War of the Three Stags

The War of the Three Stags was a major series of events that has significantly shaped the nature of Westeros to current day,

## Timeline of Events

### The Trial of Ned Stark

Ned Stark doesn’t listen to Varys’ suggestion following his capture following the death of King Robert I Baratheon, instead calling out to Stannis for aid where he demands a trial by combat. Ser Richard Horpe is victorious against Sandor Clegane, after a long drawn out fight in which the Hound finally yields.

Ned flees to Dragonstone with Stannis, though he is forced to leave Sansa at the mercy of Joffrey. The Narrow Sea lords and many Crownlands lords stand with Stannis, but
there are some exceptions that side with Joffrey.

### The Iron and Bronze Stags

Upon learning of his brother’s marriage to Margaery Tyrell, Stannis began plotting to immediately head for the Stormlands. Melisandre, his Red Priestess, assured him that victory was ensured. It was Ned Stark who persuaded him otherwise. The Stark told Stannis that his men lay besieged in the Riverlands already fighting their mutual enemies.

Melisandre, however, insisted he must go to Storm’s End, that it was his
destiny to do so. The Lord of Dragonstone spent a night mulling over it,
getting no sleep whatsoever. When he finally emerged from his solar, Stannis
rejected Melisandre and her Red God. Ecstatic, Eddard Stark praised Stannis for
his decision and told him that once they won in the Riverlands, he would
forever have the gratitude of House Tully and their men.

Stannis called his banners to the Claw, travelling there with whom he had
at Dragonstone. South in Storm’s End, Renly is married to Margaery and
consummates the marriage.

### The Exile of House Baelish

Petyr Baelish rescues Sansa from King’s Landing and hurriedly rushes her
to the relative safety of the Vale. He marries Lysa Tully, who soon dies under
mysterious circumstances. When Yohn Royce is made Regent of the Vale, the
finger of blame for her death and the death of Jon Arryn is soon pointed at
him. He flees to Essos in disgrace and soon enters the employ of the newly
resurgent Targaryens.

### Battle of Whispering Wood

Major early battle in the war of three stags between the forces of
Robb Stark and Jaime Lannister. Robb quickly marches his father’s army south of
the Twins and moves to end the Siege of Riverrun.The battle ended in a
staggering victory for the Northmen, with the capture of Jaime Lannister and
the near destruction of his host.

### Battle of the Green Fork

Major battle in the Riverlands. The Northern foot and a small portion
of cavalry under Ser Helman Tallhart moves to engage Tywin Lannister’s host.
They steal a march and surprise him, mauling his vanguard and engaging in a
quick but vicious battle. Ser Helman realizes he is overmatched by Tywin
Lannister’s heavy cavalry and makes the prudent decision to make a tactical
retreat. Tywin Lannister is left in control of the field, but suffered greater
casualties than the Northmen.

With the encouragement of Ned Stark, Stannis moves quickly into the
Riverlands with the hopes to enlist Hoster Tully to his cause.

### Battle for Harrenhal

Harrenhal had been under the command of Ser Amory Lorch, Lannister
bannerman. The arrival of Brynden Tully, Eddard Stark, and Stannis Baratheon
would end with the God's Eye stained crimson. By exploiting the size of
Harrenhal, Stannis managed to use the many blind spots to his advantage. Amory
was executed for his crimes and Harrenhal would become the main launching point
for the invasion of the Crownlands. They also gained valuable information
regarding the whereabouts of Tywin Lannister.

Tywin knows that he’s beat in the Riverlands and makes a hasty retreat
to protect his grandson and ensure the Iron Throne doesn’t fall to Stannis, or
more eminently, Renly.

After feasting and tourneys, Renly Baratheon marches for King’s Landing
with the Stormlander and Tyrell hosts at his back. It appears that he will
arrive well before Tywin’s host can reach them, and the city trembles in fear.

### First Battle of King’s Landing - The Battle of Scorched Plains

Renly Baratheon had arrived at King’s
Landing unhindered. Preparing to lay siege he noticed that one of the gates had
been left wide open. Sending Loras Tyrell out with a host of Stormmen,
believing confidently that the gold cloaks had turned on their illborn King, he
unknowingly walked into an ambush set by Tyrion Lannister. Several broken
carriages and pits contained the substance wildfire, and the host sent in with
Loras was engulfed in hellfire. The army making it into King’s Landing was
largely crushed. Renly commanders resumed laying siege to the city for the next
three weeks, calling for retribution but were eventually pulled back by the
story of a Pentoshi fleet spotted off the shores of the Stormlands.

### Battle of Three’s Hill And the Battle of Three’s Woods

The arrival of Tywin Lannister was a
major morale boost for the people of King’s Landing. Hearing of Stannis’s
successes in the Crownlands, he marched out to intercept him before he could
reach the city. He would unknowingly instead find the host of Reachmen under
the lead of Randyl Tarly and Mace Tyrell. Fortifying a hill top where a watch
tower sat, he prepared for their might. Randyl, seeing it as a waste of time,
requested that Mace simply march past it. But Mace, seeing the opportunity to
crush Tywin, sought to engage.

Randyl, seeking a
pincer strategy, sent massive forces under the command of Garlan Tyrell into
the woods to flank Tywin and Lord Paxter Redwyne to flank the plains side of
the hill with a smaller force. Garlan would end up engaging the forces of
Stannis Baratheon, who had been in the cover of the forest. This ended in a
notable defeat for the Reachmen’s larger “pincer” while the smaller one led by
Paxter would end up engaged with the reserves and cavalry of the Lannisters.

The main foot made
their way up the hill and would become committed to battle at the top, but Lannister
cavalry would later sweep them off. Despite losing large numbers, Tywin would
order his retreat and Randyls men pursued. Stannis, emerging victorious, would
flank from the woods in an ambush, crushing both of his enemies. Despite the
humiliating defeat for both; Tywin and Randyl both managed to survive and
recuperate with their armies. Randyl would later engage with Stannis in several
skirmishes.

The Florents would
later to swear to Stannis as an additional outcome.

### Battle of Griffin’s Roost, Crow’s Nest and Greenstone

The invasion of the Golden Company
would begin in earnest here under command of Lord Jon Connington and the
Serjeants of the Golden Company. Due to how loosely defended each area was,
each battle was an overwhelming success. The company would then plan to take
the castles between Griffin’s Roost and Storms End, where they hoped they would
have the assistance of Daenerys Targaryen, who was on her way from Pentos.

### Second Battle of King’s Landing - The Battle of the Blackwater.

Stannis easily wins the few engagements
that he has with Randyl Tarly. The Reachlord grows frustrated and is somewhat
relieved when Renly orders him to retreat back towards the Stormlands to
support Renly’s defense of Daenerys Targaryen’s invasion. In his absence,
Stannis moves towards King’s Landing with little opposition.

Tywin Lannister
coordinates defenses of King’s Landing and turns the city into a bristling
fortress. All citizens take shelter inside the walls and are conscripted into
service defending the city. His first task as Hand of the King is to
effectively remove any power of command Joffrey has. For all intents and
purposes, he is the power in charge of the Iron Throne. He braces for impact
when Stannis arrives at dusk.

Stannis attacks from
both land and sea. Without wildfire in this timeline, Stannis’ fleet, led by
Davos Seaworth, makes a successful landing and storms the beachhead while
Stannis personally leads an assault over the Iron Gate. This is no
inexperienced commander in charge of defense however, Tywin Lannister makes
them work for every single inch of the city they take. The battle takes three
days to conclude. Each side takes massive casualties. Lord Tywin perishes while
making a last ditch attempt to hold the Dragonpit against Stannis’ attacking
contingent. He is slain when multiple crossbow bolts pierce his chest and he
crumples to the floor. It is the beginning of the end for Lannister forces and
the city falls later that day.

A guardsman who
doesn’t wish to die opens a secret gate for Ser Davos and some of Stannis’
other elite forces. They storm the Red Keep with ease. Cersei Lannister has
Tommen drink Nightshade before using the draught on herself.

Joffrey takes a different
tactic however. As elite Baratheon troops burst into his bedchambers, he stands
on his balcony railing and threatens to jump.

“Uncle Kevan will never surrender
if I’m dead!” he screeches “I’ll do it! I swear! Now in the name of your king
stand dow-” and promptly slipped and fell several stories to his death,
impaling himself on a spike his grandfather put up around Maegor’s Holdfast..
Thus ended the reign of Joffrey Waters, and thus began the reign of King
Stannis Baratheon, the First of His Name.

The High Septon officially crowned him in
a quiet, simple ceremony later that evening and Stannis immediately began
consolidating his rule. With the execution of all Lannisters left alive in the
city, save for Lancel Lannister who he keeps as a bargaining chip to use later
against Kevan. Tyrion and Mycella are never found however, but rumors
fly that the Imp was seen loading them onto a ship that set out for sea that
night. These unfounded rumors have been categorically denied by everyone in a
position of power, but every now and then some Essosi merchant likes to stir up
the minds of the commonfolk with their gossip.

### Battle of the Giants

In the Riverlands, Ned Stark has been left in command and send Greatjon
Umber, Lord Tytos Blackwood, and his son Robb to end all aggression Westerlands
forces have been wreaking across the eastern Riverlands. With no foothold in
the eastern Riverlands, Ned hopes that Kevan will negotiate a surrender. Lord
Brynden Tully is sent to harass Kevan’s forces that are making a break for
King’s Landing in hopes of hooking up with what is left of Tywin’s army.

As this is happening Robb and his force of men, strongly advised by the
Greatjon and Tytos Blackwood, decide to ambush Ser Gregor Clegane. They succeed
in baiting the mad dog and and his force in a devastating ambush. They swiftly
cut his men to pieces and then move on the mad dog himself. But Ser Gregor
Clegane proves that mad dogs fight hardest when cornered and after killing many
men who seek him out is hunted down by the Greatjon. What followed was named by
the singers the Battle of the Giants. The two men fight a fearsome duel, matching each other blow for blow and in strength. Each man takes wounds from
but it is the Greatjon that falters and he is killed. Even as the killing blow
was struck the Smalljon let out a huge howl of grief and went mad in his rage.
As Ser Gregor turned to face him the Smalljon struck, cleaving the mad dog’s
head from his shoulders. So ended Ser Gregor Clegane, the man known as the
Mountain. It is said that they had to drag the Smalljon away from what was left
of his body as he continually hacked it in his grief. Robb’s force then marched
to rejoin Ser Brynden’s. However their scouts warned them that the Lannister’s
were between them so Robb retreated to Harrenhal to bolster the garrison. After
the battle, it is clear that Robb Stark show great potential for battle and
will one day be known as one of the greatest commanders in Westeros.

Kevan Lannister’s army is harried during their entire march to Harrenhal
by Ser Brynden Tully who seems to be in all different directions at the same
time. As he marched his army within sight of Harrenhal, he wisely decided
that with a very strong and alert garrison and a marauding Blackfish in his
flanks and his rear that he wasn’t going to lose his army trying to attack an
anvil while a hammer waited just out of sight. He then turned his beleaguered
army towards Maidenpool looking for supplies, relief and rest. Marching
swiftly he arrived at the now sparsely defended port
town. Ser Forley Prester and the vanguard swiftly secure the town and they
gather supplies and rest. All was not what it seemed however. Ser Brynden Tully
happily let the Lannister army garrison the town and recalling most of the
garrison at Harrenhal he encircled and besieged the town, content to hem in the
Lannister host, allowing the host under Stannis Baratheon to decide the war. Both
sides do little more however content to wait it out until more news of the war
reaches them. When news does arrive it tells of Stannis’ triumph.

Kevan and Stannis eventually meet at Stoney Sept for a summit and
hopefully an end to a war that already has a clear victor. On the eve of
negotiations, Stannis worries over his chances as his maester tells him that
Lancel Lannister has died from his wounds. But far from emboldening the
Lannister army, this news serves to crush Kevan’s spirit and he agrees to all
of Stannis’ terms to save his army and remaining son. The War of the Three Stags
is over, but the First Targaryen Rebellion is still blooming.