Dacey Mormont

Dacey Mormont is the Lady of Bear Island and wielder of Longclaw. She is the first cousin of the Stark in the South, Teora Stark.

Biography
Dacey was born to lord Beor Mormont and his lady wife, Lynara Forrester, in 185. Throughout Lynara’s pregnancy it was largely predicted that the first Mormont child of this pairing would be born male and thus Dacey’s ladyhood was much of a surprise to her father. Lynara, however, was delighted by the arrival of her first daughter.

Dacey was not treated any differently than any of her female Mormont predecessors as her father sought to produce a male heir. The first born bearcub was given all the love she could ever want as her grandmother, Sigred, set forth to prepare her for life as a Bear Islander. Sigred was a woman who had escaped Skagos and in her flight from her ancestral home had come across Beor’s father, Torrhen Mormont. Torrhen and Sigred’s romance had been a whirlwind one, which had led the now Matriarch of the family into a strong belief that the Mormont’s of old had had it right. All children, male or female began to learn to fight and defend themselves at the age of four.

Sigred, knowing her son’s folly, for she had seen it in the clouds and the smoke of the fire on her granddaughter’s birthday, pushed for Dacey to learn the sword (Swords). She knew that one day Longclaw would fit snugly in the palm of Beor’s first born child. Her son would continue to chase after the male heir, with Lynara bearing first Maege in 187, (a birth for which Beor had been absent), then Jorelle and Sera - born minutes apart in late 188, and finally his son in 189.

Lord Beor Mormont and his brother, Jorah Mormont, had marched south with the axe-bearing men and women of Bear Island to Blacksword’s Folly in 187 and had returned with an injury that left him lame and a bitterness for the Southron lords and lands.

Dacey was sheltered from the difference in the attention that her father showered upon her brother, Beor II, who his father had named for himself. Beor II was a sickly boy from birth, he had nearly been strangled by the cord that had tied him to his mother. It was scarcely a year after Beor’s birth that their final sister, Katrina, came into the world.

It seemed for a few short years that all would be well. Lord Beor Mormont had a glow about him until Beor II took ill in late 192, one of his usual fits of sickness - a horrible shaking and shuddering thing that often left him flailing about, spittle dripping from his lips. Sigred and Lynara saw to it that the girls were sheltered from the worst of it, however they could not stop the spread of gossip as worried house staff spoke of the boy’s illness. This last bout of internal violence left Beor II in a catatonic state and despite the efforts of his mother and his father to keep him, he passed in the night in early 193. Dacey was once more the heir to the house as her father took to drink and food to drown his sorrows.

Sadness was not the only thing that marked House Mormont. The children were rather happy as they grew, each showing interests in different things and given the freedom to pursue the things which they were passionate about.

Dacey proved a hale girl who seldom took sick, despite her penchant for diving into the Bay of Ice and challenging herself to swim further and further each time (swimming). She loved the way it felt to exercise and stretch her muscles and she loved accompanying the fishing crews on her island. The eldest of the Mormont children had a keen interest in sailing, one that had not been shared by her father or uncle, but instead by her grandmother.

Sigred taught Dacey and her sisters and cousins to sail. “Bears should be able to swim,” Sigred would say in an accent that still carried all the cadence of the rough terrain in which she had been reared. “So that no fish can escape their maws and no man should feel too comfortable.” Dacey proved to have a keen interest and while Jory, Sera, and Katrina fell off from the activity, she continued to persevere and by the time she entered her mid-teens, Dacey was very capable aboard a ship (Seafarer).

Dacey had always had a natural charisma that made others desire to follow her in her adventures, whether it was her sister who delighted in accompanying her on journeys across and outside their island or her later crewmates that would accompany her to the Ironislands or across the North to foster good relations and trade (leadership).

Her sister, Maggie, often accompanied Dacey as they set about exploring the island. Dacey often brought with her a satchel filled with carving tools, an axe strapped to each of the girls’ backs, and a sword at her hip. The pair would chop trees and bring home firewood and carving wood, for which many bears, ships, and maiden toys were given to children. However, it was on a secluded place of an island that Dacey worked on her masterpiece. There was a cliff that faced the Sunset Sea and caught the setting sun and early twilight beautifully that she made her canvas. For two long years, Dacey and her sister snuck off to the location and bent the shape of the rock face under Dacey’s skilled hand, until at last her creation could look upon those who sailed by. Bear Island was marked now by a woman, wild and free, who appeared to be in the act of removing a bear skin from her body, the head of the bear resting like a crown upon her head, her breasts bare, and her eyes challenging. At her feet were three bear cubs and behind her two large bears stood on their hind legs with axes in their great paws (Carving).

The stone carving was not the last time that Dacey would bring to life the skinchanging woman. Dacey had always loved the carving on the gates of House Mormont, the woman in the bearskin with suckling babe and battleaxe had always brought her comfort. So when it came time to have her own ship built, Dacey carved the skinchanging Mormont woman into the mast.

At the age of six and ten, Dacey began to take on more of the responsibilities of ladyship for her household. Her father had long been in his cups and his lameness had left him rather idle, he no longer cared to maintain the relationships between the other households within the North. He had been happy to bless the marriage of his nephew Jeor Mormont to Lysara Whitehill, in part likely to upset his Forrester wife. Lynara made it clear that upon these terms, neither Jeor, nor his children, would ever inherit house Mormont. She would never permit a Whitehill to take what rightly belonged to Forrester blood. So to Dacey the responsibilities of the household fell. Dacey traveled across the North almost annually, visiting her various kin and negotiating continued shared trade between them (Negotiator).

Dacey proved a talent for drinking at the age of seven and ten, when she would regularly engage in drinking competitions with her crew and sister, Maggie. She delighted in how well she could hold her ale when compared to some of the men from the island.

At the age of eight and ten, Dacey made her first trip to the Iron Islands. Dacey had always been interested in the history of her family and of Bear Island. The Ironborn proved to be a subject of great interest to her and the idea that her home had been won in a game. She liked the idea that the blood of the First Men ran through her veins, but perhaps there was other blood there - perhaps the sea called to her more than other Northern folks. Whatever the reason, Dacey set out to the Iron Islands, and set alight her love for the salty people that inhabited them. Her adventure through the islands led her to the company of House Blacktyde. Dacey brought stories and gifts from her island to the household that put her up for a short time in 203. In return she found herself in the attention of Ralf Pyke. His affection was not unwanted as the two found themselves in a courting that lasted a few moons time. Little did either party know, but their romance had sparked a new life.

Dacey, although she found herself to be quite attached to the Iron Islander, could not bring herself to wed him. They had shared a bed and they had shared a love, but the thought of tying herself to another sparked a dread in her that she could not properly explain. So with a heavy heart, the heir of Bear Island bid the Blacktydes a farewell and made it known that they and their kin would be welcome among hers. Dacey travelled the islands for a short time more before setting sail for home, all the while her stomach and appetite growing. She had left the company of her friends knowing that her moon’s blood had not come, but had kept it secret from them until she was gone.

Asha was born in 204, a beautiful babe, born as Dacey had desired aboard her ship The Maiden Fair. Dacey presented her daughter to her mother, father, and grandmother adamant that the child was a true Mormont. Her claims were honored, as was the custom for the women of Bear Island.

Dacey was not one to skimp when it came to her duties or training and would often be found performing her household duties, even as her child strapped in a sling fed from her breast while she chopped wood. The sight of the woman who embraced her motherhood and her own innate strength was nothing if not inspiring. For all those of Bear Island knew that she would never ask anything of them that she was not willing to do herself. It was whispered and widely believed that had the chance arisen, Dacey would even have gone to war with a babe in her belly, so fierce was the bear-woman.

In 205 the Lady Teora Stark would be sent south to King’s Landing to ward with the crown, but she would not go alone. Jorah Mormont bid that his youngest daughter, Berena, might accompany the Stark girl as a handmaiden. This request was granted and Berena was seen off with words of love and familial strength from her father, her sisters, and her elder cousin - the heir of Bear Island, whose babe still clung to her breast.

After the departure of her cousin, Dacey wrote to the Blacktyde household to let them know of their kin in the North. She made no bones about her claim that Asha would never bear the moniker of a bastard, Asha was a true Mormont.

In 208 Dacey attended the Tourney at Lordsport with her crew and daughter. Asha spent many hours with her father getting to know him. At the Tourney, Dacey entered the archery and melee and had a rather good time although she did not place. However, one incident struck a sour note with the Bear Islander, as her first match with the knight Lyonel Strong forfeited the match before it had even begun. His refusal to fight a woman angered her greatly and after her next match proved a defeat for her, Dacey and her daughter and crew returned to Bear Island.

Once back on Bear Island, Dacey left Asha in the care of her mother and grandmother as she set out on another tour to visit her cousin, Jeor’s family and continue good relations with them. Dacey had never understood the Whitehill and Forrester feud, she had rather liked Lady Alarra Whitehill. Her previous visits to the house had always been cordial and she had always gotten on rather well with Ryon who was her age mate. Ryon had been the first boy she had kissed and had always had a tender spot in her heart, so it was no surprise that when she returned for her visit he began his pursuit of her once more.

Ryon had always loved Dacey and though she felt the same, she had never desired to wed anyone. She had followed her feelings into trysts in the past and she followed them once more to his bed. This time she had nearly agreed to wed him, this time he had nearly won their game, but she could not do it. Dacey wanted to be the head of her household and she knew deep in her bones that if she took a husband, no household in the North would see her valid claim over her house - House Mormont would belong to her husband. Dacey could not commit, but she did not leave Highpoint that time without a souvenir.

The heir of House Mormont was once again with child and in mid 209 little Lyrra was born. Dacey loved her daughter instantly and wrote to Ryon the news of his child, whom she boldly called a Mormont. Her relationship with Alarra Whitehill changed, with the older woman unhappy about the turn of events, and blaming the whole incident on Dacey’s Forrester blood. In turn, Lynara blamed it on the bloody Whitehills. Dacey would not hear of either argument and stated that her daughter was all Mormont, no blood feud would taint her daughter’s upbringing. Lyrra would know her father and spend time with him.

In 211, Dacey, her sisters, her two daughters and her daughter’s visiting distant Blacktyde kin and her friend of house Harlaw attended the Tourney held in honor of Teora’s sixth and ten Nameday. Dacey entered all the listings and failed to place in all but one. The heir to Bear Island started the competition slow, eyeing the men and few women who had joined in the celebrations. She knew that the secret to holding one’s ale came from patience and much to the surprise of those who had gathered she began to overtake her competitors, one by one, until at last it came down to Davos Celtigar and herself. This was when Dacey revealed the true strength and haleness of a bear-woman and surpassed the Crab and earned the nickname “The Merry Mormont”.

This spirit of friendly competition earned the heir of Bear Island two new friends, for Dacey walked away from the Tourney able to call Davos Celtigar a companion as well as Victarion Drumm who had approached her the day following the drinking competition. Her ability to hold her alcohol had impressed the Ironborn who became a fast friend. Following the Tourney, House Drumm came to visit Bear Island to celebrate the childrens’ namedays and to allow them to play. It seemed that the children of both houses loved one another and grew to think of another as kin, while Dacey enjoyed the good relations with another Ironborn. She remained ever delighted with their beliefs and history.

In 213, fueled by his poor self-care and love for drink and food, Lord Beor Mormont suffers a sudden sickness. One morning he reported a tingling sensation in his nose and arms, by the same evening he was struck with a sudden whole body tremor that was not unlike what his son had suffered for years. As quick as it happened it was over, his sudden tremor had caused him to fall and crack his head rather smartly on the ironwood table that graced the main dining room. His skull had been cracked wide open and his blood had pooled on the ground by the time that anyone had gotten to him. The news of his passing was shared throughout the North as Dacey took her rightful place as Lady of House Mormont. The role had come naturally to her as for several years now she had performed the duties of the lord of the household in her father’s stead.

In 215 Dacey and her brood travelled to Harrenhal.

Appearance
Dacey stands at an average height for a northern woman, with long dark hair that is often plaited into braids or pulled up behind her head when she is working. The Lady of Bear Island, while soft in facial features and blue of eye, is of a muscular build. Her arms and hands bear many scars from her long hours of practice with sword and shield, as well as many days hewing creations out of rough wood and stone. Dacey is sturdy of leg, owing to her years spent manning her own ship and traveling between the Iron Islands and other parts of the north, to maintain trade and foster good relationships.

Family tree
FamilyEcho

Timeline

 * 185 - Dacey is born
 * 187 - Maege is born; Lord Beor and his brother Jorah Mormont participate in Blacksword’s Folly; Beor is injured and returns home with an injury that never heals correctly and causes him to be lame for the rest of his years
 * 188 - Jorelle and Sera are born
 * 189 - Beor II is born; Dacey begins her training with swords
 * 190 - Katrina is born
 * 193 - Beor II dies
 * 195 - Dacey learns to sail with her grandmother, Sigred
 * 201 - Dacey completes the carving on the rock face that faces the Sunset Sea; Dacey begins to perform lordly duties in place of her father; Dacey establishes her own crew and spends the later part of the year carving the mast to her ship
 * 202 - Dacey regularly competes in drinking contests with her crew
 * 203 - Dacey travels across the Iron Islands and engages in a romantic relationship with Ralf Pyke from Blacktyde
 * 204 - Dacey’s first daughter, Asha is born
 * 205 - Berena Mormont goes south with Teora Stark and her party
 * 208 - Dacey competes in the Lordsport Tourney; Dacey returns north and visits with the Whitehills
 * 209 - Lyrra is born
 * 211 - Dacey attends Teora’s 16th Name Day Tourney, wins the Drinking competition, and earns the nickname “The Merry Mormont”
 * 213 - Lord Beor Mormont passes away and Dacey becomes Lady Mormont
 * 215 - Dacey and her brood travel to Harrenhal

Supporting characters

 * Maege “Maggie” Mormont (b. 187) - Warrior; The closest in age to Dacey, Maggie was always fast at her sister’s side.
 * Lynara Mormont nee. Forrester (b. 157) - Agent; Born of House Forrester, Lynara has reared many children and considers herself rather knowledgeable
 * Sigred Mormont (b. 140) - Medic; The true Matriarch of the family, Sigred seems not to have slowed down at all in her age.
 * Brandon Wells (b. 173) - Master-at-Arms; Brandon came to the Mormonts with the marriage of his relative Bethany Wells to Jorah Mormont and has served as the Master-at-Arms ever since
 * Gaven Strongarm (b. 180) - Boatswain; A man born of the common folk of Bear Island who is exceptionally skilled at crafting beautiful ships and boats. Dacey was quick to enlist his services and give him a better position in her household
 * Asha Mormont (b. 204)
 * Lyrra Mormont (b. 209)
 * Sera & Jorelle Mormont (b. 211)