My journey brought me from the Reach to the Westerlands. Both kingdoms had problems with Ironborn raiders, like the Riverlands. My travels across the Westerlands only lasted for about four moons, before I traveled to the Riverlands. The area was more mountainous, with many hills. Public order seemed better, but I was not too sure about that. The smallfolk were grateful for my help and I found some willing volunteers traveling along with me. They wanted to learn from me and help others. As I had some coinage to spare I saw no problem with that. The coins came from bandits I defeated, or helped to defeat in some places, as well as some tourneys I participated in. The biggest loot we got was from a hideout of outlaws near Silverhill. They had harassed many merchants over the years and plundered three villages, before I came along and eradicated them. Thanks to the runes I used in creating my armor and sword I had no problems with them breaking. They only needed to be maintained.
The Riverlands were fertile, but also littered with rivers. Many bridges were in dire need of repair, but the lords seemed a little too stingy to invest in fixed assets like that. If war broke out they could be destroyed and needed to rebuilt anyway. What a warped logic.
The Riverlands were the most open to attacks from raiders and bandits from all sides. In Darry I had heard stories about bandits coming from the Crownlands. My group of followers perked up at that. After being with me for almost a year I gathered them in a tavern to discuss my next moves.
„Friends, you have been with me for a long time. Together we helped many people in need, protected the innocent and got not only the gratitude of many people, but also made good coin along the way. We lost some friends, too, but became stronger and closer because of it. I say now to you. If we just work hard enough, we can accomplish anything! To you all and lost comrades!" I raised my tankard and drunk. The small feast lasted till the tavern owner through us out in the cold night. The next day most of the men and women either left to travel back to their families, or followed me to hunt those bandits. Half a year later I repeated the feast, but made my way to the Vale from the Crownlands alone. The „brotherhood of retribution" as my followers were now known as, went on alone to cleanse the land of bandits and other filth.
Throughout my travel in and around the Vale I was dominantly belittled and goaded by the knights. Mostly because I was no Ser and made sure to tell them that.
I met with people from the mountain clans and healed their ill. I stayed with them for a moon turn and managed to teach them some things. They were simple, but honorable people. They allowed me to learn the language of the first men, the „old tongue" which made me more welcome among the more friendly tribes.
Just as I descended a mountain known for their tribes a group of six knights came to patrol the land, or raid the tribe, I'd gathered. The situation escalated quickly and resulted in me killing three in self defense before their leader stopped them and they fled, leaving me to burn the bodies. After this encounter I abandoned my future plans for the Vale and went back to the Riverlands. The towns and farms south of the Bite I visited regardless.
I first thought of traversing the Bite via ship, but wanted to see the Neck for myself.
The twins were just disgusting to see. I only travelled near it to take a look and stayed mostly on the Kingsroad. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I made my way to the Neck and left the Twins and the South behind me. I did not look back afterwards.
The Neck was hard to traverse. The Kingsroad was heavily damaged and really nothing more than a glorified mud path. I stopped my trek, after first seeing Moat Cailin in the distance. Moat Cailin was a gigantic castle, even as a ruin I imagined you had a hard time overcoming its defenses. Some peddlers who risked the trek from House Reed, or the Riverlands to the North were on the Kingsroad. The road, as Moat Cailin, was abandoned and in ruinous condition.
As we crossed the Moat the landscape changed dramatically. It looked wilder, more free.
After making my way away from my peddling travel-companions I stopped at the edge of the Fever River to rest and write in my Diary.
The only weakness to Moat Cailin I could find was the Fever River itself which flowed into Blazewater-Bay in the west.
House Reed was said to be extremely loyal to House Stark. Maybe they knew of some hidden paths through the mud?
My thoughts and writing were interrupted as I saw a woman bathing in the river. It was long summer, though in the North that mattered little. She was not playboy beautiful, but had a natural grace with her. She saw me, but did neither yell, not run in fright. She seemed interested, curious, mayhaps? She introduced herself as Alica. We spoke and spent the night together besides the burning flame of my camp. She was a tanners daughter from the nearby village and liked to come here to bath and swim. She had brown hair and grey eyes. Her small nose and her small lips brightened her smile.
After making my second stop north of the Moat two days later, I thought about my relatively free and unimpeded travel across the land and through the different kingdoms.
Apart from informing them about defeated bandits, or some such I acknowledged to myself, I never visited any lord whatsoever out of moral obligation, or pleasure.
Maybe I should start now? During my stay in the Vale I learned of the customs of the First Men from the tribes and it would be prudent to notify the Lords in the North of my travel.
Even before I decided to visit Winterfell, the North felt more like home to me, than any place before. The summersnow was weird, but I had accepted the arrhythmic seasons as a boy, already. People here were more hardy, more sturdy and generally more honest. They were untrustworthy of any „southrons", but hold guest rights sacrosanct and after telling them about my fathers origins and dislike for knights and maesters and Septons they were more welcoming.
During my journey north I tried to stay at every Inn to gather information and get a feeling about life in the North. I loved to hear stories told by the smallfolk. Tales of times long past and the hidden warnings they gave to the listeners. This love however was nothing against the cold chill I felt after hearing of the Long Night and The Others during the Age of Heroes. Slowly it dawned upon me, why I was here and not in Azeroth anymore.
The matrons and patrons were thankful for me throwing unruly and drunk people out and giving nice tips. Often I slept for free in one of the rooms, after saving a serving girl, or relative of the Innowner from some touchy bastards.
My presence in some lands alerted the guards, as I helped the smallfolk like I did before. Word of me seemed to have spread, as I was often escorted by some of the guards on the way out of and into the next lords lands. It was rather funny how nervous they were, after I helped repair a barn, smithed some horseshoes, or punched some asshole.
It was rather funny how the situations escalated. Visit a town, rescue the Inn-owners daughter from rape, help some poor sod and or starving people and heal some wounded, or ill and the next hour at the earliest, the next day at the latest, the guards were there to accompany me to next lords lands. And of course to make sure I would stay away.
My journey across the North towards Winterfell took me two weeks. I was sadly rushed along. My plans to visit the hole North were on halt, until I could get away from all the guards, or be helped by some lord. This brought me to the next point of thought. The Nights Watch. I wanted to visit the Gift and the Wall. Especially after the revelations about The Others, I thought about how I should fight them. It was clear to me that most believed them stories, or legends, but I knew better. Why would you build a 250 meter high wall across the land, if not for some nightmarish enemy? No one would believe me and the Nights Watch was no longer equipped, or manned enough to handle any kind of threat. The thought of joining the Watch was quickly dismissed, as more information came to light, which painted an ugly picture for the eight thousand year old institution.
No wives, mostly rapists and thieves. Only three out of six and twenty castles manned.
Fewer than three thousand man strong and the Gift and New Gift were mostly abandoned.
It was clear to me, that I had to learn more about the Long Night and needed to make preparations and allies. It would be the greatest folly to fight them alone, mayhaps the whole North was not enough to fight them alone. Where to start and learn more, then in the North itself? Right now I was the only Paladin in Westeros, but hopefully not for long. Some smallfolk had the connection to the Light, but until now I did not act upon it.
If I were to stand against the undead again, I needed my brothers and sisters with the Holy Light at my side. The North especially needed to be strengthened.
My second notebook, which was more of a collection of Information for different careers and technologies would help me immensely to prepare. The question was, how much time did I have? My magic and connection to the light was strong enough for me to reach three digits in age, would it be enough time?
If I were to put my foot where my mouth was I had to seriously step up my game.
Farming needed to be massively improved. This would strengthen the food production. Not only the output, but the diversity needed to be addressed. More farming tools enabled fewer people to farm more land. This set free manpower for other projects. Building material was the second item I had to contemplate and prepare, as we needed the raw materials for any- and everything. Quarries needed to be built, stonemasons to work at it for better homes, streets, everything.
Mines needed to be opened and miners needed to mine coal, iron, copper and other materials. I needed to find sources of materials to start making glass. Glass would improve farming, especially during winter and limit imports from the South.
This would free more capital and manpower. Ships could be send to export stuff, instead of import. Money and raw materials needed to come to the North, not leave it.
The roads needed to be improved to accelerate growth and reduce travel time.
Every Lord in the North had some kind of speciality. These needed to be improved upon and expanded. The forests in the North were mostly abandoned and would not thrive without care. Logging without impunity also destroyed much land, which needed to be remedied. The coastal areas needed a fresh injection of manpower. Fortifications against the Ironborn needed to be built, as the whole west coast suffered needlessly and with impunity. I made a five year plan and hoped to show it to Lord Stark.
The biggest thing that could help here was my magic, but I was reluctant to use it. A fresh notebook needed to be used to gather and store the information about the North. Mayhaps I could find suitable land for some projects, or even import seeds and plants?
This needed all to be addressed, so I put down my quill and closed my diary.
Next stop Lord Stark and the Winterfell Library.