Jory Karstark

**Jory Karstark** is the youngest brother of Lord Rodrik Karstark and a Sworn Sword of King Cregan I Stark. He is Cregan’s lifelong friend, having befriended the Stark during his time spent as a ward of Karhold, and followed him to Essos after his exile from the North. He returned to his home upon the death of King Torrhen X Stark and has remained doggedly loyal to the Black Wolf in his war for the Winter Throne.

Following Alyn Whitehill’s attempt to assassinate the Black Wolf during a friendly sparring session, Jory was one of the trusted warriors named to Cregan’s Kingsguard.

## Appearance

There is a dullness to Jory's gaunt features that gives him a resting look of sincere displeasure, and he is always slow to smile. Heavy bags hang beneath his cold, grey eyes and his mop of dark brown hair is usually messy and untamed. He keeps a short beard and bears a selection of small scars upon his face from minor injuries suffered in a life spent fighting.

## Biography

It was late in 269 AA when Lord Harrion Karstark and his wife, Jeyne nee Locke, were blessed with a third son. Jory was a quiet child, unusually so, and the Karhold maester grew concerned enough to raise the issue with Harrion. Lord Karstark would hear none of it though, to think for a moment that one of his sons needed special care was an impossible notion for him to believe. Jory rarely cried; struggled to sleep; and was slow to take to words compared to his older brother, leading to the him being referred to as the runt of the litter for the better part of his early life.

He was tutored in the same variety of subjects as his older brothers had been but, where they had their own aptitudes, the best Jory could manage was somewhere below average. It was only when he landed in the training yard that the child truly came alive. Once lessons with the Master-at-Arms began, Jory took to them faster than the rest of his kin had and was always found at the yard. Slowly, he began to open up to his family and grew closer to the brothers who had once mocked him.

Jory’s youth, and perhaps the rest of his life so far, was defined in 280 AA by a pair of new arrivals at Karhold. Prince Cregan Stark and Roose Bolton had both come to foster at Karhold under Lord Harrion’s watchful eye, and were close enough in age to the Lord’s youngest son that they were all tutored together. It took less than a week for Jory to befriend the pair - or, more accurately, for them to befriend him as he was the least talkative of the group. The trio became thick as thieves, doing what they pleased and skirting the borders of trouble for all their teenage years.

Jory grew especially close to Cregan, becoming nigh inseparable from the young Prince, and soon found himself taking on more and more of his friend’s bad habits whilst stirring some of his own into the mix. His strange childhood had left Jory as the more malleable of the pair, and he was soon wrapped around Cregan’s finger. Whatever the Prince said, he would do without fail, until finally they had become as twisted as each other. What started off as mischievous games soon became cruel tricks, and eventually turned into something even more sinister.

Jory had dared Cregan to bed the Kennelmaster’s daughter, Sansa, on a hormonal whim. He watched his friend fail time and again to convince the girl, egging him on every time, until one day the Prince snapped. Jory did stand somewhat taller than Cregan, but the Stark had always been the stronger of the two by a notable margin. It didn’t seem to take much effort at all for Cregan to overpower Sansa and have his way with her, Jory had been there to watch his friend fail again but instead he found himself the accomplice. Where many would have balked, Jory remained stoically loyal to his friend and never spoke a word of what happened that night.

It was over a year after the incident with Sansa, who had since been sent to live out in the countryside for her disgrace, when word reached Karhold of a band of wildlings south of the Wall. Jory rode at Cregan’s side when they led a company of Karstark men to put an end to the threat, and together they put every last freefolk to the sword. They had not arrived in time to save a local farmstead though, and amongst the dead smallfolk was Cregan’s bastard son by Sansa. The Kennelmaster’s daughter, now with nothing to lose, told Lord Harrion what had happened between her and Cregan.

Jory and Cregan both knew the truth to Sansa’s claim, though fortunately Harrion did not. He placed the girl in his care and sent word to King Torrhen Stark, who would judge the fate of his second son. Having concocted a cunning plan to buy the girl’s silence, Jory helped his friend escape his ‘bodyguards’ and sneak into the chambers that had been given to Sansa. Again, things did not go how Jory had imagined them. A woman’s stifled scream, followed by the repeated sound of steel piercing skin, told him all he needed to know about what had happened inside the room. It also roused the nearby guards, forcing the young Karstark to flee and sealing Cregan’s fate.

The Black Wolf was exiled for his crimes, his father unwilling to sentence him to the Wall or death, but even then Cregan remained tightlipped about Jory’s involvement in the crimes. Indebted to his dear friend, the youngest Karstark asked his father’s permission to join the attainted Prince in Essos and soon found his wish granted. The pair became a trio again when Roose Bolton announced he would join them as well, and together the three northern noblemen set sail for Braavos.

They began, as any group of young travellers would surely do, by burning through all their funds on drink and women. That helped to soften the blow of Cregan’s exile and disinheritance, and soon they had grand ideas of making a name for themselves across all of Essos. They joined mercenary company after mercenary company, spending coin as fast as they earnt it and watching each others backs. All three of them had brothers of their own, yet the bonds between them ran deeper than even that blood.

They didn’t start out as heroes - not even half decent men - and they commited plenty of dark deeds in the name of coin and pleasure, but somewhere along the way each of them found something that gave them their sense of honour and duty. Cregan’s came in the form of Hullen Poole, an old man with wise words and sound council, and Roose’s was a beautiful Magister’s daughter.

Jory’s came much later than his friends, but it had a similar effect upon him as their companions had upon Cregan and Roose. They were relaxing in Pentos after a few tough contracts when a strange message was delivered to them, sealed with the sun of House Karstark. It was Jory who opened the letter and read the words back to the group.

*”The King is dead, long live the King.”*

That was how it started, before going on to detail several major events that had occured in the near decade since Jory had last touched Northern ground. His eldest brother, now-Lord, Rodrik, summoned them all back from Essos. King Torrhen and his eldest son were both dead, a bastard now sat the Winter Throne, and the Lords clamoured for the return of the trueborn heir.

It took a few moments for any in the group to formulate a response, until Jory dropped to one knee and pledged himself to Cregan Stark, First of his Name, the King of Winter and Lord of Winterfell. It would be several days before Cregan would give them his answer, and then they made for Braavos with all haste.

Under the cover of nightfall, they landed on the Weeping Water and were met by Jory’s brothers. They embraced as only kin could, and then he watched as Rodrik swore allegiance to the true King of the North. The Northern Civil War began the next day, when Cregan and his followers rode to Winterfell and laid claim to the throne before the eyes of many gathered nobles. It seemed that true Stark blood mattered less to some lickspittle Lords though, so the Black Wolf was sent away with his tail between his legs and no crown upon his head.

For two years, Jory stood at Cregan’s side as they bided their time. Then, finally, they marched on Winterfell together to see justice done and a real Stark returned to his rightful seat. It was on the eve of battle that his oldest friend named Jory as his Kingsguard, along with several other leal men including Roose Bolton, and charged him again with protecting him from any that would do him harm. Gladly, Jory accepted the offer and did his duty during the first Battle of Wolves by carrying his injured King back from the vanguard to find medical assistance after his harm was seriously wounded.

## Timeline

269 AA - Jory is born to Lord Harrion Karstark and Jeyne Karstark nee Locke, the couple’s third son.

280 AA - Prince Cregan Stark and Roose Bolton arrive at Karhold as wards of Lord Harrion. Jory quickly befriends both lordlings and they form a strong bond.

286 AA - Following up on Jory’s dare, Cregan forces himself upon the Kennelmaster’s daughter and sires a bastard with her.

287 AA - With Cregan accused of rape by the Kennelmaster’s daughter, Jory helps his friend gain access to her chambers inside Karhold. Cregan is caught but never reveals Jory’s involvement, in response Jory elects to join him in exile.

288-296 AA - Jory, along with Cregan and Roose, travel across Essos making names for themselves. Cregan for his leadership, Roose for his ruthlessness, and Jory for his dogged resolve.

296 AA - Jory’s eldest brother, Rodrick, summons Cregan and his allies back from Essos to claim the Winter Throne.

299 AA - Jory is named to Cregan’s Kingsguard. He executes Eleana Cassel on Cregan’s order.

299 AA - Jory fights in the first major battle of the Northern Civil War, escorting his King to safety after he suffers a grievous wound.

## Household

Hoarfrost of the Hills [Archetype: Warrior(Two-Handed Weapons)] - A northern warrior hailing from a minor tribe of Mountain Clansmen, he has proven to be firmly loyal to both Jory and the Black Wolf in the years since they returned from exile.

Ulrick [Archetype: Cavalry General] - The son of a Karhold guard officer and childhood friend of Jory’s, they parted ways when Jory went into exile with Cregan Stark. Ulrick is now a guard himself, and welcomed his old acquaintance back with open arms.