The Masterless

[iKrolm]

Near the ruins of Oros

The stone tower stood alongside the Old Valyrian road, roofless, on the verge of collapse and unremarkable under the dark ash filled sky save for the flicker of a light out a lower story window: a candle in a place where none should dwell. Inside of the room was dimly lit, for the tallow candle in the center was the only source of light illuminating five robed men, faces covered and hoods drawn up over their heads.

"We meet here, under the clouds of ash and fire," one of the four robed man spoke in respectfully toned High Valyrian, "together in subservience to those who came before us. As the Belmurtys of the Udrir Buzdari scholar caste is is my duty to begin and end each council of the Belmurtys. This meeting, requested by Master Faelix, does now commence and shall last until our business is concluded or the candle before us goes dark."

"Thank you, Master Alfirys," the hooded man to his left spoke impatiently. "Faelix you brought us here, as is your right as Belmurtys of the Mentys Buzdari warrior caste. I trust you have something of importance to say this time?"

"I do, Master Bogon," Faelix answered from his place opposite Master Alfirys. "There are changes happening in the land around us: I can feel them as I'm sure you can to, whether you wish to admit it or not. The ground near the Fourteen Flames beats with life, the clouds above them glow brighter and molten stone pours down the sides of Vore and Mere Ampa. Even Master Alfirys' dragonglass candles emit light again. If this is not proof that the world is changing, I know not what is."

Master Bogon spoke again, unimpressed by Faelix's speech. "A change in the Flames? Trust not a Mentys Buzdari warrior to understand the ground underneath him unless choosing it for a duel. Even the lowest Arlie Doron Buzdari miner knows the Flames go through cycles of greater and lesser activity. And Master Alfirys can surely tell us that his collection of dragonglass candles have been known to light themselves and put themselves out as they see fit. This is not proof of what... a second Doom? The return of the dragons? Each as unlikely as the other. Do you simply make wild claims, or do you bring proof?"

The two other men shifted uncomfortably at Bogon's casual mention of the Doom of Valyria, but said nothing as they waited for Faelix.

"I do," Faelix said. Moving to the center of the circle, he reached under his robes and withdrew a sheathed dagger. Holding it outstretched hands, he displayed it for all to see: an ornate dragon bone handle extending out of an unremarkable hide leather sheath. "Before asking Master Alfirys for this meeting, I crossed the smoking sea again. I traveled to Old Tyria and ventured into the ruins where I retrieved this dagger and brought it back as proof that my fears are not unfounded: observe."

Slowly, Faelix drew the dagger from its sheath, the Valyrian steel blade as sharp as the day it was forged. Then he flipped the blade over, revealing a line of finely wrought runes glowing softly with a light of their own. Setting down the blade, Faelix held his left hand so the robe's sleeves fell away from his gloved hand and an iron cuff around his wrist. Removing the glove, he revealed a pale hand to the candle light with an old burn scar on the palm.

Faelix picked up the dagger again, placed the tip against his thumb, and pressed. A drop of blood followed, running down the length of the blade, filling the runes as it passed. Then the runes began to glow fiercely, emitting a harsh white fire that drowned out the candle and threatened to blind those present until Faelix thrust the dagger back into its sheath and hid it under his robes once more. Bogon and Master Aenor gasped in surprise. Master Alfirys remained silent.

"Master Alfirys, is there something you would like to add?" Faelix asked him.

The Belmurtys Algirys stood silent for a moment, then answered: two weeks ago one of my Bardugon Buzdari grought to my attention a dragon egg we cataloged in the ruined city south of the Sea of Sighs. It was long ago baked to stone like every other egg when we first discovered it, but recently it had begun warm of its own accord. The Bardugon swore he felt a pulse from within, though I felt no such ting, but I cannot deny that the egg had a presence to it that was not there before."

The room was silent again as Master Alfirys finished speaking. "Will it hatch?" the Master Aenor finally asked from Alfirys' right.

"I think not, but who can say? The Old Valyrian tales say some eggs lay warm for a hundred years only to go cool without hatching while others warmed for three hundred or more before the dragon inside chose to emerge. Only time will tell."

"There is your proof, Master Bogon," Faelix spoke again. "Now I humbly submit that we must travel beyond the Lands of the Long Summer. The Warlocks in Quarth and the Maester or Lords of Westros, misguided though they may be, might have discovered something we have not. At the least, we will know if they read the same signs we do."

"I humbly submit my agreement with Master Faelix," Master Aenor said. "If the Dragons do indeed return, we must know where and make the proper preparations."

Master Alfirys spoke next, "I hold that the answers we search for reside not abroad but in Old Valyria, buried deep in the ground waiting to be found. I do not object to searching abroad however, incase such knowledge was removed before the Fall, and humbly submit my agreement with Master Faelix."

"Hrm. Travel and history I care little for, but if Master Faelix wishes to leave us or Master Alfirys lead a party into Old Valyria that is your trouble to contend with. I humbly submit my agreemeent with Master Faelix."

"Thank you." Faelix knelt in acceptance of the Masters' approval. "I request the assistance of the Dohaeragon Buzdari and Udrir Buzdari to assist with this task, and the Doron Buzdari to fund it."

"Done," "Done," and "Hrm. Done."

"Most humble thanks for your assitance. And Master Alfirys, you need only say the word for my Mentys Buzdari to protect you across the Smoking Sea if you choose to go."

"And my most humble thanks to you, as well." Master Alfirys extinguished the candle as the Faelix led the way out of the room. Edited September 18, 2013 by iKrolm

[iKrolm]

Road to Volantis

The tribe Belmurtys Faelix chose for his trip north was dominated by Dohaeragon Buzdari servant caste, and mostly lowly Botagon Buzdari who forged for food where the could find it. Usually this meant north of the Land of the Long Summer, so a handful of Mentys Buzdari brought the tribe's number to sixty-three. Faelix's own men, four of his own Azantys Buzdari and two of Master Alfirys' Bardugon Buzdari raised the number to an even seventy (seventy-one if one counted Faelix's pack mule) as they passed the southern tip of the Sea of Sighs and joined the old Valyrian road to Volantis.

The met few travelers on the road north, for only the foolish or the Anongar Buzdari ventured into the Lands of the Long Summer and only the Anongar Buzdari came out. At the border wall of the Altarian Empire the tribe and Faelix's party parted ways, the tribe remaining outside the wall to recuperate and forge for a few days before they moved on and Faelix turning towards Volantis.

They looked a strange party: though the Anongar Buzdari were a rare sight inside of the Altarian Empire, individual traders did pass through occasionally. Faelix's party walked in a rough square: the four Azantys Buzdari taking the corners, each hefting a six foot tall war scythe as a walking stick as the went, the heavy wooden shafts thudding solidly into the fused stone road. Faelix's own war scythe, carefully rolled in brown canvas hung across his back as he walked near the front of the square and the two Bardugon Buzdari led the mule behind him. All save the mule wore brown robes, the hoods drawn up and a covering pulled up to conceal all but their eyes; the mule carried a pair of heavy saddle bags. With little variation to this arrangement, they eventually arrived at the city of Volantis, once one of Free Cities that grew rich from the slave trade and now... not.

[iKrolm]

Volantis:

Belmurtys Faelix's party paid for a Volantian inn during their stay with local money provided by Aeksio of the tribe they traveled north with. The rumors of money troubles and the return of the Dothraki that floated through Volantis were not hard to learn, but neither posed great concern to Faelix. Perhaps Belmurtys Bogon's miners would have been more interested in the money crisis, but not Faelix's warrior caste and the Lands of the Long Summer provided ample protection against a Dothraki horde. Thus, as it seemed their stay need only be a brief one, Faelix and Taeron, one of the Udrir scholar caste, made their way to the money changers near the port. From the mule's saddle bags Taeron withdrew a bar of solid gold, the runic name of a dead minor house now known only to scholars of Old Valyria embossed on one side, and after some haggling exchanged the bar for a roughly equivalent amount of Westerosi money. For the price of the mule and a small amount of their new coinage (made slightly larger to overcome the captain's superstitious misgivings), Faelix had soon booked passage across the narrow sea to the King's Landing.