Chapter 1: Anti-Gravity
"We are the shield that guards the realms of men, not the realms of dust."
-Lord Commander Brynden Swann
"The Night's Watch is an ancient order devoted to protecting mankind. There are no men out there in the void, but neither are there here. We have stagnated. Our elite Blackwalkers have gotten fat, our Crimson Brand filled with nothing but the most vile and incompetent of criminals. Just what the hell are we still doing here? Out there is a land untouched by man and snow. Maester Serrett once told me that in the days of old, back before the Long Night and the Erasure, our rangers would go out beyond the wall and explore the beautiful icy wastes. I envy them. We have explored Winter from pole to pole. As lord commander I will give us a purpose once more. We will build a fleet to explore the cosmos. The land will grow rich with minerals and coinage, and I can assure you, a colony on Rayder will be established before my death. Join me brothers, and let us work together to reveal the secrets of the universe."
On January 1st, 2200 Damon Umber was elected as the 997th lord commander of the Night's Watch.
His opponent sought to continue the previous lord commander's policies of anti-space exploration, but it is clear now that the grand council are sick of this world as well.
The realm of Winter is dry and desolate but it was not always like this. The books of Oldtown tell of a time when the planet was snowy, grassy, desert, and everything in between. The Long Night put an end to that. It left the lands permanently scarred by frost. The Whitewalkers, ice demons that could raise the dead, conquered the lands of men and overran the Night's Watch of old. The Blackwalkers, an elite force headed by the Lord Commander of the time, made of the finest of the Northern, Westermen, Dornish, Reachmen, Ironborn, Stormlander and Rivermen armies united along with the Knights of the Vale and the Kingsguard in Sunspear, one of the last Westerosi cities untouched by the armies of ice. This coalition, coupled with extra help from the shattered armies of Essos helped to drive the White Walkers yet again to their homelands. Unlike the last time they invaded, the armies of man followed. Every last known White Walker was destroyed and a new, more powerful, Night's Watch was established. The snowing continued almost nonstop for a decade. The entire planet was rendered an arctic waste. Hundreds of thousands died from the famines that resulted. They say one out of three people died within this bloody epoch.
The worst had yet to come, however. Though, some considered it a blessing as it surely did alleviate the effects of the winter. As a result of a powerful unknown magic, the entire world slept. Men slept at their post, farmers slept on their crops, and petty kings slept on their thrones. When all awoke in less than an hour, their friends and comrades had vanished. Half of the entire world's population had disappeared. No bodies nor blood remained. Within a period of 20 years, Winter had turned from a thriving planet filled with unique cultures and landscapes, to a white desert with no one to claim it. The Night's Watch, one of the few organized entities left, stepped in to keep the peace. Using the mighty Blackwalker army they conquered the lands of Westeros and Essos and made the survivors bend the knee. The world was divided into sectors resembling the borders of the nations that came before. An Arynn general of the Blackwalkers was made governor of the Vale sector, a Lannister governor of the Westerlands sector, and so on and so forth. Essos and the various sectors were also handed to the generals. The position and any sub-positions was made hereditary in order to maintain the traditions of the old world. Fighting between the sectors was strictly forbidden. The Realms of Men were watched over by the Lord Commander at Snowfall, a city founded on the ruins of Lannisport.
The armies of the Night's Watch consist of the elite Blackwalkers, the Brothers, and the Crimson Brand. The Blackwalkers serve as the personal army of the Lord Commander and crush any revolts from aspiring governors. The Brothers are a volunteer police force given the duty of protecting the realm from thieves and rapists. The Crimson Brand are the least prestigious branch. Upon being convicted of a crime, a judge may allow the sentenced to be branded in exchange for their freedom. A member of the Crimson Brand is tasked with defending the northern regions against raids by the surviving wildling clans that have not moved south with the rest; a thrilling occupation. A hot iron in the shape of a seven point star is placed on their foreheads, leaving them forever scarred. Any man with such a scar who is found unescorted outside of his post is executed on the spot by wandering Crows and Blackwalkers.
After five hundred years of ownership over the two major continents, Lord Commander Frostfinger led the Blackwalkers to the remaining continents of Sothoryos, Ulthos, and others. World domination had been achieved, and the Commander's peace maintained within. The government remained nearly the same as before, the most powerful governors of the realm gathered in Snowfall whenever a Lord Commander died in order to elect a new one. The Lord Commander held power absolute, so long as he could keep his governors content.
Five thousand years passed before the election of Damon Umber. The invention of the printing press and steam engine had advanced the world of Winter to a state it had never dreamt of before. The peasant became literate, iron workshops appeared, artificial dragons were constructed, and most importantly of all, weapons were made that could kill from afar.
Commander Umber immediately called for the construction of new ships. Ones that would not only soar in the frozen skies of Winter, but in the frozen void of space.
Grand Maesters Warrick and Durwell continue their work in their respective fields, while Melisandre Swann, daughter of Brynden Swann strives to not be as close-minded as her father and help guide her people to the stars.
Upon completion of the survey ship Scout, the Night's Fleet sets out. Scout launches to inspect the system that Man has dwelled in for thousands of years, while the brave Rangers set out to new stars. All are propelled by the newly invented warp drive. An engine that bends the very fabric of spacetime in order to move vast distances. Two weeks after the ships leave port, the Frozen Shore sets out to build the first off-world station not within the orbital field of Winter. This one would watch the star that provides Winter with the little heat it has, Lightbringer.
Commander Umber's passion for exploration urges him to build another survey ship. Meanwhile, on March 17th, the first men reach another star system aboard the ships of The Rangers. The Kym is soon built and sent off to survey the systems only briefly passed by The Rangers.
In June, the Crows of Winter received a shocking report that disproved any theory of the galaxy being empty. Commander Umber immediately ordered for an attempt of communication.
It would seem that peaceful contact would not be had with these lifeforms. The first space battle in Crow history goes down as a defeat. The superior weapons of the unknown threat force The Rangers to activate their emergency FTLs and return to Winter for repairs. Luckily the loss of life was minimal. Commander Umber continued the attempt to establish communications.
The identities of the "lifeforms" are finally revealed. Commander Umber decides to establish a listening post and continue the study. This all but proves that sapient life exists somewhere out there, for the robots could not have built themselves.
Finally the nature of the drones is revealed, along with five mineral-rich systems. Umber vows to make them Crow.
In April of 2201, sightings are made of the first true alien life. The Ironborn shudder at the pictures of the leviathans. Just two months later they leave the Lightbringer system. Fortunately they can be studied from afar.
Knowledge is soon shared about these mysterious beings. The Ironborn continue to marvel over these creatures.
More strange beings are discovered and force the Scout to leave the Xandebaan system as the entities begin moving as alarming speeds toward the intruder.
The galaxy is starting to become teeming with life. Alannys Sand uncovers yet another enigmatic species. Umber announces plans to build a station on the planet for future research.
Commander Umber begins plans to have these beings destroyed to study the science within them.
The rangers discover what appear to be more drones. They move out before they are engaged again.
While studying these entities, Melisandre encountered strange feelings of dread. Her research station was bombarded with radio communications from multiple directions. If these were in fact drones, then they were a large conglomerate of them. If the Knight's Watch cannot handle one collection, multiple would be quite the obstacle.
Contact was made in the Unnabin capital of Riverrun. Confusion was made in the 100 sectors of Winter.
"We are the shield that guards the realms of men, not the realms of dust."
-Lord Commander Brynden Swann
"The Night's Watch is an ancient order devoted to protecting mankind. There are no men out there in the void, but neither are there here. We have stagnated. Our elite Blackwalkers have gotten fat, our Crimson Brand filled with nothing but the most vile and incompetent of criminals. Just what the hell are we still doing here? Out there is a land untouched by man and snow. Maester Serrett once told me that in the days of old, back before the Long Night and the Erasure, our rangers would go out beyond the wall and explore the beautiful icy wastes. I envy them. We have explored Winter from pole to pole. As lord commander I will give us a purpose once more. We will build a fleet to explore the cosmos. The land will grow rich with minerals and coinage, and I can assure you, a colony on Rayder will be established before my death. Join me brothers, and let us work together to reveal the secrets of the universe."
On January 1st, 2200 Damon Umber was elected as the 997th lord commander of the Night's Watch.
His opponent sought to continue the previous lord commander's policies of anti-space exploration, but it is clear now that the grand council are sick of this world as well.
The realm of Winter is dry and desolate but it was not always like this. The books of Oldtown tell of a time when the planet was snowy, grassy, desert, and everything in between. The Long Night put an end to that. It left the lands permanently scarred by frost. The Whitewalkers, ice demons that could raise the dead, conquered the lands of men and overran the Night's Watch of old. The Blackwalkers, an elite force headed by the Lord Commander of the time, made of the finest of the Northern, Westermen, Dornish, Reachmen, Ironborn, Stormlander and Rivermen armies united along with the Knights of the Vale and the Kingsguard in Sunspear, one of the last Westerosi cities untouched by the armies of ice. This coalition, coupled with extra help from the shattered armies of Essos helped to drive the White Walkers yet again to their homelands. Unlike the last time they invaded, the armies of man followed. Every last known White Walker was destroyed and a new, more powerful, Night's Watch was established. The snowing continued almost nonstop for a decade. The entire planet was rendered an arctic waste. Hundreds of thousands died from the famines that resulted. They say one out of three people died within this bloody epoch.
The worst had yet to come, however. Though, some considered it a blessing as it surely did alleviate the effects of the winter. As a result of a powerful unknown magic, the entire world slept. Men slept at their post, farmers slept on their crops, and petty kings slept on their thrones. When all awoke in less than an hour, their friends and comrades had vanished. Half of the entire world's population had disappeared. No bodies nor blood remained. Within a period of 20 years, Winter had turned from a thriving planet filled with unique cultures and landscapes, to a white desert with no one to claim it. The Night's Watch, one of the few organized entities left, stepped in to keep the peace. Using the mighty Blackwalker army they conquered the lands of Westeros and Essos and made the survivors bend the knee. The world was divided into sectors resembling the borders of the nations that came before. An Arynn general of the Blackwalkers was made governor of the Vale sector, a Lannister governor of the Westerlands sector, and so on and so forth. Essos and the various sectors were also handed to the generals. The position and any sub-positions was made hereditary in order to maintain the traditions of the old world. Fighting between the sectors was strictly forbidden. The Realms of Men were watched over by the Lord Commander at Snowfall, a city founded on the ruins of Lannisport.
The armies of the Night's Watch consist of the elite Blackwalkers, the Brothers, and the Crimson Brand. The Blackwalkers serve as the personal army of the Lord Commander and crush any revolts from aspiring governors. The Brothers are a volunteer police force given the duty of protecting the realm from thieves and rapists. The Crimson Brand are the least prestigious branch. Upon being convicted of a crime, a judge may allow the sentenced to be branded in exchange for their freedom. A member of the Crimson Brand is tasked with defending the northern regions against raids by the surviving wildling clans that have not moved south with the rest; a thrilling occupation. A hot iron in the shape of a seven point star is placed on their foreheads, leaving them forever scarred. Any man with such a scar who is found unescorted outside of his post is executed on the spot by wandering Crows and Blackwalkers.
After five hundred years of ownership over the two major continents, Lord Commander Frostfinger led the Blackwalkers to the remaining continents of Sothoryos, Ulthos, and others. World domination had been achieved, and the Commander's peace maintained within. The government remained nearly the same as before, the most powerful governors of the realm gathered in Snowfall whenever a Lord Commander died in order to elect a new one. The Lord Commander held power absolute, so long as he could keep his governors content.
Five thousand years passed before the election of Damon Umber. The invention of the printing press and steam engine had advanced the world of Winter to a state it had never dreamt of before. The peasant became literate, iron workshops appeared, artificial dragons were constructed, and most importantly of all, weapons were made that could kill from afar.
Commander Umber immediately called for the construction of new ships. Ones that would not only soar in the frozen skies of Winter, but in the frozen void of space.
Grand Maesters Warrick and Durwell continue their work in their respective fields, while Melisandre Swann, daughter of Brynden Swann strives to not be as close-minded as her father and help guide her people to the stars.
Upon completion of the survey ship Scout, the Night's Fleet sets out. Scout launches to inspect the system that Man has dwelled in for thousands of years, while the brave Rangers set out to new stars. All are propelled by the newly invented warp drive. An engine that bends the very fabric of spacetime in order to move vast distances. Two weeks after the ships leave port, the Frozen Shore sets out to build the first off-world station not within the orbital field of Winter. This one would watch the star that provides Winter with the little heat it has, Lightbringer.
Commander Umber's passion for exploration urges him to build another survey ship. Meanwhile, on March 17th, the first men reach another star system aboard the ships of The Rangers. The Kym is soon built and sent off to survey the systems only briefly passed by The Rangers.
In June, the Crows of Winter received a shocking report that disproved any theory of the galaxy being empty. Commander Umber immediately ordered for an attempt of communication.
It would seem that peaceful contact would not be had with these lifeforms. The first space battle in Crow history goes down as a defeat. The superior weapons of the unknown threat force The Rangers to activate their emergency FTLs and return to Winter for repairs. Luckily the loss of life was minimal. Commander Umber continued the attempt to establish communications.
The identities of the "lifeforms" are finally revealed. Commander Umber decides to establish a listening post and continue the study. This all but proves that sapient life exists somewhere out there, for the robots could not have built themselves.
Finally the nature of the drones is revealed, along with five mineral-rich systems. Umber vows to make them Crow.
In April of 2201, sightings are made of the first true alien life. The Ironborn shudder at the pictures of the leviathans. Just two months later they leave the Lightbringer system. Fortunately they can be studied from afar.
Knowledge is soon shared about these mysterious beings. The Ironborn continue to marvel over these creatures.
More strange beings are discovered and force the Scout to leave the Xandebaan system as the entities begin moving as alarming speeds toward the intruder.
The galaxy is starting to become teeming with life. Alannys Sand uncovers yet another enigmatic species. Umber announces plans to build a station on the planet for future research.
Commander Umber begins plans to have these beings destroyed to study the science within them.
The rangers discover what appear to be more drones. They move out before they are engaged again.
While studying these entities, Melisandre encountered strange feelings of dread. Her research station was bombarded with radio communications from multiple directions. If these were in fact drones, then they were a large conglomerate of them. If the Knight's Watch cannot handle one collection, multiple would be quite the obstacle.
Contact was made in the Unnabin capital of Riverrun. Confusion was made in the 100 sectors of Winter.
