CHAPTER 1: THE NIGHT’S WATCHOnce, they were legend: an army of warriors drawn from the length andbreadth of Westeros, whose skill at arms was matched only by the fire oftheir dedication and spirit. Songs and ballads were filled with charactersfrom the black brotherhood. The romantic idea of a man “taking theblack” to escape his past or find a new future became a common themein the old stories.Now the Night’s <strong>Watch</strong> exists only as a shadow of its former glory,clinging to its traditions and ever mindful of its duty. With barelyenough men to garrison Castle Black, they hold three castles along theWall, always keeping their eyes to the Far North. Throughout the restof the Seven Kingdoms, men see the Wall as a last refuge for criminalsfleeing the King’s justice. Every year, fewer nobles send their sons to jointhe brotherhood’s ranks, and the self-absorbed Houses show less andless concern about the goings on in the Far North.Meanwhile, beyond the Wall, the wildlings grow bolder, ever probingalong the long fortification for any weak or unguarded spot theycan find. At every twist and turn, the wildings are a constant danger tothe men of the <strong>Watch</strong>, who the free folk derisively call “crows” for theirblack cloaks and their perch on high upon the Wall. Rumors spread ofa leader, a new King-beyond-the-Wall capable of leading the free folkagainst the brotherhood. Beings once whispered about in hushed voicesor dismissed as legend have been sighted in the wilds, and are provingthemselves to be far too real. Giants. Wights. The Others.The tales told of the Night’s <strong>Watch</strong> also have a core of truth. They aremen from all walks of life, bound together by oath and mutual trust intoone of the most skilled fighting forces in Westeros. A threadbare bandof brothers, dedicated to defending a land that ignores them from animplacable and limitless foe. Their stories are tales of courage in the faceof death, of reformed pirates who become lords, and of bastards whobecome commanders. They are stories of new beginnings, of old regrets,of refuge, vengeance, and desperation. And they are the stories of theSouth, because despite its remoteness, even the Wall is not immunefrom the Game of Thrones.This chapter takes you inside the Night’s <strong>Watch</strong>, from learning why aman takes the black in the first place, to the traditions and history of theblack brotherhood. A brother’s life is harder than and different from hissouthron counterpart—his stories differ from the tales of noble lordsand smallfolk in the South, and this chapter contains information onhow a Night’s <strong>Watch</strong> campaign will differ from a normal SIFRP campaignin both arc and tone. Scattered throughout, you’ll find adventure“Cold and hard and mean, that’s the Wall and the men who walk it. Not like the stories your wetnurse told you. Well, piss on the stories and piss on your wet nurse. T his is the way it is, and you’rehere for life, same as the rest of us.”—Donal Noye, A Game of T hrones7
CHAPTER 1: The NIght’s <strong>Watch</strong>Sexuality & the WallMen come to the Wall for their own reasons. Some come because they have no choice, some because they have no other option, andsome for no reason that others can discern. The Game of Thrones is about loyalties, bloodlines, and inheritance. Legacies are power, andmatrimony and progeny is how these things are secured.That sort of life is not ideal for everyone, though. In the oath of the Night’s <strong>Watch</strong>, it states: “I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father nochildren.” Short of a maester’s chain, the <strong>Watch</strong> is nearly the only group in Westeros where both highborn and common men who do notwant a wife or children can live unpressured by society, not thought of as strange or somehow deviant for not wishing to (or being unableto) provide an heir. Sex with women is prohibited to the extent that it forms external ties; the <strong>Watch</strong> tends to turn a blind eye to sexualexpression that precludes those possibilities, whether it’s visiting girls in Mole’s Town, romancing free folk women, or same-sex relationshipsbetween brothers.It is clear from the novels that homosexuality is not viewed in anything like the way modern society sees them. Close same-sex relationshipsare common and expected throughout society. Physical intimacy in those relationships is also common and expected. Sexual intimacyis an act, not an identity, and exists apart from and alongside same-sex bonding within Westerosi society. So long as personal attachmentsand preferences don’t get in the way of the Game of Thrones, it’s no one’s business—and on the Wall, the Game of Thrones is largely moot.In short, however a man stays warm on the Wall is, frankly, his own business, so long as all parties are consenting. There are more importantthings to worry about when the Long Night comes.hooks, and seeds for ideas that can help bring the stalwart defendersof the Wall to life. For those interested in the mechanics of a Night’s<strong>Watch</strong> campaign, or eager to take the black themselves, jump ahead toCreating Night’s <strong>Watch</strong> Characters on page 29.Taking the BlackThe Kingsroad, easily the most important stretch of road in Westeros,spears north through the land and carries men and trade goodsalmost the full length of the seven kingdoms. Few travel the full thousandleagues of the great road. Fewer still follow it to its northern endwithout intention to join the Night’s <strong>Watch</strong>, for the Kingsroad’s otherterminus is Castle Black.Past Winterfell, the woods hang heavy over the road and the air growsever colder until the Kingsroad passes over the Last River. The Frostfangsgrow to dominate the western sky and the ground gives way to foothillsand granite. Beyond the road itself, little other sign of habitation can beseen until it finally passes into the hardscrabble farmland of the Gift forthe final fifty leagues to the seat of the black brotherhood’s power.It is a long walk, and almost a month’s journey remains after Winterfell.Most who make the trip do so in the company of one or moreSworn Brothers of the <strong>Watch</strong>. The land’s chill seeps into the bones andfills men’s hearts with uncertainty regarding the future. Once he hasreached Castle Black to begin his training, only one thing in their futureis clear: he will spend the rest of his days, however long or short a spanthat may be, on the Wall.With the wealth and warmth of the South available to them, whywould any man surrender family and liberty for the cold and ice of theWall? What drives a man to forsake all he has in favor of a lonely deathat the end of the civilization? There are as many reasons as there are menof the <strong>Watch</strong>, but like the peoples of Westeros, they can be broken downinto two rough groups: highborn and lowborn.Few lowborn have much choice in their trip to the wall. The majoritytravel north as criminals, sentenced to take the black rather thanbe executed. For them, the Night’s <strong>Watch</strong> is a final chance. They havedelayed the hangman’s noose, and the Sworn Brothers charged with escortingthem watch closely for any sign that a convict is having secondthoughts. A criminal deserter is killed as soon as he can be found, hispardon forfeit when he flees his duty.Some lowborn recruits come of their own volition, or leap at theopportunity when it is offered. The tales of the Wall as a place where aman succeeds on his merits entice men who want a better future. Forthem, the restrictions of the Oath are no great hardship. It’s easy toabandon gold when a man has never known it. Easier still to abandontitle and lands that have never been his. In exchange a commonerwho joins the Brotherhood gains things he never had access to before:education, a warm bed, and three meals a day. A man receives equipmentthat might cost a year’s earnings or more for following ordersand working hard.It is the reputation of the Wall itself that keeps lowborn men fromflooding the Far North. There is no illusion that the Wall is anythingless than a death sentence—the final stop on the way to the Stranger’sside. Some common-born families grieve for their sons in the <strong>Watch</strong>as though death had already claimed them. It is a sad yet appropriateresponse given that they will neither see nor hear from the child again,and even in death his grave will be a lonely marker on the stony frozenground of the Far North.There is another lure in the hard life of the Night’s <strong>Watch</strong>, and itdraws both noble and lowborn commoner alike. The chance, howeverslim, that they might forget their past drives some men to take theblack. This idealized image of the romantic allure of the Wall resonatedin the old sagas and ballads, filled with tales of wronged men who havelost everything and don the black to be born anew. Under an assumedname, devoid of all possessions, a driven man can build a good life forhimself even if he can never again leave the service of the <strong>Watch</strong>.Some nobility who take the black do so for the same reasons as theirlowborn brothers: it is an acceptable choice over their own death. Notall losses in the game of thrones can be measured as bodies, and often aperson on the wrong side of war or intrigue is given the option to jointhe Night’s <strong>Watch</strong> rather than be executed. Some lords—especially inthe North—still respect the Wall and the men who serve there, and8
Change language