Wolf's Den is the oldest castle in White Harbor, its history stretching back almost a thousand years.
When the Stark family were still Kings of the North, a King named Jon Stark built this fortress at the mouth of the Whiteblade River, roughly where White Harbor stands today, to defend against pirate raids.
The initial inhabitants were the younger sons, brothers, and uncles of the Stark kings. Their descendants formed a cadet branch, much like Clay's personal guard, and this branch became known as the Grey Stark family.
This cadet branch of the Stark family held Wolf's Den for five centuries, but they chose the wrong side during the war between the Red King of the Dreadfort and the Stark wolf king.
Although most members of the Stark family were generous, they clearly could not tolerate rebels, especially when those rebels were a branch of their own family.
After a bloody conflict, and with the Red King of the Dreadfort bending the knee, the castle lost its lords.
After many changes, it was occupied by the Fettling family, the Locke family, and families such as Slatt, Lang, Holt, and Ashwood, who were enfeoffed by Winterfell. Finally, the castle came into the hands of the Manderly family.
As White Harbor grew and developed, the Manderly family transformed into the wealthiest family in the entire North. The cramped Wolf's Den was, of course, unworthy of such a prominent family.
Thus, the New Keep was built on the high hill within the city, with massive white walls protecting both the city and the fortress. The Wolf's Den, which stood alone outside the city, was now referred to as the Old Keep.
And now, it served as the prison for House Manderly and the main base for the entire White Sea Guard.
Clay had been here before, but only to the outskirts. There was a very old Godswood here, but unfortunately, the only Heart Tree remaining in the shrinking Godswood had little magic left.
Remounting his horse, and protected by a few White Harbor guards, Clay followed Sir Bartimus into this ancient fortress.
After entering the raised iron gate, for some reason, Clay felt the knight relax. It was as if seeing his old man at the New Keep had been a very difficult experience for him.
Clay noticed that the soldiers here, or rather, the jailers, weren't wearing the silver-white armor typically worn by White Harbor guards, but rather a grey-black uniform.
The silent guards stepped forward and grabbed the reins of Clay's horse. Bartimus, despite having a missing leg, dismounted with ease and handed the reins to a scarred guard.
After that, Clay heard Sir Bartimus's voice for the first time. It was hoarse and unpleasant, like ceramic scraping against gravel. He said:
"Welcome to Wolf's Den, young Clay."
The greeting was dry, devoid of warmth, almost cold. He gestured towards the surrounding buildings and continued:
"What you see now is the prison section of Wolf's Den. All those found guilty are judged here, and we also handle their journey to meet the old and new gods."
Clay wanted to take a look, but Sir Bartimus stopped him. He leaned on his Oak Cane, looking at Clay.
"You can look around here whenever you like after we've completed the handover, young Clay. But for now, it's best if we take care of the formalities."
Clay had no objections. Although he'd only been a nobleman's son for a short time, he was already accustomed to flattery and the smiles of sycophants. Encountering Sir Bartimus, Clay felt somewhat out of his element.
Passing those old, dilapidated buildings, Clay realized there must be a vast space beneath. Considering White Harbor's large population, the prison capable of holding all the criminals couldn't be small.
The two of them were headed towards the back of the prison buildings, where the tallest structure in Wolf's Den stood: a tall, thick gray tower.
Near the building, Clay saw many guards in gray uniforms. Judging by their posture and how they held their weapons, Clay estimated he could take on five of them at most, assuming they all attacked at once.
Climbing the stone stairs, Clay entered the tower that had stood for nearly a thousand years, weathering the passage of time.
He'd expected it to be like the Tower of the Swallow from the world of the Witchers: cobwebs, rotting wood, dark and cramped. Instead, he found it surprisingly clean.
Torches burned quietly on the walls. The wooden structure inside was weathered, but clearly well-maintained. New and old wood were interwoven, which accounted for the uneven coloration.
The tower had many windows, and patches of light fell on the tables and floors, illuminating the room.
There were several people in the room where Clay was, about three or four, gathered around a table and writing. Many notes were neatly arranged on the long table. Clay recognized them as letters tied to the legs of Ravens.
Now Clay understood why security was so tight here. The sheer volume of Raven messages was something that absolutely could not be leaked.
Knowing what Clay wanted to ask, Sir Bartimus, whose duty it was to provide answers, spoke up:
"This is where the White Sea Guard compiles information reported from thirty-four locations across The North, the Riverlands, the Westerlands, the Crownlands, and parts of the Vale."
Good heavens, that's about the number of major nobles with names and titles in these places, isn't it? This is basically sweeping the board.
He was secretly taken aback. Clay nodded without changing his expression. Although he didn't know how useful this information was, White Harbor's financial strength was evident from the fact that they had deployed people in so many places.
Clay was led by Sir Bartimus to a place resembling a meeting room. A long table stood in the center, with a larger chair at the head, surrounded by some ordinary chairs.
There were other people in the room, precisely five people, who were silently looking at Clay.
Clay was led to sit in the largest chair. He didn't refuse, since he was about to take over here, he couldn't afford to be weak.
"These five people are the managers in charge of the five regions I just mentioned. They are also responsible for distributing and executing specific tasks. They are more suitable to answer your questions than I am."
After speaking to Clay, Sir Bartimus removed a ring from his finger, the color of which was somewhat dull. He pushed the ring towards Clay with his finger, and said to the five people: "The ring has been handed over. From now on, Clay Manderly, the Earl's grandson, will become the new commander of the White Sea Guard."
.....
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