Maester Kermit

Maester Kermit is a quiet and friendly man. After having been at the Citadel for longer than he can remember he was sent to the Dreadfort to serve as its Maester in the year 398 AC after the passing of its previous Maester Arnolf.

Appearance and Character
Maester Kermit is generally known to be a man as friendly as he is learned, even though he is not considered to be especially charismatic. He takes great pride in the work he does and has been said to have spent hours on end studying literature on subjects he was unfamiliar with to better help his Lord.

In the past Kermit had always kept his hair as well as facial hair well kempt and short since his coming to the North however he has grown a messy beard and let his hair grow into a more wild flair. He is usually dressed in grey robes with his Maester’s chain around his neck, his Valyrian steel links centered over his torso.

While he spends most time serving his Lord in whatever way necessary, most of his free time is spent dabbling in the art of alchemy in his chambers. While he hasn't been able to make any significant advances yet, he is certain that with the return of Dragons magic has once more been set loose upon the world making the alchemical arts possible, in theory at least.

Early Life and Studies
Nobody knows exactly where Kermit is from, nor his parentage. When he was a child a travelling merchant arrived with the boy in his carriage, tasked by his parents to leave him at the Citadel to be educated and in time, become a maester.

The maesters of the citadel were hesitant to take him on at first but eventually agreed that it would be for the better. A slow learner at first Kermit struggled during his early years, not only with the education but also to fit in with his peers.

During these times he could often be found alone, delved deep into the various works of literature trying to make up for the slow pace of learning he had. And as most would tell you: hard work pays off. After countless sleepless nights Kermit managed to make up for his deficit and through keeping up the habit of going above and beyond to complete his studies he eventually maintained a steady pace ahead of his peers.

It was under the Archmaester of Silver’s tutelage that he found that learning is more than just a chore, but also something that can be enjoyed. And it was with this newfound wisdom that Kermit acquired his first link, a silver one for the arts of healing, at the age of eight and ten. It did not take long for him to expand his chain, over the coming years he added enough links to become a maester, including: three more in healing, one in ravenry, warcraft and history and two in math and economics.

It was at this point that he chose to take the vows to become a maester and was locked in the chamber with the glass candle. Where most maesters would accept the fact that they could spend an entire night trying to light the candle and fail, this was not enough for Kermit. While he completed his vows and earned the right to call himself a maester, he started to devote the following years to the higher mysteries.

The more he tried to study the candles’ properties the more intriguing they became to him. While no exact explanation had been found for the lighting of the glass candles, most sources agreed that it had to do with magic. It took a year until Kermit had read every tome available on the candles and he decided to take a test of knowledge on the higher mysteries. After putting everything he had into the test, it was not enough. He had failed. All the work he had put into it had been for nought. Distraught with his failure he went back to studying medicine, swearing off the higher mysteries.

It was a week after he had turned six and twenty, about a year since the previous events, that he came across a particularly odd piece of literature. A book older than any other he had come across, titled: “The Laws of Equivalent Exchange.”, a book on the art of Alchemy. He opened it out of sheer curiosity and unlike what he had expected, he was enchanted by the subject.

The book spoke of turning lead into gold, water into wine and so much more. It appeared he had finally found what he was looking for. Once more he poured his heart and soul into his learning, land eventually made another attempt at obtaining a Valyrian link and passed, but it was not enough. After all he had done, he had still not been able to find a way to light the candles. The newfound success motivated him, and he spent more and more time delving into the higher mysteries. A decade later even earning a second link in the subject.

For the sake of his reputation he returned to his studies in medicine, but he continued to study and experiment with alchemy as a hobby. He did this for two years before being elected to go to the Dreadfort to serve as its new Maester after the passing of Maester Arnolf during the War of Three Thieves.

The Dreadlord's Maester
The times he faced were hard on everyone at his new home, while the tragedy of the passing of the Lord and Heir did not hit him as hard as the others, simply because he did not know them, he was affected harshly by the exile of Eyron Stark. Eyron had been troublesome to say the very least, but more than that he left behind a chaotic mess. The commonfolk were outraged at the way he had ruled, and as the man who should have been the Lord's closest advisor Kermit saw the failure in ruling as his own failure as much as Eyron’s.

The transition to Torrhen’s rule was not without hardship either, a young man who had never expected to be in the position now found himself to be a Lord, and above all unknowing what to do. Where this would usually be when the Maester plays an instrumental role in keeping the ship afloat, this was not the case. Kermit often doubted his own thoughts on matters where in the past he would have been swift to decide.

Maester Kermit finally found his confidence in a place he had not expected, as he strolled through the Dreadfort's Godswood his eye fell on a small frog. The small frog was trying to make its way up a stream that ran throughout the Godswood. The little creature jumped and jumped, but each time he was swept down again by the flowing water. The task seemed impossible, but as he kept trying he eventually succeeded. The sheer determination shown by the small amphibian inspired Kermit.

The future did not hold any relief from hardship either. The Scarlet Winter razed the realm and claimed many souls, some of which men and women Kermit had attempted to save. Most notable among these was Torrhen's eldest and heir, Eddard. He had come in blue with frostbite after a hunt and was left with Kermit in good faith to be saved, but it was too late even then. Kermit had tried what he could but the case was hopeless from the start, leaving the Maester with nothing but attempts to relieve the young man's pain as he suffered a slow and painful death.

The following years were no less troublesome, the winter had ended but it's aftermath could be felt by everyone. The Dreadfort was now ruled by a man acting out of grief more than anything. His children were confined to the castle grounds, only rarely allowed to leave. An enormous statue was erected in 'honor' of Torrhen's late son, which ended up as a grim reminder of those dreadful nights where screams once more filled the Dreadfort's halls.

Recent Events
After the recent beheading of Lord Eyron Stark at the hands of his cousin and liege Lord Jon Stark, the Dreadfort finds itself in a state of unease. Maester Kermit is doing his best to keep those he has come to see as family from harm and further foolishness.