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CHAPTER 284 Tensions in the Basin
297 AC
POV THIRD PERSON
Aermir departed the Night's Watch outpost and ventured into the wilds to visit two Free Folk settlements: the Gnarled Pine Tribe and the Frozen River Clan. To be more specific, he was going to the hidden basin where they were mustering their men.
...
The shamans and healers gathered around them as the chiefs deliberated over their plans. Among them, Elric Shadowbloom, an older shaman with a weathered face and a mane of grey hair, stepped forward. He was a three-skin warg.
"Chieftains," he began, his voice low but commanding, "the spirits have spoken. They urge caution and patience in our approach to the Fist of the First Men. The Night's Watch may be weakened, but they still present a threat. We must be prepared for whatever challenges lie ahead." They had scouted the Night's Watchmen using their birds. He continued, "But we can not give up those sacred lands to the crows."
Ragnor, the chief of the Gnarled Pine tribe, nodded thoughtfully, his brow furrowed in contemplation. "The spirits speak true," he acknowledged. "We can not afford to underestimate our foes. We might have superior numbers, but they have superior weapons. We must use every advantage at our disposal if we are to emerge victorious."
Sigrid, the chief of the Frozen River Tribe, was a large woman with auburn hair. She was larger than most men. Sigrid echoed his sentiments. "Aye, but we must also remember the power of our own magic," she interjected. "Our shamans wield formidable abilities that can turn the tide of battle in our favor if used right. We must pull them into a battlefield we can control with fake retreats and create holes in their defenses. Using our wargs, we can see their weaknesses from the air."
The elder shaman nodded in agreement, his expression grave. "Indeed," Elric replied, "Whatever we do, we need to get those sacred lands under our control."
Elric was still in awe of what he had seen. His heart was full of envy of the man their scout had seen inside that light pillar. Whoever he was, he definitely got blessed by the Old Gods. In his heart, Elric thought he might be able to get more power.
If he could get a blessing from the weirwood tree, mayhaps he could become a warg as powerful and famous as Varamyr Sixskins or surpass him.
...
Aermir landed in the middle of the basin and turned into a man. All the Free Folk around him started to shout and run around like headless chickens. He buffed himself with all his spells, and as he did that, arrows started to rain toward him, but all the arrows missed their mark. None of them hit him, and all around him was filled with arrows. The ground looked like a hedgehog.
Ragnor and Sigrid rushed out of their tents with their wargs and shamans. Some of the men charged towards Aermir. Since he didn't want to kill them, he turned into an eagle and flew towards a rocky high ground that everyone could see in the basin. He imbued his voice with mana and, with a thunderous shout,
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"I come as the Druid of the Old Gods; I am here to offer you guidance and protection in these troubled times."
Sigrid asked, "Where do you come from? Are you even human?" Aermir raised his bark-covered arms and showed them. "Of course, I am human. Before the Old Gods blessed me, I was just a Nineskins warg, but I am something much more." He raised his arms higher. "This is an armor given to me by the Old Gods."
When Elric heard what Aermir said, he was shocked. He could see this thing or man was not a mummer. He had turned into an eagle two times, and none of the arrows were even getting close to the man. He shouted, "It is obvious you have magic, but how are we going to know it is coming from the Old Gods? Prove to us that you are a nineskins."
Aermir knew he had to provide proof of his power so he wouldn't be offended by their behavior. "I cannot summon all of my familiars here since some of them have important missions they have to accomplish."
Branor Sunwalker was the warg of the Frozen River tribe. He wasn't a strong warg; he was only a two-skin. Branor was always jealous of people stronger than him, so he wanted to put Aermir into a hard position, trusting their numbers, he said. "I do not see even one beast by your side. Do you only take flyers as your familiars?"
The wooden mask on Aermir's face turned into a smile, and then he shook his head. " Only three of them are flyers." He waved his arm, and summoning portals appeared all around him. From these dark masses, two ravens bigger than eagles emerged. Then, a white snake started to coil around him; it was longer than five meters.
"I have many more but cannot summon them right now."
As Aermir summoned his giant beasts, more screams of awe and fear could be heard. When Aermir said summon, they thought he was going to call his beast, but they appeared out of nothing. You could see the envy in Branor's eyes and Elric's greed for power.
Sigrid was a cautious woman, but she didn't come where she was by bowing down to men. She needed more proof than some magic and animals to be convinced, "Warg or Druid, we do not know you, and we do not bow down to strangers. We don't even know your name. If you want to sit with us as friends, come and be our friends, but if you are here for obedience, you will only find spears."
Aermir put his arm on his chest and did a half bow, "I am sorry for my mannerless actions. You can call me Druid Emrys. I am not here for obedience but I cannot let you attack the Night's Watchmen either. We have a worse enemy and we cannot waste our time fighting other humans."
Ragnor's face soured upon Aermir's words, and he shook his head, "I do not remember ever asking for your permission. You tell us you are not here for obedience, but still tell us what to do."
Aermir shook his head and added, "I am not telling you what to do; I am just warning you. If you fight against other humans, I will put a stop to it. I have already told you all that the Old Gods sent me. I answer to a higher cause than you could ever imagine. When I was bestowed with this responsibility from the Old Gods, all of you have witnessed the light pillar."
With a wave of his hand, he summoned forth the elements, commanding the earth to rise and the flames to dance in intricate patterns in his palms. The Free Folk watched in awe as the elemental display unfolded before their eyes, their skepticism slowly giving way to deeper wonder.
Aermir released the elements he was holding, and they turned into medium earth and fire elementals. When they saw rocks and flames take the shape of humanoid figures, they raised their weapons in fright. Aermir proclaimed, "Behold the power of the Old Gods!"
His voice rang out with authority: "I am their chosen emissary, entrusted with the task of safeguarding these lands and all who dwell within them. There is nothing to be afraid of as long as you do not stand in the way of Old Gods' will."
Warg Elric stepped up to the front. "We do not have any disbelief in your power, but as the apostle of the Old Gods, you want us to leave those sacred lands in the hands of the crows." Many of the Free Folks started to clamor and voice opinions agreeing with the Warg.
Aermir shook his head again. "What does it matter if it is the crows or the Free Folk as long as it is under the control of Old Gods' believers? Old Gods' does not differentiate between Free Folk and Northerners. You all are the children of the Old Gods. Most of the Night's Watchmen are believers of the Old Gods, and it pains them more when their believers fight among each other rather than fighting our true enemies."
Elric was getting ready to say something, but Sigrid interrupted the warg, "What do you mean by the real enemy?"
"The long night is coming, and the Others are on the move." After that, Aermir explained that the Night King was real and the Others, the Cold-ones, were coming for the living. Of course, without real proof, they didn't believe him right away, but Sigrid didn't want to be enemies with such a powerful caster and decided to retreat to their village.
When the Gnarled Pine tribe was left by themselves, they didn't have any other choice but to retreat, but Elric was not giving up yet; he still dreamed of possessing the same powers as Aermir,
"Your stories were too tall for us to believe. We know you are powerful, but it feels like you are trying to keep us away from the sight where the Old Gods displayed their power. Are you trying to keep that power to yourself?"