Kingsmoot on Old Wyk (The Lion and the Dragon)

The kingsmoot on Old Wyk is a council held by the ironborn on the holy isle to choose a new King of the Isles and the North in 300 AC.

## Background

Balon Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands, seeks independence for the Iron Islands during the War of the Four Kings. Declaring himself King of the Iron Islands, Balon sends the ironborn captains and the Iron Fleet to attack the north, as Branda Stark, Queen in the North, is away fighting in southern Westeros. Balon styles himself King of the Isles and the North after parts of the north are conquered by his captains.

Theon Greyjoy, Balon's surviving son, disappears and is presumed dead after the Battle of .

King Balon falls to his death while crossing one of the bridges of Pyke. Shortly afterward, his younger brother, Euron Greyjoy, returns from exile and claims the Seastone Chair in Pyke. Lord Sawane Botley objects to Euron's actions, so Euron has Sawane drowned in a cask of seawater.

Balon's youngest brother, Aeron Greyjoy, learns of the king's death while initiating drowned men on Great Wyk. Considering Euron to be a godless man unworthy of sitting the Seastone Chair, Aeron Damphair calls for a kingsmoot to choose the new king to be held on the holy isle of Old Wyk, as Nagga's Hill was where the High Kings of the Iron Islands were chosen in antiquity. Aeron's fellow priests of the Drowned God spread word across the Iron Islands.

At Ten Towers, Rodrik Harlaw, Lord of Harlaw, tells Asha that the last kingsmoot was held four thousand years according to Archmaester Haereg or two thousand years according to Maester Denestan. Rodrik the Reader does not want to sail to Old Wyk, but he ultimately agrees to in order to support his niece in her claim.

After hearing of Balon's death, Branda Stark plans a siege of Moat Cailin.

Victarion Greyjoy sails to Nagga's Cradle with most of the Iron Fleet, leaving a small force behind at the Fever River. Men from every isle sail to Old Wyk for the kingsmoot; Victarion sees a multitude of ships along the strand. Victarion provides a feast for half a hundred famous captains on the night before the kingsmoot. Asha offers to share rule with her uncle and serve as his Hand of the King, but Victarion declines.

## Kingsmoot

Aeron Damphair leads the ceremonial council at the ruined bones of the Grey King's Hall on Nagga's Hill. Commoners crowd together at the knoll's base, with thralls, women, and children behind them. As the captains make their way up the slope, and each candidate who desires to be king is supported by three champions.

Gylbert Farwynd, Lord of the Lonely Light, comes first as a candidate, with his three sons Gyles, Ygon, and Yohn as his champions. Gylbert promises the ironborn that if he becomes king he will lead them to a new bountiful land across the Sunset Sea, as Nymeria did with her ten thousand ships. His gifts are whale bone, sealskins, and bronze.

Erik Ironmaker is carried on a carved driftwood chair by three of his grandsons, Dagon, Thormor, and Urek. His gifts are silver, bronze, and a few steel daggers and blades. Asha humiliates Erik by asking him to stand on his own two feet, which the elderly man is unable to do.

Denys Drumm, Lord of Old Wyk, comes next. His champions are his brother Donnel and Andrik the Unsmiling. Denys argues the Ironborn should assault the Westerlands, taking their vast reserves of gold. However his obviously selfish desire to regain Red Rain puts many off, and his gifts of bronze do not win them back to him.

Victarion Greyjoy comes next with Nute the Barber, Ralf the Limper, and Red Ralf Stonehouse as his champions. He is well received and his gifts of gold, silver, and gems add to his supporters.

Asha Greyjoy comes next with Qarl the Maid, Tristifer Botley, and Ser Harras Harlaw as her champions. She does better than anyone expected. Unlike the rest, her gifts are cobblestones, pinecones, and turnips. She shows the ironborn these gifts to demonstrate that this is what they have won so far by fighting the north, losing fathers and sons for these "treasures". Asha offers them a chance for land at Sea Dragon Point and the Stony Shore and peace with the northmen. She wins much support, but many still support Victarion and the two factions begin to squabble.

Euron Greyjoy has one of his men, Cragorn, blow a piercing black horn, which silences the fighting. Euron then steps forward and claims the horn they heard can bind dragons to his will, and that he knows where to locate three of the creatures. He promises to use them so the ironborn can conquer all of Westeros. Euron's men then pour forward his gifts, including: gold, silver, armor, curved swords with gilded pommels, daggers of Valyrian steel, pelts of tigers and spotted cats, jade manticores and sphinxes from Valyria, chests of nutmeg, cloves, and saffron, ivory tusks and the horns of unicorns, feathers from the Summer Sea, and bolts of silk and samite. Euron is enthusiastically chosen by the assembled captains.