04 Night's Watch.pdf - Chaos Bleeds

CHAPTER 1: The NIght’s Watchhave little bond to each other, save as a Sworn Brother. Any rivalriesor petty struggles that arise are considered to be between individuals,rather than against the stewards as a whole.Society Amongthe Black BrotherhoodAs with any group of people, even one ostensibly as unified as theNight’s Watch, rifts open and rivalries arise. While differences in attitudesbetween branches of the Watch, as described above, can beone source of such conflicts, such differences might be the least suchsource. Contradictory though it may seem, the ranking members ofthe Watch view these rivalries as part of developing a unified spiriton the Wall. There is even some effort to forge these rivalries betweenclasses of recruits as each incoming class is hammered again and againby tales of how inferior they are to previous classes, and how hopefulthe master-of-arms is that perhaps someone in the next class will havesome talent.While these rivalries bind the members of a class together with tiesthat bypass the boundaries of branch and service, they also fosters asense of bitterness and a desire to prove themselves. On occasion, theserivalries have boiled over into violence between members of the Watchand the ranking brothers are forced to step in. Such intervention is futileunless an actual ranking member is the target, as the brothers onboth sides of the conflict downplay the situation rather than lose facefor being incapable of handling an insignificant problem.Helpful, too, is the fact that men of the Watch have both classmatesand fellow brothers within their branch of service to call upon. Therangers are most notable for supporting each other in these conflicts,and it is widely known along the Wall that to pick a quarrel with oneranger is to do so with all of them.Another source of rivalry, though one that seldom flares into openconflict, exists between the various castles along the Wall. Each of themfeels that they host the best and brightest that the Watch has to offer,and they defend their beliefs vigorously. This rivalry is especially apparentwhen a vote is held for a new Lord Commander, as the vote often isdivided along castle lines.Though one has not been held in years, past Lords Commander heldcompetitions between the castles, with each sending its best teams ofbrothers to try and win glory and prestige for their section of the Wall.Though these moots seldom held any real reward—one such competitionbetween Deep Lake and Queensgate was entirely to determinewho would have a particular copse of trees in their protectorate—thesense of pride and accomplishment was enough to make them seriousmatters for the castles that participated.The biggest source of friction between members of the brotherhoodis the rift caused by rank and status. While all men of the Watch arebrothers, many of them carry their old prejudices into their new lives.While the brotherhood gives lip service to the idea that all brothersare equals—and its rules treat all men the same regardless of origins—men of similar classes and backgrounds bond with each other far moretightly than they do outside the boundaries they have always known.Lowborn men congregate together from the similarity of their experiences,viewing with suspicion any attempts by the highborn to crossthat barrier.Likewise, many once-noble members of the watch spend their idletime with each other, where they can find someone who enjoys recreationsother than drinking or playing draughts.The same prejudices that keep the brothers among their own kindalso prevent the two broad divisions from reaching out towards eachother. Lowborn brothers who act too familiar with their highborn fellowsare excoriated by the other lowborn members for putting on airs.Likewise, those who once graced families of note try to avoid getting areputation for being too friendly with their lessers.While true friendships between men of different backgrounds canand do occur—typically within the framework of a single class of recruits—thesealliances must overcome years of ingrained prejudices. Ittakes years, or the fire of a shared triumph, to forge a friendship out ofsimple allegiance.Length of service creates additional division among the brotherhood,as survivors of years on the Wall look upon newcomers as green anduntested. While they understand the importance of training the newbrothers, and some may even take a particular recruit under their wingfor guidance, it remains true that grizzled veterans have little need ortime for strapping lads recently come to the black.Status & Rank inthe Black BrotherhoodThe Night’s Watch views all men as equals and this is reflected in theirorganization. There are few ranks to place one brother in a position ofcommand over another, and those that exist are elected by popular voteof the affected brothers. Each branch elects who will represent them astheir First, just as all the brothers together elect their Lord Commander.While all four positions are considered to be lifetime appointments (lifeoften being cruel and short at the edge of the civilized world) there havebeen rare instances where a brother is removed from his office eitherfrom within by unrest, or—in the case of those few Lords Commanderwho turned against their vows—by the armies of the Houses of theNorth. The commander of each castle is also elected from within, andan expedition to reopen one of the “ghost castles” along the Wall wouldprobably have its commander elected before the expedition leaves toreclaim it.Status, in the eyes of the brothers, is based upon accomplishmentsand length of service. Few joys come with that status, and duties areoften assigned by who is available to do them, rather than by any formof preference based on status. This becomes exceedingly important interms of those few privileges they can claim. The men of the Watch havesworn away all hope for gold, glory, or gain for themselves, so those thatremain are held in higher value.Foremost among these privileges are downtime and privacy. Thenumbers of the Watch are thin and the brothers work long hours asa result; being allowed time to one’s self is seen as a special reward.Those who live south of the Wall would have little understanding of theprivileges seen as important to the brothers of the Watch. In additionto privacy, the availability of warm water, an extra hour’s sleep, or even afresh toilet cloth for the privy are all held in high regard and somethingjealously hoarded by the black brothers.Because the men of Westeros do not always understand how theWatch recognizes and elevates its own, the Status of black brothers istypically treated as one lower when dealing with nobility away from the16