House Stark

Cregan Stark

the Old Man of the North

Life: 108 AC
House: Stark

A northern lord whose muster south reshapes the war's final act — the chronicle keeps the rest for readers who haven't gotten there.

Cregan Stark became Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North at thirteen, in 121 AC, and had grown into a hard, capable lord of the North by the time the Dance of the Dragons split the Seven Kingdoms in two. He threw the North's strength behind Rhaenyra's cause and led a northern host south in person — a rare enough sight in itself, since the North's lords have never much cared for the capital's quarrels — arriving in time to shape the war's grimmest final battles rather than its opening skirmishes. A maester notes that the North's late arrival did the Blacks' cause more good than a dozen earlier, smaller victories might have, if only for the terror the sight of a northern army marching south still reliably inspired.

The arc of Cregan Stark

This carries the character’s road through the published novels. Read on only if you do not fear to know.

Cregan's host is decisive at the Butcher's Ball, the slaughter south of the Gods Eye that ends Ser Criston Cole's greens for good, and in the war's chaotic aftermath he is named Hand of the King to the newly crowned boy-king Aegon III — for a single day, long enough to preside over the executions of the men judged responsible for prolonging the war, in the episode the smallfolk still call the Hour of the Wolf. Having settled that grim business and married Alysanne Blackwood before he rode home, Cregan resigned the Handship the following morning and returned north, uninterested, by every surviving account, in staying a moment longer than the North's own business required.

Where the books leave Cregan Stark: no fixed death year survives in the text; he governed the North for decades after the Dance of the Dragons ended and lived, by every account, to a considerable old age

These partings name deaths, endings, and roads not yet ridden in the books. Unveil them only if both roads are known to you — or if you do not fear to know.

Sourcesfire-and-bloodthe-princess-and-the-queen

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House

Who is Cregan Stark?

The Lord of Winterfell during the Dance of the Dragons, who led a northern army south in support of Rhaenyra and briefly served as Hand of the King to end the war.

How long was Cregan Stark Hand of the King?

A single day — long enough to preside over the executions ending the Dance of the Dragons, in the episode remembered as the Hour of the Wolf, before he resigned and rode north.