Very little is known about Starke and it is uncertain as to whether what is known is in any way accurate. Leader of the Grey Order, he is said to be a serious man and is reputed to be quite tall, gaunt, and grey-haired with a short well-trimmed silver beard. His age is hard to put a fix on, as he sometimes seems of a great and venerable age, and yet other times he seems to be a fit-looking man in his late thirties. His eyes, however, are always piercing and grey as a storm cloud. A stare from him is enough to make all but the strongest-willed look away first. It is said that when he wishes, he has an engaging smile and a twinkle in his eye. Yet despite his generally imposing presence, Starke is reputed to be a fine teacher of magic and his apprentices have all respected him as no other.[1a