The Nightfort
Having just prevented the Shadow Tower from being overrun by the undead in the dead of night in the dead of night, the Unlikely Assembly speaks with Commander Lance. It occurs to them that the undead should not have been able to get through the Wall to its southern side, regardless of whether the gate was still open. But they also recognize that they don’t understand why that must be the case. It’s only ever just spoken about as truth.
Lance instructs the party to meet with the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, Byron, at the Nightfort, which is about 4 and a half days’ ride.
Lance warns that going North of the Wall is not like the simple travel they are used to. Provisions, proper protection from the elements, and hardened horses will be key. If nothing else, in a bind, those horses will serve as food. However, those same horses may prove to be a hindrance in tough terrain.
Lance insists they spend the night but will provide North-hearty horses and enough provisions for 10 days.
In the morning, the party leaves for the 100+ mile ride. The very cold ride takes them past several castles along the Wall, roughly every 20 miles or so. Some of them are manned, but just as many are abandoned. Eventually, they arrive at what has to be the Nightfort around mid-day on their fourth day of travel.
They find the array of large stables with ease and are greeted by a young man in a thick black cloak. The man asks if they’d just come from the Shadow Tower, but he seems fairly sure they had.
QHOR: We did.
MAN: We… we’ve been expecting you… Well, the Lord Commander has been expecting you. We received a raven. Uh. You should seek him out. You’ll recognize him. He’s patrolling the grounds. We can take care of your horses, don’t… don’t worry about a thing.
He waves over some people to help tend to their horses.
As the party walks the grounds, they see several high-ranking Night’s Watch, but it is only a minute or so before they notice the only one that can be the Lord Commander Byron. His command is unmistakable. He also seems to recognize you, as you are the only ones not wearing a cloak of the Night’s Watch.
LORD CMNDR: I am Lord Commander Byron. You have my gratitude for involving yourselves at the Shadow Tower. I was informed that you were the reason it was not decimated. I invite you to share our bread. Share our salt. Hell, I’d even say you could share our women, but you won’t find any carnal pleasures here. But you are free to roam the grounds as you desire. We may not have the luxuries afforded by the South, but what we do have, is open to you. But… I do have an ask… An ask on behalf of the realms of men. Walk this way.
He turns around and walks with a slight limp at first. His gait straightens out a few moments later. He leads them through a training area while various soldiers are practicing. Aran recognizes they are using more defensive postures than offensive ones. Byron walks past the Brewhouse and continues…
BYRON: I don’t know how much you’ve heard or learned about the history of the Wall and the Night’s Watch, but it is important for you to know a few things, so humor me. The Wall is not merely a barricade. It is a front line. The front line that we as the Night’s Watch are sworn to hold. A front line that has been losing sight of its true purpose for generations upon generations.
As he walks past the men, he nods to some here and there.
BYRON: Of course, it is still known that the Wall must be defended at all costs, but our focus has turned to the wildlings rather than remaining vigilant against the Others. The Starks’ words aren’t “Winter is Coming” for no reason. It was 7 thousand years ago that the Night’s Watch was founded after pushing the Others back during the generation-long dark times… The Long Night as you may know it. And since then, there have not been many documented cases of the Others outwardly attacking, except by cunningly corrupting one of our own… The 13th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, known only now as the Night’s King, for his human name does not deserve recognition nor remembrance.
Suddenly, a high ranking man comes up to the Lord Commander.
BYRON: Yes, Goffrin?
GOFFRIN: Lord Commander, the men are assembled in the courtyard.
BYRON: Very well.
He turns to the Assembly.
BYRON: Would you like to witness the newest and proven men to take the Black?
They all agree this is something they would like to see.
New Recruits
He nods in agreement and leads them past the Forge into a wide-open courtyard with what must be 100 men sitting on wooden benches, all facing a raised wooden deck and wooden staircase. Three high ranking members of the Night’s Watch stand atop, away from the railing as they wait for the Lord Commander. Each of them wears a silver pin designating the Order they command.
A very large white Weirwood grows from a hole in the ground in the center of the courtyard, as if it grows from far beneath what seems to be the ground. Its twisted branches reach for the sky as if reaching outside the realms of men for strength.
Byron motions to the left side, designating where the Assembly should stand to watch. They also get the clear idea that they should stay out of the way of these proceedings.
Aran retrieves his Book of Trees and looks over at the giant Weirwood. He immediately knows that this is the Great Weirwood and it is looked upon as The Watcher of the Wall and is of great significance to the Night’s Watch going back thousands of years. The exact reasons are mysterious and not well documented.
Byron climbs the stairs and looks over the men. He places his hands on the railing.
BYRON: You came to the Wall to serve the realm. Some out of a sense of honor and duty, others to squeak out some measure of worth to a life that would otherwise be wasted in a cell. Some of you are leaving great wealth, others were begging for food. Today, and all your days going forward, none of that matters. You will not be judged nor get special treatment here. Today, you enter into the Night’s Watch. Today, you begin a new life, unchained but unaided by your pasts. We are equals, you and I, separated only by our experience. Experience that we all share, to make us all stronger, and to protect the realms of men.
The Lord Commander Byron begins to slowly pace the deck.
BYRON: As you are about to speak the words, think about this decision carefully. When you know you are ready…
He turns to the boys and slams the railing down.
BYRON: STOP!
The First Ranger, First Builder, and First Steward standing behind him all smirk as the young men startle with a jump. They seem to enjoy this part of the speech.
BYRON: Stop. And. Think. Again. Be sure.
A few of the young men swallow hard.
BYRON: For once you have taken this oath, desertion is punishable by death.I do not wish to dissuade your entry into our service to the realm, but I do not wish to kill any of you and I will not have would-be deserters under my command.
He pauses for effect. As he slowly looks over the crowd, he slows his words.
BYRON: Be. Sure.
He is handed a scroll by the First Steward.
BYRON: Those of you who have been deemed ready have been assigned to Orders based on ability. These are final today, but you may request to be reassessed for reassignment in 3 months’ time.
The Lord Commander opens a scroll and reads off the names of every single person and their assigned Order. There is a mixture of muted responses as the names are called: Anticipation, Joy, Disappointment, Indifference. After reading off 100 orders, over what seems to be an eternity, he hands the scroll back to the First Steward.
BYRON: I know many of you do not pray to the Old Gods. You will take your vows here tonight. For those of you who do keep the Old Gods, as do I, we will travel north of the wall to take your vow before a Heart Tree. We do not bother the Great Weirwood of the Nightfort with our prayers, as its charge is as ancient as the Wall itself, and its watch is to be respected for eternity.
He drops his hardened exterior for a moment.
BYRON: And I wouldn’t want you to be so overcome by the spirit that you fell into its great crevasse.
The young men let out a short nervous laugh.
BYRON: Those who will be joining me, please stand.
9 of them stand.
BYRON: Very well. You are with me. We will leave momentarily.
Byron walks down the steps and nods as he passes by the party. He motions for them to follow, but they decide they should give way to the two experienced Rangers and nine men taking the vows following just behind them. They follow behind the last of the men in the procession.
They follow towards the wall and down an underground staircase leading to a wide and tall corridor. It ends at a stark white wooden door with an old, pale, shrunken, wrinkled face with its eyes closed.
Byron walks up to the door and it begins to bask him in a soft white glow. The eyes of the face slowly open revealing they are pale and blind.
The door speaks, causing the young men some visible anxiety, even though they’d known to expect it.
DOOR: Who are you?
BYRON: I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers. I am the shield that guards the realms of men.
DOOR: Then pass.
The mouth of the face begins to open and stretch, revealing the other side of the door with a blast of cold air. The lips continue to open wider and wider until nothing remains but a great gaping mouth in a ring of wrinkles.
Byron steps aside, allowing the two Rangers step through. The new recruits follow. Byron stands by the side to watch everyone pass. After the last of the recruits step through, he holds his arm out to prevent the party from passing. He looks towards the recruits and just watches them walk.
BYRON: I’d like to continue our discussion out of earshot of the men.
After about 30 seconds, he steps through intending the party to follow. Looking ahead, the forest is roughly a mile out.
BYRON: I mentioned the lack of writings about the undead transgressions on the living, but this is not entirely true. Upon becoming Lord Commander, you are entrusted with certain additional information. Some of which, I think you need to know. Hell, you probably already know… But all of what I share stays between us. Understood?
They all immediately agree.
BYRON: There have been more attacks than the common history books lead to believe. Part of this is by deduction… you see, even the earliest books were written thousands of years after the events took place. There simply had to be instances prior to the ancient texts because… the other part has been intentional… information from Lord Commanders past that was intentionally held secret to protect the realm.
As they all walk in a wall of their own, they continue to listen intently to Byron’s words.
BYRON: The dead and dying that rise against the living… the Tormented… the Terrors. Whatever you want to call them. They are quite varied and have capabilities that most believe only exist in our worst nightmares and the scary stories we tell kids. Over the reign of 872 Lord Commanders before me, those events have been documented… and sealed away. The problem beyond the obvious physical threat is that our enemy is patient while we, ordinary people, are just the opposite. In times of peace, we squabble within the realm. Those squabbles directly impact our numbers here at the Wall.
Byron lets out a heavy sigh.
BYRON: This is our predictable nature. We only use peace to plan the next war. This makes us vulnerable as human generations are nothing more than the blink of an eye for those that do not die. I have been sending word across the realm that we need men, but I’ve only heard replies from a few houses. This is unusual. There is reason to believe the ravens did not arrive… either ours sent to them or their responses to us. Have you any information about these matters?
QARZ: No, but we have some capabilities to send word more quickly than ravens. If you have the need.
BYRON: Hmmm… We may indeed.
FARRON: Do you have any ideas of whether it is based on distance or specific locations?
BYRON: Not exactly. We’ve heard from Winterfell and Lannisport directly. And others via those Houses.
FARRON: Do you have a priority you’d like us to contact?
BYRON: Nothing specific. We need men who can fight… Anyone we can get. You’ve seen these things. We need numbers. We need training.
ARAN: I’ll be honest with you. Our fight is to the north and this doesn’t seem very pressing for us.
BYRON: This is pressing for everyone. This is for the realms of men. If you think you will defeat entire armies of undead…
Byron realizes he is beginning to raise his voice and quiets himself.
BYRON: … you’re mistaking.
QHOR: You haven’t seen me fight.
Aran brings up the effectiveness of dragonglass against the undead and how important those weapons will be in the fight ahead. Byron states that he knows about the history of dragonglass, but they have none of it here at the Wall. The stories tell of a time, back in the Age of the First Men, when the Children of the Forest had provided dragonglass weapons. They would deliver the weapons to the Fist of the First Men, a semi-guarded hilltop fortification of sorts north of the Haunted Forest. The source of these weapons was, and is still, unknown. And relations with the Children have weakened over time, so there is no expectation they would strive keep that ancient tradition intact.
BYRON: My commander at the Shadow Tower made mention of your intent to travel north of the Wall. Exactly what do you expect to achieve out in the vast wasteland to the north?
QHOR: Nothing short of saving humanity.
BYRON: What gives you cause to think your answers lie to the north? What is your plan? I ask because those that attempt travel to the north do not return. Either by death, capture, or recruitment by the wildlings – or something worse from worse creatures.
Qarzdaq and Farron look at each other, recognizing that he knows more than he is letting on and is looking to the group to make the claims rather than himself. Aran sees this shared glance and picks up on it.
ARAN: We have something of a magic compass that is leading us somewhere to the north. We don’t know exactly where it is taking us, but we have been following a long line of thread that continuously calls to us from the north.
QHOR: We have defeated every challenge along our way and we will not be held back from what looks to be our biggest challenge simply out of fear from others.
Byron sputters out a small laugh.
BYRON: Fear from Others. Yes. That means more than you intended. Fear from THE Others is exactly the fear I mean to state.
QHOR: You have not known other men of our capability and talents. We will return.
BYRON: Well, I do wish you luck. But heed my advice. Do not expect to do this alone.
QARZ: Is there anyone north of the Wall can we ally ourselves with?
BYRON: Anyone you meet north of the Wall is an enemy. Even the wildlings.
ARAN: Do they attack you often?
BYRON: Yes.
QARZ: Is there any reason the wildlings would not befriend us?
BYRON: Just that you are southerners to them.
QARZ: Ah yes. No True Northsman.
They reach the edge of the Weirwood forest. The edge of a clearing starts about 50 feet from the edge of the forest.
One of the seasoned Rangers stops at the edge of allowing the rest of the men continue into the clearing. They line up shoulder to shoulder, their backs to the tree line, facing a Heart Tree at the center. The standing Ranger looks over to the Lord Commander, who simply nods back. The Lord Commander turns to you as if to say, “wait here” then walks to stand in front of the Weirwood where the two Rangers are already positioned. Byron stands front and center of the recruits just in front of the two Rangers at either side of him.
He reaches into his pocket and unrolls a small parchment.
BYRON: We have 2 Rangers, 6 Stewards, and 3 Builders ready to take the oath here today. Have you given this decision the consideration it deserves?
They all respond in unison. “We have.”
BYRON: Very well.
Byron steps aside as the men take a few steps closer to the Heart Tree.
BYRON: You may kneel.
They kneel in unison and begin speaking, almost as if speaking a religious chant.
“Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night’s Watch, for this night and all the nights to come.”
When they are finished, the Lord Commander briefly looks over to the Assembly then back to the new recruits.
BYRON: Mere moments ago, you were children, but now, you rise as my brothers. As men. Of the Night’s Watch.
They all stand and the mood lightens.
Aran sighs some relief as he doesn’t have to consider them as “children” given his entrenched fear of the little bastards.
The Ask
The men take congratulations from the Rangers and Byron. While they are discussing what lies ahead, their goals, their aspirations, Byron pulls away and approaches the Assembly just outside the clearing.
BYRON: Look, we need numbers. We need you. I need you. Your reputation precedes you. I have heard stories from as far south as Dorne and throughout Westeros through the North. Mostly good. Some, well, let’s just call that more of a gray area… an area where I don’t like to dwell.
He shifts his weight and his posture straightens.
BYRON: You need not decide right now to take the Black or anything like that. It is a grave decision. But finally, I arrive at my ask… I simply ask that you consider joining the Night’s Watch. It is true that the repercussions are definite. You would give up all rights to land and titles. But you would stand in line to protect those that are too dumb… I’m sorry… too short-sighted… to realize they need protecting in the first place.
QARZ: Yeah… so…
ARAN: That’s going to be a hard no from me.
FARR: I don’t think so.
QHOR: I will not take the Black, but I think I can speak for all of us that we will fight for you.
BYRON: That is good. Much appreciation. I figured you joining was a long shot, but I had to make the ask. Well, with that, we should head back.
He calls out to his men to start the walk back to the Nightfort.
ARAN: Just a minute, I’d like to speak with the Heart Tree.
BYRON: I didn’t realize you kept the Old Gods. Where did you say you were from?
ARAN: Crakehall. It’s not so much that I keep the Old Gods as a religion, but I do recognize their existence at this point. But I just need to take care of something real quick.
Aran walks up to the tree and places his hand on its trunk.
ARAN: Ashvez voo beshwah dade.
A few moments later, three Children of the Forest appear in the clearing. They immediately look around, thinking there is immediate trouble. Farron stands back with Byron as Qarzdaq and Qhortho approach the forest creatures.
One steps forward towards Qhortho.
CHILD: What seems to be the problem?
ARAN: The undead are becoming more of a threat of late and the Night’s Watch has no dragonglass. We know dragonglass will be instrumental to effectively fighting them off, and we were wondering if you had enough weapons to supply the Wall.
The creature looks at Aran when he is talking, but looks to Qhortho when answering.
CHILD: We will not have enough weapons for all, but we will see what is possible.
QARZ: Is there anywhere farther north where we might find comfort, perhaps?
Again, the creature looks to Qhortho.
CHILD: Comfort, no. There have been sustained cold blasts from the north, that make it treacherous. Our numbers continue to dwindle to the far north. We’ve had to retreat south. What we have going for us is our force barriers make the deepest areas of the Weirwood forests impenetrable.
QARZ: Can we go in though?
CHILD: Yes.
QARZ: Is there dragonglass at the Fist of the First Men?
CHILD: There should be.
ARAN: Thank you very much for coming so quickly.
The Children of the Forest disappear as quickly as they appeared. Qarzdaq and Aran speak about going back to the dragon of Dragonmont to discuss collecting his dragonglass weapons and some raw dragonglass for the Night’s Watch to smith.
The new recruits and the two Rangers are already at the edge of the forest, but they stand in awe of what they just saw in the clearing. They all begin walking back to the Wall once the show is over, though their whispering and murmurs about the events have just begun.
Byron waits for the Assembly, stone-faced.
ARAN: Looks like we might have some way to get you some dragonglass.
BYRON: You continue to surprise me. That is great news.
QHOR: You haven’t even seen me fight.
BYRON: You’ve said that.
QARZ: We learned that the Fist of the First Men should also have a cache of dragonglass weapons. Would you supply us with a group of Rangers to retrieve them?
BYRON: We are spread dangerously thin and that is a long trek. And given that you are not sworn to protect the realms, I could not put my men under another’s command.
ARAN: They wouldn’t need to be under our command.
BYRON: Hmmm… We’ll see.
The larger group of Night’s Watch are ahead by a hundred feet or more when the Lord Commander and the Unlikely Assembly get on their way.
Swirling Winds
The winds pick up suddenly. Byron looks around, but his eyes suddenly go wide. He pulls out his sword and yells to his men.
BYRON: RUUUUNNNNN!!!
The 2 Rangers make sure the new recruits get ahead of them, then run after. Byron is not running though. He is standing to fight. He says to himself, under his breath: “I am the shield that guards the realms of men.”
The wind and snow swirl around the forest. Wispy beings are seen in momentary glimpses. A small being, somewhat human looking but twisted and on all fours with glowing blue eyes appears behind the Lord Commander, ready to attack.
Two banshees, one wight, and three corporeal wights emerge from the swirling winds. Qarzdaq’s Amulet begins to glow as does Qhortho’s Root.
Farron pulls out his Valyrian blades then summons nine balls of light as a crown on his head. He quickly launches one of them into the banshee near Qhortho, vaporizing its right arm.
Aran arms himself with his jaded guandao then attacks and kills one of the corporeal undead as it moves near him. Another one of them moves towards Farron and attempts to bite him. He slips off balance and Farron finds an opportunity to strike back. The Valyrian blade shatters the creature.
The banshee near Qhortho sends him into a fright. Likewise, the banshee near Aran sends him into a fright. Somehow, though, the banshee near Aran does not frighten Qhortho – and the one near Qhortho doesn’t frighten Aran.
Both banshees wail with a horrible cry, causing all of their minds to ache as psychic energy passes through them. Luckily though, no one goes down.
Qhortho runs to the banshee near Aran, but makes sure to pass close enough to the last corporeal wight, shattering it with a single slash. He gets to the banshee near Aran and cuts it deep. Aran finishes it off with two more strikes.
Aran then runs to the armless banshee, taking it down with a few more strikes. Finally, he attacks the spirit wight, bringing about its demise.
The area is now safe and Byron did not even get the chance to swing his sword.
BYRON: Bloody hell.
Qhortho stows his great sword.
QHOR: Now you’ve seen me fight.
BYRON: Your reputation does not lie. Thank you. The Night’s Watch really could use you, ya know…
QHOR: Happy to fight alongside you, but I will not take the Black.
BYRON: Understood. I do hope you consider it in the future, but we really should get back to the Wall.
It only takes a minute to catch up with the rest of the men, who had stopped in their tracks once they saw the fight unfolding and brought to completion within their very eyes. And in mere seconds!
Some of the men jump into questions about the nature of them and whether they’d fought such creatures in the past. The Assembly mentions that these are the undead and their attacks are on the rise.
ARAN: Dragonglass is key against the reanimated dead… the corporeal wights. But you have to be sure to only use it against them, not the other spirit ones. Dragonglass can shatter if it’s used against threats other than the corporeal wights. Valyrian Steel works the same way on the corporeal wights, but won’t shatter on other enemies. Oh… also, keep in mind that if you ever see those screaming spirits… the banshees… take them down first. Just one of them can fell an entire group with a single wail. Earplugs will help deaden the sound, but they’re not 100% effective. Still, you should get to making lots of them to have them at the ready.
BYRON: We will be taking all of this under advisement. We should be heading back.
Three Short Blasts
As they are walking towards the Wall, a loud short blast of a horn echoes from the top. One of the new recruits mentions that it’s strange that they are signaling the return of Rangers when it was just the small group visiting the Weirwoods.
A second short blast sounds. Everyone begins looking around for a threat.
BYRON: Careful everyone, Wildlings around here, stand and be ready to fight.
Everyone readies their weapons just as a third short blast sounds.
Confusion from the recruits morphs to fear as the eyes of the Rangers and their Lord Commander go wide.
BRYON: TO THE WALL!!! NOW!!
Everyone, including Byron this time, runs towards the Wall. The Assembly charges alongside them, looking back to the north to see what they are running from. They see no threat. Nothing except the forest. Suddenly, a miles-wide white cloud is pouring through the trees. And fast!
Now within just a few hundred yards of the Wall, flaming arrows begin to rain down all around them. Luckily, they land just behind the group. They quickly realize the arrows are not aimed at you, they are being used to build a wall of fire behind them! At least as best as can be done.
The cloud lingers near the flaming arrows as the Night’s Watch get closer to the Wall. Some of the flaming arrows extinguish, but the white cloud soon begins to dissipate.
Byron directs everyone inside, but he stops the Assembly again. And again, he waits for the others to be out of earshot. He turns to the party and keeps his voice low.
BYRON: Three short blasts… You hear that, you run. Got it? If the 3rd blast is long, it’s that the Watch is mounting up to fight.
They all nod in acknowledgement.
BYRON: Listen, I do have a second ask of you. I know you have seen the Others with your own eyes… in your travels across the South, but I ask your discretion about seeing any of them south of the Wall. I fear the word getting out would hurt our numbers further as the Houses attempt to protect their lands rather than aid the Night’s Watch.
ARAN: You’re the only one we’ve spoken to about the undead south of the wall.
QARZ: And we’ll make sure we keep it that way.
Byron steps aside, allowing you to pass through the thick wooden gate. He follows immediately after. The mouth closes up behind him.
As everyone starts down the corridor, Aran is the first to speak.
ARAN: If you have messages you’d like delivered, you could write them here and we could send them from Winterfell or elsewhere. Then we could find out if the ravens are being shot down near here.
BYRON: Yes. This is a good idea. Let me think on this.
ARAN: I’m just trying to think of any ways we can help.
QHOR: Aside from taking the Black.
BYRON: It is much appreciated.
As you climb the stairs, he continues.
BYRON: As I said earlier, you are welcome to what we have. We also have a library with recounts of the Night’s Watch and other information about the ancient threats we face. I cannot give you access to MY library of course, but you are welcome to the main one here. Come find me before you leave. I’d like to discuss one last thing with you, but I have to tend to some matters first.
Yellow Sleet
They split their ways and the Assembly decides it’s time for a drink. They head to the tavern where they find just Snowfall Stout on the menu. They also learnt that the drink is at no charge, but donations are accepted to “keep the wheels turning.”
Qarzdaq donates 5 gold. The steward tending bar is very thankful.
STEWARD: That’s enough to cover the costs of 10 men for a day!
QHOR: I’m not as stingy as my friend here…
He hands over 1 platinum.
STEWARD: That’s enough to cover the costs of 20 men for a day!
They drink their brews, have a meal, then go their separate ways. Qarzdaq, Aran, and Qhortho head to the library, while Farron busts out his drum and taps away with an upbeat cadence.
On their walk to the library Qhortho tells them that he’s only stopping in; he intends to find a way atop the Wall to take a piss.
Qarzdaq and Aran enter a stone room with many shelves of books. A few stewards are currently inside, talking with one another, but there are no other people inside.
Qarzdaq goes searching for books about R’hllor and Volantis, but finds very little. He speaks with one of the stewards about his surprise in finding nothing of any prominence. They tell him that the Valyrians did not play a role in the history very much, and the books here relate more to this region and northward.
Qarzdaq corrects them by telling them about back in the Age of Heroes, some Valyrians played a major role in the forming of the Wall alongside Bran the Builder. They listen to the stories with interest, but assure him there are no books in this library that depict what he is saying.
Aran is interested in reading about historic battles. He thinks for a minute and then realizes that the greatest battle, perhaps ever, was the Long Night. And where else to read about such events than right here at the capitol of the Wall itself?!
He finds a series of books related to the Long Night, but one is recommended to him by the stewards as the best authority on the war. It is not the oldest of the books, but more a reconciliation of all the books from the latest learnings and evidence over the millennia.
He reads about how the Children of the Forest would bring dragonglass weapons to the Fist of the First Men, but that the source of the material was unknown. However, the author mentions that the island known as Dragonmont is made of the obsidian material, and could be the source. He goes on to state that given the lack of mining operations and the inhospitable nature of landing ships on its shore, it seems unlikely to be the source so long ago. There may in fact be a source to the far north.
There were also mentions about how travelers that went far north were not warm enough with clothing, no matter how much they wore. Almost none made it back alive. Those that did, died not more than several days thereafter.
Aran also reads an entry about the Horn of Winter. This catches his eye because of the large horn they’d seen in their fortune, when they took the skin of the corporeal wights. No telling if this is the same one, or if the one in the fortune was even real, but it did grab his attention. The author mentions that it is “known” that this horn could bring down the Wall. He goes on to say this is also unlikely due to the lack of agreement in the reports; everything is speculative.
He recounts the points mentioned over time: some say there is an ice dragon embedded in the wall that awakens when called by the horn, some say there is a great creature embedded in the earth that is large enough to take down the wall, some say it empowers the Others and imbues them with a power to break down the wall, some say the sound itself undoes the magic that holds the wall together, and still others say that it is nothing more than a metaphor meaning that if a rallying cry were sounded to unite the freefolk and realmsmen, the Wall would be dismantled by men, just as it had been built. The author stops short of taking a side, but states that there is probably more going on here than mere metaphor.
Now that Qhortho is inside the library and realizes it isn’t as stuffy as the one in Oldtown, he decides to look for some maps of the lands beyond the Wall. The ones he finds leave him feeling flat. He approaches the stewards.
QHOR: After all this time, no one has mapped out what all the way up to the far north? These are no better than the maps we carry with us. Is there anything better?
The stewards apologetically tell him that anyone who may have ever gained such information has never returned to provide it back to them. He leaves and contemplates why he ever thought a library could help him.
He finds that the only way to the top of the wall is from ice stairs carved directly into the Wall. Intrigued, he starts the 700-foot climb. He eventually reaches the top, but it is past sunset. The twilight sill looms to the west, casting a purple glow across a large wasteland of ice to the northwest, and creating eerie shadows across the forested areas to the north and east. Haunted Forest indeed. He drops his trousers in the bitter cold, puts his hands on his hips, and lets out a great groan as he relieves himself over the edge. The wind catches it every couple of seconds, sending small waves of yellow sleet back towards him. Mission accomplished.
Farron spends the time speaking with men of the Night’s Watch and learns that the entirety of their days are spent just keeping up with maintenance. Maintenance of the castle, the wall, their own bodies, and the wildling population – culling the groups that venture too close to the Wall and destroying any establishments they learn about from prisoners. Hardly the army to fight the undead. Still, he supposes numbers are numbers.
The Golden Lion
They all reconvene in the tavern about 2 hours after they’d split to find where they will be spending the night. As they walk the grounds, they see visitor carriages emblazoned with the Lannister Lion. They carry with them supplies of tools and gold. Lots of gold.
The Lannister man is speaking with the First Steward as the Night’s Watch are unloading the wagon.
Farron notices something of interest around the Lannister man’s neck. He normally wouldn’t take note of another man’s jewelry, but this was a necklace with a strangely circular object with gear-like teeth around the outside. It might be a key, but not like one he’d ever seen before. He knew at this point, he must have it. He decides to keep this to himself though.
They eventually find out where they’ll be staying: a bunkhouse of their own. It seems the Watch once housed many more men than they are staffed currently, so they provide entire houses to visitors. To their surprise, the stewards went through the trouble of setting a fire in the hearth for them! The beds are modest but comfortable enough. While they are calling who is getting which bunks, they hear a crowd of people chanting outside as the other 91 new recruits recite their vows in the main courtyard.
Farron tells his friends that he is going to check out the courtyard and steps outside the bunkhouse. He notices the First Steward is just wrapping up with the Lannister man. Once the First Steward is walking to his next destination, Farron approaches him very casually and asks who the man was with all the supplies and coin.
FIRST STEW: He is the second-born of one of the lesser Lannister houses. They send us supplies somewhat regularly.
FARR: I’d be interested in meeting him at some point. Are they spending the night?
FIRST STEW: I expect so. To anyone that provides aid to the Watch, we offer bread, salt, and a warm bed.
FARR: Perhaps I will make an introduction at the tavern later. Thank you.
Farron heads back to the bunkhouse.
FARR: Hey guys, I wasn’t going to say something unless I saw a way to do something about it, but… the guys that rolled in… the Lannister caravan… the guy has some sort of key around his neck. Instead of key teeth, it’s something more like a gear mechanism. Seemed weird. I’ve never seen anything like that before.
ARAN: Hmm… that reminds me of something…
Aran starts digging in his bag. While he does, Farron begins casting Find Familiar to summon a spider friend for a little crawling and entering. Aran finds the item he was searching for.
ARAN: This thing. Does this look like what you saw?
FARR: Yeah. Where did you get that?
ARAN: We picked it up from an old acquaintance of sorts. It was tied to a problem we solved near my home town along the Ocean Road near Highgarden.
FARR: I’m going to get that key. I suggest you guys get some rest. I’ll catch you up in the morning, assuming I don’t get tossed out of here…
An hour later, the Assembly is fast asleep. While sitting in the comfort of his room by the fire, Farron sends his new spider friend outside to find the Lannister bunkhouse. About 30 minutes later, he finds it. The spider slithers under the door and starts looking around. As would be expected from a paranoid Lannister, the door is blockaded with some luggage.
All in the bunkhouse are asleep and the one with the strange key is still wearing it around his neck on a thin leather strap.
Farron begins to formulate a plan…
- Summon a Tiny Hut outside in a dark corner near the Lannister bunkhouse
- Visit the armorer and ask to borrow shears
- Crack open a window to the Lannister bunkhouse
- Use Mage Hand to send in the shears, cut the necklace, then bring the shears back to him
- Use Mage Hand to take the necklace
- Close the window
- Return the shears to the Armory
- Run to the Tiny Hut if he needs to hide, or else just go back to his bunkhouse
Farron leaves the room and finds a dark area near the Lannister bunkhouse. He spends 10 minutes summoning a tiny hut nearby. He heads to the armory and speaks with a man that seems distracted. Farron tells him that he needed to patch a thread-worn section off his shirt, but the man seemed to have very little interest other than to say that he’d better get them back. Farron thanks him and heads back to the Lannisters.
Farron cracks open the window with a creak. He waits to see if anyone became the wiser. Thankfully, they hadn’t.
Farron uses mage hand to cut the leather strap with the shears, leaving the necklace in place, and moving the shears near the floor quickly. He waits to see if the sleeping Lannister wakes. Thankfully, he didn’t.
Farron brings back the shears, then uses mage hand to slowly pull the strap from around the Lannister man’s neck. He brings it to the ground, just as he had the shears. The sleeping man shifts around, and Farron awaits to see whether the jig is up. Thankfully, it wasn’t.
Farron retrieves the necklace then ducks down and slowly closes the window. He didn’t bother poking his head up; that would just give one more chance to be caught.
Before returning the shears to the armorer, he finds a loose stone on one of the bunkhouses and stashes the gear-like key, just in case. He returns the shears and thanks the armorer again. He then dismisses his tiny hut and heads back to his own bunkhouse to rest for the night.
The Key
In the morning, they’re all glad to see Farron – and also that they got a long rest without interruption of being on watch!
ARAN: Do you have the key so we can compare them?
FARR: I stashed it behind a stone, but I got a good look at it beforehand. Mind if I take a look at that?
Aran hands over the key.
FARR: Yeah, this is the same… Where did you get this again?
ARAN: A man named Jonah Bick. He was a damn good assassin and thief, but we crossed paths too many times. Not all were bad, but none of them were good, if that makes sense.
FARR: It does. What happened to him?
QARZ: He fell in half.
QHOR: He pissed me off one time too many.
FARR: That seems to happen a lot!
Farron follows it up with a laugh, not intending any offence that might piss him off.
QHOR: I’m not known for my patience.
Qhortho smirks to show that he did not take offence to Farron’s remark.
QARZ: To be fair, he did try our patience more than once. I saved him from becoming a slaad… he was still a dick.
FARR: Did you ever find what that key was for?
The group racks their brains for the occurrences from way back then. They recall the bandit camp at Red Lake that were masquerading as Ironborn. They’d recovered an elaborate cast iron lockbox without any visible hinges. It also only had a circular opening with some gear teeth inside where the keyhole should have been. The Assembly were unable to pick it open so used their Chime of Opening. They only later found that Jonah had the key.
It seemed as if the box was meant to be payment, and although there were some gems, jewelry, and coins, the coins ended up being counterfeit. Were the other items counterfeit too? Were the bandits provided false payment? Or was this meant to be payment from the bandits to someone else?
They know Jonah was involved somehow, but was he providing the key to the bandits? Or was the payment meant for him maybe?
They start thinking about the events tied to the Red Lake debacle. They had wondered who was behind it all and never solved that bit, though they had provided some information back to King Greydon that House Manderly was to benefit most. But why does this Lannister man have the same key?
These mysteries will remain so for the time being.
Before leaving the bunkhouse, they each perform their normal rituals, and Farron makes his glamoured studded leather armor appear as if it has a small patched area near the bottom, just for completeness.
FARR: Oh, and if there is any commotion this morning, play it cool. You may also want to hide your key…
ARAN: Shit… yeah, you’re right.
Greyguard
They bundle up and leave the bunkhouse in search of the Lord Commander. They find him with little effort.
QARZ: Lord Commander. We plan to leave for Dragonmont to negotiate with the lord there.
BYRON: Lord? Of Dragonmont?
QARZ: Yes, well… maybe ruler would be a better term? He’s a dragon.
BYRON: A dragon? In Westeros?
QARZ: Yeah. We helped him out with a little problem and left on good terms. We’re hoping that will allow us to get some dragonglass weapons for the Night’s Watch.
ARAN: It probably won’t be enough, but it will be better than nothing.
BYRON: Hmm…
QARZ: Do you have those messages you wanted us to send?
BYRON: Yes. Please check in with the First Steward. He should have them ready for you by now. He’s just near the stables so you can retrieve them while you wait on your horses to be readied.
QARZ: Not yet. We’re going to go to Dragonmont first, then come back, then get our horses to…
BYRON: How are you getting to Dragonmont without your horses? And why must the messages await your return? That will take more than 5 months! You might knock it down a month if you rode the hardest you could every single day… I fail to see how this is a good use…
QARZ: My apologies in the interruption here Lord Commander. We have ways of traveling that do not require traversing the ground. It’s a method that utilizes the higher mysteries.
QHOR: I don’t like it, but I have learned to recognize the benefits. I do love my horses…
Farron giggles. Qhortho shoots him a look as if to say, “shut it.”
QHOR: … but I understand now that not all of these mysteries are to be avoided.
BYRON: I see. Well. I stand corrected. I do hope you remain safe.
ARAN: Yesterday, you mentioned you’d wanted to speak with us before leaving?
BYRON: Yes. Have you reconsidered taking the Black? Joining us officially to fight the Others?
They all find ways of saying that they will not be joining the Night’s Watch.
BYRON: This is fine. I am not saying you need to. But it does make this next offer awkward… As I see it, you will not do well without a base of operations. I would allow you to use Greyguard, one of our abandoned posts, as your own. But it will come with 2 conditions.
The group seems excited by this premise.
BYRON: The first is that it must be able to hold its own. You must staff it and train the men stationed there so it can be defended under attack. The men you will take with you are the new recruits. They may be green, but they have a solid training base. That will provide you with 50 stewards, 30 builders, and 20 rangers.
The group nods along in agreement.
QARZ: What is the second condition?
BYRON: You must rebuild it. The Night’s Watch will cover the costs of materials required for building to our standards and training. Though if you wish to build beyond those means for additional capabilities, you will have to fund those yourselves. You do have permission to do so should you desire.
The group looks to each other, nodding.
BYRON: Here’s the awkward bit… Since none of you are part of the Night’s Watch, you will not officially hold command of Greyguard. Though you will likely retain much leniency, you will ultimately be bound to a commander’s rules while staying there and using the Wall’s resources. I will assign a commander soon.
It seems to be a catch they’re willing to live with.
BYRON: If you have any requests for men to be stationed at Greyguard, for the role of commander, maester, or any other post, please let me know. I will be making each selection myself, but I will take your requests under close advisement. Unlike you, they will not be afforded the leniency of taking the post without taking the Black. They will need to be sworn into the Night’s Watch, so keep in mind that some may not wish to take the position.
Aran asks about the logistics of the ravens for messaging. Byron tells him that the messages all say to respond to Winterfell to make collecting replies easier. He tells them to get the messages and the ravens from the First Steward at the rookery near the stables.
QARZ: Ok, so we’ll probably be back from Dragonmont within an hour, so we’ll take care of the messages then.
BYRON: I still don’t know how, but I wish you…
The group disappears from right in front of the Lord Commander.
Da Nong of Dragonmont
The Unlikely Assembly appears on Dragonmont before a sleeping great gold dragon. Though they remember the dragon thoroughly, there is nothing like being in its presence. Especially so suddenly. Especially while it slumbers. Especially being unexpected.
Qarzdaq slowly motions to his friends to be quiet and let him do the talking. He kneels before the dragon and looks back to his friends. They follow his lead. Qarzdaq slowly spreads his wings as wide as he can.
QARZ: My lord Da Nong. I am sorry to wake you. We have come a long distance to ask a favor.
The dragon sputters awake, its fire-hot breath a stark contrast to the bitter cold they’d experienced mere moments earlier. It roars at them, just as it had before. But again, Qarzdaq hears the spoken words.
DA NONG: Who dare disturbs me?!
The huge gold dragon looks over the group. Only Qarzdaq is looking directly at him.
DA NONG: Oh. It’s you. You aided me in ridding my home of the Valyrian riders.
QARZ: That is correct.
DA NONG: If I recall, I provided you with some items in return directly from my own horde.
QARZ: That is correct.
DA NONG: That would make us even, if I am not mistaking.
QARZ: That is correct. We are even my lord. We’ve returned to ask a favor.
The dragon looks up to the cavern ceiling, letting a small ball of fire escape in what must have been a small bust of laughter. The flames light up the shiny black stone with echoed reflections around the room.
DA NONG: And what give you the right to come ask me for a favor?
QARZ: We accept that a denial of our request could be the outcome, and we would seek no recourse of such an outcome. But our need is dire. And we believe it affects you as well. Would you allow hearing my humble ask?
DA NONG: Very well.
QARZ: The undead…
The dragon shifts his weight, now towering above the group.
QARZ: … they are on the rise. We know dragonglass is extremely effective in fighting them and that this island is a large source of the material. We have need to arm those at the Wall to fight against these creatures from the far north. Our ask is hat we can take some of this material to craft into weaponry to fight this unworldly threat.
DA NONG: This is a noble ask. However, I am bound by an agreement that goes back millennia. In short, this is reserved.
QARZ: May I ask for whom it is reserved? Because we have dealings with the Children of the Forest, and they have offered to provide us dragonglass weapons. They have an arrangement with the Night’s Watch.
DA NONG: The last time, you had something to trade. I’m not sure what you could trade to be worth part of my home. But first, what evidence do you provide to support any of these claims you make? If all you say is true, I might even be amenable to your ask, even without a trade… though I am still bound by agreement and cannot comply.
Qarzdaq turns to the group and they all stand. Aran and Qhortho had seen this last time, but this is new to Farron. They look on to know what had been said since everything from both sides of the conversation was in roars, growls, and snarls.
Qarzdaq conveys Da Nong’s words to the group and asks what they could show him as proof of the grave threat and the intended use of the dragonglass.
They discuss the dragonglass glaive, the letters provided to them by the Lord Commander, and even discuss the idea of bringing the Lord Commander here in person. In the end, they recognize that the first two options are not proof of the core threat, and the third is too risky, even if the threat seems low.
Qarzdaq turns back to Da Nong.
QARZ: My lord, I must admit, I have nothing to show as proof. I have only my word.
DA NONG: I see. I sense no deception within you or your companions, just as before. However, I am still bound by that agreement… though your intentions are in line with the purpose of my contract. Of course, the agreement is not something I can modify.
QARZ: Right now, as we understand it, our supply of dragonglass weapons is through the Fist of the First Men, left there by the Children of the Forest. If we find that the supply chain for getting dragonglass has been disrupted, can we return?
DA NONG: If you would bring the Stakeholders, the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch and the Elder Child, here to Dragonmont, that would be sufficient to negotiate supplemental terms to the arrangement. But, if I get any sense that they were brought here against their free will, I will reject any new terms.
QARZ: We will see what can be done. We thank you for your time, Lord Da Nong.
As the group gathers together to Teleport, Da Nong speaks in draconic again.
DA NONG: I want to emphasize this… your goal is aligned with this entire island’s intentions. Knowing what I am about to tell you may help you in negotiating these new terms. The parties in this agreement are mutually beneficial to prevent any of them from overtaking one another.
He pauses for a moment. They get the sense that he is sharing more about the arrangement than he should, probably because the party has gained his trust.
DA NONG: I would destroy those that rise from Air on my own, but the Wall prevents me from traveling north. But if Air is not shielded against, the entire world is at risk of becoming them. I would like Air to be kept in its place.
DA NONG: The Children are quite capable, but they falter when overrun and do not fare well outside of their forests. As men torched the forests, the Children were also torched. Their numbers dwindle. They would like Air to be all but destroyed. They do not have the weapons to fight against Air on their own.
DA NONG: Men… Men are dangerous. Squishy, but dangerous. When they form a group, they take on a different mind. Sometimes for evil, sometimes for good. I do not care much for Men, but they can be a useful tool. For when they believe in a cause, they will fight with every fiber in their being. And just like a tool, they can turn on you in a moment. As with the Children, Men do not have the weaponry to defeat Air more quickly than the Others can raise the dead.
DA NONG: And so the agreement was forged after what became known as the Long Night. Most do not even know of its existence… I produce and supply the Children with raw dragonglass. They craft weapons and leave it for the Men of the Night’s Watch north of the Wall. The Night’s Watch takes this one issue as its primary cause and uses those weapons to fight Air. I do not need to deal directly with Men, but gain their indirect protection. The Children become an indispensable source of weaponry that the Men have no way to gathering elsewhere while also gaining their protection. The Men now take the fight up as their own, partially because they are best suited for the fight; partially to keep them focused on other things than trying to destroy the Children… or Dragons…
QARZ: This is good information. I will be sure to use this information with care. Thank you.
Qarzdaq turns to his companions but quickly turns back to Da Nong.
QARZ: My lord. Would it be ok with you if I were to take a piece of stone from your home so that I may return more reliably on my next visit?
DA NONG: I will do you one better. I expect, as I believe you do, that it will be difficult to prove to the Stakeholders of your intentions. I will permit you to take a shard of pristine dragonglass chiseled from these very walls.
QARZ: I thank you again.
Qarzdaq walks to one of the cave’s walls and runs his fingers over it. His friends watch him, wondering what he could be doing. Qarzdaq pulls a small hammer and piton from his bag. He lines up the piton on the wall for it to act as a chisel. Just as he is about to strike it, Qhortho quickly looks back and forth between the dragon and Qhortho. He raises his voice.
QHOR: What are you doing man?! Have you gone mad?!
Qarzdaq looks over to Da Nong then back to Qhortho.
QARZ: It’s ok, Da Nong told me to take any piece of stone in the cave!
Qarzdaq chisels off a large shard of dragonglass about the size of his forearm. He raises it to the dragon as a toast then walks to his friends.
Winterfell
QARZ: Alright, let’s get back to Winterfell so we can let them know about the raven responses. I’ll fill you in on what happened here when we get there.
They Teleport to the inner courtyard at Winterfell just as a man with a cart is passing by. The man startles and almost drops his barrow of bricks.
The group heads to the rookery in search of the Maester Urlyn. They describe the situation with the ravens from the Nightfort and how tell him of the undead attacks at the castles along the Wall. They are careful to mention only the attacks that were on the northern side of the Wall and ended in some level of the enemy’s retreat.
Though this was not the entire truth, nothing he said was untruthful either, for some of the undead were compelled north of the Wall by Farron at the Shadow Tower and a large group were driven off by the line of fire arrows.
URLYN: Were there any attacks south of the Wall? Or inside the castles?
Lying to a maester was not routine as they keep confidentiality better than any others. But this was different. Aran did not hesitate.
ARAN: No. All of these occurrences were on the northern side of the Wall.
They go on to mention how Lord Commander Byron mentioned in the messages that all replies should be sent to Winterfell. Maester Ulryn says that he will get on the task at once.
They leave the maester in search of Karlon Stark. They tell him about the raven problem from the Nightfort. And that they’d spoken with the maester to send out the ravens. He tells them to always speak with him first before using his post, but that he agrees with their actions and intent, so it is no problem this time.
Karlon tells them that he’s been sending more men because he knows the Night’s Watch is in need. And now that the Dreadfort siege was over, he had well-trained men to spare, though they would not be ordered to serve.
They share with Karlon the attacks north of the Wall, again leaving out key details as instructed by the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. They tell of how they plan to go as far north as needed to deal with the threat directly.
KARLON: I assume you are amassing your own army then. How are you gathering them?
QHOR: We are the army.
KARLON: I… see…
QARZ: We’ve been given a temporary station at Greyguard.
KARLON: Ah, so you’ve taken the Black? That castle has not been vacant for too long, it is a good post but does need some work. Which of you is Commander?
ARAN: We have not taken the Black. Lord Commander Byron made an exception and will be filling the Commander post soon. In the meantime, we were given the discretion to rebuild the castle.
KARLON: That is quite the exception. The first in history as I am aware. I will aid you with a shipment of supplies.
QARZ: Thank you! Anything you could provide would help.
KARLON: I will also have the Dreadfort send some men.
QARZ: Send everything through the Nightfort. Supplies, troops, whatever you can spare.
They leave Karlon to Teleport back to the Nightfort, only an hour after they’d left.
Some Good Tricks
The Assembly arrives at the Nightfort and finds Lord Commander Byron without too much trouble.
BYRON: Ah. Neat little trick you pulled earlier. Did you forget something?
ARAN: Oh. No. We’ve already been to Dragonmont, then Winterfell, and we’ve just now returned.
BYRON: What?
QARZ: Yeah, we’ve got some good tricks.
ARAN: Yeah, we’re amazing. But long story short, the dragon at Dragonmont is requesting your presence. And the leader of the Children of the Forest. It seems there is some old rule or agreement between the Night’s Watch, the Children of the Forest and this dragon at Dragonmont. Something ancient.
The blood drains from Byron’s face. His expression goes from one of curious interest to disbelief and fear.
He uses his forearm to push Aran hard against the stone wall of a building. He speaks with a gruff anger at a low-volume.
BYRON: What the fuck have you been doing in my library?!
Aran chooses not to fight back at this moment.
ARAN: What do you mean? I went to the library yesterday, but you told us to go there.
BYRON: Not the main library. My private library.
ARAN: We were never in there.
QARZ: Yeah, this is just what the dragon told us.
BYRON: You disappear and reappear with information only available to me. And now you say you can talk to dragons?
QARZ: Yes, I can. Oh, and I brought this!
Qarzdaq revels the large shard of pristine dragonglass.
Byron drops his arm and straightens out his cloak, taking a few steps backward, away from all of them.
QARZ: The dragon let us take this to prove what we say to you and the Elder Child.
BYRON: I don’t know what to say. The agreement you speak of has never been spoken of in my life. I’ve only read the words from the Lord Commander’s library.
QARZ: The dragon told us about it. He also said that he was bound to the agreement and although providing a large amount of raw dragonglass is along the intentions of how it is to be used, it circumvents some clauses to protect the Children of the Forest. He said he will not act against those terms unless all the parties meet in Dragonmont and agree to this exception. Our whole goal is to get you defending and fighting back more effectively than with common steel.
BYRON: I am inclined to believe you. However, you must understand the risk I would be taking for myself and the Night’s Watch. If I were to fall…
ARAN: Understood, but this is for the greater good, is it not? You need effective weapons against these things. It is worth the risk.
This is the first time the Lord Commander has looked uncertain in their presence. He remains silent for a few moments.
BYRON: I suppose this is true. I will need to speak with the Firsts of the Orders before we leave.
FARR: We won’t be gone long.
QARZ: Oh and be sure to bring with you something that makes it unmistakable that you are the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch.
QHOR: Yes. Be sure to wear your black cloak.
Byron leaves to meet with the First Ranger, First Steward, and First Builder. When he does, there is some commotion by the Lannister bunkhouse, but the Assembly tries its best to pay it no mind. There are a group of black cloaks tending to the matter when the Lord Commander returns.
BYRON: Not all of them agree with me taking this on, but they all stand by my decision. Let us go.
He closes his eyes then opens them a few moments later.
BYRON: I thought we’d just be off.
QARZ: Oh, my apologies. We would like to head north of the Wall to summon the Children as we had before, so that we can gain access to the Elder Child. We will then head off to Dragonmont.
Aran gets a little squeamish when Qarzdaq mentions “children.”
Byron, being a man of planning and order, asks about the plan for finalizing the arrangements. They tell him that nothing can be certain and the negotiations could always fail. They will just have to do the best they can.
QARZ: Lord Commander, we will need to rest after all the teleporting today. We can be ready to leave in the morning.
The Assembly returns to their bunkhouse as the commotion outside goes into full swing. The Lannisters are accusing each of the stewards of stealing the key.
LANNISTER: After all my family does to help the Watch, this is how it is returned?! I am not leaving until that key is returned and justice has been served!
The Night’s Watch are able to quell the issue for now, but it does not sound as if there was a good resolution.
Securing Dragonglass
In the morning, after their rituals, they meet up with the Lord Commander. They leave the Nightfort through the Black Gate and walk to the Heart Tree north of the Wall. As they traverse the snow-covered ground, they remain constantly on guard.
As soon as they arrive at the tree, Aran touches it and speaks the words, “Ashvez voo beshwah dade.”
Three Children of the Forest appear as they had before, bows at the ready.
CHILD: What now? This is meant to be for emergencies.
QARZ: There is no immediate threat, but this is still an urgent matter.
CHILD: Ok, how can we help?
QARZ: We’ve spoken with Da Nong of Dragonmont about the agreement the Children have in place with him and the Night’s Watch. Da Nong told us that he would not entertain any changes to the agreement with out both the Elder Child and the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch at Dragonmont. As you can see, we have with us here the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. We now wish to meet with the Elder Child to discuss how we can make a more direct arrangement for raw dragonglass.
CHILD: How would the Children remain protected from Men in such a case? The reason we have not been treaded upon as the First Men had, is because we are Men’s source of the dragonglass weapons needed to fight the Others. Because of this agreement.
QARZ: The Lord Commander can state his intentions directly right now.
CHILD: You must understand that our distrust of Men is as ancient as their first footsteps on our ground.
ARAN: No disrespect intended, but this is something for your leader to decide. We just need to lay out our case.
CHILD: Very well, but I intend to make my opinions clear.
They dissipate as wisps into the forest around them. A few minutes later, fifteen Children of the Forest suddenly appear, surrounding the Assembly and the Lord Commander, bows notched but not raised. One of them steps through the surrounding group. This one is much larger than any of the others of her kind, standing at roughly six feet tall. Her stride is reminiscent of Faryn. This must be the Elder Child.
ELDER: I hear you request an audience with me to renegotiate the Ancient Pact?
Qarzdaq bows his head.
QARZ: My childness. We do not wish to renegotiate the Ancient Pact per se. We have come across several situations where we’ve seen these marauding white walkers. We all know it’s a problem. A way to slow the problem is to arm people with dragonglass. And while the current arrangement is certainly beneficial, and we recognize the rationale behind each party’s role in the agreement, we have a means to expedite the dissemination of the material to where it is needed most for its end usage. We understand the reasons for distrust with Man as a creature, but we just ask for an arrangement with us four, not with the Night’s Watch. You would still maintain the agreement you have with them. Da Nong of Dragonmont would not allow such an arrangement with us without both yourself and the Lord Commander here agreeing to terms.
ELDER: We need a way to keep all participants in the arrangement form usurping the others.
ARAN: What if we always have one representative from each party at each exchange of dragonglass?
ELDER: Under the Ancient Pact, we maintain direct access to the dragonglass. If Man has fallen, we will still have our access. By circumventing the Pact, we lose guaranteed access to the raw material.
ARAN: You would still have access. None of that changes.
ELDER: Man strips the earth of any material it finds valuable. I do not trust this in a long-term arrangement, for nothing would remain. I would like to add that the dragon does not wish to deal with any man directly.
QARZ: We’ve met him twice and spoken cordially both times.
ARAN: He even gave me this dragonglass that the Children of the Forest at the God’s Eye crafted into a blade for me.
The Elder Child is somewhat reassured by this.
Picking out the worst possible time to speak up, Qhortho lays down some facts.
QHOR: Look. If we don’t do this, the men of the Night’s Watch are going to be overrun and you’ll have the White Walkers at your door. You have to take a risk here. You have to trust that we will continue to be honest and allied with you. We share a common goal.
ELDER: The problem with Man is that they all have common goals until they decide they don’t. And they cannot currently enter our home to the North.
QHOR: But you are not vulnerable to dragonglass so why does it matter?
The Elder Child looks as if she may have shared a little too much and stays quiet for a moment.
QARZ: Ok, as long as you don’t mind if we are the group that retrieves the weapons from the Fist of the First Men for the Night’s Watch, and we take what we need, then maybe we don’t need to create another arrangement with the dragon. Hell, they probably haven’t picked up any of it in 3000 years!
ELDER: We do not have any issue with you retrieving the weapons from the Fist. But maybe we can do as you ask as a one-time arrangement.
QARZ: This makes sense. It would provide the Night’s Watch with a badly-needed boost to their weapons now, while avoiding any longer-term issues you perceive with an ongoing arrangement.
ELDER: I do have a condition. I do not want to step foot in a human settlement.
ARAN: This is why we wanted to have this conversation here.
QARZ: We have no intention of bringing you near any settlements and you would not need to be involved in getting the dragonglass to the Wall. We have a method of going straight to Dragonmont form here and then coming straight back.
ELDER: How?
QARZ: We can teleport. Similar to how you can use the trees to appear in various locations, we can teleport to various locations that we’ve visited in the past.
ELDER: I see. Well, I think we can work with this. A few of you will need to stay behind as hostages… but not in a hostile sense…
Along with the Lord Commander and Elder Child, Qarzdaq tells them he needs to take Farron and Aran as well. The Elder Child tells Qarzdaq that there needs to be at least as many Children as humans, so she designates three of her own to join her.
Farron teleports all of them to Dragonmont and they appear in front of Da Nong. Qarzdaq steps forward and bows his head.
QARZ: My lord Da Nong. I have returned with those you requested. I have brought with me the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch…
Qarzdaq motions to Lord Commander Byron to step forward. He moves forward cautiously and tries not to make eye contact.
QARZ: and the Elder Child…
He motions to the Elder Child to step forward. She does confidently, as she’s had interactions with Da Nong in the past.
The rest of the party remains back and quiet, the humans on one side, the Children on the other.
QARZ: We have agreement, upon your approval, of a one-time transfer of pure dragonglass. We had discussed a 10-foot cube, but if you will not allow that much, we will take what you deem appropriate.
Da Nong looks towards the Elder Child, who nods. She speaks in perfect draconic…
ELDER: As the representative of the Children of the Forest in the Ancient Dragonglass Pact, we agree to this single transfer, with no expectation of any future transfers in the future outside of what has been agreed upon in said Pact.
She clearly understood everything Qarzdaq said to Da Nong.
Da Nong looks to the Lord Commander, who does not say anything.
QARZ: He wants you to state that you agree to the 10-foot cube transfer directly to the Nightfort.
BYRON: Ah, yes. We do agree.
Da Nong understand the common tongue and takes this as an affirmative for this deal to pass.
DA NONG: Very well. I will allow for the full amount requested.
Qarzdaq turns to the others.
QARZ: Ok, we have been afforded the fully requested amount. We will need to cut away the material ourselves, then Farron will bring everyone except me back to the Weirwood. I will teleport the dragonglass back to the Nightfort, then teleport myself.
They first find an area of the cave that looks easiest to chisel, and will fall to the ground once separated. They chisel away for several hours before it finally separates from the wall with a loud crash. Luckily, the cube does not shatter; it only suffers some cracks from the impact.
According to plan, everyone except Qarzdaq teleport to the Weirwood.
QHOR: What took you so long?!
Before Qhortho can even get the whole question out, the Children are already gone, into the trees.
They head back to the Wall as quickly as possible.
When they return, they find Qarzdaq standing next to this giant cube of dragonglass just outside the armorer. Many of the black cloaks are looking and touching the dragonglass.
The Lord Commander rushes up.
BYRON: With the help of our friends here, we have managed to secure enough material to arm most, if not all, of the men under my watch.
ARAN: Lord Commander, our next steps will be to secure the dragonglass weapons from the Fist of the First Men.
BYRON: Yes, this would be very much appreciated. First, you will need to get started at Greyguard.
ARAN: About that, do you have any wizards or sorcerers or anything like that?
BYRON: Only the maesters. There were ancient research facilities up here at the Wall who would research spells and the higher mysteries, but they are long gone. There may be some information at the library about how those facilities might be rebuild, but most of it will be experimentation.
QARZ: Have you heard of the Inventorship? They are extremely resourceful and may prove to be quite useful as we rebuild Greyguard.
BYRON: I have not. As long as you keep certain information secure, I take no issue with you using whatever resources at your disposal, as long as they are reasonable.
ARAN: We have been very careful with that information so far, and will continue to be.
QARZ: Oh and Winterfell is going to be sending more trained fighters and builders here to the Nightfort in addition to requesting men from the Dreadfort.
BYRON: That is great news. You have my gratitude.
It is now Day 831. Our adventurers have made their mark on the Wall and on history itself. Between taking on the restoration of Greyguard, fostering newfound life in the Ancient Pact, and honing in on the final threat, the Unlikely Assembly is marching towards their destiny. Each member of the party has gained 1.5kXP, bringing each of them to a total of 169kXP.