The Dwelling

[The Forgotten God]

After some time they arrive at Moat Cailin. It is largely abandoned. Wildlings search it thoroughly. "It's ruined!" Savinia says. "This isn't a castle!"

[Karyl Crowl]

"Never said it was." Crowl states spitting on the ground next to him. "This isn't supposed to be a fancy castle like some of the others. It's a chokepoint, anyone trying to get enter or leave this Kingdom has to come through here, the only other option is traveling through a swamp filled with Crannogmen waiting to poison you and creatures called lizard lions. Even in its current state a garrison of well armed men could hold this against an army. It's also the best part, rebuilding it will also make it stronger and more defensible."

[The Forgotten God]

She looks over it. "The rest better be proper castles. So you're saying no one goes north or south without our say so?" she asks, struck with inspiration.

[Karyl Crowl]

"If you wish to hold this then yes. As for the rest, they should be proper castles but where recently held by an enemy of this region and retaken. I have not heard of their recent status but they won't be abandoned such as this is." He claims hoping.

[The Forgotten God]

"They better not be," te dark queen said. "But good." She licks her lips and looks about. "If these castles are ruined we can rebuild them and turn back north." Her red lips curl into a sneer. "Perhaps some of these little lords will like to be splayed on a log."

[Karyl Crowl]

Crowl shrugs, "If that is what we must do then we will do it. There was mention of a skull keep being built eventually I remember."

[The Forgotten God]

The wildlings flow west, discovering collapsed and burned keeps, thralls and women and children who couldn't be carried on the boats of Malik's fleet, and some other stuff of use. The useful thralls are forced to join the wildling hordes, while the less useful are turned into fuel for the more garish of the clans.

[Karyl Crowl]

Karyl turns to Savinia, "It seems the Iron Born tried to destroy the land when they left their people here. Those that are collapsed can be rebuilt, or the stone used to build a new castle for your liking."

[The Forgotten God]

"They will be," she said. She has a married young couple of perhaps sixteen strung up and she's torturing them on the castle walls. "My new friends were abandoned Isn't that sad?" she said. "I guess the ships this man's family owned saiiiiled away," she stroked his cheek with a long nail. "Leaving these two lovebirds to themselves." She looks to them. "I'm debating what their fate should be. How dare they own my land before I got here."

[Karyl Crowl]

"Put them to work." Crowl states, "You need help rebuilding your castles, find yourself a builder to oversee them and use these thralls to build you our castle."

[The Forgotten God]

"Boring," she said. "I have giants to stack stones. These two are mine." She gets the woman to fellate her husband while she watches. "Such primitive technique," she says.

[Karyl Crowl]

Crowl sits back and watches, he is sort of speechless at the going on but is able to stammer. "Southrons aren't used to being forced to do this sort of thing publicly, she might be lackluster due to her shyness."

[The Forgotten God]

"She'll learn." Savinia said, slapping the woman and pulling her back. "Or she can die." She chains the two together. "There, Lord Crowl. You have two more workers. I need a...writer. Scribe. Yes. A scribe."

[Karyl Crowl]

"What would you need written my dear?" He asks her, disregarding the two chained together for the moment.

[The Forgotten God]

Savinia taps her fingers together. "I want my free folk back," she said. "There are thousands throughout the north. I will pay to have them returned." She smiles. "What use is an army missing soldiers?"