An Improve North (Outline)

by dreamer1293

There is more info in my author's note but- I've been working on this outline for three AU stories I would like to write about The North. In it The North is a lot better off than in canon and it is not because of one simple solution/decision but a lot of little ones building up for a long time. I've put a lot of time, research, and detail into the reasons. Please review.

1. Outline

A/N Sooooo... I was thinking of doing my own spin on an improved North fanfiction. The kind that commonly gets called a stark wank and I won't deny that there will be quite a bit of that, especially in the beginning. But not all of it will be. This is just a taste of what I have planned, obviously it's an unfinished outline, but I thought there is enough here to get some feedback before continuing to revise the story I'm planning in my head and improve this outline before writing more. I'm envisioning a trilogy. The first story will focus on the changes to our canon North and the fallout through the encyclopedias of the North, as outlined below. The second will be the stark family prelude which will basically be stark family moments in this improved North I've mapped out (though it's not a perfect North, I do have flaws and defects in mind). That outline is more incomplete but I have more details in my head. The last one is the entirety of the Song of Ice and fire series (combined book and tv show) with all these changes in place. I did not include that outline to keep the mystery alive but, rest assured, I have it. You might notice I borrowed some ideas and outright names/identities from other stories of this type that I admire. I think I've noted the authors name for each in order to remind myself to ask their permission before writing. Sorry for the long note, just thought it was needed information for this incredibly random thing I'm doing. Now read, and tell me what you think :)

Northern Histories (Each number is a separate "encyclopaedia")

"A general History on the founding of house Stark and Winter's Exodus"- 8000 years ago after the long night. (Initial Change)

When the Long night was over and the first King of winter Bran the builder was building the wall he met with his friend (king-beyond-the-wall Joramun) he told his friend that building this wall would cut off the land of always winter so that the Others could not destroy the land of westeros but if the wildings stayed they would be cut off too and over time they might even be regarded as enemies instead of allies-Convincing the wildings to come south before the wall was finished was difficult. Many wanted to stay in their homeland for they felt the presence of the gods and the magic of the land more strongly there. But King Stark was very convincing, especially as the wall he planned grew to great heights very quickly due to the magical assistance of the children of the Forest. In the end most of the people living in the lands of always winter came south to live in the mostly untouched land of the North.

I will… describe the great exodus of Wildings and giants

As the wall was built thousands of clans and tribes left the land of always winter and settled where they pleased with almost no supervision or restriction. This included four Giant clans and one large tribe of Children numbering 200. Many clans settled in the mountains while a few moved around the north in a nomadic way.

Along with the people many herds of animals settled below the wall. Most resigned themselves to the wolfswood. These animals greatly bolstered the numbers of some that had been dying out below the wall. While others had never before been seen below the wall. All the animals that came include:

Direwolves

Mammoths (they stayed with the giants and didn't explore the north like the other animals)

Reindeer

Elk

Highland Cattle

Various normal animals

Gryphons

Shadowcats

Unicorns (though no one realises they came except the people of skagos who kept quiet about it)

After the wall was built Bran the builder immediately began work on Winterfell located in the center of the North. His good friend Joramun had decided to settle his clan of people, numbering around 500, on Stark's land and they assisted Stark with building Winterfell as well as bringing all his lands into order as one kingdom under Stark's rule.

I will… show the effect these changes caused in this time period.

As wildings and northmen became one they noticed few differences in culture as the religions and values were generally the same if a bit harsher with the wildings. There were many spats at first over trespassing on land in a kingdom and the concept of kneeling to kings so that tribes could live and flourish on the land they wanted. But for the most part the northern kingdoms either won the respect (and so the loyalty) of the tribes that were then made into houses… or wildling tribes were killed.

It took four decades after the wall and winterfell was built for the cultures and people to completely merge and this was helped in no small part by the Starks.

After their defeat of the Others Bran and Joramun were highly respected and Stark's word in particular was taken throughout the northern kingdoms as truth. Joramun was more skilled with words as proven by his work with uniting the stark lands into a peaceful kingdom. So while Brandon Stark spent most of his days at home in Winterfell governing his lands and continuing his line. His faithful friend spent his days traveling the North and spreading the word and glories of House Stark. He would eventually settle in a small harbor town that would come to be known as white harbor. He had won the heart of a wife in one of bran's sisters and with King Bran's blessing they formed their own cadet branch in White Harbor. House Greystark.

While peace reigned House stark came to the decision that a united North was the best defence against another long night. This message was spread with the help of Joramun and over the next four decades as the north became one with the wildlings House stark led a campaign to Unite the north. He made many allies and defeated minor kings bringing more land under House Stark's rule. By the end of his life Brandon Stark and Joramun Greystark had managed to win several small and a couple large wars (Including the war against the Night's King) and to unite all the lands above the neck and below the wolfswood under the kingdom of house stark. Their work would be continued by their sons until the north was one kingdom, from the wall to the neck, ruled by the King of Winter.

Long may they reign

The Age of Heroes: A time of Northern Expansion- 8000 to 5000 years before Aegon's conquest

I will... Describe the settlement of the children, giants, and druids

Upon coming to the southern north the Children of the forest gravitated towards the largest forest in the north. The wolfswood. In the center of the wolfswood they planted a weirwood and around it they built a stone spiral to commemorate the gods. Above the growing weirwood they built their home in the trees high above the ground. In a large circle around the spiral they hollowed out several dozens of trees and, using magic, manipulated the limbs and leaves of the tree to create bridges between them all. Here the children of the forest would dwell for many years undisturbed. Away from the eyes and ears of men and peacefully worshiping the gods. At the time of the exodus there were a few small clans of children scattered throughout the north but upon hearing that so many of their kin came to live in a great tree village in the wolfswood, eventually over many years, all the children of the north would migrate to this village until they were all concentrated there. This village would come to be known as Foresthome in the common tongue or foraoise baile in the old tongue.

The long night had been hard on the giant race. It was so hard on the giants that all that were left of their kind lived in the lands of always winter. When the remaining giant clans heard of the wall being built and the exodus to the lands below four clans (almost half of what was left) decided to journey to the "softer lands". With them they took their mammoths and journeyed to the southern north. There they settled in different parts and discovered that life in the north was very similar to life in the lands of always winter. The four clans that settled in the north were the Wun clan, the Weg clan, Ryk clan, and Del clan.

The Weg clan was a small clan of twenty with only three mammoths. They settled on the northern part of the stony shore. It is said they were inspired by the castles they saw on the way to their final home that upon arrival they built a large castle out of the sharp glass like rocks they found on the shore. A castle big enough for all their people and so beautiful it would blind you. These rumors were partly fueled by the fact that no one could find the weg clan after they moved there. For over a hundred years people would spot members of the weg clan but no one who tried could find their home on the stony shore or their people for their dwelling was so well hidden.

The leader of the Del clan had always wanted to be near the ocean when they lived above the wall but they lived very far inland. He used this opportunity the exodus brought and relocated his clan on the ocean. He built his at the mouth of where a river known as the broken branch connected to the ocean. His keep would later be known as Ramsgate.

The Wun clan settled in a series of caves in the mountains near the bay of ice. Not much is known of them except that they kept to their roots as giants the most throughout the years.

The Ryk clan's leader had always been good friends with Joramun. Their clan had been on the front lines in the battle for the dawn. When Joramun went south so did the Ryk clan of over fifty giants. Stark allowed them to settle on his lands, in the hill just to the north of where he would be building Winterfell. As Stark was sleeping beneath the weirwood and planning how he would build his castle around it the Ryk clan built their home in such a way that it almost blended into the hill it was built on. As if it had sprung up from the ground this behemoth of a holdfast. After stark had finished drawing up his plans and consulting with his allies and people to bring together the best builders and magic users, many of whom were the same people he conscripted to build the wall; he then rode to the giant's holdfast to speak personally with Ryk, the leader of the clan. He did this because he knew that they, like all the giants and free folk were still getting used to living in a monarchy and he didn't want to push them to help him as a king just yet. When he saw their craftsmanship he knew he had to get their help above all in his quest to build the grandest and most stable castle in the north. He spent three days with the leader and in that time a deep bond of friendship formed. They spoke of many things, the political climate of the north, what it meant to be a magnar which is what he was now, what to name his keep and and have for words, the long night, family, architecture. King Bran went over his plans for winterfell with the magnar and re-did some parts to include the new ideas he received from the giant. In the end they agreed to help build it and from then on the Ryks and their giant clan would always be one of house stark's most supportive bannermen.

The people who would later come to be known as druids started out as small tribe of free folk that came to the southern north, like so many others, for more opportunities. Little did anyone know the huge impact they would have on the north. In the early years they were very nomadic. They would move to a new place every two or three weeks. Their tribe was barely surviving in the lands of always winter because of their small numbers and because most of them were built very slight so there were not many strong fighters to protect the tribe. This is one of the reasons they were always moving to prevent attack and ultimately to find a place where they could survive and thrive as a people. After many years of slow travel across upper part of the north they eventually found themselves in the wolfswood. After first they thought they had found the answer to their prayers. So many wild beasts roamed free in the countryside that they thought surely they could only be as many in the woods not more. If so then surely they could live well in the woods. Upon roaming the woods for several weeks they reassessed the situation and decided they were wrong. The woods were definitely more dangerous than the countryside. The woods were also larger than they had thought originally. The could not find a way out and many of their numbers were picked off. They were at the end of their rope, hopeless. That is when they found it. A large weirwood with a face carved into it, surrounded by stones larger than the tallest man, larger than the average giant. The stones fanned out around it in a pleasing way and the tribe, now numbering barely more than a dozen, were so relieved after their journey to see the face of their gods that every last one of them ran to the tree and collapsed onto its roots crying, praying, calling out for the gods to save them, guide them. The children heard the commotion coming from below their village and went to the bridges to see what was going on. What they saw moved them. They called for their leader, the high greenseer Ka. Ka saw promise in these faithful, desolate people. More than that he saw... and felt. He went down and invited them up into the tree village to rest and heal after their hard journey. At first the people were scared and wary but the children were true to their word and only gave them shelter and food. Soon, a deep bond of trust and gratitude settled into the hearts of the tribe they did whatever they could to contribute to the foraoisebaile. The leader named their people Druid and they would later find out it meant "Finding (or Knowing) the tree". The Druids ended up staying with the children for 65 years. Their tribe had grown to number around seventy people so they decided they were taking too much room away from their good friends, the children. They left Foresthome and settled in a southern portion of the wolfswood directly north of what would one day be torrhen's square. They considered leaving the woods and settling elsewhere in the north but they ultimately decided that it was better for them to remain close to their friends and allies. Although they didn't live with them anymore their time with the children had given them a gift that would keep giving to others for millennia to come. While they lived among the children they learned much of their ancient ways. The children taught them how to read and write the runic language of the old tongue, a skill only royalty and magnars truly knew; they taught them about the history of this land and the practices of faith to the gods of the forest that have long been performed on it. They taught the druids about the magic that flows through these lands, of wargs and greenseers and magical beasts. They taught them how to perform magic and they taught them how to utilize the land for anything they might need, how to heal using either magic or science. Above all they taught the people to have a deep respect and understanding for all life and the land on which it grows. All of these experiences fostered a strong belief which became a core value that would define this group of people for the rest of their time on earth: Knowledge is power, knowledge is life, and above all knowledge is for everyone. To have the knowledge of many things is important. But to share that knowledge so that everyone, highborn or low born, may benefit from a deeper understanding of the world they live in is vital. This was the gift the children had given them and they would return that favor by doing the same for everyone they could across the north. Almost as soon as the majority of their people were settled and thriving in their new home small envoys of three or four, sometimes five, men and women took to traveling the north in every direction. They would travel, help, come back to share what they learned with the rest of their tribe, and then others would head out to do the same. When they traveled every village, town, or city they came across they stopped to speak to people. The sang songs and told stories in order to spread knowledge of history and philosophy and faith to the small folk. If they saw someone in need of help they helped and then taught those people how to do what they did for future reference. They helped wherever they could and sometimes it was hard. Sometimes they would be killed or hunted by bandits or thieves. Sometimes minor lords were scared of the influence they had over the lowborn but these people never fought back no matter if they wanted to do so. All they did was pray, talk, and teach even to their dying breath. It wasn't long before they were known across the north and respected by most of them. They started getting noticed by high nobility for their brave and selfless actions across the north and were often invited to several keeps and castles to advise or give some other kind of service to the acting lord or lady. They never accepted gold for these services all they asked in return was the chance to roam their libraries and learn more. They were always allowed to do so and even copy down the scrolls they wanted and bring them home with them. These scrolls, and eventually books, would then be stored at their home; soon creating a library of their own to rival any king. Their tireless efforts to collect and protect knowledge from destruction as well as their belief in sharing and spreading that knowledge for the common good earned them the respect and admiration of everyone in the north. Over the course of several hundred years they would come to be a staple of life in the north. If you had a question or needed to know how to help yourself or your family you consulted the druids. They answered all calls as they came in no matter who they were. If a prince came to them while they were busy with a farmer they stayed with the farmer until they were done then helped the prince. They never forgot the children whom none of this could have been possible without. Over the many years until the andal invasions the druids would come to be a huge influence on the culture of the north. They placed an importance on learning and open mindedness as well as influencing the ways people practiced their faith in the old gods. Creating specific ceremonies and tales and songs to describe what the gods are and their influence. Their wrath and their gifts. And so the small nomadic tribe of wildlings became the druids and they remained this way for at least 5000 more years.

I will… describe the expansion of the winter throne's governing and building

After the war Brandon Stark Magnar Joramun went back to the lands of Bran's youth to begin work on the castle that would become the seat of House Stark. Bran chose this area for many reasons:

He was the only child of the leading family of a village east of the wolfswood. He grew up roaming these lands and knew them better than anyone.

There were multiple rivers nearby that could be useful.

It was in the very center of the North and, should he succeed in his goal, would be geographically poised to become the capital of the North.

Most importantly, the godswood. An ancient and beautiful heart tree lies in the middle of the north. Bran encountered it many times in his youth and felt something special emanating from it. As if it possessed some special magic that other weirwoods did not. The fact that there were hot pools of water beneath the tree only increased his belief that this heart tree had a special connection to the gods that others did not.

Stark and Joramun leading their people number 700 or so (500 were free folk following joramun and 200 were stark men), they rode for the godswood Stark had told them about. They said their prayers and set up camp as Stark started his plans for his castle that he would build around this godswood.

The large group were in encamped for a month as House stark settled quickly on the name, words and colors for House stark and not so quickly on the designs for the castle. It is said that Bran hardly left his tent but spent every day at his table drawing and redrawing the castle. The only time it is noted in the oral histories that bran left his tent was when he went to the heart tree, as much for inspiration as to pray. Eventually he finished. He designed it to be a massive fortress, bigger than any other Northern castle at the time. Sturdily built with two curtain walls that had several square bastions and battlements. The inner keep would be a large building near the guard's hall and the guests the left of these buildings would be the main entrance and the yard. To the right of the keep would be the grainery for storing food for winter and right across from these buildings would be the godswood. On the other side of the godswood would be the place for the kennels, stables, well, kitchens, blacksmith, armory, and a small library. They didn't know it but the library would not be filled until the time of his grandson's rule.

When Stark was finished Joramun took one look and called him "an ambitious little fucker". Bran just laughed and went to work procuring the materials and money from the people who had incurred debts from him while saving his own money. As bran traveled for these things. Joramun oversaw the planning of the land and the laying of markers to aid the building.

As Stark traveled for his materials he confirmed two major things about the north that he had suspected for a long time.

The North's many kings divided this great land despite there being virtually no difference between one kingdom and the next. This, he concluded, was why it was so hard to fight against the others and why it took so long to mobilize enough people.

Many people in the lands surrounding his soon to be castle had little to no idea of who their lords were and they didn't seem to have any loyalties to any of the other kings.

Upon gathering everything he needed and returning to the site of what he thought would be his second greatest achievement he set out again to find builders to help him build it. A couple of children offered their services when he asked but the majority wanted to be left alone. He gathered several dozen men from the villages and towns but he struck gold when he traveled to the home of a giant clan that had recently settled in the hills directly above where he planned to build his home. Upon seeing the magnificent structure of these giants he realized something. If he was going to be king of these lands, as he planned with Joramun after meeting him again to drop off the supplies, then the giants would be his bannermen. He had designed the castle doorways and guest houses too small. He spent three days with the giants not only getting them to help but also learning about their ways of building and adjusting his own designs to match their needs. They were so grateful and honored by his care and consideration that nearly half the clan went with him to help him build it.

It took two years of hard work and redesigns but finally the castle was finished and named winterfell for his achievements during the long night. As Bran and his people worked Joramun had made a name for himself by riding to the surrounding lands and submitting the people Bran had noticed being leaderless years before. Thanks to Joramun's silver tongue as well as his skills in battle, by the time Winterfell was done Brandon Stark had a nice sized chunk of the North under his command. To celebrate these accomplishments he named the nearby town of his childhood wintertown and spent the next three years keeping the peace in his lands and resting on his laurels. He married and started a family while Joramun kept travelling across the north into other northern kingdoms and spreading dissent into their current kings as well as praises and propaganda geared toward house stark. He warned of another winter or worse another long night and how ill-equipped a divided north was to deal with another problem like that. All of this worked and after nearly ten years Brandon stark started his campaign to unite the northern kingdoms. Over the next twenty years he defeated the barrow king and the marsh king bringing the southern north completely under his control. Unfortunately he was getting on in years and decided to leave the rest for his sons to complete after he was gone. Bran spent the rest of his days designing new buildings and contraptions, teaching his sons about duty, and most importantly keeping peace in his newly expanded lands and ruling them with both care and strength. Joramun, his best friend and, for the last many years, his good brother was tired of fighting as well. He was all set to live out the rest of his life at winterfell but Bran said it would be a dishonor to allow such a faithful man go unrewarded for everything he had done for house stark. He granted Jormun the ability to become a cadet branch of house stark and granted him ownership of a coastal town which he named White Harbor. So Joramun Greystark spent the rest of his days building a great port city and teaching his sons about their duties to the starks as well as the need for a united north.

After Bran and Jormun passed on their sons did indeed take up their mantel. They warred and made agreements and marriage pacts until eventually only the red kings were left. The Boltons hated the Starks but they couldn't win against the combined might of the rest of the north. They gave in too. Eighty years after the ending of the long night the North was united under the rule of House Stark. While some, like the Boltons, were hesitant and angry about this change the Starks had come to be regarded high and low born alike as a legendary and mystical family who were blessed by the gods with the right to rule. The people, for the most part were happy to now be one people ruled by the Starks. So in awe of this family the people took to calling the throne in the great hall of winterfell the Winter throne in honor of Bran's defeat of the others, and in so doing, defeating winter itself.

I will… King Donnis (Warg King) establishes protection and for the beasts of winter and lays out food protection plan.

Donella Stark, twin sister to the heir of the throne, accompanied her brother Donnis on a visit to the mountain clans. While there she found a very small heard of no more than 4 gryphons. She fell in love with these strange and powerful beasts and decided to stay in the mountains to care for them since it was obvious they were dying out. Her brother left a contingent of guards for his sister so he could continue his duties. When he was done and she refused to leave he rode back to Winterfell to inform their Father, the King, of her strong will to care for these creatures so he allowed her to stay there for a year (I should mention at some point where they are in the mountains, a cave or outpost?). After a year of caring for the creatures and breeding them to the point that she had a strong and healthy heard of a dozen, she drew up an official proposal and rode for Winterfell. There she requested her father charter a town in the mountains whose sole purpose was to breed and care for the gryphons so that they may be used in times of war as flying weapons and in times of peace as messengers. At first the king was skeptical and asked who would be the lord of this town. She said she would, she asked for permission to form a cadet branch. This enraged her father but after two weeks of negotiating and with the help of her brother, who was inspired by her passion for these animals, she was allowed to form house Froststark. Her father was equal parts annoyed, frustrated, and proud of his daughter for her determination and defiance so after she won he challenged her to find the people for this town and build it herself from scratch. She took this challenge. She went to Long Lake where a tribe of spearwives lived and made allies of the leader convincing them to set out on this adventure with her and become the very first Gryphon Riders. Across the lake she used a large portion of her inheritance she left winterfell with to commission the giants of house Croom, bannermen of house Ryk, at their keep to help build the town. Once they all returned to the mountains the giants started building the town around the gryphons while the spear wives started hunter for food and bonding with the beasts, Donella went to find the clan her brother once spoke of. A struggling clan whose leader was unwed and just trying to keep his people alive. They wed soon after and his clan populated her town. She ran the gryphon business and he cared for the people of this land and the rest of the story of house Froststark is history.

A few years after King Donnis ascended to the winter throne he went to visit his sister and see the product of her love and labour. He was as inspired by the fruits of her labour as he was by the passion with which she spoke of the animals. Donnis had always shared a love of animals with his sister but lately he had been having dreams that went beyond this. He was a warg, though he didn't know it. On his way back to Winterfell he passed through the wolfswood thinking on possibilities for gryphons as well as all the dreams and what they could mean, were they visions from the gods? He ran into a group of druids with two sacks filled with scrolls. Donnis knew of druids, had even entertained a few and allowed them to browse winterfell's library, but bumping into them now when he had so many questions felt like a sign he couldn't ignore. He escorted the druids back to their home and asked to speak to their leader. They consulted for many hours on his dreams and the possibility he was a warg. Donnis decided to extended his impromptu trip a few days to learn and explore his ability. A few days turned into to two weeks and then he requested the leader come with him to winterfell to discuss a plan and Donnis had been thinking of as the druid taught him about the different animals of the north.

When he learned of all the different animals the north held and a possibility of bonding with any of them as well as the other wargs numbering 1 out of every 1000 people in the north he had an idea. Actually he had a few ideas. Some were doable, some were far-fetched, but to see any of them through he would need the help of some very smart people. Once he and several druids had reached Winterfell with scrolls depicting the grazing grounds and migration patterns of every animal in the north. For several months he was engaged in meetings with various druids and lords as well as his sister to draw up a plan for controlling all the wildlife in the north. The plan would segregate all the animals into three categories: animals for breeding, animals for food, animals for warging. Every major house was required to build three large farms somewhere on their lands each with the sole purpose of those three categories. He called his Giant bannermen to help herd a great many animals out of their habitats and towards specific farms where each animal herd would be split into three smaller herds and each of the three small herd were sent to each of the farms. At one farm the animals would be fed and raised just to be killed and butchered for their meat, at the second farm the same animal would raised and taken care of for the sole purpose of breeding so that the animal in question could never die out, at the third farm the animal would be cared for and used to test warging abilities on and failing that they would be trained as war animals. This plan would drastically lower the amount of wild animals roaming the lands and attacking his people as well as protect the animals from dying out due to hunting as food, sport, or vengeance. This doesn't mean there were no more animals outside of farms there were plenty left running loose in the wolfswood but it meant that the wolfswood was where most of the animals of the north usually stayed. This plan was very popular and all of his major bannermen pitched in to pay for the effort as this would mean less wild animals roaming their lands, another source of income for the lords whose lands would house this particular animal, as well as a constant source of meat for their people. King Donnis, known as the beast king for all these accomplishments, would go on to build the wolf pen at winterfell and come to be known as an eccentric for his taming of dozens of direwolves and keeping them in his home.

The king separated the animals like so:

The mammoths and shadowcats would be given to his most loyal Giant bannermen. All the giants were allowed to keep some mammoths but The Ryks were to raise shadowcats.

Gryphons would stay with the Froststarks

The highland cattle went to the Boltons

Elk went to Karstarks

Reindeer went to the Umbers

The Reeds held all dominion over the many creatures of the neck.

Direwolves, of course went to the Starks. Only unlike with the other animals direwolves were not to be sent to any meat farm. Under the law of the protection plan there was a strict ban on any hunting or killing of a direwolf in any way other than self defense. Direwolves were not food but the sacred symbol of the Kings of Winter. From then on they were to be respected and raised as the constant companion of every Stark family member.

King Donnis waited fifteen years for his protection plan to pay off and start bringing in money and resources before he commenced with the final piece to cement his legacy as the Beast King. With his faithful companion of ten years, his direwolf Steelheart, on his mind he called forth for all his bannermen to scour their lands for wargs and then send them to Winterfell. He told his lords and ladies of his plan to form a battalion of wargs who would use their gifts for the protection and betterment of the kingdom. Lords responded to this with curiosity and intrigue but thought little more of it, writing it off as another eccentric plan of their lovable, animal obsessed, king. Every warg that could be found was escorted to Winterfell to begin a new life in service to the king and kingdom as a member of the honorable warg battalion.

I will… King Jon Stark sends out a land survey and lays out a new agricultural and economic plan with all his lords .

King Jon Stark had a lot to live up to when he inherited the winter throne. His great grandfather had been bran the builder who defeated the others, his grandfather had been King Raymun who united the north under one king, and his father had been known as the Beast king for his accomplishments including the reduction of wild animals roaming the north as well as creating a better and more stable system of meat production across the North. Perhaps his father's accomplishments are what inspired him the most when he came to the throne.

The biggest problem in the North at the time of Jon's ascension was the lack of food. This had always been a problem in the North, whose cold and unforgiving climate made growing any kind of food extremely hard, but ever since the Great Winter Exodus the problem had been even worse. With the addition of hundreds of thousands of new people in the north right at the end of winter had made food became even scarcer. And in the last hundred years since the exodus the problem had only gotten worse. His father's laws to protect animals and increase animal husbandry had helped stop starvation in the north and the population growth had evened out instead of declining as it had been. But Jon believed there was more that could be done.

A year into his reign, just three years after the end of the last winter, he called together the best farmers of his land as well as a dozens druids. Together, like his father before him, they came up with a farming improvement plan that would utilize different techniques being used in essos as well as hardier but still nutritious plants that some of the druids been studying. The plan was as followed:

All farms in the north would be required to switch to a four-field crop rotation system.

Included more kinds of food. (B/C at the time they were only using wheat for their grains as that was the most common for planting in westeros..). But the druids suggested some other plants they had been studying such as: Barley, oats, Rye, potato, clover, cabbage, and turnips. All of which were hardier foods more suited to the soil yield of the North. The potato especially had a huge effect when introduced to the northmen's diet. (Over the years after the plan was utilized new foods, like more fruits and vegetables, would be added now and then on the recommendation of the druids so to prevent diseases)

Introducing fertilizer. The druids hadn't just been studying plants they could grow better in the north some of them had been experimenting with them in other ways. They wanted to see if they could improve on the North's poor soil yield in order increase the chances of crops surviving and, ultimately, increase the amount of crops produced. They came up with fertilizer. Crushed up food and meats and various other elements creating a more potent soil which would be used on the farms to bolster the soil there. The effects were tremendous. So much so that, a few years after it was introduced in the north, the southrons took notice and began to develop and use fertilizer as well.

One of the most important parts of the plan was how to preserve all the food so that it could be used all winter. After several letters with the various kings of the Reach they decided to make use of the Stark's renowned building expertise and create a sub-treasury of preserved food. Large storehouses were built in every part of the North and an underground network connecting them to all the major houses of the North so that the lords of those lands could safely get food in times of winter and ration it out to their people when food grows short. The farmers especially approved of this part of the plan, they pointed out that most peasants bought more cured meats before winter than any other food and this would help the smallfolk stay healthier during winter.

The plan was finally crafted and perfected after months of planning and researching, as well as several years of field testing. But 7 years into his reign he had it all put together just how he wanted it and gathered all his lords together to talk to them of this plan. He signed it into law and ordered it to be done but still spent a few weeks convincing his lords and reassuring them this would make things far better for the north and… it did. After a few years the results of this new plan really began to kick in and the North had a population boom on their hands.

Because of the spectacular results due to the care and consideration King Jon put into his plan; it was generally decided throughout the north that from this point on one of the sacred duties of the King in the North (i.e. the starks) to have complete control over the harvest and food distribution. And so it became tradition. Jon Stark accepted and reveled in this accomplishment and he had a few more before the end of his reign such as creating the Harvest feast. A festival held for two weeks just before winter. When all the farms of the north had completed their last harvest before winter and before the lords began the process of shutting down areas of production and relocating the people to hunker down for the winter; all the major and minor noble families (and many smallfolk too) were to gather at Winterfell to honor the passing of the seasons and pay the last of their taxes before winter would prevent them. The festival always started off boisterous with feasts and dances and performances by druid performers, as well as meetings between the lords and the kings. Then it would slowly wind down until the last few days of the festival were solemn days of reflection and prayer with many hours spent in the godswood of Winterfell. This Harvest feast quickly became another tradition in the North. It was seen as a very fun way of getting business done and a cathartic way of helping the people ease out of the relative comfort and safety of summer and ready themselves for the harshness of winter. Jon would also invent the Glass Gardens, a magnificent structure in winterfell built with strong myrish glass that would not break for anything less than a castle falling on it, though it would also be weakened or fractured by a tree falling on it. The glass let heat into the structure and trapped it so that fresh fruits and vegetables could be sowed and reaped all through winter. He designed an underground aqueduct, similar to the one used by his ancestor to bring water from the hot springs into the walls of winterfell, in order to bring water from the hot pools into the soil of the glass gardens. It was a brilliant piece of craftsmenship that was much envied throughout the north, though the starks were the only ones rich enough to buy the materials for it.

Queen Lyra the Scholar expands and funds the druids to protect knowledge of northern traditions and magic.

Lyra Glover was born at the beginning of a harsh winter. The first nine years of her life was spent in total seclusion at Deepwood Motte dreaming of sunshine and warmth. She had a rough childhood, she had seen many siblings born and most of them die due to either cold or hunger, she herself had come close to death once when she was seven. They had barely been able to save her only being able to because of some scrolls on healing left behind in their library by a passing druid on his way home years before during autumn. When she recovered she was told about the druids and how they indirectly saved her life. Her family only knew the basics and nothing about their history. She became fascinated by these mysterious knowledge seekers who traveled the world in search of new experiences and knowledge the way she wished she could. For the next two years of winter she would spend every waking moment in the small library of her home, reading and re-reading every book and scroll they possessed. It wasn't much but it was all she had, that and her own imagination. She spent a great deal of her time imagining the distant lands she read about and even writing her own version of her favorite stories. After mastering her own studies she demanded to be taught the same things as her younger brother even if she would never use it. Her parents, never quite getting over almost losing her, conceded to her demands. Her studies continued past winter's end and though she had dreamed of summer so many times; she dreamed of traveling to all the lands she read of and even meeting and becoming one of the druids she admired, she found herself so busy with her studies she was only slightly saddened by not being able to fulfill her childhood dreams. This was to be expected, for though she was only nine when winter ended she was no longer considered a child by herself or her family. Decades later, she would remark, "No matter your age, experience, or sex; winter makes men of us all."

When Lyra was five and ten she begged her father for permission to accompany him and her brother to Winterfell for their business meeting with the King. She had never left her home and she wanted to see more of the land she had read about. Her parents gave in after after little prompting for they knew that the king's son and heir was of an age with their daughter and the possibility for betrothal was too good to pass up. They did not mention this to Lyra because while she was very mature for her age she still had shyness about boys and marriage, though they discussed it with her brother in hopes he would be able to facilitate a meeting between her and prince Ashter.

Just a few days after their arrival Donnis was practicing the sword with the prince when he saw his older sister sneaking into Winterfell's library. Typical, he thought with great amusement. That was when he felt the prince's wooden sword strike him down. He apologized to the prince after he helped him up and explained that he had noticed his sister and she distracted him. They joked about that and Asher told the prince about his sister's passion for knowledge. He was intrigued and Asher introduced them to each other. Lyra liked the prince well enough but she did not want to give up her freedom to marriage just yet when she had finally gained it from the winter.

The prince courted her the whole two weeks of their stay at winterfell. Before they left a betrothal was drawn up but not signed. Her father was trying to convince her before sentencing her to a betrothal. In order to sway her, or maybe just let her live one of her dreams so she'd be more opening to letting go of the other dreams and marrying, on the way back to deepwood motte the Glover party stopped at the Foraise to visit with the druids.

King Gawen's economic trading plan

3000 years after the Winter's exodus(so 1000 years before the andal invasions) and the North was a thriving kingdom. Gawen Stark came to power in the middle of a long summer. He had been a foolhardy boy in his youth whom everyone had said possessed more wolfsblood than any Stark that came before him. So much so that his father considered renaming his wolfsblood as simply fool's blood. While this came across as endearing to most people including his family it made some of his lords nervous. At some point in the last 3000 years of Stark rule it had become tradition in house stark for both the heir and spare of the winter throne, on their separate 14th birthdays, to undergo a quest to visit all the northern bannermen. They would meet with them and get to know the lords or ladies they would one day rule as well as their families and heirs. When Gawen toured the land he would inherit he was determined to earn his future bannermen's respect. Unfortunately his wolfsblood led him to more trouble rather than any political respect nor a warrior's respect. He was smart enough when he paid attention to his studies and a fair warrior but he was not spectacular. That fact combined with his hot blooded temper and impulsiveness made most of his visits end in laughter and embarrassment. After a year of travel he returned home feeling like a complete failure. Sure that all of the lords would rather have his younger brother as heir, he was despondent. He shut himself up in his room and wondered about his place at Winterfell, he even considered joining the Night's Watch at one point. After a while he went to the library and browsed the books in boredom. The stark's were most famous for their skill as builders, all the great Kings built something of import during their reigns. Starks were architects one and all. He thought maybe he could prove his worth to everyone including himself if he could build something too. He studied architecture and the History of his people (as written by the druids) for years, devoting a great deal of time to it but by the time he came to the throne at 23 he was no more spectacular at that than he was at the sword. He was still loud and boisterous, still well loved by all for his good humor and heart, still impulsive, but still average in all the things that made a king. Sword skills, diplomacy, battle strategy, magic (he wasn't born a warg and had no skill in normal magic), paperwork! He worked hard but in fact the only thing he could boast that he was honestly remarkable at was math and economics. Not the sort of things the Seffids sang songs of or made grand tales about.

When he came to the throne he still hadn't proven himself and he worked hard everyday to prove himself and leave his mark on the throne but for years he was unsuccessful. Everyday he faced the general responsibilities of a King but they were in a time of peace with no huge wars or great problems that needed fixing so how could he come up with anything great enough to immortalize his name. He considered utilizing the druids for ideas like many of his ancestors did but his stubborn pride kept him from it. A few years later, while looking for inspiration in his library, he read about the surveys conducted by his ancestor King Jon when he was coming up with his agriculture plan and the animal survey done by King Donnis for his Beast Protection plan. They sent out those surveys to gather the necessary information in order to fill in or modify a plan they already had thought of and put together but, Gawen wondered, could he gain an idea for a plan from a general survey.

The purpose of the survey was very general since King Gawen didn't know what he was looking for. In the end he told the people to check everything and see if there was anything in the North that was new or that just wasn't being done properly. Since the survey was so general the king didn't think anything would really become of it. Nothing big. When the results came in five years later he was shocked. He had always known that the North was the largest kingdom in Westeros with a great deal of land still unoccupied as well as many resources but he had not known just how many resources they had. His surveyors were all bright men some of them coming from druid families and they were very thorough, checking with the druids for more info and the results of their work was staggering. There were so many potential sources of income for his kingdom that were untapped.

To start with there were jewels as commons as stones in skagos as well as a very small herd of unicorns (previously thought to be mythical) that the skagosi revered and protected.

There were large deposits of silver that could be mined in the mountains above long lake.

The amount of possible timber and wool we could be selling in a column next to the amount we actually exported that was far smaller. There was also a note about the potential for deforestation.

There were a lot more rivers than he thought there were so he immediately sent for his map of the north to be updated. They had noted in the margins of the part about the rivers of an invention from the riverlands that utilizes the power of a rushing river to create something called a sawmill.

Large caves off the shore of a river, south of barrowtown, that was filled with a mineral called salt.

There was a large abundance of herbs and plants native only to the neck that the druids used for medicinal concoctions.

There weren't any sea dragons out on seadragon point but there was a lot of strange fish native to the area that wasn't seen anywhere else. Some of them were even edible.

Lastly, located in the hills east of the Stony Shore in the middle of the Rills was something new. They had discovered a new jewel not seen anywhere in westeros. When polished it shone white as a field of snow and glinted like the sun reflecting off the snow.

King Gawen was beyond excited for this opportunity to make a name for himself. Finally he found something that could put his only talent, as unheroic as it was, to good use for his kingdom. He worked out a plan, with the occasional consultation from the druids, to start utilizing some of these resources.

He talked to the people of skagos personally and negotiated a change in taxation, from then on they would only have to pay with the jewels of their land(they were thrilled with this because they saw them as nothing more than shiny rocks) but once every ten years they needed to pay winterfell a unicorn horn.

He created some minor provisions for the harvesting and sale of medicinal plants in the neck as well as the salt from the new town he created called Saltspear. Though he did send his youngest brother to the newly formed city to create a cadet branch in charge of mining and selling salt; they were appropriately named Saltstark.

He created a larger plan for increasing trade in timber and wool with the south. Utilizing saw mills on rivers they increased wool production in the north by 40% and after working with the druids they came up with a plan to increase timber production with minimal risk of deforestation. This increased lumber production by only 15% but they were still going to make a lot more money from selling it with his new provisions for trading and selling the lumber that would decrease expenses and make it more profitable.

While these were all well and good King Gawen was most excited for was diamond and silver mining. The diamond mining plan was straightforward and the North would make a great deal of money from it but the silver was where his true heart was set. The Lannisters were the richest people in the 7 kingdoms due to their gold mines. The gold lion was at the top of the currency of the 7 kingdoms below that were silver moons created in the Reach. They weren't very pure because the Reach focused their energy elsewhere but it was the best in the kingdom so most kingdoms used it, lower forms of currency than that was different for each kingdom. Now here's the thing, one golden lion was equal to 250 Silver moons due to the impurities of the silver. King Gawen knew the silver in his lands were far purer and he had an idea. He poured most of the money he was using for his economic plan into the mines and the houses that would control them. When the mines started working and good silver was pumped out by the cartload he asked his kin in White Harbor to start up a mint in his name. King Gawen invented a new silver currency he named airgead mac tire (pronounced "ah-dee-get mock-cheer-a), or silver wolf in the common tongue. After a few years word got out about this new currency and it began being used in the south as well. Northern silver, as it was known in the south, was appraised by all the kingdoms and it was concluded that it was far superior to the silver moon. One lion was equal to 30 silver wolves as opposed to 250 silver moons. So from then on one of the North's main exports was silver. King Gawen's economic plan would expand the wealth of the North ten-fold. Many years later, he would die never accomplishing what he had fantasized doing in his youthful arrogance. Instead he died a much richer man, a beloved father and husband, a respected and loved king, a man whose name would be immortalized in history. Not bad for a fool.

Andal Invasions- 4000 years before Aegon's conquest.

I will... describe Queen Lyanna's ascension to the winter throne and her son's change of inheritance laws. (ask shadowwolf1997 for permission)

Queen Lyanna was the eldest of four girls but there were no male heirs so when her father died Lyanna ascended to the throne. There was some controversy at first but after so many generations of spearwives and warrior women being common in the North all opposition was meager and petered out soon after she took power. She was a very good queen by all accounts. She took care of her people and even funded two orphanages in Wintercity, ruling that the orphanages were to be the property and the responsibility of house stark for as long as house stark was in power. She was also very smart. As a young woman she spent several months with the druids learning many skills. When she became queen she asked one of the druids, a friend she had made in her youth, to assist her in seeking knowledge of potential threats to her kingdom. This druid had heard from another druid who had recently returned from a mission trip near Andolos of potential invasion to westeros starting in the south. Nothing was definite and information was sketchy but these whisper of statue gods and maesters who hated magic and a potential war to destroy her people's culture, the culture of the first men which had shown signs of starting to decline, all of it frightened her. She didn't know if anything would ever come of it but being the smart lady she was she decided to start her defense of the north in a most unexpected way. First men culture had been growing stagnant, the youth was ignorant of their rich and amazing history, certain parts of their culture had been dying out. With a whisper of war on the horizon this wasn't a good sign for her people So she decided this was the perfect time for a cultural revival. She sold personal jewels and used House stark's personal funds to commision seffids of the north as well as bards of the south to create and sing songs glorifying the history of the north, praising the starks, and celebrating first men culture. She donated a lot of gold to the druids with only one request; send more envoys than usual for the next decade at least to every part of the north to tell true stories of our people to the nobles and the smallfolk. "Tell them of the gods of the forest and the magic that they gifted our lands with, tell them to take pride in our northern hardiness and the values we have held since the dawn age. Tell them of the north and our virtues, sing our praises until they can recite our noble history in their sleep. Then let's see those petty andals try to take us." This revival was a big hit in the north, spawning renewed interests in magical study and the ancient battles from the age of heroes. The runic protections laid in stone castles and keeps throughout the lands were renewed and not forgotten, statues were built across the north, including in Wintercity, celebrating their heroic ancestors, and opinion of the Starks as rulers were at an all time high. Druids in later years would debate on if all this had any true impact on wars with Andals when they invaded during Queen Lyanna's son's reign or if the North's tremendous outright victory should be entirely to the credit of Theon Stark. It's anyone's guess. But I tell you what, it sure didn't hurt their chances.

Theon Stark would be so proud of his mother's tireless work to not only keep the north running and protect it from outsiders but to also keep the people of the north in line and protect them from their own apathy; that when he came to the throne one of his first proclamations was to change the inheritance laws for the entire kingdom. The line of succession in the North would no longer have anything to do with gender but instead be based on birth order alone much like the Rhoynar. This was very controversial and hard to do but, as with his mother's ascension, everyone got used to the idea in a short time. Any and all opposition was gone by the end of the andal's invasion; after the northmen fought alongside many strong and talented women who helped the north to win the war as much as the men did.

I will... describe the founding of house Avalon and their eagle messengers (ask weareallnowheremen)

I will… show King Theon Stark and his message to the Children below the neck that they can seek sanctuary in the north as well as the exodus of the Children of the Forest. Founding of house Wolfsight (ask shadowwolf1997)

I will… describe that there were several attempts that were stopped and then the sacking of Andolos by Theon stark.

I will… describe the attempted Maester Invasion 50 years after the last of the andals attempts on the north (a plot designed by the faith and the citadel to destroy northern magic and culture) and King Byrron stopped it and created the order of the Druids based on Lyra's original proposal.

I will… show the founding of Bravos with the help of a northern member of house seastark and his ship as well as the help provided by Queen Arrana, Queen in the North.

Aegon's Conquest

Torrhen is upset about losing his kingdom and his brother, Brandon Snow, tries to lift his spirits.

Brandon, with the permission of his brother and the aid of the druids performs a full survey of the north. They find out the exact population of the north as well as updating all their maps to account for the growth they experienced since the last survey.

While on this trip he realizes they should be making more money on trade than they have been. He comes back to winterfell with the perfect way to lift Torrhens spirits

They and the druids come up with a plan to improve trade in the North involving:

A system of roads (with bronze signs) spanning the entirety of the north and all of them lead back to winterfell

Build two canals; one that goes across the neck and one that comes off the broken branch river and leads directly to wintercity. They impose a toll system for the canals and roads.

Torrhen Invested his own money to have more ships made in all four of the northern ports (Darkstarks, Mormonts, Seastarks, and Manderlys) and placed better regulations to increase trade profit.

Dfd

Targaryen rule

Issue with succession of Nymeria

Cregan not receiving the Targaryen bride he was promised

Goes home upset and asks for a large amount of gold in recompense

Uses that gold to fortify the North.

Pours gold into repairing/ adding more fortifications into every major castle.

Rebuilt moat cailin which had lost many of its original 20 towers

Restructured wintercity(over the years with the population growth wintertown grew so big they had to recharter it as wintercity and by cregan's time it had started pressing up against the walls of winterfell)

Wintercity is now structured to be comprised of four quadrants of houses and businesses. The Quadrants are separated by four large roads that run perpendicular from the three directions to wintercity in the north, south, and west and the fourth entrance coming from winterfell in the east. These four roads meet in a circular plaza in the middle of the city where resides a thirty foot tall statue of Bran the builder, founder of House stark. It is in this plaza where the market meets everyday. Every Quadrant has an orphange, the northwestern quadrant has the city's godswood, the south western quadrant has the port connected to the canal which runs under a bridge on the kingsroad (which is the name of the road that bisects wintercity from the south). The city is as large and populous as highgarden.

fkfkf

Robert's Rebellion

I will… describe the major events of Harrenhall

Stark siblings meet and bond with Howland Reed

Eddard starts getting close to Ashara Dayne

Lyanna becomes the knight of the laughing tree and defeats the three bullies.

Rhaegar talks to the starks to find out the name of the mystery knight (he and Lyanna seem to like each other)

Soon after lyanna disposes of the evidence to her fights but Raeghar sees(?) or just finds out it's her.

Eddard and Ashara have sex (this should be an aside- brandon or lyanna just see them sneaking off to a bedroom and nothing else is described)

Lyanna crowned Queen of love and beauty (she's disgusted by this)

I will… describe the kidnapping of Lyanna

I will… show Ned's reaction to discovering his father and brothers deaths

I will… have Ned take charge of the Northern Armies in Lyanna's absence

When the STAB alliance meets up at Riverrun and Hoster tries to get ned to honor his brother's betrothal and marry Catelyn. He manages to hold off on it with just a betrothal saying he cannot get married without the lady of winterfell, his sister's, permission.

I will… show snapshots of Lyanna escaping and her journey to meet up with her armies

I will… describe a couple of major battles

Ned has a group in or near Dorne at one point and meets up with Ashara

He finds out he has a three year old daughter, Alysanne, with her and they make love again.

He leaves when he finishes what he was meant to do in Dorne on his journey away he gets word that Lyanna is at Riverrun in command of the Northern Armies. He does not know that he left Ashara with another baby.

I will… show Lyanna reuniting with her brother and taking command of her army as the new lady of winterfell.

She commands her brother to marry Catelyn and they do.

She leads her army in several battles before dieing in the final battle. Robert is so sad and enraged he kills rhaegar and everything else unfolds as in canon.

I will… end with Ned going to Dorne to give Ashara her family's sword and apologize that he wasn't able to keep his promise to marry her.

Upon arrival he finds out that she went into early labor with his second child and died during the birth. His son was fine as was his daughter.

He decided that with so much of his family dead he couldn't lose anymore. He took custody of Jon and Alysanne Snow.

Pre-Canon Stark Family Prelude (Each number is a different chapter)

Ned arrives at winterfell with his 4 year old daughter and 1 year old son.

He meets Catelyn and his 7 month old true born son, named Robb.

Catelyn learns of the bastards. That night Ned tells her how they came to be and the fate of their mother, she insists they speak no more of this and begs he bury this from the public. Ned agrees because of his guilt and promises to neither confirm nor deny anything with the public.

Northern stories and bastards

The bath houses and siblings

Selecting your direwolf companion

Fighting lessons

Execution Witnesses

Robb meets Vyra at Foresthome

Bran discovers he's a warg at 5; at 7 he's crippled and discovers his greensight.

Robb does his tour at 14 with Jon and Alys

Alys leaves for the Library

Sansa does her tour with Jon and Bran. A lot of shit goes down and understanding/acceptance comes through.