Legend has it that during the Dawn Age, a group of humans known as the First Men crossed the land bridge called the Arm of Dorne to invade the continent of Westeros. They brought bronze weapons, leather armor, and horses. The native Children of the Forest were powerless to halt their advance and were driven steadily northward. Facing annihilation, the Children used magic in desperation to summon a great flood. The resulting deluge not only destroyed the Arm of Dorne but also split Westeros in two, halting the First Men's march north and cutting off further invasion from the south.
After the waters receded, the Arm of Dorne became the Stepstones, and the region scoured by the flood became what is now known as the Neck—a vast, treacherous wetland, the continent's bottleneck.
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Myths are myths, but the truth remains: the Neck divides Westeros into North and South. This region of swamps, bogs, and lakes is riddled with sinkholes and quicksand. The most dangerous feature is the vegetation—some patches are covered in bright green moss or aquatic plants that appear solid. Step onto one, and you'll sink in an instant.
But falling in is only the beginning of the trouble. Poisonous insects, venomous snakes, toxic flowers, and dagger-toothed lizard-lions lie in wait in the pools and muddy depths, posing a far greater threat to travelers who stray from the causeway.
If the Neck is the North's natural bulwark, then Caitlin Bay is the "bottle cap" sealing that bottleneck.
Caitlin Bay was once a great stronghold, with twenty towers and high basalt walls rivaling Winterfell's. It had withstood countless Andal invasions, making the North the last land in Westeros still entirely ruled by the First Men who worship the Old Gods.
But over time, as the land sank and structures decayed, nearly all of Caitlin Bay's walls crumbled. Its wooden keeps have long since rotted away. Of the original twenty towers, only three still stand. From the outside, this "castle" hardly qualifies for a map marker, let alone as a defensible stronghold.
It is little more than a derelict fort in the wilderness. Given a modest force, anyone could take it in a single assault.
Yet Robb Stark had been stubbornly held at bay here for weeks. Why? Because Caitlin Bay isn't just standing in open land—it is planted firmly within the Neck.
The only dry road through this expansive wetland is the causeway. Though Caitlin Bay is in ruins, its remaining towers block the northern exit of that road, sealing the passage like a cork in a bottle. The causeway is narrow, and the towers are positioned so that any army traveling north must pass directly beneath them.
To assault one tower is to come under fire from the other two. The wet stone walls are slick with moss and strung with white ghost grass, making them treacherous to climb. The surrounding swamps act as a natural moat. You can't walk through them, let alone stand.
And that's only the challenge of the fortress. The causeway itself is a problem. It is a man-made road, just wide enough for two wagons. While it permits troop movement, it does not allow space for deploying an army, camping, or even pausing to regroup.
...
The Northern host, nearly twenty thousand strong, had to make camp in scattered villages tens of miles south of Caitlin Bay, perched on rare patches of dry ground in the Neck. This meant any assault force had to march a long distance just to reach the fortress each day. Because of the narrow road, despite their overwhelming numbers, the North could never deploy more than two hundred soldiers at once.
Blood Gate was a formidable choke point in the Vale of Arryn, but it had open land for encampments and staging outside its walls. With enough force, one could storm it eventually. Caitlin Bay, by contrast, prevented even that. Its position allowed the defenders to block the attackers without ever giving them the chance to fully engage.
The road was sinking as well, waterlogged and pitted after recent rains. Without regular upkeep, the causeway had turned into a quagmire. The Ironborn had neither the tools nor the time to maintain it, and now it slowed their enemies even more.
Robb Stark had earned glory breaking through Blood Gate under King Robert, followed by a string of victories in the Westerlands and even holding firm during the campaign against the Reach. But now, at the threshold of his own homeland, he found himself halted by a crumbling ruin. No matter how many troops he brought, he could not pass, nor even reach the enemy properly.
Faced with this impasse, he chose to flank the fortress. He split his forces, sending troops by ship and through secret paths in the swamp to go around and strike from the north. This way, he hoped to remove the "cork" from outside the bottle.
Because of Gulltown's limited shipping capacity and the treacherous swamp routes, only a few hundred soldiers managed to bypass Caitlin Bay and reach the north side. But these few were reinforced by troops at White Harbor and nearby villages, swelling their numbers to over a thousand. Now, with Robb's main army poised to strike from the south and the other force pressing from the north, Caitlin Bay's fall was inevitable.
After all, how long could one's own front door hold against the homeowner—especially when there were still people inside? Even without Aegor and the Gift Army, this fortress was nearly finished.
...
But then Balon Greyjoy died, and his brother Euron, the Crow's Eye, took control and declared support for Stannis Baratheon. The Iron Fleet withdrew. The roaming Ironborn disappeared from the North. And good news arrived that the Ambers had joined Aegor in retaking Deepwood Motte. Suddenly, the urgency to reclaim Caitlin Bay diminished.
There was another reason Robb was willing to let Aegor attempt his surrender plan. After twice repelling Randyll Tarly's Riverlands army in the Westerlands and at King's Landing, the Young Wolf had grown overconfident. So much so that when tasked with intercepting the Reach's reinforcements for Storm's End in the Kingswood, he abandoned flexible tactics and opted for a head-on clash.
The Northern host held its line only through the fearlessness of its commanders and men. But the cost was heavy—greater than all losses sustained in the Westerlands and the retaking of King's Landing combined.
Randyll Tarly's skillful command and coordination of infantry, cavalry, and archers struck a harsh blow. It shattered Robb Stark's illusion of invincibility and brought him crashing back to reality.
Thankfully, Stannis Baratheon had appeared at an unexpected time and place, leading the royal host in a flanking maneuver that saved the Northern army. Though they emerged victorious again, Robb knew in his heart that it had been others who secured the win.
His mistake had cost the North dearly. Thousands of men who had enriched themselves in the Westerlands would never return home with their spoils. That guilt now stayed his hand.
It was why he had not ordered a full assault on Caitlin Bay.
At the day's war council, he had overruled opposing voices and agreed to let the so-called "Gift Army"—though all knew it was the Night's Watch—make the attempt.
Failure brings growth. Randyll Tarly's lesson not only shattered Robb's dreams of military perfection, it made him mature overnight. He realized he was not just a battlefield commander, but the Warden of the North—the lord of the least populous region of the Seven Kingdoms.
His true duty was not to chase glory, but to protect the lives and homes of his people.
Now, standing on the narrow causeway with two hundred elite Northern troops, Robb Stark gazed across the distance at Caitlin Bay. The kraken banner still flew above its broken towers. He waited patiently to see whether the Night's Watch's plan would succeed.
He had brought only two hundred men, because that was the most the narrow causeway could support. Any more would just clog the path, turning his own men into targets.
Not far ahead, the Drunken Tower still leaned. The shattered spire of the Children of the Forest Tower pierced the sky like a spear. On the broad, crumbling Gatehouse Tower, a few pale faces peered through the battlements.
There were still three or four hours until nightfall. If Aegor's plan failed, Robb would give the order within the hour. The White Harbor forces north of Caitlin Bay would begin their assault, coordinating with his push from the south to force open the "bottle cork" once and for all.
(To be continued.)
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