A song of Ice and Fire and Game Of Thrones are both the property of George R.R. Martin and HBO. Also Warhammer Fantasy is the property of Games Workshop and does not belong with me in any way. Also you'll notice the similarities between my story and A Song of hammers and Twin-Tailed Comets written by Trazyn the Infinite. I am using parts of his story in mine. I Have sent him a PM asking for permission to do so, but haven't received a response back. I will continue my story, although in the future if he responds and is not ok with me using his ideas this story will be removed.
Rainer I
It was pitch black. Utter silence filled the void around me. The only sense that was of use was touch. I could feel something solid beneath my boots but didn't know if it was dirt or stone. Light flashed around me as torches took flame by themselves, in complete silence. I looked around my surroundings and found myself in the middle of a stone pavilion. Seven pillars held up the domed roof and each pillar had a black iron sconce that held a single torch. Before me stood an enormous map of an unknown world, carved from a single piece of dark wood. Seas painted different shades of blue surrounded two continents, which were painted greens, browns, tans, grays and all the colors in between, to represent all climates and environments, rivers and streams, valleys and mountains. One continent lay to the west and stretched far to the north, where the wood was painted completely white. While the other stretched from a narrow sea that divided the two all the way to the east.
Small structures dotted the continents, with words written in a language I have never seen before but could understand and speak in my head. Castles filled the west with the odd city or town popping up. The east was the exact opposite, with large cities scattered along the coasts and rivers. Regions or territories were divided by thick lines. Small figures surrounded the structures, but the largest figures surrounded the most prominent and detailed castles and cities. On the western continent's northern region lay a sprawling grey castle, ancient and grand, surrounded by grey wolves with eyes of blue or grey. but one stood apart. This wolf was white, with red eyes and scaled wings gracing its back. To the south, in a region with three large rivers that meet to make one, silver trout swam around a triangle shaped castle on an island in the river.
To the east, in the mountains, was a palace sitting atop a large mountain with a falcon perched on one of its seven towers. To the west was a large hill with an opening carved in the shape of a roaring lion. Golden lions prowled the smaller hills surrounding them. In the western seas an archipelago was surrounded by yellow krakens. South of the mountains, in the east, was a large city with an opulent castle, painted red, A fat, crowned stag sat in the castle. It was circled by a falcon, a spider, a mockingbird, a rat and two more stags. A golden lioness stood over her cubs, who wore the skins of dear. A white lion guarded them. Southwest of the red city was a white castle infested with golden roses. In the far southern desert a ship like castle, surrounded by a small town, sat on the eastern coast. A spear pierced sun crowned the castle, as a viper patrolled its outer wall. Finally, north of this desert was a small forested region, with perpetual storms. Centered in it was a large castle with high walls and a drum tower.
On the eastern continent nine cities controlled their own territories along the coasts, rivers, islands and forests of its western half. Two dragons sat in a city directly east of the western continent's red city. A fat golden man and a brown bear stood behind them. South of them, between three cities, sat a spear piercing three golden skulls. Northeast of the spear was a ship sailing along a large river, surrounded by a hazy mist and enormous ruins. Another dragon sat on the deck with a man wearing griffon feathers. In the middle of the southern coast was a shattered peninsula engulfed in a swirling mist like smoke, magical in nature. Men of stone wandered on scattered, ash choked, islands. Krakens and other monsters of the deep swam in smoking seas that surrounded the largest island where a ruined city sat at its center, where shadows lived and danced. East of the peninsula, across a bay, sat three cities with great pyramids, with harpies sitting on their flat tops. Even further east was a city with three walls surrounded by desert. Men with blue lips sat waiting in a tower. North and east of all that was a great plain. With a solitary lake and mountain and a vast city sprawled out between them. Large stallions surrounded the city and filled the plains.
Suddenly the pieces began to move. In the west wolves fought with lions, while stags fought each other. Roses rapped their roots around lions and stags. Krakens stretched out their tentacles and grasped onto whatever they could. The speared sun sat in its desert and watched. In the east a horse mated with one of dragons, then journeyed east while the other dragon and the bear followed. One dragon died in the great plain in the far east, along with the horse. Three hatch-lings joined the remaining dragon, who then traveled south and burned and conquered the harpies. It then traveled to the western continent, following the other dragon, who now held the spear with the golden skulls.
All the while a presence in the north waited. Blue, ice like eyes watched, hidden in a winter storm that was gathering strength. Black clothed soldiers and fur garbed savages fought each other for a time, then turned their focus north to face this unseen threat led by the wolf with wings. But there was little they could do. The dragon with three hatch-lings was on the verge of victory when it happened. The storm rushed south, blanketing all things in darkness. The blue eyes grew brighter with every figure consumed; not stopping until the whole continent was covered. The storm reformed, revealing the now pure white landscape with all the grand castles and cities nothing but snowed in ruins. The storm traveled east and consumed the world. The torches went out and then re-lit themselves to reveal the reset map. They moved again with the same outcome; the storm covering the world and leaving it a frozen husk. The torches went out then re-lit themselves again, the pieces back where they started.
This repeated itself dozens, if not hundreds of times, until the torches blew out one last time. Their light revealed new pieces surrounding a familiar tower north of the wolves. These new pieces were a Bronze war hammer, a white greatsword, a rune covered anvil, a golden spear and shield,a great tree with green leaves, and finally, a blue star. A long bow, with antlers engraved into the wood, was further north in a great forest covered with snow. No pieces moved this time, and my vision blurred until nothing remained but darkness.
My eyes fluttered open as the first rays of the sun shined through the eastern facing window of the observatory. Sitting up I rolled the stiffness from my neck. Cracks from the joist sounded through the room. Little remained of the battle that took place here ten days ago. Other than the damage to the bronze arch, one would think nothing like a life or death battle took place, let alone the near entering of a demon into our world. The only thing one would find is the drawings of arcane rituals on the floor and spell tomes thrown about tables, along with notes scribbled on any loose sheets of parchment. The aftermath of my failed attempts to decipher my dream I had every night and how I could read the languages that were carved onto the painted table and finding out that I could speak them to my great shock.
"Ah brother, there you are," my brother's voice sounded in my ears. "Spent the entire night trying to figure out where we are again, I see!" he stated the obvious loudly. Something he knew I hated.
"Are you here for a reason? Or are you just here to be your annoying self?" I groaned in frustration.
"The former dear brother." I could hear the smile in his voice. "Ser Leonhard wished to speak to you. He's apparently been having a recurring dream while sleeping for the last three days."
I bolted up right and jumped from my chair, grasping Raimond by the collar. "Where is he then?" I all but shouted.
"He's in his chambers at the moment. Henry's chambers to be exact." I didn't miss the melancholy in my brother's voice
But grief would have to wait for now. I grabbed an ink bottle and quill from one of the tables, along with some parchment, and made for the stairs.
"Go easy on him. The nightmares have only just stopped three days ago!" he shouted after me.
I waved my hand over my shoulder in acknowledgement and started my descent to the third floor. Passing through the library on the fourth floor, my mind wondered back to the aftermath of battle. I was the first awake and began looking after the other two. Richter woke up next and immediately asked for a report on what happened after he passed out. There wasn't much I could tell him other than seeing the golden form of a woman standing in front of me before I blacked out. He asked for more, and right before I told him I had nothing to say, Leonhard woke up screaming about pinkish blue eyes and thousands of voices talking as one. The near encounter with the demon from the portal seemed to have almost broken him. He couldn't sleep for nearly two days until Raimond gave him something that forced him to sleep. Not that it helped. I could hear him screaming from two floors above. On the the seventh day the witch hunter performed holy rituals on him to expel any demons who might of possessed him. Then Raimond chased away any malignant magics that took harbor inside him, he has been sleeping calmly for the last three days.
I knocked on the door of my destination and entered after hearing Leonhard's consent through the door. The chambers once belonged to Henry Schornstine, a friend of my brother and I, and was a magister of the Bright Oder. He was killed when the heretic first came to our tower. The chambers were spartan; nothing but the essentials. A desk flanked by two bookcases lined the right wall. A wardrobe lined the left wall with a fireplace that was in the corner of the same side. The bed was centered between the two windows on the outside wall. The only decoration the room had was the sconces that held candles instead of the glowing crystals used in the rest of the tower. Leonhard stood in front of the right hand window wearing a simple white shirt with black leather pants, watching the dawn chase away the last remnants of the night.
"Good morning Ser Leonhard," I spoke in a calm low tone, doing my best not to startle him in any way. "How are you faring?"
"Good morning to you as well Magister Rainer." He turned to me while he spoke. "And I am faring much better," he finished.
Color had returned to his face. And the manic fear that once dominated it was replaced with a well rested look. Moving to the desk, I sat in its chair, placing my writing utensils down, motioning for Leonhard to sit on the bed.
"Raimond informed me that you wished to speak?" I asked.
I could hear him shifting in his seat before he spoke. "Yes Magister. I have been having this dream over and over again since I fell asleep three days ago. I told Raimond about it when I woke, and he said I should talk to you."
"Can you describe the dream?" I asked, gathering ink on my quill.
He sighed and then began. He told me of a she-wolf with blue eyes that was caged in golden bars by a golden lioness with three golden cubs wearing deer skins. The wolf then transformed into a small bird that sang songs to please the Lioness. The wolf turned bird would then be abused on the orders of the largest of the cub, while numerous other animals watched on in silence. The only thing he could hear were the cries of the caged bird. The images would fade and start anew when everything turned black. I wrote down everything, in as much detail as possible. My spells and rituals continually failed me in unlocking the meaning of my own dream. But I wasn't the only one having the same dream over and over, and the other's dream may just be the thing that helps me decipher the reason we ended up in this new world.
Thanking Leonhard for the information I ran from his room and down the stairs to the second floor, making for the small chapel that was built in the southern facing room, and bursting through its door. It was a modest room in regards to its decorations. Simple altars lined the walls, where the statues of the major gods of the empire sat. Sigmar, Ulric, Taal, Rhya, Morr, Verena, Myrmidia and Shallya were all represented. I was never a religious man, but when I did pray, most of my were made to Verena, Goddess of justice and knowledge. Her cult was associated with my own order the most out of all others. In front of the statue of Sigmar was the man I was looking for. His greatcoat was not present, nor was his armor. But the four knives he wore on his thighs were present, as well as two pistols that were holstered on his lower back. He was kneeling and his hands were no doubt out in front of his chest holding his rosary.
"Is there a reason you're interrupting my morning prayers, Magister?" the witch hunter's cold voice permeated the room.
"I have just finished talking to Ser Leonhard. He has been having the same recurring dream since he fell asleep three days ago," I stated with conviction.
Richter stood and turned to me, his hard eyes boring into me. "I believe you were told to find out where we are. Not look into dreams that have no relevance to our situation."
"These dreams do have relevance," I told him while glaring right back. "Other than the dwarf, who is resistant to magic, everyone has had recurring dreams since arriving to this new world. Every night Raimond dreams of a crippled wolf who turns into a raven and flies. Johannes sees a wolf that Is crowned by all sorts of animals and creatures. And now Ser Leonhard dreams of a she-wolf turned song bird trapped in a gilded cage. I believe you have been having them as well, but refuse to speak of it." I was almost shouting at this point.
Richter eyes narrowed before he responded."What do you mean? This new world."
I grimaced at my mistake. I was waiting for the right time to reveal that information, hopefully after finding the meaning of my own dreams.
"The star signs in the night sky are completely different from the ones normally seen. And Morrslieb is completely gone," I told the witch hunter.
His glare turned into a look of complete and utter outrage. Strangely there was no sign of shock though.
"How long have you known about this?" He was growling now.
"Seven days now," was my reply.
An argument ensued over why I had not revealed this sooner and I told him that I needed to find out what all the dreams meant. It was no coincidence that all the dreams depicted wolves. We glared at each other before Richter spoke again.
"Let's say I believed you and we're in another world. How in the name of Sigmar did we get here," he asked, still growling and glaring.
"The arch and the heretics ritual. I was trying to find a method for faster and more accurate scryings, as well as a way to look through the winds of magic to spy on enemies," I explained. "The arch was built to siphon the blue winds of magic and contain them. Then once contained, the power would be funneled into the crystal on the pedestal in front of the arch, allowing us to peer through Azyr. I had no idea someone could use it to create a door to another world,"I finished my explanation.
Richter stared at me a moment longer before asking another question. "And what do these dreams have to do with it?"
I told him of my own dream, and that whoever or whatever was responsible for these dreams, gave them to us as a warning and guide. I explained that the new pieces that joined the map represented all of us, and seemed to change the course of this world. Then I asked him if he has been having strange dreams of his own.
He remained quiet for a long time before answering. "I follow a black wolf north to a large wall made of ice. I make my way to the top and peer out at a snowy forest and ice capped mountains. A storm rages on the other side of the mountain range, and glowing blue eyes of ice peer back from within the wind and snow."
His statement further solidified my theory about the dreams. I told him to gather his retinue in the dining hall across from the chapel. I rush out without another word, and sprint back up the stairs to my observatory. My brother was still there when I arrived. He was looking out the southeastern window stock still.
"Brother there's a meeting in the dining room." There was no response. I walked over to him. His eyes were glowing shades of green. He collapsed when the glowing stopped. "Raimond!" I called out. I berated him while kneeling next to him. "You know we have to use our magic sparingly. Even when you're surrounded by the forest, the winds of magic are weak in this world.
"I know that brother. It was just a quick peek through the trees," he said through heavy breaths.
"What did you see?" I asked.
He said he would tell me along with the rest of the group. I nodded and helped him up. We walked a slow pace down to the second floor, after I gathered my notes. We were the first to arrive. The dining hall was the same size as all the other rooms on this floor. It is rarely used now as we eat our meals in our rooms or place of study. It curved with the outer-wall like all the rooms in the tower. Cabinets lined the room's right hand wall, filled with plates, cups and silverware. In the middle of the room was a mahogany dining table, with heads facing the right and left walls, that could seat eight comfortably. On the left wall was a small lift used to bring food up from the kitchen just below us on the ground floor. Alrim Schmitt, our resident gold magister, made it for the servants to use when we all first moved here. But it hasn't been used since we fired the servants four years ago, since our experiments started to become more dangerous. I sat Raimond down on the side that faced the windows, taking the seat next to him.
The door opened a moment later, revealing the witch hunter and his retinue. Richter now wore his great coat. Leonhard put the light grey gambeson he wore under his armor on. Johannes was dressed in his long, dark grey gambeson and black pants. They all took seats after walking in. The dwarf, Thorik, wearing a brown leather apron with only pants and boots on underneath, was covered in soot. Richter sat at the table's right hand head, with Leonhard and Johannes sitting across from my brother and I. Finally Thorik sat across from Richter.
"Right. What was so important the ya had to drag me away from the forge," asked the dwarf, his voice rumbling loudly in the room.
Richter answered immediately. "Magister Rainer has information he wishes to share with us, regarding our current situation."
They all looked at me. I asked them all to hold questions until the end. I told them everything that I had explained to the witch hunter. That we are in a completely different world and how we arrived here. Then the significance of the dreams that were given to us by unknown entities, finally, what my dreams showed me and how their dreams might be their individual paths they must follow.
"So you're saying we're stuck in a strange world and someone or something is giving us prophetic dreams. And that someone or something could be the heretic we were hunting or some demon that is fucking with us for its amusement?" asked Johannes.
"Yes but I do not believe it is the heretic or a demon. I believe it was the entities that intervened and prevented the demon from entering our world," I replied.
"That doesn't make me feel any better. Plus we don't even know where Markus is," he said.
I reiterated the part about the map pieces and that Markus was most likely represented by the bow that was placed north of the wall of ice. They were taking this very well actually. Other than his comment and worry for Markus, Johannes seemed unperturbed. Leonhard seemed a little shaken but that was better than I expected. Thorik looked like he didn't care at all. Raimond was relaxed and Richter was straight faced as always, when he wasn't glaring.
"Who do you think those beings are?" asked Leonhard.
I told him my best guess was that they were our gods. I explained that I saw a woman appear from the blinding light that entered the observatory. She touched my shoulder and then sleep took me. The same thing happened to Leonhard and Raimond. A woman, who's features were hidden by that light, placed a hand on them and they fell asleep. Richter and Johannes said it was a tall man who did the same for them, while Thorik saw a dwarf.
"So in short, ya believe our gods saved us, but then dumped us here and gave ya umgi dreams that we have to follow," stated Thorik. I nodded. "Well that's fucking brilliant. But who am I to question one of the ancestry god's will. I'll be in the forge if any of ya need me," he hopped off his chair and left without another word.
"So what's next? Find these wolves, wolves we have been dreaming of?" asked Johannes.
Raimond was the one who replied. "I don't think we will have to look far."
Richter asked him what he meant, and my brother explained. He used a spell earlier that let him see things where ghyran is strongest, and he found two columns of men riding towards them. One from the northeast with men carrying black banners with a white tree. Another approached from the southeast with banners of white cloth and a grey running wolf.
Authors Note
Hello everyone, sorry it took a little longer to post this chapter. I'm trying to post one a week. But that may change in the future. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. We're finally in Westeros. Next chapter will be the meeting between the Starks and our misplaced band of misfits. So if you have any ideas as to how that should go down let me know.
Vocabulary
Azyr (Lore of Heavens)-The blue wind of the eight winds of magic. Magisters who channel this wind practice celestial magic.