The War of Three Banners

The War of Three Banners was a large civil war in the Westerlands. Beginning in 432 AC, after the Great Synod of Lannisport, the bloodletting would continue until 435 AC. The political upheaval brought the death of many Lords of the West, including the Lords of Casterly Rock, eventually leading to Lady Tysane Lannister's rise to power late in the war.

Synopsis
These are the tales of the most tragic war which took place between the years 432 and 434 AC. Dubbed, “the War of Three Banners,” by many, the war would best be described as a queer war. The difficulty which both sides had in gaining a decisive advantage over the other prolonged the war significantly.

The war was initially fought between two sides. The Lannisters and the Spicers; the latter of whom managed to abduct Lady Tysane herself. The war lasted for over a year before Lord Marbrand intervened in the Battle of Three Baners. The alliances, named after the war, are as follows: The Burning Tree, the Silver Pact, and the Southern Alliance.

These parties did not exist formally, but were given names after the war, for the three primary alliances listed as such: The War of Three Banners began shortly following the conclusion of the Great Synod of Lannisport, which saw the Starry Faith and Baelorians once again united under a common banner. As the nobles and delegates from across the Seven Kingdoms were making leave of Lannisport, where the Council had taken place, a spark was lit in the unforgiving cold of Lannisport’s sleaziest warrens. It was a spark that would start a firestorm that would grow to consume more than a third of Lannisport, leading to the deaths of hundreds, and the displacement of thousands.
 * Houses Marbrand and Westerling
 * Houses Spicer and Serret
 * Houses Lannister and Crakehall

The Firestorm of Lannisport would be the first of many events to take place in the Westerlands over the coming months. Though no fighting had taken place as of yet, following the war’s conclusion, it was decided that the Firestorm was one of the pinnacle reasons that conflict began in the first place.

Over the next two years, banners would be raised and spears shattered as friend and foe alike met on the battlefield. The first battle, The Battle of Lannisport, took place on the Seventh Day of the Second Moon of 432 AC.

From there, lines weredrawn and the War of Three Banners oficially begun. Two years of fighting on-and-off  would have far-reaching consequences. The deaths of several prominent Lannisters, the destruction of House Spicer, and the institution of House Lannister of Castamere following the fighting, making House Lannister, by sheer numbers alone, the most powerful House on the continent.

The last battle of the War, a battle which saw a formal end to the fighting, took place on the Sixth Day of the Fourth Moon of 434 AC. The Council of Casterly Rock was held thereafter, and House Lannister took wards of the belligerent Houses in the war. The peace was settled, and the destruction of House Spicer would ever remain heavy on the minds of those many Westerlander lords.

Prelude
Though no one circumstance can be put as the definitive beginning of the troubles that would eventually lead to the War of Three Banners, experts and Maesters alike point to the Great Synod of Lannisport as one of the most decisive points that would bring conflict in the years preceding the Lion’s Wounds. Up until the Synod, the Westerlands had been divided between the two faiths - the Starry and Baelorian.

Though both ideologies had been all but unified, those that practiced the Starry Faith felt ostracized and shunned, and those in particular were the Lords Marbrand and Westerling, both of whom were staunch practitioners of the Starry Rites.

It should be noted that these were men who both supported Lord Loreon in his day and age, and felt that none could ever live to the legacy of that legendary man. In a letter to Lord Westerling, lord Marbrand wrote, ‘That I cannot trust this new Lannister administration with the governance of my realm.’

Lord Marbrand would oft shun his taxes, when he was not at court, paying heed to the Lannisters. The Lord Tybolt he took extra precaution to avoid, and his insubordination would only be founded truly after the war began.

Thus was the precedent set. That was not all, however. A malcontent was rising in the Westerlands, and it was felt amongst the smallfolk and nobility alike. No more was this discontent felt than in Lannisport, the shining city of the West. For weeks, the city had been near starving - shipments of grain from all across the Westerlands came to a grinding halt with the onset of a plague in the southern parts of the Westerlands, where Cornfield was situated - Cornfield, and their vast swaths of farmland. Loreon Lannister, named after his grandfather, and the Lord Admiral of Lannisport, proved unable to quell the dissent, and riots quickly broke out.

It would be a single flame that would set an end to the riots. During the first night after the riots broke out, it was said that hooliganism in the northern-most, poor district of Lannisport had reached incredible heights. A fire broke out near a tavern in the northern quarter, and attempts to stop the fire from growing proved futile.

It was the beginning of the Great Firestorm of Lannisport, an event that would see a third of the city reduced to ash. The fires raged for six days, and from the ashes would be recovered just short of five-hundred bodies, one of which was thought to be the Septa Rosamund Lannister, though her body was never recovered.

Thoughts were quickly put as to the culprit of the blaze. The public cried out for justice, and for this there was an easy scapegoat: Sylas Spicer, who had been attending Lannisport for some time. Though not outwardly disloyal, he had proved ill-tempered and ill of heart. The Seven Kingdoms had not forgotten that, just over a decade earlier, the Lord had slain Abelar Tarly in the Joust at Summerhall.

Documents that emerged following the Fire’s conclusion point to Sylas Spicer's collusion. Letters between him and Lord Serrett were particularly incriminating, detailing the Lord’s hopes that he might burn all of the city, and not just a third, though his motive remains unknown.

A warrant was placed for his arrest, and Lord Sylas fled the city, taking with him a valuable prisoner: The Lady Tysane, the second child of Lady Tya and the Lord Tybolt. Tysane had been flirting with the Lord for some time before he fled the city, and Tysane writes later, ‘I had no idea a man could be so bold nor so foolish.’

And thus the War of Three Banners began. There would be three primary factions in the war: The rebels, underneath Lord Spicer, the Starry divisionists, underneath Lord Marbrand, and the Baelorians, underneath House Lannister.

The lines were drawn and the game was set. The War of Three Banners would rage for two more years.

The First Year
The beginning of the war was slow and tedious, as most wars are like to be in our day and age. Lord Spicer was quick to call his banners, and yet would not prove himself so foolish as the Lord Reyne of a hundred-fifty years earlier. Though not eager to sit and await a siege, he saw Tysane as a fierce bargaining chip.

She would indeed prove to be that, and much more. Calling upon his ally in the Lord Serret of Silverhill, Regenard chose to meet with him at the end of the moon for a council of war - a war that would decide both their fates. It was agreed upon that a quick siege of Lannisport was preferable, cutting off supplies from both city and the Rock.

‘The castle is near on impregnable,’ Lord Regenard had said, ‘but like others, it has its weaknesses.’

He argued that if they caught Lannisport in time, they might be able to utilize the remainder of the fleet to blockade the Rock from both sides. Barring that, an assault on the docks might prove amiable. Without that, Lord Regenard knew the war would be over before it had even begun.

With a small force detailing no more than four-thousand men, Lord Regenard led his van to Lannisport with Lord Serrett at his side. The former had taken the time to summon his allies as well, and by the time they had reached Lannisport, their force numbers just short of ten thousand.

Lord Tybolt was not lax in his gathering either. Calling those lords readily available to him, the Lords Crakehall, Kenning and Swyft had drawn a swift line of counter-attack. It should be noted, however, that these lords had not been able to field a significant force before they needed answer the call. Lord Crakehall had come with four-hundred knights and three-hundred bowmen. Lord Kenning had come with three-hundred. Lord Swyft had come with five.

Though their numbers were small, they were bolstered by the redcloaks of the Lannisport City Watch. Numbering just short of four-thousand,  not only were they bolsted in numbers, but by the strength of the walls of the city. Though the Great Blaze had swept through a third of the city, most of the walls yet remained intact, save for small portions damaged during the fire.

It was these weak, focal points that Lord Regenard quickly sought out. Arriving in the early days of the second moon of that year, a siege was quickly set, and the gates barred and sealed. The first assault came on the first night of the siege, just after midnight. It turned to be a mock siege, however; the forces placed into the fighting were minimal, and meant to test Lannisport’s defences.

The second assault came a week later, this time stronger than before. It would’ve failed had they not the time to fortify, noted Lord Crakehall, in a missive sent to Casterly Rock. By the eve of the third assault, a fortnight later, Lord Regenard had given up on assaulting the city. Instead, he argued that if he could force the assault of Cornfield and Crakehall, the two lords would be crippled, cutting Lord Tybolt from his staunchest of allies.

Detaching a force of several thousand, Lord Regenard led his army south, placing his son, Symond, in command of the armies besieging Lannisport. In the north, another had answered Lord Tybolt’s call: Lady Banefort, a wicked and intemperate woman, barren and infertile, was a woman known for her cruelty, with a fondness for harming the old and the infirm. Histories remember her as Bellenna, Lady Misery.

The forces of the Banefort marched on Castamere and met in a small, pitched battle before they were forced behind the walls of their bolstered keep. Lord Regenard had expected a siege, and so set his eldest son, Sylas, to setting provisions and defences. By the second moon of 432 AC, Castamere was ready for a siege just short of two years. With the Baneforts proving unable to assault the keep, Lady Bellenna saw to the siege herself, and was joined by some forces of Lord Kenning shortly after.

In the south, Lord Regenard continued to Crakehall, even after hearing of the siege of Castamere. Remaining confident in his sons, his force of seven thousand would soon reach Crakehall, or so they thought. Following the three assaults on Lannisport, Lord Crakehall’s sons had managed to gather the full levies of their house, and were joined by the commanders of Lord Swyft.

The two forces had one thing over their enemies: knowledge, and it proved crucial in the following battle. Already knowing of Lord Regenard’s advance, their forces caught those of Lord Spicer in the middle of the day, just short of high noon. Seeking to encircle his forces, the commander of the Crakehall forces, one Ser Loren, would drive their forces to sea, force their surrender.

Such was the plan. The good weather of the day had meant that Lord Regenard had ample time to prepare, given that his scouts had learned of enemy positions earlier in the day. Such defences would prove to be of little effect. The battle began at noon, and would rage until late in the evening. Of the six-thousand men commanded by Ser Loren, only four-thousand would leave, and of the seven-thousand commanded by Lord Regenard, even fewer. Three-thousand men were left to limp away following the ruinous battle, and would be coined, The Ruin on the Ocean Road, shortly following the war.

Once he heard of his father’s defeat, Lord Symond turned tale from Lannisport, and reinforced his father as the Crakehalls pursued. Together they would make for Silverhill, and plan the remainder of the war from there.

With Lannisport abandoned, the lords who had answered Lord Tybolt’s call met again in a quick council. Lord Crakehall declared the war over, and that they needed only secure Castamere and Silverhill for the remainder of their forces to capitulate. Such would not be the case, however.

Following Lord Regenard’s defeat after the Ocean Road, reports began springing up around Deep Den, Hornvale, Ashemark, and the Golden Tooth of bandits roaming the lands. Merchants were beset upon as oft as noble carriages, and most frightening of these reports was that one Shiera Lannister, daughter of Ser Tygett Lannister, a knight of Casterly Rock, had been taken captive by one of these bandit groups. Her carriage was beset upon by raiders, it was said, by a force of no more than a hundred. Her guards were quickly overwhelmed, and Lord Crakehall was to be dispatched immediately, with Ser Tygett in tow, to handle both ransom, and when that was done, slay the men who would defy the King’s peace.

So was the will of Lord Tybolt and his lady wife, Tya. Lord Crakehall set out within two days. When he arrived at the narrow pass Lady Shiera had been taken, he attempted to start a dialogue with the bandits, only to find himself, too, set upon.

Lord Crakehall’s host numbered five-hundred. The bandits, whose leader had taken to calling himself, ‘Roland Burning-Tree,’ for the fires he liked to set before a battle, numbered just over two-hundred. Roland had the factor of surprise, however, and his men quickly swept over Lord Crakehall’s. The Battle of the Golden Pass had begun.

Few could say what won the day for these bandits, but this much was certain: the bandits carried heavy steel, weapons most likely supplied by a fellow lord of the West. The Battle of the Golden pass ended in a victory for Roland and his bandits - Lord Crakehall was forced to retreat, and as he was falling back, it was made a certainty that the Lady Shiera was dead. Lord Crakehall refused to speak on the matter when he returned to Lannisport, commenting only, “Lady Shiera is dead. The bandits made certain of it.”

It was discovered after the war that the Lady Shiera had been burnt alive in what some say was a symbolic gesture for the Lannisters lack of piety, though the more commonly accepted truth remains that Roland would burn his captives alive, and would rarely take prisoners.

When he returned to Lannisport, Lord Crakehall was reprimanded of his ability, and Lord Jason was placed as the commander of their armies henceforth. Though an old man, Lord Jason was an amiable sort, of the like to pardon and forgive, but on the battlefield, he was ruthless. By the end of the war he would have earned himself the nickname, “the Bloody Lion,” for his ability in combat.

With the Lady Shiera dead, the council had come to a decision: destroy the Spicers and the Serretts before they’d the chance to recuperate, and then deal with the increasing banditry problem. From then on, the problem would only get worse, however, as survivors of those bloody skirmishes would oft note sigils of House Marbrand on the bandits, carrying live steel, not iron, and too well-funded for any regular bandit group.

Such notice came too late, however. As Lord Jason marched south to Silverhill, to the north, trouble brewed. nine months had passed since Lady Bellenna had begun her siege of Castamere, and the castle seemed to be like to soon give in. But it would not be to the Baneforts - no, the forces of Lord Marbrand joined Lady Bellenna, and together, they assaulted the keep on the second day of the tenth moon of 432 AC. Rumour speaks of a man from the inside opening the gates to the invaders. Lord Sylas was forced to surrender, and the entire garrison was put to the sword. The only survivors were a handful of hostages and the Lady Tysane Lannister herself, who upon seeing Lord Marbrand greeted him warmly - though such warmth was not like to last.

When asked what to do with Lord Sylas, Tysane ordered his death, and Lord Sylas was hung from the gallows atop Castamere.

What came as a surprise, however, was Lord Marbrand’s decision not only to execute Lord Sylas, but the Lady Bellenna as well. Sources dispute whether it’d been the Lady Tysane or Lord Marbrand, but both can agree that her death was ignoble at best. After discovering a daughter of Lord Sylas dead, she was declared an enemy of the Westerlands after considerable evidence had been shown implicating her. Her death was that of Scorpion bolt, and for three moons, Lady Bellenna would remain pierced to the old stone of Castamere, rotting away.

In the south, just as Lord Jason was arriving at Silverhill, he came to find that the castle was near empty, and the white flag of peace flew above the castle battlements. Lord Spicer and his men had left the castle the day prior, marching north to join Lord Lydden and Lord Payne.

Forced to occupy the castle, Lord Jason was soon given word of the betrayal at Castamere, and was recalled to Lannisport immediately, citing threats to both home and the West. Just north, not a fortnight later, Lord Sarsfield was made to surrender to the forces of the Spicers. Lord Marbrand marched south, and Lord Jason joined the Lannister forces in Lannisport.

Lord Westerling, an ally of Lord Marbrand, had assumed a siege of the Banefort after failed attempts to turn the Baneforts to their side, and shortly after, put a stranglehold on Kayce and Feastfires, securing the latter, and the all-too important Kenning fleet. Though a fledgling compared to the Lannister fleet, Lord Westerling planned to use them to great effect, and use them he would.

So ended the first year of the Wounding of the West. The forces of Lord Westerling besieged Kayce and the Banefort, while Lord Tybolt and his allies convened once again in Lannisport. With Castamere taken, Lord Spicer called a council of his own in Sarsfield, all the while Lord Marbrand marched south. An uneasy peace settled over the West, but it would not last for long.

The Second Year
The second year of the Lion’s Wounds was the bloodiest of the three years encompassing the conflict, and would begin with the bloodiest battle of the year. Lord Jason, bolstered with the allies of Lannisport, had gathered a host of eleven-thousand men, whilst Lord Marbrand marched south with seven-score. Lord Spicer had managed just shy of six-thousand, and though neither side knew of the other’s march, such would soon come to light as Lord Jason marched on Sarsfield.

The occupying force had seized Sarsfield, and had dug in well. Sarsfield was naturally defensible, with mountains on two sides and an open field on the other. The field, Lord Regenar knew, was where they would meet, in the shadow of that grand keep, with archers harrying arrows at the enemy forces.

He did not account for the likes of Lord Marbrand, however. On the seventeenth day of the first moon, Lord Jason arrived at Sarsfield. He was joined by the Lord of Casterly Rock, Tybolt, and his first son and heir, Tywin. Among the others were Lords Crakehall and Swyft, each of whom seemed more eager than the other to see the rebellion done and finished.

Meeting them would be Ser Sylas and Lord Regenar, Lord Serrett and the presumptuous Lord Sarsfield. When treating proved of ill effect, only worsening the moods between the both sides, the battle lines were drawn. The Battle of Three Capes began on the twenty-second day of the First Moon, with archers from both sides harrying one another. Lord Tybolt himself readied a cavalry charge, and Lord Tywin led the van.

It was not long before intense melee fighting erupted between the two parties. During the heated fighting, another group of banners was spotted to the north. Lord Marbrand and his host had arrived not an hour into the fighting. From a ridge above, the Lady Tysane watched.

Leading his own charge down the slope, Lord Marbrand charged against both armies, and nearly shattered the host of both his enemies. Lord Tybolt was caught in between two enemies with only a group of sworn swords, and in an attempt to cut him out, Lord Tywin commanded a fierce charge of a hundred men towards Lord Tybolt’s positions.

Such would prove ill-fated, however, as Lord Tywin was met by Lord Sylas Spicer, the ambitious son and heir to Lord Regenar. An intense melee ensued between the two, lasting ten minutes before Sylas caught the upper hand and slew Lord Tywin, significantly demoralizing the Lannister armies.

The Lady Tysane had realized what was happened, and began her escape, wrestling herself from several Marbrand captors in a pursuit.

Jason was not to be outdone, however. Rallying his men he pushed against both sides, sending reserves to crash into Lord Marbrand’s flank as the Lord Tybolt was eventually overwhelmed. It was said he slew twelve men when he saw his son perish, and another dozen before he could fight no more. The battle raged for another seven hours, with neither side gaining a significant advantage. Brother turned against brother, and man against man as confusion grew within the ranks. There has never been so confusing a battle in Westerosi history, it was observed following the conclusion of the fighting. What had been made certain, however, was that neither side would come out the victor. Lord Jason was forced to retreat, as Roland Burning-Tree set ablaze the woods around them. Lord Marbrand was put on the defensive, and Lord Sarsfield broke through deep into the night, forcing Lord Marbrand to limp away.

The losses incurred by both sides were heavy, and it was said that the carrion feasted upon the remains of the dead for weeks after. Lord Tybolt and Lord Tywin’s bodies were recovered, and a son of Lord Marbrand captured in the fighting. Lord Symond was gravely wounded following his battle with Lord Tywin, and forced to retreat inside the castle.

The Battle of Three Banners was done, but the war was from from over.

When word reached Casterly Rock of the deaths of her two most favored men, Lady Tya flew into a black rage. By all rights, her eldest daughter, Tyana, was now Lady of the Rock, but the former swiftly took control and once the young Marbrand boy was placed in her possession, Tya had him hung, drawn and quartered.

In the fifth moon of that year, the siege of Kayce had been completed, and the rest of Lord Kenning’s fleet placed in the hands of Lord Westerling and their allies. The Banefort having fallen just a month earlier, he was bolstered by their fleet as well, though the commander of the Banefort had managed to scuttle several ships before departing himself.

Lord Marbrand was quick to set a siege on Sarsfield when the fighting was done, but had ordered his Burning-Tree to pursue the remainder of the Lannister forces heading to Lannisport. While he harried their men day and night, there would be no more pivotal a skirmish than the one that occurred just outside of Lannisport. With the bandits having perfected the ability to hide in the dense forests surrounding the city, efforts to stop them proved difficult at best.

Lord Loreon Lannister, the Admiral of Lannisport, proposed a different plan. Smoke them out or watch them die, he said. He proposed a large fire, set by one of their own men on the edge of Lannisport. Few were eager to go through with it, given the Great Fire had only ended just over a year earlier, but the matter was further exasperated when Lord Crakehall was beset upon by arrow fire on his way to Casterly Rock.

The plans were thusly drawn, and the lines quickly set. In the midst of the evening, half a hundred Lannister soldiers traveled to the treeline, where half a dozen fires were laid. Bolstered by a drought of over a month, the dry timber quickly took to flame, and by dawn’s break, the fire had consumed the majority of the forest, and had lit up the sky the color of bright orange.

Whether the burning was effective or not, no one could know. The flames raged for two months, and one thing was certain. The attacks so close to Lannisport had faltered, and the roads were safe with constant patrols along the Ocean and Gold roads.

Meanwhile, the erstwhile Lord Loreon had another, ambitious plan. With Tyana as Lady of the Rock, he proposed an alliance with the Lord Farman, to bring his ships into the war. Then, he said, they might be safe from the attacks of both the Banefort and Kenning fleets.

Such was not the plan of Lord Westerling, however. In communication with Lord Marbrand, the two quickly set about an ambitious plan. They would not meet the enemy in the field, nor on the sea, but instead would surprise them with attacks from both sides - a pincer attack on Lannisport that was sure to cripple the war efforts of the Lannisters from then on out.

With precious Lannister resources dedicated to rearming and recruiting more men, it seemed more prudent a time than any, most certainly when Lord Marbrand learned that the Lady Tyana was on her way to Fair Isle with her sister, in order to negotiate an alliance with Lord Farman.

The eighth moon of that fateful year dawned on a fractured Westerlands. With Lord Spicer kept in a siege behind Sarsfield, he planned a daring escape - planning to meet with the forces of Lord Payne and retake his castle, or better yet, Ashemark. With failure facing him in every direction, it was in the dark of night on the sixth day of the eighth moon that Lord Regenar and his sons made their escape from Sarsfield, disguised by the dark of night.

The next morning, the banner of peace was lifted over the battlements, ending the war for Lord Sarsfield and Serrett.

At the end of the month, Lords Marbrand and Westerling finally saw their plans realized. Departing from the port of Kayce in secret, the two slipped by the Lannister patrols, keeping strong to the coast before sailing out to sea proper. An escort had been founded for Lady Tyana and her ships, commanded by the Lord Loreon himself. Twenty ships in all, but not enough to spot the evading galleys.

The plan had been a success. Slipping by the Lannister patrols, they only awaited the signal of the army - a signal that did not take long to come. Bolstered by the dark of the evening and the thick smoke in the air, Lord Marbrand himself commanded an army of four-thousand to Lannisport, whilst Lord Westerling and his galleys carried another thousand.

What followed was the largest defeat House Lannister ever saw in recent history.

Starting late in the evening, Lord Marbrand assaulted Lannisport’s walls, catching the defenders by surprise. The first assault was a major success, and close fighting soon erupted on the ramparts of Lannisport’s walls. The northern gate was opened by Marbrand sympathizers, and what would eventually become known as, The Culling of Lannisport, began in earnest.

Lord Jason Lannister, commanding five-thousand men within the city, saw no option but to rally and fight. Though his experience with urban combat was limited, he managed to organize several pockets of resistance throughout the city, fighting back the Marbrand attackers. Such efforts would prove short-lived, however, as fires once again began raging throughout the city.

Lord Westerling led his galleys in a charge against Lannisport’s meager defences, and before the hour was done, the docks too were ablaze; merchant and common and noble galley alike burned, as Lord Westerling’s fleet smashed into those of the Lannisters.

Seeing no option but to retreat, Jason ordered his men to fall back from the city at early dawn the next morning. Of the thousands Jason had commanded on his return, only one-thousand made it out. The city was sacked, and taken captive during the fighting was Lord Tygett, and several of Loreon’s own kin. When Lord Jason returned to Casterly Rock, Lady Tya was livid, but had some hope yet remaining.

Such hope would be squandered as soon as it was bolstered. The Black Moon of the Lion, the ninth moon would be called, for not only had House Lannister suffered a crippling defeat, but had also lost it’s lady. When letters dispatched from Fair Isle, the letter that Lady Tysane delivered to her mother recalled the death of her lady sister, Tyana; a death as tragic as it was foreboding.

The death of Lady Tyana is disputed amongst historians. Most believe the Lady Tysane’s way of it - that they had been caught in a storm outside Fair Isle, and Lady Tyana had jumped from the deck, lost in her misery. Others offer different solutions: suicide was not ruled out, nor was murder, though if it was, the culprit yet remains at large.

One thing was certain, however. When Lord Farman learned of the defeat in Lannisport, he rallied his ships, and sent word to Casterly Rock. He had been reluctant to join the war thus far, fearing an Ironborn invasion from the North due to the Black Prophet’s Rebellion. Gathering his men, and his ships, the year 433 AC come to a close.

With Lord Spicer estranged, the rebels had officially given in. The remaining forces of Lord Serrett and those allied to him joined forces with Lord Marbrand and helped him in his attack on Lannisport. Lady Tysane, now the Lady of the Westerlands, had allied herself with Lord Farman, and set sail for Kayce, with a thousand men at her back. The rest of the Farman force sailed for Lannisport, to confront Lords Marbrand and Westerling.

The war would not last another six months, but Lord Marbrand was keen on finishing it soon. To him, as he wrote in a letter to Ashemark, “the lion’s wounds have only just been opened.”

The Third Year
The first moon of the 434th year after Aegon’s Conquest was one of despair and famine for much of the Westerlands. The war had been raging for nearly two years, and a clear victor had not yet been determined. Though Lord Spicer had effectively left the war three moons earlier, the Lords Sarsfield, Serrett, and others had joined behind the banners of the Burning Tree.

Though Lady Tysane had managed to gather a significant amount of support in both the common folk of Fair Isle and the personal favor of Lord Farman, those in Casterly Rock were fairing much worse. Already, Lord Jason was planning to retake Lannisport, offering up sketches of plans, each one rebuffed. It was not until Lord Farman arrived with his fleet and set a blockade around Lannisport did Lord Jason manage to make any headway.

Planning on several small skirmishes outside the city’s walls, he intended to starve them out. Lannisport had been sacked, and much of the wealth transferred into the coffers of Ashemark. Those within the city would soon grow sick, and hungry, and Lord Marbrand would be forced to leave the city, else they wait for Lady Tysane and her host to the north.

It need be said that, though the youngest and least presumptive to come into her seat, the Lady Tysane was charismatic, and had an ability for leadership not oft found amidst women her age. Just to the north, at Feastfires and Kayce, the cities relented without so much as a drop of blood. Joining her for her expedition was the Lord Kenning, who had only recently sailed for the peninsula.

Together they relieved the cities, and marched north, once again, to Castamere. On their way there, they had managed to gather a not-meager army of three-thousand, and many knights as well, swearing to guard and protect the Lady Tysane with their lives.

And so they would. At the dawn of the second moon, Tysane and Lord Kenning assumed the siege of Castamere, but were surprised not to find it in the hands of Lord Marbrand, but of Lord Spicer, who had come to the castle late in the year, and once again taken it for themselves.

Castamere had switched hands thrice over the duration of the war, and it would again. When Lady Tysane demanded the surrender of the keep, Lord Regenard rebuffed her, and told her that Castamere was nye on impregnable. And so it was. The lower portions, at least. One need look back at the Reyne-Tarbeck rebellion of the third century AC to recall the defiance of the Reynes, and though it was an old song, Lady Tysane saw fit to remind them what was at stake.

For the first time in a generation, a bard played the Rains of Castamere just outside the keep of it’s namesake, but Lord Regenard did not falter.

Lady Tysane did not have the advantage of Lord Tywin so long ago. Unable to divert the river to the keep, Lady Tysane saw another opportunity. By abandoning the siege, Lord Kenning and a hundred men might be able to slide into the keep unnoticed by night, and open the gates for their advance. The plan worked perfectly, and was orchestrated in the later days of the second moon.

In the south, the blockade of Lannisport grew in strength. Lord Crakehall’s son and heir, wedded to the Lady Myrielle Lannister, had assembled his own fleet, and mustered a thousand knights to blockade the city from the south. To the north, archers from the Rock harried anyone who would try to pass - merchant and noble alike.

Forced to consider his options, Lord Marbrand offered a drastic solution: slip into Casterly Rock and destroy them from within. Such a plan proved infeasible, however. With his men growing hungrier and hungrier, Lannisport proved unable to sustain such a population, as well as several-thousand armed men.

Mutinies quickly broke out, and the first among many to betray Lord Marbrand were the Lords Serrett and Sarsfield, who had been coerced to join under threat of execution. Just as soon as fighting erupted, Lord Marbrand tried to flee the city, but to no avail.

Here, sources differ. Lord Serrett asserts that he had been the man to slay Lord Marbrand, whilst others argue that - given the multiple stab wounds found on his person - he had visited a brothel before, and had been slain by a dozen whores. Others point to his own guards, who were personally guarding him throughout the ordeal.

Regardless of the means, the end was certain. Lord Marbrand died, betrayed by his own men. The turmoil allowed Lord Crakehall’s knights to enter the city from the south, Lord Farman’s fleet from the west, and Lord Jason from the North. Amongst the dead were Lords Crakehall and his retainers, the son and heir of Lord Marbrand, and a dozen other nobles of note.

No stronger was the death, however, than in Castamere.

The plan had been a dashing success, and surprised even the Lady Tysane. Lord Kenning slipped onto the battlements just before dawn, and with a group of highly skilled retainers, captured Lord Spicer, bringing him to her. The next morning, when presented to him, the men of Castamere opened the gates to the besiegers. The surrender turned into a battle as Lady Tysane flew into a black rage, and ordered the deaths of everyone within. Sources cannot answer to why she did what she did. The battle did not last long.

Not a single man, woman, or child was spared within the keep. Tysane urged that they needed loyalty, not disloyalty, and those found within were the epitome of everything that stood against House Lannister. Once the deed was done, she left the bodies to rot, and would return to Casterly Rock triumphant, not just at the head of an army, but as the Lady of Casterly Rock.

Aftermath
As the dust settled, and the War of the Lion’s Wound came to an end, there was much upheaval in the Westerlands. Old enemies were made allies, and old allies enemies in the span of a moon. Treaties were dictated, and agreements made.

A cousin of Lord Marbrand was placed in Ashemark. Lord Westerling was executed, his sons allowed to continue his line. With House Spicer gone, there remained the question as to who should sit in Castamere. Lady Tysane granted the title to her uncle, Tygett, who would thus establish House Lannister of Castamere. Other lords were pardoned for their actions in the war; the likes of Lord Serrett and Sarsfield were made to give wards to the Rock, alongside Ashemark, Deep Den, and several other minor houses of note.

The taxes were lowered for allies, and raised for belligerents, and would go to funding to rebuild Lannisport after the destruction it had seen during the war. Lord Loreon would continue his work as administrator of the city. Since the end of the war, Lords Crakehall, Kenning, and Farman have been close to the Rock, though neither of the three have managed to woo the Lady Tysane enough to garner her hand in marriage.

To man of the lords in the West, raised taxes was an easy price to pay after two years of war. The political effects and scars would remain, however, and occasional reminders of the deaths of the many would raise discontent in Lannisport and around.

In the year 435 AC, Lady Tysane traveled to King’s Landing, and swore fealty to King Aegon, who welcomed her as the Warden of the West.

Without the forest nearest Lannisport, there have been significant attempts to expand the city eastward. Castamere has since needed to be rebuilt, alongside the Lannister fleet, and those of the Kennings. Bandits would continue to roam the West for some time, eventually placated by Lord Jason in 436 AC. His death would come soon after, during a skirmish in which he was wounded badly. He died in 437 AC, of a bad leg, succeeded by his son, Willem.

Come the dawn of 438 AC, the wounds suffered during the war were largely healed. The memory remains, however, and the memory of Lady Tysane’s deed at Castamere remains firm in the mind of those who would consider rebellion.