Balon Greyjoy

Captain of the Kraken's Maw

Elise

Sara Pyke

Nora Pyke

Denna Pyke

Dagon Pyke

Loron Pyke

Vickon Pyke

Harron Pyke

**Balon Greyjoy** is the current Lord Reaper of Pyke and head of House Greyjoy. He was born to the Lord Torwyn Greyjoy and Lady Alannys Farwynd on the final day of the final moon of the 165th year after Aegon's Conquest.

## Appearance

Possessing the look of a man born of Salt and Rock, Balon Greyjoy lacks no characteristics of his ancestors. Eyes of steel, hair of night; The Kraken is undoubtedly an Ironborn.

## Personality

As Lord Reaper of Pyke, a soft personality has no business being anywhere near him. Balon is a very ambitious man, and his personality reflects it so. Rejection is not something the Kraken takes kindly to, and often lashes out, even if it is a loyal vassal or his own blood. Daring and bloodthirsty, he takes and gets what he wants whether anyone likes it or not.

## History

### Youth

During the late days of the final moon of the year 165, Alannys Harlaw began laboring with her first son soon to follow. After days of intense labor, Balon was birthed in the final hours of the final day of the final moon of 165. At five, Balon took to the paddles and began rowing. Soon after, he was gifted his first axe by his uncle Theon.

At the age of eleven, Balon joined his father and uncles on a great reaving to the Disputed Lands. There is where he killed his first man and learned of the Iron Price.

### Ascension to the Driftwood

At the fresh age of fourteen, Balon becomes Lord Reaver of Pyke and Lord of the Iron Islands after his father suffers a mysterious death. Unknown to Balon at the time, his father and uncle Theon had a spat over a salt-wife they both claimed in the Disputed Lands years earlier. Resentment between the two grew until the mysterious death of Torwyn. To this day, it is unclear as to how Torwyn truly died.

Blame ultimately lands on the Greenlanders, the Northman specifically due to a recent increase in tensions between the two regions, though there is no definitive proof. Scouts are sent by Balon to watch the western shores of the North. The *Kraken's Maw* is commissioned. Soon after, the Kraken's Conquest begins to formulate.

### The Kraken's Conquest

Seven years following Balon's ascension to the Driftwood throne, Pyke receives a raven from the Black Dragon, Aegon Targaryen. Balon refused to raise his banners for any dragon, Black or not. The Targaryens had spurned the islands ever since the Conquest, more so recently with the tax levied upon them by King Daeron Targaryen. Though the Isles would not remain still. Ships and men were called to ready themselves for war. Even if they did not side with either warring Dragon, they would soon find themselves reaving and raiding.

#### The Sunset Sea

After months of preparing, Balon and the other Reapers of the Isles agreed on a course of action. Soon, half of the Iron Fleet departed the Isles and sailed south. The other half remained drifting at Pyke, as word of the Northern declaration for Aegon had just reached them.

The Ironborn landed without warning, emerging from the mists with the dawn, as was their way. They avoided most castles and strongholds, favouring villages and the like instead - pushing their way east. They advanced as far as Red Lake in their reavings, though were turned back there by House Crane. Though Balon insisted they keep a presence on land, it proved difficult as they had to resort to guerilla warfare once many of the northern Reachman houses emerged from their holdings.

Tentative attacks led by Andrik Greyjoy and Ingvar Harlaw on the Shield Isles began weeks before the first major assault, testing the vigilance of the defenders. After a few skirmishes, they decided then to end all possible retaliation from the South, and set out in strength to scour the Shields and end their threat forever. The Shieldmen, ever valiant, even in the face of overwhelming odds, sallied out to meet them. The battle was fierce, but the Ironborn proved too numerous, using their large warships to batter the enemy fleet toward the coast, where their deep keels saw them run aground. Here they were easy pickings for the Ironborn longships. In the end, the Reachmen were forced to retreat - and the Ironborn sailed on after them.

Lost in the headiness of their victory, the Ironborn continued on, sailing further south. They made landfall west of Brightwater Keep and placed Bandallon under siege, foraying out to raid and plunder as they saw fit. Houses Hightower, Beesbury, Bulwer, Cuy, Costayne, and Florent, all sallied forth to defend the Reach - as the Redwyne's came down with their ships. The Ironborn were dealt a stinging blow, bested on both land and sea - until the Harlaw fleet broke through the Redwyne lines, and rest of the navy followed afterward.

The Ironborn retreated northwards, settling on Greyshield in hopes that they would have a chance to recuperate. Though Grimston had not fallen, most assumed their numbers would discourage the Grimms from attacking. This assumption proved false - as night fell, the Grimms struck, setting alight a half dozen ships and fighting with savage fury. Assuming that reinforcements from the mainland had come, the Ironborn embarked immediately and in haste. Though they lost only a hundred men, and a half dozen ships, the Battle at Sunset directly led into the next battle of the Sunset Conflict.

As day broke over the sea, the morning after the Battle at Sunset, the Ironborn turned their eyes south to see the Redwyne and Oldtown fleets in pursuit, as well as the remnants of the Shield fleet to the east. The following battle took place in deep sea, just off the coast of Greyshield, and saw more than a two hundred vessels sink into the abyss. Ultimately the Greyjoys were defeated, abandoning their conquests in the Reach and fleeing northward, once and for all. Balon rallied the men at Pyke and set their eyes on another, more ample target.

#### The Conquest

As the Stark armies marched south, the Ironborn sailed North. Thus begun the Kraken's Conquest. Lord Balon, in agreement with King Daeron, invaded the North after distracting the Reachmen. With little resistance, Balon and his vassals pushed deep into the North. Balon himself led the siege on Flint's Fingers, sending his other vassals ahead to prepare the Stoney Shore and Bear Island for invasion. From Flint's Fingers, Balon claimed a woman named Kara as a salt-wife. Nine months later, a baby girl would be born.

After victory in Flint's Fingers was ensured, Balon called for the majority of his forces to retreat and head north to Bear Island where he drove the Mormonts out. From therein, Lord Balon commanded the invasion of the North from Bear Island. He himself would not take part in any more battles, for he suffered three arrow wounds (gut, shoulder, and calf) and a sword wound (back) in the siege of Bear Island. From Bear Island, Balon claimed a woman named Elise as a salt-wife. Nine months later, the only child bore by Elise would be born.

The Battle of Deepwood Motte saw many Ironborn join the Drowned God, including Balon's mother and uncle Theon Greyjoy. After such a stunning defeat, Balon called for the offensive to end and for his vassals to stake their claim and fortify their lands in the North. Thus ended the Kraken's Conquest.

### After the Conquest

After the war itself ended, Balon remained seated in Bear Island while his brother Andrik served as Lord Regent of the Iron Islands. The two communicated often, coordinating resupplies and reinforcements for the Ironborn who remained in the North. From Bear Island, with the stamp of House Mormont and House Greyjoy both, Lord Greyjoy and King Daeron corresponded quite often, with Balon informing him of the multitude of attacks they faced from the Starks. This would go on for some years as they planned various guerilla strikes against the Northmen who were brave enough to tempt the Ironborn.

By 191 AC, the Starks pushed more and more into the lands the Ironborn held and Lord Greyjoy grew more and more infuriated. The Wolves were taking what they earned with the Iron Price, after all. Therefore, Lord Greyjoy came up with what he saw as ingenious. The sacking of the Shadow Tower occurred weeks after, thus leading to the ending of Ironborn occupation of the North.

King Daeron demanded Balon end his assault on the Wall and push the Wildlings back North, but he refused as Daeron did nothing to end Stark guerrilla attacks against his holdings. However, as more and more Northmen began to attack and the Crown began to arm, Lord Greyjoy knew that they could not face both and immediately called for a retreat, leaving many Wildlings south of the Wall. That, for him, was punishment enough for the travesties the North committed against *his holdings* that they *earned*. In the assault, took a wildling salt-wife named Eirene. A shroud of mystery surrounded the woman, and still does to this day. Some whisper in the night, calling her the *Eyes of the Kraken* due to her supposed greenseer capabilities.

### Recent History

Balon returned to the Islands, weary and worn out from the years of war. But, they did not return empty handed. The years after the Kraken's Conquest saw the Lord Reaver command his men to rebuild what navy they lost. Balon took a rock-wife, Yanna Humble, and has had one weak and sickly son and a slew of miscarriages and stillborns. Since then, not many reaves took place, and not many houses sat content with what they had. But now, now there's a chance to see the Old Way return once more to the Isles. It is only a matter of time before the Ironborn taste the blood of the Greenlanders once more.

### Present

Balon, a handful of his vassals, his brother, and Eirene attended the funeral for King Daeron. It was not clear what their intent was at first, due to the rocky history between the Ironborn and Daeron. However, it soon became clear why the Lord Reaper attended. After proposing a marriage between House Stark and Greyjoy to put their wars behind them and unite against the crown, Stark vehemently denied and instead threatened Balon with the blood of his own people. Or so he would tell the tale that way.