Rodrik Karstark

Rodrik Karstark is the Lord of Karhold and a close adviser of the Black Wolf, Cregan Stark.

## Biography

Born in 263AA to Harrion Karstark and Jeyne Karstark nee Locke, Rodrik Karstark was the firstborn son and first child of the pair. From birth he was treated by his father as an heir should be, though Lord Harrion was a hard man. Harrion was a loyal bannerman to Stark Kings and that loyalty was instilled in the son from his earliest days. Rodrik was tutored by the castle maester in a wide variety of subjects as befitted a great lord’s son but he had a great thirst for war from a young age. He loved and devoured writings on warfare and accounts of battles in northern history. He eventually graduated from studying about Tactics and battles to actually having mock battles with carved wooden figures with his maester and his father. He showed to have a natural ability to Command and to have a natural grasp of warfare. Other subjects that he showed great proficiency in were Navigation and Logistics. He studied maps of the north and he rode the lands of the Karstarks often, becoming familiar with the forest and the moors. He also studied the accounts of Karhold with his castle maester and became very proficient with the logistics of running a lordship and large amounts of levies.

Rodrik was never notable when he trained by the sword but when he rode with his father, sweeping his future lands for bandits and night’s watch deserters, he proved his natural talent for commanding men and in the skirmishes that they did have he proved the practical use of his knowledge of tactics.

Rodrik’s life at Karhold always was exciting with his two brother’s Theon and Jory and his cousins Alyn and Artos and Arta. The Karstark family was very close knit. Caring deeply about their ties of blood. In 280AA a very important even happened in Rodrik’s life. Cregan Stark was sent to be fostered at Karhold. Lord Harrion resolved to shape the young Stark into a man and even though he was nearly a handful of years younger than Rodrik he was well liked by the Karstark heir though his brother Jory was closest to Cregan.

In 281AA Rodrik came of age, and in months that followed he fathered a son on a serving wench and his son Edric was born later in the year. In 286AA his father arranged a match with Berena Reed. The match turned out to be a fine one and the couple were well satisfied with each other. In 287AA Rodrik was one of the commanders when Cregan Stark led a force of Karstark men to kill a band of Wildlings. When Cregan Stark stabbed and killed the mother of his dead child Rodrik heavily disapproved of the Stark heirs actions but his loyalty to the man who fostered at Karhold caused him to also disapprove of his exile and stripping of his inheritance. In 288AA, his wife Berena caught a fever and died within days. A year would pass in mourning before a match was made with Wylla Glenmore. It was a happy marriage which led to a pregnancy in 292AA. The couple were ecstatic at the news and the months that followed were tremendously happy. However, Wylla went in labor a month early and after an extremely difficult birth delivered a stillborn baby girl. The mother died a few days afterwards and Rodrik had the mother and the child, who he had named Lyarra, buried together. After so many devastating losses in such a short amount of years Rodrik swore off the idea of a wife and went about his duties as heir to Karhold. The death of his father in 295AA broke Rodrik out of his comfort zone of duty and hit home to the fact that he needed an heir. So early the next year he began negotiations with the Lord Hornwood for his eldest daughter Serena’s hand. Thinking the negotiations were all but sealed the he invited Lord Hornwood and his heir to Karhold. The Hornwood lord unexpectedly told the Lord Rodrik that he decided to call the match off. The occasion quickly devolved into a shouting match and insults were traded back and forth, including the Hornwood heir insulting Rodrik Karstark’s dead wives. Rodrik raged but took no action so as to not violate guest right, though he vowed revenge.

Later in 296AA King Torrhen X died and instead of swearing fealty to Rickard Stark he sent word to Cregan Stark, who he believed to be the true and rightful king. When the Black Wolf returned to the North that year it was via the Weeping Water to Karhold where he was welcomed as the true King of Winter. In 297AA Rodrik Karstark would get his revenge on Lord Hornwood and his heir, as he paid a half dozen rogues and masterless men to ambush the Lord and his heir on Hornwood lands. After paying the men half of what was agreed beforehand and with the promise of the rest upon proof of the death of the Hornwood men they laid a successful ambush as the Hornwoods were on a hunt. After stripping the bodies of their valuables, including a silver ring engraved with a weirwood from Lord Hornwood’s hand they made their way back to Karstark lands a month later. After arranging via his trusted sworn sword Donnor Overton to meet with the rogues at a secluded location he gathered a force of Karstark men and under the pretense of a rumor that bandits were hiding out at the meeting point, he led his men and killed the bandits and after stripping them of everything valuable he left their bodies to rot. Rodrik kept the silver ring and usually keeps it on his person at all times.

Rodrik will stop at nothing to return his friend and King, Cregan Stark, back to his rightful seat at Winterfell.

## Timeline

* 263AA Born to Harrion Karstark and Jeyne Karstark nee Locke
* 266AA Brother Theon is born
* 268AA Starts lordly studies
* 269AA Brother Jory is born
* 279AA Mother Jeyne dies
* 280AA Cregan Stark comes to be fostered at Karhold
* 281AA Fathered son Edric on a serving wench
* 286AA Marries Berena Reed
* 287AA Cregan Stark is banished
* 288AA His wife Berena dies
* 289AA Marries Wylla Glenmore
* 292AA His wife Wylla becomes pregnant and goes into labor a month early. Mother and child dies.
* 295AA Father Harrion dies
* 296AA Tries to negotiate marriage to Serena Hornwood. Negotiations fall through and develops hatred of Lord Hornwood and heir. King Torren X dies and Rodrik sends word to Cregan Stark in essos. Cregan Stark returns to Karhold.
* 297AA Gets revenge on Lord Hornwood and heir by hiring rogues to kill them. He then double crosses and kills rogues and keeps Lord Hornwood’s silver ring engraved with a Weirwood.
* 298AA At the Dreadfort with King Cregan and the other Black Wolf supporters

## NPCs

Edric Snow, Son. (Archetype: Warrior [axes])

Theon Karstark, Brother. (Archetype: General)

Maester Kyle, Maester. (Archetype: Maester)

Alyn Karstark, cousin. (Archetype: Scout)

Donnor Overton, Sworn Sword. (Archetype: Warrior. {swords])