year 212 after conquest - 6 Chapters

The Lady of Silverhill, Lenora Serrett renews her fealty to House Lannister as she offers her skills to the Rock.

Ser Quentin Darklyn travels from the Crownlands to offer his sword to Lord Tyrrel and his cause.

1.

May the Seven protect us.

May our sons and fathers return safely to our hearths. May our fields and towns remain safe of strife and danger. May the faith remain strong in those who seal the fates of men.

It is with prayer and celebration that the septs of Lannisport welcome travelers from across the Westerlands.

Many heed the call and see a change of their fortunes in the halls of Casterly Rock. To join the Lannister household, is to join the struggle ahead.

Still, some renew their oaths in the halls of the Rock.

2.

The Royal Fleet.

Tyndar Lannister stood, brazen, on the prow of his flagship, looking at the Red Keep across the Blackwater.

He had sailed hard and fast after his loss at Riverrun. His anger and frustration burned in the harbor as his fleet set the coast of King"s Landing ablaze.

He was dissatisfied with the number of vessels. Some seemed to have slipped away before he entered the Gullet. But what laid at anchor here, would float to the bottom of the bay by morning.

Tyrell and Stark ships, their captains long ashore, burned at the Blackwater.

Tyndar Lannister

3.

The rolling tide.

As war keeps waging, House Tully does not relent to train new soldiers and prepare new hosts. The Vale tries to keep up with their old rival.

4.

Winter comes for House Frey.

With Lord Gollard stuck at Harrenhal, the garrison of the Twins stands alone as the trumpets blow.

An army approaches the crossing"s keep, not from the Kingsroad, but from the Green Fork.

House Stark has mobilized an overwhelming force to take the northern bastion, completely severing House Tully from its northern lands.

Admiral Mormont provides reinforcements and supplies to the besieging army from the Cape of Eagles. Lord Commander Bolton cuts off any communications with the castle, shooting down ravens and capturing messengers. The Twins will fall in silence.

As the garrison holds out for a day or two, the dire situation of the Riverlands becomes apparent. No provisions or reinforcements are likely to arrive. Archers and catapults reign terror on them daily.

And before long, the resolve of House Frey breaks, with the Stark and Bolton men entering the castle as conquerors. The siege of the Twins secures the Neck for the Northerners.

John Cormick Bolton

Billy Mormont

Bodrick Dayne

5.

The Slaughter at Pinkmaiden.

Dawn breaks. A Dornishman rides west. He does not know it yet, but the Red Fork river is about to earn its name. His name is Bodrick. He has left his home in the south when his prince decided to stand with mummer and a farce. He swore his sword to the only man who remained with honor in his eyes. Borys Baratheon, the Hand of the King. He was then sent to lead the Baratheon forces stationed at Stoney Sept and march northward.

As this force advances toward the Red Fork, another leaves Riverrun. At its helm, Edmund, the last heir of House Tully.

Although both men don"t know it yet, their meeting will result in the most brutal battle of this war.

Yet, someone else rides as well. Another commander,

another army.

As the Baratheon camp mobilizes, some of the camp are missing. Prince Maekar Targaryen has pulled his Crownland forces out of formation in the night, marching his force east.

Ser Bodrick remains undisturbed. Even with recent losses, the force he leads is a hundred thousand spears strong. A mighty avalanche that will surely drown the Silver Trout.

Leagues away, an army departs Riverrun. Lord Edmund Tully wields a powerful host. However, he gathers soldiers along the way. Months ago, he had merged his army with the fresh host of Ser Elmo Wode at the trident, before moving on Riverrun. It had ensured him superiority. Similarly, he had commanded Lord Aldo Piper to ready a new host for him north of Pinkmaiden, for his march south.

So as Lord Edmund marched south, his ranks began to swell. Until he outnumbered even the Baratheon force that headed toward him. The battle would be joined at Pinkmaiden. And it would see the young Ser Bodrick on the back foot from the first hour.

Edmund Tully

The columns met at the foot of the castle Pinkmaiden. A sloping hill and tributaries of the Red Fork made the formations uneven, slanted.

The Baratheon forces saw the Rivermen assemble. First sure of their numbers, they would have rely on the command of their leader as the enemy host began to outnumber them. Columns formed, the men advanced. A battle like this would not be won through decisive maneuvers. Over two hundred thousand men stood at Pinkmaiden that day.

As the slog began, Lord Tully pushed his advantage hard. The Baratheon archers could only do so much to ease the pressure. The Rivermen host advanced methodically, their line never overstretching, never faltering.

Baratheon men inflicted heavy casualties, but took more severe ones in return. The left cavalry flank disappeared in a rain of arrows as they saved the pinned down center.

Everywhere, the cries of men echoed across the swampy lowlands of Pinkmaiden. A thousand perished in a minute. Ten thousand in an hour. Before the day was over, a hundred thousand souls would clog the Red Fork as the bodies piled up, damming its tributaries.

Ten battles were being fought simultaneously around this castle. A Baratheon force would try to take a village at the southern hills. Five thousand would perish as the Tully's pushed them out in force. Archers would emerge from the woodlands behind the keep to pin advancing infantry. A cavalry force would wipe them out, only to be met by pikemen, another ten thousand dead.

The vanguard of Lord Edmund would push toward the Baratheon core, the defending shieldwall would see another thousand men break. As messengers rushed between formations and knights drowned in shallow water, it was becoming clear that the Baratheon host was breaking. Whittled down and exhausted, Ser Bodrick saw the sun set behind the enemy line. The smell of blood, rich like iron, lay in the wind. It was clear that if he retreated, Lord Tully would hunt him down. On a disorderly retreat, on bad soil like this, it would be a slaughter. Ser Bodrick was truly lost, this host would not survive until daybreak, he had no recourse.

Then, war horns, from the south.

Khailee Flowers

A fresh Tyrell army pushed through the exhausted sections of the battlefield. The knights

of the Reach rode down the enemy infantry in multiple columns. Khaile Flowers had

brought the entire might of her cavalry to bear. As she reinforced the Baratheon front line,

it was not enough to break the Tully center, but it was enough to outnumber them, inflict

terrible casualties onto the Rivermen host and completely stop their advance, allowing

their forces an orderly retreat.

As the Tyrell charge broke their momentum, Lord Edmund saw the damage and the risk of

pushing further. The Tully host halted at Pinkmaiden. The battered Baratheon host retreated

back towards Stoney Sept, saved, from complete annihilation, by the fresh Tyrell forces.

As both armies set up camp, losses would be assessed. Such a terrible battle took its toll. the area would be awash with vultures and wild dogs for years. Pinkmaiden would never flourish again as the ground run slick with blood. Remains would wash up along the Red Fork, at Riverrun and the Trident as tales and songs would speak of the slaughter at Pinkmaiden. A hundred thousand dead, maybe more.

6.

Surrounded by Sails.

From the quiet waters of the sapphire isle, you can see Shipbreaker Bay on one side and the Narrow Sea on the other. House Tarth of Evenfall Hall would receive worrying messages over a fortnight. Lannister ships were sighted sailing around Greenstone east, Arryn ships were sighted sailing past the Straights of Tarth.

Corwin Rogers stood alone at Storm´s End, receiving news of the simultaneous assaults.

First, Bronzegate had fallen. Ser Redfort of House Arryn had sacked the town on the Kingsroad, quickly and with much force.

The second town to fall was Stonehelm, by the Slayne. Lady Velaryon of House Lannister had entered the mining town within a day, leaving few survivors.

Lord Roger wanted to send reinforcements to both, shore up the garrisons, coordinate counter attacks, but all he had done was to send ravens to King´s Landing. His hands were tied.

He looked out toward the north wall of Storm´s End. Multiple sections had been destroyed. Sappers tunneled below the ancient keep. The garrison of the outer walls had surrendered, betrayed for an unknown amount of coin, he believed. Or some other misguided vice.

Below him stood the army of Lord Artys of House Arryn. The recent rebel. Lord Rogers would lead his remaining cavalry against him in the morning as not much else remained to do.

And with them, he would die in service. A first life of House Baratheon laid down, in the defense of their king.

The rebel lords would rejoice as Storm´s End fell, the remaining garrison abandoning the keep in haste...

Robin Redfort

Artys Arryn

Rhaela Velaryon

Corwin Rogers

Past Omens of Winter...

Celebrations at Ironoaks:

With the Vale of Arryn safe again, Ironoaks hosts a celebration to the end of a conflict.

As peace has come to the Vale, peace will come to the realm, under one King or another. For now, all hold their breath and hope that when the clatter of steel subsides, they will stand on the winning side.

- As the celebrations begin, Characters may attend for a low price of travel, be it for a single Character or more:

A total of 2 resources of your choice.

Success: The gathering will see many travelers. Characters may be recruited here through hidden bids with the highest bid winning.

The Prince of Summerhall:

Prince Maekar of Summerhall has called the realm to stand with him. Not many royals command the authority that Prince Maekar does. As he sends his sons and daughters across the realm for support, many lords will be swayed by his call.

Many minor Lords may prefer the stability and leadership that the Prince brings to their liege lords and may prefer to support him in his struggle.

- The lord-paramounts are to pool the following resources through bids to bribe the petty lords from defecting:

A total of 3 coin, 3 supply, 3 materials, and 3 arms.

Failure: if the petty lords are not satiated, they may stand with Maekar instead, and the lowest bidding 2 houses will lose 10k men each that defect to the Prince.