[Hider=House Stark] [center][h2][b]House Stark[/b][/h2][/center] [img]https://image.ibb.co/c0hkSH/House_Stark_Banner.png[/img] ________________________________________ “Winter is Coming.” House Stark of Winterfell is one of the Great Houses of Westeros and the principal noble house of the North. In days of old they ruled as Kings of Winter, but since Aegon's Conquest they have been Wardens of the North and ruled as Lords of Winterfell. Their seat, Winterfell, is an ancient castle renowned for its strength. Since the conclusion of the War of the Five Kings and the War for Dawn, House Stark now how two succinct branches within their household, The Black Starks descended from Lord Rickon Stark, and The Red Starks, descended from Lady Sansa Stark. [u][b]House Seat[/b][/u] ________________________________________ Winterfell, The North. – The Black Starks Moat Cailin, The North. – The Red Starks [u][b]Head of House[/b][/u] ________________________________________ Lord Rickard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, 378 AC – Current Lord Torrhen Stark, Lord of Moat Cailin, 371 AC – Current [Hider=Former Heads of House] Black Stark Line, Lords of Winterfell. Lord Rickon Stark, 305 AC – 356 AC Lord Benjen Stark, 356 AC – 378 AC Red Stark Line, Lords of Moat Cailin Lady Sansa Stark, 310 AC – 361 AC Lord Catelyn Stark, 361 AC – 371 AC [/hider] [url=http://www.familyecho.com/?p=EDYWM&c=dmu99slp45&f=547286984776993507]House Stark Family Tree[/url] [Hider=Black Starks] [b][u]House Members, Black Starks[/u][/b] [img]https://image.ibb.co/cF1HkS/Black_Stark_Banner.png[/img] Lord Rickard Stark, Warden of the North, 44 -His wife, Lady Serina Stark, formerly Baratheon, 40 -Their children: [indent] - Jonnel Stark, Heir to Winterfell, 22 [/indent] [indent] - Married to Lady Dacey Stark, formerly Mormont, 20 [/indent] [indent][indent] - Their son, Edwyn Stark, 2 [/indent][/indent] [indent] - Karden Stark, The Wandering Wolf, 20 [/indent] Lady Alysanne Stark, now Glover, married to Lord Ethan Stark [indent] - Her issue by Lord Ethan [/indent] Artos Stark, Castellan of Winterfell, 60 -His wife, Bethany Stark, formerly Ryswell, 58 -Their children: [indent] - Rodrick Stark, Commander of the Ravenous Wolves, Sellsword Company, 41 [/indent] [indent] - Married to Lady Maude Stark, formerly Karstark, 38 [/indent] [indent] - Their children: [/indent] [indent][indent] - Ryella Stark, 17 [/indent][/indent] [indent][indent] - Edwyn Stark, 15 [/indent][/indent] - Lady Alys Stark, now Hornwood, married to Lord Daryn Hornwood, 39 [indent] - Her issue by Lord Daryn [/indent] -Brandon Stark, Ranger within the Night’s Watch, 36 [/hider] [Hider=Red Starks] [b][u]House Members, Red Starks[/u][/b] [img]https://image.ibb.co/dxJKzn/Red_Stark_Banner.png[/img] Lord Torrhen Stark, Guardian of the Neck, 37 -His wife, Lady Meera Stark, formerly Reed, 35 -Their children: [indent] - Ser Harlon Stark, Heir to Moat Cailin, 18 [/indent] [indent] - Lady Mara Stark, 16 [/indent] [indent] - Lady Allana Stark, 14 [/indent] Lady Jonnela Stark, now Haigh, married to Lord Donnel Haigh, 33 -Her issue by Lord Donnel Ser Cregan Stark, Castellan of Moat Cailin, 24 -His wife, Lady Gella Stark, former Borell, 22 -Their children: [indent] - Dorren Stark, 4 [/indent] [indent] - Theon Stark, 2 [/indent] Lady Lynara Stark, unmarried, 19 [/hider] [Hider=Vassals of House Stark] [b][u]Sworn Vassals to House Stark[/u][/b] [b]House Manderly of White Harbor [/b] [b]House Glover of Wolfswood [/b] [b]House Umber of Last Hearth [/b] [b]House Ryswell of Barrowlands [/b] [b]House Karstark of Karhold [/b] [b]House Reed of The Neck [/b] [b]House Ryswell of The Rills [/b] [b]House Flint of Flint’s Fingers [/b] House Mormont of Bear Isle House Cassel of King’s Course House Tallhart of Torrhen’s Square House Wull of Crow’s Edge House Crowl of Deepdown House Norrey of Shadowmoor House Flint of Breakstone Hill House Stane of Driftwood Hall House Knott of Arrendell House Slate of Blackpool House Fisher of Stony Shore House Magnar of Kingshouse House Flint of Widow’s Watch House Liddle of Pinesend House Hornwood of Hornwood House Mollen of Dawnforest House Cerwyn of Castle Cerwyn House Giantsbane of Queen’s Crown House Thenn of Mole’s Town [/hider] Recent History ________________________________________ [hider=House History: 300AC to 378AC] 300 AC to 305 AC – [Hider=The War for the Iron Throne and the War for Dawn.] House Bolton and Karstark were sworn to the Iron Throne. They ruled the North with fear and terror. These traitorous turn-cloaks fought for the Whore Queen Cersei Lannister, until their defeat by the true King, Stannis Baratheon. Sadly, this defeat of evil men was but the beginning of the chaos was the War for Dawn. Queen Daenerys and her allies, King Jon Snow, King Stannis Baratheon, and all the realms lords who realized the danger the undead presented, fought a terrible and brutal campaign across the North to once and for all end the menace of the Others. Accounts wildly vary, but what can be said with certainty, is that tens of thousands died in the decisive battle, Kings, Lords, Knights, High, and Low, the men and women of Westeros paid the price of freedom with their blood. The amount of dead that littered the battlefield, leading all the way back to the wall, took nearly five years to collect, identify, and properly bury, or in the case of the unknown, massive funeral pyres that burned for months. The War for Dawn was won, but it left a lasting effect upon the North still felt to this very day. [/hider] 301 AC – [Hider=The Death of King Jon Snow] King Jon Snow’s body was among the last to be recovered from the field of battle. He is said to have been surrounded by a mountain of corpses, and the shattered icy remains of others. Whether or not these tales can be believed, only Queen Daenerys could tell, one of the last remaining survivors of that battle. King Jon was entombed with all the honors a king is due. His sword, Longclaw, was passed on to the next Lord Paramount of the North, Lord Rickon Stark. The Crown of Winter, it is said, lies atop Jon’s brow within his tomb, a reminder of how close the North came to independence, and a King worthy to wear it. A memorial was constructed at the place of King Jon’s death, with the weapons of the fallen gather around the smooth marble as a reminder for the price of freedom. [/hider] 302 AC – [hider=The North over the Vale] Lady Sansa Stark, daughter of Eddard Stark, and for the longest time, thought to be among the last surviving Starks. Much had she learned during her time in King’s Landing, a prisoner to the Whore Queen Cersei, and the foul abomination of incest, the False King Joffery the Cruel, a deranged and depraved tyrant, the vilest form of filth and travesty of the Gods divine laws. Furthermore, she learned from the manipulative and scheming master of all, Lord Petyr Baelish. All around her, Sansa had been a catspaw to others, a Cyvasse piece in a game where she had no control. And yet, a time finally came, a realization that we are either kings or pawns, emperors or fools, and for Sansa, she would no longer be someone else’s pawn, someone else’s fool. Her father was murdered, her mother murdered, her brother murdered, her aunt murdered, all because others were furthering their own sick and depraved plans. Thus, Sansa forsook her promises to Lord Baelish, forsook the schemes and plans of others, and returned to the North, to be her own decider of fate, to forge her own path and give that power to her future children as well. To give them a choice, something she never had until now. [/hider] 304 AC – [hider=Ending the Whitehill-Forrester Blood Feud] Lady Sansa Stark, serving as Regent for Lord Rickon Stark, turns the gaze of House Stark inwards, to begin mending and rebuilding the North. The first order of business, is to end the decades old feud between House Forrester and House Whitehill, two houses that serve greatly in the North’s vital Ironwood resources. This feud was further exacerbated by the traitorous Leech Lord, Roose Bolton, and his insane, psychopath son, Ramsey Bolton. Both families nearly killed one another off, in their pissant feud over some perceived slight from decades ago. And thus, Lady Sansa decreed that Lord Asher Forrester and Lady Gwyn Whitehill marry, while Ser Torrhen Whitehill, heir to Highpoint, marry Mira Forrester, who had been rescued from the clutches of the scheming fingers of Lord Rickard Morgryn, who was slain by forces loyal to Queen Daenerys. Furthermore, Lady Sansa decreed that both houses would work together to rebuild the clear-cut Ironwood forests on both their lands, and regrow all that had been lost, pre and post war. [/hider] 305 AC to 306 AC – [hider=The Settling of the Old Gift and New Gift] Lady Sansa Stark brings to fruition King Jon Stark’s dream of settling the wildling refugees upon the long untended lands of the Old and New Gifts. Since the conclusion of the War for Dawn, the wildlings had for the most part settled informally among the open lands of the North, and in particular, that of the Gifts. Lady Stark, with the help of Torrmund Giantsbane and a slew of other wildling leaders, created the Lordships of the Old Gift and the New Gift, along with the creation of families to rule over the large swathes of this land. House Thenn was deemed as the Highlords of the Old Gift, and with Houses Hornfoot, Nightrunner, Ice-River, and Caverns doing fealty to them. For the New Gift, House Giantsbane was made Highlords, while Houses Frostfangs, Redbeard, Freezing Boar, and Sixskins doing fealty to them. The last action of this decree, was for half of the taxes collected from the Gifts being sent to support the Night’s Watch, and the other half to House Stark of Winterfell. A small settlement of Giants was also established by Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. These giants and their mammoths primarily tend to themselves, though they do help the Night’s Watch with their endeavors to rebuild the breach in the Wall, and to gather supplies from beyond the wall.[/hider] 307 AC to Present – [hider=Rebuilding the Wall, and the North, on our own…] At first, House Targaryen, or rather, the Iron Throne, was more than willing to help with rebuilding the war-ravaged North, to repair the massive breach in the Wall, to get the people back on their feet. Work progressed quickly at first, but, it appeared that something changed in the heart of the Queen, in the plans of the Iron Throne. The North went from being able to reliably count upon crown funding to repair the region, to getting left out in the cold and being all but ignored by both the Queen and the Small Council. The last bit of kindness the Queen showed the North, before she was completely corrupted by her small council who cared only for themselves and their desire to rule, was the gift of Widow’s Wail to Lady Sansa Stark, as recompense for the theft of Ice by the Lannisters, and the losses the Stark’s incurred in the wars. [/hider] 310 AC – [hider=The Demolition of the Dreadfort] For nearly ten years, the Dreadfort sat empty, abandoned, having earned an ill reputation as being haunted, a grim reminder to the terror and atrocities committed by the Bolton’s over hundreds of years, only made worse by the most recent bloodshed perpetrated by the psychopath Ramsey Bolton. For years, Lady Sansa and her council debated what exactly to do with the defunct fortress and seat of the extinct House Bolton. All the North knew of the sins committed by House Bolton, having testimony from Lady Jeyne Pool, King Stannis Baratheon’s court records, testimony from Theon Greyjoy before his death, and the records of House Manderly concerning the first hand written testimony by Wex Pyke. After a long and heated debate, lasting for well over two days, the Regent Council of Lord Rickon Stark, with Lady Sansa Stark at its head, ordered the Dreadfort to be torn down, brick by brick, stone by stone, until nothing was left. No one would ever rule from the Dreadfort ever again, its lands split between Houses Whitehill and Overton. Furthermore, the materials from the demolition of the Dreadfort would be used to reconstruct Moat Cailin, and at Lord Rickon’s behest, Lady Sansa Stark would be raised to her own Lordship at Moat Cailin and named forevermore as Guardian of the Neck. [/hider] 310 AC to Present – [hider=Rebuilding Moat Cailin] Lord Rickon Stark, almost of age now to rule the North, decided along with the sound council of his councilors, sees the need to rebuild Moat Cailin into a functioning fortification that would be able to properly defend the North from overland invasions, and furthermore, be able to defend from attacks from the North as well. This project, Lord Rickon and his council knew, would take years to complete fully. Moat Cailin had sat in disrepair for hundreds, if not thousands of years, but the stone was strong, the towers tall, and with tons of tumbled stone all around the ancient fortress. With the fresh shipments of stone from the demolished Dreadfort, construction began immediately to modernize the ancient fortress, with the Lordship of Moat Cailin being created for Lady Sansa Stark and all her descendants to forever carry on. With oversight from both local and hired stonemasons, and the help of the insights of House Reed, Moat Cailin is slowly renovated from crumbling ruin, to a fortress to be proud of for any family. [/hider] 310 AC to Present – [hider=Strengthening the West] By decree of Lady Sansa, in one of her last acts as Regent, she and the council provide tax breaks and reductions to Northern Lords along the western coasts of the North to strengthen their keeps and shorelines, to be prepared for the next time the Ironborn decide to sail out in aggression against the North. These lords are encouraged to wisely construct new fortifications or upgrade existing ones against the ever present threat of the Ironborn, no matter if the current generation of Krakens were acting diplomatic, for history had proven time and time again, that these vile raiders, rapists, and killers would always revert to their ancestral ways. [/hider] 310 AC to Present – [hider=Upgrading the King’s Road] Practically the only money coming from the Iron Throne were funds for the maintenance and upkeep of the King’s Road. At the suggestion of Lady Sansa Stark, the road has slowly over time been upgraded from a wide dirt road into a proper paved roadway, extending from the bottom edge of the Neck, all the way to Castle Black at the Wall. Over time, help has come from the Vale in the form of high quality stone from a trade agreement brokered with House Arryn. [/hider] 311 AC – [hider=Lord Rickon comes of Age, Lady Sansa’s Regency Ends] Lord Rickon Stark officially comes of age, and so ends Lady Sansa Stark’s role as regent. The North and her brother thank her for her service, and Lady Sansa departs for Moat Cailin to oversee its reconstruction herself. Lady Sansa excitedly begins her role as Guardian of the Neck. [/hider] 320 AC – [hider=The Queen’s Equal Inheritance Decree] Queen Daenerys issues a decree that equalizes women with men in the line of succession of all Houses within the Seven Kingdoms. House Stark accepts this decree without argument nor protest. The North stays removed from the short rebellions that follow the Queen’s reforms. [/hider] 352 AC to 354 AC – [hider=The Spring Famine of 352 AC] After roughly thirty years of rebuilding the North, of relative peace, outside of the occasional squabble between former Wildlings and their Northern neighbors, the Spring Famine of 352 AC ravaged the North. It started with harsh weather in the spring of 352 AC, massive rainstorms that ravaged essential food crops from the Neck to the Wall. Crop failures lasted through 353 AC till the summer harvests in 354 AC. Throughout the spring and the summer, it continued to rain, and the temperature remained cool. Under such conditions, grain could not ripen, leading to widespread crop failures. Grain was brought indoors in urns and pots to keep dry. The straw and hay for the animals could not be cured, so there was no fodder for the livestock. Stores of grain for long-term emergencies were emptied by the end of 353 AC, and with no end of the famine in sight, the Stark’s petitioned the Iron Throne for help, while the people began to harvest wild edible roots, plants, grasses, nuts and bark in the forests. To provide some measure of relief, the future was mortgaged by slaughtering the draft animals, eating the seed grain, and, among old people, voluntarily refusing food for the younger generation to survive. Relief finally came in 354 AC, but not from the Iron Throne, with the small council more concerned with their own selfish needs than that of the North, but rather from the Reach, and in particular, Lord Paramount Florian Tyrell. It was the generosity of Lord Florian Tyrell that saved the North, with food relief supplies being shipped from the Reach to both White Harbor and ports along the West Coast of the North. This famine relief saved the North from a complete economic collapse, but the damage was done. While total number of deaths attributed to this famine may never be known, maesters at the citadel and across the North estimate that at least 165,000 people were lost, with some estimates saying perhaps upwards of 200,000 died from the famine. [/hider] 355 AC – [hider=The Passing of Lady Arya Stark] Lady Arya passed away silently in her sleep, having returned home from abroad to be with her family in her final moments. They say she shared choice words with her brother and sister, with some rumors speaking of a hidden treasure that she left to the North to help rebuild all the damage still needing to be taken care of. She was entombed within the crypts of Winterfell. [/hider] 356 AC – [hider=The Passing of Lord Rickon Stark] The North Mourns the passing of Lord Rickon Stark. His is remembered fondly and with little negativity. The North holds a local funeral for Lord Rickon, with a few outside invitations being sent to Lord Florian Tyrell and Queen Daenerys Targaryen, which she did not answer. It was 361 AC – [hider=The Passing of Lady Sansa Stark] Lady Sansa Stark passed away quietly in her sleep. She was surrounded by family for her funeral, which was kept to a small affair for members of House Stark, and for members of House Blackwood, Sansa’s husband’s family. She is remembered as a great ruler and the progenitor of the Red Starks. A marble statue of her like from her youth was constructed in the courtyard of Moat Cailin, with the stone so generously donated by Lord Luthor Arryn. The North thanked his kindness with a shipment of Ironwood shield emblazoned with the sigil of House Arryn. [/hider] 361 AC – [hider=Longing for the old ways] Even though the War for Dawn was a mere sixty years ago, a new generation of former Wildlings, having grown up with tales of the old ways, yearn for a return to raiding and fighting, to have the glory of the greatest Wildling chieftains and warriors of yesteryear. This desire ends up leading to increased hostility amongst the Hill Clans and the people of the Gifts. A small scale series of battles ensued for a number of weeks before Stark levies marched in to put down the rebel rousers and the troublemakers. Lord Benjen Stark, furious at the wasted lives, imprisons all those involved in the fighting. With the urge among the former Wildlings to return to their former lives, a solution is chosen that doesn’t require lifelong service within the Night’s Watch, nor the finality of death. [/hider] 362 AC – [hider=Creation of the Ravenous Wolves] Lord Benjen Stark creates the Northern mercenary company the Ravenous Wolves, a sellsword company filled with the agitators of the 362 AC Summer skirmishes, and any volunteers that wish to fight for glory and riches. Lord Benjen decreed that at least 40% of what the company made was to return to the North. Furthermore, they could keep whatever loot they “earned” in their adventures over in Essos. [/hider] 367 AC – [hider=Establishment of Aegor’s Redoubt upon Skane] A small whaling and fishing station is established upon the Southern Coast of Skane, to serve as a safe haven for fishing fleets operating in the local area. It is the first settlement upon the island of Skane in centuries. [/hider] 369 AC – [hider=The Stepstones Rebellion] The North remained largely uninvolved in the dispute between the Stepstones and the Iron Throne. Why should the North get involved in a war that has nothing to do with them, on top of the fact that the Iron Throne had all but ignored the North for the last fifty years. By the time the North actually mustered a small force, the war was all but over. Instead of sailing for the Stepstones, the small intervention force sailed for Essos to reinforce the Ravenous Wolves, who were involved in a turf war between Myr and Tyrosh. [/hider] 370 AC – [hider=Further unrest between the Hills and the Wilds] Lord Benjen, seeing that some younger male wildlings are still restless, trying to steal sheep or women, institutes a mandatory four-year minimum commitment for all males within the Gifts. This is met with a certain amount of resistance, though the young men soon see the first waves of Ravenous Wolves returning home from Essos, covered in scars, gold, and women taken from their conquests. The old ways never paid this way, so the elders said, and so the youth flocked to the snarling wolves banner of the Ravenous Wolves. For now, it seemed that Lord Benjen’s gambit had paid off. [/hider] 373 AC – [hider=Winter Storms off the Coasts of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea] A series of freezing storms strike the North off the coasts of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, shutting down Wall repairs for the next six months. [/hider] 375 AC – [hider=The Ironwood Forests of the Whitehill lands] After seventy years of arduous work and patience, the Ironwood forests that had for so long been absent from the Whitehill lands, had fully regrown into maturity. From barren hills to lush forests, the work of Lady Sansa Stark had paid off. Both Houses now worked together to harvest the Ironwood in a sustainable manner that would ensure that a clear-cutting event hopefully never happens again. House Forrester and House Whitehill begin to harvest Ironwood to export from the North, providing a highly needed income to the North, and providing the Iron Throne a material not seen in large quantities in decades. [/hider] 379 AC – [hider=News of a Spreading Sickness] Rumors are circulating of a sickness, a plague that is afflicting the people of the South. House Stark, under the command of Lord Rodrick, has ordered tightening of border controls, naval inspections, and that all overland travelers coming from the South to submit to health inspections. [/hider] [/hider][/hider] [Hider=House Relations] ________________________________________ House Reed – The Reeds have been an incalculable in the rebuilding of the southern portion of the North, and Moat Cailin. The Starks count the Reeds as their most loyal bannermen and have tied their families together with the marriage of Lord Torrhen Stark of Moat Cailin to Lady Meera Reed of Greywater Watch. House Targaryen – At one time, House Stark and House Targaryen were great and friendly. Yet, as the years progressed from King Jon’s death, Queen Daenerys turned away from the North. This rift between the North and the Iron Throne was further deepened with the attitude of the Small Council regarding the North, from their abandonment of reconstructing the Wall, rebuilding the damages caused by the War for Dawn, to the ignoring of aid during the famines that ravaged the North from 352 AC to 354 AC. The North acknowledges the Queen’s claim to the Iron Throne, but outside of that, they have no intentions to get involved in matters outside of the North. A matter of contention for several years, was the North’s refusal to allow the Crown Tax Collectors to travel any farther north than Moat Cailin. Instead, the Stark’s always met the Taxmen at the great hall of Moat Cailin with the full years taxes and hosted them for three days to allow them to rest, before bidding them farewell. House Tyrell – For years, House Stark did little more than acknowledge that House Tyrell were the rulers of the Reach. This was in part due to House Tyrell’s support of the Lannister’s during the War of the Five Kings, and their insistence at trying to marry Sansa off to a Tyrell when she was a captive of the bastard monstrosity, False King Joffrey. This all changed during the famines of 352 AC to 354 AC. It was House Tyrell, and House Tyrell alone, that saved the North from complete and utter collapse. Lord Florian Tyrell has ever since been held in high regard in the North and seen as a truly honorable and kind man. Lord Rickard Stark went so far as to decree Lord Florian as an honored guest of the North for as long as he may live, welcome in any home, great and small. Lord Rickard also sent an entire shipment of Ironwood shields with the arms of House Tyrell upon them to Lord Florian, as thanks for his endless kindness, for he would not accept monetary recompenses for the relief aid supplies he had sent. House Baratheon – At one time, the Starks and the Baratheons were very close, counted as friends in some circles. King Robert Baratheon and Lord Eddard Stark were more than friends, they were family, until fate decided otherwise. As the years passed, another Baratheon would arise to help protect and defend the North. King Stannis Baratheon, the true successor after the Lannisters murdered King Robert, rode to the aid and defense of the North, defeating the Wildling army besieging the Wall, crushing Roose Bolton and Ramsay Boltons traitorous army, killing a vast number of the turn cloaks, before paying the ultimate price defending the realm during the War for Dawn. The sight of King Stannis’s death has been turned into a memorial, in honor for the ultimate price he paid in protecting the Seven Kingdoms, and the North still holds him in high regard. However, that was long ago, and for a time, the two Great Houses had fallen out of favor with one another. Until, in 350 AC, Lord Davos Baratheon brokered a deal with Lord Benjen Stark of Winterfell, a marriage alliance between the two Houses, with Lord Benjen’s heir, Rickard Stark, marrying Lord Davos’ daughter, Lady Serina Baratheon. Furthermore, due to this alliance, House Baratheon was the second largest supporter of aid to the North when famine hit the region hard from 352 to 354 AC. House Baratheon is counted among one of House Stark’s closet allies, due to their marriage alliance and non-aggression pact. Last, the Starks acknowledge that the Baratheon’s rule the Stormlands, and that they are a great house worthy of respect. House Arryn – House Stark has for the most part kept little correspondence and contact with the Lord’s Paramount of the Vale, in part due to the loss of family marriage ties and for House Stark’s isolationist politics. They hold no ill will towards the Arryn’s of the Eryie and the Vale. House Payne – House Stark acknowledges that House Payne are the Lord’s Paramount of the Westerlands, outside of this, they keep no formal contact except for matters of state. House Martell – House Stark acknowledges that House Martell are the Lord’s Paramount of Dorne, outside of this, they keep no formal contact except for matters of state. House Mallister – It is the greatest tragedy that House Tully was snuffed out during the War of the Five Kings, and to be replaced by a House that now not only treats with the Iron Island diplomatically but allows the cursed filth to spread their blight upon the Riverlands proper. House Mallister was counted as a friend of the North, even though they had no direct blood relations. The Mallisters, unlike the Iron Throne, did what they could to help the North when it was within their means to do so, which mainly resorted to food shipments. Much like the Tullys, the Mallisters seemed to be smart, intelligent, and working to rebuild the Riverlands to their former. That all changed when the Mallister’s, in the eyes of Lord Benjen Stark, became the whores and footstools of the Greyjoys. Only a blind fool invites a murderous beast into his home and expects it not to rip him to shreds. House Stark looks down on the Mallisters now with serious reservations, with the trepidation that once again, the Riverlands will belong to the Ironborn, and the people of this great region will have only the Greyjoy’s whore, the Mallisters, to blame. House Greyjoy – Murderers and thieves, rapists and pirates. The Ironborn have always been traitorous filth, and always will be. You can dress a kraken in silks and finery, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is still a kraken. History is on the side of House Stark, and the rest of Westeros. House Stark holds a special place in their collective consciousness’s for the filth that is House Greyjoy. Lord Rickard Stark stands always watchful and ready for the eventual day when the Greyjoy’s reave, rape, and kill again. The only good kraken is a dead kraken, and the waiting maw of the wolf licks its chops hungrily for the day when the scum of the Iron Islands comes again to the North. [/hider] Conceptualization ________________________________________ House Stark stands at a crossroads. For decades, the main line of House Stark, the Black Wolves, have advocated for isolation from the greater realm. They fear another event which could lead to the deaths of Starks, and the people of the North. This view is further exasperated by the rift that has grown between the members of House Stark, and that of House Targaryen. On the other hand, the cadet branch of House Stark, the Red Wolves, wish to bring the Northern Wolves out of their dens, to reenter the politics of the Seven Kingdoms, and the making of friendships and alliances. Point-of-View Characters [hider=Lord Rickard Stark] Rickard Stark [img]https://preview.ibb.co/j43uzn/Stark_Lord_2.jpg[/img] Main Title; Lord Paramount of the North, Lord of Winterfell General Title; Lord Stark of Winterfell Age ________________________________________ 44 Appearance ________________________________________ Refer to picture Relations/ Reputation ________________________________________ What needs to be said other than Lord Rickard Stark is as cold and icy as the Wall. He cares little for the world outside of the North. His father and grandfather told him of the evil and dishonor of the realm south of the Neck, of the betrayals and back stabbings, and that the only person one could trust was family. His only relations are that to his family, and to House Tyrell, for their help in staving off the famines that had once ravaged the North. Rickard cares little for the Targaryen Queen, for her self-serving small council, and the petty boot-licking and betrayals of politics. If one word could only be used to describe Lord Rickard, stern fits to him perfectly. [/hider] [hider=Lord Torrhen Stark] Torrhen Stark [img]https://image.ibb.co/gnftQS/Lord_Torrhen_Stark_Red_Starks.jpg[/img] Main Title; Lord Torrhen Stark of Moat Cailin Age ________________________________________ 37 Appearance ________________________________________ Refer to picture Reputation ________________________________________ Lord Torrhen Stark of Moat Cailin has earned himself a reputation of being outwardly thinking and looking. He has carried on the wishes and dreams of his Grandmother, Lady Sansa Stark. The current Lord of the Red Starks, Lord Torrhen is an anointed knight, as was his father. He worships the Seven, while still respecting the Old Gods. For those that have treated with him at Moat Cailin, he is described as honorable, kind, and diligent. Lord Torrhen enjoys meeting with the outside world, and he serves as the intermediary for House Stark and the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. If anyone needs to speak with Lord Rickard Stark, they first must meet with Lord Torrhen Stark. Relations ________________________________________ Lord Torrhen maintains warm relations with the main branch of the family, with him and Lord Rickard enjoying jesting between one another about their respective outlooks on the realm. He is loyal to his liege lord, and hope that one day, he can convince Lord Rickard to not be so icy. [/hider] [hider=Rodrick Stark] Rodrick Stark [img]https://image.ibb.co/mSZ3QS/Rodrick_Stark_Commander_of_the_Ravenous_Wolves.jpg[/img] Main Title; Commander, The Ravenous Wolves General Title; N/A [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXzXL1YT1_k]Commander Rodrick Stark’s Theme [/url] Age ________________________________________ 41 Appearance ________________________________________ Refer to picture Reputation ________________________________________ Rodrick Stark, when he is actually visiting the North, is seen as a fighter, a warrior in every sense of the word. He has earned the reputation as being a fierce and competent wolf, keenly leading the Ravenous Wolves over in Essos in their campaigns and contracts with the ever-warring free cities. He is all the North epitomizes in its austere and spartan style of living and fighting. Rodrick is an outspoken critic of the North being reabsorbed back into the Seven Kingdoms. He sees King’s Landing as a den of liars and thieves, pathetic lawmakers squawking in endless debates that have historical led to the realm’s ruin. These men, if he could call them that, wouldn’t kill people themselves. They wouldn’t dirty their hands, but they’ll damn everyone who isn’t licking their boots to exile for eternity. King Jon was right to have succeeded, that all the snakes in King’s Landing are a pack of fools, every last one of them. Perhaps this is why Lord Rickard had chosen Rodrick to lead the Ravenous Wolves, to get him away from the North, to distract him with war, bloodshed, with the glory of combat. To his closest allies, a select group, he sees that King’s Landing is nothing but squalor, a hellish mockery of what the North is forced to do fealty to. He wants nothing more than to build a new Kingdom of the North, to choose the North over the spineless kneelers of the South. His personal drive is the sole purpose to protect the North, and every action he takes, no matter how violent or how cruel, was for the greater good of the North. Old Gods forbid, should the day come when his family is attacked again, when the North calls out for war, he will make all the enemies of the North pay, they shall answer to him, and him alone. Relations ________________________________________ Rodrick Stark has a duty to the North, and he will not allow anything to get in the way of that duty. Relations are reserved for the North, for his immediate family, and the Ravenous Wolves. [/hider] [/hider]