War of the Five Kings

### Performers

Joffrey I Baratheon, Tommen I Baratheon, Stannis Baratheon, Renly Baratheon, Aegon VI Targaryen, Robb Stark, Balon Greyjoy, Euron Greyjoy

### Location

All of Westeros

The War of the Five Kings was a large, multi-theater conflict that plunged Westeros into chaos following the death of Robert I Baratheon. Battles raged across the length and breadth of Westeros from 298 AC through 307 AC, with multiple claimants vying for the Iron Throne or attempting to revive ancient crowns subjugated by Aegon's Conquest.

## **First Phase: 298 AC - 300 AC**

Robert's brothers Stannis and Renly disputed the legitimacy of Joffrey I Baratheon's birth, claiming Robert's children by Cersei were in fact bastards. Both claimed to be Robert's rightful heir. In the Iron Islands, Balon Greyjoy took advantage of the developing civil war to rebel and proclaimed himself king of the Iron Islands. Robb Stark rose in rebellion after the execution of his father Eddard Stark at the hands of King Joffrey and was proclaimed King in the North by his bannermen.

Renly Baratheon was assassinated by an unknown agent in his tent in the early morning hours before a battle with his brother Stannis's army. Robb Stark was murdered by House Frey at the infamous Red Wedding. Stannis Baratheon suffered a crushing defeat in the Battle of the Blackwater and retreated to Dragonstone with the remnants of his forces. Balon Greyjoy died under mysterious circumstances just before the public revelation of his brother Euron's return from exile. Joffrey Baratheon was poisoned at his wedding to Margaery Tyrell. With control of the Riverlands given to Lord Petyr Baelish and the North to Roose Bolton, it seemed that the realm would return to order under the rule of the young Tommen I Baratheon.

## **Second Phase: 300 AC - 307 AC**

Aegon Targaryen, long thought dead at the hands of Ser Gregor Clegane, had in fact been switched with a peasant infant by Varys the Spider during Robert's Rebellion. Prince Rhaegar's heir had been sent across the Narrow Sea for his own safety and remained in hiding for years. In the year 300 AC, the young prince landed in the Stormlands with the entire body of the Golden Company and the exiled Lord Jon Connington as his Lord Hand. The Targaryen army captured the Crow's Nest, Griffin's Roost, and Rain House in short order. After taking Storm's End, the young prince learned that Stannis Baratheon and his forces had traveled to the far North to confront some new and terribly enemy. At first, few Stormlands houses were willing to declare for Aegon, but more joined his cause after Prince Doran Martell sent Dornish troops in his bid to bring about the downfall of the Lannisters.

In the wake of Kevan Lannister's assassination, the royal court was slow to organize an effective response to this new invasion. By the time the Queen regent ordered men raised to pacify the Stormlands, the Targaryen host was already marching toward the capital along the Kingsroad. Cersei Lannister was at first content to let the let the invading army lay siege to the city, confident that they could hold out until allied forces arrived from the Reach or the Riverlands to relieve them.

Varys the Spider's agents had bribed the Captain of the Kingsgate, however, and the gate was thrown wide open for the army to storm the city. To further sow confusion, several squads of Golden Company soldiers dressed as members of the City Watch, allowing them to take and hold critical intersections along the army's path to the Red Keep. King Tommen, Queen Margaery, the Queen Regent and members of the Small Council made their escape by ship to Duskendale. The fleeing royal party makes haste to the Riverlands, and temporarily takes refuge at Riverrun. Jon Connington crowns Aegon as Aegon VI Targaryen upon the Iron Throne with King Maekar's crown. More Stormlands and Crownlands Houses bend the knee to King Aegon, though many are already strained after three years of warfare.

Cersei commanded Ser Jaime Lannister to retake the capital at once. Jaime convinced his sister to take the King to the safety of Casterly Rock when Riverrun received a raven that the Golden Company's banners had been seen along the Kingsroad entering the Riverlands. The deepening winter made it increasingly difficult to move armies and their baggage trains, and the Lannister army was unable to intercept the invaders before they seized control of Harrenhal. Lord Tytos Blackwood, still smarting from his defeat in the first phase of the war, was the first Riverlord to declare for the Targaryens. The Golden Company delivered a solid defeat to the Lannisters at Darry, but was driven back at Acorn Hall thanks to reinforcements of fresh troops from the Westerlands and the Reach. With both Walder Frey and Petyr Baelish dead, the Golden Throne once again made Edmure Tully Lord Paramount of the Trident, though his wife and young son were kept as hostages at Casterly Rock to ensure his compliance. Though there were a few further skirmishes between the two forces, but the harshness of the winter weather made it seem inevitable that both sides would settle down into winter quarters to wait for the change of seasons.

### The Crow's Eye and the Reach

After Euron Greyjoy's election at the Kingsmoot, he launched an invasion of the Shield Islands. The islands were unprepared for this sudden assault and fell in short order. Euron granted lands and titles to Ironborn to solidify his support, then began the next phase of his ambitious plan. He sent forth small groups of ships with spare sails and banners bearing the markings of various Ironborn houses and ordered them to reave the coast of the Reach and cause as much havoc as possible. The raiders always struck quickly and returned to the sea, using their false colors to make their numbers seem larger than they were. Mace Tyrell kept the army under his son Garlan's command running ragged with constant orders to rush to defend one village or another. Lord Mace called upon Lord Paxter Redwyne to bring his fleet and crush the Ironborn, which was precisely what Euron had hoped for. While the Redwyne fleet moved north along the coast, Euron's ships sailed south and sacked the Arbor in the absence of its defenders.

Garlan Tyrell realized that the reavers were merely a distraction and guessed that Euron was trying to draw them away from his true target. He sailed with his men to the Shield Islands and retook Oakenshield from the Ironborn garrison left behind, but left Ironborn banners flying over the keeps and holdfasts. The Redwyne fleet learned too late of the Crow's Eyes objectives and sailed back to wrest back control of the Arbor. The Ironborn fleet had the wind in their favor and the sleek Ironborn longships were able to outrun the heavier Redwyne vessels. They returned to the Shield Islands to celebrate their victory and consume the casks of Arbor wine stolen in the raid. Garlan Tyrell launched a daring nighttime attack and set many Ironborn ships ablaze while they were tied up in the harbor of Lord Hewett's town and cut down as many drunken reavers as possible. Euron Greyjoy and the *Silence* evaded the grasp of the Reachmen, however, and the Ironborn sailed for home. They avoided a Lannister fleet from Lannisport by charting a course over open ocean in rough winter seas far from the coast. The Ironborn settled in for the winter to repair their ships and wait for the return of spring.