House Marsten

House Marsten
"Let the Heavens Reign."
Liege: House Arryn

Amid the foothills of the Mountains of the Moon, House Marsten guards the western border of the Vale of Arryn. A proud house, still with the blood of the Andals within its veins, though recent years have seen it falter under cruel circumstance. Alliances and intrigue are all that remains of Marsten’s once-vaunted strength. Can such weapons still prevail, however, against the threats of time and steel?

The blood of the Andals runs deep in the Vale of Arryn. The Seven live here as nowhere else in Westeros, kept ever in the minds and hearts of the Vale’s inhabitants. The Andals, the wild race that wrested the lands from the First Men, have their roots here in the Vale and in House Marsten. Of the Houses still in existence, only House Arryn has a more venerable Andal lineage, tracing back to the Kings of Mountain and Vale.


As befits a family with such a long history, the events that brought House Marsten to its historical stature are well known throughout the Vale. The House was founded by Petyr Marsten, a bannerman to Erreg the Kinslayer, during one of the defining battles of the Andal invasion. Near the current site of the Bloody Gates, Erreg and his men met the forces of the First Men, but they had underestimated the strength that desperation would give to those who fought to save their lands. Erreg was cut off from his larger party and surrounded, and it seemed that he might meet his end. Petyr saw through the chaos of the battlefield, however, and fought his way to the side of his lord, turning the tide of the battle and saving Erreg’s life. In return for his great service, Erreg gave Marsten his choice of lands in what would be known as the Vale of Arryn, stating that he “should always have such a one to guard his back.” Erreg’s statement has become the watchword for this family, and through the centuries they have remained one of the most trusted bannerhouses for House Arryn.

As with every significant family lineage, there are both bright and dark spots. One of the infamous legends of House Marsten is that of Carnwyn the Mad, the wife of Petyr’s great-grandson, Lord Willem Marsten. Carnwyn was a niece of King Stefen and a member of the Arryn family. She gave Lord Willem seven strong sons and ruled by her lord’s side with legendary grace and beauty. It was said theirs was a true love match, the like which never comes to pass. Tragedy befell the house, however, when he went riding with his men along the border of his lands, investigating an incursion by the Clans (who lived and raided even then). His horse trod upon a snake lying in the road and reared up, throwing Lord Willem to the ground and dashing his head against the rocks.

When Lord Willem’s body was brought back to the keep, it’s said that the Mother turned her face away and the Stranger entered the hall. Carnwyn saw the body of her husband and ran weeping to him, screaming inconsolably. She could not be parted from his body and stayed with him until night fell, speaking to no one, until the entire household had fallen asleep. She rose, washed her face and hands, took a dagger, and slew first her sons and then herself, falling on the blade when she had finished. The only one to escape was Diermad, the youngest, who had hidden in the stables upon hearing of his father’s death and was thus spared.

It was through Diermad that House Marsten survived, carrying forward. He married an Arryn lady named Jeyne, and the two rebuilt the House from its great tragedy. Despite his sorrowful young life, he was known as Diermad the Joyful, as he and Lady Jeyne had ten children live to adulthood and most of them wed and had children as well. He had a long life during peaceful times, and did a great deal to restore stability to House Marsten.

Throughout the time of the Andals, House Marsten remained strong, adding figures of legend to its halls. Kieran the Just famously made peace with the local barbarian clans, while Stefan the Pious saw visions of the Seven and renounced his inheritance to join the Faith. It was in his honor that a sept was built in Hartsbridge, and he served as septon there for decades.

Eventually, however, Andal rule came to an end. Had House Marsten been pledged to another family, it might have meant their end. Following Aegon’s Landing, House Marsten stood with its king until the Arryns were forced to bend the knee. Even then they bowed only when their lord bade them do so. After accepting Targaryen rule, however, they stood always in House Arryn’s shadow, serving loyally for many centuries. During the Dance of the Dragons, the house distinguished itself again by working with Aegon II to wipe out the Targaryen branch in the Vale that supported Rhaenyra, a move which gained House Marsten the current seat of Hartshorn, once a Targaryen castle, along with that family’s former lands.

Most recently, House Marsten rode with Lord Jon Arryn against Prince Rhaegar and King Aerys during Robert’s Rebellion, fighting alongside the Arryn banner to overthrow Targaryen rule once and for all. Unfortunately, the most recent lord of House Marsten, Lord Corben, lost his two oldest sons and heirs in battle. This seemed the beginning of a decline for the house, as ill-fortune has dogged its heels ever since, culminating in Lord Corben’s sudden death three years later from a plague that also claimed his remaining son, young Willem, who was only five years old. He left behind his widow, Lady Isobel, and his young daughter Corrine. Lord Corben’s brother, Mikael, vanished after Robert’s Rebellion, leaving his only daughter, Gwyneth, in the care of his brother. He is presumed dead, but there are rumors that he supported the Targaryens and left Westeros rather than live under Baratheon rule.

Since Lord Corben’s death, Lady Isobel Marsten has ruled the house with a firm but light hand. Although many suitors have approached her since her husband’s death, she has refused them all. As Lady Corrine is now becoming of age, however, interest in House Marsten has revived, and the western foothills are under continual siege by lords and knights young and old who see the Marsten lands, name, and bride as a potential windfall waiting for the right man to take hold of it. Lady Isobel has no intention of letting her husband’s name be wiped out, however. Her ability to retain control of this valuable burden, however, has yet to be seen.