4 Bone Mountains
(3rd Person POV)
- 283 AC -
The two Khals clashed fiercely atop their horses as the battle raged around them. The sound of hooves echoes through the open plains as the two warriors charge towards each other, their swords ready to kill the other.
Khal Qovo, his long braid trailing behind him as a testament to won battles, spurs his stallion forward with a roar. Khal al Ghul meets his charge head-on, his own mount snorting and bleeding from different small wounds. The arakh and the dadao meet in between.
*CLANG*
*SHING*
Khal Qovo uses his full strength and tries to overpower Ra's but he doesn't make any progress. Ra's al Ghul is far too strong, no matter his wound, which has already closed. But neither of them notices this specific detail. Both of them are focused on each other. Khal Qovo pulls back his arakh in anger, having lost the initial clash between them.
His teeth grind in anger as he swings his arm forward again.
*CLANG*
*CLANG*
*CLANG*
Their blades continue to clash and while it may seem to be a fight between equals, it couldn't be further from the truth. If one were to look closer, he or she could see the differing expressions on both Khal's faces.
Khal Qovo was grinding his teeth to dust in anger and frustration. He was angry because Ra's looked as relaxed as he always did. There was no change in his expression whatsoever. But that was not the only reason for Khal Qovo's anger. The main reason he was angry was the fact that he could tell, Ra's was not giving his all in their fight.
Khal Qovo had been a Khal for many years and was in many fights during that time. He knew very well when someone was not giving his all. He felt like the time when he was sparring against his father. It was like looking at a giant and knowing that no matter what you do, you will not win this fight. There was this hopelessness that he loathed and made him explode in anger.
"Jinak bastard ... anna's ... using anna to train!" - (This bastard ... he's ... using me to train!!!)
Khal Qovo finally realised that Ra's was not finishing the fight because he wanted to improve his fighting skills while on horseback. That was a great insult to Qovo and he couldn't stomach it.
"RAAAAHHHH!!!", Qovo roared and put all of his remaining strength in his next strike. He saw red and swung his arm with his full strength towards Ra's ...
*SWING*
... !!!
He was confused for a second when Ra's was not cut in half. And then ... he felt it.
Pain. Great pain.
He looked to his right shoulder and saw ... nothing. Where there was once an arm was now only a clean cut from which blood spurts. His eyes widen but before he can cry out in pain, the world suddenly flips upside down and he sees his own body and then ... darkness.
.
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The battle was over.
Khal al Ghul's Khalasar had come out of the fight victorious. When Ra's held up the head of the former Khal Qovo, the opposing Khalasar gave up. The Bloodraiders were killed by Slade in a matter of seconds, they stood no chance.
This battle should not have gone the way it did. Khal Qovo's Khalasar had a total of 12'000 riders, while Khal al Ghul's Khalasar had close to 7'500. Ra's lost close to 3'000 men, but they killed nearly 7'000 themselves. This is an unbelievable number and this fight will be remembered in the future.
With the battle over, the hard part started. Ra's had to weed out the bad apples in the opposing Khalasar. All those who were willing to follow him were informed of the new rules they would have to follow, while the others were told that they were free to go. Most of the 5'000 remaining Dothraki decided to leave, but roughly 2'000 decided to accept the offer and joined Ra's' Khalasar.
Those who decided not to join were brutally massacred and only a couple hundred managed to flee the scene. This was done intentionally. Ra's set up an image for the new Dothraki warriors. He didn't care about them leaving, but he would never allow betrayal and this ruthlessness made sure that everyone understood that fact.
.
After seeing the many deaths and injuries, Ra's decided that it was time to summon a medical homunculi. A healer who also has experience with poison. He wanted to learn from almost every homunculi he summoned, so he thought about an elderly woman, who had the experience in both healing and poison and most importantly wisdom to teach her craft. The woman had to be elderly because it was customary among the Dothraki Khalasar that one of the healers was a barren woman. So if the woman was old, it would make things simpler.
When he was done, an elderly woman with grey hair stood in front of him.
[Picture]
"Fini is yeri hake?" - (What is your name?)
"Tih hake is Chiyo, tih Khal." - (My name is Chiyo, my Khal.)
"Chek Chiyo, anha want yeri to start healing anyone fin yeri believe has a chance ki making somewhat ki a full recovery. Ha the others. Yeri know fini to hash. Make anna hrakkarikh nakho." - (Well Chiyo, I want you to start healing anyone who you believe has a chance of making somewhat of a full recovery. For the others ... you know what to do. Make it a quick end.)
"Ai, tih Khal.", - (Yes, my Khal.)
Chiyo went to work and it would take a long time before she would be finished. She used her magic to heal those who had a chance to make somewhat a full recovery while granting others a quick death. It was a harsh reality, but this was the way things go.
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After everyone was healed, the Khalasar continued its journey west towards the Bone Mountains. For the rest of the journey, the Khalasar didn't meet any further opposition, so it was a rather calm time, allowing for all those who were injured to recuperate and for the newest members to adapt to their new Khalasar.
Ra's dedicated hours to rigorous training alongside Slade and other members of his Khalasar. It became evident to him during the battle, that the majority of his fighters lacked skill in any form of martial arts and combat techniques. This could not be the case in his Khalasar and so Ra's initiated mandatory sparring sessions, forcing even the unwilling Dothraki to participate. Under his rule, improvement was non-negotiable.
In addition to progressing in his power, Ra's sought out Lady Chiyo to learn from her in the art of healing. His mastery over the Essence of the Warlord pushed him beyond the limits of peak human in ability. This grants Ra's access to magic, should he gain proper instruction.
Sadly, he had close to no talent when it came to magic. But that mattered little to Ra's. He absorbed all of Lady Chiyo's words like a sponge and learned all that she knew about herbs, diseases, as well as poisons. Ra's made an effort to ingest all poisons Chiyo had access to or could create with the limited ingredients at hand. He wanted to make sure he was never caught unaware. So Ra's didn't do that for himself, but for his allies. He could act as a food taster since his body simply expelled all harmful substances immediately.
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After weeks of riding, the Khalasar finally reached the Bone Mountains.
[Picture]
The Bone Mountains, are a colossal mountain range in central Essos. The tallest mountains in the known world, are a natural land barrier between the western part of Essos known to Westerosi and the exotic, mysterious Further East of the continent, making them the perfect place to have a secret base in Ra's mind.
He can move east and west at a moment's notice from there and have a place that is easy to defend, while also valuing secrecy.
The Bone Mountains stretch longitudinally across five hundred leagues, with one league being three miles, beginning east of Qarth in the south by the Summer Sea. The southernmost Bones are called the Dry Bones because of their lack of water. The Bones north of the Steel Road are known by the Dothraki as the Krazaaj Zasqa. This section extends north through the Realm of the Jhogwin to the Shivering Sea. The Bones cross one hundred leagues from east to west.
The Bones contain rivers, canyons, caverns, and subterranean seas, increasing their value for those who know how to use these things to their advantage. And Ra's has the perfect people who know how to do that.
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The Dothraki did not enjoy their time wandering through the Bone Mountains and up hills. They are home in the Dothraki plains and enjoy flat surfaces. But that didn't interest Ra's. He forced them to follow him up the mountains, looking for the perfect spot to have his secret home built.
To make sure, the location was good, Ra's summoned stone masons and miner homunculi. They told Ra's where the best places to build secret caves were and how to get there. The quality of the stone, the uses for them and how secure a cave would be. Again, Ra's tried to learn as much as he could, but he wasn't in a rush.
And so, the great building had begun. The Dothraki were forced to help. Those who were either sick or injured helped the women set up tents and feed everyone. Lady Chiyo got her own tent from where she looked after everyone.
The stone masons and miners went to work and told the Dothraki warriors what to do. Ra's did that on purpose to put some humility into their skulls and weed out the weak and those who weren't loyal. This testing for loyalty would probably never stop, but it wouldn't be this intense in the future.
Ra's was breaking, building and reforming his Khalasar to fit his wishes and needs. He started out by summoning assassin homunculi and then went to summon Slade. Then he summoned Lady Chiyo who was a healer and a poison master. Finally, he summoned the stone masons and miners to build the secret base.
It was clear that this endeavour, to build a secret base of operations, would take a long time, so Ra's decided that after working for two months, the Khalasar would leave again to roam through Essos, while the stone masons and miners did their work here. He gave them plans on what he wanted to have created until he returned.
To finish everything, he also called forth farmer homunculi. They came with all their equipment and seeds, like all of the homunculi he summoned. Their job was to create a system which would allow his Khalasar to farm inside the caves. They were perplexed about this instruction but did it anyway. It would be interesting to see how it turns out after it is finally finished.
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(Tywin Lannister POV)
- Kings Landing, Westeros -
- 283 AC -
Rhaegar Targaryen lay dead on the banks of the Trident. His royal army shattered and in retreat. The days of the Dragon Kings are clearly numbered.
Until that moment it would have been foolish to commit Casterly Rock to either side of the rebellion. What would our family have to gain in support of a raving madman? Or a crusade to put Robert Baratheon on the Iron Throne?
But chaos serves no one. It was time for House Lannister to do what we could, to ensure a return of peace and prosperity to the land.
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Which leads me to this moment. 10'000 Lannister troops have been brought to the gates of Kings Landing, in order to bring the bloodshed to a quick and decisive conclusion.
King Aerys Targaryen had been writing to me for months to come to his aid and end the rebellion. And here I am, to answer his call and end the rebellion. Just as I suspected, the doors of Kings Landing open and we are welcomed to the the city.
"You know what to do.", I tell my brother, who nods but doesn't respond. He doesn't have to, we both understand the plan. To crush Aerys' remaining bannermen and to remove the remnants of the royal family as quickly and efficiently as possible.
However, with Amory Loch and Gregor Clegane, I am bound to expect problems. I am however willing to accept that for the alternative of not sacking the city. Any alternative means years of further war and a fragmented Seven Kingdoms.
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We storm through the city, burning and killing any of Aerys' men who stand against us. Sure the means we use are bloody, but the results will speak for themselves.
I moved through the burning city and reached the Red Keep. I move into the throne room and find ... my son, with his sword driven through King Aerys' back.
"What happened Jaime?", I ask. He looks at me with a strange expression he usually has when he stands before me and makes a mistake. He needs to change that.
"I ... killed him.", he says.
I look down on him and think about the situation. Finally, I nod my head. Jaime has done his duty as a Lannister and killed Aerys.
"Good. It seems you're not completely useless after all.", I say and then move to organise things in the city. When Robert Baratheon comes, I want to have some semblance of order.
The future is looking brighter. A king needs a Queen after all.
