Hello there,
If you enjoy my stories you can read advanced chapters in my patreon page: patreon.com/Samael61
Her Eternal Excellency, a Genshin Impact and ASOIAF crossover, Raiden Ei Reborn as Argella Durrandon, is 15 chapters ahead
DCU:Blacklist, a Raymond Reddington inspired OC SI using his knowledge for his own advantage, as well as the rest of the world, is 15 chapters ahead,
Geek's Guide to Thriving in a Low End Fantasy World, a Robert Baratheon OC SI in an AU, is 15 chapters ahead,
Commander Shepard, The Greatest to Ever Live, a Mass Effect story where Shepard is greater than ever, is 15 chapters ahead,
Loki: The God of Magic , an OC-SI into Loki who is not aware of the MCU, is 8 chapters ahead,
If you enjoy sci-fi, action, politics, romance with an overpowered protagonist, you can check Arrival, my original story on my Patreon or my pages on the fanfiction sites. I intend to make this a long term project, if you wish to be with me in this journey from the very start, now is the time. Your review and likes are appreciated to keep up with the algorithm.
By supporting me, you can read advanced and special chapters, as well as vote on how you want the fanfiction to proceed.
Note: Apple Store payments will be refunded because of the company's 75-day hold policy.
—
Highgarden
"Thanks to your wise decision, my lady, the harvests are on time, even with the lacking number of farmers."
"I know, I know, I am great. You don't have to remind me." Saiguu had found herself quickly sickened by the sycophants in Reach trying to curry favor with her by praising her every word and decision as if it were some divine revelation.
Well, she was a goddess, but that did not automatically make her every word a revelation. Not that she had given any in her life.
"I wonder how Ei, Sasayuri, and Chiyo are doing." It was a bit lonely to not have her friends here, but there was a war going on.
"Kage, where are the tax forms?"
The puppet, who was becoming more like a living, breathing person day by day, handed her a stack of parchments. "Here."
Quickly scanning through the ledgers, Kitsune Saiguu smiled.
"I can say with utmost confidence—" Saiguu watched as the ladies and castellans of Reach preened, thinking they were on the receiving end of praise "—that these ledgers are a mess. Why, I have no idea how the Gardener kings managed to rule with such an inefficient system."
Half of her words were foreign to the nobles, but they understood the meaning behind her sentence.
"It appears we are in dire need of a revolution in tax collection and recording."
—
Her decision for a revolution in the tax system was easier said than done.
First of all, there was a need for a lot of literate people, which was a rarity in Westeros.
That is why clerks were ordered to train more clerks in writing, mathematics—sums and numbers, as it was named in Westeros—and how to keep ledgers in the way instructed by the Regent, for which she wrote a new, standardized one and sent to the Weeping Town. As one of the main producers of cheap, affordable paper, they would be replicating the forms and sending them all over the kingdom.
Local treasury bureaus would be installed to handle registration, central ledgers, conversion rates from grain to coin, and audits.
A quirky idea of using split wooden tally sticks as receipts was written down for now.
Villages and holdfasts did not have any literate people and could not use the forms, which meant they had to send someone to the nearest bureau to learn with the clerks.
Each season's ledger would be sent to the regional bureau, where it would be transcribed into the regional ledger and, finally, sent to the national bureau.
For taxes that would be paid in grain, the deliveries would be made to local granaries, with a Granary Collector maintaining the price tables for conversions at harvest times to reduce the need for quick evaluations.
And auditors, of course, to inspect the ledgers, receipts, and granaries, rotating on a regular basis to avoid corruption from seeping in deep.
The tax farmers would need to be changed for salaried collectors, which would not face as much opposition as one would expect due to the sheer fear Ei spread across the Seven Kingdoms, even though it was unintentional.
Seasonal tallies would be posted and read aloud at market days to avoid any kind of extortion.
Just the planning so far had taken her weeks, and then, she would need to wait for this war to end before starting trials.
Just the thought made Saiguu groan.
Things she did for her friends.
—
Principality of Dorne
Hellholt
Known to be impulsive and unpredictable, a Dornish saying claimed that "half of the Ullers are half-mad, and the other half are far worse."
Which became evident when they found Hellholt filled to the brim with venomous animals, mostly snakes and scorpions.
Ei had taken one look at the ancient castle before drawing Musou Isshin and erasing the seat of House Uller out of the face of this world.
It did not end there.
Countless traps dotted the path to Spottswood, assumed to be left by the Ullers, slowing down the host, while night raids became a regular occurrence.
"This is demoralizing the soldiers," Sasayuri reported.
"Your Excellency, we must do something. Even if we kill every raider, the attacks have the men on edge." Her uncle complained.
So far, the Dornish were proving to be irritants with their irregular warfare.
"Do the smallfolk help the missing forces?"
"Indeed, Your Excellency, if you would let us punish them, we can starve the Dornish men in hiding." Lord Fell suggested, and Ei considered it for a moment.
Punishing the civilians was unlikely to change anything. Unless they were traumatized, which Ei was not going to do, they would just hate the Storm Kingdom more.
"Hmm, I have a better idea. For now, we are marching to Planky Town."
"May I ask what you plan to do?"
Ei's mischievous smile would have made Saiguu proud. "If the Dornish want their independence, I will give it to them."
—
Spottswood
Reaching the seat of House Santagar took considerably longer due to the traps and raids conducted by House Uller.
Unfortunately for them, Ei eventually found their hiding place, a valley with natural defenses that would have made it a nightmare for the attacking force to succeed. Which is why she created barriers to block the entire valley from the outside world.
House Uller did not wish to surrender; now they could never.
Spottswood was another abandoned castle, except for the elderly, the children, and the sick.
"Did your lords not worry for your lives?" Ei asked one of the old women staying in the castle.
The woman shrugged. "We are old, and the children are too young to fear death, and the sick are to be with the Stranger soon. Why should they worry for us when even we do not?"
Ah, so they did not see their lives worth bargaining and did not wish to be a burden to the forces in hiding.
"Your spirit is admirable." She complimented the human, who bowed her head in respect. "Then you know we cannot be broken."
"How brave. Carry on, child, because I don't have to break Dorne." She would give them what they sought out while ensuring they could not threaten her kingdom.
"Hmph."
—
"Stop." Ei raised her hand.
"What happened?"
She did not say anything; instead, divine lightning struck the sands ahead, and her reason to stop the host became evident.
A massive hole, easily large enough to swallow thousands of men, appeared where the lightning melted the sands, a natural danger that would have caused extreme losses had the host walked over it.
"Even the desert here is treacherous."
—
Vaith
The seat of House Vaith was built alongside a river that had soon taken the family's name, just as they called their home Vaith.
The keep itself was abandoned, with nary a soul residing in it, but the river was one of the principal waterways of Dorne. Redirecting the river would deny their enemies a considerable source of water but not condemn them to thirst entirely.
A measured response to weaken without causing a massive number of deaths across Dorne. A swing of Musou Isshin saw to the matter, after the host replenished its water, of course.
—
Salt Shore
The seat of House Gargalen did not pose any trouble, except for the usual raids, and was damaged severely, including the docks, which were burned down, before the host moved on.
—
God's grace
House Allyrion was nowhere to be seen, and their keep suffered the same fate as all the ones before.
—
The host had taken some time to rest after Godsgrace, and Ei couldn't help thinking about all that had happened in the last six months.
First, the Ironborn had been destroyed, following their attack on the Weeping Town, with Harrenhal nothing but dust, their fleets and hosts destroyed, and of course, the death of the Drowned God and the annihilation of the Iron Islands as a result of it.
Then, just as she had thought that the war was over and the matters could return to normal, Dorne and Reach had allied to attack her kingdom while they were at war with the Ironborn.
The Reach had surrendered quite easily, but the Dornish were proving to be annoyances.
Six months after she had left Storm's End for war, she stood in the deserts of Dorne with her old friends, once dead, now alive.
Perhaps this had been her reward? Spending centuries without anyone to call friends, except Miko and then Aether, she wondered what would have happened had Sasayuri, Chiyo, and Saiguu not been in her life right now.
Would she spend centuries meditating and become detached from the world? Try to find a way back to Teyvat?
Now, her only worry was the Dornish.
Ei smiled. Perhaps not every story had to be about overcoming adversity and personal growth. Some could be about old friends gathered around a fire, enjoying the company.
—
Planky Town
The Planky Town was perhaps the most interesting settlement in all of Westeros, as it was a town that floated on the river, with planks as streets and poleboats, barges, and merchant ships as houses, halls, and shops, tied in a web of hempen rope.
It, too, was abandoned, with only a handful of old women and children inhabiting the once no doubt vibrant settlement.
"Lord Caden, have all the remaining citizens move elsewhere, and then set this place on fire." As the town was no doubt emptied of riches and only presented a strategic value to the Dornish if they were allowed to have it back.
Burning it down was the best option.
"By your will, Your Excellency." Caden was cool-headed and would carry out her orders as instructed.
Several barges were set aside for the smallfolk, far away from the initial settlement, and the rest were set aflame with torches, while the soldiers watched.
Even if Dorne was not conquered, this damage alone would hurt them for decades to come.
In the grim silence of the night, only the sound of the crackling flames was heard.
—
Sunspear
The seat of House Nymeros Martell, the ruling house of Dorne, was protected by three massive walls that would require siege weapons to break through, making it a costly castle to take.
Only, it was abandoned just the same as all other keeps across Dorne, while the Shadow City, built against the first wall, was half deserted as well.
But she could feel it, the people hiding beneath the castle in what must be secret tunnels, no doubt ready to rise and attack the second she left, slaughtering the garrison left behind.
Perhaps she should go and talk to Meria Martell.
"Daughter, do we burn Sunspear and the Shadow City as well?" It would take time, unlike Planky Town, but just like every other man in the host, Argilac was itching for the chance to set the seat of House Martell on fire.
"No, wait for me here."
—
A man-at-arms knelt before her. "Princess, the Storm Queen's host is near the walls."
"Good, let them sit and wait. We shall see if they are foolish enough to think they can hold Sunspear." The second the Sorcerer Queen was gone, her men would surge through the shadows and put everyone in the garrison to the sword.
A foreign voice, one that she had not heard before, interrupted the Toad of Dorne from her musings. "I was actually considering just destroying it and killing everyone here."
The men, realizing who it was that had just discovered the secret tunnels, pulled their weapons to charge before the woman flicked her fingers, sending them flying away like dolls.
Narrow as the tunnels were, the men struck each other, ending up in a heap, groaning and bruised, but alive.
"I can kill you all without even moving a finger. Why don't your men lower their weapons and we talk, Princess Meria?" The Sorcerer Queen of the Storm Kingdom, who somehow had entered the tunnels without anyone realizing, leaned on the wall, not worried about being surrounded by the enemy.
Meria knew their one and only chance had just disappeared like a fishing boat in stormy seas.
"If you are expecting us to surrender, then you will find yourself waiting for a long time." There was nothing to talk about, and if they were to die, House Nymeros Martell would die standing.
Purple orbs, crackling like imps ready to devour them, lit up the darkness of the tunnels. "Not even if I kill you all and erase House Nymeros Martell from existence?"
Meria felt sweat prickling down her neck. "Your threats do not scare me." For House Martell, bending the knee was worse than death.
"They are not threats, and you know that. But it is a matter of pride, is it not? If you bend now, the words of your house will mean nothing. It will be a blow House Nymeros Martell could not recover from." House Martell had left themselves stuck between oblivion and a humiliation that would last for ages.
"Then you know why we will not yield."
"I do. Which is why I am going to leave Dorne." Argella Durrandon disappeared, as if she had never been there, and Meria knew it would not be that simple.
—
She gave the host a night to rest before announcing her decision to retreat from Dorne.
The nobles, the knights, and the men-at-arms—neither one would like it, at least until Ei showed her true plan.
—
"We are abandoning the conquest of Dorne? Your Excellency, please reconsider. We can fight and wear down the Dornish." Taryn begged. This was the chance his ancestors had dreamed of for thousands of years, to finally put an end to Dorne.
Yet the queen just wanted to walk away? It made no sense to him.
"Lord Taryn, why should we bother conquering this wasteland? To humiliate the Dornish? Is it worth your life? Is it worth your son's life?" The mention of his son, who had already been wounded before, made Taryn reconsider.
"Nay, it is not."
"Then you may leave." The noble slammed his fist on his heart and left the tent.
Sasayuri coughed to get her attention. "What is your plan, exactly?" She trusted Ei and knew that the God of Eternity must have a good reason behind her decision, but men would feel at ease if they were properly informed too.
"It is a surprise."
—
Inside the secret tunnels beneath Sunspear, the air was tense. The Storm Queen's claim that she would leave Dorne had many on edge.
Because she was unlikely to merely leave after Dorne had attacked her lands, yet they still breathed. Before, the Dornish were determined to fight, but after Argella Durrandon had flicked several guards away like a grown knight would to a child, fear had taken root.
Dying while fighting was fine, but dying without even touching your enemy?
It was terrifying.
Which had led to the rise of several voices wishing to parley rather than outright surrender as a way to save face, and Meria Martell began to consider it.
Notes: We have caught up to the post schedule. Updates will be every Saturday from now on.