Chapter 34

One Month Later

After spending three months gathering all the necessary information, we set off towards our next destination. This city, more significant in the grand scheme of things, is renowned for its artisans of various kinds, but even more so for its smiths—Qohor.

I chose a slightly different route for us, unlike the usual path taken by traders and travelers who typically head east from Norvos towards the Darkwater River, then southeast.

Instead, our route followed along the Noyne River up to the Rhoyne. From there, we planned to reach Ny Sar.

Two Weeks Later

It had been two weeks since we embarked on our journey, and our travels had been remarkably peaceful. My companions and I enjoyed the landscapes, contemplating our next moves.

As we drew closer to our destination, the magic we sensed grew stronger and stronger.

"Have you decided to find out what lies along this river?" Diya asked, though I noticed her parents were also eager to know.

"Yes, after all, we're bound for Qohor, and I wouldn't want to miss such an opportunity," I said, smiling. "Besides, I'm accompanied by the Arfenyans, so there's nothing to fear."

This reassurance eased any tension, and our path forward was filled only with a curiosity for new sights and places. One such day, we arrived at our designated destination, Ny Sar.

Ny Sar—ruins at the confluence of the Rhoyne and the Noyne. This once-thriving Rhoynar city was destroyed by the Valyrians about a thousand years ago.

Ny Sar was once known as the City of Fountains. During the wars between the Rhoynar and the Valyrians, when a vast Rhoynar army under Prince Garin perished near Volantis, and the Dragonlords advanced upriver, destroying one Rhoynar city after another, Nymeria, ruler of Ny Sar, organized her people's escape across the sea to Dorne.

The port of Ny Sar once held hundreds of ships; now, only Nymeria's palace remains—a colossal structure made of pink and green marble, with domes, collapsed spires, and covered galleries.

Many boats travel up the Rhoyne to Volantis, as it's an easier route than traveling by land. The only danger on the water comes from Dagger Lake.

Dagger Lake—a large lake in Essos, formed by the confluence of the Rhoyne and the Qhoyne. Logs are floated across the lake from Qohor to the southern markets of Selhorys, Valysar, Volon Therys, and Old Volantis. The lake is dotted with islands where pirates hide in caves and secret forts.

It's said that the lake has drunk the blood of many, from the battles between the Rhoynar and Valyrians to the defeated Volantene fleet.

During our journey, I also encountered some fascinating creatures, such as the horned turtles, which are rumored to be sacred in Rhoynar culture.

As one of the passersby, apparently a Rhoynar descendant, remarked, "This is the River Elder!" Looking at us, he continued, "It seems he has blessed you."

"Quite intriguing. I would love to learn about your religion. I presume you're a descendant of the Rhoynar?"

The man, looking surprised, simply nodded and responded, "Of course..." And then he shared the main tenets of the Rhoynar pantheon. As expected, the Rhoynar practiced polytheism, with Mother Rhoyne playing a central role, as she represents the river.

I would have thought their reliance on the river for sustenance and life was the sole connection, were it not for the magic. This magic complicates all my assumptions, suggesting that either the gods of the Rhoynar are real, or the Rhoynar had profound magical knowledge.

The River Elder—the Turtle God, one of the Rhoynar deities. According to legend, the River Elder was born of Mother Rhoyne. He defeated the Crab King and claimed dominion over all that lives under the running waters. Thanks to him, turtles held significant importance in Rhoynar culture, a fact I later confirmed in Ny Sar.

Our conversation didn't end with this deity. The man mentioned that there were many other gods, but due to the passage of time, most have been forgotten. Only a few survived thanks to their followers, one of which was the River Warrior, often depicted as a frog, which also held special significance in their culture.

"If you wish to learn more about Rhoynar culture, I advise you to visit Chroyane... This city once held a higher status among the Rhoynar than other cities," he concluded melancholically, clearly saddened by the displacement of his people.

"Thank you for the detailed information."

"Oh, it was no trouble at all..."

One Week Later

It's been exactly a week since we arrived in Ny Sar, and during this time, we've explored the ruins of this once-great civilization. Certainly, compared to the Arfenyans, the Rhoynar were not as advanced in magic, but they definitely had a certain charm.

During this time, I also met a very educated man of Rhoynar descent named Garin. He was passionate about researching and understanding how his ancestors lived. Our meeting was entirely by chance while we were exploring the surroundings of the palace where Nymeria once lived.

Three Days Ago

Today we decided to explore the palace, which has survived better than other structures in the city. While examining it, a man approached us, whom I had missed because I sensed no negative emotions from him toward us. Moreover, he did not possess magic, and generally posed no threat.

"Nymeria's Palace... A splendid sight, isn't it?"

We simply nodded collectively, and after noticing the scrolls in his hands, I asked, "A researcher?"

The man, smiling awkwardly, replied, "Oh, excuse me. My name is Garin, and as you might have noticed, I am fascinated by Rhoynar culture." Turning his attention back to the palace, he continued, "Princess Nymeria of Ny Sar lived during the last Rhoynar-Valyrian war. After the fall of Sar Mell and Sarys, she ordered all remaining ships to be gathered, loaded her people—women and children—and sailed down the Rhoyne. At the river's mouth, she skirted the Volantene fleet to the west, passing near the ruins of Sarys into the open sea."

"Are you enchanted by Nymeria?" asked Diya.

With a broad smile, Garin replied:

"Indeed, it's hard not to admire such a character. It is said her fleet boasted 10,000 ships. However, I can't fully subscribe to that viewpoint as all the warships were taken away by Prince Garin, and in Ni Sar, only river boats—from trading galleys to fishing dinghies and even rafts—remained. It's no wonder that some of Nymeria's people feared the open sea and turned towards Volantis, where they were enslaved," Garin said, his tone tinged with a hint of sadness, but he continued, "Some ships sank in the very first storm. Others reached the Basilisk Isles, where pirates united to enslave the Rhoynars. After bloody battles, the pirates offered Nymeria a settlement on the Isle of Toads, under the condition that the Rhoynars would pay an annual tribute of innocent girls and boys. Nymeria refused and led her people to Zamettar. Some of the Rhoynars settled on the Cape of the Basilisk, while others ventured into the jungles towards the ruins of Yeen, which were later mysteriously abandoned. After that, Nymeria regrouped her followers and headed west."

Upon hearing about Zamettar, I pondered deeply. This city, now in ruins, was located in Sothoryos, a continent barely explored by the world. What we know about this continent comes from remaining records from the era of Valyria and attempts by the Ghiscari Empire, but even they explored only a small part of it.

"Zamettar... right?" asked Avus. "Was it built by the Ghiscars?"

"Yes, it was constructed, much like Gogossos, in an attempt to colonize new territories. But unlike Gogossos, Zamettar never fell to the Valyrians," Garin mused, then added, "According to other sources in Valyria, Gogossos served as a penal colony where criminals were used as test subjects by the most sinister Valyrian sorcerers; among the experiments were attempts to crossbreed humans with animals."

Everyone was shocked by the revelations, as such cruelty sounded barbaric even for this world.

"And you are quite knowledgeable about history?" asked Eyvia.

With a bashful smile, Garin replied:

"Ha, I wouldn't say I'm great, but I hold a respectable position in my guild."

"Guild?... Clearly, he belongs to an equivalent of the Citadel but in Essos, where these guilds don't monopolize knowledge and learning."

Garin then continued:

"After the fall of Valyria, Gogossos became an independent city. It vied for the title of 'The Tenth Free City,' deriving its main income from the slave trade, competing with the Slave Bay market. But on the seventy-eighth year of its independence, a plague known as 'The Red Death' struck the city, decimating it, and since then, Gogossos has been abandoned and in ruins."

"Impressive how well you understand all this," I said, amazed at the retention of such vast amounts of information, which surely isn't an easy task for an ordinary person.

Garin just gave an awkward smile, clearly unaccustomed to receiving praise. After that, having properly introduced ourselves, we went on to explore the ruins. With a walking encyclopedia among us, the process was quite engaging.

Thanks to Garin, we learned much more about the world of the Rhoynars. Each city had its prince or princess who largely controlled their respective territories.

He also continued to narrate how Nymeria moved on, based on the records left behind. She went further to Naath, where she and her refugees were warmly welcomed. However, the Rhoynars lacked immunity to diseases carried by the local butterflies, so Nymeria moved on to the Summer Isles.

"If I remember correctly, because they stayed in the Summer Isles, one island was named the Isle of Women."

"Exactly, as the rulers of the Summer Isles feared Valyria and thus did not allow Nymeria into their islands. So she had no choice but to spend a year there, during which another split occurred among her followers. Some Rhoynars believed the words of the priestess Druzelke, who called them to return to Mother Rhoyne... Unfortunately for them, it did not end as brightly as many might think. Some of those who left were killed, and others fell into slavery."

Meanwhile, we had begun exploring the palace of Nymeria, which had preserved much better than the rest in Ni Sar.

After some time, Garin found a statuette that had survived in relatively good condition and exclaimed:

"Look at this statuette of the River Elder..."

We spent quite a long time listening to his admiration of the turtle, but I was more impressed by the state of the building. Such architectural wonders would have been quite unusual even for my past world.

"I wonder, what were the buildings like in Valyria?"

As we delved deeper into the palace, I distinctly felt the magic I sensed deep within this castle. The Arphenians felt it too, and soon we stood above the place from which the magic emanated.

"Should I summon lightning?" asked my feathered companion.

"No need... I'm not sure how the magic will react to your intervention."

"Are you sure?"

"More than sure."

Our foray into the magical knowledge of the Rhoynars ended there, as I was reluctant to use the magic of Tuna against that beneath us, for it was a blatant magic connected with water, and who knows what kind of defenses were in place.

That there were defenses, I had no doubt, for thanks to the magical knowledge I had acquired from Avdeus, I now had at least a superficial understanding of magic. The reason I considered my knowledge superficial was that I had not fully mastered the knowledge I had received.

"Ah... I need to further improve my skills..."

We decided to camp there, as the place was relatively pleasant compared to other options. As the fire burned, three Arphenians, one displaced person, and one Rhoynar explorer gathered. Before sleep for some and watch for others, we listened to Garin's stories about Nymeria.

"After Naath, Nymeria moved north, and off the coasts of Westeros, her fleet encountered a storm: some were saved on the Stepstones, others reached Tyrosh and Lys, where they preferred slavery to death. The remaining ships landed on the shores of Dorne near the mouth of the Greenblood, close to the stronghold of House Martell—the ancient Sandship. Eight out of ten Rhoynars who reached Dorne were women, and two out of ten were young men, who were children when they left Ni Sar. The actions of the head of House Martell, Lord Mors, are much better known to you than to me," concluded Garin.

"Ho, and I thought I no longer had an accent. What gave me away?"

"Ha, I've just met a lot of people in my life. Can you continue the story?"

"Sure, Dorne was a poor land, and the Dornish welcomed the newcomers coldly, but Nymeria, tired of wandering, decided to stay. Mors Martell, lord of the Sandship, formed an alliance with the newcomers and married Nymeria; hundreds of his vassal lords, knights, and squires followed his example and took Rhoynar women as wives, and those who were already married willingly slept with Rhoynar mistresses," Garin and Avus laughed at this point, while the women looked slightly displeased. "Overall, the arrival of Nymeria brought victory to House Martell, as they would not have become so powerful without the Rhoynars, who brought not only warriors but also craftsmen..."

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