The Watch also has ballistae and catapults strong enough to kill giants. Other defenses include wooden ramps for dropping stone, ice, and barrels of burning oil on attackers. A special pulley system allows archers to hang over the edge of the Wall to fire straight down on enemies attempting to climb it. Several outlets and wooden pillboxes allow archers to fire on enemies below. The top of the Wall is dug out in a trench-like manner to give protection from the weather. The Watch employs a variety of defenses in order to defend the Wall. With the ranks of the Night's Watch drastically diminishing over the years, many of the areas between the three forts that are still manned have tall trees growing right up to the base of the Wall. In the past, the Night's Watch would send men out every morning to the north side of the Wall to cut down any trees growing within one mile of the structure, so the wildlings couldn't use any natural cover to approach the base of the Wall undetected. The region south of the Wall is called the Gift, bestowed to the Night's Watch by House Stark thousands of years ago to supply the Night's Watch with food and provisions. Among the abandoned castles along the length of the Wall is the Nightfort, the first fortress built on the Wall and the original headquarters of the Night's Watch. The Shadow Tower at the western end of the Wall is the only other manned castle. Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, located at the eastern end of the Wall, serves as the main port and resupply post for the Night's Watch. The current headquarters of the Watch is Castle Black, located in the shadow of the Wall at the northern end of the Kingsroad. While once great glory and honor was to be had in the Watch, in the present day it is often seen as a glorified penal colony.
It has become grievously undermanned, numbering less than a thousand men, an all-time low. Though they were once a respected order, the Watch has fallen on hard times by the time of the War of the Five Kings. The Wall is defended and held by the Sworn Brothers of the Night's Watch. The Wall has been rendered ineffective following the breaching of the Wall and, subsequently, abandoned. The Wall has grown considerably since it was first constructed, as the Night's Watch has spent the years augmenting it with ice blocks and upgraded defenses. It was supposedly constructed using both magic and mundane means some eight millennia ago in the aftermath of the Long Night to defend the realm against the White Walkers who dwell in the far north, though they are now considered myths by most. The Wall is reported to be over 700 feet tall and is made of solid ice. The Wall is a colossal fortification which stretches for 100 leagues (300 miles or 482.8 kilometers) along the northern border of the Kingdom of the North, separating the realm from the domain of the wildlings who live beyond. what?" Samwell Tarly: " I hope the Wall is high enough." - Samwell Tarly talks about the Wall And when they wake up." Pypar: " And when they wake up. Samwell Tarly: " The White Walkers sleep beneath the ice for thousands of years.
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