Blazing sun. No wind.
Deep in the primeval forest of Lonely Mountain.
In this mountain wilderness—where, besides the mountain clans and wildlings, few ever set foot—a band of knights advanced at a slow, steady pace.
There were more than thirty of them, all wearing black medium armor suited for movement through jungle and rugged highland terrain, each draped in a gray cloak.
At the center of the column rode a knight who drew the eye. It wasn't only his handsome face—it was the unmatched confidence he carried.
Before those deep, shadowed eyes, it felt as if nothing in the world could truly be difficult.
"Lord Dominic, this is the highest point of Lonely Mountain."
"Put it on that rock."
Dominic ordered someone to place a leaf-made invitation atop a massive boulder.
It was the invitation left to him earlier by that rat mage—
"Right, Ser Dominic. If you wish to visit my wizard's tower, place this invitation on the highest stone at the mountain's peak, and my guards will guide you to me…"
Since he couldn't produce gunpowder by his own abilities alone, Dominic had no qualms about seeking help from this mysterious mage.
The instant the invitation touched the boulder—
A subtle, invisible ripple spread outward. Dominic felt it and thought to himself: Magic?
…
Soon, several caws rang out in the distance.
Dominic froze. On a thick tree trunk nearby, a few ravens had appeared—no one knew when they'd arrived.
The ravens cawed at Dominic's group. Then one of them actually spoke in a human voice:
"Honored guests, by our master's command, we have come to guide you. Do not lose us!"
With that, the ravens flapped their wings and flew down the mountain together.
So these were the rat mage's "guards"?
Dominic frowned, then gave the order:
"Keep up. All of you."
Before long, following the ravens, Dominic and his men reached a canyon.
The deeper they went, the wider the path became. Jagged rock still jutted from the canyon walls, the exposed strata a bluish-gray.
From the cracks in the stone, stubborn clumps of unknown plants occasionally thrust upward.
Dominic even spotted animal fossils on both sides of the canyon—ancient creatures preserved in rock. He had no idea how many years old they were…
"Lord Dominic, there's something interesting here."
Wendel, walking in front, suddenly let out a strange call.
Dominic hurried over and saw Wendel standing before what looked like a "boundary marker."
Calling it a marker was generous.
It was really just a roadside boulder, as if a slab had been cut away—revealing a neat, flat face covered in tightly carved lines of text…
Written in the common script of Westeros.
"NOTICE: Be advised—you have stepped onto a lord's domain.
This land is ruled by the great mage of Asshai—Lord Isie Orz.
By laws personally decreed by the lord, any creature entering this domain—whether magical beast, animal, human, or anything else—must not harm any resident of this land.
This notice carries the highest authority within the domain. Any outsider who violates it will be executed on sight."
Domain?
Dominic latched onto the word.
He couldn't help a bitter smile. "Don't tell me that rat mage actually built a castle out here."
A castle was the core structure by which a lord controlled land—and the prerequisite for declaring sovereignty.
In Westeros, there was an unspoken rule: only after you built a qualifying castle on unclaimed land could you call it a "domain."
They walked on. The terrain opened suddenly—
And what Dominic saw made him pause in surprise.
From the high vantage point, a village lay on a vast plain below.
A narrow river—like a ribbon—ran straight through it, dividing it in two.
Farmland spread outward from the village, stretching as far as the eye could see, reflecting golden light beneath the sinking sun.
A group of diligent farmers worked the fields.
And farther north, faintly visible, stood a castle of considerable size.
…
But as Dominic drew nearer, he sensed something was wrong.
Up close he realized those "farmers" weren't human at all—they were creatures that looked exactly like rats… or rather, rats that could stand upright.²
They walked on two legs like people, with "clothes" made of bark or animal hide hanging from their bodies.
They wandered back and forth, working and planting in the fields.
When these rat-like beings saw a group of strangers enter, one immediately shrieked at the top of its lungs:
"Ah! Humans! Humans…"³
The other rats instantly abandoned their work.
Some stood frozen, shaking in place.
Some scattered and ran—one of them slammed headfirst into a raised ridge between fields and fainted on the spot.
And a few, curiosity outweighing fear, actually rushed over to gawk…
"Hah." Dominic sighed. "I'm being treated like a national treasure on display."
"Lord… by the Seven," Ser Wendel said, utterly stunned. "Can you tell me what in the world is going on?"
Suddenly—
A horn sounded from afar. Then a unit of… soldiers? came charging in.
Dominic felt his worldview cracking open, one piece at a time.
Rats that could stand upright, farm, and speak human language was already shocking enough.
But the "soldiers" rushing out from behind the castle wall shattered his long-held assumptions completely.
They were… cavalry.
About a dozen rats—far larger and more muscular than the field-workers—sat proudly astride mounts.
Every one of those rat soldiers wore uniform armor…
Mostly made of leather, by the look of it. Someone even held a crude banner behind them.
And their mounts were certainly not horses.
They were wolves—an entire formation of wolves.
Not horses, but the tack was complete: reins, bridles, saddles, even stirrups.
The rat cavalry surged forward at a gallop, then swiftly encircled Dominic's party.
Even with a dozen giant rats surrounding him, it was hard for Dominic to feel genuinely threatened—
Even if the rats were big.
"I am Ser Dominic of Lonely Mountain Territory, here to pay a visit to Mage Isie," Dominic said first, breaking into a friendly laugh.
One rat rider—clearly the leader—stared at Dominic, momentarily stunned…
In truth, outsiders rarely came here. As the castle's garrison commander, it was the first time it had ever seen humans.
But upon seeing them, it was visibly excited. It straightened its back, eager to show humans the "might" of rats:
"We are Lord Isie's guards!"
The rat commander thrust out its chest proudly.
"By Lord Isie's command, we have come to welcome you!"
--
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🏰 Game of Thrones: Secrets Beneath the Dreadfort
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