Military:
- War-Flags: 1d100+22 = 72. Brandon buys several flags, and rides down to White Harbor to commission all sorts of musical instruments, trying to see which ones are loud enough to be heard over the crash and chaos of battle. Eventually, he comes back with a bugle and two different types of drums. He spends the rest of the season writing down his signal system and drilling the Winterfell guard with it. You are awakened several times by the loud call of the bugle or the deep thump of the absolutely massive drum he decided to use as a signal for "Castle Under Attack!" After a time you suggest he move his work somewhere else, and you start getting a good night's sleep again. Signal system developed, bonus to coordination and morale in battle.
- Northern Knights: 1d100+22 = 71. See interlude
Diplomacy:
- The Honor of the Watch: Steel and food and gold flow north and a steady trickle of men flow with them. Second and third sons, petty criminals, and the occasional volunteer ride north to Castle Black and from there to the Nightfort, taking their oaths in its godswood. The Lord Commander sends a letter expressing his appreciation for your efforts, noting that they have been able to restore Sable Hall with the new supplies. More farms begin to dot the Gift, and the Wall rises higher. Night's Watch stronger, vassal relations improve, +10 prestige.
- Aid the Clans: 1d100+19+20 = 113. Second Roll: 1d100+13 = 38. You speak to the smallfolk, asking to buy whatever they can spare to help the clans. Many sell their hard-earned surpluses dearly, which you do not begrudge, but some give it for free. It isn't really enough to make a difference in how much you spend, but it is kind of them. The smallfolk have their own sort of nobility, you decide. The clans certainly appreciate the efforts you put in on their behalf and the care you take to keep their pride intact, personally visiting several of the chiefs to apologize for how long it took Winterfell to repay their many debts to the clan. Their gratitude is boundless, with each personally reaffirming their oaths of loyalty.
And before you leave, the clans come together to give you one of their most prized possessions: an ancient weirwood longbow, sung into shape by the Children of the Forest. Massive boost to clan loyalty, sung weirwood longbow acquired.
Stewardship (Choose 2):
- Crop Rotation: 1d100+18 = 71. You have Maester Brynden do the talking here, letting his elderly authority and long chain do the convincing, with a few of the guard accompanying him just to add to the impression. Throughout your lands, the practice is adopted, split between the two methods you propose. While the fact that it is winter blunts the impact somewhat, you already see an increase in the amount of food being produced. +50 gold (farming income), amount will increase. Boost to food supplies, amount will increase.
- Expand the Forges: 1d100+18 = 27. There are a few blacksmiths scattered about, but they are all far too busy, and your requests that they move to Winter-town are politely refused. They can barely keep up with the current demand, and in disruption could have unfortunate consequences. You will have to look elsewhere for smiths. Failure, can try again with increased cost.
Learning (Choose 2):
- Woodwitches and Midwives: 1d100+20+15 = 94. Maester Brynden lets his new assistants do the work this time, as they are unfamiliar to the local healers and thus are not an object of concern. One of them is from the North and so he is even less of a concern. People are happy to share their knowledge, especially to a man who says he will be leaving shortly. Now all that is left is to organize what is known, throw out what is false, and write the book. Locked 1 Season
- Grinding Grain: 1d100+20= 83. The rains have stopped and been replaced by snow, but it isn't particularly heavy this year, and Brynden is able to stockpile all the materials he needs, including some fittings which he commissions from White Harbor and some spare millstones he buys from the millers. He also sketches up designs and shows them to a few workmen, making sure they are clear on what needs to be done. The actual construction will start soon. Locked 2 Seasons.
Piety (Choose 1):
- Recruit Green Men: Frost returns without any fanfare, offering to take you to the Green Castle. Apparently he and his new Green Men have created a small village in the middle of the Wolfswood which Frost intends to use as the headquarters for the northern Green Men. You ride out to see it with him, and he leads you and your guards into a section of the wood so old and dense that no sunlight touches the ground. Frost walks ancient paths with ease, guiding you into a sudden clearing surrounded by a dozen ancient weirwoods and standing stones. In it are scattered huts, each surrounded by a garden of some kind, each one unique. A large pool of warm water stands in the middle, a large rock in its middle topped by a moss-covered ringfort. Sitting in the water are a pair of Green Men, both wearing masks like Frost's. At least twenty others are tending to the trees and gardens, turning and kneeling as you walk past. You manage not to stare, but this surpasses your expectations. Frost seems to be a miracle worker…
- The Sword Crown: 1d100+25 = 120. Second Roll: 1d100+20 = 98. The Sword Crown is an ancient thing, you knew that. The runes in it are in no tongue that was recorded in the Citadel, and dozens of kings have tried to decode its secrets. The Green Men are able to find at least half of them with a glance. The steel which is older than the Andals? Skymetal which fell at a place holy to the Children in the Neck. The runes? Half are the tongue of the Children of the Forest, the other half is divided between other ancient scripts. The Green Men seem hesitant to reveal more about those runes, but they are happy to share what they know of the Children's runes. One demands that the bearer must have the support of the First Men, another warns direwolves away from harming you. A third is meant to strengthen the bond between a warg and a direwolf. Those are the ones they can identify easily, the remainder will take time. Locked 1 Season.
Intrigue (Choose 2):
- The Ironborn: 1d100+16 = 23. You knew Rivers wasn't the brightest. You thought it didn't matter, as long as he could do his job. And you knew he hated ironborn, but you that was reasonable. Even ironborn hate ironborn. But you did not think that he would decide it would be a good idea to go to Old Wyk, get into a fight in a bar, and somehow put a stool through a reaver with a broken arm and escape from the island in a stolen fishing boat together with a salt wife. He managed to do all that, but he didn't manage to collect any rumors. Failure, DC increased.
- Deeper Secrets: 1d100+16 =107. Second Roll: 1d100+7 = 18. The upside of River's escapades is that he doesn't get up to any more shenanigans except for his tendency to appear right behind you at odd times…Frost at least doesn't do it in private places! He gives you regular reports on his progress suborning servants and merchants and even the Bolton master-at-arms. He will be ready soon, he assures you. He just needs a bit more time. Locked 1 Season.
Personal (Choose 2):
- Uplift (Concrete): 1d100+15 = 113. Second Roll: 1d100+13 = 93. Concrete is one of the most useful materials ever. You can use it for roads, bridges, forts…It makes every kind of construction easier. You find the ingredients for ordinary concrete easily enough: crushed rock or sand, water, and powdered lime with a bit of gypsum. But you want a little bit more than that. You want to try and make Roman cement as well. You recall it had ash of some kind in it, so you burn a few trees and experiment. And you find ironwood ash makes concrete much stronger. Actions unlocked.
- Before a Heart Tree: 1d100+14 = 22. You slip out one night to pray before the heart tree, but you find no peace or answers. Birds shriek in the night air, disrupting your focus, and the cold seems to settle into your bones, making you shiver even afterwards, as you sit by the fire and lose yourself in reports and petitions. It doesn't leave you for nearly a week.
