Crowhunter coat of arms
House Crowhunter is a powerfull wildling family who live beyond the Wall. They are famous for the numerous members of their house who claimed the title of King-beyond-the-Wall (4 by 8087), ruling those lands for most of their recent history. They also conquered the Wall numerous times, but were each time forced out by the westerosi lords. Their house is by all the most powerfull to ever ruled beyond the Wall, and after its extinction with its last Queen Zia in 8104, the Crownhunter disappeared, leaving the Wildlings without true leadership. Their influence during the 81e century was enormous, and the tales of their accomplishments are still told on the Wall and beyond. Numerous new Kings and Queens Beyond-the-Wall tried to create a dynastic power like the Crowhunter did, but none where able to. In the end, the Crowhunter were unique in history, and will remain legends forever.
King Hareth Crowhunter of Beyond-the-Wall (7962-8002-8029)[]
Birth and Youth (7962-7982)[]
Hareth Crowhunter his the founder of House Crowhunter (although he always laft at the designation of ''House''), born years before Aegon was even born. According to the legend, he never knew his parents, who were killed when Thenns raided his village while his mother gave birth to him. After this terrible event, he would be raised by his entire clan, which made him into a ''man of the people'' (according to the legends).
a map of beyond the Wall realized by a member of the Night's Watch.
His youth was marked by an increased number of raids from the Thenns, especially in the Frostfangs. The Skirling Pass, were Hareth lived, was one of their favorite target. His clan was disorganize and weak, so they would never be able to fight back, or even defend themself against the raiders.
It's in this harsh environment that Hareth was raise. He endded up becoming a courageous and ruthless man, especialy to his enemies. He was also kind to every member of his own tribe, helping them whenever they needed. him. He quickly grow up to be one of the most loved man in the Skirling Pass.
By the time he was 17, he was aiming for a woman to marry, the daughter of a powerful clan chef living in the Skirling Pass. He had already planned how he would take her as his own. Their was a feat in the woman clan, and hhe would bravely entered the feast and stole her, beating everyone on the way back. The story would be a proof of his courage and he would surelly be praised by his clan. Saddly for Hareth, the woman died along with her clan when an army of Thenns raided the region. Enraged of this, he finally decieded to take the matter in his own hands, making the promise the Thenns would never walk in the Skirling Pass again.
Hareth passed the following years making his dream a reality. He would first counvince his own clan to follow him on his journey, which was relativly easy, since everyone trust him and knew his strenght. People who lived during those years remember how Hareth was surprised eveyrone followed him so easely, even claiming he prepared a speach for nothing. He would then walk with his clan through the entire Skirling Pass, meeting with different clans of the region and offering them a chance to join him in a resistance against the Thenns. Many refused though, so Hareth challenged the clan leaders to a fight. Once again, it's only through legend that this part of the story came to us. It is said that Hareth defied every man who refused his autority to a fight, giving them a rendez-vous point in the Skirming Pass. Tales say that at least fifty men came to face him. He face them all in the night, and by the morning an great fire could be seen through the entire Skirling Pass, and it smelled corpses during the entire day.
Hareth's troops charging the Thenns
After this feat of strenght, everyone in the Skirling Pass decided to follow Hareth in his desire to face the Thenn. By his 20th name day, Hareth's scouts hearded of another raid from the Thenns coming in their direction. He didn't lose any time and walk north the moment he got the information. He decided to play it vicious,so the Thenns would never be able to come back. He coose a forest in the northern frostfangs to wait for the Thenns. Stories tell that when they arrived, they found a man standing alone in the middle of the forest. The man, who was Hareth, told them that no Thenns would survive this forest. As they laughed, Hareth laugh with them. And as he did, his entire troops came out of nowhere, charging from every directions on the thenn raiders. Only one man was able to flee, but as he was about to come out of the forest, Hareth took a bow an shot and arrow through his neck. The body felt inside of the forest.
This victory was great, but Hareth wanted to be sure that the Thenns would never return. He walked north in the Thenn and killed every clan's chief he could find, leaving their clans desorganized and defensless. After this show of strenght, Hareth returned to the Skirling Pass and feast with his men. To celebrate, he faced half of a clan just to steal a woman and marry her, the marriage being the turning point of the feast. After this event, Hareth would rule over the Skirling Pass as its incontested ruler.
Rise to King-beyond-the-Wall (7982-8002)[]
With his wife, Hareth would have 4 children over the years; a daughter named Grisella (7989), and three sons named Dywen (7992) and the twins Byam and Hareth (7997). He loved his children, hoping they would protect the Skirling Pass if he was to died.
Bael the Skin Changer
One day, a man came to his house, claiming he wanted to serve Hareth. The man was know as Bael the Skin Changer. A greenseer who was always see with an eagle he raised himself, if the rumors were true. At first, Hareth was intrigued by the young man, who was only 19 when he first arrived. Hareth offered him a place as a councelor, were he distinguished himself for his talent and competence in most domains.
By the year 7997, Hareth lived an happy and satisfied life. Ruling the Skirling Pass was well enough for him. But it wasn't for his wife. She wanted to be married to a man who could give her gift, who could hold power, who could make her rich. She pushed him to conquer the upper frostfangs, convincing her husband that the local chef, a Hornfoot called Karlon who ruled those lands. Hareth invaded in in one month, as the troops of Karlon where disorganized and easely defeated. After his victory, Hareth declared himself the Highchief of the Upper Frostfangs.
Hareth Crowhunter
During the following years, frictions began to appear between Hareth and Bael, althought the main reason of their hatred for each other is not know today. Some rumors say that Bael wanted Hareth's wife for himself, even if she always hated Bael. Others say Bael wanted lands a some point, and tried to convince many to follow him elsewhere, but Hareth discouraged everyone who though about following the Skin Changer. The only true story that may have spark their hatred was when Bael took Dywen, Hareth's first son and heir, in the forest for days in order to ''Become one with the beasts'' or something like that. Hareth searched his son many times, but it was all failure. When all hope was lost, troops found the young boy with wolves, and Bael happily watching. One of the first things Harethdid after they returned was to kick Bael out of his council.
The years began to pass, and Hareth rapidly realized he was not the only on in the region who wanted power. Up in the north, the Thenns were once again powerfull, and began invading the Frozen Shore. South, an man named Joramun Torgrand was trying to unify the Lower Frostfangs. But the greatest danger for Hareth was east. In the last 5 years, Ondrew Skullsmorn, who started as chief of Whitetree, conquered the entire east part of Beyond-the-Wall, and was easely the most powerful chief in the region. To strenghten his own position, and to protecthis men, Hareth made a choice that would change the world forever. He decided in 2002 to proclaimed himself King-beyond-the-Wall, becoming this way the first in almost 3000 years, the last one being the twins Gorne and Gendels.
Reign as King-beyond-the-Wall (8002-8029)[]
His proclamation as King was laugh by many, especially Ondrew Skullsmorn, who already concidered himself to be the King. Skullsmorn thought of invading Hareth and claimed the title for himself. His troops being superior to Hareth, it would have been a one way fight, with Skullsmorn coming out of this as King.
But happily for Hareth, the war with Skullsmorn never happened. Many followed Skullsmorn on his pretention to claim the title of King-beyond-the-Wall. So when someone else claimed it before the chief of Whitetree, many rebelled against him, refusing to follow him if he wasn't King. During those years, some lands of Skullsmorn were also conquered by numerous deserters of the Night's Watch, numerous many members refusing to serve the Lord Commander Sawane, the brutal Iron Born who succeeded to Rodrik Hoare as Lord Commander in 8003. All those events together brought the end of Skullsmorn, who lost his last land to a deserter in 8009.
Those years of chaos in the east leaved time for Hareth to extend his realm. He first decided to unify the Frostfangs, and began to conquer the lands of Joramund Torgrand. But Joramund had the exact same idea. In the end, their two armies met in the Central Frostfangs, were they both fought with violence and courage. In the end, it was Hareth that won the fight. Joramund troops were forced to flee and retraited in the Gorge. But when he arrived, he found out many were rebelling against him, finding him a weak man who was not able to rule. Joramund feared it was the end for him. But when the troops of Hareth arrived, they crushed the rebellion, to everyone surprise. Joramund, who realized the strenght of King Hareth, surrendered his lands to him. Hareth, good as he is, allowed Joramund to keep his lands. Joramund would follow with loyalty Hareth until his death in 8017.
Lenn ''Shield Breaker'' Thanskull
In the following years, Hareth would expand twice. First, he invaded the Shivering forest, which became his the land of his son Dywen. He would also take back the Frozen Shore from his years long ennemies the Thenn, which were forced to return to their native region up north. During those years, Bael the Skin Changer died in mysterious circumstances, which pleased both Hareth and his wife, althought it greatly saddened his children, who always saw Bael as their mentor and friend.
By the time, only one man was still standing against Hareth. His name was Lenn ''Shield Breaker'' Thanskull. A man born in the Frostfangs, just like Hareth, he was forced to flee when deserters of the Night's Watch invaded his lands, and conquered instead Craster's Keep. One of the only chief who weren't conquered by Skullsmorn back then, he would take advantage of the chaos and claimed for himself the title of highchief of the Haunted Forest. He was older than Hareth by 7 years and was respected for his fighting skill as well as its wisdom. His followers though of him as the only true King-beyond-the-Wall. This rivalty between Lenn and Hareth gained an aditional dimension when the woman who killed Lenn first son years ago, named Meha, and that Lenn was searching for years ended up living in Hareth's lands, were she was promised safety.
Lenn, who refused to ''bend the knee'' like he claimed everyone following Hareth did, he began more and more to be jalous of this ''false King'' and began to prepare a war against him. He secretly travelled north to Thenn, were he convinced the local to help him against Hareth, who had proved over the years to be the biggest ennemy of the Thenns. Seeing it as a way to take revenge against Crowhunter. With his new allies, Shield Breaker was ready to strike against by the year 8023.
It first began when Shield Breaker's troops began raiding camps of Hareth, killing everyone in it. Hareth sended his son Dywen deal with it, hoping it was just some random raiders frogetting who was the king here. But when Dywen entered the Fist of the First Men, it was not an band of raiders that he met, but an entire army, with Lenn leading it. Even if Dywen and his wolves made a great impression on Shield Breaker's army, but it wasn't enough. By the end of the day, most of Dywen's men were death, the rest retreating with their prince.
Lenn next move was to raid the entire territory of the Fist of the First Men, as his scouts told him Meha was hiding there. It didn't take long before the Shield Breaker got his hand on the woman who killed his son. He thought about killing her, but in the end decided he had more important things to do and imprisoned her in Castrer's Keep.
During his time searching for Meha, Lenn knew Hareth would react, organized a real army and maybe even dare face him man to man. But Lenn wasn't stupid. He sended a messenger to the Thenns, so they would know the time had come. Of course, he knew Hareth would be able to deal with the Thenns, but he would have to split his men to do so.
King Hareth Crowhunter
Lenn was happy when he learned that Hareth did exactly what he expected. From the news he heard, the ''King'' sended his twin sons Byam and Hareth (also know as Shield Breaker) to deal with the Thenn, taking with them a third of his army, if not more. This left Lenn with less ennemies to face as he marched with his men for Skirling Pass. On his way, Lenn faced Dewyn and his forces twice, defeating him each time.
The final fight which could have lead to Lenn victory happened in the mountains of the Skirling Pass. There, he faced an army lead not by Dewyn, but by Hareth himself. The Crowhunter had gain weight since his rise to kinghood, but he still had the same courageous look in his eyes. Lenn though he would be able to face Hareth with his men, but the mountains gave the advantage to Hareth, and Shield Breaker lost more men than he thought during his fights against Dywen. The fight was long, but by the end of the day Dywen arrived for a third time and attack the rear of Lenn army, destroying it in the process. Lenn was able to escape, but he rappidly understood he just lost to Hareth. Hareth, who realized his men were weaken and unable to continue, decided to leave Lenn in peace. For the rest of his life, both Lenn and Hareth would raid each other, but no war would ever come up between the two men again.
The rest of Hareth's reign was strangely peacefull, especially with the Night's Watch. Satisfied of ruling Beyond-the-Wall, Hareth never had any hostile intentions against the Wall, and even kept good relation with the Night's Watch, which was often criticized. He died in 8029 from a depression at the age 67, his son Dywen inheriting his title, including the Kingdom-beyond-the-Wall.
King Dywen Crowhunter of Beyond-the-Wall (7992-8029-8046)[]
Youth as a Prince (7992-8029)[]
Young Dywen with his two direwolves
Dywen is the first son and second child of Hareth and his wife. When he was really young, Dywen was afraid of beasts that where found Beyond-the-Wall. Many saw in the young boy a good person with great potential, especially Bael the Skin Changer, a prominent member of Hareth's ''court''. Bael ended up offering Hareth to ward his daughter and son, which he accepted gladdly.
When he was ten years old, Bael brought him in the forest with a sword, then abandonned him there, telling him he had to find armony with the animals. Nobody really know the details of what happened during his time alone, and even Dywen version is confused and incomplete. The most that is know is that he ended up being saved by two young direwolves. During the time he passed with the, he became to bound with them, and care for them, outpassing his fear of animals.
It is said that one night, a hunter from the Skirling Pass came by, sarching for a prey to hunt. When he saw the direwolves, he thought he could easely hunt them and became a legend. Again, what happened next isn't clear, but Dywen always claimed he killed the hunter with the sword Bael gave him, and since the hunter isn't there to say something else this is generally believe to be true. Dywen was in the end found by his father's men, while Bael was watching. When ask why he did this, Bael only said he was watching all the time to be sure the kid wouldn't be in danger.
Years later, Hareth would give Shivering Forest to his son so he could learn how to be a worthy successor. To affirm his power in the region, he kidnap a local woman to marry her, facing most of his clan with his direwolves just to see her. This mariage would produce a son and two daughter, and Dywen would eventually go see elsewhere, tired of this woman he never really loved anyway.
When the Highchief Lenn ''Shield Breaker'' Thanskull tried to claim the title of King-beyond-the-Wall, Dywen was send to lead his father's troops in the Fist of the First Men to defeat the raiders. His army was crushed by Lenn, even if his direwolves did help toscare some ennemies. By two times, he would try to face again Shield Breaker, and twice would he failed. He finally returned for a thrid time during the final battle, helping his father's troops to crush Lenn's army.
Inheriting and beginning of the reign (8029-8040)[]
King Dywen and his direwolves
When he became King, many though he may not be a good successor, and other succession by blood wasn't a proof of power. This made the first year of his reign look unstable. And this is what convinced Lenn Thanskull that he should strike again. Shield Breaker tried again to attack his enemy, and again offered the Thenns to help him. But this time, the Tenn refused, still remebering how Lenn used them last time. Shield Breaker was forced to fight his enemy alone. Something else happened that Lenn didn't saw coming. Dywen was able to use Lenn attack as an excuse to unite his men, which gave him total control over his lands. Dywen use this newfound power to form a army capable of facing Shield Breaker and his forces. When Shield Breaker entered the Fist of First Men, Dywen was waiting for him, and he remembered his old fight against him. It was time for payback. After the brutal victory of Dywen, his forces siege Castrer's Keep, were they defeated Lenn and forced him to surrender his anbition to claim the Kindgom-beyond-the-Wall once and for all. Lenn Thanskull would died 4 years later in 8033 and was succeed by his son Sigorn, who quickly restored his father's lands.
Lenn would later became tired of his wife, and had numerous adventures during his reign. He had numerous bastards, but only recognized a one of them, a daughter born from his long adventure with Palla, a wildling woman he loved with all his heart during five years before getting tired of her like any other woman he slept with. He would also pass numerous time with his two direwolves, who ended up having numerous cubs, leading to an entire pack of Direwolves serving the King-Beyond-the-Wall. This story was rappidly heard by the Night's Watch, who became anxious of this powerfull Wildling.
In 8028, something terrible arrived. Dywen's son, Craster, felt in love with a wildling named Osha. But she refused his love. Craster, frustrated by her refusal, became violent, and tried to rape her. She replicated and end up killing Craster. She was hopefully able to hide under the protection of the High Chief Sigorn Thanskull, and Dywen was never able to find his son's killer.
Around 8035, Dywen decided to deal with the Thenns, his father's mortal ennemies. He invaded them with his entire forces, and even if they tried to stop him, they were no enough to dtop the King. After his crushing victory against the Thenn, Dywen chose to let them serve him, promising them lands ''in the South''. A few years later, he went to talk with Sigorn Thanskull, with who he planned an invasion of the Wall. The plan was finally put in action in 8039.
War against the Night's Watch (8040-8041)[]
By 8039, the Night's Watch was burying his Lord Commander, a dornish named Castos Wells, who was nicknamed ''The Unworthy''. The new Lord Commander was a Stormlander named Stannis Harfield, who served in the Night's Watch for a few years by now. Aged of 33, courageous man and recognized drunk, he was saddly the best man for the job at the time, even if many feared for the Night's Watch when he was elected, including maester Damon, a valeman who served as maester of the Night's Watch for 10 years.
Lord Commander Stannis Harfield
To celebrate his nomination, Stannis had wine and alcool served to every brother of the Watch, and they celebrated as never before. Saddly, numerous posts were left vacant and the Wall was left uncheck.
Saddly for Stannis, this was the night Dywen and his men chose to invade the Wall. The Night's Watch was taken by surprise, and numerous lost happened in those days. Dywen took the Wall himself in 2 days, but had to wait 3 months until he was finally able to conquer the forts were the last defenders of teh Night's Watch stayed to protect themselves against the wildlings. By the beginning of 8040, Stannis and his men were defeated, fleeing south to the Stark. Dywen was the new master of the Wall. The Crows found by Dywen were fed to his Direwolves, which made his reputation as a cruel man.
But Dywen never really had time to settle. Soon enough, Lord Benjen Stark and Lord Orys II Baratheon send their men to reconquer the Wall from the King-Beyond-the-Wall, helped by Stannis and what was left of the Night's Watch. The fight was hard and lasted for a year or so, but in the end Dywen was pushed out of the Wall and send back in his lands. After this brief, but first conquest of the Wall, Dywen tried to regroup his men and reafirm his autority beyond the Wall, which was questionned by Sygorn Thanskull after the defeat at the Wall.
Rest of the reign (8041-8046)[]
A few years after Dywen defeat, the Night's Watch was rebuilding itself under the command of Stannis, still Lord Commander at the time. In one of his numerous drunken decision, he was convince that the Watch was stronger than ever, and decided to lauched a campaign against the wildling and destroy Dywen forces before they could lauched a new attack. He send most of the Night's Watch men, even if numerous people try to convince him of his error, including maester Damon and the commander of Shadow Tower, Stannis Errol, a good friend of the Lord Commander.
In 8045, Stannis launched an all out attack on the wildling. At first taken by surprise, the free folks were rapidly able to reform their troops and overcome the Crows, murdering them one by one, including Stannis Harfield. The few who survived returned to the Wall, and no attack on the Wildling was lauched for at least 50 years after that, the failure of Stannis Harfield command of the Night's Watch being remebered by everyone. The King didn't even need to go himself in order to defeat the weak Night's Watch.
After the failure of Stannis, Dywen thought of invading the Wall again. But most of his supporter during the first war were now against a new and rash assault on the presomption that the Watch was weaken. Dywen passed most of his last year trying to convince everyone of the necessity of an attack. He died at the age of 54 from an injury he got fighting the Night's Watch. Like he wanted, his body was fed to his direwolves, who then disappeared in the wild, nver to be heard of. His lands were left to his 26 years old bastard daughter Harma, who was legitimized after Craster death. In the eyes of most free folks, Harma wasn't strong enough to suceed to her father, and so the Kingdom-Beyond-the-Wall disappeared, as Dywen supporters refused to follow Harma.
Queen Harma Crowhunter of Beyond-the-Wall (8020-8050-8072)[]
Life under the Crowhunter's Kings (8020-8046)[]
Harma Crowhunter
Lia is one of the two daughters King Dywen of Beyond-the-Wall had with his main lover, Palla, and also the only legitimized bastard of Dywen. Her younger sister, Brella, was never even recognized by her father, who had put a stop to his adventure with Palla when she gave birth to Brella. Even so, Harma always stayed close to her younger sister, who would later become one of Harma's best warriors when she inherited. She was raised to be a good soldier, being raised by the Thanskull as part of a deal between them and her father. She also rapidly became a beautiful woman in the Wildlings standards. She rapidly became a deadly fighter, which gained her the respect of most of the wildlings.
When her father invaded the wall, she was among the first to climb it and fight against the Night's Watch. When the Stark tried to reclaim it for Stannis Harfield, she laughed to this wolf house, claiming her father was the only wolf here. She was the one who saved her father and helped him to escape the Wall when the wildling were defeated. She was also among the one who fought Stannis Harfield when he attacked the wildlings.
Even with those exploits, she wasn't strong enough in the eyes of the free folks to succeed her father like he did with his. The men who fallowed Dywen decided to try on their own after his death, ending the Kingdom-Beyond-the-Wall once again.
Rise and Fall of King Mace Pikesfrost (8046-8050)[]
King Mace Pikesfrost
After her father's death, a power vacuum was felt Beyond-the-Wall, as the wildling were lead by the Crowhunters for almost 50 years when Dywen died. Many tried to restore their power and claim the title of King for themself. In the North, the Thenns were expanding, and east the Thanskull just ended a leadership crisis and were aiming for the title like Lenn 'Shield Breaker' did years ago. Some wildling, who rised under the Crowhunter influence, feared those external menaces, and tried to claim the title to ''Protect Dywen heritage''. But surprisingly, it was none of them who claimed the Kingdom-Beyond-the-Wall, but a man named Mace Pikesfrost.
Like Harma, Mace Pikesfrost had a reasonnable claim on the Kingdom by his blood, as both of them were grandchildren of King Hareth Crowhunter, Lia from his first son Dywen and Mace from his daughter Grisella. With this, Mace was able to gathered allies and supporters of the Crowhunter, claiming to be their direct heir, as Dywen only leaved one landed daughter, Harma, who was born from one of his adventures. With this, he was rappidly able to claim the title and crown himself King-beyond-the-Wall. Harma, who decided that serving Mace would be better than ruling her isolated lands, joined Mace supporters, although she never liked him.
Mace rule lasted for a few years, and was prone to internal disputes. Mace always had difficulty to keep his supporter happy, or to keep them at all. Many believed Mace made a poor king, and rapidly his lands felt to chaos and civil war. Numerous wildlings, including Harma, bend together to bring Mace down, even though Mace supporter's claim that it was all part of a plan made by the Night's Watch to weaken the wildlings. Mace was finally brought down with by the Thanskull, who decided to bring this ''King'' down. Mace fleed and disappear for a tim, hiding somewhere. A few days after his defeat, Harma would crown herself as Dewyn heir and claim the Kingdom-Beyond-the-Wall, becoming the 3rd Crowhunter ruler to old the title.