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Located on the northernmost part of Westeros, the Wall and Beyond are the least populated region in all of Westeros. Ruled by no higher power, The Wall is guarded by the Night's Watch, a sworn brotherhood made of people who forsook crime and family for duty over the realm. Beyond the Wall live the many different tribes of Wildlings, or Free Folk as they call themselves. These tribes only respect strength and obey no titles, constantly raiding the lands south of the Wall, which has made them a major threat to the people of the North.
Other inhabitants from Beyond the Wall are the sturdy giants and their mammoth mounts and the nigh-mythical Children of the Forest that haven't been seen in thousands of years. There are also the legendary Others, also known as White Walkers, who have not been seen since the Long Night.
The Night's Watch
The sworn brotherhood that guards the realms of men from what lies beyond, the Night's Watch has entered a slow but irreversible decline, barely keeping manned all eighteen castles that guard it. Long past are the days were men fought for the sake of the realm, it has become a dumping ground for exiles, criminals and people without anywhere else to go. Unlike any other institution in Westeros, the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch is chosen by popular vote, and every member regardless of background is allowed to vote.Thei current Lord Commander is Harrigon Hoare.
Lord Commander Harrigon Hoare
Lord Commander Harrigon Hoare
Harren Hoare's younger brother and the 971th Commander of the Night's Watch. He left his kingdom and family many decades ago, to join the Night's Watch and never had contact with his brother, whom he despises, ever since.- Dark Is Not Evil: He is both, a Hoare and a member of the Night's Watch, both of which leaves him with several dark coloured motifs, but from all that has been revealed, he is one of the more moral Hoare's.
- Everyone Has Standards: He seems to hold the lowest ranking members in the Watch, especially rapists and pedophiles with great contempt, outright saying that they did not deserve the second chance the Night's Watch offers.
- The Ghost: He's only mentioned in passing during Book 1, only debuting in chapter 3 of Book 2.
- Good Hair, Evil Hair: Harrigon has a thick beard covering his lower jaw, resembling a lion's mane. It is one of the few visual aspects that set him apart from his villainous brother.
- Grumpy Old Man: Decades of being exiled had made him quite bitter, but that doesn't mean he's unreasonable.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Surprisingly yes. He agrees to let Erik Flowers redeem himself instead of immediately executing him, even if he might not like this, and even asks Raenna if his most trusted men can guard Briar.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He has left his family behind after a particularly brutal argument with his brother. Travelling north, he joined the Night's Watch, where he became Lord Commander. Harren has a grudge on him to this day.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Even if Raenna never met his brother, they are very similar to each other, up to their heavily receding hairline. The main visual difference is that Harrigon wears a long beard.
- White Sheep: Together with Harrick, he is the only Hoare portrayed in a positive light in the story, mostly because his brother hates him. In contrast, the Hoare's and many of their Ironborn allies see him as the Black Sheep of the family instead.
Erik Flowers
Erik Flowers
A recruit of the Night's Watch that abandoned the brotherhood to join a party of Wildlings. After being captured by forces of House Umber, he agrees to help them stop the Wildlings so he's not executed for desertion, a crime punishable by death in the Wall. He comes from Old Oak at the Reach and was sent there for stealing bread.- The Cynic: Erik's view on the Night's Watch and the way the world works is deeply cynical and contrasts with more idealized tales of the watch.
- Felony Misdemeanor: The act that eventually brought him to the Wall is him stealing a loaf of bread because he was starving. He is quite cynical about being effectively exiled for life for such a minor crime and it is a big reason why he deserted the Night's Watch so quickly.
- Heel–Face Turn: Not that he was a very bad person to begin with, but he sides with the forces of House Umber after being made prisoner, in order to save his life.
- The Oathbreaker: While it's not clear if he made his vows, you can't just leave the Night's Watch. Erik still did and is considered a deserter by his former brothers.
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: Abandoned the Watch after merely six months since he considered the punishment too severe for his crime. He also later on abandons his wildling allies to save his life after he was captured by the Umber's.
Maester Coracinus
Coracinus
The Maester of the Nightfort. He used to be at the service of House Bullister of the Riverlands, but when the House was extinguished by Harren Hoare, he was surprisingly spared and sent to Wall instead.- Agent Mulder: He's one of the few maesters who's convinced the White Walkers genuinely existed, even if he thinks they have gone extinct by now.
- Cool Old Guy: He might be old but he's still pretty accommodating towards Raenna and Briar.
- Irony: It's somewhat ironic that he doesn't mind serving Harrigon Hoare, the brother of the man who slaughtered the family he once served.
- Old Retainer: He has served at the Wall for decades.
- Sole Survivor: He's the only member of House Bullister's household who survived the purge.
Wildor Goodbrook
Wildor Goodbrook
A recruiter of the Night's Watch, meaning he's one of the few brothers allowed to leave the Wall. As his name indicates, he's a former member of House Goodbrook from the Riverlands. He arrives to Raylansfair insearch for Lawsen, who is revealed to be a desertor of the Watch.- Good Is Not Nice: As a sworn brother of the Night's Watch, Wildor is technically a good guy, someone who sacrificed everything to guards the realms of man. However, he cannot be considered a very nice guy at all. While he holds a polite conversation with Ilish, he does not even hesitate to attack her when she gets in his way of apprehending Lawsen.
- Inspector Javert: Wildor is not a bad man at all. He is a recruiter for the Night's Watch, who joined them not due to any crime, but out of a sense of duty. However, he takes on an antagonistic role in Ilish's storyline, because of his zeal to bring the deserter Lawsen to justice. However, Lawsen is actually not a bad guy at all and just wants to be left alone, which makes Wildor less sympathetic to the audience.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: As seventh son of Lord Garth Goodbrook, his chances of inheriting were so slim he simply joined the Night's Watch for a better life.
The Wildlings
Beyond the Wall, there live several tribes of wildlings, or the Free Folk, as they call themselves. Their land is harsh and cold, which makes it deeply inhospitable to those who do not know how to survive there. It also means that their culture and general way of life is notably more savage than that of the lands south of the wall. Many wildlings are raiders, who fight against each other, or climb the wall to plunder the lands south of it. They are the enemies of the Night's Watch, who nowadays mostly exists to contain them.The Ice River Clans
Horik Half-Thenn
Horik Half-Thenn
One of the Ice River chieftains, as well as one of the most notable raiders among the wildlings. He has a history with the Umbers of the Last Hearth and his raiders often target their lands.- Child by Rape: How else would someone gain the moniker 'Half-Thenn'?
- The Dreaded: From what has been mentioned of him, Horik is one of the most feared of the wildling chieftains. Those who speak of him are either afraid of him or at least make it clear he is not someone to mess with.
- The Ghost: Horik has not been introduced yet, just mentioned several times.
- You Killed My Father: As Nea Umber reveals, Horik is the one responsible for the death of Toborn Umber, father to the current generation of Umber's.
Myrla
Myrla
A high-ranking wildling spearwife in service of Horik Half-Thenn. Myrla is an experienced raider despite her relatively young age and has won the absolute trust of her chieftain.- Dark Action Girl: By virtue of being a wildling spearwife, Myrla is already an Action Girl. She gets dark points by being opposed to the protagonists, as well as for her ruthless way of leading.
- The Dragon: It is outright mentioned that Myrla serves as one of the sub-leaders to the notorious wildling chieftain Horik Half-Thenn.
- Evil Redhead: Myrla has red hair and is a high-ranking wildling leader, tasked with raiding the Last Hearth itself, which she seems to be quite eager to do.
- Fiery Redhead: In addition to her hair colour, she is a wildling spearwife and therefore a fierce and skilled fighter, with a temper to match.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Despite being a skilled fighter, Myrla knows when she is outnumbered. The second the fight turns against her, she flees from the scene to regroup with her surviving men.
Markus Treearms
Markus Treearms
A wildling raider in service of Horik Half-Thenn. He is apparently an acquaintance of the missing Kory Umber and was sent with him on a mission south of the wall.- Dead Person Impersonation: Maybe, since Kory's status is unknown at the time. They have allegedly climbed the wall together, yet only Markus arrived at the Last Hearth, posing as Kory. What role, if any, he has played in Kory's unknown whereabouts is currently not known.
- Dirty Coward: From what little we have seen of the actual Markus, without his Kory persona, he is not a brave man. When Myrla has him cornered, he is all too eager to even beg to save his life.
- The Mole: For Horik Half-Thenn, for whom Markus impersonates Kory Umber with intentions of weakening the Last Heart enough for a wildling raid.
