Royal Fleet

The **Royal fleet** is the navy which serves the **king** on the Iron Throne, the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. The fleet is based in the **Blackwater bay** at **The island of Driftmark**, **King's Landing**, and the **island of Dragonstone**. It is the most powerful fleet of Westeros, comprised of several smaller flotillas with the bulk centered around the blackwater bay.

## History

The **Royal fleet** was established prior to **Aegon's conquest** and was instrumental in landing the invasion forces across the Blackwater. The fleet was historically made up of mostly Velaryon and Celtigar ships and made port at Dragonstone and Driftmark. The fleet was expanded during the conquest and remained sizeable until the end of Aegon's reign. The fleet would not see action again until war in Essos made the Narrow Sea unsafe for merchants. It flew blue sails of House Velaryon quite prominently, and as such became known as the Great blue Navy by merchant-soldiers from Tyrosh and Lys. This angered the king, whom decided that from that during his reign, only the red dragon of House Targaryen may be flown during battle. Naval doctrine at the time dictated the fleet remain in port mostly as a deterrent for hostile sails, only making for minor skirmishes to defend against pirate raids or smuggler activity.

### Twilight years and Ironborn supremacy

The passing of King Aegon the conqueror made for an uneasy and suspenseful transition for the now united realms. Would the conquered territories remain loyal to a successor, and would they remain loyal during their subsequent reign. Among those that rose in revolt were the Ironborn, still bitter about their loss of the Riverlands. First raids on Lannisport and Fairisle increased. Second came the occupation of the shield Islands. Eventually the Iron fleet was marshalled into action by the Lord of Pyke, and some crowns and proclamations followed. The young and arrogant lord Aerion Velaryon, hungry for glory and privileges' at court, set out for a foolhardy expedition through the Stepstones and round the Arbor after receiving news that the Lannister and Mallister fleets had been soundly beaten and the raiders were now threatening Highgarden and the reach through the Mander.

##### Massacre at the stepstones

The Ironborn, as befitting of their raiding prowess, have made some unsavory allies during their times stalking and roaming the sea. Notorious smuggler dens and minor pirate ports in the Stepstones are known to be frequented by Ironborn captains looking to port or to restock for voyages going east. As such, the Ironborn and pirates were able to coordinate a naval ambush on the large and tightly packed royal fleet, who were sailing in full regalia and traveling formation. The battle that ensued revolver around an area the surviving sailors have dubbed "The bloody bottleneck." The narrow chokepoint became cramped with shipwrecks and drowning sailors. When the royal fleet was finally able to sound the retreat, they were in no shape to confront the Iron fleet in open water, and naval action was delegated to the Dragonriders until the navy was restored. No large Ironborn fleet ever sailed east of the Arbor, but smaller formations of raiders would roam freely all the way up to the shores of Gulltown. For his arrogance, Aerion would die a watery grave, though some say he ended up being washed ashore on crab isle, where his cries of agony were said to guide smugglers through the treacherous tides.

## Strength and rearmament

The fleet was rebuilt during the reign of Aenys I, though never saw action. Lumber for the construction was harvested in the Kingswood. During Maegor's rule, the fleet saw much needed replenishments of crew, as conscription was often imposed, and impressment was not frowned upon by the crown. King Maegor though, was primarily occupied with hostile action on land. His newly rebuilt fleet was not yet combat ready and many of its underpaid captains opted to use the vessels for private mercantile voyages instead of naval campaigns. Their strength in numbers was a large deterrent for Ironborn raiders and pirates from the East. The fleet was anchored at Driftmark after the new Master of Ships was appointed from among the Velaryon family again, setting the precedent for their near-hereditary dominance on the office. After the rearmament, most ships remained unchanged and were only replaced to upholster the strength their combined numbers imposed. Though captains and experienced crew became rather wealthy from serving, the navy was neglected in all but upkeep for the following age.

## Recent developments

Lord Daegon Velaryon, as the master of ships, is the current commander of the Royal Navy. His naval prowess and combined experience from his family holding the office for such a long time made for an ambitious, though reasonable admiral for the royal fleet. He saw too it that the rampant corruption and illegitimate private profiteering came to an end. He instilled discipline in the ranks of the sailors and secured an important pact with Braavos, in order to deliver twice the lumber as before. This means the royal fleet is rapidly expanding, though the vast bulk of the ships still predominantly sail under the Velaryon banner. Lord Daegon also returned the custom of flying the Targaryen red dragon, looking to professionalize and modernize the naval forces as much as possible.