Moat Cailin

Tradition holds that Moat Cailin was raised some ten thousand years ago by the First Men, and, so it's said, by Brandon the Builder himself. It had twenty towers, ringed by a wall of dark stone as tall as the walls of Winterfell.

That wall turned back the Andal armies again and again as they pushed north. Nothing of it remains today: only house-sized stone blocks, sunk and scattered across the mud where it once stood. The wooden buildings rotted away centuries ago without a trace; of the original stronghold only three moss-covered towers still stand.

Legend says the children of the forest first tried to hold back the First Men with magic worked from one of the towers, and when that failed, tried to split the passage in two, the way they had shattered the Arm of Dorne centuries before.

They couldn't break the ground, but they did flood it: out of that attempt came the bogs and swamps that now make up the Neck. The devastation was enough to bring the First Men to the table, and out of that came the pact that ended the war between the two peoples.

In time, the Marsh Kings settled among those ruins and ruled the Neck from there.

Before heading south, Eddard Stark asks Catelyn to send word under his name, once she reaches Winterfell, to Helman Tallhart and Galbart Glover, so each can raise a hundred archers to reinforce Moat Cailin.

When the army of the North marches south, it stops there to wait for the men of House Manderly. Robb Stark sets up his headquarters in the Gatehouse Tower, the Umbers hold the Children's Tower, and the Karstarks the Drunkard's Tower; it's in that camp that Catelyn and Brynden Tully finally catch up with Robb.

Later, as the host moves on south, Robb leaves a small garrison behind, mostly archers, so the pass isn't left unwatched.

Lord Balon Greyjoy sends his brother Victarion to seize Moat Cailin, confident he'll meet little resistance coming up the Saltspear and the Fever River toward the stronghold.

On learning that Balon is dead, Victarion leaves Moat Cailin's defense to Ralf Kenning and a garrison of ironborn, and sails down the river to the hideout among reeds and willows where the Iron Fleet waits, bound for Pyke and the kingsmoot.

On learning of Balon's death, Robb Stark considers taking Moat Cailin back, sure that Victarion will abandon the place to return to Pyke with most of his captains and contest the Seastone Chair. He asks Jason Mallister to send two ships from Seagard, around Sea Dragon Point and up the Neck to Greywater Watch, to double the chances his message reaches Howland Reed.

Maege Mormont and Galbart Glover sail in command of those ships, carrying letters for the lords still loyal to House Stark in the north; the orders written in them are false, in case they're captured. They'll claim they were only sailing home: to the Stony Shore, or perhaps back to Bear Island.

The ironborn garrison left to hold Moat Cailin starts running short of food and supplies, and comes under steady attack out of the swamp.

Harren Botley, the elder son of the lord of Lordsport, dies there, struck by a poisoned arrow shot by a crannogman.

Coming from the north, Ramsay Bolton marches on Moat Cailin and launches three assaults on the towers, one after another; all three times the ironborn beat him back.

He then sends Theon Greyjoy to negotiate: in exchange for laying down their arms, he promises food and safe passage to reach the Stony Shore unmolested and find a ship home from there.

In all, sixty-three men surrender: forty-seven from the Gatehouse Tower, eighteen more from the Drunkard's Tower. Two can barely stand and five others can no longer walk on their own. As soon as they surrender, Ramsay has all of them flayed alive, and the next day their bodies, mounted on spikes, are put on display along the road.

Three days later, the vanguard of Roose Bolton's army passes through the ruins without meeting resistance.