A Stark of the North (and announcements) (Patreon)

Stark of the North

I live!! I have internet again. The internet where I was was expensive, not very good, an d above all unprotected. Not

So… I had some time to make notes on my phone when I couldn’t write (full sentences are hard to type when you are spelling every third word wrong) King of Championsor work on anything else and wrote this in that spare time. Taxis and most buses are not good places to use a laptop. Phones though? Much easier. Anyway, King of Champions is done and off to the editor. I haven’t yet received FILFy Teacher back yet… Hopefully that will happen soon… (rushes to check his email, a manic expression on his face).

I am also sick. Planes… they are mobile plague gardens. Swear to god I’ve gotten sick twice out of my last three plane trips. I should however be able to try and concentrate on some smaller Patreon things I have been forgetting over the next few days.

With all that out of the way….

So I’ve been asked many times if I am willing to dive into the world of A Song of Ice and Fire again. I have maintained that doing so would take too long, be too much world building and so forth. However, well, this story and my inability to work on anything serious paired well with my discovering that there have been several good stories written (and, alas, abandoned) in the ASOIAF community. Some of them are a little too clear sailing so to speak, but that can be fun too.

One story used the idea of the North having their own version of Maesters, called shepherds. Then there is a character named Dacey Surestone. This is also a made up house in Robb Returns. Now, I realllly liked the idea of a house being a kind of repository of knowledge and history for the North. It ties well into one thing that is very much canon: that Ned Stark, for all his likeability and how he ran Winterfell, was not trained to be a Lord Paramount. He was a second son, one raised away from the North. As much as he seems to give lip service in canon to the North’s laws and religion, he doesn’t seem to follow through. And then there’s the whole no ties beyond personal loyalty to other Northern houses thing. And with that, away we went.

Synopsis:

Having just returned from the Greyjoy Rebellion, Eddard was looking forward to several quite years with his family and their new ward. Well, as quiet as life can be with so many children. Robb getting lost in the weirwood, Catelyn’s issues with his bastard, Jon, Arya running around all over the place and so forth. The septa is also having issues settling down, and of course there was the new Greyjoy boy to worry about.

These problems are added to however as his seneschal comes to him informing him that a Lord Surestone is here to speak of a matter of duty. Eddard remembers the man vaguely, slim, but with deceptive strength, wielding a sword or axe with equal effectiveness. He had fought in both the rebellion and the war against the Targaryens. Still, Eddard had not ever interacted with him before. The Surestones were a minor house looking to House Dustin. Indeed, it was the only house to reply when he called the banners prior to dealing with the Greyjoy Rebellion.

The man comes in, only to get into a shouting match during which he nearly threatens Eddard, who swears he has never heard of what the man is talking about, making the man realize he has no understanding of what the man is talking about. Calming down, Lord Surestone apologizes, then explaining. His family are historians of the North, his wife was even a Stark. They have been trusted with many secrets and always educates the Heir to Winterfell, a honor they were given thousands of years ago and have continued to this day, in the ways of the First Men.

Eddard is shocked, having never heard of any of this before, but the man produces a written note from his father asking the then Lord Surestone to come to Wintefell and teach Brandon. Eddard remembering a elderly man following Brandon around. Never having seemed to interested, but that was Brandon. Lord Surestone realizing he wasn’t just here to fulfull his oath to teach Robb, Eddard too needs to speak of the North, of the Laws of the First Men.

The talk goes on overlong, as Eddard is more and more surprised his family would have secrets around the place. Winterfell is after all ancient, more ancient than anything but the Wall. It is where the Other’s power in the North was broken. Eddard still somewhat bemused, not trusting everything the man says, but then Lord Surestone opens a secret passage. Shock. An axe is there, entirely made of some strange metal rather than just the head, but very rusted. Lord Surestone however calling it the Wolf Axe, a weapon even older than Ice, used by House Stark long before Valyrian Steel was available. All around them are notes written on the wall in the language of the First Men, warnings, welcomes, words of duty, laughter and more. Many speaking of a duty to the weirwood tree, a blood sacrifice which is necessary.

That evening, Eddard, now convinced that he had indeed been neglecting some of his duties as a Stark, Eddard, Robb and Lord Surestone go out the next day on a hunt. First time Robb has been on a hunt, Eddard explains things to him. The group comes back with a wild moose to find Jon waiting for them in awe, Catelyn and Sansa too. (Insert first of many minor confrontations LOL)

Eddard taking them to the weirwood tree that night, where Lord Surestone speaks the words, Robb cuts his hand and mixes his blood with that of the moose. The Axe, which had been leaned against the tree now gleaming, where before it had been rusting and nasty. This obvious display of magic creates a certain amount of shock and reverence. Robb, getting over it faster than his father, tries to lift the axe but it is too heavy for him.

The next day, Lord Surestone sending out guards to his keep. He would be staying in Winterfell for a time to teach Robb and the rest of the family. It was time for the Starks to reconnect with the North’s culture in reality rather than giving it lip service.

Things this fic would contain:

1. An OC to start things off: This should be pretty self-explanatory, but I’ll say it here. Lord Surestone is going to be the plot point to get everything going. He will start to fall out of the story as Robb and the others grow, and will not be around by the time canon events start to take off. There will still be a Lord Surestone, but he won’t drive the story forward.

a. Religious issues abound. With Eddard now practicing more than simply veneration for the weirwood trees, he and Catelyn will have issues. Further, the Septa, Eddard and Robb will have issues thanks to how quick Robb is to pick up faith in the Old Gods. This will mean shouting matches, histrionics, cold silences, and cutting words until they all realize family should really mean more than religious differences. The Septa, on the other hand, will not come to that conclusion and will continue to be a point of contention in Winterfell.

b. Different weapon, different teacher. Robb will be an axe-wielder in this, after all, how can you beat a magic axe, even if that magic was only that it wont rust? He and Jon will also be getting even more weapons instruction than in canon.

c. Historical revelations. With Surestone pushing them to learn more about their past, all of the Starks will come to understand the many ways their family has held power for so long. Secrets will be revealed and will spur still more growth.

d. Exploring the North. Similar to the above, thanks to Surestone pointing out that Eddard really doesn’t know much of his own kingdom, he will travel the North, sometimes with Robb and Jon, sometimes alone. This will let him understand the personalities and traits of each houses and will allow him to nip a certain Kinslaying issue in the bud.

e. Weirwood revival. Precisely what it says. The Weirwood trees are the medium through which the Children of the Forest and the Old Gods perform their magics or miracles. As such, spreading the reach of such trees and properly anointing them is a necessity.

2. Ancient Magic is not so much hocus Pocus, but Blood and sacrifice. Magic in ASOIAF is not nice. It isn’t easy. And it always demands payment. The magic of the First men will be no different. Although Eddard and his children will discover the existence of magic, they will not be doing much with it for fear of the price for most of the story. But they understand it, and will know many secrets long thought dead. And when it comes time for war, Robb will be willing to call upon the powers of his warg abilities, and other magic that he, as a Stark, is able to call upon.

a. The Starks will discover they have a unique connection to the magic of the Old Gods via the Children of the Forest. This connection will need to be renewed in their generation, and Rickon will be chosen for that deed.

b. Bran, Spymaster (northern style). Bran will learn of wargs and determine to become such from a very young age rather than yearning to be a knight. He will not bond permanently with any one animal for a time, but will have dozens he can warg with for short amounts of time.

c. The Wall and Winterfell, two sides of the same coin. Discovering more of their ancient home, the Starks will discover a connection to the Wall based on magical communication and renewing the strength of that mighty edifice. Again, a sacrifice will be needed, but one the Starks perform gladly. This will lead the issues with the Watch being addressed before canon.

3. Lordly Matters. Eddard will start to step up as a Lord Paramount rather than merely the first among equals. That will mean projects throughout the North, renewing family ties to his lords and so forth.

a. Changes to the family. Yes, Eddard will actually start to ward his children and other things that any Lord Paramount should do, let alone one from a family that’s held its position for more than 10,000 years.

i. Robb being affianced to Wylla (or Wynnafred) Manderly. Rewarding one of their most loyal houses while also marrying a girl who follows the Old Gods but is from a family that looks to the New makes a lot of sense, and the earlier the better so that the kids can get to know one another.

ii. Arya being sent to the Mormonts. Like, fucking seriously. This is a match made in heaven. Only Catelyn looking south and Eddard not wanting his family away from him (I give him that, he was traumatized and had lost his whole family bar his one Brother, who then left him to go to the Wall) stopped this, and other similar fosterings.

iii. Bran to the Reeds. An early meeting here, and a resumption of the connection between the Reeds and the Starks could only be a good thing.

b. Lady Dustin being removed. In canon, Stark allowed her to go her own way due to knowing how his brother had wronged her, and feeling guilty. Guilt cannot be allowed to shape a Lord’s decisions. Instead, an investigation into her and the Ryswells will force a confrontation. It won’t be easy, or bloodless, but Eddard will want to remove the festering resentment that he has sensed from House Dustin.

c. The Moat rebuilt. This is a idea that has been done in many fics, but it really does make sense: setting up Jon or Bran as lord of the Moat. That will be a while in the future, but rebuilding the Moat can start right away.

d. Money talks. One of the things that Eddard will do that he should have in canon was to call in the debt the crown owed him from the revolution, and after, where it was Stark and Lannister money that propped up the new regime. With that money, he will be able to do several projects, not just the Moat.

e. Wintertown expanded. What it says on the tin. The hot springs underneath Winterfell keep it warm, but there are other runs that can do the same to

f. Internal conflict. Sansa, Catelyn and Septa Mordane hold views that turn them towards the south, but Eddard is adamant about the new push to emphasize and renew Northern ties. This will be a recuring issue, simply because one side is not willing to compromise, and has a major axe to grind in Jon Snow. And no, this will not be one of the stories where Eddard tells Catelyn Jon isn’t his.

i. Septa Mordane will be a continued problem for Eddard, eventually forcing him to remove her despite Catelyn’s objections.

ii. Sansa will NOT be marrying Domeric Bolton. This is something that I have seen a lot, and I do not see it as a good idea so long as Lord Bolton is still alive. Even after the Ryswells and Dustins have lost their strength, Lord Bolton will still hold certain ambitions. He will not ever act unless he sees weakness, but if he does…

4. Wandering Wolves. At first, Eddard will be doing a lot of his own traveling and exploration of the North, getting to know his lords in peace as he does in war – and make no mistake, he knows them very well, but not how they are at home, so to speak. But after Jon and Robb hit fourteen, they will take over that roll so he can spend more time with the rest of the family, Jon and Robb can both make friends and allies on their own.

a. First Men = strange and magical in equal measure. The Umbers really do have some giant blood in their ancestry, which is why they are so much stronger than even their size would show. Mormonts too have an unusual background. So do the Boltons, who hail originally from Skagos, but who have been gentrified since coming to the mainland… to a certain extent anyway. Further, there is a supposedly magical reason why they skinned their enemies.

b. Barrow Magic. One issue that Lady Dustin will have been ignoring is that the dead of the Barrows have been restive since the last actual Dustin by blood has passed. This will need to be resolved, and will have major implications for her downfall and that of House Ryswell.

c. Company of the Rose. This group fascinates me, a merc company several hundred years old made up of the descendants of Northerners who left because they refused to kneel to the dragons. Now the dragons are gone. So it might be time for them to come back, if someone could convince them to do so. It won’t be easy, and many won’t want to, but enough will to greatly strengthen the North.

d. Beyond the Wall. Of course, not every wanderings will go the way you might want them to. And not every one will be to the destination that was assigned to you.

5. Second Verse, not so much like the first. While all these events occur in the North, things in the South will continue apace, with only a few of the biggest events in the North being known at all, and that vaguely below the neck. The king’s trip north however is not going to be as easy as it was in canon, and some other things will not go the way they did in canon.

a. The Barrows are still acting up. This will not be something that the followers of the Seven are able to handle at all. Further, there will be some bandits around the area, former Ryswll men who may take advantage of a large, rich, slooooow target. No matter who it is.

b. Arya isn’t there. She will still be with the Mormonts.

c. Sansa and Catelyn will still try to push for a marriage to the prince, but Eddard will be noticeably cooler on that idea, and on the idea of his going south to be Hand. Eddard will try to get Robert to choose one or the other. Cue much shouting. MUCH, until Eddard is forced to comply.

d. Bran will not fall. With his warging skills, he’s never gone as into climbing as he would in canon.

e. Eddard still goes south. Can’t really get out of this one, what a king wants a king gets. But not before Robb and Wylla (?) Manderly are married, and maybe with Tommen or Myrcella being left with the Starks as ward while Eddard goes south.

f. A wolf in a Snake’s den. While he will do a slightly better job than in canon, Eddard is still too honorable and straightforward to survive when he trusts the wrong people. In this case, Baelish. None of the changes to the Starks prior to this would have let Eddard see that Baelish was playing the great game for his own reasons.

6.  War. This should not come as a surprise to any, but I would be going into detail on the war and everything else. I still maintain that the North really shouldn’t be as renowned for it’s cavalry as many of the fanfics make it out to be. Yes, each house has its own cavalry force – they are nobles, and even practical nobles fall into that foolishness – but the majority of the North will be infantry. Swords, axes, pike. Training and unit cohesion is where they will thrive. Well, beyond the Mountain Clans.

a. No need for a bridge. Robb will not look to cross the Twins, rather he will be arriving in the Riverlands by way of the Ocean thanks to many of the changes that Eddard made. With the Mallisters with them, he will march into the Riverlands from there.

i. Lannisters getting schooled. Again, Tywin isn’t really a military genius. Jaime is a untried commander, let alone army general. They have good advisors and Tywin is genuinely intelligent, but Robb has fought several small campaigns 0 the same as Twyin against the Reynes – and has access to the leaders of the Company of the Rose. That will let him hammer the Lannisters and unite the Riverlands.

ii. The Mountain getting cut down to size. He will be killed by Robb, Jon and others when they attack the main Lannister camp after riding through the night to hit them as they are trying to race to Jaime’s aid.

iii. No King of the North and the Riverlands. In this fic, it will be Robb who gathers the Northern lords after Joffrey has his father executed. He won’t want to control the Riverlands, seeing that as a fools game at present. Edmure will be very happy about this, Brynden and Catelyn not so much, but they won’t argue about it very much

iv. The Isle of faces will have it’s due. Furious at the fact that the Northerners have humiliated them, Tywin will order an attack on the Isle, believing that it will force the North to fight him on his terms. He’s right about that, unfortunately for him.

b. Greyjoys still being morons. Uncaring of Theon’s fate, Balo will indeed try to invade, only for them to lose at two of their three attack points. The Moat will eat them alive, the Mormonts will have retained a large portion of their strength, and the Rills will have been rebuilt and resettled by the Company of the Rose.

i. Arya meets Asha. She will not have gone south, and will instead sneak out to join the fight against the Greyjoys. And while Arya will still be young, Nymeria is still going to be a very large, deadly direwolf.

ii. Theon’s fate will be in Robb’s hands. With the changes he has gone through, Robb won’t be as close to Theon as in canon. But he will give him a chance to redeem his name and maybe earn his freedom.

c. Stannis being a dick. Not exactly a stretch, although he will be a bit more effective, as Tyrion won’t have as much time to prepare his wildfire trap. But he will also not be pleased with Robb’s declaration of an Independent North. There will be a confrontation there for certain.

d. Reach going all over the place. After Renly’s death (same as canon but no Catelyn there to witness it) the Tyrells will switch to the Lannisters, while the Stormlands follow Stannis. But since the battle in King’s Landing will be more postponed than won, the Tyrells will start to feel internal pressure from the other families who have a historical connection to the Gardeners and Highgarden. Especially since Robb will already be married.

e. Aegon Blackfyre. The Golden Company will eventually make an appearance along with Aegon. He won’t have any dragons though, since…

f. Daenerys, Breaker of Chains. Daenerys in this fic will have no interest in returning to Westeros. While Ser Barristan will have sought her out, he will also have told her straight up what her brother and father did, and why Westeros is done with her people. She will eventually come across anyway, but will have nothing to do with an attempt to conquer by fire and blood.

g. Vale getting off its ass. Eventually. Baelish’s manipulations will be discovered, causing something of a civil war, but one that will happen mostly off screen.

h. Jon Stark, Sword of the North.  While Robb will be a better combatant than in canon, and his weapon will go a ways to evening the odds several times, Jon will rise in notoriety throughout the war thanks to his combat skills. So much so he may be approached for marriage opportunities.

7. White Walkers. Ayup. Big time. I would take some of the ideas I used in Wild Wolf, and some others too. That would be part three of the fic, I think (1 the differences in the North, 2 the War in the south, 3 the war of the Wall). Brynden would the POV here, along with Arya and Asha eventually.

a. Winter coming early. By the time the Lanisters are on the run in the Riverlands, winter will be felt in the North. By the time the Lanisters are beaten and Joffrey is slain (Ahh… such a nice thought) winter will have come to even the Reach. This will have severe repercussions for every side, particularly Stannis thanks to Melisandre, who while a bitch, knows the White Walkers are the main threat, and the North, who will be forced to send much of their strength home.

b. Unite? Yeah, Right. It will take a lot to convince anyone beyond the North that the White Walkers are a real threat. Even Melisandre will have trouble convincing Stannis of this, while the war is going on in the south. The first area to send help will, strangely, be Braavos, and they will have some stipulations.

c. Mance Ryder, opportunist. He will still lead the Wildings (minus a few clans who have been accepted beyond the Wall… heh…) against the wall. Only his timing will not be nearly as good as in canon, and the Wall will be ready for him and his folk. Not so much what follows, of course, but still. Every little bit helps.

8. L + R = J. But not happily.  I have always been of the opinion that if, and this is a BIG if, Lyanna went willingly with Rhaegar, it was because she was lied to and emotionally manipulated by him. I really, REALLY doubt that after they got word of her father and older brother dying she would have willingly stayed with him or his people. So while Lord Reed might eventually tell his side of things, that really won’t hold much water for Robb or Jon. Jon will repudiate any connection to Rhaegar and the Targaryen madness.

9. Pairings won’t actually matter much. They will be there, and it could be fun to write Wylla’s character. But while there will be important female characters (Myrcella might make a redo as the Maiden of Healing) like Cersei and Margaery and Daenerys, the relationship of the main characters: Robb, Jon, Arya will just be a source of solidity rather than a large part of the fic going forward.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this. I will be posting the revamped chapter of Effect over on fanfic, and some other things tomorrow. Now I need to take a Sudafed and hit the hay LOL.

land remember, this is a story idea. In no way am I saying that I will pick up this idea as a new story