Deepwood Motte, Seat of House Glover

**Barry Goldwater** · August 21, 2016, 04:09 PM

Deepwood Motte is a wooden motte-and-bailey castle built atop a great hill surrounded by fields and the Wolfswood. Although not as powerful as the stone seats of the Andals beyond the sea, the increasingly moss-covered fortress has reliably served the Glovers for thousands of years. On that hill's crown lies the longhall from which the Glover Kings-in-the-Trees & now High Lords of the Wolfswood have governed their demesne as well as the weirwood through which they prayed to the Old Gods for guidance, overlooked by a watchtower some fifty feet taller which stands as the tallest building this side of the Hill Clans' rugged home; both of which are enclosed by an inner palisade. The castle's bailey below is where much of the day-to-day activities of the House goes on, as their stables, paddock, blacksmith, well and sheepfold are all located there, safely enclosed within yet more wooden walls. Between the outer palisade and the looming trees of the Wolfswood, the peasants closest to Deepwood Motte grow hardy crops such as oat and barley, and can take shelter in the castle should Ironborn or Wildings show up.

Regional bonus:

The Wolfswood: This sprawling, dense forest can prove a dangerous maze for those unfamiliar with it, and provides excellent opportunities for ambush. The houses that live around Deepwood Motte are excellent woodsmen, so the controller of the castle gains +3 to battle rolls in the woods, including at Deepwood Motte itself.

Household

Galbart Glover, High Lord of the Wolfswood

Age: 42

Skills: (10 pts, being 42) +3 Battles, +2 Scout, +2 Pathfinder, +1 Survival, +1 Duel, +1 Naval Battles

Galbart is the second son and successor of Lord Rodrik Glover, who ruled the Deepwood for a quarter of a century before dying of a stroke nine years ago. Being plain-faced, stern and solemn (the last time he smiled, it was at his own wedding and onlookers informed him that he looked as though his face was going to crack) even in childhood, he made few friends as he grew up and was not expected to do anything beyond serving the entirety of the human race at the Wall. That all changed when Galbart's elder brother Leobald accidentally murdered his best friend Cayn, the son of Deepwood Motte's stable-master in a drunken tavern brawl weeks after Galbart's own 14th birthday. Although Lord Rodrik, who cared for justice only so long as it was useful to his own ambitions, plotted to claim the boy had died in an accident and pay his father enough coin to convince him to play along, the remorseful Leobald refused and banished himself to the Wall to atone for his crime. Galbart was thus groomed to succeed his father, a man whose arbitrary nature and proclivity to injustice dimmed Galbart's respect for. While Rodrik stewed over his mistakes in life in Deepwood Motte or was away on business with the other Northern lords, Galbart was out in the Wolfswood, wandering from village to village to hear the smallfolk's grievances, enforce the King's justice and beating down bandits and the occasional Ironborn reaving party. Over his teenage years and young adulthood he built up a reputation as a hard-handed lawman who knew his runes so well that no criminal could find a loophole in the law to avoid his wrath, a traditionalist who personally executed those deserving such a fate before the nearest weirwood as custom demanded despite not being a particularly great swordsman, and a skilled commander who knew the ins and outs of the Wolfswood from the shore to the reaches of the Deepwood better than all but the most experienced hunters in his employ.

Following Rodrik's death, Galbart smoothly ascended to the High Lordship held by his fathers since the Glovers lost their crown, on account of having no brother save the man now at the Wall. He has spent the last nine years continuing to mete out justice unto his subjects and doing what he can to defend the northwest coast of the Kingdom of the North from Ironborn incursions, at times even daring to give chase to reaving parties with ships built from the sentinel and ironwood trees of the Wolfswood. Galbart is of the firm belief that the Ironborn must be evicted from Bear Island in order to secure the North's, well, northern shore; and of course, if the time to decide who the isle should be granted to ever comes up, he'll be ready with charts proving the existence of multiple marriages between the Glovers and the now-extinct Woodfoots who used to rule the island in the days when they were both kings as justification for why it should go to House Glover.

Galbart's family

Buildings

Edicts

Military

Trade

**Xion** · August 23, 2016, 11:33 AM

A small party carrying the banner of the clan Woods, and led by the chieftainess, emerges out of the forest to the south of Deepwood Motte and make their way towards the castle to request a meeting with Lord Glover or his castellan.

**Barry Goldwater** · August 23, 2016, 06:02 PM

Deepwood Motte's gates are opened without hesitation to the Woods party. Lord Galbart, flanked by only a handful of guards in Glover colors, comes down from the longhall to greet his guests personally; he was, after all, related to them by marriage. When he speaks, his words are terse and blunt as he always was with everyone, but his tone is not unfriendly. "Lady Woods, welcome to Deepwood Motte. What brings you here?"

**Xion** · August 23, 2016, 07:27 PM

Originally Posted by Barry Goldwater

Deepwood Motte's gates are opened without hesitation to the Woods party. Lord Galbart, flanked by only a handful of guards in Glover colors, comes down from the longhall to greet his guests personally; he was, after all, related to them by marriage. When he speaks, his words are terse and blunt as he always was with everyone, but his tone is not unfriendly. "Lady Woods, welcome to Deepwood Motte. What brings you here?"

The first members of the Woods party to reach Lord Glover are a trio of wolfdogs, each a different color. The three sniff around Lord Glover and his guards until Gwin shouts a command at the three, who run to her side. The Lady of the Wolfswood then bows to her uncle, and then adjusts her ironwood longbow, which had shifted slightly when she bowed. "To inquire if you have any orders for the men of the Wolfswood, my lord." She pauses for a moment. "..and to ask if you would be interested in establishing a trade route between Deepwood Motte and my clan's keep."

**Barry Goldwater** · August 23, 2016, 10:23 PM

Galbart took note of his niece's attention to her bow and wolf-dogs, and though he remained conscious of the formalities to be observed he allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction at her discipline. "Yes, I do indeed. Not long ago, King Jon was killed in an ambush by the savages from the sea beneath our trees - and his son, our new King Rickard will no doubt seek to avenge his death, which will fortunately necessitate storming Bear Island and liberating it from the hold of the pirates who wiped out my family's Woodfoot kin generations ago. We must & shall wipe the indignity that the death of our King in our Wolfswood represents from our lands by aiding him in this matter. Now while Bear Island, from whence the reavers who have long plagued our people and the man that took King Jon's life came, is not the only stronghold of these accursed Ironborn - they also hold Cape Kraken to the south - it is by far the more isolated of the two, the one closest to our lands, and thus should be our priority. I will need you and the men of your house to be ready when the time to march comes, Lady Woods."

Galbart didn't need to think long on the matter of establishing trade with House Woods. "Done. I will arrange housing and locations to set up stalls for your merchants within the castle's courtyard."

**Xion** · August 24, 2016, 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by Barry Goldwater

Galbart took note of his niece's attention to her bow and wolf-dogs, and though he remained conscious of the formalities to be observed he allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction at her discipline. "Yes, I do indeed. Not long ago, King Jon was killed in an ambush by the savages from the sea beneath our trees - and his son, our new King Rickard will no doubt seek to avenge his death, which will fortunately necessitate storming Bear Island and liberating it from the hold of the pirates who wiped out my family's Woodfoot kin generations ago. We must & shall wipe the indignity that the death of our King in our Wolfswood represents from our lands by aiding him in this matter. Now while Bear Island, from whence the reavers who have long plagued our people and the man that took King Jon's life came, is not the only stronghold of these accursed Ironborn - they also hold Cape Kraken to the south - it is by far the more isolated of the two, the one closest to our lands, and thus should be our priority. I will need you and the men of your house to be ready when the time to march comes, Lady Woods."

Galbart didn't need to think long on the matter of establishing trade with House Woods. "Done. I will arrange housing and locations to set up stalls for your merchants within the castle's courtyard."

Three members of the Woods party quietly mutter insults or curses at the Ironborn, having been part of the small force led by Lady Woods' uncle Dagon that joined the army of the late king and lost half their number in the ambush. After the battle, the small force attempted to hunt down some of the Ironborn, but only found and killed a band of five who decided to terrorize a crofter's village, their greed clouding their judgement. Lady Gwin nods. "I have raised the militia of the Wolfswood to bolster the patrols to hopefully find and kill any of the savages who think this is an opportunity to exploit to raid. You will have the swords and bows of the Wolfswood when the time comes, my lord." She pauses for a moment. "..besides fifty men who our king has ordered the houses of the North to provide for some other force."

Gwin smiles at her uncle's acceptance of trade."I shall do the same for the merchants of Deepwood Motte in the market square of my keep."

**Pinkerton** · August 24, 2016, 06:37 PM

A letter signed by Lord Ryswell arrives at Deepwood Motte.

He requires Lord Glover to raise a fleet and send it to the Stoney Shore, where the rest of the boats are gathering. It specifies that Lord Ryswell was commanded by the King to muster a navy to fight against the Ironborn.

**Barry Goldwater** · August 24, 2016, 10:00 PM

Originally Posted by Xion

Three members of the Woods party quietly mutter insults or curses at the Ironborn, having been part of the small force led by Lady Woods' uncle Dagon that joined the army of the late king and lost half their number in the ambush. After the battle, the small force attempted to hunt down some of the Ironborn, but only found and killed a band of five who decided to terrorize a crofter's village, their greed clouding their judgement. Lady Gwin nods. "I have raised the militia of the Wolfswood to bolster the patrols to hopefully find and kill any of the savages who think this is an opportunity to exploit to raid. You will have the swords and bows of the Wolfswood when the time comes, my lord." She pauses for a moment. "..besides fifty men who our king has ordered the houses of the North to provide for some other force."

Gwin smiles at her uncle's acceptance of trade."I shall do the same for the merchants of Deepwood Motte in the market square of my keep."

"Excellent, your diligence sets a good example for the other lords of the Wolfswood." Galbart's thin smile stretched a little, his niece had done well indeed. "Your warriors should come to Deepwood Motte once they are ready, I've no intention of marching attaching an ill-prepared and only partly mustered force to the King's host. Only once the full power of the Wolfswood has gathered here will I deem we are fit to march, should the King call on us as I expect him to soon. We have already witnessed the unfortunate consequences of such recklessness when King Jon last rode in here, and I do not mean to repeat the mistakes of the past."

**Poach** · August 25, 2016, 05:11 AM

An envoy from the Wolf's Den arrives seeking trade in leather for furs. The lands of the south are dangerous and a steady supply of armour is necessary.

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**Xion** · August 25, 2016, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by Barry Goldwater

"Excellent, your diligence sets a good example for the other lords of the Wolfswood." Galbart's thin smile stretched a little, his niece had done well indeed. "Your warriors should come to Deepwood Motte once they are ready, I've no intention of marching attaching an ill-prepared and only partly mustered force to the King's host. Only once the full power of the Wolfswood has gathered here will I deem we are fit to march, should the King call on us as I expect him to soon. We have already witnessed the unfortunate consequences of such recklessness when King Jon last rode in here, and I do not mean to repeat the mistakes of the past."

Gwin's smiles widens slightly at her uncle's words, then she calls for one of her retainers to come forth with a gyrfalcon. "I shall send word to my keep now for the militia to march north to Deepwood Motte." Another retainer hands her a piece of parchment and quill, and after hastily writing the order, ties to the bird's leg and it is released to fly back to the clan's keep. She then nods her head. "I agree with you, my lord."

**Barry Goldwater** · August 26, 2016, 09:29 AM

"Excellent. Before I send the summons out, I will have housing arranged for them, the warriors of the other forest clans and my own, both within Deepwood Motte's courtyard and in the fields around us. I only pray the King calls us to him sooner rather than later, for my lands are neither as rich nor as expansive as those of the Rills or around Barrowton and I doubt they can support the full might of the Wolfswood for long."