House Poole is a noble house of the North, sworn to House Stark of Winterfell, whose members have long served as stewards and household officers of that ancient seat. Unlike most bannermen of Winterfell they hold no castle or independent lordship of their own; their distinction lies instead in the trust placed in them by the Kings of Winter and, after the Conquest, the Lords Paramount of the North. The arms they blazon, a blue plate on white within a grey tressure, speak to a house shaped by service rather than conquest.
At the time of A Game of Thrones the house is represented chiefly by Vayon Poole, who holds the office of steward under Lord Eddard Stark and manages the accounts, stores, and servants of Winterfell with quiet competence. When Lord Eddard accepts King Robert's summons to serve as Hand of the King, Vayon accompanies the household south to King's Landing. He does not survive the violence that follows Eddard's arrest; Vayon Poole is among those cut down in the purge of the Stark retainers, leaving his daughter Jeyne to a far grimmer fate at the hands of Lord Petyr Baelish.