Author's Note: HELLOOOOO! How're you guys doing? I'm doing great because, as of writing this (12/18/2021), tomorrow is my little sister's birthday! Happy Birthday Nakita! I'm going to be hosting a D&D Game for her tomorrow, and I'm excited as it is going to be a one-shot featuring the group's favorite npc brought back from the dead for the adventure! I'm going to have to get up early for it, but I'm excited to get things started!
So before we begin today's Chapter, I need to clear up a few things.
First, I need to clear something up… For years now, I've been struggling with getting the proper sizing for Westeros in my head, and as I'm an Autistic little shit, not having a known size for the world that I'm going to be working with is enough to drive me crazy! I don't do well with not knowing what I'm getting into, especially when it comes to the size of a world I'm getting myself into, size and dimensions are everything for a sound mind of mine. And this not only applies to Westeros, but to Tamriel as well! However, recently, whilst doing some research I had come across a blogger named Werthead, who had run a ton of calculations to get the size of Westeros as a whole, and their calculations came out to Westeros having a total area of landmass equal to about 3,063,000 Square Miles, which is Smaller than Brazil but Larger than Australia. When I did the research for Tamriel, I had a hard time finding the definitive size of Skyrim, however, when i was about to lose all hope, I came across a blog on by Charlse Burger on May 20th of 2020, and he had placed Elder Scrolls Arena as Second Place with a game size of about 6 Million Square Miles, though it was unconfirmed if Tamriel is actually that size, but if it's true, than that's about twice the size of Westeros!
So my Foul little mind has done some thinking and, as I have done in "The Dragon of the North (Redux)" I am going to have it that Mundos/Planetos is Nirn's next iteration in the New Kalpa, and since the only two continents we have any clue on, for the most part, are Tamriel and Akavir, I am going to have it that Westeros is the Reborn Tamriel, with it's size included, and Essos is Akavir Reborn, with the other continents confirmed to be Lost in the Elder Scrolls Universe: Yokuda, Atmora, Aldmeris, Pyandonea, and Thras, are all reborn as Ulthos, Sothoryos, and part of Essos, and the Land of Always Winter in Atmora's case.
Secondly, speaking of Westeros, I have done a bit pondering, and I have done a bit of research into Bear Island, and it sounds eerily similar to my home island of Kodiak. As stated in the last chapter, I am going to model Bear Island after Kodiak, but I've decided to expand upon it a bit, giving it more landmass, a more defined explanation, and add a few features from Solstheim into it. I hope you guys like what I have planned!
Thirdly, after pondering it for a bit, I have decided on who Ormr's Dragon Partner is going to be, but I shall keep that a secret for now, cuz I want it to be a surprise for now. However, I will explain it will be either Durnehviir or Thurrahvus. Trust me, either of them will fit perfectly with what I have planned.
Fourthly, while doing a bit of research for today's project, I had decided on a special set of plot elements that I think you might find interesting, but on a whim, I had decided to look into certain houses from Westeros, and I was shocked to find the Houses I was looking for actually had the Sigils I had in mind. True they aren't one to one, but if you guys look up the sigils that I am going to list, you might know where I'm going with this if you do a bit of research. The Houses are: Florent, Mormont, Fowler, Stark, Horpe, Volmark, Mertyns, Lynderly, and Targaryen… If you know anything about the Ancient Nordic Pantheon, you might know what I mean and where I may be going with this.
Fifthly and Finally, a reviewer under the username James5436 brought up some concerns about the Gold that Ormr is giving the Mormonts, making them too powerful right out of the gate. And he is right to be concerned, who wouldn't be? Honestly, I'm grateful he brought that up because, as I was starting this chapter, on a whim, I decided to check my reviews, and thanks to his constructive criticism, I decided to hold back on the plans I have for the Mormonts and their newfound wealth for now. If I had them start on whatever projects I had planned for them now, it would raise a lot of suspicion and probably cause some chaos in the North, and so relatively close to the Tournament of Harrenhal too. So thanks James, you really saved my bacon from burning… *Offers a pan of partially crispy bacon* Want some?
Anyway, I think that is enough out of me for now! Please be sure to Follow, Favorite, Review, and Share this story with anyone and everyone you know who likes both The Elder Scrolls and Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire! Catch ya on the Flipside! DOV-AH-KIIN!
*Cue "Berserk - My Brother, the Dragonslayer (3 OST Mix) + Lyrics" By ServerArchive*
Chapter 2:
Bear Island, 7th of Rain's Hand
Ormr, having recovered from his injuries thanks to drinking the last of his healing potions, smiles as he makes his way to the training yard, his helmet removed for this occasion. Thanks to the Gold he had donated to House Mormont, they were able to not only rebuild the fishing village he had unintentionally destroyed when the ship crashed, but he also managed to obtain hired help from the Lords south of their position. After studying Bear Island a bit, he had found that the description of the island, "beautiful but remote island contains old gnarled oaks, tall pines, flowering thorn bushes, moss-covered gray stones, and steep hills with streams" just did not do it full justice on it's beauty and geography. If he were to describe it more accurately, he would describe it as "mountainous and heavily forested in the Northern, Western, and Eastern parts of the island, whilst fairly treeless in the south with many deep, ice-free bays in that part of the island that could provide sheltered anchorages for boats and ships".
After running the numbers on the map of the entire continent and it's surrounding islands with his sister Rikke, they've come to the conclusion that Westeros should be around the same size as Tamriel, roughly 6 Million Square Miles in total, and then comparing Bear Island's size, it would roughly be about 12,000 Square Miles in a roughly circular shape… How the Islanders can get from one side of this island to the other, he has no clue, not even Rikke can figure it out, but despite this, Ormr smiles as he likes the island. When he and Rikke look at Bear Island, they are reminded of Solstheim, their ancestral homeland, torn asunder from Skyrim during the Merethic Era when their ancestors, Miraak, Zahkriisos, and their allies Ahzidol and Dukaan battled Vahlok the Jailor, their clashing of Thu'ums and Spells breaking the earth bones that held Solstheim to the continent and rending it asunder to a position halfway between Skyrim and Morrowind. Unlike Solstheim, however, the southern half of Bear Island is much warmer and beautiful with nary a tree insight, instead, steep hills that carry beautiful cold resistant flowers that remind them of the tundras of Skyrim in the Windhelm Hold.
It is like their home away from home, but during the past week they have been here, their training regime has caught the eye of many of the Islander's soldiers, and they have come to train with the Legionnaires, same with the Lords and Ladies of the House, in which drills and exercises help them all forge stronger bonds and grow stronger together, and Ormr couldn't be happier to help. When it comes to their weapons, however, Ormr is appalled as his trained eye as a smith sees how badly the people need better quality weapons. Now not to insult the warriors of Bear Island, their "strength of ten mainlanders" quote certainly holds true, even he has a hard time keeping up with an islander soldier during training, but the quality of their weapons leaves much to be desired… The fact that they are wielding such low quality weapons is appalling, and insulting to their strength, for they would easily break under normal conditions due to the steel's quality being so low. No wonder Dacey and her family have to wear multiple layers of armor in order to be safe in battle… "Ormr!" Speaketh of the BEar, and she shalt come… "You coming?"
"Yes, just give me a second!" Ormr says, throwing an orb of black energy on the ground. What rises from it scares almost everyone as Arvak appears out of the ground, the skeletal horse appearing out of purple flames, with a mane and tail of said flames. However, when he is summoned, much to Ormr's surprise, the Flames of Oblivion wrap around Arvak, creating for him a beautiful body with an ashen gray coat that has blood marks running up his shoulders, chest, neck, and face, giving off the appearance of how he was killed before he became trapped in the Soul Cairn, whilst carrying icy blue eyes, as well as a white tail and mane. "Arvak, you look amazing!" The summoned horse runs his head against his partner's chest before Ormr jumps on his partner's back and he rides off with Dacey. Today is their day to go on patrol around the island.
As they ride, whilst Ormr's senses are trained on the surroundings, his eyes take in the appearance of the island, admiring it's beauty. "This place is amazing!" Ormr says, looking around.
"You like it?" Dacey asks, looking at him.
"It reminds me of the Island of Solstheim… I can hardly believe how much it reminds me of it!" Ormr says.
"Solstheim?"
"It was once a Hold of Skyrim, the homeland of my clan…" Ormr says, "Before it was sundered from the mainland and turned into an island due to one of my ancestor's stupidest decisions."
"What did he do?"
"My ancestor, Miraak, was Dragonborn, like me, the First of our kind… He had all the powers of a dragon, but unlike me, he allowed his draconic will to power and desire to dominate consume him… Due to this fact, when the Nords desired to rebel against Alduin and his dragons, they asked Miraak for help, as he would've been the only one capable of killing Alduin. Unfortunately, since Miraak wouldn't be allowed to directly control the rebellion and would have to share his power and authority, he refused and started a rebellion of his own." Ormr explains as they ride, "Because of him openly declaring his own rebellion, Alduin diverted the strongest of his forces and his strongest priests directly at Miraak, hoping to kill him before he could attack the rest of Skyrim and challenge him directly. Fighting alongside my other ancestor, Zahkriisos, as well as their sworn brothers, Dukaan and Ahzidol, they managed to defeat many of the dragon priests and dragons. However, they soon came face to face with Vahlok, a dragon priest who, had he succeeded in killing Miraak, would have been given the Konahrik Mask and been made the Leader of the Dragon Cult."
"The battle between the five of them was intense, and it quickly became apparent why Vahlok was favored most of all by Alduin, and would have been given Konahrik… He was just too powerful for any of them to defeat, and as such, before the final blow was struck, Miraak was rescued by the Old God Hermaeus Mora, but also imprisoned in the God's Realm of Oblivion, Apocrypha, for thousands of years, kept alive by the knowledge of how to obtain immortality through studying the great library. The other priests that sided with Miraak went into stasis, becoming undead creatures, sleeping until Miraak returned. Vahlok was named the Ruler of Solstheim and was, practically, the Only Dragon Priest that was considered a good, wise, and just person. He even spared my clan when all was said and done, but in exchange for their lives, they were banished from Solstheim. Vahlok, however, used an Elder Scroll to describe that the Banished Clan would one day return to Solstheim to right the wrongs of the past and repay Vahlok for his mercy by defeating Miraak once and for all."
"And that was you and your sister, correct?" Dacey asks.
"Yes, after Miraak was set to return, a group of his cultists attempted to assassinate me. Once General Tullius and my sister found out about this, they spoke with the Leaders of the Dunmer and my sister brought up the legends of Miraak, and how, like the Bloodmoon Prophecy coming again, Miraak was returning, and only a Dragonborn could defeat a Dragonborn. So, after some lengthy negotiations, I was given permission to come and go from Solstheim as I needed to, but in exchange, the Dunmer Leaders wanted a favor."
"What kind of favor?" Dacey asks.
"They needed my help with the Thalmor's operatives secretly invading Solstheim, and so they asked me to "take care" of them. Since I was already on the Thalmor's shitlist, I didn't mind, besides, after what they did to my clan over the centuries, those damn High Elves deserved it…" Ormr explains, "They brutally tortured, raped, and murdered members of my clan, whittling us down until only Rikke and I remained by the time I returned to Solstheim."
"I'm sorry…" Dacey says.
"A Dragon alone in the world is truly a terrible thing, Dacey, for nobody else understands us better, and a Nord without a clan to help hold back their worst impulses is just a disaster waiting to happen, especially if your clan has been the most advanced clan of Nords for thousands of years." Ormr says, Dacey going quiet, but then Ormr stops.
"What is it?"
"Do you hear that?" Ormr asks, to which Dacey stops and listens, hearing a hissing sound. "That's volcanic steam!"
"Steam?" Dacey asks, to which Ormr rides off at high speed, Dacey's horse keeping up easily and the two eventually find a large steaming pool of water with large cracks in the earth releasing steam into the air. "A hotspring!"
"Yes…" Ormr looking stunned. "And these crags…" He looks at the steam flowing from them. "There is something familiar about them…" Dacey dismounts and runs her hand in the water, enjoying the warmth, whilst Ormr looks around, his instincts leading him to a cave entrance at the base of the mountain. Looking back in the direction from which they came, he can see Mormont Keep and the waterfalls near them in the distance, 'This can't be a coincidence…'
"Ormr?" Dacey asks.
"Over here!" Ormr says, waving her over to the cave. "Do you feel that?" He takes off a glove and feels the air in the cave, to which Dacey does the same, her eyes widening.
"It's warm!"
"Yes… And the smell…" Dacey sniffs the air.
"Flowers?"
"Yeah…" He enters with Dacey following close behind. Slowly the descend into the darkness below, but Ormr, gently taking her hand, seems to know where he is going… As if he has been here before…
Slowly, the temperature and humidity of the cave grows, until it feels too warm for the furs in her garments, in which a light slowly appears in an opening ahead of them, and light seems to pour right into the opening. What Ormr leads her into is something so beautiful she can't even describe it. It's as warm as the south with flowers, berry bushes, an all sorts of plants she doesn't recognizes growing inside it, there are three large waterfalls that fall from the openings in the ceiling high above, with rivers and geysers flowing through the center of this place, and with hotsprings surrounding it. Insects of the south flit about without a care in the world, and there, high above them on a cliff is a great Weirwood Tree, only it is thousands of times bigger than any she has ever seen, and it's roots are so large that they seem to wrap around a path that leads up to it. "The Eldergleam Sanctuary…" Ormr says, tears flowing from his eyes as he falls to his knees.
"What is this place?"
"The Eldergleam Sanctuary, the most holy space in all of Skyrim… Home to the Eldergleam, the oldest living thing in Skyrim, hell maybe even all of Nirn, the divine symbol of Kyne, the Goddess of the Storms and Wind, and Mother of the Nords… It was her breath that caused the snow to create us, and it was her husband, Lorkhan, who taught us how to protect and sustain ourselves." Ormr says, looking at the tree. "How is it here!? This doesn't make any sense…" That is when they hear buzzing and Ormr stands up, and from the area around them appear to be creatures Dacey has never seen before, beings that appear to be tree-like creatures shaped like naked women with hollowed heads and crowned with antlers. Some of them glow with green light, others with red, and yet one glows with a menacing dark purple light. "Spriggans!" He is about to ready his axe when a wind blows past him, and as Dacey readies herself, Ormr holds out his hand. "Lower your mace."
"Are you mad?" Dacey asks, "Then again… You know these creatures better than I do…" She lowers her mace and the Spriggans slowly approach, and the wind flows. The Roots of the Eldergleam withdraw, clearing the path to the tree itself. The Largest of the Spriggans, the one with purple light flowing through it, points them to the path, and Ormr begins walking along it. Dacey is hesitant, but follows behind as the creatures watch them carefully. Slowly climbing the path to the Tree, Ormr kneels before the tree, and the wind blows.
"Dovahkiin… My precious boy…" A voice whispers on the wind, Dacey looking around, shocked and nervous. "You have finally returned…"
"Returned, Monah?" Ormr asks.
"You do not know how long we had waited for you to return… The High Children's arrogance and misguided sense of grandeur had forced us to intervene when you suddenly disappeared…" The voice says, "Not even your father could understand where you had gone…"
"Monah, the Sea of Ghosts came to life, I was attacked by an assassin whilst trying to calm the storm, and then suddenly I used a shout I had never even thought of in my delirium, and we ended up here in a new world." Ormr says, scared of the answer he will receive.
"That is what we knew from when we last saw you, but that was not all that had happened…" The Voice says as a hawk descends and lands in the tree's branches. "Your disappearance, along with your men and your sister had left the Empire Vulnerable, and the Snow Tower unguarded… With Alduin dead, and Peryite's plots to restore the natural order not ready, the Thalmor sought to complete their ambitions and destroy the Snow Tower… They succeeded… And the Kalpa had ended in the most unnatural way possible… And the grand designs of the Thalmor proved for naught…"
"My Kalpa… It ended…?" Ormr asks, shocked, the gears turning in his head. "Then that means…!"
"Yes… This World… Mundos, or Planetos to some… This is Nirn's newest interaction… The New Kalpa…" The voice says.
"No…" Ormr says, collapsing to his hands and knees… "Then how are we going to get home and right these wrongs?"
"There is no chance for you to return to Nirn, but you can set right what has been set asunder…" The voice says, "There is a demon that must be destroyed, one who seeks to turn the living into his undead thralls, he is a living Dragonbreak, created by the Children of the Forest… Kill him, and time will rectify itself, though there is no guarantee that it will allow you and your men to return home, however, if you so choose, there is another path that can be achieved through the destruction of this creature…" The wind gently wraps around him. "But what that is, you must discover for yourself, my sweetling… But I will not let you leave this place without first giving you something that will help you prepare this world for it." The roots then move at the base of the cliff, "And know that, to this world, you are the First Dragonborn, there is another south of the region called the Neck… Dragons, though they choose Solitude on Mountaintops, they seek each other thus for conversation and aid… A Dragon can only know a Dragon, my son… When the time comes, go to him and aid him… Only together will your task be fulfilled in time."
"Monah…" Ormr says, to which the wind guides him towards where the Tree's roots opened, revealing a cave entrance that Ormr descends with Dacey into the depths… Ormr walks in, his eyes adjusting to the darkness, and Dacey, terrified of what is going to happen, looks as the Dragonborn brings out a torch and lights it with his breath, following the wind as it guides him. He then stops…
"This is far as the wind will carry me… You will know what you are looking for my son… I wish you the best of luck, and if you ever need me, simple return here and we may speak…" The voice says before the wind dies down, and Ormr looks at his torch, dowsing it as light begins to fill the darkness of the caverns from certain mushrooms, and what Dacey sees before her is just beautiful… Mountains and Mountains of Dragonglass, lining the rocks of the mountain and Ormr looks in awe at what he sees, but smiles.
"This is it, all the Ebony we will ever need…!" Ormr says, smiling, looking at the glass just forming right out of the Rock. "If I can get to mining, then I can begin making armors and weapons easily!"
"How can you make weapons and armor from Dragonglass?"
"I can show you if you wish, but to make it simple, when Obsidian is refined using a special process, it becomes like metal, tough and strong, losing the majority of it's normal weaknesses, whilst retaining it's normal hardness, if possible even getting harder. The blades made from it are sharper than anything and never lose their edge once sharpened. In fact, the reason for this is that an Ebony blade is constantly sharpening as the edge grinds against metals and bones with each consecutive strike, and as such, as it is continually used, one has to be more and more careful when they handle it. That is why handgrips on ebony weapons are carefully designed to be rough enough to provide a decent enough grip, whilst at the same time not being too rough that it is uncomfortable."
"Do you think you could show me?" Dacey asks.
"Of course, my lady, in fact, if I had a pickaxe, I could mine some of this and make you an Ebony Mace!" Ormr says, smiling, to which they head out of the mine, "Though aside from the mine, this sanctuary is rich in almost every ingredient that I knew in my Kalpa, so I can whip up some good healing potions, medicines, and poisons!"
"I see!" Dacey says, smiling as Ormr brings her to some vines and they pick what appear to be a few grapes.
"Jazbay Grapes, I missed you!" He pops a few into his mouth, smiling, but then his face squeezes in as if biting into a lemon, "So sour!" Yet he has a look on his face that just screams happiness with tears in his eyes. "Want to try one?" He offers her, to which Dacey looks scared, politely refusing. Ormr shrugs and collects a few more ingredients with a smile on his face and the two quickly return to Mormont Keep.
Mormont Keep…
"And you found a massive number of Ebony Deposits beneath the sacred tree?" Rikke asks.
"Yes, sister, and the number of deposits are indeed massive, and I believe what we saw were only the first "few" deposits that could not be seen." Ormr explains, to which Jorah thinks on this. "Lord Jorah, I would humbly request permission to take some men to harvest some of the Obsidian so that I may perform a demonstration of how to refine and forge the glass, and thus produce Ebony Weapons and Armor!" Jorah looks at him and then thinks about what this is going to be like, he then looks at Longclaw at his belt, and then smirks as he thinks about what this might do.
"You have my permission, take all the men you need, and bring the glass for the demonstration." Jorah says.
"Thank you, my lord!" Ormr says, bowing before going off to gather those he needs.
"That brother of your is certainly something." Jorah says as he sits back down at his desk.
"That he is… I honestly don't know how he does it. I was never any good at our family's crafting arts, that was all him. I have always been a soldier, and I will always be one." Rikke says, looking out the window, "Though the thought we've come forward in time into the next Kalpa is disturbing, and the fact we failed to protect the Empire is a failure I will never live down." She looks down, shame written on her face. Jorah places an understanding hand on her shoulder.
"It may not be much, but if your brother thinks Bear Island is Solstheim reborn, then you may be able to find solace in the fact that you have finally returned home." Jorah says, to which Rikke places a hand on his, feeling her heart slow and calm.
"You really are a sly fox, aren't you?" Rikke says, smiling, to which Jorah looks at her in shock. "I find you dreadfully Un-bear-able at times…" Maege, hearing that as she passes, begins laughing as Rikke walks off, smirking as Jorah pinches the bridge of his nose, although with a smirk on his face.
A Few Hours Later…
Ormr smiles as the cart containing the Obsidian is brought to Mormont Keep, where he carefully examines each piece of mined Obsidian, and carefully chooses the ore pieces that are no heavier than a pound in weight before shattering them and placing them into ingot molds. Ser Jorah, Rikke, Maege, and the other Mormonts go to the Forge with several of the men as Ormr finishes the last of the mold settings for the dragonglass pieces. "My Lord and Ladies, what I present to you here…" He holds up a chunk of Dragonglass, "Is what you call Dragonglass, but we Tamrielians know as Ebony… Now Ebony, in our Kalpa, was created through molten magma traveling through the earth and being pumped through the Heart of Lorkhan, the Heart of the Hero-God of humanity… When his heart forced the glass into the world, he imbued it with both his blood and his magic, thus allowing Ebony to be refined into metallic ingots without issue." Ormr explains, "However, this version of Ebony is without magic, thus when exposed to enough heat, it melts into slag… Thus in this demonstration, i shall use the Thu'um to imbue the glass with magic as I heat it and then cool it, so that, should my thesis be proven right, then it shall become metalli in nature!"
Ormr begins by placing the molds into the forge and then takes a deep breath, "Yol-Toor-Shul!" He speaks to the forge, causing it to erupt to life as the flames hit the fuel placed inside. Ormr works the bellows as the glass begins to glow red, then white, hot and slowly transforms into a liquid. The Liquid takes the shape of the molds, and Ormr continues to use the bellows to increase the temperature, whilst using his Thu'um to add more fire to it. Rikke watches as the Mormonts look on intently, and her brother keeps an eye on the molds, his mastery over the forge allowing him to look upon the glass as it slowly reaches the point it is needed. Then, in the span of a second Ormr breathes in deeply, "Fo-Krah-Diin!" Ormr shouts, sending a burst of frigid wind upon the forge, causing a large cloud of vapor to erupt from the forge and spread across the keep, in which it rapidly dissipates. They then hear the sound of metal striking metal as it is revealed Ormr is removing the cooled Ingots from their molds, and Ormr's eyes are lit with passion and hope. "Ebony…" Ormr smiles as he holds it up, and Rikke examines it, though not as trained as her brother in metallurgy, she knows ebony when she sees it, and smiles.
"You did it!" Rikke says, happy for her brother.
"Amazing!" Jorah says, picking up the ingot and looking at it, noticing it's weight. "This has quite a it of heft to it!"
"Yes it does! Tell me, how much does a suit of steel plate armor, with a shield weigh?" Ormr asks.
"Southern Steel Plate tends to weigh, without the shield, 55 pounds, with another 12 for the shield?" Jorah says, estimating the weight.
"Funny…" Rikke says, "Tamrielic Steel Plate weighs 59 pounds!"
"So 67 pounds for the entire set?" Ormr asks, "Well Ebony Armor, with it's shield, tends to weigh about 76 pounds, unless you're a training addict like me who modifies it to weigh 268 pounds." He then smiles as he takes some Leather Strips that he had prepared and sets up a mannequin with a suit of Steel Plate added to it, something he had the smith help him forge for the demonstration. Setting back to the forge, and reigniting it with his Dragonfire, Ormr carefully heats a pair of Ebony Ingots until they begin to glow white hot. Using tongs, he places them on the Anvil, and takes out a smith's metal mallet and concentrates, "HEIM-RAH-SOS! (Forge-God-Blood)", and with a swift strike of the hammer, a wave of magical force erupts from the forge, blinding everyone for but a moment as Ormr strikes it over again, repeating the Thu'um seven times, and until finally, the light dies, and Ormr holds in his hand a fully forged weapon. It is an Ebony Bastard Sword, but with a single curved edge as the black metal has ripples and engravings of silver flowing through it, whilst the hilt is shaped unlike that of an ebony sword that Rikke or Ormr knows, but is shaped similarly to that of a cruciform sword, only with a slight bend in the grip, just as the blade does.
If one were to describe it, it looks like a giant knife with a single-edged curved blade that is about the same size as your average bastardsword, with the grip having a natural groove in the center where the fingers could neatly fall into. Combined with the natural engravings that give it a roughness that provide extra grip, it would be difficult to remove the sword from one's hands, with a simple handguard, it was well balanced with a pommel cap that naturally formed out of the metal. Ormr, though confused, gently presents the sword to Jorah, who compares it's weight to that of Longclaw, and while the Ebony Sword is indeed heavier than Longclaw, when compared to that of a normal steel blade of the same size as both of them, it was not by much, just a slight bit more heft to it. However, there are a few things that Jorah did notice about this sword and that it was more balanced and it's gripping was far easier and more stable than Longclaw. Aside from that, there is a piece of metal on the side of his sword hand, in which Jorah's instincts tell him that this piece of metal, given the design of the sword's blade, was meant to catch oncoming blades that slid down the length and stop his hand from sliding into the blade itself.
Performing some techniques with both Longclaw and this Ebony Sword, he sees that the two blades are both designed for different reasons, with Longclaw's cruciform design being meant for piercing the weak points in steel plate, whilst the Ebony blade was designed, theoretically for powering and slashing right through the plates themselves.. When he is asked to test it on the mannequin, he finds that whilst both swords cut through it and the steel quite easily, by examining the cuts of both weapons, the ebony blade was much sharper and cut right through the mannequin whilst Longclaw only cut part way through. "How is this possible?"
"Obsidian, on it's own, cuts far deeper and more cleanly than any steel blade ever could. Once refined into Ebony, that one property becomes far greater, as the more an Ebony blade cuts through a hard objects, the blade continues to grow sharper and sharper as the stones, metals, and bones it strikes refines it's edge even more." Ormr explains. "The Weight that is put behind the refined glass also makes it easier to do as the more weight a blade has, the greater it's momentum, and thus the more force can be put behind the swing with less effort. Not only that, Single-Edged swords are lighter than their double-edged counterparts, and focus all of their power into that of the cutting edge…!"
He then looks at Dacey and smiles at her, and then gets an idea as he takes out a large piece of parchment and gets Dacey's measurements, and draws out with ink and a rough outline of the armor he has planned for her. "Brother, is that a Carved Armor?" Rikke asks
"Yes, but that's just the design of the helmet and the silver engravings on the armor, and shield!" Ormr says, smiling, to which he sets to work, and in the course of an hour, he manages to create full suit of Ebony armor with the molding being similar to that of a Nordic Carved Armor, only this entire armor is themed in that of the Bear God, Tsun, in a feminine design, but stops as he looks to Dacey. "Dacey… There is something I need to tell you and I need to know from you… I had once fought the Bear God, Tsun, in order to gain access to Sovngarde, the Great Mead Hall of the Nordic Honored Fallen. Tsun wielded a great axe as he guarded the Whalebone Bridge, so I need to know, do you wish to continue to wield a Mace, or would you like to try wielding a greataxe?" Dacey looks at him, and then to the mace on her side, and smiles as she thinks.
"If this armor is to be made in the image of a God of your Kalpa's pantheon then I shall continue to honor that god by wielding a greataxe!" Dacey says, to which Ormr nods as he sets to work and forges for her a greataxe of equal power, but lighter weight, to his own, and uses his Thu'um to carve upon the double-bladed greataxe the image of an angry bear and it's paws with claws upon the blades. Given some privacy to put the armor on, Dacey comes out smiling, to which everyone notices Ormr's cheeks turn bright red as he sees the woman before her now becoming more beautiful to him in his eyes. "What do you think?"
"You look…" Ormr struggles to find the words, "Like a goddess fit for battle…" Dacey smirks at the dragon as he shows himself to be extremely awkward when faced with a beautiful and strong warrior woman. Once this is done, Ormr continues to make more and more armors and weapons, with Jorah's Permission, and the Dragonborn works well in the forge, eventually crafting enough armors for every soldier on Bear Island…
Two WeeksLater...
Ormr, waking up, gets the sudden urge to look into the Houses of Westeros, and his eyes set themselves upon 9 specific Houses. The Whale of Volmark of the Iron Islands, The Moth of Horpe and the Owl of Mertyns of the Stormlands, Wolf of Stark and the Bear of Mormont of the North, The Fox of Florent of the Reach, The Snake of Lynderly of the Vale, The Hawk of Fowler of Dorne, and The Dragon of Targaryen of the Crownlands… With the sigils of these houses appearing in his head, Ormr sets to work creating ebony armors modeled after the Animals of their House Sigils, save for House Mormont, who already has their armor. These animals are the animals of the Ancient Nordic Pantheon, and he can't shake the feeling out of his head that something is going to happen. Something that will change the path of Westeros forever, and he can't help but feel like the Gods are testing him, to which he feels the wind blow past his hair, and it brings with him the smell of smoke.
"IRONBORN!" One of the guards shouts, "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Ormr quickly equips his arms and armor and rides out on Arvak with the rest of the Bear Islanders. As they draw near the raiding parties, Ormr lifts his axe.
"LEGIONNAIRES WITH ME!" Ormr shouts, to which he has his contingent break off from the rest of the Bear Islanders and he gives Dacey a look through his helm, the woman nodding as she continues on with her soldiers. Ormr, circling around with his legionnaires, watches as Dacey and her warriors clash with the Ironborn, Rikke riding next to him.
"Destroy their ships brother, I'll take care of the Ironborn!" Rikke orders, Ormr nodding as he rides away from the group and towards the ships. Circling round the back of the ironborn, Rikke orders the archers to knock their bows, and then fire, striking the ironborn in the back whilst Dacey pushes the offense. With the Ironborn thus pinned down, Ormr breathes in deeply, using his fire breath to set the Ironborn Longships alight, allowing them no means of escaping. The Battle is over before it started, with only one Ironborn seeing sense and surrendering, dropping his axe. Ormr rides over to the group as they restrain the man, and the Dragonborn looks at the young man, the wind rushing past Dacey and Rikke as the voice of Kyne speaks to him.
"Take him to Mormont Keep and lock him up…" Dacey commands, her soldiers obeying, and once they return to the keep, they learn the man is named Maron Volmark, Heir to House Volmark of Harlaw on the Iron Islands. The young man is no more than a boy, a ten nameday old boy who had stowed away on one of the ships, pretending to be a full fledged ironborn due to his size making him look like a man. Ormr looks at the boy curiously, and can see in his eyes that he was terrified of what would happen.
"A boy like you stowing away on an Ironborn ship, what were you trying to prove?" Rikke asks the boy harshly.
"I was trying to prove to my father that I could be a true Ironborn… Though I have the size and strength for it, my father doesn't believe I could be truly Ironborn due to the fact that I've been having dreams lately…"
"What kind of dreams?" Ormr asks, Ser Jorah and Lady Maege listening in.
"In my dreams, I see a great Leviathan joining forces with a Fox, a Hawk, a Wolf, a Moth, a Bear, a Snake, an Owl, and a Dragon, and the Nine of them face off against an army of other animals, with a wolf-like creature with a body covered in scales, whilst wielding a flaming sword, only to then face a horde of monsters with blue eyes and pale skin, and armies of undead…" Maron says, to which Ormr looks stunned, and feels something stir in him. He knows this feeling, and it makes him smile like a madman.
"Oh no, I know that look, Ormr, you can't be seriously thinking about that! This boy is a prisoner, not…"
"Silence Rikke…" Ormr says, taking a tone he rarely does with his sister, giving her a look that says he "I''m not backing down from this" before looking to Maron. "Volmark… Do you want to go back home?"
"Yes…"
"And you still want to be Ironborn, correct?"
"Yes…?" Maron says, hopeful.
"Well, I have a proposition, but I'll need to speak with Lord Mormont about this, but what if I took you on as my shield brother after properly training you?"
"Shield-siblings?"
"You would guard my back and stand at my side, and die in my defense, as I would yours… Similar to the vows of the Southern Knights. You need only do one thing for me…"
"What is that?" Maron asks, to which Ormr points to the floor, smiling.
"Submit to me… Swear to me that your house will never attack Bear Island again, and swear that when I call for your aid, you shall answer. Do this, and I shall not only send you home, but also with something I had created worthy of my Shield-Siblings…" Ormr says, smiling as Maron looks at the man before him. He doesn't know if it is an illusion or not, but Ormr's body is glowing with a golden aura that takes the form of a spectral draconic armor around his body, and Maron, seeing both the sincerity and seriousness in his eyes, falls to one knee.
"My Lord, Ormr, I offer my services to you, I will shield your back and keep your counsel and give my life for yours if need be. This I swear to you in the name of the Drowned God."
"And I swear to you that I shall do the same, and that you shall have a place at my hearth, as well as meat and mead at my table. And I shall ask no service of you that shall dishonor you or intentionally slight the Drowned God, I swear this in the name of Kyne and Shor, Mother and Father to Mankind."
After this point, it takes Ormr a good hour to convince Lord Jorah to send the boy home, but only on the condition that the boy is a hostage until his father comes to pick him up personally, and make reparations for the damages done to Bear Island. So a Message is sent to House Volmark, and as they wait for the reply from Maron's father, Ormr trains the boy and teaches him how to wield a spear in battle. Unfortunately, when the reply came months later, something even Ormr didn't expect came back to them.
15th of Morning Star, 280 AC
"Keep the little bastard, he may be my son, but he has embarrassed me and my house for the last time with his delusions of grandeur… Tell him he has lost all rights to Volmark as due punishment for his actions!
Lord Gaeron Volmark"
"Bastard!" Ormr says, "How could the Ironborn be so cruel! Thanks to him my vow to the boy is meaningless…" Ormr slams his fist into a wall, furious. He never makes a vow he knows he can't keep, and now he feels like he has betrayed Maron for this.
"It is not your fault…" Jorah says, "The Ironborn are known for their cruelty and malice… The boy, on an adolescent whim, decided to try and prove himself, only for it to go horribly wrong, and thus when he surrendered without much of a fight, he embarrassed his house by their standards. Their reply was something we expected, but you did not, for you Nords, as you described your people, are like a more honorable version of the Ironborn." He places a hand on the man's shoulders as Ormr sheds tears of shame. "It is not your fault…"
"Lord Ormr?" Maron says, to which Ormr looks at the boy.
"I'm so sorry, little one…" He then gives Maron the note, and the giant of a boy begins to cry, Ormr pulling the child in close to comfort him. "Shh… Shh… Let it all out, little whale…" He says this even though he himself is crying. Dacey, looking at this scene, can't help but shed tears at this moment, and feels for the little leviathan as the boy's cries almost sound like whale song, singing a sad and mournful hymn. Rikke looks at her brother, remembering how Ormr, having had a soft spot for orphaned children, would comfort them when they were hurt and lost.
The boy cries himself to sleep as Ormr carries him to his room and puts him to bed, before coming back and sits down, staring into the fire, rage burning in his heart at what Gaeron Volmark has done to an innocent boy who only wanted to prove himself worthy in his father's eyes. His teeth begin to grind against each other as he squeezes his hands together… His mind is racing, his irises turning into draconic slits as his fury burns in his heart… House Volmark has awoke the dragon in Ormr, for the first time in a while, and he feels his desire to dominate fuel his rage, but he forces himself to calm, knowing he can't let it blindly consume everything around him, he has to think, come up with a way to turn this around. That is when he overhears something…
"So there is to be a Tourney to be held in Harrenhal in a few moons time?" Maege asks as she walks over.
"Yes, and House Mormont has been invited to take part in the festivities, as well as participate in the tourney!" Jorah says. "I'm not sure who we should send to take part in it."
"I'll go!" Ormr says, standing up, his voice filled with a cold determination and a dark resolve. "I will study the rules of these Tourneys, and if there is an event that I can participate in, then I will!"
"Oh eager to prove yourself?" Maege asks.
"More than that, my Lady, thanks to that bastard, Gaeron Volmark, my hunger to dominate has been awoken for the first time in months, and I've the urge to hit a living thing really hard right now! The Sooner I can put the dragon back to sleep, the sooner I can get back to plotting revenge against House Volmark for forcing me to break my word!" Jorah, for his part, can swear he sees Ormr's eyes glowing with his barely contained fury, and Dacey, looking at him, can't help but feel like her inner bear is being drawn to this dragon's fury.
"Alright, but take the boy with you, Dacey and I shall also join you, if my aunt Maege wouldn't mind governing Bear Island in the meanwhile?" Jorah asks.
"I'd be more than happy too, but take Alysane with you, she's been itching to get off the island for a while now…"
"Of course, Aunt Maege!" Jorah says, smiling. "According to the invitation, there will be a Melee, a Joust, an Axe-Throwing Competition, an Archery Contest, a Horse Race, and a Singer's Tourney!" Rikke hears the events being held at the tourney and both siblings get intrigued.
"Dear big sister, you're the best rider in the Legion, you should do the Horse Race!"
"And you were trained as a bard, and your voice is excellent, the Singer's tourney is for you!"
"I know you are better with a bow than me!"
"As you are more than me with throwing axes!"
"I don't think either of us would do well in the Joust."
"But in the Melee… Fight me for it?"
"Certainly sister!" Ormr says, and the two immediately start brawling for it, knocking over things, to which Maege places her palm against her face, the two of them acting like children fighting over a toy, but then Rikke calls out.
"I give up! You win!" Rikke says, spitting blood from her split lip, whilst Ormr has a blackeye, "Geez, you certainly know how to throw a punch!"
"I brawled with the best whilst you were behind a desk!" Ormr says, smiling cheekily, to which his sister simply smirks. Dacey just chuckles at this, these Nords are just hilarious, they are so Northmen and yet something about them speaks of Ironborn, almost like they are the perfect balance of the two, and it's just hilarious, and the irony of it all is that these two seem to relish in it, and it is fascinating beyond imagining. Things are getting interesting, and she cannot wait to see what is going to come next…