The five major cities in Westeros—King's Landing, Oldtown, Lannisport, Seagard, and White Harbor—are the main port cities that pay taxes directly to the Iron Throne. They're also the most densely populated areas in the realm.
Whenever a tournament is held in one of these cities, knights and sellswords from every direction gather to compete, along with some highborn lords and nobles.
And among all the events, jousting is the most prestigious game for nobles. Winning the jousting championship in any of these cities—even in Seagard, the second smallest (White Harbor, the smallest, lies too far north and rarely holds such events)—requires not just skill, but wealth. Only the best and richest knights usually stand a chance.
So how suitable is it for a beginner to compete in such an elite and formal tournament?
Forget about skill for a moment—the gear alone is a barrier. Tournament-grade armor and horses are not something your average hedge knight can afford.
Tournament plate armor is usually more than 4mm thick, far heavier and more expensive than the 2mm-thick armor used in actual combat. And the horses? Top-tier, purebred warhorses bred specifically for jousting—each costing several times more than a regular destrier.
What do mercenary knights have in comparison? An old set of chainmail and a docile, common riding horse.
Sure, if someone is confident and fearless, they can sign up anyway. But Jon Snow didn't think he was quite ready for that.
In his mind, he imagined himself entering more modest competitions—small melees and swordfights hosted by minor lords in their keeps, or in little towns scattered across the countryside.
"So, what does this replacement mean?" Jon asked silently.
"We've designed at least three questlines for each class that players can choose from," came the system's reply. "After reviewing all the options, players may pick one to complete. Once accepted, it can't be changed."
Hearing this, Jon clicked on "Replace" and silently prayed that the next mission would be more reasonable.
[Main Quest 1: Road of Robbers]
Quest Description:They say hedge knights and robber knights are two sides of the same coin. Even if you've never turned to robbery, the reputation of your kind still taints you. In that case, would casting aside that hollow honor and embracing infamy be the wiser path?
Objective:Raid a wealthy knight's castle or manor and loot a total of more than 100 gold dragons.
Reward:5 EXP points, 3 attribute points, 3 skill points
[Accept] [Replace]
"Rob a noble's castle? And steal over 100 gold dragons?" Jon muttered, his face darkening.
It felt like a wave of hopelessness was washing over him.
Take, for example, the poorest knight's keep—attacking such a place would still require Jon to fight at least one knight and his squire.
He might be able to win in such a fight. But in a small, impoverished keep that can't even afford proper guards, the only real valuables would be the knight's armor and horse—maybe.
And to gather loot worth 100 gold dragons? Jon couldn't even begin to guess how many castles he'd have to raid.
What does 100 gold dragons really mean?
In the original tales, after King Joffrey's death at the Purple Wedding, Ser Addam Marbrand offered a bounty for Sansa Stark—accused of conspiring with Tyrion to murder the king. The reward? Just 100 gold dragons.
Even a fully equipped knight—wearing high-quality plate armor, armed with fine steel, riding a warhorse and followed by a couple of pack horses—would cost about 30 gold dragons at most.
And only the wealthiest knights in the Riverlands with vast estates, or knights of the Westerlands with mines on their lands, could afford such equipment. Even then, outfitting themselves left their purses nearly empty.
In other regions of Westeros, wealthy knights in the Vale often wore a mix of plate and chainmail. Those in the Stormlands typically favored full plate armor. But knights in the Riverlands? Most still relied on chainmail, just as they had for centuries.
"So this quest was made for someone like Ser Arthur Dayne, wasn't it?" Jon Snow thought with a touch of absurdity. "All he'd have to do is cut down six Kingsguard and strip their armor to complete it."
Shaking off the ridiculous idea, Jon forced himself to calm down. With a last flicker of hope, he clicked [Replace] once more.
[Main Quest 1: The Golden Road]
Quest Description:The first time you raised your sword for gold instead of honor or a lord's cause, you understood the truth of this world. Gold is the only true god—everything else is a lie.
Objective:Earn 1,000 gold dragons.
Reward:5 EXP points, 3 attribute points, 3 skill points
[Accept] [Replace]
"..." Jon stared blankly. Now he was just numb.
A hundred gold dragons had already seemed like an outrageous goal. But now? A thousand?
Sure, the quest didn't specify how the money had to be earned—but still. One thousand gold dragons was a fortune!
Back during the War of the Five Kings, Catelyn Stark released Jaime Lannister in secret, hoping to exchange him for her daughters. Her decision stirred unrest in both the North and Riverlands, weakening the entire alliance.
In response, Lord Edmure Tully of Riverrun issued a bounty on Jaime's head: 1,000 gold dragons—the highest bounty ever seen in A Song of Ice and Fire.
Think about that.
At the time, Jaime was the commander of the royal army, the head of the Kingsguard, one of the finest swordsmen in Westeros, the heir to House Lannister—the richest family in the realm—and, not to mention, the biological father of King Joffrey (though no one said it outright).
And even with all of that, his head was worth just 1,000 gold dragons.
Some might think gold dragons are easily earned, especially after seeing King Robert offer 40,000 as prize money for the champion of a tourney in King's Landing.
But that was in the first book—written long ago. Many fans believe that number was just an early oversight on George R. R. Martin's part.
In fact, after Robert's death, Littlefinger once told Ned Stark that hiring the entire City Watch cost 6,000 gold dragons—and Ned found that a fair price.
So by that standard, 1,000 gold dragons could buy a sixth of the entire capital's garrison.
To expect a new player to raise that kind of money out of nowhere? It was laughable.
A sudden, grim thought crept into Jon's mind.
Wait... did they design these missions so we'd never be able to finish them in the first place?
Note: The currency exchange rate in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire is as follows:1 gold dragon = 30 silver stags = 210 copper stars1 silver stag = 49 bronze pennies1 bronze penny = 8 half-pennies
Also, based on various estimates, a gold dragon is considered a medium-sized coin weighing around 7.56 grams.
Important: These values are used as world-building elements for this story only and are not meant to be an exact match to the original books or real-world historical standards—so don't overanalyze them (and definitely don't calculate based on real-world gold prices!).