Prologue: The North's Rebirth
Hello I have decided to return to this story even though I am still working on my other fanfic: the End of Eternity. After reading The Dying of the Light; George R.R Martin's first novel a few weeks ago I wanted to return to the rich world of A song of Ice and Fire.
Thanks to a writing course and my experience with my other fanfic I believe I have considerable improved my English writing and worldbuilding.
I have decided to made considerable changes in this story, with a more rationalistic and overall view; I want to change the North in ways other fanfics have not completely explored. Also I leaving breadcrumbs of the true nature of the Nocturnas for those who have read my other fanfic; The End of Eternity.
I was greatly inspired and put to mind into this story after watching this magnificent representation of the book's winterfell:
watch?v=dZdbpfcxfSk
In a game of kings and pawns, the most dangerous player may not be the strongest but the one most capable of adapting and improving. The North was altered when they arrived, they were the torchbearers of change and progress. Now they are the most powerful and loyal banner man of house stark: House Nocturna, and in darkness they will rise.
Five centuries before Aegon the Conqueror's arrival on Westeros, the people living on the western shores of the North looked at the sea and glimpsed in horror at dozens of ships climbing over the horizon, at first they believed it was an Iron born invasion; but those ships were unlike anything they had seen before.
They had sails with symbols different to those of the ironborn and the largest of those ships looked as if they were made of metal moving with sails far too small for their size; resembling more to floating castles than boats.
To the surprise of the king of the North, his lords and people, these were not invaders but rather the first wave of refugees and colonists from a land to the west: The land of Terra.
Once the language barrier had been broken, these Terrans told the story of their land: a continent gleaming with life and a people ruling themselves rather than putting their trust on a single man and family to rule over them for generations. But their land had been lost to civil war and destruction caused by overpopulation, disease and famine.
In their zeal to achieve wealth and power despite the suffering of their people the corrupt leaders of Terra had destroyed every forest, exhausted the land and poisoned the rivers and lakes of their dominion. With famine and chaos came civil war and the collapse of an empire.
Yet thousands of survivors managed to flee to a place known only as The Rapture from where they embarked on an exodus to find a new land, from where they could start anew and learn from their mistakes.
Despite the fears and distrust of his lords and people the Stark king granted the Terran refuges the possession of the southern coast of the Rills; stating to his lords that the Terran colony could be use as a bulwark against the Ironborn while their ships granted the North its first fleet since Brandon the Burner burned his entire fleet in anchor. Also he quoted the successful integration of the Manderlys a century earlier and the exodus of Nymeria in Dorne that allowed the desert kingdom to grow in strength.
The northern lords were confident nevertheless that these Terran foreigners could not survive the coming winter, as no one knew the cold winds of the north like the northerners. The de facto leader of the new Terran colony George Noctis one of the captains who had led them through the sea understood cold nevertheless, and ordered the dismantlement of his own ship in order to extract the steam engine from its heart. Under the oversight of the colony's engineers an enormous generator powered by coal or wood was constructed alongside a system of conducts that provided heat to every home on the colony.
With the end of the winter a new wave of refugees arrived at the North, most arriving in the coast of the Rills near the new colony, yet many others ending all over the western shore, one group even landed north of the Wall, constructing a small fort and struggling with the wildlings and the cold for survival.
Understanding that integrating with the northerners was the only way of survival and growth George Noctis was the first to convert to the northern cult of the Old Gods of the forest inspiring his people to do the same, finally abandoning to oblivion the monotheistic faith that had led his homeland to disaster.
Soon the small colony on the coast of the Blazewater Bay grew into a small port city renamed Port Rapture in honor of the place from where they left their ancestral homeland becoming the central Hub for the entire terran exodus and settlement on the North. A large fortress designed in the terran way; shaped like an octagon was constructed north of the city as a main stronghold against ironborn raids on the city, known from then and on as Eclipse Bastion.
As a last step to integrate with the northern people and lords, a summit of elders, captains, engineers and scholars was held in Port Rapture in order to chose their leaders and ruling council in the Terran way; through vote and merit rather than birthright yet appointing their respective leaders to be their lords in the Westerosi way.
George Noctis the captain who had led his people through the first exodus and ensured the survival of their first colony through the winter was chosen as Lord of Eclipse Bastion and Imperator of Port Rapture. He took as a sigil a white spectral bat in a purple sky, in honor of the creatures that had guided their way to their new home:
Those giant bats had come with them hiding in the bowels of their ships, eating the vermin like insects and rats that inhabit those vessels and it had been one of them, a male spectral bat as large as an owl that restored hope to the crews when one day landed on the deck of its home ship carrying a small twig. Just as hope and supplies were about to run out that single proof of nearby land inspired them to carry on.
Released into the North the spectral bats adapted and evolved, eating insect, mushrooms, rodents and small birds; flying free during the warm seasons, having their fill during autumn and hibernating during winter. They stand as a symbol of perseverance and endurance, for every northerner; and for House Nocturna their sigil and expression of their house's words:
In darkness we rise
A reminder that if you stand surrounded by despair and hardship you must trust your wits and spirit, as well as those who stand with you.
In 750 B.C. when no further ships appear on the horizon even after decades of wait, the Terran Exodus was considered over; taking the example from Prince Nymeria from Dorne the Terran lords decided to burn all of their charts and logbooks from the exodus in order to prevent any crazy or curious descendant from ever embarking in a journey to their ancient homeland; the North was their home and the Starks were their kings from now and forever.
It was through those events that the North, the largest and oldest of the Seven Kingdoms but also one of the poorest, emptiest and less populated kingdom experienced a demographic, economic and cultural growth without comparison in Westeros or in the rest of the known world; perhaps with the only exception of Valyria.
While the terrans were adamant in their integration with the northerners, they kept many of their ideas and ways of living. Terran values put skill, wisdom and determination over bloodline; a man or woman's birth does not necessarily determines their place. In the lands granted to the terran houses like house Nocturna there is no serfdom; peasants are owners of their lands even though they are to provide a percentage of their crops to their lords for the right to trade, other lords mostly those in the south may mock and criticize this system calling on the traditional values and the systems lasting centuries in their lands but in the North the lands where serfdom has been abolished are some of the most productive even through the hardest of winters. This is no small part due to the new crops and techniques provided by the terrans: the ash face potato, the cacao grains, coffee grains, sugarcanes, peanuts and the green peas.
The engineers, architects and scholars that came in the exodus also granted their knowledge to the lords and people of the North, in every large town and mayor keep of the kingdom large steam generators were constructed; feed by coal or firewood they provide warm and light to their holds. The lives of the northerners were once completely linked to the arrival of winter and to this day that has not changed but the fear of winter is not as ominous as it once was in the elder days when beholding the large towers in each keep that hold their beating hearts of metal powered by coal and steam.
The Terrans founded dozens of colonies on the western shore and very few were abandoned to the iron born raids as the iron islands' longships were no match against the frigates and dreadnoughts that make the northern fleet yet in the end four settlements and houses took over the dominion over the newest inhabitants of the North; divided by geography and clear unique racial traits yet united by common language and traditions the four terran houses as the rest of the North calls them had swore allegiance to House Stark. As part of their terran heritage, the lords of the four houses had keep the title of Imperators, a term used to described the maximum authority in a single land.
The main houses of Terran origin bind to Winterfell are:
House Nocturna, Lords of Eclipse Bastion, Imperators of Port Rapture, Shields of Blazewater Bay: The House founded by George Noctis, later known as George Nocturna took their name from an old deity of their ancient tales, Nocturna the goddess of the twilight and dream; as a way to honor their path of hardships and rebirth.
They are the most powerful house of terran origin and the second strongest house of the North, only second to the Starks. They rule over their fortress of Eclipse Bastion and the city of Port Rapture which since its founding has grown into becoming the largest city of the North surpassing even White Harbor, Port Rapture is also the third largest city on Westeros behind King's Landing and Old Town. According to the chronicles the Nocturnas' ancestors were those who inhabited the land of The Rapture from which they departed for the sea on the Exodus, while the Nocturnas and their people are not too different from the regular northerner (descendants of the first men) or terran they have an unique trait: almost all of them have deep yellow irises on their eyes. Unique both in Westeros and in the old lands of the Terra the inhabitants of Port Rapture claim herritage of those known as "the people of the Rapture" and in minor part "the people of steel".
Port Rapture is a massive city and the most important western port of the North, holding nearly a quarter of a million inhabitants. It was the first city in which the terran engineers displayed their skills and knowledge by building the firsts steam power heat generators, aqueducts, drains, and buildings. The city serves as anchorage for the Nocturna's fleet composed of unique vessels: frigates, fast ships larger than ironborn's longships yet smaller than southern war galleys, but remarkably maneuverable and the fearsome terran dreadnoughts, enormous war galleons made of northern iron wood and covered by plates of bronze and steel across the hull.
Nocturnas' take great pride on their mix of northern and terran culture and heritage, through their oversight the lands of the Rills have become plentiful in grain, people and trade. The soldiers under House Nocturna are organized in the way of the old terran legions; well trained and equipped soldiers coming from the people of Port Rapture and the coast of The Rills, they are considered some of the best soldiers of the North and of all of Westeros.
The most prized possession of House Nocturna besides the books and wealth kept in their basements of Eclipse Bastion is a large Valyrian great sword known as Brightwing.
The House is also known for their introduction of several new values into the North like the practice of divorce in common or even noble marriages; or the system of vote and selection in the largest towns and cities for their governors.
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House d'Acosta, Lords of Whaler's Solace, Imperators of Sea Dragon Point: Descendants of those known as "the people of steel" who used to be the primary people on the old lands of Terra, they are nearly indistinguishable from the northerners, they have brown, blonde or black hair with brown or blue eyes.
The port and keep of Whaler's Solace is the as the name implies the most important whaler port in the North. Holding a long tradition of whalers, House d'Acosta makes use of their huge modified dreadnought vessels to hunt even the largest whales in order to extract blubber, meat, bones, and most importantly, their oil.
House d'Acosta sigil is a large blue whale on a black field, they are moderately wealthy through their trade of whale related products and fish. Following the ways of their ancestors they organized their men in the doctrines of the terran legions: well equipped and trained men holding rectangular shields, short swords and long spears that unlike those used by House Nocturna are designed like harpoons rather than spears, as a reflection of their whaling tradition.
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House Lin, Lords of Wind Haven, Imperators of the Bay of Ice: Once known as "the people of the silk" the vassals of House Lin are a rarity among the North and Westeros, they were once a majority in the lands of Terra but did not participated in the Exodus on as large number as their compatriots. All of them have pale skin, jet black hair and most remarkable almond shape small eyes. Their port town and keep of Wind Haven sits on the shores of the Bay of Ice on the land that would later be known as the New Gift.
Living in a land so close to the Wall and mountains is not easy, but the vassals of house Lin are a very adaptive people, who cultivate a type of rice and soy resilient to the snow and cold. With the help of House Nocturna they have built numerous steam powered generators to produce heat and warm for their towns, holding a land rich in iron they extract much of the iron from which most of the tools, machinery and weapons of the North are forged.
Their sigil is a pink lotus flower on a white field, a symbol of rebirth.
As they hold the northest port in Westeros their ships are critical for the patrols against wildling raids. During wars most of their forces remain in reserve on the North acting as support for the Night's Watch in case of wildling attacks, but some of their best forces like their archers and elite scouts tend to join the northern armies in their campaigns.
With their lands being part of the New Gift and being so close to the Wall they have been granted a dispensation: they do not pay taxes to either the king or warden but they are bound to provide, weapons, supplies and from time to time men for the Night's Watch
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House Korter, Lords of White Tusk Keep, Imperators of the New Gift: The other terran house living on the lands of the New Gift and the only one whose seat is not on the western shore, House Korter's vassals are just like the vassals of House Lin from another racial group different to those of the northerners and most of the terrans. Known as "the people of ivory" they have dark skin similar to that of the dothraki or those of the Summer Islands.
To the amazement of many part of their exodus' wave ended in the lands north of the Wall, a large group of them established camp on the coast of the Frozen Shore, that centuries later still remains as the sole fortress outpost of the North and Night's Watch beyond the Wall. During their stay on the land north of the Wall they managed to hunt and caught many woolly mammoths and brought them to their new land.
Establishing a colony and keep on the land of New Gift, they took upon themselves to oversight the breeding and care for the mammoths of the North, continuing an old tradition they once kept in their homeland over their natives elephants.
They are the less wealthy of the four terran houses, but the control over the mammoths has given them a place of important on the Northern armies; while they also "rent" their mammoths for works like heavy lifting, extraction of rocks, wood and construction. They also trade with mammoth's products like milk, cheese, mammoth's leather, fur and ivory.
Their sigil is a white mammoth skull in a field of brownish red. Just like the Lins they do not pay taxes but contribute to the Night's Watch with resources and manpower.
Terran minor Houses:
-House Norris, Lords of Bronze Citadel (vassals of House Nocturna)
-House Atkins, Lords of Sunset Beacon (vassals of House Nocturna)
-House MacLachlan, Lords of Final Legacy, Imperators of the Stony Shore
-House Calraca, Lords of New Sanctuary (vassals of House d'Acosta)
-House Cheng, Lords of Aurora Port (vassals of House Lin)
-House Malluk, Lords of Tempest Hold (vassals of House Korter)
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The arrival of the people of Terra brought new life to the North, a land of people mostly unwilling to change or adapt even against the hardships of the long winters and storms that hit the land every generation. It was through the Exodus of the terrans that the North experienced a rebirth and the northerners grew as a nation alongside their lords and kings.
Works of infrastructure, crop, farming and reforms of heath and sanitation have allowed the North to maintain a far larger population, industry and military:
-The winter crops of Terran origin: ash face potatoes, cacao grains, coffee grains, sugarcanes, peanuts and the green peas are cultivated through the land both in the open farmlands as in small scale inside crystal greenhouses.
A process of selected breeding is also ensured in order to make stronger, more resilient and eatable crops; the terran mastery over botanic is one of the main reasons for the impressive population boom on the North.
-The Northern Grand Channel: It is said that one ancestor of House Nocturna saw a map of the north, picking on the short distance on The Neck between White harbor and the Fever River to the western shore, with Moat Cailin in the middle, conceiving a project of engineering not seen since the construction of The Wall: the digging of an artificial channel connecting both coasts of the continent.
After convincing the king in the North that he was not mad, he oversight a work of engineering second only by the wall. Thousands of workers dig a pit with a length of miles stretching from the east coast near White Harbor to near the Fever River, which then they had it covered with piles of wood covered by oil, that they finally set them ablaze in order to use the fire and heat to break the soil of rock and the earth.
Some people said he cut down a third of the wolf's wood to do it. He then use the same principle to change the course of rivers and flood the channel. An entire generation lived and died building it, Lord Nocturna died as well without even seeing his lifework fullfilled, but it was worth it. The Grand Channel now stands as one of the most important water routes of Westeros, the gate between the narrow and sunset sea; the east and west.
-The growth of White Harbor: After the Channel was completed the ships of House Nocturna could crossed from one side of the continent to the other in remarkable short time. Also as the gatekeepers for the eastern entrance, the Manderlys of White Harbor were able to tax every trade ship that passed through, through that new wealth and trade, The city of White Harbor grew as well, helped by works of infrastructure built by architects and engineers of House Nocturna. A new fleet was built as well in the way of the terran navy design.
-The Conquest of Skagos: With powerful fleets on both sides of the North, the King of the North saw an opportunity to expand his kingdom and secure his northern territories against wildling invasions; launching a new campaign to conquer the island of Skagos.
The invasion saw the first military intervention of the terran houses in service of the North, with the soldiers of Houses Nocturna, d'Acosta, Lin and Korter landing in the rocky shores of Skagos and Skane. The islanders fought with rage and valor, but while they were strong and fierce, their weapons were mostly bronze axes and obsidian point spears, and they also lacked organization, discipline and leadership.
The island was conquered within a year with House Magnar of Stone Fort as their new lords who swore allegiance to Winterfell.
-The grand harvest lands: Applying the techniques developed in the channel. The engineers of Houses Nocturna, MacLachlan and d'Acosta worked with the Starks of Winterfell to build smaller water channels feed from the currents of The White Knife and the de frost of the mountains near the Dreadfort; with the purpose of supplying water to the large plains south of Winterfell and Hornwood. The new rich and fertile lands maned by Winterfell and several other houses, generated an impressive growth in population through even several winters.
-The northerner eastern and western fleet: Houses Nocturna and d'Acosta hold two large fleets that consist of almost 200 war frigates and a small number of whalers trawlers and dreadnoughts; they are the Northern western fleet. House Manderly also holds a sizable fleet, mostly made up of trade vessels, war galleys and galleons, with a short number of frigates; making the North the only power in the continent which holds fleets on both sides.
All ships of the North were constructed with northern iron wood supplied by House Forester and treated with weirwood sap making them highly resilient to blunt damage or water corrosion.
-Winter City: The boom of population in the North turned the small village of Winter Town into a prosperous city. King Brandon Stark "the water bringer" also construct a small channel in order to supplied the city with an artificial river, he build two aqueducts as well.
Winter City is still small in comparison to White Harbor or Port Rapture, as it only holds a population of about 150000 people, nevertheless it is consider the jewel and heart of the North.
-The industry of the North: The North has always been considered salvage and ignorant by those of the south and to be fair that was not very far from the truth; the first men could never compete with the andals due to their lack of knowledge of advance military tactics, metallurgy (the first men only knew how to forge bronze) and engineering, yet the terran exodus brought not only a growth in population but also growth in literacy and capability for even the common folk.
Cities and towns of the North live around their steam generators and their foundries powered by coal, whale oil and firewood; where iron ore and coal are process to make steel. The knowledge of metallurgy brought by the terrans has not only improved the quality of the metal weapons and tools forged in the North but they have considerably decreased their cost and time of fabrication.
The armies and peasants of the North have a quality of equipment that is a source of envy for the peoples of the southern kingdoms.
-The rebuild of Moat Cailin: When the channel was finished, there was an unexpected development, because of the water, the wolf's road (later known as the King's road) was severed but several of the swamps north the ruin fortress were drained of the water that feed them and the lands could now be use for harvest.
With several swamps around it, the channel at the north, the keeps that protect the entrance of the channel at the west, White Harbor to the east and the king´s road south as the only passable road to it the key position of Moat Cailin had become much more defendable.
Through the works of terran architects, the strength of the mammoths which carry the rocks from the nearest quarry and the help of the Starks of Winterfell, the once shattered ruin was turned into the most impregnable castle in the north. Once only 3 towers remain, now there are 6 main towers on each side covering the two lines of walls of the 8 sided castle with the entrances to the north and south located in the remaining two sides with heavy iron wood gates. The walls are almost 60 meters tall and the surrounding nearly impassable terrain makes very difficult to raise stairs in the east or west sides and practically impossible to move a siege tower.
The last implementation to the castle was to put sharp spikes of ivory from mammoths tusk and whale bones in the superior wall near the battlements, every ladder and climber who tries to take the castle is goanna deal with several puncture wounds. Looking from outside you can realize that this is not the proud seat of a noble house with greed and near obscenity ostentation, this fortress was built for war and only war. House Morham which was founded by a son of House Nocturna and a daughter of House Reed holds one of the most impenetrable castles in Westeros and the gate to the North.
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House Nocturna and the rest of the Terran houses also took a considerable role on the recent wars and conflicts which shape Westeros:
-Although the andals and the Faith of the Seven managed to conquered the South of Westeros they never succeeded in taking over the North yet they never paid much attention to the cold wasteland rule by the Starks until the terrans came.
When the andal's kings became aware of a new much powerful and populated north they saw a threat to their supremacy, so they joined forces in order to finally conquer the North, in an invasion that would became known as the crusade of the Seven or in the North as The last grasp of the andals. Houses Gardener, Lannister, Durrandon, Arryn and Teague with even a little support from the Iron Islands launched a full scale invasion of the North. But despite their great numbers, they were unable to conquer our lands. In retaliation for their invasion, King Maegorn Stark "the bane of the seven" launched attacks on Lannisport, Gulltown an even sacked Oldtown and burned down the Stary sept, the three sisters were incorporated into the North with house Sunderland as their rulers.
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-When Aegon landed on Westeros, he crushed the army of the Storm kings, cooked Harren the Black and his sons in their castle of Harrenhall and burned the combine armies of the Reach and the Rock, eradicating House Gardener in the process. While the Arryns hide behind the Bloody Gate the North under the command of King Torrhen Stark gathered the largest northern force since the long night; 110000 men and 25 war mammoths. With his troops ready the King of Winter crossed the Neck with his army to face the valyrian invader.
King Torrhen Stark's arrived at the Trident encountering Aegon's army of at least 60000 men and three dragons on the other side of the river. Torrhen had the numerical advantage with his forces nearly doubling those of the enemy, also his troops were well trained and equipped not to mention loyal, while most of Aegon's followers were those of the recently conquered kingdoms so most of his lords suggested to attack believing that northern valor would win the day; others suggested to at least retreat to Moat Cailin and make a stand there, but those who had heard about the burning of Harrenhall and the Field of Fire suggested otherwise.
Next morning King Torrhen met to parley with the dragon king, Lord Andreu Nocturna and Lord Iosef Manderly went with him. After a short discussion King Torrhen Stark finally made a choice to protect the lives of his people and homes taking down his crown and knelling before the Conqueror; Aegon Targaryen granted Torrhen the position of lord paramount of the North, and impressed by the courage and wisdom of the northerners he did not demanded any swords from them. For those who look upon the Iron Throne a reminder must be issue that none of those blades came from the North nor from Dorne.
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-During the Dance of the dragons, the North took the side of the blacks; historians and maesters tend to omit on their writings that they were the Starks and their allies who granted Queen Rhaenyra her victory.
When the northern army crossed The Neck spear headed by the elite company of the Winter Wolves they smashed the Lannister's forces and joined the Rivermen in destroying the green army at Harrenhall ending the life of Ser Criston Cole the kingsmaker who had started that whole war. The northern grand navy later joined with the Velaryon fleet on the south and alongside the two sons of queen Rhaenyra they destroyed the Triarchy's fleet.
Finally the war ended when the blacks took the Capital with the alliance fleet blocking the Bay, the false King Aegon died when a bolt launched from a ballista in one of the Nocturna's ship hit his already injured dragon Sunfyre. Although Queen Rhaenyra was grateful for their aid she never fully rewarded the actions and sacrifices made by the northerners, but she had made a lot of enemies and lost too many advisors, her weak reign was filled with revolts and rebellions. After the massacre at the Dragon Pit she summoned her most powerful ally Lord Cregan Stark and named him Hand of the queen. Lord Cregan managed to put the realm in order and under his leadership the seven kingdoms prospered but the Faith of the Seven never liked the idea of a northerner controlling the realm, so after Queen Rhaenyra's death her son and heir dismissed him.
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-After the death of King Daeron Targaryen in the aftermath of the conquest of Dorne by the Targaryens, his successor the fanatic (and frankly delirious) King Baelor Targaryen, known as Baelor the Blessed and later as Baelor the feeble attempted to expand 'the light of the seven' all across Westeros; reinstating the faith militant and declaring his intentions to convert the poor an ignorant people of the North and the Iron Islands to the true faith.
His intentions drew the ire of Lord Nathaniel Stark whose ancestor Torrhen Stark had negotiated a set of terms regarding the submission of the North to the iron throne as long as the last recognized and respected the religious rights and autonomy of the northern people. Together with Lord Dagon Greyjoy they disavowed the iron throne and proclaimed themselves as kings; starting the War of the faiths or the Feeble Crusade as history books would later called it.
The kingdoms loyal to Baelor still recovering from the invasion of Dorne did not provided much support to the Iron Throne; so Baelor put the faith militant in charge of the invasion of the North. Thousands of peasants and poorly equipped warriors marched to the North, never to be seen again after crossing the swamps of the Neck.
The Redwyne fleet sailed to the Iron Islands while the Vale fleet attempted to conquer the Three Sisters, in response King Nathaniel and Daegon formed the Wolf-Kraken Alliance and declared and agreed to support each other against the dragons. The Redwyne fleet would be destroyed near the coast of Pyke while the Vale fleet would be decimated in an assault on Gulltown.
The alliance launched an invasion of the Reach seizing control of the Shield Islands, Brightwater Keep and Old Oak; before finally sailing up the Mander and laying siege to Highgarden which fell within days. The war could have seen the collapse of the Seven Kingdoms and the Targaryen rule on the continent but the death of Baelor who starved himself to death by the prolonged fasting to cleanse himself of lust and defeat, ended the conflict.
Through later negotiations the Starks and Greyjoys renewed their allegiances to the Iron Throne even though the war would be said to have revealed just how weak was the Targaryen power in truth without the dragons.
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During the rebellion the northern terran houses also took a vital role:
-During the Battle of The Trident it was House Nocturna's heavy infantry under the command of Lord Damian Nocturna the ones who held the line against the dornishmen and crownlanders of the royal army while the cavalry from the knights of the vale broke through the enemy's side and rear.
-While the bulk of the terran houses were fighting in the trident next to king Robert and lord Eddard, Lord Damian Nocturna's son Alexander lead 100 northern war ships to Storm's End. He attacked the Redwyne fleet stationed around the castle and even bombarded the Tyrell's camp with their ships' ballista. While he didn't have the numbers to break the siege his distraction allowed the smuggler Davos and their cargo ships to sneak past through the southern fleet and replenish the sieged fortress.
-After the Lannisters betrayed the mad king and the siege of Storm's End was lifted Lord Damian went with Lord Eddard to rescue Lady Lyanna, while Lord William Dustin lead most of the northern army back home. Lord Damian suffered a few cuts on the final struggle with the three remaining members of Aerys' Kingsguard in the Tower of Joy but survived, some claimed that it was he the one who killed Ser Gerold Hightower the white bull, lord commander of Aerys' Kingsguard. After Lord Damian returned to the north he took the black and passed his ancestral sword to his grandson Eldric.
-When Balon Greyjoy rebelled against the iron throne and burned the Lannister's fleet in anchor, House Nocturna rallied its fleet alongside the ships of Houses d'Acosta and Manderly on Port Rapture. It was Lord Stannis Baratheon the one who broke the Iron fleet at Fair Isle, but they were the northern forces the ones that prevented their escape. Lord Alexander's flagship the Endurance Night shattered Victarion Greyjoy's ship the Iron Victory although Euron Greyjoy managed to flee.
The Northern Rebirth brought forth by the Terran Exodus spear headed by House Nocturna, turned the North into far different kingdom. Not only the houses of Terran origin and those born afterwards were altered in a great measure. In order to honor their new subjects the Starks of Winterfell took the title of Imperators of the Boreal lands amongst their titles; and ended the practice of serfdom in their directly controlled lands. Through the control of Winter City and the rule over the most fertile lands of the North the Starks have remained as the most powerful house of their kingdom. The Manderlys also made reforms through their lands yet they have maintain their ways in the faith of the seven, while they remain as the wealthiest house of the North through their control of the Grand Channel's eastern entrance.
In a way the four most powerful houses of the North in order of strength; the Starks, Nocturnas, Manderlys and Boltons which represent almost a third of the full military might of the land; are a perfect reflection of the new North:
The Starks: the honor and wisdom of the North.
The Nocturnas: the endurance and intellect of the terrans.
The Manderlys: the spirit and nobility of the andal northerners.
The Boltons: the fierceness and values of the first men.
This balance that has been established on the largest kingdom of Westeros may be put to the test in the coming change of seasons. The cold winds of the North are rising, with the longest summer in history approaching its end and the ominous arrival of the feared winter approaching ever nearer.
In the years after the rebellion Lord Eddard Stark rules the North in the name of his old friend King Robert Baratheon first of his name; alongside his Tully wife Lady Catelyn and his aging mother Lady Kaina Lord Eddard has been making remarkable efforts to improve the stability and influence of the North through Westeros. Reports from the Capital nevertheless tell stories that the hand of the king Jon Arryn is dying and the Lannisters are constantly grasping for power; a new war is about to begin and the North for better or worse shall be part of it.
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Character descriptions:
House Nocturna: Members of house Nocturna are descendents of those once known in the land of Terra as "the people of the Rapture". Through generations of mixing with their northern countrymen, they are not too different from the rest of the North other than the predominance of their yellow colored eyes amongst their members.
-Damian Nocturna, called "the white bat", age 68 years old, he abandoned his lordship and is the current First Ranger of the Night's watch.
Brother and sisters:
-Lady Kaina Stark (Nocturna) widow of Lord Rickard Stark mother of Lord Eddard and Benjen Stark, age 65, nicknamed "the wolf matriarch" (she is like a northern version of the queen of thorns, she has her own spy network and the respect and fear of several people). Unlike other southern high lords she cares little for the Iron throne or the politics of the South but in order to prevent herself from losing any more children or grandchildren and protect the North, she is more than capable of taking the strings and play the game of thrones.
-Her direwolfs companions; "Silver Fang" and "Huntress"
-Lady Mirala Nocturna, married to a Bravossi trader, extremely wealthy woman
-Lord Kalinos Glacies (his bastard brother), Lord Commander of Winter City's Silver Cloaks
-his sons Andreus & Lionel Glacies
-his daughter Daresa Glacies
Children and grandchildren:
-Lord Alexander Nocturna, Lord of Eclipse Bastion, Imperator of Port Rapture, Shield of Blazewater Bay:
-His wife: Jeyne Royce (to make an alliance with the vale in the years before the Rebellion)
-Eldric Nocturna: Heir of Eclipse Bastion, a 22 year old man, prolific warrior, he carries the valyrian sword Bright wing.
-Saskia Nocturna: 20 year old woman, sailor and warrior, captain of the frigate war ship "Eternally Defiant".
-Merya Nocturna: A 16 year old maid, skilled archer and huntress.
-Daeron Nocturna: A 13 year old boy, currently squiring for his uncle Lord Belmond d'Acosta in Whaler's Solace
-Their Spectral Bats: Nightshade, Moonlight and Sharpwing
-Lord Alexander's sister: Lady Lyarra Nocturna married to Lord Belmond d'Acosta
-Nisai Glacies: A 17 year old maid, bastard daughter of Lord Damian Nocturna, beautiful young woman, ward of Lady Kaina; scholar adept on the University of Winter City. Best friend of Jon Snow.
-Her Spectal Bat: Mirage
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House Stark: There aren't many changes in house Stark even though their mother of Lord Eddard Stark is a Nocturna. But through the mentorship of her mother Eddard Stark is a more flexible man, for instances he decided to trust his wife and tell her the truth about Jon's true parents.
-Lord Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, Warden of the North, Imperator of the Boreal Lands
-His wife Catelyn Tully (as lady Catelyn knows the truth about R+L= J she doesn't despised Jon Snow but she doesn't treat him as one of her children, more like a ward)
-Robb stark: heir of Winterfell, a little taller than the cannon Robb
-Sansa, a little less naïve because of her grandmother teachings
-Arya, the same as cannon
-Bran: the only one amongst the Stark children that inherited yellow color eyes from his grandmother
-Rickon: the same as cannon
-Jon snow, bastard of Lord Eddard Stark like Robb a little taller, less sad and more confident than cannon.
Their direwolves: Grey wind, Lady, Nymeria, Summer, Shaggy and Ghost
-Theon Greyjoy ward of house Stark
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Lord Eddard's brother and his family:
-Lord Benjen Stark, Lord of Queenscrown
-his wife Irana Korter
-Serana Stark, age 14 recently married with Domeric Bolton
-Rodrik Stark, age 13, heir of Queenscrown
-Cregan Stark age 11
-Miranda Stark, age 9, similar to Arya