Winterfell

Winterfell is the ancestral castle and seat of power of House Stark and is considered to be the capital of the north. It is located in the center of the Kingdom of the North, on the Winter Road that runs from Moat Calin to the Wall. It is situated at the eastern edge of the wolfswood, north of the western branch of the White Knife and Castle Cerwyn. Winterfell is south of the northern mountains and southwest of Long Lake, one hundred leagues (three hundred miles) southeast of Deepwood Motte.

## History

According to legend, Winterfell was built by Brandon the Builder, who was aided by giants, after the Long Night ended eight thousand years ago. Maesters believe it was built in pieces over different eras, since the ancient Starks did not level the ground and plan it as a single structure.

For most of recorded history Winterfell was the seat of House Stark, the Kings in the North and later Wardens of the North, after King Torrhen Stark ran down the remaining forces of Aegon the Failed Conqueror. During the wars between the Kings of Winter from House Stark and the Red Kings from House Bolton, Winterfell was burned by Kings Royce II and Royce IV Bolton of the Dreadfort prior to the Andal invasion of Westeros.

Maester Kennet determined that the First Keep, the oldest surviving part of the castle, was built some time after the Andals. Winterfell's inner walls were raised approximately two thousand years ago, while the outer walls were built during the reign of King Edrick Snowbeard. The heads of some giants are said to have been displayed on Winterfell's walls.

According to free folk legend, Bael the Bard once entered Winterfell under the guise of a singer named Sygerrik. Leaving behind only a winter rose, Bael supposedly disappeared with the daughter of King Brandon Stark after tricking the lord. The daughter eventually reappeared with an infant, a future King Stark, the story claiming that they had been hiding in the crypt of Winterfell. The legend is not recorded in the chronicles of Winterfell, however.

King Torrhen Stark called the banners to Winterfell during Aegon's Failed Conquest, defeating him in the field.

## Layout

Winterfell is a huge castle complex spanning several acres and protected by two massive walls.There is a village outside, the winter town. Winterfell has been built around an ancient godswood and over natural hot springs. The water is piped through walls and chambers to heat them, making Winterfell more comfortable than other castles during the harsh northern winters.

Inside the walls, the complex is composed of dozens of courtyards and small open spaces. Weapons training and practice take place in those yards. The inner ward is a second, much older open space in the castle where archery practice takes place. It is located next to the broken tower. Inside Winterfell stands the inner castle, which contains the Great Keep and the Great Hall.

### **Inner Castle**

The Great Keep is the innermost castle and stronghold of the castle complex. It was built over natural hot springs to keep it warm. Its walls are made of granite. It is connected to the armory by a covered bridge. From a window on the covered bridge, one can see the entire yard.

The Great Hall is used for receiving guests and the place where the household would dine together, including the lord of the house. The Great Hall is very large. On the outside it is enclosed with grey stone and covered with banners, with wide doors made of oak and iron, which opens to the castle yard, whilst a rear exit leads to a dimly-lit gallery. Inside it can hold eight long rows of trestle tables, four to each side of the central aisle, and can seat five hundred people. There is a raised platform for noble guests.

### **Courtyard and Other Buildings**

The First Keep, a squat and round drum tower, is the oldest surviving part of the castle but is no longer in use. Around it lies a lichyard where the Kings of Winter would lay their loyal servants. The keep has gargoyles atop it. Maester Kennet determined it was built after the Andals arrived.

The broken tower, also known as the Burned Tower, was once the tallest watchtower in Winterfell. Over one hundred forty years ago a lightning strike set it afire and the top third collapsed inward, but no one bothered to rebuild it. It stands behind the old inner ward. Crows nest atop the broken tower.

The ancient godswood of Winterfell has stood untouched for ten thousand years, with three acres of old packed earth and close together trees creating a dense canopy, which the castle was raised around. At the center of the grove stands an ancient weirwood with a face carved into it, standing over a pool of black water. Across the godswood from the heart tree, beneath the windows of the Guest House, an underground hot spring feeds three small pools, with a moss-covered wall looming above them. The godswood is enclosed by walls, and is accessed by a main iron gate, or smaller wooden ones.

The glass garden is a greenhouse heated by the hot springs, which turn it into a place of moist warmth. It is used to grow fruits, vegetables and flowers.

The crypt of Winterfell, located near the First Keep, is where members of House Stark are buried. The underground crypts are long and narrow, with pillars moving two by two along its length. Between pillars stand the sepulchers of the Starks of Winterfell, the likenesses of the dead seated on thrones, with iron swords set before them to keep the restless spirits from wandering, and snarling direwolves at their feet. The crypts are located deep under the earth, cavernous and bigger than the complex above ground. They are accessed by a twisting stone stair and a huge ironwood door that lies at a slant to the floor. The stair continues below to older levels where the most ancient Kings in the North are entombed.

The Bell Tower is connected to the rookery by a bridge. The bridge is covered and runs from the fourth floor of the tower to the second floor of the rookery.

The maester's turret is located below the rookery.

The Library Tower houses the library at Winterfell. A stonework staircase winds about its exterior.

The Guards Hall is in line with the Bell Tower, and further back, the First Keep.

### **Walls**

Winterfell is a huge castle complex spanning several acres, defended by two massive walls of grey granite with a wide moat between them. The outer wall is eighty feet high, while the inner is one hundred feet high, with a wide moat between them. There are guard turrets on the outer wall and more than thirty watch turrets on the crenelated inner walls.

The great main gates have a gatehouse made of two huge crenelated bulwarks which flank the arched gate[6] and a drawbridge that opens into the market square of the winter town.

There is a narrow tunnel inside of the inner wall stretching halfway around the castle, allowing travel from the south gate all the way to the north gate without interruption.

* The Hunter's Gate is a gate located close to the kennels and the kitchens. It opens directly onto open fields and the wolfswood, so people can come and go without having to cross through the winter town. It is favored by hunting parties.

* The East Gate or leads to the Winter Roar The Winter Gate may be another name for the same gate.

* The Battlements Gate is a small arched postern in the inner wall. It crosses the moat between the walls but does not have a passageway through the outer wall.

### Winter Town

The winter town, so called because it lies mostly deserted during summer, is where smallfolk gather in winter. It is located outside the walls of Winterfell. Its market square is filled with wooden stalls for merchants, while its streets are muddy and lined with rows of houses made from log and undressed stone. Less than one in five are occupied during the summer, but they fill up once winter arrives. The Winter Road, which runs east of Winterfell,  sits beyond the winter town. There is an inn in the winter town, the Smoking Log.