House Manderly

**House Manderly of White Harbor** is a noble family in the north whose seat is the New Castle in the city of White Harbor. They are among the most powerful and loyal vassals of House Stark as well as the richest northern family due to their control of the only city in the region. Unlike most other northern houses, the Manderlys follow the Faith of the Seven instead of the old gods, as the family emigrated from the Reach after the Andal invasion.

The Manderlys' blazon is a white merman with dark green hair, beard and tail, carrying a black trident, over a blue-green field. Their words do not appear in the books, neither has George R. R. Martin submitted them in semi-canon material. Manderly guards wield tridents instead of spears.

The Lord of White Harbor, Wyman Manderly, influences all lands and houses east of the mouth of the White Knife, including Houses Locke,Woolfield, and Flint of Widow's Watch. The Manderlys' dominion includes the Sheepshead Hills and the Broken Branch, as well as the allegiance of Ramsgate. Their bannermen includes a dozen petty lords and a hundred landed knights.

## History

### Kingdom of the Reach

The Manderlys are an ancient line who once lived along the banks of the mighty river Mander in the Kingdom of the Reach, and some claim the river was named after them. A noble house of great lords descended from the First Men, they held the castle of Dunstonbury as their seat and had a fierce rivalry with House Peake.

During the reign of the Gardener kings in the Reach, King Gwayne III Gardener persuaded Lords Manderly and Peake to accept his judgment on their quarrel and do fealty for their lands, without any bloodshed. Like other houses of the Reach, the Manderlys presumably converted from the old gods of the First Men to the Faith of the Seven after the Gardeners welcomed Andals into their kingdom.

Near the end of the long reign of King Garth X Gardener, a problem arose with the succession as the elderly and senile Garth had sired no sons and only daughters, one of whom had married Lord Manderly, and another to Lord Peake. Both lords were determined that their own wife should succeed to the throne, and the rivalry between them was marked by betrayal, conspiracy and murder, and finally escalated into open war with other lords joining the cause on both sides. The anarchy that followed lasted almost a decade until Ser Osmund Tyrell, the High Steward of Highgarden, made common cause with the other lords of the Reach and defeated the Peakes and Manderlys. Osmund then placed a distant cousin of the late Garth X on the throne as KingMern VI Gardener.

### Exile and White Harbor

According to Lady Rohanne Webber, House Manderly left or were driven away from the Reach about a thousand years ago. Lord Godric Borrell refines the time period to "no more than nine hundred years ago", claiming the House had overreached itself and been repelled by the "green hands", a reference to the Gardener kings and their sigil. According to Maester Yandel, the exile of House Manderly is credited to Lord Lorimar Peake upon the behest of King Perceon III Gardener, who feared the Manderlys' growing influence and power in the Reach. This allowed House Peake to acquire the Manderlys' seat of Dunstonbury.

Wylla Manderly proclaims that the Manderlys, sore and friendless and in peril of their lives, fled north and were protected and welcomed by the Starks of Winterfell as their own bannermen a thousand years before Aegon's Conquest. The Starks awarded the Wolf's Den to the Manderlys and tasked them with defending the White Knife in return for swearing an oath that they would always be loyal subjects of House Stark. This history instilled the Manderlys with great loyalty to their new liege lords.

The city of White Harbor was built by the Manderlys with the wealth they had brought from the Reach and they developed it over the following centuries. It is the smallest of the five cities of Westeros, and is the main northern port for commerce and naval transport. The New Castle, built to replace the aging Wolf's Den, resembles their previous castle Dunstonbury in the Reach. The Manderlys are one of the few great houses of the north to follow the Faith of the Seven instead of the old gods and thus have a strong tradition of knighthood.

### Targaryen Era

House Manderly enjoyed great relations to both their liege lords, the Starks, and their sovereigns, the Targaryens. Princess Viserra Targaryen, the wild and high-spirited daughter of King Jaehaerys I and Good Queen Alysanne, was betrothed to Lord Manderly, but she apparently died by falling from a horse while racing drunkenly through the streets of King's Landing. LadyJeyne Manderly wed Rickon Stark, eldest son and supposed heir to Lord Cregan Stark and gave him two daughters, Serena and Sansa. Lady Myriame Manderly married Rodwell Stark and became Lady of Winterfell upon her husband's accession.

House Manderly supported Rhaenys Targaryen in the Great Council of 101 at Harrenhal. During the Dance of the Dragons, Prince Jacaerys Velaryon traveled to White Harbor and Winterfell and convinced the north to join the blacks. Lord Manderly sent warriors led by his sons, Ser Medrick and Ser Torrhen, to support Rhaenyra Targaryen. Torrhen served as one of the regents of King Aegon III Targaryen after the war, resigning in 132 AC after the deaths of his father and brother from Winter Fever. When Aegon came of age in 136 AC, he ended the regency and dismissed theHand of the King, Lord Manderly.

### Robert's Rebellion

When Lord Eddard Stark called the northern banners to join Robert's Rebellion against King Aerys II Targaryen, Lord Wyman Manderly led the Manderlys south. Wyman fought at the Battle of the Trident, rewarding his retainer Ser Bartimus for saving his life by making him castellan of the Wolf's Den, now White Harbor's prison.

## Recent Events

### *A Game of Thrones*

After learning of the assassination attempt on his son Bran's life, Lord Eddard Stark instructs his wife Catelyn to have Lord Wyman Manderly strengthen White Harbor.

After leaving the Vale of Arryn, Catelyn meets the Manderlys at White Harbor. Because of Eddard's arrest in King's Landing, a Manderly army, led by Ser Wylis and Ser Wendel, joins Robb Stark at Moat Cailin when marching south against the Lannisters. Their force consists of near 1,500 men, including some 20 knights with their squires, 200 mounted lances, swordsmen and freeriders, and the remaining foot armed with spears, pikes and tridents. Wyman remains at White Harbor to watch over the city.

When the northern army splits at the Twins, Wendel accompanies Robb to free Riverrun, and although he is already a mature man, he is counted among the thirty young sons of lords that form Robb's personal guard. Meanwhile, Wylis leads the White Harbor infantry with Lord Roose Bolton on his march south, and is captured at the battle on the Green Fork.

### *A Clash of Kings*

While at Winterfell for the harvest feast, Lord Wyman meets with Bran Stark, Ser Rodrik Cassel, and Maester Luwin. He offers to mint coins for Robb, informs them of White Harbor's defenses, and proposes to build the king a new warfleet of galleys, with Rodrik saying he will inform Robb of the proposal. Later during the feast, Rodrik commands Hother and Mors Umber to work with Wyman in building longships to combat wildlings.

Lady Donella Hornwood (née Manderly) is widowed by the death of Lord Halys Hornwood on the Green Fork. During the harvest feast, Lord Wyman advances his claim for the House Hornwoodlands, going on to offer to wed his cousin. However, Donella is forcefully wed when she returns to her lands and is locked away to die by Ramsay Snow, the Bastard of Bolton. In response, Wyman seizes Hornwood to prevent Ramsay from occupying it, and Manderly knights attack Bolton men in the Hornwood forests. News reaches Winterfell via Rodrik, but he does not have the manpower to stop them.

In the south, Wendel accompanies Lady Catelyn Stark to negotiate with Kings Renly and Stannis Baratheon, bearing the Stark banner at the parley before Storm's End. Meanwhile, Wylis has been held prisoner at Harrenhal, where he frequents the kitchens. Wylis is one of the northmen Tyrion Lannister is willing to trade for his cousins captured at the battle in the Whispering Wood. Wylis is ultimately freed when Roose Bolton captures Harrenhal.

After Theon Greyjoy seizes Winterfell, he receives reports that Lord Wyman sent a dozen barges up the White Knife packed with knights and siege engines to help recapture the Starks' seat. During his parley with Rodrik outside the gates of Winterfell, Theon observes a line of mounted Manderly knights. Rodrik's forces are betrayed by House Bolton in the battle at Winterfell, however.

### *A Storm of Swords*

As Robb marches to the Twins to attend the wedding of Edmure Tully, Ser Wendel Manderly is placed in charge of protecting his baggage train. Ser Wylis commands Lord Roose Bolton's rearguard as they march to the same destination. Wylis is captured for a second time when Gregor Clegane's men attack the army as they cross the ruby ford of the Trident, with Lord Bolton unable to prevent the Mountain from destroying his rearguard. Wylis is returned to captivity at Harrenhal. At the Twins, Wendel dies at the Red Wedding, with an arrow going into his open mouth.

Maester Aemon sends a raven to White Harbor in a plea for help from the Manderlys to defend Castle Black from a wildling siege.

### *A Feast for Crows*

According to Queen Cersei, the Manderlys are on the verge of allying themselves with the Boltons, with Lord Wyman agreeing to marry both of his granddaughters to members of House Freyand open his port to Lannister ships. The Iron Throne receives reports that Wyman executed Davos when he attempted to negotiate an alliance with Stannis; Cersei responds by allowing the release of Wyman's surviving son, Wylis Manderly. At Harrenhal, Ser Jaime Lannister informs a grateful Wylis he will have an escort to Maidenpool and be put on a ship home to White Harbor.

### *A Dance with Dragons*

When Davos Seaworth arrives in White Harbor hoping to ally Lord Wyman to King Stannis, he sees that twenty-three war galleys have been built without the Lannisters' knowledge. White Harbor is awash with refugees, including those from the Hornwood lands. Despite the objections of his granddaughter, Wylla, Wyman denounces Davos in front of three Frey envoys—Jared,Rhaegar, and Symond—indicating he is ready to make peace with the Iron Throne and pay allegiance to Roose Bolton, the new Warden of the North, who requires that Wyman give up his claim to the Hornwood lands. Wyman fakes Davos's death, however, killing a criminal in his place and altering the body so it resembles the Onion Knight. After Wylis returns safely to White Harbor, Wyman has Robett Glover release Davos from the Wolf's Den. Lord Manderly sends Davos on a mission to find Rickon Stark, known to be alive thanks to Wex Pyke, in a secret bid to unite the northern lords in resistance to Houses Bolton and Frey.

Keeping up his ruse of loyalty, Lord Wyman arrives at Winterfell with three hundred men to answer Roose Bolton's call to arms, and to attend Ramsay Bolton's wedding. At the wedding, he provides some of the food, including three pies implied to be made from the Frey envoys who disappeared after leaving White Harbor.

While quartered in Winterfell, there is tension within the garrison between the Manderlys and Freys. When Wyman japes about the death of Little Walder Frey, it boils over into bloodshed, with Wyman wounded and several men-at-arms dead on both sides. Lord Bolton, hoping to reduce tensions and hungry mouths within the castle, sends the White Harbor men to engage Stannis's army, which is slowly approaching Winterfell.

## Military

House Manderly had the largest army out of all the northern houses at the end of the War of the Five Kings, numbering almost 8,000. Not many are battle-hardened however, as Davos hears the city folk in White Harbor saying that if you can hold a spear, you have a spot in Manderly's army. It is the richest house in the North, with silver reserves, fertile lands and control of the North's centre of Trade, White Harbour. They are relatively close to the Vale, which could be useful as the Vale has fertile undamaged lands also, thus access to an even greater food supply. Wyman Manderly also mentions that he has the largest heavy cavalry in the north.

## House Manderly at the end of the third century

The known Manderlys during the timespan of the events described in *A Song of Ice and Fire* are:

* Lord Wyman Manderly, Lord of White Harbor.
	+ Ser Wylis Manderly, his firstborn son and heir to White Harbor. Married to Leona Woolfield.
		- Wynafryd Manderly, Wylis's young daughter.
		- Wylla Manderly, Wylis's young daughter.
	+ Ser {Wendel Manderly}, his second son. Slain at the Red Wedding.
	+ Ser Marlon Manderly, his cousin and commander of the garrison at White Harbor.
	+ Lady {Donella Manderly}, his cousin, married to Lord {Halys Hornwood}. Starved to death by Ramsay Snow.

### Household

* Maester Theomore, counselor, tutor, healer. Born a Lannister of Lannisport.
* Ser Bartimus, an old knight, one-legged, one-eyed, and oft drunk, castellan of the Wolf's Den.
* Garth, a gaoler and headsman.
* Therry, a young turnkey.
* Wex Pyke, once squire to Theon Greyjoy, mute. Lord Wyman's captive/guest.

## Historical Members

* Ser Medrick Manderly, a knight and son of Lord Manderly who fought for the blacks during the Dance of the Dragons.
* Lord Torrhen Manderly, a knight and son of Lord Manderly who fought for the blacks during the Dance of the Dragons. Torrhen also served as regent for the young King Aegon III and later gave up his position in 132 AC following the death of his father and brother. Later Hand of the King until Aegon III came of age.
* Lady Jeyne Manderly, wife of Rickon Stark, eldest son and heir of Lord Cregan Stark by his first marriage to Arra Norrey. Had two daughters, Serena and Sansa Stark.
* Lady Myriame Manderly, wife of Lord Rodwell Stark and reigned as Lady of Winterfell upon her husband's accession. Without issue.