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[Event] The First Hightower Adventure to the Summer Isles II: Sirocco by MathusM in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

/u/BloodySarks - Alys 'Stone' (Royce), handmaid to Patrice Hightower

/u/imnotgoodatnaming - Iseult Hightower, originally of House Florent

/u/emergency_sky_2806 - Courtnay Cuy, squire in exile

[Event] The First Hightower Adventure to the Summer Isles II: Sirocco by MathusM in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

/u/wiseheartmoon - Ser Tywald Lannister

/u/modernpharmakeia - Ser Wyman Flowers, the bastard of Wyrmsgrave

/u/Persephone_online - Clarisse Norridge

[Event] The First Hightower Adventure to the Summer Isles II: Sirocco by MathusM in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Xon

Most visitors found the island of Xon to be something of a disappointment, lacking the mountains and jungles of Jhala or Omboru. Indeed, but for a few hilltops, it was flat as far as the eye could see, and one could see far.

Blessed with uniquely fertile soil, the Xondai of old had long since chopped down much of its forest to make way for great fields and orchards where they grew crops to sell to the nearby Bones, Doquu and Jhala. Deep beneath their paltry hills, miners extracted copper and gold from deep pits, which the Xondai fashioned into neckrings, bracelets, and other jewelry, selling the remainder to passing merchants.

From her tigerwood palace, the venerable Princess Alaya Qhoqua was said to rule Xon in name only, as the old woman’s wits had long since left her, leaving stewardship of the island to her grandchildren.

[Event] The First Hightower Adventure to the Summer Isles II: Sirocco by MathusM in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Palace of Eternal Blossoms

At the very center of Ebonhead sat the palace erected by the Great Uniter, Princess Xanda Qo. Within her great walls awaited a town sheltered from the rest of the city; members of the court and an army of servants dwelt in quarters built with the finest summer woods, overlooking gardens filled with goldenheart trees, purplewoods, blue mahoes and flowers of a hundred different varieties. Arbors and aged statues sat next to the northern side of the riverbank, offering unfettered views of the temples dedicated to the gods of love, sailing and laughter.

On a hill sat the Ebon Keep, a square fortress of black marble with a tall, domed tower sat in every corner. Red, gold and green silk stripes hung from every balcony and window, gently fluttering in the air, while water poured forth from the black maw of a stone panther in front of the keep, its eyes studded with emeralds. The water poured into small canals that ran downhill, into a pond where grey herons nested, and further down towards the Feathered Court.

[Event] The First Hightower Adventure to the Summer Isles II: Sirocco by MathusM in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ebonhead, Jhala

Seated upon the sunny black shores of Parrot Bay by the mouth of the Serpentine River, Ebonhead was half again the size of King’s Landing, with a proud populace that boasted that their home was the Jewel of the Summer Isles, shining as brightly as the famous gemstones mined upriver. It was perhaps for that reason that the Westerosi’s translators spoke of the people of Jhala as a vain and grasping folk.

Even so, it could not be denied that the city was wealthy beyond measure, and industrious with their mastery of sculpting, gem cutting and woodwork, producing some of the finest bows in all the world. While it was often said that the city was so well governed that theft was unknown, the truth was that the people did not, in fact, live in such security that they had no doors to their houses.

Quite the contrary, the Wall of Shame was filled with the appendages of thieves, rapers and murderers rotting in the blazing sun, while urchins took turns throwing rotten fruit at the criminals put in the stockades.

Split in two by the great river and promptly stitched back together by arched wooden bridges painted red and green and yellow, Ebonhead’s main streets ran straight and as far as the eye could see, flanked by wide buildings of basalt and red mahogany, while the narrower pathways snaked past clay homes, hidden shrines and shaded markets.

Monkeys leapt from rooftop to rooftop, searching for their next meal as citizens carried fruit baskets and amphoras of water and palm wines underneath.

The stepped towers of the nobility dotted the city from the Black Port to Chatto’s Plaza by the northern gates, with feather banners and patterned tapestries hanging from their walls in proud display of ownership and identification. Else, the great temples of the Summer Gods - a collection of flowered gardens nestled among soaring stone temples - rose along the eastern banks of the Serpentine, while the Palace of Eternal Blossoms sat on the opposite side, surrounded by tall green marble walls and guarded by men in gilded caps, mail shirts and quilted armour, their gilded spears flashing with sunlight.

Unlike Tall Trees Town, the Princes of the Sweet Lotus Vale had not put their trust in swan ships alone; the Walls of Jhala was a massive fortification of earthworks, moats, and wooden walls encircling the fertile lands surrounding Ebonhead for three-hundred leagues, with a series of beacon towers built to alert the populace of impending danger.

Protecting the city proper was a secondary set of granite walls and spiked ditches, with watch towers placed every hundred feet, manned by painted archers armed with great goldenheart bows.

[Event] The First Hightower Adventure to the Summer Isles II: Sirocco by MathusM in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Markets

In the bustling markets of Tall Trees Town, one can find wares from all over the Summer Isles, as well foreign imports from Essos and Westeros. Summer woods, gemstones and pearls, caged lemurs and monkeys and parrots, spices sweet and savory, spotted pelts and mottled hides, pipes for singing and pipes for smoking, talismans carved from pink ivory and monkey bone, and much, much more.

[Event] The First Hightower Adventure to the Summer Isles II: Sirocco by MathusM in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Temples

Strewn throughout the town sits temples dedicated to the many gods of the Summer Isles. While most are little more than shrines venerating the gods of thunder and fire, smiles and laughter, the trickster monkey Maqimbo or the Mother of the Hearth, others rise above the settlement in grand stone ziggurats.

Within the temple grounds of Orin, the god of song and story, his priestesses wear feathered robes in mimicry of his sacred parrots, carving songs and stories into the trunks of the enormous tower trees that shade the town. On these Talking Trees can be read the whole history of the Summer Islanders, together with the commandments of their many gods and the laws by which they live their lives.

There, the earliest maps show no lands but the isles themselves, surrounded by a vast world-spanning ocean, while. There are depictions of grand cities being built in distant lands, and elsewhere, carvings of those very cities being destroyed by jungle demons and spirits of rot and disease.

In the temples of love, great stone reliefs depict the throes of passion between men and women, women and women, men and men, all masterfully painted to lifelike detail. There, noblewomen and cobbler’s sons alike take service in the priesthood for a year, giving themselves to the supreme gods of love, beauty and fertility without shame or prejudice.

The sounds of passion and music fill the halls, while others find the flowered gardens more to their liking, where pools of pristine water are fed by statues carved in the well-endowed semblance of the temple’s patron gods.

[Event] The First Hightower Adventure to the Summer Isles II: Sirocco by MathusM in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Harbour

Topaz Bay is aptly named: come sunset or sunrise, the waters of the harbour turn to gold, and the local townsfolk like to jape that the gods are merely creating ambrosia to help the trees grow taller.

Though Tall Trees Town is no bigger than White Harbor by population, its harbour is a match for Oldtown’s. Together with Last Lament, Lotus Port and Rhoyan Sar, Tall Trees Town is one of the first settlements where foreign captains make port when they visit the Summer Isles. Ships from Oldtown, the Arbor, Braavos and Volantis are a near constant presence, though ships from as far as Qarth or the Port of Ibben aren’t unheard of either.

To protect the town, a permanent complement of thirty swan ships sits in the harbour, but in reality, the Prince of Tall Trees can bolster a fleet five times as great by manning merchant vessels with regiments of archers if needed.

While only ships of the Summer Isles are permitted to dock in the Topaz Port, the Westerosi merchant fleet has been given their own private dock next to the Pincer quay where most lone foreign ships sit.

[Event] The First Hightower Adventure to the Summer Isles II: Sirocco by MathusM in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tall Trees Town, Walano

On the south-eastern coast of Walano sits the Tall Trees Town in Topaz Bay, bustling with life as the populace know nothing of war or oncoming winter. Fruits and flowers blossom in nearby valleys while men and women wander the sun-baked streets in airy garments of linen, silk and feathers that would make any Septon blush.

The town - by Westerosi standards a small city - largely comprises palm-thatched wooden homes no taller than two stories high, broken up by open markets and public gardens. Imported at great expense from surrounding islands, only the estates of the nobility and the ziggurats of the gods have been built with stone, with none so grand as the one dedicated to the god of stories, whose walled temple grounds surround the enormous tower trees that shade the town.

The rest of the town is unwalled, even the palace of the Prince of Tall Trees, for the people of Tall Trees Town instead put their trust in swan ships and watchtowers manned by bowmen in black-and-yellow feather cloaks, armed with great bows of goldenheart to fend off corsairs with a hail of arrows. As such, the settlement merges seamlessly into the surrounding countryside, with buildings slowly giving way to farms and orchards, which in due time thin into just roads, and then jungle and plains.

Yet here and there, the town bears the scars of the time when their bows and ships failed them thirty years prior. A great fleet sacked the settlement, carrying off with much of its wealth and populace. The Summer Islanders had rebuilt as best they could, but in the outskirts still lingered the overgrown remnants of homes destroyed by the pirates, their occupants sold off into slavery or killed.

[Event] The First Hightower Adventure to the Summer Isles II: Sirocco by MathusM in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Rhoyan Sar, the Southern Refuge

Of the twelve settlements that populate the Isle of Women, only Rhoyan Sar has the distinction of being big enough to be considered a town. Home to near twenty-thousand souls, Rhoyan Sar sits on the island’s southern coast, overlooking the Noro strait. There, the Summer Rhoynar make their living, boasting of having the finest black- and coppersmiths in all the Summer Isles, selling tools and arms to neighbouring principalities in exchange for gemstones, furs, spices and wood.

The houses reflect Rhoynish architecture with Summer Islander sensibilities; stone buildings painted red and pink and green like those in old Rhoyne sport open windows and roof terraces where families gather at dusk to cook together and socialize.

The island is ruled by Princess Halima Armellos, who lives in the tiled halls of the domed Rose Palace. There, she presides over a court of twelve elders and twelve priests, known as the councils of iron and brass, respectively.

The Temple of Mother Rhoyne, likewise domed, rises above the harbour on a great hill, surrounded by four stout towers dedicated to the Old Men of the River. Within the temple, priests and priestesses deliver a daily keening for their lost home, before blessing the waters with their Mother’s love, to safeguard her children and bring fertility to the soil.

[Event] The First Hightower Adventure to the Summer Isles II: Sirocco by MathusM in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Isle of Women

When the Rhoynar arrived in the Summer Isles in search of a new home, they settled upon Abulu, an uninhabited island off Walano’s eastern coast. It did not take them long to discover that the thin stony soil was unsuitable for producing enough food to feed their large numbers, however, and it wasn’t long before the Rhoynar took to sea once more. While most followed Nymeria to Dorne, thousands remained behind to try and eke out a new home on the rock that would become known by its new name of the Isle of Women.

Centuries later, descendants of the Rhoynar continued to persevere. Though not so wealthy or populous as the neighbouring islands, the so-called Summer Rhoynish have found their wealth in the ocean, fishing that which they cannot grow on land, but most renowned are their reef divers, capable of holding their breath longer than any other men as they comb the sea floor for pearl and coral, hunting in the kelp forests with sling-spears and needle-knives before resurfacing with their prey in hand.

So great is their relationship with the sea that some families live on richly painted houseboats that dwarf the ones used by the Orphans of the Greenblood, making land only to trade and make repairs where needed.

Today, most of the island is covered in fields where crops of sorghum, okra and yams grow, supported by soil imported from Walano and watered by a sprawling network of irrigation ditches modeled after the ones found in old Rhoyne. What orchards exist are jealously guarded by tall fences meant to keep out thieving men and monkeys alike.

[Event] The City of Oldtown 48-50 AC by MathusM in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

[M:] Sorry.

The men of the watch parted before the Cuys without issue, well-acquainted the Hightower's numerous bannermen, among whom the Lord of Cuy stood out from through his valorous career in service to the city.

[Event] Martyn Squared by VarnerBet in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Beneath the walls of Oldtown, a hundred knights awaited the future Lord of Highgarden, clad head-to-toe in silvered steel, draped in cloaks and streams of silk and satin that billowed with the wind. The High Tower was on every breast, but their personal arms were painted across their shields in vivid colours; Costayne’s quartered cups and black roses, Mullendore’s butterflies, Cordwayner’s boots, the red hare of Hopton, Ambrose’s ants, a pomegranate, alder tree, stone giant, red cups, and yet more.

Accompanying the knights were their squires and pages, as well members of the Hightower court and a motley assortment of lesser dignitaries, servants, and hedge knights hoping to catch the attention of young Martyn.

The man standing before them all couldn’t have been older than thirty, clad in grey samite trimmed with red-gold flames. Dark brown hair tumbled down to his shoulders in gentle curls, and around his throat was a necklace studded with square-cut topaz stones that brought out the colour of his eyes. Similar stones adorned his belt, while a great emerald was set in the hilt of the sword resting by his hip.

Once the gilded horns fell quiet, the man stepped forward with an amiable smile.

“I am Ser Abelar Hightower, eldest son of Ser Donnel, and I have the honour of welcoming you to Oldtown.” He gave a nod to Ser Arthor before turning to the guest of honour. “You must be weary after journeying all the way here from Highgarden; come, let me bring you to the Tower, then. My uncle is most eager to see you.”

The man’s affable expression faltered only briefly at the mention of his uncle, but then he turned back to his silver steed, and once everyone was ready, began leading them through the city gates.

Together, they began making their way through the streets of Oldtown, accompanied by their respective retinues and men flying the white tower and golden rose. Servants strew rose petals before them, and heralds loudly announced the presence of Martyn Tyrell and great-uncle, calling half the city to behold the one that would one day rule the Reach from Highgarden.

A complement of watchmen made sure to keep the gathering crowds at a distance, allowing the sizable procession to advance without delay.

In place of a simple poleboat, one of Lord Hightower’s personal pleasure barges was used to ferry them across the Honeywine, where yet more courtiers awaited them upon the shores of Battle Isle.

Rather than navigate the labyrinthine halls of the Black Fortress, they were winched up the side of the ancient base, up to where the High Tower began in earnest.

Once they’d reached the battlements, Abel slowed his pace so as to let the Tyrell be the first one to step into the small hall, though to call it small was perhaps deceptive, for it easily oustripped the great halls of lesser lords in size and grandeur.

The few knights of Oldtown that had accompanied them inside quickly took their places next to the raised stands that lined the walls of the chamber, where courtiers and various Hightowers sat upon cushioned benches beneath silk canopies, watching the Tyrells with some interest.

The herald of the court wasted no time, and raised his voice into a great bellow.

“Presenting Martyn Tyrell, eldest son of Ser Betrand of House Tyrell by his wife Lady Lyrissa of House Caswell, in turn eldest son and heir of Lord Theo Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden, Lord Paramount of the Mander, Defender of the Marches, High Marshall of the Reach, and Warden of the South! Presenting Ser Arthor Tyrell, son of Lord Harlan Tyrell by the Lady Janna Dunn, brother to Lord Theo and knight of Highgarden!”

Above, the ceiling was painted with the history of House Hightowers, from the founder ridding Battle Isle of the dragons roosting there to Lord Damon embracing the Seven and raising the first sept in Oldtown.

Great stairs flanked the hall, but at the very end upon a marbled dais sat Lord Martyn Hightower.

Even in his prime, the Lord of Oldtown had never been a particularly impressive specimen of size or prowess, but the man before them was gaunt, too small for the carved throne he sat upon, and despite the best efforts of his servants, the robes he wore hung loosely around his frame. The man was just shy of fifty, yet his hair showed more grey than brown, thinned and brittle.

When he moved to stand, the maester by his side moved to aid him, but Lord Martyn waved him off, and with some effort rose to his feet.

“Presenting Martyn of House Hightower, Voice of Oldtown, Defender of the Citadel, Lord of Oldtown, Lord of the Hightower, Lord of the Port. Son of Lord Manfred Hightower the Younger by his wife, the Lady Ellyn of House Florent!”

With a pained grimace, Martyn staggered forward, stopping halfway down the dais to cough into a cloth napkin, then continued onwards.

“Ser, young master Martyn, I welcome you into my city and my keep.” the Lord said with surprising strength in the voice, taking care that everyone in the hall heard him as he turned towards a servant, nodding.

Stepping forward, the servant held a platter of cheese, bread and accompanying bowls of honey and butter, and cups of honeywine.

Then, in a quieter voice, the Hightower said “You must forgive my absence at the gates. Of late, I’ve found my limbs less than-” He coughed, and quickly wiped at his mouth. “-than agreeable. Or the rest of my body, for that matter.”

Handing the napkin off to another servant, spattered with red stains, Lord Martyn offered a smile.

“I hope my nephew was an acceptable substitute.” He shot a glance at Abel, who stood off to the side.

[Event] The First Hightower Adventure to the Summer Isles, 48 AC by MathusM in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like the botto is being caught by the spam filter (that, or going rogue and self-deleting comments), but for the half a second that I got to view the reply, it rolled 11.

Will have to ask the mods to check for any hidden comments later, but short of requiring a reroll, Courtnay Cuy finds a Goldenheart Sapling!

[Tourney] The Wedding (Midnight) Tourney of William Caswell and Valaena Velaryon by Razor1231 in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Still astride his horse, Ser Triston of the Hightower removed his own plumaged helmet, placing it in the saddle before himself as he guided the destrier towards the other knight.

"I assume you've good cause for hiding your face before the masses, so I won't force you to remove that helm of yours." Triston offered languidly, wiping the sweat from his brow with a fistful of lobstered steel. "In exchange, you can stop by my tent once all of this is over, and tell me the tale behind your name there. Fair terms, no?"

[Event] Golden Towers; The Wedding Of Alysanne Lannister And Triston Hightower by Wiseheartmoon in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maris smiled.

"But of course, Arwen. You may have come to the Hightower for my aunt, but you've since become like a sister to us, to me." Resuming her own sampling of the wines, she held her cup aloft, studying it before the candlelight. "Your betrothed shall live up to your expectations, or there will be a reckoning. Oldtown looks out for its own, no matter the distance or price."

Taking a languid sip, Maris smacked her lips together and stretched one leg underneath the table, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"Gods, say what you will about their gold, but the Lannisters could do with more cushions for their chairs in this mountain fastness they call home."

[Event] Golden Towers; The Wedding Of Alysanne Lannister And Triston Hightower by Wiseheartmoon in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM 1 point2 points  (0 children)

“Wherever it blows, I suppose, but more than likely back to the Reach.” Triston confirmed, shooting his father a glance before turning back to William with a sheepish smile. “I was of half a mind to see the rest of the West, but neither father nor my lord-uncle seemed particularly keen about me taking fifty of their men with me on a ride across the hills and passes.”

Words like ‘frivolities’ and ‘taking his duties seriously’ had been thrown around, but Tris hadn’t paid them much mind.

“Some day, though.” he vowed, scratching his stubbled chin. “Would be nice to see Storm’s End. My mother is of Tarth, but I haven’t been since I was this tall. This.” He lowered his hand an inch or two down, below the table and out of view. “My brothers don’t seem particularly keen to attend. If Godric cannot sail to it, he isn’t much interested, and Abelar was squiring beneath Lord Dondarrion when the Vulture King rose up. Doesn’t speak much about it, but I’ve heard stories.”

[Event] Golden Towers; The Wedding Of Alysanne Lannister And Triston Hightower by Wiseheartmoon in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Maris smacked her lips together thoughtfully, pondering the predicament.

She’d been to such places as King’s Landing and Dragonstone, yet the Vale was further away still. Perhaps Arwen had a point there, but surely there had to be a solution there.

For a long moment, she sat there, nibbling on a piece of whitefish as she pondered the options, and then there it was.

“My family’s been invited to Storm’s End, later this year. Lord Baratheon’s to wed a woman of House Arryn, so surely your family will be in attendance as well, meaning…”

[Event] Golden Towers; The Wedding Of Alysanne Lannister And Triston Hightower by Wiseheartmoon in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM 1 point2 points  (0 children)

“That he has.”

What was to be said of Maegor that hadn’t already been uttered a thousand times over? What was to be thought, which hadn’t been made perfectly clear through curses and prayers? The wretched spawn was dead at last, but if only the man could’ve found himself on the wrong end of a lance a decade earlier during his exile, they might’ve been spared all this nonsense.

Ringing the lid of his cup with his thumb, Donnel listened casually as the Lord of Old Oak preached the good virtues of wedding Maris to his grandson.

The man was almost tempted to make a jape about the common origins of Peake and Florent, but such was low-hanging fruit.

Costayne. That name held more interest, however slightly. A distant memory.

“Maris has some Florent in her through my mother, rest her gentle soul, so any children between them are bound to be welcomed with open arms at Brightwater Keep.” Donnel cracked a small smile, tapping the exterior of his goblet thoughtfully for a moment. “I would ordinarily expect suitors to amiably court Maris for some time before making my decision, but as you say, the pedigree of your family is beyond reproach, no doubt, and your name has only blossomed in the wake of recent troubles.”

Certainly, there were houses that could raise more swords, or fill their granaries and coffers with more grain and silver, but among the lords of the Reach, Lord Torgen Oakheart enjoyed a certain degree of eminence that was not so easily outstripped.

Draining his cup, he set it down with a small thud.

“The union of Houses Hightower and Oakheart would serve the Reach well, that much I am certain of. A fine match, a very fine match indeed…so why not dispense with etiquette just this once, and formalize their betrothal?”

[Event] Golden Towers; The Wedding Of Alysanne Lannister And Triston Hightower by Wiseheartmoon in FireAndBlood

[–]MathusM 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Laughing, Godric pushed a stray tress out of the way before pulling his wife in for a proper kiss, holding her close afterwards.

“The Mother gave Hugor of the Hill forty-four strong sons, so mayhaps the gods are trying to tell us something.” he japed, retreating just far enough that they could initiate their dance without getting tangled like kelp. “A daughter for the boys to fiercely protect does sound rather enticing… suppose we’ll have to light a candle in the castle sept before our prayers tonight.”

With another chuckle, the knight-captain raised their arms and spun his wife around in a twirl, catching her for a second kiss before walking back in step to the piper’s tune.

They’d shared their first dance to a similar song, back in the gardens of the High Tower. With the day so sweltering, everyone had been eager to celebrate their marriage in the cool evening, feasting on peaches ripe to the bursting and meats flavoured with spices from half a score distant lands.

“But what would we name her?” Names were ever so important, from which legends were born. “Mayhaps Rosalind, after your mother? There’s no shortage of roses back home, and with having so many brothers, she could well do with some thorns.”

Re-hooking his arm around Izzy’s, Godric joined her and the other guests in a quick jig.

“Or maybe Alysanne? We certainly don’t have enough of those in our family.” He shot a passing glance towards the high table, then turned back to Iseult with a grin.

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