Member
mickilennial
Mao Mao
Asura
LG
Master EffeX
Half Pint
Lemons
Sep
Eviledd1984
AlteredTundra
House Information
Synopsis
Head of House
Seat
Demesne
Recent History
Realm Relations
Storyline Premise
Founded in the Age of Heroes by Brandon the Builder, the Starks have ruled in the North for thousands of years- first as the Kings of Winter and now the Wardens of the North. Having narrowly survived the War of the Five Kings and the Long Night, the Starks have spent the last eighty years in relative isolation from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms, attempting to deal with their own internal squabbles. They've invested a great deal of resources into shoring up the Neck and rebuilding their fleet at White Harbor, and have begun securing alliances with other Great Houses to ensure the North never falls again.
Head of House
Lord Theon Stark
Seat
Winterfell
Demesne
House Manderly of White Harbor
House Glover of Deepwood Motte
House Umber of Last Hearth
House Dustin of Barrow Hall
House Karstark of Karhold
House Reed of Greywater Watch
House Ryswell of The Rills
House Flint of Flint’s Fingers
House Mormont of Bear Isle
House Thenn of Dreadfort
House Redbeard of Sea Dragon Point
House Glover of Deepwood Motte
House Umber of Last Hearth
House Dustin of Barrow Hall
House Karstark of Karhold
House Reed of Greywater Watch
House Ryswell of The Rills
House Flint of Flint’s Fingers
House Mormont of Bear Isle
House Thenn of Dreadfort
House Redbeard of Sea Dragon Point
Recent History
After the ascension of Queen Daenerys Targaryen to the Iron Throne and the death of Jon Snow, House Stark was left to lick its wounds and pick up the pieces of what remained. Many of its surviving members left Winterfell to pursue their own ends: Sansa to the Vale to live out her life as an Arryn, Brann traveled Beyond the Wall to continue his mysterious duties as the Three-Eyed Raven, and Arya vanished in the night, never to be heard from again. Only Rickon Stark, barely more than a boy, was left to rebuild.
And there was much rebuilding to be done. The Long Night had ravaged the North, all the way from the Last Hearth down to the tip of the Neck. Even Winterfell had fallen to the armies of the dead, forcing the Northmen to ride south of the Trident until the Night King was eventually defeated. Returning home brought no shortage of monumental challenges, and without the support of the other kingdoms and the Iron Throne, the North might never have returned to its former glory.
Men helped for as long as the memory of winter remained. Compassion and unity rebuilt many of the fortresses, towns, and villages that the dead had torn apart, but it couldn't last forever. As time ran on and the years passed away, the apocalypse became a distant recollection, and aid came in smaller and smaller supply until it eventually ran wholly dry. Rickon, now an old man with graying hair and a litter of children to call his own, begged Daenerys for further gold dragons to complete reconstruction- his requests were denied, and he was sent home with a hardened heart.
And there was much rebuilding to be done. The Long Night had ravaged the North, all the way from the Last Hearth down to the tip of the Neck. Even Winterfell had fallen to the armies of the dead, forcing the Northmen to ride south of the Trident until the Night King was eventually defeated. Returning home brought no shortage of monumental challenges, and without the support of the other kingdoms and the Iron Throne, the North might never have returned to its former glory.
Men helped for as long as the memory of winter remained. Compassion and unity rebuilt many of the fortresses, towns, and villages that the dead had torn apart, but it couldn't last forever. As time ran on and the years passed away, the apocalypse became a distant recollection, and aid came in smaller and smaller supply until it eventually ran wholly dry. Rickon, now an old man with graying hair and a litter of children to call his own, begged Daenerys for further gold dragons to complete reconstruction- his requests were denied, and he was sent home with a hardened heart.
Rickon took ill not long after returning home from King's Landing, and though he fought the disease for weeks, eventually succumbed. Jon, thirty-one at the time of his father's passing, took poorly to the news that the Iron Throne had abandoned them. He set to work finding the necessary resources elsewhere: new, harsh taxation on his vassals brought in the dragons he needed, but also a sleuth of consequences. The newly christened houses of Thenn and Redbeard, unused to such burdens, pushed back hard against their new lord's legislation. Jon attempted to persuade them with diplomacy but found such methods inadequate with the former Wildings. Rather than concede to them, however, he chose force. He personally rode to Sea Dragon Point and the Dreadfort with a small company of veteran warriors to see the collection done at the tip of lance and sword. Both Houses complied, but they wouldn't soon forget how their Lord responded to disagreement.
Reconstruction continued briskly with the newly acquired coinage. Every fief and holdfast was returned to its former glory over the decade's long project, and a number of new villages were built up with some of the excess to make room for the new Freefolk immigrants. The worst of the afflicted noble Houses, the Umbers, were ecstatic to see their land refurbished and their halls ring with the joy of feasting once again, and their relationship with House Stark quickly flourished. A betrothal between the young heir Dorren Umber and Jon's sister, Jocelyn, was set up, and they were wed in the spring of 354 AC.
That wedding was not without incident, unfortunately. Lords from all across the North had ridden to Last Hearth to attend, including the hot-blooded Lord of the Redbeards, Bael, son of Gerrick Kingsblood. Bael got considerably drunk during the feast that followed the wedding and went on a long and angry tirade about the Battle at Long Lake that had claimed the life of his ancestor, Raymund Redbeard, and many other members of his family. His words were met by the ill-placed goading of one similarly young and drunk Lord Osric Umber. The two came to blows in short order, and soon enough their retinues joined into the brawl.
No one knows who drew the first blade, but blood was drawn between the Redbeards and the Umbers. The melee was quick, chaotic and brutal; Osric was heavily wounded and succumbed to his injuries later that night, while Bael was able to escape back to Sea Dragon Point with what few of his surviving men remained. Jon took his brother, Willam, and a collection of bannermen and warriors to drag Osric from his keep to see justice for the murder of Lord Umber. They were ambushed before they'd even arrived at the holdfast, and a series of violent skirmishes ensued as Jon and his men pressed toward the keep. There they found Bael and his men held up with the gates barred and ready for a fight.
Rather than risk more bloodshed in either storming the keep or besieging it, however, Jon attempts to negotiate with Bael. It took several days of back-and-forth, but the Lord Paramount and his vassal eventually reached an accord. In exchange for relaxed taxation and forgiveness for his murderous and treasonous acts, Bael must swear that neither he nor any of his descendants would ever again take up arms against House Stark, on pain of death. The decision was...controversial, to say the least, and Jon continued to receive criticisms for the way he handled the situation until the day he died.
Reconstruction continued briskly with the newly acquired coinage. Every fief and holdfast was returned to its former glory over the decade's long project, and a number of new villages were built up with some of the excess to make room for the new Freefolk immigrants. The worst of the afflicted noble Houses, the Umbers, were ecstatic to see their land refurbished and their halls ring with the joy of feasting once again, and their relationship with House Stark quickly flourished. A betrothal between the young heir Dorren Umber and Jon's sister, Jocelyn, was set up, and they were wed in the spring of 354 AC.
That wedding was not without incident, unfortunately. Lords from all across the North had ridden to Last Hearth to attend, including the hot-blooded Lord of the Redbeards, Bael, son of Gerrick Kingsblood. Bael got considerably drunk during the feast that followed the wedding and went on a long and angry tirade about the Battle at Long Lake that had claimed the life of his ancestor, Raymund Redbeard, and many other members of his family. His words were met by the ill-placed goading of one similarly young and drunk Lord Osric Umber. The two came to blows in short order, and soon enough their retinues joined into the brawl.
No one knows who drew the first blade, but blood was drawn between the Redbeards and the Umbers. The melee was quick, chaotic and brutal; Osric was heavily wounded and succumbed to his injuries later that night, while Bael was able to escape back to Sea Dragon Point with what few of his surviving men remained. Jon took his brother, Willam, and a collection of bannermen and warriors to drag Osric from his keep to see justice for the murder of Lord Umber. They were ambushed before they'd even arrived at the holdfast, and a series of violent skirmishes ensued as Jon and his men pressed toward the keep. There they found Bael and his men held up with the gates barred and ready for a fight.
Rather than risk more bloodshed in either storming the keep or besieging it, however, Jon attempts to negotiate with Bael. It took several days of back-and-forth, but the Lord Paramount and his vassal eventually reached an accord. In exchange for relaxed taxation and forgiveness for his murderous and treasonous acts, Bael must swear that neither he nor any of his descendants would ever again take up arms against House Stark, on pain of death. The decision was...controversial, to say the least, and Jon continued to receive criticisms for the way he handled the situation until the day he died.
And die he did in 378 when the front axle of his carriage came loose and he was sent careening off the side of the road. Theon was among the riders that pulled Jon's body from the wreckage. He returned his father's body to the crypt under Winterfell, and was crowned Warden of the North shortly after. His untimely death has left the North in equal parts mourning and chaos as unruly vassals look to challenge Theon's authority now that his father has passed. Whispers of Theon's ill temperament travel across the North, and more than a few wonder if he'll be able to hold the region together.
Realm Relations
House Tyrell
The Reach is a distant land full of strange, southron men, and House Tyrell is no different. The Starks hold no ill-will toward the flower lords, but find little reason to care for their troubles. Jon Stark put what effort he could in delivering relief supplies to the starving Reachmen, for what it's worth, though such a policy has yet to be put in place by his successor.
House Martell
TBD
House Tully
TBD
House Baratheon
There is only one Great House in all of Westeros that boasts the trust of the Starks, and that's House Baratheon. Ever since Lyonel warded under Jon the two families have grown inseparably close, with the Baratheons often going to painful lengths to visit Winterfell as often as they can. Theon looks to Lyonel as something of an older brother and a pseudo mentor, and someone he can trust to have his back no matter the circumstance. Though the two don't always see eye to eye, Theon's loyalty to his family remains steadfast and unshakable, and he considers Lyonel as much a part of that family as anyone with Stark for a surname.
House Targaryen
Though Jon and Daenerys's love was strong, for a time, the loss of the last King in the North during the Long Night brought a swift end to their alliance. Rickon served the queen as best he could yet found himself scorned all the same, and no Stark since him has bothered to ask anything of the Iron Throne. Isolationist tendencies continue to go on strong under Theon with no end in sight.
House Lannister
The hate between the Lannisters and the Starks runs deep. Even with the deaths of Twyin and the whole of his line, the Red Wedding is not easily forgotten, and never forgiven. Their relationship is tense in the best of circumstances, and near-violent at it's worst. Attempts were made to stem previous hatreds under Jon Stark, but his son, Theon, doesn't plan to continue down that path.
House Arryn
TBD
House Greyjoy
The Ironborn and the Northmen are traditional enemies and rivals with a long and storied history of conflict between them. Though the sacking of Winterfell has effectively been scrubbed from the history books thanks to Rickon, there's little left good will between the two Houses, even if the bloodshed came to an end when Daenerys rose to power.
House Velaryon
TBD
The Reach is a distant land full of strange, southron men, and House Tyrell is no different. The Starks hold no ill-will toward the flower lords, but find little reason to care for their troubles. Jon Stark put what effort he could in delivering relief supplies to the starving Reachmen, for what it's worth, though such a policy has yet to be put in place by his successor.
House Martell
TBD
House Tully
TBD
House Baratheon
There is only one Great House in all of Westeros that boasts the trust of the Starks, and that's House Baratheon. Ever since Lyonel warded under Jon the two families have grown inseparably close, with the Baratheons often going to painful lengths to visit Winterfell as often as they can. Theon looks to Lyonel as something of an older brother and a pseudo mentor, and someone he can trust to have his back no matter the circumstance. Though the two don't always see eye to eye, Theon's loyalty to his family remains steadfast and unshakable, and he considers Lyonel as much a part of that family as anyone with Stark for a surname.
House Targaryen
Though Jon and Daenerys's love was strong, for a time, the loss of the last King in the North during the Long Night brought a swift end to their alliance. Rickon served the queen as best he could yet found himself scorned all the same, and no Stark since him has bothered to ask anything of the Iron Throne. Isolationist tendencies continue to go on strong under Theon with no end in sight.
House Lannister
The hate between the Lannisters and the Starks runs deep. Even with the deaths of Twyin and the whole of his line, the Red Wedding is not easily forgotten, and never forgiven. Their relationship is tense in the best of circumstances, and near-violent at it's worst. Attempts were made to stem previous hatreds under Jon Stark, but his son, Theon, doesn't plan to continue down that path.
House Arryn
TBD
House Greyjoy
The Ironborn and the Northmen are traditional enemies and rivals with a long and storied history of conflict between them. Though the sacking of Winterfell has effectively been scrubbed from the history books thanks to Rickon, there's little left good will between the two Houses, even if the bloodshed came to an end when Daenerys rose to power.
House Velaryon
TBD
Storyline Premise
Duty, honor, loyalty and family have all been central themes of House Stark's story. I intend to continue each of these threads in my own way, testing them all against one another. The conflict created by these themes contradicting one another will be critical to Theon's progression and development as a character, and in the end he'll be forced to abandon some of them so that he may pursue others to their logical end.
Character Information
Identity
Lord Theon Stark
Age
32
Role
Lord of Winterfell
Warden of the North
Warden of the North
Characterization
Theon Stark has only recently taken his father's place as Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell. As such, he remains untested, though he's eager to prove himself. He had plenty of time to study the ways of lordship under Jon- he's well-read, particularly in matters of statecraft, warfare and history. He's taken an interest in his family history in particular, ranging all the way back to Brandon the Builder, the Kings of Winter and everything before and after them. Even at a young age he seemed taken by the legends of the mighty heroes and conquerors that built his House. He looks at the sorry state of his family now and yearns to see it brought back into glory- to see that it's name is as feared and respected as it was in the days of old.
His ambition and zealousness are not tempered by patience as they should be. Theon never quite lost the fire of youth, and it's carried with him in the form of both great passion as well as ill-temperament. Quick to anger and reveling in loathing, he's known to bear grudges for great lengths of time, and his forgiveness is a rare and precious thing. The only thing that's ever proven to keep him in line is the wisdom and advice of those few people he truly respects.
The things he chooses to respect in others are informed, primarily, by what his family's best known for: honor, duty, and loyalty.
True men of loyalty, who stick by their brothers no matter the personal cost, are seen as a precious commodity by Theon. He feels quite strongly that many of his bannermen are only loyal when it suits them, and that they would turn on the Starks the moment things became difficult: as proven by the betrayal of the Boltons and those that bent the knee to them so long ago.
Duty is loyalty of a different form. It is loyalty to an ideal rather than any individual, and for that reason Theon holds it quite highly too. Holding to one's cause even in the face of death is the truest test of a man's character, and more often than not men fail that test. Those that don't, however, must be men of great character and quality.
Honor is the one value of Theon's family he is unsure of. To hold to a personal code of conduct is, in a way, a form of loyalty or duty; but it entails with it a number of traits that Theon believes led to the downfall of many of his ancestors, namely Robb and Eddard. Aspects of honor- such as compassion, honesty, and chivalry- created a weakness in his family that was exploited by honorless men and traitors alike. Honor nearly wiped his family off of the map. And yet, at the same time, it could be argued that honor was the reason the Starks rose to prominence in the first place. It's a confusing and often contradictory thing that Theon continues to wrestle with, and likely will do for a long time to come.
His ambition and zealousness are not tempered by patience as they should be. Theon never quite lost the fire of youth, and it's carried with him in the form of both great passion as well as ill-temperament. Quick to anger and reveling in loathing, he's known to bear grudges for great lengths of time, and his forgiveness is a rare and precious thing. The only thing that's ever proven to keep him in line is the wisdom and advice of those few people he truly respects.
The things he chooses to respect in others are informed, primarily, by what his family's best known for: honor, duty, and loyalty.
True men of loyalty, who stick by their brothers no matter the personal cost, are seen as a precious commodity by Theon. He feels quite strongly that many of his bannermen are only loyal when it suits them, and that they would turn on the Starks the moment things became difficult: as proven by the betrayal of the Boltons and those that bent the knee to them so long ago.
Duty is loyalty of a different form. It is loyalty to an ideal rather than any individual, and for that reason Theon holds it quite highly too. Holding to one's cause even in the face of death is the truest test of a man's character, and more often than not men fail that test. Those that don't, however, must be men of great character and quality.
Honor is the one value of Theon's family he is unsure of. To hold to a personal code of conduct is, in a way, a form of loyalty or duty; but it entails with it a number of traits that Theon believes led to the downfall of many of his ancestors, namely Robb and Eddard. Aspects of honor- such as compassion, honesty, and chivalry- created a weakness in his family that was exploited by honorless men and traitors alike. Honor nearly wiped his family off of the map. And yet, at the same time, it could be argued that honor was the reason the Starks rose to prominence in the first place. It's a confusing and often contradictory thing that Theon continues to wrestle with, and likely will do for a long time to come.
Attributes & Talents
Theon Stark is well-trained in every aspect of lordship. From riding to swordfighting and statecraft to diplomacy, he spent the first two and a half decades of his life preparing to eventually become the Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell. He's became quite proficient in most of those areas, taking well especially to those skills that gave him an outlet for his anger- swordsmanship in particular. Though not a master at much at all, he's a well-rounded man, capable of acting with competency in almost any situation, bar those where delicate diplomacy is required.
Family
Leona Stark
Leona Stark is Theon's mother and a pious follower of the Faith of the Seven, and is almost singlehandedly responsible for the Faith's resurgence in the North. Her position as Lady of Winterfell allowed her a great deal of influence and power, and gave her the opportunity to rebuild the Sept and invite Septons and Septas northward to spread the good word among the Smallfolk. She acts as both a source of wisdom for Theon, offering him what knowledge she has whenever he needs it, and a source of compassion when he's at his most vulnerable.
Lyanna Baratheon
Lyanna Baratheon is Theon's wife
Willam Stark
Willam Stark is Theon's uncle
Cregan Umber
Cregan Umber is Theon's cousin
Harlon Stark
Harlon Stark is Theon's eldest son
Edrick Stark
Edrick Stark is Theon's other son
Sara Stark
Sara Stark is Theon's only daughter
Leona Stark is Theon's mother and a pious follower of the Faith of the Seven, and is almost singlehandedly responsible for the Faith's resurgence in the North. Her position as Lady of Winterfell allowed her a great deal of influence and power, and gave her the opportunity to rebuild the Sept and invite Septons and Septas northward to spread the good word among the Smallfolk. She acts as both a source of wisdom for Theon, offering him what knowledge she has whenever he needs it, and a source of compassion when he's at his most vulnerable.
Lyanna Baratheon
Lyanna Baratheon is Theon's wife
Willam Stark
Willam Stark is Theon's uncle
Cregan Umber
Cregan Umber is Theon's cousin
Harlon Stark
Harlon Stark is Theon's eldest son
Edrick Stark
Edrick Stark is Theon's other son
Sara Stark
Sara Stark is Theon's only daughter
Personal Relations
Lyonel Baratheon
TBD
Axel Baratheon
TBD
Brus Baratheon
TBD
Garth Tyrell
TBD
Randyl Tyrell
TBD
TBD
Axel Baratheon
TBD
Brus Baratheon
TBD
Garth Tyrell
TBD
Randyl Tyrell
TBD
