Chapter 4

Waking in the void with nothing but a stone podium and a floating book. It was as I reached out to touch the book when the drowned gods' voice rang out in the void.

[Fear not boy, you are not dead]

Breathing a sigh of relief thinking the mountain slayed me so soon.

"Then why am I here?"

[You mortals constantly forget many things, so I decided to help and give you some control of your boons. If you don't believe me, look in the book]

Looking upon the book, I found three sections: active abilities, passive abilities, and magic.

Active abilities:

--Time stop <unlocked>

Stops time for thirty seconds with user only. slowed and greatly increased physical strength during use.

- time to recharge ten minutes or instant charge on kill

Passive abilities:

----Improved recovery: Recover from damage while eating or sleeping, does not return lost limbs or organs

------- Superhuman physique potential:Must train and be under some strain to gain strength

----Fast learner: learn the skills favored by the drowned god < sailing, battle, leading>

------Protection of the sea: As long as you are favored, the sea will always favor you over your enemies, and its creatures shall aid you but shall not be controlled by you with this ability.

Magic Abilities:

---????????<Locked>

---?????????<Locked>

---??????????<Locked>

---Warg Potential

Magic ability to control a bonded animal and with time can learn to bond with more animals

Closing the book, I think of all the new possibilities opening to me.

"How do I unlock more powers?"

[You defie the other gods, harm their priests or champion, or learn them yourself. I care not which route you choose,but now wake up.] Stated the drowned god

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Waking in a bed, I look around, surveying my surroundings. I find myself in a stone room with only one window with its light shining in my eyes. Looking upon myself, I'm still in my armor, but I'm missing my many weapons. It was as I stood up from the straw bed that I was placed upon a horrifying realization dawned on me. My memories of advanced concepts like firearms, the recipe for powder, and many other modern concepts are beginning to fade, and some are not but a blurr. I know not what caused this, but it doesn't bode well for my future, but luckily, it seems to target things that would be too advanced or could prove a danger to magic itself.

Consoling myself to not having a great edge and not wishing to become moody, I leave the room to find a stone hall with damaged kraken banners hung on the walls.

"So I'm still on pyke,"

It was as I walked down the hall that I found a guard standing at the exit of the wing I'm currently in, and with him seeing me, I noticed something.

"There is fear in your eyes," I state as I get closer to the man as he straightens his back, trying to seem taller than I.

"The Lord Reaper demands your presence,.....boy," the guard states, trying to hide any fear but failing as he added the boy part after pausing as if trying to reassure himself.

"Very well then lead me to the hall unless you wish me to aimlessly wander the halls till I stumble upon it. "I sarcastically reply

With a nod, the man led me across pyke's many towers and its bridges before reaching the hall with most of the surviving lords still there, some still bloody and others freshly cleaned allowing me to realize I was not down for long.

"So the boy is awake," stated Balon Greyjoy, sitting upon his squid throne.

Kneeling to the man, I hold zero respect for and cursing him constantly for his bad strategy in my head. Choosing not to speak since I'm in a fucking feudal society and I'm pretty sure I can be considered a commoner, so I believe holding my tongue is the most prudent decision to take and from the slight smirk from the pretentious cunt I was right to do so

.

"Ragnar the bloody, the boy, no the Ironborn who defeated the mountain and assaulted the invading camp slaying many men. This is you? correct?" spoke Balon

"Aye, my lord, it's my name and my deeds," I replied

"Indeed they are yours, and such things must be rewarded," stated balon, standing from his throne, and began stepping towards me before standing in front of me.

"The greenlanders would have their fancy knights but that is not the iron way so instead I name you a captain of the three ships you captured and any of the sixty that wish to remain with you shall stay with you. We do not give ships easily, boy. Other lords would give land, but to us iron born, our ships are our lands, so stand captain Ragnar and speak the house name you and your future children shall bare." continued Balon

Standing I try to think of a name that would hopefully not be horrible to my growing reputation before thinking on historical vikings and their titles.

"I shall be known as Ragnar Hoare in honor of the ancient Ironborn king, and the words shall be (We rise harder and stronger)" I state keeping my head held high as a few of the ironborn laugh realizing my words match up with the chant taught to all believers of the drowned god.

"Then do the name proud Captain Hoare perhaps one day you could retake harrenhall," states Balon with a laugh at the end

After my impromptu raising from the common folk, the lords began talks of how to rebuild their lands, but I paid them no mind and asked a guard where I could find the men that would serve me. Once told where I left the hall, unknowing of a shadow following me out of the hall into the courtyard where I found the men counting their spoils sitting upon barrels of claimed supplies before Rickon spotted me walking up to the man, I count about only forty men.

"Is this all the men?"I ask him

"No, captain, the other twenty are currently being treated by the drowned men,"

"How many are in fighting shape, and where is my gear?" I ask before being led to a tent full of bloody weapons, armor, coins, and jewelry with my original kit still bloody laying at the entrance of the tent and turning to Rickon he simply stated I paid the iron price for them so they were mine as well as being told a horse was also mine due to me killing its rider. Smiling, I turn to the men and point to the equipment before saying for each man without armor to take a workable chest plate or helmet declaring I will not have me unarmored under my sails and with a cheer many men began to to go through the armor grabing what they can and before they leave I tell them to remove the ugly lions from them and for everyone to gather at the docks on our claimed ships.

I ended up salvaging most of the equipment to blacksmiths to make repairs to my equipment and to cover the costs of replacing my leather coat big enough to cover my half plate easily with it looking like a brown leather version of the german trench coats with whale bone chuncks in place of buttons.

"Men who will join me in embarrassing some greenlanders and getting some coin for it in the process!" I shout in front of my men with many nodding

"Then we head for harrenhall as I hear tell the green landers wish to throw a tourney there and we shall and of course the greenlanders would fail to invite us to such an event so I say we dash their hopes that our fight has died off! I say we go and beat them at their own games, " I continued shouting while lifting my axe high, followed my crew with a cheer of beat the greenlanders.

"Well, get aboard, we have sailing to do and man those oars." I shout as the men scramble to the ships loading the provisions and loots from the battle before we set sail for harrenhall.

We eventually made it to Maidenpool after three days of sailing and I can tell the men knew it should have taken longer and seeing a opportunity to raise some fervor once on the dock I called out "It seems the drowned god favors our action for he had blessed us to arrive with such haste."

And it worked for I could tell a few of the younger sailors began to nod while the older ones chalked it up to luck. We did not stay long in the town due to the many hateful or fearful looks we received from the locals and who could blame them since Riverland used to be ruled by the Ironborn. I bet they still tell horror stories of our reign, but we did have one interesting encounter on our way to the ancient castle ruin.

along the road, we marched until a tree fell in front of us as forty men in leather armor, with most only armed with spears and bows bandits most likely judging from the wear n tare of their equipment.

"Give us all your gold, and we'll let ya live," stated one of the men, but he responded to by our laughter as all my men and I drew our blades.

"We are the ironborn lad it will not be us that pays the iron price this day, but you will pay the price indeed," I stated after getting my laughter under control.

But the oddest thing happened even when they matched us in number, they fled into the woods and so we gave chase cutting down each craven we found usually with a thrown blade into the back or an arrow to the head. When their numbers dropped to only about ten men did they tried to surrender. We bound the hands of the bandits, and they joined the march and were handed off once we reached harroway town.

The camps were set up between Harroway Town and the ruins, and after signing all my men up for the mele and the archery with only I signed up for the joust. Sitting in the camp, I realized I didn't know how to shoot a bow and cursing to myself. I dragged a bowman from my crew aside, demanding he help me train for the tourney, so I and a handful of my men gather by the forrest with simple wooden targets pinned to each tree and at first I was the worst shot but by the end of the day I could reliably hit the target. It was not instant success, but the fast learner ability was really helping, and with each arrow launched, I began to see the flaws like my stance and sometimes loosing an arrow without steadying my arm and with no way to learn jousting besides to try your hardest to unhorse the other jouster and with my time stop ability I can ensure my victory and the humiliation of these greenlanders. To be honest I don't know where my dislike for them came from but I could care less since all these assholes seem to care about is plotting and honor but it feels more like weak men trying to defend their pride and I shall see that pride laid low.

For the remaining two days before the tourney began, we would train archery in the morning each with the hope to all become proficient to take not the top position but to knock as many greendlanders down from their high horses and what better way than some ironborn showing up the greenlanders at a tourney supposedly to celebrate our loss of the rebellion. Our afternoons usually found me facing my men with training weapons as we all trained and improved our skills in fighting multiple opponents, and when bored, we would have a bit of reckless gun playing the finger dance with trying axes to avoid losing fingers and had a benefit of helping me and the men get better at catching thrown weapons and dodging said weapons and by the end of the day we inspect our gear and any damages we repair and any that don't must fight to keep said gear for I would never allow a crewman his loot if he won't maintain it. Some would protest, but it's rather hard to protest when I alone could beat them black and blue.

The day the tourney came, the camps were a loud buzz as everyone prepared for the first event, The Grand Melee. Standing with my men, we await the horn to begin the fight, and for the poor reception by the riverlanders me and my crew and I aim to target the riverlander knights first. With the sound of the horn, we charge the Frey knights first due to their numbers.

"Beat those bridge sitters, lads, and the one with the most wins gets first pick on our first raid!"