Bab 5: Lands of Ancient Lords
"Night is long, and the path is dark;
look to the sky; the Dawn will come...
The Blood has come, and a full of might,
for the brave, the horrors come.
*
Look to the stars, as the beasts have come,
Kill all them now, as the scourge has come.
Bare your blade, and raise it high,
for what is come; stand your ground.
*
And of the scourge, the beasts are here,
for Hunters now, the time has come.
And tear them'part, as they bleed in here,
for we are now, in the Hunter's Dreams...
*
Shadows fall, and the hope has come;
the kiln has been lit, in the ancient fire.
Steel your heart, for the nightmares come,
look for the stars, and Insight comes.
*
Drink the Blood, of the formless god,
as you fight; the Great Ones come.
Fear Old Blood, as the Hunters hunt,
for we wake up, in the Waking World.
*
And when we woke, we did see the truth,
That the dreams are past, and sunlight rose.
The Dawn has come, and the Hunters killed,
For we of Blood, are the sons of the Moon...
The Dawn has come."
The Hunter's Waking World Hymn of the Workshop, sung by the Hunters of the Workshop, composer unknown.
***
Codex: Nobility of the Empire - Greater Houses
Elector Count - Elector Count is the highest rank held by the Nobility in The Empire that one can achieve either by inheriting or being raised to such rank. An Elector Count, who may be male or female, is the feudal ruler of one of the Empire's constituent Electoral Provinces, the primary subdivisions of the realm.
As the name suggests, each Elector Count possesses one vote, which can be used to determine which candidate is elected to succeed to the Throne from the Imperial Children within the Landsraad. Yet, at the same time, they themselves are Elected the same way from by their own Houses.
They are required to serve the Empire with all of their resources and fight the enemies of the state at the frontlines.
Lord High Magistrate - Lord High Magistrate is a very unique title within the Empire, not awarded or given, special only to those who control one of the Three Holy Cities and the City of Gods.
The Three Holy Cities are essentially the City-States within the Holy Arcadia Empire and the Lord High Magistrates are the most powerful Nobles of the entire Empire.
***
The Ironborn were good fighters; if not, they would not be feared by the entirety of Westeros and Essos as the most skilled and fearsome reavers across the seas and oceans. They were a vicious, cruel, and disgusting bunch of pirates that pillaged, raped, and slaughtered.
They even called it "Paying the Iron Price"; therefore, nobody really liked them, and most would rather wish for them to be wholly eradicated. Right now, the battleships of the Holy Arcadia Empire were being boarded by hordes and hordes of Ironborn reavers.
The Ironborn ships that survived the initial attack from the cannons now started boarding the battleships and a fight between the crew and Ironborn broke out. The men from the Iron Islands attacked with their famous ferocity and brutality, but the Imperials faced way worse.
Naturally, while the Ironborn were outnumbering the soldiers of the Empire, the forces of the Imperial Army, Silver Knights, Reiksgarde, Priests of Healing Church, Battle Wizards and Holy Executioner Knights were fighting back.
And they were doing it splendidly.
While their numbers were much lower, they charged against the pirates with bravery and courage, killing everything that came into their path.
Three pirates fell for every Imperial Army soldier that Ironborn killed, and while Silver Knights fell too, they took even more pirates with them to the endless dream.
However, they didn't manage to kill even a single Silver Knight in a single combat and could only kill them by deception or numbers, as the Silver Knights were unmatched on the battlefield.
The Silver Knight Order was the best of the best because they were the true elites of the Empire.
From the Silver Knight, the future members of Reiksgarde, Church Executioners, personal Guards of the Elector Couts, Lord High Magistrates, and even a few Hunters even started in the Silver Knight Order.
They were the elite military of the Holy Arcadia Empire; they were the shield and sword that fought against the horrors of the night and terrors that inhabited the darkness. Now, the Reiksgarde and Church Executioners were not making any moves; they were just protecting the Battle Wizards and Priests, respectively.
The Priests of the Healing Church were casting various Divine Spells that were buffing their troops and, simultaneously, healing the injured, saving lives, and almost nullifying their losses to zero.
Priests of the Healing Church were exceptionally proficient at any kind of healing, and they already saved the lives of several soldiers of the Imperial Army who were severely injured by the Ironborn Reaver.
***
POV Cersei
'Calm down, calm down, Cersei... remember your training for the past days; you are a Lion those don't fear its prey.'
I was calming down... this was my first fight, and I felt fear... was this how every man felt when they stepped on the battlefield?
However, it was admirably worse because the enemies were not untrained levies but seasoned killers of Ironborn.
Still, I could see many of them falling to the swords and spears of Silver Knights and Imperial Soldiers.
'If the king doesn't move, then his subject won't follow... remember this, Cersei: Empire is vastly different from Westeros and Essos; the only thing most people care about in the Empire is Skill and Power; they won't care about our Lineage, Status or anything, they will only see you as a person and if you are strong enough... Never show weakness and always be strong...'
I remembered words that Karl said to me when we started training, as I mildly laughed at that... we were already calling each other by our names because he felt that it felt distant if we called each other by our titles.
Imperials were different in culture from Westeros. Their society venerated those who were strong, and they would never bow to anyone weaker than them.
Be it of noble lineage or not.
This was my time to show them that I was just not some spoiled bitch... It didn't escape my sight that while nobody said it, it was clear that most of people looked down on me, and I hated it...
They thought that I was like the rest of the women of Westeros, weak and not capable of fighting; I will show you all...
I readied my blades, the Blades of Mercy Karl gave me... He was right now leading the charge on the ship Silence that belonged to Euron Greyjoy.
Evidently, he wanted to capture that madman... though I sincerely doubt that Quelon Greyjoy would care about his son if he was captured. Ironborns were a bunch of savage bastards that wouldn't bet an eye if their entire families were butchered.
Father told me that Euron Greyjoy was one of the skilled and most dangerous captains of the Iron Islands as well as one of the sons of the current Lord Reaver of Pyke.
"We are joining the battle; they will soon overwhelm the bridge..."
I said to two Reiksgarde behind me whose task was my protection.
During the past few days, combat training wasn't the sole thing that we were doing, but I was also taught about military strategy, how to lead soldiers in battle and other vital specialties in this area.
"As you wish, My Lady."
Both of the Reiksgarde followed after me as I mustered all of the courage I had and did exactly what I was taught. In mere moments, I quickly dodged an incoming sword from one of the Ironborn; bending down, I stabbed the pirate in the stomach with my blades.
He fell onto the ground as I looked at him dying...
This was the first time I took a life and It felt... weird; at the same time, I wanted to puke at the sight, but on the other hand, whatever the Priests were casting around was calming me down.
I still remember when father said to Jamie that the more one killed, the duller he would become to it, and sooner or later, it would be like feeling nothing... absolutely nothing... and it certainly helped that these men were rapist scum that terrorized Westerlands for generations.
Karl told me that I was small and agile, so my combat style would need to revolve around speed, agility and dexterity, dodging the strikes and using the opponents of my enemies...
For now, I didn't have the physical strength to combat against grown men.
"Are you feeling well, My Lady?"
One of the Reiksgarde Knights asked me, but this time, they were not mocking me and were instead... neutral?
"Yes..."
I composed myself as the huge knights nodded in approval.
"The feeling would soon go away..."
And, as he said that, I could feel better within a few upcoming moments as more and more Ironborn were boarding the ship.
***
3rd POV
Across the battleship, Smeidnir Ironborn was being slaughtered left and right. Soon enough, under the order of Cersei Lannister, the Reiksgarde joined the fray as she led several of them to fight.
Karl Franz noticed them descending from the main deck like the gods of war, as they were install-killing every single pirate that they encountered. The Emperor of the Holy Arcadia Empire smiled when he saw the blonde-haired noble lady fighting against the pirated with her twin swords.
While she was a bit clumsy, she managed to kill five Ironborn before she retreated to safe lines, as she was tired from her first fight. Still, it was a very good result for the first combat ever.
Karl Franz meanwhile killed his way to the flagship of the Ironborns, the Silence that belonged to Euron Greyjoy, holding the Longinuslanze Testament together with his Reiksgarde and Church Executioners and two Battle Wizards; they were unstoppable.
Silence has a single mast, black sails, and a dark red hull. Its decks are painted red to hide better the blood that soaks them. The ship's figurehead is a mouthless maiden with one arm outstretched.
The figure was made of black iron, with long, shapely legs, a slender waist, and high breasts, and had streaming black iron hair and mother-of-pearl eyes.
Soon enough, on the command deck of Silence was a pale and handsome with black hair and a neat dark beard. He wore a black patch over his left eye; for that, he had the nickname "Crow's Eye".
It was Euron Greyjoy, the captain of this fine vessel...
His right eye was as blue as summer sky and was regarded as his "smiling eye" and his lips were pale blue as well...
"So you are the infamous Crow's Eye..."
Karl Franz observed the Crow's Eye with keen interest; a whole few of the Reiksgarde and Church Executioners killed everyone on the board of silence within a few moments. All of these Knights were of Level 3 Old Blood.
Their physical strength was comparable to that of the strongest Ogres; they were many times faster than even the fastest of men and had at least two or three centuries under their belt of combat...
"So... what would it be, surrender or death?"
The Emperor of the Holy Arcadia Empire asked him with amusement because something that he didn't truly expect had happened. The Crow's Eye dropped his weapon and surrendered... it was a weird sight from the madman, but Karl Franz knew that the man was scheming something.
But it played into their cards perfectly, as he was soon handcuffed with Dimeritium handcuffs and Battle Wizard cast a few binding spells on his person. Euron Greyjoy was a highly intelligent person who knew how to play the game and realized the odds were against him.
And he also noticed that for some reason, the enemies were not killing him, not because they couldn't but because they didn't want to, so he decided to make use of it and just surrendered.
***
Several weeks after the departure of the Emperor of the Holy Arcadia Empire, Westeros, Westerlands, Casterly Rock
Casterly Rock is carved out of a colossal stone hill beside the Sunset Sea. It is popularly believed to resemble a lion in repose at sunset; the Rock was six miles long from west to east and has a width of two miles from north to south. Its peak is about 640,08 meters.
The base of the Rock contains large sea-carved caverns. The stone has been mined for thousands of years, so there are hundreds of mineshafts in the depths of the Rock.
The face of the mount has windows and arrow slits scattered all over, they look small from the outside, but it is only an illusion due to the massive size of the Rock.
The entire stronghold—tunnels, dungeons, storerooms, barracks, halls, grand halls, stables, stairways, courtyards, balconies, gardens, a sept, passages, caves, mines, galleries, chutes, wells, barracks, armories, chambers, servant's quarters, etc.—lies within the Rock itself.
In the Lord's Solar, Tywin Lannister was meeting with the Chapter Master of Silver Knight, Agamemnon Atreides.
"I must say, Lord Lannister, your castle is one of the finest fortresses that I have ever seen."
It was evident that Tywin Lannister beamed with pride hearing that and after accommodating the Silver Knights proved to be useful, as few of the more educated ones among them pointed out several weak points within the fortress.
He dismisses it at first, but soon enough, he was even presented with a potential hostile takeover of the Casterly Rock through the sewers of the Rock. Now that problem was addressed, and sewers were reconstructed and strengthened to be one of the strongest points of the Rock.
"You speak from experience from what I see..."
He met a few times with Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides, and he noticed that while the man in question was a peerless warrior, he had a very noble demeanor and reminded him very much of Prince Rhaegar.
"Yes... Casterly Rock reminds me pretty much of Ironforge, the most majestic kingdom of Dwarves that I visited with my father when I was younger."
Saying that made Tywin raise his brow at him in curiosity.
"Oh, I didn't introduce myself fully because we are forbidden to use our titles when part of the Order. But I am Heir of the Elector House of Atredies; my mother is Elector Countess and Grand Duchy of Caladan, and my father is currently serving as General-Kommandant of Reiksgarde."
Hearing that made Tywin stop for a moment because he didn't expect that somebody this important would be left here. He knew that Elector Counts were the pinnacle of Imperial Nobility, so hearing that he was hosting Heir to the Elector Count House was a pleasant and unnerving surprise.
Not to mention that his father was the leader of the Reiksgarde, which was a position even above that of Nobility. Tywin learned that there was one thing that the Empire valued above everything else and that was power.
Lineage, origin, or social status didn't matter as long as one was powerful; it was a very foreign concept to Westeros, where lineage was seen as everything.
"Now, to the more important matters, I want to ask you for a favor, if possible. Naturally, you would also be rewarded for it; Lannister always pays his debts."
Tywin said slowly as Agamemnon Atreides waited for the Lord of Lions to state his request.
"I want advice on the creation of a professional standing military."
Agamemnon Atreides wasn't very surprised by this, but he nodded nevertheless because he was already briefed about this by his Emperor, who already foresaw that the Lord of Lions would ask for this.
"That seems possible..."
The Chapter Master Atreides said slowly.
"The first thing we need to start is to create the core of the Army, for that your Red Guards could serve, and we need officers, and before you say you want to appoint some of your vassals for that, I would strictly advise against it."
Tywin was surprised hearing that, but he was intelligent enough because he suspected the answer as well, but he still proceeded to ask for clarification.
"The best course of action would be cultivating a new generation of officers from commoners, abandoned nobles, or trustworthy mercenaries that want a stable life. These men and women would solely depend on you for their existence and life, and contrary to members of other Houses, they won't have any side thoughts."
The Lord of Westerlands nodded at that because it was a logical explanation, and while all Westerlands Lords were loyal to him, either through fear or loyalty, they would always have the benefits of their House as a priority.
He wanted people who would complete his orders to the dot without any complaints and without any other interests.
"And where to find them? While we could cultivate some, it won't be enough for a full army."
This was a problem that he was currently facing because education in Westeros was a thing of privilege for those of Noble birth.
"Recruit them from the Empire."
Agamemnon Atreides answered frankly.
"???"
He looked at the Chapter Master.
"Every year, there are dozens of commoners of the Empire who graduate from Imperial Gunnery School, Schola Progenium, Aquila Academy, or Diesdorf Military College, so you have two options. One would be sponsoring some of the commoners from Westerlands who show promise to go to schools or participate in the final recruitment."
Chapter Master patiently explained the options.
"Final recruitment?"
He already decided on sponsoring some commoners if it was possible, but it would be as his daughter was the fianceé of the Emperor, so technically speaking, Westerlands were close allies and family of the Imperial Throne.
"Yes, at the end of each year, most nobles of the Empire would try to recruit talents to their service, and while, unfortunately, Westeros won't be appealing to many, you have two big advantages over others."
Tywin knew what it was...
"Gold and Glory..."
Tywin knew that if he went all out, then he could spend even more than some of the Elector Count Houses, and for the second, it was glory in the unknown lands to make a name for themselves as pioneers.
"Yes... most of the Elector Count Houses are directly sponsoring people or sending their descendants to study, and only a few of the most brilliant ones that are not affiliated with anyone are then recruited through Final Recruitment. Aside from that, Elector Counts won't be spending much money on this endeavor, and the second is glory..."
Certainly, many would be tempted to go to Westeros and search for glory for themselves.
"Then it seems that I would need to go to the Empire sooner or later."
***
Sunset Sea, around the same time...
The first golden sun rays rose from the west and fell onto the ships sailing back home as the familiar visage of land appeared before them. Everyone on the deck gathered on the majestic shores of their homeland.
Karl Franz stood on the deck, observing the sun rising as he felt the golden rays of the sun fall on his face. He felt a woman's hand interviewing with his own as he looked at the familiar visage of fortress port-city.
"Welcome, welcome and welcome thrice! To the Land of Ancient Lords!"
They were finally at home.
"Come, we need to hurry back to the Faust before the corpse of the Daemon Lord starts attracting problems."
Karl Franz said with nostalgia as they were slowly heading to the port of Marienburg, which was the biggest fortress port-city in the Empire, under the rule of Elector Count Gausser.
Marienburg was considered to be the largest trading hub in the Lordran and was the greatest of its ports. It was a place of great wealth and great opportunity and also served as home to one of the Imperial Fleets.
"It looks majestic."
He heard Cersei mutter, seeing the majestic walls of the fortress port city of Marienburg; it was a majestic place, with very tall walls, sharp architecture and features, and high white towers everywhere around it.
"It is..., but it is nothing compared to the Anor Londo or the other three Holy Cities... they are far more breathtaking than you can ever think."
Karl Franz stated while Smeidnir was heading to the docks. In front of the docks several ships were acting as escorts in front of the docks, and at the docks themselves, a small procession was prepared.
Though not mostly for him, but it was rather filled with Wizards and Sorcerers from the Byrgenwerth who were here to check up on the corpse of the Daemon Lord because it was their precious merchandise.
Smeidnir was slowly heading towards the deck, where it slowly docked, and they started disembarking with Cersei closely following after her financeé as she saw several tens of Sorcerers and Wizards similar to High Scholar Jinfarah, whom she met.
Though they didn't pay them much attention, though, because after greeting the Emperor and asking where the corpse of Daemon Lord was, they ignored them and went to the corpse.
She learned during their journey that scholars of Byrgenwerth didn't care much about almost anything aside from their magic research and uncovering the secrets of the Arcane. While it was certainly rude, it seemed that everyone had already gotten used to it.
"What a wondrous specimen, Your Majesty..."
Remarked one of the scholars who was examining the corpse of Daemon Lord Demogorgon.
"Indeed, Daemon Lord Demogorgon is one of the strongest Daemon Lords in the Abyss and he was slain in the material place in rather a pathetic way."
Said another one, who stroked his beard while casting some spells.
"This one would serve a greater purpose to our research and all the materials..."
Soon enough, the Scholars, Sorcerers, and Wizards started bickering with each other about what to do with the corpse of Daemon Lord Demogorgon and how to use the corpse in the most efficient way.
Naturally, each one of them had their own agenda and wanted to use it for their own research...
"You see why? They only care about their research; I think it would be best to stop them now, or they would start fighting among themselves."
Karl Franz said to his fianceé, observing the group of old men arguing with each other, which was undoubtedly amusing. They were like a bunch of bickering children and would have turned on their favorite toy.
Just these ones had Magic and didn't fear to shoot spells at each other when someone insulted them or if they wanted to advance their research. When things started getting hotter, Karl Franz raised his hand, and invisible power burst out of him and dispersed all of the spells that they attempted to cast.
"Please, gentlemen... remain civil."
He said with tired sight because attempting to rule them in was problematic.
The corpse of something as powerful as Demogorgon was something that was driving them crazy, and he would need to have a talk about this Supreme Patriarch Balthazar Gelt, or else they would fight among each other for it.
"Praise the Old Blood and Bless the Empire, Your Majesty."
Suddenly, a man stepped forward, wearing a luxurious-looking outfit adorned with gems and laminated with gold.
"His Lordship, Elector Count Gausser, was unable to attend as he is preparing his personal army to squash a new threat of Ork Waaagh led by Ork Boss."
It was castellan of the Marienburg as Karl Franz nodded; not like he planned to remain at the Marienburg any longer because they were planning to head to the Faust as soon as possible.
Cersei meanwhile looked surprised mainly about the difference in social protocol between the Imperium and Westeros, seeing that the Imperium wasn't very keen on formalities when they were not required and also she was surprised about the Orks being close to the Marienburg.
She learned that the Lordran was much more dangerous than Westeros and Essos combined several times over. They were facing hordes of Daemon, nightmare horrors, Greenskins, Beasts, and god knows what.
Yet they were standing powerful, expanding their reach and only a few places in the Lordran were not officially under the control of the Holy Arcadia Empire, but they would soon be.
These findings fascinated her because they told the power of the Imperium. While she wanted to see more of the City, they were going to the Marienburg and Karl Franz didn't wish to leave her alone for the time being as he was the only person she knew here.
And in his mind, Faust as one of the Holy Cities of the Holy Arcadia Empire, was far more majestic and would be much nicer to tour. Marienburg was filled with hundreds of thousands of people; it was a crowded city and not suitable as the first introduction to the Empire.
Their procession then loaded the corpse of Daemon Lord Demogorgon onto the huge carriage, and they went towards Faust, the City of Miracles, and one of the Holy Cities, and fortunately for them, the journey was much faster than anticipated.
Because all carriages were enhanced by Magic and the animals that were pulling them were also of Magic heritage, their traveling speed was very fast. Aside from that, Faust actually wasn't right now far from the Marienburg.
***
MC POV
For the past two days, we were spending time in the Imperial War Wagon, which was something akin to a siege engine or warmachine. It was an extremely heavy version of a chariot, essentially a mobile, armored battle tower that was typically armed with a crew and pulled by warhorses.
The high walls of the tower protect its crew from arrows and attacks from the ground as they unload their own ranged firepower upon the foe.
This one was repurposed to serve as a method of transportation for the Nobility and because of its huge size, it was pretty much comfortable, as I could lay on the couch and read books.
"Are we there yet?"
During the two days, Cersei kept pestering me about various things, so we either talked or she was furthering her education. Her prideful nature wouldn't allow her to be seen as inferior or a country bumpkin, so she was constantly doing something.
"Yes, Faust is heading towards our way as we speak; we should be there in a few hours..."
She looked at me bewildered, probably questioning inside if I didn't go mad, but it seemed that I forgot to tell her the most crucial thing about Faust.
"My mistake... you see... Faust is an ancient Floating City that is floating high in the skies; some call it a city in the skies."
And just as I said that, suddenly, the wagon stopped because we were already under the Fuast.
I motioned for my fianceé to follow me as she looked through the window and saw an enormous complex of floating islands above our head.
"Faust, the City of Miracles... one of the wonders of the Lordran. According to the legends, this City existed even before races came to the Lordran and was sealed in the Eternal Plains."
I explained the origins of Faust as we were observing Faust in wonder.
"Sometime during the Age of Ancients, it was found by Lord Gwyn and was used as headquarters for various Orders of Magic and Silver Knights until the collapse of the Age of Ancients and the beginning of the Age of Fire, when Faust was almost entirely destroyed and for millennia it became ruins until I conquered it from the Beasts and reconstructed it..."
Now the Faust was the true City of Magic and the center of all Magical Research and study into the depths of the Arcane of the Holy Arcadia Empire; just like the Cainhurst the City of Silver was known for producing the finest knights of the Imperium.
Still.. no matter how many times I saw that, I was still astonished by the sheer majesty of the Faust because it was truly a wonderous place and one of the wonders of the ancient Lordran...
Even Cersei was observing various floating islands that were interconnected with each other as soon as the small enchanted ship started descending down, as it was one of the primary means of transportation to Faust.
Either that or Teleportation or opening a Portal. Unfortunately, transporting the corpse of the Demon Lord, which had already started leaving its aura to the outside world, would be very hazardous to transport through a portal.
On top of that, they needed to go through the old method, as the floating ship landed down and a whole bunch of Wizards and Scholars exited the floating ship. Based on the insignias and robes they were wearing, they should be from the Grey Order and Amethyst Order.
Byrgenwerth was the most prestigious magic organization that was studying the Magic and Arcane and under it were Eight Magic Orders that studied respective aspects of Magic and Lore.
And then there were Eight Magic Colleges; each College was maintained by one of the Orders as they taught their branch of Magic and Lore at it. Right now, the Headmaster of Byrgenwerth and Supreme Patriarch of Eight Magic Orders was Balthasar Gelt.
***
3rd POV
"Cersei, we are now going to the Faust, so while we are at it, we will also check out your possible affinity for Magic; there is a high possibility that you have one."
As both betrothed observed how the Wizards loaded the corpse of Demon Lord Demogorgon into the floating ship, Karl Franz then remarked to his fianceé. He himself was a rather accomplished Magic user in a special branch of Magic, Arcane Magic.
The purest and most profound form of Magic that was available to only a very few Scholars in the Byrgenwerth or Hunters of the Workshop.
Hearing that made her loot at him with wonder and little sparkles in her eyes.
"Really?"
Magic was always a thing of myth in the Westeros, but in the Essos, it was very much alive, as there were many Sorcerers and other types of Magic Users though most of them were using pretty unsavory means to obtain Magic.
Meanwhile, in Westeros, the Faith of Seven saw Magic as an abomination that should be exterminated, but she saw in Magic power. Her fainceé showed her that with a wave of his hand, he was able to cast spells that could annihilate thousands of men.
Such was the power of Magic.
"Your blood should be Magical enough from what I know... for example, Starks has a very high affinity for Ice Magic and Druidism, so I don't see a reason why your bloodline shouldn't be too Magical, as it is almost equally old."
This made her raise her brow because he told her during their travel that one of their Elector Counts was closely related to the House Stark to the North of Westeros. This was a shocking discovery.
'Brandon Stark the Shipwright, sailed across the Sunset Sea, where he landed on the shores of Lordran; from the initial fleet of twenty ships, only seven arrived at the shores of northern Lordran at today's Duchy of Fenris. There, the King of Winter formed a pact with local warrior tribes called Vikings and married the daughter of the Viking Warrior King Leman Russ, Astrid Russ and by merging, they established the Stark an Russ Lineage.'
Even in Westeros, knowing the history of the various noble houses was important and in the Empire, even more. So, together with Karl Franz, as part of the bonding time, he was teaching her about various Houses, Lineages, and important figures of the Empire.
Starting with the Elector Counts and Lords High Magistrates.
"Who would have thought that the barren North would actually have this connection... aren't they interested in meeting their distant family?"
She asked as Karl Franz shook his head in mild denial.
"Not really... right now, Duchy of Fenris is dealing with enough problems because a few years ago, there was an overpopulation of Frost Trolls and Frost Giants in the Fenris, so they are quelling down their number. Due to that, nobody is interested in voyaging for several weeks to who knows where."
Lordran was a land of dangers as well, but there was a certain reason why they let the monsters roam the lands and didn't root them out. This was it would put people constantly on edge and in danger.
Yes... many would die.
But overall, the population would get only stronger because they would need to constantly strife for the better tomorrows.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
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