North

### Geography

Rivers and plains, with forests and mountains in the northwest; temperate to sub-arctic.
Swamps in the Neck along southern border.

### Population

Under 1 million:
Northmen
Crannogmen in the Neck

### Religion

Old Gods of the Forest (majority)
Faith of the Seven (minority)

### Culture

Northmen (majority)
Andals (minority)
Crannogmen (in the Neck)
First Men, Giants, Children of the Forest (pre-Andal Invasion)

### Castles

Castle Cerwyn • Deepwood Motte •
Dormund Keep • The Dreadfort • Flint's Finger • Greywater Watch • Highpoint • Hornwood • Ironrath • Karhold • Last Hearth • Moat Cailin • Oldcastle • Queenscrown • Ramsgate • Rillwater Crossing • Torrhen's Square]] • Widow's Watch

### Places of note

The Barrowlands • The Bay of Ice • The Bay of Seals • Bear Island • The Bite • Blazewater Bay • The Broken Branch • Cape Kraken • The Gift • The Grey Cliffs • Ironman's Bay • The Last River • Long Lake • The Neck • The Rills • Sea Dragon Point • Skagos • Skane • The Stony Shore • The Wall • The Weeping Water • The White Knife • The Wolfswood

### Founder

{Brandon the Builder}

The North is ruled from the castle of Winterfell by House Stark. It is the largest of the nine major regions of the continent, almost equal in size to the other eight combined. Its total population is under one million. The North is also considered the poorest region of the Seven Kingdoms.

According to legend, the Kingdom of the North was established eight thousand years ago by Bran the Builder, the founder of House Stark, who constructed the Wall as a shield against the possible return of the White Walkers. The North is the only region where the First Men were able to successfully resist the Andal Invasion, six thousand years before the War of the Five Kings. As a result the North is the only region of Westeros in which the ethnic makeup is predominantly First Men, and the only region where the culture, customs, and traditions of the First Men still predominate. Among these is the belief that the man who passes the sentence of death must swing the sword himself. In particular, the religion of the First Men, the worship of the Old Gods of the Forest, is still the dominant faith in the North. The Faith of the Seven introduced in southern Westeros by the Andals has found little foothold in the North. As a result, warriors from the North are not "knights" (with very few exceptions), because "knighthood" is a code of values associated with the Faith of the Seven. However, mounted warriors are still an honoured and esteemed military asset in the North.

Bastard children of noble blood born in the North are given the surname **Snow**. People of the North are known as **Northmen** (or Northerners), and, derogatorily as **wolves**, in reference to the sigil of House Stark.

## Geography

The borders of the North are held to be the Sunset Sea to the west and the Shivering Sea to the east, the Wall to the north and the hills and bogs of the Neck to the south. Greywater Watch and its ruling House, House Reed, are the southernmost noble family owing fealty to Winterfell. Likewise, Last Hearth and its ruling House, House Umber, are the northernmost noble family sworn to Winterfell. Beyond Last Hearth comes the lands of the Gift under the control of the politically neutral Night's Watch and eventually the Wall itself.

In the northwestern coast of the North is the large Bay of Ice in the Sunset Sea. Bear Island, the seat of House Mormont, is in the central portion of the bay. The southern coast of the Bay of Ice is just north of the large forested Wolfswood. The peninsula Sea Dragon Point is surrounded by the bay. In the northeastern coast of the North lies the Bay of Seals in the Shivering Sea. The large and remote Skagos and the smaller Skane are both in the bay as part of an island group all considered parts of the North.

The climate of the North, though harsh overall, varies from cool (maritime) temperate around the Neck, to cold temperate around Winterfell, and to subarctic at the Wall. The lands south of Winterfell leading to the Neck are almost as fertile as the Riverlands to the south, and are the most agriculturally productive region of the North. The Neck itself is filled with swamps. Snowfall generally increases as one moves north along the Kingsroad.

### Castles

* Winterfell, the seat of House Stark, administrative center of the North.
	+ Bear Island, the seat of House Mormont.
	+ Castle Cerwyn, the seat of House Cerwyn.
	+ Deepwood Motte, the seat of House Glover.
	+ The Dreadfort, the seat of House Bolton.
	+ Greywater Watch, the seat of House Reed, the southernmost House sworn to Winterfell.
	+ Hornwood, the seat of House Hornwood.
	+ Karhold, the seat of House Karstark.
	+ Last Hearth,the seat of House Umber.
	+ Torrhen's Square, the seat of House Tallhart.
	+ White Harbor, the seat of House Manderly, the only city and principal port of the North.
	+ Flint's Finger, the seat of House Flint of Flint's Fingers.
	+ Moat Cailin, a fortress/castle at the northern edge of the Neck.
	+ Barrowton, a holdfast in the Barrowlands, seat of House Dustin.
	+ Oldcastle
	+ Ramsgate, a holdfast at the mouth of Broken Branch.
	+ Widow's Watch, the seat of House Flint of Widow's Watch, vassals of House Stark.
	+ Dormund Keep, the seat of House Dormund, vassals of House Stark.
	+ Ironrath, the seat of House Forrester, vassals of House Glover.
	+ Highpoint, the seat of House Whitehill, vassals of House Bolton.
	+ Rillwater Crossing, the seat of House Glenmore, vassals of House Ryswell.

### Regions

* The Neck, ruled by House Reed
* The Rills, ruled by House Ryswell.
* Cape Kraken
* The Barrowlands, ruled by House Dustin
* The Stony Shore, administered by House Stark
* Sea Dragon Point, administered by House Stark
* The Wolfswood, ruled by House Glover
* The Grey Cliffs

### Islands

* Bear Island, rules by House Mormont
* Skagos
* Skane

#### Coastal areas

* The Bay of Ice
* The Bay of Seals
* Blazewater Bay
* The Bite

### Rivers and lakes

* The White Knife
* The Broken Branch
* The Weeping Water
* The Last River
* Long Lake

## Military strength

Due to the North's vast size, gathering the full military strength of the Starks and their vassals is a difficult process, requiring months of travel time and the ability to supply and feed the host even before it sets out.

For this reason, the 18,000 men that fought in Durran's Defiance wasn't the full capacity that the North could assemble, and only what they could assemble at short notice. The North is estimated to be able to muster a force of 40,000-60,000 men if they had the time to assemble.