Disclaimer: The IP of Elden Ring and ASOIAF belong to FromSoftware and George RR Martin respectively.
Ragnar heard the horn as he and his men rode for the gates of Hardhome. All of them mounted as they rode through the snow.
'It looks like the Watchmen are taking their job seriously' Ragnar thought to himself.
"Seems they can learn" he muttered. Ragnar had beaten discipline into his Watchmen when he had started the organization. They would be called upon to keep order, enforce the laws that would eventually be created when the town grew into a city. But possibly the most important of their duties is the defence of the Hardhome. They would be a wholly separate order from the standing army he intended to eventually create.
He had them practice with shields, longbows and bastard swords for the past six moons in unison. Ragnar had armed and armored them. Using the lessons learned from Master Hewg and with access to his items through the weirwoods. He had enough ore and upgrade materials to make his Watchmen the deadliest force north of the Wall. Or they would be as soon as they numbered more than 50. But 50 was enough for their current purpose.
'When they start using those Ashes of War placed on their weapons, they'll be unstobbable!' thought Ragnar to himself. He had been able to unlock everyone in Hardhome's FP pool by using the weirwoods that grew throughout the town. Another blessing from his patrons. Though he managed to discover that some of the stronger warriors had an innate compatibility to certain ashes. This could also open an avenue for income for him and Hardhome if he played things right. He was very proud of the Watchmen and anticipated the renown they would bring to Hardhome.
'Maybe putting Enchanting Shot on their longbows and giving them access to a healthy amount of Exploding Arrows was a bit overkill' thought Ragnar as he and the hunters rode through the gate. He doubted any invading force would make it to the gates of Hardhome after a volley of exploding aimbots broke their charge. And if not, there would be more volleys waiting for the stubborn ones. For a moment he pitied the undisciplined warbands of the freefolk. He knew he had the Watchmen's loyalty and the man needed to be sure Hardhome would survive without him for a few weeks if his plans are to succeed. Ornald would be there to take care of any emergencies in his stead and the Watchmen there as a failsafe against any invading warband or even the crows if he did not make it back in time.
As the men neared the Great Hall, Ragnar dismounted Torrent. And he saw the eyes of those still not used to his mount widen in awe. Ragnar had decided that the armor of Godfrey suited his image well. He had taken to making it his signature armor in this new world. Besides Westeros should count themselves lucky Horah Loux never landed with his Tarnished Army on the shores of Westeros. They would have been fucked. He also had the Guts Greatsword strapped to his back, it just seemed right to the warrior. Northerners respected strength, and the Greatsword just projected strength with its presence alone.
The Cold of the North did not seem to be as harsh on him as it was on the rest of the freefolk. He just assumed that the Blessing of the Old Gods increased his immunity to status effects. He did not seem to suffer the Frost status effect anymore. Which would be a boon for his eventual confrontation with the White Walkers, as well as the poison attempts that would eventually happen once he consolidated his hold on the lands beyond the Wall.
Ragnar did not particularly fear the Others. He was confident that he could slay the Night's King and his Enforcers alone should it come to it, but they could still drown him in bodies till he tired and then eliminate him when he was at his weakest. He doubted they would have the idiocy to challenge him near the weirwoods were the Old Gods Blessing would regenerate his health, stamina and FP. They were not a foe he could rush since he did not have the benefit of immortality anymore. He had to have an army with him capable of holding back the wight's while he took care of the leaders. Yet they were not an immediate concern for they still slumbered with their army of the undead not yet complete. He still had time to whip the wildlings into shape.
'Here's to hoping the Corpse Bride or Winter Queen isn't cannon in this world' The man darkly thought. 'That would complicate matters' Some fan theories had the Corpse Bride as just a female White Walker while others gave her a more divine backstory. Ragnar was still a bit dismayed by his lack of knowledge of this world.
As Ragnar walked into the Hall. His people made way and showed respect, but they would of course never kneel to him. It amused Ragnar when he thought about his prideful people. Because at this point, they were his people. He had shown them he was a leader worth following. And they followed.
'I'm possibly the only kneeler in Hardhome' Thought the Tarnished to himself in amusement. 'But I'm not too prideful to kneel and ask for help from my betters. That was the whole shtick of the prophet class. And I love incantations.' Ragnar reasoned to himself. He greeted some of them with a nod but was otherwise silent as he strode to his empty chair.
'I don't have the land or the castle to justify a throne' Thought Ragnar 'Not yet'.
Ornald was standing beside the chair, and beside him was Steigir. Ragnar never doubted his decision to spare Ornald. He had the respect of the town. The older man also had intimate knowledge of the landscape and rival clans that Ragnar simply did not. Ragnar's only knowledge at this point consisted of the geography which he had memorized from maps he had seen in his prior life. Ragnar did not even know at what point of the timeline he was. He only knew that Raymund Redbeard had invaded two generations ago seeing as Ornald had told him that the Red Raven's oldest son had already been crowsfood for a while now. This narrowed the timeline down but was still too vague for Ragnar's taste.
'That problem will hopefully be solved should the voyage be a success' He hoped as he greeted Ornald and Steigir with a nod. Ornald has shown himself to be a reliable second-in-command. Competent, Strong and Loyal. These are the traits Ragnar would name in Ornald. Steigir was another clan member that found himself in Ragnar's trust. He had the position of Ragnar's personal assistant. Ragnar made use of the teenager when he had menial tasks to do that, he felt were too tedious to deal with himself. The boy was proving to be a reliable steward.
Ragnar sat in his massive chair and looked out onto the Great Hall as everybody entered who was not already inside. The entire town seemed to come to the Hall. Summoned by the horn in most cases and others just here to make sure their family members returned from the hunt. Hunting has shown to be a good way to train some of his men and experiment with his abilities in this new world. It's how he figured out Enchanting Shot would be deadly in this new world.
'I Just can't wait to see the faces of the southern lords when my infantry folds their Heavy Cavalry with a Barricade Shield Wall.'
But that was in the future and Ragnar had to make sure his Town would make it to that point.
"The hunt was successful. We have brought back plenty of meat for the next sennight" Ragnar declares to the Hall. "The Gods have seen fit to bring every hunter home safe with food" There was a loud cheer to this. They still remebered how many of their men they had lost to direwolves, bears, shadowcats or just stubborn prey like a boar. That was just during summer. The less said about winter, the better. In the True North, it was kill or be killed.
As the hunters sat by the busy hearth. They were welcomed by their families like heroes. Their kills were taken to prepare the meat for the feast that was to take place. The townsmen were quite cheerful. Singing bawdy songs of the north as they drank piss poor ale. Or what passed for ale Beyond the Wall.
'Another thing to fix once I return' Ragnar thought to himself as he took a swig from the ale offered to him by Steigir. And that is how they spent the next hours till Ragnar felt it was time. He signaled to Ornald what was about to happen with a glance. He had already discussed his anouncement with Ornald that morning. He stood up from his chair and with a loud stomp of his boot drew all eyes on him in the Great Hall.
"We have come far!" Ragnar roared out in the Hall.
"The Wall of Hardhome stands strong for the first time in centuries" Though the man himself still felt they could do with a few improvements. The first priority would be to rebuild them with stone, the second would be having higher curtains and towers with more men but that is what the Watchmen were for in the meantime.
"The longboats are complete and for the first time, northerners, true northerners have a fleet!" Cried the chief to his people. This was very important to his plans. Everything depended on him having a strong navy. While this was a far cry from that navy, it was the first step towards that. Haval and his men had used the same trees they had felled to create a clearing for the walls of Hardhome so the Watchmen would have a clear sight outside their walls.
'It may be a poor excuse of a navy now, but with time I will have a navy worthy of the name Ragnar'
A raucous cheer thundered through the Hall at Ragnar's words. None louder than Haval. Haval and his apprentices had managed to build five longships and one cog. While he could only afford to man two longships and one cog since they would require about 50 sailors each, Ragnar felt that it would be enough for his first voyage.
"This fleet will be used to keep Hardhome safe from invasion, but more importantly this fleet will be used to keep Hardhome fed in the harsh Winter!" This was the true purpose of the fleet as well as his first voyage. Ragnar planned to fill the cog with lumber and sail to Braavos with two of the longships for an escort against pirates, Skagosi or Sistermen.
The roars of the clansmen somehow louder than the previous one made itself known. Everyone knew that while hunting had been made much easier under Ragnar's lead, hunting in Winter was just not an option for the most of them.
"Soon we will sail for the closest city on the eastern continent, Braavos. We shall trade our lumber for food in winter and during summer for coin and other resources we can use to build a city that will never fall. Not to hunger, invasion nor infighting!" While they were not hardened sailors, his men had some experience on the water since the creation of the docks. He had a map of Westeros and Essos made from memory and he a compass from his time as a Tarnished. He was confident that he could lead them to Braavos with little trouble. One shipment of wood would not be enough to save his people, but they had access to large amounts of forest and the only safe place to dock North of the Wall. Ragnar was confident that he could swing a deal with the Braavosi for lumber trade. Braavos always needed strong wood for the Arsenal.
They also had something Ragnar sorely needed if he really wanted to build a city. Skilled labour. Harbours, Light houses, Stone Walls and Stone Forts were beyond the wildling's capabilities, much less a glass garden. Ragnar's town was currently limited by the lack of skilled labour. That and its low population but Ragnar knew that would not last long once word truly got out about a permenant settlement North of the Wall. The smaller clans in the Haunted Forrest had already started joining and the Watchmen had been blowing that horn more and more the last few moons.
"We shall be the start of a new age. One where the sailors of the north shall dominate the seas. An age where our children do not know the meaning of the word hunger!"
