Chapter 8: War of the Usurper V
(Petyr POV)
After the Battle at Summerhall and my meeting with the shareholders at the Iron Bank of Braavos, things got even better for me. Robert's Rebellion continued as I knew it would and nothing majorly changed. The only thing that changed was a slight decrease in death among Robert's forces. I didn't really observe the battles personally, as I had other things to do, like travel to Essos and more importantly the Shadow Lands to see some skilled but unknown fighters and assassins or sorcerers and copy their skills in fighting, killing and maybe even the bits and pieces of magic. Sadly, there aren't really any interesting magicians, warlocks or sorcerers alive right now. I was going to Qarth though, to visit some interesting places.
Qarth is located on the Jade Gates, which links the Summer Sea to the fabled Jade Sea. The city is located to the southeast of Lhazar and the Red Waste and southwest of the Bone Mountains. Just east of Qarth is the small island of Qal, while the large island of Great Moraq is to the south. The great Slaver Cities of Meereen, Astapor, and Yunkai are to the west of Qarth.
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Getting across the world from Westeros is as simple as pie. Instead of moving to the sea where Qarth is located, I instead move into a caravan that sells certain goods. They have bottles, and since I can travel through any reflective surface, it is simple as the bottles are made of glass. I move out of the reflective surface and appear inside the carriage loaded with goods. No one saw me thankfully and that is good. I think about it and ask myself...
'Why did I move outside of the city and not just inside?'
...
I return to the surface and then move into the city directly. That is much simpler and I don't know why I am still so naive to do things like this. I look for a more or less secure area and then appear again. I am inside a shop right now and move out without the owner seeing me. Time to take advantage of my Essence. Qarth is an important or at least interesting place for me to visit. The death of the last dragons has caused magic in the world to deteriorate since it is being absorbed passively by the Wall in the North. Due to this, the magic users or Warlocks, as they are called here in Qarth, are heavily restricted in their capabilities.
Qarth is surrounded by three thick walls of thirty, forty, and fifty feet in height, respectively engraved with portraits of animals, war, and of course lovemaking. The triple walls of Qarth are one of the nine wonders made by man, as reported in the book, Wonders Made by Man, by Lomas Longstrider. I still remember that from the wiki I used to read. The port of Qarth which I might sail to with my ships one day if it makes me richer ..., is one of the greatest in the known world.
The buildings in Qarth are colourful, from what I can see. I move through the streets, now dressed in similar clothes to them, which I copied. Slim towers stand tall, and elaborate fountains fill every square, wrought in the shapes of gryphons and dragons and manticores. The balconies of the houses are delicate and frail. I scoff at the sad sight of the architecture. I am glad that I don't lack resources any longer and can use my best to create the best castle and buildings imaginable in this world.
From what I remember and what my spies have reported, the Pureborn of Qarth rule from the Hall of a Thousand Thrones. But I am here for the Warlocks and also the assassins guild. The warlocks of Qarth have their centre of power in the House of the Undying. The House of the Undying is an important place for Daenerys' journey in Game of Thrones Season 2. Pretty much the only thing she does that season ... anyway.
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Descending from the Qaathi, Qartheen are a tall and pale people, called Milk Men by the Dothraki for their complexion. They pride themselves on their sophistication and consider weeping in times of strong emotion to be a mark of civilization. I can only agree with them. How many times have I wept when watching football and yes that's what it's called. Not soccer. Americans ...
Another reason I am here is the famed 'Quartheen politeness'. Qartheen politeness goes as far as having the Qartheen guild of assassins known as the Sorrowful Men say "I'm so sorry" to their victim before killing them. I don't know why they do that. It feels hypocritical as they aren't really sorry. And how is lying considered polite ... Oh right. Nevermind then. It is said that the Sorrowful Men never fail to kill their target, but I doubt that is true. I am currently looking around the city for one of the Sorrowful Men using my clones who are moving from one reflective surface to another and also walking through Qarth using disguises.
The Qartheen dress in linen, samite and tiger fur. As per Qartheen fashion, women wear Qartheen gowns, which leave one breast exposed, which I am not against if I'm being honest. It is pleasing to the eyes at least.
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Meanwhile, men favour beaded silk skirts. Children might go about naked, wearing only golden sandals and body paint. You know, whatever suits them I guess. But it is a bit strange for me who hasn't fully lost his 'modern way of thinking'. The memories of my life as Petyr have counteracted my last life's way of thinking about what is proper, but it still remains somewhat.
Qarth is nominally ruled by the Pureborn, who are seated in the Hall of a Thousand Thrones. They deal with all matters of civic importance, commanding the Civic Guard and the fleet of ornate war galleys which rule the Jade Gates between the seas. However, the powerful guilds of the Thirteen, the Tourmaline Brotherhood, and the Ancient Guild of Spicers all contend endlessly with the Pureborn.
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I suddenly got a notification from one of my clones as he saw an assassination happen from the Sorrowful Men. The classic 'I'm sorry' was heard and then the woman's throat was cut, leaving her on the ground to bleed out. My clone follows the man and stays hidden so that he can find their headquarters. Learning how to assassinate someone and any other skills they might possess, is one of the two reasons I came here. Well besides seeing a new city.
While my clone is following the Sorrowful Man, I continue my way through the city, listening to anything of note that could be interesting. I am interested in finding a Warlock of Qarth. I could just get inside the House of the Undying, but that is not fun to do. I would rather see them do their tricks and magic first-hand, that will be the way for me to copy it after all.
The Warlocks of Qarth are feared and respected throughout Essos. Like the Alchemists' Guild of the Seven Kingdoms, however, the Warlocks' power and prestige have waned over the years. The lack of magic resulting in the dragons' death is the cause of that. Soon, dragons will return and with them their magic. This makes me think ... do they even have any magic to show? I will have to see it for myself.
Most warlocks have blue lips from drinking the Shade of the Evening, which is derived from a black-barked tree. Shade of the Evening is a thick, blue liquid consumed by the warlocks of Qarth. It is called "the wine of warlocks", but it is made from the inky blue leaves that grow on the black-barked trees found around the House of the Undying. It has an unappetizing smell and initial taste, having been compared to ink, spoiled meat, and rotten flesh apparently, but upon swallowing tastes like all things its imbiber has ever tasted, and more. Whatever that is supposed to mean. Is that a good thing or not? I don't know.
The Qartheen practice slavery in the city. Everywhere I look, there are slaves used for any sort of work. It isn't as extensively used as in Slaver's Bay, but those with money naturally have them in spare. Why would you work or pay money to have work done, when you can simply pay once and use the slaves to do all of it? I understand the sentiment since I am 'technically' the biggest slaver in the world. But I would still not use slaves like that, too much work.
After walking around for a few hours, I find an inn where I can stay for a while. And I am interested in doing that. Honestly, I haven't had sex in this world, ever since waking up. I thought about what to do about that since I do have those urges now that I have been working for a long time. I am 16 and in the middle of puberty. In this world, I am a grown man already. But there is the problem of STDs in this world. I don't want to get the clap or another STD. So what am I to do?
I thought about the ultimate power I hold. The Essence of the Mirror and what I can do with it. I could ... and I do admit that I thought about it, I could paint a picture of my ultimate waifu or a beautiful woman and then use the Essence to make her real and at the same time loyal to me. That would solve all my problems, I mean not all of them but ... you know.
I haven't done it yet, since I would rather find love, but in this world finding love and having your partner stay loyal is so unlikely that I am more likely for everyone to live peacefully with one another.
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The War of the Usurper was still going on. I had found the headquarters of the Sorrowful Men but hadn't visited yet. I was still looking for the best among them to copy his skills. But that was something my clones could do. The Warlocks of Qarth were a disappointment, to say the least. It seems before Daenerys went there with her dragons, they were an embarrassment for their name.
The next major battle was the Battle of Ashford. I was there when Robert marched out again, leaving his younger brother Stannis Baratheon in charge of Storm's End. At Ashford, Lord Randyll Tarly fell upon Robert's forces, quite literally. That man is a genius in warfare and I hid in his tent to see him make plans and then copy his talent for warfare and add it to the one I copied from Robert. You can never have too many talents.
Things happened as they should in the books as well. Lord Randyll was the first of the loyalists to arrive, and with his van defeated Robert's forces before Lord Mace Tyrell could arrive with the main force from the Reach. Even though it had been Randyll's victory, Mace Tyrell has taken the credit for the victory. The fat idiot was as useless and incompetent as the fanfics and his mother described him as. Such misplaced pride he showed, was probably the reason the Battle at the Trident went the way it did. The Battle of Ashford is considered to have been indecisive ... yeah, politics.
During the battle, Lord Cafferen was cut down by Randyll Tarly, who sent his head to King Aerys II to curry favour no doubt and to gain attention and probably remove Mace Tyrell from his position. Sadly for the man, it didn't work. Robert managed to escape capture with the bulk of his forces, to join his strength with Lord Eddard Stark and Lord Jon Arryn. Following the battle, Mace Tyrell marched on Storm's End and laid siege to the castle. This siege would last "close to a year" and would be as useless for the Tyrells and the loyalists as anything. And as I said, I believe this to be one of the reasons, the Battle of the Trident was lost. Had there been a commander like Randyll Tarly ... they might have won.
King Aerys, due to the events in the stormlands, came to believe that his Hand of the King, Lord Owen Merryweather, was ineffectual. The king was even considering that Merryweather might have been so ineffectual as to possibly aid the rebellion. As a result, Owen was stripped of his lands and titles, and exiled. Lord Jon Connington, a ... friend of Rhaegar's with a reputation of a warrior, was named as Hand in Owen's stead. I spied on Jon Connington and Rhaegar a few times and almost vomited when I saw the devotion he had for the Crown Prince. He might not been a swordswallower officially but unofficially ... I didn't confirm my suspicion. I don't have bleach in this world ...
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