Raenna is alive!And that is... a not very surprising twist if I must be honest
Kind of, yeah. I mean, I had this really intriguing PoV set up for a while now, cousin to Aegon Targaryen and therefore with a unique perspective on the things to come, I only feature her in four chapters and barely so in the fourth only to kill her off? Despite her situation having been grim, I never had any intentions of killing her off there and as careful as I was not to let anything slip about her status, I was pretty sure some would catch up to it.
A surprising twist was instead discover that Brandon is a member,despite be a bastard,of the North royal family!
Ironically, that is the twist I have expected people to call ever since I introduced him, especially as I consciously decided against him using another name while undercover. After all, he is none other than this Brandon Snow (minor spoilers for the future, use that link with caution), one of the, in my opinion, more prominent characters from the War of Conquest and one of the first I actually learned about when I decided to set my story around the same time. Then there were his typical Stark looks (which admittedly fit for Kersea and Briar as well), as well as the fact that he got quite often associated with wolves, which I myself consider the biggest give-away. But I am very glad that you have not caught up to it and have therefore been sufficiently surprised
It seems that Kersea and Briar will not meet each other again for a long time
If ever again. Yes, their paths have been separated now. Davith knows the truth, but he has to find Kersea in the first place and then, she has to find her way home. We're actually going to get an update on her in the semi-near future and I look forward to give hints on her future by then. But ah, I guess everything is better for our sisters than Kersea dying atop the lighthouse, as her original fate was meant to be.
I'm really curious to read the meeting with the king and how Raenna PoV's will develop from now on
Into a very interesting direction, that much I can promise Raenna's Book 2 storyline is among the most well-planned (and part of the reason I needed an additional chapter in Act 2) and I think there will be quite a lot to look forward for by then. First, there is the meeting with Torrhen Stark of course, but there will be a lot to look forward for even beyond that.
This was a very nice part!I'm really curious what will happen now to Raenna!
RT:
* Raenna is alive!And that is... a not very surpris… moreing twist if I must be honest
* A surprising twist was instead discover that Brandon is a member,despite be a bastard,of the North royal family!
* It seems that Kersea and Briar will not meet each other again for a long time
* I'm really curious to read the meeting with the king and how Raenna PoV's will develop from now on
Awesome! I'm so glad Raenna is alive and safe! Also, I'm very relieved to see Briar got away from Raylansfair as well, though it is sad that she is separated from Kersea again.
“It's Briar's home and mine. More importantly, it is my brother's home as well”
Well, it was this line that just made my brains click like "Holy shit! This is Torrhen's brother!" This made Brandon much more interesting, and I'm super thrilled to get the Stark's into the story. Perhaps they could be a good house for Raenna to serve. Anyway, I'm looking forward to where this storyline will go
Raenna
She wasn't falling anymore. Neither was she in the water. Not drowning. Not falling. Save? Alive at the very least. It was dark, s… moreilent, but slowly, painfully so, her senses returned, as she woke up from the depths of unconsciousness.
The first thing she noticed was a noise, soft, steady and muffled beyond understanding. There was darkness around her, but not entirely so. She saw light, flickering, as if she was moving, though her vision was too blurred to make out any details. And she felt a thumping pain in her head, radiating through her entire body, which was already aching on its own.
Raenna's breaths came slowly, irregularly and put her through even more pain. She was lying on her back and though someone had wrapped a blanket around her, it was uncomfortable, though her back and legs were aching far too much to even think about moving them.
Slowly, the humming noise cleared a bit, as he hearing returned before her vis… [view original content]
Damn you Liquid! Tricked us again xD Seriously though, I did enjoy this part quite a lot. The revelations were neat and I'm interested to read about The North now. Raenna's involvement with the King of the North will be great. I have to assume that the next part will feature John, yeah?
Also, what does this mean for the Samuel and Raenna ship? I have hope that if they make it out alive, they can have a nice touching reunion and kind of hit it off, but I don't see that happening for a while.
Raenna
She wasn't falling anymore. Neither was she in the water. Not drowning. Not falling. Save? Alive at the very least. It was dark, s… moreilent, but slowly, painfully so, her senses returned, as she woke up from the depths of unconsciousness.
The first thing she noticed was a noise, soft, steady and muffled beyond understanding. There was darkness around her, but not entirely so. She saw light, flickering, as if she was moving, though her vision was too blurred to make out any details. And she felt a thumping pain in her head, radiating through her entire body, which was already aching on its own.
Raenna's breaths came slowly, irregularly and put her through even more pain. She was lying on her back and though someone had wrapped a blanket around her, it was uncomfortable, though her back and legs were aching far too much to even think about moving them.
Slowly, the humming noise cleared a bit, as he hearing returned before her vis… [view original content]
Awesome! I'm so glad Raenna is alive and safe! Also, I'm very relieved to see Briar got away from Raylansfair as well, though it is sad that she is separated from Kersea again.
Well, that was something I found highly amusing in our talks, when you told me that you are concerned for Raenna. I never had any intentions of killing her off at this point, but naturally that is something I couldn't reveal until now, so I hope I managed to create quite a little bit concern for her status after the fight in the lighthouse. With Briar, this will indeed be hard on her, once she learns that Kersea has most likely perished during the battle (according to Brandon's information). She is save and well taken care off for now, but being separated from her sister once again, maybe for good this time, will be very hard on her. Even her good mood has its limits.
Well, it was this line that just made my brains click like "Holy shit! This is Torrhen's brother!" This made Brandon much more interesting, and I'm super thrilled to get the Stark's into the story. Perhaps they could be a good house for Raenna to serve. Anyway, I'm looking forward to where this storyline will go
In a FoT series, this would be the moment where the main part of the "King in the North" theme from the official soundtrack would kick in Sure enough I have been listening to it while writing this scene. Brandon is indeed a very interesting character due to his position at court and Raenna will be in for a storyline of intrigue, action, danger and a couple of exciting new faces.
Awesome! I'm so glad Raenna is alive and safe! Also, I'm very relieved to see Briar got away from Raylansfair as well, though it is sad tha… moret she is separated from Kersea again.
“It's Briar's home and mine. More importantly, it is my brother's home as well”
Well, it was this line that just made my brains click like "Holy shit! This is Torrhen's brother!" This made Brandon much more interesting, and I'm super thrilled to get the Stark's into the story. Perhaps they could be a good house for Raenna to serve. Anyway, I'm looking forward to where this storyline will go
Damn you Liquid! Tricked us again xD Seriously though, I did enjoy this part quite a lot. The revelations were neat and I'm interested to read about The North now. Raenna's involvement with the King of the North will be great. I have to assume that the next part will feature John, yeah?
Muahahaha, the trickery of Liquid has striked again! But well, I am very glad you enjoyed this part The North will be a big location in Book 2, with Raenna and one other character getting storylines set there and Torrhen is one of the king's I am the most excited to show in Book 2. Also, yes, the next part is currently planned to feature John, though a secon PoV, most likely Samantha, is a good possibility as well.
Also, what does this mean for the Samuel and Raenna ship? I have hope that if they make it out alive, they can have a nice touching reunion and kind of hit it off, but I don't see that happening for a while.
That is true, they are in very distant regions of Westeros now, which makes any romance between them quite hard. That said, both will remain on each other's mind and this is something that will be explored in Raenna's storyline. For now, she hasn't brought it up because there was quite a number of information that came quite shocking for her, but I plan to explore her feelings in Book 2. Things will get complicated, but Samuel is going to continue playing a role in her thoughts and therefore her life. With Samuel, it will be harder to show how he is going to be affected by this, due to him not being the type of guy to speak about his feelings, but be assured that I have something planned
Damn you Liquid! Tricked us again xD Seriously though, I did enjoy this part quite a lot. The revelations were neat and I'm interested to re… moread about The North now. Raenna's involvement with the King of the North will be great. I have to assume that the next part will feature John, yeah?
Also, what does this mean for the Samuel and Raenna ship? I have hope that if they make it out alive, they can have a nice touching reunion and kind of hit it off, but I don't see that happening for a while.
I can assure you, it was entirely intentional. If I would have announced her to have the next PoV, it would have likely taken away quite a lot of this surprise. I really wanted to make this a big surprise, even if some have seen her survival coming, so it is nice to see that I succeeded with you!
Yes, I was curious to see how you would handle Raenna's situation considering her possible status being alive. I did lean towards the fact of Raenna being alive knowing how major she was, but this part definitely caught me by surprise since I was not expecting it at all.
And I am very glad to hear you enjoyed this part! I certainly had a blast writing it and actually must admit that I wrote its entirety in the roughly six hours between closing the voting and posting this part, on top of writing really lengthy comments in WildlingKing's story (le sneaky advertising), so by the sheer speed I wrote this down with, you can probably tell just how much fun I had with writing Raenna again, after having her absent for a majority of Chapter 8
O_O I just checked those comments, holy shit they are long. How long did it take to write them all? I never knew Wildling had a story, let alone another Game of Thrones story. It seems awesome and if it can draw comments of those lengths, I'm sure it's amazing. I will definitely be checking up on it
Perhaps I should have waited with her for a bit later, but honestly, I couldn't. She is one of the PoV's I enjoy the most and well, this new storyline for her is indeed going to be something great taking her to meet some very interesting characters in really great locations. It will remain her only part in Chapter 9, but she will be back with quite a nice storyline in Book 2, where she is going to meet the King in the North and some other interesting Winterfell characters.
I agree. Raenna is easily one of my favorite POVs. After finishing this part, I expected that it would be her last part of the chapter, as well as the book. I just know that her Book 2 storyline will be one of the best of the entire book, especially after you mentioned how she is one of the most well planned-out POV characters I can't wait!
Sneaky Liquid. I don't know if it was intentional or unintentional, but I was shocked and excited to see that Raenna had a new part released… more considering that she was no where mentioned when you closed the voting. Thank God she is alive, and that Clayton didn't get away for nothing.
I can assure you, it was entirely intentional. If I would have announced her to have the next PoV, it would have likely taken away quite a lot of this surprise. I really wanted to make this a big surprise, even if some have seen her survival coming, so it is nice to see that I succeeded with you!
I really enjoyed reading this part more than I should have, I think. The potential start of a completely new storyline and view for Raenna and it sounds very interesting. Brandon is a character that I am now starting to like despite his complications. Great part
And I am very glad to hear you enjoyed this part! I certainly had a blast writing it and … [view original content]
Yes, I was curious to see how you would handle Raenna's situation considering her possible status being alive. I did lean towards the fact of Raenna being alive knowing how major she was, but this part definitely caught me by surprise since I was not expecting it at all.
Hehe, that is actually yet another reason why I decided to put her part in here. Even those who expected her to turn out alive might have been caught off-guard by the timing of this reveal. But well, I should also say that her death by falling from the lighthouse would have been really lame and inconsequential, especially given that Kersea was originally planned to be killed off as well in the same chapter. An entire sub storyline would have amounted to nothing there. So, Raenna still has a big role to play
O_O I just checked those comments, holy shit they are long. How long did it take to write them all? I never knew Wildling had a story, let alone another Game of Thrones story. It seems awesome and if it can draw comments of those lengths, I'm sure it's amazing. I will definitely be checking up on it
Well... about an hour or two maybe. I was not only excited to write these comments as I love discussing the story, I also wanted to continue writing the part, so that fuelled my writing speed even further. And yes, you absolutely should check if out if you're in the mood for more Game of Thrones! It's basically the amazing Dorne storyline we never quite got in the books (due to the storyline there being far too inconsequential and underrepresented) or the show (because Hurr Durr Ellaria and the Spice Snakes) and it is a thoroughly amazing experience. One of my favourites here for quite a number of reasons. If you enjoy FoT, you will surely enjoy NW as well. Look, it even got its own fancy abbreviation! As well as a Tv Tropes page pretty soon, which is going to be finished likely even before the FoT page, much to my shame. And good news, it is far from impossibl to catch up or even to just join, being only two chapters in (although they hold a length comparable to the FoT chapters, so you're still in for a read). Look how we made this into a mini shout-out I love that, because it deserves the spotlight.
I agree. Raenna is easily one of my favorite POVs. After finishing this part, I expected that it would be her last part of the chapter, as well as the book. I just know that her Book 2 storyline will be one of the best of the entire book, especially after you mentioned how she is one of the most well planned-out POV characters I can't wait!
Ah, this is good to hear! Raenna is likely going to be among the most important PoV's in Book 2 as well, so it is great you like her so much. Of course, it will be a couple of weeks until we're going to see her again, on account of the chapter just kicking off, but given the amount of thought I have put into her storyline here, I would be surprised if it wouldn't end up very positively received, for the most part at least.
I can assure you, it was entirely intentional. If I would have announced her to have the next PoV, it would have likely taken away quite a l… moreot of this surprise. I really wanted to make this a big surprise, even if some have seen her survival coming, so it is nice to see that I succeeded with you!
Yes, I was curious to see how you would handle Raenna's situation considering her possible status being alive. I did lean towards the fact of Raenna being alive knowing how major she was, but this part definitely caught me by surprise since I was not expecting it at all.
And I am very glad to hear you enjoyed this part! I certainly had a blast writing it and actually must admit that I wrote its entirety in the roughly six hours between closing the voting and posting this part, on top of writing really lengthy comments in WildlingKing's story (le sneaky advertising), so by the sheer speed I wrote this down with, you can probably tell jus… [view original content]
Ugh why couldn't she have died. I like it when they stay dead, first Richard, then someone else who I forgot of the top of my head, then Raenna. And now she's far far away from helping Leonard and company, although she probably wouldn't have. Evil assassins. Also Brandon is cooler now, I originally just thought he would be that guy in a group of friends at high school that people talked to sometimes but didn't really do a lot. Guess not.
Also, I think if you want to do a sneak reveal like this a little better in the future, you shouldn't put the POV name at the top, because I scrolled a little too much and already knew, and j assume everyone got it instantly. I still liked the reveal though.
Raenna
She wasn't falling anymore. Neither was she in the water. Not drowning. Not falling. Save? Alive at the very least. It was dark, s… moreilent, but slowly, painfully so, her senses returned, as she woke up from the depths of unconsciousness.
The first thing she noticed was a noise, soft, steady and muffled beyond understanding. There was darkness around her, but not entirely so. She saw light, flickering, as if she was moving, though her vision was too blurred to make out any details. And she felt a thumping pain in her head, radiating through her entire body, which was already aching on its own.
Raenna's breaths came slowly, irregularly and put her through even more pain. She was lying on her back and though someone had wrapped a blanket around her, it was uncomfortable, though her back and legs were aching far too much to even think about moving them.
Slowly, the humming noise cleared a bit, as he hearing returned before her vis… [view original content]
Had a feeling she isn't dead. Oh well, already scrolling up to the beginning of the part told me everything by the comments from the other readers. Part was enjoyable to read though.
Raenna
She wasn't falling anymore. Neither was she in the water. Not drowning. Not falling. Save? Alive at the very least. It was dark, s… moreilent, but slowly, painfully so, her senses returned, as she woke up from the depths of unconsciousness.
The first thing she noticed was a noise, soft, steady and muffled beyond understanding. There was darkness around her, but not entirely so. She saw light, flickering, as if she was moving, though her vision was too blurred to make out any details. And she felt a thumping pain in her head, radiating through her entire body, which was already aching on its own.
Raenna's breaths came slowly, irregularly and put her through even more pain. She was lying on her back and though someone had wrapped a blanket around her, it was uncomfortable, though her back and legs were aching far too much to even think about moving them.
Slowly, the humming noise cleared a bit, as he hearing returned before her vis… [view original content]
I never thought she was really dead, so I'd say the biggest surprise in this part would be Brandon Snow. I always thought he was submitted by the readers, and never thought he would be a canon character. So when he revealed his lineage, my jaw dropped. Kudos to you, Liquid.
Ugh why couldn't she have died. I like it when they stay dead, first Richard, then someone else who I forgot of the top of my head, then Raenna. And now she's far far away from helping Leonard and company, although she probably wouldn't have. Evil assassins.
Haha, I knew you'd be among those who wouldn't be all that thrilled about this reveal, given your opinion on Raenna Still hope you can warm up to her, especially with what's in store for her. That said, if she would have remained in Raylansfair, it is quite possible that she would have helped the good guys against Mullendore. Keep in mind, she's been taught by Terroma, who had a moral code more similar to the Faceless Men, who are actually quite honourable (not counting the Waif). And that third one you mean there... maybe Lucas? He is the only one I can think of right now who was thought to be dead for a short while and then revealed to be alive, back in Chapter 5. Or maybe Ayden? Though he wasn't as big of a reveal, considering that he is not as important as Richard, Lucas or Raenna. But well, I can assure you that killing her here would have been a massive waste. There's something seriously cool in store for her later on.
Also Brandon is cooler now, I originally just thought he would be that guy in a group of friends at high school that people talked to sometimes but didn't really do a lot. Guess not.
Oh yes, he is way more important than he seemed to be at first. He's like that guy in high school you occasionally have class with but never really interact, who later goes on to study at the same university as you do and ends up as one of your best friends. There's more to him, although there will be other important characters in the North as well, to be introduced pretty soon!
Also, I think if you want to do a sneak reveal like this a little better in the future, you shouldn't put the POV name at the top, because I scrolled a little too much and already knew, and j assume everyone got it instantly. I still liked the reveal though.
Yeah, I know what you mean. Though, I always planned to show Raenna's name very early into this part, so it didn't really feel like that much of a useful idea to put some other name on top of that part. In retrospect, it might have changed a bit about the feeling of the part, I agree with you there. Of course, I can't yet say if I ever plan something similar in the future again with a PoV that seemed dead being revealed alive, but I can't exactly rule it out either, so if there is a next time, I will certainly consider your advice
Ugh why couldn't she have died. I like it when they stay dead, first Richard, then someone else who I forgot of the top of my head, then Rae… morenna. And now she's far far away from helping Leonard and company, although she probably wouldn't have. Evil assassins. Also Brandon is cooler now, I originally just thought he would be that guy in a group of friends at high school that people talked to sometimes but didn't really do a lot. Guess not.
Also, I think if you want to do a sneak reveal like this a little better in the future, you shouldn't put the POV name at the top, because I scrolled a little too much and already knew, and j assume everyone got it instantly. I still liked the reveal though.
Ah, that was what I was a bit afraid about, that the comments could spoil it for those who don't read it first. No way around that though, that's what I love the comments for I'm glad you still enjoyed the part though!
Had a feeling she isn't dead. Oh well, already scrolling up to the beginning of the part told me everything by the comments from the other readers. Part was enjoyable to read though.
Yeah, Raenna's survival was something I was sure some readers would at least strongly expect. I mean, if she dies I think she deserves a better death, at least seen from her own viewpoint. Brandon however, I expected people to catch up to him back when I first introduced him and one or two actually did, but once I saw that a majority was clueless about him, I fully went with it and was therefore quite excited to finally reveal his true identity here. He said it himself, there are likely dozens of Brandon Snow's in the North, so I have hoped that people would consider him a reader-submitted character until now. I am very glad I succeeded at that
And... Raenna is back!!!
I never thought she was really dead, so I'd say the biggest surprise in this part would be Brandon Snow. I alway… mores thought he was submitted by the readers, and never thought he would be a canon character. So when he revealed his lineage, my jaw dropped. Kudos to you, Liquid.
Raenna
She wasn't falling anymore. Neither was she in the water. Not drowning. Not falling. Save? Alive at the very least. It was dark, s… moreilent, but slowly, painfully so, her senses returned, as she woke up from the depths of unconsciousness.
The first thing she noticed was a noise, soft, steady and muffled beyond understanding. There was darkness around her, but not entirely so. She saw light, flickering, as if she was moving, though her vision was too blurred to make out any details. And she felt a thumping pain in her head, radiating through her entire body, which was already aching on its own.
Raenna's breaths came slowly, irregularly and put her through even more pain. She was lying on her back and though someone had wrapped a blanket around her, it was uncomfortable, though her back and legs were aching far too much to even think about moving them.
Slowly, the humming noise cleared a bit, as he hearing returned before her vis… [view original content]
Aye, Torrhen Stark is going to be a pretty big character soon, to be introduced in Raenna's storyline in Book 2 Chapter 1. He is also going to appear in this other northern storyline I have mentioned above. Very glad you're excited for that, I hope I won't disappoint
Liquid, are you doing all of Aegon's conquest? If you are that's going to be really depressing, after reading the wiki on what happens to all the kingdoms, I think the saddest has to be the Durrandons.
Eventually, that is the plan, yes I'll very much follow the stuff that you can find on the wiki there, so consider everything that's written there a potential spoiler, as I doubt everyone here is fully aware of what is going to happen. Having recently bought the World of Ice and Fire, I am perfectly prepared for the things to come. Though keep in mind, it'll take me years to reach some of the stuff there. I know some events will be really depressing, potentially even more so due to your choices, but I also think there should be a couple of uplifting moments inbetween to balance things out. It won't be entirely grim and dark and depressing
Liquid, are you doing all of Aegon's conquest? If you are that's going to be really depressing, after reading the wiki on what happens to all the kingdoms, I think the saddest has to be the Durrandons.
Will you be strictly sticking to the already established lore, or could we possibly end up with a story that doesn't fully follow the official canon? We could have successfully assassinated Harre Hoare a while back which would have changed things a fair bit
It is possible that I end up changing some things on occasion. In fact, I have one particular scene planned in which I will divert from the canon, though it won't be in a way as massive as the Harren choice. I haven't planned anything as massive as the assassination of Harren Hoare yet, but I don't want to rule it out in particular if I get some very good inspiration. There will be some lesser important details (for a given value of "lesser") which I will change for sure to make for a better narrative. A majority of the storylines will also operate largely outside of the areas covered by the canon, so I'll have a lot of freedom there
Will you be strictly sticking to the already established lore, or could we possibly end up with a story that doesn't fully follow the offici… moreal canon? We could have successfully assassinated Harre Hoare a while back which would have changed things a fair bit
That said, I still just wanted to let you know that the next part is most likely going to be out today! I hope you all enjoyed this part, it's been a pleasure reading your thoughts on it Big things are in store for Raenna now that she's on her way to the North. As I said above, we won't see her any more in this chapter, which means a several weeks-long break for her, but we will catch up with her in the early Chapter 1 of Book 2, where she is going to meet the King in the North, as well as a whole cast of other interesting characters.
And well, the next part should be out today. As promised last time, it will include a John PoV. However, it is likely that I will have room for a second PoV and at this point, I consider Maya to be the most likely, unless I somehow decide that giving John a full part worth of content is going to be a good idea. Both will deal with the aftermath of the raid and with important new developments. As you know, especially John got a lot to deal with, from the disappearance of Janae and Behara, to the death of I'lian, to the capture of his old friend Lucas. Maya meanwhile has to face the apparent failure of her mission, as well as the return of Irving, whom she had previously kicked out of her group for screwing up. With her, I am not entirely sure if I'll manage to put her into this part, but if not, then she will certainly be seen in the near future, even if the part after this next one is most likely going to be given to Jaron instead of her.
The taproom was nearly empty, as John walked through it like a caged animal. Thoughts were racing through his mind, keeping him from just dropping down despite his exhaustion. His hands were clenched, cold sweat running down his forehead. Janae was gone. Not dead. Gone. He had spent hours searching the city, crawled through piles of bodies in the constant fear of finding her among them. But she wasn't. His maiden fair was gone, without a lead. And somehow, this was almost even worse.
Every once in a while, he looked up, glaring at the few other people in the room. The chubby barmaid was there, trying to clean the mess the Ironborn had left. A dozen people had died in this room and she looked clearly sick from watching the stains of blood that had been left from where the city guard removed the bodies. John knew, her mother was in the backroom, recovering from the beating she took. Occasionally,the pretty barmaid would come out of the same room, to get something from the cellar, though she'd always vanish as quickly as she appeared.
With a frown, John sat down on one of the chairs that had survived the destruction. He put his elbows up on his knees and rested his head on the clenched fists, staring at the ground now, with one widely-opened eye. She was gone. That was the only clear thought he was fully able to grasp. It was as if a piece of himself was missing. Worse than that, she was somewhere out there and in danger and he could do nothing to help her. It was driving him wild, mad even. Usually, Janae would be there for him on such occasions, calming him down with her presence. Now? There was nothing but anger and frustration and sorrow.
I'lian was dead. He had seen how they carried his body out of the building. The girl, Lenrianda, had followed after him, carried by the white-haired dornishwoman. Seeing someone like Nymeria in tears was upsetting and undignified, not how it was supposed to be. Finally, two guardsmen had dragged the corpse of Rodrik Stone out of the tavern. At least Sammy had claimed him to be Rodrik. Nymeria hadn't left much of his face to be sure of that, so he had to take her by her word.
Heavy footsteps down the staircase gained his attention and as he glanced towards it, he saw Aylard Kawl entering his field of view. The sight of the man surprised him, though he acknowledged him with a tired nod. He wished no quarrel with Aylard, not right now. Not now that he understood his loss so well after everything that had happened.
To his surprise, Aylard walked closer towards him, reaching for the chair next to him. “Mind if I sit down?”, he asked and John shook his head. “Be my guest”, he muttered, as the former innkeeper took the seat. For a moment, there was silence between them, before Aylard spoke again. “Sasha informed me of what happened”, he said. “My... condolences”
“She's not dead yet”, John replied, realizing only too late how this must have sounded to the man he was speaking to. A pained expression flashed across Aylard's face and the man looked even older than usual for a moment. “You can count yourself lucky for that”, he replied, before he sighed bitterly. “Listen, John... I did not come to start an argument. I had a lot of time to think. Not much else I can do these days. And I... wanted to apologize”
John did not answer immediately, as he stared through a stained window onto the town square. “You don't have to”, he replied and glanced at him. Aylard had grown haggard in the past weeks, the stress of losing his daughter had clearly taken a toll on him, even on his health. “You look even worse than I do”
A sad smile flashed over Aylard's bearded face, though it was gone as quick as it came. “And that means quite something”, he answered. “I have not slept well lately. Haven't eaten much” He shook his head. “It's gotten only worse since Samantha returned from Oldtown and... told me” His expression grew darker for a moment and his hands started to shiver. “I don't want you to go through the same”
John raised an eyebrow to this. “Since when have you become fond of me, Aylard?”, he asked. The innkeeper shook his head. “I was wrong before”, he answered. “Took my anger out on you, when you're the last I should blame” He looked up and now John saw the hint of tears in his eyes. “You tried, John”, he gasped. “That's all I could ask” He sighed. “What I wanted to say is, I want to help you. If there's a lead here in the city that could help you with Janae, I want to help you finding it”
The two men looked at each other and John had to ask himself what they were. Enemies? Aylard pushed him down these stairs after all. They had butted heads so often that he had to wonder just when they actually became friends. Perhaps just now, once they finally shared something, as painful as it was.
“I accept your help”, he said and patted Aylard on the shoulder. “What's with your son?” Aylard glanced at the staircase. “Kyette is taking care of him. He doesn't know about Lunett yet, but the day comes closer that I have to tell him...” He interrupted himself as his voice grew weaker. “One more reason to help you. I can't just sit in that fucking room all day long. I must do something, or else I lose my mind, for what it's worth”
“Well, I appreciate it”, John assured him. “Things haven't been easy for you...” Aylard cut him off. “For either of us”, he clarified. “I lost something I'll never get back. My sweet daughter, my eldest child. More than that, she was my best friend, the person I loved the most. I know how this feels and the last I want is for you to suffer the same”
John clenched his fists. “I will find her”, he clarified. “Janae is out there. She's alive, I know it” His gaze hardened. “If the Ironborn took her... I haven't been on the islands for over a decade, but if they took her, the Iron Fleet would not be enough to stop me”
Aylard gave him a nod. “I know this feeling”, he claimed, before he raised an eyebrow. “Do you love her?” Without hesitating, John gave him a nod. “But it's not in the way you think”, he clarified. “After what she's been through in Yunkai, I know she could never love me in that way. She's... my sister, for a lack of a better term. My soulmate”
“I hope you find her then”, Aylard said, with an empathy John hadn't expected from him. John looked up. “Do you have an idea?”, he asked. “Wandering around aimlessly, like Temari does, that's nothing for me. But I don't know who could help me with it. If anyone has seen anything, how the hell am I supposed to know?”
Aylard thought about this for a moment. “This Daghan friend of yours”, he said after a while and John raised an eyebrow. That was something he hadn't considered yet. Daghan might know a different way. That friend of his, the gorgeous brunette, she could know even more. This was an approach. Something he could try.
Both men looked up as the door got opened and John's wild glare softened momentarily as Samantha stepped into the room. Unlike him, she had gotten a short few hours of sleep in the last night, but she looked exhausted nonetheless. Under his questioning glare, she shook her head and he sighed, as she stepped towards him. For a moment, she threw a surprised glance at Aylard, though remained silent to his presence.
“Jaro and Nymeria are heading outside in an hour”, she spoke softly as she reached the men. “They are going to bury I'lian and Lenrianda somewhere near the forest” John looked up, raising an eyebrow. “And?”, he asked, which clearly took her aback. “And... I thought you might wanna go with them”, she stuttered. “Giving the dead some final farewells”
John shook his head with a sigh. “I can't”, he said. “I gotta try my best to find Janae” He stared at the woman in front of him, who gulped under his glare. “She's out there, Sammy. I know it”, he explained. “I can't just spend hours on a funeral instead of looking for her”
To this, Samantha sighed. “They are your friends, John”, she reminded him and he narrowed his eye. “Don't you think I know that?”, he barked angrily and the sheer, sudden outburst of frustration he showed caused her to take a step back from him, with eyes wide open. It was there that he noticed that she was hesitant, perhaps even afraid around him. And there was something else as well.
“What is it, Sammy?”, John asked, trying to sound softer than he truly felt at this point. She noticed it, since she tensed up. “Perhaps we should discuss this in private”, she said briefly and John glanced at Aylard, who had leant back. The innkeeper was listening, even if he tried to make it seem like the opposite.
After a moment of consideration, John shook his head. “Aylard can hear it as well”, he said and Samantha raised an eyebrow, before she sighed. “Your call”, she said, giving in to his demand, though she looked still uncomfortable in the presence of the other man. “But this is about Lucas”
Next to him, Aylard sharply inhaled. “Is he dead?”, he asked tonelessly and Samantha shook her head. “The men who arrived to save us... apparently their leader has taken him captive” John looked up, narrowing his eye as he heard these news. As if this day wasn't horrible enough already, now these news came to screw things up even further.
“Who is leading them?”, he asked and Samantha shrugged. “I don't know”, she admitted. “I've spent my time looking for Janae, only getting some bits and pieces there. House Vyrwel of Darkdell is involved, from what I know”
John glanced down at the ground, as he realized what this meant. “His father has come to Raylansfair...”, he mumbled. “But... fuck” In frustration he raised from his chair. “Fuck!”, he barked. “Where have they taken him?”
“The cells”, Samantha answered, taking yet another step away from him. “As far as I know at least. He's their prisoner and things... really don't look well for him. I'll be visiting him after the funeral, to find some stuff out”
Before John was able to answer, Aylard cleared his throat. “Then I shall visit him right now”, he replied and John looked at him. “Why that?”, he asked and Aylard gave him a mild glare. “Just like Samantha, I'm having some questions left”, he replied. “And I want to know how bad things are for him. Might be the last time I get some answers out of him”
John tensed up as he heard this. Aylard was right, this could be the last time he could get anything out of Lucas. Things were looking dire, for both of them. They had been through a lot together and while he didn't require any answers from his knightly friend, perhaps it was the last chance he'd get for a proper farewell. And perhaps it wasn't too wise to leave him alone with Aylard, given their history. Yet at the same time, there was Daghan, likely somewhere in the castle. John hadn't seen him since the attack, though he had no doubt that the Targaryen knight had survived and gotten to his castle, together with his well-informed friend. If Saerya knew anything, perhaps it would be necessary to get to her as fast as possible.
[Go with Aylard to Lucas][Search for Daghan]
Maya
A new wave of pain flashed through her ankle, as Gregar finished the makeshift leg splint. She cringed at the pain and her companion chuckled dryly. “Be glad that it's not broken”, he answered. “You'll be up and running again in a few weeks, but for now, you need this and a lot of rest. A sprained ankle is not to be taken lightly”
Maya rolled her eyes. “Never knew you're such a caring nurse”, she said mockingly and he chuckled. “Just one of many skills you pick up in the mountains”, he answered. “Did the first splint for myself at the age of fourteen. That only made it worse and it took me half a year until I could climb again, but at least I learned how not to do it”
“But... you do know now, right?”, Maya asked and he raised an eyebrow. “I don't know... do I?”, he replied. At her horrified expression, he fell into a laughter. “Of course I do!”, he barked, before he rose from the chair next to her bed. “Seven Hells, you really need to learn how to trust your team more”
“Trusting you hasn't always been that easy”, Maya reminded him. “I mean, with Irving. And then there's the thief you hired” Gregar sighed. “Well, he did do his job”, he answered. “Not his fault we lost the documents later on and I can't even blame him from getting the hell out of here during the fight. We never hired him for fighting, did we?”
Begrudgingly, Maya had to admit that there was a point in what he said, even if she was still a bit irked about the way Keat just took off on his own. Though she had no doubt that it was still better than letting Aldrik run off after the man that had killed his direwolf. One missing thief was still a better thing than a dead friend.
They had gotten a small room in the tavern, quite an easy feat now that half of the rooms were unoccupied. Slowly, Gregar moved to the window. “Got to say, we're lucky to still be alive. Not counting Aldrik's mutt”, he said and Maya felt a sudden sadness as she was reminded of Knightfang's death. Aldrik had taken it badly, very much so. He was still outside of the city, to bury his companion and she was concerned for him, how things would go from there.
She remained silent, long enough for Gregar to notice. He stepped away from the window and back to her bed. “You did what you could”, he said. “It's not your fault this ended in a disaster” With sudden anger, he narrowed his eyes. “No, that one goes to Irving”, he growled. “You plan to talk to him?”
Maya bit her lower lip and gave him a nod. “Eventually”, she confirmed. “He came back for us and I appreciate it. But... there's a lot he needs to explain. So yeah, I will talk to him... once I can actually think straight again” She glanced at her ankle, still thumping in pain from where the sellsword had stepped on it. “I start to believe it'd hurt less if we'd just cut it off”
Gregar smirked. “I got an axe ready”, he offered jokingly. “That'd be quite the return to Runestone. None of the important documents, but a shiny peg leg instead” Maya chuckled. “Yeah, I'm sure Lord Royce would be pleased”, she replied. “I'd likely be needing two peg legs after such a meeting”
Gregar's chuckling was cut short when someone knocked on the door. Maya did her best to sit straight in the bed, as she gave Gregar a nod. Her companion walked to the door, opening it to reveal Irving, who cowered under his glare. The look he gave Maya though was warm and full of concern. “Ambassador?”, he asked. “Maya, there's someone who wants to speak to you”
He wanted to say more, but in this moment, Keat stepped into her field of view pushing Irving out of his way. “Let me pass”, he said sharply, giving Irving the same look of displeasure Gregar had given him before. Naturally, considering that he as well had suffered from Irving's actions.
That said, Maya was surprised by his presence here. After he had taken off, she hadn't expected to ever see him again. In fact, she wasn't too sad about it, though she was relieved that he at least managed to survive the battle. Wordlessly, Gregar allowed him to pass, though he left the door open, blocking it for Irving in the process.
“Ambassador”, the thief greeted her and she gave him a nod. “Keat”, she said in return. “Haven't expected to see you again” He smiled charmingly. “What can I say, never count me out”, he smirked. “Though it took me a while to find you again after the fighting was over” He glanced around the room. “Nice little hideout you got yourself here”, he stated, before he looked at her bed. “You got it cosy?”
Maya sighed. “I got a sprained ankle”, she replied and he raised an eyebrow. “And here I was thinking that was just a weirdly impractical boot on your leg”, he said. “You know, wouldn't be the weirdest thing I saw from you Vale people”
To this, Maya rolled her eyes. “Get to the point”, she said, though she wasn't particularly annoyed by his presence. There was not much else she could do after all, confined to a bed. “What do you want?” Instead of directly answering, Keat continued to look around. “Quite a large room on top”, he stated. “Was it expensive?”
“Not really”, Gregar replied. “With half of the guests dead, the tavern's not really in the place to collect tons of money” He folded his arms. “But Maya asked you a question. Why is it that you've come back?”
Keat flashed him a smile. “Oh, you know...”, he said. “There's still something we haven't dealt with yet” He looked from Gregar back to Maya, who raised an eyebrow, expecting his demand. “My payment”, he stated bluntly. “You haven't paid me yet”
A moment of silence followed, broken by Irving down in the hallway. “Excuse me?”, he spat. “After you abandoned us in the middle of the battle?” Keat glared past Gregar, right at the watchguard. “You're one to talk”, he said and his calmness faded for a second. “Your fuck-up got us captured, me and Gregar. I'm a known thief. Last time, I was able to buy myself out, but this time, they would have taken a finger, or the whole hand”
His outburst was enough to silence Irving, who looked to the ground and from his blush, Maya could see that he was ashamed. “He does have a point though”, Maya replied. “You left us. And the documents you were ordered to steal are still not here”
Keat looked back at her, now calmer again. “And they won't be, because they are guarding them more closely than ever now. Gods know how they still have the manpower for that, but I can't get them” He narrowed his eyes. “That does not change the fact that I risked a lot for you. I kept up my part of the bargain. Brought you into the archive, stole the documents for you. The reason why we no longer have them are out of my control. That's been the fault of your man”
“You still abandoned us”, Maya replied sternly and he gave her a nod. “Aye, I left off in the middle of a fucking battlefield”, he explained. “I am a thief, not a fighter and you just dragged me into a skirmish. That's not what I was hired for, so of course I took off, hid on my own and survived this mess. I have two young siblings to look out for. Of course I did my best not to die!”
“Are you bringing them up for sympathy?”, Gregar asked and Keat shook his head. “I bring them up to explain myself”, he hissed, slightly more sharply than usual. “I don't feel good for having left you, but that doesn't change the fact that I did my part. I earned my payment the moment I gave you these documents. The fact that you lost them has surely not been my fault”
Gregar sighed. “You know, he does have a point”, he admitted, to which Irving raised his head. “Excuse me?”, he intervened. “You mean to pay this guy?” He was going to add something else, though Gregar cut him off. “And you, shut up!”, he barked loudly. “We'll deal with you later, but your not one to talk about cowardice or screw-ups!”
“Gregar!”, Maya hissed sharply and he turned back to her, an apologetic look on his face, while Irving behind him lowered his head in what could only be described as pure shame. “Apologies, ambassador”, Gregar said. “I got carried away a little bit here. Fact is, Keat is right. He did what we asked of him and he deserves to get paid”
Maya sighed. “How much do you want?”, she asked the thief, who smirked. “We arranged for twenty golden hands”, he answered and she threw a questioning glance at Gregar. “We can afford it, easily so”, her companion assured her. “Lord Royce has been generous on that end” Keat's smirk turned into a full smile, as he looked back at Maya. “Well, there you have it”, he said in a satisfied tone. “I'm awaiting your decision then. Will you stay true to your word? Will I get what we agreed upon?”
[Pay Keat the full sum][Pay Keat half of the sum][Refuse to pay Keat]
John
The taproom was nearly empty, as John walked through it like a caged animal. Thoughts were racing through his mind, keeping him from… more just dropping down despite his exhaustion. His hands were clenched, cold sweat running down his forehead. Janae was gone. Not dead. Gone. He had spent hours searching the city, crawled through piles of bodies in the constant fear of finding her among them. But she wasn't. His maiden fair was gone, without a lead. And somehow, this was almost even worse.
Every once in a while, he looked up, glaring at the few other people in the room. The chubby barmaid was there, trying to clean the mess the Ironborn had left. A dozen people had died in this room and she looked clearly sick from watching the stains of blood that had been left from where the city guard removed the bodies. John knew, her mother was in the backroom, recovering from the beating she took. Occasionally,the pretty barmaid would come out of t… [view original content]
[Search for Daghan] Gotta stay loyal to Team Targ. Plus, Aylard should get a private moment with Lucas to talk about Lunett. Let Lucas explain himself without John's one eye on his back. Real heart to heart.
[Refuse to pay Keat] Maya ain't going to stand for this madness. In the end we didn't even get the papers, and Keat didn't do himself any favors abandoning Maya.
John
The taproom was nearly empty, as John walked through it like a caged animal. Thoughts were racing through his mind, keeping him from… more just dropping down despite his exhaustion. His hands were clenched, cold sweat running down his forehead. Janae was gone. Not dead. Gone. He had spent hours searching the city, crawled through piles of bodies in the constant fear of finding her among them. But she wasn't. His maiden fair was gone, without a lead. And somehow, this was almost even worse.
Every once in a while, he looked up, glaring at the few other people in the room. The chubby barmaid was there, trying to clean the mess the Ironborn had left. A dozen people had died in this room and she looked clearly sick from watching the stains of blood that had been left from where the city guard removed the bodies. John knew, her mother was in the backroom, recovering from the beating she took. Occasionally,the pretty barmaid would come out of t… [view original content]
John
The taproom was nearly empty, as John walked through it like a caged animal. Thoughts were racing through his mind, keeping him from… more just dropping down despite his exhaustion. His hands were clenched, cold sweat running down his forehead. Janae was gone. Not dead. Gone. He had spent hours searching the city, crawled through piles of bodies in the constant fear of finding her among them. But she wasn't. His maiden fair was gone, without a lead. And somehow, this was almost even worse.
Every once in a while, he looked up, glaring at the few other people in the room. The chubby barmaid was there, trying to clean the mess the Ironborn had left. A dozen people had died in this room and she looked clearly sick from watching the stains of blood that had been left from where the city guard removed the bodies. John knew, her mother was in the backroom, recovering from the beating she took. Occasionally,the pretty barmaid would come out of t… [view original content]
John
The taproom was nearly empty, as John walked through it like a caged animal. Thoughts were racing through his mind, keeping him from… more just dropping down despite his exhaustion. His hands were clenched, cold sweat running down his forehead. Janae was gone. Not dead. Gone. He had spent hours searching the city, crawled through piles of bodies in the constant fear of finding her among them. But she wasn't. His maiden fair was gone, without a lead. And somehow, this was almost even worse.
Every once in a while, he looked up, glaring at the few other people in the room. The chubby barmaid was there, trying to clean the mess the Ironborn had left. A dozen people had died in this room and she looked clearly sick from watching the stains of blood that had been left from where the city guard removed the bodies. John knew, her mother was in the backroom, recovering from the beating she took. Occasionally,the pretty barmaid would come out of t… [view original content]
[Pay Keat half of the sum] Pay the full sum is pure madness while pay only half will make Keat understand that he don't do a perfect job and much more important won't make Maya look as a dumb person that give rewards even when the mission fail (and I really doubt that Gregar,Irving and Aldrik will forget this)
About John I won't decide for now
RT:
Oh well,obviously John don't take good Janae and Behara disappearence and I'lian death
I believe that John make a mistake to not be present at the funeral of one of his friends (I doubt that Jaro will forget this)
About the funeral I have the impression that it will be the starting point of Samantha POV for this chapter
Ah Ah Ah,Samantha still have no idea of who has reach the city
It was sad read of the talk between Aylard and John
Oh oh,sorry shippers but JohnXJanae has no future!And I must admit that I like much more her relationship as friends
Meanwhile Maya is in the care of Gregar,the Mountain Clan medic!
I really like that they doesn't forgive just now Irving,it's true that he help Maya but it was a help that the Ambassador won't have need if he did his job during the mission
John
The taproom was nearly empty, as John walked through it like a caged animal. Thoughts were racing through his mind, keeping him from… more just dropping down despite his exhaustion. His hands were clenched, cold sweat running down his forehead. Janae was gone. Not dead. Gone. He had spent hours searching the city, crawled through piles of bodies in the constant fear of finding her among them. But she wasn't. His maiden fair was gone, without a lead. And somehow, this was almost even worse.
Every once in a while, he looked up, glaring at the few other people in the room. The chubby barmaid was there, trying to clean the mess the Ironborn had left. A dozen people had died in this room and she looked clearly sick from watching the stains of blood that had been left from where the city guard removed the bodies. John knew, her mother was in the backroom, recovering from the beating she took. Occasionally,the pretty barmaid would come out of t… [view original content]
Keat's a smart guy, I think he deserves more than 20 golden crowns, and Gregar already mentioned that they can easily afford 20. So I thought why not give him more.
I'm not sure if any of you guys play D&D, but since I've been playing it lately I thought I would do some of the character alignments for FoT. Based on my own opinion, of course.
Mathea: Neutral Good: Definitely, I think it is obvious why she is this.
Lucas Flowers: Neutral Good: He started the story as Lawful Good, then after Mullendore's torture I think he was Chaotic Good for awhile. Even though he is currently under Mullendore's custody, yet again. I believe he's closer to a Neutral Good, but he could also pass for Lawful Good.
Leonard Constantine: Lawful Good: I think Leonard has been Lawful Good for the whole story.
Harris Flowers: Lawful Neutral: This one was really tough due to him being so complex, and I'm pretty sure Harris went through half of the alignments throughout his time in the story. Over all I think he is closer to Lawful Neutral than any other alignment.
Samuel Harrington: Chaotic Neutral: Another tough one, but I think Samuel may have stayed this alignment for the whole story. May have been Lawful Evil during his time with the Solvers.
Maron Mullendore: Lawful Evil: I would say Mullendore is the best example FoT has of a truly Lawful Evil character.
Wolfius Woodbark: Chaotic Evil: I don't think I need to explain this one.
The Tom: Neutral Evil: He is either this or Lawful Evil, he could be either.
The Moggy: Neutral Evil: Due to him following The Tom's orders, he gets the same alignment as The Tom.
The Sphynx: Neutral Evil: Definitely, I think he fits this the most, he even suggested betraying Mullendore.
Now since there are so many characters, I'm just going to generalize the rest as groups.
I would say most knights and soldiers fit under the Lawful Good alignment, or Lawful Neutral.
Smallfolk such as, Richard, Jenna and Illish would all probably be Neutral Good, that is mainly due to their choices in the story, but I believe they could all pass for True Neutral.
Assassin's such as Kersea and Raenna would be Chaotic Good I believe, but either could be Chaotic Neutral. Alysanne is actually a tough one to pick but I believe she would fit under Neutral Evil along with Clayton.
That's currently all I could think of, I barely covered any characters since there are just to many to cover.
Keat's a smart guy, I think he deserves more than 20 golden crowns, and Gregar already mentioned that they can easily afford 20. So I thought why not give him more.
John
The taproom was nearly empty, as John walked through it like a caged animal. Thoughts were racing through his mind, keeping him from… more just dropping down despite his exhaustion. His hands were clenched, cold sweat running down his forehead. Janae was gone. Not dead. Gone. He had spent hours searching the city, crawled through piles of bodies in the constant fear of finding her among them. But she wasn't. His maiden fair was gone, without a lead. And somehow, this was almost even worse.
Every once in a while, he looked up, glaring at the few other people in the room. The chubby barmaid was there, trying to clean the mess the Ironborn had left. A dozen people had died in this room and she looked clearly sick from watching the stains of blood that had been left from where the city guard removed the bodies. John knew, her mother was in the backroom, recovering from the beating she took. Occasionally,the pretty barmaid would come out of t… [view original content]
More? Well, this is a wish I have not expected I was sure that even paying him in full would already a bit of a stretch for some, but this is great. Though, there's no reason for Maya to pay him more than they agreed to, especially as twenty golden hands are already quite a hefty sum for someone in his line of work. It's basically what he earns in a month, if things go moderately well for him. The other options, from paying him in full, to paying him only half the amount, to not paying him at all, can be justified from her position, but I'm afraid she has no real reason to pay him more than they agreed upon. Neither would that be something Keat would ever demand, he only wishes to get what he arranged for back when he was hired.
[Search for Daghan] Well, I have a couple reasons for this one. First of all, I think the potential scene between Aylard and Lucas would be more powerful without John there. Not that there's anything wrong with John, but Aylard confronting Lucas one-on-one would just make a more tense and emotional moment, imo. Then, the second reason is that I want John to continue to work with Team Targ, and get back on it as soon as possible. I don't really think Daghan will be able to help with Janae though.
[Pay Keat half of the sum] It's true that Keat did his part, but a failed mission is a failed mission. Perhaps if he had stayed beside Maya (even if I understand why he didn't) I could consider paying the full sum, but with what happened I think half the pay is a fair compromise.
John
The taproom was nearly empty, as John walked through it like a caged animal. Thoughts were racing through his mind, keeping him from… more just dropping down despite his exhaustion. His hands were clenched, cold sweat running down his forehead. Janae was gone. Not dead. Gone. He had spent hours searching the city, crawled through piles of bodies in the constant fear of finding her among them. But she wasn't. His maiden fair was gone, without a lead. And somehow, this was almost even worse.
Every once in a while, he looked up, glaring at the few other people in the room. The chubby barmaid was there, trying to clean the mess the Ironborn had left. A dozen people had died in this room and she looked clearly sick from watching the stains of blood that had been left from where the city guard removed the bodies. John knew, her mother was in the backroom, recovering from the beating she took. Occasionally,the pretty barmaid would come out of t… [view original content]
(and I really doubt that Gregar,Irving and Aldrik will forget this)
Actually, Gregar is more in favour of paying him. He's a shady character, so he sympathizes with those who are similarly shady. In a way, that can be called honour among thieves. Irving however has made it clear that he is against that and it is highly questionable if Aldrik would agree to this either. At the same time, as a knight his opinion on this is likely more ambiguous than Irving's, since paying the full sum would mean that Maya stays true to her word, even if the person receiving the money doesn't really deserve it in his opinion.
About John I won't decide for now
As always, that's alright! Should you decide upon an option later on, just edit it in, I'll notice it
Oh well,obviously John don't take good Janae and Behara disappearence and I'lian death
Indeed! I actually toned him down quite a bit here, originally he was way more aggressive, towards Megur the barmaid and towards Samantha as well. This is an incredibly stressful situation for him, perhaps the worst he has ever been in.
I believe that John make a mistake to not be present at the funeral of one of his friends (I doubt that Jaro will forget this)
Indeed, Jaro will remember this. He already has this thought that I'lian's death could have been prevented if they would have went to the tavern first instead of searching for Janae and Behara, so his opinion on John isn't exactly at an all-time high. These two decisions will have quite the effect on the way he sees him.
About the funeral I have the impression that it will be the starting point of Samantha POV for this chapter
You're goddamn right! This is also the main reason why I haven't put Samantha as the second PoV here, because her first part is going to directly begin at the funeral, though I would like to keep the option to show her at the very beginning of John's next part as well, so I naturally couldn't have her at the funeral already.
Ah Ah Ah,Samantha still have no idea of who has reach the city
Aye, this is something she doesn't know about yet, though it's only a matter of time until she will find out, as she has more focussed on getting a lead on Janae and Behara for now. This is also something that will be of major importance for her future storyline.
It was sad read of the talk between Aylard and John
Ah, this was very much what I wanted to go for there. It's a more sullen, thoughtful side of Aylard which we haven't seen so far, considering that he spent most of his time in the story being seriously angry, for reasons that were both, good and not so much. But he had time to calm down now and this means he is more rational than before. He's still angry, but not in the way that he blindly lashes out at anyone in his way.
Oh oh,sorry shippers but JohnXJanae has no future!And I must admit that I like much more her relationship as friends
Have they ever been shipped? But indeed, this is a purely platonic relationship. They do love each other, but as friends and soulmates. I'd say they are a couple in the way they are emotionally close to each other, but there's neither a romantic nor a sexual part to their relationship. It's a bit like the most common interpretation about the Asher/Beskha relationship from the game.
Meanwhile Maya is in the care of Gregar,the Mountain Clan medic!
Maybe this is a good time to reveal that Gregar is not a Mountain Clan man. He was born in Redfort in the Vale, despite his wild looks. I think you can call him a Mountain Clan poser
I really like that they doesn't forgive just now Irving,it's true that he help Maya but it was a help that the Ambassador won't have need if he did his job during the mission
Aye, things are far from good between Maya an Irving! She is willing to talk to him, to listen to what he has to say and she apparently tolerates his help again, but this is still something that angers her greatly and getting back into her good graces is something Irving will have to work for. However, due to his actions during the raid, she is at least willing to give him this chance to win her favour back.
Keat is without shame!
He is, oh yes He's one of the most shameless, audacious characters in the story, but that gives him a certain sort of charm that is going to be fun to write in the future.
[Pay Keat half of the sum] Pay the full sum is pure madness while pay only half will make Keat understand that he don't do a perfect job and… more much more important won't make Maya look as a dumb person that give rewards even when the mission fail (and I really doubt that Gregar,Irving and Aldrik will forget this)
About John I won't decide for now
RT:
* Oh well,obviously John don't take good Janae and Behara disappearence and I'lian death
* I believe that John make a mistake to not be present at the funeral of one of his friends (I doubt that Jaro will forget this)
* About the funeral I have the impression that it will be the starting point of Samantha POV for this chapter
* Ah Ah Ah,Samantha still have no idea of who has reach the city
* It was sad read of the talk between Aylard and John
* Oh oh,sorry shippers but JohnXJanae has no future!And I must admit that I like much more her relationship as friends
* Meanwhile Maya is in … [view original content]
I'm not sure if any of you guys play D&D, but since I've been playing it lately I thought I would do some of the character alignments for FoT. Based on my own opinion, of course.
This is a very interesting idea! I myself have actually put some thought into such a thing, though I'm far from an expert on alignments. The RPG I mainly play doesn't use them, so I never saw any alignment stuff in action, though I do enjoy such things a lot
Lucas Flowers: Neutral Good: He started the story as Lawful Good, then after Mullendore's torture I think he was Chaotic Good for awhile. Even though he is currently under Mullendore's custody, yet again. I believe he's closer to a Neutral Good, but he could also pass for Lawful Good.
Neutral Good does fit for him, yes, though after Mullendore's torture he indeed had a brief episode as a more chaotic character, arguably even bordering on being Chaotic Neutral at his lowest point. Right now, he is firmly back into Neutral Good, though he indeed is certainly no longer Lawful Good.
Harris Flowers: Lawful Neutral: This one was really tough due to him being so complex, and I'm pretty sure Harris went through half of the alignments throughout his time in the story. Over all I think he is closer to Lawful Neutral than any other alignment.
I agree, Harris is the one who is the hardest to pin down. He underwent several alignment changes in the story, though Lawful Neutral is what he started as and the definition of it is the way he always saw himself as. He has never truly been Lawful Good, or any other good alignment, but arguably did some actions that can clearly be classified as Lawful Evil or Neutral Evil.
Samuel Harrington: Chaotic Neutral: Another tough one, but I think Samuel may have stayed this alignment for the whole story. May have been Lawful Evil during his time with the Solvers.
Hm, I'd say he has always been Chaotic Neutral, even during his time for the Solvers. His sole motivation has been his personal quest for revenge and in pursuing it, he has always done good or bad whenever it suited him. The Solvers as a whole are Evil-aligned (most of them Lawful, but there are some neutral or chaotic elements in them as well), but Samuel has always been chaotic neutral, which I'd also see as the classical sellsword alignment.
Maron Mullendore: Lawful Evil: I would say Mullendore is the best example FoT has of a truly Lawful Evil character.
That is something I realized while writing, Mullendore is indeed a perfect example for a Lawful Evil character, so much that I almost put it as a trope example for him on the Tv Tropes page, before I realized that it is not supposed to be used for works that don't have such a clear alignment system. Harren Hoare is a similarly good example for a Lawful Evil character imo.
The Tom: Neutral Evil: He is either this or Lawful Evil, he could be either.
The Tom is someone I am not sure about myself. He has traits of both. The Alley Cats as a whole are Neutral Evil, but the Tom has traits that go strongly into Lawful Evil as well, some of which will be seen in this chapter.
I would say most knights and soldiers fit under the Lawful Good alignment, or Lawful Neutral.
Certainly Lawful Good for the knights, though I'd say the soldiers probably qualify more as Lawful Neutral, given that they don't have this personal conviction and code of honour of a knight.
Smallfolk such as, Richard, Jenna and Illish would all probably be Neutral Good, that is mainly due to their choices in the story, but I believe they could all pass for True Neutral.
I think I have read somewhere that Neutral Good is the alignment of the standard D&D villager and if so, then this certainly fits for the smallfolk of Westeros as well, at least the ones you have mentioned there. Since Westeros as a whole is a far more crappy place to live, True Neutral might be a suitable alignment for them as well.
Assassin's such as Kersea and Raenna would be Chaotic Good I believe, but either could be Chaotic Neutral. Alysanne is actually a tough one to pick but I believe she would fit under Neutral Evil along with Clayton.
Chaotic Good for Raenna, yes, the same alignment as Terroma. Kersea started as Chaotic Neutral, though I think she now qualifies more as a Chaotic Good character again. Alysanne meanwhile... uh, she's a hard one. Clayton is Neutral Evil, perhaps the best example of it, but Alysanne... I'd say she is way more chaotic than that. She certainly started the story as a Chaotic Evil character, but if FoT would be a campaign and I'd be the GM, I'd change her alignment to Chaotic Neutral from the late chapter 7 up to her death in Chapter 8.
I'm not sure if any of you guys play D&D, but since I've been playing it lately I thought I would do some of the character alignments fo… morer FoT. Based on my own opinion, of course.
Mathea: Neutral Good: Definitely, I think it is obvious why she is this.
Lucas Flowers: Neutral Good: He started the story as Lawful Good, then after Mullendore's torture I think he was Chaotic Good for awhile. Even though he is currently under Mullendore's custody, yet again. I believe he's closer to a Neutral Good, but he could also pass for Lawful Good.
Leonard Constantine: Lawful Good: I think Leonard has been Lawful Good for the whole story.
Harris Flowers: Lawful Neutral: This one was really tough due to him being so complex, and I'm pretty sure Harris went through half of the alignments throughout his time in the story. Over all I think he is closer to Lawful Neutral than any other alignment.
Samuel Harrington: Chaotic Neutral: Another tough… [view original content]
[Search for Daghan] Splitting up might be the best idea. Easier to accomplish two tasks at the same time instead of once. And who knows, we might learn something useful.
Pay Keat half the sum] The deal was to retrieve the documents. Not only did that mission fail, but he abandoned the group in their time of need. He's lucky to be getting anything to be honest.
John
The taproom was nearly empty, as John walked through it like a caged animal. Thoughts were racing through his mind, keeping him from… more just dropping down despite his exhaustion. His hands were clenched, cold sweat running down his forehead. Janae was gone. Not dead. Gone. He had spent hours searching the city, crawled through piles of bodies in the constant fear of finding her among them. But she wasn't. His maiden fair was gone, without a lead. And somehow, this was almost even worse.
Every once in a while, he looked up, glaring at the few other people in the room. The chubby barmaid was there, trying to clean the mess the Ironborn had left. A dozen people had died in this room and she looked clearly sick from watching the stains of blood that had been left from where the city guard removed the bodies. John knew, her mother was in the backroom, recovering from the beating she took. Occasionally,the pretty barmaid would come out of t… [view original content]
[Go with Aylard to Lucas] I'd love to see Saerya again but honestly I'm not that fond of Daghan. Besides John can evaluate the situation himself, though I highly doubt they'll let them see Lucas.
[Pay Keat the full sum] If they can spare the gold they might as well.
John
The taproom was nearly empty, as John walked through it like a caged animal. Thoughts were racing through his mind, keeping him from… more just dropping down despite his exhaustion. His hands were clenched, cold sweat running down his forehead. Janae was gone. Not dead. Gone. He had spent hours searching the city, crawled through piles of bodies in the constant fear of finding her among them. But she wasn't. His maiden fair was gone, without a lead. And somehow, this was almost even worse.
Every once in a while, he looked up, glaring at the few other people in the room. The chubby barmaid was there, trying to clean the mess the Ironborn had left. A dozen people had died in this room and she looked clearly sick from watching the stains of blood that had been left from where the city guard removed the bodies. John knew, her mother was in the backroom, recovering from the beating she took. Occasionally,the pretty barmaid would come out of t… [view original content]
John
The taproom was nearly empty, as John walked through it like a caged animal. Thoughts were racing through his mind, keeping him from… more just dropping down despite his exhaustion. His hands were clenched, cold sweat running down his forehead. Janae was gone. Not dead. Gone. He had spent hours searching the city, crawled through piles of bodies in the constant fear of finding her among them. But she wasn't. His maiden fair was gone, without a lead. And somehow, this was almost even worse.
Every once in a while, he looked up, glaring at the few other people in the room. The chubby barmaid was there, trying to clean the mess the Ironborn had left. A dozen people had died in this room and she looked clearly sick from watching the stains of blood that had been left from where the city guard removed the bodies. John knew, her mother was in the backroom, recovering from the beating she took. Occasionally,the pretty barmaid would come out of t… [view original content]
Comments
Kind of, yeah. I mean, I had this really intriguing PoV set up for a while now, cousin to Aegon Targaryen and therefore with a unique perspective on the things to come, I only feature her in four chapters and barely so in the fourth only to kill her off? Despite her situation having been grim, I never had any intentions of killing her off there and as careful as I was not to let anything slip about her status, I was pretty sure some would catch up to it.
Ironically, that is the twist I have expected people to call ever since I introduced him, especially as I consciously decided against him using another name while undercover. After all, he is none other than this Brandon Snow (minor spoilers for the future, use that link with caution), one of the, in my opinion, more prominent characters from the War of Conquest and one of the first I actually learned about when I decided to set my story around the same time. Then there were his typical Stark looks (which admittedly fit for Kersea and Briar as well), as well as the fact that he got quite often associated with wolves, which I myself consider the biggest give-away. But I am very glad that you have not caught up to it and have therefore been sufficiently surprised
If ever again. Yes, their paths have been separated now. Davith knows the truth, but he has to find Kersea in the first place and then, she has to find her way home. We're actually going to get an update on her in the semi-near future and I look forward to give hints on her future by then. But ah, I guess everything is better for our sisters than Kersea dying atop the lighthouse, as her original fate was meant to be.
Into a very interesting direction, that much I can promise
Raenna's Book 2 storyline is among the most well-planned (and part of the reason I needed an additional chapter in Act 2) and I think there will be quite a lot to look forward for by then. First, there is the meeting with Torrhen Stark of course, but there will be a lot to look forward for even beyond that.
Awesome! I'm so glad Raenna is alive and safe!
Also, I'm very relieved to see Briar got away from Raylansfair as well, though it is sad that she is separated from Kersea again.
Well, it was this line that just made my brains click like "Holy shit! This is Torrhen's brother!"
This made Brandon much more interesting, and I'm super thrilled to get the Stark's into the story. Perhaps they could be a good house for Raenna to serve. Anyway, I'm looking forward to where this storyline will go 
Damn you Liquid! Tricked us again xD Seriously though, I did enjoy this part quite a lot. The revelations were neat and I'm interested to read about The North now. Raenna's involvement with the King of the North will be great. I have to assume that the next part will feature John, yeah?
Also, what does this mean for the Samuel and Raenna ship?
I have hope that if they make it out alive, they can have a nice touching reunion and kind of hit it off, but I don't see that happening for a while.
Well, that was something I found highly amusing in our talks, when you told me that you are concerned for Raenna. I never had any intentions of killing her off at this point, but naturally that is something I couldn't reveal until now, so I hope I managed to create quite a little bit concern for her status after the fight in the lighthouse. With Briar, this will indeed be hard on her, once she learns that Kersea has most likely perished during the battle (according to Brandon's information). She is save and well taken care off for now, but being separated from her sister once again, maybe for good this time, will be very hard on her. Even her good mood has its limits.
In a FoT series, this would be the moment where the main part of the "King in the North" theme from the official soundtrack would kick in
Sure enough I have been listening to it while writing this scene. Brandon is indeed a very interesting character due to his position at court and Raenna will be in for a storyline of intrigue, action, danger and a couple of exciting new faces.
Muahahaha, the trickery of Liquid has striked again! But well, I am very glad you enjoyed this part
The North will be a big location in Book 2, with Raenna and one other character getting storylines set there and Torrhen is one of the king's I am the most excited to show in Book 2. Also, yes, the next part is currently planned to feature John, though a secon PoV, most likely Samantha, is a good possibility as well.
That is true, they are in very distant regions of Westeros now, which makes any romance between them quite hard. That said, both will remain on each other's mind and this is something that will be explored in Raenna's storyline. For now, she hasn't brought it up because there was quite a number of information that came quite shocking for her, but I plan to explore her feelings in Book 2. Things will get complicated, but Samuel is going to continue playing a role in her thoughts and therefore her life. With Samuel, it will be harder to show how he is going to be affected by this, due to him not being the type of guy to speak about his feelings, but be assured that I have something planned
Yes, I was curious to see how you would handle Raenna's situation considering her possible status being alive. I did lean towards the fact of Raenna being alive knowing how major she was, but this part definitely caught me by surprise since I was not expecting it at all.
O_O I just checked those comments, holy shit they are long. How long did it take to write them all?
I never knew Wildling had a story, let alone another Game of Thrones story. It seems awesome and if it can draw comments of those lengths, I'm sure it's amazing. I will definitely be checking up on it 
I agree. Raenna is easily one of my favorite POVs. After finishing this part, I expected that it would be her last part of the chapter, as well as the book. I just know that her Book 2 storyline will be one of the best of the entire book, especially after you mentioned how she is one of the most well planned-out POV characters
I can't wait!
Hehe, that is actually yet another reason why I decided to put her part in here. Even those who expected her to turn out alive might have been caught off-guard by the timing of this reveal. But well, I should also say that her death by falling from the lighthouse would have been really lame and inconsequential, especially given that Kersea was originally planned to be killed off as well in the same chapter. An entire sub storyline would have amounted to nothing there. So, Raenna still has a big role to play
Well... about an hour or two maybe. I was not only excited to write these comments as I love discussing the story, I also wanted to continue writing the part, so that fuelled my writing speed even further. And yes, you absolutely should check if out if you're in the mood for more Game of Thrones! It's basically the amazing Dorne storyline we never quite got in the books (due to the storyline there being far too inconsequential and underrepresented) or the show (because Hurr Durr Ellaria and the Spice Snakes) and it is a thoroughly amazing experience. One of my favourites here for quite a number of reasons. If you enjoy FoT, you will surely enjoy NW as well. Look, it even got its own fancy abbreviation! As well as a Tv Tropes page pretty soon, which is going to be finished likely even before the FoT page, much to my shame. And good news, it is far from impossibl to catch up or even to just join, being only two chapters in (although they hold a length comparable to the FoT chapters, so you're still in for a read). Look how we made this into a mini shout-out
I love that, because it deserves the spotlight.
Ah, this is good to hear! Raenna is likely going to be among the most important PoV's in Book 2 as well, so it is great you like her so much. Of course, it will be a couple of weeks until we're going to see her again, on account of the chapter just kicking off, but given the amount of thought I have put into her storyline here, I would be surprised if it wouldn't end up very positively received, for the most part at least.
Ugh why couldn't she have died. I like it when they stay dead, first Richard, then someone else who I forgot of the top of my head, then Raenna. And now she's far far away from helping Leonard and company, although she probably wouldn't have. Evil assassins. Also Brandon is cooler now, I originally just thought he would be that guy in a group of friends at high school that people talked to sometimes but didn't really do a lot. Guess not.
Also, I think if you want to do a sneak reveal like this a little better in the future, you shouldn't put the POV name at the top, because I scrolled a little too much and already knew, and j assume everyone got it instantly. I still liked the reveal though.
Had a feeling she isn't dead. Oh well, already scrolling up to the beginning of the part told me everything by the comments from the other readers. Part was enjoyable to read though.
And... Raenna is back!!!
I never thought she was really dead, so I'd say the biggest surprise in this part would be Brandon Snow. I always thought he was submitted by the readers, and never thought he would be a canon character. So when he revealed his lineage, my jaw dropped. Kudos to you, Liquid.
Haha, I knew you'd be among those who wouldn't be all that thrilled about this reveal, given your opinion on Raenna
Still hope you can warm up to her, especially with what's in store for her. That said, if she would have remained in Raylansfair, it is quite possible that she would have helped the good guys against Mullendore. Keep in mind, she's been taught by Terroma, who had a moral code more similar to the Faceless Men, who are actually quite honourable (not counting the Waif). And that third one you mean there... maybe Lucas? He is the only one I can think of right now who was thought to be dead for a short while and then revealed to be alive, back in Chapter 5. Or maybe Ayden? Though he wasn't as big of a reveal, considering that he is not as important as Richard, Lucas or Raenna. But well, I can assure you that killing her here would have been a massive waste. There's something seriously cool in store for her later on.
Oh yes, he is way more important than he seemed to be at first. He's like that guy in high school you occasionally have class with but never really interact, who later goes on to study at the same university as you do and ends up as one of your best friends. There's more to him, although there will be other important characters in the North as well, to be introduced pretty soon!
Yeah, I know what you mean. Though, I always planned to show Raenna's name very early into this part, so it didn't really feel like that much of a useful idea to put some other name on top of that part. In retrospect, it might have changed a bit about the feeling of the part, I agree with you there. Of course, I can't yet say if I ever plan something similar in the future again with a PoV that seemed dead being revealed alive, but I can't exactly rule it out either, so if there is a next time, I will certainly consider your advice
Ah, that was what I was a bit afraid about, that the comments could spoil it for those who don't read it first. No way around that though, that's what I love the comments for
I'm glad you still enjoyed the part though!
Yeah, Raenna's survival was something I was sure some readers would at least strongly expect. I mean, if she dies I think she deserves a better death, at least seen from her own viewpoint. Brandon however, I expected people to catch up to him back when I first introduced him and one or two actually did, but once I saw that a majority was clueless about him, I fully went with it and was therefore quite excited to finally reveal his true identity here. He said it himself, there are likely dozens of Brandon Snow's in the North, so I have hoped that people would consider him a reader-submitted character until now. I am very glad I succeeded at that
We're going to see the King in the North? Hell yeah! Words can't describe how excited I am. Also glad that Raenna is alive, she's very likable.
Aye, Torrhen Stark is going to be a pretty big character soon, to be introduced in Raenna's storyline in Book 2 Chapter 1. He is also going to appear in this other northern storyline I have mentioned above. Very glad you're excited for that, I hope I won't disappoint
Liquid, are you doing all of Aegon's conquest? If you are that's going to be really depressing, after reading the wiki on what happens to all the kingdoms, I think the saddest has to be the Durrandons.
Eventually, that is the plan, yes
I'll very much follow the stuff that you can find on the wiki there, so consider everything that's written there a potential spoiler, as I doubt everyone here is fully aware of what is going to happen. Having recently bought the World of Ice and Fire, I am perfectly prepared for the things to come. Though keep in mind, it'll take me years to reach some of the stuff there. I know some events will be really depressing, potentially even more so due to your choices, but I also think there should be a couple of uplifting moments inbetween to balance things out. It won't be entirely grim and dark and depressing 
Will you be strictly sticking to the already established lore, or could we possibly end up with a story that doesn't fully follow the official canon? We could have successfully assassinated Harre Hoare a while back which would have changed things a fair bit
It is possible that I end up changing some things on occasion. In fact, I have one particular scene planned in which I will divert from the canon, though it won't be in a way as massive as the Harren choice. I haven't planned anything as massive as the assassination of Harren Hoare yet, but I don't want to rule it out in particular if I get some very good inspiration. There will be some lesser important details (for a given value of "lesser") which I will change for sure to make for a better narrative. A majority of the storylines will also operate largely outside of the areas covered by the canon, so I'll have a lot of freedom there
Obviously, there is no voting to close!
That said, I still just wanted to let you know that the next part is most likely going to be out today! I hope you all enjoyed this part, it's been a pleasure reading your thoughts on it
Big things are in store for Raenna now that she's on her way to the North. As I said above, we won't see her any more in this chapter, which means a several weeks-long break for her, but we will catch up with her in the early Chapter 1 of Book 2, where she is going to meet the King in the North, as well as a whole cast of other interesting characters.
And well, the next part should be out today. As promised last time, it will include a John PoV. However, it is likely that I will have room for a second PoV and at this point, I consider Maya to be the most likely, unless I somehow decide that giving John a full part worth of content is going to be a good idea. Both will deal with the aftermath of the raid and with important new developments. As you know, especially John got a lot to deal with, from the disappearance of Janae and Behara, to the death of I'lian, to the capture of his old friend Lucas. Maya meanwhile has to face the apparent failure of her mission, as well as the return of Irving, whom she had previously kicked out of her group for screwing up. With her, I am not entirely sure if I'll manage to put her into this part, but if not, then she will certainly be seen in the near future, even if the part after this next one is most likely going to be given to Jaron instead of her.
John
The taproom was nearly empty, as John walked through it like a caged animal. Thoughts were racing through his mind, keeping him from just dropping down despite his exhaustion. His hands were clenched, cold sweat running down his forehead. Janae was gone. Not dead. Gone. He had spent hours searching the city, crawled through piles of bodies in the constant fear of finding her among them. But she wasn't. His maiden fair was gone, without a lead. And somehow, this was almost even worse.
Every once in a while, he looked up, glaring at the few other people in the room. The chubby barmaid was there, trying to clean the mess the Ironborn had left. A dozen people had died in this room and she looked clearly sick from watching the stains of blood that had been left from where the city guard removed the bodies. John knew, her mother was in the backroom, recovering from the beating she took. Occasionally,the pretty barmaid would come out of the same room, to get something from the cellar, though she'd always vanish as quickly as she appeared.
With a frown, John sat down on one of the chairs that had survived the destruction. He put his elbows up on his knees and rested his head on the clenched fists, staring at the ground now, with one widely-opened eye. She was gone. That was the only clear thought he was fully able to grasp. It was as if a piece of himself was missing. Worse than that, she was somewhere out there and in danger and he could do nothing to help her. It was driving him wild, mad even. Usually, Janae would be there for him on such occasions, calming him down with her presence. Now? There was nothing but anger and frustration and sorrow.
I'lian was dead. He had seen how they carried his body out of the building. The girl, Lenrianda, had followed after him, carried by the white-haired dornishwoman. Seeing someone like Nymeria in tears was upsetting and undignified, not how it was supposed to be. Finally, two guardsmen had dragged the corpse of Rodrik Stone out of the tavern. At least Sammy had claimed him to be Rodrik. Nymeria hadn't left much of his face to be sure of that, so he had to take her by her word.
Heavy footsteps down the staircase gained his attention and as he glanced towards it, he saw Aylard Kawl entering his field of view. The sight of the man surprised him, though he acknowledged him with a tired nod. He wished no quarrel with Aylard, not right now. Not now that he understood his loss so well after everything that had happened.
To his surprise, Aylard walked closer towards him, reaching for the chair next to him. “Mind if I sit down?”, he asked and John shook his head. “Be my guest”, he muttered, as the former innkeeper took the seat. For a moment, there was silence between them, before Aylard spoke again. “Sasha informed me of what happened”, he said. “My... condolences”
“She's not dead yet”, John replied, realizing only too late how this must have sounded to the man he was speaking to. A pained expression flashed across Aylard's face and the man looked even older than usual for a moment. “You can count yourself lucky for that”, he replied, before he sighed bitterly. “Listen, John... I did not come to start an argument. I had a lot of time to think. Not much else I can do these days. And I... wanted to apologize”
John did not answer immediately, as he stared through a stained window onto the town square. “You don't have to”, he replied and glanced at him. Aylard had grown haggard in the past weeks, the stress of losing his daughter had clearly taken a toll on him, even on his health. “You look even worse than I do”
A sad smile flashed over Aylard's bearded face, though it was gone as quick as it came. “And that means quite something”, he answered. “I have not slept well lately. Haven't eaten much” He shook his head. “It's gotten only worse since Samantha returned from Oldtown and... told me” His expression grew darker for a moment and his hands started to shiver. “I don't want you to go through the same”
John raised an eyebrow to this. “Since when have you become fond of me, Aylard?”, he asked. The innkeeper shook his head. “I was wrong before”, he answered. “Took my anger out on you, when you're the last I should blame” He looked up and now John saw the hint of tears in his eyes. “You tried, John”, he gasped. “That's all I could ask” He sighed. “What I wanted to say is, I want to help you. If there's a lead here in the city that could help you with Janae, I want to help you finding it”
The two men looked at each other and John had to ask himself what they were. Enemies? Aylard pushed him down these stairs after all. They had butted heads so often that he had to wonder just when they actually became friends. Perhaps just now, once they finally shared something, as painful as it was.
“I accept your help”, he said and patted Aylard on the shoulder. “What's with your son?” Aylard glanced at the staircase. “Kyette is taking care of him. He doesn't know about Lunett yet, but the day comes closer that I have to tell him...” He interrupted himself as his voice grew weaker. “One more reason to help you. I can't just sit in that fucking room all day long. I must do something, or else I lose my mind, for what it's worth”
“Well, I appreciate it”, John assured him. “Things haven't been easy for you...” Aylard cut him off. “For either of us”, he clarified. “I lost something I'll never get back. My sweet daughter, my eldest child. More than that, she was my best friend, the person I loved the most. I know how this feels and the last I want is for you to suffer the same”
John clenched his fists. “I will find her”, he clarified. “Janae is out there. She's alive, I know it” His gaze hardened. “If the Ironborn took her... I haven't been on the islands for over a decade, but if they took her, the Iron Fleet would not be enough to stop me”
Aylard gave him a nod. “I know this feeling”, he claimed, before he raised an eyebrow. “Do you love her?” Without hesitating, John gave him a nod. “But it's not in the way you think”, he clarified. “After what she's been through in Yunkai, I know she could never love me in that way. She's... my sister, for a lack of a better term. My soulmate”
“I hope you find her then”, Aylard said, with an empathy John hadn't expected from him. John looked up. “Do you have an idea?”, he asked. “Wandering around aimlessly, like Temari does, that's nothing for me. But I don't know who could help me with it. If anyone has seen anything, how the hell am I supposed to know?”
Aylard thought about this for a moment. “This Daghan friend of yours”, he said after a while and John raised an eyebrow. That was something he hadn't considered yet. Daghan might know a different way. That friend of his, the gorgeous brunette, she could know even more. This was an approach. Something he could try.
Both men looked up as the door got opened and John's wild glare softened momentarily as Samantha stepped into the room. Unlike him, she had gotten a short few hours of sleep in the last night, but she looked exhausted nonetheless. Under his questioning glare, she shook her head and he sighed, as she stepped towards him. For a moment, she threw a surprised glance at Aylard, though remained silent to his presence.
“Jaro and Nymeria are heading outside in an hour”, she spoke softly as she reached the men. “They are going to bury I'lian and Lenrianda somewhere near the forest” John looked up, raising an eyebrow. “And?”, he asked, which clearly took her aback. “And... I thought you might wanna go with them”, she stuttered. “Giving the dead some final farewells”
John shook his head with a sigh. “I can't”, he said. “I gotta try my best to find Janae” He stared at the woman in front of him, who gulped under his glare. “She's out there, Sammy. I know it”, he explained. “I can't just spend hours on a funeral instead of looking for her”
To this, Samantha sighed. “They are your friends, John”, she reminded him and he narrowed his eye. “Don't you think I know that?”, he barked angrily and the sheer, sudden outburst of frustration he showed caused her to take a step back from him, with eyes wide open. It was there that he noticed that she was hesitant, perhaps even afraid around him. And there was something else as well.
“What is it, Sammy?”, John asked, trying to sound softer than he truly felt at this point. She noticed it, since she tensed up. “Perhaps we should discuss this in private”, she said briefly and John glanced at Aylard, who had leant back. The innkeeper was listening, even if he tried to make it seem like the opposite.
After a moment of consideration, John shook his head. “Aylard can hear it as well”, he said and Samantha raised an eyebrow, before she sighed. “Your call”, she said, giving in to his demand, though she looked still uncomfortable in the presence of the other man. “But this is about Lucas”
Next to him, Aylard sharply inhaled. “Is he dead?”, he asked tonelessly and Samantha shook her head. “The men who arrived to save us... apparently their leader has taken him captive” John looked up, narrowing his eye as he heard these news. As if this day wasn't horrible enough already, now these news came to screw things up even further.
“Who is leading them?”, he asked and Samantha shrugged. “I don't know”, she admitted. “I've spent my time looking for Janae, only getting some bits and pieces there. House Vyrwel of Darkdell is involved, from what I know”
John glanced down at the ground, as he realized what this meant. “His father has come to Raylansfair...”, he mumbled. “But... fuck” In frustration he raised from his chair. “Fuck!”, he barked. “Where have they taken him?”
“The cells”, Samantha answered, taking yet another step away from him. “As far as I know at least. He's their prisoner and things... really don't look well for him. I'll be visiting him after the funeral, to find some stuff out”
Before John was able to answer, Aylard cleared his throat. “Then I shall visit him right now”, he replied and John looked at him. “Why that?”, he asked and Aylard gave him a mild glare. “Just like Samantha, I'm having some questions left”, he replied. “And I want to know how bad things are for him. Might be the last time I get some answers out of him”
John tensed up as he heard this. Aylard was right, this could be the last time he could get anything out of Lucas. Things were looking dire, for both of them. They had been through a lot together and while he didn't require any answers from his knightly friend, perhaps it was the last chance he'd get for a proper farewell. And perhaps it wasn't too wise to leave him alone with Aylard, given their history. Yet at the same time, there was Daghan, likely somewhere in the castle. John hadn't seen him since the attack, though he had no doubt that the Targaryen knight had survived and gotten to his castle, together with his well-informed friend. If Saerya knew anything, perhaps it would be necessary to get to her as fast as possible.
[Go with Aylard to Lucas] [Search for Daghan]
Maya
A new wave of pain flashed through her ankle, as Gregar finished the makeshift leg splint. She cringed at the pain and her companion chuckled dryly. “Be glad that it's not broken”, he answered. “You'll be up and running again in a few weeks, but for now, you need this and a lot of rest. A sprained ankle is not to be taken lightly”
Maya rolled her eyes. “Never knew you're such a caring nurse”, she said mockingly and he chuckled. “Just one of many skills you pick up in the mountains”, he answered. “Did the first splint for myself at the age of fourteen. That only made it worse and it took me half a year until I could climb again, but at least I learned how not to do it”
“But... you do know now, right?”, Maya asked and he raised an eyebrow. “I don't know... do I?”, he replied. At her horrified expression, he fell into a laughter. “Of course I do!”, he barked, before he rose from the chair next to her bed. “Seven Hells, you really need to learn how to trust your team more”
“Trusting you hasn't always been that easy”, Maya reminded him. “I mean, with Irving. And then there's the thief you hired” Gregar sighed. “Well, he did do his job”, he answered. “Not his fault we lost the documents later on and I can't even blame him from getting the hell out of here during the fight. We never hired him for fighting, did we?”
Begrudgingly, Maya had to admit that there was a point in what he said, even if she was still a bit irked about the way Keat just took off on his own. Though she had no doubt that it was still better than letting Aldrik run off after the man that had killed his direwolf. One missing thief was still a better thing than a dead friend.
They had gotten a small room in the tavern, quite an easy feat now that half of the rooms were unoccupied. Slowly, Gregar moved to the window. “Got to say, we're lucky to still be alive. Not counting Aldrik's mutt”, he said and Maya felt a sudden sadness as she was reminded of Knightfang's death. Aldrik had taken it badly, very much so. He was still outside of the city, to bury his companion and she was concerned for him, how things would go from there.
She remained silent, long enough for Gregar to notice. He stepped away from the window and back to her bed. “You did what you could”, he said. “It's not your fault this ended in a disaster” With sudden anger, he narrowed his eyes. “No, that one goes to Irving”, he growled. “You plan to talk to him?”
Maya bit her lower lip and gave him a nod. “Eventually”, she confirmed. “He came back for us and I appreciate it. But... there's a lot he needs to explain. So yeah, I will talk to him... once I can actually think straight again” She glanced at her ankle, still thumping in pain from where the sellsword had stepped on it. “I start to believe it'd hurt less if we'd just cut it off”
Gregar smirked. “I got an axe ready”, he offered jokingly. “That'd be quite the return to Runestone. None of the important documents, but a shiny peg leg instead” Maya chuckled. “Yeah, I'm sure Lord Royce would be pleased”, she replied. “I'd likely be needing two peg legs after such a meeting”
Gregar's chuckling was cut short when someone knocked on the door. Maya did her best to sit straight in the bed, as she gave Gregar a nod. Her companion walked to the door, opening it to reveal Irving, who cowered under his glare. The look he gave Maya though was warm and full of concern. “Ambassador?”, he asked. “Maya, there's someone who wants to speak to you”
He wanted to say more, but in this moment, Keat stepped into her field of view pushing Irving out of his way. “Let me pass”, he said sharply, giving Irving the same look of displeasure Gregar had given him before. Naturally, considering that he as well had suffered from Irving's actions.
That said, Maya was surprised by his presence here. After he had taken off, she hadn't expected to ever see him again. In fact, she wasn't too sad about it, though she was relieved that he at least managed to survive the battle. Wordlessly, Gregar allowed him to pass, though he left the door open, blocking it for Irving in the process.
“Ambassador”, the thief greeted her and she gave him a nod. “Keat”, she said in return. “Haven't expected to see you again” He smiled charmingly. “What can I say, never count me out”, he smirked. “Though it took me a while to find you again after the fighting was over” He glanced around the room. “Nice little hideout you got yourself here”, he stated, before he looked at her bed. “You got it cosy?”
Maya sighed. “I got a sprained ankle”, she replied and he raised an eyebrow. “And here I was thinking that was just a weirdly impractical boot on your leg”, he said. “You know, wouldn't be the weirdest thing I saw from you Vale people”
To this, Maya rolled her eyes. “Get to the point”, she said, though she wasn't particularly annoyed by his presence. There was not much else she could do after all, confined to a bed. “What do you want?” Instead of directly answering, Keat continued to look around. “Quite a large room on top”, he stated. “Was it expensive?”
“Not really”, Gregar replied. “With half of the guests dead, the tavern's not really in the place to collect tons of money” He folded his arms. “But Maya asked you a question. Why is it that you've come back?”
Keat flashed him a smile. “Oh, you know...”, he said. “There's still something we haven't dealt with yet” He looked from Gregar back to Maya, who raised an eyebrow, expecting his demand. “My payment”, he stated bluntly. “You haven't paid me yet”
A moment of silence followed, broken by Irving down in the hallway. “Excuse me?”, he spat. “After you abandoned us in the middle of the battle?” Keat glared past Gregar, right at the watchguard. “You're one to talk”, he said and his calmness faded for a second. “Your fuck-up got us captured, me and Gregar. I'm a known thief. Last time, I was able to buy myself out, but this time, they would have taken a finger, or the whole hand”
His outburst was enough to silence Irving, who looked to the ground and from his blush, Maya could see that he was ashamed. “He does have a point though”, Maya replied. “You left us. And the documents you were ordered to steal are still not here”
Keat looked back at her, now calmer again. “And they won't be, because they are guarding them more closely than ever now. Gods know how they still have the manpower for that, but I can't get them” He narrowed his eyes. “That does not change the fact that I risked a lot for you. I kept up my part of the bargain. Brought you into the archive, stole the documents for you. The reason why we no longer have them are out of my control. That's been the fault of your man”
“You still abandoned us”, Maya replied sternly and he gave her a nod. “Aye, I left off in the middle of a fucking battlefield”, he explained. “I am a thief, not a fighter and you just dragged me into a skirmish. That's not what I was hired for, so of course I took off, hid on my own and survived this mess. I have two young siblings to look out for. Of course I did my best not to die!”
“Are you bringing them up for sympathy?”, Gregar asked and Keat shook his head. “I bring them up to explain myself”, he hissed, slightly more sharply than usual. “I don't feel good for having left you, but that doesn't change the fact that I did my part. I earned my payment the moment I gave you these documents. The fact that you lost them has surely not been my fault”
Gregar sighed. “You know, he does have a point”, he admitted, to which Irving raised his head. “Excuse me?”, he intervened. “You mean to pay this guy?” He was going to add something else, though Gregar cut him off. “And you, shut up!”, he barked loudly. “We'll deal with you later, but your not one to talk about cowardice or screw-ups!”
“Gregar!”, Maya hissed sharply and he turned back to her, an apologetic look on his face, while Irving behind him lowered his head in what could only be described as pure shame. “Apologies, ambassador”, Gregar said. “I got carried away a little bit here. Fact is, Keat is right. He did what we asked of him and he deserves to get paid”
Maya sighed. “How much do you want?”, she asked the thief, who smirked. “We arranged for twenty golden hands”, he answered and she threw a questioning glance at Gregar. “We can afford it, easily so”, her companion assured her. “Lord Royce has been generous on that end” Keat's smirk turned into a full smile, as he looked back at Maya. “Well, there you have it”, he said in a satisfied tone. “I'm awaiting your decision then. Will you stay true to your word? Will I get what we agreed upon?”
[Pay Keat the full sum] [Pay Keat half of the sum] [Refuse to pay Keat]
[Search for Daghan]
Wish there was a option to pay Keat more. [Pay Keat the full sum]
[Search for Daghan] Gotta stay loyal to Team Targ. Plus, Aylard should get a private moment with Lucas to talk about Lunett. Let Lucas explain himself without John's one eye on his back. Real heart to heart.
[Refuse to pay Keat] Maya ain't going to stand for this madness. In the end we didn't even get the papers, and Keat didn't do himself any favors abandoning Maya.
[Search for Daghan] [Pay Keat the full sum] well he did his part so no need to be an ass , I mean they got the money so why not?
[Go with Aylard to Lucas]
[Pay Keat the full sum]
[Search for Daghan]
I think having any lead on Janae's whereabouts is more important to John at the moment.
[Pay Keat half of the sum]
It seems most people are in favor of this option, so I thought I'd change my vote. Half is a fair compromise.
[Pay Keat half of the sum] Pay the full sum is pure madness while pay only half will make Keat understand that he don't do a perfect job and much more important won't make Maya look as a dumb person that give rewards even when the mission fail (and I really doubt that Gregar,Irving and Aldrik will forget this)
About John I won't decide for now
RT:
Keat's a smart guy, I think he deserves more than 20 golden crowns, and Gregar already mentioned that they can easily afford 20. So I thought why not give him more.
I'm not sure if any of you guys play D&D, but since I've been playing it lately I thought I would do some of the character alignments for FoT. Based on my own opinion, of course.
Mathea: Neutral Good: Definitely, I think it is obvious why she is this.
Lucas Flowers: Neutral Good: He started the story as Lawful Good, then after Mullendore's torture I think he was Chaotic Good for awhile. Even though he is currently under Mullendore's custody, yet again. I believe he's closer to a Neutral Good, but he could also pass for Lawful Good.
Leonard Constantine: Lawful Good: I think Leonard has been Lawful Good for the whole story.
Harris Flowers: Lawful Neutral: This one was really tough due to him being so complex, and I'm pretty sure Harris went through half of the alignments throughout his time in the story. Over all I think he is closer to Lawful Neutral than any other alignment.
Samuel Harrington: Chaotic Neutral: Another tough one, but I think Samuel may have stayed this alignment for the whole story. May have been Lawful Evil during his time with the Solvers.
Maron Mullendore: Lawful Evil: I would say Mullendore is the best example FoT has of a truly Lawful Evil character.
Wolfius Woodbark: Chaotic Evil: I don't think I need to explain this one.
The Tom: Neutral Evil: He is either this or Lawful Evil, he could be either.
The Moggy: Neutral Evil: Due to him following The Tom's orders, he gets the same alignment as The Tom.
The Sphynx: Neutral Evil: Definitely, I think he fits this the most, he even suggested betraying Mullendore.
Now since there are so many characters, I'm just going to generalize the rest as groups.
I would say most knights and soldiers fit under the Lawful Good alignment, or Lawful Neutral.
Smallfolk such as, Richard, Jenna and Illish would all probably be Neutral Good, that is mainly due to their choices in the story, but I believe they could all pass for True Neutral.
Assassin's such as Kersea and Raenna would be Chaotic Good I believe, but either could be Chaotic Neutral. Alysanne is actually a tough one to pick but I believe she would fit under Neutral Evil along with Clayton.
That's currently all I could think of, I barely covered any characters since there are just to many to cover.
Because the mission fail?Give him even more money of what was agreed it's like pay raise a worker that never respect a deadline!
Not exactly. Keat did his job, he got them into the archive and got the documents, it's not his fault that Maya lost them.
[Search for Daghan]
[Pay Keat half of the sum]
More? Well, this is a wish I have not expected
I was sure that even paying him in full would already a bit of a stretch for some, but this is great. Though, there's no reason for Maya to pay him more than they agreed to, especially as twenty golden hands are already quite a hefty sum for someone in his line of work. It's basically what he earns in a month, if things go moderately well for him. The other options, from paying him in full, to paying him only half the amount, to not paying him at all, can be justified from her position, but I'm afraid she has no real reason to pay him more than they agreed upon. Neither would that be something Keat would ever demand, he only wishes to get what he arranged for back when he was hired.
[Search for Daghan] Well, I have a couple reasons for this one. First of all, I think the potential scene between Aylard and Lucas would be more powerful without John there. Not that there's anything wrong with John, but Aylard confronting Lucas one-on-one would just make a more tense and emotional moment, imo. Then, the second reason is that I want John to continue to work with Team Targ, and get back on it as soon as possible. I don't really think Daghan will be able to help with Janae though.
[Pay Keat half of the sum] It's true that Keat did his part, but a failed mission is a failed mission. Perhaps if he had stayed beside Maya (even if I understand why he didn't) I could consider paying the full sum, but with what happened I think half the pay is a fair compromise.
Actually, Gregar is more in favour of paying him. He's a shady character, so he sympathizes with those who are similarly shady. In a way, that can be called honour among thieves. Irving however has made it clear that he is against that and it is highly questionable if Aldrik would agree to this either. At the same time, as a knight his opinion on this is likely more ambiguous than Irving's, since paying the full sum would mean that Maya stays true to her word, even if the person receiving the money doesn't really deserve it in his opinion.
As always, that's alright! Should you decide upon an option later on, just edit it in, I'll notice it
Indeed! I actually toned him down quite a bit here, originally he was way more aggressive, towards Megur the barmaid and towards Samantha as well. This is an incredibly stressful situation for him, perhaps the worst he has ever been in.
Indeed, Jaro will remember this. He already has this thought that I'lian's death could have been prevented if they would have went to the tavern first instead of searching for Janae and Behara, so his opinion on John isn't exactly at an all-time high. These two decisions will have quite the effect on the way he sees him.
You're goddamn right! This is also the main reason why I haven't put Samantha as the second PoV here, because her first part is going to directly begin at the funeral, though I would like to keep the option to show her at the very beginning of John's next part as well, so I naturally couldn't have her at the funeral already.
Aye, this is something she doesn't know about yet, though it's only a matter of time until she will find out, as she has more focussed on getting a lead on Janae and Behara for now. This is also something that will be of major importance for her future storyline.
Ah, this was very much what I wanted to go for there. It's a more sullen, thoughtful side of Aylard which we haven't seen so far, considering that he spent most of his time in the story being seriously angry, for reasons that were both, good and not so much. But he had time to calm down now and this means he is more rational than before. He's still angry, but not in the way that he blindly lashes out at anyone in his way.
Have they ever been shipped? But indeed, this is a purely platonic relationship. They do love each other, but as friends and soulmates. I'd say they are a couple in the way they are emotionally close to each other, but there's neither a romantic nor a sexual part to their relationship. It's a bit like the most common interpretation about the Asher/Beskha relationship from the game.
Maybe this is a good time to reveal that Gregar is not a Mountain Clan man. He was born in Redfort in the Vale, despite his wild looks. I think you can call him a Mountain Clan poser
Aye, things are far from good between Maya an Irving! She is willing to talk to him, to listen to what he has to say and she apparently tolerates his help again, but this is still something that angers her greatly and getting back into her good graces is something Irving will have to work for. However, due to his actions during the raid, she is at least willing to give him this chance to win her favour back.
He is, oh yes
He's one of the most shameless, audacious characters in the story, but that gives him a certain sort of charm that is going to be fun to write in the future.
This is a very interesting idea! I myself have actually put some thought into such a thing, though I'm far from an expert on alignments. The RPG I mainly play doesn't use them, so I never saw any alignment stuff in action, though I do enjoy such things a lot
Neutral Good does fit for him, yes, though after Mullendore's torture he indeed had a brief episode as a more chaotic character, arguably even bordering on being Chaotic Neutral at his lowest point. Right now, he is firmly back into Neutral Good, though he indeed is certainly no longer Lawful Good.
I agree, Harris is the one who is the hardest to pin down. He underwent several alignment changes in the story, though Lawful Neutral is what he started as and the definition of it is the way he always saw himself as. He has never truly been Lawful Good, or any other good alignment, but arguably did some actions that can clearly be classified as Lawful Evil or Neutral Evil.
Hm, I'd say he has always been Chaotic Neutral, even during his time for the Solvers. His sole motivation has been his personal quest for revenge and in pursuing it, he has always done good or bad whenever it suited him. The Solvers as a whole are Evil-aligned (most of them Lawful, but there are some neutral or chaotic elements in them as well), but Samuel has always been chaotic neutral, which I'd also see as the classical sellsword alignment.
That is something I realized while writing, Mullendore is indeed a perfect example for a Lawful Evil character, so much that I almost put it as a trope example for him on the Tv Tropes page, before I realized that it is not supposed to be used for works that don't have such a clear alignment system. Harren Hoare is a similarly good example for a Lawful Evil character imo.
The Tom is someone I am not sure about myself. He has traits of both. The Alley Cats as a whole are Neutral Evil, but the Tom has traits that go strongly into Lawful Evil as well, some of which will be seen in this chapter.
Certainly Lawful Good for the knights, though I'd say the soldiers probably qualify more as Lawful Neutral, given that they don't have this personal conviction and code of honour of a knight.
I think I have read somewhere that Neutral Good is the alignment of the standard D&D villager and if so, then this certainly fits for the smallfolk of Westeros as well, at least the ones you have mentioned there. Since Westeros as a whole is a far more crappy place to live, True Neutral might be a suitable alignment for them as well.
Chaotic Good for Raenna, yes, the same alignment as Terroma. Kersea started as Chaotic Neutral, though I think she now qualifies more as a Chaotic Good character again. Alysanne meanwhile... uh, she's a hard one. Clayton is Neutral Evil, perhaps the best example of it, but Alysanne... I'd say she is way more chaotic than that. She certainly started the story as a Chaotic Evil character, but if FoT would be a campaign and I'd be the GM, I'd change her alignment to Chaotic Neutral from the late chapter 7 up to her death in Chapter 8.
[Search for Daghan] Splitting up might be the best idea. Easier to accomplish two tasks at the same time instead of once. And who knows, we might learn something useful.
Pay Keat half the sum] The deal was to retrieve the documents. Not only did that mission fail, but he abandoned the group in their time of need. He's lucky to be getting anything to be honest.
[Go with Aylard to Lucas] I'd love to see Saerya again but honestly I'm not that fond of Daghan. Besides John can evaluate the situation himself, though I highly doubt they'll let them see Lucas.
[Pay Keat the full sum] If they can spare the gold they might as well.
[Search for Daghan] As others have said, I believe that having Aylard go see Lucas alone would make it an even more powerful scene.
[Pay Keat half of the sum] This is definitely a solid compromise considering that they failed the mission and Keat abandoned Maya.