Houses of the North
The North is the only kingdom where the traditions & kinships of the first men still hold sway. When winter comes, it is these traditions that hold the pack together. But in the days of summer, if the houses of the frozen keeps wish to range beyond, they will look south toward Barrowton & White Harbor.
The North
Old Customs of the North
There are balances in the North, older than the Andals & their Seven. The lords of the north remember strength & weakness, mercy & tyranny, they remember shared blood & the kinship of united purpose. Uniting the northerners is dependent on managing deep relations and respecting pride when demonstrating justice. They will fall behind a strong leader, but will only unite for one that will strengthen them together.
But as Old Gods roam the forests of the frozen tundra, summer is still enjoyed in the lands closest to the Neck. In regards to resources, no northern keep would starve if it had to hold out with what it sowed alone. But if Winterfell wants to project any force onto the seven kingdoms, participate in southern affairs, it has too look onto Barrowtown & White Harbor to provide the majority of the north's surplus. Otherwise, the impenetrable fortress of Winterfell remains an irrelevant keep in the heart of nowhere.
If this kingdom is united, is a question of strength & pride. If this kingdom prospers is a question of two keeps at its fringes.
This is the "Northern Blade." It displays the committal of the minor houses to Winterfell, Barrowton or White Harbor. The more houses cluster around one power, the more likely it is, that others will follow.
Besides the diplomacy you chose to hold, events including matches, disputes and most likely grants & taxes will appear as petitions from minor houses.
The personal loyalties the members of each house hold toward the Lord Paramount are a factor in deciding the severity of events, but not their position on the blade.
House Dustin of Barrowton
House Stark
House Bolton
House Glover
House Umber
House Karstark
If the minor houses are clustered higher, it shows a kinship with the House Stark that trumps that of the other bannermen. If too many of the houses prefer another strong leader, that house is more likely to deny their liege lords their requests.
Although pride & honor lay at the heart of northern displays of loyalty, do not underestimate their penchant for schemes.
With time, the blade may narrow or shorten, meaning an alliance has been forged that will be hard to dislodge.
The more lords stray from your cluster, the harsher self reliance & isolation will become. Never let your vassals pay you homage instead of bending the knee.
House Manderly of White Harbor
Achievements of House Stark & the Legacy of the North
The North & House Stark are built on duty & tradition. Ancient rules of kinship govern the first-men houses of this frigid kingdom. As the North unites, those ties are strengthened.
House Stark must prepare for winter. Ensure the stability of their kingdom as they've done since the King's of Winter, stockpile & fortify, unite their vassals under common causes, as when winter comes, it comes with a ferocity seldom witnessed south of the Neck.
The legacy of House Stark, more than any other great Lords Paramount, is conservation. The North was the only Kingdom Aegon did not fight. The Stark's knelt, not because they were weak, but because they knew that only peril would come of this strife.
Example project.
Enshrine your legacy here.
Achievements are semi-permanent accomplishments that build atop each other to create your legacy. They remain until torn down.
They may be buildings, but are also often reforms, laws, alliances, matches, or even patronage and people.
Achievements will become available here as you interact with you bannermen and region at large.
With each achievement, a path to the next will reveal itself, tailoring the progress to your vision of your kingdom.
30
30
Prosperity: Average
House Stark of Winterfell
The Warden of the North resides in Winterfell, seldom interfering in southern affairs. "There must always be a Stark in Winterfell." Many believe the Starks remain north as the vast lands and rowdy lords require much attention. But deeper truths govern the North. Between the Night's Watch at the Wall & the Cranogmen of the Neck, the rulers of Winterfell have no need of enemies from without.
Winterfell
Winterfell
4
Home of the Displaced
Noble lords may accept exile into the Wall with both dignity & honor, allowing you to dispossess vassals without breaking tradition.
"And so my Watch begins" The Night's Watch is a death sentence down south, but in the North, it is an honor, served with duty & distinction.
Ser Rickard Stark
Lord Paramount of Winterfell
& Warden of the North
Crone
D12
+0
Mother
D10
+1
Maiden
D8
+0
Steward
- increase max prosperity by 10%
Smith
D6
+0
Negotiator
Known for grace & compromise. Approached for clemency.
-2 to rolls defending precedent.
Ser Rickard leads the North with his gaze torn between north and south.
A dutiful patriarch, lord Rickard devotes his efforts to the ascension, not of his name, but of his descendants.
When the heir to Winterfell demanded to ride south & sample the tastes of warmer lands, he was sent as soon as he proved himself capable.
Now the blonde wolf enjoys his sweet wines and only his lord father knows if he misses the cold winters of the North.
Ser David Stark
Lord of the North
Crone
D10
+0
Maiden
D6
+1
Fair Suitor
+4 to rolls for "matches" made for oneself
Overconfident
Will overcommit occasionally.
-1 to underperforming rolls.
Maiden
D10
+0
Crone
D6
+0
Lady Fiona Stark
Lady in Waiting
His second child was a blessing to Lord Rickard as Fiona was born fair, dutiful & intelligent. Now sent to join the Household of her aunt, she has been assigned her role in the wolves plans.
They say the first men wed the children of the forest & thus produced the lines of northern kings. Pacts made in ancient caves & peace forged after the great workings of mystery.
Whatever the story, some, like the second son Sigmund the spare, speak of dreams from the eyes of crows.
Lord Edric Stark
Lord of the North
Lady Alysanne Stark
Lady of the North
Crone
D10
+1
Prophecy Prone
+5 to rolls discovering, following prophecies
Mother
D6
+0
Lord Sigmund Stark
"The Weaver"
Lord of the North
Lovestruck
Tied by chains of affection.
The young Starks, Edric & Alysanne, Rickards youngest heirs, are the lord's latest projects as the previous children seem to leave one by one.
Mother
D8
+1
Home and Hearth
+3 to rolls protecting kin from harm
Maiden
D8
+0
Warrior
D6
+0
Lady Lorelai Dustin
Lady of the North
Grudgekeeper
Settler of old scores.
After the passing of his lady wife, Lord Rickard's brother Lukas ranged northward, to the Gift & beyond as he dedicated himself to the fight.
He left his young son as a Ward to his brother, so that the boy may be raised in a proper home at Winterfell.
Smith
D10
+1
Old Rhoynar
- increase max Sailor experience by 1 stage
Warrior
D6
+0
Ser Killian Stark
Lord Admiral of the North
Cadet Lord
Will reverse their fortunes, either by glory or inheritance.
The younger sister to Lord Rickard's wife & once a confidant to his own sister, Lady Lorelai has often preferred Winterfell over Barrowton.
She has grown fond of the kids & now supports them in their endeavors as one of three mother figures.
Smith
D10
+0
Father
D6
+0
Protective
Wrathful in matters of kin.
Ser Lukas Stark
Lord of the North
So it came to be that the young Killian would be raised amongst his cousins as of the main family lineage.
As the boys love for the sea materialized, he was sure to visit the coast often, until he was eventually sent to squire for a Manderly and eventually remained there.
60
40
Prosperity: Average
House Manderly of White Harbor
Originally a southern house, the Manderly's fled north from the Reach & were granted lands by the King's of Winterfell. They however managed those lands so well, that they constructed White Harbor- the only great city in the North & the fifth largest in Westeros.
They are the only house to follow the faith of the seven in the north & posses a sept.
House Manderly are possibly the largest bannermen of the Stark's & surely the wealthiest.
!
Lord Manderly is a sluggish man, convinced of little action & hard to sway. Those who desire action taken in White Harbor take up his younger brother, a knight of much will & lust for glory.
White Harbor
2
20
70
Prosperity: Average
House Dustin of Barrowton
The Dustin's rule over many of the smaller southern houses in the North. These scattered lands suffer from many disputes, often handled in the court of Barrow Hall. The town itself is positioned north of the Saltspear, amidst the Barrowlands- the most fertile lands of the North.
House Dustin governs as conciliators & stabilizers in this region, upholding the Stark's reach from the Kingsroad to Stoney Shore.
!
Lady Dustin grooms her sons for greatness, each young knight paraded as a prized possessions, matches explored, not to cement alliances, but to prove grandeur.
Lady Beatrice Dustin
Lady of Barrowton
D8
Barrowton
1
House Bolton of the Dreadfort
The banner of the flayed man strikes fear into even northeners hearts. House Bolton are former Red King's & often adversaries to Winterfell but have often served alongside them. It is rumored that the dungeons of the Dreadfort are lined with the skin-coats of their victims. Undisputedly, the Bolton's rule over much of the east & command a formidable force, not to be ignored.
3
!
After his father's untimely demise, the young lord Bolton has ascended above his two elder sisters & is eager to prove his metal. There are rumors of his desires on smaller vassal keeps & lands but nothing alarming as of now.
30
20
Prosperity: Average
House Karstark of Karhold
By the Grey Cliffs lie Karhold, a stronghold atop a rock, the inhabitants call "small & mean". Originally a branch of the Stark family, the lords of Karhold are known as particularly rough & tumble folk. They share a spirited rivalry with their larger neighbors House Umber but protect the lands north of the Last River with them regardless.
3
!
Lord Karstark has many daughters and no male heir since his last son was ambushed by raiding wildlings by the Bay of Seals. He has recently wed again, hoping for a new male heir as his daughters run his keep for him.
20
30
Prosperity: Average
House Umber of Last Hearth
The chained giant is the symbol of the Umbers. They are possibly the most ferocious fighters of the North, battle hardened & always ready, fighting wildling incursions. House Umbers greatest gripe with the king's of the south was the bestowment of the second gift during the reign of the conciliator that stripped much land and the town of Queenscrown from their holdings.
2
!
Lord Umber is a towering man, hardened in the throes of battle. Diminished only by his two sons. One elder, who has remained by his father's side ruling & one younger who rode south to lend his sword to whomever presented him glorious battle.
10
40
Prosperity: Average
House Glover of Deepwood Motte
House Glover rules in the Wolfswood & the Bay of Ice. Their lands are scattered with sparse villages & no towns to speak of. Their domain is the rugged shore & the unforgiving inlands.
1
!
Lady Glover rules the western shore with much conviction, known as a notorious widow as she refuses to wed or step back for her son to rule in her stead. She is known for her ambition & avoided by some northerners for an uncharacteristic pragmatism.
10
10
Prosperity: Average