In the 291st year after Aegon's Conquest, atop Viserys Hill, in the White Keep.
On the white marble balcony of the King's Tower, Viserys toyed with a black fish bone in his hand, a gift from the Rhoynar fishermen.
The Rhoynar worshipped Mother Rhoyne, but as river folk who lived off the water, they still ate and drank what the river provided—so long as it didn't offend the Old Man of the River or the Crab King.
Lately, Viserys had become something of an osteophage, devouring a significant amount of dragonbone and fish bone.
Although the attribute boosts were diminishing, like a curve slowly flattening out, the feedback was still positive.
Viserys was essentially mining several veins of ore at once. His natural talent was high to begin with.
Now, he had not only the "Training Mine" but also the "Special Talent Mine," and his progress was nothing short of miraculous.
"I need something potent," Viserys mused. The best results would surely come from a dragon skull or a crushed dragon egg, but those were easier dreamed of than obtained.
Dragonbone was scarce enough, and while fish bones arrived from all directions, "River God Bones" blessed by the Rhoyne were exceptionally rare.
It made sense; the Rhoyne teemed with fish, crabs, and turtles, but not every aquatic creature learned to absorb the water essence of Mother Rhoyne.
Viserys skillfully consumed the last piece of fish bone. It was time to prepare for another expedition.
This time, it wasn't to purge Rhoynar or Dothraki bandits, but to inspect the ruins of Ghoyan Drohe.
The bandits plaguing the Andal lands and the Rhoynar basin had been terrified by the moniker "The Bloodthirsty Dragon." They had begun fleeing toward the hills of Norvos, the Forest of Qohor, or the pirate haven of Dagger Lake.
Viserys had even received a diplomatic letter from the Bearded Priests of Norvos. Thanks to his connection with Prince Doran's wife, Mellario of Norvos, the Norvoshi were easy to placate.
As an inland hill city, Norvos was weaker than the other Free Cities and had no appetite for a hard conflict with Andalos.
[ "Fate-Reverser" Viserys Targaryen has consumed the enchanted item "River God Bone." Reward: Base Attribute Increase. Strength ↑, Agility ↑, Toughness ↑ ]
"Excellent." Viserys was pleased. The last bite was perfect.
It was like winning the lottery; hitting the probability felt extremely satisfying.
Besides the attribute boost, Viserys saw a new notification on his panel.
This made him even happier, as his panel had been silent for some time. Slower leveling with higher stats was normal, after all.
[ Fate-Reverser Viserys Targaryen, you have completed the initial accumulation of Water Essence. Acquired Talent: Water Affinity, Fate Axis Fluctuation. Activated Class: Hydromancer. ]
Viserys's consumption had finally yielded results, though he hadn't expected his first talent to be Hydromancy rather than Pyromancy.
It seemed he hadn't consumed enough dragonbone, while fish bones were easier to come by.
All fear stems from a lack of firepower. As long as the stats were high enough, something was bound to activate.
[ Talent (Water Affinity): Traveling through a thousand worlds, water is the source of life. Water affinity brings the gentleness of water, resistance to water, and the acuity of water. (Note: Best used in the Rhoyne basin...) ]
Viserys looked at the talent. It confirmed his theory.
The water essence of the Rhoyne was different from that of the sea. The Rhoyne and the Drowned God were abstract, elusive divine forces shrouding different regions.
Mother Rhoyne was gentle, while the Drowned God was synonymous with slaughter and cruelty.
[ Acquired Class: Hydromancer (Novice). The power of the Great River endures. The most skilled Water Wizards can awaken the Dance of the River. ]
Viserys extended his hand. Nothing happened. His level was still too low to make the water dance.
As a rare magical class, progression would naturally be slower than traditional classes.
Hydromancer was likely a higher tier than Water Wizard. It made sense; "Pyromancer" was now a derogatory term for the Alchemists' Guild hacks who played with wildfire. A "Mancer" in the true sense implied control.
If Viserys could activate Pyromancer, he might consider exploring the ruins of Valyria.
"Viserys, it's time," Rhaenys called out, wearing a silver dress.
"Take care of Viserys Fort. For internal and external affairs, rely on Syrio, Count Roland, and Count Donnel." Viserys ruffled Rhaenys's hair.
"Don't worry." Rhaenys clenched her fist.
Viserys donned his black scale armor and went downstairs. The Red Viper, Aggo, Hugo, and Garin were waiting for him at the stables.
"Rumor has it among the fleeing horselords that Khal Bharbo, Drogo's father, is dead," the Red Viper said with a mocking tone.
"He is dead. Khal Drogo is busy killing disobedient Kos and attacking other tribes on the grasslands," Viserys replied.
The Great Grass Sea was falling into chaos. Even though the powerful Khal Bharbo had paved the way for his son, the Dothraki still preferred seizing power through violence.
Drogo needed to demonstrate his ferocity to cement his rule.
This gave Viserys a window. But once Drogo consolidated his power, the likelihood of an attack on Viserys Fort would increase.
If Drogo chose destruction to build prestige, he wouldn't ignore Viserys Fort, especially if the Tyroshi sent him key intelligence.
"Move out!"
Viserys cracked his whip. The black and red dragon banner unfurled, and the black-armored cavalry stood tall like a forest of iron pines.
The riders swept down the hill and exited the gates of the town below Viserys Fort.
"Our army! Long live the King!" The Andals and Rhoynar lining the road made way under the direction of the City Watch, chanting Viserys's name.
With light hooves and the Dothraki Sea in turmoil, Viserys and his party rode like the wind toward Ghoyan Drohe.
---
When they saw the gentle green river and the desolate ancient city from a small hill, Viserys knew they had arrived at Ghoyan Drohe.
The city had never been imposing. It wasn't a metropolis, but it was exceptionally beautiful, with verdant flowers, canals, and fountains.
The Rhoynar possessed both artisan spirit and artistic flair. They had built a series of beautiful cities, only to see them destroyed by dragons.
Canals, fountains, palaces—Rhoynar and Valyria alike had brought civilization to ruin.
The Rhoynar were not only martially strong but also possessed their own water magic.
Viserys seemed to feel the dance of water elements in the air—tiny motes of light slowly gathering toward him.
His novice "Hydromancy" worked best near the Rhoyne.
"This is Ghoyan Drohe," Garin said with a sigh. "An ancient, beautiful city, dead for a thousand years."
A thousand years later, the canals were choked with reeds and silt, and the stagnant water in the fountain pools had become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and flies.
The ruins of temples and palaces lay scattered on the ground. Only the gnarled old willow trees grew lushly on the wasteland by the river.
"Drain this stagnant water," Viserys ordered. "It breeds disease. Never mind, I'll help you."
People still lived in the ruins. Locals had cleared small vegetable patches in the tall grass.
Hearing the iron hooves from the hill, most fled back to their caves, leaving only a few bold souls to stare blankly at the passersby.
A naked boy, covered in mud from the knees down, stared straight at Viserys, perhaps never having seen such a handsome young man.
The soldiers dismounted and joined Viserys in clearing the dirty water from the fountain pools and filling them with earth.
The locals watched for a long time. Only when they were sure these men weren't Dothraki bandits did they relax slightly.
"Have some sweets." Viserys grabbed a handful of candy from his pouch and scattered it.
The naked boy boldly walked up, grabbed a piece, and ran away as fast as he could.
Walking through the ruined city, a line of ancient poetry came to Viserys's mind: "When the King dies, spiders weave their webs in his palace."
Viserys had intended to reinforce the defenses here, but the terrain was too low. Plus, with the Valyrian Road nearby, there would be no peace unless the Dothraki were crushed.
Looking at the rubble, the local civilization seemed to have regressed to savagery.
Without civilization or organization, there could be no Water Wizards.
Viserys walked slowly through the city, suddenly feeling a strangeness.
Why did he sense a fluctuation of water elements from a palace ruin some distance away?
"Move these stones," Viserys commanded, joining the soldiers in shifting the rubble of the palace.
They worked until they cleared the floor beneath the debris, revealing the remains of a rotted wooden longship.
A duster of a corpse lay within the longship, bones long turned to powder. But the gleaming treasures caught everyone's eye.
"What is this?"
"Ancient Rhoynar treasure!" The soldiers cheered. They hadn't expected to find treasure in such a backwater.
"Your Grace, the honor is yours." Aggo invited Viserys forward.
A fish-helm, silver-scale armor, a turtle-shell shield, and the pièce de résistance: a beautiful spear.
The spear shone with a brilliant silver luster, looking new despite the passage of ages. The material was neither stone, nor jade, nor common iron.
Viserys thought it might be like Dawn, forged from the heart of a fallen star.
"The Spear of Garin the Grey?"
Viserys examined the spear closely. There was a name inscribed on the blade.
The silver spear was like liquid glass, pure and flawless.
It was ten feet long: a three-foot leaf-shaped blade and a seven-foot shaft.
The socket where the blade met the shaft was formed by a large silver turtle and a large silver crab holding the blade between them—avatars of the Old Man of the River and the Crab King. Between them sat an embedded azure gem, vibrant with life.
The shaft was painted with scenes of the turbulent Rhoyne, featuring giant fish, crabs, turtles, water weeds, and reeds.
Viserys toyed with the spear. He felt as if the Great River truly danced within it. Using this Rhoynar relic might allow him to better summon the river's power.
"It's the gem." Viserys looked at the blue stone. It was dense and hard.
Like Melisandre using her ruby to store or channel magic, this gem likely served a similar purpose.
The Red Viper's eyes were practically popping out of his head. What kind of luck is this?
Garin the Grey—also known as Garin the Great—was a legendary Rhoynar hero and Prince of Ny Sar (though Viserys might be conflating legends or referring to a different Garin associated with Ghoyan Drohe).
Historically, the Rhoynar drove the hairy men (Ibbenese or similar precursors) out of the hills where Norvos now stood.
However, the Rhoynar did not stay. They preferred the mild climate of the Lower Rhoyne and detested the gloomy skies and cold winds of the hills.
"Why is this spear here?" Viserys wondered.