Night's Watch

"Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come."

- Oath of the Night's Watch

The Night's Watch are a military order in George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire novels and the TV adaptation Game of Thrones dedicated to defending the northern frontiers of Westeros from the "Wildlings" beyond the wall, as well as the mysterious "White Walkers", though, as of the War of the Five Kings, they had not been seen for thousands of years. According to legend, the order was first founded 8000 years prior to the War of the Five Kings, after the construction of the 700 foot tall ice wall by Northern king Bran the Builder. The Watch was tasked with maintaining the Wall and defending it from attacks by Wildlings or White Walkers. For this purpose, 18 castles were constructed along the length of the Wall, to be manned by the warriors of the Night's Watch.

The brothers of the Night's Watch, famed for their black cloaks, earning them the nicknames "crows" by the Wildlings, make a lifelong commitment to serve in the Watch, and are not permitted to hold lands, inherit wealth, or marry. Members of the Watch may not leave their posts on the Wall without permission, under penalty of death.

Joining the Night's Watch also absolves the recruit of all crimes they may have committed. The Watch was initially considered a prestigious organization, and members of nobles houses who volunteered to join were considered to be selflessly sacrificing for the good of realm. However, in time, the number of recruits dwindled with the decrease in frequency of Wildling attacks and the apparent extinction of the White Walkers.

By the time of Jon Snow joined the Watch in shortly before the War of the Five Kings, the Watch was mostly populated by criminals who were exiled to the wall, disinherited nobles ordered to leave for the Wall or die, orphans, and other social outcasts. The size of the Watch had declined to a total strength of less than 700, and only three of the original 18 castles along the wall were manned, Eastwatch by Sea, Castle Black, and the Shadow Tower.

The brothers of the Night's Watch are divided between the Rangers, the primary combat unit, also tasked with patrolling the lands beyond the Wall, the Builders, tasked with maintaining the Wall and the castles, and the Stewards, who act as cooks, blacksmiths etc. While not frontline combat troops, the Builders or Stewards may be forced to engage in combat if their post is attacked. The Watch is led by the Lord Commander, who serves for life, and is elected by the Watchmen upon the death of the previous Lord Commander.

After the death of Lord Commander Joer Mormont, Jon Snow took command of the Watch, leading the defense of Castle Black against a Wildling attack, holding out long enough for his men to be reinforced by Stannis Baratheon's army. Presently, Jon is forced to contend with the presence of Stannis, a rival claimant for the throne of Westeros at the wall, as well as the threat of a second Wildling attack and the return of the White Walkers.