Clash of Kings, an ASOIAF Game (The End)

[Lumine]

299 AL (3), or "The Dragon and the Stags": (Part I)

General View:

It seems the Stags hace achieved sucess, but at a high cost. Trapped inside the walls of King's Landing and having lost the support of the Tyrells and other Houses, Stannis Baratheon willl have to work hard to keep his crown, and he will need to work with Renly to save his reign. Daenerys Targaryen has rallied the South and several Targaryen loyalists into her cause, and by besieging Storm's End she is finally fighting the brothers of the Usurper. Robb Stark and Balon Greyjoy seem closer to their ideal of independence, Lysa Arryn moves her men to attack an unknown enemy and Tywin Lannister is ready to fight until the bitter end. Who will win?

Quotes:

"The Night's Watch is in danger, Lords of Westeros. The wildlings have smashed our expedition North of the Wall and Lord Commander Mormont is dead. I implore you, the Night's Watch implores you, come to our rescue before the Wall falls to Mance Rayder!
(Maester Aemon of the Night's Watch)

"I said I couldn't serve Stannis anymore, and I meant it. I will not back a heretic! House Sunglass and Sweetport Sound are behind Daenerys Targaryen, the one true Queen!"
(Guncer Sunglass, Lord of Sweetport Sound)

"The House of Velaryon has not forgotten it's Valyrian heritage, and we stand loyal. Let Westeros know that Driftmark stands with the Targaryens!"
(Monford Velaryon, Lord of Driftmark)

Info:

Stannis Baratheon:
-Prestige: 10/10 (Won the Battle of the Blackwater)
-Gold: 400.000 GD
-Legitimacy: 8/10 (Still not technically Crowned)

-Congratulations, your Grace! You now seat on the Iron Throne, and there are many matters to attend (I need you to do some of these things, Oakvale, otherwise you get a penalty for not acting). First there's the issue of having to prepare a Small Council and a Kingsguard, see what to do with the prisioners, keep King's Landing supplied to avoid further starvation and take a stand in the issue of religion. Melisandre has asked to build a temple to the Red God and burn the Sept of Baelor, and the High Septon says he is not going to crown you if you follow Melisandre and her faith, an opinion that the Stormlanders and Renly seem to share. Finally, there's the problem of Tywin Lannister outside your gates with his army, soon to recieve even more sellswords, he will have to be dealt with, just like Daenerys in Storm's End.

Tywin Lannister:
-Prestige: 3/10
-Gold: 3.000.000 GD
-Legitimacy: 10/10 (Still undisputed Lord of the Westerlands)

-The Westerlands are burning and all that's left in the armies there and Lannisport-Casterly Rock. You know siege King's Landing with your remaining officers (Kevan, Swift, Marbrand, Clegane, Rosby and the sellsword captains) and more troops should land soon, but the sellswords and the Crownlanders are having second thoughts as well. House Lannister is not lost yet, but only the iron will of Tywin Lannister can save it now.

Renly Baratheon:
-Prestige: 4/10
-Gold: 700.000 GD (No debts)
-Legitimacy: 5/10

-Stannis is King, but given the current circumstances you are stronger than him. The Stormlords make most of the army inside the city and they still prefer you, just like the smallfolk. That said, something must be done about Tywin and the Stormlands, the Lords won't be too patient if they see their homeland burn while you do nothing.

Balon Greyjoy:
-Prestige: 9/10
-Gold: 600.000 GD
-Legitimacy: 8/10

-You are victorious, your Grace, and Fair Island seems to be firmly on your grasp now. The Captains of the Iron Fleet respect you even more than before, but they state that the Greyjoys are still not done with the campaign. Lannisport and Casterly Rock are still unharmed, and they hide the wealth of the Westerlands. Will you sail once again to pay the iron price?

[Lumine]

299 AL (3), or "The Dragon and the Stags": (Part II)

Info:

Robb Stark:
-Prestige: 7/10
-Gold: 525.000 GD
-Legitimacy: 8/10

-You have some problems, my Lord. Being patient has helped you retain most of your army and kick the Lannisters out of the Riverlands, but the Lords are furious at you for not continued your campaign on the Westerlands. They still want revenge, and if you keep blocking their desires you might find yourself having trouble commanding them. Lord Karstark does not blame you for the death of Jaime Lannister, but he wants his son back, just like the Northern Lords want to march and kill Tywin once and for all. There's also the problem of Jorah Mormont and the Targaryen Army in the North (Roose Bolton and Maege Mormont have offered to ride North and take care of Mormont), plus the threat of the Arryn Army and the problems at the Wall. What will you do, my Lord?

Willas Tyrell:
-Prestige: 5/10
-Gold: 2.800.000 GD
-Legitimacy: 10/10 (Unchallenged)

-My condolences for your loss, Lord Tyrell. But it seems your gamble has paid off, most of your vassals were more than happy to swear fealty to Daenerys Targaryen, which means that if you hadn't changed sides then some of then would have. Randyll Tarly is still far away, Garlan requires reinforcements and Lord Hightower and Lord Redwyne ask for orders. There's also the problem of having Loras in King's Landing, still loyal to Renly.

Daenerys Targaryen:
-Prestige: 7/10
-Gold: 100.000 GD
-Legitimacy: 8/10

-While not everybody is convinced with your attack on the North, the Stormlands campaign has been a success and now you command the Reach, Dorne and several loyalist Houses, making you the next powerhouse of Westeros. Your commanders and your allies await orders and commands, it's time for the Dragon Queen to name advisors and move!

Lysa Arryn:
-Prestige: 6/10
-Gold: 650.000 GD
-Legitimacy: 6/10

-It seems you are slowly regaining the trust of your vassals, and all of Westeros awaits the moment in which the Knights of the Vale strike at their real enemy. In the meantime, Littlefinger has started to craft a few plots in the Vale with his agents and sellswords, and he won't tell what he's up to.

Varys:
-Prestige: ¿?
-Gold: 100.000 GD
-Legitimacy: ¿?

-You have escaped the mess of King's Landing, Lord Varys, and it's time to choose where to go so you can continue to serve the realm, as you have always done. Good luck! (posting more here would mean heavy spoilers)

[Lumine]

Lumine, get back to my messages!

Be patient, will you? I had to post the turn and you sent like eight, xD

[Lumine]

Lumine, my brother Kevan Lannister is still alive.  Pretty sure he's one of my officers

Sorry, I've killed so many people I lose track of them...

[Lumine]

Awesome map, Antonio, thank you!

And man, this turn has not lasted a day and I already have several assassination orders, you guys are getting a bit impatient, xD

[Lumine]

OOC: Hopefully we get POVs this turn; I rather enjoy those  The Arya one in particular was excellent!

We will have POV's, but I'm having a distinct problem with them... I recieved so many orders to kill people that I'm trying to fit all of those deaths in the narrative, so this might take some time. I mean, if the dice and the context went through a worst case scenario, we would lose four players, xD

[Lumine]

You will have the POV update shortly, this turn we have Brienne of Tarth in King's Landing, Catelyn Stark in Riverrun and Daenerys Targaryen in Storm's End. If I can't fit a certain detail in those three, we may have something regarding the Reach, but I make no promises.

[Lumine]

POV Update:

CATELYN:

He was dead. After a long agony and sleepless nights, Hoster Tully was dead. One of the Lord Paramounts who had risen against the Mad King and a man whose power helped Robert Baratheon in a great deal, he was not able to fight or use his wit in the recent war, a crippling loss for House Tully. The saddest part was that only she and uncle Brynden had been able to say farewell, as Lysa was still in the Gates of the Moon and Edmure was riding alongside Robb to lead his Riverlords into battle. Edmure was now the Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, and he was still unwilling to marry. She could only hope her brother wouldn’t get himself killed, as it would mean the end of the House.

Riverrun certainly felt rather strange now. The fortress had been safely guarded since she was a child, but not even when her father had entered the war against the Mad King had the castle been so tight with security. The Blackfish had been commanded by King Robb to protect the royal family, and he had put himself to the task, with extra guards and changing passwords that made it almost impossible for an assassin to strike at Riverrun. And yet, Arya always found a way to move around the castle and fool some of the guards, constantly playing with her friends Gendry, Hot Pie and a couple of Freys. Arya still had no knowledge of her planned betrothal to one of the descendants of Walder Frey, and Catelyn was still not willing to tell her. She finally had her close, and for one time she wouldn’t even dare interrupting her happiness. Catelyn was obviously worried about her daughter’s constant escapades, but it was thousand times better than not managing to sleep while thinking where she could be lost. All she needed was Robb to win his war and take Sansa back so they could all return to the North in peace, but she knew the end was not in sight yet.

For all the battle prowess of his son, the Riverlords and some of the Northernlords agreed that he lacked a sense of strategy. Calling of the Golden Tooth campaign, allowing Tywin Lannister to sack the Riverlands, forgiving the Ironborn after their treasonous attack, and so forth. Needless to say, their last destination was not what they wanted. They wanted to sack the Westerlands and burn Casterly Rock to ground, and when she heard the command Robb had sent to his Lords she feared one of them would react badly, like Lord Karstark. They had listened to Robb, but she knew all of them were far more concerned about Tywin Lannister than any other man in Westeros. “The Lannisters were defeated and it was the time to strike at them”, said Roose Bolton before leaving Riverrun, and she couldn’t help but to think he was right in some regard.

“Queen Dowager?” She hated the tittle, but it was of no use to try and get rid of it -
“Yes, Lord Mallister?”
“A raven from the North, your grace.” Lord Mallister paused and then took a deep breath. “The Targaryen Army moved north and attacked the Dreadfort, I’m told Ramsay Snow and the Bolton Army sent a last raven before being captured or killed.”
“Ned should have beheaded Ser Jorah.”
“He should have, your grace, but Ser Jorah escaped.”
“Any news from Winterfell or from Lord Bolton?”
“Not yet, your grace, but the Knights of the Vale are marching South.”
“They’re following my son?”
“I don’t know, your grace.”
“Lysa… dear sister, what game are you playing? Catelyn sighed.

BARRISTAN:

“I refuse to believe Randyll Tarly turned his cloak.” Ser Barristan said, anger in his voice.
“Tis’ true, Ser Barristan.” The Reach envoy looked like a dangerous man despite his calm appearance. “Lord Willas didn’t give any reasons, but he assured all of us that Lord Tarly had left our cause and tried to kill Lord Mace.”
“Even if this was true, Ser… That action had no honor.”
“Honor, Ser Barristan? That Tarly dog had no honor.” The Tyrell man spat.

The news had greatly shocked Ser Barristan, and he wasn’t happy at all. He was soon to leave Storm’s End with his new army and he had hoped to meet and fight besides Lord Tarly in the field, only to hear what Willas Tyrell had done to him. He had ordered Tarly to return to Tumbleton and join with Lord Hightower and Willas himself, and they had held a private supper. The rumors said Tarly had been served a cake with a Red Rose and the words “Every Rose has it’s thorns, every traitor pays their dues”. He had been shot with a crossbow. His men had reacted in anger and attacked the rest of the army, and only after a botched attempt at forcing their surrender and a bloody carnage that ended with hundreds dead Lord Hightower had stopped the battle and forced Tarly’s most loyal vassals to surrender. Adding insult to injury, Dickon Tarly had been sent to Highgarden along with Tarly’s wife and daughters and then stripped of their rights, putting Jon Fossoway as the new Lord of Horn Hill. Fossoway had marched on the castle and the retainers had remained loyal to their Lord, which meant a very long siege. Nobody knew what had happened with Heartsbane, but it was rumored that Willas took the sword for himself. If Randyll Tarly had been indeed a traitor, Ser Barristan could have approved of some actions, but the slaughter of his army and that horrible death reminded him too much of the Mad King for him to be confortable. He knew Tarly to be a loyalist to the Targaryens and a man of honor, he just couldn’t believe him to be guilty.

“Ser Barristan.” It was Irri, one of the dothraki handmaidens.
“Yes?”
“A letter for you.”

The letter was sent for him, but whoever sent it took the trouble to hide his own name. Ser Barristan thought about burning the letter, but he figured it would be a good idea to read it anyway. As he opened and read he discovered to his shock that it was a document with the signature of Robert Baratheon. It was a royal pardon, given to Ser Jorah Mormont for… spying on Queen Daenerys. Ser Barristan wasted no time and ran to the Queen’s tent, bypassing several knights and lords in his way through. The Queen was looking at several maps of the Stormlands and the Crownlands as she discussed matters with Prince Oberyn and the Dornish Lords, and she looked at Ser Barristan with a serious look on her face.

“Ser Barristan, you look agitated.”
“Your Grace, I received a message.”
“A message?”

At that moment Jhiqui entered with a similar message and gave it to the Queen, and Ser Barristan started to explain. The Queen made not a comment nor she changed her expression, she just looked at both documents while the Red Viper meditated by himself.

[Lumine]

BRIENNE:

She didn’t know how things became so complicated. They had taken the city and defeated Joffrey, covering the Baratheon Army in glory, but things had gone downhill right after that. Tywin had blocked the city and forced supplies to come from the sea, which meant that Stannis could pay for food for a few months and then they would either starve or die breaking the siege. But that wouldn’t have been so bad if it weren’t because of Stannis. The dutiful and always serious leader recently crowned King had turned into a shadow of himself. He spent most of the day in the Red Keep, refusing to grant audiences or even appoint a council, just standing there, looking at the Iron Throne. The Red Woman and Queen Selyse had lost all sense of restraint, and they had built a temple for the Red God while the Queen’s Men constantly harassed the followers of the Seven and the High Septon. The people had turned against Stannis and almost revolted, if it weren’t by Renly.

Prince Renly… She would never forget what he did for her back in Tarth, and she would never stop serving him, that much was beyond dispute. Disappointed as she was on Renly giving up the crown, she, Robar Royce and the Knight of Flowers stood up by him and fought besides him at the Blackwater, where that unknown assassin had tried to kill him. None of them knew who he was, but both Ser Loras and Ser Robar agreed that Renly had to be protected. And they were right, a sellsword had slipped into King’s Landing the other day and he had almost killed the Prince, being stopped at the last second by Loras, who quickly beheaded him with his sword.With Stannis absent from the government and Ser Davos trying to handle the supply issue, Renly had to step in and calm the peasants and organize the city to avoid chaos while supervising that the prisoners were well guarded. He looked worn and tired from the effort, but he was succeeding and the Stormlords had regained their confidence in their liege Lord. Suddenly, Brienne had to stop thinking; she was walking with Ser Robar and Ser Loras while escorting Renly through the streets. The Red Woman had begun to take an interest in Lord Hallyne and the pyromancers, and that morning they had woken up with smoke coming from Visenya’s Hill. That had unsettled Renly so much that they were forced to walk all the way to the Pyromancer’s Guild to solve that problem. As they were about to reach the place, the earth began to move. And they saw the wildfire explode from the ground, a tornado of fire that threatened to burn Visenya’s Hill.

“Prince Renly, take cover!” Ser Robar shouted, while trying to make the group turn back from the flames.
“What in Seven Hell is this!?” Renly raged. “Don’t tell me this is Melisandre!”
“Prince Renly!” A soldier with severe burns ran towards the group.
“What is going on, Rickard?”
“The Red Woman, your grace! She, the Queen and the Queen’s Men came for the wildfire and a fight broke out with the pyromancers! The place burned for a while and then it exploded!”
“Did you tell the King?” Brienne asked, hopeful that this would make Stannis finally react.
“We did, and he didn’t listen! We told him the Queen and the Red Woman had burned to death, and he said not a word!”
“Enough is enough.” Renly said, a quite rage on his voice. “Robar, you take the command, have the fire contained before it spreads too much.”
“Yes, Prince Renly.”
“Loras, Brienne, you come with me. I need to have a word with the King.”

“What is he going to do?” Brienne was worried as they gathered some of the Gold Cloaks -who hadn’t even got a replacement for a Commander- and some horses to ride to the Red Keep. She hoped Renly was not going to make a rash decision, but she couldn’t figure out what could he possibly to make Stannis react. Thus, they rode to the Red Keep, passed the guards and walked to the entrance of the Red Keep only to freeze in fear of what they saw. Six Gold Cloaks and Ser Justin Massey were dead, their throats cut so deeply that the heads were almost falling off the bodies. Ser Loras and the Gold Cloaks pushed Renly aside and Brienne stepped forward to open the massive gates of the room, fearful of what was coming. She opened the door, took her sword and entered to see without knowing what could possibly be inside the throne room. After years of battles Brienne had learned to ignore fear, but this time her knees almost dropped and she just stopped after opening the door and looking inside the place, unable to move. Renly and Loras entered right after that, and the three of them saw Stannis Baratheon speared through the torso with several spears, leaving him nailed to a bloody Iron Throne, the Stag crown on the ground. He had ruled less than three months as King, and now her beloved Renly was the last adult Baratheon. He was the King.

[Lumine]

Wow. That last chapter.

Great job Lumine!

The first sentence of Catelyn is weapons-grade trolling. Martin would be proud.

I'm no Martin, but I do what I can, xD, thanks!

[Lumine]

I'm sorry, it's really become clear that I just don't have time to commit to this. Is there anyone else who'd be interested in taking over as Stannis?

I'm truly sorry as well for having Stannis end like this, Oakvale, but since there was a plot and the dice determined it was to work, this felt like the best solution. Thank you very much for playing the game for the past turns!

[Lumine]

Fantastic work, Simfan! Although it should be noted the Citadel chooses the Grand Maester (it will be chosen as soon as they decide Pycelle's punishment) and Lord Vance is a Riverlord.

OOC: I have a mod question, does the late Lord Tarly's army still exist in light of recent events and if so, then to what extent?  Or we're they all/mostly slaughtered?

The losses were concentrated on the Tarly men, which means losses between 1,000 and 2,000 thanks to the poor handling of the situation. Not even the Red Wedding got many troops killed, so with the chaos that seemed like a reasonable guess.

Seriously, what's wrong with my strategy? So far I've managed to watch my enemies kill each others while my military position improved or remained intact. What do you want, folks? Sacking the Westerlands and killing everyone who once opposed us? Or do you want Northern independence? Because if you want the latter, you'd damn better follow my instructions.

That's exactly what they want, Antonio, xD The Northern Lords and most of the Riverlords hated Joffrey and Tywin in a vicious way for killing Ned, taking several Lords hostage and sacking the Riverlands, and in ASOIAF most characters do not react in a rational way even if the strategy is sound. Otherwise a Renly+Stannis alliance at the beginning of the book Clash of Kings would have ended things right there.

[Lumine]

Military Update:

The Disaster of Tumbleton:

With both Robb Stark and Lysa Arryn having problems with their vassals thanks to their actions, it seemed both had finally decided to strike. King Robb reorganized his forces and marched with 25,000 Northerners down South while Lysa commanded Yohn Royce to remain in Darry with 2,000 men and sent Lyn Corbray with 18,000 of the Vale troops. Both armies never shared the camps, but it was clear there were not poised to attack each other. After taking a lengthy detour to avoid Tywin Lannister in King's Landing (a move that puzzled many and infuriated Lord Karstark) both armies converged on Tumbleton from different sides. Willas Tyrell and Lord Hightower were there, trying to regroup after the gruesome death of Randyll Tarly. The battle started shortly before dawn with Grey Wind and the Northern vanguard trying to smash the Army of the Reach, a failed attempt that ended with a bloody stalemate that lasted several hours. Both armies (25,000 v. 26,200 were not strong enough to destroy the other army right away, and the Vale Army of Corbray appeared on the vicinity without joining the fray despite Robb's insistent calls for help. Corbray finally prepared his forces in the afternoon and ordered the army to deploy. Right before launching the assault, he read a message in which Lady Lysa ordered the Vale to join the Targaryens and destroy the Stark-Tully Army, a message that Corbray (former Targaryen loyalist) was happy to comply to, thus ordering a massive cavalry charge on the rear of the Stark Army. Then chaos started. Many Arryn Lords and their troops rose against the order, engaging Corbray and the Lords loyal to Lysa and disintegrating the Vale Army into chaos while the Tarly men betrayed Willas and went over to Robb. The fight lasted for hours between the three armies in one of the most disjointed disasters of warfare in Westeros until Corbray managed to disengage from the rebel Valelords and launched a cavalry charge on the rearguard of Robb Stark, smashing the Northern Army and technically winning the day for the Targaryen loyalists. That said, the carnage was so big and the armies so weakened that Corbray and Willas could not push the offensive and were forced to let the remnants of the North slip away. Several Valelords died, Maege Mormont, Edmure Tully and thousands of Stark-Tully-Arryn troops were captured by Lord Hightower and Robb and the Valelords who sided with him were now trapped between the Lannister Army and the Targaryen loyalists

King's Landing Campaign:

With Storms's End too big a fortress to assault, the Targaryen loyalists were forced to camp outside and try to starve Courtnay Penrose, one of the few men in Westeros with the iron will to held the fortress and remain firm in his loyalty. While under Stannis many of the Stormlords could have deserted, Renly's crowning brought them back into the fold and they refused to back Daenerys, taking advantage of the light control of the Dornish supply lines to raid them and prevent the fall of further castles to the enemy. Even worse, a successful plot was enacted from King's Landing and Mya and Edric Baratheon were rescued from Storm's End and sent to Renly in King's Landing. Perhaps bored with the strategic stalemate, Daenerys left Prince Oberyn and 15,000 Dornishmen to continue the siege and she marched with Barristan Selmy and 19,000 men all the way to the King's Wood while avoiding battle with Lord Tywin. While both armies failed to engage each other, there was a massive naval campaign in the Narrow Sea led by the Targaryens, with Admiral Groleo intercepting the Lannister sellsword fleet and sending back to Myr and the sailing all the way to Blackwater Bay to find the Stark and Tully fleet there, which led to a massive battle between both fleets. Taking advantage of the situation Renly's naval commanders sailed with the fleet and sunk the remnants of both fleets, thus securing control over the Narrow Sea and killing Lord Sunglass. Lord Velaryon and the survivors managed to get to Queen Daenerys shortly after that. The news were celebrated across King's Landing, with King Renly winning popularity with his reforms and government and narrowly avoiding two assassination attempts thanks to Brienne of Tarth.

The Second Battle of Crakehall:

With the Westerlands spared from attacks from the Greyjoys and the Starks, the Lannister and the few surviving Westerlords took the initiative, leaving a skeleton garrison in Casterly Rock under Ser Damion while Ser Daven led the 14,800 strong Lannister Army against Crakehall to defeat Garlan Tyrell once again. Learning from his past mistakes, Ser Daven sent scouts and discovered that Garlan had received reinforcements, but sensing that they were inexperienced in comparison to his men he chose to strike. Despite some concerns over the bold attack, Daven was right in judging the Tyrell men and his troops quickly pushed them back. The battle lasted a few short hours until Garlan realized he couldn't win, and he retreated slowly and in good order to deny Ser Daven the chance of a rout. In the end, the Reach Army was forced to leave the Westerlands and fall back to the Oakheart lands to regroup while Daven returned to Casterly Rock with a moral victory for House Lannister.

The Battle of the Mander:

With Balon Greyjoy victorious in the Westerlands many expected a raid against the wealth of Casterly Rock and Lannisport, but the Iron King had other plans. Calling his last remaining banners he gave Victarion the command of a massive Ironborn Army (with the entire Iron Fleet included) of 24,000 men to said all the way to the Shield Islands and the Mander and sack Highgarden to teach the Rose a lesson. And Victarion, dutiful as even, sailed his fleet and bypassed the Shield Islands to win as much as a surprise element as he could. It was then when he approach the mouth of the Mander, and he realized they were waiting for him. The Tyrells had redeployed most of their naval assets under the command of the Redwynes, and they struck with their 235 ships at Victarion's 400 ships. While the difference in numbers was big, the Ironborn ships were smaller and weaker in comparison, and both sides fought bravely in the biggest naval battle in Westeros since the Greyjoy Rebelion more than ten years ago. Alas, Victarion was too much for the Redwynes to handle, and he crushed the enemy fleet and forced it to withdraw. Leaving some of his ships to defend the rearguard, he sailed with most of his fleet all the way to Highgarden to strike at the heart of the enemy. While outnumbered, the Reachmen called every man they could get and used every tactic available, evacuating Lady Olenna, Lady Margaery and the most important nobles from the Castle. After hours of constant battle Victarion succeeded in destroying most the garrison and sacking most of the city, but he couldn't torch it to the ground since he had to withdraw, sparing Highgarden from complete destruction. Victarion gathered his fleet and started to sail back to the Iron Islands, having sustained such heavy losses that such an operation would be very hard to repeat. Thousands of Ironborn were dead and the Tyrells had lost most of their wealth.

Targaryen Northern Campaign:

Deciding that Daenerys Targaryen was the biggest threat to Northern independence, King Robb wasted no time in sending an army to stop Jorah Mormont, and he chose Roose Bolton for that effect, sending him with an army to join Glover and form a massive army of 10,000 men (not counting the garrison of Winterfell) to march on White Harbor. Ravens declared that Ser Jorah had taken the Dreadfort and killed Ramsay Snow, and Lord Bolton demanded Glover to attack so he could avenge his bastard. Glover did, and the Starks intercepted Ser Jorah as he was moving South near the split in the White Knife. While the battle started out well even as they were forced to fight the battlehardened veterans of Tristan Rivers and the Golden Company, Galbert Glover was notified that Ramsay Snow was actually besieging Winterfell and the Bolton bannerman Locke and his men took him prisoner while Lord Bolton used his forces at the rear to encircle the Stark army and smash it into submission (and thus capturing thousands of Northern soldiers). After the battle, Lord Bolton was notified that his bastard's ruse had succeeded and he was now besieging Winterfell while blocking any potential reinforcements and destroying parts of the garrison. Sadly, he didn't knew the layout of the castle, so it could only be taken by assault. Locke captured Moat Cailin with his riders and blocked the North from the Riverlands, and Lord Bolton notified the holdfasts of the North that Robb was dead and the army lost, and that the only chance for the North to survive was to do what Torrhen Stark had done by bending the knee to Aegon Targaryen. Houses Ryswell and Dustin answered favorably, but the other houses remain silent, Winterfell is blocked from communication and the North is in chaos.

[Lumine]

Army Update:

Tywin:
Army of Ser Daven Lannister – 12,900 – Crakehall
Army of Lord Tywin - 23,600 - Near King's Landing
(cannot call more men)

Willas Tyrell:
Army of Willas Tyrell - 21,100 – Tumbleton
Army of Garlan Tyrell - 11,800 - Old Oak
Army of Jon Fossoway – 5,000 – Horn Hill
Fleet of the Reach - 143 – The Arbor
Fleet of the Reach – 40 – Sailing back to the Reach
(can call a max. of 10.000 more men)

Renly:
Army of King Renly – 12,100 – King’s Landing
Army of Courtnay Penrose – 5,000 - Storm's End
The Royal Fleet - 165 - Blackwater Bay
(cannot call more men, only sellswords)

Robb:
Army of King Robb Stark – 16,400 – Near King’s Landing
Garrison of Winterfell – 1,500 – Winterfell
Garrison of Riverrun – 2,400 – Riverrun
At the Wall – 2,000 – Castle Black
(can call a max. of 13.000 more men)

Daenerys Targaryen:
Dragons - 3 – King’s Wood
Daenerys Khalasar – 200 - King’s Wood
Army of Jorah Mormont – 4,200 – Marching to Winterfell
Army of Barristan Selmy – 22,200 – King’s Wood
Army of Oberyn Martell - 15,000 – Storm’s End
Army of Roose Bolton - 2,000 – White Knife
Army of Ramsay Snow – 1,000 - Winterfell
Army of Locke - 500 - Moat Cailin
Navy of Sunspear - 40 – Sunspear

Balon:
Army of Victarion Greyjoy – 14,700 – Sailing back to Pyke
Army of King Balon – 6,500 – Pyke
Army of Baelor Blacktyde - 200 – Braavos
Garrison of Faircastle – 1,000 (+ 10 ships)
Reaving Fleet - 90 - Pyke
The Iron Fleet - 417 – Sailing back to Pyke
The Iron Fleet (2) - 10 – Braavos

Lysa Arryn:
Army of Lyn Corbray – 11,100 - Tumbleton
Army of Yohn Royce - 2,000 – Darry
Army of Symond Templeton – 2,000 – Near White Harbor
Fleet of Gulltown - 45 – Near White Harbor
(can call a max. 13.000 more men)

[Lumine]

Sad to see the Starks going down so bad, but some plots suceeded and their enemies used their assets to win an edge on the dice, thus forcing them into this mess. Next turn beings tomorrow!

[Lumine]

What about my attack on Kings Landing???

What attack on King's Landing? After the changes to your orders, I was only left with the Crakehall attack and some other things, so I may have lost that command between the messages. Shall I enact the attack nonetheless and add it to the results?

[Lumine]

What about my attack on Kings Landing???

What attack on King's Landing? After the changes to your orders, I was only left with the Crakehall attack and some other things, so I may have lost that command between the messages. Shall I enact the attack nonetheless and add it to the results?

Yes please, I meant the Crakehall thing in addition.

Right, give me some minutes.

OOC: I swear I sent 25,000 against Highgarden (since last round I had 21500 on Pyke and called 10,000 more - leaving 6500 on Pyke would mean 25000 sailing).

I had a problem calculating this, since you had called at least 5,000 men before and since I have about 600 messages stored between that turn and now I was rather confused. As I add the King's Landing assault I could add the 5,000 extra Ironborn, but the results wouldn't really change, as Highgarden would still be sacked.

[Lumine]

The Battle of King's Landing:

As King Renly's naval forces won a resounding victory in the Blackwater and the Targaryen's intercepted the Lannister reinforcements, Lord Tywin Lannister decided that this was the time to use his numerical superiority to strike the city and get rid of the Baratheon's once and for all. With more than 34,000 men at his disposal against Renly's 19,000 or so Stormlords the Lannisters had an advantage at storming the city, although Kevan and Marbrand warned Tywin that the price to pay would be high. Nonetheless, the Westerlander Lord gave the command, and the battle for King's Landing began. Focusing efforts in the damaged Mud Gate the sellswords were quick in pushing forward and scaling the walls, but the Crownlander soldiers were often hesitant to press forward, forcing Tywin to "motivate them". King Renly and his Kingsguard stood close to the battle trying to close the gaps that Tywin's forces opened, and as more and more Lannister troops entered the city the more confusing the situation became. Without wildfire the Baratheons were left without the key weapon, and so they were forced to fight to the death. And indeed, Lord Tywin got very close at cracking down the defense of the battered Stormlords until news came that Barristan Selmy's army was approaching the city. Lord Rosby and several of the Crownlanders took the chance to enact a plot they had been preparing for the past weeks, and took the chance to leave the army to join Daenerys, having a pretty nasty fight against Ser Addam's riders. After more than two days of battle and with thousands dead across the city, the Lannisters were forced to call off the attack due to the losses and the exhaustion. They had failed this time and lost many men, but Renly's troops were incredibly weakened and nobody expected them to survive a second assault if they didn't recieve any help soon.

[Lumine]

OOC: It's ridiculous, but I threw four dice for Tywin to account for the numbers and the weakened state of the King's Landing defenses and he drew a seven, what are the odds of that even happening?

[Lumine]

OOC: I respect that, Dereich. But if you really want to go down that road be sure to do it well. I don't intend to go down without a fight, and I will seek revenge against every traitor.

On the other hand, I really don't get Bolton. In the real story, he only betrayed the Starks once it was clear they had no chance to win... But here, I gave him an army that outnumbered its opponents 2 to 1 and the war is still far from over. Are you sure he'd react that way, Lumine?

He is facing the combined forces of the Vale, Reach, and Dorne along with 3 dragons. History shows that you don't want to cross with the owner of the dragons.

Indeed. At first I considered such an action from Bolton to be out of character, but in the books it's hinted that Bolton has been planning his betrayal of the Starks from quite a long time, perhaps as back as the early campaign of Robb in the Riverlands. Roose knows history enough to know that the Starks will not bend the knee to the Targaryens this time and he was just given the ideal position to win what he wants without risking his head by being in Riverrun or with the main army. He could have stayed loyal, but as soon as the ravens notified him of the Tumbleton disaster he knew that it was now or never.

Trusting him with such a reponsibly was probably a mistake, just as Lysa made a mistake by doing such a massive turn to the Targaryens, as her vassals will not react nicely to this (as shown by the disaster Corbray had to face).

[Lumine]

I made the changes to Garlan's army, and Renly will be informed of the results of this forum at the beginning of the next turn (I will also reply to your messages soon, Simfan, but I need to reread some parts of ACOK and AFFC first).

[Lumine]

Will we get POVs today?

The turn hasn't even started and this is my final week of exams, so the turn should start today and the POV's should come on Tuesday or Wednesday. Then the turn ends on Friday, and I have to travel for a few days on that date, so I'm planning to put this and Balance of Power in hold.

[Lumine]

299 AL (4), or "The Gates of Winter"

General View:

The tables have turned, and Daenerys Targaryen is now the most powerful of the remaining Kings in Westeros. After she and her Lords proved to be absolutely ruthless with the killing of Randyll Tarly and their double treachery of Robb Stark thanks to Lysa Arryn and Roose Bolton, some believe it's only a matter of time before the Targaryens win back the crown. And yet, Highgarden is burning, the Vale is now in open rebellion and Renly still holds King's Landing, so the war is not over yet.

Quotes:

"I thank House Stark for providing reinforcements, but we are still heavily outnumbered by Mance Rayder and he will strike at the Wall very soon. The Night's Watch implores for help!"
(Maester Aemon of the Night's Watch)

"I had enough of Lysa Tully and her insanity, and I won't see the honor of the Vale solied by that woman. Lords and Knights of the Vale, we must rescue Lord Arryn from the clutches of her mother, and we must fight the Dragons with King Robb as our ally! We defeated the Mad King, and we will send her daughter back to Essos if needed be!"
(Yohn Royce, Lord of Runestone)

Info:

Tywin Lannister:
-Prestige: 4/10
-Gold: 2.250.000 GD
-Legitimacy: 10/10 (Still undisputed Lord of the Westerlands)

-With the Westerlands left alone this turn and Daven's victory at Crakehall things are slightly better for the Lannisters, but your army outside King's Landing keeps growing smaller as time passes by. New alliances must be made for House Lannister to survive, and while do you have the disadvantage of being hated through most of the realm you have an army and you can move freely. Robb Stark's army is bound to move close to you as well, so the opportunities are there.

Renly Baratheon:
-Prestige: 5/10
-Gold: 600.000 GD
-Legitimacy: 5/10

-While your dynastic moves with Mya and Edric have proved successful in securing the chain of command within King's Landing, most Lords are unwilling to risk being burned by Daenerys to just rise to your cause, which means victories are needed to convince people you can still win this war. In the meantime, your retainers are loyal and the city still backs you, so as long as you can avoid Tywin ramming your gates you will be able to continue the fight. On the bright side, Margaery has given birth to a healthy boy, named Steffon Baratheon following Garlan Tyrell's instructions.

Balon Greyjoy:
-Prestige: 10/10
-Gold: 1.600.000 GD
-Legitimacy: 10/10

-Despite heavy losses at the Mander and in Highgarden, you have stolen so much money that Pyke is literally buried in gold as of now, and you still remain independent from the rest of the realm and you hold Faircastle. And yet, there are disturbing news from the East. Baelor Blacktyde was murdered by Euron in Braavos and his ships taken by him, and nobody knows that Euron is up to now. Be cautious.

Robb Stark:
-Prestige: 3/10
-Gold: 400.000 GD
-Legitimacy: 6/10

-The situation is critical. Mormont, Edmure and Galbert Glover captured, the North at the mercy of Roose Bolton, Winterfell sieged and your army crushed. That said, you are not finished yet, since proving the North that you live might be enough for Bolton to find himself in some trouble. If your army can survive Tywin and move North you still stand a chance, as Royce and some Lords plan to retake the Vale for your cause and Renly can still be made into an ally (or that's what some Lords think).

Willas Tyrell:
-Prestige: 3/10
-Gold: 1.800.000 GD
-Legitimacy: 10/10 (Unchallenged)

-Despite a crushing victory against the Starks this has been a horrible three months for House Tyrell. Your armies were beated in Crakehall, Highgarden is burning and in ruins and even your manpower reserves are running low, not to mention your vassals growing very unhappy after Randyll Tarly's death. It seems you have backed the winning side with Daenerys, but the Reach is several times weaken than what it was at the beginning of the War.

Daenerys Targaryen:
-Prestige: 8/10
-Gold: 150.000 GD
-Legitimacy: 8/10

-On the good side, you have gained new allies in Lysa Arryn and Roose Bolton, but the Vale and the North are beginning to turn against them after their respective betrayals. You have lost your fleet and Storm's End still stands, and your commanders are divided into the idea of moving against King's Landing to put an end to the war or moving with caution. As the Dragons grow, they are beginning to be more useful in a siege, but they are still too small for battle.

Lysa Arryn:
-Prestige: 3/10
-Gold: 600.000 GD
-Legitimacy: 3/10

-It seems the Vale is now facing a true disaster. While Lyn Corbray saved a substantial part of the Army and Houses Grafton and Corbray support you, most of the entire region has turned against you for betraying the Starks and what they call "Jon Arryn's Legacy". Yohn Royce and Symond Templeton have turned their armies against the Vale and started to invade the region, and most of the Houses have declared for Robb Stark, including the Waynwoods, the Belmores, the Templetons, the Redforts and the Hunters. Lord Nestor Royce has remained neutral and hasn't moved against you in the Gates of the Moon, but the situation is critical. Of course, Lord Baelish has offered to spirit you away from the Vale with his sellswords or use his contacts to stop the Lords, provided that he gets the lands of one of the so called "Lords Declarant".

Yohn Royce:
-Prestige: 7/10
-Gold: 100.000 GD
-Legitimacy: 8/10

-Greetings, Lord Royce! As of now the Vale is rising in rebellion and most of the Lords are willing to join your cause, but it seems Lysa Arryn won't sit idly, and she is currently defending the Bloody Gate with 2,000 men. You have your 2,000 men in Darry, Symond Templeton's 2000 men and the Vale fleet already ready to strike in the North of the Vale, and some soldiers still in Robb Stark's Army. The Vale has lost a great part of its military might abd Lyn Corbray leads the remnants of the army, but the Vale still has reserves and if you can take our Lysa before it's too late then the Vale might get a new Lord Regent...

Varys:
-Prestige: ¿?
-Gold: 100.000 GD
-Legitimacy: ¿?

-Not many things to say here without spoiling everybody, so keep up the good work, Lord Varys!

[Lumine]

Before I forget, Petyr Baelish, Roose Bolton and Yohn Royce are now fully playable if there's anyone out there interested.

[Lumine]

What is the deadline to submit our moves?

Tuesday afternoon, I believe.