Editing House Karstark (section)

==Recent Events==
===''A Game of Thrones''===
[[File:Jaime Lannister Whispering Woods Mike S. Miller.jpg|thumb|300px|Jaime Lannister slays one of the Karstarks by Mike S Miller ©]] 
The Karstarks answer the summons of [[Robb Stark]] when he calls the banners of the north. Led by Lord [[Rickard Karstark]] and his sons, [[Harrion Karstark|Harrion]], [[Eddard Karstark|Eddard]], and [[Torrhen Karstark|Torrhen]], they bring three hundred horse and near two thousand foot to [[Winterfell]], singing hymns and marching to the rhythm of a big drum. The Karstark family enters the castle to pay their respects to the Starks.{{Ref|AGOT|53}}

On the march south, the Karhold men quarter in the [[Drunkard's Tower]] at [[Moat Cailin]]. [[Catelyn Stark]] warns her son Robb that he cannot seem indecisive in front of men like Lord [[Roose Bolton]] and Rickard Karstark.{{Ref|AGOT|55}} When the Stark host splits at the [[Twins]], Rickard's heir Harrion leads the Karstark spears with Lord Bolton's infantry, while Rickard and his other sons accompany Robb with their cavalry.{{Ref|AGOT|62}}

Eddard and Torrhen are two of the [[Robb Stark's personal guard|thirty sons of lords]] who ride with the Young Wolf during the [[battle in the Whispering Wood]], where the brothers are killed by Ser [[Jaime Lannister]].{{Ref|AGOT|63}}

Among others, [[Tyrion Lannister]] sees the Karstark sunburst among the enemy banners in the [[Green Fork]]. He follows Ser [[Gregor Clegane]]'s charge against a double crescent of Karstark spearmen waiting behind tall oaken shields with the sigil of [[Karhold]]. Harrion is captured during this [[battle on the Green Fork]] and brought to [[Harrenhal]].{{Ref|AGOT|62}}

Rickard desires vengeance for his sons, but Jaime is needed as a prisoner. After the [[Battle of the Camps]], Lord Karstark is seen by Catelyn praying at [[Riverrun]]'s godswood with Robb and other followers of the [[old gods]]. He is perceived by Catelyn as a man in a nightmare, gaunt and hollow-eyed in his grief. Rickard remains loyal and is the second man to proclaim Robb the [[King in the North]] after Lord [[Jon Umber|Greatjon Umber]].{{Ref|AGOT|71}}

===''A Clash of Kings''===
[[File:Franz Miklis karhold.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Karhold]] by Franz Miklis © Fantasy Flight Games]]
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 the [[Hornwood]] lands after the deaths of Lord [[Halys Hornwood]] and his heir, [[Daryn Hornwood|Daryn]].{{Ref|ACOK|16}}

Lord Karstark campaigns with Robb through the [[westerlands]], driving a lance through Ser [[Stafford Lannister]]'s chest at the [[Battle of Oxcross]]{{ref|ACOK|32}} and raiding along the coast thereafter along with [[Galbart Glover]].{{Ref|ACOK|39}}

[[Tyrion Lannister]], the acting [[Hand of the King]], plans to exchange Harrion Karstark and Ser [[Wylis Manderly]] for [[Willem Lannister]], but the negotiations fail. Harrion is released from captivity after the [[fall of Harrenhal]] to Lord [[Roose Bolton]].{{Ref|ACOK|47}} Roose sends him as part of [[Robett Glover]] and Ser [[Helman Tallhart]]'s force to take [[Duskendale]].{{Ref|ACOK|64}}

[[Theon Greyjoy]] notices few Karstark banners among the army commanded by Rodrik that gathers at Winterfell to expel the ironmen. They are betrayed by [[Ramsay Snow]] and the garrison of the [[Dreadfort]] during the [[battle at Winterfell]], however.{{Ref|ACOK|66}}

===''A Storm of Swords''===
After the [[Sack of Winterfell]], [[Bran Stark]] considers going to the [[House Umber|Umbers]] or the Karstarks, whom he considers loyal. He remembers that his father [[Eddard Stark]] always said Karhold was a strong castle.{{Ref|ASOS|9}}

In the [[battle at Duskendale]], Harrion is captured by Lord [[Randyll Tarly]]'s army, and he is then held at [[Maidenpool]].{{Ref|AFFC|Appendix}} Some of the Karstark foot that survive the battle rejoin Roose Bolton's forces.{{Ref|ASOS|49}}

Lord Karstark returns to Riverrun from the westerlands with the rest of Robb's army. Finding that [[Catelyn Stark]] had freed Ser [[Jaime Lannister]] from captivity in an effort to retrieve her daughters, [[Sansa Stark|Sansa]] and [[Arya Stark|Arya]], Rickard feels she has robbed him of his vengeance. Driven to desperation, he and seven of his men murder the captive squires [[Tion Frey]] and [[Willem Lannister]], killing two [[House Tully guards|Tully men]] and injuring three Umbers in the process.{{Ref|ASOS|20}} Meanwhile, he had also sent his cavalry to scour the [[riverlands]] for Jaime, promising the hand of his daughter [[Alys Karstark|Alys]] to whomever brings him Jaime's head.{{Ref|ASOS|31}}

For his crime, Robb Stark sentences Rickard to death and beheads him. In his speech before his execution, Rickard appeals to his and his family's loyalty to House Stark, and he curses Robb with an accusation of [[kinslaying]] due to the ancient relation between Karstarks and Starks.{{Ref|ASOS|20}}

Karstark men search the [[crownlands]] and riverlands, including [[Acorn Hall]], [[Blackbottom Bend]], the [[Hayford road]], [[Sallydance]],{{Ref|ASOS|22}} and [[fighting at Sow's Horn|Sow's Horn]], where they are defeated by the men of [[House Hogg]], resulting in three Karstarks being killed and buried.{{Ref|AFFC|27}} Not finding Ser Jaime in [[Tumbler's Falls]], a group of northmen, possibly Karstarks, proceed to rape and then kill eight people before being apprehended by the [[Mad Huntsman]], who puts them in [[crow cage]]s in [[Stoney Sept]], which had also already been attacked by northmen.{{Ref|ASOS|29}} [[Second sack of Maidenpool|Maidenpool]] and an unnamed village nearby are also attacked by northmen,{{Ref|AFFC|14}} possibly Karstarks. Jaime is eventually captured by the [[Brave Companions]] and brought to Lord Bolton at Harrenhal.{{Ref|AFFC|31}} To protect Jaime from roving Karstarks, Roose has [[Steelshanks Walton]] escort the Kingslayer from Harrenhal to [[King's Landing]].{{Ref|ASOS|37}}

Some Karstark infantry are part of the force that Lord Bolton keeps with him after the [[fighting at the fords of the Trident]]. They march with Roose to the [[Twins]] for the wedding between Lord [[Edmure Tully]] and [[Roslin Frey]],{{Ref|ASOS|49}} and the incognito Arya hears their songs in the tents outside the castles.{{Ref|ASOS|50}} During the [[Red Wedding]], mailed men in shaggy fur cloaks—presumably Karstarks or [[House Bolton|Boltons]]—join the slaughter of men loyal to Robb, such as [[Jon Umber (son of Jon)|Smalljon Umber]].{{Ref|ASOS|51}}

Maester [[Aemon Targaryen (son of Maekar I)|Aemon]] sends a raven to Karhold in a plea for help to defend [[attack on Castle Black|Castle Black]] from [[wildlings]].{{Ref|ASOS|55}}

===''A Feast for Crows''===
[[Brienne of Tarth]] spots the badge of House Karstark among those that have been collected from the dead around [[Duskendale]].{{Ref|AFFC|9}}

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.{{Ref|AFFC|27}} Ser [[Daven Lannister]] confesses to Jaime that he had sworn not to cut his hair until avenging his father, Ser [[Stafford Lannister]], but he could not accomplish his goal once Rickard Karstark was executed by Robb.{{Ref|AFFC|33}}

===''A Dance with Dragons''===
[[File:Alys Sigorn by Rae Lavergne.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Alys Karstark]] and [[Sigorn]], by Rae Lavergne ©]] 
With the death of Lord [[Rickard Karstark|Rickard]], [[Harrion Karstark]] becomes the new Lord of [[Karhold]]. With Harrion in [[House Lannister|Lannister]] captivity, however, Rickard's uncle [[Arnolf Karstark]], the castellan of Karhold, declares for King [[Stannis Baratheon]]. House Karstark is the only major northern house to do so.{{Ref|ADWD|3}} Stannis considers granting [[Winterfell]] to Arnolf.{{Ref|ADWD|17}}

Secretly, however, Arnolf is in a plot with the [[House Bolton|Boltons]]{{Ref|ADWD|32}} to provoke the Lannisters into executing Harrion and then marry his son [[Cregan Karstark|Cregan]] to Rickard's daughter [[Alys Karstark|Alys]], and then turning against Stannis when his forces reach [[Winterfell]].{{Ref|ADWD|44}} Alys flees to the [[Wall]] seeking the help of [[Jon Snow]], [[Lord Commander of the Night's Watch]] and informs him of the plot. Arnolf's plot to claim Karhold is foiled when Jon [[wedding of Sigorn and Alys Karstark|arranges a marriage]] between Alys and [[Sigorn]], the [[Magnar]] of [[Thenn (region)|Thenn]]. Should Harrion die, lordship of Karhold would pass to Alys and the newly-founded [[House Thenn]].{{Ref|ADWD|44}} Cregan arrives at [[Castle Black]] only to find Alys already betrothed, and he is thrown into an [[ice cell]]. He is 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.{{Ref|ADWD|49}} Jon has [[Clydas]] send a raven from [[Castle Black]] to [[Deepwood Motte]] in an attempt to warn Stannis of Arnolf's intentions.{{Ref|ADWD|49}}

A captive [[Theon Greyjoy]] is present at the [[Dreadfort]] when [[Ramsay Snow|Ramsay Bolton]] hosts Arnolf and [[Hother Umber]].{{Ref|ADWD|12}} Arnolf later joins Stannis at a [[crofters' village]] with four hundred spears, two score archers, and a dozen mounted lances.{{Ref|ADWD|62}}

===''The Winds of Winter''===
{{Warning/twow}}
Stannis learns of Arnolf's plot thanks to the letter sent by Jon Snow. Stannis summons Arnolf, his son [[Arthor Karstark|Arthor]], and his three grandsons to his presence under the pretext of breaking fast. Stannis's knights surround and arrest the Karstarks, injuring two of the grandsons in the process. Stannis offers the Karstarks a choice: a swift death in return for cooperation or being burned alive.<ref>''[[The Winds of Winter]]'', [[Theon I (The Winds of Winter)|Theon I]]</ref>