Hook Uprising

Massacre at Rollingford

Sack of Duskendale

Battle of Stokeworth

Battle of Two Claws

Assault on Blacklance

Battle of the Crimson Bay

Capture of Maidenpool

Taking of Sweetport Sound

Battle of Alric Bluff

Battle of Greycrest

Storming of Sharp Point

Battle of Falling Stones

The **Hook Uprising** was a conflict that occured in 78 AC, after displeased Crownlander lords, led by Lord Massey, rose up in arms against the crown. The war would be kept rather short, but it was bloody, and hit loyalists and rebels alike hard.

## Prelude

Under the firm and heavy rule of King Rhaegar I Targaryen, the Crownlands felt his grip the tightest. Maegor's Breath was brutal, but the King was by nature a cautious man, and it seemed as though food stores might actually last until spring, until a kingdom wide outbreak of Dragonblight infected many food stores. Trade came to a near halt in King’s Landing as the Blackwater froze over. The Crown’s personal stores were possibly the most affected, and in order to compensate, taxes on Crownlander lords were raised. As a direct result of this, taxes on the smallfolk were also raised. Many turned to banditry and other unsavory ways to provide for themselves, with gangs of bandits troubling Cracklaw’s Point, the Kingswood, and Massey’s Hook the most. Though the crown gave aid to the houses close to them, especially Houses Darklyn, Rosby, and Hayford, several houses within Cracklaw’s Point and Massey’s Hook had to deal with the issue themselves, at personal cost.

By the middle of 78 AC, spring was finally starting to thaw out Westeros. The Crown was forced to take a loan from the Iron Bank to keep themselves afloat. Many crownlander lords were displeased and chafing under the King’s iron grip, feeling as though the crown was blatantly ignoring their woes. These lords were pushed further when the King delegated tax-issues to Justiciars, increasing the substantial authority they already held.

When a Justiciar was sent to Stonedance to collect late taxes from Lord Massey, the man refused. The Justiciar attempted to take the defiant lord into custody, but he did not last long in combat against the lord’s men. The retinue that accompanied the Justiciar were cut down promptly after, with few survivors sent running back to King’s Landing.

Unable to turn back, Lord Massey decided that enough was enough, and with the stroke of his quill, declared that House Massey was from that day forth no longer a member of the Seven Kingdoms, calling upon other Crownlander lords to join him. In the course of a few days and many, many ravens, Lord Massey had attained quite a few followers in his rebellion. Lord Hayford would be persuaded by his brother to join the cause, and pledged his support. House Sunglass raised up in arms as well, though their bannermen, House Rambton, would remain loyal to the crown. Lord Stokeworth would also remain loyal, but his heir would not, defecting with a good portion of Stokeworth men in the night, to rendezvous with the Hayford host at Spineholt.

In Crackclaw Point, both branches of House Brune would rise up in arms, while their neighbors, the Celtigars and Crabbs, declared themselves loyalist. Most of the Cracklaw Point lords would join the Brunes in rising up, with the exception of House Farring. Though not lending aid directly, House Mooton would support rebel forces with supplies and coin, until confronted by their overlords in House Tully. With this threat now very real, King Rhaegar called what lords remained loyal to King’s Landing to deliberate and strategize their first moves.

## Early Moves

### First Strike

While the loyalist leaders converged in King’s Landing and strategized, the rebel forces led under Lord Massey were already getting busy. Sunglass, Bar Emmon, and Massey ships quickly put a blockade around Ramsport, destroying what few ships House Rambton possessed. Despite the blockade and the Sunglass host outside their walls, Lord Rambton continued to hold his own keep, albeit trapped and without communication, as their ravens would get shot down almost immediately.

Lord Harte and Lord Gaunt, two close neighbors, and rebels, took their own initiative and sent a force to take Rollingford at night, easily sneaking in and killing the surprised garrison. In an event that would later be dubbed as the **Massacre at Rollingford**, the entire castle was set ablaze. Every last member of the garrison was killed, along with several servants and much of House Rollingford itself. A few guards and servants managed to escape, making it to a nearby hamlet and taking a boat down the Blackwater. When they reached King’s Landing and the loyalist war council heard of what had happened, several were outraged, most especially the King himself.

### Loyalist Response and Sack of Duskendale

As the rest of the Crownlands heard of this, the lines were clearly drawn. Rebel leaders insisted that the loyalist account of Rollingford was heavily exaggerated, and that they had done nothing wrong. Lord Hayford, after a heated argument with his brother, took what men he could of their host with him to return to Hayford, though not in time to stop a royal force from sieging their castle. Lord Hayford would be forgiven by King Rhaegar, thanks to his timely turn in sides

Velaryon fleets meanwhile would move to blockade Dyre Den, Rook’s Nest, Sharp Point, and through great effort thanks to a series of brutal storms, Stonedance. Lord Massey was nothing if not prepared, and thus, the blockades around Sharp Point and Stonedance would prove to be of little issue, as the Massey Fleet was inside Blackwater Bay. Here, they would raid coastal villages and bring back what they had taken to Massey’s Hook.

While Lord Hayford returned home, the rebellious forces of Stokeworth, Hayford, and Byrch moved quickly to take Duskendale. Though both sides experienced heavy losses, the rebel forces would come out as victorious, sending what Darklyn men remained running in all directions as they sacked the city. With victories starting to pile up, momentum for rebel forces would also grow.

### Turmoil in Crackclaw Point

Cracklaw Point was far from peaceful during the Sack of Duskendale. A loyalist host, composed of Houses Celtigar and Crabb, met up at the Whispers and proceeded onto Brownhollow, intending to take it in battle. Yet, their strategy would change once more when Brune forces ambushed the Celtigars before dawn, inflicting moderate damage upon the host and sending them back to the Whispers. Meanwhile, the forces of Dragonstone, led by Prince Aemon Targaryen, would land west of Dyre Den and start to lay siege to the already blockaded castle.

House Farring would lead their own assault on the Cave, held by House Cave, taking the keep at the cost of many men. Lord Cave was killed in the battle, and the remnants of the Farring force returned to Farring Hall to protect it. During this assault, Lords Thorne, Boggs, Staunton, and Hardy would gather outside Hardy Hall and wait to determine their next move.

## Middle of Conflict

### Battle of Stokeworth

The Sack of Duskendale reached the royal host’s ears quite quickly, and within no time, they were on the road to reinforce the Rosby and loyalist Stokeworth host. To no surprise, the rebel forces were also on their way to Stokeworth. But they were battered, and outnumbered by the royal forces, and were defeated in the ensuing battle. In the fighting, the Heir to Stokeworth died, and the rebellious member of House Hayford died in a duel with Lord Hayford, but not before ensuring the latter’s death as well.

### Battle of Two Claws

The loyalists may have gotten their first true victory, but the rebels were far from backing down. Commanded by Lord Thorne, the rebel host at Hardy Hall easily took Farring Hall from the already weakened men, and then retook the Cave soon after. With great coordination, Lord Thorne’s host would converge on the host of Prince Aemon from the west, while Lords Brune of Brownhollow and Pyne came from the North. The soldiers inside Dyre Den began to push back the siege just as the others were in sight. What followed was a significant loss for forces loyal to the crown, and Prince Aemon was left no option but to order what little men he had left to retreat to the Whispers.

### Assault on Blacklance

Now, with the imminent threat taken care of, the combined royal host split up. One, led by Lords Stokeworth, Buckwell, Byrch, and a vengeful Rollingford, would move to take Blacklance and Harte Hall. Another, led by Lords Rosby, and House Hayford, would move to Duskendale and meet with the remnants of the Darklyn force, where they would then start to move on Crackclaw Point. A third host, led by King Rhaegar and a few other small houses, would move to Massey’s Point.

War was brutal enough as it was, but it was said by many that the Assault of Blacklance was utterly ruthless, and on par with the Massacre at Rollingford in terms of bloodshed. Though Lord Rollingford, who spearheaded the attack, cut down every soldier he came across, he refused to hurt non-combatants and ordered his men likewise. This did not stop some from doing so anyways. Lord Rollingford's main issue though, lied with Lord Gaunt, who was left a bloody, gory mess in his solar, where he was found. The day after the entire ordeal, House Harte capitulated and laid their weapons down, with their lord submitting himself to loyalists willingly.

### Battle of the Crimson Bay

Before King Rhaegar’s host could proceed to Massey’s Hook, the rebellious Lord Follard of Mirthfield had to be taken care of, but when they arrived, most of his fighting men were gone, and the castle was given up with little fight. Mirthfield’s forces were east, fighting in skirmishes with the men of Lords Edgerton and Wendwater, who were pushing them back towards the Spears of the Merling King. Coordinating efforts, Rhaegar’s host marched to cut them off from their retreat at what would later be known as the Crimson Bay.

With both forces now engaging with the Mirthfield host, it was a slaughter, initially at least, for Massey ships would soon come with reinforcements. Now met with their match, the battle would draw just as much blood from loyalist men as it did rebel, leading to the bay quickly turning red. In the fighting, Lord Follard ended up escaping with the Massey fleet, but with few of his men left to accompany him. Both sides were battered, and bruised, but there was finally an end in sight to the conflict.

### Capture of Maidenpool

House Mooton had been aiding the rebel forces with economic aid and supplies, but it hadn’t taken long for the crown to catch up. While the war raged on, Lady Agnes attempted to solve the situation with her bannerman diplomatically, but Lord Mooton refused to back down. With no other option, a Tully force headed by her husband Geribald Hawthorne, the Warden of the North at the time, and Lord Harry Darry, a prominent Riverlord and Justiciar, to capture Maidenpool. After a brief battle to the fort in the center of the city, Lord Mooton was captured, and in a brief trial, executed by Lord Darry.

## Later Conflict

### Taking of Sweetport Sound

The Massey fleet being occupied with the Battle of the Crimson Bay provided just the push the loyalists needed. Velaryon ships and men poured into Ramshorn, beating back the Sunglass siege all the way back to Sweetport Sound, where the Velaryons mounted a sudden assault of the castle, taking the entire island in only a few days. Meanwhile, the royal host would march on to Wendwater to recover with what time they had.

### Battle of Alric Bluff

As the loyalist host marched up Crackclaw Point, it did not take very long for the rebel host to catch wind. Perhaps arrogantly thinking they could take them on, Lord Brune of Brownhollow ordered their men to march out, and would meet them in battle at Alric Bluff. Like many other battles in the war thus far, losses were decent on both sides, but the rebel forces soon capitulated after witnessing the deaths of Lord Brune of Brownhollow, Lord Pyne, and Lord Thorne.

With Crackclaw Point finally pacified, loyalist forces took into custody Lords Brune of Dyre Den, Staunton, Boggs, and Hardy.

### Battle of Greycrest and Sharp Point

It was only a matter of time for King Rhaegar and his men to begin converging in on Massey’s Hook. When reached by the crown’s men, Greycrest refused to open their gates and surrender, though they would soon find their gates opened forcibly. The Battle of Greycrest passed relatively quickly, as once it was clearly lost, Lord Greycrest surrendered.

While Rhaegar’s host continued to advance onto Stonedance, the Velaryon forces landed on the beaches near Sharp Point and stormed the castle, cutting down the Bar Emmon defenders with relative ease, as the bulk of Bar Emmon forces were at Stonedance.

### Battle of Falling Stones

The forces of Lord Massey were on their last stand, boxed in from two directions by a larger enemy force, but the stubborn Lord refused to give in when the combined royal host gathered outside Stonedance, stating quite loudly to all that he would rather die than “bend the knee to pompous dragons again”. Thus, the Battle of Falling Stones would begin shortly after. As catapults and archers fired on Stonedance, men moved forward, but were unable to scale the walls. The Masseys had one last trick up their sleeve, and that was seemingly unending stockpiles of rocks covered in pitch, which they set aflame and dropped from over the walls, completely halting any advance forward.

Yet, this did not dissuade an assault team led by Ser Aethan Velaryon, as they had managed to exploit a tiny opening in the chaos of it all, and began cutting through the rebels defending the wall, Aethan being the very first man in. With the opening growing ever larger, the loyalist forces rushed forward with a ferocity not seen from them the entire war, pushing the Massey forces back into the keep. At the very front of everything, once more, was Ser Aethan, joined by Prince Baelon, who dispatched rebel after rebel.

Still, despite seeing his men rapidly fall, Lord Massey wasn’t willing to submit, keeping his best soldiers with him in his solar while his force outside was decimated. The fight within his solar was cramped, and Prince Baelon nearly lost his life had it not been for the efforts of Ser Aethan. Lord Massey physically resisted being dragged away, yelling at the soldiers to kill him and be done with it, but King Rhaegar specifically wished for Lord Massey to be kept alive.

## Aftermath

Few would describe King Rhaegar Targaryen as a pleasant man, and nobody would say that he looks kindly upon insubordination. Now having returned to King’s Landing, with the rebellious lords still alive in his custody, the King held trials. In one day, Lords Massey, Bar Emmon, Greycrest, Brune of Dyre Den, Staunton, Hardy, Harte, Blount, and Boggs were tried and declared guilty of high treason, and sentenced to death by hanging, to further reinforce King Rhaegar’s message. Lord Sunglass was tried and declared guilty too, but he was given an alternative punishment in being made the bannerman of House Rambton, their former vassals.

Rhaegar intended to prove a point to Lords still under the Iron Throne: do not defy the Crown. In addition to hanging the rebellious lords, all houses that rebelled were forced to pay reparations for damages incurred during the Massacre at Rollingford and the Sack of Duskendale, and a Justiciar would be stationed at Stonedance, Dyre Den, Sharp Point, and Thorne Keep each, for the foreseeable future.

In the aftermath of everything, King Rhaegar happily named Ser Aethan Velaryon to the recently vacated spot in the Kingsguard, at the suggestion of Prince Baelon, and the Crownlands breathed a sigh of relief as hostilities were finally over.