Lion's Share

The **Lion's Share** was an attempt by the Lord Lann Lannister of Casterly Rock to levy an extra tax upon the Houses of the interior in order to, as he claimed, rebuild the coastal Houses of the Westerlands. Ultimately, House Lannister of Lannisport negotiated the tax to a more agreeable rate, and begrudgingly, the Houses rather unpleased with the tax, paid.

## Lion's Share

Little good came from the Festival of Lannisport if one was of the Westerlands. Unless your name was Lord Lann Lannister.

While the Festival had proven a slaughter of unbelievable proportions, with dead so numerous it took over a week to clear the streets, manses, and hovels of all the dead, with the tune of, *“Bring out yer dead! Bring out yer dead!”* becoming a regular cry across Lannisport for a time, the Lannisters of Casterly Rock saw what others did not. Opportunity. It was in this so perceived opportunity that the Lord of the Rock began to reassert himself, offering aid and assistance to the Lannisters of Lannisport, and reaching out to his vassals to see if they had so too been attacked, alas, none else had. The Ironborn had selectively attacked Lannisport, and there was little the Lord of the West could offer.

But, even so, even without such a chance to rebuild the House Lannister of Casterly Rock, at least the Lannisters of Lannisport were suffering, at least their wealth was gone, and at least, finally, the Rock was the dominant force once more, home to the wealthiest of the Lannister branches.

Alas, after nine moons of peace, Lannisport proved its resilience. Merchants and trade had returned in mass, by the seas too, for while the Ironborn raid had been fierce, it had not been random and without reason, and the Lord of the Iron Islands had made it is his task to spread such word to the corners of the realm, to encourage continued trade, peace, and prosperity - for the Iron Islands. And so, as one moon since the slaughter had turned to two, and two to three, three to four, and on and on, the confidence of the merchants and the high lords and ladies of the realm alike had returned, and as trade continued to the Iron Islands, so too did it return to the West. Such trade had, at first, been but a trickle, a slow thing, a nervous and easily frightened kitten to the realm of the great and mighty kraken. But, as the days turned to weeks, and the weeks to moons, the realm’s confidence returned, bit by bit, until by only after a few moons, it was whole once more, and Lannisport flourished from trade, as it always had. Yet, what the Rock had not known, was that the whole of Lannisport had not been sacked, the Ironborn had not penetrated the deepest and most guarded holds of the Lannisters of Lannisport. The Ironborn had taken much, to be sure, but all? Ha. Only a fool would leave it all on display.

The Lannisters of Lannisport set to rebuilding their city, housing their people, and inviting new inhabitants and merchants from across the West. Yet, greater still, the Lannisters of Lannisport set about the behemoth task of rebuilding their fleet, at a rate that would see it returned to half its previous strength in an estimated three years.

All the while, Lord Lann Lannister stewed, growing redder everyday. And so, when some nine moons had passed since the Great Sacking of Lannisport, the Lord of the Rock issued an edict. For the coastal Houses, for Banefort, for Reyne, for Tarbeck, for Farman, for Prester, for Crakehall, and more, this edict would not serve to touch them. But for those Houses of the interior . . For the Brooms, Marbrands, Swyfts, Serretts, Leffords, Paynes, Marbrands, and more, this would be a great taxation of their properties and wealth. Lord Lann called this edict, this tax, a need to provide aid to those coastal Houses which had been battered and bruised by the Ironborn for generations. Whether such was true . . .

House Marbrand, House Swyft, House Broom, to name but a few of the most preeminent from among their ranks, they gave to the tax, they provided the Lord of the Rock the coin he demanded, and did their duty to their liege, as all leal vassals should. Yet, a remaining number of the Houses of the interior, led by the ‘Silver Lady’ of House Serrett as she came to be mocked by the lords and ladies of the coastal Houses for not wishing to part with her silver and wealth, and so too the Lady Regent of House Lefford, with the Houses Payne, Peckledon, and Brax, to name a few lending their support to these ladies of the interior, this collection of Houses, of vassals who wished not to pay such a tax, turned their gaze to Lannisport . . It was to Lannisport they asked, *what now?* And it was by the work of Lannisport that such a tax was negotiated down to agreeable rates, at which the remaining Houses of the interior begrudgingly agreed.