The Nights Watch

The Nights Watch

Their sigil is unpatterned black.
The Nights watch does not have a official motto, they do however have an oath: "Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come."
Their map color is Black

History

The Nights Watch is an age old order of men that has been around since the Age of Heroes. The Watch serves one purpose and one purpose only, to protect the realm from the horrors that lie beyond the wall. The Nights Watch is mainly made up of prisoners that chose to be sent to the wall rather than have limbs amputated, be castrated, or be executed. The Nights Watch is filled with rapists, thieves, murderers, and every other manner of criminals that one could imagine. But even if they are all criminals, the men of the watch consider each-other brothers in arms. They are all bound by honor not to kill another brother of the watch, and they give up all rights to claim a wife, have a title, or hold land.

The men of the watch are only relieved from their service once their watch has ended, which also means their life has ended. To desert from the Nights Watch is to commit suicide, as they do not tolerate cowards. Most will not last more than a few years before succumbing to the cold, a violent death at the hands of the Wildlings, or worse. Those that survive become hardened and tempered into men of steel. But even steel will give way to overwhelming force.

Most of those in the south view the Nights Watch as overly superstitious and unimportant, saying that they only serve to protect the realm from imaginary creatures. However, the Nights Watch has served to protect those in the south for longer than any of them have been alive, and now the cold winds rise again, and with them come the dead. For, the south may enjoy fighting their wars with each-other, but there lies a far greater threat beyond the wall.

Location

The Nights Watch is one of the minor factions in Westeros in the mod AWOIAF.

The land beyond the wall is a cold, frozen taiga, few forests and settlements are dotted around and the weather getting no warmer as you head North.

Beyond the Wall is frozen ice sheets, forests of tree's millennia old that serve the people beyond the wall in ambushing brothers of the watch. One large river splits the lands beyond in two.

The Land guarded by the brothers of the Nights Watch lies beyond the Kingdom of the North. Out of 19 castles once used by the Nights watch, less than 3 remain in use. On the far east, on the coast lies East Watch. A small castle rumoured to be old as the watch itself, it has most castles of the Watch, it is in deep disrepair.

Castle Black serves as the headquarters for all the brothers of the Watch, and is the seat to whomever the Lord Commander may be. A old castle.

Cutting the land in the half, from West to East, coast to coast is the Wall. Built a thousand years ago it holds back the wilding raids and a far greater evil.

Religion

Made up of volunteers and prisoners from all across Westeros alike, the religion of the Nights Watch Varies. Although many will worship the Old Gods, there can be knights and lords that took the black and swear oath to the Seven, perhaps even those that pray to R'Hllor.

Ruler

Lord Commander Jeor Mormont

Vassals

Qhorin Halfhand
Cotter Pyke
Ser Denys Mallister
Mallador Locke
Jarmen Buckewell

Fiefs

Towns:

Castle Black

Castles:

East Watch, Shadow Tower and The Wall

Villages:

Queens Head, Moletown, Oldenoak and Sheepstow

Troop Tree

Nights Watch Troop Tree

The Nights Watch has some of the best archers in AWOIAF, being able to kill wights and White Walkers, such theyre centred around ranged combat. None of the brothers within the Nights Watch wield a shield(which proves a problem against the equally ranged centralised wildings!), Nights Watch rangers are best kept at the back of the fighting with your archers or telling them to follow you and evading around the corners of the map. It is recommended to keep them out of big fights in case they die, as you will need them to fight wights.

Recruiting from the Nights Watch

Only brothers of the Nights watch can recruit from the surrounding villages of Castle Black, this is a permeant commitment however. You may find and recruit brothers from Wildling lords and raiding parties found beyond the Wall.

Extra Information

The lords of nights watch faction are the only ones able to recruit the nights watch faction units from villages near Castle Black. To recruit from those villages, you must join the Nights Watch yourself. Another way to recruit them is to free them from captivity. A good way to do so is to look for wildling lords or patrols with Nights Watch units as prisoners. It is recommended to use heavy Cavalry against wildlings as they have a predominantly ranged army. The Cavalry can get up close fast and mow them down because the wildlings have minimal armor.

There are few nights watch units captured in a wildling cave just West of Thenn. If you free them, they will join you.