Phase 4
The fires having raged on both sides of the Red Fork has now mostly been smothered, and the ashes offers nothing to make any of it seems worth it, death and ruin brought to the Riverlands once again as Blackwood and Bracken perpetuate their ancient feud with nothing to show for it besides merely adding to the hateful tales and grudges beyond count, simply more added to the tally of things each side has to avenge, not that they seem to need more such motivation.
News from the Reach gather as much as those interested in the politics of haggling over the cease fire, of Lady Falyse being carried to the regency of House Blackbar on a wave of sympathy caused by her uncle slandering her heavily, of a string of assassination attempts, of a new appointment to the most devout that is noteworthy for being a traditional and unremarkable choice in a time where something worrisome occurs around every bend of The Mander once happens to traverse.
More ill tidings await upon the return to The Reach, as Ser Jasper Flowers has been murdered, slain on the road with his squire as he returned from fighting in the Riverlands.
Events:
greatbastards.boards.net/thread/1590/phase-4-peace-time-eventgreatbastards.boards.net/thread/1591/phase-4-appleton-joust-eventgreatbastards.boards.net/thread/1592/phase-4-appleton-melee-eventgreatbastards.boards.net/thread/1574/phase-4-appleton-feast-eventgreatbastards.boards.net/thread/1583/phase-4-weddings-funeral-eventgreatbastards.boards.net/thread/1576/phase-4-hunthing-hog-opengreatbastards.boards.net/thread/1630/phase-4-vintage-year-eventgreatbastards.boards.net/thread/1654/phase-4-twin-tourneys-eventgreatbastards.boards.net/thread/1665/phase-4-cloak-dagger-event--Oldtown is flush with coin these days. I feel like every valet, handmaid, and stableboy is spending silver that their kind has no business spending. Is trade really that good these days?
-Perhaps, but I have a friend who serves the Hightowers, and she says that men have been approaching her and other servants looking to dig up dirt specifically on Lady Melara. Apparently there’s a lot of money to be made off of her secrets.
-Really? That make sense I suppose, she’s got a strong bid for the regency of one of the most powerful houses in the kingdom. I wonder who’s looking to undo her? One of her rivals for the regency?
-I heard that the king is seeking to punish her for her disloyalty. He would be a fool to pay no heed to events in Oldtown, and if he can remove her from the running that does much to secure his own seat.
-...and blood was everywhere, even after the maester tended to her wound. The Cider Ball had its share of dramatics, and was almost tragic as Lord Tyrell’s own ball at Highgarden.
-Could any call it tragic if Lady Maegelle suffered the fate she deserves?
-Still your tongue! Like her or not, no highborn lady deserves to suffer such an assault. Anyway, it’s just the most recent attempt to undermine the rule of Lord Cordwayner and the peace in the Reach.
-Are you suggesting that his uncle was somehow behind the attack?
-Not at all. Ser Roland is far too honorable and not nearly subtle enough for such a scheme, but he has “friends” who don’t share his scruples. If men are willing to practice such savagery for such a mediocre prize as Hammerhal, then to what lengths will they go for the Iron Throne itself?
-A fair question, and one that should haunt the entire kingdom.
-The Bastard of Harroway shows his true colors, razing Oldforge *after* he took it. I understand that war is hard decisions, we all learned that in Dorne, but we were content to capture towns, not burn our conquests.
-*Ser* Mikel did what any smart soldier would do, deny his enemy the ability to wage war. I’d rather see 100 towns burned than 1000 more men killed. If that’s the cost then so be it. Plus he allowed the inhabitants to evacuate beforehand. Not many men would be that considerate.
-Not burning women and children alive is where we set the bar for considerate then? I’m glad to know that the expectations for knights has fallen so low. I just hope that when my sons earn their spurs, it’ll mean something once more.
-It is a sad day that I find myself on the same side of an argument as the Lord of Longtable. He’s right that women have no place as rulers, especially Dornish wenches and Ser Guyard is the best choice for Bandallon, but his attack on her character was so savage that I almost wanted to speak up for her myself.
-Almost?
-Well before Ser Rennifer stepped forward to challenge any who might disagree with his lord. It takes a truly brave, or foolish, man who would risk his own life to defend the reputation of a Dornish lady.
-Just another example of Lord Eldon showing off his power. I heard that he offered his support to Lady Falyse, but her prudent rejection of his, ahem, conditions led him to throw his weight behind Ser Guyard.
-Either way I don’t envy Lady Falyse for making a new enemy or Ser Guyard for making a new “friend”. He’s far too likely to ruin House Blackbar by pursuing his own appetites.
-Do you think he's the same one who caused all of that trouble at Highgarden?
-Do I think who is what now? Speak like you have your wits about you.
-The *whisper* Hooded Man. I heard that he was poking around Oldtown and asking about a "Lotho".
-"Lotho"? I don't know any Lothos, but I do know of a Lothor, Lord Lothor Mullendore to be specific. The man is a respected Hightower banner and his counsel carries weight in Oldtown. If I had to guess, this Hooded Man was looking to tip the scales in the debate on the Hightower regency, but in whose favor is the question.
-Well if Lord Mullendore has any secrets, I don't expect them to be interesting enough to be worth the blackmail, but if he abruptly changes his support at Oldtown we'll just as quickly learn the answers to both of our queries.
-Shame about the Grand Maester, he seemed like a good man and he always made time for me whenever I was in Kings Landing.
-Aye, but it's no surprise for one who saw as many winters as he, though I heard that there was pretty much nothing left upstairs, but that's what can be expected for someone that old.
-I heard that too. It seems that his assistants, Maesters Lamprey and Wyman were the ones who performed most of his duties by the end. It almost seems cruel for the Citadel to impose such labors upon one who is so old. Let them retire in peace I say.
-Well the Citadel is about to "impose" such duties upon a new Grand Maester now and as always, they'll have their own motivations in whom they pick. Shouldn't be too hard though, it seems that the Citadel and the Iron Throne are in lockstep these days, what with the king being half-maester himself. I'd place coin that they'll pick a Dornishman like Maester Luficer or Master Qoren to please the King and his family.
-What was once a noble house is now full of mercenaries and drunks.
-So you heard about Lord Crane selling his loyalty to the revolutionaries and their like?
-Then you've not heard that he's turned his cloak once more and sold his honor to the Levalles and their backers?
-No?! Apparently a few coppers is all it takes to earn the friendship of one of the most connected houses in the Reach. Surprising, I expected that the wealth of Red Lake would be enough to satisfy a lord's needs.
-For him it's no longer about what he needs, but what he wants, and no amount of gold will ever be enough, but at least now we know that the honor that once accompanied the name Crane is worthless.
-Worthless for sure, but gold aplenty can make up for honor when offered to the right folk.
-I heard rumors that there was to be a wedding between Houses Peake and Merryweather, but now it seems that they've coalesced into something real.
-Disgusting and cowardly if you ask me. Lord Peake is just trying to appease that brutish man for holding him accountable at Whitegrove. It no longer matters if he did ever rape Lady Mya as we all know that he will be raping Lady Tanda whenever he feels. How a father can do that to his own daughter is unconscionable.
-Lady Tanda is just an unfortunate sacrifice in all of this. You saw what happened to the Hastwyks and what's nearly befallen the Starlings. House Peake is far more powerful than either of those families, but they are not immune to "misfortune" and as the center of Ser Daemon's revolution, they can't afford to make such a powerful and vindictive enemy.
-Gods help that woman, only something like this could make her pitiable. For her sake I hope her father comes to his senses and either calls off the marriage, or finds a way out of it.
-The Fossoways called it the Cider Ball, but if Lord Eldon had his way some might have called it the "Bloody Ball". Although neither of the culprits that were caught gave him up, he's the obvious villain behind that plot. Who else even cares enough about the Starlings to attempt to murder the heiress to Kingsbridge?
-It seems that Lord Merryweather is seeking to end the Starling line altogether, or at least sever its relationship with the Florents. If the poisoning renders Lady Lysette infertile, then Ser Aemon might have grounds to set her aside and remarry.
-This feud will certainly be the end of the Starlings. Without any solid evidence and a monstrous champion, Lord Piggy is free to keep making attempts on their lives until that house is destroyed and Lord Willem is simply too honorable to respond in kind. Even the Companions are of no use against daggers in the dark and poison.
-Hopefully the chivalrous knights of the Reach will recall their oaths and rise up to defend a bastion of gallantry against such vile blackguards, otherwise the next episode in their feud could be the last.
-So a septon, a Blackbriar, and an Oakheart walk into a chapel...
-I'm going to stop you right there before you can finish this disaster of a joke.
-Fine, but I'm not the only one who thinks that this is an odd pairing, right? What could Lord Walgrave hope to gain by marrying off his heir to House Blackbriar? She's not even the lord's daughter, she's his niece!
-Friendship with the Peakes, that's what he gains, like her mother, Lady Delia is more Peake than Blackbriar. I suspect that Lord Gormon has more say in the marriage at this point than Lord Jon.
-Then I hope for the sake of the new couple that he plans on paying her dowry too because I don't see how Glydenhall can afford such a sum otherwise. Not unless Lord Oakheart has a prior arrangement?
-Are you referring to his friendship with Balon Snakeater? They certainly share similar friends... and similar enemies. I've heard rumors that Ser Balon has more than paid for his sister's dowry with his jaunt into the Red Mountains.
-I've heard the same. Let's just hope then that Ser Preston loves his betrothed enough to overlook her family.
-King Daeron has summoned a great council of lords to Harrenhaal to decide how to deal with the spiraling violence in the Riverlands. The Bracken-Blackwood feud has gotten so bad this time that it's threatening to completely tear the Riverlands asunder.
-To be clear, he's not called it a "Great Council" so let's just call it his "Great Gathering", an appropriately non-descriptive term. He simply wants a bunch of lords to decide for him how harshly he should treat the Brackens so that he can seem more impartial in the matter. I'm sure next month he'll call up another such gathering to decide for him what he should have served at his own dinner. A real king should know how to handle two feuding houses.
-Careful now, your talk borders on treason. A wise king listens to the advice of his lords.
-I never realized that speaking the truth was treasonous? Anyway a wise king would know to take action. The longer this bloodletting goes on, the harder it will be to stop it from spreading, even now I'm sure that the Freys and Darrys are sharpening their blades for when their allies call upon them.
-Which is why he needs the support of his lords! Without their dragons, diplomacy is House Targaryen's strongest weapon and they can't decisively quell such a conflict without exercising it a little bit.
-Bah! The lords of the realm would happily obey a strong king, Great Gathering or no. The only use for such an event will be to keep a closer eye on those in attendance... which honestly isn't such a bad idea although that seems more like one of Bloodraven's plots than King Daeron's. .
-Even our small tourneys are not safe from dastardly schemes it seems, someone attempted to do in Lord Willem Starling at Lambridge! Only a Dornish coward would attempt such a vile plot using a poisoned dagger.
-I cannot disagree that going after a paragon of chivalry such as Lord Starling is vile plot indeed, but why do you think the Dornish have it out for him? It seems a strange target?
-I can't believe what I'm hearing! Since when have you become such a sympathizer of Dorne? Villains need no justification to do evil, but if I had to guess he's collateral damage against Ser Daemon. Everyone knows that Lord Willem is enamored with the man.
-I'm sure he is, but this is the work of the pig, targeting everyone wronging him.
-That may be so, but my stags says it's the Dornish wanting Lady Lysette to take her seat sooner rather than later.
-Must be great to be a princely noble and all–getting away with rape because of your family name. It's probably the worst thing that Tarly lord has done and he still don't get a good punishment from it, rapin' those pretty Bracken girls and all..
-Ser Simon isn't no prince or no lord, but if you keep on talking about those girls like that Ser Bittersteel is going to have your tongue in between hot tongs in no time at all and you don't get to be the son of great lord to keep you safe.
-Aye, it's a shame though that the Blackwoods let him go. I know that they figured that the Bracken girls are the enemy and all, but everyone knows that he's the one who done it, I don't buy that story of his men doing it. Every smallfolk knows what happens if they touch a noblewoman, even if they're on the other side.
-It can't hurt that his father has yet to make up his mind on who's the real king. Hacking off his balls for being a raper would swing him towards Ser Blackfyre instead of the Real King if I had to make guesses. I'd do the same if my neighbor snipped my son, no matter what he did.
-Well with Ser Simon going free, I'm going to keep my girls locked up tonight. I hear that he's coming through here and I'm not going to take any risks in case he's still in the mood. If the Blackwoods can't get him for being a raper, then what chance do I have?
-Did you hear what Ser Guyard said about his own niece? I'll give you a hint, it rhymes with 'Cornish runt'.
-What a disgrace, I understand that they're competing for the regency of Lord Elwood, but that sort of vitriol will only serve to destroy the family he's supposed to be a member of.
-The Hightowers saw it too, he managed to do the impossible and united almost the entire house against him and without their support he's got no real chance of becoming regent. He better find a way to walk back his words and appease at least some of them if he ever wants his position at Oldtown again.
-You're right there. Even the normally mild-mannered Lady Janna was up in arms over his words. I'd bet a tourney ransom that she's calling in all of her favors to make sure that Ser Guyard never finds a seat at Bandallon.
-The Bloody Ball at Cider Hall was full of strange stories. Apparently there were two Maegelles there.
-Two? Gods, the realm can hardly handle the existence of one most days. I give up though, what's the punchline here Ser?
-No jest m'lady. Apparently there was one Maegelle who travelled from throng to throng and danced with any man who had an open arm, if you catch my intent, and another one who danced with the Stranger. It was just by sheer luck that he didn't take her home that night.
-It sounds like Lady Maegelle just wasn't satisfied with her costume and changed it halfway through the night? Such a thing wouldn't be unusual for a notoriously fussy lady as herself.
-True, but I was there and saw both 'Maegelles' in the same room. It seems more like someone wanted to leave an impression upon the room of her character.
-Why would someone want to do that?
-Why? She's made enemies aplenty in the Reach, surely one of them wouldn't be above hiring some slattern whore to pretend to be her in public, at a Fossoway's gathering no less.
-Iron'and? More like Iron'eart to me. I don't think that man's ever 'eard of the Mother's Mercy before. I saw what was left around Blackbuckle, 'ardly a farmstead remained.
-I wouldn't disagree. The man has become an absolute terror to the smallfolk of the Riverlands, burning and pillaging wherever he goes and leaving nothing but ruin in his wake.
-Aye, what a monster. The King is gonna make the Blackwoods answer for that one. A pile of gold if they're lucky, a 'eadsman's axe if not.
-We all would have been better off if he just stayed in Essos where such beasts belong.
-Ayup. Even the Brute didn't raze entire villages, sad day when Ser Otho 'olds the moral 'igh ground against someone.
-I always heard the rumors about the Roughneck coming out of Mustard Hall, but I assumed that they were grossly exaggerated by Dornish haters. Now that I've heard the entire Blackwood camp talk about what happened to Ser Ondrew Oldflower and Honeytree, I'm pretty sure that I was wrong to dismiss those earlier whispers.
-You certainly were, I was at Raventree when he killed Ser Ondrew and to see the look on his face when he struck that final blow was eerie. He enjoyed killing that man, an ally and comrade in arms, even more than he enjoyed fucking that whore that started the whole thing. I mean, shit, to call him a beast does no justice because even a beast kills for survival, not fun.
-Agreed, keeping men like that in our ranks serves only to weaken the support for our cause. Nobody will talk about how we took the Warrior's Seat against all odds, instead they'll only focus on the blackguards who shamefully massacred smallfolk for sport.
-I can see why Ser Morgarth wanted to keep him in the field, better to kill one's enemies than one's friends, but I don't think even he realized how great Ser Rhys' appetite for gold and gore was. He might have sent him home to the Reach otherwise.
-Cruelty, that's all it can be called. Why would one of the wealthiest men in the entire realm need to sack towns and loot granaries with such ferocity if not for the enjoyment of it?
-Typical behavior of lords, that's what that is. When I get angry, I simply hit my children, but when a lord gets angry he annihilates towns.
-I don't even know what he's doing in the Riverlands? Most lords just sent their knights to do their dirty work while they sit safely in their halls. If anything, I'd imagine that he would head south to the Red Mountains to raze some villages.
-I suspect that he heard of the abundance of Dornishmen who flocked to the Blackwoods' banner and wanted to fight them himself, one last bout of glory for the old warrior.
-Glory I understand, but what glory is there to be had by absolutely destroying minor villages in the Riverlands? That's the behavior of a bandit, not a lord.
- Wildfyre lived up to his epithet at Mudgrave.
- Aye, he burned through the Blackwoods like kindling. My cousin claims to have been second through the breach but says the gap between them was as wide as the Trident that day.
- No shame to a men in coming second to Ser Daeron Wildfyre.
- And not just a knightly deed by feat of arms, but by word too.
- How so?
- He was a credit to House Starling not just in winning the victory, but in its aftermath too. It is by his command that the women of Mudgrave were not violated.
- Maiden be praised! He was not the only bastard to win himself honour that day I hear.
- True, another great bastard restored some luster to his name. Ser Normyn Flowers had the command, deployed his force well and made fine use of a champion knight in Ser Daeron.
- It will be some time before men forget his humiliations at Highgarden against House Levalle, but more victories such as this will help.
- Not just the victories, but the manner of them.
- Well said. It is no easy thing to maintain discipline in a victorious army, particularly when it demands vengeance against captured archers for the damage they have wrought.
- Quite so. Reach chivalry here in the Riverlands.
- The Brute of Bracken fights for his life.
- Doubtless Bloodraven's work.
- Truly?
- Aye. He has friends and puppets within the Bracken ranks, and can move them with a promise, a purse or a punishment.
- I suppose that while there are many true knights in the Bracken ranks like Ser Aubrey Ambrose there are knaves and greedy fortune seekers beneath the stallion banner too.
- You'll find such men in any army, unless you're a naive fool or fighting alongside some eunuch legion in Essos. But only a few of such prowess as to send the brute to a maester's bed, even with the element of surprise.
- Well, for all you and others see Bloodraven's hand in everything, I heard some claim Ser Parmen Redwyne was behind it.
- Speak plainly.
- Well, why else would the Levalles send a knight to serve among the Bracken swords?
- True, it would give them the opportunity to strike.
- Exactly.
- And I suppose a Redwyne is one of the few that could prevail against Ser Otho.
- Yet too fresh a vintage to overpower the Brute. It would need a more aged grape such as Ser Roland Redwyne himself.
- I do not credit this - a diverting tale, but only a tale.
-It appears that calm will be returning to Oldtown now that His Holiness, Septon Roland, has been appointed to the Starry Council. In this day and age I don't mind a boring and humble traditionalist who acts like a septon should.
-I couldn't agree more, the Faith is only as strong as its reputation and the fewer septons getting whipped through the streets the better. I expect one of his repute and morals to wield some real influence with his new office.
-From what I've heard he is a staunch supporter of the Doctrine of Exceptionalism, meaning that he's tolerant of the... unique relations among Targaryens, especially given the patronage that the royal family has given the church.
-It sounds like he could be relied upon to support King Daeron should there be any open conflict, or at least persuade House Hightower to keep the faith with the rightful king. His election should be seen as a victory for the Crown.
-The fact that the Starkwoods are supporting the Blackwoods in their seasonal bloodletting should come as a surprise to nobody, but I can't be the only one who's surprised at how effective their sworn swords and scions have been in turning the tide. I heard Ser Robyn and his bodyguard, Dikel of Harroway were instrumental in taking the impregnable Warrior's Seat!
-Had you heard correctly you'd know that his bodyguard is *Ser Mikel* and that they were supported by a contingent of troops led by Ser Davos, one of the Daynes that always seem to be coming and going between Starfall and Starkwood. Given that he's a seasoned veteran from the Disputed Lands, I'd attribute the victory to his genius.
-Dikel, Mikel it doesn't matter what his name is, just that he and Ser Robyn sent the Brute of Bracken scurrying back underneath some other rock an impressive feat regardless.
-Really now? I hadn't heard that Ser Otho was present at the Warrior's Seat. That really does change things then as I thought that it was just pups and old hounds holding the fortress. No matter, the Blackwoods holding such a prize is bound to tilt the entire conflict in their favor or at the very least give them a big bargaining chip for whatever peace talks might happen and the Starkwoods being the ones to take it will be a nice feather in their cap as well.
-Say what you might about Ser Balon Blackbriar's past indiscretions, the man certainly is Fireball's student. Not only did he capture Pennytree after a pitched battle, he acted as a knight should and spared the defeated and held his men back from looting the village.
-An impressive victory for sure, but I'm not sure if he would've been able to capture the castle had Redtusk and his handpicked companions not opened the gates for him and carved a bloody path through the defenders first.
-A point of view that I'm sure Redtusk is keen to promote. Regardless, it is refreshing to hear that there are still moments of chivalry, even between bitter rivals. Perhaps the rumors about Balon Snakeater are overblown?
-Redtusk is surely keen to hear it promoted, though unless he secretly enlists bards to sing his praises, he doesn't exactly brag of his own deeds.
-The other Redwynes might do it for him, not all care as little for politics as he.
-Ser Guyard is an experienced knight with friends and connections, the Regency of Bandallon was his to lose. Only the Seven can explain why he acted in such erratic manner and began lashing out at his own family.
-If anything being unable to resist slandering the victim of the ambush that nearly destroyed House Blackbar is proof that Ser Guyard is unfit to act as regent. When Lord Eldon Merryweather is your only stalwart supporter you know that there's something wrong.
-So true. Politics aside, it seems that her ascendency is a portent for the rest of us who believe that women can rule as well as men. Lady Lysette Starling herself argued just that and she has the support of most of the Companions. If she can help Lady Melara or Lady Rhonda secure leadership in Oldtown we might see a new era of women ruling here.
-That or a new era Dornish infiltration in the Reach.
-Now you're starting to sound like those Blackfyre radicals! A half-Dornish regent raised in the Reach is hardly a harbinger of a new invasion.
-Or maybe it was Dornish poison that drove him to such folly? Whether in the ear or some unknown exotics that clouds the mind?
-I can hardly believe that Ser Raymun stood against that bestial Ser Rennifer. Though he's a seasoned knight in his own right he stood no chance against a monster like that.
-The man is brave, I'll give him that, but his true strength lies in his wits. Lord Eldon might be driven by his appetites, but he's not so foolish to have his sworn sword slay a Hightower in the open like that and he was banking on that. Now Ser Raymun gets to looks the part of a hero and Lady Falyse owes him a favor. He wants to be regent of House Hightower and taking this calculated risk has likely earned him a valuable supporter.
-I hadn't thought of that. I always imagined Ser Raymun as a boring, but competent administrator, not a grasping schemer. This honestly makes me respect him much more as a knight and a future leader.
-That sly sorcerer has finally met his match, an open and fair battle. As soon as he found an enemy that he couldn't poison, betray, or bewitch that pale bastard was forced to flee with his tail in between his legs. Even his little lord thinks so–I heard from a hedge knight who heard from one of the Ironhand's men that Lord Blackwood threatened to cast him out of his service for his cowardice, he even accused him of betraying him for the Brackens!
-None can deny that Bloodraven retreated, but isn't it prudent to preserve his lord's levies rather than keep fighting a losing battle? All accounts say that Bittersteel was the better commander that day and given his reputation, probably a better commander most other days as well. I'd say that it's better that he ended a losing fight early rather than allow the Blackwood center to completely collapse.
-It would have been prudent for the craven bastard to try to kill his enemies. If the commanders loyal to the king turn tail and run at every setback, then they might as well open the gates of King's Landing and hand the crown over to Blackfyre now. Ser Aegor's army won, not just because he's a better strategist, but because he was willing to take a risk and had some steel in his back.
-Does Raventree Hall still not fly the Blackwood banner? Are Blackwood forces still not mostly intact? It seems to me that they succeeded in their goals of defending against their enemy's invasion. The Brackens cannot hope to capture Raventree Hall with so many of their enemies still alive, at best their "victory" was taking a stretch of bloody ground and paying dearly for it. Once more Bloodraven's cunning has kept the Riverlands from falling into the hands of usurpers by sacrificing glory for success.
-After the opening display of gallantry I had hoped that the most recent conflict at Battle Valley would at least maintain basic standards of chivalry between knights of renown, but it didn't take long for the veneer of civilization to vanish like the morning mists.
-Indeed, the duels between Ser Robyn and Ser Steffon, Ser Parmen and Ser Roland, and Ser Daeron and Ser Dennis were all honorably fought, even if Wildfyre did maim his opponent, but what happened during the battle don't deserve the title of duel. Brawl seems a more appropriate descriptor for the brutal fighting that happened. The Ironhand managed to defeat both Ser Parmen Redwyne and the Snakeater, but not without taking a few blows himself.
-Aye, had they not carved him up so savagely I don't think he would have let Ser Balon escape, certainly his lordly nephew is cursing him now for allowing that murderer to slip through his fingers. Still to fend off two skilled knights, take one captive, defend his lord, and hack down more men on top of that is legendary, even for the Ironhand. It's too bad that Wildfyre didn't fare nearly as well against the Roughneck. I saw those men trade blows that would have felled an aurochs and keep going. After such a display of fury and hate, I'm honestly surprised that the Roughneck just didn't crush the head of that Great Bastard and move on.
-Ransom my friend, ransom. If there's anything that can outweigh hate on the battlefield, it's the promise of a hefty reward at the end of it.
-The old warhorse must be losing his edge. Ser Davos Dayne forced Lord Walgrave Oakheart to make a tactical retreat at Battle Valley, even though they were effectively tied. For a veteran as himself, I doubt that the loss enrages him nearly as much as the fact that it was a Dornishman who forced him to withdraw.
-If he was losing his edge he would have truly lost at Battle Valley. Ser Davos is a veteran commander in his own right and easily has as much real experience as any other man in Westeros, the fact that he didn't completely overrun Lord Walgrave's flank is a testament to his skill as much as anything else, but I won't disagree with you. Those two have had bad blood between them since the last invasion of Dorne. Some suspect that Lord Oakheart's incursion into the Red Mountains last year was the cause of Ser Vorian Dayne's mysterious disappearance, which has done little to improve the relations between the two. The old lord will certainly use this defeat as fuel for another venture into Dorne.
-I fear you're correct. Lord Walgrave will nurse this grudge, but he's not so foolish to blindly lash out. He will wait until the moment is right before making life miserable for Ser Davos, the Daynes, and the Starkwoods.
-King Daeron has summoned Lord Tully and his banners to Harrenhaal to discover why the King's Peace was allowed to be broken. Yet another embarrassment for the Tullys who can't maintain peace and stability in their own kingdom. He lacks the levies or the leal subjects to march on Stone Hedge or Raventree Hall and impose peace himself, so yet again the Iron Throne must be the one to rule for him. The Tullys have long been loyal subjects of the Targaryens, but I don't think the Targaryens have much more patience with their weak and ineffective rule. One more outbreak like this and King Daeron might start looking for a new lord paramount for the Trident.
-That would require the king to be a strong ruler in his own right. One can't blame the Tullys for their weakness when the king's solution to this pocket war is to send Ser Ambrose Butterwell to end hostilities. The man can barely run a calm tourney, let alone end the bloodshed between the Blackwoods and the Brackens and he's so concerned with making everyone happy and being liked that he's going to accomplish neither.
-Too true. Either way the king has no good path forward. Either he disciplines his loyal subjects and alienates those who might be relied upon to stand and defend his reign, or he takes a strong stance against the Brackens and potentially isolate those who believe that he's not acting with impartiality when he's meant to be a mediator.
-If he was wise, he'd know that a stable peace isn't possible. The best he can do is end the fighting and buy himself the time to gather his forces or utterly crush the Brackens as a warning to those who would consider rebellion as an option, but I don't think we can expect his Hand to have the wits to do either effectively.
-Ser Dennis claims to carry no grudges towards Wildfyre for likely having ended his career at the the lists, but I don't buy it.
-No, he must surely know that his foe had no such intent, but such things happens in war, but what a man knows in his head and what a man feels in his heart are commonly two very different things.
-Ser Daeron is likely to find a chill welcome at Oldtown either way, wounds may heal, scars never do.
-They say he is training furiously under the guidance of the best of the Citadel to come back just as capable.
-Perhaps he can return, but he is unlikely to be as good as he was.
-The contest between Ser Morgarth and Fireball was no contest at all. Fireball's victory on that flank was probably the most sure victory that day, for either side. The Blackwoods are fortunate that he never had the opportunity to envelop the center while he was at it.
-Are you surprised? Fireball has more than earned his reputation as the finest commander in all of Westeros, but let us not deprive Ser Morgarth of all credit. He's a fine leader with the experience and foresight to limit the damage done to his flank and allow an orderly disengagement.
-King Daeron must regret passing him up for a white cloak, turning what could have been his greatest commander into his most fearsome enemy. Gods only know what damage he could do at the head of a real army rather than a fraction of House Bracken's levies.
-To hear the Reachers and Rivermen talk about it the Red Lion and Redtusk nearly defeated the Blackwoods between the two of them, cut a bloody path through their ranks and sent nearly fivescore Blackwood men to an early grave.
-They can't agree on which one killed the most.
-Neither man seems inclined to help settle the account, though they themselves are unlikely to know exactly how many fell beneath their blades.
-What about the thousands of other men fighting beside them. In my experience battles aren't won by a handful of cocksure heroes, but by the bigger armies led by better commanders, in my opinion the ones who did the most to win the battle were men like Fireball, Bittersteel, and Ser Davos Dayne.
-But peasant stabbing peasant hardly makes for a good song.
-The Brackens had the chance to turn Battle Valley into a great victory at least half a dozen times to hear the returning knights fighting for them tell it. I think if they were so close to decisively winning then they would have pulled through at least one of those times and routed the Blackwoods.
-Well if you hear what Lord Blackwood has to say it's the Blackwoods that almost won the battle, if not for the timid hesitation of his commanders.
-The young always think that bravado is all that's needed to win. I'm positive that Lord Blackwood thinks that his officers should all have followed his suit and led from the front. I'm also positive that House Blackwood would have had its best commanders cut down for their foolishness.
-I can't disagree with you there. If anything it's his commanders' cautiousness that prevented his forces from overextending themselves and held the Brackens to a stalemate. Perhaps when he's older he'll appreciate their conservatism.
-Praise the Mother! Lady Erena Blackbriar has given birth to another son! She's named the babe Donnel, presumably in honor of his gallant uncle, good woman that she is.
-Oh pipe down you pious cow. We both know that Lady Erena is just naming her son that to solidify her hold over Lord Jon and therefore House Blackbriar. I have a feeling that Ser Donnel's sons would take umbrage at her naming her child in his "honor".
-The Mother has certainly blessed her and not just with a healthy child, twice a mother, yet her figure is as slim and firm as that of a young maid.
-No change below the navel, no, but motherhood has endowed her with even more to catch the eye above it.
-Don't be disgusting, she is a mother and wife and lewd comments are unbecoming. Can't you just congratulate her for bearing a boy and move on?
-I don't imagine that Lord Oakheart will shed too many tears for his bastard brother. To say that they had bad blood is an understatement at best.
-Understatement indeed. A shame though, Ser Jasper was a fine knight, for a half-Dornish bastard at least, and was coming home after a fine campaign in the Riverlands. At Battle Valley he cut down almost as many people as the Red Lion himself.
-Slew nearly twoscore men in battle a hundred miles away and then was dropped by a handful of bandits almost within sight of home, the singers will make a witty line about that one I'm sure. It's also a good reminder that even a capable knight like Ser Jasper is vulnerable to a well-placed ambush. It is curious though.
-What's that?
-A rash of attacks against Dornish here in the Reach, one of which was in the domain of an especially virulent Dornish-hater. It's as if someone knew of Ser Jasper's movements and was waiting to assassinate him, rather than rob him.
-Are you insinuating that Lord Walgrave had his own brother murdered?
-When has Lord Walgrave ever called him brother?
