Theriena

Lucian didn't know it yet, but the name he'd chosen for the Guardian Spirit reverberated with the World Tree, unleashing a hidden gift left behind by the Gods of Existence to possibly flower if the right choices were made by their chosen Hero.

For now, Lucian only sensed his bond with Theriena grew vastly stronger, which in turn improved parts of his cognitive strength, mental fortitude, and intelligence.

It also aided the Eternal Dimensional Realm in mysterious ways, but for now, Lucian wasn't concerned with any of that as it wasn't in his exact control or management.

Rather his mind shifted to utilising the vast lands, flora, fauna, and resources of the Hidden World capable of being wielded by Theriena to help his House and those under their protection.

"Theriena…" called Lucian through his mind, attracting the Guardian Spirit's attention as she stabilised the mysterious burst of strength that found itself embedded into her existence from the moment Lucian gave her a name.

'Aye, Young Master Lucian, you've called for me?' firmly replied Theriena with deep respect and admiration for Lucian.

It even surprised the Young Heir who wasn't expecting the Spirit to call him 'Master' and on top of that, to address him with emotions of trust and respect.

Yet he figured it came down to their stronger soul bond and naming which could be viewed as the establishment of a Master - Servant relationship.

Though Lucian wasn't a fan of such a bond, and immediately sort to rectify it before discussing their future actions regarding the Eternal Dimensional Realm.

"Theriena… I don't know what made you call me 'Master', but please don't.

Our bond isn't of a Master and Servant, but two friends living side by side with one another to pursue various goals.

Do you understand?"

'Aye... Young Lucian.'

The Heir of the Shadows Claw felt the haughtiness coming off Theriena's voice, informing him the Guardian Spirit understood and wished for their bond to be born on the foundation of mutual respect and comradery.

'So, what do you want to do with the vast Hidden World at your fingertips, Young Lucian?'

"Before anything, we need to focus on food production not just for the people of the Isle, but further beyond for the whole Northern Kingdom and even past the Wall if we want to save the Freefolk from their impending end at the hands of the Night King."

Lucian knew the dark fate that awaited Westeros beyond the Wall as it waited for the right moment to move its forces for the South to vanquish mankind and return the world to an eternal winter.

But first he needed to aid the North to survive the incoming winter season which the Lehirai of Theca concluded would be harsher than the previous times it struck Westeros and the Isle of the Shadows Claw.

Lucian remembered reading A Song of Ice and Fire, along with viewing the television series to learn Lord Rickard Stark, the father of Eddard Stark, experienced a rather harsh winter well before the rebellion occurred by several years.

It was during this time that the Smallfolk and villages across the North suffered numerous deaths to the point where Rickard made a foolish mistake regarding Lady Barbrey of House Ryswell and forced her abortion.

She was with child when the Lord Paramount of the North forced her to consume Moon Tea at the behest of Maester Walys, who wanted to tie House Stark with the lands down south.

Lucian never trusted the Grey Rats of Oldtown, nor did he believe the Maester of House Stark knew what was best for the North, since he closely corresponded with the Maesters of Oldtown.

Not just that, the Maester wasn't educated enough to serve a Great House of the North in his current compacity without someone having purposefully instigated Maester Walys deployment to Winterfell.

To stop any further control Maester Walys had over the Starks, and naturally drawing Maester Luwin from Oldtown wasn't a simple task nor could it be achieved overnight.

Therefore, Lucian believed he needed to have a deep discussion with Theriena to organise their next course of action.

.

"I can sense you're privy to my knowledge of this world and its course of events, right?"

'Indeed, Young Lucian…' Theriena replied through the mental link, with her voice swooning through Lucian's mind.

"In that case, we need to focus on production of various crops to feed the Northern Kingdom, while developing modified crops we can plant in the vast fields left abandoned.

If the crops can acclimate to the harsh winter climate, a tougher and stronger range of crops could spread across the North, and possibly travel across the Wall to aid the stability of the tribes and clans.

Yet it won't deal and significant benefit to the Noble Houses of the North besides ensuring food on the table and feed the masses in their domain.

That's why I want to figure out various specialisations for each House to manage, which won't only fill their coffers but improve the state of the North as a whole and strengthen ties each House has with one another.

It'll mean large projects such as a road network across the North wouldn't be a difficult problem it'd be right now if we were to endeavour such a task.

Therefore, we need to organise the trajectory we wish to see in the North's development going forward.

This includes improving armament of soldiers serving not just House Stark, but her vassals too, including House Bolton, but I believe they won't be an issue we can't handle once Domeric is born."

Lucian hadn't delved further into his plans since Theriena could ruffle through his memories pertaining to the world and come to her own conclusions as to what needed to be done.

He'd already said enough and the ideas to help the North would easily see life improve vastly for everyone across the vast lands.

'Hmm… have you considered the Nights Watch in your plans?

After all, they are in the worst condition they've ever been in, and it's become like this because of the Targaryens.

I agree with your suggestion to focus on food production, yet we need to also mine metals, and possibly acquiring various items and goods native to Planetos that can be introduced to the Eternal Dimensional Realm for analysis.

If we can understand their composition and produce them within the Hidden World, we could have our own source of native goods, giving House Vitniryx and her allies an advantage no other realm of Westeros could possibly wield.

Hell, House Lannister would cry for an alliance between the two Houses, possibly through your marriage with a member of their Golden Lions.'

Theriena wasn't overly keen to see Lucian join hands with the Golden Lions of the West, since it would gift Tywin greater power over Westeros than he already held and would in the future after Robert's Rebellion.

To be honest, Theriena didn't want Robert to gain the throne, but the events were inevitable, however it wouldn't stop her from trying to prevent the deaths of various individuals after knowing of their existence through Lucian's memories pertaining to the world at large.

She knew Lucian had the same thoughts about various characters and would do all he could in his power to prevent their deaths.

Thus, the two delved further into their discussions regarding the future, and the methods to improve life across not only the North and beyond the Wall but across Planetos.

'Have you considered marketing items such soap, fertiliser, perfume, alcohol, and kitchenware once we have a workforce within this vast space?' Theriena asked.

Lucian considered the question for a second before answering, "Well… I've been wondering if it's possible for the Guardian Spirit of the Eternal Dimensional Realm to build a large rectangle platform somehow?"

A Summoning Square, as summarised by the System, could spawn intelligent beings into the great Eternal Dimensional Realm through the coding of their genealogy, gifting the Hidden World its own continual source of population.

While searching for methods to introduce people to the Eternal Dimensional Realm, Lucian learnt of the Summoning Square and its importance through the System Store.

Even though a restriction was placed on the number of people it could spawn, a limit of 100 people from each new genealogy connected to the Summoning Square wasn't bad.

Lucian had in fact gained access to three genealogy sources through the System after it released a notification related to being alive and well on Planetos.

…

..

.

*Ding*

[Congratulations Host! You have been chosen to take on a grand adventure on Planetos!]

[A series of gifts will be issued as part of Year One: Planetos!]

[Host is gifted 100,000 System Credits!]

[Host is rewarded access to Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and much more from the Renaissance Period from System Recruitment Function for 24 hours!]

[Cost for each specified individual recruited from the System Store will cost 25% Less for 24 hours only!]

[For 250,000 System Credits, Host will have access to Renaissance Period permanently!]

[Summoning important individuals, techniques, methods, knowledge, tools and much more from Earth's Renaissance Period will become vastly cheaper or free in some cases!]

.

*Ding*

[System has issued Host with Five Hero Spawning Cards!]

[Hero Spawning Cards allow Host to summon a character from preselected and organised categories, related to Earth through its natural history and even entertainment media!]

[Host is required to purchase a categorised media source or period of natural history to select Heroes to be summoned using the Hero Spawning Cards!]

[Hero Summoning restricted to the Eternal Dimensional Realm for the first six months of Host's birth]

[֍ Media Sources ֍]

[For Honor – 100,000 System Credits]

[Mass Effect (Various Media) – 5,000,000 System Credits]

[Halo (Various Media) – 5,000,000 System Credits]

[Star Wars (Various Media) – 5,000,000 System Credits]

[Assassins Creed (Various Media) – 400,000 System Credits]

[Naruto World – 600,000 System Credits]

[Warhammer: Vermintide – 1,000,000 System Credits]

[Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor – 500,000 System Credits]

[Middle-Earth: Shadow of War – 500,000 System Credits]

[Elder Scrolls: Skyrim – 500,000 System Credits]

[Dark Souls – 2,000,000 System Credits]

[Witcher (Various Media) – 400,000 System Credits]

[Black Clover – 700,000 System Credits]

[Hitman (Various Media) – 250,000 System Credits]

[Ghost of Tsushima – 225,000 System Credits]

[Harry Potter Wizarding World (Various Media) – 300,000 System Credits]

[DC – 5,000,000 System Credits]

[Marvel – 5,000,000 System Credits]

[֍ Natural History ֍]

[4th millennium BCE – 50,000 System Credits]

[3rd millennium BCE – 100,000 System Credits]

[2nd millennium BCE – 150,000 System Credits]

[1st millennium BCE – 200,000 System Credits]

[1st millennium - 300,000 System Credits]

[Early post-classical (5th to the 10th century) – 50,000 System Credits]

[Middle post-classical history (11th century to the 13th century) – 100,000 System Credits]

[Late Post-classical history (14th century to the 15th century) – 350,000 System Credits]

.

*Ding*

[For Honor – Hero Spawning Card Media Source – 100,000 System Credits Purchased!]

[Assassins Creed – Hero Spawning Card Media Source – 400,000 System Credits Purchased!]

[Renaissance Period – Hero Spawning Card Natural History – 250,000 System Credits Purchased!]

[Harry Potter Wizarding World (Various Media) Hero Spawning Card Media Source – 300,000 System Credits Purchased!]

[Remaining System Credits: 80,635]

.

*Ding*

[Eternal Dimensional Realm Summoning Square has acquired genealogy of For Honor to spawn individuals with various constitutions, traits, and talents!]

[Eternal Dimensional Realm Summoning Square has acquired genealogy of Assassins Creed to spawn individuals with various constitutions, traits, and talents!]

[Eternal Dimensional Realm Summoning Square has acquired genealogy of Harry Potter Wizarding World to spawn individuals with various constitutions, traits, and talents!]

[Eternal Dimensional Realm Summoning Square has acquired genealogy of Earth society during the Renaissance Period to spawn individuals with various constitutions, traits, and talents!]

.

[Host now has access to several Preset Sources!]

[Host can spawn individuals, organisations, technology, tradesmen, and even general populous to either enter the Eternal Dimensional Realm or directly enter Planetos in some cases]

[Host is advised spawning of famous individuals and important figures can cost System Credits to fuel their creation into existence]

[Please be wise and calculative concerning spawning of important figures into existence]

.

[Media Sources will spawn various creatures, plants, materials and much more across the whole Eternal Dimensional Realm, though their discovery is up to Host and the residence of the Hidden World!]

[Goodluck Host!]

…

..

.

For entering the world of 'A Song of Ice and Fire', Lucian knew he'd received a great deal of strength and power through his personal Hidden World, which could develop its own society.

Unfortunately, Lucian couldn't enter the Eternal Dimensional Realm as of yet, leaving Theriena as the only candidate who had a chance of building a Summoning Square.

The last option was purchasing the item straight from the System Store, but it costed far too much for it to be a practical purchase.

Lucian planned to make the purchase as a last resort, because the Summoning Square offered far too many benefits.

Men and women from For Honor, Wizarding World, Assassins Creed, and the Renaissance period would spawn into the Eternal Dimensional Realm with knowledge, skills, and abilities retained from their world.

Wanting to exploit those strength to aid himself and his plans going forward, even if the people spawned were restricted to the Hidden World for the time being, Lucian broached the conversation with Theriena about the Summoning Squares construction.

However, restrictions set in place by the System automatically meant those who were spawned into the Eternal Dimensional Realm were unable to enter Planetos for the time being.

The System stated it was easier to wait for the World Tree to take root in Planetos, instead of purchasing passes from the System Store to give access to various people for transportation between the two locations.

This largely stopped Lucian's plans of recreating a Wizarding World in the Shadows Claw right away, yet it gave plenty of time to refine the ideas and layout for the eventual magical world that would take root on Planetos.

Assassins Creed Source would spawn people with sharpened knowledge, behaviour, culture, and skills that make them highly capable and sought after.

A rough idea of the type of person being spawned translated to skilled tradespeople, warriors, thieves, courtesan, doctors, priests, merchants, scholars, actors, and so on.

Capable of strengthening and reinforcing their knowledge through education, the spawned individuals would come to aid House Vitniryx with their skills as spies, assassins, messengers if need be and more.

For Honor genealogy, on the other hand, revolved around the drive for warfare, as the spawned individuals catered to the warrior lifestyle and promoted it through their craft.

Tradespeople of a wide range striving to build and provide service for a militia worthy of their time and effort would appear in the Eternal Dimensional Realm.

Lucian wanted to make the most of their drive to build all sorts of items and goods for sale, while experimenting to improve the final product.

Those spawning from the Renaissance period were ahead of their day and age in comparison to society of Westeros, with Lucian hoping to gain their assistance to develop the medieval world for the better.

Yet the Wizarding World of Harry Potter spawned individuals with magical traits and capabilities, allowing them to develop their society in a world that long believed Magic to be dead would have the greatest effect on Planetos one day.

Each of the Preset Sources wouldn't spawn anyone too powerful from the start, as it would harm the balance organised by the System, but there was a slight chance of spawning trained Assassins, Warriors of Heathmoor, prized individuals of the Renaissance period and even Wizards, and Witches.

The chances of them spawning wasn't great, but Lucian didn't mind since he wasn't prepared for the Game of Thrones just yet.

All the forces that were bound to the Eternal Dimensional Realm for the time being would be instructed to work on their personal development alongside aiding House Vitniryx into becoming a financial powerhouse with military and political strength.

.

Aware of the possibilities each new genealogy added the Eternal Dimensional Realm would bring to Lucian's forces in Planetos, Theriena tried her hand at manipulating the World Tree in the Hidden World to create the Summoning Square.

Using vines and other flora, Theriena believed it was possible to build a simple open field, which would act as the Summoning Square instead.

The System set in place basic conditions such as the size of the Summoning Square and dimensions for it to be recognised and activated.

Thankfully the flimsy conditions were easily met by Theriena through the World Tree and its refined controlled over nature.

'I can create the Summoning Square through vines acting as the foundation to reinforce the ground between, which will isolate it from the surrounding cleared field.

It'll take a day at most to form, so in the meantime I'm going to gather crops through accelerated growth.

Unsurprisingly, I have a high affinity with the World Tree, making most of the arduous task easy to deal with… well until I can improve my fine control over Nature as a whole.'

The two continued brainstorming long-term goals and plans, all the while a young Guardian Spirit in her infancy began to change the Eternal Dimensional Realm for her benefit and that of Lucian's.

If anyone could see what was occurring the Eternal Dimensional Realm, they'd see flora and fauna changing and spreading across the vast landscape at a visible pace.

It might not seem like much, but Theriena started to organise the resources already analysed and imported into the Hidden World from Earth.

Metals, and chemicals weren't as important as the crops of Earth, which were undergoing small changes for the better through the currently unknown powers of the World Tree.

Fruits and vegetables became more nutritious than they originally were, though Theriena nor Lucian understood how much more than before.

Supposedly it also affected the meats harvestable from the animals currently free to roam the vast lands of the Hidden World, but they'd only find answers for their suspicions once it was consumed and became part of their daily food staple.

However, neither had the means to reveal the source of the food to Alexios, so for now, they decided on storing the harvested crops, which could be managed by Theriena in part.

The Eternal Dimensional Realm naturally ensured the crops and materials wouldn't experience degradation of time to the same extent as on Planetos, so the biggest challenge became storage facilities.

Thankfully Lucian was reminded of the System Inventory when he remembered a Mysterious Beast Egg was gifted to him once the System became operational.

He wasn't surprised to learn Theriena had some sort of connection to the System which enabled her to shift the crops freely into the Inventory where they wouldn't rot and remained fresh.

What he did find unusual was the characteristics surrounding the Mysterious Beast Egg which the System advised would affect him personally once it shifted from the Inventory and entered the Eternal Dimensional Realm.

Theriena even worried for a moment and advised against moving the item from the Inventory for now, yet Lucian ignored her and went ahead with his plans just before he slept that night.

.

*Ding*

[Analysing… Please wait patiently for the Eternal Dimensional Realm to inspect the foreign Mystery Beast Egg item]

[Analysing…]

[…]

[..]

[.]

[!¡! ALERT !¡!]

[Mystery Beast Egg has partially activated and forced a Soul Bond with Host!]

[High strength and constitution of Mysterious Beast is affecting Host's Soul, Body, and Mind through unidentified means!]

[Please wait patiently Host as the System works on a solution!]

[Extended wait time bound…]

.

Rocked to her core, Theriena rushed to check up on Lucian, who'd fallen fast into a deep sleep within his crib.

A young nursemaid of House Vitniryx didn't question why the Young Lord had fallen 'asleep' so fast, since the servants of the Keep believed Lucian to be an odd but gifted child.

The lack of tears and unruly behaviour brought unseen benefits and cons which evidently became present to Theriena now, as small ripples of change began to surface across Lucian.

First off, Lucian's eerily dark hair gained a dash of pure platinum white streak cut above the right eye and going back just past his right ear.

Theriena actually liked the hint of platinum white amongst the deep void darkness mop of hair, yet it was far from the only source of change to the infant.

The same platinum white rung itself around the sclera of Lucian's eyes, bringing new heights of depth into the icy steel blue pupil and midnight purple sclera.

Other changes, such as the effect on the mind, couldn't be determined by Theriena right now, however she became aware of the Soul Bond twisting and turning at the tune of the Mysterious Beast and its influence.

Theriena worried the source of power could be harmful, but her affinity to Nature screamed to her senses that it wouldn't be dangerous.

Soon enough she became aware of the Mysterious Beast's power, which not only brought a smile to her mesmerising face but affected certain plans Theriena organised not only for the Eternal Dimensional Realm, but the world at large.

'It seems the Gods have favoured you far more than ever before,… Young Lucian…' smirked Theriena to herself, as new power found itself rushing to her core.

Strengthening the bonds between herself and Lucian through the newfound power, Theriena decided to hide the System notifications for the time being, as the Mystery Beast Egg found itself resting in the middle of the World Tree's Essence Water Pool, which formed near the base of the ridiculously wide and tall trunk.

The Eternal Dimensional Realm and System worked in conjunction to form the pool once the Mysterious Beast Egg became identified.

Roots of the World Tree soaked in the pool roughly four times the size of an Olympic pool, with normal fresh water from inside of the Hidden World leading into the source continuously.

In only a short few second's, the clear water became denser and gained deep honey golden tint that seemed to amplify in intensity with the Mysterious Beast Egg resting in the middle of the pool water.

Theriena chose to keep its knowledge from Lucian for the time being, as she hoped to understand its strength and use before revealing anything.

No doubt though, the Guardian Spirit knew one day Lucian would become an unstoppable monster nobody would dare to cross, though that day was far from near.

…

..

.

When Lucian woke the next day, he hadn't noticed for some time that the nanny and Guards would often be lost in the changes to his appearance.

They were startled to find their Young Lord appeared healthier and stronger than any infant they'd ever seen, along with the hair and eyes changing to gift Lucian a slightly holy presence amongst the darkness.

His body appeared to have grown stronger and grew slightly that it was visible to the nannies and nursemaids who'd been with Lucian the day before.

One of the older nannies in charge of Lucian's wellbeing called for a Lehirai Master to check his health and sent one of the Guards to inform the Lord.

It wasn't long before a grandmotherly lady in clean white robes with trim lining of midnight purple and gold across her tunic dress arrived.

Lehirai Master Perideth Morner, a commoner who'd served House Vitniryx for over four decades rushed to Lucian's side after noticing the slight changes to his appearance.

Having served the family for so long meant Lehirai Master Perideth was well educated about House Vitniryx appearance traits, which never detailed a child with a streak of white parting through the darkness.

Only a handful of unions between Great Houses affected the bodily appearance of certain members until House Vitniryx's First Men Blood-Lineage reinforced itself in the following generations.

It became known as a trait of the Shadow Kings of the North, who were the Guardians of Darkness and Shadows, the Silent Protectors of the North and Old Gods, whilst being the Truest Green Knights of the King of Winter.

Yet now, she saw the purest white in the Young Heir's eyes and hair which matched partly to the purest Valyrian appearance rarely found anymore across Westeros and Essos.

Compared to the tainted and dull Valyrian silvery hair, Lucian's appeared much purer and brighter than even those found amongst the Targaryen's.

She soon found herself trying to explain her thoughts to Lord Vitniryx, as Alexios came barging into Lucian's bedroom with Felix in tow to see if any harm came to his nephew.

The two furious men came to a standstill when Lehirai Master Perideth said all was well and that a new few traits became present on the Young Heir.

"Fret not, Lords… *Sigh* it seems the Young Heir has gained a few new gifts overnight.

However, I'm not sure whether to praise the Old Gods or… curse them for what is to come, if my thoughts on the matter are correct."

Both brothers and their Knights and Guards close behind felt puzzled by Lehirai Master Perideth, until certain members laid eyes on the Young Heir.

Alexios and Felix were the first to reel back in shock, while the most loyal and longest serving Guards and Knights of House Vitniryx fell into a small trance as their minds went back to old tales they'd heard from their loved ones while growing up.

'When Pure Light finally parts the Old Darkness of the forgotten North, a new trail shall find itself on the beginning of a new Dawn for the World order.

Though it shall bring the rise of an old foe in the far land of forever winter, and unknown sea's beyond the lands found by mankind.'

Some of the Guards and Knights who knew of the tale held their breath, while others looked over at their Lords for an answer.

Felix couldn't stop himself from ordering the Knights straight away to keep quiet, "None will say a word of what they have seen!

All of you will stand outside and guard this room, and my son with your life from now on.

Do you all understand?!"

He didn't even need to wait for an answer to his question with the Knights and Guards racing out of the bedroom and positioned themselves to secure the area.

Alexios hadn't said it yet, but he was thankful that Felix stood beside him in uncertain times as news from across Westeros spoke of danger coming from the deep South of Westeros and even far away in Essos.

However, it all meant nothing in front of Lucian's late 'gifts', which were a clear sign of old tales his Household had spoken of for generations after the Long Night.

Most would believe it to be nothing more than tall tales but both brothers refused to let themselves be blinded by denial and fear of a story that came from some truth at the very least.

Both brothers chose to approach the one they considered as family when not of the same blood, as she heavily took part in their childhood.

"Ole Nan Peri, do you believe in the old tales shared by House Vitniryx… our Shadows of the past?" asked a stoic and quiet Felix, posing the question for his brother he'd become lost in the serenity of the giggling Lucian.

The infant though made sure to keep an ear out for everything about to be said before him, along with Theriena, whose mental connection bloomed to new heights through Lucian.

Lehirai Master Perideth looked on at the two Lords with a heavy expression as she explained, "I'm afraid… we might have to face some dire times ahead my Lords."

Her comments instantly made Alexios and Felix frown, though her next words helped lighten their moods.

"I, however, do not believe the Young Heir will need to deal with such matters for quite some time.

Lady Aryanne Galdurius Vitniryx saw a possible future where House Vitniryx and her vassals returned to the North before expanding their influence further across Westeros and Essos.

Many might believe it to be nothing more than tales of a mad woman, as most did during her time alive, but we know Lady Aryanne foresaw a future where even the bloodline traits and abilities awoken of House Vitniryx.

Remember, House Vitniryx is only one of many who were bonded long ago by Ancient Magiks of the First Men."

Lucian saw the pride his father and uncle felt at knowing their House once wielded Ancient Magiks, providing them great strength in battle and Lordship, though the pride made room for fear and slight panic.

Having experienced countless lifetimes and knowledgeable enough to understand facial cues that it was second nature, Lucian realised his father and uncle knew of the tribulations their family would face to survive.

Part of Lucian wanted to assure them it would be all okay, but even he wasn't positive about his statement being factual, since the scale of people and factions grew with his arrival in Planetos.

He'd already heard of the new Stewards and Retainers of House Vitniryx, who'd been saved by Knights of their Household, having been trained, educated, and housed under the granted rights of the Household.

This was another practise he found a little out of place, but Lucian came to accept his House valued a different method of rule and layout of power.

Either way it wasn't something he could broach now and gain an answer when he couldn't do more than gurgle, yet news of House Hollard and House Darklyn roaming the Keep was rather odd to hear.

Lucian came to eventually hear the Knights of their House were sent by his father to save an old ally and House founded from the Age of Heroes.

Plenty of First Men blood had been spilled for Alexios's liking, yet he knew of the rather high possibility of more First Men blood being spilt in the name of false beliefs or causes.

Alexios finally turned away from Lehirai Master Perideth and faced Felix, as the darkness locked within his eyes began to swirl alive with power and beastly anger.

"Call my Vassal Lords… it's time we discuss the Shadow of the North returning from its exile.

It appears the Old Gods have warned us of the dire song to be played ahead."

Alexios monstrous growl sent some of the lesser experienced Guards to step back while the hardened veterans bathed in the fury and strength of their Lord and Commander.

"It shall be done, My Lord."

Not even flinching or pained in any shape or form, Lucian noticed the hardened stoic expression of his uncle who didn't appear any less furious than his father.

Even if Lucian looked like nothing more than a curious infant to those around him, he contained a wealth of knowledge and experience to understand his father and Uncle were preparing for war.

And it wasn't even the war Lucian expected, but rather the danger slowly awakening itself from its long slumber in winter.

.

Lucian didn't need to wait around that day to see what happened as a result of his father's actions, rather he got to see it all from the warm grasp of his father, who carried him around leisurely all day.

After leaving with his roaring father for the Solarium, Lucian watched Alexios sending various messages and letters to all sorts of individuals across the Shadows Claw and surprisingly to the North and Essos.

One particular message ended up heading to parts unknown to even Lucian, who couldn't understand which method his father used to code the private message.

Either way, Lucian saw his father preparing for the future unlike any other Lord Paramount across Westeros.

What he hadn't come to know yet was if it all aided the North's preparation for the war against the White Walkers or to deal solely on their return to the North and more importantly the Game of Thrones.

Though it meant nothing much to Lucian, since his mind drew to the newest additions of the Vitniryx Household, to whom Alexios introduced Lucian during their walk through the open yards of Castle Panthera.

Trying to capture everything with his Icy Blue and Flaming Violet eyes, Lucian felt enthralled by the history exuded by the Castle.

From the stones that made up the walls and foundation of the Castle to the gardens and buildings for the smallfolk and those loyal to House Vitniryx, Lucian witnessed the beauty and age that marked Castle Panthera in another light for the Immortal Servant of Existence.

"Haikren, come here and meet my son, Lucian!" Alexios beamed with the brightest smile as a strong and sweaty man exited the smithery of Castle Panthera.

The strong arch entrance of the smithery combined with its dark stone makeup enhanced Haikren's natural aura of a Blacksmith to new heights in the eyes of many.

Lucian met plenty of Blacksmith in the course of his countless lifetimes to the point he decided to enter the forge and in turn became a Legendary Blacksmith that needed to be held back by the Gods.

Haikren wasn't an imposing figure to Lucian, nor did he believe the blacksmith was important enough to gain his father's attention to personally visit.

Those thoughts cease to exist once Lucian's and Haikren's sight cross one another, establishing the bond between the two individuals, which passed by momentarily after without anyone noticing what happened the heir and blacksmith.

Except for one, who reeled back their shock and surprise to not let it show across their face.

…

..

.

*Ding*

[Host has formed bond with member of Basic Craftsmen Group purchased from the System Store on Planetos!]

[System is establishing connection with member of Basic Craftsmen Group!]

[System Operations Completed!]

[Basic Craftsmen Group member – Haikren Estus – can be communicated with through the aid of the System]

[System can aid in establishing a mental connection with Haikren Estus for the Host to relay various information]

[System Function can only be utilised a maximum of 3 times per day]

[Due to Haikren Estus's craft being related to the field of Blacksmithing, System has partially enhanced Basic Craftsmen Group member's affinity & constitution to the field!]

[Other members of the Basic Craftsmen Group can improve their affinity & constitution to their respective fields after meeting with Host]

[It is advised to meet members of the leadership binding the Basic Craftsmen Group together from the System Store into Planetos!]

.

..

…

'Well… who bloody knew.' Thought Lucian, as Haikren bowed to his Father, the Lord Paramount of the Shadows Claw without halting to adjust his mind or body after the improvements provided by the System.

One thing Lucian noticed that escaped the eyes of most was the sharpness and depth building up within Haikren's eyes, which seemed to only fuel the mighty aura of the newest blacksmith to swear undying fealty to House Vitniryx and Shadows Claw.

"My Lord, you've called for me?"

"Aye, Haikren, I've come to introduce my son, Lucian." Coddling Lucian in his arms, Alexios slightly lifted his left arm so Haikren could clearly see a curious eyed and silent babe who'd eventually become Lord.

Not evening hesitating for a second, Haikren gracefully bowed to Lucian, much to Alexios's amusement.

The babe on the other hand remained silent and merely nodded with what little control he had over his body.

Both Alexios and Haikren froze at Lucian's indiscernible nod they clearly saw, yet neither bothered to raise the topic with the other and silently moved passed the moment as if it hadn't occurred.

"Right… so Haikren, have you and your brethren settled in after your first night here on the Palm of the Shadows Claw?" asked Alexios, only for his son to listen in closely to the conversation between a Lord and Blacksmith.

Haikren chose to truthfully recount how he and his brethren came to find the Palm of the Shadows Claw, "We've come to find it agrees with us all." Haikren's eyes wondered over to Lucian for a moment before returning back onto Alexios.

"My brethren have started to focus on settling themselves around the Castle and have taken over some unused buildings around the castle to call home.

Plenty of folks have chosen to aid our settlement, especially the eager young who wish to learn a craft and make a living for themselves and loved ones.

Aye it's truly been quite the reception none of us expected to receive, My Lord."

Haikren's comments brought a great smile to Alexios's face, who chose to move the conversation along to focus on the work accomplished by the Blacksmith.

"That's good to hear, Haikren.

I'll take some time out today and visit everyone with Lucian, to see if anyone requires an extra hand or grievance to possibly air.

Regardless of that, I can see your already buried into the searing heat of the smithery.

Forging anything particular?" Alexios questioned.

"Indeed, My Lord.

Please wait a moment, I'll ask one of the lads to bring it over."

Haikren didn't waste any time and called out to one of the lads from the large arch door entrance to the smithery, who raced to the working station taken over by the newest additions to the House Vitniryx Household.

The wait wasn't long whatsoever as a number of young lads carried out several unfinished pieces of metal being shaped into various weaponry items.

Alexios soon became entranced by the quality of the materials being used for the forging of the weapons, yet he never voiced his thoughts, but remained rather glad to see the smithery would aid in his plans to come.

Lucian on the other hand noticed Haikren wasn't solely working with iron to create his steel, but an alloy using a variation of materials to aid its forged birth as a finished weapon.

Having lifetimes of knowledge regarding forging, Lucian realised the Basic Craftsmen Group would be vastly better than the majority in their field of work across Westeros and Essos.

This certainty came about because of one Bastard Sword made from steel fortified by a precious metal known to all as silver which was mixed with organic matter.

It helped the sword gain a redish hue to its steel, and somehow maintained its fortified form capable of combat.

"Aine, if you remember the 'Charming' dark haired woman from yesterday My Lord, she's taken up the role of Castle Butcher alongside those already serving your House.

She, along with her husband, and extended family head out hunting past the walls of the Port town."

Alexios needed to take a moment and gather his scattered thoughts after remembering his interaction with Aine and her family.

Tall, muscular, and imposing body figures made up Aine's family members who aided her craft from hunting beasts to butcher which brought meat and fur along with leather for the family to either use or sell.

Surprisingly, they gone out in the morning and left the city walls of Panthera to hunt wild Beasts, some of which could be consumed after rigorous testing by the Lehirai Masters who largely remained back at the Theca for research purposes.

Most of the meat went to the kitchen so it could be added to the meals of the day, but the skin, leather, and other harvestable items were retained by Aine's and her family.

Aine's brought the dark horns of a wild beast boar along with containers of their blood and other hunted beasts to possibly forge unique weaponry equipment.

And Haikren had done as such by adding organic matter into the forging process of creating steel unlike anything ever seen created across Westeros and Essos.

The Smith himself wasn't aware how he knew or understood such a technique for forging a metal far different than steel, but it made sense after analysing the beast goods delivered by Aines's.

.

As the Lord Paramount of the Shadows Claw, Alexios wanted to know more about the unique steel being forged, but a rustling child in his arms brought the Lord out of his stupor.

Looking away from the redish hue steel, Alexios addressed Haikren, whose own attention was on the shorter blades being made into daggers with bone handles.

"If you don't mind, Haikren, I'll take my leave and continue wandering around the Castle, showing the might of my ancestral castle to its future Lord and final Guard.

Who knows, he might come across the giant husband of that butcherer." Alexios's dry laugh brought great bellows of laughter from Haikren who gave the Lord of Panthera a tight slap on the shoulder.

"Toughen up!

The giant's a soft bear in front of children and wouldn't so much as squeak in the Heir's presence if it'll bother the boy."

Haikren didn't bother to see off Alexios and Lucian, instead the Blacksmith raced back into the smithery with some of the younger lads carrying back all the unfinished steel to work on.

Neither father nor son knew of the inner workings of the smithery with Haikren turning into another leading figure of the Household forge.

Instead, they came to know a great deal about the carpentry workshop, masonry station and tailoring workshop, which were improving under the supervision of the Household's newest members.

Lyena, another leading figure of the Basic Craftsmen Group, came across the father and son duo when they arrived before the tailoring workshop.

Since she was sent to manage the workshop, Lyena focused on improving the operational function and efficiency of the workshop staff.

Much of it required new equipment and tools, which she thankfully brought along from the ship she'd spawned onto, though much of it required a thorough cleaning and reorganisation of the gifted workshop.

When her eyes caught sight of Lucian and the System formed its connection, Lyena felt a cognitive rush of improvements and perception, helping further develop the workshop into a well-oiled production facility.

With books on hand regarding new methods of stitching and treatment of fabric, Lyena kept herself and the other members of her family quite busy.

There was another tailor workshop operating outside of Lyena's control, but it soon fell into her overview once they heard there were books on tailoring and textile craft in ample sum.

Similarly, the Stonemason, Carpenter, and Aine's the Butcher along with her Husband the Hunter found themselves attracting attention from all the members of the Household, who wished to improve their craft.

Funnily enough each of the craftsmen from the Basic Craftsmen Group found their constitution and talent regarding their crafts grew exponentially after meeting Lucian when introduced by his father.

None voice their thoughts for the time being but instead focused on understanding their improved talent and perception to their craft.

In the case of the new Cook of House Vitniryx, Ayden, was left in charge of managing the meals of the Household, only for his skills to see a sudden improvement after meeting with Lucian and Alexios.

By the time midday's meal was ready to be served, Ayden influenced the kitchen staff and cooks to use his methods for preparation and cooking.

A large assortment of dishes would be made for the evening, much to the delight of the Household members who'd come to accept the midday meal as one of the best they'd ever ate.

Lucian wasn't able to enjoy the meal during midday, but he saw his father, Alexios, and Uncle, Felix, rather quiet as they devoured their meals without concern of those around them.

Enjoying their meal in silence, both brothers happily ate in peace while watching those of their Household laughing and talking merrily amongst themselves.

Similarly, the Guards, Knights, and other members of the Household in the Great Hall of Castle Panthera were lost in the flavours and depth of the meals, only they expressed their feelings much louder for all to hear.

For a moment, Lucian considered contacting Ayden to find out how he'd made the meals to be so flavourful with very little herbs and spices being available from what he could gather.

Instead, he decided to speak with Haikren about improving the structures within the castle walls, before working on projects around the Port Town of Panthera.

The conversation wasn't any different than the talks with Theriena, since it used a mental connection for the discussion to occur.

Lucian didn't need to prolong his talks with Haikren, as the Blacksmith understood what was required of him, while the conversation with the Carpenter lasted a little longer.

"Orlan, are you free to discuss some plans I wish to employ across the Port Town and Keep?

I spoke with Haikren earlier regarding insulation for the buildings within the castle walls, some of which require dire repairs for us to make use of them.

This includes the storerooms separate from the Claws Keep and nearer to the Guard House, which I hope to personally make use of.

Currently I don't have plans to slow down my improvement of the Castle and the Port Town, before working to influence change across the Palm Island until we have the strength and capabilities to develop the Claw Islands."

Lucian's eagerness left him speaking ahead of confirming Orlan's ability to reply to his communication.

Thankfully the Carpenter wasn't concerned with such matters and felt rather excited to aid in the development forward for his new homeland and Lord.

"Aye, My Lord, I am free to hear your plans.

I do hope you don't mind, My Lord, that I and my brethren have some ideas of their own for our new homeland and Lord."

Lucian happily relayed his approval to hear from Orlan, as well as the others into improving the lifestyle for most of society, especially the Smallfolk, who suffered the blunt of hardship across Westeros and Essos.

"My Lord, I've met with Aine, Lyena, and Haikren to begin the possible construction of several new foot peddle powered looms to increase the production number and value of fabrics sequentially made.

Aine hopes we can improve our provision of leather and its production method to add more value to our economy which is fairly stagnant.

In saying this, we wanted to ask for your approval to build some board games we're confident will sell across Westeros and Essos, but for greater production, we will need to begin training apprentices from our new homeland."

Orlan continued to communicate the various board games he wished to build, such as Chess, Checkers, Jenga, and even Scrabble.

Not concerned one bit by Orlan's idea as it would expand the entertainment media currently available to the masses, even if most people struggled to find enough food to survive or find warmth to survive the cold of the night.

Unknown to Lucian at the time, Aine and Lyena were already thinking of certain methods to improve the availability of products like blankets and thicker clothing at a reasonable price for the smallfolk, including food.

For one reason or another, the members of the Basic Craftsmen Group, also known to many as the Lost Cubs of the Claw, had some idea of the world of Planetos, and its ailing plight.

They didn't know anything in regards to the events of 'A Song of Ice and Fire', but knew the conditions of smallfolk and commoners across Westeros and Essos, including political intrigues to an extent.

Soon Lucian's mind moved on from the conversation with Orlan when the System decided to alert him of certain developments inside the Eternal Dimensional Realm.

…

..

.

*Ding*

[Construction of Summoning Square has been completed!]

[Due to the unique properties utilised for the creation of the Summoning Square, spawned individuals will have better body constitutions and mental capacity compared to a basic formed Summoning Square]

[Spawned individuals through Summoning Square will also have improved affinity to nature and its elements]

[Spawned individuals will need to train diligently to make use of their talents!]

[Summoning Square can spawn individuals from For Honor genealogy with various talents, skills, and abilities!]

[Summoning Square can spawn individuals from Assassins Creed genealogy with various talents, skills, and abilities!]

[Summoning Square can spawn individuals from Harry Potter Wizarding World genealogy with various talents, skills, and abilities!]

[Spawned individuals with Magiks will be restricted to the Eternal Dimensional Realm for the time being]

[Summoning Square can spawn individuals from Earth's Renaissance Period genealogy with various talents, skills, and abilities!]

[Each genealogy source can spawn 100 individuals per day by the Guardian Spirit at the behest of Host!]

[Spawned individuals will appear with those known to be a part of their family and loved ones]

[Family and loved ones have necessary knowledge and skills from their respective genealogy]

[There is a slight chance to summon Veterans with each day's spawning, however it is still incredibly difficult to summon Champions and Legendary figures through Summoning Square]

.

..

…

'It's time, Young Lucian…'

Theriena's enchanting voice entered Lucian's own, after the completion of the Summoning Square, which brought forth 400 men, women, and children to the Eternal Dimensional Realm.

As the Guardian Spirit of the Hidden World, Theriena presented herself in the presence of all the spawned individuals who seemed to retain memories and experiences of their identity before being summoned.

Lucian couldn't see it firsthand, but through Theriena, he could witness the arrival of his secretive forces away from the nosy eyes and ears of many different political masterminds across Westeros and Essos.

"As we have discussed earlier, you'll need to be the anchor for the society we're trying to create within the Eternal Dimensional Realm.

Your connection to the Eternal Dimensional Realm enables the development of the land and in turn, society, whose support is direly needed for us to achieve all that we want for Planetos outside of confines presented by the Hidden World

I know for a fact, you'll be amazing and shortly will have the Eternal Dimensional Realm operating at your beck and call if need be."

Lucian wholly trusted Theriena to manage the Eternal Dimensional Realm for the time being since it was near impossible to summon a Clone based on himself for now.

A skill provided by the Gods, Lucian aimed to wield it properly in the next few years so a Clone could move between Planetos and the Eternal Dimensional Realm with ease.

Until then, he needed to rely on Theriena, the Guardian Spirit of the Hidden World.

The sincerity shown by Lucian pushed Theriena to work harder into establishing a society within the enclosed Eternal Dimensional Realm, not only to aid Lucian's plans but to help the commoners of the world.

Presenting herself in front of the 400 spawned individuals who were dressed in various clothing styles, wielding weapons both made of steel and Magiks, Theriena hoped her words would be enough to capture the hearts and minds of everyone present.

Though she remained blissfully unaware her presence along caught everyone's attention, as many came to view her as a goddess in their hearts and mind.

.

"Hello, my name is Theriena, and I'm the Guardian Spirit of this grand world…

I'm not exactly sure what you all remember last before appearing here, but this place isn't heaven.

Instead, you've been reborn into another world along with the Master who controls this realm, entrusting me to govern the powers bound to the dimension.

For now, I hope everyone can find their loved ones amongst those brought here before I further delve into our collective mission and goal.

You may not wish to involve yourself in our actions but to receive a second chance at life and to create the foundations of a world together with various cultures to establish a society unlike any other should be cherished.

Those who have appeared with Magiks can transform the perception Magic has in the hearts and mind of the masses, while warriors can use their strength to ensure our ideas are protected and shielded.

There will be those amongst us who hoped to progressively shape our worlds for the better, but we cannot work alone to achieve such success, when its only possible as a collective united.

Working in the light of day, so we can safeguard our future in the dead of darkness."

A small part of Theriena and Lucian believed applause would follow, but everyone spawned looked around to find their loved ones instead.

As it turned out, the Summoning Square would typically spawn families together, with everyone skilled and talented in one way or another.

Theriena noticed one young artist spawned with his whole family of artists in a range of fields, from acting to painting and even musical talents, they all appeared together.

Everyone rushed into each other's arms, into a collective hug, with tears heavily pouring from every member of the family.

The family of artists weren't the only ones experiencing tear felt and apologetic reunions, much to the shock and awe of the Guardian Spirit.

It never crossed her mind that those being spawned into the Eternal Dimensional Realm would greatly remember their past, much less for it to be traumatic for most of the summoned people.

By the time she came to the realisation that all of the summoned were gaining a second chance to right many of the wrongs they either made or had happened to them, Lucian already made the connection and started to groan.

He didn't want to send those gaining a second chance at life to fight in wars they had nothing to do with.

Lucian's mood shift was noticeable by Theriena, who continued to wait patiently view the family reunions occurring in front of her, while she mentally communicated with Lucian.

'Your rattled, Young Lucian…' she stated knowingly.

"Yeah.

*Sigh* It shouldn't bother me but knowing that those currently in the Realm are gaining another chance to be with their loved ones, so I have to wonder if its morally right to ask them to fight wars that I'll come to be a part of.

I saw several warrior families from the For Honor and Assassins Creed genealogy source, who've probably gone through horrendous times in their past life, only for my drive to change the world will lead them into battle once more.

Yet… my own lifetimes of experience say it's necessary that there will be bloodshed for change to successfully take root."

Lucian had been in this sort of position many times before, but he wasn't stricken with the knowledge that those he'd take to war had settled with family they long believed lost or dead.

He, himself, always wished to reunite with loved ones from not only his first lifetime, but also those from the countless others he'd come to love and care for.

To see them once more, only for them all to rush into battle would break his heart if they never returned.

Theriena knew if she didn't help Lucian break his mind and heart free from the tough decisions he'd make in the future, it would rattle their place in Planetos and possibly cause more damage from their inaction.

'Listen, Young Lucian, for now, none of them will be going into war for you.

Right now, they need to be with their loved ones and that's within the Eternal Dimensional Realm.

If they ever leave and it happens to be a time of war, you can leave it up to the families to make a decision rather than calling on them to fight.

Just giving them the power of choice will gift you some of the strongest willed warriors for warfare.

So instead of focusing on such dreary matters, think about how we can improve their lives and strength to face every tough moment head on without fearing deaths will.'

Lucian accepted the wise words of the Guardian Spirit and broke away from their mental link for now, so he wasn't aware of any further events occurring within the Eternal Dimensional Realm, allowing Theriena to work in private.

For the rest of the day and the follow two, Theriena organised all spawned from the Summoning Square to slowly create a village which continue to expand with each passing day as more people arrived into the Eternal Dimensional Realm.

Theriena helped secure open land and plenty of trees for logging which would be used in the creation of homes and buildings for a time.

The Wizards and Witches spawned from the Harry Potter Wizarding World genealogy source took on brunt of the work in the beginning like lighting fires, erecting temporary shelters, and moving heavy items.

Eventually men and women from the For Honor and Assassins Creed genealogy source got together and constructed an open-air carpentry workshop along with a smithery.

A couple other workshops were constructed rather quickly to help the craftsmen get to work on building the necessary items and products for the homes of their new village.

Those spawned from the Renaissance period genealogy source used their knowledge and artistries to compile various cultures and customs into the architectural style they were going to employ.

They decided on a uniform base style which easily could be altered to suit the owner's taste or to comply with uniform style in a specific region.

Weapons, clothing, art, and much more began to appear reminiscent of the Renaissance period through their contribution to the growing society.

Some of the families from the For Honor genealogy source wanted to preserve their heritage like the Vikings, Samurai, and Knights, but Theriena only accepted if they didn't bare themselves from accepting others into their little regions.

Also, they had to involve themselves within the other communities, leading to discussions of competitive sports being set up between those who wished to exercise their strengths and capabilities.

Theriena, using her knowledge of Earth from her bond with Lucian, chose to draw up sporting fields for everyone to enjoy in their spare time.

The craftsmen were told of chess and other board games for the community members to enjoy in their homes or in the comfort of friends.

By the time the third day passed with a functional Summoning Square, a medium sized village was erected nearby a meadow which was undergoing earth moving operations as well as the construction of certain structures.

This included a sport field for games like football (soccer), cricket, basketball, field hockey, and even an ice rink made from a shallow lake Theriena quickly organised.

Though all of this required a sewage system to be implemented according to Lucian, which guided the architects to make plenty of adjustments to the layout of the town, with plenty of space for expansion later on.

Every single building needed to be linked with the sewage system and aqueducts to ensure everyone could receive fresh clean water straight to their home or place of business, especially the public bathrooms.

Theriena promised she would set aside two sources for fresh water, with one being naturally set to be hot through her control over the Eternal Dimensional Realm, since such actions didn't largely require a great deal of her attention or input.

Also, naturally heated water available at the twist of the tap greatly helped reduce a large portion of work most people needed to deal with when it came to gathering water, as the source became the installed water taps within their homes or place of business.

By the time three days had passed from the moment Theriena completed the Summoning Square, several workshops were settled in the new town with working sewage and water systems linked to the structures.

Majority of the spawned people were still living in temporary shelters so businesses could be up and running as soon as possible to help the construction of their homes.

Others worked on the farms that happened to take up a large portion of the workforce each day since harvestable periods came every 8 hours, which led to Theriena stepping in to make sure all the crops were harvested.

She'd originally sourced the seeds and provided them to the Realm Community on the first day, before they organised themselves to send a portion of their workforce into managing the crops.

Funnily enough one of the Wizarding family's chose to support the farming forces rather than the labour around construction the town.

They hastened the ploughing of the fields and planting of the seeds so that by the time 8 hours had passed, crops were ready for harvest.

The actions of one wizarding family quickly spurned others to delve into their specialised field of craft and help advance it through manual labour to find improvements in their trade and skill.

One of the wizard farmers saw a slight increase in their speed at deployment spells, charms, and jinxes through planting of seeds through the ploughed fields.

Not only that, his finite skill with the bombarda spell to create small holes for the seeds to rest in, quickly led into a multipurpose and casting spell with great power behind it.

Though the development of wizards and witches wasn't all that occurred through the farming of the fields, but an introduction of new foods to many who never experienced defined flavours.

There weren't just simple produces like oats, barley, and wheat planted, but fruits and vegetables commonly farmed during modern times back on Earth.

Westeros and Essos already contained a large number of these crops already, but they weren't farmed in large enough quantities to sustain the masses, especially just the noble and wealthy societies alone.

Neither were they of high quality nor managed well enough to make the most of the ingredients when creating a dish.

So, while the rich were able to buy all sorts of delicious fruits and vegetables from across Westeros and Essos, the truth of the taste was rather bland and, in some cases, too poor to even be considered a flavourful meal during modern times on Earth.

Theriena already knew Lucian wanted to use fruits, vegetables, and plants across the North and Shadows Claw to adjust the quality of food and taste the people were used to, but they couldn't simply release the seeds sourced from the Eternal Dimensional Realm so easily without gathering some hostile intentions from Houses across Westeros.

For now, they needed to analyse the soil and plants native to Westeros and Essos to gain a sense of the evolution produce from the Hidden World needed to gone through before beginning capable of planting on Planetos.

Lucian and Theriena both knew the seasons of Planetos made little to no sense right now, so to not expose themselves to any danger, Theriena proposed they first source materials from Planetos to analyse and aid the strengthening of the Realm's source database.

For the time being, Lucian could only wait until he could grab hold of vegetables and grains from the kitchen, which he hadn't visited further after meeting with Ayden the chef.

He'd been handed a peeled potato to munch on even if he didn't have teeth, it was fine to gum on, though Lucian had other plans for the vegetable.

When nobody was watching him, Lucian quickly pocketed the potato by sending it into his System Inventory, from which Theriena summoned the vegetable into the Eternal Dimensional Realm.

…

..

.

*Ding*

[Analysing Vegetable – Potato (Westeros Origin Point)]

[Analysis Completed!]

[Potato (Westeros Origin Point) has improved the quality & essence of fruits, vegetables, and plants found throughout the Eternal Dimensional Realm]

[Crops farmed within the Eternal Dimensional Realm will be evolved by the introduction of the Potato, improving their viability in various weather frames (Westeros Origin Point)]

[Potato maturity timeframe: 8hrs per planted field]

.

..

…

Neither Lucian nor Theriena understood how the crops of the Eternal Dimensional Realm improved qualitatively, but they realised that materials and resources could evolve beyond their current state.

However, Lucian wasn't able to come across any more fruits or vegetables to evolve the crops and plants of the Eternal Dimensional Realm for quite some time.

In the meantime, he instead focused on his father, Alexios, who spent more time working on gathering Vassal Lords for certain discussions regarding the Shadow Claws exile.

Since he was considered fairly quiet and curious for his age, Alexios would bring Lucian along to the Solarium and talk aloud about the tasks he had to deal with or even vent his frustrations from time to time.

Lucian never criticised his father because he understood the responsibility to lead not only your Household but the people dependent on it could be overwhelming for many people.

Alexios never seemed like the sort of person who'd crumble under his workload, but with the Vassal Lords arriving soon, there appeared to be more work pilling onto his desk each day.

What happened to surprise both father and son came as a letter sent by raven from the North of Westeros.

To be exact it came from Winterfell, the ancestral seat of House Stark, with the Lord Paramount's own signature at the bottom of the parchment.

-X-

Lord to Isles of the Shadows Claw,

I've sent word due to startling news Maester Walys has been advised by the Citadel.

A strong season of Winter is on approach, and the Maesters believe it to be stronger than ever before.

Word has been sent to the other Lords, as they should begin stockpiling their stores without spoiling any of the goods before Winter strikes.

Winterfell, as it turns out, has plenty of abundance grain crops to supply those without enough to support themselves this coming winter.

As we spoke before, there shall be no need for your House or its lands to contribute to the wellbeing of the north for now, as the Warden's of the North have successfully prepared against the torrent of winter.

I hope all is well on the Isle of the Shadows Claw, and House Vitniryx is prosperous as always.

Lord Paramount of the North, Lord of Winterfell, and Warden of the North

Lord Rickard Stark

-X-

Lucian didn't need to wait long before his father's face contorted out of anger and unhinged fury which came to a dead holt when a servant knocked on the door to the Solarium and entered with a few more parchments.

However, unlike the other parchments littered across the table, the latest ones were coloured slightly, with a couple darker than the rest.

Alexios didn't race to take the darker shade parchments, but carefully read through each of the notes before giving his answer to the servant who hadn't left the Solarium ever since he brought over the notes.

The Lord of the Shadows Claw noted down his reply and passed it on to the servant who rushed out of the Solarium to fulfil his Lord's task with urgency.

In the Solarium however, Alexios seethed with rage, throwing the coloured parchments into the fireplace, while speaking his mind of the situation that came to rise.

"Son… There is one thing our family has sworn to abide from the day we came to learn of these bastards.

Never trust the Grey Rats of Oldtown.

They go unchecked while living amongst Lords and their families as one of them, gifting each rat unlimited access at times to do whatever they want.

History, as it's written by the Maesters of Oldtown, overlook their own transgressions to the Noble Houses they serve.

Unfortunately, one such Grey Rat sits in the home of our beloved Warden of the North… and it dares to speak on his behalf."

For the first time, Lucian witnessed the raw fury of the Shadow Lord, whose eyes were ablaze and prepared for the deadliest hunt, yet a rational mind kept the beast in check… for now.

"Lord Rickard Stark, as cunning and visionary a Stark of the Northern Realm could be, knows better than to let his Maester send a parchment in his honour, when laws of the Old Gods state that the Shadow can only be called upon by the Kings of Winter or their kin.

Yet…" crunching his fists into a ball, draining the colour from his hands, Alexios continued to ramble about the wrongs committed by the Maester of Winterfell.

"Yet… that fucking Grey Rat bastard dares to send this note on behalf of Lord Stark!

Tch, if only Rickard knew what his Maester was trying to accomplish, the Stark of Winterfell would gut the bastard and strew his corpse on the Hearts Tree of the Godswood."

Alexios continued, "You will come to know of it one day, but the Direwolf speaks with his Shadow in a manner unlike that of a Lord Paramount addressing his bannerman.

Rather, we stand shoulder to shoulder, brothers if you will, to protect the realm of winter, one in front to attack straight ahead, while the shadow stalks from the darkness.

And this letter here… goes against the laws set in place between our House and that of the Starks.

When a Stark must speak with the Shadows, they must call upon the Shadow Lord of Panthera, Warden of the Shadows Claw.

The letter must be blessed by the Old Gods through their sap as the ink to pass the message.

There are other customs to follow, yet they have all been discarded… showing how well that bastard Grey Rat has begun to control Winterfell."

Lucian couldn't ask his father what he meant by the threat of the Grey Rats or the specifications of the letter correspondence, but he realised his father hated the Maesters from the Citadel.

A group of educated old men, who believed themselves to be above the Lords and Ladies they served from well before the Andal Invasion, which only fuelled them to a grander state.

Most of the information Lucian already knew about Planetos and its political structure came from his interests in the television series and books when he lived back on Earth before his first death.

One thing he never liked about the Westeros Lords was the natural acceptance of Maesters from Oldtown and the amount of power they wielded even when they didn't have a title or birthright.

Grandmaester Pycelle had to be the best example for Lucian's dislike of the old man and his society, since the grey robed Maester served not only Citadel but the Lannister's for a price and discretion.

Lucian even felt the Maester of the Lannister's caused Lady Joanna's death and Tyrion's dwarfism through poisons to possibly bed her when she wasn't cognitively aware.

This theory wasn't confirmed, nor did Lucian believe it to be worth his time to investigate but the thought itself activated something in the System's operational awareness to issue a new notification.

…

..

.

*Ding*

[New Quests!]

[An Order like no other: Long Term Quest]

[Description: Host's fore knowledge of the television and novel series may have discovered a loose theory around the actions of the Maesters from Oldtown.

Known for their status as keepers of knowledge and history, housed within each noble House across Westeros, the Maesters are considered by many to be respected individuals, yet others disagree…

As you have questioned the behaviour and existence of the Maesters, Host should learn the truth of their order within due time]

[Task to complete: Due to Host's physical age and current exile from Westeros based on laws decreed by King Aegon II Targaryen, free reign over the quest and its direction is given to Host.

If the System notices zero progress in the quest within an unspecified timeframe, authority over the direction of quest will return to System]

[Rewards: Unknown]

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[A Lion's den tainted by the audacity of a Grey Rat: Long Term Quest]

[Description: Host's knowledge and dedications based off loose theories has possibly discovered another dark moment in the 'lost' history of the Maesters from Oldtown.

The notion of a Maester going as far as to poisoning the Lady of the House he was loyal to would be enough for many Lords to wage war.

So, for a Maester of House Lannister to go to great lengths just to satiate his lust would truly infuriate the Old Lion of Casterly Rock if he were to ever learn of us events occurred in his seat of power]

[Task to complete: Due to Host's physical age and current exile from Westeros based on laws decreed by King Aegon II Targaryen, free reign over the quest and its direction is given to Host.

If the System notices zero progress in the quest within an unspecified timeframe, authority over the direction of quest will return to System]

[Rewards: Unknown]

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