The Game of Crusading Thrones, Self-Insert Edition (GoT CK2)
- Thread starter notbirdofprey
- Start date
- Fantasy
- Location
- Bulgaria
[X] [NUM] Two
[X] [GOAL] Lore of the Age of Dawn
[X] [GOAL] Ritual lore
[X] [GOAL] Lore of the Age of Dawn
[X] [GOAL] Ritual lore
Since the GM has said that approval voting is acceptable for this, would you consider adding a line for One to your vote?
[] [NUM] One
Since right now the vote is wavering between One and Two, and I'd guess that you would prefer One over Two?
Inserted tally
Interlude: The Barrow of the First King, Pt. 4
You sweep out of the chamber, giving a brief bow to the First King, who struggles still under the weight but bears it well. The ground is shaking underfoot. Lord Dustin and Cley Cassel, the captain of your guard, approach you. "Your Grace…we should begin leaving immediately," Cley said, hand resting on his ax as his gaze darts about. You can tell he wants to protect you, but a collapsing tomb is not something you can cut to pieces with an axe. Though you regret it, you will have to extend his anxiety. "We still have some time, enough for a brief investigation. There is priceless knowledge here, and I fear much will be destroyed if we do not take the opportunity to salvage it now." You shake your head." We will look for lore, although we will be swift about it."
With that, you lead your band out into the tunnels of the barrow. The wide hallway you walked through after defeating the skeletal guardians is in chaos. Great cracks have been torn in the sides, and slabs of stone have fallen down, revealing at least a dozen doorways. Light blazes from them, pitilessly exposing the entirety of the hall to your gaze. Pillars lay shattered, some completely collapsed but for stumps, while others look as though some great beast bit into them or mauled them. Several have shattered, pieces floating in between the floor and ceiling. Plinths lie toppled, with all manner of trophies discarded like so much rubbish. Something immense has run through, leaving four-toed, birdlike tracks in between one passage and another. Bones lie everywhere, driven into the walls, collapsed on the floor, or in inhuman collections.
You do not let the destruction halt you. Instead, you issue several commands, splitting the band into three groups. The smallest stays with Frost in this central chamber, half of the rest go with Lord Dustin to explore one passage, half will accompany you. Cley looks like he wants to protest, but bites his tongue and simply walks in front of you, ax out, ready to take anything that comes. You do not protest. As much as you would prefer to lead from the front, Cley would take it as an insult and so you walk behind him without protest.
The chosen tunnel is narrow enough that you must go single-file, the ceiling just tall enough to allow you to stand straight. Here the walls are smooth, unnaturally so. No tool made this passage – this was Gift-work. The tunnel leads to a circular room with a strange metal pillar rising up halfway to the ceiling. It is colored red…no, it's green, no it's blue. You shake your head and look again. Somehow, it seems to be three different colors at once. Your head begins to hurt as you stare at it, trying to understand, and with an effort of will, you force your gaze away. Two oaken chests are recessed in the far wall, painted to be almost invisible against the grey stone and cunningly curved to match the room exactly.
(Ritual Lore: 96)
They are pulled out of the wall to the sound of the grunting of your guard as they strain to remove the two chests. Once they are out, they are quickly opened to reveal massive stacks of clay tablets carved with runes. At your command, the chests are closed and lifted, and you begin returning to the central hall. Just before you leave, something about the cavities left behind caught your attention, and you examine it, running your finger along the lip. A piece of stone gives beneath the pressure with a soft "click" and the top falls down, revealing a scroll. You take it and join your guards, resuming your walk back to the central hall.
(Lore of the Age of Dawn: 44)
Lord Dustin and his men are there waiting for you. He glances at you. "An impressive haul Your Grace. We ran into some more of those skeleton warriors, but they collapsed before we could do more than look at them. Then we found something like the Green Book, but it was heavily scorched." He shows you, holding up a scorched leather-bound book, its edges blackened. Half is missing, gone in whatever fire damaged it. Frost reports two sightings of strange stone serpents, but they slithered away into holes too small to be followed.
You consider going back for more, but the ground shakes and a piece of a nearby pillar the size of your head drifts to the ground, whatever force that held it up spent, landing bare inches from your head. You shout a command, your voice steady and calm and not at all unexpectedly high-pitched. Your men move to obey, Cley still stubbornly keeping in front of you as you march out.
In the chamber you first entered, you encounter something…strange. The four skeletons seem to have attempted to put themselves back together, but it went horribly wrong. Heads are attached to arms which stick out of pelvises which are stuck to feet, the sundered armor rotting away before your eyes as the bones writhe and shift, four bronze blades flaring with dark red light as four heads on one twisted body turn to stare at you. The eye sockets seem to be pits of obsidian, blacker than any shadow. They are fascinating in how dark they are…you want to reach out, to touch them, to become one with them…some of your guard step forth, drawn to the creature just as you are.
(Resisting the Spell: 1d100+ 21 (Piety) = 102. 1d100+2 = 74.)
(The Crown: 1d100 + 21 – 5(Already used) = 36.)
The Crown flares to light again, although its power seems faded and the radiance dull compared to what it had been, the eyes of the creature absorbing it with ease, but you do not care. This monster did not just threaten your life and the lives of your men, but it beguiled you, attacked your minds…you will not let this stand! You roar, and once more your bond-mates take it up, the sound shaking the floor beneath your feet as cracks begin to appear about the edges, and you charge forth, Ice once more in your hand. Cley barely manages to get out of your way, then, shocked out of his stupor, he follows you, putting himself between you and three of the blades. But he need not fear. Before the thing can even react, Ice has swept through each of the skulls, shattering them. The lesser bones are stomped into pieces and scattered, the blades jammed into the stone plinths they once rested on…The barrow quakes once more, and you decide that's enough.
You are the last man out but for Frost, who turns and pressed his hands to the sides of the door, letting it seal itself. The whole barrow is quaking, much to the terror of those in the hall, you suspect. But as you stand and watch it shake, you see no sign of damage to the castle, and eventually, it settles down. Once that happens, Lord Dustin turns to you. "Your Grace, I must beg your pardon…but I need to take my leave. I am sure there was no harm done in the castle…but I must be certain." You shake your head. "You need not beg my pardon. Go, my lord, and if there is anything you need, do not hesitate."
As he practically sprints up the side of the barrow, you turn to examine your loot. The lore of the Age of Dawn is…disappointing. The burns were bad enough to render much of the information unreadable. However, you did retrieve some scraps describing lands to the west of Westeros, lands where dead men were stirred to war by the wrath of the Mighty, and hints that they had learned of a way to break the control the Others had of their wights. You also found a very damaged page which mentioned something about the "great wite wurm" which the Others used to try and attack "the Springfort," but there was no other information about it you could find. The rituals were more useful, containing several which you suspected would be most useful, including one to "sunder the works of the Drowned Ones," and a stronger version of the Red Water of Earth.
House Dustin is well. A few tapestries were knocked down and some dishes were broken. You insist on compensating them for the damage caused, a gesture which Lady Dustin appreciates, even if Lord Dustin isn't so fond of it.
With that, you lead your band out into the tunnels of the barrow. The wide hallway you walked through after defeating the skeletal guardians is in chaos. Great cracks have been torn in the sides, and slabs of stone have fallen down, revealing at least a dozen doorways. Light blazes from them, pitilessly exposing the entirety of the hall to your gaze. Pillars lay shattered, some completely collapsed but for stumps, while others look as though some great beast bit into them or mauled them. Several have shattered, pieces floating in between the floor and ceiling. Plinths lie toppled, with all manner of trophies discarded like so much rubbish. Something immense has run through, leaving four-toed, birdlike tracks in between one passage and another. Bones lie everywhere, driven into the walls, collapsed on the floor, or in inhuman collections.
You do not let the destruction halt you. Instead, you issue several commands, splitting the band into three groups. The smallest stays with Frost in this central chamber, half of the rest go with Lord Dustin to explore one passage, half will accompany you. Cley looks like he wants to protest, but bites his tongue and simply walks in front of you, ax out, ready to take anything that comes. You do not protest. As much as you would prefer to lead from the front, Cley would take it as an insult and so you walk behind him without protest.
The chosen tunnel is narrow enough that you must go single-file, the ceiling just tall enough to allow you to stand straight. Here the walls are smooth, unnaturally so. No tool made this passage – this was Gift-work. The tunnel leads to a circular room with a strange metal pillar rising up halfway to the ceiling. It is colored red…no, it's green, no it's blue. You shake your head and look again. Somehow, it seems to be three different colors at once. Your head begins to hurt as you stare at it, trying to understand, and with an effort of will, you force your gaze away. Two oaken chests are recessed in the far wall, painted to be almost invisible against the grey stone and cunningly curved to match the room exactly.
(Ritual Lore: 96)
They are pulled out of the wall to the sound of the grunting of your guard as they strain to remove the two chests. Once they are out, they are quickly opened to reveal massive stacks of clay tablets carved with runes. At your command, the chests are closed and lifted, and you begin returning to the central hall. Just before you leave, something about the cavities left behind caught your attention, and you examine it, running your finger along the lip. A piece of stone gives beneath the pressure with a soft "click" and the top falls down, revealing a scroll. You take it and join your guards, resuming your walk back to the central hall.
(Lore of the Age of Dawn: 44)
Lord Dustin and his men are there waiting for you. He glances at you. "An impressive haul Your Grace. We ran into some more of those skeleton warriors, but they collapsed before we could do more than look at them. Then we found something like the Green Book, but it was heavily scorched." He shows you, holding up a scorched leather-bound book, its edges blackened. Half is missing, gone in whatever fire damaged it. Frost reports two sightings of strange stone serpents, but they slithered away into holes too small to be followed.
You consider going back for more, but the ground shakes and a piece of a nearby pillar the size of your head drifts to the ground, whatever force that held it up spent, landing bare inches from your head. You shout a command, your voice steady and calm and not at all unexpectedly high-pitched. Your men move to obey, Cley still stubbornly keeping in front of you as you march out.
In the chamber you first entered, you encounter something…strange. The four skeletons seem to have attempted to put themselves back together, but it went horribly wrong. Heads are attached to arms which stick out of pelvises which are stuck to feet, the sundered armor rotting away before your eyes as the bones writhe and shift, four bronze blades flaring with dark red light as four heads on one twisted body turn to stare at you. The eye sockets seem to be pits of obsidian, blacker than any shadow. They are fascinating in how dark they are…you want to reach out, to touch them, to become one with them…some of your guard step forth, drawn to the creature just as you are.
(Resisting the Spell: 1d100+ 21 (Piety) = 102. 1d100+2 = 74.)
(The Crown: 1d100 + 21 – 5(Already used) = 36.)
The Crown flares to light again, although its power seems faded and the radiance dull compared to what it had been, the eyes of the creature absorbing it with ease, but you do not care. This monster did not just threaten your life and the lives of your men, but it beguiled you, attacked your minds…you will not let this stand! You roar, and once more your bond-mates take it up, the sound shaking the floor beneath your feet as cracks begin to appear about the edges, and you charge forth, Ice once more in your hand. Cley barely manages to get out of your way, then, shocked out of his stupor, he follows you, putting himself between you and three of the blades. But he need not fear. Before the thing can even react, Ice has swept through each of the skulls, shattering them. The lesser bones are stomped into pieces and scattered, the blades jammed into the stone plinths they once rested on…The barrow quakes once more, and you decide that's enough.
You are the last man out but for Frost, who turns and pressed his hands to the sides of the door, letting it seal itself. The whole barrow is quaking, much to the terror of those in the hall, you suspect. But as you stand and watch it shake, you see no sign of damage to the castle, and eventually, it settles down. Once that happens, Lord Dustin turns to you. "Your Grace, I must beg your pardon…but I need to take my leave. I am sure there was no harm done in the castle…but I must be certain." You shake your head. "You need not beg my pardon. Go, my lord, and if there is anything you need, do not hesitate."
As he practically sprints up the side of the barrow, you turn to examine your loot. The lore of the Age of Dawn is…disappointing. The burns were bad enough to render much of the information unreadable. However, you did retrieve some scraps describing lands to the west of Westeros, lands where dead men were stirred to war by the wrath of the Mighty, and hints that they had learned of a way to break the control the Others had of their wights. You also found a very damaged page which mentioned something about the "great wite wurm" which the Others used to try and attack "the Springfort," but there was no other information about it you could find. The rituals were more useful, containing several which you suspected would be most useful, including one to "sunder the works of the Drowned Ones," and a stronger version of the Red Water of Earth.
House Dustin is well. A few tapestries were knocked down and some dishes were broken. You insist on compensating them for the damage caused, a gesture which Lady Dustin appreciates, even if Lord Dustin isn't so fond of it.
- Location
- barking
Well that looks promising
sargentorion
Hunter of bunnycats
- Location
- West Sussex, England
did we just get the counter ritual to stop the squids monsters?
- Location
- United States
Dear God, that's incredibly overpowered. To bad we don't have any easily available spies who know the magic of the Drowned God. Yeah it's to bad that we don't know about those spies.
*Turns to Snow and Frost: Get the knives out boys we have some squids to cook up.
Good thing we managed to get out with some good stuff.
Wish we got more on Age of Dawn lore, but what we did get is interesting. It appears that there is a land to the west across the sunset sea after all. I guess we need to develop the carrack?
Wish we got more on Age of Dawn lore, but what we did get is interesting. It appears that there is a land to the west across the sunset sea after all. I guess we need to develop the carrack?
You basically need to kidnap a Drowned Man to make it work, and you need someone of incredibly strong will to have the effect last. It's difficult but powerful.
The Red Blessing should make our farmers happy.
The Sundering looks to be very useful, if requiring some difficulty and effort.
But look at the other rituals:
The Blessed Threshold is basically what the Faith needs to protect against the Fay. We just need to figure out how best to present it so that we can gain some diplomatic benefits.
The Skycall Rite will be very useful to grant us bird scouts, particularly useful on the water.
The Beastbane Spear isn't super useful... right now. But it should be very useful against White Walkers.
The Sundering looks to be very useful, if requiring some difficulty and effort.
But look at the other rituals:
The Blessed Threshold is basically what the Faith needs to protect against the Fay. We just need to figure out how best to present it so that we can gain some diplomatic benefits.
The Skycall Rite will be very useful to grant us bird scouts, particularly useful on the water.
The Beastbane Spear isn't super useful... right now. But it should be very useful against White Walkers.
All this ritual look like the ones to the chaos gods,so nothing good. At first the sacrifice to the old gods where something normal expecially bc only those guilty of serious crimes but now with all that magic and the sacrifice of anyone without the care if they are guilty or not they look more like rituals for chaos gods then any kind of benevolent god.
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sargentorion
Hunter of bunnycats
- Location
- West Sussex, England
not really most of it is pretty standard primal god kind of stuff plus remember these rituals were all pretty much made in the bronze age very different time period.
This is true but with dark magic and gods,right now this rituals tend to look more like rituals to dark gods,then rituals to primal gods.Without all this magic this ritual are ok,but with this new magic they tend towards chaos and coruption then help.
- Location
- United States
The thing is in terms of blood sacrifice this isn't even the worst example in human history. For an obvious example all you have to do is look at the Aztecs. The Old Gods at least haven't asked us to kill children, and then collect the tears of their mothers. This was believed to replenish the rains, something that was incredibly important to the survival of the Aztec people. Another example would be the Romans. The Romans as a people where so terrified of losing the favor of the gods that they would willingly perform human sacrifice if anyone broke with religious practices. So in terms of Human sacrifice what the Old Gods are asking isn't that bad. They, at least, haven't asked us to sacrifice any children so that we can go to war, looking at you Artemis.
I liked the Interlude, its imagery, and the loot we got from it, but I'd have liked if there had been something more to convince the First King to break the curse. Torrhen just asked him to do it and the First King just went "ok, why not?" and did it. It felt somewhat... flat. The curse had been built up as something huge, and breaking it should have had more ceremony and narrative weight, IMO.
Not 100% sure, since there are many non-canon additions to the setting, but this sound to me as the 'creating an undead, ice dragon' thing the Others did in the TV show.
Indeed, but I also say we perform it in Winterfell, and order all our vassals to do it in their own forts, including White Harbor and Barrowton, since they have walls, and thus gates. Even if the presence of the Old Gods can keep the Fay from being as dangerous as they were in the South, we better don't lower our guard with them. The Ironborn are far from being the only danger we'll have to face.
In fact, as soon as the concrete roads are finished, we should build the Wolf Walls, both to complete Wintertown (and maybe get something from that milestone) and to perform the threshold there too.
Not 100% sure, since there are many non-canon additions to the setting, but this sound to me as the 'creating an undead, ice dragon' thing the Others did in the TV show.
Indeed, but I also say we perform it in Winterfell, and order all our vassals to do it in their own forts, including White Harbor and Barrowton, since they have walls, and thus gates. Even if the presence of the Old Gods can keep the Fay from being as dangerous as they were in the South, we better don't lower our guard with them. The Ironborn are far from being the only danger we'll have to face.
In fact, as soon as the concrete roads are finished, we should build the Wolf Walls, both to complete Wintertown (and maybe get something from that milestone) and to perform the threshold there too.
Remember: The Old Gods might be god, but they are by no means nice.
On the curse: I think I will rework the dialogue, but Brandon was the one who made the curse, and as soon as the First King was aware of it, he destroyed it. You just had to get his attention.
Edit: updated the dialogue some. Let me know if that clears things up.
On the curse: I think I will rework the dialogue, but Brandon was the one who made the curse, and as soon as the First King was aware of it, he destroyed it. You just had to get his attention.
Edit: updated the dialogue some. Let me know if that clears things up.
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I think it does look a bit better. While we already knew the curse was Brandon's work, the First King's opinion on the matter was never mentioned. Now it appears that Brandon did it behind his father's back, in a misguided attempt to honor him, and that the First King breaks it because he personally disagrees with it. With him never wanting it to begin with, it makes sense that he takes no convincing at all to break it.
While I still think handling it differently would have looked better, I recognize it's probably more effort than it's worth it.
Rumor Mill Turn 21
Counterintelligence: 1d100+19+10 = ??. 100+?? = ???.
Several friendly Green Men were recruited to keep an eye out for signs of new ironborn spies establishing themselves, while Snow's men hunted for less supernatural threats, finally managing to identify the Storm Watchers, as they call themselves, who send messages back and forth using a rather ingenious series of codes. For now, Snow has done nothing more than watch what they are saying and report it to you. The Storm Watchers are generally saying good things, reporting on the efficiency of your King's Men and the unity of the North. Most of their efforts are focused on the western coast and Wintertown, with White Harbor simply being used as a waystation. However, Snow has found out that they have been ordered to try and steal a printing press.
Meanwhile, he has also arranged for some reports on fey, who are mostly concentrated in the very depths of the Wolfswood. They are being ably handled by the Green Men, the wildlings, and the forest clans. The common problem seems to have unified them somewhat, with marriages being arranged between minor houses of the Wolfswood and some of the larger wildling chiefs.
Rumor Mill (The North)
Barrowton Quakes: King Torrhen visisted the Dustins after making his displeasure known, and was greeted with fulsome apologies. In what some say is a sign from the Old Gods, while he was there the barrow was racked with mysterious quakes. No one was hurt, but many were unsettled. The shaking ceased after a night and King Torrhen left without visiting further punishment upon House Dustin. Rumor speaks of the barrow offering up some grand treasure to him, including the First King's crown and a great ax of Valyrian steel twice the height of a man.
-According to Snow: The rumors persist about the treasure with a strange tenacity. Among other things, several small details are consistent in the story no matter who is asked. Furthermore, I have heard rumors of some sort of Green Man with a cloak covered in bone white dust traveling around Barrowton, preaching about the importance of the barrow.
The Healing Hands: Accompanied by a strange band, a young septa has traveled the lands around White Harbor, offering healing and succor to the wounded with skill greater than even that of a maester's. Injuries that would take months to heal instead take mere hours under her skilled care. Many are the blessings heaped upon her head.
-According to Snow: She is quite popular, almost too popular. There was nearly a riot in Woolfield due to people fighting to get access to her, and the Green Man thinks that if she does not get a good night's sleep soon she will collapse.
Skagosi Surprise: The savage Skagosi have decided to do something incredibly unusual: trade with the rest of the North. Barely seaworthy ships have made a treacherous journey southwards will hulls stuffed with whalebone, some of it beautifully carved, some left untouched for others to work with. It was sold in White Harbor for a fleet of ships full of food to go north to the frozen island. Only the bravest – or the most foolish – have accepted this offer.
-According to Snow: The Skagosi are somehow using wargs to hunt whales. One or two of their crewmembers got a little too drunk and a little too loose with their tongue, but not loose enough to say how they use wargs.
Rumor Mill (Beyond-the-Wall)
The Frozen Gift: The sheer amount of snow and ice has utterly buried the Gift, making transportation all but impossible. Once more, winter prevents you from getting any sort of news from the Wall.
Rumor Mill (The Riverlands)
Foul Fogs: Black Harren continues his brutal and vicious attacks, the snow and the steadfast opposition of the riverlords and the smallfolk slowing him down but not stopping him. Rumor speaks of him using some sort of dread sorcery to summon fog banks which he uses to provide cover for his raids, for the terrible monsters can seemingly see through it, moving and attacking like they are leashed to one will.
-According to Snow: He has all but depopulated the lands around Wayfarer's Rest, and some claim he has rendered them infertile as well. Now he seems to be turning his attention to Pinkmaiden, who's lord is treating with King Loren.
Unlooked For Aid: It is said that the Old Gods know their own, and it seems they do, for aid unasked for but not unwanted has come to the Riverlands in the form of many fierce warriors, armed with old bronze and new steel, some wielding newfound powers as they swear themselves to the service of House Justman, heir to the Mudd Kings of old and the Fisher Kings who forged the Pact.
-According to Snow: It's mostly clansmen, survivors of the losing side of the Clan's War or old men going hunting, but there's a fair few crannogmen hoping for glory and perhaps some land, or maybe just ot serve the Old Gods.
The Singing Isle: Mysterious islands seem to have appeared in the Bay of Crabs, odd men and women dancing and singing on them. Some are horned, some antlered, some have wings, but all are strangely beautiful. Many have come to visit the islands, some never returning or returning mad, while others return with strange treasures: silver apples and knives that return to the wielder's hand among them.
-According to Snow: The island dwellers seem to have an odd take on guest right, or perhaps they are simply unable to see how keeping a man for a hundred years then releasing him a day later is harmful, but a good story or song will see you safe and free, and if it's entertaining enough they will give you something in return.
Rumor Mill (The Vale)
The Plague Ends: The plague on Witch Isle seems to have run its course, all but wiping out the main branch of House Upcliff except for two twin boys…no one is certain who is the eldest, for the surviving servants have scattered to the wind. Lord Evin, their uncle, has been made the regent and is determinedly seeking any evidence of who the oldest is, hoping to ensure succession is upheld without any ambiguity.
-According to Pyrite: Ha, ha, ha. Good luck with that. Try your ritual, see what happens.
White Winter: This winter has been harsher in the Vale than any in living memory, some claiming it to be the punishment of the Seven. Strange white creatures have been seen stalking the highest peaks, barely indistinguishable from the snow. Clansmen have been flooding into whatever place they can find to live out the winter.
-According to Pyrite: Did you know beastmen don't do very well in the cold? I wonder what those white things are…
A Brother's Oath: After one too many arguments, it seems Prince Jonos has decided to settle matters once and for all, kneeling before his brother in the middle of a service in the sept and swearing to ever be his strong arm and loyal shield and to always offer counsel to the best of his abilities.
-According to Pyrite: He has been taking that last part a little too seriously for his mother's peace of mind.
Rumor Mill (The Westerlands)
Blocked Passage: A sudden storm struck the Westerlands hard, leading to a winter that seems more like those of the North. Snow has piled up in many passes, blocking travel, and more importantly keeping the various branches of the Faith Militant from moving about to remind lords of the balance of power. Rumor has it that many lords are corresponding on something while they wait for the snow to melt.
-According to Snow: Many lords of the west have been displeased by some of King Lorren's choices and intend to do something about it. What, I do not know.
Shattered Fleets: The intense winter has led to devastating storms, causing many longships to wash up in pieces, the fierce reavers half-dead and barely clinging to the wreckage, although some had enough strength in them to fight or even flee into the hills. The rest either died on the spot or were taken to earn their redemption.
-According to Snow: The day before the storms started, crowds gathered in septs up and down the western coast to pray. One of my men described an incredible energy in the room…
Rumor Mill (The Reach)
Faerie Traders: It seems at least one court of fey has found mortal trade interesting and set up stalls in Oldtown and the Arbor, offering an assortment of goods ranging from nuggets of pure gold to clothes woven of vines to rather tasty cheese for prices which vary with no apparent rhyme or reason, although simple coin is valued little by them. It is said that the right price can even earn the services of some lesser fey…
Battle of the Briar: The Feybane knights and Gawen's Court fought side by side against the Wild Hunt by the village of Briar. The singers say they slew a thousand hounds and a hundred riders, and that Lord Osgrey himself matched the Green King blow for blow before cutting off one of his antlers and sending him fleeing. The Wild Hunt has been driven off for now, and Lord Osgrey has proposed celebrating with a feast and a grand hunt, using captured fey beasts as the prey.
The Poisoned Water: Outside Highgarden, a terrible fey creature lurks in the rivers. No one is certain exactly what it looks like, for it hides itself within a curtain of muck and filth, but it claims to be hideous and certainly smells that way. Those who drink from the water downstream of it grow violently sick, with some suffering from strange deformations.
Several friendly Green Men were recruited to keep an eye out for signs of new ironborn spies establishing themselves, while Snow's men hunted for less supernatural threats, finally managing to identify the Storm Watchers, as they call themselves, who send messages back and forth using a rather ingenious series of codes. For now, Snow has done nothing more than watch what they are saying and report it to you. The Storm Watchers are generally saying good things, reporting on the efficiency of your King's Men and the unity of the North. Most of their efforts are focused on the western coast and Wintertown, with White Harbor simply being used as a waystation. However, Snow has found out that they have been ordered to try and steal a printing press.
Meanwhile, he has also arranged for some reports on fey, who are mostly concentrated in the very depths of the Wolfswood. They are being ably handled by the Green Men, the wildlings, and the forest clans. The common problem seems to have unified them somewhat, with marriages being arranged between minor houses of the Wolfswood and some of the larger wildling chiefs.
Rumor Mill (The North)
Barrowton Quakes: King Torrhen visisted the Dustins after making his displeasure known, and was greeted with fulsome apologies. In what some say is a sign from the Old Gods, while he was there the barrow was racked with mysterious quakes. No one was hurt, but many were unsettled. The shaking ceased after a night and King Torrhen left without visiting further punishment upon House Dustin. Rumor speaks of the barrow offering up some grand treasure to him, including the First King's crown and a great ax of Valyrian steel twice the height of a man.
-According to Snow: The rumors persist about the treasure with a strange tenacity. Among other things, several small details are consistent in the story no matter who is asked. Furthermore, I have heard rumors of some sort of Green Man with a cloak covered in bone white dust traveling around Barrowton, preaching about the importance of the barrow.
The Healing Hands: Accompanied by a strange band, a young septa has traveled the lands around White Harbor, offering healing and succor to the wounded with skill greater than even that of a maester's. Injuries that would take months to heal instead take mere hours under her skilled care. Many are the blessings heaped upon her head.
-According to Snow: She is quite popular, almost too popular. There was nearly a riot in Woolfield due to people fighting to get access to her, and the Green Man thinks that if she does not get a good night's sleep soon she will collapse.
Skagosi Surprise: The savage Skagosi have decided to do something incredibly unusual: trade with the rest of the North. Barely seaworthy ships have made a treacherous journey southwards will hulls stuffed with whalebone, some of it beautifully carved, some left untouched for others to work with. It was sold in White Harbor for a fleet of ships full of food to go north to the frozen island. Only the bravest – or the most foolish – have accepted this offer.
-According to Snow: The Skagosi are somehow using wargs to hunt whales. One or two of their crewmembers got a little too drunk and a little too loose with their tongue, but not loose enough to say how they use wargs.
Rumor Mill (Beyond-the-Wall)
The Frozen Gift: The sheer amount of snow and ice has utterly buried the Gift, making transportation all but impossible. Once more, winter prevents you from getting any sort of news from the Wall.
Rumor Mill (The Riverlands)
Foul Fogs: Black Harren continues his brutal and vicious attacks, the snow and the steadfast opposition of the riverlords and the smallfolk slowing him down but not stopping him. Rumor speaks of him using some sort of dread sorcery to summon fog banks which he uses to provide cover for his raids, for the terrible monsters can seemingly see through it, moving and attacking like they are leashed to one will.
-According to Snow: He has all but depopulated the lands around Wayfarer's Rest, and some claim he has rendered them infertile as well. Now he seems to be turning his attention to Pinkmaiden, who's lord is treating with King Loren.
Unlooked For Aid: It is said that the Old Gods know their own, and it seems they do, for aid unasked for but not unwanted has come to the Riverlands in the form of many fierce warriors, armed with old bronze and new steel, some wielding newfound powers as they swear themselves to the service of House Justman, heir to the Mudd Kings of old and the Fisher Kings who forged the Pact.
-According to Snow: It's mostly clansmen, survivors of the losing side of the Clan's War or old men going hunting, but there's a fair few crannogmen hoping for glory and perhaps some land, or maybe just ot serve the Old Gods.
The Singing Isle: Mysterious islands seem to have appeared in the Bay of Crabs, odd men and women dancing and singing on them. Some are horned, some antlered, some have wings, but all are strangely beautiful. Many have come to visit the islands, some never returning or returning mad, while others return with strange treasures: silver apples and knives that return to the wielder's hand among them.
-According to Snow: The island dwellers seem to have an odd take on guest right, or perhaps they are simply unable to see how keeping a man for a hundred years then releasing him a day later is harmful, but a good story or song will see you safe and free, and if it's entertaining enough they will give you something in return.
Rumor Mill (The Vale)
The Plague Ends: The plague on Witch Isle seems to have run its course, all but wiping out the main branch of House Upcliff except for two twin boys…no one is certain who is the eldest, for the surviving servants have scattered to the wind. Lord Evin, their uncle, has been made the regent and is determinedly seeking any evidence of who the oldest is, hoping to ensure succession is upheld without any ambiguity.
-According to Pyrite: Ha, ha, ha. Good luck with that. Try your ritual, see what happens.
White Winter: This winter has been harsher in the Vale than any in living memory, some claiming it to be the punishment of the Seven. Strange white creatures have been seen stalking the highest peaks, barely indistinguishable from the snow. Clansmen have been flooding into whatever place they can find to live out the winter.
-According to Pyrite: Did you know beastmen don't do very well in the cold? I wonder what those white things are…
A Brother's Oath: After one too many arguments, it seems Prince Jonos has decided to settle matters once and for all, kneeling before his brother in the middle of a service in the sept and swearing to ever be his strong arm and loyal shield and to always offer counsel to the best of his abilities.
-According to Pyrite: He has been taking that last part a little too seriously for his mother's peace of mind.
Rumor Mill (The Westerlands)
Blocked Passage: A sudden storm struck the Westerlands hard, leading to a winter that seems more like those of the North. Snow has piled up in many passes, blocking travel, and more importantly keeping the various branches of the Faith Militant from moving about to remind lords of the balance of power. Rumor has it that many lords are corresponding on something while they wait for the snow to melt.
-According to Snow: Many lords of the west have been displeased by some of King Lorren's choices and intend to do something about it. What, I do not know.
Shattered Fleets: The intense winter has led to devastating storms, causing many longships to wash up in pieces, the fierce reavers half-dead and barely clinging to the wreckage, although some had enough strength in them to fight or even flee into the hills. The rest either died on the spot or were taken to earn their redemption.
-According to Snow: The day before the storms started, crowds gathered in septs up and down the western coast to pray. One of my men described an incredible energy in the room…
Rumor Mill (The Reach)
Faerie Traders: It seems at least one court of fey has found mortal trade interesting and set up stalls in Oldtown and the Arbor, offering an assortment of goods ranging from nuggets of pure gold to clothes woven of vines to rather tasty cheese for prices which vary with no apparent rhyme or reason, although simple coin is valued little by them. It is said that the right price can even earn the services of some lesser fey…
Battle of the Briar: The Feybane knights and Gawen's Court fought side by side against the Wild Hunt by the village of Briar. The singers say they slew a thousand hounds and a hundred riders, and that Lord Osgrey himself matched the Green King blow for blow before cutting off one of his antlers and sending him fleeing. The Wild Hunt has been driven off for now, and Lord Osgrey has proposed celebrating with a feast and a grand hunt, using captured fey beasts as the prey.
The Poisoned Water: Outside Highgarden, a terrible fey creature lurks in the rivers. No one is certain exactly what it looks like, for it hides itself within a curtain of muck and filth, but it claims to be hideous and certainly smells that way. Those who drink from the water downstream of it grow violently sick, with some suffering from strange deformations.
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notbirdofprey Are the white walkers like the show or the book i do not remember if any one has asked?
A bit of both, plus plenty of extra stuff I thought was appropriate.
Spoilers.