House Karstark

From A Wiki of Ice and Fire

House Karstark of Karhold
Coat of arms	Sable, a sunburst argent
Words	The Sun of Winter
Seat	Karhold
Current Lord	Harrion Karstark
Region	The North
Title	Lord of Karhold
Heir	Alys Karstark
Overlord	House Bolton
Founder	Karlon Stark
Founded	One thousand years ago

House Karstark of Karhold is a noble house from the North, and a cadet branch of the overlords, House Stark. Karstarks are big, fierce men, bearded and long-haired, and favor wearing cloaks made of the pelts of seals, bears, and wolves. Their blazon is a white sunburst on black and their motto is, "The Sun of Winter".^[1]

Contents 1 Background 2 Recent History 2.1 A Game of Thrones 2.2 A Clash of Kings 2.3 A Storm of Swords 2.4 A Dance with Dragons 2.5 The Winds of Winter 3 The Karstark House at the end of the third century 4 References in A Song of Ice and Fire 5 References and Notes

Background

The Karstarks are descendants of the First Men, and have the blood of the Starks of Winterfell in their veins from a thousand years before. Their founder was Karlon Stark, who put down a rebellion of the Boltons and was granted lands for his valor.^[2] The castle he built was named Karl’s Hold, but that soon became Karhold, and over the centuries the Karhold Starks became Karstarks. Karhold lies far to the northeast of Winterfell in the midst of a forest beyond the Last River, overlooking the Shivering Sea.^[2]

The Lord of Karhold at the beginning of the series, Rickard Karstark, fought alongside Eddard Stark at the Battle of the Trident.

Recent History

A Game of Thrones

The Karstarks answered the call of Robb Stark when he called the banners of The North. Led by Lord Rickard and his sons Harrion, Eddard, and Torrhen, they brought three hundred horse and near two thousand foot on the march south with Robb, singing hymns and marching to the rhythm of a big drum. On the march south, the Karhold men quarter in the Drunkard's Tower at Moat Cailin. When the Stark host splits at the Twins, Lord Rickard's heir Harrion leads the Karstark spears with Roose Bolton's infantry, while Rickard and his other sons accompany Robb with their cavalry. Eddard and Torrhen are two of the thirty sons of lords who ride with the Young Wolf during the Battle of the Whispering Wood, where they are killed by Jaime Lannister; meanwhile Harrion is captured during the Battle of the Green Fork and brought to Harrenhal. Rickard desired vengeance, but Jaime was needed as a prisoner. Still, Lord Rickard remained loyal, and was the second man to proclaim Robb the King in the North after the Greatjon.

A Clash of Kings

Lord Karstark campaigns with Robb through the Westerlands, driving a lance through Ser Stafford Lannister's chest at the Battle of Oxcross and raiding along the coast thereafter along with Galbart Glover.

When Roose Bolton takes Harrenhal, Harrion is released from captivity. Lord Bolton sends him as part of Robett Glover and Ser Helman Tallhart's force to take Duskendale.

A Storm of Swords

In the Battle of Duskendale, Harrion is captured again by Lord Randyll Tarly's army, and is held at Maidenpool. The Karstarks that survive the battle rejoin Roose Bolton's forces.

Lord Karstark returns from the Westerlands with the rest of Robb's army. Finding that Catelyn Stark had freed the Kingslayer from captivity in an effort to retrieve her daughters, Rickard is driven to desperation for revenge. He and seven of his men murder the captive squires Tion Frey and Willem Lannister, killing two Tully men in the process. Meanwhile, his cavalry scours the Riverlands for Ser Jaime. For his crime, Robb Stark sentences Rickard to death and beheads him. In his speech before his execution, Rickard appealed to his and his family's loyalty to House Stark, and cursed Robb with a (feeble) accusation of kinslaying due to the ancient relation between Karstarks and Starks. After the execution of Lord Rickard, the Karstark cavalry broke away from the rest of the Northmen and returned to Karhold.

The Karstark infantry march with Lord Bolton to the Twins.^[3] They are part of the force that he keeps with him after the Battle of the Ruby Ford.

A Dance with Dragons

With the death of Lord Rickard, Harrion Karstark had become the new Lord of Karhold. With Harrion in Lannister captivity, however, Rickard's uncle Arnolf Karstark, the castellan of Karhold, declares for Stannis Baratheon. House Karstark is the only major Northern house to do so.^[4] Secretly, however, Arnolf is in a plot with the Boltons^[5] to provoke the Lannisters into executing Harrion and then marry his son Cregan to Rickard's daughter Alys, and then turning against Stannis when his forces reached Winterfell.^[6] Alys flees to the Wall seeking Jon Snow's help, and reveals the situation. Arnolf's plot to claim Karhold is foiled when Lord Commander Snow arranges a marriage between Alys and Sigorn, the Magnar of Thenn, and sends a raven to King Stannis informing him of Arnolf's treachery. Cregan arrives at Castle Black only to find Alys already wed, and he is thrown into an ice cell. He's given the choice to join the Night's Watch and be cleared of all crimes or wait for the return of King Stannis and be executed for treason.

The Winds of Winter

Stannis learns of Arnolf's plot thanks to a letter sent by Jon Snow. Stannis summons Arnolf, his son Arthor, and his three grandchildren, to his presence under the pretext of breaking fast. Stannis' knights surround and arrest the Karstarks, injuring two of the grandchildren in the process. Stannis offers the Karstarks to choose between cooperation and being granted swift deaths, or being burned alive.

The Karstark House at the end of the third century

The known Karstarks during the timespan of the events described in A Song of Ice and Fire are:

• Lord {Rickard Karstark}, Lord of Karhold. He was executed by Robb Stark.
  • Harrion Karstark, his eldest son, the new Lord of Karhold. Called "Harry" by his sister. A hostage of the Iron Throne.
  • {Torrhen Karstark}, his second son, called "Torr" by his sister.. Slain at the Battle of the Whispering Wood.
  • {Eddard Karstark}, his third son, called "Edd" by his sister.. Slain at the Battle of the Whispering Wood.
  • Alys Karstark, his daughter, and Harrion's heir. Married to Sigorn, the Magnar of Thenn.
• Arnolf Karstark, his uncle. Called "Lord Arnolf" despite being only the castellan of Karhold.
  • Cregan Karstark, Arnolf's eldest son, a prisoner of the Night's Watch.
  • Arthor Karstark, Arnolf's second son.
    • Three grandchildren, sons of Arthor.

References in A Song of Ice and Fire

• After Robb calls Winterfell's banners, the Karstark family enters the castle to pay their respects to the Starks, wearing black iron halfhelms and black woolen cloaks patterned with the white sunburst. Bran overhears Eddard Karstark muttering to his brother Torrhen that he would sooner die than live crippled as Bran. Torrhen replies that Bran was likely broken inside, but was too craven to take his own life.
• Catelyn warns Robb that he cannot seem indecisive in front of men like Roose Bolton and Rickard Karstark.
• Among others, Tyrion sees the Karstark sunburst among the enemy banners at the Green Fork
• After the Battle of the Camps, Rickard Karstark is seen by Catelyn Tully praying at Riverrun's godswood with Robb and other followers of the Old Gods.
• After the death of his sons, Lord Karstark is perceived by Catelyn as a man in a nightmare, gaunt and hollow-eyed in his grief.
• The Karstarks are one of the families with ties to House Hornwood through the female line, and thus one of the houses interested on the inheritance of their lands after the deaths of Lord Halys Hornwood and his heir Daryn.
• Arnolf Karstark sent regrets to Winterfell alleging that they could not send help to Ser Rodrik Cassel against the ironborn because all the men had gone south with Robb.
• At one point, the acting Hand of the King Tyrion planned to exchange Harrion Karstark and Ser Wylis Manderly for Willem Lannister, but the negotiations failed.
• Theon Greyjoy noticed few Karstark banners among the army commanded by Rodrik Cassel that gathered at Winterfell to expel the ironmen.
• After the Sack of Winterfell, Bran considers going to the Umbers or the Karstarks, which he considered loyal. He remembers that his father always said Karhold was a strong castle.
• Lord Karstark is upset at Catelyn for freeing Jaime, and tells her that she has robbed him of his vengeance.
• Roose Bolton tells Jaime Lannister that a thousand Karstarks prowl the lands south and east of Riverrun, looking for him.
• Maester Aemon sent a raven to Karhold in a plea for help to defend Castle Black from wildlings.
• Ser Daven Lannister confesses to Jaime that he had sworn not to cut his hair until avenging his father Ser Stafford, but he couldn't accomplish his goal once Karstark had been executed by Robb.
• Brienne of Tarth spots the badge of House Karstark among those that had been collected from the dead around Duskendale.^[7]
• Ser Roger Hogg, the Knight of Sow's Horn in the Crownlands, tells Ser Jaime Lannister that he had been attacked by men wearing the white sunburst.
• Should Harrion die, lordship of Karhold would pass to Alys and the newly-founded House Thenn.^[8]

References and Notes

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