Lord of Winterfell, and Warden of the North * 52Appearance
In his youth, Ellard Stark was an intimidating man. His shoulders are broad, and his body sinewy with muscle. He is formidable in height as well, standing over many a man. His face holds the classic Stark features. His jaw while hard and defined, hides behind a coarse beard of dark hair flecked with grey. His eyes are steely, sullen and almost pained, their grey depths a wall of stone that halts any that might try to glean knowledge from them.. Three scars mark the right side of his face, from an encounter in the Wolfswood when he was young. The first goes right across his eye, and the next two fall just below. His hair falls to his shoulders, and has gone mostly to grey, though like his beard some dark brown remains, a reminder of his youth.
Biography
Ellard Stark was born at the beginning of the winter of 59 AC, a particularly harsh one due to the surprisingly short summer and autumn that had preceded it. Famine broke out across Westeros and soon the Shivers began to ravage the land. That winter saw the death of many, highborn and low, including that of Ellard’s mother, Raya, and his sister Lyarra. Despite the cruelty the winter of his birth wrought, Ellard survived, and it was not long before he could be seen hard at work in the courtyard at Winterfell, drilling with the master of arms.
Alaric Stark had been a cold and proud man, harsh as the lands he presided over and he sought to instill the same values in his son. While he loved his son in his own way, his affection was hard to come by. Ellard often tells the story of his twelfth name day, when his father took him out into the wolfswood for a hunt that was meant to last a week. On the third day, as Ellard tracked a deer, his father slipped away, taking his horse and leaving the boy alone. At first frightened, Ellard began to track his father, assuming he’d only wandered off. Soon however, he lost Alaric’s trail, and he became fearful once more. The heir to Winterfell ended up so turned around, that he did not return for three nights. When he did, he carried a dead wolf across the back of his horse, and bore a fresh scratch across his face. After the maester had patched him up, his father came to see him. The man sat across from him, and took a long look at Ellard’s wound.
“I watched you slay that wolf. You were strong. If you hope to rule one day, you’ll need to be just as strong as that, stronger even.” Alaric had then placed a hand on his shoulder, and offered up a soft smile, one of the few Ellard ever saw.
By the time of Alaric’s death in 82 AC, Ellard was a man of three and twenty years, and much like his father. Cold as ice and as unyielding as the stones of Winterfell, there were those who said that the winter of his birth had stayed with him, and that should you cut him, an icy river would pour out in place of blood. Ellard would prove that his nature was not a detriment. While not the warmest of men, Ellard was just and honorable, and the smallfolk came to love him, as did his bannermen.
When his father had died, Ellard had been unmarried, having refused the hands of many women. This had been a point of contention between him and his father, and his advisers would continue to insist that he take a wife, for the good of the house. Ellard refused to entertain the idea until the harvest feast at Winterfell, in 84 AC, when he laid eyes on Arrana Umber. His bannermen’s daughter, she was a maid of seven and ten, and her beauty had caught the eye of many men that night. However, when it came time to dance, it was Ellard’s hand she took. They were married soon after the feast, and many in attendance said it was the first time they’d seen the Lord of Winterfell smile.
Today, Ellard Stark is growing old. He looks out over Westeros with the eyes of a seasoned man. He’s been lucky enough to rule in a time of relative peace and prosperity, but he’s seen the turmoil brewing in the south. The North will be called upon, sooner or later, he’s sure of it. His son, Cregan, while strong and hardy, is still a green boy, arrogant and brash as young men tend to be. Ellard fears that he might die before Cregan is ready. The future of his house hangs in the balance, as Westeros moves further and further towards chaos.
