Chapter 143

When Commander Mormont initially decided to separate Aegor's hired helpers from the "legitimate members of the Night's Watch," Aegor had been briefly frustrated, suspecting that his infiltration plan had been uncovered. However, as the Night's Watch industries began to flourish exponentially, his perspective began to shift.

The few hundred professional soldiers of the Watch were indeed a formidable force, but the overall quality of the recruits was too mixed. In truth, only the rangers could be considered as having the combat capability of a true professional army. Compared to attempting to influence this diverse and dubious group, wouldn’t it be better to cultivate a cleaner, wholly loyal, and more capable force of his own?

Aegor had long planned to establish his first stronghold in the Gift. Yet, it was only when he received the four thousand gold dragons a few days ago that he had the confidence to officially commence construction. And this decision had nothing to do with the excuses he had given the pyromancers about providing a base for wildfire production. In reality, "building a site for wildfire production" was just one of many pretexts for taking over Queenscrown.

Since Mormont intended to keep the logistics division separate from the Night's Watch proper, Aegor saw an opportunity to play along and take it further. He would create an organization that, while appearing to be part of the Night's Watch, was in truth independent—a force that could one day even rival the Watch itself.

Of course, such treasonous thoughts could never be spoken aloud. Establishing a quasi-autonomous entity within the Gift was a bold move that bordered on claiming land and titles, a leap forward in Westeros' game of power. It required careful planning and plausible justifications to succeed.

Aegor prepared three primary arguments: Since the Commander had ordered that the logistics division’s mercenaries be trained outside Castle Black, a dedicated location was necessary. As he had explained to the pyromancers, transporting wildfire from King's Landing to the Wall was impractical. The Gift, with its cold yet stable climate, was the perfect place for producing and storing wildfire. Given the vast quantity of supplies required, especially perishable goods like grain and meat, purchasing them directly in the North and transporting them to the Wall was far more time- and cost-efficient than relying on southern shipments, as confirmed by Nina’s calculations.

These reasons all pointed to the same conclusion: the Night's Watch logistics division needed a base of operations within the Gift, close to the North but under the Watch’s jurisdiction.

Queenscrown, located just south of Castle Black, near the Kingsroad and at the geometric center of the Gift, was Aegor’s chosen site. Its central location offered equal access to the eastern and western ends of the Wall, allowing for rapid troop deployments, wildfire deliveries, and supply shipments. It also provided convenient connections to the rest of the North.

The site had long been abandoned, but Aegor had once visited it during his journey south with Tyrion. The basic infrastructure, including roads and buildings, was largely intact, saving substantial construction costs. Most importantly, its "abandoned" status left Mormont with little reason to deny Aegor’s request—what objection could the Commander have to the logistics division taking over an empty village to better support the Wall?

As Tyrion once said, this was an open scheme. Unless Mormont suddenly lost his senses and chose to jeopardize the greater good just to oppose Aegor, he could only watch as Aegor methodically executed his plans, steadily climbing to a position of equal power.
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"Sounds nice in theory," Harlin scoffed. A seasoned survivor of dynastic changes, he wasn’t so easily swayed by Aegor’s visions. "We’ll see what it’s like when we get there. Even if I trust your intentions, Lord Quartermaster, you’ll need to properly settle us pyromancers, as well as our apprentices and assistants, before we’ll agree to follow your lead!"

"Very well. Whatever the Alchemists’ Guild requires, let me know, and I’ll do my best to fulfill it," Aegor replied confidently, bolstered by his newfound wealth.

But after hearing Harlin’s description of the guild’s situation, Aegor realized the problem was far more complicated than he had anticipated. What he had thought was a bargain might actually be a burden.
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The state of the Alchemists’ Guild was even worse than Aegor had imagined. During the chaos of the Lannister army’s betrayal and the fall of King’s Landing, many pyromancers were killed or went missing, leaving the guild devastated. Afterward, Robert Baratheon ordered them to manage the vast stores of wildfire hidden beneath the city—a mandatory task that ensured the remaining pyromancers were bound to this dangerous duty until their deaths.

The guild received no funding for this work. They were unpaid, and failure could cost them their lives. While the mandate itself wasn’t unreasonable, Robert’s refusal to provide financial support effectively doomed the guild. Stripped of their wealth by the Lannisters during the sack of the city, the once-prestigious pyromancers and their families had been reduced to worrying about their next meal.

Those with means and connections had long since fled. The remaining locals, old and unskilled, had no choice but to scrape by. Younger apprentices and assistants found odd jobs around the city, while the pyromancers themselves resorted to illegally selling wildfire to survive.

Aegor had even participated in one of these illicit transactions. Even Tyrion knew of these dealings, and with Varys as his spymaster, Robert surely did as well. But the King, short on funds himself, had no inclination to interfere.
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"Proper settlement" involved addressing both the group remaining in King’s Landing and those moving to the Gift. After much negotiation, Aegor reached an agreement with the two cunning pyromancers.

The wildfire stored in King’s Landing would be sealed, with the cellars flooded and reinforced. The families of the guild members would be given jobs in the new workshops and factories Aegor planned to establish for household goods and cosmetics. All equipment and facilities in the guild hall would be cleared, packed, and shipped to the North at Aegor’s expense.

Queenscrown would also need a new, reliable wildfire workshop. It would replicate the stone chambers of the guild hall in King’s Landing, designed to collapse and extinguish fires in case of an accident, ensuring the pyromancers could work safely.

Finally, there was the matter of compensation. While Robert had ordered the pyromancers to serve the Night’s Watch, the guild was not a government institution. They needed incentives to cooperate. Aegor implemented a salary and reward system based on the Night’s Watch logistics division, slightly adjusted to sweeten the deal. This quickly won over the two elder pyromancers, whose attitudes shifted dramatically.

To demonstrate his sincerity and capability, Aegor even asked for the pyromancers’ residential addresses and promised to deliver the first round of settlement funds personally.
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After sending the once-hostile pyromancers back in high spirits, Aegor estimated that relocating the Alchemists’ Guild to the Gift would cost at least a hundred gold dragons upfront—excluding future salaries and bonuses. Establishing his own power base had only just begun, and already, Aegor was learning the meaning of "spending money like water."

Not long after, the King’s messenger arrived at the Night’s Watch office.
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"Aegor West," the young Red Keep attendant announced arrogantly, "by the command of King Robert, the Alchemists’ Guild has been informed and should be reporting to you shortly." Oblivious to the fact that the pyromancers had already come and gone, he added, "Additionally, I bring this decree signed and sealed by both the Hand of the King and the Master of Coin. From this day forward, all activities personally overseen by you will be permanently exempt from taxation in Westeros. However," he added with a smirk, "the Master of Coin reminds you that this exemption only applies to taxes owed to the Iron Throne. Regional taxes imposed by the lords of the Seven Kingdoms may still apply."

"Understood, understood. Thank you for the reminder. Here, take this," Aegor said, slipping a few silver coins into the attendant’s hand. "Buy something nice for your horse. It must be exhausted after a day of running errands. This decree couldn’t have come at a better time. By the way, any word on when the King himself might return to King’s Landing?"

The messenger coughed and pocketed the coins. "That I couldn’t say. But the situation in the Vale has been resolved, so I imagine it’ll be within the next two or three days."