Chapter 59

In the vast history of A Song of Ice and Fire, the River Rhoyne stands as a once-great river filled with tales of legends and ancient civilizations. However, today, it is a silent witness to the ruins of Rhoynar cities shattered by the might of the Valyrians.

The conflict between the Valyrians and the Rhoynar people began when the Valyrians killed an old man, but not just any old man—it was a giant turtle, a sacred creature to the Rhoynar and believed to be the consort of their god. This tragic event ignited a war, a clash between two civilizations with different elemental magical powers. The Valyrians, masters of fire magic, clashed with the Rhoynar, who wielded water magic.

Legends tell of an ancient Long Night, during which the River Rhoyne froze. According to myth, a hero convinced the Children of Mother Rhoyne, the gods within the river, to sing a song that brought back the sun. Whether truth or myth, the Long Night remains a significant disruption, a force capable of unsettling the balance between day and night, life and death.

The Rhoynar, in their lore, were known for their unique connection with turtles. They revered these creatures and even rode on their backs, with some turtles being large enough to bear a person. This bonding extended to their magical practices, with turtles considered the source of their water magic. Just as the Valyrians rode dragons, the Rhoynar rode turtles, exemplifying the magical bond between humans and animals.

However, the Rhoynar's peaceful coexistence with nature took a turn when they found themselves at odds with the expansionist Valyrian Empire. Valyria sought dominance over the entirety of Essos, leading to a war that would forever alter the course of the River Rhoyne and the fate of its people.

In the final, fateful clash, Garin the Great, leader of the Rhoynar, led a massive army of two hundred fifty thousand against the mighty Valyrian Freehold. Initially, the Rhoynar, with their water magic, managed to triumph over Valyria's dragons and armies. But, as the war unfolded, the sheer might of Valyria proved overwhelming.

Despite the initial victories, the Rhoynar couldn't endure the full force of the Valyrian Freehold. Garin the Great, captured alive, bore witness to the suffering of his people. Valyrians, including the Volantenes, showed no mercy, putting Garin's warriors to the sword. The great harbor of Wantis turned red with the blood of the fallen.

The victorious Valyrians then turned north, savagely sacking Sar Mell before advancing on Chroyane, the very city led by Prince Garin. Garin, held in a golden cage by the dragonlords, was forced to watch as his city crumbled. The cage was hung from the walls of Chroyane, a cruel spectacle for the prince.

Locked in his cage, Garin called upon Mother Rhoyne, entreating her to avenge her children. In a final act of sacrifice, Garin and his loyalists, imprisoned and facing the impending doom, transformed into stones. Their collective curse reverberated, turning the Valyrians to stone in death rather than becoming the dreaded stonemen. That night, the Rhoyne unleashed a flood unlike any in living memory. A thick fog descended, carrying with it a deadly disease. Valyrian conquerors began to succumb to greyscale, a fate they had inflicted upon so many others.

After the devastating Second Spice War, where all seemed lost and the River Rhoyne became a graveyard for many, a mysterious figure known as the Shrouded Lord emerged. This enigmatic being was said to grant a boon to any man who could make him laugh, hinting at a consciousness beyond that of mindless stonemen.

There was a tale that linked the Shrouded Lord to the Prince of Chroyane. Many believed that Garin, the valiant leader who led his people in the final battle, became the Shrouded Lord. But how could Garin, who had turned into a stoneman and found his watery grave, transform into this mysterious figure?

The answer lay in the arrival of a mysterious woman with an alluring charm, adorned with white hair and piercing blue eyes. This seductive figure approached the stoneman statue of Garin, sealed in his watery resting place. With lips as cold as ice, she kissed the stoneman.

In that chilling moment, the impossible occurred. Garin, once a stoneman, transformed into a half-corpse, an undead figure with the ability to command other undead stonemen. Garin had become the Shrouded Lord, an entity who held dominion over the undead along the River Rhoyne.

Yet, the identity of the great woman with the power to resurrect Garin and grant him a new existence as the Shrouded Lord remained shrouded in mystery.

The woman who bestowed new life upon Garin, transforming him into the Shrouded Lord, revealed herself as the Night Queen, also known as the Corpse Queen. Her origins traced back to the time of the Long Night, a period shrouded in darkness and ancient legends.