Season 4, Turn 14
Days 16 - 30 of the Seventh Moon, 420 AC
General Summary
Death of a King, Continued
House Mormont | The North | KnightWhen Ræva Ryswell was declared an enemy of the North and the war initially began, Lord Glover had requested the right to lead the armies sent to quell what he saw as a rebellion. She agreed, though she had placed her fleet within Southern Fisher Waters to blockade the enemy forces from sailing North so as to ensure the war was contained to the Ryswell holdings. She had promised him that the fleet would do no more than hold them at bay, and for some time she was able to keep that promise without issue, but it wouldn't be long before Ræva forced her hand. "My Lady, we have received dire news." The words came from a Maester as he entered the small standalone building in Winterfell where Maria Mormont was sat at a desk going through various reports and letters to attend to her duties as Hand of the Queen. "What is it?" "A raven from Fisherton reports an attack on the blockade by ships flying the banner of House Ryswell. The Ryswell fleet did not have many quality ships, but they reportedly had thousands of smaller vessels and used them to swarm and overwhelm the ships of the Northwest Fleet. The attackers were fended off, but your fleet has lost hundreds of ships and both sides are reported to have each lost thousands upon thousands of lives between those confirmed dead and those lost at sea." There is a sudden SLAM as Maria's fist abruptly connects with the wall behind her that causes the Maester to flinch. "I WILL TEAR THAT BITCH'S THROAT OUT *MYSELF!*" she screams at the top of her lungs as she stands up from the desk so quickly she sends several papers scattering across the floor, and the creature a few feet to her side that had been almost unnoticeable as it slept so soundly quickly roared as loud as it could, picking up on and sharing in Maria's rage. And that rage was visceral, having been contained and built up over the past couple months when she is normally rather short-tempered. Many would have praised her recent self-control if not for this outburst, which could be heard throughout much of the keep. Without so much as a word or second glance at the Maester, who was now thoroughly terrified and unsure of which bear he should fear more, Maria picks up her sword and shield and walks briskly out the door, the large bear quickly following behind. Not even an hour later, a large force leaves Winterfell heading in the direction of Glenmore Keep, and a smaller group leaves Winterfell headed for Deepwood Motte.
Southern Fisher Waters
Maria stood on the deck of her ship, overlooking the scene before her as they approached. The Mormont Fleet was now a shadow of its former self after countless attacks by the swarm of smaller vessels, all filled with troops bearing the sigil of House Ryswell. Day after day the Ryswell forces had assaulted the blockading fleet before retreating to regroup and redouble their efforts. This back and forth had been going on for weeks now, and it was showing. Many vessels could still be seen burning and/or sinking into the depths from the most recent skirmish, and this only served to fuel the woman's rage as it all came into view; all the destruction.. all the death.. and all of it her fault. After some time the Mormont Fleet begins reorganizing. Maria yells out commands which are echoed across the fleet by all of the captains, and before long the fleet is moving. They would waste no more time in pursuing their attackers back to where they came from, Maria now in a hurry to put an end to Ræva and her madness. House Ryswell | Eddy
The last of the Ryswell fleet forms up against the Mormont fleet as Queen Ræva Ryswell’s loyal maester, Dotar Sojat, rushes up to her. “Dread news, my lady! Glover armies have broken through our defenses at the ford! All is lost.” With a look of despair, Ræva demands “Take my son and flee, Dotar. I must die with my men.” The maester leaps into a small vessel alongside and flees back towards the North. He turns, and sees Queen Ryswell roaring orders. Her vessels begin to sail full wind at the Mormont fleet nearly double its size. As arrows begin to fly, the result is clear. The maester begins to cry.** **Lady Ryswell did not survive. By next week the last of her vessels were destroyed, and while no one could claim her death, she was eventually found on a wreck with an arrow through the heart. Her son vanished, as did Maester Sojat.** House Mormont | The North | Knight
Blazewater Rills
Maria holds her shield tightly in front of her and places her other hand on the hilt of her sword, staring out at all the ships they were fast approaching. The first arrows slammed into her shield and the shields of those standing next to her, and then quickly more were returned by their own archers. Some of the crew scramble to put out fires from broken lanterns and the archers return to cover below deck or behind the shieldwall. Some are still struck by stray arrows, but the shieldwall holds firm. The second wave comes, and then the third, and yet all she can think about is trying to spot Ræva in the chaos. The ship collides with one of the larger vessels of the Ryswell's fleet, and Maria and the others quickly jump over the gap to board the enemy ship. Blades and shields clash, and the deck runs red as both sides suffer great losses. Maria and her fleet were nothing to overlook, but the Ryswell troops were fierce soldiers who had fought in various environments during bloody wars across the world and survived, they would not go down without a fight even while at sea. But even still, they were simply outmatched. Maria runs her blade through a Ryswell archer after fending off two other troops, just before he can draw his bowstring back. Her eyes as she meets his are filled not only with rage, but with sorrow. These were northmen, Firstmen, who had once been their close allies... She grew up hearing tales of Edward Ryswell's valor, both before his exile and after, and then she had fought along side him and his men in the previous war. If she had to kill one of the ones she knew by name and look them in the eyes like this it might have broken her right there. She pulls the blade back and lets the man fall before quickly returning herself to the fight. After a few more moments the fight is over and the ship is theirs. Looking over and scanning the horizon shows that most of the Battle of the Blazewater has gone similarly. Many of the enemy were even surrendering. It was then that she saw it.. saw her. Ræva laying on that half destroyed deck of a ship, run up against a patch of rocky shallows. The arrow through her heart oddly felt just as piercing to Maria, who quickly made her way there with a small rowboat. She stomped over to her corpse and raised her sword into the air as if to bring it down on the one who had caused all this suffering in her eyes, as if to beat the dead horse out of spit and fury.. but instead her blade came down on the barrel just above her head, embedding itself deep into the wood, and then just screamed. The sound that came out of her was a mix of so many emotions and was so loud that it could almost be described as primordial. It lasted only a second but it felt like minutes... Then, almost as suddenly and surprisingly, she reaches down and pulls the arrow out and heaves Ræva onto her back before taking her back to the ship. His daughter was insane, but she deserved a proper burial. Maria's sword remains on that shipwreck to this day, and no one has seen her get a new one. Maria has almost gone into total seclusion after this, and rumors begin to circulate that she is sick or injured, or even in some versions that she is already dead. No official source can confirm or deny these rumors in the first few weeks following the Battle of the Blazewater.
Vengeance of House Pryor, Continued
House Corbray | Kingdom of the Vale | Prince Nyunyu"Ramsgate has been taken, my king. There were almost no defenders and the garrison decided to open the doors. They ask to return home," said the soldier. He added "It seems like the defending army was on the Broken Shore and decided to retreat as we landed earlier than they expected, they moved into Brock Fields, probably to defend Snowy Sept." The King looked at him "Thanks for everything, inform to the garrison soldiers that they can return to their home if they are under the law we control, we cannot let them join into Flint's forces" The King moved back to a tent that was on the beach, inside there were 5 good soldiers of his trust and Maester Aurelius, there was a table and a few chairs, however not enough. The Maester was the only one who was sat on a chair, while the others were standing and talking around the table. The King informed "The castle has been taken, there were no defenders, and some soldiers claim to have seen an army moving towards Snowy Sept. Any news? " The Maester answered first "Indeed King Jamie, rumors are spread that Lady Flint is at Widow's Watch, and a part of the fleet that crushed our first attempt to land, it seems that Widow's Watch is a place that will not be easily taken, rumors say that there are seventy thousands soldiers, maybe more." The King replied "Despite being the North, infertile and cold, it holds large armies" The Maester answered, "It also seems that there are soldiers from Lord Magnus Magnar that joined with Lady Flint, which could explain those numbers, about the assault of Wolf's Den and the situation of the islands. We haven't received any raven." One of the Soldiers added, "We also received a letter from Port Tyria, the port was empty. We were discussing what could be the reason behind that." Another soldier explained: "Our first theory is that Lady Flint doesn't have enough men to defend their lands, on second thought, we conclude that she may be grouping her armies in key points, to launch a counterattack, when our armies spread. Finally the last theory is that she is scared, she is only defending herself" "Thanks for informing me, Sers and Master. I will think about what will be our next steps. Now if you could order to prepare the castle, so we can use the kitchen, the bedrooms and the baths, that would be of great use" He took his horse and went to a cliff, alone, to watch the views of the sea. The wind was cold, he never liked cold, even though he spent most of his life at the Eryie. When he was a kid he thought that maybe he could go to the Summer Islands to spend his life there, of course that was a child's dream, but instead of going to warm waters, he was moving to cold lands. Those were just kid dreams, but a king has responsibility over his right, his honor. The realm must be served by the King."
Election Time in Lorath, Continued
Free City of Lorath | SentrySeresha Jaqen has had full reign over the senate since her father named her acting Magister. Initially there was a lot of resistance, the patriarchal senators were none too pleased to have a woman in charge for any amount of time. Resistance slowly fizzled out as many of her detractors have been caught up in the Reconstruction of Braavos and the Lorathi Expedition to the North. Seresha ensured things continued to run smoothly earning the respect of the remaining senators in Lorath. Still her push to become her fathers successor caught them off guard. The Unity party had welcomed the Daughters of Lorath into their ranks but never intended to actually grant the Suffragist any real power. "This is the official seal of House Mopatis…" Senator Cahya announced as he examined the letter with a Myrish lens. "Regardless of who supports your candidacy it would be foolish to allow you to run for the Unity party. A woman could never win an election." Maze Maker Alon received a murmur of agreement from his fellow tattooed priest. "All of you agreed that I have done well in my fathers absence. Why would things suddenly change if I were to be elected as the Magistrate?" Seresha said, holding in her anger at Alon's comment. "It doesn't matter how well you've done, it's more the Unity party you need to impress…" Alon said as he began skimming through Princess Ellyria's letter. "Well who should run if not me !?" Seresha said sharply impatiently waiting for a response. Eyes first turned to Senator Cahya, the city's leading independent senator. "Oh not me, I haven't the funds or recognition to run for Magister." Senator Cahya said dismissively. "The church would happily put forth a candida-" Alon was interrupted by Senator Cahya. "So the coalition can lose? There hasn't been a religious Magister since I was a boy. That is if you don't count Qarlon Jaqen." Cahya paused expecting the Maze Makers to challenge him; however none came from the priest. "Seresha Jaqen is the best candidate we have. She is a proven administrator and has more appeal than any of us here." Senator Cahya finished his speech and returned to his seat. There was a brief debate but it yielded no other candidates. Seresha was announced as the party's successor. She made a mental note that she owed Senator Cahya a favor. She was doubtful she would have been chosen without his unexpected support.
Clash of Kingdoms, Continued
House Targaryen | Kingdom of the Andals | Steffi the RedheadAfter merging her army with the men of Lord Selwyn Wensington of House Wensington, Jaehaera's troops approached the Dornish army camp in Storm's Break. She hesitated briefly, contemplating what Jay Dalt would have done. Surely he could have talked his way out of this mess, right. Surely he wouldn't attack someone from Dorne. "But I am not Jay." she sighed. Would the Dornish people hate her after this day? It mattered to her more than she had thought. "This will be a problem for future me." Then she gave the signal to attack. The battlefield that was somehow cornered by four powers soon erupted into chaos. The archers with whom she had trained on the Southern Wall sent forth a rain of arrows. Volley after volley found their mark. The troops of Whensington together with her swordsmen built a shield wall and approached the enemy camp. The battle went for and back several times after the enemy had established solid lines. In the end the remaining light forced the attackers to retreat. The enemy had suffered heavy casualties and tomorrow would be another day. Meanwhile armies from Greenstone and Mistwood are occupying Cape Wrath for Ling Bracken. The smallfolk seem to be on their side because there is no resistance. House Orchard | Kingdom of the Andals | Bowler
On a day whose blue skies were periodically interrupted by tufts of clouds, Herry Orchard stands before the court of Lord David Fossoway, his modest hat in hand as he politely bows before speaking. “Your Lordship, I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting just yet. My name’s Herry—Herry Orchard, I suppose, if we’re giving out last names, but most everybody knows me just as Herry. I come to you today about your brother’s passing. Lord Duncan, he was the nicest and most kind hearted of all lords—no offense meant to you, ‘course—and what happened to him was a right tragedy.” “I was lucky enough to call Lord Duncan a friend of mine in addition to my liege, and I’ve worked my whole life tending to and managing the orchards under his domain. It was through Lord Duncan’s great kindness that I learned to read about ten years back. I might not be as good as all you lords, but I’m right proud of myself for it nonetheless.” “Being childless, Lord Duncan set out in his last will and testament what he wanted to have happen to his estate in the event of his death. You can read it yourself here,” Herry says as he carefully hands the rolled-up parchment to the court scribe. “I can sum up the main points now: Lord Duncan wished for his wealth and lands to be held in trust by a council of educated smallfolk, to be chosen from the schools, the highest achievers. He said how they were chosen could be changed in future, but that that was what he wished for now.” “He selected me to be the first so-called ‘Voice to the World’ of the New Barrel council. That’s your brother’s term, not mine—if it were up to me, I’d call it something simpler, like spokesman. In short, I am to deal with the relations of the council with everybody else in the world, at least those that matter to us. I speak for my people, and I hope to do right by them. All we want is to live peacefully and continue your brother’s work to better us smallfolk’s lives.” “Which brings me to why I am here today,” Herry says, gesturing to his cart driver to bring him a sheathed sword. Herry kneels before Lord David and holds up the sword reverently. “According to your brother’s wishes, I hereby give you his ancestral Valyrian steel sword Oathkeeper. I also hereby pledge my people directly to you, Lord David Fossoway of Cider Hall. All we seek is protection from those that would smother Lord Duncan’s selfless and wonderful idea before it can bloom. We will pay any tithes due, and will act as any vassal would. The only difference is how we rule over our own lands. I thank you for your time, Lord David.” Herry bows, and waits for Lord David’s response. House Costayne | Kingdom of the Andals | sandman
The peace with the Fossoways has come with an announcement that Long Tom has ordered the rebuilding of Highgarden. Funds will go towards rebuilding it to not only its former glory but will improve upon it making it rival the defenses of any other city. The walls will be twice as thick and double its previous height. Gold and black onyx will be used for much of the keep’s decorations. Once Highgarden is completed many schools will be built in The Reach where every young reachman and reachwoman of appropriate age and capability of understanding will be educated. Once primary school is over 2 years of service and training in specific areas such as combat, medical, faith, trade, ect will take place. So many have been lost that Tom believes the young are our future and will need to have the skills for the reach to prosper once more. This is what Tom learned on his pilgrimage to Cuy Town as a commoner. Mingling with his people he learned that his small folk need him now more than ever in these trying times. His faith was rewarded and now he may even bring these ideals of everyone receiving an education to the Westerlands around Gold Road at Casterly Rock; these programs will be free of charge funded by Tom's own coffers. During the 2 years of service, pay will be set aside for the students so when they graduate they will have the money to start a business or whatever they venture to do. During all the announcements, word spreads that Armstead, in a show of good faith, has retreated his men from Dornish fronts and negotiations of peace are ongoing. Since the King has taken over the negotiations with Martell, Armstead has not been seen and is believed to be drinking to peace with his men seen gathering from all corners at Torentine Bay.
Report Date
30 Nov 2023
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