House Blake of Shadowstone
House Stark may have ruled the North for hundreds of years, but they were not always so powerful. As the rise of many great houses here prove, one does not achieve greatness on their own, one is helped. Just ask House Mormont, who was granted Bear Island after a Stark defeated an Ironborn in a wrestling match, or House Karstark, a spit-off of the true Stark line who were granted their own land and their own name, or House Manderly, a minor house from the Reach that fled the Gardner Kings to seek sanctuary in the North. Granted amnesty by the Starks, they rose to become one of the richest families in the North. But many forget that, just as these noble houses had help from the Starks achieving their status, there was once a time that the Starks themselves were in the same position. Their founder, Brandon the Builder, once needed help, which he got, from House Blake.
The story goes that, during the Long Night, a White Walker and his dead warriors cornered Bran the Builder in the Northern Mountains. The soldiers protecting him were quickly killed, and brought back, and Brandon feared he would be next, when out of the darkness, stepped a man wrapped in black fur, with deep blue eyes, a massive shadowcat at his side. His hands grasped a sword forged, not of steel, but of dragonglass. Without a word, this stranger cut into the White Walker and his warriors, and when the dead fell, they did not rise. This man, who would become known as Devon Darkblade, taught Brandon Stark two very important lessons; One, the dead were vulnerable to dragonglass, two, defeating the White Walkers would require more than what the First Men alone were capable of.
Devon guided Brandon and his allies to the Children of the Forest, who had raised him, and helped negotiate the treaty that led to their alliance against the White Walkers, combining the First Men's numbers with the magic wielded by the Children. Armed with dragonglass weapons supplied by Devon and his family, this new alliance succeeded in pushing the White Walkers back to the Land of Always Winter, and raising the Wall to keep them from entering the realm again. As a reward for saving his life, and for his actions in helping defeat the White Walkers, Devon was granted dominion over the mountains where they had met, and so it was, that a Warg, became a Lord, took the Shadowcat that fought beside him for his sigil, and returned to claim his already-made fortress, a mountain that had been hollowed out by the mining of dragonglass; the aptly-named, Shadowstone.
That was a long time ago though, and, despite the saying, it seems the North does not remember all that House Blake have done for it, judging by the treatment we have received from our countrymen. For many generations, the other noble houses of the North have viewed us with suspicion, if not distain. It could be for any number of reasons. Perhaps it is our ongoing trade with the Free Folk, whom many Northerners despise. But still, I would wager that no one in the realm knows more about what goes on beyond the wall than we do. Or perhaps, it is our willingness to take in, and train, Wargs, people with the power to wear the skins of animals as cloaks. Such people are usually left to die in the North, but if we find one, we welcome them into our home, for we are not so foolish as to turn our back on such people simply out of superstition. Ahh, now I see the problem. The North is superstitious, or has become so. They have become more like the South than they would care to admit.
Maybe it is time for the rest of our fellow Northmen to be reminded, yet again, of the North's true heritage, and perhaps we are the ones who need to remind them. Our words are, When the Night Falls, and they show that, while others fear the dark, we embrace it, because we know that it is not the darkness itself one should fear, but what you find within it. And sometimes, what you may find, is a hungry shadowcat, stalking…closer…
And Cut!
Well, I didn't think I would pick this up again, but I was so please with how my first Lore writing turned out that I decided to continue.
My goal is to come up with a house for each of the regions of Westeros: Crownlands, North, Iron Islands, Riverlands, Vale, Westerlands, Reach, Stormlands, and Dorne. So far I've only done the Crownlands and the North. If you want me to focus on a specific region next, please let me know by replying. If don't get any requests, I'll decide, so don't be afraid to speak up!
Until Next Time!