Stability & Violent Wonder

Well,
that was certainly been the most stressful month I've ever had. That we somehow came up relatively on top is nothing less than a miracle, and a weird enough one that the Stranger must be laughing his arse off somewhere. So to set the scene, this was where we stood at the end of the attack on Erenford:

• The tournament was cancelled, due to basically everyone hating us 
• The following relevant people were in our custody: 
• Black Walder Frey
• Edwyn Frey (1st son of Steveron, old Walder's heir) 
• Kleos Frey (not too significant, but nephew to Tywin Lannister) 
• Whalen Frey (minor Frey) 
• The following were dead: 
• Wendel Frey (19th son to Walder) 
• Hugo Wance (2nd son, married to a Frey) 
• Rumors of a Lannister fleet on its way north towards Seagard
• Frey reportedly had summoned all his banner men, no points for guessing his intentions
• Lord Jason summoned to Riverrun
• Fenton Pyke still about in the land 

So yeah, everything looked super swell and completely manageable. For the first time in a long while, I simply didn't have the time nor the energy to keep up with my diary. So in the interest of brevity and keeping my sanity this is the really short version of what's happened in the last month. 

• The Lannister fleet arrived in force at Seagard - but their only goal was to ensure Kleos' safety. We gave him up without a fight. 
• Jason instructed us to set Black Walder free. Reluctantly, we did. 
• Edmure acknowledged Creydon Strong [?] as the new official ruler of Erenford, which is now a banner house to house Mallister. 
• The Freys were commanded to stand down, which, amazingly, they did. 
• The Blackwood and Bracken fight is, if not over, at least simmering at a lower temperature than before. The Lannisters' plans to take a big chunk of the Riverlands put some fear into the lords. 
• Edmure showed some balls through all of this, though I suspect Lord Jason was a big reason for that. Edmure's now fully aware of Tywin's plans, and pretty pissed about them. 
• Fenton Pyke, unfortunately, is still nowhere to be found. 

Aditionally, we had the visions from that weird orb we found on the child of the forest. Rha, lady Joy and myself each had one: 

• Rha: dragon bones in the cargo hull of a ship, guarded by an undead guard clad in Blackfyre garb
• Joy: Very old, dusty hallway, dragon bones on the floor, guys in Blackfyre garb
• Me: a big weirdwood somewhere in the North, a child putting a crystal orb in the tree, cone of light streaming forth from the tree into the sky 

Through all of the political tumult, I had positively been aching to go check out the weirwood on the Isle of Faces...luckily, the rest felt the same way. So after just a few days, me, Lord Keith, my dear brother, Rha and Willard set out. Rha mentions that the person who found the child, one Anya of the mountain clans, could be useful as a source of information. And curiously, she apparently possesses the green sight. Given that Chafflok is basically on the way, we head there first. 

After a couple of days we arrive, bearing some gifts for the lowfolk. Rha is greeted as a kindred spirit, while us lords are naturally given the respect we deserve - as well as a healthy dose of  distrust. I don't blame them. Anya arrives in the village when nightfall approaches. Even more curiously, she's clearly got the blood of Valyria flowing through her veins, easily identified by the characteristic silver hair and purple eyes [...right?]. She could have been beautiful if not for the big scar running across her face. Given her knowledge of the forest and green sight, I ask her if she would be willing to accompany us. She agrees. 

After a couple of uneventful weeks by canoe, we arrive in Harroway's Town and set out for the lake. The first night, Anya apparently has visions about the isle which she shares with us the day after. She was clearly shaken, and the vision was (typically) vague - but she saw death surrounding the isle. Lovely. 

After four days, before we arrive at the isle the next day, I take out the stone to see if I can have a little vision of my own. I'm clearly at the isle, where I see a child approaching the weirwood. Suddenly, the child is attacked by a man-shaped figure in a cloak and the vision ends. I doubt peace is in our future. 

We arrive at the tiny village of Crery, where Rha buys a few boats. We row out towards the isle. There are a lot of trees out there, and even from a distance, the gigantic weirdwood is visible. We make landfall. Rha and Anya notice the eerie lack of animal life and sounds. We set out. After an hour, Bass notices a figure stalking us. We try to approach, circle back and so forth but the figure slips away each time. Well, nothing to do but to press on. 

An hour later, and we arrive at the Godswood. Now, I'm of the new faith (at least in theory), but the sight is stunning enough to feel the presence of the old gods anyway. The tree is humongous, ancient and beautiful enough to be the source of a poet's magnum opus, with the dying light of the sunset spilling through the leaves. 

For a place that's supposedly deserted, we notice a disturbing amount of human footprints in the clearing surrounding the weirwood. Additionally, there are mounds of earth spread around the tree. Hmmm, most curious. We approach the tree, searching for a spot to put the crystal ball. I take it out, and just as I do...hands reach towards the sky from the mounds, and we're suddenly surrounded by a swarm of undead, reminiscent of the ones from the valley of the dead in Braavos. Additionally, we saw the hooded figure near the edge of the clearing - it's a white walker. 

The fight is long and hard. But in the end we prevail [og Lars slapp opp for tid].