A Tale of the Kings of Yesteryear
Nineteenth Day of the Twelfth Month 292 AC
It is the task of several hours to learn the complex spell work that Bloodraven teaches. In the tongue of the Freehold that had perhaps never been heard in this hidden chamber, he speaks the incantations. Here in the dark where no light of sun, moon, or star can reach, you learn of astrological conjunctions and the way they can be used to coax fire from steel. And through these teachings you learn something more of the nature of the world before the silent unseen rebirth of magic, when even the feeblest of powers had to be wrung from the sweat of one's brow, the blood of one's foes, or else the relics of a greater age. How
small the world you had been born into had been...
Gained Sundered Steel Ritual
For all the horrors you had witnessed you would not wish to live without the wonders, you admit, not even had there been no Usurpation and had you remained a prince in far King's Landing. It feels a betrayal to think it... and yet it would be a lie to say the opposite, and the lies one tells one's self are of the most perilous sort.
"I'm fine with having wings too, no matter how I got them," Dany says, taking your hand.
"Was I being that obvious?" you ask her with a smile, glad for the support.
"Only to me," she answers. Then with an impish smile she looks to Bloodraven and says, "Maybe to him too, but he
cheats."
"Of all those who might accuse others of cheating, highness, you have the least cause to do so," the greenseer replies. There is something that might be fondness in the ancient rasping voice.
The matter settled he moves on to the reminder of your questions. "Best among all the places you have named I know Maegor's Holdfast. There blood magic hangs so thick upon the walls I was often surprised the stone does not bleed rivulets of red through its pores... King Maegor was less skilled in sorcery than his mother I think, but far more willing to pay a grand price for it. These wards keep even my eye away unless I have some affinity with what I wish to observe..."
"Like father or me as a child," you nod in understanding. "I cannot deny that I am disappointed to hear that you cannot tell me of the councils of the Usurper as though you sat upon them, but the world rarely holds such perfect boons."
"Can you not see through the Heart Tree?" Dany asks.
"The Heart Tree in the Red Keep in an oak," Bloodraven explains. "If only my sight had been clearer in my youth, or my predecessor more forceful in his acts. In any case I would advise against trying to will yourself across the threshold of the keep by sorcery. King Maegor might have allowed a free path for those who shared his blood, but given his character and deeds I would not stake much upon it."
"So the legacy of Maegor is a strong fortress for the Usurper to squat within," you say. "That sounds about right given them man's other 'achievements'."
"At least history remembers him as unkindly as his failures deserve," the old sorcerer counters. "Alas that is not the case for the man who is responsible for purging most arcane texts from the royal collection as well as manifold other forms of idiocy and ill-rule: Baelor the
Blessed." The last word is spoken with venom only slightly less than that with which he speaks of Bittersteel.
"He did the Faith fewer favors than one might think," Dany offers, surprisingly. "An illiterate stone mason as High Septon did little to aid the dignity of the position, particularly one named at the king's whim."
"So am I to understand from this that you did not give up on the history lessons like the law ones?" you tease her gently.
She huffs and scowls up at you. "I was
little."
You forebear from reminding her than eight years would still be counted as 'little' by most.
Bloodraven smiles faintly at the byplay before continuing. "Your best chance of finding sorcerous texts or objects of power would be in Dragonstone, for Baelor was never formally enshrined as Prince of Dragonstone before his ascension to the throne following the death of Daeron the First. At the very least the stone eggs should still be in the treasury, there were four and ten at last count."
What do you do next?
[] Ask about dragon lore
[] Resurrect Rhaella
[] Ask questions
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OOC: I'll add all the rituals to the front page next.
@DragonParadox, could we purchase a map of Westeros and maps of each of the Kingdoms and just have Bloodraven make whatever improvements he can? Locations of weirwoods, locations of ruins and dungeons, etc? It won't be as extensive as Beyond the Wall, I can accept that, but it should still be a lot better than any normal map.
