With his bloodline and career path locked in, Zack turned his attention to the final option: Starting Location.
> FINALLY, YOU ARRIVED AT...
> Westeros
> Essos
> Sothoryos
>
>
Zack twitched at the choices. Westeros and Essos made sense, but Sothoryos? Seriously?
That place was a hellhole filled with poisonous miasma and no human civilization. Even the greatest explorers couldn't survive there.
If a player spawned there, it would be an instant "Game Over." Talk about a bad beat.
After a moment's thought, Zack clicked on Westeros. The original books described this region in the most detail, and he figured his knowledge of the lore would give him a better edge for early-game development here.
A more detailed list appeared:
> Crownlands, Riverlands, Stormlands, The Reach, The Vale, Dorne, Westerlands, The North, Iron Islands, Beyond the Wall.
Zack chose the Riverlands. It was a central hub with roads leading everywhere. If he heard about a tournament or competition anywhere on the continent, he could get there quickly.
However, when he tried to select a specific city, the system didn't offer any further options.
This surprised him. It meant the specific spawn point was randomized within the region.
That complicated things for alliances. Players who agreed to team up couldn't just spawn in the same city; they'd be dropped into random locations and have to travel to meet up.
Of course, this didn't affect Zack much—his prospective allies had already bailed. And even if he found new ones, meeting up would only take a few days of travel.
After a final check to ensure no mistakes were made, Zack hit the confirm button.
> ENTER YOUR NAME
"Name?" Zack muttered, then casually typed in Ian.
> CUSTOMIZE YOUR APPEARANCE
"Wait, there's a character creator?"
A preview appeared on the screen: a fully armored Hedge Knight holding a bastard sword, sitting atop a trained warhorse. Zack paused, then tried to tweak the knight's face.
A few minutes later, he realized he had zero talent for this. The face he sculpted looked like some monstrosity straight out of Mount & Blade.
Giving up, he switched to the randomizer. After three minutes of clicking "Randomize," he finally settled on a good-looking, blond-haired Andal youth and clicked confirm.
> CHARACTER GENERATION COMPLETE
A complete backstory materialized before him.
> BACKGROUND OVERVIEW:
> You possess the blood of both the First Men and the Andals. (Strength +2, Gained Skill: Common Tongue - Spoken)
> Your father was a farmer in the Vale, and your mother was a serving wench at a landed knight's manor.
> 281 AC (Note 1): You were born as the eldest son during an unusually warm late winter, as if spring had come early just for you. However, by the end of the year, the bitter cold returned to Westeros, bringing heavy snow. This year became known as the Year of the False Spring. (Starting Funds +200 Silver Stags)
> When you were one year old, Lord Jon Arryn of the Eyrie raised his banners in rebellion against the Targaryen crown. Your father was conscripted by the local lord, took up arms, and marched south. He never returned.
> After the war, to pay off the debts your father incurred buying his gear, your mother sold the family mill and took you to live at the knight's manor. You were a sharp child, and the knight's wife took a liking to you, assigning you as a companion to her son of the same age. (Spirit +1, Gained Skills: Etiquette Basics, Common Tongue - Literacy Basics)
> Age 11: You and your young master were sent to an Earl's castle to ward. You began training under the master-at-arms in swordsmanship, horsemanship, and lancing. You excelled. (Strength +4, Agility +4, Gained Skills: Swordsmanship Basics, Horsemanship Basics, Lancing Basics)
> Two years later: In a practice bout, you defeated your young master, earning the right to squire for one of the Earl's knights. (Strength +5, Agility +5, Gained Skills: Swordsmanship Novice, Lancing Novice, Horsemanship Novice)
> Age 16: You distinguished yourself during a campaign to purge the Mountain Clans of the Vale. Your knight knighted you on the battlefield. That night, you stood vigil in the sept, anointed with the seven oils. (Strength +10, Agility +10, Gained Skills: Swordsmanship Intermediate, Lancing Intermediate, Horsemanship Intermediate)
> Shortly after, you married the daughter of a steward from a landed knight's estate. She wasn't beautiful, but you were deeply in love.
> But on your wedding night, your former young master—drunk and accompanied by four guards—burst into your chamber. Still bitter over his defeat years ago, he claimed your bride was his subject and invoked the Lord's Right to the First Night.
> However, the First Night—a tradition of the First Men—had been abolished centuries ago by King Jaehaerys I at the behest of Queen Alysanne.
> You took his command as a grave insult. You called for your squires and friends, and a brutal brawl erupted.
> By the end, you had killed your former master and his guards, but your wife and companions perished in the chaos.
> The fight started a fire that consumed the manor where you grew up. With no time to mourn, you gathered your meager belongings (an unadorned bastard sword, a set of plain chainmail, a warhorse, and 200 Silver Stags) and fled the Vale under the cover of night. You drifted into the Riverlands, beginning your life as a Hedge Knight.
Below the backstory lay his detailed stats:
> IAN
> Strength: 21
> Agility: 19
> Spirit: 1
> Skills: Etiquette Basics, Common Tongue Literacy (Basics), Swordsmanship (Intermediate), Horsemanship (Intermediate), Lancing (Intermediate).
> (Note: Literacy skills automatically override spoken language skills. Only characters who can speak but cannot read will display a separate "Spoken" skill.)
"Notice: The bodies used by players are biological androids deployed by the Organizers. You effectively appear out of thin air. The native inhabitants of this world have no memory of you," the AI Annie explained as Zack finished reading.
"However, the System has generated a logical backstory based on your customization choices. You will receive memories and knowledge consistent with this background to help you seamlessly integrate into the world of Ice and Fire as your new persona."
"That's surprisingly humane," Zack nodded. This would be a huge help. Even the most hardcore lore nerd would miss the gritty details of daily life in a specific profession. These implanted memories would bridge that gap.
But this created a problem: identifying other players just got way harder. If everyone blended in perfectly, two players could be drinking together in a tavern and never realize they were enemies.
This contradicted what the receptionist said earlier about players being thrust into "intense competition and mutual slaughter" from the start.
From a game design perspective, if you want immediate bloodshed, you don't give players perfect camouflage.
Something doesn't add up. Zack mentally noted the discrepancy.
"You have completed the creation phase. Simply press confirm to initiate transit," Annie reminded him. "Although you cannot move until all players have arrived, you can use the waiting time to review the complete game mechanics and System functions."
That made sense. The rules said specific mechanics were only viewable after entering the game. If he could analyze them during the loading screen, he'd have a head start the second the game officially began.
Zack didn't hesitate. He hit the confirm button.
The moment his finger touched the screen, he felt himself dissolving. Sight, sound, and touch vanished one by one, until the entire world faded into a blinding white void.
---
Note 1: AC stands for "After Conquest." It is the standard calendar of Westeros, counting the years since Aegon I Targaryen was crowned King of the Seven Kingdoms.