Reviews
WITCDO
Then you're in the minority because lots of people are enjoying this story over on QQ.
mangaG
I will get around to the Boltons, Ramsey is just a little kind, so I wouldn't kill him, but without his father's protection, he won't have the chance to do much before a mob kills him.
As for the others, I will be shifting the focus of the story more towards Westeros in the future to start sorting things out there.
fridgeraiderz
I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Team Builder
Part 46
Qarth. Esso.
Far beyond the range of any portkey and weeks, perhaps months of travel by sea, many hundreds of miles away from Braavos was the city called Qarth. Known to some as the greatest city that ever was, will be or could be.
Although anyone thinking that had clearly never been to my world. As impressive as Qarth looked from a distance it couldn't compare to cities back in my world, not in size, population or architecture.
I wondered how Yara, Ciri and Danny would react if ever they saw sights such as the skyscrapers in cities like New York. Perhaps one day I'd find out.
Since Ciri hadn't brought us directly into the city I was standing in a barren wasteland, some desert that looked as if would leech the life out of me in a matter of hours if I dared to stay here.
Already my mouth was feeling dry, and I would be glad to get out of the sun.
"So this is Qarth," said Yara "I've seen it on a few maps and I've heard stories from sailors who claim to have come here".
Given the distances involved, I doubted that many ships from Westeros had ever come here. However, the city was heavily involved in trade so it is possible for someone to have visited Qarth while serving on a ship and eventually made their way back to Westeros.
As I got closer to the city I saw that while there were guards here the big gate had been left wide open and yet given the high walls it seemed as if the locals must have good reasons to keep themselves secure.
Perhaps they feared the Dothraki. No, we were too far from their territory. We were close to Yi Ti, this world's version of China. Perhaps the rulers of this city feared invasion from the east and only closed the gate when armies were spotted.
The Red Waste, the desert, would form a natural barrier between this city and the Dothraki hordes. There was no water out here or grass for their horses to graze upon.
Given the sheer heat here I was glad that Hermione had cast Cooling Charms on our armour before we'd left. My guards might be immortal, but even they could pass out due to heat and be rendered useless.
"Can we look around the markets, Marek?" requested Ciri "They might have something interesting".
I saw no reason not to other than it was unlikely that anyone would be able to understand us. I doubted that the common tongue was spoken this far from Braavos.
"If you can barter with any of the merchants you're welcome to do some shopping" I answered.
Thinking on it I really should work with Hermione, who was currently busy doing some research and looking after the manse, to make some sort of translation spell or magical item that would allow us all to be understood no matter where we went.
I hoped that the issue of language wouldn't prevent me from carrying out my goal of making a deal with the Warlocks of this city, who were a powerful faction within Qarth even if they were virtually unknown elsewhere.
Thanks to my scrying and the use of my special map I knew that they had a dragon horn, also known as a dragonbinder, in their House of the Undying, and one way or the other I intended to claim it so I could earn another point.
I desired a win right now as my plan to have a galleon built had gone nowhere as no one in Braavos wanted to help fund the creation of such a large seagoing vessel with the design having been presented by someone so new to the city.
There were other designs for smaller vessels that I could fund the building of by myself, and if nothing else it meant that Yara would be getting a ship to captain sooner than expected.
If the ship was funded by me alone then I didn't need to worry about anyone else's opinions when it came to choosing the crew.
Since Yara could keep a crew made up of Ironborn raiders in line then she'd have little trouble with a crew from Braavos and there were enchantments that could be placed on the ship to help keep it safe.
That was a concern for later. For now, I needed to keep my focus on the warlocks.
Since the entrance into the city was virtually undefended, and the few guards around didn't pay us any attention, we let ourselves in, and while we must look odd the guards didn't even bother to question us.
This was a major trading port so they must get visitors from all over. Still, given my dragonbone armour, I must seem like an odd sight and the visitors would arrive by ship not by coming in from the desert.
Once inside I soon saw that this city was surrounded by three thick walls, each acting as layers of defence. The smallest walls were about thirty feet in height, and these walls were engraved with portraits of animals, war, and some erotic imagery, I rather liked them.
Some of the sights I saw while looking around included a bronze arch which had been fashioned to look like two snakes mating. I also made note of thin towers that stood very tall. They looked well made.
I spent some time admiring the elaborate fountains which filled every square, a display of wealth and power given the desert outside.
There were also statues of gryphons, dragons and manticores around. Which may or not be real creatures somewhere in this world given that dragons certainly are.
The markets we walked through were colourful. I saw spices of many kinds for sale, stalls that sold materials for the making of clothes and fruits of many kinds, some of which I'd never seen before.
Given the spice trade, the colourful fabrics and the appearance of the locals I wondered if this land was the local equivalent of India.
I could smell curry when we passed some sort of restaurant and it reminded me of the few times I'd eaten Indian food.
Since I'd never been a big fan of spicy food, I was more of a pizza, burgers and chips, kind of guy, I had no desire to eat here, but the smell was enjoyable.
Yara wasn't much for shopping, but Ciri did inspect a few trinkets, and the locals seemed happy to take our Braavosi currency. That's an advantage of using gold coins, when everyone uses gold coins, at least when in a city that does so much trading with outsiders.
It turned out to be rather simple to find our way when we found a merchant who did speak the Common Tounge, more than was required for simple bartering, due to him doing business with people in far-off lands if his merchandise was anything to go by.
He must deal with local artists as well those in other cities so as to sell their artwork among items gathered from other parts of the world, and since part of my plan was to become known as a dealer in exotic objects I decided to buy some local art.
We got directions and moved through the city. The tower we were heading for was one of the larger ones so we were able to keep it in sight as we moved through the city. Without that landmark, we would have quickly gotten lost.
When we got closer I felt sure that this was the House of the Undying, the headquarters of the Warlocks of Qarth
It was a large tower without any visible openings and it had trees surrounding it, but other than that it didn't look like anything special. Of course, my other senses, those more mystical, were telling me something else. It had protective enchantments.
My memory of this time in the show/books wasn't that great, but I could recall an event known as The Killing of the Thirteen.
This was when a powerful merchant, who'd taken a liking to the Mother of Dragons and wished to become king, engineered a coup in the city with the help of the Warlocks.
The mages assassinated the other members of the Thirteen, the Magisters who ruled this city and the warlocks took Daenerys Targaryen's dragons for their own purposes, imprisoning them in the House of the Undying.
In the show Daenerys later rescues her dragons, having them burn the head warlock with dragon's fire, before sealing the power-hungry magister in his own vault, which turned out to be empty, in revenge for his part in trying to imprison Daenerys Targaryen in other ways.
The warlocks gave mages like me and Hermione a bad name, no wonder so many people wanted to burn witches at the stake.
I walked around the tower and soon realised that indeed there was no entrance.
"Either the door is very well hidden or they get in using some underground passage" mused Ciri.
We went around the tower while I held out the skeleton key which should defeat any tricky. We still found no door so Ciri's theory about a hidden underground passage seemed right.
"Stay here" I ordered my companions and guards "If there is a door, I'll open it from the inside, and if I get into trouble I'll make a hole for you to use".
Since I'd come here in the hopes of trading it wouldn't do to blast my way in, and if the warlocks did prove to be hostile I felt sure that I could handle them. Mind tricks don't work on me.
"FEIM ZII GRON!"
After Shouting the Dov words for Fade, Spirit, and Bind I became like a ghost. Once in my incorporeal state I simply stepped through the wall, and soon came across one of the local magic users, who was rather shocked to see me.
"Where is your master?" I demanded of a Warlock, as he attempted to edge away from me "I've come to bargain".
Alas, he did not make things easy for me and he acted as if I was an invader rather than a visitor.
"I-I am not afraid to die. I will not tell you anything. Valar Morghulis!" he shouted
It was time for what Anakin Skywalker would call aggressive negotiations, and in place of a lightsaber, something I might one day acquire from the CYOA, I called upon Stormbreaker.
The slow warlock took out a knife, but by the time he was ready to attack, I was ready to break his skull with my awesome godly axe.
Similarly to the Alchemists' Guild of the Seven Kingdoms, the warlocks' magical prowess and prestige have waned over the years. Their powers might be growing again now, but they were no match for me.
The warlocks must depend on illusions and tricks to display power, and I was protected against such things being used against my mind. They might be able to hide a door, assuming that there even was one, but fooling me with visions was beyond their power.
Despite their lack of any real power they were fanatic in defence of their tower. Men with no hair, pale skin and blue lips came at me, only to lose their lives as Stormbreaker ended them.
They came at me with swords, daggers, and blades of strange shapes, but none of that mattered as I simply demolished them and some of the tower. This building wasn't as sturdy as it looked.
"You must be the leader," I said when I entered some sort of main room.
"I am Pyat Pree" he replied.
He wasn't attacking so I took this as a good sign.
"Pyat Pree, I've come to bargain" I stated.
My pop culture reference was wasted here.
"You killed my brothers," said the warlock.
That didn't bother me. Perhaps if they had a door for me to knock on or if the warlocks I'd met had bothered to listen to me they'd be alive right now.
"If you want I can kill you too" I suggested "Or we could be civilized and talk about why I am here".
Rather than reply verbally the warlock lifted a gemstone and nothing happened.
"Your tricks don't work on me," I said.
Pyat Pree went for his dagger and Stormbreaker went flying across the room with enough force to crush the warlock's chest in one blow.
"Bunch of nutters" I commented.
None of them even had the sense to run away.
I moved through the tower and soon found the dragon horn which if blown was supposed to control dragons. I would never know if that was true or not as the dragonbinder as it was known vanished when I touched it as the other collectables.
Moving through the tower I looked for anything of value, but whatever wealth and magical items these people ever had were either gone or hidden even from my sight.
All I found other than basic supplies and robes, were bottles of the Shade of Evening they drink which turns their lips blue, a collection of crumbling scrolls, and a few coins I didn't bother to take.
When I found the altar that had a recently killed child upon it I decided that I'd done the right thing by killing the warlocks. I even went through the place again with a Detect Life spell active in case I misses a warlock or captives. If any of the magic users were left they'd fled by now.
At this point, I decided that I wanted to take nothing from this place even if I had been able to find its treasury.
I went outside and told Ciri to meet me at the spot where we'd arrived as I wasn't done with the tower. I waited until she was gone before I used my cloak to make myself invisible and took myself up into the air.
Once up there I Shouted up a storm and focused all of the lightning in one blast that struck the tower. It hadn't been maintained properly and it was no Pyke so the tower collapsed.
With that done I flew out of the city to regroup so that Ciri could take us all home. I ignored the panic in the city and I didn't worry about anyone in the west learning about this event and connecting it to what had happened in the Iron Islands due to the sheer distances involved.
"What did you just do?" asked Ciri.
She hadn't been able to see exactly what happened from outside the city.
"I destroyed the tower," I told her.
Ciri seemed concerned by this news and that made sense since she didn't know what had motivated me to perform that act.
"Why?" was her next question.
I had my reasons and they were good ones.
"They were sacrificing children," I told her "I don't know why they were doing it and it doesn't matter. Killing kids is beyond my tolerance for other cultures".
If you want to spend your time taking drugs and trying to cast spells that's fine with me, but I draw the line when you start gutting kids. Tolerance has to have limits or people will start thinking they can get away with anything they want as warlocks clearly had thought.
"I hope they weren't trying to summon something," remarked Ciri "I've heard stories from witchers about rituals involving shedding innocent blood".
Well, I hadn't seen any demons so I wasn't worried. Shadowbabies aside I didn't think it was possible to bring something demonic to this world.
"Fucking hell," said Yara "And they call the Ironborn savages, at least we don't sacrifice people to the Drowned God".
No one wanted to discuss it further so I instructed Ciri to take us all home.
Thank you for the generous tips I got on Ko-fi from three of my readers. It really makes me feel appreciated.
Team Builder
Part 47
Barge. Braavos.
I was on my way to meet with the daughter of the Black Pearl. I disliked being summoned, but coming to her was part of the arrangement I'd made with the Black Pearl and that woman was not someone I wished to make an enemy of if I was going to prosper here in Braavos.
While it was still light here in the city there were plenty of Braavosi on the streets looking for a duel, yet none bothered me as I had armed guards escorting me and I was not carrying a weapon.
Not that I was defenceless I could summon Stormbreaker to my hand or conjure a bound weapon if I didn't have time to reach into my expanded bag.
I could even make use of my magic if I really needed to do some damage. Although I'd rather avoid being outed as a mage, as while magic is somewhat accepted in Essos people still fear it.
Some of the elite were known to be carried in a litter, although this was rare as in other cities litters were carried by slaves and anything to do with slavery was frowned upon here.
I had legs that worked very well and no need to show off my wealth in such a way so I walked.
Once I arrived at her barge I saw that Bellegere Otherys was young and quite lovely, with black hair, light brown skin and a noticeable set of breasts that were only partly hidden by her dress.
As soon as I noticed her boobs, I couldn't help wondering if she was supporting them with a bra, the design for which I'd gifted to the Seamstress Guild to help smooth my road to power in this city.
I knew that I wouldn't get anywhere without the support of the right people and I could afford to be generous since I had so many designs to gift to people.
Like every Braavosi courtesan, Bellegere has her own barge and servants to pole her to the next of her trysts as her barge travelled the canals. Hers was decorated with flowers that looked to have been thrown at the little craft by admirers.
Her barge reminded me a bit of the canal boats back in my homeland, they were narrow and long. They also had a cramped yet comfortable internal space that was filled with cushions and other means of making a person feel relaxed.
Thinking of canal boats made me wonder if I should patent a design for them, but that could wait as I was here for an important reason and there were other things I could offer this world.
"Mister Dovahkiin," said Bellegere Otherys as she gave me a curtsey as if I was some lord from Westeros "Thank you for coming".
People in Braavos didn't bow or curtsey as a rule. Like her mother, Bellegere seemed to be under the impression that I was some sort of Westerosi noble, or at least had decided to treat me like one.
To be fair I looked to be of Western European stock and while I was a foreigner I was also wealthy so treating me like a lord from another land made some sense.
Perhaps I should become an actual lord. I didn't wish to enter the service of some Lord Paramount, but perhaps I could purchase a little land and let a steward handle it for me.
"Lady Otherys," I replied "Thank you for inviting me".
Of course, I'd brought her a nice gift. One that I'd made myself. It was a fancy wine jug made from a silver/mithril alloy. Mithril's strange properties meant that it worked well with other metals and the magical element didn't tarnish.
"I've never seen a carafe like this" Lady Otherys mentioned.
I'd forgotten that the item had a particular name I'd based the design on a dwarven ale pitcher and just made it a bit fancier using elven methods.
"When I crafted it I based the design on a Valyrian artefact" I lied.
It wasn't as if I could tell her it could have come from a table of a noble living in Middle Earth.
"I have heard stories of your inventiveness" mentioned Bellegere Otherys "But I had no idea you were such a craftsman".
My talents were many thanks to the CYOA and my own hard work.
"I studied under a master jewelsmith between my travels" I explained "As well as a few talented blacksmiths".
Lady Otherys invited me to sit with her on the deck of her barge as my guards kept watch. We would be seen by the public and that was really the point of this meeting.
Bellegere was ready to become a proper courtesan and so she needed to be seen spending time with an important man, or at least one who was considered suitable company for an unproven courtesan.
A servant took my gift below deck as we sat and then we began to talk.
"My mother told me that you are not one for any needless talk," said Bellegere.
This was the case.
"In my homeland businessmen have a saying: Time is money" I informed the courtesan "Time should not be wasted with needless talk when we have important business to discuss".
Bellegere seemed amused by that.
"How uncouth," she commented.
I'd know that my lack of respect for the Game of Thrones as it was played here in Braavos would make things harder for me. But it wasn't making me enemies because of my sheer wealth and power.
In my experience the richer you are the more eccentric you can get away with acting.
A serving girl poured us some wine and I sipped at it.
"I'll be blunt then" offered Bellegere Otherys "I'm sure my mother has already somewhat explained what I require from you".
She had given me a few details.
"You need to be seen with me at a few public events," I said "I'm a trial run of sorts before you take up the mantle of Black Pearl. Someone for you to perfect your skills with".
I wasn't offended by this as being seen with Bellegere Otherys would also lead to me becoming more accepted here in Braavos. It was a win-win situation for both of us.
"Correct," said the courtesan "But do not think of yourself as a wooden training sword for a boy who wished to be a knight. This is serious and I intended to play my role to the full".
This meant we could end up having sex as that part of being a courtesan even if it was only a small part of the job.
"We'll attend a play together soon," said Bellegere "And then you will escort me to some gathering. After that you should host a party for me to be seen at".
I'd not enjoyed my dinner with the magisters, it had been a chore that needed to be done not a pleasure, and this party would be the same.
Maybe I should have a name-day celebration for Danny. Her name-day, which was the closest thing they had to a birthday in this world was unknown, but since Danny was born sometime in 284 AC and it was currently early in 290 AC, then perhaps it was time for her to turn six years old.
A children's party would not only allow me to dote on Danny as a good father sometimes did, but it would also be an excuse to invite other important families with young children for networking.
We could keep the children's entertainment separate from the adult gathering and talk business while the kids were kept busy.
"I can arrange a party," I assured the important woman.
The details were easy enough to work out between us and there was always some play being shown. Braavos, much like Italy during the renaissance period, had playhouses and productions. More lowbrow stuff for the commoners and highbrow (ie boring) plays for the elite.
If I'd had a collection of Shakespeare's work I could have altered them for the local culture and published them as my own.
My book of all human knowledge did contain summaries of all his plays and brief breakdowns of characters, so it wouldn't be much work to outline a story and then get an actual playwright to do the work for me.
Perhaps I needed someone to serve as many co-writer, a known playwright who needed ideas? It was something more to think about when I got home.
After making our plans I made an excuse to leave so that I could head over to the House of Black and White. The temple to the many-faced god of death as I had business with the Faceless Men.
When I knocked on the massive set of double doors, one white and one black, I was invited in after making the right greeting.
"Valar Morghulis" I said
That was High Valyrian for 'All men must die'.
"Valar Dohaeris," the robed man said.
This was the traditional response it meant 'All men must serve'.
"I need to speak to someone in authority," I said.
One of the things I was supposed to collect was an iron coin that acted as a special token. Sadly you couldn't simply buy them so I needed to come to the source to get one.
But first I needed to spread the gift of death to a few people that I simply didn't wish to go after myself due to the many demands on my time.
"We do not have a high priest," said the man I was speaking to "Not as a man understands".
While I'd not known that I did know that for a price, the guild will agree to kill anyone in the known world, considering this contract to be a sacrament of their god. The act of assassination was holy for them.
The price is always high, but it should be within the means of the person if they are willing to make the sacrifice. The cost of their services also depends on the prominence and security of the target.
"I have a list of people who I wish to receive the Gift of Men," I said.
That was mortal death was known in Middle Earth. Elves were bound to Arda while humans got to move on and experience free will while alive. Where they went after death no one knew, perhaps they got to go to some sort of heaven.
"Death is the gift of the many-faced god," said the robed man.
I didn't disagree.
"In a land, I visited the Gift of Man is given by Ilúvatar to his children" I explained, "He gave them both life and death, for one can not exist without the other".
The robed man nodded.
"A man is wise," he said "Life means nothing without death".
That was why one door was white and one was black, at least in view, death is black, life is white, and the two are part of the whole. Although I suspected the symbolism meant different things for different people. There's no official dogma for this faith.
The Faceless Men had an interesting history dating back to the mines of the Valyrian Freehold when the first Faceless Men would end the suffering of the slaves not by killing the master, but by killing the slaves who were ill, they brought death to those who suffered, for those whom life was no longer bearable.
"These are the names I wish to receive the gift" I explained.
Carefully I handed over a list of names.
"I don't expect you to accept every name," I said "And none were chosen lightly".
Thanks to my research and knowledge from the show/books I knew that The Faceless Men use a variety of methods to kill their targets.
The assassination technique of a Faceless Man is refined and they will take their time so as to make sure only their target dies. They are a precise tool of death.
Their fees for such services are higher for more important targets because their protection makes it harder for the assassins to make a clean kill.
This is why no one has paid to have Tywin Lannister killed despite how many people loathe and fear him. I doubted that anyone other than himself could afford to have him murdered by the Faceless Men.
"The price for many of these names will be too high for a man to pay," informed the robed man.
As expected. I just wanted to take some names off my list of targets
"I understand," I said, "I will pay a fair price for the names you deem suitable to receive the gift from the Faceless Men".
This seemed acceptable.
"A man knows this Petyr Balish, he will receive the gift," said the robed man "Once the gift is given we can select another".
I wasn't hiring hitmen, they wouldn't just go and whack some people for me. The price for Littlefinger wasn't high since he was a rather minor lord in an unimportant position.
"Then I'll return when you inform me that the gift is given" I stated.
It would take some time to work down the list, but that was okay I wasn't in any rush and there were plenty of people out there I wanted to deal with personally.
When I enquired about acquiring an iron coin I was surprised to hear that it would be possible for me to obtain the collectable.
"A coin is favour" the robed man explained "If a man wishes our favour he must provide a service for the Many-Faced God"
It wasn't hard to guess what they wanted me to do.
"Give me the name," I said.
It was someone on my list and I would have done it for free.
"A man has failed to give the gift to the Mountain that Rides" admitted the robed priest "This does not please the Many-Faced God".
The false knight Gregor Clegane would soon die.
"It could get messy," I told the worshipper of death "I never leard to be No One".
Perhaps I should spend some of my points on getting an assassin companion?
"You are not Faceless," said the robed man "A man is a warrior and must act as one. We only ask that you shed no more blood than is required.
They wanted The Mountain dead and didn't much care how it got done as long as collateral damage was kept limited. As such an assault on the knight's keep wouldn't work. I would need to get him out in the open. I doubted that the baby murderer was the time to sit at home so it shouldn't be too much work.
For a moment I wondered how this priest knew I was a warrior, and then I realised that he must have gotten my backstory of being a sellsword/treasure hunter from someone. The Faceless Men would be total fools if they didn't get track of the major players in this city.
Plus anyone with decent observation skills could see that I was a fighter. It could be seen in my movements and I was clearly no useless inbred noble.
"It will be done soon" I promised.
With that, I left to go do some scrying. I had a mountain to break and thankfully just the axe to do it with.
Team Builder
Part 48
Manse. Braavos.
While Asha Greyjoy, or rather simply Yara as she was known now, did not enjoy this sort of party, there wasn't enough drinking for starters, she was in a good mood and had been for a good long time.
Sure most of her family were dead, but she'd never liked any of them anyway, aside from her mother's brother, who had not even been at Pyke when the others had been killed.
She hadn't even really liked her Theon, her youngest brother as he'd always been a whiny git, but she'd have been sad if the brat had been harmed. Having him adopted into a family to start a new life was an unexpected kindness from her master that she was grateful for.
Her life here in Braavos was so far proving to be much more enjoyable than it had been back when she'd lived in the Iron Islands which were really just a bunch of rocks populated by a load of bastards when you thought about it.
She didn't have an angry father to worry about anymore or a crazy uncle to fear, nor did she need to worry about her gender as here in Braavos being a woman didn't stop you from being successful in your own right. Not if you were really driven.
Even the daughter of the Iron Island's Lord Paramount didn't have much in the way of luxury when compared to living in a Magister's household in the city-state of Braavos.
While this party was meant to celebrate the sixth birthday of Daenys Dovahkiin, who Yara knew to have once been Daenerys Targaryen, it had become an event to also celebrate Marek's rise to what passed for nobility in this city.
That had come as a surprise and a pleasant one for the whole group since it would help in their mission to uplift her world. Something important to Marek more than anyone else.
Not that Yara fully understood everything involved in an uplift, but she knew enough to know that it would be a lot of work and she would play her small part as best she could.
It was the Black Pearl, that fancy whore who had made it possible for Marek to become the newest Magister of Braavos. She'd considered aiding Marek in his rise to power as returning a favour.
Yara couldn't help being impressed by a woman who had that sort of power. Elevating Marek shouldn't be so easy even if he was wealthy and had already made a few important allies.
That Marek partly owned his new position to the popularity of the vodka drink seemed to amuse the Dragonborn even if it made a lot of sense to Yara.
The spirit had become popular very quickly and not just due to the novelty. People like to mix vodka with other drinks and the snobs at this party were consuming vodka mixed with chilled fruit juices.
Demand had already far outstripped supply even with Hermione using her witchcraft to increase the supplies. Marek had explained as best he could about how that worked, but Yara hadn't grasped it.
What mattered was that the spirit was a source of income and that the increasing demand meant that the business was expanding. Being a Magister allowed Marek to control the produce and sale of Vodka so soon more coin would be filling their coffers.
As she sipped her own goblet, Marek came over having excused himself from a group of young women made up of the single daughters and young unmarried sisters of the other Magisters. It wasn't hard to guess what they were interested in.
None of them was good enough to be Marek's wife, a man like him deserved as many as consorts as he desired and could claim. He'd paid the iron price and taken Yara for himself as a man should.
Being dragged off to serve as a sort of saltwife to a man who lived in a Free City hadn't been Yara's dream, but she respected Marek for having the strength to claim her.
"I made the arrangements," said the Dragonborn.
Yara knew what he was referring to without her master (something she knew not to call him out loud, having to say anything further even if he did feel the need to discuss it.
"The shipwrights have agreed to build us a new kind of ship," he said.
Marek had been interested in building a seagoing vessel called a galleon, and the design had impressed Yara, but she hadn't considered the logicists of the project as the cost should not have been a concern for them.
The shipwrights had simply been unwilling to take the risks involved in building such a ship, even with the promise of generous payments, not without the backing of the Iron Bank and some of the Magisters.
Shipwrights in this city had a lot of obligations and many investors to keep happy. They couldn't simply abandon centuries-old practices and change their methods. Not with proper support.
That Braavos had to import all of its wood didn't help with pushing forward designs for much larger seagoing vessels either.
Now that Marek was a Magister himself, and not just because the Black Pearl wanted him to be, the shipwrights of this city were more willing to try something new.
"Which design did they approve?" Yara asked.
She would get to captain this new ship once it was built as long as she served as an officer on another trading vessel for a time to prove herself.
"The Flute or the Fluyt to use its proper name," Marek told her "Although I imagine they'll change the name".
That ship was designed to be a trading vessel. It was not built to be a warship, just to carry cargo and sail with a small crew to keep costs low. Although it could be armed and carry more crew if it needed to at cost of giving up cargo space.
"Building the first flute is going to take a while" informed Marek "It will be a few months before they start, but once they get going the Arsenal won't stop until the ship is ready to sail".
Yara knew that the Arsenal houses the defence fleet of Braavos and that it was the centre of shipbuilding for the city-state. It was home to many quays, docks, and a shipyard for war galleys.
The Arsenal's war galleys are all constructed with the same design, allowing shipbuilders to work on separate parts at the same time and thereby create a galley in a single day or so they claimed.
Because of this building, a ship with a new design greatly slowed things down, but it would get done and Marek could throw enough money at the Arsenal to make sure they kept at it.
"So I guess I'll be busy for a while" Yara reasoned.
Trips between Braavos and Gulltown weren't long or dangerous, at least not when compared to other voyages, but she'd need to cram in as many as she could before her own was ready so she wouldn't see Marek for a while.
Not only did she need to be known as a skilled sailor, but she also needed to spend time with sailors from Braavos so that she better understood them. That would help when she had to keep a crew of them in line when she was a captain.
"You will" the Dragonborn confirmed "So I'll see you in my room later for a proper goodbye".
This night now promised to be much more fun for the young pirate.
Manse. Braavos.
Hermione Granger was not the most sociable of people so she'd decided to excuse herself from the party for a while so as to retreat to her own study/workshop.
Her study/workshop was not as large or cluttered as Marek's nor did she have a forge outside, as she did not craft magical objects, however, it was still a well-used space within the manse.
She spent her time here researching the culture, history and magic of this world so as to better understand it. So far she hadn't liked much of what she'd found out about.
This space also sometimes served as a classroom for little Danny who was a wonderful student. Hermione predicted that Daenerys Targaryen, or rather Daenys Dovahkinn, could go on to do great things.
She was far smarter than her brother, his rash actions proved that, and even without Hermione's guidance she could have gone far. With the proper education and advice, she'd do much better than her book/show counterpart that Marek had told her about.
Hermione also used this room as her own personal library and this made her happy. She had a wide collection of books here from a few different worlds.
A few were from her own world, some came from Middle Earth or parts of this planet. She even had books that Marek had acquired from some sort of demonic merchant that came from a universe she'd never been to that the Dragonborn called the Elder Scrolls verse.
Thanks to the strange way the CYOA worked she could read all of these books, as well as the ones she kept hidden, and while she was grateful for this it would be nice if she could read every book she encountered.
She was working on a translation spell, but it was slow going because she often found herself distracted by her other studies or by what was going on around her.
At other times this room became a potions lab. This world didn't have much in the way of magical plants or animals from which potion ingredients could be obtained, but there were some and likely more than she hadn't discovered yet.
Hermione reminded herself again to send Ciri out to fill a jar with leaves from a Weirwood tree. The Witcher wasn't that busy of a person and could apparate herself and others much further than Hermione was able to.
She looked over the jars she did have filled. The elves of Rivendell had been helpful in securing potion ingredients for Hermione to study thanks to their great knowledge of herblore.
The witch had been cataloguing the magical properties of various plants for a while now as once she understood those properties fully she'd no how to use them in a potion.
It was not easy, as you couldn't always predict how different potion ingredients would react to each other when you weren't following a tried and tested recipe. Nevertheless, she would carry on as it could end up being a very rewarding endeavour.
The few ingredients she had from the Elder Scrolls verse were especially potent and had strange properties that Hermione Granger hoped would lead to some interesting new potions even if her supplies would never allow her to produce many of those concoctions.
Perhaps she'd find a treatment for lycanthropy that would do more than simply suppress the mind of the beast. She might also discover potions that could counter the damage done to the body by dark magic that could not be dealt with by known healing magics of her world.
These projects took up her time, yet they weren't her main concern. Marek worried her the most. He was different than he used to be. He'd never exactly been the heroic type despite his actions, and now he seemed darker than before.
Consuming the soul of that dragon had changed him, and coming to this world didn't help, Planetos, as Marek called it, was not a good place for anyone to be. Some of the things people did her would shock even the Death Eaters.
Things had been simpler in Middle Earth back when it had just been the two of them, they'd spent their time studying under the wise elves and helping people, or maybe she'd simply been more naive.
Not she blamed Ciri as while she was more eager to perform violence than Hermione she was a good person. She blamed if that was the right word, this universe more than anything else as it seemed more like a hell than a world.
All Hermione could do was try to advise the Dragonborn so that he didn't go too far when it came to carrying out his plans.
At least he hadn't started laying waste to everything he saw as wicked, and if he did start doing that Hermione wasn't sure how much she'd protest given how downright evil the people running this world could be.
She reminded herself that some of Marek's plans would do a little good. He was planning on setting up a hospital here in the city. Also, he had ideas for a new orphanage as the current one was over capacity and in need of improvements.
Okay so maybe they could do more than a little good in this world and Hermione would help as best she could as really it was all she could do aside from focusing on her studies.
She knew that her real work would begin when they ventured into her world, and once there she'd be very busy, so she would make an effort to enjoy her time in this world if only because she had a chance to focus on her studies and try to be a teacher for Danny.
Team Builder
Part 49
House. Personal Pocket Dimension.
"It's a lot fancier than I was expecting," I admitted to Ciri and Hermione.
Danny would have heard that comment as well if she hadn't rushed off into the garden just for the sake of being able to run around. She displayed the enthusiasm for such things that comes naturally to a six-year-old girl.
Feeding her a Sweetroll, the recipe for which I'd gotten from a book obtained from the Daedra Merchant, might not have been a good idea as she was going to take some time to burn off the sugar.
Of course, I'd needed to test the recipe before I sold it to the Baker's Guild in Braavos for a share of the profits from selling the treats and since it was aimed at children she'd been a suitable taste tester.
As for the pocket dimension, I'd finally collected enough of the objects the ROB wanted me to go after to be able to afford to buy my own pocket dimension as I'd planned to do for a while since I wanted somewhere out of sight to raise the dragons.
"Value for money I guess," said Ciri.
Cost: 7
A dimensional key to a safe pocket space, about a mile and a half across in size, with land, a small forest, a hill and a little lake. There is already a comfortable house there, which comes with a stockpile of supplies and basic facilities but can be expanded in size by your own home improvements. Purchasing the option again increases the available space by the size of the original space.
I read over the entry again, it only mentioned that the house would be comfortable, stocked with supplies and have basic facilities.
As promised there was a hill, a lot of trees, and a lake, assuming that the house was in the centre of the little universe then a person should be able to walk for a mile and a half in any direction before coming to the edge of this reality.
I should check that and ensure that there was a barrier at the edge before I leave, just in case Danny ever goes off exploring and falls off the edge into an abyss or something like that.
That sounded like the sort of thing that would cause me to fail my CYOA mission of being a good parent to my adopted daughter. Besides Danny was rather cute, it would be a shame if I lost her.
Why the house was so large become apparent to the three of us, Yara was off on a sea voyage, once we got inside the property. There were a few servants here, a maid, a cook, and a gardener.
As well as a person who I assumed to be either the butler or some sort of steward who would take charge of looking after the property, and they were all women who were pleasing to look at.
"Welcome Master Marek, Mistress Hermione, Mistress Cirilia" they greeted.
This explained the size of the place. These people needed a place to sleep and their own facilities. The back of the house was most likely made up of some small apartments since the house was quite modern in style.
"Just call me Ciri" the witcher insisted.
She wasn't one for titles. I got the sense that didn't like them because she hadn't earned any of them. Although she had certainly earned the right to be referred to as a witcher as far I was concerned.
"Yes, Mistress Ciri," they said.
Before she could try to encourage them to drop the Mistress part, the head servant stepped forward.
"The governess has gone to find Mistress Daenys" I was informed.
I was really getting value for my money with this place, or rather value for points.
"Good, that means we can leave Danny here if things get dangerous," said Hermione.
The Manse in Braavos was protected by a magical idol, but its protection wasn't absolute, it didn't prevent thievery and if Viserys came back he might be able to leave with his sister if he didn't intend any harm when he came for her.
I wouldn't put it past the Beggar King to try to take his sister so as to use her as part of some insane scheme. He was only a little better than his father and might have been worse if he'd ever claimed the throne.
Plus the protection only spread out over a certain area and as Danny got older she'd be more tempted to go off into the city to explore on her own or to go find ways of rebelling against the authority figures in her life by hanging out with untrustworthy people.
She might be six now, but she'd be a teenager before long as children in this world grew up fast.
Best to keep here her when we were all busy elsewhere and I wanted her to spend time with the dragons as they responded to her from the start. She was after all a Targaryen even if she couldn't use that name.
As we looked around the house, Ciri going off on her own, Hermione and I discussed our plans for hatching the dragons. The house was well-furnished and modern even if it was rather basic in some respects.
It could be improved upon easily enough and I had another study/workshop here for when I wanted to work on projects that would be best kept out of sight.
When I took a seat inside that study my witch handed me some papers that were filled with notes from her research into the dragons of this world. She'd worked for many hours to gather these findings. She'd again proven her worth to be with her hard work and attention to detail.
We'd collected some different sources of information, locally written books, and I had memories from the book/show that had been able to help refine the plan to hatch the eggs.
"Are you certain about this?" I had to ask.
One couldn't take chances when it came to hatching dragons.
"Yes, Marek," said Hermione "I have gone through everything that we've been able to find out about the dragons of this world, I've compared the information to what I know about the dragons of my world. I learned a lot about them during my 1st and 4th years at Hogwarts".
I assumed that had to do with the dragon that the Gamekeeper known as Hagrid managed to acquire when Hermione went to Hogwarts during her first year and during her fourth year Harry Potter faced off against a dragon as the first task of the Trizward Tournament so she would have found out all she could about them so as to help Harry prepare.
"Ciri told me about the dragons of her world as well, and after I put everything together I'm almost totally certain that this will work," Hermione told me.
After the extinction of their dragons back in 153 AC, the Targaryens made numerous attempts to hatch the dragon eggs left behind. King Aegon III Targaryen, known as the Dragonsbane, sent away for nine mages from Essos at the suggestion of his Hand. However, the attempt to use their magic to kindle a clutch of eggs was a failure.
King Baelor I Targaryen prayed over his eggs, while other Targaryens sought to hatch theirs with sorcery, and others had maesters study them.
The Tragedy of Summerhall has been blamed on King Aegon V Targaryen's attempt to hatch dragons. During his reign, King Aerys II Targaryen tried to hatch dragons from the eggs that had been found in the depths of Dragonstone, some of which had turned to stone because of their great age, but his attempts yielded nothing.
Due to the disaster at Summerhall, my consort had come up with an idea about hatching only one dragon at a time so as to reduce the danger.
We would be sharing them between three people. Myself, Dany and Ciri, Hermione didn't enjoy flying and Yara was a woman of the sea so dragons would be suitable for them.
Hermione's logic for having Dany, Ciri and I hatch the eggs made sense in a number of ways, to start with there was that old saying, something about the dragon needing three heads.
Also, she mentioned Aegon the Conquerer and how he'd conquered the Seven Kingdoms with three great dragons, Balerion, Vhagar and Meraxes. One ridden by him the other by his two sister-wives.
Ciri, who was a real-life warrior princess, had the sword Dark Sister (which was more suited to a woman's hand than Nightfall) as Danny couldn't yet use it and Ciri would return it to its rightful owner when she was older.
Visenya Targaryen, one of Aegon's sister-wives had wielded Dark Sister, been a warrior and she'd ridden a dragon into battle. Ciri was my Visenya.
Rhaenys Targaryen, who had been the youngest sister of King Aegon I Targaryen, hadn't been a warrior like Visenya, or at least not as much of a fighter as her siblings. Although she too had been a dragon rider.
She'd been more into music, dancing, and poetry. Things that Danny had a taste for so she'd be my Rhaenys although a daughter rather than a sister.
This sort of thing mattered to magic when it came to such powerful rituals. History could also repeat in certain patterns.
If my witch had worked things out correctly using advanced Arithmancy, stuff beyond my understanding, it should be possible for a non-Targaryen to hatch and ride a dragon.
Which wasn't as insane as it might sound because dragons and dragon riders had both been around long before House Targaryen or any Valyrian noble house.
The idea was that since the first dragon-riders would have been Valyrian shepherds rather than powerful magic users they must have been able to tame the dragons without using spells.
Perhaps in the way that Dany had in the show, by stepping into the fire that birthed them along with offerings of flesh and blood. How they survived such a thing I could only guess.
I wondered if the Valyrias just stood around a pyre and let the dragons crawl out of the fire, then bound with a human who could later ride them.
Dany in the show had sacrificed three people, but not three lives since her child had been stillborn. So perhaps only fire and blood were needed. If so then Fire And Blood being the words of House Targaryen now made much more sense.
My witch theorised that the dragons could have imprinted on Danny simply because she was the first living they saw after they were hatched and really did think that she was their mother rather than because of her bloodline.
Although the bloodline did matter since Jon Snow was able to ride a dragon as well. Perhaps the creatures were able to sense that Danny and Jon were related and accepted him as part of the pack in some sense.
What mattered was that dragons were tamed before there were any Valyrian bloodlines so anyone should be able to hatch a dragon's egg and tame a dragon if they knew what they were doing.
Being magical mattered as well. According to Hermione, the dragons of her world were somewhat controllable by wizards not just because the wizards could contain them but because dragons respond to magic in some way.
The tricky part would be the fire as you would need to be there when the egg hatched to be totally sure the dragon bonded to you.
Thankfully there was a potion that made a witch or wizard able to withstand fire for a time, this was the same potion Harry Potter used when he went to stop Quirrilmort from taking the Philosopher's Stone. Dany wouldn't need it in theory, but Ciri and I both would.
How the first dragon-riders managed to figure out all of this we had no clue. Perhaps they'd had some help from a higher power or they'd taken the knowledge from some people already living with the dragons who had been peaceful. It could have even been trial and error.
"So I was thinking of you taking an animal, making it drink the Draught of Living Death and then making that creature the offering" Hermione was now saying to me "You should take the egg that contains Drogo, or whatever you want to call him, and after taking the right potion you can step into the fire and wait for him to hatch. Hopefully, the dragon will imprint on you".
The Draught of Living Death is an extremely powerful Sleeping Draught, which went taken will send the drinker into a deathlike slumber. Its effects are similar to suspended animation, and it would be the most humane way to offer up an animal sacrifice since while under the effects of the potion the beasts would feel nothing, and we could animals that would be slaughtered as livestock for the sacrifice.
Khal Drogo had been mindless when he burned, Danny's son had been dead, and that woman she burned had certainly been alive and she'd no blood connection to Danny, so there didn't seem a particular kind of sacrifice required as long as flesh and blood were offered.
I didn't think a human sacrifice would be needed since wild dragons would have needed to hatch their own eggs before the Valyrians tamed them and there wouldn't have always been any humans around for them to grab.
They would have been been able to bring animals to their lairs and then burn them along with the eggs so as to hatch their offspring. That seemed like something even an animal could figure out.
"It might also help to mark your egg with your blood at the start of the ritual" my consort advised, "Blood is very potent in such rituals, but I wouldn't normally advise using blood with magic"
Blood magic was not something I approved of people using outside of extreme circumstances as it was considered to be one of the dark arts for good reasons. it could be a slippery slope leading to other dark things. But Hermione wouldn't suggest its use if it wasn't worth it.
Since I could summon a dragon then hatching a few might not seem important, however, flying on the back of a dragon that wasn't going to vanish when a summoning spell ran its course, was just too tempting a prospect to pass up.
"I think we should perform the ritual in a desert," I said "And do so at dawn as you advise in your notes".
Having the dragons be born during the dawn would add to the symbolism of the ritual as far as I understood these things. Deserts were connected to fire in mystical terms as was the sun.
"I'll go steal the eggs" I decided.
They were Danny's by right and since Targaryens were known to place dragon eggs in a baby's cradle I felt sure she could handle a baby dragon as long as she was supervised.
Team Builder
Part 50
Manse. Braavos.
"Not so long ago you were the one going around giving out gifts and designs to people, and now they are coming here to beg for favours from you" commented Ciri.
This was both amusing and satisfying for me I had to admit. Now that I had obtained the rank of Magister I was the elite and people sought me out.
Due to my power as well as my wealth, influence and riches, I had people coming to me to ask for favours or to offer tribute to me. As they should.
Ciri wasn't very interested in business affairs so I imagined that she'd leave before they were over to go find something else to do, such as drum up some more support for her Gwent tournament now that the game had gained some following here in Braavos.
I imagined that the local artists were kept quite busy making the cards.
As a Magister, I was equal to a lord in Westeros, answerable only to the Sealord, my peers, and keyholders of the bank who could be considered lords as well.
This meant I could do things like pass judgment on crimes, settle minor disputes that weren't worth taking to the Sealord, and make more important business deals.
"This is to be expected for a new Magister," said Tycho Nestoris.
The banker had served as both an account manager as well as a liaison between myself and the Iron Bank. Now that I was someone of greater importance the bank was taking even more of an interest in me.
This made sense as the Iron Bank was at the centre of all finical transactions in this city that involved more money than you could fit in a pocket.
They stored wealth, offered loans, sent thugs to collect on debts, gave out advice, and ensured that the Sealord got what was due to him. They also acted as middlemen between parties involved in important trade deals. Nestoris was here to represent the bank's interest and to offer advice.
As a Magister, I was now responsible for more than just selling my own products and buying what I needed to run my businesses.
I not only had control over the entire vodka trade within the city, but I was also expanding overseas since I now had greater means of production, thanks to the new stills, more of which needed to be set up.
Also, I was partly responsible for the soothe running businesses here within the city as the Magisters of Braavos oversaw nearly all trade and had great influence over what was imported and exported.
The guilds ran the actual businesses, and they paid up to me even though the authority of the Magisters over the guilds was limited.
It was a more complex system than in Westeros where the Paramounts answered to the king, the lesser lords to the Paramount and the knights served different lords and kept the smallfolk in line.
I answered directly to the Sealord, but he needed my support to stay in power, and I should only need to get directly involved in the overall trade network if there was a problem in bringing into the city certain resources or troubles in exporting products.
Braavos hadn't suffered from riots or serious shortages for a while now and I knew that we had a long summer ahead so there shouldn't be too much for me to do once I'd dealt with any issues that were presented to me today. I hoped that this wouldn't drag on and the banker picked up on that.
"Once you've finished with the petitioners you'll be free to focus on your own business interests" Tycho Nestoris assured me.
I planned to head to Westeros soon as King Robert was hosting a massive tourney that would welcome even foreigners to Kingslanding, not that I intended to say in the city, but I did intend to fight and win the melee so that I would gain some respect in the Seven Kingdoms.
Since I wasn't a knight I couldn't joust even if I knew how to as only knights are allowed to. That would have gotten me more attention, but winning the melee should be enough since I didn't want to upset some of the high lords by knocking their knights off horses.
That combined with acquiring some land so that I could claim a lordship should make doing business with those savages much easier and would have to get some of them on my side in order to start advancing those savages.
I assumed that Robert wanted a massive tourney so that it would distract from the fact that he's lost the Iron Throne, in the most literal sense, and to help people forget that he didn't end the rebellion, I'd ended it, and he would want to distract people from talk of dragons as well as sea monsters.
Hopefully, things wouldn't drag on here as I wanted to try hatching the dragons tonight, or rather tomorrow morning as it would be morning in the Red Wastes where the ritual would be performed. I had to make sure that our ritual closely followed Danny's from the book/show so it made sense to go to that desert.
"Who is first?" I asked.
I'd set up the ballroom as an audience chamber for today's meetings and I'd gotten myself a fancy chair to help make me look more important. Tycho Nestoris was set up some distance away at a desk that he had brought here.
He was partly hidden by stacks of parchments, books of accounts, scrolls and a few things that looked to be some variation on the abacus. I should look into devices that were an improvement upon those if such a thing existed outside of an electronic calculator.
It pleased me that he was using one of the few pens I'd provided to the bank. I'd sold the patent for the design to a guild that specialised in supplying quills, ink and parchment for free so as to butter them up, but I could still make my own pens as long as I didn't sell them.
Hermione had her setup as well. She wanted to ensure that we kept all of our records. I'd also spent my last point on a team that would make managing my business interests much easier. They would keep more records and keep track of deals made.
Secretaries
Cost: 1
A team of secretaries to handle all your number-crunching, pencil-pushing, and bureaucratic needs.
Even once I collected the rest of the items that ROB wanted me to go after I wouldn't have many points left so I would have to be very careful about what I spent my points on.
The secretaries were not a waste as they could handle the day-to-day affairs for me and even if they were anything like the maids and the highlander band their numbers would grow as required.
"A number of gentlemen wish to discuss the pipeweed trade" informed Hermione.
Since I now had a pocket dimension with plenty of open space I could grow pipeweed. Growing non-magical plants quickly was easy when you had magical potions made by Hermione to promote growth and a great deal of elvish herblore.
I was growing pipeweed fast enough and in large enough amounts to start selling it to the elite of Braavos. Oddly no one questioned how it got into the city, but to be fair there was a lot of trade going on here.
The Iron Bank doesn't ask me where my money comes from as long as I'm storing plenty of it in their vaults and I pay my taxes/bribes so no one can complain. But that is what makes it such a successful Free City there's very little you can't trade in around here.
The visitors were invited in and I could tell by their clothes that they were middle-class types. A couple looked like craftsmen, but not young ones, nor were they labourers used to moving heavy goods if I was any judge. Woodworkers perhaps?
Given their interest in pipeweed, it made sense that they'd be interested in making pipes as well as handling the tobacco. That would require men who knew how to carve wood.
"Magister Marek Dovahkiin" one of the men greeted.
I did so like that title.
"As I understand you want to discuss the pipewood trade," I said.
Such as it was. I was trying to generate interest as I gathered and stored enough seed so as to make it worth growing in large amounts and that would require purchasing farmland as well as labour or hiring farmers to grow it for me.
Just using the land in my pocket dimension would keep supplies low even with me being able to rapidly grow the flowers. Not ideal as I wanted the trade to carry on after I left this world.
"Yes, Magister," said their spokesperson "We are looking to open our own guild".
That was surprising. Even in Braavos, such change wasn't easy to bring about and people were more adaptable than elsewhere, at least in my view.
"Only the Sealord can authorise the creation of a new guild" stated Tycho Nestoris.
And he wouldn't dare do that without the approval of a few powerful Magisters and the Iron Bank. Hence why these gentlemen had come to me as a new group. If I liked their idea and would support it then others would approve.
"There would be little point asking his permission if the guild has nothin' to produce" pointed out the spokesperson.
The banker nodded signalling his approval of their logic.
"So you want to set up a guild that controls the processing and selling of pipeweed here in Braavos," I said "Is that correct Mr..".
That sounded reasonable to me as while it would diminish my profits it would reduce my workload by quite a lot and ensure that the trade could carry on without me.
"I am Jaereo Aenen," he said "And we'd like to handle the exporting as well, Magister Dovahkinn. We have contacts in the farms outside of the city that will grow the pipeweed for us if we can invest, but it would be better if had more than one source".
Braavos isn't just a city, within the lands the city-state controls there are mines, lumber camps, small fishing villages and lots of farms. It is risky to invest in them because the Free Cities are in competition with each other so they will war over lands with sellsword armies and bandits are always a problem.
Because of this a lot of raw materials are imported from Westeros, processed here, turned into some sort of product and then sold back to Westeros.
I'd been considering having some lord in the Reach grow the pipeweed for me. The new guild would need me to set up such a deal for them since I could bribe a lord easily to do growing for us using his land and smallfolk.
"Aside from this costing you a considerable amount as an investment you'd lose control of the trade," warned Tycho Nestoris.
But I didn't want to control the trade, my purpose was to advance this world. Creating a new guild meant new jobs, new people coming up with ideas and more trade.
"It could be worth it in the long run," I said to the banker "And the existing guilds aren't really suited for managing the pipeweed trade. A new guild is required if pipeweed is to become a successful commodity".
The spokesperson of the group seemed to like what he was hearing.
"There is the matter of the Sourleaf Guild" stated Tycho Nestoris "It's not a powerful guild, but they could appeal to the Sealord and be awarded control of the pipeweed trade within the city".
I knew sourleaf to be a foul-tasting plant that's leaves are chewed in a similar fashion to chewing tobacco. Chewing the stuff causes a pinkish froth to form on your lips and it involved a lot of spitting.
Chewing sourleaf stains one's mouth and turns the teeth blood red, causing people who chew sourleaf to have unpleasant smiles.
"That guild has never been profitable," said one of my visitors "Few people around here like the stuff".
I soon had an idea.
"Mr Nestories would it be possible for me to buy the Sourleaf Guild and combine it with this new Pipeweed Guild?" I asked, "I could hand over control of it to these gentlemen in exchange for a greater percentage of the profits in the future".
The banker gave it some thought.
"Expanding an existing guild is a much simpler
process than setting up a new one," he said, "Fewer fees to start with. The Sealord would need to approve, but with your support Magister Dovahkinn, and that of the Iron Bank, such a thing is mere formality".
Setting up a new guild would be a better legacy, but my business empire was growing nicely and the uplift was more important than making me money.
"So you'll fund the new guild?" the spokesperson asked.
It seemed like a good idea. Risky, but acquiring more wealth wasn't much trouble for me.
"Yes," I said.
Tycho Nestoris instructed them to go to the Iron Bank tomorrow so a contract could be set up. I wouldn't be the only person interested in this new guild and the Bank might want to invest as well.
More visitors soon came. The Bakers Guild, one of the most powerful factions in the city, promised me a reduction in the prices that I paid for their goods, and
I gifted them the recipe for different kinds of pizza as it would appeal to the rich who wanted something new to try and it didn't cost me anything to send them another little tidbit.
The Blacksmith Guild dropped off a nice rapier like those used by the duellists in this city. The others just offered some money or fancy goods. I got a nice vase from the Potters Guild. Another discount game from the Seamstress Guild.
My fellow Magisters sent lavish gifts of silks, salt, spices, cheese, wine and fruits. All of which were taken away by the maids. As Hermione had mentioned earlier it wasn't so long ago that I'd been the one sending them bits of treasure so as to curry favour. How times change.
Ciri took some wine and went off to her room.
"Next we have an emissary from Illyrio Mopatis" I was told.
Mopastis is an established merchant-prince and a Magister of the Free City of Pentos. I was a new merchant-lord so that meant Illyrio had much more
influence and wealth than myself, or at least influence.
I knew of him because he hosts the Targaryens at the start of the books/movies.
"Magister Marek Dovahkinn," said the emissary from Pentos "My Master, Illyrio Mopatis, the Merchant-Prince of Pentos has sent me to pay tribute to his newest peer".
The chest was the size of a footlocker, it was made of high-quality wood and it had been packed with coins, gems, necklaces, goblets, silver candlesticks, and so on, but it was the stone object in the chest that got my attention.
"Is that a dragon's egg?" asked Hermione.
I'd seen a few. Not just the three I'd stolen from the Sealord, I'd taken one from a minor lord in the Crownlands so as to get a point needed for purchasing the pocket dimension. There were a few left in the world to be found without venturing to Valyria or Asshai, and both of those places were not exactly holiday resorts.
"Time has turned it into stone," said the emissary "But it is still a great treasure".
You can not buy dragon eggs at any price I know because I'd tried to buy one.
"My Master asks for a gift in return, to be allowed to sell vodka in his home city and to his trading partners" I was told.
I looked over at the banker.
"Magister Illyrio does most of his business with the other Free Cities, as well as Slavers Bay" I was told, "He even has ships venturing as far as Qarth. If he agrees to sell vodka eastwards only it would not affect your business".
Aside from selling within the city-state, I was aiming to sell mostly to Westeros. I'd not thought much about shipping the stuff eastwards due to my distaste for slavers and the increased risk of pirate attacks.
However, for the uplift, something did need to be set up to get new goods and ideas moving eastwards.
"My Master anticipated this and will agree if he can sell to the Stepstones," said my guest.
I gave this some thought because if the merchant prince could sell to that island chain then people in the Stepstones could sell the vodka to people in Westeros without violating our agreement. However, moving goods through the Stepstones would raise the prices and result in lost goods as they were havens for pirates as well as smugglers.
To protect my interests I would need to ensure that only my vodka got sold in Kingslanding, Gulltown and White Habour. I might lose the market in Dorne if Illyrio had made arrangements for shipments to get there unmolested via the Stepstones, but that wouldn't be an issue since I had connections to Dorne.
I wondered if the Magister was planning to seek my aid in the plan to put fake Aegon on the throne. He must know I had Danny if he was keeping track of them, or had that plan not begun yet?
Either way, I would need to be careful and keep making sure that Danny was protected. I didn't plan for us to be around by the time she was old enough to be married, but I should still be wary of the Magister.
For now, I would go along with what the wanted as making him an enemy would be most unwise as he could hinder the uplift.
"I agree to these terms," I said.
If that was a real dragon's egg and I was certain it was then it was well worth letting Illyrio Mopatis control the vodka trade in most of Essos and the Stepstones. If something went wrong with the planned ritual then we would still have three eggs, and if it went right then someone who join my team later could be given a dragon.
Even if he got the egg cheaply or stole it then it wasn't a trade that benefited Illyrio Mopatis. No, Danny aside, he wanted more of my ideas and to be able to control the trade of them eastward and I was willing to bet that he'd only send lavish gifts to win me over that he would earn back in trade soon before somehow furthering his fortune.
He thought me easy to impress and I wanted to keep up that illusion since while Illyrio Mopatis would profit more in the long term by controlling so much trade it actually benefited my uplift plan to have someone take care of the trade eastwards and far south while I focused on Braavos and Westeros.
"Come to the bank tomorrow for a contract," said Tycho to my guest.
The rest of my visitors weren't so interesting, but they needed to be dealt with before I made my plans to expand my influence westwards.