Ironborn Rebellion

Events| * Occupation of Seagard
* Raid of Wendish Town
* Battle at the Crossroads
* Siege of the Twins
* Liberation of Seagard
* Onslaught on Oldstones
* Storming of Pyke

The **Ironborn Rebellion** was an attempt at secession by Ragnor Greyjoy against the Iron Throne in 135 A.C., ending a year later, fifteen years before the events of *The Reign of Dragons*. Ragnor tried to break away from the mainland and restore the Old Ways to the Iron Islands, crowning himself King of Salt and Rock in the process. This uprising would eventually be crushed by the Iron Throne and their commanders; Maelor Targaryen, Arlan Baratheon, Oward Tully, and Willum Arryn. After Pyke was stormed and the rest of the House was executed, the only remaining Greyjoy, a three-year-old girl named Freya, was taken as Aeric Targaryen's ward, to be raised in King's Landing.

## History

### Prelude

As with many wars and rebellions, the Riverlands were targeted first. In 135 A.C., a horde of reavers fell upon the land like a tidal wave, leading to combat between the riverlanders and the ironborn. Due to the recent union between Rowan Arryn and Alizabeth Mallister, the Knights of the Vale were obliged to aid the rivermen in their time of need, soon riding to fight on their behalf.

### Occupation of Seagard

Taking advantage of the Riverlords' surprise, Ulf Harlaw sailed his men across Ironman's Bay and laid siege to the unprepared city of Seagard.

Undermanned and unprepared for such a vicious attack, the castle fell rather quickly, with most of the standing garrison dying in the fighting or put to the sword soon after. However, the members of House Mallister fared a little better; as much of the family away at the time for one reason or another, few were lost during combat. Alas, the lack of experienced leadership greatly contributed to the expedient loss of Seagard, and any Mallister on the premises at that time swiftly became a captive in their own home.

The Ironborn quickly configured the fortress and surrounding settlement into a beachhead by which additional forces soon arrived in the Riverlands, including a secondary invasion force led by Sigfryd Greyjoy.

### Raid of Wendish Town

Weeks after occupying Seagard, the ironmen began to raid south, razing the settlement of Wendish Town to the ground, and taking most of the women and children as salt wives and thralls.

### Battle at the Crossroads

Oward Tully did not know which bank the ironmen would land on at the Trident, so he decided to divide his forces between the east and west banks, leading the forces on the west while his eldest son, Garret, led those on the east. The ironmen simply decided to land on the eastern bank, as Oward Tully had the smaller forces. By the time Garret managed to rally his men, they had already lost half their number - Oward Tully amongst them. It is remembered by Garret Tully as being *"the bloodiest battle in the Riverlands since the Dance of the Dragons*."

### Siege of the Twins

In 135 A.C., Sigfryd Greyjoy, along with his younger brother, Uller, laid siege to the Twins, with the intention of creating a base to launch an attack into Fairmarket and Saltpans. However, the Freys shut their doors and remained inside the Twins for two months. Several attempts to breach the walls were made, but the Ironborn ultimately failed to gain much ground.

Four months in, Sigfryd was forced to abandon their siege and fall back to Seagard after loyalist relief forces led by Garret Tully and Willum Arryn arrived on the scene. At which point, the Frey archers appeared on their walls, slaughtering any that tried to retreat to their ships. While Sigfryd and most of his commanders managed to escape, most of his army fell before the Riverlanders and Valemen, including Uller Greyjoy, who was lanced through the heart by Willum Arryn.

### Liberation of Seagard

The Liberation of Seagard would prove to be the second major loyalist victory during the rebellion, following the shared success of the Riverlanders and the Valemen in consolidating their control over the Twins. After two months, the keep was finally breached, resulting in fierce fighting in and around Seagard. As external clashes soon evolved into brutal close quarters combat, Brynden Blackwood as well as his squire and ward Tristifer Tully, Oward's second son, fought their way into the Booming Tower and rang the bell, signaling victory for the loyalists.

Hearing that the innermost sanctum had been breached, which meant the stronghold was all but lost, the surviving Ironborn broke ranks and routed. Many fled to their ships and made to return to the Iron Islands while those cut off from the beaches instead ran south into the woods, towards Oldstones. Finally, a number who proved unable to extract themselves from Seagard were killed or captured soon after.

Once again, Sigfryd Greyjoy had evaded loyalist forces, fully retreating back into the sea after his failure to take the Twins. Ulf Harlaw was not so lucky, with his head soon being mounted atop the walls of Seagard.

As the battle waned, Connas Corbray circled around to the docks of Seagard, seeking to apprehend Sigfryd Greyjoy. While too late to catch him, he did arrive just in time to meet Dalton Orkwood, who'd sought to escape the fray. With him was Jesamyn Piper, the betrothed of Mallister's second son, whom Dalton had conspired to make a salt wife out of. After a short exchange, Connas killed Dalton, saving Jesamyn in the process.

Once again, Seagard became a forward operating base, this time for the loyalists. After rallying up, most of the assorted Riverlander and Valemen soldiers would depart for the Iron Islands to rally to the Stormlander and Targaryen hosts who'd sailed from the Westerlands on the way. Not all of them however, for a secondary force of Riverlanders split off to hunt down the Ironborn who'd moved south, looking to prevent them from finding a way back to the Iron Islands or doing any more damage on the mainland.

### Onslaught on Oldstones

One of the penultimate battles of the Rebellion and the very last to take place in the Riverlands, it transpired at the ruins of Oldstones between the remnants of a regrouping Ironborn army who'd failed to make it back to their ships at Seagard and a cadre of Riverlanders who'd been dispatched to find and exterminate or apprehend them. As most followed Willum Arryn to the Iron Islands, few Valemen were noted to have participated in this clash. Brynden Blackwood commanded the loyalists during this conflict, facing off against Lodos Codd, who'd taken charge of the ironborn.

Raging from shortly after dusk right up until dawn, it was waged almost entirely during the night and only ended just as the sun began to crest the horizon, a few short hours before the landing at Pyke. The climax of the fight came when Tristifer Tully slew Lodos before the sarcophagus of King Tristifer IV Mudd. With Oldstones taken, the remaining Ironborn were captured or killed by the Riverlords and the Knights of the Vale not long after.

### Storming of Pyke

Arlan Baratheon conducted the ships carrying Stormlander and Targaryen soldiers, including several members of the Kingsguard, from Banefort to Pyke while Maelor and Lucerys Targaryen traveled on dragonback. To help make way for their forces, the two Princes attempted to rain fire upon the castle. However, the Greyjoys were in possession of Scorpions, and managed to keep the dragons at a distance.

Meanwhile, the loyalist forces landed on the beach, after which a horde of Ironborn rushed out to greet them. A savage confrontation ensued, with the beaches and pathways around Pyke soon becoming littered with bodies and stained with blood. At some point during the fight up from the beach to the castle walls, Lucan of Lannisport fought and killed Red Ralf Saltcliffe, Pyke's infamous master-at-arms.

On the first day of the Short Winter, Lucerys Targaryen was shot out of the sky and fell into Ironman's Bay after which Maelor Targaryen began to fly recklessly, engulfing the walls, as well as numerous Ironmen, in flames.

After Maelor atop Valarys tore a great hole through one of the walls, Arlan Baratheon was first the breach with a force of knights, including Connas Corbray, Edric Bolling, and Lucan of Lannisport at his back, though the latter was badly burnt. It was after the walls fell that Connas Corbray cornered and slew Sigfryd Greyjoy.

Beron Greyjoy, the eldest of Ragnor's children was captured in the fighting, along with his brothers, Harlan and Ygon. All were executed after the fighting by dragonfire.

Queen Helya yielded the castle after King Ragnor took his own life rather than face the dragons. His body was hanged on the walls, as was the charred corpse of his wife - a reminder for those that would defy the House of the Dragon.

The only Greyjoy to survive the rebellion, Freya, was taken as a ward and hostage of King Aeric Targaryen in King's Landing.