Lyarra Karstark

## Lady of Karhold

Lyarra Karstark was born in 378 to Rorge and Gwen Karstark. She was the first of 5 children.

## Appearance and Character

Lyarra
 is harshly beautiful. When one looks upon her they see the face of the
north, both cold and fierce. For all her beauty, there is very little
warmth to her features. Her hair is black and shiny like wet ink, her
skin like snowfall, and her eyes the blue of a particularly chilly day.
Lyarra, while seemingly not capable of warm expression is a master of
seductive looks. At times she can manage to feign kindness in her
expression.

Lyarra is a black hole of a woman. Nothing is ever enough for her, she always desires more.

## Biography

The
 Karstarks were blessed in the year 378AC when the Lady Karstark gave
birth to fraternal twins. It was at the end of their first year of
marriage and already the lady had proven herself a fertile woman indeed
and a strong match for the family. Lyarra came into the world
 first a whole ten minutes before her brother. Her eyes were wide and
hungry from the start. The slight delay that her brother Brandon
 encountered later lead the servants to gossip that lady Lyarra even as
an infant had pushed and fought to be the first one in the world so that
 she might have that slight advantage. Rumors aside, Lyarra was an
enchanting baby to look upon for she had none of that squished nature
many other squalling children displayed.

Lyarra
 grew from a pretty baby to a \*\*beautiful\*\* child. Her features had not
quite reached the sharpness she would later own in life. But as a child
no one could argue that she was perhaps the prettiest girl they had ever
 seen even if she did not always behave in ways benefiting of her
physical appearance. Lyarra was a naughty child and clever in her
wickedness.

From the beginning Lyarra was raised to be a lady. Her mother ensured that she had the most \*\*courtly\*\* of lessons. As a result Lyarra
 was know to be a lovely dancer and could sing moderately well. She also
 knew how to greet lords and ladies and treat them with the Northern
Hospitality as was custom. Lyarra did not enjoy these lessons, but she
took from them a valuable skill. If she could appear to be the perfect
lady then she could get what she wanted and Lyarra was always wanting.

Even
 as a toddler Lyarra displayed a veiled and cruel nature. She enjoyed
playing wicked games on the servants and on anyone nearest to her, save
Brandon. She would pull on cats' tails and more than once had rubbed the
 faces of her cousins into the mud and silt and laughed upon their
reactions. When word of her actions was brought to her parents they
would deny that their child could have done such deplorable things.
However the lady Karstark did suspect that her daughter was not the
blessing they had originally thought and sought to improve that.

On the 7th nameday of Lyarra and Brandon, Lyarra was presented with a handmaiden. The Lady Jeyne Stout of Coldgrass had been brought not just to enjoy the celebrations, but also to join the Karstark household and serve faithfully beside Lyarra.
 The lady Karstark though Lyarra would benefit from having a girl her
age to spend time with. Lyarra did not protest the companion, for though
 she was very close to her brother and they shared everything, she could see the benefit in having someone follow her.

She
 was 7 and already she knew she liked to have people who looked to her
for guidance and support. Lyarra made short work of turning Jeyne into her best friend and pet. She engaged Jeyne in all of the childhood mischief that she and Brandon has been long partaking in. However
 this was not all innocent play, for often Jeyne found herself subjected
 to Lyarra's amusement. When Jeyne messed up Lyarra's clothes or hair or
 did not perform a trick in the way she was instructed then she would be
 punished. Lyarra's favorite punishment was to either pinch her
handmaiden or to stick sharp thorns under her maiden's fingernails.
Jeyne would cry, but the tears would only urge Lyarra on. Physical
torment was not Lyarra's only skill for she was clever with her words.
It was in this way that she began to slowly learn the art of \*torture\*.
Her methods however were perhaps a bit too crude in the beginning.

At
 the age of 9 the twins were greeted with a great shock when as their
mother struggled to deliver their youngest brother into the world, she
fell ill. The lady Karstark succeeded in bringing into the world a
second son for their father, Rorge, however the blood loss was far too great and the lady perished shortly after. From the start there was quite a bit of resentment between the twins and their young brother.

When
 Lyarra reached the tender age of 10 she began to display a talent for
brewing teas and medicinal drinks. She had found a dusty old tome in
their seldom used library and had set about learning how to brew
everything she could from the most modest of potions and teas to
horrible concoctions. She was immersing herself in the world of
\*\*alchemy\*\*. Lyarra brewed her first poison at age 11 and left it in a
rather mundane looking cup of tea in the library. A particularly nosy
maid who always took more than her fair share happened upon it. The maid
 was discovered to be deceased sometime later in her own bed, having not
 reported back to work under the complaint of an upset stomach.

Lyarra felt no guilt for the death of her maid and though the household suspected that she had a part they did not bring it up. Instead Rorge
 Karstark gave his daughter quiet praises for her talents. In secret he
cautioned her to be more careful of her particular skill set, for it
would not do for the whole of the north to know. To those who would
question him or speak he would deny such claims. His daughter was just a
 sweet as she was beautiful and perhaps he had grown more indulgent
since the death of his wife.  The nosey maid was not Lyarra's only
 victim, for over the ensuing years many a person fell victim to her
concoctions -- some of which were worse off than others.

War came in the year 390, a bloody arising once more from the Targayens. Rorge
 Karstark, rose to action to force the dragons once more into slumber
and to defend the north. He rode south to defend the neck and became one
 of the Frostborn. Rorge Karstark did not bow down from any battle
 and fought with the sort of bloodlust that existed in his children. He
returned home a hero, his arms and his cheek pink with fresh scars. His
children welcomed him home happily and often asked after his experiences
 in war.

Lyarra's
 first blood came at the age of 13 and with it an awakening of sorts.
Lyarra had never truly looked upon men or women until this point. She
had of course joked and giggled with Jeyne and the pair had practiced
kissing in private many a time before. Those days had once been
innocent. The little lady of Karstark found suddenly that she began to
notice the men training in the yard. She could see the appeal of her
brother's friends as the sweat glistened off their muscles and as they
fought one another. She could also see the appeal in Jeyne who had the
neck of a swan.

This new awakening presented itself as a threat to the lady's nature. She now had many feelings to contest with and it seemed to awake in her a callous nature. Brandon and Lyarra
 did not grow apart in their teens, instead the twins stayed close and
often went on hunts together. Lyarra did not engage in the hunting in
herself, but always liked to be around for the kill. She claimed that
the kill itself was enough excitement for her, she did not need to make
the blow herself as long as she was involved in the entrapment.

At
 the age of 15 Lyarra's crueler nature began displaying itself more
strongly to their small folk. She did not tolerate lazy or uncouth
servants. Lyarra was rumored to have stuck sewing pins under the nails of a serving woman who pulled her hair when braiding it. To a thief
 caught trying to make off with a horse and some of their food, Lyarra
burned the Sun of Winter onto his buttocks, pressing the hot brand into
his flesh until he screamed before he was allowed to be sent to the
wall. Word of this was quiet, though at times whispers could be heard that the lady Lyarra
 was as terrible as the ice in her eyes. In polite company Lyarra would
tearfully deny these claims and lie with the softest of expressions.
Lying was second nature to Lyarra.

Lyarra and Jeyne were close, they shared all of their secrets and their miseries. Jeyne
 as it were loved Lyarra's brother, although Brandon knew not and did
not share her affections. Jeyne's feelings for Brandon were often used
by Lyarra to manipulate her to do as she pleased. The pair of ladies
often liked to flirt with the young lords whom they encountered when
visits were permitted. Lyarra however, would not allow Jeyne to make a
match under her. She was quite good at swaying the hearts of those Jeyne
 wanted.

Despite
 these games or perhaps because of them, the lady Lyarra did not make a
match early in her life and instead continued to wreak havoc on those of
 Karhold alongside her brother. But now with a determination to better
their position in the north. She had had quite enough of only having
influence over her small branch of the north. She wanted to preside over
 more.

## Timeline

* 378: Lyarra and Brandon are born
* 381: Alys is born
* 382: Lyarra begins lessons on ladylike behavior.
* 383: Maege is born.
* 384: Alys passes away from illness.
* 385: Jeyne Stout comes to live with the Karstarks and serve as Lyarra's handmaiden
* 389: Rickon is born, Gwen, their mother, dies.
* 390: Lyarra learns alchemy
* 391: Lyarra poisons her first victim
* 392: Third Targ Rebellion, Rorge rides off with the Frostborn,
* 391: Lyarra has her first blood
* 393: Lyarra continues to pursue acts of cruelty. In this year she brands a man for theft.
* 398: Present.

## Relationships

**Brandon Karstark****:** Lyarra's twin and confident. The twins are rarely spotted apart. They entered the world together and sometimes it seems Lyarra is determined that they should leave together. Two faces of a coin, both twins are cold and cruel but differ in their methods. Brandon is a natural leader whom Lyarra leans on for influence in the north.

**Maege Karstark:** Lyarra's younger sister, the pair do not get along. Maege has a natural benevolence to her that is often at odds with Lyarra's prickly nature. Maege is often the victim of Lyarra's taunts and abuse.

**Rickon Karstark:** The youngest son of Rorge Karstark, Rickon came into the world as his mother left it. The twins bear him special dislike. He is seldom in their company.

**Rorge Karstark:** Lyarra's father; Rorge is aware of Lyarra's nature, although he does not disclose this to others. Instead he makes efforts to protect their reputation in the north and to put Lyarra's skills to good use. He has yet to find a proper match for his children, although this has been of little priority. Rorge is a man who prefers to take care of his own and is immensely proud of his heritage and family.

**Jeyne Stout**: Lyarra's handmaiden. Jeyne is most often spotted with Lyarra, partaking in mischief with her lady. Jeyne seems to like Lyarra, despite the verbal and sometimes physical abuse she endures. Perhaps Jeyne lacks the backbone to retaliate to her lady.

Family Tree