The Fourth War of the Kraken

The Fourth War of the Kraken was an armed conflict in Westeros taking place mainly in the Riverlands during the years 338 and 339 AC, between the armies of Regnar Twice-Crowned those of the Iron Throne. It was the last war of it's kind beside the Half-Blood Incursion, and is known widely throughout Westeros for it's bloody battles and the savagery of the Ironborn during the conflict.

At the war's height, the Ironborn underneath Regnar had carved out a large part of the old Hoare kingdom, having pushed as far as Riverrun and the Red Fork before being pushed back and destroyed at the Battle of the Blue Fork.

Background
Just over half a decade earlier, after the defeat of Dagon the Skinner in the Westerlands during the Red Reaving, his younger brother, Regnar, limped away with the last of his forces, and disappeared from Westeros. When he returned, it was with an intent to carve out a kingdom.

Maesters oft site Regnar's madness as the cause of the war. Quietly, underneath the nose of Lord Greyjoy, Regnar gathered support in the Iron Islands, and from far away as well. Those who did not serve him were put to death, or worse. But his supporters were legendary in and of themselves, with names such as Qarl the Maidenhammer and Marik Riversbane at his side.

As the year 337 AC waned, dozens of ships landed on the Riverlands western-most shores with a force that was said to be ten-thousand strong.

A Crown for a King
Whether or not the numbers stand true, there is no doubt of Regnar's effectiveness during the first days of his campaign. House Mallister was slow to respond, and Regnar's reavers plundered the land for miles around. Crowned once in this lifetime, Regnar decreed that he shall be crowned once more, and crowned he was. Atop a makeshift throne of splintered wood and cobbled stones, Regnar was proclaimed King of Salt and Rock and the Riverlands. It was a title that would not last long.

The Taking of Seagard
The first of many conflicts between the forces of Regnar and the Riverlands was the Taking of Seagard. Three days after landing, Regnar took Seagard by surprise, and though Lord Mallister had already taken heed of the warnings presented him and shut the castle gates, the sheer size of the Ironborn force caught him by surprise. Immediately, word was sent out throughout the Riverlands, warning of the Ironborn threat.

The Ironborn set up for a siege around Seagard, and as they did so, Regnar employed a dangerous plan of his. Taking the town was one thing, taking the castle another, and so he employed treachery and deceit over conventional warfare. Using peasants captured during the earlier raids on villages surrounding Seagard, he disguised himself and his closest followers amidst their ranks early in the morn, and at the quietest part of the evening, snick up to the gates of the town, and demanded entry.

The gates opened, though just barely enough for the peasant rabble to enter before it shut once more.

No one heard of Regnar for three hours, until the gates of the town opened once again, and Seagard was flooded by Ironborn. The castle was much easier to storm. Employing hooks and ladders, Regnar Twice-Crowned led his men up a incredible slope towards the castle proper, where they used hooks and ladders to breach the barely-defended walls. Lord Mallister was taken captive thereafter, his sons made eunuchs, and his daughters made salt wives; Lord Mallister himself lost his head, and Regnar claimed one of his fingers for his own upon a chain he would wear around his neck.

The Sack of Wendish Town
Though warning had far proceeded the taking of Seagard, no one was prepared for the speed at which the Ironborn swept over the region. Where they had first secured themselves in Seagard, they moved on next to Oldstones, and then Wendish Town. Under the command of Qarl the Maidenhammer - a man with a penchant for breaking maiden girls - the Ironborn, no more than seven-hundred strong, assaulted the walls of Wendish Town, and broke the ramshackle defenders easily.

The Battle of the Mummers
The Battle of the Mummers is named for the cowardice of both commanders. Five-hundred men under the command of Marik Riversbane were put against a thousand hastily raised Blackwood soldiers. Marik's intent had been to harrass the common villages, and prevent heralds from raising any men -- and succeed they did, but only for a short time. Near the town of Pennytree, in the third month of the year, Marik's forces were set upon by Lord Blackwood's men. Quickly, Marik ordered a retreat.

Ironborn have an ill reputation in Westeros, but no one can deny their brutality, nor their effectiveness at doing out such terrible things. Marik and his men dispersed into the woods around Pennytree, and began raping and burning and pillaging. On occasion, they would harass Lord Blackwood's men, intent on slowly wittling them down, and distracting them from the real threat towards Fairmarket.

And as they did, they hid, and only when Marik's hideaway was discovered by one of Lord Blackwood's scouts were they able to effectively win the battle, and only just barely. Lord Tully had come, and with him, two-thousand Tully knights rode at his back. Together, they cleared the forests,

Finish explanation. Anything underneath here is UNFINISHED and very much subject to change.

The Burning of Fairmarket
Explanation of how Qarl's men advance on Fairmarket and burn it to the ground. Lord Bracken comes too late but manages to push the Ironborn out of the burning town.

Lord Blackwood's Gambit
Explanation of how Lord Blackwood intended on cutting off both Qarl and Marik's retreat. Succeeds only in part, and manages to capture a large swath of their forces-- but not the commanders.

Slaughter at Mudsgrave
Lord Tully's men against roughly a thousand exposed Ironborn. Complete slaughter. Leaderless, the Ironborn end up in a shattered retreat. Lord Tully doesn't spare anyone.

The Battle of Seagard
Lord Frey advances from the north and sets a siege on Seagard, only to find a spare force of Ironborn defending it. They do not give the castle and town without a fight. Frey, incompetent, loses a large amount of men comparatively here.

The Occupation of Oldstones
The Ironborn occupy Oldstones underneath Regnar's command, intent on destroying the Frey host to the north. Marik comes to him, and he sends Marik north, along with three-thousand of his best men.

The Second Battle of Seagard
The return of the Ironborn, routing of Lord Frey, who manages to hold Seagard this time.

The Vengeance of Fairmarket
Lord Tully surrounds Oldstones only to find it abandoned. The Ironborn advance along the Blue Fork towards Fairmarket. Tully catches them by the rear, gives them the good old ass-blasting.

The Battle of the Blue Fork
King Aenar Targaryen, Princess Helaena Targaryen arrive to reinforce Lord Tully with the intent of ending the Ironborn incursion. On the back of Viserion and Starfyre, the two Targaryens accompany Lord Tully and his host into the Battle of the Blue Fork, which will end Regnar's life, and his ill-fated kingdom-carving.