Exaltation - A Complete Post of Everything That Has Happened So Far(TRADEMARKED)
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Exaltation - A Complete Post of Everything That Has Happened So Far(TRADEMARKED)
This quest is a port of the SB version, and I've now compiled what I've posted into one massive ensemble. Hope you guys enjoy it, and don't feel too daunted by all of this. We are still in the beginning, believe it or not...
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CHARACTER CREATION
You, Jon Snow, slowly rose from your bed, before moving to the water bowl in your room and splashing your face with it, letting the water wash over your face, as you realized what day it was. It was your eighth nameday. The thought excited you, but you managed to keep yourself collected, taking the time to look down in the water, trying to make out your reflection.
You frowned as you watched your appearance fluctuate in the rippling water, before shrugging, quickly drying your face with a cloth, before leaving your room, thinking, as you usually did when you were on your own. As you did so, you thought on your ambition. The thing that drove you to keep quiet, and to not explode in anger when it got too much. So… What is your ambition?
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CHARACTER CREATION - II
You wanted to be an explorer, you remembered. You wanted to find out the secrets of Old Valyria, discover what lay beyond the Sunset Sea… You wanted to become more then just your father's bastard. You wanted to be more then Robb's bastard brother. You wanted to become something incredible, someone that people would talk about for centuries to come.
You had almost distractedly walked into Sansa and Jeyne's little group, that all immediately quieted at your approach, going red in the cheeks. Even Sansa, which unnerved you, regardless of what you thought of your sister. You didn't even know why they reacted like that at your approach.
"Jon," Sansa asked, being the first to recover, looking like the proper prim little lady, in her small dress and her wide blue eyes. "We were going to break our fast… Would you like to come with us?"
The thought of accompanying your sister (who is the only one who seems to want to talk), makes you...
Despite your feelings on the matter, you decided to put them aside, agreeing to your sister's proposition, entering the hall to the quiet sounds of servants placing the necessary cutlery on the table, and the sight of your father and Robb sitting at the table. Glancing at the sun that had not risen that far into the sky, you decided to be charitable and believe that Arya and little Bran had slept it. Which was believable.
As you quietly sat down next to Robb, you...
"Jon," your father said, a small, if tired smile on his face. "My nameday gift will require a bit more time then I had thought it would, so you won't be getting it today."
You frowned for a brief moment, before nodding. "It's fine, father. I can wait…"
Your father, with his brown beard and furs briefly looked far older then you thought he was, before nodding himself, in a way that looked incredibly similar to your own.
You swallowed your urge to ask about your mother, knowing that this private moment between you two wouldn't last long, but also realizing that here wasn't the best place for it. The thought was more discomforting then you'd ever admit it was.
The sound of the doors creaking open, made you snap your vision to sight of Arya, Bran and Lady Stark walking in, even though Arya looked like she wanted to just run up to the table. The thought of her doing that made you…
After you broke your fast, absently noting that Theon hadn't shown up yet, your father called you and Robb once more, a small, dare you say, mischievous smile. "You two are required in the yard. Ser Rodrik has a surprise for the both of you."
You glanced at Robb, who shrugged in reply. It seems he didn't know either. The two of you arrived at the sparring area relatively quickly, where Ser Rodrik was waiting for you, a massive (for your child body and mind) sword settled on his shoulder. He stabbed it into the ground without much further ado, and smiled at your entry, loudly announcing. "My lords! Are you ready for a choice that may change your entire training with me?"
You blinked for a few moments, not really knowing what to say. Taking a sidelong glance at Robb, it seems he was just as nonplussed as you were.
"Father," Jory said, somewhat exasperatedly, carrying a rather large amount of wooden swords and other weapons in his arms, placing them on the benches. You wondered why. "You can't just drop an anvil on them just like that…"
Ser Rodrik merely shook his head, turning towards the two of you. "My lords, to put things rather bluntly, I'm giving you the choice of your weapon. I'll admit it that I'm more experienced in some weapons then others, but you two aren't that good just yet, even you, nameday boy."
The comment on your skills with a blade made you flush red, both in pride and embarrassment. Robb is already over by the benches, trying to valiantly keep up holding a sword that's larger and taller then him by far. You in the meanwhile, were trying to decide on what sort of weapon you wanted…
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PROLOGUE
As you held the greatsword in your hand, you immediately knew it was the sword for you, as the weight eventually forced you to use two hands. Robb whistled rather loudly from next to you, absently twirling around a longsword, grinning from ear to ear at your choice. "Are you sure you can lift that?"
"I'm lifting it right now," you replied, with a small grin. "Are you sure that you aren't jealous?"
Robb opened his mouth to retort, but the banter between the two of you was interrupted by Ser Rodrik, who smiled. "My lords! I see that you have chosen what weapon you wish to wield… Fortunately for the two of you, I'm just about equally trained with each of the weapons that you have chosen - which means…"
For some reason, an almost primordial fear struck your heart, as Ser Rodrik's smile turned sadistic. "That you two can finally go through the hard training, that I've thought that you should have been put through sooner!"
Robb and you glanced at each other, before sighing defeatedly. You both wanted to learn, but you also didn't really want to go through hell…
After a few hours, rife with pain, suffering and being easily thrown into the mud, Ser Rodrik calls the session to a stop. You are leaning against your wooden greatsword, almost happy that you had chosen such a big weapon, if only for the fact it was a half-decent rest, and Robb was barely standing up right, standing right over a bench, almost as if he was preparing to fall over.
"You are both rather impressive for boys who are not much older then eight namedays into your lives," the knight complimented, though it almost felt insincere due to the amount of punishment he had put you through. On your nameday too! "You are now free of my instruction, young lordlings."
The knight grabbed two leather skins from a pouch in his belt, and handed them to you and Robb. As you quietly murmured your thanks, you turned to your brother, who seemed somewhat better now that he had drunk something. "What do you reckon we should do?" You asked.
"It's up to you, Jon," Robb replied, an easygoing smile on his face. "It is your nameday after all."
You grinned, thanking the Gods that your brother was as tightly knit with you as he was… You couldn't really imagine how… Lonely it would be, without him or your other siblings by your side. Glancing at the balcony that overlooked the training yard, you caught a glimpse of your father staring down at the two of you, looking sad for whatever reasons, before moving back inside when he caught you.
"Let's go get washed," you quietly murmured to your brother, who frowned at your sudden moroseness. You didn't want to be found by Lady Stark looking like this.
"Alright," Robb said, with a quirk of his lips. "But you gotta want to do something else? Like afterwards?"
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PROLOGUE- II
"Let's go down to the crypts," you said immediately, a daring grin on your face. As soon as anything reeked of adventure to you, you were in the zone.
Robb shared your grin, and the two of you walked towards the crypts almost with a joyful hop, passing by the various servants that were whispering about something that you didn't care for, and you even spied a gaggle of Sansa's friends giving you furtive looks. Glancing at Robb, who shrugged nonplussed, the two of you continued your journey.
The courtyard was a bustle of activity, as merchants plied their trade with the various locals, who were also trading the various bushels and other farming stuff that you didn't recognise. There were a few card games being 'fought' in one of the corners, closely surveyed by one of the guards, who you suspected would have participated, if it weren't for the eagle-eyed Jory watching from the balcony.
The two of you walked by, almost unnoticeable by the guards (even if one cheekily tipped his hat). You briefly wondered if you should take offense, before deciding that today, especially today, shouldn't be ruined.
You halted in front of the tomb, noting that it was closed, for one of the first times in your life. "Robb," you called, grabbing the handle of the door. "Come on and help me!"
Your brother nodded, quickly grabbing the handle from your side, and the two of you pulled with all of your might, feeling the strain in your arms and fingers. You felt the blood rushing to your head from exertion, but you forged on, eventually heaving the door open, almost knocking yourself over.
Robb isn't so lucky, and after giving him a hand, the two of you glance down into the crypts, that even with the torches lit looks somewhat foreboding. Clambering down the steps, you quickly grab one of the torches that was set aside for visitors, blowing off some of the dust as you do so. Deciding to wait until you saw that there was no light in the tunnel before lighting it.
"You've been here before," Robb said, seemingly surprised by your competency. "On your own."
"Aye," you agreed, glancing at the various statues, with their various swords, and the tombs. You stopped to look at your grandfather and your uncle and aunt, wondering what they would think of you.
"I wonder what our ancestors will think of us," the auburn-haired boy said, looking surprisingly insecure. "Of me, Sansa… The ones with the non-Stark coloring."
"I don't think they care what color you are, as long as you're a Stark." You replied, with a small smile.
"And I prove myself worthy," Robb added, somewhat morose. "I can't live in my ancestor's shadows or father's…"
And what about me? Your mind screamed, but you refused to let the thought out. "You won't," you said, settling your hand on his shoulder in comfort. "Just, trust me on this. We'll both be great."
Robb looked at you for a long time, before nodding. You turn around, and continue venturing along the crypts, as the statues became more and more fierce, almost as if they were daring you to come closer.
The swords became more and more rustier, almost each step you took, until suddenly in front of you, you saw naught but darkness. Robb looked afraid, even if he put up a brave face. You? You almost felt it beckon.
Holding onto the torch tightly, you quickly lit it using one of the flames before moving inwards into the crypts, the shadows distorting as you approached, and the statues becoming more and more foreboding and warning.
"Jon," Robb whispered, seemingly terrified. "We… We need to go!"
_____
As you walked along the corridors of Winterfell, you thought about what you planned to talk to Luwin about... You should probably ask about navigation, sailing and stuff like that... There was also the matter of Theon, who worried father with how much of a well, ghost he was. You knew that your father probably wanted to help, but couldn't seem to do it for whatever reason.
If either you, (or Robb, who you planned to relay whatever information gleaned), had to make that first step, you'd do it.
Pushing open the door, you, to your surprise, saw the older boy talking rather quietly to Luwin, who seemed to be sympathetic from what you could tell. Quietly coughing, you saw the Maester turn to look at you a smile on his face. "Jon? What do you want to talk about now?"
"I'll take my leave then," the brown-haired boy said, looking at you, unsure, before moving past you.
"No, no, Theon. Stay," Luwin asked, a rare note of desperation entering his voice. You wondered how many times Theon had almost had a conversation, before dipping out. "I suspect that Jon wants to talk about something that may interest you as well."
Theon glanced between the two of you, a strange, unreadable expression on his face, before nodding, quietly sitting down in the other chair. Wondering what that was about, you sat down in the chair, and asked, "I was just wondering if you had any, uh, books on the world?"
"I would think that you'd want books on navigation, sailing and the like," Luwin commented, looking at you, with an appraising expression. "After all, what's the point of having somewhere to go, if you don't know how to go there?"
You frowned at what the Maester said, looking to the side for a brief moment, before raising your look to Luwin's eyes. "True."
"But," the old man said, moving over to the books, "it is nice to see you try to do something to get this ambition of yours in motion, beyond having thoughts."
"That isn't exactly fair," you claimed, but even to you, your words rang out hollow.
"But it is the truth," Luwin reminded him, though the man wasn't being harsh about it. "One that you can remedy, if you wish to do so."
Glancing to the side at Theon, who looked both confused and somewhat sympathetic, you asked, "so what can I do to remedy it?"
"Come here each day to study with me," Luwin offered, putting three books down on the table. "The world is not to be underestimated, Jon. It will kill you without a second thought. Knowledge, as boring as the study may be, is the only method beyond delving into the bloody arcane arts, that will separate death as an adventurer, and the riches and adventures that it can bring."
"Bloody arcane arts?" Theon voiced your thought, the two of you looking rather interested in the matter.
Luwin stopped in his tracks, and began absently pulling at a black chain. "The blood magics of the Far East, the magic of the Red Priests… They are all powerful magics, but the toll it can take on your body, and what it costs… It may cost you a kingdom of souls, to become a master in the arcane."
A kingdom of souls… The thought was terrifying.
The grimness of what Luwin said, almost made the atmosphere oppressive, only for the old man to say, "come on, children. I have three books that will hopefully interest you both - and we'll read the one that you choose, Jon."
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PROLOGUE - III
"Come on, Robb," you say, grabbing Robb's shoulder, looking him in the eye. "You're gonna be the lord of the entire North one day. A crypt shouldn't scare you, especially since we're descendants of some of the most fearless men in the entire world… We're meant to conquer our fears!"
Your brother glances to the floor of the crypt, in contemplation, before nodding, with renewed courage. "You're right… I'm a Stark of Winterfell! These are my crypts, and ones that I'll rule over one day!"
The crypts seem to lighten at Robb's declaration, even if only slightly. Looking at each other stupefied, the two of you continued down into the crypts, the spiderwebs and stuff becoming bigger and bigger almost each room you reached.
The statues also became more and more savage, and almost even alien you'd say. The swords have almost disappeared entirely, with only the blade of the sword remaining.
The halls slowly became bigger and bigger as you entered the crypts, eventually becoming bigger than Winterfell's great hall… How deep did this place go? At least you remembered the location of the way out, the one that lead you out of the walls of Winterfell…
Robb was putting on a brave face, but it was obvious that despite his declaration he was afraid. He didn't seem to react to it, forging on, occasionally glancing at you for reassurance. You merely gave him a confident smile, before waving your torch at a stray spiderweb, letting you continue.
Eventually, after what felt hours, the two of you arrived in front of a massive chamber, filled to the brink with old tombs and almost completely foreign statues, that almost felt to you as if they were old divinities. Maybe they represented the Old Gods, you asked yourself, studying them briefly, before moving to look around, Robb following you and your torch.
In an old wooden bookshelf that had almost rotten apart, you grabbed an old book, before opening it, not recognizing a thing in it. Raising an eyebrow at it, you decided to place it back on the shelf, before moving on.
You frowned as you continued to look around, the light of your torch not illuminating far beyond you.
"Ow!" Robb yelped, as he jumped away from something in the darkness.
"What's the matter?" You ask, immediately worrying, as your mind immediately leaped to a massive rat monster.
"I…" Robb attempted to say, before flushing red in embarrassment. "I stubbed my toe."
"On what?" You asked curiously, walking back towards Robb, carefully, trying to merely touch it with your foot, not stub it as well. Your toe lightly touched a rather large stone, and you immediately brought your torch to the stone… Well stones, you should first say, and stones that almost looked like they were encrusted with jewels on every millimeter of the stones, each being black and yellow, with swirls of red and orange respectively. Touching it with your hand, you felt naught but cold, as it finally clicked in your mind.
Your eyes widened, as you realized what your brother had stumbled upon, the description reciting itself in your head, from all of the books that Luwin would recite to you and Robb.
"Jon?" Robb asked, worriedly, as he immediately shook you of your stupor. "What's the matter?"
"We've… We've just found two dragon eggs, Robb." You said, stupefied, barely managing to string the words together.
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PROLOGUE - IV
"No, that can't be possible…" Robb mumbled, shocked. "How did they get here?"
"I… I have no idea," you replied, even as your eyes darted around, hoping that there was a clue, somewhere. To your admittedly untrained eyes, there was nothing that stood out. Glancing down at the two eggs, you quickly decided, "we need to bring these to father. He'll know what to do with them…" Hopefully.
Robb grimaced for a brief second, almost as if hearing your unsaid word. The two of you grabbed the two eggs, and began walking up the steps, careful about where you placed your feet. The journey took you far longer then you'd expect, but then again, your perception of time was probably being thrown off by being underground.
Eventually, however, you managed to climb from the crypts toward the entrance. Setting the eggs down carefully, you and Robb both grabbed the handles of the crypts' entry, and threw it open.
Clambering out of the crypts, Robb passed you the eggs with no small effort on his part, and you quickly hauled him out of there. The two of you then proceeded to Father's solar, without a care in the world, even as you heard the whispers grow more and more.
You knocked on the door, after carefully setting the egg down once more. "Come in!" You heard your father call from behind the door.
Glancing at Robb, who nodded at you, you pushed open the door. "Father," Robb said, entering in with you on his heel. "Me and Jon found out something."
"What did you-" Father was going to say, only to stop, stupefied. This was the first time you'd ever seen him truly surprised at something. Each and every other time, it seemed like he knew in advance.
"We were exploring the crypts," you explained, still reeling from the discovery yourself. "Went down right into some sort of massive chamber, and then Robb stumbled on them… Hope we're not in trouble?"
"No, you're not," your father said, lost in thought, as something dawned on him. "You were just exploring…"
"D-do you know what to do with it?" Robb asked, a brief hesitation in his voice.
"No," your father said, bluntly, as his face turned the most serious that he had ever been. "But I can think of something."
That was the best you were going to get, you thought, worried about the implications of what your father was saying.
____
"Interesting choice, Jon." Luwin said, as you picked out the diary of that merchant. After all, you should know the places you planned on exploring… That book would give you that. "And it's the more entertaining of the bunch, I'll give you that…"
And then the maester began one of the most entertaining rides you had ever listened to. How a merchant could have that little luck, and still succeed was beyond you. You listened, along with Theon who was just as entertained as you were, as the merchant slowly climbed the ranks of power, with his silver tongue, crafty mind and a bit of gold here and there.
It was a rather fascinating piece, you thought. It gave a glimpse into Essosi life, at nearly all the levels of it, and even gave you a rather conclusive idea on what exactly Essos was.
Luwin unfortunately had to end your reading session for the day, telling you and Theon (who was surprisingly interested in it too), to come back some other time.
___
____
PROLOGUE - V
"Uh, father?" You asked hesitantly, not knowing if he'd listen to you. The man looked at you, with a small comforting smile. Taking that as an affirmation to continue, you said, "I was thinking… We should uh, use the eggs to get more things from the other kingdoms! Like, the Westerlands have gold, don't they? So, uh, we could do the same… We have mountains and stuff too…"
Your father nodded, looking rather proud of you. The thought made you happier then you had even thought you could be. "Who do you think we should trade with then, Jon?"
You swallowed, before thinking on it a bit more. The South thought of the North as savages, with nothing civilized about them. Maybe… Yeah. "What about Braavos? They aren't biased against us like the South is, and… Uh, they'd be good friends for us."
Your father gained a worried look in his eye, as he heard you speak, and rose from his desk. He walked over to you, and placed a hand on your shoulder, kneeling down to look you in the eye. "Jon… Don't think too badly about the South. They simply have a different culture to us. We can't judge them for that. We have to be better than those stereotypes, as Starks of Winterfell. Do you understand me?"
Regardless of your thoughts on the matter, you nodded. Your father looked at you, almost forlornly, before shaking his head. "I will think about it. It's a good idea."
You give your father a small nod and a smile, hoping that he was legitimately listening to your ideas. Opening the door, you heard your father say, "I'm proud of you, Jon."
The rest of the week, you felt yourself raise your head higher than you usually did.
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____
"Robb," you said with a small smile, as you exited after your reading with Maester Luwin and Theon. "You should have joined me - the book we're reading is rather fun."
"Not for me, Jon," Robb replied with a grin, though the sight of Theon disappearing along the corridors immediately reminded you of your task. "So, what did you learn?"
"That he's interested in sailing, and navigation like I am," you replied, seriously. "And it's almost like he's… I dunno, scared of us. He would've ran off if the Maester hadn't pleaded for him to come back."
Robb hummed in reply, thinking on what to do. His eyes lit up mischievously. "What if we tried to follow him around? See what his daily routine is? And then we'll be able to find out how he ticks?"
You stared at your half-brother for nearly a second before exclaiming, "Robb…"
___
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CONSEQUENCES - I
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As you thought on what your father said, you found yourself frowning more and more. For centuries, maybe millennia, the North had suffered at the hands of the South, and now, merely because the South had been slightly nicer then it had been before, you were expected to be nicer in return? No, that wouldn't work.
You weren't a bigot by any means of the definition, but you definitely were more wary about the South then any of your siblings were. You didn't want your family to suffer in southern lands simply because you were too trusting. That… That wouldn't do.
[Jon now has the trait: Wary because of your actions.]
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"You're a genius!" You exclaimed, finding the idea rather marvellous. After all, what could go wrong with doing this?
"I know, I know," Robb joked with a grin. "Now, come on. We have a Theon to follow."
The two of you follow after the boy with relative ease, though you do notice that the guards are smattered around sort of everywhere, and they're all paying rather close attention to you, Theon and Robb. Hm… They're probably just making sure you're okay.
Eventually, you see Theon enter a small crowd of people and briefly lose him from your sight, momentarily panicking. Then, you catch a small glimpse of his jerkin ducking to the right into a small passageway that you are surprised he can fit in. You hurry after him, and duck into the passageway, only to hear that Robb has been caught trying to enter with you.
You briefly debate coming to help out your brother, but decide to continue your mission, managing to come across a jagged hole in Winterfell's walls, barely big enough for a boy of Theon's size, which isn't much larger then your own. Managing to enter the outside from the hole, you see a rather large fall, and several small bricks to support your way down. Theon has already clambered down, is slowly walking across the lands, looking rather at ease. You wondered how many times he had done this before, before shaking your head, and climbing down the bricks, eventually finding your way into the snow.
Carefully walking in Theon's footsteps, you eventually find yourself walking into the forest, and curse with the little amount of swear words you know. Why did he have to go in there? There could be wolves or something… You swallow your fear, and forge on, careful to listen for any stray noises. Glancing around, you find that Theon is right ahead, and duck behind a tree, barely avoiding the Ironborn's gaze. Daring to look, you find him walking head, and carefully follow. Eventually, he exits the trees, and walks onwards through the snow.
A sense of wonderment slowly enters your bones, as you realize that this is one of the few parts of the area surrounding Winterfell you hadn't been in your various journeys. As you crawl up the snowy hill, you eventually come across a deer, brutally mauled by something. It's guts are spilling out of it's ribcage, and you see that the head has been smashed in.
You hastily back away, gagging, as you barely resist the urge to vomit, the details replaying in your mind like a tune. Shaking, you climb up the hill, and continue following Theon's trail, managing to stop thinking about that dear. As you finally finish your climb, your eyes widen.
A broken castle with a slowly decaying red banner hanging from the entrance, looms a few hills away, with multiple massive statues forming some sort of hallway to enter it. The old castle has been abandoned for years, maybe even centuries, and you briefly wonder why.
Clambering down the hill, you find Theon at the bottom, vomiting, the mauled body of a deer, almost exactly the same as the one you had found. You find yourself barely resisting as well, and feel a surge of sympathy to the Ironborn. Finding yourself behind him, you put a gentle hand on his shoulder, causing the brown-haired boy to whirl around, confusedly.
"Jon?" The boy asked, almost to himself, before looking at you. "What are you doing here?"
"I was following you," you admitted, with only a tiny bit of shame. "You're constantly avoiding almost everyone, and I was curious why."
"You shouldn't do that to people," Theon groaned, pushing past the deer, almost obstinately refusing to look at the deer. "I have my reasons…"
"It doesn't matter, at the moment," you reply, a small light shining in your eyes, as you think on exploring something new, that you hadn't seen before or even heard about. "We both have the same goal, don't we? Explore that castle… So, we should work together on this. Whaddaya say?"
"Alright," the Ironborn replied, almost looking joyful, despite the attempt at looking exasperated. "Come on, I'll make us a path."
"Thanks," you say, feeling a tiny bit embarrassed that you weren't feeling strong enough to make the path yourself.
The two of you slowly climbed the hills, eventually arriving at the foot of the pillars. Glancing around, you are surprised see a few footprints, from quite a while ago you can guess, given they weren't very deep.
"Someone was here," Theon muttered, looking somewhat scared at the prospect. "We should go, Jon… It isn't safe here."
"Someone was here a while ago," you absently corrected, trying to discern if it was a man, or just some child who'd been wondering, just as you and Theon were. Deciding to place your foot in one of the faded footprints, you find that the footprint is definitely, by far, bigger then yours. "A man… Might have just been fleeing the recent snowfall, and camped here." You added, almost pensive, and whilst aware of the potential danger, you decided to ignore it for the moment.
Theon looks at you a long time, his eyes showing a whirlwind of thoughts. Eventually, they settle on determination, and you smiled.
Still, you did need to think on this a little more - should you really continue, or go back to Winterfell?
No weekly vote this chapter mostly due to the fact that it'd be really out of place, and I hadn't written the other parts that the voters had voted for.
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CONSEQUENCES - II
You decided to continue to explore the ruins, with an encouraging nod to Theon, who nodded back at you determinedly. Walking across the path to the castle, you push against the snow, finding it was deeper then you had anticipated. The wind, that had been calm before, was beginning to howl as you approached the rotten door. The wood had long since become rotten from cold, wet and age, but a rather large path had been opened. Almost enough for an army, you could guess from the size of it.
Clambering over the rubble that partially blocked the entrance, you found yourself in a partially destroyed entrance hall, with a single banner hanging over where you guess was where the lord of this castle used to sit. It showed a snarling wolf with chains linked across the banner. It was blue and white.
"That almost looks like the Stark banner," Theon murmured to you, seemingly not willing to raise his voice. If you were being honest with yourself, nor did you.
"I think it's the banner of the Greystarks," you replied, just as quiet. "But they were settled in the Wolf's Den, not… Here."
"I mean… History is incredibly inaccurate," Theon replied, with a small shrug, that told you he had no idea as well what this meant either. "The Maesters write about our histories, the North's and the Iron Islands' that is, at least hundreds of years after they happened. Could be that they were settled here and in the Wolf's Den. Whatever that is."
"Sounds… Plausible, actually." You answered, even if you were a tiny bit annoyed that he didn't know what the Wolf's Den was. "The Wolf's Den is the area surrounding White Harbor."
Theon didn't add anything to that, glancing around the hall, grimacing at the sight. "This place was burnt. A long time ago, but the signs of it being burned to the ground are rather clear."
"What… What makes you say that?" You asked, looking around carefully. Huh. He was right - the few remaining wooden chairs, tables among others had the blackened texture that told you everything. "And how did you know what to look for?"
"I… I'd know, okay." The boy said gruffly, almost hostile at the question. Blinking to yourself, you clenched your fist. Dammit, Jon, you cursed. You didn't have to remind him about the Siege of Pyke…
"Sorry, Theon," you apologized, not really wanting to offend someone who finally had the same taste for adventure that you had. Robb was cool with your tendencies, but… He didn't get it. "Didn't mean to remind you of… You know."
The older boy glanced back at you, and gave a small quirk of his lips. Seemed as if you were more charismatic then you guessed you were. "No worries, Jon. It's just… It's not a very good memory for me."
The two of you then continued with your exploration of the castle, eventually splitting off to explore the eastern and western sides. You explored every single part of your side, but didn't find anything to indicate what had happened here. Admittedly, it was a bit of a fool's dream, but…
Meeting back up with Theon, and the boy seemed to not have anything either. The two of you then descended into the lower levels, hidden by a torn curtain, the light from the higher parts not drifting down, forcing you two to make a torch from the old bits of wood. After a bit of meddling, the two of you managed to make two torches, one for the both of you, even managing to make a fire to light them with.
Clambering down the steps felt almost claustrophobic, and eventually you found the stairs were barely even holding together, and even disappeared at certain points, forcing you to make a few risky jumps. Theon was quick to come after you, even if there was slightly less effort for him, thanks to his longer legs.
Eventually, the two of you found the entrance to the cave, and grimaced at the skeletons implanted on the branches of the frowning Godswood, along with those hung on the walls to the side, as suddenly your head burst from pain. Falling to your knees, you glanced up at the white-barked tree, not hearing anything even as you saw Theon's mouth move. All you saw was the faint, black, inky outline of a boy on the tree, which smiled.
The outline pointed towards a small alcove, and you rose to your feet automatically, stumbling over to the alcove, your palm instinctually grabbing the rather small tome, that was barely holding itself together. Putting it gently on the floor, you gasped as you fell backwards, collapsing against the stone wall. The outline was gone, and the tree was back to frowning. Your eyes widened. What… You weren't even in your body there. It almost felt as if you were a puppet to someone else, and you couldn't do a thing to stop it.
"Jon? You… You there?" Theon said, sounding almost terrified, as he neared you. You nodded, not feeling like speaking, and you saw relief flow into the brown-eyed boy's features. "You scared me to death, you know. You acted like a wight there, it was..."
"I-I wasn't myself. It wasn't me controlling my body," you stumbled out the words, still in shock. Glancing down at the ancient book calmed them somewhat. You… You may finally have an answer to all this. Opening it carefully, the two of you began reading.
As you began reading the brutal entries of the diary, you began to feel sick at the stomach. The diary was of a Greystark, the leader of a band of cannibals, blood mages and murderers, who each year, stole from the winter town, and elsewhere, peasants, lordlings and cattle to sacrifice to the Old Gods.
Then, after they had sacrificed the heir of the Stark King, Jon, all began to go wrong. They'd kidnap a supposed loner, only to find he was a part of the family. Their green visions were lying to them, and when once were reliable, now they were liars. Eventually, the entries didn't make sense, and became rambles about the Old Gods, King Jon coming to exact his vengeance, and why they were going to die.
The rest was guessable, and you looked to Theon, who looked just as horrified as you were. You almost felt glad that your namesake and ancestor had burned this castle to the ground, if it was him that did that.
Grabbing the book carefully, the two of you exited the castle, slowly beginning to feel giddy, despite the horrors of what had happened back in the castle. You had finally explored somewhere proper, that had given you context on an old bit of history, even if it was somewhat disjointed, and messily told.
As you and Theon began trading various stories on what you had done in Winterfell and the winter town, in the name of exploring, or just for fun, you began to feel a genuine connection to the boy, and you didn't even need to verify that the older boy to your right reciprocated - it was obvious.
[You gain +10 relationship with Theon! The Mechanics post'll be updated with how this works.]
____
Quietly walking into your father's solar, it felt almost strange to come in here. It was almost unrecognizable, with various plans, maps and documents scattered around the place. You wondered if he was actually going to go through with the deal to trade the eggs, and smiled. You genuinely hoped that whatever your father decided to do, it'd benefit the North and earn your kingdom the respect it deserved.
Father's brown-hair, that looked ever so similar to your own, poked above the papers, a small smile on his face. "Jon. You've come."
"Yes," you reply, almost quirking an eyebrow. "You wanted to see me?"
The man rose from his seat, managing to avoid the papers with almost practiced ease. He walked over to you, kneeling on his knees to look you in the eye. You felt embarrassed by this, but you didn't let it show. Your father seemed to notice anyway, putting a hand on your shoulder.
"I have your gift for you. It's weeks late, but…" He said, reaching into a pocket of his coat, pulling out a square, metal black box. You lightly tapped it, not hearing anything move about as you did. Finally opening it, you were instantly surprised to see the four points of a compass, a little arrow pointing towards the north.
You smiled widely, looking up to your father with nothing short of adoration and appreciation. This was the best gift that you could even think of! Wrapping your arms around Father, clutching the compass in your right hand, quietly murmuring, "thank you, father."
Your father only chuckled, wrapping his arms around you as well, lightly stroking your hair. The affection almost made you cry, as you briefly wondered if your mother would have done that if she were around. You kept strong however, deciding to settle into the hug instead.
You wanted to say here forever, to put it bluntly.
(You never did notice your father tightening his hold on you, his eyes turning mournful and filled with regret.)
____
"So… What happened?" You asked your brother, sympathetically as the two of you sat in Maester Luwin's office sorting the various documents from Winterfell for the past ten years as a punishment. Theon was relatively busy lifting the more heavy stacks of documents, but you could see he was listening rather attentively. "After you got caught?"
"Mother tore into me, for risking my life stupidly… Apparently doing what the two of you did is far too dangerous for the heir," Robb replied, the last bit sounding rather sarcastic.
"She's right from a logical viewpoint," Theon replied, somewhat somberly. "I'm a hostage, which means whilst I'm valuable, I'm not essential, and Jon is a bastard, so the same situation. You're the heir, and currently the only one that could rule, given that Bran is too little."
"And," you added, having a feeling that Theon didn't want to talk about the matter anymore. "No mother wants to lose her child in some foolish accident."
"I know," Robb sighed, sinking to the ground. "It's just… The two of you can go out and explore, and risk your lives in ancient castles, whilst I can only go out to Winterfell and the winter town. It's just unfair."
Glancing to Theon, who merely shook his head and got back to work, you sunk to the ground, putting a hand on your brother's shoulder. "It won't always be like this. We're like, really young. Of course La-your mother will be worried about you… When we get older, you'll probably be able to explore far more then me and Theon can, and you probably will have far more options for entertainment. You just gotta wait, and so many options'll open up for you."
"I'm not leaving the two of you to rot," Robb retorted, but you could tell that the thought was calming him somewhat. "I'm gonna bring you with me, wherever I go."
Grinning from ear to ear at the declaration, you were rather gladdened to see that Theon had also perked up noticeably at the news. The three of you hadn't interacted that long together, but it was rather obvious that the three of you had formed a half-decent bond to eachother.
[You gain a new relationship: The Bastard, the Heir and the Hostage. Group relationships are liable to change overtime, in 'status', name and overall significance.]
[You gain +15 Relationship with Robb!]
[You gain +2 Relationship with Theon!]
____
Vogor the Merchant had got himself into a bit of a pickle. After being rather brutally betrayed by his right hand man, a certain Malkar of Volantis, his fall from grace was brutal and sudden. He barely managed to survive the various assassination attempts by his betrayer, surviving only due to the protection of a crime lord, called Rallo.
Rallo used Vogor's talents to boost his position, and supposedly manipulated the man into doing his dirty work. But Vogor always had a crafty mind, and managed to earn himself enough support among his brutalized compatriots, to begin a rather daring plan to overthrow Rallo, and earn Vogor the minions to kill his former friend, and retake his position at the top of the foodchain.
Eventually, as Rallo was about to ascend to the rankings of the high society, Vogor sprung his trap, humiliating the crimelord in front of the Magisters of Lys, and placing himself forward as the better alternative, with full support of the man's former men and women. Brutally killing the crimelord was another berry on the cake, to put it like that.
Malkar saw his friend had survived the attempt, and began to plot ways of turning the current popularity of the Merchant into hatred…
Suddenly, Maester Luwin shut the book up, interrupting the narrative with the sound. "Why did you stop?" You demanded, not noticing the fact that it was really dark in here all of a sudden.
"It is dusk, my students," Luwin replied, with a small yawn. "And you need to eat. If there is any food available at this time of day…"
"I hope so," Theon grumbled. "I'm starving. You coming, Jon?"
"Sure," you replied, waving the Maester 'goodbye' as you exited his office. "What did you think? Of what happened to Vogor and his betrayal?"
"I… I have to admit, his plan should've gone wrong at so many points there," Theon said, despite his immense like to the book. "And he betrayed guest right, at least in theory."
Something to consider, you supposed. Vogor was definitely the protagonist, but you were surprised by how questionable you found his actions… Maybe it was a Braavosi thing or something… You didn't know. Maybe it'd explain itself as the book went along?
___
___
____
You slowly entered the godswood, feeling some sort of foreboding come over you. You needed to discover what this connection meant… And if it could explain to you what happened to you in that castle. Where you lost control over your body.
You shivered at the thought, before clenching your fist. That wouldn't happen again if you had a say in it. Slowly approaching the godswood, you felt the foreboding feeling disappear, and peace fill your soul once more. The white tree with the red leaves stood on a small moat, with water surrounding it with only a small walkway to access the godswood. A small, tiny forest with a rather thick undergrowth surrounded it, and you spied a few squirrels running about without any worry in the world.
Walking along the small path, you eventually arrived in front of the almost gigantic tree, with the weeping eyes that almost felt as if they were watching him.
You knelt in the small grass, your head raised to stare into those watching eyes. You breathed in, the cold air entering your lungs, soothing them, rather than hurting them as it usually did. The Old Gods still held power here, you knew, and the thought held far more satisfaction than you had anticipated.
'May you hear my silent prayer,' you uttered silently, as was the custom. As it had always been, even. 'I… I want a sign if you can give one. I lost the control of my body, and I've constantly sought out why it happened… I can only find that it happened because you willed it to happen. Why? I'm just a Snow, nobody of importance…'
A sudden breeze startled you from your prayer, and you stared at the weeping eyes, and the slight downwards curl that almost grown instantly. Before you could consider the possibility, you found yourself peeking from behind a tiny alcove from the wall, observing the goings on of Sansa, who was happily chattering about something. You felt she was far larger then she was usually, only for her to spy you. She screamed, and you hurried away, delving into dark corners.
You suddenly found yourself at the Godswood once more, staring into the heart tree, breathing heavily, gasping even, as you came to a realization.
That… That was you skinchanging. You'd taken over the skin of some rat, or something. You would be hunted down if this ever came out if anybody discovered your gift.
You still needed to refine this gift, you thought, despite your fear. It was a gift from the Old Gods - you couldn't just ignore it.
Could you? You could. It'd even be the wiser option - the thought of being persecuted if you made one move, and potentially forcing the North into war, wasn't a thought you wanted to follow. Nor live in.
____
Your father was once again drowned within so many papers that you could barely track what was what, but he still rose his head to greet you with a tired smile. "Jon. You need anything?"
"No," you answered, lifting yourself onto the seat in front of your father. "I-uh just wanted to know how it's going with the eggs."
"Do you truly want to know?" Your father asked, with a raised eyebrow.
What sort of question was that? You were the main one to have found those eggs, so of course, you'd have an interest in what is happening to them!
...It would be rather boring, however, and you had a feeling that it'd take a long while to explain.
"I've been invited for negotiations in Braavos in two weeks time," Father said, causing your eyes to widen. He gained a small smile at your stupefaction, before continuing. "I shall be bringing Jory and a few other men as guards, but I will also have need for somebody to assist me."
The unspoken question was all you heard - 'do you want to come with me?', and whilst every bone in your body wanted to exclaim 'yes', you knew that you had to think about this.
____
As your father prepared the various affairs for the trade deal, the atmosphere in Winterfell was
one of constant work - lots of preparations had to be done, at nearly every level. You imagined that White Harbor was probably in a similar situation to now, in order to accommodate both your Lord father and try to raise enough ships in order to protect the egg. It was an extremely delicate affair all-in-all.
Or at the very least, that's what Luwin had told you after you, Robb and Theon had prodded him enough. He was willing to tell the three of you all of the nitty-gritty details, but… You just didn't want to - you had other things to do!
Like attending Septa Mordane's lesson… It was supposedly an attempt to teach all of the kids how to be proper lords and ladies. You personally didn't see why you had to be there, but you really couldn't leave Theon and Robb to the tender mercies of the Septa.
After hours of torturous activities, you exited the room with no small amount of humiliation rising into your cheeks in the form of a blush. You were absolutely terrible at being proper. You simply couldn't keep still and were always messing up the various dance moves that you were being taught, leading to no shortage of stepped on toes.
Robb didn't do far, far better than you, but he at least could dance a tiny bit… Theon however, was rather good. Almost…
"Don't you dare say it," Theon threatened you, as you opened your mouth. "Or shall we recount your dancing experiences with Jeyne Poole?"
"Alright, alright," you replied, raising your hands in mock defeat. "My ladyship."
The Ironborn merely narrowed his eyes, before letting a small grin rise to his face. Robb looked genuinely worried there, but he eventually calmed down.
"So… Where shall we go next?" You asked, almost lazily walking down the corridors of Winterfell, watching the servants bustle about, whispering.
"Wherever the cold winds of the North take us," Theon said, almost sounding like a Northman then and there… You smiled. This was definitely a different Theon compared to the one that used to skulk around Winterfell like a ghost.
___
___
____
As you sat down in the Godswood, you briefly looked around, careful to spy Arya or Robb or someone hiding in those bushes. You didn't find anybody however. Nobody came in here anyway, you thought to yourself.
You shook your head, focusing on the task at hand. You had managed to take control of a rat the last time, surely you could do it again? Sitting quietly down, you closed your eyes, trying to recapture that feeling of being in utter control once more.
It took a while, hours even, but eventually you felt yourself breach the mind of that small rat you had taken over yesterday. Tentatively, you glanced around the small alcove you were in, before clambering around the various holes. You encountered spiders, other rats and even mice. They almost seemed surprised by your moving about, though you reckoned that was just you being a soft-hearted fool.
Eventually you found yourself, peeking at a conversation between Sansa and the Lady Stark. Your rat ears picked up on snippets, but you didn't get the full picture. Sansa certainly seemed somewhat sad for whatever reason.
She had been rather cold lately. Constantly trying to avoid you. The thought made your heart feel like it was carressed in ice as you realized what had happened. Sansa, and maybe even Arya and little Bran were finally being taught the meaning of a bastard, and why you shouldn't be associated.
The thought made you so angry that you suddenly found yourself squeaking, causing the two ladies to jump, and turn towards you. You darted away before you could feel the wrath of whatever was waiting for a rat.
You eventually left the body of the rat, shaking your head as you felt disorientated from the sudden change of… everything. You managed to reorient yourself by grabbing the bark of the weirwood tree, which almost looked like it was smiling down at you.
After that, you desperately tried again, but simply couldn't do it for whatever reason. Maybe that discovery was disorientating you, or you weren't as skilled as you thought…
It didn't really matter, for now you had confirmation for what you already knew - you were a skinchanger.
[Jon has gained a new skill - Warging (Beginner - Small animals 5/10)]
____
As you walked back from the Godswood into Winterfell itself, you suddenly turned your heel towards your father's office. You needed to tell him that you were going to come. You had been thinking of it over the past few days, and all you could do was see the positives.
You'd be able to visit Braavos and finally see the Titan of Braavos, one of the landmarks that you had always hoped to visit. You'd be able to explore, even if not for very long, Braavos, and you'd finally get some hands-on experience sailing. It was almost like a dream come true.
As you marched towards your father's solar, you pushed open the door without any reluctance, only to see the sight of Lady Stark and Robb, who looked rather unhappy about something. The sound of you entering stopped your escape before you had even considered it, since the three of them turned towards you.
Lady Stark's disapproving look turned to ice, and you barely resisted the urge to just wilt and run away. You needed to prove yourself stronger than that! You were going to Braavos, and over there would be far more scarier than here.
"And here is the source of the problem," the red-haired woman said, addressing your father, the words sounding clinical. Your fists clenched.
"It's not Jon's fault!" Robb cried out. "I wanted to explore!"
"It's far too dangerous out there, Robb!" The Lady Stark said, sounding motherly and concerned you dared to say. A flash of jealousy came over you, but you suppressed it immediately out of habit.
"I don't care about that! Jon, Theon and the Maester have taught me that the world is bigger then Winterfell… Please, just let me at least get out of the castle…" Your brother pleaded, almost looking like he was about to tear up.
You saw something utterly raw on Lady Stark and your father's face, even if only briefly. You wondered why, but decided to keep yourself rooted to your spot.
Your father finally spoke, his voice sounding like a finality. "I'll agree to this but I want you to seriously consider what you wish to do. I can quite easily foster you to one of our bannermen, or even get you squired. It is up to you Robb. You too Jon, could be fostered or squired if you want to be."
You noted with resignation how happy the Lady Stark seemed to get at that, the crack of a smile telling you everything. Robb turns to look at you with a small, hesitant, smile on his lips. You grin back, deciding to comfort your brother over getting worried about whatever she thought.
The two left shortly after that, and your father nodded to you expectantly. You walked to a stop in front of the desk, swallowing. "I… I want to come with you to Braavos. It's in a week, yes?"
"Now, yes." Father replied, with a small nod and an even smaller smile. "You are my son, Jon. Never forget that."
The sincerity in his voice shook you, and you barely managed to nod mutely, quietly leaving after a word of encouragement from your father.
____
It took days for you, with assistance from Theon and Robb, to find Sansa at a time where she wasn't constantly accompanied, and it was in the Godswood. She hadn't come here at all beforehand, you knew. You wondered why.
Walking quietly into the calm forest, you saw her absently playing with a few animals who seemed to have taken a liking to her. They turned towards you, but didn't seem to react to your presence. You had a feeling that they knew you were a skinchanger, somehow. Or they were just strange.
"Sansa," you said, interrupting the girl from her musings. "May I sit?"
"Oh," your sister said, hesitating if only briefly. That merely confirmed whatever suspicions you had, if you were being honest with yourself. "Y-yes you can."
You moved past her, sitting down on one of the roots of the weirwood tree, letting you look at Sansa properly. She was still playing with the animals, only her movements were slightly twitchier.
"You-you can talk to me you know," you tried to say. "I'm your brother."
"Half-brother," she corrected almost automatically, refusing to look at you. You flinched, feeling you'd been punched. You should've been used to it by now, but… This was your sister.
"Regardless," you said, swallowing your hurt. "Regardless if you think I'm your half-brother, we can't just ignore each other."
"We… We can," your red-headed sister said, still refusing to look at you.
"We shouldn't," you replied, feeling emotionally charged right now. "I'm… I'm not whoever your mother said I am."
"I know," Sansa offered, her eyes still looking at the ground.
"Look at me, at least!" You pleaded, finally letting your emotions take control, a confused mix of anger, hurt and sadness. "I-I know we're not real siblings, but I thought… I thought that it didn't matter. It didn't before. What changed?!"
Sansa raised her eyes, and you saw that she was crying. You felt whatever anger you had evaporate, and you automatically moved to grab her in your arms. She didn't even fight you, only quietly sob into your shirt.
You murmured lowly, with a tinge of regret in your tone. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted like that. You're my little sister, regardless of what anyone else thinks."
"A-and," Sansa croaked from between sobs. "You're my big brother."
You merely stroked her hair, clutching her to your chest. "I'm not going anywhere until you want me to."
The two of you sat in silence, as you thought. About nothing, your family and everything else that came with it.
_____
____
Now that you've finished reading all that, I can formally say welcome to the quest, any feedback you give is greatly appreciated, and your votes are especially welcome as well. If you have any questions I'll be there shortly to reply.
And uh... I don't really know what to say apart from that. Just enjoy it. If you enjoy the quest that is.
This quest is a port of the SB version, and I've now compiled what I've posted into one massive ensemble. Hope you guys enjoy it, and don't feel too daunted by all of this. We are still in the beginning, believe it or not...
STATS
There are five stats for Jon to increase as he goes along with his adventure: Might, Speed, Toughness, Speech and Cleverness. Depending on his ambition and birth, he may start with more in some stats then others, but not enough to make a big enough of a difference to leave him crippled in the others.
Might is the strength stat, and one that is used for the strength dependant rolls, such as lifting a huge piece of wood, wrestling with someone, et cetera.
Speed is the agility stat, and one that is used for our more dextrous rolls such as clearing certain jumps, noticing someone running at speed, etc.
Toughness is the endurance, and so on and so forth, I think we get it already.
Jon has a morality stat called Favor, which changes depending on what choices he makes. This stat, as he grows in power and reputation, affects how people look at him, and potentially how they feel about him. If he begins to dedicate himself to being good or evil, he will eventually gain extremely powerful perks/traits. The names of these perks are as followed: Paragon of Virtue - Shield of Justice for the good side, and Herald of Chaos - Harbinger of Sin for the evil side. Being neutral will not be rewarded in significant ways - after all, what's the point for rewarding people with being an exceptionally normal ASOIAF character?
He also, has a reputation stat with certain holdfasts and provinces that know of him. For example, in the North, he is thought of as being Ned Stark's son, and is liked for it even if he is a bastard. Meanwhile, in the Southron Kingdoms, they either dislike him for being bastard, or generally don't care about him.
There are five stats for Jon to increase as he goes along with his adventure: Might, Speed, Toughness, Speech and Cleverness. Depending on his ambition and birth, he may start with more in some stats then others, but not enough to make a big enough of a difference to leave him crippled in the others.
Might is the strength stat, and one that is used for the strength dependant rolls, such as lifting a huge piece of wood, wrestling with someone, et cetera.
Speed is the agility stat, and one that is used for our more dextrous rolls such as clearing certain jumps, noticing someone running at speed, etc.
Toughness is the endurance, and so on and so forth, I think we get it already.
Jon has a morality stat called Favor, which changes depending on what choices he makes. This stat, as he grows in power and reputation, affects how people look at him, and potentially how they feel about him. If he begins to dedicate himself to being good or evil, he will eventually gain extremely powerful perks/traits. The names of these perks are as followed: Paragon of Virtue - Shield of Justice for the good side, and Herald of Chaos - Harbinger of Sin for the evil side. Being neutral will not be rewarded in significant ways - after all, what's the point for rewarding people with being an exceptionally normal ASOIAF character?
He also, has a reputation stat with certain holdfasts and provinces that know of him. For example, in the North, he is thought of as being Ned Stark's son, and is liked for it even if he is a bastard. Meanwhile, in the Southron Kingdoms, they either dislike him for being bastard, or generally don't care about him.
MECHANICS/SKILLS
Jon has a variety of skills that all require a certain prerequisite to be done, depending on what the skill is. For example, he could easily learn the art of the sword, or any other weapon, since it's natural for a lordling, even a bastard to learn it. But, alchemy or most magical skills will require a certain amount of research, convincing or even just self-training.
However ambitions give a skill learning boost to whichever skills they affect, such as Explorer gains a boost in Sailing, Mapping, and Navigation, whilst a Sorcerer gains a boost to Warging, Greenseeing among others. These are just two examples, but… There is a limit of three skills that each ambition gives a boost to.
Skills improve on a tier basis, and Jon has to earn ten to twenty skill levels to upgrade to a higher tier. In exchange, the amount of XP you need to get skill levels increases for each tier.
50 - 100 - 500 - 1000 - 5000 - 10 000 - 50 000 - 100 000 - ???
Untrained - Beginner - Apprentice - Average - Journeyman - Impressive - Masterful - Mythical - ???
Jon must spend a certain amount of actions in order to get a skill point/level, which increases each time he gains a tier level. In exchange, if he trains under someone one to two tiers above him, he needs five less actions in order to get a skill point . Three to four tiers, he needs ten less. When they are a whopping five to seven above him, he needs twenty less action points. Beyond… Bah. No point describing it. They won't meet someone like that.
Each time he reaches a new tier, he gains a +10 to his roll, reflecting his growth. (This may change with certain skills, or depending on how OP it is).
Mechanics for skill checks, such as for example, navigating towards a certain location or warging into a creature such as a bird or a wolf, have a set DC, that merely changes depending on what the skill is used for. For example, if Jon tries to warg into a dragon, that will have an impossibly high DC, but if he tries to warg into Ghost (or whatever other animal he is bonded with), the DC will be far lower.
Numerical examples: 90-150 is the DC for warging into a dragon, whilst the DC for warging into a bonded animal will be either 10-30 depending on Jon's skill with warging.
All of the different types of weapon inflict different types of damage, which all have their own effects: Slashing damage is more damaging against light armor, Piercing damage is more damaging against medium armor, and Bludgeoning damage is more damaging against heavy armor.
These different armor types, in exchange, offer either bonuses or maluses: Heavy armor offers a substantial malus on the damage step, whilst incurring a malus whilst you're dodging. Medium armor offers a smaller malus on the damage step, whilst offering no malus to dodging. Light armor offers a tiny malus on the damage step, whilst offering a substantial bonus to dodging.
Fights will go in a 'somewhat' turn-based fashion, where basically, it's repetition of rolls until someone dies/gets knocked out. For example:
Jon VS Robb: Jon is using a Bastard Sword that he is average at, and Robb is using a Longsword at the same skill level. Jon has 35 Might, 30 Speed and 30 Toughness. Robb meanwhile, has 30 Might, 35 Speed and 30 Toughness.
Relationships are an aspect that lets you track how much of a bond, or how much hatred a character has for you. Generally, you have to interact with a character to know what they think, but in certain cases... I'll give it as a freebie. I'm such a good guy...
Relationship development values generally circulate around 1 to 25, but there are some exceptions in some exceptional cases. Like saving someone's life from certain death, burning someone's holdfast to the ground and other stuff like that.
TRAITS
Jon, and every other character, all have a list of traits that can evolve over the course of the quest, which detail their personality, and can even at times have an effect on their stats, skills, et cetera. Making a list would be to be frank, ridiculous, so I'm just gonna leave it at this description for now. There are also traits in regard to birth, various details of a character (like Jon's hair), and even negative traits (loss of a hand, getting sick, etc.)
Jon has a variety of skills that all require a certain prerequisite to be done, depending on what the skill is. For example, he could easily learn the art of the sword, or any other weapon, since it's natural for a lordling, even a bastard to learn it. But, alchemy or most magical skills will require a certain amount of research, convincing or even just self-training.
However ambitions give a skill learning boost to whichever skills they affect, such as Explorer gains a boost in Sailing, Mapping, and Navigation, whilst a Sorcerer gains a boost to Warging, Greenseeing among others. These are just two examples, but… There is a limit of three skills that each ambition gives a boost to.
COMBAT - Damage Roll:
SWORDS - Slash and Piercing:
Shortsword - D6 - Speed
Longsword - D8 - Speed
Bastard Sword - D10 - Might
Greatsword - D12 - Might
BLUNT WEAPONS - Bludgeoning with Piercing if the weapon is noted to have spikes:
Mace - D8 - Might
Warhammer - D8 to D10, depends on if it is a one handed or two handed version - Might
Maul - D12 - Might
POINTED WEAPONS - Piercing :
Spears - D8 - Speed
Lances - D10 - Might
Polearms - D12 - Might
AXES - Slashing and Bludgeoning:
Hatchet - D6 - Speed
Battle Axe - D8 - Might
Dane Axe - D10 - Might
Great Axe - D12 - Might
LONG RANGED - Piercing:
Shortbow - D8 - Speed
Crossbow - D6 - Speed
Longbow - D10 to D16, depending on the type of longbow - Might
SHIELDS:
Buckler - Speed
Round - Speed
Kite - Might
Tower - Speed
UNARMED:
Brawling - depends on what style (Speed/Might)
SCHOLAR:
NOBILITY:
Leadership
Warfare
Etiquette
Politics
Deception
Intrigue
Horse riding
PEASANTRY:
Stealth
Sailing
Navigation
Persuasion
Smithing
Survival (divides up into different environments or situations)
KNOWLEDGE:
The History of (REALM, PROVINCE)
The Geography of (REALM, PROVINCE)
Medicine
Mathematics
Economics
The Old Tongue
High Valyrian
Variant dialects of Valyrian of the Free Cities
Dothraki language
Old Ghiscari
Lhazareen
The Summer Tongue
SORCERY:
WESTERN MAGIC:
Warging
Greensight
Dragon dreams
Necromancy
Alchemy
EASTERN MAGIC:
Divination
Glamoring
Blood magic
Elemental magic
Shadow binding
SWORDS - Slash and Piercing:
Shortsword - D6 - Speed
Longsword - D8 - Speed
Bastard Sword - D10 - Might
Greatsword - D12 - Might
BLUNT WEAPONS - Bludgeoning with Piercing if the weapon is noted to have spikes:
Mace - D8 - Might
Warhammer - D8 to D10, depends on if it is a one handed or two handed version - Might
Maul - D12 - Might
POINTED WEAPONS - Piercing :
Spears - D8 - Speed
Lances - D10 - Might
Polearms - D12 - Might
AXES - Slashing and Bludgeoning:
Hatchet - D6 - Speed
Battle Axe - D8 - Might
Dane Axe - D10 - Might
Great Axe - D12 - Might
LONG RANGED - Piercing:
Shortbow - D8 - Speed
Crossbow - D6 - Speed
Longbow - D10 to D16, depending on the type of longbow - Might
SHIELDS:
Buckler - Speed
Round - Speed
Kite - Might
Tower - Speed
UNARMED:
Brawling - depends on what style (Speed/Might)
SCHOLAR:
NOBILITY:
Leadership
Warfare
Etiquette
Politics
Deception
Intrigue
Horse riding
PEASANTRY:
Stealth
Sailing
Navigation
Persuasion
Smithing
Survival (divides up into different environments or situations)
KNOWLEDGE:
The History of (REALM, PROVINCE)
The Geography of (REALM, PROVINCE)
Medicine
Mathematics
Economics
The Old Tongue
High Valyrian
Variant dialects of Valyrian of the Free Cities
Dothraki language
Old Ghiscari
Lhazareen
The Summer Tongue
SORCERY:
WESTERN MAGIC:
Warging
Greensight
Dragon dreams
Necromancy
Alchemy
EASTERN MAGIC:
Divination
Glamoring
Blood magic
Elemental magic
Shadow binding
Skills improve on a tier basis, and Jon has to earn ten to twenty skill levels to upgrade to a higher tier. In exchange, the amount of XP you need to get skill levels increases for each tier.
50 - 100 - 500 - 1000 - 5000 - 10 000 - 50 000 - 100 000 - ???
Untrained - Beginner - Apprentice - Average - Journeyman - Impressive - Masterful - Mythical - ???
Jon must spend a certain amount of actions in order to get a skill point/level, which increases each time he gains a tier level. In exchange, if he trains under someone one to two tiers above him, he needs five less actions in order to get a skill point . Three to four tiers, he needs ten less. When they are a whopping five to seven above him, he needs twenty less action points. Beyond… Bah. No point describing it. They won't meet someone like that.
Each time he reaches a new tier, he gains a +10 to his roll, reflecting his growth. (This may change with certain skills, or depending on how OP it is).
Mechanics for skill checks, such as for example, navigating towards a certain location or warging into a creature such as a bird or a wolf, have a set DC, that merely changes depending on what the skill is used for. For example, if Jon tries to warg into a dragon, that will have an impossibly high DC, but if he tries to warg into Ghost (or whatever other animal he is bonded with), the DC will be far lower.
Numerical examples: 90-150 is the DC for warging into a dragon, whilst the DC for warging into a bonded animal will be either 10-30 depending on Jon's skill with warging.
All of the different types of weapon inflict different types of damage, which all have their own effects: Slashing damage is more damaging against light armor, Piercing damage is more damaging against medium armor, and Bludgeoning damage is more damaging against heavy armor.
These different armor types, in exchange, offer either bonuses or maluses: Heavy armor offers a substantial malus on the damage step, whilst incurring a malus whilst you're dodging. Medium armor offers a smaller malus on the damage step, whilst offering no malus to dodging. Light armor offers a tiny malus on the damage step, whilst offering a substantial bonus to dodging.
Fights will go in a 'somewhat' turn-based fashion, where basically, it's repetition of rolls until someone dies/gets knocked out. For example:
Jon VS Robb: Jon is using a Bastard Sword that he is average at, and Robb is using a Longsword at the same skill level. Jon has 35 Might, 30 Speed and 30 Toughness. Robb meanwhile, has 30 Might, 35 Speed and 30 Toughness.
Initiative: Jon rolls a 46+30(Speed)+40(Average with Bastard), and Robb rolls a 10+35+40(Average with Longsword). Jon wins initiative.
Attack: J: 21+35+40, R: 82+35+40 - R dodges.
2nd Initiative: J: 49+30+40, R: 14+35+40 - J wins init.
2nd Attack: J: 39+35, R: 15+35 - J manages to attack R.
ToughnessVSSkill: J: 85+35+40, R: 61+30+40 - Jon is stronger then Robb is tough.
How much damage: J: 9+4(+1 for every skill level). Jon wins the spar.
Attack: J: 21+35+40, R: 82+35+40 - R dodges.
2nd Initiative: J: 49+30+40, R: 14+35+40 - J wins init.
2nd Attack: J: 39+35, R: 15+35 - J manages to attack R.
ToughnessVSSkill: J: 85+35+40, R: 61+30+40 - Jon is stronger then Robb is tough.
How much damage: J: 9+4(+1 for every skill level). Jon wins the spar.
Relationships are an aspect that lets you track how much of a bond, or how much hatred a character has for you. Generally, you have to interact with a character to know what they think, but in certain cases... I'll give it as a freebie. I'm such a good guy...
Relationship development values generally circulate around 1 to 25, but there are some exceptions in some exceptional cases. Like saving someone's life from certain death, burning someone's holdfast to the ground and other stuff like that.
TRAITS
Jon, and every other character, all have a list of traits that can evolve over the course of the quest, which detail their personality, and can even at times have an effect on their stats, skills, et cetera. Making a list would be to be frank, ridiculous, so I'm just gonna leave it at this description for now. There are also traits in regard to birth, various details of a character (like Jon's hair), and even negative traits (loss of a hand, getting sick, etc.)
Name: Jon Snow (?)
Age: 8 Years Old (334 Days till his next nameday, approximately)
Favor: The Old Gods
Age: 8 Years Old (334 Days till his next nameday, approximately)
Favor: The Old Gods
(avg 10)
Might
15
(Has reached the peak that his age can reach.)
Speed
15
(Same for Might.)
Toughness
14
(The North makes for tough men, and he's slowly becoming that man.)
Speech (avg 7)
13
(Jon could quite easily woo most girls his age, but anybody older then he is a no-go...)
Cleverness (avg 8)
15
(Jon's strongest feature is his overall cleverness, and he usually puts said cleverness to the right things...)
Might
15
(Has reached the peak that his age can reach.)
Speed
15
(Same for Might.)
Toughness
14
(The North makes for tough men, and he's slowly becoming that man.)
Speech (avg 7)
13
(Jon could quite easily woo most girls his age, but anybody older then he is a no-go...)
Cleverness (avg 8)
15
(Jon's strongest feature is his overall cleverness, and he usually puts said cleverness to the right things...)
Impossible Hair: Your hair defies the laws of the Universe, even when it gets dirty it looks as fabulous as ever. (+Rep with those who like men)
???: You don't know what it is, but apparently all of the girls (and some of the boys) like to see you in some manner throughout their day, but you're also somewhat of a natural with a sword... (+5 Speech when talking to people who are attracted to males, and you require thirty less XP to level up sword-related skills.)
Winterborn: The ice-cold blood of the North runs through your veins. You are slow to anger, careful and considerate when your siblings would charge ahead foolishly. You are naturally tougher than most, and you always feel an innate connection with the Weirwood trees, which your father had described as normal for someone of his blood. (You gain +3 Toughness, you require thirty less XP for the magic of the Old Gods, and you gain +10 reputation with lords, smallfolk and Maesters who are loyal to the Starks, or just appreciative of them.)
Wary: You become more and more like your father each day, and are now incredibly wary of the intentions of others towards your family or yourself. You become hard as stone, cold and somewhat unwelcoming towards people you do not know, and will only let those you consider to be worthy for a lack of a better word, see your softer side. But even then, you are still always wary and cautious about their intentions - after all, it could merely be a mask or some sort of deception...
???: You don't know what it is, but apparently all of the girls (and some of the boys) like to see you in some manner throughout their day, but you're also somewhat of a natural with a sword... (+5 Speech when talking to people who are attracted to males, and you require thirty less XP to level up sword-related skills.)
Winterborn: The ice-cold blood of the North runs through your veins. You are slow to anger, careful and considerate when your siblings would charge ahead foolishly. You are naturally tougher than most, and you always feel an innate connection with the Weirwood trees, which your father had described as normal for someone of his blood. (You gain +3 Toughness, you require thirty less XP for the magic of the Old Gods, and you gain +10 reputation with lords, smallfolk and Maesters who are loyal to the Starks, or just appreciative of them.)
Wary: You become more and more like your father each day, and are now incredibly wary of the intentions of others towards your family or yourself. You become hard as stone, cold and somewhat unwelcoming towards people you do not know, and will only let those you consider to be worthy for a lack of a better word, see your softer side. But even then, you are still always wary and cautious about their intentions - after all, it could merely be a mask or some sort of deception...
Swordsmanship: The ability of this character to wield a sword.
Commander of Arms (is the combination of Leadership and Warfare): This represents the ability of this character to command any significant group of men. (Untrained 7/10)
Navigation: Jon's ability to navigate across all terrains. (Untrained 3/10)
Persuasion: Jon's ability to persuade people to see it his way. (Untrained 6/10) - 49/50XP until next level.
Economics: Jon's ability to understand money, how to use it, and how to make a holdfast (for example) work from an economical standpoint. (Untrained 10/10) - 8/100XP to pass to the next tier.
Medicine: Jon's ability to heal, diagnose or understand various diseases, injuries and sicknesses. (Untrained 7/10) - 4/50XP.
Horseriding: Jon's ability to ride a horse, connect to one, and other horse-related things. (Untrained 2/10) - 44/50XP.
Intrigue: Jon's ability to understand, manipulate people, and hide his own deception/feelings on certain matters. (Untrained 4/10)
Politics: Jon's ability to navigate through the court, figure out who is the most powerful or the most important, and what is the political opinion/idea following around in court. (Untrained 4/10) - 13/50XP.
Etiquette: Jon's ability to be polite, courteous and not a blunt, and somewhat crass Northerner. (Untrained 5/10) - 14/50XP.
Deception: Jon's ability to lie, keep up a poker face and his ability to mimic certain emotions for the right situation. (Untrained 1/10)
Stealth: Jon's ability to sneak around, to stay quiet and to not sound like a ruddy mammoth when he walks. (Untrained 1/10)
Warging: Jon's ability to skinchange into various animals. (Small animals - Beginner 5/10)
Survival in cold environments: Jon's ability to survive in harsh cold environments, such as the lands beyond the Wall, the North in winter, or even the black cold of Sothoryos and the Shadow Lands. (Untrained 1/10) - 6/50XP
High Valyrian: Jon's ability to speak, write and understand the language of the Dragonlords. (Untrained 8/10) - 47/50XP to next level.
Variants of Valyrian: Jon's ability to speak, write and understand the languages of the Free Cities, and other places that use the bastardized language of the Valyrians. (Untrained 3/10) - 36/50XP.
The Summer Tongue: Jon's ability to speak the language of the Summer Islanders. (Untrained 1/10) - 34/50XP.
- Bastard Sword (Beginner 5/10)
- Short Sword (Beginner 2/10)
- Great Sword (Adept 1/10) - 152/470XP to next level.
- Longsword (Beginner 1/10)
- General Mastery (Beginner 10/10)
Commander of Arms (is the combination of Leadership and Warfare): This represents the ability of this character to command any significant group of men. (Untrained 7/10)
Navigation: Jon's ability to navigate across all terrains. (Untrained 3/10)
Persuasion: Jon's ability to persuade people to see it his way. (Untrained 6/10) - 49/50XP until next level.
Economics: Jon's ability to understand money, how to use it, and how to make a holdfast (for example) work from an economical standpoint. (Untrained 10/10) - 8/100XP to pass to the next tier.
Medicine: Jon's ability to heal, diagnose or understand various diseases, injuries and sicknesses. (Untrained 7/10) - 4/50XP.
Horseriding: Jon's ability to ride a horse, connect to one, and other horse-related things. (Untrained 2/10) - 44/50XP.
Intrigue: Jon's ability to understand, manipulate people, and hide his own deception/feelings on certain matters. (Untrained 4/10)
Politics: Jon's ability to navigate through the court, figure out who is the most powerful or the most important, and what is the political opinion/idea following around in court. (Untrained 4/10) - 13/50XP.
Etiquette: Jon's ability to be polite, courteous and not a blunt, and somewhat crass Northerner. (Untrained 5/10) - 14/50XP.
Deception: Jon's ability to lie, keep up a poker face and his ability to mimic certain emotions for the right situation. (Untrained 1/10)
Stealth: Jon's ability to sneak around, to stay quiet and to not sound like a ruddy mammoth when he walks. (Untrained 1/10)
Warging: Jon's ability to skinchange into various animals. (Small animals - Beginner 5/10)
Survival in cold environments: Jon's ability to survive in harsh cold environments, such as the lands beyond the Wall, the North in winter, or even the black cold of Sothoryos and the Shadow Lands. (Untrained 1/10) - 6/50XP
High Valyrian: Jon's ability to speak, write and understand the language of the Dragonlords. (Untrained 8/10) - 47/50XP to next level.
Variants of Valyrian: Jon's ability to speak, write and understand the languages of the Free Cities, and other places that use the bastardized language of the Valyrians. (Untrained 3/10) - 36/50XP.
The Summer Tongue: Jon's ability to speak the language of the Summer Islanders. (Untrained 1/10) - 34/50XP.
Eddard Stark: +55 - You are his son, and he'll always love you, regardless of your choices. Luckily, your choices have all have had his approval.
Sansa Stark +40 - You are the best big brother, and she has the impression that she could tell you anything, and confide in you about anything, whilst also certain of the fact that you'll protect her. Try to keep that unspoken promise.
Robb Stark: +35 - You're the best brother that anyone could have - always supportive, and you're always going to have his back.
Theon Greyjoy: +20 - Despite his hesitations regarding bastards, Winterfell and Lord Stark, he's come to like you and decide that the taint of bastardy isn't enough to derive the fact that you're legitimately a good friend.
Arya Stark +20 - Incredibly fun to play with, and the best brother ever to hug.
Brandon Stark: +15 - You're fun to play with and... That's all he can think of to say about you.
The Bastard, the Heir and the Hostage: +22.5 (every character's opinion of Jon is added together, then divided by two). Status: Group of Friends. The three of you are good friends, brought together by common beliefs, goals, and wants. It does help that the three of you are in the same age group.
Sansa Stark +40 - You are the best big brother, and she has the impression that she could tell you anything, and confide in you about anything, whilst also certain of the fact that you'll protect her. Try to keep that unspoken promise.
Robb Stark: +35 - You're the best brother that anyone could have - always supportive, and you're always going to have his back.
Theon Greyjoy: +20 - Despite his hesitations regarding bastards, Winterfell and Lord Stark, he's come to like you and decide that the taint of bastardy isn't enough to derive the fact that you're legitimately a good friend.
Arya Stark +20 - Incredibly fun to play with, and the best brother ever to hug.
Brandon Stark: +15 - You're fun to play with and... That's all he can think of to say about you.
The Bastard, the Heir and the Hostage: +22.5 (every character's opinion of Jon is added together, then divided by two). Status: Group of Friends. The three of you are good friends, brought together by common beliefs, goals, and wants. It does help that the three of you are in the same age group.
Winterfell views you with RESPECT. You have proven yourself to be a rather dependable young boy, and despite whatever the Lady Stark believes, the household and the castle believe that you do truly hold your siblings at heart.
CHARACTER CREATION
You, Jon Snow, slowly rose from your bed, before moving to the water bowl in your room and splashing your face with it, letting the water wash over your face, as you realized what day it was. It was your eighth nameday. The thought excited you, but you managed to keep yourself collected, taking the time to look down in the water, trying to make out your reflection.
Jon has…
[X] Grey eyes.
[] Light purple eyes.
He also sports…
[] Dark silver hair.
[X] Dark brown hair.
[] Lightly black hair, brown in most lights.
[X] Grey eyes.
[] Light purple eyes.
He also sports…
[] Dark silver hair.
[X] Dark brown hair.
[] Lightly black hair, brown in most lights.
You frowned as you watched your appearance fluctuate in the rippling water, before shrugging, quickly drying your face with a cloth, before leaving your room, thinking, as you usually did when you were on your own. As you did so, you thought on your ambition. The thing that drove you to keep quiet, and to not explode in anger when it got too much. So… What is your ambition?
[X] Explorer. You have been enraptured with the tales of other countries, cities and unknown lands, since Maester Luwin told of you of the Sea Snake, who had travelled from the North of the Wall all the way to the Thousand Isles, and had done multiple trips to Qarth, the mysterious Yi Ti and Leng. The wealth that he had brought, made him the richest lord in Westeros, and you dared dream what would happen if you did the same…
[] Conqueror. You knew that the North had never been famous for large conquests, yet you did not care - the conquerors, even the ancient conquerors of old were enough to begin your own dreams. And dream, you did. You would dream of conquering the North of the Wall in the name of the North and the Starks, ending slavery in the Free Cities, and maybe, just maybe, conquering the Far East…
[] Knight. The North had never produced any knights of fame. Warriors? Such as Cregan Stark who had fought toe to toe with Aemon the Dragonknight? Or Roderick Dustin who killed the commanders of the battle of Tumbleton in the Dance? Yes, that was certain. But you didn't want to be barely a footnote, if an exemplary one. You wanted to be the knight. One that proved himself through valor and skill. Not just fame.
[] Admiral. The tales of grand battles on the sea had always fascinated you, even when they were about the raids of the Ironborn, you still found something noteworthy about them. You would always dream of captaining your own ships, commanding fleets, and fighting on the decks, in the name of your family. Yet, the North had never recuperated from the torching of the fleet by King Brandon the Burner… You would make it again, and even better, and you promised to make the North and the Starks, the best navy in Westeros.
[] Hunter. You were always interested in animals, ever since the kennel master had come around and given you a small puppy for your fourth nameday. You loved that little dog, and you still felt pangs of loss when you learned that it had died just after your fifth nameday. Your father had never told you why, but he comforted you anyway in your grief. This chance encounter made you decide to become a hunter. You would tame any beasts that were willing, and hunt any that were innately hostile. You never understood how you knew, but as you grew older, you managed to gain that instinctual awareness. When you could, you wanted to hunt or tame in the wilderness of Essos, or the cold forests of North of the Wall…
[] Sorcerer. You have been plagued by dreams of events long past since you turned five. You dreamt of beautiful beings of ice with blue eyes, dragons that burned everything in their path, otherworldly beings under the sea, and the black stone walls of a massive fortress that reeked of death. You also had an innate talent for anything that defies the ordinary, and you even sometimes stray into the minds of animals. You can tell that you've either been purposefully shown these things, or that you are simply lucky enough to have all of these things shown to you… It didn't matter to you - you had to find out what all of this meant... It almost felt as if it was your duty.
[] Conqueror. You knew that the North had never been famous for large conquests, yet you did not care - the conquerors, even the ancient conquerors of old were enough to begin your own dreams. And dream, you did. You would dream of conquering the North of the Wall in the name of the North and the Starks, ending slavery in the Free Cities, and maybe, just maybe, conquering the Far East…
[] Knight. The North had never produced any knights of fame. Warriors? Such as Cregan Stark who had fought toe to toe with Aemon the Dragonknight? Or Roderick Dustin who killed the commanders of the battle of Tumbleton in the Dance? Yes, that was certain. But you didn't want to be barely a footnote, if an exemplary one. You wanted to be the knight. One that proved himself through valor and skill. Not just fame.
[] Admiral. The tales of grand battles on the sea had always fascinated you, even when they were about the raids of the Ironborn, you still found something noteworthy about them. You would always dream of captaining your own ships, commanding fleets, and fighting on the decks, in the name of your family. Yet, the North had never recuperated from the torching of the fleet by King Brandon the Burner… You would make it again, and even better, and you promised to make the North and the Starks, the best navy in Westeros.
[] Hunter. You were always interested in animals, ever since the kennel master had come around and given you a small puppy for your fourth nameday. You loved that little dog, and you still felt pangs of loss when you learned that it had died just after your fifth nameday. Your father had never told you why, but he comforted you anyway in your grief. This chance encounter made you decide to become a hunter. You would tame any beasts that were willing, and hunt any that were innately hostile. You never understood how you knew, but as you grew older, you managed to gain that instinctual awareness. When you could, you wanted to hunt or tame in the wilderness of Essos, or the cold forests of North of the Wall…
[] Sorcerer. You have been plagued by dreams of events long past since you turned five. You dreamt of beautiful beings of ice with blue eyes, dragons that burned everything in their path, otherworldly beings under the sea, and the black stone walls of a massive fortress that reeked of death. You also had an innate talent for anything that defies the ordinary, and you even sometimes stray into the minds of animals. You can tell that you've either been purposefully shown these things, or that you are simply lucky enough to have all of these things shown to you… It didn't matter to you - you had to find out what all of this meant... It almost felt as if it was your duty.
CHARACTER CREATION - II
You wanted to be an explorer, you remembered. You wanted to find out the secrets of Old Valyria, discover what lay beyond the Sunset Sea… You wanted to become more then just your father's bastard. You wanted to be more then Robb's bastard brother. You wanted to become something incredible, someone that people would talk about for centuries to come.
You had almost distractedly walked into Sansa and Jeyne's little group, that all immediately quieted at your approach, going red in the cheeks. Even Sansa, which unnerved you, regardless of what you thought of your sister. You didn't even know why they reacted like that at your approach.
"Jon," Sansa asked, being the first to recover, looking like the proper prim little lady, in her small dress and her wide blue eyes. "We were going to break our fast… Would you like to come with us?"
The thought of accompanying your sister (who is the only one who seems to want to talk), makes you...
[X] Happy. Your little sister for all her formalities, is one of your closest allies and friends, aiding you with Lady Stark whenever she could, and was always hanging onto every word you gave.
[] Indifferent on the matter. She's merely being formal, and whilst the two of you don't trade any barbs, your relationship isn't incredibly warm to say the least.
[] Angry. She's only doing this for the sake of her reputation amongst her friends, for being able to be so 'kind' to a bastard. The thought makes you clench your teeth, but you keep your reaction limited to that.
[] Indifferent on the matter. She's merely being formal, and whilst the two of you don't trade any barbs, your relationship isn't incredibly warm to say the least.
[] Angry. She's only doing this for the sake of her reputation amongst her friends, for being able to be so 'kind' to a bastard. The thought makes you clench your teeth, but you keep your reaction limited to that.
Despite your feelings on the matter, you decided to put them aside, agreeing to your sister's proposition, entering the hall to the quiet sounds of servants placing the necessary cutlery on the table, and the sight of your father and Robb sitting at the table. Glancing at the sun that had not risen that far into the sky, you decided to be charitable and believe that Arya and little Bran had slept it. Which was believable.
As you quietly sat down next to Robb, you...
[] Felt an elbow to the ribs, and noticed the cold shoulder of one you used to call brother. The thought angered you, but the anger was directed at Lady Stark, yourself and Robb. You were all to blame for this broken relationship…
[] Heard Robb call your attention to him, and by proxy, Father, a small, friendly if hesitant smile on his face that told you everything. The thought was incredibly comforting, knowing that your brother hadn't forgotten your nameday, despite your relative distance recently.
[X] Immediately noticed Robb's grin, and the small leather thing that he had in his hands. He had gotten you something! You considered telling him to keep it, but your attention was being called by your father.
[] Heard Robb call your attention to him, and by proxy, Father, a small, friendly if hesitant smile on his face that told you everything. The thought was incredibly comforting, knowing that your brother hadn't forgotten your nameday, despite your relative distance recently.
[X] Immediately noticed Robb's grin, and the small leather thing that he had in his hands. He had gotten you something! You considered telling him to keep it, but your attention was being called by your father.
"Jon," your father said, a small, if tired smile on his face. "My nameday gift will require a bit more time then I had thought it would, so you won't be getting it today."
You frowned for a brief moment, before nodding. "It's fine, father. I can wait…"
Your father, with his brown beard and furs briefly looked far older then you thought he was, before nodding himself, in a way that looked incredibly similar to your own.
You swallowed your urge to ask about your mother, knowing that this private moment between you two wouldn't last long, but also realizing that here wasn't the best place for it. The thought was more discomforting then you'd ever admit it was.
The sound of the doors creaking open, made you snap your vision to sight of Arya, Bran and Lady Stark walking in, even though Arya looked like she wanted to just run up to the table. The thought of her doing that made you…
[X] Chuckle warmly. You loved your sister, and the fiery personality that she was seemingly born with. Her running up to the table was welcome, especially to break your heavy thoughts, and replace them with more happier ones.
[] Scowl at the thought. You really didn't want her to come and ruin your fast, especially on your nameday.
[] Scowl at the thought. You really didn't want her to come and ruin your fast, especially on your nameday.
After you broke your fast, absently noting that Theon hadn't shown up yet, your father called you and Robb once more, a small, dare you say, mischievous smile. "You two are required in the yard. Ser Rodrik has a surprise for the both of you."
You glanced at Robb, who shrugged in reply. It seems he didn't know either. The two of you arrived at the sparring area relatively quickly, where Ser Rodrik was waiting for you, a massive (for your child body and mind) sword settled on his shoulder. He stabbed it into the ground without much further ado, and smiled at your entry, loudly announcing. "My lords! Are you ready for a choice that may change your entire training with me?"
You blinked for a few moments, not really knowing what to say. Taking a sidelong glance at Robb, it seems he was just as nonplussed as you were.
"Father," Jory said, somewhat exasperatedly, carrying a rather large amount of wooden swords and other weapons in his arms, placing them on the benches. You wondered why. "You can't just drop an anvil on them just like that…"
Ser Rodrik merely shook his head, turning towards the two of you. "My lords, to put things rather bluntly, I'm giving you the choice of your weapon. I'll admit it that I'm more experienced in some weapons then others, but you two aren't that good just yet, even you, nameday boy."
The comment on your skills with a blade made you flush red, both in pride and embarrassment. Robb is already over by the benches, trying to valiantly keep up holding a sword that's larger and taller then him by far. You in the meanwhile, were trying to decide on what sort of weapon you wanted…
[] Shortsword.
[] Longsword.
[] Bastard Sword.
[X] Greatsword.
[] Mace.
[] Warhammer.
[] Maul.
[] Spear.
[] Hatchet.
[] Battle Axe.
[] Dane Axe.
[] Great Axe.
[] Longsword.
[] Bastard Sword.
[X] Greatsword.
[] Mace.
[] Warhammer.
[] Maul.
[] Spear.
[] Hatchet.
[] Battle Axe.
[] Dane Axe.
[] Great Axe.
PROLOGUE
As you held the greatsword in your hand, you immediately knew it was the sword for you, as the weight eventually forced you to use two hands. Robb whistled rather loudly from next to you, absently twirling around a longsword, grinning from ear to ear at your choice. "Are you sure you can lift that?"
"I'm lifting it right now," you replied, with a small grin. "Are you sure that you aren't jealous?"
Robb opened his mouth to retort, but the banter between the two of you was interrupted by Ser Rodrik, who smiled. "My lords! I see that you have chosen what weapon you wish to wield… Fortunately for the two of you, I'm just about equally trained with each of the weapons that you have chosen - which means…"
For some reason, an almost primordial fear struck your heart, as Ser Rodrik's smile turned sadistic. "That you two can finally go through the hard training, that I've thought that you should have been put through sooner!"
Robb and you glanced at each other, before sighing defeatedly. You both wanted to learn, but you also didn't really want to go through hell…
After a few hours, rife with pain, suffering and being easily thrown into the mud, Ser Rodrik calls the session to a stop. You are leaning against your wooden greatsword, almost happy that you had chosen such a big weapon, if only for the fact it was a half-decent rest, and Robb was barely standing up right, standing right over a bench, almost as if he was preparing to fall over.
"You are both rather impressive for boys who are not much older then eight namedays into your lives," the knight complimented, though it almost felt insincere due to the amount of punishment he had put you through. On your nameday too! "You are now free of my instruction, young lordlings."
The knight grabbed two leather skins from a pouch in his belt, and handed them to you and Robb. As you quietly murmured your thanks, you turned to your brother, who seemed somewhat better now that he had drunk something. "What do you reckon we should do?" You asked.
"It's up to you, Jon," Robb replied, an easygoing smile on his face. "It is your nameday after all."
You grinned, thanking the Gods that your brother was as tightly knit with you as he was… You couldn't really imagine how… Lonely it would be, without him or your other siblings by your side. Glancing at the balcony that overlooked the training yard, you caught a glimpse of your father staring down at the two of you, looking sad for whatever reasons, before moving back inside when he caught you.
"Let's go get washed," you quietly murmured to your brother, who frowned at your sudden moroseness. You didn't want to be found by Lady Stark looking like this.
"Alright," Robb said, with a quirk of his lips. "But you gotta want to do something else? Like afterwards?"
[X] Explore the castle.
-[X] The Crypts
-[X] Robb.
[X] Explore the area surrounding the castle.
-[X] The winter town.
[X] Talk to…?
-[X] Maester Luwin.
-[] Your father.
-[] Sansa.
-[] Theon Greyjoy, who hasn't interacted with anyone, apart from your father at times.
-[X] The Crypts
-[X] Robb.
[X] Explore the area surrounding the castle.
-[X] The winter town.
[X] Talk to…?
-[X] Maester Luwin.
-[] Your father.
-[] Sansa.
-[] Theon Greyjoy, who hasn't interacted with anyone, apart from your father at times.
PROLOGUE- II
"Let's go down to the crypts," you said immediately, a daring grin on your face. As soon as anything reeked of adventure to you, you were in the zone.
Robb shared your grin, and the two of you walked towards the crypts almost with a joyful hop, passing by the various servants that were whispering about something that you didn't care for, and you even spied a gaggle of Sansa's friends giving you furtive looks. Glancing at Robb, who shrugged nonplussed, the two of you continued your journey.
The courtyard was a bustle of activity, as merchants plied their trade with the various locals, who were also trading the various bushels and other farming stuff that you didn't recognise. There were a few card games being 'fought' in one of the corners, closely surveyed by one of the guards, who you suspected would have participated, if it weren't for the eagle-eyed Jory watching from the balcony.
The two of you walked by, almost unnoticeable by the guards (even if one cheekily tipped his hat). You briefly wondered if you should take offense, before deciding that today, especially today, shouldn't be ruined.
You halted in front of the tomb, noting that it was closed, for one of the first times in your life. "Robb," you called, grabbing the handle of the door. "Come on and help me!"
Your brother nodded, quickly grabbing the handle from your side, and the two of you pulled with all of your might, feeling the strain in your arms and fingers. You felt the blood rushing to your head from exertion, but you forged on, eventually heaving the door open, almost knocking yourself over.
Robb isn't so lucky, and after giving him a hand, the two of you glance down into the crypts, that even with the torches lit looks somewhat foreboding. Clambering down the steps, you quickly grab one of the torches that was set aside for visitors, blowing off some of the dust as you do so. Deciding to wait until you saw that there was no light in the tunnel before lighting it.
"You've been here before," Robb said, seemingly surprised by your competency. "On your own."
"Aye," you agreed, glancing at the various statues, with their various swords, and the tombs. You stopped to look at your grandfather and your uncle and aunt, wondering what they would think of you.
"I wonder what our ancestors will think of us," the auburn-haired boy said, looking surprisingly insecure. "Of me, Sansa… The ones with the non-Stark coloring."
"I don't think they care what color you are, as long as you're a Stark." You replied, with a small smile.
"And I prove myself worthy," Robb added, somewhat morose. "I can't live in my ancestor's shadows or father's…"
And what about me? Your mind screamed, but you refused to let the thought out. "You won't," you said, settling your hand on his shoulder in comfort. "Just, trust me on this. We'll both be great."
Robb looked at you for a long time, before nodding. You turn around, and continue venturing along the crypts, as the statues became more and more fierce, almost as if they were daring you to come closer.
The swords became more and more rustier, almost each step you took, until suddenly in front of you, you saw naught but darkness. Robb looked afraid, even if he put up a brave face. You? You almost felt it beckon.
Holding onto the torch tightly, you quickly lit it using one of the flames before moving inwards into the crypts, the shadows distorting as you approached, and the statues becoming more and more foreboding and warning.
"Jon," Robb whispered, seemingly terrified. "We… We need to go!"
[] Sure, let's go. After all, there's no reason to make your brother scared.
[] You can leave, I'll continue on. There was something here, you just knew it, and even if your ancestors were warning you against it, or at least, it felt like it, you still wanted to at least see what it was.
[X] Let's continue, together! You knew that the best way of defeating your fears, was by confronting them, or something. This would be a good way to do that. You did want to continue on, but…
[] You can leave, I'll continue on. There was something here, you just knew it, and even if your ancestors were warning you against it, or at least, it felt like it, you still wanted to at least see what it was.
[X] Let's continue, together! You knew that the best way of defeating your fears, was by confronting them, or something. This would be a good way to do that. You did want to continue on, but…
As you walked along the corridors of Winterfell, you thought about what you planned to talk to Luwin about... You should probably ask about navigation, sailing and stuff like that... There was also the matter of Theon, who worried father with how much of a well, ghost he was. You knew that your father probably wanted to help, but couldn't seem to do it for whatever reason.
If either you, (or Robb, who you planned to relay whatever information gleaned), had to make that first step, you'd do it.
Pushing open the door, you, to your surprise, saw the older boy talking rather quietly to Luwin, who seemed to be sympathetic from what you could tell. Quietly coughing, you saw the Maester turn to look at you a smile on his face. "Jon? What do you want to talk about now?"
"I'll take my leave then," the brown-haired boy said, looking at you, unsure, before moving past you.
"No, no, Theon. Stay," Luwin asked, a rare note of desperation entering his voice. You wondered how many times Theon had almost had a conversation, before dipping out. "I suspect that Jon wants to talk about something that may interest you as well."
Theon glanced between the two of you, a strange, unreadable expression on his face, before nodding, quietly sitting down in the other chair. Wondering what that was about, you sat down in the chair, and asked, "I was just wondering if you had any, uh, books on the world?"
"I would think that you'd want books on navigation, sailing and the like," Luwin commented, looking at you, with an appraising expression. "After all, what's the point of having somewhere to go, if you don't know how to go there?"
You frowned at what the Maester said, looking to the side for a brief moment, before raising your look to Luwin's eyes. "True."
"But," the old man said, moving over to the books, "it is nice to see you try to do something to get this ambition of yours in motion, beyond having thoughts."
"That isn't exactly fair," you claimed, but even to you, your words rang out hollow.
"But it is the truth," Luwin reminded him, though the man wasn't being harsh about it. "One that you can remedy, if you wish to do so."
Glancing to the side at Theon, who looked both confused and somewhat sympathetic, you asked, "so what can I do to remedy it?"
"Come here each day to study with me," Luwin offered, putting three books down on the table. "The world is not to be underestimated, Jon. It will kill you without a second thought. Knowledge, as boring as the study may be, is the only method beyond delving into the bloody arcane arts, that will separate death as an adventurer, and the riches and adventures that it can bring."
"Bloody arcane arts?" Theon voiced your thought, the two of you looking rather interested in the matter.
Luwin stopped in his tracks, and began absently pulling at a black chain. "The blood magics of the Far East, the magic of the Red Priests… They are all powerful magics, but the toll it can take on your body, and what it costs… It may cost you a kingdom of souls, to become a master in the arcane."
A kingdom of souls… The thought was terrifying.
The grimness of what Luwin said, almost made the atmosphere oppressive, only for the old man to say, "come on, children. I have three books that will hopefully interest you both - and we'll read the one that you choose, Jon."
Naturally, each book gives a few levels in whatever Skill it focuses on. Guess which ones, even if for me, they are rather obvious...
[] 'A Recounting of the Sea Snake's Adventures'. A book that details the entirety of the explorer Corlys Velaryon's adventure to try to find a way around the North of the Wall, his trading with Leng, and all that happened between. Told by his first mate, a certain Jon ironically enough, and written by Maester Aryon. Theon is notably interested in this one.
[X] 'A Detailed Guide to Essos, by a Braavosi'. A written guide/novel from the mind of a Bravoosi merchant, who supposedly travelled along the entirety of the western coast of Essos, and even tells of a few tales from the Far East that the merchant heard from other, more courageous folk.
[] 'The World of Ice and Fire'. A detailled guide on Westerosi history and the families, it features a tiny bit of stuff on Essos, but not even a quarter as much as the latter two books.
[] 'A Recounting of the Sea Snake's Adventures'. A book that details the entirety of the explorer Corlys Velaryon's adventure to try to find a way around the North of the Wall, his trading with Leng, and all that happened between. Told by his first mate, a certain Jon ironically enough, and written by Maester Aryon. Theon is notably interested in this one.
[X] 'A Detailed Guide to Essos, by a Braavosi'. A written guide/novel from the mind of a Bravoosi merchant, who supposedly travelled along the entirety of the western coast of Essos, and even tells of a few tales from the Far East that the merchant heard from other, more courageous folk.
[] 'The World of Ice and Fire'. A detailled guide on Westerosi history and the families, it features a tiny bit of stuff on Essos, but not even a quarter as much as the latter two books.
PROLOGUE - III
"Come on, Robb," you say, grabbing Robb's shoulder, looking him in the eye. "You're gonna be the lord of the entire North one day. A crypt shouldn't scare you, especially since we're descendants of some of the most fearless men in the entire world… We're meant to conquer our fears!"
Your brother glances to the floor of the crypt, in contemplation, before nodding, with renewed courage. "You're right… I'm a Stark of Winterfell! These are my crypts, and ones that I'll rule over one day!"
The crypts seem to lighten at Robb's declaration, even if only slightly. Looking at each other stupefied, the two of you continued down into the crypts, the spiderwebs and stuff becoming bigger and bigger almost each room you reached.
The statues also became more and more savage, and almost even alien you'd say. The swords have almost disappeared entirely, with only the blade of the sword remaining.
The halls slowly became bigger and bigger as you entered the crypts, eventually becoming bigger than Winterfell's great hall… How deep did this place go? At least you remembered the location of the way out, the one that lead you out of the walls of Winterfell…
Robb was putting on a brave face, but it was obvious that despite his declaration he was afraid. He didn't seem to react to it, forging on, occasionally glancing at you for reassurance. You merely gave him a confident smile, before waving your torch at a stray spiderweb, letting you continue.
Eventually, after what felt hours, the two of you arrived in front of a massive chamber, filled to the brink with old tombs and almost completely foreign statues, that almost felt to you as if they were old divinities. Maybe they represented the Old Gods, you asked yourself, studying them briefly, before moving to look around, Robb following you and your torch.
In an old wooden bookshelf that had almost rotten apart, you grabbed an old book, before opening it, not recognizing a thing in it. Raising an eyebrow at it, you decided to place it back on the shelf, before moving on.
You frowned as you continued to look around, the light of your torch not illuminating far beyond you.
"Ow!" Robb yelped, as he jumped away from something in the darkness.
"What's the matter?" You ask, immediately worrying, as your mind immediately leaped to a massive rat monster.
"I…" Robb attempted to say, before flushing red in embarrassment. "I stubbed my toe."
"On what?" You asked curiously, walking back towards Robb, carefully, trying to merely touch it with your foot, not stub it as well. Your toe lightly touched a rather large stone, and you immediately brought your torch to the stone… Well stones, you should first say, and stones that almost looked like they were encrusted with jewels on every millimeter of the stones, each being black and yellow, with swirls of red and orange respectively. Touching it with your hand, you felt naught but cold, as it finally clicked in your mind.
Your eyes widened, as you realized what your brother had stumbled upon, the description reciting itself in your head, from all of the books that Luwin would recite to you and Robb.
"Jon?" Robb asked, worriedly, as he immediately shook you of your stupor. "What's the matter?"
"We've… We've just found two dragon eggs, Robb." You said, stupefied, barely managing to string the words together.
[X] Carry them out of the crypt by yourselves, and present them to your father. Your father had to have a solution…
[] Leave them in the crypts. Nobody should have access to that sort of power, you realized, as you remembered the Fields of Fire, and what madness the Targaryens did when they had them.
[] Write-In.
[] Leave them in the crypts. Nobody should have access to that sort of power, you realized, as you remembered the Fields of Fire, and what madness the Targaryens did when they had them.
[] Write-In.
PROLOGUE - IV
"No, that can't be possible…" Robb mumbled, shocked. "How did they get here?"
"I… I have no idea," you replied, even as your eyes darted around, hoping that there was a clue, somewhere. To your admittedly untrained eyes, there was nothing that stood out. Glancing down at the two eggs, you quickly decided, "we need to bring these to father. He'll know what to do with them…" Hopefully.
Robb grimaced for a brief second, almost as if hearing your unsaid word. The two of you grabbed the two eggs, and began walking up the steps, careful about where you placed your feet. The journey took you far longer then you'd expect, but then again, your perception of time was probably being thrown off by being underground.
Eventually, however, you managed to climb from the crypts toward the entrance. Setting the eggs down carefully, you and Robb both grabbed the handles of the crypts' entry, and threw it open.
Clambering out of the crypts, Robb passed you the eggs with no small effort on his part, and you quickly hauled him out of there. The two of you then proceeded to Father's solar, without a care in the world, even as you heard the whispers grow more and more.
You knocked on the door, after carefully setting the egg down once more. "Come in!" You heard your father call from behind the door.
Glancing at Robb, who nodded at you, you pushed open the door. "Father," Robb said, entering in with you on his heel. "Me and Jon found out something."
"What did you-" Father was going to say, only to stop, stupefied. This was the first time you'd ever seen him truly surprised at something. Each and every other time, it seemed like he knew in advance.
"We were exploring the crypts," you explained, still reeling from the discovery yourself. "Went down right into some sort of massive chamber, and then Robb stumbled on them… Hope we're not in trouble?"
"No, you're not," your father said, lost in thought, as something dawned on him. "You were just exploring…"
"D-do you know what to do with it?" Robb asked, a brief hesitation in his voice.
"No," your father said, bluntly, as his face turned the most serious that he had ever been. "But I can think of something."
That was the best you were going to get, you thought, worried about the implications of what your father was saying.
Keep in mind, if you want to say anything that you think may be outside of Jon's knowledge, just tag me or something. Generally, Jon knows about the bannermen of the North, and the main figureheads of each region, so he'd know about Mace Tyrell, Tywin, et cetera.
[] Could we keep one of them?
[X] We can use the eggs to get more things from the other kingdoms! The Westerlands are famous for their gold maybe we can dig our own gold out? We have mountains too…
-Mention the bad rep of the Southrons and the Lannisters and the Tyrells specifically. Finding friends in Braavos is far more likely than those dishonourable snakes. (This is a write-in by the planmaker. You are allowed to do this, by the way.)
[] What about selling the eggs to develop our farms and stuff! The North shouldn't be suffering each time winter comes...
[] We could give the eggs to King Robert… He's our friend, right? He'll help us out if we give it to him!
[] Write-In.
[] Could we keep one of them?
[X] We can use the eggs to get more things from the other kingdoms! The Westerlands are famous for their gold maybe we can dig our own gold out? We have mountains too…
-Mention the bad rep of the Southrons and the Lannisters and the Tyrells specifically. Finding friends in Braavos is far more likely than those dishonourable snakes. (This is a write-in by the planmaker. You are allowed to do this, by the way.)
[] What about selling the eggs to develop our farms and stuff! The North shouldn't be suffering each time winter comes...
[] We could give the eggs to King Robert… He's our friend, right? He'll help us out if we give it to him!
[] Write-In.
"Interesting choice, Jon." Luwin said, as you picked out the diary of that merchant. After all, you should know the places you planned on exploring… That book would give you that. "And it's the more entertaining of the bunch, I'll give you that…"
And then the maester began one of the most entertaining rides you had ever listened to. How a merchant could have that little luck, and still succeed was beyond you. You listened, along with Theon who was just as entertained as you were, as the merchant slowly climbed the ranks of power, with his silver tongue, crafty mind and a bit of gold here and there.
It was a rather fascinating piece, you thought. It gave a glimpse into Essosi life, at nearly all the levels of it, and even gave you a rather conclusive idea on what exactly Essos was.
Luwin unfortunately had to end your reading session for the day, telling you and Theon (who was surprisingly interested in it too), to come back some other time.
Choose seven options (one for each day).
What did you do for the week?
-[] Train the skills you already have.
--[X] Greatsword. *2
--[] Commander of Arms.
--[X] Persuasion.
--[] Navigation.
-[] Learn a new skill like… (You'll have to move location to learn how to sail.)
--[] Etiquette.
--[] Politics.
--[] Deception.
--[] Intrigue.
--[] Horse riding.
--[] Stealth.
--[] Smithing.
--[] Survival in harsh and cold environments.
--[] Archery with a…
---[] Shortbow.
---[] Crossbow.
---[] Longbow.
-[X] Learn something from Maester Luwin and his library. (Mathematics and the various affairs of the kingdoms are covered by your normal lessons with Luwin, for now.)
--[X] Medicine.
--[X] Economics. *2
--[X] High Valyrian.
--[] The variant dialects of Valyrian of the Free Cities.
--[] Dothraki.
--[] The Summer Tongue.
--[] Old Ghiscari.
--[] Lhazareen.
[] You decide to continue reading that book on that Braavosi merchant, along with Theon - ¼ completed.
[] You feel a connection to the Weirwood… You decide to investigate it.
[] Interact with…
-[X] Robb.
-[] Sansa.
-[] Theon.
-[] Arya and little Bran.
-[] Father.
What did you do for the week?
-[] Train the skills you already have.
--[X] Greatsword. *2
--[] Commander of Arms.
--[X] Persuasion.
--[] Navigation.
-[] Learn a new skill like… (You'll have to move location to learn how to sail.)
--[] Etiquette.
--[] Politics.
--[] Deception.
--[] Intrigue.
--[] Horse riding.
--[] Stealth.
--[] Smithing.
--[] Survival in harsh and cold environments.
--[] Archery with a…
---[] Shortbow.
---[] Crossbow.
---[] Longbow.
-[X] Learn something from Maester Luwin and his library. (Mathematics and the various affairs of the kingdoms are covered by your normal lessons with Luwin, for now.)
--[X] Medicine.
--[X] Economics. *2
--[X] High Valyrian.
--[] The variant dialects of Valyrian of the Free Cities.
--[] Dothraki.
--[] The Summer Tongue.
--[] Old Ghiscari.
--[] Lhazareen.
[] You decide to continue reading that book on that Braavosi merchant, along with Theon - ¼ completed.
[] You feel a connection to the Weirwood… You decide to investigate it.
[] Interact with…
-[X] Robb.
-[] Sansa.
-[] Theon.
-[] Arya and little Bran.
-[] Father.
[X] Plan Ace of Many Trades
--[X] We can use the eggs to get more things from the other kingdoms! The Westerlands are famous for their gold maybe we can dig our own gold out? We have mountains too...
- Mention the bad rep of the Southrons and the Lannisters and the Tyrells specifically. Finding friends in Braavos is far more likely than those dishonourable snakes.
--[X] Greatsword. (x2)
--[X] Persuasion
--[X] Medicine
--[X] Economics (x2)
--[X] High Valyrian
--[X] Robb
--[X] We can use the eggs to get more things from the other kingdoms! The Westerlands are famous for their gold maybe we can dig our own gold out? We have mountains too...
- Mention the bad rep of the Southrons and the Lannisters and the Tyrells specifically. Finding friends in Braavos is far more likely than those dishonourable snakes.
--[X] Greatsword. (x2)
--[X] Persuasion
--[X] Medicine
--[X] Economics (x2)
--[X] High Valyrian
--[X] Robb
PROLOGUE - V
"Uh, father?" You asked hesitantly, not knowing if he'd listen to you. The man looked at you, with a small comforting smile. Taking that as an affirmation to continue, you said, "I was thinking… We should uh, use the eggs to get more things from the other kingdoms! Like, the Westerlands have gold, don't they? So, uh, we could do the same… We have mountains and stuff too…"
Your father nodded, looking rather proud of you. The thought made you happier then you had even thought you could be. "Who do you think we should trade with then, Jon?"
You swallowed, before thinking on it a bit more. The South thought of the North as savages, with nothing civilized about them. Maybe… Yeah. "What about Braavos? They aren't biased against us like the South is, and… Uh, they'd be good friends for us."
Your father gained a worried look in his eye, as he heard you speak, and rose from his desk. He walked over to you, and placed a hand on your shoulder, kneeling down to look you in the eye. "Jon… Don't think too badly about the South. They simply have a different culture to us. We can't judge them for that. We have to be better than those stereotypes, as Starks of Winterfell. Do you understand me?"
[X] No, you don't. The North has been judged for centuries, millennia even, by the South for our differences. Why should we give them a higher courtesy than the one they give us?
-When they respect their vows and hold an inch of honour in their words we can respect them.
[] Yes, you do. As a future explorer and drinker of the multicultural, you understand. As a Stark, you must be better than those silly stereotypes of the Northerner, and as an explorer, you should at least tolerate the South for all their frivolities. There was also Sansa to think about…
-When they respect their vows and hold an inch of honour in their words we can respect them.
[] Yes, you do. As a future explorer and drinker of the multicultural, you understand. As a Stark, you must be better than those silly stereotypes of the Northerner, and as an explorer, you should at least tolerate the South for all their frivolities. There was also Sansa to think about…
Regardless of your thoughts on the matter, you nodded. Your father looked at you, almost forlornly, before shaking his head. "I will think about it. It's a good idea."
You give your father a small nod and a smile, hoping that he was legitimately listening to your ideas. Opening the door, you heard your father say, "I'm proud of you, Jon."
The rest of the week, you felt yourself raise your head higher than you usually did.
____
All of these are a 1d100.
(11+98) = 109 - 109/70XP. Jon has his Greatsword skill at Beginner 6/10. 39/70 for next level.
(27) = 27 - 27/50XP for Persuasion. Persuasion stays Untrained 2/10.
(51) = 51 - 51/50XP. Jon has his Medicine skill at Untrained 1/10. 1/50 for next level.
(100+56) = 156 - 156/50XP. Jon has his Economics skill at Untrained 3/10. 6/50 for the next level. Your crit has given you one reroll to use in the Discord server, which is where I roll.
(77) = 77 - 77/50XP. Jon has his High Valyrian skill at Untrained 1/10. 27/50 for next level.
(11+98) = 109 - 109/70XP. Jon has his Greatsword skill at Beginner 6/10. 39/70 for next level.
(27) = 27 - 27/50XP for Persuasion. Persuasion stays Untrained 2/10.
(51) = 51 - 51/50XP. Jon has his Medicine skill at Untrained 1/10. 1/50 for next level.
(100+56) = 156 - 156/50XP. Jon has his Economics skill at Untrained 3/10. 6/50 for the next level. Your crit has given you one reroll to use in the Discord server, which is where I roll.
(77) = 77 - 77/50XP. Jon has his High Valyrian skill at Untrained 1/10. 27/50 for next level.
"Robb," you said with a small smile, as you exited after your reading with Maester Luwin and Theon. "You should have joined me - the book we're reading is rather fun."
"Not for me, Jon," Robb replied with a grin, though the sight of Theon disappearing along the corridors immediately reminded you of your task. "So, what did you learn?"
"That he's interested in sailing, and navigation like I am," you replied, seriously. "And it's almost like he's… I dunno, scared of us. He would've ran off if the Maester hadn't pleaded for him to come back."
Robb hummed in reply, thinking on what to do. His eyes lit up mischievously. "What if we tried to follow him around? See what his daily routine is? And then we'll be able to find out how he ticks?"
You stared at your half-brother for nearly a second before exclaiming, "Robb…"
[X] "You're a genius!"
[] "No, that's stupid! We should just… Invite him to hang out with us or something."
[] "No, that's stupid! We should just… Invite him to hang out with us or something."
If you don't use all of your action points in whatever category, spend them in another category. Or just… Don't use em. Whatever, it's up to you.
TRAIN - You have fourteen actions to spend here.
-[X] Greatsword. *4
-[] Commander of Arms.
-[X] Persuasion. *3
-[] Navigation.
-[X] Medicine. 3
-[X] Economics. *2
-[X] High Valyrian. *2
LEARN - You have five actions to spend here.
-[] Etiquette.
-[X] Politics.
-[] Deception.
-[X] Intrigue. *2
-[X] Horse riding. *2
-[] Stealth.
-[] Smithing.
-[] Survival in harsh and cold environments.
-[] Archery with a…
--[] Shortbow.
--[] Crossbow.
--[] Longbow.
-[] The variant dialects of Valyrian of the Free Cities.
-[] Dothraki.
-[] The Summer Tongue.
-[] Old Ghiscari.
-[] Lhazareen.
SOCIAL - You have three actions to spend here.
[] Interact with…
-[X] Robb. *2
-[] Sansa.
-[] Theon.
-[] Arya and little Bran.
-[X] Father.
POTENTIAL QUESTS/MISSIONS - You have one action to spend here.
[X] You decide to continue reading that book on that Braavosi merchant, along with Theon.
[] You feel a connection to the Weirwood… You decide to investigate it.
TRAIN - You have fourteen actions to spend here.
-[X] Greatsword. *4
-[] Commander of Arms.
-[X] Persuasion. *3
-[] Navigation.
-[X] Medicine. 3
-[X] Economics. *2
-[X] High Valyrian. *2
LEARN - You have five actions to spend here.
-[] Etiquette.
-[X] Politics.
-[] Deception.
-[X] Intrigue. *2
-[X] Horse riding. *2
-[] Stealth.
-[] Smithing.
-[] Survival in harsh and cold environments.
-[] Archery with a…
--[] Shortbow.
--[] Crossbow.
--[] Longbow.
-[] The variant dialects of Valyrian of the Free Cities.
-[] Dothraki.
-[] The Summer Tongue.
-[] Old Ghiscari.
-[] Lhazareen.
SOCIAL - You have three actions to spend here.
[] Interact with…
-[X] Robb. *2
-[] Sansa.
-[] Theon.
-[] Arya and little Bran.
-[X] Father.
POTENTIAL QUESTS/MISSIONS - You have one action to spend here.
[X] You decide to continue reading that book on that Braavosi merchant, along with Theon.
[] You feel a connection to the Weirwood… You decide to investigate it.
CONSEQUENCES - I
(16+69( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)+76+63) = 224 + 39 = 263/70 - Jon has 9/10 Beginner - Greatsword. 53/470XP remaining to pass to the next tier.
(24+15+57) = 96 + 27 = 123/50 - Jon now has 4/10 Untrained - Persuasion. 23/50XP.
(99+70) = 169 + 6 = 175/50 - Jon now has 6/10 Untrained - Economics. 25/50XP.
(46+23) = 69 ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) + 27 = 96/50 - Jon now has 2/10 Untrained - High Valyrian. 46/50XP.
(65+53+21) = 139 + 1 = 140/50 - Jon now has 3/10 Untrained - Medicine. 40/50XP.
(11) = 11/50 = Jon doesn't know how to politik. Seems to be a Stark curse, at this point.
(66+49) = 115/50XP for 2/10 Untrained - Horse riding - 15/50XP.
(83+84) = 167/50 for 3/10 Untrained Intrigue - 17/50XP.
(24+15+57) = 96 + 27 = 123/50 - Jon now has 4/10 Untrained - Persuasion. 23/50XP.
(99+70) = 169 + 6 = 175/50 - Jon now has 6/10 Untrained - Economics. 25/50XP.
(46+23) = 69 ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) + 27 = 96/50 - Jon now has 2/10 Untrained - High Valyrian. 46/50XP.
(65+53+21) = 139 + 1 = 140/50 - Jon now has 3/10 Untrained - Medicine. 40/50XP.
(11) = 11/50 = Jon doesn't know how to politik. Seems to be a Stark curse, at this point.
(66+49) = 115/50XP for 2/10 Untrained - Horse riding - 15/50XP.
(83+84) = 167/50 for 3/10 Untrained Intrigue - 17/50XP.
As you thought on what your father said, you found yourself frowning more and more. For centuries, maybe millennia, the North had suffered at the hands of the South, and now, merely because the South had been slightly nicer then it had been before, you were expected to be nicer in return? No, that wouldn't work.
You weren't a bigot by any means of the definition, but you definitely were more wary about the South then any of your siblings were. You didn't want your family to suffer in southern lands simply because you were too trusting. That… That wouldn't do.
[Jon now has the trait: Wary because of your actions.]
____
"You're a genius!" You exclaimed, finding the idea rather marvellous. After all, what could go wrong with doing this?
"I know, I know," Robb joked with a grin. "Now, come on. We have a Theon to follow."
The two of you follow after the boy with relative ease, though you do notice that the guards are smattered around sort of everywhere, and they're all paying rather close attention to you, Theon and Robb. Hm… They're probably just making sure you're okay.
Eventually, you see Theon enter a small crowd of people and briefly lose him from your sight, momentarily panicking. Then, you catch a small glimpse of his jerkin ducking to the right into a small passageway that you are surprised he can fit in. You hurry after him, and duck into the passageway, only to hear that Robb has been caught trying to enter with you.
You briefly debate coming to help out your brother, but decide to continue your mission, managing to come across a jagged hole in Winterfell's walls, barely big enough for a boy of Theon's size, which isn't much larger then your own. Managing to enter the outside from the hole, you see a rather large fall, and several small bricks to support your way down. Theon has already clambered down, is slowly walking across the lands, looking rather at ease. You wondered how many times he had done this before, before shaking your head, and climbing down the bricks, eventually finding your way into the snow.
Carefully walking in Theon's footsteps, you eventually find yourself walking into the forest, and curse with the little amount of swear words you know. Why did he have to go in there? There could be wolves or something… You swallow your fear, and forge on, careful to listen for any stray noises. Glancing around, you find that Theon is right ahead, and duck behind a tree, barely avoiding the Ironborn's gaze. Daring to look, you find him walking head, and carefully follow. Eventually, he exits the trees, and walks onwards through the snow.
A sense of wonderment slowly enters your bones, as you realize that this is one of the few parts of the area surrounding Winterfell you hadn't been in your various journeys. As you crawl up the snowy hill, you eventually come across a deer, brutally mauled by something. It's guts are spilling out of it's ribcage, and you see that the head has been smashed in.
You hastily back away, gagging, as you barely resist the urge to vomit, the details replaying in your mind like a tune. Shaking, you climb up the hill, and continue following Theon's trail, managing to stop thinking about that dear. As you finally finish your climb, your eyes widen.
A broken castle with a slowly decaying red banner hanging from the entrance, looms a few hills away, with multiple massive statues forming some sort of hallway to enter it. The old castle has been abandoned for years, maybe even centuries, and you briefly wonder why.
His or her website is: Kah Yan Choong if you wanna check their other stuff out.
Clambering down the hill, you find Theon at the bottom, vomiting, the mauled body of a deer, almost exactly the same as the one you had found. You find yourself barely resisting as well, and feel a surge of sympathy to the Ironborn. Finding yourself behind him, you put a gentle hand on his shoulder, causing the brown-haired boy to whirl around, confusedly.
"Jon?" The boy asked, almost to himself, before looking at you. "What are you doing here?"
"I was following you," you admitted, with only a tiny bit of shame. "You're constantly avoiding almost everyone, and I was curious why."
"You shouldn't do that to people," Theon groaned, pushing past the deer, almost obstinately refusing to look at the deer. "I have my reasons…"
"It doesn't matter, at the moment," you reply, a small light shining in your eyes, as you think on exploring something new, that you hadn't seen before or even heard about. "We both have the same goal, don't we? Explore that castle… So, we should work together on this. Whaddaya say?"
"Alright," the Ironborn replied, almost looking joyful, despite the attempt at looking exasperated. "Come on, I'll make us a path."
"Thanks," you say, feeling a tiny bit embarrassed that you weren't feeling strong enough to make the path yourself.
The two of you slowly climbed the hills, eventually arriving at the foot of the pillars. Glancing around, you are surprised see a few footprints, from quite a while ago you can guess, given they weren't very deep.
"Someone was here," Theon muttered, looking somewhat scared at the prospect. "We should go, Jon… It isn't safe here."
"Someone was here a while ago," you absently corrected, trying to discern if it was a man, or just some child who'd been wondering, just as you and Theon were. Deciding to place your foot in one of the faded footprints, you find that the footprint is definitely, by far, bigger then yours. "A man… Might have just been fleeing the recent snowfall, and camped here." You added, almost pensive, and whilst aware of the potential danger, you decided to ignore it for the moment.
Theon looks at you a long time, his eyes showing a whirlwind of thoughts. Eventually, they settle on determination, and you smiled.
Still, you did need to think on this a little more - should you really continue, or go back to Winterfell?
[X] You continue on, to explore the ruins. A few footprints, long gone ones at that, weren't cause for worry, and you were an explorer! You had to do it, if only to gain more experience in the matter, and who could say no to adventure?
[] You don't continue, and return to Winterfell. You'd go here sometime later, when you were more ready, in every way. It did pain you to return home, but… It was the more cautious and wise option, wasn't it?
[] You don't continue, and return to Winterfell. You'd go here sometime later, when you were more ready, in every way. It did pain you to return home, but… It was the more cautious and wise option, wasn't it?
No weekly vote this chapter mostly due to the fact that it'd be really out of place, and I hadn't written the other parts that the voters had voted for.
____
CONSEQUENCES - II
You decided to continue to explore the ruins, with an encouraging nod to Theon, who nodded back at you determinedly. Walking across the path to the castle, you push against the snow, finding it was deeper then you had anticipated. The wind, that had been calm before, was beginning to howl as you approached the rotten door. The wood had long since become rotten from cold, wet and age, but a rather large path had been opened. Almost enough for an army, you could guess from the size of it.
Clambering over the rubble that partially blocked the entrance, you found yourself in a partially destroyed entrance hall, with a single banner hanging over where you guess was where the lord of this castle used to sit. It showed a snarling wolf with chains linked across the banner. It was blue and white.
If anyone could tell me who made this, I'd be really thankful.
"That almost looks like the Stark banner," Theon murmured to you, seemingly not willing to raise his voice. If you were being honest with yourself, nor did you.
"I think it's the banner of the Greystarks," you replied, just as quiet. "But they were settled in the Wolf's Den, not… Here."
"I mean… History is incredibly inaccurate," Theon replied, with a small shrug, that told you he had no idea as well what this meant either. "The Maesters write about our histories, the North's and the Iron Islands' that is, at least hundreds of years after they happened. Could be that they were settled here and in the Wolf's Den. Whatever that is."
"Sounds… Plausible, actually." You answered, even if you were a tiny bit annoyed that he didn't know what the Wolf's Den was. "The Wolf's Den is the area surrounding White Harbor."
Theon didn't add anything to that, glancing around the hall, grimacing at the sight. "This place was burnt. A long time ago, but the signs of it being burned to the ground are rather clear."
"What… What makes you say that?" You asked, looking around carefully. Huh. He was right - the few remaining wooden chairs, tables among others had the blackened texture that told you everything. "And how did you know what to look for?"
"I… I'd know, okay." The boy said gruffly, almost hostile at the question. Blinking to yourself, you clenched your fist. Dammit, Jon, you cursed. You didn't have to remind him about the Siege of Pyke…
"Sorry, Theon," you apologized, not really wanting to offend someone who finally had the same taste for adventure that you had. Robb was cool with your tendencies, but… He didn't get it. "Didn't mean to remind you of… You know."
The older boy glanced back at you, and gave a small quirk of his lips. Seemed as if you were more charismatic then you guessed you were. "No worries, Jon. It's just… It's not a very good memory for me."
The two of you then continued with your exploration of the castle, eventually splitting off to explore the eastern and western sides. You explored every single part of your side, but didn't find anything to indicate what had happened here. Admittedly, it was a bit of a fool's dream, but…
Meeting back up with Theon, and the boy seemed to not have anything either. The two of you then descended into the lower levels, hidden by a torn curtain, the light from the higher parts not drifting down, forcing you two to make a torch from the old bits of wood. After a bit of meddling, the two of you managed to make two torches, one for the both of you, even managing to make a fire to light them with.
Clambering down the steps felt almost claustrophobic, and eventually you found the stairs were barely even holding together, and even disappeared at certain points, forcing you to make a few risky jumps. Theon was quick to come after you, even if there was slightly less effort for him, thanks to his longer legs.
Eventually, the two of you found the entrance to the cave, and grimaced at the skeletons implanted on the branches of the frowning Godswood, along with those hung on the walls to the side, as suddenly your head burst from pain. Falling to your knees, you glanced up at the white-barked tree, not hearing anything even as you saw Theon's mouth move. All you saw was the faint, black, inky outline of a boy on the tree, which smiled.
The outline pointed towards a small alcove, and you rose to your feet automatically, stumbling over to the alcove, your palm instinctually grabbing the rather small tome, that was barely holding itself together. Putting it gently on the floor, you gasped as you fell backwards, collapsing against the stone wall. The outline was gone, and the tree was back to frowning. Your eyes widened. What… You weren't even in your body there. It almost felt as if you were a puppet to someone else, and you couldn't do a thing to stop it.
"Jon? You… You there?" Theon said, sounding almost terrified, as he neared you. You nodded, not feeling like speaking, and you saw relief flow into the brown-eyed boy's features. "You scared me to death, you know. You acted like a wight there, it was..."
"I-I wasn't myself. It wasn't me controlling my body," you stumbled out the words, still in shock. Glancing down at the ancient book calmed them somewhat. You… You may finally have an answer to all this. Opening it carefully, the two of you began reading.
As you began reading the brutal entries of the diary, you began to feel sick at the stomach. The diary was of a Greystark, the leader of a band of cannibals, blood mages and murderers, who each year, stole from the winter town, and elsewhere, peasants, lordlings and cattle to sacrifice to the Old Gods.
Then, after they had sacrificed the heir of the Stark King, Jon, all began to go wrong. They'd kidnap a supposed loner, only to find he was a part of the family. Their green visions were lying to them, and when once were reliable, now they were liars. Eventually, the entries didn't make sense, and became rambles about the Old Gods, King Jon coming to exact his vengeance, and why they were going to die.
The rest was guessable, and you looked to Theon, who looked just as horrified as you were. You almost felt glad that your namesake and ancestor had burned this castle to the ground, if it was him that did that.
Grabbing the book carefully, the two of you exited the castle, slowly beginning to feel giddy, despite the horrors of what had happened back in the castle. You had finally explored somewhere proper, that had given you context on an old bit of history, even if it was somewhat disjointed, and messily told.
As you and Theon began trading various stories on what you had done in Winterfell and the winter town, in the name of exploring, or just for fun, you began to feel a genuine connection to the boy, and you didn't even need to verify that the older boy to your right reciprocated - it was obvious.
[You gain +10 relationship with Theon! The Mechanics post'll be updated with how this works.]
____
Quietly walking into your father's solar, it felt almost strange to come in here. It was almost unrecognizable, with various plans, maps and documents scattered around the place. You wondered if he was actually going to go through with the deal to trade the eggs, and smiled. You genuinely hoped that whatever your father decided to do, it'd benefit the North and earn your kingdom the respect it deserved.
Father's brown-hair, that looked ever so similar to your own, poked above the papers, a small smile on his face. "Jon. You've come."
"Yes," you reply, almost quirking an eyebrow. "You wanted to see me?"
The man rose from his seat, managing to avoid the papers with almost practiced ease. He walked over to you, kneeling on his knees to look you in the eye. You felt embarrassed by this, but you didn't let it show. Your father seemed to notice anyway, putting a hand on your shoulder.
"I have your gift for you. It's weeks late, but…" He said, reaching into a pocket of his coat, pulling out a square, metal black box. You lightly tapped it, not hearing anything move about as you did. Finally opening it, you were instantly surprised to see the four points of a compass, a little arrow pointing towards the north.
You smiled widely, looking up to your father with nothing short of adoration and appreciation. This was the best gift that you could even think of! Wrapping your arms around Father, clutching the compass in your right hand, quietly murmuring, "thank you, father."
Your father only chuckled, wrapping his arms around you as well, lightly stroking your hair. The affection almost made you cry, as you briefly wondered if your mother would have done that if she were around. You kept strong however, deciding to settle into the hug instead.
You wanted to say here forever, to put it bluntly.
(You never did notice your father tightening his hold on you, his eyes turning mournful and filled with regret.)
____
"So… What happened?" You asked your brother, sympathetically as the two of you sat in Maester Luwin's office sorting the various documents from Winterfell for the past ten years as a punishment. Theon was relatively busy lifting the more heavy stacks of documents, but you could see he was listening rather attentively. "After you got caught?"
"Mother tore into me, for risking my life stupidly… Apparently doing what the two of you did is far too dangerous for the heir," Robb replied, the last bit sounding rather sarcastic.
"She's right from a logical viewpoint," Theon replied, somewhat somberly. "I'm a hostage, which means whilst I'm valuable, I'm not essential, and Jon is a bastard, so the same situation. You're the heir, and currently the only one that could rule, given that Bran is too little."
"And," you added, having a feeling that Theon didn't want to talk about the matter anymore. "No mother wants to lose her child in some foolish accident."
"I know," Robb sighed, sinking to the ground. "It's just… The two of you can go out and explore, and risk your lives in ancient castles, whilst I can only go out to Winterfell and the winter town. It's just unfair."
Glancing to Theon, who merely shook his head and got back to work, you sunk to the ground, putting a hand on your brother's shoulder. "It won't always be like this. We're like, really young. Of course La-your mother will be worried about you… When we get older, you'll probably be able to explore far more then me and Theon can, and you probably will have far more options for entertainment. You just gotta wait, and so many options'll open up for you."
"I'm not leaving the two of you to rot," Robb retorted, but you could tell that the thought was calming him somewhat. "I'm gonna bring you with me, wherever I go."
Grinning from ear to ear at the declaration, you were rather gladdened to see that Theon had also perked up noticeably at the news. The three of you hadn't interacted that long together, but it was rather obvious that the three of you had formed a half-decent bond to eachother.
[You gain a new relationship: The Bastard, the Heir and the Hostage. Group relationships are liable to change overtime, in 'status', name and overall significance.]
[You gain +15 Relationship with Robb!]
[You gain +2 Relationship with Theon!]
____
Vogor the Merchant had got himself into a bit of a pickle. After being rather brutally betrayed by his right hand man, a certain Malkar of Volantis, his fall from grace was brutal and sudden. He barely managed to survive the various assassination attempts by his betrayer, surviving only due to the protection of a crime lord, called Rallo.
Rallo used Vogor's talents to boost his position, and supposedly manipulated the man into doing his dirty work. But Vogor always had a crafty mind, and managed to earn himself enough support among his brutalized compatriots, to begin a rather daring plan to overthrow Rallo, and earn Vogor the minions to kill his former friend, and retake his position at the top of the foodchain.
Eventually, as Rallo was about to ascend to the rankings of the high society, Vogor sprung his trap, humiliating the crimelord in front of the Magisters of Lys, and placing himself forward as the better alternative, with full support of the man's former men and women. Brutally killing the crimelord was another berry on the cake, to put it like that.
Malkar saw his friend had survived the attempt, and began to plot ways of turning the current popularity of the Merchant into hatred…
Suddenly, Maester Luwin shut the book up, interrupting the narrative with the sound. "Why did you stop?" You demanded, not noticing the fact that it was really dark in here all of a sudden.
"It is dusk, my students," Luwin replied, with a small yawn. "And you need to eat. If there is any food available at this time of day…"
"I hope so," Theon grumbled. "I'm starving. You coming, Jon?"
"Sure," you replied, waving the Maester 'goodbye' as you exited his office. "What did you think? Of what happened to Vogor and his betrayal?"
"I… I have to admit, his plan should've gone wrong at so many points there," Theon said, despite his immense like to the book. "And he betrayed guest right, at least in theory."
Something to consider, you supposed. Vogor was definitely the protagonist, but you were surprised by how questionable you found his actions… Maybe it was a Braavosi thing or something… You didn't know. Maybe it'd explain itself as the book went along?
___
TRAIN - You have fourteen actions to spend here.
-[X] Greatsword. *3
-[X] Commander of Arms. *2
-[X] Persuasion. *3
-[] Navigation.
-[X] Medicine.*2
-[X] Economics.*2
-[X] High Valyrian. *2
-[] Intrigue.
-[] Horse riding.
LEARN - You have five actions to spend here.
-[X] Etiquette.
-[X] Politics. *2
-[X] Deception.
-[] Stealth.
-[] Smithing.
-[] Survival in harsh and cold environments.
-[] Archery with a…
--[] Shortbow.
--[] Crossbow.
--[] Longbow.
-[X] The variant dialects of Valyrian of the Free Cities.
-[] Dothraki.
-[] The Summer Tongue.
-[] Old Ghiscari.
-[] Lhazareen.
SOCIAL - You have three actions to spend here.
[] Interact with…
-[X] Robb.
-[] Sansa.
-[X] Theon.
-[] Arya and little Bran.
-[X] Father.
POTENTIAL QUESTS/MISSIONS - You have one action to spend here.
[] You decide to continue reading that book on that Braavosi merchant, along with Theon. 2/4 of the book completed.
[X] You feel a connection to the Weirwood… You decide to investigate it.
-[X] Greatsword. *3
-[X] Commander of Arms. *2
-[X] Persuasion. *3
-[] Navigation.
-[X] Medicine.*2
-[X] Economics.*2
-[X] High Valyrian. *2
-[] Intrigue.
-[] Horse riding.
LEARN - You have five actions to spend here.
-[X] Etiquette.
-[X] Politics. *2
-[X] Deception.
-[] Stealth.
-[] Smithing.
-[] Survival in harsh and cold environments.
-[] Archery with a…
--[] Shortbow.
--[] Crossbow.
--[] Longbow.
-[X] The variant dialects of Valyrian of the Free Cities.
-[] Dothraki.
-[] The Summer Tongue.
-[] Old Ghiscari.
-[] Lhazareen.
SOCIAL - You have three actions to spend here.
[] Interact with…
-[X] Robb.
-[] Sansa.
-[X] Theon.
-[] Arya and little Bran.
-[X] Father.
POTENTIAL QUESTS/MISSIONS - You have one action to spend here.
[] You decide to continue reading that book on that Braavosi merchant, along with Theon. 2/4 of the book completed.
[X] You feel a connection to the Weirwood… You decide to investigate it.
(85+97+42) = 224+53 = 233/470XP to upgrade to the next tier of Greatsword. Currently at 10/10 - I made a bit of a goof, and it should've been at 10/10 that you'd pass to the next tier. I apologize.
For forgiveness' sake, I'll roll again, so you can hopefully get some of that XP back = (6) = 6. Oh well.
(3+18) = 21 = 21/50XP for 3/10 Untrained - Commander of Arms.
(42+4+23) = 69+23 = 92/50 - Jon now has 5/10 Untrained - Persuasion. 42/50XP.
(61+47) = 108+40 = 148/50 - Jon now has 5/10 Untrained - Medicine. 48/50XP.
(5+85) = 90+25 = 115/50 - Jon now has 8/10 Untrained - Economics. 15/50XP.
(41+89) = 130+46 = 176/50 - Jon now has 5/10 Untrained - High Valyrian. 26/50XP.
(10) = 10/50 - Jon doesn't know how to be polite, how to dance, or how to be smooth, at all. (Etiquette)
(44+98) = 142+11 = 153/50 - Jon now has 3/10 Untrained - Politics. 3/50XP.
(1) = 1/50 - God dammit, Jon. You just got a rather decent roll to not be like your father, and then… (Intrigue)
(65) = 65/50 for 1/10 Untrained - The bastard-variants of Valyrian. 15/50XP.
For forgiveness' sake, I'll roll again, so you can hopefully get some of that XP back = (6) = 6. Oh well.
(3+18) = 21 = 21/50XP for 3/10 Untrained - Commander of Arms.
(42+4+23) = 69+23 = 92/50 - Jon now has 5/10 Untrained - Persuasion. 42/50XP.
(61+47) = 108+40 = 148/50 - Jon now has 5/10 Untrained - Medicine. 48/50XP.
(5+85) = 90+25 = 115/50 - Jon now has 8/10 Untrained - Economics. 15/50XP.
(41+89) = 130+46 = 176/50 - Jon now has 5/10 Untrained - High Valyrian. 26/50XP.
(10) = 10/50 - Jon doesn't know how to be polite, how to dance, or how to be smooth, at all. (Etiquette)
(44+98) = 142+11 = 153/50 - Jon now has 3/10 Untrained - Politics. 3/50XP.
(1) = 1/50 - God dammit, Jon. You just got a rather decent roll to not be like your father, and then… (Intrigue)
(65) = 65/50 for 1/10 Untrained - The bastard-variants of Valyrian. 15/50XP.
____
You slowly entered the godswood, feeling some sort of foreboding come over you. You needed to discover what this connection meant… And if it could explain to you what happened to you in that castle. Where you lost control over your body.
You shivered at the thought, before clenching your fist. That wouldn't happen again if you had a say in it. Slowly approaching the godswood, you felt the foreboding feeling disappear, and peace fill your soul once more. The white tree with the red leaves stood on a small moat, with water surrounding it with only a small walkway to access the godswood. A small, tiny forest with a rather thick undergrowth surrounded it, and you spied a few squirrels running about without any worry in the world.
Walking along the small path, you eventually arrived in front of the almost gigantic tree, with the weeping eyes that almost felt as if they were watching him.
You knelt in the small grass, your head raised to stare into those watching eyes. You breathed in, the cold air entering your lungs, soothing them, rather than hurting them as it usually did. The Old Gods still held power here, you knew, and the thought held far more satisfaction than you had anticipated.
'May you hear my silent prayer,' you uttered silently, as was the custom. As it had always been, even. 'I… I want a sign if you can give one. I lost the control of my body, and I've constantly sought out why it happened… I can only find that it happened because you willed it to happen. Why? I'm just a Snow, nobody of importance…'
A sudden breeze startled you from your prayer, and you stared at the weeping eyes, and the slight downwards curl that almost grown instantly. Before you could consider the possibility, you found yourself peeking from behind a tiny alcove from the wall, observing the goings on of Sansa, who was happily chattering about something. You felt she was far larger then she was usually, only for her to spy you. She screamed, and you hurried away, delving into dark corners.
You suddenly found yourself at the Godswood once more, staring into the heart tree, breathing heavily, gasping even, as you came to a realization.
That… That was you skinchanging. You'd taken over the skin of some rat, or something. You would be hunted down if this ever came out if anybody discovered your gift.
You still needed to refine this gift, you thought, despite your fear. It was a gift from the Old Gods - you couldn't just ignore it.
Could you? You could. It'd even be the wiser option - the thought of being persecuted if you made one move, and potentially forcing the North into war, wasn't a thought you wanted to follow. Nor live in.
[] Hide it, and never use it again. You didn't want to risk your family, the North and everything just because of your abilities.
[X] Hide it, and train it in secret. You didn't want to risk your family, but this was a gift from the Gods. You couldn't just throw it away, it just… It just wouldn't be right.
[] Tell someone about it and go from there… (Pick merely one person.)
-[] Robb and Theon.
-[] Father.
-[] Sansa.
-[] Maester Luwin.
[X] Hide it, and train it in secret. You didn't want to risk your family, but this was a gift from the Gods. You couldn't just throw it away, it just… It just wouldn't be right.
[] Tell someone about it and go from there… (Pick merely one person.)
-[] Robb and Theon.
-[] Father.
-[] Sansa.
-[] Maester Luwin.
Your father was once again drowned within so many papers that you could barely track what was what, but he still rose his head to greet you with a tired smile. "Jon. You need anything?"
"No," you answered, lifting yourself onto the seat in front of your father. "I-uh just wanted to know how it's going with the eggs."
"Do you truly want to know?" Your father asked, with a raised eyebrow.
What sort of question was that? You were the main one to have found those eggs, so of course, you'd have an interest in what is happening to them!
...It would be rather boring, however, and you had a feeling that it'd take a long while to explain.
"I've been invited for negotiations in Braavos in two weeks time," Father said, causing your eyes to widen. He gained a small smile at your stupefaction, before continuing. "I shall be bringing Jory and a few other men as guards, but I will also have need for somebody to assist me."
The unspoken question was all you heard - 'do you want to come with me?', and whilst every bone in your body wanted to exclaim 'yes', you knew that you had to think about this.
[X] You accept. You'd be going to Braavos, you'd learn things along the way, you wouldn't have to suffer Lady Stark, and… You genuinely wanted to learn more about seafaring, in person. In exchange, you're going to have no influence at all in your home life, and you're not going to see your family or your friends.
[] You don't accept. Despite all of the positives, you simply didn't feel ready. And you didn't really want to think on what may happen whilst you're gone…
[] You don't accept. Despite all of the positives, you simply didn't feel ready. And you didn't really want to think on what may happen whilst you're gone…
As your father prepared the various affairs for the trade deal, the atmosphere in Winterfell was
one of constant work - lots of preparations had to be done, at nearly every level. You imagined that White Harbor was probably in a similar situation to now, in order to accommodate both your Lord father and try to raise enough ships in order to protect the egg. It was an extremely delicate affair all-in-all.
Or at the very least, that's what Luwin had told you after you, Robb and Theon had prodded him enough. He was willing to tell the three of you all of the nitty-gritty details, but… You just didn't want to - you had other things to do!
Like attending Septa Mordane's lesson… It was supposedly an attempt to teach all of the kids how to be proper lords and ladies. You personally didn't see why you had to be there, but you really couldn't leave Theon and Robb to the tender mercies of the Septa.
After hours of torturous activities, you exited the room with no small amount of humiliation rising into your cheeks in the form of a blush. You were absolutely terrible at being proper. You simply couldn't keep still and were always messing up the various dance moves that you were being taught, leading to no shortage of stepped on toes.
Robb didn't do far, far better than you, but he at least could dance a tiny bit… Theon however, was rather good. Almost…
"Don't you dare say it," Theon threatened you, as you opened your mouth. "Or shall we recount your dancing experiences with Jeyne Poole?"
"Alright, alright," you replied, raising your hands in mock defeat. "My ladyship."
The Ironborn merely narrowed his eyes, before letting a small grin rise to his face. Robb looked genuinely worried there, but he eventually calmed down.
"So… Where shall we go next?" You asked, almost lazily walking down the corridors of Winterfell, watching the servants bustle about, whispering.
"Wherever the cold winds of the North take us," Theon said, almost sounding like a Northman then and there… You smiled. This was definitely a different Theon compared to the one that used to skulk around Winterfell like a ghost.
___
TRAIN - You have fourteen actions to spend here.
-[X] Greatsword. *3
-[X] Commander of Arms. *2
-[X] Persuasion. *2
-[] Navigation.
-[X] Medicine *2
-[X] Economics.
-[] High Valyrian.
-[X] Intrigue. *2
-[] Horse riding.
-[X] Politics.
-[X] The variant dialects of Valyrian of the Free Cities.
LEARN - You have five actions to spend here.
-[X] Etiquette. *2
-[X] Deception. *2
-[X] Stealth. *2
-[] Smithing.
-[] Survival in harsh and cold environments.
-[] Archery with a…
--[] Shortbow.
--[] Crossbow.
--[] Longbow.
-[] Dothraki.
-[] The Summer Tongue.
-[] Old Ghiscari.
-[] Lhazareen.
SOCIAL - You have three actions to spend here.
[] Interact with…
-[X] Robb. *2
-[X] Sansa.
-[] Theon.
-[] Arya and little Bran.
-[] Father.
POTENTIAL QUESTS/MISSIONS - You have one action to spend here.
[] You decide to continue reading that book on that Braavosi merchant, along with Theon. 2/4 of the book completed.
[X] Sansa seems to be acting colder than usual to you. Investigate why even if you already have your suspicions... (Don't wait too long before doing this. It'll merely get worse as you make it wait, and eventually, the mission will disappear forever. Not trying to force you down a path, of course, this is merely a warning.)
-[X] Greatsword. *3
-[X] Commander of Arms. *2
-[X] Persuasion. *2
-[] Navigation.
-[X] Medicine *2
-[X] Economics.
-[] High Valyrian.
-[X] Intrigue. *2
-[] Horse riding.
-[X] Politics.
-[X] The variant dialects of Valyrian of the Free Cities.
LEARN - You have five actions to spend here.
-[X] Etiquette. *2
-[X] Deception. *2
-[X] Stealth. *2
-[] Smithing.
-[] Survival in harsh and cold environments.
-[] Archery with a…
--[] Shortbow.
--[] Crossbow.
--[] Longbow.
-[] Dothraki.
-[] The Summer Tongue.
-[] Old Ghiscari.
-[] Lhazareen.
SOCIAL - You have three actions to spend here.
[] Interact with…
-[X] Robb. *2
-[X] Sansa.
-[] Theon.
-[] Arya and little Bran.
-[] Father.
POTENTIAL QUESTS/MISSIONS - You have one action to spend here.
[] You decide to continue reading that book on that Braavosi merchant, along with Theon. 2/4 of the book completed.
[X] Sansa seems to be acting colder than usual to you. Investigate why even if you already have your suspicions... (Don't wait too long before doing this. It'll merely get worse as you make it wait, and eventually, the mission will disappear forever. Not trying to force you down a path, of course, this is merely a warning.)
TRAINING:
(12+9+60) = 233+81 = 314/470XP to upgrade to the next tier of Greatsword.
(82+98) = 180+21 = 201/50XP - Jon now has 7/10 Untrained - Commander of Arms. 1/50XP.
(55+3) = 58+41 = 99/50XP - Jon now has 6/10 Untrained - Persuasion. 49/50XP.
(4+29) = 33+48 = 81/50XP - Jon now has 6/10 Untrained - Medicine. 31/50XP.
(69) = 69+15 = 84/50XP - Jon now has 9/10 Untrained - Economics. 34/50XP.
(31+24) = 55+1 = 56/50XP - Jon now has 4/10 Untrained - Intrigue. 6/50XP.
(14) = 14+3 = 17/50XP - Jon still is rather terrible at this whole politics thing.
(31) = 31+15 = 46/50XP - Jon hasn't progressed in his Valyrian of the Free Cities.
__
LEARN:
(6+91) = 97 = 97/50XP - Jon now has 1/10 Untrained - Etiquette. 47/50XP.
(20+66) = 86 = 86/50XP - Jon now has 1/10 Untrained - Deception. 36/50XP.
(59) = 59 = 59/50XP - Jon now has 1/10 Untrained - Stealth. 9/50XP.
(12+9+60) = 233+81 = 314/470XP to upgrade to the next tier of Greatsword.
(82+98) = 180+21 = 201/50XP - Jon now has 7/10 Untrained - Commander of Arms. 1/50XP.
(55+3) = 58+41 = 99/50XP - Jon now has 6/10 Untrained - Persuasion. 49/50XP.
(4+29) = 33+48 = 81/50XP - Jon now has 6/10 Untrained - Medicine. 31/50XP.
(69) = 69+15 = 84/50XP - Jon now has 9/10 Untrained - Economics. 34/50XP.
(31+24) = 55+1 = 56/50XP - Jon now has 4/10 Untrained - Intrigue. 6/50XP.
(14) = 14+3 = 17/50XP - Jon still is rather terrible at this whole politics thing.
(31) = 31+15 = 46/50XP - Jon hasn't progressed in his Valyrian of the Free Cities.
__
LEARN:
(6+91) = 97 = 97/50XP - Jon now has 1/10 Untrained - Etiquette. 47/50XP.
(20+66) = 86 = 86/50XP - Jon now has 1/10 Untrained - Deception. 36/50XP.
(59) = 59 = 59/50XP - Jon now has 1/10 Untrained - Stealth. 9/50XP.
As you sat down in the Godswood, you briefly looked around, careful to spy Arya or Robb or someone hiding in those bushes. You didn't find anybody however. Nobody came in here anyway, you thought to yourself.
You shook your head, focusing on the task at hand. You had managed to take control of a rat the last time, surely you could do it again? Sitting quietly down, you closed your eyes, trying to recapture that feeling of being in utter control once more.
It took a while, hours even, but eventually you felt yourself breach the mind of that small rat you had taken over yesterday. Tentatively, you glanced around the small alcove you were in, before clambering around the various holes. You encountered spiders, other rats and even mice. They almost seemed surprised by your moving about, though you reckoned that was just you being a soft-hearted fool.
Eventually you found yourself, peeking at a conversation between Sansa and the Lady Stark. Your rat ears picked up on snippets, but you didn't get the full picture. Sansa certainly seemed somewhat sad for whatever reason.
She had been rather cold lately. Constantly trying to avoid you. The thought made your heart feel like it was carressed in ice as you realized what had happened. Sansa, and maybe even Arya and little Bran were finally being taught the meaning of a bastard, and why you shouldn't be associated.
The thought made you so angry that you suddenly found yourself squeaking, causing the two ladies to jump, and turn towards you. You darted away before you could feel the wrath of whatever was waiting for a rat.
You eventually left the body of the rat, shaking your head as you felt disorientated from the sudden change of… everything. You managed to reorient yourself by grabbing the bark of the weirwood tree, which almost looked like it was smiling down at you.
After that, you desperately tried again, but simply couldn't do it for whatever reason. Maybe that discovery was disorientating you, or you weren't as skilled as you thought…
It didn't really matter, for now you had confirmation for what you already knew - you were a skinchanger.
[Jon has gained a new skill - Warging (Beginner - Small animals 5/10)]
____
As you walked back from the Godswood into Winterfell itself, you suddenly turned your heel towards your father's office. You needed to tell him that you were going to come. You had been thinking of it over the past few days, and all you could do was see the positives.
You'd be able to visit Braavos and finally see the Titan of Braavos, one of the landmarks that you had always hoped to visit. You'd be able to explore, even if not for very long, Braavos, and you'd finally get some hands-on experience sailing. It was almost like a dream come true.
As you marched towards your father's solar, you pushed open the door without any reluctance, only to see the sight of Lady Stark and Robb, who looked rather unhappy about something. The sound of you entering stopped your escape before you had even considered it, since the three of them turned towards you.
Lady Stark's disapproving look turned to ice, and you barely resisted the urge to just wilt and run away. You needed to prove yourself stronger than that! You were going to Braavos, and over there would be far more scarier than here.
"And here is the source of the problem," the red-haired woman said, addressing your father, the words sounding clinical. Your fists clenched.
"It's not Jon's fault!" Robb cried out. "I wanted to explore!"
"It's far too dangerous out there, Robb!" The Lady Stark said, sounding motherly and concerned you dared to say. A flash of jealousy came over you, but you suppressed it immediately out of habit.
"I don't care about that! Jon, Theon and the Maester have taught me that the world is bigger then Winterfell… Please, just let me at least get out of the castle…" Your brother pleaded, almost looking like he was about to tear up.
You saw something utterly raw on Lady Stark and your father's face, even if only briefly. You wondered why, but decided to keep yourself rooted to your spot.
Your father finally spoke, his voice sounding like a finality. "I'll agree to this but I want you to seriously consider what you wish to do. I can quite easily foster you to one of our bannermen, or even get you squired. It is up to you Robb. You too Jon, could be fostered or squired if you want to be."
You noted with resignation how happy the Lady Stark seemed to get at that, the crack of a smile telling you everything. Robb turns to look at you with a small, hesitant, smile on his lips. You grin back, deciding to comfort your brother over getting worried about whatever she thought.
The two left shortly after that, and your father nodded to you expectantly. You walked to a stop in front of the desk, swallowing. "I… I want to come with you to Braavos. It's in a week, yes?"
"Now, yes." Father replied, with a small nod and an even smaller smile. "You are my son, Jon. Never forget that."
The sincerity in his voice shook you, and you barely managed to nod mutely, quietly leaving after a word of encouragement from your father.
____
It took days for you, with assistance from Theon and Robb, to find Sansa at a time where she wasn't constantly accompanied, and it was in the Godswood. She hadn't come here at all beforehand, you knew. You wondered why.
Walking quietly into the calm forest, you saw her absently playing with a few animals who seemed to have taken a liking to her. They turned towards you, but didn't seem to react to your presence. You had a feeling that they knew you were a skinchanger, somehow. Or they were just strange.
"Sansa," you said, interrupting the girl from her musings. "May I sit?"
"Oh," your sister said, hesitating if only briefly. That merely confirmed whatever suspicions you had, if you were being honest with yourself. "Y-yes you can."
You moved past her, sitting down on one of the roots of the weirwood tree, letting you look at Sansa properly. She was still playing with the animals, only her movements were slightly twitchier.
"You-you can talk to me you know," you tried to say. "I'm your brother."
"Half-brother," she corrected almost automatically, refusing to look at you. You flinched, feeling you'd been punched. You should've been used to it by now, but… This was your sister.
"Regardless," you said, swallowing your hurt. "Regardless if you think I'm your half-brother, we can't just ignore each other."
"We… We can," your red-headed sister said, still refusing to look at you.
"We shouldn't," you replied, feeling emotionally charged right now. "I'm… I'm not whoever your mother said I am."
"I know," Sansa offered, her eyes still looking at the ground.
"Look at me, at least!" You pleaded, finally letting your emotions take control, a confused mix of anger, hurt and sadness. "I-I know we're not real siblings, but I thought… I thought that it didn't matter. It didn't before. What changed?!"
Sansa raised her eyes, and you saw that she was crying. You felt whatever anger you had evaporate, and you automatically moved to grab her in your arms. She didn't even fight you, only quietly sob into your shirt.
You murmured lowly, with a tinge of regret in your tone. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted like that. You're my little sister, regardless of what anyone else thinks."
"A-and," Sansa croaked from between sobs. "You're my big brother."
You merely stroked her hair, clutching her to your chest. "I'm not going anywhere until you want me to."
The two of you sat in silence, as you thought. About nothing, your family and everything else that came with it.
[] You swear to yourself that you would stop at nothing to keep your family safe. You'd declare war, you'd kill, you'd do literally anything to keep them safe.
[] You decide to keep yourself distant. You didn't want to risk getting hurt again… But you still felt an urge to protect them.
[] You feel nothing at this. You only had one goal in mind, family couldn't intervene with that.
[] You decide to keep yourself distant. You didn't want to risk getting hurt again… But you still felt an urge to protect them.
[] You feel nothing at this. You only had one goal in mind, family couldn't intervene with that.
TRAIN - You have fourteen actions to spend here.
-[] Greatsword.
-[] Commander of Arms.
-[] Persuasion.
-[] Navigation.
-[] Medicine
-[] Economics.
-[] High Valyrian.
-[] Intrigue.
-[] Horse riding.
-[] Politics.
-[] The variant dialects of Valyrian of the Free Cities.
-[] Etiquette.
-[] Deception.
-[] Stealth
-[] Warging.
LEARN - You have five actions to spend here. (You can choose to put these points into TRAINING instead, but please say so if you do.)
-[] Smithing.
-[] Survival in harsh and cold environments.
-[] Archery with a…
--[] Shortbow.
--[] Crossbow.
--[] Longbow.
-[] Dothraki.
-[] The Summer Tongue.
-[] Old Ghiscari.
-[] Lhazareen.
SOCIAL - You have three actions to spend here.
[] Interact with…
-[] Robb.
-[] Sansa.
-[] Theon.
-[] Arya and little Bran.
-[] Father.
POTENTIAL QUESTS/MISSIONS - You have one action to spend here.
[] You decide to continue reading that book on that Braavosi merchant, along with Theon. 2/4 of the book completed.
BE WARNED: This is your final time that you'll be able to choose what you train until you get to Braavos, and even then it'll be slightly different in terms of what you can or cannot learn. Whilst you're on that boat, all of your training will be put into Navigation and Sailing, along with maybe potentially Greatsword. We'll see however.
-[] Greatsword.
-[] Commander of Arms.
-[] Persuasion.
-[] Navigation.
-[] Medicine
-[] Economics.
-[] High Valyrian.
-[] Intrigue.
-[] Horse riding.
-[] Politics.
-[] The variant dialects of Valyrian of the Free Cities.
-[] Etiquette.
-[] Deception.
-[] Stealth
-[] Warging.
LEARN - You have five actions to spend here. (You can choose to put these points into TRAINING instead, but please say so if you do.)
-[] Smithing.
-[] Survival in harsh and cold environments.
-[] Archery with a…
--[] Shortbow.
--[] Crossbow.
--[] Longbow.
-[] Dothraki.
-[] The Summer Tongue.
-[] Old Ghiscari.
-[] Lhazareen.
SOCIAL - You have three actions to spend here.
[] Interact with…
-[] Robb.
-[] Sansa.
-[] Theon.
-[] Arya and little Bran.
-[] Father.
POTENTIAL QUESTS/MISSIONS - You have one action to spend here.
[] You decide to continue reading that book on that Braavosi merchant, along with Theon. 2/4 of the book completed.
BE WARNED: This is your final time that you'll be able to choose what you train until you get to Braavos, and even then it'll be slightly different in terms of what you can or cannot learn. Whilst you're on that boat, all of your training will be put into Navigation and Sailing, along with maybe potentially Greatsword. We'll see however.
Now that you've finished reading all that, I can formally say welcome to the quest, any feedback you give is greatly appreciated, and your votes are especially welcome as well. If you have any questions I'll be there shortly to reply.
And uh... I don't really know what to say apart from that. Just enjoy it. If you enjoy the quest that is.
Last edited:
Continue training with most of last update's priorities so we can increase their rank. Need to start learning Valyrian dialects, survival, and other languages before we make our voyage. We can learn while we're there but having an initial knowledge base seems smart. We need to interact with Theon and the little ones before we leave or risk having them dislike us when we return. I just like the notion of using a crossbow while shoring up relations with Robb before we leave on a long journey never hurts.
[X] Plan Final Prep
[] You swear to yourself that you would stop at nothing to keep your family safe. You'd declare war, you'd kill, you'd do literally anything to keep them safe.
[] Train
-[] Greatsword. *2
-[] Commander of Arms. *2
-[] Persuasion. *2
-[] Navigation.
-[] Intrigue.
-[] Politics.
-[] The variant dialects of Valyrian of the Free Cities. *3
-[] Etiquette.
-[] Warging.
[] Learn
-[] Survival in harsh and cold environments. *2
-[] Archery with a…
--[] Crossbow.
-[] Dothraki.
-[] The Summer Tongue.
[] Interact with…
-[] Robb.
-[] Theon.
-[] Arya and little Bran.
[X] Plan Final Prep
[] You swear to yourself that you would stop at nothing to keep your family safe. You'd declare war, you'd kill, you'd do literally anything to keep them safe.
[] Train
-[] Greatsword. *2
-[] Commander of Arms. *2
-[] Persuasion. *2
-[] Navigation.
-[] Intrigue.
-[] Politics.
-[] The variant dialects of Valyrian of the Free Cities. *3
-[] Etiquette.
-[] Warging.
[] Learn
-[] Survival in harsh and cold environments. *2
-[] Archery with a…
--[] Crossbow.
-[] Dothraki.
-[] The Summer Tongue.
[] Interact with…
-[] Robb.
-[] Theon.
-[] Arya and little Bran.
inawarminister
I ♥ anime
[X] Plan Final Prep
I thought this was an Exalted crossover for a minute there heh.
Still, explorer Jon is going to be awesome. And our influence on Robb and Theon is already interesting. Grats!
I thought this was an Exalted crossover for a minute there heh.
Still, explorer Jon is going to be awesome. And our influence on Robb and Theon is already interesting. Grats!
- Location
- France
Well, the plan that won (over in SB) was this one:
Yours and his share quite a lot of similarities but they do differ in a few ways - such as him not choosing to learn the art of the Crossbow or you choosing to train Navigation.
I'm revising some of the mechanics for the quest (mainly the XP), but the next chapter shouldn't be that far off. All of the rolls after all, for training, etc have been rolled. All that needs to be done is for me to write.
[X]Plan:Skillful Northern Bastard
-[X] You swear to yourself that you would stop at nothing to keep your family safe. You'd declare war, you'd kill, you'd do literally anything to keep them safe.
TRAIN - You have fourteen actions to spend here.
-[x] Greatsword. x3
-[] Commander of Arms.
-[] Persuasion.
-[] Navigation.
-[x] Medicine
-[x] Economics.
-[x] High Valyrian. x2
-[] Intrigue.
-[x] Horse riding.
-[X] Politics.
-[x] The variant dialects of Valyrian of the Free Cities.
-[x] Etiquette. x2
-[] Deception.
-[] Stealth
-[x] Warging. x2
LEARN - You have five actions to spend here. (You can choose to put these points into TRAINING instead, but please say so if you do.)
-[X] Smithing.
-[X] Survival in harsh and cold environments.
-[] Archery with a…
--[] Shortbow.
--[] Crossbow.
--[] Longbow.
-[X] Dothraki.
-[X] The Summer Tongue.
-[X] Old Ghiscari.
-[] Lhazareen.
SOCIAL - You have three actions to spend here.
[] Interact with…
-[X] Robb.
-[X] Sansa.
-[] Theon.
-[X] Arya and little Bran.
-[] Father.
POTENTIAL QUESTS/MISSIONS - You have one action to spend here.
[X] You decide to continue reading that book on that Braavosi merchant, along with Theon. 2/4 of the book completed.
-[X] You swear to yourself that you would stop at nothing to keep your family safe. You'd declare war, you'd kill, you'd do literally anything to keep them safe.
TRAIN - You have fourteen actions to spend here.
-[x] Greatsword. x3
-[] Commander of Arms.
-[] Persuasion.
-[] Navigation.
-[x] Medicine
-[x] Economics.
-[x] High Valyrian. x2
-[] Intrigue.
-[x] Horse riding.
-[X] Politics.
-[x] The variant dialects of Valyrian of the Free Cities.
-[x] Etiquette. x2
-[] Deception.
-[] Stealth
-[x] Warging. x2
LEARN - You have five actions to spend here. (You can choose to put these points into TRAINING instead, but please say so if you do.)
-[X] Smithing.
-[X] Survival in harsh and cold environments.
-[] Archery with a…
--[] Shortbow.
--[] Crossbow.
--[] Longbow.
-[X] Dothraki.
-[X] The Summer Tongue.
-[X] Old Ghiscari.
-[] Lhazareen.
SOCIAL - You have three actions to spend here.
[] Interact with…
-[X] Robb.
-[X] Sansa.
-[] Theon.
-[X] Arya and little Bran.
-[] Father.
POTENTIAL QUESTS/MISSIONS - You have one action to spend here.
[X] You decide to continue reading that book on that Braavosi merchant, along with Theon. 2/4 of the book completed.
Yours and his share quite a lot of similarities but they do differ in a few ways - such as him not choosing to learn the art of the Crossbow or you choosing to train Navigation.
I'm revising some of the mechanics for the quest (mainly the XP), but the next chapter shouldn't be that far off. All of the rolls after all, for training, etc have been rolled. All that needs to be done is for me to write.
- Location
- France
I like this, the xp side of things already seems more balanced than a lot of asoiaf quests. Hopefully the difficulty progression continues and we won't have a 'master of everything' 12 year old on our hands.
Interesting so far, looking forward to the next chapter
The maths of it are somewhat ridiculous. I've calculated that it'd take you a year at the higher tiers, with somewhat above average rolls to get to even the next level. By *entirely* focusing on that skill. So... adjustments still need to be made. But beyond that, thank you for the compliment.
Voyage - I
- Location
- France
Exaltation - Voyage - I
____
As you continued hugging Sansa, who had stopped crying in favor of snuggling into you, you knew that you had decided on what to do. You simply couldn't distance yourself nor ignore your family. Regardless of what anybody else thought, regardless of your supposed position in society, you swore an oath. To yourself, to the Old Gods, and to the Stark blood that flowed through your veins that you'd protect your family. You'd go through Old Valyria, Sothoryos or whatever hellish place the world had in store for you in order to protect them. You'd raise an army, you'd kill whoever meant them harm… You would do anything to keep them safe.
[Jon now gains the trait: Protector! Whenever someone you consider to be family is in danger, you are now forced into actions that'll protect them. However, if you are too far away to do anything, you're new goal is going to be to return to Westeros and on the way there, start whatever it is you need to do in order to save them. It can be from hiring the Faceless Men, to raising an army, or even using whatever magic you have at your disposal - the choice is up to you.]
You heard the light breathing first, glancing down at your sister to see that she was asleep. You smiled gently, deciding to stay there until she awoke… You needed some shut-eye yourself after all…
[You have gained +10 relationship with Sansa!]
____
After your relatively tender and affectionate moment with your sister, you decide upon yourself, with the help of Robb and Sansa, to reconnect with Arya and Bran… Whom you had, to your shame, ignored over the past few weeks.
You found the two of them playing with Hodor, whom was carefully letting Bran and Arya onto his back. You were somewhat surprised by the giant's innate gentleness in all honesty... You should probably stop judging on appearances, you thought to yourself as Hodor caught a glimpse of you and grinned widely. "Hodor!"
"Hello Hodor," you said kindly, turning towards your siblings who looked somewhat curious at the sight of you. "You three willing to let me play with you?"
Arya and Bran glanced at each other briefly, before slowly nodding. You had to remember that for all of their intelligence, they were barely beyond the stage of babies. You definitely couldn't be rough with them, that was for sure. Glancing at Hodor who was still smiling somewhat happily, you mused on what game to play… Hm.
"Let's play hide and seek," you decided with a small comforting smile. "You three all know of that game right?"
"Yes," Arya said, rather bossily. You couldn't help but grin at the sight of her attitude. "One of us waits with eyes shut and da others hide! Then that one comes and fiiinds us!"
You nodded in a mock-serious way, making the girl beam at you. "Exactly, now..."
And with that, you managed to relight your relationship with Arya and Bran, as the three of you and Hodor played various childish games for hours. You hadn't remembered how fun some of these games were in their ridiculousness. It became rather chaotic, especially when you had to tag Hodor, who was carrying Arya and Bran on his back, the entirety of the castle learning of your activities. This has also made the side effect of making your reputation within the castle improve somewhat, since you now have shown a far less serious side of yourself. It still hasn't managed to improve Lady Stark's view on you however…
[You have gained +15 relationship with Arya and Bran! You can also count of Hodor coming to your aid if you need it…]
[Your reputation within Winterfell has improved - you are now viewed with Respect!]
____
As the merchant managed to place him into a position of power, the man began to start his trading company, with a literal fleet of ships and traders under his control. As his trading empire expanded, and his wealth grew, the merchant still faced opposition from the various elements that conspired against him.
He had sacrificed his connection with his family to gain the position he had, and now his own brother was trying to take control of his trading company.
Mercenaries were hassling his traders, and the merchant was going through with his threat to raise a private army and a faithful commander to lead them.
It was almost sad seeing the man become so ruthless and pragmatic, when before he had been a fish out of water. Then again, given what he'd been through, you weren't all that surprised…
"You are departing on a voyage to Braavos, aren't you?" Theon quietly said after you had departed from Luwin's lesson, who was already looking rather sad at your departure, even if it was in a day.
"Yes I am," you replied, raising an eyebrow with a small mocking grin. "Didn't you know that already?"
"Of course I knew," the Ironborn retorted, ruffling your hair in response to the mockery. "Just shut up, and take this."
He pulls a small pendant from his pocket, and hands it to you. Made of iron, it seems to represent a hammer crackling with lightning, about to hit some sort of kraken by the shape. You glance up at your friend, still holding the pendant in your palm. "What's this?"
"A lucky pendant," Theon replied, with a small smile filled with melancholy. "The hammer is supposedly the main weapon of the Storm God and he's trying to beat back a kraken, which is the usual representation of the Drowned God, if we ever represent him. My uncle told me that it'd always keep me safe on the seas, since even the Storm God is unwilling to strike down those who wear his marking."
You felt a small smile rise on your face. "You admitting you like me?"
Theon didn't even deign you with a reply, merely a headlock and another hair ruffle. You managed to push him off with relative ease, and after glancing at each other for a few brief seconds, starting to laugh.
___
Your last day in Winterfell for what would be presumably weeks, felt weird to you. The thought of not seeing the grey and greens of the landscape, the warmth of Winterfell, and more importantly, your siblings and friend, was almost surreal.
You should probably try to get used to it if you truly wanted to become the greatest explorer there ever was, but something told you that it wouldn't be that easy. If it was even easy at all…
You shook your head as you grabbed the steel sword, forged by Mikken, that was lying near your bed. Your father had ordered that whatever weapon you and Robb had chosen to wield would be forged for you, and you earned yourself a sword that was nearly as tall as you were. Grabbing a sheath and leather belt, you wrapped around your torso, the sheath settling over your back and fur cloak. The sword was somewhat hard to get into the sheath, but you managed to do it.
You let out a breath as you exited your room, fully clothed and ready to go, just as your father had told you to. You walked along the castle corridors towards the main hall, where it was likely that you'd see the rest of your family. The servants looked at you with a somewhat surprised and almost nostalgic expression, murmuring something to one another. You shook your head, eventually managing to slip between the gap that you had made with the stiff doors to the main hall.
As you entered, you found that the entirety of your siblings and Theon were already waiting for you, with your father looking on with a somewhat prideful eye. You didn't even glance at the Lady Stark, not wishing to find out what she thought with any part of your body.
"Jon!" Arya yelled out, charging at you and almost knocking you over with the force of it all. She didn't really seem like she knew what to say, settling into hugging your waist.
Bran smiled toothily at you from his perch in your father's arms, probably not truly understanding what was happening. He wasn't exactly old enough, you thought.
"Jon," Robb said, with a slightly shaky smile. "You had better be back before I start getting bored of the squid here…"
Theon merely grins in reply, taking the teasing on the chin. "More like I'm going to get bored of you, Stark," he retorted, giving you a small wink. He had already said his goodbyes you supposed...
Robb shook his head, a grin rising on his face despite himself. You mock-rolled your eyes in exasperation at their antics, before you turned towards Sansa, who just immediately strolled up to you, hugging you.
"You'll be back, right?" She quietly whispered, having grown rather attached to you.
"Don't worry, Sansa," you said with a small grin. "I'll be protecting our father overseas, not just going off gallivanting…" Not just yet, anyway, you thought quietly to yourself.
She smiled before pulling from her sleeves, an incredibly well-made grey cloth, with a white direwolf knitted onto it. "Here take this - now you can think of us, even when in Braavos…"
You felt a surge of happiness rise through you, as you realized how much your brothers and sisters cared for you, in their own way. As you detached yourself from the various hugs, you willfully ignored Lady Stark, your eyes looking straight at your father.
He merely nodded, his eyes revealing the happiness but also some underlying sadness that you truly didn't understand why it was there… Maybe you'd find out on the trip to Braavos?
____
___
This chapter took far too long. I apologize immensely for that, but I hope this one has redeemed me? At least a tiny bit?
Edit: Also, the peeps on SV, what would you think of the the quest diverging based on your decisions at this point? So instead of copy pasting, whoever between the two sites has the most votes, I just publish the same quest, but with far different consequences and stuff? Would that be cool, or just way too complicated?
[X]Plan:Skillful Northern Bastard
-[X] You swear to yourself that you would stop at nothing to keep your family safe. You'd declare war, you'd kill, you'd do literally anything to keep them safe.
TRAIN - You have fourteen actions to spend here.
-[x] Greatsword. x3
-[x] Medicine
-[x] Economics.
-[x] High Valyrian. x2
-[x] Horse riding.
-[X] Politics.
-[x] The variant dialects of Valyrian of the Free Cities.
-[x] Etiquette. x2
-[x] Warging. x2
LEARN - You have five actions to spend here. (You can choose to put these points into TRAINING instead, but please say so if you do.)
-[X] Smithing.
-[X] Survival in harsh and cold environments.
-[] Archery with a…
--[] Shortbow.
--[] Crossbow.
--[] Longbow.
-[X] Dothraki.
-[X] The Summer Tongue.
-[X] Old Ghiscari.
-[] Lhazareen.
SOCIAL - You have three actions to spend here.
[] Interact with…
-[X] Robb.
-[X] Sansa.
-[] Theon.
-[X] Arya and little Bran.
-[] Father.
POTENTIAL QUESTS/MISSIONS - You have one action to spend here.
[X] You decide to continue reading that book on that Braavosi merchant, along with Theon. 2/4 of the book completed.
-[X] You swear to yourself that you would stop at nothing to keep your family safe. You'd declare war, you'd kill, you'd do literally anything to keep them safe.
TRAIN - You have fourteen actions to spend here.
-[x] Greatsword. x3
-[x] Medicine
-[x] Economics.
-[x] High Valyrian. x2
-[x] Horse riding.
-[X] Politics.
-[x] The variant dialects of Valyrian of the Free Cities.
-[x] Etiquette. x2
-[x] Warging. x2
LEARN - You have five actions to spend here. (You can choose to put these points into TRAINING instead, but please say so if you do.)
-[X] Smithing.
-[X] Survival in harsh and cold environments.
-[] Archery with a…
--[] Shortbow.
--[] Crossbow.
--[] Longbow.
-[X] Dothraki.
-[X] The Summer Tongue.
-[X] Old Ghiscari.
-[] Lhazareen.
SOCIAL - You have three actions to spend here.
[] Interact with…
-[X] Robb.
-[X] Sansa.
-[] Theon.
-[X] Arya and little Bran.
-[] Father.
POTENTIAL QUESTS/MISSIONS - You have one action to spend here.
[X] You decide to continue reading that book on that Braavosi merchant, along with Theon. 2/4 of the book completed.
TRAINING:
(76+51+81) = 208 = 208+314 = 622/470. You are now Adept (1/10) with Greatsword! 152/470XP remaining.
(23) = 23 = 23+31 = 54/50. Jon now has 7/10 Untrained - Medicine. 4/50XP remaining.
(24) = 24 = 24+34 = 58/50XP. Jon now has 10/10 Untrained - Economics. 8/100XP to pass to the next tier.
(95+76) = 171+26 = 197/50XP. Jon now has 8/10 Untrained - High Valyrian. 47/50XP.
(29) = 29+15 = 44/50XP. Jon doesn't advance in his horseriding…
43+3 = 46+17= 63/50XP. Jon now has 4/10 Untrained - Politics. 13/50XP.
90+46 = 136/50XP. Jon now has 3/10 Untrained - Valyrian of the Free Cities.
78+89 = 167+47 = 214/50XP. Jon now has 5/10 Untrained - Etiquette.
31+6 = 37/100XP. Jon hasn't managed to progress his warging.
LEARNING:
31 = 31/50XP. Jon doesn't know how to even use a smith's hammer correctly.
56 = 56/50XP. Jon now has 1/10 Untrained - Survival in cold environments.
42 = 42/50XP. Jon simply can't speak to poorman's mongols.
84 = 84/50XP. Jon now has 1/10 Untrained - Summer Tongue. At least he's beginning to learn how to speak to the Summer Islanders.
27 = 27/50XP. Jon simply can't speak an almost dead language.
(76+51+81) = 208 = 208+314 = 622/470. You are now Adept (1/10) with Greatsword! 152/470XP remaining.
(23) = 23 = 23+31 = 54/50. Jon now has 7/10 Untrained - Medicine. 4/50XP remaining.
(24) = 24 = 24+34 = 58/50XP. Jon now has 10/10 Untrained - Economics. 8/100XP to pass to the next tier.
(95+76) = 171+26 = 197/50XP. Jon now has 8/10 Untrained - High Valyrian. 47/50XP.
(29) = 29+15 = 44/50XP. Jon doesn't advance in his horseriding…
43+3 = 46+17= 63/50XP. Jon now has 4/10 Untrained - Politics. 13/50XP.
90+46 = 136/50XP. Jon now has 3/10 Untrained - Valyrian of the Free Cities.
78+89 = 167+47 = 214/50XP. Jon now has 5/10 Untrained - Etiquette.
31+6 = 37/100XP. Jon hasn't managed to progress his warging.
LEARNING:
31 = 31/50XP. Jon doesn't know how to even use a smith's hammer correctly.
56 = 56/50XP. Jon now has 1/10 Untrained - Survival in cold environments.
42 = 42/50XP. Jon simply can't speak to poorman's mongols.
84 = 84/50XP. Jon now has 1/10 Untrained - Summer Tongue. At least he's beginning to learn how to speak to the Summer Islanders.
27 = 27/50XP. Jon simply can't speak an almost dead language.
As you continued hugging Sansa, who had stopped crying in favor of snuggling into you, you knew that you had decided on what to do. You simply couldn't distance yourself nor ignore your family. Regardless of what anybody else thought, regardless of your supposed position in society, you swore an oath. To yourself, to the Old Gods, and to the Stark blood that flowed through your veins that you'd protect your family. You'd go through Old Valyria, Sothoryos or whatever hellish place the world had in store for you in order to protect them. You'd raise an army, you'd kill whoever meant them harm… You would do anything to keep them safe.
[Jon now gains the trait: Protector! Whenever someone you consider to be family is in danger, you are now forced into actions that'll protect them. However, if you are too far away to do anything, you're new goal is going to be to return to Westeros and on the way there, start whatever it is you need to do in order to save them. It can be from hiring the Faceless Men, to raising an army, or even using whatever magic you have at your disposal - the choice is up to you.]
You heard the light breathing first, glancing down at your sister to see that she was asleep. You smiled gently, deciding to stay there until she awoke… You needed some shut-eye yourself after all…
[You have gained +10 relationship with Sansa!]
____
After your relatively tender and affectionate moment with your sister, you decide upon yourself, with the help of Robb and Sansa, to reconnect with Arya and Bran… Whom you had, to your shame, ignored over the past few weeks.
You found the two of them playing with Hodor, whom was carefully letting Bran and Arya onto his back. You were somewhat surprised by the giant's innate gentleness in all honesty... You should probably stop judging on appearances, you thought to yourself as Hodor caught a glimpse of you and grinned widely. "Hodor!"
"Hello Hodor," you said kindly, turning towards your siblings who looked somewhat curious at the sight of you. "You three willing to let me play with you?"
Arya and Bran glanced at each other briefly, before slowly nodding. You had to remember that for all of their intelligence, they were barely beyond the stage of babies. You definitely couldn't be rough with them, that was for sure. Glancing at Hodor who was still smiling somewhat happily, you mused on what game to play… Hm.
"Let's play hide and seek," you decided with a small comforting smile. "You three all know of that game right?"
"Yes," Arya said, rather bossily. You couldn't help but grin at the sight of her attitude. "One of us waits with eyes shut and da others hide! Then that one comes and fiiinds us!"
You nodded in a mock-serious way, making the girl beam at you. "Exactly, now..."
And with that, you managed to relight your relationship with Arya and Bran, as the three of you and Hodor played various childish games for hours. You hadn't remembered how fun some of these games were in their ridiculousness. It became rather chaotic, especially when you had to tag Hodor, who was carrying Arya and Bran on his back, the entirety of the castle learning of your activities. This has also made the side effect of making your reputation within the castle improve somewhat, since you now have shown a far less serious side of yourself. It still hasn't managed to improve Lady Stark's view on you however…
[You have gained +15 relationship with Arya and Bran! You can also count of Hodor coming to your aid if you need it…]
[Your reputation within Winterfell has improved - you are now viewed with Respect!]
____
As the merchant managed to place him into a position of power, the man began to start his trading company, with a literal fleet of ships and traders under his control. As his trading empire expanded, and his wealth grew, the merchant still faced opposition from the various elements that conspired against him.
He had sacrificed his connection with his family to gain the position he had, and now his own brother was trying to take control of his trading company.
Mercenaries were hassling his traders, and the merchant was going through with his threat to raise a private army and a faithful commander to lead them.
It was almost sad seeing the man become so ruthless and pragmatic, when before he had been a fish out of water. Then again, given what he'd been through, you weren't all that surprised…
"You are departing on a voyage to Braavos, aren't you?" Theon quietly said after you had departed from Luwin's lesson, who was already looking rather sad at your departure, even if it was in a day.
"Yes I am," you replied, raising an eyebrow with a small mocking grin. "Didn't you know that already?"
"Of course I knew," the Ironborn retorted, ruffling your hair in response to the mockery. "Just shut up, and take this."
He pulls a small pendant from his pocket, and hands it to you. Made of iron, it seems to represent a hammer crackling with lightning, about to hit some sort of kraken by the shape. You glance up at your friend, still holding the pendant in your palm. "What's this?"
"A lucky pendant," Theon replied, with a small smile filled with melancholy. "The hammer is supposedly the main weapon of the Storm God and he's trying to beat back a kraken, which is the usual representation of the Drowned God, if we ever represent him. My uncle told me that it'd always keep me safe on the seas, since even the Storm God is unwilling to strike down those who wear his marking."
You felt a small smile rise on your face. "You admitting you like me?"
Theon didn't even deign you with a reply, merely a headlock and another hair ruffle. You managed to push him off with relative ease, and after glancing at each other for a few brief seconds, starting to laugh.
[] Yes. Theon's your friend and he seemed to trust you enough to give you this gift from his family. And its effects may even hold a speck of truth…
[] No. You liked Theon and even considered him your friend, but you couldn't accept the gift - it'd offend the Old Gods, and that just simply couldn't happen…
[] No. You liked Theon and even considered him your friend, but you couldn't accept the gift - it'd offend the Old Gods, and that just simply couldn't happen…
Your last day in Winterfell for what would be presumably weeks, felt weird to you. The thought of not seeing the grey and greens of the landscape, the warmth of Winterfell, and more importantly, your siblings and friend, was almost surreal.
You should probably try to get used to it if you truly wanted to become the greatest explorer there ever was, but something told you that it wouldn't be that easy. If it was even easy at all…
You shook your head as you grabbed the steel sword, forged by Mikken, that was lying near your bed. Your father had ordered that whatever weapon you and Robb had chosen to wield would be forged for you, and you earned yourself a sword that was nearly as tall as you were. Grabbing a sheath and leather belt, you wrapped around your torso, the sheath settling over your back and fur cloak. The sword was somewhat hard to get into the sheath, but you managed to do it.
You let out a breath as you exited your room, fully clothed and ready to go, just as your father had told you to. You walked along the castle corridors towards the main hall, where it was likely that you'd see the rest of your family. The servants looked at you with a somewhat surprised and almost nostalgic expression, murmuring something to one another. You shook your head, eventually managing to slip between the gap that you had made with the stiff doors to the main hall.
As you entered, you found that the entirety of your siblings and Theon were already waiting for you, with your father looking on with a somewhat prideful eye. You didn't even glance at the Lady Stark, not wishing to find out what she thought with any part of your body.
"Jon!" Arya yelled out, charging at you and almost knocking you over with the force of it all. She didn't really seem like she knew what to say, settling into hugging your waist.
Bran smiled toothily at you from his perch in your father's arms, probably not truly understanding what was happening. He wasn't exactly old enough, you thought.
"Jon," Robb said, with a slightly shaky smile. "You had better be back before I start getting bored of the squid here…"
Theon merely grins in reply, taking the teasing on the chin. "More like I'm going to get bored of you, Stark," he retorted, giving you a small wink. He had already said his goodbyes you supposed...
Robb shook his head, a grin rising on his face despite himself. You mock-rolled your eyes in exasperation at their antics, before you turned towards Sansa, who just immediately strolled up to you, hugging you.
"You'll be back, right?" She quietly whispered, having grown rather attached to you.
"Don't worry, Sansa," you said with a small grin. "I'll be protecting our father overseas, not just going off gallivanting…" Not just yet, anyway, you thought quietly to yourself.
She smiled before pulling from her sleeves, an incredibly well-made grey cloth, with a white direwolf knitted onto it. "Here take this - now you can think of us, even when in Braavos…"
You felt a surge of happiness rise through you, as you realized how much your brothers and sisters cared for you, in their own way. As you detached yourself from the various hugs, you willfully ignored Lady Stark, your eyes looking straight at your father.
He merely nodded, his eyes revealing the happiness but also some underlying sadness that you truly didn't understand why it was there… Maybe you'd find out on the trip to Braavos?
____
Due to you voyaging on a rather tight schedule, there isn't enough time for Jon to properly train or learn much of anything, besides what he may pick up on the road. The skills that he is certain to learn are Horseriding, Sailing, Navigation, and Commander of Arms. I'll dedicate almost all of your action points to those four skills, leaving you with about three action points to spend on these votes here.
[] As you enter White Harbor, and dine with the Lord Manderly, you decide to interact with…
-[] The two sisters, Wylla and Wynafryd.
-[] The Lord Manderly himself.
-[] Ser Wylis.
-[] Ser Wendel.
[] You enter your father's service, interacting and learning all you can from him. You'll mainly learn Etiquette, Persuasion, Politics and Economics from him, but with the chance to maybe train your Greatsword skills. If you're lucky…
[] You decide to learn from one of these men during your sailing trip…
-[] The sailors. You'll mainly learn Sailing and Navigation from these men, but also Brawling, Greatsword and various dice games.
-[] The captain. You'll mainly learn S and N, but also Commander of Arms, Economics and Persuasion.
[] You hear the men occasionally speak strange languages that you've never heard of. You should try to learn, or at least, start learning one of them…
-[] You overhear what you believe to be a Summer Islander sailor, who you believe you heard swearing in another language. Try to convince him to teach you!
-[] You experience almost exactly the same thing, but with an Ibbenese man, if your father was to be believed. Do the same as with the Summer Islander, you guessed.
[] As you enter White Harbor, and dine with the Lord Manderly, you decide to interact with…
-[] The two sisters, Wylla and Wynafryd.
-[] The Lord Manderly himself.
-[] Ser Wylis.
-[] Ser Wendel.
[] You enter your father's service, interacting and learning all you can from him. You'll mainly learn Etiquette, Persuasion, Politics and Economics from him, but with the chance to maybe train your Greatsword skills. If you're lucky…
[] You decide to learn from one of these men during your sailing trip…
-[] The sailors. You'll mainly learn Sailing and Navigation from these men, but also Brawling, Greatsword and various dice games.
-[] The captain. You'll mainly learn S and N, but also Commander of Arms, Economics and Persuasion.
[] You hear the men occasionally speak strange languages that you've never heard of. You should try to learn, or at least, start learning one of them…
-[] You overhear what you believe to be a Summer Islander sailor, who you believe you heard swearing in another language. Try to convince him to teach you!
-[] You experience almost exactly the same thing, but with an Ibbenese man, if your father was to be believed. Do the same as with the Summer Islander, you guessed.
This chapter took far too long. I apologize immensely for that, but I hope this one has redeemed me? At least a tiny bit?
Edit: Also, the peeps on SV, what would you think of the the quest diverging based on your decisions at this point? So instead of copy pasting, whoever between the two sites has the most votes, I just publish the same quest, but with far different consequences and stuff? Would that be cool, or just way too complicated?
Last edited:
[X] Yes. Theon's your friend and he seemed to trust you enough to give you this gift from his family. And its effects may even hold a speck of truth…
[X] You enter your father's service, interacting and learning all you can from him. You'll mainly learn Etiquette, Persuasion, Politics and Economics from him, but with the chance to maybe train your Greatsword skills. If you're lucky…
[X] You hear the men occasionally speak strange languages that you've never heard of. You should try to learn, or at least, start learning one of them…
-[X] You overhear what you believe to be a Summer Islander sailor, who you believe you heard swearing in another language. Try to convince him to teach you!
[X] As you enter White Harbor, and dine with the Lord Manderly, you decide to interact with…
-[X] The two sisters, Wylla and Wynafryd.
Diverging is fine but its QUITE the writing load, so be warned.
[X] You enter your father's service, interacting and learning all you can from him. You'll mainly learn Etiquette, Persuasion, Politics and Economics from him, but with the chance to maybe train your Greatsword skills. If you're lucky…
[X] You hear the men occasionally speak strange languages that you've never heard of. You should try to learn, or at least, start learning one of them…
-[X] You overhear what you believe to be a Summer Islander sailor, who you believe you heard swearing in another language. Try to convince him to teach you!
[X] As you enter White Harbor, and dine with the Lord Manderly, you decide to interact with…
-[X] The two sisters, Wylla and Wynafryd.
Diverging is fine but its QUITE the writing load, so be warned.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] Yes. Theon's your friend and he seemed to trust you enough to give you this gift from his family. And its effects may even hold a speck of truth…
[X] You enter your father's service, interacting and learning all you can from him. You'll mainly learn Etiquette, Persuasion, Politics and Economics from him, but with the chance to maybe train your Greatsword skills. If you're lucky…
[X] You hear the men occasionally speak strange languages that you've never heard of. You should try to learn, or at least, start learning one of them…
-[X] You overhear what you believe to be a Summer Islander sailor, who you believe you heard swearing in another language. Try to convince him to teach you!
[X] As you enter White Harbor, and dine with the Lord Manderly, you decide to interact with…
-[X] The two sisters, Wylla and Wynafryd.
Be sure that you can handle diverging before you try it.
[X] You enter your father's service, interacting and learning all you can from him. You'll mainly learn Etiquette, Persuasion, Politics and Economics from him, but with the chance to maybe train your Greatsword skills. If you're lucky…
[X] You hear the men occasionally speak strange languages that you've never heard of. You should try to learn, or at least, start learning one of them…
-[X] You overhear what you believe to be a Summer Islander sailor, who you believe you heard swearing in another language. Try to convince him to teach you!
[X] As you enter White Harbor, and dine with the Lord Manderly, you decide to interact with…
-[X] The two sisters, Wylla and Wynafryd.
Be sure that you can handle diverging before you try it.
[X] Yes. Theon's your friend and he seemed to trust you enough to give you this gift from his family. And its effects may even hold a speck of truth…
[X] You enter your father's service, interacting and learning all you can from him. You'll mainly learn Etiquette, Persuasion, Politics and Economics from him, but with the chance to maybe train your Greatsword skills. If you're lucky…
[X] You hear the men occasionally speak strange languages that you've never heard of. You should try to learn, or at least, start learning one of them…
-[X] You overhear what you believe to be a Summer Islander sailor, who you believe you heard swearing in another language. Try to convince him to teach you!
[X] As you enter White Harbor, and dine with the Lord Manderly, you decide to interact with…
-[X] The two sisters, Wylla and Wynafryd.
Divergence would be interesting to read, but it would also add a lot of work. If you feel up to it, go for it.
[X] You enter your father's service, interacting and learning all you can from him. You'll mainly learn Etiquette, Persuasion, Politics and Economics from him, but with the chance to maybe train your Greatsword skills. If you're lucky…
[X] You hear the men occasionally speak strange languages that you've never heard of. You should try to learn, or at least, start learning one of them…
-[X] You overhear what you believe to be a Summer Islander sailor, who you believe you heard swearing in another language. Try to convince him to teach you!
[X] As you enter White Harbor, and dine with the Lord Manderly, you decide to interact with…
-[X] The two sisters, Wylla and Wynafryd.
Divergence would be interesting to read, but it would also add a lot of work. If you feel up to it, go for it.
inawarminister
I ♥ anime
[X] Yes. Theon's your friend and he seemed to trust you enough to give you this gift from his family. And its effects may even hold a speck of truth…
[X] You enter your father's service, interacting and learning all you can from him. You'll mainly learn Etiquette, Persuasion, Politics and Economics from him, but with the chance to maybe train your Greatsword skills. If you're lucky…
[X] You hear the men occasionally speak strange languages that you've never heard of. You should try to learn, or at least, start learning one of them…
-[X] You overhear what you believe to be a Summer Islander sailor, who you believe you heard swearing in another language. Try to convince him to teach you!
[X] As you enter White Harbor, and dine with the Lord Manderly, you decide to interact with…
-[X] The two sisters, Wylla and Wynafryd.
No divergence please, it's a potential death-knell of the quest.
We'll be happy enough with frequent updates!
[X] You enter your father's service, interacting and learning all you can from him. You'll mainly learn Etiquette, Persuasion, Politics and Economics from him, but with the chance to maybe train your Greatsword skills. If you're lucky…
[X] You hear the men occasionally speak strange languages that you've never heard of. You should try to learn, or at least, start learning one of them…
-[X] You overhear what you believe to be a Summer Islander sailor, who you believe you heard swearing in another language. Try to convince him to teach you!
[X] As you enter White Harbor, and dine with the Lord Manderly, you decide to interact with…
-[X] The two sisters, Wylla and Wynafryd.
No divergence please, it's a potential death-knell of the quest.
We'll be happy enough with frequent updates!
- Location
- France
These are the options that won on *both* sites. The option to learn the Summer Tongue properly that you guys voted for, didn't manage to surpass the six votes that learning Ibbenese got on SB, unfortunately.
[X] Yes. Theon's your friend and he seemed to trust you enough to give you this gift from his family. And its effects may even hold a speck of truth…
[X] You enter your father's service, interacting and learning all you can from him. You'll mainly learn Etiquette, Persuasion, Politics and Economics from him, but with the chance to maybe train your Greatsword skills. If you're lucky…
[X] You hear the men occasionally speak strange languages that you've never heard of. You should try to learn, or at least, start learning one of them…
-[X] You experience almost exactly the same thing, but with an Ibbenese man, if your father was to be believed. Do the same as with the Summer Islander, you guessed.
[X] As you enter White Harbor, and dine with the Lord Manderly, you decide to interact with…
-[X] The two sisters, Wylla and Wynafryd.
I probably won't diverge, but that depends on what happens in the future. At the moment, there haven't exactly been choices that'd change the entire quest, so maybe I'll diverge then? Who knows.
[X] Yes. Theon's your friend and he seemed to trust you enough to give you this gift from his family. And its effects may even hold a speck of truth…
[X] You enter your father's service, interacting and learning all you can from him. You'll mainly learn Etiquette, Persuasion, Politics and Economics from him, but with the chance to maybe train your Greatsword skills. If you're lucky…
[X] You hear the men occasionally speak strange languages that you've never heard of. You should try to learn, or at least, start learning one of them…
-[X] You experience almost exactly the same thing, but with an Ibbenese man, if your father was to be believed. Do the same as with the Summer Islander, you guessed.
[X] As you enter White Harbor, and dine with the Lord Manderly, you decide to interact with…
-[X] The two sisters, Wylla and Wynafryd.
I probably won't diverge, but that depends on what happens in the future. At the moment, there haven't exactly been choices that'd change the entire quest, so maybe I'll diverge then? Who knows.
inawarminister
I ♥ anime
Oh well, Ibbenese is going to be more popular in Braavos and the North after all. Whalers...
But we do need to steal those Swan ships!!
But we do need to steal those Swan ships!!
- Location
- France
...Swan ships? Wait what?
I've never heard of the Ibbenese fleet of swan ships, to say the least...
Voyage - II
- Location
- France
Exaltation - Voyage - II
___
____
[Due to not having a high enough tier level to guarantee success, Jon has to pass a 40DC dice check. (68) = 68. Jon passes! There aren't any delays to your trip, but you do… gain a few bruises to say the least. +1 Toughness.]
As you travelled along the barely strewn roads, you realize how much you genuinely sucked at riding a horse.
The first day of riding was absolutely terrible, and there were multiple moments where you fell off your horse, feeling your cheeks flush red in embarrassment at the laughter of the guards that followed you and your father, who couldn't help but smile himself even as he quietly made sure you were okay.
The road to White Harbor was a rather well-kept one, connecting to the Kingsroad through a rather wide path that immediately lent itself the privilege of notice to anybody going up the road. Your father told you that he and the lords of the North regularly worked together to patrol the roads, in order to prevent any bandits from attempting to attack the various caravans, traders, merchants or even merely travelers.
It was a semi constant effort, especially with the various raiders from Beyond the Wall, but your father said that it wasn't much effort compared to what the Hand of the King did on a regular basis. You had also learned during those long conversations with your father, various political things that he had to manage, or even things that he learned from correspondence with Jon Arryn, who was said Hand.
You didn't understand all of it, but you understood enough about how it works. As far as you knew, politics was basically an agenda and you had to use politics to get that agenda done. Or at least, that's what your father told you how it went.
With far more words admittedly…
As you passed the trees, your thoughts were broken by the sight of White Harbor breaking through the trees.
It was… beautiful to say the least. White walls with various ornaments of seals and mermen dotted the walls, and the gate was lowered enough to let people pass freely… If there wasn't guards checking the various caravans.
Seeing your look, your father quietly said, "a necessary precaution, Jon. But I'm sure you know why."
Thinking briefly, you nodded to yourself, replying. "To make sure that nobody sneaks in bad stuff?"
"Among others, yes," your father replied, with a small smile. "They also check what they have, so they can report it to the quartermaster in the area, who will mark it on his ledger. That ledger keeps track of every single good that enters and leaves White Harbor, so it is rather important that the quartermaster knows this information."
You… You hadn't thought of that, you admitted to yourself as the relatively large guard of twenty-five men slowed down at the hands of the White Harbor guards, whom were quite recognizable in their blue cloth and white seamen that was embroidered into their clothing. Your father dismounted, and you managed to get off your horse fast enough to follow your father.
"What is your business here, milord?" The somewhat portly one asked, still somehow managing to look vigilant and aware despite his obvious boredom - if him absently messing around with the gauntlets on his armor was any indication.
"I'm here to transport goods over to Braavos," your father replied, who didn't seem to mind that the guards hadn't recognized him immediately. Father didn't exactly look like the epitome of lordliness, you admitted, in his rider leathers and boiled leather armor, lined with a fur cloak.
"Name?" The same guard repeated, his compatriot yawning rather loudly. You glanced at the men of Winterfell, who managed to keep a straight face, though a few cracked a smile.
"Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell," your father said, his face utterly unmoved, even as the guard froze in his tracks, instantly awake. He nudged his fellow guard in the ribs, and the two instantly stood at attention.
You couldn't help but let out a childish giggle, and apparently that was the catalyst to making the other guards let out a roar of laughter, much of the embarrassment of the Manderly guards. Even your father let a small smile rise to his lips, before turning to the guards with a respectful nod, motioning to the guards to continue. You quickly clambered back onto your horse, managing to follow after your father with relative easy.
As you quietly gave your horse to the stablemaster, you found your father waiting for you. "Jon. I have somewhat private business with the Lord Manderly, in regards to… You know what. You have a few hours before the feast with Lord Manderly, and you must be present. You are my son after all, and the Lord Manderly will want to see you for himself."
You nodded, feeling rather happy at being called 'his son'. He barely said it in Winterfell, but… He was now, and that was what mattered.
With a small nod, your father indicated to Harwin, a man about ten years your senior, to come and follow you around. "Alright, little lordling, where we going to?"
You threw various ideas around in your head, for what to do, before eventually deciding on these options.
____
You had managed to reach your father, get cleaned up and change out of your rather smelly clothes in a record amount of time, entering the Merman's Court by your father's side. You were rather stunned by the various sea creatures dotted around the place, with a kraken fighting off a leviathan behind the dais, where you saw a massive man with a large amount of furs among other finery wrapped around him. He let out a large booming, welcoming laugh at the sight of you and your father, calling all the attention to him.
"The men and women of White Harbor," Lord Manderly boomed, stopping any conversation that was ongoing. "Our lord Eddard Stark and his son, Jon Snow have come to honor us with their presence! I say that we raise them all a fierce welcome on the part of White Harbor, are you with me?"
The cheers that you heard boom around the room was almost deafening, and you couldn't help but grin. You heard a few whispers and eyes inevitably glanced upon you, but you easily ignored them, especially with your father by your side, who calmly walked up to the Lord Manderly and clasped his elbow as a sign of greeting. The fat man did the same, and the room cheered once more.
Eventually, after a while of shuffling and quiet whispers, you were seated between two girls. You felt rather embarrassed, if you were being perfectly honest. They were both rather pretty, and you were… well, Jon Snow. Nevertheless, you couldn't let the chance to get some more friends get away from you because of damned nervousness! That wasn't your way!
"You're Jon Snow, aren't you?" The blonde girl said rather directly, looking at you right in the eye.
"Yes I am," you replied, with a small smile. "Who wants to know?"
"I'm Wylla," the girl, about a year or so younger then you, replied, with a somewhat nervous smile at you. "And my big sister is Wynafryd, the one with the brown hair that's trying to not look at you. She doesn't want to talk because you're pretty."
You didn't really know how to reply to that, if you were being honest. Luckily for you, Wynafryd turns towards her sister, with a harsh glare in her eyes. "It wasn't because of that!"
"Uh-huh, so was," Wylla stubbornly insisted, not backing down from her sister's glare.
"Wylla, Wynafryd," you say, with a charming smile, trying to slice through the tension like you would a practice dummy. "I don't know all that much about you two, nor about your family… Got any stories to share?"
You were rather surprised to see Wynafryd blush, and Wylla begin to refuse to look at you. What had you done?
After a few brief seconds of recovery, the brown-haired girl was the one to speak first, with a somewhat hesitant if sweet smile. "I-er… If I'm being perfectly honest there isn't much to say…"
"N-no… There is," Wyllla spoke up, with a small smile that seemed directed at you. "One time there was this trader that had sailed in from uh…"
"Leng, I think," Wynafryd supplied gently, a small giggle escaping her as she thought back on the memory. "I remember now. He tried to get a deal with my grandfather, something about whales and ships, but then my uncle, Wendel stumbled in, drunk as a horse, and proceeded to vomit on him!"
"That mustn't have gone down well," you replied, a wide grin on your face.
"No… The Lengii man stormed out, and my grandfather ordered my uncle to clean out the stables for a month, who proceeded to drunkenly give the horses alcohol making them drunk as well…" Wynafryd continued, an embarrassed if happy look on her face.
The conversation continued like that for as long as the feast lasted, and the three of you had to be practically separated from each other, as your father wanted you to be ready for tomorrow, and Wylla and Wynafryd had gotten a bit too much wine into their systems… So had you, given that you didn't remember much of what happened after you had been separated.
What you did understand was that your father had begun to mutter things like you were Brandon come again, albeit with a small, nostalgic smile on his face…
[Jon rolled a 85+13+5 or a 103 for your first impression/charm roll. So… To put it lightly, Jon's made one heck of an impression on the Manderly girls, and by proxy their family. He now gains the Charming trait, and +2 to his speech. I'll describe the Charming trait in the AN.]
[Jon gains +15 Relationship with Wylla and Wynafryd Manderly.]
___
"Raise the sails!" The captain barked out, even as a massive wave smashed against the ship, sending everyone to the floor. You hastily managed to lift yourself from the ground, moving to assist the other crew members. "Briggsby, get off your arse and help!"
Despite your young age, you had managed to get yourself the relative friendship with these men, especially with the Ibbenese crew members, who were delighted that you were trying to learn their language.
Eventually however, the seas and storms began to grow more and more rebellious the more you continued along your journey, yet Theon's pendant had seemingly blessed you with good luck. Most of the time, you were the sole one unaffected, even as sailors lost their lives in the storm, you avoided the possibility of drowning each time.
This time however, it had to be the worse then it had ever been before. Waves that stood taller than the ship, storms that lashed out against the waves, and winds that had thrown many a sailor overboard, yet you were all forced to move about and keep the boat afloat to stay alive.
It was absolutely harrowing, and you briefly caught a glimpse of your father, with somewhat torn clothing, heaving a rope. You rushed to help the sailors with the sail, your surprising amount of strength helping quite a bit with the task.
A wave suddenly beat down on you, throwing you to the floor, the taste of sea water entering your mouth that you quickly spat out, somewhat disoriented from the sudden reversal. You grabbed a hold of the edge of the boat, lifting yourself up before hastily moving over to help the men.
You genuinely felt like an ant in the presence of Gods, you thought to yourself, as the storms and waves seemed to practically fight each other, whilst your ship was caught in the middle of it. You heard an ironborn sailor pray to the Drowned God, whilst another prayed to their own gods, in a language that you didn't even understand.
You couldn't pray to the Old Gods, you thought to yourself. They wouldn't reply even if they could. Instead, you let a hand briefly grasp ahold of your pendant that hung around your neck, before continuing with your work.
The sea and storms let up, if barely, and you briefly hallucinated the sun poking out the black skies, but alas, it was not to be. Even as you felt yourself tiring, and your arms aching, you pushed yourself to continue helping.
You lasted until the end of the storms and waves, helping and even taking orders from time to time. Your sailing experience has been greatly boosted by this, but you also feel yourself gaining more respect from the men around you. After all, you were a boy, yet you had managed to keep yourself on top of your game.
Your father, even more exhausted and tired then you were, collapsed against the mast, barely holding himself up. He had taken command towards the end, after the captain had been knocked unconscious, and you were rather awestruck by how well he had performed despite not knowing much about sailing at all.
Eventually, your tired and battered crew passed the Titan, a colossal statue that legitimately stunned you into silence, and entered Braavos. You felt rather changed by this experience, you thought to yourself.
You almost felt as if you had a choice to make… One that'd impact how you'd take this exploring thing forever.
____
This chapter was a bit of a wowzer. Jon saw a lot of action this chapter, in nearly every aspect of his life.
A list of the various bonuses that have been gained in the chapter:
The Manderlys have come to appreciate you, whilst Wylla and Wynafryd Manderly have a massive crush on you. You're a charming guy, what can I say?
Charming: You have found yourself to be a rather charming young boy, constantly managing to get people to like you. It helps that you're an incredibly good looking boy, that will grow up into a proper handsome man. Some even whisper that you're like Brandon Stark, your uncle, come again… (Gain a permanent +15 to your charm rolls, which will be added alongside your Speech stat, and your Persuasion skill to said rolls. This trait can evolve into other traits if you charm enough people.)
You've gained ten levels of Sailing for managing to keep yourself upright, and be constantly helping the sailors during that storm. You learned a lot during that time, an almost impossible amount. You've also gained three levels in Commander of Arms. The men of that ship have also come to RESPECT you for your drive, and unwillingness to give up.
(Let's put it like this - you guys rolled like a motherfucker during the storm, whilst also rolling like crap for how bad the storm was. So…)
And that's it. Keep in mind that you won't always be getting this much uh… stuff from good rolls. I try to pace myself in handing out these sorts of things.
___
[X] Yes. Theon's your friend and he seemed to trust you enough to give you this gift from his family. And its effects may even hold a speck of truth…
[X] You enter your father's service, interacting and learning all you can from him. You'll mainly learn Etiquette, Persuasion, Politics and Economics from him, but with the chance to maybe train your Greatsword skills. If you're lucky…
[X] You hear the men occasionally speak strange languages that you've never heard of. You should try to learn, or at least, start learning one of them…
-[X] You experience almost exactly the same thing, but with an Ibbenese man, if your father was to be believed. Do the same as with the Summer Islander, you guessed.
[X] As you enter White Harbor, and dine with the Lord Manderly, you decide to interact with…
-[X] The two sisters, Wylla and Wynafryd.
[X] You enter your father's service, interacting and learning all you can from him. You'll mainly learn Etiquette, Persuasion, Politics and Economics from him, but with the chance to maybe train your Greatsword skills. If you're lucky…
[X] You hear the men occasionally speak strange languages that you've never heard of. You should try to learn, or at least, start learning one of them…
-[X] You experience almost exactly the same thing, but with an Ibbenese man, if your father was to be believed. Do the same as with the Summer Islander, you guessed.
[X] As you enter White Harbor, and dine with the Lord Manderly, you decide to interact with…
-[X] The two sisters, Wylla and Wynafryd.
What you learnt from Ned, otherwise known as Daddy-kins:
(He gains a +40 to teaching you since he's at Journeyman tier in all of these subjects, which is four tiers above you. Yes, even Politics.)
(24+69+69+67+15)+40 = 284+14 = 298/50XP. Jon now has Untrained 10/10 - Etiquette. 48/100XP to pass to the next tier.
(77+66+71+22+72)+40 = 348+49 = 397/50XP. Jon now has Beginner 1/10 - Persuasion! 97/100XP remaining for next level!
(95+72+35+84+61)+40 = 387+13 = 400/50XP. Jon now has Beginner 1/10 - Politics! 0/100XP remaining for next level!
(4+6+94+3+82)+40 = 229+8 = 237/50XP. Jon now has Beginner 2/10 - Economics! 45/100XP remaining for next level!
He didn't try to teach Jon how to use his sword however… Maybe he's still affected by the Rebellion or something?
What you learnt on the road and on the high seas:
197+60 = 257+44 = 301/50XP. Jon now has Untrained 8/10 - Horseriding. 1/50XP until next level.
252+60 = 312+1 = 313/50XP. Jon now has Beginner 1/10 - Commander of Arms! 62/100XP remaining for next level!
302+60 = 362/50XP. Jon now has 7/10 Untrained - Sailing. 12/50XP until next level.
300+60 = 360/50XP. Jon now has 10/10 Untrained - Navigation. 10/100XP to pass to the next tier.
(29+26+71+6+87)+50 = 269/50XP. Jon now has 5/10 Untrained - Ibbenese. 19/50XP until next tier.
(He gains a +40 to teaching you since he's at Journeyman tier in all of these subjects, which is four tiers above you. Yes, even Politics.)
(24+69+69+67+15)+40 = 284+14 = 298/50XP. Jon now has Untrained 10/10 - Etiquette. 48/100XP to pass to the next tier.
(77+66+71+22+72)+40 = 348+49 = 397/50XP. Jon now has Beginner 1/10 - Persuasion! 97/100XP remaining for next level!
(95+72+35+84+61)+40 = 387+13 = 400/50XP. Jon now has Beginner 1/10 - Politics! 0/100XP remaining for next level!
(4+6+94+3+82)+40 = 229+8 = 237/50XP. Jon now has Beginner 2/10 - Economics! 45/100XP remaining for next level!
He didn't try to teach Jon how to use his sword however… Maybe he's still affected by the Rebellion or something?
What you learnt on the road and on the high seas:
197+60 = 257+44 = 301/50XP. Jon now has Untrained 8/10 - Horseriding. 1/50XP until next level.
252+60 = 312+1 = 313/50XP. Jon now has Beginner 1/10 - Commander of Arms! 62/100XP remaining for next level!
302+60 = 362/50XP. Jon now has 7/10 Untrained - Sailing. 12/50XP until next level.
300+60 = 360/50XP. Jon now has 10/10 Untrained - Navigation. 10/100XP to pass to the next tier.
(29+26+71+6+87)+50 = 269/50XP. Jon now has 5/10 Untrained - Ibbenese. 19/50XP until next tier.
[Due to not having a high enough tier level to guarantee success, Jon has to pass a 40DC dice check. (68) = 68. Jon passes! There aren't any delays to your trip, but you do… gain a few bruises to say the least. +1 Toughness.]
As you travelled along the barely strewn roads, you realize how much you genuinely sucked at riding a horse.
The first day of riding was absolutely terrible, and there were multiple moments where you fell off your horse, feeling your cheeks flush red in embarrassment at the laughter of the guards that followed you and your father, who couldn't help but smile himself even as he quietly made sure you were okay.
The road to White Harbor was a rather well-kept one, connecting to the Kingsroad through a rather wide path that immediately lent itself the privilege of notice to anybody going up the road. Your father told you that he and the lords of the North regularly worked together to patrol the roads, in order to prevent any bandits from attempting to attack the various caravans, traders, merchants or even merely travelers.
It was a semi constant effort, especially with the various raiders from Beyond the Wall, but your father said that it wasn't much effort compared to what the Hand of the King did on a regular basis. You had also learned during those long conversations with your father, various political things that he had to manage, or even things that he learned from correspondence with Jon Arryn, who was said Hand.
You didn't understand all of it, but you understood enough about how it works. As far as you knew, politics was basically an agenda and you had to use politics to get that agenda done. Or at least, that's what your father told you how it went.
With far more words admittedly…
As you passed the trees, your thoughts were broken by the sight of White Harbor breaking through the trees.
It was… beautiful to say the least. White walls with various ornaments of seals and mermen dotted the walls, and the gate was lowered enough to let people pass freely… If there wasn't guards checking the various caravans.
Seeing your look, your father quietly said, "a necessary precaution, Jon. But I'm sure you know why."
Thinking briefly, you nodded to yourself, replying. "To make sure that nobody sneaks in bad stuff?"
"Among others, yes," your father replied, with a small smile. "They also check what they have, so they can report it to the quartermaster in the area, who will mark it on his ledger. That ledger keeps track of every single good that enters and leaves White Harbor, so it is rather important that the quartermaster knows this information."
You… You hadn't thought of that, you admitted to yourself as the relatively large guard of twenty-five men slowed down at the hands of the White Harbor guards, whom were quite recognizable in their blue cloth and white seamen that was embroidered into their clothing. Your father dismounted, and you managed to get off your horse fast enough to follow your father.
"What is your business here, milord?" The somewhat portly one asked, still somehow managing to look vigilant and aware despite his obvious boredom - if him absently messing around with the gauntlets on his armor was any indication.
"I'm here to transport goods over to Braavos," your father replied, who didn't seem to mind that the guards hadn't recognized him immediately. Father didn't exactly look like the epitome of lordliness, you admitted, in his rider leathers and boiled leather armor, lined with a fur cloak.
"Name?" The same guard repeated, his compatriot yawning rather loudly. You glanced at the men of Winterfell, who managed to keep a straight face, though a few cracked a smile.
"Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell," your father said, his face utterly unmoved, even as the guard froze in his tracks, instantly awake. He nudged his fellow guard in the ribs, and the two instantly stood at attention.
You couldn't help but let out a childish giggle, and apparently that was the catalyst to making the other guards let out a roar of laughter, much of the embarrassment of the Manderly guards. Even your father let a small smile rise to his lips, before turning to the guards with a respectful nod, motioning to the guards to continue. You quickly clambered back onto your horse, managing to follow after your father with relative easy.
As you quietly gave your horse to the stablemaster, you found your father waiting for you. "Jon. I have somewhat private business with the Lord Manderly, in regards to… You know what. You have a few hours before the feast with Lord Manderly, and you must be present. You are my son after all, and the Lord Manderly will want to see you for himself."
You nodded, feeling rather happy at being called 'his son'. He barely said it in Winterfell, but… He was now, and that was what mattered.
With a small nod, your father indicated to Harwin, a man about ten years your senior, to come and follow you around. "Alright, little lordling, where we going to?"
You threw various ideas around in your head, for what to do, before eventually deciding on these options.
[] The docks. You wanted to see what was going on, and learn even more about the various ways of the sailor!
[] The marketplace. You had a certain amount of money, and you had decided to see if you'd buy something. As simple as that.
[] The abandoned Godswood of White Harbor. You feel a twinge of pity for the Godswood, and decide to be it's first visitor in probably years. You also feel a slight tug in your soul.
[] The hall of the Order of the Greenhand. You didn't know much about the Order, but it'd be rather nice to check them out, and see how knights practice…
[] The blacksmith. You had enough money to order something to be made, and there's hopefully even a chance of something rather rare being there...
[] The marketplace. You had a certain amount of money, and you had decided to see if you'd buy something. As simple as that.
[] The abandoned Godswood of White Harbor. You feel a twinge of pity for the Godswood, and decide to be it's first visitor in probably years. You also feel a slight tug in your soul.
[] The hall of the Order of the Greenhand. You didn't know much about the Order, but it'd be rather nice to check them out, and see how knights practice…
[] The blacksmith. You had enough money to order something to be made, and there's hopefully even a chance of something rather rare being there...
You had managed to reach your father, get cleaned up and change out of your rather smelly clothes in a record amount of time, entering the Merman's Court by your father's side. You were rather stunned by the various sea creatures dotted around the place, with a kraken fighting off a leviathan behind the dais, where you saw a massive man with a large amount of furs among other finery wrapped around him. He let out a large booming, welcoming laugh at the sight of you and your father, calling all the attention to him.
"The men and women of White Harbor," Lord Manderly boomed, stopping any conversation that was ongoing. "Our lord Eddard Stark and his son, Jon Snow have come to honor us with their presence! I say that we raise them all a fierce welcome on the part of White Harbor, are you with me?"
The cheers that you heard boom around the room was almost deafening, and you couldn't help but grin. You heard a few whispers and eyes inevitably glanced upon you, but you easily ignored them, especially with your father by your side, who calmly walked up to the Lord Manderly and clasped his elbow as a sign of greeting. The fat man did the same, and the room cheered once more.
Eventually, after a while of shuffling and quiet whispers, you were seated between two girls. You felt rather embarrassed, if you were being perfectly honest. They were both rather pretty, and you were… well, Jon Snow. Nevertheless, you couldn't let the chance to get some more friends get away from you because of damned nervousness! That wasn't your way!
"You're Jon Snow, aren't you?" The blonde girl said rather directly, looking at you right in the eye.
"Yes I am," you replied, with a small smile. "Who wants to know?"
"I'm Wylla," the girl, about a year or so younger then you, replied, with a somewhat nervous smile at you. "And my big sister is Wynafryd, the one with the brown hair that's trying to not look at you. She doesn't want to talk because you're pretty."
You didn't really know how to reply to that, if you were being honest. Luckily for you, Wynafryd turns towards her sister, with a harsh glare in her eyes. "It wasn't because of that!"
"Uh-huh, so was," Wylla stubbornly insisted, not backing down from her sister's glare.
"Wylla, Wynafryd," you say, with a charming smile, trying to slice through the tension like you would a practice dummy. "I don't know all that much about you two, nor about your family… Got any stories to share?"
You were rather surprised to see Wynafryd blush, and Wylla begin to refuse to look at you. What had you done?
After a few brief seconds of recovery, the brown-haired girl was the one to speak first, with a somewhat hesitant if sweet smile. "I-er… If I'm being perfectly honest there isn't much to say…"
"N-no… There is," Wyllla spoke up, with a small smile that seemed directed at you. "One time there was this trader that had sailed in from uh…"
"Leng, I think," Wynafryd supplied gently, a small giggle escaping her as she thought back on the memory. "I remember now. He tried to get a deal with my grandfather, something about whales and ships, but then my uncle, Wendel stumbled in, drunk as a horse, and proceeded to vomit on him!"
"That mustn't have gone down well," you replied, a wide grin on your face.
"No… The Lengii man stormed out, and my grandfather ordered my uncle to clean out the stables for a month, who proceeded to drunkenly give the horses alcohol making them drunk as well…" Wynafryd continued, an embarrassed if happy look on her face.
The conversation continued like that for as long as the feast lasted, and the three of you had to be practically separated from each other, as your father wanted you to be ready for tomorrow, and Wylla and Wynafryd had gotten a bit too much wine into their systems… So had you, given that you didn't remember much of what happened after you had been separated.
What you did understand was that your father had begun to mutter things like you were Brandon come again, albeit with a small, nostalgic smile on his face…
[Jon rolled a 85+13+5 or a 103 for your first impression/charm roll. So… To put it lightly, Jon's made one heck of an impression on the Manderly girls, and by proxy their family. He now gains the Charming trait, and +2 to his speech. I'll describe the Charming trait in the AN.]
[Jon gains +15 Relationship with Wylla and Wynafryd Manderly.]
___
"Raise the sails!" The captain barked out, even as a massive wave smashed against the ship, sending everyone to the floor. You hastily managed to lift yourself from the ground, moving to assist the other crew members. "Briggsby, get off your arse and help!"
Despite your young age, you had managed to get yourself the relative friendship with these men, especially with the Ibbenese crew members, who were delighted that you were trying to learn their language.
Eventually however, the seas and storms began to grow more and more rebellious the more you continued along your journey, yet Theon's pendant had seemingly blessed you with good luck. Most of the time, you were the sole one unaffected, even as sailors lost their lives in the storm, you avoided the possibility of drowning each time.
This time however, it had to be the worse then it had ever been before. Waves that stood taller than the ship, storms that lashed out against the waves, and winds that had thrown many a sailor overboard, yet you were all forced to move about and keep the boat afloat to stay alive.
It was absolutely harrowing, and you briefly caught a glimpse of your father, with somewhat torn clothing, heaving a rope. You rushed to help the sailors with the sail, your surprising amount of strength helping quite a bit with the task.
A wave suddenly beat down on you, throwing you to the floor, the taste of sea water entering your mouth that you quickly spat out, somewhat disoriented from the sudden reversal. You grabbed a hold of the edge of the boat, lifting yourself up before hastily moving over to help the men.
You genuinely felt like an ant in the presence of Gods, you thought to yourself, as the storms and waves seemed to practically fight each other, whilst your ship was caught in the middle of it. You heard an ironborn sailor pray to the Drowned God, whilst another prayed to their own gods, in a language that you didn't even understand.
You couldn't pray to the Old Gods, you thought to yourself. They wouldn't reply even if they could. Instead, you let a hand briefly grasp ahold of your pendant that hung around your neck, before continuing with your work.
The sea and storms let up, if barely, and you briefly hallucinated the sun poking out the black skies, but alas, it was not to be. Even as you felt yourself tiring, and your arms aching, you pushed yourself to continue helping.
You lasted until the end of the storms and waves, helping and even taking orders from time to time. Your sailing experience has been greatly boosted by this, but you also feel yourself gaining more respect from the men around you. After all, you were a boy, yet you had managed to keep yourself on top of your game.
Your father, even more exhausted and tired then you were, collapsed against the mast, barely holding himself up. He had taken command towards the end, after the captain had been knocked unconscious, and you were rather awestruck by how well he had performed despite not knowing much about sailing at all.
Eventually, your tired and battered crew passed the Titan, a colossal statue that legitimately stunned you into silence, and entered Braavos. You felt rather changed by this experience, you thought to yourself.
You almost felt as if you had a choice to make… One that'd impact how you'd take this exploring thing forever.
[] You decided to yourself to use the fire that was brewing in your stomach, and dedicate yourself entirely to your ambitions. You had realized today that only a man of true dedication could succeed in this harsh world, and you had decided to take that route. (You gain far more action points to use for training, but by proxy, lose some social points, and learning points. You also gain the trait 'Dedication by Fire', and proceed to throw yourself into becoming the best, without any regard for other options.)
[] You decided to use your mind to figure out what you should apply yourself to. You couldn't throw yourself foolishly into this, no, you had to apply yourself. You needed to be smart, cunning and ruthless in order to do this… (You gain a smaller amount of action points to use for training, but keep those social points and social points. You also gain the trait 'Cunning for Purpose', and begin to ruthlessly apply yourself to your craft, whilst always keeping an eye on the other options that you had at your disposal. This does mean that you aren't as dedicated as you should be to this idea.)
[] You decided to use a perfect balance of ruthless cunning, and angry strength. You'd strike a balance between throwing yourself into your craft, whilst keeping an eye open for other opportunities. This meant that you'd never have the full-on benefits of either approach, but it'd mean that you didn't get the full-on disadvantages either… (You gain an average gain to action points, whilst losing learning points. You gain the trait 'Balance of Action', and begin to carefully apply yourself with fervor, whilst managing to keep yourself from ignoring the other prospects. You are also losing out on the benefits of the other approaches by playing a balancing act…)
[] You decided to use your mind to figure out what you should apply yourself to. You couldn't throw yourself foolishly into this, no, you had to apply yourself. You needed to be smart, cunning and ruthless in order to do this… (You gain a smaller amount of action points to use for training, but keep those social points and social points. You also gain the trait 'Cunning for Purpose', and begin to ruthlessly apply yourself to your craft, whilst always keeping an eye on the other options that you had at your disposal. This does mean that you aren't as dedicated as you should be to this idea.)
[] You decided to use a perfect balance of ruthless cunning, and angry strength. You'd strike a balance between throwing yourself into your craft, whilst keeping an eye open for other opportunities. This meant that you'd never have the full-on benefits of either approach, but it'd mean that you didn't get the full-on disadvantages either… (You gain an average gain to action points, whilst losing learning points. You gain the trait 'Balance of Action', and begin to carefully apply yourself with fervor, whilst managing to keep yourself from ignoring the other prospects. You are also losing out on the benefits of the other approaches by playing a balancing act…)
This chapter was a bit of a wowzer. Jon saw a lot of action this chapter, in nearly every aspect of his life.
A list of the various bonuses that have been gained in the chapter:
The Manderlys have come to appreciate you, whilst Wylla and Wynafryd Manderly have a massive crush on you. You're a charming guy, what can I say?
Charming: You have found yourself to be a rather charming young boy, constantly managing to get people to like you. It helps that you're an incredibly good looking boy, that will grow up into a proper handsome man. Some even whisper that you're like Brandon Stark, your uncle, come again… (Gain a permanent +15 to your charm rolls, which will be added alongside your Speech stat, and your Persuasion skill to said rolls. This trait can evolve into other traits if you charm enough people.)
You've gained ten levels of Sailing for managing to keep yourself upright, and be constantly helping the sailors during that storm. You learned a lot during that time, an almost impossible amount. You've also gained three levels in Commander of Arms. The men of that ship have also come to RESPECT you for your drive, and unwillingness to give up.
(Let's put it like this - you guys rolled like a motherfucker during the storm, whilst also rolling like crap for how bad the storm was. So…)
And that's it. Keep in mind that you won't always be getting this much uh… stuff from good rolls. I try to pace myself in handing out these sorts of things.
[X] The abandoned Godswood of White Harbor. You feel a twinge of pity for the Godswood, and decide to be it's first visitor in probably years. You also feel a slight tug in your soul.
[X] The hall of the Order of the Greenhand. You didn't know much about the Order, but it'd be rather nice to check them out, and see how knights practice…
[X] You decided to use your mind to figure out what you should apply yourself to. You couldn't throw yourself foolishly into this, no, you had to apply yourself. You needed to be smart, cunning and ruthless in order to do this… (You gain a smaller amount of action points to use for training, but keep those social points and social points. You also gain the trait 'Cunning for Purpose', and begin to ruthlessly apply yourself to your craft, whilst always keeping an eye on the other options that you had at your disposal. This does mean that you aren't as dedicated as you should be to this idea.)
[X] The hall of the Order of the Greenhand. You didn't know much about the Order, but it'd be rather nice to check them out, and see how knights practice…
[X] You decided to use your mind to figure out what you should apply yourself to. You couldn't throw yourself foolishly into this, no, you had to apply yourself. You needed to be smart, cunning and ruthless in order to do this… (You gain a smaller amount of action points to use for training, but keep those social points and social points. You also gain the trait 'Cunning for Purpose', and begin to ruthlessly apply yourself to your craft, whilst always keeping an eye on the other options that you had at your disposal. This does mean that you aren't as dedicated as you should be to this idea.)
[X] The abandoned Godswood of White Harbor. You feel a twinge of pity for the Godswood, and decide to be it's first visitor in probably years. You also feel a slight tug in your soul.
[X] The blacksmith. You had enough money to order something to be made, and there's hopefully even a chance of something rather rare being there...
[X] You decided to use your mind to figure out what you should apply yourself to. You couldn't throw yourself foolishly into this, no, you had to apply yourself. You needed to be smart, cunning and ruthless in order to do this… (You gain a smaller amount of action points to use for training, but keep those social points and social points. You also gain the trait 'Cunning for Purpose', and begin to ruthlessly apply yourself to your craft, whilst always keeping an eye on the other options that you had at your disposal. This does mean that you aren't as dedicated as you should be to this idea.)
[X] The blacksmith. You had enough money to order something to be made, and there's hopefully even a chance of something rather rare being there...
[X] You decided to use your mind to figure out what you should apply yourself to. You couldn't throw yourself foolishly into this, no, you had to apply yourself. You needed to be smart, cunning and ruthless in order to do this… (You gain a smaller amount of action points to use for training, but keep those social points and social points. You also gain the trait 'Cunning for Purpose', and begin to ruthlessly apply yourself to your craft, whilst always keeping an eye on the other options that you had at your disposal. This does mean that you aren't as dedicated as you should be to this idea.)
- Location
- Tarn-Vedra
[X] The abandoned Godswood of White Harbor. You feel a twinge of pity for the Godswood, and decide to be it's first visitor in probably years. You also feel a slight tug in your soul.
[X] The blacksmith. You had enough money to order something to be made, and there's hopefully even a chance of something rather rare being there...
[X] You decided to use your mind to figure out what you should apply yourself to. You couldn't throw yourself foolishly into this, no, you had to apply yourself. You needed to be smart, cunning and ruthless in order to do this… (You gain a smaller amount of action points to use for training, but keep those social points and social points. You also gain the trait 'Cunning for Purpose', and begin to ruthlessly apply yourself to your craft, whilst always keeping an eye on the other options that you had at your disposal. This does mean that you aren't as dedicated as you should be to this idea.)
[X] The blacksmith. You had enough money to order something to be made, and there's hopefully even a chance of something rather rare being there...
[X] You decided to use your mind to figure out what you should apply yourself to. You couldn't throw yourself foolishly into this, no, you had to apply yourself. You needed to be smart, cunning and ruthless in order to do this… (You gain a smaller amount of action points to use for training, but keep those social points and social points. You also gain the trait 'Cunning for Purpose', and begin to ruthlessly apply yourself to your craft, whilst always keeping an eye on the other options that you had at your disposal. This does mean that you aren't as dedicated as you should be to this idea.)
- Location
- Ireland
[X] The abandoned Godswood of White Harbor. You feel a twinge of pity for the Godswood, and decide to be it's first visitor in probably years. You also feel a slight tug in your soul.
[X] The hall of the Order of the Greenhand. You didn't know much about the Order, but it'd be rather nice to check them out, and see how knights practice…
[X] You decided to use your mind to figure out what you should apply yourself to. You couldn't throw yourself foolishly into this, no, you had to apply yourself. You needed to be smart, cunning and ruthless in order to do this… (You gain a smaller amount of action points to use for training, but keep those social points and social points. You also gain the trait 'Cunning for Purpose', and begin to ruthlessly apply yourself to your craft, whilst always keeping an eye on the other options that you had at your disposal. This does mean that you aren't as dedicated as you should be to this idea.)
[X] The hall of the Order of the Greenhand. You didn't know much about the Order, but it'd be rather nice to check them out, and see how knights practice…
[X] You decided to use your mind to figure out what you should apply yourself to. You couldn't throw yourself foolishly into this, no, you had to apply yourself. You needed to be smart, cunning and ruthless in order to do this… (You gain a smaller amount of action points to use for training, but keep those social points and social points. You also gain the trait 'Cunning for Purpose', and begin to ruthlessly apply yourself to your craft, whilst always keeping an eye on the other options that you had at your disposal. This does mean that you aren't as dedicated as you should be to this idea.)
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] The abandoned Godswood of White Harbor. You feel a twinge of pity for the Godswood, and decide to be it's first visitor in probably years. You also feel a slight tug in your soul.
[X] The hall of the Order of the Greenhand. You didn't know much about the Order, but it'd be rather nice to check them out, and see how knights practice…
[X] You decided to use your mind to figure out what you should apply yourself to. You couldn't throw yourself foolishly into this, no, you had to apply yourself. You needed to be smart, cunning and ruthless in order to do this… (You gain a smaller amount of action points to use for training, but keep those social points and social points. You also gain the trait 'Cunning for Purpose', and begin to ruthlessly apply yourself to your craft, whilst always keeping an eye on the other options that you had at your disposal. This does mean that you aren't as dedicated as you should be to this idea.)
[X] The hall of the Order of the Greenhand. You didn't know much about the Order, but it'd be rather nice to check them out, and see how knights practice…
[X] You decided to use your mind to figure out what you should apply yourself to. You couldn't throw yourself foolishly into this, no, you had to apply yourself. You needed to be smart, cunning and ruthless in order to do this… (You gain a smaller amount of action points to use for training, but keep those social points and social points. You also gain the trait 'Cunning for Purpose', and begin to ruthlessly apply yourself to your craft, whilst always keeping an eye on the other options that you had at your disposal. This does mean that you aren't as dedicated as you should be to this idea.)
- Location
- Asia
[X] The abandoned Godswood of White Harbor. You feel a twinge of pity for the Godswood, and decide to be it's first visitor in probably years. You also feel a slight tug in your soul.
[X] The hall of the Order of the Greenhand. You didn't know much about the Order, but it'd be rather nice to check them out, and see how knights practice…
[X] You decided to use your mind to figure out what you should apply yourself to. You couldn't throw yourself foolishly into this, no, you had to apply yourself. You needed to be smart, cunning and ruthless in order to do this… (You gain a smaller amount of action points to use for training, but keep those social points and social points. You also gain the trait 'Cunning for Purpose', and begin to ruthlessly apply yourself to your craft, whilst always keeping an eye on the other options that you had at your disposal. This does mean that you aren't as dedicated as you should be to this idea.)
One nitpick I have is about the compass jon got for his birthday. I don't think they have invented compasses in Game of Thrones.
[X] The hall of the Order of the Greenhand. You didn't know much about the Order, but it'd be rather nice to check them out, and see how knights practice…
[X] You decided to use your mind to figure out what you should apply yourself to. You couldn't throw yourself foolishly into this, no, you had to apply yourself. You needed to be smart, cunning and ruthless in order to do this… (You gain a smaller amount of action points to use for training, but keep those social points and social points. You also gain the trait 'Cunning for Purpose', and begin to ruthlessly apply yourself to your craft, whilst always keeping an eye on the other options that you had at your disposal. This does mean that you aren't as dedicated as you should be to this idea.)
One nitpick I have is about the compass jon got for his birthday. I don't think they have invented compasses in Game of Thrones.