The Lords Scorned

**The Lords Scorned** were a group of rebellions lords and landed knights who rose up against the rule of King Aegon VI Targaryen in the year 333 AC. Following their short-lived rebellion, many of the leading lords were put to the sword, or sent to the Wall, with House Strickland becoming extinct in the process.

## Formation

Upon Harry Strickland's death in the late months of 332 AC, his son and heir Mycah organized a funeral and a tourney to celebrate his father's life and rule. King Aegon was to be his guest of honor, though the king scorned Lord Strickland's invitation, sending the Crown Prince Rhaegar in his stead.

This angered the Strickland, who had for years watched as other lords from around Westeros belittled those who had fought in the Golden Company, who had fought to win the King his crown. 'Gold for five generations,' his father told him on his deathbed - a fact the Lord of Harrenhal would not soon forget.

Lords and ladies from across the Seven Kingdoms were called to Harrenhal for the celebrations, in the early months of 333 AC, though Strickland called his supporters for a different means. Landed lords and knights, whom had once served in the Golden Company, began rallying their levies, preparing for a war that was to come. When the tourney commenced, Mycah Strickland and his conspirators sprung into action.

## The War

At the onset of the tourney, the gates of Harrenhal were barred shut, and all those in attendance were taken captive by the Lords Scorned, most notable of all being Prince Rhaegar. The demands of the Lords Scorned were simple - equal rights and respects in the eyes of the Westerosi nobility, in exchange for the safe return of the Prince. With so many other hostages, there were few who could rise up against the rebels, for fear of losing their own kin. Before long, the rebellious lords had amassed an army of 22,000 men to Harrenhal, ready to strike, if need be.

Shortly thereafter, the mysterious death of Prince Rhaegar within the walls of Harrenhal forced the hand of the rebels, who soon marched south, in hopes that they could achieve their goals through force, before the news of the Prince's death got out. Marching south, the Lords Scorned were met by a small host led by the King himself, though the royal army was quite significantly outnumbered by the rebels.

After numerous victories in the early months of the war, the Lords Scorned were pushing further and further south, closer to King's Landing, and to victory. However, nearly three months into the war, news of Prince Rhaegar's death began to spread, and fervor among the defending royal forces grew. Other houses, who had thus far remained neutral, rallied to the King's side, fearing that their families had already been murdered, as the Prince had apparently been. Before long, the Lords Scorned were retreating north, and a large royal host followed after them.

Recapturing the cities and keeps that were taken by the rebels, the royal forces continued to grow as more men flocked to the King. When the Lords Scorned reached Harrenhal however, they were betrayed by Lord Jason Bracken, Mycah Strickland's cousin, who had shifted allegiances back to the crown. With no stronghold to occupy, the rebels were caught on the banks of the God's Eye, and the war was ended there, just half a year after it had began.

## Dissolution

With defeat in the field, the leaders of the Lords Scorned were taken captive, and the hostages in Harrenhal were released. Many had hostages taken, others were sent to the Wall, while the ringleaders - Mycah Strickland included - were summarily executed. The Lords Scorned were crushed, and Harrenhal was left without a lord. The lack of a lord in Harrenhal brought about the creation of House Targaryen of Harrenhal, and the establishment of a stronger royal presence in the Riverlands.