Rosegold Rebellion

The Riverlands

The Stormlands

The Crownlands

The Siege of Oldtown

The Battle of Tumbler's Fall

The Battle of Longtable

The Battle of the Goldroad

The Slaughter of Bitterbridge

The Battle of King's Landing

**The Rosegold Rebellion** is the name given to the uprising against House Targaryen by Houses Lannister and Tyrell and their bannermen against the Iron Throne in 93 AC.

## **Prelude**

The death of King Rhaegar in 93 AC and the ascension of King Viserys was the final straw that many in the western reaches of Westeros.  As the new king sat the Iron Throne, many made their way to King’s Landing to do homage to the new king. Sitting rather atop the Iron Throne, King Viserys would receive homage from both Lords Lannister and Tyrell.  During the feast that followed, the King was heard making drunken remarks about the “golden haired shits” of House Lannister prancing around the hall accompanied by the “Golden Roses worming their way into the smallclothes of anyone that would let them”.  Many other comments about the other Great Houses were made, from the “Fox Eared Florents” to the “Foul smelling Sistermen” to the “Uptight Hightower”, and even the “Dondarrions who smell nearly as Dornish as the Red Mountains”. Throughout the night he was heard to speak of how each and every house was disposable against the might of House Targaryen.  Some were offended and some chose to let the slights pass. The King seemed to almost hold open contempt for the subject that now kneeled to him.

Furious at the open mockery of their houses Lord Gwayne Tyrell and Lord Tytos Lannister met in secret meetings at Old Oak following the coronation celebration to discuss the ongoing situation of the realm and reached an accord. The death of the dragons and the flightless state of Balerion the Dread was enough to encourage the two men to come to the conclusion that now was the time to rise up against the Targaryens. The two reaffirmed the pact made between the Reach and the West when Aegon the Conqueror came to Westeros, but this time there was only one dragon and was unable to fly. The Dragon would crumble before the might of the alliance.

The two lords would declare their full opposition to the Targaryen rule and raised their levies in rebellion against the Crown, though with note that Lord Redwyne refused to join his liege lord. Gwayne Tyrell took it a step further, crowning himself King in a rushed ceremony at Highgarden. Lord Tytos did no such thing. The Stormlands were quick to answer the Crown’s call for aid, with Lord Raymont Baratheon pledging to defend the Iron Throne against the rebels.

## **Response of the Realm**

The first, a hastily gathered force containing the bulk of the Reach’s levies was assigned to defend the Reach from the East, along the Dornish Marches, was assigned to the command of the High Marshall of the Reach, Lord Hightower, while a second, smaller force made for Bitterbridge, commanded by Lord Crane with forces of Old Oak, and Goldengrove joining him. Lord Tytos rallied his men at Deep Den, tasking Lords Lefford and Sarsfield to hold the Golden Tooth against any incursions from the Rivermen. Lord Tarbeck refused to join the rebellion and Lord Reyne was quick to bring siege to Tarbeck Hall, trapping the Tarbeck men in their castle for the duration of the war.

In the Riverlands, the situation was less simple. With the might of the West gathering to march on the capital, many looked to the Tullys for leadership. The Lady of House Tully, however, was unable to openly declare her support for either side. Her eldest daughter was wed to Lord Lannister’s heir and she feared for her safety, were the Lord of the Rock to use her as a hostage. Though unable to fully join the crown’s side, as soon as rumours of the impending conflict reached Riverrun Lady Agnes summoned the Riverlords to her hall and urged them to fight alongside the King, explaining the motives of her neutrality. Many were quick to understand her need to protect her family, the Lord of Darry and the Lord of Pinkmaiden chief amongst them, while others, such as Lord Frey and the Vances, were more reluctant to send their men while their Lady Paramount kept herself out of the conflict. Despite their division, Lady Agnes’ bannermen managed to raise a sizeable host and march for the Goldroad, hoping to intercept the Western army before it could reach the capital.

## **Battles**

### **The Fall of Grassy Vale**

Lord Raymont and his men moved quickly into the Reach, approaching the lands of House Meadows as they were raising their levies for war.  Lord Raymont swiftly batted their forces aside and the castle surrendered after three days of siege as Lord Meadows are convinced by his wife to surrender the castle to the Baratheons. This bolstered the Royalist forces morale as they had struck the first blow and with little bloodshed.

### **The Battle of the Blueburn**

Following Grassy Vale, the Stormlanders moved downriver towards Longtable, to continue their march for Highgarden. Word had reached them that King Viserys’ army was preparing to leave King’s Landing and march down the Rose Road so as to bolster their ranks, driving Lord Raymont to press forward. Unlike the victories preceding, however, they were not met without resistance. A hastily formed army led by Lord Fossoway met them at the Blueburn, with the combined forces of Houses Merryweather, Ashford, and Fossoway in tow, seven leagues from Longtable. A Pyrrhic victory, the Reachmen were forced to retreat, but Stormlanders had been dealt serious losses from the battle, losing numerous knights and commanders such as Ser Meryn Caron. The battle had looked to be lost, as they were pinned against the Blueburn for some time, until a counterattack lead by Lord Clyve Caron, enraged by the death of his kinsman, broke the encirclement and allowed them to press the Reach back. Retiring to Longtable, the Reachmen were met by outriders of a larger host led by Ser Gareth Tyrell, a combined force of knights and men-at-arms from Houses Florent, Tarly, and Vyrwel, who stated that their forces were not far behind. With that, the Reachmen decided to make their stand at Longtable, with in particular Lord Merryweather stating he would rather die defending his castle than anywhere else.

### **The Blockade of Oldtown**

Unknown to Lord Tyrell, Lord Redwyne had sided with the Crown and quickly moved his sizable fleet to Oldtown to blockade the city, shattering any plans of a naval counter-offensive on the Crown. Ser Lucas Hightower, quickly assumed acting lordship and began attempting to fortify the city, in the hopes that he might be able to withstand the colossal threat the Redwyne Fleet posed to the Reach. While there were some probing attacks against the city, Lord Redwyne decided against an all out naval assault on the city, as attacking the narrower harbor would mean negating his numbers advantage, and chose instead to continue to blockade and harass the city and the lands around Oldtown. Though short-lived over all, the blockade had disastrous effects on the flow of gold within the Reach, a pain that is still felt today. Ser Lucas was not the only one to distinguish himself on that day, however, as Lady Alysanne Tyrell called for all of the women and children of Oldtown to be piled into the Starry Sept, where they prayed day and night for the breaking of the siege, safe within the gargantuan halls of the most holy.

### **The Battle of Tumbler's Fall**

The assembled Westermen marched out from Deep Den, intent on following the Gold Road straight to King’s Landing. Their scouts reported the approach of men from Harrenhal and Stone Hedge. Seizing the initiative, Lord Tytos diverted his army north to strike at the Rivermen before they could link up with the royal host. The royalist riverlords caught wind and moved south out of Smallwood’s forests, joined by forces from Wayfarer’s Rest, Pinkmaiden, and Darry. The Westermen came across the Rivermen at the town of Tumbler’s Fall, where a short but bloody battle ensued. Though the Rivermen were outnumbered, they managed to slay Lords Falwell and Kayce, as well as the Heir of the Crag. Leading the van, Ser Jason Lannister cut deep into royalist lines and slew Lord Robin Piper, which was enough to shatter the Rivermen’s center and convince Lord Harry Darry to call their retreat. They had been dealt serious losses by the Westermen, who turned again for King’s Landing, knowing they had to beat the Rivermen to the Blackwater.

### **The Battle of Longtable**

The Reachmen dug in their defenses outside the castle of Longtable with Gareth Tyrell's reinforcements, who arrived just as the banners of the Stormlanders were sighted before nightfall. There was some discussion as to whether or not they would try and attack during the night, but Lord Tarly dismissed the notion, with most others agreeing. Instead, Lord Merryweather lead a group of soldiers through the woods near the castle, where they would lie in wait for the Stormlanders to wander in and be caught unawares Come dawn the next morning, the two armies moved to fight. Lord Raymont Baratheon led the advance, confident that he could crush the reinforced and refreshed Reachmen army.

The battle began, and twice the Stormlanders advanced only to be repulsed by the Reachmen. During the third advance Lord Merryweather and his men-at-arms seized an opportunity, and broke out of the woods, slamming into the left flank of the Stormlanders, sewing chaos in their ranks and slaying numerous knights and noblemen. Lord Raymont saw his left fold under the pressure and sounded the retreat before they could be pinned against the river once again. The Stormlander’s advance had finally been stopped, with Gareth Tyrell, encouraged by Lords Tarly and Vyrwel, seizing the advantage and giving chase all the way past Grassy Vale, repulsing the invading forces further and further back. Raymont eventually was pushed back across the Blueburn just west of Grassy Vale, turning north, in the hopes of converging with the Royal Army which was now marching down the Rose Road towards Highgarden.  But the castle of Bitterbridge still lay in their path, and King Gwayne I Tyrell, with the largest of the Reach hosts, aided by Lord Marshal Hightower and Lord Peake, were already waiting there for the royals. Riders sent to Lord Tarly summoned their host to abandon their chase of the Stormlords and form up to join the defense at Bitterbridge, lest they get caught by the Royal Army marching down the Rose Road.

### **The Battle of the Gold Road**

The Rivernmen’s defeat at Tumbler’s Fall had not taken the heart of the royalist riverlords, who regrouped after their retreat and moved to intercept the Westermen as they continued their march down the Gold Road. Lord Darry assumed command and forced the Rivermen’s march to the bridge over the Blackwater Rush. The Rivermen believed that if they could hold the bridge, they could give Viserys and the royal host time enough to defend the capital. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. The Westermen had reached the bridge first and had almost completely crossed it by the time the Rivermen’s army arrived from the north.

The armies lined up and clashed once more. The Westermen, fresh off their victory, leveraged their men and morale to soundly defeat the riverlords’ host once again, killing Lords Wayn, Goodbrook, and Roote in the battle. Lord Sarsfield and the heir of House Bettley were killed along with Lord Tytos’ cousin Ser Tygett Lannister, who was slain in single combat by Ser Mathis Darry. Ser Joffrey Lannister suffered serious wounds.

The riverlords’ host routed after a fractious retreat by Lord Harry, scattering it in various directions. Some fled north, others rode south to seek out the Royal Army and join them, but the majority of the survivors, lead by Ser Mathis, fled east towards King’s Landing to raise the alarm of the approaching Westermen and bolster the defences of the capital.

### **The Slaughter of Bitterbridge**

Finally the host of the Stormlords and the Royal Host had met one another south of Tumbleton on the Rose Road, after a week of sacking the trading town. Their numbers had swelled greatly and King Viserys was confident as they approached the fortified town of Bitterbridge, their last obstacle before Highgarden. There on the rolling fields around the castle, they found the Reachmen had already dug considerable defenses. The road approaching the town was marred with spiked barricades. Trenches had been dug outside the walls with more barricades hindering the approaches. King Gwayne and his army waited for the Viserys' army, as they knew that it was the main crossing of the Mander for leagues around, and any attempt to cross elsewhere would be easily thwarted by the patrols of riders that ran up and down the Mander.

King Viserys, angered at the sight of the fortifications, ordered an assault on the town the next day.  What followed was seven days of slaughter and bloodshed not seen since before the Conquest. The Loyalist army fought back and forth with the Reachmen for the town, at two separate points climbing the walls and nearly breaching it, only to be repulsed. Each day was the same, the Royal Army would advance, while the Reachmen held the walls. Sorties attacking and counter attacking were made, with the dead piling high on both sides. The first day saw the Heir of Red Lake, Ser Alliser Crane, perish defending the walls, with Ser Randyll Tarly taking command only to fall an hour later.

On the second day, the Reachmen barely held off the Loyalists as they scaled the walls of the town only to be beaten back by Lord Gwayne’s personal intervention. Lord Raymont Baratheon was killed during this second scaling of the walls on the fifth day, struck down by Lord Lucas Osgrey. While his body was carried away by Lord Lorimar Dondarrion and Raymont's second son, Devan, Ser Roy Baratheon, now the Lord of Storm's End by default, avenged his father and slew his killer before being forced back off of the walls of the town. Ser Daemion Velaryon was slain that same day attempting to pick up command of the Royal forces on the walls following Lord Raymont’s death, only to be felled by a hail of arrows launched from beyond the walls of Bitterbridge. Still, through all the carnage, there was nothing either hosts could do to gain a substantive advantage. The piles of bodies grew higher every day, and the crows continued to circle the town even as the battle raged on. King Viserys would eventually wade into battle himself, but not even the presence of the king was enough for the Loyalists to break through the Reachmen’s lines. Despite hundreds of lords and knights distinguishing themselves in combat during the siege, few remember it fondly, only for the stench of their fallen comrades disheartening them day after day.

### **The Battle of King's Landing**

With little opposition, the Westerlands host crossed into the Crownlands and made for King’s Landing, dropping caltrops and other obstacles into the fords of the Blackwater to cover their rear from any attempt of the Royal Army from sneaking up behind them.  They reached the capital and found it was sparsely defended. The King had assumed that the Riverlanders would be enough to slow the Westermen until they’d dealt with the Reachmen and could turn their attention north, but the prolonged conflict at Bitterbridge prevented that.  Instead, supplementing the City Watch of King’s Landing was a force of Valemen. Lord Gunthor Arryn had arrived at the city two days prior to the Westermen with what men could make the journey quickly and were all that stood between the city and utter annihilation.

Lord Tytos quickly set to work and surrounded the city, though not entirely, as the seaward side of the city was still open to ferry men and supplies.  Instead, he moved to quickly take the city before the Royal Army can return. The next few days see the Westermen build up a series of siege equipment before they finally began their assault on the city, focusing on the Old Gate, the Gate of the Gods, and the Lion Gate.

The assault, though bloody for both sides, eventually lead to the breaching of the Gate of the Gods, which quickly saw the Westermen flood into the city, with the Old Gate falling quickly thereafter. Lord Arryn and his men had decided to allow the Westermen to breach the city and bleed them for every street they took. While they were unable to stop them from throwing open more gates, true to their plan, the defenders of the city fought the Westermen for every inch of ground. They fought a fighting retreat all the way back to the Red Keep, though they would still take losses along the way, Ser Jared Royce and Ser Farlan Reed fell in a last ditch defense to keep their forces from being overwhelmed.

A large portion of the defenders were cut off from the streets to the Red Keep and instead took to the Dragonpit to make their last stand, with the Dragonkeepers barring the gates of the building against the attackers. From within the Pit, the mighty roar of Balerion the Black Dread could be heard. With the Red Keep surrounded, many of the younger lords and knights decided that it was best to kill the last of the dragons before attacking the Red Keep, thinking that the sight of the dead beast would cause them to surrender.

Leaving some of the troops to continue the preparations to siege the Red Keep, Lord Tytos and several of the major bannermen of the West moved their forces to the Dragonpit.  At this point, a large section of Flea Bottom was ablaze and they were forced to move around it. As they climbed Rhaenys’ Hill, they were met with resistance from the remaining Goldcloaks and some Valemen, but were ultimately beaten back to the Dragonpit, with the Bastard of Newkeep Ser Torgold Stone falling in the retreat.  Inside, Balerion continued to roar and shake the very building. Scorpions were wheeled forward to be used to kill the beast once the Pit was breached and on the orders of Lord Tytos, the rams were brought forward and the gates were hit.

Inside the Dragonpit, the Dragonkeepers had an idea. Balerion’s front chains were undone so that the beast had more mobility to maneuver his massive bulk from inside the Pit.  They then retreated to one of the empty pits and once the Westermen broke down the door and swarmed into the building, Balerion unleashed his wrath upon those that disturbed him. Lord Tyrion Lannister of Lannisport, along with his sons Ser Damon and Ser Addam were killed leading the charge, extinguishing the entirety of the male line of Lannisport Lannisters in a single burst of black flames. Numerous other lords, knights, and soldiers were caught in Balerion’s fire and were killed, some instantly while others managed to stumble out of the Dragonpit still on fire and horribly burned. Ser Damion Farman, Ser Baldric Yew, Lord Andros Jast, Ser Forley Lorch, Lord Addam Broom, and Ser Stafford Hill, the Bastard of Silverhill, were all among those killed by the Black Dread.  Chaos reigned as the Westermen force broke in terror and smoke billowed out of the Dragonpit, killing many more inside who lost their way and were asphyxiated.

The Dragonkeepers and their forces sallied out of one of the side doors and began to harass the Westermen as they fled the Dragonpit.  Across the city, the men surrounding the Red Keep were alerted to the noise of their fellow Westermen fleeing the Dragonpit and the smoke rising from the building caused many to lose heart.  The defenders of the Red Keep were emboldened and launched a counterattack at the Westermen, Lord Arryn and his men driving the tip of the spear into the Western lines as they slowly but surely driving them away from the castle.  It came to a point, as night fell, that the city was still in chaos, as Lord Tytos attempted to regain order of his men and hold the line against the Royals, but even the citizens of King’s Landing were against them, throwing rocks from the rooftops and doing anything they could to hinder their progress.  As darkness fully fell, the Westermen had withdrawn from the city back to their camp outside and while much of King’s Landing burned, the banner of the Dragon still flew over the walls of the city.

## **The Golden Truce**

Hearing of the approach of the Westermen to King’s Landing was a shock to King Viserys, who had failed to break through the Reach blockade at Bitterbridge. He was furious at the Riverlords for being unable to contain the Westermen, allowing them to approach the capital all but unhindered. Combined with his disastrous attempts to take Bitterbridge, the offensive against the rebels had amassed failures on every front.  Every attempt to bring forces around the rear of the town had been fruitless, and many scouts were lost attempting to find a suitable fording that wasn’t already being guarded by Reachmen.

With the news of Lord Tytos' approach on King’s Landing reaching his ears, King Viserys turned to face the Lannister host, hoping they could get there in time before the city could be sacked. Sensing weakness, King Gwayne took all of his remaining forces, and ordered them to surge over the border of the Crownlands, giving chase to King Viserys' considerably thinned ranks, though it was mostly through outriders that they harassed the rear of the King’s army. By the time they had reached the outer groves of the Kingswood, reports of the attack and subsequent repulsion of the Westermen from the capital reached both armies. While the city remained untaken, their losses were still great. At the same time, Lord Arryn’s men sent word to Lord Lannister demanding his surrender to the Crown, which was laughed off by Lord Tytos, confident they wouldn't be able to reach him in time once he planned another assault.

King Viserys sent riders to King Gwayne and Lord Tytos, and asking them to parlay with him on the south bank of the Blackwater, near where the tributary of the God’s Eye met the Rush. Apprehensive at first, the two agreed as enough blood on both sides had been shed, and King’s Landing, while still in the Crown’s hands, was in shambles.

Both sides met at an inn near the river and a small group of other lords from either side met with the king. The negotiations were slow, as between Viserys' own humiliation at Bitterbridge, Gwayne's infamously iron-willed pride, and Tytos' own confidence in his position, but in the end King Viserys and the rebels came to a suitable agreement.  House Lannister and House Tyrell would accept Viserys as their king and would continue to do House Targaryen homage as their overlord, with Gwayne setting aside his newly-forged crown and once again swearing faith to House Targaryen.

House Targaryen, in return, promised to aid the Reach and the West whenever necessary, no matter the circumstance or cost. To Gwayne in particular, his son in law and heir, Lucien Hightower, was made the Master of Laws, and his young son Dorian betrothed to Princess Alysella Targaryen, an arrangement that would be carried out when the two came of suitable age. In addition to this, the King also took Lord Tytos and a representative of Lord Tyrell’s choosing as a member of his Small Council, a decision still controversial to this day. The final clause dictated that the Royal Justiciars be allowed to return to Casterly Rock and Highgarden. The realm returned to order, though a great bitterness remained on both sides, and still does to this day.