1.
year 210 after conquest - 5 Chapters
The Second Blackfyre Rebellion.
Ten years ago, King Daeron the good wore the crown of the conqueror. So when his half brother, Daemon I. Blackfyre rose in rebellion against him, all the major Lords backed the Red Dragon of House Targaryen.
Now, many of the old Lords rest beneath the dirt. So does the good King Daeron. His heir, King Aerys I. is lost after the sacking of the capital mere weeks ago. The court scattered, the Kingdoms at each others throat, the Black Dragon rises once more.
Daemon II. leads his bannermen to rise up and march to King's Landing. Soldiers carry the Blackfyre flag into battle under Daemon the young Dragon.
Who will stand with the conquerors line now?
2.
The Maidenball Tourney at the Eyrie.
Fire! At the maidenball!
As guest arrive, from all around the realm, Lady Arryn is displeased with the station of the assembled Lords. House Frey stands in attendance, and so does an emissary from the Reach. But no great knights or storied swordsmen are to be seen. They are off at war.
She's got no time to fret however, as a great fire engulfs one of the kitchens serving the ball. It is dealt with, however, without disturbing the festivities much. But signs of arson are ill omens for the weeks to come.
Lady Arryn, so it seems, has decided to wait for a suitor, until the perils of this season wane.
Although not a match for his daughter, Lord Artys Arryn will surely delight in the companions that have joined his household.
Considering the losses his line is about to experience, new blood seems in order...
1.
Known to many as an unclaimed Targaryen bastard, Edric Waters, the "Dragonseed" pledges his services, his whispers and secrets, to Lord Arryn.
2.
The young battlefield commander Lord Robin Redfort may be inexperienced but swears both fealty and dedication to Lord Artys, in perpetuity.
3.
Armies assemble, Armies march.
Great Hosts assemble. Around Highgarden, the
knights of summer encamp in their thousands.
Reachmen from across its fertile lands gather.
Tens of thousands strong, a mighty host indeed.
Up the Oceanroad, in Lannisport, sellswords arrive by the day. Around Casterly Rock, tents have pitched in the thousands. Some say, even from the top of the mighty castle, you cannot see the end of the encampment to the horizon. The Westerlands have raised a force, the likes of which has not been seen since the days of the conqueror. An army worthy of fighting the Dragonlords assembles outside Lord Lannisters halls, ready to blacken the earth under its boot.
And still more gather as the first wave readies for war.
4.
The old Trout, laid to rest.
A burning arrow flies over the gentle stream of the Red Fork...
When a Lord of House Tully dies, his body is laid to rest by the waters of the river. As the bodies of his kin, Bryden and Jodi, are to be recovered, tragedy strikes at the old Lord George Tully.
The Lord of Riverrun, the Lord Protector of the Trident, believed to be still youthful in his old age, suddenly succumbs to a violent fever.
A wooden funeral barge sails down the Red Fork river, a flaming arrow striking it. A burial at sea. The third one in just as many months. House Tully's sorrow weighs heavy.
5.
Edmund Wolfsbane.
The empty halls of the Red Keep swarm with Stark soldiers and city guardsmen. The remnants of the remaining noble Houses are to be found, order to be restored.
Leagues away, a fleet sails for King's Landing. Artys Arryn turns to watch his ships, sailing steady, sailing north.
Lord Artys Arryn and his brother, Edmund Stone have just completed their conquest of the Stepstones when they heard of House Starks control over the capital. Gathering their men, the two brothers sail a full host of troops, straight for the Red Keep.
A battle is expected, yet unlikely, as the Arryn fleet pulls into the waters of the Gullet. No royal navy protects the approach to the capital. Their forces land unopposed. Lord Artys lets his brother take the honors of re-establishing Targaryen control over the city as Edmund Stone approaches the mud-gate with his large army. For this honor, he is to be knighted and legitimized, granting both the Stepstones and now King's Landing to the King and crown.
But Edmund does not find the city guard manning the gates. Neither does he find Stark bannermen, or Lord Bolton, Mormont or Karstark shouting orders. Edmund Stone arrives to open gates and an undefended city. His men are emboldened at once, entering the capital and marching towards the Red Keep. Edmund hears the sacking begin as tens of thousands of Arryn troops loot and pillage as much as their officers cannot prevent. He pushes onward. Maybe the Starks are hauled up in the inner keep, due to their low numbers?
As Edmund approaches the inner wall of the Red Keep, he is greeted by a shocking sight. The heads of Edward Stark, Warden of the North, and his companion Alistair Karstark, are mounted on spikes in front of the great castle. As he stares blankly at the slaughtered Starks, he hears a roaring noise behind him...
With a thundering roar, the screams of men, the clattering of steel and hooves overwhelms Lord Edmund Stone. He rides down the approach to the Red Keep to see a city in chaos beneath him. From the houses and the cellars, the taverns and the alleyways, an army is ambushing his looting forces.
He tries to inspire his men, to force them into formation but in the narrow streets of the capital, the effort is futile. Arryn men get cut down in the thousands as Edmund is confronted by a battlefield commander.
Lord Edmund Tully rides a dark mare towards the Arryn's vanguard. On one side, Edmund Stone of House Arryn, on the other, Edmund Tully of Riverrun wearing the sign of Black Dragon emblazoned on a red field. There will be no quarter given today, the Starks hung outside the walls knew that. And so does Edmund Stone now...
Edmund Tully
Edmund Stone
When a Blackfyre army appeared at Whitewalls by the Godseye, Lord George Tully had been concerned. Although the rebels had only a small force, House Tully knew not how long it would take to mobilize and destroy them. But then the rebels began marching south toward the capital. It wasn't long after that Edmund, the now only living son of George Tully, received the news about the deaths of his brother Bryden and sister Jodi. He knew, the Starks had to pay. His father did not provide him with an army in time, so he pledged his skill to the army that existed.
Joining with the Blackfyre rebels and declaring his House for Daemon the younger, Edmund Tully rode for King's Landing at the head of a Blackfyre host. The Starks, not expecting such an attack were defenseless. Killing them was easy to Edmund. He beheaded Edward Stark, as had been done to his aunt Jodi. Then he heard of the Arryn fleet approaching. He knew the Arryns had long preached destruction to the Blackfyres. He counted a mighty fleet and an army, at least three times the size of his rebel host. So the strategy was simple.
Hiding the men was not hard, King's Landing is a massive city of half a million, a few thousand men could blend in. He left the Stark heads as a welcome to this unsuspecting army, then he pounced. With superior organization and strategy, Edmund completely decimated the Arryn army three times the size of his and eventually rode down the vanguard. Engaging the young Edmund stone was also easy. He pitied the young lad as he drove cold steel into his neck. This was the promising kid that took the Stepstones, Edmund Tully thought. Now there would be no confusion about their names at least.
He raised the Black Dragon banners over the Red Keep and waited for Daemon II. to take his throne.
Past Omens of Winter...
Lawlessness:
When tensions rise within the realm, outlaws and banditry increase. With recent upheavals and uncertainty, many landless knights and rogue men at arms have taken up to raiding the countryside.
If conditions worsen, the realm will bleed. The smallfolk are in need of support from the worst yet to come.
- The large Houses hold the key to supporting the smallfolk and their bannermen alike. Through bids, pool a total of:
2 arms, 1 coin & 1 supply, to hunt the outlaws and protect the innocent.
Failure: Outlaws will attack shipments and supply lines, diminishing the lowest two bidder's harvest by 1 coin &
1 supplies each.
Unable to defend themselves, smaller settlements will resort to paying Outlaws with their harvest instead.