2nd Verdant-Lash War

### Outcome:

Peace treaty favoring House Verdant reached* Victorian Lash made a ward of House Verdant
* House Verdant control of Castamere acknowledged
* House Verdant forcibly taxed by the crown
* Non aggression treaty made

Combatants| Greens* House Verdant
* House Sunfyre
* House Sindarys
* House Starkwood
* The Lodge
* House Littleknight
* House Henning of Dorne
* House Whent
* House Esterold
* House Henning
* House Redflame
* House Reaver
* House Sentinel
* House Hebron
* House Youngflower
* House Terrace

Commanders| * Daemon Verdant
* Rheagon Sunfyre
* Aerion Sindarys
* Ser Rickard Starkwood
* Gascoigne
* Willfred Littleknight
* Arthur Henning
* Larys Whent
* Derrick Esterold
* William Henning
* Jachearys Redflame
* Ignes Reaver
* Duncan Sentinel
* Andrew Hebron
* Trisitifer Pyke
* Tristifer Terrace

### Battles

* Battle by Duskendale
* Fall of The Lodge
* Splitting the Sun
* Starfall meeting
* Peace in Castamere

## Prelude

> *Daemon: You dont arrest a man of House Verdant without suffering the consequences*
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> *Ethan: Your man violated guest rights in my castle. Maybe you should teach them more discipline.*
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The second conflict between House Lash and House Verdant was thankfully not the bloody conflict of the first one, but it was nonetheless a prominent war in the Brightflame early stages. By this point Ethan Lash had become a vassal of the stepstones and was hosting a feast in his new location of Wolfhaven, things were going well at first but numerous problems arised, one of them being the matter of a Verdant night violating guest rights inside the castle and being arrested by Ethan's guards. Lord Verdant who was a guest came in with armed men demanding the immediate release of his soldier and his property but Ethan refused. This was a war that seemed inevitable. House Verdant was still new and Ethan's position in the Stepstones was even fresher, neither could afford to look weak in the process and thus while Daemon couldnt force his will that day once he was back in his castle he sent out the ravens and made the call for war.

While House Brightflame's early start was a bloody beginning, it seemed now some semblance of control was being brought back to the Realm as even ones who had started many conflicts such as the Redwaters were wary of another go at war, even still both sides were given ample support to there sides from there usual allies to new ones looking to reconnect after a great deal of separation from each other, meanwhile Ian, the Master of Whisperers and Sword of Morning was making plans with his friend Lord Tristifer Terrace to try and put a swift end to the conflict that didnt make the lords feel like they were forced into it, lest there ego's drive them to do something else in retaliation. But neither could act fast enough to assure no such battles happened and the war began in earnest.

## Battle by Duskendale

> *Ethan: Ive done all I can to gain peace but if we must fight we cant be idle. I wont allow a single Verdant man near my loved ones.*
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> *Lucas: Then we make the first move and may the gods be forgiving from there.*
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Ethan Lash assembled his armies and marched off to keep the fighting off of the Stepstones aided by the Youngflowers in some way and by House Hebron he would sail to mainlands to try and defeat the enemy on the field, but he had arranged enough from others that a fleet was being made to confront and control he seas behind Castamere and make sure that he could blockade the Verdants if a siege of Castamere had to happen. Once he landed he found the Verdants were already waiting for him with there own forces and the first battle began, said to be so close to Duskendale the sentries watched it from the walls. Though Ethan's leadership and the timely arrival of the Henning's made sure the battle was a decisive loss for the Verdants. Sending them in full retreat so they weren't smashed outright. Ethan would give them little time to rest and soon backed by his mainland allies in bulk marched after them.

## Fall of the Lodge

> *Rickard: We cant let the Lodge fall to the Lashes. Every advantage that man gets only motivates him to continue.*
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> *Aerion: One proper defeat will send that Lash pup running back to his castle praying for forgiveness from the Gods and the King.*
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Lord Verdant's forces fell back to Castamere leaving Rheagon in charge of the remaining Greens at the Lodge, which had agreed to support the wealthier Verdants in there campaign efforts. Lash wasnt interested in who they supported coming at them in full force while the Greens readied themselves for a second battle. Though they were the ones on defense this time and given more time to prepare then last time they found that the battle that followed soon didnt favor them. Many crucial parts of the battle favored Ethan and when the Lodge forces were pushed back attempting to destroy the catapults that bombarded the Lodge Rheagon opted to retreat again, leaving the Lodge in the hands of the Lash forces and helping them get a step closer to the true goal of Castamere.

Two losses so soon had Daemon feeling the political pressure of the war, he knew full well many saw him as the aggressor and now he was lacking a win to silence Ethan's claims on. This motivated him to take the next step in the war and personally sally out with his fleets to meet the Red's navy hoping that he could organize a better defense on the field of battle then he could from his castle.

## Splitting the Sun

> *Ignes: Ive sailed these coasts hundreds of times, play things the smart way and this victory is all but assured.*
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> *Rodrick: This is hardly my first go at naval warfare, my issue is how much opposition we will find In Lord Deamon's forces. The man has an abundance of wealth to his disposal and that brings in more soldiers.*
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The sea battle between the Green's and Reds was on the coast of the Westerlands, Daemon had set up a blockade in anticipation of the Lash allies awaiting him and found there arrival in time with his plans. The leader of the largest number of ships in the Reds Lord Jachaerys Redflame did everything in his power to try and push through the blockade, his efforts destroying several ships and nearly succeeding before the Whent ships in Verdant's command overhwhelmed his own and forced a surrender, those were captured were spared though stripped of some of there belongings as Daemon had no desire to kill any of them, merely secure a necessary win to justify any terms he brought out when the peace talks began. Which he knew would be very soon.

## Starfall Meeting

> *Ian: Ive come to speak to you in good faith. I understand your plight but I must insist that the war between you and Ethan be put to an end, the realm is going through enough troubles as it is and if this continues who knows the long term consequences.*
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> *Daemon: Peraphs you are right..In truth ive gone over the idea myself enough times and soon as I'm able I will talk with Ethan into arranging peace talks to end this matter.*
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At Starfall a feast was held to properly celebrate Ian Dayne's ascension to the Sword of Mourning that he achieved earlier in the year. Though the feast and tourney's intentions were true when he heard Ethan and Daemon had come to the event he was said to have talked to the both of them about various things. None can confirm exactly what was said though a number of people can attest to both men being gone at the same time Ian was on a number of occasions and ultimately it seems it lines up enough to agree that Ian played a part in the two agreeing to meet a month later. At Daemon's castle of Castamere, many questioned Ethan's agreement to the meeting, it was one thing to go to peace talks but Castamere was not the castle of some neutral party but the one of his rival, there was no guarantee that fair and honorable means would be met there. Ian Daybe seemed to agree since he and Ser Tristifer, a good friend of his would leave Starfall and attend the peace talks..armed with a few men from House Dayne as if to make sure that they both understood the consequences if something wasnt reached.

## Peace in Castamere

> *Daemon: I will do my best to make these treaties quick. Im hardly as interested in delaying an end to this war as much as you are.*
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> *Ethan: If you wanted a quick end it would have been wise not to start it in the first place. Say your terms and If I deem them fair I will accept them, we can be done within an hour.*
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The terms from what we hear were not quick or painless. Both parties did little direct sniping and spent several hours delegating over various terms, on certain issues the Verdants refused to budge on, on others the Lashes were just as uncompromising. Tristifer recalls being exasperated thinking a whole day had gone by since the start, thankfully it hadn't and after 5 hours of talking, a break in between time to discuss terms and treaty written and signed the peace talks were met. Some disturbing rumors about the verdants attempting to arrest Lash and his cohorts, then claiming that they before the Dayne/Terrace force arrived came about in the interim but a few weeks after the talks was quickly quashed, especially by Verdant troops who didnt want the name of there lord being besmirched and no such other evidence aside from talks and supposed sounds of fighting can attest to such a thing.

The terms were made out as this, Victorian Lash a blacksmith for House Lash would be made a ward of House Verdant to insure no such issues occurred again, though he was required to forge a fine sword to replace the one taken from Ser Konrad, the Verdant knight arrested, but the sword in question would remain Lash property in acknowledgement of the foolhardy knights wrongdoing. House Verdant was also to pay a fine to the crown as acknowledgment that they were acts of aggression was costing the realm. House Lash was also to pay a fine to House Verdant, and an acknowledgment of there ownership of Castamere, a meaningless gesture most would agree, for one House Lash never made any attempt to take Castamere from house Verdant, nor accused them of not deserving it but nevertheless it pleased Lord Verdant. On that matter a non-aggression pact was made that prevented either house from bringing more then 50 soldiers near the others castle without the approval of the other, to do so would be considered an act of aggression and defiance of the crown to be punished how the crown and the small council saw fit.

## Aftermath

> *Haywin: I appreciate you handling the war in a matter that prevented it from hurting the Stepstones*
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> *Ethan: I didnt think he would attack your lands but even still I opted to not take a needless risk.*
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The war benefited many lords even if it did more damage to the Kingdom's debt issue, House Verdant continued to gain allies and its show of strength helped show that the House was a serious power in the Westerlands. The Lashes while less established in there new land were able to gain prestige with Ethan's two victories showing the commander he had the potential to be after his father's death, and reminding people that the Lashes can be fierce some in battle. Of the people who assisted the Sunfyres benefited from gaining the Sentinels and Redflames as vassals for there attempts to grow there own powerbase, which would play a part in many of ther elater schemes and attempts at power.

Ian also gained praise as many felt his efforts to try and oversee peace talks and stimy the struggles of the war with the feast played a part in why it went so well. Preventing more costly battles that took more innocent lives, and House Lashes forces being in the crownlands still allowed them to act fast and bring there forces about to deal with the siege of Hen Hill that followed shortly afterwards putting an end to the Dunbridges who had been a sour note in the Kingdom. Unfortunately this peace wouldnt last long, later in the year, not even 3 months removed from the end of this conflict the next war began and this one was every bit as devastating if not worse then many feared this one would be.