House Stark

**House Stark of Winterfell** is one of the Great Houses of Westeros and the principal noble house of the North. In the old days they ruled as the Kings of Winter up until the wars of conquest by House Targaryen in which they ruled as Wardens of the North. Nearly three centuries later they ruled as kings once again after Robb Stark was victorious in the War of the Five Kings. Currently house Stark claims dominion over The North, The Riverlands, The Vale and The Iron Islands. Their seat is Winterfell, an ancient castle renowned for its strength.

Their sigil is a grey direwolf racing across a field of white, and their words are *"Winter is Coming"*, one of only a few house mottoes to be a warning rather than a boast. Members of the family tend to be lean of build and long of face, with dark brown hair and grey eyes.

House Stark of the Stoney Shore was established by Rickon Stark and his line, and is a cadet branch of House Stark.

## History

### Kings in the North

The Starks are an ancient house descended from Bran the Builder, a legendary figure from the Age of Heroes said to have raised their ancestral home at Winterfell thousands of years in the past, as well as the Wall. They are descendants of the First Men and still follow some of their ancient traditions and the old gods of the forest. The Starks were Kings of Winter in the North for thousands of years from the Age of Heroes, possibly beginning with Bran the Builder. Ever since Bran constructed the Wall, the Starks have been friends of theNight's Watch, and have manned the Wall for thousands of years. The Starks eventually expanded their kingdom with the defeat of the Barrow Kings to the south and the Red Kings to the east. With the defeat of the Marsh King by Rickard Stark the Neck was also brought into Winterfell's realm under the lordship of House Reed.

The last Stark King in the North was Torrhen, who submitted to Aegon the Conqueror at the end of the War of Conquest. Since that time the Starks have held the North for the kings of the Seven Kingdoms as Wardens of the North.

### Robert's Rebellion

House Stark were one of the main combatants during Robert's Rebellion, their involvement in the conflict was trigger after the kidnapping of Lyanna Stark, the executions of both Rickard and Brandon Stark. The rebellion formally began when Lord Jon Arryn of the Eyrie raised his banners in revolt after refusing to hand over his wards Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon.

House Stark was led throughout the conflict by Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark throughout the conflict, ending with himself and several of his campaigns at the Tower of Joy in Dorne in an attempt to rescue his sister. Lyanna Stark perished as did several of Eddard's campaigns. Eddard would return home shortly after with his sister's bones.

Ned returned home to be presented with his trueborn son, Robb, but he carried the infant Jon Snow, whom he presented as his bastard son. Lyanna was buried in the crypt of Winterfell beside her father, Rickard, and brother, Brandon.  Six years later, Ned helped his foster brother, King Robert I, crush Balon Greyjoy's rebellion, taking Theon Greyjoy as a ward of Winterfell. Eddard has ruled the North in Robert's name, keeping a distance from the intrigue-ridden politics of King's Landing.

### War of the Five Kings

#### The King in the North

Lord Eddard Stark is named Hand of the King by Robert Baratheon after a voyage of the King to Winterfell. At this time his son, Brandon Stark is crippled after falling from a tower in Winterfell. Eddard begrudgingly accepts the Handship and a betorthal of his daughter Sansa Stark to Prince Joffery Baratheon. At this time a letter arrives from The Vale from Lysa Arryn, indicating the possible plotting of House Lannister.

While in King's Landing, Eddard discovers that Queen Cersei Lannister's children are not Robert's but bastards born of incest between her and her twin, Jaime Lannister. With this knowledge Eddard confronts the royal family and insists that Stannis Baratheon is king by rights. However his attempt to confront them fails and he is thrown into the black cells after intervention from theGold Cloaks. His daughter, Sansa is held hostage in the Red Keep, but Arya is able to escape thanks to her dancing instructor.

Robb Stark, upon hearing this news, calls the banners of Winterfell and marches south. Catelyn arranges a marriage alliance with House Frey to negotiate a crossing of the Trident, and Robb breaks Lannister hegemony in the riverlands and captures the Kingslayer. Ned initially refuses to name Joffrey as the true king, but in the end agrees in order to ensure the safety of Sansa. When he publicly announces this support, however, the capricious boy king orders Ned's execution rather than allow him to join the Night's Watch. The lords at Robb's war council in Riverrun proclaim him King in the North and of the Trident, seceding from the realm of the Iron Throne.

#### Westerland Campaigns

The King in the North quickly begins a military campaign against the Lannisters in the Westerlands, winning a string of victories against Lannister bannermen. In attempt to gain allies he sends his friend and father's ward, Theon Greyjoy, and his mother, Catelyn Tully, as envoys to Balon Greyjoy and Renly Baratheon. Both diplomatic missions are a failure, with Theon not being able to convince his father to join Robb's cause and with Catelyn not being able to reach a suitable deal with Renly.

Eventually Balon Greyjoy decares himelf King in the Iron Islands and prepares for an Ironborn Invasion of the North. His son and heir Theon Greyjoy does not support this decision and flees Pyke, aiming to meet with Robb at Riverrun. Balon's invasion of the North is initially successful as he is able to capture key points including Moat Cailin, Torrhen's Square and Deepwood Motte.

With King's Landing under siege by Renly Baratheon and his Tyrell allies, Robb is free to continue his campaign in the Westerlands and threaten the holdings of Tywin Lannister. Stark himself is injured during the Storming of the Crag during the campaign, but is nursed back to health by Jeyne Westerling. With moral high and his vassals in good order, Robb leads a portion of his force back to Riverrun to presumably face Tywin Lannister in the field, after the latter is repelled by Edmure Tully in battle.

#### Reclaiming the North

Tywin quickly moves from his position in Harrenhal in an attempt to life the Siege of King's Landing. Robb does not pursue, instead ordering Brynden Tully to reclaim Harrenhal, while he himself focused on expelling the Ironborn in his Northern homeland. In a surprising turn of fate, his sister Arya Stark whom many thought dead, was delivered to **House Stark** by one Sandor Clegane. Robb leaves his sister and mother in Riverrun and marches North with his Northern levies and commanders such as Roose Bolton and Rickard Karstark. Robb himself devises a plan to retake Moat Cailin by moving through the the marshes and attacking the keep from two fronts. Robb is successful in this attempt, claiming victory in the bloody Battle for Moat Cailin. Shortly after the battle Robb receives news that his brother Brandon Stark is missing from Winterfell alongside Meera and Jojen Reed. Because of this, Robb fears Ironborn involvement and hurries his march along the Kingsroad.

Robb would engage in a fierce military conflict in the North in his attempt to expel the Ironborn from his lands. He is largely successful in this, which is knowledge of his own lands playing a paramount roll in his success. Robb is able to reclaim Deepwood Moote and Torrhen's Square with ease, but the constant raids on the Northern coasts and his supply lines begin to hamper the movement of the armies in the North. Shortly after the death of Balon Greyjoy, the Ironborn withdraw entirely from the North. It is around this time that Robb Stark receives a raven from his half brother, Jon Snow, begging for assistance at the Wall in war against Mance Rayder. Robb agrees and personally marches for the wall with a host of Northern Calvary at his back. The Starks, along with the The Night's Watch are successful in destroying the wildling army of Mance in the Battle for Castle Black.

With his success in securing the North, Robb marches back south with a portion of his troop towards Riverrun to wed Roslin Frey at the Twins and to hopefully broker a deal with King Renly Baratheon.

### The Treaty of Crowns

The Treaty of Crowns was signed between King Renly Baratheon and King Robb Stark, officially ending any war between the two and making the secession official.

## Members of House Stark

### Family Members

The known Starks of the fourth century following the War of the Five Kings are;

* *King Robb I Stark [283 - 341AC]*
* *Queen Roslin Frey [d. 345AC]*
	+ *Rickard Stark [302 - 323AC]*
	+ *Mariah Glover [d. 331AC]*
		- *King Brandon XI Stark - [323 - 364AC]*
		- *Queen Lysara Royce - [d. 361AC]*
			* King Edderion II Stark (30)
			* Queen Alyssa Karstark (27)
				+ Prince Edrick Stark (11)
				+ Princess Raya Stark (5)
			* Prince Herbert Stark (28)
			* Myra Manderly
				+ Wyllas Stark
				+ Brandon Stark
			* Prince Cregan Stark (26)
			* *Princess Berena Stark - [d. 349 AC]*
			* Princess Arrana Stark (19)
			* *Prince Willam Stark- [d. 369AC]*
			* Princess Lyarra Stark (17)
			* Prince Harrion Stark (10)
	+ *Alaric Stark [d. 357 AC]*
		- Domeric Snow (23)
	+ Donella Dustin (43)
		- Argelle Stark (26)
		- Theodan Stark (25)
	+ Gilliane Stark (55)
	+ Tristan Tully
		- Lucas Tully
		- Lyra Tully
	+ Artos Stark (45)
		- 1001st Lord Commander Theon Stark (23)
* *Rickon Stark, Lord of Wolfscreek Castle and Founder of House Stark of the Stoney Shore*
* *Wife*
	+ Mariah Stark (55)
	+ Howland Reed (60)
		- Petyr Reed
		- Gwynesse Reed
	+ Myriame Stark (53)
	+ Rogar Bolton (55)
		- Roderick Bolton (33)
		- Bethany Bolton (29)
		- Belthasar Bolton (26)
		- Arya Bolton (24)
		- Roose Bolton (17)

### Past Members

* Brandon Stark, eldest son and heir of Lord Rickard Stark. He was slain along with his father by order of the Mad King, Aerys II.

* Eddard "Ned" Stark, middle son of Lord Rickard Stark. Ned served as Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North until his execution in King's Landing, several months after taking office as Hand of the King.
	+ Catelyn Tully, Lord Eddard's wife. She is the mother of Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon Stark. She passes peacefully after watching her son rise to King in the North.
		- Robb Stark,  Lord Eddard's eldest trueborn son and heir, also known as "the Young Wolf". He takes his father's position as Lord Stark and is later crowned King in the North and of the Trident by his bannermen. After a very successful military campaign he achieves Northern independence from the Iron Throne. He owned a direwolf named Grey Wind.
			* Roslin Frey, Robb's wife and Queen of the North. Their betrothal is made to broker an alliance between **House Stark** and House Frey during the War of the Five Kings.
		- Sansa Stark, Eddard's eldest daughter. Her direwolf is named Lady and is killed under Queen Cersei's orders in retribution for Arya's direwolf savaging her son Joffrey. Near the end of the War of the Five Kings she is wed to Harrold Arryn whom later swears The Vale to King Robb Stark
		- Arya Stark, Eddard's youngest daughter. In the same deal that wed Robb Stark and Roslin Frey, she is wed to Elmar Frey. Her direwolf was Nymeria
		- Bran Stark, Eddard's second son. Bran becomes a cripple and learns to become a powerful warg. While his brother Robb was marching his soldiers back home to the North, Bran suddenly disappears from Winterfell and despite plenty of searching is never found. His direwolf was summer
		- Rickon Stark, Eddard's youngest son. Rickon spends his whole life in Winterfell living in the shadow of his brother's rule. His direwolf was Shaggydog
		- Jon Snow, Eddard's bastard son by an unspecified mother. Jon was raised at Winterfell with his siblings and eventually joins the Nights Watch, where he rises as the 999th Lord Commander. His direwolf was Ghost.
* Lyanna Stark, only daughter of Lord Rickard. Once betrothed to Robert Baratheon, Lyanna died after being spirited away by Rhaegar Targaryen.
* Benjen Stark, the youngest son of Lord Rickard and the last surviving sibling of Ned. He is First Ranger of the Night's Watch and brings Jon Snow to the Wall when he wants to join the order. Benjen goes missing and is never heard from again after a ranging beyond the wall.'