Hey guys. Um, this is a little awkward i did say that i was going to be posting this interlude sooner than this but, well i think we have established that i should stop setting deadlines for myself. This is just a short interlude meant to show some of the future threats that the valyrians have woken up hope you all like it, but before that some review answers.

enuj1799: You are correct if everything had gone to plan then the Valyrian conquest of the basilisk isles would have had far far fewer casualties but a mixture of them underestimating the enemy, overestimating themselves and the cruel hand of fate meant that they needed to be soemwhat humbled even if they did succeed in the end.

WeylandCorp 4: I am glad that you liked Aurions stunt with the triarchs it was one of those scenes that i wasn't sure whether peple would like it or not. Also you are correct in that lys will play a very important role in Aurions future plans, one that the braavosi in particuler will not like.

Disclaimer i do not own the song of ice and fire series that honour belongs to George RR martin

Interlude 1 the consequences of pride

Meanwhile as the Valyrians celebrated their great victory, their rituals energy swept across the world the great power of the wave combined with the death and madness that had been infused into setting many events into motion accelerating the return of magic into the world as the magic energised ancient wards, strengthened old magic's and above all awakened terrible beings.

Deep in the heart of the lands of ever winter the children of ice awoke, unnaturally bright blue eyes opening with the crack of ice before they began their silent march through their barrow- palaces, their armies of beasts and the dead marching with them, slowly gathering at the silent call of their masters. The lords of winter gathered the great nests of ice spiders each nearly the size of the Dire wolves they so often preyed on, eager at the promise fresh prey they chittered as they crawled from their lairs, after them came the emaciated spirits of hunger and strife their corpse flesh hosts rotting and twisted into a forms barely reminiscent of the humans they once were. Finally, after them came the unending hordes of Wight's that made up the majority of their army, young and old, man and woman in the end death made them all equal in the eyes of their masters.

As their armies gathered, for but a moment the lords of winter took a moment to experience the joy of their task, finally after waiting so long they would put an end to the plague that called itself life, as one their cries of joy pierced through air like the cruel chill of the blizzard that surrounded them before they once more began their silent march, their cause renewed and their will unbending as they advanced, as unstoppable as an avalanche. It was time to end the cruelty of life and free the peoples of the world, whether they wished it or not.

Deep within the lands of shadow in a city where the sun was a dim memory vile beasts clutched to temples and towers of twisting, greasy black stone placed their eons before by beings far older than those that now called it home, the creatures looked around, tracking the worms that crawled across the land, grunting and growling in their crude languages as they went about their days performing the meaningless tasks that worms were want to do. Each of them had felt the ripples within magic and tasted the sweet death and madness that had resulted from it, perhaps some of the worms even felt it though they doubted they would understand such things or feel the ecstasy of it as they did. Such was yet another reason to feel disgust for the worms below. But more than that temporary sensation came the rush of power as their magic began to return, were once they had been little more than shadows skulking like the worms in the dark now they could once more touch the world around them, they could feel again and as they silently crawled through the shadows towards the worms their claws tearing into their warm flesh they revelled in the fact that they could kill again.

With the deaths of so many slowly strengthening the rest of their people hidden inside their corpse city of Stygai, eventually they knew that the surrounding towns would be almost completely depopulated as even the once great city of Asshai would be brought to its knees by the inhabitants of the corpse city. Slowly groups began to split from the mass of their people searching for more fresh meat, eventually they would return with news of how the hunting grounds of their past had grown with all who opposed them dead or crippled, with this piece of knowledge their cries of joy would drown out even the loudest of their victim's screams.

Finally, within the great temple city of K'Dath, in the heart of the icy desert of the grey wastes, the first and last city, home to the eternal priest kings, people stopped what they were doing as they felt the great wave of magic pass them before as one smiling as they returned to their daily lives some taking a moment to whisper praises as they looked to the great temple looming over the city.

Within the temple itself the priest kings sat immobile upon their thrones, before for the first time in three hundred years as one they raised their heads, the black abyss that were once their eyes staring south. Before as one opening their maws unnaturally wide feeding on the powerful death tinged magic of the wave, reinvigorating their bodies, their bones and muscles cracking as they began to move for the first time in so long, whispering to one another in a language thought gratefully lost to time, their words poisoning the very air killing whatever small life existed within the chamber and even beyond it as the birds that were brave enough to approach the temple fell like rain to the ground.

"The time has almost come, the fires are lit, the dragons are reborn. Winter will come soon to the west and the great storm to the east, death and blight will engulf the mortal lands."

"But the dragons are not the ones we saw, the three of the child queen were to be what brought about our awakening, not the return of our old foes."

"It matters not, they are weakened and already they have accelerated our plans by almost a decade. Besides in their current state it would be easy enough to smother them like a babe in the crib should they pose a threat."

"Let the Valyrians deal with our rivals for now until our strength has fully returned. Then we shall remind them why they once feared the dark. We shall send out our agent's let them sow discord and terror across the lands."

"Yes the pride of the west and greed of the east shall feed us, soon the master will return. The tyranny of the sun will end, and an eternal night shall come, our apotheosis will soon be at hand. But for now let us feast."

Sometime later on the order of their masters the people of K'Dath sent forth their agents they would ferment the already petty rivalries of the mortal kingdoms dividing and weakening them for the coming years. Already their spies spread lies and truths to the ears of ambitious nobles and foolish heroes while their assassins slew the priests and prophets of the surrounding lands. While their emissaries began to head to the cities of the bloodless men as well as the tribal lords of Shrykes together they would over the coming years build a great host that would topple the five fortresses and usher in the return of their masters to the world.