04 Night's Watch.pdf - Chaos Bleeds

CHapter 3: beyond the Wallancient fortifications that rest atop it, the Fist of the First Men still hasstrategic value as it ensures control of the Milkwater.The Fist of the North Men is made of earth and gray stone, with asingle narrow path that winds around the slope. While it is possibleto climb the Fist without using this path, it is far more difficult anddangerous. The top of the Fist is crowned with an ancient, crumblingwall, which is all that remains of the fortress built by the First Men duringthe Age of Dawn, standing as high as a man in most places, with ahandful of places where it has collapsed.The Fist of the First Men has been used in conflicts among the freefolk for centuries, though no one has kept claim on it for long. The areahas come to be seen as cursed by some, and free folk generally avoid it.The Night’s Watch have used it on occasion during larger rangings primarilydue to the fact that free folk avoid it, providing even more reasonfor the free folk to look elsewhere for shelter.For Warfare, the Fist of the First Men is considered a small castle.The GorgeLocated on the far western edge of the Wall, the Gorge reaches from theShadow Tower southwest to the Bay of Ice, forming a massive natural obstaclefor any free folk trying to cross to the South. When the Wall wasconstructed, Bran the Builder left the Gorge to serve as the border betweenWesteros and the Far North, confident that the sheer cliffs on either sideof the Gorge would keep out any intruders. This has been true for the mostpart, but since the Night’s Watch does not station men along the Gorge, itis seen by some free folk as a preferable way to make their way to the South.Traversing the Gorge requires climbing down several hundred feetof nearly sheer stone, crossing a raging river, and then scaling back upthe cliffs on the other side. Some free folk have managed to travel downthe Milkwater via canoe or raft, but the rapids and waterfalls along thelower Milkwater make this process extremely dangerous. Even if suchadventurous free folk survive the Milkwater, the Bay of Ice is even moreinhospitable.For Warfare, the Gorge is considered as mountains, but a militaryunit that wishes to cross the Gorge must pass a Hard (15) Athleticscheck, a process that takes 2 days. Units that fail take 1 point of damagefor each point they failed the Athletics check by, representing membersof the unit lost or wounded due to falls, landslides, and so forth. The unitcan become disorganized or routed as normal from this damage.Ice RiverBorn in the mountain valleys of Thenn, the Ice River is fed by snowmeltthat has carved a deep channel through the Frost Fangs to the lowlands ofthe Haunted Forest. The Ice River eventually merges with the Milkwaterjust north of the Fist of the First Men. While the Ice River is fast-movingamong the Frost Fangs due to the quick change in elevation, once itreaches the Haunted Forest it slows, becoming a broad, ambling river thatis almost always frozen. For most of its expanse the Ice River is frozenyear-round, though not always frozen enough to support those who tryto cross it—dozens of free folk die each year trying to cross the Ice River.Despite being frozen much of the year, the Ice River is a ready sourceof food for the free folk. Many tribes ice fish along its length, but mustdo so carefully because it’s the home of the cannibal clans. Any tribepassing through the region that is not a known ally of the cannibal clansmust keep a constant vigil to avoid falling prey to their ambushes.MilkwaterFlowing from the Frost Fangs through the Haunted Forest, splittingthe Gorge down to the Bay of Ice, the Milkwater is one of the mostimportant rivers of the Far North. It not only provides a ready sourceof food in the form of a variety of fish, but its swift current prevents itfrom freezing over easily. This allows the Milkwater to function as oneof the main trade routes in the Far North, connecting the settlements ofthe Frost Fangs with the tribes of the Haunted Forest.A number of enterprising free folk buy bronze weapons and armorfrom the mountain tribes, which they then transport via the Milkwaterto trade to the tribes of the Haunted Forest for hides, food, and wood,and then these goods are carted back up to the mountain tribes by caravan.Several tribes also use the Milkwater as part of their yearly migratorypatterns, constructing rafts each year to travel to the south beforeworking their way back north over the course of the year. All this travelalong the Milkwater has given birth to a number of raiders along itslength who attempt to use rafts or makeshift dams to catch their prey.The Skirling PassLocated in the middle reaches of the Frost Fangs just south of theMilkwater, the Skirling Pass is a series of winding passes, trails, andvalleys that allow the knowledgeable to travel across the Frost Fangswith relative speed. Only a few among the Night’s Watch and the freefolk know all the twists and turns of the Skirling Pass, though many arefamiliar with certain portions of it. The Skirling Pass is reached fromthe east via the Giant’s Stair, a massive stone formation resembles largestone steps carved into the very mountain.92