House Karstark

House Karstark of Karhold is a noble house from Karhold in the north. They were founded as a cadet branch of their overlords, the Starks of Winterfell, and are among their principal bannermen. Their blazon is a white sunburst on black and their motto is "The Sun of Winter".

Traits
Karstarks are big, fierce men, bearded and long-haired, with brown hair and blue-grey eyes.Lord Rickard Karstark and his daughter, Alys, have long, narrow faces.

Karstarks and their men wear thick cloaks made of the pelts of seals, bears, and wolves, or black woolen cloaks patterned with the white sunburst. Karstark soldiers wear black iron halfhelms, mail hauberks or shirts of sewn rings, and heavy boots. Lord Rickard wears black mail.

History
The Karstarks descend from Karlon Stark, a younger son of Winterfell. Possibly around 700 BC, Karlon put down a rebel lord and was granted lands for his valor. The castle he built near the Grey Cliffs was named Karl's Hold, but that soon became Karhold, and over the centuries the Karhold Starks became Karstarks.

Over the centuries, several Karstarks have wed Starks. These include Margaret Karstark, who was wed to Bennard Stark, the second son of Lord Benjen Stark, with whom she had three sons; Alys Karstark, who was wed to Lord Brandon Stark, with whom she had three children; And Lysara Karstark, who was wed to Alys's grandson Artos Stark, whom she gave two sons.

During Robert's Rebellion, Lord Rickard Karstark fought alongside Lord Eddard Stark at the Battle of the Trident.

Before the end of the Dance
With the death of Lord Rickard, Harrion Karstark becomes the new Lord of Karhold. With Harrion in 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.[34] Stannis considers granting Winterfell to Arnolf.

Secretly, however, Arnolf is in a plot with the Boltons 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 reach Winterfell. Alys flees to the Wall seeking the help of Jon Snow, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Arnolf's plot to claim Karhold is foiled when Jon arranges a marriage between Alys and Sigorn, the Magnar of Thenn. Should Harrion die, lordship of Karhold would pass to Alys and the newly-founded House Thenn. 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. Jon has Clydas send a raven from Castle Black to Deepwood Motte in an attempt to warn Stannis of Arnolf's intentions.

A captive Theon Greyjoy is present at the Dreadfort when Ramsay Bolton hosts Arnolf and Hother Umber. Arnolf later joins Stannis at a crofters' village with four hundred spears, two score archers, and a dozen mounted lances

Karstarks stay loyal
House Karstark would join John Stark formerly a Snow in the retaking of WInterfell where Lord Harrion would die leaving Alys Kartark as the Lady of Karhold. But the plans to marry to any member of House Thenn would fail as she would find her husband from House Lock. A minor member of the family that didn't have any chance to Oldcastle. From said union would come two sons Cregan Karstark and Rodrik Karstark.