The Second War of the Kraken

The Second War of the Kraken was an armed conflict that took place in the year 321 AC and primarily affected the Reach. All major battles took place in the Reach, men under Urras the Bane fought against many different enemies, but primarily Reachlords and the Golden Company.

Urras showed his abilities to sail and lead raids, yet in the end the combined forces of the Reach and the Golden Company brought one of Westeros' greatest sailors and fiercest raiders of the third century to heel. His death was cause for celebration for years to come in the Reach.

Background
Urras had been reaving the Western seas for many years before his eyes fell upon the Reach. Lord Tyrell had shown his prowess at leading a region during peacetimes, and the coffers of nearly every Reachlord was bulging more and more. It was an easy decision for the Bane of the Sunset Sea; attack the Reach.

Axes and Ships
What can a feudal lord do when his lands are quickly set upon? Raiders can flood into a region and wreak havoc for days before a lord can even hear news, let alone raise forces to respond. Urras' ships moved up the Mander and the Honeywine briskly in early 321. They launched raids and offenses in many different locations and left the Reach scrambling for nearly two months before an organized response could be made.

The Sack of Honeyholt
One of the first victims of Urras' wrath and the first to actually see Urras in action against the Reachmen. In the dead of night, Lord Beesbury awoke to the smell of smoke. He could see his family's apiaries burning almost in their entirety. He quickly moved to investigate, but was shocked to find Urras sitting in his Great Hall. Lord Beesbury and his family was thrown into his own dungeons, his wife and daughters became salt wives. As the apiaries burned, the livelihood of nearly everyone burned with them.

The Defiance at Brightwater Keep
Lord Garlan Tyrell of Brightwater Keep was not as easily taken advantage of. Without Urras' uncanny navigating abilities (which some still call black magic) the Ironborn were spotted, most of the smallfolk were brought within the walls of the keep which were quickly sealed, the garrison preparing for a siege. The Ironborn stole what they could, yet they weren't able to break into the rich keep as they hoped. The raiding party had no chance in a siege, so their commander returned to their ships and sailed down to Honeyholt to rejoin Urras save for a few left to reave the countryside and shoot down any ravens sent from Brightwater Keep.

The Rose's Thorns
It was nearly a full week before Lord Willas Tyrell had received ravens, the Ironborn had totally taken and sacked Honeyholt. And without the total supervision of their commanders, the Ironborn left to defend Brightwater Keep were more preoccupied with the women they stole then shooting the ravens down. Willas was enraged by the action and immediately began raising his levies, preparing to march to the defense of his younger brother and his bannermen.

Willas' first move was to send word to King's Landing of the encroaching Ironborn, while the Reach had more than enough men to beat Urras back, they were also in a crucial time in which the harvest was needing to be gathered. Willas pleaded for assistance from the Targaryens as the harvest was needed to feed the realm. His second move was to request the Redwyne fleet's assistance.

When his levies were finally raised, Willas sent his men to relieve Brightwater Keep of their raiders and reclaim Honeyholt and free Lord Beesbury. Unfortunately for Willas, this is exactly what Urras wanted him to do.

The Sack of Vinetown
When Tyrell men reached Honeyholt they found the castle lightly held by Ironborn. Under the command of Garlan Tyrell, the Reachmen sieged the castle. However, they had no interest in an extended siege and the order was given to storm the castle. After a bloody battle, Lord Garlan Tyrell found that Urras had left the castle just days before. The Reachmen were still behind Urras' plans.

Meanwhile the Bane himself had moved to the Redwyne straits, his longships preying on and seizing many trade ships. When the ships ran dry, and traders stopped moving through the straits out of fear of death and capture, Urras moved to Vinetown. Much of the riches had been moved by their inhabitants, but the Ironborn seized many thralls and salt wives before moving North once more.

The Golden Company's Arrival
The Targaryen's answered Willas Tyrell's pleas in perhaps the best way possible for the Reach. The Golden Company was dispatched quickly. Upon reaching Cider Hall, they were split into two main forces. Aemon Steelsong was part of the forces who were to remove the reavers that had entrenched themselves throughout the northern half of the Reach. It didn't take long, the Golden Company's training easily beat back the raiders savagery.

Highgarden Under Siege
While the Golden Company rooted the raiders from the lands surround Highgarden, and the Tyrell men returned from Honeyholt, Urras moved to siege Highgarden. As his ships sailed up the Mander quickly and nearly magically, the Golden Company marched towards Highgarden, unbeknownst of Urras' plans, just as he was unaware of their presence.

Urras expected to take Highgarden, kill Willas and declare himself King of the Reach before the Tyrell men could even reach them, yet their siege was short lived. The Golden Company was reunited shortly before arriving, their full strength of 5,000 professional soldiers was a sight to behold. It is said one could look down from Highgarden and see the besiegers drop their weapons in awe of the golden standards that shone in the sun. While this is completely inaccurate as the Ironborn and Golden Company had a vicious battle at the foot of Highgarden.

Urras quickly noticed his men were no match for the Golden Company on land so he decided to move to the one place he had the advantage. The sea. He called the retreat and moved his men back to the longboats in the Mander. He hoped to escape the Golden Company and move to either Oldtown or the Arbor, and create a base upon which he would continue his destruction of the Reach.

The Kraken Sinks
Lord Redwyne finally responded to the call of his liege lord. Many of his ships were damaged in the original raids by the Ironborn that reached as far south as the Arbor. He had set his men to work to repair them immediately upon receiving word from Lord Willas Tyrell. As Urras reached the mouth of the Mander, he discovered Lord Redwyne had blockaded the river. Urras moved to run the blockade, knowing if he could move past the Redwyne fleet, he could take the Arbor with little or no effort. As he attempted to run the blockade, he unfortunately found that Lord Redwyne had far too many ships to successfully avoid. The Bane of the Summer Seasdid what it could to fight against the Redwyne fleet, but wood was flammable no matter the captain.

While the Ironborn showed why they were to be feared on the sea, Lord Redwyne's superior numbers finally brought the Bane down. The sea appeared to be on fire the entire night. Ships from both sides burned at the mouth of the Mander. When the Golden Company arrived a full day behind the battle of the Kraken they found the Ironborn prepared for a fight.

The Death of the Bane
Urras was not going to die without a fight. Nearly two thousand Ironborn littered the shores of the Mander. Many were wounded, yet all were going to fight. The golden standards were seen far more numerously than the Ironborn could fight against. However, they were willing to pay the iron price. Urras led the charge against the Golden Company axe raised. He himself first found his axe crossing blades with Captain General Lorimas Mudd. While the Captain General fought valiantly, Urras hadn't built his reputation for nothing.

It wasn't long before the Mudd was dead in the sand. This enraged many members of the Golden Company, which lead to a countercharge by the king's men. Aemon Steelsong led this charge, and he himself challenged Urras to a duel. It was here that Urras fell after an extended exchange with the young Steelsong. The death of Urras the Bane caused the Ironborn to shatter around them. Nearly every Ironborn died, many attempted to swim away. Yet there was no hope for them. On one side was the Golden Company, the other Lord Redwyne. The Second War of the Kraken ended on the shores of the Mander.

Aftermath
Honeyholt was rebuilt with the assistance from Willas Tyrell and money from his own coffers. The quick action by both Willas and the Iron Throne prevented the Ironborn from salting too many lands. However, it did take years for the Reach to reach the same splendor it had before Urras first landed.

Aemon Steelsong was named Captain General of the Golden Company for his valiant actions and his slaying of Urras the Bane.