After the unexpected encounter in the cave with Ygritte, Jon made his way to Maester Luwin's chamber. As usual, the other people in Winterfell were too busy going about their own business to bother with Jon as he walked through the castle with a distracted look on his face.
Ygritte would have me leave Winterfell with her. She even told me that their leader had already taken an interest in me but she slipped when she almost named him Mance instead of Camen. If I didn't already know Mance's name then I probably wouldn't have caught it but she almost used his real name rather than the name that he has been going by with the performers. Jon thought as he started to climb the stairs that would take him to the maester's chambers. I should really talk to Mance soon to see if I can find out why he is going by a different name. He hasn't said or done anything to make me wary of him and he even gave me the Hawksflight Bow as a token of thanks for saving Ygritte. If he was up to no good then why would he have given me the bow?
Jon's musings were cut short as he reached the door to Maester Luwin's chambers.
"Welcome, Jon," the Maester greeted as he responded to Jon's knock and opened the door. "Have you come to continue your pursuit of knowledge?"
"Good afternoon, Maester," Jon replied. "The last time I was here, I finished the last of your books on alchemy. I hope to start the other books that you had for me."
"Of course," the Maester nodded. "There are many books to choose from my collection that could teach you much but I know exactly which books you are referring to at the present time."
"This one here," the Maester walked to his bookshelf and tapped the spine of one of the books in his collection. "Proper Lock Design was written by an unknown author that I suspect heralds from across the Narrow Sea. It tells the tale of Yunkai who boasts that the vault that is said to be so well designed that it cannot be cracked. He taunts the people who have elevated him to his position of power with this fact by offering a king's ransom from all of the riches that lie within to the man that is able to gain entry."
"That sounds like quite the tale," Jon acknowledged. "Maybe even more interesting than A Game at Dinner or Mannimarco: King of Worms."
"Indeed, there are many lessons to be learned from that tale should you read between the lines. However, like every book, what you take away from the tale is entirely dependent on you."
That's true enough, Jon thought to himself. I could absorb the book and come away with the most basic of lessons or I could experience the book for the deeper understanding that the Maester keeps mentioning.
"What lessons do you expect me to learn from the book?" Jon asked while moving to stand near the Maester and extending his hand to take the book. "Between what you told me and the name of the book, I'd expect to read plenty about locks."
"What you take away from a book such as this is entirely up to you," Maester Luwin said with a chuckle as he placed the book in Jon's outstretched hand. "There is indeed much to be learned about locks contained within. However, it would not be doing the unknown author justice to say that there is nothing else to be learned from the tale."
"What else could there be?" Jon asked, pushing for more information. "An entire book about looks seems to be a little much."
"You will have to discover that answer for yourself, Jon," the maester answered with a chuckle as he moved away from Jon, down the shelf and tapped another book on the spine. "Legend of Krately House is a tale much closer to home, based in Westeros rather than Essos. It is the tale of how the actions of Lord Harren the Black ultimately led to the destruction of his masterpiece and the burning of Harrenhall during the War of Conquest. It was said to be written by a maester of old under the pseudonym Baloth-Kul. Truly the tale is as much a warning as it is a history of the happenings of the age. For Harren the Black was able to achieve his life's ambitions but, in doing so, he turned himself into someone that he would not have recognized."
"It wasn't even worth it in the end though?" Jon queried. "Harrenhall was burnt by dragons. No matter how great the castle was it couldn't stop the dragons or their fire."
"That is indeed one of the lessons to take away from the tale. No matter how much thought and planning you put into an endeavor, you simply cannot account for every possible outcome. There are many other lessons to be learned from this particular text but I expect that you will appreciate them more if you have the opportunity to discover them for yourself," the maester once again moved down the shelf and tapped another book on its spine. "The Buying Game is the last one that I would feel comfortable with you reading at this time. Reality & Other Falsehoods, Before the Ages of Man and Withershins are subjects for the future."
"You don't wish to talk of them now?" Jon asked with no small amount of confusion. "You told me that once I finished your alchemy collection I could read the others."
"Indeed I did and indeed you will. However, you are still only beginning your scholastic journey. Those books contain topics for a much later time. If you want to learn their secrets then I would have something of you."
"Anything," Jon agreed with a sigh of relief. "What would you have me do?"
"Ah, the enthusiasm of youth," Maester Luwin smiled in appreciation. "Before I will give my consent for you to read those three tomes, I would have you finish Proper Lock Design, Legend of Krately House and The Buying Game in addition to at least fifty other books from my collection."
Quest Activated!
Learning with Luwin: Either absorb or experience Proper Lock Design, Legend of Krately House and The Buying Game in addition to at least fifty other books from the maester's collection.
Reward for completion: ? unlocked, 30,000 Experience and increased Reputation with Maester Luwin.
Penalty for failure: ? permanently locked and decreased Reputation with Maester Luwin.
Accept?
"I accept," Jon readily agreed. I can't be sure what would be permanently locked but given that this quest gives me the option to either absorb or experience, it shouldn't be too terrible. "I trust that you have good reasons for having me focus on other subject material."
"Of course, Jon. While there is much to be learned from these books in and of themselves, I have no doubt that by taking time to expand your general knowledge that you will be able to get more out of these books when you do eventually read them."
"That makes sense. Will you tell me about The Buying Game?"
"Certainly! The Buying Game is a wonderful treatise on the practice of bargaining. It not only provides instructions and recommendations on where and how to bargain but it also provides a wonderful insight into the thought processes of merchants."
Jon grimaced slightly as he considered the maester's words. "That does sound like good information to have but it doesn't quite have the same draw as Proper Lock Design or Legend of Krately House."
"As I hope you realized with De Rerum Dirennis and Herbalist's Guide to Westeros, not all books were created equal with regards to their entertainment value. However, this does not make those books any less valuable or any less informative with regards to their content."
"Alright," Jon nodded in understanding while moving away from the bookshelves, taking a seat in his regular chair and opening Proper Lock Design. "I best get started then."
Proper Lock Design
"Welcome esteemed guests. It is I, Xaro Xhoan Daxos, wealthiest of the Thirteen of Qarth."
"I have encountered a great many thieves from a great many walks of life who all shared the same purpose. That purpose was a sole interest in locks, how to open them and thereby pilfer the protected contents of the room or chest that the lock was designed and intended to protect. I have taken it upon myself to devise a system of locks that can defeat such villainous intent and protect that which merits protection."
"There can be no doubt that the materials used to create a lock are of utmost importance. Shoddy brass or copper will give way to a well-placed kick, thereby rendering the lock itself useless despite your best intentions. I recommend steel over iron when choosing a material as the properties of steel are much more closely aligned the goal of unyieldingly protecting your valuables. As is the way in our world, more robust materials tend to be prohibitively expensive and necessitate the door being made of similarly expensive metals. I can't begin to express in words the sorrow that I felt when I stumbled across the shattered shell of a wooden chest that had been plundered with its Valaryan steel lock intact and still locked."
"Once the matter of the materials has been settled, one must pay particular attention to the offset of the tumblers. Even a small offset of several degrees to the keyhole will allow a torque style key to work smoothly, while at the same time causing numerous headaches for the thief attempting to insert non-torque style lock picks."
"In similar fashion, the springs of the tumblers should be made by different smiths. Each smith will unknowingly create a spring with different tension than his fellow smiths thus combining to form something truly unique. This variance is of paramount importance and will create a great deal of difficulty for anyone attempting to pick the lock."
"Now, all of you must be wondering why a man such as me would bring such a group into my home for such talk. I assure you, that my motives are justified. In my palace, there exists a vault that has never and most likely will never be defeated."
"You have eaten my food and drank of my wine, now I have a challenge for each of you. It would be my greatest honor and delight for each of you to try your hand at gaining access to that vault. I must know if my suspicions are correct or if my beliefs are misplaced."
"To the man who succeeds in gaining access to the vault, I shall impart wealth enough for him to take a place amongst the Thirteen. Should it be a woman who manages to gain access, then she will have exactly half of everything I own when I take her to be my loving wife."
"What say you to that?"
The room erupted in cheers and the meal was left forgotten by all but one, as they hurried to follow Xaro to the vault that could grant them riches beyond their wildest dreams.
Jon knew hunger. On more than one occasion he had retired for the night with a gnawing hunger in his belly as his only companion. He had done what he needed to as a child to survive and had merited an invitation to Xaro's lavish home for a feast. The riches that had been present at Xaro's table had been more than enough for Jon and he was content to treat himself while the others clambered for an opportunity at the safe.
Now, Jon did not consider himself to be a particularly clever man but even he realized that a single lock would only permit a single man to try his luck at a time. With the number of people that had hurried off after Xaro it would be some time before Jon would have a turn at the man's challenge.
Once he had sated his hunger, Jon took his leave from the table and took the opportunity to explore the palace of one of the Thirteen. He walked the expanse of the palace while the guards and general population attempted to gain access to Xaro's prized vault. Each room seemed to be even more extravagant than the last in terms of décor until Jon found the exception.
He found a room that seemed very drab and out of place amidst all of the luxury. His first instinct was to close the door and continue his unguided tour of the palace. However, his inquisitive nature prompted him to disregard his first instinct and step into the room and close the door behind him. The far wall was made up on eight panels that stretched from floor to ceiling.
Jon went to the far left corner of the room and knocked on the panel. His knock was met with a dull thud, indicating that the panel was solid. He knocked on the second panel then the third panel and was met with the same dull sound. However, the fourth panel was different. To Jon's surprise, the sound of the knock was much lighter.
Jon gave the wall an exploratory push and was disappointed that nothing happened. He tried again in the middle or the panel to no avail. Feeling frustrated, Jon threw his shoulder against the seam that separated the fourth and fifth panels and he was suddenly flung backwards as the two panels opened outward to reveal the door to a safe.
It was not surprising that a man of Xaro's standing would have multiple safes to protect the riches that he was known to have. Jon examined the lock briefly before pulling a lock pick and the extremely thin dagger that he had painstakingly ground down to provide torque to the lock after the pick triggered the tumbler.
He was no expert but Jon had picked his fair share of locks over the course of his life. He inserted the lock pick and meticulously triggered each of the tumblers while slightly rotating the pick clockwise until he felt confident that he could begin applying torque.
As he began to turn the knife, he felt the lock pick begin to shake. He tried to quickly reset the lock to its initial position but was unable to do so before the lock pick snapped.
Jon frowned as he took one of the other two lock picks that he kept hidden on his person and again went about triggering the tumblers, this time pushing deeper and finding another tumbler spaced further back than the rest.
Ginning while realizing why his initial attempt had failed, Jon again tried his luck at turning the knife to unlock the door. There was a brief pause where the lock seemed to catch before the lock was fully unlatched but Jon was able to rotate the lock pick to save the endeavor before completing the knife's turn and unlocking Xaro's hidden vault.
Without the lock holding the door closed, its weight caused it to swing open and reveal a room that was almost completely empty. Save for a podium in its center that was covered in elaborate paintings of dragons that had their wings spread in flight and their maws open as they spewed great gouts of fire.
Unable to stop himself, Jon approached the podium and found that the top was actually a basin of sorts with a singular large black rock. The rock had a surprisingly textured surface that was completely contrary to the smoothness that Jon expected. There were dark blue veins seemed to pulse a very dull light that strengthened marginally at Jon's touch. The rock seemed to warm slightly in his hand and Jon knew that he would never relinquish the treasure to anyone.
Stowing the rock in his satchel, Jon quietly stole from the vault. He closed the door behind him and pushed the panels back into their initial position to conceal the vault from prying eyes. Jon left the room that hid the vault and made his way to the dining chambers where he was able to join in with a group that was leaving after their failed attempt at Xaro's challenge.
Their trip from the palace was uneventful and Jon soon separated from the group and left Qarth, never to be seen again in the city of the Thirteen. While the theft was never made public, Xaro's rage was said to have been titanic in proportion when he realized that his ruse had failed. He had very publicly revealed what many thought to be the location of his greatest treasure.
However, that was all a distraction to ensure that future attempts to pilfer his wealth would be met with failure as would be thieves would waste their time and energy on what appeared to be a lock but was in reality a sealed fixture on a wall made of the finest steel that money could buy. His most valued treasure disappeared on the night that he dared to taunt the citizens of Qarth with the promise of wealth beyond their feeble understanding.
One had succeeded in obtaining such wealth and potentially much more.
Xaro swore vengeance and would see to it if it was the last thing that he ever did until his last day.
Skill Level Up: Lock Picking +1,000
Sneak +1,000
Perception +1
Intelligence +1
Unlocked Deeper Understanding: Get the most out of the books that you read. You can now find more insights in the books that you read.
Obtained Mysterious Black Treasure of Qarth
Wow, Jon thought to himself. That was a book about lock picking? There was so much more than just lock picking! How could I get an item by reading a book?
"All finished with Proper Lock Design then, Jon?" the Maester asked as he slowly made his way over to Jon to take the book. "Intriguing tale, was it not?"
"There is no doubt about that," Jon readily agreed. "I was not expecting the ending with the way that Xaro was going on about the steps that he had taken to create a lock that could not be picked."
"Aye, so what do you take to be the moral of the story?"
"It seems that if there is a lock that it can be picked no matter what precautions are taken."
"Right you are. Xaro's best protection was the one that he never mentioned. His intent was to protect his treasures by keeping their location a secret while he boasted quite elaborately about their supposed location. All it took was someone who happened to look in the right place and all of his efforts were for naught."
"What was the treasure that Xaro was hiding in the vault?"
"Oh Jon, that is up to your interpretation. Some would say that it was one of the last remaining pieces of Valeryan steel ore. Others would say that it was the egg of a dragon or something equally fanciful. Still others would say it was a metaphor for the blood of the inquisitive soul turning blue as he had finally obtained riches to establish his line as the richest of men for all of their days to come."
"What do you think though?" Jon tried to press. "I see how any of those could be possible but, surely, one is more likely than the others."
"I truly cannot answer that question, Jon. Without seeing and touching the item for myself, all I can do is speculate."
Should I show him the Mysterious Black Treasure of Qarth? Jon asked himself. No, I can't. If I did, I would have to explain how I came into possession of such an item.
"I understand, Maester Luwin. Would it be alright if I started The Buying Game?"
"Certainly, Jon," the Maester nodded while moving to collect the book ad returning to hand it to Jon. "Now, you shouldn't expect quite the level of intrigue that you found in Proper Lock Design however there are many insights that can be applied across many aspects of your life if you so choose."
"Thank you, Maester," Jon said with appreciation as he opened the book. "I will do my best to find those insights."
It was a little over two hours later that Jon closed the book and rubbed his temples. He had chosen to experience the book and the antics of merchants left him at a loss for words.
Speech +1,000
Sneak +1,000
Charisma +1
Luck +1
Unlocked Situational Awareness: Basic understanding of how to compose yourself in a given situation to help obtain your desired results
"Alright, Jon," the maester concluded while moving to collect the book. "That is enough for today."
"Aye, that was a lot of information to take in all at once," Jon rubbed his temples with the palms of his hands. "Are all merchants so crafty?"
"By now, you should know that the world is not made up of absolutes," the maester chided gently. "Most men are various shades of the characteristics that make up their personalities. There are certainly a rare few that wholly exhibit a characteristic in its entirety. Most have other characteristics that influence the way that they deal and interact with others."
"They all seemed to be so sneaky," Jon reminisced. "Everyone seemed to have a plan and was intent on seeing it through."
"That is the way of life, Jon Snow," the maester acknowledged while putting the book back on its shelf. "As you grow older you will see that a great many people will dedicate themselves to their causes to such an extent that every breath they take and every action that they make is meant to bring them closer to making their vision a reality. Those people can be even more dangerous than a man with a sword in his hand. Words can rouse a thousand swords while the strength of your arms alone will only give you two swords at best. Remember that and you will go far."
It sounds like Maester Luwin is warning me to be more wary of the man giving the command than the man wielding the sword, Jon contemplated. Fairly obvious advice considering how great lords, such as father, can raise vast armies while a single deserter from the Night's Watch is quick to surrender when surrounded on all sides by father and his allies.
"I will remember, Maester Luwin, Jon promised. "I think I have done all the reading that I can tonight. What would you recommend me starting with tomorrow?"
"I would expect that you are anxious to read Legend of Krately. After reading that book, I think it would be most beneficial for you to move your studies towards the histories of Westeros and the leading Westerosi families. There is much that the past can help us predict about the future. With the king and his entourage making their way to Winterfell it seems likely that you will benefit from having this information sooner than later."
"That makes sense," Jon said while lifting himself from his preferred reading spot. "Would you set aside a few books for me that you think will be most useful?"
"It would be my pleasure, Jon," the old man smiled. "It is reinvigorating to see such enthusiasm from one that most pegged to spend the majority of his days on the training ground. If you keep this up, I anticipate many surprises will be in store for those you encounter in the future."
"I can't explain it but it feels like my eyes have opened in the last few days," Jon confided. "Before everything seemed so much more simple."
"That is both the beauty and one of the downsides of expanding your horizon. While you can see more than when you started your quest for knowledge, that makes it more likely for you to see things that may be unpleasant or contrary to your current perspectives," the maester lectured. "Your task as a scholar is to incorporate your increased knowledge to make sure that your decisions are well informed and deliberate."
"Thank you for your time, Maester. I will take my leave."
"Til the morrow, Jon."