I have no excuse for the lateness of this chapter, save that Fire Emblem: Three Houses is an amazing game and my favorite of the whole series. Granted I've only played four of them, but I haven't loved a game this much in years.
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[ ] A few scraps, and what links you can seize from your imprisoned maesters. It won't be enough to reforge the blade, though the Royces will still be grateful.
[ ] Execute all full members of the conspiracy, and give the sympathizers and hangers-on to the Night's Watch
[ ] Allow the Citadel to keep the books... after you and Malora have skimmed them and taken notes. You also want copies made and sent to Dragonstone.
[ ] Just kill Pycelle.
You send letters to all corners of the realm, describing and denouncing the conspiracy. Your letters pretend that they opposed you because they saw in you a powerful seer and scholar who would restore the lost magic of House Targaryen. With the majority of the Foundation (and Pycelle) given over to Leyton Hightower's headsman, and the remainder (the ones who knew little or were only weakly attached) now on a ship to the Wall, they should never be able to contest your version of events. For those castles where you know a Foundation maester is in service, you send letters to nearby castles instead, asking for the arrest of the treasonous maester, by your authority. You make an exception for Storm's End, and instead try to be as diplomatic as possible, asking Lord Baratheon to investigate and judge his maester on his own. To the Great Houses, you also send shards of the dragon eggs so tragically lost. Including to your father; let him feel the same pain you felt.
You keep the largest shards from each egg. You're not sure why. You can't think of a use for them, and their glimmering colors make you feel nothing but depression. But you can't quite let them go.
As for the cache of books, you and Malora try to skim through them on your own but the sheer number is simply impossible to handle in the time you have. Eventually you agree to hand them over to the Citadel if copies are made and sent to Dragonstone, and leave with a few pages of notes on dragons and dragon eggs. It seems like there's strong evidence that dragon eggs will only hatch in the presence of natural fire (i.e. near a volcano) or fire magic (i.e. individuals with the Pact of Fire, or other dragons). Interesting…
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As you prepare to leave Oldtown and set sail for Dorne, news pours in from the north. The Crownlands see a series of small but bloody battles as, one by one, the castles loyal to you are isolated and crushed. Rosby and Rykker are two of the region's most powerful lords, and none of the smaller ones can stand up to them combined. Things worsen. You hear the king has opened the royal treasury – damn you, I need that treasury – and hired an army of sellswords to crush all the defiance near King's Landing. Strongholds loyal to you remain only on the islands of the Narrow Sea (save Driftmark, of course) and on the northern edge of the Crownlands, such as the Antlers. There is some good news, however – the Clawmen have finally taken Rook's Rest, entered the Crownlands proper, linked up with the remaining forces of Buckwell, Blount, and Thorne, and now consist of an army twelve thousand strong…facing perhaps twenty thousand enemy soldiers to the south, and five thousand Rivermen to the west, sieging Maidenpool. Lord Sunglass writes to you that the army is currently stalled in the northern Crownlands, suffering from a crisis of leadership, as it is combined of men from so many different domains. He requests that you appoint an overall commander, and provides some recommendations. Sunglass himself admits he might not be the best choice to lead, as he fears the Clawmen don't respect him – but, he warns, they might also take offense if you elevate one of them to command over the others. The Clawmen houses are fiercely independent, and have rivalries with each other he does not understand.
[ ] Lord Guncer Sunglass Timid, and with not the best war record. But he is an honest and loyal man.
[ ] Lord Jaehaerys Boggs Elderly, with fading eyesight, but you know his mind is still sharp.
[ ] Ser Alliser Thorne A sour man, and harsh, but you have heard he is good at keeping men in order.
[ ] Ser Peremore Pyne Young and popular, said to be a skilled warrior, but he is untested in battle.
As for the Riverlands, news there is also mixed. Tywin Lannister decided to avoid Riverrun, since the castle is known to be terribly difficult to assault, and has struck deeper into the Riverlands. At Harrenhal he met the Whent forces in battle, and were those all he faced he would have won. But the Blackfish himself appeared at the last minute, leading an army from Saltpans, and the battle turned bloody and inconclusive – although the Westermen lost more troops. When the news came that Hoster Tully was approaching from the rear with the armies of the western Riverlands, Lord Tywin decided to bull through the Whent forces – bleeding his army even more – and continue pushing east to Maidenpool. A second army will be entering the Riverlands soon, he says, under his brother Kevan.
Further north, the crannogmen are holding Moat Cailin – Howland thanks you for the Ironborn supply ships – though the attempts to dislodge them have been quite spirited. Lord Stark may still be trapped in the Riverlands, but his bannermen have answered his call and are assembling their armies. Due to the size of the North, it has taken a while, but by the beginning of the new year a massive army will be gathered at the Moat. The Freys, meanwhile, are attempting to attack the Neck from the south, but Howland seems to view them as little more than an annoyance. The crannogs are killing more of them than the crannogmen, he writes.
Dragonstone is still holding strong. Kottar has had her archers kill men in green robes whenever they pop up. It took a surprisingly long time for the pyromancers to learn that they should just stop wearing a recognizable outfit, but when they did…what wildfire attacks did go off succeeded in horribly killing men on the walls, but little else; your castle's strange black stone held strong against the alchemical flames. So the king's forces appear to have switched strategies: ships are bringing even more men onto the island, and Kottar predicts that they will simply assault the castle once their numbers are overwhelming enough.
In the Reach, Mace Tyrell is busy marching thirty-five thousand men up the Roseroad. There would be more, he apologizes, but he had to leave some behind to deal with the traitor Reachlords. Oh, don't worry about those, they're mostly dealt with. The new Lord Peake is being very cooperative, in fact, as child hostages are wont to do. Mace thinks he and Willas will be great friends. Anyway, his army should be entering the Crownlands very soon.
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You open your eyes upon the snow-covered ghost of Summerhall. What terrible things were wrought here in fire. You hope your actions in Oldtown have redeemed them somewhat.
YOU WISHED TO CONTACT US?
No, not really. Being battered by the overwhelming presence of the Others speaking as one is never pleasant. But you have questions to ask, and so you reached out in your dreams and rode the song of ice straight to its source. And yet, come to think of it…"Is your presence…lesser than it was, Cold Ones?" The very form of the ice dragon before you seems smaller.
YOU ARE FAR FROM US, AND MOVING FARTHER. FURTHERMORE, SUMMER IS COMING.
"I see."
THE SEASON WILL SOON BE UPON US, WHEN WE MUST RETREAT AND CONSERVE OUR STRENGTH. DO NOT SEEK TO CONTACT US AGAIN, EXCEPT IN DIRE NEED, UNTIL THE SEASONS HAVE TURNED. AND DO NOT TARRY TOO LONG IN THESE EQUATORIAL REGIONS. WHAT PRESSING BUSINESS DO YOU HAVE, TO GO TO SUCH AN UNPLEASANT PLACE?
Even in the face of that mind-numbing, emotion-dampening presence, you manage to lift up your head and, if not smile, at least put a little brightness in your voice. "My wife is sheltering in Dorne, with her kin. I go to attend the birth of our child."
The song screeches. THAT SHOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE, complains the disgusted ice dragon. UTTERLY, COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE. THERE IS NO SEED OF LIFE IN THE TWO OF YOU. WE BLAME THE MEDDLESOME RHOYNE. It stews. HOW HAVE YOU GOTTEN THAT ONE WITH YOUNG, AND NOT YOUR OTHER CONSORT?
"You mean Jon? He's male." The Others pause in confusion. "Are you…familiar with the difference between male and female?"
GENERALLY, ONE OF EACH IS REQUIRED TO BEGET YOUNG, YES?
You nod.
ARE YOU MALE?
You nod again.
THEN WHY – WHY DO YOU PERFORM THOSE DISGUSTING ACTIONS IF THERE IS NOT EVEN ANY SEMBLANCE OF A REPRODUCTIVE GOAL?
You consider how best to respond, considering that you really have no desire to explain your deepest emotions to these alien creatures. "Well, the answer to that is complicated, and has to do with subtle human social relations–"
THEN WE HAVE NO INTEREST IN LEARNING ABOUT IT. LET US LEAVE THIS FRUSTRATING TOPIC BEHIND. WHAT WAS YOUR PURPOSE IN CALLING FOR US?
"Very well. I wish to speak about Ned Stark." Remembering how little the Others care for human names, you clarify, "The one who claimed the ice sword."
WHAT OF HIM? HE HAS PROVED RELUCTANT TO TOUCH THE SWORD OF LATE. WE CAN INFLUENCE HIM BUT LITTLE.
"Yes, exactly. You were trying too forcefully with him. He noticed it, he grew wary, and now he refuses to touch the sword."
WE WERE TRYING TO HELP. WE WERE TRYING TO GIVE YOU AN ALLY, BEFORE SUMMER CAME AND WE WOULD BE UNABLE. IT SEEMS WE HAVE MADE A MISTAKE.
"Well, the situation can be fixed. I request that you call to him more gently or not at all, and leave the rest to me. I am well positioned to gain his loyalty. In fact, perhaps you should not try to recruit any more human allies. You are…not so good at it."
WHEREAS YOU, WITH YOUR ADEPT COMMAND OF HUMAN SOCIAL RELATIONS, WILL BE MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE. YES, THIS IS A SENSIBLE PLAN.
"Then we are in agreement. But there is something you can do to help me, in this current war to gain control of Westeros. Would you perform some minor activities near the Wall, to gain the attention of the Night's Watch?"
WE DO NOT WISH TO ATTACK THE WALL YET. WE ARE NOT READY.
"Not attack the Wall itself! I ask only that you give them some…annoyance. Let a few rangers catch glimpses of you at night, let them find some dead wildlings, make strange noises in the forest – the goal is to catch their attention, and you can do that without spending too many resources, I think. The current Lord Stark opposes me in the war. If you make the Night's Watch think that an attack might be coming, they will call for aid, and Lord Stark will answer. That will keep some of his troops in the North, giving him less to use against me."
The Others are unsure. WE WISH TO STAY HIDDEN. WE DO NOT WISH TO ALERT THE HUMAN KINGDOMS AND THE NIGHT'S WATCH OF OUR PLANS AGAINST THEM.
"Most of the human kingdoms have forgotten you exist, and will react to a plea by the Night's Watch with scorn. That scorn will only grow when your attack fails to materialize. Give the Night's Watch evidence of your intentions – it will not matter if no one respects them enough to believe their claims, especially not when I am king."
WE SHALL ATTEMPT TO DO WHAT YOU ASK, WITH THE FORCES REMAINING TO US IN THE AREA. THOUGH THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THE ICE DRAGON WILL DESTROY THEM ALL.
"Ice dragon?" you ask. "A real ice dragon?"
YOU ARE OBSESSED WITH DRAGONS. AS YOU REQUESTED, WE HAVE MANAGED TO LURE ONE SOUTH, CLOSE TO THE WALL. RELATIVELY SMALL, BUT STILL MATURE. OUR WIGHTS STOLE THE CLUTCH OF EGGS IT HAD LAID, AND IT HAS FOLLOWED THEM, ENRAGED. WE HAVE LOST FORTY-TWO WIGHTS TO THIS ENDEAVOR AND WE WILL LIKELY LOSE MORE.
"More than worth it, once I take control of the dragon," you say breathlessly. "It will be invaluable, in this war and all the future ones to come. How many eggs?"
THREE.
Hmm, three. An omen? "A good-sized clutch. Thank you, that is all I wished to ask today. Is there anything you would say to me, before leaving for the summer?"
SUCCEED. ESTABLISH CONTROL. WHEN THE SEASONS TURN, WE WILL SPEAK OF THE INVASION.
