Well I am back and brought to you a house that I found really easy to write. They have many things one could make up things for without needing to imagine something completely new. I have taken a bit of creative freedom with their lordships position to make them fit better with my ideas. All in all I think I like them the most compared to all other houses I have written about until now. Then again many of the earliers need a little bit of a rework after reading them over once more. Might do that sometime in the far future.
The Whitehill's are certainly the most unusual house in the north one can meet. The house is the second major lordship that follows the faith of the seven along with the Manderly's. Today most nobles don't remember how this house came to rule lands in the north. Yet the maesters have preserved their rise to prominence in the north. Theirs is the only Andal noble house that managed to secure lands in the north. While the North was the only First Man kingdom able to withstand the Andal tide even they had to face some loses in the fighting. While the stories about their raiding of Andalos is legendary the truth often holds some surprises for the ones searching. While it is true that the Andal invasion was stopped the same can't be said about migration. While only a few select peasants wandered north to find a new life and ultimately converted to the old gods and the ways of the first man one noble house that found no luck in the south turned to the north. Those were the Whitehill's. They were unlike the Andal adventurers that set up petty kingdoms and lordships. Noble Andal blood flowed through their veins but they were among the weakest of the Andal nobility and among the last to make their way to Westeros. Still they managed to flee before the pillaging of Andalos by the Stark's and in a way worsened it as well. When they didn't find land in the south their view went to the north but unlike their fellow Andals they chose not to be aggressive and instead pleaded for land in Winterfell. While one would imagine they would be turned away the Stark's they granted them lands in return for their help in pillaging Andalos. Most of the major wealthy towns, septs and prosperous undefended settlements the Starks raided were brough to their attention by the Whitehill's. Ships filled with treasure returned from Andalos and the Whitehill's received a small lordship. The house was not forced to convert then because the lords thought their conversion would happen naturally like the Andal smallfolk that came to their lands.
The position and size of the lordship under house Whitehill was carefully chosen in the past. While they had proven their loyalty with their betrayal of the other Andals the Starks viewed to the south and saw how treacherous their fellow houses were. To curb any thoughts of aggression they received what amounted to a normal sized lordship in the south yet the smallest one in the north. The house was not to remain as a minor house as the Andals have shown themselves to be masters at intrigue and as such they became a direct lordship under the Starks as a bannermen instead of a minor noble. Their lands were to be surrounded by the Starks, Glover's and Mountain Clans. Trying to gain lands in any of those directions with deceit would be next to impossible with the norths strongest house the Stark's to the south, the fierce mountain clans to the north that would react aggressive towards losing their lands and the way stronger Glover's in the west. Only by the small border with the Waterman's could they possibly expand but these lands lay behind the offshoots of the northern mountains and would be hard to gain and hold. Not to mention their precarious position as a most unusual lordship. This limited position lead to the house developing a rivalry with the Forester's under the Glover's in hopes to expand their control in the western direction when the Forester's are on the bad side of the Glover's and unprotected or at least less protected. While most other lordships gain and lose a few square kilometres to their neighbours all the time the same has not happened in their lordship at all.
Even with the lord's being of the faith of the seven the populace has kept to the old gods and their weir woods. While other Andal houses chopped them down the Whitehill's never dared to do such a thing but instead erected several septs in their lands to spread their faith. Most of them remain unvisited by smallfolk and turned into storehouses for grain over the years. Yet those that are visited are the home to some of the rare northern knights. Only here can you find what amounts to a southern tourney when the Whitehill's want to show their wealth. Over the centuries the Whitehill's have started to marry some of the more open northern houses instead of marrying their members to the south. This led to them becoming more like the north in their ways over the years. But still southern houses have an easier time conversing with them than the other northern houses because they still learn to use flowery words and remain more savvy in intrigue and half truths that other northern houses that like to simply speak the truth.
Their coat of arms is an inverted white pile with seven four pointed white stars above on a violet back drop.
Family Words: "Reborn in Winter"
Those were the words chosen by the Whitehill's to not only prove their rebirth as a northern house but their new loyalty to the Starks. While others boost of their might the Whitehill's at the time of their relocation to the north had none remaining. But with the destruction of Andalos the house gained lands, wealth and once more smallfolk to call their own. In the north by the kings of winter the Whitehill's were reformed into new one. At least the official description of their house words states them as such but many maesters find it more likely that it was an attempt at boot liking and grovelling many Andal houses showed when they were newly formed and had nearly no strength of their own.
Hold/Keep:
The Whitehills have one of the more defensible and impressive castles of the north. Located at the beginning of their mountainous domain the castle rest on a lonely mountain top. One could argue that their banner shows this mountain top on it. This castle is certainly not easily assailable with its position. Only from one direction you could take a path up the mountain and possibly bring siege equipment with you. It however does lack certain features that differentiate great castles form adequate once. For one does the castle lack a properly structured defence. If you manage to take one of the walls your chances are great at taking the rest of the castle quite swiftly where for example you still would have quite a fight on hand with the Ironfur castle. Not to mention that the castle lacks matriculations that could take its defences up another notch even if they were only placed by the normally assailable side.
What makes the castle however impressive is the fact that the entire structure was made of stone. The raid on Andalos made the Whitehills quite wealthy for a short time and financed one of the grander northern castles. The castle has nearly only vaulted ceilings and the stone floors that these enable. This made the structure one of the more robust. Its capability to withstand large amounts of snow on its flat roofs comes from exactly these vaulted ceilings. In addition, has the house taken great care to encase their halls with another wooden layer. This was a trick they learned about from ibanese whalers to keep more of the heat of chimneys in the castle. Since the implantation in Highpoint this has become a feature many northern castles adopted for themselves. Thought none come close to the beautifully carved murals taken from the seven-pointed star that adorn their walls and give the castle a very southern feeling instead of the northern more practical one.
Highpoint is also one of the rare northern castles to have a inbuild sept with a septon and septa serving in it. Still one can find a weir wood tree in their courtyard. No doubt was the presence of the weir wood tree a requirement of the Starks for the building of the castle. This tree has become the centre point of the courtyard and is adorned by one of the norths most beautiful flower beds. One can find all the rare beautiful flowers like blue roses and northern spring shine in this garden. Certainly, the castles look is unique in all of the north were it not for the Manderly's having build an as impressive southern touched castle.
The castle has however fallen into disrepair over the years. While the wealth at the start of the house was great it quickly was spent and the centre tower suffered for it. While the house is certainly not poor, they have not managed to cover the costs of keeping an as large central tower as they had heated and in use in the north. As such the tower was given up and has become more of a ruin over the years. While one could still reach the top trough a set of ladders and stairs only the rare scout watching for the arrival of guest comes up there. The rest of the castle however has been kept in great shape and regular repairs on minor things are often made in the summer.
Geography:
While their lands may be the smallest of any major northern noble their position gives them as much diversity as any other massive lordship. From the offshoots of the northern mountains to the small parts of the Wolfswood under their control and the flat valley encased in between the house can count three distinct parts of territory.
Nearly half of their lands consist of the offshoots of the northern mountains. These form the entirety of the eastern territory and consist of taller mountains in the north while the south already has the smaller rolling hill one can find in the Starks northern territories. These lands hold in it two great corridors one can easily enter the territory through. Otherwise you would need to take some of the more hidden mountain roads that are not officially maintained and more of a dirt trail used by locals. Transporting goods in and out of the territory usually takes either of these roads. One lead right through the middle of the mountain ranges and ends in the Kingsroad while the other is following the mountain ranges to the south making its way to Winterfell and its close harbour. These mountains hold and immeasurable amount of ore and are mined extensively. It is not uncommon to find villages all along the trails and roads by these mountains that have a mine at its centre and the rest of the village as support. The north is dominated by more salt, copper and lead mines while the south has many more iron mines. You can easily notice that you left the mountainous parts of the land when you come from the Kingsroad and finally pass Highpoint. Afterwards you finally stand in the valley.
The valley is certainly a blessed one. Its position in the shade of the Northern mountains gives it protection against most of the northern winds. Even snow is usually uncommon in winter. All the clouds will lose their snow in the mountains or in the mountains to the east. Meanwhile the western winds only carry the clouds to the edges of the Wolfswood. It is common to have a cloud free sky in the valley. Yet the lands have water and small rivers and streams in abundance. The snow in the mountains does melt and flows south into the valley in enough quantity to allow for extensive farming with the help of irrigation channels. While it does not snow even in winter the people are not freed from the cold that comes with it. But still even with the cold winds thanks to the clear skies and snowless landscape one can heard animals even in winter. Crops meanwhile refuse to grow in such a cold. This blessing has however proven itself to be a problem in the past. Thought this is a story for the people section. The streams and the abundant sun have turned the admittedly small valley into a lush green landscape ideal for all forms of animal husbandry and farming. In addition to the Starks southern territory these lands are one of the few places where you can find large swaths of land dedicated for fruit production.
Lastly there is the small strips of land that are part of the Wolfswood under their control. Originally not part of their intended domain the Whitehill's received these pieces of forest for standing loyally with the Stark's. Having received these parts around the same time as the Karstark's were founded is all one has to mention in this case. Unfortunately for the house the parts of the forest they received where to the south of their land and not the ironwood filled lands of the northern border under the Forester's. These parts of the forest are used much like the once under Stark control. Filled with wildlife and in front of all wolves these lands produce an ample number of hides and red meat for the populace. Trees from here are predominantly used in the mountain mines in the southern territory.
Lesser Lords:
Most northern Houses have masterly once or lesser lords serving in their lands. Some even have clans under them as lesser nobles. Yet the Whitehill's are perhaps even more of an anomaly in the north with their lesser nobility. They as one of the few houses following the faith of the seven have landed knight serving as nobility. Effectively they serve the same social standing as lower masterly once for other lordships. Still this anomaly makes the Whitehill's one of three northern houses to field knight in wars as few as those may be. Weirdly enough the fact that people of the wrong faith govern over them does not seem to matter to the smallfolk.
Because of the lordships size there exist no major lord under them that could be counted as vital for the lordship's wellbeing. The family that has come the closest to become such has been the Caves. Their house is one of the old houses that settle these lands even before the Whitehill's received lands. While others left because they wouldn't serve a house believing in the seven their family stayed. This show of loyalty has been rewarded over the ages. While not even close to the Whitehill's in strength they have often married into the family or their lands been the side of expansion efforts. Their lands in fact are along the southern road by the mountains and have benefitted from road improvements, tax reductions and their large iron mines have often been the main provider for iron in the lordship.
Another house worth mentioning are the Poole's of Stonegate. They are a branch family of the Poole's serving under house Stark and received the lands along with house Whitehill. The Starks know of the houses expertise as stewards and has thought it wise to help the new house in the harsh north and reward their stewards by giving them a branch family. While the Whitehill's may not have an as close relation to the Starks as the Cerwyn's the Poole's remained close to their family and have considerable influence through it. They help each other by lowering taxes for goods and using for example their harbour free of charge whenever they can.
While some of the evergreen valley is under the Whitehills direct control most is placed under dozens of small landed knights. These knights often only hold these lands for a single generation but often their sons manage to become knights as well and with a bit of luck remain in control of their lands. Among these knightly houses there still exist a large amount of change throughout a century. Among the knights that have managed to retain lands or regain them over the years there are the Lance's, Brown's, Fisher's and Melby's. these houses have managed to stay a relative constant in the lands and could be somewhat recognisable among their fellow knights for their better training in etiquette and their better armour. Their members also can often be found in southern tourneys while we have summer.
A last house worth to mention that one might encounter in the north are the Nought's. Their house hold the eastern side of the valley pass through the territory. While most of the rest of the lordship is well protected from anyone wishing to come in from outside this lordship does not have such a blessing. They are the only minor lords that will be called upon to deal with wildlings that come past the wall from the Whitehill's vassals. As such they have a rather well-maintained relationship with the Umbers and other houses that have to deal with the wildlings slipping past the watch. Not to mention that they hold one of the two best roads to gain excess to the river shipping of the White Knife and its tributaries and as such control part of the trade of the lordship.
People:
When the Whitehill's first received these lands they must have been to the smallfolk like the Targerian's have been to the westerosi nobility. Strange and foreign believing in different thinks than oneself. They did have a hard time to gain their smallfolk's trust and keep stability in their rule at the beginning. Yet after all the time they ruled these lands the populace has become trusting towards the house and found them to be northerners still even if not by blood at first.
Once again because of the size of the lordship the people here even if in different biomes manage to life a similar life at large. The people in the mountains may work more in the mines than the forest dwellers that live as lumberjacks and in turn do, they compared to the valley's farmers and herders. Still the people here are more connected than any other. In winter the mountains populace will even move into extra building in the valleys villages to better make it through the winter. The old unused septs turned into small stone storehouses for these people in winter and their cattle comes with them to graze and house with the local's herds. In total there live 40.000 people in these lands.
The uniqueness of this lordships winter has led to a problem as mentioned before but also to the continued survival of many more people than elsewhere in the north. While in a normal Winter the people can still let their animals graze and gain milk produce, eggs and meat from them this led to the people becoming dependant on it for surviving winter. The people here often have smaller stockpiles than any other for winter. Now while it is rare to happen once very few centuries there is a rather harsh winter that will not only last longer than a normal one but bring snow even to this evergreen valley. With the populace never bothering to store to much food because of the continuous animal herding such a winter leads to many more people dying in winter than anywhere else in the north. Normally this is exactly the other way around any other winter.
This weather also allows this lordships diet to be somewhat different from all others. In summer years the mountains still offer protection from harsh cold winds and as such there are actually fruit plantations in this lordship. Most of the populace can enjoy many apples throughout the year and many recipes in northern fashion came from it. Mashed apple porridge is certainly one of the recipes that made its way south to our smallfolk and kitchens as well. This large addition of fruit instead of wild berries and vegetables has led to the people developing somewhat of a sweet tooth even if they do not use sugar. How to turn an apple into a sweet candy like sauce is a well-kept secret of the locals.
Army:
The army of this lordship is one of the three that can actually field knights as their cavalry. In fact, because the valley and the many small knightly houses that try to gain lands in the area there are even as many knights in this lordship as in the Manderly lands. The constant struggle to gain and keep lands has led to many of these knights joining southern tourneys and become well trained with the lance and horse. While many do not have an as impressive set of armour as their fellow knights, they make up for it in ability and northern ferocity. In addition to that these knights often own horses bought from Ryswell land. Should a charge meet a southern battle line they will break it more often than not. Because of all the knights the house makes it a point to not requite to many footmen in case of marching south. Often the well-trained knights are prefered compared to another 1000 untrained peasants.. ,
The foot the house can field often remains in the north. While the house has shown in the past to be able to raise a total of 1500 soldiers their lordships has been the worse for it. While a third of them are knight the house often allowed to keep the remaining in the north and do not field them. They are however capable of raising them in the same amount of time their knights usually take in gathering.
Economy:
The lordships economy is a simple one to document. With easy access to both a White Knife tributary and the Kings Road along two major roads the lordship has a consistent flow of goods. While neither lie directly in the lordship the short excurse to it has never bothered merchants or stopped them from coming into these lands. Certainly, one reason for this is that this is one of the last lordships where they can restock on grains and the like to sell for larger profits once they reach the even more northern lordships. In addition, the minerals and the closeness and easier access to the Forester's lands with iron wood make for an enticing tread to many a merchant trading in the north. These lands certainly are renown for the fruit they produce and trade well with them. Other lordships buy them in mass to turn into preserves for the winters. While there is a flow of goods in the lordship it can be said that its size has stopped the lords from growing to strong.