War of the Rutting Stags (The Lion and the Dragon)

The **War of the Rutting Stags** was a civil war within the Stormlands between two factions of House Baratheon, each laying claim to the Stormlands. The factions were each led by Lord Stannis Baratheon and his brother, Ser Renly Baratheon.

## Prelude

Lord Robert Baratheon had become the Lord of Storm's End in 282 AC upon the death of his father during the War of the Usurpers, in which Robert hoped to take the crown from the Targaryen dynasty. At the wars end Robert had failed to secure the throne but was allowed to retain Storm's End, though his failure brought him to the brink of depression.

Within a year his wife, Lyanna Stark, had given birth to his only son, Eideard Baratheon. The following year in 284 AC Lyanna gave birth to a stillborn daughter, and what little affection there was between the married couple had disappeared. These two events caused Robert to definitively spiral into a depressive and alcoholic state.

During this time his younger brother Ser Stannis Baratheon effectively governed the Stormlands in Robert's stead. The younger Baratheon was effective in his role, managing to help the region recover after the war just fought had impacted it. On the other hand he was not personally liked by the lords of the region, being seen as too humourless and stiff, while many also considered him to be too uncompromising on many positions he held.

Robert's son Eideard was sent to the Eyrie when he came of age to become Lord Denys Arryn's page, Robert hoped to eventually abdicate Storm's End to the boy and go to Essos to become a mercenary. However as he grew older it became clear Eideard had a rage and madness to him, something Robert refused to believe until his former liege notified him of his son nearly killing a squire for a girl. Arryn didn't mention that she was Robert's bastard daughter Mya Stone. Thus Eideard was moved to King's Landing to become the squire there, where he was squired to Viserys Targaryen.

In early 298 AC Eideard killed a courtier in King's Landing in a fit of rage when he thought they had slighted him. After this the Baratheon heir fled the capital with his R'hllor faithful compatriots. This proved to be the last straw for Robert, who dramatically abdicated his seat in Storm's End, not to his son but to his brother Stannis who had served him faithfully.

## War of the Rutting Stags

### The Rebelling Brother

Once Robert had left Storm's End, travelling north to try and encourage his former friend Eddard Stark to join him as a mercenary in Essos, his brother Ser Stannis took over as Lord of Storm's End and the new Lord Paramount of the Stormlands. He called the region's nobles to Storm's End to swear fealty to their new overlord, whilst at the same time his brother Ser Renly was travelling throughout the Dornish Marches to gain support for his claim to the Stormland's capital.

Renly had the de facto support of House Tyrell, with Renly the former liege and now lover of Ser Loras Tyrell. Though no Reach forces officially joined Renly, Loras did join his ranks.

* **Submission of the Crow's Nest**: After Renly secured the support of the militaristic Marcher lords he marched on the Crow's Nest, seat of House Morrigen. Among his forces Renly counted Ser Guyard Morrigen, the younger brother of the Lord of Crow's Nest. The two forces parlayed and eventually Lord Lester Morrigen bent the knee to Renly, proclaiming him to the the rightful Lord of Storm's End.
* **Siege of Fawnton**: After the peaceful taking of Crow's Nest, Renly hoped to take the entirety of Cape Wrath and thus shore up his support in the south and in turn enlarging his forces. The first point of resistance was in Fawnton, a minor fort held by House Cafferen. They refused to yield to Renly, as such he was forced to leave a small force behind to siege the relatively insignificant fort.
* **Betrayal of Griffin's Roost**: Lord Jon Connington, the Master of Laws for King Rhaegar I Targaryen, spent much of the year in King's Landing. His cousin, Ser Ronnet Connington was the castellan for Griffin's Roost in Jon's absence. Ronnet had long coveted the lordship and saw the Baratheon conflict as a means with which to further his goals. Ignoring Jon's call to remain neutral, Ronnet declared for Renly after making an agreement that the younger Baratheon brother would further his claim in return for Connington support.
* **Siege of Griffin's Roost**: With Ronnet Connington bringing the second house of the Stormlands into the civil war, Stannis was forced to bring his forces to Griffin's Roost.

### The Slain Stags

With Stannis' main force stuck between the Red Mountains and sieging Griffin's Roost, Renly was given free reign to capture Cape Wrath and grow his force. His conquest of the region proved to be fairly bloodless, with many nobles seeing the writing on the wall that the younger Baratheon brother would win the war. To the West, the King had his own crisis as he married his son once again to his second daughter, thus halting any Royal intervention in the Stormlands war.

* **Battle of Griffin's Roost**: Stannis' force, still sieging the starved garrison of Griffin's Roost, was forced to fight the army of his brother, which now outnumbered his force three-to-one. Hoping to use the terrain to his advantage, Stannis had his army dig in against Renly's forces, believing that despite his numerical disadvantage, a good enough defence could repel his brothers men. Even with his numerical superiority Renly was frustrated by Stannis' defence, the highly-competent older Baratheon brother was able to inflict casualties on the assaulting forces of two-to-one. However Renly still won the day, forcing Stannis to retreat from Griffin's Roost.
* **Retreat to Storm's End**: Despite winning the day, the casualties Renly sustained forced him to hold off on chasing Stannis' army, thus allowing the older Baratheon sibling to retreat back to Storm's End. Both sides licked their wounds and reinforced their armies as best they could.
* **Escape to Tarth**: With the retreat to Storm's End completed, Stannis' closest ally Ser Davos Seaworth offered to take the lords daughter and only-child Maris to Tarth where Lord Selwyn Tarth had remained neutral throughout the civil war - despite his daughter and heir, Brienne, supporting Renly. Despite wishing to keep his beloved daughter near, Stannis gave leave for Davos to take her away from danger, not knowing what Renly would do if he captured her as well as not wanting her to experience a siege as he had once had to.
* **Battle near Durran's Point**: Not wanting to suffer another siege in Storm's End, Stannis decided to meet his younger brother on the field. The battle was a hard-fought one which saw the strategic mind of Stannis try to overcome the numbers of Renly. In the end the battle turned against Stannis, leading to a desperate charge by the older Baratheon brother, hooing to carve his way to Renly and take him out. The push drives deep into Renly's lines, reaching Renly and his bodyguard. Ser Meryn Trant was able to cut the younger Baratheon down as Ser Loras Tyrell and Brienne of Tarth were distracted. Trant was quickly slain by Brienne, while Loras flew into a rage, slaying Stannis in a blind slaughter which also saw Ser Andrew Estermont be cut down. Loras even turned against Renly's other bodyguards, killing Ser Brus Buckler and Lord Bryce Caron, causing many of the other bodyguard to flee, while the fighting armies descended into panic, with most combatants fleeing the field.

## Aftermath

With the death of Stannis and Renly on the battlefield, the civil war came to a confusing end. The death of both claimants to Storm's End in the final battle of the war led to a power vacuum within the region, the only primary claimants either being females, young or illegitimate. The main possible candidates for the lordship of Storm's End are Maris Baratheon, daughter to Stannis; Shireen Baratheon, the young sister of the Baratheon brothers; Orys Baratheon, child of Eideard Baratheon; and Edric Storm, the bastard son of Robert.

Shireen was far away from the region and had married into House Targaryen, thus her ability to claim Storm's End was implausible. Orys Baratheon, being the newborn incestuous result of a forced marriage between Robert Baratheon's bastard daughter Mya Stone and trueborn son Eideard, was seen as an abomination and thus wasn't considered a serious option. Thus the two remaining options were Maris and Edric. The pair were of a similar age and as such, in an attempt to heal the Stormlands, an agreement was made in which the two cousins would be betrothed and marry when of age.

To the south, as the Stormland lords continued to decide upon who they wished to see as their lord, Prince Doran of Dorne was preparing to unleash his Dornish forces upon Westeros, both supporting Aegon Blackfyre for the Iron Throne, while also planning to betroth his son Trystane to Maris Baratheon and install them in Storm's End.