I think that, at this point in the story, it would be a good idea to run a poll.
To be honest, the timeline of this story is mostly complete. It follows the events of the show for the most part, only changing what's necessary due to the butterfly effect.
But when it comes to the ending… I'm still planning it. Why? Because the show's ending was garbage.
The Long Night lasted barely a week, and the Night King's death was stupid and anticlimactic. Not to mention, it rendered all the damn prophecies everyone had been following completely meaningless. (Which, honestly, isn't even the biggest issue—but I like when a prophecy, even if not fulfilled literally, finds meaning through another perspective or interpretation.)
So I've been thinking about what to do with the Night King, and I think it'd be a good idea to discuss it with readers (besides the poll I've already posted on Patreon).
First: I'm unsure whether I should put the Night King on the same level as Vlad. Because, to begin with, Vlad is really strong—strong enough to easily kill adult dragons. And while making the Night King that powerful could be interesting, it might feel too convenient and wouldn't make much sense based on what we know about him.
Second: the most obvious idea, but also the one I like the least. Nerf Vlad and the vampires in general while they're within the Night King's "domain," to make the fight more balanced.
Third: and the option I'm most convinced by. Have the Night King increase his power in another way. For example, let him hide and evolve into some kind of undead hive mind. Or a classic Lich, hiding his phylactery, making him virtually immune to physical attacks. Only magical attacks would work—and those could be logically weakened within the Night King's "domain," since all of Vlad's magic (except for his blood control, which is mostly physical) comes from Westeros: blood magic, runes, pyromancy, etc.
In that case, we could have Vlad "hold off" the Night King while others are sent to find and destroy the phylactery to kill him for good. That would give us a reasonable explanation for why Vlad doesn't just kill him outright.
I'd also like to explore the Night King's background and his connection to the gods from two different angles:
First: the classic one. He's an entity created by the god of cold, with the sole purpose of wiping out all life in the world. Honestly, I don't like this approach. It's overused, too cliché. And it would require introducing gods as actively interfering beings, which I really dislike.
Second: my favorite. The White Walkers and the Night King are just constructs made by the Children of the Forest through rituals and magic. A kind of magical artificial intelligence, created with one single directive: "end the war with humans as soon as possible and prevent future wars." Of course, the command was interpreted loosely, and the entity—more of basic intelligence than something truly sentient—concluded that the best way to fulfill its mission was to eliminate all life in the world.
I like this option better because it makes it clear that the whole disaster was caused by arrogance and stupidity, not by pompous deities.
It would also allow me to take a different approach to the gods, which I prefer: treating them as non-personified entities. More like forces of nature shaped by collective consciousness, which sometimes respond to certain stimuli through the channeling of will—that is, magic.
I also want to make it clear that, while all opinions are appreciated and will be taken into account, I reserve the right to use only the ideas I feel the best suit my creative process.
So, we'll run the poll:
1. Make the Night King as strong as Vlad, through some Deux ex machina.
2. Nerf Vlad and all vampires in the Night King's "domain."
3. Increase the Night King's level more consistently. Make him an Undead hive Mind, a Lich (Hide his phylactery), or both.
Origin of the Night King:
1. Origin of the Night King: Gods
2. Origin of the Night King: Children of the Forest (Magic and Rituals, (Magical Artificial Intelligence))