No problem at all I just happened to know that was what page it was on since that’s also the page in which my character made his first full appearance and I had read it recently.
Janae
Though everything inside her revolted at the thought, Janae only had to look at Abbas once to know how serious he was. She had alwa… moreys been able to tell when he was serious and this, this right now unfortunately was one of the moments. He was looking at her the way he always did, with barely hidden pain, but there was something else. Impatience, she realized. Slowly, he raised an eyebrow, his hand slowly twitching as it neared the whip on his belt.
And then, she slowly went down, glaring at the floor as she did. She heard Abbas’ sigh and Vanis’ slight chuckle. “Apologies, comrade”, he spoke. “I shouldn’t have doubted a slaver of your reputation. You trained her well, I see” This time, Janae glanced up and thoroughly glared at the man, who wasn’t even looking at her. Probably for the better, as he didn’t even notice. Abbas however did and one of his hands lowered down onto her shoulder. “Trust me... comrade, the training has barely … [view original content]
Ah, a choice that wasn't exactly unexpected, to be honest. It is as you said, Janae is in no position to truly act out on any threat and violence will likely be met with more violence in return. So, this was likely the most sensible option to pick. With Ryder, there is definitely someone against allowing Haar to abuse the slaves, but at the same time, maybe his threat paired with Janae's would have achieved more. It remains to be seen, but I can say that the next chapter will further develop this conflict.
The next part should be out today. I haven't gotten as much writing done as I hoped for while visiting my grandfather, but I got the last part written and at least managed to start with this one. Now that I'm back, I hope the rest will be done today. Currently, I am writing a part for John's storyline, the last one for him in this chapter, but if that won't be enough to fill an entire part worth of content, you'll get the resolution of Irae's storyline for this chapter as well. While my goal to finish the chapter by the end of July was not achieved once again, I hope that August will finally mean a break from all the shit that went on lately. That means, more time to write, oh yes. So, last time we saw John, he and Temari were looking for a captain to bring them to Volantis. Their best bet was eventually narrowed down to be a certain Aidan Storm, already known to you from the council of pirates in Chapter 1. Aidan met with John and they had a chat, during which Aidan eventually asked just why John wishes to hire him. John decided to tell him the truth, against Temari's wishes. On the chance that we will see Irae as well, last time we saw her she met up with Naela Orlatis and also decided on how she wants to heal her father, the merchant Kareq Orlatis. Her next part will show the short-term consequences of her decision. As I said, John is guaranteed to be in the next part and I hope to show you something of Irae as well.
He exchanged a glance with Temari, who subtly shook his head. Taking a deep breath, John looked back into Aidan's unnervingly light eyes. He spotted a hint of amusement on the man's smirk, perhaps even a glimpse of a grin, an almost mischievous streak. Then, he had made his decision. “We're looking for a couple of women”, he revealed and Aidan chuckled briefly.
“What if I tell you, you don't have to go to Volantis for that”, he spoke. “The women there are like the city, harsh and, well, busy. Plus, most of them are slaves” His smile faded only briefly as he said this. “I have sailed from Oldtown to Slaver's Bay and never have I met women more beautiful than right here in Lys. And ever since the slave trade collapsed around here, most of them are free. There is nothing better than a woman who wants to be with you, my one-eyed friend”
John nodded at this, though he suppressed a smirk, instead keeping a stern gaze. “Trust me, I know about that”, he spoke, even if he had to admit, a significant part of the women he had been with has probably been forced by someone. He had enjoyed slaves before, which probably made his current predicament all the more ironic. If it wouldn't have been Janae and Behara on the line, he would have considered his own plight almost deserved. “But this is not what I mean... my... friend”
Aidan grinned widely. “There you go, mate”, he spoke. “Tell me what's on your mind” However, he seemed to realize how urgent this was for John, as his smile faded once again, replaced by a serious expression. The milky eyes made it hard to focus though, as John could hardly tell if he was truly looking at him or just letting his mind wander. He hoped for the former, as he began to speak.
“I am looking for three women in particular”, he replied and Temari sighed, slightly placing a hand on his forehead, as he shook his head. “There's one called... Harpy, I think? A companion of mine is looking for her. It's a love thing. We have reason to believe that she has been taken, by the same man who took the sister of my friend Temari here. The name's Behara, she's barely a woman grown” He paused and clenched his fists. “And finally, Janae”, he added. “My... best friend, my second-in-command, my sister in all but blood” He narrowed his eyes and by now, he was certain that he had Aidan's attention. “They have been taken by the same man. A man from Yunkai, a slaver called Abbas”
Yes, he had his attention. Aidan narrowed his eyes, his smile completely gone and though John was still certain the man had issues with focussing onto him, his tone had lost its cheerful mood. “There's not much I hate in this world, but slavers, oh, I surely am with a passion”, he growled, before he leant back. “Yours is not the first time I hear such a story. It's all they are good for, slaving scum”
John sighed in relief, only slightly, before he nodded. “Does this mean you will help us?”, he asked and Aidan raised an eyebrow. “It means I consider it”, he spoke. “See, mate, I want to help you. You seem like honest folk, have been pretty straightforward with me. There's bastards around here who would have made profit out of this”
Temari rolled his eyes. “Surely you're not such a bastard”, he growled, as he approached the two. Aidan gave him a wide smile, before he nodded. “Your goddamn right, man”, he spoke firmly. “I mean, sure, I'm a pirate, not going to hide that. Work for the pirate king, we got a little agreement going on. I do plunder for a living, but only from those who deserve it. Rich arsewipes, slavers and the like. Got a soft spot for the downtrodden, that's why I'm going to help you out there. The Sparrowhawk will be at your service, finest ship both sides of the Narrow Sea”
The pirate raised a finger. “But...”, he began and Temari sighed audibly. “Fucking knew there's going to be a 'but'”, he mumbled and Aidan shot him a wide smile. “Now, friend, don't be like that!”, he spoke and Temari shot him a glare, followed by another one targeted at John, who merely shrugged. The sellsword had to admit, there was something erratic about this odd pirate captain, as if he was constantly switching his attention between each of the two and the entire room, his strange eyes moving around, glancing through the room and more than once, John was certain Aidan was eyeing the buxom barmaid instead.
“What do you want then?”, John finally asked and Aidan slightly cringed as if he just now remembered that he was in the middle of a conversation. His smile widened. “Ah, sorry, got distracted”, he spoke. “So, what I was going to say is, I want to help you. It's a work of passion for me and I wanted to head the same direction either way, so well, if it's a slaver you seek to chase, if it's slaves you seek to free, then we'll take you for free, if you and your mates pull your weight around on the ship. Ever been to the sea?”
To this, John chuckled. “Born and raised on Orkmont”, he revealed. “Ironborn by blood. That credit enough for you?” Instead of being as impressed as he would have expected from the sailor, Aidan crossed his arms behind his head, giving John a long look. “Ironborn, huh?”, he finally said and John grinned. That was, before Aidan shook his head. “Bunch of glorified sissy girls”, he continued and John's smile faded.
“Excuse me?”, he said and now Aidan grinned, a wide, shameless expression. “Oh, you heard me”, he continued. “Being Ironborn means nothing. You're not half bad, but the times where the best sailors in the world came from that place are long over. Not a single Ironborn in my crew, that much I can tell you” He paused. “Only one of your kind is actually any good and he's a Merman's Rest pirate, not working for your wanker of a king”
John frowned, an expression that caused Temari to lighten up momentarily. “Well, I can pull my weight on your ship”, he promised, not wanting to get into an argument with perhaps their best bet to catch up to Abbas. “Is that all you want? Then we'll do it. We are four people” Temari looked up. “Five”, he spoke. “I bet the bastard gets us a fifth fighter”
To this, John raised an eyebrow. “You seem oddly convinced he'll make it”, he brought up and Temari nodded. “Saw the look on his face when we parted”, he replied. “He'll get us that Blackwell guy, take my word for it” He looked at Aidan. “We're five”, he said with certainty and Aidan nodded. “Yeah, fine for me”, he agreed. “Doesn't really matter how much you are though, because you got to do something for me before we can leave at all”
Temari sighed. “That the point where you tell us what you want?”, he asked and Aidan nodded. “Aye, guess that's it”, he confirmed. “See, I got myself a bit of a problem there” His smile grew slightly thinner. “Scratch that, got myself neck-deep in some serious shit if things go out of control” He shrugged. “I'm afraid I can't leave town until that's sorted out, my friends”
“Took you awfully long to spit it out”, Temari growled and Aidan smirked at him. “Eh, thought we'd have a pleasant chat first”, he replied slowly. “Besides, I really wanted to know why you want my help. Doesn't happen all that often, I rarely offer my service” He leant forwards. “But you have been honest with me, mates, so I gotta be honest with you”, he said, lowering his tone and now, John had no doubt that Aidan was looking right at him. “Tell me, what do you know about the Rogare bank?”
This caused John to sigh. “Plenty”, he replied, as he gulped. “Not much good. A bunch of cutthroats” Aidan nodded. “Former slavers”, he spoke in a stern growl. “Bet they still make coin out of it, over in Pentos and Volantis. But they have always been powerful in Lys, even now. Right here, in this very city, they commit slavery of a different kind. It's all about coin, who has and who has not, about debt and, of course, about power”
“And what are your dealings with the Rogare bank?”, John asked, getting a nervous feeling about this. But Aidan gave him an oddly trustworthy impression. The man seemed almost simple at times, if not for the sharp tone whenever he spoke about slavery, making it clear to John that there was more to him, a very precise form of intelligence. Perhaps it was all an act even, he didn't know him well enough to make any assumptions. But the man was anything but dumb and his hate against slavers seemed to come from passion, perhaps even experience.
“Well, I haven't always been this worldly scoundrel you see here”, Aidan explained. “Did some odd jobs a couple years ago, before I took command over my own ship and crew. There's quite some loose ends for me in this part of the world” He shrugged. “Ends like the Rogare bank”, he finally admitted. “I, well, once stole from them”
John and Temari exchanged a glance. “You did what?”, Temari finally spat, while John shook his head. His only chance to find Janae suddenly got a lot harder. Temari wanted to add something, but Aidan cut him off with a long sigh, sounding almost exhausted for a moment. “Yeah, spare me the lecture, mate”, he told him. “Heard it a thousand times, doubt you can add anything of value to the topic, don't take it personally” He shrugged. “Yes, I know that nobody steals from the Rogare bank”, he admitted. “Well, I know now. As I said, I have been younger back then and pretty new to Essos”
“And you thought it'd be a bright idea to steal from Rogare, huh?”, John spoke and Aidan rolled his milky eyes. “Someone thought it'd be a bright idea to hire me”, he explained. “Some Pentoshi... no, Volantene. Ties to the Salvatore family, I presume. Name was Maegyr... Mopatis... something like that” He gave them an almost apologetic look. “Listen, I've been young back then, wasted on some booze when we made the contract, so don't blame me if I get some details wrong” He tilted his head. “Does it matter?”
“Not much”, John admitted. “Though if you stole from them, I wonder why you're still alive” To this, Aidan laughed and it was an oddly cheerfule tone given the serious topic they were discussing. “As I said, I can't really remember most of the details. The Rogare know that much, because they caught me before I was able to deliver the goods to my employer”
Now, John raised an eyebrow. “Doubt that has been pleasant”, he spoke and Aidan shook his head. “Oh, I sang them the sweetest song, my friends”, he revealed. “One thing I remember about my employer is that he has been a right proper son of a bitch. Paid me too little for a task I only then realized could have easily claimed my life”
“You ratted him out”, Temari hissed, a frown on his face and John had to admit, that wasn't a fine streak. The Gutters, they would never turn on their employer, no matter how much of a cunt. Aidan however placed a hand on his chest. “Pirate”, he simply said. “Well, not back then, but always at heart. You expect me to stay loyal to a guy who wouldn't waste a second thought were our roles reversed?” He shook his head. “Of course I ratted him out. Cost him his live, but saved me mine. World's a bit better for that, mates, trust me”
“And the Rogare just let you go?”, he asked, to which Aidan sighed. “No, they did not”, he admitted. “Not just, at least. Sure, they gave me a beating, one hell of a brutal one. Couldn't walk straight for months and whenever it's cold, I still feel it in my bones. But you know, the Rogare bank wouldn't have gotten to that point without knowing when to use an asset instead of getting rid of it. So they spared my life, in exchange for a future favour”
“So you worked for them?”, Temari brought up. “Doesn't quite fit in with the whole hate for slavery. Everyone knows Rogare earns quite a sum with the trade” For a moment, Aidan seemed almost regretful, a stern look flashing over his face. “Aye, I know”, he said. “Knew it back then as well, but that has been before my, well, encounter with the realities of the trade. I never worked for Rogare, I've only been in debt to them” He clenched his fists. “And trust me, my friends, I hate it every single waking moment, being in debt to such fundamental cocks”
John suppressed a chuckle. “Can understand the sentiment”, he admitted. “How can we help?” As soon as he had said this, Aidan broke into a wide, cheerful grin, his milky gaze wandering from him to Temari. “Mates, you are just the sort I need”, he spoke. “Seasoned fighters, I dare say, but unknown in the city. Rogare knows my crew, so they can't really help me here, much as I'd love having them around”
With this, he reached for the cup next to him, taking a deep gulp and then another, before lowering it again. “So, I was pretty happy with never contacting Rogare again, sure you understand”, he added. “Thought that'd be it, that they'd forget about me” For a moment, his chuckle was not the jolly expression he usually showed, but an almost defeated sound. “Might be Harlaw has been right after all. Naive to the end”
“Rogare forgets no debts”, John spoke and Aidan nodded grimly. “At least since Misario took over”, he agreed. “The man is of a different kind than his father. Ruthless to the very core and with a memory way too good for anyone's benefit. Don't think anyone with a mind like that can be trusted” With this, he glanced around the room again. “But it's not Misario Rogare I am concerned of. As far as I can tell, the man is concerned with more important matters”
“So, you want us to get rid of some Rogare who does remember you and your debt?”, Temari asked, to which Aidan grinned. “Getting rid sounds quite negative, mate”, he said. “Would rather like to have a drink or two with her, especially as she's a beauty as far as I know. Lysara Rogare, one of Misario's daughters. The woman recently got involved with the business itself and it seems she's all for collecting old debts”
“A beauty you say?”, John asked. “Would be a shame to hurt her then, but if it brings us out of here, then so be it” Aidan gulped. “Same thought, mate, same thought”, he mumbled. “As I said, I really don't want to harm her, but I'm kind of in a bit of a predicament there. As soon as I arrived here, I received word from Lysara. She wishes to meet me, without any of my crew present, to discuss how we might settle the debt”
Temari narrowed his eye. “Sounds fishy”, he said, to which Aidan nodded. “Aye, that it does”, he agreed. “Never met Lysara, but I heard about the Rogare methods. If their mark is too strong to subdue easily, they lure them away, weaken them and well, there is a reason why nobody crosses the bank” He shrugged. “Well, I did. Might have ambushed a ship or two sailing under their flag. So, I guess I'm kind of afraid that it'll be a trap. My crew is well known throughout Lys, so if I meet her with any of them even nearby, she'll know and she'll make them pay for it”
“And yet going alone won't be an option”, John stated, which caused Aidan to suppress a brief, sullen laughter. “Say it, I'm kinda fucked there, my Ironborn friend”, he agreed. “I go alone, I'm at the mercy of a Rogare and not part of the nice bunch as far as I know. I go with my crew, I risk a fight with Lysara's men. I leave the city, means I'll ignore her wishes and in that case, I can either just outright off myself or just avoid this half of the world for the rest of my life”
“If you'd have trustworthy foreigners though, who are not known in the city...”, John mentioned and Aidan's face lit up again. “Aye, that's what I wanted to get to”, he agreed. “You could follow me without anyone making a connection between us. To Lysara, it'd seem I'd come alone. If her offer is reasonable, well, can't hurt to hear her out, even if her father is kind of an arse, to put it mildly”
“And if not...”, John began, to which Aidan sighed. “Get me out of there”, he spoke. “At all cost. I'll tell the crew to remain ready. If we run into an ambush, help me retreat and we'll leave Lys at once. I'd rather live as a hermit in Yi Ti than die at the hands of a slaver” He extended his hand and looked right at John. “We got a deal, mate? You help me out of that and I'll bring you to Volantis”
John barely even thought about it. Sure, he did not like the thought of crossing the Rogare bank, but what choice did he truly have? An experienced captain with a fast ship, who happened to hate slavers? It was almost too good to be true. Dealing with a single Rogare and her guard, that was a small price to pay in return. And so, he grabbed Aidan's hand, shaking it firmly. “We have a deal... mate”, he agreed.
It was in this moment that he noticed someone approaching them. Glancing over his shoulder, he spotted none other than Samuel Harrington, arms crossed behind his back. Aidan's eyes widened slightly. “My, what a brooding fellow”, he spoke. “He's with you?” John nodded, giving Samuel a questioning glance. “Anything alright, Fang?”, he growled and Samuel replied with a dark glare. “Jaron nearly got himself killed”, he revealed. “Aside from that? Couldn't be better, if it means getting out of the city”
“Don't like Lys?”, Aidan asked, shooting the stern-looking man a wide grin, a stark contrast. Samuel seemed only briefly surprised about Aidan's unusual looks, especially the odd eyes. If it bothered him, he managed to overplay it perfectly, barely missing a beat. “I like it a bit too much actually”, he admitted. “To the degree where I find it... distracting”
Aidan chuckled. “We've all been there, mate”, he said. “Name's Aidan Storm, captain of the Sparrowhawk. My one-eyed friend here just made a deal with me, your help against mine” Samuel raised an eyebrow, glancing at John. “Reasonable terms?”, he asked and John did notice the subtle threat in the words. As such, he was quick to nod. “Quite so”, he said. “At least they are to me”
“Good”, Samuel merely replied. “The name is Samuel Harrington” He then turned to the side, while Aidan seemed to think about the name for a moment. Then, his milky eyes widened. “Oh”, he said. “Oh, that is a coincidence” He smirked. “Heard your name before. You're kind of a big deal over in Oldtown, you know that?” Samuel's mouth twitched. “I heard of it”, he admitted.
In this moment, John saw Jaron. Perhaps Samuel had put things worse than they truly were, as he didn't look close to dying in any way. The young knight was quite the opposite. In the weeks they had spent together, he had never looked so alive before. In fact, John had been worried about him, in a way. More brooding than Harrington, it wasn't healthy at his age. But right now, he looked splendid. Sure, there were bruises and blood, but the man next to him wasn't looking any better. Asserting the situation, a grin formed on John's face.
“Would have liked to be there for that fight”, he spoke, as he gave Aidan a nod, rising from his seat to greet the newcomers. Jaron shot him a tired smile. “I'm not sure why I'm still standing, to be honest”, he mumbled and his voice was weak, suppressing a yawn. John could sympathize with that and he raised a hand, only narrowly stopping himself from patting the younger man onto the back. The way he was leaning onto the other man made it seem that he was about to collapse, yet he still had managed to drag himself to this place from the other end of the docks at the very least.
“You just had a good fight”, the new man spoke. “Nothing better than that. Oh, you will sleep and well, it'll probably hurt when you wake up again, but I swear to you, this is the only thing worth living for” He grinned and John smirked, as they exchanged a glance. It was always a pleasure to meet someone who saw the world similarly. “Arryn Blackwell, I presume?”, he said, glancing at Temari, as he noticed that his friend seemed lost in thoughts.
“You heard of me”, Arryn confirmed. “Never heard of you thought. Jaron here told me a bit, but well, he said a lot and I barely remember half of it” He patted Jaron against the forehead and the knight groaned in discomfort. “Hit him a couple times, right there”, he spoke. “Your knight will be fine, but he needs strong ale, a wild woman and then a long sleep”
“Just ale, for now”, Jaron said, as he sank down into the chair John had just left. He sank back, looking at Aidan out of narrowed eyes. The pirate captain grinned as he saw the newcomers. “Well, you can certainly fight”, he said. “A knight, did I hear that correctly?” Exhausted and bruised as he was, Jaron merely managed to nod and John smiled. “It's a long story, friend”, he said. “Aidan, this is Jaron, Ser Jaron the Bastard to be precise. Jaron, this is Aidan Storm, our captain. Both Stormlander bastards, bet you'll get along just fine”
“You sure you want to do this?”, Temari finally spoke up and instantly, John and Aidan looked back at him. The pirate tilted his head with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. “You were saying?”, he asked, leaning forwards and closely mustering Temari with his odd gaze. At least for a moment he did, as just seconds later, he frowned and something on the dark ceiling above them seemed to claim his attention. “Go ahead...”, he mumbled.
“The Rogare girl, I mean”, Temari explained. “Are you sure you want to talk to her?” Behind him, Samuel tensed up notably, taking a step closer to listen to their conversation, though he remained silent. “Sounds to me like you're walking into a trap. Sure, we might get you out, but if that is an ambush, there will be losses”
Aidan nodded. “I hope it isn't”, he said. “I, well, hope I can count on Rogare to be reasonable. They wouldn't be where they are if they'd be irrational” He sighed and his smile was gone. “But yes, if they ambush me, if you rush to my rescue, there could be losses. Skilled you might look, my friends, but I doubt Lysara's guards are pushovers either”
“That is what I was thinking”, Temari agreed. “So, I say we don't take the risk. We go in, we ambush her first. Kill the guards, take her hostage and leave Lys” Aidan gulped. “Only to never return”, he said. “I mean, it'd be preferable to death, don't get me wrong. If there will be an ambush, I'd like us to be ahead of her” He clenched his fists. “If not, if Lysara really wishes to make me an offer, I waste my only chance to get out of this Rogare debt without further bloodshed” With this, he looked at John. “Friend John, you have been silent. What would you say shall we do?”, he asked him directly.
[Advice him to speak to Lysara][Advice him to ambush Lysara]
[Advice him to speak to Lysara] Ending this matter without bloodshed is probably a good plan. Besides, why would she want to kill him just like that, maybe she wants him to get rid of someone else.
Taking her hostage would only incur the wrath of the rest of her family.
John
He exchanged a glance with Temari, who subtly shook his head. Taking a deep breath, John looked back into Aidan's unnervingly light … moreeyes. He spotted a hint of amusement on the man's smirk, perhaps even a glimpse of a grin, an almost mischievous streak. Then, he had made his decision. “We're looking for a couple of women”, he revealed and Aidan chuckled briefly.
“What if I tell you, you don't have to go to Volantis for that”, he spoke. “The women there are like the city, harsh and, well, busy. Plus, most of them are slaves” His smile faded only briefly as he said this. “I have sailed from Oldtown to Slaver's Bay and never have I met women more beautiful than right here in Lys. And ever since the slave trade collapsed around here, most of them are free. There is nothing better than a woman who wants to be with you, my one-eyed friend”
John nodded at this, though he suppressed a smirk, instead keeping a stern gaze. “Trust me, I kno… [view original content]
As much as I’d enjoy a good ambush, I don’t think it’s the best course of action. Even if they succeed, Aidan would be right back at square one (or if anything, an even bigger target for the Rogare’s), and it’s also possible that John’s group could become targets as well. The last thing they want on their mission is to worry about the Rogares coming after them.
Best case scenario for talking it out, is everyone gets what they want and walks away.
worst case scenario is a fight on relatively even terms. John’s group and Aidan will be more than a match for hired lackeys. And Aidan has said himself, he’s had dealings with the Rogares before. he’ll likely notice it’s a trap before it gets that far. If not, it wouldn’t be the first time John, Jaron, Temari, Samuel and Arryn have gotten into a scrap.
Anyways, I really enjoyed this part. It was great seeing Aidan interact with the others. As I said last time, you’ve nailed the vibe I had in mind. I particularly enjoyed his interaction with John, and how Aidan’s attitude rubbed off on him a bit and lightened his mood.
My favourite part of the conversation:
“We’re looking for a couple of women”
“What if I tell you, you don't have to go to Volantis for that”
XD I genuinely laughed.
John
He exchanged a glance with Temari, who subtly shook his head. Taking a deep breath, John looked back into Aidan's unnervingly light … moreeyes. He spotted a hint of amusement on the man's smirk, perhaps even a glimpse of a grin, an almost mischievous streak. Then, he had made his decision. “We're looking for a couple of women”, he revealed and Aidan chuckled briefly.
“What if I tell you, you don't have to go to Volantis for that”, he spoke. “The women there are like the city, harsh and, well, busy. Plus, most of them are slaves” His smile faded only briefly as he said this. “I have sailed from Oldtown to Slaver's Bay and never have I met women more beautiful than right here in Lys. And ever since the slave trade collapsed around here, most of them are free. There is nothing better than a woman who wants to be with you, my one-eyed friend”
John nodded at this, though he suppressed a smirk, instead keeping a stern gaze. “Trust me, I kno… [view original content]
John
He exchanged a glance with Temari, who subtly shook his head. Taking a deep breath, John looked back into Aidan's unnervingly light … moreeyes. He spotted a hint of amusement on the man's smirk, perhaps even a glimpse of a grin, an almost mischievous streak. Then, he had made his decision. “We're looking for a couple of women”, he revealed and Aidan chuckled briefly.
“What if I tell you, you don't have to go to Volantis for that”, he spoke. “The women there are like the city, harsh and, well, busy. Plus, most of them are slaves” His smile faded only briefly as he said this. “I have sailed from Oldtown to Slaver's Bay and never have I met women more beautiful than right here in Lys. And ever since the slave trade collapsed around here, most of them are free. There is nothing better than a woman who wants to be with you, my one-eyed friend”
John nodded at this, though he suppressed a smirk, instead keeping a stern gaze. “Trust me, I kno… [view original content]
[Advice him to speak to Lysara] It seems clear that Lysara simply wants Aidan to do the Rogares the favor he owes them. Now, if this favor is something unreasonable I'm sure we'll be able to find a way out of it, but in case it is something reasonable or even beneficial then it would be a shame to ruin it by getting violent. Man, I really like Aidan, but I'm starting to think joining with him will be more trouble than it's worth. After all, his crew probably won't be much help chasing Abbas inland, and fucking with the Rogares could end very badly for our pals.
John
He exchanged a glance with Temari, who subtly shook his head. Taking a deep breath, John looked back into Aidan's unnervingly light … moreeyes. He spotted a hint of amusement on the man's smirk, perhaps even a glimpse of a grin, an almost mischievous streak. Then, he had made his decision. “We're looking for a couple of women”, he revealed and Aidan chuckled briefly.
“What if I tell you, you don't have to go to Volantis for that”, he spoke. “The women there are like the city, harsh and, well, busy. Plus, most of them are slaves” His smile faded only briefly as he said this. “I have sailed from Oldtown to Slaver's Bay and never have I met women more beautiful than right here in Lys. And ever since the slave trade collapsed around here, most of them are free. There is nothing better than a woman who wants to be with you, my one-eyed friend”
John nodded at this, though he suppressed a smirk, instead keeping a stern gaze. “Trust me, I kno… [view original content]
“but I'm starting to think joining with him will be more trouble than it's worth”
in all seriousness though, I agree that helping Aidan could and probably will lead to trouble, but John’s group doesn’t exactly have a lot of options. The chances of quickly finding another captain and ship that will be sympathetic to their cause is slim. Especially one with a crew experienced in hunting down and attacking slavers.
[Advice him to speak to Lysara] It seems clear that Lysara simply wants Aidan to do the Rogares the favor he owes them. Now, if this favor i… mores something unreasonable I'm sure we'll be able to find a way out of it, but in case it is something reasonable or even beneficial then it would be a shame to ruin it by getting violent. Man, I really like Aidan, but I'm starting to think joining with him will be more trouble than it's worth. After all, his crew probably won't be much help chasing Abbas inland, and fucking with the Rogares could end very badly for our pals.
[Advice him to speak to Lysara] Not too sure about which approach to go with here, I might even change my vote later.
When John mentioned him being Ironborn I was curious to see Aidan's reaction and if he would mention Gregor at all. Gotta say I loved those little mentions to Gregor in this part hehe. I really like how Gregor and Aidan seem to be good friends, makes me wonder if they'll ever meet each other again in the future, even if it is unlikely.
John
He exchanged a glance with Temari, who subtly shook his head. Taking a deep breath, John looked back into Aidan's unnervingly light … moreeyes. He spotted a hint of amusement on the man's smirk, perhaps even a glimpse of a grin, an almost mischievous streak. Then, he had made his decision. “We're looking for a couple of women”, he revealed and Aidan chuckled briefly.
“What if I tell you, you don't have to go to Volantis for that”, he spoke. “The women there are like the city, harsh and, well, busy. Plus, most of them are slaves” His smile faded only briefly as he said this. “I have sailed from Oldtown to Slaver's Bay and never have I met women more beautiful than right here in Lys. And ever since the slave trade collapsed around here, most of them are free. There is nothing better than a woman who wants to be with you, my one-eyed friend”
John nodded at this, though he suppressed a smirk, instead keeping a stern gaze. “Trust me, I kno… [view original content]
oh Gregor was your character? I enjoyed the small interaction they had at the council too, especially how even after Aidan quite blankly turned down his offer, Gregor didn’t care and invited him out for a drink after lol
Speaking of, Liquid, if it’s not a spoiler; Is there a backstory to their camaraderie or did they just meet at the council and happened to get along with each other?
[Advice him to speak to Lysara] Not too sure about which approach to go with here, I might even change my vote later.
When John mentioned… more him being Ironborn I was curious to see Aidan's reaction and if he would mention Gregor at all. Gotta say I loved those little mentions to Gregor in this part hehe. I really like how Gregor and Aidan seem to be good friends, makes me wonder if they'll ever meet each other again in the future, even if it is unlikely.
John
He exchanged a glance with Temari, who subtly shook his head. Taking a deep breath, John looked back into Aidan's unnervingly light … moreeyes. He spotted a hint of amusement on the man's smirk, perhaps even a glimpse of a grin, an almost mischievous streak. Then, he had made his decision. “We're looking for a couple of women”, he revealed and Aidan chuckled briefly.
“What if I tell you, you don't have to go to Volantis for that”, he spoke. “The women there are like the city, harsh and, well, busy. Plus, most of them are slaves” His smile faded only briefly as he said this. “I have sailed from Oldtown to Slaver's Bay and never have I met women more beautiful than right here in Lys. And ever since the slave trade collapsed around here, most of them are free. There is nothing better than a woman who wants to be with you, my one-eyed friend”
John nodded at this, though he suppressed a smirk, instead keeping a stern gaze. “Trust me, I kno… [view original content]
Taking her hostage would only incur the wrath of the rest of her family.
Aye, that much is a given. In Aidan's opinion, if Lysara is truly out to kill him, he already gained the wrath of the Rogare family and the best he can hope for is that they never catch up to him. With her as his hostage, he hopes to gain enough leverage to safe the lives of himself and his crew. But it should be certain, the Rogare family shouldn't be angered lightly. After all, this is around the time where their wealth and influence easily rivals that of the Iron Bank and the fact that they kept their fortunes intact even after the economic collapse of Lys should say a lot about how widely spread their influence is.
[Advice him to speak to Lysara] Ending this matter without bloodshed is probably a good plan. Besides, why would she want to kill him just l… moreike that, maybe she wants him to get rid of someone else.
Taking her hostage would only incur the wrath of the rest of her family.
Maybe we can throw him under the ship so to speak and sell him out to get what we need, only from the Rogares.
Well, without hinting at anything, I can say that this wouldn't exactly be an out-of-character action for 4 out of 5 members of the group right now. John, Temari and Arryn are sellswords, ranging from pragmatic to outright ruthless, so if Lysara makes them a better offer, it might be up for debate. Samuel would hardly hesitate, he is so determined to achieve his goal that he did all sorts of bad stuff and turning against a man he barely knows would be the least of them. The only one who would quite possibly be vehemently against this is Jaron. You know him as the kind to at least try and keep some degree of honour and loyalty, which I suppose comes with the knightly vows, but he'd be one voice among five. That being said, ambushing Lysara would easily be a way to ruin the chance to gain help from the Rogare family, wether or not that is even an option at all.
[Advice him to ambush Lysara]
Violence is the answer.
Maybe we can throw him under the ship so to speak and sell him out to get what we need, only from the Rogares.
Ah, I am really glad to hear that Aidan lived up to the expectation in this part I had a lot of fun writing this more easy-going character for once, especially considering that he is surrounded by people such as Samuel and Temari, who cannot be described as light-hearted in any way. His attitude is one to rub off on some of the group and well, I definitely look forward to have more of an interaction between him and the other characters beyond just John. That'll be something for next chapter for certain.
Anyways, I really enjoyed this part. It was great seeing Aidan interact with the others. As I said last time, you’ve nailed the vibe I had i… moren mind. I particularly enjoyed his interaction with John, and how Aidan’s attitude rubbed off on him a bit and lightened his mood.
My favourite part of the conversation:
“We’re looking for a couple of women”
“What if I tell you, you don't have to go to Volantis for that”
XD I genuinely laughed.
Man, I really like Aidan, but I'm starting to think joining with him will be more trouble than it's worth. After all, his crew probably won't be much help chasing Abbas inland, and fucking with the Rogares could end very badly for our pals.
You do bring up a legitimate concern there, one that I can confirm is shared by Temari, Samuel and Arryn, the latter of whom is actually in debt to the bank. Aidan will no doubt be quite helpful, with him having a legitimate grudge against slavers, as it'll make him a reliable ally, something rare and invaluable in this part of Essos and he might be indeed the best chance the group has to ever catch up to Abbas. That being said, his help will not come without a price and this price might be going against the Rogare family. The way I imagine them is having mafia-like structures, a mixture of legal business ventures, a filthy amount of coin through their bank deals and most certainly tons of illegal activities to further their influence and wealth. This is not the kind anyone in their right mind wants to piss off and Aidan dearly regrets having done it in the past when he knew less about their true power. So, if the group does anything to outright mess with the Rogare family, it could easily end badly.
[Advice him to speak to Lysara] It seems clear that Lysara simply wants Aidan to do the Rogares the favor he owes them. Now, if this favor i… mores something unreasonable I'm sure we'll be able to find a way out of it, but in case it is something reasonable or even beneficial then it would be a shame to ruin it by getting violent. Man, I really like Aidan, but I'm starting to think joining with him will be more trouble than it's worth. After all, his crew probably won't be much help chasing Abbas inland, and fucking with the Rogares could end very badly for our pals.
When John mentioned him being Ironborn I was curious to see Aidan's reaction and if he would mention Gregor at all. Gotta say I loved those little mentions to Gregor in this part hehe. I really like how Gregor and Aidan seem to be good friends, makes me wonder if they'll ever meet each other again in the future, even if it is unlikely.
Ah, you spotted them Aidan and Gregor are indeed good friends (and I'll get into some detail about their friendship below), so I knew I just had to include mentions of him in this part. Expect more of these, actually. Aidan is the kind to tell stories and Gregor will be involved in quite some of them, to give you more of an idea of what sort of trouble these two have been up to in the past.
[Advice him to speak to Lysara] Not too sure about which approach to go with here, I might even change my vote later.
When John mentioned… more him being Ironborn I was curious to see Aidan's reaction and if he would mention Gregor at all. Gotta say I loved those little mentions to Gregor in this part hehe. I really like how Gregor and Aidan seem to be good friends, makes me wonder if they'll ever meet each other again in the future, even if it is unlikely.
Speaking of, Liquid, if it’s not a spoiler; Is there a backstory to their camaraderie or did they just meet at the council and happened to get along with each other?
That is actually not a spoiler, so I will gladly head into detail here, especially as it is not all that likely that this piece of information can ever be reasonably dropped in the story itself. So, their friendship comes from their shared time at the court of Merman's Rest and a couple of journey they have made together. See, the general system in Merman's Rest is, any captain with at least some influence gains a seat at the council and there are actually many members of this council we have not seen yet, because most of them are at sea, gaining riches for themselves and their king. As you can imagine, many among the council wish for more influence, the most ambitious even outright eyeing the position currently held by Aeron Blacksails, who in return has a following of loyal captains so strong that the other factions under his command do not dare to make a move against him. Gregor and Aidan stand out from the rest on account of being among the few who neither hold personal loyalty to Aeron nor have any desire to advance in the ranks and increase their influence among the other pirates. This makes them not exactly outcasts, but knowing that they are not interested in the politics of the pirate court, their connections to the other pirates isn't exactly all that brilliant. However, this in turn has made their connection to each other stronger, as they realized they have a lot in common. Over the time, they have grown to be good friends as a result, with Gregor becoming one of the few Ironborn Aidan openly and genuinely respects.
oh Gregor was your character? I enjoyed the small interaction they had at the council too, especially how even after Aidan quite blankly tur… morened down his offer, Gregor didn’t care and invited him out for a drink after lol
Speaking of, Liquid, if it’s not a spoiler; Is there a backstory to their camaraderie or did they just meet at the council and happened to get along with each other?
Ah okay. That makes sense. I look forward to more references to Gregor in future parts!
2 more things
This is just a thought I had with no real basis, but the Rogare’s don’t seem shy about dealing with slavers? Could it be possible that Lysara has been in contact with Abbas, and the “favour” she wants from Aidan is to take out the group chasing Abbas? That would add a whole extra layer of tension to the meeting.
2nd, would I be correct in assuming that the result of this vote will be played out in Jaron’s next part? I’m curious since that will mean more Aidan sooner rather than later XD
Speaking of, Liquid, if it’s not a spoiler; Is there a backstory to their camaraderie or did they just meet at the council and happened to g… moreet along with each other?
That is actually not a spoiler, so I will gladly head into detail here, especially as it is not all that likely that this piece of information can ever be reasonably dropped in the story itself. So, their friendship comes from their shared time at the court of Merman's Rest and a couple of journey they have made together. See, the general system in Merman's Rest is, any captain with at least some influence gains a seat at the council and there are actually many members of this council we have not seen yet, because most of them are at sea, gaining riches for themselves and their king. As you can imagine, many among the council wish for more influence, the most ambitious even outright eyeing the position currently held by Aeron Blacksails, who in return has a following of l… [view original content]
This is just a thought I had with no real basis, but the Rogare’s don’t seem shy about dealing with slavers? Could it be possible that Lysara has been in contact with Abbas, and the “favour” she wants from Aidan is to take out the group chasing Abbas? That would add a whole extra layer of tension to the meeting.
Aye, the Rogare family is a pretty big name in the slavery business in western Essos and there is almost no slaver who has made deals outside of Slaver's Bay without at some point dealing with them or their associates. As such, it can be assumed that Abbas has at some point been in contact with them. The question that remains is if he has contacted them during his current journey and if there is a connection to Lysara contacting Aidan. This should, of course, be revealed pretty early during the meeting. If your assumption turns out to be correct, the only good thing about this is that Lysara naturally has no idea who the people chasing after Abbas are, so Jaron and John could stand right next to her and she wouldn't draw the connection.
2nd, would I be correct in assuming that the result of this vote will be played out in Jaron’s next part? I’m curious since that will mean more Aidan sooner rather than later XD
You are correct, Jaron's next part will show the consequences of this choice. The only thing I am unsure about is if I want to show it in this chapter or in the next. It shouldn't change much about when the part will be written, as it will be either one of the last parts of the current or one of the very first parts of the next chapter. With only a small number of parts left in this chapter, I would very much like to wrap it up, so I will have to make a decision very soon.
Ah okay. That makes sense. I look forward to more references to Gregor in future parts!
2 more things
This is just a thought I had wit… moreh no real basis, but the Rogare’s don’t seem shy about dealing with slavers? Could it be possible that Lysara has been in contact with Abbas, and the “favour” she wants from Aidan is to take out the group chasing Abbas? That would add a whole extra layer of tension to the meeting.
2nd, would I be correct in assuming that the result of this vote will be played out in Jaron’s next part? I’m curious since that will mean more Aidan sooner rather than later XD
John is going to advice Aidan to speak to Lysara Rogare
That was the expected outcome and quite probably the more pragmatic one. Aidan himself prefers this option, as picking a potentially unnecessary fight with one of the most powerful families in Essos is not something he likes to do on a regular basis. However, there might be no other choice but fight, in which case this option will put our heroes at a significant disadvantage. It all comes down to Lysara's intentions, which will be revealed in Jaron's next part, at least to a certain degree.
The next part will wrap up the Essos storylines for this chapter, bringing us one important step closer to the end of it. As such, Irae will be the PoV for this part. As with the last two parts, I am not certain if I can give her a full-length PoV for her final part in this chapter. If not, then the next part will also wrap up Keat's storyline for this chapter, so I'll give you recaps for both just to be sure. So, Irae's next part will show the immediate aftermath of her treatment of Kareq Orlatis and some resulting consequences. Meanwhile, Keat's part will bring us back to Oldtown, where he met up with his old friend Samuel Puffer and his siblings. Faced with the decision to tell Samuel about the upcoming heist (likely resulting in him joining this potentially dangerous mission) or not, Keat decided that he would tell Samuel about it and that's where we'll start his next part. If Irae will receive a full-length part for her next one, then Keat will return in the one after this.
“He's doing good”, Irae said, as she and Naela had finally left Kareq's room. She wasn't certain to whom she said it, perhaps to the girl, perhaps to herself, as she looked down at her slightly shaking hands. There were things that never got any easier over the years and decisions like the one she had to do right now were among them. Who lived, who died, it never came easy for her. There were warlocks who yearned for such power, but the responsibility had always been crushing for her.
“Is he?”, Naela spoke, her weak voice showing how much the sight of her father had shaken her. As expected, Kareq had fallen unconscious after Irae had applied the antidote. He would sleep for days, at ease and without pain and then he would either wake up or fade away. Until then, they could only wait. It was bad for Irae, but she knew how much worse it had to be for Naela.
“He is strong”, she replied, trying to calm the girl and Naela chuckled thinly, without even the hint of joy, merely to ease some of her tension. “You don't know him”, she said, her voice slightly shaking. “You don't know how strong he used to be, warlock. All you've seen was a dying man in a dark room” Tears welled up in her eyes and she sighed, as she leant against the wall.
For a moment, Irae stared at her, motionless, glancing at the girl. From this angle, with the look of helpless grief on her face, Naela seemed younger than she truly was. Not frail, but thin, fair and, yes, weak. She slightly clenched a fist, thinking of what the Blood Witch could want from her.
“I'm sorry”, the girl finally said, her voice firm again. “You did what you could and I shouldn't snap at you” She bit down onto her lower lip, frowning as she stared at the ground. “You did what you could, didn't you?” To this, Irae nodded. “I gave him what seemed best”, she explained. “A stronger antidote might kill him” She kept silent about the fact that this might still happen. There were things Naela didn't have to know.
Irae wasn't too surprised that her words barely offered any comfort. But comfort wasn't what she was here for. She had to heal a sick man and the daughter... what happened to her was beyond her control, wasn't it? Perhaps she could ease the fate that would await her though.
“What will happen now?”, Naela asked and Irae glanced at the half-closed door to Kareq's room. “Your father will sleep”, she spoke. “Meanwhile, the antidote will do its work. It won't be enough to heal him on its own, so I have to return in two days, to apply the second dose”
Naela nodded slowly, now managing a slight smile. “Thank you”, she spoke, words that shook Irae to the core. It seemed the girl noticed her widened eyes, as she tilted her head, sudden suspicion on her face. “What is it?”, she said in a low tone, slowly enough for Irae to regain her composure. “When I return for the next time, we must speak about the price”, she spoke and she noticed how Naela gulped. She was a smart one and she knew it wouldn't be pleasant. “I am willing to pay”, she agreed. “Whatever it takes”
Those weren't wise words to say to a warlock. Irae mustered her closely, before walking past her and towards the set of stairs that would lead to the ground floor. “I must leave now”, she said quickly, perhaps a bit too quickly and Naela hurried to catch up to her. “And you leave me guessing, huh?”, she asked. “Worrying for two days, over the fate of my father, over the price you demand of me”
She grabbed the warlock by the arm and surprised by the sudden contact, Irae glared at her as she glanced over her shoulder. It failed to have the intended effect and Naela replied with a glare of her own. “I am not ungrateful”, she spoke. “But don't do this to me. Don't just leave without telling me”
Irae sighed and this caused Naela to let go of her. “If I would know, I would tell you”, she said and it was only half a lie. “Something big is happening, Naela. I don't understand the full scale of it, but I will meet with people who do. Perhaps they can tell me” The girl clearly did not believe her, though she made no attempt to stop her. “Take care, Naela”, Irae said as she had reached the open door that would lead her out into the courtyard of the Orlatis mansion.
“For some reason, that was the most unsettling thing you told me today”, the girl mumbled and Irae had to suppress a thin smirk, as she walked across the courtyard without looking back. It wasn't until she had left the mansion itself, back onto the sprawling streets of Qarth that she allowed herself a moment to hesitate. Staring down at her hands, she had to ask herself if she could do this. She likes this girl and there was no way she could get out of this unharmed. Whatever it was, she had doubts the Blood Witch meant well for Naela. And it was not only that. Deep down, Irae had to admit she feared for herself as well. After all, she would remain by the girl's side.
But could she truly defy the warlocks' orders? Moros had been clear in his intentions and his utter disregard for Naela's well-being. He was a man she looked up to, a man who demanded respect and utter obedience. The tales of the horrible punishments inflicted on those who failed him were the stuff of legend, or nightmares for those studying under him. A harsh, demanding master and one she did not want to ever displease. Combining this, following his order, pleasing the Blood Witch and keeping Naela safe, perhaps it wasn't possible to have it all. But for the time being, Irae could only go forward, healing Kareq, winning Naela's trust and figuring out what to expect from the Blood Witch's demands.
She barely noticed that she had reached the House of the Undying again. The warlock's palace had something about it that drew her back to it at all times. It was the same for all of the warlocks, a feeling that pulled them back to it when they were gone. In a rare cordial moment, Moros had even all but admitted to her that being separated from the building caused uneasiness in him and others who had spent half a century in its walls.
The gates opened by themselves as Irae approached and this actually caused several of the nearby pedestrians to stop and stare at her, as she walked past them. She saw the fear in their eyes, felt the suspicion and the hint of awe. Few of them would ever dare to walk beneath the blue-leaved grove, none of them as freely as she did. She paid them no mind, not bothering with the twisting lights beneath the groves or the dark shadows lurking there. In fact, she felt more confident the moment she stepped beneath the leaves, breathing more freely again. This place, it had an odd effect on her, one she would probably never truly understand, but she welcomed it. A warlock belonged to the House of the Undying. She was part of it and it was part of her and what doubts she harboured in her mind were gone as she laid eyes on the looming building in the distance. She could do this, it was in this moment that she knew she could.
It was not much of a surprise that someone waited for her by the gates of the grey palace. It was one of the servants, a dark-skinned dwarf with even darker eyes. The silver stitches that kept his mouth shut made for a stark contrast. There was a scar on his forehead, a mark of burned flesh, the strange set of entwined spirals that formed the personal sigil of Garath Garraman. It was a more welcome sight than one of Moros' servants, to be honest. Though there was no one among the inner order of the warlocks Irae would consider actually pleasant on a personal level, Garraman had picked up habits that made him a more welcome company than the rest of them, the consequence of being the link between the affairs of the warlocks and the needs of the Pureborn, which the Garraman family was a part of.
Silently, the dwarf pointed down the long hallway she had entered the moment she stepped through the doors, his other hand firmly held behind his back. Irae narrowed her eyes as she looked through the gloomy twilight of the House of the Undying. There were days where she considered the place to have a mind of its own, where it seemed to freely change its layout, the way hallways where connected, which door led to which room or what visitors would find beneath. Some she had spoken to told her of the strange, often times horrifying visions they had seen while peeking through the wrong doors, yet Irae herself considered herself immune to such an effect. Of course she believed the stories and they were often to great interest to Moros, but a warlock would never get lost in this building. In here, Irae always knew the way.
That was also the case right now. Accompanied by Garraman's mute dwarf, she walked down the hallway. She knew where he wanted her to be and as she walked through a door she entered a lavish dining room, filled with other young warlocks. It was grey, as the rest of the palace, but with red tapestries and notably more bright than most of the building, with several fireplaces making it warm and almost pleasant. She glanced over her shoulder to see the servant stopping. He gave her a nod, pointing past her at one of the three doors at the other end of the room.
Irae clenched her fists as she approached the door to Garraman's chambers. Pleasant he could be, charming when he wanted to be, but with the nature of her assignment, she could only guess that his timing was not a coincidence. As such, she actually felt her heartbeat quickening as she raised a hand to knock onto the door.
“Come in, child”, a familiar voice croaked and Irae barely managed to conceal her surprise as she recognized Moros Qo Malxis. As she opened the door, she entered Garraman's private room. She had been there before, on errands for Moros and she knew that it was modestly decorated, with red carpets and tapestries covering the dusty walls. Oddly enough, it was lacking mirrors, despite being otherwise more than decently equipped. That being said, it was the sight of just whom had gathered in this room that caused her to tremble. After all, she was not fool enough to feel confidence in the presence of the warlock council. Six men sat there, the elite of her order, just one step beneath the Undying Ones, who were never seen by the common warlock.
In the centre of the room, they were sitting on chairs, with Vator Thrice-Born in its centre. He was almost a dwarf, his skin a pale blue and his white hair tied into a thick knot. Arms crossed over a plain robe, he stared at her with displeasure. The tall, gaunt figure of Moros Qo Malxis sat to his left, his thin hair framing his cadaverous face and falling way beneath his shoulders. Yet again to his left sat Estos Ezzara, his bloated figure and the purple marks that covered his fingers a sign of the strange illness that was plaguing him for years now.
On the far right was Agaz Darkeye, leaning against the side of his chair as if he was bored. He stared at her out of a single good eye, the other one replaced with an orb of dark glass. The flesh around the dark orb was a massive, knotty scar that was covering almost half of his face, from the upper cheek all across the burned stump of his ear to the back of his head, the hair he combed over it barely able to hide the disfigurement. His closest companion, Xhoros Qar Xhon, the Nightling, made up for it by sitting at the edge of his seat. Even now he held a glass filled with the blue shade of the evening in his thin hands and he showed by far the strongest physical reaction to it. Over the many decades of his life, his entire skin had turned more than just a pale shade of blue, resembling the dark colour of the liquid he openly craved for, from his bare feet to his bald head, the lips having gotten black as ink and even the white in his eyes beginning to darken.
And between the Nightling and Vator Thrice-Born sat their inofficial spokesman. Not a leader, as each of them would never tire to assure, but easily the most recognizable of the six warlock leaders to those outside of their order. It was easy to see why. Irae was not one to judge unusual appearances, but the rest of his companions had to appear strange, unnerving or, in the case of the morbidly obese Estos Ezzara or the terribly disfigured Darkeye downright repulsive. Garath Garraman however stood apart from them by being a genuinely good-looking man. Old, yes, most likely not much younger than Moros in years, but with the fresh, pale skin of a man decades younger. His hair was silvery, with only few strands of grey in it and he had charming lilac eyes. Beneath his elegant robes, white and silver as a further contrast to the black, grey and brown of his companions, a surprisingly impressive physique was clearly visible. In terms of looks, he was how Irae imagined the sorcerer-lords of old, the Undying Ones at the height of their power. The only thing giving him away as one of the warlocks were the dark blue lips, currently forming a pleasant smile, but next to his companions, yes, next to Irae even, he would easily pass more as a member of the Pureborn than the order.
“Ah, we are pleased you could make it”, he greeted her, before he narrowed his eyes without his bright smile getting any thinner. “Ira, isn't it?” Agaz Darkeye shook his head, resting the burned side of his face in the palm of his left hand. “Irae”, he hissed. “Irae Caleris” The mere fact that a man such as Darkeye knew her name was something that filled her with uneasiness even now. Out of the entire inner circle, he was the most feared and Irae knew better than to attract his attention.
“Of course”, Garraman continued, not missing a beat. “I am certain you know why you are here” Irae gulped, before she gave them a nod. “This is about the Blood Witch, is it not?”, she asked. Her words echoed through Garraman's room and she noticed Estos Ezzara's small eyes widening, as he gasped. The Nightling tensed up and shared a concerned look with Vator, while Garraman's smile faded for a second. “It is”, he confirmed. “Moros informed us that she chose to speak to you”
“Of all people”, Darkeye added, a sentiment apparently shared by Estos, judging by the brief nod of his massive head. “Before you ask, she does not know why”, Moros came to her aid, a surprising sentiment. The runtish Vator lifted himself up, straightening his back in a futile attempt to appear taller. “I agree, there is no reason why the witch would choose her over any of us”, he spoke. “It could have been, by all means, a coincidence”
“One that matters little”, the Nightling growled and his voice was nothing but a whisper. His mouth moved, but the words seemed to form in Irae's head instead of bothering with the distance between them. “It's not you we are interested in, girl, but the one you have visited” This was only a small relief. The sheer power gathered in this room made Irae tremble. The warlocks were the best of their kind, the most powerful sorcerers in this part of the world, perhaps beyond as well. It was the fact that they paid attention to her at all that was unusual and in the House of the Undying, the unusual was more often than not utterly lethal.
“Tell us, how did the meeting go?”, Garraman asked, his encouraging smile a stark contrast to the rest of the expressions, ranging from indifferent to outright hostile. What could have come across as genuinely friendly felt unfitting in this company. As such, she straightened her back. “The girl is called Naela Orlatis”, she told them. “Only daughter of Kareq Orlatis, a well-known fur merchant in the city”
“Not well-known to me”, Vator spoke and Garraman raised an eyebrow. “I have heard of him though”, he stated. “A man who gained quite some wealth over a short period of time. The Pureborn do not like him, nor does the Tourmaline Brotherhood” Irae knew, those words meant little to the other warlocks and indeed, Agaz Darkeye outright shrugged. “He doesn't matter either”, he replied. “Did the witch even mention him?”
Moros opened his mouth to speak, but Irae was faster. As she cut him off, her mentor sent her a sharp glare. “She did not”, she confirmed. “In fact, I gained the impression she knows little of Naela either. She didn't tell me a name, it was a coincidence that I even remembered her. I... think her connection to the girl is different. She knows where Naela is, what she looks like, but she doesn't know a thing about her life”
Vator raised an eyebrow and it was Garath Garraman who replied next. “This is... interesting”, he admitted. “Yet admittedly concerning. It might imply that she can observe the girl as she likes” Irae felt cold dread running down her spine as she imagined this possibility and she noticed that Garraman had his fists clenched. “It means she is more powerful than we feared”
“Yet another reason why we must do anything to bring her the girl”, Moros argued. “We need time, a lot of it. We... might need allies even, but that is your forte, Garath” There was something in his tone Irae did not like, in the slightest. He was the only one of the inner circle she was around regularly and over the time, she had managed to pick up some habits of his, the subtle nuances between the usual crabbiness and active displeasure. Sternly and overly didactic, he raised one of his elongated fingers. “Tell me, what progress have you made there? Will the girl accompany you?”
Irae gulped, as she slightly bit down onto her lower lip. “Not yet”, she admitted. “I... Master, I need more time” Moros' mouth twitched and the Nightling perked up. “Time?”, he whispered, the tone that ringed through Irae's head holding clear mockery. “Young one, you are supposed to give us time, not the other way around” He narrowed his eyes. “What is keeping you from doing as we command?”
“Be easy on her, Xhoros”, Garraman spoke, as he gave Irae an unsettlingly friendly smile. A friendly warlock was one who wanted something. Irae knew this, because she was one of them. “His question is a legitimate though. What is keeping you from just taking her?”
To this, Irae took a deep breath. “Do you order me to use force?”, she asked. “Master Garraman, you of all people should know the consequences of such actions. What would the people of Qarth say if one of our order abducts a highborn girl from the heart of our city?”
“The people would cower in fear”, Darkeye growled, his good eyes widening, as his mouth formed a sneer. “They would be reminded of a time where they used to” With clenched fists he leant forward. “We are warlocks, girl. We do not ask, we do not beg. Leave talks and lies to the Pureborn in their halls of gold. We are quiet if pleased, but to those who do not follow our demands, we are shadow and fear and blood”
His threatening tone caused Irae's discomfort to grow and it seemed to her that Garraman felt the same. “Agaz, the girl is right”, he admitted. “We are tolerated in this city. While we might get away with taking the girl by force on account of her father's enemies, it will set a dangerous precedent and the guilds will remember it”
“Not a precedent”, Moros spoke. “In times of old, we did as we pleased. Your Pureborn knew their place back then, Garath” He looked back at Irae. “So, Irae, what is holding you back?” He narrowed his eyes and she shivered under his glare. “You're not growing soft, are you?”
She was quick to shake her head. “No, master!”, she assured him. “But the girl, she is soft. Her father is sick and I intend to win her trust by healing him” She looked at them, particularly at Vator Thrice-Born, the healer. “He was poisoned, the alchemist behind it skilled enough to hide the nature of the poison”
Vator rolled his eyes. “Give me a minute with this man and he will be healed”, he claimed. “It is shameful that a common alchemist manages to fool you, girl. More shameful that this is why you have not delivered yet. A sick father? Why should it concern us?”
“Because he is the key to winning Naela's trust”, Irae spoke, feeling a moment of anger rising in her chest. “With all due respect, you are the most powerful men I know and yet you leave it to me to do the deed. I can drag her out of Qarth against her will, but you expect me to drag her all the way to the Dothraki Sea, to the Blood Witch and her Khal” She narrowed her eyes. “If you have a better idea than to convince her, I am willing to listen”
Estos Ezzara gasped, while Garraman's smile faded. It was Agaz Darkeye who had the most severe reaction, as the only thing preventing him from jumping up was the Nightling's hand on his forearm. For a second, the glass orb that replaced his missing eye was filled with fire. “Be careful, girl”, he warned her. “We have built you up, raised you in our order. Disrespect us and we will take everything from you and then some more”
His threat was an effective one and Irae had to suppress the urge to back away from him. It was ironic, she realized. The warlocks tried all their lives to learn from the great masters of their order, those who were so close to the Undying Ones. But being in the presence of all six of them, she wanted nothing but leave. “Forgive me, Master Agaz”, she replied and Garraman's smile returned. “But my question remains. What am I to do? I am not as powerful as you, I am young and weak. The only way I can succeed on my own is if I convince the girl to follow me”
“Certainly an elegant solution”, Garraman admitted. “One I would prefer. If she goes with you on her own accord, no one can use it against us. But how much longer would you need?” To this, Irae shrugged. “Two days, I hope. Her father's ailment is holding her back, but I hope I will be able to heal him when I apply the second antidote. After this, she will be in my debt and she has made it clear that she is willing to pay”
“Yet she doesn't know”, Vator brought up. “What if she refuses to do that? Can you be certain that you will have her convinced by two days? It is the utmost of time we can grant you” Irae had to admit, she was not sure, yet the tone of the healer caused her great discomfort. “You are right with one thing, girl. You are weak and you have no idea how dangerous the witch is”, the Nightling's voice echoed through her head. “Even two days will put us at risk, but with her still mysterious connection to the girl, perhaps your approach is the only one that has a chance to succeed”
Moros had waited until now, but he smirked as he spoke, never a good sign. “Actually, there might be a different way”, he told them. “Irae is not powerful enough to force the girl, but clearly, we are. She is right with that” He gave her a nod. “So she has given me an idea... what if we force the girl? Not with violence, not with anything that can be traced back to her, but by dominating her mind”
Irae stared at him with terror, as much as she should have expected this. Vator raised his eyebrows. “Estos, can you do this?”, he asked and Estos Ezzara nodded quickly. “I can”, he growled, his voice dark and booming. “It wouldn't be the first time. Since Irae is the one to deliver the girl, I can create a link. Consider it a chain around her mind. All it takes would be a mildly talented warlock to pull it” He looked at Irae, studying her carefully. “And you are more than mildly talented. Weak still, but I see potential. You can master the chain easily, pulling her thoughts into any direction you please. It is a power easily abused, but I trust that you will use it only to stir her into the right direction”
Just as Irae opened her mouth to speak, Moros cut her off, not without glee this time. “What would you need, Estos?”, he asked and Ezzara thought about it for a moment. “Blood”, he replied. “And flesh as well, preferably even bone” He shrugged and a shiver went through his bloated body as he did. “I prefer working with bone. One of the girl's fingers would do. I doubt she will need all ten of them when she reaches the Witch Khal” He tilted his head as much as he could with his fat neck. “Albeit an eyeball holds a closer connection to the mind”
“What if the witch will be displeased by this?”, Garraman asked. “We know preciously little of their connection. If she sees her, she will see if we mutilate her. Who knows what she needs her for? If she desires Naela unharmed, we will risk her ire should we do any permanent damage to her” He shook his head. “No, I am against this suggestion. I don't like wasting time any bit more than you do, but this is too dangerous to attempt”
“It would be effective though”, Vator said. Irae however wasn't looking at him. Instead, she looked at Darkeye and he stared right back at her. “It is true”, he finally said. “This is too dangerous. And I don't mean dominating her mind, making her Irae's thrall. No, I mean delivering her to the witch to begin with. We do not know what she needs her for, but the fact that she needs her at all. It means she is essential to her plans, if she contacts our order to demand her, her specifically” He looked around, at the other members of his order. “If we truly wish to harm the witch, if we truly desire to stop her plans, then I say we kill the girl. We have to make sure that the witch won't get what she needs of her”
A moment of dread was replaced by almost instantaneous relief, as Irae noticed how none of the other warlocks seemed even remotely on board with his suggestion. But controlling her, it sounded almost as bad, especially in the extreme way Estos Ezzara suggested. She didn't want to enslave Naela, to dominate her mind. Yet their words were enough to make her doubt. Could she do this on her own? Could she risk failing her order and the city of Qarth? This was more important than her sympathy for Naela.
“As we said, I think we can agree to grant you two days”, Garraman said, sending quick, sharp glares at his companions. “If we cannot agree on this, then I myself will give them to you, by my authority in this council” One by one, the other warlocks nodded, with the exception of Agaz Darkeye, who was visibly angry that his suggestion was ignored like this and the Nightling, who showed no reaction at all. “That is, if you still consider yourself capable to convince her”, Moros added. “You know of the alternative. I know you don't like it, but it stands and if you fail, we will do it regardless” He narrowed his eyes. “After dealing with you for your failure”
Irae tensed up and not even Garraman's permanent smile was able to calm her down. “Of course, we would still need you to deliver Naela to the witch”, he said and it didn't sound reassuring at all. “If you succeed, perhaps even with your own approach, then I assure you, the rewards we will grant will be more than substantial” He shrugged. “Of course, we leave the choice to you. Follow your approach, or accept our suggestion, harsh as it may seem. You are most involved with this situation, so I can say, I trust your judgement, to a given degree”
[Insist on following your approach][Agree to consider the warlocks' suggestion]
Admittedly this is a very big risk whichever way we go here but I feel like Irae attempting to win Naela's favor in a clean way is the safest way to go here. Garraman makes a very solid point that harming the girl could anger the Blood Witch especially since it isn't even clear what she needs Naela for so having Irae give in and follow the warlocks' approach could very well just bring harm to her regardless. However, Irae being able to succeed and bring Naela to the Blood Witch unharmed would be guaranteed to give her a far better reward either way.
Irae
“He's doing good”, Irae said, as she and Naela had finally left Kareq's room. She wasn't certain to whom she said it, perhaps to the… more girl, perhaps to herself, as she looked down at her slightly shaking hands. There were things that never got any easier over the years and decisions like the one she had to do right now were among them. Who lived, who died, it never came easy for her. There were warlocks who yearned for such power, but the responsibility had always been crushing for her.
“Is he?”, Naela spoke, her weak voice showing how much the sight of her father had shaken her. As expected, Kareq had fallen unconscious after Irae had applied the antidote. He would sleep for days, at ease and without pain and then he would either wake up or fade away. Until then, they could only wait. It was bad for Irae, but she knew how much worse it had to be for Naela.
“He is strong”, she replied, trying to calm the girl and Naela chuckled th… [view original content]
Irae
“He's doing good”, Irae said, as she and Naela had finally left Kareq's room. She wasn't certain to whom she said it, perhaps to the… more girl, perhaps to herself, as she looked down at her slightly shaking hands. There were things that never got any easier over the years and decisions like the one she had to do right now were among them. Who lived, who died, it never came easy for her. There were warlocks who yearned for such power, but the responsibility had always been crushing for her.
“Is he?”, Naela spoke, her weak voice showing how much the sight of her father had shaken her. As expected, Kareq had fallen unconscious after Irae had applied the antidote. He would sleep for days, at ease and without pain and then he would either wake up or fade away. Until then, they could only wait. It was bad for Irae, but she knew how much worse it had to be for Naela.
“He is strong”, she replied, trying to calm the girl and Naela chuckled th… [view original content]
Irae
“He's doing good”, Irae said, as she and Naela had finally left Kareq's room. She wasn't certain to whom she said it, perhaps to the… more girl, perhaps to herself, as she looked down at her slightly shaking hands. There were things that never got any easier over the years and decisions like the one she had to do right now were among them. Who lived, who died, it never came easy for her. There were warlocks who yearned for such power, but the responsibility had always been crushing for her.
“Is he?”, Naela spoke, her weak voice showing how much the sight of her father had shaken her. As expected, Kareq had fallen unconscious after Irae had applied the antidote. He would sleep for days, at ease and without pain and then he would either wake up or fade away. Until then, they could only wait. It was bad for Irae, but she knew how much worse it had to be for Naela.
“He is strong”, she replied, trying to calm the girl and Naela chuckled th… [view original content]
Irae
“He's doing good”, Irae said, as she and Naela had finally left Kareq's room. She wasn't certain to whom she said it, perhaps to the… more girl, perhaps to herself, as she looked down at her slightly shaking hands. There were things that never got any easier over the years and decisions like the one she had to do right now were among them. Who lived, who died, it never came easy for her. There were warlocks who yearned for such power, but the responsibility had always been crushing for her.
“Is he?”, Naela spoke, her weak voice showing how much the sight of her father had shaken her. As expected, Kareq had fallen unconscious after Irae had applied the antidote. He would sleep for days, at ease and without pain and then he would either wake up or fade away. Until then, they could only wait. It was bad for Irae, but she knew how much worse it had to be for Naela.
“He is strong”, she replied, trying to calm the girl and Naela chuckled th… [view original content]
Irae
“He's doing good”, Irae said, as she and Naela had finally left Kareq's room. She wasn't certain to whom she said it, perhaps to the… more girl, perhaps to herself, as she looked down at her slightly shaking hands. There were things that never got any easier over the years and decisions like the one she had to do right now were among them. Who lived, who died, it never came easy for her. There were warlocks who yearned for such power, but the responsibility had always been crushing for her.
“Is he?”, Naela spoke, her weak voice showing how much the sight of her father had shaken her. As expected, Kareq had fallen unconscious after Irae had applied the antidote. He would sleep for days, at ease and without pain and then he would either wake up or fade away. Until then, they could only wait. It was bad for Irae, but she knew how much worse it had to be for Naela.
“He is strong”, she replied, trying to calm the girl and Naela chuckled th… [view original content]
Irae
“He's doing good”, Irae said, as she and Naela had finally left Kareq's room. She wasn't certain to whom she said it, perhaps to the… more girl, perhaps to herself, as she looked down at her slightly shaking hands. There were things that never got any easier over the years and decisions like the one she had to do right now were among them. Who lived, who died, it never came easy for her. There were warlocks who yearned for such power, but the responsibility had always been crushing for her.
“Is he?”, Naela spoke, her weak voice showing how much the sight of her father had shaken her. As expected, Kareq had fallen unconscious after Irae had applied the antidote. He would sleep for days, at ease and without pain and then he would either wake up or fade away. Until then, they could only wait. It was bad for Irae, but she knew how much worse it had to be for Naela.
“He is strong”, she replied, trying to calm the girl and Naela chuckled th… [view original content]
[Insist on folllowing your approach] Tbh, I'm starting to hope that Irae's storyline will eventually lead to her abandoning her loyalties to the warlocks, so the risk of falling out of the favor of these masters doesn't bother me all that much.
Irae
“He's doing good”, Irae said, as she and Naela had finally left Kareq's room. She wasn't certain to whom she said it, perhaps to the… more girl, perhaps to herself, as she looked down at her slightly shaking hands. There were things that never got any easier over the years and decisions like the one she had to do right now were among them. Who lived, who died, it never came easy for her. There were warlocks who yearned for such power, but the responsibility had always been crushing for her.
“Is he?”, Naela spoke, her weak voice showing how much the sight of her father had shaken her. As expected, Kareq had fallen unconscious after Irae had applied the antidote. He would sleep for days, at ease and without pain and then he would either wake up or fade away. Until then, they could only wait. It was bad for Irae, but she knew how much worse it had to be for Naela.
“He is strong”, she replied, trying to calm the girl and Naela chuckled th… [view original content]
Not sure why I didn't commented it before, but with six new characters, this chapter has introduced the largest number of new characters by far. Not saying is a bad thing, but it will be hard to keep track of all of the important ones.
It is true, this chapter has been one full of introductions. To be fair, that is partially a result of the huge amount of characters I receive, but future chapters will definitely tone this down. The fact that several completely new storylines with a large number of new characters (Irae, The Hawk, Lachlan) have started, while storylines such as Raenna and Ellena introduced new locations with a new cast. Of course, many of the characters are of a rather low importance. Take Timos the Hammer from the Company of the Hawk for example, I think it won't be a surprise to learn that he is not a particularly important character. As such, I hope important characters will always leave more of an impression. That being said, I understand what you mean there, it might eventually become hard to keep track of every character and the last I want is for people to be confused who a certain character actually is. As such, I have plans, but they require for me to finish the wiki, after which I might be able to not just offer the wiki as a means to get information, but also actively use the wiki to help you find it. My idea would be that whenever a character appears for the first time in a part (and potentially even when they are mentioned), I leave links to the respective wiki article. That way, it should be easy for everyone who has forgotten about certain obscure side characters to catch up with just whom they are. Hope that is actually an idea people enjoy, because I believe could help quite a lot.
Not sure why I didn't commented it before, but with six new characters, this chapter has introduced the largest number of new characters by far. Not saying is a bad thing, but it will be hard to keep track of all of the important ones.
Comments
No problem at all
I just happened to know that was what page it was on since that’s also the page in which my character made his first full appearance and I had read it recently.
[Do nothing]
[Do nothing]
The Voting is closed
Janae is going to do nothing
Ah, a choice that wasn't exactly unexpected, to be honest. It is as you said, Janae is in no position to truly act out on any threat and violence will likely be met with more violence in return. So, this was likely the most sensible option to pick. With Ryder, there is definitely someone against allowing Haar to abuse the slaves, but at the same time, maybe his threat paired with Janae's would have achieved more. It remains to be seen, but I can say that the next chapter will further develop this conflict.
The next part should be out today. I haven't gotten as much writing done as I hoped for while visiting my grandfather, but I got the last part written and at least managed to start with this one. Now that I'm back, I hope the rest will be done today. Currently, I am writing a part for John's storyline, the last one for him in this chapter, but if that won't be enough to fill an entire part worth of content, you'll get the resolution of Irae's storyline for this chapter as well. While my goal to finish the chapter by the end of July was not achieved once again, I hope that August will finally mean a break from all the shit that went on lately. That means, more time to write, oh yes. So, last time we saw John, he and Temari were looking for a captain to bring them to Volantis. Their best bet was eventually narrowed down to be a certain Aidan Storm, already known to you from the council of pirates in Chapter 1. Aidan met with John and they had a chat, during which Aidan eventually asked just why John wishes to hire him. John decided to tell him the truth, against Temari's wishes. On the chance that we will see Irae as well, last time we saw her she met up with Naela Orlatis and also decided on how she wants to heal her father, the merchant Kareq Orlatis. Her next part will show the short-term consequences of her decision. As I said, John is guaranteed to be in the next part and I hope to show you something of Irae as well.
Laaaaads, Aidan hype XD I’ve been waiting for this part!
John
He exchanged a glance with Temari, who subtly shook his head. Taking a deep breath, John looked back into Aidan's unnervingly light eyes. He spotted a hint of amusement on the man's smirk, perhaps even a glimpse of a grin, an almost mischievous streak. Then, he had made his decision. “We're looking for a couple of women”, he revealed and Aidan chuckled briefly.
“What if I tell you, you don't have to go to Volantis for that”, he spoke. “The women there are like the city, harsh and, well, busy. Plus, most of them are slaves” His smile faded only briefly as he said this. “I have sailed from Oldtown to Slaver's Bay and never have I met women more beautiful than right here in Lys. And ever since the slave trade collapsed around here, most of them are free. There is nothing better than a woman who wants to be with you, my one-eyed friend”
John nodded at this, though he suppressed a smirk, instead keeping a stern gaze. “Trust me, I know about that”, he spoke, even if he had to admit, a significant part of the women he had been with has probably been forced by someone. He had enjoyed slaves before, which probably made his current predicament all the more ironic. If it wouldn't have been Janae and Behara on the line, he would have considered his own plight almost deserved. “But this is not what I mean... my... friend”
Aidan grinned widely. “There you go, mate”, he spoke. “Tell me what's on your mind” However, he seemed to realize how urgent this was for John, as his smile faded once again, replaced by a serious expression. The milky eyes made it hard to focus though, as John could hardly tell if he was truly looking at him or just letting his mind wander. He hoped for the former, as he began to speak.
“I am looking for three women in particular”, he replied and Temari sighed, slightly placing a hand on his forehead, as he shook his head. “There's one called... Harpy, I think? A companion of mine is looking for her. It's a love thing. We have reason to believe that she has been taken, by the same man who took the sister of my friend Temari here. The name's Behara, she's barely a woman grown” He paused and clenched his fists. “And finally, Janae”, he added. “My... best friend, my second-in-command, my sister in all but blood” He narrowed his eyes and by now, he was certain that he had Aidan's attention. “They have been taken by the same man. A man from Yunkai, a slaver called Abbas”
Yes, he had his attention. Aidan narrowed his eyes, his smile completely gone and though John was still certain the man had issues with focussing onto him, his tone had lost its cheerful mood. “There's not much I hate in this world, but slavers, oh, I surely am with a passion”, he growled, before he leant back. “Yours is not the first time I hear such a story. It's all they are good for, slaving scum”
John sighed in relief, only slightly, before he nodded. “Does this mean you will help us?”, he asked and Aidan raised an eyebrow. “It means I consider it”, he spoke. “See, mate, I want to help you. You seem like honest folk, have been pretty straightforward with me. There's bastards around here who would have made profit out of this”
Temari rolled his eyes. “Surely you're not such a bastard”, he growled, as he approached the two. Aidan gave him a wide smile, before he nodded. “Your goddamn right, man”, he spoke firmly. “I mean, sure, I'm a pirate, not going to hide that. Work for the pirate king, we got a little agreement going on. I do plunder for a living, but only from those who deserve it. Rich arsewipes, slavers and the like. Got a soft spot for the downtrodden, that's why I'm going to help you out there. The Sparrowhawk will be at your service, finest ship both sides of the Narrow Sea”
The pirate raised a finger. “But...”, he began and Temari sighed audibly. “Fucking knew there's going to be a 'but'”, he mumbled and Aidan shot him a wide smile. “Now, friend, don't be like that!”, he spoke and Temari shot him a glare, followed by another one targeted at John, who merely shrugged. The sellsword had to admit, there was something erratic about this odd pirate captain, as if he was constantly switching his attention between each of the two and the entire room, his strange eyes moving around, glancing through the room and more than once, John was certain Aidan was eyeing the buxom barmaid instead.
“What do you want then?”, John finally asked and Aidan slightly cringed as if he just now remembered that he was in the middle of a conversation. His smile widened. “Ah, sorry, got distracted”, he spoke. “So, what I was going to say is, I want to help you. It's a work of passion for me and I wanted to head the same direction either way, so well, if it's a slaver you seek to chase, if it's slaves you seek to free, then we'll take you for free, if you and your mates pull your weight around on the ship. Ever been to the sea?”
To this, John chuckled. “Born and raised on Orkmont”, he revealed. “Ironborn by blood. That credit enough for you?” Instead of being as impressed as he would have expected from the sailor, Aidan crossed his arms behind his head, giving John a long look. “Ironborn, huh?”, he finally said and John grinned. That was, before Aidan shook his head. “Bunch of glorified sissy girls”, he continued and John's smile faded.
“Excuse me?”, he said and now Aidan grinned, a wide, shameless expression. “Oh, you heard me”, he continued. “Being Ironborn means nothing. You're not half bad, but the times where the best sailors in the world came from that place are long over. Not a single Ironborn in my crew, that much I can tell you” He paused. “Only one of your kind is actually any good and he's a Merman's Rest pirate, not working for your wanker of a king”
John frowned, an expression that caused Temari to lighten up momentarily. “Well, I can pull my weight on your ship”, he promised, not wanting to get into an argument with perhaps their best bet to catch up to Abbas. “Is that all you want? Then we'll do it. We are four people” Temari looked up. “Five”, he spoke. “I bet the bastard gets us a fifth fighter”
To this, John raised an eyebrow. “You seem oddly convinced he'll make it”, he brought up and Temari nodded. “Saw the look on his face when we parted”, he replied. “He'll get us that Blackwell guy, take my word for it” He looked at Aidan. “We're five”, he said with certainty and Aidan nodded. “Yeah, fine for me”, he agreed. “Doesn't really matter how much you are though, because you got to do something for me before we can leave at all”
Temari sighed. “That the point where you tell us what you want?”, he asked and Aidan nodded. “Aye, guess that's it”, he confirmed. “See, I got myself a bit of a problem there” His smile grew slightly thinner. “Scratch that, got myself neck-deep in some serious shit if things go out of control” He shrugged. “I'm afraid I can't leave town until that's sorted out, my friends”
“Took you awfully long to spit it out”, Temari growled and Aidan smirked at him. “Eh, thought we'd have a pleasant chat first”, he replied slowly. “Besides, I really wanted to know why you want my help. Doesn't happen all that often, I rarely offer my service” He leant forwards. “But you have been honest with me, mates, so I gotta be honest with you”, he said, lowering his tone and now, John had no doubt that Aidan was looking right at him. “Tell me, what do you know about the Rogare bank?”
This caused John to sigh. “Plenty”, he replied, as he gulped. “Not much good. A bunch of cutthroats” Aidan nodded. “Former slavers”, he spoke in a stern growl. “Bet they still make coin out of it, over in Pentos and Volantis. But they have always been powerful in Lys, even now. Right here, in this very city, they commit slavery of a different kind. It's all about coin, who has and who has not, about debt and, of course, about power”
“And what are your dealings with the Rogare bank?”, John asked, getting a nervous feeling about this. But Aidan gave him an oddly trustworthy impression. The man seemed almost simple at times, if not for the sharp tone whenever he spoke about slavery, making it clear to John that there was more to him, a very precise form of intelligence. Perhaps it was all an act even, he didn't know him well enough to make any assumptions. But the man was anything but dumb and his hate against slavers seemed to come from passion, perhaps even experience.
“Well, I haven't always been this worldly scoundrel you see here”, Aidan explained. “Did some odd jobs a couple years ago, before I took command over my own ship and crew. There's quite some loose ends for me in this part of the world” He shrugged. “Ends like the Rogare bank”, he finally admitted. “I, well, once stole from them”
John and Temari exchanged a glance. “You did what?”, Temari finally spat, while John shook his head. His only chance to find Janae suddenly got a lot harder. Temari wanted to add something, but Aidan cut him off with a long sigh, sounding almost exhausted for a moment. “Yeah, spare me the lecture, mate”, he told him. “Heard it a thousand times, doubt you can add anything of value to the topic, don't take it personally” He shrugged. “Yes, I know that nobody steals from the Rogare bank”, he admitted. “Well, I know now. As I said, I have been younger back then and pretty new to Essos”
“And you thought it'd be a bright idea to steal from Rogare, huh?”, John spoke and Aidan rolled his milky eyes. “Someone thought it'd be a bright idea to hire me”, he explained. “Some Pentoshi... no, Volantene. Ties to the Salvatore family, I presume. Name was Maegyr... Mopatis... something like that” He gave them an almost apologetic look. “Listen, I've been young back then, wasted on some booze when we made the contract, so don't blame me if I get some details wrong” He tilted his head. “Does it matter?”
“Not much”, John admitted. “Though if you stole from them, I wonder why you're still alive” To this, Aidan laughed and it was an oddly cheerfule tone given the serious topic they were discussing. “As I said, I can't really remember most of the details. The Rogare know that much, because they caught me before I was able to deliver the goods to my employer”
Now, John raised an eyebrow. “Doubt that has been pleasant”, he spoke and Aidan shook his head. “Oh, I sang them the sweetest song, my friends”, he revealed. “One thing I remember about my employer is that he has been a right proper son of a bitch. Paid me too little for a task I only then realized could have easily claimed my life”
“You ratted him out”, Temari hissed, a frown on his face and John had to admit, that wasn't a fine streak. The Gutters, they would never turn on their employer, no matter how much of a cunt. Aidan however placed a hand on his chest. “Pirate”, he simply said. “Well, not back then, but always at heart. You expect me to stay loyal to a guy who wouldn't waste a second thought were our roles reversed?” He shook his head. “Of course I ratted him out. Cost him his live, but saved me mine. World's a bit better for that, mates, trust me”
“And the Rogare just let you go?”, he asked, to which Aidan sighed. “No, they did not”, he admitted. “Not just, at least. Sure, they gave me a beating, one hell of a brutal one. Couldn't walk straight for months and whenever it's cold, I still feel it in my bones. But you know, the Rogare bank wouldn't have gotten to that point without knowing when to use an asset instead of getting rid of it. So they spared my life, in exchange for a future favour”
“So you worked for them?”, Temari brought up. “Doesn't quite fit in with the whole hate for slavery. Everyone knows Rogare earns quite a sum with the trade” For a moment, Aidan seemed almost regretful, a stern look flashing over his face. “Aye, I know”, he said. “Knew it back then as well, but that has been before my, well, encounter with the realities of the trade. I never worked for Rogare, I've only been in debt to them” He clenched his fists. “And trust me, my friends, I hate it every single waking moment, being in debt to such fundamental cocks”
John suppressed a chuckle. “Can understand the sentiment”, he admitted. “How can we help?” As soon as he had said this, Aidan broke into a wide, cheerful grin, his milky gaze wandering from him to Temari. “Mates, you are just the sort I need”, he spoke. “Seasoned fighters, I dare say, but unknown in the city. Rogare knows my crew, so they can't really help me here, much as I'd love having them around”
With this, he reached for the cup next to him, taking a deep gulp and then another, before lowering it again. “So, I was pretty happy with never contacting Rogare again, sure you understand”, he added. “Thought that'd be it, that they'd forget about me” For a moment, his chuckle was not the jolly expression he usually showed, but an almost defeated sound. “Might be Harlaw has been right after all. Naive to the end”
“Rogare forgets no debts”, John spoke and Aidan nodded grimly. “At least since Misario took over”, he agreed. “The man is of a different kind than his father. Ruthless to the very core and with a memory way too good for anyone's benefit. Don't think anyone with a mind like that can be trusted” With this, he glanced around the room again. “But it's not Misario Rogare I am concerned of. As far as I can tell, the man is concerned with more important matters”
“So, you want us to get rid of some Rogare who does remember you and your debt?”, Temari asked, to which Aidan grinned. “Getting rid sounds quite negative, mate”, he said. “Would rather like to have a drink or two with her, especially as she's a beauty as far as I know. Lysara Rogare, one of Misario's daughters. The woman recently got involved with the business itself and it seems she's all for collecting old debts”
“A beauty you say?”, John asked. “Would be a shame to hurt her then, but if it brings us out of here, then so be it” Aidan gulped. “Same thought, mate, same thought”, he mumbled. “As I said, I really don't want to harm her, but I'm kind of in a bit of a predicament there. As soon as I arrived here, I received word from Lysara. She wishes to meet me, without any of my crew present, to discuss how we might settle the debt”
Temari narrowed his eye. “Sounds fishy”, he said, to which Aidan nodded. “Aye, that it does”, he agreed. “Never met Lysara, but I heard about the Rogare methods. If their mark is too strong to subdue easily, they lure them away, weaken them and well, there is a reason why nobody crosses the bank” He shrugged. “Well, I did. Might have ambushed a ship or two sailing under their flag. So, I guess I'm kind of afraid that it'll be a trap. My crew is well known throughout Lys, so if I meet her with any of them even nearby, she'll know and she'll make them pay for it”
“And yet going alone won't be an option”, John stated, which caused Aidan to suppress a brief, sullen laughter. “Say it, I'm kinda fucked there, my Ironborn friend”, he agreed. “I go alone, I'm at the mercy of a Rogare and not part of the nice bunch as far as I know. I go with my crew, I risk a fight with Lysara's men. I leave the city, means I'll ignore her wishes and in that case, I can either just outright off myself or just avoid this half of the world for the rest of my life”
“If you'd have trustworthy foreigners though, who are not known in the city...”, John mentioned and Aidan's face lit up again. “Aye, that's what I wanted to get to”, he agreed. “You could follow me without anyone making a connection between us. To Lysara, it'd seem I'd come alone. If her offer is reasonable, well, can't hurt to hear her out, even if her father is kind of an arse, to put it mildly”
“And if not...”, John began, to which Aidan sighed. “Get me out of there”, he spoke. “At all cost. I'll tell the crew to remain ready. If we run into an ambush, help me retreat and we'll leave Lys at once. I'd rather live as a hermit in Yi Ti than die at the hands of a slaver” He extended his hand and looked right at John. “We got a deal, mate? You help me out of that and I'll bring you to Volantis”
John barely even thought about it. Sure, he did not like the thought of crossing the Rogare bank, but what choice did he truly have? An experienced captain with a fast ship, who happened to hate slavers? It was almost too good to be true. Dealing with a single Rogare and her guard, that was a small price to pay in return. And so, he grabbed Aidan's hand, shaking it firmly. “We have a deal... mate”, he agreed.
It was in this moment that he noticed someone approaching them. Glancing over his shoulder, he spotted none other than Samuel Harrington, arms crossed behind his back. Aidan's eyes widened slightly. “My, what a brooding fellow”, he spoke. “He's with you?” John nodded, giving Samuel a questioning glance. “Anything alright, Fang?”, he growled and Samuel replied with a dark glare. “Jaron nearly got himself killed”, he revealed. “Aside from that? Couldn't be better, if it means getting out of the city”
“Don't like Lys?”, Aidan asked, shooting the stern-looking man a wide grin, a stark contrast. Samuel seemed only briefly surprised about Aidan's unusual looks, especially the odd eyes. If it bothered him, he managed to overplay it perfectly, barely missing a beat. “I like it a bit too much actually”, he admitted. “To the degree where I find it... distracting”
Aidan chuckled. “We've all been there, mate”, he said. “Name's Aidan Storm, captain of the Sparrowhawk. My one-eyed friend here just made a deal with me, your help against mine” Samuel raised an eyebrow, glancing at John. “Reasonable terms?”, he asked and John did notice the subtle threat in the words. As such, he was quick to nod. “Quite so”, he said. “At least they are to me”
“Good”, Samuel merely replied. “The name is Samuel Harrington” He then turned to the side, while Aidan seemed to think about the name for a moment. Then, his milky eyes widened. “Oh”, he said. “Oh, that is a coincidence” He smirked. “Heard your name before. You're kind of a big deal over in Oldtown, you know that?” Samuel's mouth twitched. “I heard of it”, he admitted.
In this moment, John saw Jaron. Perhaps Samuel had put things worse than they truly were, as he didn't look close to dying in any way. The young knight was quite the opposite. In the weeks they had spent together, he had never looked so alive before. In fact, John had been worried about him, in a way. More brooding than Harrington, it wasn't healthy at his age. But right now, he looked splendid. Sure, there were bruises and blood, but the man next to him wasn't looking any better. Asserting the situation, a grin formed on John's face.
“Would have liked to be there for that fight”, he spoke, as he gave Aidan a nod, rising from his seat to greet the newcomers. Jaron shot him a tired smile. “I'm not sure why I'm still standing, to be honest”, he mumbled and his voice was weak, suppressing a yawn. John could sympathize with that and he raised a hand, only narrowly stopping himself from patting the younger man onto the back. The way he was leaning onto the other man made it seem that he was about to collapse, yet he still had managed to drag himself to this place from the other end of the docks at the very least.
“You just had a good fight”, the new man spoke. “Nothing better than that. Oh, you will sleep and well, it'll probably hurt when you wake up again, but I swear to you, this is the only thing worth living for” He grinned and John smirked, as they exchanged a glance. It was always a pleasure to meet someone who saw the world similarly. “Arryn Blackwell, I presume?”, he said, glancing at Temari, as he noticed that his friend seemed lost in thoughts.
“You heard of me”, Arryn confirmed. “Never heard of you thought. Jaron here told me a bit, but well, he said a lot and I barely remember half of it” He patted Jaron against the forehead and the knight groaned in discomfort. “Hit him a couple times, right there”, he spoke. “Your knight will be fine, but he needs strong ale, a wild woman and then a long sleep”
“Just ale, for now”, Jaron said, as he sank down into the chair John had just left. He sank back, looking at Aidan out of narrowed eyes. The pirate captain grinned as he saw the newcomers. “Well, you can certainly fight”, he said. “A knight, did I hear that correctly?” Exhausted and bruised as he was, Jaron merely managed to nod and John smiled. “It's a long story, friend”, he said. “Aidan, this is Jaron, Ser Jaron the Bastard to be precise. Jaron, this is Aidan Storm, our captain. Both Stormlander bastards, bet you'll get along just fine”
“You sure you want to do this?”, Temari finally spoke up and instantly, John and Aidan looked back at him. The pirate tilted his head with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. “You were saying?”, he asked, leaning forwards and closely mustering Temari with his odd gaze. At least for a moment he did, as just seconds later, he frowned and something on the dark ceiling above them seemed to claim his attention. “Go ahead...”, he mumbled.
“The Rogare girl, I mean”, Temari explained. “Are you sure you want to talk to her?” Behind him, Samuel tensed up notably, taking a step closer to listen to their conversation, though he remained silent. “Sounds to me like you're walking into a trap. Sure, we might get you out, but if that is an ambush, there will be losses”
Aidan nodded. “I hope it isn't”, he said. “I, well, hope I can count on Rogare to be reasonable. They wouldn't be where they are if they'd be irrational” He sighed and his smile was gone. “But yes, if they ambush me, if you rush to my rescue, there could be losses. Skilled you might look, my friends, but I doubt Lysara's guards are pushovers either”
“That is what I was thinking”, Temari agreed. “So, I say we don't take the risk. We go in, we ambush her first. Kill the guards, take her hostage and leave Lys” Aidan gulped. “Only to never return”, he said. “I mean, it'd be preferable to death, don't get me wrong. If there will be an ambush, I'd like us to be ahead of her” He clenched his fists. “If not, if Lysara really wishes to make me an offer, I waste my only chance to get out of this Rogare debt without further bloodshed” With this, he looked at John. “Friend John, you have been silent. What would you say shall we do?”, he asked him directly.
[Advice him to speak to Lysara] [Advice him to ambush Lysara]
[Advice him to speak to Lysara]
Violence is not the answer.
[Advice him to speak to Lysara] Ending this matter without bloodshed is probably a good plan. Besides, why would she want to kill him just like that, maybe she wants him to get rid of someone else.
Taking her hostage would only incur the wrath of the rest of her family.
[Advice him to ambush Lysara]
Violence is the answer.
Maybe we can throw him under the ship so to speak and sell him out to get what we need, only from the Rogares.
[Advice him to ambush Lysara]
[Advice to speak to Lysara]
As much as I’d enjoy a good ambush, I don’t think it’s the best course of action. Even if they succeed, Aidan would be right back at square one (or if anything, an even bigger target for the Rogare’s), and it’s also possible that John’s group could become targets as well. The last thing they want on their mission is to worry about the Rogares coming after them.
Best case scenario for talking it out, is everyone gets what they want and walks away.
worst case scenario is a fight on relatively even terms. John’s group and Aidan will be more than a match for hired lackeys. And Aidan has said himself, he’s had dealings with the Rogares before. he’ll likely notice it’s a trap before it gets that far. If not, it wouldn’t be the first time John, Jaron, Temari, Samuel and Arryn have gotten into a scrap.
Anyways, I really enjoyed this part. It was great seeing Aidan interact with the others. As I said last time, you’ve nailed the vibe I had in mind. I particularly enjoyed his interaction with John, and how Aidan’s attitude rubbed off on him a bit and lightened his mood.
My favourite part of the conversation:
“We’re looking for a couple of women”
“What if I tell you, you don't have to go to Volantis for that”
XD I genuinely laughed.
[Advice him to ambush Lysara]
[Advice him to ambush Lysara]
[Advice him to speak to Lysara] It seems clear that Lysara simply wants Aidan to do the Rogares the favor he owes them. Now, if this favor is something unreasonable I'm sure we'll be able to find a way out of it, but in case it is something reasonable or even beneficial then it would be a shame to ruin it by getting violent. Man, I really like Aidan, but I'm starting to think joining with him will be more trouble than it's worth. After all, his crew probably won't be much help chasing Abbas inland, and fucking with the Rogares could end very badly for our pals.
“Man, I really like Aidan”
“but I'm starting to think joining with him will be more trouble than it's worth”
in all seriousness though, I agree that helping Aidan could and probably will lead to trouble, but John’s group doesn’t exactly have a lot of options. The chances of quickly finding another captain and ship that will be sympathetic to their cause is slim. Especially one with a crew experienced in hunting down and attacking slavers.
[Advice him to speak to Lysara] Not too sure about which approach to go with here, I might even change my vote later.
When John mentioned him being Ironborn I was curious to see Aidan's reaction and if he would mention Gregor at all. Gotta say I loved those little mentions to Gregor in this part hehe. I really like how Gregor and Aidan seem to be good friends, makes me wonder if they'll ever meet each other again in the future, even if it is unlikely.
oh Gregor was your character? I enjoyed the small interaction they had at the council too, especially how even after Aidan quite blankly turned down his offer, Gregor didn’t care and invited him out for a drink after lol
Speaking of, Liquid, if it’s not a spoiler; Is there a backstory to their camaraderie or did they just meet at the council and happened to get along with each other?
[Advice him to speak to Lysara]
Aye, that much is a given. In Aidan's opinion, if Lysara is truly out to kill him, he already gained the wrath of the Rogare family and the best he can hope for is that they never catch up to him. With her as his hostage, he hopes to gain enough leverage to safe the lives of himself and his crew. But it should be certain, the Rogare family shouldn't be angered lightly. After all, this is around the time where their wealth and influence easily rivals that of the Iron Bank and the fact that they kept their fortunes intact even after the economic collapse of Lys should say a lot about how widely spread their influence is.
Well, without hinting at anything, I can say that this wouldn't exactly be an out-of-character action for 4 out of 5 members of the group right now. John, Temari and Arryn are sellswords, ranging from pragmatic to outright ruthless, so if Lysara makes them a better offer, it might be up for debate. Samuel would hardly hesitate, he is so determined to achieve his goal that he did all sorts of bad stuff and turning against a man he barely knows would be the least of them. The only one who would quite possibly be vehemently against this is Jaron. You know him as the kind to at least try and keep some degree of honour and loyalty, which I suppose comes with the knightly vows, but he'd be one voice among five. That being said, ambushing Lysara would easily be a way to ruin the chance to gain help from the Rogare family, wether or not that is even an option at all.
Ah, I am really glad to hear that Aidan lived up to the expectation in this part
I had a lot of fun writing this more easy-going character for once, especially considering that he is surrounded by people such as Samuel and Temari, who cannot be described as light-hearted in any way. His attitude is one to rub off on some of the group and well, I definitely look forward to have more of an interaction between him and the other characters beyond just John. That'll be something for next chapter for certain.
You do bring up a legitimate concern there, one that I can confirm is shared by Temari, Samuel and Arryn, the latter of whom is actually in debt to the bank. Aidan will no doubt be quite helpful, with him having a legitimate grudge against slavers, as it'll make him a reliable ally, something rare and invaluable in this part of Essos and he might be indeed the best chance the group has to ever catch up to Abbas. That being said, his help will not come without a price and this price might be going against the Rogare family. The way I imagine them is having mafia-like structures, a mixture of legal business ventures, a filthy amount of coin through their bank deals and most certainly tons of illegal activities to further their influence and wealth. This is not the kind anyone in their right mind wants to piss off and Aidan dearly regrets having done it in the past when he knew less about their true power. So, if the group does anything to outright mess with the Rogare family, it could easily end badly.
Ah, you spotted them
Aidan and Gregor are indeed good friends (and I'll get into some detail about their friendship below), so I knew I just had to include mentions of him in this part. Expect more of these, actually. Aidan is the kind to tell stories and Gregor will be involved in quite some of them, to give you more of an idea of what sort of trouble these two have been up to in the past.
That is actually not a spoiler, so I will gladly head into detail here, especially as it is not all that likely that this piece of information can ever be reasonably dropped in the story itself. So, their friendship comes from their shared time at the court of Merman's Rest and a couple of journey they have made together. See, the general system in Merman's Rest is, any captain with at least some influence gains a seat at the council and there are actually many members of this council we have not seen yet, because most of them are at sea, gaining riches for themselves and their king. As you can imagine, many among the council wish for more influence, the most ambitious even outright eyeing the position currently held by Aeron Blacksails, who in return has a following of loyal captains so strong that the other factions under his command do not dare to make a move against him. Gregor and Aidan stand out from the rest on account of being among the few who neither hold personal loyalty to Aeron nor have any desire to advance in the ranks and increase their influence among the other pirates. This makes them not exactly outcasts, but knowing that they are not interested in the politics of the pirate court, their connections to the other pirates isn't exactly all that brilliant. However, this in turn has made their connection to each other stronger, as they realized they have a lot in common. Over the time, they have grown to be good friends as a result, with Gregor becoming one of the few Ironborn Aidan openly and genuinely respects.
Ah okay. That makes sense. I look forward to more references to Gregor in future parts!
2 more things
This is just a thought I had with no real basis, but the Rogare’s don’t seem shy about dealing with slavers? Could it be possible that Lysara has been in contact with Abbas, and the “favour” she wants from Aidan is to take out the group chasing Abbas? That would add a whole extra layer of tension to the meeting.
2nd, would I be correct in assuming that the result of this vote will be played out in Jaron’s next part? I’m curious since that will mean more Aidan sooner rather than later XD
Aye, the Rogare family is a pretty big name in the slavery business in western Essos and there is almost no slaver who has made deals outside of Slaver's Bay without at some point dealing with them or their associates. As such, it can be assumed that Abbas has at some point been in contact with them. The question that remains is if he has contacted them during his current journey and if there is a connection to Lysara contacting Aidan. This should, of course, be revealed pretty early during the meeting. If your assumption turns out to be correct, the only good thing about this is that Lysara naturally has no idea who the people chasing after Abbas are, so Jaron and John could stand right next to her and she wouldn't draw the connection.
You are correct, Jaron's next part will show the consequences of this choice. The only thing I am unsure about is if I want to show it in this chapter or in the next. It shouldn't change much about when the part will be written, as it will be either one of the last parts of the current or one of the very first parts of the next chapter. With only a small number of parts left in this chapter, I would very much like to wrap it up, so I will have to make a decision very soon.
The Voting is closed!
John is going to advice Aidan to speak to Lysara Rogare
That was the expected outcome and quite probably the more pragmatic one. Aidan himself prefers this option, as picking a potentially unnecessary fight with one of the most powerful families in Essos is not something he likes to do on a regular basis. However, there might be no other choice but fight, in which case this option will put our heroes at a significant disadvantage. It all comes down to Lysara's intentions, which will be revealed in Jaron's next part, at least to a certain degree.
The next part will wrap up the Essos storylines for this chapter, bringing us one important step closer to the end of it. As such, Irae will be the PoV for this part. As with the last two parts, I am not certain if I can give her a full-length PoV for her final part in this chapter. If not, then the next part will also wrap up Keat's storyline for this chapter, so I'll give you recaps for both just to be sure. So, Irae's next part will show the immediate aftermath of her treatment of Kareq Orlatis and some resulting consequences. Meanwhile, Keat's part will bring us back to Oldtown, where he met up with his old friend Samuel Puffer and his siblings. Faced with the decision to tell Samuel about the upcoming heist (likely resulting in him joining this potentially dangerous mission) or not, Keat decided that he would tell Samuel about it and that's where we'll start his next part. If Irae will receive a full-length part for her next one, then Keat will return in the one after this.
Irae
“He's doing good”, Irae said, as she and Naela had finally left Kareq's room. She wasn't certain to whom she said it, perhaps to the girl, perhaps to herself, as she looked down at her slightly shaking hands. There were things that never got any easier over the years and decisions like the one she had to do right now were among them. Who lived, who died, it never came easy for her. There were warlocks who yearned for such power, but the responsibility had always been crushing for her.
“Is he?”, Naela spoke, her weak voice showing how much the sight of her father had shaken her. As expected, Kareq had fallen unconscious after Irae had applied the antidote. He would sleep for days, at ease and without pain and then he would either wake up or fade away. Until then, they could only wait. It was bad for Irae, but she knew how much worse it had to be for Naela.
“He is strong”, she replied, trying to calm the girl and Naela chuckled thinly, without even the hint of joy, merely to ease some of her tension. “You don't know him”, she said, her voice slightly shaking. “You don't know how strong he used to be, warlock. All you've seen was a dying man in a dark room” Tears welled up in her eyes and she sighed, as she leant against the wall.
For a moment, Irae stared at her, motionless, glancing at the girl. From this angle, with the look of helpless grief on her face, Naela seemed younger than she truly was. Not frail, but thin, fair and, yes, weak. She slightly clenched a fist, thinking of what the Blood Witch could want from her.
“I'm sorry”, the girl finally said, her voice firm again. “You did what you could and I shouldn't snap at you” She bit down onto her lower lip, frowning as she stared at the ground. “You did what you could, didn't you?” To this, Irae nodded. “I gave him what seemed best”, she explained. “A stronger antidote might kill him” She kept silent about the fact that this might still happen. There were things Naela didn't have to know.
Irae wasn't too surprised that her words barely offered any comfort. But comfort wasn't what she was here for. She had to heal a sick man and the daughter... what happened to her was beyond her control, wasn't it? Perhaps she could ease the fate that would await her though.
“What will happen now?”, Naela asked and Irae glanced at the half-closed door to Kareq's room. “Your father will sleep”, she spoke. “Meanwhile, the antidote will do its work. It won't be enough to heal him on its own, so I have to return in two days, to apply the second dose”
Naela nodded slowly, now managing a slight smile. “Thank you”, she spoke, words that shook Irae to the core. It seemed the girl noticed her widened eyes, as she tilted her head, sudden suspicion on her face. “What is it?”, she said in a low tone, slowly enough for Irae to regain her composure. “When I return for the next time, we must speak about the price”, she spoke and she noticed how Naela gulped. She was a smart one and she knew it wouldn't be pleasant. “I am willing to pay”, she agreed. “Whatever it takes”
Those weren't wise words to say to a warlock. Irae mustered her closely, before walking past her and towards the set of stairs that would lead to the ground floor. “I must leave now”, she said quickly, perhaps a bit too quickly and Naela hurried to catch up to her. “And you leave me guessing, huh?”, she asked. “Worrying for two days, over the fate of my father, over the price you demand of me”
She grabbed the warlock by the arm and surprised by the sudden contact, Irae glared at her as she glanced over her shoulder. It failed to have the intended effect and Naela replied with a glare of her own. “I am not ungrateful”, she spoke. “But don't do this to me. Don't just leave without telling me”
Irae sighed and this caused Naela to let go of her. “If I would know, I would tell you”, she said and it was only half a lie. “Something big is happening, Naela. I don't understand the full scale of it, but I will meet with people who do. Perhaps they can tell me” The girl clearly did not believe her, though she made no attempt to stop her. “Take care, Naela”, Irae said as she had reached the open door that would lead her out into the courtyard of the Orlatis mansion.
“For some reason, that was the most unsettling thing you told me today”, the girl mumbled and Irae had to suppress a thin smirk, as she walked across the courtyard without looking back. It wasn't until she had left the mansion itself, back onto the sprawling streets of Qarth that she allowed herself a moment to hesitate. Staring down at her hands, she had to ask herself if she could do this. She likes this girl and there was no way she could get out of this unharmed. Whatever it was, she had doubts the Blood Witch meant well for Naela. And it was not only that. Deep down, Irae had to admit she feared for herself as well. After all, she would remain by the girl's side.
But could she truly defy the warlocks' orders? Moros had been clear in his intentions and his utter disregard for Naela's well-being. He was a man she looked up to, a man who demanded respect and utter obedience. The tales of the horrible punishments inflicted on those who failed him were the stuff of legend, or nightmares for those studying under him. A harsh, demanding master and one she did not want to ever displease. Combining this, following his order, pleasing the Blood Witch and keeping Naela safe, perhaps it wasn't possible to have it all. But for the time being, Irae could only go forward, healing Kareq, winning Naela's trust and figuring out what to expect from the Blood Witch's demands.
She barely noticed that she had reached the House of the Undying again. The warlock's palace had something about it that drew her back to it at all times. It was the same for all of the warlocks, a feeling that pulled them back to it when they were gone. In a rare cordial moment, Moros had even all but admitted to her that being separated from the building caused uneasiness in him and others who had spent half a century in its walls.
The gates opened by themselves as Irae approached and this actually caused several of the nearby pedestrians to stop and stare at her, as she walked past them. She saw the fear in their eyes, felt the suspicion and the hint of awe. Few of them would ever dare to walk beneath the blue-leaved grove, none of them as freely as she did. She paid them no mind, not bothering with the twisting lights beneath the groves or the dark shadows lurking there. In fact, she felt more confident the moment she stepped beneath the leaves, breathing more freely again. This place, it had an odd effect on her, one she would probably never truly understand, but she welcomed it. A warlock belonged to the House of the Undying. She was part of it and it was part of her and what doubts she harboured in her mind were gone as she laid eyes on the looming building in the distance. She could do this, it was in this moment that she knew she could.
It was not much of a surprise that someone waited for her by the gates of the grey palace. It was one of the servants, a dark-skinned dwarf with even darker eyes. The silver stitches that kept his mouth shut made for a stark contrast. There was a scar on his forehead, a mark of burned flesh, the strange set of entwined spirals that formed the personal sigil of Garath Garraman. It was a more welcome sight than one of Moros' servants, to be honest. Though there was no one among the inner order of the warlocks Irae would consider actually pleasant on a personal level, Garraman had picked up habits that made him a more welcome company than the rest of them, the consequence of being the link between the affairs of the warlocks and the needs of the Pureborn, which the Garraman family was a part of.
Silently, the dwarf pointed down the long hallway she had entered the moment she stepped through the doors, his other hand firmly held behind his back. Irae narrowed her eyes as she looked through the gloomy twilight of the House of the Undying. There were days where she considered the place to have a mind of its own, where it seemed to freely change its layout, the way hallways where connected, which door led to which room or what visitors would find beneath. Some she had spoken to told her of the strange, often times horrifying visions they had seen while peeking through the wrong doors, yet Irae herself considered herself immune to such an effect. Of course she believed the stories and they were often to great interest to Moros, but a warlock would never get lost in this building. In here, Irae always knew the way.
That was also the case right now. Accompanied by Garraman's mute dwarf, she walked down the hallway. She knew where he wanted her to be and as she walked through a door she entered a lavish dining room, filled with other young warlocks. It was grey, as the rest of the palace, but with red tapestries and notably more bright than most of the building, with several fireplaces making it warm and almost pleasant. She glanced over her shoulder to see the servant stopping. He gave her a nod, pointing past her at one of the three doors at the other end of the room.
Irae clenched her fists as she approached the door to Garraman's chambers. Pleasant he could be, charming when he wanted to be, but with the nature of her assignment, she could only guess that his timing was not a coincidence. As such, she actually felt her heartbeat quickening as she raised a hand to knock onto the door.
“Come in, child”, a familiar voice croaked and Irae barely managed to conceal her surprise as she recognized Moros Qo Malxis. As she opened the door, she entered Garraman's private room. She had been there before, on errands for Moros and she knew that it was modestly decorated, with red carpets and tapestries covering the dusty walls. Oddly enough, it was lacking mirrors, despite being otherwise more than decently equipped. That being said, it was the sight of just whom had gathered in this room that caused her to tremble. After all, she was not fool enough to feel confidence in the presence of the warlock council. Six men sat there, the elite of her order, just one step beneath the Undying Ones, who were never seen by the common warlock.
In the centre of the room, they were sitting on chairs, with Vator Thrice-Born in its centre. He was almost a dwarf, his skin a pale blue and his white hair tied into a thick knot. Arms crossed over a plain robe, he stared at her with displeasure. The tall, gaunt figure of Moros Qo Malxis sat to his left, his thin hair framing his cadaverous face and falling way beneath his shoulders. Yet again to his left sat Estos Ezzara, his bloated figure and the purple marks that covered his fingers a sign of the strange illness that was plaguing him for years now.
On the far right was Agaz Darkeye, leaning against the side of his chair as if he was bored. He stared at her out of a single good eye, the other one replaced with an orb of dark glass. The flesh around the dark orb was a massive, knotty scar that was covering almost half of his face, from the upper cheek all across the burned stump of his ear to the back of his head, the hair he combed over it barely able to hide the disfigurement. His closest companion, Xhoros Qar Xhon, the Nightling, made up for it by sitting at the edge of his seat. Even now he held a glass filled with the blue shade of the evening in his thin hands and he showed by far the strongest physical reaction to it. Over the many decades of his life, his entire skin had turned more than just a pale shade of blue, resembling the dark colour of the liquid he openly craved for, from his bare feet to his bald head, the lips having gotten black as ink and even the white in his eyes beginning to darken.
And between the Nightling and Vator Thrice-Born sat their inofficial spokesman. Not a leader, as each of them would never tire to assure, but easily the most recognizable of the six warlock leaders to those outside of their order. It was easy to see why. Irae was not one to judge unusual appearances, but the rest of his companions had to appear strange, unnerving or, in the case of the morbidly obese Estos Ezzara or the terribly disfigured Darkeye downright repulsive. Garath Garraman however stood apart from them by being a genuinely good-looking man. Old, yes, most likely not much younger than Moros in years, but with the fresh, pale skin of a man decades younger. His hair was silvery, with only few strands of grey in it and he had charming lilac eyes. Beneath his elegant robes, white and silver as a further contrast to the black, grey and brown of his companions, a surprisingly impressive physique was clearly visible. In terms of looks, he was how Irae imagined the sorcerer-lords of old, the Undying Ones at the height of their power. The only thing giving him away as one of the warlocks were the dark blue lips, currently forming a pleasant smile, but next to his companions, yes, next to Irae even, he would easily pass more as a member of the Pureborn than the order.
“Ah, we are pleased you could make it”, he greeted her, before he narrowed his eyes without his bright smile getting any thinner. “Ira, isn't it?” Agaz Darkeye shook his head, resting the burned side of his face in the palm of his left hand. “Irae”, he hissed. “Irae Caleris” The mere fact that a man such as Darkeye knew her name was something that filled her with uneasiness even now. Out of the entire inner circle, he was the most feared and Irae knew better than to attract his attention.
“Of course”, Garraman continued, not missing a beat. “I am certain you know why you are here” Irae gulped, before she gave them a nod. “This is about the Blood Witch, is it not?”, she asked. Her words echoed through Garraman's room and she noticed Estos Ezzara's small eyes widening, as he gasped. The Nightling tensed up and shared a concerned look with Vator, while Garraman's smile faded for a second. “It is”, he confirmed. “Moros informed us that she chose to speak to you”
“Of all people”, Darkeye added, a sentiment apparently shared by Estos, judging by the brief nod of his massive head. “Before you ask, she does not know why”, Moros came to her aid, a surprising sentiment. The runtish Vator lifted himself up, straightening his back in a futile attempt to appear taller. “I agree, there is no reason why the witch would choose her over any of us”, he spoke. “It could have been, by all means, a coincidence”
“One that matters little”, the Nightling growled and his voice was nothing but a whisper. His mouth moved, but the words seemed to form in Irae's head instead of bothering with the distance between them. “It's not you we are interested in, girl, but the one you have visited” This was only a small relief. The sheer power gathered in this room made Irae tremble. The warlocks were the best of their kind, the most powerful sorcerers in this part of the world, perhaps beyond as well. It was the fact that they paid attention to her at all that was unusual and in the House of the Undying, the unusual was more often than not utterly lethal.
“Tell us, how did the meeting go?”, Garraman asked, his encouraging smile a stark contrast to the rest of the expressions, ranging from indifferent to outright hostile. What could have come across as genuinely friendly felt unfitting in this company. As such, she straightened her back. “The girl is called Naela Orlatis”, she told them. “Only daughter of Kareq Orlatis, a well-known fur merchant in the city”
“Not well-known to me”, Vator spoke and Garraman raised an eyebrow. “I have heard of him though”, he stated. “A man who gained quite some wealth over a short period of time. The Pureborn do not like him, nor does the Tourmaline Brotherhood” Irae knew, those words meant little to the other warlocks and indeed, Agaz Darkeye outright shrugged. “He doesn't matter either”, he replied. “Did the witch even mention him?”
Moros opened his mouth to speak, but Irae was faster. As she cut him off, her mentor sent her a sharp glare. “She did not”, she confirmed. “In fact, I gained the impression she knows little of Naela either. She didn't tell me a name, it was a coincidence that I even remembered her. I... think her connection to the girl is different. She knows where Naela is, what she looks like, but she doesn't know a thing about her life”
Vator raised an eyebrow and it was Garath Garraman who replied next. “This is... interesting”, he admitted. “Yet admittedly concerning. It might imply that she can observe the girl as she likes” Irae felt cold dread running down her spine as she imagined this possibility and she noticed that Garraman had his fists clenched. “It means she is more powerful than we feared”
“Yet another reason why we must do anything to bring her the girl”, Moros argued. “We need time, a lot of it. We... might need allies even, but that is your forte, Garath” There was something in his tone Irae did not like, in the slightest. He was the only one of the inner circle she was around regularly and over the time, she had managed to pick up some habits of his, the subtle nuances between the usual crabbiness and active displeasure. Sternly and overly didactic, he raised one of his elongated fingers. “Tell me, what progress have you made there? Will the girl accompany you?”
Irae gulped, as she slightly bit down onto her lower lip. “Not yet”, she admitted. “I... Master, I need more time” Moros' mouth twitched and the Nightling perked up. “Time?”, he whispered, the tone that ringed through Irae's head holding clear mockery. “Young one, you are supposed to give us time, not the other way around” He narrowed his eyes. “What is keeping you from doing as we command?”
“Be easy on her, Xhoros”, Garraman spoke, as he gave Irae an unsettlingly friendly smile. A friendly warlock was one who wanted something. Irae knew this, because she was one of them. “His question is a legitimate though. What is keeping you from just taking her?”
To this, Irae took a deep breath. “Do you order me to use force?”, she asked. “Master Garraman, you of all people should know the consequences of such actions. What would the people of Qarth say if one of our order abducts a highborn girl from the heart of our city?”
“The people would cower in fear”, Darkeye growled, his good eyes widening, as his mouth formed a sneer. “They would be reminded of a time where they used to” With clenched fists he leant forward. “We are warlocks, girl. We do not ask, we do not beg. Leave talks and lies to the Pureborn in their halls of gold. We are quiet if pleased, but to those who do not follow our demands, we are shadow and fear and blood”
His threatening tone caused Irae's discomfort to grow and it seemed to her that Garraman felt the same. “Agaz, the girl is right”, he admitted. “We are tolerated in this city. While we might get away with taking the girl by force on account of her father's enemies, it will set a dangerous precedent and the guilds will remember it”
“Not a precedent”, Moros spoke. “In times of old, we did as we pleased. Your Pureborn knew their place back then, Garath” He looked back at Irae. “So, Irae, what is holding you back?” He narrowed his eyes and she shivered under his glare. “You're not growing soft, are you?”
She was quick to shake her head. “No, master!”, she assured him. “But the girl, she is soft. Her father is sick and I intend to win her trust by healing him” She looked at them, particularly at Vator Thrice-Born, the healer. “He was poisoned, the alchemist behind it skilled enough to hide the nature of the poison”
Vator rolled his eyes. “Give me a minute with this man and he will be healed”, he claimed. “It is shameful that a common alchemist manages to fool you, girl. More shameful that this is why you have not delivered yet. A sick father? Why should it concern us?”
“Because he is the key to winning Naela's trust”, Irae spoke, feeling a moment of anger rising in her chest. “With all due respect, you are the most powerful men I know and yet you leave it to me to do the deed. I can drag her out of Qarth against her will, but you expect me to drag her all the way to the Dothraki Sea, to the Blood Witch and her Khal” She narrowed her eyes. “If you have a better idea than to convince her, I am willing to listen”
Estos Ezzara gasped, while Garraman's smile faded. It was Agaz Darkeye who had the most severe reaction, as the only thing preventing him from jumping up was the Nightling's hand on his forearm. For a second, the glass orb that replaced his missing eye was filled with fire. “Be careful, girl”, he warned her. “We have built you up, raised you in our order. Disrespect us and we will take everything from you and then some more”
His threat was an effective one and Irae had to suppress the urge to back away from him. It was ironic, she realized. The warlocks tried all their lives to learn from the great masters of their order, those who were so close to the Undying Ones. But being in the presence of all six of them, she wanted nothing but leave. “Forgive me, Master Agaz”, she replied and Garraman's smile returned. “But my question remains. What am I to do? I am not as powerful as you, I am young and weak. The only way I can succeed on my own is if I convince the girl to follow me”
“Certainly an elegant solution”, Garraman admitted. “One I would prefer. If she goes with you on her own accord, no one can use it against us. But how much longer would you need?” To this, Irae shrugged. “Two days, I hope. Her father's ailment is holding her back, but I hope I will be able to heal him when I apply the second antidote. After this, she will be in my debt and she has made it clear that she is willing to pay”
“Yet she doesn't know”, Vator brought up. “What if she refuses to do that? Can you be certain that you will have her convinced by two days? It is the utmost of time we can grant you” Irae had to admit, she was not sure, yet the tone of the healer caused her great discomfort. “You are right with one thing, girl. You are weak and you have no idea how dangerous the witch is”, the Nightling's voice echoed through her head. “Even two days will put us at risk, but with her still mysterious connection to the girl, perhaps your approach is the only one that has a chance to succeed”
Moros had waited until now, but he smirked as he spoke, never a good sign. “Actually, there might be a different way”, he told them. “Irae is not powerful enough to force the girl, but clearly, we are. She is right with that” He gave her a nod. “So she has given me an idea... what if we force the girl? Not with violence, not with anything that can be traced back to her, but by dominating her mind”
Irae stared at him with terror, as much as she should have expected this. Vator raised his eyebrows. “Estos, can you do this?”, he asked and Estos Ezzara nodded quickly. “I can”, he growled, his voice dark and booming. “It wouldn't be the first time. Since Irae is the one to deliver the girl, I can create a link. Consider it a chain around her mind. All it takes would be a mildly talented warlock to pull it” He looked at Irae, studying her carefully. “And you are more than mildly talented. Weak still, but I see potential. You can master the chain easily, pulling her thoughts into any direction you please. It is a power easily abused, but I trust that you will use it only to stir her into the right direction”
Just as Irae opened her mouth to speak, Moros cut her off, not without glee this time. “What would you need, Estos?”, he asked and Ezzara thought about it for a moment. “Blood”, he replied. “And flesh as well, preferably even bone” He shrugged and a shiver went through his bloated body as he did. “I prefer working with bone. One of the girl's fingers would do. I doubt she will need all ten of them when she reaches the Witch Khal” He tilted his head as much as he could with his fat neck. “Albeit an eyeball holds a closer connection to the mind”
“What if the witch will be displeased by this?”, Garraman asked. “We know preciously little of their connection. If she sees her, she will see if we mutilate her. Who knows what she needs her for? If she desires Naela unharmed, we will risk her ire should we do any permanent damage to her” He shook his head. “No, I am against this suggestion. I don't like wasting time any bit more than you do, but this is too dangerous to attempt”
“It would be effective though”, Vator said. Irae however wasn't looking at him. Instead, she looked at Darkeye and he stared right back at her. “It is true”, he finally said. “This is too dangerous. And I don't mean dominating her mind, making her Irae's thrall. No, I mean delivering her to the witch to begin with. We do not know what she needs her for, but the fact that she needs her at all. It means she is essential to her plans, if she contacts our order to demand her, her specifically” He looked around, at the other members of his order. “If we truly wish to harm the witch, if we truly desire to stop her plans, then I say we kill the girl. We have to make sure that the witch won't get what she needs of her”
A moment of dread was replaced by almost instantaneous relief, as Irae noticed how none of the other warlocks seemed even remotely on board with his suggestion. But controlling her, it sounded almost as bad, especially in the extreme way Estos Ezzara suggested. She didn't want to enslave Naela, to dominate her mind. Yet their words were enough to make her doubt. Could she do this on her own? Could she risk failing her order and the city of Qarth? This was more important than her sympathy for Naela.
“As we said, I think we can agree to grant you two days”, Garraman said, sending quick, sharp glares at his companions. “If we cannot agree on this, then I myself will give them to you, by my authority in this council” One by one, the other warlocks nodded, with the exception of Agaz Darkeye, who was visibly angry that his suggestion was ignored like this and the Nightling, who showed no reaction at all. “That is, if you still consider yourself capable to convince her”, Moros added. “You know of the alternative. I know you don't like it, but it stands and if you fail, we will do it regardless” He narrowed his eyes. “After dealing with you for your failure”
Irae tensed up and not even Garraman's permanent smile was able to calm her down. “Of course, we would still need you to deliver Naela to the witch”, he said and it didn't sound reassuring at all. “If you succeed, perhaps even with your own approach, then I assure you, the rewards we will grant will be more than substantial” He shrugged. “Of course, we leave the choice to you. Follow your approach, or accept our suggestion, harsh as it may seem. You are most involved with this situation, so I can say, I trust your judgement, to a given degree”
[Insist on following your approach] [Agree to consider the warlocks' suggestion]
[Insist on following your approach]
Admittedly this is a very big risk whichever way we go here but I feel like Irae attempting to win Naela's favor in a clean way is the safest way to go here. Garraman makes a very solid point that harming the girl could anger the Blood Witch especially since it isn't even clear what she needs Naela for so having Irae give in and follow the warlocks' approach could very well just bring harm to her regardless. However, Irae being able to succeed and bring Naela to the Blood Witch unharmed would be guaranteed to give her a far better reward either way.
[Insist on following your approach]
[Agree to consider the warlocks' suggestion]
[Insist on following your approach] Eh, the Saruman way is not very nice. Tempting, but not very nice.
[Insist on following your approach]
[Insist on following your approach]
[Insist on folllowing your approach]
[Agree to consider the warlocks' suggestion]
The warlocks really don't mess around, huh. I'm really curious as to how Irae's story will end, if she isn't killed during her journey.
[Insist on folllowing your approach] Tbh, I'm starting to hope that Irae's storyline will eventually lead to her abandoning her loyalties to the warlocks, so the risk of falling out of the favor of these masters doesn't bother me all that much.
Not sure why I didn't commented it before, but with six new characters, this chapter has introduced the largest number of new characters by far. Not saying is a bad thing, but it will be hard to keep track of all of the important ones.
It is true, this chapter has been one full of introductions. To be fair, that is partially a result of the huge amount of characters I receive, but future chapters will definitely tone this down. The fact that several completely new storylines with a large number of new characters (Irae, The Hawk, Lachlan) have started, while storylines such as Raenna and Ellena introduced new locations with a new cast. Of course, many of the characters are of a rather low importance. Take Timos the Hammer from the Company of the Hawk for example, I think it won't be a surprise to learn that he is not a particularly important character. As such, I hope important characters will always leave more of an impression. That being said, I understand what you mean there, it might eventually become hard to keep track of every character and the last I want is for people to be confused who a certain character actually is. As such, I have plans, but they require for me to finish the wiki, after which I might be able to not just offer the wiki as a means to get information, but also actively use the wiki to help you find it. My idea would be that whenever a character appears for the first time in a part (and potentially even when they are mentioned), I leave links to the respective wiki article. That way, it should be easy for everyone who has forgotten about certain obscure side characters to catch up with just whom they are. Hope that is actually an idea people enjoy, because I believe could help quite a lot.