Chapter 6

The next day we woke up bright and early to break camp and start riding back to Winterfell. The ride was relatively short but I was pretty sure I caught a cold from sleeping in the tent as I kept sneezing the whole time.

'God I can't wait until I get the Periapt of Health then I won't have to worry about getting sick' I thought to myself as I used Prestidigitation to wipe my nose yet again. 'Plus immunity to diseases means I could actually find me a couple women without having to worry about catching the plague or something'

I was pulled from my thoughts when Eric rode up next to me "So now that you have the full hospitality of Winterfell think you're going to stay here?" he questioned.

"I won't lie, the thought crossed my mind but no. I have too much to see and do to just live a cushy life up here in the North" I said matter of factly.

"Heh that's a relief had you wanted to stay me and Kristoff would have left. This cold is too much for us to bear. But I'm sure you know that" he said, gesturing to my nose which was running again.

I quickly wiped my nose with my sleeve before replying "Yeah the weather here isn't the greatest and my body isn't built for the cold"

"Well lucky for you then that those Shadow Cat pelts make the finest material to craft some furs with. Even lords own a pair" he said tossing a look behind us where a cart held the spoils of the night.

"Wait actually I might try my hand at crafting it myself" I said thinking about how I could possibly use the materials to make a wondrous item.

"No offense lad but what would you know about making cloaks?" Said Kristoff riding up next to to me

"Admittedly not much but I think with a little help from my gifts I can get by" I said, making a flame light in my hand.

Eric let out a scoff at that "Cheat at everything don't yah?".

"We'll what can I say if you got a gift you got to use it" I said giving them both a smug look.

They rolled their eyes and fell back in line with some of the other guards leaving me to think on what I'd like to craft with the pelts. The only problem is that magic items were crazy expensive , right now with my measly 500 gold I couldn't craft anything good. I just hoped the materials from the corpses let me go beyond what I had on hand. There was also the possibility of getting Lord Stark to front the cash first so I could slowly build up my wealth but I would have to show him something first as a proof of concept plus even then I was still limited by my low spellcraft rank.

I kept thinking on what to make while we made our way to Winterfell and when we finally arrived I finally had an epiphany seeing Sansa waiting for us at the gates. See most lords didn't have a need for any low tier magical items but the ladies on the other hand would go positively bonkers for most of the items I had to sell. The first item that came to mind were the Sleeves of Many Garments.

While the item wasn't very appealing for a game setting in real life it would do wonders. This item allowed the user to transform their current clothing into any set of mundane clothing they could think of. I would of course be making a set for myself since I'd be traveling to a lot of different places but such an item would do numbers with noble women. Instead of having to waste hours sewing a dress themselves or buying an expensive dress they could just imagine what they wanted and it would appear on them. With that in mind I said my farewells , promising to swing by later for a feast that would be held in our honor tonight.

Eric and Kristoff accompanied me to the market and with their help I acquired a couple of yards of cloth that I would be using in my crafting. I had them bring the cloth to my room telling them to leave me alone for a couple of hours. I didn't really understand how to begin the process so I simply focused on the item I wanted to create in my mind.

Dc: 5+1(CL)=6

Spellcraft: 18 (Success)

I felt as if something clicked in my mind and my hands immediately got to work cutting and sewing the cloth. It was a weird feeling as I wasn't fully in control of my actions with my hands just seemingly having a mind of its own. When I finished up the outline of the cloth tubes I felt as my magic activated casting Disguise Self using one of my spells for the day. Unlike the previous times I used my magic it didn't feel as if the whole spell was cast but simply channeled a continuous effect on the item. It took forever until I felt like I was finished but eventually I regained full control of myself and inspected the item. The item itself didn't look like anything special, just some normal looking white cloth sleeves so I decided to test them out myself.

Grabbing the two sleeves I pulled them on before moving to a mirror. I focused on what I wanted, thinking about transforming my clothes into a tuxedo. Before my eyes my set of travelers clothes transformed into a nice tuxedo which was perfectly tailored and ironed.

"Phew, I look damn good," I said, letting out a whistle and inspecting myself. "But these aren't for me just yet", I said, taking the sleeves off. As soon as one sleeve was taken off the clothes reverted back to normal.

With that over and done with, I went back downstairs to the two knights who informed me the whole process had taken about 2 hours. Seeing as it was still early in the day and the feast wouldn't be until night I wanted to take the chance to try out my new spells. To do so we left the inn and rode for a bit until we reached a small field with a few trees away from the public eye.

The first spell I tested was Disguise Self. I decided to do so by playing a prank on my two knight companions. "Hey I'm going to go take a pee over by that tree no one look over here" I called out to them.

"Sure sure noone wants to see your little viper just be quick about it." said Kristoff.

With that I went behind a tree and whispered "Disguise Self" while focusing on the form of Ned Stark in my mind. "Hey Kristoff you said you thought Lord Stark was a stick in the mud when you met him right" I yelled out, still hidden behind the tree. "Well yeah he carries himself with such an air of nobility like none of us can hold a candle to him. I bet he isn't all that."

With that I walked out of the cover of the tree and yelled "Done" over to them. The first to turn around was Kristoff who upon seeing me was surprised.

"L-Lord Stark, what brings you out here?" he said in a polite tone looking around possibly for me "I don't know what you heard but it was all a joke see".

Eric on the other hand didn't speak for a moment and stared at me with a scrutinizing look. "That's you aint it John?" he asked warily.

"Ha you got me. I learned a new magic," I said laughing.

Kristoff gave me a glare "Now why would you do that? Almost scared the pants off me. I thought I was going to have my head chopped off or something".

"Why else would I do it? It was funny, "I said, making goofy faces using Ned Stark's face.

The two laughed until Eric spoke up "While your new trick is entertaining just as much as it is unsettling, is there a reason you had to drag us out into the cold?"

"Well actually yes I wanted to have a spar with both of you and I'll be using my magic so I didn't want to scare the common folk" I said, summoning my Tattoo sword.

"Alright then I suppose I'll go first and pay you back for that little joke," said Kristoff, stepping up.

"Oh I think you misunderstood, I wanted to fight you both at the same time," I said grinning.

"Firstly stop doing whatever you're doing to make it look like you're Lord Stark it's unnatural. And secondly you may be a decent fighter but what makes you think you could take us both on?" spoke Eric from Kristoffs side.

"Well I plan to use my magic but just to make it fair I won't use anything damaging just some of my utility spells"

"Well looks like he's gotten too big for his britches hasn't he Kristoff?

"Yes he has, let's remind him why we got knighted", said Eric smiling toward his companion.

The three of us stood spread out from each other and drew our training swords. I counted down from 3 to begin.

Initiative

John: 18

Eric 14

Kristoff: 6

By pure unadulterated luck I beat the 2 experienced men and sprang to action first. I decided to fight dirty right out the gate moving up to angle myself perfectly to get them both and casting Glitterdust "Get blinded" I yelled.

DC: 16

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Thankfully the spell managed to blind Eric while Kristoff managed to avoid it as his eyes were closed. Eric's hands immediately flew to his eyes as he took a few steps back attempting to disengage and get the glitter out of his eyes.

Will save 15 vs 16 Fail

I wanted to capitalize on his blindness but Kristoff immediately went on the offensive crossing the distance between us and attempted to slash out with his sword (15). I dodged the blow and struck out with my own (25). The sword slashed him across the arm hard causing him to yell out in pain (7 dmg). Eric however was not idle himself and by the time I had looked back at him he had managed to rub the glitter from his eyes and was coming in for a strike to my left attempting to box me in (18). Due to being off balance from the flank his blow rang true hitting me in the stomach and causing me to lose some air (4 dmg). "That's the best you got?" I said taunting him. The taunt did not pay off however as Kristoff capitalized on the encirclement himself and hit me in the arm (19) (4 dmg) causing me to wince from the pain. Seeing as how I was getting destroyed in this close range I took a step back and casted Grease on the two of them.

Dc 15

Eric 3

Kristoff 18

Thankfully Eric did not get his footing in time and slipped, falling prone. Eric quickly tried to get up but his focus on getting up left him wide open to an attack and I struck out hitting him with my sword (18). The blow caught him off guard in the back (6 dmg) and I heard as he let out an oomph from the hit. The strike did not cause him to waver however and he struck out at me the second he got his footing (12). I easily dodged the blow and had just enough time to notice Kristoff trying to move closer to me through the greased terrain. While he didnt fall, his careful steps caused him to move slowly toward me leaving me to deal with Eric alone for a second.

Not wanting to miss the chance I engaged with Eric again (24) scoring a nice blow to his abdomen with a quick thrust (9 dmg). The strike wasn't enough to take him out and if anything seemed to make him mad as he went for an overhead strike yelling to emphasize its power (Power attack). The power behind the strike was evident but what he put into power he seemed to take from its accuracy as I was able to side step the strike quite easily. I had no time to taunt him however as Kristoff was finally back in the fight coming to his companions' aid to hit me (20). The blow struck me in the leg (5 dmg) but it was not enough to cause me to kneel as I suspected he wanted. I knew I had to end this and fast so I targeted Eric who was the most damaged and went for a power attack. I yelled as I put all my strength into the attack, slashing at his chest (23). The blow hit him square in the chest creating a gong as it struck his armor sending him flying back a few feet (12 dmg). The blow seemed to knock him out cold, taking him out of the fight.

Despite knowing he probably wouldn't beat me, Kristoff continued the spar. He slashed out with a quick strike that hit me right on the ribs (6 dmg). The blows were actually starting to wear me down and a few more good hits and I could potentially lose. I decided to use the same tactic of Power Attacking going for the finisher on Kristoff (18). I struck out with an overhead blow which powered through his attempt to block, causing the blow to deflect along his sword for a diagonal blow. Regardless, the strength behind the blow was enough to knock him to the ground and out of the fight. I spent a few moments after the fight catching my breath before I started casting healing spells on all of us to make sure everyone was in tiptop shape. The healing worked its magic and the bruises that had already been forming disappeared within moments and less than a minute later the two men rose out of their slumber with a groan.

"Wakey wakey knights , what was it you were saying about me getting too big for my britches?" I said with a wide smile.

"Yeah yeah , shut it kid. The only reason you won was because of all the blinding and tripping you did. In a straight fight we'd take you." said Kristoff as he got up and dusted himself off.

"Well duh but I'm not keen on even fighting. I fight to win none of that honor stuff for me."

After a bit more salty comments from the two of them we packed up and rode back towards Winterfell to prepare for the feast.

By the time we got back it was time to go back to have dinner with the Starks. We were all considerably dirty. We returned to the inn to change into some different clothing and refresh ourselves and with that we were off.

The Winterfell guards escorted us to the dining area where we were sat at a large oak table. As was custom the guests were seated first so Kristoff, Eric, and I took our seats at the end of the table awaiting our hosts. Theon and Jon were the next to arrive clapping me on the back as they took their own seats at the table. Finally all the Starks, even the youngest Rickon , who I hadn't seen much of, arrived at the hall.

Lord Stark spoke first "We welcome our guest John Sand and his retinue to break bread with us. The north remembers its debt and saving the lives of Robb, Jon and Theon has made you a friend of our house." he said raising his cup. "Here here," said Robb.

"Thank you thank you and now in the spirit of friendship I would like to present Lady Sansa with a gift and you Lord Stark with an opportunity." At my announcement Sansa became visibly excited.

"And what kind of gift would this be? While we are grateful, betrothal is off the table. Sansa cannot marry a bastard" Said Catelyn from her place at Sansa's side. The bastard comment made Jon wince a bit but I took it in stride.

"Oh no no nothing of the sort," I said, producing the sleeves from my coat. "Now while they dont look like much these sleeves have the power to change your clothes into anything you can imagine" I said as I slipped the sleeves onto myself. "For example this". At my words my clothes turned into a bright multi colored clown suit. ""What do you think stylish right? "I said, looking over to Rickon and making a silly face.

Performance comedy: 29

This elicited some laughter from the younger starks and Theon rolled his eyes. "But in all seriousness it can do much more," I said, swapping out the clown suit for some more formal wear in the form of a tuxedo. "Now then enough of that here how about you try it" I said, passing the sleeves to Sansa. She gracefully slipped them on "How do i make them work?"

"Just close your eyes and focus on what you want to appear".

We all watched as Sansas clothing transformed into a beautiful white dress. She looked down on it and smiled "Its perfect thank you John" she said doing a small curtsey.I nodded my head at her giving her a smile "Of course my lady a beautiful girl should have an equally as beautiful dress"

Charisma: 21

Sansas cheeks turned red as she looked away and Lord Stark took this time to clear his throat "You mentioned this gift came with an opportunity as well?"

"Yes well this is just a new application of my gifts but the process is expensive and time consuming. I plan to start selling these items as well as others but to do that I need money so I am prepared to offer you my services at a premium friendship discount to get me up and running "I said with a smile.

"We will talk more on this later then but for now let us enjoy our meal" said Lord stark motioning toward the food.

"Of course thank you" I said, taking my seat again. The rest of the dinner was nice and I of course ended up retelling the story of last night's events for the ones who weren't there last night. This time I didn't have the ambiance the smoking images provided but I feel I was still able to properly convey how harrowing the adventure was.

Perform Oratory 20

"I swear the story gets more unrealistic each time you tell it," said Theon next to me.

"Well I liked the story. It's much better than the ones Old Nan tells,"said Bran. This elicited a laugh from the others at the table.

"I have one more gift for everyone", I said, signaling toward Eric and Kristoff who each produced a bundle of bread which we placed in front of everyone.

"Am I missing something? It's just bread?", questioned Jon inspecting the loaf in front of him.

"Well why don't you try it" I said wiggling my eyebrows at him

I watched as he took a bite and his eyes lit up "This is good it has such a sweet taste".

"Of course I see that is the taste of chocolate it's very rare but with my power I was able to recreate the taste for you all". Everyone followed Jons lead, eating the bread and letting out similar sounds of pleasure. The biggest fan was Arya who stole some of the bread off of Rickon's plate making the poor baby cry and causing her to get chastised by her mother.

With dessert over, the dinner ended and I was invited by lord stark to his office area for an official chat while Kristoff and Eric left back to the inn we were staying at.

"Now then onto business these sleeves of yours, how much do they cost to make and how much will you be selling them for?" he said, putting his hands on the table.

As I had no reason to lie I told the truth without price gouging. "Well it costs me 100 gold to create the items , I was thinking of selling them for 300 gold as it would mostly be a luxury item aimed toward nobles but for you i'll sell them for 150 gold".

"Hmm, a gracious discount. How long does it take you to produce them?"

" Well I haven't really tested my max speed but I think I can make at least 5 in a day".

Well my wife will of course want one as well as Arya but with what you did earlier with your outfit I could see the boys benefiting from a pair as well. That would come up to 7 total then. This should keep Catelyn from saying I don't buy her anything, he joked.

I chuckled at his joke as the only thing that came on my mind was the sound of cash registers. "Sadly these bracers are all I can make at the moment but upon my next visit I'm sure I'll have some better items to offer you."

"This is enough, my family and I aren't ones for being extravagant unlike the southerners. I also wanted to ask , the boys told me you plan to head to East Watch?"

"Oh yes that is the plan. Me and my companions plan to take a boat to Essos from there".

"And what business would you have in Essos?"

"Well nothing in particular but i'd like to explore the world plus i'm sure there's a plethora of rich people to buy my wares over there."

With that we exchanged a few more pleasantries before I was sent away and retreated back to the inn to turn in for the night. Over the course of the next several days I spent my time sparring with everyone and crafting. I also finally got around to using the 2 Shadow cat pelts to craft some items. Unlike the mundane cloth I had used to craft the first time I was able to use the pelts as the primary material for the magic items. Using one of the pelts I made myself an item, and while it used up the small pelt completely it was enough to make a Vest of Endure Elements. The vest was a bit odd as it didn't do anything immediately and it took 2 days of wearing it off and on until it kicked in and I felt that the cold was nothing more than a light breeze. While it did feel like a bit of a waste of expensive material there wasn't really much I could do being so broke. Seeing as I didn't want to waste the second pelt I used it to craft myself a Cloak of Resistance as well. Now instead of looking like a particularly handsome traveler I instead looked like a dark and mysterious edgelord with my new imposing vest and cloak combination.

When it was finally time to leave I threw a small party with everyone as we drank the night away. During this time Jon told me of his plans to go join the night's watch and I told him it was a great idea but to wait at least a year more and that I'd probably be back before he did. With that it was finally time to leave Winterfell and I had to admit I'd miss the place. Not for the location or the cold but the people here weren't half bad and I had come to grow close to all the starks. Speaking of which it seemed like I had gained an admirer in the form of Sansa who I would always see lurking at the edge of the training grounds with her lackey Jeyne Poole at her side. While I did find it flattering she was much too young for me so I did not act on it at all and would just politely make conversation when she would come around.

With everything packed up and ready to go we got on our horses and set off along the Kingsroad toward the wall. The plan was to go along the Kingsroad and then diverge off of it to reach Last Hearth before heading toward East Watch from there. I had originally wanted to just head to Castle Black and follow the wall to East Watch but I was outvoted by my two companions who insisted on stopping in Last Hearth for some rest and relaxation instead of camping in the cold.