That evening's banquet was extremely lavish, featuring various local seafood dishes and delicacies from Dorne, along with wines from all over the world flowing freely.
The nobles, mages, diplomats, and wealthy merchants from across different regions gathered together in Tyrosh. However, the castle's owner, Wright, and his two wives were absent from the event. The banquet was hosted by Lord Renly on their behalf. During the event, little Rose Margaery made a brief appearance before leaving midway, citing her need to care for the children.
Later that night, the door to the Lord's bedroom suite was opened.
"Water! Water!"
Thirsty and desperate, Wright stepped out to find some water. As soon as the door opened, he used magic to extinguish the nearby candles. The Queen had ordered that the whip marks on his body that day could not be magically healed.
The three young maids on night watch at the door were sitting on soft chairs, dozing off while leaning against each other. Upon hearing the noise, they woke up and, seeing it was Wright, immediately got up and helped him sit on a chair.
"Do you want some water?" Parida Visama stood in front of Wright, waving her small hand behind her, signaling her two younger sisters to quickly prepare the water as instructed.
"We'll go get it!" Cynnie Pennymion and Aria Stangoni said in unison, holding hands and laughing as they ran off.
Sitting on the chair, Wright leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, his chin in his palm as he looked at the three maids.
"You girls seem to have grown a little!"
"It's just a little!" Parida tried to stand on tiptoe to make herself look taller.
Wright: "Eat more meat and vegetables!"
"Thank you for your concern, my lord. We eat very well!" Parida smiled, showing her white teeth.
At eight years old, Parida Visama's father was Naisso Visama, the purple dragon priest of the Dragon Cult.
Cynnie Pennymion, at seven, was the daughter of Dofas Pennymion, one of the first to pledge allegiance to Wright, and the current high priest of the Dragon Cult.
Aria Stangoni, also seven, was the daughter of a general from the Tiger Party, Berricio Stangoni, who was one of the three Triarchs of Volantis.
All of them were well-connected. When they went to Meereen, their families arranged for them to serve Wright, and though he understood the underlying intentions of their elders, Wright had firmly held his ground. After the Meereen incident, he brought them back to Tyrosh, where they continued their education while also helping with his children.
The three had already mastered the first phrase of Unrelenting Force, but due to their age and limited magicka capacity, they could only use it to knock over a pen holder from the table.
Before long, the two little girls came back, each carrying a metal water bottle.
The silver-white metal bottles hid the contents, but Wright, parched, didn't care about that. He took both bottles, placing them under his arm. "You're at the age where you're growing, so tomorrow I'll notify the butler. After this, you three won't have to do night watch anymore."
"Thank you, Lord Wright!" The three girls were delighted. Night watch was the most boring task.
After Wright went inside, Parida whispered to her two sisters, "How much did you add?"
Cynnie and Aria exchanged glances before both using their fingers to make the shape of the number eight.
The next morning, the temperature had already risen high from the sunlight. Lord Renly and Loras arrived at the door to Wright's bedroom. Just as Loras was about to knock, Renly pulled him back.
Renly looked around, then used life detection magic.
When the magical glow faded, Renly told Loras, "There are four life signs moving inside the bedroom. Three are very healthy, but the one with weakened life force is Wright. However, I think he can hold on for a bit. Let's go, don't disturb them!"
The two of them walked away. Loras whispered in Renly's ear, "Do you think Nymeria's methods might kill him?"
That morning, the butler found that sixteen bottles of Might were missing from Tyene's alchemy lab and, unable to locate Wright or his two wives, reported it to Renly. Renly then questioned the three young maids and pieced together the situation.
Nymeria had instructed them to add four bottles to the water, but after Renly analyzed Wright's constitution and magicka, he doubled the amount to eight bottles. That night, the maids followed the instructions, adding eight bottles of the elixir to each water bottle, and Wright received two bottles.
Renly and Loras had already tried this potion, and as much as Wright was a Lord, Loras was genuinely worried after hearing the details.
"He won't die!" Renly said, not wanting Loras to worry, and added, "Even if Wright is about to die, I have healing magic. He won't be in any life-threatening danger."
At lunchtime, Tyene went to the study to oversee the castle's operations, and Margery returned to Lannister's guest room to rest, while Wright and Nymeria stayed in their room.
At dinner, Nymeria dressed appropriately and hosted nobles in the reception hall, while Wright ran to the top of the lighthouse to sit on the railing, watching the sunset and feeling the sea breeze.
This lifestyle continued for an entire week, and today, the day the wand-making process was written into a book, Wright finally felt liberated.
In the magic school hall beside the castle, more than a hundred magicians gathered.
As the initiator of the project and the provider of the basic theoretical knowledge, Wright stood in the center of the high platform, wearing a bright red robe embroidered with flames. His face was gaunt, his eyes surrounded by dark circles, and his eyes unfocused as he delivered a summary speech:
"We are the first true generation of magicians on Westeros! Though our magical abilities vary, with some of us, like myself and Lannister, proficient in all five elements, and others, like those from the Citadel, only able to cast a few fireballs, what truly sets us apart is our determination to explore the unknown!"
Wright pulled back the red satin curtain behind him, revealing ten slanted wooden display tables, each with a thick, hardcover book neatly arranged. The first book on the left was titled The Principles and Manufacturing of Wands, Volume I in the common language of Westeros.
He continued, "We have a variety of ideas, and whenever we think of something, we study it. If something doesn't exist, we create it. If one person can't do it, we do it together. It is through the combined wisdom of us all that we've achieved today's accomplishments, and every one of you here has contributed, no matter how small. Our names will forever be written in the annals of history."
Wright used his mage hand to flip open the first page of all ten books. Each book contained the same content: the reason for the book's creation, the timeline, and the names of the more than one hundred magicians involved in the research, with a final acknowledgment of Gendry Waters, who provided casting guidance.
The room erupted in cheers and applause. Every person who participated had a proud look on their face, as such opportunities to make history were rare in their time.
The books were divided into ten volumes. The first nine covered the fundamental theories of wands, materials analysis, forging, and magical infusion techniques. The last book documented the byproduct of the research: Weapon Rune Studies.
Currently, due to their magical potential, most magicians in Westeros practiced both magic and sword to enhance their strength, with nobles beginning their weapons training from a young age. Older and weaker magicians preferred to use wands, as they not only supplemented their magical abilities but also served as walking canes. Young people, however, were less inclined to do so.
Among them were characters like Thoros, Ashara, Robb, and Jon, who were reluctant to give up their hard-earned sword skills and knightly honors. Ashara had two exceptional weapons: Dawn from her house and Dark Sister given by Wright. The other three used standard steel swords, which were ill-suited to withstanding the powerful magic of the time.
The magic circle was developed by Wright from destructive magical traps, and it had since evolved into various formations, becoming one of the essential lessons for magicians.
After completing their wand research, many magicians simplified the wand-making theories and embedded small magical arrays into swords and other weapons using magic-infused metals. While their power did not match the wands or Wright's undisclosed enchantments, rune-inscribed weapons were less costly and materials were more affordable, allowing them to temporarily gain magical properties.
Currently, Thoros had runes of flame inscribed on his longsword, storing a bit of his magicka in it and activating it to set the sword ablaze without draining his own energy. Although the rune's magic would dissipate after a week of non-use, it was a huge improvement compared to relying entirely on his own magicka, allowing him to use other types of magic.
Robb had two weapons with blood-letting serrated edges for fighting beasts, which also had flame runes inscribed on them. His massive sword, used for human combat, had four runes: flame, lightning, ice, and wind. Although only one could be activated at a time, the duration was short, but it was enough in critical moments.
Jon had his longsword inscribed with illusion magic. As an expert in the illusionary arts, when he activated the magic, the sword would leave behind a trail of purple afterimages, confusing enemies. Combined with his illusionary body technique and swordplay, enemies with slow reflexes would be unable to defend themselves.
Other young magicians who preferred not to use wands also inscribed various magic runes on their weapons. For the duration of the runes, Thoros, Robb, and Jon used gold, the second-best magic-conductive material after Valyrian steel.
These rune-inscribed weapons required magical energy to activate and would emit powerful magic when used. They would have no effect when held by ordinary people, and anyone activating them without the proper training would be harmed by the magic inscribed on the weapon, much like how Nymeria would explode herself when using the Dawnbreaker. As a result, these weapons were mainly used by trained magicians, and the market for Valyrian steel swords remained unchallenged.
Wright then pulled back another red satin curtain, revealing a pile of gold bars. The magicians gazed at the gold with curiosity, not greed. Despite their claims of being poor, no magician actually lacked wealth, and even the poorest magicians were still wealthier than most knights, though their expenses were high.
Wright said, "This research project was initiated by the magic school of Tyrosh, and all of you were invited to participate. While you gain knowledge and honor, the Tyrosh magic school will also offer financial rewards."
"Truly generous, Lord Wright!"
Many planned to use the gold to make wands or use it for weapon inscriptions, with some saving a little to exchange for gold dragons to host a feast.
Could Wright really be this generous? Sitting at the head table, Renly smiled. The moment he saw Wright in his black, tight-fitting outfit, he understood that Wright was trying to pull something over them.
The mages, officially titled by the king, came from all corners of the world. This time, they were in Tyrosh to study advanced magical theory. The wands were their graduation project, after which the king would grant them the title of senior mage and bestow upon them the corresponding pins. Afterward, they would return to their respective lords or teach at the schools in King's Landing and Oldtown. Wright needed to find a way to keep them around without using force, so he could only throw out a tempting bait.
Wright spoke, "To all the Mages here, no, to all the senior Mages present!"
Laughs.
"After this, we will go our separate ways. Some of you may teach the next generation of apprentices, while others will serve a lord. It may be a long time before we meet again, but I hope our exploration of magical knowledge doesn't end here."
Wright pulled out several strange crystals from under the table, holding them up to show everyone.
"This white one is salt. This blue, transparent crystal comes from the Westerlands—blue copper ore. This pale yellow, eight-sided shape is also from the Westerlands, a natural pyrite."
Wright then picked up the final crystal, a piece about the size of his palm. It was made of over a dozen intertwining, square spirals stacked in circles, giving off a rainbow of colors when bathed in sunlight.
"Is this a magical item?"
"No! It's another natural mineral crystal from the Westerlands. Maesters from Oldtown and Tyrosh are currently researching its smelting methods and possible uses."
Wright set the crystals down on the table and continued, "Crystals. Those who've studied metallurgy and alchemy know that it's a normal occurrence. But could we store magicka in such a way?"
"Magic crystals?"
"Storing magicka?"
Once a wand or inscription begins to store magic, it begins to dissipate, and within a week, it's completely gone. If there were a way to store magicka for long-term, mages could develop all kinds of new things.
Wright admitted, "Honestly, I don't even know the basic theory behind this yet. I can only start from the theory of enchantments and magicka storage, and I cannot use the souls of animals or humans as a starting point."
"The next project at the Tyrosh Magic School is magicka storage!" Wright declared. "I need to make one thing clear—I'm not entirely sure whether it will end up being a crystal or a stone. For now, I'm calling it a crystal, but it could even end up being a large metal lump."
The meeting ended with several Mages from the Citadel agreeing to stay behind, while others would return to their lords to submit their resignations.
The schools in King's Landing and Oldtown agreed to send the second batch of Mages to Tyrosh the following year. The number would likely be smaller than the first group.
Since gold has high magical conductivity but is too soft, the Mages coated their wands with various hard metals and added wooden grips, incorporating family sigils and personal designs. In the end, no two wands looked the same.
Qyburn's wand had a golden core, encased in fine steel and wrapped in white wood on the outside. The handle and staff formed a T-shape, making it look like a wooden cane.
Malora, the librarian from the King's Landing Magic School, mostly spent her time reading and studying theory. Since she never participated in combat, her wand was simply a golden core wrapped in wood for lightness.
Archmaester Marwyn from the Citadel had a plain wand—a long iron rod with a wooden handle. He and several other mages planned to take copies of the ten books on wand-making back to the Citadel and, later, set sail to Essos. He hoped to visit Asshai once more before his lifetime was over.