversation, so she just kept her eyes firmly on the King. Larry noticed this, and his grin got wider. “Albin the Great King.” He said with quiet and stretched out words. “Your whole life depends on him, doesn’t it?” Missy could spot a touch of bitterness in Larry’s words.
“And yours doesn’t?” She asked coldly, making Larry raise his eyebrow. “He is my King.” He stated smoothly. “But when he dies, I’ll be able to make myself useful to his heir. How about you?” Larry’s question was sharp, and it made Missy gulp. “Do you think Prince Arvin would enjoy fucking his father’s crazy whore? Have you ever even had a conversation with him?”
“He is in war now.” Missy said quietly, and Larry nodded. “So you are hoping he dies there. And do you think the younger Princes would have any better opinion on you? What would they think of the mistress of the man who kept beating and mistreating their poor mother?” Missy clenched her teeth, deciding not to answer. At the same time the middle-aged knight bowed to the King, and walked away from the throne. Soon the door of the throne room was opened, and now in walked a pale knight, dressed in black armor and standing well over seven feet high. It was Ser Mordekhai Crusher, cousin of King Albin.
“Ah, this is what I’ve been waiting for.” Larry said gleefully. “You remember the Skeletal Knight, right?” He asked, and Missy nodded nervously. It had been a long time since he had last seen that monster of a man – it had been months ago, back when she had still been weak. The memories weren’t fond, quite the contrary, they were one of the worst memories she had. Ser Mordekhai walked silently through the hall, carrying a dirty bag filled with something, and his dark red eyes glowed visibly under his black helmet. He arrived in front of Albin, and kneeled. A smile appeared on the face of the King.
“Welcome home, cousin.” He said and gestured Ser Mordekhai to stand up. “It looks like you have brought me something.” The Skeletal Knight stood up, still staying silent, as he untied the bag. A rotting head rolled out of the bag, falling on the floor with a thump, making some of the ladies gasp in shock or turn their eyes away. The head was so disfigured that it was hard to tell, but it looked like one of a young woman. “So, you found her.” The King said, clearly proud of his cousin.
“Yes, Your Grace.” Ser Mordekhai answered with his booming voice, sending shivers down Missy’s spine.
“Do you know whose head that is?” Larry asked quietly, his voice slightly amused. Missy turned to look at him, at first oblivious of what was he implying, but then the realization hit her. “Shana?” Her voice cracked slightly as she said this, and the arrogant grin on Larry’s face got ever wider. Missy turned her eyes away, she could feel her heart starting to beat faster. After the death of Purple Ocelot, the one thing that Missy could comfort herself with had been that she had saved Shana. Not anymore.
“Do you still feel like a hero?” Larry asked with mocking tone. “Shut your mouth.” Missy hissed, but Larry only let out a sarcastic laugh. “Or what? You’ll kill me in middle of the court?” He grabbed Missy from her left wrist as he said this. “You are not going to kill me, Missy.” Larry’s words were quiet but intense, and he tightened his grip. Missy clenched her teeth, holding back her anger. “Do anything to me and you’ll answer to the King.” She said with trembling words, now staring straight to the eyes of Larry.
“Do anything to me, or any of my friends, and you’ll answer to the Skeletal Knight.” He replied coldly, and let go of Missy.
Missy turned her eyes back to the King, seeing the guards cleaning the head away from the floor, and Ser Mordekhai walking away, towards the doors. For a moment it felt like the whole throne room was silent, until gradually people started to chat as they walked away from the hall - the court session was over.
“By the way, we have a new prisoner at the cells.” Larry said suddenly, his voice calm and polite again. Missy turned towards him, raising her eyebrow. “And?” She spat bluntly, which made Larry chuckle. “He’s a deserter who murdered three of his brothers in arms and tried to escape. Me, Tom, Mordekhai and couple others are going to have some fun with him later today. Care to join? Or are you too much of a fancy lady for that now?” Larry stared at her with piercing eyes, making her feel slightly uncomfortable.
Missy took in a deep breath. Perhaps this would be a chance to win the trust of the freaks again. Or perhaps it would be a terrible mistake.
[Go with the freaks] [Stay away from the freaks]
[Stay away from the freaks]
Yeah, no. I think it's better to stay the hell away from these freaks. They know what she did and surprisingly, none of them stroke me as the forgiving type. I hardly see how Missy could ever regain their trust from here. While most of them don't appear to be terribly bright, Larry and Tom in particular seem to have a wicked sort of cunning and I doubt they'd ever be able to trust her again. Neither do I think Missy should risk spending more time close to them. Last time she got lucky that she managed to kill Ronny by surprise and she shouldn't press her luck any further.
Also, this was a great start for the chapter
This Mordekhai guy is already creepy, without even saying that much. I suppose he can only get more terrifying from here. Guess that means Zereth and Tom the Animal are officially no longer the most creepy people in Kingsgrave. I don't know if I'm excited or scared to learn more about this guy.
[Stay away from the freaks]
Good to see new part up!
[Stay away from the freaks]
[Stay away from the freaks]
Honestly, they have only been trouble for Missy. It would be best to not get involved.
[Stay away from the freaks] I will have to agree with the others on this one. Missy starting to associate with the freaks again would most likely bring even more trouble to her.
Voting is closed!
Looks like no more votes coming, and I doubt the result could be changed anyway, so Missy will stay away from the freaks. Tagging along with them could've had some benefits, but it also could've gone wrong so to say. This is definitely the safer choice.
What comes to next part, it's almost ready, I'll post it before Monday
And it is a Naemon PoV, bringing us to Starfall. As a recap, in the last chapter Naemon took Gwendis' mission to go to Starfall and plead for the help of the Daynes. Naemon traveled along the Torrentine with his buddy Ser Myle, though they had some troubles in the lands of House Upton. They spent a night in the Sword's Edge (the stronghold of Uptons), and Naemon had his troubles with Lord Alester Upton - including a little duel where Alester basically almost killed Naemon, though was disarmed by him afterwards. Later (most likely encouraged by his mother Alerah), Alester decided to apologize his behavior, and also announced that he was joining them on the journey to Starfall. His reasoning was that if the Daynes decide to join the war, House Upton needs to know.
-
Also, another portrait. This one is actually related to the next part - it's King Vorian Dayne.
Naemon
Naemon stood on a balcony of Starfall’s highest tower. He looked towards south, seeing the small port located on the southern shore of the island, fewer than ten ships docked to it. Naemon could also see the beautiful lands on both sides of the Torrentine, and the vast blue Summer Sea opening ahead of him. It was spectacular, but somehow also a peaceful sight. Even from up here Naemon could hear the seagulls, feel the fresh wind, and smell the sea.
It had been over a week since Naemon, Myle and Alester arrived to Starfall, where they had been welcomed by Vorian and his family. Every day Naemon reminded that he had come to talk about the war, and every time Vorian promised they would talk about it soon. Malcolm had been friendly towards Naemon, showing him around Starfall, talking about history, tourneys, politics, and everything really. Queen Arenna had been curious of how was Gwendis doing, and seemed worried about the coming war. King Vorian’s brother, Prince Garret, had shown Naemon the few warships of House Dayne, and rambled on about the ancient days when House Dayne had sailed to Oldtown and raided it. Garret’s fourteen-year-old son Davos was a respectful and well-mannered young man, and happy to talk about knighthood with Naemon, whereas his younger sister Madilyn was also well-mannered and kind, but mostly interested in making dresses. What had surprised Naemon though was that Jamison was nowhere to be found – not that it really bothered him, at least not as much as it clearly bothered Alester. Vorian had just told that Jamison was on a diplomatic mission, which sounded almost ridiculous to Naemon – until he realized that he was in a very similar situation himself.
Overall Naemon couldn’t complain. Starfall almost felt like home to him, and the thought of having these people as his real family was something out of a dream, even if he would never trade Gwendis to them. Naemon let out a sigh, as part of him wished he could just live the rest of his life like he had lived this past week, but he knew harder times were ahead.
“I thought I’d find you here.” He suddenly heard the polite voice of Prince Malcolm, and turned to look at him. “What do you mean?” Naemon asked with slight confusion, and a small grin appeared on Malcolm’s face. “You vultures like high places.” He said with calm words.
“Oh.” Naemon blurted, not knowing how to reply, which made Malcolm let out an awkward chuckle. “Don’t worry, I know it was a stupid joke.” He said and scratched his silver hair. “But you do seem to like this place.” The heir to Torrentine continued with his polite tone, and Naemon gave him a nod.
“It’s a great view.” He said calmly, not sure what else there was to say. “It sure is.” Malcolm replied with a smile. This man surely was polite and friendly, but somehow Naemon felt that they were almost too different to really being friends. “Anyway, I wanted to tell you that father plans to arrange a great feast tonight, you will of course have a seat at the royal table. I’m afraid you friend Myle will have to sit at the lower tables though, it would be scandalous for some to see a commoner sit with the King.”
“It’s alright.” Naemon assured with a forced grin. “I’m pretty sure Ser Myle prefers it that way anyway, he is not really one for fancy dinners.”
“More like one for messy nights in a tavern, then?” Malcolm asked jokingly, and Naemon gave him a little laugh. “Yeah, something like that.” He replied with a smile. “I assume you father is not yet ready to have a conversation about the war?” Naemon changed the subject, expecting that Malcolm wouldn’t really like it, but surprisingly he smiled to him.
“Actually, I think he might want to talk about it with you after the feast.” He said casually. “You see, a raven from Jamison arrived early in the morning, so he now knows what’s the situation there.”
“Where exactly is Jamison?” Naemon wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to ask this, but it had been bothering him. Malcolm let out a sigh, clearly he wasn’t keen on talking about this. “He is at Hellgate Hall, to improve our relationship with the Drylands.” He explained calmly. “I would’ve gladly done it myself, but for some reason father deemed this a fitting mission for Jamison.” Naemon was quite surprised of this, and furrowing his eyebrows made it clear for Malcolm.
“Why is there a need to improve your relationship with the Drylands?” Naemon asked, keeping his words calm. “To put it shortly, we are trying to put down the threat in the east.” Malcolm answered, which didn’t really say anything to Naemon. “In the east?” He muttered with a questioning look, and Malcolm chuckled.
“You haven’t heard?” There was clearly a touch of amusement in his words, but Naemon didn’t care. “I’m not really into politics.” He stated firmly, and Malcolm gave him a small nod. “Well, it’s the Martells, they are allied with the Rhoynar and some of the other houses of Eastern Dorne. There will soon be a war between them and the Drylands, and we need to make sure that the Drylands will be victorious.” Even after this explanation Naemon was still a bit confused.
“Why do Drylands need to be victorious?” He asked bluntly, making Malcolm chuckle again. “Because the Martells don’t just want to crush the Drylands, they want to conquer the whole Dorne.” He said, putting emphasis on the last words, and it didn’t sound like he was joking.
“The whole Dorne?” Naemon was baffled of this. “That is just absurd.” He mumbled, and Malcolm nodded in agreement. “Indeed, but there is no need to think about this now. Would you like to come to the courtyard for some sparring?” He asked with a friendly tone. “Ser Myle is already there, teaching some techniques to Davos.”
“Sure, let’s go.” Naemon answered softly, though the news about Drylands and Martells still bothered him. He decided to put those thoughts aside now, as they made their way down from the tower.
-
Naemon and Malcolm went first to the armory to get themselves dulled swords, and then they walked to the courtyard, where Myle and Davos were sparring. This was the first time Naemon saw Davos Dayne with a sword, and the skill of the boy surprised him. Myle still had the upper hand, but Naemon could see that if his friend would slack for even a moment he’d get smacked by Davos.
After a while the sparring match ended to Myle doing a maneuver that undermined Davos’ defense. “Damn! You got me again.” Davos muttered in disappointment, and Naemon could see Myle letting out a sigh of relief.
“You did well, cousin.” Malcolm said with a supportive tone, and Davos gave him a nod. “Thanks Malcolm, but I must get better if I want to be a real knight one day.” The boy spoke with serious tone.
“I wouldn’t worry about that too much.” Myle said with a tired chuckle. “I know many knights who you’d already defeat easily, and you are only going to get better in time.”
“But not as good as Jamison, not without a lot of training.” Davos said with a sigh, now turning his eyes to Naemon. “If you don’t mind me asking, have you ever fought with Jamison?” Davos’ asked this with his voice full of curiosity. Naemon thought back to the short time he and Gwen had been wards in Starfall, and a smile was formed on his face.
“Back when I was a kid I had many brawls with Jamison.” He said quietly, and Davos narrowed his eyes, clearly interested to hear more. “You were just a toddler back then. After that, well, we’ve faced many times in jousts, but we haven’t fought with swords.” Davos nodded to him, looking like he still wanted to ask something.
“I stopped sparring with him many years ago.” Malcolm joined the conversation. “It was pretty hard to admit to myself that he was simply better than me. But we all have our strengths and weaknesses.” He spoke with pondering tone, and for a moment they were all quiet.
“So, how about we stop talking and keep swinging!” Myle quipped with a grin on his face. “I mean, I’m a bit worn out at this point, but you guys definitely need some warm up.” Malcolm nodded with a chuckle, taking a couple swings at the air with his sword.
“Oh gods, hopefully I won’t completely embarrass myself – it has been awhile.” The Prince of Starfall chatted as he took his position. “So, who wants to fight me?” He asked in a joking tone. Naemon let out a sigh, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to fight Malcolm – he knew he was better than him, but he didn’t want to embarrass the Prince in his own castle.
[Spar with Malcolm] [Suggest Davos to spar with Malcolm]
[Spar with Malcolm]
Not an easy choice because of how much can go wrong there. I don't want Naemon to humiliate or accidentally wound Malcolm, but if I am right with my opinion on Malcolm, he might appreciate an honest fight, even if it means that he's going to loose. What I know for sure is that suggesting Davos to spar with Malcolm could be taken as an insult. At least in my opinion it is incredibly rude, because it would basically suggest that Malcolm is just good enough to fight against this 14-year old boy. Besides, Naemon doesn't have to embarrass him. There's nothing wrong with winning and Malcolm doesn's strike me as the kind of guy who demands to win everything just because he is the crown prince. As long as Naemon doesn't take it too far, like for example playing with him instead of directly defeating him, I don't think the sparring match in general would be too bad. But still, a lot of things could go wrong there. At the same time, a lot of things could go right as well. I'm willing to risk it, especially since the other option strikes me as a bad one in any way.
[Spar with Malcolm]
I have to agree with Liquid on this one. Naemon sparring against Malcolm should not be a big deal and from what we seen in Naemon's duel with Alester, Naemon is able to hold back when need be. Malcolm also seems like he would have more sportsmanship than Alester as well so I would guess that Naemon and Malcolm would just have a friendly sparring match and leave it at that. Malcolm would accept defeat without a problem I would imagine and it also does seem to me that having Davos spar Malcolm would be seen as an insult as well. Regardless of how skilled Davos is for his age, he is still only 14 and I believe it would be more humiliating toward Malcolm for Naemon to suggest that. Malcolm and Naemon sparring here should be alright overall since both are capable with Naemon obviously being more so. Great Part!
[Spar with Malcolm]
[Spar with Malcolm]
You want to talk about embarrassment, imagine if Donover actually beat Malcolm, after you suggested they spar together.
Hey guys, sorry to interrupt in the voting, but I figured this H&L was already overdue and in need of posting before I put it off any longer. Apologies for the wait, and if you haven't already voted on the most recent part (Naemon), please take into mind that there's that to do
Enjoy! 
Nymeria’s War Histories & Lore
Forovos Norvoshi – The Origin of the Keyholder
The room was dimly lit with a few hanging lanterns, Forovos stood over the desk of tools. A variety of blades were laying on the table, ranging from scalpels and needles to daggers and dirks. Forovos turned his gaze to the man in the chair behind him, who stared back at Forovos with fearless eyes.
“You followed me here. You’ve been following me for a while, am I right?” Forovos asked, grabbing a scalpel from the table. The man remained silent, though did not break eye contact with Forovos.
Forovos walked towards the man, pulling a stool for himself to sit on. He kept his distance, despite knowing the man was bound to the chair. Down Forovos’ line of work, he had seen a lot of tricks up assassin’s sleeves, he’d witnessed them first hand.
Forovos sat himself on the stool, taking in a deep breath and observing the man’s features. He was a skinny man, though Forovos knew there was strength to him that couldn’t be seen by an untrained eye. His hair was short and dirty, and his black eyes stared into an endless void, which was in Forovos’ general direction. He had once worn plain rugged robes until Forovos had stripped him of that benefit.
“I know who you are.” Forovos calmly stated, playing with the tip of the scalpel. “There’s no need to withdraw from me.” His words were calm and confident, yet not persuasive enough to convince the assassin to speak. Forovos sighed, leaning forward on his knees, spinning the blade between his hands.
“I can only see two ways this will end for you. One, you tell me what I need to know and I give you a quick death.” Forovos caught the assassin’s eyes flicker to the ground, he continued. “Or, I simply cut the answers out of you. So I’ll ask again, why have you been following me?” Silence lingered in the air after Forovos spoke his words, and disappointment filled his chest.
He had wanted to avoid violence, though his own safety was prioritized the highest, and executing the man without answers was further endangering himself. Forovos sighed and stood from his stool, adjusting his grip on the handle of the corroding steel blade scalpel. As Forovos approached the man, he noticed a trickle of sweat run down his brow, his eyes lifted. Still fearless.
“You betrayed our order.” The man muttered, glaring directly into Forovos’ eyes. Forovos nodded, stopping before him.
“I did, and I was punished accordingly. That doesn’t explain why you’re here.” The man scowled at Forovos, spitting at his feet. Forovos ignored the useless intimidation, the man would not provoke him.
“Go to hell.” The man spat, lowering his eyes. Forovos smiled, taking a step closer to him. He could feel the shuddering breaths of the young man, each was agonizing for him. His body was bruised and bloody from the beating he endured, and it was clear that he was finished. His choice.
“I’m already there, assassin. The mistake you made was following me there, and now you will suffer until you give me what I want.” Without hesitation, Forovos drove the scalpel into the man’s shoulder. He winced, gritting his teeth, though that was all the reaction that Forovos received. He raised his eyes, smirking at Forovos.
“You’ll have to do better than that, traitor.” He said, and Forovos grinned in reply, freeing the scalpel from the man’s shoulder.
“Is that an offer?” Forovos asked mockingly, slapping the assassin with the back of his hand. A bloody chuckle was the reward Forovos received next, to which he returned with a clenched fist. His punch was hard and direct, catching the man in the lower jaw. The sheer force of the blow knocked the chair backwards. The assassin laughed, spitting out the teeth and blood from his mouth.
“You’re shit at torturing, you know that?” His words were slurred, and there was pain beneath them. Forovos smiled, kneeling down beside him.
“Well, I can’t say that our cult ever taught me how to torture. Though, perhaps I just didn’t stick around long enough to learn.” Forovos grabbed the man’s bound hand, with his opposite hand he slowly inserted the rusted blade between the flesh and finger nail of the man’s finger. Now he screamed.
The agonizing yelps echoed in the dark room, the flames in the lanterns dancing to the noise. Forovos smiled with satisfaction, slowly ripping the nail from the man’s bloody mess of a finger. The screams became a melodic tune, yet Forovos found little enjoyment from it. He freed the nail from the man’s flesh.
“Are you ready to speak now?” Forovos asked impatiently, boredom in his tone. The assassin gritted his teeth, pain in his eyes.
“Fuck you!” He groaned, holding back the pain he was enduring. Forovos smiled, gently applying pressure on the scalpel against his raw flesh. His body squirmed desperately, trying to free himself from the pain, his screams becoming near deafening. “YIELD!” He finally yelled, and Forovos released the pressure for a moment.
“What was that?” Forovos asked, taunting the assassin. The man’s voice shuddered, tears building up in his eyes.
“Mercy, please!” He pleaded desperately, still shaking. Forovos sighed and shook his head. “Not until I get what I want from you.” Forovos reapplied the pressure, and the screams continued.
“PLEASE!” He yelped, tears streaming down his face. “I’LL TELL YOU ANYTHING, JUST MAKE IT STOP!” Forovos pulled the blade away, nodding in agreement.
“Why were you following me?” Forovos repeated his earlier question, and this time the man was more cooperative. His eyes teary, his voice shaking, his body shuddering. “You were my contract.” He finally revealed, letting out a moan of agony. Forovos nodded, frowning.
“Why?" He asked. "I was banished for my treachery.” The man smirked, despite being in horrible pain. He shook his head. “No one gets away that easily.” He muttered, and Forovos smiled. “So they sent an acolyte to kill me, after I left willingly.” The man scowled in reply, spitting out more blood from his mouth.
“You broke your contract, killing that keyholder out of your own petty vengeance.” Forovos grinned to this, the memory still fresh in his mind.
“Stellios Favaal. Do you want to know why I did it?” Forovos asked, and the man groaned. “Do I have a choice?” He asked, and Forovos’ grinned died down to a smile. “No.” He admitted, thinking back to the keyholder.
“My father was a merchant from Lys, though he was not your usual merchant you see. He sold poisons, like the Strangler and Tears of Lys. I’d often help him deliver his merchandise to his clients, though I never knew how big a business this was for him.” Forovos sighed, the recollection of his father was something he seldom thought on, and it bothered him somewhat.
“He was in debt with the Iron Bank, with the corrupted bastard Stellios Favaal. One day I was delivering his merchandise, and when I returned I found him dead on the floor of our home, a letter signed from that bastard keyholder. He claimed our debt was paid, yet he wanted interest. Greedy fucker.” Anger flashed through Forovos as he remembered that day. “So I left home, with nowhere to go. Once I reached the House of Black and White, I trained. I wanted vengeance, and I got it. No, he was not my contract, though I was in the Iron Bank and I seized the opportunity. Now I’m filthy rich as a consequence.” Forovos said with a smirk, but the assassin chuckled dryly, shaking his head.
“It won’t last. They’ll send more of us after you, we won’t stop until a debt is repaid.” Forovos smiled, standing himself up. “Good luck finding me.” Forovos turned his gaze to the lantern on the table, the oil canister next to it.
He walked to the desk and grabbed them both, removing the lid on the canister. Returning to the assassin, he drizzled the oil onto his chest and face until the can was empty. He hovered the burning flame of the lantern over the man, peering down at him.
“Any last words?” Forovos asked, genuinely curious. The man smirked at him and sighed, shaking his head.
“Only that I hope you enjoy your life while it lasts. Money can buy you many things, though it will soon run out, as will your luck.” Forovos smiled, releasing the lantern. “I buy my own luck.”
Flames engulfed the man, screams filled the room, until there was only silence and a charred stench. Forovos wiped the blood from his hands on his coat, frowning at the sight. Valar Morghulis.
Well I've been waiting for this!
Anyway, thanks once again for a great H&L, shedding light on the mysterious Forovos. Can't wait to write him in the story again 