The Scouring of the Stepstones

The Scouring of the Stepstones was a series of armed conflicts that took place in the Stepstones between 413 and 415 AC, and within little longer than a year, ultimately led to the cementing of Aeryn Targaryen’s rule over the archipelago as the Prince in the Narrow Sea.

Background
Following the War of the Three Thieves, several pirate lords had attempted to fill in the power gap left in the wake of Alequo Silverband’s defeat, but as the years had gone by, few of them could ever wrestle control over more than a few islands, - ofttimes unable to hold their conquest for longer than a cycle of the Moon. These years had been marked by ceaseless bloodshed and treachery between the emerging factions, and the waters between the Stepstones had gradually become more dangerous.

The constant fighting between these factions also led to a significant increase in the number of assaults targeting vessels from Westeros and the Free Cities, and by the early 410’s, few merchants would risk passing through the nine islands without the protection of war galleys and mercenaries. It was clear that pirate atrocities had become more than a nuisance to the neighboring powers, yet few believed at the time that an intervention had been warranted. They were pirates after all, and sooner or later, they would have settled their squabbles on their own.

Perhaps it came as a convenience, or as a response to the wealthiest of the Free Cities not willing to spare their resources to intervene, that in the late year of 413 AC, Aeryn Targaryen of Lys, had landed on Bloodstone on the back of Stormsong, and set out to bring order to the war-torn islands. The son of the degrading Lysene branch of his family hadn’t possessed the backing of his city, nor that of any other free city, but having tamed the dragon that once had been ridden by the rebel Prince Maekar, his conquest had begun with favorable prospects.

Fire and Bloodstone
Living up to its name, Bloodstone had become one of the most contested islands of the archipelago after the fall of the Three Thieves. In 413 AC, it was fought over by three pirate lords, chief amongst them the self-proclaimed King of Sunstone, Leganos Jaqarro the Handsome, who had seized considerable wealth over the years and controlled the strongest fleet of warships in the region. The petty king was at the peak of his strength at the time, feared and despised by his rivals, and he was the natural first choice of Aeryn to approach with the offer of an alliance.

Leganos was a proud man himself, however, not easy to be bargained with, and he turned down the dragonrider's offer, ultimately denying him his fleet as well. He had Myrish scorpions on mounted on his ships and he had no fear of a single dragon, but he still vastly underestimated the Targaryen riding it. Following the short and unsuccessful negotiations, Aeryn was quick to explore other prospects, and although they were less desirable, they still held promise.

Having suffered several losses, the other captains trying to hold Bloodstone made for more reasonable businessmen. They realized that a dragon could stack the odds in their favor even if they commanded fewer men and a weaker navy, so they were more than eager to accept the Aeryn's offer. In the last moon of the year, they bent the knee to the dragonlord and followed him into battle.