Maria Mormont
Lady of Bear Island Maria Mormont (a.k.a. Mother Bear)
Bio
Maria wears ringmail under her furs, boiled leather under that, and sheepskin under the leather, turned inside out for warmth, even while sleeping. The only time she deviates from that is when she travels too far south, and even then she only forgoes the furs. She is dedicated to the old gods, and exceedingly loyal to House Stark. She is considered kind, trustworthy, and honorable but is also stubborn, short-tempered, and willful at times when she feels a slight to her family or to the North. Maria was orphaned at a young age and forced to take control of the house when her parents died fighting the Ironborn in 407 AC. At the age of only 13 she inherited the title of Lady of Bear Island, and like her ancestor Lyanna Mormont she took to the role without question or complaint, quickly growing into leadership and becoming wise beyond her years as she eventually reached adulthood. She often calls her parents stupid for charging into battle since it got themselves killed, but she still respects them for defending the north from those that sought to rape and pillage. She believes that their hearts were in the right place, they just let themselves make too many mistakes. Her parents tried to fight the Ironborn on the seas while heavily outnumbered and with ships that individually just could not compare to the islanders' ships. In the early years of her rule Maria did what her parents could not by bringing together many woodworkers and coastal settlements and keeps along the western shores with the collective goal of defending against Ironborn raids. By 418 AC, at age 24, she had built a considerable fleet to match the ships of the Iron Fleet and fend them off before they could ever reach the northern coasts if they dared to make another attack. And she always partially hoped they would attack once they felt confident in their newfound naval strength, hoping they would give her the chance at revenge. But, as it would turn out, they never did. Now, in 421 AC, Maria has had to stand side by side, or ship by ship as it were, with the ones she had grown to hate her entire life. The very same people that took her parents from her were her allies for a time and were now her at the very least peaceful neighbors, something she struggled to balance against her principles and grudges, and in fact it was believed that her loyalty to King Johnathan Stark was the only thing stopping her from breaking that peace. Or at least until the Massacre at Glenmore Keep in which he and most of his family were killed. Maria led the naval push against Ræva Ryswell when her slaughter was made known, originally intending to serve as a blockade to prevent a counter attack further north while other forces marched on the enemy's seat of power, but was forced to face the majority of the rebelling forces when Ræva personally led them in a charge against the well established blockade. Their sheer numbers meant it would not be an easy victory, but they were more suited to fighting on land and had little chance of winning regardless. Even though no one knows who struck the actual killing blow, having to essentially kill the daughter of someone she greatly respected was something she was not prepared for, and it was compounded by the weight of her new role as Hand of the Queen in the following weeks. War with the Vale, the conflict between the Free Folk and House Costayne, the building tensions with the South.. Because of all this, these days it is rumored that Maria has fallen into depression as she hardly leaves her temporary residence at Bearsgate and is rarely seen at all by those who frequent the keep after its reconstruction. Others think she is sick or injured, and that she'll be reported dead any day now. But she is not so weak as to be killed by disease or drowned in despair, she's a woman of Bear Island after all. "The horrors persist, but so do I."Family Ties
Immediate Family
- Uncle: Jorah Mormont
Year of Birth
394 AC
27 Years old
Children
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