Chapter 33: It all comes down to money
Baldur Crowl, 276AC, Skagos.
A fortnight after arriving in King's Landing, Baldur departed from the city. His ship was one of the last to leave that was bound for Skagos, many of the others leaving to ship the loot to Skagos and take the freemen north of the wall. He stayed to celebrate in feasts, catch up with Lord Stark and aid a bit with King Aerys' new school of poets.
It had taken a moons turn before he arrived back home to Skagos. During that period, he spent most of his time gambling, drinking, fighting with the sailors and occasionally writing new songs. He has great plans for the future of his newly acquired musicians. Songs would be sung across the kingdom and Skagos would be the center of many of these works. His bands would journey through the Seven Kingdoms and spread the greatness of Skagos and the great Stone Lord who ruled them. Every tavern would know his name and every musician would sing his praise to smallfolk's and nobles alike.
"Ah, home sweet home." Baldur spoke as he arrived back to the well named town of Baldur's Gate. He met his Uncle Vilkas at his ship who had led him, Rolf, Halvar and Ivar up through the town, walking towards the town center talking of the war in Essos and describing all they had seen. They spoke of the War Elephants, like those of the Stepstones Baldur had only heard about and the battles they had fought in, each telling of their exploits.
Rolf had done the Stoneborn name proud in the battle of River Wood. He had rallied the Skagosi men and led them through the streets in battle against the sell swords, bathing the streets red with their enemies' blood. It was he who had led the charge against the enemy commander and forced his surrender. Like Baldur, he was doing the Stoneborn proud, reminding everyone of who are the greatest warriors of the world were and where they came from.
His uncle informed him in on a number of things that was happening within Skagos. First and most importantly, his brew sales rose even higher, beginning to spread to Essos and the demand was driving them to constantly expand over the last year, something that made Baldur all the more ready to get his newest brew, the Flying Banshee, onto the market for people to enjoy along with his new music.
The Ice Trade had also continued to progress in popularity, driving Skagos to make large swaths of money. The spreading of the use of Ice as means to keep the food last longer, Ice Cream and keeping people cool in the summer had driven it beyond what his uncle had ever expected. Due to Skagos location, no one could really compete with them on the market with their location on the Eastern coast of Westeros, giving them nearly uncontested business in the southern lands. They had even begun shipping to places like Braavos and the other Free Cities.
Baldur stopped from further thoughts as he arrived within the center of the town and his eyes caught something bright and green colored, walking into a building that was used to be his Longhouse, though now resembled something out of a nightmare. "Skagos Academy." Baldur read out, eyes studying the placard hanging above his old home.
"My Lords, welcome to the academy of Skagos, commissioned by her lady, Helena Crowl." A small ghastly dressed foreign looking man said with a bow. Baldur would have missed him had he not spoken, alerting Baldur to lower his gaze to find the small man. Even Varicho looked manly next to this one and that was saying something.
"Baldur, this is Varmin, Head Scholar of the Academy and former slave, freed by Captain Lazero. He has done much in laying the foundations for educating our people, to further make Skagos prosperous." Vilkas elaborated as Baldur still stood looking over his old house in dismay.
"This is the very definition of blasphemy..." Baldur whispered, staring up at his once glorious Longhouse. He intended to turn it into a place for musicians by day and a tavern by night. It was to be grand, with no match in the Seven-
"Actually my Lord, blasphemy is defined as the action or offence of speaking sacrilegiously about god or sacred thing; profane talk." Varmin informed him, taking a deep breath to continue. "I would recommend the more appropriate use of-"He began, only to be cut off by a fist colliding with his jaw and dropping him like a sack of potatoes, curtesy of Baldur.
"HELENA!" Baldur roared out, looking around the square and seeing many of the people he had thought to be sent beyond the wall.
Sometime later, Baldur found himself sitting in his solar in the company of his uncle, wife, cousins and Maester Glenn, figuring out just what was happening. He ordered for the many freed men to be sent north of the wall, yet here they were, on Skagos infesting his beautiful Longhouse and putting his plans to the torch. Helena insisted that it was a necessary repurposing of his Longhouse, but Baldur didn't really care.
"I don't want them here, they smell like prey." Baldur insisted stubbornly, leaning back in his chair. He had caught up with the things he had missed since he left and he hadn't liked them. Slaves were being freed as far as the waters around Braavos and being sent to Skagos when liberated. This had led to a number of different foreign looking people inhabiting his ancestral lands.
"Baldur, try to see sense. They have no other place to go. Even those that we have sent north of the Wall are ill suited to survive." Erik appealed to him as Baldur snorted audibly.
"They can go Beyond – The - Wall. The strong will survive, as they always have. If those Red Priests and their followers can survive, so too can the rest of them." Baldur explained. At least they were sensible enough to send those fanatics off to Beyond – The - Wall.
"While I agree that many can go north of the Wall, the skilled craftsmen and laborers should remain behind as we have been doing." Helena spoke, agreeing with him on something for once.
"Skagos has plenty of room for them to remain here and we have enough work for them all to come. It is unreasonable to turn them away." Erik argued. His cousin had grown soft in the south, forgetting what made the Stoneborn feared.
"What we need are warriors, and they are no warriors." Rolf protested with a frown.
"Aye, if we are to take people in, bring them from amongst the Wildlings. While they aren't a match for our warriors, they can be trained and they fit in with us well enough." Baldur stated.
"I agree, we can bring more free folk instead, they are easier to assimilate into the population. However, we can't let skilled craftsmen go to waste Beyond – The - Wall." Helena argued, not giving up her original point. "These people will provide much for Skagos and we need the skilled workers to teach our own people. They can craft weapons and armor of the likes we could only dream of and many more talents for our people to learn." Helena finished. Baldur could see the appeal, to be honest, perhaps she had a point.
"We set out all those years ago to make Skagos thrive again and take care of our people. A good Stone Lord provides his warriors and people with the best he can, or do you no longer wish for greatness?" His Uncle pried. Of course Baldur wished greatness and he would have it. If they believed that these slaves were the key to making his warriors strong, he would allow it, though he certainly wouldn't like it. He knew that new idea's had provided much for their people, but so had the warriors, who had been forged Skagos anew under the strength of Baldur's arm.
"…Very well, they can stay IF they make me a new tavern, bigger and better than my Longhouse, or I will punt them off the Stone Isles myself." Baldur decided.
"You can design it yourself." His uncle assured before anyone could answer.
"Excellent." Baldur beamed. All was right in the world again and he had gotten his way. His new tavern would be glorious, Baldur would see to that.
Tywin Lannister, 277AC, King's Landing.
Under Tywin, House Lannister had risen to its rightful place in the Seven Kingdoms. His father Tytos Lannister was a weak man, openly mocked by his bannerman and feared by no one. He was widely known as the Laughing Lion, the laughing stock of the Westerlands. He was amiable and easily swayed to please others, including his whore who had helped herself to his mother's jewelry. Tywin had been forced to grow up seeing first hand his father's weakness and had grown to despise it.
It was when he was ten that Tywin knew it would fall to him to restore the Lannister name. Walder Frey had come to the Rock and convinced his father Tytos to give his sister's hand in marriage to his second son and his father agreed, simply to please the weasel. It hadn't been enough that his father looked a fool to the Westerlands, for on that day, he looked a fool to all of Westeros. It was then that he had spoken out against his father's foolishness and then that he knew it would fall to him to ensure that the family was protected.
Under Tywin, he had seen to the elimination of the Tarbeck's and Reyne's who dared to rise up against House Lannister in rebellion. They rallied many smaller houses to their cause after the death of Randle Reyne in the Red Keep and used it as an opportunity to attempt to wrestle control of the Westerlands from House Lannister. Tywin personally led his men into battle and slain them to the last man, making sure that the realm knew who the Lion of the Westerlands were and in doing so, earned him the position of Hand of the King.
As being the Hand of the King, he had kept the realm together and gave further rise to the Lannister name. He raised the prosperity of the ports and done away with reforms that harmed the power of the lord's, gaining him popularity and ensuring the kingdoms remained at peace. His relationship waned with the king at times and even threatened to break, though in the end, Tywin had kept his mind on the goal and persevered. The people feared the Lannister name and knew who is the power behind the Iron Throne was for the longest time, so had the king.
That all had begun to change when that heathen from the northern ends of the Kingdom had shown up one day, begging the favor of the king with the help of his brother. King Aerys, prone to his eccentrics, had granted the man leave to do so, despite Tywin believing it unwise. Nonetheless, little harm could come from killing wildlings north of the wall, and if the king wished to spend his attentions on that, Tywin had little care.
Despite his misgivings, the large barbarian man had been successful along with his brother. Tywin had taken the success in stride though, as it seemed to ease the King's mind and helped mend their relationship in the process. It also gained his brother the position of Master – of - Arms in the Red Keep that Aerys had previously denied Tywin, and further heightened the success of the Lannister name. Tywin hoped that it would be the end of it and even went as far to praise the king for his wise actions, for his goal was simply not one of being Hand of the King.
Tywin had two true Lannister's in his children at the time. His son, Jamie and his daughter, Cersei, both as fair and proud as any Lannister should be. It was his daughter whom Tywin would one day see as Queen, making it known throughout the realm that a Lannister now sat on the throne and the future kings of Westeros would have his blood running through their veins.
The king had taken a liking to the savage man, wishing him a reward. Tywin had arranged a marriage to the heathen, a better one than he deserved, in the form of the Whent girl. Openly mocked she may be, but still of higher birth than a man from the crevices of the Seven Kingdoms deserved. It was a simple thing to have the Grandmaester make the suggestion and see it done. If the marriage failed, it would serve as a suitable warning to those that meddled in his family affairs. Should it be a success, he would use it in the future to remind the Whent's of whom they owe their daughters opportunity to.
Unfortunately, the King's fascination hadn't stopped with the Skagosi man at that. Somehow, the two had concocted the idea of Valyrian roads, and though it had been a headache, it was certain to leave a lasting mark on the realm and Tywin had seen it through to the end. Lords across the seven kingdoms hadn't been pleased, but it was an idea that had merits and Tywin had further proved his worth in seeing it done.
The Skagosi man had somehow continued to prove himself as an able subject for the king, being successful in the far reaches of Essos as a common sell sword. He returned with praises from the Volantene's and the King had soaked up his worthy plan. It had fallen to Tywin of course, to soothe the ruffled feathers of the Free Cities that were on the losing end of the Trade Dispute.
With the war in Essos came the arrival of the Starks and Tully's in King's Landing, granted positions on the Small Council by the King. No longer was Tywin the only Lord Paramount to hold sway in the King's Councils, now he had to contend with the Northern savages and the Tully fishes, both of whom were able administrators and had high aspirations.
They had formed a new block in King's Landing that Tywin intends to break himself, in the form of a marriage. Both men had daughters of the right age for Jamie, though only the Tully girl would be suitable enough to marry a Lannister. While Rickard Stark was an able administrator, the Starks were a weak house from the Northern waste which was thought of little throughout the realm and too distant to really matter. Hoster Tully was the one he would bring to his side. For now though, he would keep on the goal of seeing his daughter as Queen and let the lesser houses fall into place. Every tool had its use and the Starks and Tully's were serving theirs.
An urgent knock came at the door, drawing Tywin from his thoughts on further matters of concern within the realm. "Enter." Tywin spoke, irritated at the disruption.
"My Lord Hand, the King has summoned the Small Council for an emergency meeting." Ser Grandison, an aged Kingsguard member informed him. "Prince Rhaegar has been taken captive at Duskendale." He added, causing Tywin to rise to his feet calmly, his mind whirling in the process. The Prince had ridden out to see to the settling of another dispute, something he had proven himself at in the past. He would see House Darklyn laid low for this.
Helena Crowl, Skagos, 277AC.
In the year since Baldur's return, she busied herself with the running of Skagos and the managing of their many projects. She had done her family and father proud thus far, working hard to give rise to the wealth of both House Crowl and House Whent. She had much control over most things that happened in Skagos, her and her husband coming to reach more of a mutual understanding as time passed. Their relationship over the years had progressed to the point that he had come to at least trust her decision making and though he could be stubborn and hard headed, they agreed more often than not.
Helena still had a thirst to prove her many enemies and naysayers wrong and do her father proud in the process. She worked closely with her father, ensuring that grain was brought in and as much business she could was conducted through the Whent and Riverlands, though still keeping an eye out to ensure the Manderly's and neighbors in the North benefited.
With the Ice Trade it had made it all the easier, allowing them near control over the Easrern coast of Westeros and much of the Narrow Sea as well, bringing in tidy sums of money for projects of their wishes. With that money, she worked to rise Skagos to respectable levels of a northern house and assure her father that she was happy and well taken care of to ease his old mind.
Though Helena wasn't the most popular woman on Skagos, she still had the enough respect as the Lady of the house and the support of Vilkas, who was popular on Skagos. Those that didn't would dare not cross her husband, for he was widely loved by the Skagosi for bringing them to new heights and certainly no stranger to war if it came down to the opportunity.
In the last couple of months, Helena had fallen with child again, much to Baldur's delight. The man may be a brute and a meat head, but he loved his children dearly and he at least did right as a husband, staying faithful to her, despite his no doubt many offers. Helena didn't delude herself into thinking this was out of any sense of love, but it was out of loyalty and his oath. Despite his many flaws, the large man kept his word, though in truth, he seemingly was never much for womanizing, rather preferring to admire his own statue or reflection in the water by the sounds of it.
One thing that still confounded her to this day was how the barbaric man came up with the seemingly brilliant ideas he did. It vexed her that he held knowledge in such little regard, though at the same time often came up with brilliant devices or ways of doing things that proved to be quite prosperous for his house.
His many uses of mills in mining, smithing, cloth creation and other areas had continued to improve life for his people. He devised tools and equipment that helped farmers, tanners, hunters, warriors and many other professions alike, earning her and the council some wide spread popularity to push the reforms through that they had.
Just when she thought he had changed for the better, he would send all of her hopes crashing down in a pile in his latest debacle. She had been initially encouraged by his music as the structure had come together quite nicely and the songs sounded promising and the entertainers popular. He had even hired many good artists and poets to work within the hall itself, showing off his artistic side and perhaps that he had turned towards being a more refined lord. This all came crashing down when she had been invited into the place by Baldur, only to discover the truth.
Helena had appreciated the well-built structure as she approached it. It was a three story building with ample space for both celebrations and the making of music and it would surely become a place of renown on Skagos in the future. It was built by freed men from all parts of the Essos, coming together to create a finely built establishment and earn their Lord's praise in the progress. Her opinion however changed, as she stepped through the front door of the place.
The room was decorated with antlers, furs and trophies of Baldur's many battles and that of his men. Along the walls, paintings of warriors in battle, many of which looked suspiciously like Baldur himself conducting a rather gruesome kill or what was clearly Rolf riding down a man on his unicorn, spearing him in the process. She could see scenes from the Disputed Lands, the wilds Beyond - The - Wall and as far east as Volantis, all brought together for the sole purpose of Baldur's ego and that of his men. The icing on the cake however, was the large bronze statue in the middle of the floor, rising up in a life like figure of the brute himself with the giant Gyrd, dead at his feet.
She had never met such a vain creature in all of her life. She had heard tales of women being obsessed with their own face and men with their own exploits, though few that held both the obsessions close to their heart like her brute of a husband did. Just when she thought he was becoming more refined by embracing the finer arts, he turned around and perverted them in such a way.
Her husband's latest venture was proving to be his most fool hardy to date and what Helena believed to be a waste of time. According to her husband, the scouts had reported that giants had begun trading with some of the northern most trade posts that they had established along the coasts, something that she thought to be a flight of fancy, though her husband was keenly interested in, especially after he received reports of some of them being violent.
He planned to sail out in the company of a number of men to challenge the giants to a fight, fancying making himself a name out of slaying a giant, as if such things even existed.
Certainly in the most unreliable of texts, there were hints that giants once existed, though they were written alongside the children of the forest, nothing more than myths in her mind. Luckily, she hadn't been the one to put a stop to his folly, as summons came from Kings Landing of the abduction of Rhaegar Targaryen over a charter dispute. Lord Stark had summoned several banners to sail down and reinforce Kings Landing, in the event that the Crownlands proved any further trouble and at the king's personal request, thus her husband had left again on the road to conflict and to hopefully sate his appetite.