Sorry for the long pause. I had a bit of a hard time writing the Mormont's and couldn't decide if it is just time to release one of the stockpiled chapters. Anyway here is finaly one of the more reknown houses you find in the North once more. Been a while since we had one of those I would say.
The Glover's are the Norths second prominent masterly house. Together with the Tallhart's they take on the rank as the most mayor lower nobles of the north. Funnily enough even though from a technical point of view their rank should mean that they are less powerful than their lordly fellows this is not the case. While one could argue that this is the case for the Tallhart's the same can't be done with the Glovers. While most expect them to be the second least powerful house history has shown that they are among the lords that actually hold enough power to sway battles and politics with their might.
They like most first men lords have once ruled as kings over their own domain. They could once call the entirety of the Wolfswood their domain. They managed to secure the forest early in their reign by expelling the Blackwood's and extinguishing the Greenwood's. The Blackwood's can today be found in the Riverland's while the Greenwood branch called Forester's serves under the Glover's. Over the following years they then began to lose their control over the woods. With the rise of the house Frost, Amber and Slate they lost Seadragonpoint and parts of their southern woods to outsiders. When the Starks but down these first men kings and the Glover's they kept large parts of the forest to the Stark's. The Glover's by then weren't even a large thread anymore. After years of losing lands to their enemies they grew weak. As such their rank was reduced to a masterly one and their lands never restored. Over the centuries the house began to carry the masterly title with pride and boosted that even with a lower rank their might is still great.
The Glover's have since their time as kings proven their worth and loyalty to house Stark. While in some rebellions they sided with the enemies they never stayed estranged to their lord for long and mended the broken relationships. The fact that most of their border is with the Starks has often lead to these conflict and betrayals while at the same time resolving them by granting or taking away parts of the lands in the Wolfswood. The close borders also often lead to house Glover supporting policies of the Starks in exchange for favours or favourable conditions in the wood trade or even the paying for road repairs. Ever since the start of their vassalhood they have learned to walk the thin thread of punishments and rewards the Starks use to rule the North.
Something special about the Glover's smallfolk is that physically they are more prone to grow fat. The diet between the local populace is not any different to other regions and the people certainly don't gorge themselves on the amount of food that would allow for one to grow fat. It is a mystery to any why the people there seem to have an easier time putting on weight but it certainly helps in their survival. While maesters would love to research how this happens the rules on human experiments and the strictness of northern lords in protecting their smallfolk have proven themselves as hindrances in finding the root cause through human experiments.
Their sigel shows an iron glove on a red background. The glove can be either stitched in a rough manner or in detail depending on the placement as a decoration or something like a banner.
Family Words: "Our Forest, our Blood, our Right"
The Glovers are one of the houses that like to change their words every other century. The words currently used by the house are old ones. They were once upon a time used by the family and likely rediscovered in some old tome. They supposedly date back to the time their family was still a royal one and besieged on all sides by enemies. This was a rallying cry to local lords and their retainers as well as smallfolk to fight for the Glovers. At this time, they still could call the forest theirs by blood and right of conquest and as such tried to oppose enemy conquest by rioting the smallfolk to their side. If these words actually did as they were supposed to no one knows anymore. What is still clear is that the Glovers changed to these words once more after the north came under house Targerian's rule and wanted to remind the Starks that they should have fought. Today the house is likely to change their words once again to better fit the time and the rule of house Baratheon that they supported in taking the throne.
Hold/Keep:
The ancient keep of the Glover's is Deepwood Motte. The castle has always been a wooden one as they have plenty of it in the middle if their forest. It was built on an artificially raised hill in the middle of a forest plain with the donjon at its highest point. With the donjon at the top they build three walls around the hill and its bottom as defences for their keep and the local smallfolk. While the topmost wall is solely for the additional protection of the main keep the other two hold houses of various people. The land enclosed in the middle wall and the topmost one hold many of the most important people of the keep. Here you can find the local blacksmith, the brewer, the horse stalls and even the house of the local garrison. The lowest district holds many of the less important structures like the inn, mill, butcher, leatherer and some of the wealthier smallfolk. Outside of the walls stand some additional houses that the woodcutters, field hands and the hunter call their home.
The castle while build with wood and often repaired over the ages but has not seen much change all in all. The place on top of the hill does not give the lords much room for expanding the structure and at the same time no one wants to heat empty rooms in the winter. Despite this Deepwood Motte holds a few secrets in its walls if you would believe legends. It is said that under the artificial hill there is a cavern that holds a giant larger than any that ever-walked Westeros. Only through the main keep may one access this cavern and when you prove yourself to the giant you may gain his blessing to become strong and smart. It is a common greeting when visiting the Glover's in Deepwood Motte to ask too see the giant. Usually they tell you that they may only let you visit if you fell the largest three you find and pull it up the hill alone. As one would imagine no on has ever done so but if you would manage to do so you probably no longer would need a giant's blessing.
Something noteworthy about the keep is that all the roads leading or coming from it are in good condition as they are used to transport large amounts of wood to the various rivers leading to the White Knife for further shipping.
Geography:
As the house that is known to have ruled over large parts of the Wolfswood for centuries it should come to no surprise that this forest makes up for most of the land under the Glover's control. Yet there are still some important land features one has to talk about when mentioning Glover lands. For example, there is the small but long peninsula that stretches far into the bay of ice and build the closest mainland connection to Bear Island. There are also the large plains in the north-east of their lands and the fact that the closer you get to the northern mountains the more rugged the terrain gets until you finally exit the forest and see the rising mountaintops.
Let's start with the most prominent Wolfswood. It was already mentioned in the text about Stark lands how they use their part of the Wolfswood. Depending on human influence a lot can actually change in a forest thanks to human hand and the farther you enter the domains under the Glovers the clearer one can see this as the truth. The Glover's more so than any other house have tended to their forest and kept many of the local flora and fauna alive and thriving. This led to them owning the most authentic ancient forest where you can find large amounts of medical herbs, mushrooms and even more live than the rest of the Wolfswood. The most predominant animal the wolf can be found in even larger numbers than the rest of the forest. In addition many more boars, dear, foxes and hares as well as countless other animals are found in larger number than anywhere else. The continues protection of the woods and its live lead to the first profession that simply exist to protect the forest. Parts of the wood are actually dedicated for large scale tree cutting. While many more cut down trees all over the forest as well these trees are the main stay of exports from the lands. The many plains you find in the forest are either settled and used for farming or are roamed by a plethora of wild animals. A fact worth mentioning is that their part of the forest holds the largest ironwood forest in Westeros.
The large peninsula or as the locals call it the Bear Claw is one of the more wonderous landmarks of the north. This thin stretch of land is thought to have once connected the Bear Isle with the rest of the Wolfswood but legends say that the bear broke its claw thanks the wolfs maw. While the tale is questionable it is a reasonable thought to think that a land bridge once connected to the isle in this point. This peninsula today marks for the end of commercial merchant vessels. While sailing up the western coast is already dangerous thanks to the Ironborn from this point on the ships from merchants would simply make no more profit. The claw as such forms a natural stop for larger southern ships on the northern coast. Aside from stopping naval travel the peninsula with its thin strip of land makes for surprisingly good farmlands. In addition, the sea around these parts is while colder than even the one on the eastern shore calm and not prone to storms.
Lastly, we need to mention the large open fields and hills of the north-eastern parts of land. These are much like the northern hills under Stark control the offshoots of the northern mountains. These lands have been freed from forest since ancient times and have always played an important role to the Glover's. While the trees make them money the arable lands in the forest are even in addition to local hunting, fishing and plants not enough to sustain the local populace. This hilly lowland meanwhile holds fertile fields for plantation of everything a human may need. In a way this is the corn chamber that sustains the rest of the forest dwellers. Yet these lands are still in parts wild and untamed with wolfs stalking the animals of farmers and deer jumping over the same fields you can fiend cows in.
Lesser Lords:
Something very unusual about the Glover's are their vassals. This is not because of the houses themselves but rather the ranks they hold. Under them you will find lordly families, masterly houses and even clans with noble status. While lower masterly houses serving under a major masterly house are common the same can not be said about the other two. Normally lower lordly houses do not serve under a masterly one as their titular standing is quite close and could cause unrest not to mention that such houses must come from the outside and cannot be granted minor lordly status by their masterly lieges. Even more special are the noble clans. The Glover's are among the rare houses to have those serving under them. Only other houses close to the northern mountains have such clans and even among them the Glovers hold the majority. The only other lords that have such noble clans under them and do not live close to the northern mountains are found in the Vale where some savage clans have decided to let the fighting rest and were acknowledged as minor nobles. Thought this is perhaps a story for another time.
(Is now the right time to confess that I am not yet far enough in the book to have read about them when Stannis is in the North?)
Among the noble clans are the Bole's, Branch's and Wood's and among others a branch of the Flint's. Life is always relative similar among the noble clans under the Glovers. All the noble clans hold lands inside the forest and function in tightly knit villages with a few hundred people. They are a self-sufficient bunch. A common sight for them are the heart trees that stand in the centres of their villages and the large communal houses that the hole village lives in in winter to save wood for heating and for protection from outsiders. These clans often live in the more remote parts of the forest because their sense of community hindered them from forming new villages in their lands and expending human life. Much of the forests protection and care into preserving it comes from these clans and the families they marry into.
None may declare to have more ironwood than house Forester. Their house is the one that controls most of the ironwood that is scattered across the world but mostly centred around their lands. Their house is also the only one that can declare to be able to work the wood and even burn it with sufficient expertise. Sadly, or depending on the once you ask thankfully the house has not decided to sell more of their usually inflammable wood across Westeros even with the arrival of dragons. Their ironwood may be the only material that will not be instantly scorched by dragon flame. None may tell if the house decided against selling more of their wood to not incur the Targerian's wrath or because they saw no need to. Either way this decision kept them from the Targerian's view. The house is rivals to the Whitehills that border the Glover's in the east by the Forester lands. Their keep pf Ironrath is a soundly build fortress placed in a large crevice that can't be scaled to attack from above.
House Claw is one of the masterly families and controls over half of the Bear Claw from the tip to a bit south of the middle. Their house hold the last port that southern ships are willing to sail to and as such much of the trade that would come from the more coastal mountain clans is brought by them to their harbour of Last Coin. Through this they are richer than most other Glover lords even if their trade is among the poorest on the coast. After all, even a little coin in can become a fortune if you have several hundred of them. In addition, their lands while often swept over with cold winds is fertile and many of the ships coming here restock their supplies in their harbour before sailing back south or making a last lading on Bear Isle for some furs.
Lastly there is the masterly house of Grainly located in the bread basket of the Glover's. Neither powerful or prestigious they are among the houses that produce and protect the fields that produce corn, bean and vegetables for much of the forest. Something special about the house however has become the animal feed that they specially produce for the Umber lands. Over the centuries some of the other houses have copied this and a not insignificant part of the land is dedicated in the production of animal feed for winter for other northern lands. The Grainly's as the first should be named and singled out among the other masters that adopted such a trade.
People:
The lands under the Glover may not be diverse in their biomes but the people certainly live very different lives depending on their location in these lands. Where otherwise one can go after the regions one already mentioned in the section of geographies and list how most people live in these parts the same can't be done for the Wolfswood and its inhabitants. But I digress let us start with the simpler regions.
The people on the Bear Claw life a live much different that other people in the Glover lands. Being the last place southern ships trade with made them into a hub for southerners that wish to witness the wilder sides of the north and the Wolfswood. As such they have a niche industry that nearly none other place holds. Tourism. While the people often instantly decide that these lands are to cold to stay for longer than a few days they certainly still keep coming and contribute to many thriving taverns, brothels and funnily enough even the otherwise odd septs in these parts. Many of those coming do not venture in the Wolfswood and instead fuck the cold away in brothels. The best part coming from this is actually that Ironborn ignore the Claw and instead raid the Glover's bread basket. After all they still do not want to draw to much attention with large scale raids in Westeros that these harbours would be. The people here are among the heaviest drinkers in the north and the merriest as well. Their skills include talking southern visitors into giving out rounds of beer for the hole tavern and in the next morning working the fields, harbour or guard without seeming hangover. They number around 6000. Certainly, a sizable number for such a small area.
The bread basket holds about 60.000 people. Actually, even the locals call these lands by this name for it is the simple truth about the place. These lands are dotted by farms and villages dedicated to produce as much food as possible and sell it for everything they need. There is neither large scale animal herding nor mining, logging or hunting in these parts. The people produce grains like crazy and exchange those for vegetables, hides, salt, wood and clothes. The people are certainly not poor by any description of the word but definitely single minded in their ways. The largest production aside from grain is the bread made from it. The people are professionals in the from of baking all kinds of bread be it hard bread for sailors, black bread for themselves , soft white bread for nobles or the tasteless long-lasting local specialty winter bread. Their lands and people are a favourite target for the Ironborn for the food they produce. The locals have actually become so used to small scale raiding that they leave an undefended barn with food for the Ironborn if they have no guards in their villages. Often the Ironborn leave with this simple peace offering and try not to push for too much from their safe source of food.
And in the end, we have the largest area the Wolfswood. As mentioned above the people here life a most diverse life. People living under the noble clans will life in villages as large es their believe in family allow them. This is often limited by their farmland for they try to sustain their live only on what they can produce locally. They do sell wood to the outside but that is mostly to cover what they can't find in their own lands and only in small amount. Thinks like iron or salt are often the only thinks that these people trade for. They are among the few that rather barter that use hard currency. These people are closely nit and will fight to the last for their villages for all are families in them. They only reach nearly 10.000 all over the forest. Then there are those living in the forest but under normal lords. While there is still a sense of camaraderie and brotherhood to the people here it is nowhere close to the clans. The people here are much more open to selling and buying thinks that the need. Do not understand them wrongly. If need be these people could probably sustain themselves from the forest for a long time even if cut of from trade but their lives would be harder for it. These people can't produce enough food and buy much of the overproduction the bread basket has going for it. The trees they cut down are in turn their primary good. Depending on where in the forest you live you ship them down the tributaries that lead to the White Knife and sell them to the Slate's merchants or directly bring them to other houses on the western shores through many rivers and channels. No matter where they end up the Glover's smallfolk makes most of their money here. Other thinks that these people bring with them are rare herbs when asked for and often large amounts of hides. The people here learned something from the Tallhart's as well. Ice fishing is a skill that loggers bringing their wood to Torrhen's Square locked at and copied for the small lakes of the Wolfswood. Their number stands at about 120.000. And at long last there are the people living in the Wolfswood but resting along the shores. They number only in the low thousands. Ironborn attacks have brought them further inland for protection. Many my wonder where the Ironborn with their barren isles get their wood from. One source was already mentioned with the Glenmore's vassal but another are the unprotected shores of the Wolfswood. While they only cut down trees close to the shore when no one is supposed to see them sometimes they are attacked by these shore dwellers that defend their forests. Aside from fighting of Ironborn their lives are close to the more inland dwelling people. Another think that need to be mentioned is the hills that rise in their western lands people living in these parts while still in the Wolfswood sometimes mine instead of cutting wood for their living.
Army:
The army under house Glover certainly fits the normal describing of a northern army like a glove. Their men are a miss matched bunch with large bodies and dirty beards. Men specialise in whatever weapon they have on hand. Be it an axe, sword or mace with a shield or a bow with arrow. The one thing you will likely not fiend these soldiers wielding is a spear. Their armour is often a gambeson or leather armour. Most importantly these men wear thick clothes under their armour against the cold. While this is the initial goal of the clothing it also makes for another layer of protection against slashing weapons. They fall exactly in the one to four ratios with their army's division between foot and cavalry. Their horses are naturally bought from the Rywell's and perform to the usual standard of their warhorses. While their cavalry is certainly not a bad one it does lack behind the quality of southern knights. It is however able to match charges with normal southern cavalry in a equal manner.
Economy:
The Glover's have one of the more thriving northern economies. Their produce match exactly what one has come to expect from northern goods and mostly consist of the wood and hides you can find in the lush Wolfswood. Selling the main stay of northern exports certainly has its benefits for no other goods are easier to sell than those merchants come for. In addition, the lands provide much of the goods needed to lead a good life. Even imports of food from the Reach, Vale and Riverland are only high before a winter and the people want to be safe with their ladders. What the lands severely lacks at all times of the year however are alcoholic beverages that they buy from the north and south in large amounts. It puts their intake and output of coin at a slight plus but does not lead to vast accumulation of wealth. Their last northern harbour however makes them one of the rare lords to have a somewhat urbanised strip of land that could produce a great deal of coin under the right hands.