S03E08

## The Battle on New Year's Day

### Summary:

The courtiers of House Glenbain assist in the defence of King's Landing against and invasion by Loyalist forces.

### Characters:

Alon, Fiyona, Hamza, Rook

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## The Battle on New Year's Day

The group had spent two more weeks in King’s Landing, recuperating in the private building the Eight Future Kings had assigned to them. Wilfred was still recovering from the Trial of Seven against Marq Mudd. Rook was bedridden with pain from the acid burns that still covered his face. He had spent a small fortune paying for Maester Thall’s personal services as a healer. It took that expert attention just to keep Rook from going blind and nothing could be done to prevent scarring over most of his face.

## Poisoning Mystery

Fiyona and Hamza had each been poisoned with a mysterious substance, a rare powder that made them feel tired and weak. More curious still, Maestar Thall had received a delivery to the door of his laboratory. There were two vials of a clear liquid and a note explaining that these were the antidote to the poison that Fiyona and Hamza had been exposed to. The antidote would have to be taken regularly or the two would die. When presented with the vials, Hamza took his and felt some relief, but Fiyona refused, and her conditioned worsened. Maester Thall took the vial back to his lab and examined the substance. He found the liquid antidote to be just as perplexing as the powdered poison: strange, rare and most likely very expensive.

Alon paid a local boy to carefully watch Maester Thall’s lab for the next delivery. The boy observed a court page enter the area and meet with a second court page, handing off the delivery. The second page then put the delivery at the maester’s door and waited in the shadows until the maester arrived and took the two new vials. Both court pages were identified as working for the Eight Future Kings. Fiyona and Hamza were unimpressed, but continued to take their doses of antidote.

## A Meeting

Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish came to see the group and informed them that Stannis and Renly Baratheon had left King’s Landing, meaning that an attack on the city would by imminent. But tomorrow night was New Year’s Eve and celebrations were already beginning. They should enjoy themselves this evening and make sure they were at the Old Stone Tavern by midnight.

Hamza had corresponded with his contacts in Dorne to discover what had happened concerning his family title of House Santagar and his half-brother Symon. He learned that Prince Doran Martell, ruler of Dorne, had found Symon guilty of cowardice and banished him from Westeros for life. It was said that Symon had boarded a ship headed for the Free Cities of the East. Prince Doran had proclaimed that the title of House Santagar now belonged to Hamza Sand, but first Hamza would have to come to Sunspear to face the judgement of the Prince. If Hamza was found to have committed an act of dishonour against Dorne, he would die, if he had committed no dishonour, he would be granted his title.

Hamza went to see Oberyn Martell, the Prince’s brother, to evaluate the situation. Oberyn explained that his brother was an honest and fair man, but also wrathful. Even if Hamza had served nobles who were at war with Dorne, this was no dishonour. It came down to Hamza’s personal conduct. And, indeed, Hamza had carried himself with honour, but Symon had many friends in Sunspear who might lie to Prince Doran, and so the result of any trial was still in question.

The group went to the Old Stone Tavern early, casing the building to avoid a trap. They questioned the staff, investigated the neighbourhood and examined every way in or out. Eventually, Fiyona distracted the usher at the rear entrance and Rook slipped past, making his way to the private room upstairs. He discovered four sellswords, waiting there to provide security for a secret meeting of The Eight Future Kings. Rook surprised them so thoroughly that it almost came to blows, but one of the sellswords recognized that Rook was one of the people they were paid to guard.

## A Welcome Attack

Before long, the group were gathered in a meeting with the Rebel’s Inner Council, now reduced to Littlefinger, King Balon of the Iron Islands, King Gerold of The Vale and King Ronnel of The Stormlands. They were very happy at the news that the Baratheons meant to invade the city on New Year’s Eve. King Ronnel had planned to march 40,000 Rebel troops out of the city during the festivities, keeping the drunken soldiers from causing problems. Stannis Baratheon would use this weakened state to attack. But King Ronnel would simply march the troops in a circle, leaving to lure the Baratheons in, and then returning to be their final destruction. In war, an attack is always more difficult than a defense and an invasion of 10,000 aboard ships against 50,000 guarding the city was utter suicide. The war would be over once and for all.

The Inner Council gave the group a list of special tasks they should perform to improve the city’s defences against invasion. They wanted to keep news of the invasion secret until it was too late for the city’s population to flee, and thereby avoid a panic. So, the group were told to keep their activities inconspicuous.

Fiyona had a bad feeling about the entire battle. She couldn’t help but think about fleeing the city. But even as she did, she discovered a note in her pocket, put there by some sleight of hand. It read, “If you leave the city, you will never get another dose of antidote again.” She was angered by the manipulation, but couldn’t place who had slipped her the note or when.

## Preparation

The group took to a series of projects around the city. They set up discreet archer’s blinds on the city walls, maximizing the defender’s ability to reign arrows on incoming ships. They negotiated with the Goldcloaks city watch to have them stand as soldiers in the battle, assigning them combat pay out of their own pockets. And again, with their own money, they hired a work crew to make the East Gate impassable, cutting off the port from the city. And they assigned army labourers to seal off the sewers that opened right onto the beach. Unfortunately, that crew fled before finishing their work.

The party examined the bay and the docks, wondering if anything could be done to bar Stannis Baratheon’s fleet from coming in. In the end, they decided they didn’t have the time or resources to trap the bay, and burning the docks would be cruel to the smallfolk who needed them.

## The Attack

By the time Stannis’s ships arrived that night, King Ronnel’s had not returned with his troops. King Balon and King Gerold were still in good spirits, though, the 10,000 troops they had combined with the 1,000 Goldcloaks the courtiers had recruited would be plenty to repel the invasion. And the invasion went well at first, the worst problem was that the incoming ships were throwing fire into the city. It was a predictable difficulty and the kings set the group to organize the fire brigade. The courtiers found the task straightforward and returned to the kings for another assignment.

An hour into the battle, King Ronnel’s army still hadn’t returned and it was causing discord among the smallfolk. A mob had gathered on the West side of the Kingsgate, looking to open the gates and flee. From their vantage, the people could not see that a contingent of Baratheon soldiers were on the other side of those gates. The smallfolk wouldn’t be fleeing, they’d be running right into invading soldiers.

The group were dispatched to the Kingsgate to convince the mob to stop. They pleaded with the smallfolk, calling them out and trying to explain, but the crowd could not be stopped. The Kingsgate was thrown open and Baratheon soldiers swarmed in, cutting down people as they pushed in. The party were shocked and alarmed and begin to run northward, fighting their way through the panicking mob.

Rook directed them to a stable where he had a horse waiting for escape. He mounted and prepared to flee. The group were in a dilemma: the battle was going worse than expected, but was far from lost. They had a duty to protect the people of King’s Landing, but they had seen first-hand the incompetence of The Eight Future Kings. After a heated discussion, they grudgingly returned to see Littlefinger, King Balon and King Ronnel.

## The Green Tower

The battle was taking one bad turn after another, so King Balon left to command his Ironborn raiders to attack Stannis Baratheon’s navy and hopefully end their catapult fire. King Gerold put on his armour and left to lead the defending troops with his own sword. Littlefinger bade the group come with him to the Green Tower, an old defense that was right at the water’s edge. They would have a good vantage of the Bay and be more helpful to the soldiers below. And if worse came to worse, it was a tall tower, separate from the rest of the battle. If they were attacked, they would have time to explain that they were highborn, and must be taken alive.

The group ran through a rain of arrows to reach the Green Tower and climbed five stories to the top. From that height, they could see that the army of King Ronnel had finally returned and was no reaching the city’s North Gates. But as those troop came through the walls, their banners could be seen in the light of the city’s fires: they were flying the colours of House Baratheon. King Ronnel had switched sides and now the battle stood at 50,000 Loyalists facing 11,000 Rebels.

“We can still flee,” Fiyona said desperately.
“If you flee, you’ll get no more antidote!” Littlefinger shouted angrily.
Fiyona was enraged and she drew her stiletto. Rook quickly grabbed her wrist to spare Littlefinger a stabbing. Hamza stood between Fiyona and Littlefinger, and the schemer took advantage of the human shield.
A panicked Littlefinger shouted, “It was only a little poison. You’re going to be fine.”
Rook’s eyes went wide. Not only was Littlefinger doling out the antidote to keep Fiyona and Hamza on his leash, but now it was clear he was also responsible for the attack in which they had been poisoned. During that attack, Rook had acid thrown in his face, acid that had scarred him for life. Rook let go of Fiyona’s wrist, and in a fury scooped up Littlefinger and held him to a tower window.
“You burned my face!” he shouted.
“I’m sorry. That wasn’t part of the plan!” Littlefinger pled.

Hamza grabbed one of the man’s ankles, not knowing whether Rook meant to drop him out of the window. Meanwhile, Fiyona searched his person, finding a small sack of gold, some precious gems and a fat stack of coded notes. And in the tumult, Alon discretely removed the cap of one of his rings and gave Littlefinger a prick.

“I am so sorry!” Littlefinger begged. “I am a noble, fighting honourably in war and you are my servants. You need me to talk to the Loyalists and explain the case. And they may not even listen! We may have to trick them. We should draw straws and pretend that two of us are Rebels captors and the rest are Loyalist captives!”

Rook pushed Littlefinger further out the window. He now dangled by his ankles, enemy arrows landing all around him.

He shrieked, “I am a King’s man! I work for Jon Arryn! And I am a wealthy man! If you let me go, you could be greatly rewarded!”

Rook and Hamza let him go, let him go straight to the ground. In the darkness, they couldn’t see the body hit, but it was fifty feet, onto stone, head first.

When Loyalist soldiers took the Green Tower, they came with swords drawn, but the group talked them down. The courtiers were taken captive. Now they could only wait for judgement by House Baratheon.

## Experience

Alon, Fiyona, Hamza and Rook each earned 11 XP, 2 Glory

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