[OOC] Blood Runs Over Westeros: A Game of Thrones Roleplay. V2

[Bluetommy]

Westeros Burns Again

The nine great houses of Westeros are constantly at each other's throats, and now, with the death of the childless King Aegon X, descendant of Daenerys Targaryen, most of the houses are aiming to take the throne for themselves, each with a stronger claim than the last, the only ones not caught in it are houses Greyjoy and Stark, who are currently warring over the North.

Many miss Aegon, a just king, a smart king, Aegon was considered the best man for the job, and many suspect his spymaster, his younger brother Daenys, of poisoning him. No matter, Aegon died at the age of 30, mourned by a loving nation.

War yet again decimates the Seven Kingdoms, it's surprising how long peace lasted, four generations of kings lived and died with nothing to fight about. The white walkers driven back by a combined effort of the destroyed and mutilated Seven kingdoms, the war of five kings ended, and the war for dawn began. Houses Tully and Stark retook their rightful seats, however, the war cost one great family dearly. House Lannister lost everything, the Westerlands given to house Crakehall.

Now, months later, there are few survivors left from those early days. The great power block of Tyrell, Baratheon, and Targaryen control King's Landing in the name of King Aerys the Third, son of the rogue Prince Daenys Targaryen, who holds the Blackwater with a weak hand and a madder mind. King Tyget Crakehall of the westerlands controls both his own lands and those of the deceased Greyjoys, wiped out by his own hand, though some seek to see the Ironborn back in control of their ancestral home. In this great war, many houses remained neutral, including the nationalist Rheon Tully, Lord Arryn, who has yet to descend from the Eyrie, Lord Edric Stark in The North, who has yet to choose a side, and House Nymerios Martell. In the south, the Stormlands have been taken into the hands of the peasantry, with Lord Gris' status unknown. Even further south, the Stepstones have been taken by Lady Rhaenyra Targaryen and her sister Baela, who maintain de facto neutrality, despite Rhaenyra's unwritten betrothal to Lord Garland Tyrell.

There can only be one king, and while the conflict between House Targaryen of the Stepstones and King's Landing has yet to descend into all out war, the threat is enough to put Lord Hand Garland Tyrell in a precarious position. Meanwhile, King Tyget Crakehall has proposed marriages between his issue and that of houses Tully and Stark, in an attempt to rebuild the damaged Crakehall forces and bring in a bloc strong enough to take down the massive forces of house Tyrell.

Although Essos has yet to enter the war, trade with many of the factions continued unimpeded, and it is no stretch to think that one of the free cities may join with who they believe to have the strongest claim.

Only time will tell the fate of the Seven Kingdoms.

History of Westeros since Aegon the Ninth

Small Council and kingsguard

S M A L L C O U N C I L ( Aegon IX Targaryen | 415 AC - 438 AC )
Hand of the King - Prince Maegon Targaryen ( 423 - 426 )
Lord Commander of the Kingsguard - Ser Harys Royce
Master of Coin - Alford Tully ( 377-411 ), Ser Uther Seaworth ( 411 - )
Master of Laws - Mannas ( 401-436 ) Prince Aegon Targaryen ( 436-438 )
Master of Whisperers - Sumner Crakehall ( 415-436 ), Prince Daenys Targaryen (436-438)
Master of Ships - Arthas Mallister ( 415-438 )
Grand Maester - Grand Maester Lornwell

K I N G S G U A R D ( Aegon IX's )
Lord Commander of the Kingsguard - Ser Harys Royce
Kingsguard - Ser Paterick Mallister
Kingsguard - Ser Elwer Roxton
Kingsguard - Ser Jaremy Rykker
Kingsguard - Ser Jullon Florent
Kingsguard - Ser Willas Tyrell
Kingsguard - Ser Petyr Crabb ( 412 -437 ), Ser Devron Mooton ( 437-438 )

S M A L L C O U N C I L ( Aegon X Tagaryen | 438 AC - 450 AC )
Hand of the King - Lord Addam Velaryon ( 438-447 ) Lord Garland Tyrell ( 447-450 )
Lord Commander of the Kingsguard - Ser Harys Royce
Master of Coin - Ser Uther Seaworth
Master of Laws - Manrel Tully ( 438-450 )
Master of Whisperers - Prince Daenys Targaryen ( 438-450 )
Master of Ships- Arthas Mallister ( 429-450 )
Grand Maester - Grand Maester Lornwell ( 438-450 )

K I N G S G U A R D ( Aegon X's )
Lord Commander of the Kingsguard - Ser Harys Royce
Kingsguard - Ser Martyn Footly
Kingsguard - Ser Jaremy Rykker
Kingsguard - Ser Jullon Florent
Kingsguard - Ser Willas Tyrell
Kingsguard - Ser Elwer Roxton ( 415-440 ) Ser Tybalt Payne (440-450)
Kingsguard - Ser Devron Mooton ( 438-450 )

S M A L L C O U N C I L ( Aerys III Targaryen | 450 AC - PRESENT AC )
Hand of the King & Lord Regent - Lord Garland Tyrell ( 450- )
Lord Commander of the Kingsguard - Ser Willas Tyrell ( 450- )
Master of Coin - Ser Uther Seaworth ( 411- )
Master of Laws- Manrel Tully( 450- )
Master of Whisperers - [Vacant]
Master of Ships - Arthas Mallister ( 450- )
Grand Maester - Grand Maester Lornwell (450- )

K I N G S G U A R D ( Aerys III's )
Lord Commander of the Kingsguard - Ser Willas Tyrell ( 450- )
Kingsguard - Ser Devron Mooton (450- )
Kingsguard - [OPEN]
Kingsguard - [OPEN]
Kingsguard - [OPEN]
Kingsguard - [OPEN]
Kingsguard - Ser Cathryn Tully ( 450- )

The History of the Realm since the death of King Aegon X Targaryen
A brief history of the events after the death of King Aegon of Houses Targaryen and Celtigar, Tenth of His Name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm, as composed by Maester Ostegar.

I shall start of this historical account by saying we all deeply mourn the untimely death of King Aegon X Targaryen, for his death was most sudden and unexpected. King Aegon X was the picture of health, lively and spirited, he was not known to have any afflictions that would have forewarned of his passing. Some whisper that it was his younger brother, Daenys Targaryen, who poisoned the king in a bid to gain the crown himself. Foul rumors speak of Prince Daenys coveting the throne and crown for himself, thus leading him to commit both regicide and fratricide. Yet, these are but rumors, and rumors alone are not enough evidence to fully reveal truth behind this troublesome chapter in our Kingdom's history.

The first days following the death of King Aegon X Targaryen

The Death of Aegon the Tenth set into motion a series of events that perhaps few, if any could have ever foreseen. Whilst many believed that Daenys Targaryen would be the next King of Westeros, it was decreed by the late King Aegon X, in his most current iteration of who would succeed him in the line of succession, that Daenys Targaryen would not be his heir. This raised a great deal of concern, considering the fact that King Aegon X had still yet to marry, or sire any heirs, legitimate and illegitimate.

Prince Daenys on the other hand, at the behest of his late father Aegon the Ninth, arranged him to marry Dalla Baratheon, which produced a single son, Aerys Targaryen, Third of his Name. Whilst the legalities and troublesome nature of Prince Daenys being passed over for the crown, his claim at this point, or so it was said, was not to be recognized. Prince Daenys was on Dragonstone, the ancestral seat of the heir to the throne. This complicated matters, as he was not only in control of the holdings of the heir to the throne, but his own dragon as well, (insert Daenys dragon's name).

The source of the contention behind Prince Daenys being rendered ineligable for taking the throne resided with the small council, overseen by the Lord Hand himself, Lord Garland Tyrell. Chosen by Aegon the Tenth, along with a fresh cabinet of younger lords to serve on the small council, it was Lord Garland who brought forth the last decree, or perhaps will, of King Aegon X that stated Prince Daenys would not inherit the throne. The council was comprised of Lord Garland Tyrell as Hand of the King, Ser Harys Royce as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Lord Corwyn Baelish as Master of Coin, Lord Ormund Hightower II as Master of Laws, Prince Daenys Targaryen as Master of Whispers, Lord Arthas Mallister as Master of Ships, and Grand Maester Lornwell. At the command of the Lord Hand, a vote was put forth, passing in a four to three split decision that Prince Daenys would not inherit the throne.

Lord Garland, Ser Willas, Lord Ormund, and Lord Arthas all voted in favor of passing Prince Daenys for succession, while Lord Corwyn, Maester Lornwell, and of course, Prince Daenys voted for him to ascend the throne. This decision is said to have been the catalyst that has led to the realm tearing itself apart. Prince Daenys swore that he would not sit idly by and let someone else take his throne, vowing to repay the traitors who voted against him. He fled to Dragonstone shortly following the results of the vote, along with Lord Corwyn. Word traveled quickly following this vote, further splitting the realm.

With the disinheritance of Prince Daenys, and by laws of succession, his son Aerys Targaryen, the throne was without an immediate heir, leaving the remnant of the Small Council scrambling to find an heir for the throne, especially considering that Prince Daenys had isolated himself on Dragonstone, trying to gather houses loyal to him, and his son Aerys having not been seen in years. With a growing movement seeking to place Prince Daenys on the throne, a new claimant came forth. Lord Tyget Crakehall, Lord Paramount of the Westerlands, laid forth his claim to the Iron Throne, through the blood he shared with his forebear that married Rhaena Targaryen, daughter of King Aegon VII Targaryen and Gael Targaryen. Already, even as those in King's Landing frantically searched for the rightful heir, Lord Tyget Crakehall had declared himself King, raising a massive army to support that claim.

Yet, far more concerning than perhaps the correct line of succession for the Iron Throne, were the reports that fluttered in from the Wall, the great expanse of ice and snow that had for millennia protected the realms of men from the horrors that roamed the great untamed expanse of the lands beyond the Wall. One of the last known Lannisters, who had become Lord Commander of the Night's Watch no less, Tyron Lannister, sent word out by raven to all who would listen, that the dead walked the lands once again, that the forces of darkness had returned, and they hungered for everything south of the Wall.

The decent into madness, the weeks after King Aegon X Targaryen's death

Perhaps one of the sadder aspect of the death of King Aegon X was the unraveling of Prince Daenys thinly veiled sanity and civility. None truly know what horrors Dalla Baratheon underwent upon Dragonstone, save that she died a horrible death, her severed head be sent to the Lord Hand Garland Tyrell, as a vile warning of the evils to come. Murdered in cold blood, along with the possibility of Aerys Targaryen having been murdered too, Prince Daenys was doing all he could to force the realm to choose him as King. The blood of the Dragon at times could produce monsters, and Prince Daenys Targaryen was shaping up to be akin to the likes of Aerys the II or Maelor the Monstrous.

The small council, at the behest of Lord Garland, went on a temporary recess in order to spend time with their families, and prepare themselves for the long road ahead. It was in Highgarden, seat of power for the Tyrell family, that Lord Garland saw first hand Prince Daenys depravity. Dalla Baratheon's head was delivered in a box, with an ominous message inside, reading "You're all next." There was no denying it, Prince Daenys was on the war path and he was going to exact his revenge against all those who had voted against him. To make matters worse for the remaining small council, Lord Tyget Crakehall had not only crowned himself King of the Seven Kingdoms, but had raised a powerful army, with the intent to march upon King's Landing.

It was at the behest of the Lord Hand that the Bloodletting of the Goldcloaks took place. It was also at the behest of the Lord Hand that the banners of the Reach were raised, in part to ready them for a very possible conflict with both the loyalists of Prince Daenys, and the newly levied forces of King Tyget Crakehall. The Lord Hand Garland Tyrell soon put forth a declaration of intent, sending his letter to every Lord and Lady in the Seven Kingdoms. Lord Tyrell sought to secure the throne for the true Targaryen heir, and deny the Iron Throne to Lord Tyget Crakehall. I've included a copy of his letter, so that the readers of this annual may see for themselves.

Hand of the King, Lord Garland Tyrell's Letter of Intent

"To the Lords and Ladies of the Seven Kingdoms,

In the aftermath of the death of Aegon Targaryen, tenth of his name, I write to ask for your appeasement, in these terrible times. The death of the Queen, by the suspected hand of Daenys Targaryen, of whom has been disinherited of his heirdom by the King's will, results that there is a need for peace in the Kingdom in a succession crisis such as this, and a renewed meeting of the Small Council in King's Landing. I, as Hand of the King to the deceased Aegon, will restore order to the Crownlands and King's Landing, and provisionally instate a military Reachman force to keep the peace within the city itself in the absence of a King, until the correct Targaryen heir is found. Any hostile actions against any men of the Reach will be met with hard consequences, and any self-titled claimants to the throne beyond the Targaryen dynasty will be met with hostility in response. At this current time, I act as Regent to the Iron Throne, and I ask for your patience, to continue to serve the crown of the Targaryen dynasty with due honour.

Signed,

Lord Garland Tyrell, Lord Paramount of The Reach, Warden of the South, Hand of the King to Aegon X Targaryen"

As I said earlier, it was at the Lord Hand's command that the bloodletting of the Gold Cloaks transpired. This bloodletting was a violent and bloody removal of all forces within the Gold Cloaks that were not loyal to the Tyrells, or could not be bought off with money and food. Sadly, the former Commander of the Gold Cloaks Ser Darren Celtigar, along with many other good officers. On that night, and the nights to follow, the streets ran red with the blood of men who had sworn to protect King's Landing, not the interests of outside lords and ladies. While my records of this time frame are not perfect by any means, before the purge, the Gold Cloaks numbered almost 7,000 men. By the end, they barely had 2,000 left in any sort of fighting condition.

This sad state in the history of the Gold Cloaks will always be looked back upon with great sadness. Some will say it was due to food shortages, others will say it was becuase of disputes in the pay. Perhaps further still, it was the differences in allegiances that the diverse group of men within the Gold Cloaks had which led to this purge. All that can be said for certain was the order came from Hand of the King, Lord Garland Tyrell.

Elsewhere in the realm at this time, many other things were transpiring. Out at the Iron Islands, the Greyjoys had begun raising a fleet once more, hell bent and declaring their freedom from the yolk of the Iron Throne. The Nights Watch still asked for more men, for more support, and as always, they were ignored by the great houses of Westeros. And oddly, an envoy from Yunkai came to treat with Lord Garland Tyrell himself. Prince Daenys still bided his time on Dragonstone, marshalling his forces in the hope of taking the Iron Throne for himself.

In the Westerlands, King Tyget Crakehall had fully mustered his main army, some 50,000 strong, all readying to march upon King's Landing, and securing his claim upon the Iron Throne. He had chosen to disregard the letter sent out by Lord Garland, believing that he, and he alone had the greatest claim to the throne. I do not blame the man either, he believed that he was acting in the best interest of the realm. With Prince Daenys still on the loose, along with the very real possibility of a civil war breaking out, King Tyget Crakehall was trying to prevent the very war that would end up breaking out.

While it can be said that the two main forces of this war to come were that of the Westerlands, and that of the Reach, other regions of the Kingdom were not entirely silent. The Vale, Dorne, the Trident, and the North all chose to remain neutral, not wishing to be embroiled in a war that would no doubt claim the lives of many thousands of young men and innocent smallfolk. The Stormlands, home to the Baratheon's, decided to throw their support behind the Tyrells, no doubt due to the fact of Dalla Baratheon being murdered. I can not speak for these other houses, but their reasons for remaining removed from this conflict can be traced back to conflicts in the past, and rightfully so for these regions have all seen their fair share of conflict over and over again.

Perhaps the oddest rumors in during those days were the one that came from across the Narrow Sea. I will never be able to fully confirm these tales, but they all spoke of Prince Daenys, and him being sighted upon the Isle of Bloodstone. No doubt the young Prince was trying to rally sellswords to his cause, if not more unsavory individuals. They even said that he may have tried to hire a faceless man, though I discount such frivelous rumors as mere fantasy. No proof of these "magical" assassins has ever been substansiated, let alone proven. Just folk tales scared mothers tell their children to make them behave.

The first month after King Aegon X's death, a new Claimant arises

In the Westerlands, Lord Tyget Crakehall claimed the throne by right of previous family heritage, whilst in King's Landing, the remnants of the Small Council, now firmly under the control of Lord Hand Garland Tyrell, searched for a true born Targaryen heir to the throne. With Daenys Targaryen being disinherited from the throne of his father and elder brother, concerns were raised about the legitimacy of his own son, Aerys Targaryen. Yet, those within the Small Council, and the Lord Hand, insisted that Aerys Targaryen was the rightful heir, regardless of the disinheritance of his father. And yet, it is no real surprise that in the Northern Crownlands, another claimant came forth to set forth their own claim.

Rhaenyra Targaryen, Second of her Name, Queen of the Stepstones and Protector of the Narrow Seas, though, before she was a Queen, she was a Princess, heir of the Cadet Branch of the Targaryen family. With the death of her father and mother, a tragic loss in its own right, she and her younger sister, Baela Targaryen, became the heirs to their family, and perhaps the more deserving of the known Targaryen family members who could truly claim the thrown. This is of course excluding Prince Maegon, who has not been seen in many, many years, and thus, he is thought lost to the vast expanses of the Disputed Lands. Yet, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Lady of Dragon's Rest, decided that it was time to act, time to prevent her beloved realm from falling into chaos.

Both Princess Rhaenyra and Baela had heard of their cousin's passing, and both had been present at his funeral, a rather lavish affair said to even have out shined the passing of Queen Danaerys Targaryen, and her husband, King Aegon VI. Of course, that is all but speculation. The two sisters had a dragon each, both were skilled riders, and of the two, Baela, who was fiercely loyal to her elder sister, was a renowned swords-woman and lancer, who wielded the fabled Valaryian steel sword, Darksister. She even unhorsed Lord Garland Tyrell at the King's Tourney, some two years before his untimely passing. To say the least, between Lord Tyget Crakehall, whose claim to the throne was tenuous at best, the claim of Aerys Targaryen, being championed by Lord Tyrell, a boy who had not been seen in the better part of a decade, and that of a true born Targaryen princess, at that pivotal moment, Princess Rhaenyra's claim was the strongest, as Prince Aerys was not known to be alive or dead.

What is known, however, was that after much deliberation with the bannermen of the Northern Crownlands, and perhaps with encouragement from Princess Baela, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen officially put forth her claim to the throne, a young woman pitting herself against the claims of great men, and the claims of suspected killers and unknown sons. She would send out three letters that day, hoping to make contact with the current powers that be, to sway them over to her cause in part, but also to avoid bloodshed and violence, as many well know that when the line of succession becomes muddled, blood flows across the lands.

What I do know at the very least, is that she contacted Lord Tyget Crakehall, Lord Garland Tyrell, and the Commander of the Goldcloaks, who was Ser Willas Tyrell, having murdered and replaced Lord Celtigar. What these letters contained is up to debate, but what is known was that Princess Rhaenyra received a far more favorable response from those in Highgarden, as opposed to Casterly Rock.

Elsewhere in the realm, and in particular Highgarden, an alliance of sorts was being created between Lord Tyrell and that of Lady Jehrilla of Zo Zaaraq, a powerful slave holder from Yunkai. A deplorable practice to say the least, but thankfully it was no where as prevalent as had been in the millenia past. Ribald rumors say that the deal was sealed with sex, and while to some, this may seem appealing, let it be known that Lady Jehrilla was no pretty woman, rather, she was a large overweight woman, who had been nicknamed the White Whale. More likely, and far more believable, is that the Tyrells simply paid Lady Jehrilla handsomely for her slave soldiers, and with promises for plunder and possible enslavement of the citizens of the Westerlands. War has been said to bring out the worst in people, and sadly, this is such an example.

I personally believe that is was Lady Alerie Tyrell who finalized this deal between the Yunkish slaver and the forces of Highgarden. While Lord Garland Tyrell was the true ruler of Highgarden and the Reach, his sister was always there by his side, her innate ability with diplomacy a powerful tool within the Tyrell arsenal. Lady Alerie herself may have been the very one who suggested that the slavers raid the shores of the Westerlands, but such may never be known.

Farther North, the Ironborn had begun raiding once again, fulling breaking away from the Seven Kingdoms, and with deadly earnest, that sacked and razed many settlements along the coasts of the North, the Riverlands, and the Westerlands, even making their way down to the Reach under the direction of more daring captains. Whilst the banners for war were being raised by the Tyrells and Crakehalls, the Greyjoys and Ironborn had already set sail, blazing a bloody trail behind them that struck fear in the hearts and minds of many small folk and petty lords alike. The days were dark, and with each passing hour, the relations between House Tyrell and House Crakehall soured ever more.

Perhaps it was this souring, or that the claims of Princess Rhaenyra and Princess Baela being far stronger than Lord Tyget Crakehall, which led to Lord Hand Garland Tyrell to throw all his support behind the two Targaryen Princesses. But, all such things come with a caveat, and again, this idea was more than likely at the behest of the Lady Alerie, who always worked by her brother's side. Either way, the Lord Hand suggested that Princess Rhaenyra claim regency over the throne, rather than outright claiming to be the next ruler. This was no doubt done in part over the belief that Prince Aerys yet lived, and that he should be the next ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. Only time would be able to tell who would be King or Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, but for now, unity, more than anything, was direly needed to prevent a full scale civil war from engulfing the realm.

Sadly, many more people would lose their lives, caused by the unrest and chaos that uncertainty brings. King's Landing still smoldered, violence brewing between those loyal the throne itself, loyal to their former lands, and those loyal to the Tyrells. As I said earlier, a great schism happened within the Goldcloaks, leading to violent purging, and sadly, a full scale riot that engulfed the city proper. The forces of Lord Crakehall were slowly marching towards King's Landing, intent upon taking the city for themselves, and that of their lord, Tyget Crakehall. The Reach readied itself, while farther north far darker things began to unfold, spilling even more blood.

What is dead may never die, the resurgence of the Ironborn.

As I had said earlier, the Ironborn had taken to reeving once more, forsaking the laws of the realm to return to their old ways. Led by King Talron Greyjoy, the Ironborn spilled forth from the Iron Islands like a plague, enveloping everything before them with death. Bear Island, Cape Kraken, Torrhen's Square, the list going on, of the settlements that were attacked, the countless villages burned and razed, the looting, the raping, the murdering, an unquenchable blood lust that had been simmering for decades, was finally let loose in an ungodly orgy of evil and sin. Yet, even the proud Kraken knew it could not win its war alone, and thus, sought out allies to help his cause, no matter how deplorable it was.

Perhaps one of the bloodiest battles of the resurgent Ironborn was that of Bear Island, ancestral home to House Mormont. It was here that the Ironborn sowed their vengeance upon the mainlanders, and in particular, those of the North. Whislt numerous raids were launch against the island, and some of those even being repelled, one in particular served as a rallying cry against the threat that the Ironborn had become. At the town of Port Claw, which served as one of the primary ports for Bear Island, Lord Valorian Greyjoy led the assault himself. The sacking and razing of Port Claw, and the loss of its garrison served as a grim reminder of the ever present threat of a resurgent Ironborn. Sadly, it was the loss of two particular individuals that served to seal the fate of those in House Greyjoy. Lord Gregor Mormont, and his son, Ser Garant Mormont, his middle son.

Striking in the middle of the night, Lord Valorian rode into the port, savagely crushing the three garrison ships of the port. Let it be said, if the Ironborn are good at one thing, it is their unmatched experience with naval warfare. With the Northern ships broken and sunk, their port soon being aflame, and the town beginning to be bathed in flames, the true battle began roughly at dusk. The garrison fought valiantly, doing all they could to protect the civilians, buying those unable to fight time to escape and flee to safety. But no matter how hard they fought, the Ironborn kept coming, an inexorable tide of screaming men and women hellbent on raiding this town for any and all riches it may have held. Within an hour, the garrison had been forced back to the fort that overlooked the town. With their gates shut, the men and women battled on fiercely, knowing that this would be their last stand, so they would take as many Ironborn scum with them as they could.

The battle lasted for another three hours, before the garrison and its fort finally fell. Being able to hold out for so long, against such an overwhelming force, can only be credited to the chance visit of Lord Gregor Mormont, and his son Ser Garant Mormont. With their presence alone, the Bear Islanders fought harder and longer, even some tales speaking of them fighting past the point of which no other men could. I give credit to Lord Mormont and his garrison. They tied up the Ironborn at the coast, buying time for the forces of Bear Island to be raised, giving precious minutes, if not hours, for the smallfolk to find refuge from the Ironborn onslaught. Lord Gregor fought as though he were a bear himself, cutting down the slithering krakens as they dared to come across his wall. He alone is said to have killed no less then twenty men that night. Sadly, even the might of the bear could not best the Kraken that day. The men of Bear Island fought valiantly, they fought savagely, yet in the end, they were bested by the Blood Kraken himself, Lord Valorion Greyjoy.

Said to be even more formidable than his elder brother, King Talron, Valorian Greyjoy ensured that his name would not be so easily forgotten. A brilliant tactician, and a deadly fight with axe and sword, Lord Valorian led his forces to victory that day, even though he would have to rush back to the sea shortly afterwords as reinforcing Bear Islanders crested the hills in the distance. Many men lost their lives that night, their blood still staining the stones and rocks of Bear Island, both Northerner and Iron Islander alike. As the bulk of the Iron Islanders assualted the front of Fort Claw, Lord Valorian led a group of fifty men to assail the fort from behind. Climbing what was said to be an unclimbable cliff, which a few of his men did fall from, he was able to pass into the fort unnoticed. Seeking to buy final victory, even if it were at the cost of loot and plunder, Lord Valorian set the storehouses of the fort aflame, along with its stables, forge, and armory. As the flames began to grow, the illuminated the nighttime sky, and with it, the Old Bear himself, Lord Gregor.

The two men would square off in one on one combat, their weapons glancing off one another as they each sought to kill the other. Lord Valorian against Lord Gregor, the kraken against the bear. Both men fought hard, both men fought valiantly, but it was Lord Valorian who triumped over the Old Bear Lord Gregor. Perhaps it was the sight of his son, Ser Garant falling from the ramparts that bought Lord Valorian enough time to best Lord Gregor, or some dirty trick. We will never know, as few survived that bloody and deadly night. What we do know, is that both Lord Gregor and his son Ser Garant were drug through the streets of the burning town, and down to the water's edge. There would be no surrender for the garrison, every man and woman fighting to the bitter end. Their sacrifices, and those of Lord Gregor and his son Ser Garant will be forever remembered in song and tale.

As the Ironborn began to fall back, the fort and the town it protected bathed in flame, Lord Valorian took to the shoreline to personally deal with his two noble prisoners. Reinforcements were already on their way, perhaps no more than five minutes away, but all the same, five minutes too late. Lord Greogr and Ser Garant were drug into the crashing cold surf, and drowned by Lord Valorian himself, sacrifices to the profane and heretical Drowned God. Perhaps it was all the Blood Kraken could do, as any loot he could have gained had gone up in smoke and flame. Instead, he had to contend with being able to murder in cold blood noble and good men, and kidnapping Lord Gregor's second daughter, Lyanna Mormont, who was both beautiful and fierce. She was said to have raked her nails across Lord Valorian's face, leaving him with four long scars for the rest of his life. He would sail away, fleeing the true might of House Mormont as they finally reached the burning town. All that he had truly done was seal the fate of House Greyjoy, and that of the Ironborn.

Scenes like this played out all over the realm with the Ironborn raiding the coasts, falling upon the ill prepared people of the Seven Kingdoms. The death of a King is a horrible thing, one that creates far more problems that it solves usually. But, the Ironborn perhaps foolishly believed themselves beyond the vengeful wrath of the realms they raided, but their time would come, with just and resounding consequences.

What I have been able to find through my meticulous travels and studies, was that King Talron contacted both Daenys Targaryen, and Rhaenyra Targaryen. These two individuals had something that no other lords in all the realms could quite match. Dragons. Whilst Daenys still held sway over Dragonstone and a few other islands, Rhaenyra was upon the mainland, with far more support than her disinherited cousin. Furthermore, she had her own dragon, Visaxes, and the dragon of her sister Princess Baela, Jadefyre. Daenys had his dragon Bloodfyre, bigger than the two younger dragons of the Targaryen Princesses, but while one dragon was a sight to behold, two would be far more damaging and helpful in this current situation.

Broken Oaths, the Night's Watch and more...

Less we forget, far to the North, lies the massive fortification known simply as the Wall. Garrisoned by a motley collection of second and third sons, criminals, peasants, and men on the wrong side of a dispute, the Night's Watch is all that stands between the realms of men and the great untamed wilderness known as the lands beyond the wall. Their most recent Lord Commander of note was the Last Lion, Ser Tyron Hill, a bastard child of one of the last free Lannisters, the males being sentenced to serve at the Wall, the women married off, and the Lion banners of the Lannisters burned for all eternity. Of course there are tales of lost Lannisters having escaped across the narrow sea, and one Lyman Lannister, who I will speak about later on, can attest to this, but such tales are few and far between.

Oathbreaker is a strong title, but such a title befits Ser Gerald Crakehall, brother to Lord Tyget Crakehall. Ser Gerald was a skilled ranger of the Night's Watch, and one who had been sent by the Lord Commander to wrangle up more recruits for the Night's Watch. Yet, some men still take certain oaths lightly, and Ser Gerald was one of those men. He had done his job well, gather perhaps some 400 recruits, based on the Watch's meticulous records, on his last expedition to the Southern Realms. It was here, in the lands of his brother, that he forsook all oaths to the Watch, and joined his brother's grand army. Many may argue that who would chose the frozen cold over wealth and fame, but regardless of such arguments, Ser Gerald was an oathbreaker and deserter, a foul combination.

Second hand accounts speak of the Crakehall's sending a delegation back to the wall, perhaps in the hopes of convincing the Watch that Ser Gerald was dead and buried. Some 100 hundred men, and the recruits gathered for the Watch trudged North, though none would ever return. Lord Commander Tyron was an angry man, bastard's blood running strong through his body. He cut down the Crakehall contingent's leader, and then forcibly enlisted the remaining soldiers, as penance for the betrayal of Ser Gerald. Small wonder as to why the Lannisters were brought low and exiled from the law abiding realms of men.

Such men always seek to justify their actions. All for the Watch of course, for there were always wildlings to fight, the ones who had not become civilized, that chose to ignore the warning of Lord Commander Jon Snow, and ever since, there are the Gift Wildlings, and the Lands Beyond the Wall Wildlings. Lord Commander Tyron would never see the Southern side of the Wall, for that very next day he would head North through the Wall to range against the Wildlings.

Far to the South, the armies of Tyget Crakehall were split in two, with the vast majority under the command of the Oathbreaker, Ser Gerald. He would sally forth from Casterly Rock, some 50,000 men at his back, as he began the slow plodding trip to take King's Landing for his brother and King. To the East Princess Rhaenyra and her sister Princess Baela rallied their own forces, much smaller than many garrison forces, but they backed their small army up with the might of two dragons. With the warm receptions from the Tyrells, the two sisters marched forth with their might, heading for King's Landing and to see if the throne would pass to Princess Rhaenyra.

King's Landing was far closer to the Crownlands, than it was to the Westerlands. Both Princesses marched with 1,500 men, their two dragons, and the fire of House Targaryen. What little they knew was that King's Landing was still unstable, and while it was firmly under the control of the Tyrell's, that did not make it wholly safe. Blackwater Bay belonged to Daenys Targaryen, with all the houses still under his tenuous control. With the death of Ser Darren Celtigar, relations between the island houses and those of the mainland soured, and the people of King's Landing certainly used this to their advantage. It was dire that Princess Rhaenyra got to the capital with all due haste, in order to help allay the fears and violence the ran rampant within the citizenry.

It was also discussed amongst Princess Rhaenyra's council on whether or not to help support the Greyjoys. The Iron Islanders had painted themselves into a corner, and were certainly reviled by almost the entire realm, save perhaps Dorne, which was scarcely raided if ever by these naval raiders. Openly entering an alliance with them would ally the Princesses with the Ironborn, and make enemies with the North, the Riverlands, the Westerlands, and the Reach. We may never know what came of that letter, save that Princess Rhaenyra flew North to meet with someone, and then flew back, not speaking about what had transpired in that clandestine meeting.

While on the march to King's Landing, and this will be something I touch upon later, an interesting tale, one that has been told many times over, was the story behind Sergeant Trevan Waters. A young man, a bastard no less, or at least many were lead to believe at the time, had broken up a fight between two knights. For his trouble, he was accosted by the knights, only to be taken before the Princesses themselves. When asked about the incident, he spoke truly, and did not lie to the Princesses or their Councilors. As he spoke, something curious was noticed about him, though those present could not put their finger upon it. After dismissing the two knights to latrine duty for the next three months, Princess Rhaenyra raised this lowly bastard sergeant to knighthood, as a reward for his honesty and due diligence. When he knelt, it was Sergeant Waters, yet when he rose, he was hence forth known as Ser Trevan Waters. A bastard, or so we thought, raised high that day, and would only ascend even more in the coming months.

As the forces of the Reach, the Westerlands, and the Crownlands slowly and inexorably marched towards one another, the forces of the North and the Iron Islanders were engaged in bloody combat all along the coastal regions of the North. Ambushes, raids, retaliations, all sorts of violent and ceaseless fighting took place, turning the once peaceful and serene region into a war zone. And as the blood flowed along the coasts, a curious proposition was put forth by the Lord of the Westerlands.

Lord Tyget Crakehall sought to bring together the forces of the North and the West together through marriage, tying his daughter Leona to the Heir of Winterfell. Whether or not this arranged marriage would bear fruit would remain to be seen.

Stolen Faces and the Flailing Kraken.

Our tale now brings us to Highgarden, and to that of Prince Daenys Targaryen. Many moons ago, somehow, he traveled from Dragonstone, to the Stepstones, and then to Dorne. He landed in the Southernmost region of the Kingdom, and slowly made his way North. Accounts speak of him disguising himself as a Maester, taking on the persona of a man he undoubtedly killed. Along with him were a small retinue of loyal guards, men known for their indiscretion when it came to fighting and killing for their Prince. Perhaps tales of the Faceless men are true, for one of the Maesters for Highgarden had recently gone missing, and I assume he was killed at Prince Daenys behest in order to give him an opportunity to enact his plan to remove the opposition to his ascension to the throne.

By now, the employment of the Zo Zaaraq mercenaries was all but secured, ensuring the Tyrell's the needed skirmishers to harry the coastal regions of the Westerlands, to further inhibit the enemies ability to claim the throne, and to fight off the Ironborn, and the Yunkish slavers. It is still not known how many good and honest Westerosi citizens were carried off into slavery from those raids, but many families, albeit small, were forever wiped out from that heinous atrocity of the slavers.

Back in King's Landing, the Targaryen retinue of Princess Rhaenyra had finally arrived, making contact with the new Gold Cloaks Commander, Ser Willas Tyrell. The sisters and their forces marched into a city gripped with uncertainty, but the sight of dragons, and the waving Targaryen banners perhaps brought some solace to the people within. They'd suffered a tumoltous change of power, the loss of a King, the betrayal of a Prince, the defiant rising of the West, and the rousing of the Kraken. All said and done, the least of their worries were the Princesses of House Targaryen, the family that had ruled Westeros justly and fairly since the restoration so many years ago.

Yet, our true focus is upon the actions of Prince Daenys. He arrived in Highgarden, under the guise of a Maester. He had traveled far, and based on the reports of missing and murdered persons, he certainly played a role in some of these cases. The man was bold, I will give him that. Not many men, even skilled men, would personally walk into the home of their enemy in the hopes of killing them. But, that was exactly what Prince Daenys had done. He and his retinue were greeted at the gates of Highgarden, passing themselves off as a Maester and his apprentices. Coupled with the recent loss of Highgarden's own Maester, Prince Daenys timing was impeccable. Still, his plan hinged on his ability to be alone with the Lord of Highgarden, and that he would be able to murder the Lord Tyrell once the opportunity presented itself.

A full week would pass before that chance finally came, and as we all know, it did not go as planned for the Prince. Whether he had been drinking or maybe lost his nerve, Lord Tyrell did not die that night, and rather, it was the hopes of Prince Daenys that were laid to rest, with his apprehension and imprisonment. Prince Daenys had gotten lucky, two of his followers were able to infiltrate the guards of Lord Tyrell, and by luck, had drawn the lots to serve among the eight guards that were assigned to protect their Lord on that particular night. As the sun finally set, and the guards rotated out, Prince Daenys sprung his long awaited plan. While still under the guise as a Maester, he moved to arrange a meeting with the Lord alone.

As the two men conversed, from what can be believed, Prince Daenys snatched a letter opener from the Lord's table, pushing himself across the table to hold the blade to Lord Tyrell's neck. What transpired in those terse moments, some saying it lasted at least five minutes, will never be known in full. Lord Tyrell refuses to speak about it, though the small scar on his neck speaks that he did receive a wound in the altercation between himself and Prince Daenys. At the end of it all though, Prince Daenys lay unconscious on the floor, and his followers were being held at sword point. Some rumors still persist that Lord Tyrell tricked Prince Daenys with a kiss, others say he spoke a promise to allow him to ascend to the throne, but I will not speak on conjecture, and merely say that whatever happened, Lord Tyrell won. And with Lord Tyrell's victory, Prince Daenys chances at taking the throne were crushed, and he ended up as a prisoner of the realm.

Far removed from all of the commotion of the mainland however, is the sad tale of the Kingsguard Mutiny. On an unknown island, deep within the territory of the Stepstones, a battle was fought between the White Guard and Black Guard, former sworn brothers in arms, squaring off against one another in defense of their respective Kings, or rather, princes. Leading the White Kingsguard was Ser Harys Royce, whilst the Black Kingsguard was led by Ser Cressen Sunglass. Songs and stories speak of the battle that took place on the small strand of sand and stone, forever known as Drogon's Isle. Five men for the Whites, and Seven for the Blacks, yet in the end, only two Whites survived the battle, Ser Harys Royce, and Ser Gormon Footly. These two Kingsguard went down forever in the annuals of the Kingsguard, and ensured the eventual accession of Prince Aerys to become King Aerys the Third.

Lest I forget, we must not forget the key battles that were fought far to the North, and more correctly, on the Iron Islands. Lord Tyget Crakehall, Lord Paramount of the Westerlands, had finally amassed a fleet sizable enough to confront the Iron Islanders. He undoubtedly spent a significant amount of gold, due to the reports of numerous mercenaries that bolstered his fleet. With the majority of the Iron Fleet spread out across the vast expanses of the western coasts, perhaps it was divine providence when Lord Crakehall set upon the reserve fleet of the Iron Islands. Aptly named the Battle of the Flailing Kraken, the Westermen had road in upon a fierce storm, something that the Iron Islanders had believed the mainlanders too cowardly and softy to do.

It was midday, when the battle commenced, some three hundred vessels colliding to join battle. What would set this battle apart from any other, excluding the battle of Blackwater Bay, was the use of two hulks, aptly name Kraken's Bane and Greyjoy's Demise. These two barely serviceable trading galleys were loaded with Wildfire, something exceedingly rare with its closely guarded secrets and hard to produce nature. Yet either way, these two ships were sailed into the center of the battle, their crews abandoning them as the Crakehall fleet pretended to rout. All an elaborate ploy, one the the Iron Islanders fell for, with deadly consequences.

The reserve fleet of Pyke, and the Iron Islands, was led by Lord Qarl Greyjoy, a hardened commander who had been placed in reserve after his victories along Cape Kraken. He was said to have boarded the hulk ships himself, laughing as he scattered the Crakehall forces. At that moment his life, and the lives of who knows how many sailors and marines were ended. If the reports can be believed, the light from the explosion lit up the stormy skies brighter than the midday sun. The waters themselves boiled from the heat, while the collective screams of hundreds, if not thousands of men rose out, only to be silenced. The battle that followed last six days, on the dawning of the seventh, the Greyjoy garrison and resistance was shattered.

The forces of the Westerlands trudged through the lands of Pyke, putting to sword all their enemies, burning anything and everything. We sadly know what kind of fate awaited the civilians of this island, yet, who could truly say that they did not deserve such for their treachery, betrayal, and savagery? On the water's edge, at the beaches the formed the harbor of Castle Pyke, a massive pyre was built. Lord Tyget Crakehall himself was there, having led the siege himself, ensuring that none could question his resolve in the matter. He had even taken wounds in his valiant subjugation of the Ironborn, during his mythical fight with Lord Drumm, wielder of the dreaded Red Rain. In the end though, not even the venerable Lord Drumm or Lord Greyjoy could abate the vengeful tide of House Crakehall.

As Castle Pyke smoldered atop the hills behind the victorious Westermen, their prisoners were lashed to the broken masts of the pyre. King Talron Greyjoy, Lord Drumm, along with King Talron's sons, both legitimate and bastard born, along with countless other prisoners. The women were not spared either, they too were lashed to the lower portions of this great funeral pyre, their cries ringing out for mercy, begging and pleading for anything other than death. Yet, the great Lord Tyget heard none of it, these men and women were the very ones who had raided his own shores, killed his smallfolk, and caused countless grief among the realm. There is talk of Lord Tyget even going as far as to lash some of his own men to pyre, those who had raped or murdered those deemed to be allowed to live, Lord Tyget's justice was swift and resounding. Perhaps this is why, below the ruined towers of Pyke, they call this strand of beach the Burned Skeletons.

They say the fire burned for seven hours, scorching and burning all within it. Little remained except charred bones and melted armor. House Greyjoy was shattered that day, with but a few members remaining of the great Kraken, chief among them was Lord Valorian Greyjoy, the Blood Kraken. Death came from the mainland this time, but with that death, came hope and an even greater victory. Among the prisoners rescued from the dungeons of Castle Pyke was the young Lady Lyanna Mormont, who had been taken hostage so many weeks ago. Such a fortuitous rescue would no doubt help Lord Tyget Crakehall's relationship with those of the North. Lord Tyget himself walked through the ashes and charred timbers to collect the skull of King Talron Greyjoy, laughing as he pulled it from the smoking remains. To this day, it sits on Lord Tyget's mantle, a grim reminder of all those who would dare rise up against House Crakehall.

The Stormlands Rebellions

Even for the regions of the realm that were not actively engaged in trying to fend off the Ironborn, or trying to support the contention of the line of succession, things were not perfect. The Stormlands, home to House Baratheon, have long been known for their fierce fighters, thunderous autumn storms, and most of all, known for rebelling against injustices. While House Baratheon has long been the reigning lords in this region, the current Lord Gris Baratheon is far different from his forbears. While it can be argued no two men are ever alike, and that there are always differences within a family, Lord Gris seems to be the exception to this.

Lord Gris is still very much a Baratheon in looks, the dark black hair and blue eyes, along with a bushy beard, but that is where any and all similarities end. From a young age, the Lord of Storm's End was far more interested in the scholarly arts of the world, rather than martial or diplomatic endeavors. While perhaps this would normally not be a problem, Lord Gris Baratheon was the eldest and only son of the late Lord Kyle Baratheon the Second. And while some would argue that his sister Alyssa Baratheon would have been a far better choice to assume the inheritance of Storm's End, Lord Kyle II named his son his heir, and stood by that decision till he passed. Lord Kyle II said that once his son was forced to actually be a lord, he would set aside his foolishness and become the man he needed to be.

Sadly, for many good men, Lord Kyle II was wrong. Lord Gris Baratheon, now the reigning leader of the Stormlands, and through that, its coffers, began to bleed his people dry in taxes as he sought to continue his alchemical and philosophical pursuits. From purchasing rare animal parts from across Westeros and beyond, hiring Royal Alchemists to create Wildfire for him, to even having ice from the Wall and beyond shipped to him, there was no end in sight to what the small folk, and more rebellious lords, saw as an unjust and corrupt taxation of their rightfully earned gold. All the while he toiled and experimented within Storm's End, the people he was expected to lead rose up into an open rebellion.

The rebellion rose up from the Marcher Lords, proud men and women who had long fought against not only the Dornish people, but also against other forces as well. Leading the rebellious Storm Lords was Lord Lyonel Selmy, and behind him, the might of House Selmy, House Swann, House Caron, House Dondarrion, House Cafferen, House Rogers, and House Staedmon. Seeing their Lord Paramount as an out of touch and oppressive tyrant, they sought to rid themselves of Lord Gris Baratheon once and for all. They took to the streets, and then to the roads, and by the weeks end, they had taken Summerhall, using it as their defacto capital whilst preparing to fight the loyalist forces of House Baratheon.

With an out of touch lord, and many seasons of over taxation, fate and logic favored the rebels. On the other hand, Lord Gris still had Storm's End, and along with it, the houses that had remained loyal to him. With the tax collectors from the Marches to the Eastern edges of Summerhall dead, the rebels sent a strong message to their would be lord, “We will not be taxed unduly and unfairly, and we will fight for our freedom from an oppressive lord.” The lines had been drawn, with small skirmishes breaking out along the lines of the loyalists and the rebels. And as all this transpired, Lord Gris still remained in his castle, tinkering away with his studies and works, leaving the running of his realm to that of his sister, Lady Alyssa Baratheon.

Far to the West, the Reach stood, patiently watching the events unfold in the Stormlands. They would wait and see, even as they received pleas for help from Storm's End. It would do little good to ride in banners held high to prop up an unpopular lord, especially if the same was bound to happen again, and again. Rather, at the command of Lord Tyrell, the Reachmen posted border guards along the Stormlands, preventing anyone from entering, or leaving. For now, Lord Garland would watch and wait, to see who should be supported, and who should be opposed.

Red Crows, Forgotten Princes, and Shackled Dragons.

Far to the North, a new, ever present problem seemed to reassert itself. North of the Wall, there live numerous tribes of people that have long refused to become “civilized” like the rest of the realm. That is not to say these indigenous people are not without their own culture and customs, but rather that the Wildlings choose to live by their own laws and lords, rather than those of the Seven Kingdoms, and the Targaryen dynasty. Defending the realm from our uncivilized cousins is the Nights Watch, the men of the realm who have forsaken all other loyalties and duties to serve the greater good of all those that they protect. Leading them is the Last Lion, Tyron Lannister, Lord Commander of the Nights Watch.

The Wildlings had risen up in a more cohesive alliance of late, being led by a King Beyond the Wall known only as “The Walker”. Said to be a fiercesome warrior who had killed Nights Watchmen, fellow chieftans, and even Northern Lords beyond reckoning. I highly doubt that these tales are true, but what is based in fact, was that this King was able to unite more warring factions in recent time than anyone since Mance Rayder. Armed with stolen weapons and armor from the Nights Watch, “The Walker” led a brutal warband that had grown sizable enough to finally threaten not only small parties of Rangers, but the very Wall itself.

A culminating battle would unfold at the forward operating base of the Nights Watch. Known as Craster's Keep from the old salty bastard who once resided there, it had since been taken over by the Nights Watch to serve as a safe haven for the rangers and soldiers who ranged beyond the wall. The decrepit keep had transformed into a stout moat and bailey, with a strong palisade to protect it from the barbaric Wildlings who frequently roamed the area, trying to eek out a living, or just wanting to steal things that didn't belong to them. I must take a moment to differentiate between the Wildlings that live beyond the Wall, and those who had settled the Gift some one hundred and fifty years ago.

Those who live beyond the Wall are just as proud as their cousins who live within the Gift. The favor martial combat and prowess above all else, along with sharing the work load among men and women equally. While those that chose to bend the knee, and live within the kingdom's peace, the others chose to remain free and barbaric. These free folk are fierce fighters, living and dying by the blade. But, unlike any other people in the known reaches of Westeros, the Wildlings have those among them known as Wargs, men and women who can slip into the body of another living being, ranging from fierce-some snow bears to shadow cats. These select individuals strike fear into the hearts of their enemies, and embolden their own comrades in arms. These men and women were present at the battle for Craster's Keep.

As with all battles, there are those that stand out, and those that fall. With the North being so far away from Oldtown, records are hard to come by of the exact numbers of those who fell in this tumultuous battle. We know the names of the commanders, the names of the officers and commanders who fell, and of those who fell, Lord Commander Tyron Lannister was among them. He fell to the very man that he was hunting, “The Walker”. No matter how much we feel superior to these Wildlings, we must never underestimate them, as the former Lord Commander of the Nights Watch did. Even when armed and armored with the finest of equipment, all it takes is one misstep , or one lucky blow to strike down even the greatest of men. Lord Commander Tyron's watch had ended, and with him, one of the last known Lannisters in Westeros, if not the world.

The battle was pitched from the beginning, a passing snow storm having covered the advance of the Wildling army up until they were within throwing range of javelins. The Nights Watch quickly roused to life, their pickets sounding the alarms, and soon, the entire garrison, along with the force of watchmen brought with Lord Commander Tyron. The battle lasted no more than twenty minutes, but by the end, it was hard to say who had won. While more Wildlings lay dead, along with at least five Wargs, “The Walker” yet lived, and the Lord Commander was dead, having been slain by one of “The Walker's” spear wives. They say this barbarian King watched with mirth as the over confident Last Lion surged forth, hoping to end this insolent tribal uprising once and for all. It was a carefully laid trap, meant to suck in the best of the Nights Watch.

As the Wildlings broke and ran, leaving their dead and dying on the battlefield, Lord Commander Tyron's steward, Ser Howland Forester came across the dying man. Surrounded by the bodies of both Wildlings and Nights Watchmen, it was a spray of crimson in the endless white. Westermen, Northmen, Reachmen, men from all corners of the Seven Kingdoms lay dead, with perhaps twice if not three times as many Wildlings laying dead. Even as the Nights Watch went about the grisly task of clearing the battlefield, Ser Howland would kneel beside his dying friend and commander. They exchanged a few words, as war weary friends do, and then the interim mantle of leadership was passed to Ser Howland, until a true election could be cast at Castle Black.

Rumors still persist to this day as to what exactly Lord Commander Tyron said. What my research has told me, and what is most believable, was that he asked Ser Howland to look for and protect his son, Lyman Lannister, perhaps the last Lannister. While the Nights Watch swears to take no wives, nor bear no children, some men still persist to head South to Mole's Town, and go “mining”. While it is frowned upon, no Lord Commander has ever taken the time to truly stop such actions, and rather turns a blind eye to such. Yet, for Lord Commander Tyron, before he was forced to join the Nights Watch, I have found an old record stating he had been married, for at least six years before the venerable Lord Crakehall exiled the Last Lannister off to the Wall. Her name was smudged on the records, but it was either a Serret of Silverhill, or a Spicer of Castamere. Who knows how many children he sired before being sent off to the Wall, but only time shall tell.

Yet, such events in the North would seem unrelated unless I were to touch upon the return of Prince Aerys Targaryen, son of Prince Daenys Targaryen. While the rest of the realm believed young Prince Aerys to be dead, the opposite was quite true. After the battle of the Black and White Kingsguard, only Ser Harys Royce and Ser Gormon Footly remained to protect the young Prince. Whilst on Drogon's Isle, the unexpected would happen, and forever change the face of Westeros. Secretly under the direction of Ser Harys, a supply ship from Essos came once a week, carrying food and necessities to survive in the tropical climate. But this time, the supply ship had arrived early, and with an unexpected surprise on board.

The rumors were true, and captaining the ship was Lord Lyman Lannister, son of Tyron Lannister. Perhaps it was divine providence, perhaps it was sheer dumb luck, but either way, the chance arrival of Lyman began the machinations of bringing Prince Aerys to Westeros, and to ascend the throne. Lyman Lannister had brought word of Prince Daenys imprisonment, along with word that not only was the Lord Hand looking for the true heir to the throne, but he had forstalled Prince Aerys Aunt Rhaenyra Targaryen from ascending the throne, and rather had her acting as Protector of the Realm, in the event Prince Aerys were to alive, and came home. Even more astounding, was the startling surprise Lord Lyman had on board the ship with him.

While all had known that Prince Daenys had murdered his own wife, and the supposed mother of Prince Aerys, Lord Lyman brought for a young woman, who bore strikingly similar features to those of Prince Aerys. Prince Daenys was a madmen, a sadistic killer, but he is, deep down, still human, and has a heart. The real Dalla Baratheon stood there in the flesh, a bit battered, but still alive and well. Over the next two hours, Lady Dalla revealed to her son and to Ser Harys Royce that she had been beaten and tortured, at the behest of her husband. And when she thought that it was all over, he ordered her sold into slavery, saying “Consider this a mercy for bearing me a child, bitch. You will not receive a second chance.” And before her very eyes, he killed one of her handmaidens, removing the young woman's head, and having his lackeys make the deceased handmaiden look like Lady Dalla.

Lord Lyman and others who were still loyal to the throne, had found out through Prince Daenys little birds where Lady Dalla had been sold at, and who had bought her. Lord Lyman and Lady Dalla spoke of a daring escape, a rousing fight, and a tantalizing tale of heroics, painting Lord Lyman into quite the rescuer. With Ser Harys caution and mistrust disipated, he lead the two back to the cave where the young Prince Aerys and his dragon, Drogon, resided. In Ser Harys journal, he wrote that the reunion was a heart wrenching moment, one filled with both joy, sorrow, and anger. Lord Lyman never left Lady Dalla's side, something that Ser Harys noted multiple times in his journal. Perhaps he was still suspicious of this unknown man, even after all he did for the Young Prince.

After mother and son had been reunited, spending sometime just reacquainting themselves, they were escorted back down to the beach. Ser Harys and Ser Gormon readied themselves, for they were leaving the relative safety of Drogon's Isle for a vipers nest in King's Landing, a city where more good men were murdered and crowns stolen than anywhere else. Even with the help of a dragon as massive and fearsome as Drogon, that alone would not dissuade the new King's enemies from trying to remove him, or manipulate him. As the sun set on the Stepstones, the young King Aerys set sail for his birthright, for King's Landing. He now knew Lord Tyget was trying to usurp his throne, that his Aunt Rhaenyra could very well be trying to do the same thing. As always, as Ser Harys pointed out, only the Tyrell's could be trusted in these trying times, if they were still loyal as Lord Lyman had said.

To the West, deep within the Reach, away from the sad tale of the death of a Lord Commander and the reunion of Lady Dalla and her son King Aerys, were the revelations surrounding the imprisonment of Prince Daenys Targaryen. Lord Garland Tyrell had called his council together, great men of the Reach, young and old, in order to deliberate the fate of Prince Daenys. They were all now well aware of the attempted assassination that Prince Daenys sought to commit, which had thankfully failed with Prince Daenys being captured along with his conspirators. All now languished in the dungeons of Highgarden, awaiting their justice and fate for disobeying not only the laws of the realm, but for choosing to defy the last will and testament of King Aegon the Tenth.

Some lords advocated for a trial, arguing the merit that any man, no matter how despicable, deserved a fair and just trial, be it through combat, or determination by the King's Justice. Others spoke that Prince Daenys needed to be immediately executed, ridding the realm of a madman who could only do more harm if he remained alive. Prince Daenys, they argued, had tried to usurp the throne, murdered his wife, murdered who knew how many more, and tried to kill the Lord Hand, Garland Tyrell himself. In the end though, it was Lord Garland who decided that Prince Daenys would face the justice of the Lady Protector, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in King's Landing, where his trail would be a show for all the realm as to what happens to those who choose to forsake the laws of man and king.

No doubt it was a long process to get to that decision, with a number of his lords arguing against it. Surely it would be madness to let Prince Daenys live. What if he escaped as was captured by the Crakehall's, or if he managed to make it back to his loyalist forces, it would only complicate things further and delay the inevitable. Dead men could not claim the throne, nor could the command armies, they are laid in the ground and become worm feed. Yet Lord Garland would have none of it. Prince Daenys and his conspirators would all be transported to King's Landing, and face justice there. It was the best course of action, and would show the legitimacy of the interim government as it struggled to find the rightful heir to the throne.

The men of the Reach would now have to make all due haste in order to not only get to the capital, but to get to the city before the Crakehall army did. It would be an impressive feat to say the least, though if anyone could do it, it was the men of the Reach. Within three days, their army was full assembled, and ready to march. 12,000 men in all, a token of what could truly be raised by the Reach, but an army none-the-less. Lord Garland hoped to make all due haste, and ordered the army to march immediately, with the prisoners safely secured in the center of the army. They say Prince Daenys cursed Lord Garland for the better part of an hour, before settling into a sullen silence as the carriage moved forward towards King's Landing.

The army would split into two, Lord Garland leading the Vanguard forces into order to place himself between his prized prisoner, and the forces of Lord Tyget Crakehall. Some four thousand men marched on the more Southern route, a road which would take longer, but would allow for the screening force to provide a wall of men between them and King's Landing. Lord Garland himself knew that they'd be playing the bait, and that it was very possible he would take heavy casualties, but such was necessary in order to ensure the arrival of Prince Daenys and his cohorts to King's Landing, to face Lady Protector Rhaenyra's justice. The drums of war were sounding, and it was only a matter of time before the men of the Reach met the men of the Westerlands, the Rose against the Boar.

The Boy Who Would be King, the war of the Rose and the Boar

Prince Aerys Targaryen had begun his Westward journey to King's Landing, riding the waves and squalls aboard the ship Lord Lyman Lannister had so graciously provided. The voyage was slow and plodding, but afforded ample time for the remaining Kingsguard and Lord Lyman to begin mentoring young Prince Aerys in the ways of not only being a King, but an able bodied fighter. In the span of two weeks, they had turned a young boy who cared little for either into something that had the potential for greatness, but also a potential for cruelty. No doubt due to a less the stellar upbringing, but it was still troubling. Prince Aerys had snapped at Ser Harys Royce twice, and even gotten into a argument with one of the crewmen when he did not bow to Prince Aerys as he walked by. They say he tried to have the man hanged for his insolence, but was spared when both Lord Lyman and Lady Dalla Baratheon calmed him down. His mother had a way with him, one that would calm him from his anger, and get him to focus when he trained.

Ser Harys journal makes note that he did not fully trust Prince Aerys with fully becoming King, at least not yet. He was still far too young and brash to make intelligent decisions on his own. He would need a regent to watch over him, mentor him, one that would not manipulate the young King or harm him. He did not trust Lord Lyman, not did he trust Lord Garland Tyrell. While he was Hand of the King to King Aegon the Tenth, Ser Harys felt he was still too young in age compared to Prince Aerys. Lord Crakehall would have been a good choice, had he not decided to claim the throne for himself, maybe Lord Stark or Lord Martell, but both had chosen to remain removed from the line of succession, casting doubt unto the both of them. Princess Rhaenyra perhaps, but even then, while she was family, she may wish the throne for herself. At best, Ser Harys wrote, was that Prince Aerys could marry his Aunt and rejoin the two families into one homogeneous line.

Either way though, accounts from those aboard the ship gave insight into the possible man that King Aerys could become. He was young and brash still, with a fiery temper, yet he had heart, and with his mother's help, he could grow into a great man, worthy of redeeming the name Aerys. Yet fate is never so kind as we wish it to be, and we all remember what happened at the waters edge when King Aerys made landfall into King's Landing.

By now, much of the unrest within King's Landing had been subdued, the riots and upheaval from the chaos left behind in the wake of King Aegon X's death had been quelled to manageable levels. As they near the royal docks, all could see the massive funeral pyres that burned day and night, as the bodies of the dead were collected and burned to prevent the spread of disease. The massive red walls loomed up ahead, as the ship finally made for port, docking by the lower private docks of the Red Keep. A retinue of Tyrell household guards and Goldcloaks were stationed there. All of whom stared on in awe as the young prince whom all had thought dead made his return to the lands of Westeros. They say that the Kingsguard looked down at the Tyrell men with disdain, not happy about the purges that were conducted at the behest of the Lord Hand.

The Kingsguard sent for a litter, asking that it be provided for Lady Dalla Baratheon, and her son Prince Aerys. If only young Prince Aerys had listened, much of what was to come could have been avoided. No, rather than be patient and cautious, the headstrong Prince chose to forgo the comforts of a litter and more guards, and demanded that he be taken to the Red Keep immediately. Even when Lord Lyman Lannister and Ser Harys asked him to reconsider, the anger of the dragon came forth, and would hear none of it. Resigned to the fact that Prince Aerys would not listen, the Kingsguard formed up the men they had before them, and began the short march up to the safety of the Red Keep.

By now, a crowd of both peasants and nobility had gathered, looking on in curiosity at the returned Prince. Many had not seen him since he had been born, almost fourteen years ago. He was far different from the squalling babe they all remembered. Some people were happy and relieved, to have their young prince back, yet others were angry, to see the spawn of Prince Daenys before them, the man who murdered King Aegon the Tenth and plunged the realm into chaos. While the smallfolk slowly parted to allow the procession of Tyrell and Goldcloak men to pass, the crowd grew ever larger, with an ever more present air of anger and hate. Before those who had lost everything was the child of the man who had caused it, the mother of that child, the wife of the mad Prince Daenys.

As the retinue turned the corner, the postern gate of the Red Keep, the crowd no longer parted, the swelling numbers of unwashed men and women clamoring forward in a mass of flesh to both greet and cheer their returned prince, and to yell curses at him, blaming his father and him for the suffering and loss they endured. The situation was quickly deteriorating, and Ser Harys Royce knew he needed to act quickly. He drew his sword, they say, and quickly formed the thirty or so men that were with him into a defensive barrier. “To the King”, he shouted, trying to ensure that no harm would befall young Aerys, his quick thinking had saved the Prince, but others would not be so lucky. Soon the crowd turned, and violence and bloodshed ensued.

The men fought their way forward, trying to protect the King and his mother. Metal would meet bone, as the unwashed masses of smallfolk angrily devolved into a rioting mob of hate and fury. Many things were thrown at the royal party, some finding their mark. King Aerys angrily yelled, said to have killed men and women, anyone who stood before him, even those seeking his protection. Such is war, and when those of the lower classes dare to threaten the personal body of the King, they are likely to face punishment. The Tyrell guards and Goldcloaks pushed forward, fighting to reach the safety of the Red Keep, when disaster finally struck.

Drogon, King Aerys dragon, must have sensed his master was in danger. The great beast roared greatly, before taking flight and rushing across the city to his master's side. The great black beast landed heavily onto the scene, crushing houses and smallfolk alike. The creature snapped angrily, biting men in two, turning people into bits with its mighty claws. It was then that the young King mounted his dragon, clambering atop the enraged creature, and uttered the fateful words in old Valaryian.

“Dracarys.”

With that, the massive beast let forth a gout of flame that swallowed up countless people, the stench of burning flesh and timber permeating into the air. With one simple word, King Aerys had broken the rabble of smallfolk, sending them running for safety and fleeing in terror. As I said before, he had a terrible temper, one that could very well be his undoing. Sadly, his anger maybe came too late, for his mother lay in the street, stabbed by some crude weapon. Lady Dalla Baratheon, after all she experienced, was mortally wounded just a mere two hundred feet from safety. King Aerys himself carried his mother to the Red Keep, cursing and yelling at all those who had allowed such a terrible thing to happen.

King Aerys rushed Lady Dalla to the Grand Maester, seeking his expertise in saving the only person who knew that truly loved him. It was in those moments, that we saw both the best, and worst of King Aerys. He did all that could be expected of him and more, to ensure that his mother had the best possible chance to survive, and then he allowed his anger and temper to ruin that moment. Ser Harys journal contained this following passage. “King Aerys personally killed the lieutenant that had been with the Goldcloaks, blaming him and his men for the incident. I watched as he quickly ordered all the men who fought for his life and safety branded traitors and cowards. He had them stripped of their ranks and weapon, placed in irons, and ordered into the dungeons to await his justice. I fear for the boy. He is young, but he already displays his father's propensity for madness and cruelty. I hope we are not too late to save the boy... but what if we are?”

Sadly, even with the Grandmaester's vast knowledge and experience, Lady Dalla Baratheon would pass later that night. King Aerys would hold his mother in his arms, cradling the noble lady as she breathed her last breath, eased from pain with Milk of the Poppy. The funeral for Lady Dalla was small and quiet, held in the Red Keep due to security concerns. They say that night, the boy within King Aerys died, and was replaced by something older, yet far darker and hateful. There would be no respite for the young King, as he would soon learn that the forces that sought to take his throne would wait for no one, not even the death of his mother.

The first major battle of the war of succession was fought at the crossroads of the Roseroad and Kingsroad. Some 8,000 Tyrell men against nearly 17,000 Crakehall men. Commanding the Crakehalls was Ser Gerald Crakehall, with the support of nearly another 20,000 Crakehall men in reserve. It was a test in futility, but one that had to be fought in order to provide enough time for the rearguard forces protecting Prince Daenys Targaryen time to make it to the safety of King's Landing. The battle would last the span of maybe a half hour, but by its end, the screening forces of the Tyrells had been devastated, some 5,000 dead, another 1,500 captured, with the rest in full retreat back to the Reach. The Crakehall losses numbered no more than 2,500 dead, and perhaps as little as 100 men captured. And greater still, for the Crakehall forces, was the grave wounding that Lord Garland Tyrell had received during the battle.

To his credit, Lord Tyrell had led his men into the thick of it all, fighting viciously and valiantly to buy every minute and moment that was needed to allow his rearguard forces the chance to make it into King's Landing. Lord Tyrell alone was credited with killed at least fifty men, before he became received his life threatening wound, from none other than the Dread Scorpion, Lord J.P. Lorch. Likened to The Mountain of House Clegane, Lord Lorch was just as monstrous, and perhaps more deadly. He favored poisoning his massive blade, so if by chance he did not kill his enemy with a blow, the posion would. A loyal bannerman to the Crakehall's, it was his flank of the Crakehall army that came crashing into the center of Lord Tryell's vanguard. The survivors speak of the battle that would follow, the colossal Lord Lorch against the diminutive Lord Tyrell.

The two men would fight in single combat, for the most part. Each would cut down enemy soldiers got in their way, each man hell bent on killing the other, on claiming the honor and fame that would come from defeating such a renowned foe. They battered one another with fierce-some and calculating blows, hacking at one another's ornate armor and shields. Tales speak of the yelling and cursing, the struggling and prevailing, each man but a mistake away from death. Such a fight had a fabled start, and could only have an ending just as heroic. One life would end that day, and another would forever be changed.

Lord Lorch's scorpion helm seemed to taunt Lord Tyrell, as the massive beast of a man hatefully tried to kill Lord Garland. They locked blades, breathing heavily, cursing one another as only enemies could. Lord Garland brought his shield up to bash Lord Lorch in the face, causing the man's helmet to tumble off. Beneath the metal helm was nothing short of hate incarnate. Laughing, the tales say, Lord Lorch ripped the Young Rose's shield away, and headbutted him violently. Stunned, and reeling backwards, Lord Lorch ran his blade deep into Lord Garland's right side, the vicious blade piercing through the metal and leather that was supposed to protect his vitals. They say the anguished scream Lord Garland let loose could be heard all the way to the walls of King's Landing. He would fall to the trampled dirt and grass below him, clutching the blade that was still stuck in his side.

It was then, as Lord Lorch held a stolen battleaxe high above his head, the unexpected happened. The forces of King's Landing had sallied out, riding atop their horses as they crashed into the side of the Crakehall army. Sweeping through the startled infantry, Ser Willas Tyrell came galloping to his nephews rescue. The sight of the Gold Cloaks, Tyrell Guardsmen, and fresh Mounted Sergeants, was enough to create an opening that Lord Garland needed to save his life. He grasped for a broken banner staff, roughly gripping the shattered oak shaft and shoving it into Lord Lorch's exposed neck. The scorpion warrior of House Lorch dropped his axe, it falling roughly to the ground as he clasped at his neck. It was already too late, even as he gasped for air, blood spurted from his wound and he would be dead by the time he hit the ground.

With his nephew throne across his saddle, the victor between the battle of the Scorpion and the Rose, Willas Tyrell rallied those that he could, and quickly ordered a retreat back to the King's Landing. The Crakehall's had one this battle, the Tyrell dead littering the battlefield, but that victory came at the cost of Lord Lorch's life, along with some other minor lords. Lord Garland was gravely wounded, and his wound burned like fire, no doubt from Lord Lorch's poisoned blade. It was now a race against time to get to a maester, to save the life of Lord Garland Tyrell, and any hope of King Aerys Targaryen the Third of remaining King of Westeros.

House Histories

HOUSE HISTORIES

HOUSE TULLY

Following the deposing of Queen Dowager Cersei Lannister and King Tommen Baratheon, Edmure Tully swears fealty to the returning House Targaryen. His first child with Roslin Frey is birthed in 301 AC, a daughter named Melaria Tully.

House Frey is disinherited and systematically removed from power. They are replaced by House Haigh as lords of The Twins.

Edmure's first son, Edmyn II Tully, succeeds him in 332 AC. Edmyn has several children with Ayara Vance; Lyla Tully (b. 325), Marthew Tully (b. 327), Reila Tully (b. 331), and Emilya Tully (b. 338).

Marthew Tully succeeds Lord Paramount Edmyn II in 353 AC. Marthew has several children with Aianna Piper; Kavvin Tully (b. 345), Alford Tully (b. 348), Alyce Tully (b. 352), Imanda Tully (b. 356), Anysa Tully (b. 360), and Drovan Tully (b. 364).

Kavvin Tully succeeds Lord Paramount Marthew in 376 AC. Kavvin has several children with Taryne Mallister; Draedon Tully (b. 388), Johardt Tully (b. 390), Manrel Tully (b. 392), Ilyana Tully (b. 395). He also had a child from his previous marriage with Tahlia Blackwood prior to her death named Bradyn Tully (b. 372).

Draedon Tully succeeds Lord Paramount Kavvin in 414 AC. Draedon has several children with Lysandra Vypren; Laerra Tully (b. 412), Vorian Tully (b. 414), Roderic Tully (b. 416), Imara Tully (b. 418), Riaon Tully (b. 420), Cathryn Tully (b. 420), Tristifer Tully (b. 424), Alyce Tully (b. 429), and Maeron Tully (b. 423).

Riaon Tully succeeds Lord Paramount Draedon in 449 AC. Riaon has several children with Trysta Erenford; Arthas Tully (b. 443), Evelyne Tully (b. 445), and Lancion Tully (b. 447).

HOUSE BARATHEON

Shireen "the Lawmaster" Baratheon, daughter of Stannis Baratheon, took the Stormlands title when Daenerys Targaryen conquered the Iron Throne and killed her father in battle. Thing is, she never fought a battle. Shireen took the title in a court of law, by appealing to one thing she could see plain as day that Daenerys was blind to. She knew the new queen was egotistical, vain, and entitled. So she cleverly twisted the crown laws to her own advantage, thus grabbing the Stormlands in a court of law. She married Merlon Crakehall matrilineally and in 313 AC, had a son named Kyle Baratheon.

Kyle I "the Grim" Baratheon succeeded Shireen as Lord Paramount of the Stormlands in 346 AC. His rule was strict and punishing. During his rule, he established the Stormland's military police the Stormguard, not only as protection against the many rebellions he knew he would have to face, but also as insurance against the Iron Throne in case he ever felt the need to rebel himself. He married Braella Martell and gave birth to Stannis II Baratheon in 352 AC.

Stannis II "the Decadent" Baratheon never took the lordship. He was an irresponsible fool who would only be remembered by his tavern records. He and his father were never close, due to their opposing ideals. By the time Stannis was an adult, their lack of fondness had evolved into a bitter rivalry. Kyle threatened disownership if Stannis resumed this lifestyle, yet in defiance he kept drinking, having bastards, and being a general delinquent. By the time he died in 374 AC, he had made the 8 three times and every tavern on the kingsroad knew his name.

Surman Baratheon was born at an unknown date as Surman Flowers to a whore in the Reach. During the end of Kyle I's life, he eventually grew desperate for an heir, and went in search of Stannis's bastards. He found the eldest, Surman, in the Reach and offered him legitimacy and inheritance to the Stormlands. Surman took the opportunity, and succeeded 377 AC. He married Lyra Arryn and birthed Kyle II Baratheon in 389 AC.

Kyle II Baratheon was a born warrior. Strong and charismatic, he altered the purpose of the Stormguards from primarily military police to the Lord Paramount's personal guard. He even tried changing the laws of the Stormlands to mandate a large military force through conscription, but a peasant revolt was soon upon him. His law then turned to bite him in the back, because with the mandatory military training, the peasants fought hard and cleverly and he barely defeated them. This taught the peasants that they could beat the trained knights employed by the lords, and another revolt rose up, this time demanding Iderennon, the Valyrian concept of commoners choosing their leader. He married Almer Seaworth and in 423, had a son named Gris Baratheon.

Gris Baratheon ascended the lordship at 448 AC, near the beginning of the Iderennon War. While it started as a small thing under Kyle II, Gris's actions led to many peasants rising up to their cause. He taxed them for every penny they had, using it to buy rare animal parts from Essos, wildfire from the Crownlands, and incredibly cold ice from the Wall to furthur his experiments. He is responsible for countless inventions. He is unmarried and has no heir.

HOUSE STARK

As the last remaining male of his house, Rickon Stark, under the regency of Wyman Manderly, pledges fealty to House Targaryen. He is named Lord Paramount of the North. Upon coming of age, he is married to Lyanna Mormont and fathers four children by her, Eddard Stark (b. 312), Rickard Stark (b. 314), Dacey Stark (b. 315) and Rodrik Stark (b. 318).

Rickon's first son, Eddard II Stark, succeeds him in 341 AC. Eddard has several children with Wyllyn Manderly; Edwyle Stark (b. 330), Joran Stark (b. 333), and Lyanne Stark (b. 340).

Eddard II's first son, Edwyle Stark, succeeds him in 364 AC. Edwyle has several children with Melissa Ryswell; Edwyn Stark (b. 351) and Elric Stark (b. 356). He fathers a bastard son with Lyndis Ryswell; Osric Snow (b. 355)

Edwyle's second son, Elric Stark, succeeds him in 385 AC. Elric has several children with Alyana Forrester; Edwan Stark (b. 381), Alys Stark (b. 383) and Lyon Stark (b. 386).

Elric's first son, Edwan Stark, succeeds him in 405 AC. Edwan has several children with Lysara Cerwyn; Torrhen Stark (b. 405), Ethan Stark (b. 408) and Brandon Stark (b. 410).

Edwan's first son, Torrhen Stark, succeeds him in 428 AC. Torrhen has several children with Donella Umber; Edric Stark (b. 430), Lyara Stark (b. 433) and Edwyn Stark (b. 435).

Torrhen's first son, Edric Stark, succeeds him in 450 AC. Edric has yet to father any legitimate children.

HOUSE TARGARYEN

HOUSE TYRELL

HOUSE CRAKEHALL

HOUSE NYMERIOS MARTELL (Vacant)

HOUSE ARRYN (Vacant)

---

Chat: discord.gg/YtRWrZW

Chat Highlights

"SHIP EVERYTHING WITH EVERYONE!"
"BRAN IS A FUCKING TREE!"
"Fuck the king."
"All the Reach names sound really gay, I mean nice"
"He thought he just got smited.
So now he thinks himself a god"

Yes, a Game of Thrones roleplay, I'd call it a semi-nation type deal, we play our characters, and their houses.

We will be starting a few hundred years after the War of Five Kings, after Aegon VI and Daenerys retook the Iron Throne.

I'd be happy to answer any questions, as would my Co-GMs.

Obviously, no canon characters.

Essosi characters are available, as are lesser lords and Targaryen claimants.

CS:
Name:
Age: (No older than 100, or younger than 12, don't be silly)
Seat: (Where you reign from)
Heir: (The one who will inherit when you die, people will die, so you may have to play as this person)
Personality:
Biography:
Appearance: (Pictures are preferred)

Rules:
1. No godmodding.
2. No Mary-Sues (Perfect in every way, this is Game of Thrones, people suck)
3. No canon characters, there is an exception, but you have to want that one.
4. People will die, if you get your char into a situation he/she can't handle, they will die, though don't just randomly kill other PCs without permission.
5. You can control NPCs loyal to you, you cannot control other NPCs.
6. Be realistic, your character isn't shaking off an arrow wound then charging a spear-wall unharmed, and you aren't winning a battle on hope alone.
7. When it comes to armies, I'll leave it up to you, but if they're too big, I'll let you know.
8. Who wins battles will be based on size of armies, skill of armies, and leader so it's fair to everybody, if my army is built from a small band of brigands and Joe Schmo's army is built of knights, he will win.
9. To follow up on number nine, the leadership column is based on your own actions IC, so you can win even if you have a smaller army, though number 7 still applies.
10. Posts must be at least 7 000 characters in length.
11. No shit-flinging in the OOC, if you have problems, settle them in PM. And if that falls through, talk to me about it.
12. Please for the love of god read the Wiki, if you have only watched the show, read the wiki, if you have read all the books, read the wiki, if you have read the wiki, read it again you missed something. Not the Game of thrones wiki neither, I'm talking the asoiaf wiki. Here's your compulsory reading: awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Main_Page

[Gowi]

Out of the Great Houses' we still are missing players for The Vale (House Arryn) and Dorne (House Martell). Just in case anybody browsing this thread misses that important fact.

[Bluetommy]

@kingkonrad@agentmanatee@BigPapaBelial@Asura

[BigPapaBelial]

I'm here! I'm here! and still working mostly on my post.

If it still applies anyway.

[Gowi]

I believe we are awaiting new players as well as for a GM-written synopsis of what the reboot entails.

[Heat]

I'm a huge GoT fan and am interested in this! Are we in need of any major houses that are unfilled? If not I'm cool going with a smaller one.

[Gowi]

I'm a huge GoT fan and am interested in this! Are we in need of any major houses that are unfilled? If not I'm cool going with a smaller one.

@Heat

Arryn and Martell. Plz Heat, it's been forever! <3

[Heat]

<Snipped quote by Heat>
Arryn and Martell. Plz Heat, it's been forever! <3

@Gowi

I'll roll with House Arryn and yes it has been forever since we RP'd together! <333

[Heat]

House Arryn WIP

House Arryn

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Overview

Located on the eastern shore of Westeros, House Arryn is one of the Great Houses of Westeros, having one of the oldest and purest lines of Andal nobility. They are the proud principal noble house of the Vale of Arryn. Their seat, the Eyrie, is located in the Mountains of the Moon, thousands of feet above the valley below. Due to the location of their seat, House Arryn tends to remain isolated from the rest of Westeros. In recent years, uncertainty over the future of the house has only amplified this isolation. The current Lord of House Arryn is the young, Sterlan Arryn.


"The most splendid work ever built by the hands of men, a palace worthy of the gods themselves. Surely even the Father Above does not have such a seat."

The Eyrie is an ancient castle, though small compared to other Great Houses' seats, the Eyrie makes up for it in its defenses. Due in part to its location at the peak of the Mountains of Moon and its large amount of built defenses, The Eyrie is considered impregnable by many. During the winters, it is downright impossible to travel safely in the Mountains.

In order to reach the Eyrie, travelers must follow the dangerous high road through rocky foothills and thick forests in the Mountains of the Moon, then through high passes and deep chasms to the Vale of Arryn. Travelers on the road are often attacked by the rebellious mountain clans that reject Arryn rule and live in the foothills of the mountains. If they manage to follow the entirety of the high road than travelers must go through the highly guarded Bloody Gate, a series of battlements along the mountain road which leads to the Eyrie.

The Vale of Arryn consists of various regions, it is a land of fertile soil, rivers and lakes. The Mountains of the Moon border the Vale to the west. The Valemen, the people of the Vale, are known as reliable warriors steeped in honor and the worship of the Faith of the Seven. Wheat, corn, pumpkins, and barley are grown in the fertile dirt of the Vale.

---

Lord: Sterlan Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie, Defender of the Vale, Warden of the East.

Seat: The Eyrie

Heir: Harrold Arryn

Religion: Faith of the Seven

Military strength: House Arryn can call upon 45,000 soldiers.

Immediate family members:

• Jon II Arryn - [deceased] Former Lord Lord of the Eyrie, Defender of the Vale, Warden of the East. Father of Sterlan, Harrold and Haleleigh Arryn.
• Alessa Arryn - [deceased] Wife of Jon II Arryn, mother of Sterlan, Harrold and Haleleigh Arryn.
• Sterlan Arryn - [17] The current Lord of the Eyrie, Defender of the Vale, Warden of the East. First born son of Jon II Arryn and Alessa Arryn.
• Harrold Arryn - [15] Sterlan's younger brother and heir the House Arryn lordship and all of its titles. Twin brother of Haleleigh Arryn.
• Haleigh Arryn - [15] Twin sister of Harrold Arryn.

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Sworn Houses:

• House Arryn of Gulltown.
• House Baelish of the Fingers.
• House Belmore of Strongsong.
• House Corbray of Heart's Home.
• House Donniger.
• House Egen.
• House Elesham of The Paps.
• House Grafton of Gulltown.
• House Hersy of Newkeep.
• House Hunter of Longbow Hall.
• House Lynderly of Snakewood.
• House Melcolm of Old Anchor.
• House Moore.
• House Pryor of Pebble.
• House Redfort of Redfort.
• House Royce of Runestone.
• House Royce of the Gates of the Moon.
• House Ruthermont.
• House Sunderland of Sisterton.
• House Templeton of Ninestars.
• House Upcliff.
• House Waynwood of Ironoaks.
• House Wydman.
• House Waxley of Wickenden.

The following are not directly sworn to House Arryn: Borrell, Longthorpe, Torrent, Shett, Coldwater, Tollett, Hardyng.

---

Recent History

Recent times have not been kind to House Arryn. First, the long-serving Lord Jon Arryn died, with one heir, the sickly son Robert. Lord Jon's wife Lysa ruled in her son's place and kept House Arryn neutral during the War of the Five Kings. Lady Lysa marries her childhood lover, Petyr Baelish, also known as Littlefinger. Not that long after this marriage, Lady Lysa dies after falling through the Moon Door.

Robert is too weak and young to properly rule the Vale, so Petyr Baelish, ruled in his place as the Lord Protector of the Vale, with Robert as his ward. Robert's heir is Harrold Hardyng, a recently knighted squire and the great-nephew of the late Lord Jon Arryn. Several powerful nobles under House Arryn align against Baelish's rule. Then winter comes, and the frail Robert dies. Littlefinger is removed from his position and Harrold ascends to lordship as Harrold Arryn.

With a heir to the new Lord Arryn needed, Harrold is married to Bethany Blackwood of House Blackwood, a sworn house under House Tully. House Arryn swears loyalty to the returning Targaryens. As they once more take the throne, House Arryn remains wardens of the east. Lord Harrold and his wife have three child, two sons, Bradyn and Donnel, and a daughter, Alyssa. For nearly three decades Harrold rules, he's a fine Lord to his death.

The lordship passes onto Bradyn, a lustful man he has several bastards before even ascending to lordship. Bradyn's antics as lord including parties and whoring embarrass some of the Houses under House Arryn. He dies old and overweight. His son Jevan becomes lord. Lord Jevan has five children, two die in infancy and one dies after climbing outside the Eyrie. Jevan is left with two surviving sons, Braedon and Elden. Braedon becomes Lord after his father dies.

Braedon is only able to have one son after trying with multiple wives, his son, Roland is sickly, afflicted with the shaking sickness. While the condition can be treated with, it is not good for a potential lord to have. After his father dies of a sudden heart attack, the teenaged Rolan becomes lord. While he is Lord he continues to suffer from violent seizures due to his sickness. He dies young and without a heir after falling to his death in the valley below. It is suspected that he was pushed, but nothing can be proven.

Rolan's cousin Seldan Arryn is next in line for lordship. He is a proud, noble man that tries to bring honor to the position. This reflected upon his second son, Jon II. Seldan rules for just over a decade before he dies of disease. His oldest son, Hugo Arryn becomes Lord. Huge is much like his father, an honorable man. He is lord for seven years before he dies without an heir.

Jon Arryn II, Hugo's brother becomes the head of House Arryn. He marries Alessa Royce. Their first son, and eventual Lord, Sterlan is born. Two years later they have twins, Haleleigh and Harrold. Jon's wife dies in childbirth of the twins, this event deeply saddened her husband and he never married again. Jon is an honorable, patient man, a well liked figure in the Vale, for years he tries to juggle raising his children with his duties as lord.

He is lord for seventeen years, during the later years of his rule he tries to branch back out into the rest of Westeros, make House Arryn more than just an isolated house with a Great name. Before he can succeed in this, he dies of a disease, the sickness gradually weakening him as it effected the honorable Jon. Eventually it robs him of his ability to properly wield a sword and makes him too weak to walk unassisted.

On his deathbed Jon tells his son Sterlan words of comfort and confidence in the boy's abilities. The words stick with the young Sterlan as he becomes the current Lord of the Eyrie, Defender of the Vale, Warden of the East. In recent years, House Arryn has remained neutral and silent on the matter. It is very likely that they will have to pick a side, another issue the young Sterlan Arryn is nervous over deciding.

---

Lord Sterlan Arryn

Sterlan Arryn

Age: 17

Seat: The Eyrie

Heir: Harrold Arryn (brother)

Personality: Calm and composed, Sterlan is a patient young man. This was a value that his father instilled in him and is one he tries to center himself on. He has control over his feelings and rarely shows anger. He always tries to show politeness to others, giving respect to everyone that he can. He was very close to his father, and idolizes the man, trying to do what he thinks would make the man proud of him.

He's well mannered and honest, acting how he believes a Lord should. Sterlan knows that he represents the Vale as a whole, it's a responsibility he knows he has to handle the best he can. He tries to put the needs of the Vale ahead of his own. He's a decent swordsman, though he has little interest in the art of combat nor does he have any military experience. He's nervous about being put in such an important position at a young age, though he tries his best to hide these feelings. He also knows that he needs to marry soon and have a true heir, his brother is even younger than him and not in any real shape to become Lord of the Eyrie.

Biography:
Sterlan Arryn was the first born son of Jon Arryn II and his wife, Alessa. The occasion was a celebrated one as Sterlan a healthy baby boy. Two years later Sterlan end up with twin siblings as Harrold and Haleigh Arryn were born. This birth did not go as smoothly as Sterlan's, Alessa died in complications from childbirth. While both of the twins were fine, they had no mother. Jon was struck deeply by the death of his wife, and as a result he never married again. Sterlan remembers his father bringing him and his younger siblings to the site of his mother's grave once every year on the day of her death.

Jon took it upon himself to raise all three of his children right, this situation was complicated as Jon's older brother, Lord Hugo Arryn died from disease. As a result, Jon was crowned the new Lord of the Vale, the head of his household. He still tried to spend as much time with his children as possible, but his duties as a lord often conflicted with this. Due to this, Sterlan developed a friendship with several of the servants that cared for him.

Sterlan looked up to his father as a teenager, this admiration only increased at his father's disease then subsequent passing. Despite how painful it was for the man, his father fought through it with valor like that of a legendary knight. Upon his passing, Sterlan became the new house lord.

Claim To The Throne: N/A

Appearance: Sterlan is a fair skinned young adult with medium length dark brown hair and brown eyes. He stands a shade under six feet tall, his frame lean with no real muscle definition. His facial features can be considered attractive, and he is without blemishes or scars. He tries to smile and hide his uncertainty about being a Lord.

Haleigh Arryn

Haleleigh Arryn

Age: 15

Seat: The Eyrie

Heir: N/A

Personality: Haleigh is a shy and quiet girl, the opposite of her twin brother, Harrold. Even her hobbies are quiet, picking flowers, reading poetry, riding horses through the fields. She's kind hearted and caring. Despite how much her brothers pick on her, she loves them both more than anything else in the world. She's spent her entire life within the Vale, though she knows she may be married off to a man in another land.

Biography:
Haleigh is the older of the two twins, being born seconds before her brother, Harrold. During both of their births their mother died tragically. Neither of the twins saw their mother, but their father often told them about how beautiful, sweet and caring she was. Much of Haleleigh's childhood was spent in the beauty of the Vale, she often ran through the green fields of grass with her friends, or planted flowers in the gardens of the Eyrie. Her twin brother has picked on her since both of them could walk and talk, but its done in a loving, playful manner.

When their father became ill, Haleigh was deeply saddened like many in the Vale. Her father was a good man, he read her stories before she went to sleep and bought her her first horse. For a few years she had regrets over her mother's death, she thought her brother and her were to blame for it. She died in childbirth after all. Haleleigh brought these thoughts up to her father and he soothed them, it was a freak accident, they were innocent infants. 'The Seven act in strange ways' was another of his words to her before he passed.

Since then, Haleigh is uncertain about her own future as well as her house's. While she has faith in her brother, he is a good man, even if very young for such a position. The trouble with the Iron Throne has her a bit concerned, their family is a Great House of Westeros, and one way or another they were going to be involved in it.

Claim To The Throne: N/A

Appearance: The most noticeable feature about Haleigh are her piercing blue eyes, they always seem to be wandering the room wherever she is. She is a girl of average height, she stands 5'5 with a petite body frame. Her skin is a fair shade, she is a beautiful young women though she doesn't do very much to show it off.

Harrold Arryn

Harrold Arryn II

Age: 15

Seat: The Eyrie

Heir: N/A

Personality: Harrold Arryn II is a loud teenager, one that always seems to be laughing or joking. He pokes fun at everyone, especially both of his siblings. He's an adventurous young man, someone that would walk across Westeros just to see what the other side is like. He has an interest in combat, being read tales of fierce knights and dragons have done much to strengthen that fascination. He doesn't see a lot of outsiders, when he sees them he often asks many questions. Harrold is also next in line for Lordship if anything were to happen to Sterlan. That thought hasn't even crossed his mind.

Biography:
Harrold Arryn II, often referred to as 'Harry' is the youngest of the Arryn siblings. He is a few seconds younger than his twin sister, Haleigh. His sister and his births were both a sad and happy occasion, new life was brought into the world, but a beautiful one was taken as Harrold's mother died giving birth to the twins. Like Haleigh, he never saw his mother's face though his father would often tell him that she was the most beautiful woman he had laid eyes on. Harrold could not exactly argue such a claim.

From a very young age Harrold was an adventurous boy that got into all kinds of trouble. When he first could walk he asked one of his guards if they would carry him to the top of the mountains so he could see the view. That never happened, but Harrold has said that he wants to climb one of the tallest mountains by their home someday. He also took an interest in combat, tales of legendary knights and fearsome dragons striking a chord with his adventurous side. If he were not born in such a prestigious home, it is likely he would have tried to become a knight.

Like his other siblings, Harrold was deeply saddened when his father took ill, then died. He didn't understand how such a thing could happen to such a honorable, kind man. It wasn't fair. Harry's only recently returned to his usual jovial form, now with his brother as the new lord, Harry has all the reason to try to lighten the mood around the Eyrie.

Claim To The Throne: N/A

Appearance: Harrold stands 5'8, lean like his brother. Facially he is similar to his twin sister, Haleigh, they are not identical twins but when they were younger often got confused with one another. He has blue eyes and his brown hair has been cut short. While still quite young, he has the features to be a handsome man.

Will work on it much more later! Just wanted to lay my claim to the House.

[Bluetommy]

@Heat Yaaay!

[FourtyTwo]

Apologies for my absence- I'm going to rework the current House Tyrell CS to have a comprehensive family tree, as well as explain better the History of the Reach, as well as a few other things I'd like to go over.

Also, I'd like to clarify- I've specified named characters from the Reach too, in terms of Houses. The Footlys (Owain), Hightower-Tyrells (Loras), the Peakes (Paxter), and the Redwynes (Arthur) are all pretty much named houses and/or people. This is as well as naming the Goldengroves, Oakhearts, and I think the more minor house of Stanton. I think that's pretty much it for the Reach- if you're going to use any other characters from the past Houses of the Reach (the Florents are no longer a House in the Reach, for example, neither are the Hightowers, as they've merged with the Tyrells), I can also pad that out.

EDIT- the beginning of my CS has been revamped. Take a look- it looks nice now :)

[Dawnscroll]

Dare I asked what happened to the last one?

[Bluetommy]

@Dawnscroll We rebooted for the new players

Since you were away so long we kinda got a new Stark player...

[Heat]

I've been working on the Arryn CS. Does House Arryn have any claim to the Iron Throne?

I did some wiki digging and found that Lord Rodrik Arryn married King Jaehaerys I Targaryen's daughter Daella. They had a daughter Aemma Arryn, she had a daughter who had children, some that became kings. Of course this was hundreds of years ago.

[FourtyTwo]

Sterlan Arryn reminds me a lot of Garland Tyrell. A hell of a lot. I mean, it's nothing to do with the fact that they're young, brown-eyed, brown-haired Lord Paramounts :P

On a more interesting note, I'd be genuinely interested to marry off Alerie to him, well IC, Garland would be interested, in exchange for say, a Small Council Postion. If he needs to be wed, and if you're up for the idea, you could make it to a Southron lady who's got some very beautiful charm indeed....and laughably, would look at Sterlan a lot, an awful lot like she does at Garland right now :P I do want to throw my characters into different courts, and given that so far, Alerie/Garland have been a binary, it allows me to start playing them all out everywhere, which would be a real laugh. So far with House Tyrell:

Garland/Alerie: Highgarden/KL/Stepstones
Rickard: Highgarden/Oldtown
Lyanna/Loras: Highgarden
Willas: KL

[Gowi]

Nah, he should court Alyce Tully instead.

[FourtyTwo]

@Gowi

This can only end one way.

Duel. :P

[Bluetommy]

@Heat It's been a hundred and fifty years since the books, you can come up with your own claim. :)

[TheRedViper]

Hi, any chance of me taking over Dorne? I've been searching the web for something like this for quite a while but nothing ever seemed quite as completely thought through like this one.

[FourtyTwo]

Quite certainly! You can begin working away on a CS if you like- it looks like you're very new to RPG, but if you know what you're doing for an RP like this, then go and get to work :)