The Lobster lord smiled as he observed the Crowl men riding into the castle atop great Unicorn steeds, waving their banners of red and black. The buggers have finally arrived after months of sending riders between their castles. Varamyr eyed his Stonebrother as he dismounted his brown, shaggy steed and handed it off to a stable boy. The red headed man then walked up to him and his family and bent the knee.

"House Crowl greets ye Lord Magnar!" He said with his down.

"Rise, rise!" Varamyr laughed. House Crowl was historically his house's staunchest allies and vassals. Though not entirely through basic trust, their houses regularly intermarried and traded with each other over the years.

At his words, Dormyr Crowl rose.

"How goes yer travels? Hope the snows weren' too bad!" He jested.

"Not bad my lord. The path ta yer lands hav' always been smooth!" Lord Crowl replied; his words heavily tinted with old tongue accents.

"I wish ta wish ya well on yer rise as the lord of Deepdown. Lord Baldar will rest easy knowing ya rule in his steed." He said to the man.

"I thank ye lord magnar." His stonebrother smiled behind his braided beard.

"Sister!" Dormyr shouted and grabbed his wife in a hug.

"The gods have blessed ye!" He rubbed her shoulders and began speaking in old tongue to her, marveling over her swollen stomach before moving to her children, greeting each.

After bread and salt was exchanged, Varamyr invited the man inside.

They had much to discuss after all...

(-)

Inside kingshouse's meal hall, there was much food to be eaten, far more than had graced the tables in his previous visits. Dormyr noticed his lord seemed to care little for the expense and risks of eating so lavishly in and uncertain winter time such as this. Large amounts of mutton, black rye bread and beer filled the table. His liege lord even ordered the servants to carry out a much-prized bottle of wine from the east!

Real eastern wine! This was a commodity not tasted by many much less seen! As kingshouse faced the east and sported one of the calmest ports, house magnar was blessed with a majority of trade between the lands of the east. This was why house magnar was the most powerful of the island- though they'd never admit it.

His house no longer had a port as the wolves smashed and burned it to the ground ages ago. Since then, there had been no attempts to make another on the stormy and rocky coast in his lands both due to fear of the wolves and the weather.

'Theses invader fire Maegi must be a great threat.' He thought while tearing into a goat leg.

For almost three moons now, Deepdown's been plagued with riders from lord Magnar with tales of fire and ash on their tongues; crying of strange fiery invaders and their monstrous beasts.

"So, my lord, these invaders, they are fire ritualists aye?" He asked.

"Mmm, powerful ones at that. Most riders I sent ta their claimed lands haven't returned without being captured. Since the last moon's turn they can't even get near 2 leagues of the accursed place. The fire men 'ave been patrolling the road, settin' up camps." Varamyr ripped a large piece of meat from a roasted goat rib.

"Hav' they sent anyone?" He asked.

He was very curious of these Fire men. They brought uncertainty to their already uncertain and harsh lands, war seems to be on the horizon. How brutal would it be?

"Nay." the lord shook his head.

"Instead, the bastards keep sendin' they're damned abominations ta my city." Varamyr said, clutching his wooden spoon so tightly it may snap.

"Abominations?" Dormyr struggled with the word.

"Aye, most of the riders were caught by the fire witches with their terrible creatures. But the fire men let 'em loose after half a moon. These riders brought with 'em strange animals, twisted things of metal." The lord answered.

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Dormyr sat up at this, he wondered how powerful these invaders were to conjure these strange creatures and tools. How foul would their magics be?

"Not jus' 'em, but the traitorous fools who 'ave started tradin' with 'em! They bring these strange things into my castle, MY CASTLE an' try to trade 'em! Who knows what foul magics are upon 'em?!" The Lord was now shouting.

His sister and her pups were eating away, staying out of the conversation.

"In fact, I'll show ye some of 'em!" The man shouted, Dormyr swallowed in surprise.

"Ye didn't destroy 'em all milord?" He asked in surprise the way Varamyr seemed to rage over the invaders, he'd thought his stonebrother and lord would cast every accursed item into the sea.

"Nay, I made sure to have the elders and hedge witches place first men sealin' runes on 'em and had 'em before the great tree." Varamyr said.

They discussed more and by the the time the feast was over and Dormyr had to rush to the latrines. Afterwards, they went outside the castle and entered the sacred ground beneath the ancient god tree of the magnar lands- said to be planted by the wife of the great ancestor: Osric Stoneborn. This particular wife was said to be a child of the forest. The first of those blessed by the gods.

It is said she planted the great tree to guard against any resurgence of Wights and their dead slaves.

At the roots of the holy tree, he could see some strange things bound in goat skin, black or shiny metal bent in different shapes, cloth made of unseen materials and a curious thing that looked to be made of leather. All of these things were covered in runes of the first men. While he didn't know exactly what each rune meant, he recognized a few sealing runes.

"This thing is said ta be used to boil water. For what reason I don't know, could be for some strange ritual." Varamyr pointed to the strange rounded tool, with a flat bottom and a pointed opening at one end. It was a strange thing. To think there were ways to bend and twist metal in such a way?

"An' that is said to be made from one of their strange beasts hide. The feel is like nothin' even the elders have felt." Varamyr motioned to a wrapped cloth.

"What's that?" He pointed to a strange tool made of leather and possibly wood.

"I didn't know at first, but then a fool rode in on a unicorn with it strapped on its back. They seem ta be some clothin' for the beast or some magic tool ta control their vile beasts." Lord spat.

"This may be shockin', but wait 'til I show ya one of their twisted creatures!" The head of house magnar was about to lead him away when shouts came from behind them.

"Lord magnar! Lord magnar!" A man was heard shouting before he even reached the gates.

"What is it!" He shouted at the man.

The servant looked weary and tired, "M- my lord! Banners have been spotted in brokewight town!"

"What banners! Is the Stanes? Those fools?" Lord Varamyr asked with disdain.

"Nay my lord, they're comin' from the accursed lands! It's the banners of the Fire men!"

"What!?" They both shouted in shock.

(-)

Jaroll didn't know what to think anymore, his days in the clutches of the Fire men were uncertain. He didn't know what was to happen to him when he was taken and brought inside their stronghold. His time spent in the tents of the fire men taught him many things about them. They fed him far better than expected and with seafood he'd never eaten. They didn't torture him or mutilate his body.

Now he was on the back of his unicorn and heading to his lord. They released him, with company of course, but they really did release him whole and healthy. Finally, after what must have been three moons at least, he would return to Lord Magnar. He would tell his lord of what he saw and experienced.

That way should they do battle, his lord would know they had no chance at all.

He didn't wish for the Fire men and his lord to come to blows now that he had been among them. Not from some sense of attachment, but genuine fear. These fire men were truly powerful mages, they rode strange and powerful beasts and wore metal armour and wielded weapons made of metal too. Just as the mad chief had said.

It would take nothing short of a unification of the whole island to push these invaders out. Even then it would be a stretch, fighting against these witches with just their weapons wouldn't be easy. Maybe back in the days of the Stone rebellions or the ancient glory days, when the Stoneborn reeved along the shores of the bay of seals and beyond with weapons of iron and steel taken from raided lands.

Now most of these weapons were lost to the snows of time and rot.

Weapons weren't the only issue he saw. On the way to kingshouse, they stopped at small camps made along the way. There he saw fellow Stoneborn trading with the Fire men, taking their plentiful dried and salted fish and even metal tools for furs... Some even worked for the fire men! The road they travelled upon was being widened with the snows and trees being cleared. Many of those he saw working with the fire men were Stoneborn. They cut wood, shoveled snow and hauled stones under the supervision of the invaders... willingly!

Each camp he passed through seemed the same. By the time he neared the towering black walls of kingshouse castle, he felt not the relief of being with his family or near his lord. He didn't know what to tell his lord upon his return.

(-)

"Again, you underestimate the subtle powers of the White lotus my son, you will pay dearly for that." Iroh said as he placed the white lotus piece in position to block the advance of Lu Ten's Dragon piece. The two sat inside the newly constructed office of Longsheng outpost. The office was rather luxurious by the standards of their current state. The office's floor was equipped with the ondol heating system which originated in the northern Earth Kingdom.

Iroh scanned his son's face as he furrowed his brows while contemplating his next move. This was the first time he'd seen his son in months, and what a change he'd seen in him! The greenhorn had become a true soldier, where before he could see the vestiges of youth and boyhood on his son, now he truly seemed to be a man grown.

He still had the facial shape of his mother, but his amber eyes were those of the royal family- full of flame and power. Iroh remembered first locking eyes with his son, he could see it immediately- the hardness of a blooded soldier, the eyes of a killer.

The crisp sound of a Pai Sho piece sounded as Lu Ten moved his Jasmine piece forward, intercepting his knotweed piece.

"Father, you sent lieutenant Fushi to the native ruler's stronghold?" Lu Ten looked up from the board.

"Hmmm." Iroh made a hummed and nodded.

He could see his son was baffled at his decision, though the prince was developing quickly, he wasn't up to par with schemes. Iroh partly blamed himself for that. When his son was young, he was mostly engaged in battles to further the war efforts or had begun his spiritual journey. While these journeys molded the man he would become, they prevented him from being with his family enough. Even if he managed to slip pieces of wisdom to his son, he couldn't train him fully in the arts of politics... he would be sure to rectify that.

"You don't think he's the right man for the mission?" Iroh asked while claiming his son's Red Lily piece. He what his son thought but refused to vocalize.

"Yes father." Lu Ten said as he moved his yellow duckweed piece out of range.

"Fushi's one of captain Mao's supporters and in extension uncle Ozai's. We both know how those who gather around uncle thinks... wouldn't it be better to send a more trustworthy person... someone with a more extended world view? I know he isn't the diplomat and isn't to engage in any discussions, however..." Lu Ten didn't need to finish his words.

"Yes, there were many others I could've chosen- without the mental rot of superiority those in Ozai's circle seem to have. There is a possibility the man may cause the negotiations to fail, however, this wouldn't be too bad."

Iroh moved his Chrysanthemum piece forward to further cripple his son's forces.

Lu Ten didn't respond immediately. Iroh could see his son was trying to think and let him do so in peace.

"By sending Fushi there, the possibility of conflict is higher, if the man was captured or killed it would work out in our favour and if the negotiations succeeded, it would also benefit us as well." Lu Ten said slowly

Iroh smiled, "Correct, there are times when you need to play risky pieces to win the game."

The game ended then as Iroh moved his White Jade piece to claim Lu Ten's Golden cherry blossom tile.