ASOIAF: The Gray Host Chapter 1 - Children of the Gray Host (Patreon)

"The Gray Host.

Not much is known about the Gray Host, as its power is shrouded in the darkness of the Shadow Lands. The first records of the Gray Host came from the records of the Valyrian Freehold, around one thousand years before the Doom, when the Freehold, during the height of their power, attempted to conquer the Shadow Lands.

The Magic and power of the Valyrians was considered unmatched in the known world, yet in the Shadow Lands, in the depths of the Shadow Mountains, the mighty armada of the Valyrian Freehold was exterminated by the Children of the Night.

The collective term for the Vampires and Werebeasts like Werewolves, Werebears, Werefoxes, Werecats, and other races that thrived in the night. It was noted that even though the Gray Host was at a disadvantage when it came to countering the Dragons of the Freehold, their Magic was superior to that of the Freehold.

With their advantage in Magic, they managed to overcome the Dragons of the Freehold and even steal many specimens from the Freehold. This failed invasion led to a series of the Blood Wars between the Valyrians and the Gray Host. Most of these conflicts resulted in tremendous losses for the Freehold, yet the Gray Host never marched onto the territory of the Freehold and only defended the Shadow Lands.

Many Scholars and Mages of the modern age attribute these Blood Wars to the ultimate decline of the Freehold and the Doom of Valyrian. When it came to the remaining Draglords of the Valyria that survived the Doom, the Gray Host never interacted with them too much, with the only exception being the case of Vampire King Rada al-Saran and Visenya Targaryen and their marriage, which resulted in the creation of the Targaryen Vampire Clan within the Gray Host.

The Gray Host controls the entire Shadow Lands as their core territory, with the capital of the Gray Host located within the Blackreach. A whole underground world located deep, very deep under the Shadow Mountains, with the main entrance being in the Stygai. The other territories that are under the control of the Gray Host are the Mountains of the Morn, Carcosa, which was conquered only a few decades ago by the Werebeast Tribes of the Gray Host, and currently they are waging war with the Pale Men of the Cannibal Sands.

Even though the reputation of the Gray Host is rather bad across most of the world, due to the fact that Vampires feed on blood, the Citadel Order always enjoyed a great relationship with the Gray Host. Most of this stemmed from the collective research into the technology and development of the Steam-based Technologies or research of Magic."

- On the Gray Host by Archmeaster Perestan of the Citadel Order of Magic, Year 294 After the Conquest of Westeros

***

"Rada al-Saran was born in Yokuda and it was there he strove to attain perfection in love, art, and above all else the ways of war. Rada was among the Ra Gada Ansei Warrior Wave who migrated to Hammerfell to escape the sundered Yokuda. Rada took place in the various pogroms of the native races to claim Hammerfell as the undisputed homeland of the Yokudans.

Around 2E 582, Rada resurfaced as a Vampire Lord and the new leader of the Gray Host, an army of vampires, witches and were-creatures. Called the Ashen Lord by his followers,Rada sought to free his brothers and sisters-in-arms from the clutches of Molag Bal.

I remember that origianlyl he wanted to use the Harrowstorms, supernatural storms created by the Icereach Coven which sucked the life-force from anyone caught in them, and exchanged it for the life-force of their fallen brethren.

In the end, the Gray Host joined the saige of on the Imperial City after they obtained the Dark Heart and during the final confrontations between God of Schemes and Vestige, Rada al-Saran managed to use the Dark Heart to tear out the Blood of the Coldharbour and fuse with it, essentially becomming the originator of the Vampirism in Nirn.

Yet, according to the deal with Akatosh and Meridia, there was no place for the Gray Host within the confines of Tamriel, so the entire Greymoor Keep and Greymoor Caverns with the entire Host and its faithful were transported to the foreign lands by the Dragon God of Time and Space."

- Count Verandis Ravenwatch, Councillor of the High Table of Gray Host

***

It has been several years since he transmigrated into the Elder Scrolls Universe. 

He became... or his consciousness has merged with that of Rada al-Saran, an ancient Vampire that was leading the dark army of Vampires and Werewolves, whose ambition was to free themselves from the grasp of Molag Bal. 

Despite Rada's skill with the Shehai and his mastery over his Vampire Lord form, his enemies outwitted him and turned the power of the Dark Heart against him, and he was slain by Vestige.

Rada al-Saran, despite his failings, was remembered as a Sword-Saint even to match the likes of Leki, and the story of his epiphany via his meeting with Faolan helped one aspiring Sword-Saint, Sai Sahan, form his own Shehai, thus reviving the long-dead martial tradition and securing Rada's legacy as one of the greatest swordsman from the Yokudan Warrior Wave.

Now, in this life, he had taken a different approach to the matters.

He struck a deal with Meridia and Akatosh.

Obviously, the Dragon God of Time and Space was rather interested in the deal, because he was able to see the flow of time and knew that something had changed, so after some time of consideration...

He agreed.

And that...

Led them here.

"With this, I am starting the annual meeting of the Pale Council of the Gray Host."

Gray Host needed to perish in Tamriel for the future and couldn't remain there. But that didn't mean that Tamriel was the only world within the Aurbis with civilization. There were many other, unspoken or forgotten worlds out there.

"Now, Count Ravenwatch will provide the summary of the development of the Gray Host over the past year."

After the transmigration, several years later, there was a minor civil war within the Gray Host, as Rada purged all of the msot radical elements of the Gray Host or the pieces that couldn't be controlled and established the Council of the Gray Host that was consisting of the highest-ranking Vampires and Werebeasts of the Gray Hosts.

The Council of Gray consisted of the Archnons, Exarchs, and Hierarchs.

The people who had seats on the Pale Council were either Vampire Elders or Werebeast Chieftains; rarely was the position given to anyone else. Even though the Vampires and Werebeasts existed on a very strict Bloodline hierarchical social structure, as someone from the modern world, Rada knew the importance of meritocracy; he was integrating some meritocratic principles into the governance of the Gray Host.

Archons were a title that was given to the ruler of some territory within the territory of the Gray Host. Right now, there were only two Archons, namely Archon of Stygai and Archon of Dusktown. 

"Since last year, we managed to quell the Warlocks and Necromancers in the Stygai and vicinity of the city. Right now, the Stygai is primarily populated by the Werebeasts, Vampires, and some remaining humans that submitted to our rule. Right now, I am coordinating the military forces of Stygai with Exarchs to prepare for a march on the City of Asshai. The larger population of the Asshai consists of the Warlocks, Necromancers, Daedras, and slaves."

When Akathosh transported the entire area of the Blackreach: Greymoor Caverns into a different world, it appeared in the depths of the earth, deep under the Shadow Mountains in the region known as Shadow Lands in this world.

The Shadow Lands was absolute hell, even far worse than many regions of Tamriel, but for the Vampires and Werebeasts, the Shadow Lands was ideal ground. Shadow Lands was a mountainous area in the far east of Essos, and it was a land where the sun was scarce, and most of the time, it was covered by dense shadows.

A few years after the Gray Host was transported into this new world, Rada ordered to start the exploration of the surface world as well, as there was a need for a new source of the Blood for the Vampires.

Even though the Gray Host kept a lot of Blood Thralls, there was a need for more, as the population of the Vampires was large. Hundreds of thousands were part of the entire Gray Host, which was Rada's personal achievement.

Most of the structure of the Gray Host was overhauled, not like there was any... as one would have expected from the dark fantasy dark creature army, there was little to no organization, which was rather staggering to think of.

Mostly because the individual Vampire Clan and Houses or Werebeast Tribes answered to their own leaders, so the Gray Host was a loosely united army that had a common goal. Now the Gray Host functioned like a proper organization, as it should have in the first place.

"What about the state of the Spider and Chaurus Farms?"

The Gray Host was breeding various animals and beasts, which they started during the time when Rada initiated the first wave of the reforms. Spiders and Charurses were bred for the purpose of the Alchemical materials and also as mounts for war purposes.

Most of the Spiders that the Gray Host was breeding were the Frostbite Spiders that were transported into the Greymoor from Skyrim. 

"They are in good numbers, and we can start harvesting. Though, when it comes to the Chauruses, wild Chauruses have overpopulated, and we need to do something about that. But for that, I think that Archon Piquine could elaborate more on that topic."

Movarth Piquine was a former vampire hunter who began his career as a trainer in the Fighters Guild, which taught him skills in battle and the value of asking questions. He claimed mastery of unarmed combat. He was stoic and almost never surprised due to his dedication to hunt vampires.

Tissina Gray directed him to a priest in Cyrodiil to learn about vampires. Using the priest's knowledge, Movarth hunted many different types of vampires across Tamriel, including the Volkihar of Skyrim and the many tribes of northern Valenwood.

In the end, he was turned into a Vampire by one of the Vampire Lords when the Gray Host started taking a more aggressive approach. After the Blood Coup, Rada elevated him to one of the Archons because he was one of the few capable and trustworthy people at the Host during that time. 

"The Dusktown is still in the process of repairs and reinstating the mining operations... The garrison captain in the Dusktown managed to pinpoint the location from which they came, and it seems that within the Scraps Ruins. Captain Viktor thinks that this is the work of the Falmer Tribe, which is occupying the ruins, and they will initiate the invasion of Dusktown."

With the report of Archon Piquine, Vampire King Rada al-Saran frowned because there were still many, many problems when it came to the Greymoor Caverns. When the entire Greymoor Caverns and Gray Host were transported into the Shadow Lands, it wasn't just the base area of the Greymoor Keep within the Blackreach.

Everything.

Meaning the areas of the Greymoor Caverns and the Dwemer Ruins. 

Dusktown Caverns, Lightless Howllow, Dark Moon Grotto, Mzark Cavern, Scraps, Midnight Barrow, and Arkthzand Cavern. All of these were confirmed by the scouts of the Gray Host, as all of these areas were still interconnected with the Greemoore Caverns, which was good because some of these areas were essential for the further development of the Gray Host.

Obviously, this was everything on the list to conquer for the Gray Host, but despite their numbers and power, they were proceeding slowly. 

Mzark and Arkthzand were very important Dwemer Ruins that contained a lot of their knowledge and areas that Rada was vehemently deadset on obtaining. Yet, they were also swarming with Dwemer Automatons, including some that would be able to kill even more powerful Vampire Lords in a single combat.

And what wasn't swarmed by the Dwemer Automatons was full of Falmer, Draugrs in the case of Midnight Barrow, and other monstrosities that resided in the Blackreach.

Unfortunately, before the transmigration, the Gray Host was only using the area of the Greymoor Keep and some parts of the Greymoor Keep, and only after he had transmigrated several years ago, the Gray Host started slowly cleaning out the entirety of the Greymoor Caverns.

The population of the Gray Host was something around half a million. 

There were more, but during the Civil War, a lot of them were killed. 

Among the approximate number of half a million, around only 150,000 were Vampires, and the rest were Werebeasts. The only saving grace was that, despite this new world having the Magic, its inhabitants were rather weak in terms of Magic, at least when compared to the Mages of Nirn.

Yet, most of the forces of the Gray Host were tied to the Blackreach, because they needed to conquer the entire subterranean world first, as this was the homeland of the Gray Host. 

Rada new that any expansion to the surface beyond the city of Stygai could and would happen only after the subterranean world of Blackreach had been completely conquered and controlled. 

"We need to organize a military expedition into the Scraps and destroy the Falmer Tribe. Immediately after cleaning the Midnight Barrow, focus on the Dark Moon Grotto and Lightless Hollow. Once we succeed, we will have the entire area of the Greymoor Caverns under control and free of the Falmer, Draugr, and other unwanted threats."

Rada looked over the table to the two women who were sitting there, as they were in charge of the Death Dealer Legion and Battlemage Legion, respectively. After the military reforms, the Gray Host's army was completely revamped and reorganized, and currently, there are two military arms of the Gray Host.

Death Dealer Legion, which consisted of the Vampires and Werebeasts that were oriented in the combat, and Battlemage Legion, consisting of the Mages that used Magic to wage a combat.

Then there was also the Inquisition, which was a semi-military branch. As someone from the modern world, Rada knew how important the intelligence agency was and how to wage various types of warfare against the opponent. 

It was rather mind-boggling that despite the power of the Gray Host, they never really bothered to properly control the entire area of the Blackreach of the Greymoor Caverns and the interconnected Caverns that were directly connected to the Greymoor Caverns. 

The maximum they had done was to create some lone outposts here and there, but that was everything that the Gray Host had done. Mostly, it was the arrogance of the former leadership of the Gray Host that they were invisible...

Especially with their alliance with Icereach Coven and, by extension, Molag Bal.

"I can send two Legions of Death Dealers right now and an additional three if the situation gets more serious."

Exarch Serana Volkihar was the one who spoke, as everyone just took her word for that. She wasn't having large enough authority within the Gray Host due to her position as Exarch of Death Dealer Legion, but also that of the mate of Rada al-Saran.

Serana was the daughter of Lord Harkon and Valerica. She and her family became Vampire Lords after her father made a deal with Molag Bal and founded the Volkihar clan at the start of the Second Era several centuries ago. 

The Volkihar Clan was one of the most important and powerful Vampire Clans within the Gray Host, and ironically, though, they were the ones that were purged almost entirely by Serana and Rada.

Serana's father was obsessed with a stupid prophecy called the Tyranny of the Sun.

Rada found the prophecy rather idiotic... indirectly, even Vampires would perish without the sun, because in the first place, their food would perish. 

The mortals.

Without them, the Vampires won't have anywhere to feed.

"Several of my spies confirmed that the Falmers of the Scraps are planning to invade Dusktown, primarily to target the remaining mortals and take them as food."

Contrary to popular belief, there was also a good number of mortals among the Gray Host, not the kind of Bloodthralls, but rather lying subjects of the Gray Host. They were the ones who regularly donated their blood to the Vampires, and in exchange, the Vampires protected them and let them live in peace.

It was rather surprising how many mortals were agreeing with such a proposition. Not to mention, the living conditions of the Gray Host, especially after they started incorporating some of the Dwemer Technology, were far better than anything else in Tamriel.

"Then it's set. Exarch Blenwyth will coordinate with the Death Dealer Legion and Battlemage Legion to deal with the Falmer Tribe and construct a cohesive battle plan within the next three days. I also want the Inquisition to start planning a decapitation operation against the Falmers in the Scraps."

The Scraps was a Dwemer ruin found in the Dark Moon Grotto section of Blackreach: Greymoor Caverns, containing Dwemer Automatons and Falmer. From what they knew, the Scraps was a standart military outpost of the Dwemer, mixed with some mining facility like every single installation of the Dwemer.

Greywyn Blenwyth was an infamous Altmer vampire and the founder of the Crimson Scars, a splinter faction within the Dark Brotherhood. He sought to eventually infect the entire Brotherhood with vampirism, but he was betrayed, and the Crimson Scars were forced to flee for their lives.

Then Rada, shortly after his transmigration, gave them a helping hand and incorporated the entire Crimson Scars as his personal intelligence and assassination agency for the Gray Host.

"Now onto the next topic. Has the Thinker Guild progressed with the reverse-engineering of the Dwemer Technology?"

Creation of the Guilds was one of the most important milestones in the development of the Gray Host. Rada understood the need for development in the areas of Magic, Engineering, Technology, Alchemy, and practically everywhere.

For that, he created several Guilds that were ruled by the Council.

One of the things that boggled Rada in his past life was that nobody, during the time periods of millennia, had studied and reverse-engineered the Dwemer Technology properly.

With all that remained...

Which was basically everything that remained. 

Only Dwemers have disappeared, not the knowledge and technology itself. Just with their technology alone, the Dwemers were masters of their regiions, and their machinery worked even several centuries after they disappeared. 

Their self-sustaining cities, while they fell to the ruins, were still working, and the inventions of the Dwemer were something that nobody understood, even many centuries after, or rather, nobody really bothered to understand them properly.

Dwemer Animunculi are mechanical constructs created by the Dwemer. Made out of Dwarven metal, animunculi were used as war machines and guards. Many of them continue to protect the underground ruins of Dwemer cities long after the disappearance of their creators in 1E 700.

Dwemer animunculi function on steam power, Magic and Tonal Architecture.

Constructs around Tamriel, such as in Skyrim and Solstheim, were equipped with individual Soul Gems or dynamo cores, and before they disappeared, the Dwemer had already started producing more advanced Animunculi that were far superior to what they created before.

One could say that Dwemer has mastered the concept of the Magitech to the extreme limits.

"We are progressing smoothly. Fortunately enough, we managed to find several Lexikons before the change of scenery, and most importantly, we have managed to confirm that Arkthzand has one of the most extensive Libraries of the Dwemer Race. Unfortunately, we would need to cross practically the nearest Greymoor Caverns and large parts of the Blackreach to acess the Arkthzand Caverns."

Valerica Volkihar was named as the head of the Thinker Guild, which was overseeing all the engineering, innovation, and other things within the Gray Host. One of their most important tasks, if it wasn't already the most important task, was to reverse engineer the Dwemer Technology for the Gray Host completely.

This would solve many problems for the Gray Host. That way, they would be able to master the enormous power of the Dwemer, able to manufacture their constructs and use them in war, their defenses would be able to defend their homes, or the usage of the constructs in mining was invaluable.

Not to mention the possibility of refining the ores and metals like the Dwemer could.

Yet, that would still take a long time to achieve completely.

"If we could access one of the armories or one of their vaults, it would be the best case scenario... if there is one of such places in the area that was transported to the new world within our part of the Blackreach."

Rada hoped that they would be able to find such a place at least, because opening it was entirely a different matter. As someone who was alive for a very long time and also personally knew the Vampire King Styriche, who lived throughout the entire First Era, he knew the weapon capabilities of the Dwemer the best.

And before the disappearance of the Dwemer, they started experimenting with the Aetherium.

An incredibly rare, luminescent blue crystal found deep underground. The crystal has a strong magical aura, but it is alchemically inert and harmonically volatile, and no known conventional process can enchant, smelt, mold, bind, or break it. It was discovered by the Dwemer of Skyrim in their deepest mines sometime in the First Era, and it is the only known location where it is found.

From the Aetherium, they started creating weapons.

Weapons that someone from the modern age would term as science fiction weapons and energy-based weapons, because they were creating rifles that could shoot condensed Magicka Projectiles.

"From the old records... one of the main Vaults regarding the Aetherium research is located in the Arkthzand. Aside from the Library of the Arkthzand, within the former city, there should also be several Armories and Vaults holding a lot of their latest technology before the Dwemer disappeared."

Not many knew the reason behind the disappearance of the Dwemer.

That the Dwemer disappeared during the Battle of Red Mountain is something of a coincidence, perhaps spurred on by the armies of the Chimer, led by Indoril Nerevar and his generals Voryn Dagoth, Vivec, Almalexia, and Sotha Sil. According to certain historical sources, those four Chimer were far more involved in the event, having fought the Dwemer King Dumac and Kagrenac themselves in the deep caverns beneath Red Mountain, possibly forcing their hands.

At least, that was written in books in the lore...

Which was...

Wrong.

Rada knew that the reason why the Dwemer disappeared was far simpler... one without any schemes, plots, and backstabbing.

In the end, they angered the will of the Gods.

He had access to much of the insider information about the Numidium, the Brass God Project, and that was unacceptable for the Divines. This was something that he had learned from the Vampire King Styriche, who had seen the fall of the Dwemer with his very own eyes and knew the reason behind their fall.

The Dwemer wanted to become Gods themselves.

Like the Aedaras and Daedric Princes.

Something that was taboo.

Among the Aedras and the Daedric Princes, both.

"Well... that's good. But for the time being, we need to assert control over the entire Blackreach first, and we need to do it fast to counter the other kind of possible threats in this world."

Sicne they have been transported to this world, Rada, with his knowledge, couldn't really tell in which world they were... or where exactly they were.

By the presence of Magic practitioners on the surface, it was clear that they were in a world with Magic, and since their arrival, it seemed that the concentration of Magic in the world was increasing.

Which was both good and bad at the same time.

"For that, I have something important to report about."

Exarch Blenwyth stated, speaking because, as the Exarch of Inquisition, he was in charge of intelligence gathering and all related tasks.

"Our spies managed to infiltrate several surrounding kingdoms and cities successfully and obtained approximate maps of the continent where we are located, albeit it is not complete."

As he spoke, the Exarch then created a realistic projection of the map of the continent where they were located, as Rada found the shape of the continent rather familiar for some reason, as he started searching in his memories.

"According to the new threat assessment, only a few kingdoms are a real threat to the Gray Host in the new world. In the northwest lies the Golden Empire of Yi Ti, which is the supposed successor to the mythic Great Empire of the Dawn, which, according to legend, fell during the Long Night. It is ruled by a God-Emperor, who is worshiped as divine, though in the present day, the God-Emperor has little actual power beyond the limits of the capital city. Despite this, the Golden Empire of Yi Ti has very vast armies, and there are many sorcerers in their armies. Overall, the real threat in the Golden Empire of Yi Ti is only their numbers... the real threat is the Valyrian Freehold."

When Rada heard the name 'Valyrian Freehold', he knew immediately where they were, even though his own knowledge of the Song of Ice and Fire was rather poor. He remembered only some things, and none of them were rather particularly useful that much.

Though he knew that the Valyrians were powerful and advanced civilizations that were able to tame Dragons in this world and made many advancements in Magic, blacksmithing, and engineering.

"Now, to make it clear, most of this world is apparently primitive if we compare it to that of Nirn. Natives lack Magic, and the presence of the other species aside from Men has not been confirmed yet. What we managed to confirm is that on the continent of Essos, at least the Western Essos, the Valyrian Freehold is the dominant power."

Exarch Greywyn Blenwyth then showed only the Western Essos with several landmarks, and part of it was covered in red, which was most probably the territory of the Freehold.

"We can take it that these Dragons are not connected to the Dragon God, right?"

Exarch of the Battlemage Legion, Dhaunayne Aundae asked her fellow Exarch. Dhaunayne

Aundae is an Altmer Pure-Blooded Ancient Vampire and the matriarch of the Aundae Clan.

The Aundae Clan was one of the three major vampire bloodlines found on the island of Vvardenfell in Morrowind. The clan consists only of Altmer vampires. The Mages of Aundae are blessed with dark powers of the mind; their path through the darkness relies on their mastery of Magic.

Serana Volkihar, Dhaunayne Aundae, and Bellain Nighthollow were collectively known as Vampire Brides of the Vampire King as all three of them were mates of the Vampire King. 

After Rada has freed the Vampires from the control of Molag Bal and fused with the Dark Heart, there was one fundamental change made to the Vampire Race. They were not technically undead, though they were not entirely alive.

They were now an entirely new form of life. 

So, the Vampires could reproduce by mating as well.

"No... neither do they possess the Immortality of the Dragons of Nirn nor could they speak with Thu'um. Though once they evolve into Adulthood, they are dangerous foes that are bigger than most dragons of Nirn, and they are impervious to most, if not all, mundane means of attack. According to our research during the past year, only a powerful Magic or weapon could slay them... obviously not counting the other Dragons."

As the Exarch of the Inquisition was explaining all of this, all of the members of the Pale Council had the same thought running through their minds. Aside from the threat that the Freehold represented, if the Host could control the Dragons...

They would have the power of the Dragon on their side and could also obtain a steady supply of the Dragon Blood on which they could feed. For the Vampires, the Blood was essential food, not only to sustain their very own existence but also to become stronger. 

"They cannot use them against us, as long as we remain within the Blackreach for most of the part... unless they teleport them to the Cavern directly. Can't our spies obtain some unhatched eggs?"

This time it was Hierarch of the Alchemy Guild, Lady Essain, who spoke.

Lady Essenia, known by her title of Blood Queen, is a master alchemist and was the high chamberlain of Greymoor Keep. Essenia is an Ancient Pure-Blooded Vampire, and prior to Rada al-Saran's arrival, she ruled over Greymoor Keep.

If there is one word that Rada would use to describe her it would be "Mad Scientist".

Though that were two words and not one.

Nevertheless, that was what she was.

And it fit her perfectly.

Lady Essenia is credited with the creation of Chaotica Vampiris, a strain of vampirism that only infects those already afflicted with vampirism. The afflicted are transformed into Bloodknights.

Bloodknights are an alchemically altered strain of vampires who absorb the power of other vampires. They are larger, stronger and faster than normal vampires. Bloodknights have a difficult time restraining their more base instincts, giving them a beast-like quality.

After Rada's transmigration, he allowed Essenia to continue refining her research, and she succeeded in perfecting the Bloodknight Transformation by a great degree by imitating some powers of the Vampire Lords and Pure-Blooded Vampires.

She was the one who stood behind most of the Alchemical progress within the Gray Host.

"Unfortunately, not. The eggs are either guarded by the Dragons in their nests or are under the protection of the Dragonlords of the Freehold. Dragonlords are the dragon-riding, most powerful nobles of the Valyrian Freehold. All of their members are powerful combatants and Mages that wouldn't be inferior to those of our old world."

Hearing this didn't really surprise anyone because all that had something in their brain would protect something so precious like the Dragon Eggs with everything that they had. Entering the Nest of the Dragon would be a death sentence even for the stronger members of the Gray Host.

Right now in the Host, there were only a few people who could achieve such a feat, like battling and slaying Dragons, and Rada didn't want to risk their lives for something so uncertain like obtaining unhatched eggs of the Dragons.

"Though... there is another way to obtain the Dragons for the Gray Host, albeit it would be more dangerous, yet at the same time it would be far simpler."

Taming and obtaining Dragons was something that had been theorized long ago, even in Nirn, but due to the fact that the Dragons of Nirn were fully sentient and extremely arrogant, it was impossible to achieve.

Yet in this world, it was achieved by humans.

Of all kinds.

"There are two ways. One would be to go out and tame some of the Wild Dragons. The Valyrain Freehold has existed for many millennia, and there are many Wild Dragons living all around the Freehold's Mountain Ranges, or in the distant shores of Sothoryos and Ulthos. The second method would be to turn some of the Valyrians into Vampires through the good old promises of power and immortality."

Well, that was something that everyone could work with. This was also the standart method for the Vampiric Development 101 because the promises of eternal life were too tempting for the feeble mortal minds. 

"We can start with the first one. Once the situation in the homeland stabilizes, I will personally lead the expedition to find some Wild Dragons. The second method though... proceed very carefully. We don't know the exact capabilities of these Dragonlord Families and what Magics they may or may not have at their disposal."

Rada knew that the Dragonlord Families that had existed for many millennia must also be very powerful, and even though this world could be trembled as a Low-Magic Plane of Oblivion compared to the Nirn, Rada didn't dare to underestimate anyone.

"I ordered my agents to act with utmost caution already. There is something disturbing that we managed to find about the Dragonlords, because the true Dragonlords are told to be very powerful Mages and their bond with their Dragon allows them to possess some of the draconic characteristics like higher affinity for Magic, longer lifespan, or higher physical strength."

Exarch of the Inquisition Greywyn Blenwyth stated that he was too cautious about the Dragonlord Families of the Valyrian Freehold for this exact reason. There was nothing wrong with being cautious of the situation, and nobody wanted to attract the attention of the Freehold too early.

"Do as usual. For the time being, we will approach the Dragonlords with the same caution like the more powerful mortals on Nirn."

Rada said as he looked at the Exarch of the Inquisition, who nodded. It was mostly probable that the Dragonlords had many powerful mages in their ranks, which meant they would have a lot of power to fight against the Gray Host.

And this was notwithstanding the Dragons that the Dragonlords commanded.

"If there isn't anything to discuss, I am ending the meeting. The next meeting of the Council would take place once our forces are ready to march into the rest of the Greymoor Caverns."

Rada then ended the meeting as everyone started leaving the council room, aside from Serana, Dhaunayne Aundae, and Bellain Nighthollow. All three of them were Rada's mates and also the highest-ranking members of the Gray Host, even compared to the other Councilmen of the Pale Council.

"Well... there goes our ideal weak world that would be dominated by the Gray Host."

Serena remarked drily because the existence of the Valyrian Freehold meant that the almost free rein of the Gray Host in this world had ended.

Right now, the Gray Host has been in this world for three years already, and they have been very careful in their steps. Rada was very cautious, not wanting to repeat the mistakes of his predecessor, and he also felt the weight of responsibility.

It seemed that his cautiousness had really paid off. 

Some of the Pale Council wanted to expand more aggressively, especially on the surface, when they realized that the Shadow Lands were permanently covered in the shadows, and that they were a natural habitat for the children of the night.

Bat ones and also the wolf ones.

Yet, Rada held them back because he wasn't sure of what they could face in this world. 

And now...

"You don't need to look so smug about this."

Dhaunayne Aundae said as she was the one who was advocating for a stronger military approach against the surface of the new world. Like the rest of the Aundae Clan, she was most militant and wanted to start a crusade against the rest of the Shadow Lands as soon as they learned that the Mages of the outside world were much weaker.

"I am not smug... but you should be aware that we need to be cautious about everything we make. We don't know where we are and how strong the natives of this world are. One of the reasons why the Gray Host would be unsuccessful in our endeavors was the overreaching arrogance of the Vampires and Werebeasts."

Rada knew that Vampires were inherently arrogant creatures. Though... it was no wonder due to their powers. They were physically more powerful, were immortal, and could live indefinitely if they were not killed.

Their affinity for Magic was top-notch, and the purer and stronger the Bloodlines were...

Yet, Rada also knew that it was their doom in most of the cases. Even if he merged with the Dark Heart with the help of Meridia and Akatosh, unfortunately, this more problematic personal trait was something that didn't disappear.

"So, what should we do?"

Sometime between the Merethic Era, and the second century of the First Era, the curse of vampirism was first unleashed upon Tamriel by Molag Bal. The first vampire clans would later emerge within the province and migrate beneath the surface to establish their own empires within Blackreach.

One of these clans was the Nighthollow, who discovered the Dark Heart and started harnessing its power in some way. Albeit in a very crude manner, they managed to harvest the Void Energy from the Dark Heart.

They became reliant on its Void Energy for sustenance and consequently became unable to gain nourishment through blood. Before they became reliant on Void Energy, they ruled the Reach above from the depths of Blackreach, and were dubbed the Night Lords by the ancestors of modern Reachfolk.

His third bride, Belain Nighthollow, became the Matriarch of the Nighthollow Clan and sought a way to purge this curse from their line, and it only happened due to Rada's help, though the remaining parts of the Void Curse were mended by the Akatosh when Rada helped to save Nirn from Molag Bal.

"Nothing. I don't want to risk conflict between the Gray Host and Valyrians right now. We have more than enough problems already with the situation in the Greymoor Caverns and surrounding areas of Blackreach that were transported to this world with us."

Their information about the Valyrians was scarce, though it was clear that they were powerful, and fire was a bane of the Vampires and Werebeasts.

And they had more than enough of fire.

"I will return to the Temple of the Divine Blood."

Belain was holding the position of Vicar of the Cult of Divine Blood, which was a religious organization within the Gray Host that worshipped some of the Eight Divines and some of the friendly Daedric Princes. 

This was something that Rada created because he knew that their faction needed the backing of the Gods if they wanted to prosper. And by making an enemy, a mortal enemy of Molag Bal, having some backing was something that was desperately needed.

"Have you managed to get in contact?"

Rada asked as all of them turned their eyes on Belain as she gave them a slow nod, which caused both relief and distress.

This meant that this world, Planetos, was another Plane of Oblivion or Plane of Existence.

Within the Aurbis exist a multitude of different planes of existence, from the well-known mortal realm of Mundus and the planes of the Daedric Princes, to the mysterious Oblivion pocket realms and the magical planes of Aetherius.

The term Outer Realms usually refers to Aetherius and Oblivion together, but may also include a number of "other, less structured forms" in the Aurbis. Rada suspected that Planetos was the Plane of Existence located somewhere at the outskirts of Aurbis, but still within the influence of the Akatosh.

"And the rising levels of Magicka? Did the mages uncover the reason?"

On the first day when they appeared in the Planetos, the levels of Magicka in the enviroment were abnormally low, but over time, it was growing. 

Slowly... but steadily.

Over the three years, the growth was relatively noticeable.

"Yes. Mother managed to confirm that Planetos is connected to the Soul Cairn and Grayhaven. Neither of them is good news, but at least, we confirmed that Magicka is leaking from these Planes into the Planetos and slowly increasing the Magicka Levels in the world and also resetting the Leylines."

The Soul Cairn is a realm of Oblivion filled with the trapped souls of the dead. Rather than being ruled over by any Daedric Prince, it is controlled by mysterious beings that call themselves the Ideal Masters. 

Grayhaven is a lost realm of Oblivion located deep in the Void, beyond the reach of the Princes of Oblivion as well as the inhabitants of Mundus. It is a realm of shattered stone and chaotic creatia, where the sky glows green with Void Energy.

"Is the connection natural or man-made?"

One realm is in Oblivion, and one realm is in the Void.

"We are not sure, but it's young and was most probably created during the time when Gray Host appeared in the Shadow Lands."

Serana's mother, Valerica Volkihar, was Hierarch of the Thinker Guild, which was one of the Guilds of the Gray Host that dealt with Thinkering. Essentially, they were researching Magic and Technology.

"Well... that's a very nice thing to hear..."

Rada muttered sarcastically because none of this was particularly good news. Though, still... if the world was getting stronger in terms of Magic density, it was also a good thing for Vampires.

"So, who wants to have some fun before work?"

***

Blackreach, Blackreach: Greymoor Caverns, Passage to the Lighthless Hollow, Military Outpost, One Week Later

The Castle that was constructed at the passage to the Lighthless Hollow was swarming with the Death Dealers from the Death Dealer Legion. Once the Pale Council reached an agreement and the Vampire King issued the order, the Death Dealer Legionaries started gathering at the borders between the cavern passages.

The Hierarch Volkihar gave out orders, and they marched. 

Every part of their bodies was covered in thick, intricately designed metal plates, including a full-face helm with a fierce, predatory look. The armor was dark, rugged, and ornamented with sharp, aggressive lines that give it an intimidating presence, ideal for a tank or a frontline warrior.

The gauntlets, greaves, and pauldrons are all robustly built to endure sustained combat, while the aesthetic details suggest a noble yet brutal warrior tradition. The armor of the Vampires was strong, as it was beautifully crafted in an exquisite manner.

The Vampires were not alone, as many Werewolves in their transformed form were walking among them, wearing similar armors to the Vampires, though they were much bulkier and they were covering them from their tips to toes.

The Legion that was preparing to enter the Lighthless Hollow in a few weeks was the 1st Legion, the most elite of the elites. 

They were also called, Legion Zero.

They were the strongest soldiers of the Vampires and Werebeasts of the entire Gray Host.

The Legion Zero was commanded by General Faolchu, the Invincible.

Faolchu the Changeling was a general of the Alessian Order who was cursed with lycanthropy. Faolchu had a reputation for being nigh invulnerable in battle, earning him the nickname the Invincible General and the Invincible One.

He was killed at the Battle of Glenumbra Moors while a fire was raging around him.

Faolchu was resurrected in 2E 582 by Angof the Gravesinger, with the intention of having him serve Molag Bal, taking the title Faolchu the Reborn. He was then recruited by Rada when he was wreaking havoc in Glenumbra and was made into Rada's right hand in military matters.

"The preparations are nearly complete. We are awaiting for the Divisions from the Battlemage Legion to arrive, including several members of the Drakenhof Templars who would be spearheading the advance."

Drakenhof Templars was a Knightly Order that was created by Rada shortly after he trasmigrated, and it consisted of the strongest members of the Gray Host that were carefully selected to be the best of the best.

In the hierarchy of the Gray Host, they were in charge of protecting the Vampire King, Pale Council, and Greymoor Keep itself. Their numbers were pretty low, no more than three hundred, but they were a genuine knightly order, and they took their Oaths very seriously.

"Excellent. Tell the Legate Victus that from tomorrow, they could start cleaning out the passage, carefully, and prepare for the eventual full-scale invasion. We were given the Lightless Hollow because it is the place where the concentration of the Falmers is highest, and it would be one of hell's fights."

The soldier saluted the General as he scrambled away to carry out the orders. 

Meanwhile, General Faolchu looked in the direction of the Lightless Hollow as he sighed, because this would start the expansion into the entire area of the Blackreach that was in this world.

For the past years, they have been systematically cleaning the core area of the Greymoor Caverns from any Falmer, Animunculi, and monster presence. In a few weeks, they would be marching to conquer the rest of the Greymoor Caverns.

Around seven years ago, King Rada, who was then still just Lord Rada, started making drastic reforms to the Gray Host, and they were even very often cleaning the surrounding areas of the Greymoor Keep.

Though, since they have been transported into this new world, they were not doing anything, because they were making changes to some of their internal problems and structure. This led to Falmers overpopulating in many areas that were not directly part of the Greymoor's core, and now, they were paying it back, it seemed.

"Hopefully, Battlemages will arrive as soon as possible."

Even though every Vampire could use Magic, the Battlemages of the Battlemage Legion were on an entirely different level. He was informed that Hierarch Dhaunayne Aundae would be sending Magus-General to act personally against the Falmer, as they would need some really heavy firepower.

The forces of the Gray Host needed to cover huge territory, as the Blackreach: Greymoor Caverns were enormous.

Blackreach or Fal'Zhardum Din in the Dwemer language, the Blackest Kingdom Reaches is an immense cavern complex located deep beneath the Pale, Winterhold, Hjaalmarch, Haafingar, the Reach, and possibly extending across all Nine Holds within Skyrim. Though since the fall of the Dwemer, nobody really knew the true extent of the Blackreach.

If one counted the areas that were reaching Morrowind, Hammerfall, and parts of the Northern Cyrodiil, and some areas of the High Rock, then the size of the entire Blackreach was more than one and a half million square kilometers.

The entire Blackreach was divided into the Zones, and Greymoor Cavern was one of the bigest zone with size of several hundred thousand square kilometers that the forces of the Gray Host needed to patrol

This was something unprecedented, because previously, the forces of the Gray Host were congregating only in a few points of interest within the Greymoor Cavern, and the rest was left as it was.

There were many giant glowing mushrooms growing throughout the cavern, providing natural light.

The cavern was rich in minerals, including rare geode veins, and a subterranean river flows through it. Originally settled by the first vampire clans and later the Dwemer, Blackreach once served as a highway connecting several of the Dwemeri cities found within Skyrim and Morrowind.

"Once the Greemoor Cavern is completely secured, we can march onto the Arkthzand Cavern and secure the Arkthzand Library and the former Nighthollow Keep."

Nighthollow Keep was a keep found deep in the eastern end of Blackreach: Arkthzand Cavern. It is the home of the Nighthollow Clan, but it was abandoned because it was far from the Greemoor Keep, so the Nighthollow Clan abandoned it several decades ago when the Gray Host realized that they needed to centralize their forces.

If the Nighthollow Keep was attacked, then the chances of reinforcements arriving on time were very low due to the huge distance and the fact that there was a huge swath of area between the Greemoor Castle and Nighthollow Keep that had not been cleared and was under the control of the Gray Host.

General Faolchu then went on an inspection of the Fort like usual to personally oversee the preparations for the conquest of the problematic areas within the Greymoor Caverns.

***

Greymoor Castle, Training Yard

As usual, like during most of the days during this time, Rada was training in swordsmanship against one of his mates. More precisely, he was training against Serana, who was rather an apt swordswoman herself.

Rada, as Swordmaster and Sword Singer, was like death incarnate with the sword, and this was him, even if he wasn't using his Shehai, the Spirit Sword, which was his strongest weapon on his part.

Both of them were clashing in the deadly dance.

Another advantage that the Vampires had over the mortal races was due to their longevity. If the Vampire decided to continue honing his craft, they were frightening opponents. Who wouldn't, if they were training for several centuries straight away?

Serana was something that could be termed as a Spellsword, because she was fighting using Magic and a sword as one. And she was rather deadly at that, as a Pure-Blooded Vampire and Daughter of the Coldharbour who was turned directly by Molag Bal.

"We should be ending the spar."

Rada said as he landed on the ground. Their spars were rather lighthearted because neither of them was fighting with their full power or using their Vampire Lord form, which was the strongest card of the Pure-Blooded Vampires.

The Vampires had a rather strict hierarchy that must be respected and followed by all.

On the top were the Pure-Blooded Vampires. These ones were who were given their "gift" directly by Molag Bal are known as Pure-Blooded vampires. Female Fure-Bloods are called Daughters of Coldharbour. Pure-Blooded Vampires wield far greater power than the average vampire.

Due to their unique nature, pure-bloods enjoy greater status among their kind, and some hold their "half-breed" descendants in low regard. Pure-Bloods are a likely source for the various strains of vampire bloodlines, as the varieties of vampirism the Daedric Prince endows vary from individual to individual.

Now, with Rada assimialting the Dark Heart with help of Akatosh and Meridia, there was also the "Rank" of the Vampire Primogenitor, who took the former position of Molag Bal, as he was the originator of all.

The number of Pure-Blooded Vampires was very low. All of them bore the official title of either Vampire Elder or the Noble Title of Duke.

Below the Pure-Bloods, were the Vampire Lords. Vampire Lords had the Vampire Lord Form, and they were directly created either by Molag Bal or now Rada. One could say, that they were something in between the Pure-Blooded Vampire and other Vampires.

All Pure-Bloods were Vampire Lords, but not all Vampire Lords were initially Pure-Blooded Vampires. Vampire Lords were also divined into the nobility of Viscounts, Counts, and Marquises, depending on their age and power.

Below the Vampire Lords were the Blood Scions. These were the Vampires who managed to awaken their Bloodline and obtained the Blood Scion Form, a weaker version of the Vampire Lord Form, but still giving them tremendous power. In the Gray Host, the Blood Scions bore the title of Baron.

Then there were ordinary Vampires.

"Are you going to participate personally in the expedition?"

Serana asked as they stopped fighting, because it had already been decided that Serana, as Hierarch of the Death Dealer Legion, was going to lead the charge against one of the major Falmer settlements.

There were tens of thousands of Falmers, and like any high-ranking members of the Gray Host who commanded the greatest power, it was almost required of her to participate in the Expedition.

"Yes. I will go directly to the Scraps. The Dwemer ruin has some really powerful automatons in there."

Rada knew that some of these ruins had very powerful Dwemer Animunculi that would be even too much for Vampire Lords to handle. Unfortunately, during the purge that Rada conducted, a lot of powerful Vampires or Werebeasts were killed by him.

Not many were keen on accepting the new reforms that Rada was going to implement, and some took offense to Rada going to take up the mantle of the Vampire King. Previously, the Gray Host was working very loosely, and despite the fact that Canon Rada was the leader of the Gray Host, he didn't have absolute authority.

"The Scraps served as a manufacturing plant for the Dwemer Animunculi. If we take it, we would have acess to one of the last functioning manufacturing plants of the Dwemer, and perhaps we can start creating our own."

It was Rada's greatest desire to incorporate the Dwemer Animnculi into the forces of the Gray Host. They would be able to act as the vanguard in their armies and also to patrol the territories, which would free most of the soldiers from the patrol duty.

"Hopefully it's not a Collosus or Dynastor... especially the ones with the latest Aetherium tech."

Serana remarked with a worried tone of voice for her mate, because the Dwemer Colossi and Dynastors were some of the strongest Animunculi that the Dwemer had ever created. Even in their base state, these contraptions were powerful enough to kill even some Vampire Lords.

The destructive prowess of the Dwemer Colossi and Dynastors was no joke even when comapred to some top powerhouses of the Tamriel, considering the fact that they were just a machines. 

But Dwemer Colossi and Dynastors functioning on the Aetherium?

Rada thought that he would be able to destroy them, but he would need to enter the Vampire Lord Form or use his Shehai. Anyhting that was running on the Aetherium was far more powerful than it should be.

"Don't mention it... the last one Colossi that I fought was rather deadly foe."

THe last Dwemer Colossi that Rada fought was proabyl the clsoest he was to death. It was shortly after he had tramsingirated and he was getting grasps on his power. Forutnealy his msucle memory was still there, togehter with his Magic that eagerly answered his call.

"After we deal with the problems down here, we can then turn our attention to the outside world."

Rada knew that once the entire Blackreach was under the control of Gray Host, they could turn their attention to the surface. Right now, they controlled only the Stygai, but their control didn't reach the rest of the Vale of Shadows.

"That's true... but the fact that there is Dremora Clan living in the Vale of Shadows is rather bad news and we would need to deal with them sooner or later if we want to expand further within the Shadow Lands."

Serana, as Hierarch of the Death Dealer Legion, was coordinating the military forces of the entire Gray Host, be it down here in the subterranean world or on the surface.

The Vale of Shadows was a river valley in the Shadow Lands northeast of Asshai. The valley is a narrow cleft in the mountains through which the river Ash passes on its way from the Mountains of the Morn to the Jade Sea. The mountain cliffs were so high and steep that it is said no light falls within the valley except at noon.

Demons and Dragons and worse things were said to live in caves in the cliffs. The scouts of the Gray Host already verified these rumors, and it seemed that indeed, the Vale of Shadows was home to several enormous Dragons, most probably Great Wyrms based on their age.

And there was even Dremora Clan living in the depths of the Vale, which wouzldn't be easy thing to extermiante, espeicalyl with the already thin-strethced forces of the Gray Host down in the Blackreach.

Dremora, also known as the Kyn, were a warlike Daedric race primarily associated with the Daedric Prince of Destruction, Mehrunes Dagon. They are often found in the service of other Daedra lords, such as Molag Bal and Mehrunes Dagon who were most famous for having an allegiance of Dremora Clans.

They are commonly encountered throughout the planes of Oblivion, and they can be found almost everywhere in Oblivion and even overall in the Planes of Existence. Dremora are known to be highly intelligent beings, and make capable warriors and mages.

"Did the scouts confirm the size of the Clan and how long they have been here? Perhaps the patronage in the form of Daedric Prince?"

Rada was informed about the Dremora Clan the moment when the Gray Host took control of Stygai, as they encountered a few hundred Dremoras in Stygai when the Legionaries cleaned out the accursed city.

Dremora society was a class-based clan system that upheld values of oaths, pride, honor, and loyalty, both to the clan and to the Daedric Prince they serve, whom they also venerate as a God. Dremora culture was also on training and preparing for battle and war.

What was problematic with the Clans was their numbers. 

There were Dremora Clans that were relatively small and had only a few hundred or thousands of members. But there were also huge Dremora Clans that had tens of thousands of members and were forces of nature.

"We don't know. From the mortals in Stygai that are now subjects of the Gray Host, we managed to gather that Dremoras have been here for at least several centuries, which meant that some Daedric Prince needed to send them here. Unfortunately, we couldn't uncover their Master or their numbers, but some old mortal sorcerers from Stygai told us that there are at least ten thousand Dremoras in the depths of the Vale of Shadows."

Rada visibly grimaced at the thought of fighting more than ten thousand Dremoras. Every single Dremora was a master combatant and they were also highly proficient in various forms of Magic, especially the Destruction Magic. 

This wasn't the most ideal situation, especially if he considered their weapons and armor. 

Daedric Armors and weapons were some of the most sought-after items in the Nirn, because they were one of the toughest and strongest. They were also highly magical and enchanted to banish back to the Plane of Oblivion once the Dremora wearing them was killed.

"Don't provoke them for the time being. In the end, what is happening on the surface is not our problem for the time being. According to all information, Stygai is in the depths of the Shadow Lands, and the number of people that reach these ends per year could be counted on one hand."

Now that Rada learned that they were in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, in the era where the Valyrian Freehold dominated the entirety of Essos and with Magicka leaking into the Planetos, Rada became rather wary.

He knew that the Valyrians were dangerous even without the high density of Magicka in the enviroment... he could now imagine how much power the Valyrians would gain once the Magic Levels started rising all around the world in a few decades.

Hopefully, they would repeat the same mistakes as in canon and perish in the Doom of Valyrian. 

At least, that would solve some problems for them.

Then he could send some forces of the Gray Host to excavate what has remained from the Freehold.

"I know... Verandis is doing ratehr ghood job at reigning in anyone who wanted to leave Stygai for the wider Shadow Lands. There are still some of the Host who are discontent that you have issued an order that forbids anyone from leaving the territory of the Host."

Serana, despite her relatively young age, was rather experienced and knew how to provoke and whom not to provoke. She was aware that whatever the Dremora Clan was dwelling in the Vale of Shadows was no good news for the Gray Host, and until they conquered the entire Blackreach, making a move against them was plainly stupid.

The Gray Host moved into the Greymoor Cavern only a few years before the Interregnum, and nobody particularly bothered with actually cleaning out the entire Cavern. Previously, they were rather content with keeping things as they were and controlling only a few essential points of interest.

Greymoor Keep was previously controlled by Lady Essenia. Powerful Pure-Blooded Vampire Elder who was originally the master of the Castle. She willingly relinquished her rule of Greymoor Keep to Rada al-Saran, allowing her to focus more on research and experimentation. 

But unforutnmy, she wasn't the best caretaker of the Castle.

Essenia focused more on her research than anything, so she never bothered with cleaning out the Cavern or securing it entirely.