North Crownlands Bandit War

Mad Miller's Last Stand

The North Crownlands Bandit War of 126-127 AC, commonly known as the Mad Miller's War, was an armed conflict between various Westerosi noble houses and various bandit groups.

The conflict was predominately located in the area between the towns of Duskendale and Maidenpool and was thus named after the North Crownlands.

## Background

Following the relatively peaceful summer of 122-126 AC, prosperity was returned to the Seven Kingdoms. The towns of Maidenpool and Duskendale flourished during this period and direct travel between the two towns was increasingly common. However, the lack of a patrolled road - most of the route being twisting trails through fields, hills and woods - made the route a prime target for banditry.

It is unknown what the underlying motives of the bandits were, or even if they had any at all. However, it is believed that at least one of the bandit leaders, the Mad Miller, took part in the Cobbler Rebellion a decade earlier. It also isn’t known if the bandits acted as part of a unified group prior to the armed response of the nobility. It is thought that there were at least four bands of bandits, but to what extent they collaborated or competed with each other is a mystery.

## Banditry

The worst act carried out by the bandits was the slaughter and robbery of a trade caravan travelling from Duskendale to Maidenpool. The Mad Miller’s band attacked the caravan an hour outside of Duskendale - near the fork in the road at Hollard Keep. The bandits killed every member of the caravan and retreated with their plunder to the boggy lands of Crabclaw Point. Retreating to Crabclaw Point to escape justice was a common tactic of the bandits as the rugged, wooded terrain made it difficult to be pursued.

Another group of bandits led by a Clawman named Old Wat often engaged in the rustling of livestock from the smallfolk of the area. Old Wat was also responsible for a raid on the lands of House Thorne, stealing multiple horses before fleeing from the area. In response to this raid, House Thorne hired a group of hedge knights under Ser Edric of the Mud Gate to defeat the bandits. However, Ser Edric’s band went rogue, citing a lack of payment, and themselves began to engage in banditry.

## Response

The response of the nobility of the area was originally lackluster. The Houses either refused to collaborate out of pride or were unaware of exactly how extensive the problem was and thought that they alone could defeat the bandits plaguing their lands.

As the situation continued, the Iron Throne dispatched the justiciar Lord Davos Manning to coordinate the efforts to eradicate the bandits. Lord Davos marshalled men from the surrounding houses, including Ser Rickard Thorne, Walder Thorne, Lord Matarys Targaryen and Ser Myles Mooton.

The first group of bandits to fall was Old Wat’s band. The forces of Lord Davos were pursuing Ser Edric’s band, when by mere happenstance they chanced upon Old Wat’s camp. Old Wat was detained after a short battle before being brought to Duskendale and hanged.

Following the defeat of Old Wat, the bandits began to attack in much smaller numbers. The bandits also seemed to be more coordinated, as groups of bandits were reported to be attacking different lands simultaneously. This led Lord Davos to split his host, with one group being led by himself, turning their forces northwards to track the bandits of the Mad Miller harassing Maidenpool, and a second group led by Ser Rickard Thorne sent to capture Ser Edric of the Mud Gate.

While pursuing Ser Edric, the forces of Ser Rickard Thorne were caught in an ambush. Despite being outnumbered, the bandits used the terrain of Crackclaw Point to their advantage and caught Ser Rickard’s men off guard. Ser Rickard was injured and captured in the battle, but Ser Matarys Targaryen and Walder Thorne were able to retreat in good order, in large part because Matarys’ forces consisted of clawmen with a good grasp on the terrain. The surviving forces were joined by men of House Mooton, led by Myles Mooton. By bribing local smallfolk, these forces were able to discover the location of Ser Edric’s hideout.  As the camp was surrounded, Ser Edric offered to treat with the forces. The bandit knight requested clemency in return for the prisoners and gold he had captured. The deal was agreed and Ser Edric was arrested. While Ser Edric was granted clemency, most of his fellow bandits were not, in part because they were not fortunate enough to have knighthoods. Many of them were executed for their role in the raids.

To the north, the host of Lord Davos Manning caught the Mad Miller’s band during a raid on farmland belonging to House Mooton. A battle ensued wherein the bandits were quickly defeated. The Mad Miller was killed during the fighting, with his body being displayed at the gates of Maidenpool.

## Aftermath

After being brought to Lord Davos Manning, Ser Edric of the Mud Gate was sent to the wall.

For his part in defeating the bandits of Ser Edric, Walder Thorne was knighted by Ser Rickard Thorne.