I'm going to break with tradition and try to write part of my next post from a woman's perspective. Any female players will have to excuse me for the story cliches that will undoubtedly abound. I know you're not from a (completely) different species but sometimes I do think we approach situations in completely differently manners and this is coming from someone with two sisters. Constructive criticism is welcome.
Winston Smith Member
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If I might interject, and more so for my own sake of curiosity, what is the disposition of the two dragons, one wild, one tamed, that escaped during the Dance of Dragons? The Dragon Sheepstealer, flown by Nettles, and the wild dragon Cannibal, both dipped out during the Dance of Dragons, and in conjunction with these two Dragons, what is the disposition of all the other eggs? I think it was mentioned in the back story that the Ruins of Summerhall had some eggs, but the lore touches base about a number of other eggs that are either MIA/unaccounted for, excluding the egg of Prince Aerion Targeryen, which my character currently possess. ((By no means trying to stir the pot, but maybe this would be a more acceptable means of having an egg, rather than a fully hatched dragon. These eggs would be very valuable, but perhaps a reasonable and convincing backstory/history/biography could explain how you have gotten your hands onto an egg, and what your hopes are to do with that egg.))
unless I'm much mistaken Cannibal escaped over the whispers into the Vale where he was tamed by a wild witch who essentially formed the burned men creating their ritual out of dragonflame.
@Celeste@Winston Smith CK2 AGOT is epic. I enjoy playing as Rhaegar and marrying Cersei. Crisis averted, as the realm goes to a civil war, but me against Aerys II. They ended up winning, and my dad is now my subject, Cersei is queen... yey for her, and she doesn't sleep with her brother. A side note, I rebuilt Summerhall, and put Aerys II in charge of it. He is happy, living a simple life of the Knight of Summerhall. Still going, though the damned Stepstone folks aren't too keen for me, as I want to stop them from raiding my lands.
Hahaha I'm not sure who I pity more Cersei or Rheagar
It seems thhat those who live on stepstones live to make others people's lives uncomfortable.
Of course!
Also Celeste, I'm ending my post right alongside Mychel so feel free to order Ser Artys around!
Artys:
The Grand Melee
Ser Artys and his brothers in arms had not brought much honour to the Vale of Arryn during the melée. The first few challengers had been dispatched with ease as is often the case when hedge knights and freeriders met annointed knights. Ser Harrold Arryn had drilled the Winged Knights day in and day out with axe, lance and sword, instructing them to parry, to strike and to look high and cut low. What he had not done, however, was to teach them to stand together as a brotherhood-for was that not what the Winged Knights were? A brotherhood of young Knights drawn from the noblest houses of the Vale? By rights Valemen should have the finest Knights in the seven Kingdoms for this is where the Andal tradition of chivalry first took root generations before the other Kingdoms. Although this claim to fame was disputed by the Reachmen, who based their own on the legend of the ten foot tall John the Oak. Nonetheless what Artys has seen today made him question the valour of his order, rather than locking shields and forming a wall of steel to addressing foes as they came, he witnessed falconed helm after falconed helm disappear into the centre of the grounds where only the bravest, the most glory hungry and the most foolish ventured.
Artys had stayed back to stand by his commander, Ser Harrold Hardyng who, although proud, was experienced in tourneys unlike most of the Winged knights saw sense in surveying the grounds and letting others tire themselves out first before getting involved. As they held their ground Set Artys glanced around and noticed the retinue of House Lannister accross the field and the household swords of the Tullies to his left. These seemed instilled with more discipline and fought together. These men may have been the issue of lesser, often newer houses but had the greater experience, and dealt with their foes far more effectively. He witnessed a Tully sword face off with a taller, more imposing Knight and saw his helm come clean off, yet the man went on to defeat his foe, only this was no man at all but a woman clad in armour. Such things had been heard of before of course but never in the Vale and never before had he seen a knighted woman before. What wonders the world had to show once you set foot beyond the Bloody Gate!
Eventually, Ser Harrold spurred his steed forward and Ser Artys followed his commander into the fray, bringing down his blunted axe on a dismounted northener, a bearded old man clad in rusted mail and leather. Although the man went down instantly Ser Artys found little honour in this victory. Another challenger appeared; a younger man ahorse and visibly better armoured, a man probably like himself, the younger son of a Lord who hoped to find his future in tourneys, in battle or in service to his lord. As fate would have it, it would not be in this tourney as he did not have a weapon with the reach to challenge Artys and could not land any effective blows without closing the distance between them. This proved to be his undoing as he charged towards Artys, only to be dealt a savage blow to the shoulder by Ser Harrold hardyng but as he turned to face the new foe, Ser Artys brought his axe down accross the young knights other shoulder forcing him off his horse tumbling to the ground where he stayed.
As the day wore on, however, his brothers too were knocked unconscious or forced to yield so that only a handful of Winged Knights remained, among them Ser Artys and himself. Fatigue was beginning to set in and he was sweltering in his heavy armour. He scoured the field and noticed that what had started off as hundreds of knights had become dozens of duels where two men would face one another until one prevailed and was forced to find another victor. This had a sense of justice to it, as only those who could defeat successive opponents would reach the end but it also meant that the longer he stayed in the fight the greater the threat his opponent would be. Narrowly besting a man in a green tabard Ser Artys looked around to see Cedric Ruthermont worn down and defeated by a hulking stormlander armed with a two handed claymore. Honour dictated that he avenged his brother but Graftons has always been blessed with more sense than honour and instead looked elsewhere for a less imposing target. Eventually, tired and unhorsed, Ser Artys yielded to a Hightower knight armed with a giant warhammer who had disarmed him, broken his shield and allowed him time to reclaim his axe and fight on.
Later that afternoon he and the winged knights were summoned by Ser Harrold who congratulated them and too kthe opportunity to praise himself on their training. They were told that although many had been unhorsed and defeated early on, the honour of the Vale was safe as Ser Harrold Hardyng, Cedric Ruthermont and Artys Grafton and Matthos Corbray had stood until the final stages. Despite the words of the lord Commander it hardly felt like an achievement to be proud of. As his squire, Balon Coldwater took his armour to the armourer Lord Arryn had brought along as part of his entourage to get the dents knocked out of it, Ser Artys Grafton sought out a healer that could help him stich up the cuts his armour had not been enough to prevent as was to be expected he was not the only man to seek out the man’s services and was told to return later. As he returned to his tent he found Balon in the process of filling him a much needed bath with hot water. Outside of beautiful women, good food and a good fight there was little Artys appreciated more than a scalding hot bath to loosen the knots in his arms and shoulders. as he stepped into the tub he thought back to his defeat recalling the honourable actions of his final foe and he thought to himself that perhaps it was true and that there was greater chivalry and sense to be found in the Reach than in the Vale. He stayed in the water longer than he should, enjoying the water until it became lukewarm and Balon came rushing in and told him that he was expected shortly to make up Lord Arryn's retinue tonight at the feast.
The Feast:
The Feast was everything Ser Artys could have expected and more, great efforts had obviously made. The cooks, the drapers the musicians all had worked to perfection to prepare the perfect evening's entertainment. Unfortunately the conversation at the Arryn table was of little interest, talk of the conflict with the mountain tribes bored him as he had heard it all before fighting them on the front lines. There were whispers of other threats, often associated with mysterious powers that he overheard from other tables. This interested him far more as it seemed to echo the tales of that Erik had told him of during his letters from the Citadel. During his studies his younger brother had studied a great deal concerning magic now that such secrets were no longer a taboo subject. Erik had also overhead a great deal of private conversations he should not have been privy to between the archmaesters. Hiding in plain sight had been somewhat of a hobby to his younger brother, one that had now served the family well in Gulltown. Ser Artys Excused himself from Lord Arryn's company hoping to join in the conversation of those discussing the subject of magic, safe in the knowledge that his lordship remained well-guarded without him. He spent the rest of the night at this table discussing the subject with the members of House Bracken.
As conversation turned to dancing he felt rather embarrassed wondering whether he ought not to return to his Lordship's company rather than overstay his welcome with the Brackens. As he made way to leave, however, a beautiful daughter of house Bracken approached him on behalf of her sister who was looking for a partner. He prepared himself to excuse himself due to his engagement to the eldest daughter of house Belmore but as it turned out that the sister in question had barely turned 11 and was jealous of all her brothers and sisters having no partner of her own. Ser Artys smiled, he had not distinguished himself today but there were other aspects to Knighthood than merely fighting. What kind of Knight would refuse this dance to a young maid? For the next hour, he and little Serene danced alongside all the lords and ladies of the Seven kingdoms not caring what others thought of them. He returned her to her father and sister praising young Serene's elegance and manners before retiring back to his tent for the night where he found young Balon fast asleep. Ser Artys was surprised with his sobriety for what was undoubtedly one of the largest celebrations in recent memory yet when he went to sleep having drunk very little throughout the evening and sleep found him quickly.
The Attack:
A horn woke him in the night.
'That is no part of the entertainement' he thought to himself.
Quickly he became aware of men rushing past his tent in various states of undress with panic in their voices. Could the city be under attack? What fool would attack the capital with all these soldiers present? Remembering that not all those who attended the festivities were worries he started putting on his armour pouring a bucket of now cold bathwater on his squire to wake him up.
'Help me get this on quickly' he shouted to the startled boy 'once I'm gone arm yourself and stay in here, for no reason are you to leave this tent. Understand me boy?'
'To me Winged Knights!' a call rang out in the night. Grabbing his bastard sword he burst out from his tent Ser Artys followed the voice and found his brothers atop the wall. Nearby to them he was glad to see Mychel Arryn loosing arrow after arrow above the heads of his brothers. he quickly his shield alongside those of his brothers searching in the darkness for his foes. What he saw chilled him to the core. Creatures, that looked like fish-men rising out of the sea, making their way atop the walls many guardsmen lay dead already bitten by the creature's monstruous teeth or hacked apart by their brutish weapons. He suddenly regretted wishing to see more magic in his life. Could these be the merlings Erik has talked so much about or was King's Landing under attack from the mysterious fish people of the Thousand Islands? He supposed it didn't really matter, he had a task to do and he was going to do it. The knights stepped forward together and slashed their way along the walls but it seemed too many of the foes had already spilled over into the city. Young Mychel's arrows flew overhead often brining down one of the creatures before they made it to the line of Vale Knights and for this Ser Artys was grateful. The lockstep sound of his brothers marching with him and the slain bodies of the mysterious foes around them reassured him that whilst they were poor tourney Knights, the Winged Brotherhood showed their best qualities on the battlefield.
The Grand Melee
Ser Artys and his brothers in arms had not brought much honour to the Vale of Arryn during the melée. The first few challengers had been dispatched with ease as is often the case when hedge knights and freeriders met annointed knights. Ser Harrold Arryn had drilled the Winged Knights day in and day out with axe, lance and sword, instructing them to parry, to strike and to look high and cut low. What he had not done, however, was to teach them to stand together as a brotherhood-for was that not what the Winged Knights were? A brotherhood of young Knights drawn from the noblest houses of the Vale? By rights Valemen should have the finest Knights in the seven Kingdoms for this is where the Andal tradition of chivalry first took root generations before the other Kingdoms. Although this claim to fame was disputed by the Reachmen, who based their own on the legend of the ten foot tall John the Oak. Nonetheless what Artys has seen today made him question the valour of his order, rather than locking shields and forming a wall of steel to addressing foes as they came, he witnessed falconed helm after falconed helm disappear into the centre of the grounds where only the bravest, the most glory hungry and the most foolish ventured.
Artys had stayed back to stand by his commander, Ser Harrold Hardyng who, although proud, was experienced in tourneys unlike most of the Winged knights saw sense in surveying the grounds and letting others tire themselves out first before getting involved. As they held their ground Set Artys glanced around and noticed the retinue of House Lannister accross the field and the household swords of the Tullies to his left. These seemed instilled with more discipline and fought together. These men may have been the issue of lesser, often newer houses but had the greater experience, and dealt with their foes far more effectively. He witnessed a Tully sword face off with a taller, more imposing Knight and saw his helm come clean off, yet the man went on to defeat his foe, only this was no man at all but a woman clad in armour. Such things had been heard of before of course but never in the Vale and never before had he seen a knighted woman before. What wonders the world had to show once you set foot beyond the Bloody Gate!
Eventually, Ser Harrold spurred his steed forward and Ser Artys followed his commander into the fray, bringing down his blunted axe on a dismounted northener, a bearded old man clad in rusted mail and leather. Although the man went down instantly Ser Artys found little honour in this victory. Another challenger appeared; a younger man ahorse and visibly better armoured, a man probably like himself, the younger son of a Lord who hoped to find his future in tourneys, in battle or in service to his lord. As fate would have it, it would not be in this tourney as he did not have a weapon with the reach to challenge Artys and could not land any effective blows without closing the distance between them. This proved to be his undoing as he charged towards Artys, only to be dealt a savage blow to the shoulder by Ser Harrold hardyng but as he turned to face the new foe, Ser Artys brought his axe down accross the young knights other shoulder forcing him off his horse tumbling to the ground where he stayed.
As the day wore on, however, his brothers too were knocked unconscious or forced to yield so that only a handful of Winged Knights remained, among them Ser Artys and himself. Fatigue was beginning to set in and he was sweltering in his heavy armour. He scoured the field and noticed that what had started off as hundreds of knights had become dozens of duels where two men would face one another until one prevailed and was forced to find another victor. This had a sense of justice to it, as only those who could defeat successive opponents would reach the end but it also meant that the longer he stayed in the fight the greater the threat his opponent would be. Narrowly besting a man in a green tabard Ser Artys looked around to see Cedric Ruthermont worn down and defeated by a hulking stormlander armed with a two handed claymore. Honour dictated that he avenged his brother but Graftons has always been blessed with more sense than honour and instead looked elsewhere for a less imposing target. Eventually, tired and unhorsed, Ser Artys yielded to a Hightower knight armed with a giant warhammer who had disarmed him, broken his shield and allowed him time to reclaim his axe and fight on.
Later that afternoon he and the winged knights were summoned by Ser Harrold who congratulated them and too kthe opportunity to praise himself on their training. They were told that although many had been unhorsed and defeated early on, the honour of the Vale was safe as Ser Harrold Hardyng, Cedric Ruthermont and Artys Grafton and Matthos Corbray had stood until the final stages. Despite the words of the lord Commander it hardly felt like an achievement to be proud of. As his squire, Balon Coldwater took his armour to the armourer Lord Arryn had brought along as part of his entourage to get the dents knocked out of it, Ser Artys Grafton sought out a healer that could help him stich up the cuts his armour had not been enough to prevent as was to be expected he was not the only man to seek out the man’s services and was told to return later. As he returned to his tent he found Balon in the process of filling him a much needed bath with hot water. Outside of beautiful women, good food and a good fight there was little Artys appreciated more than a scalding hot bath to loosen the knots in his arms and shoulders. as he stepped into the tub he thought back to his defeat recalling the honourable actions of his final foe and he thought to himself that perhaps it was true and that there was greater chivalry and sense to be found in the Reach than in the Vale. He stayed in the water longer than he should, enjoying the water until it became lukewarm and Balon came rushing in and told him that he was expected shortly to make up Lord Arryn's retinue tonight at the feast.
The Feast:
The Feast was everything Ser Artys could have expected and more, great efforts had obviously made. The cooks, the drapers the musicians all had worked to perfection to prepare the perfect evening's entertainment. Unfortunately the conversation at the Arryn table was of little interest, talk of the conflict with the mountain tribes bored him as he had heard it all before fighting them on the front lines. There were whispers of other threats, often associated with mysterious powers that he overheard from other tables. This interested him far more as it seemed to echo the tales of that Erik had told him of during his letters from the Citadel. During his studies his younger brother had studied a great deal concerning magic now that such secrets were no longer a taboo subject. Erik had also overhead a great deal of private conversations he should not have been privy to between the archmaesters. Hiding in plain sight had been somewhat of a hobby to his younger brother, one that had now served the family well in Gulltown. Ser Artys Excused himself from Lord Arryn's company hoping to join in the conversation of those discussing the subject of magic, safe in the knowledge that his lordship remained well-guarded without him. He spent the rest of the night at this table discussing the subject with the members of House Bracken.
As conversation turned to dancing he felt rather embarrassed wondering whether he ought not to return to his Lordship's company rather than overstay his welcome with the Brackens. As he made way to leave, however, a beautiful daughter of house Bracken approached him on behalf of her sister who was looking for a partner. He prepared himself to excuse himself due to his engagement to the eldest daughter of house Belmore but as it turned out that the sister in question had barely turned 11 and was jealous of all her brothers and sisters having no partner of her own. Ser Artys smiled, he had not distinguished himself today but there were other aspects to Knighthood than merely fighting. What kind of Knight would refuse this dance to a young maid? For the next hour, he and little Serene danced alongside all the lords and ladies of the Seven kingdoms not caring what others thought of them. He returned her to her father and sister praising young Serene's elegance and manners before retiring back to his tent for the night where he found young Balon fast asleep. Ser Artys was surprised with his sobriety for what was undoubtedly one of the largest celebrations in recent memory yet when he went to sleep having drunk very little throughout the evening and sleep found him quickly.
The Attack:
A horn woke him in the night.
'That is no part of the entertainement' he thought to himself.
Quickly he became aware of men rushing past his tent in various states of undress with panic in their voices. Could the city be under attack? What fool would attack the capital with all these soldiers present? Remembering that not all those who attended the festivities were worries he started putting on his armour pouring a bucket of now cold bathwater on his squire to wake him up.
'Help me get this on quickly' he shouted to the startled boy 'once I'm gone arm yourself and stay in here, for no reason are you to leave this tent. Understand me boy?'
'To me Winged Knights!' a call rang out in the night. Grabbing his bastard sword he burst out from his tent Ser Artys followed the voice and found his brothers atop the wall. Nearby to them he was glad to see Mychel Arryn loosing arrow after arrow above the heads of his brothers. he quickly his shield alongside those of his brothers searching in the darkness for his foes. What he saw chilled him to the core. Creatures, that looked like fish-men rising out of the sea, making their way atop the walls many guardsmen lay dead already bitten by the creature's monstruous teeth or hacked apart by their brutish weapons. He suddenly regretted wishing to see more magic in his life. Could these be the merlings Erik has talked so much about or was King's Landing under attack from the mysterious fish people of the Thousand Islands? He supposed it didn't really matter, he had a task to do and he was going to do it. The knights stepped forward together and slashed their way along the walls but it seemed too many of the foes had already spilled over into the city. Young Mychel's arrows flew overhead often brining down one of the creatures before they made it to the line of Vale Knights and for this Ser Artys was grateful. The lockstep sound of his brothers marching with him and the slain bodies of the mysterious foes around them reassured him that whilst they were poor tourney Knights, the Winged Brotherhood showed their best qualities on the battlefield.
@Winston Smith Plus, AGOT has gosh darn dragons, yo. Now... imagine... if you please... a Stokeworth dragon rider. :P
He's got good traits for it! Half my family members end up BBQed on the spot.' Damnit Ck2 I paid 800 Dragons and sailed my Leader aroudn the world for this, now my lord is infirm and my lands are burning? Thanks a bunch!'
Have you ever had Petyr Baelish Dragon rider and Emperor of New Valyria?
ck2 AGOT is so much better than the original vanilla game! I get to play out all my terrible terrible plots! All hail Pirate King George Martin, faithful follower of the drowned god with multiple surprisingly pregnant unmarried sisters and salt-wives!
House: House Grafton of Gulltown
Forged in Flame
Region: The Vale of Arryn.
Liege: Who do they owe allegiance to? Lord Robin Arryn
Holding: What lands does the family personally control? The easternmost peninsula of the Vale is split between the Royces of Runestone to the North and Graftons of Gulltown to the south. Gerold Grafton inherited all lands previously held by the Shett Kings of old. Owing to their strength and power House Royce had traditionally dominated the majority of this fertile peninsula but since their defeat at the battle of the Seven Stars, land previously held by the First Men had been awarded to Andal houses who fought alongside Artys Arryn including Ser Gerold Grafton. Gulltown is Westeros’ fourth largest City and is known as theEastern Gate into the Vale. Good From the Free Cities and beyond make their way through the ports of House Grafton into the heartland of the Vale.
Recent History:
House Grafton had been pleased to honour Lady Lysa Arryn’s decision to stay out of the war. Lord Gerold had found this to be wise, as the other realms impoverished themselves through ceaseless fighting the Vale grew stronger than ever before under the stewardship of Lord Petyr Baelish. Let the overproud Belmores and the bellicose Royces plead their case for war, whilst House Grafton enriched itself through trade. As Stark and Lannister men fought over the Riverlands house Grafton’s men had been in the field and at sea growing reserves for the winter. When Stannis Baratheon besieged Kings Landing House Grafton bought grain and goods cheaply from Essos. When wildfire torched the capital and the Dragon Queen burned her away across Essos, the Vale remained unharmed and safe behind it’s mountain walls. This would change however when Euron Greyjoy declared himself King of Westeros and loosed the Iron fleet of reavers to pillage, rape and burn their way across Westeros. Although the Shield Islands, the Arbour and Oldtown took the first blows of this as yet unblooded fleet all Westeros would come to fear the Black ships of the ironborn. Lord Gerold Grafton had ordered ships from Braavos and had strengthened the defences of the city preparing for such an attack but he could not forsee the sheer power of Euron Crowseye. Seeking to safeguard his subjects from the ironborn Lord Robin Arryn had elected to send out the Vale Fleet to meet the ironfleet on the high seas. This was not in itself a foolish decision as any ship lost by the ironborn would cost them not only crew but also the reavers they intended to carry ashore whilst any lost Valeman vessel would only lose the crew. However, Lord Arryn had underestimated the damage that houses Hightower and Redwyne had caused the ironfleet and Euron secured a comfortable victory over the Vale’s naval forces. Days after the disastrous defeat off the coast of the Fingers the Ironfleet descended onto Gulltown seeking to claim her riches and make thralls of her people. It was an arduous battle, Ser Gerold had blocked the harbour with what remained of his fleet positioning engine upon the walls of the city ready to rain death upon the Ironborn, despite this the ironborn fought their way ashore and fighting ensued throughout the city as Grafton men bolstered by reinforcements from the Redfort, Ironoaks and Wickenden fought tooth and nail to protect the people of the city from harm although these were eventually called to arms to replenish the ranks of the defenders. Eventually, however, the Ironborn force cracked half intoxicated by the fighting fought to the bitter end whilst others retreated to their ships carrying away as much loot as they could carry. These men would be captured or cutdown on the quays as Lord Gerold Graftons Ships from Braavos finally arrived and denied the fleeing Ironborn escape on the seas. Although Gulltown was largely burned, it’s Lord and his heir had been slain in the fighting, and a great deal of its wealth had been lost this was a great victory for House Grafton as it had almost singlehandedly defeated the IronFleet earning the respect of much of the Vale. Though Euron and his council managed to escape the battle with what little remained of his fleet, only to be shortly thereafter dealt with by king on and his newlywed wife, hundreds of important prisoners were taken that day as was Nightfall the Valyrian Steel blade of House Harlaw. The new Lord of Gulltown young Gyles Grafton would later ransom these men and the blade back to the iron Islands. He would later boast that house Gulltown had not only skewered the kraken but had also forced it to pay the Gold price for its own belongings. This would impoverish the bleak pirate infested islands for generations to come and would restore Gulltown to a greater level of wealth than it had ever enjoyed before. Indeed a great deal of gold and many rare and valuable items claimed by Ironborn raiders over the course of centuries made their way into the hands of House Grafton when lady Asha Greyjoy received Lord Gyles demand. Since the end of the war house Grafton has put its money to good use rebuilding the city and its fleet, investing in new trade ventures abroad, building several Septs, libraries and Mines and providing patronage to the arts brigning skilled trademen from aborad and encouraging eager people fleeing the chaos of the Riverlands and the crownlands to flock to Gulltown seeking work.
Family Members:
Forged in Flame
Region: The Vale of Arryn.
Liege: Who do they owe allegiance to? Lord Robin Arryn
Holding: What lands does the family personally control? The easternmost peninsula of the Vale is split between the Royces of Runestone to the North and Graftons of Gulltown to the south. Gerold Grafton inherited all lands previously held by the Shett Kings of old. Owing to their strength and power House Royce had traditionally dominated the majority of this fertile peninsula but since their defeat at the battle of the Seven Stars, land previously held by the First Men had been awarded to Andal houses who fought alongside Artys Arryn including Ser Gerold Grafton. Gulltown is Westeros’ fourth largest City and is known as theEastern Gate into the Vale. Good From the Free Cities and beyond make their way through the ports of House Grafton into the heartland of the Vale.
Recent History:
House Grafton had been pleased to honour Lady Lysa Arryn’s decision to stay out of the war. Lord Gerold had found this to be wise, as the other realms impoverished themselves through ceaseless fighting the Vale grew stronger than ever before under the stewardship of Lord Petyr Baelish. Let the overproud Belmores and the bellicose Royces plead their case for war, whilst House Grafton enriched itself through trade. As Stark and Lannister men fought over the Riverlands house Grafton’s men had been in the field and at sea growing reserves for the winter. When Stannis Baratheon besieged Kings Landing House Grafton bought grain and goods cheaply from Essos. When wildfire torched the capital and the Dragon Queen burned her away across Essos, the Vale remained unharmed and safe behind it’s mountain walls. This would change however when Euron Greyjoy declared himself King of Westeros and loosed the Iron fleet of reavers to pillage, rape and burn their way across Westeros. Although the Shield Islands, the Arbour and Oldtown took the first blows of this as yet unblooded fleet all Westeros would come to fear the Black ships of the ironborn. Lord Gerold Grafton had ordered ships from Braavos and had strengthened the defences of the city preparing for such an attack but he could not forsee the sheer power of Euron Crowseye. Seeking to safeguard his subjects from the ironborn Lord Robin Arryn had elected to send out the Vale Fleet to meet the ironfleet on the high seas. This was not in itself a foolish decision as any ship lost by the ironborn would cost them not only crew but also the reavers they intended to carry ashore whilst any lost Valeman vessel would only lose the crew. However, Lord Arryn had underestimated the damage that houses Hightower and Redwyne had caused the ironfleet and Euron secured a comfortable victory over the Vale’s naval forces. Days after the disastrous defeat off the coast of the Fingers the Ironfleet descended onto Gulltown seeking to claim her riches and make thralls of her people. It was an arduous battle, Ser Gerold had blocked the harbour with what remained of his fleet positioning engine upon the walls of the city ready to rain death upon the Ironborn, despite this the ironborn fought their way ashore and fighting ensued throughout the city as Grafton men bolstered by reinforcements from the Redfort, Ironoaks and Wickenden fought tooth and nail to protect the people of the city from harm although these were eventually called to arms to replenish the ranks of the defenders. Eventually, however, the Ironborn force cracked half intoxicated by the fighting fought to the bitter end whilst others retreated to their ships carrying away as much loot as they could carry. These men would be captured or cutdown on the quays as Lord Gerold Graftons Ships from Braavos finally arrived and denied the fleeing Ironborn escape on the seas. Although Gulltown was largely burned, it’s Lord and his heir had been slain in the fighting, and a great deal of its wealth had been lost this was a great victory for House Grafton as it had almost singlehandedly defeated the IronFleet earning the respect of much of the Vale. Though Euron and his council managed to escape the battle with what little remained of his fleet, only to be shortly thereafter dealt with by king on and his newlywed wife, hundreds of important prisoners were taken that day as was Nightfall the Valyrian Steel blade of House Harlaw. The new Lord of Gulltown young Gyles Grafton would later ransom these men and the blade back to the iron Islands. He would later boast that house Gulltown had not only skewered the kraken but had also forced it to pay the Gold price for its own belongings. This would impoverish the bleak pirate infested islands for generations to come and would restore Gulltown to a greater level of wealth than it had ever enjoyed before. Indeed a great deal of gold and many rare and valuable items claimed by Ironborn raiders over the course of centuries made their way into the hands of House Grafton when lady Asha Greyjoy received Lord Gyles demand. Since the end of the war house Grafton has put its money to good use rebuilding the city and its fleet, investing in new trade ventures abroad, building several Septs, libraries and Mines and providing patronage to the arts brigning skilled trademen from aborad and encouraging eager people fleeing the chaos of the Riverlands and the crownlands to flock to Gulltown seeking work.
Family Members:
I'm availible for collabs btw, if anyone wants to talk to any of the Tyrells.
i'd like that! Just let me roll out my first post first please.
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