Claude's P.O.V.
Traveling in the back of Sapphire, I can't help but think that this whole thing was weird. I mean, I have very conflicting memories in my head right now. On one hand, I have memories in my castle, of obtaining the allegiance of those there and obtaining all those magic powers I possess… but on the other hand I remember just making a build on a site somewhere for shits and giggles.
It is so confusing, like if two lives got mixed together and it all makes no sense. Closing my eyes, I relax on my pretty lady's back and think of my situation. I can only assume this is multiverse shenanigans in play somehow related to that asshole Zelretch. The guy helped me, or at least a version of me I guess, in figuring out dimensional travel.
How that led to this current situation though, I can only suppose it was a mix of bad luck from me and 'divine' intervention. Spreading my magic around myself it is obvious that there are something like chains around me.
Nothing nefarious, but more like prohibitions that bind me to these lands until I complete the 'scenario' 'I' chose before.
I can't help but sigh to myself at the thought of that one. I need to deal with the main problem plaguing this world, which can mean it's near absolute and unnatural stagnation (seriously, eight thousand years and barely any improvement is beyond pathetic) or the 'great other' controlling the zombie popsicle up beyond the wall.
One or the other really.
Traveling in the air, I see in the distance as one of the islands around seems to pulse with a malignant energy. Narrowing my eyes I try to remember what I picked as 'scenarios' before I realize just what that one is.
"... Sapphire, circle around that place." I tell my cutie who nods her head without an issue as we avoid that island. If I am right, this is one of the scenarios playing out, Bitterblack Isle.
The island over there should be transforming into that, a dungeon where dragons, demons, and all sorts of monsters emerge. A giant labyrinth dungeon that must not be conquered since, if someone does that, then the whole place just grows more and more powerful and dangerous. Truly, it is a cursed land now, only fools would try to get inside there, even if the potential loot one can find in that place is quite tempting.
I mean, just thinking of the amount of magic items that can be produced there, it is enough to make one salivate at the thought… if you can cleanse the curse on the items first of course.
Shaking my head, I decisively ignore that place for now. I do not feel confident to explore it and I would be better served, instead, finding a suitable place to set up instead.
Sapphire and I travel leisurely for a while longer before we arrive in the mainland. Landing Sapphire sag a bit and complain.
"This ride was quite troublesome. Also, Claude, you know just what is going on with this land? The magic here feels so strange." Sapphire asks me and I nod my head.
"It seems we got involved with something troublesome. There are all sorts of magic powers emerging from all over, we must be careful." I told my dragoness who nodded her head.
"True. Perhaps we should plant the castle soon." Sapphire said and I nod.
It was a good suggestion. Considering we traveled north of the Iron Islands, we should be in the North now, a place with plenty of open land I can just take. Just need to make sure no castle exists within a day or so of riding from here, if there is none close by then… Well, who cares really?
Honestly, as long as it is not something like trying to put my castle on top of Winterfell or something like it, the other houses may as well go to hell for all I care.
Looking out at the ocean nearby I nod to myself. Staying here would make exploring, or at least containing, that monster island simpler. Not to mention, since this should be closer to the southern end of the North it would be simple to contact the southern kingdoms.
Nodding my head two times, I get to work. Summoning Sapphire before was a bit tiresome on my reserves, true, but it was still nothing too impossible. Turning to Sapphire I ask.
"Girl, would you mind keeping guard for a bit while I summon the castle?"
"Go ahead, I won't let anyone touch my Rider." Sapphire said and I smiled at her, scratching her chin in just the way she likes it.
Even with my fuzzy and mixed up memories, I remember clearly when she hatched and how excited I was about raising her. I was so happy at the time and by now she is probably my most loyal companion.
Feeling confident no one would be able to touch me, I sit down on the floor and concentrate. A magic circle appears around me and I feel my magic energy sipping into it more and more, my consciousness starting to fade as I keep on pushing my magic into the summoning circle.
3° Person P.O.V.
Back in Pike, as Claude was summoning out his territory, king Robert was walking through the halls of the castle of House Greyjoy with a furious expression.
Entering a room where his lords were staying to discuss, the king just
"So? Did you all found out just how did a fucking dragonspawn appear here? And with an actual dragon, no less!" Robert shouts, dropping heavily into the black stone chair, the throne of the Lord Reaper of the Iron Islands.
An extra humiliation for Baelon… if he was even present that is.
A man with pale skin and thin pink lips stepped forward at this moment and said.
"My king, me and my men have been interrogating Balon and the others who could inform us of what has happened, but we are facing some difficulties."
"What? Wasn't it you who likes to proclaim that 'a naked man has few secrets/ a flayed man none'?" Robert questions Roose Bolton who bows his head and answers.
"It is true, my king, but the problem is that most of the servants who worked on that area of the castle are incapable of telling my men anything. It seems like Euron Greyjoy cut off the tongues of all those who worked for him and they are illiterate so they can't write what we want to know even when we let them with their hands intact." Roose explained, noticing with disdain the troubled and disgusted expression of his liege lord, Eddard Stark, at the mention of what was happening.
Weak southerner, the man should never have been allowed to take over the North. Sure, he was an excellent military commander and was a good lord, but he was far too soft hearted and far too trapped on southern ideals of honor in Roose's opinion.
Robert, meanwhile, had his face turning more and more red in fury as he continued.
"Did you obtain anything, Bolton, or are you as useless as you seem right now?"
Roose's fist clenched for a moment at the insult, but his calm demeanor was not broken as he kept it under his iron grip.
"From what we got out of Balon it seems like Euron was trying to go through with some ritual, sacrificing several people for it. We have, however, not found any of said smallfolk anywhere, not even their corpses."
That highly disturbed the lords around and some began to mutter about demons and even two or three lords from the Reach took out their copies of the book of the Seven to pray.
Robert, however, did not show care for the murmurs of demons and whatnot. Instead, the man stood up and declared.
"Prepare the ships. Wherever the place he went, we shall go and hunt him down! No fucking dragonspawn shall live in these lands as long as I am alive."
The lords looked at one another with doubt, not knowing just what to do. Finally, Tywin Lannister stepped forward to put things into perspective for the king.
"Your grace, we do not know where the man is, who he is, what support he has, or anything whatsoever. Do you want us to move up and down the seven kingdoms on a wild goose chase in hopes we manage to find a single man by sheer luck like that?""
Robert's eyes narrowed towards Tywin and said.
"What would you council then? We do nothing?"
Tywin just shook his head and answered.
"I am not saying this, just that advancing blindly would be unwise. Instead, I believe it would be best if we station the army somewhere else while spies and scouts search for information on the dragon rider. A dragon that big would not be able to stay hidden, after all."
It was a prudent idea, one the other lords could reluctantly agree even if they would rather not stay too long away from their homes.
Robert looks annoyed as he would rather advance directly to the target, but accepts the words from Tywin.
"... Very well. We should settle somewhere then. Where do you all think would be a good place?" Robert asks the crowd.
Many looked uninterested with the prospect of having so many soldiers on their lands, others looked downright eager for it. Eddard Stark looked at Tywin and saw the victorious expression on his face.
"How about in Cape Kraken?" Tywin said, making Eddard's blood run cold.
During this conflict the regions least affected at the moment would likely be The Vale, Dorne, the Stormlands, and the North in that order. Ned could tell that Tywin wanted to use this chance to weaken the North, even if just a bit more.
It may not seem like it for the uneducated, but this 'honorable position' would be something that cost a lot to whatever kingdom happens to obtain it. This, after all, was an army numbering tens of thousand, not even counting all the horses and other animals. The cost to maintain it would partially come from the crown, but it would also be something the 'host' would have to help with.
Normally this would be worth it to improve the relationship with the crown, but Ned was already brothers in all but blood with Robert. There was no benefit and only drawbacks for the North, but before Ned could think of a counter argument Robert spoke up.
"Great, I knew you were good for something beside shitting gold, you old cunt." Robert said to Tywin whose face turned stiff like stone at the insult thrown at him. The king did not care though, he was king and could say and do whatever the fuck he wants. Instead, he turned his face to Ned and said. "Are there any good harbors in that region, Ned?"
The lord paramount of the North looked tired, deciding it would be best to just acquiesce to Robert's wishes.
"There are a few places that ships can settle. Not many villages, but the place has been in dispute between us and the Iron Islands for a long time so naturally there are many natural anchorage spots." Ned said.
In truth that place was a prime location for a port city, but its proximity to the Iron Islands and the lack of natural resources meant they could not do much at all about it.
Robert smiled hearing this, declaring that they would depart soon. Tywin, however, pointed out that they still had yet to decide on what to do about the Iron Islands. Most of the lords had died in the fighting in this very castle, Robert would have to decide what to do with all this.
The king thought about it for a bit. Originally he thought of forgiving them, letting them go so maybe they would rise again and he would have someone to fight later on, but they went too far. Euron Greyjoy was in cahoots with a dragonspawn, something would need to be done about them. A much harsher punishment than what Jon had advised him before.
"... Execute Balon and the lords most loyal to him. Their heirs will take over, but their families will be taken as hostages for the next five years. Burn half their remaining ships too for good measure."
The lords felt that the punishment this time was much heavier than they would normally expect from their righteous and kind king, but none complained. For all the lords present, even the most honorable ones of them, a good Ironborn was a dead one. No house had any sympathy for the Ironborn houses whatsoever and instead they just wondered who would get the children and new heirs to those Ironborn houses.
In the end, Robert divided the kids up. The only ones not mentioned were the ones of house Greyjoy itself.
"What of House Greyjoy, my king?" Ned questioned and Robert's eyes turned stone cold as he answered.
"House Greyjoy's rule over the Iron Islands is done after this rebelion, I will do what those dragon shits could not do and see to that. Kill all the adults, the son will be sent to be raised by Stannis and you can raise the daughter, Ned. I will trust you and my brother into making those two kids into something that is not some pirate scum like the rest. As for the one to rule the Iron Islands, I think Harlaw is the best option we have here, which isn't saying much."
At this the houses felt a tad more uncomfortable, but, again, House Greyjoy was a house who hardly ever did anything that could remotely be said to be positive. They had no allies and they just orchestrated a pointless rebellion that hurt most of the kingdoms to large extents.
There were still some who were not happy to see a Great House be toppled like that, but with this the houses most affected by the rebellion and the regular Ironborn attacks felt much more at peace. They received the revenge they so desire against the reavers, and oh was it sweet.
Of course, things on the continent were beginning to change. Throughout the land, many Mana Crystals appeared.
One such crystal appeared in no other place than Kings Landing itself. It was not too big, truly nothing extraordinary, but after a day the first effects of this thing could be seen.
"RUN!" One of the beggars shouted as he and dozens of others did their best to run away. The reason? A one and a half meters long rat that appeared on the streets.
The gold cloaks were notified but simply could not believe such 'absurd' tales, so they did nothing until the second day when that one rat turned into a dozen.
At the Red Keep, Renly was almost pulling out his hair as he got more and more reports of monsters and beasts surging out of nowhere through king's landing.
"What is happening?" Renly asks none other than Varys, who had to do his level best to stay focused and 'neutral' regarding what was going on.
Someone had to keep a level head here in the Red Keep and with Cersei pretending everything is fine, Pycele busy with treating the injured knights, Jon Arryn at the frontlines commanding the soldiers of the Vale, the only options left were Renly and Varys, which means Varys needed to do it.
"Most of the monsters have been dealt with. According to my informants the creatures are quite something, their teeth and claws could make short work of regular steel and only those forged well by the castle could even hold on against them or cut them. I have sent my little birds to try and identify their origin and we should have some ideas shortly."
"Good, good." Renly said, happy to hear things were taken care of without him needing to actually go to the front.
Beside him, his new squire, Loras Tyrel, looked at him with a slight trace of disdain. True, he found his teacher quite dashing and charming, but the cowardice he was seeing was more than a bit disappointing. With someone like that, was there even a need to form good bonds with like his grandmother ordered him?
He honestly did not see that reason right now.
"We have, however, worse news I am afraid," Varys said as he sighed theatrically. "It seems like the High Septon has declared this a sign of the end of times approaching and many seem to think of restarting the Faith Militant."
Renly, hearing this, had the color drain from his face. The Faith Militant was the absolute last thing he wanted to see happening at a time like this. The only thing that could be any worse would be if dragons have returned or something equally ridiculous.
"Send a message to my brother, the king must be informed at once about what is happening." Renly said, pushing the work of dealing with this situation to his eldest brother.
Varys sighed a bit inside seeing this. Truly, the youngest of the Baratheon brothers really was just a useless peacock, not useful at all when the moment calls for it.
Still, orders were orders. Varys would do as requested, but he had to wonder how long it would take since rumors were appearing all over about similar occurrences throughout Westeros. The eunuch could only imagine that the worst had happened, magic had reemerged and now it was stronger than ever before.