Wow! I think this might be my favourite out of all the drawings And even better as it came as a complete surprise. Oh man, I can't get over how cool this looks. The mask really gives him something unsettling and I love it. Thanks a lot for drawing him
So far, very little is known about the Tom. As the others have said, his real name is Erik, which was revealed in the talk between him and the Sphynx during the penultimate Jaron part in Chapter 7. Other than that, he remains an enigma for now. That said, I can reveal that there is more to him, a full name, a backstory, even family connections, all of which is going to be revealed in a future chapter.
That feeling when my internet finally works again and I check the forums, only to see two incredible new drawings Just like the Tom before, you perfectly captured the Sphynx here. Simply amazing!
Alright then, my internet works again! This means, the next chapter can begin today! More importantly, the voting is closed!
Arthur is going to help Aldus
Raenna is going to spare Noelle
I must say, I am really surprised by the second choice. I would have been willing to bet that a majority of you would have jumped at the chance to kill Noelle. While I still have something planned for her, I did not expect her to survive this choice. That said, I understand your reasons for sparing her. She indeed knows the future and Raenna's next part should already give us a glimpse of that. Unfortunately, she's only human and her visions come from a god, so there's bound to be problems with interpreting them. She's no Melisandre, but prone to do the same mistakes. It remains to be seen if the other characters interpret her visions correcly, or if she even uses them for good this time. One thing is certain: You won't see Noelle for a while. I plan to show her in Raenna's next part, but my plans for her survival still mean that she will leave the story for a couple of chapters, only to return when you will expect it the least.
And well, I hope to start the next chapter today I am making a bit of progress with the wiki, but in the end, I miss writing too much and I am too hyped for Chapter 8 to wait for much longer. Currently, it looks like it will include a Garthon part and we'll see the beginning of the Ironborn attack on Raylansfair through his eyes. Ah, I look forward for it, because it'll include a lot of action. Potentially, though that's still not entirely decided, it might already feature the first character death for Chapter 8, because when it comes to that, I'm really starting early this time, so that I won't have to kill off a dozen characters or more in the final few parts. At least your decision to spare Noelle's life means that there will be one death less in this chapter. But well, before I get to continue and finish the next part, I will have to catch up on some of the other stuff I missed the last two days. Shouldn't take me too long, so I still hope to finish the part today (or very early tomorrow, for many here)
Alright then, my internet works again! This means, the next chapter can begin today! More importantly, the voting is closed!
Arthur is go… moreing to help Aldus
Raenna is going to spare Noelle
I must say, I am really surprised by the second choice. I would have been willing to bet that a majority of you would have jumped at the chance to kill Noelle. While I still have something planned for her, I did not expect her to survive this choice. That said, I understand your reasons for sparing her. She indeed knows the future and Raenna's next part should already give us a glimpse of that. Unfortunately, she's only human and her visions come from a god, so there's bound to be problems with interpreting them. She's no Melisandre, but prone to do the same mistakes. It remains to be seen if the other characters interpret her visions correcly, or if she even uses them for good this time. One thing is certain: You won't see Noelle for a while. I plan… [view original content]
I do really dislike Noelle but I usually spare peop'e no matter how much I hate them as it's a personal belief of mine that you should never take a life if you have a choice. The only reason I voted to kill Otis was because they were gonna have him be on their side and use him and I just wasn't willing to risk that. If sparing him would result in them handing him over to the authoritys then I definitely would've picked it.
Alright then, my internet works again! This means, the next chapter can begin today! More importantly, the voting is closed!
Arthur is go… moreing to help Aldus
Raenna is going to spare Noelle
I must say, I am really surprised by the second choice. I would have been willing to bet that a majority of you would have jumped at the chance to kill Noelle. While I still have something planned for her, I did not expect her to survive this choice. That said, I understand your reasons for sparing her. She indeed knows the future and Raenna's next part should already give us a glimpse of that. Unfortunately, she's only human and her visions come from a god, so there's bound to be problems with interpreting them. She's no Melisandre, but prone to do the same mistakes. It remains to be seen if the other characters interpret her visions correcly, or if she even uses them for good this time. One thing is certain: You won't see Noelle for a while. I plan… [view original content]
I know, I fully expected you to be in favour of sparing her I was just surprised that so many others decided similarly. Usually, I have the impression that a majority of voters choose the pragmatic choice and in this case, I would consider killing Noelle to be the pragmatic choice. After all, that way you would have made sure that she's never going to harm another person through her misinterpreted visions. I was very surprised to see so many people argue into the completely different direction, that sparing her would be the pragmatic choice, although I must admit that they were some pretty good arguments.
When it comes to Otis, it actually would have been Noelle's ultimate goal, to use him first and to hand him over to the authorities later. She wouldn't have allowed him to get away with everything after outliving his usefulness and while she hasn't outright said it, it was her plan to eventually bring him to the city guard. That said, as you know from the alternative choices, she would have misjudged her own authority over him and he would have eventually escaped if he would have been spared, so in that case, mercy would have backfired spectacularly.
I do really dislike Noelle but I usually spare peop'e no matter how much I hate them as it's a personal belief of mine that you should never… more take a life if you have a choice. The only reason I voted to kill Otis was because they were gonna have him be on their side and use him and I just wasn't willing to risk that. If sparing him would result in them handing him over to the authoritys then I definitely would've picked it.
A cold breeze hit Garthon as he climbed the stairs that led to the upper deck. Only the sound of waves crashing against the ship broke the silence. The men looked at him as he reached the upper deck and their sight caused him to tense up. They said Ironborn would know no fear, but these men, hollow-faced and pale, they didn't want to die today. They didn't want to be here.
With a sigh, Garthon focussed onto the town in the distance. Raylansfair wasn't the biggest town he ever raided, but it was still remarkable, home to thousands. They would be able to surpass the high walls, but taking the castle would be a problem. He glanced up at the building, located near the cliffs on the side of the city. The defenders had no idea they would come, or else they would be covered with arrows now. “So, we're here”, he mumbled.
Quickly, he glanced towards Anturion's ship. The pirate was standing near the bow, an anticipating grin on his face, his crew gathering behind him. Or, more precisely, Harren Hoare's crew. As far as Garthon knew, only the two closest to him, the man with the crossbow and the woman with the two swords were actually his, the rest was simply the amount Harren granted him. And there was the Boleyn girl. Garthon had no idea what lies Anturion had told her to convince her to go with him, but right now, probably realizing for the first time just what they were planning to do here, she looked more horrified than everyone else.
The thundering sound of war horns broke the silence completely and Garthon shot an angry glare at Volmark's ship. Cleaver Clint held his signature weapon, pointing it at the city, while holding a horn in his other hand. He put it to his mouth again, bugling it once more, while several of his men joined in. Garthon rolled his eyes. “Now they know we'll come”, he muttered.
“Doesn't matter”, Rell Vessels said next to him. “We're close enough. They won't be able to gather their men quick enough. This is going to be a slaughter” The sneer on his face got something decidedly bloodthirsty. “I've heard of this city before. Supposed to be quite beautiful. Always had this plan on going here one day” He chuckled softly. “I suppose dreams will come true tonight”
“TONIGHT!”, Cleaver Clint yelled at the top of his lungs and Garthon was unsure if it was coincidence, or if he had been able to hear Rell's words. “TONIGHT, WE KILL AND FEAST AND FUCK!” His cleaver slammed down, into the wooden rail of the ship, with a sound even louder than the cheers of his men. “There lives your enemy!”, he proclaimed, only marginally more quiet. “The Greenlanders have gotten soft and weak, their bodies grown fat from what should be ours! Tonight, the Iron Price will be paid” He ripped his weapon out of the wood again, lifting it far up his head. “REMIND THEM WHY THEY OUGHT TO FEAR US!”, he screamed. “MAKE THEM PRAY TO THEIR FILTHY GREENLANDER GODS!” He pointed his cleaver at the city now. “WHAT IS DEAD MAY NEVER DIE!”
It was only his own men who joined in, but they did so with thundering noise. “CLEAVER!”, they cheered. “CLEAVER! CLEAVER!” Garthon sighed and looked back at the grim faces of his own men. He slowly started to move through them, towards the bug. Torvin stood there, one foot on the railing, just staring at the city. Before he reached his brother, his glance fell to his right, where Hjalgar was standing. The young man was shivering, as he stared at the floor. In his hands, he held an arrow and his lips were moving silently, as if he was praying.
“Torvin”, Garthon said once he had finally reached him. In return, his brother barely turned away from the city. “What?”, he mumbled and Garthon paused, taken aback by Torvin's cold reaction. “I...”, he stuttered. “This is it”
“Yes”, Torvin answered briefly. “This is it” Garthon sighed. “We... we might not get out alive” Torvin gave him a nod, still not looking away from the city. “It doesn't matter”, he growled. “Is there anything else?” Garthon took a short step towards him. “I... I just want to make sure that everything is okay between us and...”
Now, Torvin momentarily glared at him. “Everything is okay between us”, he snarled, though his voice made it clear that this wasn't the case. He did not turn around, instead he still faced the city. Garthon sighed, before he glanced over his shoulder. He looked into the silent faces of his crew. Torvin's crew, but his brother wasn't much of a captain right now. As much as he loathed Cleaver Clint, the man at least managed to motivate his crew. A quick look towards Anturion's ship confirmed that the pirate was speaking to his men as well, though he did so in a much quieter tone.
“Torvin...”, he tried again. When he received no response, he fully turned to the crew. They were nervous. Of course they were. In such a moment, right before the fighting would start, only the bravest were without fear. Or those who had nothing left to lose. Garthon was afraid. It was the same feeling he felt in the cells. Back then, he misinterpreted Torvin's lack of fear for bravery. Now he saw that his brother was simply resigned to his fate, no matter what it would hold for him.
No, Garthon didn't want to die. He wanted to live, for Torvin, for Kyra... He gulped again and momentarily closed his eyes, allowing his thoughts to drift off to her just for a second. Then, he opened his eyes again, now with determination. He would not die here.
“Men!”, he said loudly, immediately gaining their attention. “I will not lie to you. I don't fight this battle for a king, or because I hate the Greenlanders. I don't fight it for loot or glory” He narrowed his eyes. “And I know that many of you think similarly. You followed us here because you believe in what we did, me and Torvin!” He shook his head. “I don't know if either of us deserves this faith. But I know what I can offer to you. Tonight, we fight for ourselves! For those we love! We will take this city and we will return to them, not as traitors, not as outcasts and rejects, but as heroes!”
By now, he noticed that they were listening. All of them, even those on the other ships. “King Harren wants to get rid of us! He thinks we're already dead!”, he yelled. “And tonight, we will prove him wrong!” At last, all Garthon had left to do was to draw his sword. The blade slid out of the sheath smoothly, with a faint, metallic sound. In the same movement, he pointed it at the city in the distance. “What is dead may never die!”, he screamed.
And three hundred voices answered to him. At first, Garthon had trouble understanding them, as the sound around him was deafening. Then, he started to hear a single word. “BREAKER!”, they shouted. “BREAKER! BREAKER!”
Yet a quick glance showed him that not everyone was shouting. Edward Anturion was merely giving him a quick nod, while Volmark glared viciously. He grabbed his massive cleaver, pointing it at the city as well. “Row faster, you scum!”, he barked at the top of his lungs. “I'll be the first man in that city, or else I'll chop off your fucking hands!” He glared at Garthon and Torvin. “These pansy traitors won't beat me to it, you hear me? They fucking won't!” With a sigh, Garthon averted his eyes and looked at Torvin instead. “Brother”, he said and Torvin barely looked up. He noticed the worried expression on the faces of each of his men. This would be it. This would be, where their fates would be decided.
“Nervous?”, Rell asked, as the men indeed started to row faster, not only on Cleaver Clint's boat. Garthon gave him a nod. “You aren't?”, he asked in return and now, his grin gained a mocking streak. “My father once told me that I'd never raid a city. That I was not enough iron, that I had too much of my mother, his salt wife from Essos”, he answered, before he shook his head. “I'm going to prove him wrong. Tonight, I'm going to pain this town red”
By now, the shore had gotten even closer. It would only be a matter of seconds until they would land. Garthon could see the defenders of Raylansfair, rushing down the street to the docks. They were too few, perhaps a third of the Ironborn in terms of numbers, probably even less. But they had shields and spear and bows and they were far from harmless. Behind them, he even saw half a dozen men on horseback. Not much, but enough to cause trouble. Their armour made them even more dangerous. Even light chainmail was too much for many raiders. The guardsmen had formed up at what was obviously the main street, blocking it with three rows of a shield wall.
“Nock!”, one of the riders shouted. A heavy helmet concealed his face, but it was clear to Garthon that he was the local captain. About two dozen archers stepped forwards and by now, the fear on their faces was clearly visible. “Draw!”, the captain ordered. And in this moment, the longships reached the sandy shore.
“With me!”, Cleaver Clint yelled. He was the first to jump down the longship and into the shallow water below. An excited grin flashed across Rell's face, but it was Torvin who was the second on the shore. There was no clear formation, no order but to attack. And right now, none was needed. There were only few things more terrifying than a horde of Ironborn raiders charging at their enemy.
“Loose!”, the captain screamed and for a split second, Garthon heard the sound of arrows cutting through the sky. The man next to Torvin was hit in the shoulder and immediately sank back into the water. Another raider was hit near the throat just as he wanted to jump down to the shore. Instead of landing on his feet, he landed face first, to never rise again. The archers were dangerous, no question. But they were too few to pose a genuine threat.
Before he jumped down, Garthon threw a look at Hjalgar. The young man was still standing on the deck, though he now had reached for his bow, still staring on shock at the corpse of an Ironborn that died before even setting foot onto the shore.
“Nock!”, the captain shouted, as Garthon caught Hjalgar's attention. “Hjalgar!”, he yelled and the young man tensed up. “Draw!”, the captain's voice sounded, as Hjalgar threw a glance at Garthon. He did not shiver, but Garthon saw fear in his eyes. “Loose!”, the captain yelled and Hjalgar closed his eyes, as the screams of dying Ironborn filled the air, even louder than the battlecry of the massive force that charged up the shore and towards the position of the guard. “Ah, fuck it...”, Hjalgar mumbled. He glanced down and Garthon saw that he was looking at Cleaver Clint Volmark in particular. Then, he rushed towards the railing, to follow the others.
Garthon felt a strong hand on his shoulder and as he glanced over it, he saw Tedyn Bullister, silently glaring at him from underneath his helmet. He growled something and pointed towards the railing, before he followed the other raiders. Garthon gave him a nod and rushed after him. “Fire at will!”, the captain screamed and once again, arrows cut through the sky, bringing death with them.
He turned to the formation of guardsmen. “Get behind us!”, the captain yelled. “Behind the shields!” His archers reacted either too early, missing the chance for another arrow, or too late to reach the safety of the shield all, as the Ironborn finally reached them.
The first in battle was Cleaver Clint. His cleaver hit a man right in the face, splitting the skull in an instant. Torvin was shortly behind him, embedding his axe in the chest of an archer. The remaining archers who hadn't managed to get to safety desperately tried to run to the shield wall, but now, their slightly heavier armour came at a disadvantage. The Ironborn were faster and cut them down while they were fleeing, before using the force of their charge to slam right into the shield wall.
Garthon had just left the water to reach the shore as the real fighting began. While the shield wall did not outright broke immediately, the force of the first attack was enough to cause it to falter. The guards were young men mostly, who were no match to true iron, who never had to face the fury of the sea. Volmark on his own could have been enough to shake their formation, as his massive body mercilessly moved forwards, the cleaver in his hand splitting shields and spears and flesh and bones. And he was far from alone. The Ironborn were at an advantage, a heavy one, as they waltzed against the position of the guards, forcing them to hold against it with all their strength.
Not all of the Ironborn had survived the initial attack. At least two or three dozen never even reached the shield wall. Some of them were dead, others dying, or merely badly wounded, with arrows sticking out of their bodies. Garthon saw Rell Vessels, an arrow in his shoulder, as he staggered backwards, to parry the strike of a guard. His sword blocked the spear of his opponent, but the arrow in his shoulder limited his movement, caused him to get slow, sloppy even. He only managed to deflect the next attack and what was meant to impale him in the stomach area merely pierced his side. The guard pulled the spear out of the wound again, ready to attack once more, but then, the axe of a raider slashed his throat, saving Rell's life in the process.
Just as Garthon had reached the shield wall, it broke under the continuous attack of the Ironborn. Cleaver Clint was the first to break through, leaving a trail of dead bodies behind. Immediately, several of the remaining guards turned around, fleeing from the scenery, which further weakened the remaining ones. One of the guards rushed towards him, but Torvin jumped in the way, his axe hitting the side of the man's head. Turning around, he parried the strike of another guardsman, before slamming the hilt of his axe into his opponent's face. The man staggered backwards, into the blade of one of Anturion's men.
It was there when Garthon spotted the captain on his horse. For a second, it looked as if the man would lead a charge at them, brave, but suicidal. Then, Garthon saw him sighing. “Sound the retreat!”, he ordered one of the other riders, his voice nearly silenced from the sound of clashing steel. “We'll regroup at the square! Send word to the castle and to the gates!” The rider gave him a nod, while two other riders quickly left the group, riding down the main street. Finally, the rider put a horn to his lips and blew it.
The back row of the guards started to move on this signal. At first, they remained in formation as good as possible as they walked backwards, retreating in an orderly fashion. Then, the Ironborn started to cut through the row in front of them, which was a signal for them to turn around and flee for their lives. The captain on his horse remained for a second longer, before he started to ride, remaining with his men instead of dying. The defenders at the docks had failed, as Garthon had expected. They had sold their lives at a high price though he counted at least as many dead Ironborn, potentially even more.
“With me!”, Torvin shouted. “We'll take the centre!” He glared at Anturion, who slowly approached them. There was blood on his sword and face, though his smile was white and charming. “We'll take the eastern city”, he disagreed. “My men will secure the archive” Torvin narrowed his eyes, as he grabbed Anturion by the forearm. “This was an order”, he barked, though Anturion shook his head. “You don't give orders to me”, he said calmly, glancing down at Torvin's hand around his arm and at the other hand, holding the axe. “I suggest you back down, unless you want bloodshed between my men and yours. The archive will be mine”
For a second, Torvin just glared at him, with a viciousness Garthon hadn't seen ever since the day they tried to kill the king. Then, he let go of him, muttering a curse. Anturion smirked, before he gave his men a nod. His two bodyguards followed closely, while the rest of his raiders exchanged looks with each other. Not all of them followed, but a majority of them listened to Anturion's orders.
“Fuck him...”, Torvin muttered. “Cleaver! I need your men at the city centre!” Volmark looked over his shoulder, as he raised his cleaver, only to slam it down onto a dying guardsman, embedding the weapon deep in his chest. “Taking the centre?”, he barked. “Are you fucking crazy, Breaker? Look around, there's an entire city to pillage!” As he spoke, he reached for a torch that had fallen to the ground, yet hadn't stopped burning. Heavily, he threw it through the window of a warehouse. “Burn it to the ground, lads!”, he yelled, as smoke slowly came out of the window. “Grab whatever you can take!”
“We have to take the city!”, Torvin protested, but Volmark just shook his head. “We are raiders, no conquerors! We do it like we always do! Go in, get stuff, kill people, leave”, he answered, before he pointed down a side street. “I'll go that way. I'll grab whatever I can take, fuck whomever I want and I'll kill them all!” With a grin, he turned to his men. “And you're free to do whatever the hell you want as well!”
With these words, he started to rush down the side street. Several of his men followed at once and to Garthon's surprise, he saw Hjalgar joining them. He had no time to wonder about this, as Torvin grabbed him by the arm. “Fuck”, he barked. As he glanced around, several more raiders rushed off into all directions. “This is not enough to take the castle. Fuck Anturion. Fuck Volmark” He glared at Garthon. “You gotta follow him”, he ordered. “Cleaver. Convince him to join me during the attack on the castle”
This suggestion caught Garthon by surprise. “Convincing him?”, he asked. “How should I convince Cleaver Clint Volmark?” Torvin shrugged. “You've always been the talker”, he said. “I will fight. I may not have enough to take the castle, but enough to cut down those guards for sure” He looked at his remaining men, still about a hundred, before his face softened for a second. “Take care of yourself, brother”, he mumbled. Then, he pointed his axe down the main street, into the direction of the fleeing guardsmen. “See how they flee!”, he barked. “After them! Cut them down! Take this city!” He started to charge and immediately, the remaining raiders followed.
Garthon sighed, as he watched his brother storming off. Raiders rushed past him and he had to suppress the urge to follow them, if only to keep an eye on Torvin. Instead, he glanced towards the alley Cleaver had run into. He had no doubt that he could catch up to him, but convincing him to comply, that was something else entirely.
Just as he wanted to follow Cleaver Clint as ordered, someone heavily grabbed his foot. He glanced down and spotted Rell Vessels. The arrow in his shoulder was broken off and with one hand, he was clutching his heavily bleeding side. “Breaker...”, he gasped. “Help me... Please, you gotta help me”
“Rell”, Garthon said briefly. “You're still alive” The man gave him a nod, barely managed to rise from the ground. “I need... your help”, he gasped. “The ship. You gotta bring me back to... the ship” He gave Garthon a begging look. “I can survive there. Bandages. Firemilk... I know how to... You have to bring me there, please...”
Garthon raised an eyebrow. “So much for painting the town red”, he hissed and Rell narrowed his eyes, though he remained silent, awaiting Garthon's decision. He threw a glance towards the ship. Yes, he could bring him back, it wouldn't be a problem, even if it would take some time, time Cleaver Clint would have to roam through the city without control. That said, he wasn't entirely sure if this was what he truly wanted. Saving the life of Rell Vessels...
They did a better job than I thought. 3 dozen or so ironborn? Good, good, good.
Hm, I'm having a hard time with this choice. But yet again...
[Carry Rell back to the ship] I choose this because, well, if there's not enough men for the castle, that's good...
I kind of like ol' Rell. He might die anyway, but still.
I liked this part. Some cool action. I'm trying to think who the captain of the guard was at the gate. I guess it's Daemion Stratford. I'm confused on the ironborns' goal. I know what Anturion (who I like for some odd reason) is all about, but with Cleaver Clint wanting to pillage and Torvin seems to want to take the city, it's getting me confused on what they're actually trying to accomplish.
2/6 of the "Next time on Forum of Thrones:"'s in this part, so we got a lot already.
Act III: Wildfire
Chapter II: What Is Dead May Never Die
Garthon
A cold breeze hit Garthon as he climbed the stairs that led to the… more upper deck. Only the sound of waves crashing against the ship broke the silence. The men looked at him as he reached the upper deck and their sight caused him to tense up. They said Ironborn would know no fear, but these men, hollow-faced and pale, they didn't want to die today. They didn't want to be here.
With a sigh, Garthon focussed onto the town in the distance. Raylansfair wasn't the biggest town he ever raided, but it was still remarkable, home to thousands. They would be able to surpass the high walls, but taking the castle would be a problem. He glanced up at the building, located near the cliffs on the side of the city. The defenders had no idea they would come, or else they would be covered with arrows now. “So, we're here”, he mumbled.
Quickly, he glanced towards Anturion's ship. The pi… [view original content]
[Leave him to die] If we are lucky we can try to provoke Cleaver into doing something reckless that will cause him to lose a lot of men for the sake of glory or plunder. I believe Garthon can smooth talk him. Also, who cares about Rell Vessels? What did he ever do for us and what can he do for us? Nothing, his dad hates him, he is the lackey of the prince who's father we tried to kill, and he is also kind of an ass. Don't care if he lives or dies. The guardsmen did not that bad of a job, so I am glad for them. Now hopefully Leonard can convince some Stormlanders to attack the center, some Rock men to defend the castle, and Arthur or Lucas to go hunt down Anturion in the archives. Hopefully we will see Harris soon who will inform someone about the super secret letter in the archives which is the only reasoning they are raiding, and some one has to go save it. Really hope Garthon makes it back home soon. Want him to join Team Greyjoy and therefore Team Targaryen later on. Here he has no protection and is kinda a antagonist, so he needs to get back so he can go back to being a protagonist.
Act III: Wildfire
Chapter II: What Is Dead May Never Die
Garthon
A cold breeze hit Garthon as he climbed the stairs that led to the… more upper deck. Only the sound of waves crashing against the ship broke the silence. The men looked at him as he reached the upper deck and their sight caused him to tense up. They said Ironborn would know no fear, but these men, hollow-faced and pale, they didn't want to die today. They didn't want to be here.
With a sigh, Garthon focussed onto the town in the distance. Raylansfair wasn't the biggest town he ever raided, but it was still remarkable, home to thousands. They would be able to surpass the high walls, but taking the castle would be a problem. He glanced up at the building, located near the cliffs on the side of the city. The defenders had no idea they would come, or else they would be covered with arrows now. “So, we're here”, he mumbled.
Quickly, he glanced towards Anturion's ship. The pi… [view original content]
Act III: Wildfire
Chapter II: What Is Dead May Never Die
Garthon
A cold breeze hit Garthon as he climbed the stairs that led to the… more upper deck. Only the sound of waves crashing against the ship broke the silence. The men looked at him as he reached the upper deck and their sight caused him to tense up. They said Ironborn would know no fear, but these men, hollow-faced and pale, they didn't want to die today. They didn't want to be here.
With a sigh, Garthon focussed onto the town in the distance. Raylansfair wasn't the biggest town he ever raided, but it was still remarkable, home to thousands. They would be able to surpass the high walls, but taking the castle would be a problem. He glanced up at the building, located near the cliffs on the side of the city. The defenders had no idea they would come, or else they would be covered with arrows now. “So, we're here”, he mumbled.
Quickly, he glanced towards Anturion's ship. The pi… [view original content]
Act III: Wildfire
Chapter II: What Is Dead May Never Die
Garthon
A cold breeze hit Garthon as he climbed the stairs that led to the… more upper deck. Only the sound of waves crashing against the ship broke the silence. The men looked at him as he reached the upper deck and their sight caused him to tense up. They said Ironborn would know no fear, but these men, hollow-faced and pale, they didn't want to die today. They didn't want to be here.
With a sigh, Garthon focussed onto the town in the distance. Raylansfair wasn't the biggest town he ever raided, but it was still remarkable, home to thousands. They would be able to surpass the high walls, but taking the castle would be a problem. He glanced up at the building, located near the cliffs on the side of the city. The defenders had no idea they would come, or else they would be covered with arrows now. “So, we're here”, he mumbled.
Quickly, he glanced towards Anturion's ship. The pi… [view original content]
Act III: Wildfire
Chapter II: What Is Dead May Never Die
Garthon
A cold breeze hit Garthon as he climbed the stairs that led to the… more upper deck. Only the sound of waves crashing against the ship broke the silence. The men looked at him as he reached the upper deck and their sight caused him to tense up. They said Ironborn would know no fear, but these men, hollow-faced and pale, they didn't want to die today. They didn't want to be here.
With a sigh, Garthon focussed onto the town in the distance. Raylansfair wasn't the biggest town he ever raided, but it was still remarkable, home to thousands. They would be able to surpass the high walls, but taking the castle would be a problem. He glanced up at the building, located near the cliffs on the side of the city. The defenders had no idea they would come, or else they would be covered with arrows now. “So, we're here”, he mumbled.
Quickly, he glanced towards Anturion's ship. The pi… [view original content]
Act III: Wildfire
Chapter II: What Is Dead May Never Die
Garthon
A cold breeze hit Garthon as he climbed the stairs that led to the… more upper deck. Only the sound of waves crashing against the ship broke the silence. The men looked at him as he reached the upper deck and their sight caused him to tense up. They said Ironborn would know no fear, but these men, hollow-faced and pale, they didn't want to die today. They didn't want to be here.
With a sigh, Garthon focussed onto the town in the distance. Raylansfair wasn't the biggest town he ever raided, but it was still remarkable, home to thousands. They would be able to surpass the high walls, but taking the castle would be a problem. He glanced up at the building, located near the cliffs on the side of the city. The defenders had no idea they would come, or else they would be covered with arrows now. “So, we're here”, he mumbled.
Quickly, he glanced towards Anturion's ship. The pi… [view original content]
Act III: Wildfire
Chapter II: What Is Dead May Never Die
Garthon
A cold breeze hit Garthon as he climbed the stairs that led to the… more upper deck. Only the sound of waves crashing against the ship broke the silence. The men looked at him as he reached the upper deck and their sight caused him to tense up. They said Ironborn would know no fear, but these men, hollow-faced and pale, they didn't want to die today. They didn't want to be here.
With a sigh, Garthon focussed onto the town in the distance. Raylansfair wasn't the biggest town he ever raided, but it was still remarkable, home to thousands. They would be able to surpass the high walls, but taking the castle would be a problem. He glanced up at the building, located near the cliffs on the side of the city. The defenders had no idea they would come, or else they would be covered with arrows now. “So, we're here”, he mumbled.
Quickly, he glanced towards Anturion's ship. The pi… [view original content]
Act III: Wildfire
Chapter II: What Is Dead May Never Die
Garthon
A cold breeze hit Garthon as he climbed the stairs that led to the… more upper deck. Only the sound of waves crashing against the ship broke the silence. The men looked at him as he reached the upper deck and their sight caused him to tense up. They said Ironborn would know no fear, but these men, hollow-faced and pale, they didn't want to die today. They didn't want to be here.
With a sigh, Garthon focussed onto the town in the distance. Raylansfair wasn't the biggest town he ever raided, but it was still remarkable, home to thousands. They would be able to surpass the high walls, but taking the castle would be a problem. He glanced up at the building, located near the cliffs on the side of the city. The defenders had no idea they would come, or else they would be covered with arrows now. “So, we're here”, he mumbled.
Quickly, he glanced towards Anturion's ship. The pi… [view original content]
But what if by saving him we are dooming another character to die in his place, maybe a character people like a lot? Like Torvin or the archer dude. Plus, by saving him doesn't automatically make him on our team. Also he isn't that much help any way. His dad hates him, his best friedns doesn't care about him, and he is useless in and out of a fight. I personally believe we could be more productive with our time, but is just mine opinion.
But what if by saving him we are dooming another character to die in his place, maybe a character people like a lot? Like Torvin or the arch… moreer dude. Plus, by saving him doesn't automatically make him on our team. Also he isn't that much help any way. His dad hates him, his best friedns doesn't care about him, and he is useless in and out of a fight. I personally believe we could be more productive with our time, but is just mine opinion.
They did a better job than I thought. 3 dozen or so ironborn? Good, good, good.
It was mostly the archers. The Ironborn ran straight at them with little to no cover and if the guard would have had more archers, they would have managed to kill even more. The shield wall was relatively useless, but worth a try.
I kind of like ol' Rell. He might die anyway, but still.
Actually, Rell was the guy whom I mentioned when I said that I think about killing off a character in this part. I decided against it, as I like to give you a choice when it comes to the life of a character. So, this choice will very much decide about his survival.
I liked this part. Some cool action. I'm trying to think who the captain of the guard was at the gate. I guess it's Daemion Stratford.
Glad you liked the part! The action should remain that way from here on, with a couple of slightly calmer parts inbetween. As for the captain, you are right, it is Daemion Stratford. Since he was wearing a helmet and since Garthon doesn't know him, I was only able to describe him as the captain, but it was him. Originally, he was even meant to have a bigger role in this part, but I realized that my original plan would have realistically led to his death (it would have included a cavalry charge at the Ironborn to buy his men time to escape) and I still have more plans for him in this chapter, so I couldn't really do this.
I'm confused on the ironborns' goal. I know what Anturion (who I like for some odd reason) is all about, but with Cleaver Clint wanting to pillage and Torvin seems to want to take the city, it's getting me confused on what they're actually trying to accomplish.
That's the problem I tried to show in this part, the Ironborn don't have a united goal. Torvin was sent to Raylansfair to assist Anturion and to conquer the city. Anturion meanwhile has his own goals, apparently involving the archive, though his ultimate goal still remains a mystery. Then there is Cleaver Clint, who accompanied Torvin out of his own free will and who really just wants to raid. He is highly influential among a certain faction of Ironborn who look down on Harren Hoare for ruling over the Riverlands instead of raiding and pillaging them. As a strong believer in the Old Way of the Ironborn, he has little desire to conquer. And as this part showed, these three goals kind of clash with each other. By now, they aren't a united Ironborn army, they are basically three groups of raiders that operate independently in the same city.
2/6 of the "Next time on Forum of Thrones:"'s in this part, so we got a lot already.
Yes indeed! That mostly means that you will have no idea what might happen in later parts. Actually, all but one of the "Next time"'s happen in the first part of their respective storylines. That means that unlike the last chapter, where I had to rewrite a few of these scenes to better fit into the context of the part they appeared in, I will most likely be able to stick with them word for word.
They did a better job than I thought. 3 dozen or so ironborn? Good, good, good.
Hm, I'm having a hard time with this choice. But yet agai… moren...
[Carry Rell back to the ship] I choose this because, well, if there's not enough men for the castle, that's good...
I kind of like ol' Rell. He might die anyway, but still.
I liked this part. Some cool action. I'm trying to think who the captain of the guard was at the gate. I guess it's Daemion Stratford. I'm confused on the ironborns' goal. I know what Anturion (who I like for some odd reason) is all about, but with Cleaver Clint wanting to pillage and Torvin seems to want to take the city, it's getting me confused on what they're actually trying to accomplish.
2/6 of the "Next time on Forum of Thrones:"'s in this part, so we got a lot already.
Also, who cares about Rell Vessels? What did he ever do for us and what can he do for us? Nothing, his dad hates him, he is the lackey of the prince who's father we tried to kill, and he is also kind of an ass.
Kind of an ass is actually a bit of an understatement. It needs a special kind of person to become friends with Harmund Hoare. That said, he is friends with Harmund and he is the only son of an influential Ironborn captain, so being on his good side might not be entirely without use.
Hopefully we will see Harris soon who will inform someone about the super secret letter in the archives which is the only reasoning they are raiding, and some one has to go save it.
As a matter of fact, you will see Harris very soon and he has a very important role to play in this chapter. That's all I'm going to say about this, but his role in this chapter is among the ones that have been planned the longest.
Want him to join Team Greyjoy and therefore Team Targaryen later on. Here he has no protection and is kinda a antagonist, so he needs to get back so he can go back to being a protagonist.
At the moment, yes, the Ironborn are the antagonists in this chapter and this includes Torvin and Garthon. Both are hopefully more sympathetic than people like Cleaver, but still very much part of the antagonists in this chapter. Perhaps your choices will decide just how antagonistic they will be. Garthon's choice in the next part for example should be pretty interesting from that standpoint.
[Leave him to die] If we are lucky we can try to provoke Cleaver into doing something reckless that will cause him to lose a lot of men for … morethe sake of glory or plunder. I believe Garthon can smooth talk him. Also, who cares about Rell Vessels? What did he ever do for us and what can he do for us? Nothing, his dad hates him, he is the lackey of the prince who's father we tried to kill, and he is also kind of an ass. Don't care if he lives or dies. The guardsmen did not that bad of a job, so I am glad for them. Now hopefully Leonard can convince some Stormlanders to attack the center, some Rock men to defend the castle, and Arthur or Lucas to go hunt down Anturion in the archives. Hopefully we will see Harris soon who will inform someone about the super secret letter in the archives which is the only reasoning they are raiding, and some one has to go save it. Really hope Garthon makes it back home soon. Want him to join Team Greyjoy and theref… [view original content]
It will be Raenna, although I am not yet sure if she will be the only PoV in this part. If I can fit him in, I would also like to write a PoV for Lucas in the same part.
Actually, Rell was the guy whom I mentioned when I said that I think about killing off a character in this part. I decided against it, as I like to give you a choice when it comes to the life of a character. So, this choice will very much decide about his survival.
When I read that he was hit with an arrow I assumed that. Interesting change. I assume Rell won't have a big role in this chapter if you just decided to change that.
Glad you liked the part! The action should remain that way from here on, with a couple of slightly calmer parts inbetween. As for the captain, you are right, it is Daemion Stratford. Since he was wearing a helmet and since Garthon doesn't know him, I was only able to describe him as the captain, but it was him. Originally, he was even meant to have a bigger role in this part, but I realized that my original plan would have realistically led to his death (it would have included a cavalry charge at the Ironborn to buy his men time to escape) and I still have more plans for him in this chapter, so I couldn't really do this.
If Arthur went to the docks, would we have seen him as well? Daemion seems competent, so that's good. Cavalry charge sounds kind of cool, although I guess leading to his death would probably be accurate. I mean, Braveheart, the Battle of the Bastards, etc. didn't do so well for cavalry (except Helm's Deep). Sounds like he has a slightly important role if you didn't want to die there.
That's the problem I tried to show in this part, the Ironborn don't have a united goal. Torvin was sent to Raylansfair to assist Anturion and to conquer the city. Anturion meanwhile has his own goals, apparently involving the archive, though his ultimate goal still remains a mystery. Then there is Cleaver Clint, who accompanied Torvin out of his own free will and who really just wants to raid. He is highly influential among a certain faction of Ironborn who look down on Harren Hoare for ruling over the Riverlands instead of raiding and pillaging them. As a strong believer in the Old Way of the Ironborn, he has little desire to conquer. And as this part showed, these three goals kind of clash with each other. By now, they aren't a united Ironborn army, they are basically three groups of raiders that operate independently in the same city.
We will see. In-fighting would be great.
Yes indeed! That mostly means that you will have no idea what might happen in later parts. Actually, all but one of the "Next time"'s happen in the first part of their respective storylines. That means that unlike the last chapter, where I had to rewrite a few of these scenes to better fit into the context of the part they appeared in, I will most likely be able to stick with them word for word.
Looking at it again, I'm thinking it's the one with Durren Stallhart and Sadie or it could be the one with Leonard and Clayton. Neither of those seem like they would be a first part of the storyline thing, although I guess it's possible.
They did a better job than I thought. 3 dozen or so ironborn? Good, good, good.
It was mostly the archers. The Ironborn ran straight… more at them with little to no cover and if the guard would have had more archers, they would have managed to kill even more. The shield wall was relatively useless, but worth a try.
I kind of like ol' Rell. He might die anyway, but still.
Actually, Rell was the guy whom I mentioned when I said that I think about killing off a character in this part. I decided against it, as I like to give you a choice when it comes to the life of a character. So, this choice will very much decide about his survival.
I liked this part. Some cool action. I'm trying to think who the captain of the guard was at the gate. I guess it's Daemion Stratford.
Glad you liked the part! The action should remain that way from here on, with a couple of slightly calmer parts inbetween. As for the captain, you are … [view original content]
I was rereading something I thought of a really cool scene.
She looked back at Harris. “I don't know how the Reach deals with murderers, but I doubt you are backwardly enough to just hang them. Even a man like him deserves a trial”, she explained and the hint of cruelty flashed up in her eyes. “A public trial” Harris sighed at this statement and slowly shook his head, averting his gaze from her, as she continued to speak. “Everyone will hear what he did. Everyone will hear what he has to say in his defence. There will be three judges who decide what to do with him. And, of course, he can always choose to take the black, or he can fight in a trial by combat”
Ser Harris Flowers vs. Ser Darren Tallwood.
Ser Lucas Flowers vs. Ser Darren Tallwood
Ser Leonard Constantine vs. Ser Darren Tallwood
Ser Harris Flowers vs. Ser Lucas Flowers
Ser Harris Flowers vs. Ser Leonard Constantine
Ser Lucas Flowers vs. Ser Leonard Constantine
Ser Ian Shortwood vs. Ser Darren Tallwood
Etc.
Maybe Harris goes to join the Night's Watch. Or he joins in this battle and dies.
By saving him there will be unseen consequences, possibly even leading to the death of a beloved character. We don't know by saving him, we could be dooming another character to die later on.
By saving him there will be unseen consequences, possibly even leading to the death of a beloved character. We don't know by saving him, we could be dooming another character to die later on.
I think not liking him and something might happening because we let him survive are perfectly good reason to let him die. If we don't like him, what's the use of waisting our time and effort to keep him alive. And if something bad happens because he is alive, then we'll have to go on knowing we could've stopped said character, or characters, from dying if only we hadn't spent so much time saving this guy who no one likes and can't do anything for us. That's only my opinion though.
Harris v Darren would be an epic showdown, but I hope Harris has a chance to redeem himself without having to fight good ol buddy Tallwood. But we know he isn't above killing lifelong friends, cough cough Ilhan cough cough.
I was rereading something I thought of a really cool scene.
She looked back at Harris. “I don't know how the Reach deals with murderer… mores, but I doubt you are backwardly enough to just hang them. Even a man like him deserves a trial”, she explained and the hint of cruelty flashed up in her eyes. “A public trial” Harris sighed at this statement and slowly shook his head, averting his gaze from her, as she continued to speak. “Everyone will hear what he did. Everyone will hear what he has to say in his defence. There will be three judges who decide what to do with him. And, of course, he can always choose to take the black, or he can fight in a trial by combat”
Ser Harris Flowers vs. Ser Darren Tallwood.
Ser Lucas Flowers vs. Ser Darren Tallwood
Ser Leonard Constantine vs. Ser Darren Tallwood
Ser Harris Flowers vs. Ser Lucas Flowers
Ser Harris Flowers vs. Ser Leonard Constantine
Ser Lucas Flowers vs. Ser Leonard Constantine
Se… [view original content]
Harris v Darren would be an epic showdown, but I hope Harris has a chance to redeem himself without having to fight good ol buddy Tallwood. But we know he isn't above killing lifelong friends, cough cough Ilhan cough cough.
I think not liking him and something might happening because we let him survive are perfectly good reason to let him die. If we don't like h… moreim, what's the use of waisting our time and effort to keep him alive. And if something bad happens because he is alive, then we'll have to go on knowing we could've stopped said character, or characters, from dying if only we hadn't spent so much time saving this guy who no one likes and can't do anything for us. That's only my opinion though.
Comments
On the topic of the Tom, I was wondering, do we actually know anything him as a person? By that I mean who he is under the mask.
We know his name's Erik. (Although I know more hehe)
He seems like he's a water dancer, but his names Erik, so the latter would suggest he's from westeros.
Then again, he could be both.
"Why don't we sing a song together?" - The Sphynx
You're to good at this.
Too. Amazing.
Wow! I think this might be my favourite out of all the drawings
And even better as it came as a complete surprise. Oh man, I can't get over how cool this looks. The mask really gives him something unsettling and I love it. Thanks a lot for drawing him 
So far, very little is known about the Tom. As the others have said, his real name is Erik, which was revealed in the talk between him and the Sphynx during the penultimate Jaron part in Chapter 7. Other than that, he remains an enigma for now. That said, I can reveal that there is more to him, a full name, a backstory, even family connections, all of which is going to be revealed in a future chapter.
That feeling when my internet finally works again and I check the forums, only to see two incredible new drawings
Just like the Tom before, you perfectly captured the Sphynx here. Simply amazing!
Alright then, my internet works again! This means, the next chapter can begin today! More importantly, the voting is closed!
Arthur is going to help Aldus
Raenna is going to spare Noelle
I must say, I am really surprised by the second choice. I would have been willing to bet that a majority of you would have jumped at the chance to kill Noelle. While I still have something planned for her, I did not expect her to survive this choice. That said, I understand your reasons for sparing her. She indeed knows the future and Raenna's next part should already give us a glimpse of that. Unfortunately, she's only human and her visions come from a god, so there's bound to be problems with interpreting them. She's no Melisandre, but prone to do the same mistakes. It remains to be seen if the other characters interpret her visions correcly, or if she even uses them for good this time. One thing is certain: You won't see Noelle for a while. I plan to show her in Raenna's next part, but my plans for her survival still mean that she will leave the story for a couple of chapters, only to return when you will expect it the least.
And well, I hope to start the next chapter today
I am making a bit of progress with the wiki, but in the end, I miss writing too much and I am too hyped for Chapter 8 to wait for much longer. Currently, it looks like it will include a Garthon part and we'll see the beginning of the Ironborn attack on Raylansfair through his eyes. Ah, I look forward for it, because it'll include a lot of action. Potentially, though that's still not entirely decided, it might already feature the first character death for Chapter 8, because when it comes to that, I'm really starting early this time, so that I won't have to kill off a dozen characters or more in the final few parts. At least your decision to spare Noelle's life means that there will be one death less in this chapter. But well, before I get to continue and finish the next part, I will have to catch up on some of the other stuff I missed the last two days. Shouldn't take me too long, so I still hope to finish the part today (or very early tomorrow, for many here)
Don't kill Daemion.
This is so awesome! You are so awesome!
I find myself wishing the Tom had a quote with his drawing.
I do really dislike Noelle but I usually spare peop'e no matter how much I hate them as it's a personal belief of mine that you should never take a life if you have a choice. The only reason I voted to kill Otis was because they were gonna have him be on their side and use him and I just wasn't willing to risk that. If sparing him would result in them handing him over to the authoritys then I definitely would've picked it.
I know, I fully expected you to be in favour of sparing her
I was just surprised that so many others decided similarly. Usually, I have the impression that a majority of voters choose the pragmatic choice and in this case, I would consider killing Noelle to be the pragmatic choice. After all, that way you would have made sure that she's never going to harm another person through her misinterpreted visions. I was very surprised to see so many people argue into the completely different direction, that sparing her would be the pragmatic choice, although I must admit that they were some pretty good arguments.
When it comes to Otis, it actually would have been Noelle's ultimate goal, to use him first and to hand him over to the authorities later. She wouldn't have allowed him to get away with everything after outliving his usefulness and while she hasn't outright said it, it was her plan to eventually bring him to the city guard. That said, as you know from the alternative choices, she would have misjudged her own authority over him and he would have eventually escaped if he would have been spared, so in that case, mercy would have backfired spectacularly.
You've drawn both The Tom and The Sphynx exactly as I imagined them when I submitted them.
Act III: Wildfire
Chapter II: What Is Dead May Never Die
Garthon
A cold breeze hit Garthon as he climbed the stairs that led to the upper deck. Only the sound of waves crashing against the ship broke the silence. The men looked at him as he reached the upper deck and their sight caused him to tense up. They said Ironborn would know no fear, but these men, hollow-faced and pale, they didn't want to die today. They didn't want to be here.
With a sigh, Garthon focussed onto the town in the distance. Raylansfair wasn't the biggest town he ever raided, but it was still remarkable, home to thousands. They would be able to surpass the high walls, but taking the castle would be a problem. He glanced up at the building, located near the cliffs on the side of the city. The defenders had no idea they would come, or else they would be covered with arrows now. “So, we're here”, he mumbled.
Quickly, he glanced towards Anturion's ship. The pirate was standing near the bow, an anticipating grin on his face, his crew gathering behind him. Or, more precisely, Harren Hoare's crew. As far as Garthon knew, only the two closest to him, the man with the crossbow and the woman with the two swords were actually his, the rest was simply the amount Harren granted him. And there was the Boleyn girl. Garthon had no idea what lies Anturion had told her to convince her to go with him, but right now, probably realizing for the first time just what they were planning to do here, she looked more horrified than everyone else.
The thundering sound of war horns broke the silence completely and Garthon shot an angry glare at Volmark's ship. Cleaver Clint held his signature weapon, pointing it at the city, while holding a horn in his other hand. He put it to his mouth again, bugling it once more, while several of his men joined in. Garthon rolled his eyes. “Now they know we'll come”, he muttered.
“Doesn't matter”, Rell Vessels said next to him. “We're close enough. They won't be able to gather their men quick enough. This is going to be a slaughter” The sneer on his face got something decidedly bloodthirsty. “I've heard of this city before. Supposed to be quite beautiful. Always had this plan on going here one day” He chuckled softly. “I suppose dreams will come true tonight”
“TONIGHT!”, Cleaver Clint yelled at the top of his lungs and Garthon was unsure if it was coincidence, or if he had been able to hear Rell's words. “TONIGHT, WE KILL AND FEAST AND FUCK!” His cleaver slammed down, into the wooden rail of the ship, with a sound even louder than the cheers of his men. “There lives your enemy!”, he proclaimed, only marginally more quiet. “The Greenlanders have gotten soft and weak, their bodies grown fat from what should be ours! Tonight, the Iron Price will be paid” He ripped his weapon out of the wood again, lifting it far up his head. “REMIND THEM WHY THEY OUGHT TO FEAR US!”, he screamed. “MAKE THEM PRAY TO THEIR FILTHY GREENLANDER GODS!” He pointed his cleaver at the city now. “WHAT IS DEAD MAY NEVER DIE!”
It was only his own men who joined in, but they did so with thundering noise. “CLEAVER!”, they cheered. “CLEAVER! CLEAVER!” Garthon sighed and looked back at the grim faces of his own men. He slowly started to move through them, towards the bug. Torvin stood there, one foot on the railing, just staring at the city. Before he reached his brother, his glance fell to his right, where Hjalgar was standing. The young man was shivering, as he stared at the floor. In his hands, he held an arrow and his lips were moving silently, as if he was praying.
“Torvin”, Garthon said once he had finally reached him. In return, his brother barely turned away from the city. “What?”, he mumbled and Garthon paused, taken aback by Torvin's cold reaction. “I...”, he stuttered. “This is it”
“Yes”, Torvin answered briefly. “This is it” Garthon sighed. “We... we might not get out alive” Torvin gave him a nod, still not looking away from the city. “It doesn't matter”, he growled. “Is there anything else?” Garthon took a short step towards him. “I... I just want to make sure that everything is okay between us and...”
Now, Torvin momentarily glared at him. “Everything is okay between us”, he snarled, though his voice made it clear that this wasn't the case. He did not turn around, instead he still faced the city. Garthon sighed, before he glanced over his shoulder. He looked into the silent faces of his crew. Torvin's crew, but his brother wasn't much of a captain right now. As much as he loathed Cleaver Clint, the man at least managed to motivate his crew. A quick look towards Anturion's ship confirmed that the pirate was speaking to his men as well, though he did so in a much quieter tone.
“Torvin...”, he tried again. When he received no response, he fully turned to the crew. They were nervous. Of course they were. In such a moment, right before the fighting would start, only the bravest were without fear. Or those who had nothing left to lose. Garthon was afraid. It was the same feeling he felt in the cells. Back then, he misinterpreted Torvin's lack of fear for bravery. Now he saw that his brother was simply resigned to his fate, no matter what it would hold for him.
No, Garthon didn't want to die. He wanted to live, for Torvin, for Kyra... He gulped again and momentarily closed his eyes, allowing his thoughts to drift off to her just for a second. Then, he opened his eyes again, now with determination. He would not die here.
“Men!”, he said loudly, immediately gaining their attention. “I will not lie to you. I don't fight this battle for a king, or because I hate the Greenlanders. I don't fight it for loot or glory” He narrowed his eyes. “And I know that many of you think similarly. You followed us here because you believe in what we did, me and Torvin!” He shook his head. “I don't know if either of us deserves this faith. But I know what I can offer to you. Tonight, we fight for ourselves! For those we love! We will take this city and we will return to them, not as traitors, not as outcasts and rejects, but as heroes!”
By now, he noticed that they were listening. All of them, even those on the other ships. “King Harren wants to get rid of us! He thinks we're already dead!”, he yelled. “And tonight, we will prove him wrong!” At last, all Garthon had left to do was to draw his sword. The blade slid out of the sheath smoothly, with a faint, metallic sound. In the same movement, he pointed it at the city in the distance. “What is dead may never die!”, he screamed.
And three hundred voices answered to him. At first, Garthon had trouble understanding them, as the sound around him was deafening. Then, he started to hear a single word. “BREAKER!”, they shouted. “BREAKER! BREAKER!”
Yet a quick glance showed him that not everyone was shouting. Edward Anturion was merely giving him a quick nod, while Volmark glared viciously. He grabbed his massive cleaver, pointing it at the city as well. “Row faster, you scum!”, he barked at the top of his lungs. “I'll be the first man in that city, or else I'll chop off your fucking hands!” He glared at Garthon and Torvin. “These pansy traitors won't beat me to it, you hear me? They fucking won't!” With a sigh, Garthon averted his eyes and looked at Torvin instead. “Brother”, he said and Torvin barely looked up. He noticed the worried expression on the faces of each of his men. This would be it. This would be, where their fates would be decided.
“Nervous?”, Rell asked, as the men indeed started to row faster, not only on Cleaver Clint's boat. Garthon gave him a nod. “You aren't?”, he asked in return and now, his grin gained a mocking streak. “My father once told me that I'd never raid a city. That I was not enough iron, that I had too much of my mother, his salt wife from Essos”, he answered, before he shook his head. “I'm going to prove him wrong. Tonight, I'm going to pain this town red”
By now, the shore had gotten even closer. It would only be a matter of seconds until they would land. Garthon could see the defenders of Raylansfair, rushing down the street to the docks. They were too few, perhaps a third of the Ironborn in terms of numbers, probably even less. But they had shields and spear and bows and they were far from harmless. Behind them, he even saw half a dozen men on horseback. Not much, but enough to cause trouble. Their armour made them even more dangerous. Even light chainmail was too much for many raiders. The guardsmen had formed up at what was obviously the main street, blocking it with three rows of a shield wall.
“Nock!”, one of the riders shouted. A heavy helmet concealed his face, but it was clear to Garthon that he was the local captain. About two dozen archers stepped forwards and by now, the fear on their faces was clearly visible. “Draw!”, the captain ordered. And in this moment, the longships reached the sandy shore.
“With me!”, Cleaver Clint yelled. He was the first to jump down the longship and into the shallow water below. An excited grin flashed across Rell's face, but it was Torvin who was the second on the shore. There was no clear formation, no order but to attack. And right now, none was needed. There were only few things more terrifying than a horde of Ironborn raiders charging at their enemy.
“Loose!”, the captain screamed and for a split second, Garthon heard the sound of arrows cutting through the sky. The man next to Torvin was hit in the shoulder and immediately sank back into the water. Another raider was hit near the throat just as he wanted to jump down to the shore. Instead of landing on his feet, he landed face first, to never rise again. The archers were dangerous, no question. But they were too few to pose a genuine threat.
Before he jumped down, Garthon threw a look at Hjalgar. The young man was still standing on the deck, though he now had reached for his bow, still staring on shock at the corpse of an Ironborn that died before even setting foot onto the shore.
“Nock!”, the captain shouted, as Garthon caught Hjalgar's attention. “Hjalgar!”, he yelled and the young man tensed up. “Draw!”, the captain's voice sounded, as Hjalgar threw a glance at Garthon. He did not shiver, but Garthon saw fear in his eyes. “Loose!”, the captain yelled and Hjalgar closed his eyes, as the screams of dying Ironborn filled the air, even louder than the battlecry of the massive force that charged up the shore and towards the position of the guard. “Ah, fuck it...”, Hjalgar mumbled. He glanced down and Garthon saw that he was looking at Cleaver Clint Volmark in particular. Then, he rushed towards the railing, to follow the others.
Garthon felt a strong hand on his shoulder and as he glanced over it, he saw Tedyn Bullister, silently glaring at him from underneath his helmet. He growled something and pointed towards the railing, before he followed the other raiders. Garthon gave him a nod and rushed after him. “Fire at will!”, the captain screamed and once again, arrows cut through the sky, bringing death with them.
He turned to the formation of guardsmen. “Get behind us!”, the captain yelled. “Behind the shields!” His archers reacted either too early, missing the chance for another arrow, or too late to reach the safety of the shield all, as the Ironborn finally reached them.
The first in battle was Cleaver Clint. His cleaver hit a man right in the face, splitting the skull in an instant. Torvin was shortly behind him, embedding his axe in the chest of an archer. The remaining archers who hadn't managed to get to safety desperately tried to run to the shield wall, but now, their slightly heavier armour came at a disadvantage. The Ironborn were faster and cut them down while they were fleeing, before using the force of their charge to slam right into the shield wall.
Garthon had just left the water to reach the shore as the real fighting began. While the shield wall did not outright broke immediately, the force of the first attack was enough to cause it to falter. The guards were young men mostly, who were no match to true iron, who never had to face the fury of the sea. Volmark on his own could have been enough to shake their formation, as his massive body mercilessly moved forwards, the cleaver in his hand splitting shields and spears and flesh and bones. And he was far from alone. The Ironborn were at an advantage, a heavy one, as they waltzed against the position of the guards, forcing them to hold against it with all their strength.
Not all of the Ironborn had survived the initial attack. At least two or three dozen never even reached the shield wall. Some of them were dead, others dying, or merely badly wounded, with arrows sticking out of their bodies. Garthon saw Rell Vessels, an arrow in his shoulder, as he staggered backwards, to parry the strike of a guard. His sword blocked the spear of his opponent, but the arrow in his shoulder limited his movement, caused him to get slow, sloppy even. He only managed to deflect the next attack and what was meant to impale him in the stomach area merely pierced his side. The guard pulled the spear out of the wound again, ready to attack once more, but then, the axe of a raider slashed his throat, saving Rell's life in the process.
Just as Garthon had reached the shield wall, it broke under the continuous attack of the Ironborn. Cleaver Clint was the first to break through, leaving a trail of dead bodies behind. Immediately, several of the remaining guards turned around, fleeing from the scenery, which further weakened the remaining ones. One of the guards rushed towards him, but Torvin jumped in the way, his axe hitting the side of the man's head. Turning around, he parried the strike of another guardsman, before slamming the hilt of his axe into his opponent's face. The man staggered backwards, into the blade of one of Anturion's men.
It was there when Garthon spotted the captain on his horse. For a second, it looked as if the man would lead a charge at them, brave, but suicidal. Then, Garthon saw him sighing. “Sound the retreat!”, he ordered one of the other riders, his voice nearly silenced from the sound of clashing steel. “We'll regroup at the square! Send word to the castle and to the gates!” The rider gave him a nod, while two other riders quickly left the group, riding down the main street. Finally, the rider put a horn to his lips and blew it.
The back row of the guards started to move on this signal. At first, they remained in formation as good as possible as they walked backwards, retreating in an orderly fashion. Then, the Ironborn started to cut through the row in front of them, which was a signal for them to turn around and flee for their lives. The captain on his horse remained for a second longer, before he started to ride, remaining with his men instead of dying. The defenders at the docks had failed, as Garthon had expected. They had sold their lives at a high price though he counted at least as many dead Ironborn, potentially even more.
“With me!”, Torvin shouted. “We'll take the centre!” He glared at Anturion, who slowly approached them. There was blood on his sword and face, though his smile was white and charming. “We'll take the eastern city”, he disagreed. “My men will secure the archive” Torvin narrowed his eyes, as he grabbed Anturion by the forearm. “This was an order”, he barked, though Anturion shook his head. “You don't give orders to me”, he said calmly, glancing down at Torvin's hand around his arm and at the other hand, holding the axe. “I suggest you back down, unless you want bloodshed between my men and yours. The archive will be mine”
For a second, Torvin just glared at him, with a viciousness Garthon hadn't seen ever since the day they tried to kill the king. Then, he let go of him, muttering a curse. Anturion smirked, before he gave his men a nod. His two bodyguards followed closely, while the rest of his raiders exchanged looks with each other. Not all of them followed, but a majority of them listened to Anturion's orders.
“Fuck him...”, Torvin muttered. “Cleaver! I need your men at the city centre!” Volmark looked over his shoulder, as he raised his cleaver, only to slam it down onto a dying guardsman, embedding the weapon deep in his chest. “Taking the centre?”, he barked. “Are you fucking crazy, Breaker? Look around, there's an entire city to pillage!” As he spoke, he reached for a torch that had fallen to the ground, yet hadn't stopped burning. Heavily, he threw it through the window of a warehouse. “Burn it to the ground, lads!”, he yelled, as smoke slowly came out of the window. “Grab whatever you can take!”
“We have to take the city!”, Torvin protested, but Volmark just shook his head. “We are raiders, no conquerors! We do it like we always do! Go in, get stuff, kill people, leave”, he answered, before he pointed down a side street. “I'll go that way. I'll grab whatever I can take, fuck whomever I want and I'll kill them all!” With a grin, he turned to his men. “And you're free to do whatever the hell you want as well!”
With these words, he started to rush down the side street. Several of his men followed at once and to Garthon's surprise, he saw Hjalgar joining them. He had no time to wonder about this, as Torvin grabbed him by the arm. “Fuck”, he barked. As he glanced around, several more raiders rushed off into all directions. “This is not enough to take the castle. Fuck Anturion. Fuck Volmark” He glared at Garthon. “You gotta follow him”, he ordered. “Cleaver. Convince him to join me during the attack on the castle”
This suggestion caught Garthon by surprise. “Convincing him?”, he asked. “How should I convince Cleaver Clint Volmark?” Torvin shrugged. “You've always been the talker”, he said. “I will fight. I may not have enough to take the castle, but enough to cut down those guards for sure” He looked at his remaining men, still about a hundred, before his face softened for a second. “Take care of yourself, brother”, he mumbled. Then, he pointed his axe down the main street, into the direction of the fleeing guardsmen. “See how they flee!”, he barked. “After them! Cut them down! Take this city!” He started to charge and immediately, the remaining raiders followed.
Garthon sighed, as he watched his brother storming off. Raiders rushed past him and he had to suppress the urge to follow them, if only to keep an eye on Torvin. Instead, he glanced towards the alley Cleaver had run into. He had no doubt that he could catch up to him, but convincing him to comply, that was something else entirely.
Just as he wanted to follow Cleaver Clint as ordered, someone heavily grabbed his foot. He glanced down and spotted Rell Vessels. The arrow in his shoulder was broken off and with one hand, he was clutching his heavily bleeding side. “Breaker...”, he gasped. “Help me... Please, you gotta help me”
“Rell”, Garthon said briefly. “You're still alive” The man gave him a nod, barely managed to rise from the ground. “I need... your help”, he gasped. “The ship. You gotta bring me back to... the ship” He gave Garthon a begging look. “I can survive there. Bandages. Firemilk... I know how to... You have to bring me there, please...”
Garthon raised an eyebrow. “So much for painting the town red”, he hissed and Rell narrowed his eyes, though he remained silent, awaiting Garthon's decision. He threw a glance towards the ship. Yes, he could bring him back, it wouldn't be a problem, even if it would take some time, time Cleaver Clint would have to roam through the city without control. That said, he wasn't entirely sure if this was what he truly wanted. Saving the life of Rell Vessels...
[Carry Rell back to the ship] [Leave him to die]
They did a better job than I thought. 3 dozen or so ironborn? Good, good, good.
Hm, I'm having a hard time with this choice. But yet again...
[Carry Rell back to the ship] I choose this because, well, if there's not enough men for the castle, that's good...
I kind of like ol' Rell. He might die anyway, but still.
I liked this part. Some cool action. I'm trying to think who the captain of the guard was at the gate. I guess it's Daemion Stratford. I'm confused on the ironborns' goal. I know what Anturion (who I like for some odd reason) is all about, but with Cleaver Clint wanting to pillage and Torvin seems to want to take the city, it's getting me confused on what they're actually trying to accomplish.
2/6 of the "Next time on Forum of Thrones:"'s in this part, so we got a lot already.
[Leave him to die] If we are lucky we can try to provoke Cleaver into doing something reckless that will cause him to lose a lot of men for the sake of glory or plunder. I believe Garthon can smooth talk him. Also, who cares about Rell Vessels? What did he ever do for us and what can he do for us? Nothing, his dad hates him, he is the lackey of the prince who's father we tried to kill, and he is also kind of an ass. Don't care if he lives or dies. The guardsmen did not that bad of a job, so I am glad for them. Now hopefully Leonard can convince some Stormlanders to attack the center, some Rock men to defend the castle, and Arthur or Lucas to go hunt down Anturion in the archives. Hopefully we will see Harris soon who will inform someone about the super secret letter in the archives which is the only reasoning they are raiding, and some one has to go save it. Really hope Garthon makes it back home soon. Want him to join Team Greyjoy and therefore Team Targaryen later on. Here he has no protection and is kinda a antagonist, so he needs to get back so he can go back to being a protagonist.
[Leave him to die] A true ironborn doesn't cry about wounds, Vessels is weak.
Whose PoV is up next?
[Leave him to die]
[Carry Rell back to the ship]
Let's be human..
[Leave him to die] Sorry Rell, I don't really care about you, and Garthon has more important things to do.
Anyway, this was a great part, and I can already tell that this will be an amazing chapter.
[Carry Rell back to the ship] If we can save him, I say we save him. No sense in leaving a man to die.
A good a reason as any.
I know, right? Maybe next time he will save our PoV, when he will be in need.
(Carry Rell bad to the ship)
But what if by saving him we are dooming another character to die in his place, maybe a character people like a lot? Like Torvin or the archer dude. Plus, by saving him doesn't automatically make him on our team. Also he isn't that much help any way. His dad hates him, his best friedns doesn't care about him, and he is useless in and out of a fight. I personally believe we could be more productive with our time, but is just mine opinion.
The choice isn't leave him so others can live, it's save him or let him die.
It was mostly the archers. The Ironborn ran straight at them with little to no cover and if the guard would have had more archers, they would have managed to kill even more. The shield wall was relatively useless, but worth a try.
Actually, Rell was the guy whom I mentioned when I said that I think about killing off a character in this part. I decided against it, as I like to give you a choice when it comes to the life of a character. So, this choice will very much decide about his survival.
Glad you liked the part! The action should remain that way from here on, with a couple of slightly calmer parts inbetween. As for the captain, you are right, it is Daemion Stratford. Since he was wearing a helmet and since Garthon doesn't know him, I was only able to describe him as the captain, but it was him. Originally, he was even meant to have a bigger role in this part, but I realized that my original plan would have realistically led to his death (it would have included a cavalry charge at the Ironborn to buy his men time to escape) and I still have more plans for him in this chapter, so I couldn't really do this.
That's the problem I tried to show in this part, the Ironborn don't have a united goal. Torvin was sent to Raylansfair to assist Anturion and to conquer the city. Anturion meanwhile has his own goals, apparently involving the archive, though his ultimate goal still remains a mystery. Then there is Cleaver Clint, who accompanied Torvin out of his own free will and who really just wants to raid. He is highly influential among a certain faction of Ironborn who look down on Harren Hoare for ruling over the Riverlands instead of raiding and pillaging them. As a strong believer in the Old Way of the Ironborn, he has little desire to conquer. And as this part showed, these three goals kind of clash with each other. By now, they aren't a united Ironborn army, they are basically three groups of raiders that operate independently in the same city.
Yes indeed! That mostly means that you will have no idea what might happen in later parts. Actually, all but one of the "Next time"'s happen in the first part of their respective storylines. That means that unlike the last chapter, where I had to rewrite a few of these scenes to better fit into the context of the part they appeared in, I will most likely be able to stick with them word for word.
Kind of an ass is actually a bit of an understatement. It needs a special kind of person to become friends with Harmund Hoare. That said, he is friends with Harmund and he is the only son of an influential Ironborn captain, so being on his good side might not be entirely without use.
As a matter of fact, you will see Harris very soon and he has a very important role to play in this chapter. That's all I'm going to say about this, but his role in this chapter is among the ones that have been planned the longest.
At the moment, yes, the Ironborn are the antagonists in this chapter and this includes Torvin and Garthon. Both are hopefully more sympathetic than people like Cleaver, but still very much part of the antagonists in this chapter. Perhaps your choices will decide just how antagonistic they will be. Garthon's choice in the next part for example should be pretty interesting from that standpoint.
It will be Raenna, although I am not yet sure if she will be the only PoV in this part. If I can fit him in, I would also like to write a PoV for Lucas in the same part.
When I read that he was hit with an arrow I assumed that. Interesting change. I assume Rell won't have a big role in this chapter if you just decided to change that.
If Arthur went to the docks, would we have seen him as well? Daemion seems competent, so that's good. Cavalry charge sounds kind of cool, although I guess leading to his death would probably be accurate. I mean, Braveheart, the Battle of the Bastards, etc. didn't do so well for cavalry (except Helm's Deep). Sounds like he has a slightly important role if you didn't want to die there.
We will see. In-fighting would be great.
Looking at it again, I'm thinking it's the one with Durren Stallhart and Sadie or it could be the one with Leonard and Clayton. Neither of those seem like they would be a first part of the storyline thing, although I guess it's possible.
I was rereading something I thought of a really cool scene.
Ser Harris Flowers vs. Ser Darren Tallwood.
Ser Lucas Flowers vs. Ser Darren Tallwood
Ser Leonard Constantine vs. Ser Darren Tallwood
Ser Harris Flowers vs. Ser Lucas Flowers
Ser Harris Flowers vs. Ser Leonard Constantine
Ser Lucas Flowers vs. Ser Leonard Constantine
Ser Ian Shortwood vs. Ser Darren Tallwood
Etc.
Maybe Harris goes to join the Night's Watch. Or he joins in this battle and dies.
Only time will tell.
By saving him there will be unseen consequences, possibly even leading to the death of a beloved character. We don't know by saving him, we could be dooming another character to die later on.
Because something 'might' happen that's completely unrelated isn't reason enough to let him die just because I don't like him.
I think not liking him and something might happening because we let him survive are perfectly good reason to let him die. If we don't like him, what's the use of waisting our time and effort to keep him alive. And if something bad happens because he is alive, then we'll have to go on knowing we could've stopped said character, or characters, from dying if only we hadn't spent so much time saving this guy who no one likes and can't do anything for us. That's only my opinion though.
Harris v Darren would be an epic showdown, but I hope Harris has a chance to redeem himself without having to fight good ol buddy Tallwood. But we know he isn't above killing lifelong friends, cough cough Ilhan cough cough.
Tbh, I think that fight would be over in seconds - Harris has no chance against Darren.
Humanity and morals are all the reason I need to save a life. Hell I'd even spare Wolfius if a choice came up.