Brynden's Rebellion

### Outcome

Extinction of House Baelish of HarrenhalHouse Royce becomes Lords Paramount of the Vale and Wardens of the East

House Baelish of Dragonstone become Lords Paramount of the Riverlands and are given Harrenhal as a seat of Power

Exile of House Hightower

House Blackwood granted Piety

Brynden's Rebellion is a recent period of internal conflict within the extended Baelish family and the continent of Westeros.

## The Mockingbird and the Septon (381-382)

While his father, Petyr the Pious, originally intended to convert the Ironborn once they were subjugated, King Edmund let them keep the Drowned God without coercion. What seemed like a minor decision would spiral out of control and cause Westeros to descend into civil war. In 381 AC the High Septon died. His replacement declared King Edmund a traitor the new gods for marrying a Greyjoy, and an ally of the heathens as he declined to follow up on his father’s plans for conversion of the Ironborn. The new High Septon also used his daughter’s Ironborn name as proof of his sympathizing with the Drowned God followers.

The Hand of the King, Lord Brynden Baelish of Harrenhal, came up with a plan to appease the High Septon. After talking to the man, Lord Brynden found out that he wished to see the Faith Militant return to Westeros from Pentos. If this was done, King Edmund’s faith in the Seven would be proven. King Edmund refused however, wary of the trouble that the Faith Militant could provide. He decided to ignore the High Septon’s criticisms without a response. Lord Brynden left his position as Hand shortly after and organized a meeting at Harrenhal between himself, the High Septon, Lord Tully, Lord Arryn, and Lord Hightower.

The three lords and the High Septon all agreed with Lord Brynden that King Edmund was an impious man, and a danger to the Faith of the Seven. Lord Brynden shared the kingly blood that King Edmund had, and thus declared himself the true King of Westeros in 382 AC with the support of Hightower, Tully, and Arryn. Soon most of the Vale and Riverlanders joined, as well as some Reachlords who chose to follow Lord Hightower. However, not all the lords of those regions would rebel, standing against their liege lords in the Riverlands would be House Blackwood, who cared not for the question of piety as they followed the Old Gods, and Ryger of Willow Wood. Lord Royce of Runestone lead the Valelords in loyalty to the crown. In the Reach, Lord Tyrell remained loyal to the crown, however many of his vassals pledged fealty to House Hightower, leaving Tyrell weak in the oncoming war.

## The Crown Mobilizes (382)

While the rebel King Brynden and his armies attempted to secure the Riverlands, another war brewed far to the south. For the past couple years, Dorne had been building outposts in the Stepstones and claiming several islands for themselves. The Triarchy, who frequently used the Stepstones for trade, claimed that these outposts were being built to monitor their naval movements and to tax their ships. The Archon of the Triarchy decreed that the Stepstones were part of the Three Daughters, and that the outposts would have to be removed. Martell refused, prompting the Triarchy to destroy several outposts themselves.

King Brynden won his first major victory of the war when King Edmund lead his forces from the Crownlands up to take Darry, only to be defeated by the armies of Brynden Baelish and the Knights of the Vale. In the Reach, Lord Hightower and other Reachlords marched up to the Roseroad and began a siege of Highgarden. King Edmund saw these early defeats and realized the rebellion would be harder to defeat than anticipated. He was able to secure the loyalty of Lord Lannister by arranging a marriage with his son, Prince Tristan. Lord Stark also joined the cause, and was made the new Hand of the King. Finally Lord Baratheon was asked for aid, yet he responded that his armies would be needed in Dorne more than the Riverlands.

While recovering from their defeat at Darry, a plan was developed by the loyalists to defeat the rebellion. If Hightower could be prevented from taking the Reach and coming to the Riverlands, then the armies of the Crownlands, Westerlands, and North could encircle the rebels on all sides and slowly close in. Lannister set off the plan by laying siege to Riverrun with the support of Lord Blackwood from the north. King Edmund took Maidenpool, and Lord Stark began his march down through the Neck.

Brynden hadn’t forgotten what started the war though, and to bolster his armies he had the Faith Militant in Pentos brought into the Riverlands. King Edmund, wishing to distract Lord Hightower, allowed the Ironborn to reave all the lands of the rebelling Reachlords, including Oldtown. Lord Stark entered the Riverlands, yet was disturbed to find that the Freys had joined the rebellion. In order to take the northern Riverlands, he sent word to Lord Blackwood to retreat from the siege of Riverrun and assist in sieging the Twins. Mallister joined in, and a long siege of the two castles began. The newly arrived Faith Militant was sent to eastern bank to relieve the siege along with men from House Arryn.

The last moon of 382 would see Runestone fall to the Graftons, and with it the rebellion gained near complete control of the Vale. King Edmund took Darry, and the Westerlanders continued their siege of Riverrun.

## The Faith Militant and the Krakens Wrath (383)

In the Reach, the Ironborn invade Oldtown and burned the city, forcing Lord Hightower to break off his siege of Highgarden and return. On the road back to Oldtown, the Ironborn ambushed the Hightower men and earned another victory against them. Lord Hightower, his heir, and his brother were all killed in the fight. Lord Tyrell rode out from Highgarden and with the help of other loyal Reachlords, the rebels in the Reach were defeated on the field at Bitterbridge.

At the Twins, the Faith Militant and Valemen attacked the besieging Northerners. The battle was close, but in the end the rebels won. The Faith Militant executed the captured Northerners who refused to convert to the new gods. This act surprised and shocked many on both sides of the war, and would come to be known as the Tragedy of the Twins. At Riverrun Lord Tully surrendered to Lord Lannister.

## The Curse of Harrenhal (384)

After losing Hightower and Tully, Brynden Baelish saw his rebellion slipping away and falling as quickly as it began. Desperate to survive and continue his rebellion, he ordered all the men he could to regroup at Harrenhal. The Freys, the Valemen, the Faith Militant, and the various Riverlanders all converged at the castle. King Edmund’s forces were soon to follow, and soon the loyalists were outside of Harrenhal, waiting to starve them out. The great castle could survive for some time, but unless Brynden could secure some more allies, it seemed his rebellion was now doomed.
Needing a solid victory against King Edmund to save the rebellion, the rebels decided to face the loyalists on the field.

A great battle raged outside of Harrenhal, with thirty-thousand troops present altogether. The desperate attempt failed, however, and in 384 AC Brynden Baelish was executed for treason after being captured by Lord Royce of Runestone.

The Faith Militant were sent back to Pentos along with the remnants of House Hightower and House Chester. A new cadet branch of House Tyrell was formed to rule over Oldtown.

Seeing the Riverlands as a fragile realm, Lord Tully was exiled and his family was stripped of their title as Lord Paramount, instead replaced by Prince Roland.

The Arryns were not so lucky, however, as the title of Defender of the Vale and Warden of the East was stripped from them and given to Lord Royce, though they were allowed to continue ruling the Eyrie.

Lord Blackwood was granted the Valyrian Steel sword Piety which his house had claimed ownership over and was central to the feud between houses Blackwood and Bracken.