A Song of Blood and Sunlight (ASOIAF / Warhammer Fantasy / Soulsborne)

[Trafford]

It was the 10th Millenium; for more than several centuries, the Emperor and High Lord Magistrate sat on the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder. He is Lord of the Lands of Ancients by the will of the Gods and Master of the City of Gods by the power of his inexhaustible armies. (Soulsborne influence)
***
Tags: Antihero Protagonist, Army Building, Calm Protagonist, Daemons, Dragons, Elves, Fantasy World, Gate to Another World, Gods, Domestic Affairs, Handsome Male Lead, Kingdom Building, Male Protagonist, Management, Polygamy, Harem, Ruthless Protagonist, Sword and Magic, Vampires, Wars, Conquest, Knights, Politics, Nobles, A Song of Ice and Fire, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Warhammer Fantasy, Game of Thrones, Religions, Interdimensional Travel, Aristocracy, Elemental Magic, Multiple POV, Royalty, Special Abilities, Strong to Stronger, Early Romance, Industrialization, Magic, Marriage, Romantic Subplot, Schemes and Conspiracies, Strong Love Interests, Elves, Strategic Battles, Technological Gap, World Hopping, World Gate

 

[Trafford]

Lordran

Known as the Land of the Ancient Lords, where their kingdoms converge. It was a land of miracles, Magic and Gods, containing a great variety of environments and filled with many dangerous creatures.

Once a land full of turmoil, ancient horrors, war and death. Countless Kingdoms fought against each other in a never-ending struggle for supremacy while countless dangers encroached on the Lands of Lordran every single day.

Everything changed when a Twin-Tailed Comet appeared on the horizon.

The Twin-Tailed Comet is a comet with two tails that has been sighted multiple times throughout history from the surface of the Known World. The Twin-Tailed Comet always heralds extraordinary or tumultuous events.

It is unclear whether the comet is a single object whose orbit passes close to the world on a regular cycle or whether the comets are separate objects which have been seen consecutively.

And a child was born on the exact day, in the province of Reikland, in a certain noble house. A child born under the sigil of the Twin-Tailed Comet, destined to greatness, greatness far higher than anyone before.

A child that one day rose to the Divine Throne and new age came to the Lands of Ancients.

His name was Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor, Emperor of The Empire, Royarch of the Lordran and High Lord Magistrate of the Anor, the supreme ruler of the lands of ancient.

It was the 10th Millenium; for more than several centuries, the Royarch and High Lord Magistrate sat on the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder. He is Lord of the Lands of Ancients by the will of the Gods and Master of the City of Gods by the power of his inexhaustible Silver Knights.

He is the embodiment of might and wisdom and the sage of the long-forgotten past. He is Lord Carrior of a mighty nation, whom they all serve, Heir of the Old Blood and their chosen instrument on the mortal plane.

And yet, even in his immortal state of the Old Blood, the High Lord continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty battle formations cross the demonic miasma of the Abyss, the endless hordes of Demons and abominations from the deepest parts of damnation.

Vast armies fight in his name across the lands; they scream his divinity and die for the Sunlight and Cinder. Across the lands of known and unknown, everyone whispers in fear of the Old Blood.

Chief among them are his Reiksgarde, Templar Knight Executioners and Hunters of the Hunter Order from the Workshop.

They are his champions, pioneering the path in the darkness and banishing the ancient horrors.

To be human in such times is to be one among millions. It is living in dark times, always awaiting the End Times, and yet it is a time of heroes and courage; it is time to fight for the future and to resist the horrors of the old night.

It is the 10th Millenium and silver ships are for the first time departing through the Sunset Sea, in search of the civilizations that were thought to be long lost to the night.

***

Year 280 AC, Westerlands, Lannisport.

The Sunset Sea was sea west to the continent of Westeros and east to a landmass known just as the Land of Ancient Lords. It was a dangerous sea, roamed by countless creatures, many of whom were considered a myth, but one was clear...

What the sea took once, it never returned back.

Lannisport is a walled city in the Westerlands located less than a mile south of Casterly Rock, the seat of House Lannister. Lannisport is located along the coast of the Sunset Sea, where the river road, the gold road, and the ocean road meet.

It is one of the major ports of the Seven Kingdoms and is the largest settlement in the Westerlands. It was ruled by Cadet Branch of the House Lannister of nearby Casterly Rock and today, the Lord Warden of the West was on inspection of the port city.

Lord Tywin Lannister was a tall, slender, broad-shouldered man in his fifties. His arms were thin but muscled, he had golden hair, though it was clear that his age was already coming up to him, and pale green eyes flecked with gold.

While he was carrying out the monthly inspection to ensure everything went according to his wishes, suddenly bells started ringing across the entire Lannisport, signaling that something was happening.

Only several minutes later, Lord Lannister was notified that an unknown fleet of fifty ships was sailing towards the Lannisport, which made everyone believe that this was some kind of Ironborn raid.

"The sigils belong to someone unknown, my Lord... and..."

The soldier that came to report the news looked nervously as Lord Paramount of West pierced him with his glare. The ships were bearing the weird sigil of the golden skull with a crown on it, surrounded by the sun above two griffons that were looking at the warhammer.

No to mention, they were far bigger than any standardized warship that was seen in the Seven Kingdoms. Even an idiot could tell that those ships didn't belong to pirates or any outlaw group.

"Say it already!"

Tywin Lannister was already getting irritated, but at the same time, it was good news that the ships didn't belong to the Ironborn raiders.

"They are sailing from the direction of the Sunset Sea..."

The moment that was said, everything went quiet and silent for the first time, as nobody could muster the next words. But at the same time, wheels were already working inside Lord Tywin's brain as he was deciding on the next course of action.

'So indeed... something truly exists beyond the Sunset Sea and if everything goes right, then the House Lannister would be able to capitalize on it tremendously.'

He thought because there was nothing more important in his mind than the strength of his House and the legacy of the House Lannister.

"Guide the ships to the port; I doubt that they are hostile; prepare a welcome ceremony as fast as possible."

Tywin ordered as everyone started running here and there, carrying out his orders. At the same time, the Lord of the Casterly Rock looked far in the distance at the incoming fleet of enormous ships that were far bigger than anyone had seen before.

Those ships were constructed for the sole purpose only... war.

And Tywin Lannister knew that whoever had the manpower and resources to construct something like that would be a powerful opponent or powerful ally.

For a long time, he had attempted to bethrote his daughter to the Crown Prince Rheagar, only for Aerys to choose Princess Elia Martell of Dorne last year. This year, they even married, destroying any opportunities to secure a match that would strengthen the power of his House.

Just thinking about it made him rage inside every cell of his body because he knew that it was just another of his attempts to spite him. Still, it was not official, but Tywin's sources were telling him that Elia Martell was already pregnant, so he needed to look in another direction.

Right now, his son was in the King's Landing and soon would be knighted, but he was still sending him rather reliable information.

Yet today, he decided to change the course of action because he knew that setting Cersei for a Targaryen match was already a lost cause.

Today he may be presented with opportunities way better.

He sensed it in his bones.

***

On the deck of the biggest ship, battleship Smeidnir.

The ship was enormous, strengthened by steel as it wasn't made entirely out of wood, but large parts of the hull were made from steel and it was moving on some kind of mechanical engine that were made by scholars of Byrgenwerth.

Countless Knights in pristine shining silver armor were stationed at their positions, holding their weapons, ready to fight at any given moment and not moving an inch, proving their superior training and discipline.

Among them all, the most notable was the tallest knight, wearing pristine golden armor, who was observing all the others, never leaving his sight from the ship or from the horizon, as if he was always expecting something happening.

"My Lord, the ships are hailing us... we can dock at the port."

One of the Silver Knights reported to the Golden Knight, who nodded his head and issued orders for the ship to dock.

"Go and wake up, His Majesty... tell him that we have arrived."

The Golden Knight ordered as they had finally crossed the Sunset Sea after several weeks of sailing. Who would have thought that the legends that the Elector Counts of the Grand Province of Fernis were true...

***

MC POV

I am Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor... yes, my name was long as fuck, but I liked it that way because it sounded intimidating and intriguing.

Holswig-Scheliesten was the name of my Noble Hosue; von Reikland meant "from Reikland", which signaled that my Noble House originated from the Grand Principality of Reikland and finally, de Anor was adjusted to surnamed, signifying the Master of the City of Gods.

As I woke up from my slumber, I had a very pleasant dream; a dream of the long-forgotten past, a dream of my past life when I lived a boring and very normal life.

"Dreams become dreams... and the horrors I have experienced would have broken lesser men..."

I lived for several centuries, my dreams were fulfilled, and I became someone important, someone who decided the fate of countless and who experienced reincarnation, who survived the Void and made deals with the Great Ones.

I was Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor and yet, before I created this name, before I forged myself through the grand powers of the Great Ones, I was Patrick Smith, from an unassuming blue planet called Earth.

And even though all horrors of the old night I survived, through the abominations slayed, wars won, foes killed, atrocities committed, enemies slaughtered, I would have still chosen to walk on this path.

Because it was the path that was fulfilling.

"I survived Lordran, hostile Great Ones, demons of the Abyss and horrors of the night and I will not be scared of some Westeros... shame my memories of the show are murky at best."

I muttered to myself while washing my face, in this luxurious gothic-looking chambers where everything was decorated, the golden skulls or symbols of the Great Ones... I then put up on my armor, personally forged for me by the Darwen smith Dalbran Felhammer and it was the pinnacle of the dwarven smithing.

It was made from pitch black steel, tempered in fires of the Great Wyrms, from ores harvested from fallen meteorites, adorned with gold, symbols of the Empire and countless runes.

"Let's get this over with, so I can return back home and finish the subjugation of the barbarians in the badlands."

Right now, most of the Lordran was unified, with only some regions being problematic, but they would soon fall... I spent centuries preparing the broken cities, helping the people, quelling the rebellions and ruling the nation.

Dealing with barbarians of the badlands was at the bottom of my to-do list...

***

3rd POV

Karl Franz entered the deck of the ship, but it didn't make any commotion because he didn't need any ceremonials or bowing that would only distract the Knights from their duties to be always on guard and always ready to fight.

Only a few of his personal guards, the Reiksgarde that were accompanying him, bowed lightly before they flanked him from every side as their white armors and cloaks shined in the light.

"Are we already docking?"

He wanted to already get on the ground because he wasn't a very big fan of the seas... during those few weeks he spent on the sea he "enjoyed" it too much for his tastes already and now he would appreciate some solid earth.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The one who replied to him was the Grand Marshall of the Silver Knights, Ornstein the Dragon Slayer, who earned his title by slaying a Great Wyrm. He was also participating in the expedition to Westeros, mainly because he also had a seat on the High Council of the Empire.

When the ship started docking, Karl Franz sighed in relief, but soon enough, his expression morphed into horror because he saw a chamberlain preparing the announcement, meaning that the contact would be going according to the protocol.

How he hated protocols...

As the ship docked, everyone in the Lannisport could see several hundreds of silver-armored knights who were a bit taller than the average human males exiting the ship as they created a line for their Monarch.

Tywin Lannister, together with his brother Kevan Lannister watched this, and if one thing Tywin was right now, it was being impressed. In Westeros, there was only one Kingdom that had a standing army and that were Westerlands.

Only his House had a standing army and that was because he established it after fighting in wars and shattering the power of the Noble Houses of Westerlands that gained too much power under the rule of his father.

And he could see that the soldiers before him were the epitome of discipline and power.

"Presenting, his Imperial Majesty, The Emperor, Emperor of the Empire, Lord High Magistrate of Anor Londo, Elector Count of the Reikland, the Lord of Sunlight and Cinder, Royarch of the Lordran, Heir of the Old Blood, Lord of the Ancients and the Chosen One of the Great Ones, his Holy Imperial Majesty of The Empire, Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor."

After the chamberlain said several titles and very long names of the foreign Monarch, everyone saw the Emperor of The Empire walking down from the ship, surrounded by several white-armored knights with long white cloaks.

Even Tywin thought it was a pretty lot of titles for one person and the introduction was even longer than for the King of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. Still, there was one thing that he noticed about the Emperor of The Empire was that he looked very young, not older than twenty-five and he had shining golden eyes.

"Greetings, Your Imperial Majesty."

Tywin Lannister was quick to greet Emperor as he bowed slightly, to which Karl-Franz nodded his head and acknowledged him as fellow Noble.

"I am Tywin Lannister of House Lannister, Head of the House. Lord of the Casterly Rock, Hand of the King, Shield of Lannisport and Warden of the West and Lord Paramount of Westerlands.

From the information that the House Russ-Stark had in their archives about the Westeros, he knew that the House Lannister was one of the most powerful Houses within the Westeros and they were the Royal House of the Westerlands...

Apparently, it seemed that someone managed to unify the Seven Kingdoms under their rule.

"While certainly the formalities are appreciated, I think we can cut these things and go straight to the matter..."

The Emperor Karl Franz stated frankly that he himself wasn't a big fan of formalities, especially when he had just now spent several weeks on the ship.

"Of course, then allow me to host a banquet for your arrival..."

Tywin Lannister stated just as dictated the noble protocol and Karl Franz didn't refuse because he wanted to eat and relax a bit after the arduous journey to the Westeros.

The Lord of the Casterly Rock saw that the Emperor was a rather straightforward person; thus, he decided to act appropriately for the situation. At the same time, acting naturally and not behaving like the spineless cowards in The King's Landing was a bit refreshing.

"Kevan... keep city close and monitor every known spy... if someone decides to try something, kill them. And also... keep Tyrion as far from the delegation as possible; he would create just embarrassment for the House Lannister."

Tywin instantly issued a few commands to his younger brother Kevan Lannister who was together with him on the inspection of the Lannisport.

"Of course, brother. Should I send someone for Cersei?"

He asked as Tywin's eyes glinted with opportunity, nodding his head in agreement; afterward, he returned back to the people from the Empire, as he needed to learn more and play a good host.

"Lord Tywin, this is Knight-Kommandant of the Silver Knights, Ornstein the Dragonslayer of; he is head of the Silver Knight Order numbering 40,000 Silver Knights till this day.."

Karl Franz introduced the golden armored knight who was holding a huge golden halbert, with the title of "Dragonslayer" which nobody would take seriously. Not even him, but he didn't dare to voice his doubts because that could offend the foreign ruler.

And he had some plans in his mind; the cogs of scheming were already spinning.

"I can see that you have some doubts about it..."

Karl Franz said with a laugh as Tywin Lannister's expression frowned a bit before he attempted to say something, only to be cut off by Emperor Karl Franz.

"It is good to have doubts... it means that you are thinking for yourself and for your doubts; indeed, Ornstein did kill one of the Great Wyrms, not like the wyverns that are roaming the continent of Essos."

Karl Franz said with disdain as he mentioned the wyverns because people rarely knew the differences between the True Dragons and Wyverns that were used by the Valyrians.

Aside from some scholars across the Westeros and Essos, practically nobody would bother with differences. For most, if not all, they were all dragons and the same thing...

And thus, both Karl Franz and Tywin Lannister were discussing many topics, mainly exchanging pleasantries, while checking out each other, measuring personalities and how to act around each other.

Despite Karl Franz's jovial speech and uncaring attitude, Tywin could see beneath the mask of a young-looking ruler of the seemingly enormous nation known just as Empire; he saw ruthlessness matching that of his own.

The predator will recognize another predator and that was a truth. During his discussion with Tywin Lannister, Karl Franz learned how outdated their intelligence on the political state of the known world was.

The sole things that they knew came from the archives of the Elector Counts of Grand Duchy of Fenris ruled by House Russ-Stark. It was an old house founded several thousand years ago by a man known as Brandon Stark and Astrid Russ, daughter of Leman Russ.

Soon enough, they arrived at the castle that was overseeing the port city of Lannisport, surrounded by the Silver Knights, Lannister Soldiers and a few of the Sternritter.

It wasn't that impressive compared to the structures and buildings in the Lordran, especially the castles, but it contained a certain degree of old beauty that was already lost to the wheels of progress in Lordran.

Meanwhile, Emperor was talking with Lord Lannister; Grand Marshall Ornstein was having a pleasant conversation with the younger brother of mentioned Lord as they were having a talk about the military and other things.

"If it is not rude to ask, but is His Majesty married?"

Kevan knew that his older brother intended to have Cersei marry the Emperor if possible because it would create ties with the foreign kingdom and it seemed that the show of power convinced his brother.

Even the armor that the ordinary Knights wore was delicately and masterfully crafted, looking like something that not even most of the Lords in the Seven Kingdoms would be able to buy with all of their money.

"No, he is not... he has yet to take any wife, though, for the last decades, he had been close to the Lady Maria Vileblood of the Astral Clock Tower."

Ornstein answered, not really seemingly thinking about what he said because he didn't really care about the implications of his words. But as a Lannister, even though Kevan Lannister wasn't his brother, he understood many things from the answer provided.

The first thing, apparently, longevity was a thing among the newcomers or at least a part of them, and another thing that he caught was polygamy was also a thing in the Empire. Which certainly wasn't false, but mainly for the most powerful people within the Empire.

"Lady Maria?"

Because he knew that his brother would try to marry his daughter to the Emperor, Kevan Lannister needed to obtain some more information.

"Yes, she is the most dazzling talent and treasure of the Empire, the most talented warrior that the Empire has produced for the past centuries. Prized pupil of the Gehrman the First Hunter and daughter of High Lord Magistrate Annalise Vileblood of Cainhurst... in the Empire, if there is one person worthy of the title Empress then it would be Lady Maria."

Warrior women were not common at Westeros, mainly because the Faith of Seven considered such things barbaric, but at the same time, Kevan Lannister couldn't help but be astonished hearing such praise from the Ornstein, who evidently slayed a True Dragon on his own.

'It seems that this would be a big obstacle... Cersei will have strong competitors; from what I have seen and heard, their entire nation revolves around Military Service and fighting.'

Kevan Lannister thought while Ornstein answered what he could, though, at the same time, the Grand Marshall had been extracting information about the military powers of the known world from the younger brother of Lord Lannister.

Behind him, one of the Scholars of Byrgenwrth was talking with the local scholars known as Maesters and exchanging information about the history, languages and geography of the Lands of Ancients, Lordran.

***

MC POV

In the Lordran, dealing with Nobles was much easier because everyone was used to solving all matters with their fists... On the Lands of Lordran, there was an unwritten rule for anyone to solve their dispute, which sounded: "Might makes right"...

One big plus around the entire situation was at least Tywin Lannister was able to read my intentions and was rather casual with me, at least...

Unfortunately, the things I remembered from the canonical events of the A Song of Ice and Fire almost equaled zero. During a few centuries, one would forget a lot, especially if there are far more important things to learn during the centuries.

Even though I wasn't be politician around, I knew what was happening right now because from the bits of canon I remembered about the ASOIAF and reading Tywin Lannister, it was easy to get to the result.

His aim, in the end, was to tie the Empire to House Lannister to obtain something for his House; he was the person who cared for the glory of his Hosue, the Inheritance of his House the most in his life.

And if I was correct, then sooner or later, he would try to arrange a marriage between myself and his daughter Cersei to establish strong ties between us. Probably for that reason, he sent his younger brother to Ornstein to gather information.

Ornstein indeed didn't fail and provided everything that Lord Lannister wanted to know, but at the same time, by spilling the beans and telling him a bit about my personal life, he was able to gather information about the military powers of all factions within Westeros and Essos.

In truth, I wasn't that much against marrying Cersei Lannister... she could be summarized by words as a mad ruthless bitch, but at the same time, she was my exact type. From the shows, she was my favorite, not only for her beauty and but she was smart, not the smartest, but she was very ambitious and competent.

The only thing I will need to take care of would be Maria back home... and maybe Rosie, but being alibistic as I am, I will let them deal with it themselves. In the Empire and the entirety of the Lordran, polygamy was common, especially among the nobility and the bearers of the Old Blood.

We were in the castle of the Lannisport while the servants were already in full preparations, while Tywin Lannister was keeping me company until he excused himself for a bit. I knew that he went to his brother, probably to hear what Kevan Lannister learned from Ornstein.

"Your Majesty."

I heard a voice that belonged to one of the Scholars of Byrgenwerth that were part of the expeditions. All Scholars of Byrgenwerth were the pinnacle of researchers and Sorcerers of the Lordran.

They were an organization that sought the truth of the world, no matter the cost. As a result, most of them have detached themselves from the mundane in pursuit of knowledge that would further Lordran's heights.

"What it is, High Scholar?"

High Scholar Jinfarah was an old-looking man and he didn't just look old, he was really old... and when I meant really old, then I meant countless years. To a degree where even he himself forgot about his age, it was a wonder that he could even move without falling apart or crumbling to dust.

"I was having a pleasant talk with the Maester and he told me that they have mined a weird ore in the metal... a description fitting Dimeritium and apparently, they have even large number of Lacrima Crystals, even though they have absolutely no idea for their use."

High Scholar Jinfarah stated as he stroked his long beard, leaning over his magic stave while I frowned a bit, but soon enough, I grinned because this increased the importance of the Westerlands several times over.

Originally, our aim was to establish some minor trade and have some time to wait for the right opportunity to initiate an expedition into the Lands of Always Winter to mine resources.

The so-called True North would be our first colony, not to mention the Valyria was brimming with treasures.

"I will keep that in mind High Scholar."

This indeed changed the game because the importance of Westeros suddenly rose from Level 1 to at least Level 3, possibly Level 4, if the quantities of Dimeritium and Lacrima were high.

Easily the partnership with the Westerlands could become of strategic importance to the Lordran, mainly due to the presence of precious ores. Lordran was always in need of metal and Lacrimas.

And while our own veins were huge, it wouldn't be bad to have another source; at least we could spend the gold that is right now constantly growing in the Imperial Vauls and Treasuries.

***

3rd POV

As Karl Franz predicted, the first thing that Tywin Lannister did when he excused himself was to consult his younger brother Kevan on things he learned during the conversation with golden armored knight Ornstein the Dragon Slayer.

He took every bit of information and soon enough, he decided to proceed with his chances to marry his daughter to the Emperor of the Empire. At the same time, he drew another plan in his mind which was to prolong his own life.

Humans were greedy creatures that always wanted to have more than they had. Even the ancient Valyrians could not live for centuries, though they had far longer lifespans than a lesser man, but unfortunately, their methods were lost with the Doom of Valyria.

In another room, after being told the news, the daughter of Tywin Lannister was throwing a tantrum for a moment before she calmed herself after some time.

Her temper tantrum was coming from the fact that the man her father intended for her would most probably take more than one wife, but she was deeply aware that, in the end, she was just a tool for her family and nothing more.

Cersei Lannister was a strikingly beautiful woman with curly golden hair, emerald green eyes, fair skin and a slender, graceful figure. She wore a fine gown of black silk with red rubies sewn into the bodice as her father ordered her to wear her best clothes.

"I don't want to see anything that would put shame on our House; bear yourself straight... maybe you would be pleasantly surprised."

She heard his father humm as he then led her to another room, where the man whom her father wanted her to marry was already waiting. The introducement would be done before the banquet officially started.

***

MC POV

"What is happening, High Scholar?"

I asked the High Scholar Jinfarah while I was relaxing in the lobby while waiting for our host to return and for the banquet to start. The High Scholar Jinfarah was sitting on the sofa opposite me as we were having a discussion about the Arcane Magic.

Though several seconds earlier, the old man's eyes suddenly gleamed in dark purple color as if he sensed something.

"I sense something, Your Majesty... a Blood Curse probably... though I don't know from where."

Suddenly I stopped in my tracks because the Blood Curses were very dangerous things, especially in the Lordran...

"Be vigilant and send someone to summon a few Templars and Scholars; I am not feeling safe knowing that there is someone with Blood Curse moving through these walls..."

It was not the cursed person whom I feared, but rather the one who issued such a curse...

Blood Curses were extremely dangerous, especially if the blood was willingly given; it could have disastrous consequences for one's life and fate. For that, I would rather have a few Templar Knight Executioners from the Healing Church...

High Scholar Jinfahara immediately carried out my orders; just at this moment, I could see that Tywin Lannister, together with his brother, returned, but they didn't return alone...

I had to admit that Tywin's daughter Cersei was beautiful, far beyond her age and mesmerizing at the same time.

It was a different type of beauty compared to that of Maria Vileblood.

"Your Majesty, allow me to introduce my daughter, Cersei."

He said as I went up to her, gave her a deep bow in the style of Imperial Nobility, and gently kissed her hand as she blushed at it.

"Greetings, my fair lady. Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor, the Emperor of The Empire and Royarch of the Lordran at your service... though you may call me Karl Franz."

I introduced myself, as she was mesmerized by my appearance, which I had to admit that I had a certain sort of ethereal beauty; some may even consider me androgynous with my long blonde hair...

Meanwhile, I introduced myself to Tywin and his daughter Cersei, whom I would most probably marry in the future, depending on if we get to know each other, but I could see my attraction to her already...

"Your Majesty, I believe that I found the source of the Blood Curse..."

Suddenly I heard High Scholar Jinfahar say as his staff shone with dark purple color, to which everyone was instantly attracted. Even though Magic was clearly not the thing in Westeros, neither of the Lannisters could have a different explanation for it.

"Splendidly... who is it?"

I asked as an elderly scholar pointed his stave at the young woman to whom I was talking, as every pair of eyes looked directly at her. Especially her uncle and father were both horrified and anxious about the situation and I could see that Tywin was about to burst...

That man really had a "good" temper.

***

- "And this was how I met your mother."

Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor to his children with Cersei Holswig-Schliestein von Rekland de Anor

 

[ATP]

Interesting,please continue.And do not follow canon,if crossing stories made it unlikely.
I read too much stories on fanfiction.net where powerfull SI appear/usually beautifull boobzilla/ ,and...Ned still lost his head,as well as Robb,and only difference in the end was Jon Snow new waifu.

 

[Trafford]

Codex: Ten Commandments of the Silver Knights of The Empire

The Code of Chivalry of the Silver Knights that every Knight of the Empire must follow. These commandments are an integral part of Imperial society and government and are often used to dictate the actions of the Imperial Noble.

1st Commandment: To serve the Great Ones and worship the Old Blood

2nd Commandment: Bear true allegiance to His Holy Imperial Majesty, The Holy Imperator

3rd Commandment: Work to promote the unity of the Empire, even at the cost of individual liberty

4th Commandment: Defend the domains of the Empire and expand the glory of the Empire too beyond

5th Commandment: Protect the weak and fight for the right

6th Commandment: Always fight the enemies of virtue and order

7th Commandment: Never give up the fight until the foe be defeated

8th Commandment: Never to break Faith with a friend or ally

9th Commandment: Honor and valor are reserved for allies; death is judgment for the enemies in battle everything is permitted

10th Commandment: Root out and destroy Greenskins, the Beasts, the Daemons, servants of False Gods, those who corrupt the Arcane, and purge the Heretic, Mutant and Unclean, wherever they may hide.

***

Some time earlier, Lannisport Castle

After they returned to the Castle of the Lannisport, Tywin Lannister went to fetch his daughter to give her the newest instructions. From what he saw about the Imperial Delegation, he knew that they were the real deal.

An actual Empire ruling over a continent behind the Sunset Sea... Just the procession of fifty humongous warships and the smell of an army of thousands of Knights that came with it was enough to affirm him in his decision.

From what he could see, the Holy Arcadia Empire was highly militaristic and appreciated competency and merits, especially personal abilities and capabilities. Those who contributed well would be rewarded and those who did not...

From the little talks with the Imperator, he found out that even the Noble Houses of the Empire would be stripped of their privileges and titles if they didn't perform well in managing their territories and contributing to the state.

Not to mention, even though Tywin Lannister hated to admit it, he knew that their civilization was way ahead compared to that of Westeros. Just looking at the craftsmanship and power of their weapons and armor would put them maybe even centuries ahead.

"I have found you a match... You will be at your best behavior possible, and if you dare to sabotage this..."

Tywin Lannister said to his daughter in the castle's solar when he called for her to tell her a few things. He will use the connection to the Empire to strengthen the Westerlands to become the most powerful Kingdom within Westeros.

Be it in the Military, Economic, or the so-called Industrial area, as the Imperials called it.

"So, to whom did you decide to ship me off?"

She asked patronizingly at her father's command. Deep inside, she hated being treated like this just because she was a woman. Just because of her gender, she was meant to be forever a broodmare for children and a tool for political alliances.

"As you may have noticed... we have very special guests beyond the Sunset Sea and the entire port is swarming with their behemoth-like warships."

He stated sternly, having enough of his daughter's behavior.

"The man I have chosen is the Emperor of the foreign power and just troops that brought with him on the voyage are not even a fraction of his military might and yet would be enough to contend against some Kingdoms of Westeros with this alone."

He knew his daughter very well; she was rebellious, wanted to train like Knight when she was younger and had a full head of other nonsensical things.

"I don't care what you think, Cersei... I brought you here in hopes that I could wed you to the Emperor Karl Franz and I will make that happen. Rhaegar is married to Dornish Princess, which cut out the path to the Iron Throne... let Aerys keep that piece of scrap iron."

He stood up from his seat and motioned his daughter to follow him, which she did as he pointed at enormous warships bearing the sigil of skulls with griffons and hammers bearing the Sigil of The Empire.

"Do you see that? Fleet strong like that would destroy the Ironborns like children and on top of that, they have thousands of Knights and apparently also Wizards with real Magic, not some paltry tricks... not to mention their longevity...."

The Lord Paramount of Westerlands looked at the fleet of the Empire, and even though Cersei was young and not very educated in the matters of state, politics and military because in Westeros, women were not in positions of power.

Be it from the point of Faith of Seven are One or from the traditions of the Nobility of Westerosi.

"Your Job is to secure the favor of the Emperor at any cost. I have already found out that he already has one fianceé in his homeland and due to the fact that polygamy is common, he will have no problem taking multiple wives at that."

He stated sternly as his daughter frowned, but seeing the eyes of her father, which were drilled into her very own soul, she remained silent. Tywin meanwhile knew that Karl Franz was engaged to Lady Maria Vileblood, daughter of Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood, ruler of Cainhurst.

She herself was the most fearsome warrior in the entire Empire and while it was weird for the Westerosi standards to see women fight and Faith of Seven considered it barbaric, he couldn't help but have certain respect.

Every member to whom he spoke only held two feelings towards Lady Maria.

Reverence and Fear.

He knew that his daughter would have strong concurrent, but he didn't doubt that she would succeed...

She was Lannister, a proud lion.

"Right now, there are no suitable bachelors in Westeros, aside from a few less savory ones, and we don't have enough interests in the Essos to search for a match there. You cannot marry one of the bannerman, for that you are a too precious a tool."

Hearing that, Cersei frowned and her expression morphed into several shades of anger, but deep inside, she knew that resisting was futile. In the end, as long as she was in Westeros, she would be nothing more than a glorified child bearer and bargaining chip to strengthen her House.

"So, I expect for you to gain the favor of Imperator Karl Franz so he decides to agree to my proposal and we could benefit from it... be it military power, riches or longevity of their Religion."

Tywin Lannister wasn't a very religious man; in fact, he hated Gods for taking his beloved wife from him when that little monster was born. Yet, he couldn't help but be shocked when he found that those who worshipped the Healing Church and drank the Old Blood could easily live centuries.

Even the Emperor himself was more than five hundred years old, despite not looking older than thirty. That was way longer than the entire Targaryen Dynasty in the Seven Kingdoms.

***

"Now, before anyone could start screaming and shouting, let's all calm down and resolve this situation in a more civilized way."

I stated calmly when I saw that Tywin Lannister was already going to burst out in anger, though fortunately, there were almost no people in the vicinity. At least that was good or the poor servants would end up dead so that nobody would spread rumors about the House Lannister.

Even though, from what I could see, Magic in Westeros was already being slowly reduced to myth and legend, they still understood the significance of the Blood Curse and to hear that the daughter of Lord Paramount was cursed would be a severe blow to his reputation.

This would be a severe blow for someone as prideful as Tywin Lannister, who put the reputation of his Lineage far above everything else. Not to mention, when he noticed how the people of the Empire reacted to it, he knew that he would be an embarrassment before the foreign power.

Meanwhile, the person in question, who was the epicenter of the attention, was right now shaking in fear; nobody knew what... it could be the way her father was looking at her with a stern and piercing gaze.

Ort the High Scholar Jinfarah, who was looking at her with some kind of curiosity and practically every single person in the room was turning their gaze on her way. I went to her and put my right hand on her shoulder, signaling her to calm down.

"Calm down, just breathe and calm yourself... while the Blood Curse could be problematic, it is nothing that the Healing Church Church or our Wizards won't be able to resolve."

I said calmly as I saw that Cersei was looking down, not meeting my gaze, but she was considerably calmer compared to moments ago.

"Now, the most important question... did you give someone your Blood willingly in the past? Especially to some Magic user?"

This was the most important thing to find out because we would be much more hard-pressed without locating the person who cast the Blood Curse. The sole good thing about the entire situation was that the person who cast the Blood Curse wasn't particularly powerful.

If the spell caster was more powerful, then they would need to think of another strategy to get rid of it.

***

3rd POV

After Karl Franz calmed down everyone, the young Lannister started recalling the events of what happened and hearing that brought various reactions. Her father was visibly enraged; Karl Franz listened attentively while the old wizard frowned or a bit before he grimaced more deeply.

After his encouragement, she started retelling the story of how she went to someone called Maggy the Frog and got a prophecy from her after she gave the witch her Blood. Hearing that, High Scholar Jinfarah frowned deeply because he could see that the young girl was technically scammed...

"I must say, young lady, that all things that the witch told you are lies... in the first place, to make a prophecy, one doesn't need blood."

After everything was said, the elderly member of the Scholars of Bryngenwerth stated.

"So now what... what should we do?"

The Lord of the Castrerly Rock broke the silence when he saw that his daughter was on the verge of an emotional breakdown after she started crying, leaning over Emperor Karl-Franz for support.

Even though Tywin Lannister always seemed cold and distant, he truly loved his eldest children, Cersei and Jamie.

"We need to find this Maggy the Frog... that would be the first step... after securing her, we can break the Blood Curse."

High Scholar Jinfarah stated, not even looking at the Lord of the Casterly Rock, though the Wizards were known for their eccentric behavior and in The Holy Arcadia Empire, personal strength was far more valued than noble titles.

"She is the fortune teller from Lannisport who dealt in cures and love potions. We can assume that 'Maggy' is not even her true name, but most likely a bastardization of the word 'maegi', a term for women from Essoss who practice Blood Magic."

Hearing Kevan Lannister speak that even made several people from The Holy Arcadia Empire look at them with a certain degree of mockery because they were even that someone like her was living in their city and did nothing about it at all.

In the Empire, there were very strict laws regulating Magic users and against the servants of the foul powers, there was no mercy. They would be hunted down immediately after they appeared so they couldn't corrupt their nation.

"Then find her and bring her here... for that, I will send a few Templar Knights to help you in this endeavor."

Karl-Franz said because he wanted to be sure that Maggy the Frog was caught and he had a feeling that if it was left up to more mundane means, she would escape. Magic users, as a whole, were very problematic to deal with.

"Fear the Old Blood... As the Old Blood is the path to the Ascension by the Great Ones, praise the Great Ones!"

Just then, everyone heard the voice of one of the men who arrived at the meeting room. Garbed in the white clothes of a priest, bearing the sigil of the Great Ones and a grail-like object filled with Blood, with people bowing around it and three flowers around it in a pyramid pattern.

"Praise the Great Ones, Father."

The man before them, who arrived with several others, were from the Templar Knight Executioners, the Holy Knight Executioners of the Healing Church. They were superhumans of the Healing Church with physical strength no less than Ogres and standing on the same level as the Reiksgarde.

Now, seeing them there, everyone grew a bit tense because, from a brief contact that the Westerosi had with the Imperials, it was clear that almost everyone was a religious fanatic; their reverence for their religion was...

To absolute extreme as they worshipped the Religion of the Great Ones.

"Praise the Great Ones, The Chosen One."

The Church Executioners bowed to Emperor Karl-Franz.

"Lord Lannister, this is Father Galahad of the Healing Church, and behind him are the Holy Knight Executioners... they will accompany your soldiers to ensure that the witch is safely caught."

Karl-Franz stated that even Tywin Lannister agreed with this because there was no time to debate his own stance towards religions, but it was time to act. And it seemed that the Templar Executioners were the best to deal with the Magic users.

With that, Tywin ordered some of his men to go and lead the Templar Executioners to find Maggy the Frog as fast as possible. Nobody dared to be a tad slower as the armed men quickly departed to finish their tasks.

***

MC POV

As I watched the Church Executioners depart, I sat down and started praying.

Before my reincarnation, I was an atheist or agnostic; I never believed in God, or rather, I believed in something that was transcending our understanding of the Cosmos, but I didn't know what it was.

Only after I met the Great Ones, I saw the Truth, obtaining the Isight and saw the depths of the Cosmos, something that the mortals could never achieve. One could say that I became a religious fanatic of the Great Ones.

Because even though all the horrors I experienced for whatever reason, probably not more than their own entertainment, it was still worth... at least this world is far more interesting than boring, mundane life on Earth.

Not talking about the endless possibilities that the Cosmos is bringing to us.

I sat down on the nearby sofa and started praying to the Formless God of Blood Oedon, the main God of the Great Ones, the one that we all worshipped and the one that I met personally and got the Old Blood from him.

Other people in the room either dispersed or returned to their matters. It seemed that with the revelation of Lord Tywin's daughter being Blood Cursed by some witch destroyed the festive mood for the banquet.

Lord Tywin, together with his brother, went to take care of some other things, or they were talking with other members of the Imperial delegation to Westeros. The High Scholar Jinfarah was already collecting information about Westeros and politics once again.

"You can sit down next to me if you wish..."

Even though my eyes closed, I knew that Cersei Lannister was standing before me and observing me for more than a minute. With my trans-human senses, it was almost impossible to miss out.

She nervously fidgeted when she heard my voice, but soon enough, she sat down next to me as I was still praying. I could tell that she was still nervous from being studied like an object by High Scholar Jinfarah, but that was normal...

Those of Bryngenwerth didn't care for anything aside from pursuing the deepest mysteries of Truth.

"You seemed to be very nervous, my Lady."

I said mildly when I looked at her sitting down next to me.

"And you seem to be very religious, Your Majesty."

I could hear the nervousness in her voice, stress, anger, hatred, pain and sadness all in one, yet it also contained a longing for comfort. Certainly, I was very good at reading people with Insight; there was nothing that could escape my attention and my "eyes".

"Yes... The Empire stands strong on the Steel, Faith and Magic."

Slowly saying, I finished my prayer as I looked directly into her eyes; for a moment, I admired her beauty... even though she was only fifteen, she was very beautiful for her age...

"Let me tell you a story..."

I began slowly to tell.

"There was once a City that discovered in Ancient Tombs what they called the Blood of the Gods. Those who drank it or were injected with the Blood grew stronger, faster, more powerful, had great healing capability..."

I said... before her eyes, I took my dagger from my waist and cut deeply before her shocked and horrifying eyes that turned into wonder when she saw such injury being healed in a matter of not even seconds.

"And granted almost complete protection from diseases and plagues. Those who drank the Blood would live longer; overcoming centuries with no problem for them and some even discovered that they could tap into the Arcane Energy and obtain various supernatural abilities."

I made a pause as I showed her that my hand was fully healed, and it looked like nothing happened to it.

"But yet, without Faith and with greed, it led only to the disaster. The people who drank the Blood from the Ancient Tombs in their endless avarice in pursuit of power and greater evolution began to be corrupted by the very own power they sought, whose willpower failed and who were overcome by their greed were turned into nothing more than endless beasts that plagued the lands of Lordran."

It certainly brought back some memories, not happy ones, but they certainly were good in some twisted sense.

"Thus, one of the first expeditions to the Ancient Tombs decided to establish a religion to worship the beings from whom the Blood came and to see if the humans could become something greater. And when the Formless God of Blood Oedon sent down the Chosen One, the Healing Church was established, and the corruption began to fade."

As was my part with the Great Ones...

"Those with strong Faith in the Great Ones would never have to fear the corruption of the Old Blood and could enjoy all the benefits... as long as they genuinely believed in the Great Ones, everything was possible. So, yes, my Lady, I am very religious; from a person to not believing in anything to a Chosen One of Great Ones is a great step..."

I swore that I could hear her gasp at my revelation, not that it was some kind of secret because, in the Lordran, it was common knowledge, as I bore the mark of Oedon, the Rune tattooed on my body.

Indeed, life was full of twists and surprises... sometimes they were indeed shocking, even for my own tastes.

"We are born of the Blood, made men by the Blood, undone by the Blood. Our eyes are yet to open. Fear the Old Blood."

***

Streets of Lannisport, some time later.

After the soldiers were sent to apprehend the witch known as Maggy the Frong, Tywin Lannister also ordered the entire Lannisport to be locked down for the time being.

It was of utmost importance that nobody left the city and the witches were known for their craftiness and scheming nature. It was no doubt that she would try to escape, but for that, he already mobilized several hundreds of Red Guards.

Among the Lord Paramounts, the standing military was non-existent and the sole military strength that the Houses possessed was that of their own Household Guards.

Tywin Lannister always wished to build a standing military of the Westerlands that would be solely loyal to the House Lannister and he was already working on it, albeit a bit slowly for his tastes.

It would achieve two things... for the first one, it would drastically strengthen the might of Westerlands and for the second, it would weaken the power and influence of individual Noble Houses.

Now that he had seen the professional military of the Holy Arcadia Empire and how it operated and when he talked with the Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knights Ornstein, he was determined to do the same, even if it meant openly copying the structure of the Imperial Military.

"Is it here?"

Father Galahad asked while readying his sword. He was surrounded by two Church Executioners of the Healing Church, several Silver Knights and a whole bunch of Lannister's Reg Guards.

"Yes."

The captain of the Lannisport's City Guards answered rather nervously because something didn't really sit well with him.

From what he was told, they were going to apprehend an old woman and yet there were several people for that, giving him a far more dangerous feeling than Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane.

But he was just the captain of the City Guards and it was not his place to question the order of his Lord, not to mention the people leading their group looked like religious fanatics even more than those mad worshippers of Faith of Seven.

"Then let's start."

Father Galahad ordered because he could smell the foulness of the Blood Magic in here, practices that went against the teaching of the Healing Church, committing the vilest of the heresies.

Suddenly, before he could open the door, he felt something was wrong, like, very, very wrong right now.

"This is..."

***

MC POV, Castle of Lannisport

After I finished my prayer to the Great Ones, it appeared that Tywin ordered his daughter to make a tour of the castle for me, but at the same time, I could see that she was very uncomfortable with all of this.

The first thing was that her father was enraged with her for her entire affair with the Maggy the Frog and right now, she was being practically sold to a stranger. Yet, in the short time of vulnerability, she said that she wanted real power, not just to become a glorified broodmare for her husband.

"Now that we are alone, please drop that mask of pure, innocent lady... not that you are very good at maintaining it..."

I said to her once we were in a place where nobody could see or hear us; aside from that, the entire area was protected by the Reiksgarde, so nobody would even dare to peek at us. As I said that, I could see that Cersei scowled a bit...

"And so what? Everybody in this stupid country is looking at me like three holes to be fucked and one to spit out children... From what am I different from a glorified prostitute? My father sees me just a tool to strengthen the House Lannister; the Faith of Seven sees me just like an obedient cocksleeve and nothing more and nothing less."

She immediately fired; probably, it was a good idea to talk to her on equal ground without any pretensions. At the same time, I was pleased with her response, even though her vocabulary was a bit more vulgar.

"Yes, it is... compared to The Holy Arcadia Empire, your society is backward, stupid and primitive. The fact that you are a woman doesn't make you any less valuable... while here in Westeros, you would always be nothing more than just a trophy wife, without real power, without martial prowess, without political influence, without the opportunity to do actually do something, in the Empire there would be countless possibilities."

Thus, I started telling her about The Lordran, that she could do whatever she wished if she ever married me...

"I can see the ambition behind your beautiful emerald eyes; I know the type of people like you, maybe even better than you know yourself... You want power, power for its own sake, power to be used and wielded. You want it not because it is a duty, not because it is a burden that you must take up, but to fill the emptiness inside you Cersei, the knowledge that you were born the wrong gender."

I could see that she started shaking either from anger or from the sole fact that I was able to read her like a book. Certainly, some bits that I remembered from the canon of ASOIAF helped a bit, but most importantly, during my long life, I have learned to read people.

And read them very well...

"And do you know what?... There is nothing wrong about wanting more power as long as you use it responsibly."

I said as her eyes shot towards me very quickly.

"What do you know about power? About ruling? I seriously doubt that your father would actually teach you something usable; in the end from what I have seen and heard, it is not a trend..."

Her eyes were wandering around me and in truth, I could see that maybe I was a bit hard on her with my speech?

Probably yes, considering the fact she was fourteen, but at the same time, I needed to break her arrogance and pride, or else it would become a real problem at a later date.

"And If I married, you could do I what I wish?"

She asked me after sitting there several minutes in silence straight away, pondering over my previous words.

"You could also become a warrior of renowned prowess if you wished so... even though you have not trained for a long, anyone experienced could tell that you have good basics of swordsmanship."

I said as she stopped in her tracks; something that nobody knew, but when they were younger, she would often switch places with her brother. As they were twins, they could easily pass as each other...

"One of the most powerful and renowned warriors of the Empire these days is a woman too... Lady Maria."

I could see that her eyes glinted when I mentioned Lady Maria, though, at the same time, I had two motives for mentioning her.

One of them was to motivate her that her gender was not something that dictated her future and simultaneously to see her reaction if I revealed that I was close to another woman.

Not to mention, her father for sure already mentioned this information to her, but weirdly enough, while I saw there a hint of jealousy, it was aimed most at the fact that Maria was still able to become one of the most powerful warriors within the Empire despite being a woman.

"Father told me that polygamy is commonly practiced in the Empire."

We both were sitting on a sofa with a clear view of the Lannisport, though from this view, it was a beautiful city for the standards of Westeros. In Westeros, polygamy was not commonly seen, even amongst the nobility, mainly because the Faith of Seven was against it and considered it barbaric.

At the same time, I considered Fath of Seven as the basic definition of barbarism... quite ironic.

"Indeed, especially among the Greater Houses Lord High Magistrates and Elector Counts... and also among the Hunters. For the people of the Old Blood, it is hard to have offspring and the higher Level of your Old Blood is, the harder it is to have a child..."

I said with some sort of sorrow...

Never in my life would I have thought that I would want to marry and have children with Maria... we have been intimate for a few decades already, since the anniversary celebrations at Cainhurst, but there were no signs of her being pregnant.

At this point, it was clear that Tywin Lannister intended for her to marry me, and in truth, I will agree... not only due to Insight but from what I talked with her, she was beautiful, scheming, talented, and ambitious.

A rough diamond.

The Insight was the gift from the Great Ones, Sha Naqba Imuru: The Omniscient Omnipotent Star, the one who saw the deep, and with it, I can see many things from countless futures, and I saw a certain one here.

The Insight was the thing that made my decision in this matter much easier, as it was never wrong...

Yes, she had some problems with her temperament and low cunning, but she was a rough diamond that everyone ignored just because she was female. And it was clear that Cersei wanted to prove everyone wrong...

I like that confidence.

After tutelage by Annalise Vileblood on the topic of politics and Gehrman in the area of martial training, she would become a force to reckon with. With her mind no inferior to her father, as the old lion was a good schemer and strategist and with her martial prowess no inferior to any Hunter.

"You are like a rough diamond, my Lady... you have very good predispositions to become someone truly great if you overcome your issues with anger and learn to be better at cunning..."

Saying that, I could see her scowl, but after some time she spent with me, she had to admit that I was right. I was probably the first person who treated her for who she really was, and not for who she was supposed to be.

Everyone would certainly fear the daughter of Tywin Lannister because of the deeds he did and the things he achieved, but I did not.

"So, what do you think? Would I be a good partner? And please... when you answer, tell me your honest thoughts and not some bullshit."

I said because I decided to be more proactive.

"I think we can come to an agreement and forgive me for my crass language, Your Majesty, but fuck my father and the old traditions... I want to be my own person who will dictate my own fate."

She said after some time with a roaring passion that was very attractive to me...

"Not to mention... I find you very amicable and handsome, Your Majesty... though..."

She said very straightforwardly with a slight blush as I chuckled at that.

"Though you fear how it would be if I had two wives? Or do you fear for our children that they will kill each other for the Throne or what?"

I knew exactly what she wanted to say... it was common among the nobility of Westeros and Essos to have such kinds of things, especially with the Faith of Seven having a very hard stance on the bastard children born without marriage.

"Then you don't need to fear anything. Maria is a very nice woman who would certainly appreciate sister-wife and I would love all of our children equally. And to the last thing, it is not possible because when I retire, the Emperor will be voted among the candidates of the Imperial House and only the one with the highest achievements and who is most competent would become the Emperor."

She slowly nodded at that, calming down considerably at my assurances.

Not to mention, my marriage with Cersei as a bonus would allow me to have reason to meddle with the Westerosi affairs and, at the same time, open doors to participate in some canon events that I could barely remember.

***

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[ATP]

Possibility of many waifus? Lyanna as another Pokemon to be tamed !

 

[Trafford]

"My twin brother has his sword and my imp of a brother on the other hand, has his mind... but I have my sword and my looks, yet I don't lack a mind, so don't take me for a fool. I know that Seven Kingdoms is far too in debt... indebted to House Lannister of Westeros, Elector Count House Gausser and Iron Bank of Braavos... so why should Empire lend you money?"

- Cersei Lannister Holswig-Schliestein speaking to a delegation of Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, Anor Londo, Year 297 AC of Westeros Calendar / Year 10,297 Age of Old Blood of Lordranese Calendar

***

Codex: Introduction to the Nobility of the Empire

In the modern Empire, there are four Ranks of Nobility that one could achieve.

As The Empire was a system based on Meritocratic Principles, among others, it was possible even for commoners to be elevated to the Nobility as long as they fulfilled the requirements; originally, even some of the Great Houses of the Empire stemmed from commoners.

From the lowest to highest, the Noble Ranks were: Grand Paladin, Baron, Viceroy, Elector Count and High Lord Magistrate.

Grand Paladins, Barons and Viceroys were collectively termed as Lesser Houses, while the Elector Counts and High Lord Magistrates were termed Greater Houses of The Empire.

***

"Your Majesty!"

Suddenly, as we were talking, I saw one of the Reiksgarde Knights burst into the room. I frowned deeply because something was wrong, and Cersei was very annoyed that someone had destroyed our pleasant bonding atmosphere.

"What has happened?"

I asked the stressed Reiksgarde Knight.

"Message from Father Galahad... he sensed Daemonic Aura in the lair of the witch and... it belongs to the Daemon Lord."

When I heard that, I almost froze at one place, while Cersei didn't know what was happening as everyone around her was looking grim, and she knew that it was related to her.

She was only 14 years old, and while she was taught to appear always strong, this time, she knew that it was too much on her as everyone spoke with the Common Tongue used in Westeros and Essoss.

I went to her, hugging her soft and delicate body, while patting her long blonde hair as she started calming down in my embrace. Standing like that, I was enjoying it too...

In truth, I would want this moment to last a little longer. When I remembered the character of Cersei Lannister in the canon of ASOIAF and compared it to reality, it made me wonder what the reason for her change was...

Certainly, the marriage with Robert Baratheon wasn't the best thing that happened in her life and probably only strengthened all negative aspects of her personality and characteristics.

"Hey, don't worry... it would be okey, just remain here with Reiksgarde and watch how I banish the big bad daemon."

I said with a laugh, with her head resting on my chest.

While she didn't know what exactly was happening, I knew that she suspected that it was connected to Maggy the Frog and that something had gone wrong. Otherwise, nobody would be in such a hurry.

"Be safe... your Majesty."

She said with a whisper before I felt her lips on mine as she leaned over and kissed me; in a moment after I overcame the shock, I kissed her back with even more passion as our tongues interviewed together.

"Call in Ornstein and guard her... it is possible that the Daemon Lord is coming for her."

I ordered while saying the last part of the sentence in Ancient Lordranese.

Ornstein was someone who achieved Hunter level in terms of Old Blood Level, but only a few years ago, he would be no match against the Daemon Lord. So, I needed to go personally because while I was also Level 6 Golden Blood of the Old Blood, I was only one step away from Level 7.

Not to mention, I was personally taught by Gehrman the First Hunter, a sole Level 7 Old Blood being in The Empire and the most powerful warrior in the Empire.

***

3rd POV

"Lord Tywin, please, for a moment..."

Karl Franz stated when he left the solar after ordering the Reiksgarde to guard Cersei because he had a suspicion that the Daemon Lord was coming for her.

She was, in the end, the person who was "Blessed" by Fate.

Such people were rare, but they existed and with Sha Naqba Imuru, I could see them clearly as day because those without Insight would never see that.

If the world was a book, a story, then everyone would be a Character, and some people are unimportant side characters, some are more important, but their influence on the "story" is not very big, and some are Protagonists or Main Characters destined to great things.

The people who are "Blessed by Fate" are those who are destined to play a significant part in the story. They are the people who have an enormous influence on the world and how things will play, deciding the fates of millions.

Such people are invaluable for the Daemons because Daemons could get tremendously stronger by devouring the souls of such people. That was because of the power of Fate or whatever... the Scholars of Bryngenwerth were far more knowledgeable about that aspect.

Now everything made perfect sense...

"Something happened, Your Majesty?"

He asked, noticing that something was not right. He saw that the foreign Emperor was in full armor, and his personal Guard and Holy Knights were all concentrating in the Lannisport Castle.

Something was definitely not right.

"Yes... there were complications with the capture of Maggy the Frog."

Karl Franz said with a serious voice as the old lion frowned deeply; he didn't doubt the competency of his own soldiers because he personally trained the Red Guards or the strength of Imperial ones when he saw them.

"What complications?"

Indeed, something must have indeed happened.

"When Father Galahad went to apprehend the witch... he noticed that her lair has an aura of Daemon, more precisely Daemon Lord."

Usually, Tywin would laugh at that, but seeing that Emperor Karl Franz was very serious about the matter, he listened.

"Daemon Lords have no problem with wiping our entire cities and annihilating entire Regiments of Silver Knights and decimating Legions of Imperial Guard and... unfortunately, right now, there is nobody here who would fight such being aside from me..."

Tywin maintained his composure, but at the same time, he was already very nervous inside because seeing the Emperor so serious about it made him believe it to be true. Not to mention, he even told him that he would be going to fight the creature on his own.

"What do you need me to do?"

He was a decisive man who knew what to do in all situations and right now, the best one would be to cooperate with the Emperor.

"Evacuate the area of Lannisport where is the lair of the witch... then go to Ornstein and remain with him; if the situation turns to worse, he will take you out of the city."

Karl Franz said as the Lord of Westerlands nodded his head in acknowledgment and went to do as the Emperor said. Meanwhile, the Emperor of the Empire looked at the distance because even he himself was a bit nervous about his encounter with the Daemon Lord.

Daemon Lords were one of the most powerful Daemons in the Abyss; each of them ruled the entire Floor of the Abyss and was an extremely ruthless character. Contrary to the Beasts, they were far more cunning and dangerous because they didn't just act on their instincts.

"Still, under the Golden Light of Destruction, he will still fall."

Karl Franz stated as he summoned his personal weapon of choice.

It was a crimson-golden lance with runic inscriptions upon the blade as it shined with crimson-golden color.

Covenant - The Golden Spear of Destiny, the Longinuslanze Testament.

The Holy Relic of the Healing Church, the mythical lance that pierced the heart of Lord Gwyn himself, the so-called Lance of Longinus, is truly a peerless Holy Relic unlike any other. A mythical weapon dating back to the ancient era, forged by the first blacksmith, Tubalcain himself.

Lord Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight and Cinder, was a mighty warrior and the greatest of lords. He was known as the Lord of Sunlight and headed the efforts to end the Age of Ancients, founder of Anor Londo, the City of Gods and the first person to transcend the mortality to become a Great One.

He ended the Age of Ancients by sacrificing himself to spark the First Flame, which began a new Age of the Lordran, the Age of Fire, which then ended the foundations of the Ancient Tombs underneath the Yharnam, ushering the Age of Strife.

Karl Franz looked at the Longinuslanze Testament fondly as he gripped the lance in his right hand.

A weapon of such caliber shall be wielded by an equally great existence. As such, no mere mortal can hope even to lay a hand on the spear lest they invoke a divine punishment unto themselves.

Only the best of the overlord, with the greatest dominance, the soul of a conqueror, and the dignity of a king, may hold the authority to lord over this Holy Lance. Otherwise, the Holy Lance would kill the person who attempted to touch it.

"We are born of the Blood, made men by the Blood, undone by the Blood. Our eyes are yet to open. Fear the Old Blood."

He recited the sacred text of the Healing Church as he went to the battle against the Daemon Lord.

The Chosen One of the Great Ones, Holy Royarch of the Lord of Sunlight and Cider.

***

MC POV

Lannisport, around the lair of Maggy the Frog

They quickly managed to evacuate the entire district of the Lannisport; thankfully, Lord Tywin's ruthless reputation helped immensely in this aspect as the place was emptied rapidly.

One of the reasons was to have fewer civilian casualties, but there was also a deeper meaning to everything... I didn't want the Daemon Prince to start recuperating during the fight by eating the souls of mortals.

That would be indeed very bad.

"We are born of the Blood, made men by the Blood, undone by the Blood. Our eyes are yet to open. Fear the Old Blood."

I stood in front of the witch's lair, while everywhere around me, Scholars of Byrgenwerth from Eight Imperial Magic Colleges and even the Priests of the Healing Church were setting up barriers to prevent the Daemon Lord from escaping.

"Because the Old Blood shows us the way, in the Blood is the truth and power."

While continuing reciting the chants of the Holy Texts, I started feeling the evil and foul aura of the Abyss, as in a split moment, the house exploded into flames. It seemed that the Daemon Lord couldn't bear it and decided to act already.

"Let the blessings of the Formless God of Blood show me the path forward. Unhindered by disease, plagues, or my own mortality and fear, I am the mortal instrument of his will on the material plane."

Soon enough, I saw the Daemon Lord that descended on the material plane from the Abyss.

It was Daemon Lord Demogorgon, referred to as the Imprisoned One by some. It was a powerful Daemon Lord of domination and draining energy, an embodiment of madness and destruction that sought to drag down all into the infinite depths of the Abyss.

Demogorgon lived on the 88th Layer of the Abyss, known as the Gaping Maw. This was a layer consisting of a great sea of briny water broken by tall, sharp, ugly, rocky promontories.

He towered a full 5.5 meters in height, his body at once sinuous like that of a snake and powerful like that of a great ape. Two baleful baboon heads, with blue and red faces similar to those of mandrills, leered from atop his lumbering shoulders, from which two long tentacles writhed.

His lower torso was saurian, like some great reptile with blue-green, scaly skin with an immense forked tail.

Yet what was weird about this entire situation was the fact that Daemongorgon had the reputation of Daemon Lord who preferred to avoid direct conflict, instead using Magic to help his servants.

'It seems that he reached the peak of his realm and wants to become Daemon Prince, so the soul of "Blessed by Fate" would certainly serve as his trump card.'

When a Daemon Lord wanted to become a Daemon Prince, from what I heard, they needed to be recognized by the Will of the Abyss by conquering several layers of the Abyss and obtaining the allegiance of multiple Daemon Lords.

Everything falls perfectly together.

Maggy the Frog was a worshipper of some Daemon Cult, most probably a servant of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon, who was tasked with searching for people that were "Blessed by Fate" and if she found such person, she would cast a Blood Curse on such person.

That would mark the person's soul as a target for the Daemon Lord Demogorgon, who would then reap the soul when the time was right.

It seemed that Daemon Lord Demogorgon paid a great price to descend onto the material plane and wanted to obtain the soul at any cost, which would make the fight even harder than initially anticipated because he would be going all out.

"But this is also a good thing..."

I said as I felt a white flower appear in my right hand... it was the white flower of the Hunters that protected every Hunter of the Workshop.

"The Hunt has begun."

***

3rd POV

The Old Blood was boiling inside the Emperor's body because it had been a long time since he fought against such an opponent. Normally, when an entity on Level 6 appeared within the territory of the Empire, Hunters would take care of it very swiftly.

Such was the disadvantage of being tied to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cider. Finally, now he could taste some Blood and it was a very refreshing thing to do so.

Karl-Franz gripped his lance, the Longinuslanze Testament and disappeared from the position as he appeared in front of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon and slashed at the Demogorgon, with the Longinuslanze Testament shining with golden sunlight.

Despite his enormous build, the Daemon Lord Demogorgon was pretty agile, as he managed to dodge the incoming Longinuslanze Testament, swiftly forcing Karl Franz to attack once more.

One of the strong abilities of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon was its ability to inflict its enemies with diseases and plagues, using them as its most effective weaponry in a single combat.

Unfortunately, against the Emperor of the Empire, it was futile because he was of the Old Blood and thus, he was protected from diseases and plagues. As the Demogorgon slashed at Karl Franz with his tail, aiming at his head, he dodged swiftly by jumping backward.

In a split of a second, the Longinuslanze Testament shined with the golden light as he mobilized Arcane Energy inside his body and struck at the Daemon Lord Demogorgon with full force.

Daemon Lord Demongorgon shrieked with pain because the golden light produced by the Holy Relic of the Healing Church as its very own existence was antithetical to that of the Abyss.

Per se, Arcane Energy wasn't Magic, but it was something different and something far greater only available to those of the Old Blood who reached high levels of the Old Blood.

Karl Franz knew that the Daemon Lord Demogorgon was highly resistant to any kind of Magic-based attack, so he chose to attack purely with the Longinuslanze Testament.

While the Daemon Lord Demogorgon was distracted from the pain inflicted on him, Karl Franz disappeared from his original position, appearing behind the Daemon Lord Demogorgon and piercing through his stomach with the Longinuslanze Testament.

In a split second, he was hit by the full force on his stomach by the Daemon Lord's tail, sending him crashing through several buildings of the Lannisport. Yet, at the same time, he achieved far more as he stood up and coughed some blood, seeing the golden lines across the body of his opponent.

"Mortal!!"

One of the Daemon Lord's heads screamed at him with rage and anger.

Each of Demogorgon's heads had its own name and personality, a duality that created an enduring internal conflict in his personality while shaping all his actions and even his realm.

His left head was named Aameul, while the right was named Hethradiah. The two heads warred with each other, constantly seeking to obtain the upper hand on each other.

"We should kill the mortal as soon as possible."

Stated the left head Aameul.

Aameul, the more charismatic and calculating, relished deception and wished to break free from the other half. The more impulsive and feral Hethradiah relished destruction and did not wish to be separated.

This was something that Karl Franz planned to exploit because due to the fact that both of the heads were in control of the body and they were occasionally bickering with each other, which gave tons of opportunities to strike.

Just as now, he gripped the Longinuslanze Testament and rushed at the Demon Lord Demogorgon, dodging his sharp claws, dring behind him and slashing at his tail, severing it from the rest of the body.

Daemon Lord's tail was one of its strongest weapons, not to mention it was protecting him from attacking behind him and could be used as a trump card or surprise attack in case of need.

Karl Franz was a very experienced Hunter; he was taught personally by the Gehrman the First Hunter and was one of two students that the old madman took under his wings.

Even though, in the past decades, he didn't get the opportunity to fight against some worthy opponents, he was still in top condition. He often sparred with the members of the Hunter Order and even against Lady Maria Vileblood.

Now, truth to be told, he was greatly enjoying the fight against the Daemon Lord Demogorgon. Even though the Daemon Lord Demongorgon was pretty powerful, he was still weaker than Karl Franz by the whole hunch.

The main reason was the fact that Daemon Lords were most powerful when they were in the Abyss, especially when they were in the Layer, which they ruled and had the support of the entire Abyssal Layer to their fight.

In that case, they were extremely powerful and very hard to defeat, which on the contrary, made this entire situation even more bugging because Karl Franz didn't really comprehend why the Daemon Lord Demogorgon would risk everything by descending into the Material Plane.

Using the Longinuslanze Testament, he rushed at the Daemon Lord Demogorgon once again, charging straight away at him, digging his poisonous claws and jumping in the air while simultaneously slashing at the right arm of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon.

The creature shrieked in enormous pain as the Holy Relic pierced through a large part of his right shoulder. Technically speaking, if Karl Franz was pretty lucky, he would be able to kill the Daemon Lord Demogorgon with relative ease.

On that point, he also suspected why the Daemon Lord Demogorgon, who was ranked as one of the most cunning ones, was doing something as dangerous as this... for the past years, the reports were going that there were increased activities of the Daemons in the Imperial Territory.

According to the Elector House Marian that specialized in Daemon Hunting, something big was happening in the Abyss, and apparently, some of the Daemon Princes were waging war on each other and assimilating some weaker Daemon Lords and their Layers into their influence for the final clash.

"It seems that your end has been found on the insignificant mortal world... Oh'h, Great Daemon Lord..."

Karl Franz mocked the Daemon Lord Demogorgon because even though the Daemon Lord Demogorgon was considered as one of the smarter ones, he was nevertheless a Daemon Lord, so his pride was astronomical.

It was something that couldn't be challenged at any costs, so almost instantaneously, the Daemon Lord was enraged; even though part of its mind was telling it that it fell into the trap, it ignored everything as Demogorgon rushed at the Emperor of the Empire with a full speed.

The Holy Energy was penetrating the Daemon Lord's very own existence due to being struck several times by the Longinuslanze Testament, which was the Holy Relic of the Healing Church and the entire Religion of the Great Ones.

Seeing the Daemon Lord Demogorgon charging straight at him, he grinned and charged at the Daemon Lord, heading directly towards him, as he struck with the Longinuslanze Testament to the ground, and a golden barrier suddenly erupted from the ground.

This barrier of the golden particles immediately started expanding more and more until it enveloped the entire area around him, inflicting a great deal of pain, injuries and other unsavory effects on the Daemon Lord.

"Let the Great Ones descend from the depths of the Cosmos to judge the enemy of the Old Blood!"

After mastering the Old Blood to a greater degree and attaining Level 5 Old Blood, also titled Blue Blood, one would awaken a unique ability of his Bloodline. For Karl Franz, the ability he awakened was rather peculiar.

It represented his position as the Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire, Royarch of Lordran and Chosen One of the Great Ones.

The Golden Light of Holy Destruction, the Ultimate Judgment done by the Great Ones on the Heretics and Enemies of their very own existence. Nothing could survive the judgment of the Great Ones, nothing could escape it, and the only Fate was death.

As long as it was decreed that something presented a grave threat to the continual existence of the Empire, Imperial House, Healing Church and a few other things on the list, Karl Franz was able to use the Divine Judgement of the Golden Light of Holy Destruction.

Just like now, it was happening as he was chanting the chant.

"For the Daemon Lord Demogorgon has defiled the Old Blood and rose against the Great Ones, spilling the Golden Blood of the Empire."

Karl Franz chanted as golden blood dripped from various parts of his body, but at the same time, it was also regenerating because his healing factor was truly frightening to see.

The Daemon Lord Demogorgon realized that it had fallen into the trap and the first thing it did, was that two heads started bickering with each other.

"This is your fault!"

Shouted one of the heads at another one in annoyance and frustration and a right deal of anger and hatred.

"No, you bastard, it's your!! It's your responsibility to scheme and analyzes opponents."

While they were bickering, the Golden Barrier enveloping them became complete and wholly locked them in.

"And with this, I deem, in my name of Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor, Holy Imperator of The Empire, Royarch of the Lordran, High Lord Magistrate of City of Gods Anor Londo and Lord of the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder, The Chosen One of the Great Ones and the Formless God of Blood that the Daemon Lord Demogorgon to be Judged in their name and power."

Instantly the Golden Light started cracking like lighting, attracting the attention of every single person in the Lannisport to the event, as it created a translucent figure of being with six pairs of wings in the air holding a spear reminiscent of that of Longinuszlance Testament.

"Let the Holy Judgement of Great Ones descend."

With the final words staid, the Golden Light Figure of Archangel raised its spear and threw it at the Daemon Lord Demogorgon, skewering the head of the Daemon Lord in one hit, killing the Daemon Lord faster than lighting.

'This would be probably the best opportunity to start spreading our faith in Westeros... more people worshipping the Great Ones is never the bad thing.'

Karl Franz thought as he saw the Golden Light barrier dispersing into countless parts, creating a spectacular show for the people who were watching while he was observing the corpse of the Daemon Lord.

What had happened today was by one word... miracle... or fluke of luck.

Or probably a combination of both of them.

He knew that he would have a lot of luck if not for the situation in the Abyss, which, according to Elector Count of House Marian, Cross Marian, was pretty severe; the Daemon Lord Demogorgon would have never descended down with his true body.

And if not for the right circumstances, enticement of a special soul, and slight provocations and his own experiences, he would have never managed to kill the creature.

Under any other circumstances, this would be a much harder fight; the Daemon Lord was clearly significantly weakened from not being in the Abyss. Yet, Karl Franz noticed that it was also weakened from not being summoned to the material plane correctly.

"Your Majesty!!"

Karl Franz turned around as he saw there a High Scholar Jinfarah from the Byrgenwerth marching to him with lightning speed, outrunning countless knights despite his old body and skeleton-like appearance.

"Please, Your Majesty, allow me to study this specimen right now... I am willing to pay any price, even all of my Merit Credits."

He said with a fanatical look on his face as he looked at the corpse of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon. It seemed that trip of Karl Franz to Westeros would be cut short because he would need to return back to the Empire with the corpse.

There was a need for someone as strong as him to transport to the corpse to prevent any mishaps personally.

"Congratulations on your victory, Your Majesty."

Karl Franz heard the voice of Tywin Lannister shortly afterward and noticed that right now, the old lord of the Casterly Rock was looking at him with a good amount of fear...

Actually, the Hand of the King was observing the fight between them from the start, and he witnessed the destructive prowess of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon and Karl Franz, their capabilities and abilities that were out of this world, and many other things.

"Thank you, Lord Tywin... but it seems that I will need to return back home. With the Daemon Lord being killed here, we need to transport his corpse back to the Faust as soon as possible and I need to oversee the transportation personally."

Normally, he could entrust it to Ornstein, but Karl Franz felt that he needed to oversee it personally.

"I, of course, understand, but before you leave, would you be amiable to private discussion after you take a rest?"

The Emperor nodded his head as several Priests from the Healing Church together with Wizards from Byrgenwerth, started securing the area of fight, cleaning it from the daemonic corruption and sealing the corpse of Daemon Lord.

***

Three Hours Later

"I trust that with the Daemon Lord dead, the state of my daughter should be resolved, right?"

Tywin Lannister asked the Emperor of the Empire when both of them were sitting in the private chambers of the Lannisport's castle.

"Yes... but because the Blood Curse was lingering on the soul for a long time, it also affected her mind, and soul corrosion is not fully healed; she would need to recover for some time... most preferably in the Healing Church."

Karl Franz stated nonchalantly, because right now, as the Daemon Lord Demogrogn was dead, the Blood Curse was automatically null, but the side effects still remained, and they needed to be cured.

"Your Majesty, do you agree to my proposal? As a dowry, I am willing to offer you exclusive contracts on the Dimeritium, Lacrimas, and other precious minerals and ores that are mined from our mines..."

Tywin Lannister stated calmly as Karl Franz cursed Jinfarah and his stupid mouth that he always said more than needed. Dammed, old man, while it didn't present any complications, but right now, the offer was pretty much enticing.

Originally, Karl Franz thought that Westeros wouldn't have anything that would take his interest, but apparently, he was very wrong. Lacrimas were essential in countless Magical aspects, experiments done by the Colleges of Magic or Imperial College of Engineers...

Dimeritium was one of the rarest metals across the Lordran, famed for its anti-magic properties, so it was very rare. Even though there were several large veins that were discovered across the Lordran, there was never enough of the Dimeritium.

And same could be said about Lacrimas.

"I am not opposed to it... but I have my own condition; as you have seen, your House would benefit much more from it than the Empire in the short term and for the long term... we will see..."

Karl Franz said as the old lion's expression didn't change a bit as he was deeply aware of the truth. On the other hand, it was pleasant to negotiate with someone so straightforwardly, but from what he knew, the Emperor was a few centuries old and he liked being straightforward with people.

"First thing... the wedding will take place in four years in the Grand Cathedral of Yharnam and Cersei must convert to the Faith of Great Ones; this is non-negotiable because nobody in The Empire will accept an Empress with a different faith and also it is a matter of lifespan."

Tywin Lannister readily accepted the first conditions because he as many today, saw that Gods maybe really existed... what he saw today was indeed like a scene cut out from the fairy tales.

"If I may ask... why in the four years?"

The Lord of the Westerlands didn't like this a bit because he wanted to have a solid connection with The Empire and his daughter was already in marriageable age... Bethrotals could be broken and that was something that the old lion of Casterly Rock didn't really appreciate.

"Simple... if we take out of question the fact that we still need to get to know each other better, she needs to receive a basic education in politics, ruling, and economics and needs to be trained in combat. Otherwise, she will appear weak, and at the Imperial Court, every bit of weakness will be used against her."

Karl Franz explained patiently as he played the cards right because he knew that for the Lords of Westeros, women being warriors and rulers was something unthinkable.

But even though Tywin Lannister may not like this, there was another thing that he didn't like even more...

If his House and Lineage were viewed as weak.

In the past, during the era when his father Tytos Lannister, was Lord of the House Lannister, it was like that. He was called Laughing Lion or Toothless Lion due to his personality and character, and while he was a jovial and amiable man... on the other hand...

However, he was also weak-willed, eager to please, slow to anger, quick to forgive, and too trusting by half. He saw the good in everyone, great and small, but this trust blinded him to threats to House Lannister.

That was something that greatly paid off to the House Lannister as everyone took advantage of his father; the House was on the verge of collapse, undeveloped, in debt, and catastrophic state.

It was he who made the name Lannister feared and respected one more and if there was one thing that he hated the most in this world, then it was being viewed as weak.

"Second thing, I want exclusive buying rights to some strategic resources that may or may not be found within your mines. Third thing, I want your help in propagating the interests of the Empire at Westeros or at Essos."

Neither of the conditions was something outrageous or something that was putting him in a disadvantageous position.

"Fourth thing, I want to spread Religion of the Great Ones in the Westerlands, build a Church that would be protected by a small contingent of Knights and Priests..."

Tywin Lannister accepted all of the conditions because, in the end, he was still winning in the end, or at least so he thought. In truth, Karl Franz was more satisfied with this deal because the illusion of power indeed worked well.

***

Read up to 10 chapters ahead on the Patreon and join discord for images and other content for the novel... current release rate is either 2 or 3 chapters per month

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[ATP]

You forget one condition - that Cersei would be second waifu.
But,aside from that,great chapter.Which also explain why Cersei was so fucked in canon.

P.S What is Empire opinion on Old gods,children,Faith and nonhuman things from Essos,like Kadath,hidden city in Leng or Stygoi? are they Chaos servants,or sometching else?
Is Drowned god Chaos champion here?
and what about King in Yellow from Cadossa?

 

[Trafford]

"Treason? No... not my dear brother, this is not treason... this is advance! I saw! The might of the seas, the depths of the oceans! I heard the calling of the deep ones from the Drowned God, the Great One Chthullhu! So, here the war beings, and let the fleets of the Empire shatter the holds of Westeros! We will take it all! The Arbor. Oldtown. Citadel. Stepstones, all would be conquered as the will of the Gods dictate!"

Euron Greyjoy, Lord Admiral of the Imperial Fleets of Holy Arcadia Empire

***

Codex: Nobility of the Empire - Lesser Houses

Grand Paladin - Is the lowest Noble Title of The Empire.

It is specially reserved for the Grand Knight Houses. Grand Paladin is a Non-Inheritable Noble Title and is personally tied to the martial might of the Head of the House. Most Grand Paladin Houses will strive to produce as many talented and powerful Knights as possible to ensure that they will maintain their noble status for the next generation.

Baron - Members of the Lesser Nobility that usually ruled Barony, territory smaller territory within a Province. Barons are typically either under the Viceroy or directly under the Elector Cout or Lord High Magistrate.

Viceroy - Members of Nobility with actual power and responsibility within The Holy Arcadia Empire and are required to be the best warriors, knights, wizards, administrators and professionals to serve their homeland.

Viceroy Houses usually rule large territories within the Grand Provinces of Elector Counts and are typically in charge of Territorial Cities or other essential points of interest.

***

Even though the Holy Arcadia Empire was tremendously power compared to that of Westeros, the thing was, even if the Holy Arcadia Empire wanted to attack Westeros, they could mobilize only a very small part of their armed forces to do so...

Most of their military was tied to the things on the Lordran... the endless hordes of Greenskins, Daemons, barbarians to the south, Heretics, and other enemies that were lurking within the Lands of Ancients.

Thus, the Holy Arcadia Empire actually didn't really have any interest in expanding beyond their already owned land, without significant reason, as it would be a very costly decision. In truth, Westeros and neither Essos didn't have things that would warrant such a decision.

Naturally, Westeros has proved to be of strategic interest for the Holy Arcadia Empire of Lordran because of Lacrimas and Dimeritium, and the Great Ones know what they would find underneath the mountains.

While the last condition would be problematic for the Lord Paramount of Westerlands, there was nothing he could do to prevent the spreading of the Religion of the Great Ones...

Sicne the fight between Emperor Karl-Franz and the Daemon Lord on the streets of Lannisport that left parts of the outskirts of the port city entirely destroyed, the people already started whispering about supernatural powers and people blessed by Gods.

So, pragmatically speaking, he decided to make use of the Religion of Great Ones; if possible, if he was lucky, he would get a prolonged Lifespan by a few centuries. At least, he would watch over the House Lannister until somebody who was worthy of Lordship appeared.

His son Jamie wasn't interested in being Lord even a bit, which was a great disappointment on his side, and Tyrion couldn't be Lord; he was an Imp who would be ridiculed by everyone else.

"Very well then, Your Majesty... we have an agreement."

Tywin then formally agreed to the conditions because if the Faith of Seven made any problems, he had enough means to deal with some unruly Septons and even the High Septon.

During his time as Hand of the King, evidence about corruption in the Faith of Seven was only flooding in. From what he understood, the Healing Church had a very powerful standing in The Holy Arcadia Empire and they controlled one of three Holy Cities in The Holy Arcadia Empire.

Basically, they were a force to reckon with and having a good relationship with them would be only beneficial to the House Lannister. Apparently, from what he learned from Kevan, the Healing Church would help their believers when they had problems, be it commoners or nobles.

As long as they believed in the Healing Church, they could always get help from the Healing Church.

"Splendidly, then soon enough, the Minister of Foreign Relationships will arrive to discuss matters in more detail. I need to return back to the homeland as it seems, cutting my trip short, unfortunately."

Karl Franz sighed in a sad sigh because, in truth, he wanted to remain a bit longer at Westeros, as it was a nice vacation. But unfortunately for him, he needed to transport the corpse of Daemon Lord back home personally.

The corpse of Daemon Lord was a peerless treasure for The Holy Arcadia Empire because they could learn much from it, not to mention its Blood, once purified by the Healing Church, could be used to strengthen their troops.

Even in The Holy Arcadia Empire, it was very rare for beings on the level of Daemons Lords to materialize on the material plane freely, and thus, they were considered rare resources. When such a thing happened, all Hunters and all Level 6s would gather across the entire Empire and hunt it down.

For sure, the Scholars of Byrgenwerth are now shaking with excitement because the last time they obtained a specimen like this was around three hundred years ago when a mighty Beast was born in the Grand Duchy of Fenris.

"There is one more thing that I would like to ask Your Majesty, or rather it is more like request..."

Before Karl-Franz could leave the office of his host and return to organize his men, there was another topic on the table as he motioned for the Hand of the King to follow.

"As you already heard... Seven Kingdoms are undergoing a hard time under King's madness and he may or may not see the act of you being engaged to my daughter as a direct challenge to his authority..."

Indeed, Karl Franz heard that the King was mad, and his madness was getting worse and worse with each passing day. To the point where all the Nobles of the realm were walking on tiptoes around him because nobody knew when Wildfire would burn them.

"And you want support in case such a thing happened, right?"

While such an act would undoubtedly be the start of the civil war, nobody knew what sides the rest of the Seven Kingdoms would choose, but Tywin Lannister, due to his reputation, indeed had very few allies in Westeros.

"Consider it done... father-in-law, I will leave a few Wizards here who can contact us back home in case of trouble and also leave here a small consignment of the Silver Knights, approximately one Chapter numbering 5,000."

He stated that he knew that sooner or later, Robert's Rebellion would happen, and this would give him the opportunity to rob some things from Westeros, ranging from the Valyrian Steel that was of crucial interest to The Holy Arcadia Empire and especially the King's Landing...

The Targaryens survived Doom of Valyria and ruled Westeros for three hundred years, Great Ones knew what treasures they must have gathered, but the real object of his desires was the Citadel.

Organization old for millennia, gathering treasures, knowledge, and other things across Westeros and even Essos and other parts of the known world, manipulating everyone like puppets.

Not to mention, at least they could kill a few of the magic-hating Maesters when they would be robbing the Old Town.

"Then I must thank you, Your Majesty."

While Tywin was surprised at how easily the Emperor agreed to his request and even left him five thousand top-notch Knights to protect the Westerlands, his instincts were telling him that there should be another reason.

Because nobody was this generous without reason...

"I will introduce you to Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides, who will remain here; he is a splendid soldier and highly competent one as rest of the commanders within our armed forces... I am sure that you two will like each other."

Karl Franz chuckled at that because, indeed, Agamemnon Atreides was the epitome of a strict, unrelenting, and fiercely loyal commander who would do the job right at any cost.

***

MC POV

Sometime later, the chambers of Karl Franz at the Castle of Lannisport

Before we left, I called to my chambers several people with whom I needed to have some talks. While I was returning back to the homeland, our people would remain here with various tasks that they needed to complete.

"Now, please sit, gentlemen... I have some final orders before I depart back home together with loot, victory and my beautiful fianceé..."

I said jokingly, but apparently not as funny as I thought I would be... but whatever, not that I cared about it; at least nobody is forcing himself to laugh.

"Chapter Master Atreides, you will have the task of protecting and helping Lord Lannister and protecting the interests of the Empire at Westeros. As you have been briefed, King Aerys is mad and our close relationship with House Lannister may or may not be seen as a hostile act."

Agamemnon was a young-looking man with long blonde hair and wearing heavy armor of the Silver Knights. He was the son of the current Elector Count of Grand Duchy of Caladan, Lord Atreus Atreides, who was also General-Kommandant of the Reiksgarde.

"Of course, Your Majesty, you can consider it done. Do you have any further instructions?"

He asked with not much formal tone, as I was not very fan of formalities when it was private, especially among soldiers with whom I often fought side by side.

"Yes... in a year or two, there would be Rebellion here, and during the ensuing chaos, you will raid and obtain these things for the glory of the nation."

I then passed him a list of things, names and locations.

"Cooperate with Wizards from Byrgenwerth and Imperial Battle Wizard Legion in his task."

Then I turned my sight to High Scholar Jinfarah, who was sitting there absentmindedly, probably thinking over the corpse of the Daemon Lord I killed.

"Ornstein, you will remain here until the Churches of the Healing Church are finished and Priests and Holy Knights are not settled. Afterward, you will depart to North of Westeros and scout the place for any traces of Magic or anything of interest."

Because I knew what dwelled behind the Wall, I was cautious not to mention, as this was a vastly different world from the canon I barely remembered; I had a hunch that the Night King would be a frightening entity...

"Also, I will inform Ciaran to send some of his spies to create a spy network in Westeros and Essos; this would take a few months, so coordinate everything on this matter."

Ornstein wordlessly nodded because no words were needed; he was a man of action. He knew that he was a very powerful power and that if I spent him personally on a scouting mission, then it must be for a very, very good reason.

"High Scholar, how much time do we have until the corpse starts reeking?"

One of the main reasons why I needed to transport the corpse of the Daemon Lord personally was because, after some time, the corpse of Daemons started leaking very dangerous Miasma.

This Miasma will, in turn, attract various types of monsters, beasts, and other creatures, including the other Daemons, because this Miasma was very nutritious and they could get more powerful.

Not to mention, if some lower-ranked Daemon managed to devour the corpse of a Daemon Lord, then it would experience a very fast level-up among the Daemon Ranks.

"Probably week and with the Seals we put around it to contain it, we have approximately two weeks, maximally eighteen days when the Miasma from the corpse will start leaking to the outside world."

For that reason, we needed to transport the corpse back to Faust, preferably because they had the best equipment to deal with it and to contain it properly.

"Ts... we would need to sail at maximum speed. Fortunately, we installed those experimental engines so that we will put them to the test."

I grimaced because it was a much lower timeframe than I anticipated, but at the same time, Daemon Lord Demogorgon was one of the more powerful Daemon Lords in the Abyss and close to the Daemon Prince.

And for that reason, we needed to secure and transport his corpse as a top priority. Many things could be gained from it; the blood of such powerful beings was always in high demand once it was purified.

"We are sailing right now."

I made the final decision because we needed to act fast and I gave them around three hours to pack up the things for the people who would be leaving back to the Lordran, and I also sent someone to inform Lord Tywin about this development, as Cersei would depart with us back to the Lordran.

She needed to advance her education and convert to the Faith of the Great Ones at the grand ceremony, which would be more like a show of power, but it was tradition for those who were not of our religion.

***

3rd POV

One hour later, Lannisport Castle, the Lord's Solar

"The times are changing, Kevan..."

Tywin Lannister stood in his solar while observing the fleet of The Holy Arcadia Empire, who were packing their things and preparing to return home. One hour earlier, he got a message from Emperor Karl Franz, who had already called him father-in-law to tickle his ego, that they were returning back sooner than planned.

The reason was the corpse of the Daemon the Emperor killed.

"He even left us 5,000 of his Silver Knights... a worthy show of power, protection of his interests and... there is one more thing, does he anticipate the civil war here?"

Tywin muttered as he went over the possibilities; simultaneously, he was particularly pleased because it seemed that his newest ally or family was a good Player. But after centuries of ruling, that was to be expected.

"Kevan, go and find Chapter Master Atreides, who is commanding the Silver Knight Chapter that is remaining in Westeros and cooperate with him for their accommodation. Also, how is Cersei?"

Now, the most important thing was the proper accommodation of the Silver Knight Chapter; because the Empire was a very militaristic nation, army commanders sometimes had an even bigger influence than most of the Lesser Houses within the Holy Arcadia Empire.

"She is good, even looking better after the witch and Daemon were both killed... should I send for her?"

The Lord of the Casterly Rock nodded and Kevan then left to do his duties; as his brother was Hand of the King, he spent a little time in the Westerlands and most of the responsibilities befall on his shoulders.

"Something is not right... should we speed up the militarization and perhaps even openly support the Healing Church? The Old Blood is tempting..."

Like every other person in power, Tywin was very tempted by the possibility of living for centuries to come, but at the same time, he was hesitant.

He heard what happened to the people who consumed the Old Blood in their great, would sooner or later succumb to their inner beast, becoming nothing more than a Beast, losing every bit of their previous sanity.

The only fate that awaited them was to be cut down by the Hunters of the Workshop... For him, the Holy Arcadia Empire was a fascinating place, and as old schemer, as he was, he was already preparing to create a branch of House Lannister within the Empire.

He learned that in the Empire, establishment of the Noble Hosues was at the same time easier and harder than it was in Westeros. Noble Houses could be stripped of their land and titles and even face execution if they were not upholding the standards of the Empire.

He didn't have the illusion that one of his grandchildren would sit once on the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder; he knew that chances were low, considering how the Succession worked in the Empire.

But at the same time, he knew that his grandchildren, if they were talented and capable enough, won't have a problem inheriting either the Elector Count of Reikland title similar to the Wardens in the Seven Kingdoms or they would find their own Houses.

Several minutes his daughter arrived; this time, she was already wearing clothes of the Imperial fashion. Contrary to the long lady dresses that were worn in the Westories by high-born ladies, women in the Empire wore much less complicated clothes.

She wore something that appeared to be a several-piece uniform slash suit of white color. Even though it was no dress, it still appeared very luxurious and more importantly, it subtly radiated authority and power.

"You called for me father?"

Her hair was tied into a ponytail as she finished dressing with the help of two female apprentices of Healing Church's Holy Knights. For Cersei, while she enjoyed wearing dressed that enhanced her beauty, she had to admit that these clothes were more comfortable and she looked more powerful in them.

Like a soldier or military officer.

"Yes... sit down."

He ordered as they sat down across each other.

"How are you feeling?"

The past few hours were hectic and very stressful...

"Good; Father Galahad said that I would be alright after some recuperation."

Now that Maggy the Witch and the Daemon Lord Demogorgon were killed, Cersei could feel that something was better; it was a very obscure and indescribable feeling that she had...

But it was a very pleasant feeling like the burden she was carrying was finally lifted and gone.

"As you were informed, you would be departing to the Lordran for further healing at the Healing Church..."

Tywin Lannister said slowly as he observed his daughter. She needed some further recuperation at the hands of the Healing Church from the Blood Curse and it was the only place that was capable of providing it.

"Another piece of news is that Emperor Karl Franz agreed to the engagement so you would be married after three or four years; till that, you would be fostered at Cainhurst by Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood and be educated in all Imperial matters."

He was informed that his daughter would need to be educated in combat and ruling; it was very foreign to the concepts of the Seven Kingdoms and felt unnatural.

"That is the mother of his first fianceé..."

Cersei recognized the name because Karl Franz told her about Lady Maria Vileblood, the dazzling gem of the Holy Arcadia Empire and one of two personal students of the Gehrman the First Hunter.

"Yes, Lady Annalise Vileblood is by all accounts one of the most prestigious and powerful Noble within the Holy Arcadia Empire. Not to mention, the Vilebloods of Cainhurst have a very strong connection to the Gehrman the First Hunter... so you would be able to foster a good relationship with your sister-wife to prevent any conflicts in your marriage."

Tywin said the name of the man with a good deal of respect because, as he heard from the Emperor, Gehrman was the reason why the Empire stood strong. He could have killed the Daemon Lord with one hit... and his position within the Empie was almost if not equal to that of Emperor.

'But that is to be expected in a place where many have supernatural powers... the strongest are always venerated the most.'

He thought as he noticed that his daughter looked almost eager... Cersei was always a child that desired power, all kinds of power... While Jamie was meant to be his heir, he was not interested or capable of it.

That Tywin knew very well.

Unfortunately, nobody in Westeros would accept a female as Lord Paramount, Dorne not included. He knew that in the Empire, his daughter would thrive; with proper education, she could become a true player of the Great Game like himself or Olena Tyrell.

"Now, during these years before the marriage, you will need to convert to the Religion of the Great Ones and Imperator said that you would need to spend a rather extensive courtship before you are married."

He could see that his daughter was clearly fond of Emperor Karl Franz... the man was charming enough, could behave like a proper gentleman, and was jovial, but he was also a very ruthless ruler.

The fact that no rebellion happened during several centuries since his rule was only proof of that.

"I... thank you, father."

Cersei muttered quietly, as it didn't escape her eyes that Tywin smiled for a very, very brief time before his expression returned to the normally stoic and cold one.

***

MC POV

Lannisport, Port Area

After we put the corpse of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon back on the flagship, I was only waiting for the last people. Part of the fleet would remain here at the Lannisport, according to the agreement with Lord Tywin.

Chapter Master Agamemnon was already busy accommodating his Chapter of five thousand Silver Knights as they would be divided based on the Divisions, as one Division would go to the Casterly Rock and another would remain at the Lannisport.

From a distance, I then saw my newest fianceé in a more traditional outfit that was popular among the Cainhurstian Nobility and female Hunters. She looked beautifully, like a shining golden light in the west.

We would be spending the next two weeks on the open sea, crossing the Sunset Sea back to the Lordran; afterward, we would depart to Faust and then to Anor Londo, and later on, she would go to the Cainhurst.

Still, the Empire was working on large-scale teleportation arrays across the entire Empire, interconnecting all the biggest cities and hopefully, it would be finished in a few years.

"You looked breathtaking, my lady... like a proper Huntress of the Dream."

I complimented her appearance and kissed her hand, to which she bashfully covered her mouth. With her arrival, it seemed that we could finally depart back to Lordran, though shame my trip ended even faster than it began.

"It seems that we will be departing, Lord Tywin... soon another part of a delegation from the Empire will arrive and maybe, soon, you will, too, visit the Empire."

I said with a smile as we shook hands.

"Maybe yes, but for now, I will have a lot of things to do after finding the level of your nation; I have many things that I want to incorporate from there and also, a wave of new mining projects have been opened."

Tywin knew that something was brewing in the future, an uncertain future and thus, he decided to act appropriately and speed up all of the plans he had. Starting with the creation of a professional military, tactics and weapons.

He already planned to buy a large number of weapons to arm the Knights loyal to the House Lannister and himself from the dwarves of the Ironforge. Yes, in the Empire, apparently, there were not only humans but also other species; among them were dwarves.

Not deformed like his imp devil son was.

But they were master smiths and engineers, masterful constructors, and they were also apparently fierce warriors at that. And they produced the best equipment that one could wish for, and everyone in the Imperial Military used the dwarven-made weapons and armor.

***

MC POV

Sunset Sea, three days later

It had been three days since we left Westeros and right now, we were heading back to the Lordran, the home of The Holy Arcadia Empire. I was enjoying the fresh air on the deck of the Smeidnir and, at the same time, cursing the sea...

I wasn't really cut out for this. Hopefully, we will have airships finished one day... I heard that some egg heads at the College of Engineers already had some initial designs for the airships; hopefully, they would be much more comfortable to travel with.

"Enjoying the fresh air?"

While looking in the direction of the Seven Kingdoms, I heard the voice of my new fianceé.

"Yes... for several centuries, I almost never spent a few days on the sea and now that I have, I must admit that I hate it... everything is wet; food is not up to my standards, and many, many other things... I can't even train properly."

Oh, the Great Ones, I swear that right now I am whining like a little kid that didn't get what he wanted.

"And you told me that I am acting spoiled..."

She laughed a bit as she went up to my side and we were observing the calmness of the sea, which was probably the sole advantage of sea travel. No matter how much I hated the conditions, I must admit that the sea was beautiful.

"So what? Never seen a hypocrite? And a handsome one at that?"

I said with a laugh because it was indeed a bit hypocritical of me.

"Yes, yes, the most handsome hypocrite I laid my eyes on."

Now that we were heading towards the Lordran and especially without anyone from her House, Cersei was actually much more straightforward and behaved more freely and authentically.

In the Empire, we were not really bent on formal behavior and other things, aside from the social events and formal events where the code of conduct was very strictly demanded.

"So, how are you enjoying the bits o the Imperial life?"

I asked because I noticed that she remarkably took a liking to our swordsmanship classes and also to Imperial fashion.

"Very much so far... it is different from Westeros, but at the same time, you have a lot of freedoms that equaled the responsibilities... especially for women."

She was certainly pleased that I wasn't lying to her when I told her all the things about the Holy Arcadia Empire and how our society was different from all previous ones. Not only that but even I was surprised that she was a very fast learner.

On the first day, she was training with members of the Reiksgarde the basis, but shockingly enough, she was swift at learning everything that the Reiksgarde could teach her. She was eager and wanted to learn; thus, after seeing that I was personally teaching her combat arts.

At the same time, it was also a nice opportunity to get to know each other. Weirdly though she was very attuned to the dual-wielding, there were not many dual-wielders even in the Empire; such people were rare because it was very hard to master such style.

For example, in Westeros, only one person mastered the dual-wielding style and that was Arthur Dayne; with his limited lifespan, it was indeed solid proof that the man was a genius when it came to swordsmanship to the point where I wanted to recruit him personally...

And maybe I would have the opportunity, as he was on the list of people of interest that could be most probably swayed to the Imperial Banner during Robert's Rebellion.

As we were sailing back to the Empire, suddenly, the alarm went on... it meant that pirates were attacking, which was good; at least it won't be boring.

"My Lord, there twenty ships sailing our way, bearing the sigils of the House Greyjoy."

Ironborn... we have only three battleships and nothing more and there was only one person who was mad enough to attack such huge ships, Euron Greyjoy.

"Everyone to battle position, load the canons."

I shouted as everyone started running here and there, though I saw that Cersei was a bit shaking. Ironborn had a pretty terrible reputation in Westeros and even at the Essos, as they were reavers, rapists and an overall bunch of scum.

"Take these... Blades of Mercy, a special trick weapon passed down among hunters of hunters. One of the oldest weapons of the workshop. Splits into two when activated. The weapon's warped blades are forged with siderite, a rare mineral of the heavens. Most effective swift attacks, such as after a quick-stepping."

Summoning twin swords, I passed them to her, as this would be her first time, but I was certainly confident, with the Reiskgarde at her back, there was nothing that could happen to her, especially with the top-notch armor she was wearing right now.

"Cersei remember your training, be calm, aim for the vital spots, and use every weakness you see; that is how true Hunter fights."

I said as she nodded and soon enough, the Ironborn ships were already in the vicinity.

"Father always said that we should have burned the Iron Islands down..."

It was true; Tywin was right on this one because the Ironborn would never change their reaving, raping and pillaging culture across the entire Westeros and Essos, though they were not my problem.

But at the same time, I was a bit interested in Euron Greyjoy; he was another "Blessed by Fate" and under the strictest Magic Contract to ensure his loyalty to the Divine Throne, he would be a good addition to the Empire.

The Holy Arcadia Empire had one great weakness... our navy was almost non-existence. While he had ships and the big ones, technically speaking, there were no people within the Empire who were experienced in leading naval warfare.

I knew that if we met some nation that was skilled in naval warfare, we would lose, like this time, we were meeting with the Ironborn, but we had a moment of surprise. For several seconds the cannons firing was heard as some of the more unfortunate ships sank down.

This was the moment of surprise.

Though it would become only a great advantage once they learned how to properly counter the cannons and other siege artillery and things that we installed on our ships and for that, I needed someone who could create a navy.

And truthfully, Euron Greyjoy filled those criteria.

Yes, he was the mad, uncontrollable bastard that only cared that he wanted to be part of history and that was something that I could give him. He could be the greatest Admiral that ever broader the seas and oceans of the known world.

And it was not like he would be the sole uncontrollable madman in my services, but once someone's Soul was tied to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder, then even the slightest action that would go to betrayal would end in immediate death.

But still, there was one field where we were unbeatable... I was confident that Euron Greyjoy seeing our weapons and the size of our ships, would do anything to occupy them because these ships were bigger than anything built in Westeros.

And that was an opportunity for the good old fight between soldiers.

Ironborn, while relatively skilled compared to most levies and people who had never seen a fight or the Summer Knights of Westeros, compared to them Ironborn were indeed skilled warriors because they were tempered in blood and iron.

But they were no match for the professional standing military of the Holy Arcadia Empire and our Knights.

Not to mention there were Reiksgarde and Church Executioners on the ships together with Battle Wizards. The moment they boarded our ships and started fishing would be the moment that spelled their doom, as they would stand no chance.

Everyone knew it, which was also why we even deliberately let them board; if not for that, we would sink their ships from a distance, but I wanted to capture Euron Greyjoy alive.

***

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[ATP]

So,he would get Euron and Arthur.What about saving Ellia with children,too?
And,what imperial would think about old gods? there must be some Stark descendents among them,could they go help North here ?

P.S Consider how strong Imperium here is,Westeros could not be unchanged.I see smaller Kingdom withoiut Westerlands and possible North.
I hope,that they manage to save remnants of children and giants ,too.

 

[Trafford]

So,he would get Euron and Arthur.What about saving Ellia with children,too?
And,what imperial would think about old gods? there must be some Stark descendents among them,could they go help North here ?

P.S Consider how strong Imperium here is,Westeros could not be unchanged.I see smaller Kingdom withoiut Westerlands and possible North.
I hope,that they manage to save remnants of children and giants ,too.

Click to shrink...

No saving... Imperials hate Valyria and its people too much, especially the members of the Nobility of the Valyrian Freehold, so they would do only support extermianting the last remnants of the Dragonlord Families of the Valyrian Freehold, even though all 40 Families lost their True Dragons a long ago only Triarchy had them till the end... About North there would be some interesting development... about the Old Gods, they would probably ignore them at best or call them as Heresy as Imperium is deeply religious state, like very deeply...

And yes... the presence of the Imperium and Resurgance of the Magic would soon show in the Westeros and would have irreversible consequences...

 

[ATP]

No saving... Imperials hate Valyria and its people too much, especially the members of the Nobility of the Valyrian Freehold, so they would do only support extermianting the last remnants of the Dragonlord Families of the Valyrian Freehold, even though all 40 Families lost their True Dragons a long ago only Triarchy had them till the end... About North there would be some interesting development... about the Old Gods, they would probably ignore them at best or call them as Heresy as Imperium is deeply religious state, like very deeply...

And yes... the presence of the Imperium and Resurgance of the Magic would soon show in the Westeros and would have irreversible consequences...

Click to shrink...

Hate Valyria - good reason to kill Dany and her brother.
But,Ellia was from Dorne,and her children only half-targs.If Imperials need Dorne /especially if water magic returned there/ ,then they could save them - or not.
It is your story,so you could do as you please with them.
Both Ellia and her children do not mattered anyway,except as one of reasons of hate for Lannisters.
So,it do not matter if they live or not.

 

[Trafford]

Hate Valyria - good reason to kill Dany and her brother.
But,Ellia was from Dorne,and her children only half-targs.If Imperials need Dorne /especially if water magic returned there/ ,then they could save them - or not.
It is your story,so you could do as you please with them.
Both Ellia and her children do not mattered anyway,except as one of reasons of hate for Lannisters.
So,it do not matter if they live or not.

Click to shrink...

In books they mattered more as there was Aegon Targeryen who seemingly survived as Varys smuggled him out of the Westeros to the Golden Company with John Connington... this storyline I will keep though probably for more plot

 

[ATP]

In books they mattered more as there was Aegon Targeryen who seemingly survived as Varys smuggled him out of the Westeros to the Golden Company with John Connington... this storyline I will keep though probably for more plot

Click to shrink...

I thought,that Varys and Illyrio was Blackfyres,and they simply used some Blackfyre baby which was taught entire life that he is Aegon.
That explain,why Golden Company supported him,not Dany brother.

But,that is fine,too.Althought added Blackfyres would be more funny.

 

[Trafford]

I thought,that Varys and Illyrio was Blackfyres,and they simply used some Blackfyre baby which was taught entire life that he is Aegon.
That explain,why Golden Company supported him,not Dany brother.

But,that is fine,too.Althought added Blackfyres would be more funny.

Click to shrink...

About Ageon... nobody knows... in books were was nothing confirmed or so, just the speculations, the only answer would be in the next book if Martin ever releases it...

 

[ATP]

About Ageon... nobody knows... in books were was nothing confirmed or so, just the speculations, the only answer would be in the next book if Martin ever releases it...

Click to shrink...

Which mean,never.
But - GRRM made so many plotschields to justify what happen,that i stopped caring.Whatever he would wrote would be just another plot schield.

And,that was book problem from the start - Lannisters should be destroyed if GRRM do not turned into idiots both Renly and Stannis,and later Robb would survivie if GRRM do not made him idiot,too.
Considering,that Lannister were destroyed anyway,i could not undarstandt why GRRM did it - Dany could burn either Renly or Stannis instead of Cersei.It really do not mattered.

 

[Trafford]

"Night is long, and the path is dark;

look to the sky; the Dawn will come...

The Blood has come, and a full of might,

for the brave, the horrors come.

*

Look to the stars, as the beasts have come,

Kill all them now, as the scourge has come.

Bare your blade, and raise it high,

for what is come; stand your ground.

*

And of the scourge, the beasts are here,

for Hunters now, the time has come.

And tear them'part, as they bleed in here,

for we are now, in the Hunter's Dreams...

*

Shadows fall, and the hope has come;

the kiln has been lit, in the ancient fire.

Steel your heart, for the nightmares come,

look for the stars, and Insight comes.

*

Drink the Blood, of the formless god,

as you fight; the Great Ones come.

Fear Old Blood, as the Hunters hunt,

for we wake up, in the Waking World.

*

And when we woke, we did see the truth,

That the dreams are past, and sunlight rose.

The Dawn has come, and the Hunters killed,

For we of Blood, are the sons of the Moon...

The Dawn has come."

The Hunter's Waking World Hymn of the Workshop, sung by the Hunters of the Workshop, composer unknown.

***

Codex: Nobility of the Empire - Greater Houses

Elector Count - Elector Count is the highest rank held by the Nobility in The Empire that one can achieve either by inheriting or being raised to such rank. An Elector Count, who may be male or female, is the feudal ruler of one of the Empire's constituent Electoral Provinces, the primary subdivisions of the realm.

As the name suggests, each Elector Count possesses one vote, which can be used to determine which candidate is elected to succeed to the Throne from the Imperial Children within the Landsraad. Yet, at the same time, they themselves are Elected the same way from by their own Houses.

They are required to serve the Empire with all of their resources and fight the enemies of the state at the frontlines.

Lord High Magistrate - Lord High Magistrate is a very unique title within the Empire, not awarded or given, special only to those who control one of the Three Holy Cities and the City of Gods.

The Three Holy Cities are essentially the City-States within the Holy Arcadia Empire and the Lord High Magistrates are the most powerful Nobles of the entire Empire.

***

The Ironborn were good fighters; if not, they would not be feared by the entirety of Westeros and Essos as the most skilled and fearsome reavers across the seas and oceans. They were a vicious, cruel, and disgusting bunch of pirates that pillaged, raped, and slaughtered.

They even called it "Paying the Iron Price"; therefore, nobody really liked them, and most would rather wish for them to be wholly eradicated. Right now, the battleships of the Holy Arcadia Empire were being boarded by hordes and hordes of Ironborn reavers.

The Ironborn ships that survived the initial attack from the cannons now started boarding the battleships and a fight between the crew and Ironborn broke out. The men from the Iron Islands attacked with their famous ferocity and brutality, but the Imperials faced way worse.

Naturally, while the Ironborn were outnumbering the soldiers of the Empire, the forces of the Imperial Army, Silver Knights, Reiksgarde, Priests of Healing Church, Battle Wizards and Holy Executioner Knights were fighting back.

And they were doing it splendidly.

While their numbers were much lower, they charged against the pirates with bravery and courage, killing everything that came into their path.

Three pirates fell for every Imperial Army soldier that Ironborn killed, and while Silver Knights fell too, they took even more pirates with them to the endless dream.

However, they didn't manage to kill even a single Silver Knight in a single combat and could only kill them by deception or numbers, as the Silver Knights were unmatched on the battlefield.

The Silver Knight Order was the best of the best because they were the true elites of the Empire.

From the Silver Knight, the future members of Reiksgarde, Church Executioners, personal Guards of the Elector Couts, Lord High Magistrates, and even a few Hunters even started in the Silver Knight Order.

They were the elite military of the Holy Arcadia Empire; they were the shield and sword that fought against the horrors of the night and terrors that inhabited the darkness. Now, the Reiksgarde and Church Executioners were not making any moves; they were just protecting the Battle Wizards and Priests, respectively.

The Priests of the Healing Church were casting various Divine Spells that were buffing their troops and, simultaneously, healing the injured, saving lives, and almost nullifying their losses to zero.

Priests of the Healing Church were exceptionally proficient at any kind of healing, and they already saved the lives of several soldiers of the Imperial Army who were severely injured by the Ironborn Reaver.

***

POV Cersei

'Calm down, calm down, Cersei... remember your training for the past days; you are a Lion those don't fear its prey.'

I was calming down... this was my first fight, and I felt fear... was this how every man felt when they stepped on the battlefield?

However, it was admirably worse because the enemies were not untrained levies but seasoned killers of Ironborn.

Still, I could see many of them falling to the swords and spears of Silver Knights and Imperial Soldiers.

'If the king doesn't move, then his subject won't follow... remember this, Cersei: Empire is vastly different from Westeros and Essos; the only thing most people care about in the Empire is Skill and Power; they won't care about our Lineage, Status or anything, they will only see you as a person and if you are strong enough... Never show weakness and always be strong...'

I remembered words that Karl said to me when we started training, as I mildly laughed at that... we were already calling each other by our names because he felt that it felt distant if we called each other by our titles.

Imperials were different in culture from Westeros. Their society venerated those who were strong, and they would never bow to anyone weaker than them.

Be it of noble lineage or not.

This was my time to show them that I was just not some spoiled bitch... It didn't escape my sight that while nobody said it, it was clear that most of people looked down on me, and I hated it...

They thought that I was like the rest of the women of Westeros, weak and not capable of fighting; I will show you all...

I readied my blades, the Blades of Mercy Karl gave me... He was right now leading the charge on the ship Silence that belonged to Euron Greyjoy.

Evidently, he wanted to capture that madman... though I sincerely doubt that Quelon Greyjoy would care about his son if he was captured. Ironborns were a bunch of savage bastards that wouldn't bet an eye if their entire families were butchered.

Father told me that Euron Greyjoy was one of the skilled and most dangerous captains of the Iron Islands as well as one of the sons of the current Lord Reaver of Pyke.

"We are joining the battle; they will soon overwhelm the bridge..."

I said to two Reiksgarde behind me whose task was my protection.

During the past few days, combat training wasn't the sole thing that we were doing, but I was also taught about military strategy, how to lead soldiers in battle and other vital specialties in this area.

"As you wish, My Lady."

Both of the Reiksgarde followed after me as I mustered all of the courage I had and did exactly what I was taught. In mere moments, I quickly dodged an incoming sword from one of the Ironborn; bending down, I stabbed the pirate in the stomach with my blades.

He fell onto the ground as I looked at him dying...

This was the first time I took a life and It felt... weird; at the same time, I wanted to puke at the sight, but on the other hand, whatever the Priests were casting around was calming me down.

I still remember when father said to Jamie that the more one killed, the duller he would become to it, and sooner or later, it would be like feeling nothing... absolutely nothing... and it certainly helped that these men were rapist scum that terrorized Westerlands for generations.

Karl told me that I was small and agile, so my combat style would need to revolve around speed, agility and dexterity, dodging the strikes and using the opponents of my enemies...

For now, I didn't have the physical strength to combat against grown men.

"Are you feeling well, My Lady?"

One of the Reiksgarde Knights asked me, but this time, they were not mocking me and were instead... neutral?

"Yes..."

I composed myself as the huge knights nodded in approval.

"The feeling would soon go away..."

And, as he said that, I could feel better within a few upcoming moments as more and more Ironborn were boarding the ship.

***

3rd POV

Across the battleship, Smeidnir Ironborn was being slaughtered left and right. Soon enough, under the order of Cersei Lannister, the Reiksgarde joined the fray as she led several of them to fight.

Karl Franz noticed them descending from the main deck like the gods of war, as they were install-killing every single pirate that they encountered. The Emperor of the Holy Arcadia Empire smiled when he saw the blonde-haired noble lady fighting against the pirated with her twin swords.

While she was a bit clumsy, she managed to kill five Ironborn before she retreated to safe lines, as she was tired from her first fight. Still, it was a very good result for the first combat ever.

Karl Franz meanwhile killed his way to the flagship of the Ironborns, the Silence that belonged to Euron Greyjoy, holding the Longinuslanze Testament together with his Reiksgarde and Church Executioners and two Battle Wizards; they were unstoppable.

Silence has a single mast, black sails, and a dark red hull. Its decks are painted red to hide better the blood that soaks them. The ship's figurehead is a mouthless maiden with one arm outstretched.

The figure was made of black iron, with long, shapely legs, a slender waist, and high breasts, and had streaming black iron hair and mother-of-pearl eyes.

Soon enough, on the command deck of Silence was a pale and handsome with black hair and a neat dark beard. He wore a black patch over his left eye; for that, he had the nickname "Crow's Eye".

It was Euron Greyjoy, the captain of this fine vessel...

His right eye was as blue as summer sky and was regarded as his "smiling eye" and his lips were pale blue as well...

"So you are the infamous Crow's Eye..."

Karl Franz observed the Crow's Eye with keen interest; a whole few of the Reiksgarde and Church Executioners killed everyone on the board of silence within a few moments. All of these Knights were of Level 3 Old Blood.

Their physical strength was comparable to that of the strongest Ogres; they were many times faster than even the fastest of men and had at least two or three centuries under their belt of combat...

"So... what would it be, surrender or death?"

The Emperor of the Holy Arcadia Empire asked him with amusement because something that he didn't truly expect had happened. The Crow's Eye dropped his weapon and surrendered... it was a weird sight from the madman, but Karl Franz knew that the man was scheming something.

But it played into their cards perfectly, as he was soon handcuffed with Dimeritium handcuffs and Battle Wizard cast a few binding spells on his person. Euron Greyjoy was a highly intelligent person who knew how to play the game and realized the odds were against him.

And he also noticed that for some reason, the enemies were not killing him, not because they couldn't but because they didn't want to, so he decided to make use of it and just surrendered.

***

Several weeks after the departure of the Emperor of the Holy Arcadia Empire, Westeros, Westerlands, Casterly Rock

Casterly Rock is carved out of a colossal stone hill beside the Sunset Sea. It is popularly believed to resemble a lion in repose at sunset; the Rock was six miles long from west to east and has a width of two miles from north to south. Its peak is about 640,08 meters.

The base of the Rock contains large sea-carved caverns. The stone has been mined for thousands of years, so there are hundreds of mineshafts in the depths of the Rock.

The face of the mount has windows and arrow slits scattered all over, they look small from the outside, but it is only an illusion due to the massive size of the Rock.

The entire stronghold—tunnels, dungeons, storerooms, barracks, halls, grand halls, stables, stairways, courtyards, balconies, gardens, a sept, passages, caves, mines, galleries, chutes, wells, barracks, armories, chambers, servant's quarters, etc.—lies within the Rock itself.

In the Lord's Solar, Tywin Lannister was meeting with the Chapter Master of Silver Knight, Agamemnon Atreides.

"I must say, Lord Lannister, your castle is one of the finest fortresses that I have ever seen."

It was evident that Tywin Lannister beamed with pride hearing that and after accommodating the Silver Knights proved to be useful, as few of the more educated ones among them pointed out several weak points within the fortress.

He dismisses it at first, but soon enough, he was even presented with a potential hostile takeover of the Casterly Rock through the sewers of the Rock. Now that problem was addressed, and sewers were reconstructed and strengthened to be one of the strongest points of the Rock.

"You speak from experience from what I see..."

He met a few times with Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides, and he noticed that while the man in question was a peerless warrior, he had a very noble demeanor and reminded him very much of Prince Rhaegar.

"Yes... Casterly Rock reminds me pretty much of Ironforge, the most majestic kingdom of Dwarves that I visited with my father when I was younger."

Saying that made Tywin raise his brow at him in curiosity.

"Oh, I didn't introduce myself fully because we are forbidden to use our titles when part of the Order. But I am Heir of the Elector House of Atredies; my mother is Elector Countess and Grand Duchy of Caladan, and my father is currently serving as General-Kommandant of Reiksgarde."

Hearing that made Tywin stop for a moment because he didn't expect that somebody this important would be left here. He knew that Elector Counts were the pinnacle of Imperial Nobility, so hearing that he was hosting Heir to the Elector Count House was a pleasant and unnerving surprise.

Not to mention that his father was the leader of the Reiksgarde, which was a position even above that of Nobility. Tywin learned that there was one thing that the Empire valued above everything else and that was power.

Lineage, origin, or social status didn't matter as long as one was powerful; it was a very foreign concept to Westeros, where lineage was seen as everything.

"Now, to the more important matters, I want to ask you for a favor, if possible. Naturally, you would also be rewarded for it; Lannister always pays his debts."

Tywin said slowly as Agamemnon Atreides waited for the Lord of Lions to state his request.

"I want advice on the creation of a professional standing military."

Agamemnon Atreides wasn't very surprised by this, but he nodded nevertheless because he was already briefed about this by his Emperor, who already foresaw that the Lord of Lions would ask for this.

"That seems possible..."

The Chapter Master Atreides said slowly.

"The first thing we need to start is to create the core of the Army, for that your Red Guards could serve, and we need officers, and before you say you want to appoint some of your vassals for that, I would strictly advise against it."

Tywin was surprised hearing that, but he was intelligent enough because he suspected the answer as well, but he still proceeded to ask for clarification.

"The best course of action would be cultivating a new generation of officers from commoners, abandoned nobles, or trustworthy mercenaries that want a stable life. These men and women would solely depend on you for their existence and life, and contrary to members of other Houses, they won't have any side thoughts."

The Lord of Westerlands nodded at that because it was a logical explanation, and while all Westerlands Lords were loyal to him, either through fear or loyalty, they would always have the benefits of their House as a priority.

He wanted people who would complete his orders to the dot without any complaints and without any other interests.

"And where to find them? While we could cultivate some, it won't be enough for a full army."

This was a problem that he was currently facing because education in Westeros was a thing of privilege for those of Noble birth.

"Recruit them from the Empire."

Agamemnon Atreides answered frankly.

"???"

He looked at the Chapter Master.

"Every year, there are dozens of commoners of the Empire who graduate from Imperial Gunnery School, Schola Progenium, Aquila Academy, or Diesdorf Military College, so you have two options. One would be sponsoring some of the commoners from Westerlands who show promise to go to schools or participate in the final recruitment."

Chapter Master patiently explained the options.

"Final recruitment?"

He already decided on sponsoring some commoners if it was possible, but it would be as his daughter was the fianceé of the Emperor, so technically speaking, Westerlands were close allies and family of the Imperial Throne.

"Yes, at the end of each year, most nobles of the Empire would try to recruit talents to their service, and while, unfortunately, Westeros won't be appealing to many, you have two big advantages over others."

Tywin knew what it was...

"Gold and Glory..."

Tywin knew that if he went all out, then he could spend even more than some of the Elector Count Houses, and for the second, it was glory in the unknown lands to make a name for themselves as pioneers.

"Yes... most of the Elector Count Houses are directly sponsoring people or sending their descendants to study, and only a few of the most brilliant ones that are not affiliated with anyone are then recruited through Final Recruitment. Aside from that, Elector Counts won't be spending much money on this endeavor, and the second is glory..."

Certainly, many would be tempted to go to Westeros and search for glory for themselves.

"Then it seems that I would need to go to the Empire sooner or later."

***

Sunset Sea, around the same time...

The first golden sun rays rose from the west and fell onto the ships sailing back home as the familiar visage of land appeared before them. Everyone on the deck gathered on the majestic shores of their homeland.

Karl Franz stood on the deck, observing the sun rising as he felt the golden rays of the sun fall on his face. He felt a woman's hand interviewing with his own as he looked at the familiar visage of fortress port-city.

"Welcome, welcome and welcome thrice! To the Land of Ancient Lords!"

They were finally at home.

"Come, we need to hurry back to the Faust before the corpse of the Daemon Lord starts attracting problems."

Karl Franz said with nostalgia as they were slowly heading to the port of Marienburg, which was the biggest fortress port-city in the Empire, under the rule of Elector Count Gausser.

Marienburg was considered to be the largest trading hub in the Lordran and was the greatest of its ports. It was a place of great wealth and great opportunity and also served as home to one of the Imperial Fleets.

"It looks majestic."

He heard Cersei mutter, seeing the majestic walls of the fortress port city of Marienburg; it was a majestic place, with very tall walls, sharp architecture and features, and high white towers everywhere around it.

"It is..., but it is nothing compared to the Anor Londo or the other three Holy Cities... they are far more breathtaking than you can ever think."

Karl Franz stated while Smeidnir was heading to the docks. In front of the docks several ships were acting as escorts in front of the docks, and at the docks themselves, a small procession was prepared.

Though not mostly for him, but it was rather filled with Wizards and Sorcerers from the Byrgenwerth who were here to check up on the corpse of the Daemon Lord because it was their precious merchandise.

Smeidnir was slowly heading towards the deck, where it slowly docked, and they started disembarking with Cersei closely following after her financeé as she saw several tens of Sorcerers and Wizards similar to High Scholar Jinfarah, whom she met.

Though they didn't pay them much attention, though, because after greeting the Emperor and asking where the corpse of Daemon Lord was, they ignored them and went to the corpse.

She learned during their journey that scholars of Byrgenwerth didn't care much about almost anything aside from their magic research and uncovering the secrets of the Arcane. While it was certainly rude, it seemed that everyone had already gotten used to it.

"What a wondrous specimen, Your Majesty..."

Remarked one of the scholars who was examining the corpse of Daemon Lord Demogorgon.

"Indeed, Daemon Lord Demogorgon is one of the strongest Daemon Lords in the Abyss and he was slain in the material place in rather a pathetic way."

Said another one, who stroked his beard while casting some spells.

"This one would serve a greater purpose to our research and all the materials..."

Soon enough, the Scholars, Sorcerers, and Wizards started bickering with each other about what to do with the corpse of Daemon Lord Demogorgon and how to use the corpse in the most efficient way.

Naturally, each one of them had their own agenda and wanted to use it for their own research...

"You see why? They only care about their research; I think it would be best to stop them now, or they would start fighting among themselves."

Karl Franz said to his fianceé, observing the group of old men arguing with each other, which was undoubtedly amusing. They were like a bunch of bickering children and would have turned on their favorite toy.

Just these ones had Magic and didn't fear to shoot spells at each other when someone insulted them or if they wanted to advance their research. When things started getting hotter, Karl Franz raised his hand, and invisible power burst out of him and dispersed all of the spells that they attempted to cast.

"Please, gentlemen... remain civil."

He said with tired sight because attempting to rule them in was problematic.

The corpse of something as powerful as Demogorgon was something that was driving them crazy, and he would need to have a talk about this Supreme Patriarch Balthazar Gelt, or else they would fight among each other for it.

"Praise the Old Blood and Bless the Empire, Your Majesty."

Suddenly, a man stepped forward, wearing a luxurious-looking outfit adorned with gems and laminated with gold.

"His Lordship, Elector Count Gausser, was unable to attend as he is preparing his personal army to squash a new threat of Ork Waaagh led by Ork Boss."

It was castellan of the Marienburg as Karl Franz nodded; not like he planned to remain at the Marienburg any longer because they were planning to head to the Faust as soon as possible.

Cersei meanwhile looked surprised mainly about the difference in social protocol between the Imperium and Westeros, seeing that the Imperium wasn't very keen on formalities when they were not required and also she was surprised about the Orks being close to the Marienburg.

She learned that the Lordran was much more dangerous than Westeros and Essos combined several times over. They were facing hordes of Daemon, nightmare horrors, Greenskins, Beasts, and god knows what.

Yet they were standing powerful, expanding their reach and only a few places in the Lordran were not officially under the control of the Holy Arcadia Empire, but they would soon be.

These findings fascinated her because they told the power of the Imperium. While she wanted to see more of the City, they were going to the Marienburg and Karl Franz didn't wish to leave her alone for the time being as he was the only person she knew here.

And in his mind, Faust as one of the Holy Cities of the Holy Arcadia Empire, was far more majestic and would be much nicer to tour. Marienburg was filled with hundreds of thousands of people; it was a crowded city and not suitable as the first introduction to the Empire.

Their procession then loaded the corpse of Daemon Lord Demogorgon onto the huge carriage, and they went towards Faust, the City of Miracles, and one of the Holy Cities, and fortunately for them, the journey was much faster than anticipated.

Because all carriages were enhanced by Magic and the animals that were pulling them were also of Magic heritage, their traveling speed was very fast. Aside from that, Faust actually wasn't right now far from the Marienburg.

***

MC POV

For the past two days, we were spending time in the Imperial War Wagon, which was something akin to a siege engine or warmachine. It was an extremely heavy version of a chariot, essentially a mobile, armored battle tower that was typically armed with a crew and pulled by warhorses.

The high walls of the tower protect its crew from arrows and attacks from the ground as they unload their own ranged firepower upon the foe.

This one was repurposed to serve as a method of transportation for the Nobility and because of its huge size, it was pretty much comfortable, as I could lay on the couch and read books.

"Are we there yet?"

During the two days, Cersei kept pestering me about various things, so we either talked or she was furthering her education. Her prideful nature wouldn't allow her to be seen as inferior or a country bumpkin, so she was constantly doing something.

"Yes, Faust is heading towards our way as we speak; we should be there in a few hours..."

She looked at me bewildered, probably questioning inside if I didn't go mad, but it seemed that I forgot to tell her the most crucial thing about Faust.

"My mistake... you see... Faust is an ancient Floating City that is floating high in the skies; some call it a city in the skies."

And just as I said that, suddenly, the wagon stopped because we were already under the Fuast.

I motioned for my fianceé to follow me as she looked through the window and saw an enormous complex of floating islands above our head.

"Faust, the City of Miracles... one of the wonders of the Lordran. According to the legends, this City existed even before races came to the Lordran and was sealed in the Eternal Plains."

I explained the origins of Faust as we were observing Faust in wonder.

"Sometime during the Age of Ancients, it was found by Lord Gwyn and was used as headquarters for various Orders of Magic and Silver Knights until the collapse of the Age of Ancients and the beginning of the Age of Fire, when Faust was almost entirely destroyed and for millennia it became ruins until I conquered it from the Beasts and reconstructed it..."

Now the Faust was the true City of Magic and the center of all Magical Research and study into the depths of the Arcane of the Holy Arcadia Empire; just like the Cainhurst the City of Silver was known for producing the finest knights of the Imperium.

Still.. no matter how many times I saw that, I was still astonished by the sheer majesty of the Faust because it was truly a wonderous place and one of the wonders of the ancient Lordran...

Even Cersei was observing various floating islands that were interconnected with each other as soon as the small enchanted ship started descending down, as it was one of the primary means of transportation to Faust.

Either that or Teleportation or opening a Portal. Unfortunately, transporting the corpse of the Demon Lord, which had already started leaving its aura to the outside world, would be very hazardous to transport through a portal.

On top of that, they needed to go through the old method, as the floating ship landed down and a whole bunch of Wizards and Scholars exited the floating ship. Based on the insignias and robes they were wearing, they should be from the Grey Order and Amethyst Order.

Byrgenwerth was the most prestigious magic organization that was studying the Magic and Arcane and under it were Eight Magic Orders that studied respective aspects of Magic and Lore.

And then there were Eight Magic Colleges; each College was maintained by one of the Orders as they taught their branch of Magic and Lore at it. Right now, the Headmaster of Byrgenwerth and Supreme Patriarch of Eight Magic Orders was Balthasar Gelt.

***

3rd POV

"Cersei, we are now going to the Faust, so while we are at it, we will also check out your possible affinity for Magic; there is a high possibility that you have one."

As both betrothed observed how the Wizards loaded the corpse of Demon Lord Demogorgon into the floating ship, Karl Franz then remarked to his fianceé. He himself was a rather accomplished Magic user in a special branch of Magic, Arcane Magic.

The purest and most profound form of Magic that was available to only a very few Scholars in the Byrgenwerth or Hunters of the Workshop.

Hearing that made her loot at him with wonder and little sparkles in her eyes.

"Really?"

Magic was always a thing of myth in the Westeros, but in the Essos, it was very much alive, as there were many Sorcerers and other types of Magic Users though most of them were using pretty unsavory means to obtain Magic.

Meanwhile, in Westeros, the Faith of Seven saw Magic as an abomination that should be exterminated, but she saw in Magic power. Her fainceé showed her that with a wave of his hand, he was able to cast spells that could annihilate thousands of men.

Such was the power of Magic.

"Your blood should be Magical enough from what I know... for example, Starks has a very high affinity for Ice Magic and Druidism, so I don't see a reason why your bloodline shouldn't be too Magical, as it is almost equally old."

This made her raise her brow because he told her during their travel that one of their Elector Counts was closely related to the House Stark to the North of Westeros. This was a shocking discovery.

'Brandon Stark the Shipwright, sailed across the Sunset Sea, where he landed on the shores of Lordran; from the initial fleet of twenty ships, only seven arrived at the shores of northern Lordran at today's Duchy of Fenris. There, the King of Winter formed a pact with local warrior tribes called Vikings and married the daughter of the Viking Warrior King Leman Russ, Astrid Russ and by merging, they established the Stark an Russ Lineage.'

Even in Westeros, knowing the history of the various noble houses was important and in the Empire, even more. So, together with Karl Franz, as part of the bonding time, he was teaching her about various Houses, Lineages, and important figures of the Empire.

Starting with the Elector Counts and Lords High Magistrates.

"Who would have thought that the barren North would actually have this connection... aren't they interested in meeting their distant family?"

She asked as Karl Franz shook his head in mild denial.

"Not really... right now, Duchy of Fenris is dealing with enough problems because a few years ago, there was an overpopulation of Frost Trolls and Frost Giants in the Fenris, so they are quelling down their number. Due to that, nobody is interested in voyaging for several weeks to who knows where."

Lordran was a land of dangers as well, but there was a certain reason why they let the monsters roam the lands and didn't root them out. This was it would put people constantly on edge and in danger.

Yes... many would die.

But overall, the population would get only stronger because they would need to constantly strife for the better tomorrows.

******

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[ATP]

So,we have Atrides and Starks/Russ hybrids as Counts there.Good.
Standing army - also good.
Mad King trying to burn Lannisters when? becouse we could have cyvil war earlier here,started by King attack on Lannisters,and with Empire help they do not need Starks,Vale or Stormlands to win.

Dwarves there - good,what about elves? and,are they children and Westeros giants there?

P.S Others land could be connected by ice with Empire,would they help ice trolls or fight them ?

 

[Morkail]

Well maybe someone will show up and slap Ned stark hard enough he stops being an idiot. Thanks for the chapter

 

[ATP]

Well maybe someone will show up and slap Ned stark hard enough he stops being an idiot. Thanks for the chapter

Click to shrink...

Ned,Robb and Jon Snow.For Catelyn and Sansa it is too late,they just must suffer to undarstandt.

 

[Trafford]

"Let the hammer fall!"

Elector Count of Khaz-Modan, Magni Bronzebeard, facing the hordes of greenskins at the gates.

***

Codex: Landsraad

The Landsraad is the body that represents all Noble Houses of the Holy Arcadia Empire and rose to prominence shortly after the establishment of the Empire and the unification of the Lordran.

The Landsraad meets regularly and provides a forum within which the Noble Houses could relate with one another, to either negotiate trade agreements, create alliances, or conduct kanly, the formalized processes of vendetta or feud.

The Landsraad was governed by the High Council, which was led by the High Chancellor of the Empire. It presided over issues such as the forms of Kanly and whether certain Houses should be banished for breach of the Great Convention or for not upholding the standards of the Holy Arcadia Empire.

Motions within the Landraad were passed by votes. The Imperial House had 150 Votes, the Greater Houses of the Empire had 400 Votes, the Lesser Houses had 400 Votes, and The Healing Church had 150 Votes.

Each Elector Count House had 20 Votes, and each Lord High Magistrate Hosue had 60 Votes. Among the Lesser Houses, they usually had a much smaller number of Votes compared to the Greater Houses, so they typically grouped together to be represented.

That was the case mainly with some of the weakest Baron Houses and many of the Grand Paladin Houses because the number of Votes one possessed in the Landsraad depended on the personal power of the said House.

***

MC POV

Faust was one of the places that I genuinely loved to be in... the City of Miracles was one of the most beautiful wonders that were ever built, and due the fact that it was scarcely populated allowed us to enjoy its wonder.

"It is almost empty... when you told me it was one of the most important places of the Empire, I thought it would be different..."

I heard Cersei tell me this, and I was forced to agree. Compared to the rest of the Cities, Faust had the smallest population, of only a few tens of thousands, not more than forty thousand if I was correct.

She looked around the city, observing the wondrous buildings and seeing Wizards, Scholars, and people walking here and there. She tried not to be surprised when she saw Gnomes and Dwarves for the first time.

Her imp of a brother was often ridiculed as a "dwarf", but the real dwarves were bulky, with broad shoulders, short build, muscular arms and long beards. They were master craftsmen, able to shape stone and metals like none other, masterful engineers and warriors.

Not to mention, they were brave, loyal and honorable folk who controlled the entire Grand Province of Khaz-Modan and one of the greatest cities ever built in the Lordran, the Ironforge.

"Yes... in Faust, most commonly, only magicians live together with their families and students at the Eight Imperial Colleges of Magic, so the population isn't very big."

I said as we strode through the streets with people occasionally bowing to us if they recognized me or they were minding their own things. Wizards and Scholars of Faust didn't really care about politics and were often minding their own business.

Some didn't even know how their Emperor looked, which was a bit ridiculous, but whatever, as long as they contributed to the Empire, protected the nation and brought the inventions, I didn't care about a bunch of eccentrics.

"Faust has altogether 14 Floating Islands that are interconnected with each other, centering around the Main island which serves as the headquarters of the Byrgenwerth."

The main Island was the biggest one and on the main Island, the headquarters of the Byrgenwerth was situated.

"Eight of the Floating Islands are occupied by the Eight Imperial Colleges of Magic and their Eight Magic Orders. One Island belongs to the Healing Church, one to the Vilebloods of Cainhurst, one to the Imperial House, one to the Workshop and the last two are constantly changing its owners."

I explained about the fourteen floating islands that were circling around the Main Island, together creating the humongous floating city known as Faust, the City of Miracles.

"Changes its owner?"

We were right now heading towards the main headquarters of the Byrgenwerth on the Main Island as Cersei caught on to my last words.

"Yes, it doesn't belong to anyone in particular... basically, it belongs to anyone who conquers it; it is a form of competition between the Elector Counts of the Empire. You need to know that owning one Floating Island brings tremendous benefits because one has a constant foothold in the Faust."

This system was implemented not only to strengthen the Empire as a whole, but it also had many other thoughts behind it. On the other hand, it would keep the most powerful noble Houses in a state of constant evolution and advancement.

"And they are constantly forced to become better to be not left behind by their competitors..."

I nodded at her words with a smile.

"To whom they currently belong?"

She asked while looking at the two remaining floating islands.

"Izalith and Ironforge... House Izalith is known for their deep research into the Lore of Fire and they also founded the Pyromancy Magic and even produced two people who would later become Supreme Patriarchs of Byrgenwerth. And Ironforge are here mainly due to their Runecrafting and Runic Magic..."

Pyromancy was found by the Witch of Izalith Quelaag several thousands of years ago during the Age of Fire, shortly after Lord Gwyn sacrificed himself to lit up the first flame and started the Age of Fire.

She was a very mighty Sorceress and created a peculiar branch of the Lore of Fire, called Pyromancy, that allowed Mage to utilize his Soul Flame as his weapon. Pyromancy was far more destructive than average Fire Attributed Spells.

During the centuries, Izalith declined and rose either way, sometimes, they were on the verge of destruction and sometimes they were thriving, but they survived the passage of time for several thousand years.

When the unification wars began, Izalith and their Pyromancer organization, Chaos Flame Covenant, joined among the first ones because they saw there hope to regain their foothold in the changing world.

***

3rd POV

The main building where the Byrgenwerth resisted was overlooking a lake and the building stood serenely as if gazing at the reflection of the moon. It was an enormous mansion that one could easily mistake for a palace, consisting of several floors and an enormous dome resting on the top of it.

It was built with a typical mixture of ancient Lordranese architecture and the gothic feel of Yharnam that was right now prevalent across the entire Holy Arcadia Empire.

"Your Majesty, greetings..."

Karl Franz and his betrothed Cersei Lannister arrived in front of the humongous manse as they were welcomed by several tens of scholars under the leadership of the current Supreme Patriarch and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth, Balthasar Gelt, who bowed at their sight.

The man in question wore the traditional clothing of the Gold Order and also the golden mask that reminded the sun.

Every hundred years, the Eight Orders of Magic of Byrgenwerth would elect one of their numbers to duel with equal counterparts. Each Order will put its own representative for the position of Supreme Patriarch and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth.

One needed to have tremendous merit in research of Magic and be a mighty Wizard to be even considered for the position. When the duel was won, the winner received the office of the Supreme Patriarch and the right to wield the ancient Staff of Volans.

Balthasar Gelt is the most recent winner of this exalted position. Such is his skill in the art of Magic that he managed to defeat the former Supreme Patriarch, Thyrus Gormann of the Bright Order, in the ritual duel at the Obsidian Hall.

Thus, he took over as Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges and replaced the long-standing prominence of Bright Order and Chaos Flame Covenant with that of Gold Order.

"Greetings to you, Headmaster."

Karl Franz nodded his head at the Supreme Patriarch and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth with his fianceé mimicking what he did. She knew that Balthasar Gelt was politically and militarily one of the strongest people of the Holy Arcadia Empire, and that was not even telling about his personal power as Wizard.

"So, what is the reason for His Imperial Majesty to visit our School?"

Balthasar Gelt asked after they had exchanged pleasantries.

"To have my fianceé tested for Magic Aptitude."

Karl-Franz said that as the Supreme Patriarch and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth stepped forward and scanned her from tips to toes before he nodded his head and motioned for them to follow.

"That will take a short time; we will see what Lore suits you, My Lady."

The interior of the Byrgenwerth was breathtaking with its beautiful smooth architecture, but yet it pertained to some of the more creepy aspects. Everywhere where the eye could see, one could observe Scholars, Wizards, Students practicing digilently Spells and dedicating themselves to the study of the Ancient Lore.

After passing several corridors filled with books, they entered a simple, empty room with only one crystal ball inside.

"Put your hands on the crystal ball and do nothing else... I can sense that you have Magic inside your body, but you cannot control it at all; this would be a bit problematic, but nothing unsolvable."

This was the so-called testing room for the Magic Aptitude and Elements, determining if someone had a high enough aptitude to study Magic and which Lore was one attributed to.

Under the watchful eyes of Karl Franz and Baltasar Gelt, Cersei nervously stepped forward and did precisely what the Supreme Patriarch said and put her right hand on the crystal ball...

Several seconds later, the crystal ball started shining with bright golden light before it began to contain a bit of red light.

"Splendid, another practitioner of the Lore of Metal, though you also have a good affinity for the Lore of Fire."

Karl Franz was surprised to hear that as he chuckled to himself because the Lore of Fire certainly answered for her fiery temper. Lore of Metal was Lore of the Gold Order to which Supreme Patriarch Balthasar Gelt belonged.

They consisted mainly of Alchemists and Battle Wizards that were proficient in combat, while the Lore of Fire was of the Bright Order, which cultivated one of the strongest types of Battle Wizards.

"Then I ask the Supreme Patriarch to find an appropriate teacher for my fainceé... we would be departing the Anor Londo after a few days and afterward, she would attend Schola Progenium."

Karl Franz wanted only the best of the best for his fincaeé, so he hoped that the Supreme Patriarch of Faust would arrange some form from the Izalith to teach Cersei about the Lore of Fire and perhaps even the arts of Pyromancy of Chaos Flames of the Chaos Flame Covenant.

And when it came to the Lore of Metal, he knew that he himself as the most prominent practitioner of the Lore of Metal, would take it upon himself to teach her.

This would be an unprecedented opportunity to get closer to the future Empress of the Holy Arcadia Empire and elevate Faust and Byrgenwerth to another Level. Right now, they were a bit at a disadvantage against the Healing Church and Workshop due to Lady Maria.

She was the most dazzling student of the Gehrman the First Hunter after His Imperial Majesty Karl Franz. That put the Workshop in prominence, secondly only to the Healing Church among the factions within the Empire.

So, Faust needed to take the opportunity when it presented itself and teaching the future Empress the secrets of the Arcane and Magic would certainly help them elevate their standing by a great degree.

"It would be my utmost pleasure to teach Lady Cersei personally."

Karl Franz nodded as Cersei looked surprised that such a lofty figure would be teaching her personally and she sensed that he for sure had some ulterior motive in this.

"Then we shall excuse to our Floating Island, Supreme Patriarch Gelt."

Karl Franz stated as he, together with his fianceé, went to their Floatzing Island. They would remain for some time at the Faust, tour the city, and have some time together before they would depart for the Anor Londo.

***

"So this is your Floating Island."

The golden-haired Light of the West looked around the Floating Island that belonged to the Imperial House with a certain degree of wonder. It wasn't very big, but also it wasn't small either.

If used to a maximum, it could house at least a few thousand people with ease. The entire Floating Island was protected by high walls and guarded by Silver Knights, who were permanently stationed here, together with a few retired members of the Reiksgarde.

Guarding the Floating Island was a much more leisurely job, so many of the Knights that wished to retire were offered jobs as Guards for the Floating Island in the Faust, where they could rest and also continue working for the Empire.

"Yes, there is only the castle in the Floating Island, together with a few mansions for most loyal direct vassals of the Imperial House who are staying here all the time. Still, it is a rather big structure to the fortresses of the Westeros; it was built by one of our Chief Architects and its name is Blackrose Castle."

Karl Franz explained as they looked around the relatively humble castle that was built on the Floating Island.

Blackrose Castle was as magnificent as the first time he saw it, a majestic crown on Faust. The fortress stood tall and proud, each corner filled with trebuchet towers that had stood the test of time.

This castle was designed to act as an unreachable fortress in case Faust was attacked by hostile force and due to its enormous size, it could easily house the majority of the city. Its defenses were being constantly strengthened by the best engineers and strategists of the Empire for entire generations.

The clever design of the battlements, the deeply buried gates with five portcullises, the tunnel-like construction of the castle itself… The place had been designed to be a headache to anyone planning to invade.

"Your Majesty."

They were then welcomed by the Castellan of the Blackrose Castle, an elderly-looking man who wore the black clothes of a butler.

"The chambers for Your, Lady and Reiksgarde are already prepared. The dinner would be served at 19:00 exactly."

The old butler said as we entered the castle for a small tour. Karl Frazn dismissed the Reiksgarde Knights and ordered them to rest because they were not necessary to follow them everywhere at the Blackrose Castle.

"Why did the Supreme Patriarch want to teach me personally? What is his motive?"

As they were walking through the majestic empty halls of the Backrose Castle, he heard Cersei ask, as she was truly the daughter of her father. She knew that something was behind it.

"Yes, he did have a motive. Right now, among the various factions within the Holy Arcadia Empire, Workshop has the edge over the others because Maria and I are students of the Gehrman the First Hunter, so Byrgenwerth wants to equal the odds basically."

Again, politics and politics... everywhere one looked, she realized that it was no different from Westeros, just different methods, but purposes and goals remained the same.

"Still, this would be an excellent opportunity for you because Balthasar Gelt has been one of the strongest Battle Wizards in the entire Holy Arcadia Empire for the past centuries and some even say he would rival The Big Hat Logan himself, the father of Sorcery."

Karl Franz explained as he led Cersei to her chambers, which were close to his, on the same floor at the highest tower of the Backrose Castle. It had a splendid view of the entirety of the Faust.

"So, how are you feeling from being in the skies?"

When they entered the room, they went to the balcony as Karl Franz showed her the view of the city... and it was breathtaking. Right now, they were several kilometers high in the skies and standing at one of the tallest points of the Faust.

"It is beautiful... truly..."

She muttered as they sat down on the pair of chairs.

***

MC POV

I didn't find many opportunities to relax because, as I was the Emperor of the Holy Arcadia Empire, I needed to be an example for others to follow. I worked harder than any other, fought more ferociously than anyone else, and was the prime of the Empire.

Moments like these were rare; only with Maria did I have some when we were spending time together or went Hunting some Beasts, and during the Hunt, we had some more intimate moments.

"I don't have many opportunities to rest like this."

I said while looking at the periphery of the city.

"You know, the Nobles of the Empire need to be the example for others, and I, as the Emperor, need to be the example for the Nobles and Common people."

I muttered, and suddenly I felt that she came to me and sat on my lap. Cersei was growing bolder and bolder with the more time we spent together. I must admit that she knew what she wanted, and if she wanted something, she would take it.

I liked that kind of confidence and personality.

"You should rather focus more on my, Your Majesty."

She huskily whispered in my ears as I felt her soft, young body pressed against mine; even though she was fifteen years old, she was very well-developed for her age...

"I think I should... somebody has been naughty."

I then grabbed her perfectly shaped butt and kissed her passionately, as our tongues fought for dominance until I heard a soft moan escaping her mouth when we separated...

"While I would like to continue further... I believe that it would be best to stop right now..."

I said, much to her displeasure, because we were both horny... One thing that I noticed about my fianceé, she was giving me the same look as Maria when we started our relationship.

And while I was tempted to have sex with her right here and now, in the end, I decided against it because her body wouldn't be able to withstand it... I am one of the strongest people in the Empire.

The Old Blood flowed through my veins...

And she was right now still only an average mortal, and sex between someone like Maria and me was... very intense, long, passionate and even destructive. Not to mention I had tremendous stamina, allowing me to go for literal hours upon hours.

"Not that I don't desire you... but you are not of Old Blood and I don't want to hurt you as I fuck your brains out."

I whispered to her ear as she arched her back while my hand went down to her tights and started rubbing her there.

"But that doesn't mean that we can't pleasure each other in a different way..."

I nibbled on her ear as she moaned while gripping my clothes. She was really cute and beautiful at the same time, and I wanted to take her so much...

***

3rd POV

Several hours later, Faust, Blackrose Castle.

The next day, both Karl Franz and his fianceé Cersei Lannister went on the tour of Faust, the City of Miracles for the time. Aside from that, they would also visit the local Church for the conversion and Blood Ministration Ceremony.

Karl Franz, as the Chosen of the Great Ones, knew when some began to believe in the might of the Old Ones, and it seemed that she had found Faith in the Great Ones. Though after everything she had saw, it was easily accomplished.

People like Cersei Lannister were dangerous when they fell into the Faith because, for their whole life, they didn't believe in Gods, but when they fell to the Faith, they would become the most zealous fanatics that would burn the world for their Gods.

Exactly like him.

He knew that soon enough, The Healing Church would have a stable foothold in the Westerlands. With what had happened in the Lannisport, the fight against that Demon and the usage of the power of the Great Ones would convert the people from the false Faith to the true one.

And he also knew that sooner or later, they would face attacks by the Faith of Seven, but that wasn't his concern. When the Westerlands were converted, it would become a bastion of the Healing Church in the Westeros, and they would crush whatever the Faith of Seven sent at them.

Karl Franz led Cersei to the local Cathedral of the Healing Church, which was located on the Floating Island; they went silently further through the long hall. Like the other Cathedrals of the Healing Church, it was divided into three parts: the nave, the transept, and the choir.

The nave is the central aisle of the Cathedral, and it runs from the main entrance to the Altar at the front of the building. The walls of the nave were lined with rows of columns that supported the towering arches and vaults overhead.

The windows along the sides of the nave were tall and narrow, allowing in a diffuse, colorful light that filled the space with a soft, ethereal glow.

The transept is the cross-shaped section of the Cathedral that intersects with the nave. This area typically houses the choir stalls and the pulpit, and it may also include a small chapel or shrine.

The transept is often one of the most ornately decorated areas of the Cathedral, with intricate carvings, statues, and stained-glass windows that depict scenes from the teaching of the Healing Church about the Great Ones.

The choir is the section of the Cathedral that surrounds the Altar, and it was reserved for use by the clergy and the choir. The choir stalls are often intricately carved and decorated with images of saints, angels, and other religious figures.

The high Altar was typically located at the center of the choir, and it may be adorned with elaborate decorations such as void crystals, statues of the Great Ones and other things deciphered in the Gospel of the Great Ones.

"Welcome to my Church, children of the Great Ones."

They were welcomed by a woman's voice, belonging to the dark-haired woman wearing pure white outside, consisting of white garb, gloves and trousers and white boots. Every Catherdral was led by a Vicar, who were a higher-up of the Healing Church.

"And welcome to my humble Church, Holy Chosen of the Great Ones."

She looked at Karl Franz and bowed deeply.

"And we humbly thank you for the welcome, Vicar Amelia."

Karl Franz gave her a small bow as Cersei gracefully bowed, wearing a crimson-red dress laminated with golden patterns.

"What can I do for the Holy Imperator today?"

Vicar Amelia asked; it was rare for such a person to come to visit her Cathedral. Karl Franz, as Chosen of the Great Ones, had unnatural prestige among the believers of the Healing Church, as they would do his every command.

In the end, he was the incarnation of the Great Ones in the mortal plane.

Their living instrument and the only person who could communicate with the Great Ones living in the Higher Dimensions.

"Blood Ministration."

Karl Franz answered as Vicar Amelia showed a gentle smile as she looked at the golden-haired woman beside the Holy Imperator. This was indeed a joyous occasion for every Priest of the Healing Church when they brought new believers to the only true Faith.

Vicar Amelia was one of the Vicars of the Healing Church, who were the highest ranking members of the Church and second only to the Grand Theogenist, who was chosen collectively by the Council of Vicars.

"It shall be done, Your Holy Majesty."

She bowed to Karl Franz before she went to prepare for the entire ceremony. Karl Franz wanted only a small procession and nothing big because of the time and truth to be told; he wanted to have this thing done as fast as possible.

"The Blood Ministration is not a painful process for those who believe... Vicar Amelia will host the ceremony and you will say exactly what we have trained and drink the Old Blood... when you wake up once again, it will be as a new person..."

Cersei nodded her head, hearing that he already prepared her for the ceremony, and even she was already impatient about that because the Old Blood would signify that she was truly a member of the Holy Arcadia Empire.

In one swoop, she would obtain power that was far above any mortal man and that was exactly what she wanted. Not to mention, she would be able to live for centuries to come, maintaining her beauty that would never fade.

She heard that those of Noble Old Blood were ageless; Gehrman the First Hunter was here since the beginning of the Age of Strife when the Old Blood was found under the Yharnam, which was already over five thousand years.

Something hardly believable, but the man was still walking among them, breathing and living.

Still, Karl Franz told her that many died before they could reach the end of their natural lifespan, though it was confirmed that those of Noble Blood didn't have one, starting from Level 5 and higher.

Nobody has yet died on the bed, and all of them died on the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Karl Franz and Cersei were talking about some minor things; the Priests in the Cathedral were preparing everything for the Blood Ministration, as this was a rare occasion.

In the Lordran, everyone was a believer in the Healing Church. Aside from the hostile species like Orks or the Barbarians in the west, those who would sooner or later be exterminated by a Crusade.

And this occasion was only more important by the sole fact that the person undergoing the Blood Ministration was the finaceé of the Holy Imperator.

This would certainly elevate Vicar Amelia among the other Vicars because it was a matter of prestige. Not long after that, everything was prepared for the ceremony of the Blood Ministration and Vicar Amelia stood in front of the golden Altar of the Great Ones.

"Come my child, lost in the past, certain of the future. The Holy Medium is waiting."

Vicar Amelia started the ceremony of the Blood Ministration as several people gathered around the Altar, kneeling and chanting the prayers, while Cersei walked confidently to the Altar with Karl Franz behind her.

"For we are born of blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood."

Golden lioness knelt before the Vicar Amelia, who grabbed a silver chalice as she continued chanting the prayer.

"And through blood we are reborn, through blood we are forges and through blood we live."

Her powerful voice echoed through the Cathedral as everyone prayed.

"I must not fear.

Fear is the mind-killer.

Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.

I will face my fear.

I will permit it to pass over me and through me.

And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path.

Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

Cersei Lannister took the silver chalice from Vicar's hands, who passed it to her as she finished the chant and drank the Old Blood.

"The Old Blood guides us; the Old Blood protects us; the Old Blood lives through us, for we are of the children of Great Ones."

"For we are of the children of Great Ones."

Everyone prayed together as they watched the golden-haired woman drinking down the silver chalice full of Old Blood in reverence and anticipation.

"Let us be reborn by the Old Blood and wake up in the Waking World as the true children of the Great Ones. Aware to the truths of the Cosmos, of the Insight to the depths of Arcane and truth of all existence."

Vicar Amelia finished the prayer as Cersei drank all of the Old Blood and Karl Franz caught her before she could fall on the ground unconscious.

"We are born of the blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open. Fear the Old Blood".

"We are born of the blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open. Fear the Old Blood".

"We are born of the blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open. Fear the Old Blood".

With that being sounded through the Cathedral, the process of the Blood Ministration was successfully finished.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty... the leap of Faith was successful; it seems that Your Lady was lucky to jump so much... her Bloodline must be very, very old..."

Vicar Amelia stated with a smile as Karl Franz took Cersei, who was unconscious in a princess carry and departed from the Cathedral of the Healing Church. Surprisingly to everyone present, her Old Blood Level was of Level 3 strength from the start...

But it wasn't that shocking because he knew that the Noble Bloodlines of Westerosi were old, very old and contained dormant powerful Magic. That has been proved with the House Stark an Russ, who, after drinking the Old Blood, become instantly Level 4 in one go.

***

"Great Resurgence was an event that began in Year 10,280 of the Imperial Callendar, Year 280 of the Westerosi Calendar and was the start of what is known as the Return of Magic.

Nobody truly knows how it exactly started; some attributed it to visitors from beyond the Sunset Seas, some attributed it to the Red Comet descending from the skies and some said it was a gift from the Great Ones to humanity to fight the horrors and nightmares of Old Night.

But one thing was certain, the Magic has, from there, started slowly returning back to Westeros and Essos.

As a young Maester, I have spent a long time, like many others before me, searching for the mystic arts and devoted all my time to its study. To the point where my fellow Maesters called me 'Marwyn the Mage', but despite the name, I couldn't cast a single spell.

And suddenly, one day, Magic returned. Without any foretelling, all across Westeros and Essos, Magic had at once been restored. Even the Priests of the Faith of Seven could cast spells like those of the Healing Church, albeit not that powerful. Red Priests of R'hollor the Red God felt their power being strengthened by several times and the most powerful of them could turn to ash entire villages.

In Westeros, everyone began to scheme against each other to access the secrets of the Magic and how to obtain even greater power. In this, the oldest bloodlines that could trace their roots to Magical origin had a significant advantage over the others.

Starks, Lannisters, Nymeros Martell, Baratheon and Targaryen...

And yet not even dragons saved Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen from Robert Baratheon, who personally slayed his wyvern Balerion together with him at the Battle of Trident."

From the book series Great Resurgence written by Archmaester Marwyn of Citadel, Year unknown

***

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[Morkail]

Ahh… dragons return but they aren't nearly as much as an advantage once everyone else has magic. So the civil war goes exactly the same only with more particle effects. So even if Danny hatches some dragon she will hopefully understand that really isn't enough to conquer her family's former throne. Thanks for the chapter.

 

[Trafford]

Ahh… dragons return but they aren't nearly as much as an advantage once everyone else has magic. So the civil war goes exactly the same only with more particle effects. So even if Danny hatches some dragon she will hopefully understand that really isn't enough to conquer her family's former throne. Thanks for the chapter.

Click to shrink...

Technically speaking what she will hatch won't be a dragon but a wywern

 

[ATP]

Technically speaking what she will hatch won't be a dragon but a wywern

Click to shrink...

Well,they would be no sapient,so you are right.
Reaction to dwarws - i remember some dead ASoIaF/LOTR crossover on SB/forget name,as usual/ When Elendil come to North,created his own version of Gondor there,and one Tyrion visit and some child name him as dwarf showed him painting of dwarves fighting Morgoth dragons when everybody else run.

About Fire magic teacher - there is funny Witchcraft Works manga,when there exist some Fire princess Ayaka Kagari who could do the job...
or,even better,old witch Evermillion
here:http://witch-craft-works.fandom.com/wiki/Evermillion

I do not found anything with her alone on YT,so have Ayaka instead:



P.S Other powers in Westeros,like Kadath,Stygoi,Cardossa,hidden city in Leng,ruins in Sothorys - GRRM say almost notching about it,except that something nasty dwell there,so you could made it as strong as your story need.

 

[Trafford]

"We are the guardians of the Tartarus Pass, the Skycrown Gate and Skycrown Citadel! No matter how many foul daemons would come, we stand strong! No matter how strong they are, we kill them all! We are children of the Blood and Night; we guard the path to the Empire for centuries and will guard it till the End Times! So, ready your blades, proud sons and daughters of Skycrown and leave them no mercy! For the Imperator!"

Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes speaking to the defenders of Skycrown Gate at Year 10,280 at the invasion of Daemon horde.

***

Codex: Imperial Government

Contrary to popular belief and misconceptions about the Empire in the Westeros and Essos, it is not a confederation of independent states and provinces whose inhabitants are tied together only by a common language, a shared faith in Great Ones and a mutual Imperial culture.

While it was true that the various Grand Provinces enjoyed large autonomy within the Empire, and the Elector Counts of Grand Provinces and High Lord Magistrates of Three Holy Cities had large sway in the Empire, everyone bowed before the might of the supreme Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder.

The Holy Arcadia Empire is a centrally unified nation ruled by The Holy Imperator, who also holds the title of Lord High Magistrate of Anor Londo, the City of Gods and Elector Count of Grand Principality of Reikland.

Only those who are approved by the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder have the right to crown themselves as Emperors.

Upon the founding, The Emperor, in his endless wisdom, created a government based on centralized decentralization. While the central government had supreme power above everything and everyone, Grand Provinces and Cities enjoyed a relatively high degree of autonomy and ruled themselves as long as they upheld Imperial standards.

That was done because the Empire was too large for one central government to rule as a whole with efficiency and good results.

***

Lordran, Holy Arcadia Empire, Faust the City of Miracles, Blackrose Castle

MC POV

The Blood Ministration Ceremony went without a problem, which was a good thing because when someone underwent it, there were also risks. But it was a matter of faith, something that I couldn't really influence.

After the Blood Ministration was complete, I took Cersei back to the Blackrose Castle and put her to sleep because she was too tired. People often tended to lose their consciousness when undergoing Blood Ministration.

Though at the same time, I couldn't hide my surprise because she underwent Blood Ministration and her Old Blood was already on Level 3, which was very unprecedented; such things rarely happened.

Usually, a person steadily claimed through the Levels of the Old Blood through various degrees of Blood Ministration and faith in the Great Ones. Nevertheless, naturally, there were also exemptions to the rule.

And those exemptions were people who had magic bloodlines, like Starks or, in the Empire, Sark an Russ from the Kaer Trolde. The first their ancestors drank the Old Blood, he directly became Level 4 and awakened various very potent Ice Manipulation abilities.

But that was to be expected because Westerosi Bloodlines were old, powerful, and magical.

Not all of them, but some of them were, Lannisters, Starks, Nymeros Martell, Baratheons and Targaryens.

Lannisters also had their roots in the first men and had powerful dormant magic in their blood, albeit it was more diluted compared to the rest of the most magical houses in Westeros.

Starks had probably the purest magical blood flowing through their veins together with Targaryens and Baratheons. The last one was something I was inquisitive about because Baratheon Bloodline was the combination of the Valyrian Blood and Blood of Ancient Stormkings...

And as the last ones, there was House Nymeros Martell, descended from the Water Mages of Rhoynar and Earth Mages of Dorn; their Bloodline was also particularly unique to me. But that was a topic for the future as I had other things to do right now.

Now that the corpse of the Daemon Lord was safely in the hands of Byrgenwerth, Cersei successfully converted to the Faith of the Great Ones in the Cathedral of the Healing Church; I could once again resume my training.

From my previous experiences with the Blood Ministration, I knew that she would be sleeping for a few days as I left her in the care of the household servants and Castle Priest, who would be taking care of her.

Meanwhile, I went back to my training... I needed to maintain my body in top condition, and also, there was the matter of captured Euron Greyjoy, who should be en route to the Anor Londo right now.

Straight to the prison, I would need to deal with him at a later date, but from a small talk I had with him during his detainment at the Smeidnir, I have confirmed all of my suspicions.

He was a man who wanted power and who wanted to write his name into the annals of history, to become part of it, aside from being utterly insane and mad, thought that was a bit underestimation of his mental state.

Still, it was shocking to see someone that insane, and it wasn't a Hunter of the Workshop because only they tended to go insane to such a degree from Hunting the Beasts.

Not to mention there were many plans that I would need to implement with the Westeros and Essos present, one of the most notable was to get hands on the things that were in the Valyria at any cost.

The power to control Wywerns, their secret to the Valyrian Steel or the Blackstone Walls, their construction methods, and overall, the entire legacy of their civilization could propel the Holy Arcadia Empire to a new level of prosperity.

From what I saw about the Valyrian Steel, it was superior to most of the metals in the Empire, aside from things like Adamantium or Mithril. Once in the past, Valyrian Steel was common as a cabbage because it wasn't anything precious for the Valyrians, as they were able to mass produce Valyrian Steel weapons and armor to equip their armies with it.

Unfortunately, it was all lost with the Fall of Valyria and nothing only a few swords and weapons remained in the Westeros. Essos was another thing because nobody knew how much of Valyrian Steel remained in the hands of former Valyrian colonies.

Still, if my plan came to fruition, we would be able to replace the standard equipment of our Soldiers with that of the Valyrian Steel, greatly enhancing their combat capabilities which would give even ordinary soldiers a good chance against stronger Orks and Daemons.

"I should probably make a call to High Chancellor; it is time for the weekly report."

Every week, there was a meeting of the Imperial Council, which was the highest Executive Branch of the government of the Holy Arcadia Empire. There were only a few seats in the Imperial Council and each belonged to the highest-ranked people within the Empire.

Naturally, there was a High Chancellor of the Lansdraad who also served as a prime minister of the nation. There was also the seat for the Imperial Bashar, who was essentially a Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Military and Head of the Imperial Intelligence Agency Marian Cross.

There was a seat for Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knights Ornstein the Dragon Slayer, General-Kommandant of Reiksgarde Atreus Atreides as leader of the Imperial Guard, Supreme Patriarch and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth Balthasar Gelt.

From the other factions of the Empire, there was also the Grandmaster of the Workshop, Gehrman the First Hunter, and seat for the Grand Theogenist of the Healing Church, Volkmar the Grim.

The other seats were for the members of the Imperial Administration, Minister of Domestic Affairs and Territorial Management, High Tribunal of the Holy Empire, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Finance.

Activating the Lacrima Crystal, soon enough familiar visage of the High Chancellor of the Holy Arcadia Empire appeared before me. Lucca Brewster originated from the Marienburg with roots in the Duchy of Munn...

He was an elder in a white robe with inlaid brass lines. His hair was completely white and neatly combed. His pair of gray-green eyes were so deep that they appeared bottomless.

"I greet His Majesty, the Holy Imperator."

I was right now meeting only with the High Chancellor because meeting with the entire Imperial Council wasn't necessary as I wasn't in Anor Londo, and it was also a bit of my laziness, truthfully.

"So, anything important to report, High Chancellor?"

I was away from Imperial Politics for a few weeks, and most of the meetings I had were only with the High Chancellor. Luca Brewster has already served in the term for more than three hundred years and told me that he wished to retire and spend his time with his grandchildren as his son has recently been married.

"The Duchy of Orleáns is finishing the Wall around the Orklands finally; soon, we would be able to stop the main entrance of the Orks into the territory of the Empire. Aside from that, Eelctor Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes has sent a notice about another wave of Daemon horde attacking Skycrown Gate."

I frowned deeply at that... Daemon horde was approaching the Skycrown Gate, which was not a good sight, depending on the size of the Daemon horde.

House Draculya were vampires, the bloodsuckers that assimilated into the society of the Holy Arcadia Empire and after drinking the Old Blood, they could perfectly control their thirst.

Nowadays, Vampires are feeling the blood of Daemons, Monsters, Danger Beasts, and other powerful creatures, and naturally criminals.

"Send one Legion of Silver Knight, One Sadality of Reiksgarde, and Church Executioners and order the General of the closest army to support the Skycrown Citadel. Also, send a request to Master Gehrman to send two or three Hunters in case some powerful Greater Daemons appear within the horde..."

Skycrown Citadel and Skycrown Gate were one of the most essential fortifications within the Holy Arcadia Empire because they guarded the World Edge Mountain pass. The only thing that separated the Daemon Lannds from the rest of the Lordran were the World Edge Mountains.

The Skycrown Gate was a protected entrance to the Lordran for countless centuries, and House Draculya were gatekeepers of the place for many generations, according to the ancient pact concluded between them and Lord Gwyn.

"It shall be done; Elector Count Draculya already mobilized his personal army numbering fifty thousand and stationed them at the Skycrown Gate for defense."

Daemon hordes marching at the territory of the Empire were always a problem, but not a problem that couldn't be defeated.

"On the other hand, in the Duchy of Stormwind, the barbarians of badlands are once again attacking villages and cities. Elector Countess Klauda Cross already petitioned Landsraad for approval of Crusade to the Barbarian Badlands for the final war."

Another crusade...

All crusades needed to be approved by Landsraad and personally declared by the Holy Imperator and naturally, the barbarians of the Badlands were thorn in our eye for a long time already.

Due to the fact that we needed manpower in different parts of the country and that they had kept quiet for some time already, we didn't really feel the need to deal with them en masse.

"Then it shall be it... anything else?"

If everything went smoothly, then we could declare the Crusade in a year or two; it would take another half a month to prepare the Crusading Armies, which would consist of the Imperial Army and personal armies of the Elector Counts and High Lord Magistrates.

"Nothing much... only Imperial Bashar Jacques d'Orleáns fought with Ragnar Stark an Russ directly in the Landsraad; in the end, they were pulled apart by the intervention of General-Kommandant of Reiksgarde Atreus Atreides."

This was most unusual... it was a good few decades since the last time nobles had physically fought on the premises of the Landsraad.

"What was the reason for their fight?"

Even was curious about this one.

"It seems that Ragnar Stark an Russ has slept with the daughter of Imperial Bashar and got her pregnant... and when he asked for her hand, the old Iron-Blood Count couldn't hold it and took out his sword and they went to solve it physically."

Idiots... utter idiots, though from Star an Russ, it wasn't surprising, they were a bunch of madmen, but it seems that Iron-Blood Count lost his nerves. His daughter Beye d'Orleáns was his treasure.

And now it was taken by wolf-blood of the north. Naturally, he wasn't very pleased by that fact, but there was nothing he could do. His daughter was even pregnant, which was probably something that delighted and enraged him at the same time.

Pregnancies among the nobles were rare and happy occasions because the stronger one was, it was becoming harder and harder to conceive a progeny. Especially for those who reached a very high level of the Old Blood like me.

"If there is nothing you have to report, High Chancellor, I will be returning to my training."

I said because today I was planning to train with the Warhammer, a weapon that I took a liking in the past decades after the Dwarves of the Ironforge gave me an artifact warhammer as a gift.

"Nothing else, Your Majesty. Just there is a question when you will be returning to the Anor Londo from Faust; there are certain matters that are directly in need of your immediate attention."

Again, work and work and work...

"Soon, we will remain at Faust for a few days; notify Lady Annalise that I plan to send my fianceé for her so she can learn from her about the ruling and also did you contact the Headmaster of Schola Progenium about enrollment?"

Seeing the High Chancellor nod his head, I then ended the call and went to resume my training.

***

3rd POV

Two days later, Faust, Blackrose Castle, training yard.

The Blackrose Castle on the floating island that belonged to the Imperial House naturally had a training yard for the guards of the Castle to train and keep themselves in top condition.

The training yard of the Blackrose Castle was huge, bigger than most castles had because it was not only for the use of Imperial House but also for many guards that were stationed there; aside from that, there were a few neat gadgets.

Many powerful wards and runes were inscribed all around the edges of the training yard and the entirety of it to prevent extensive destruction and this also allowed people to fight with more of their power unleashed.

Because there were a few retired members of the Reiksgarde stationed there, it was indeed necessary to have them.

For the past two days, Karl Franz was either training with his warhammer Ghal Maraz, while the weapon wasn't on the level of Longinuslanze Testament, but it also wasn't that far from it actually.

Ghal Maraz was a mighty magical hammer that was created by the ancient dwarves of the Ironforge and by their Dwarf High King Kurgan Ironbeard and was gifted to the young Warrior Prince Sigmar Heldenhammer.

This happened during the Age of Fire, shortly after the Age itself began. The name of the hammer was Ghal Maraz, which means "Skull-Splitter" in the Khazalid, which was a secretive high language among the dwarves.

They seldom speak this ancient tongue before other peoples, deeming outsiders unworthy to hear it. Dwarfs naturally have loud, rumbling voices, and when they speak Khazalid, their speech is like thunder rolling amidst the mountains or the scraping of rock against rock.

Karl Franz wasn't very fond of the Warhammer in his early years when he learned how to fight, and when he fought the unification wars, he used the Longinuslanze Testament, which acted as a symbol of his divine right to rule the Lands of Ancients.

He was also a Hunter of the Workshop and had the fabled skill of all Hunter, the Eternal Arms Mastership; he was a master in every kind of weapon; if not, he would be just an embarrassment to his teacher.

But after fighting against the Daemon Lord Demogorgon, he realized that he needed a weapon that would deliver heavy hits, and for that reason, he decided to pick up the ancestral weapon of his ancestors.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."

The Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire stopped swinging his Warhammer as he looked at the maid who arrived at the training yard.

"The Lady has awoken."

Cersei had been sleeping for the past two days sleeping unconscious from the Blood Ministration, which was understandable, considering how much she had changed after one single Blood Ministration.

During the past two days she was slumbering, Karl Franz occasionally checked on her how she was doing, but otherwise, he left her in the care of the experienced clergy of the Healing Church and maids of the Blackrose Castle.

"I will be right there in a moment."

Before he went to check on her, he decided to change his clothes and take a bath quickly because he was already training for several hours straight. Like the other Hunters, his training regime was extremely hard, challenging, and brutal.

As the Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire, it was of the utmost importance, so he kept himself in a top-notch combat-ready state. Naturally, during wars or other large-scale conflicts, he was often the one who led the charge against the foul forces of destruction.

***

Cersei POV

'I feel powerful... and tired as well...'

The maids in the Castle told me that I slept for two days straight, but it seemed that the Blood Ministration was successful, which was a very good thing. With this, I can conclude that Karl didn't lie to me...

'And now with this powerful form... he could finally take me, oh my gods above... just imagining how his powerful body will bend me over and ruthlessly pound me, I am getting wet just by thinking about it.'

I couldn't stop thinking about him taking me from all angels, despite my protests... that would be sole delighting...

"My Lady, we have prepared clothes for you."

I frowned when I was woken up from my imagination by one of the maids, dammed servants destroying my beautiful dreams for the future. But what is done is done, and Karl would be angry if I went bitching around to bully servants...

He was right... that was no power...

"Is it the latest fashion set?"

I asked and to my delight it was. Fashion and clothes were another way to show power, though this was especially more important for noble ladies than men... and as expected, Karl was not that helpful in this area.

Clothes in the Empire were vastly different from the long dresses of the Westerosi, but they aimed more at practicality, they were more humble in appearance, but they compensated for their appearance with the materials they were made of.

"This is the latest set from the Master Steamor. A jacket with a vest, complemented with pair of leather boots and a pure white shirt. We have chosen the color red for you, My Lady, with golden trimmings made from the wool of Four-Horned Battle Rams, and the boots are made from the skin of a powerful magical snake."

It looked beautiful, and for sure, it would be expensive because the materials were from magical beasts and rare animals.

"Just for interest... how expensive such a thing would be?"

She only heard Karl tell her that the coins of the Empire were purer in gold compared to the Golden Dragons used in the Westeros, and their exchange rate would be somewhere around 1 Gold Crown to 3 Golden Dragons.

The Reichsmarks were generally purer.

"Right now, as it was just released, it would be around 500 Golden Marks."

The maid said unsurely, but the price... almost shocked me; while I wasn't very knowledgeable about the prices, but I still knew that 1,500 of Westerosi Golden Dragon for a dress was an extravagance that would probably bankrupt some small noble houses.

***

3rd POV

Karl Franz, after taking a bath, visited Cersei in her chambers, who finished changing into the outfit from the brand of Master Steamor, and he had to admit that she looked beautiful wearing it.

The color combination was splendid for her; the red and gold represented the colors of their own house, the House Lannister, and the red color as the main one for the outfit highlighted her lustrious golden hair and emerald green eyes.

"You look beautiful, I would say, but you naturally know this already."

The Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire complimented his fianceé as she giggled lightly to herself. Cersei knew that she was beautiful, but hearing it from Karl Franz was different; it filled her with satisfaction, delight, and happiness.

"What you planned for today?"

She asked in a melodious voice, awaiting some kind of program for him because before they went for the Blood Ministration, Karl Franz promised to take her to sightsee the City and to some good restaurant for dinner.

There was no concept of restaurants in Westeros, but they were known apparently in the Essos, or more like in scarce numbers in more powerful Free Cities. They were essentially something like Inns, where only food was served; there was no lodging or sleeping there.

They focused only on the best culinary experience.

"Yes, naturally... as promised today, we will go sightseeing the Faust and then have dinner at the best restaurant in the entire City. I booked the entire restaurant for only two of us."

Karl Franz said as he outstretched his hand for her, as they interlocked their arms and went to tour the Faust. Under the watch of several members of the Reiksgarde that were following after their every step.

They descended from the Imperial House-controlled Floating Island to the main Floating Island and went to the Merchant district.

"The entire Main Island has several districts, and now, we are in the Trading District of the City. Here, you will find everything from Magic Items, Potions, Books, Tomes, Weapon, Jewelry, Clothes and partially everything you can even think of."

Karl Franz said as they arrived at the bustling streets of the Trading Discrtict of the Faust, which was far more lively than the other parts of the City he showed here when they arrived at the Faust.

Cobbled streets wind their way through the district, lined with a charming mishmash of timber-framed buildings adorned with ornate carvings, colorful banners, and hanging lanterns that cast a warm, inviting glow as dusk settles over the City.

The architecture is a fusion of medieval craftsmanship and fantastical elements, with turrets, spires, and intricate stone bridges connecting buildings at various levels.

The air is alive with the melodies of minstrels, the chattering of merchants, and the occasional roar of a landwyrm-drawn carriage as it glides effortlessly through the narrow streets.

Market stalls overflow with exotic goods and magical wares from across the realms: spellbinding textiles that change color with the wearer's mood, intricate glass globes containing miniature floating gardens, and enchanted trinkets that emit soft, soothing melodies.

Cersei could see many humans, dwarves and gnomes going from one shop to another, but when she saw the enormous landwyrm, she looked a bit scared as she gripped his hand tighter.

"What is that? It looked like a dragon..."

She muttered when she watched the enormous draconic creature pulling an enormous wagon, even bigger than the ones they used when they arrived at the Fuast. But the thing which she recognized was a symbol of the League of the Khaz-Modan and the emblem of the Ironforge on the wagon.

"Landwyrm, they are a type of Lesser Dragon like Wyverns which Valyrians tamed... They are strong creatures and rarely tamed because we lack the suitable method of taming and breeding them; they are very rare to be seen in this kind of state."

Karl Franz said that seeing this was one more reason why he wanted to explore the lands of ancient Valyria even more. While in the lands of Lordran, there were Landwyrms and other draconic creatures; they were almost impossible to tame.

So he knew that Valyrian must have some very special method that allowed them to mass-tame and mass-breed the Wyverns; it should be extremely efficient, considering the sheer number of Wyverns they had at their peak.

"Where do you want to go first?"

He asked her as she looked at the wagon from the Ironforge.

"I want to check out of dwarves."

She said after some time, because she was genuinely curious about the dwarven species, as they were one of the major races in the Lordran, together with Gnomes. Dwarves lived in the Grand Province known as League of Khaz-Modan and with their capital being the underground fortress metropolis, Ironforge.

"Okey, but remember, don't be insulted by their behavior, don't insult their craft and most importantly, be straightforward with them. They are hard folk, they are easy to anger, and they certainly remember grudges well, but they also value friendship and loyalty."

Karl Franz said because he didn't wish for his finaceé to offend the dwarves; while it may seem unimportant, but Ironforge and the entirety of the Khaz-Modan were essential for the Holy Arcadia Empire more than any other province truth to be told.

He knew that Cersei was a proud and even arrogant person, though he was already working hard on erasing that part of their personality of hers, not entirely, but more like he was teaching her to control herself.

Certainly, her fascination with his person helped with that aspect greatly because he was slowly manipulating her based on that thing and molding her a bit into a different, better version of herself.

"I know; you don't need to remind me every time; I am not that stupid."

She scoffed at him as they went together to take a lot at the dwarven shops. They were heading to the biggest one of them was the Goldstone Manufacturing Armory or shortly GMA.

It is important to note that Goldstone Manufacturing Armory (GMA), a dwarven company that specializes in mass-producing weapons, armors, and other types of equipment, was among the most reliable companies available on the market today.

In terms of design, the Branch building of the GMA was of typical Dwarven design. Like the bulk of the buildings the Dwarves built, it had the simplicity of ordinary stone but with some golden linings to indicate the status of the owners of the building.

Basically, they were subtly letting everyone know that they were better than any of their competitors. Of course, their results also spoke for themselves because, among similar companies, the Goldstone Manufacturing Armory had one of the biggest revenues.

Several heavy-armored Dwarves guarded the entrance to the GMA at the time of Samiel's observation. They were keeping watch over the entrance to the Branch of the GMA, and there were even some rare Runic Weapons and Armor.

"Greetings, Master Dwarf."

Karl Franz greeted the Manager of the Goldstone Manufacturing Armory Branch, Arden Longbeard.

The Branch Manager, Arden Longbeard, was a powerful Dwarven warrior and also a master blacksmith and also a member of the Longbeard Clan, one of the more prominent Dwarven Clans.

So his standing in the Goldstone Manufacturing Armory was very high, whether through his position or his origin.

"Greeting ta ya Imperator."

Greeted him back dwarf with a long ginger beard and hair, wearing fur clothing from some kind of magical beast who was doing some paperwork behind the counter. Cersei, who followed behind Karl Franz first hand experienced the bluntness of the dwarf folk and it was like her fianceé told her.

"Greetings, Master Dwarf."

Nevertheless, she greeted the unkept dwarf as well because someone who had responsibility as a Branch Manager in the Faust should be a high-ranking member of some prominent Dwarven Clan.

"So, what ya brought his Majesty Imperator to my shop."

The dwarf asked curiously because it was a rare visit, a visit he hoped to use to strengthen his standing within the Clan and the Conclave of the Forge. The entire League of Khaz-Modan and the entirety of Dwarves gathered in their own ruling body known as the Conclave of the Forge.

Like the conclave of Magisters in Essoss, the Conclave of the Forges was of all dwarven Clans, from which they elected the three strongest and most prestigious Clan to lead the dwarven folk as Council of Three Hammers, among which one of the councilors, the one acting as their leader has the title of Elector Count of League of Khaz-Modan.

The elections occured every century, and right now, the Council of Three Hammers consists of the Bronzebeard Clan of Ironforge, the Wildhammer Clan of Aerial Peak and the Dark Iron Clan of the Shadowforge.

But lately, the Clan Longbeard of Erebor has been rising to prominence after showcasing their mastery over stone by carving the Lonely Mountain into one of the most beautiful and formidable fortresses in the entire Lordran.

And the Longbeard wanted to replace one of the Dark Iron Clan in the next elections and even compete for the title of the Elector Count from the Bronzebeard Clan. Naturally, for that, they needed to have the best craftsmanship, engineering, blacksmithing and strongest warriors.

"A set of armor for my fainceé, also some pieces of jewelry and personalized weapon if you will... Did I forget anything?"

Karl Franz asked Cersei who nodded and put forward several other things that she wanted to have made. The dwarven-made things were rare, especially if they were personally made by Forgemaster, which was an esteemed title within their society.

"Yes, I also want a set of daggers, normal and throwing ones, also three combat dresses, and I saw that somebody talked about retractable shield I want that one too... and I want to see your collection of rings, necklaces and ceremonial jewelry."

She fired one order after another, but she was only making use of Karl Franz taking her shopping as he was getting a heart attack already. In contrast to Maria, Cersei liked to shop for clothes, jewelry and other things, something that Maria didn't really do.

"Poor my wallet."

He muttered as she looked at him sharply.

"Hush, if I am right, he will give us a huge discount."

The dwarves were crafty from what she read about them, and Cersei knew that they would receive a huge discount because this was a good opportunity to obtain some favor of the Imperial House.

"This is our premium collection of necklaces..."

Soon enough, several dwarves came out carrying out thick catalogs as she was listing through them, searching for something that she liked. After ten or more minutes, she picked up so many things that she liked that she couldn't even choose properly, so Karl Franz was forced to choose for her instead.

"This one, this one, this one, and also this one and these two..."

He swiftly scanned her list with descriptions and images of the products next to them and then chose for her. Most of them were with certain motives, like some were based on Magical Beasts or mythical beasts of Lordran, while two were of the motive of a lion.

"Yes, these are the best."

As a reward, he got a kiss on his cheeks before they then went to take measurements for one set of armor, three sets of combat dresses and some weapons. He knew that this would be a good few thousand Golden Mark without a discount, probably something over ten thousand if he was not wrong.

But whatever, he had enough money from all sources that were coming to him in tons; even the Goldstone Manufacturing Armor, where they were right now shopping, was something that was partially owned by him.

***

Read up to 10 chapters ahead on the Patreon and join discord for images and other content for the novel... current release rate is either 2 or 3 chapters per month

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[ATP]

Thanks for another great chapter.
Loyal vampires - good idea,i hope that you have some loyal Tomb Kings,too ,even better some well-known tomb-Queen !/Khalida,we need you !/

Valyrian magic and weapons - you need go to Valyria ruins,but there are other easy/for you/ option.
Send emissaries to Essos cities,made them feel offended,take cities for your Empire - with all valyrians weapons and secrets there.
Nobody there could stop your armies.

Well,there is Yi-Ti,Cardossa and Leng - but,maybe it would be prudent to keep away from them.

Westeros bloodlines - when Rebellion happen,take Ellia children,Queen mother too - she would deliver Dany.
Find good imperial waifu for Stannis,and take Renly as quest,he could be used as stud.

Starks - try to save Brandon with Father,if you succed,gave good imerial waifus for Ned and Benjen - there is no need to waste him on Wall.

Martells - maybe waifu for Oberyn? no,bad idea.

Lannisters - waifus for Jaime and Tyrion.

 

[Trafford]

"The hatred of the Holy Arcadia Empire and its citizens for Valyrians and everyone connected to them is very well known across the known world. Many people speculate where that hatred and disgust came from.

Still, from my studies in the Imperial Archives of the Anor Londo, I concluded that it is mainly from Valyrian unbridled perversion of Blood Magic, which is considered the vilest Heresy in the Lands of Ancients.

That was also one of the main reasons why the Imperials were keen on helping Robert Baratheon during the Rebellion in annihilating the Targaryens and destroying their legacy.

Aside from that, part of their disgust towards Valyrians was also due to the proliferating use of the word 'Dragon' for the Wyverns they tamed.

In the Holy Arcadia Empire, the Greater Wyrms or True Dragons have a unique position, as they are seen as symbols of power and the most powerful beings. Till this day, only a few people contracted Greater Wyrm as their familiar, though usage of Wyvern in the Holy Arcadia Empire became common after the Valyrian Expedition."

Comparison of Nations of the Known World, by Archmaester Marwyn of Citadel and Remembrancer Joachim of Schola Progenium

***

Codex: Byrgenwerth

Byrgenwerth is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions within The Holy Arcadia Empire that has a history of over 5,000 years. The exact date of the founding of the Byrgenweth remains unknown or probably known only to the higher-ups of this fine institution.

The institution itself was founded by two legendary figures and heroes of the Holy Arcadia Empire, Master Willem and Big Hat Logan. One was a scholar who studied ancient ruins from the Age of Ancient, even from the time before Lord Gwyn Sacrificed himself and another one was from the Age of Ancient itself.

Byrgenwerth itself is divided into several divisions. On the top of the pyramid are the Scholars of Byrgenwerth who are the most accomplished Wizards, Mages, Sorcerers and Scholars from the entire faction. Below them are the Eight Orders of Magic, which are the foundation of the Byrgenwerth itself.

On the bottom of the hierarchy are the Eight Magic Colleges, corresponding to the Eight Orders of Magic, whose sole purpose is the education of new generations of pursuers of the Truth.

The leader of Byrgenwerth has always had two titles: Supreme Patriarch of the Eight Orders of Magic and Headmaster of the Byrgenwerth. He is the supreme authority in the entire School and also has the noble title of Lord High Magistrate as Byrgenwerth rules the City State of Faust, the City of Miracles.

***

The Skycrown Gate was an enormous monstrosity of the gate that was the only passage between the Lands of Ancients and the Daemon Lands, connected through Tartarus Pass.

Tartarus Pass was a vast valley that connected the two places together through the World Edge Mountains, which were separating the people of the Lordran from the horrors of Daemon Lands and holding them at bay.

The Skycrown Gate was made by a collaboration of the Dwarves and Mages of the Faust, together with the Priests of the Healing Church, creating a sole miracle that stood strong for centuries.

And for centuries, it protected the Lordran from the incursion of Daemon, as no matter how powerful the Daemon Hordes were, they were all broken by the might of the Skycrown Gate.

The might of the wall that blocked the entire valley was another wonder because it stood tall around the whole valley, severing the two points of land. Right now, though, everyone was rushing to the Skycrown Gate because the scouts saw another Daemon horde heading towards the Tartarus Pass, and a big one at that...

Right now, the Provincial Army and the Imperial Legion that was permanently stationed in the Skycrown Gate were already on full alert. But that was not enough because the number of Daemons was too huge.

Fortunately, the Empire already ordered the move of another Imperial Legion, the one from the Grand Province of Klandor as that one was closest; aside from that, they were sending an entire Legion of Silver Knights, Sadality of Reiksgarde and Church Executioners, and even Hunters.

Unfortunately, the reinforcements would arrive only in a few days due to the vast distance they needed to cross, and for now, they needed to hold the Skycrown Gate with the 50,000 Soldiers of the Provincial Army and one Imperial Legion numbering 75,000 soldiers.

The Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes of the Blood Dragons was the Elector Count for Sylvania since the establishment of the Holy Arcadia Empire.

However, their Clan guarded the Tartarus Pass for a much longer time than that.

"Have all arrived already?"

Each Grand Province had its own standing military known as the Provincial Army, which was under the direct control of the Elector Count of the Grand Province. Aside from that, in each province, one Imperial Legion was permanently stationed.

Aside from that, each Noble House had the right to have its personal Household Guards, but their number was restricted, as was the size of the Provincial Army.

"Yes, all Viceroy Houses have arrived aside from the Harkons, who will arrive in a few hours with their retinue. Altogether, we have right now 140,000 men on the Skycrown Gate."

His adjutant answered the question, but the Elector Count only frowned because the number wasn't that high, actually, considering the size of the Daemon horde that was advancing on the Tartarus Pass today.

Their scouts saw an enormous horde numbering at least two and a half million Daemons, ranging from the Daemon Beasts for most of the part, but there was also a good number of Lesser Daemons among them, and it was led by three Greater Daemons.

So, the situation was grave, and without reinforcements, they would suffer massive casualties.

"Order Engineers to prepare the cannons and artillery and same for the Battle Wizards... such large horde of Daemons last attacked the Skycrown Gate approximately two hundred years ago; this would be one of the hardest fights for past centuries."

Usually, the Daemons that attacked Skycrown Gate numbered in hundreds of thousands, typically no more than half a million, which was pretty easy for the garrison of the Imperial Legion that was stationed there to defend against.

"I already have; the dwarven engineers are right now checking on the weapons, and Battle Wizards are activating the barrier and magical defenses of the Skycrown Gate."

Fortunately, as it seemed, they would be fighting in the deep night, which was good as every single Vampire was much stronger during the night than they were during the day.

With the Old Blood flowing through their veins, the Sunlight wasn't deadly to them, but they were still weakened considerably during the daylight.

***

Grand Province of Klandor

In the huge military complex of Fortress of the Unsetting Sun, thousands upon thousands of soldiers were running across the entire complex and getting ready for the march.

Fortress of the Unsetting Sun was one of the major strongholds of the Holy Arcadia Empire and the place where the 6th Imperial Legion was stationed.

The architecture was vast, majestic, and sharp. The rocks used in the construction were solid and compact, and the occasional statues looked like they had survived millennia of erosion from wind and rain.

Every story of the buildings here was over six meters high, meaning the original inhabitants were at least three meters tall.

The valley was so deep that one couldn't even see the ground below, only crimson flames billowing out from within. This wound of the plane served as a natural barrier, demarcating the territory of the Unsetting Sun from what was known as the dark wilderness.

"When will we be ready to march?"

The General of the 6th Imperial Legion was General Rundstedt, a former Head of the Viceroy House of Rundstedt. He was an elderly-looking man with a grey beard and short grey hair, clad in the runic armor of the dwarven craft.

"Within three hours, approximate arrival at the Skycrown Gate without top speed should be 1 day."

One of the Legates who commanded the First Division of the 6th Legion stated. Fortunately, due to various Warmachine and inventions, they could transport large numbers of soldiers fast, even across their vast lands.

"Make it faster, Legate Tullius; also, notify the Head Wizard that they need to pack up their things faster. I want to arrive at the Skycrown Gate as fast as possible; the orders from the City of Gods are clear, the situation is grave."

General Rundstedt ordered in a cold voice because now the Skycrown Gate would be attacked by the largest and strongest Daemon Horde for the past two centuries.

If not, then the Empire wouldn't dispatch the entire Legion of Silver Knights and one Sadality of Reiksgarde and Church Executioners.

There were even Hunters being dispatched, and Gryphon Knights, Questing Knights, and other special units of the Empire were dispatched to handle the possible Daemon incursion.

Meanwhile, he also got the notification that the 5th Legion was also put on standby to support the Skycrown Gate or Grand Province of Orleáns if Orks decided to make a mess.

And even the House Izalith had already sent some of their elite Pyromancers to the Skycrown Gate, together with the Grand Principality of Reikland putting their forces on standby in case of need.

The mighty military machine of the Empire started moving.

***

Somewhere in the Dark Lands, also known as Daemon Lands, around the same time, the invasion news reached the Skycrown Gate.

The Dark Lands were a stark and cheerless place in the Far East of the Lands of Ancients beyond the boundaries of the "Old World", where nature has rented the ground and burst the mountains apart.

Amongst the peaks, volcanoes spew black smoke into the filthy sky. In the plains, the stench of tar pits and oil pools hangs heavily in the air. Steaming lava from beneath the earth's crust covers the ash wastes with a blanket of bubbling magma.

The Dark Lands were bordered on both sides by the Worlds Edge Mountains and the Mountains of Mourn, which bordered the Sunset Seas. Almost nothing can grow in the Dark Lands, and almost nothing can live there, aside from Daemons and other foul creatures.

The dim light and choking air combine to ensure that the land remains devoid of vegetation, except for a few straggly black thorns.

The volcanoes and gaping pits bring up all kinds of minerals and gems from beneath the earth: gold and silver, iron and copper, diamonds and sapphires, as well as sulfur, oil and tar.

It was a land rich in the materials that Dwarfs especially covet, and due to its riches, even despite the Danger, the Holy Arcadia Empire often sanctioned expeditions into the Dark Laldns for its resources.

Be it the natural riches or the corpses of various Magical Beasts or Daemons.

The most notable species within the Dark Lands were naturally the Daemons, but there were a good number of Greenskins, Skaven and other foul creatures that were the embodiment of the darkness and dread.

High above the skies of the Dark Lands, a sole griffon knight was flying on the majestic mount as his silver hair fluttered in the air.

"Almost two and half a million and all coming from the Black Fortress... dammit... that is the territory of Daemon Lord... I need to warn father."

The young man riding the griffon was the son of the Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes and Lisa Draculya-Tepes, Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes.

"Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand..."

Daemon Lord was personally moving his forces at the Skycrown Gate; this was terrible news for the defenders of the Skycrown Gate because Daemon Lord was a Level 6 entity and even his Lord Father was only a very powerful Level 5...

This would require a mighty Master Hunter, or Tribune of Reksgarde, or Holy Paladin of the Church Executioners to deal with the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand was one of the more powerful Daemon Lords in the Dark Lands.

"I should leave before the Daemon Lord notices my presence."

Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes then controlled his griffon, who was also clad in the same kind of heavy armor made from Mithril, and flew towards the Skycrown Gate at his top speed.

***

Skycrown Gate, several hours later

"My Lord, the Daemons would arrive within two hours."

Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes stood on the top of the walls and overlooked the Tartarus Pass with keen interest. The great battle was ahead of them, and it would be a hard one, but he was confident that everything would be alright.

"I know... is everything prepared?"

As the Elector Count of Grand Province of Sylvania asked, the adjutant nodded, as everything was in place.

The Provincial Army was in their position, together with the Imperial Legion and personal guards of Viceroys, Barons and Grand Paladins.

Everyone was on standby in the highest state of alert and ready for combat. Just as he was about to issue more orders, he suddenly saw a griffon in the distance, coming from the Dark Lands.

He knew that his son had departed on the reconnaissance mission of the incoming Daemon horde that was coming to attack the Skycrown Gate. Within several minutes, the griffon landed down on the walls next to him, and Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes hopped down from the majestic creature.

"Father, the horde is led by Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand..."

The moment he said that the mood on the walls plummeted fast, and everyone looked pale, but the shock didn't last long. His father recovered very fast from the initial shock that Daemon Lord was leading the attack.

"Immediately contact the High Command of the Imperial Army, send the message to the Anor Londo for reinforcements. And also to Faust, we need more Wizards."

Everyone started running here and there because the situation became even graver than before.

But they would win.

Because the Empire never lost.

***

Around the same time, in the Faust, the City of Miracles.

After Karl Franz exited the Goldstone Manufactory Armory where his fianceé ordered literarily shitton of things which cost an outrageous amount of Crowns, but fortunately, they got a nice discount.

It was clear that the Longbeard Clan of Erebor wished to obtain the favor of the Imperial House and especially that of the new Empress in the upcoming Conclave of Forge so that they could rise to the position of one of the Three Hammers of the Council of Three Hammers.

Just as they were about to head for dinner in the restaurant, he got an urgent summon through a particular spell that was used only for emergencies. They stopped in their steps before Karl Franz took out a small Lacrima crystal, and the familiar face of High Chancellor Luca Brewster appeared there.

"Your Majesty, there is an urgent situation. During the reconnaissance mission, they found out that the Daemon horde is led by the Daemon Lord... because the Faust is right now closest to the Skycrown Gate, Your Majesty is the nearest Level 6 individual."

He frowned deeply because not only did the situation on the front get worse, but at the same time, he was having a good time with his fianceé showing her the city, but now, it seemed that he would need to depart for the battlefield.

"I understand, High Chancellor. I will depart right away..."

There was one good thing about all of this, Faust, as one of the Holy Cities was interconnected with the other three Holy Cities and Skycrown Gate with an experimental teleportation network.

They planned to implement it throughout the entire territory of the Empire. Daemon Lords existed even in the Material Plane; there were not many of them, truth to be told, but there were some.

Most of them were actually ones who were banished from the Abyss or lost their holdings in the Abyss and escaped into one of the worlds across the Prime Material Plane.

He wasn't really thrilled at the idea of fighting against another Daemon Lord, and this one, contrary to the Deamon Lord Demogorgon, who was native to the Abyss, wouldn't be weakened and would be in his full power.

Fortunately, he also wasn't tasked with killing the Daemon Lord... he knew that it would be enough as long as he pushed the Daemon Lord back into the Dark Lands.

He would be just buying time for the rest of the army to push the Daemon horde back, forcing them to retreat.

Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand was one of the strongest Daemon Lords in the Dark Lands, he would be a very tough opponent even for Karl Franz, but he would need to hold the Daemon Lord for as long as possible.

They had already notified Worshop, and a Master Hunter would arrive at the Skycrown Gate within three hours, so he needed to hold the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand on the bay for one hour exactly.

'Something is indeed happening in the Abyss, and no matter what it is, it's nothing good... First, Demorgogon risked his life by descending into the Prima Material Plane, and now another Daemon Lord from the Dark Lands is making a move...'

Karl Franz thought as he canceled the call with the High Chancellor Luca Brewster and went to inform his finaceé that he wouldn't be available for the foreseeable future, though if everything went according to the plan, he would be back within 24 hours.

"Something has happened?"

And speaking of the wolf, or rather lion, in this case, she noticed that he looked more serious compared to before, so something must have indeed happened.

"Yes, the latest news from the High Chancellor requires me to personally go to the battlefield to face a Daemon Lord until Master Hunter from the Worskshop arrives, so I am afraid we would need to postpone our dinner for tomorrow if."

***

Cersei POV

I don't like it...

While at the same time, that power was attractive; in Westeros, almost no King would head to the battle in the vanguard, and many Nobles would undoubtedly abstain from such actions, too...

Going to the frontlines to face the enemy wasn't really a thing that a ruler should do; at least, that was how it was in Westeros. And while the old me would want to say something about it, seeing him like this was making me all hot...

Dammit...

"Return with Guards to the Blackrose Castle for the time being... I need to go."

Karl wasn't afraid of going to battle, and if someone angered him, they would solve it with their fists. He was my future husband... I was afraid that something would happen to him, but I couldn't show it openly.

I went up to him and gave him a kiss on his lips, which he happily returned... he was always so passionate with me, patient, calm, understanding, and yet deep inside my mind, it created only another question: why me?

Why did he even agree to the proposal of my father when he didn't need to?

Indeed, the Westerlands were rich, even having things that the Holy Arcadia Empire would consider as strategic resources, but the marriage between the ruling monarch and me wasn't really necessary.

As much as I hate to admit it, even the status of Lannisters wasn't much in front of him, so that stemmed the question... why?

When I asked him, he simply told me it was the will of the Great Ones that brought us together...

'It was the will of the Great Ones that we found about the Westeros, and it was also the will of the Great Ones that we met, and when I first saw you, I felt something that I cannot describe to this day, but it was the same feeling I had when I first met with Maria. So that is why...'

I sometimes wonder what would happen to me; what fate did the Great Ones see for me if not for the arrival of the Holy Arcadia Empire?

Would I end in some loveless marriage with some fool Lord who would see me just as a broodmare for his house and nothing more?

When I asked this question, I dreaded the truth that it would probably be the case because such was the fate of most noble ladies in Westeros. Rarely were the marriages out of love, and rarely were they marriages of love, as mostly they were out of convenience.

I knew that our standings were different, but I was Cersei Lannister, daughter of Tywin Lannister, and I would be the best for him, just as he was for me.

My other half... every time he hugged me, I felt indescribable warmth filling me, not to mention, the idea of sharing a bed with another woman wasn't unwelcome...

Yes, I needed to protect my family at any cost and there were many threats in the Empire, ranging from the Orks, Beasts, Daemons to the Heretics and Rogues that sold their souls to the ruinous powers.

All of them would die.

Nobody will threaten my newly found happiness...

Nobody will threaten my family...

Lannister always pay his debts and the debt of the Holy Arcadia Empire to its enemies was to be paid.

***

MC POV

I wasn't really thrilled about leaving once again for the battlefield; right now, I would even appreciate some paperwork instead of fighting.

But we can't always get what we want, right?

Still, I felt a bit bad for leaving Cersei behind and even disturbing our date, but there was nothing I could do about it. She was especially cuddly right now; after our talk some time ago, she was getting more open.

Yeah... the question is why did I even agree to Tywin's proposal when I didn't even need to at all because, in fact, there was no need for it. It was no doubt that she had insecurities because, inside her head, she was constantly asking the reason?

The reason? Why?

I would be silly to admit that the reason was only my own feelings?

The reason was that I remembered her from my first life and she was exactly my type of woman... someone I desired, not to mention her beauty...

It was the same feeling I had when I first saw Maria at the reception of the House Vileblood several centuries ago, that indescribable burning feeling in my heart when I saw her, that I knew that she was the right one.

And now I experienced it once again, so I talked about it... Even with Maria, we didn't share a secret; aside from that, I am technically speaking a reincarnated person, but that one was forbidden to say by the will of the Great Ones.

Only Maria knew about it, and when the time came, I would tell Cersei, too; I don't like to have secrets in relationships; it would always bite you in the ass.

Maria didn't react too much because she didn't really care, not to mention even in the Empire, there were theories that there existed infinite parallel timelines.

Mainly thanks due to the study of Time Magic.

After separating with my finaceé, I went directly to the Headquarters of the Byrgenwerth, where the experimental teleportation array was placed. In the future, there was a plan for every city to have a teleportation array like this, as there were countless uses for it.

Right now, only four places across the entire Holy Arcadia Empire had it, though soon, one was planned to be constructed in the Grand Province of Orleáns, on the wall that they were building to separate the Orklands from the Empire.

That would be five, then.

When I arrived there, I wasn't the sole person going to the battlefield at the Tartarus Pass because the Byrgenwerth was sending reinforcements of several hundred people.

Aside from me, there were several Scholars and even High Scholars, Battle Wizards, members of the Chaos Flame Covenant and Magic Knights, and a lot of Magic Knights who were sworn guardians of the Wizards.

The role of the Magic Knight was to protect the Wizard when the Wizard was casting spells because sometimes assassins could sneak or a large number of enemies could attack the spell caster.

Usually, the Wizards would strengthen their Magic Knights with a lot of rituals, greatly elevating their strength and power, in exchange for the Magic Knights protecting them with all their might.

Soon enough, the portal gate activated and connected a portal that was connecting two points in space and people started flooding into the Skycrown Gate.

***

3rd POV

Skycrown Gate

Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes watched as tens if not hundreds of Wizards, Scholars, and Magic Knights were flooding from the portal as the Byrgenwerth was sending their reinforcements.

The ones from the Anor Londo and Yharnamn arrived only a few minutes earlier, and now the Skycrown Gate was host to the 250 members of the Reiksgarde and 250 Church's Executioner Holy Knights.

The only thing they were now waiting for was the 6th Imperial Legion, which was taking some time from the Grand Province of Klandor.

Now that the reinforcements from Faust had arrived, the Elector Count was more confident and thought the only thing they were lacking was someone who would deal with the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand.

And just as he was contemplating about this, he was shocked to the core by the sight before him.... because he saw the Holy Imperator walking through the portal, holding his Holy Weapon, Longinuslanzse Testament.


When other soldiers saw the Holy Imperator, they wanted to kneel, but one gesture told them to stop.

"I am not here as monarch but as another soldier today, Elector Count Draculya-Tepes... I got the latest news about the Skycrown Gate during the time I was in Faust and the High Chancellor asked me to stall the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand for long enough until another Master Hunter from the Workshop arrives."

Karl Franz stated he wasn't here to take command of the battle, but he would be here only to fight against the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand, as the Skycrown Gate was not his to command personnel.

Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes was far more than competent to command against the incursion of the Daemon horde, as he had done for the past many decades, and always defended the Skycrown Gate.

"I understand, Your Majesty; please follow me to the command center. Only several minutes earlier, one Sadality of Church's Executioner Holy Knights and Sadality of Reiksgarde arrived together with their Prefects."

Standart members of the Holy Knights or Reiksgarde were of Level 3 and could effortlessly deal with even the strongest Lesser Daemons, and with their superior equipment, they had a solid chance against even Level 4 Greater Daemons.

"When is the approximate arrival of the Daemon horde?"

Karl Franz asked, noticing dark clouds gathering in the distance of the Dark Lands, and the daemonic miasma was getting thicker...

A sign that they were close. Karl Franz also ordered the Reiksgarde Knigths and Church's Executioner Holy Knights to follow the arrangements and orders of Elector Count Draculya-Tepes.

"Approximate time is fifty-four minutes."

While they were talking, suddenly, another huge portal appeared in the Skycrown Gate, only for a huge shadow to fly through the portal with a screeching sound.

"Deathclaw."

It was a personal mount and familiar of Karl Franz, his Imperial Griffon Deathclaw.

Elector Counts, Imperial Nobles and Knights of the Empire prize Imperial Griffons above all other mounts, and years of selective breeding have produced noble beasts that are notably stronger and larger than their wild counterparts.

Brave Empire adventurers seek out Griffon nests and steal their chicks to raise in captivity, singling out the strongest, cleverest, and most ferocious for their lords.

Once trained to carry a man in battle, Imperial Griffons are incredibly dedicated to their riders, and many of the most powerful people within the Holy Arcadia Empire prize these ferocious beasts as loyal mounts.

Griffon was a powerful Magical Creature with a body that of a lion, a head and wings that of an eagle. Griffons were very intelligent, cunning, and powerful creatures; some older ones could even cast some spells.

They were top-notch predators, and because the Holy Arcadia Empire lacked the means to tame Dragons or Wyverns, as that would require a method of binding their bloodline from one source to another, Griffons were the main Air Forces of the Empire.

Naturally, in the future, Griffons would become one of many flying creatures in the Holy Arcadia Empire that were part of its forces. But there was an important thing today: the Griffon wasn't a pet; it was a companion, friend, and ally.

They were incredibly proud and intelligent creatures, and they needed to be treated as such. Karl Franz went to the Deatclaw, and the huge griffon clad in Mithril runic armor snuggled his huge head to him as he was patting his head.

Karl Franz loved animals of all kinds; even right now, there were about a dozen Magical Creatures wandering through the Imperial Palace, from cats to griffon chicks and there was even an egg of Greater Wyrm that Karl Franz was taking care of for more than thirty years and feeding it his energy hoping to create a familiar bond with Great Wyrm.

"So they sent you here to help?"

Karl Franz asked as Deathclaw huffed in agreement and nodded his huge head as he continued petting the majestic Magical Creature.

***

On the eve of the battle

"Load the Mortars! Bloodletters incoming!"

Shouted one of the artillery masters from the walls.

Bloodletters generally stand taller than a man, though they are so stooped and hunched that their faces often lie at a similar height.

Their bodies are slim with a muscled, wiry strength. Their horns and claws are blackened and flecked with crimson, and their feet are turned and cloven like those of a goat.

A Bloodletter's skin beneath their armor runs from the deepest red to near-orange in color and is as hard as brass forged upon the anvil of ceaseless war. It also drips constantly with blood, for Bloodletters frequently paint their bodies with gore taken from the enemies they have slain.

A Bloodletter's head is stretched tall with two ridged horns the color of bone sprouting from their temples. Their snarling, bestial faces, twisted by rage, are overlarge with the skin pulled taut so that their face appears as a skull.

Their visages are framed by horns sprouting from the sides of their skulls and shaggy manes that run down their backs, their hair like a black wire that was molded and spiked by gore.

There were hundreds of thousands of Bloodletters running at the Skycrown Gate, all of them ranging from mainly Level 1 to Level 2; some of the bigger and strongest Bloodletters were at Level 3, as they were the most basic Lesser Daemons.

Instantly, the mortars were loaded with ammunition, and soon enough, sounds of artillery firing were heard across the entire Tartarus Pass, and the sky was lit with countless projectiles that were falling on the incoming Daemon Horde.

The entire battlefield erupted into an enormous explosion as tens of thousands of Bloodletters were torn apart by the artillery firing from the Skycrown Gate. Just one salvo was enough to cause tremendous losses to the Daemons, but naturally, the Daemons didn't care about their losses, only about the results.

"Helstorm Rocket Batteries Fire!"

Several seconds later, after the mortars, hundreds of rockets shot into the air and fell into the incommiíng horde of Daemons.

Helstorm Rocket Batteries was a relatively new technology in the Imperial Arsenal developed by Master Engineer Herman Faulkstein only a few years ago, together with Dwarven Engineering Guild and Gnomeregan Alchemists.

"Reload on my command! Battle Wizards activate the barrier!"

Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes shouted the orders as he personally commanded the defensive battle and the entire garrison worked like a well-working machine. Such a thing was natural because the 11th Imperial Legion and Provincial Army of Sylvania were experienced at this.

There was no soldier of the Holy Arcadia Empire who wasn't a master in combat, as all Legions and Provincial Armies fought non-stop to keep them in top condition.

Instantly, the mortars shot once again while the Helstorm Rocket Batteries were reloading, and immediately afterward, the Battle Wizards were finished with their spells, as a translucent shielding barrier started enveloping the Skycrown Gate entirely.

"On my command, fire at will!"

As the Elector Count of Sylvania commanded, the artillery pieces and siege engines were firing furiously, bombarding the incoming daemon horde to smitterness and cutting down their numbers as much as possible.

But everyone was aware that the most challenging part of the battle was just coming.

***

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[ATP]

Well,something must be wrong in Abyss,if one Deamon lord after another go to Planetos.
But - it is for author to decide,since in ASoIaF we had cursed places like Stygoi,Kadath,hidden city of Leng and Cardossa,author could made it demons lairs,too.
Or something else which would fit to his story.

Aside from that - where are elves in Empire? maybe they do not exist here,since magic was teached not ny them,but somebody else.Author could vanish them here,becouse nobody need them anymore.

In WF giants were once cyvilized beings,till ogres destroyed them.What about giants and ogres here? they could be vanished,too.

The same goes for tomb kings - i like tomb Queen,but she and her kin are no needed here,too.

Well,it is for Trafford to decide if elves,giants,ogres and tombkings would exist here,or not.


P.S Targeryns would be killed here,but what about Ellia children? they are partially dornish,and that particular mix could be useful for Empire.

 

[Enuma666]

This was very interesting, I really hope to read Westeros' reaction to these changes, I also liked Cersei's change and I hope that Ashara will also be made one of the emperor's wives.

 

[Trafford]

"How would I describe the Holy Arcadia Empire of the Lands of Ancients... Lordran. It is the Empire built on Blood, Steel, Faith, Magic and Gunpowder. The Imperials are rather reclusive people; they don't hold much interest in expanding their territory of Westeros and Essos, probably Volantis for their Heresy and Sothoryos were sole exemptions from this rule.

The Empire is a land of endless possibilities; it is a land where one could rise from peasant to status of highest nobility that would put all former Kings of the Seven Kingdoms to shame, but it was also a land where one mistake would see all those possibilities come to a sudden and often very painful end."

Quote by Tywin Lannister from the book "The First Landing".

***

Codex: Laws of Succession of Imperial Nobles

Contrary to the lands of Westeros and Essoss, the Laws of Imperial Sucesses are entirely different.

While the Noble Titles of Barons and Viceroys are passable to the eldest descendants, be they male or female, in the Main Line after passing Imperial Examinations, the Elector Counts are in entirely different situations.

Part of the reason why they are called Elector Counts is that they themselves are to be elected to their position by the House Council after passing the Imperial Examination firstly to ensure that only the best of the best would become the new Elector Counts.

After that, the Elector Count candidate is chosen by votes, where the Elders of the Elector Count House will vote for the new Elector Count. If the previous Elector Count is still alive, he doesn't get a vote unless the vote ends in a draw, then he gets the deciding vote.

This process also applies to the Lord High Magistrate House of Vileblood that controls the City-State of Cainhurst the City of Silver.

While the new Grand Theogenist of the Healing Church is chosen too by voting among Vicars and the Supreme Patriarch and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth is selected by voting and duel.

***

"Chaos Furies are incoming! Prepare the bolters! Wizards prepare the Spells!"

Karl Franz could hear the Elector Count of Sylvania, Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes, shout as thousands of creatures appeared from the sky and started descending on the Skycrown Gate in huge numbers.

The Chaos Furies were fierce creatures with great leathery wings. Their faces have more in common with Dragons or Wyvern than they do with Humans, as they are twisted into snarling visages full of sharp angles and wicked fangs set beneath searching, feral, red eyes.

Since Chaos Furies lack the power and malevolent purpose of serving a particular Ruinous Power, they are among the weakest of the Lesser Daemons, though more than a match for most mortals. They haunt forlorn places, always searching for lone or injured travelers.

Among the forces of the Daemons, they presented the basis of the Air Forces of the Daemons and foul powers.

Meanwhile, on the walls of the Skycrown Gates, the Dwarven Engineers were loading the machines of war called Dwarf Bolt Thrower, which was basically a large version of the crossbow or Scorpio, able to fire very heavy bolts over greater distances.

Dwarf Engineers still vie with each other to invent Bolt Throwers with greater range, loading speed, or accuracy. Practical to a fault, the Dwarfs place more trust in an old, proven Bolt Thrower that has fired reliably for generations.

The Bolt Thrower remains an integral part of the Dwarf arsenal because it can be built and maintained cheaply and is accurate enough to bring down monsters such as Wyverns or Trolls with a well-judged shot.

Across the entire walls of the Skycrown Gate, there were hundreds of the Bolt Throwers, and soon, all of them, in a beautiful symphony of coordinated attack, launched waves of heavy bolts that skewered through the clouds of the Chaos Furies.

The foul Lesser Daemons were torn to shreds by the swarms of the bots, while some of the bolts that didn't hit the Chaos Furies still fell onto the Daemons on the ground, killing some Bloodletters and other kinds of Lesser Daemons instead.

"Battle Wizards attack!"

During the time the Bolt Throwers were being reloaded, the Battle Wizards unleashed their carnage of spells as the entire Tartarus Pass lit in a spectacular performance of various Lores of Magic.

Elemental Spells like those of Lighting or Fire were doing the most significant damage; the Pyromancers of the Chaos Flame Covenant and House Izalith were burning the Daemons to the crips.

And the moment Spells quieted down, the Bolt Throwers fired once again, leaving there no blank time when the Skycrown Gate wasn't shooting something at the enemy. From a distance, though, Karl Franz could see some of the Greater Daemons appearing among the horde.

"Bloodthirsters spotted!"

Soon enough, the enormous Greater Daemons of Chaos God of Blood and Skulls, one of the rulers of the Abyss, appeared in the distance.

"Elector Count Vladislaus, I will take care of them."

Karl Franz stated, receiving a nod from the Elector Count, who could now focus more on the defense of the Skycrown Gate.

"1st Shield Company of Reiksgarde with me!"

The Holy Imperator shouted as he mounted his Griffon Deathclaw and rose high in the air; together with him, 125 members of the Reiksgarde repeated the same action as more than a hundred Griffon Knights rose into the air and flew directly at the several tens of Bloodthirsters.

The Bloodthirster is a massive Daemon with crimson skin that perspires blood. It has the lower legs of a beast, blending the traits of a goat and bull, with the upper body of a man, though covered in thick, curly black hair sodden with gore.

From its back spread two massive leathery wings, not unlike those of a Dragon. Atop its neck is a bestial, tusked, dog-faced head fitted with two bull horns that spread to either side.

The horns and head of this Greater Daemon are decorated with profane symbols of the Blood God, including the Mark of Khorne. Covering its body are plates of brass Chaos Armour bolted directly to its bone and fused to its flesh.

Many Drinkers of Blood also tear the faces of their victims from their skulls to add them to their armor like some perverse purity scroll.

This armor is forged upon the Daemon's flesh by Khorne himself and thereafter becomes a living part of the Daemon's physical form, even while maintaining a brutal intelligence of its own. As such, even the Bloodthirster's armor is wrathful and longs for slaughter.

Most Bloodthirsters wield Daemonic battleaxes known simply as the Axes of Khorne. Said to contain the essence of failed Daemons, these weapons are noted for cutting through flesh and armor with ease.

There were around thirty Bloodthirsters that were at the Greater Daemon Level, and there were even several Daemon Nobles that were comparable to Level 5, which would be left to the Holy Imperator to handle.

Several members of the Reiksgarde, when grouped together, could take down a Bloodthirster with some effort, especially if they were boosted by the Priests of the Healing Church and their weapons contained the Holy Power of the Great Ones that were deathly to the Daemons of Abyss.

Riding on the top of his Griffon Deathclaw, Karl Franz held strong on his weapon, the Holy Artifact of the Great Ones, Longinuslanze Testament, as he aimed directly at the biggest of the Bloodthirsters.

Among the Bloodthirsters, the Chieftains were Daemon Nobles and were Level 5 beings more powerful than ordinary Bloodthirsters. Before the collision happened, the Golden Light of Holy Destruction burst out of the Longinuslanze Testament, blinding all those around him.

Instantly the Golden Light burned down any Daemons in the vicinity; even several unfortunate Greater Daemons were burned to crips as they could even withstand the presence of the Golden Light of Holy Destruction.

"Let you be judged by the will of the Great Ones! For the Lord Gwyn!"

Karl Franz shouted as the Longinuslanze Testament pierced through the skull of one of the Daemon Nobles in a mere moment, killing one of the most powerful Daemons on the battlefield within a matter of moments.

The Reiksgarde Knights followed tightly after the Holy Imperator and started attacking the Greater Daemons Bloodthirsters from their Griffons, flying around the huge Greater Daemons and striking them with their weapons or spells.

One thing that was disadvantageous about them was that they were relatively huge and agility wasn't their strongest side, which was naturally then exploited by the Reiksgarde Knights, which were flying around the huge Bloodthirsters.

They were harassing them, slashing at them with their lances and swords, often casting some sort of Magic Spells at them. Each Knigth of the Reiksgarde was proficient in Magic on the level of an average Battle Wizard who mastered specific lore.

The Reiksgarde were the best of the best; they were truly prime examples of the Holy Arcadia Empire. Just after five minutes, several of the Bloodthirsters were already on the verge of death because they were previously injured by the Golden Light of Holy Destruction.

***

On the Walls

Everything that was happening on the battlefield was observed by the Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes, who was commander of the Skycrown Gate.

Now that the Greater Daemons Bloodthristers were taken care of, he could focus on the Lesser Daemons, who had already arrived and were attacking the gate itself.

"Skull Cannons... Reinforce the barrier!"

He shouted at the Wizards and Magicians who were stationed on the Skycrown Gate, who immediately went to work and started reinforcing the barrier surrounding the walls of the Skycrown Gate.

The Skull Cannons of Khorne, also known as Hellforged Bellowers, the Bonegrinders, or the Clinkerfiends, are massive Daemon Engines of Khorne. Legend tells that the Skull Cannons of Khorne were forged in the furnaces at the foot of the Blood God's throne and beaten into shape upon his mighty anvil.

Hundreds of them appeared in the distance among the endless Daemon Horde and started firing flaming projectiles at the walls of the Skycrown Gate. Fortunately, the Skycrown Gate had several layers of defense, including physical ones and magical ones.

"Dammit... there are too many of them... return it to them, aim at the Skull Cannons! Acht, take Division of Silver Knight and reinforce the weak point number Alpha; the Daemons would land there in five minutes."

Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes, who was standing together with his father on the walls, nodded his head and immediately hopped on his Griffon and flew to another part of the Skycrown Gate.

Delivered a command from his father as the Silver Knights were heading towards the cornermost part of the Skycrown Gate, which was under the heaviest assault of Chaos Furies and other types of flying Daemons.

Soon enough, the Chaos Furies would be picking up other Daemons and dropping them directly at the walls of the Skycrown Gate.

In the same place where Jubstacheit was leading 2,500 Silver Knights, Commander of the 15th Regiment of 11th Legion, numbering 5,000 Soldiers of the Imperial Army.

"Commander Helmut, we got the news that Elector Count has sent reinforcements numbering the entire Division of Silver Knight led by the young lord."

Commander Helmut was clad in his military uniform, as he was personally commanding the Artillery that was targeting the flying Daemons.

The standard armor of the Imperial Soldiers varied; the ordinary soldiers wore a mixture of chainmail, heavy leather made from powerful Magical Creatures and heavy plates; they also wore a face mask attached to their helmets.

Meanwhile, the officers and stronger members of the Imperial Army were wearing heavy planted armor reminiscent of knights, with face facemasks.

Having their entire Division of Silver Knights would be certainly helpful, as their position was most vulnerable against the attack of Daemons right now. Across the Holy Arcadia Empire, there were only two places where Legions of Silver Knights were permanently stationed.

One of them was Skycrown Gate and another was Grand Province of Orleáns, which was defending against the Orks. Naturally, these Legions were constantly rotating, so every Legion got enough combat experience.

"Send them directly to Squad Master of Holy Knights..."

Four minutes later, one minute before the approximate arrival of the Division of the Silver Knights, the Chaos Furies had already started dropping Daemon on the walls of the Skycrown Gate.

Seeing this, Commander Helmut grits his teeth because the Daemons were faster than their reinforcements by one minute, so this would be pretty hard... every single second was crucial in situations like this.

The Daemons that they were dropping here were stronger Bloodletters, and there were more and more of them, and the ordinary soldiers of the Imperial Army were not able to resist against the stronger Bloodletters that were around Level 2 or higher.

But like it was heaven sent from Lady Luck, several tens of Griffons descended from the skies and started tearing apart the Chaos Furies.

Among the Silver Knights, only the Grand Knights could have a Griffon as a mount and among the entire Division of 2,500 Silver Knights, there were around 200 Grand Knights.

"We were lucky this time..."

Commander Helmut sighed in relief because while the soldiers of the Imperial Army were of the peak human condition, but it was not enough in front of Bloodletters, that had greater physical strength.

Fortunately, what the Soldiers of the Imperial Army lacked in strength, speed and physique, they made up for with their skills and abilities, as the Bloodletters were relatively simple when it came to fighting and combat.

Several minutes after the arrival of the Division of Silver Knights, they started pushing back the Chaos Furies entirely. However, the fighting on the walls was still going on, but soon the soldiers of the Imperial Army were reinforced by the Silver Knights.

With the Silver Knights entering the battle, the number of casualties of the Imperial Soldiers started decreasing at a steady rate, as the Silver Knights took the role of combating the Daemons, while the Imperial Army only had a supplementary role.

The Silver Knights, in their heavy armor and weapons, all made by Dwarven hands and inscribed with runes, were like War Gods incarnate as they were cutting through the hordes of Daemon with thunderous speed.

Soon enough, they contained the Daemons on the Skycrown Gate and were steadily pushing them out. Naturally, this didn't come without the losses from the side of the Silver Knights, but they were minuscule compared to the losses that the Daemons were suffering.

Another thing that helped was that, across the entirety of the Skycrown Gate, there were several Priests of the Healing Church who were responsible for healing the injured. Hence, the casualties were much lesser than they would normally be in a fight of these proportions.

***

On the Battlefield

Deeper on the battlefield, the forces of the Reiksgarde, under the leadership of the Holy Imperator, were fighting against the Greater Daemons of Khorne, the Bloodthirsters and also some of the Daemon Nobles that were engaged against the Holy Imperator himself.

Several members of the Reiksgarde have already fallen to the brutal onslaught of the Bloodthirsters, but not without taking with them as many enemies as possible. From the initial 125 Reiksgarde, now something around 80 remained.

Rest were killed in combat, dying valorously for the glory and holiness of the Holy Arcadia Empire and its people. Some of them even took down Greater Daemons themselves on their dying breath.

The moment their masters died, the Griffons would take the corpses of the Imperial Guardians and bring them back to the Anor Londo so that they could have a funeral in the mausoleum in the City of Gods.

An honor reserved for none another.

"Mortals! Die for the glory of the Blood God!"

A deafening roar sounded through the entirety of the battlefield as everyone realized that the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand had arrived. As one of the Daemon Lords under the service of one of the Four Chaos Gods, the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand was an extremely powerful Daemon Lord.

Karl Franz looked at the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand from atop his Griffon Deathclaw and knew that the Daemon Lord was much stronger than he was... much stronger, which made him rethink his strategy when dealing against this monstrosity of an opponent.

''Empowered by the Abyssa and Chaos God himself... what are those Four playing again?'

There was only one thing that would explain what was happening right now in the realms of Ruin: the Abyss. Probably all cosmology would witness the birth of a new God of Chaos, albeit a Minor one, but the God of Chaos nevertheless.

"Retreat! All of you retreat on the walls!"

Karl Franz shouted at the Reiksgarde Kngiths, who obeyed his orders and immediately withdrew from the battlefield, leaving there Karl Franz alone, staring at the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand.

The enormous Bloodthirster was at least twice as big as an ordinary Bloodthirster and looked even angrier and more powerful than the ordinary Bloodthirsters. For several first seconds, both of them started at each other before the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand lunged into the air.

Hacking his enormous waraxe decorated with several skulls and Abyssal runes, Karl Franz controlled his Griffon to dodge the attack as Deathclaw flipped in the air and the Holy Imperator threw the Longinuslanze Testament directly at the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand.

The Longinuslanze Testament enveloped in the Golden Light of Holy Destruction boomed with the Holiness of the Great Ones as it hit the enormous Daemon Lord in his shoulder, as the Daemon roared in pain.

Being hit by one of the Holy Artifacts of the Great Ones was something that was deadly and poisonous to the Daemons of Chaos from the depths of the Abyss.

Even from a distance, he could see golden lines penetrating through the Daemon Lord's entire being as he was corroded by the Holiness of the Great Ones.

***

MC POV

I outstretched my right hand and summoned back the Longinuslanze Testament, which immediately shot towards me and landed in my right hand. One good thing about the Holy Artifacts was that they were pretty sentient, like really...

They had their own spirit and mind and thus I could do with them what I did now.

Still, the battle was going on rather well for now; with the loss of most Greater Daemons and almost all Noble Daemons in this horde, they could only proceed with what they had. Without the more powerful ones or powerful Daemon Engines, they couldn't breach the Skycrown Gate.

From the walls of the Skycrown Gate, the gunner regiments already started shooting and skewering them with bullets. Thousands of Daemons fell with each salvo from the gunners and even more fell when the Artillery was firing.

The battle was going on for a good half an hour, so I needed to stall the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand for approximately 30 minutes until Master Hunter from the Workshop arrived and we could kill him.

I doubted that he would retreat... the ones who followed Khorne were mad because Khorne wasn't just Chaos God of Blood and Skulls, but he was also God of Warriors and Martial Honor; there was nothing more despicable for him than escaping from combat.

If the Daemon Lord did such a deed, then his fate would be much worse than simple death.

In a mere moment, hundreds of small light dots appeared all around me and shot towards the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand at lightning speed. All of them were Arcane Missiles, a lesser Spell of Arcane Magic, the purest and most powerful forms of all Magic.

The Daemon Lord knowing what was coming at him, raised his waraxe and attacked the incoming Arcane Missiles head one, tearing them apart with his precision and speed to the point where only a few of them were able to hit him.

He managed to block the majority of them successfully, but that wasn't something surprising truthfully, because all Greater Daemons of Khorne and those above them were masters in single combat and especially in combating Magicians, Wizards, and other Magic users.

Khorne hated Magic, Magic-Users, and everything related to them because he viewed it as a dishonorable way of combat, only fitting for the cowards, as the real warrior slayed his enemies in cold blood with a sharp blade.

Still, this short time window allowed me to conjure a more powerful spell of Arcane Magic when several tens of Arcane Chains appeared out of nowhere and hacked at the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand in the blink of an eye.

And while the Daemon Lord was rather successful at fending them off from the start, there were too many of them and they were too fast for him, so soon, he was becoming bound by the Arcane Chains that were binding him.

Using the opportunity, he positioned his Holy Artifact Longinuslanze Testament in a jousting position and flew at the Daemon Lord with the fastest speed that Deathclaw could muster from him.

Before they could pierce through the Daemon Lord, the enormous Daemon Lord of Khorne roared as he erupted with crimson light, the power of the Blood Gods himself, breaking from the bindings of the Arcane Chains and with his huge waraxe he blocked the Longinuslanze Testament that collided against his weapon.

I didn't expect the Arcane Chains to hold the Daemon Lord down for a long time; even a few seconds would be good until I delivered my blow, but it seemed that the power with which Khorne blessed the Daemon Lord was nothing to scoff at...

Not wasting a moment, flew away from the enraged Daemon Lord, who entered some sort of blood rage upon breaking from the bindings. Apparently, the power of Khorne was a double-sided thing.

Typically, Chaos Gods and other powerful Daemons were tricky... when they gave power to someone, it always came with a heavy price. Be it at the cost of their very own souls, disgusting mutations, or eternal servitude to the said patron to whom the power belonged in the first place.

There was no free lunch among the Ruinious Power and the Daemons of the Abyss.

Nevertheless the situation, I continued entertaining the Daemon Lord, not allowing him to join the siege of the Skycrown Gate because the Daemon Lord was the sole entity on the battlefield that could breach the Gates themselves.

That would be the catastrophic conclusion, so as long as he was bound to me, fighting, the battle would progress smoothly, as the defenders of the Skycrown Gate could fend off the Daemon horde.

And they were doing rather well because Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes was performing splendidly, and I already saw that he released some of his vassals to wreak havoc on the battlefield.

When the forces of Von Carsteins joined the battlefield, they descended from the walls and started slaughtering the Daemons left and right, feeding on their blood, constantly healing from even the most gruesome injuries in a matter of seconds.

And after that, they were as good as new and continued to tear through the hordes of enemies, together with them the Holy Knight of the Healing Church purging their filthy existence from the material plane under the Holy Light of the Great Ones.

Several minutes ago, I disembarked from Deathclaw and allowed my ever-loyal familiar to return to the walls because I activated the Golden Light of Holy Destruction to the maximum, not wanting to injure my familiar accidentally.

I lunged at the Daemon Lord, dodging his incoming strike as he slashed with his waraxe at my head, which I managed to timely dodge, but faster than I could anything else, I realized that I was flying in the air, crashing into the hordes of Daemons.

'That fucking bastard surely kicks hard...'

Standing up, an enormous wave of the Golden Light of Holy Destruction exploded from my body, obliterating all opportunistic Daemons that wanted to attack me, as nothing more than even ash remained from them.

Using the Longinuslanze Testament to support me to stand up, I coughed some of the blood which was golden in color. Daemon Lords that were under Chaos God of Blood and Skulls were masters in combat, approaching the skills of Hunters of the Workshop.

Demogorgon, whom I fought against previously, was one of the Daemon Lords under the Chaos God of Change and Sorcery Tzeench.

Daemons of Tzeechs were known for their weakness in combat; they were not combatants and were not nearly as skilled as even some of the weakest Daemons of the God of Warriors and Martial Honor.

Without giving me a moment of peace, I realized that he was already before me, cracking with crimson lighting and his enormous waraxe approaching my head.

Longinuslanze Testament shot towards the waraxe, shockwave knocking both of us back...

In a split of a moment, I summoned the Warhammer Ghal Maraz and with the dull side of the Ghal Maraz, I struck the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand in the middle of his chest as his armor cracked upon the impact.

After I sent him crashing, I mobilized my energy and rushed at him with both of my weapons brandished and attacking the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand in a new wave of exchanges as the Daemon Lord started suffering more and more injuries.

Naturally, the Golden Light of Holy Destruction that was already within his body started showing its effects as it was corroding his insides and not even the boost from his patron deity was able to extinguish it entirely.

'It seems that after this fight, I need to reconsider the proposal about the reformation of specialized military units...'

Right now, there were many specialized military Units within the Holy Arcadia Empire, whose members are aware all around Level 3... be it the Reiksgarde, Executioner Holy Knights of the Healing Church, Grail Knights, Rune Knights and some others.

Some time ago, there was a proposal in the Imperial Council to merge them all into one coherent organization placed directly under the throne. What would happen if there was a Knight armed with the Old Blood of Reiksgarde and Holy Knights of Church, enhanced with Runes and Arcane Magic and Essence of the Lake.

Approximate results were estimated to be at least Level 4 standardized and with many unique abilities, agelessness and other advantages. It seems that it would be needed... even right now, I could see that the Reiksgarde and Holy Knights were suffering losses...

High losses.

And for the Daemons losses were nothing because while we killed around forty Greater Daemons and I personally slayed five Daemon Nobles, it was nothing... The Abyss was swarming with an endless number of Daemons.

Dodging another wave of ferocious attacks from the Daemon Lord as several Greater Daemons appeared around us, joining the attack on my person, only affirmed my decision.

I blasted them apart with my Golden Light of Holy Destruction, exterminating another several Greater Daemons and even another two Daemon Nobles that appeared out of nowhere, not counting several tens of thousands of Lesser Daemons that were unfortunate to be around.

It seemed that the Imperial Forces needed another wave of reformation...

While Reiksgarde and Holy Knights were strong on their own, it was not enough. While Grail Knights were peerless warriors that were traveling through the Lands of Lordran and killing dangerous Beasts or Magical creatures, there were too few.

While Hunters were the pinnacle of the Imperial spirits and strength, there were only around fifteen of them and they were needed to hunt the most dangerous beings that inhabited the Imperial Lands.

Perhaps, not only Westeros and Essos were coming to the new Age... but Holy Arcadia Empire was too entering the new Age.

***
Some distance from the Skycrown Gate.

A huge convoy of several tens of thousands of soldiers of the 6th Imperial Legion were marching to reinforce the Skycrown Gate defenders under the leadership of the Legion's General Wolfgang Rundstadt.

"Sir, the Skycrown Gate is already in the vicinity."

Because they were not bringing with them any heavy artillery or armored regiment to not slow them down, they managed to reach the Skycrown Gate in record time. General Rundstadt was aware that the Daemon horde that was right now sieging the Skycrown Gate was the biggest in the past two centuries.

Not to mention it was led by a Daemon Lord and Holy Imperator was personally stalling the Daemon Lord on the battlefield.

"Increase the speed; we need to arrive faster!"

Right now, time was an essential thing, but unfortunately, they didn't have much of it because, from the scouts, he found out that the fighting between the defenders and invaders had already been moved to the walls of the Skycrown Gate.

It was only a matter of time until that happened; thus, he adjusted his golden facemask on his armor and ordered the soldiers to march faster. The 6th Imperial Legion was bringing to fold 75,000 fresh soldiers that were only a bit tired from the traveling.

Fortunately enough, because every soldier has digested the lowest level of the Old Blood, which was officially termed as Level 0, while not giving them any superhuman capabilities, it still enhanced their stamina and regeneration capabilities enough.

Coupled with special potions that were created to relieve fatigue and so on, it wasn't much of a problem for the Legions to cross even huge distances without being tired at all...

***

Atop the Skycrown Gate

Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes was busy commanding the flow of the battle as the Daemons began sieging the walls...

The good news about the entire ordeal was the fact that without the Greater Daemons, they couldn't really breach the Gates of the Skycrown Gate, or more precisely, without anyone at Level 5, it was nigh impossible.

The bad news was that the Lesser Daemons were right now flooding the entirety of the walls and the number of soldiers was stretched thin.

There were too many of the Lesser Daemons that were being dropped on the walls, or some ingenious ones were even capable of climbing or otherwise arriving at the top of the walls.

But with the addition of the Reiksgarde and Church's Executioners, the tables were turning because they were all the most powerful knights within the Holy Arcadia Empire. When they delved into the depths of the Daemon horde, they were slaughtering them left and right.

"My Lord, there are too many Daemons down there; the Head Wizard is asking for permission to activate the trap."

Suddenly, one of the officers wearing the similar bronze-golden armor of the Imperial Army, contrary to that of the average soldiers, theirs was more heavy plated, like that of knights, but had a similar design and also contained a facemask.

"Give them hell... also, send the order to the dwarven engineers to start arming Griffons with packages..."

Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes said with a bloodthirsty grin as he ordered before he hopped on his Griffon and personally joined the battle. As someone who reached Level 5, his physical strength was especially fearsome, able to compete against adult True Dragons in terms of physical power.

His orders were instantly relayed to their receivers as everyone started doing their tasks.

The Battle Wizards started chanting a spell that would soon change the course of the entire battle, while down below the Skycrown Gate's walls, in their camp, dwarves were preparing to load explosives on the Griffons.

This was a tactic that the Holy Imperator came with himself, as Griffons would pick up explosives and drop in on nothing suspecting the enemy. He called this strategy "aerial bombardment", and dwarves loved it immediately when they heard it.

So much so that they were competing for who could create more dangerous bombs and bigger explosions. Soon enough, tens of Griffons picked up the explosion before they soared high in the air, as high as possible to avoid the aftermath of the aerial bombardment.

***

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[ATP]

Here,Bloodthister fighting more modern knights:


Jokes aside - thanks for good chapter,please continue,and...why Volantis is heretical,and how they survive Sothorys? worms and insects there supposed to eat people alive from inside.
And ,what offended them? there are only ruins and wild animals there.Well,kind of apemans,too.