Wildling Invasion of the North (Lord Tywin's Gift)

The **Wildling Invasion of the North** was a brief conflict during the Five Years War which saw the wildling's led by King Mance Rayder attacking from beyond the Wall against the Night's Watch and northern houses, primarily House Stark.

## Fall of Castle Black

While keeping the bulk of the Night's Watch distracted with his assault on the Bridge of Skulls, Mance Rayder sends a force of 114 men over the Wall to launch a surprise attack on Castle Black, thus hoping to capture it and open the gates for the many thousands of free folk hoping to escape the Others.

Styr, the Magnar of Thenn, began the battle by burning Mole's Town to the south of Castle Black. The Night's Watch light the beacon at Weatherback Ridge in response and Maester Aemon sends ravens to the other castles on the Wall, as well as to the south to warn the Northern houses of the impending threat. Donal Noye, the remaining Nights Watch garrison and the citizens fleeing Mole's Town do their best to defend the castle on such short notice.

The assault is a costly one for both the free folk and Night's Watch, but in the end the attackers succeed and defeat the defenders, putting many to the sword. Some of the dead black brothers are Donal Noye, Ser Wynton Stout and Lord Commander Roose Bolton, the latter of whom had been recovering from injuries he had sustained from the wight's assault on the Fist of the First Men.

## Battle of Queenscrown

The free folk moved further south and many of their warriors pillaged the lands of the Gift as they went. To the south Stark-led forces moved northward to tackle the imminent Wildling threat. Eventually the two forces met in Queenscrown and the Wildling forces were soundly beaten by the northern armies, despite the forces being fairly evenly matched the poorly equipped free folk had little chance against the armies of the north.

## Parley at Queenscrown

Despite being defeated, Mance Rayder made a request to negotiate with the Starks, which against Branda's hot-headed instincts her nuncle Eddard Stark granted the King-Beyond-the-Wall an audience. The leaders of the northern armies met with Mance privately in the roundhouse of Queenscrown, with many of the northern lords wishing to simply decimate the free folk people or send them back beyond the Wall.

Mance Rayder then informed those at the meeting of the threat from the Others, and how he had managed to gather as many Wildling tribes as he could under his own banner in the hopes of escaping the threat from the Land of Always Winter. Many in attendance refused to believe him, instead choosing to believe he simply wished to raid the lands of the North for his own gain. However Eddard Stark, despite usually not believing such stories, had been informed of the death of the former Lord Commander, Jeor Mormont, to supposed undead black brothers.

One of the most vociferous voices against the free folk was Lord Greatjon Umber, his lands had always been under the greatest threat from the free folk, and his own cousin had been taken by Wildling raiders some thirty years prior. It was then revealed to him by Mance that one of the spearwives in his army, Rowan, was in fact that daughter of Mors Umber.

## The Free Folk Settling

Despite her initial reluctance to meet with Mance, the more Lady Branda Stark heard the tales of the Others and the desperation of the Wildling's who had fled south she became adamant in her opinion that the Wildlings should be allowed to remain behind the Wall. In return for this clemency to Mance's people they would have to settle along the Stony Shore and Sea Dragon Point, mostly unpopulated areas which needed a strong people to settle there to see off any possible future Greyjoy assaults.

Many of the northern lords balked at the idea, claiming that if the free folk be allowed south they should be taken to the Neck and allowed to ravage the south. However Branda pointed out that with the ever nearing threat of the Others, and the wars of the south ongoing, the North would need as many warriors as it could get its hands on. Many of the lords refused to believe the Others were truly a threat, even Eddard Stark found it hard to accept.

In the end Branda ignores the outcries of the lords who opposed the move and decreed that the free folk would be given passage to the Stony Shore and Sea Dragon Point, where they would develop the area. Many of the lords simply grumbled about the outcome but the heads of three prominent houses on the western side of the North stormed out of the meeting and took their armies back to their lands; Rodrik Ryswell, Gregor Forrester, and Galbart Glover.

The conflict wasn't just on the northern side, many Wildlings were offended by the idea of being made to settle in lands and kneel for the Starks. Despite this they know they have few options, they were soundly defeated by northern forces and can't return north where the threat of the Others looms ever closer.