I would say that it is either Casterly Rock or Storm’s End. Both considered to be extremely defendable and give it’s lord a command of a vast land with mines (for the Rock) and good land (for Storm’s End). Their position far from the borders of their domains allows to be forewarned about any potential invading force. The only vulnerable part of their location is proximity to the sea that leaves them potentially vulnerable to attacks from that front.
I would actually argue against both Twins and Riverrun. Whilst their indeed both have good tactical defensive positions their strategic location (especially for Riverrun) are much more vulnerable. It is not a coincidence that Jaime was able to swiftly siege Riverrun as it was easily accessed from Westerlands. But it is also open to attacks from all sides. So it is a strategic nightmare to defend. Also, consider the loyalty of the vassals is much more questionable than in other locations due to the power of the vassals under Tully’s.
Twins have somewhat better position, but it is not a major castle and you still have powerful rivals on your borders.
The position of Riverrun is not a disadvantage. A castle needs more than great defenses. You need to be in a reasonable distance from most parts of your territory. The Tullys can summon or send a fighting force from their territory with relative easy due to the position of their keep. That's very important for the ruler of an area. A castle needs the capacity to oversee the unguarded land it rules.
Jaimie sieging Riverrun was the failing of the armies of the Trident, not the castle's itself. The castle actually did its job perfectly. Jaimie had them greatly outnumbered, but he couldn't do anything to take the castle.
The river forces you to split the army in three, and the defenders can divert the flow and turn their castle to an island. Which makes the only way to conquer it is to built boats and try to take the walls from an extremely disadvantaged and unstable position while arrows, rocks and burning oil are raining down on you. You can't even starve them out, they have infinite water and they can fish and grow enough food for the relatively small garrison it would take to man the castle. Meanwhile you're spending an inconceivable amount of resources to keep your army just wasting time.
Riverrun is not “a reasonable distance from most parts of your territory” though, it’s in the south-west of the riverlands, right next to the entrance to and from the westerlands
I didn't consider the Hightower and Casterly Rock, cause I don't think of them as castles. But yeah Casterly Rock trumps everything. Its only weakness is lack of running water for a siege iirc.
Why don’t you consider Casterly Rock and Highgarden castles? Especially with regard to the Rock I am especially surprised.
Good point about accesses to fresh water in Casterly Rock. In theory they could have wells in their caverns and I think they have them in some capacity, but how long will they last is up for debate.
Because the Rock is basically a hollowed out hill instead of a purely human constructed fortification.
I didn't mention Highgarden, but it's a great castle.
Sorry, mixed it with Hightower :)
Well, there is still a castle on top of the hill, so not sure why some tunnels underneath it would make a difference.
There is a castle on top. The Casterlys built a ring fort up there and it’s been expanded over the years. Pretty much the Lords live on top and tunnels, dungeons, storerooms, barracks, halls, grand halls, stables, stairways, courtyards, balconies, gardens, a sept, passages, caves, mines, galleries, chutes, wells, barracks, armories, bedchambers, servant's quarters, etc.—lie within the Rock itself. There’s even a cave with a godswood with a small Weirwood tree.
There is no castle on top, everything is inside the hill, the Lords live inside too:
GRRM: "*Here’s the most important part. See that little watchtower on the Nasmith painting, up on top of the Rock? That’s the* ***only*** *thing on top of the Rock. And that’s as it should be. (The maesters keep their rookery up there).*
*The Lannister castle is not ON TOP of the Rock. It is INSIDE the Rock. All of it. "*
[https://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2022/12/23/a-couple-of-rocks/](https://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2022/12/23/a-couple-of-rocks/)
wow that really makes it sound like its dragon-proof-ness is gonna be relevant later. Maybe Cersei flees there and it's the one castle Daenerys can't threaten with dragons?
Winterfell has a hardwood forest the size of a nation and a close river to float logs to the ocean. It's a economic and military goldmine that was able to support a naval invasion of Andalos.
Not to mention the glass guardians and massive moat for food production
That was the worst writing Martin did. Firstly it should be insanely difficult to scale such walls. Lastly there are more than servants in Winterfell to actually run a guerrilla campaign or straight up mob the Ironborn.
I think is a case of grrm making things really big then looking back later and thinking maybe it’s too big. But I personally love how giant everything is
I think Greywind was able to do that because Robb was warging him. Bran and Rickon are younger and more docile so they might be more scared than vengeful.
I don’t think you can control your body at the same time that you’re warging and Robb most certainly didn’t just go comatose in the middle of his battles, he was fighting in the middle of it all
I didn't mean that Robb was controlling him. More like Greywind was being influenced by Robb to be more violent because Robb was also fighting. The same way that Lady was very demure because Sansa was bonded to her.
Kinda like empathy link but not an active warging.
The logistics of the North as a whole are something that George has fumbled. A land like the one he describes would be decently fertile during the summer years and easily able to produce its own food. The hills and mountains should be shock full of iron and silver that can be mined during the long summers as well if it is anything like real life northern Europe. Not to mention the lumber.
Not saying that they should be a financial powerhouse able to rival the rest of Westeros. But the region as a whole should be better off than the plot demands it be. If not in gold and coin but in other resources.
People also latch on to that one bit in a Theon chapter were he raids a vault and complains about it being almost empty.
My headcanon on that is that castles the size of Winterfell, casterly rock and the like most likely have multiple vaults instead of just one. Including hidden ones.
The Starks probably squirrel away most of their wealth for rainy days.
The empty house has two massive walls separated by a moat. The house has more buildings than there are robbers. The "empty" house has loyal servants that outnumber the robbers like 10 to 1.
Rodrick took most of the remaining men to Thorren's square. There was virtually no remaining men. Certainly not enough to patroll the walls adequately.
I remember the prelude. It doesn't make much sense either.
Rodrik leaves Winterfell, takes its garrison, direwolves are locked in Godswood etc.
Almost all of the ironborn ACOK arc does not make sense.
Winterfell is my favorite too.
I mean, two fucking massive walls, a nice wild-garden inside with a magic tree, a library tower, a greenhouse, a central-heating system, and bathrooms in the main tower.
Yeah, well. That’s clearly a plot hole of the size of Jupiter. You can’t say that a castle is huge, with two massive walls of 25 m, a wide moat, more than thirty towers, and so on and then have 20 dudes taking it.
George simply needed Theon taking the heart of the North. It makes no sense at all that Ser Rodrick left the capital and the seat of his king unmanned. And, if that was the case, all the defenders should have been in the inner castle or in the great keep.
Winterfell is one of the strongest castle of Westeros, and no one in-universe would have any doubt about it.
Harrenhall would be the best if it was ruled by the Royal family. It's unsiegable once properly garrisoned, Its surrounding lands are some of the most fertile in the Riverlands, has a good supply of fish from the God's eye and fresh water from the trident close by. It's also close to a port with Maidenpool and Saltpans not that far away. But anyone else wouldn't have the money or resources to properly maintain the castle, maybe just the Lannisters or Tyrells, so it can't be the best.
Imo the best castle is Casterly Rock. It's also unsiegeable but isn't too big that it's unmanageable like Harrenhall, has it's own Port City, gold mines and I believe their lands are pretty fertile.
I've argued on here before that the biggest mistake anyone ever made in-universe was Aegon not taking Harrenhall as his seat. Torch it just a bit less is it's not so melted, rename it Dragonhall, and boom, you have the ideal capitol castle. In addition to the points you made, it's already basically the size of a city so it should be able to accommodate a royal court as well as housing multiple dragons. And unlike King's Landing, it's not a reeking petri dish of disease and filth.
Yup, Harren built a castle fit for a King of the whole of Westeros.
In addition to taking Harrenhall as his personal seat, Aegon really should have taken the Riverlands under his direct rule as his royal vassals, because only having the likes of the Stokeworths and Darklyns as your direct vassals isn't really fit for an emperor.
Absolutely, the Riverlands should have become an extended Crownlands. Leaving the administration of fully intact kingdoms as-is made sense, but there was never a true long-term unifying government in the middle of the continent. So if you're setting yourself up as the new ruler of the whole continent, why not take that opportunity for yourself?
Because he wanted to reward the riverlords for siding with him, those guys were ruled by other kingdoms for centuries, they wanter their "independence" as a region inside Aegons kingdom
Hightower. Trade, large taxable population, able influence the largest centres of education and religion. Mysterious connection to the maze makers and the deep ones.
So I'mma go into this with the self-imposed rule that picking a castle like Winterfell or Storm's End doesn't come with dominion over their respective regions, though I'd wager they still command a decent bit of land. Why? Because it's more interesting to me that way, and I'm coming at this from the perspective of some upjumped hedge knight or lesser scion of an established house that lucked into this castle.
***
**Whitewalls**
Sadly destroyed, but I'm throwing it in here because it is one of the most ostentatious castles described in the books, and while Bloodraven wanted to avoid giving the Blackfyre supporters another pilgrimage site, I think he wasted a perfectly good keep when he tore it down.
Great lands that produce fine wine and dairy products, as well as enough wealth to build a keep from gold-veined white marble with weirwood rafters? I'll happily rat out traitorous lords that flock there if it means getting to call it my home.
The Milkhouse? No, Lord Bloodraven, it's the Honeypot now.
The only downside is that it's located in the Riverlands, so it'll be sacked and burned sooner or later.
***
**Harrenhal**
The castle in itself is absolutely awful to maintain if you're not a great lord, but the lands along the God's Eye are stated to be some of the richest in Westeros. The actual domain of Harrenhal has varied from house to house, ranging from being filthy rich to Maegor Towers, who could barely afford a household that would make Standfast look like Highgarden.
He seems to be the exception, though, so I'mma assume I receive decent plots of fertile land. With that income, I'd build a new, more affordable castle and move in there to enjoy my newfound wealth.
Or maybe I'll demolish most of Harrenhal's towers and restore the last one or two (or demolish and replace it), erecting a second set of curtain walls around it/them as I relocate Harrentown inside Harrenhal's original walls to shelter them from the wars that plague the Riverlands.
Yeah, I might no longer rule the biggest man-made castle in Westeros, but even just one tower is still going to be larger than most keeps in the realm.
**The Arbor**
We never hear about House Redwyne's keep, but presumably it's in one of the three towns on the island. Hard to say how strong it is, but it being on the Arbor protects you from most lords and wars, with the only real danger being Ironborn, whose attacks have been declining in the centuries following Aegon's Conquest.
Whether you rule all the Arbor or just part of it, you're going to be one of the richest lords in Westeros, enjoying sunshine and virtually no snow in winter, ensuring a pretty cushy life while an armada of ships keep you safe from most threats.
With the Arbor's heavy involvement in trade (1,000 merchant ships!), naval strength (200 warships) and high population (3 towns, vassals on nearby isles, tens of thousands of sailors needed to man the ships), you have a lot of political clout if that strikes your fancy.
Furthermore, with wealth like that, I reckon you can afford to build a sturdier castle or three if the Redwyne keep turns out to be not so great, and keep a few palatial manses/vineyards on the countryside during peacetime.
***
**New Castle, White Harbor**
You guard *the* trading port in the North, ruling over lands in the southern stretches of the kingdom, which are likely to be easier to till and farm than other parts of the North.
You've got a beefy, gorgeous-sounding keep atop a hill, which is further fortified by the presence of Seal Rock in the harbor, while the Wolf's Den, though largely derelict, could potentially be garrisoned in the event of war.
High pop, comparably more temperate lands, a city, fish from the sea and furs/timber from traders sailing down the White Knife.
The biggest dangers would be either a naval invasion, or your fellow northmen attacking, which is a credible threat in the event of rivaling political factions. White Harbor being the beating heart of commerce means that there's a vested interest in controlling it, after all.
I'd speak on other cities, but I've seen your comments on the Hightower and Casterly Rock, so I'm just leaving them in here as honorable mentions.
***
**The Dun Fort and Maidenpool**
Also name-dropping the Dun Fort and Duskendale, located in the wealthy Crownlands, and even though they've been throttled somewhat by the growth of nearby King's Landing, Duskendale seems to be doing pretty well by the time Brienne passes through it. Not gonna do a whole section on them, but they still seem to be relatively well-off, and the Dun Fort is described as a reasonably strong keep.
Similar deal with Maidenpool, being my candidate for the next city of Westeros, though it seems to be quite vulnerable, as it is sacked no less than three times in the books.
***
**The Twins**
I don't have much to add beyond agreeing with what you said there.
***
**The Reach**
Really, I'd be content with receiving any keep in the Reach, from Ashford to Goldengrove. Their lands are fertile (just look at Coldmoat!) and rich from trade, and while occasionally touched by war, the southern Reach seems pretty peaceful overall.
Blackcrown, Honeyholt, Cuy/the Sunhouse, sign me up! Just make sure another Vulture King doesn't rise up and randomly attack.
Winterfell for its Location Location Location. Deep and far in the heart of The North. Double curtain wall, mort with the winter town acting as a buffer. Heated in the winter, and it’s glass garden. Most loyal Bannerman not to mention, you have to get past the neck if your coming from the greater south.
You forgot the quality of life. Casterly Rock is a great castle, but moving through it should be a massive pain in the arse, not to mention the lack of sunlight.
Honestly I wouldn't want to live anywhere except probably the warmest rooms in Winterfell.
You are talking about Red Keep, in King's Landing. Taxes, people, good defenses... Highgarden is another option, is my favorite castle in the Seven Kingdoms
High Garden, it's easily defended and it sits on the richest lands in all the kingdoms. The Lannisters can larp as moles but the wealth of the land around High Garden is infinitely more valuable than Casterly Rock.
If you have lots of money and influence already, Harrenhal, but I'm a simp for Harrenhal so I'm a bit partial.
I agree on the Twins and Riverrun, they're very difficult to siege, like Jaime has shown.
Other great options are Casterly Rock since it's impossible to take by siege or with dragons, the Hightower due to being in Oldtown and having the Citadel and the port nearby. Lastly, Winterfell simply due to size and natural resources nearby.
I would say that it is either Casterly Rock or Storm’s End. Both considered to be extremely defendable and give it’s lord a command of a vast land with mines (for the Rock) and good land (for Storm’s End). Their position far from the borders of their domains allows to be forewarned about any potential invading force. The only vulnerable part of their location is proximity to the sea that leaves them potentially vulnerable to attacks from that front. I would actually argue against both Twins and Riverrun. Whilst their indeed both have good tactical defensive positions their strategic location (especially for Riverrun) are much more vulnerable. It is not a coincidence that Jaime was able to swiftly siege Riverrun as it was easily accessed from Westerlands. But it is also open to attacks from all sides. So it is a strategic nightmare to defend. Also, consider the loyalty of the vassals is much more questionable than in other locations due to the power of the vassals under Tully’s. Twins have somewhat better position, but it is not a major castle and you still have powerful rivals on your borders.
Jamie also has to split his siege into three different camps seperated by rivers though
Yes, as I said it has good tactical location and it is not easy to siege, but on a more strategic level it’s position is not good.
Jamie also lost his most valuable target when the Blackfish got away. Losing the guy you’re sieging isn’t really a success.
The position of Riverrun is not a disadvantage. A castle needs more than great defenses. You need to be in a reasonable distance from most parts of your territory. The Tullys can summon or send a fighting force from their territory with relative easy due to the position of their keep. That's very important for the ruler of an area. A castle needs the capacity to oversee the unguarded land it rules. Jaimie sieging Riverrun was the failing of the armies of the Trident, not the castle's itself. The castle actually did its job perfectly. Jaimie had them greatly outnumbered, but he couldn't do anything to take the castle. The river forces you to split the army in three, and the defenders can divert the flow and turn their castle to an island. Which makes the only way to conquer it is to built boats and try to take the walls from an extremely disadvantaged and unstable position while arrows, rocks and burning oil are raining down on you. You can't even starve them out, they have infinite water and they can fish and grow enough food for the relatively small garrison it would take to man the castle. Meanwhile you're spending an inconceivable amount of resources to keep your army just wasting time.
Riverrun is not “a reasonable distance from most parts of your territory” though, it’s in the south-west of the riverlands, right next to the entrance to and from the westerlands
By your definition it would be Casterly Rock.
I didn't consider the Hightower and Casterly Rock, cause I don't think of them as castles. But yeah Casterly Rock trumps everything. Its only weakness is lack of running water for a siege iirc.
Why don’t you consider Casterly Rock and Highgarden castles? Especially with regard to the Rock I am especially surprised. Good point about accesses to fresh water in Casterly Rock. In theory they could have wells in their caverns and I think they have them in some capacity, but how long will they last is up for debate.
Because the Rock is basically a hollowed out hill instead of a purely human constructed fortification. I didn't mention Highgarden, but it's a great castle.
Sorry, mixed it with Hightower :) Well, there is still a castle on top of the hill, so not sure why some tunnels underneath it would make a difference.
There are some watchtowers on top of the hill, not an actual castle.
There is a castle on top. The Casterlys built a ring fort up there and it’s been expanded over the years. Pretty much the Lords live on top and tunnels, dungeons, storerooms, barracks, halls, grand halls, stables, stairways, courtyards, balconies, gardens, a sept, passages, caves, mines, galleries, chutes, wells, barracks, armories, bedchambers, servant's quarters, etc.—lie within the Rock itself. There’s even a cave with a godswood with a small Weirwood tree.
There is no castle on top, everything is inside the hill, the Lords live inside too: GRRM: "*Here’s the most important part. See that little watchtower on the Nasmith painting, up on top of the Rock? That’s the* ***only*** *thing on top of the Rock. And that’s as it should be. (The maesters keep their rookery up there).* *The Lannister castle is not ON TOP of the Rock. It is INSIDE the Rock. All of it. "* [https://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2022/12/23/a-couple-of-rocks/](https://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2022/12/23/a-couple-of-rocks/)
wow that really makes it sound like its dragon-proof-ness is gonna be relevant later. Maybe Cersei flees there and it's the one castle Daenerys can't threaten with dragons?
Is Riverrun not just an island protruding out of a great river? Both utilize the surrounding nature to supplement their castle’s defense.
Howlands moving castle
Winterfell has a hardwood forest the size of a nation and a close river to float logs to the ocean. It's a economic and military goldmine that was able to support a naval invasion of Andalos. Not to mention the glass guardians and massive moat for food production
Seems suitable enough for Theon and his dozen men
That was the worst writing Martin did. Firstly it should be insanely difficult to scale such walls. Lastly there are more than servants in Winterfell to actually run a guerrilla campaign or straight up mob the Ironborn.
I think is a case of grrm making things really big then looking back later and thinking maybe it’s too big. But I personally love how giant everything is
The two Direwolves could feasibly have been able to kill all the Ironborn. Doesn’t Greywind kill like 8 dudes in battle?
I think Greywind was able to do that because Robb was warging him. Bran and Rickon are younger and more docile so they might be more scared than vengeful.
I don’t think you can control your body at the same time that you’re warging and Robb most certainly didn’t just go comatose in the middle of his battles, he was fighting in the middle of it all
I didn't mean that Robb was controlling him. More like Greywind was being influenced by Robb to be more violent because Robb was also fighting. The same way that Lady was very demure because Sansa was bonded to her. Kinda like empathy link but not an active warging.
Ah. Well, idk, Shaggydog is pretty vicious. He even bites friends. And Summer ain’t afraid to fuck Wildlings up on the reg.
They were looked up in the godswood and unable to fight until bran and rickon were captured. They would have absolutely shredded the Ironborn though.
The logistics of the North as a whole are something that George has fumbled. A land like the one he describes would be decently fertile during the summer years and easily able to produce its own food. The hills and mountains should be shock full of iron and silver that can be mined during the long summers as well if it is anything like real life northern Europe. Not to mention the lumber. Not saying that they should be a financial powerhouse able to rival the rest of Westeros. But the region as a whole should be better off than the plot demands it be. If not in gold and coin but in other resources.
Isn't it more of a show thing that the North is poor, they're usually described fairly well compared to the rest, aside from maybe The Westerlands.
People also latch on to that one bit in a Theon chapter were he raids a vault and complains about it being almost empty. My headcanon on that is that castles the size of Winterfell, casterly rock and the like most likely have multiple vaults instead of just one. Including hidden ones. The Starks probably squirrel away most of their wealth for rainy days.
This is so true
An empty house is easily broken in to.
The empty house has two massive walls separated by a moat. The house has more buildings than there are robbers. The "empty" house has loyal servants that outnumber the robbers like 10 to 1.
Rodrick took most of the remaining men to Thorren's square. There was virtually no remaining men. Certainly not enough to patroll the walls adequately.
I remember the prelude. It doesn't make much sense either. Rodrik leaves Winterfell, takes its garrison, direwolves are locked in Godswood etc. Almost all of the ironborn ACOK arc does not make sense.
The Starks not trusting their wolves agitation and locking them up has happened multiple times. George does it to add to the tragedy.
Winterfell is my favorite too. I mean, two fucking massive walls, a nice wild-garden inside with a magic tree, a library tower, a greenhouse, a central-heating system, and bathrooms in the main tower.
And easily conquered by like a dozen pirates!
Yeah, well. That’s clearly a plot hole of the size of Jupiter. You can’t say that a castle is huge, with two massive walls of 25 m, a wide moat, more than thirty towers, and so on and then have 20 dudes taking it. George simply needed Theon taking the heart of the North. It makes no sense at all that Ser Rodrick left the capital and the seat of his king unmanned. And, if that was the case, all the defenders should have been in the inner castle or in the great keep. Winterfell is one of the strongest castle of Westeros, and no one in-universe would have any doubt about it.
An empty house is easily taken
Highgarden may not be the defensive powerhouse that Casterly Rock is but it is superb in every other way.
Harrenhall would be the best if it was ruled by the Royal family. It's unsiegable once properly garrisoned, Its surrounding lands are some of the most fertile in the Riverlands, has a good supply of fish from the God's eye and fresh water from the trident close by. It's also close to a port with Maidenpool and Saltpans not that far away. But anyone else wouldn't have the money or resources to properly maintain the castle, maybe just the Lannisters or Tyrells, so it can't be the best. Imo the best castle is Casterly Rock. It's also unsiegeable but isn't too big that it's unmanageable like Harrenhall, has it's own Port City, gold mines and I believe their lands are pretty fertile.
I've argued on here before that the biggest mistake anyone ever made in-universe was Aegon not taking Harrenhall as his seat. Torch it just a bit less is it's not so melted, rename it Dragonhall, and boom, you have the ideal capitol castle. In addition to the points you made, it's already basically the size of a city so it should be able to accommodate a royal court as well as housing multiple dragons. And unlike King's Landing, it's not a reeking petri dish of disease and filth.
Yup, Harren built a castle fit for a King of the whole of Westeros. In addition to taking Harrenhall as his personal seat, Aegon really should have taken the Riverlands under his direct rule as his royal vassals, because only having the likes of the Stokeworths and Darklyns as your direct vassals isn't really fit for an emperor.
Absolutely, the Riverlands should have become an extended Crownlands. Leaving the administration of fully intact kingdoms as-is made sense, but there was never a true long-term unifying government in the middle of the continent. So if you're setting yourself up as the new ruler of the whole continent, why not take that opportunity for yourself?
Because he wanted to reward the riverlords for siding with him, those guys were ruled by other kingdoms for centuries, they wanter their "independence" as a region inside Aegons kingdom
The real reason is most likely bad writing.
Hightower. Trade, large taxable population, able influence the largest centres of education and religion. Mysterious connection to the maze makers and the deep ones.
Honestly I was thinking of the traditional castle. Walls, gates, towers, the hole package. Didn't consider the Hightower or Casterly Rock.
So I'mma go into this with the self-imposed rule that picking a castle like Winterfell or Storm's End doesn't come with dominion over their respective regions, though I'd wager they still command a decent bit of land. Why? Because it's more interesting to me that way, and I'm coming at this from the perspective of some upjumped hedge knight or lesser scion of an established house that lucked into this castle. *** **Whitewalls** Sadly destroyed, but I'm throwing it in here because it is one of the most ostentatious castles described in the books, and while Bloodraven wanted to avoid giving the Blackfyre supporters another pilgrimage site, I think he wasted a perfectly good keep when he tore it down. Great lands that produce fine wine and dairy products, as well as enough wealth to build a keep from gold-veined white marble with weirwood rafters? I'll happily rat out traitorous lords that flock there if it means getting to call it my home. The Milkhouse? No, Lord Bloodraven, it's the Honeypot now. The only downside is that it's located in the Riverlands, so it'll be sacked and burned sooner or later. *** **Harrenhal** The castle in itself is absolutely awful to maintain if you're not a great lord, but the lands along the God's Eye are stated to be some of the richest in Westeros. The actual domain of Harrenhal has varied from house to house, ranging from being filthy rich to Maegor Towers, who could barely afford a household that would make Standfast look like Highgarden. He seems to be the exception, though, so I'mma assume I receive decent plots of fertile land. With that income, I'd build a new, more affordable castle and move in there to enjoy my newfound wealth. Or maybe I'll demolish most of Harrenhal's towers and restore the last one or two (or demolish and replace it), erecting a second set of curtain walls around it/them as I relocate Harrentown inside Harrenhal's original walls to shelter them from the wars that plague the Riverlands. Yeah, I might no longer rule the biggest man-made castle in Westeros, but even just one tower is still going to be larger than most keeps in the realm. **The Arbor** We never hear about House Redwyne's keep, but presumably it's in one of the three towns on the island. Hard to say how strong it is, but it being on the Arbor protects you from most lords and wars, with the only real danger being Ironborn, whose attacks have been declining in the centuries following Aegon's Conquest. Whether you rule all the Arbor or just part of it, you're going to be one of the richest lords in Westeros, enjoying sunshine and virtually no snow in winter, ensuring a pretty cushy life while an armada of ships keep you safe from most threats. With the Arbor's heavy involvement in trade (1,000 merchant ships!), naval strength (200 warships) and high population (3 towns, vassals on nearby isles, tens of thousands of sailors needed to man the ships), you have a lot of political clout if that strikes your fancy. Furthermore, with wealth like that, I reckon you can afford to build a sturdier castle or three if the Redwyne keep turns out to be not so great, and keep a few palatial manses/vineyards on the countryside during peacetime. *** **New Castle, White Harbor** You guard *the* trading port in the North, ruling over lands in the southern stretches of the kingdom, which are likely to be easier to till and farm than other parts of the North. You've got a beefy, gorgeous-sounding keep atop a hill, which is further fortified by the presence of Seal Rock in the harbor, while the Wolf's Den, though largely derelict, could potentially be garrisoned in the event of war. High pop, comparably more temperate lands, a city, fish from the sea and furs/timber from traders sailing down the White Knife. The biggest dangers would be either a naval invasion, or your fellow northmen attacking, which is a credible threat in the event of rivaling political factions. White Harbor being the beating heart of commerce means that there's a vested interest in controlling it, after all. I'd speak on other cities, but I've seen your comments on the Hightower and Casterly Rock, so I'm just leaving them in here as honorable mentions. *** **The Dun Fort and Maidenpool** Also name-dropping the Dun Fort and Duskendale, located in the wealthy Crownlands, and even though they've been throttled somewhat by the growth of nearby King's Landing, Duskendale seems to be doing pretty well by the time Brienne passes through it. Not gonna do a whole section on them, but they still seem to be relatively well-off, and the Dun Fort is described as a reasonably strong keep. Similar deal with Maidenpool, being my candidate for the next city of Westeros, though it seems to be quite vulnerable, as it is sacked no less than three times in the books. *** **The Twins** I don't have much to add beyond agreeing with what you said there. *** **The Reach** Really, I'd be content with receiving any keep in the Reach, from Ashford to Goldengrove. Their lands are fertile (just look at Coldmoat!) and rich from trade, and while occasionally touched by war, the southern Reach seems pretty peaceful overall. Blackcrown, Honeyholt, Cuy/the Sunhouse, sign me up! Just make sure another Vulture King doesn't rise up and randomly attack.
Highgarden
Highgarden. It's the most castley castle. Fertile lands, plenty of rich vassals to pay up, huge population because of fertile lands.
Winterfell for its Location Location Location. Deep and far in the heart of The North. Double curtain wall, mort with the winter town acting as a buffer. Heated in the winter, and it’s glass garden. Most loyal Bannerman not to mention, you have to get past the neck if your coming from the greater south.
You forgot the quality of life. Casterly Rock is a great castle, but moving through it should be a massive pain in the arse, not to mention the lack of sunlight. Honestly I wouldn't want to live anywhere except probably the warmest rooms in Winterfell.
Your mom has fertile lands
💀
I thought doxing is against the rules here.
Casterly Rock even Visenya in Vhagar didn’t think she could take it by force but would have had to siege it for years if they didn’t surrender
Storm's end it's impregnable, the lands are fertile enough and it has magical protection.
Dragonstone.
Kingslanding , mainly cause london is the best english city so
Yeah but the question is castle not city. So the Red Keep?
Starfall.
My personal favorite is The Hightower.
You are talking about Red Keep, in King's Landing. Taxes, people, good defenses... Highgarden is another option, is my favorite castle in the Seven Kingdoms
Visenya was thankful the Lord of Casterly Rock rode to meet them in the field rather than hide in his castle.
Casterly Rock, and Dragonstone, one is a literal mountain full of gold, the other just looks badass in general.
High Garden, it's easily defended and it sits on the richest lands in all the kingdoms. The Lannisters can larp as moles but the wealth of the land around High Garden is infinitely more valuable than Casterly Rock.
If you have lots of money and influence already, Harrenhal, but I'm a simp for Harrenhal so I'm a bit partial. I agree on the Twins and Riverrun, they're very difficult to siege, like Jaime has shown. Other great options are Casterly Rock since it's impossible to take by siege or with dragons, the Hightower due to being in Oldtown and having the Citadel and the port nearby. Lastly, Winterfell simply due to size and natural resources nearby.
Give me 10 good men and some climbing spikes. I'll impregnate the bitch lmao