House Mormont

**House Mormont of Bear Island** is an old, proud, and honorable house of the North, one of the principal families sworn to House Stark. Their seat is Bear Island, located in the Bay of Ice, to the north of Deepwood Motte and the Wolfswood, far northwest of Winterfell, northeast of Sea Dragon Point, and south of the Frozen Shore. Their sigil shows a rampant bear on a white field, surrounded by a green escutcheon. Their houses words are "Here We Stand".

Due to Bear Island's lack of valuable resources, the Mormonts are a rather poor house. Their hall is made of huge logs, surrounded by an earthen palisade, and their ancestral weapon, the Valyrian steel blade Longclaw, was lost beyond the Wall. On the gate of their keep is a carving of a woman in a bearskin with a child in one arm suckling at her breast and a battleaxe in the other. Like the other women of the North, the women of Bear Island and House Mormont learn how to defend themselves from ironmen and wildlings, as they were raided repeatedly throughout the island's history.

## History

### Background

House Mormont's ancestral home of Bear Island is said to have been a gift from their liege lords of House Stark, which earned them the everlasting loyalty of House Mormont. The Starks are said to have won the lands in a wrestling match between King Rodrick Stark and an ironborn. House Mormont is one of the oldest and proudest Northern houses, but their reputation and honour has been tarnished somewhat by their former lord, Ser Tommen Mormont, who abused and assaulted his heir, now current Lord Rickarn Mormont, to physically harm him. The house has found it difficult to shake off this disgrace, especially Tommen's son himself.

### War of the Seven Kings (298AC-302AC)

*Main article: The War of the Seven Kings*

As Eddard Stark is imprisoned and his heir, Robb Stark, calls for his bannermen to rally behind him and to march south, Maege Mormont answers the call with a force joining Robb's armies. She is present when Robb Stark is hailed King in the North, and supports his claim to the crown. Maege and the Mormont army fight most the battles of the war and formerly accept the peace treaty King Renly proposed. After the war was resolved, Maege and her following bannermen return to Bear Island with acceptable casualties to note.

### Little War (331AC-332AC)

*Main article: The Little War*

When Robb Stark again called for his vassals against the sellsword mercenaries of the Iron Bank, who had just invaded White Harbor to force the Kingdom of Winter to pay roughly half of the debts the Seven Kingdoms maintained, which was severly refused. As the armies of the Iron Bank ravaged through the North, Maege encountered them near Castle Cerwyn during the Battle of Pinecold, which, despite a major win for the North, led to the death of Maege as she was stabbed by a sellsword from the back. Her heir, Lyanna Mormont, was named Lady of Bear Island, and continued the fightings until the war was deemed over, when Robb Stark unwillingly accepted the demands given.

Her sharp-tongued nature gave Lyanna the nickname 'The Ruthless', and she publicly questioned the authority of King Robb Stark before court after the war was ended as harshly as she could. Under Lyanna, Bear Island regained some of its former wealth and appearance, and rose to a powerful vassal of House Stark.

### First War of Reclamation (340AC-342AC)

*Main article: The First War of Reclamation*

When King Eddard Stark was attacked during an expedition on the Stepstones, a war broke out between both kingdoms. Lyanna was prepared for another call, and did not refuse. Sending a formidable force to join the armies near the Trident, they proved important in the battles of the Riverlands. As the war turned further and further destructive, the armies of the North, those of House Mormont as well, were subsequently destroyed; most of the armies sent were either completely wiped off or largely injured. When the war ended in a white truce, Lyanna, wounded after the battle of King's Landing, and her remaining army, retreated to Bear Island, with horrific casualties and a noticable lack of men able to fight on the island, making recruitment even more difficult. The war turned destructive and left House Mormont's army devastated.

### War for the Vale (368AC-370AC)

*Main article: The War for the Vale*

The Vale was attacked by Targaryen forces from the Bay of Dragons, and other exiled houses of Westeros, trying to make a proper base for a large-scale invasion of the continent. King Osric Stark called for all banners as their impending armies outmatched those of the houses of the Vale combined. House Mormont under the lead of Tommen and Rickarn Mormont assisted in building up a massive Northern army, and the following fightings left the Vale devastated. The raids of the armies on one another respectively tore down the size of the army, while the intense battles on small areas led to massacres of thousands of soldiers. In the end, the invading houses were either destroyed or retreated back to Essos, with the Kingdom of Winter emerging victorious, however on the cost of the Vale. House Mormont's forces remained crippled after the siege of Gulltown and Longbow Hall, but had to fight off the next war spilling over.

### Second War of Reclamation (370AC-372AC)

*Main article: The Second War of Reclamation*

Even though the war seemed to take place only in the Riverlands as a minor conflict, it grew to encompass the whole of Westeros. Mormont's armies were still weakened, when they were summoned to Harrenhal to prepare for one of the largest battles Westeros had ever seen at the Red Fork. When the Claw was sieged, House Mormont assisted in the recapture of Moat Cailin and the battles at the Trident and Riverrun. The war however completely eradicated the armies of the North and Riverlands, scorging the countryside and imprisoning numerous noblemen and armymen alike. After the war, tensions between both empires still culminate in cold war. House Mormont meanwhile retreated again back to Bear Island and struggles with the casualties taken from the wars.

Lord Rickarn Mormont currently rules Bear Island, trying to juggle the demands given by King Osric, his people, and the men still stationed in Riverrun and The Twins. Rickarn is also one of the first to agree on training both boys and girls for combat. He is also heavily displeased when learning that the civil war on the Iron Islands may need further soldiers, particulary of those to the Sunset Sea, House Mormont being one of them. Rickarn remains skeptical on the situation given in Westeros and renews his house's allegiance to House Stark as a sign of alliedhood.

## Military

House Mormont commanded a sizable military before The Second War of Reclamation started. They could raise about 3,000-5,000 men due to countless raids from ironborn and wildlings. At the beginning of the Second War of Reclamation, Lord Rickarn Mormont answered the call of King Osric I Stark.

The military of House Mormont is well-trained and defined as a formidable force, and Mormonts have been permanent members, like lieutenants or officers, of the Stark armies. However, the war weakened House Mormont significantly. The mass slaughter at the Trident and Harrenhal has greatly affected the House Mormont's position in the North. However, they still remain staunch Stark loyalists and are in the process of rebuilding their armies to their seen sizes. Rickarn Mormont agreed to help King Osric's request in helping against the rebels in the Iron Islands by offering 210 men. The current size of the army which can be raised is expected to be around 1,500, but current combat training will elevate the number to around 2,000 by the next moon, largely re-assuring House Mormont's military.

Mormont soldiers are quite distinguishable from other Northern soldiers. Their uniforms consist of wearing thick leather padding and chainmail for protection as well as using oval shields in battle.

## Culture

The inhabitants worship the Old Gods of the Forest, like their cousins in the other houses of the North. Even in the lands of House Stark, there are some followers of the Faith of the Seven, often southern noblewomen who come to the North to secure marriage alliances. On Bear Island, however, the Old Gods are the only gods that are worshiped, with other religions being very rare at all.

Women also partake in combat training along with their male counterparts, in order to strengthen defences of the island against Ironborn raiding from the south, and Wildlings landing from the lands beyond the Wall, since their men were already partaken to do so. These women warriors are known as Spearwives.

Bear Island is also renowned for its unique lifestyle. As its climate does not allow larger crop production, food supply remains quite scarce and people being fierce, enduring, and strong to survive famine and the cold weather. Additionally, they handle cold temperatures more well than most other, and remain stubborn on the belief that Bear Island's weather helps strengthening them. House Mormont represents the archetypes of all Bear Islanders with their proudness, loyalty, endurance, and fierceness.

## Members

* **Torrhen Mormont**, oldest of the siblings and rightful heir before Tommen. Abdicated his position however and joined the Night's Watch at the Wall.
* Lord **(Tommen Mormont)**, the former head of the family and Lord of Bear Island. After his accidential murder of his wife, he found joy in abusing and accusing his son of his mother's death to avoid crippling depression. Later accused of treason and beheaded by his own son in Gulltown during the War for the Vale.
	+ Lady **(Anya Mormont)**, Tommen's wife and married Lynderly. Mother of Rickarn and Lyarra, killed in a hotted discussion with his drunken husband, later stabbed to death by him.
		- Lord **Rickarn Mormont**, Tommen's heir and current Lord of Bear Island as head of the family. Fought in the War for the Vale and the Second War of Reclamation. Married to Elia Mormont and father of two children.
			* Lady **Elia Mormont**, Rickarn's wife and married Whitehill, current Lady of Bear Island. Met in a tavern in the Woolfswood and betrothed to gain a political advantage, fell in love shortly after, mother of Robett and Alys.
				+ **Robett Mormont**, his son and heir. Twin brother of Alys and two months old.
				+ **Alys Mormont**, his daughter. Twin sister of Robett and too two months old.
		- **Lyarra Mormont**, Rickarn's heir until Robett comes of age. Trained in special combat skills after forced to retreat to Bear Island during the second Targaryen invasion in the Vale.
* Lady **Arya Stane**, Lady of Driftwood Hall on Skagos, Mormont by heritage. Married to Brandon Stane and mother of one child, killed however during the First War of Reclamation as a hostage.
	+ Lord **Brandon Stane**, Lord of Driftwood Hall and head of House Skagos, married uncle-in-law.
		- **(Tormund Stane)**, their only child and heir. Killed as a hostage, taken after the Battle of Harrenhal during the First War of Reclamation, at that time only twelve years old.
* **(Wilys Mormont)**, youngest of the three brothers. Considered a marvelous swordsman and axeman. Slain in the battle of King's Landing in the First War of Reclamation by multiple Lannister forces at once.
* **Jocelyn Mormont**, youngest of the siblings. Betrothed to Harlon Greyjoy, currently in Winterfell's Godswood.
	+ **Harlon Greyjoy**, betrothed to Jocelyn and possible uncle-in-law by marriage.