Sykregg

## Brother of the Night's Watch

Sykregg is a brother of the Night's Watch, originally hailing from Skagos. He found himself enlisted following a misunderstanding involving a shipwreck, a pile of corpses and several Karstark men.

## Appearance and Personality

Blessed, or cursed, depending on your opinion, with unnatural height and strength, Sykregg possessing a menacing and threatening aura, significantly towering over most other members of the Watch. Despite this, he is a rather agreeable individual, who has simply experienced a series of unfortunate occurrences throughout his life.

He also strongly dislikes crabs. Better not ask.

## History

Sykregg is not a lucky man. His birth was interrupted by a sabre cat attempting to eat his mother as she pushed him into the world. His father died trying to obtain some gyrfalcon eggs when his greystone foothold came away one morning a couple of moons later. Sykregg himself lost four toes and the corner of an ear to frostbite by the age of six, and a further toe and the rest of the ear before his tenth nameday.

Descendent of a minor Skagosi clan, Sykregg inherited traits common amongst the Lythykson people, reveres of their ancient and borderline mythical forefather Lyssok Lythyk the Lustful, whom is said sired sons and daughters upon a veritable bounty of women, human and otherwise. The bards sing of a cold and dark night in which Lyssok, quite intoxicated on froststone ale, stumbled into the dwelling of a giantess. Mistaking her for one of his many wives, Lyssok clambered under the furs, the story ending with the giantess leaving her giant lover in favour of Lyssok and his supposedly more *giant* member. Lythyksons of this line have consistently grown Strong and Tall, and will continue to do so as long as giant’s blood remains within their veins.

After the deaths of his two brothers, sister, wife, snowhound, uncle and grandmother in a series of unrelated avalanches, housing malfunctions, bitterly cold winds and an unfortunate and unexpected run-in with an exceptionally large swarm of Conquerer crabs, Sykregg decided that life upon Skagos was not quite as idyllic as it had been in the times of Lyssok, and thus made plans to travel to Westeros proper, and began to patiently wait for the arrival of a trader ship. Due to the general infrequency of merchants visiting the Isle, combined with three passing icestorms that shrouded Skagos in a clinging and freezing mist for near two moons, by the time Sykregg found himself Westeros bound not only had he lost another brother, but his new favourite dog had been found almost completely encased in ice after it fell through the thin brittle surface covering a frozen lake.

Before the ship could land however, much as usual, the cog was struck by further bad luck, as a great gale swept in from across the Grey Hills, splintering and fracturing the old wood from which the trader was borne. As the ship cracked into pieces around them, the crew and Sykregg were thrown into the Bay of Seals, not a hundred yards of the shore. When he washed ashore, surrounded by cargo and corpses of those whom were not so accustomed to the chill waters, Sykregg decided to honour them, and swept the beach so that they would not feed the gulls and sea eagles.

This was how the Karstark men found him, surrounded by a great pyre of bodies, the cargo of the ship neatly pilled to one side. Naturally, this aroused a reasonable amount of suspicion, and when Sykregg moved to defend himself with naught but his fists as they drew their swords, their mistrust grew. After a lengthy scuffle upon the shore, Sykregg was subdued, and has served with the Night’s Watch for near four decades since.

## Timeline

339AC – Sykregg is born, his mother dies shortly afterwards, although more due to the sabre cat than the actual birthing process.

340AC – Sykregg’s father dies trying to collect some eggs. Sykregg is cared for by his uncle.

342AC – Sykregg’s oldest brother Thyrk dies from an avalanche whilst hunting.

349AC – A cave-in kills Sykregg’s grandmother and sister.

354AC – Whilst fishing in the shallows of the Bay of Seals, Sykregg and his brother net a plenteous catch of Conquerer crabs. The bulk of the haul fractures the small boat, and they are plunged into the freezing water with the horde of unimpressed crustaceans. Sykregg escapes with a couple of deep claw marks upon his legs, but his brother and snowhound are claimed by the waters. Sykregg swears never to eat crab again.

355AC – Sykregg’s replacement paternal figure, his uncle, goes missing in a blizzard. As another avalanche sweeps through the area where his uncle had been tracking deer, Sykregg accepts he will probably never see him again.

357AC – Sykregg marries his childhood friend Ythyra, whom promptly dies after the simple ceremony from choking on the wedding pie. Its contents? Crab.

358AC – Sykregg decided he wishes to leave Skagos. Three separate icestorms sweep across the Isle over the course of two moons, resulting in the death of his last surviving brother and new dog.

359AC – Sykregg finally boards a trader cog bound for Westeros. It comes apart, and after a misunderstanding, Sykregg is sent to the Wall.

398AC – Sykregg continues to serve at the Wall, and is saddened to hear of the death of the most recent Lord Commander.