Battle of the Bastion

* Warrick Bastion ruined
* Deaths of Randyll, Bralla Warrick and Black Galtry
* Deaths of Garth Cooper and Gavyn Glenmore
* Lynneth Cooper and Sanya Draper rescued
* Janos Ironsmith and Bannen Ashdown disabled

Leaders| * Syrena Glenmore
* Gavyn Glenmore †
* Ostyn Thicket
* Gyles Thornton
* Mors Mason
* Bannen Ashdown
* Garth Cooper †
* Janos Ironsmith
* Osric Garryson
* Black Galtry †
* Morton Burley
* Goren Knott
* Oramyr Knott

Forces| **469:*** 400
* 17
* 52
* 75
* 90

Casualties| *Substantial:** Rickard of the Barrens
* Garth Cooper
* Gavyn Glenmore
* Black Galtry
* Randyll Warrick

The **Battle of the Bastion** is a battle taking place during 303 AL as part of the Mother's March. It occurs at approximately the same time as the Battle of the Bastards – strategically timed so that the great house of the North, House Bolton, is distracted by a battle against Stark sympathisers when House Glenmore launches their climactic attack on Warrick Bastion, the seat of House Warrick.

## History

### Prelude

Following the death of her daughter, Syrena Glenmore is offered the culprit – Boros Warrick – by Torrhen Whitehill as a peace offering as detailed in the terms of the Forrester-Whitehill truce. Unsatisfied by Boros' execution and the fact that the Warricks remain undisturbed in their brutal activities, she quietly declares war on House Warrick and makes preparations to attack the House for the remainder of 302 AL.

During 303 AL, Syrena recruits the forces of Stillport to aid her formidable army while also garnering the support of Houses Overton and Norton – the former agreeing to defend Rillwater Crossing while the main bulk of the Glenmore army is absent, and the latter merely supporting Syrena in her cause.

Once the forces are united, they venture north from two different directions – the Glenmores march through the wolfswood and into the northern mountains while Stillport sails to the Wolf's Cradle where they are attacked by Warrick forces they did not know would be present. Much of their force is decimated and the remainder find refuge at Elstoke, an abandoned settlement further east. They are rescued by Torrhen Whitehill and one hundred Whitehill soldiers who aim to make good on the truce and prove their good will. Randyll Warrick later receives words of the attacks and the Whitehills' betrayal and attacks the smallfolk settlement of Deadwood Hill in an attempt to draw Torrhen out and kill him. Torrhen is too smart, however, and sends lieutenants in his stead who quickly overrun the Warrick forces and return with the head of Ser Gurnys, a Warrick lieutenant.

The Glenmores, Stillport and Whitehill forces unite at Oxhill, another smallfolk settlement close to Warrick Bastion. Despite his attempts to build trust Torrhen is unwelcome and returns to Highpoint with his cousins, but leaves siege weaponry and two thirds of his forces with the Glenmores, headed by Janos Ironsmith and Osric Garryson.

After setting up an encampment, the united force prepares for their final attack on the Warricks and their keep.

### The Siege

The army splits into two before reaching Warrick Bastion. The first is comprised of the Whitehills, who are ordered to get as close as possible before using their siege weapons against the Bastion's notably weak walls. The second, larger force of Glenmores and Stillport men circles around the clifftops that surround the bastion to prepare to attack from the rear with a battering ram whilst the Whitehills distract them.

Warrick lookouts spot the Whitehills as they set up to break down the walls using trebuchets. Once informed, Randyll Warrick believes that they have been followed back home from Deadwood Hill as he is still unaware that the Glenmores are a part of the war despite the fact that they are the driving force. He orders archers to be posted on the walls, but the distance leaves them unable to make any decent shots. The Whitehills, meanwhile, have a much larger target and succeed in doing damage to the front face of the keep – a few impacts even going as far as to knock archers from the walls.

Despite the grim signs, Randyll is certain that his mountain clan allies will help even the odds on their arrival, as they vastly outnumber the Whitehills present during the siege.

Randyll's complacency does not last, however, as the Glenmores and Stillport begin to attack from the rear side of the Bastion. Randyll again orders archers to be posted but the Glenmores outmatch them with their highly skilled Elite Guard. Even Lady Glenmore takes part in providing cover for the men who wheel the battering ram down to the rear gate.

### Warrick Counterattack

    After summons from Randyll, Black Galtry's forces began to return to Warrick Bastion from the Wolf's Cradle. Moving at an equal pace to the Glenmore army they find themselves coming up on the Whitehill force as they lay siege to the castle. Galtry commands an attack regardless of the fact they have lesser numbers. Initially the Whitehills do not see them coming and in the resulting ambush the Elite Whitehill Rickard is killed via an axe wound to the back of his head that splinters his skull. During the onslaught Galtry manages to utilise the chaos to reach the bastion gates and get inside with a handful of men, but the rest are slain by the Whitehills who break into two groups – Olyvar Cottar leads men in a charge to the gates while Janos Ironsmith and Osric Garryson slowly move the siege weapons forward and continue to batter the front walls as they advance.

On the other side of the Bastion the Glenmores gradually break down the gate to the point where several men manage to climb through the broken wood between blows from the battering ram, but Warrick men are waiting eagerly on the other side and quickly dispatch them. The Glenmore army at large opts to remain outside until the final blow is dealt and the gate comes crashing down as the debris will likely send the Warricks sprawling – leaving them open to an attack while they are disorganised.

### Arrival of the Clans

As the Glenmores are situated to the north side of the Bastion and Houses Knott and Burley are approaching from the south, the two forces run into each other once the Mountain Clans arrive to aid the Warricks. Unlike the Whitehills, however, the Glenmores have more men and the Mountain Clans are easily spotted. Though the Mountain Clans' relief effort is the combined force of two houses, the Glenmores still outnumber them almost two and a half times, leaving plenty of men to face the new arrivals in combat while the rest either guard the head of the house or focus on breaking down the back gates of the Bastion.

Lords Morton Burley and Goren Knott sit atop a hill watching over the battle. Burley suggests a hasty retreat; Knott recommends waiting to see how things play out before making a plan, alluding to the possibility of retreating and returning to loot the Bastion if a Glenmore victory becomes clear. Despite wavering loyalty, the Lord of House Knott rides down and joins the battle himself, if only for want of a decent fight.

### Behind the Walls

With the added pressure of the Mountain Clans, House Glenmore works quickly to break down the rear gate. Their strikes – while faster – are shallower, but fortunately the main body of work is done and the gate quickly splinters and breaks, the battering ram swinging further inside and knocking down the Warrick men who are blocking the path. The remainder of the Stillport force agrees to lead the first charge in Lord Brudd Mason's honour, while Ostyn Thicket demands the honour of leading a larger force of Glenmores, which he is quickly granted by Lady Syrena.

The Glenmores and Stillport men sweep into the Bastion like a tidal wave, wiping out the front line of Warricks with minimal casualties. This victory is short lived, however, as they end up bottlenecked in the keep's narrow courtyards. Some of the Glenmore force is butchered as they try to push through, but many still make it further in.

Randyll Warrick enters the fray himself using Dawn, a Whitehill Greatsword previously given to him by Torrhen Whitehill when their two houses were allied. A formidable opponent in battle, he slays a considerable amount of Glenmore men. Black Galtry reunites with his lord and tells him that the soldiers previously stationed at the Wolf's Cradle are now present to support him. Randyll attempts to respond but is silenced when another barrage from the Whitehills' siege weapons shatters the north face of the keep and sends the two men flying with minor injuries – but also crushes several soldiers on both sides of the battle.

Bannen Ashdown is among the casualties of the collapsed wall, but orders his men to win the day before attempting to rescue him - as the damage may already be too severe and his men cannot afford to be taken by surprise.

### Rescue Mission

Ostyn Thicket is intent on getting revenge on Randyll and his men, but Mors Mason persuades him to help him and Garth Cooper find Sanya Draper and Lynneth Cooper, who were captured by Cregan Warrick during the Raid on Stillport and have been Warrick hostages ever since. Reminded of Lyarra Glenmore, Ostyn agrees to help and the men recruite a small force to head to a tower noted by Torrhen Whitehill as the one most likely to contain captives.

Torrhen's reports are correct and after several skirmishes with guards the group reach the captives, only to find that Bralla Warrick is holding the two women hostage – one of whom is cradling a baby. Gavyn Glenmore raises his bow at the woman as Garth Cooper approaches her in an attempt to reason. Bralla wrenches Sanya Draper back by her hair and presses a knife to her throat with such force that it begins to draw blood. Using the girl as a human shield, Bralla spits at the would-be liberators and tells them to call off the entire attack or the hostages die. Garth counters that if she releases the women her life will be spared, but as he approaches Bralla casts Sanya aside and cries the Warrick house words as she swings with her blade at Garth and lacerates his throat.

In a split second response, Gavyn Glenmore fires an arrow into Bralla's shoulder. As the woman staggers backwards, Mors Mason throws a hatchet at her – which embeds itself in her face. Lynneth Cooper falls to her knees as her brother bleeds out, while Sanya and her child collapse into Mors' embrace. The Glenmores are forced to pull Lynneth away from her brother, promising they will return for his body when the battle is won.

### The Endgame

With considerable losses, Lord Burley retreats with the remainder of his men. Without the other clan bolstering his forces, Lord Knott and his men are quickly overwhelmed and reluctantly surrender. The Lord and his son, Oramyr, are taken captive to be ransomed back to the Knott clan after the battle.

With their allies dealt with and Whitehills now breaking in from the south wall, the Warricks are surrounded on all sides with little hope of winning. Randyll orders men to stand and fight but many decide to surrender and are taken captive. Those who remain loyal fight ferociously and barbarically, succeeding in killing several Glenmore and Whitehill lieutenants.

The Glenmores begin their final charge, attacking Randyll and his men head on. Ostyn's group tears through several men, the squire intent on winning the fight. The Whitehills, lead by Janos Ironsmith, engage Black Galtry and his men and are joined by Mors Mason and the Stillport force who have a bone to pick with the Warrick Lieutenant thanks to his role in the oppression of their town.

Janos Ironsmith engages Galtry in combat similar to how he did with Gurnys during the liberation of Deadwood Hill. Galtry is more skilled than the drunken Gurnys, however, and throws Janos from a balcony. The Whitehill Elite lands on his back and is unable to stand, but is quickly tended to by his son, Jonos. Janos quickly comes to the conclusion that the fall has severely crippled his leg, but he will live provided he is not attacked. He commands his son to continue fighting and seek him later and Jonos obeys.

    Following Janos' crippling, Mors Mason duels Galtry while wielding a war hammer. Galtry puts up a good fight but the Mason blocks each of his quick strikes and returns heavy blows that cause Galtry's grip on his sword to falter. Eventually Mors lands a hit on Galtry's sword hand and shatters the bones in his fingers, causing the man to drop his sword and instinctively grip his hand in pain. While his enemy's guard is down, Mors swings his axe upwards into the man's ribcage – the resulting damage collapsing a lung and dropping Galtry to his knees – then lands the killing blow on the top of Galtry's skull.

The Glenmores break through Randyll's last line of defense and begin to engage the man himself. Their sheer numbers grant him minor injuries, but Randyll fends off most – murdering several including Gavyn Glenmore, an elite, and Robett, a notable soldier.

With Black Galtry dealt with, Mors is free to aid in the direct attack on Randyll. Randyll is overwhelmed by the amount of attackers and though he fights fiercely Mors succeeds in hacking at his left arm, and Ostyn delivers the blow that cuts it clear off. Crying out in pain, Randyll swings his great sword wide and wounds Mors. While the injury is non-fatal, it prevents Mors from taking part in the fight any further.

    Though he is missing an arm and quickly bleeding out, Randyll continues to murder Glenmore men until Ostyn tackles him to the ground. Randyll's injuries place them on equal footing but the Lord still succeeds in beating Ostyn several times. The former squire collapses backwards but swings his foot wide and knocks Randyll to his knees, then lifts the man's great sword from the ground and spins around – impaling the man through the stomach.

Randyll coughs up blood and begins to choke as Ostyn falls to one knee and gives himself time to take a breath. The Lord looks at the lad and gives him a wide, blood-stained grin. The only words he is able to utter before collapsing dead suggest that Ostyn looks like someone, but does not specify who.

With their lord and his lieutenants murdered, the remaining Warricks either flee or surrender. In the following hours the battle slows in pace until it finally ceases. Once they regroup the Glenmores, Whitehills and Stillport declare their victory.

### Aftermath

Though the victory is decisive it comes with a cost – a quarter of the Glenmore army is lost alongside half of the Stillport and Whitehill forces respectively. This is minor compared to the Warricks and their allies however, as the vast majority of House Warrick was annihilated and those that were not either fled or were captured. The Burley and Knott forces took less damage, with the former fleeing with miniscule casualties while the latter surrendered and its lord and heir were captured. Once he is brought back to the encampment at Oxhill, Lord Knott expresses his already wavering loyalty to the Warricks and that Lord Burley would repeat his words if asked for them.

After asking for proof from the Burleys and receiving it via raven, the Glenmores agree to ransom the Knott captives back to their home of the Notch if they agree to call off their animosity. Lord Knott agrees to this, saying that if Glenmores stay away from the Northern Mountains and the Knotts stay out of the Rills there will be no trouble. With the terms agreed upon, the Knotts are sent home and nothing more is said of the matter.

With the deaths of Randyll and Bralla Warrick, the future of House Warrick lies solely in the hands of their six-year-old son Colton, who is a ward of the Glenmores. That being said, House Warrick is essentially an exiled house; their keep ruined and household dispersed or captured. Syrena Glenmore orders the heads of Randyll, Bralla, Galtry and the like to be placed on pikes at equidistant intervals to ward off any Warricks upstarts who wish to avenge their House.

When the Stillport force returns to their home town, they bring the recently liberated Lynneth Cooper and Sanya Draper home, as well as the body of Garth Cooper. Lynneth assumes the role of heir to House Cooper in her brother's stead, while Mors requests Lord Draper's permission to wed Sanya. Lord Draper is surprised to hear this as his daughter lost her maidenhead to Cregan Warrick and appears to have given birth to his bastard, but grants the Mason permission. Gyles Thornton takes the widowed Isabel Thornton, who was previously wed to his brother, as his wife.

Bannen Ashdown is pulled from the rubble after the battle, but has sustained severe injuries and it is noted by multiple Stillport Maesters that he will need intense physical therapy before being back to proper fighting shape. Janos Ironsmith is similarly wounded, though his injuries are for life. Once he admits he can no longer act as an elite guard for the Whitehills Lord Torrhen thanks him for his service but asks who he would want to fill his place. Janos tells him there is only one man he could recommend – his son, Jonos.

Torrhen visits the ruins of Warrick Bastion with his newborn daughter, Elyse, some time after the battle. During his visit he reclaims the ancestral Whitehill sword, Dawn.

## Numbers

### Glenmore forces

The Glenmores started their campaign with 400 men. They recruite a further 50 men from Stillport, 33 of whom are killed in the Massacre at the Wolf's Cradle. To make up for this the Whitehills provide 100 men, 52 of whom take part in the Battle of the Bastion, leaving the Glenmore force at a total of 469.

### Warrick forces

House Warrick has a total of 175 fighting men, leaving Lord Randyll to request support from the mountain clans.

### Mountain Clan forces

Though Randyll Warrick appeals to the seven mountain clans for aid, only two respond to his call. The Liddles, Norreys, Wulls, First Flints and Harclays outright ignore his request and though the Knotts and Burleys do respond, they do not send their full armies due to having little interaction and weak alliances with the Warricks. In total, the Burleys provide 75 men while the Knotts provide 90.