I'd say Wyl alone can raise an army around the same size as the Blackmonts, so somewhere around 2000-3000 troops. However, this particular army marching towards Kingsgrave is supported by other minor vassals of Yorick, and no doubt some forces from Yronwood itself, raising the number to about 4000. So, it's not like they have an overwhelming advantage (and with the Fowlers it would've been even smaller), but enough to make Blackmonts the underdogs in this battle - especially since the Manwoody forces could potentially ride out of Kingsgrave and join the battle at any moment. Even if the Blackmonts manage to win the battle, the damages of it would be enough to force them lift the siege and retreat.
[No] It is pretty clear here that Lena is trying to get under Emerson's skin here and while I hate to have Emerson agree validate her statem… moreent, I do feel that Emerson would definitely be humble enough to say this and knowing that he will defend himself when he says this, it makes the choice easier.
On a side note though, it sounds like the Blackmont's and the few Caron's there may be in for a rude awakening when the Wyl's get to Kingsgrave which brings the question, how powerful are the Wyl's anyhow? I know they are Yorick's bannerman but from what we've gathered from the story so far, they are very powerful in their own right especially if they are considered a threat to an entire kingdom's army like the Blackmont's. It has been mentioned earlier though that the Blackmont's have struggled with deserters but even still, it sounds like Kingsgrave is going to be getting very interesting very soon, not that it isn't already. Matter of fact, it has been arguably the most action packed place in the story
Emerson
"I will take no pleasure in killing my kin, but the truth is that Esperence has committed a treason," Emerson said grimly, gazing… more at the table as he spoke. "So, if the day ever comes that I take my rightful place as the Lord of Godsgrace, Esperence will have to pay for her crimes with her life." The words left a bitter and uncomfortable taste in Emerson's mouth. Treason was punishable by death, such were the laws of gods and men, but it still felt wrong. Emerson gulped down the rest of his ale, and Yoren Jordayne gave him a small nod, a subtle smile on his face.
"I don't envy you, pal," he said dryly, taking a gulp of his ale and frowning again at the poor taste. "Let's hope King Yorick can help deliver Esperence the justice she deserves."
Before Emerson could answer, he noticed Lord Terren walking back to the table. The Lord of the Tor took his place on the seat between his son and Emerson, letting out a sigh as he sat down.… [view original content]
Emerson
"I will take no pleasure in killing my kin, but the truth is that Esperence has committed a treason," Emerson said grimly, gazing… more at the table as he spoke. "So, if the day ever comes that I take my rightful place as the Lord of Godsgrace, Esperence will have to pay for her crimes with her life." The words left a bitter and uncomfortable taste in Emerson's mouth. Treason was punishable by death, such were the laws of gods and men, but it still felt wrong. Emerson gulped down the rest of his ale, and Yoren Jordayne gave him a small nod, a subtle smile on his face.
"I don't envy you, pal," he said dryly, taking a gulp of his ale and frowning again at the poor taste. "Let's hope King Yorick can help deliver Esperence the justice she deserves."
Before Emerson could answer, he noticed Lord Terren walking back to the table. The Lord of the Tor took his place on the seat between his son and Emerson, letting out a sigh as he sat down.… [view original content]
Emerson
"I will take no pleasure in killing my kin, but the truth is that Esperence has committed a treason," Emerson said grimly, gazing… more at the table as he spoke. "So, if the day ever comes that I take my rightful place as the Lord of Godsgrace, Esperence will have to pay for her crimes with her life." The words left a bitter and uncomfortable taste in Emerson's mouth. Treason was punishable by death, such were the laws of gods and men, but it still felt wrong. Emerson gulped down the rest of his ale, and Yoren Jordayne gave him a small nod, a subtle smile on his face.
"I don't envy you, pal," he said dryly, taking a gulp of his ale and frowning again at the poor taste. "Let's hope King Yorick can help deliver Esperence the justice she deserves."
Before Emerson could answer, he noticed Lord Terren walking back to the table. The Lord of the Tor took his place on the seat between his son and Emerson, letting out a sigh as he sat down.… [view original content]
And Emerson will answer to Lena that no, having a strong claim does not make one a great ruler. Well, this will certainly be an interesting conversation
And next up will be a Naemon PoV. So far in this chapter he has marched to Gravesend with his squire Davos Dayne, Prince Malcolm Dayne, Ser Myle, Brennin Kell, as well as Lord Alester and his 300 Upton troops. When they arrived to Gravesend they found the town abandoned by Karsan Taller and his rebels. However, they quickly found out that Karsan had made his way towards the lands of House Oakswood. Brennin Kell was left in charge of Gravesend with 100 of the Upton troops to keep the order, Ser Myle rode back to Blackmont to deliver the news to King Benedict, and Naemon, Davos, Malcolm and Alester continued towards Oakswood with the rest of the Upton troops. They later discussed about Ser Edwyn Oakswood, who is in charge of Oakswood in his brother's absense. Over ten years ago Ser Edwyn killed Naemon's great uncle Beric Blackmont in a tourney melee, and due to an old grudge between the two it was suspected Edwyn has the intent to kill. However, in a trial King Benedict fully pardoned Ser Edwyn. Davos asked Naemon what he would've done in his father's place, and you voted for him to answer that he would've sent Edwyn to the Wall.
Anyway, I must admit my writing pace this week will probably be a bit slower than usuallt, due to the Battlefront II beta taking, ehm, some of my time I have made some progress though, and it's possible I'll get the Naemon part done tomorrow.
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For now, here are portraits of Lena Wells and Yoren Jordayne:
Hello again! Sorry for taking so long with this one, and thank you for bearing with me. As I mentioned last week, I spent quite a lot of time with BF II beta, but I also had an exam yesterday, so I dropped the writing completely from Monday to Wednesday. Yesterday I got back to writing this part, but it always takes a while to get back to that flow after a break. Anyway, from now on the pace should get faster again
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Naemon
"Personally, I would've sent Ser Edwyn to the Wall," Naemon said sternly. "I'm sure he claims that what happened in the melee was an accident, but it can't be denied that he had a clear motive for killing Beric. And the way he did it, slashing his throat open with such precise... it didn't look like an accident. He was a killer, but even killers may still deserve the mercy of finding a new purpose for their life under the Night's Watch."
"Sounds like a fair judgement," Malcolm said calmly, and Davos nodded in agreement. "However, your father pardoned Ser Edwyn long ago, so we must approach him with respect, rather than treat him like a criminal."
"Of course," Naemon confirmed with a nod. "I'm here to find Karsan Taller and his band of rebels, not to dig up old grudges with our vassals."
"Sounds like a plan, Ser," Davos quipped, and they continued chatting more lightheartedly for the rest of the evening.
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The next day, shortly after noon, they arrived to Oakswood. The small castle was made partly out of stone and partly out of timber, and it stood majestically on a cliff overlooking the thundering rapids of the Torrentine's vassal stream that had its headwaters in the Kingdom of Reach. Oakswood was a relatively small keep, but well-built and in good condition. Of course, it had been almost completely rebuilt less than a century ago, after being razed to the ground by Garth the Painter in his war against the Dornishmen. Naemon couldn't claim to remember much about Maester Mortin's lessons of history, but the stories about that war had stuck to his mind.
As Naemon, Malcolm, Davos, Alester and their two-hundred troops approached the castle by the narrow uphill road, a couple of riders rode out to welcome them. Clad in the green and brown of House Oakswood, the two soldiers halted a dozen feet before them, and dismounted their horses. One of them, a man on his forties with a flowing black hair and sharp goatee, approached them by foot. "Prince Naemon," he greeted with a respectful tone.
"Afternoon, ser," Naemon replied with a nod. "I see you received our message, I'm here to meet Ser Edwyn Oakswood." To this, the man spread his arms open and grinned. "Here I am," he announced confidently.
"Are you saying that you are Ser Edwyn?" Naemon asked with some confusion, and the man nodded affirmatively. "Oh, well then, with me are my squire Davos Dayne, as well as Prince Malcolm Dayne and Lord Alester Upton - allies from the Kingdom of Torrentine," Naemon explained with a polite tone.
"Just as your message mentioned," Edwyn replied with a subtle smirk on his face. "Come on then, let's get inside, we can have a more comfortable conversation there."
So, Ser Edwyn led Naemon and his companions through the gates of Oakswood, and quickly inside the keep itself. They made their way to the council chamber, where Lady Bessa Oakswood was waiting for them, beside her the maester of the castle – an old white-haired man with a plump body. They both stood up and bowed for the prince.
"Sit down, mylords," Ser Edwyn said as he himself took the seat of the lord, right next to Lady Bessa. "Prince Naemon, you've grown a lot since we last met," Bessa said with a soft and gentle tone on her words. She was dressed in a simplistic but elegant green dress, and her black hair was tied to a bun. Lady Bessa was Naemon's kin, but in all honesty he didn't know her very well. "I heard what happened to your sister, and I just wanted to say I'm terribly sorry."
"Thank you," Naemon said hastily, trying not to worry about Gwendis right now. "She was always a smart girl, I'm sure she'll be fine wherever she has gone," Bessa continued, and this time Naemon settled for a quiet nod.
"So, how is the King?" Edwyn asked, a tiny smirk on his face as he spoke. Naemon considered his answer for a moment. Better not to open up too much to this man, he thought before answering. "Benedict is doing well, he is just concerned for Gwendis," the prince finally said, keeping his tone strictly professional. "And of course, he wants to put an end to this rebellion on his lands."
"Ah yes, Karsan Taller I believe is the man they call the leader of these rebels," Edwyn said with an intrigued tone. "I did receive some reports yesterday about a large group of lightly armed and armored men moving towards the river valley northwest from here. I have no doubt these are the rebels you've come for."
"Northwest," Malcolm spoke up now with a pondering tone, "Do you think they are trying to get out of the Kingdom of Blackmont?" He asked, and Ser Edwyn shrugged. "Well, they are moving towards the lands of House Peake," he stated nonchalantly. "Perhaps they think they will be out of King Benedict's reach in there, but I doubt Lord Peake will be very welcoming towards a band of Dornish rebels."
"Still, we need to stop them before they leave our lands," Naemon said sternly. "If we let Karsan Taller escape and hide away now, he will return the moment he sees an opportunity to create more havoc. Rebel leaders like him fancy to paint themselves as heroes, and if they aren't stopped swiftly enough people start to believe them."
"I agree," Lord Alester suddenly weighed in with his relaxed and confident tone. "We should track down these rebels as fast as we can and make an example out of them, if you know what I mean."
"Yes, I think I have an idea of what you mean," Naemon replied dryly. "However, I don't want any more bloodshed than is necessary. As much as I don't want Karsan Taller to be seen as a hero, neither do I want to make him and his rebels martyrs."
"I understand, you are here to defeat the rebels," Edwyn spoke up calmly, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Naemon. "However, there is not much I can offer to help you with this task. My brother marched to the war against the Manwoodys with most of our troops, and what little is left is needed to garrison the castle."
"We have enough troops, ser, that's not what we need. What we need is your knowledge of the land," Naemon said calmly, and now Edwyn's expression turned more interested. "That I can give you, my prince" he replied with a smirk. "When would you like to start the hunt?" There was something unsettling in the way Edwyn said this, his words oozing of bloodlust.
"We can't wait too long," Naemon answered quickly, taking in a deep breath. "We should leave in the morning, at first light," he decided, and Edwyn nodded. After a couple seconds of silence, Lord Alester spoke up. "So, is there something else?" He asked bluntly. Edwyn and Malcolm both turned their eyes to Naemon, who shook his head.
"I will show you to your chambers," the maester now spoke up, standing up from his seat and approaching the door. Alester, Malcolm and Davos followed after the old man, and Naemon was about to follow when Ser Edwyn spoke up again.
"My Prince, would you mind staying for a moment?" He asked calmly, and after a moment of hesitation Naemon nodded. "Sure," he said quietly. "I'll come soon," he said to Davos and Malcolm, before they walked out of the room, leaving him alone with Edwyn and Bessa.
"Did you want to talk about something?" Naemon asked calmly, and Edwyn nodded, for the first time a hint of uncertainty on his expression. "I know I have a reputation back in Blackmont," the knight said, glancing at Lady Bessa as he spoke. "They say I murdered you great uncle, Beric Blackmont, the father of Lady Bessa."
"I was there," Naemon said bluntly. "I was a kid, but I remember it still. You slit open his throat in the melee." Edwyn looked uncomfortable, but nodded nonetheless. "I am sure that left a bad impression on you," he said, chuckling awkwardly. "However, I wanted to let you know that my purpose was not to kill. Hurt? Yes, I wanted to hurt Beric Blackmont for denying Bessa from me, but I did not mean to kill him."
"And is this what you told my father in your trial?" Naemon asked emotionlessly, and Edwyn nodded. "Aye," he said quietly. "I also said that in case he found me guilty I would demand a trial by combat, so that the gods could prove me innocent. Benedict didn't want anyone else to die, so he pardoned me."
That was his reason? Naemon was slightly taken aback by this. All the time he had imagined his father had some malicious motive to pardon Ser Edwyn, but now it turned out he had done it just to avoid further bloodshed. In fact, Naemon could see himself making the exact same choice in that situation.
"So, I hope you can forgive me, as your father has," Edwyn said, shifting Naemon's attention back to him. "I hardly knew Beric, it is not me whose forgiveness you should ask," he said calmly, glancing at Bessa.
"I have forgiven Edwyn long ago," Bessa clarified, her lips forming a gentle smile. "He is a good man, and has redeemed all his past wrongdoings by serving my husband and son faithfully." Naemon gave the lady a subtle nod, unsure what more there was to say.
"So, my prince, would you like to have a few cups of Arbor gold with me and Bessa before the dinner?" Edwyn asked with a friendly tone, and as Naemon gave him a hesitant look, the knight continued. "We could talk more about the past, about your father. Or something else, if you so wish, I just think it would be good for us to get to know each other better."
Oh yeah, new part I was already very much looking forward for this, though I quite thought some exam stuff might have gotten in the way. Glad that's out of the picture for now, hope it all went well
[Accept Edwyn's offer]
So, I really don't know what to make of Edwyn in general. That man is giving me bad vibes, but at the same time, he hasn't done anything yet to prove my assumption right, so I am not sure. Certainly, my hatred for a certain other character, who is the worst, has made me a bit paranoid when it comes to others, so Edwyn might be perfectly innocent and all he said is true. I am just not certain. Might be nothing, he might be a good guy, but at the same time, he might be plotting against House Blackmont and working with Karsan Taller. I consider him a dangerous and shady ally, but this is precisely my reason for accepting his offer. I doubt Bessa is involved in anything bad and with her around, I feel kinda safe for Naemon, so this could be the perfect opportunity to get to know Edwyn a bit better, learning if he can indeed be trusted, or if he's as bad as I fear him to be.
Anyways, it's been a nice detail, learning just why Benedict chose to pardon him. Wouldn't be surprised if Valaena had a hand in this decision as well, though Benedict seemed generally a better man with her by his side. It's amazing how similar he seemed to be to Naemon once. Also, argh, why is it always breaking my heart when Naemon speaks about Gwen? He's right with his assumption though, she's a smart one, so she'll find a way to get herself out of that mess she was lured into. If he can be positive about this, maybe so should I.
Hello again! Sorry for taking so long with this one, and thank you for bearing with me. As I mentioned last week, I spent quite a lot of tim… moree with BF II beta, but I also had an exam yesterday, so I dropped the writing completely from Monday to Wednesday. Yesterday I got back to writing this part, but it always takes a while to get back to that flow after a break. Anyway, from now on the pace should get faster again
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Naemon
"Personally, I would've sent Ser Edwyn to the Wall," Naemon said sternly. "I'm sure he claims that what happened in the melee was an accident, but it can't be denied that he had a clear motive for killing Beric. And the way he did it, slashing his throat open with such precise... it didn't look like an accident. He was a killer, but even killers may still deserve the mercy of finding a new purpose for their life under the Night's Watch."
"Sounds like a fair judgement," Malcolm said calmly, and Davos nodded in … [view original content]
Hello again! Sorry for taking so long with this one, and thank you for bearing with me. As I mentioned last week, I spent quite a lot of tim… moree with BF II beta, but I also had an exam yesterday, so I dropped the writing completely from Monday to Wednesday. Yesterday I got back to writing this part, but it always takes a while to get back to that flow after a break. Anyway, from now on the pace should get faster again
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Naemon
"Personally, I would've sent Ser Edwyn to the Wall," Naemon said sternly. "I'm sure he claims that what happened in the melee was an accident, but it can't be denied that he had a clear motive for killing Beric. And the way he did it, slashing his throat open with such precise... it didn't look like an accident. He was a killer, but even killers may still deserve the mercy of finding a new purpose for their life under the Night's Watch."
"Sounds like a fair judgement," Malcolm said calmly, and Davos nodded in … [view original content]
[Accept Edwyn's offer] Yeah, is better if we talk more with him, could help understand if this man is trustworthy or not. While is too soon to believe he's working with Taller, maybe he was sincere about accidentally killing Beric Blackmont, one can't be too sure.
Nice reference to the past; Garth XI Gardener led a brief, but brutal revenge war against the Dornish of the Red Mountains for killing one of his predecessors, Garth X Gardener, the Greybeard and sacking Highgarden. He was called The Painter for bringing the Reach back its glory, and for 'painting' the mountains red with Dornish blood.
Hello again! Sorry for taking so long with this one, and thank you for bearing with me. As I mentioned last week, I spent quite a lot of tim… moree with BF II beta, but I also had an exam yesterday, so I dropped the writing completely from Monday to Wednesday. Yesterday I got back to writing this part, but it always takes a while to get back to that flow after a break. Anyway, from now on the pace should get faster again
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Naemon
"Personally, I would've sent Ser Edwyn to the Wall," Naemon said sternly. "I'm sure he claims that what happened in the melee was an accident, but it can't be denied that he had a clear motive for killing Beric. And the way he did it, slashing his throat open with such precise... it didn't look like an accident. He was a killer, but even killers may still deserve the mercy of finding a new purpose for their life under the Night's Watch."
"Sounds like a fair judgement," Malcolm said calmly, and Davos nodded in … [view original content]
Anyways, it's been a nice detail, learning just why Benedict chose to pardon him. Wouldn't be surprised if Valaena had a hand in this decision as well, though Benedict seemed generally a better man with her by his side. It's amazing how similar he seemed to be to Naemon once. Also, argh, why is it always breaking my heart when Naemon speaks about Gwen? He's right with his assumption though, she's a smart one, so she'll find a way to get herself out of that mess she was lured into. If he can be positive about this, maybe so should I.
Indeed, it's details like this that make clear that Benedict really was once a good man, and perhaps still is to some degree. Naemon was almost angry finding out this, since he really doesn't want to feel empathy towards his father right now In the long run though, finding out about more positive sides like this about his father will help Naemon come around and perhaps eventually forgive him. And yeah, I'd say Valaena was a big influence to pretty much every choice Benedict made back then, and losing her certainly changed him for the worse. And ah, I was perhaps a bit unclear with my writing there, but it was actually Bessa who said that Gwen is smart Obviously Naemon agrees, but he is not quite there yet with seeing any positivity in his sister's disappearance. If anything, he is just trying to suppress his feelings about that issue by concentrating on this mission.
Oh yeah, new part I was already very much looking forward for this, though I quite thought some exam stuff might have gotten in the way. Gl… moread that's out of the picture for now, hope it all went well
[Accept Edwyn's offer]
So, I really don't know what to make of Edwyn in general. That man is giving me bad vibes, but at the same time, he hasn't done anything yet to prove my assumption right, so I am not sure. Certainly, my hatred for a certain other character, who is the worst, has made me a bit paranoid when it comes to others, so Edwyn might be perfectly innocent and all he said is true. I am just not certain. Might be nothing, he might be a good guy, but at the same time, he might be plotting against House Blackmont and working with Karsan Taller. I consider him a dangerous and shady ally, but this is precisely my reason for accepting his offer. I doubt Bessa is involved in anything bad and with her around, I feel kinda safe for Naem… [view original content]
Indeed, I'm glad I got a chance to drop this reference since there hasn't been very much talk about the current situation between Dorne and Reach in the story so far. Basically the Dornish got their asses handed to them by the Gardeners nearly hundred years ago, and since then there has been peace between them.
[Accept Edwyn's offer] Yeah, is better if we talk more with him, could help understand if this man is trustworthy or not. While is too soon … moreto believe he's working with Taller, maybe he was sincere about accidentally killing Beric Blackmont, one can't be too sure.
Nice reference to the past; Garth XI Gardener led a brief, but brutal revenge war against the Dornish of the Red Mountains for killing one of his predecessors, Garth X Gardener, the Greybeard and sacking Highgarden. He was called The Painter for bringing the Reach back its glory, and for 'painting' the mountains red with Dornish blood.
Ah, I have indeed gotten the impression it was Naemon doing the talking, that he simply said something real quick to get this topic over with, so that he won't be forced to speak about his recently abducted sister in front of pretty much strangers. But rereading, I see where I've been wrong, thanks for clarifying it
It's also interesting that Naemon and Benedict might still manage to become closer again, Naemon's realization in this part and your comment have shown a quite possible chance for that. I guess this very much depends on a large number of things. Gwendis' return to Blackmont might be the make or break thing here, given how Benedict is partially to blame for that situation with Aisha. But even beyond that, I think this is not only up for Naemon. Just realizing that his father has been a better man once won't be enough. Benedict has to learn his lesson and probably has to actively make amends with his children, I'd say that is mandatory. Most of the change has to come from him, really.
Anyways, it's been a nice detail, learning just why Benedict chose to pardon him. Wouldn't be surprised if Valaena had a hand in this decisi… moreon as well, though Benedict seemed generally a better man with her by his side. It's amazing how similar he seemed to be to Naemon once. Also, argh, why is it always breaking my heart when Naemon speaks about Gwen? He's right with his assumption though, she's a smart one, so she'll find a way to get herself out of that mess she was lured into. If he can be positive about this, maybe so should I.
Indeed, it's details like this that make clear that Benedict really was once a good man, and perhaps still is to some degree. Naemon was almost angry finding out this, since he really doesn't want to feel empathy towards his father right now In the long run though, finding out about more positive sides like this about his father will help Naemon come around and perhaps eventually forgive him. And yeah, I'… [view original content]
Hello again! Sorry for taking so long with this one, and thank you for bearing with me. As I mentioned last week, I spent quite a lot of tim… moree with BF II beta, but I also had an exam yesterday, so I dropped the writing completely from Monday to Wednesday. Yesterday I got back to writing this part, but it always takes a while to get back to that flow after a break. Anyway, from now on the pace should get faster again
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Naemon
"Personally, I would've sent Ser Edwyn to the Wall," Naemon said sternly. "I'm sure he claims that what happened in the melee was an accident, but it can't be denied that he had a clear motive for killing Beric. And the way he did it, slashing his throat open with such precise... it didn't look like an accident. He was a killer, but even killers may still deserve the mercy of finding a new purpose for their life under the Night's Watch."
"Sounds like a fair judgement," Malcolm said calmly, and Davos nodded in … [view original content]
I agree with the others here, it wouldn't hurt to learn more about Edwyn and get more of an idea of what kind of man he really is. It sounds like to me that we are getting very close to meeting Karsan Taller and it will be interesting to see how the battle ends up going. Also I am glad to see a new part and I hope your exam went well!
Hello again! Sorry for taking so long with this one, and thank you for bearing with me. As I mentioned last week, I spent quite a lot of tim… moree with BF II beta, but I also had an exam yesterday, so I dropped the writing completely from Monday to Wednesday. Yesterday I got back to writing this part, but it always takes a while to get back to that flow after a break. Anyway, from now on the pace should get faster again
-
Naemon
"Personally, I would've sent Ser Edwyn to the Wall," Naemon said sternly. "I'm sure he claims that what happened in the melee was an accident, but it can't be denied that he had a clear motive for killing Beric. And the way he did it, slashing his throat open with such precise... it didn't look like an accident. He was a killer, but even killers may still deserve the mercy of finding a new purpose for their life under the Night's Watch."
"Sounds like a fair judgement," Malcolm said calmly, and Davos nodded in … [view original content]
Hello again! Sorry for taking so long with this one, and thank you for bearing with me. As I mentioned last week, I spent quite a lot of tim… moree with BF II beta, but I also had an exam yesterday, so I dropped the writing completely from Monday to Wednesday. Yesterday I got back to writing this part, but it always takes a while to get back to that flow after a break. Anyway, from now on the pace should get faster again
-
Naemon
"Personally, I would've sent Ser Edwyn to the Wall," Naemon said sternly. "I'm sure he claims that what happened in the melee was an accident, but it can't be denied that he had a clear motive for killing Beric. And the way he did it, slashing his throat open with such precise... it didn't look like an accident. He was a killer, but even killers may still deserve the mercy of finding a new purpose for their life under the Night's Watch."
"Sounds like a fair judgement," Malcolm said calmly, and Davos nodded in … [view original content]
Voting is closed!
And Nealia will go to Tryden. Well, this gives me an opportunity to show a bit more of the White Elephant and Jinora Li… moreng, as well as reveal Tryden's plans for Godsgrace.
Next up we'll have a Dianna part. Last time, she left Lemonwood, still as a captive of Bjorn Harlaw's Ironborn crew. Dianna tried to convince them to join forces with Nymeria, but instead Bjorn decided he would take advantage of the war, and raid the villages on the shores of Brimstone. As they set sail, Dianna had a little conversation with Roryn and Hilsgurd Drumm on board of the Sea Reaper. In the end Roryn asked Dianna whom does she really serve, and you voted for her to answer Nymeria. Anyway, I hope to get the part done tomorrow
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And this time I have two portraits for you, Lien Yu and Ying Yu:
And Prince Naemon will accept Edwyn's offer, having a conversation with him and Lady Bessa with a few cups of Arbor gold. This should give us a bit more insight into the character of Edwyn, before we head out to the hunt for Karsan Taller with him.
And up next will be a Gwendis PoV. In her last part she was traveling with Aisha, Mordekhai and Trentan through the Red Mountains. On their way they spotted the Wyl army marching towards Kingsgrave. Seeing this clearly irritated Mordekhai, but Aisha reminded him that his duty is no longer with Albin. Gwendis had a little conversation with Trentan, first talking briefly about the history of Yronwoods and Manwoodys, and then Trentan gave Gwendis some insight into how the common folk gets treated unfairly by the nobility. In the end Gwendis said she understood Trentan's points, but added that she would never again be in a position to change things for the better. Trentan tried to cheer her up, saying they would get through whatever the world would throw at them if they just stuck together. Gwendis feared it wouldn't be that simple, but decided to agree with Trentan anyway. Now, we will skip ahead a couple days, and continue with the group having arrived to the coast of the Sea of Dorne.
I've made good progress on the part today, and I'd say you can expect it to be ready tomorrow (with some luck even today!).
The cold blue eyes, they were watching her. Even when she didn't see them, she could feel their chilling presence in her mind. She wandered through the darkness, and heard a shrill voice speaking somewhere in the distance. Or did she? What was real and what wasn't, Gwendis Blackmont couldn't tell, but she couldn't escape it either. The voice grew louder, speaking in an inhuman tongue that the princess couldn't understand.
"Blow out the flames, or the fire will consume you," the screeching voice suddenly said, echoing in the eternity around Gwendis. She tried to speak up, ask something, but she had no voice here, no power to speak. Gwendis turned around, seeing a dead tree standing in the middle of the darkness, blood smeared on its pale trunk. "Embrace the darkness," echoed around her as she approached the tree. Gwendis extended her hand, trying to touch it, but just as she was about to reach it, she woke up.
It was a calm and warm morning, and Gwendis could hear the sound of the sea close by, accompanied by the squawking of the seagulls. They had arrived to the shore of the Sea of Dorne yesterday, and made their camp in a small cave next to the beach. They were somewhere north of Greenbelt and south of Wyl, and that was all that Gwendis knew.
Getting up, she saw that Trentan was still sleeping, while Aisha and Mordekhai were having a conversation by the entrance of the cave. Gwendis moved silently to Trentan's bag of supplies and grabbed a piece of the bread that Mordekhai had stolen from some poor farmer whose house they came across yesterday. Sinking her teeth into it, Gwendis felt guilty, even if she was as much a victim of Aisha and Mordekhai as the man who had baked this bread, if not more so.
"You're awake," the cold and emotionless voice of Aisha said, and Gwendis shifted her gaze to the approaching priestess. "Has our Lord shown you something?" She asked quietly, and for a moment Gwendis stayed silent.
"Nothing new," she finally mumbled, and Aisha narrowed her eyes, looking like she was about to say something. However, she stayed quiet, walking past Gwendis and kneeling down next to Trentan. She put her hand softly on the young man's cheek and spoke. "Time to wake up, Trentan" she said with an almost gentle tone, and Trentan blinked his eyes open. "Aisha," he mumbled tiredly as he saw the priestess next to him, and Aisha nodded quietly. "Get something to eat, we'll continue towards south today," she said as she stood up again. Trentan glanced at Gwendis as he raised to a sitting position, and the princess grabbed another piece of the bread and threw it to her friend.
"Thanks," Trentan said with a yawn, before taking a bite. Gwendis gave him a smile, before turning her gaze to see Mordekhai walking into the cave. The false knight was clad in his spiked armor as always, his one red eye glowing inside the skull-shaped helmet. "Undisciplined brats, always slacking," he muttered with his deep and chilling voice, murderous anger in his eye. With a gulp Gwendis turned away from the man, and walked to Trentan, who was still eating the bread.
"We should get going," she said to him with a quiet and alarmed tone, to which he raised an eyebrow. "Mordekhai is getting impatient," she added, and now Trentan nodded understandingly, quickly finishing his piece of bread and gearing up.
They followed the coastline to south, while the sun raised higher and higher above the sea. Aisha led them, walking about a hundred feet ahead of Gwendis and Trentan. And Mordekhai came a dozen feet behind them, no doubt making sure they wouldn't try to escape.
"So, we are currently trying to find some dead tree on the coast, right?" Trentan asked quietly after they had been on the move for few hours, and Gwendis nodded. "If the vision was correct, it should be on a cliff," she added nonchalantly. Trentan frowned and shook his head subtly. "If that's really all the knowledge we have, then I'm sorry, but this is impossible. And if we find this tree, what happens then?"
"Don't ask me," Gwendis answered with a sigh. "I know as little as you do."
"That is because you refuse to learn," said Mordekhai, who had apparently creeped right behind them. Gwendis shot him a silent glare, but didn't dare to speak up. "There is an immense power in you, I can feel it," he continued. "However, you are too proud, too stubborn to let it blossom, and unless you commit yourself to the will of our Lord, all that power will go to waste."
"I'm not like Aisha, I'm not like you," Gwendis hissed defiantly, which was followed by a tense silence. Before anyone could break the silence, they noticed that Aisha had stopped. They caught up to her quickly, and stopped beside her. "Why have you stopped?" Mordekhai asked sternly, as Aisha stared into the distance.
"Look," she said sharply, pointing forward. Gwendis had to squint her eyes, but she did indeed see two riders in the distance riding towards them, one of them carrying a blue-and-red banner. "Shouldn't we hide?" Trentan asked with a concerned tone. Aisha didn't answer, but simply gave a meaningful glance at Mordekhai, who unsheathed his massive dark sword.
As the riders got closer, Gwendis managed to get a better look at the banner they were carrying: the lower half was blue sea with waves, and the upper half was a red sky with yellow sunburst. The riders were lightly armored young men, and the one who wasn't carrying the banner had a spear on his right hand. The soldiers halted a few dozen feet before them, both of them tanned and black-haired, the one with the banner being clean shaven while the one with the spear sported a short stubble. They both had concerned looks in their eyes, and seemed to mostly be eyeing at Mordekhai.
"You are in the lands of House Vass," the one with the spear informed sternly. "State what is your business here."
"We are simply travelers, passing by," Aisha said calmly. "You need not pay mind to us." The soldiers didn't look convinced, and gave each other alarmed glances. "That one doesn't look like just a harmless traveler," the one carrying the banner said, nodding towards Mordekhai.
"He is our bodyguard," Aisha responded nonchalantly, and the soldier carrying the banner chuckled nervously. "A bodyguard, eh? And what kind of traveler has the coin to hire a heavily armored knight as their bodyguard?"
"Why does that matter?" Aisha asked, a hint of frustration in her voice. "It matters because we can't trust you," the one with the spear answered sternly. "I think we need to take you to Watersmeet, to meet Lord Barris," he added, and now Aisha shook her head.
"That you will not," she whispered, and raised her hands up. "AAH!" She shrieked, and Gwendis could hear the Great Other in her chilling voice. The horses went wild, and dropped the riders from their backs, running away in panic. The clean-shaven soldier got up first, dropping the banner and drawing his sword. However, Mordekhai disarmed him with a single swing of his sword, and proceeded to severe the man's head. By now the one with the spear had stood up, and charged towards Mordekhai. He tried to ram the spear to the unprotected area under the knight's arm, but Mordekhai moved at just the right moment, and the tip of the spear met the sturdy armor, merely making a small dent to it. Now Mordekhai moved to attack, but the spearman managed to dodge his swing, and keep him at a distance with his spear.
Mordekhai moved for another attack, swinging his massive sword with fury. However, the spearman did a good job of parrying and dodging the attacks – at least until Aisha decided to intervene. She raised one of her hands up, and muttered something unintelligible, and suddenly the soldier fell on his knees and dropped the spear, a look of agony in his eyes. Mordekhai raised his sword, ready to finish off the man. "Stop!" Aisha yelled, and Mordekhai obeyed. "We shouldn't kill this man, not yet... he could be useful."
"A sacrifice?" Mordekhai asked quietly, eager look in his eye, and Aisha nodded. "Knock him out," she added coldly, and once again Mordekhai obeyed her orders, giving one hard punch on the young man's face, which was enough to make him unconscious.
"What are you going to do with him?" Gwendis asked with an alarmed tone, and Aisha gave her a pitiful look. "His life is already over, princess, we will merely make his death meaningful by sacrificing him to our Lord."
Mordekhai had already raised the unconscious soldier to his arms, and started carrying him towards the cliffs next to the beach. "You can't be serious," Gwendis said with a shocked tone on her voice, to which Aisha let out a sigh. "Trust me, I don't enjoy doing it, but it strengthens our connection to the Great Other, and now is the time we need that connection more than ever." With these words the Dark Priestess turned away and walked after Mordekhai. Gwendis and Trentan shared a fearful glance, before following the two.
They made their way atop the cliffs, where Mordekhai laid down the soldier's body. He tied the man's hands with a leather strap, and stripped him from his leather armor and cotton tunic, leaving his chest bare. Now Aisha pulled a small dagger from her sleeve, and kneeled down next to the unconscious man. The priestess closed her eyes, and started mumbling some kind of prayer or spell, her left hand on the man's bare chest. After she was done with her prayer, Aisha opened her eyes, and plunged the dagger mercilessly into the man's chest. The soldier opened his eyes in shock, and started screaming and struggling.
Mordekhai moved in quickly to help keep the man still, and Aisha continued her work, carving open the man's chest. "Take this offering, our Lord!" She yelled with zealous tone, as the man screamed in agony. "Feast with his flesh and blood, and offer us part of your strength!"
By now Trentan had turned away in disgust, but Gwendis kept looking. She couldn't stop Aisha and her monster from doing this, she knew it, but at least she would honor this poor man by not turning away. After a few minutes the man's screams died down, the ground around him soaked with his blood. Finally, Aisha violently pulled out the man's heart, and raised it up, letting the blood spill on her face. Soon she handed it to Mordekhai, who did the same.
And then Mordekhai approached Gwendis, offering the heart for her. "Take it," he grunted with an almost threatening tone. "Take it, and feel the power of our Lord." Gwendis had no desire to take part in this madness, but she feared how would Mordekhai react if she refused.
Gwendis
The cold blue eyes, they were watching her. Even when she didn't see them, she could feel their chilling presence in her mind. Sh… moree wandered through the darkness, and heard a shrill voice speaking somewhere in the distance. Or did she? What was real and what wasn't, Gwendis Blackmont couldn't tell, but she couldn't escape it either. The voice grew louder, speaking in an inhuman tongue that the princess couldn't understand.
"Blow out the flames, or the fire will consume you," the screeching voice suddenly said, echoing in the eternity around Gwendis. She tried to speak up, ask something, but she had no voice here, no power to speak. Gwendis turned around, seeing a dead tree standing in the middle of the darkness, blood smeared on its pale trunk. "Embrace the darkness," echoed around her as she approached the tree. Gwendis extended her hand, trying to touch it, but just as she was about to reach it, she woke up.
It was a calm an… [view original content]
I'll go and get the vote out of the way first, before sharing my long amount of thoughts.
[Refuse to take the heart]
Yeah, surprise, I pick the option that is not awful, as it makes it less likely for Gwen to fall victim to Aisha's brainwashing. Let's just get the obvious out of the way, this is an act of evil. Gwen is not evil, that's a fact, she'll never be either. And doing the evil thing out of being frightened into submission, that might be more excusable and very well in line with what Aisha wishes for her, but it is still not her. She has resisted the darkness Aisha tries to force her into for so long, she can resist her just this little bit longer, then go home and never deal with that fucking priestess and her cunty dog ever again. We know, seemingly mundane things can have great power when it comes to the Great Other, such as Gwendis grabbing Aisha's hand and being infected by that insanity. So, who knows how much worse it will be if she does what Wesley wants her to do. She is still resisting the temptation and that is what matters. She considers this all madness, she doesn't want to be a part of this and if Aisha so desperately wants her to do it, she's going to have to force her. Seriously, resisting this is the only way for Gwen to win, to get out of this alive and if she fails despite us trying the best not to ruin her, then the least she can do is to make Aisha's victory as unsatisfying as possible, to deny that rotten piece of shit at least the feeling of triumph of breaking her will. And no, she will win over Aisha, over Wesley, over that bastard demon god and hell, even over Dalia and her Red God if they decide to do as much as lay a finger on her.
So, coming to my thoughts, we got an example of some solid 10/10 Aisha logic right there that actually inspired me to make a meme out of it:
That's where she is wrong though. She remains the worst, while at the same time constantly lowering the depths this term describes. Somehow, she makes being the worst worse than ever before and I actually consider it an insult to all the things that have ever been called the worst before that they are now supposedly on the same level as Aisha. She's like a fidget spinner made out of vegan bacon and pure evil. It has gotten to the point where I can take literally any villain in the story and say that as horrible as they are, at least they are not Aisha. Yes, that includes the Great Other, because she's the one actually doing all that shit, not him. And I can say, truthfully, I consider it highly unlikely that any villain to follow can get even remotely close to the sheer level of depravity, of utter irredeemable evil that Aisha is constantly showing. She is literally redefining the term awful, that's how godawful she is. If the people in charge could do their jobs correctly, the term "evil" in any dictionary in the world would simply be a description of Aisha. It should be used synonymously to the very term "evil", as that is what she's all about.
Ah, I have sort of missed a proper Aisha rant Don't get me wrong, when I say I missed them, I actually mean I haven't missed them at all, because that is how awful Aisha is. If I never have to fall into an Aisha rant again, that'd actually be wonderful. Unfortunately, the calm of the last two parts was too good to last. Oh, how I miss these nicer parts already, but this was inevitable, because Aisha is the fucking worst and she'll continue to be the fucking worst, until someone, preferrably Gwen in sweet, poetic vengeance, gives her a taste of her own medicine and just fucking kills her. I don't even care for how painful that witch is going to die, as long as it happens. At least, I don't care yet, but she's really trying her best (or her worst?) to make me yearn for a death as awful as she is. No, at the moment I'd be happy if she just drops dead, no longer the slightest bit of a threat for Gwen, unable to go through with whatever horrible thing she has planned for her.
I must say though, this vision is really concerning for me. It obviously matches with Desi's vision, as I expected. What does it mean though, that they share visions? Clearly, their fates are somewhat connected, but for the better or worse, I cannot say. Hopefully this will be a meeting for the better, a way out of whatever painful fate Aisha has in mind once Gwendis stopped being useful. At the same time, I cannot help but think she must be hellishly careful or else, as the Great Other has warned her, the flame will consume her. That being said, maybe that isn't even a bad thing. It doesn't have to be physical fire that burns her to death, it could just as well be metaphorically spoken, that she will follow the path of R'hllor instead. For a follower of the Great Other, likely even for the demon itself, this could very well be the worst fate imaginable, but I have to say, if the alternative is having Gwendis evil or dead, then it doesn't sound half bad, particularly with someone such as Desirea around to guide her. All we need is to prevent her from giving in to the temptation, keeping her as clean as possible, so that Desi will see a chance to save her. And we can do this if we don't stop resisting Aisha here.
Gwendis
The cold blue eyes, they were watching her. Even when she didn't see them, she could feel their chilling presence in her mind. Sh… moree wandered through the darkness, and heard a shrill voice speaking somewhere in the distance. Or did she? What was real and what wasn't, Gwendis Blackmont couldn't tell, but she couldn't escape it either. The voice grew louder, speaking in an inhuman tongue that the princess couldn't understand.
"Blow out the flames, or the fire will consume you," the screeching voice suddenly said, echoing in the eternity around Gwendis. She tried to speak up, ask something, but she had no voice here, no power to speak. Gwendis turned around, seeing a dead tree standing in the middle of the darkness, blood smeared on its pale trunk. "Embrace the darkness," echoed around her as she approached the tree. Gwendis extended her hand, trying to touch it, but just as she was about to reach it, she woke up.
It was a calm an… [view original content]
Gwendis
The cold blue eyes, they were watching her. Even when she didn't see them, she could feel their chilling presence in her mind. Sh… moree wandered through the darkness, and heard a shrill voice speaking somewhere in the distance. Or did she? What was real and what wasn't, Gwendis Blackmont couldn't tell, but she couldn't escape it either. The voice grew louder, speaking in an inhuman tongue that the princess couldn't understand.
"Blow out the flames, or the fire will consume you," the screeching voice suddenly said, echoing in the eternity around Gwendis. She tried to speak up, ask something, but she had no voice here, no power to speak. Gwendis turned around, seeing a dead tree standing in the middle of the darkness, blood smeared on its pale trunk. "Embrace the darkness," echoed around her as she approached the tree. Gwendis extended her hand, trying to touch it, but just as she was about to reach it, she woke up.
It was a calm an… [view original content]
[Refuse to take the heart] While is likely Aisha will force her to take it regardless, is better if Gwendis keeps her convictions and refuses to fall. The Great Other will only takeover if she lets her.
Poor soldiers of Vass, wrong place and wrong time. House Vass seem to be vassals of Yronwood, not very important, but nobility nonetheless.
Gwendis
The cold blue eyes, they were watching her. Even when she didn't see them, she could feel their chilling presence in her mind. Sh… moree wandered through the darkness, and heard a shrill voice speaking somewhere in the distance. Or did she? What was real and what wasn't, Gwendis Blackmont couldn't tell, but she couldn't escape it either. The voice grew louder, speaking in an inhuman tongue that the princess couldn't understand.
"Blow out the flames, or the fire will consume you," the screeching voice suddenly said, echoing in the eternity around Gwendis. She tried to speak up, ask something, but she had no voice here, no power to speak. Gwendis turned around, seeing a dead tree standing in the middle of the darkness, blood smeared on its pale trunk. "Embrace the darkness," echoed around her as she approached the tree. Gwendis extended her hand, trying to touch it, but just as she was about to reach it, she woke up.
It was a calm an… [view original content]
Gwendis
The cold blue eyes, they were watching her. Even when she didn't see them, she could feel their chilling presence in her mind. Sh… moree wandered through the darkness, and heard a shrill voice speaking somewhere in the distance. Or did she? What was real and what wasn't, Gwendis Blackmont couldn't tell, but she couldn't escape it either. The voice grew louder, speaking in an inhuman tongue that the princess couldn't understand.
"Blow out the flames, or the fire will consume you," the screeching voice suddenly said, echoing in the eternity around Gwendis. She tried to speak up, ask something, but she had no voice here, no power to speak. Gwendis turned around, seeing a dead tree standing in the middle of the darkness, blood smeared on its pale trunk. "Embrace the darkness," echoed around her as she approached the tree. Gwendis extended her hand, trying to touch it, but just as she was about to reach it, she woke up.
It was a calm an… [view original content]
Gwendis
The cold blue eyes, they were watching her. Even when she didn't see them, she could feel their chilling presence in her mind. Sh… moree wandered through the darkness, and heard a shrill voice speaking somewhere in the distance. Or did she? What was real and what wasn't, Gwendis Blackmont couldn't tell, but she couldn't escape it either. The voice grew louder, speaking in an inhuman tongue that the princess couldn't understand.
"Blow out the flames, or the fire will consume you," the screeching voice suddenly said, echoing in the eternity around Gwendis. She tried to speak up, ask something, but she had no voice here, no power to speak. Gwendis turned around, seeing a dead tree standing in the middle of the darkness, blood smeared on its pale trunk. "Embrace the darkness," echoed around her as she approached the tree. Gwendis extended her hand, trying to touch it, but just as she was about to reach it, she woke up.
It was a calm an… [view original content]
[Refuse to take the heart] Even if they end up forcing Gwendis to do it anyway, at least with this she will show how strong her resolve is. Man, Aisha and Mordekhai are really getting on my nerves now, they can't die soon enough if you ask me.
Gwendis
The cold blue eyes, they were watching her. Even when she didn't see them, she could feel their chilling presence in her mind. Sh… moree wandered through the darkness, and heard a shrill voice speaking somewhere in the distance. Or did she? What was real and what wasn't, Gwendis Blackmont couldn't tell, but she couldn't escape it either. The voice grew louder, speaking in an inhuman tongue that the princess couldn't understand.
"Blow out the flames, or the fire will consume you," the screeching voice suddenly said, echoing in the eternity around Gwendis. She tried to speak up, ask something, but she had no voice here, no power to speak. Gwendis turned around, seeing a dead tree standing in the middle of the darkness, blood smeared on its pale trunk. "Embrace the darkness," echoed around her as she approached the tree. Gwendis extended her hand, trying to touch it, but just as she was about to reach it, she woke up.
It was a calm an… [view original content]
Ah, I did expect you to have a lot to say about this part, and you surely didn't disappoint me
That's where she is wrong though. She remains the worst, while at the same time constantly lowering the depths this term describes. Somehow, she makes being the worst worse than ever before and I actually consider it an insult to all the things that have ever been called the worst before that they are now supposedly on the same level as Aisha. She's like a fidget spinner made out of vegan bacon and pure evil. It has gotten to the point where I can take literally any villain in the story and say that as horrible as they are, at least they are not Aisha. Yes, that includes the Great Other, because she's the one actually doing all that shit, not him. And I can say, truthfully, I consider it highly unlikely that any villain to follow can get even remotely close to the sheer level of depravity, of utter irredeemable evil that Aisha is constantly showing. She is literally redefining the term awful, that's how godawful she is. If the people in charge could do their jobs correctly, the term "evil" in any dictionary in the world would simply be a description of Aisha. It should be used synonymously to the very term "evil", as that is what she's all about.
Hahaa, your rants towards Aisha get more creative all the time! Fidget spinner made out of vegan bacon and pure evil especially was a nice touch Anyway, on a more serious note, this is probably Aisha at her most evil. Blood sacrifices are something I imagine to be a fairly common practice among the followers of the GO, and as we see here Aisha isn't above it either. That said, while she doesn't really show much regret or hesitation here, it is a method she would rather avoid. However, right now she sees the coming confrontation with the warriors of R'hllor as the hardest challenge she has ever faced, and thus all means necessary to get stronger are justified for her. Of course, none of this is truly justified from an unbiased perspective - it is clearly an act of evil.
I must say though, this vision is really concerning for me. It obviously matches with Desi's vision, as I expected. What does it mean though, that they share visions? Clearly, their fates are somewhat connected, but for the better or worse, I cannot say. Hopefully this will be a meeting for the better, a way out of whatever painful fate Aisha has in mind once Gwendis stopped being useful. At the same time, I cannot help but think she must be hellishly careful or else, as the Great Other has warned her, the flame will consume her. That being said, maybe that isn't even a bad thing. It doesn't have to be physical fire that burns her to death, it could just as well be metaphorically spoken, that she will follow the path of R'hllor instead. For a follower of the Great Other, likely even for the demon itself, this could very well be the worst fate imaginable, but I have to say, if the alternative is having Gwendis evil or dead, then it doesn't sound half bad, particularly with someone such as Desirea around to guide her. All we need is to prevent her from giving in to the temptation, keeping her as clean as possible, so that Desi will see a chance to save her. And we can do this if we don't stop resisting Aisha here.
Indeed, at this point it's blatanly clear that the fates of Gwendis and Desirea are connected in some way, and right now it looks like something will happen by this dead tree on a cliff next to the sea. Blood has also been present in both visions, as well as flames/fire. And the suggestion of the fire consuming Gwen being metaphorical rather than literal is an interesting idea, which for obvious reasons I can't confirm nor deny at this point. Perhap you're on to something there. Anyway, Gwendis has survived so far with refusing to "embrace the darkness", perhaps she can keep it up long enough to be saved by Team R'hllor, who knows.
I'll go and get the vote out of the way first, before sharing my long amount of thoughts.
[Refuse to take the heart]
Yeah, surprise, I… more pick the option that is not awful, as it makes it less likely for Gwen to fall victim to Aisha's brainwashing. Let's just get the obvious out of the way, this is an act of evil. Gwen is not evil, that's a fact, she'll never be either. And doing the evil thing out of being frightened into submission, that might be more excusable and very well in line with what Aisha wishes for her, but it is still not her. She has resisted the darkness Aisha tries to force her into for so long, she can resist her just this little bit longer, then go home and never deal with that fucking priestess and her cunty dog ever again. We know, seemingly mundane things can have great power when it comes to the Great Other, such as Gwendis grabbing Aisha's hand and being infected by that insanity. So, who knows how much worse it wil… [view original content]
Indeed, House Vass is a minor vassal house of the Yronwoods. They have been briefly mentioned before in one of Ortheg's parts, and we know that Carsen (the sellsword that Willem Pyke is looking for) works for Lord Vass. We'll be seeing some of them later in this chapter
[Refuse to take the heart] While is likely Aisha will force her to take it regardless, is better if Gwendis keeps her convictions and refuse… mores to fall. The Great Other will only takeover if she lets her.
Poor soldiers of Vass, wrong place and wrong time. House Vass seem to be vassals of Yronwood, not very important, but nobility nonetheless.
Hahaa, your rants towards Aisha get more creative all the time! Fidget spinner made out of vegan bacon and pure evil especially was a nice touch Anyway, on a more serious note, this is probably Aisha at her most evil. Blood sacrifices are something I imagine to be a fairly common practice among the followers of the GO, and as we see here Aisha isn't above it either. That said, while she doesn't really show much regret or hesitation here, it is a method she would rather avoid. However, right now she sees the coming confrontation with the warriors of R'hllor as the hardest challenge she has ever faced, and thus all means necessary to get stronger are justified for her. Of course, none of this is truly justified from an unbiased perspective - it is clearly an act of evil.
If there is one good thing I can say about her, it's that she is making me creative. Of course, it can be argued that creative hatred is not that much of a good thing, but hey, it's something. And she really hit a new low here, I don't regret making the comparison I mean, I hate her more for what she did to Lyla than to this random soldier, but even I can agree that Lyla was killed in what was basically combat, she had a good chance and Aisha can argue, no matter how twisted that argument is, that she was defending her own life when ordering Wesley to kill her. That soldier, not so much. That was the most horrible thing she has done so far and it shows once again what she truly is. The fact that she is so callous that she is outright willing to sacrifice someone to her god makes me truly afraid for Gwen, but also, on a smaller note, for Trentan and even Desi herself. I fear like no matter what, she will claim a painful loss before she gets what she deserves
Indeed, at this point it's blatanly clear that the fates of Gwendis and Desirea are connected in some way, and right now it looks like something will happen by this dead tree on a cliff next to the sea. Blood has also been present in both visions, as well as flames/fire. And the suggestion of the fire consuming Gwen being metaphorical rather than literal is an interesting idea, which for obvious reasons I can't confirm nor deny at this point. Perhap you're on to something there. Anyway, Gwendis has survived so far with refusing to "embrace the darkness", perhaps she can keep it up long enough to be saved by Team R'hllor, who knows.
Then this shall be the outcome I shall hope for a R'hllor rescue. I mean, I really wouldn't go as far as to accuse the Great Other of lying. I think he is above outright lying in such a petty way. However, neither do I think he is saying the full truth, but more a distorted truth, where nothing is as easy as it actually seems. He paints a picture where Gwendis has two choices, blowing out the fire or being consumed by it. However, this doesn't mean there won't be a third option, or that being consumed by the fire is something that is in any way bad for Gwen. After all, that would make sense when considering who the Great Other is. A being with such a hatred for anything living certainly wouldn't give out helpful advice how she could stay alive, the very thought sounds like a paradox. I don't doubt that there is a very realistic chance she could die, even at the hands of the R'hllor servants, but with what the demon represents, that actually could be something he would prefer, that she dies after she stopped being useful. One thing I know for sure, his advice is poisonous, just like his servants.
Ah, I did expect you to have a lot to say about this part, and you surely didn't disappoint me
That's where she is wrong though. She … moreremains the worst, while at the same time constantly lowering the depths this term describes. Somehow, she makes being the worst worse than ever before and I actually consider it an insult to all the things that have ever been called the worst before that they are now supposedly on the same level as Aisha. She's like a fidget spinner made out of vegan bacon and pure evil. It has gotten to the point where I can take literally any villain in the story and say that as horrible as they are, at least they are not Aisha. Yes, that includes the Great Other, because she's the one actually doing all that shit, not him. And I can say, truthfully, I consider it highly unlikely that any villain to follow can get even remotely close to the sheer level of depravity, of utter irredeemable evil that Aisha is constantly s… [view original content]
Gwendis
The cold blue eyes, they were watching her. Even when she didn't see them, she could feel their chilling presence in her mind. Sh… moree wandered through the darkness, and heard a shrill voice speaking somewhere in the distance. Or did she? What was real and what wasn't, Gwendis Blackmont couldn't tell, but she couldn't escape it either. The voice grew louder, speaking in an inhuman tongue that the princess couldn't understand.
"Blow out the flames, or the fire will consume you," the screeching voice suddenly said, echoing in the eternity around Gwendis. She tried to speak up, ask something, but she had no voice here, no power to speak. Gwendis turned around, seeing a dead tree standing in the middle of the darkness, blood smeared on its pale trunk. "Embrace the darkness," echoed around her as she approached the tree. Gwendis extended her hand, trying to touch it, but just as she was about to reach it, she woke up.
It was a calm an… [view original content]
I definitely agree with the others here, Gwendis needs to stay strong here. While flat out refusing Mordekhai normally wouldn't be the best idea, having Gwendis take the heart would pretty much be having her cross over into territory that would be hard to come back from with witnessing this being hard enough on her. I also don't want to give these two the satisfaction of Gwendis giving in to what they want and quite frankly this part makes me more than ready to see these two get what's coming to them.
On a side note though, man I had high hopes for the Vass spearman who was actually holding his own into Aisha stepped in. I enjoy seeing Mordekhai in a vulnerable position and I feel his time will be coming and when it does, Aisha will be finished as well.
Gwendis
The cold blue eyes, they were watching her. Even when she didn't see them, she could feel their chilling presence in her mind. Sh… moree wandered through the darkness, and heard a shrill voice speaking somewhere in the distance. Or did she? What was real and what wasn't, Gwendis Blackmont couldn't tell, but she couldn't escape it either. The voice grew louder, speaking in an inhuman tongue that the princess couldn't understand.
"Blow out the flames, or the fire will consume you," the screeching voice suddenly said, echoing in the eternity around Gwendis. She tried to speak up, ask something, but she had no voice here, no power to speak. Gwendis turned around, seeing a dead tree standing in the middle of the darkness, blood smeared on its pale trunk. "Embrace the darkness," echoed around her as she approached the tree. Gwendis extended her hand, trying to touch it, but just as she was about to reach it, she woke up.
It was a calm an… [view original content]
And Gwendis will refuse to take the heart. Well, you can be sure that Mordekhai's reaction to this won't be positive, but you'll have to wait until the next Gwendis part to see how bad exactly it is.
Next up will be a PoV we haven't seen in a while, and that is Tomas Toland. So far in this chapter he has returned to Ghost Hill and convinced his nephew Levor to lay down his crown and seek peace with the Martells. He also found out that Argim Taler was in Ghost Hill to spy for King Yorick Yronwood, trying to manipulate Levor to benefit the Yronwoods. Tomas got all this information from Argim with the help of Forovos Norvoshi, and then he killed the spy, asking Forovos to get rid of the body. There was also an invitation from the Jordaynes, suggesting an alliance between the houses, but thanks to Argim Tomas knew that the end goal of the Jordaynes would be to make the Tolands bend the knee to the Yronwoods. By telling about this to Levor he would've had to reveal what he did to Argim, but you chose to keep it a secret. Thus, Tomas Toland has traveled to the Tor, and that's where his story will continue. I'd say the part will be ready tomorrow.
I guess I could give my thoughts on the update on this forum as well, since it does have a small affect on the story as well. Well, not really the story itself, but its presentation. I'll say right away that my main gripe with this update is that you have to go to page 1 of the thread to see the opening post. It was so handy to have the character lists, maps etc. there, so you could easily scroll up and check them while/after reading the newest part. Oh well, I guess it's not that hard to click to page 1 to check it, but it's still a shame. Another thing I'm a bit iffy about is the linearity, which at least right now feels like it's making conversations within a thread much more confusing. However, I feel like that might just be something I'll get used to later on. So, there are a couple things I'm not happy with, but at least they've made the PMs miles better now! I'm sure I'll get used to this in time
And Gwendis will refuse to take the heart. Well, you can be sure that Mordekhai's reaction to this won't be positive, but you'll have to wait until the next Gwendis part to see how bad exactly it is.
Oh god, oh my god it is going to be something awful, isn't it? Oh no, Gwen, what have we done! Argh, the next part for her cannot come soon enough, even if I am terrified thinking about the possibilities. He won't kill her, this I bet, but he can hurt her in several super awful ways. This is legitimately the most afraid I have ever been for her. At the same time, giving in to the Great Other surely wouldn't have been better, but likely a lot less painful. Hells, who knows what that monster is going to do
I guess I could give my thoughts on the update on this forum as well, since it does have a small affect on the story as well. Well, not really the story itself, but its presentation. I'll say right away that my main gripe with this update is that you have to go to page 1 of the thread to see the opening post. It was so handy to have the character lists, maps etc. there, so you could easily scroll up and check them while/after reading the newest part. Oh well, I guess it's not that hard to click to page 1 to check it, but it's still a shame. Another thing I'm a bit iffy about is the linearity, which at least right now feels like it's making conversations within a thread much more confusing. However, I feel like that might just be something I'll get used to later on. So, there are a couple things I'm not happy with, but at least they've made the PMs miles better now! I'm sure I'll get used to this in time
I consider this a major downgrade, aye. The main post has been super useful and I for one am unhappy with the lack of it, or the confusing comment system we have to deal with from now on. I suppose we will get used to it, but that doesn't change the fact that it is way less convenient than before.
Hopefully neither of us will lose any reader over this, means hopefully everyone will get this to work and realize when an update will come. I can just promise, I'll stay for sure and well, I have a few ideas for how to maybe regain a few functions the main post has provided. I'll look into this over the next couple days, maybe there will be a solution
Voting is closed!
And Gwendis will refuse to take the heart. Well, you can be sure that Mordekhai's reaction to this won't be positive, b… moreut you'll have to wait until the next Gwendis part to see how bad exactly it is.
Next up will be a PoV we haven't seen in a while, and that is Tomas Toland. So far in this chapter he has returned to Ghost Hill and convinced his nephew Levor to lay down his crown and seek peace with the Martells. He also found out that Argim Taler was in Ghost Hill to spy for King Yorick Yronwood, trying to manipulate Levor to benefit the Yronwoods. Tomas got all this information from Argim with the help of Forovos Norvoshi, and then he killed the spy, asking Forovos to get rid of the body. There was also an invitation from the Jordaynes, suggesting an alliance between the houses, but thanks to Argim Tomas knew that the end goal of the Jordaynes would be to make the Tolands bend the knee to the Yronwoods. By telling abo… [view original content]
The castle of the Tor and the small port town by its feet were a beautiful and peaceful sight on a warm summer day like this. However, Tomas felt anything but peaceful looking at those white walls and towers. He was about to enter the halls of an enemy, an enemy that sought domination over Ghost Hill and House Toland – at least according to the dying words of Argim Taler. If Tomas had told Levor what he had learned from that treacherous spy, perhaps he wouldn't be here now. It's better that he doesn't know, Tomas tried to convince himself once again. Whatever the truth was, at least this could be an opportunity to gain more insight into the plans of King Yorick.
"I've never been to the Tor before," Ser Garibald of Sevengrace said quietly, eyeing at the white castle in front of them with awe. The young knight was the only companion Tomas had taken with him, and only because the boy had insisted. "Be careful in there," Tomas said sternly as they approached the gates. "The Jordaynes may seem like friendly and welcoming people, but in truth they are vipers, waiting to sink their venomous teeth into us when we turn our backs." Garibald gave him an uncertain look, but stayed silent.
"Who is it?" Asked the guardsman at the gates, as Tomas and Garibald dismounted their horses in front of him. "I am Tomas Toland, uncle of Levor Toland, the Lord of Ghost Hill," Tomas started with a calm and stern tone on his voice, then turning to his companion. "And with me is Ser Garibald of Sevengrace, knight in service of House Toland."
"You have arrived sooner than expected," the guardsman said with a relaxed tone, gesturing for them to come in. "Come on then, take your horses to the stables while I fetch the lord."
And so Tomas and Garibald walked through the gatehouse and into the courtyard of the castle. While they took their horses to the stables, a young nobleman dressed in the green and gold of House Jordayne had arrived to the courtyard. He was a tall man with the build of a warrior, his dark hair cut short.
"Tomas Toland, I assume," the young man said as he approached them and offered his hand for shaking, and Tomas nodded. "Aye," he grunted sternly as he grabbed the young man's hand, a questioning gaze in his eyes.
"I am Ser Artos Jordayne, firstborn son of Lord Terren and heir to the Tor," he introduced himself with a professional tone, then turning to shake Garibald's hand. "Ser Garibald of Sevengrace, mylord," the boy introduced himself with a friendly tone.
"I'm afraid Lord Terren isn't present at the moment," Artos continued tensely. "To be honest, we weren't expecting you to come so soon."
"I came as my lord commanded," Tomas responded dryly, to which Artos Jordayne frowned with a confused look in his eyes. "Your lord?" He asked politely, and Tomas nodded. "Lord Levor Toland," he clarified. "My nephew."
"Ah, I see," Artos now said understandingly. "Well, as I said, Lord Terren isn't present at the moment, he is visiting Yronwood with my younger brother. However, I do know why he invited you, so perhaps you could discuss this matter with me instead?"
"Fine by me," Tomas responded calmly, and Artos nodded with a slightly relieved expression on his face. This is good, he might be easier to read than his father, Tomas thought. He had met Terren Jordayne only few times, years ago, but the man had given him the impression of being someone who hides his true intentions behind smiles and honeyed words. "Good then, I'll take you to my father's office, we can have a more comfortable conversation there," Artos said, turning around and summoning one of the servants. "Bring a jug of wine and three cups to the lord's office," he commanded the young boy. "Oh, and ask for Julia to come there with her quill and ink."
"Yes, mylord," the servant said with a respectful bow, and hastily made his way into the keep. Artos turned to Tomas and Garibald again, a nervous smile on his face. "Alright then, follow me," he said, leading them inside. They made their way through the finely decorated corridors and stairways of the castle, until finally arriving to the door of the lord's office. Artos opened it, and behind the door a pretty young girl in green dress was waiting for them, as well as a jug of red wine on the desk.
As they walked in, the girl approached them. "I'm Julia Jordayne, scribe of Lord Terren Jordayne and daughter of Quentyn Jordayne," the girl introduced herself with a polite but unenthusiastic tone. "Tomas Toland," Tomas answered sternly, and after that Julia turned to Garibald. While they introduced themselves to each other, Tomas and Artos took their seats on the opposite sides of the desk. Quickly Garibald followed to the seat next to Tomas, and Julia Jordayne took her place by the smaller table on the side with her parchments, quill and ink.
"She is writing down our conversation?" Tomas asked nonchalantly after taking a sip from his wine, and Artos nodded. "Let It Be Written," he said with a nervous chuckle, and Tomas flashed him a cold smile. "The words of your house," he stated quietly. "Ours are 'Brave and Vigilant'. So, you must excuse me for being particularly observant towards any attempts to deceive me." Artos Jordayne looked a bit confused by this, taking a gulp of the wine before answering. "Be assured, we haven't invited you here for any deceitful reasons, mylord," he said with a calming tone on his voice, to which Tomas chuckled coldly. "I will be the judge of that," he responded emotionlessly, and Artos nodded hesitantly.
"Anyway, as it said in our message, we have been paying close attention to your efforts to defeat the Rhoynar threat," the heir of the Tor said, changing the topic. "So far you have been unsuccessful and suffered heavy losses. I also have to regretfully inform you that we recently received news that Nymeria has now taken over Godsgrace as well."
Tomas hadn't heard of this, but he wasn't particularly surprised either. Nymeria had gathered the support of houses Martell, Santagar and Ladybright around her, and her own Rhoynar army wasn’t to be underestimated either – of course the Allyrions would submit against such force. "House Toland doesn't have the power to defeat the Martells," Tomas stated calmly. "If we wage war against Princess Nymeria again, she will obliterate us."
Artos stayed quiet for a moment, clearly considering his next words carefully. "I understand, fighting against such a powerful enemy, it is an intimidating prospect," he started, taking in a deep breath. "However, Nymeria has come to Dorne to make every single lord and king either kneel before her, or die. If we want to stop her before she gets too powerful, we need to band together, and..."
"Fight under the banner of King Yorick?" Tomas bluntly cut off the young Jordayne knight. "That was what you were going to say, right?"
"Well, Yorick is the strongest king in Dorne, he if anyone has the power to stop this Rhoynar invader," Artos said, a confused frown on his face now. Tomas chuckled and subtly shook his head. "You Jordaynes would wipe Yorick's ass and lick his feet if he asked, but the Tolands don't kneel to Yronwoods," he said strictly, staring sharply into the eyes of Artos, who looked taken aback by his words.
"I will ignore the insults, and remind you – we are not suggesting that you bend the knee, what we are suggesting is an alliance," he responded sternly. Of course, Tomas knew this wasn't the truth, Argim Taler had revealed him that the end goal of the Jordaynes was to bring House Toland into the Kingdom of Yronwood. But should I reveal it to him?
[Don't reveal] While I don't think Artos knew of Argim's spying, is unlikely he would like the accusation, and is better if he lets them think he's on their side for now, it could help get info to Nymeria about her enemies to the north.
Tomas
The castle of the Tor and the small port town by its feet were a beautiful and peaceful sight on a warm summer day like this. Howev… moreer, Tomas felt anything but peaceful looking at those white walls and towers. He was about to enter the halls of an enemy, an enemy that sought domination over Ghost Hill and House Toland – at least according to the dying words of Argim Taler. If Tomas had told Levor what he had learned from that treacherous spy, perhaps he wouldn't be here now. It's better that he doesn't know, Tomas tried to convince himself once again. Whatever the truth was, at least this could be an opportunity to gain more insight into the plans of King Yorick.
"I've never been to the Tor before," Ser Garibald of Sevengrace said quietly, eyeing at the white castle in front of them with awe. The young knight was the only companion Tomas had taken with him, and only because the boy had insisted. "Be careful in there," Tomas said st… [view original content]
It is rarely wise to reveal every piece of knowledge to a potential enemy. Better keep Artos in the belief that Tomas knows nothing about the Jordayne plans, that will likely make him more inclined to make a mistake in the long run. If he underestimates him, Tomas can find a way to stop him. That being said, I do not doubt that Artos knows about Terren's plans and is involved in them. After all, he is his eldest son and if he doesn't know, then who does?
You know, it's actually funny how I am slowly starting to root for Thomas XD I really don't want to like him, but for given reason, hating him has taken a backseat to hating a certain number of other characters, for reasons both, better and more personal. The fact that most characters in his storyline manage to be less likable probably helps a lot with this.
Tomas
The castle of the Tor and the small port town by its feet were a beautiful and peaceful sight on a warm summer day like this. Howev… moreer, Tomas felt anything but peaceful looking at those white walls and towers. He was about to enter the halls of an enemy, an enemy that sought domination over Ghost Hill and House Toland – at least according to the dying words of Argim Taler. If Tomas had told Levor what he had learned from that treacherous spy, perhaps he wouldn't be here now. It's better that he doesn't know, Tomas tried to convince himself once again. Whatever the truth was, at least this could be an opportunity to gain more insight into the plans of King Yorick.
"I've never been to the Tor before," Ser Garibald of Sevengrace said quietly, eyeing at the white castle in front of them with awe. The young knight was the only companion Tomas had taken with him, and only because the boy had insisted. "Be careful in there," Tomas said st… [view original content]
You know, it's actually funny how I am slowly starting to root for Thomas XD I really don't want to like him, but for given reason, hating him has taken a backseat to hating a certain number of other characters, for reasons both, better and more personal. The fact that most characters in his storyline manage to be less likable probably helps a lot with this.
Hahaa, it's working! Well, obviously I don't want one of the protagonists to be constantly hated for his actions, but what he did at the beginning of his storyline is still very much in-character for him. Tomas is not a good man by any means, but he can be quite likable at times, and right now he is arguably the underdog, which of course makes it easier to root for him. That said, while Argim clearly was less likable than Tomas, I'd say in the long run Artos is a better person than him. Right now we are just seeing him through the eyes of Tomas, which paints him in a bad light. And obviously being loyal to his father he follows Terren's schemes, even if personally he would handle things differently.
(I'm tagging because apparently there is no notifications for replys atm, and just to make it extra clear who I'm replying to)
[Don't reveal]
It is rarely wise to reveal every piece of knowledge to a potential enemy. Better keep Artos in the belief that Tomas know… mores nothing about the Jordayne plans, that will likely make him more inclined to make a mistake in the long run. If he underestimates him, Tomas can find a way to stop him. That being said, I do not doubt that Artos knows about Terren's plans and is involved in them. After all, he is his eldest son and if he doesn't know, then who does?
You know, it's actually funny how I am slowly starting to root for Thomas XD I really don't want to like him, but for given reason, hating him has taken a backseat to hating a certain number of other characters, for reasons both, better and more personal. The fact that most characters in his storyline manage to be less likable probably helps a lot with this.
Hahaa, it's working! Well, obviously I don't want one of the protagonists to be constantly hated for his actions, but what he did at the beginning of his storyline is still very much in-character for him. Tomas is not a good man by any means, but he can be quite likable at times, and right now he is arguably the underdog, which of course makes it easier to root for him. That said, while Argim clearly was less likable than Tomas, I'd say in the long run Artos is a better person than him. Right now we are just seeing him through the eyes of Tomas, which paints him in a bad light. And obviously being loyal to his father he follows Terren's schemes, even if personally he would handle things differently.
Hm, that is true, I think perspective does a great deal with making even a guy as unlikable as Tomas actually sympathetic. Pretty sure there is a trope about this XD I fully believe you that Artos is a better person than him, because on paper, Tomas is actually pretty scummy come to think of it. It's just that he mainly interacted with people less likable than him (Argim for certain, but I would also count Forovos to this category) and is, on top of that, working for the main protagonist of the story (who herself manages to be maybe not the single most likable, but definitely one of the Top 5 most sympathetic characters of the story for me) helps a great deal here, as we know his ultimate goal is a good one right now.
(I'm tagging because apparently there is no notifications for replys atm, and just to make it extra clear who I'm replying to)
That is a very good idea and I shall handle it the same way. Hopefully, this shit will get fixed soon enough, even if I fear we might have to say goodbye to the old system (read: the good system, the only acceptable system, the non-Aisha system, whatever you prefer to call it) permanently.
@LiquidChicagoTed
You know, it's actually funny how I am slowly starting to root for Thomas XD I really don't want to like him, but fo… morer given reason, hating him has taken a backseat to hating a certain number of other characters, for reasons both, better and more personal. The fact that most characters in his storyline manage to be less likable probably helps a lot with this.
Hahaa, it's working! Well, obviously I don't want one of the protagonists to be constantly hated for his actions, but what he did at the beginning of his storyline is still very much in-character for him. Tomas is not a good man by any means, but he can be quite likable at times, and right now he is arguably the underdog, which of course makes it easier to root for him. That said, while Argim clearly was less likable than Tomas, I'd say in the long run Artos is a better person than him. Right now we are just seeing him through the eyes of Tomas, which pain… [view original content]
Tomas
The castle of the Tor and the small port town by its feet were a beautiful and peaceful sight on a warm summer day like this. Howev… moreer, Tomas felt anything but peaceful looking at those white walls and towers. He was about to enter the halls of an enemy, an enemy that sought domination over Ghost Hill and House Toland – at least according to the dying words of Argim Taler. If Tomas had told Levor what he had learned from that treacherous spy, perhaps he wouldn't be here now. It's better that he doesn't know, Tomas tried to convince himself once again. Whatever the truth was, at least this could be an opportunity to gain more insight into the plans of King Yorick.
"I've never been to the Tor before," Ser Garibald of Sevengrace said quietly, eyeing at the white castle in front of them with awe. The young knight was the only companion Tomas had taken with him, and only because the boy had insisted. "Be careful in there," Tomas said st… [view original content]
Tomas
The castle of the Tor and the small port town by its feet were a beautiful and peaceful sight on a warm summer day like this. Howev… moreer, Tomas felt anything but peaceful looking at those white walls and towers. He was about to enter the halls of an enemy, an enemy that sought domination over Ghost Hill and House Toland – at least according to the dying words of Argim Taler. If Tomas had told Levor what he had learned from that treacherous spy, perhaps he wouldn't be here now. It's better that he doesn't know, Tomas tried to convince himself once again. Whatever the truth was, at least this could be an opportunity to gain more insight into the plans of King Yorick.
"I've never been to the Tor before," Ser Garibald of Sevengrace said quietly, eyeing at the white castle in front of them with awe. The young knight was the only companion Tomas had taken with him, and only because the boy had insisted. "Be careful in there," Tomas said st… [view original content]
Comments
I'd say Wyl alone can raise an army around the same size as the Blackmonts, so somewhere around 2000-3000 troops. However, this particular army marching towards Kingsgrave is supported by other minor vassals of Yorick, and no doubt some forces from Yronwood itself, raising the number to about 4000. So, it's not like they have an overwhelming advantage (and with the Fowlers it would've been even smaller), but enough to make Blackmonts the underdogs in this battle - especially since the Manwoody forces could potentially ride out of Kingsgrave and join the battle at any moment. Even if the Blackmonts manage to win the battle, the damages of it would be enough to force them lift the siege and retreat.
Anyway, we'll see soonish how this all pans out
[No]
[No]
[No] I pretty much agree with all the points made by everyone on this one.
Voting is closed!
And Emerson will answer to Lena that no, having a strong claim does not make one a great ruler. Well, this will certainly be an interesting conversation
And next up will be a Naemon PoV. So far in this chapter he has marched to Gravesend with his squire Davos Dayne, Prince Malcolm Dayne, Ser Myle, Brennin Kell, as well as Lord Alester and his 300 Upton troops. When they arrived to Gravesend they found the town abandoned by Karsan Taller and his rebels. However, they quickly found out that Karsan had made his way towards the lands of House Oakswood. Brennin Kell was left in charge of Gravesend with 100 of the Upton troops to keep the order, Ser Myle rode back to Blackmont to deliver the news to King Benedict, and Naemon, Davos, Malcolm and Alester continued towards Oakswood with the rest of the Upton troops. They later discussed about Ser Edwyn Oakswood, who is in charge of Oakswood in his brother's absense. Over ten years ago Ser Edwyn killed Naemon's great uncle Beric Blackmont in a tourney melee, and due to an old grudge between the two it was suspected Edwyn has the intent to kill. However, in a trial King Benedict fully pardoned Ser Edwyn. Davos asked Naemon what he would've done in his father's place, and you voted for him to answer that he would've sent Edwyn to the Wall.
Anyway, I must admit my writing pace this week will probably be a bit slower than usuallt, due to the Battlefront II beta taking, ehm, some of my time
I have made some progress though, and it's possible I'll get the Naemon part done tomorrow.
-
For now, here are portraits of Lena Wells and Yoren Jordayne:
Hello again! Sorry for taking so long with this one, and thank you for bearing with me. As I mentioned last week, I spent quite a lot of time with BF II beta, but I also had an exam yesterday, so I dropped the writing completely from Monday to Wednesday. Yesterday I got back to writing this part, but it always takes a while to get back to that flow after a break. Anyway, from now on the pace should get faster again
-
Naemon
"Personally, I would've sent Ser Edwyn to the Wall," Naemon said sternly. "I'm sure he claims that what happened in the melee was an accident, but it can't be denied that he had a clear motive for killing Beric. And the way he did it, slashing his throat open with such precise... it didn't look like an accident. He was a killer, but even killers may still deserve the mercy of finding a new purpose for their life under the Night's Watch."
"Sounds like a fair judgement," Malcolm said calmly, and Davos nodded in agreement. "However, your father pardoned Ser Edwyn long ago, so we must approach him with respect, rather than treat him like a criminal."
"Of course," Naemon confirmed with a nod. "I'm here to find Karsan Taller and his band of rebels, not to dig up old grudges with our vassals."
"Sounds like a plan, Ser," Davos quipped, and they continued chatting more lightheartedly for the rest of the evening.
-
The next day, shortly after noon, they arrived to Oakswood. The small castle was made partly out of stone and partly out of timber, and it stood majestically on a cliff overlooking the thundering rapids of the Torrentine's vassal stream that had its headwaters in the Kingdom of Reach. Oakswood was a relatively small keep, but well-built and in good condition. Of course, it had been almost completely rebuilt less than a century ago, after being razed to the ground by Garth the Painter in his war against the Dornishmen. Naemon couldn't claim to remember much about Maester Mortin's lessons of history, but the stories about that war had stuck to his mind.
As Naemon, Malcolm, Davos, Alester and their two-hundred troops approached the castle by the narrow uphill road, a couple of riders rode out to welcome them. Clad in the green and brown of House Oakswood, the two soldiers halted a dozen feet before them, and dismounted their horses. One of them, a man on his forties with a flowing black hair and sharp goatee, approached them by foot. "Prince Naemon," he greeted with a respectful tone.
"Afternoon, ser," Naemon replied with a nod. "I see you received our message, I'm here to meet Ser Edwyn Oakswood." To this, the man spread his arms open and grinned. "Here I am," he announced confidently.
"Are you saying that you are Ser Edwyn?" Naemon asked with some confusion, and the man nodded affirmatively. "Oh, well then, with me are my squire Davos Dayne, as well as Prince Malcolm Dayne and Lord Alester Upton - allies from the Kingdom of Torrentine," Naemon explained with a polite tone.
"Just as your message mentioned," Edwyn replied with a subtle smirk on his face. "Come on then, let's get inside, we can have a more comfortable conversation there."
So, Ser Edwyn led Naemon and his companions through the gates of Oakswood, and quickly inside the keep itself. They made their way to the council chamber, where Lady Bessa Oakswood was waiting for them, beside her the maester of the castle – an old white-haired man with a plump body. They both stood up and bowed for the prince.
"Sit down, mylords," Ser Edwyn said as he himself took the seat of the lord, right next to Lady Bessa. "Prince Naemon, you've grown a lot since we last met," Bessa said with a soft and gentle tone on her words. She was dressed in a simplistic but elegant green dress, and her black hair was tied to a bun. Lady Bessa was Naemon's kin, but in all honesty he didn't know her very well. "I heard what happened to your sister, and I just wanted to say I'm terribly sorry."
"Thank you," Naemon said hastily, trying not to worry about Gwendis right now. "She was always a smart girl, I'm sure she'll be fine wherever she has gone," Bessa continued, and this time Naemon settled for a quiet nod.
"So, how is the King?" Edwyn asked, a tiny smirk on his face as he spoke. Naemon considered his answer for a moment. Better not to open up too much to this man, he thought before answering. "Benedict is doing well, he is just concerned for Gwendis," the prince finally said, keeping his tone strictly professional. "And of course, he wants to put an end to this rebellion on his lands."
"Ah yes, Karsan Taller I believe is the man they call the leader of these rebels," Edwyn said with an intrigued tone. "I did receive some reports yesterday about a large group of lightly armed and armored men moving towards the river valley northwest from here. I have no doubt these are the rebels you've come for."
"Northwest," Malcolm spoke up now with a pondering tone, "Do you think they are trying to get out of the Kingdom of Blackmont?" He asked, and Ser Edwyn shrugged. "Well, they are moving towards the lands of House Peake," he stated nonchalantly. "Perhaps they think they will be out of King Benedict's reach in there, but I doubt Lord Peake will be very welcoming towards a band of Dornish rebels."
"Still, we need to stop them before they leave our lands," Naemon said sternly. "If we let Karsan Taller escape and hide away now, he will return the moment he sees an opportunity to create more havoc. Rebel leaders like him fancy to paint themselves as heroes, and if they aren't stopped swiftly enough people start to believe them."
"I agree," Lord Alester suddenly weighed in with his relaxed and confident tone. "We should track down these rebels as fast as we can and make an example out of them, if you know what I mean."
"Yes, I think I have an idea of what you mean," Naemon replied dryly. "However, I don't want any more bloodshed than is necessary. As much as I don't want Karsan Taller to be seen as a hero, neither do I want to make him and his rebels martyrs."
"I understand, you are here to defeat the rebels," Edwyn spoke up calmly, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Naemon. "However, there is not much I can offer to help you with this task. My brother marched to the war against the Manwoodys with most of our troops, and what little is left is needed to garrison the castle."
"We have enough troops, ser, that's not what we need. What we need is your knowledge of the land," Naemon said calmly, and now Edwyn's expression turned more interested. "That I can give you, my prince" he replied with a smirk. "When would you like to start the hunt?" There was something unsettling in the way Edwyn said this, his words oozing of bloodlust.
"We can't wait too long," Naemon answered quickly, taking in a deep breath. "We should leave in the morning, at first light," he decided, and Edwyn nodded. After a couple seconds of silence, Lord Alester spoke up. "So, is there something else?" He asked bluntly. Edwyn and Malcolm both turned their eyes to Naemon, who shook his head.
"I will show you to your chambers," the maester now spoke up, standing up from his seat and approaching the door. Alester, Malcolm and Davos followed after the old man, and Naemon was about to follow when Ser Edwyn spoke up again.
"My Prince, would you mind staying for a moment?" He asked calmly, and after a moment of hesitation Naemon nodded. "Sure," he said quietly. "I'll come soon," he said to Davos and Malcolm, before they walked out of the room, leaving him alone with Edwyn and Bessa.
"Did you want to talk about something?" Naemon asked calmly, and Edwyn nodded, for the first time a hint of uncertainty on his expression. "I know I have a reputation back in Blackmont," the knight said, glancing at Lady Bessa as he spoke. "They say I murdered you great uncle, Beric Blackmont, the father of Lady Bessa."
"I was there," Naemon said bluntly. "I was a kid, but I remember it still. You slit open his throat in the melee." Edwyn looked uncomfortable, but nodded nonetheless. "I am sure that left a bad impression on you," he said, chuckling awkwardly. "However, I wanted to let you know that my purpose was not to kill. Hurt? Yes, I wanted to hurt Beric Blackmont for denying Bessa from me, but I did not mean to kill him."
"And is this what you told my father in your trial?" Naemon asked emotionlessly, and Edwyn nodded. "Aye," he said quietly. "I also said that in case he found me guilty I would demand a trial by combat, so that the gods could prove me innocent. Benedict didn't want anyone else to die, so he pardoned me."
That was his reason? Naemon was slightly taken aback by this. All the time he had imagined his father had some malicious motive to pardon Ser Edwyn, but now it turned out he had done it just to avoid further bloodshed. In fact, Naemon could see himself making the exact same choice in that situation.
"So, I hope you can forgive me, as your father has," Edwyn said, shifting Naemon's attention back to him. "I hardly knew Beric, it is not me whose forgiveness you should ask," he said calmly, glancing at Bessa.
"I have forgiven Edwyn long ago," Bessa clarified, her lips forming a gentle smile. "He is a good man, and has redeemed all his past wrongdoings by serving my husband and son faithfully." Naemon gave the lady a subtle nod, unsure what more there was to say.
"So, my prince, would you like to have a few cups of Arbor gold with me and Bessa before the dinner?" Edwyn asked with a friendly tone, and as Naemon gave him a hesitant look, the knight continued. "We could talk more about the past, about your father. Or something else, if you so wish, I just think it would be good for us to get to know each other better."
[Accept Edwyn's offer] [Decline Edwyn's offer]
Oh yeah, new part
I was already very much looking forward for this, though I quite thought some exam stuff might have gotten in the way. Glad that's out of the picture for now, hope it all went well 
[Accept Edwyn's offer]
So, I really don't know what to make of Edwyn in general. That man is giving me bad vibes, but at the same time, he hasn't done anything yet to prove my assumption right, so I am not sure. Certainly, my hatred for a certain other character, who is the worst, has made me a bit paranoid when it comes to others, so Edwyn might be perfectly innocent and all he said is true. I am just not certain. Might be nothing, he might be a good guy, but at the same time, he might be plotting against House Blackmont and working with Karsan Taller. I consider him a dangerous and shady ally, but this is precisely my reason for accepting his offer. I doubt Bessa is involved in anything bad and with her around, I feel kinda safe for Naemon, so this could be the perfect opportunity to get to know Edwyn a bit better, learning if he can indeed be trusted, or if he's as bad as I fear him to be.
Anyways, it's been a nice detail, learning just why Benedict chose to pardon him. Wouldn't be surprised if Valaena had a hand in this decision as well, though Benedict seemed generally a better man with her by his side. It's amazing how similar he seemed to be to Naemon once. Also, argh, why is it always breaking my heart when Naemon speaks about Gwen? He's right with his assumption though, she's a smart one, so she'll find a way to get herself out of that mess she was lured into. If he can be positive about this, maybe so should I.
[Accept Edwyn's offer]
[Accept Edwyn's offer] Yeah, is better if we talk more with him, could help understand if this man is trustworthy or not. While is too soon to believe he's working with Taller, maybe he was sincere about accidentally killing Beric Blackmont, one can't be too sure.
Nice reference to the past; Garth XI Gardener led a brief, but brutal revenge war against the Dornish of the Red Mountains for killing one of his predecessors, Garth X Gardener, the Greybeard and sacking Highgarden. He was called The Painter for bringing the Reach back its glory, and for 'painting' the mountains red with Dornish blood.
Indeed, it's details like this that make clear that Benedict really was once a good man, and perhaps still is to some degree. Naemon was almost angry finding out this, since he really doesn't want to feel empathy towards his father right now
In the long run though, finding out about more positive sides like this about his father will help Naemon come around and perhaps eventually forgive him. And yeah, I'd say Valaena was a big influence to pretty much every choice Benedict made back then, and losing her certainly changed him for the worse. And ah, I was perhaps a bit unclear with my writing there, but it was actually Bessa who said that Gwen is smart 
Obviously Naemon agrees, but he is not quite there yet with seeing any positivity in his sister's disappearance. If anything, he is just trying to suppress his feelings about that issue by concentrating on this mission.
Indeed, I'm glad I got a chance to drop this reference since there hasn't been very much talk about the current situation between Dorne and Reach in the story so far. Basically the Dornish got their asses handed to them by the Gardeners nearly hundred years ago, and since then there has been peace between them.
Ah, I have indeed gotten the impression it was Naemon doing the talking, that he simply said something real quick to get this topic over with, so that he won't be forced to speak about his recently abducted sister in front of pretty much strangers. But rereading, I see where I've been wrong, thanks for clarifying it
It's also interesting that Naemon and Benedict might still manage to become closer again, Naemon's realization in this part and your comment have shown a quite possible chance for that. I guess this very much depends on a large number of things. Gwendis' return to Blackmont might be the make or break thing here, given how Benedict is partially to blame for that situation with Aisha. But even beyond that, I think this is not only up for Naemon. Just realizing that his father has been a better man once won't be enough. Benedict has to learn his lesson and probably has to actively make amends with his children, I'd say that is mandatory. Most of the change has to come from him, really.
[Accept Edwyn's offer]
I see no harm in this.
[Accept Edwyn's offer]
I agree with the others here, it wouldn't hurt to learn more about Edwyn and get more of an idea of what kind of man he really is. It sounds like to me that we are getting very close to meeting Karsan Taller and it will be interesting to see how the battle ends up going. Also I am glad to see a new part and I hope your exam went well!
[Accept Edwyn's offer]
Ah, my sisters. They look great, thank you for sharing and making these :-)
Voting is closed!
And Prince Naemon will accept Edwyn's offer, having a conversation with him and Lady Bessa with a few cups of Arbor gold. This should give us a bit more insight into the character of Edwyn, before we head out to the hunt for Karsan Taller with him.
And up next will be a Gwendis PoV. In her last part she was traveling with Aisha, Mordekhai and Trentan through the Red Mountains. On their way they spotted the Wyl army marching towards Kingsgrave. Seeing this clearly irritated Mordekhai, but Aisha reminded him that his duty is no longer with Albin. Gwendis had a little conversation with Trentan, first talking briefly about the history of Yronwoods and Manwoodys, and then Trentan gave Gwendis some insight into how the common folk gets treated unfairly by the nobility. In the end Gwendis said she understood Trentan's points, but added that she would never again be in a position to change things for the better. Trentan tried to cheer her up, saying they would get through whatever the world would throw at them if they just stuck together. Gwendis feared it wouldn't be that simple, but decided to agree with Trentan anyway. Now, we will skip ahead a couple days, and continue with the group having arrived to the coast of the Sea of Dorne.
I've made good progress on the part today, and I'd say you can expect it to be ready tomorrow (with some luck even today!).
Gwendis
The cold blue eyes, they were watching her. Even when she didn't see them, she could feel their chilling presence in her mind. She wandered through the darkness, and heard a shrill voice speaking somewhere in the distance. Or did she? What was real and what wasn't, Gwendis Blackmont couldn't tell, but she couldn't escape it either. The voice grew louder, speaking in an inhuman tongue that the princess couldn't understand.
"Blow out the flames, or the fire will consume you," the screeching voice suddenly said, echoing in the eternity around Gwendis. She tried to speak up, ask something, but she had no voice here, no power to speak. Gwendis turned around, seeing a dead tree standing in the middle of the darkness, blood smeared on its pale trunk. "Embrace the darkness," echoed around her as she approached the tree. Gwendis extended her hand, trying to touch it, but just as she was about to reach it, she woke up.
It was a calm and warm morning, and Gwendis could hear the sound of the sea close by, accompanied by the squawking of the seagulls. They had arrived to the shore of the Sea of Dorne yesterday, and made their camp in a small cave next to the beach. They were somewhere north of Greenbelt and south of Wyl, and that was all that Gwendis knew.
Getting up, she saw that Trentan was still sleeping, while Aisha and Mordekhai were having a conversation by the entrance of the cave. Gwendis moved silently to Trentan's bag of supplies and grabbed a piece of the bread that Mordekhai had stolen from some poor farmer whose house they came across yesterday. Sinking her teeth into it, Gwendis felt guilty, even if she was as much a victim of Aisha and Mordekhai as the man who had baked this bread, if not more so.
"You're awake," the cold and emotionless voice of Aisha said, and Gwendis shifted her gaze to the approaching priestess. "Has our Lord shown you something?" She asked quietly, and for a moment Gwendis stayed silent.
"Nothing new," she finally mumbled, and Aisha narrowed her eyes, looking like she was about to say something. However, she stayed quiet, walking past Gwendis and kneeling down next to Trentan. She put her hand softly on the young man's cheek and spoke. "Time to wake up, Trentan" she said with an almost gentle tone, and Trentan blinked his eyes open. "Aisha," he mumbled tiredly as he saw the priestess next to him, and Aisha nodded quietly. "Get something to eat, we'll continue towards south today," she said as she stood up again. Trentan glanced at Gwendis as he raised to a sitting position, and the princess grabbed another piece of the bread and threw it to her friend.
"Thanks," Trentan said with a yawn, before taking a bite. Gwendis gave him a smile, before turning her gaze to see Mordekhai walking into the cave. The false knight was clad in his spiked armor as always, his one red eye glowing inside the skull-shaped helmet. "Undisciplined brats, always slacking," he muttered with his deep and chilling voice, murderous anger in his eye. With a gulp Gwendis turned away from the man, and walked to Trentan, who was still eating the bread.
"We should get going," she said to him with a quiet and alarmed tone, to which he raised an eyebrow. "Mordekhai is getting impatient," she added, and now Trentan nodded understandingly, quickly finishing his piece of bread and gearing up.
They followed the coastline to south, while the sun raised higher and higher above the sea. Aisha led them, walking about a hundred feet ahead of Gwendis and Trentan. And Mordekhai came a dozen feet behind them, no doubt making sure they wouldn't try to escape.
"So, we are currently trying to find some dead tree on the coast, right?" Trentan asked quietly after they had been on the move for few hours, and Gwendis nodded. "If the vision was correct, it should be on a cliff," she added nonchalantly. Trentan frowned and shook his head subtly. "If that's really all the knowledge we have, then I'm sorry, but this is impossible. And if we find this tree, what happens then?"
"Don't ask me," Gwendis answered with a sigh. "I know as little as you do."
"That is because you refuse to learn," said Mordekhai, who had apparently creeped right behind them. Gwendis shot him a silent glare, but didn't dare to speak up. "There is an immense power in you, I can feel it," he continued. "However, you are too proud, too stubborn to let it blossom, and unless you commit yourself to the will of our Lord, all that power will go to waste."
"I'm not like Aisha, I'm not like you," Gwendis hissed defiantly, which was followed by a tense silence. Before anyone could break the silence, they noticed that Aisha had stopped. They caught up to her quickly, and stopped beside her. "Why have you stopped?" Mordekhai asked sternly, as Aisha stared into the distance.
"Look," she said sharply, pointing forward. Gwendis had to squint her eyes, but she did indeed see two riders in the distance riding towards them, one of them carrying a blue-and-red banner. "Shouldn't we hide?" Trentan asked with a concerned tone. Aisha didn't answer, but simply gave a meaningful glance at Mordekhai, who unsheathed his massive dark sword.
As the riders got closer, Gwendis managed to get a better look at the banner they were carrying: the lower half was blue sea with waves, and the upper half was a red sky with yellow sunburst. The riders were lightly armored young men, and the one who wasn't carrying the banner had a spear on his right hand. The soldiers halted a few dozen feet before them, both of them tanned and black-haired, the one with the banner being clean shaven while the one with the spear sported a short stubble. They both had concerned looks in their eyes, and seemed to mostly be eyeing at Mordekhai.
"You are in the lands of House Vass," the one with the spear informed sternly. "State what is your business here."
"We are simply travelers, passing by," Aisha said calmly. "You need not pay mind to us." The soldiers didn't look convinced, and gave each other alarmed glances. "That one doesn't look like just a harmless traveler," the one carrying the banner said, nodding towards Mordekhai.
"He is our bodyguard," Aisha responded nonchalantly, and the soldier carrying the banner chuckled nervously. "A bodyguard, eh? And what kind of traveler has the coin to hire a heavily armored knight as their bodyguard?"
"Why does that matter?" Aisha asked, a hint of frustration in her voice. "It matters because we can't trust you," the one with the spear answered sternly. "I think we need to take you to Watersmeet, to meet Lord Barris," he added, and now Aisha shook her head.
"That you will not," she whispered, and raised her hands up. "AAH!" She shrieked, and Gwendis could hear the Great Other in her chilling voice. The horses went wild, and dropped the riders from their backs, running away in panic. The clean-shaven soldier got up first, dropping the banner and drawing his sword. However, Mordekhai disarmed him with a single swing of his sword, and proceeded to severe the man's head. By now the one with the spear had stood up, and charged towards Mordekhai. He tried to ram the spear to the unprotected area under the knight's arm, but Mordekhai moved at just the right moment, and the tip of the spear met the sturdy armor, merely making a small dent to it. Now Mordekhai moved to attack, but the spearman managed to dodge his swing, and keep him at a distance with his spear.
Mordekhai moved for another attack, swinging his massive sword with fury. However, the spearman did a good job of parrying and dodging the attacks – at least until Aisha decided to intervene. She raised one of her hands up, and muttered something unintelligible, and suddenly the soldier fell on his knees and dropped the spear, a look of agony in his eyes. Mordekhai raised his sword, ready to finish off the man. "Stop!" Aisha yelled, and Mordekhai obeyed. "We shouldn't kill this man, not yet... he could be useful."
"A sacrifice?" Mordekhai asked quietly, eager look in his eye, and Aisha nodded. "Knock him out," she added coldly, and once again Mordekhai obeyed her orders, giving one hard punch on the young man's face, which was enough to make him unconscious.
"What are you going to do with him?" Gwendis asked with an alarmed tone, and Aisha gave her a pitiful look. "His life is already over, princess, we will merely make his death meaningful by sacrificing him to our Lord."
Mordekhai had already raised the unconscious soldier to his arms, and started carrying him towards the cliffs next to the beach. "You can't be serious," Gwendis said with a shocked tone on her voice, to which Aisha let out a sigh. "Trust me, I don't enjoy doing it, but it strengthens our connection to the Great Other, and now is the time we need that connection more than ever." With these words the Dark Priestess turned away and walked after Mordekhai. Gwendis and Trentan shared a fearful glance, before following the two.
They made their way atop the cliffs, where Mordekhai laid down the soldier's body. He tied the man's hands with a leather strap, and stripped him from his leather armor and cotton tunic, leaving his chest bare. Now Aisha pulled a small dagger from her sleeve, and kneeled down next to the unconscious man. The priestess closed her eyes, and started mumbling some kind of prayer or spell, her left hand on the man's bare chest. After she was done with her prayer, Aisha opened her eyes, and plunged the dagger mercilessly into the man's chest. The soldier opened his eyes in shock, and started screaming and struggling.
Mordekhai moved in quickly to help keep the man still, and Aisha continued her work, carving open the man's chest. "Take this offering, our Lord!" She yelled with zealous tone, as the man screamed in agony. "Feast with his flesh and blood, and offer us part of your strength!"
By now Trentan had turned away in disgust, but Gwendis kept looking. She couldn't stop Aisha and her monster from doing this, she knew it, but at least she would honor this poor man by not turning away. After a few minutes the man's screams died down, the ground around him soaked with his blood. Finally, Aisha violently pulled out the man's heart, and raised it up, letting the blood spill on her face. Soon she handed it to Mordekhai, who did the same.
And then Mordekhai approached Gwendis, offering the heart for her. "Take it," he grunted with an almost threatening tone. "Take it, and feel the power of our Lord." Gwendis had no desire to take part in this madness, but she feared how would Mordekhai react if she refused.
[Take the heart] [Refuse to take the heart]
[Take the heart]
I'll go and get the vote out of the way first, before sharing my long amount of thoughts.
[Refuse to take the heart]
Yeah, surprise, I pick the option that is not awful, as it makes it less likely for Gwen to fall victim to Aisha's brainwashing. Let's just get the obvious out of the way, this is an act of evil. Gwen is not evil, that's a fact, she'll never be either. And doing the evil thing out of being frightened into submission, that might be more excusable and very well in line with what Aisha wishes for her, but it is still not her. She has resisted the darkness Aisha tries to force her into for so long, she can resist her just this little bit longer, then go home and never deal with that fucking priestess and her cunty dog ever again. We know, seemingly mundane things can have great power when it comes to the Great Other, such as Gwendis grabbing Aisha's hand and being infected by that insanity. So, who knows how much worse it will be if she does what Wesley wants her to do. She is still resisting the temptation and that is what matters. She considers this all madness, she doesn't want to be a part of this and if Aisha so desperately wants her to do it, she's going to have to force her. Seriously, resisting this is the only way for Gwen to win, to get out of this alive and if she fails despite us trying the best not to ruin her, then the least she can do is to make Aisha's victory as unsatisfying as possible, to deny that rotten piece of shit at least the feeling of triumph of breaking her will. And no, she will win over Aisha, over Wesley, over that bastard demon god and hell, even over Dalia and her Red God if they decide to do as much as lay a finger on her.
So, coming to my thoughts, we got an example of some solid 10/10 Aisha logic right there that actually inspired me to make a meme out of it:
That's where she is wrong though. She remains the worst, while at the same time constantly lowering the depths this term describes. Somehow, she makes being the worst worse than ever before and I actually consider it an insult to all the things that have ever been called the worst before that they are now supposedly on the same level as Aisha. She's like a fidget spinner made out of vegan bacon and pure evil. It has gotten to the point where I can take literally any villain in the story and say that as horrible as they are, at least they are not Aisha. Yes, that includes the Great Other, because she's the one actually doing all that shit, not him. And I can say, truthfully, I consider it highly unlikely that any villain to follow can get even remotely close to the sheer level of depravity, of utter irredeemable evil that Aisha is constantly showing. She is literally redefining the term awful, that's how godawful she is. If the people in charge could do their jobs correctly, the term "evil" in any dictionary in the world would simply be a description of Aisha. It should be used synonymously to the very term "evil", as that is what she's all about.
Ah, I have sort of missed a proper Aisha rant
Don't get me wrong, when I say I missed them, I actually mean I haven't missed them at all, because that is how awful Aisha is. If I never have to fall into an Aisha rant again, that'd actually be wonderful. Unfortunately, the calm of the last two parts was too good to last. Oh, how I miss these nicer parts already, but this was inevitable, because Aisha is the fucking worst and she'll continue to be the fucking worst, until someone, preferrably Gwen in sweet, poetic vengeance, gives her a taste of her own medicine and just fucking kills her. I don't even care for how painful that witch is going to die, as long as it happens. At least, I don't care yet, but she's really trying her best (or her worst?) to make me yearn for a death as awful as she is. No, at the moment I'd be happy if she just drops dead, no longer the slightest bit of a threat for Gwen, unable to go through with whatever horrible thing she has planned for her.
I must say though, this vision is really concerning for me. It obviously matches with Desi's vision, as I expected. What does it mean though, that they share visions? Clearly, their fates are somewhat connected, but for the better or worse, I cannot say. Hopefully this will be a meeting for the better, a way out of whatever painful fate Aisha has in mind once Gwendis stopped being useful. At the same time, I cannot help but think she must be hellishly careful or else, as the Great Other has warned her, the flame will consume her. That being said, maybe that isn't even a bad thing. It doesn't have to be physical fire that burns her to death, it could just as well be metaphorically spoken, that she will follow the path of R'hllor instead. For a follower of the Great Other, likely even for the demon itself, this could very well be the worst fate imaginable, but I have to say, if the alternative is having Gwendis evil or dead, then it doesn't sound half bad, particularly with someone such as Desirea around to guide her. All we need is to prevent her from giving in to the temptation, keeping her as clean as possible, so that Desi will see a chance to save her. And we can do this if we don't stop resisting Aisha here.
[Refuse to take the heart]
[Refuse to take the heart] While is likely Aisha will force her to take it regardless, is better if Gwendis keeps her convictions and refuses to fall. The Great Other will only takeover if she lets her.
Poor soldiers of Vass, wrong place and wrong time. House Vass seem to be vassals of Yronwood, not very important, but nobility nonetheless.
Double post
[Take the heart]
[Refuse to take the heart] Even if they end up forcing Gwendis to do it anyway, at least with this she will show how strong her resolve is. Man, Aisha and Mordekhai are really getting on my nerves now, they can't die soon enough if you ask me.
Ah, I did expect you to have a lot to say about this part, and you surely didn't disappoint me
Hahaa, your rants towards Aisha get more creative all the time! Fidget spinner made out of vegan bacon and pure evil especially was a nice touch
Anyway, on a more serious note, this is probably Aisha at her most evil. Blood sacrifices are something I imagine to be a fairly common practice among the followers of the GO, and as we see here Aisha isn't above it either. That said, while she doesn't really show much regret or hesitation here, it is a method she would rather avoid. However, right now she sees the coming confrontation with the warriors of R'hllor as the hardest challenge she has ever faced, and thus all means necessary to get stronger are justified for her. Of course, none of this is truly justified from an unbiased perspective - it is clearly an act of evil.
Indeed, at this point it's blatanly clear that the fates of Gwendis and Desirea are connected in some way, and right now it looks like something will happen by this dead tree on a cliff next to the sea. Blood has also been present in both visions, as well as flames/fire. And the suggestion of the fire consuming Gwen being metaphorical rather than literal is an interesting idea, which for obvious reasons I can't confirm nor deny at this point. Perhap you're on to something there. Anyway, Gwendis has survived so far with refusing to "embrace the darkness", perhaps she can keep it up long enough to be saved by Team R'hllor, who knows.
Indeed, House Vass is a minor vassal house of the Yronwoods. They have been briefly mentioned before in one of Ortheg's parts, and we know that Carsen (the sellsword that Willem Pyke is looking for) works for Lord Vass. We'll be seeing some of them later in this chapter
If there is one good thing I can say about her, it's that she is making me creative. Of course, it can be argued that creative hatred is not that much of a good thing, but hey, it's something. And she really hit a new low here, I don't regret making the comparison
I mean, I hate her more for what she did to Lyla than to this random soldier, but even I can agree that Lyla was killed in what was basically combat, she had a good chance and Aisha can argue, no matter how twisted that argument is, that she was defending her own life when ordering Wesley to kill her. That soldier, not so much. That was the most horrible thing she has done so far and it shows once again what she truly is. The fact that she is so callous that she is outright willing to sacrifice someone to her god makes me truly afraid for Gwen, but also, on a smaller note, for Trentan and even Desi herself. I fear like no matter what, she will claim a painful loss before she gets what she deserves
Then this shall be the outcome I shall hope for a R'hllor rescue. I mean, I really wouldn't go as far as to accuse the Great Other of lying. I think he is above outright lying in such a petty way. However, neither do I think he is saying the full truth, but more a distorted truth, where nothing is as easy as it actually seems. He paints a picture where Gwendis has two choices, blowing out the fire or being consumed by it. However, this doesn't mean there won't be a third option, or that being consumed by the fire is something that is in any way bad for Gwen. After all, that would make sense when considering who the Great Other is. A being with such a hatred for anything living certainly wouldn't give out helpful advice how she could stay alive, the very thought sounds like a paradox. I don't doubt that there is a very realistic chance she could die, even at the hands of the R'hllor servants, but with what the demon represents, that actually could be something he would prefer, that she dies after she stopped being useful. One thing I know for sure, his advice is poisonous, just like his servants.
[Refuse to take the heart]
I pretty much agree with the others reasoning here.
[Refuse to take the heart]
I definitely agree with the others here, Gwendis needs to stay strong here. While flat out refusing Mordekhai normally wouldn't be the best idea, having Gwendis take the heart would pretty much be having her cross over into territory that would be hard to come back from with witnessing this being hard enough on her. I also don't want to give these two the satisfaction of Gwendis giving in to what they want and quite frankly this part makes me more than ready to see these two get what's coming to them.
On a side note though, man I had high hopes for the Vass spearman who was actually holding his own into Aisha stepped in. I enjoy seeing Mordekhai in a vulnerable position and I feel his time will be coming and when it does, Aisha will be finished as well.
Voting is closed!
And Gwendis will refuse to take the heart. Well, you can be sure that Mordekhai's reaction to this won't be positive, but you'll have to wait until the next Gwendis part to see how bad exactly it is.
Next up will be a PoV we haven't seen in a while, and that is Tomas Toland. So far in this chapter he has returned to Ghost Hill and convinced his nephew Levor to lay down his crown and seek peace with the Martells. He also found out that Argim Taler was in Ghost Hill to spy for King Yorick Yronwood, trying to manipulate Levor to benefit the Yronwoods. Tomas got all this information from Argim with the help of Forovos Norvoshi, and then he killed the spy, asking Forovos to get rid of the body. There was also an invitation from the Jordaynes, suggesting an alliance between the houses, but thanks to Argim Tomas knew that the end goal of the Jordaynes would be to make the Tolands bend the knee to the Yronwoods. By telling about this to Levor he would've had to reveal what he did to Argim, but you chose to keep it a secret. Thus, Tomas Toland has traveled to the Tor, and that's where his story will continue. I'd say the part will be ready tomorrow.
I guess I could give my thoughts on the update on this forum as well, since it does have a small affect on the story as well. Well, not really the story itself, but its presentation. I'll say right away that my main gripe with this update is that you have to go to page 1 of the thread to see the opening post. It was so handy to have the character lists, maps etc. there, so you could easily scroll up and check them while/after reading the newest part. Oh well, I guess it's not that hard to click to page 1 to check it, but it's still a shame. Another thing I'm a bit iffy about is the linearity, which at least right now feels like it's making conversations within a thread much more confusing. However, I feel like that might just be something I'll get used to later on. So, there are a couple things I'm not happy with, but at least they've made the PMs miles better now! I'm sure I'll get used to this in time
Oh god, oh my god it is going to be something awful, isn't it? Oh no, Gwen, what have we done! Argh, the next part for her cannot come soon enough, even if I am terrified thinking about the possibilities. He won't kill her, this I bet, but he can hurt her in several super awful ways. This is legitimately the most afraid I have ever been for her. At the same time, giving in to the Great Other surely wouldn't have been better, but likely a lot less painful. Hells, who knows what that monster is going to do
I consider this a major downgrade, aye. The main post has been super useful and I for one am unhappy with the lack of it, or the confusing comment system we have to deal with from now on. I suppose we will get used to it, but that doesn't change the fact that it is way less convenient than before.
Hopefully neither of us will lose any reader over this, means hopefully everyone will get this to work and realize when an update will come. I can just promise, I'll stay for sure and well, I have a few ideas for how to maybe regain a few functions the main post has provided. I'll look into this over the next couple days, maybe there will be a solution
Tomas
The castle of the Tor and the small port town by its feet were a beautiful and peaceful sight on a warm summer day like this. However, Tomas felt anything but peaceful looking at those white walls and towers. He was about to enter the halls of an enemy, an enemy that sought domination over Ghost Hill and House Toland – at least according to the dying words of Argim Taler. If Tomas had told Levor what he had learned from that treacherous spy, perhaps he wouldn't be here now. It's better that he doesn't know, Tomas tried to convince himself once again. Whatever the truth was, at least this could be an opportunity to gain more insight into the plans of King Yorick.
"I've never been to the Tor before," Ser Garibald of Sevengrace said quietly, eyeing at the white castle in front of them with awe. The young knight was the only companion Tomas had taken with him, and only because the boy had insisted. "Be careful in there," Tomas said sternly as they approached the gates. "The Jordaynes may seem like friendly and welcoming people, but in truth they are vipers, waiting to sink their venomous teeth into us when we turn our backs." Garibald gave him an uncertain look, but stayed silent.
"Who is it?" Asked the guardsman at the gates, as Tomas and Garibald dismounted their horses in front of him. "I am Tomas Toland, uncle of Levor Toland, the Lord of Ghost Hill," Tomas started with a calm and stern tone on his voice, then turning to his companion. "And with me is Ser Garibald of Sevengrace, knight in service of House Toland."
"You have arrived sooner than expected," the guardsman said with a relaxed tone, gesturing for them to come in. "Come on then, take your horses to the stables while I fetch the lord."
And so Tomas and Garibald walked through the gatehouse and into the courtyard of the castle. While they took their horses to the stables, a young nobleman dressed in the green and gold of House Jordayne had arrived to the courtyard. He was a tall man with the build of a warrior, his dark hair cut short.
"Tomas Toland, I assume," the young man said as he approached them and offered his hand for shaking, and Tomas nodded. "Aye," he grunted sternly as he grabbed the young man's hand, a questioning gaze in his eyes.
"I am Ser Artos Jordayne, firstborn son of Lord Terren and heir to the Tor," he introduced himself with a professional tone, then turning to shake Garibald's hand. "Ser Garibald of Sevengrace, mylord," the boy introduced himself with a friendly tone.
"I'm afraid Lord Terren isn't present at the moment," Artos continued tensely. "To be honest, we weren't expecting you to come so soon."
"I came as my lord commanded," Tomas responded dryly, to which Artos Jordayne frowned with a confused look in his eyes. "Your lord?" He asked politely, and Tomas nodded. "Lord Levor Toland," he clarified. "My nephew."
"Ah, I see," Artos now said understandingly. "Well, as I said, Lord Terren isn't present at the moment, he is visiting Yronwood with my younger brother. However, I do know why he invited you, so perhaps you could discuss this matter with me instead?"
"Fine by me," Tomas responded calmly, and Artos nodded with a slightly relieved expression on his face. This is good, he might be easier to read than his father, Tomas thought. He had met Terren Jordayne only few times, years ago, but the man had given him the impression of being someone who hides his true intentions behind smiles and honeyed words. "Good then, I'll take you to my father's office, we can have a more comfortable conversation there," Artos said, turning around and summoning one of the servants. "Bring a jug of wine and three cups to the lord's office," he commanded the young boy. "Oh, and ask for Julia to come there with her quill and ink."
"Yes, mylord," the servant said with a respectful bow, and hastily made his way into the keep. Artos turned to Tomas and Garibald again, a nervous smile on his face. "Alright then, follow me," he said, leading them inside. They made their way through the finely decorated corridors and stairways of the castle, until finally arriving to the door of the lord's office. Artos opened it, and behind the door a pretty young girl in green dress was waiting for them, as well as a jug of red wine on the desk.
As they walked in, the girl approached them. "I'm Julia Jordayne, scribe of Lord Terren Jordayne and daughter of Quentyn Jordayne," the girl introduced herself with a polite but unenthusiastic tone. "Tomas Toland," Tomas answered sternly, and after that Julia turned to Garibald. While they introduced themselves to each other, Tomas and Artos took their seats on the opposite sides of the desk. Quickly Garibald followed to the seat next to Tomas, and Julia Jordayne took her place by the smaller table on the side with her parchments, quill and ink.
"She is writing down our conversation?" Tomas asked nonchalantly after taking a sip from his wine, and Artos nodded. "Let It Be Written," he said with a nervous chuckle, and Tomas flashed him a cold smile. "The words of your house," he stated quietly. "Ours are 'Brave and Vigilant'. So, you must excuse me for being particularly observant towards any attempts to deceive me." Artos Jordayne looked a bit confused by this, taking a gulp of the wine before answering. "Be assured, we haven't invited you here for any deceitful reasons, mylord," he said with a calming tone on his voice, to which Tomas chuckled coldly. "I will be the judge of that," he responded emotionlessly, and Artos nodded hesitantly.
"Anyway, as it said in our message, we have been paying close attention to your efforts to defeat the Rhoynar threat," the heir of the Tor said, changing the topic. "So far you have been unsuccessful and suffered heavy losses. I also have to regretfully inform you that we recently received news that Nymeria has now taken over Godsgrace as well."
Tomas hadn't heard of this, but he wasn't particularly surprised either. Nymeria had gathered the support of houses Martell, Santagar and Ladybright around her, and her own Rhoynar army wasn’t to be underestimated either – of course the Allyrions would submit against such force. "House Toland doesn't have the power to defeat the Martells," Tomas stated calmly. "If we wage war against Princess Nymeria again, she will obliterate us."
Artos stayed quiet for a moment, clearly considering his next words carefully. "I understand, fighting against such a powerful enemy, it is an intimidating prospect," he started, taking in a deep breath. "However, Nymeria has come to Dorne to make every single lord and king either kneel before her, or die. If we want to stop her before she gets too powerful, we need to band together, and..."
"Fight under the banner of King Yorick?" Tomas bluntly cut off the young Jordayne knight. "That was what you were going to say, right?"
"Well, Yorick is the strongest king in Dorne, he if anyone has the power to stop this Rhoynar invader," Artos said, a confused frown on his face now. Tomas chuckled and subtly shook his head. "You Jordaynes would wipe Yorick's ass and lick his feet if he asked, but the Tolands don't kneel to Yronwoods," he said strictly, staring sharply into the eyes of Artos, who looked taken aback by his words.
"I will ignore the insults, and remind you – we are not suggesting that you bend the knee, what we are suggesting is an alliance," he responded sternly. Of course, Tomas knew this wasn't the truth, Argim Taler had revealed him that the end goal of the Jordaynes was to bring House Toland into the Kingdom of Yronwood. But should I reveal it to him?
[Reveal what you know] [Don't reveal]
[Don't reveal] While I don't think Artos knew of Argim's spying, is unlikely he would like the accusation, and is better if he lets them think he's on their side for now, it could help get info to Nymeria about her enemies to the north.
[Don't reveal]
[Don't reveal]
It is rarely wise to reveal every piece of knowledge to a potential enemy. Better keep Artos in the belief that Tomas knows nothing about the Jordayne plans, that will likely make him more inclined to make a mistake in the long run. If he underestimates him, Tomas can find a way to stop him. That being said, I do not doubt that Artos knows about Terren's plans and is involved in them. After all, he is his eldest son and if he doesn't know, then who does?
You know, it's actually funny how I am slowly starting to root for Thomas XD I really don't want to like him, but for given reason, hating him has taken a backseat to hating a certain number of other characters, for reasons both, better and more personal. The fact that most characters in his storyline manage to be less likable probably helps a lot with this.
@LiquidChicagoTed
Hahaa, it's working!
Well, obviously I don't want one of the protagonists to be constantly hated for his actions, but what he did at the beginning of his storyline is still very much in-character for him. Tomas is not a good man by any means, but he can be quite likable at times, and right now he is arguably the underdog, which of course makes it easier to root for him. That said, while Argim clearly was less likable than Tomas, I'd say in the long run Artos is a better person than him. Right now we are just seeing him through the eyes of Tomas, which paints him in a bad light. And obviously being loyal to his father he follows Terren's schemes, even if personally he would handle things differently.
(I'm tagging because apparently there is no notifications for replys atm, and just to make it extra clear who I'm replying to)
@WildlingKing
Hm, that is true, I think perspective does a great deal with making even a guy as unlikable as Tomas actually sympathetic. Pretty sure there is a trope about this XD I fully believe you that Artos is a better person than him, because on paper, Tomas is actually pretty scummy come to think of it. It's just that he mainly interacted with people less likable than him (Argim for certain, but I would also count Forovos to this category) and is, on top of that, working for the main protagonist of the story (who herself manages to be maybe not the single most likable, but definitely one of the Top 5 most sympathetic characters of the story for me) helps a great deal here, as we know his ultimate goal is a good one right now.
That is a very good idea and I shall handle it the same way. Hopefully, this shit will get fixed soon enough, even if I fear we might have to say goodbye to the old system (read: the good system, the only acceptable system, the non-Aisha system, whatever you prefer to call it) permanently.
[Don't reveal]
[Don't reveal]
By the way, how do you tag someone? Do you just right @whoever there name is or do you need to do something else first?