1 NEW GAME
ROBERT BARATHEON'S POV
Aerys Targaryen was the last of his name to sit on the Iron Throne. Known far and wide as "the Mad King," his was a reign of instability and terror.
The Seven Kingdoms are well-rid of him and his kind.
Oh, he may have appeared to be a capable ruler at first, but that was due in no small part to his councilors led by the Hand of the King, Tywin Lannister.
There may have been years of peace and prosperity during Aerys's reign, but it was Tywin who was really running the country as Aerys spiraled further and further into insanity.
The dragonspawn were famous for losing their minds. It was the price they paid for centuries of keeping the bloodlines pure.
And Aerys more than happily continued the noble sister-fucking tradition of his forefathers.
As the years passed, Aerys's behavior became increasingly erratic. He cut himself so often on his Iron Throne, many referred to him as "King Scab", though never to his face.
It was rumored he had developed an obsession with wildfire, and was known to inflict horrific punishments on those he considered enemies, including burning them alive.
As his paranoia and bloodlust grew, he had a bitter falling out with Lord Tywin, who had served the Crown faithfully for twenty years.
At least Tywin was able to leave the job with his life and fortunes intact. Subsequent Hands of King Aerys weren't so fortunate.
Then the Targaryens went too far.
The Crown Prince, Rhaegar, abducted Lyanna Stark, daughter of Rickard Stark, the Lord of Winterfell.
She was my betrothed. She was my beloved.
Beautiful and spirited woman, and I loved her more than life itself.
Rhaegar went south with Lyanna, hiding her away in Dorne. What harm he inflicted on the poor girl, the gods only know.
Brandon Stark, Lyanna's eldest brother, was outraged. He rode to King's Landing to confront the king and demand his sister's safe return.
Instead, Aerys had him executed. His father, Rickard Stark, as well.
There wasn't much left to discuss after that.
Aerys feared their loved ones would seek revenge for what he did.
He was right to be afraid.
Aerys wasted no time in calling for the heads of Brandon's younger brother, my friend Eddard Stark, and my head, too, of course.
I'm sorry he didn't come looking for it himself.
Alongside Jon Arryn of the Vale, the man who fostered Ned and I as children, Baratheons, Starks, and Tullys all called their banners.
Once our rebellion began, the Mad King's days were numbered.
Rebellion!
The crimes of House Targaryen were too heinous to go unanswered.
The noble Houses of Baratheon, Stark, and Arryn, united to oppose and overthrow the line of the cursed dragon kings.
While Ned Stark and Arryn secured an alliance with the Tullys of Riverrun, I called the banners of Storm's End and rode out in force against the Mad King and his minions.
Gods, those were some battles!
Our first victory occurred at Summerhall where I faced off against an army of dragon loyalists and won three battles in a single day.
Three in one day!
Seven hells, that was a glorious day!
We tried to take Ashford Castle in the Reach, but the Tyrells beat us back. We had to regroup.
My army was pursued north by Aerys's army and took refuge in the Stoney Sept in the Riverlands.
When the Targaryen army entered the town, the sept bells tolled, a signal to the townspeople of the battle that was to come.
As the Targaryens searched from house to house for me, the combined forces of Ned Stark and the Tullys swept into the city.
Gods, what a day that was!
It's now known as the Battle of the Bells.
We overwhelmed the Mad King's forces and sent them scampering back to King's Landing.
Aerys's son, Rhaegar, who started the whole damn thing, finally emerged from hiding in the South and assembled his own army to face us.
As for the Mad King, he must have been pissing himself.
The battle that would decide the fate of the Seven Kingdoms occurred at the crossing of the Green Fork of the Trident river.
Rhaegar commanded the royal host, which was some forty thousand strong.
My forces were outnumbered by nearly five thousand men, but that didn't matter.
They were fresh, but we were battle-hardened and had justice on our side.
As the battle raged around us, I faced off with Rhaegar. The stag and the dragon right there in the ford of the river.
I fought with the fury of ten men, raining blow after blow upon that vile prince before burying my war hammer in his chest.
I hit him so hard, the rubies on his armor broke free, flinging them into the stream. They call it the Ruby Ford now.
With that scum Rhaegar dead and the royal army shattered, our next move was to make for King's Landing.
But I'd sustained a few wounds in the battle and was unable to ride. I sent Ned Stark to the capital to face the Mad King and make him pay for his crimes.
For our rebellion to succeed, King's Landing had to be taken, forcefully.
No one was foolish enough to believe that Aerys was gonna hand his crown over peacefully.
The Mad King's reign needed to end.
What Tywin Lannister's forces did was unfortunate, but it was necessary to secure the Iron Throne, and bring peace and justice to the Seven Kingdoms.
My glorious victory at the Trident left me wounded, but I sent my personal maester to attend to Ser Barristan Selmy instead; his wounds were more severe.
Even though Ser Barristan was a member of Aerys's Kingsguard and fought on the opposing side, that man's bravery and loyalty were something to behold.
But this meant my wounds would take longer to heal and I couldn't ride to King's Landing myself.
I sent the one man I trusted over anyone else in this world, Ned Stark, in my place.
Had I been able to ride, perhaps I could have reached King's Landing sooner and prevented some of the violence that occurred when the Lannisters entered the city.
Still, what Lord Tywin did was for the greater good.
Even what happened to Princess Elia and her son.
Baby or not, his was the same cursed blood that flowed within the Mad King's veins, and it would've legitimized his right to rule.
The boy was a dragonspawn and couldn't be allowed to survive.
What would he grow to be? A loyal subject?
The Kingslayer at least made sure to spare his sister of the same fate.
Ned, with his damn honor, didn't see it that way.
He and I had our first major fight over the deaths of the Martell princess and the Targaryen heir.
Ned called it murder.
Murder!?
It was war!
...
It was war...
Lord Stark demanded that the Lannisters be held responsible for their crimes.
Was it a crime to put an end to a line of lunatics born of incest?
I wouldn't - and still won't - blame Tywin.
Instead, I sent Ned Stark south to finish off the remaining Targaryen loyalists.
It was only Lyanna Stark's death that reconciled us.
Ned had lost his sister.
I had lost my betrothed and beloved.
We shared that sad bond together, Ned and I.
Through it, our friendship was made strong again.
As for the Mad King's surviving heirs... those that were able to scurry away in the face of my fury now live somewhere across the Narrow Sea.
They had best stay there.
A single girl with the blood of the dragon is more than enough for this continent.
If they ever set foot in Westeros again, they will face the King's justice.
For now, the only thing that remains for me is to become King and sire a new line of rulers.
Gods have mercy on me.
—————————————————————
{PING!}
'What?... Where am I?'
I looked around but soon noticed that I was surrounded by darkness, nothing but pure darkness.
Even the walls I saw were black marble.
'My memory... It's a little fuzzy. Am I dreaming? In a coma? Or did I simply kick the bucket?' I thought whilst inspecting the void I found myself in.
I mean, being a religious guy, I did believe that after death I would go to an afterlife.
Or maybe I'm giving myself way too much credit.
Whatever the case, I guess it didn't matter anymore.
But what did matter was that I was currently floating in a dark place.
And as I pondered over my bizarre circumstances, a white window with text seemed to appear in front of me.
{YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED SELECTIVE AMNESIA. ALL MEMORIES OF FRIENDS AND FAMILY HAVE BEEN REMOVED. MEMORIES OF LIFE ALTERED, NECESSARY MEMORIES KEPT BACK. MOTOR SKILLS HAVE ALSO BEEN KEPT.}
I looked at the text box before me and squinted my head, immediately feeling it buzz around as if something was wrong, but I didn't know what.
I looked at the other boxes before me.
'My memories are...gone? How can it be? And why was it selective?' I reflected over the new information. 'Not that I'm complaining, just finding it all too strange.'
{HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE GAME. READY TO PLAY?}
[YES/NO]
The white-box questioned.
'Well, guess I've finally gone crazy. Not to mention, hallucinating about becoming a gamer from one of those fics I loved to read.' I assumed with a sliver of humor.
The window before me remained steady, as if not carrying for my assessment.
'Wait! I remember reading fan made fics that usually began just like this.' I vaguely recalled before reaching a conclusion. 'No, I'm definitely not questioning my luck. I must be in one of those crazy, clear cases of wish fulfillment as a self-insert.'
I attempted to chuckle, but no sound came out of me.
By that point it didn't disturbed me as much as it should.
'I can't help but enjoy those kinds of settings, though. It probably is every geek's fantasy, living their life as a video game... Not only that, but possibly living in a fictional world as well!' I kept an optimistic view over things. 'If I get to play games for my afterlife, don't blame me if I consider this a blessing. Because, as I said before, I do love games and I'm sure I would've gotten bored eventually of this pleasantly silent abyss.'
I allowed the silence to linger for a while, noticing the white-box still staring at me.
'Let's play along then.' I metaphorically shrugged my shoulders.
Having nothing better to do, I scrolled through the options and the window before me changed as a result.
{PLEASE, SELECT GENDER.}
[MALE/FEMALE]
I tried to remember my gender, my age, anything that could hint about my past, but I always came up with vague memories.
'I...I don't know who I was.' If I could, I would have certainly faced palm myself. 'Yeah genius, "Selective Amnesia", what else did I expect?'
'So can I choose my gender? Just like that?' I asked no one in particular. 'Fine by me.'
Thinking about it for a moment, I began my line of thought. 'I do find girls to be more attractive than boys. And If I'm also being honest, the male anatomy seems a little less complicated to role play in most fictional settings.'
The void surrounding me didn't seem to care less for my points.
'So…' I quickly chose the "MALE" option, hoping by following through with the box questions I could eventually find some help.
And...
{ARE YOU SURE?}
The system asked.
'Yes. I am absolutely sure.' I argued back. 'Don't tell me you're going to question my every decision?!'
{KEEP OLD PERSONALITY?}
'Don't see a reason why I shouldn't.' Since my limbs were currently non-existing, I imagined myself selecting the option. 'And please, don't call me old. In return I will tone it down with my sarcasm.'
{PLEASE SELECT GAMING WORLD:}
[ASOIAF ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE]
[LOCKED]
[LOCKED]
[LOCKED]
[LOCKED]
…
Everything else was blocked, there weren't any other options available to me.
I stopped for a moment, recalling that name.
It was a series of books about a medieval world in a fantasy setting, one that I liked very much until they made a series out of it.
Don't get me wrong, the tv show was enjoyable enough, until it found itself without books to adapt.
I wonder how different this Alternative Universe would be from canon. Or at what time was I going to be inserted into.
The Dawn Age?
Age of Heroes?
Andal Invasion?
Age of Valyria and its dragons? Before or after their doom?
Suffice to say that I was enthusiastic about the idea of exploring a world I only knew as fictional.
But as much as the sense of adventure made me curious about those eras, I was still hoping for the familiarity of the original books.
If possible, with enough time to prepare for the return of the Long Night.
But with no other choice or influence over that matter, I selected it and suddenly a new box came up, with a whole bunch of new info.
{DEFAULT SETTINGS ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED FOR GAME RUN.}
{CHOOSE YOUR ANCESTRY.}
{SELECT 4 OPTIONS IN ORDER OF "MORE RELATED" TO "LESS RELATED", ANYTHING ELSE WILL BE DISCONSIDERED.}
(_) FIRST MAN: NORTHERNER [STRONG AND HARDY, FAMOUS FOR THEIR RESISTANCE TO COLD AND THEIR TALENT AS WARRIORS.]
(_) ANDAL [THEY HAVE PROVED TO BE SHREWD DIPLOMATS AND TRADERS. THEY ARE SKILLED WITH COMBAT AND STUDY.]
(_) FM: IRONBORN [THEY ARE NATURAL SEAFARERS AND RAIDERS. INFAMOUS FOR THEIR SAVAGERY AND DECEPTIVENESS.]
(_) RHOYNAR: DORNISH [NATURALLY TALENTED WARRIORS, WITH A HARDY CONSTITUTION AND A NATURAL RESISTANCE TO POISON. WELL KNOWN FOR THEIR AGILITY AND ELUSIVENESS.]
(_) VALYRIAN [CHARISMATIC AND ATTRACTIVE PEOPLE THAT ONCE RULED THE WORLD THROUGH THEIR DRAGONS. STRONGLY GIFTED IN THE ARCANE ARTS.]
(_) FM: FREE FOLK [THEY ARE TALL AND FAIR-HAIRED PEOPLE. WITH AN INFAMY IN REGARDS TO THEIR BARBARIC NATURE AND A SEMBLANCE OF BAD LUCK.]
(_) FM: SKAGOSSI [A COMMUNITY OF SAVAGE TRIBES WITH A RECLUSIVE NATURE AND PROPENSITY TOWARDS CANNIBALISM.]
[LOCKED]
[LOCKED]
[LO...
'Wow! That's a lot of options!' I acknowledged. 'The blocked ones might probably be from other continents other than Westeros, like Essos.'
After inspecting every option I had before me, I noticed something interesting. 'Wait a minute! …So they really are cannibals! I thought it was only a myth. …Whatever... Let's see what I should pick!'
If not for the fact that the Valyrian option kind of spilled the beans that the Doom had already taken place, I might've taken the risk of picking it as my first option.
But since I had no chance of being born inside a family of Dragonlords from Old Valyria that made the Targaryens look like amateurs, I rather avoid the risk of being born amidst the Dance of Dragons with all that drama.
First men and Rhoynar were interesting picks, but I guess nothing beat the current powerhouse that was the Andal culture.
If by any chance the Targaryens were still in power, I could easily "Climb the Ladder" with my System as a Knight or a Septon.
Alright then…
(1) ANDAL [PARENTAGE]
{SKILL STAR UNLOCKED.}
(2) VALYRIAN [CLOSE RELATIVE]
{SKILL BLOOD UNLOCKED.}
(3) FM: NORTHERNER [DISTANT RELATIVE]
{SKILL TREE UNLOCKED.}
(4) R: DORNISH [DISTANT RELATIVE]
{SKILL FLOW UNLOCKED.}
…
{PING!}
{SELECT KINGDOM.}
[CROWNLANDS]
[BLOCKED]
[BLOCKED]
…
Everything else was blocked, again.
I didn't understand what was happening.
If there was a place I would love to live, It would be the Reach, with its fertile lands and beautiful environment. Raising a small army there would've been child's play.
If not that, the Westerlands would've been my second pick. Finding a mine of gold and silver in those lands would've made things so much easier.
But I decided to play with the card I was dealt, choosing the only option available.
At least it wasn't a place as bad as the Iron Islands.
{YOU HAVE SELECTED "CROWNLANDS"!}
{HERE IS YOUR STATUS PAGE. PLEASE CHOOSE YOUR STARTING STATS.}
=================================
[POWER] {Measures how physically powerful you are, how much you can lift and how hard you can punch. Weapons are great examples of force multipliers, make good use of this knowledge.}
[ENDURANCE] {Measures toughness, how much health you have and how much damage you can take from attacks when they land. As well, how large your health and stamina bar are, and how fast they develop. Resistance to both sickness and poisons are a natural extension of it.}
[INTELLIGENCE] {Measures how fast you learn and solve problems as well as how accurate your memory is. It's also about likability, meaning how well you relate to people and them to you, affecting almost all interpersonal interactions. It's up to you to make the wisest choices.}
[MOBILITY] {Measures ease of movement, how flexible you are and how quick you can run. Mounts and vehicles are a great bonus to your base stat.}
[STEALTH] {Measures how much you notice about your environment and how much it notices you back. Blend in with shadows or crowds to either pass without trace or hide. It also implies how keen your senses are, how accurate your aim is.}
…
{During the course of the game, actions you realize will help improve your stats and raise your skills level, the higher the level, the harder it will be to improve.}
{Keep in mind that your HEALTH POINTS, STAMINA POINTS and MANA POINTS will naturally scale with your level, but other game mechanics can grant you additional bonus.}
{Some actions and achievements will only be possible or unlocked when certain requirements are fulfilled.}
{You begin with 25 points at Level 1 and you shall receive 5 points for each level to be spent either on your stats or perks you've unlocked by meeting its requirements.}
{Perks are special powers that unlock and expand the player's overall potential. Most of them have conditions to fulfill before picking them, such as a Stat or Skill prerequisite.}
{There are collectibles in the great wide world that can offer rewards varying from XP to Points to spend on either raising your Stats or on buying some Perks.}
{Quests are tasks that ask for certain actions offering in return either a reward for success or a penalty for failure.}
{Most of them can be declined, however some will occur independently of your agency on the matter.}
{So choose wisely the path you will tread while also taking the opportunities that life presents you.}
=================================
Power, Endurance, Intelligence, Mobility and Stealth!
It was all here!
I mean, from their descriptions it seems there wasn't anything related to Luck or Wisdom, and the others seemed like simplifications of other stats like Strength, Vitality (or Constitution), Charisma and Dexterity (or Agility).
And Stealth took a massive bonus as result from the looks of it.
Okay, Intelligence might be the best if it provides XP bonus to me, if this is anything like a regular game.
On the left, there were descriptions of each attribute, with a number 5, bordered by arrows with the (+) and (–) symbols within.
And on the right, there were pictures of the attributes in question.
A person lifting a massive weight like a circus strongman for Power.
A pumping heart and breathing lungs for Endurance.
One person studying in the library for Intelligence.
Another at full speed doing parkour like a pro for Mobility.
And an eye emerging from the shadows for stealth.
At the end, there was a summary, with arrows going right and left for each number.
And just like that, I was torn between my options.
I was between putting my five remaining points into Intelligence and learning new skills like they were on the biggest sale ever or putting my points into Power, Vitality and Mobility in order to fend for myself even at an early age.
Essentially paving my path to become a mighty god among men.
Problem was that I'm not sure if the max for my stats is capped at 10 or if I will be able to improve each stat while playing the game beyond that.
Probably beyond it, since after a few level ups I should be able to bring them all up to ten, and that's not considering the in-game mechanics to raise them.
Eh, one should always go with a high INT in stories like this, after all, it's the "Smart Move", so I'll raise it up to 10.
Now, I just have to decide what to do about my other stats.
On one hand, I should take all the points away and distribute them evenly, since generalists usually outlive the specialists in life.
But I don't know how much the special stats affect general gameplay.
Maybe they just affected my skills in a mere mathematical sense.
Maybe they affected everything.
So, hesitantly, I distribute all the points from Power, Endurance, Mobility and Stealth.
Power and Endurance to 3, Stealth down to 4, keeping Mobility at 5 and raising my Intelligence to 10.
I pressed my metaphorical finger on the white button labeled "Done" and suddenly…
'WOAH, I'M FEELING A LITTLE STRANGE!'
A chilling feeling ran all over me and in my brain as I felt myself getting…sharper without learning anything new.
Makes sense, I guess.
Okay.
For the first time, I heard the loud sound of a warrior's battle cry ringing in my ears.
And a number appeared in front of me after that…
+1XP
…with a small meter beneath it, showing a little progress from level 1 to level 2.
'Oh boy... I wonder how long I'll have to wait until I can get laid?'
{QUEST ALERT!}
{CONDITIONS: GET LAID.}
{REWARDS: SECRET ITEM}
{DO YOU ACCEPT?}
[YES/NO]
I could swear the system was making fun of me at that point, possibly calling me chicken in ridicule.
'So you've chosen... death.'
I pressed "YES" with no hesitation and…
{QUEST ACCEPTED!}
=================================
LEVEL: 1 (10%)
HP: 10/10
SP: 10/10
ALLEGIANCE:THE IRON THRONE
PWR: <3>
END: <3>
INT: <10>
MOB: <5>
STL: <4>
POINTS: 0
SKILLS: NONE
PERKS: NONE
TIME PLAYING: 0 YEARS
DESCRIPTION: Firstborn son of King Robert Baratheon and Queen Cersei, born just after the end of the recent civil war. The King doesn't expect much of his son and the Queen became bitter with the King after he called another woman's name instead of hers on their first night, so she resented her son indirectly. Having no real past, his future is blank, his potential is in his hands alone.
His lucky signs are Magic, Fortune and Storm.
=================================
{SELECT DIFFICULTY MODE.}
[NORMAL]
[BLOCKED]
[BLOCKED]
…
I selected the only option available, for who knows how many times now, and the moment I did the world moved away and the window disappeared.
{WARNING!!! GAME MECHANICS PATCHED UNCONVENTIONAL SEASONS' UNSTABLE TIMESPAN! NO LONGER YEARS, INSTEAD NOW MONTHS.}
'Well. Hmmm… that's something-HOLLY SHIT! MOTHERFUCKER! MY METAPHORICAL EYES!!! AH! SHIT!!!' I screamed in silence. 'What's happening? Am I dying already?!'
After hearing some voices signaling I had just been born, I attempted to facepalm myself with no success. 'I…oh, don't tell me it's tutorial time?!'
—————————————————————
283 AFTER AEGON'S CONQUEST
KING'S LANDING
Red Keep, at the King's Chambers
QUEEN CERSEI BARATHEON POV
The pain was excruciating.
It felt as though all of my body was on fire as I laboured through the birth of my first child.
One of the midwives pressed cool, damp cloths to my forehead and neck as two others supported my legs.
My brother Jaime gripped my hand as I screamed in pain so loud that I thought the damn storm outside was losing to me.
"You're doing so well!" Jaime said reassuringly as he squeezed my hand and brushed a stray lock of golden hair from my face. "You can do it, just one more push."
Despite the pain, I was grateful for my twin's presence.
My idiot husband was out hunting on the Kingswood as he always did, but I cared only for my other half being by my side in times like this.
With Jaime there, I knew I would be fine.
With one final cry and exertion of effort, my child was born into the waiting hands of Maester Pycelle.
"Congratulations, my Queen!'' Said the midwife as she took the baby from the Grand Maester.
"You gave birth to a healthy boy!"
As I collapsed against the pillows in exhaustion, my body became too weak all of a sudden and my mental strength waning.
Through the cloud of unconsciousness closing in on my mind, panic set in as I realised that the silence was unnatural.
"He's… he's not crying?" I exclaimed frantically. "Why isn't he crying?"
"Shh, sister." Jaime pushed her hair back again and smiled as Pycelle approached the bed with the baby in his arms.
"The young prince is fine, your Grace, only a little quiet. If I recall correctly, I believe your father was the same when his mother Jeyne delivered him." Said the Grand Maester. "Gods be blessed, the baby has a great constitution and a calm temperament. And his heritage is…unquestionable, to say the least."
Pycelle's last comment slipped past my attention as I was too busy sighing in relief.
Satisfied, I gratefully accepted the tiny bundle from the Grand Maester and gathered my firstborn in my arms.
'An older brother for those yet to come.' I thought as I gazed at my newborn.
He had my cheekbones and nose for certain, I immediately noticed his fair skin as well.
Reaching to stroke his tiny face, I brushed the blanket away and stopped mid-movement in shock.
Instead of the sparse strands of golden locks I had long been expecting, my son had a thin layer of deep black hair with half of it being composed of mismatched silver strands.
Immediately looking up at Jaime in surprise, I saw that he too was looking at the babe's hair with confusion.
'This is Robert's son! But these silver strands?' I realised and felt my shock of surprise momentarily winning over my anger.
'How could this have happened?' I finally wondered in horror. 'I was so careful...this should've been Jaime's child!'
Just as the thought crossed her mind, the baby began to stir in my arms and slowly began to open his eyes to take in the world around him.
His gaze focused on me and I saw him mimic my confused expression.
"Those eyes! How can it be?" I muttered, surprised once again.
In his right eye socket, he had a bright blue eye.
Nothing out of the ordinary since it was clear he was Robert's offspring. And Baratheons were well known for their stormy blue eyes.
But on the left eye socket, a violet eye stood.
An irrefutable sign of his Targaryen heritage, as the purple appeared to be something almost magical to behold.
His blood was the blood of old Valyria, the blood of dragons and gods.
Staring at those exotic eyes I saw everything I used to love about both Robert and Rhaegar.
The Stormlord Warrior and the Dragon Prince.
The baby slowly reached out with his tiny hand and took hold of the blanket that was covering him and peaked under it.
Sighing as if he seemed relieved by something, I then watched my son looking around with curiosity in his eyes.
Robert arrived a few minutes later, striding into the room carrying a dirty deer pelt, which he laid on the bed, distracted as I held his son out for him to take.
He took the babe in arms and I watched a frown unlike any I had ever seen before manifest across his face.
It was a face of pure disgust.
"What kind of sick joke the Gods have played on me? Haven't I done enough by allowing one of them to live? The boy is an abomination, are you sure it's healthy despite its appearance?" Ranted the King, finally looking up from his son's face, he returned their son to Pycelle as if the baby was the plague itself. "This dragon spawn is no son of mine!" Robert stated more to himself, but still loud enough to be heard by everyone.
"Don't say such nonsense, my King. The young prince clearly has both traits of your grandparents!" Proclaimed Lord Jon Arryn, who clearly seemed apologetic to me for his ward's behavior.
"Indeed your grace, house Baratheon has also been theorized to possess direct blood ties with Aegon the conqueror himself." Grand Maester Pycelle aided the Lord Hand in convincing the King. "Through his supposed half-brother, after he defeated house Durrandon and took their arms and motto by marrying the defeated King's daughter." He added to support the argument and to subtly defend the name of House Lannister. "Don't worry so much about it, your Grace, that's actually a good sign!"
Before the King could retort back, Jon Arryn spoke up again. "You see, this will not only help you regain favor with some Targaryen Loyalists, but shows everyone that the Gods have recognised your house, a previous branch of the Targaryens, as their legitimate successors."
"What shall we name him, husband?" I asked softly, finding a perfect tool to get my revenge on Robert since he seemed to enjoy my spite.
Robert thought for a moment and then nodded his head decisively. "Durrandon. I'm naming him Durrandon of House Baratheon. Let it be said that, just like my ancestor, Durran Godsgrief, I won't bow down to the gods' sick games."
I raised an eyebrow at that, taking my own moment to mull it over before conceding knowing I would be unable to decline it anyway.
And so, the baby in the King's arms became Durrandon Baratheon, first of his name, first son of King Robert and Queen Cersei, Crown Prince of the Seven Kingdoms.
—————————————————————
DURRANDON BARATHEON POV
{QUEST ALERT!}
{TUTORIAL! AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN THE BASIC, YOU DAMN WELL BETTER TAKE IT!}
{CONDITION: REACH LEVEL 5!}
{REWARD: SECRET MECHANIC}
{DO YOU ACCEPT?}
[YES/NO]
'YES'
{QUEST ACCEPTED!}
There's a VERY GOOD REASON that we don't remember anything from when we are not even a year old.
The weakness, the soiling, the hunger, the sheer helplessness.
Infancy sucks balls when you're fully cognizant dude.
And breastfeeding was NOT as fun as you would think.
Especially since my own mother, the beautiful Cersei, wasn't the one breastfeeding me.
Thankfully the woman that did wasn't bad looking either, but it's hard to enjoy anything in a newborn's body.
Eventually, during one of his visits, my own Grandfather tried to poke my face with his fingers, so I immediately bit it in return.
Hey, gotta be fierce and strong, right?
Besides, I guess I earned some points with Tywin Lannister by mimicking one of his earliest past achievements.
Though honestly It's hard to tell with his usual stern face.
I can only thank the Gods though, having spent half the time asleep.
{YOU ARE THE GAMER! BORN WITH AN UNIQUE PERK!}
{PLAYER'S BODY!}
{GRANTS YOU A BODY THAT ALLOWS FOR THE USER TO LIVE THE REAL WORLD LIKE A GAME.}
{FOOD CONSUMED! NUTRITION VALUE: HIGH. SKILL EXPERIENCE INCREASED BY 25% AND STAT GAIN INCREASED BY 10% FOR THE NEXT SIX HOURS.}
{YOU HAVE TAKEN A LONG REST IN YOUR OWN BED. HP, SP AND MP HAVE BEEN RESTORED 100% EACH. ALL AILMENTS AND NEGATIVE STATUS EFFECTS HAVE BEEN CURED.}
**Short Rest (A period of downtime, at least 1 hour long, during which a character does nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds).
**Long Rest (Requires the character to rest for at least eight hours, of which at least six have to involve sleeping).
Yeah I know, I'm already OP!
BWAHAHAHA!
So far as I can tell, I was the only one capable of seeing these game windows or hearing the pings of notifications from my game system.
Hopefully my habit of staring into 'empty' space won't alarm anyone thinking I was crazy or something like it.
For good measure, I had searched for some kind of "Options setting" in the game menu and made it so I only got alerted for missions and when I leveled up while not having it covering my entire field of view.
I didn't need to get spammed with random notifications every time, even if for the time being my days were spent constantly fighting against my boredom.
Like I said, infancy sucks balls.
Too weak to do anything on my own besides staring around or helplessly flailing my lims around.
But as my senses started to develop, I became aware of an increasing oddity within me.
It was like an electrical current, a thrum of power that hovered just beneath my skin, pumping out of my heart and flowing through my blood vessels.
I wasn't really sure what was freakier, that this frankly powerful feeling existed within my body or that it seemed to be everywhere else in the world as well, though to a much lesser quantity.
Oh, wait.
What I'm feeling is magic!
{PING!}
[SKILL BLOOD EVOLVED!]
[NEW TITLE ACQUIRED!]
[YOU ARE NOW A SORCERER!]
[YOU HAVE BEEN BORN WITH THE BLOOD OF THE DRAGON AND THE DIVINE SOUL OF A STORM DEITY!]
*Magic is in your blood, you breath arcane power, your body is the conduit for the ancient energies that suffuse the cosmos. The fabric of the very world is yours to control as easily as a bird flies or a fish swims.
*Sorcerers carry a magical birthright conferred upon them by an exotic bloodline, some otherworldly influence, or exposure to unknown cosmic forces. No one chooses sorcery; the power chooses the sorcerer.
[MANA BAR UNLOCKED: 1/1]
*Points that fuels your spells.
[MAGIC CONTROL: 1%]
*It symbolizes how much mana you successfully make use of without unnecessarily wasting.
[SORCERY POINTS UNLOCKED: 1]
*You tap into a deep wellspring of magic within yourself. This wellspring is represented by Sorcery points, which allow you to create a variety of magical effects on your spells named Metamagic. Metamagic feature gives you the ability to twist your spells to suit your needs. It allows magical casters to transcend the normal rules of magic and create effects that could be devastatingly powerful. Metamagic allowed spellcasters to augment their abilities in amazing ways.
*You have 1 Sorcery Point, and you gain more as your title reaches higher levels, regaining all spent Sorcery Points when you finish a long rest.
*ERROR! NO METAMAGIC HAS BEEN UNLOCKED FOR YOUR TITLE'S CURRENT LEVEL!
[TRAIT UNLOCKED: DRACONIC BLOODLINE]
*Your innate magic comes from draconic magic that was mingled with your blood or that of your ancestors. Most often, sorcerers with this origin trace their descent back to a mighty sorcerer of ancient times who made a bargain with a dragon or who might even have claimed a dragon parent. Some of these bloodlines are well established in the world, but most are obscure. Any given sorcerer could be the first of a new bloodline, as a result of a pact or some other exceptional circumstance. Whenever you interact with dragons, your chance of bonding with them is vastly superior to regular people. And thanks to a particular condition, the magic of the storm permeates your being as well.
[TRAIT UNLOCKED: DIVINE SOUL]
*Sometimes the spark of magic that fuels a sorcerer comes from a divine source that glimmers within the soul. Having such a blessed soul is a sign that your innate magic might come from a distant but powerful familial connection to a divine being. Perhaps your ancestor was an angel, transformed into a mortal and sent to fight in a god's name. Or your birth might align with an ancient prophecy, marking you as a servant of the gods or a chosen vessel of divine magic. Gods whose portfolios include the Tempest domain govern storms, sea, and sky. They include gods of lightning and thunder, gods of earthquakes, some fire gods, and certain gods of violence, physical strength, and courage. In some pantheons, a god of this domain rules over other deities and is known for swift justice delivered by thunderbolts. In the pantheons of seafaring people, gods of this domain are ocean deities and the patrons of sailors.
'Wow!' Was the first thought that crossed my mind.
I wasn't aware that magic was this common, or that it would've been this easy for me to get a hold of it.
A freaking Sorcerer?!
The blood of the Dragon was a given, but the Storm Deity part was really unexpected.
If I recall correctly, legend says that the Durrandons after Durran Godsgrief hailed from Elenei, a daughter of the sea God and the Goddess of the wind.
And thanks to Orys Baratheon having married the daughter of Argilac, the last Durrandon King, I could claim direct ancestry to that supposed deity.
But the point that I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around was the existence of actual Gods.
I mean, it was a recurring theme in both the books and the Tv series.
Lord of Light here, Drowned god there.
Not to mention the entire religion of the Seven and the cult towards the Old Gods.
Rather not think about all of it for now, that just complicates my plans for the future in any case.
Well, I guess the 1% of control over my reserves of Mana would be the second thing that confuses and annoys me to no end.
Will I need to get my hands on some arcane focus, like a wand or a staff, to bypass that messed up percentage?
Perhaps I can increase it by constantly interacting with the flow of Magic inside me, like I've read in so many fictional stories.
This theory soon resulted in me having most of my days, when I wasn't hungry or in need to go to the bathroom, spent in meditation sessions.
Clearing my head, breathing and attempting to look asleep so I wouldn't be unnecessarily bothered.
[NEW SKILL GAINED!]
[MEDITATION Lv-1 (96%)]
{AN ANCIENT SKILL THAT ALLOWS YOU TO TAKE THE FATIGUE AWAY FROM THE FLESH OF YOUR BODY. AND SO IT IS POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO CURE BODY OR JOINT RELATED NEGATIVE EFFECTS.}
Actually, it was quite relaxing and pretty much the only thing I could do to adequately satisfy my adult mind.
Fortunately it gave me a better sense of the mana pool within me and helped me strengthen my influence over its vague presence inside me.
[NEW SKILL LEARNED!]
[MANA AFFINITY Lv-1 (0%)]
{TECHNIQUE THAT ALLOWS THE USER TO BECOME MORE SENSITIVE TO MANA AND HANDLE IT BETTER, EVENTUALLY LEARNING TO CONTROL IT ARTFULLY.}
[NEW SKILL LEARNED!]
[MANA CAPACITY AND REGENERATION Lv-1 (0%)]
{AN ABILITY GIVEN TO THOSE OF SPECIAL HERITAGE THAT ALLOWS FASTER RECOVERY OF MP ALONGSIDE LARGER RESERVES OF IT.}
In most fiction, when characters meditated, they usually reached higher grounds, becoming capable of using their hidden superpowers to reach some kind of epiphany.
While that was still one of my goals, as a guy who was more or less in an extremely dangerous world and was currently dependent on other people for his safety, I knew that's not how things realistically went.
Unfortunately, beyond increasing my control over my reserves of mana, I acquired no outright OP power that would make things child's play to me.
Well, for now at least.
Regardless, the main reason I did it was that when meditating I forced my brain into a dream-like state, allowing me to process information, store it and handle it much more efficiently.
Which was invaluable for a lot of reasons.
Guess I should thank my choice in raising my Intelligence Stat for this unofficial perk.
The months went on and on before I finally confirmed another big change my arrival had brought to this world.
Westeros's overall climate shifted from arid and dry desert climate in the furthest south to cold and harsh winters in the north and icy wasteland in the Lands of Always Winter in the farthest north, perks of having a continental size I guess.
Both Westeros and Essos usually experienced extremely long seasons of varying length, usually lasting at least a couple of years each.
The Maesters from the Citadel tried to predict the length of the seasons, monitoring the temperature and days length, to advise on when to plant and when to harvest and how much food to store.
However, given the random nature of the seasons, this was not something that could be relied on.
Before my arrival, Westeros had enjoyed an unusually long decade-long summer of peace and plenty, though many feared that an equally long and harsh winter would follow.
Obviously, days were longest in summer, shorter in other seasons, and even shorter in the far north.
In order to circumvent such harsh conditions, food could be grown in a glass garden in winter, though that wasn't anywhere near enough of a solution for the starving small folk.
The thing is, from what I could understand, the year of my birth had been one truly atypical period of time.
After a fierce storm that occurred in the capital city during my birth, the seasons were cycling like they did back from where I came from.
Which was fine by me, especially after learning about my magical lineage, but probably made some people really really worried of it being a sign of the end of times.
Not to mention how this planet's entire life was adapted and relied over these ridiculous long seasons.
But I guess it can't be helped for now.
They will just have to deal with the shorter yet more frequent winters.
Oh, I'm sure the Starks must be rethinking their motto.
Regardless, back to me…
Eventually, my tongue and mouth coordination, plus the appearance of teeth, allowed me to actually communicate with people around me.
Probably because, like in most games, I was getting Proficient with every skill I spent enough time watching or practicing.
Everyone was shocked at how fast I was developing in both mind and body.
But I didn't overdid it, rather not have someone like the Master of Whispers to suspect that I was magical in any way.
I mean, it might seem amazing with lots of XP and all, but for now I'd like to have some fun playing this game.
And let me tell y'all.
Grinding wasn't fun, at least with skills that a child was capable of doing on its own.
So, my time was spent flailing around and eating constantly, trying to build muscle faster than normal babies did without also causing irreparable damage and stunting my growth.
Not sure if it was a risk with the Player's body perk, but I'm not willing to bet on it.
So I kept meditating on my Mana reserves, because it was easier to not rage about how bored I was when I wasn't thinking about anything other than breathing.
You might be thinking I'm just exaggerating and being overly dramatic.
Well…let me tell you something…
During one of my tantrums, which I made sure to have whilst no one was looking, something really silly happened.
(Flashback begins…)
{PING!}
[SKILL ROOT EVOLVED!]
[NEW TITLE ACQUIRED!]
[YOU ARE NOW A BARBARIAN!]
[YOU HAVE AWAKEN THE RAGE OF THE STORMLORDS!]
*Do you want to crush your enemies and see them driven before you? Is your secret that you are always angry? Then go berserk and suppress your pain and fear, allowing yourself to bypass the limitations of your body.
*For every barbarian, rage is a power that fuels not just a battle frenzy but also uncanny reflexes, resilience, and feats of strength. More than a mere emotion, their anger is the ferocity of a cornered predator, the unrelenting assault of a storm, the churning turmoil of the sea.
[TRAIT UNLOCKED: STORM HERALD!]
*Typical barbarians harbor a fury that dwells within. Their rage grants them superior strength, durability, and speed. Barbarians like you follow learn instead to transform their rage into a mantle of primal magic that swirls around them. When in a fury, a barbarian of this path taps into nature to create powerful, magical effects. Your kind hone their craft in elite lodges founded in regions wracked by storms, in the frozen reaches at the world's end, or deep in the hottest deserts. Many with this trait can trace their magic back to a near-death experience caused by the Great Rain, but perhaps you were born during a howling gale so powerful that folk still tell stories of it, or your lineage might include the influence of potent air creatures. Whatever the case, the power of the storm permeates your being.
[TRAIT UNLOCKED: ZEALOT!]
*Some deities inspire their followers to pitch themselves into a ferocious battle fury. These barbarians are zealots, warriors who channel their rage into powerful displays of divine power. A variety of gods across the worlds of the multiverse inspire their followers to embrace this path. In general, the gods who inspire zealots are deities of combat, destruction, and violence. Not all are evil, but few are good.
[FEATURE UNLOCKED: RAGE!]
*In battle, you fight with primal ferocity, gaining the following benefits: You multiply your Power and Endurance Attributes by 1.25x, and the multiplier will continue to grow according to how you level up your title. You have resistance (50% damage reduction) to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. If you are able to cast spells, you can't cast them or concentrate on them while raging. Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or voluntarily choose to end it. Once you have raged the maximum number of times for your Title level, you must finish a long rest before you can rage again.
'WTF?!' I thought, unintentionally ripping apart one of my favorite toys before throwing its head out of the window. 'Fuck!'
[NEW SKILL LEARNED!]
[TEAR OFF Lv-1 (0%)]
{THE ACTION OF TEAR SOMETHING OR SOMEONE OFF WITH A STRONG GRIP. IT…
'Fuck off!' I mentally shouted while dismissing the window before me..
My heartbeat increased to the point that I could actually hear it, I hyperventilated and felt the muscles of my little body strain painfully under my wrath, which actually granted me the ability to stand up by myself and take a few steps out of bed.
I found myself in an unbridled, unquenchable, and unthinking state of mind.
And even though I barely had a frame of reference to compare it to, I was almost sure that time flowed at a slightly slower pace while a breeze swirled around me with an electrifying feel.
It actually felt as if I just went Super Saiyan, which was really dope.
And I would have continued to endure the stress I was being put under if not for my lack of restraint in making noises and reckless movements.
Perhaps if I was older my angry scream might've been more than a puny wailing, ideally an intimidating battlecry.
But at least I wasn't forced to wait an entire minute for this frenzy to go away, since not long after one of my caretakers, who must have heard one of my screams, had almost caught me accomplishing feats of strength I wasn't supposed to be capable of at my current age.
Regardless, by the time I was no longer alone in my chamber, I didn't need to pretend to be asleep once I closed my eyes, and felt my small body sore and throbbing with pain.
From the wave of lethargy sweeping over me, I concluded it suppressed the physiological and subconscious systems of the human body which would normally prevent a person from exerting enough force to injure themselves.
It does this by eliminating the distress caused by pain; I wager that I could still feel pain as a sensation, but my mind did not interpret the pain as being a problem, allowing for it to simply be ignored in order to surpass my limits.
Though I could at least be assured that some amount of healing was involved in the process, or I would've most likely crippled my small body with the exertion.
However, to which extent it apply was unknown to me, so overexertion and debilitating injuries could still be a factor.
I also felt that this state invoked a tremendous bloodlust on me, amplifying negative emotions like hate and anger to enable me to fight harder.
This could potentially backfire as I continue to grow stronger if I don't actively check my negative emotions, the Rage could consume my psyche, turning me into a feral, bloodthirsty monster that no longer differentiate between friend and foe.
My poor little Lion toy being the first victim to that choleric wrath.
I need a way of resisting, if not outright ignoring, mental disorder.
Raging like that was a very intense experience, clearly, but I couldn't help but think about how useful it would be for me in the times to come, especially if I could cloak myself with storming powers.
(Flashback ends…)
Yeah, stupidly lucky on my part back then, but I wasn't going to complain about it.
By the way, while under the scrutiny of others, I was a very cool child.
It's true.
Something I ended up figuring out as I grew older was that my favorite person was the person that was responsible for feeding me, the midwife named Jayne.
She helped me to get the immensely useful Observe skill, not that she was aware of it, mind you.
{THROUGH CONTINUOUS OBSERVATION, A SKILL TO OBSERVE OBJECTS, SITUATIONS AND PERSON WAS GENERATED ALLOWED THE USER TO QUICKLY GATHER INFORMATION. THE HIGHER THE SKILL, THE GREATER THE DATA OBTAINED.}
{OBSERVE LV-1 (10%)}
{BY OBSERVING A TARGET, YOU WILL GET INFORMATION ABOUT IT. LEVEL, NAME AND BRIEF INFO.}
{JAYNE WATERS}
{LV: 21}
{One of the midwives assigned to care for Durrandon Baratheon, the Crown Prince. Her duties also include washing, cooking and assisting with any housekeeping affairs. Jayne likes the Crown Prince and thinks he is a good boy, even if at times he gives her the creeps.}
In a way, that made me feel better, but it also made me feel awkward in lots of different ways.
In fact…I don't like thinking about it.
I was fed and that was that.
Just need to act more "normally" around her.
Eventually, I was able to sit up on my own without needing to go Berserk.
Even more impressively, I was able to start walking when I was barely a year old!
Or should I say, just after knowing my first name day.
{DUE TO CONSTANT USAGE SKILL HAS EVOLVED! RUNNING Lv-4 (30%)}
{PASSIVELY INCREASES MOVEMENT SPEED AND THE SPEED WILL INCREASE FURTHER WHEN ACTIVE. YOU CAN TRAVERSE LONGER DISTANCES QUICKER AND FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME.}
{COSTS -10 SP PER MINUTE. MAX VELOCITY: 2 KM/H.}
Yay!
Look at me, getting all mobile and stuff!
I'm just the most awesome little thing, just need to improve this Stamina bar of mine.
In any case…
My life in Maegor's Holdfast, a massive square fortress inside the heart of the Red Keep, a castle-within-a-castle if you will, wasn't bad either.
Granted, I didn't really socialize much, but there wasn't much I could do being the Crown Prince and all.
So most of my time was spent in my own room, where there were various toys for me to play with.
Fake, baby proofed swords and shields that looked more like kitchen knives and plates, were my favorite.
Though the other stuffed animals were close behind.
All of them made me excited for the future whenever I saw them.
Only thing missing was the Lion toy I threw away while raging for the first time.
All in all, life was good.
With enough effort, I managed to Level up twice both of my Sorcerer and Barbarian titles once before reaching level 5 on my overall character.
I spent most of my time just having fun, enjoying what I could, being a very young pretentious child aiming to become a prodigy.
Speaking of it, the first perk I bought was…
Slowly, I scrolled down the available perk list, looking at everything new featured on it.
'Hum, Inventory!'
{PERKS}
<AVAILABLE PERKS>
{PRODIGY} (COST 2 POINTS)
*You have a knack for learning new things. You gain the following benefits: You permanently double the XP gained from performing actions and completing quests. Increase your Intelligence by 1.
'Only two perk points?! That's just ridiculous!' I thought with an expression of disbelief.
Obviously, I was a completionist, so by my third name day I was already doing every quest I could find around as I explored Maegor's Holdfast.
Not making noises during the night, eating in the appropriate periods of time or keeping my bedchamber arranged neatly and in order were the bare minimum for me.
Delivering messages and small packages here and there were the exceptional cases where I got some extra amount of XP.
Which killed two birds with one stone, since I got the best excuse for venturing out of my bedchamber by myself.
The Holdfast laid behind walls twelve feet thick and a dried moat lined with a bed of formidable iron spikes surrounding it, as a drawbridge spanned the moat.
The only way in or out of Maegor's was across the drawbridge, with a knight of the Kingsguard being usually posted at its far end.
The royal apartments were located here, with the King's bedchamber having a canopied bed and twin hearths, though I barely spent time there for obvious reasons.
The Queen's Ballroom was much smaller than the Great Hall of the Red Keep or the Small Hall of the Tower of the Hand, but it was just as busy with my mother's parties, seemingly competing with my Father's tourneys.
As the graceful ballroom could sit one hundred and had beaten silver mirrors behind the wall sconces which made its torchlight seem twice as bright. Its walls were paneled with richly carved wood and it had a gallery above the main floor with high arched windows sitting along the south wall.
Here in Maegor's Holdfast, every servant was in the Queen's pay, but I got quite the reputation for doing helpful tasks around the castle and rigorously attending lessons with Grand Maester Pycelle.
"You've learned to read at such an early age that it appears that your mother, the queen, had swallowed some books and a candle during her pregnancy." The old Grand Maester complimented me once.
The perfect teacher to maximize my intelligence grinding.
"Minds are like swords, I do fear. The old ones go to rust if not well maintained and properly challenged." He constantly told me, probably seeking to inspire me.
Like Tyrion will one day say: Pycelle is a toad. But better a Lannister toad then an enemy (Tyrell) toad, no?
And as far as he was concerned, regardless of physical attributes, I was a Lannister through and through.
So this Jack-of-all-trades was perfect for the growing spurts I found myself in, regardless if he was really a master of none.
Or should I say, Archmaester of nothing.
{DUE TO YOU PAYING ATTENTION IN ALL YOUR CLASSES, YOU GET +1 INT!}
All things considered, my new family took some getting used to.
My new dad was as headstrong and self-destructive as the books made him out to be, though it wasn't quite unmanageable at this point as he could still be mistaken by a competent ruler and a fearsome warrior.
Though he reminded me a lot of Henry Cavil, which was a little weird when I first saw him, given he behaved nothing like the British actor.
Most noticeable downside of our relationship was that he hated my guts.
Likewise then.
In all seriousness, it was more of a petty animosity towards my Targaryen features, not the bloodthirsty vendetta he was known to have for pure-blood "dragonspawn".
Lucky for me I guess.
Well loved by soldiers, Robert was well known for his bravery, but also for his headstrongness, rashness and impatience.
He was proud and didn't back down on words spoken in a drunken bravado.
Father was as strong as a bull and fearless in battle, loving the song of swords and considers poison to be a coward's weapon.
As long as they are honest and brave, Robert could be merciful towards his defeated enemies, and he could inspire loyalty and friendship in those he spares.
The only exception are the Targaryens; his hatred for them is a madness within him.
Robert was also a man of huge appetites, who knew how to take his pleasures, being quite promiscuous and has fathered multiple bastard children, not to mention him being an avid hunter.
His lusts were the subject of ribald drinking songs throughout the realm.
As king, Robert was no longer used to someone disagreeing with him, and he can be manipulated by others if advised not to do something, experienced at closing his eyes to things he would rather not see.
Like for example the murder of Rhaegar's family, under the order of my grandfather, Tywin Lannister, who sought to demonstrate his loyalty towards my rebelling father.
As king, Robert is not loath to impose upon the hospitality of his subjects, no matter whether it is voluntarily or forced.
At the same time, however, Robert possesses a great, but rather careless, generosity.
Some of Robert's favorite songs were "A Cask of Ale", "Fifty-Four Tuns" and "The Bear and the Maiden Fair."
Either a great blustering oaf or a fool to those serving him, mother considered him to be an ignorant, dumb, slow-witted, drunken brute of a man, who does not have the ruthless streak she believes a king requires.
Speaking of my mother, Cersei…
Looking very much like a younger version of the famous actress Charlize Theron, Mother was hot as fuc... I mean sweet, always carrying herself with arrogance, as if no one else was worth her time.
Cersei was willful, ambitious and had a certain low cunning.
Being well known for her hunger and greediness for power, mother believed herself to be subtle and politically astute.
She hates being excluded from power on account of her gender, resenting the customs and conventions put on her because she was female.
She likes to think of herself as a female version of her father, and feels slighted when people do not obey her commands as they would have done for Lord Tywin, but instead give her their counsel, or disagree with her, which she faults on her gender.
Which results in her becoming impatient, never forgetting a slight, whether real or imagined, considering caution to be cowardice and disagreement for defiance.
Her quick temper and her easily wounded pride would frequently lead her to make rash decisions, and she rarely considers what unintended consequences her actions might have.
Also, Cersei does not shy away from using sex as a weapon or as a leverage and manipulating tool.
Oh, and it was plain obvious that she mostly cared for me in order to spite Robert.
I took the opportunity of those instances to slowly have her warm towards me.
Oh, and to spend time with my siblings.
Yeah, you heard me right.
Siblings, in plural.
It seems that the butterfly effect had changed events prior to children's birth and probably wouldn't ensure that the exact child would still be conceived.
Perhaps those around my age, or far away enough from my influence, might have a bigger chance to beat the odds again.
Thinking about the Stark children in particular, but that could apply to any other character younger than me.
But I digress…
After having me, my mother had twins, a boy and a girl.
And you guessed it right, both had golden hair and emerald eyes.
They might be precisely what will cause the war after my father's death, unless I manage to course correct it somehow.
Their names were Lann and Joanna, and funnily enough, they hated each other's guts.
Well, as much as babies could actually hate.
Since my father had chosen my name in order to show his preference for the ruling house of the Stormlands before the conquest, mother decided to pay homage to her own house.
Although you would be a fool to think she wouldn't be reckless enough to suggest naming my little half brother as Lannister, not regarding the delicate position they were with me as the trueborn Baratheon.
Regardless of that, I quickly grew to care for the golden twins.
And as much as they couldn't stand each other, I was the single thing that made them behave.
Still restricted to the Holdfast, I didn't have the opportunity to often meet with Jon Arryn and my uncles, much less explore the rest of the Red Keep.
So I kept mostly to myself, exploring the possibilities with my Font of Magic and Barbaric Rage whenever I could.
Learning and raising stats and skill while also earning all the XP I could with the Quests I had available to me.
Alas, it was a very long, yet very very pleasant tutorial.
{YOU HAVE GAINED A LEVEL!}
Finally!
I was already fed up with three years of being stuck on a tutorial.
{QUEST COMPLETED!}
{TUTORIAL! AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN THE BASIC, YOU DAMN WELL BETTER TAKE IT!}
{CONDITION: REACH LEVEL 5!}
{REWARD: ACCESS TO THE NEXUS' MARKET}
Well, how about that?
=================================
TITLE: Durrandon Baratheon (Sorcerer-Lv3/Barbarian-Lv3)
LEVEL: 5 (0%)
HP: 50/50
SP: 50/50
MP: 5/5*
MAGIC CONTROL:25%
SORCERY POINTS: 3
BARBARIC RAGE: 3
ALLEGIANCE: The Iron Throne
PWR: <6>
END: <6>
MOB: <8>
INT: <12>
STL: <6>
MAG: 3*
POINTS: 22
SKILLS: ~open list~
PERKS: Player's Body/ Prodigy
FEATURES: ~open list~
TRAITS: ~open list~
TIME PLAYED: 3 YEARS
($) {MARKET}
—————————————————————
(26/07/2020)
(27/09/2021)
(07/04/2022)
*Hey there! Thanks for reading my work and I hope this chapter is of your liking.
I know starting our journey from the birth of our MC might not be a very popular decision.
But I wanted to try my hand and make, what I myself considered a boring period of someone's life, something new and interesting.
As I previously mentioned in my previous chapter, I'm still trying to make the best system that, at the same time is fun, helps me build a story with immersive weight on my character's progression and adds depth to his interactions with the world around him.
Any ideas for perks, skills and anything else that might be a good match with my fic is more than welcomed.
I might not use anything, but you will have my gratitude for trying.
If this chapter is a mess of grammatical errors, please wait until I promptly try to fix it, but for that I need your feedback.
I do recommend the channel "Tierzoo" on YouTube. There you will learn that we already live in a video game. 🎮 And have a better understanding of how I view the Video Game aspect of this fic.
**Apologies if the constant rework of my work is growing tiresome. 😅
