You sit your solar, writing a quick reply to Lord Flint (of Widow's Watch) about how skilled his son is, and how Brandon has taken him on as a personal squire, waiting for Jeyne and Snow. You hear his distinctive knock – three then two, and call for him to come in. You spot Jeyne turning into the hall as he opens the door. He bows quickly to each of you, then takes a seat in response to your gesture. "Your Graces, I have the information you asked for." He says, dropping a small stack of papers onto your desk. It's covered in his dense, nearly illegible handwriting, and as your head begins to pound at the thought of reading through it he glances back and forth between you and your queen. "Ahh…I'll just summarize briefly." He says, blushing a little, glancing at his writing then clearing his throat.
He's succinct and efficient, telling you as best he knows what's been happening in Karhold. It started with the late lord Brandon Karstark, whose relationship with his wife was distant at best, and apparently was very close with one of his bannermen, a Lord Mosswell. He ruled in favor of Mosswell numerous times, even when the case was ambiguous, and was known to be very generous to him in other ways as well. While Lord Brandon eventually had a son, he died soon after. Lord Mosswell and Brandon's brother Harrion tried to take the regency, accusing his other brother and his wife of murdering him, while they responded in kind. The two factions took to fighting, with men declaring for one side or another. Both attempted to recruit Lord Arnulf, who had the best reputation of everyone involved and was the only thane. They also called for their vassals to come to their aid. Many responded with nothing but insults, while others joined in wholeheartedly.
Lord Arnulf responded by taking every man who was willing to follow him and attacking each vassal who joined the fighting and each who insulted his house, fighting thirty skirmishes in as many days. He sent a dozen masters to the Wall, killed four others, and was responsible for the majority of men who answered your call during the Breaking of the Beastmen. Eventually, he was the only Karstark left standing, and he has been attempting to rebuild his House's prestige and reputation, both among their peers and their bannermen ever since.
He has a reputation for being short of temper and taking every insult personally, and has minor feuds with a half dozen other nobles, most prominently Roose Cerwyn, the heir to Cerwyn. While attending feasts, he has endured many slights and fought in about fifteen duels, none of which were fatal, fortunately. At these feasts, he saw Lord Manderly and Lord Hornwood, who had also sent few men, but he also saw that they were treated with far more courtesy than him. He also seems disliked by most of his vassals, and he has been dealing brutally with unrest in his lands nearly nonstop.
His words paint a concerning picture, for a man with such a fierce temper will be difficult to placate and his many rivalries mean any attempt at honoring him would likely bring contempt upon both you and him from your other lords. While you contemplate this, Jeyne frowns. After a minute, she turns to you. "I think we have a few options…" She tells you. "We could…"
(Choose 2 at most)
[] Confirm him as the Warden of the Bay. While traditionally, it's the Lord of House Karstark who is the Warden, a case could be made that the Lord is currently unfit, and so a more able warrior should be chosen. He will likely see it as barely more than he is due, but it will offend no one. Cost: 0 gold. Time: 1 season. DC: 15. Reward: Small Karstark opinion boost.
[] Public praise: Some public support will improve his disposition, but unless it is very carefully phrased, you will almost certainly anger someone else. Keeping it to his martial skill would be fairly safe it was not for the number of duels he had fought. Cost: 0 gold. Time: 1 season. DC: 20/40/60/80. Reward: Medium Karstark opinion boost. No vassal opinion loss on 60 or greater.
[] A subtle rebuke, version 1: If you word a letter right and send it across the North, you could deliver a mild rebuke to those lords who have been rudest to Lord Karstark. It will be seen as heavy-handed by many, however. Cost: 0 gold. Time: 1 season. DC: 40/60/80. Reward: Large Karstark opinion gain. No vassal opinion loss on 80 or greater.
- [] With an excuse: Karhold's lands aren't particularly rich. The only thing they have in ample numbers that other lords don't are seals. Given your maester's habits and some rumors about him, it would not be odd to purchase an unusual quantity of seals. It would also not be odd for a lord whose honor is being questioned to ask for his liege to aid him in this in lieu of something else. Cost: 100 gold. Time: 1 season. DC: 15. Reward: -25 to "A subtle rebuke, version 1" DC
[] A subtle rebuke, version 2: This is more Snow's area than Jeyne's, but letters from House Stark will find their way into the solars of many unruly vassals around Karhold, encouraging them to show more respect to their lord. This won't directly improve his opinion, but from what you know of the man, improving his mood will lead to him liking everyone a lot more. Cost: 50 gold. Time: 1 season. DC: 5/20 Reward: Medium Karstark opinion boost. Small chance of Karstark opinion loss.
