Volume 27. I only saw the cover of it yesterday, and holy crap, it's amazing. I only read by volumes and it hasn't actually been released yet (I'm waiting in excitement), so I don't know what happens (besides the spoilers I've sadly heard). But it's not the content that reminds me of the story, it's that cover. Looks awesome. Makes me think of the various fights this story has had. I hope that cover isn't misleading for the actual comic. I want to see that crap really badly now.
Looking through them again Volume 10 makes me think of Lucas.
I bet that title is Fear The Hunters (kidding). In all seriousness, it's probably like We Find Ourselves, What Comes After, or Here We Remain. Or Made To Suffer (that's one of my favorite titles) or The Heart's Desire. I don't know. It's not something like Whispers Into Screams or Days Gone Bye. Could be A New Beginning...
Hm, I'd say it kind of depends on the volume if this is a good thing or not. I mean, some are less dark and bloody than others after all. Yo… moreu made me really curious here, which volume are you referring to in particular?
I also just had a look through the covers of the volumes to find out which one you might mean and to my surprise I noticed that one of them has coincidentally the same title as the upcoming first act of Book 2.
Ah, I see! I haven't yet read it either, I'm currently up to Volume 25 (although I have been spoiled about the big event in Volume 26) but I've checked out the cover and I have to agree, this looks amazing. Has to be one of the most dynamic covers the comic ever had. My favourite still has to be Something to Fear though, because that cover is seriously menacing. But I can understand what you mean. It does remind me of several fights as well, not just limited to FoT. Hopefully this is not a misleading cover indeed. And Volume 10, hm, an interesting comparison!
I can confirm though that none of the titles you mention is the one that will match with the title of the next act. That said, What Comes After and A New Beginning both sound pretty nice and wouldn't exactly be unfitting. I'm not sure if I should reveal it now, though I plan on giving a lot more information on Book 2 either way after this chapter is over. I don't think it can be seen as a spoiler, so I can already reveal this particular detail already if you're curious.
Volume 27. I only saw the cover of it yesterday, and holy crap, it's amazing. I only read by volumes and it hasn't actually been released ye… moret (I'm waiting in excitement), so I don't know what happens (besides the spoilers I've sadly heard). But it's not the content that reminds me of the story, it's that cover. Looks awesome. Makes me think of the various fights this story has had. I hope that cover isn't misleading for the actual comic. I want to see that crap really badly now.
Looking through them again Volume 10 makes me think of Lucas.
I bet that title is Fear The Hunters (kidding). In all seriousness, it's probably like We Find Ourselves, What Comes After, or Here We Remain. Or Made To Suffer (that's one of my favorite titles) or The Heart's Desire. I don't know. It's not something like Whispers Into Screams or Days Gone Bye. Could be A New Beginning...
Ah, you got to read Volume 26 though. It explains the other character on that cover, who is quite possibly the largest person to ever come in the comics (seriously). His size alone makes me think of people like the Moggy and Marak.
It's fine if you don't wish to reveal it at this time. Don't feel pressured to.
Ah, I see! I haven't yet read it either, I'm currently up to Volume 25 (although I have been spoiled about the big event in Volume 26) but I… more've checked out the cover and I have to agree, this looks amazing. Has to be one of the most dynamic covers the comic ever had. My favourite still has to be Something to Fear though, because that cover is seriously menacing. But I can understand what you mean. It does remind me of several fights as well, not just limited to FoT. Hopefully this is not a misleading cover indeed. And Volume 10, hm, an interesting comparison!
I can confirm though that none of the titles you mention is the one that will match with the title of the next act. That said, What Comes After and A New Beginning both sound pretty nice and wouldn't exactly be unfitting. I'm not sure if I should reveal it now, though I plan on giving a lot more information on Book 2 either way after this chapter is over. I don't think it can be seen … [view original content]
I know! I'm reading them in german and the translations need a bit longer at times, so it hasn't been out for long here. It's also the reason why I'm not familiar with most of the original volume titles, save for Made to Suffer and Something to Fear. But I definitely plan on reading it, because if anything, this spoiler made me only more curious on how the story is going to continue from there. And I also know about this other character in the cover, though I wasn't aware that he is that tall. Wow, that makes him even more intimidating! I had to look up some pictures of him and well, it seems he outright dwarfs that other character on the cover whom I already considered huge. Add to that this weird long hair and the fact that he wears a creepy mask... Yeah, the Moggy sounds like a fitting comparison.
And it's not that I have a problem with revealing it, it's just that I'm sure some would prefer to remain as unspoiled as possible. I don't think something like the Act title is that much of a spoiler, but some might think differently and it will at least contain some minor hints for Book 2. So, to be super sneaky and to avoid any potential problems, I'm just going to say that the title I mean is the same as the title for Volume 7 of the comics.
Ah, you got to read Volume 26 though. It explains the other character on that cover, who is quite possibly the largest person to ever come i… moren the comics (seriously). His size alone makes me think of people like the Moggy and Marak.
It's fine if you don't wish to reveal it at this time. Don't feel pressured to.
Rosalie frantically shook her head, silently pleading her to stop, but Lyria slowly started to approach the door. They couldn't remain here, they had to get help. And whomever it was outside the door, she was sure that they at least weren't Ironborn.
“Hello?”, she said and she instantly heard Rosalie's shocked gasp. “Mother, don't!”, her daughter warned her. From the other side of the door, she heard someone mumbling a few words, almost inaudible to her. “Hello?”, the man asked. “Hey, can you open the door?”
“Who's out there?”, Lyria asked sternly and the man sighed. “We're here to help”, he promised. “Listen, you can trust us. If we'd be hostile, we would have just kicked the door in” Lyria glanced at Rosalie, who still shook her head, tears visible in her eyes.
“Help...”, Urid mumbled. “Lyria, do it, we need them” She gave him a nod. The man outside, he had a point. A raider wouldn't have asked of her to open the door. Her hand moved to the doorknob and she unlocked it, opening it just a gap. She looked into a grinning face, belonging to a young, bearded man. He was wielding a spiked board like a weapon. Behind him, two other men were visible, wearing dirty clothes and makeshift weapons.
“Hey”, the man greeted her. Having the confirmation that he was not one of the raiders, Lyria fully opened the door. It was then that she noticed the decidedly less friendly look on the face of the man behind him. He held onto a short axe, made to chop wood, not flesh.
“What do you want?”, she asked as the three men approached her. Against her will, she took a step back, intimidated by them. The bearded man with the spiked board glanced at Rosalie and his grin got equal parts wider and more worrying. “We bring help”, he said, not taking his eyes of the girl. Rosalie had noticed it, as she slowly started to back off pale from fear and her wound.
“Man, you're in a shitty condition”, the third of the men, a lanky man with a large knife in his right hand commented on the scenery, especially as he saw Urid on his cot. “That some sort of cripple meeting here?” The man with the dark look on his face narrowed his eyes. “The healer lives here”, he growled. “Heard she left for the castle. Thought she'd take her patients with her”
Hearing this sent shivers of relief down Lyria's spine, though she remained on guard. At least Mathea was still alive. “You're here to help?”, she asked. “My daughter and Urid, they can't leave on their own. If you can carry them...”
The man with the dark expression raised a hand to silence her. “Help might stretch it a little”, he said casually. “I guess we should make it clear, we're not primarily here to help you, but to get all of the stuff these people had to leave behind”
Lyria tensed up even more and she back down, to the cupboard. She knew, Mathea kept a hammer in there, for medical purposes, even if she had no idea what medical procedure would ever require a hammer. It was a small, sleek thing, not like the ones she used for her work, but it would be better than nothing. “You're looters”, she stated.
“An ugly word”, the grinning man said. “After all, we are going to help you. We're no monsters, m'lady” The third man nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, we carry your daughter and the other guy to the castle and you can come with us as well. We're not leaving you to die”, he promised. “First however, you're going to pay us”
The man with the dark expression, apparently the leader, raised a finger. “And you will pay us. We know you lot always hide your things and frankly, we don't have time to search”, he explained and Lyria understood. “That's why you knocked”, she deduced. It was disgusting, but they left her no choice. They would help, for a price. At least they would all survive.
The leader took a step forwards. “But I must warn you. Don't try to fool us, or we'll be forced to kill you”, he growled. It was in this moment where true terror crept into Lyria's heart. It weren't his words that scared her, but what happened directly afterwards. Someone started to laugh, only for a short moment, but it was enough for the men to jump around and for her to recognize the voice.
“Oh no...”, Rosalie mumbled, as her eyes widened. She sank back onto her bed, crawling as far as possible against the wall. The leader of the men took a slight step to the side, revealing the man that had laughed. In the doorframe, leaning against the wood and with a vile grin on his face, stood Wolfius Woodbark.
The leader of the looters raised an eyebrow. “Sod off, creep”, he said and Wolfius chuckled softly. “Oh, you got it wrong”, he said, as he put a hand onto his chest. “My name is Wolfius Woodbark” He pointed behind him and Lyria saw another figure there, a young, thin boy, who hid his face underneath an oversized hat. “This is Kreep, my son”
“Woodbark...”, the man with the spiked board said, as his eyes widened. “Oh fuck... you're that killer! Weren't they supposed to hang you today?” Wolfius gave him a nod. “Yeah, they kind of tried”, he answered. “But this body is hard to kill” His eyes narrowed. “Just like a certain friend of mine”, he spoke, as he finally faced Lyria. He gave her a nod. “Long time no see, Blacksmith Mettel”, he greeted her. “How have you been? Living on borrowed time for so long...”
“What do you want, Woobark?”, the leader of the looters growled and Wolfius looked at him. “Oh you? I have no quarrel with you”, he said. “You can leave if you want, though I'd prefer if you don't” His hand moved into his overcoat and his grin widened.
“You have to kill him”, Lyria said, as calm as possible, though the complete absence of emotion in her voice gave away just how nervous she was. Seeing Wolfius again, it was a nightmare. Admittedly, it was even worse for Rosalie, who openly started to weep. “It's three against two. I can help as well”, she tried to convince them. “Kill him and you'll be heroes!”
The leader of the looters looked from her to Wolfius, before he gave her a slight nod. “Tempting”, he said and Wolfius' grin got wider. Silently, he removed a thin knife from his overcoat. The looter with the spiked board gulped. “We're doing that, boss?”, he asked and his leader gave him a nod. This caused the young man to sigh. “Alright. Alright then!”, he exclaimed, as he raised his board. “Let's dance!”
He attempted to hit Wolfius, though the killer jumped back, an irritated look in face. “Dance?”, he said, as he took a step to the side, evading the second strike. “I don't want to dance with you” He moved the arm holding his knife, way faster than Lyria expected, embedding it in the man's neck. “Here, let me show you”, he whispered with a smile.
The looter with the knife raised his weapon and Wolfius narrowed his eyes. “Kreep!”, he barked and Wolfius' young companion, his son apparently, let out a deep growl. As he jumped, in an animalistic manner, Lyria saw that a sizeable part of his cheek was missing, leaving horribly scarred flesh behind. It was by far one of the less terrifying things about this scene, as she helplessly had to watch how he grabbed a wooden cup from the table as he jumped at the man, smashing it into his opponent's face hard enough to splinter it, before he started to throw heavy punches against the man's head.
“Fuck!”, the leader exclaimed, as he reached for his axe. Once again, Wolfius was faster. The killer had crossed the distance between them in a second grabbing the arm with the axe before it would pose a threat, then embedding his knife in the man's spine. Lyria heard a sickening crunch, followed by the man's gasp of agony as his feet gave away underneath him.
Wolfius went onto one knee with him, a degenerated grin on his face. “Oh, does that hurt?”, he asked. “Sorry” He pulled the knife out of the man's ruined spine, before putting it against his throat. “But it'll be over now”, he growled. He seemed momentarily preoccupied, so Lyria used this opportunity to reach for the small hammer.
With a growl, Wolfius threw the blood-stained knife at her, hitting the wood just above her hand. A short scream came out of Lyria's throat, as the killer looked up from the corpse of the man he just slew. “Where are your manners, blacksmith?”, he hissed, violent hatred in his voice. “Back when you went to the city guard behind my back. When you refused to die like a good pawn!”
For a moment, he was silent and only the sobbing of Urid was audible. Rosalie was too scared to even cry, though tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the corpses and then at her mother. But Urid, he was sobbing loudly, begging for his life. “I have children”, he said. “Please, they need me. And my wife, I can't leave them! Please, I will give you whatever you want, just don't kill me!”
Wolfius rolled his eyes, before he slowly approached Lyria. “You always had a special place on my list, you and your little whore of a daughter”, he hissed. “But don't you worry, I'm having something special planned for both of you” This caused his hatred to fade momentarily, replaced by an enthusiastic giggle.
Lyria found it inside herself to glare at him. “Fuck yourself”, she spat, followed by her literally spitting right into his face. Wolfius took a step back, his good mood all but faded. “This was a mistake, blacksmith”, he spat and in the silence that followed his sentence, only Urid's pleas were heard. The tailor was looking at the disfigured boy, Kreep, who wasn't even paying attention to him. No, he was looking at Wolfius like a dog would look at its master.
“And mistakes will have consequences...”, Wolfius whispered, before he looked at his son. “Kreep, Kill the whiny man!” Lyria's eyes widened. “No!”, she screamed, but Kreep already jumped right onto Urid, who let out a scream of pain as the boy landed on his damaged legs. He raised his hands, both wrapped around the hilt of a knife, as Urid's screams of pain turned into screams of panic. “No! Please!”, he screamed. “Carma, I...”
“Wait!”, Wolfius hissed and Kreep instantly followed. The beast glared at Lyria and his smile widened. “Make it slow” Kreep gave him a nod. “Yes, father”, he said. Lyria's panic grew, as Kreep pushed the knives into Urid's shoulders, causing the man to howl in agony. Meanwhile, Wolfius was glaring at Lyria, his grin coming right out of her nightmares.
And this was when Lyria noticed that Rosalie was planning something. While no one was paying attention to her, she had slowly risen from her bed. Throwing a look of fear at her mother, she mustered her courage. Then, despite her wounds and with a strength Lyria hadn't expected from her, she started to run towards her door.
Wolfius narrowed his eyes without even looking away. “Kreep!”, he barked. The boy jumped up, slightly moving his hand in the process and silencing Urid for good when he slit his throat. With a speed that was nearly inhuman, he caught up to Rosalie just as she had reached the door, to tackle her to the ground. “Help!”, the girl screamed, as Kreep dragged her back into the house, not particularly harsh, but without any care at all. Her screams weren't silenced and Lyria noticed the pain in her words, as she clutched the old wound on her belly, where Wolfius had nearly gutted her a few weeks ago. “Help! Someone help!”
“No one will help you, little one”, Wolfius said with a chuckle, as he turned towards her. And this was the moment Lyria needed. She wasn't sure if Rosalie had tried to escape, or if this had been exactly her intention, but she managed to grab her hammer. Wolfius narrowed his eyes and turned back to her, a second to late.
Her hammer hit him in the centre of the forehead. “No one!”, Lyria spat, as she hit him again as he staggered. “Touches!” The hammer hit him once more, this time at the side of the head. “My daughter!” She slammed the hammer down onto the top of his head and the killer staggered forwards. The knife fell out of his hands, as he fell forwards, face first onto the ground.
Lyria breathed heavily, as she looked onto her bloodied hammer, then onto Kreep, who had let go of Rosalie. The young girl was looking at her mother with a mixture of shock and relief. “Go”, Lyria spat into Kreep's direction. “I have no quarrel with you, but if you harm my daughter I will kill you like I just killed your father”
Instantly, Kreep shook his head. “But you haven't killed him”, he said and pointed right at him. “Turn him around” His comment caught Lyria off guard and she subtly shivered. “What... what do you mean?”, she said, as she unwillingly followed his order. Going onto one knee, she touched Wolfius' stiff shoulder, turning him around so that she could see his face. His face...
It was covered in blood, his blood, but that wasn't the odd part. His eyes were widely opened and completely white, lacking even his usual light grey pupils. He was breathing, but completely motionless. “What the...?”, Lyria asked as she looked at Kreep. The young man had no emotion on his disfigured face. “He is coming”, he just said.
In this moment, Lyria knew it was over. Something large broke through the front door, taking a sizeable part of the walls around it with it as it jumped at her, too fast for her to evade it. It, whatever it was, knocked her against the wall, smashing the cupboard in the process. Lyria saw black fur, she felt strong paws on her shoulder, smelled the reeking stench that came out of its snout and she saw the fresh blood around it. It was only then that she recognized a monstrously large wolf, like a grown bull, almost crushing her with its weight.
A deep, chilling growl came out of its throat and Lyria was too afraid to even scream. Her heart beat faster than ever before and she almost felt as if she had to faint from sheer panic. What was this? It couldn't... it mustn't! Yet as she looked into its eyes, yellowish-golden and then she saw it. Her own eyes widened. “Wolfius?”, she asked.
Something changed in the beasts eyes. For second, there was confusion, but then there was just the same amount of hatred and vicious rage, just slightly differently in its source. Wolfius' body on the ground began to move. A sound, a mixture of pain and amusement came out of his throat, as he rose from the ground.
“My head!”, he complained. “You nearly broke my skull!” He tried to stagger back onto his feet, though he failed and had to lean onto the table next to him. “Fucking hell, my head!” His hand moved towards the wound on his forehead and as he pulled it back again, it was crimson with his blood. “Congratulations, Blacksmith Mettel!”, he said, with something that was not entirely mocking. “You came close to kill this body. Unfortunately for you, I'm rather hard to kill”
Lyria's eyes widened even further, as she looked at the titanic wolf on top of her, its blood-stained snout just inches away from her. She knew she was looking at her death and she couldn't even panic properly. “What...?”, she gasped. “What are you?”
Wolfius smirked at her. “Now you're asking the real questions. Although it shows me that you're not from the North. The people up there have many names for my kind, all of them expressing their fear”, he explained with a giggle. “Skinchanger is the most common one. Changeling another. Or maybe Warg”
The last name caused Lyria to gasp, as she remembered the stories her mother used to tell her when she was but a girl. “A warg!”, she said. “You can... you can turn into animals!” Wolfius shook his head. “No, not that one, stupid!”, he scolded her. “I take control of them. Most of my kind have to bond with an animal first, need years until they can take over more than one animal” He put a hand onto his chest, as he finally managed to stagger away from the table. “Me? I don't think there's a limit to my power”
He sat down on the bed, right next to Rosalie, who squealed in terror as he put an arm around her. “Oh, Rosie...”, he said. “Why are you so afraid?” His smile faded. “Your fear is justified, girl”, he growled, with a voice bare of any affability. “Your kind is puny. Weak! And me? Legions follow my bidding. Every bird in the sky, the fish in the sea, the creatures of land, they live to serve whenever I want. Compared to you, I am a god!” His blood-stained hand moved to her cheek, leaving behind a bloody handprint, when he pulled back. Rosalie tried her best not to look at him, instead not breaking eye contact with an increasingly more desperate Lyria. “And tell me, why should a god not do whatever he wants with the likes of you?”, Wolfius growled.
“Please...”, Lyria mumbled weakly and the beast on top of her growled deeply. “Don't... Wolfius, I will give you whatever you want, but don't hurt her. I will help you if this is what you want, anyone but her!” Wolfius gave her a slightly bored look. “Oh, Blacksmith Mettel, I can assure you that I won't kill your precious daughter”, he promised. “In fact, I won't even hurt her. Well, not much at least”
He shifted his attention back towards Rosalie. “Rosie, sweet Rosie...”, he hissed coldly. “I want you to listen carefully now” When she wasn't looking at him, he frowned. “LISTEN!”, he barked and she screamed in a high-pitched tone, as he pressed her closer towards him, his lips almost touching her ear.
“Yes, you're listening”, he stated with a grin. “I want you to listen and I want you to see. I'm going to kill your mother. I'm going to eat her and you're going to watch” He chuckled as Rosalie gasped. Lyria's breath went faster. “Then I will leave you, alone in this world, but I want you to know that you will never truly be safe”, Wolfius continued. “You know of my power now. Be assured, I will watch you for the rest of your life, as long as I allow you to have it” He squeezed her cheeks together, causing tears to run freely down her face, though she remained silent.
“Do you like animals, Rosie?”, he asked. “Because I want you to know that I will be them, all of them. The birds you see on the sky? Maybe I decide to come down, to tear your pretty face apart. That cute little kitten you pet? Be aware that I can claw your eyes out whenever I want. And when you sleep... well, you better lock the room tightly, or else a tiny little mouse will find a way into it, just to watch you in your nightmares”
Wolfius grinned at Lyria. “Is this the kind of mercy you wish for your daughter?”, he asked, before he looked back at Rosalie. “For now, you will watch. Look at your mother until I am done with her. If you look away, if you just blink, then Kreep will cut out your eyes”
Kreep gulped, the first sign of emotion Lyria had seen of him. “Is this necessary, father?”, he asked and Wolfius glared at him. The boy sighed. “As you wish, father”, he quickly said, as he moved next to Rosalie. “Just watch them”, he said. “It shouldn't matter”
“My point exactly!”, Wolfius said, as he raised from the bed, to approach Lyria. He chuckled. “Oh, what a lovely day”, he said, as he knelt down next to her. “Blacksmith Mettel, our time together has come to an end. Can I call you Lyria? Yes, Lyria...” He sighed. “It has been a pleasure”
Lyria only saw him through a veil of tears, as she desperately held eye contact with her daughter, who was frozen in silent terror. “Rosie, it's okay!”, she said. “I love you! I love you so much! You must be brave now!” Wolfius sat down onto the ground and she saw how the grey in his eyes faded, replaced only by solid white. “I love you!”, she screamed towards Rosalie. “I will always love you!”
The deep growl of the beast caused her to stop. Stinking saliva poured down onto her face, as she looked up, into its eyes. Into Wolfius' eyes. One last growl came out of its snout, before the massive jaws snapped towards her. As Lyria gazed into the darkness behind it, she screamed...
Lyria
Rosalie frantically shook her head, silently pleading her to stop, but Lyria slowly started to approach the door. They couldn't rem… moreain here, they had to get help. And whomever it was outside the door, she was sure that they at least weren't Ironborn.
“Hello?”, she said and she instantly heard Rosalie's shocked gasp. “Mother, don't!”, her daughter warned her. From the other side of the door, she heard someone mumbling a few words, almost inaudible to her. “Hello?”, the man asked. “Hey, can you open the door?”
“Who's out there?”, Lyria asked sternly and the man sighed. “We're here to help”, he promised. “Listen, you can trust us. If we'd be hostile, we would have just kicked the door in” Lyria glanced at Rosalie, who still shook her head, tears visible in her eyes.
“Help...”, Urid mumbled. “Lyria, do it, we need them” She gave him a nod. The man outside, he had a point. A raider wouldn't have asked of her to open the door. Her… [view original content]
Surprise. All of those hints were true. The mystery has been put to rest. And so has someone else . When I saw the laugh part I knew what was happening, when I saw the he is coming thing I knew what was happening too. Pretty awesome though.
Well, can't say I'm upset really. I mean, she's dead. Urid is dead. Rosalie was so close to death. Damn it would have great to get her too.
Lyria was like Marak, first chapter POV's. More and more going. It remains to be seen if anymore will go soon.
I must say I am quite confused how anyone can get up, even if they are a warg, from being smashed multiple times in the head with a hammer, almost breaking their skull and bleeding. I assume he is going to wait for Mathea, to steal her away. Of course, Arthur was with her, so he's probably screwed. Illish left Ryler, maybe he's going to be screwed. Ah, why didn't we help Valarr? I bet we could have at least hurt Wolfius further. Now he's going to have to get out of the city or lie in wait for certain people. I'm not sure where he's going to wait with that thing he has or how that won't be noticed by invading ironborn.
Lyria
Rosalie frantically shook her head, silently pleading her to stop, but Lyria slowly started to approach the door. They couldn't rem… moreain here, they had to get help. And whomever it was outside the door, she was sure that they at least weren't Ironborn.
“Hello?”, she said and she instantly heard Rosalie's shocked gasp. “Mother, don't!”, her daughter warned her. From the other side of the door, she heard someone mumbling a few words, almost inaudible to her. “Hello?”, the man asked. “Hey, can you open the door?”
“Who's out there?”, Lyria asked sternly and the man sighed. “We're here to help”, he promised. “Listen, you can trust us. If we'd be hostile, we would have just kicked the door in” Lyria glanced at Rosalie, who still shook her head, tears visible in her eyes.
“Help...”, Urid mumbled. “Lyria, do it, we need them” She gave him a nod. The man outside, he had a point. A raider wouldn't have asked of her to open the door. Her… [view original content]
Well, damn. I've expected this part to be bloody, but not that much. Urid tortured to death and Lyria eaten by Wolfius as a warg.... oh my god, I already see Rosalie traumatized till end of her days, being afraid of every little or bigger animal. I believe she will also blame Mathea for not coming for them earlier, even if it's not her fault what happened.
Lyria
Rosalie frantically shook her head, silently pleading her to stop, but Lyria slowly started to approach the door. They couldn't rem… moreain here, they had to get help. And whomever it was outside the door, she was sure that they at least weren't Ironborn.
“Hello?”, she said and she instantly heard Rosalie's shocked gasp. “Mother, don't!”, her daughter warned her. From the other side of the door, she heard someone mumbling a few words, almost inaudible to her. “Hello?”, the man asked. “Hey, can you open the door?”
“Who's out there?”, Lyria asked sternly and the man sighed. “We're here to help”, he promised. “Listen, you can trust us. If we'd be hostile, we would have just kicked the door in” Lyria glanced at Rosalie, who still shook her head, tears visible in her eyes.
“Help...”, Urid mumbled. “Lyria, do it, we need them” She gave him a nod. The man outside, he had a point. A raider wouldn't have asked of her to open the door. Her… [view original content]
Ha! I called the warg thing! Granted I wasn't the only one who did Great part, Wolfius is really proving himself to be more than just a deranged killer... He's a deranged killer with op warg powers XD Anyway, I'm enjoying him as a villain
I must also say that this was probably my favorite of all Lyria parts. In the end I even did feel sorry for her, and even more for Rosalie who had to watch her mother get slaughtered and eaten.
Lyria
Rosalie frantically shook her head, silently pleading her to stop, but Lyria slowly started to approach the door. They couldn't rem… moreain here, they had to get help. And whomever it was outside the door, she was sure that they at least weren't Ironborn.
“Hello?”, she said and she instantly heard Rosalie's shocked gasp. “Mother, don't!”, her daughter warned her. From the other side of the door, she heard someone mumbling a few words, almost inaudible to her. “Hello?”, the man asked. “Hey, can you open the door?”
“Who's out there?”, Lyria asked sternly and the man sighed. “We're here to help”, he promised. “Listen, you can trust us. If we'd be hostile, we would have just kicked the door in” Lyria glanced at Rosalie, who still shook her head, tears visible in her eyes.
“Help...”, Urid mumbled. “Lyria, do it, we need them” She gave him a nod. The man outside, he had a point. A raider wouldn't have asked of her to open the door. Her… [view original content]
Ha! I called the warg thing! Granted I wasn't the only one who did
I think you have been the first to catch up to it though, if I'm not completely mistaken. At the very least, you have been one of the first. That said, don't expect future twists to be teased so prominently. There are still many secrets to be unveiled, not only about Wolfius.
Great part, Wolfius is really proving himself to be more than just a deranged killer... He's a deranged killer with op warg powers XD Anyway, I'm enjoying him as a villain
Don't forget that he has a serious god complex, perhaps justified by the fact that he is indeed far more powerful than the ordinary human being. But I am glad you enjoy him as a villain! Wolfius can be really refreshing at times, because of his utter lack of redeeming qualities. With him, you really don't need to have any conflicted feelings and I guess that can be nice as well
I must also say that this was probably my favorite of all Lyria parts. In the end I even did feel sorry for her, and even more for Rosalie who had to watch her mother get slaughtered and eaten.
This is great to hear! I have struggled with Lyria in the past and if I could rewrite the story, I'd probably not make her a PoV, but she was still one of the longest living characters and I hope I was able to give her a good send-off. Unlike Marak, she at least died in a PoV of her own. But yeah, I definitely feel sorry for her and even more so for Rosalie, who got it the worst out of them all.
Ha! I called the warg thing! Granted I wasn't the only one who did Great part, Wolfius is really proving himself to be more than just a der… moreanged killer... He's a deranged killer with op warg powers XD Anyway, I'm enjoying him as a villain
I must also say that this was probably my favorite of all Lyria parts. In the end I even did feel sorry for her, and even more for Rosalie who had to watch her mother get slaughtered and eaten.
Well, damn. I've expected this part to be bloody, but not that much. Urid tortured to death and Lyria eaten by Wolfius as a warg.... oh my god, I already see Rosalie traumatized till end of her days, being afraid of every little or bigger animal.
I was a bit afraid that it would be too much blood, though then again, it wasn't the first part like that, nor will it be the last. Hopefully you still enjoyed it! With Rosalie, you have a point. It's going to be seriously horrible for her and I'll make sure to put some focus on her new situation as well in the near future.
I believe she will also blame Mathea for not coming for them earlier, even if it's not her fault what happened.
Hm, a good possibility. Rosalie is not particularly mean-spirited, but having to witness such a scene will leave very deep marks and probably change her for the worse, so blaming Mathea, even if not exactly fair, could be possible.
Well, damn. I've expected this part to be bloody, but not that much. Urid tortured to death and Lyria eaten by Wolfius as a warg.... oh my g… moreod, I already see Rosalie traumatized till end of her days, being afraid of every little or bigger animal. I believe she will also blame Mathea for not coming for them earlier, even if it's not her fault what happened.
Surprise. All of those hints were true. The mystery has been put to rest. And so has someone else . When I saw the laugh part I knew what was happening, when I saw the he is coming thing I knew what was happening too. Pretty awesome though.
They were indeed true! And well, I am very happy you enjoyed this part. I expected you to enjoy this one, for the obvious reasons, so I am glad I haven't been wrong there
Well, can't say I'm upset really. I mean, she's dead. Urid is dead. Rosalie was so close to death. Damn it would have great to get her too.
Trust me, what Wolfius did to Rosalie was far worse than just killing her. I'd say Lyria and Urid got off easy compared to her, who has to live with this knowledge. Of course, if your goal is to get her killed, then this wasn't good for you of course, but trust me, things will be far from sunshine and rainbows for her, Wolfius made very sure of that.
Lyria was like Marak, first chapter POV's. More and more going. It remains to be seen if anymore will go soon.
Aye, both have been among the first to appear and are now the first to go. There are still Torvin, Lucas and Jaron, though at least Jaron is obviously safe for this chapter, since he doesn't appear in it. The other two... well, the chapter is quickly nearing its end, so you'll soon get an answer. All I can say is, there was one additional PoV death planned in this chapter, though I decided to spare this particular character after seeing WildlingKing's drawing, which I liked enough to consider sparing them. That said, Lyria and Marak won't remain the only PoV's that won't make it out of Book 1 alive.
I must say I am quite confused how anyone can get up, even if they are a warg, from being smashed multiple times in the head with a hammer, almost breaking their skull and bleeding.
Aye, this was something I noticed as well while writing it. It sounded better in my head. I guess it is a result of Wolfius' warg powers. He is badly wounded, but since he can basically control his consciousness, it sort of makes sense that he can force himself to stay conscious. It might be a bit of a stretch, but well, it made for a nice scene, so I'm okay with it
I assume he is going to wait for Mathea, to steal her away. Of course, Arthur was with her, so he's probably screwed. Illish left Ryler, maybe he's going to be screwed. Ah, why didn't we help Valarr? I bet we could have at least hurt Wolfius further. Now he's going to have to get out of the city or lie in wait for certain people. I'm not sure where he's going to wait with that thing he has or how that won't be noticed by invading ironborn.
Hm, thing is, and this is good for Mathea and Arthur, Wolfius doesn't know that they are on their way to the house. He has been ahead of them, so he hasn't been able to spy on either and unless he stumbles upon them in the near future, he would just leave and let his wounds heal on their own, or send Kreep to get help. Also, contrary to what you think and what I expected, Ilish actually chose to help Valarr. Or do you mean Arthur's choice at the end of Chapter 7? If so, then yes, there would have indeed been a chance to wound and potentially even stall Wolfius for long enough to allow Lyria and the others to escape with a little help from the looters.
Surprise. All of those hints were true. The mystery has been put to rest. And so has someone else . When I saw the laugh part I knew what wa… mores happening, when I saw the he is coming thing I knew what was happening too. Pretty awesome though.
Well, can't say I'm upset really. I mean, she's dead. Urid is dead. Rosalie was so close to death. Damn it would have great to get her too.
Lyria was like Marak, first chapter POV's. More and more going. It remains to be seen if anymore will go soon.
I must say I am quite confused how anyone can get up, even if they are a warg, from being smashed multiple times in the head with a hammer, almost breaking their skull and bleeding. I assume he is going to wait for Mathea, to steal her away. Of course, Arthur was with her, so he's probably screwed. Illish left Ryler, maybe he's going to be screwed. Ah, why didn't we help Valarr? I bet we could have at least hurt Wolfius further. Now he's going to have… [view original content]
I think you have been the first to catch up to it though, if I'm not completely mistaken. At the very least, you have been one of the first. That said, don't expect future twists to be teased so prominently. There are still many secrets to be unveiled, not only about Wolfius.
Yeah, I thought so too, though I wasn't quite sure. I'm glad I was right about this one, because being a warg just fits Wolfius perfectly. Oh, and I think most twists in the story so far have completely surprised me, so I have no doubt that'll be the case in the future as well
Don't forget that he has a serious god complex, perhaps justified by the fact that he is indeed far more powerful than the ordinary human being. But I am glad you enjoy him as a villain! Wolfius can be really refreshing at times, because of his utter lack of redeeming qualities. With him, you really don't need to have any conflicted feelings and I guess that can be nice as well
This god complex, along with his powers, really makes Wolfius more interesting as a character. It also kinda justifies how he can be so arrogant and reckless (even careless sometimes), but still continues to survive and torment everyone around him.
Ha! I called the warg thing! Granted I wasn't the only one who did
I think you have been the first to catch up to it though, if I'm… more not completely mistaken. At the very least, you have been one of the first. That said, don't expect future twists to be teased so prominently. There are still many secrets to be unveiled, not only about Wolfius.
Great part, Wolfius is really proving himself to be more than just a deranged killer... He's a deranged killer with op warg powers XD Anyway, I'm enjoying him as a villain
Don't forget that he has a serious god complex, perhaps justified by the fact that he is indeed far more powerful than the ordinary human being. But I am glad you enjoy him as a villain! Wolfius can be really refreshing at times, because of his utter lack of redeeming qualities. With him, you really don't need to have any conflicted feelings and I guess that can be nice as well
I must also say that this wa… [view original content]
Well, that certainly is one way to get a midday snack. I guess Lyria just didn't have the Mettel to beat Wolfius. Jokes aside, sucks that Lyria died. She wasn't someone I particularity liked, but now Mathea gonna do something crazy like avenge her patients or something, getting Arthur in danger. Good news though, she injured Wolfius, but now his Wolf form is now in Raylainsfair to cause anyone who gets near Wolfius trouble. Hopefully Ryler and Arthur will be enough to fight off this ferocious trio. Urid was an okay guy, but I'm not too crossed seeing him die. Had to reread the sentence where he died, because Lyria didn't seem to be too upset that he died. To be fair, she had bigger things to worry about, but not even a gasp. As for Rosie, I hope Wolfius doesn't use her as bait for Arthur or something to distract him.
Lyria
Rosalie frantically shook her head, silently pleading her to stop, but Lyria slowly started to approach the door. They couldn't rem… moreain here, they had to get help. And whomever it was outside the door, she was sure that they at least weren't Ironborn.
“Hello?”, she said and she instantly heard Rosalie's shocked gasp. “Mother, don't!”, her daughter warned her. From the other side of the door, she heard someone mumbling a few words, almost inaudible to her. “Hello?”, the man asked. “Hey, can you open the door?”
“Who's out there?”, Lyria asked sternly and the man sighed. “We're here to help”, he promised. “Listen, you can trust us. If we'd be hostile, we would have just kicked the door in” Lyria glanced at Rosalie, who still shook her head, tears visible in her eyes.
“Help...”, Urid mumbled. “Lyria, do it, we need them” She gave him a nod. The man outside, he had a point. A raider wouldn't have asked of her to open the door. Her… [view original content]
Trust me, what Wolfius did to Rosalie was far worse than just killing her. I'd say Lyria and Urid got off easy compared to her, who has to live with this knowledge. Of course, if your goal is to get her killed, then this wasn't good for you of course, but trust me, things will be far from sunshine and rainbows for her, Wolfius made very sure of that.
I guess I'm okay with her suffering. It's a real shame. Sounds pretty messed up.
Aye, both have been among the first to appear and are now the first to go. There are still Torvin, Lucas and Jaron, though at least Jaron is obviously safe for this chapter, since he doesn't appear in it. The other two... well, the chapter is quickly nearing its end, so you'll soon get an answer. All I can say is, there was one additional PoV death planned in this chapter, though I decided to spare this particular character after seeing WildlingKing's drawing, which I liked enough to consider sparing them. That said, Lyria and Marak won't remain the only PoV's that won't make it out of Book 1 alive.
Well, hopefully we get some that weren't in the first chapter. Also doesn't mean that other POV's can't die in this chapter, but one that was definitely going to won't be.
Aye, this was something I noticed as well while writing it. It sounded better in my head. I guess it is a result of Wolfius' warg powers. He is badly wounded, but since he can basically control his consciousness, it sort of makes sense that he can force himself to stay conscious. It might be a bit of a stretch, but well, it made for a nice scene, so I'm okay with it
Well we'll see how he fairs, since I don't think he is going to last that long with that being untreated. Any further injury will probably really damage him. Just need him to die...
Hm, thing is, and this is good for Mathea and Arthur, Wolfius doesn't know that they are on their way to the house. He has been ahead of them, so he hasn't been able to spy on either and unless he stumbles upon them in the near future, he would just leave and let his wounds heal on their own, or send Kreep to get help. Also, contrary to what you think and what I expected, Ilish actually chose to help Valarr. Or do you mean Arthur's choice at the end of Chapter 7? If so, then yes, there would have indeed been a chance to wound and potentially even stall Wolfius for long enough to allow Lyria and the others to escape with a little help from the looters.
Yeah I met Arthur with Valarr. Seems my choice was something good after all. Well, darn it. At least Wolfius's wounds are severe to the point that he probably isn't going to be using his normal body a lot. Kreep getting help? Hm...I only know one person who might be willing....well at least Mathea is safe, she is needed for a lot of people.
Surprise. All of those hints were true. The mystery has been put to rest. And so has someone else . When I saw the laugh part I knew what wa… mores happening, when I saw the he is coming thing I knew what was happening too. Pretty awesome though.
They were indeed true! And well, I am very happy you enjoyed this part. I expected you to enjoy this one, for the obvious reasons, so I am glad I haven't been wrong there
Well, can't say I'm upset really. I mean, she's dead. Urid is dead. Rosalie was so close to death. Damn it would have great to get her too.
Trust me, what Wolfius did to Rosalie was far worse than just killing her. I'd say Lyria and Urid got off easy compared to her, who has to live with this knowledge. Of course, if your goal is to get her killed, then this wasn't good for you of course, but trust me, things will be far from sunshine and rainbows for her, Wolfius made very sure of that.
Lyria was like Marak, … [view original content]
Well, hopefully we get some that weren't in the first chapter. Also doesn't mean that other POV's can't die in this chapter, but one that was definitely going to won't be.
Yes, you are right there. What I can confirm is, there will be one PoV in this chapter that was supposed to die (actually ever since I first received them a long time ago) but I ultimately decided against it, because it felt like a waste. That means that one particular PoV in this chapter is going to be safe for sure, but it won't mean that there won't be additional deaths among them.
Well we'll see how he fairs, since I don't think he is going to last that long with that being untreated. Any further injury will probably really damage him. Just need him to die...
That is probably true. Whatver happens, Wolfius is going to be out for a while now. These wounds aren't to be taken lightly and just because he can force himself to stay awake doesn't mean he should do it. Lyria definitely came close to cracking his skull open and in that case, no warg power would have helped him.
Yeah I met Arthur with Valarr. Seems my choice was something good after all. Well, darn it. At least Wolfius's wounds are severe to the point that he probably isn't going to be using his normal body a lot. Kreep getting help? Hm...I only know one person who might be willing....well at least Mathea is safe, she is needed for a lot of people.
Indeed, going after Valarr would have had a whole set of beneficial outcomes, as would have going with Hackor. I must admit, I was a bit surprised a big majority voted to remain behind with Aldus, as this seemingly was the role where Arthur would have given the least help. That said, going with Valarr would have meant a potential chance to save Lyria and Urid, so I'm not sure if you would have truly preferred this option, given your feelings on them.
Trust me, what Wolfius did to Rosalie was far worse than just killing her. I'd say Lyria and Urid got off easy compared to her, who has to l… moreive with this knowledge. Of course, if your goal is to get her killed, then this wasn't good for you of course, but trust me, things will be far from sunshine and rainbows for her, Wolfius made very sure of that.
I guess I'm okay with her suffering. It's a real shame. Sounds pretty messed up.
Aye, both have been among the first to appear and are now the first to go. There are still Torvin, Lucas and Jaron, though at least Jaron is obviously safe for this chapter, since he doesn't appear in it. The other two... well, the chapter is quickly nearing its end, so you'll soon get an answer. All I can say is, there was one additional PoV death planned in this chapter, though I decided to spare this particular character after seeing WildlingKing's drawing, which I liked enough to consider sparing th… [view original content]
Yeah, I thought so too, though I wasn't quite sure. I'm glad I was right about this one, because being a warg just fits Wolfius perfectly. Oh, and I think most twists in the story so far have completely surprised me, so I have no doubt that'll be the case in the future as well
Ah, good to hear it! There will be some pretty big revelations coming in the next chapters and there is also one about Wolfius which I can't wait to write down at last. But I hope to surprise with most of these future twists, even if I can't help but to throw in some very light hints here and there.
This god complex, along with his powers, really makes Wolfius more interesting as a character. It also kinda justifies how he can be so arrogant and reckless (even careless sometimes), but still continues to survive and torment everyone around him.
Yes indeed. This is his justification for being so completely reckless, especially as he knows that if he dies, he just continues to live in the body of an animal (likely his direwolf), or even another human being, because he certainly considers himself powerful enough to do that. That said, occasionally Wolfius has to rely more on luck than anything else. His escape plan only worked because the Ironborn attacked, otherwise he would have clearly overestimated himself there. However, at least part of his earlier failures were a result of him just playing with his victims, not using his full powers against them to make things more fun. Now that he revealed himself as a warg and left a witness to tell the tale, he clearly is done playing, so you can expect a far more dangerous Wolfius in the future.
I think you have been the first to catch up to it though, if I'm not completely mistaken. At the very least, you have been one of the first.… more That said, don't expect future twists to be teased so prominently. There are still many secrets to be unveiled, not only about Wolfius.
Yeah, I thought so too, though I wasn't quite sure. I'm glad I was right about this one, because being a warg just fits Wolfius perfectly. Oh, and I think most twists in the story so far have completely surprised me, so I have no doubt that'll be the case in the future as well
Don't forget that he has a serious god complex, perhaps justified by the fact that he is indeed far more powerful than the ordinary human being. But I am glad you enjoy him as a villain! Wolfius can be really refreshing at times, because of his utter lack of redeeming qualities. With him, you really don't need to have any conflicted feelings and I guess that can be nice as well
… [view original content]
Alright, I just wanted to wish you all Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays real quick! I hope you're all having a lovely couple of days
The next part is probably going to be out on the 27th, which is also where I hope to reveal another little side project of mine, FoT related and, in my opinion, something you might like a lot. Until then, I hope that all of you had a chance to read and react to the latest part despite the holidays.
See you around then and I hope you enjoy the coming days!
She wasn't someone I particularity liked, but now Mathea gonna do something crazy like avenge her patients or something, getting Arthur in danger.
Well, Mathea is not particularly the type to avenge others. Even now she probably wouldn't kill Wolfius and she is level-headed enough to know that she wouldn't stand the hint of a chance against him, even in his current condition. No, vengeance will be the last thing Mathea would be after. Arthur himself might be more of a problem there, because catching Wolfius is what's actually his job and since he had an earlier chance to go after him, so this is going to weigh heavily on him as well.
Urid was an okay guy, but I'm not too crossed seeing him die. Had to reread the sentence where he died, because Lyria didn't seem to be too upset that he died. To be fair, she had bigger things to worry about, but not even a gasp.
Yeah, I noticed that after I posted the part. It's true, Lyria had way more urgent problems than Urid's death, though it added to the overall feeling of defeat she had in this part. You can be assured that she had a horrified look on her face, but the fact that Rosalie used the same moment to escape and/or distract Wolfius kind of took her attention away from him.
As for Rosie, I hope Wolfius doesn't use her as bait for Arthur or something to distract him.
Hm, we'll see. As I said above, Wolfius has no idea that Arthur and Mathea are coming. Even for him, keeping track of them in the city is close to impossible in the current chaos. He's probably focussing on getting away first, which shouldn't be much of a problem, considering that he has a giant ass direwolf with him.
Well, that certainly is one way to get a midday snack. I guess Lyria just didn't have the Mettel to beat Wolfius. Jokes aside, sucks that Ly… moreria died. She wasn't someone I particularity liked, but now Mathea gonna do something crazy like avenge her patients or something, getting Arthur in danger. Good news though, she injured Wolfius, but now his Wolf form is now in Raylainsfair to cause anyone who gets near Wolfius trouble. Hopefully Ryler and Arthur will be enough to fight off this ferocious trio. Urid was an okay guy, but I'm not too crossed seeing him die. Had to reread the sentence where he died, because Lyria didn't seem to be too upset that he died. To be fair, she had bigger things to worry about, but not even a gasp. As for Rosie, I hope Wolfius doesn't use her as bait for Arthur or something to distract him.
I'd say he recognized him as a threat. Obviously, the direwolf is Wolfius' most valuable creature and one of a kind, even for its species, so when he saw that Vaasrand has experience in fighting animals, he rather decided to retreat instead of risking it. He knew he might be able to take him, but this would have at the very least put him under the risk of getting heavily injured.
Yes indeed. This is his justification for being so completely reckless, especially as he knows that if he dies, he just continues to live in the body of an animal (likely his direwolf), or even another human being, because he certainly considers himself powerful enough to do that.
Shit... If he really is that strong with the warging, I start to see why he keeps Kreep around (other than just combat support). We did see a hint of reluctance from Kreep in this part though, so perhaps there is hope for a fallout between them.
Yeah, I thought so too, though I wasn't quite sure. I'm glad I was right about this one, because being a warg just fits Wolfius perfectly. O… moreh, and I think most twists in the story so far have completely surprised me, so I have no doubt that'll be the case in the future as well
Ah, good to hear it! There will be some pretty big revelations coming in the next chapters and there is also one about Wolfius which I can't wait to write down at last. But I hope to surprise with most of these future twists, even if I can't help but to throw in some very light hints here and there.
This god complex, along with his powers, really makes Wolfius more interesting as a character. It also kinda justifies how he can be so arrogant and reckless (even careless sometimes), but still continues to survive and torment everyone around him.
Yes indeed. This is his justification for being so completely reckless, especially as he knows that if he… [view original content]
Man... fuck this guy. I hope Rosalie makes it through this. Physically and mentally. Though I noticed Kreep's reaction, it seems he has some humanity in him. I suspect he does the things he does out of loyalty or a desire to gain his father's approval, a man who probably doesn't even care about him.
I've been wondering, how did Wolfius get this way? I'm assuming he wasn't always a psychotic killer with no empathy.
Lyria
Rosalie frantically shook her head, silently pleading her to stop, but Lyria slowly started to approach the door. They couldn't rem… moreain here, they had to get help. And whomever it was outside the door, she was sure that they at least weren't Ironborn.
“Hello?”, she said and she instantly heard Rosalie's shocked gasp. “Mother, don't!”, her daughter warned her. From the other side of the door, she heard someone mumbling a few words, almost inaudible to her. “Hello?”, the man asked. “Hey, can you open the door?”
“Who's out there?”, Lyria asked sternly and the man sighed. “We're here to help”, he promised. “Listen, you can trust us. If we'd be hostile, we would have just kicked the door in” Lyria glanced at Rosalie, who still shook her head, tears visible in her eyes.
“Help...”, Urid mumbled. “Lyria, do it, we need them” She gave him a nod. The man outside, he had a point. A raider wouldn't have asked of her to open the door. Her… [view original content]
Though I noticed Kreep's reaction, it seems he has some humanity in him. I suspect he does the things he does out of loyalty or a desire to gain his father's approval, a man who probably doesn't even care about him.
This is an interesting observation. It is actually the first time we saw any kind of emotion from Kreep, who has so far been more like a tool than a genuine person. It at least confirms that Kreep is not completely without emotion. And unlike Wolfius, whose emotions are a very negative thing, he at least showed hesitation to actually go through with it, even if it was a very weak sort of hesitation that got instantly drowned under his overwhelming loyalty to his father. It remains to be seen if this grows into something stronger.
I've been wondering, how did Wolfius get this way? I'm assuming he wasn't always a psychotic killer with no empathy.
You are correct, Wolfius indeed hasn't always been that bad. He is clearly mentally ill in some capacity and in our modern society, he could have been diagnosed at an early age, could have received the care and treatment he needed and his urges could have been controlled, making him a more or less functioning member of society. Unfortunately, his parents didn't really raise him properly and while they weren't abusive or anything like that, they did nothing to stop these psychopathic tendencies before they grew stronger as he became older. I can't go into deep detail here, because I still have planned to reveal more about Wolfius' past at a later point in the story, but let's just say, there was one influential person in his past who was similarly messed up (also for detailed reasons) and who outright encouraged the darker side of his personality from a very early age, back when his personality could still be formed. This resulted in the Wolfius Woodbark you meet here in the story. I'm afraid I really can't reveal more details right now, but be assured that I will do it in time. All I can confirm is that Wolfius is a mentally ill person who got the worst possible upbringing for his situation.
Man... fuck this guy. I hope Rosalie makes it through this. Physically and mentally. Though I noticed Kreep's reaction, it seems he has some… more humanity in him. I suspect he does the things he does out of loyalty or a desire to gain his father's approval, a man who probably doesn't even care about him.
I've been wondering, how did Wolfius get this way? I'm assuming he wasn't always a psychotic killer with no empathy.
What a part! Also, Merry Christmas to you Liquid. I haven't been on my laptop lately because of the holidays. So I was finally able to read this, and damn! RIP Lyria. Poor Rosalie. This might be one of, if not the most gruesome death in the story so far. I hate Wolfius, but man is he a great villain. At the same die, I really want him to die. But we all know it isn't gonna happen anytime soon.
Lyria
Rosalie frantically shook her head, silently pleading her to stop, but Lyria slowly started to approach the door. They couldn't rem… moreain here, they had to get help. And whomever it was outside the door, she was sure that they at least weren't Ironborn.
“Hello?”, she said and she instantly heard Rosalie's shocked gasp. “Mother, don't!”, her daughter warned her. From the other side of the door, she heard someone mumbling a few words, almost inaudible to her. “Hello?”, the man asked. “Hey, can you open the door?”
“Who's out there?”, Lyria asked sternly and the man sighed. “We're here to help”, he promised. “Listen, you can trust us. If we'd be hostile, we would have just kicked the door in” Lyria glanced at Rosalie, who still shook her head, tears visible in her eyes.
“Help...”, Urid mumbled. “Lyria, do it, we need them” She gave him a nod. The man outside, he had a point. A raider wouldn't have asked of her to open the door. Her… [view original content]
It's about time. Technically, it's even a bit too late already for most timezones, my own included, because the Forum of Thrones thread was created on the ancient and mysterious date of the 27th of December in the distant 2014. However, the prologue and therefore arguably the start of Forum of Thrones has been out in the early hours of the 28th (at least by my filthy, central-europan timezone), so I guess this still counts. This means, today is the big day where Forum of Thrones has its second birthday!
My literary baby is two years old now and I love it with all my heart. Writing this story has genuinely changed my life for the better. I have never considered myself to be much of a writer before, nor have I been much of a perfectionist, or someone with a lot of patience and enthusiasm for something. I guess now I am all of this. I can't put into words how much this story means to me and how much it means to me that you enjoy my work. Your feedback brightens my days, your encouragement has helped me through any bad days I had in the last two years. Speaking of bad days, thanks to this story there haven't been very much of them. And for this, I have you to thank, all of you who take the time and read this and the parts, who submit characters, who encourage me and who honestly have made my own life so much better than before. I know, I know, I'm getting all sentimental and teary-eyed right now, so let's cut my expression of gratitude short with a heartfelt "Thank You".
So, that means I can now announce the big news I've been hinting at before. Take a deep breath, let the following sentence sink in for a moment:
I will no longer write anything for Forum of Thrones and will effectively abandon the story immediately!
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.
Got you there I'm just kidding of course. As if I'd ever stop writing this. No, I am of course not abandoning the story, I am not going to stop writing and I don't think I ever will. In fact, the best is yet to come. I'm sure you're feeling happy about this now, which means I can drop the actual bomb without feeling too bad. Because I am feeling legitimately horrible about what I have to say now. I know, I have announced a super cool side project, which I wanted to unveil today and believe me, I have worked my bloody ass off. Unfortunately, I have once again bitten off more than I can chew in such a short time, so I have to disappoint you there and I have to disappoint myself there. It has been literally impossible to finish this project in the short time I have given myself for it, not with my standards for a good side project. Still, I think I should give you something, so I should at the very least announce my little secret project, even if I am not ready to unveil it.
I am not sure how many of you are familiar with TvTropes. If you're not, let me try my best to explain it. It is a fun little site that collects and categorizes plot elements of fictional and non-fictional work, known as tropes. It is also not so little. Actually, it is pretty huge. You can find almost every work of at least some notabiltiy that has ever been created there. Game of Thrones has a TvTropes page, so has A Song of Ice and Fire, so has Peter Dinklage, so has George R.R. Martin, so have thousands of other works and creators. It is basically a trope-centered wikipedia about media. The site is huge, with the number of different articles going into the hundreds of thousands. The number of fanfiction articles alone is 5249 as we speak. Now, Forum of Thrones is one of these articles and I am rather proud with what I have managed to write down for it so far. I have gathered several hundreds of tropes in the past few days, but what actually proved to be too much have been character tropes. Because well, while Forum of Thrones itself has tropes in general, each character has tropes of their own as well and finding and listing these has been more work than I expected. Because of this, I am disappointed in myself to admit that I have not managed to finish it in time, because the number of characters in the story right now comes close to two hundred. I have not expected this to take so long and I am sorry that I am unable to finish it in time. I know, a TvTropes page is probably the last thing any of you expected, so I'm sure your own disappointment will be limited, but I can assure you, I would have loved to finish it today, as a sort of anniversary gift. With a bit of luck, it won't take me too long to finish it, but I am not even sure if I will manage to finish it this year, especially as I want to put out two additional parts until 2017. If you're curious, you can go over to tvtropes.org and get a glimpse of it, because it is very easy to find, but well, as long as that character page is not done, I don't feel confident in officially unveiling it.
Onwards to different things, I hope you all had a wonderful couple of christmas days! I certainly had and I have already spent my christmas money on some pretty nice things, including my shameful backlog of Telltale games. Batman is already bought and I'm still contemplating to buy Minecraft, which I'm probably going to do. On top of that, I am pretty sure I'm going to buy Dishonored 2 as well, which should be awesome. Spending tme with my family paired with my focus on the TvTropes page also means that I have gotten absolutely no writing done over the past three days, for which I am sorry. I will try my best to put out the next part today regardless.
This next part will feature PoV's from Drent and Torvin and it will also feature a couple of characters we haven't seen yet in this chapter (or only in a very small role). The last time we saw Drent, he witnessed Leonard arriving at the courtyard, where he begged Argella for help at the southern gate. However, Tariel argued strongly against helping the citizens of Raylansfair, partially out of pragmatism, but mostly out of spite. To the surprise of everyone present (especially Leonard and Tariel), Argella was having none of it. She verbally tore Tariel a new one, before announcing her decision to personally lead the Stormlander charge against the Ironborn. Leonard was sent away with Garen and the Stormlander vanguard, while Argella prepared for the coming battle. Drent was sent to find her a good sword. In the armoury, he encountered Ferrari Snow, who was torn wether he should stay on his post or run after Saerya, who has moved into the city on her own. Drent adviced Fedora to stay on his post.
Meanwhile Torvin was last seen in Lucas' part, where he and his men attempted to break through the eastern gate, albeit unsuccessfully, thanks to the intervention of Harris and the cavalry. During this battle, Torvin fought a brief duel with Harris, during which he got badly wounded. His next part is going to happen shortly after he and his men were forced into a temporary retreat. As you know, Harris has left the defenders again and the cavalry is gone as well, so Torvin's next move should be rather interesting. I can also announce that Torvin's part is set before Lyria's last part, just so that you won't be confused about a detail in it.
Once again, thank you for everything. Wether you have been here from day one or have joined more or less recently, you are the reason I'm having so much fun with this. As I said above, the best is yet to come, not only in this chapter, but in the many that will follow. I hope that you're all going to stay here for the things to come and that you're going to find as much enjoyment in it as I do
Merry Christmas to you as well! Or, merry belated christmas. I am glad you found the time to read the part
RIP Lyria. Poor Rosalie. This might be one of, if not the most gruesome death in the story so far.
Oh yes, it definitely was one of the most gruesome deaths in the story. Personally, I'd say Lunett's death has been a tad bit more gruesome, because she had to suffer for longer than Lyria did. With a giant ass direwolf, there's really no way someone can survive such an ordeal for long, so it was at least over soon. Rayden also had a gruesome death, but unlike Lyria and Lunett, he was a huge asshole who kind of deserved his fate, at least more than they did. I think what makes this death stand out is that it is the first death we actually saw from the perspective of the dying character. And well... I am afraid it won't remain the last.
I hate Wolfius, but man is he a great villain. At the same die, I really want him to die.
I am very, very happy to hear this. Wolfius is a hard character to write, because I have to make sure that he is menacing and entertaining while not too much over-the-top, which can easily happen with a deliberately larger-than-life character such as Wolfius. That means, I am very glad to hear that you find him to be a great villain, that's all I wanted to achieve with him.
But we all know it isn't gonna happen anytime soon.
Yeah, I'm afraid this reveal at least hinted that there's still a lot to come for Wolfius. I can, for example, reveal that he has a pretty detailed backstory which has barely been hinted at so far and which I plan to reveal in detail once the time has come. But well, I hope you'll continue to enjoy him as a villain.
What a part! Also, Merry Christmas to you Liquid. I haven't been on my laptop lately because of the holidays. So I was finally able to read … morethis, and damn! RIP Lyria. Poor Rosalie. This might be one of, if not the most gruesome death in the story so far. I hate Wolfius, but man is he a great villain. At the same die, I really want him to die. But we all know it isn't gonna happen anytime soon.
It's about time. Technically, it's even a bit too late already for most timezones, my own included, because the Forum of Thrones thread was created on the ancient and mysterious date of the 27th of December in the distant 2014. However, the prologue and therefore arguably the start of Forum of Thrones has been out in the early hours of the 28th (at least by my filthy, central-europan timezone), so I guess this still counts. This means, today is the big day where Forum of Thrones has its second birthday!
It isn't for me! Two years! Yay!
I'm very glad it has been around for this long! It has given me good days as well! Long time indeed! I was not a mod then, I am now. Big changes. Here's to many more years of excitement!
I love TvTropes! It's so fun to read all the random crap that's on there. So interesting. Some personal favorite tropes of mine are Villainesses Want Heroes, Alpha Bitch, Yandere, Tsundere, Benevolent Boss, Seinfeldian Conversation, and Sympathy for the Devil. I'll be checking FoT's page shortly. I can spend days in TvTropes.
Alright then!
It's about time. Technically, it's even a bit too late already for most timezones, my own included, because the Forum of Th… morerones thread was created on the ancient and mysterious date of the 27th of December in the distant 2014. However, the prologue and therefore arguably the start of Forum of Thrones has been out in the early hours of the 28th (at least by my filthy, central-europan timezone), so I guess this still counts. This means, today is the big day where Forum of Thrones has its second birthday!
My literary baby is two years old now and I love it with all my heart. Writing this story has genuinely changed my life for the better. I have never considered myself to be much of a writer before, nor have I been much of a perfectionist, or someone with a lot of patience and enthusiasm for something. I guess now I am all of this. I can't put into words how much this story means to me and how much it means to me that you en… [view original content]
Alright then!
It's about time. Technically, it's even a bit too late already for most timezones, my own included, because the Forum of Th… morerones thread was created on the ancient and mysterious date of the 27th of December in the distant 2014. However, the prologue and therefore arguably the start of Forum of Thrones has been out in the early hours of the 28th (at least by my filthy, central-europan timezone), so I guess this still counts. This means, today is the big day where Forum of Thrones has its second birthday!
My literary baby is two years old now and I love it with all my heart. Writing this story has genuinely changed my life for the better. I have never considered myself to be much of a writer before, nor have I been much of a perfectionist, or someone with a lot of patience and enthusiasm for something. I guess now I am all of this. I can't put into words how much this story means to me and how much it means to me that you en… [view original content]
Alright then!
It's about time. Technically, it's even a bit too late already for most timezones, my own included, because the Forum of Th… morerones thread was created on the ancient and mysterious date of the 27th of December in the distant 2014. However, the prologue and therefore arguably the start of Forum of Thrones has been out in the early hours of the 28th (at least by my filthy, central-europan timezone), so I guess this still counts. This means, today is the big day where Forum of Thrones has its second birthday!
My literary baby is two years old now and I love it with all my heart. Writing this story has genuinely changed my life for the better. I have never considered myself to be much of a writer before, nor have I been much of a perfectionist, or someone with a lot of patience and enthusiasm for something. I guess now I am all of this. I can't put into words how much this story means to me and how much it means to me that you en… [view original content]
Whoa, it's been 2 years? Cool, even if I was not here from the very beginning, which I honestly regret, I am happy for you and your experience growth through this time. You did really impressive thing out here and have so many people contributing into it with their own characters and not only, which is great achievement to unblock.
As for the surprise I've had in mind other project of yours which you mentioned some time ago. Apparently I was wrong with that and impressed once again with the one you presented us this early morning. Quite cool thing it is, especially that I've never knew such page existed. I just hope you won't overload yourself with all the things you planned to do next to the story itself, because starting few things and not ending them is I believe not that good idea. Anyway, I wish you luck with everything you planned and cannot wait to see the story progress.
Alright then!
It's about time. Technically, it's even a bit too late already for most timezones, my own included, because the Forum of Th… morerones thread was created on the ancient and mysterious date of the 27th of December in the distant 2014. However, the prologue and therefore arguably the start of Forum of Thrones has been out in the early hours of the 28th (at least by my filthy, central-europan timezone), so I guess this still counts. This means, today is the big day where Forum of Thrones has its second birthday!
My literary baby is two years old now and I love it with all my heart. Writing this story has genuinely changed my life for the better. I have never considered myself to be much of a writer before, nor have I been much of a perfectionist, or someone with a lot of patience and enthusiasm for something. I guess now I am all of this. I can't put into words how much this story means to me and how much it means to me that you en… [view original content]
A little bit late, but Happy Birthday Forum of Thrones!! It's crazy to think that this story has been going on for two years, here's to wishing that this story only gets bigger and better. And thank you Liquid, for having the dedication to keep this going.
I'm very glad it has been around for this long! It has given me good days as well! Long time indeed! I was not a mod then, I am now. Big changes. Here's to many more years of excitement!
Oh yes, so much has changed! I actually have never thought that the story would go on for that long, but I underestimated how many people would be interested in it and how long it could actually get. Safe to say, I appreciate this. And I am sure there are indeed several years of writing still ahead.
I love TvTropes! It's so fun to read all the random crap that's on there. So interesting. Some personal favorite tropes of mine are Villainesses Want Heroes, Alpha Bitch, Yandere, Tsundere, Benevolent Boss, Seinfeldian Conversation, and Sympathy for the Devil. I'll be checking FoT's page shortly. I can spend days in TvTropes.
Aye, this is something I'm guilty of as well, I think I have literally spent days in TvTropes. And I think I have found a satisfying number of Tropes, including some of those you mentioned there. Sherryl is an Alpha Bitch, Argella was outright written with the Tsundere trope in mind (and she's at the best a Lovable Alpha Bitch) and while thinking of examples, I realized that Clayton and Alysanne are both very much Yandere examples towards poor Kersea. I got two examples for Sympathy for the Devil, as well as two for Benevolent Boss, although none for the Seinfeldian Conversation or the Villainesses Want Heroes trope. The only thing that is missing are most of the character tropes (although I have finished the character tropes for the Raylansfair cast) and the YMMV stuff and subpages the latter of which a friend of mine has agreed to write down, since the creator of a work is not allowed to do it himself.
It's about time. Technically, it's even a bit too late already for most timezones, my own included, because the Forum of Thrones thread was … morecreated on the ancient and mysterious date of the 27th of December in the distant 2014. However, the prologue and therefore arguably the start of Forum of Thrones has been out in the early hours of the 28th (at least by my filthy, central-europan timezone), so I guess this still counts. This means, today is the big day where Forum of Thrones has its second birthday!
It isn't for me! Two years! Yay!
I'm very glad it has been around for this long! It has given me good days as well! Long time indeed! I was not a mod then, I am now. Big changes. Here's to many more years of excitement!
I love TvTropes! It's so fun to read all the random crap that's on there. So interesting. Some personal favorite tropes of mine are Villainesses Want Heroes, Alpha Bitch, Yandere, Tsundere, Benevolent Boss, Se… [view original content]
Thank you, I'm glad to hear it I know it isn't done yet, but I'm sure you can already see where I'm going for with the page. And at least the main page is in a very final version.
Whoa, it's been 2 years? Cool, even if I was not here from the very beginning, which I honestly regret, I am happy for you and your experience growth through this time. You did really impressive thing out here and have so many people contributing into it with their own characters and not only, which is great achievement to unblock.
Well, you've been here for one and a half years, so you've seen a majority of the development to this point as well And I am incredibly thankful for the contributions you and the others did. I don't think this story would have been anywhere as long or fun as it is without these things.
As for the surprise I've had in mind other project of yours which you mentioned some time ago. Apparently I was wrong with that and impressed once again with the one you presented us this early morning. Quite cool thing it is, especially that I've never knew such page existed. I just hope you won't overload yourself with all the things you planned to do next to the story itself, because starting few things and not ending them is I believe not that good idea. Anyway, I wish you luck with everything you planned and cannot wait to see the story progress.
The wiki, you mean? I am afraid this one will need more work before I can present it in a way I feel confident with. I have realized that I won't be able to finish it for the 2-year anniversary, so I decided to do something else to present you something. It didn't fully work out either, but it is in a much more complete state than the wiki at the very least. But once I am done with it, which shouldn't take me too long anymore, I'll continue working on the wiki, which I hope to finish together with Book 1 at this point. That said, writing the actual story will always come first of course, these are just side projects after all. I can assure you, I'll try my best to end every project I start, even if it occasionally takes me a little longer than planned.
Whoa, it's been 2 years? Cool, even if I was not here from the very beginning, which I honestly regret, I am happy for you and your experien… morece growth through this time. You did really impressive thing out here and have so many people contributing into it with their own characters and not only, which is great achievement to unblock.
As for the surprise I've had in mind other project of yours which you mentioned some time ago. Apparently I was wrong with that and impressed once again with the one you presented us this early morning. Quite cool thing it is, especially that I've never knew such page existed. I just hope you won't overload yourself with all the things you planned to do next to the story itself, because starting few things and not ending them is I believe not that good idea. Anyway, I wish you luck with everything you planned and cannot wait to see the story progress.
Actually I've been the one who has been late, since I wanted to make that anniversary post yesterday already But anyways, I am sure it will get a lot bigger in the future, hopefully better as well. And thanks to you for giving me the dedication to keep writing this. It's feedback like this that means the world to me and motivates me like nothing else.
A little bit late, but Happy Birthday Forum of Thrones!! It's crazy to think that this story has been going on for two years, here's to wish… moreing that this story only gets bigger and better. And thank you Liquid, for having the dedication to keep this going.
Ohh, I can remember when it all started. I always believed it would turn into something great. I'm really thankful for all the effort you've put into the story and I hope it will live long and prosper.
Actually, I still haven't abandoned the ideas of translating it into Russian
Alright then!
It's about time. Technically, it's even a bit too late already for most timezones, my own included, because the Forum of Th… morerones thread was created on the ancient and mysterious date of the 27th of December in the distant 2014. However, the prologue and therefore arguably the start of Forum of Thrones has been out in the early hours of the 28th (at least by my filthy, central-europan timezone), so I guess this still counts. This means, today is the big day where Forum of Thrones has its second birthday!
My literary baby is two years old now and I love it with all my heart. Writing this story has genuinely changed my life for the better. I have never considered myself to be much of a writer before, nor have I been much of a perfectionist, or someone with a lot of patience and enthusiasm for something. I guess now I am all of this. I can't put into words how much this story means to me and how much it means to me that you en… [view original content]
Comments
Volume 27. I only saw the cover of it yesterday, and holy crap, it's amazing. I only read by volumes and it hasn't actually been released yet (I'm waiting in excitement), so I don't know what happens (besides the spoilers I've sadly heard). But it's not the content that reminds me of the story, it's that cover. Looks awesome. Makes me think of the various fights this story has had. I hope that cover isn't misleading for the actual comic. I want to see that crap really badly now.
Looking through them again Volume 10 makes me think of Lucas.
I bet that title is Fear The Hunters (kidding). In all seriousness, it's probably like We Find Ourselves, What Comes After, or Here We Remain. Or Made To Suffer (that's one of my favorite titles) or The Heart's Desire. I don't know. It's not something like Whispers Into Screams or Days Gone Bye. Could be A New Beginning...
Ah, I see! I haven't yet read it either, I'm currently up to Volume 25 (although I have been spoiled about the big event in Volume 26) but I've checked out the cover and I have to agree, this looks amazing. Has to be one of the most dynamic covers the comic ever had. My favourite still has to be Something to Fear though, because that cover is seriously menacing. But I can understand what you mean. It does remind me of several fights as well, not just limited to FoT. Hopefully this is not a misleading cover indeed. And Volume 10, hm, an interesting comparison!
I can confirm though that none of the titles you mention is the one that will match with the title of the next act. That said, What Comes After and A New Beginning both sound pretty nice and wouldn't exactly be unfitting. I'm not sure if I should reveal it now, though I plan on giving a lot more information on Book 2 either way after this chapter is over. I don't think it can be seen as a spoiler, so I can already reveal this particular detail already if you're curious.
Ah, you got to read Volume 26 though. It explains the other character on that cover, who is quite possibly the largest person to ever come in the comics (seriously). His size alone makes me think of people like the Moggy and Marak.
It's fine if you don't wish to reveal it at this time. Don't feel pressured to.
I know! I'm reading them in german and the translations need a bit longer at times, so it hasn't been out for long here. It's also the reason why I'm not familiar with most of the original volume titles, save for Made to Suffer and Something to Fear. But I definitely plan on reading it, because if anything, this spoiler made me only more curious on how the story is going to continue from there. And I also know about this other character in the cover, though I wasn't aware that he is that tall. Wow, that makes him even more intimidating! I had to look up some pictures of him and well, it seems he outright dwarfs that other character on the cover whom I already considered huge. Add to that this weird long hair and the fact that he wears a creepy mask... Yeah, the Moggy sounds like a fitting comparison.
And it's not that I have a problem with revealing it, it's just that I'm sure some would prefer to remain as unspoiled as possible. I don't think something like the Act title is that much of a spoiler, but some might think differently and it will at least contain some minor hints for Book 2. So, to be super sneaky and to avoid any potential problems, I'm just going to say that the title I mean is the same as the title for Volume 7 of the comics.
Lyria
Rosalie frantically shook her head, silently pleading her to stop, but Lyria slowly started to approach the door. They couldn't remain here, they had to get help. And whomever it was outside the door, she was sure that they at least weren't Ironborn.
“Hello?”, she said and she instantly heard Rosalie's shocked gasp. “Mother, don't!”, her daughter warned her. From the other side of the door, she heard someone mumbling a few words, almost inaudible to her. “Hello?”, the man asked. “Hey, can you open the door?”
“Who's out there?”, Lyria asked sternly and the man sighed. “We're here to help”, he promised. “Listen, you can trust us. If we'd be hostile, we would have just kicked the door in” Lyria glanced at Rosalie, who still shook her head, tears visible in her eyes.
“Help...”, Urid mumbled. “Lyria, do it, we need them” She gave him a nod. The man outside, he had a point. A raider wouldn't have asked of her to open the door. Her hand moved to the doorknob and she unlocked it, opening it just a gap. She looked into a grinning face, belonging to a young, bearded man. He was wielding a spiked board like a weapon. Behind him, two other men were visible, wearing dirty clothes and makeshift weapons.
“Hey”, the man greeted her. Having the confirmation that he was not one of the raiders, Lyria fully opened the door. It was then that she noticed the decidedly less friendly look on the face of the man behind him. He held onto a short axe, made to chop wood, not flesh.
“What do you want?”, she asked as the three men approached her. Against her will, she took a step back, intimidated by them. The bearded man with the spiked board glanced at Rosalie and his grin got equal parts wider and more worrying. “We bring help”, he said, not taking his eyes of the girl. Rosalie had noticed it, as she slowly started to back off pale from fear and her wound.
“Man, you're in a shitty condition”, the third of the men, a lanky man with a large knife in his right hand commented on the scenery, especially as he saw Urid on his cot. “That some sort of cripple meeting here?” The man with the dark look on his face narrowed his eyes. “The healer lives here”, he growled. “Heard she left for the castle. Thought she'd take her patients with her”
Hearing this sent shivers of relief down Lyria's spine, though she remained on guard. At least Mathea was still alive. “You're here to help?”, she asked. “My daughter and Urid, they can't leave on their own. If you can carry them...”
The man with the dark expression raised a hand to silence her. “Help might stretch it a little”, he said casually. “I guess we should make it clear, we're not primarily here to help you, but to get all of the stuff these people had to leave behind”
Lyria tensed up even more and she back down, to the cupboard. She knew, Mathea kept a hammer in there, for medical purposes, even if she had no idea what medical procedure would ever require a hammer. It was a small, sleek thing, not like the ones she used for her work, but it would be better than nothing. “You're looters”, she stated.
“An ugly word”, the grinning man said. “After all, we are going to help you. We're no monsters, m'lady” The third man nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, we carry your daughter and the other guy to the castle and you can come with us as well. We're not leaving you to die”, he promised. “First however, you're going to pay us”
The man with the dark expression, apparently the leader, raised a finger. “And you will pay us. We know you lot always hide your things and frankly, we don't have time to search”, he explained and Lyria understood. “That's why you knocked”, she deduced. It was disgusting, but they left her no choice. They would help, for a price. At least they would all survive.
The leader took a step forwards. “But I must warn you. Don't try to fool us, or we'll be forced to kill you”, he growled. It was in this moment where true terror crept into Lyria's heart. It weren't his words that scared her, but what happened directly afterwards. Someone started to laugh, only for a short moment, but it was enough for the men to jump around and for her to recognize the voice.
“Oh no...”, Rosalie mumbled, as her eyes widened. She sank back onto her bed, crawling as far as possible against the wall. The leader of the men took a slight step to the side, revealing the man that had laughed. In the doorframe, leaning against the wood and with a vile grin on his face, stood Wolfius Woodbark.
The leader of the looters raised an eyebrow. “Sod off, creep”, he said and Wolfius chuckled softly. “Oh, you got it wrong”, he said, as he put a hand onto his chest. “My name is Wolfius Woodbark” He pointed behind him and Lyria saw another figure there, a young, thin boy, who hid his face underneath an oversized hat. “This is Kreep, my son”
“Woodbark...”, the man with the spiked board said, as his eyes widened. “Oh fuck... you're that killer! Weren't they supposed to hang you today?” Wolfius gave him a nod. “Yeah, they kind of tried”, he answered. “But this body is hard to kill” His eyes narrowed. “Just like a certain friend of mine”, he spoke, as he finally faced Lyria. He gave her a nod. “Long time no see, Blacksmith Mettel”, he greeted her. “How have you been? Living on borrowed time for so long...”
“What do you want, Woobark?”, the leader of the looters growled and Wolfius looked at him. “Oh you? I have no quarrel with you”, he said. “You can leave if you want, though I'd prefer if you don't” His hand moved into his overcoat and his grin widened.
“You have to kill him”, Lyria said, as calm as possible, though the complete absence of emotion in her voice gave away just how nervous she was. Seeing Wolfius again, it was a nightmare. Admittedly, it was even worse for Rosalie, who openly started to weep. “It's three against two. I can help as well”, she tried to convince them. “Kill him and you'll be heroes!”
The leader of the looters looked from her to Wolfius, before he gave her a slight nod. “Tempting”, he said and Wolfius' grin got wider. Silently, he removed a thin knife from his overcoat. The looter with the spiked board gulped. “We're doing that, boss?”, he asked and his leader gave him a nod. This caused the young man to sigh. “Alright. Alright then!”, he exclaimed, as he raised his board. “Let's dance!”
He attempted to hit Wolfius, though the killer jumped back, an irritated look in face. “Dance?”, he said, as he took a step to the side, evading the second strike. “I don't want to dance with you” He moved the arm holding his knife, way faster than Lyria expected, embedding it in the man's neck. “Here, let me show you”, he whispered with a smile.
The looter with the knife raised his weapon and Wolfius narrowed his eyes. “Kreep!”, he barked and Wolfius' young companion, his son apparently, let out a deep growl. As he jumped, in an animalistic manner, Lyria saw that a sizeable part of his cheek was missing, leaving horribly scarred flesh behind. It was by far one of the less terrifying things about this scene, as she helplessly had to watch how he grabbed a wooden cup from the table as he jumped at the man, smashing it into his opponent's face hard enough to splinter it, before he started to throw heavy punches against the man's head.
“Fuck!”, the leader exclaimed, as he reached for his axe. Once again, Wolfius was faster. The killer had crossed the distance between them in a second grabbing the arm with the axe before it would pose a threat, then embedding his knife in the man's spine. Lyria heard a sickening crunch, followed by the man's gasp of agony as his feet gave away underneath him.
Wolfius went onto one knee with him, a degenerated grin on his face. “Oh, does that hurt?”, he asked. “Sorry” He pulled the knife out of the man's ruined spine, before putting it against his throat. “But it'll be over now”, he growled. He seemed momentarily preoccupied, so Lyria used this opportunity to reach for the small hammer.
With a growl, Wolfius threw the blood-stained knife at her, hitting the wood just above her hand. A short scream came out of Lyria's throat, as the killer looked up from the corpse of the man he just slew. “Where are your manners, blacksmith?”, he hissed, violent hatred in his voice. “Back when you went to the city guard behind my back. When you refused to die like a good pawn!”
For a moment, he was silent and only the sobbing of Urid was audible. Rosalie was too scared to even cry, though tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the corpses and then at her mother. But Urid, he was sobbing loudly, begging for his life. “I have children”, he said. “Please, they need me. And my wife, I can't leave them! Please, I will give you whatever you want, just don't kill me!”
Wolfius rolled his eyes, before he slowly approached Lyria. “You always had a special place on my list, you and your little whore of a daughter”, he hissed. “But don't you worry, I'm having something special planned for both of you” This caused his hatred to fade momentarily, replaced by an enthusiastic giggle.
Lyria found it inside herself to glare at him. “Fuck yourself”, she spat, followed by her literally spitting right into his face. Wolfius took a step back, his good mood all but faded. “This was a mistake, blacksmith”, he spat and in the silence that followed his sentence, only Urid's pleas were heard. The tailor was looking at the disfigured boy, Kreep, who wasn't even paying attention to him. No, he was looking at Wolfius like a dog would look at its master.
“And mistakes will have consequences...”, Wolfius whispered, before he looked at his son. “Kreep, Kill the whiny man!” Lyria's eyes widened. “No!”, she screamed, but Kreep already jumped right onto Urid, who let out a scream of pain as the boy landed on his damaged legs. He raised his hands, both wrapped around the hilt of a knife, as Urid's screams of pain turned into screams of panic. “No! Please!”, he screamed. “Carma, I...”
“Wait!”, Wolfius hissed and Kreep instantly followed. The beast glared at Lyria and his smile widened. “Make it slow” Kreep gave him a nod. “Yes, father”, he said. Lyria's panic grew, as Kreep pushed the knives into Urid's shoulders, causing the man to howl in agony. Meanwhile, Wolfius was glaring at Lyria, his grin coming right out of her nightmares.
And this was when Lyria noticed that Rosalie was planning something. While no one was paying attention to her, she had slowly risen from her bed. Throwing a look of fear at her mother, she mustered her courage. Then, despite her wounds and with a strength Lyria hadn't expected from her, she started to run towards her door.
Wolfius narrowed his eyes without even looking away. “Kreep!”, he barked. The boy jumped up, slightly moving his hand in the process and silencing Urid for good when he slit his throat. With a speed that was nearly inhuman, he caught up to Rosalie just as she had reached the door, to tackle her to the ground. “Help!”, the girl screamed, as Kreep dragged her back into the house, not particularly harsh, but without any care at all. Her screams weren't silenced and Lyria noticed the pain in her words, as she clutched the old wound on her belly, where Wolfius had nearly gutted her a few weeks ago. “Help! Someone help!”
“No one will help you, little one”, Wolfius said with a chuckle, as he turned towards her. And this was the moment Lyria needed. She wasn't sure if Rosalie had tried to escape, or if this had been exactly her intention, but she managed to grab her hammer. Wolfius narrowed his eyes and turned back to her, a second to late.
Her hammer hit him in the centre of the forehead. “No one!”, Lyria spat, as she hit him again as he staggered. “Touches!” The hammer hit him once more, this time at the side of the head. “My daughter!” She slammed the hammer down onto the top of his head and the killer staggered forwards. The knife fell out of his hands, as he fell forwards, face first onto the ground.
Lyria breathed heavily, as she looked onto her bloodied hammer, then onto Kreep, who had let go of Rosalie. The young girl was looking at her mother with a mixture of shock and relief. “Go”, Lyria spat into Kreep's direction. “I have no quarrel with you, but if you harm my daughter I will kill you like I just killed your father”
Instantly, Kreep shook his head. “But you haven't killed him”, he said and pointed right at him. “Turn him around” His comment caught Lyria off guard and she subtly shivered. “What... what do you mean?”, she said, as she unwillingly followed his order. Going onto one knee, she touched Wolfius' stiff shoulder, turning him around so that she could see his face. His face...
It was covered in blood, his blood, but that wasn't the odd part. His eyes were widely opened and completely white, lacking even his usual light grey pupils. He was breathing, but completely motionless. “What the...?”, Lyria asked as she looked at Kreep. The young man had no emotion on his disfigured face. “He is coming”, he just said.
In this moment, Lyria knew it was over. Something large broke through the front door, taking a sizeable part of the walls around it with it as it jumped at her, too fast for her to evade it. It, whatever it was, knocked her against the wall, smashing the cupboard in the process. Lyria saw black fur, she felt strong paws on her shoulder, smelled the reeking stench that came out of its snout and she saw the fresh blood around it. It was only then that she recognized a monstrously large wolf, like a grown bull, almost crushing her with its weight.
A deep, chilling growl came out of its throat and Lyria was too afraid to even scream. Her heart beat faster than ever before and she almost felt as if she had to faint from sheer panic. What was this? It couldn't... it mustn't! Yet as she looked into its eyes, yellowish-golden and then she saw it. Her own eyes widened. “Wolfius?”, she asked.
Something changed in the beasts eyes. For second, there was confusion, but then there was just the same amount of hatred and vicious rage, just slightly differently in its source. Wolfius' body on the ground began to move. A sound, a mixture of pain and amusement came out of his throat, as he rose from the ground.
“My head!”, he complained. “You nearly broke my skull!” He tried to stagger back onto his feet, though he failed and had to lean onto the table next to him. “Fucking hell, my head!” His hand moved towards the wound on his forehead and as he pulled it back again, it was crimson with his blood. “Congratulations, Blacksmith Mettel!”, he said, with something that was not entirely mocking. “You came close to kill this body. Unfortunately for you, I'm rather hard to kill”
Lyria's eyes widened even further, as she looked at the titanic wolf on top of her, its blood-stained snout just inches away from her. She knew she was looking at her death and she couldn't even panic properly. “What...?”, she gasped. “What are you?”
Wolfius smirked at her. “Now you're asking the real questions. Although it shows me that you're not from the North. The people up there have many names for my kind, all of them expressing their fear”, he explained with a giggle. “Skinchanger is the most common one. Changeling another. Or maybe Warg”
The last name caused Lyria to gasp, as she remembered the stories her mother used to tell her when she was but a girl. “A warg!”, she said. “You can... you can turn into animals!” Wolfius shook his head. “No, not that one, stupid!”, he scolded her. “I take control of them. Most of my kind have to bond with an animal first, need years until they can take over more than one animal” He put a hand onto his chest, as he finally managed to stagger away from the table. “Me? I don't think there's a limit to my power”
He sat down on the bed, right next to Rosalie, who squealed in terror as he put an arm around her. “Oh, Rosie...”, he said. “Why are you so afraid?” His smile faded. “Your fear is justified, girl”, he growled, with a voice bare of any affability. “Your kind is puny. Weak! And me? Legions follow my bidding. Every bird in the sky, the fish in the sea, the creatures of land, they live to serve whenever I want. Compared to you, I am a god!” His blood-stained hand moved to her cheek, leaving behind a bloody handprint, when he pulled back. Rosalie tried her best not to look at him, instead not breaking eye contact with an increasingly more desperate Lyria. “And tell me, why should a god not do whatever he wants with the likes of you?”, Wolfius growled.
“Please...”, Lyria mumbled weakly and the beast on top of her growled deeply. “Don't... Wolfius, I will give you whatever you want, but don't hurt her. I will help you if this is what you want, anyone but her!” Wolfius gave her a slightly bored look. “Oh, Blacksmith Mettel, I can assure you that I won't kill your precious daughter”, he promised. “In fact, I won't even hurt her. Well, not much at least”
He shifted his attention back towards Rosalie. “Rosie, sweet Rosie...”, he hissed coldly. “I want you to listen carefully now” When she wasn't looking at him, he frowned. “LISTEN!”, he barked and she screamed in a high-pitched tone, as he pressed her closer towards him, his lips almost touching her ear.
“Yes, you're listening”, he stated with a grin. “I want you to listen and I want you to see. I'm going to kill your mother. I'm going to eat her and you're going to watch” He chuckled as Rosalie gasped. Lyria's breath went faster. “Then I will leave you, alone in this world, but I want you to know that you will never truly be safe”, Wolfius continued. “You know of my power now. Be assured, I will watch you for the rest of your life, as long as I allow you to have it” He squeezed her cheeks together, causing tears to run freely down her face, though she remained silent.
“Do you like animals, Rosie?”, he asked. “Because I want you to know that I will be them, all of them. The birds you see on the sky? Maybe I decide to come down, to tear your pretty face apart. That cute little kitten you pet? Be aware that I can claw your eyes out whenever I want. And when you sleep... well, you better lock the room tightly, or else a tiny little mouse will find a way into it, just to watch you in your nightmares”
Wolfius grinned at Lyria. “Is this the kind of mercy you wish for your daughter?”, he asked, before he looked back at Rosalie. “For now, you will watch. Look at your mother until I am done with her. If you look away, if you just blink, then Kreep will cut out your eyes”
Kreep gulped, the first sign of emotion Lyria had seen of him. “Is this necessary, father?”, he asked and Wolfius glared at him. The boy sighed. “As you wish, father”, he quickly said, as he moved next to Rosalie. “Just watch them”, he said. “It shouldn't matter”
“My point exactly!”, Wolfius said, as he raised from the bed, to approach Lyria. He chuckled. “Oh, what a lovely day”, he said, as he knelt down next to her. “Blacksmith Mettel, our time together has come to an end. Can I call you Lyria? Yes, Lyria...” He sighed. “It has been a pleasure”
Lyria only saw him through a veil of tears, as she desperately held eye contact with her daughter, who was frozen in silent terror. “Rosie, it's okay!”, she said. “I love you! I love you so much! You must be brave now!” Wolfius sat down onto the ground and she saw how the grey in his eyes faded, replaced only by solid white. “I love you!”, she screamed towards Rosalie. “I will always love you!”
The deep growl of the beast caused her to stop. Stinking saliva poured down onto her face, as she looked up, into its eyes. Into Wolfius' eyes. One last growl came out of its snout, before the massive jaws snapped towards her. As Lyria gazed into the darkness behind it, she screamed...
No Choices for this part
Surprise. All of those hints were true. The mystery has been put to rest. And so has someone else
. When I saw the laugh part I knew what was happening, when I saw the he is coming thing I knew what was happening too. Pretty awesome though.
Well, can't say I'm upset really. I mean, she's dead. Urid is dead. Rosalie was so close to death. Damn it would have great to get her too.
Lyria was like Marak, first chapter POV's. More and more going. It remains to be seen if anymore will go soon.
I must say I am quite confused how anyone can get up, even if they are a warg, from being smashed multiple times in the head with a hammer, almost breaking their skull and bleeding. I assume he is going to wait for Mathea, to steal her away. Of course, Arthur was with her, so he's probably screwed. Illish left Ryler, maybe he's going to be screwed. Ah, why didn't we help Valarr? I bet we could have at least hurt Wolfius further. Now he's going to have to get out of the city or lie in wait for certain people. I'm not sure where he's going to wait with that thing he has or how that won't be noticed by invading ironborn.
Well, damn. I've expected this part to be bloody, but not that much. Urid tortured to death and Lyria eaten by Wolfius as a warg.... oh my god, I already see Rosalie traumatized till end of her days, being afraid of every little or bigger animal. I believe she will also blame Mathea for not coming for them earlier, even if it's not her fault what happened.
Ha! I called the warg thing! Granted I wasn't the only one who did
Great part, Wolfius is really proving himself to be more than just a deranged killer... He's a deranged killer with op warg powers XD Anyway, I'm enjoying him as a villain 
I must also say that this was probably my favorite of all Lyria parts. In the end I even did feel sorry for her, and even more for Rosalie who had to watch her mother get slaughtered and eaten.
I think you have been the first to catch up to it though, if I'm not completely mistaken. At the very least, you have been one of the first. That said, don't expect future twists to be teased so prominently. There are still many secrets to be unveiled, not only about Wolfius.
Don't forget that he has a serious god complex, perhaps justified by the fact that he is indeed far more powerful than the ordinary human being. But I am glad you enjoy him as a villain! Wolfius can be really refreshing at times, because of his utter lack of redeeming qualities. With him, you really don't need to have any conflicted feelings and I guess that can be nice as well
This is great to hear! I have struggled with Lyria in the past and if I could rewrite the story, I'd probably not make her a PoV, but she was still one of the longest living characters and I hope I was able to give her a good send-off. Unlike Marak, she at least died in a PoV of her own. But yeah, I definitely feel sorry for her and even more so for Rosalie, who got it the worst out of them all.
I was a bit afraid that it would be too much blood, though then again, it wasn't the first part like that, nor will it be the last. Hopefully you still enjoyed it! With Rosalie, you have a point. It's going to be seriously horrible for her and I'll make sure to put some focus on her new situation as well in the near future.
Hm, a good possibility. Rosalie is not particularly mean-spirited, but having to witness such a scene will leave very deep marks and probably change her for the worse, so blaming Mathea, even if not exactly fair, could be possible.
They were indeed true! And well, I am very happy you enjoyed this part. I expected you to enjoy this one, for the obvious reasons, so I am glad I haven't been wrong there
Trust me, what Wolfius did to Rosalie was far worse than just killing her. I'd say Lyria and Urid got off easy compared to her, who has to live with this knowledge. Of course, if your goal is to get her killed, then this wasn't good for you of course, but trust me, things will be far from sunshine and rainbows for her, Wolfius made very sure of that.
Aye, both have been among the first to appear and are now the first to go. There are still Torvin, Lucas and Jaron, though at least Jaron is obviously safe for this chapter, since he doesn't appear in it. The other two... well, the chapter is quickly nearing its end, so you'll soon get an answer. All I can say is, there was one additional PoV death planned in this chapter, though I decided to spare this particular character after seeing WildlingKing's drawing, which I liked enough to consider sparing them. That said, Lyria and Marak won't remain the only PoV's that won't make it out of Book 1 alive.
Aye, this was something I noticed as well while writing it. It sounded better in my head. I guess it is a result of Wolfius' warg powers. He is badly wounded, but since he can basically control his consciousness, it sort of makes sense that he can force himself to stay conscious. It might be a bit of a stretch, but well, it made for a nice scene, so I'm okay with it
Hm, thing is, and this is good for Mathea and Arthur, Wolfius doesn't know that they are on their way to the house. He has been ahead of them, so he hasn't been able to spy on either and unless he stumbles upon them in the near future, he would just leave and let his wounds heal on their own, or send Kreep to get help. Also, contrary to what you think and what I expected, Ilish actually chose to help Valarr. Or do you mean Arthur's choice at the end of Chapter 7? If so, then yes, there would have indeed been a chance to wound and potentially even stall Wolfius for long enough to allow Lyria and the others to escape with a little help from the looters.
Yeah, I thought so too, though I wasn't quite sure. I'm glad I was right about this one, because being a warg just fits Wolfius perfectly. Oh, and I think most twists in the story so far have completely surprised me, so I have no doubt that'll be the case in the future as well
This god complex, along with his powers, really makes Wolfius more interesting as a character. It also kinda justifies how he can be so arrogant and reckless (even careless sometimes), but still continues to survive and torment everyone around him.
Well, that certainly is one way to get a midday snack. I guess Lyria just didn't have the Mettel to beat Wolfius. Jokes aside, sucks that Lyria died. She wasn't someone I particularity liked, but now Mathea gonna do something crazy like avenge her patients or something, getting Arthur in danger. Good news though, she injured Wolfius, but now his Wolf form is now in Raylainsfair to cause anyone who gets near Wolfius trouble. Hopefully Ryler and Arthur will be enough to fight off this ferocious trio. Urid was an okay guy, but I'm not too crossed seeing him die. Had to reread the sentence where he died, because Lyria didn't seem to be too upset that he died. To be fair, she had bigger things to worry about, but not even a gasp. As for Rosie, I hope Wolfius doesn't use her as bait for Arthur or something to distract him.
I guess I'm okay with her suffering. It's a real shame. Sounds pretty messed up.
Well, hopefully we get some that weren't in the first chapter. Also doesn't mean that other POV's can't die in this chapter, but one that was definitely going to won't be.
Well we'll see how he fairs, since I don't think he is going to last that long with that being untreated. Any further injury will probably really damage him. Just need him to die...
Yeah I met Arthur with Valarr. Seems my choice was something good after all. Well, darn it. At least Wolfius's wounds are severe to the point that he probably isn't going to be using his normal body a lot. Kreep getting help? Hm...I only know one person who might be willing....well at least Mathea is safe, she is needed for a lot of people.
Yes, you are right there. What I can confirm is, there will be one PoV in this chapter that was supposed to die (actually ever since I first received them a long time ago) but I ultimately decided against it, because it felt like a waste. That means that one particular PoV in this chapter is going to be safe for sure, but it won't mean that there won't be additional deaths among them.
That is probably true. Whatver happens, Wolfius is going to be out for a while now. These wounds aren't to be taken lightly and just because he can force himself to stay awake doesn't mean he should do it. Lyria definitely came close to cracking his skull open and in that case, no warg power would have helped him.
Indeed, going after Valarr would have had a whole set of beneficial outcomes, as would have going with Hackor. I must admit, I was a bit surprised a big majority voted to remain behind with Aldus, as this seemingly was the role where Arthur would have given the least help. That said, going with Valarr would have meant a potential chance to save Lyria and Urid, so I'm not sure if you would have truly preferred this option, given your feelings on them.
Ah, good to hear it! There will be some pretty big revelations coming in the next chapters and there is also one about Wolfius which I can't wait to write down at last. But I hope to surprise with most of these future twists, even if I can't help but to throw in some very light hints here and there.
Yes indeed. This is his justification for being so completely reckless, especially as he knows that if he dies, he just continues to live in the body of an animal (likely his direwolf), or even another human being, because he certainly considers himself powerful enough to do that. That said, occasionally Wolfius has to rely more on luck than anything else. His escape plan only worked because the Ironborn attacked, otherwise he would have clearly overestimated himself there. However, at least part of his earlier failures were a result of him just playing with his victims, not using his full powers against them to make things more fun. Now that he revealed himself as a warg and left a witness to tell the tale, he clearly is done playing, so you can expect a far more dangerous Wolfius in the future.
Alright, I just wanted to wish you all Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays real quick! I hope you're all having a lovely couple of days
The next part is probably going to be out on the 27th, which is also where I hope to reveal another little side project of mine, FoT related and, in my opinion, something you might like a lot. Until then, I hope that all of you had a chance to read and react to the latest part despite the holidays.
See you around then and I hope you enjoy the coming days!
Well, Mathea is not particularly the type to avenge others. Even now she probably wouldn't kill Wolfius and she is level-headed enough to know that she wouldn't stand the hint of a chance against him, even in his current condition. No, vengeance will be the last thing Mathea would be after. Arthur himself might be more of a problem there, because catching Wolfius is what's actually his job and since he had an earlier chance to go after him, so this is going to weigh heavily on him as well.
Yeah, I noticed that after I posted the part. It's true, Lyria had way more urgent problems than Urid's death, though it added to the overall feeling of defeat she had in this part. You can be assured that she had a horrified look on her face, but the fact that Rosalie used the same moment to escape and/or distract Wolfius kind of took her attention away from him.
Hm, we'll see. As I said above, Wolfius has no idea that Arthur and Mathea are coming. Even for him, keeping track of them in the city is close to impossible in the current chaos. He's probably focussing on getting away first, which shouldn't be much of a problem, considering that he has a giant ass direwolf with him.
Wolfius was that direwolf Richard and co. dealt with. So what did Wolfius think of Vaasrand while he was fighting against them?
I'd say he recognized him as a threat. Obviously, the direwolf is Wolfius' most valuable creature and one of a kind, even for its species, so when he saw that Vaasrand has experience in fighting animals, he rather decided to retreat instead of risking it. He knew he might be able to take him, but this would have at the very least put him under the risk of getting heavily injured.
Shit... If he really is that strong with the warging, I start to see why he keeps Kreep around (other than just combat support). We did see a hint of reluctance from Kreep in this part though, so perhaps there is hope for a fallout between them.
Man... fuck this guy. I hope Rosalie makes it through this. Physically and mentally. Though I noticed Kreep's reaction, it seems he has some humanity in him. I suspect he does the things he does out of loyalty or a desire to gain his father's approval, a man who probably doesn't even care about him.
I've been wondering, how did Wolfius get this way? I'm assuming he wasn't always a psychotic killer with no empathy.
This is an interesting observation. It is actually the first time we saw any kind of emotion from Kreep, who has so far been more like a tool than a genuine person. It at least confirms that Kreep is not completely without emotion. And unlike Wolfius, whose emotions are a very negative thing, he at least showed hesitation to actually go through with it, even if it was a very weak sort of hesitation that got instantly drowned under his overwhelming loyalty to his father. It remains to be seen if this grows into something stronger.
You are correct, Wolfius indeed hasn't always been that bad. He is clearly mentally ill in some capacity and in our modern society, he could have been diagnosed at an early age, could have received the care and treatment he needed and his urges could have been controlled, making him a more or less functioning member of society. Unfortunately, his parents didn't really raise him properly and while they weren't abusive or anything like that, they did nothing to stop these psychopathic tendencies before they grew stronger as he became older. I can't go into deep detail here, because I still have planned to reveal more about Wolfius' past at a later point in the story, but let's just say, there was one influential person in his past who was similarly messed up (also for detailed reasons) and who outright encouraged the darker side of his personality from a very early age, back when his personality could still be formed. This resulted in the Wolfius Woodbark you meet here in the story. I'm afraid I really can't reveal more details right now, but be assured that I will do it in time. All I can confirm is that Wolfius is a mentally ill person who got the worst possible upbringing for his situation.
What a part! Also, Merry Christmas to you Liquid. I haven't been on my laptop lately because of the holidays. So I was finally able to read this, and damn! RIP Lyria. Poor Rosalie. This might be one of, if not the most gruesome death in the story so far. I hate Wolfius, but man is he a great villain. At the same die, I really want him to die. But we all know it isn't gonna happen anytime soon.
Alright then!
It's about time. Technically, it's even a bit too late already for most timezones, my own included, because the Forum of Thrones thread was created on the ancient and mysterious date of the 27th of December in the distant 2014. However, the prologue and therefore arguably the start of Forum of Thrones has been out in the early hours of the 28th (at least by my filthy, central-europan timezone), so I guess this still counts. This means, today is the big day where Forum of Thrones has its second birthday!
My literary baby is two years old now and I love it with all my heart. Writing this story has genuinely changed my life for the better. I have never considered myself to be much of a writer before, nor have I been much of a perfectionist, or someone with a lot of patience and enthusiasm for something. I guess now I am all of this. I can't put into words how much this story means to me and how much it means to me that you enjoy my work. Your feedback brightens my days, your encouragement has helped me through any bad days I had in the last two years. Speaking of bad days, thanks to this story there haven't been very much of them. And for this, I have you to thank, all of you who take the time and read this and the parts, who submit characters, who encourage me and who honestly have made my own life so much better than before. I know, I know, I'm getting all sentimental and teary-eyed right now, so let's cut my expression of gratitude short with a heartfelt "Thank You".
So, that means I can now announce the big news I've been hinting at before. Take a deep breath, let the following sentence sink in for a moment:
I will no longer write anything for Forum of Thrones and will effectively abandon the story immediately!
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Got you there
I'm just kidding of course. As if I'd ever stop writing this. No, I am of course not abandoning the story, I am not going to stop writing and I don't think I ever will. In fact, the best is yet to come. I'm sure you're feeling happy about this now, which means I can drop the actual bomb without feeling too bad. Because I am feeling legitimately horrible about what I have to say now. I know, I have announced a super cool side project, which I wanted to unveil today and believe me, I have worked my bloody ass off. Unfortunately, I have once again bitten off more than I can chew in such a short time, so I have to disappoint you there and I have to disappoint myself there. It has been literally impossible to finish this project in the short time I have given myself for it, not with my standards for a good side project. Still, I think I should give you something, so I should at the very least announce my little secret project, even if I am not ready to unveil it.
I am not sure how many of you are familiar with TvTropes. If you're not, let me try my best to explain it. It is a fun little site that collects and categorizes plot elements of fictional and non-fictional work, known as tropes. It is also not so little. Actually, it is pretty huge. You can find almost every work of at least some notabiltiy that has ever been created there. Game of Thrones has a TvTropes page, so has A Song of Ice and Fire, so has Peter Dinklage, so has George R.R. Martin, so have thousands of other works and creators. It is basically a trope-centered wikipedia about media. The site is huge, with the number of different articles going into the hundreds of thousands. The number of fanfiction articles alone is 5249 as we speak. Now, Forum of Thrones is one of these articles and I am rather proud with what I have managed to write down for it so far. I have gathered several hundreds of tropes in the past few days, but what actually proved to be too much have been character tropes. Because well, while Forum of Thrones itself has tropes in general, each character has tropes of their own as well and finding and listing these has been more work than I expected. Because of this, I am disappointed in myself to admit that I have not managed to finish it in time, because the number of characters in the story right now comes close to two hundred. I have not expected this to take so long and I am sorry that I am unable to finish it in time. I know, a TvTropes page is probably the last thing any of you expected, so I'm sure your own disappointment will be limited, but I can assure you, I would have loved to finish it today, as a sort of anniversary gift. With a bit of luck, it won't take me too long to finish it, but I am not even sure if I will manage to finish it this year, especially as I want to put out two additional parts until 2017. If you're curious, you can go over to tvtropes.org and get a glimpse of it, because it is very easy to find, but well, as long as that character page is not done, I don't feel confident in officially unveiling it.
Onwards to different things, I hope you all had a wonderful couple of christmas days! I certainly had and I have already spent my christmas money on some pretty nice things, including my shameful backlog of Telltale games. Batman is already bought and I'm still contemplating to buy Minecraft, which I'm probably going to do. On top of that, I am pretty sure I'm going to buy Dishonored 2 as well, which should be awesome. Spending tme with my family paired with my focus on the TvTropes page also means that I have gotten absolutely no writing done over the past three days, for which I am sorry. I will try my best to put out the next part today regardless.
This next part will feature PoV's from Drent and Torvin and it will also feature a couple of characters we haven't seen yet in this chapter (or only in a very small role). The last time we saw Drent, he witnessed Leonard arriving at the courtyard, where he begged Argella for help at the southern gate. However, Tariel argued strongly against helping the citizens of Raylansfair, partially out of pragmatism, but mostly out of spite. To the surprise of everyone present (especially Leonard and Tariel), Argella was having none of it. She verbally tore Tariel a new one, before announcing her decision to personally lead the Stormlander charge against the Ironborn. Leonard was sent away with Garen and the Stormlander vanguard, while Argella prepared for the coming battle. Drent was sent to find her a good sword. In the armoury, he encountered Ferrari Snow, who was torn wether he should stay on his post or run after Saerya, who has moved into the city on her own. Drent adviced Fedora to stay on his post.
Meanwhile Torvin was last seen in Lucas' part, where he and his men attempted to break through the eastern gate, albeit unsuccessfully, thanks to the intervention of Harris and the cavalry. During this battle, Torvin fought a brief duel with Harris, during which he got badly wounded. His next part is going to happen shortly after he and his men were forced into a temporary retreat. As you know, Harris has left the defenders again and the cavalry is gone as well, so Torvin's next move should be rather interesting. I can also announce that Torvin's part is set before Lyria's last part, just so that you won't be confused about a detail in it.
Once again, thank you for everything. Wether you have been here from day one or have joined more or less recently, you are the reason I'm having so much fun with this. As I said above, the best is yet to come, not only in this chapter, but in the many that will follow. I hope that you're all going to stay here for the things to come and that you're going to find as much enjoyment in it as I do
Merry Christmas to you as well! Or, merry belated christmas. I am glad you found the time to read the part
Oh yes, it definitely was one of the most gruesome deaths in the story. Personally, I'd say Lunett's death has been a tad bit more gruesome, because she had to suffer for longer than Lyria did. With a giant ass direwolf, there's really no way someone can survive such an ordeal for long, so it was at least over soon. Rayden also had a gruesome death, but unlike Lyria and Lunett, he was a huge asshole who kind of deserved his fate, at least more than they did. I think what makes this death stand out is that it is the first death we actually saw from the perspective of the dying character. And well... I am afraid it won't remain the last.
I am very, very happy to hear this. Wolfius is a hard character to write, because I have to make sure that he is menacing and entertaining while not too much over-the-top, which can easily happen with a deliberately larger-than-life character such as Wolfius. That means, I am very glad to hear that you find him to be a great villain, that's all I wanted to achieve with him.
Yeah, I'm afraid this reveal at least hinted that there's still a lot to come for Wolfius. I can, for example, reveal that he has a pretty detailed backstory which has barely been hinted at so far and which I plan to reveal in detail once the time has come. But well, I hope you'll continue to enjoy him as a villain.
It isn't for me! Two years! Yay!
I'm very glad it has been around for this long! It has given me good days as well! Long time indeed! I was not a mod then, I am now. Big changes. Here's to many more years of excitement!
I love TvTropes! It's so fun to read all the random crap that's on there. So interesting. Some personal favorite tropes of mine are Villainesses Want Heroes, Alpha Bitch, Yandere, Tsundere, Benevolent Boss, Seinfeldian Conversation, and Sympathy for the Devil. I'll be checking FoT's page shortly. I can spend days in TvTropes.
It's been two years? That's insane! Anyway I love this story, Happy Birthday Forum of Thrones!
I think you've done a great job on the tvtropes page.
Whoa, it's been 2 years? Cool, even if I was not here from the very beginning, which I honestly regret, I am happy for you and your experience growth through this time. You did really impressive thing out here and have so many people contributing into it with their own characters and not only, which is great achievement to unblock.
As for the surprise I've had in mind other project of yours which you mentioned some time ago. Apparently I was wrong with that and impressed once again with the one you presented us this early morning. Quite cool thing it is, especially that I've never knew such page existed. I just hope you won't overload yourself with all the things you planned to do next to the story itself, because starting few things and not ending them is I believe not that good idea. Anyway, I wish you luck with everything you planned and cannot wait to see the story progress.
A little bit late, but Happy Birthday Forum of Thrones!! It's crazy to think that this story has been going on for two years, here's to wishing that this story only gets bigger and better. And thank you Liquid, for having the dedication to keep this going.
Oh yes, so much has changed! I actually have never thought that the story would go on for that long, but I underestimated how many people would be interested in it and how long it could actually get. Safe to say, I appreciate this. And I am sure there are indeed several years of writing still ahead.
Aye, this is something I'm guilty of as well, I think I have literally spent days in TvTropes. And I think I have found a satisfying number of Tropes, including some of those you mentioned there. Sherryl is an Alpha Bitch, Argella was outright written with the Tsundere trope in mind (and she's at the best a Lovable Alpha Bitch) and while thinking of examples, I realized that Clayton and Alysanne are both very much Yandere examples towards poor Kersea. I got two examples for Sympathy for the Devil, as well as two for Benevolent Boss, although none for the Seinfeldian Conversation or the Villainesses Want Heroes trope. The only thing that is missing are most of the character tropes (although I have finished the character tropes for the Raylansfair cast) and the YMMV stuff and subpages the latter of which a friend of mine has agreed to write down, since the creator of a work is not allowed to do it himself.
Yes, the first two years are over
Without a doubt, there will be a lot more years still coming. And thank you for your support, it really means a lot 
Thank you, I'm glad to hear it
I know it isn't done yet, but I'm sure you can already see where I'm going for with the page. And at least the main page is in a very final version.
Well, you've been here for one and a half years, so you've seen a majority of the development to this point as well
And I am incredibly thankful for the contributions you and the others did. I don't think this story would have been anywhere as long or fun as it is without these things.
The wiki, you mean? I am afraid this one will need more work before I can present it in a way I feel confident with. I have realized that I won't be able to finish it for the 2-year anniversary, so I decided to do something else to present you something. It didn't fully work out either, but it is in a much more complete state than the wiki at the very least. But once I am done with it, which shouldn't take me too long anymore, I'll continue working on the wiki, which I hope to finish together with Book 1 at this point. That said, writing the actual story will always come first of course, these are just side projects after all. I can assure you, I'll try my best to end every project I start, even if it occasionally takes me a little longer than planned.
Actually I've been the one who has been late, since I wanted to make that anniversary post yesterday already
But anyways, I am sure it will get a lot bigger in the future, hopefully better as well. And thanks to you for giving me the dedication to keep writing this. It's feedback like this that means the world to me and motivates me like nothing else.
Ohh, I can remember when it all started. I always believed it would turn into something great. I'm really thankful for all the effort you've put into the story and I hope it will live long and prosper.
Actually, I still haven't abandoned the ideas of translating it into Russian
It would not be me if I woulnt prepare something for the birthday... :-)