Edrick Stark

Introduction
The North is a harsh, cold land, and the men who call it home must share these characteristics or perish. There is no room for equivocation or weakness in such a place, and those who cannot prove their strength in the largest of the Seven Kingdoms quickly find themselves consumed by the very land that they inhabit. Edrick Stark, brother of the Late Lord Jon Stark of the Dreadfort, has taken this lesson to heart, and never deviates from its teachings. He is a taciturn and capable man, an experienced warrior who has little patience for fools and even less for anyone who might stand in the way of his House. As Captain of the Dreadfort and the designated commander of his family's forces in times of war, such traits have made Edrick a valuable asset to his Lord, Torrhen Stark. Edrick's gaze is ever on the future, fixated on the preservation of his family's power and the restoration of its flagging fortunes. He is no longer a young man, and, though he has begun to become painfully aware that his chapter in the history of House Stark of the Dreadfort is coming to an end, he will be damned before the Old Gods and the New if he leaves his House in a worse state than he found it in.

Physical Appearance and Personality
Edrick is a grave, severe man, and his appearance matches this personality. His face is craggy and weatherbeaten, careworn by the hard times that he has seen but still strong despite all that it has witnessed. He is square-jawed and dark-eyed, his black hair rapidly turning to silver with each passing year. His jaw is clean-shaven for the most part, though on campaign he has been known to grow a short beard and mustache for want of time and equipment to shave. At fifty-five, Edrick is powerfully built, his arms and chest well-muscled and his form still fit despite his advancing age. This is in part due to his frugality and temperance- he has no wish to gorge himself in great feasts and takes only what food and drink he needs to sustain himself. However, it is mostly due to the brutal regimen of riding and bladework that he pursues to keep himself, and his sword, sharp in the event that his house ever requires his skill in battle.

Edrick dresses soberly, generally in a dark, studded doublet or a tunic of soft leather. He has little taste for the more outlandish or flamboyant styles of the Southern Courts. In battle, he wears plate and mail, his armor embossed with his own personal sigil of the Dreadfort rising above a patch of forest. He is almost never seen without his sword by his side, and some whisper that he even sleeps with the blade belted to his waist.

Edrick is a harsh man, with little time for those who have yet to gain his trust and respect. He is known for his gruff, curt manner and a pragmatism so cutting that it can sometimes come across as cruelty or callousness. This is of no great concern to Edrick, who has always sworn to do what is necessary to serve his House without care for the petty complaints of others. Where his gruff pragmatism is one facet of his character, the other is an astonishingly intense loyalty to his family and his Lord. He will happily die if his sacrifice means that his House might prosper, though he would much rather inflict this fate on his enemies if he has the chance. As the Captain of the Dreadfort, Edrick views himself as responsible for keeping his family safe from threats both without and within, and will not shy from any deed if it can allow him to live up to this responsibility.

Youth
Edrick Stark was born in 352 A.C. to Lord Eddard Stark and Lady Sansa Mormont, and spent his youth close to his older brother, Jon. As a second son, he had no expectation of inheriting the title of Lord of the Dreadfort, and, remarkably, this fact never seemed to bother the lad. Edrick cared little for the niceties of politics and rule, preferring instead to spent his time in pursuit of the subject that most interested him: the art of warfare. The child became a regular sight around the barracks of the House Guards, who adopted him as something of a mascot in his younger days and seemed to revel in the near-constant stream of questions that the boy bombarded them with about every aspect of their training, weaponry, and tactics. When the time came for the boys to be educated, the Maester found Edrick a lack-luster student at best, but noted that his attention and intelligence came to the fore the moment that any lesson strayed towards martial matters. Edrick devoured the tales of Aegon the Conqueror and was fascinated by records of the War of the Five Kings, taking a special interest in the exploits of the Young Wolf. With such obvious clues as to where the lad's aptitude lay, Lord Eddard determined that Edrick would be thoroughly trained in matters of warfare, all the better to serve his brother Jon as the Captain of the House Guards and the field commander of the Dreadfort's military forces in times of war. It was, of course, hoped that these talents would never be called upon. None could know at that time how vain that hope was.

Edrick was close to his brother throughout his life, and indeed his great love for Jon went a long way towards explaining why he never had any ambition to rule for himself. The two boys trained together, learned together, and laughed together, and their shared experiences bred a loyalty in Edrick that would transfer onto Jon's children when the time came. The two worked well together, with Edrick's steady, blunt, and truthful counsel providing a valuable viewpoint for his older brother even before he assumed Lordship of the House. Their cooperation proved to be extremely valuable to the House as Lord Eddard proved himself to be an increasingly unreliable and unfocused ruler. By the time Eddard's sudden illness took him from the family, both Jon and Edrick were experienced in ruling and guiding the people of the Dreadfort and its surrounding possessions.

The Reign of Jon Stark
Lord Eddard's death in 387AC was an unexpected development, but House Stark of the Dreadfort weathered the Lord's death far better than many others would have. Jon Stark was already an experienced leader of men, and he took his father's title as efficiently and quickly as could have been expected. Though he was grieved by the death of Lord Eddard, Edrick did not hesitate to offer his counsel and support to his brother, formally assuming the post of Captain of the Guard. His advice, tactical acumen, and the strength of his sword arm would be a source of constant and valuable aid to his older brother in the difficult days to come. Edrick had grown into a powerful young man, noted for both his prodigious skill in combat and his cautious tactical mind. However, he was never the most likeable man in court, or indeed anywhere close to it. His taciturn nature and grim severity won him few friends outside of his warriors and family, but he cared little for such things. His task was to serve his brother and his House, and he would never allow such niceties as petty court politics to get in the way of that duty. None could say what made the young man so cold and uncompromising, and there were some furtive whispers that the dark legacy of the Dreadfort had touched Edrick's mind. Such whispers would only grow stronger with the first great crisis of Lord Jon's reign: The Great Famine.

The lands around the Dreadfort were struck as hard as any other by the depredations of the Great Famine, and it did not take long before the smallfolk were crying out for aid from their liege Lord. Jon Stark was sympathetic to their plight, and began to distribute bread to them in hopes of alleviating the effects of the calamity. It was hard not to feel sympathy for the wretched, starving masses, and almost all of the people of the Dreadfort saw their Lord’s decision as a wise and just one. Almost all. Edrick spoke out vehemently against Jon’s decision, urging him to rethink his generosity and citing the need to preserve the Dreadfort’s stores, lest they all starve come winter. Edrick’s dissent was not born from cruelty, but rather from a cold, calculating arithmetic. If peasants must starve so that the House might survive with its strength intact, so be it, said he. This was, at first, received poorly. Many decried Edrick’s words, calling him a monster and, furtively, a murderer. Yet, as time went on and the Dreadfort’s stores diminished at an alarming rate, it quickly became evident that Edrick’s words had been wise, if callous. Jon determined that he would hoard his provisions, lest the Dreadfort face winter without enough supplies to last them through.

In those dark days, every scrap of food and coin was more valuable a hundredfold, and it did not take long before the lands around the Dreadfort began to be plagued by increasingly vicious bandits and thieves. These criminals lurked in the forests, growing in number and desperation as more and more of the less morally inclined peasants joined their ranks. Jon and Edrick took it upon themselves to rid the land of these leeches, and it did not take long before patrols of heavily armed and armored Dreadfort bannermen were scouring the surrounding countryside. Edrick led many such patrols personally, scattering and slaying groups of bandits with an impressive efficiency. Edrick had no mercy when it came to criminals who made others suffer so that they might live easily, and his patrols rarely left any survivors, save the leaders of the groups, who were brought back the Dreadfort for public execution. Such measures helped Edrick regain some popularity among the smallfolk, though his brutal methods prevented him from ever being seen as a hero or paragon by the commoners. Still, by the swords of the House Guards, Edrick, and Jon, the lands around the Dreadfort soon became devoid of bandits, who mostly abandoned the region in search of easier prey.

The Great Famine ended after only a couple of years, and, for a time, at least, Lord Jon’s realm knew peace. Edrick threw himself into efforts to replenish the House’s depleted winter stores, adding the labor of his warriors and dirtying his own hands alongside the smallfolk in an effort to bring in crops at as fast a rate as possible. His hard work and dedication won him some respect among the peasants, though his cold demeanor and distant behavior made him a hard man to love. Privately, Edrick loathed the fact that circumstances had required him and his men to take part in an activity as mundane and common as farming, but he swallowed his pride and gave his all so that the House might recover quickly from the calamity of the famine. However, having tasted real combat against the bandit rabble, Edrick quietly dreamed of the chance to prove his mettle against a foe worthy of his skill. Though he could not have known it, he would get his wish sooner than he expected.

The War of the Three Thieves
The fanatically ambitious theft of the a dragon egg by the three pirate kings of the Stepstones sent ripples through all seven Westerosi Kingdoms. The realm had long since come to terms with the fact that the Targaryen Dynasty possessed the awesome power of the dragons, but the idea that simple pirates could call upon the destructive force of those magnificent beasts of the sky was enough to give even the most stout-hearted warrior pause. When the call came for warriors to punish the would-be dragonlords, Jon Stark resolved to answer it. Convincing his subjects that this war in a distant land was a worthy one took a considerable amount of time, but, throughout the process, Jon was aided by his implacable younger brother. Edrick and the warriors of the House Guards quickly took on the role of trainers and drill sergeants, hammering peasant levies into shape with weeks of drill and a merciless regimen of exercise and practice. The hammers of the Dreadfort’s smithy rang day and night as it churned out weaponry and armor in preparation for the coming campaign, and Edrick was never absent from the planning table when Jon convened his council of war. Though many still questioned why Northern men were going to die for a distant Targaryen king, Jon’s will won out, and the forces of the Dreadfort joined the Northern expeditionary forces sent to answer their the call of the Southern Lords.

The weeks of travel over sea were less than pleasing to the warriors of the Dreadfort, many of whom had never set foot on a ship before. Edrick found himself frustrated with the journey for a different reason: impatience. For all he knew, the war was over already, and his mind was filled with images of the great battles and heroic deeds that he feared he was missing. It was no exaggeration to say that he had spent his whole life training for this moment, and Edrick was determined not to miss this chance to prove his skill. As it would turn out, Edrick’s fears were partially realized: the length of the voyage and the time that it had taken to assemble the Dreadfort contingent meant that they did not arrive until late in the war. However, there was still plenty of fight left in the beleaguered pirate lords, and it did not take long for the Dreadfort forces to be thrown into battle during the Scouring of the Stepstones.

Edrick was granted tactical command of the Dreadfort’s forces, remaining in the rear to coordinate the movements and strategies of the House’s troops. Meanwhile, Jon and his son Dorren took command of the vanguard, proving their skill in battle with every enemy that they slew in the bloody maelstrom of combat. Edrick proved himself in a different way, displaying a keen tactical mind that earned him the plaudits of those warriors who fought alongside him. His confident leadership of the men and his intelligent tactical decisions made him a formidable commander. Many skirmishes were won before the fighting even started, the forces of the enemy outmaneuvered and trapped by Edrick’s clever strategies and shattered by the ferocity of Jon and Torren. Though he privately thought less of the Southerners for calling upon the men of the North to fight their battles for them, Edrick resolved that he would take whatever measures were required to bring the campaign to a successful conclusion. He ordered his forces to lay waste to the Stepstones as they advanced, pursuing a policy of scorched earth that left desolate fields and burning villages in his wake. When questioned about this brutal strategy, Edrick was dismissive. “We have come to bring war to these lands. We will destroy the enemy, we will destroy his homes, we will destroy his crops, and we will tear down the memory of him. Only when nothing is left will his debt be repaid.”

Yet, for all the success that met the forces of the Dreadfort, they hadn’t counted on one thing: dragonfire. During the Siege of the Gallows, the forces of the Dreadfort distinguished themselves once again, hammering a path through the walls of the castle that protected the island with their usual ferocity and heroism. Edrick, commanding the reserves beyond the castle walls, watched with a proud smile as his brother, his lord, raised a rousing cheer atop the shattered walls. Then, with a flash of shadow across the sky, everything changed. Edrick watched in horror as a dragon plummeted down from the sky, already opening its scaly maw with a rush of heat. The first syllable of a warning shout was emerging from his mouth as the dragon unleashed a searing gout of sun-hot flame. In an instant, Edrick watched his brother, the man that he had served loyally for decades, disappear in a surging rush of fiery death. The forces of the Dreadfort died around him as the vanguard was engulfed in the searing blast. Edrick was no coward. Had there been a way to stand, to strike back against the mighty beast that was already soaring away and coming about for another pass, he would have taken it. However, he was also a practical man, and as he watched panic engulf the ranks of the Westerosi force, he realized that to stay was to die. His voice clipped with barely controlled sorrow and rage, Edrick pulled the reserves and what was left of the vanguard back to the ships. It was a long and sorrowful voyage home.

The Reign of Torrhen Stark
When Edrick returned home with news of his brother’s demise, it was received with all the shock and horror that could have been expected. Eyron Stark fell to pieces at the news, and, after a week of isolation and mourning, renounced his right to take up his father’s title. Edrick was furious at this development, viewing it as a betrayal of Jon’s legacy by an unworthy son, and stormed from the hall when Eyron made his fateful proclamation. However, this did not mean that he disapproved of Torrhen’s ascension to Lordship of the Dreadfort. Indeed, he was reminded of his brother’s sudden succession years ago, and vowed that all of his power and skill would be Torrhen’s to command. Despite the ill-fated result of the campaign in the Stepstones, Edrick’s reputation as a commander was still strong due to the shocking nature of his defeat, and he maintained control of the House Guards, continuing to serve as the Dreadfort’s field commander and captain. He stood at Torrhen’s side throughout The Scarlet Winter, remaining a grim but reliable presence at court.

Edrick Stark knows that his time on the stage is drawing to a close. Now fifty-five years old, he has begun to feel his age more keenly, and recognizes that each day that passes brings him closer to the fateful hour when the Gods will come to claim him. Still, he remains steadfast and efficient, a respected and feared presence in the halls of the Dreadfort. Though his harsh manner and the dark deeds that he has done in the past haunt his steps, he is resolved, above all else, to serve his family. He has sworn that he will see the Dreadfort restored to glory and power before his demise, and, his brother torn from him and his heart hardened by the horrors that he has witnessed, there is nothing that he will not do to see this aim through. In Edrick, Torrhen has a dedicated and grave follower, and the enemies of the Dreadfort have an implacable, brutal foe.

Recent Events
Edrick, and his House, stand at the edge of the future. There can be no telling what fates await them all, and this section will be reserved for a record of Edrick's deeds, both great and small, in the coming days.

Family
Siblings Nephews Grand-Nephews
 * Jon Stark, Lord of the Dreadfort (Deceased)
 * Lady Serena Stark of Winterfell (Deceased)
 * Dorren Stark (Deceased)
 * Torrhen Stark, Lord of the Dreadfort
 * Eyron Stark
 * Edwyn Stark
 * Osric Stark
 * Brandon Snow (Bastard-born)
 * Eddard Stark (Deceased)
 * Cregard Stark
 * Theon Stark
 * Alysanne Stark
 * Arra Stark

Household Members/ NPCs

 * Darron Shavepate, Sergeant-at-Arms
 * Rickard Snow, Sergeant-at-Arms