House Manderly

House Manderly of White Harbor is a noble family in the north whose seat is the New Castle in the city of White Harbor. They are among the most powerful and loyal vassals of House Stark as well as the richest northern family due to their control of the only city in the region. Unlike most other northern houses, the Manderlys follow the Faith of the Seven instead of the Old Gods, as the family emigrated from the Reach after the Andal invasion.

The Manderlys' blazon is a white merman with dark green hair, beard and tail, carrying a black trident, over a blue-green field. Manderly guards wield tridents instead of spears.

The Lord of White Harbor influences all lands and houses east of the mouth of the White Knife.The Manderlys' dominion includes the Sheepshead Hills and the Broken Branch, as well as the allegiance of Ramsgate. Their bannermen includes a dozen petty lords and a hundred landed knights.

The Manderlys are an ancient line who once lived along the banks of the mighty river Mander in the Kingdom of the Reach, and some claim the river was named after them. A noble house of great lords descended from the First Men, they held the castle of Dunstonbury as their seat and had a fierce rivalry with House Peake. Approximately a thousand years before Aegon's conquest, Perceon III Gardener ordered Lorimar Peake to carry out the exile of House Manderly out of fear of their growing influence and power in the Reach. This allowed House Peake to acquire the Manderlys' seat of Dunstonbury.

The Manderlys were left sore, friendless and in peril of their lives. They fled north, and were welcomed by the Starks of Winterfell as their own bannermen. The Starks awarded the Wolf's Den to the Manderlys and tasked them with defending the White Knife in return for swearing an oath that they would always be loyal subjects of House Stark. This history instilled the Manderlys with great loyalty to their new liege lords.

The Second War of Conquest
Lord Wyman Manderly pretended loyalty to House Bolton to protect his family after the Red Wedding, but quietly worked to undermine Bolton rule wherever he found the opportunity. His scheming came to fruition at the Battle of Winterfell, where Manderly troops turned cloak and joined Stannis Baratheon's army. House Manderly also welcomed the Vale troops at White Harbor and hosted Lady Sansa Arryn as their guest at New Castle while Lord Yohn Royce marched on Winterfell with a gift of five hundred Manderly troops to augment his forces. Following the extinction of House Bolton, Lord Jon Stark honored Lord Wyman for his role in the Starks' return and wed his daughter Wylla.

The Winter of Wolves
Lord Hornwood ordered a scourge of his woods to end the depredations of the Thorns of Winter. Enlisting the aid of both House Stark of the Dreadfort and House Manderly, Lord Hornwood caught and captured every bandit and poacher on his lands. Yet, those matching the descriptions of his primary targets were not to be found. It would be weeks again until news of the Thorns emerged, and not where they were expected.

White Harbor was the boon of the North that winter. Almost all goods and foods that flowed into the North came through the city, and so it was a ripe target for mischief. However, it was most expected that this mischief would occur within the city walls, or at the very least on the waters of the Bite. The Thorns of Winter had neither the means of entering the city, nor of walking on water. Instead, they waited for what few caravans left the confines of the city and pounced. Dozens of caravans fell prey to the Thorns, yet Lord Manderly did not ride out to protect them, for he had seen the folly in this endeavor first hand. Instead, he sat behind his walls, and waited. This stratagem worked, as the Thorns eventually turned away from White Harbor and eventually resurfaced on Frey lands in the Riverlands.

The War in the Narrows
House Manderly contributed ships to the war against the rebellious Prince Baelon.

The Intercession in the North
Lord Manderly sold land in the Sheepshead hills to Aegon VI for the construction of the Winter Palace and many of the building supplies passed through White Harbor and up the White Knife toward the ill-fated project.

The Southern Schism
When King Aenar I sought a neutral candidate for a new High Septon with no connection to the leaders of either faction of the Schism to heal the divisions in the Faith, Lord Manderly recommended Septon Manfryd, House Manderly's personal chaplain. This marked the first time in history that a Northerner became the Avatar of the Seven.

The Hammer Uprising
Lord Manderly granted an audience to representatives of the many silversmiths and artisans who worked within the city and avoided the worst of the disruptions and riots that plagued other cities throughout the Realm by making a few minor concessions.

The Hundred Years Tournament
The Scarlet Winter was the worst on record since the Winter of Wolves over half a century before. Even as White Harbour and the White Knife froze solid, House Manderly found ways to make the most of the circumstances. They hosted a Tournament to celebrate the centennial of the coronation of Aegon VI and Daenerys in 402 AC. This tournament was attended by Houses from the North, the Vale, and the Riverlands. The tournament grounds were built on the frozen bay, and horse races held on the surface of the White Knife. The tournament was notable for a brawl between the knights of House Manderly with the knights of House Frey, which started over an exchange of taunts about the two houses' respective roles in the War of the Five Kings and the Second Conquest. The participants were all disqualified from the joust.