The Wall

The **Wall** is a massive barrier of mostly ice stretching across the northern border of the Seven Kingdoms, separating it from the wild lands beyond. The Wall is one hundred leagues long(three hundred miles) and reaches over seven hundred feet at his highest point, although some foundation blocks in hilly regions, such as near Greyguard, send it nine hundred feet in the air.

Appearing as one of the nine wonders made by man in the book written by Lomas Longstrider, the Wall is defended and held by the Sworn Brothers of the Night's Watch, who patrol and guard nineteen castles from the Frostfangs mountain range in the west to the Bay of Seals in the east. Only the Shadow Tower, Castle Black, and Eastwatch-by-the-Sea are garrisoned at the start of 280AC*.*

In 281 AC, on the Ninth Moon, the wildling chieftain Jolaf Bearbreaker took from the body of Ornmyr, the former King-Beyond-the-Wall, the Horn of Joramun. After the sacrifice of the surviving members of the Ravenswatch, Jolaf blew the horn and, through means yet unknown to the world, the Wall collapsed on the castles of Rimegate and Woodswatch-by-the-Pool, allowing wildlings entry into the rest of Westeros en masse.

## About

The Wall stretches for three hundred miles and is approximately seven hundred feet tall. It is made of solid ice, stone, and earth, and can be seen for miles round. It appears grey or blue depending on the weather and time of day. The top is wide enough for a dozen mounted knights to ride abreast and it is thicker at the base. According to myth, there are old spells woven into it, to strengthen it and keep creatures of a magical nature such as the Others from passing it.

The Wall is straight from Castle Black to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, but runs like a snake between Castle Black and the Shadow Tower. Led by -----, the First Builder, the builders of the Watch monitor and repair the Wall.

The Wall does not have standard gates, but instead tunnels cut through it that are secured by heavy iron bars and massive chains that must be unlocked. They are sealed with ice and stone wherever castles have been abandoned or in times of danger.

### Castles

The Night's Watch raised nineteen castles to guard the hundred leagues of the Wall, however they had never manned more than seventeen at one time. Over the last three hundred years, as the manpower of the Watch has dropped, most of these castles have been abandoned.

Only three castles currently remain in use, though sometimes a larger force is sent to one of the abandoned castles for a fortnight or a moon's turn. The manned castles are Castle Black, the largest-maintained castle, located at the northern end of the kingsroad and held by nearly five hundred Brothers, the Shadow Tower, the westernmost of the occupied castles, garrisoned by two hundred men of the Night's Watch,  and Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, the port of the Night's Watch with the smallest garrison, located at the eastern end of the Wall.

The nineteen castles on the Wall, listed from west to east, are:

* Westwatch-by-the-Bridge
* The Shadow Tower, commanded by ------
* Sentinel Stand
* Greyguard
* Stonedoor
* Hoarfrost Hill
* Icemark
* The Nightfort
* Deep Lake
* Queensgate
* Castle Black, commanded by the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch
* Oakenshield
* Woodswatch-by-the-Pool
* Sable Hall
* Rimegate
* Long Barrow
* The Torches
* Greenguard
* Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, commanded by ----