...Pov: Lord Triston Sunderland...
There is something wrong, something very wrong, it's been 3 weeks since Curt saw the sorcerer ship and nobody saw Rody again, but that's not what is wrong, what is wrong is how quiet everything is seen to be, 3 weeks with no ship making port, no messages from anywhere, no ravens are returning and the ships I sent out are simply gone, we are for all intents and purposes adrift here.
From the walls of my keep, I watch Sisterton, it's a dark and grey day the clouds seem to suck all the joy out of the world, and the city is eerily silent, no birds singing, no dog barking no one in the streets.
A white owl stops on one of the battlements the tips of his feathers are a dark red what a strange animal, another day and no fucking ships.
"Were are they?"
"They burned!" a voice said.
What? I looked at the owl.
"They are all ashes now my lord, like your family will be! Hahahahahaha!" The laughing echo across the Silent keep.
I blink and the owl is not there, did I daydream about the damn creature, something is not right.
I look back to the port a damn mist is spreading through the grey waters of the ocean, a ship approach from the mist, what a sorry sight she makes, her masts are broken, and her sails tore the wood even from here is easy to see that is rotten, her armour rusted, she was a beautiful one once I am sure of it, behind in the edge of the mist a fleet, my fleet, the ships are burnt, full of holes, they shouldn't be afloat.
The deep sound of a bell echo across the town, the once missing smallfolk start to leave their Houses and go in the direction of the ship, in lines all start to march to that dead ship on the port.
As they approach from the front of the ship, a hissing sound explodes, and a tongue of white fire burns the small folk, it catches on the houses around as well, and the fire spread faster than a cut can bleed, I see from the top of the wall my house guard, and my family leave the keep in a single line to the ship, I try to scream but nothing comes out, I try to move from the battlements but my feet sink into the stone.
They walk through the burning town to the front of the ship and once again the infernal hiss comes and the white flame erased everything I care about, that infernal ship.
I Blink once again, this time I see myself in front of the ship, on top of the remains of many, stepping on burned bones and skulls I look up to the ship, and the smell of burned flesh fills my nostrils, there is a tube in the forecastle that is mounted like a ballista and the one manning said tube is a monster, man in armour, he has no eyes and the flesh is dry and grey,his face seems to be stuck in eternal horror.
Hsssssss
The hissing sound comes and a tongue of white fire flies to me.
....
I wake up with something choking me up, I turn in my bed and vomit comes out of my mouth into the floor, I see droplets of blood as well, I'm blending from my nose,my ears are ringing and I feel dizzy.
"Hh-elp help" My voice sounds so weak, I hear a scream and everything goes black.
...
"So you're telling me I wasn't poisoned, then what in fucking seven hells was that!?" My voice echoes through the hall, the Maester flinching at the volume.
"I don't know my lord, all poisons leave traces and those that don't, have different effects from those you suffered."
Great, just fucking great.
"Any news from anywhere, any fucking ships? What about those we sent away?"
"No, my lord no news or ships have arrived, no raven I sent return as do the ships, and I am afraid we have a-a new problem."
"What it is now?"
"It seems that are no fish close to the coast, all the fishing ships are coming back empty."
"WHAT how, we can't lose the fishing, we will starve."
"i-i don't know what to say my lord there is no fish like something scared them away."
"FUCKING HELLS!"
... 1 month later ...
POV: Maester Salvir
"I can't sleep, it comes in the dreams, I can't sleep, it comes in the dreams." The lord of Sistertown sits by the window and murmurs again and again, is it the lack of food? or sleep? Did he drink the poisoned well water? Or perhaps was the dreams he has been having.
I feel like we are the last people in all of the world, there is no one else, nothing beyond these small sad and cursed islands.
We kept the lamps lit up in the hope that someone would come but no one seems capable of doing so, there is no one, is impressive how I have an entire town's worth of people in my field of vision and yet I feel so isolated like this place is empty.
Food is pretty much gone, much was found spoiled before it should have, we are eating everything we can, mushrooms, rats, mould, our shoes, even the keep is starting to starve, and the water supply has been spoiled by someone and the wine barrels were found leaking,we managed to save some thought.
I managed to develop a way to take away the salt of the seawater by evaporation, but is far from enough.
There are no ships anymore all gone, we tried every way, leaving at night, with mist covering the sea, smaller ships, nothing bear results, only the fishing ships are left and even those give up leaving the shores, there is no fish in the sea, hahahahaha, maybe the world is truly empty after all,"I take a swing of wine,it doesn't quench my thirst" I need to do something else staying here is driving me mad like the lord maybe a walk through the town.
... ??? Later ...
It's hard to think, the days seem to mash together yesterday and tomorrow seem the same, my head hurts,I don't know if is the lack of water or the hangover of too much wine and my mouth feels like the Dornish desert, there is still some wine but it gets me more thirsty, many people are falling ill because they tried to drink salt water, the little apparatus I built to purify salt water does not produce enough for us all, the lack of food is bad but the lack of water is devastating in more ways than I ever think before.
Lord Sunderland is gone, he's mad, he stays awake for days, then he passes out and wakes up screaming, vomiting and bleeding, that does wonders for morale, his elder son took the mantle of lord, the new lord of barely eight and ten name-days, I hate this, sitting here wasting waiting for death, I look through my window and I see the most beautiful sight in my life.
A black sail ship, smoothly sailing to the port, I get up from my chair, dizziness hit me and I have to steady myself on the table, my heart is beating fast,my eyes water,it can't be an hallucination.
... POV: Antares Palestars ...
I have been harassing the three sisters for almost three months now, capturing every ship that comes out of the islands and using them to harass everyone trying to get into the islands, terrible pirates infesting those waters are the rumours, at the nights I use the spell Dream to haunt the lords and cause damage to their minds, Also at night I turn in different predators and roam the waters scaring the fish, I've poisoned their water supply and Starchaser have been killing they ravens, and nothing can be traced back to me.
Magic motherfuckers.
Sure I thought about just sailing into their ports and burning everything, but that would paint bad imagery and give ammunition to everyone that thinks I should not be trusted,it would put in jeopardy everything i built until now, instead I will be more discreet, like I said I want a humbling of the sisters, not another rape of the islands.
As we sail into the port I see from the helm of my ship the crowd forming on the shore, I hear a bell ringing Boric and Marwyn are here with me.
"My lord it was really necessary to go this far? It was one ship, while I understand the need for a response to such offence, this seems disproportional." Boric said while looking at the starving crowd waiting for our ship.
"It wasn't one ship Boric it was the first ship, if we let them just go with a slap on the wrist for it, then they would do it again and again, with this they will realise that I can take them by myself and leave no proof of it."
"I see, still doesn't sit right with me that so many suffer because of the stupidity of they lord." I laugh at that.
"You are living in the wrong world Boric."
I look at the crew below and order.
"Move the food crates and the water barrels up"
I of course brought with me all they need, I had seen what they did, what had to eat and drink to survive, and
I decided to end this "siege" now before they turn to cannibalism.
We arrive at the port and the plank goes down, quickly a group of 25 owlguards leaves the ship and make a perimeter around the ship, which of course cowers the smallfolk.
"Start to move the food and water down, Boric it's your job to feed these people, make some soup, it will be better for their weak stomachs, and if he shows up you know what to do." They got the stick for three months, now is time for some carrots.
"Marwyn we will talk to lord Sunderland, we will take five crates and five barrels with us to the castle."
Marwyn, I and 30 other owl guards leave for the castle as we move through the small town we see many smallfolk pass through us to the port, which is a shitty place, infected with the odours of pig shit and rotting fish. Its streets are made of mud and planks, while its houses are hovels roofed with straw.
As we arrive at the castle the open gate is guarded by two gaunt guards, by the side of the gate there is a hanged man with their entrails dangling out, by his clothes he is a septon, their spears turned into walking sticks, I nod as I pass through them, and I see the Sunderland family awaiting, a part of it at least.
We stop in front of them and await.
"Lord Palestars welcome to Sisterton, I am deeply sorry, but we have no bread, we have some salt." He says with a weak voice and points at a small servant girl holding a plate.
I look him deep in the eyes and turn my back and walk to the crate that I brought, I open it inside a find a plentitude of food, I grab a loaf of bread and bring it to the plate of salt the servant girl is holding, all eyes are in the loaf of bread and the crate a brought with me now, some even move to approach, but the 30 heavy armoured knights with me discouraged anyone of trying to steal.
I break the loaf in half, pass it on the salt and slowly bite it in front of the starving lord and Household.
...
There isn't much talk just eating and drinking, even the servants are not around, probably eating somewhere else, the noble family of seven sons and the mother is eating with abandon and without any decorum, the younger ones, they are around 10 years old are even crying, that makes me feel a little bad, kids always have been a weakness of mine, but I swallow that pitty, it's a hard world after all.
After they stopped eating, I sip my water and ask.
"So where is Lord Sunderland, I would like to speak business with him." I know very well where he is.
"He is undisposed my lord, I am his successor." Said the young man sitting at the other end of the table, he looks very nervous and talked in a way that sound like he doesn't believe he is as strong as he sounds.
"Well, I would like to discuss business with you then."I smile.
"I- yes, let us go to a more private location." He stutters and rises from the table, and guides me to a small office, Marwyn, I the boy lord and his mother, are all sitting at the same table.
"My lord first I would like to thank you for your help, and we would like to thank you in any way we can." The boy said
"I will be very direct with you, Lord Sunderland, from now on the three sisters answer to me as they liege lord." I watch as their expression morphs from a sudden surprise to an angry scowl.
"You can't demand that, we Will not submit to a northern upstart, we are sworn to house Arryn!" Said the mother, the son looking at nothing, thinking.
"Are you now, let me tell you something, no one knows about what is happening here, three moons and no ravens no ships, I mean if you all died of a terrible sickness nobody would notice... Or care really." I stare at her, she cowers, I continue.
"You used the Arryns as a shield before, no more, you can pretend to be part of the vale, but I know that is not true, they can't help you against me." Marwyn is just observing with impressed eyes.
"E-even so the falcons and the king won't let the sisters become part of the north they trying to keep things stable, especially after the rebellion!"
"I don't need you to scream to the seven kingdoms about it, keep it secret, you do as I command, and when lord Arryn tries to command you, you inform me, all his movements have to pass through me before being executed... Or ignored." She started to look corned, Every argument is being beaten.
"The other lords of the islands! they will-"
"They will cower and obey, they are in the same situation as you after all, and if they don't, their children will, or their brothers." I interrupt her, I sigh and continue.
"I am so sorry... I must have given you the wrong impression, you see, this is not a decision to be made, is simply how things are from now on, let us speak in facts, and they are, you cant ask for help, you have no strength to fight against me, your smallfolk is now on my side, thanks to the food I brought... It's over already."
"What do you expect from us?" I heard the voice of the son.
"Not much, you leave any ships I say alone, you raid those I want you to raid, and when necessary you help me to move my soldiers around, and since I am a good suzerain, if anyone tries to seek revenge for the raids I will be there to throw my weight behind you, and I will help you with your ships because let me tell you, they were shit."
The boy nods lightly, a weak voice comes out.
"We accept."
I was right in getting the father out of the picture the son is much more malleable.
"Well then let me present you to someone, come in darling."
The door opens and inside walks a grey knight, who is 2m(6.5ft) he carries a hammer in the hip and a tower shield on the other, on his helmet is adorned with small wings and the shield is painted with the banner of House Sunderland.
"Who is that?"
"He is called The Diligent, he and 30 others will stay at your keep to... keep you safe." I smile at the wording.
"You can't garrison your troops on our castle! yours trying to make us hostage on our own home!" the mother screamed.
"No, my lady you got it all wrong, these are gifts to you and your house, they will obey everything you say and help with keeping others in line if necessary... they will make sure everything is in order." of course, my command will overrule theirs if necessary.
"We accept your most generous gift, my lord, we make sure everything will be in order," the son said, the mother scolding by his side.
"Very good, it's good you are so accepting of your new situation I do not want to do this again," I let them process that a little bit.
" I will be sending supplies to the islands, so you can go back to your feet, food, wood, that kind of things, I also will be visiting the other lords to explain the situation, they must be starving for news."
...POV:Lord Teagan Sunderland
"How could just let him do everything he wished, he-he... LOOK WHAT THEY DID TO YOUR FATHER!" Mother screamed to me, my blood boiled, how could not see the situation we are in now?
"AND WHAT YOU WILL HAVE ME DO HUH? FOLLOW HIM INTO MADNESS?" She's taken aback, she falls into her chair.
I sigh "You have to understand Mother, even if what happened to Father was Lord Palestars doing, there is no proving it, what are we going to say to Lord Arryn? That my father went crazy having dreams about an owl and that is Lord Palestars fault."
"He confessed to us just now, he said that he didn't want to do it again." The mother retorted.
"And how we would prove Mother, prove, without it, it's his word against ours, and that is ignoring the fact that he has a garrison inside the castle, how we will communicate anything to anyone without him knowing?"
Silence fills the room.
"guard," I scream and one my man, thankfully, enters" Bring me Maester Salvir I need of counsel."
"My lord the Maester hasn't been seen since he went to town early in the day."
"Then go find him into town,MOVE."
...
we are sitting in my cabin on the Relentless travelling to the other islands, which will take some hours at max, I already send ships with food to the other islands, and I will be going just to have a conversation.
"So Marwyn what do you think, you were there as well, they will fall in line?" I pour something for us to drink.
"Surprisingly, I think so, if were any other northern lord I would think they would face heavy resistance, but you pressured them so much that I don't think they will have the will to fight back, they can't fight back I mean."
"Even their people are on our side, we have to thanks your idea of giving free food, anyone trying to badmouth you will receive hostility, the fact that you are not born northern probably helps as well." he finishes and I ask him.
"Do you think the smallfolk will connect the dots and accuse me of using magic against them?"
"Well my lord, all of the seven kingdoms know you as a powerful sorcerer, but nobody knows how powerful, I don't believe anyone thinks you can take entire islands hostage, the fact that you were not seem to do all those things helps."
"But my strongest argument in why they will not find out, is that they are just simple fishermen and sailors, people of the land, the common clay, you know... morons." I smile he doesn't know what he just did, but is funny.
...
After we travelled through the other sisters we are finally back home and it is more beautiful than ever, nature and civilization seem to merge together, and I grow two more Godswoods in the city, there are trees by the side of the road plants and pots in pretty much every home,it give a very relaxed vibe which is weird for a town of this size and population but gods do I love it.
My school has been a big success, I think every kid in town frequents it, for a peasant to have the chance to learn how to read and write, receive martial training (bow and arrow), healing and how to sail all for free, now that the stuff of fairy tales.
Of course, there is some light indoctrination happening, just to make sure they know in who they can trust.
I have been importing some items that im pretty sure we could produce ourselves, parchment for the kids' studies, I like to think we have everything necessary to make paper here but I don't know how to do it, something to look at later.
Cattle and pigs were now being raised, just for consumption and trade, I found a new and Ideal animal for sacrifice, rabbits, they have become infernal since the blessing of the lands, why? Well, the blessing affected the animals as well making them reproduce more, for wolfs, bears, and dears mean that their population increased, there is also a lot of owls around the Godswood in the Moat.
But To this fucking rabbit pests means that now they are everywhere, they damage some of my crops, so yeah I decided to make them useful and the number of owlguard grew with the rabbit population, their number now is 950, 750 are stationed on the warships,250 in each of them, with the winged owlguards as their leaders, the rest patrols my lands and guard my castle.
That got me into a small pickle, metal, I need more, I have been using too much too fast, I will probably start importing from somewhere for now, but I've been thinking, the north is mountainous in certain areas, is not possible to have absolutely nothing on those mountains, so I will soon make a visit to the mountain clans and other houses in the area that those mountains are and survey the mountains if I find something I help them with the mines and they sell cheaper to me, but back to the moat.
Where I got the human souls to make the winged owlguards? Well, we captured a lot of pirates some of whom I integrated into my own navy, they serve 15 years in my warships as punishment, but the majority I locked up in the cells in the moat for when I have use for them.
On the subject of sacrifice, the first wandering crow passed through the moat, 7 prisoners went "missing" and he left with food for the watch and I gave five owlguard for each prisoner, 35 in total were given to the watch,they don't have simbols or Banners, they are full black, they were told to Obey in my absence Jeor Mormont or Benjen Stark.
Since my ships proved themselves in battle I start to build 10 more, well 11 to be true, 5 Carracks and 5 warships, but this time I also started the building of a bigger ship, made of enchanted weirwood, this one is essential for what is to come, it will also act as the flagship when it is ready.
Last but not least the canal, there is a river south of the moat that goes halfway from the west to the east of the neck, and if I were to extend it to the Bite it would go almost in a straight line which is fine, but I thought for a little and decide that I would make a curve with the river and pass through the north area of the moat and my town, why? Well, Moat Caillin was always said to be vulnerable from the north, with a river there though the situation changes, now I have a swamp to the south and a river to the north, and I am in the middle, making this place the closest thing to hell to invaders.
...POV:Marwyn...
I stride through the halls of the olwhouse as some servants begin to call the castle, there are paintings all around and in every Hallway there are suits of armour, which give a look of ostentation to the place, I mean full suits of armour simply standing around is quite the statement, but to those who lived here, you know they are not there for decoration but for guarding.
I leave my thoughts behind as I arrive in front of the door of my lord I give a nod to the owl on the porch and go to knock on the door.
"You may enter Marwyn no need for knocking." A voice comes from the inside.
I enter the chamber and inside Lord Palestars is looking over a big paper on the table.
He probably wants to talk about the harvest feast that will happen soon, he probably need-
"It will take some time until we are ready to go but now, I need you to tell me everything you know about Varylia," he says.