1,799authorsnote: howdyyyy. edited this story on the 02/07/2020, further edits 16/05/2022. minor grammer fixes, corrections and such, story still the exact same don't stress.
this story had been in the works for a whileeee before publishing, and I adore it. It is complicated but so worth it, I know this story type has been done before in this fandom but I want to do my version with an original twist and lots of weird stuff going on. this story will be rated T for now but will be raised to M eventually. this story will/does contain: graphic violence/swearing/gore/smut. I will always tag any changes but follow the rating.
I do hope you enjoy this, this story is my bby. I don't have a beta as I am far too erratic for that (I will randomly bash out 5k chapters at 4am under the influence of waaay too much coffee), and so some stuff slips, so if you have a problem with a missed comma here and there this may not be the story for you.
please enjoy! follow/fav if you do, let me know your thoughts via review and thanks for reading!
songrecs: My Watch Has Ended - GOT Season 6 Soundtrack
'I wish you were coming with us'
'Different roads sometimes lead to the same castle'
- Jon Snow to Arya Stark
-x-
He awoke with a gasp he was sure was heard across the Narrow Sea.
The rush of air into his lungs was sweeter than any maidens kiss, and he vaulted up from the surface he was on. He noted as he sat up that what had been the hard wood of a table in a dingy hut at the edge of the world was now the soft feathers of a bed, and as he opened his eyes, he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. He blinked several times, his hands shaking by his sides, his brain unable to process what was happening, his eyes flickering around the room, trying to understand.
Was this a dream?
He was in Winterfell again, in his old room, not a thing out of place since he had last been between the four walls. He was shaking as he looked around; there was the painting on the wall, a simple landscape of Winterfell that had been a 13th nameday present from his father, then on the opposite wall, another painting of he with his siblings, something his father had commissioned. Jon remembered that day, sitting still for so long whilst Lady Stark glared at him, due to his inclusion. His Father had shut her down when she had tried to ensure he was removed from the image, and thus he was smiling in the painting, a rare thing for him, as usually he would brood.
His boots were at the end of the bed, his clothes hanging in the closet opposite… it was as though nothing had changed. He heard a whine and Ghost leapt onto the bed, so much smaller now, and yet clearly still his loyal companion, if now the size of a pup instead of a pony.
What had happened? The last thing Jon could recall through the murky memories was Castle Black, he reached for a robe then as his shaking continued, and he traced his fingers down his chest searching for scars that weren't present. It was then he noted a distinct lack of scars in general; where was the white line on his hip from a spar with Grenn? Where was the three circles on his shoulder from the arrows Ygritte had sunk into him? It was only then he registered … why was he focusing on the lack of scars, when he should be focusing on his body in general?
He forced himself to his feet; he was shorter by a good few inches, still tall, he had shot up fast in his youth ('bastards grow quicker' Ser Rodrick had grumbled once, though of course his meaning hadn't been literal), but not as tall as he had been. He still had muscle but not as much, he lacked a beard and his hair was shorter, curly still but shorter. He had lost a lot of strength, and he shook his head once more as he tugged on his robe. He was focusing on the small things, not the bigger question at hand.
What the hell was he doing back here? He began to pace, glancing out the window he saw the Stark banners on the walls, his Father striding across the courtyard with Maester Luwin, Robb following behind. He felt his eyes grow misty and had to stop himself from opening the window to call out to his lost brother and father… had it all been a dream? The things he had endured as a man of the Watch, had it all been a fantasy? The battles, the fights, the loss of his family? Had it been one long dream that he had finally woken from? It made no sense, and Jon couldn't comprehend it, he was certain he was still in shock, unable to understand what had happened to him, his mind unable to wrap around the two possibilities:
Either it had all been one long, hard dream he was glad to wake up from, or he had somehow been … sent back in time, forced back to a simpler time… perhaps to fix mistakes of the past? "That's insane" He whispered to himself, as he hurriedly went to his private bathroom to clean up, needing to keep busy to stop the violent shakes racking through his body, and in desperate need of some water on his face. A few splashes of freezing water on his face did help him focus a little, but it didn't stop the shaking.
Had he been sent back? Killed by his brothers and somehow he had ended up back here in Winterfell? A boy once more, not a man of the Watch as he had been? It made no sense, and yet … he was thankful, thankful his Father was still alive, thankful Robb was still a boy, not a Lord burdened with decisions he couldn't make. It was then he thought of Arya, Bran, Rickon, gods even Sansa! All alive and well, and a smile managed to push through the shock on his features. Perhaps he shouldn't question whatever had happened and simply be thankful? He was home, everyone was well… should he be worrying about such a thing? Shouldn't he simply be happy?
But then, Jon had always been broody, and he couldn't help but wonder, who wouldn't? His last memory was one of betrayal by his brothers, and now he was a boy once more, not a hardened man of the watch. He was sure it had all been real; Ygritte, Sam, Pyp, Ed, Grenn… it had all felt so real, the bloodshed, Ygritte's touch… it had all been so real, and he realised with a heavy heart and even more confusion … there was no way it had all been a dream, it simply wasn't possible. Years it had been, years of pain, small smatters of pleasure and endless duty. It had all been real, as real as the walls of his room.
He splashed some more water on his face and once clean he dressed quickly, breeches, socks, his boots, a black tunic and white furs over his shoulders with a black cloak hanging down. He hesitated at the door before securing his weapons belt at his waist; his sword and dagger hanging from the loops. He knew it would seem strange, carrying weapons in his home but … regardless of whether it had been a dream or not, Jon didn't feel right not having them on him, he knew that was paranoia from his time at the Wall, where a man always carried a weapon. Running a hand through his hair, he made for the door, only to find it locked.
He raised an eyebrow then; the locking mechanism wasn't in use, and so he tugged again, and again, but the door remained stiffly shut. After a few more tries he kicked at it, and the wood didn't even shudder. "What the…"
Jon began but was cut off immediately by what seemed to be a flash of light, harsh and bright across his eyes. He reeled back, grabbing his dagger from his waist, drawn and ready, until the icy…somehow cold silver light dissolved to reveal something on the bed, nothing special as he walked over, dagger still in hand as he was wary, but curious. On the bed sat a book, made of worn leather, on the front was the Stark sigil; the direwolf of Winterfell, and as he flipped it over to inspect it he saw on the back, the Targaryen sigil; the red three headed dragon. His brow creased then… how had this come to be here? And why was something with the Targaryen symbol on it, in his room?
He felt his best move was to go to his father, tell him of this (though not his possible dream, he knew it would sound insane and didn't fancy Lady Stark's glares as he tried to explain potential time travel, as he was convinced it wasn't a dream he'd endured), and so he made his way to the door, worn book in hand, but once again found it locked. He glanced at the book, then back at the door and with a sigh sat himself on the bed evidently, he wasn't leaving his room anytime soon.
"I feel like this might be the dream" He muttered to himself, perhaps that was the answer? Perhaps this was the dream and he was simply recovering at Castle Black? He halted his thoughts there, he didn't want to think of his last memories, filled with pain, both from the stabs of the knife, and the betrayal of his brothers.
God he was getting distracted again, and so without any further ado he opened the strange book, and as he did the ink seemed to write itself across the first few pages. His eyes widened as he saw such a thing, and he wondered why (though shocked) he was taking everything so well. Perhaps after seeing the others come to life, the dead rise and giants march on the wall he was a bit less susceptible to being surprised? Either way, he was thankful, he was sure if this had happened to his old self he would have fainted in shock. Thankfully he had some hardiness to him now, and he was sure that was the only thing keeping him conscious.
It was then he focused back on the book, and the scrawl now across the pages, and he felt his breath quicken as he read…
Welcome Jon Snow.
You have FIVE lives left, as you are the PTWP you can carry on. All wounds/injuries/afflictions from the last run-through have been reset, as have all traits/statistics/perks. During the last run, you did not activate any checkpoints, (checkpoints are special areas/events that you may use to 'save' your progress, we highly recommend you use them), and thus you start once more at the beginning of the story.
What in the ever-loving fuck? What was going on? Lives, wounds, checkpoints? It was gibberish, and yet in some strange way Jon understood. In his old life, he had died, stabbed by his own brothers, was this some kind of reset? Time travel that would allow him to live out life again perhaps? It made no sense, and yet somehow it did. God his head was starting to ache. Automatically he reached out to Ghost who was still curled up on the bed next to him and ran his fingers through his fur, such a motion comforted him, and he carried on reading.
STATISTICS:
Jon Snow: Level 2, (Automatic Level Up).
HP: 100/100 (HP is Health, it will go down if you are injured/tired/underfed/poisoned)
STR: 10 (STRENGTH, how strong you are).
PER: 5 (PERCEPTION, how well you perceive things).
END: 10 (ENDURANCE, your level of stamina).
CHA: 5 (CHARISMA, ability to charm/sway others).
INT: 5 (INTELLIGENCE, including wisdom).
AGI: 10 (AGILITY, your dexterity).
LUC: 5 (LUCK, how lucky you are).
MAG: 5 (MAGIC, your magical ability).
These are your base stats (each has a potential out of 100, but do not be alarmed by low scores!) as you have been automatically levelled up to level 2, you will have the opportunity to add to these stats later.
Okay he was nodding now, going along with it, as what other choice did he have? This was some kind of evaluation of him it seemed? Perhaps an evaluation of him? Again, he was scratching Ghost at the neck, it soothed him, and he pushed on, his eyes taking in everything as he read onward.
Jon Snow.
HERITAGE:
Stark (Mother: Lyanna Stark) / Targaryen (Father: Rhaegar Targaryen)
No! Now that gave him pause, and he automatically placed the book down, and began his pacing again. Had this book, this ... this ... magical device just revealed his parentage? Of course, he couldn't be sure until he asked his Father (and damn right he planned to) … he wasn't a cowardly boy anymore, but a man, a man who had lived years beyond this already.
His mind went back to the words on the page then … so he was still a bastard he guessed, but not the bastard of Eddard Stark, instead he was the product of Rhaegar raping who he had believed to be his Aunt. He sunk to the floor then, his back hitting the wall, his head going into his hands. He felt sick, he had always wished to know of his true heritage, and … and this was it? He was the product of kidnapping and raping? His Father was an adulterer who'd plunged the kingdoms into war, and his Mother had died because of it? He was shaking even more, and he knew after he had finished with this book he must find his Father, he needed answers. He felt sick then and had to take several minutes, breathing deeply so not to faint.
He went to stand up after a while, but had no need as Ghost came padding over, carrying said book in his mouth. He took it from him and allowed Ghost to curl up in his lap. That bought a smile to his features; the Ghost he remembered was the size of a horse, hardly able to curl up across his thighs, but still so loyal.
Jon Snow.
HERITAGE:
Stark (Mother: Lyanna Stark) / Targaryen (Father: Rhaegar Targaryen)
Stark Bonuses: Resistance to cold, Ability to Warg, Special Weapons (Greatsword, Mace, Dragonglass – all receive +10 and possibility of quests), +1 STR.
Targaryen Bonuses: Resistance to fire, Ability to tame/hatch dragons, Valyrian Steel Perk (you can spot Valyrian steel with ease/you have a slightly higher chance of finding it, +10 to this skill), +2 MAG.
ROYALTY BONUS:
+1 CHA, as your royalty is unknown you will not receive further bonuses from this area until it is revealed.
PRODUCT OF LOVE BONUS:
+1 LUC, you are a product of two people in love, thus you get a small bonus.
He took another pause then… he supposed it was true, he had discovered his heritage, but the last line stopped him and thankfully took away the sick feeling in his stomach. He was a product of love? That made no sense, he had heard the story, Rhaegar had kidnapped Lyanna and then raped her, leaving her to die of fever in the South. But then… who had heard that story off? Never his father, never Uncle Benjen, that was Lady Stark's story and the servants who mumbled about it. That thought caused his eyebrows to raise…was it possible he wasn't a product of rape? But a product of love? He was shaking once again, and he pulled Ghost closer, these were all questions his father would need to answer, and so he continued.
FURTHER HERITAGE:
First Men / Valyrians.
First Men bonuses: Higher respect from foreigners, Complete resistance to cold (this is void in the Lands of Always Winter), +1 END.
Valyrian bonuses: General wariness from foreigners, Complete resistance to fire, Dragon taming/hatching MUCH easier, Incest is acceptable, -1 LUC.
Distant Essos Heritage.
Essos bonuses (distant): +1 relationship with citizens of Essos, +1 MAG.
Again, he paused. It seemed this tool, this evaluation of him was taking everything into account, even things he did not know about himself. Was he still shaking? Yes. He had absorbed a lot of information and questions were flying around his head like birds. This was a tool, something to help him now he had come back, he understood that. What he didn't understand was how to use it, or what he could do with it. He supposed it had been useful already, revealing his parentage, though the revelation had just bought more questions, questions he was burning to ask and a slight sick feeling in his stomach.
BASTARD STATUS:
Your status as a bastard (at least in the eyes of men), means you have a lower level of respect amongst ALL nobles (except for the Dornish), but a higher level of respect among commoners/peasants.
This status also means your specific relationships will be greatly affected; for example if someone despises bastards your relationship with them will be MUCH lower, but if someone tolerates bastards your relationship with them will be barely affected.
This status also adds -2 CHA, but +1 PER due to your ability to go unnoticed.
SECRET STATUS?:
A SPECIAL QUEST WILL UNLOCK THIS SECTION.
The sight of his bastard status bought a scowl to his lips, he despised the stain of being as such, despised how many people looked down on him for it. Naturally he thought of Lady Stark, but then his eyes widened as he realised; Lady Stark hated him believing him to be her husband's bastard, a disgrace, a sign of his dishonour … but according to this he was no such thing. Was he still a bastard? Yes, but he was not Eddard Stark's bastard. That caused his insides to tighten, and he felt a flare of rage go through him; he'd been treated like dung by Lady Stark his entire life, always excluded, picked on and put down, and the reasons behind her behaviour were false! He felt indignant then, and after his discussion with his now Uncle he would also be having a word with Lady Stark.
Again, he had to remind himself to cool his own temper. One thing he had to remember was that he had come back yes, but presumably no one else knew that, they were simply living their normal lives, as they had been at this time. He had to act like he was the same. He couldn't be acting like the man he had become as he didn't want people to become suspicious. He knew this tale would be seen as insanity and he wanted to avoid the less than tender cells of the citadel where raving men were sent. He had to act normal, like himself … well as he had been as a boy.
With a small pause he continued on, once he had all the information then would be time to figure out the truth and ask his questions.
RELIGION, PICK ONE:
(You can only pick one religion to follow, conversion is available at a higher level, but extremely difficult, thus we suggest you think carefully).
You have compatibility with the following religions:
The Old Gods (Mother's side).
The Faith of the Seven (Father's side).
Valyrian (Heritage).
R'hllor (PTWP).
He paused then for two reasons. One, he was sure he knew which one to pick immediately. Though not a deeply religious person, Jon did pray and he found comfort in the gods…or at least he had before he had grown up. As time, had gone by Jon had grown to resent the gods if anything, but he shoved that aside for now, perhaps on this new journey he could try to be closer to the gods, to guide him… though he did scoff at his own thoughts then; the gods never got involved in the business of man that was certain.
But… but then hadn't they? As he read each word he was convinced that he hadn't been dreaming the life he had lived, but rather he had somehow been bought back, from death and through time. Shouldn't that make him believe there was something out there? Someone or something looking out for him? He strained then to remember those last moments, curious as to who had returned him to life, curious as to how it had been done. He strained hard, his eyes closing, his hands clutching the book, and then…
Images flashed before his eyes, his brothers sinking dagger after dagger into his chest, the look on Olly's face as he had plunged the final one into his heart. He heard the howl of a wolf, felt the ground beneath him not cold though it had every right to be. It was then more images flashed over his eyes, red hair … the lady Melissandra, the gruff voice of Ser Davos, the hard voice of Tormund's. He felt hands running over his chest, across his arms, and then booming words that screamed across his forehead
'The ink is dry'
Then his eyes opened abruptly, and he was back, back in his room, sat on the floor of his room with Ghost nudging him, a look of concern in the direwolf's eyes. He placed a shaking hand onto his head to calm him, and it helped calm the thudding of his own heart along with it. He felt sick, and he was shaking again, he had been bought back, and then sent back, it hadn't been a dream, and as he was calming that same icy, silver glow emitted from the book, and new words were written, but not on the page, rather in mid-air, as though the words were caught in the glow coming from the book. He watched in awe as a delicate scrawl read the following words;
INSIGHTS INTO THE PAST (PERK!).
You have gained a new attribute.
Insights into the past adds +1 INT, and allows you to study your past run-through to understand things about your life. Be wary though, the man who spends too much time in the past may fall into it completely.
Now that was curious, he wasn't even done reading through the book and yet it seemed he had gained some skills. A small smile of sorts crept onto his features; this had to be good didn't it? As much as the images of his death had disturbed him some good had come from it. With a nod of his head, the icy silver glow had now faded, and the words disappeared, and he turned back to the book.
However, before he could read any further his eyes caught that strange word again; PTWP. That was the third time it had shown up in the book! He raised an eyebrow flipping back through, before returning to the current page. There was no indication of what it could be or mean, but he would be sure to keep an eye out for it.
He went back to the book once again, his eyes flickering downward.
RELIGION, PICK ONE:
(You can only pick one religion to follow, conversion is available at a higher level, but extremely difficult, thus we suggest you think carefully).
You have compatibility with the following religions:
The Old Gods (Mother's side).
The Faith of the Seven (Father's side).
Valyrian (Heritage).
R'hllor (PTWP).
These are the only religions you currently have compatibility with; unlock other religions as you explore new worlds through quests or perks. You may pick up attributes from other religions, but your key bonuses will come from the religion you publicly choose now.
Bonuses are as follows;
The Old Gods: Higher respect from The Faith of the Seven, Valyrian's and other religions, but disliked by followers of R'hllor. Complete health regeneration available at Weirwood trees, and the Children of the Forest/Greenseers are MUCH more likely to aid you.
The Faith of the Seven: Automatically adds +1 to CHA. Allows you the option of joining the Faith Militant. Disliked by followers of R'hllor but tolerated by followers of The Old Gods.
Valyrian: High Valyrian is learnt at a significantly faster rate, Higher chance of finding Valyrian Steel. Higher chance of dragon taming/hatching, Incest is allowed, and this religion automatically grants the attribute 'Dragon Dreams' (Semi-prophetic dreams and the ability to look into your dreams for answers).
R'hllor: Lower respect from those of other religions due to R'hllor's lack of religious tolerance. Much higher respect from those living in Asshai/followers of R'hllor. Automatically grants the attribute 'Look into the flames' (Can look into and understand prophecies in fire). Automatically gain +1 MAG, but -1 INT.
He realised as he finished the page this was the first time he was being asked to do something. Furrowing his brow, he read back over. Of course, the obvious choice was the Old Gods, the religion of North-Men, his family and the religion he had been raised with. The perks seemed good as well. However, he couldn't help but cast a glance at R'hllor. If his look into the past was correct it had to be Lady Melissandra who had bought him back, and she was a red priestess of the religion … surely that made it worth considering? Still as he read it over he shook his head; he was of the North, regardless of his newly learned heritage, and he had followed the Old Gods his entire life. With a nod, he looked at the religion he intended to choose, and then he was stumped slightly … how was he supposed to pick it. With a bite down on his lip he pressed his finger to the Old Gods section and to his surprise (and relief), the same icy/silver glow emitted and suddenly the section changed;
RELIGION CHOSEN: THE OLD GODS.
The Old Gods: Higher respect from The Faith of the Seven, Valyrian's and other religions, but disliked by followers of R'hllor. Complete health regeneration available at Weirwood trees, and the Children of the Forest/Greenseers are MUCH more likely to aid you. CHOSEN RELIGION.
The Faith of the Seven: Automatically adds +1 to CHA, Allows you the option of joining the Faith Militant. Disliked by followers of R'hllor, but tolerated by followers of The Old Gods. REFUSED – ABILITY TO UNLOCK FAITH BONUSES STILL POSSIBLE THROUGH QUESTS, HOWEVER YOU HAVE GIVEN UP ALL RIGHT TO BECOME A SEPTON/JOIN THE FAITH MILITANT.
Valyrian: High Valyrian is learnt at a significantly faster rate, Higher chance of finding Valyrian Steel. Higher chance of dragon taming/hatching, Incest is allowed, and this religion automatically grants the attribute 'Dragon Dreams' (Semi-prophetic dreams and the ability to look into your dreams for answers). REFUSED – ABILITY TO UNLOCK VALYRIAN BONUSES STILL POSSIBLE THROUGH QUESTS. DUE TO THE FAMOUS 'VALYRIAN RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE' THIS RELIGION HAS A SYNCRATIC ABILITY AT A HIGHER LEVEL.
R'hllor: Lower respect from those of other religions due to R'hllor's lack of religious tolerance. Much higher respect from those living in Asshai/followers of R'hllor. Automatically grants the attribute 'Look into the flames' (Can look into and understand prophecies in fire). Automatically gain +1 MAG, but -1 INT. REFUSED – DUE TO R'HLLOR'S LACK OF TOLERANCE FOR OTHER RELIGIONS THE ABILITY TO GAIN R'HLLOR BONUSES IS NOW LOCKED. HOWEVER, BECAUSE YOU ARE THE PTWP YOU MAY RECEIVE SPECIFIC BONUSES FROM THIS RELIGION THROUGH SPECIAL QUESTS.
There it was again! The strange collection of letters – PTWP. He shook his head, and turned the page, this felt like a bit too much and yet he knew he had to continue, and thus he did, confused but happy with his choice of religion.
YOUR CURRENTLY BASE: WINTERFELL.
This gives you the following bonuses (remember, bonuses change wherever you are living in the world, you will only receive these bonuses as long as you remain where you are. Similar places have similar bonuses, but foreign places will have extremely different bonuses).
Place to store items (Jon's bedroom).
Bed to sleep in – due to the quality of the bed, each night you sleep in it will fully restore your health (though will not cure poisoning, or heal injuries, for this you must see a Maester or as a follower of the Old Gods go to a Weirwood tree).
Ability to look into the history of the Stark's and the First Men, and the ability to gain further attributes/skills related to; The North, the Starks, the First Men.
Closer relationships with the Starks/Northern families, but more distant relationships with Southerners.
Jon paused once more to take stock of things. It was nice to see he got bonuses for living with the Stark's even if he wasn't officially one. He nodded then, absorbing more information as he went before turning the page, his eyebrows shooting up and a smile creeping onto his features as he read over the next section.
PERKS:
Perks you may gain through levelling up, completing specific quests, levelling up your combat abilities, randomly or through reading 'special' books. You start with 0 but may pick 3 from the following 6 to add. Perks can be random/come from heritage/religion/status. Your first perks are available from the latter 3. Also be aware, not all perks will show up, better perks become available as you level up.
Walk With Direwolf's (First Men perk), +5 relationship with ALL direwolf's, Higher ability of warging with direwolf's, +10 to 'animal knowledge' and +20 to warging.
Fly With Dragons (Valyrian perk), +5 relationship with ALL dragons, -5 relationship with all other creatures. +10 to magic knowledge, +5 to animal knowledge.
Speak The Tongue (Valyrian perk), +50 to high Valyrian speaking/reading/writing (making you competent in all areas), +10 relationship with other Valyrians.
Accepting Your Status (Bastard perk), -1 CHA, +1 PER, -20 relationship with those who do not tolerate bastards, +5 relationship with those who do.
The Faces (Old Gods perk), +1 INT, Ability to warg into Weirwood trees to understand the past (though this is a GREAT drain on health), -5 relationship with followers of other religions.
Home Is The Heart (Winterfell perk), Unlock the map of the North, including quest icons, valyrian steel spots and 'danger' areas.
A Home Away From Home (Valyrian perk), Unlock the map of Valyria, including quest icons, valyrian steel spots, dragon dens and 'danger' areas. This will also unlock the SPECIAL QUEST: THE DOOM.
As he looked over the attributes he didn't even take a moment to be surprised, instead he felt excitement! He could get any of these! He glanced then at how many he could choose; three. With a nod his eyes began to scroll over each one in turn.
The first to be picked was 'Walk With Direwolf's' he glanced at Ghost then with a smile, of course he'd pick a skill that helped him with his ever-faithful companion. He ignored the dragon one completely, he may have been half dragon, but what use were dragons? Though not gone from the world, he only knew of three, three that were no use to him, all bonded to the Targaryen girl across the Narrow sea, the one they'd heard whispers about even as far North as the Wall. That was enough to distract him, he had a living family member left on his Father's side … Daenerys he'd heard her be called, his Aunt. It was then he remembered too, he had Aemon, alive again at Castle Black and his Grandfather. By gods, he'd spent years with the man and never realising…but now he knew.
He had family from his Father's side and his Mother's. A feeling of warmth blossomed in him then, he wasn't as isolated as he had thought, he knew his Mother … well he may never have known her in person but he'd heard small stories about her, and it made him smile, the idea that he know knew some things about his Mother, it was better than nothing.
With a shake of his head he went back to his choices, and after selecting 'Walk with Direwolf's' and disregarding the dragon perk he moved on, though he understood that 'Speak The Tongue' and 'Accepting Your Status' could be useful, he was drawn more to 'The Faces', another religious perk that seemed too good to be true, and then finally 'Home Is The Heart' seemed the obvious choice, as he felt he'd have no need to go to Valyria. With a nod he selected those three. He tapped them as he had when choosing a religion and with that same icy blue glow they were 'Unlocked', the rest were greyed out with a small lock symbol by them, though as he read the last words on the page, he realised he could still get those attributes, but only when he earned 'perk points' or unlocked them randomly or through quests.
It seemed he was figuring this whole thing out, and quickly he did a mental run through in his head, he had base stats enhanced by his heritage, religion and attributes, and he could unlock further attributes to raise his stats and give him bonuses. He could also randomly achieve further stats and bonuses, and through quests. With a nod (and trying not to contemplate how strange it all was), he turned to the last few pages.
Jon Snow
HP: 100/100
Level 2: 0/1000XP
BASE STATS:
STR: 11
PER: 6
END: 11
CHA: 4
INT: 7
AGI: 10
LUC: 5
MAG: 9
You may place twenty points in any areas, and you will be able to do this again as you level up (levelling up can be done through completing quests), also as you level up you have the option to add ten points to 'GENERAL' skills for each point you could add to BASE STATS. Thus for each level you can add 10 points to BASE STATS, or 100 points to GENERAL SKILLS.
He nodded then and immediately went about adding to each one. Since he maxed out at 100 for each one, he went to Strength first and rounded it up to 20, placing 9 points in it, hopefully getting him somewhere near where he had been. He didn't want to be a giant, he just wanted to be able to fight like he had used to, and for that strength was required.
That left him 11 points, and immediately he placed 4 in Perception followed by 4 to Endurance. 2 then went to Agility, with the final point put in to Intelligence. He paused then and reluctantly took a point from Strength to go to Intelligence. He left Luck and Magic as to him they were the least important for the moment. He nodded to himself then and looked over the final stats. He knew he was tempted to simply get things like his Strength and Endurance to where they had been, but he had to be smart, and try to improve everything, even if it would be a slow process.
STR: 19
PER: 10
END: 15
CHA: 4
INT: 9
AGI: 12
LUC: 5
MAG: 8
Well that didn't look as bad as before though he felt annoyed at his low Intelligence and low Agility stats, he wasn't too bothered by his low Charisma and Luck, when had he been lucky before? His main focus had to be on bringing everything up, particularly when it came to his combat abilities, that was what he had always thrived in, and though he had never wanted to thrive in it he would again he knew that. He had the training of course, still drilled into his mind from the various sword masters that had helped him hone his craft, but he didn't have the body or endurance anymore, that he would need to work on.
Moving on, he flipped the page, and as expected there were his 'General' skills, it seemed he couldn't add to these now, but it was nice to get a view, and his confidence did pick up as he saw the 'Combat' section.
GENERAL SKILLS:
These are your points in areas you have explored, and more will be shown as you develop more skills. These ARE NOT the same as attributes, as they are all available to you, some just won't show up until you use them (for example, the hunting skill won't show up unless you go on a hunt).
These skills can be heightened by practicing in the certain area/bonuses from attributes/levelling up and using skill points or certain quests.
Be aware all skills are out of a possible /100.
General Knowledge:
Animal Knowledge: 20
Warging: 20
Skinchanging: 0
Magical Knowledge: 20
Knowledge of Westeros:
The North: 50 (Map of the North Unlocked)
The South: 20 (Map Locked – See Quest 'Journey below the Neck')
Beyond the Wall: 40 (Map Locked past Castle Black)
The Iron Islands: 25 (Map Locked)
Knowledge of Essos:
The Free Cities: 20 (Map Locked)
Valyria: 10 (Map Locked - Ability to unlock with perk 'A home away from home')
Slavers Bay: 0 (Map Locked)
Eastern Essos: 0 (Map Locked)
Knowledge of Other Areas:
Summer Isles: 0 (Map Locked)
Sothoryos: 0 (Map Locked)
Ulthos: 0 (Map Locked)
Languages:
Common Tongue -
Reading: 70
Writing: 65
Talking: 80
High Valyrian -
Reading: 0
Writing: 0
Talking: 5
Combat Knowledge:
Sword: 60
Dagger: 50
Greatsword: 20
Bastardsword: 60
Valyrian Steel Sword: 70
Bow and Arrow: 40
Dragonglass Weapons: 10
Mace: 10
Hand To Hand Combat: 50
Shield Usage: 35
Armour Wearing: 50
Horse Riding: 60
Jousting: 10
His eyes scanned over the area and he couldn't help but feel better. He had been annoyed at his low scores, and yet it seemed he was doing better than he thought! He had 70/100 with Valyrian Steel! (He was guessing because of his extensive use with Longclaw). It was strange it seemed though his specific stats hadn't carried over, some of his skills had. He shook his head; it was confusing to think about, why had some stuff bled over and others hadn't?
Still he was pleased, and it seemed he was at the end of the book. As he shut it, he heard a click and immediately walked to the door. It swung open with ease and he nodded… it was time to go and see his Father, it was time to get answers to his questions, but before he could step a foot over the door, the same icy light hit the book and he quickly reached for it, and opened it to a new page that read 'Quests'.
QUESTS.
Complete Quest's to gain XP to level up, and to unlock attributes and special skills.
Failure of Quest's may lead to negative outcomes, be sure to consider deeply before accepting the Quest.
You currently have (3!) possible quests;
An Uncle's Wisdom.
Talk to your Uncle Eddard about your parentage.
Success: 500XP and a !special item.
Failure: -1 INT.
Your Mother.
Visit your Mother's statue in the Crypt's.
Success: 100XP.
Failure: No Consequence.
Defeat Robb in a fight.
Success: 100XP, 5 Gold Dragons.
Failure: -5 Gold Dragons.
With a nod, he tucked the book into the inner pocket of his cloak but only after selecting the quest to speak to his Uncle (it was odd to call him that), since he figured he was going to do it anyway...why not gain some experience from it? And so, with a deep breath, he secured his weapons belt and stepped out of his room. Quest or no, he needed to speak with his Uncle. His mind was still processing all that had happened, but at the front of his mind were burning questions, and they took precedence over anything else.
Part of him knew he should be asking the bigger questions: why had he been sent back? What did it mean? When was it exactly? And yet Jon had always been a little hard-headed and the book had enticed him so. And so, without considering that a much bigger picture was at play, Jon strode down the corridor, Ghost at his heels.
It was time to learn the truth.
soo thoughts?
ahh I so hope you enjoyed! I know it is not the most og storyline but I am hella excited to do this and give it it's own twist! I worked hard to make it different from similar stories, though there can't help but be overlap (I did take a lot of the game framework from fallout 3, which coincidentally I have been playing during lockdown, like a lot). I do hope you enjoyed, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
also in case I didn't make this clear, Jon does remember his old life (yes he did time travel, though the how will be revealed later!), but is confused about the situation (wouldn't you be?), and is processing. also though he's shocked this man has battled ice zombies and seen giants, he's hardened to life and more accepting of magic than before. I also wanted to make it clear he is the kind of man that has killed, he is a grown man, previous Lord Commander, he tough, but he is in the body of a 17 year old (little aged up) in Winterfell, things are gunna be weird for him.
regardless, check out the next chapter, I hope you enjoyed, fav/follow if you did.
speak soon