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Visit to Braavos

-West. The North. winterfell. Year 275 BC-

In the battle yard of the Winterfell fortress three people were fighting. One was Hariric Stark. The other two were Dareon Rogare and Tykren Reyne. Each of them was fighting with his weapon of choice. Hariric brought Ice the legendary Stark family sword… sort of. Hariric was not a man to keep something just for being good so as a good man he had investigated and searched for other meteorites in the country. If the Daynes had a weapon made of meteorite then he was sure there would be more. And look how lucky he found several more which was an excellent thing in his mind because it made things much better for him of course.

A little known fact is that the mineral obtained from a meteorite was highly coveted by experts in the creation of weapons in your world. For what reason? Because the metal that could be obtained from it was so saturated with energy that if you applied it correctly you could create a weapon of such a powerful grade that some would say that it is a unique weapon. So when hariric found enough for four weapons he was satisfied so he began what was in a nutshell the creation of his personal forge. This was after all necessary to produce a weapon of sufficient quality if he could afford to say so because he refused to have a lesser quality weapon he could get his hands on.

You had to understand that Valyrian steel was the result of the Valyrians using a carbon steel alloy, only that they also added what was titanium to the mix and it turned out that they then used their magic to polish each moment. They poured their magic into the sword at all times, filling it with each blow they gave the weapon or jewel or whatever they were working on. The result? An impeccable weapon. But that was not the only element because when the metal is still hot they pour a little Dragonstone on it. Not the natural one but the one produced courtesy of the presence of the dragons since this will also be incredibly saturated with magic

That was why making Valyrian steel was impossible. Unfortunately for the Varylios they weren't nearly as good at magic as he was. Although some would question why a man would be interested in metallurgy, the reason for this was the creation of his own range of jewelery for his wife, how better can you look at your wife than by telling her that you have done it yourself? It was the best of a capable magician. And although the metallurgy work was difficult, it was still possible because of what Hariric had worked on forging his sword or rather reforged since in this case he also added the meteor mineral with the intention of making the sword even more powerful of course

However there were many differences. The Valyrians knew zero of the most powerful magic on the planet so it wasn't hard for him to send some of the ley line magic Winterfell was standing on and at the same time add his own work. Using his knowledge of runes and alchemy, Hariric basically combined all the elements into a single mass and then shaped the sword into shape. Added to this he put a diamond on it. Why? The sword was called Ice and he wanted to give it the appearance of ice itself despite having a hardness that makes Diamond look like pumice. So this is how I work but it wasn't the only thing he did of course

The guard was made in the same way only in a black color with the guard looking like a normal cross guard only the two end sides were wolf heads in honor of House Stark. The hilt was made of a special blend of dragon bone. The dragonbone was hard but using ground dragonbone and then the carbon steel equivalent created a more reliable hilt with in the middle of the black hilt being a platinum ring with the symbol of House Stark. Then the pommel was the head of a dire wolf with a diamond in its mouth. The sword looked amazing with its sword with the waves only instead of smoke colored ice colored which suited the sword perfectly if hariric himself had to say

On the other side was Dareon Rogare. With his platinum hair the man stood six feet tall with well defined muscle like a swimmer instead of being a pale boy like most Valyrians he had the typical swarthy complexion of Dorne. His violet eyes sparkled as he carried a bastard sword in his hands. This sword was his own gift. He had found that making the weapon process was good and had given him a sword. The bastard sword, like his own, had a dragon bone handle but the guard, although it was also a cross guard, was completely simple and simple, resembling the legendary firedark sword. The blade, too, was dark purple. The sword did not have any gems on it because according to Dareon he had to forge the legend of it himself. I call it Judgment

The last eighteen-year-old was a young man of muscular build more typical of a mix of a swimmer with someone who has built his body from top to bottom. This someone was neither more nor less than Tykren Reyne. His life story was simple. His father was Reynard Reyne. Reynard had not been with his family because he thought his brother's plan to rebel against the Lannisters was completely idiotic so he eloped with his commoner born wife who was pregnant at the time and hid as best he could naturally knowing that facing Tywin Lannister was complete suicide and she couldn't blame him

Reynard was a smart man. Very good and skillful. He hid with his wife's parents. Instead of looking for a living, Reynard made his living chasing bandits and hunting threats for rewards. He did not live a life of luxury but he lived to see his son born, which was the important thing. When Hariric was thinking about the creation of the winter legions he knew that he would need several things. One of them was a blacksmith to help with the creation of a guild of competent blacksmiths. One that together with his knowledge and his superior equipment would better arm his troops, so that was how Hariric discovered his existence, a miracle in reality.

Hariric found the family and went to the village where the blacksmith worked. His work was very well paid but to say it he simply couldn't change his place as Tywin would never allow a Qohor worker to leave his territory in any way. He was a prisoner. It didn't help that from time to time Tywin's men were more than a little annoying. It was an unbelievably bad day that Hariric arrived and found out in a few words what was going on there and well he decided to help him in a more or less human way which was to say something so he killed all of Tywin's men and then offered the man a chance at the life that he accepted very willingly for the benefit that it was since the good man refused to work for Tywin

It was with this that he discovered reynard. Reynard showed Hariric an incredible ability to think and put him in officer school with his wife in what was the job of teaching tactics and strategy most common to the Andals. The man had a better life in isengard where her wife was finishing her medical education along with many others who were being immediately hired. People didn't know it but thanks to magic they learned even faster. Otherwise, he would not have efficient doctors or workers quickly, something that he did not like

That was how he met Tykren. Tykren was a talented and skilled young man that he met. He got a lot better when his little sister Lyana met him. I swear he had found himself a major laugh point for him because the two of them had such a funny way of meeting each other and always fought each other. His father had laughed and his mother found him tender, claiming that he was beautiful. However, he had read the minds of the reyne, seeing that although they were delighted with how his son saw things, they were sad because they thought that their son would never have his friend as thick, although well, they believed they were still noble. He believed that he preferred his sister with tykren than otherwise.

Still, they had both passed their officers' academy education with flying colors. The officers academy went beyond just teaching what it was like to be a good leadership officer, but also taught strategy, politics and administration. The reason for that? Politics was vital to avoid being entangled. The fundamental strategy to know how your opponents thought or rather had built their tactics. The administration was important because each legion had a capital under their charge and they had to keep it controlled and stable at all times. In a few words, it was taught to be able to survive in all fields and what is more important, it encouraged constructive and critical thinking so that each legion flourished.

When Dareon and Tykren surpassed many of the noble lords as officers for the leadership of one of the legions there were certain problems. Certainly Jon was the leader of a legion himself. And so was Willem but Jorah Mormont failed his disciplinary tests and was found mentally weak. His father Jeor had found him wrong but well he knew that everyone in the academy wouldn't side with Dareon or Tykren without a reason as the academy's politics were incredibly harsh and there was no tolerance for favouritism. Favoritism had a tendency to end up killing people in the worst way possible, especially in an army. You wanted the best

Each legion had been bled in combat by what was fighting in the contested lands as they found themselves being hired by either Tyrosh or Myr. They pretended to be a faction of different mercenaries and were sent there to fight. His training and discipline ensured that the legion was enormously strong. In fact abroad they had earned the reputation of the invincible legions. They had faced Khalassar who outnumbered them five to one and had won. They had casualties of course but the good news is that there were benefits to being part of the Winter legion and everyone agreed on its vital necessity in the North.

Curiously, after it became known how serious it was to be an officer and non-commissioned officer of the winter legions, the number of young people from the sons of the lord of the north who entered the faction was greatly reduced. A little sad in Hariric's mind but he was a firm believer that if they weren't ready for the hard life it wasn't his fault. However that hadn't meant that he couldn't find them useful which is what he did. In the end everyone could be used. And the Northern Rangers were a splendid defense force to be sent against or they were the bandits in the North and dealing with the bands of different savages that came in of course

The leaders of the seven winter legions were people Hariric would name with confidence: Dareon, Tykren, Jon Umber, Willam Dustin, Alec Tallhart, and Rickon Cerwyn. The seven of them had a lot of busy time. Especially Hariric. At least they weren't running the Northern Rangers who were basically the force formed to control criminals and bandit groups in the North and hunt them all down. However as lords of the seven legions they had duties. Especially the same since he had in addition to his duty as commander of the legion he also had his job as Stark of all things which was not easy to combine. Luckily it wasn't that problematic really

Hariric returned to the present when Tykren attacked him. In his hands he carried a greatsword that was a sword with the pommel and the sides of the guard in the form of a cross with the heads of lions. The same sword was made of Valyrian steel, another weapon given to him. The man didn't yell like most would. He moved with pinpoint precision and dropped his sword only for it to square off with Ice who intercepted the blow. It was a surprise to many how Hariric could handle the great sword of the Stark family as if it weighed nothing to him, but hey, it's what you had when you were a person as unique as he himself was, since his monstrous strength allowed him to few words handle your gun like nothing

Seeing his chance, Dareon launched himself with his sword trying to use his ability and the light weight of his weapon to surprise him. Hariric responded to this by easily deflecting the weapon like it was nothing. None could say that a more skilled member of the sword could be thought of than Hariric Stark himself who was easily handling the situation. The two fighters combined with each other but Hariric's power sword style and monstrous skill and strength allowed him to repel all attacks and at the same time strike back that was much more than his opponents expected. Not that Hariric actually cared too much that his attacks were stopped dead in their tracks. It was two skilled swordsmen against one.

It was then that a bark was heard and everyone knew that the practice match was over. All three were exhausted. Even hariric himself. He had basically used his inhuman strength that's right but the two of them were still skilled swordsmen so in a nutshell they were able to take him on which was more than what could be said for most swordsmen in the world. He doubted there was anyone who could stand up to him but Hariric wasn't foolish enough to grow confident about it. Confidence has a good chance of killing you if you're not careful. So he calmed down and took out a couple of bottles of energy juice. They were a very common drink after combat. Basically his version of aquarius from this world

''I still don't understand how the hell you can handle that great sword like nothing. I seriously think we're all talking here about how you wield that greatsword with the utmost ease that you do. I find it hard to believe even though I'm seeing it all the time. Forgive me if it seems offensive but I think that no one can deny me that it is true``. Dareon shuddered. The Ice sword was a sword that should be heavy enough even if it was made of Valyrian steel and he handled it just as well as he handled the bastard sword himself. His form of control and skill spoke volumes. Hariric was the best swordsman in the North for good reason in his mind and he saw few rivals for him.

´´Practice has allowed me to train longer with my sword actually. So I'm satisfied with my handling of it. However I have to admit that it is impressive how you use Judgment. The skill with which you improve it is just incredible and not to say that I could feel that you were using your magic to reinforce it``. Hariric smiled. That was the fun of all this. They were a group of friends capable of using magic efficiently which was a lot. He had taught them to use magic to sharpen the sword and to do much more. I could frankly see them becoming legends of their own fame in the world known only for their swordsmanship.

''Yeah, well, it's still impressive, is there really no secret of how to use magic to strengthen the body? I say this because the way you punch has completely numbed my body. I have never felt more hurt in my entire life than when you were hitting me. I don't think even the instructors knew how to fight in such a way``. Tykren groaned as he ran his hands up his arms and let his magic relax the muscles in his arms as each blow was incredibly painful at least in his mind of course. Not to mention the great pain in the ass that was that couple of blows he received. He didn't want to have to deal with it any more than necessary if he was being frank.

´´There is no secret to strengthening the magic of the body since we are born with magic and our body is always with magic in it so there is no way to tell it that it can be strengthened in terms of physical power. However, what is certain is that you can use magic to well toughen the skin although that is in a very different category of magic``. Hariric could practically see you goggle at him at the fact that he had hidden such magic from them. But he knew they weren't upset and if they were at all it was irritated for not realizing it themselves. They liked to discover magic themselves actually since it came as a great mystery.

´´I swear one day I will have to know how you do everything. That is to say the way you make use of magic is simply unprecedented if I may say so. I have read history books of the Valyrians about how they used magic in all their constructions and yet the way you handle magic is totally unprecedented``. Dareon complained. The magic sounded like infinite ability. The more you know the easier it is for you to actually do things than it was to say something about it. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't understand how more people hadn't realized the potential of magic itself. And from what she understood, the Valyrians had a disgusting way of using magic.

''That's because the Valyrians had a more than inadequate way of using magic if I have to be honest. The Valyrian way of using magic was not by means of building the muscle that was magic. Rather, they came, they took people's lives and used it as a form of extra energy medium to do what they did. Frankly, no wonder their nation would go to hell if they were doing it that way. While Hariric had a certain respect for ritual magic it was not the same as he felt for dark sacrificial magic as he sacrificed lives for a target. The Valyrians pretty much doomed their entire culture with their actions actually

''The more I learn about magic, the harder it is for me to believe that one could be such an idiot. Were the Valyrians just lazy dogs who didn't want to make any effort to basically use magic? That is to say, I won't be capable of much but I'm sure I'll be able to use magic efficiently to survive everything``. The form of her magic was incredible. Using runes he was very capable and he was also very capable with spells that told him slightly who was lying and who was telling a partial truth or something like that. However, the Valyrian wizards didn't seem capable of anything like that and were just using magic without further ado.

´´From my studies, the Valyrians were, although an advanced people, also backward. They saw the sacrifice of slaves as a viable option which you would never have seen in me. That thing made them in a nutshell incapable of building their magic and in the end made them extremely reliant on what were human sacrifices to strengthen themselves and use magic. A complete shame from my point of view as well``. Dareon was an example of what well-trained Valyrian blood could do. He was not only skilled in incantation but also in runes and fire magic. While Tykren was terrestrial magic. He still had to teach them the gift of bonding but he was sure they could do it just fine.

´´Pft please compare Valyrian magic with what we are learning seems stupid to me. Frankly it's like clearly comparing what they did and what's best each time I use magic although if I use it in large amounts and end up exhausted I also end up somehow full of life``. Dareon had sincerely read the history books. As the magic of the Valyrians demanded in a nutshell that someone's life be used in the process. He found it somewhat annoying, every time he wanted to do magic he had to sacrifice someone? He talks about it being something totally incapable of use at least in his mind. It would be not only a complete waste of time but a complete pain in the ass at least for of course.

´´Valyrian magic is not one I know much about. However, apparently they used the property of fire. Fire is a broader power than you've actually seen Dareon. I guess I'll have to find a way to get to Valyria. Your knowledge could be of great value to us if I may say so. Hariric was not lying. In truth the fire magic of the Valyrians had been used in ways that he had not thought possible in the least. At the same time the magic of the Valyrians was obviously powerful but at a high cost. Although he had been able to replicate many of the things known of him and even radically improve them or at least he had of course

´´That would be something worth seeing if I have to be honest hariric. However, getting to Valyria won't be a big problem? I mean the site is according to you under a powerful curse. How exactly do you plan to get around the curse? I doubt very much that if you say to the curse let me pass it will let you pass just like that. It is after all a presence that will not want to tolerate it``. Tykren had learned about curses and the effects they could have on someone's life. Needless to say, with learning from him he had naturally decided that he wanted to be ready just in case some of the so-called shadow wizards tried to do such a thing to him. Better safe than crying

´´The curse of Valyria is a rather curious case if I have to be honest. It is possibly one of the cases of magic that comes from the effect of pain and suffering caused in the soil where the curse took place. In short, it was caused by none other than the actions of the Valyrians that the curse even exists if I have to be honest``. As Black knew more than anyone about the curses. The Black family made a real business of making curses their hobby and therefore they knew how to analyze and understand a curse. Had it not been for his improved palantir he would not have been able to see or understand curse magic and therefore come to a useful conclusion as to how to play it.

Are you seriously saying that you have possibly discovered a way to bypass one of the most dangerous curses? a curse that could even hurt a dragon? You know that if it gets word to a lot of people that you have figured out a way to get to Valyria then there is a good chance that the king of the seven kingdoms will try something``. Dareon's opinion of King Aerys was not the best. He seemed to her a king rather too predisposed to solve things with blood instead of using his brain. He was also too ambitious. Ambition is fine but without intelligence ambition has a tendency to hit you in the worst possible way which is a huge pain in the ass.

Yeah. The Valyrian curse is based on several points. The primary point is the momentum using the lives consumed by the use of Valyrian magic a curse has been imposed on every square piece of what was once the Valyrian peninsula and seeing that the Valyrians passed for slaves as some women pass for non-clothes I think it goes without saying how bad it is at that point``. Hariric had seen curse magic like this. Hamunaptra was the clearest example since her solid defense base was a curse imposed on the entire domain using the souls of each person sacrificed there only in the case of Valyria it was a thousand times worse.

''Okay you just gave me possibly one of the worst feelings I've ever thought of. I can't believe what I'm about to say but I don't feel sorry for what happened to the Valyrians since they seem to have earned it. But if the first point is basically every life sacrificed by the Valyrians, I don't even want to imagine points number two and three since they must also be strong``. Tykren shuddered and couldn't help it. Just thinking about what he had heard was getting on his nerves in the worst possible way. Just actually thinking about what the number of lives sacrificed was made him grumpy but if the other two points were just as bad then he didn't want to imagine them.

''The next point to be noted is that Valyria was situated in what some would call a hot spot. As Winterfell is situated on ley lines, so is Valyria. Only in that case the negative point is that Valyria basically had its point exposed to large amounts of negative energy in the form of the various sacrifices that have taken place over the years. It's not nice if you know what I mean by it``. Hariric honestly never thought that he would find such a bad place. It's like the Valyrians dabbled in magic and just thought they could just do it. Incredibly stupid in his mind

''Okay, I can understand that. Valyria was located in the thirteen flames that are thirteen volcanoes and curiously for thousands of years nothing happened to them. Now I can see why the place would explode so suddenly since the considerable amount of negative magic would affect the place in some way. It's not pretty to hear but he hears a lot better than it could have been was a possibility wasn't it?``. Dareon was sincerely beginning to question his ancestors, were they really such fucking idiots that they didn't realize his actions or their effects? If that was the case, they deserved extinction because the lack of a brain is a point that should not be acceptable to anyone, at least that's what he believed anyway.

''Unfortunately that's how it is. There isn't more that can be said about it really than the point that it was the magic in that large amount used as sacrificial magic that spelled the end of the Valyrian stage. Which has then been maintained thanks to the monstrous amount of negative energy in the area. Believe me, it is not pleasant to know or feel. With the palantir he had felt the amount of negative energy. He didn't think a patronus would live long there. Even said spell would be consumed by the amount of malice and hatred as well as a thirst for revenge that was there. More powerful weapons would be needed to get through there and it's what he had been working on for years (there were too many riches that couldn't be left out).

´´Okay you have made the first two points clear of what is basically holding the curse in place. Step number one is the thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dead slaves courtesy of none other than the Valyrians. Point number two was what was basically the area in which this had happened because of course it was not in a normal place but in a place that was filled to the brim with malice and was of vital importance. I'm almost scared by point number three``. The first two points were already bad enough so Tykren supposed that it must be for a reason number three that this happened which was not pleasant for him at all.

´´Point number three is possibly the least problematic: it was one of them. He was a Valyrian who cast the curse. But not as some would think. He tried to take what was all the magic that was there for himself with the intention of becoming something more. In the end the power was too much and he destroyed it before releasing himself on Valyrian soil since it was a Valyrian who released him``. As always, the human factor is missing. The human body, even that of the greatest and most powerful sorcerers, was basically a body with limits, and as much as people didn't like it, there were things that could or could not be done in the slightest.

Needless to say, the other two looked at him with wide eyes. In their minds they couldn't understand nor could they believe that there would be someone so fucking stupid to do what he just said. That is to say trying to make a point for what was full curse magic sounded like stupid. One of the first lessons the two learned from magic is that every body has and always will have a physical limit, which is something that must be taken with great care. Needless to say, they were both thinking the Valyrians were full of complete idiots if one thought one could just do such a thing.

''Okay now you've given us one more reason to question the sanity of what the people my family was supposed to come to were basically. I mean, how could you be so incredibly stupid that you could channel so much power into your system?``. Dareon couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was incredibly stupid, mindless, and importantly, suicidal. A single Valyrian brought the end of the most powerful dynasty and he had a feeling he was for being a complete idiot. Frankly, it was not the best of things you could find out about and it even made me question the mind of every known Valiryo, although seeing the madness of the Targaryens it was already normal for me to think in such a way, of course.

´´It has become clear that idiocy rules in the Valyrian family but I have a feeling that he was not able to do it himself. Let me say that I really find it hard to believe that they were capable of such a thing like that. It is something that I find it hard to believe seriously``. Tykren felt that there was something here that was eluding him. Something he didn't know or understand anyway. Forgive him for thinking this way but he had learned a long time ago that he is not always all that he seems. It was too much of a crazy plan that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Somehow this appeared in the mind of said Valyrian and therefore there was someone else behind there.

''That's all I've been able to find out. The only way he would find out exactly what happened would be to use some kind of magic that involved contacting spirits. Even if there were magic capable of such a thing I'm not going to have to say that I'd rather not be within five feet of said magic for the world. I am many things but a brainless idiot is not one of them in any way``. His reason for not liking this type of magic is that the spirits were bastards who had a tendency to do their thing when they had one foot on the mortal plane so thanks but no thanks I didn't want to have a touch with that thing neither dead

´´Well we have learned something new anyway and that is that there are magic that should not be touched. Point number one magic that involves taking advantage of ritual residual magic. It has a tendency to end up hitting you where it hurts the most in the worst of ways so don't. Do not touch. The next point the magic of the spirits. Since you seem so against it``. Dareon's honest opinion was that if Hariric saw something as a big no then it was a big fucking no. respect anyway

´´It is not a question of playing or not playing, it is a question of what it is to get into waters full of shit. Believe me when I say this. Spirit magic has a tendency to bring something from the other side. And the dead desire life. The slightest mistake, the slightest flaw and you're screwed on all sides``. He had come across some witches back in the day who used spirit magic to enslave them which pissed them off even more. the consequences were dire and terrible. Frankly one of Britain's worst murderers was the result of multiple spirits that were able to set foot back in the human world as one being and went on a game of death.

alright. However, I think we should listen to it more than anything because you have said it. We don't want to offend but if you're the one saying it I think we have a reason to agree that there is a type of magic that is a nightmare and a headache that I prefer not to deal with``. Dareon made it clear. If a magic was a nuisance and a pain better not to touch it. That and well let's be honest. Spirit magic was to bring something you couldn't kill into the world of the living. How did you act against it after it was brought back to life? There was no such-and-such way of any way to deal with it, at least not in his mind.

´´Well now that that is clear I have to say goodbye. Both me and Shelia are going to Braavos and we have some business to finish. Apparently the iron bank wants to negotiate a few different deals as they have seen how incredibly lucrative northern business is turning out to be. The iron bank was an incredibly powerful entity, it was no less true, but at the same time it was a group that at the end of the day were only humans in control of money. However, he knew that they wanted to try to exploit more markets so they went there to settle the issue as soon as possible and thus end up hitting their heads hard.

´´Hariric I think we are smart enough to know that there is a good chance that some things will get out of control there. For whatever you want, keep my sister out of trouble. Shelia could be targeted by the bank if they think they could somehow do something``. Dareon had a great love for her sister since she was all the family he really had left. It didn't help one bit that she felt her sister would possibly get caught up in Braavos's political intrigues to put more control over the selling material if they got the chance. Although some might say that they were bankers she had little confidence in them as she had no doubt that they would try to achieve whatever goal they had in mind.

´´Believe me I am more than aware of the intentions of the iron bank. If they think they can mess with the north they will learn the hard way that such thinking is better to see them all dead. Hariric was very protective of Shelia. She was a good friend and was basically a capable student. She loved magic above all else and was incredibly smart as well as cruel. She was a perfect Slytherin in her mind as she clearly knew how to use her head unlike many idiots who were placed in the old Slytherin house at least he thought so of course. That and well Shelia was a person that when she opened up to people you couldn't stop liking her

´´Well that takes away my fear. I would also strongly recommend that you control yourself because I know very well the effect that my sister can have on men``. With her words said Dareon left with a smile. She knew that her sister had feelings for the Stark but she wasn't going to tell him. It was too much fun. She was also heartbroken to know that her sister could never possibly have a relationship with said man because she was basically worthless. She was the shit to be noble. Something that Hariric had complained about many times saying that he was completely stupid and meaningless.

Hariric looked at his friend before creating a mass of water and releasing it on him. I yelled at him from the cold water I came in contact with. Hariric sighed. He could see the thought of him. Shelia was a beautiful and magnificent woman. Honestly if he was a lesser man he would have had a thing for her a long time ago. Not for nothing but because he was not one to deny a person what they want if he was in tune with it. Shame about the world she was born into, he didn't really have the chance to love whoever he wanted. It didn't matter anyway so he left as he heard the Rogare's curses and the Reyne's laughter at what he had done with his magic though he also knew that the two of them would have seen it as something more to learn.

-Well done. The Iron Bank (two weeks later)-

Shelia Rogare was a beautiful young woman with typical Valyrian platinum hair but with eyes definitely different from lilac, hers being an amber color. She was such a beautiful woman that some would say that she was too beautiful to be touched by the hand of man. What nobody knew is that she had taken lessons in the art of combat and magic like a fish in water. The reason? Several years ago an idiot tried to rape her because she was beautiful. She never wanted to be weak anymore (said idiot was used as an example of what would happen to any rapist, the fact that she was also a noble was something that shocked people even more).

Although she wouldn't deny that there were beautiful clothes, she had to admit that the Northern clothing style was much better in her mind. She wore a simple suit that adhered to every inch of her body, highlighting her feminine body and letting her body be noticed. They had used Northern silk which was quality if she had to be frank and she wore an elegant ruby ​​necklace around her neck that gave her a regal appearance along with earrings of the same ruby ​​and on her legs she wore boots instead of sandals or shoes. Although the boots might seem strange, but she had actually liked them a lot.

Shelia had spent a lot of time with Hariric over the years effectively becoming his somewhat surprising left hand. According to hers, her right hand was yet to be decided. She didn't want to put any of her friends because as her right hands they would be very tied to work which was a difficulty since many of them were gentlemen. He had shared with her the intention of naming her brother and Tykren as lords, taking the territory away from their enemies, something that he made her promise not to tell her brother or Tykren since she wanted it to be a surprise for them what she was up to. more than agree actually

Shelia was not armed with her sword for the sole reason that she was going with hariric who was dressed in one of the elegant Armani suits as he called them since it was the brand name of the seamstress guild. They were not only incredibly warm but well made. They estimated that soon they would begin to be sold throughout the seven kingdoms since it was better than the lord's clothing that was used. The fact that the quality of the work was significantly better was saying something. However she knew that only an idiot would attack Hariric who was surrounded by his wolf guard who were a more than considerable force of winter knights capable and therefore foolish to pick a fight.

While Shelia had spent time on House Stark's personal frigate she had been very surprised when Hariric had mentioned her as his left hand. She was very surprised by the meaning. Her left hand was a term to specify that she was expected to be helpful and supportive but less visible. She could also understand why. It turns out that she had a gift for seeing the past and the present with pieces of the future. This magic was being a Greenseer what was known as the magic of those who were not bound by time in any way. Of course it was only thanks to Hariric that she had fully controlled said magic that she said a lot about his skill as a teacher.

Turns out or at least that was his thought anyway that greenseer magic has a tendency to affect them. It considerably weakened their bodies. She feared it was so. Fortunately, he discovered that in the same way that Hariric was good with runes, spells and other magic arts such as mental ones, he was also a master of alchemy and also apparently had obtained many Valyrian alchemy books (actually he had stolen them from the order of masters but they couldn't even use them in any way so well it was their advantage) and found out that the Valyrians had the strongest gift with said power but you had to take care of it and treat it intelligently. Spending too much time looking at the past or the present was bad

Through her gift she had actually learned a lot. She had an innate ability to see the truth something that when she told Hariric he looked at her for a moment before laughing. She had been pissed off. He then commented to her that the truth is practically a person's past and present so therefore being able to see the truth was more than anything that it was because she perceived the past and present of her friend or victim anyway. . With that explained she was more attentive to the people she focused her powers on. It was this reason more than anything else of hers that had made her, at least in her opinion, what the left hand was.

While some would say it was brutal of Hariric's part, she wouldn't think so. Hariric Stark was a simple person really. He didn't need her. His gift was useful but he himself knew how to see the truth of people. As a left hand she was one of two voices that might be heard in the future and actually expected to be paid attention to. She could understand why Hariric did it this way. Her forms would allow her in an efficient way to be able to dialogue in a better way. And she was being brought into this meeting to begin to see what would be expected of her. She couldn't deny that it excited her and terrified her at the same time since she didn't know how to deal with it.

His view of Braavos was simple. Braavos was controlled by the iron bank pure and simple. The iron bank lives by making money. At least the bank had a certain ethic. What was also true is that no banker meddled in the jobs of other bankers. This was more than anything to avoid quarrels, fights and most importantly to weaken the iron bank. The power of the bank was so strong because whether they liked each other or not the members had a certain idea that fighting each other was the best way to end up badly something that neither wanted to see happen.

However, even if there was a rogue bank member who wanted to cause trouble, she was not afraid. She feared the consequences of pissing Hariric off. Interestingly, Hariric had used the Glover house event to establish and make it clear that he was the future Lord Of North for a good reason. Hariric was respected by his people and feared in equal measure. If someone from the bank tried something Hariric would make sure that those same emotions they had about what he was were and were forever formed in the city. Not that she had a problem. She was actually glad to see how she put people in her place.

He also noted Hariric's distaste for Braavos. Despite the fact that Braavos prohibited slavery, they themselves worked seriously to marginalize outsiders a lot. While she herself agreed that she could understand keeping her land as safe as possible, she in no way accepted what she thought was that the place was unwilling to treat people well. The most vivid proof of this was neither more nor less the way they were being treated. The lords of Braavos had tried to press her power on Hariric and she knew him well enough to know that it had not gone down well with him and was in fact plotting retaliation (not that she blamed him for it).

The Braavos nobles thought highly of themselves. Curiously, Hariric respected the members of the iron bank more than the so-called merchant nobles of Braavos. Not that she could blame him in any way. Hariric was at the end of the day a man who was clear that if he had to put up with someone he would rather put up with efficient people who do a good job than useless hicks who thought their money or position of birth gave them power. She had heard of the opinion she held especially of Mace Tyrell. God help the Dominion if they ever tried to screw with hariric because he sure as hell wouldn't have any mercy on them for trying to screw up his day.

''You shouldn't tense yourself too much. I know you think the merchant nobles might try to screw us somehow but they know better than to take on someone who has a somewhat close relationship with the iron bank. It's the same as admitting you want to kill yourself if I have to be honest. But don't worry so much. As he walked around the place, Hariric took note of many things that could be changed into bravos. Braavos resembled many city-states in the sense of its structure but although they were advanced the North had surpassed them in construction. He, frankly, could see getting money for the offer of water production and improvement of the sewage system and much more... if they gave him the opportunity

''It's kind of hard not to be upset when these people are somehow thinking that they have fucking power. I will not deny that the iron bank is the most powerful bank in the whole world. A force to be reckoned with. But they are the ones who have power, not the nobles. Without the bank they wouldn't be able to do half the things they can think of doing. Shelia wanted to make a more rude comment but she calmed down. Hariric was always calm. In control. She knew that when he was angry people had to run. An example is how she had personally executed and killed many perpetrators of crimes. The new Northern justice system was incredibly efficient if she had to say so.

''I can't say you're wrong. The Bank provided the main money for their business and subsequently they have made it grow. In a sense you have to admit that they have done a phenomenal job in their actions but you are a bit wrong when you say that they may think they will get away with it…after all the North is generating tons of money for the bank``. Hariric smiled with a touch of mischief. It was a very simple matter if you stopped to think about it. Well I couldn't blame them. But a magician had access to hundreds of resources. An example was him. Contracts, guards, protections, poisons, serums, etc. They only had access to the power of reputation and money, no more, no less. As people and group were below a magician in many ways

´´I find it hard to believe, however, that they couldn't try to do something. Or that they haven't warned the crown about how we're doing business. Which still surprises me because I would have expected the unstable king to somehow try to find out how the North is making so much money``. Shelia questioned something that she had always had in her head. The spies in King's Landing always told her that the king was a madman obsessed with her house name. He found it hard to believe that he would let one house grow so much that it would outshine the other houses especially the so-called house of dragons. But harrirc acted like it didn't matter too much

''It's amazing what magic is capable of. A little touch of magic and well people don't ask. Just in case, I've made sure nothing is mentioned about the increased income. I couldn't hide that. I'd rather not be accused of robbery with such a fucking unstable king. But even despite that if anyone gets blamed it will be at the hand of the king which is quite a benefit in my mind once it is known that we are making all this revenue``. It was not a question of when. Spells of this type were not infinite. But they had bought him a considerable amount of time, something that made him more than happy and had allowed his kingdom to flourish without the intervention of the southerners and their idiotic power plays.

''But there will still be consequences of it, won't there? There will still be people who will try to move the king. And possibly the noble merchants of Braavos are helping them in some way, thinking it's the best way to make a profit for themselves if you think about it. Shelia knew that there was always the possibility that someone would try to screw the whole thing up. The case and question was unpleasant but if the southerners knew how to play on the king's fears then it was very possible that the North could find itself in trouble of some kind. But Hariric's calm was such that she felt or at least she thought that not everything would go as they wanted or at least she thought so.

''The possibilities are always many my dear Shelia. There are always possibilities for things to happen. In fact, if there is something that could worry me, it is not that they attack us with the king. No. That's just the main way. No. If there's one thing southerners are fucking known for, it's trying to create marriage alliances that are too favorable to them, and I'm afraid some of my bannermen will be at least idiots. The problem with some of the sires is that they weren't his children. The heirs of the winter alinzs had learned from him. They had learned to see things for what they are. But some of the lords wouldn't see it the same way which was idiotic

´´So…what you are worried about is not the king but the different lords who can screw everything up trying to get things with which they have no chance of getting anything and who would actually be ripped off by the southern lords right lord hariric ?``. Shelia couldn't deny that it was true. It was a justified fear if she had to say so herself. The competition from the lords of the north was a priority in many senses of the word since hariric was a believer that a kingdom is not built with a single house but with many houses that revolve around a single great house.

''The southern lords will try and I'll even bet they will try to outmaneuver the northern lords...I'm afraid I may have to do a bit of housekeeping to make sure the North doesn't become a target in any way. the fucking southern bastards. He didn't like it. But fortunately most of the gentlemen, although not very wise in the business term like their heirs, were intelligent enough to actually mistrust what the southerners were. That was a fortune they had on their side at least and it was good news for him because he absolutely did not want to have to kill too many northern lords.

''You could direct them to the night watch. Despite being a dying order, in the best of cases, the lords of the North still see it as an essential order, although I believe that placing a legion there permanently along with its superior military instruction and much more, I believe that the order is about to end. dead but au can be useful for that``. Shelia shrugged. Actually she believed that the best way to clean up the North was that. She didn't understand the idea of ​​the night watch. It may have been a prestigious order before but now it was just a nest of traitors, murderers, rapists and much more. Frankly unpleasant and a waste of resources as well as a pain in the North so beautiful

´´It is a possibility, I do not deny it. But for now I prefer to leave things as they are. Like it or not I have to admit that they are doing decent jobs right now. And at least most of them have a brain to use not to fuck with me in any way``. Most of the Northern lords looked upon him well due to him being responsible for leading the force against the Glovers. However, it was no less true that some thought he was a little southern and much more. Hariric hated how stupid some of the northern lords obsessed with being members of the North could be and more importantly holding themselves to what the northern ways were.

´´As you command my lord…there is one question however that I have my lord. Why have none of the mercantile nobles of Braavos tried anything? I have already said that I would be surprised if they did not try to do something because they think they have the opportunity to do it my lord``. Of course she sensed that her lord's magic was working on it. The Braavos merchant nobles would not wait for an opportunity where they would try to possibly kill him. It was how it was. But she knew that her lord was not a fool that he trusted what people tried to do to him. Trust was fine. Expecting the best from people was a mistake. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst was possibly one of the best ways of thinking of his lord

´´Because they are aware that they will not be so difficult to catch. Despite all that can be said the lords of Braavos. Commercial noblemen are not idiots. A little more arrogant yes. Clearly unable to think about their own stuff as well. But at the end of the day they know that if they attack here then it will be easy to find out who is responsible and the iron bank itself will retaliate. Say what you will about the bank but in hariric's mind he felt that they were his best ticket to safety. As long as he was useful to them none of them would want him dead unless he started losing money which was totally unacceptable to them.

´´Yet you are waiting for them to do something. That they have some kind of plan that is with the intent to harm you. I don't need to be a genius to realize that. One look is all I need to know that you're looking forward to it. Shelia laughed in amusement just thinking about it. It could be easy to see. A simple tactic if you stop to think about it. The lords could not attack him here because they would scar their backs in the worst possible way. But she didn't say anything about how they couldn't attack him any other time when they thought he was vulnerable in some way and therefore an easy target for their machinations.

´´They have paid one of the dock managers to turn a blind eye to a group of saboteurs who are aiming to damage our ship…it is a pity that they will not be able to do it. The saboteurs are going to die. The dockmaster is going to die…and I am considering how to punish the lords of Braavos for their actions``. Hariric was not so compassionate. The punishment had to be exemplary. A punishment that makes them fear in every possible way. A punishment that will make every lord of Braavos think twice before coming across him again. His deaths? They wouldn't be useful for anything. The one for relatives? If it would work. That was a mentality that he was very clear about. Death is the end, not the beginning of anything.

''I'm surprised you're not going to try anything else like that. That you only treat people that way. I almost would have expected a stronger response. Deal damage to such a level that everyone trembles. Yet you are thinking of it as a lesson. With the Glovers you did not give this option``. Shelia could imagine her lord dealing with all the filthy jerks in many ways if she had to be blunt. In her mind her lord could easily be the man who dealt with southerners in a way that was her game. But she knew that at the end of the day he was Norteño. He was not one of those who left nothing above... but he would destroy everything and make something new grow again

´´My dear… if I really wanted the men of the world broken and destroyed, I would only have to bring their families to ruin. If he really wanted to see people beg for mercy, he would make them understand the meaning of the word fear. These people are doing what they are doing out of a sense of ignorance. And the Glovers however did it with complete malice. Make no mistake though as I will deal with all of them in a still cruel way``. The death of the Glovers was not only to eliminate one of the so-called families of the red alliance. No. It was because he knew he had to send a message: the next Lord Stark was as cruel and brutal as any ancestor.

Will the nobles of Braavos learn their lesson? People rarely learn lessons. They get carried away by anger. They become irrational people who believe that they are justified in their anger and think that they can charge without being aware of their mistakes. That they believe that it is for the simple fact that they are powerful people they have the right to attack in some way``. Shellia had studied Hariric's apprenticeship notes extensively. A lot about the mind of the people. Understanding human nature was a job she was at. Understanding people is one thing that gives you a huge advantage over your enemies. And from what she could tell it was something very serious.

No. They will not. The merchant nobles of Braavos will grow furious. They will believe that the attack is disproportionate in some way. They will believe that it is unfair for their families to be aggravated even though they will bring it on themselves. They'll think they're justified in retaliating…but they won't until they believe they've found a place to plunge a dagger into the heart. Because any attack against someone with power never ended well. It meant an affront of some kind. It had to be answered somehow. It was the absolute law of what powerful people were. Of course he himself was put on that list. Because if someone had the balls to attack him, he had to send a message to them about the big mistake they made.

Hariric however kept silent when they reached the iron bench. The bank was an obviously well-made institution. The place was quite nice and in a few words he talked about the wealth of the people who worked there. There is no mistake. Within the bank not everyone was in short people who were at the top. There were high-level, intermediate-level and low-level bankers. The bank worked by using bankers according to what wealth they controlled and how much money they actually generated. This method guaranteed that the bankers would of course strive to try to be as profitable as possible. A low-tier banker made as much if not more money on his stock than some of the mid-tier houses.

When Hariric came to the bank to negotiate with the bank his treaty resulted in him being sent directly to a low grade young banker. The young man was from a family that had been middle grade until there was an accident that caused them to lose a considerable amount of their wealth as it was discovered that one of his family members was engaged in the slave trade. Bravos did not allow such things. The fines and punishments brutally brought down the family. The family was also forced to witness the death of the idiot woman and the young banker lost many of his family businesses to a very bad state.

When they sent it to the hariric, I knew it was a bank thing. The Bank at that time did not know what the wealth of the north was basically because if so they would have sent it to a medium degree. Not that it mattered. Hariric discovered that the young banker actually had no bad intentions or was a bad guy. He kept much of his remaining business because of his clever mind and clearly his observation skills. However, the name of the family was damaged because of his cousin, a fact that he did not forgive in the least and that in fact he had made a great effort to keep his own family away from the rest since he blamed the family for pamper the idiot kid in what was life

The man a young man named Joren Auditore was a young man of obvious Nymerian ancestry. Olive skin. Chocolate brown eyes. He was an attractive young man. He had married against the family's intentions with a simple bakery owner but he had not cared. He had two sons and was making efforts to see his family well provided for when hariric appeared at his door. Imagine the look on his face when he was offered a golden opportunity? The amount of assets that the North would move would be enough to recover financially and more importantly get his family off his back and leave them as he wanted by giving them a chance to recover.

When he learned that the reason he was coming to Braavos was that he wanted it to be through one of the Braavos naval companies to sell his items to the rest of Essos or at least to the three sisters, he was satisfied with the matter in advance. question. His family ran a small business. A company that since then had quadrupled his presence. He also helped that his own father had cleaned up by making it clear that he did not want his family to be harmed once again by what were the actions of the idiot members with a clear threat that if you were a threat to the family would be expelled

Joren worked tirelessly. It cost him to gather crews for the ships but in the end there were people he wanted to work with. In the end the shipping company came out ahead and he earned hundreds of thousands if not more in just the first year. Slowly but surely he opened up trade with every free city selling his products and also wresting the glass business from myr which was a ton of gold more so for the quality of the northern glass. Although there had been raids he was surprised when a few years later any raids stopped and he presumed it was courtesy of his associate who had indeed rebuilt the Northern fleet. To say that he was happy about his new income was an understatement of course.

Of course some at the bank tried to steal his account. They tried to make Lord Stark question his work when he claimed that he was related to a slave trader. Au could remember Lord Stark's words: ´´Judging an entire family for the sins of just one seems idiotic to me, shouldn't I then judge everyone in Braavos by the founders of this nation? Shouldn't he be tried then by the most brutal Stark lords ever? We are masters of our actions and there is no mistake in blaming others for their own actions and blaming the whole family``. It was that that earned him a great friendship with Lord Stark who was happy with him as his worker.

´´Joren thank you for having me without an appointment. I think you said something that you wanted to talk about a possibility and even more so the request reports of what are the goods offered by the north… by the way this is Shelia Rogare who is here with me since she is possibly the one I will send to Braavos when have to speak on my behalf``. Hariric saw the office. The office was exquisitely tasteful. Joren himself wore a suit that was courtesy of a gift from House Stark. To say that he was the envy of the other bankers was an understatement for what he knew. The truth is that the garment workers guild was making gold from the sale of suits

''Thank you for coming so quickly Lord Stark. I know you are very busy with constant work like a man but I needed to let you know about some things. Some members of the bank are discussing the possibility of future ventures and they wanted to see if he would be willing to offer the possibility of such an investment. Joren wasn't happy about it. He believed that Lord Stark should not waste his time with investments if they did not prove to have a chance rate of more than sixty percent of success. And he believed it was a measure taken to extract gold from Lord Stark. However, the lady who accompanied him proved to be cunning or at least to have seen it coming.

''Did they ask directly for Lord Stark? So that means there are high chances that they are actually looking to use the gold for their profits or that the venture is a waste and thus taking money from my lord. How did they come up with this idea of ​​all things?``. Shelia made a face. She didn't need to be a more intelligent woman to know that this was too much of some sort of attempt to get the lord's money out of her. A tactic obviously designed to make an investment that turns out negatively and then the bank makes demands. She or she was not at all happy with the idea of ​​the lord of her being caught in such a way if she had to say so.

''There's no need to bother Shelia. Joren is not part of the matter and therefore not guilty of it. No. This sounds like possibly one of the members who are more jealous of Joren's luck. Possibly they are using this as a way to make me lose money, it is true, but at the same time, to sink the prestige of what Joren is. It was a rather simple tactic if you had to say so. It was a measure designed more than anything to make a person invest in something destined to fail. The money would supposedly be lost placing House Stark in debt. Damaging Joren's reputation. It wasn't a bad plan but a bit blind for someone like him.

´´Although I thank you for your support, my lord, it is not necessary since I am perfectly aware of the actions of the members who want this and I cannot stop them. You just have to say no but or I know what you could try next. The new Northern account is generating large amounts of revenue``. Joren knew that the income from the north alone generated a total of five hundred thousand gold dragons for the bank, which was a considerable sum. The North took almost three and a half million a year. While he was left with about fifty thousand gold dragons each quarter. To say that it was an account that people wanted to put their hands on was an understatement.

''We cannot avoid greed. But I have no interest in any investment…unless you can somehow get me to know of large tracts of land in Braavos or at least a large set of space that can be acquired. I would also like to know if you could arrange a meeting for me with the Sea Lord so we can discuss some business regarding Braavos that might be of interest to him``. Hariric of course knew that if he could sell this it would be pretty good. The idea of ​​being able to build this in Braavos would quickly sell to everyone in Essos and later in Westeros which would be a solid economic advantage for him and at the same time a benefit when traveling.

´´A meeting with the Sea Lord should not be difficult at all. Not with everything he buys. Winter Rose Wine is possibly his favorite wine and he loves to have any drink the North makes for what is clearly his parties and gatherings not to mention the other Northern crafts and foods. If Joren had to admit the fact, it was that the number of products offered by the North was so massive that they could easily be said to be at the top of the market. There was no better way to put it, at least not in his opinion. Of course if this was all they could produce when they opened to the west they would have limits.

thank you. The reason I don't go directly is that I think the Sea Lord might take it as him making a demand of some sort for something. I prefer that he thinks that I am trying to do business with him and in this way that he sees that the North obviously only has commercial interests now``. Frankly in Hariric's opinion he could go ahead and knock on the door but he wanted to do it in a way that the Sea Lord himself would realize that this man was very important and valuable to the whole of Braavos. That this was the man who could turn Braavos into a greater economic capacity and at the end of the day give him much more business than he had at the time.

´´That… could be the best option my lord. The Sea Lord has become paranoid fearing that someone will try to remove him from his position. But if he's going a less direct route and more of an attempt to play messenger I think I could see it happen and what's the reason for the large expanse of land?``. Joren could see the wild grin grow on Hariric but he could also tell that he was interested.

´´call it…a commercial interest``