A question though, seeing Red Rain was quite a surprise since it was not indicated when did House Reyne lost it because I always assumed it was stolen when Tywin Lannister killed them all. Is it mentioned anywhere in the books when excatly was it stolen because I can't seem to find any solid proof it was stolen long ago.
There's a lot of questions when it comes to Red Rain as it isn't really confirmed that the blade did belong to House Reyne, people drew the conclusion that Red Rain once belonged to the Reynes because of the sword's name, color and how close Castamere is to the sea. If the Reynes had Red Rain in their possession when Tywin destroyed their house, I imagine he would've surely taken the sword for himself since he always longed for a Valyrian Steel sword for his own family. From what I could tell, Hilmar the Cunning stole Red Rain from some knight with only a wooden club and his wits, but there's no mention of when exactly that happened.
edit: oh, I didn't see that Wildling had already answered
[Tell him you are going to kill Herman] An interesting start. Didn't expect Kyra to get such a long introduction (in terms of a PoV part sin… morece it is her first one) but I'm interested already. I was never a fan of the great houses of Riverlands and the Iron Islands but this chapter is getting me into it. While im not too thrilled by the fact that Kyra is into one of the Hoare family members, but Harrick is the least worst option. The new faction called the sons of the trident seem intriguing and to counter their plans will be tricky I'm guessing.
A question though, seeing Red Rain was quite a surprise since it was not indicated when did House Reyne lost it because I always assumed it was stolen when Tywin Lannister killed them all. Is it mentioned anywhere in the books when excatly was it stolen because I can't seem to find any solid proof it was stolen long ago.
I also see you started the part with a sex scene, how very form fitting for a Greyjoy XD (poor Theon)
An interesting start. Didn't expect Kyra to get such a long introduction (in terms of a PoV part since it is her first one) but I'm interested already. I was never a fan of the great houses of Riverlands and the Iron Islands but this chapter is getting me into it. While im not too thrilled by the fact that Kyra is into one of the Hoare family members, but Harrick is the least worst option. The new faction called the sons of the trident seem intriguing and to counter their plans will be tricky I'm guessing.
I was actually afraid the room would not suffice for a single part, but it turned out to be a perfect length. This is one of the very few parts where I hadn't had to cut anything to make it fit into a single post. I'm also glad to hear the chapter starts to get you more into the Riverlands and Iron Islands stuff, as the houses there will play a major role in the events to come, with Aegon preparing his war against Harren. And well, Kyra will have an important role in these events to come. The Sons of the Trident meanwhile, they have actually been featured before, but very long ago. You might remember the three people Garthon had met in Book 1, back when he and his pal George (who was later killed during the failed assassination) travelled to Maidenpool to acquire poison for Harren Hoare. He met with Jon the Harper, an infamous figure in the Riverlands and high-ranking member of the Son, as well as two of his underlings, Jared the Hunter and Dacey Longbow. All three separated from him in the early Chapter 5, when he returned to Harrenhal. So far, they have been the only Sons to be featured and their goal has also been established. They wish to dispose of the Ironborn rule over the Riverlands, at best by ending the line of Hoare, so that the ancient Kingdom of the Trident can be restored, though they themselves might not be too sure or united on who should eventually lead this Kingdom of the Trident.
A question though, seeing Red Rain was quite a surprise since it was not indicated when did House Reyne lost it because I always assumed it was stolen when Tywin Lannister killed them all. Is it mentioned anywhere in the books when excatly was it stolen because I can't seem to find any solid proof it was stolen long ago.
Wildling and Javier have already given an explanation to this, so let me just add my own thoughts. As it was stated, Red Rain's canonical owner has never been stated, but it is generally accepted by the fandom that it used to belong to House Reyne. Hilmar the Cunning, who stole it from its previous owner, is mentioned in the books as one of the great heroes in the Drumm's history, which implies that he is long dead by the time the story is told, so I assume it happened centuries before. Hilmar is also long dead by the time of FoT, long enough for the theft of the blade to have become something the Reyne family does not speak about too often. It is this heirloom they have lost several generations ago and the current Reyne's, while still feeling humiliated by it, don't mention it all that often anymore, seeing how they have all but given up hope on ever having it returned to them.
I also see you started the part with a sex scene, how very form fitting for a Greyjoy XD (poor Theon)
Well, a Greyjoy gotta do what a Greyjoy gotta do Felt more than right for Kyra, though I must admit, I haven't thought of Theon in that moment. Safe to say, there is simply no way Kyra's storyline could ever suck as much for her as Theon's did for him.
[Tell him you are going to kill Herman] An interesting start. Didn't expect Kyra to get such a long introduction (in terms of a PoV part sin… morece it is her first one) but I'm interested already. I was never a fan of the great houses of Riverlands and the Iron Islands but this chapter is getting me into it. While im not too thrilled by the fact that Kyra is into one of the Hoare family members, but Harrick is the least worst option. The new faction called the sons of the trident seem intriguing and to counter their plans will be tricky I'm guessing.
A question though, seeing Red Rain was quite a surprise since it was not indicated when did House Reyne lost it because I always assumed it was stolen when Tywin Lannister killed them all. Is it mentioned anywhere in the books when excatly was it stolen because I can't seem to find any solid proof it was stolen long ago.
I also see you started the part with a sex scene, how very form fitting for a Greyjoy XD (poor Theon)
[Agree to work with Herman] Seems like an opportunity to me. Worst case scenario is that they can't be trusted and you'll have to kill him. At least I hope that's the worst case scenario.
My reaction to that first scene was a bit odd. It's like I was jealous on Garthon's behalf! XD
So obviously I'm not a fan of that interaction. The person it was with certainly didn't help either. But I shan't judge. Kyra's a grown woman, she can screw whoever she wants. I still disapprove though
Despite my reaction to the first scene I did enjoy this part. Kyra's one of my favorite characters so I'm glad that she's a POV.
Kyra
With a final moan of pleasure, Kyra pushed herself off him, sinking back onto the bed, her fingers clenched around the sheets, as sh… moree tried to regain her breath. She gasped, as did he, though both were smiling. The air in her bedroom was humid, making it all the harder for her to breathe as her smile turned into a grin.
He regained his breath a bit faster than she did, which she noticed as he lifted himself up, closer to her. And just like that, he was above her once more, as their lips met in a passionate embrace. His hand moved around her, grabbing her back, the other one resting on her shoulder, as she could feel his arousal.
As their kiss ended, he moved down, his lips softly touching her neck, while he began to move more wildly. She smiled, one hand clenched into the flesh on his back, the other still on the sheets. “No...”, she mumbled, though he did not hear her. Burying his face between her breasts, she rolled her eyes. … [view original content]
Also I didn't know for sure if you had any ideas about that Aprils Fool's part you were talking about a while ago but I was thinking about the role play D&D of FoT you did sometime a few months back and I'd love to see more of that. After all, it asks the most important questions. Will Jenna's role player become the Barbarian she hopes to be?!?!?
Kyra
With a final moan of pleasure, Kyra pushed herself off him, sinking back onto the bed, her fingers clenched around the sheets, as sh… moree tried to regain her breath. She gasped, as did he, though both were smiling. The air in her bedroom was humid, making it all the harder for her to breathe as her smile turned into a grin.
He regained his breath a bit faster than she did, which she noticed as he lifted himself up, closer to her. And just like that, he was above her once more, as their lips met in a passionate embrace. His hand moved around her, grabbing her back, the other one resting on her shoulder, as she could feel his arousal.
As their kiss ended, he moved down, his lips softly touching her neck, while he began to move more wildly. She smiled, one hand clenched into the flesh on his back, the other still on the sheets. “No...”, she mumbled, though he did not hear her. Burying his face between her breasts, she rolled her eyes. … [view original content]
Kyra
With a final moan of pleasure, Kyra pushed herself off him, sinking back onto the bed, her fingers clenched around the sheets, as sh… moree tried to regain her breath. She gasped, as did he, though both were smiling. The air in her bedroom was humid, making it all the harder for her to breathe as her smile turned into a grin.
He regained his breath a bit faster than she did, which she noticed as he lifted himself up, closer to her. And just like that, he was above her once more, as their lips met in a passionate embrace. His hand moved around her, grabbing her back, the other one resting on her shoulder, as she could feel his arousal.
As their kiss ended, he moved down, his lips softly touching her neck, while he began to move more wildly. She smiled, one hand clenched into the flesh on his back, the other still on the sheets. “No...”, she mumbled, though he did not hear her. Burying his face between her breasts, she rolled her eyes. … [view original content]
My reaction to that first scene was a bit odd. It's like I was jealous on Garthon's behalf! XD
So obviously I'm not a fan of that interaction. The person it was with certainly didn't help either. But I shan't judge. Kyra's a grown woman, she can screw whoever she wants. I still disapprove though
Hehe, I expected not everyone to be happy with Kyra's choice of partner here. Damon isn't either, though for reasons of his own. If Garthon learns about this, well, safe to say he'll be even less happy. Likely quite jealous. That being said, Kyra could have easily chosen worse, even when taking people from outside of the Hoare family into account. But well, I can surely understand you there
Despite my reaction to the first scene I did enjoy this part. Kyra's one of my favorite characters so I'm glad that she's a POV.
Ah, this is great I myself am also happy I decided to make her a PoV. It's crazy that this is a decision I made two years ago but it still feels like something I just decided upon. And the more I plan the Harrenhal storyline for this book, the more I know it was the right decision. There are some highlights of the entire book coming from her storyline in the following chapters.
[Agree to work with Herman] Seems like an opportunity to me. Worst case scenario is that they can't be trusted and you'll have to kill him. … moreAt least I hope that's the worst case scenario.
My reaction to that first scene was a bit odd. It's like I was jealous on Garthon's behalf! XD
So obviously I'm not a fan of that interaction. The person it was with certainly didn't help either. But I shan't judge. Kyra's a grown woman, she can screw whoever she wants. I still disapprove though
Despite my reaction to the first scene I did enjoy this part. Kyra's one of my favorite characters so I'm glad that she's a POV.
Hm, I would love that as well! That was probably the spontaneous FoT shitpost I am the most happy with I wanted to release more on the 1st of April, but being out of town for that day made it impossible, as I simply had no time. Maybe next 1st of April I get another shot. Would be a first time for me, actually managing to release an April Fool's part, but well, I'd surely love that. Good thing is, until then I will have plenty new material to work with
[Agree to work with Herman]
Also I didn't know for sure if you had any ideas about that Aprils Fool's part you were talking about a while… more ago but I was thinking about the role play D&D of FoT you did sometime a few months back and I'd love to see more of that. After all, it asks the most important questions. Will Jenna's role player become the Barbarian she hopes to be?!?!?
Well, I see this as a choice between these two sides Kyra constantly has to decide on. She has reason to kill Herman Irons, if he is truly behind the death of these guards. They have been her sworn soldiers, so she's obviously angry. Killing him would be partially revenge. On top of that, she is sworn to the throne, as captain of Harrenhal's guard, so she has a duty to kill Harren's enemies. A rebel, who had the means to kill half a dozen gate guards and hang a man from the gatehouse without anyone noticing is surely a threat to House Hoare, so by killing him, she'd dispose of a particularly dangerous enemy of Harren.
However, it should be noted that giving in to her anger here and telling Damon that she's going to kill this man is not the same as actually killing him. It means she is more open to this than to the prospect of working with him on her brother's behalf, but the actual deed won't be done just with this choice.
Kyra is going to tell Damon that she is going to kill Herman Irons
Well, that surely was an interesting choice. I was curious what you would pick here, considering that though Damon is opposed to the Hoare's and this little scheme of his is likely to advance his cause, you know little about him and his own ultimate goals, so I was not sure if you'd be willing to trust him. Turns out, the answer is no, which is quite reasonable. Now, Kyra is going to do her duty, weeding out Harren Hoare's enemies, weakening the Riverlands rebels and strengthening her liege, but also not supporting Damon in his goals. At least that's what she is going to intend in this very moment and it remains to be seen if this is for the better or the worse. Ultimately, Damon knows his sister better than anyone else, so it is not unthinkable that he has planned for such an eventuality. He is not naive and while he would have likely been pleased if she would have been willing to broker an alliance with this Herman person and the Sons of the Trident, he won't be foolish enough to put all of his hopes into Kyra fully commiting to assist him.
The next part should be out today. I hope to finish it relatively soon, though I have something to take care of right now. Afterwards, I should realistically be able to finish the part quickly. It will be the beginning of Edrick's storyline in Book 2. Unlike all the other storylines, Edrick had no timeskip, having already skipped two months of slow, careful journey from the North to the Riverlands. There, he met the self-styled knight Reymond Mormont, who actually turned out to be a woman in knight's armour, as well as the traveller Jorid, both of whom had gotten into a dispute. Settling it with a duel, Alphyn Frostborn defended Jorid's side against Reymond, winning a duel against her. They were, however, stopped by the arrival of Ironborn, led by a certain Gawayne Schaffrot. As it turned out, Leo had betrayed them, selling Edrick's highborn companions to the Ironborn in exchange for help to find Alys on his own. Gawayne informed them that he will bring them to the house that owns the lands they were travelling through at the moment, the small Ironborn house of Codd, whose lady, Viveka, would decide on what to do with this group of travellers. Before that, however, Edrick decided to let out some anger at Leo's betrayal by punching the hunter straight in the face.
Also, there is a tiny announcement to make. I will be gone over the weekend, from Friday to late Monday, visiting my grandfather for a few days. This won't mean much of a break for you, but I will close the voting a day later than usual, on Monday, where the next part, Jenna's, should likely be as good as ready. I would also like to ask of you not to send me any PM's on Friday or Saturday, as this bloody annoying PM bug will make them inaccessible to me by the time I return on Monday and since I can't answer to anything but the most basic of questions from my phone. I fully expect to get too many notifications from votes for them to remain in my immediate feed (though Monday itself and maybe Sunday should generally be safe for me to see the message when I am back). Seriously, Telltale web team, restoring that option is five minutes of work at most. It's been almost two months since you broke the forums, get someone to fix it already, jeez
The Voting is closed!
Kyra is going to tell Damon that she is going to kill Herman Irons
Well, that surely was an interesting choice. … moreI was curious what you would pick here, considering that though Damon is opposed to the Hoare's and this little scheme of his is likely to advance his cause, you know little about him and his own ultimate goals, so I was not sure if you'd be willing to trust him. Turns out, the answer is no, which is quite reasonable. Now, Kyra is going to do her duty, weeding out Harren Hoare's enemies, weakening the Riverlands rebels and strengthening her liege, but also not supporting Damon in his goals. At least that's what she is going to intend in this very moment and it remains to be seen if this is for the better or the worse. Ultimately, Damon knows his sister better than anyone else, so it is not unthinkable that he has planned for such an eventuality. He is not naive and while he would have likely been pleased … [view original content]
Uh... I really don't like the choice that won. My main fear is that in the long term Kyra will have a certain amount of loyalty to the Hoares as a result of this choice and it might even sour my love for her character. I really don't want that to happen. Worst case scenario is that she chooses the Hoares over Damon. That would piss me off royally. My hope is that this is soley for her men that died for no good reason and not out of any loyalty to the Hoares, but we'll see...
Yeah it's annoying how you can only see 10 notifications. I actually woke up to find that I had 13 or 14 (possibly more) notifications and I was really bitter about not being able to read them all. It's likely that they were just comments on a discussion of mine but I don't know for sure.
On a brighter note, I'm glad we're getting some team Edrick!
The Voting is closed!
Kyra is going to tell Damon that she is going to kill Herman Irons
Well, that surely was an interesting choice. … moreI was curious what you would pick here, considering that though Damon is opposed to the Hoare's and this little scheme of his is likely to advance his cause, you know little about him and his own ultimate goals, so I was not sure if you'd be willing to trust him. Turns out, the answer is no, which is quite reasonable. Now, Kyra is going to do her duty, weeding out Harren Hoare's enemies, weakening the Riverlands rebels and strengthening her liege, but also not supporting Damon in his goals. At least that's what she is going to intend in this very moment and it remains to be seen if this is for the better or the worse. Ultimately, Damon knows his sister better than anyone else, so it is not unthinkable that he has planned for such an eventuality. He is not naive and while he would have likely been pleased … [view original content]
“There it is”, Dante whispered at Edrick. “Faronhall. Named after their previous owners, before the whole house was wiped out by Black Harren a decade ago” He clenched his fists and a grim look appeared on Edrick's face. “Given to House Codd as a favour”, the young knight added. “'Though All Men Do Despise Us', those are their words, but they are loyal to a fault for all I know”
“Splendid”, Edrick growled. “So we're captives of a bunch of lickspittles. What chances do we have?” To this, Dante shrugged. “Maybe the lady he mentioned is reasonable”, he brought up. “Far shot, but they are all greedy. A ransom could convince her to let us go”
Edrick sighed. “Your family might pay”, he said. “Alphyn's will, maybe even Reymond's. I have a sister, but she's poor and has children of her own to take care of” He was going to continue, but felt a force dragging him forwards by the chains around his wrists. “No talking”, Gawayne growled. “We're there” With this, he pointed at the building in the distance.
The Codd's castle was small, not much larger than House Boleyn's Burmstone Keep and as a result outright tiny for a house directly sworn to the throne, though quite fortified at the same time. There were heavy stone walls, surrounding a small courtyard, with a tower house as the keep and two smaller towers to each side. The most important feature were the two gates, one on each side of the road, with the castle lying in its centre, no way to go around for any cart that wanted to travel down the road in either direction.
Edrick and his companions were led in chains, surrounded by Ironborn and unarmed. The hedge knight himself was tied to Gawayne's horse, which slowly rode ahead, meaning he himself was second in line to enter the castle. And then there was Leo, walking slightly to the side of the Ironborn host, still holding his nose, even if it stopped bleeding some time ago.
Gawayne looked over his shoulder, smirking at the chained Edrick, who responded with a glare. In return, the leader of the soldiers grabbed the chain he had tied to his horse, slightly pulling at it and causing Edrick to stagger. “Keep your composure, Northerner”, he said and his men chuckled. “For you will meet a lady soon”
This caused another man to outright laugh. “Not much of a lady on Viv”, he spoke and Gawayne gave him a silent glare until the man stopped laughing. “As I said, keep your composure. And mind your manners, all of you” He smirked at his prisoners. “You will meet a great woman, a fair woman”, he proclaimed. “She'll decide on what to do with you”
“My family won't stand for this!”, Alphyn roared loudly and Gawayne shrugged, without even looking at him. “What choice do they have?”, he asked. “Leading an army south of the Neck? Besieging the castle, in Harren Hoare's dominion?” He shook his head. “I think not. At best, they'll silently pay their ransom and you can go your way. At worst...”
The rest of his sentence got drowned out by the loud horns that echoed from the walls, as the door got opened. Gawayne stopped talking, hammering a hand onto his chest, before raising the same hand, now closed to a fist. “YES!”, he shouted. “Schaffrot is back!”
As the group rode through the gate, the soldiers quickly split up, some of them heading for the barracks, buildings that took over a major part of the courtyard. Others were pushing the rest of Edrick's companions into the centre. Gawayne himself however stirred his horse to the stables, forcing Edrick to stumble after the animal.
It was already close to evening, a cool breeze coming from north, which was one possible explanation for the lack of men on the general courtyard. Edrick spotted a few dozen guards, a couple of servants, but not as much as he would have expected from one of the few castles in the northernmost parts of the Riverlands, as small as the whole building was.
“Normund”, the Ironborn said and one of the stableboys hurried over. He was a lanky boy, gaunt and with long, dark hair, as well as small, brown eyes, a sullen look in them that was fitting for the bleak, empty courtyard. “Ser”, he greeted him, as Gawayne descended from his horse. “We weren't expecting you back today”
“Something unexpected happened”, the Ironborn replied. “We... met a few guests. The lady would surely like to talk about this” With a smirk, he patted the boy on the shoulder. “Means Lady Sylvi will be there as well”, he said and chuckled as the boy blushed and quickly turned to the horse. “Just saying... maybe you want to be there as well”
Normund was not replying, which the Ironborn took as a sign to continue. “I mean, I could just tell her”, he stated, to which the stableboy shook his head. “Don't”, he mumbled and Gawayne raised an eyebrow. “What was that?”, he asked and Normund glanced at him. “Don't”, he repeated. “Please”
To this, the Ironborn took a step towards him. “Alright”, he agreed. “Your secret is safe with my indifference” Almost like a comrade, he put an arm around him, at which Normund tensed up notably. “Of course, maybe I make a move myself. I can see why you like her. Might not be the greatest beauty, but she has pretty eyes. Decent hips as well”
His fingers dug into Normund's shoulder, who was, by now, notably tense and completely silent. “What do you say?”, the soldier asked. “Sure, a man would protest, but you're a Riverlander. Hardly anything manly about you” He chuckled, as the boy continued to be silent. “Figures”, he stated, sounding almost disappointed at the boy's lack of a response. “Then do your job, little fish. Extra rations for my horse, she did good work today”
Still grinning, Gawayne removed Edrick's chains from the saddle, slightly shaking his head as Normund led the animal away. “Heh, what a sissy”, he said, just loud enough for Normund to hear it. Edrick could swear that he saw the young man's fist clenched around the horse's reigns, but just then, the soldier forced him to turn around. “Alright then, Ser”, he said in a mocking tone. “Just like this, to the Great Hall”
Other soldiers led the rest of the group. There was Alphyn, walking with wrath in his gaze. Dante, who took this imprisonment the best of them all, being calm and observant, his brown eyes not betraying any intention. Darreth was almost raging though, as he tried to tear at his iron handcuffs, to little avail. The same applied to Jorid, whose frown was sharp as a knife. Reymond at last looked to the ground, the Ironborn pushing her forwards having a visible grin on his face. Other soldiers were grinning as they saw her, pointing at her and there was more than one bawdy joke made.
Throughout all this, Edrick was not looking at the Great Hall, not even at his captor, but at Leo. His nose blue and swollen, that was a tiny relief. He was following silently, sulking maybe out of pain, maybe out of shame. A stupid boy, who made a mistake, but none Edrick could forgive. He got what he deserved and deep down, the knight hoped the Ironborn would screw them over, like they did with anyone that made deals with them. And while he knew little of the Codd's, what he had heard was that they were despised, even among their own kind.
With a creak, the large doors to the keep opened, revealing the Great Hall right behind. It was dimly lit, but a well-placed fire pit kept it pleasantly warm, while the setting sun from the window at the other end of the long room threw large shadows onto the carpet that covered a pathway from the door to the other end, as well as one the walls, adorned by silver codfishes on a field of black.
Half a dozen guards stood in the room, three on each side, as Gawayne and his soldiers led their prisoners through it. They were approaching a small, wooden throne, which a woman was resting on. She was perhaps in Edrick's age, lean and well-toned, with sunburnt, freckled skin. Clad in leather, she had little of a lady, her pale blonde hair cut off at the shoulder and tied into several wild braids. Sharp, hazel eyes watched every move of the approaching party, her thin lips pressed together. Sitting on this chair, this small throne, she had her legs crossed and a thick spear resting on her lap. To her left, a net was lying on the ground, a heavy one of the kind Edrick's brother-in-law would use to catch fish with, home at White Harbour.
There was another woman standing to her right, far younger and more in line with how Edrick imagined a lady. Like the one on the throne, she wore black and silver, but not leather, but a genuine dress, quite a fine one at that. Looking nothing too out of the ordinary, with a roundish face, she was of a slim build. Her blonde hair was a bit longer and darker than the other woman's and she had vibrant green eyes. Her arms crossed in front of her, she seemed more hesitant to witness this meeting.
“Lady Viveka!”, Gawayne greeted the one on the throne. A sudden, sharp pain flashed through Edrick's leg, as the soldier kicked him into the back of the kneecap. With a groan of anger, he went on his knees, sending a glare at Gawayne. “I've got a gift for you”
Viveka Codd was silent for a moment. Carefully, she eyed each member of the group, her gaze lingering a bit longer on Leo, the only one standing, then back at Edrick, who had been brought down the closest to her. She raised an eyebrow, though her general expression remained indecipherable.
“Thralls, Gawayne?”, she asked, as she rose from the chair, still holding the spear in one hand. She was tall for a woman, yet nowhere near Edrick's size and as she walked down the two steps that led down to the floor, she showed the cautious movements of a warrior. “I can't recall having asked for thralls” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Nor gifts in general”, she added. “This is not our way”
“Consider them prisoners then, mylady”, Gawayne was quick to explain, as he looked at Leo. “They were captured by force, with help from this fine man” Leo gulped as Viveka's piercing stare hit him. Edrick now saw the bruise he had given him clearly and despite their general situation, he felt satisfaction at this.
“Your name?”, the warrior woman asked sharply and Leo bit down onto his lower lip. “Leo York, m'lady”, he mumbled and she raised an eyebrow. “Leo York!”, he repeated, louder now. “My name is Leo and I am a hunter. Simple folk from the North” He put a hand onto his chest. “I have come to your lands to find the woman I love”
This caused a slightly amused streak to appear on Viveka's face. “Now that is something new”, she admitted. “Your lady love has gone missing and you ask House Codd for help” She gave him a look of slight interest. “Is there a particular reason you come to my keep for this?”
Leo gave her a swift nod. “Her name is Alys”, he said. “Alys of House Boleyn, sworn to Karstark. Her own father wanted to cart her off to some lordling he never even met, so she ran away” Viveka exchanged a look with the younger woman, who was looking more friendly, perhaps almost sympathetic to Leo's story.
“Takes some bravery”, Viveka admitted and the other woman took a step closer. “So she has left the North”, she deduced and Viveka put a hand onto her shoulder. “Better let me talk to him, Sylvi”, she spoke, sternly but not unfriendly. “Don't bother with him if he's just wasting our time”
“I am not wasting your time”, Leo spoke up, to which Viveka gave him a thin smile. “We'll see about that, Northerner”, she replied. “There's been many cases where your kind did nothing but waste my time. Raids where all I got was a crate filled with weak copper or old fish” She shook her head. “You'd be the first Northerner to actually not waste my time”
The younger woman, Sylvi, tilted her head. “And what if he's not wasting our time?”, she asked. “I'd like to hear what you have to say, friend” There was genuine interest in her voice, a certain encouragement that caused Leo to continue with his tale.
“I love her”, the young man said, his tone pleading now, while Dante raised an eyebrow. “And she was taken from me. To be sold to her father's liege, like cattle!” His tone grew more fierce and by now, he hardly seemed to notice the nasty bruise Edrick had given him. “When she ran away, she had to pass through your lands. I... I just want to find her, want to keep her safe. For your help, I will repay you”
Viveka gave him a nod. “So you bring me... these”, she stated. The hilt of her spear pushed against Edrick's chest, not with much strength behind it, though he sent a glare into her direction regardless. “Prisoners”, Leo said and Viveka looked at Edrick, not responding to his glare. “Defiant prisoners”, she replied. “Who are they?”
“Leo, don't...!”, Darreth was quick to say, though Gawayne cut him off. “Silence!”, he barked. “The next of you who speaks out of line, I'll kick him in the face” Viveka looked on, quietly raising an eyebrow at her subordinate's tone. “Continue”, she ordered and Leo gave her a nod. “This one is Dante Karstark”, he said, pointing at Dante.
The young knight sighed, lowering his head, though there was frustration in his gaze. Viveka however seemed more interested now. “Karstark?”, she stated. “You're from that part of the North then... never facing true iron. You don't fear the seas as your westernmost brethren do”
“We have our own raiders”, Dante mumbled. “No matter if it's Ironborn or Skagosi or Wildlings, every Northerner knows those that want to take what is ours” His voice gleamed with defiance and Viveka nodded. “Can't say I have ever seen a Skagosi either”, she replied. “But I heard of Wildlings. Be assured, we're none of them. We can probably reach an agreement, unlike your northern neighbours” Now, a streak of curiosity appeared on her face and for all their differences, this one made her seem almost similar to Sylvi. “Though tell me, what is someone as important as you doing so far down here, with such a small group of companions?”
“I am the betrothed Leo mentioned”, Dante admitted. “Lady Alys was to marry me to bind House Boleyn closer to my uncle's house” He gave Leo a glare of an intensity Edrick had never seen on the young man before. “With what I have learned today, it seems clear to me why Leo wanted me out of the picture”
“Quite clear, yes”, Viveka agreed. “Doesn't make your journey any less foolish. Your kind and mine, we're not on good terms and you've decided to come to our lands regardless. Out of love?” To this, Dante shook his head. “Duty”, he corrected her. “I am the reason the lady left her home. I am to bring her back to her father and brother”
“Interesting”, the woman stated, in a tone that made it impossible to guess if she was truly interested, or even just entertained. She was at least listening, though she quickly looked back at Leo. “And the rest of these?”
“This one is his squire, Darreth”, Leo explained and wisely, Darreth was silent, though he was the one the most visibly angry. “And here we have Alphyn Frostborn, firstborn son of Lord Lionel and heir to House Frostborn” Now slightly impressed, Viveka took a step towards Alphyn. “A noble heir...”, she mumbled. “This will bring quite a ransom” She nodded at Alphyn. “Ser, is your family a rich one?”
Alphyn sighed, though as he took a moment too long to answer, Gawayne was quick to put a hand onto his neck. “Lady Viveka asked you a question”, he growled, to which the woman herself slightly glared at him. Alphyn frowned. “Not much”, the knight finally admitted. “But they will pay a pretty sum for me”
Now, the hint of joy was seen on Viveka's face. She even smiled thinly, though it did little to make her seem any less intimidating. “I am glad we understand each other”, she stated, before she looked at Leo. Maybe encouraged by her smile, the boy showed a grin of his own, one that made Edrick wish he would have punched him harder. “You see the woman?”, he asked.
Instantly, Viveka's smile was gone. “Of course I do, I am not blind”, she hissed. “Quit playing around. Who is she?” Leo took a step away from her, before he took a deep breath. “Reymond Mormont”, he revealed and Reymond sighed, looking onto the ground.
It was the first time that Viveka looked downright baffled and the same applied to the young Sylvi. “Mormont!”, the warrior woman said. “A fucking Mormont in our halls” She shook her head, her eyes gleaming with excitement now. “That is unexpected” The look she gave Reymond was curious, now one of genuine interest. “I never knew old Worland has a daughter”, she said. “Nor did I know she's so... formidable”
Reymond looked at her now, the first time she actually looked at anyone since their arrival at Faronhall. “Formidable?”, she asked and Viveka nodded. “I am not trying to mock you, mylady”, she assured her. “Me of all people” She crouched down, so that she was able to look face to face with the kneeling Mormont woman. “But this is quite an intriguing situation”, she added. “We all know your father. Half of my men has fought him. Gawayne got a nice scar from the bear himself”
“Send her to the barracks, Viv”, Gawayne offered, to which Viveka gave him a sharp glare. The man gulped. “Lady Viveka, I mean”, he mumbled quietly, though her glare remained. “I alone will decide what to do with Lady Mormont”, she said. “But her house is wealthy and powerful. Missing out on such an opportunity for petty revenge?” She shook her head. “We will have our share, one way or the other” With these words, she looked back at Leo. “The final two?”, she asked, momentarily glancing at Edrick again.
Leo however first pointed at Jorid. “This one's Joren... Jarod... something like that”, he said. “I honestly forgot. He's not important” Jorid nearly jumped up and though he was capable of holding back just this little bit, he nonetheless raised his voice. “Jorid!”, he barked. “Wolfborne. You lot murdered my unit. You murdered my brother!” He glared at Viveka, not the slightest bit intimidated. “Get it over with!”
It was in this moment that Gawayne's heavy boot hit him right in the face, sending him to the floor, where he remained lying, not moving. “I warned you!”, the soldier said, as Viveka narrowed her eyes. “This is quite enough, Gawayne”, she ordered. “You are out of line!”
Instantly, Gawayne's behaviour changed. He gulped, before giving her a nod. “Of course, Lady Viveka”, he mumbled. “I apologize” She shook her head. “It's a bit too late for that now”, she said, pointing at the unconscious Jorid. “You will not act without my order again, have I made myself clear?” The soldier gulped. “Yes, captain”, he agreed.
Pleased by this display of loyalty, the woman turned to Edrick at last. “And whom do we have here?”, she asked, walking closer towards him. “The strong, silent warrior... How decidedly intriguing” She looked down upon him, while Edrick glared up. “Will you tell me your name?”, she asked.
Edrick did not reply. Breathing a bit faster, he merely continued to glare at the woman. Viveka seemed almost amused by this. “No manners”, she chuckled. “I don't know if I should be amused or angered by this... or if I should outright kill you for being trouble” For a moment the grip around her spear tightened. “But let's do it this way then”, she said and put a hand onto her chest. “I am Viveka Codd, steward of Faronhall. The young woman over there is my cousin Sylvi, daughter of Lord Quellon, who resides at Harrenhal with our great king”
A soft, friendly smile appeared on Sylvi's face, drastically out of place for her surroundings, the frown on Gawayne's face and the grim amusements on Viveka's. “Hello”, she said, slightly raising a hand to greet him, though her smile faded as Viveka glared at her. “Now you know our names”, the warrior woman said. “It would be only fair to reply in kind”
Uh... I really don't like the choice that won. My main fear is that in the long term Kyra will have a certain amount of loyalty to the Hoares as a result of this choice and it might even sour my love for her character. I really don't want that to happen. Worst case scenario is that she chooses the Hoares over Damon. That would piss me off royally. My hope is that this is soley for her men that died for no good reason and not out of any loyalty to the Hoares, but we'll see...
An understandable fear you have there. Kyra has a certain amount of loyalty to House Hoare, because she is someone who takes oaths quite seriously and because Harren Hoare hasn't actually ever treated her badly. At the same time, she knows that her brother has strong arguments as well and she arguably loves him more than she could ever love her duty for her king. It is still enough to make her majorly conflicted about this whole situation. However, her going after the rebels here is mostly motivated out of anger that men she knew, men she was supposed to lead, have been butchered. At least in this moment, her enemies are Hoare's enemies, but that won't always be the case.
Yeah it's annoying how you can only see 10 notifications. I actually woke up to find that I had 13 or 14 (possibly more) notifications and I was really bitter about not being able to read them all. It's likely that they were just comments on a discussion of mine but I don't know for sure.
I know, right? And it cannot possibly be something that is that hard to fix. Last time, when the thread edit button was still gone, it literally wasn't hard to fix, as mods still had the option and we all had the workaround, meaning all that had to be done was to check some box that enabled common users to see and use the edit button as well. I have reason enough to believe that it is the same now, that someone at Telltale forgot to enable the "more" option on our feeds and as a result has it currently invisible for us. It is really not hard for them to fix, but it makes me only further disillusioned with Telltale on a technical level that they are unable to get someone to spend five minutes of his time to fix it. By now, I am pretty sure nobody even works on it, because two months without any progress, that is just plain inexcusable. At least last time, when they really fucked the forums up, we still had some staff member over to confirm that this is worked on, even if it took them a whole year to fix something as simple as the edit button.
Uh... I really don't like the choice that won. My main fear is that in the long term Kyra will have a certain amount of loyalty to the Hoar… morees as a result of this choice and it might even sour my love for her character. I really don't want that to happen. Worst case scenario is that she chooses the Hoares over Damon. That would piss me off royally. My hope is that this is soley for her men that died for no good reason and not out of any loyalty to the Hoares, but we'll see...
Yeah it's annoying how you can only see 10 notifications. I actually woke up to find that I had 13 or 14 (possibly more) notifications and I was really bitter about not being able to read them all. It's likely that they were just comments on a discussion of mine but I don't know for sure.
On a brighter note, I'm glad we're getting some team Edrick!
[Tell her your name] The lady has proven to be impatient and dislikes those who waste her time. Seems wise to just answer. Especially since she holds no ill willl towards Edrick, let's not give her a reason to. Plus.... I really like her!
As I said I really like Viveka already. She's really intriguing so far and I find her really likeable. She's a very no nonsense type of woman and yet she's not needlessly cruel. She was even surprisingly sympathetic towards Dante.
Fucking, Leo... He gets on my nerves a little more everytime he speaks. I sympathize but he just seems like a love struck idiot. He betrayed those that allowed him to accompany them to find Alys. I'm beginning to wonder if loyalty is a concept he's familiar with. I think Leo's problem is that he sees this situation in a very black & white sort of way. In his eyes Alys is a victim and the Karstarks (particularly Dante) are evil lords out for power.
Speaking of Alys... any chance we'll be seeing her again anytime soon? I really enjoy her story as well.
Edrick
“There it is”, Dante whispered at Edrick. “Faronhall. Named after their previous owners, before the whole house was wiped out by B… morelack Harren a decade ago” He clenched his fists and a grim look appeared on Edrick's face. “Given to House Codd as a favour”, the young knight added. “'Though All Men Do Despise Us', those are their words, but they are loyal to a fault for all I know”
“Splendid”, Edrick growled. “So we're captives of a bunch of lickspittles. What chances do we have?” To this, Dante shrugged. “Maybe the lady he mentioned is reasonable”, he brought up. “Far shot, but they are all greedy. A ransom could convince her to let us go”
Edrick sighed. “Your family might pay”, he said. “Alphyn's will, maybe even Reymond's. I have a sister, but she's poor and has children of her own to take care of” He was going to continue, but felt a force dragging him forwards by the chains around his wrists. “No talking”, Gawayne growled. “… [view original content]
[Tell her your name] Remaining defiant won't be good, and even if he's not worth much ransom, he could try to convince her his employers would pay (as unlikely as it is). And I get the feeling she's interested in him.
Makes me wonder why such a nice girl like Sylvi could come from a House that is despised even by the other Ironborn. Maybe she got it from her mother.
Edrick
“There it is”, Dante whispered at Edrick. “Faronhall. Named after their previous owners, before the whole house was wiped out by B… morelack Harren a decade ago” He clenched his fists and a grim look appeared on Edrick's face. “Given to House Codd as a favour”, the young knight added. “'Though All Men Do Despise Us', those are their words, but they are loyal to a fault for all I know”
“Splendid”, Edrick growled. “So we're captives of a bunch of lickspittles. What chances do we have?” To this, Dante shrugged. “Maybe the lady he mentioned is reasonable”, he brought up. “Far shot, but they are all greedy. A ransom could convince her to let us go”
Edrick sighed. “Your family might pay”, he said. “Alphyn's will, maybe even Reymond's. I have a sister, but she's poor and has children of her own to take care of” He was going to continue, but felt a force dragging him forwards by the chains around his wrists. “No talking”, Gawayne growled. “… [view original content]
Edrick
“There it is”, Dante whispered at Edrick. “Faronhall. Named after their previous owners, before the whole house was wiped out by B… morelack Harren a decade ago” He clenched his fists and a grim look appeared on Edrick's face. “Given to House Codd as a favour”, the young knight added. “'Though All Men Do Despise Us', those are their words, but they are loyal to a fault for all I know”
“Splendid”, Edrick growled. “So we're captives of a bunch of lickspittles. What chances do we have?” To this, Dante shrugged. “Maybe the lady he mentioned is reasonable”, he brought up. “Far shot, but they are all greedy. A ransom could convince her to let us go”
Edrick sighed. “Your family might pay”, he said. “Alphyn's will, maybe even Reymond's. I have a sister, but she's poor and has children of her own to take care of” He was going to continue, but felt a force dragging him forwards by the chains around his wrists. “No talking”, Gawayne growled. “… [view original content]
As I said I really like Viveka already. She's really intriguing so far and I find her really likeable. She's a very no nonsense type of woman and yet she's not needlessly cruel. She was even surprisingly sympathetic towards Dante.
Huh, I did not expect you to like her already, but this is surely a pleasant surprise! Indeed, she's not particularly evil or anything like that. She is an Ironborn raider though, so that means she has her darker sides as well. A Harmund she is not though and you are right, she has not acted needlessly cruel to her new prisoners, even having a sort of normal interaction with Dante.
Fucking, Leo... He gets on my nerves a little more everytime he speaks. I sympathize but he just seems like a love struck idiot. He betrayed those that allowed him to accompany them to find Alys. I'm beginning to wonder if loyalty is a concept he's familiar with. I think Leo's problem is that he sees this situation in a very black & white sort of way. In his eyes Alys is a victim and the Karstarks (particularly Dante) are evil lords out for power.
Aye, Leo is blind with love here. He cannot fathom the thought that Alys is betrothed to Dante and the fact that he comes closer to being with her than he himself ever is is the source of his hatred for House Karstark. He genuinely considers them evil and only out to make Alys' life miserable and the letter with orders from Brogar, which Leo found in Dante's room, they don't make it any easier, despite the fact that Dante outright said he had no intention of ever going through with these orders.
Speaking of Alys... any chance we'll be seeing her again anytime soon? I really enjoy her story as well.
Yes, she will be back reasonably soon. Jenna will come first and Willfred as well, but then, I see no reason not to feature her. I decided for several characters not to have parts of their own in this chapter (though they will all return in the next one), but Alys' I will keep in this chapter still.
[Tell her your name] The lady has proven to be impatient and dislikes those who waste her time. Seems wise to just answer. Especially since … moreshe holds no ill willl towards Edrick, let's not give her a reason to. Plus.... I really like her!
As I said I really like Viveka already. She's really intriguing so far and I find her really likeable. She's a very no nonsense type of woman and yet she's not needlessly cruel. She was even surprisingly sympathetic towards Dante.
Fucking, Leo... He gets on my nerves a little more everytime he speaks. I sympathize but he just seems like a love struck idiot. He betrayed those that allowed him to accompany them to find Alys. I'm beginning to wonder if loyalty is a concept he's familiar with. I think Leo's problem is that he sees this situation in a very black & white sort of way. In his eyes Alys is a victim and the Karstarks (particularly Dante) are evil lords out for power.
Speaking of Alys... any chance we'll be seeing her again anytime soon? I really enjoy her story as well.
Makes me wonder why such a nice girl like Sylvi could come from a House that is despised even by the other Ironborn. Maybe she got it from her mother.
Well, you sort of answered it yourself there. Sylvi comes from a house that is despised by the other Ironborn and mostly by them. Now think about what virtues they generally despise. Though the Codd's to be fair, don't get their bad reputation due to morality, but due to their origins as a house founded by the lowest of Ironborn society. Sylvi herself stands for a new generation of Ironborn that was actually born in the Riverlands, a natural side effect of keeping a territory occupied for a hundred years. Once I'll get to flesh her out a bit more, you will see that she has not too much in common with ordinary Ironborn as they are typically imagined, despite her parents both being pureblooded Ironborn themselves. They became harsh and brutal due to the harsh, brutal landscape they grew up in. Take away the landscape, give them fertile, rich ground and they grow up to be different people.
[Tell her your name] Remaining defiant won't be good, and even if he's not worth much ransom, he could try to convince her his employers wou… moreld pay (as unlikely as it is). And I get the feeling she's interested in him.
Makes me wonder why such a nice girl like Sylvi could come from a House that is despised even by the other Ironborn. Maybe she got it from her mother.
Edrick
“There it is”, Dante whispered at Edrick. “Faronhall. Named after their previous owners, before the whole house was wiped out by B… morelack Harren a decade ago” He clenched his fists and a grim look appeared on Edrick's face. “Given to House Codd as a favour”, the young knight added. “'Though All Men Do Despise Us', those are their words, but they are loyal to a fault for all I know”
“Splendid”, Edrick growled. “So we're captives of a bunch of lickspittles. What chances do we have?” To this, Dante shrugged. “Maybe the lady he mentioned is reasonable”, he brought up. “Far shot, but they are all greedy. A ransom could convince her to let us go”
Edrick sighed. “Your family might pay”, he said. “Alphyn's will, maybe even Reymond's. I have a sister, but she's poor and has children of her own to take care of” He was going to continue, but felt a force dragging him forwards by the chains around his wrists. “No talking”, Gawayne growled. “… [view original content]
[Tell her your name] Well, I really don't see a reason not to cooperate here. Staying silent is not going to do anything to help them get out of this situation, on the contrary, it will just irritate Viveka and surely make this only more complicated (or painful) for at least Edrick himself, if not the whole party.
Anyway, I find myself much more intrigued of this Codd family than I ever expected to be. Viveka especially seems like a really interesting character. She definitely gave me the impression of being a warrior, possibly quite an accomplished one as well, considering how much respect Gawayne and the rest of the soldiers seem to have for her. She also seems fairly reasonable, at least from what we saw here, and she was far from the most hateable character in this part. That is a contest between Leo and Gawayne. Well, looking at it completely objectively, Gawayne is probably a much worse person than Leo, but Leo is just being such an idiot that I have to hate him. And when he grinned, I had the exact reaction with Edrick - should've punched that son of a bitch harder
Well, I'm certainly interested to see how will our Northern fellas get themselves out of this mess.
Edrick
“There it is”, Dante whispered at Edrick. “Faronhall. Named after their previous owners, before the whole house was wiped out by B… morelack Harren a decade ago” He clenched his fists and a grim look appeared on Edrick's face. “Given to House Codd as a favour”, the young knight added. “'Though All Men Do Despise Us', those are their words, but they are loyal to a fault for all I know”
“Splendid”, Edrick growled. “So we're captives of a bunch of lickspittles. What chances do we have?” To this, Dante shrugged. “Maybe the lady he mentioned is reasonable”, he brought up. “Far shot, but they are all greedy. A ransom could convince her to let us go”
Edrick sighed. “Your family might pay”, he said. “Alphyn's will, maybe even Reymond's. I have a sister, but she's poor and has children of her own to take care of” He was going to continue, but felt a force dragging him forwards by the chains around his wrists. “No talking”, Gawayne growled. “… [view original content]
Let's pretend we are mute. These Codds, descended from salt wives and thralls, are idiots. Don't let them learn anything.
Well, silence is a valid option, never more than here. Of course, it is mostly a personal thing with Edrick, as Leo is sure to reveal his identity regardless.
Did I mention I don't like Leo? Well, I don't. Can't wait to see what horrible fate is in store for him.
I have a feeling, you don't like Leo An understandable feeling for him and he's not really helping his cause here. Of course, from his own perspective it's making perfect sense, getting rid of the rival for Alys' affection and getting a new ally in form of House Codd. That doesn't change the fact how objectively stupid his actions are though. Love makes him do truly crazy things.
Anyway, let's follow Darreth's lead. That guy I got some respect for. We can plan to escape and give Gawayne "Sneeze" Schaffrot a kick in the crotch.
Aye, wouldn't that be glorious? As someone who knows Gawayne quite well, I can confirm he deserves a kick in the crotch, or maybe two dozen. However, he is surely a most formidable foe here and getting into a position where you can kick him might not be all that easy.
[Remain silent]
Let's pretend we are mute. These Codds, descended from salt wives and thralls, are idiots. Don't let them learn anything.… more
Did I mention I don't like Leo? Well, I don't. Can't wait to see what horrible fate is in store for him.
Anyway, let's follow Darreth's lead. That guy I got some respect for. We can plan to escape and give Gawayne "Sneeze" Schaffrot a kick in the crotch.
You're right, which is ironically what Ironborn hate, becoming softer and nicer for living like greenlanders. And they love to ignore the benefits of living like the greenlanders because they feel it is their rightful place being on top of them, which only makes the rest of the continent hate them even more.
Just to be sure where is Faronhall located, since the lands of the Northern Green Fork technically belong to House Frey, Haigh, Erenford, Mallister and possibly Charlton?
Makes me wonder why such a nice girl like Sylvi could come from a House that is despised even by the other Ironborn. Maybe she got it from h… moreer mother.
Well, you sort of answered it yourself there. Sylvi comes from a house that is despised by the other Ironborn and mostly by them. Now think about what virtues they generally despise. Though the Codd's to be fair, don't get their bad reputation due to morality, but due to their origins as a house founded by the lowest of Ironborn society. Sylvi herself stands for a new generation of Ironborn that was actually born in the Riverlands, a natural side effect of keeping a territory occupied for a hundred years. Once I'll get to flesh her out a bit more, you will see that she has not too much in common with ordinary Ironborn as they are typically imagined, despite her parents both being pureblooded Ironborn themselves. They became harsh and brutal due to the harsh, brutal landscape they grew u… [view original content]
You're right, which is ironically what Ironborn hate, becoming softer and nicer for living like greenlanders. And they love to ignore the benefits of living like the greenlanders because they feel it is their rightful place being on top of them, which only makes the rest of the continent hate them even more.
Well, not all of them are like that. In general, the comforts of the Greenlander culture wins over the harsh live of the Ironborn, as slowly but steadily, more and more assimilate into the culture of the Riverlands, for personal gain, for comfort or for the sake of being born there. Garthon is a very prominent example, Hjalgar, Harrick, even Harren himself to a certain degree have taken on traits that true to the core Ironborn would see as weak. And the longer they will keep up with the occupation, the more their culture will fade in favour of the more pleasant, more comfortable culture of the mainlands. If not for Aegon, it is not unthinkable to assume the Ironborn old ways would be mostly gone by the time of the books.
Just to be sure where is Faronhall located, since the lands of the Northern Green Fork technically belong to House Frey, Haigh, Erenford, Mallister and possibly Charlton?
Faronhall is located several day's worth of travel north of the Twins, on the northern parts of the smaller rivers that eventually form the Green Fork. House Faron was also a vassal of House Frey until its destruction. In later days, these lands will go to a different vassal instead, though whom, I have not decided upon yet.
You're right, which is ironically what Ironborn hate, becoming softer and nicer for living like greenlanders. And they love to ignore the be… morenefits of living like the greenlanders because they feel it is their rightful place being on top of them, which only makes the rest of the continent hate them even more.
Just to be sure where is Faronhall located, since the lands of the Northern Green Fork technically belong to House Frey, Haigh, Erenford, Mallister and possibly Charlton?
Anyway, I find myself much more intrigued of this Codd family than I ever expected to be. Viveka especially seems like a really interesting character. She definitely gave me the impression of being a warrior, possibly quite an accomplished one as well, considering how much respect Gawayne and the rest of the soldiers seem to have for her. She also seems fairly reasonable, at least from what we saw here, and she was far from the most hateable character in this part.
Ah, I am surprised, but not in a negative way, that Viveka instantly seems to have left such a good impression. I mean, she kind of is the person taking the Northerners prisoner here, but I definitely see why she left you wish such a positive impression for now. She's indeed not too bad, for an Ironborn raider at least. That said, she is an Ironborn raider, with all the negatives this situation implies. She is a warrior and fierce enough to earn the genuine respect of men like Gawayne, but she is also someone that should be dealt with carefully.
That is a contest between Leo and Gawayne. Well, looking at it completely objectively, Gawayne is probably a much worse person than Leo, but Leo is just being such an idiot that I have to hate him. And when he grinned, I had the exact reaction with Edrick - should've punched that son of a bitch harder
Yeah, that I fully guessed. Gawayne and Leo have not done themselves any favour here in terms of becoming more likable. Leo himself, well, he has this aggravating sort of smugness, where he is super convinced that he's actually doing the right thing, that everyone else is wrong here and that he is actually the hero of this story. Gawayne is more openly a jerk, but I think that is less annoying and simply more plain dickish. There's plenty men like him in the story, but Leo is acting out of a complete and horrendous misjudging of the situation, which I guess makes his actions stand out more. Objectively though, well, Gawayne is definitely the worse person, because unlike Leo, he's not convinced he's actually doing the right thing there.
[Tell her your name] Well, I really don't see a reason not to cooperate here. Staying silent is not going to do anything to help them get ou… moret of this situation, on the contrary, it will just irritate Viveka and surely make this only more complicated (or painful) for at least Edrick himself, if not the whole party.
Anyway, I find myself much more intrigued of this Codd family than I ever expected to be. Viveka especially seems like a really interesting character. She definitely gave me the impression of being a warrior, possibly quite an accomplished one as well, considering how much respect Gawayne and the rest of the soldiers seem to have for her. She also seems fairly reasonable, at least from what we saw here, and she was far from the most hateable character in this part. That is a contest between Leo and Gawayne. Well, looking at it completely objectively, Gawayne is probably a much worse person than Leo, but Leo is just being such an … [view original content]
Edrick
“There it is”, Dante whispered at Edrick. “Faronhall. Named after their previous owners, before the whole house was wiped out by B… morelack Harren a decade ago” He clenched his fists and a grim look appeared on Edrick's face. “Given to House Codd as a favour”, the young knight added. “'Though All Men Do Despise Us', those are their words, but they are loyal to a fault for all I know”
“Splendid”, Edrick growled. “So we're captives of a bunch of lickspittles. What chances do we have?” To this, Dante shrugged. “Maybe the lady he mentioned is reasonable”, he brought up. “Far shot, but they are all greedy. A ransom could convince her to let us go”
Edrick sighed. “Your family might pay”, he said. “Alphyn's will, maybe even Reymond's. I have a sister, but she's poor and has children of her own to take care of” He was going to continue, but felt a force dragging him forwards by the chains around his wrists. “No talking”, Gawayne growled. “… [view original content]
Edrick has returned! I'm curious to see how you will develop this storyline
House Codd village seems a very good place to visit (as a prisoner)
I give my welcome to Normund because,even if he seems the classic stableboy that love the lady of his castle (he can be BFF with Leo!), he was the character in the waiting list that wait for the longest time for his first appearance (until now)
Speaking of the ladies Viveka seems an interesting character while her cousin...not so much
Since the fathers of Viveka and her cousin are at Harrenhall I'm curious to read when they will appear inside the story
Hey,Jarod has a surname! Golfborne!
I found interesting learn that Edrick has a sister (and she has a family)
Edrick
“There it is”, Dante whispered at Edrick. “Faronhall. Named after their previous owners, before the whole house was wiped out by B… morelack Harren a decade ago” He clenched his fists and a grim look appeared on Edrick's face. “Given to House Codd as a favour”, the young knight added. “'Though All Men Do Despise Us', those are their words, but they are loyal to a fault for all I know”
“Splendid”, Edrick growled. “So we're captives of a bunch of lickspittles. What chances do we have?” To this, Dante shrugged. “Maybe the lady he mentioned is reasonable”, he brought up. “Far shot, but they are all greedy. A ransom could convince her to let us go”
Edrick sighed. “Your family might pay”, he said. “Alphyn's will, maybe even Reymond's. I have a sister, but she's poor and has children of her own to take care of” He was going to continue, but felt a force dragging him forwards by the chains around his wrists. “No talking”, Gawayne growled. “… [view original content]
Oh, I can assure you, silence is always a valid option when it comes up. Unlike Telltale, I just rarely offer the choice. In this particular case, it will lead to a different, yet not necessarily worse outcome, though it will affect Viveka's first impression on Edrick.
The woman seems to be a little too far angry.So,It could be dangerous to be silent.And it is not a telltale game where silent is a valid option So,,
[Tell her your name]
Edrick has returned! I'm curious to see how you will develop this storyline
Ah, I think I mentioned it before, I am actually really looking forward for his storyline to come. There will be a couple of very interesting scenes coming up and particularly the finale of the current arc is likely to be one of my personal highlights for all of Book 2. Considering what I am going to write about in Book 2, that means a lot.
House Codd village seems a very good place to visit (as a prisoner)
Though the entire region might have suffered from economical instabilities and the Great Depression of 67BC, the prisoner tourism industry is strong as ever, thanks to the stable leadership of House Codd! But yeah, Harrenhal it is not, but neither does it hold much space for comfortable rooms for their prisoners, as we are likely to learn soon.
I give my welcome to Normund because,even if he seems the classic stableboy that love the lady of his castle (he can be BFF with Leo!), he was the character in the waiting list that wait for the longest time for his first appearance (until now)
Normund, aye, a character whom I have long struggled to come up with something for. The submission of House Codd and me including them in Edrick's storyline has ultimately given me room for him at last. And well, I can say that he has some similarities to Leo's less despicable qualities, even if there are some aspects about him that are anything but classical.
Speaking of the ladies Viveka seems an interesting character while her cousin...not so much
Well, I can't go into more detail here, but I can tease, between Viveka and her cousin, I actually consider Sylvi to be the more interesting character, even if sh might not seem like much at first. Viveka is a great character as well though and more of a direct, attention-grabbing character that obviously leaves a greater first impression. Trust me though, Sylvi is quite complex and we have merely scratched on the surface with her.
Since the fathers of Viveka and her cousin are at Harrenhall I'm curious to read when they will appear inside the story
Well, Sylvi's father is at Harrenhal, where he actually serves in a position of importance for King Harren. It is possible that he will actually appear as well, but the main Codd's will be these two here. Viveka's father meanwhile, the brother of Sylvi's father, he's not at Harrenhal. Neither is he mentioned in the submission and my headcanon for him is that he died like many raiders do, during a raid about a decade ago.
Hey,Jarod has a surname! Golfborne!
Aye, Jarod Golfborne, the Handicapped, Lord Putter of Mar-a-Lago. He indeed has a sort of surname, but I myself believe it is less one he got from birth and more one he took for himself due to his upbringing.
I found interesting learn that Edrick has a sister (and she has a family)
That one has actually been revealed a while ago, I believe it has been a minor detail that came up once or twice in the story before. Edrick has a younger sister, who is married to a fisherman and has a daughter from him. He lives with the small family in White Harbour, at least when he's not out to do hedge knight work.
[Tell her your name] It seems the wisest choice
RT:
* Edrick has returned! I'm curious to see how you will develop this storyline
*… more House Codd village seems a very good place to visit (as a prisoner)
* I give my welcome to Normund because,even if he seems the classic stableboy that love the lady of his castle (he can be BFF with Leo!), he was the character in the waiting list that wait for the longest time for his first appearance (until now)
* Speaking of the ladies Viveka seems an interesting character while her cousin...not so much
* Since the fathers of Viveka and her cousin are at Harrenhall I'm curious to read when they will appear inside the story
* Hey,Jarod has a surname! Golfborne!
* I found interesting learn that Edrick has a sister (and she has a family)
Well, thank you for submitting them! I knew I really wanted something exciting for Edrick's storyline for once and your work gave me exactly the inspiration I needed. Hopfully they will continue to be to your liking as I delve deeper into their individual personalities. But well, they are definitely going to be a big part of Edrick's storyline to come
[Tell her your name]
And the Codds are finally here, haha. I'm glad to see they are pretty well-received, and thank you Liquid for bringing them to life.
Edrick
“There it is”, Dante whispered at Edrick. “Faronhall. Named after their previous owners, before the whole house was wiped out by B… morelack Harren a decade ago” He clenched his fists and a grim look appeared on Edrick's face. “Given to House Codd as a favour”, the young knight added. “'Though All Men Do Despise Us', those are their words, but they are loyal to a fault for all I know”
“Splendid”, Edrick growled. “So we're captives of a bunch of lickspittles. What chances do we have?” To this, Dante shrugged. “Maybe the lady he mentioned is reasonable”, he brought up. “Far shot, but they are all greedy. A ransom could convince her to let us go”
Edrick sighed. “Your family might pay”, he said. “Alphyn's will, maybe even Reymond's. I have a sister, but she's poor and has children of her own to take care of” He was going to continue, but felt a force dragging him forwards by the chains around his wrists. “No talking”, Gawayne growled. “… [view original content]
Edrick
“There it is”, Dante whispered at Edrick. “Faronhall. Named after their previous owners, before the whole house was wiped out by B… morelack Harren a decade ago” He clenched his fists and a grim look appeared on Edrick's face. “Given to House Codd as a favour”, the young knight added. “'Though All Men Do Despise Us', those are their words, but they are loyal to a fault for all I know”
“Splendid”, Edrick growled. “So we're captives of a bunch of lickspittles. What chances do we have?” To this, Dante shrugged. “Maybe the lady he mentioned is reasonable”, he brought up. “Far shot, but they are all greedy. A ransom could convince her to let us go”
Edrick sighed. “Your family might pay”, he said. “Alphyn's will, maybe even Reymond's. I have a sister, but she's poor and has children of her own to take care of” He was going to continue, but felt a force dragging him forwards by the chains around his wrists. “No talking”, Gawayne growled. “… [view original content]
Edrick
“There it is”, Dante whispered at Edrick. “Faronhall. Named after their previous owners, before the whole house was wiped out by B… morelack Harren a decade ago” He clenched his fists and a grim look appeared on Edrick's face. “Given to House Codd as a favour”, the young knight added. “'Though All Men Do Despise Us', those are their words, but they are loyal to a fault for all I know”
“Splendid”, Edrick growled. “So we're captives of a bunch of lickspittles. What chances do we have?” To this, Dante shrugged. “Maybe the lady he mentioned is reasonable”, he brought up. “Far shot, but they are all greedy. A ransom could convince her to let us go”
Edrick sighed. “Your family might pay”, he said. “Alphyn's will, maybe even Reymond's. I have a sister, but she's poor and has children of her own to take care of” He was going to continue, but felt a force dragging him forwards by the chains around his wrists. “No talking”, Gawayne growled. “… [view original content]
[Tell her your name] No need to anger the Lady. We don't want to get on her bad side. Here's hoping she has a good side. Dang I really hope Leo ends up getting screwed over in this exchange. Hopefully Edrick and charm her pants off and get her to help him instead of Leo. The Codds don't seem that bad compared to all the other Ironborn. Edrick can at least be happy she didn't end up a prisoner to one of the worse Ironborn lurking about.
Edrick
“There it is”, Dante whispered at Edrick. “Faronhall. Named after their previous owners, before the whole house was wiped out by B… morelack Harren a decade ago” He clenched his fists and a grim look appeared on Edrick's face. “Given to House Codd as a favour”, the young knight added. “'Though All Men Do Despise Us', those are their words, but they are loyal to a fault for all I know”
“Splendid”, Edrick growled. “So we're captives of a bunch of lickspittles. What chances do we have?” To this, Dante shrugged. “Maybe the lady he mentioned is reasonable”, he brought up. “Far shot, but they are all greedy. A ransom could convince her to let us go”
Edrick sighed. “Your family might pay”, he said. “Alphyn's will, maybe even Reymond's. I have a sister, but she's poor and has children of her own to take care of” He was going to continue, but felt a force dragging him forwards by the chains around his wrists. “No talking”, Gawayne growled. “… [view original content]
An Ironborn taking prisoners for ransom instead of just killing them and taking what they want? Those fish men (or women, in this case xD) aren't true Ironborn! The Drowned God shall strike them all down!
Edrick
“There it is”, Dante whispered at Edrick. “Faronhall. Named after their previous owners, before the whole house was wiped out by B… morelack Harren a decade ago” He clenched his fists and a grim look appeared on Edrick's face. “Given to House Codd as a favour”, the young knight added. “'Though All Men Do Despise Us', those are their words, but they are loyal to a fault for all I know”
“Splendid”, Edrick growled. “So we're captives of a bunch of lickspittles. What chances do we have?” To this, Dante shrugged. “Maybe the lady he mentioned is reasonable”, he brought up. “Far shot, but they are all greedy. A ransom could convince her to let us go”
Edrick sighed. “Your family might pay”, he said. “Alphyn's will, maybe even Reymond's. I have a sister, but she's poor and has children of her own to take care of” He was going to continue, but felt a force dragging him forwards by the chains around his wrists. “No talking”, Gawayne growled. “… [view original content]
[Tell her your name] Gotta be honest here, I don't know where this is going, but this is slowly starting to capture my attention. The Codd family seem a fantastic addition to Edrick and its exactly what he needs to get better. So thank you @DiverseGnu for this wonderful addition! Some interesting revelation with Leo here which is quite good. I'm just wondering how Alys will fit in all of this if shes travelling to Dorne I believe? But all in all, a good start to what hopefully can become a great PoV!
Edrick
“There it is”, Dante whispered at Edrick. “Faronhall. Named after their previous owners, before the whole house was wiped out by B… morelack Harren a decade ago” He clenched his fists and a grim look appeared on Edrick's face. “Given to House Codd as a favour”, the young knight added. “'Though All Men Do Despise Us', those are their words, but they are loyal to a fault for all I know”
“Splendid”, Edrick growled. “So we're captives of a bunch of lickspittles. What chances do we have?” To this, Dante shrugged. “Maybe the lady he mentioned is reasonable”, he brought up. “Far shot, but they are all greedy. A ransom could convince her to let us go”
Edrick sighed. “Your family might pay”, he said. “Alphyn's will, maybe even Reymond's. I have a sister, but she's poor and has children of her own to take care of” He was going to continue, but felt a force dragging him forwards by the chains around his wrists. “No talking”, Gawayne growled. “… [view original content]
It's been a while since I asked any fun questions here so I figured I'd get back to that. This is for both readers and Liquid, if this question even applies to him.
Do you ship anyone in Forum of Thrones? If the answer is yes, then who? What are your favorite ships and why?
AgentZ46's favorite ships:
Garthon/Kyra- This is without a doubt my favorite ship in the whole story. Unfortunately this ship became a tad unlikely recently... but I still have hope! I love these two and how they interact so much. They're two of my favorite characters and they're interactions make me so happy! ^_^
Raenna/Samuel Harrington- These two are an interesting pair. Raenna didn't seem to like or trust Samuel at first but he very quickly grew on her and then the ship very quickly grew on me. This ship hasn't exactly sailed just yet but it was on the harbor for a minute. What I mean by that is that they did kiss, confirming their attraction to each other but their paths soon diverged and it's hard to say if they'll ever meet again. Anywho the point is that I really enjoyed their interactions and it has a certain appeal as it's one of those complicated relationships and a bit questionable as Terroma pointed out.
Arthur/Every attractive female in the story- This is more of a joke answer but seriously Arthur is so adorable when he crushes on all the women in this story. I just want him to get with one of them! XD
Arthur/Edonia- Edonia is the most recent woman for Arthur to become attracted to and she's my favorite. They're interactions are just the best! We've only seen a little of these two together but I adore it. And Edonia has two good eyes and I'm sure it's obvious to her that Arthur's attracted to her. Anyway I just really loved the short bits with Arthur and Edonia. It's got to be the most adorable of all the ships to me
Maya/Irving- Now this one's a bit tricky. And it's without a doubt the most unlikely ship to set sail. Irving's into Maya, there's no denying that but Maya has shown no signs of sharing these feelings. It's been noted that Irving is not a handsome man and on top of that he's annoying as well as a huge fuck up! But... she at least cares about him in a way. We've seen Maya give Irving chance after chance despite his huge mistakes and her companions pointing out that he rarely does anything right. So all that could be in the horizon for these two is friendship... but I can't help but ship it! I just love these two. ^_^
So there's my favorite ships. Please share yours! I just really wanted to ask something fun and the topic of ships have been on my mind.
It's been a while since I asked any fun questions here so I figured I'd get back to that. This is for both readers and Liquid, if this quest… moreion even applies to him.
Do you ship anyone in Forum of Thrones? If the answer is yes, then who? What are your favorite ships and why?
AgentZ46's favorite ships:
Garthon/Kyra- This is without a doubt my favorite ship in the whole story. Unfortunately this ship became a tad unlikely recently... but I still have hope! I love these two and how they interact so much. They're two of my favorite characters and they're interactions make me so happy! ^_^
Raenna/Samuel Harrington- These two are an interesting pair. Raenna didn't seem to like or trust Samuel at first but he very quickly grew on her and then the ship very quickly grew on me. This ship hasn't exactly sailed just yet but it was on the harbor for a minute. What I mean by that is that they did kiss, confirming their attraction to each other… [view original content]
Not much of a shipper myself, but of course I have to mention Jarpy! Or do ships that have already "set sail" even count? Anyway, I think they have great chemistry in their interactions, which I sadly suspect we won't be seeing in some time
Aside from that though, I did kinda like Garthon/Kyra, but well, probably better to forget that ship for now
It's been a while since I asked any fun questions here so I figured I'd get back to that. This is for both readers and Liquid, if this quest… moreion even applies to him.
Do you ship anyone in Forum of Thrones? If the answer is yes, then who? What are your favorite ships and why?
AgentZ46's favorite ships:
Garthon/Kyra- This is without a doubt my favorite ship in the whole story. Unfortunately this ship became a tad unlikely recently... but I still have hope! I love these two and how they interact so much. They're two of my favorite characters and they're interactions make me so happy! ^_^
Raenna/Samuel Harrington- These two are an interesting pair. Raenna didn't seem to like or trust Samuel at first but he very quickly grew on her and then the ship very quickly grew on me. This ship hasn't exactly sailed just yet but it was on the harbor for a minute. What I mean by that is that they did kiss, confirming their attraction to each other… [view original content]
Gotta say that my favorite ship has to be Gravain, the way Gravven was resting his hand on the hilt of Red Rain during Kyra's last part was really heartwarming. I can't wait for Liquid to keep developing their relationship, I feel like they're perfect for each other
In all seriousness though, my favorite ship hasn't actually been introduced to the story just yet. I can't wait for the coming chapters to see how is going to be the nature of their relationship
Comments
There's a lot of questions when it comes to Red Rain as it isn't really confirmed that the blade did belong to House Reyne, people drew the conclusion that Red Rain once belonged to the Reynes because of the sword's name, color and how close Castamere is to the sea. If the Reynes had Red Rain in their possession when Tywin destroyed their house, I imagine he would've surely taken the sword for himself since he always longed for a Valyrian Steel sword for his own family. From what I could tell, Hilmar the Cunning stole Red Rain from some knight with only a wooden club and his wits, but there's no mention of when exactly that happened.
edit: oh, I didn't see that Wildling had already answered
I was actually afraid the room would not suffice for a single part, but it turned out to be a perfect length. This is one of the very few parts where I hadn't had to cut anything to make it fit into a single post. I'm also glad to hear the chapter starts to get you more into the Riverlands and Iron Islands stuff, as the houses there will play a major role in the events to come, with Aegon preparing his war against Harren. And well, Kyra will have an important role in these events to come. The Sons of the Trident meanwhile, they have actually been featured before, but very long ago. You might remember the three people Garthon had met in Book 1, back when he and his pal George (who was later killed during the failed assassination) travelled to Maidenpool to acquire poison for Harren Hoare. He met with Jon the Harper, an infamous figure in the Riverlands and high-ranking member of the Son, as well as two of his underlings, Jared the Hunter and Dacey Longbow. All three separated from him in the early Chapter 5, when he returned to Harrenhal. So far, they have been the only Sons to be featured and their goal has also been established. They wish to dispose of the Ironborn rule over the Riverlands, at best by ending the line of Hoare, so that the ancient Kingdom of the Trident can be restored, though they themselves might not be too sure or united on who should eventually lead this Kingdom of the Trident.
Wildling and Javier have already given an explanation to this, so let me just add my own thoughts. As it was stated, Red Rain's canonical owner has never been stated, but it is generally accepted by the fandom that it used to belong to House Reyne. Hilmar the Cunning, who stole it from its previous owner, is mentioned in the books as one of the great heroes in the Drumm's history, which implies that he is long dead by the time the story is told, so I assume it happened centuries before. Hilmar is also long dead by the time of FoT, long enough for the theft of the blade to have become something the Reyne family does not speak about too often. It is this heirloom they have lost several generations ago and the current Reyne's, while still feeling humiliated by it, don't mention it all that often anymore, seeing how they have all but given up hope on ever having it returned to them.
Well, a Greyjoy gotta do what a Greyjoy gotta do
Felt more than right for Kyra, though I must admit, I haven't thought of Theon in that moment. Safe to say, there is simply no way Kyra's storyline could ever suck as much for her as Theon's did for him.
[Agree to work with Herman] Seems like an opportunity to me. Worst case scenario is that they can't be trusted and you'll have to kill him. At least I hope that's the worst case scenario.
My reaction to that first scene was a bit odd. It's like I was jealous on Garthon's behalf! XD
So obviously I'm not a fan of that interaction. The person it was with certainly didn't help either. But I shan't judge. Kyra's a grown woman, she can screw whoever she wants. I still disapprove though
Despite my reaction to the first scene I did enjoy this part. Kyra's one of my favorite characters so I'm glad that she's a POV.
[Agree to work with Herman]
Also I didn't know for sure if you had any ideas about that Aprils Fool's part you were talking about a while ago but I was thinking about the role play D&D of FoT you did sometime a few months back and I'd love to see more of that. After all, it asks the most important questions. Will Jenna's role player become the Barbarian she hopes to be?!?!?
Agree to work with Herman
Well to be honest
I can't find any reason to kill him JUST Why
Hehe, I expected not everyone to be happy with Kyra's choice of partner here. Damon isn't either, though for reasons of his own. If Garthon learns about this, well, safe to say he'll be even less happy. Likely quite jealous. That being said, Kyra could have easily chosen worse, even when taking people from outside of the Hoare family into account. But well, I can surely understand you there
Ah, this is great
I myself am also happy I decided to make her a PoV. It's crazy that this is a decision I made two years ago but it still feels like something I just decided upon. And the more I plan the Harrenhal storyline for this book, the more I know it was the right decision. There are some highlights of the entire book coming from her storyline in the following chapters.
Hm, I would love that as well! That was probably the spontaneous FoT shitpost I am the most happy with
I wanted to release more on the 1st of April, but being out of town for that day made it impossible, as I simply had no time. Maybe next 1st of April I get another shot. Would be a first time for me, actually managing to release an April Fool's part, but well, I'd surely love that. Good thing is, until then I will have plenty new material to work with 
Well, I see this as a choice between these two sides Kyra constantly has to decide on. She has reason to kill Herman Irons, if he is truly behind the death of these guards. They have been her sworn soldiers, so she's obviously angry. Killing him would be partially revenge. On top of that, she is sworn to the throne, as captain of Harrenhal's guard, so she has a duty to kill Harren's enemies. A rebel, who had the means to kill half a dozen gate guards and hang a man from the gatehouse without anyone noticing is surely a threat to House Hoare, so by killing him, she'd dispose of a particularly dangerous enemy of Harren.
However, it should be noted that giving in to her anger here and telling Damon that she's going to kill this man is not the same as actually killing him. It means she is more open to this than to the prospect of working with him on her brother's behalf, but the actual deed won't be done just with this choice.
The Voting is closed!
Kyra is going to tell Damon that she is going to kill Herman Irons
Well, that surely was an interesting choice. I was curious what you would pick here, considering that though Damon is opposed to the Hoare's and this little scheme of his is likely to advance his cause, you know little about him and his own ultimate goals, so I was not sure if you'd be willing to trust him. Turns out, the answer is no, which is quite reasonable. Now, Kyra is going to do her duty, weeding out Harren Hoare's enemies, weakening the Riverlands rebels and strengthening her liege, but also not supporting Damon in his goals. At least that's what she is going to intend in this very moment and it remains to be seen if this is for the better or the worse. Ultimately, Damon knows his sister better than anyone else, so it is not unthinkable that he has planned for such an eventuality. He is not naive and while he would have likely been pleased if she would have been willing to broker an alliance with this Herman person and the Sons of the Trident, he won't be foolish enough to put all of his hopes into Kyra fully commiting to assist him.
The next part should be out today. I hope to finish it relatively soon, though I have something to take care of right now. Afterwards, I should realistically be able to finish the part quickly. It will be the beginning of Edrick's storyline in Book 2. Unlike all the other storylines, Edrick had no timeskip, having already skipped two months of slow, careful journey from the North to the Riverlands. There, he met the self-styled knight Reymond Mormont, who actually turned out to be a woman in knight's armour, as well as the traveller Jorid, both of whom had gotten into a dispute. Settling it with a duel, Alphyn Frostborn defended Jorid's side against Reymond, winning a duel against her. They were, however, stopped by the arrival of Ironborn, led by a certain Gawayne Schaffrot. As it turned out, Leo had betrayed them, selling Edrick's highborn companions to the Ironborn in exchange for help to find Alys on his own. Gawayne informed them that he will bring them to the house that owns the lands they were travelling through at the moment, the small Ironborn house of Codd, whose lady, Viveka, would decide on what to do with this group of travellers. Before that, however, Edrick decided to let out some anger at Leo's betrayal by punching the hunter straight in the face.
Also, there is a tiny announcement to make. I will be gone over the weekend, from Friday to late Monday, visiting my grandfather for a few days. This won't mean much of a break for you, but I will close the voting a day later than usual, on Monday, where the next part, Jenna's, should likely be as good as ready. I would also like to ask of you not to send me any PM's on Friday or Saturday, as this bloody annoying PM bug will make them inaccessible to me by the time I return on Monday and since I can't answer to anything but the most basic of questions from my phone. I fully expect to get too many notifications from votes for them to remain in my immediate feed (though Monday itself and maybe Sunday should generally be safe for me to see the message when I am back). Seriously, Telltale web team, restoring that option is five minutes of work at most. It's been almost two months since you broke the forums, get someone to fix it already, jeez
Hahaha you made me laugh
Uh... I really don't like the choice that won. My main fear is that in the long term Kyra will have a certain amount of loyalty to the Hoares as a result of this choice and it might even sour my love for her character. I really don't want that to happen. Worst case scenario is that she chooses the Hoares over Damon. That would piss me off royally. My hope is that this is soley for her men that died for no good reason and not out of any loyalty to the Hoares, but we'll see...
Yeah it's annoying how you can only see 10 notifications. I actually woke up to find that I had 13 or 14 (possibly more) notifications and I was really bitter about not being able to read them all. It's likely that they were just comments on a discussion of mine but I don't know for sure.
On a brighter note, I'm glad we're getting some team Edrick!
Edrick
“There it is”, Dante whispered at Edrick. “Faronhall. Named after their previous owners, before the whole house was wiped out by Black Harren a decade ago” He clenched his fists and a grim look appeared on Edrick's face. “Given to House Codd as a favour”, the young knight added. “'Though All Men Do Despise Us', those are their words, but they are loyal to a fault for all I know”
“Splendid”, Edrick growled. “So we're captives of a bunch of lickspittles. What chances do we have?” To this, Dante shrugged. “Maybe the lady he mentioned is reasonable”, he brought up. “Far shot, but they are all greedy. A ransom could convince her to let us go”
Edrick sighed. “Your family might pay”, he said. “Alphyn's will, maybe even Reymond's. I have a sister, but she's poor and has children of her own to take care of” He was going to continue, but felt a force dragging him forwards by the chains around his wrists. “No talking”, Gawayne growled. “We're there” With this, he pointed at the building in the distance.
The Codd's castle was small, not much larger than House Boleyn's Burmstone Keep and as a result outright tiny for a house directly sworn to the throne, though quite fortified at the same time. There were heavy stone walls, surrounding a small courtyard, with a tower house as the keep and two smaller towers to each side. The most important feature were the two gates, one on each side of the road, with the castle lying in its centre, no way to go around for any cart that wanted to travel down the road in either direction.
Edrick and his companions were led in chains, surrounded by Ironborn and unarmed. The hedge knight himself was tied to Gawayne's horse, which slowly rode ahead, meaning he himself was second in line to enter the castle. And then there was Leo, walking slightly to the side of the Ironborn host, still holding his nose, even if it stopped bleeding some time ago.
Gawayne looked over his shoulder, smirking at the chained Edrick, who responded with a glare. In return, the leader of the soldiers grabbed the chain he had tied to his horse, slightly pulling at it and causing Edrick to stagger. “Keep your composure, Northerner”, he said and his men chuckled. “For you will meet a lady soon”
This caused another man to outright laugh. “Not much of a lady on Viv”, he spoke and Gawayne gave him a silent glare until the man stopped laughing. “As I said, keep your composure. And mind your manners, all of you” He smirked at his prisoners. “You will meet a great woman, a fair woman”, he proclaimed. “She'll decide on what to do with you”
“My family won't stand for this!”, Alphyn roared loudly and Gawayne shrugged, without even looking at him. “What choice do they have?”, he asked. “Leading an army south of the Neck? Besieging the castle, in Harren Hoare's dominion?” He shook his head. “I think not. At best, they'll silently pay their ransom and you can go your way. At worst...”
The rest of his sentence got drowned out by the loud horns that echoed from the walls, as the door got opened. Gawayne stopped talking, hammering a hand onto his chest, before raising the same hand, now closed to a fist. “YES!”, he shouted. “Schaffrot is back!”
As the group rode through the gate, the soldiers quickly split up, some of them heading for the barracks, buildings that took over a major part of the courtyard. Others were pushing the rest of Edrick's companions into the centre. Gawayne himself however stirred his horse to the stables, forcing Edrick to stumble after the animal.
It was already close to evening, a cool breeze coming from north, which was one possible explanation for the lack of men on the general courtyard. Edrick spotted a few dozen guards, a couple of servants, but not as much as he would have expected from one of the few castles in the northernmost parts of the Riverlands, as small as the whole building was.
“Normund”, the Ironborn said and one of the stableboys hurried over. He was a lanky boy, gaunt and with long, dark hair, as well as small, brown eyes, a sullen look in them that was fitting for the bleak, empty courtyard. “Ser”, he greeted him, as Gawayne descended from his horse. “We weren't expecting you back today”
“Something unexpected happened”, the Ironborn replied. “We... met a few guests. The lady would surely like to talk about this” With a smirk, he patted the boy on the shoulder. “Means Lady Sylvi will be there as well”, he said and chuckled as the boy blushed and quickly turned to the horse. “Just saying... maybe you want to be there as well”
Normund was not replying, which the Ironborn took as a sign to continue. “I mean, I could just tell her”, he stated, to which the stableboy shook his head. “Don't”, he mumbled and Gawayne raised an eyebrow. “What was that?”, he asked and Normund glanced at him. “Don't”, he repeated. “Please”
To this, the Ironborn took a step towards him. “Alright”, he agreed. “Your secret is safe with my indifference” Almost like a comrade, he put an arm around him, at which Normund tensed up notably. “Of course, maybe I make a move myself. I can see why you like her. Might not be the greatest beauty, but she has pretty eyes. Decent hips as well”
His fingers dug into Normund's shoulder, who was, by now, notably tense and completely silent. “What do you say?”, the soldier asked. “Sure, a man would protest, but you're a Riverlander. Hardly anything manly about you” He chuckled, as the boy continued to be silent. “Figures”, he stated, sounding almost disappointed at the boy's lack of a response. “Then do your job, little fish. Extra rations for my horse, she did good work today”
Still grinning, Gawayne removed Edrick's chains from the saddle, slightly shaking his head as Normund led the animal away. “Heh, what a sissy”, he said, just loud enough for Normund to hear it. Edrick could swear that he saw the young man's fist clenched around the horse's reigns, but just then, the soldier forced him to turn around. “Alright then, Ser”, he said in a mocking tone. “Just like this, to the Great Hall”
Other soldiers led the rest of the group. There was Alphyn, walking with wrath in his gaze. Dante, who took this imprisonment the best of them all, being calm and observant, his brown eyes not betraying any intention. Darreth was almost raging though, as he tried to tear at his iron handcuffs, to little avail. The same applied to Jorid, whose frown was sharp as a knife. Reymond at last looked to the ground, the Ironborn pushing her forwards having a visible grin on his face. Other soldiers were grinning as they saw her, pointing at her and there was more than one bawdy joke made.
Throughout all this, Edrick was not looking at the Great Hall, not even at his captor, but at Leo. His nose blue and swollen, that was a tiny relief. He was following silently, sulking maybe out of pain, maybe out of shame. A stupid boy, who made a mistake, but none Edrick could forgive. He got what he deserved and deep down, the knight hoped the Ironborn would screw them over, like they did with anyone that made deals with them. And while he knew little of the Codd's, what he had heard was that they were despised, even among their own kind.
With a creak, the large doors to the keep opened, revealing the Great Hall right behind. It was dimly lit, but a well-placed fire pit kept it pleasantly warm, while the setting sun from the window at the other end of the long room threw large shadows onto the carpet that covered a pathway from the door to the other end, as well as one the walls, adorned by silver codfishes on a field of black.
Half a dozen guards stood in the room, three on each side, as Gawayne and his soldiers led their prisoners through it. They were approaching a small, wooden throne, which a woman was resting on. She was perhaps in Edrick's age, lean and well-toned, with sunburnt, freckled skin. Clad in leather, she had little of a lady, her pale blonde hair cut off at the shoulder and tied into several wild braids. Sharp, hazel eyes watched every move of the approaching party, her thin lips pressed together. Sitting on this chair, this small throne, she had her legs crossed and a thick spear resting on her lap. To her left, a net was lying on the ground, a heavy one of the kind Edrick's brother-in-law would use to catch fish with, home at White Harbour.
There was another woman standing to her right, far younger and more in line with how Edrick imagined a lady. Like the one on the throne, she wore black and silver, but not leather, but a genuine dress, quite a fine one at that. Looking nothing too out of the ordinary, with a roundish face, she was of a slim build. Her blonde hair was a bit longer and darker than the other woman's and she had vibrant green eyes. Her arms crossed in front of her, she seemed more hesitant to witness this meeting.
“Lady Viveka!”, Gawayne greeted the one on the throne. A sudden, sharp pain flashed through Edrick's leg, as the soldier kicked him into the back of the kneecap. With a groan of anger, he went on his knees, sending a glare at Gawayne. “I've got a gift for you”
Viveka Codd was silent for a moment. Carefully, she eyed each member of the group, her gaze lingering a bit longer on Leo, the only one standing, then back at Edrick, who had been brought down the closest to her. She raised an eyebrow, though her general expression remained indecipherable.
“Thralls, Gawayne?”, she asked, as she rose from the chair, still holding the spear in one hand. She was tall for a woman, yet nowhere near Edrick's size and as she walked down the two steps that led down to the floor, she showed the cautious movements of a warrior. “I can't recall having asked for thralls” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Nor gifts in general”, she added. “This is not our way”
“Consider them prisoners then, mylady”, Gawayne was quick to explain, as he looked at Leo. “They were captured by force, with help from this fine man” Leo gulped as Viveka's piercing stare hit him. Edrick now saw the bruise he had given him clearly and despite their general situation, he felt satisfaction at this.
“Your name?”, the warrior woman asked sharply and Leo bit down onto his lower lip. “Leo York, m'lady”, he mumbled and she raised an eyebrow. “Leo York!”, he repeated, louder now. “My name is Leo and I am a hunter. Simple folk from the North” He put a hand onto his chest. “I have come to your lands to find the woman I love”
This caused a slightly amused streak to appear on Viveka's face. “Now that is something new”, she admitted. “Your lady love has gone missing and you ask House Codd for help” She gave him a look of slight interest. “Is there a particular reason you come to my keep for this?”
Leo gave her a swift nod. “Her name is Alys”, he said. “Alys of House Boleyn, sworn to Karstark. Her own father wanted to cart her off to some lordling he never even met, so she ran away” Viveka exchanged a look with the younger woman, who was looking more friendly, perhaps almost sympathetic to Leo's story.
“Takes some bravery”, Viveka admitted and the other woman took a step closer. “So she has left the North”, she deduced and Viveka put a hand onto her shoulder. “Better let me talk to him, Sylvi”, she spoke, sternly but not unfriendly. “Don't bother with him if he's just wasting our time”
“I am not wasting your time”, Leo spoke up, to which Viveka gave him a thin smile. “We'll see about that, Northerner”, she replied. “There's been many cases where your kind did nothing but waste my time. Raids where all I got was a crate filled with weak copper or old fish” She shook her head. “You'd be the first Northerner to actually not waste my time”
The younger woman, Sylvi, tilted her head. “And what if he's not wasting our time?”, she asked. “I'd like to hear what you have to say, friend” There was genuine interest in her voice, a certain encouragement that caused Leo to continue with his tale.
“I love her”, the young man said, his tone pleading now, while Dante raised an eyebrow. “And she was taken from me. To be sold to her father's liege, like cattle!” His tone grew more fierce and by now, he hardly seemed to notice the nasty bruise Edrick had given him. “When she ran away, she had to pass through your lands. I... I just want to find her, want to keep her safe. For your help, I will repay you”
Viveka gave him a nod. “So you bring me... these”, she stated. The hilt of her spear pushed against Edrick's chest, not with much strength behind it, though he sent a glare into her direction regardless. “Prisoners”, Leo said and Viveka looked at Edrick, not responding to his glare. “Defiant prisoners”, she replied. “Who are they?”
“Leo, don't...!”, Darreth was quick to say, though Gawayne cut him off. “Silence!”, he barked. “The next of you who speaks out of line, I'll kick him in the face” Viveka looked on, quietly raising an eyebrow at her subordinate's tone. “Continue”, she ordered and Leo gave her a nod. “This one is Dante Karstark”, he said, pointing at Dante.
The young knight sighed, lowering his head, though there was frustration in his gaze. Viveka however seemed more interested now. “Karstark?”, she stated. “You're from that part of the North then... never facing true iron. You don't fear the seas as your westernmost brethren do”
“We have our own raiders”, Dante mumbled. “No matter if it's Ironborn or Skagosi or Wildlings, every Northerner knows those that want to take what is ours” His voice gleamed with defiance and Viveka nodded. “Can't say I have ever seen a Skagosi either”, she replied. “But I heard of Wildlings. Be assured, we're none of them. We can probably reach an agreement, unlike your northern neighbours” Now, a streak of curiosity appeared on her face and for all their differences, this one made her seem almost similar to Sylvi. “Though tell me, what is someone as important as you doing so far down here, with such a small group of companions?”
“I am the betrothed Leo mentioned”, Dante admitted. “Lady Alys was to marry me to bind House Boleyn closer to my uncle's house” He gave Leo a glare of an intensity Edrick had never seen on the young man before. “With what I have learned today, it seems clear to me why Leo wanted me out of the picture”
“Quite clear, yes”, Viveka agreed. “Doesn't make your journey any less foolish. Your kind and mine, we're not on good terms and you've decided to come to our lands regardless. Out of love?” To this, Dante shook his head. “Duty”, he corrected her. “I am the reason the lady left her home. I am to bring her back to her father and brother”
“Interesting”, the woman stated, in a tone that made it impossible to guess if she was truly interested, or even just entertained. She was at least listening, though she quickly looked back at Leo. “And the rest of these?”
“This one is his squire, Darreth”, Leo explained and wisely, Darreth was silent, though he was the one the most visibly angry. “And here we have Alphyn Frostborn, firstborn son of Lord Lionel and heir to House Frostborn” Now slightly impressed, Viveka took a step towards Alphyn. “A noble heir...”, she mumbled. “This will bring quite a ransom” She nodded at Alphyn. “Ser, is your family a rich one?”
Alphyn sighed, though as he took a moment too long to answer, Gawayne was quick to put a hand onto his neck. “Lady Viveka asked you a question”, he growled, to which the woman herself slightly glared at him. Alphyn frowned. “Not much”, the knight finally admitted. “But they will pay a pretty sum for me”
Now, the hint of joy was seen on Viveka's face. She even smiled thinly, though it did little to make her seem any less intimidating. “I am glad we understand each other”, she stated, before she looked at Leo. Maybe encouraged by her smile, the boy showed a grin of his own, one that made Edrick wish he would have punched him harder. “You see the woman?”, he asked.
Instantly, Viveka's smile was gone. “Of course I do, I am not blind”, she hissed. “Quit playing around. Who is she?” Leo took a step away from her, before he took a deep breath. “Reymond Mormont”, he revealed and Reymond sighed, looking onto the ground.
It was the first time that Viveka looked downright baffled and the same applied to the young Sylvi. “Mormont!”, the warrior woman said. “A fucking Mormont in our halls” She shook her head, her eyes gleaming with excitement now. “That is unexpected” The look she gave Reymond was curious, now one of genuine interest. “I never knew old Worland has a daughter”, she said. “Nor did I know she's so... formidable”
Reymond looked at her now, the first time she actually looked at anyone since their arrival at Faronhall. “Formidable?”, she asked and Viveka nodded. “I am not trying to mock you, mylady”, she assured her. “Me of all people” She crouched down, so that she was able to look face to face with the kneeling Mormont woman. “But this is quite an intriguing situation”, she added. “We all know your father. Half of my men has fought him. Gawayne got a nice scar from the bear himself”
“Send her to the barracks, Viv”, Gawayne offered, to which Viveka gave him a sharp glare. The man gulped. “Lady Viveka, I mean”, he mumbled quietly, though her glare remained. “I alone will decide what to do with Lady Mormont”, she said. “But her house is wealthy and powerful. Missing out on such an opportunity for petty revenge?” She shook her head. “We will have our share, one way or the other” With these words, she looked back at Leo. “The final two?”, she asked, momentarily glancing at Edrick again.
Leo however first pointed at Jorid. “This one's Joren... Jarod... something like that”, he said. “I honestly forgot. He's not important” Jorid nearly jumped up and though he was capable of holding back just this little bit, he nonetheless raised his voice. “Jorid!”, he barked. “Wolfborne. You lot murdered my unit. You murdered my brother!” He glared at Viveka, not the slightest bit intimidated. “Get it over with!”
It was in this moment that Gawayne's heavy boot hit him right in the face, sending him to the floor, where he remained lying, not moving. “I warned you!”, the soldier said, as Viveka narrowed her eyes. “This is quite enough, Gawayne”, she ordered. “You are out of line!”
Instantly, Gawayne's behaviour changed. He gulped, before giving her a nod. “Of course, Lady Viveka”, he mumbled. “I apologize” She shook her head. “It's a bit too late for that now”, she said, pointing at the unconscious Jorid. “You will not act without my order again, have I made myself clear?” The soldier gulped. “Yes, captain”, he agreed.
Pleased by this display of loyalty, the woman turned to Edrick at last. “And whom do we have here?”, she asked, walking closer towards him. “The strong, silent warrior... How decidedly intriguing” She looked down upon him, while Edrick glared up. “Will you tell me your name?”, she asked.
Edrick did not reply. Breathing a bit faster, he merely continued to glare at the woman. Viveka seemed almost amused by this. “No manners”, she chuckled. “I don't know if I should be amused or angered by this... or if I should outright kill you for being trouble” For a moment the grip around her spear tightened. “But let's do it this way then”, she said and put a hand onto her chest. “I am Viveka Codd, steward of Faronhall. The young woman over there is my cousin Sylvi, daughter of Lord Quellon, who resides at Harrenhal with our great king”
A soft, friendly smile appeared on Sylvi's face, drastically out of place for her surroundings, the frown on Gawayne's face and the grim amusements on Viveka's. “Hello”, she said, slightly raising a hand to greet him, though her smile faded as Viveka glared at her. “Now you know our names”, the warrior woman said. “It would be only fair to reply in kind”
[Tell her your name] [Remain silent]
An understandable fear you have there. Kyra has a certain amount of loyalty to House Hoare, because she is someone who takes oaths quite seriously and because Harren Hoare hasn't actually ever treated her badly. At the same time, she knows that her brother has strong arguments as well and she arguably loves him more than she could ever love her duty for her king. It is still enough to make her majorly conflicted about this whole situation. However, her going after the rebels here is mostly motivated out of anger that men she knew, men she was supposed to lead, have been butchered. At least in this moment, her enemies are Hoare's enemies, but that won't always be the case.
I know, right? And it cannot possibly be something that is that hard to fix. Last time, when the thread edit button was still gone, it literally wasn't hard to fix, as mods still had the option and we all had the workaround, meaning all that had to be done was to check some box that enabled common users to see and use the edit button as well. I have reason enough to believe that it is the same now, that someone at Telltale forgot to enable the "more" option on our feeds and as a result has it currently invisible for us. It is really not hard for them to fix, but it makes me only further disillusioned with Telltale on a technical level that they are unable to get someone to spend five minutes of his time to fix it. By now, I am pretty sure nobody even works on it, because two months without any progress, that is just plain inexcusable. At least last time, when they really fucked the forums up, we still had some staff member over to confirm that this is worked on, even if it took them a whole year to fix something as simple as the edit button.
[Tell her your name] The lady has proven to be impatient and dislikes those who waste her time. Seems wise to just answer. Especially since she holds no ill willl towards Edrick, let's not give her a reason to. Plus.... I really like her!
As I said I really like Viveka already. She's really intriguing so far and I find her really likeable. She's a very no nonsense type of woman and yet she's not needlessly cruel. She was even surprisingly sympathetic towards Dante.
Fucking, Leo... He gets on my nerves a little more everytime he speaks. I sympathize but he just seems like a love struck idiot. He betrayed those that allowed him to accompany them to find Alys. I'm beginning to wonder if loyalty is a concept he's familiar with. I think Leo's problem is that he sees this situation in a very black & white sort of way. In his eyes Alys is a victim and the Karstarks (particularly Dante) are evil lords out for power.
Speaking of Alys... any chance we'll be seeing her again anytime soon? I really enjoy her story as well.
[Tell her your name] Remaining defiant won't be good, and even if he's not worth much ransom, he could try to convince her his employers would pay (as unlikely as it is). And I get the feeling she's interested in him.
Makes me wonder why such a nice girl like Sylvi could come from a House that is despised even by the other Ironborn. Maybe she got it from her mother.
[Remain silent]
Let's pretend we are mute. These Codds, descended from salt wives and thralls, are idiots. Don't let them learn anything.
Did I mention I don't like Leo? Well, I don't. Can't wait to see what horrible fate is in store for him.
Anyway, let's follow Darreth's lead. That guy I got some respect for. We can plan to escape and give Gawayne "Sneeze" Schaffrot a kick in the crotch.
Huh, I did not expect you to like her already, but this is surely a pleasant surprise! Indeed, she's not particularly evil or anything like that. She is an Ironborn raider though, so that means she has her darker sides as well. A Harmund she is not though and you are right, she has not acted needlessly cruel to her new prisoners, even having a sort of normal interaction with Dante.
Aye, Leo is blind with love here. He cannot fathom the thought that Alys is betrothed to Dante and the fact that he comes closer to being with her than he himself ever is is the source of his hatred for House Karstark. He genuinely considers them evil and only out to make Alys' life miserable and the letter with orders from Brogar, which Leo found in Dante's room, they don't make it any easier, despite the fact that Dante outright said he had no intention of ever going through with these orders.
Yes, she will be back reasonably soon. Jenna will come first and Willfred as well, but then, I see no reason not to feature her. I decided for several characters not to have parts of their own in this chapter (though they will all return in the next one), but Alys' I will keep in this chapter still.
Well, you sort of answered it yourself there. Sylvi comes from a house that is despised by the other Ironborn and mostly by them. Now think about what virtues they generally despise. Though the Codd's to be fair, don't get their bad reputation due to morality, but due to their origins as a house founded by the lowest of Ironborn society. Sylvi herself stands for a new generation of Ironborn that was actually born in the Riverlands, a natural side effect of keeping a territory occupied for a hundred years. Once I'll get to flesh her out a bit more, you will see that she has not too much in common with ordinary Ironborn as they are typically imagined, despite her parents both being pureblooded Ironborn themselves. They became harsh and brutal due to the harsh, brutal landscape they grew up in. Take away the landscape, give them fertile, rich ground and they grow up to be different people.
[Tell her your name]
[Tell her your name] Well, I really don't see a reason not to cooperate here. Staying silent is not going to do anything to help them get out of this situation, on the contrary, it will just irritate Viveka and surely make this only more complicated (or painful) for at least Edrick himself, if not the whole party.
Anyway, I find myself much more intrigued of this Codd family than I ever expected to be. Viveka especially seems like a really interesting character. She definitely gave me the impression of being a warrior, possibly quite an accomplished one as well, considering how much respect Gawayne and the rest of the soldiers seem to have for her. She also seems fairly reasonable, at least from what we saw here, and she was far from the most hateable character in this part. That is a contest between Leo and Gawayne. Well, looking at it completely objectively, Gawayne is probably a much worse person than Leo, but Leo is just being such an idiot that I have to hate him. And when he grinned, I had the exact reaction with Edrick - should've punched that son of a bitch harder
Well, I'm certainly interested to see how will our Northern fellas get themselves out of this mess.
Well, silence is a valid option, never more than here. Of course, it is mostly a personal thing with Edrick, as Leo is sure to reveal his identity regardless.
I have a feeling, you don't like Leo
An understandable feeling for him and he's not really helping his cause here. Of course, from his own perspective it's making perfect sense, getting rid of the rival for Alys' affection and getting a new ally in form of House Codd. That doesn't change the fact how objectively stupid his actions are though. Love makes him do truly crazy things.
Aye, wouldn't that be glorious? As someone who knows Gawayne quite well, I can confirm he deserves a kick in the crotch, or maybe two dozen. However, he is surely a most formidable foe here and getting into a position where you can kick him might not be all that easy.
You're right, which is ironically what Ironborn hate, becoming softer and nicer for living like greenlanders. And they love to ignore the benefits of living like the greenlanders because they feel it is their rightful place being on top of them, which only makes the rest of the continent hate them even more.
Just to be sure where is Faronhall located, since the lands of the Northern Green Fork technically belong to House Frey, Haigh, Erenford, Mallister and possibly Charlton?
Well, not all of them are like that. In general, the comforts of the Greenlander culture wins over the harsh live of the Ironborn, as slowly but steadily, more and more assimilate into the culture of the Riverlands, for personal gain, for comfort or for the sake of being born there. Garthon is a very prominent example, Hjalgar, Harrick, even Harren himself to a certain degree have taken on traits that true to the core Ironborn would see as weak. And the longer they will keep up with the occupation, the more their culture will fade in favour of the more pleasant, more comfortable culture of the mainlands. If not for Aegon, it is not unthinkable to assume the Ironborn old ways would be mostly gone by the time of the books.
Faronhall is located several day's worth of travel north of the Twins, on the northern parts of the smaller rivers that eventually form the Green Fork. House Faron was also a vassal of House Frey until its destruction. In later days, these lands will go to a different vassal instead, though whom, I have not decided upon yet.
Ah, I am surprised, but not in a negative way, that Viveka instantly seems to have left such a good impression. I mean, she kind of is the person taking the Northerners prisoner here, but I definitely see why she left you wish such a positive impression for now. She's indeed not too bad, for an Ironborn raider at least. That said, she is an Ironborn raider, with all the negatives this situation implies. She is a warrior and fierce enough to earn the genuine respect of men like Gawayne, but she is also someone that should be dealt with carefully.
Yeah, that I fully guessed. Gawayne and Leo have not done themselves any favour here in terms of becoming more likable. Leo himself, well, he has this aggravating sort of smugness, where he is super convinced that he's actually doing the right thing, that everyone else is wrong here and that he is actually the hero of this story. Gawayne is more openly a jerk, but I think that is less annoying and simply more plain dickish. There's plenty men like him in the story, but Leo is acting out of a complete and horrendous misjudging of the situation, which I guess makes his actions stand out more. Objectively though, well, Gawayne is definitely the worse person, because unlike Leo, he's not convinced he's actually doing the right thing there.
The woman seems to be a little too far angry.So,It could be dangerous to be silent.And it is not a telltale game where silent is a valid option So,,
[Tell her your name]
[Tell her your name] It seems the wisest choice
RT:
[Tell her your name]
And the Codds are finally here, haha. I'm glad to see they are pretty well-received, and thank you Liquid for bringing them to life.
Oh, I can assure you, silence is always a valid option when it comes up. Unlike Telltale, I just rarely offer the choice. In this particular case, it will lead to a different, yet not necessarily worse outcome, though it will affect Viveka's first impression on Edrick.
Ah, I think I mentioned it before, I am actually really looking forward for his storyline to come. There will be a couple of very interesting scenes coming up and particularly the finale of the current arc is likely to be one of my personal highlights for all of Book 2. Considering what I am going to write about in Book 2, that means a lot.
Though the entire region might have suffered from economical instabilities and the Great Depression of 67BC, the prisoner tourism industry is strong as ever, thanks to the stable leadership of House Codd! But yeah, Harrenhal it is not, but neither does it hold much space for comfortable rooms for their prisoners, as we are likely to learn soon.
Normund, aye, a character whom I have long struggled to come up with something for. The submission of House Codd and me including them in Edrick's storyline has ultimately given me room for him at last. And well, I can say that he has some similarities to Leo's less despicable qualities, even if there are some aspects about him that are anything but classical.
Well, I can't go into more detail here, but I can tease, between Viveka and her cousin, I actually consider Sylvi to be the more interesting character, even if sh might not seem like much at first. Viveka is a great character as well though and more of a direct, attention-grabbing character that obviously leaves a greater first impression. Trust me though, Sylvi is quite complex and we have merely scratched on the surface with her.
Well, Sylvi's father is at Harrenhal, where he actually serves in a position of importance for King Harren. It is possible that he will actually appear as well, but the main Codd's will be these two here. Viveka's father meanwhile, the brother of Sylvi's father, he's not at Harrenhal. Neither is he mentioned in the submission and my headcanon for him is that he died like many raiders do, during a raid about a decade ago.
Aye, Jarod Golfborne, the Handicapped, Lord Putter of Mar-a-Lago. He indeed has a sort of surname, but I myself believe it is less one he got from birth and more one he took for himself due to his upbringing.
That one has actually been revealed a while ago, I believe it has been a minor detail that came up once or twice in the story before. Edrick has a younger sister, who is married to a fisherman and has a daughter from him. He lives with the small family in White Harbour, at least when he's not out to do hedge knight work.
Well, thank you for submitting them! I knew I really wanted something exciting for Edrick's storyline for once and your work gave me exactly the inspiration I needed. Hopfully they will continue to be to your liking as I delve deeper into their individual personalities. But well, they are definitely going to be a big part of Edrick's storyline to come
[Tell her your name]
[Tell her your name]
[Tell her your name]
[Tell her your name] No need to anger the Lady. We don't want to get on her bad side. Here's hoping she has a good side. Dang I really hope Leo ends up getting screwed over in this exchange. Hopefully Edrick and charm her pants off and get her to help him instead of Leo. The Codds don't seem that bad compared to all the other Ironborn. Edrick can at least be happy she didn't end up a prisoner to one of the worse Ironborn lurking about.
[Remain silent]
An Ironborn taking prisoners for ransom instead of just killing them and taking what they want? Those fish men (or women, in this case xD) aren't true Ironborn! The Drowned God shall strike them all down!
[Tell her your name] Gotta be honest here, I don't know where this is going, but this is slowly starting to capture my attention. The Codd family seem a fantastic addition to Edrick and its exactly what he needs to get better. So thank you @DiverseGnu for this wonderful addition! Some interesting revelation with Leo here which is quite good. I'm just wondering how Alys will fit in all of this if shes travelling to Dorne I believe? But all in all, a good start to what hopefully can become a great PoV!
It's been a while since I asked any fun questions here so I figured I'd get back to that. This is for both readers and Liquid, if this question even applies to him.
Do you ship anyone in Forum of Thrones? If the answer is yes, then who? What are your favorite ships and why?
AgentZ46's favorite ships:
Garthon/Kyra- This is without a doubt my favorite ship in the whole story. Unfortunately this ship became a tad unlikely recently... but I still have hope!
I love these two and how they interact so much. They're two of my favorite characters and they're interactions make me so happy! ^_^
Raenna/Samuel Harrington- These two are an interesting pair. Raenna didn't seem to like or trust Samuel at first but he very quickly grew on her and then the ship very quickly grew on me. This ship hasn't exactly sailed just yet but it was on the harbor for a minute. What I mean by that is that they did kiss, confirming their attraction to each other but their paths soon diverged and it's hard to say if they'll ever meet again. Anywho the point is that I really enjoyed their interactions and it has a certain appeal as it's one of those complicated relationships and a bit questionable as Terroma pointed out.
Arthur/Every attractive female in the story- This is more of a joke answer but seriously Arthur is so adorable when he crushes on all the women in this story. I just want him to get with one of them! XD
Arthur/Edonia- Edonia is the most recent woman for Arthur to become attracted to and she's my favorite. They're interactions are just the best! We've only seen a little of these two together but I adore it. And Edonia has two good eyes and I'm sure it's obvious to her that Arthur's attracted to her. Anyway I just really loved the short bits with Arthur and Edonia. It's got to be the most adorable of all the ships to me
Maya/Irving- Now this one's a bit tricky. And it's without a doubt the most unlikely ship to set sail. Irving's into Maya, there's no denying that but Maya has shown no signs of sharing these feelings. It's been noted that Irving is not a handsome man and on top of that he's annoying as well as a huge fuck up! But... she at least cares about him in a way. We've seen Maya give Irving chance after chance despite his huge mistakes and her companions pointing out that he rarely does anything right. So all that could be in the horizon for these two is friendship... but I can't help but ship it! I just love these two. ^_^
So there's my favorite ships. Please share yours! I just really wanted to ask something fun and the topic of ships have been on my mind.
Well, I do love Ramuel. I also like Marving a lot as well.
But apart from those, I am a big Drargella/Argent man.
Not much of a shipper myself, but of course I have to mention Jarpy! Or do ships that have already "set sail" even count?
Anyway, I think they have great chemistry in their interactions, which I sadly suspect we won't be seeing in some time 
Aside from that though, I did kinda like Garthon/Kyra, but well, probably better to forget that ship for now
Gotta say that my favorite ship has to be Gravain, the way Gravven was resting his hand on the hilt of Red Rain during Kyra's last part was really heartwarming. I can't wait for Liquid to keep developing their relationship, I feel like they're perfect for each other
In all seriousness though, my favorite ship hasn't actually been introduced to the story just yet. I can't wait for the coming chapters to see how is going to be the nature of their relationship