Chaptet 6: Accounting

As i checked the finances of the North i can't help but be disappointed. We are poorest kingdom except iron islands. At least when we speak about golden dragons. On population front we probably have more population than Dorne or Vale, comparable to Stormlands i think.

Main difference is that we produce too little to survive. Other Kingdoms don't need to buy as much as we need from outside.

We earn less gold because we don't sell anything outside other than things like wood or fur. And any gold we earn spent on food.

Before Ned left King's Landing he had a lot of talks with Jon Arryn so he even wrote down other Kingdoms earnings and taxes they pay.

According to Ned each Great House pay %20 taxes on taxes they gathered from their bannerman and same %20 tax imposed on their direct territory. In addition to that some Kingdoms also obligated to pay certain taxes in goods like the North in wood, the Reach and the Riverlands in grain, the Vale in building materials such as marble.

Iron islands doesn't pay any tax in gold as they are poorest, in fact they are so small in economy, population or even land size the only reason they are even a Lord Paramount because nobody wanted to deal with them since The Conquest. They just pay in literal iron.

Individual Kingdoms have different tax laws imposed on their vassal lords. For example the Lannisters are not the only house with gold or other type of mine in Westerlands, but they have majority and they also tax so much they earn more than the actual owner of the land. The Reach and the Riverlands have very low amounts they tax in gold. They instead tax in food and Tullys and Tyrells sell that food to other Kingdoms.

We in the north have a very high tax on gold because as House Stark we negotiate with Southern Houses for food and distribute that food in according to taxes payed by each house. It is no wonder the North so loyal to House Stark it is more tax free in practice than rest or the Seven Kingdoms.

One thing to note House Stark doesn't do this because there is an agreement because we have to feed the North or the Lords either would rebel or just don't pay taxes.

The Lords also buy their own food but majority of their food is responsibility of the House Stark. This make sense, if it wasn't like this houses close to south would get cheaper food while Houses close to wall would need to pay more.

Taxes payed on average by Northern Houses as follows:

House Umber : 9.000

House Karstark : 9.000

House Bolton : 10.000

House Manderly : 22.000

House Locke : 2.000

House Woolfield: 2.000

House Flint of Widow's Watch : 2.000

House Flint of Flint's Finger 2.000

House Hornwood : 2000

House House Reed : 6000

House Dustin : 9.000

House Ryswell : 10.000

House Glover : 5.000

House Tallhart : 4.000

House Cerwyn : 4.000

House Mormont : 1.000

Mountain Clans : 1.000

Total : 100.000

This amount are %50 of the gold they earn. House Stark from it's direct territory earns 30.000 golden dragons. Making our annual revenue 130.000 golden dragons of which %20 taxed leaving us with 104.000 golden dragons. We buy food spending 80.000 golden dragons annually.

Which leaves us with 24.000 golden dragons we can use for ourselves. 14.000 of that used for our annual expenses such as food we buy for ourselves, in addition to joint purchase, knights and guards in our employ, pay of the servants. Basically any spending we make for House Stark and Winterfell.

10.000 golden dragons we didn't spent are put into our treasury. Half goes to official one other half goes to the one in secret crypt chambers.

This leaves me with a single golden dragon in my hand i am playing with while thinking how the hell am i going to fund my projects.

. I can't spent the coin we have in our treasury because we might need that for emergency expenses and we supposed to use that in winter. Also it is like 100.000 golden dragons. Which isn't a lot. Besides i might need that coin for winter. It would be stupid to spend that coin before i start solving our main problems

Secret treasury should have close to 200.000 but i might need that money for our more dishonest actions.

You know what would be great? If Eddard wrote his King buddy asking for a 5 year tax break. So the allies who won him the crown can get a much needed break to heal their wounds.

Main problem with that would be members of small council who might argue it is not fair but i hardly think Robert would care. Jon Arryn would but not enough to do anything about it. So i told Ned to write a letter respectfully asking for a tax break.

If we get a annual tax break for 5 years i can get an additional 26.000 golden dragons annually. It would fund my first projects mainly farms and if i am using my compass correctly gold mines.

Yes that's right those fanfictions were right according to my compass, which is more advanced than i first thought, Stark lands has around 5 places with gold ore that i am hoping could be turned into mine.

My compass is works with intent. It can respond to commands much more advanced than saying find gold. I need to specify my desire to it. If i only ask for gold it would just point to nearest gold coin.

Instead i ask for gold ore that yet to be mined, somewhere i can establish a gold mine, and it actually shows it. I can even specify search area by using distance or say House Stark's directly controled territory. I can have it ignore first mine it pointed and order it to point to the next one. I can have it point farthest.

It is simply powerful. I even have found 7 silver mines and 11 iron mines.

Well found is not exactly right word. I just know they exist, how many and which way they are but i am yet to leave Winterfell. It would be much harder to convince my mother to let me leave.

Silver mines are to the south close to White Knife while gold are in north of Winterfell, Iron is scattered in our territory. My main concern is right now is to mine gold. One it is much more profitable, two i don't want Cerwyn or Manderly to look for silver mines in their lands because there are probably mines in their lands. I don't want silver i can have to be in the hands of spoiled lords who would use it for whores and drinks.

Nonetheless with our gold, using gold coin supposed for treasuries and a tax break i can fund first of my projects.

"My lord we need to return, your mother might get suspicious." Ned reminds me as we sat in godswood.

"Did you convince Benjen to stay and not rot in a wall with rapists and murderers?" I question. Ned brought into my attention that Benjen wanted totake the black. I of course won't let him. He is much useful here.

"I did he convinced to wait a few more years." Ned answers.

"That is good enough. We can find some other reason in future to make him stay. So have we payed this years tax?" I asked.

"No my lord. Usually we gather tax at the last moon of the year and at the end of next year we sent taxes gathered last year. We are in year 282 AC so at the end of this year we will send taxes of 281 AC." Ned explains.

That is perfect, Robert will answer before last moon and we can keep that coin for my projects.

"That is good. We can use coin we needed to send as tax. First we will begin with farms and gold mines." I say with a happy voice.

"I can have the farms operational at the first moon of next year but my lord is opening mines this early wise? Lannisters won't be happy when they learn." Ned asked with a concerned voice.

"Don't worry about Lannisters they won't do anything substantial. Our first focus must be farms anyway so that we can actually use tax we gather from the North. Start building new farming villages in the places we have decided." I ease up his worries.

"What will we do when Lords of the North ask for tax break. After all they only agree to pay this much because of high price of food and most of it return to them as food." Ned brings up another good point.

"They might ask for it but we won't be giving them. They don't pay more taxes when we pay for food more coin than taxes we gather. That means they won't get to complain when we produce it for cheap. If they really want a tax break they can purchase food from us instead getting it free from us. " I answer resolutely. Current food arrangement is a great problem for us. At the end of the day we don't get any coin from our bannermen. It is either payed as tax to crown or we use it distribute food to the North.

"They will be very displeased. What if they rebel or refuse to pay taxes?" Ned asks with a concern.

"It will take them some time realize how much food we produce. Farms we will build this year will only make our own food supply independent. After that we will build more farms to replace food we sent to our bannermen. All in all it will take 2 maybe 3 years before they realize we don't need south for food anymore." I explain.

The first farms we will build if Ned's estimation correct will cost 3.000 gold to build and around 2.000 gold to operate annually. House Stark spends 10.000 golden dragons, out of 14.000 we use for our own upkeep, for food. Which is a massive amount.

First farms will make this expense disappear. Well not exactly it will reduce it to 2.000 golden dragons. But still an extra 8.000 will come in handy when i start establishing my army.

"You haven't answered my question. They might rebel or refuse to pay taxes after 3 years. They will most likely demand we share our new farming techniques with them. We can only win against our own vassals if you subjugate Bolton and Ryswell before other houses could start causing problems for us. It still will be hard to win a war if it comes to that. We can't use southern support because it would make us look very bad if we allow Andals to kill First Men in the North. That is a lot of uncertainty." Ned says.

"I know they will be a problem. In fact i am counting on it. If they rebel we can exterminate rebel houses with justification. I can centralize the North after a civil war, revoke certain rights, none would be able to oppose us. They won't be able to win after 3 years because my standing army would be formed before that. That will discourage any sane and reasonable men from rebelling." I answer him.

"Not every lord is reasonable, on contrary most are proud and stubborn." Ned counters.

"Then House Stark will have it's own Rains of Castamere." I respond.

"I understand my lord i will update you on farms. How will i find the mines?" Ned says

"Take this thing it will point to closest mine to Winterfell. When you arrive the arrow will start spinning that means you are on top of the gold. Mark the location then bring me back this device which is called a compass. Normal ones point the North but i can use this magical one to find anything. Normal compass i hasn't even invented yet. "I say. Ned shocked by magical item but quickly recomposes himself.

"It will be done my lord. Anything else?" He asks.

"No we can return. Take me back." I say and we leave godswood.

-------------End of Chapter------------

-I don't own ASOIAF/GOT or anything related to it.

Author Note: I know chapters are boring but i need to start small and i want it to be little detailed because it is a kingdom building fanfiction. I don't want to bypass first years just saying 'we established farms, mines and we got new steel' This a kingdom building fanfiction first and anything other is second place of importance to me.

Thank you for reading and i read every comment to better myself. Thanks everyone for their advices and critism.