Ahh my head hurts again. I went looking to see if i found our six fingered sadist and didn't........ but denial made me check again. Liquid is any of the remaining characters a sadist male with six fingers that somewhat resembles Locke from the HBO series?
Sadly, there is no Count Rugen submitted. And damn it... I don't know why I have never seen the resemblance between him and Locke until you just pointed it out. I don't think I'm ever going to get it out of my head again and this is actually not a bad thing.
Ahh my head hurts again. I went looking to see if i found our six fingered sadist and didn't........ but denial made me check again. Liquid … moreis any of the remaining characters a sadist male with six fingers that somewhat resembles Locke from the HBO series?
We need a Rugen!!! If no one will make him.....i shall. Eventhought i would be torturing you with EVEN MORE characters and possibly interfearing with husmusens vision for his character by adding him to his backstory. But i suddenly REALLY want to see they're rivalry in GOT!!!
Also i just noticed the resemblance today while looking at his wiki picture.
Sadly, there is no Count Rugen submitted. And damn it... I don't know why I have never seen the resemblance between him and Locke until you … morejust pointed it out. I don't think I'm ever going to get it out of my head again and this is actually not a bad thing.
We need a Rugen!!! If no one will make him.....i shall. Eventhought i would be torturing you with EVEN MORE characters and possibly interfea… morering with husmusens vision for his character by adding him to his backstory. But i suddenly REALLY want to see they're rivalry in GOT!!!
Also i just noticed the resemblance today while looking at his wiki picture.
This was a big decision and it will heavily influence Lucas' behaviour and choices in this chapter. In time, you'll see if this was a wise choice. It is, at the very least, not a surprising choice for me, even though I have made detailed plans for both outcomes. After all, Harris is basically a saint when you compare him to Mullendore, so I'm really not surprised you decided to focus on Mullendore first.
The next part will be out later today. It's going to start the storylines for Maya and Ellena in this chapter. Both haven't had parts for a long time, so here's a small recap of the latest events in their storylines: Thanks to the manipulations of his new advisor Sherryl, Harris refused to hand out the documents Maya is looking for. Because of that, she is now basically forced to break into the archive to steal the documents. Her companion Gregar arranged for her to meet a thief that is supposed to assist her, which is where her next part will start. Meanwhile, Ellena spent the last chapter under the Burned Man's protection, who deployed half a dozen men to protect the ship she is staying on. Despite the Burned Man's protection, Butterfly's top enforcer, Samuel Harington, approached her in a matter of personal importance. During his last visit to the ship, he had lost his brothers ring and even though Ellena still did not trust him, she allowed him entrance to the ship to retrieve the ring. This happened relatively peaceful. Afterwards, Samuel and Ellena made peace and he revealed his rather sympathetic motivations to work for Butterfly.
That's actually a hard question. In the very early days of the story, when I hadn't had that many characters, it was far easier for a character to become a PoV. For example, Maya was made a PoV simply because she was the first and for a time the only character from the Vale of Arryn that got submitted, so she was the only one that could fit into the role I had in mind for a character from the Vale. For the same reason, Drent and Willfred became PoV characters and I am happy about both decisions. Sometimes, it's a really spontaneous decision, especially in the early parts of the story. In general though, it is hard to answer. I don't think there is a general formula I follow. The PoV characters don't necessarily have the most detailed backstories or personalities, some of them aren't even especially unique. Others have been made PoV specifically because they are unique and offer an interesting viewpoint to the story, for example Kersea. In some cases, I have made a character a PoV character for a single, specific scene at some point in their storyline which I got excited about when I thought about what they can offer to the story. It is sometimes a spontaneous decision. For example, I saw John Gutten in the submission sheet and immediately knew that he would become a PoV character. In other cases, I think about it for a long time, until I decide either in favour or against it. Samantha is an example for a character where I really had to think for a long time until I finally decided to make her a PoV. Now that I think about your question, I am not even sure how I choose a PoV character. Gut instinct, I'd say.
That's actually a hard question. In the very early days of the story, when I hadn't had that many characters, it was far easier for a charac… moreter to become a PoV. For example, Maya was made a PoV simply because she was the first and for a time the only character from the Vale of Arryn that got submitted, so she was the only one that could fit into the role I had in mind for a character from the Vale. For the same reason, Drent and Willfred became PoV characters and I am happy about both decisions. Sometimes, it's a really spontaneous decision, especially in the early parts of the story. In general though, it is hard to answer. I don't think there is a general formula I follow. The PoV characters don't necessarily have the most detailed backstories or personalities, some of them aren't even especially unique. Others have been made PoV specifically because they are unique and offer an interesting viewpoint to the story, for example Kersea. In som… [view original content]
Just curious, who were the first five submitted characters? I know Maya was the first, Leonard was the fourth, but the rest?
Actually, Maya isn't even among the first 40 characters that got submitted. She's the 42nd submitted character, but the first from the Vale. The first 5 characters that got submitted were Garthon, Torvin, Lyria, Leonard and Rosalie. To be fair though, Torvin and Garthon have both been submitted by real life friends of mine a few hours before I even created the thread, in order to check if the submission works correctly. The first five characters that have been submitted entirely from forum users are Lyria, Leonard, Rosalie, Lucas and Darren Tallwood.
And I recall earlier on in the story, you mentioned that Leonard might have had a POV part in I think Chapter 1 or 2. What became of that?
Yes, this was a very, very early plan, when I thought about a more flexible system for the PoV characters, that would have been more similar to some of the other fanfictions here on the forum, where, according to the situation, any character could become a PoV for a short part if the situation requires it. See Hope's Monument for example, where this works really well. At first, it was planned to have Leonard as the PoV for the very final part of Chapter 1, to show that he is one of the good guys and to keep more suspense about the contents of the letter Maester Eaton wrote to Lord Hightower on Lord Raylans orders. However, I ultimately decided in favour of a PoV system more similar to the Ice and Fire books, something I see as a very good decision in retrospect. Because of this, I realized that a Leonard PoV wouldn't offer much new to the story which I couldn't show already in Lucas' PoV's. It's like making Gendry a PoV character while he travels with Arya. However, the story is still going on for a long while. I can't promise or confirm anything, but a Leonard PoV is definitely not impossible in later chapters.
One last - is there any POV character or regular character you regret or wish was a POV?
Well... I have hinted at it earlier, I find Marak to be an extremely hard to write PoV. I don't regret that I made him a PoV, I regret that I made him a PoV in the first chapter. His storyline has some really tense moments planned and it will hopefully put up a lot of pace in this chapter, but he had nothing to do at all in Chapter 2 and his role in Chapter 4 and 5 has been very minor as well. I think he would have benefitted from having his first appearance in Chapter 3 or 4 and getting a lot of stuff to do in each chapter instead of the small parts he had so far. As for a regular character I regret not having as a PoV... There isn't anyone at the moment because I think most of the characters work as I want them to work. If I honestly regret that I haven't made a specific character a PoV character, I can always do so later. I can never undo such a decision of course, so I have to choose very carefully. However, there are some characters where I'd love to write a part from their perspective, but simply can't do it for specific reasons, as much as I'd like to. I'd love to write a villain PoV for example, but that way I would give away their villainous plans far too early. Mullendore for example would be especially interesting, I think, but that way I would be at risk of revealing too much about him too soon. Other characters who would be interesting PoV's, but who, at this point of the story at least, would either reveal too much about themselves, add nothing new in terms of perspective or story, or who would be hard to come up with a consistently interesting storyline for include, among others, Leonard, Argella, Hackor, Daghan, Irving and many more. That said, not all hope is lost for characters who are no PoV's yet, for my plans evolve, change and progress constantly. Maybe I later decide to pull a couple of one-shots with characters who are no real PoV's, but who might be interesting to write and read about for a single part.
Just curious, who were the first five submitted characters? I know Maya was the first, Leonard was the fourth, but the rest?
And I recall… more earlier on in the story, you mentioned that Leonard might have had a POV part in I think Chapter 1 or 2. What became of that?
One last - is there any POV character or regular character you regret or wish was a POV?
The Voting is closed!
Lucas will decide to focus on Mullendore
This was a big decision and it will heavily influence Lucas' behaviour … moreand choices in this chapter. In time, you'll see if this was a wise choice. It is, at the very least, not a surprising choice for me, even though I have made detailed plans for both outcomes. After all, Harris is basically a saint when you compare him to Mullendore, so I'm really not surprised you decided to focus on Mullendore first.
The next part will be out later today. It's going to start the storylines for Maya and Ellena in this chapter. Both haven't had parts for a long time, so here's a small recap of the latest events in their storylines: Thanks to the manipulations of his new advisor Sherryl, Harris refused to hand out the documents Maya is looking for. Because of that, she is now basically forced to break into the archive to steal the documents. Her companion Gregar arranged for her to meet … [view original content]
Act II: Shattered and Broken
Chapter III: Masquerade
Lucas
A jolt when through the room, waking Lucas up and causing him to slowly … moreopen his eye. His eye... it would take a lot of time to get used to it. The left side of his face was heavily bandaged and pain was flashing through it as he tried to raise his head. This time, it was a bit better than last time he woke up. At least this time, a small ray of light shined through a tiny gap in the ships hull, allowing him to see the room he was in. The last time, it had been night when he woke up and in the first moment, he had panicked, as the darkness reminded him of Mullendore's torture room.
He closed his eye once again, raising his right hand to softly massage his forehead. Dizzying pain tried to force him to drift off to sleep again, but he resisted. Judging from the light, it was noon at the very least. He had to get up, as much as he hated to. Another attempt at raising his uppe… [view original content]
“I don't like this, Ambassador”, Aldrik mumbled as he glanced down the dark alleyway, always a hand on the hilt of his sword. His wolf stood by his side with cocked ears, noticeably calmer than the knight. “It's dishonourable”
His words caused Gregar to chuckle. Unlike Aldrik, he wasn't wearing armour. His brown vest barely covered his massively muscled arms, which were folded as he leant against the wall of a house. From his whole behaviour, it was clear that he was less nervous about the thought of standing in a dark alleyway at night. Back home, in Gulltown, people like Maya would have been attacked and robbed by now. In Gulltown, people like Gregar would have been the robbers.
“Do I understand you correctly, Ser Aldrik?”, he asked. “Breaking into this archive is dishonourable in your opinion?” Aldrik gave him a stern nod. “Lord Harris was the victim of a misunderstanding. And then there's this... unpleasant woman that poisoned his thoughts. Without her, he might be open for reason”, he answered.
Gregar quickly shook his head. “That's not what I meant. Maya discussed that enough already”, he explained and his grin got a bit wider and a bit more mocking. “I'm just curious why the same man who had absolutely no problem with turning against that swine Brune is now against breaking into a fucking archive to steal some documents to save our home”
Aldrik sighed and shrugged, glancing at Gregar for a moment, before looking back towards the alleyway. “I already told you, I never turned against Lord Brune. I simply never worked for him in the first place”, he growled. “But I don't expect a man like you to understand it”
Before Gregar could answer, Maya finally felt the need to intervene. With a friendly smirk on her face, she moved up towards them, giving both if them a short look. “That's enough”, she ordered. “Play nice. Both of you” She looked at Aldrik who still seemed to be unhappy about the situation. “Ser Aldrik, I know you are not happy with the situation. But it's the best idea we have. Diplomacy failed, so now I'm considering Gregar's approach”, she said softly. “Be assured, no one will get hurt. We simply take back what's ours”
Aldrik gave her a short nod and she glanced at Gregar. “Are you sure your thief will show up?”, she asked. “Well, he better does”, Irving moaned from behind, cutting Gregar's answer off. “It's dark. It's cold. I'm tired and hungry and my feet hurt, so that damn thief better shows up soon” He sighed and slowly walked closer to the group. “I mean, it's really disrespectful”
Maya rolled her eyes, but she had enough decency to turn away from Irving first, while Gregar audibly grounded his teeth. “Can I please rip out his tongue?”, he hissed. Maya smirked at him, before shaking her head. “As I said before, no one's going to get hurt”, she answered and glanced at Irving. Over the past week, he had repeatedly tried to talk to her about something, much to her confusion and annoyance. Against her better judgement, she would have even been willing to listen to him, if he would have chosen better times to talk to her. But right now, she had more important things to take care of than Irving's personal problems.
“Yeah, awfully nice of you, Maya”, Irving said and Maya was unsure if it was a weird compliment or a complain. She decided to take it as a compliment and gave him a bright smile. “Thank you, Irving”, she said and to her pleasure, she noticed that she caught him off guard with her reaction. “You're welcome... I guess”, he answered and blushed slightly.
A deep growl coming from Aldrik's wolf caused Maya to shift her attention towards him. The animal glared down the alleyway for a moment, before the growling stopped, just as a man entered Maya's field of view. “Told you he'd come”, Gregar said with a relieved grin.
The man wore dark brown clothing, making him nearly invisible in the night. He wore a hood, but as he approached them, he removed it, revealing a surprisingly young face. The master thief was in Maya's age at best, with short, brown hair and a stubble beard. His most remarkable feature was the sly smirk on his face. While the look in his dark blue eyes was confident above anything else, he, like most people, couldn't contain to nervously glance at Aldrik's wolf.
“Greetings”, he said and took a bow in front of her. “You must be Maya Iresons” He extended his hand and surprised, she shook it. “And you are...?”, she asked, glancing at Gregar. “My name is Keat”, the thief said. “People call me 'The Trickster'”
“You gave that name to yourself”, Irving mumbled immediately and Keat gave him a short glare, before looking back at Maya. “You're our master thief?”, she asked in surprise, glancing at Gregar. Keat gave her a nod. “Have you expected someone different, Lady Ambassador?”, he asked and Maya shook her head. “No.. it's just... how old are you?”, she asked, still confused over his surprisingly youthful looks.
“Twenty”, Keat answered and Maya let out a sigh, still focussing on Gregar. “I asked for a master thief and you brought me a barely grown man” Keat' confident grin got a bit wider. “Wrong”, he said. “Gregar brought you the best thief in this city. Who, by chance, also happens to be only twenty years old”
“It's true”, Gregar confirmed. “I was just as surprised as you are, but my contacts told me the truth, I made sure of that” He looked at Keat. “This man is our best chance to get into the archive”, he added and Maya pressed her lips together. She trusted Gregar to make the right decision and the confidence Keat was oozing spoke in his favour. But they only had one chance to get these documents.
“Good”, she finally said. “I'm giving you a chance. Do you know the archive?” Keat gave her a nod. “Everyone here knows the archive. In fact, I've already been in there a few times”, he explained. “Security is not as tight as you think it would be. After all, who is interested in stealing some old books?”
“Me, for example”, Maya answered. “What kind of stuff have you stolen from there?” Keat's grin faded. “Nothing, to be honest”, he answered. “I was curious if I could break in. As you can see, I could”
“And you can bring us in as well?”, Maya asked. Keat gave her a quick nod. “Sure thing. It's going to be a bit harder, but I am the best thief around for a reason”, he answered. “Maybe you are the only thief around”, Irving muttered and both, Maya and Keat shot him a glare. “Anyways”, Keat continued, simply ignoring Irving in the process, as he looked back at Maya. “I think it shouldn't be a problem to get Gregar inside and you have at least the physique to be a good thief, if I may say so” He glanced at Irving and Aldrik. “Which leads me to the question, what about the rest of your companions?”
Maya looked at Ser Aldrik, who had stayed silent during their talk with Keat. The knight was obviously still not happy about the situation. His wolf on the other hand was calm, silent and had nothing against Keat's presence, which alone was enough for Maya to trust the thief. “I don't think I should accompany you to the archive”, Aldrik said to her relief. “Aside from my moral objections, I am simply not made for a stealthy approach”
“Maybe I have a different suggestion”, Keat said thoughtfully. “You are not a very inconspicuous person, but together with your wolf, you could be an excellent lookout” His smirk had faded, now replaced by a stern look. “Usually, I work alone and without lookouts, but this time an extra man could really save our asses if something unexpected happens”
“A lookout...”, Aldrik mumbled. “Very well. Ambassador, if you are okay with the thief's suggestion, I will follow your order” He pronounced the word 'Thief' as if he was talking about some sort of disease. Maya gave him a nod and Keat an appreciative look. That was some good thinking.
Before she could answer, Irving cleared his throat. “Excuse me, but what am I supposed to do?”, he asked. Gregar chuckled slightly, as if Irving had told a joke, before he answered. “You are supposed to stay quiet and not to fuck anything up”, he growled. Irving narrowed his eyes. “I wasn't talking to you, Gregar”, he hissed, before he looked back at Maya. “I could be your lookout. Back in the Vale, I've been a watch guard after all. I have experience”
“You have bullshit”, Gregar interrupted him. “I know you, Irving Todd. You'd probably just fall asleep” Irving pressed his lips together and shook his head. “That happened only two times”, he protested. “During our journey at least...” He gave Maya a pleading look. “Please, Maya. I want to prove my weight. I've been with you from the very beginning and I think I deserve a chance”
“But you had a chance”, Gregar interjected. “More than one, actually, but you fucked it up again and again and you always complained whenever Maya tried to turn you into a useful member of the group. I don't buy it, Irving. Why are you so eager to help us all of a sudden?”
“I have my reasons”, Irving simply answered, making it clear that he had no intentions to talk to Gregar. Instead, he looked at Maya and the look on his face reminded her of a dog begging for a treat. “Please, Maya. Just give me this last chance. I know I haven't been useful so far, but that's because you gave me the wrong jobs. Being a watch guard, that's who I am. That's something I'm good at”
“Something my ass”, Gregar growled. “Listen, Maya, this mission is important and we need a lookout. You have to choose between a knight with a fucking direwolf or the whiniest little bitch I've ever encountered”
Irving gave him a cold, angry glare, completely unlike the bored facial expression he usually showed. “Fuck you, Gregar”, he growled slowly, before he looked back at Maya. “Please, Maya. Give me one chance. You won't regret it!”, he urged her.
“Maybe me and Irving could both stay on lookout”, Aldrik offered and Irving gave him a quick nod. His smile faded when Keat slowly shook his head. “Too risky”, he mumbled. “Lookouts are easy to spot, at least for anyone with a bit of knowledge about burglary. One lookout can remain undetected, but two? Far too risky in my book” He looked at Maya. “Sorry, boss. Just stating the facts. Looks like you have to make a decision”
[Choose Aldrik as the lookout][Choose Irving as the lookout]
Ellena
It was early morning, but Ellena had already been on the upper deck for a full hour, playing a game of cyvasse with Jarek. During the past week, she hadn't found much sleep. The thought of Butterfly's men out there worried her. The thought that Samuel could have lied worried her, that he could come back. But most importantly, Ellena was worried for her friends. Talea had spent the past week trying her best to negotiate with the harbourmaster, leaving the ship way too often in Ellena's opinion.
The past days itself had been uneventful. The appearance of Samuel Harrington had only further fuelled Talea's paranoia. On her orders, Ellena was forbidden to leave the ship, something she wasn't unhappy about. In fact, she found it comforting to know that the older girl cared so much about her. The downside to this was a dreadfully boring week and not for the first time, Ellena's curiosity clashed with her survival instinct.
“Your move, little lady”, Jarek said with a friendly smile. Considering that Talea was only rarely aboard the ship these days, the sellsword had become her closest associate at the moment. Talking to him wasn't exactly unexciting, but a part of her would have loved to talk to someone else for a change.
“I don't think I need to”, she answered, but did him the favour of moving her spearman across the board. “Look at the crossbowman. Your king will be dead in two turns. Haven't you noticed?” As Jarek studied the cyvasse board, his face slowly dropped. “Seven Hells...”, he muttered. “You haven't even moved your dragon!”
“I always spare my dragon for later”, Ellena explained with a proud smile and pointed at some of the pieces on the board. “You did actually quite well for some time. But your mistake was taking down my elephant and my catapult with your own dragon, leaving it trapped in a position where it can't defend your king. That was a bad move”
“I wanted to take your heavy cavalry with it in the next turn!”, Jarek protested and Ellena gave him a nod. “But my heavy cavalry posed no danger to your king, unlike my spearman and my crossbowman. You focussed too much on my strong pieces and ignored the weaker ones in the process, allowing them to trap your king. You haven't even noticed it until it was too late”
Jarek slowly shook his head in disbelief. “Here I am, playing cyvasse with a twelve... pardon, almost thirteen years old and I'm loosing every single round...”, he muttered. “And I am not a bad player by any definition, as I have to add. Where in all the gods names have you learned to play that well?”
Her smile dropped immediately as she slowly gulped. “My father taught me”, she answered and Jarek let out a sigh. “Sorry. Shouldn't have brought it up”, he answered. “If it helps, my own father has been a complete bastard”
“That does not really help, no”, Ellena answered, but her smile returned when she saw Jarek's disheartened expression. This time, she did not smile out of joy, but rather out of compassion. The moment he mentioned his father, the sellsword's face darkened. She moved her hand across the board and lay it onto his own in a consoling gesture. “Is everything alright?”, she asked.
Jarek slowly shook his head. “I really don't want to talk about it”, he mumbled, before he looked back at the board. “How about another game?” Ellena let out a sigh, but started to move her pieces back to their starting position. “Alright”, she agreed. “But just one more. Cyvasse can be nice, but that's literally the... tenth round we play today?”
“Eleventh”, Jarek corrected her. “Not like we have anything else to do at the moment” He started to move his pieces back to their starting position, momentarily holding the dragon in his hands. “You tricked me, little lady. You honestly tricked me”
“You tricked yourself”, she corrected him. “You have been way too confident after you took down my heavy units. The game is not just won by dragons, elephants and catapults” Jarek shook his head as he glanced at the pieces. “You are just too good when it comes to this damn game”, he complimented her.
Before Ellena could make her first move, something caught her eye. The guards near the railing suddenly tensed up for a short moment, before glancing at Jarek. They made way for a young boy that walked up to the ship. He was perhaps a bit younger than Ellena and much shorter, with dark skin. He was covered in the most dirty rags Ellena had ever seen in her life, but the smile on his face was bright and genuine.
“Nice ship you have here”, he greeted her and took a clumsy bow. “My name is Himani. Himani Sand. I bring a message from the Burned Man” Jarek let out a sigh. “He wants us to leave, doesn't he?”, he asked and shook his head. “Tell him, no way we're leaving this ship unprotected”
Himani raised an eyebrow and slowly shook his head. “That's not the message”, he clarified. “He doesn't want all the men to leave. In fact, he's sending an additional two to guard the ship. He only requires your presence at the mansion”
Jarek slowly closed his eyes. “Immediately?”, he asked and Himani gave him a nod. “Immediately”, the boy answered. Jarek opened his eyes again, a sad smile on his face as he glanced from Ellena to the cyvasse board. “I would have won that game”, he claimed. “I learned my lesson and I wouldn't have fallen for your tricks again. This time, I would have protected my king”
“Sure”, Ellena answered unenthusiastically. The thought of Jarek leaving the ship wasn't thrilling. In fact, aside from Talea he was the closest thing she had to a friend these days. She was concerned for him and for his safety. She reciprocated his sad smile. “When you come back, we can still continue the game. Not like anyone else plays it”, she answered. “Besides, I would have taken down your king in seven turns either way”
Jarek let out a chuckle. “No way”, he answered, before he looked at Himani. “So, you're going to lead me to the mansion, or what?” Himani shook his head. “He hasn't said anything about this. I mean, if you want some company on the way I don't mind, but my plans included strolling the docks to find me some dinner”
A slightly disgusted look flashed across Jarek's face. “Yeah... too much information, Himani”, he chuckled, before he raised from the chair. “I better get going. Don't want to keep the Burned Man waiting” He walked around the table towards Ellena and put a hand onto her shoulder. “So... it has been an...”, he started to say, but she cut him off by jumping up and giving him a short hug, catching him completely off guard.
“You come back?”, she asked and Jarek gave her a nod. “If my boss allows it”, he answered, before he separated from her. He glanced at Himani and a smirk appeared on his face. “I have an idea... you still got that letter from the Burned Man, right? The one for your friend”
Ellena's hand moved to her pocket, where she kept the letter. During the past week, she had thought about delivering it to Terroma several times. Talea's concern prevented her from going through with her intention. The older girl had enough worries and Ellena didn't want to add to them by sneaking away. Another thing that prevented her from delivering it was the man she met the last time she attempted to deliver the letter. Samuel Puffer... she still wasn't sure if not trusting him has been the right decision. Now she would meet him in bright daylight. Perhaps she would even meet Terroma. While she understood only half of the Burned Man's letter, she was sure that it would be important for her friend to get it.
“I still have it, yes”, she confirmed and Jarek's smirk turned into a grin. “I talked to Talea earlier. I don't think she'll be back for a few hours. Himani here knows the city like no one else. He can get you to your friend in no time”
Himani let out a moan. “I really wanted to find something to eat, Jarek”, he complained, which prompted Jarek to glance towards the stairs that lead to the lower decks. “That's not the problem”, he answered. “If you help Ellena, I will go to the galley for you and find you something nice for dinner. Good stuff, not the rubbish you usually eat. Perhaps a loaf of bread, a slice of cheese and I'm sure there will be a bit of ham for you as well”
Himani's unenthusiastic facial expression faded, replaced by a wide grin. “My friend, you know how to convince me!”, he exclaimed and looked at Ellena. “M'lady, you got yourself a guide to wherever it is you want to go!” His smile faded as quickly as it came. “Of course, only if you want to...”, he added and glanced at Jarek with widely opened eyes. “If she refuses, do I still get the ham?”
Jarek let out a sigh. “You still get the ham, just don't give me that look”, he growled, before he looked back at Ellena. “Your call, little lady. I don't blame you if you rather stay here aboard the ship”, he said softly. “Keep in mind, the Burned Man wrote that letter for a reason. It might be important for your friend”
That was a good argument, Ellena had to admit it. On top of that, Himani looked like someone who really knew how to stay safe in this city. With him on her side, she would probably, hopefully, be safe. On the other hand were still her concern, not only for herself, but for Talea. The captain's daughter had enough worries already and if she would return while Ellena would still be away... was this damn letter really worth it?
[Leave the ship with Himani][Stay aboard the ship]
[Choose Irving as the lookout] Irving proved himself useful with a bow, I'd say he's earned another chance to prove himself. Plus I really want him to win Maya over
[Leave the ship with Himani] We need to get this done asap.
Maya
“I don't like this, Ambassador”, Aldrik mumbled as he glanced down the dark alleyway, always a hand on the hilt of his sword. His wo… morelf stood by his side with cocked ears, noticeably calmer than the knight. “It's dishonourable”
His words caused Gregar to chuckle. Unlike Aldrik, he wasn't wearing armour. His brown vest barely covered his massively muscled arms, which were folded as he leant against the wall of a house. From his whole behaviour, it was clear that he was less nervous about the thought of standing in a dark alleyway at night. Back home, in Gulltown, people like Maya would have been attacked and robbed by now. In Gulltown, people like Gregar would have been the robbers.
“Do I understand you correctly, Ser Aldrik?”, he asked. “Breaking into this archive is dishonourable in your opinion?” Aldrik gave him a stern nod. “Lord Harris was the victim of a misunderstanding. And then there's this... unpleasant woman that poison… [view original content]
Maya
“I don't like this, Ambassador”, Aldrik mumbled as he glanced down the dark alleyway, always a hand on the hilt of his sword. His wo… morelf stood by his side with cocked ears, noticeably calmer than the knight. “It's dishonourable”
His words caused Gregar to chuckle. Unlike Aldrik, he wasn't wearing armour. His brown vest barely covered his massively muscled arms, which were folded as he leant against the wall of a house. From his whole behaviour, it was clear that he was less nervous about the thought of standing in a dark alleyway at night. Back home, in Gulltown, people like Maya would have been attacked and robbed by now. In Gulltown, people like Gregar would have been the robbers.
“Do I understand you correctly, Ser Aldrik?”, he asked. “Breaking into this archive is dishonourable in your opinion?” Aldrik gave him a stern nod. “Lord Harris was the victim of a misunderstanding. And then there's this... unpleasant woman that poison… [view original content]
Maya
“I don't like this, Ambassador”, Aldrik mumbled as he glanced down the dark alleyway, always a hand on the hilt of his sword. His wo… morelf stood by his side with cocked ears, noticeably calmer than the knight. “It's dishonourable”
His words caused Gregar to chuckle. Unlike Aldrik, he wasn't wearing armour. His brown vest barely covered his massively muscled arms, which were folded as he leant against the wall of a house. From his whole behaviour, it was clear that he was less nervous about the thought of standing in a dark alleyway at night. Back home, in Gulltown, people like Maya would have been attacked and robbed by now. In Gulltown, people like Gregar would have been the robbers.
“Do I understand you correctly, Ser Aldrik?”, he asked. “Breaking into this archive is dishonourable in your opinion?” Aldrik gave him a stern nod. “Lord Harris was the victim of a misunderstanding. And then there's this... unpleasant woman that poison… [view original content]
[Choose Irving as the lookout] How could I ever say no to Irving. Also this is one of the few things he is good at and might as well give him a chance to actually do something note worthy in Raylainsfair besides getting drunk with Marak and Alan. Also I think a armored knight and a huge wolf would be pretty easy to spot as lookouts.
[Stay aboard the ship]Two kids alone in the big city of Oldtown. I don't think Himani would be the best at defending Ellena. Also I don't care too much for Teroma lately and he can go ahead with his plans of sneaking into Hightower with Raena.
Maya
“I don't like this, Ambassador”, Aldrik mumbled as he glanced down the dark alleyway, always a hand on the hilt of his sword. His wo… morelf stood by his side with cocked ears, noticeably calmer than the knight. “It's dishonourable”
His words caused Gregar to chuckle. Unlike Aldrik, he wasn't wearing armour. His brown vest barely covered his massively muscled arms, which were folded as he leant against the wall of a house. From his whole behaviour, it was clear that he was less nervous about the thought of standing in a dark alleyway at night. Back home, in Gulltown, people like Maya would have been attacked and robbed by now. In Gulltown, people like Gregar would have been the robbers.
“Do I understand you correctly, Ser Aldrik?”, he asked. “Breaking into this archive is dishonourable in your opinion?” Aldrik gave him a stern nod. “Lord Harris was the victim of a misunderstanding. And then there's this... unpleasant woman that poison… [view original content]
Maya
“I don't like this, Ambassador”, Aldrik mumbled as he glanced down the dark alleyway, always a hand on the hilt of his sword. His wo… morelf stood by his side with cocked ears, noticeably calmer than the knight. “It's dishonourable”
His words caused Gregar to chuckle. Unlike Aldrik, he wasn't wearing armour. His brown vest barely covered his massively muscled arms, which were folded as he leant against the wall of a house. From his whole behaviour, it was clear that he was less nervous about the thought of standing in a dark alleyway at night. Back home, in Gulltown, people like Maya would have been attacked and robbed by now. In Gulltown, people like Gregar would have been the robbers.
“Do I understand you correctly, Ser Aldrik?”, he asked. “Breaking into this archive is dishonourable in your opinion?” Aldrik gave him a stern nod. “Lord Harris was the victim of a misunderstanding. And then there's this... unpleasant woman that poison… [view original content]
Maya
“I don't like this, Ambassador”, Aldrik mumbled as he glanced down the dark alleyway, always a hand on the hilt of his sword. His wo… morelf stood by his side with cocked ears, noticeably calmer than the knight. “It's dishonourable”
His words caused Gregar to chuckle. Unlike Aldrik, he wasn't wearing armour. His brown vest barely covered his massively muscled arms, which were folded as he leant against the wall of a house. From his whole behaviour, it was clear that he was less nervous about the thought of standing in a dark alleyway at night. Back home, in Gulltown, people like Maya would have been attacked and robbed by now. In Gulltown, people like Gregar would have been the robbers.
“Do I understand you correctly, Ser Aldrik?”, he asked. “Breaking into this archive is dishonourable in your opinion?” Aldrik gave him a stern nod. “Lord Harris was the victim of a misunderstanding. And then there's this... unpleasant woman that poison… [view original content]
Maya
“I don't like this, Ambassador”, Aldrik mumbled as he glanced down the dark alleyway, always a hand on the hilt of his sword. His wo… morelf stood by his side with cocked ears, noticeably calmer than the knight. “It's dishonourable”
His words caused Gregar to chuckle. Unlike Aldrik, he wasn't wearing armour. His brown vest barely covered his massively muscled arms, which were folded as he leant against the wall of a house. From his whole behaviour, it was clear that he was less nervous about the thought of standing in a dark alleyway at night. Back home, in Gulltown, people like Maya would have been attacked and robbed by now. In Gulltown, people like Gregar would have been the robbers.
“Do I understand you correctly, Ser Aldrik?”, he asked. “Breaking into this archive is dishonourable in your opinion?” Aldrik gave him a stern nod. “Lord Harris was the victim of a misunderstanding. And then there's this... unpleasant woman that poison… [view original content]
Maya
“I don't like this, Ambassador”, Aldrik mumbled as he glanced down the dark alleyway, always a hand on the hilt of his sword. His wo… morelf stood by his side with cocked ears, noticeably calmer than the knight. “It's dishonourable”
His words caused Gregar to chuckle. Unlike Aldrik, he wasn't wearing armour. His brown vest barely covered his massively muscled arms, which were folded as he leant against the wall of a house. From his whole behaviour, it was clear that he was less nervous about the thought of standing in a dark alleyway at night. Back home, in Gulltown, people like Maya would have been attacked and robbed by now. In Gulltown, people like Gregar would have been the robbers.
“Do I understand you correctly, Ser Aldrik?”, he asked. “Breaking into this archive is dishonourable in your opinion?” Aldrik gave him a stern nod. “Lord Harris was the victim of a misunderstanding. And then there's this... unpleasant woman that poison… [view original content]
Maya
“I don't like this, Ambassador”, Aldrik mumbled as he glanced down the dark alleyway, always a hand on the hilt of his sword. His wo… morelf stood by his side with cocked ears, noticeably calmer than the knight. “It's dishonourable”
His words caused Gregar to chuckle. Unlike Aldrik, he wasn't wearing armour. His brown vest barely covered his massively muscled arms, which were folded as he leant against the wall of a house. From his whole behaviour, it was clear that he was less nervous about the thought of standing in a dark alleyway at night. Back home, in Gulltown, people like Maya would have been attacked and robbed by now. In Gulltown, people like Gregar would have been the robbers.
“Do I understand you correctly, Ser Aldrik?”, he asked. “Breaking into this archive is dishonourable in your opinion?” Aldrik gave him a stern nod. “Lord Harris was the victim of a misunderstanding. And then there's this... unpleasant woman that poison… [view original content]
Maya
“I don't like this, Ambassador”, Aldrik mumbled as he glanced down the dark alleyway, always a hand on the hilt of his sword. His wo… morelf stood by his side with cocked ears, noticeably calmer than the knight. “It's dishonourable”
His words caused Gregar to chuckle. Unlike Aldrik, he wasn't wearing armour. His brown vest barely covered his massively muscled arms, which were folded as he leant against the wall of a house. From his whole behaviour, it was clear that he was less nervous about the thought of standing in a dark alleyway at night. Back home, in Gulltown, people like Maya would have been attacked and robbed by now. In Gulltown, people like Gregar would have been the robbers.
“Do I understand you correctly, Ser Aldrik?”, he asked. “Breaking into this archive is dishonourable in your opinion?” Aldrik gave him a stern nod. “Lord Harris was the victim of a misunderstanding. And then there's this... unpleasant woman that poison… [view original content]
Maya
“I don't like this, Ambassador”, Aldrik mumbled as he glanced down the dark alleyway, always a hand on the hilt of his sword. His wo… morelf stood by his side with cocked ears, noticeably calmer than the knight. “It's dishonourable”
His words caused Gregar to chuckle. Unlike Aldrik, he wasn't wearing armour. His brown vest barely covered his massively muscled arms, which were folded as he leant against the wall of a house. From his whole behaviour, it was clear that he was less nervous about the thought of standing in a dark alleyway at night. Back home, in Gulltown, people like Maya would have been attacked and robbed by now. In Gulltown, people like Gregar would have been the robbers.
“Do I understand you correctly, Ser Aldrik?”, he asked. “Breaking into this archive is dishonourable in your opinion?” Aldrik gave him a stern nod. “Lord Harris was the victim of a misunderstanding. And then there's this... unpleasant woman that poison… [view original content]
Maya
“I don't like this, Ambassador”, Aldrik mumbled as he glanced down the dark alleyway, always a hand on the hilt of his sword. His wo… morelf stood by his side with cocked ears, noticeably calmer than the knight. “It's dishonourable”
His words caused Gregar to chuckle. Unlike Aldrik, he wasn't wearing armour. His brown vest barely covered his massively muscled arms, which were folded as he leant against the wall of a house. From his whole behaviour, it was clear that he was less nervous about the thought of standing in a dark alleyway at night. Back home, in Gulltown, people like Maya would have been attacked and robbed by now. In Gulltown, people like Gregar would have been the robbers.
“Do I understand you correctly, Ser Aldrik?”, he asked. “Breaking into this archive is dishonourable in your opinion?” Aldrik gave him a stern nod. “Lord Harris was the victim of a misunderstanding. And then there's this... unpleasant woman that poison… [view original content]
Maya
“I don't like this, Ambassador”, Aldrik mumbled as he glanced down the dark alleyway, always a hand on the hilt of his sword. His wo… morelf stood by his side with cocked ears, noticeably calmer than the knight. “It's dishonourable”
His words caused Gregar to chuckle. Unlike Aldrik, he wasn't wearing armour. His brown vest barely covered his massively muscled arms, which were folded as he leant against the wall of a house. From his whole behaviour, it was clear that he was less nervous about the thought of standing in a dark alleyway at night. Back home, in Gulltown, people like Maya would have been attacked and robbed by now. In Gulltown, people like Gregar would have been the robbers.
“Do I understand you correctly, Ser Aldrik?”, he asked. “Breaking into this archive is dishonourable in your opinion?” Aldrik gave him a stern nod. “Lord Harris was the victim of a misunderstanding. And then there's this... unpleasant woman that poison… [view original content]
I'm curious about the ships in this story. I really want to know who people ship.
Let's find out. Reply to me a list of pairings you really like. The list can be as short and long as you like. I have two rules though- Only list romantic pairs, and characters that are alive.
Mine are: (You can come up with better ship names if you think mine are lame )
Mirving- Maya/Irving (My fav!)
Karthon- Garthon/Kyra
Narak- Marak/Noelle (I admit, this ones a bit out there, but I can kinda see it)
Lol, when I read the first sentence I thought you were talking about, you know, actual ships XD Since Ellena's part was in a ship and all. Then I read the rest of the post
I'm usually not much into shipping, but since Jaron is my own character, of course I have to ship him with Harpy And that already happened so I'm happy!
Others... Well, I think Garthon and Kyra could be a nice couple
I'm curious about the ships in this story. I really want to know who people ship.
Let's find out. Reply to me a list of pairings you real… morely like. The list can be as short and long as you like. I have two rules though- Only list romantic pairs, and characters that are alive.
Mine are: (You can come up with better ship names if you think mine are lame )
* Mirving- Maya/Irving (My fav!)
* Karthon- Garthon/Kyra
* Narak- Marak/Noelle (I admit, this ones a bit out there, but I can kinda see it)
* Drella- Argella/Drent (I really like this one)
I think Maya's and Irving's ship name shoudl be Maying. Also I like Samith- Samantha/Davith. And I kinda want to see Hackor and Harris interact so we can see how they like eachother.
I'm curious about the ships in this story. I really want to know who people ship.
Let's find out. Reply to me a list of pairings you real… morely like. The list can be as short and long as you like. I have two rules though- Only list romantic pairs, and characters that are alive.
Mine are: (You can come up with better ship names if you think mine are lame )
* Mirving- Maya/Irving (My fav!)
* Karthon- Garthon/Kyra
* Narak- Marak/Noelle (I admit, this ones a bit out there, but I can kinda see it)
* Drella- Argella/Drent (I really like this one)
I think Maya's and Irving's ship name shoudl be Maying. Also I like Samith- Samantha/Davith. And I kinda want to see Hackor and Harris interact so we can see how they like eachother.
[Choose Irving as the lookout] Well Irving has experience with these kind of things. Besides Aldrik and his wolf are going to be dead giveaways that something is happening if they get spotted.
[Leave the ship with Himani] Giving Ellena some purpose to do something in the war is important. She can prove her worth, and if Butterfly tries to do anything to her, we know who's going to protect her.
By the way, can someone remind me of how long will Ellena will stay abroad the ship until it makes way to Raylansfair? I don't remember exactly how long she has been in Oldtown since she arrived.
Maya
“I don't like this, Ambassador”, Aldrik mumbled as he glanced down the dark alleyway, always a hand on the hilt of his sword. His wo… morelf stood by his side with cocked ears, noticeably calmer than the knight. “It's dishonourable”
His words caused Gregar to chuckle. Unlike Aldrik, he wasn't wearing armour. His brown vest barely covered his massively muscled arms, which were folded as he leant against the wall of a house. From his whole behaviour, it was clear that he was less nervous about the thought of standing in a dark alleyway at night. Back home, in Gulltown, people like Maya would have been attacked and robbed by now. In Gulltown, people like Gregar would have been the robbers.
“Do I understand you correctly, Ser Aldrik?”, he asked. “Breaking into this archive is dishonourable in your opinion?” Aldrik gave him a stern nod. “Lord Harris was the victim of a misunderstanding. And then there's this... unpleasant woman that poison… [view original content]
I'm curious about the ships in this story. I really want to know who people ship.
Let's find out. Reply to me a list of pairings you real… morely like. The list can be as short and long as you like. I have two rules though- Only list romantic pairs, and characters that are alive.
Mine are: (You can come up with better ship names if you think mine are lame )
* Mirving- Maya/Irving (My fav!)
* Karthon- Garthon/Kyra
* Narak- Marak/Noelle (I admit, this ones a bit out there, but I can kinda see it)
* Drella- Argella/Drent (I really like this one)
It was implied in her very first POV chapter. And then Liquid implied it further when @InGen_Nate_Kenny suggested she'd fall in love with Leonard. And after Davith charged off and Samantha was talking about him she said something like "It's so weird, he's not even my--" and she gets interuppted. I believe she was about to say he's not her type.
Comments
Ahh my head hurts again. I went looking to see if i found our six fingered sadist and didn't........ but denial made me check again. Liquid is any of the remaining characters a sadist male with six fingers that somewhat resembles Locke from the HBO series?
Sadly, there is no Count Rugen submitted. And damn it... I don't know why I have never seen the resemblance between him and Locke until you just pointed it out. I don't think I'm ever going to get it out of my head again and this is actually not a bad thing.
We need a Rugen!!! If no one will make him.....i shall. Eventhought i would be torturing you with EVEN MORE characters and possibly interfearing with husmusens vision for his character by adding him to his backstory. But i suddenly REALLY want to see they're rivalry in GOT!!!
Also i just noticed the resemblance today while looking at his wiki picture.
I approve
The Voting is closed!
Lucas will decide to focus on Mullendore
This was a big decision and it will heavily influence Lucas' behaviour and choices in this chapter. In time, you'll see if this was a wise choice. It is, at the very least, not a surprising choice for me, even though I have made detailed plans for both outcomes. After all, Harris is basically a saint when you compare him to Mullendore, so I'm really not surprised you decided to focus on Mullendore first.
The next part will be out later today. It's going to start the storylines for Maya and Ellena in this chapter. Both haven't had parts for a long time, so here's a small recap of the latest events in their storylines: Thanks to the manipulations of his new advisor Sherryl, Harris refused to hand out the documents Maya is looking for. Because of that, she is now basically forced to break into the archive to steal the documents. Her companion Gregar arranged for her to meet a thief that is supposed to assist her, which is where her next part will start. Meanwhile, Ellena spent the last chapter under the Burned Man's protection, who deployed half a dozen men to protect the ship she is staying on. Despite the Burned Man's protection, Butterfly's top enforcer, Samuel Harington, approached her in a matter of personal importance. During his last visit to the ship, he had lost his brothers ring and even though Ellena still did not trust him, she allowed him entrance to the ship to retrieve the ring. This happened relatively peaceful. Afterwards, Samuel and Ellena made peace and he revealed his rather sympathetic motivations to work for Butterfly.
Hey Liquid how do you chose which character should be a POV?
That's actually a hard question. In the very early days of the story, when I hadn't had that many characters, it was far easier for a character to become a PoV. For example, Maya was made a PoV simply because she was the first and for a time the only character from the Vale of Arryn that got submitted, so she was the only one that could fit into the role I had in mind for a character from the Vale. For the same reason, Drent and Willfred became PoV characters and I am happy about both decisions. Sometimes, it's a really spontaneous decision, especially in the early parts of the story. In general though, it is hard to answer. I don't think there is a general formula I follow. The PoV characters don't necessarily have the most detailed backstories or personalities, some of them aren't even especially unique. Others have been made PoV specifically because they are unique and offer an interesting viewpoint to the story, for example Kersea. In some cases, I have made a character a PoV character for a single, specific scene at some point in their storyline which I got excited about when I thought about what they can offer to the story. It is sometimes a spontaneous decision. For example, I saw John Gutten in the submission sheet and immediately knew that he would become a PoV character. In other cases, I think about it for a long time, until I decide either in favour or against it. Samantha is an example for a character where I really had to think for a long time until I finally decided to make her a PoV. Now that I think about your question, I am not even sure how I choose a PoV character. Gut instinct, I'd say.
Just curious, who were the first five submitted characters? I know Maya was the first, Leonard was the fourth, but the rest?
And I recall earlier on in the story, you mentioned that Leonard might have had a POV part in I think Chapter 1 or 2. What became of that?
One last - is there any POV character or regular character you regret or wish was a POV?
Actually, Maya isn't even among the first 40 characters that got submitted. She's the 42nd submitted character, but the first from the Vale. The first 5 characters that got submitted were Garthon, Torvin, Lyria, Leonard and Rosalie. To be fair though, Torvin and Garthon have both been submitted by real life friends of mine a few hours before I even created the thread, in order to check if the submission works correctly. The first five characters that have been submitted entirely from forum users are Lyria, Leonard, Rosalie, Lucas and Darren Tallwood.
Yes, this was a very, very early plan, when I thought about a more flexible system for the PoV characters, that would have been more similar to some of the other fanfictions here on the forum, where, according to the situation, any character could become a PoV for a short part if the situation requires it. See Hope's Monument for example, where this works really well. At first, it was planned to have Leonard as the PoV for the very final part of Chapter 1, to show that he is one of the good guys and to keep more suspense about the contents of the letter Maester Eaton wrote to Lord Hightower on Lord Raylans orders. However, I ultimately decided in favour of a PoV system more similar to the Ice and Fire books, something I see as a very good decision in retrospect. Because of this, I realized that a Leonard PoV wouldn't offer much new to the story which I couldn't show already in Lucas' PoV's. It's like making Gendry a PoV character while he travels with Arya. However, the story is still going on for a long while. I can't promise or confirm anything, but a Leonard PoV is definitely not impossible in later chapters.
Well... I have hinted at it earlier, I find Marak to be an extremely hard to write PoV. I don't regret that I made him a PoV, I regret that I made him a PoV in the first chapter. His storyline has some really tense moments planned and it will hopefully put up a lot of pace in this chapter, but he had nothing to do at all in Chapter 2 and his role in Chapter 4 and 5 has been very minor as well. I think he would have benefitted from having his first appearance in Chapter 3 or 4 and getting a lot of stuff to do in each chapter instead of the small parts he had so far. As for a regular character I regret not having as a PoV... There isn't anyone at the moment because I think most of the characters work as I want them to work. If I honestly regret that I haven't made a specific character a PoV character, I can always do so later. I can never undo such a decision of course, so I have to choose very carefully. However, there are some characters where I'd love to write a part from their perspective, but simply can't do it for specific reasons, as much as I'd like to. I'd love to write a villain PoV for example, but that way I would give away their villainous plans far too early. Mullendore for example would be especially interesting, I think, but that way I would be at risk of revealing too much about him too soon. Other characters who would be interesting PoV's, but who, at this point of the story at least, would either reveal too much about themselves, add nothing new in terms of perspective or story, or who would be hard to come up with a consistently interesting storyline for include, among others, Leonard, Argella, Hackor, Daghan, Irving and many more. That said, not all hope is lost for characters who are no PoV's yet, for my plans evolve, change and progress constantly. Maybe I later decide to pull a couple of one-shots with characters who are no real PoV's, but who might be interesting to write and read about for a single part.
Can't wait to see Maya again, I really enjoy her parts. Also... Maya/Iriving. I ship it
and everyone died. The end of throne. THE END.
You know i may be wrong but i think you skipped a few things that happened in between. To be exact about 2 and a half books.
[Focus on Mullendore]
Nice user pic Ualex
Maya
“I don't like this, Ambassador”, Aldrik mumbled as he glanced down the dark alleyway, always a hand on the hilt of his sword. His wolf stood by his side with cocked ears, noticeably calmer than the knight. “It's dishonourable”
His words caused Gregar to chuckle. Unlike Aldrik, he wasn't wearing armour. His brown vest barely covered his massively muscled arms, which were folded as he leant against the wall of a house. From his whole behaviour, it was clear that he was less nervous about the thought of standing in a dark alleyway at night. Back home, in Gulltown, people like Maya would have been attacked and robbed by now. In Gulltown, people like Gregar would have been the robbers.
“Do I understand you correctly, Ser Aldrik?”, he asked. “Breaking into this archive is dishonourable in your opinion?” Aldrik gave him a stern nod. “Lord Harris was the victim of a misunderstanding. And then there's this... unpleasant woman that poisoned his thoughts. Without her, he might be open for reason”, he answered.
Gregar quickly shook his head. “That's not what I meant. Maya discussed that enough already”, he explained and his grin got a bit wider and a bit more mocking. “I'm just curious why the same man who had absolutely no problem with turning against that swine Brune is now against breaking into a fucking archive to steal some documents to save our home”
Aldrik sighed and shrugged, glancing at Gregar for a moment, before looking back towards the alleyway. “I already told you, I never turned against Lord Brune. I simply never worked for him in the first place”, he growled. “But I don't expect a man like you to understand it”
Before Gregar could answer, Maya finally felt the need to intervene. With a friendly smirk on her face, she moved up towards them, giving both if them a short look. “That's enough”, she ordered. “Play nice. Both of you” She looked at Aldrik who still seemed to be unhappy about the situation. “Ser Aldrik, I know you are not happy with the situation. But it's the best idea we have. Diplomacy failed, so now I'm considering Gregar's approach”, she said softly. “Be assured, no one will get hurt. We simply take back what's ours”
Aldrik gave her a short nod and she glanced at Gregar. “Are you sure your thief will show up?”, she asked. “Well, he better does”, Irving moaned from behind, cutting Gregar's answer off. “It's dark. It's cold. I'm tired and hungry and my feet hurt, so that damn thief better shows up soon” He sighed and slowly walked closer to the group. “I mean, it's really disrespectful”
Maya rolled her eyes, but she had enough decency to turn away from Irving first, while Gregar audibly grounded his teeth. “Can I please rip out his tongue?”, he hissed. Maya smirked at him, before shaking her head. “As I said before, no one's going to get hurt”, she answered and glanced at Irving. Over the past week, he had repeatedly tried to talk to her about something, much to her confusion and annoyance. Against her better judgement, she would have even been willing to listen to him, if he would have chosen better times to talk to her. But right now, she had more important things to take care of than Irving's personal problems.
“Yeah, awfully nice of you, Maya”, Irving said and Maya was unsure if it was a weird compliment or a complain. She decided to take it as a compliment and gave him a bright smile. “Thank you, Irving”, she said and to her pleasure, she noticed that she caught him off guard with her reaction. “You're welcome... I guess”, he answered and blushed slightly.
A deep growl coming from Aldrik's wolf caused Maya to shift her attention towards him. The animal glared down the alleyway for a moment, before the growling stopped, just as a man entered Maya's field of view. “Told you he'd come”, Gregar said with a relieved grin.
The man wore dark brown clothing, making him nearly invisible in the night. He wore a hood, but as he approached them, he removed it, revealing a surprisingly young face. The master thief was in Maya's age at best, with short, brown hair and a stubble beard. His most remarkable feature was the sly smirk on his face. While the look in his dark blue eyes was confident above anything else, he, like most people, couldn't contain to nervously glance at Aldrik's wolf.
“Greetings”, he said and took a bow in front of her. “You must be Maya Iresons” He extended his hand and surprised, she shook it. “And you are...?”, she asked, glancing at Gregar. “My name is Keat”, the thief said. “People call me 'The Trickster'”
“You gave that name to yourself”, Irving mumbled immediately and Keat gave him a short glare, before looking back at Maya. “You're our master thief?”, she asked in surprise, glancing at Gregar. Keat gave her a nod. “Have you expected someone different, Lady Ambassador?”, he asked and Maya shook her head. “No.. it's just... how old are you?”, she asked, still confused over his surprisingly youthful looks.
“Twenty”, Keat answered and Maya let out a sigh, still focussing on Gregar. “I asked for a master thief and you brought me a barely grown man” Keat' confident grin got a bit wider. “Wrong”, he said. “Gregar brought you the best thief in this city. Who, by chance, also happens to be only twenty years old”
“It's true”, Gregar confirmed. “I was just as surprised as you are, but my contacts told me the truth, I made sure of that” He looked at Keat. “This man is our best chance to get into the archive”, he added and Maya pressed her lips together. She trusted Gregar to make the right decision and the confidence Keat was oozing spoke in his favour. But they only had one chance to get these documents.
“Good”, she finally said. “I'm giving you a chance. Do you know the archive?” Keat gave her a nod. “Everyone here knows the archive. In fact, I've already been in there a few times”, he explained. “Security is not as tight as you think it would be. After all, who is interested in stealing some old books?”
“Me, for example”, Maya answered. “What kind of stuff have you stolen from there?” Keat's grin faded. “Nothing, to be honest”, he answered. “I was curious if I could break in. As you can see, I could”
“And you can bring us in as well?”, Maya asked. Keat gave her a quick nod. “Sure thing. It's going to be a bit harder, but I am the best thief around for a reason”, he answered. “Maybe you are the only thief around”, Irving muttered and both, Maya and Keat shot him a glare. “Anyways”, Keat continued, simply ignoring Irving in the process, as he looked back at Maya. “I think it shouldn't be a problem to get Gregar inside and you have at least the physique to be a good thief, if I may say so” He glanced at Irving and Aldrik. “Which leads me to the question, what about the rest of your companions?”
Maya looked at Ser Aldrik, who had stayed silent during their talk with Keat. The knight was obviously still not happy about the situation. His wolf on the other hand was calm, silent and had nothing against Keat's presence, which alone was enough for Maya to trust the thief. “I don't think I should accompany you to the archive”, Aldrik said to her relief. “Aside from my moral objections, I am simply not made for a stealthy approach”
“Maybe I have a different suggestion”, Keat said thoughtfully. “You are not a very inconspicuous person, but together with your wolf, you could be an excellent lookout” His smirk had faded, now replaced by a stern look. “Usually, I work alone and without lookouts, but this time an extra man could really save our asses if something unexpected happens”
“A lookout...”, Aldrik mumbled. “Very well. Ambassador, if you are okay with the thief's suggestion, I will follow your order” He pronounced the word 'Thief' as if he was talking about some sort of disease. Maya gave him a nod and Keat an appreciative look. That was some good thinking.
Before she could answer, Irving cleared his throat. “Excuse me, but what am I supposed to do?”, he asked. Gregar chuckled slightly, as if Irving had told a joke, before he answered. “You are supposed to stay quiet and not to fuck anything up”, he growled. Irving narrowed his eyes. “I wasn't talking to you, Gregar”, he hissed, before he looked back at Maya. “I could be your lookout. Back in the Vale, I've been a watch guard after all. I have experience”
“You have bullshit”, Gregar interrupted him. “I know you, Irving Todd. You'd probably just fall asleep” Irving pressed his lips together and shook his head. “That happened only two times”, he protested. “During our journey at least...” He gave Maya a pleading look. “Please, Maya. I want to prove my weight. I've been with you from the very beginning and I think I deserve a chance”
“But you had a chance”, Gregar interjected. “More than one, actually, but you fucked it up again and again and you always complained whenever Maya tried to turn you into a useful member of the group. I don't buy it, Irving. Why are you so eager to help us all of a sudden?”
“I have my reasons”, Irving simply answered, making it clear that he had no intentions to talk to Gregar. Instead, he looked at Maya and the look on his face reminded her of a dog begging for a treat. “Please, Maya. Just give me this last chance. I know I haven't been useful so far, but that's because you gave me the wrong jobs. Being a watch guard, that's who I am. That's something I'm good at”
“Something my ass”, Gregar growled. “Listen, Maya, this mission is important and we need a lookout. You have to choose between a knight with a fucking direwolf or the whiniest little bitch I've ever encountered”
Irving gave him a cold, angry glare, completely unlike the bored facial expression he usually showed. “Fuck you, Gregar”, he growled slowly, before he looked back at Maya. “Please, Maya. Give me one chance. You won't regret it!”, he urged her.
“Maybe me and Irving could both stay on lookout”, Aldrik offered and Irving gave him a quick nod. His smile faded when Keat slowly shook his head. “Too risky”, he mumbled. “Lookouts are easy to spot, at least for anyone with a bit of knowledge about burglary. One lookout can remain undetected, but two? Far too risky in my book” He looked at Maya. “Sorry, boss. Just stating the facts. Looks like you have to make a decision”
[Choose Aldrik as the lookout] [Choose Irving as the lookout]
Ellena
It was early morning, but Ellena had already been on the upper deck for a full hour, playing a game of cyvasse with Jarek. During the past week, she hadn't found much sleep. The thought of Butterfly's men out there worried her. The thought that Samuel could have lied worried her, that he could come back. But most importantly, Ellena was worried for her friends. Talea had spent the past week trying her best to negotiate with the harbourmaster, leaving the ship way too often in Ellena's opinion.
The past days itself had been uneventful. The appearance of Samuel Harrington had only further fuelled Talea's paranoia. On her orders, Ellena was forbidden to leave the ship, something she wasn't unhappy about. In fact, she found it comforting to know that the older girl cared so much about her. The downside to this was a dreadfully boring week and not for the first time, Ellena's curiosity clashed with her survival instinct.
“Your move, little lady”, Jarek said with a friendly smile. Considering that Talea was only rarely aboard the ship these days, the sellsword had become her closest associate at the moment. Talking to him wasn't exactly unexciting, but a part of her would have loved to talk to someone else for a change.
“I don't think I need to”, she answered, but did him the favour of moving her spearman across the board. “Look at the crossbowman. Your king will be dead in two turns. Haven't you noticed?” As Jarek studied the cyvasse board, his face slowly dropped. “Seven Hells...”, he muttered. “You haven't even moved your dragon!”
“I always spare my dragon for later”, Ellena explained with a proud smile and pointed at some of the pieces on the board. “You did actually quite well for some time. But your mistake was taking down my elephant and my catapult with your own dragon, leaving it trapped in a position where it can't defend your king. That was a bad move”
“I wanted to take your heavy cavalry with it in the next turn!”, Jarek protested and Ellena gave him a nod. “But my heavy cavalry posed no danger to your king, unlike my spearman and my crossbowman. You focussed too much on my strong pieces and ignored the weaker ones in the process, allowing them to trap your king. You haven't even noticed it until it was too late”
Jarek slowly shook his head in disbelief. “Here I am, playing cyvasse with a twelve... pardon, almost thirteen years old and I'm loosing every single round...”, he muttered. “And I am not a bad player by any definition, as I have to add. Where in all the gods names have you learned to play that well?”
Her smile dropped immediately as she slowly gulped. “My father taught me”, she answered and Jarek let out a sigh. “Sorry. Shouldn't have brought it up”, he answered. “If it helps, my own father has been a complete bastard”
“That does not really help, no”, Ellena answered, but her smile returned when she saw Jarek's disheartened expression. This time, she did not smile out of joy, but rather out of compassion. The moment he mentioned his father, the sellsword's face darkened. She moved her hand across the board and lay it onto his own in a consoling gesture. “Is everything alright?”, she asked.
Jarek slowly shook his head. “I really don't want to talk about it”, he mumbled, before he looked back at the board. “How about another game?” Ellena let out a sigh, but started to move her pieces back to their starting position. “Alright”, she agreed. “But just one more. Cyvasse can be nice, but that's literally the... tenth round we play today?”
“Eleventh”, Jarek corrected her. “Not like we have anything else to do at the moment” He started to move his pieces back to their starting position, momentarily holding the dragon in his hands. “You tricked me, little lady. You honestly tricked me”
“You tricked yourself”, she corrected him. “You have been way too confident after you took down my heavy units. The game is not just won by dragons, elephants and catapults” Jarek shook his head as he glanced at the pieces. “You are just too good when it comes to this damn game”, he complimented her.
Before Ellena could make her first move, something caught her eye. The guards near the railing suddenly tensed up for a short moment, before glancing at Jarek. They made way for a young boy that walked up to the ship. He was perhaps a bit younger than Ellena and much shorter, with dark skin. He was covered in the most dirty rags Ellena had ever seen in her life, but the smile on his face was bright and genuine.
“Nice ship you have here”, he greeted her and took a clumsy bow. “My name is Himani. Himani Sand. I bring a message from the Burned Man” Jarek let out a sigh. “He wants us to leave, doesn't he?”, he asked and shook his head. “Tell him, no way we're leaving this ship unprotected”
Himani raised an eyebrow and slowly shook his head. “That's not the message”, he clarified. “He doesn't want all the men to leave. In fact, he's sending an additional two to guard the ship. He only requires your presence at the mansion”
Jarek slowly closed his eyes. “Immediately?”, he asked and Himani gave him a nod. “Immediately”, the boy answered. Jarek opened his eyes again, a sad smile on his face as he glanced from Ellena to the cyvasse board. “I would have won that game”, he claimed. “I learned my lesson and I wouldn't have fallen for your tricks again. This time, I would have protected my king”
“Sure”, Ellena answered unenthusiastically. The thought of Jarek leaving the ship wasn't thrilling. In fact, aside from Talea he was the closest thing she had to a friend these days. She was concerned for him and for his safety. She reciprocated his sad smile. “When you come back, we can still continue the game. Not like anyone else plays it”, she answered. “Besides, I would have taken down your king in seven turns either way”
Jarek let out a chuckle. “No way”, he answered, before he looked at Himani. “So, you're going to lead me to the mansion, or what?” Himani shook his head. “He hasn't said anything about this. I mean, if you want some company on the way I don't mind, but my plans included strolling the docks to find me some dinner”
A slightly disgusted look flashed across Jarek's face. “Yeah... too much information, Himani”, he chuckled, before he raised from the chair. “I better get going. Don't want to keep the Burned Man waiting” He walked around the table towards Ellena and put a hand onto her shoulder. “So... it has been an...”, he started to say, but she cut him off by jumping up and giving him a short hug, catching him completely off guard.
“You come back?”, she asked and Jarek gave her a nod. “If my boss allows it”, he answered, before he separated from her. He glanced at Himani and a smirk appeared on his face. “I have an idea... you still got that letter from the Burned Man, right? The one for your friend”
Ellena's hand moved to her pocket, where she kept the letter. During the past week, she had thought about delivering it to Terroma several times. Talea's concern prevented her from going through with her intention. The older girl had enough worries and Ellena didn't want to add to them by sneaking away. Another thing that prevented her from delivering it was the man she met the last time she attempted to deliver the letter. Samuel Puffer... she still wasn't sure if not trusting him has been the right decision. Now she would meet him in bright daylight. Perhaps she would even meet Terroma. While she understood only half of the Burned Man's letter, she was sure that it would be important for her friend to get it.
“I still have it, yes”, she confirmed and Jarek's smirk turned into a grin. “I talked to Talea earlier. I don't think she'll be back for a few hours. Himani here knows the city like no one else. He can get you to your friend in no time”
Himani let out a moan. “I really wanted to find something to eat, Jarek”, he complained, which prompted Jarek to glance towards the stairs that lead to the lower decks. “That's not the problem”, he answered. “If you help Ellena, I will go to the galley for you and find you something nice for dinner. Good stuff, not the rubbish you usually eat. Perhaps a loaf of bread, a slice of cheese and I'm sure there will be a bit of ham for you as well”
Himani's unenthusiastic facial expression faded, replaced by a wide grin. “My friend, you know how to convince me!”, he exclaimed and looked at Ellena. “M'lady, you got yourself a guide to wherever it is you want to go!” His smile faded as quickly as it came. “Of course, only if you want to...”, he added and glanced at Jarek with widely opened eyes. “If she refuses, do I still get the ham?”
Jarek let out a sigh. “You still get the ham, just don't give me that look”, he growled, before he looked back at Ellena. “Your call, little lady. I don't blame you if you rather stay here aboard the ship”, he said softly. “Keep in mind, the Burned Man wrote that letter for a reason. It might be important for your friend”
That was a good argument, Ellena had to admit it. On top of that, Himani looked like someone who really knew how to stay safe in this city. With him on her side, she would probably, hopefully, be safe. On the other hand were still her concern, not only for herself, but for Talea. The captain's daughter had enough worries already and if she would return while Ellena would still be away... was this damn letter really worth it?
[Leave the ship with Himani] [Stay aboard the ship]
[Choose Irving as the lookout] Irving proved himself useful with a bow, I'd say he's earned another chance to prove himself. Plus I really want him to win Maya over
[Leave the ship with Himani] We need to get this done asap.
[Choose Irving as the lookout] Lets give him a chance.
[Leave the ship with Himani]
[Choose Irving as the lookout] I like Irving, he's like Ben. So this should fail then.
[Leave the ship with Himani] I guess this could work.
[Choose Irving as the lookout] How could I ever say no to Irving. Also this is one of the few things he is good at and might as well give him a chance to actually do something note worthy in Raylainsfair besides getting drunk with Marak and Alan. Also I think a armored knight and a huge wolf would be pretty easy to spot as lookouts.
[Stay aboard the ship]Two kids alone in the big city of Oldtown. I don't think Himani would be the best at defending Ellena. Also I don't care too much for Teroma lately and he can go ahead with his plans of sneaking into Hightower with Raena.
[Choose Aldrik as the lookout]
[Leave the ship with Himani]
[Choose Aldrik as the lookout] Sorry, I don't care about Irving.
[Leave the ship with Himani] I think Himani knows his way around, and the letter should really be delivered.
Choose Aldrik as the lookout] He told he is not a stealthy guy, better leave him outside.
[Leave the ship with Himani] Yay, adventure awaits!
(Choose Aldrick as the lookout)
(Leave the ship with Himani)
[Choose Aldrik as the lookout]
[Leave the ship with Himani]
[Choose Irving as the lookout] One more chance dude, one more chance.
[Leave the ship with Himani] Eh.
Great part!!
[Choose Irving as the lookout]
[Leave the ship with Himani]
[Choose Irving as the lookout]
[Stay aboard the ship]
[Choose Aldrik as the lookout]
[Leave the ship with Himani]
[Choose Irving as the lookout]
[Leave the ship with Himani]
I'm curious about the ships in this story. I really want to know who people ship.
Let's find out. Reply to me a list of pairings you really like. The list can be as short and long as you like. I have two rules though- Only list romantic pairs, and characters that are alive.
Mine are: (You can come up with better ship names if you think mine are lame
)
Lol, when I read the first sentence I thought you were talking about, you know, actual ships XD Since Ellena's part was in a ship and all. Then I read the rest of the post
I'm usually not much into shipping, but since Jaron is my own character, of course I have to ship him with Harpy
And that already happened so I'm happy!
Others... Well, I think Garthon and Kyra could be a nice couple
Hey I'm not the only one for stay aboard.
I think Maya's and Irving's ship name shoudl be Maying. Also I like Samith- Samantha/Davith. And I kinda want to see Hackor and Harris interact so we can see how they like eachother.
Pretty sure Samantha's gay.
[Choose Irving as the lookout] Well Irving has experience with these kind of things. Besides Aldrik and his wolf are going to be dead giveaways that something is happening if they get spotted.
[Leave the ship with Himani] Giving Ellena some purpose to do something in the war is important. She can prove her worth, and if Butterfly tries to do anything to her, we know who's going to protect her.
By the way, can someone remind me of how long will Ellena will stay abroad the ship until it makes way to Raylansfair? I don't remember exactly how long she has been in Oldtown since she arrived.
What makes you so sure? (not saying i don't agree)
I don't see why we can't still ship them together.
Leold. Someone guess that.
It was implied in her very first POV chapter. And then Liquid implied it further when @InGen_Nate_Kenny suggested she'd fall in love with Leonard. And after Davith charged off and Samantha was talking about him she said something like "It's so weird, he's not even my--" and she gets interuppted. I believe she was about to say he's not her type.
Oh yeah ship away. I just didn't want you to have false hope.