#owain bourney

[horizon-verizon]

Septon Eustace and Grand Maester Munkun both assert that Prince Daeron was sickened by all he saw and commanded Ser Hobert Hightower to put a stop to it, but Hightower’s efforts proved as ineffectual as the man himself. It is in the nature of smallfolk to follow where their lords lead, and Lord Ormund’s would-be successors had themselves fallen victim to avarice, bloodlust, and pride. Bold Jon Roxton became enamored of the beautiful Lady Sharis Footly, the wife of the Lord of Tumbleton, and claimed her as a “prize of war.” When her lord husband protested, Ser Jon cut him nigh in two with Orphan Maker, saying, “She can make widows too,” as he tore the gown from the weeping Lady Sharis. Only two days later, Lord Peake and Lord Bourney argued bitterly at a war council, until Peake drew his dagger and stabbed Bourney through the eye, declaring, “Once a turncloak, ever a turncloak,” as Prince Daeron and Ser Hobert looked on, horror struck.

Fire and Blood by GRRM, pg 495-496

[duxbelisarius]

The Dance of the Dragons: A Military Analysis (Pt. 11)

(Consider this Part 2 of the Tumbleton analysis; see the Master Post for the rest of the series)

Despite telling us that the town was “reduced to ash and embers” and that “no mercy was shown the survivors,” we’re led to believe that there are still houses and shops to be robbed and inhabitants remaining to rape and murder after being razed by the fire of three dragons. We’re told that Lord Ormund’s successors had fallen victim to “avarice, bloodlust, and pride,” but were apparently never motivated to turn their eyes to King’s Landing, a place where they could loot, murder and rape to a far greater extent than in the smoldering ruins of a dead town. Similar to Aemond burning the Riverlands without actually inflicting any major damage, the bloodlust of the Greens is both boundless AND easily sated, whatever is necessary to ensure George’s preferred ending. 

Thanks to the ridiculously contrived actions of Roderick Dustin, the Hightower Army is suddenly paralyzed by a command crisis; apparently there were only three senior Hightowers in the entire army and two of them are dead, while third is 60 year-old Hobert Hightower, a cousin of Ormund. Hobert is to the Hightower army what Humfrey Lefford was to the Lannister army, an aged, physically unfit man cooked up by George to keep the plot moving in his desired direction, even if it makes no sense whatsoever. Placed in charge of the baggage train, we’re told he is slow, stout and completely undistinguished, and the Green lords seem to ignore him. 

The first issue with the command crisis is why it should even happen in the first place; after Jason Lannister’s death the Westerlands army found a new commander in Adrian Tarbeck, a landed knight of a noble house but who was otherwise unconnected to the Lannister family, while Lord Humfrey Lefford succeeded Tarbeck with little difficulty. The Frey forces fall-in behind Sabitha Frey, the wife of Lord Forrest Frey, with no apparent issue either, while the Blackwood forces end up being commanded by a 13 year old boy, Benjicot Blackwood, after the death of Lord Samwell. It makes little sense why the Hightower army should suddenly be treated differently, and the same can be said for the actual rivalry between the ‘candidates’ for command. The five men vying for command are Lord Unwin Peake, Ser Jon Roxton, Lord Owain Bourney and the Two Betrayers, Hugh Hammer and Ulf the White. Roxton and Bourney are by far the most contrived; Roxton is a landed knight with little in the way of credentials beyond his battle prowess, and is not connected to a major house in the Reach (unlike Adrian Tarbeck for example). Bourney ends up being killed in a dispute with Unwin Peake, but his only real argument was that he should command the army for his role in opening Tumbleton to the attackers; other than this, Bourney is a minor lord and not even a Reacher lord, so there’s no good reason why he should have been considered above the likes of Unwin Peake or Prince Daeron. Unwin Peake is the obvious choice to the lead the army and does so after the Second Battle, but this just makes the crisis appear even more contrived. Aside from the Redwynes, House Peake is the only other major house in the Reach that we know supported Aegon from the start, with Unwin Peake raising 100 knights and 900 men-at-arms for the cause. He was present at the Battle of the Honeywine, after which his only son was killed while leading a scouting mission; George establishes him as a ruthless authoritarian during the Regency of Aegon III, after the end of the Dance. His character and House Peake’s impressive holdings within the Reach, comprised of no less than three keeps (Starpike, Dunstonbury, Whitegrove), should make him the clear favourite to command the Hightower army. It appears his inclusion in the crisis was primarily intended by George to set-up his later arc in Aegon III’s Regency however.

The command crisis leads to conflict between the Two Betrayers and the so-called “Caltrops,” a group of Reacher lords headed by Unwin Peake and Hobert Hightower who conspire against Ulf and Hugh. With their egos inflated by the sack of Tumbleton, Ulf and Hugh set their sights on Highgarden and the Iron Throne respectively; while this presents the Green lords with an understandable dilemma, as Vermithor and Silverwing would be valuable for taking King’s Landing, the debates that result are largely drawn out in service of George’s plot aims. This is best illustrated when Richard Rodden (one of the “Caltrops”) denounces plans to take King’s Landing with the Betrayers before killing them, as dishonourable. Rodden argues that, “we cannot ask these men to shed blood with us, then kill them,” and yet this is effectively what they plan to do anyway; while the Betrayers fought beside them in the First Battle and ensured a Green victory, the Caltrops still plan to kill them both. It makes no sense why this debate, or any of these debates really, should keep the Hightower army frozen in place. Even more bizarre is the complete absence of any of the major Reach houses and former Black lords in this scenario. As alluded to in Part 6, Unwin Peake, Hobert Hightower and Owen Fossoway are the only lords mentioned that come from major houses, while the rest of the Caltrops and other notables of the army seem to be minor lords and landed knights. Even though Daeron and Tessarion forced the submission of most of Rhaenyra’s Reach supporters, none of these former Black lords play any role in the events at Tumbleton. With news of the riots in King’s Landing filtering in, one might expect Rhaenyra’s former supporters in the Hightower army to begin developing their own agenda, maybe even aligning with the Two Betrayers and turning on Daeron and the Greens. Nothing of the sort takes place, and even when the “Caltrops” decide to murder Ulf and Hugh, they conveniently wait two days after making the decision, whereupon the Riverlords and Addam Velaryon attack.

While ‘Daeron the Daring’ should be an obvious choice for leadership, Gyldan tells us that he was “still a boy” and more used to following orders than giving them, after having grown up in the shadow of his brothers. Based on what we were shown and told previously of Daeron, it’s clear that George retconned his character outright to serve his narrative at Tumbleton. We know Daeron was born shortly after Jacaerys Velaryon in 114 AC; despite the two being milk-brothers, Daeron grew up to resent and be a rival of the Velaryon brothers for what he saw as their usurpation of his and his brothers birth right. By age 6 he had bonded with the dragon Tessarion, while he was considered the most popular of Alicent’s three sons at court by age 12, “as clever as he was courteous, and most comely as well.” He was sent to Oldtown at age 12 as a ward to his uncle Ormund, serving as the squire and cupbearer of the Lord of the Hightower, and is described as gentle, soft-spoken and modest by Gyldan following his intervention in the Battle of the Honeywine. His reaction to the death of Prince Maelor shows that he was capable of cruelty, but his role in the Sack of Bitterbridge was clearly motivated by a love for his family and pain at the loss of his nephew. 

Gyldan labelling Daeron a ‘boy’ makes little sense when compared to his assessment of Jacaerys Velaryon; when he won the support of the North and the Vale despite offering little in return (see Part One for my discussion of this), Gyldan tells that “Prince Jacaerys had proved himself a man, and worthy heir to the Iron Throne.” He was half a year from turning 15 at the time, compared to which the slightly younger Daeron intervened in the Battle of the Honeywine, singlehandedly saving the Green war effort. Tessarion’s deterrent factor also helped to transform the Hightower army from being hopelessly outnumbered into a seemingly all-conquering force. Daeron’s service as the cupbearer and squire of Ormund Hightower, combined with his use of Tessarion to reconnoiter ahead of the army and support it in battle, makes it impossible for Daeron to not have developed relationships with the lords and knights around him. The former gave him a front row seat to the politics of Oldtown and the Reach, while the latter would require him to pass on information to Ormund and his commanders and coordinate his actions with those of the army at large. 

With Aegon missing, his two sons dead and Aemond having gone AWOL in the Riverlands, Daeron is both the ward of Lord Hightower AND the heir apparent; it should be a no-brainer for the lords and knights of the army to curry his favour, especially former Blacks looking to improve their standing and prove their loyalty. There is no reason for Daeron to suddenly become a non-entity during the command crisis at Tumbleton, and the idea of him being a ‘follower’ after living in the shadow of his brothers has next to no support. He surpassed Aemond at age six by forming a bond with a dragon, and was more popular than BOTH his older brothers at court by age 12; he then spent his formative teenage years apart from them both, in what amounted to an apprenticeship for becoming a lord and knight. His clear love of his family should also strongly motivate him, as we see from both the Sack of Bitterbridge, and his later action of throwing wine in Hugh’s face for suggesting that either of them should claim Aegon’s crown. The idea that he would willingly settle for inactivity while his mother and sister are imprisoned by the Blacks, and possibly gang-raped if the ‘Brothel Queens’ rumors can be believed, is simply ludicrous. 

This contrived crisis of command is only made worse however, as Gyldan writes that “none seemed concerned that their army was shrinking every day...as more and more men deserted, stealing off for home and harvest with all the plunder they could carry,” while disease also took root according to Maester Munkun. Since disease would obviously affect the lords commanding the army as much as the soldiers themselves, this only makes it more difficult to believe that the Hightower army would remain at Tumbleton for an entire month given such hazards. George invoking the harvest at this point in the narrative is just unserious, given how little it seems to matter outside the North. Lest we forget, it was already autumn when the Dance descended into open fighting, yet the harvest appears not to have affected the mobilization of the Riverlords or the Reach, the two most important regions in Westeros for agriculture. 

George further handicaps the Hightower Army, in what practically amounts to excuse making for his narrative. Unwin Peake recommends waiting for Borros Baratheon to join them with his army, but no mention is made of any attempts to contact Storm’s End. We’ll discuss the absence of Borros Baratheon from the Dance more so in Part 12, but it bears mentioning that the Stormlands is right next door to the northern Reach, so the absence of the Baratheon army is difficult to explain away. Hobert Hightower argues that the army should withdraw back to the Reach “to replenish their fast-dwindling supplies,” which is problematic on multiple levels. Firstly, Tumbleton is within the borders of the Reach, but perhaps this was an editing error and it was meant for the army to withdraw further into the Reach. It is an odd choice to suddenly raise the issue of logistics now, given how cavalierly George treats it in his narrative; the autumn and winter weather seems to have a varied impact on the plot, while we’ve already mentioned in Part 5 and 6 how George basically ignores the existence of rivers. The Hightower army should have access to both the Roseroad AND the Mander river for transporting supplies, and it just recently confiscated the food and wealth of Longtable. Also worth mentioning is Gyldan’s description of the Gardener-Lannister army that fought at the Field of Fire, where he states that “a host of such size must remain on the march, lest it eat the surrounding countryside bare.” While the Hightower army was less than half the size of the Gardener-Lannister host, the same logic should apply; given the destruction of Tumbleton and the logistical pressures the army would have faced, remaining in the same location for a month makes even less sense. Indeed, such pressures would have made the capture of King’s Landing that much more vital, especially when word of the riots and chaos became known; not only would taking the city provide opportunities for plunder, but the Hightower army could replenish it’s food supplies at the city’s expense, while the riots would have greatly reduced the possibility of organized resistance. These explanations for why the Hightower army is further delayed just end up raising more questions than answers, and poke even more holes in George’s narrative.

The Second Battle of Tumbleton is a massive contrivance all it’s own, as neither Addam Velaryon nor the Riverlords have reason or business being there. Addam’s reasoning is chalked up to his being a bastard, and trying to demonstrate his loyalty by defeating the Two Betrayers who had ‘stained’ him, but this makes no more sense than Jeyne Arryn supporting Rhaenyra on account of their both being women. The person who stained Addam IS Rhaenyra, not Hugh or Ulf, because he did nothing wrong to begin with; Corlys knew this of course, which is why he warned his son and helped him escape the city on Seasmoke. Since Corlys allows himself to be arrested by the Gold Cloaks, it’s clear he expected to be charged with treason and imprisoned; in light of this, it makes no sense why Addam would abandon his father as opposed to try and rescue him. He has his own dragon, Baela and Moondancer have been flying regularly from Dragonstone by this point, and Alyn Velaryon is with his father’s fleet; half her army and the entirety of her fleet comes from the Velaryons, and these forces began to desert Rhaenyra in droves following Corlys’ arrest, so Addam could easily have enlisted their aid in forcing the queen to free his father. It wouldn’t even be that difficult, since most of the city already hated her by this point, and would gladly have supported the Velaryons in deposing ‘Maegor with Teats.’

Instead, a bastard on the run from the law chooses not to seek out immediate support for the rescue of his father, but rather flies to a region he has little experience with to convince lords sworn to the very Queen who dubbed him a traitor, to help him defeat a 20000+ army supported by three dragons. But it gets even more nonsensical when we consider that he would have fled the city May 2nd, long before Nettles’ arrest orders reached Maidenpool or the Battle over the God’s Eye took place. One might expect him to seek the aid of Daemon at Maidenpool or warn Nettles at least, but he conveniently never encounters either of them in their final days of searching for Aemond, nor does he encounter Aemond. Even more conveniently, not a word of Addam’s efforts reaches the Green army at Tumbleton either directly or even indirectly via Storm’s End, Oldtown and Casterly Rock. This despite the fact that news of Aemond’s death got to them after some delay, and that there were many in the Riverlands that supported or once supported the Greens; this includes House Mooton of Maidenpool, who raised Aegon’s banner after Daemon departed, previously mentioned names like Bracken, Butterwell and Vance of Atranta, and likely Lord Bourney’s subjects, since Owain decided independently to betray Tumbleton to the Greens. 

We’ve already mentioned in Part 9 how George continues to ignore the weather unless it immediately serves his plot, but it bears repeating that winter should be in it’s first weeks in the Riverlands and any harvesting should be the priority (especially if men are deserting the Hightower army for the harvest in the Reach). When it comes to how Addam was able to gain the allegiance of House Tully AND raise an army of 4000 men, George uses the tried and true Naruto Shippuden plot device of ‘Talk-no-jutsu’: “Addam Velaryon was relentless and determined and glib of tongue...” Gyldan at least mentions that the Riverlords were appalled by stories of what was happening at Tumbleton, but as stated already, the Hightower army far outnumbers Addam’s own host AND possesses three dragons. Given the destruction brought on by the war and the continued threat of Aemond and Vhagar, it makes no sense why any of the Riverlords would risk fighting with such steep odds. The army consists of forces from House Blackwood, led by the 12 year-old Benjicot Blackwood; House Frey under Lady Sabitha Frey, as well as from House Vypren under her father and brothers leadership; House Vance of Wayfarer’s Rest, under Hugo Vance and joined by Black Trombo’s Myrish sellswords; and fresh levies raised by Lords Stanton Piper, Joseth Smallwood, Derrick Darry and Lyonel Deddings. F&B and TWOIAF claim that Elmo Tully led the Riverlords at Tumbleton with his own forces of House Tully, but since neither Elmo Tully or even the Tully name is mentioned in F&B’s account of the Second Battle, and the Tullys do not feature in that part of TPATQ’s narrative at all, the most that could be suggested is that Elmo Tully led the Riverlords in the role of acting Paramount of the Trident.

In terms of how the Second Battle was fought, George once again forgets his own geography and ignores previously established plot points. If we consult the map of the south in ADWD and the map of the Reach in TWOIAF, we can see that Tumbleton is located on the left bank of the Mander, just south of the hills where it’s headwaters are found. As we’re told that the Riverlord army attacked the Hightower army from the north and west, this poses an obvious problem; to attack Tumbleton from the north requires you to navigate the hills AND ford the headwaters of the Mander, and one must make a wide sweep around these obstacles to attack the town from the west. Even the town itself might be an obstacle depending on where the Hightower army was encamped; we know Hugh and Ulf were encamped to the south, with Daeron encamped to the west and many of the lords staying in the town itself. Not only did the Riverlords have to march on Tumbleton unnoticed through unfamiliar territory, they then had to launch simultaneous night attacks with largely inexperienced troops, while being separated by distance, natural obstacles AND an enemy encampment protected by three dragons. The attack from the west presents a further problem, as we know that Daeron’s pavilion was located west of the town along with Tessarion’s resting place. Being massive and magical apex predators, we should expect the dragons own senses to have aided them in detecting an attack; in Birth, Death, and Betrayal Under King Jaehaerys I, we’re told that Rhaena and Dreamfyre’s arrival at Storm’s End was noticed by Vermithor before anyone saw them, as the Bronze Fury raised his head from where he was sleeping a let out a loud roar, after picking up Dreamfyre’s scent. Vhagar was likewise able to detect the arrival of Lucerys and Arrax at Storm’s End, roaring loudly and alerting the entire castle before the smaller dragon was seen by the sentries, and in both instances it is implied that this awareness was possible despite the dragons sleeping. Yet at Second Tumbleton, we’re told that Tessarion, Silverwing and Vermithor “roused as the battle bloomed around them,”; there’s no excuse for why not one of these dragons detected the approach of Seasmoke, except that George either forgot or ignored it for the purposes of his plot.

The last thing I’ll comment on regarding Second Tumbleton is Daeron’s death, or at least the accounts we’re given of his supposed death. I’m certain that Daeron met his end at Tumbleton, but none of the three accounts Gyldan gives us are compelling. The first two, that he was killed by Black Trombo or by a man-at-arms who was unaware of his identity, can be easily discounted; we know that Daeron’s pavilion was to the west of the town, making it certain that he was on the frontlines of the fight. It would have been simple to report his death to any of the Riverlords leading the charge, or to simply display his head on a spear or banner; Trombo should also have been able to claim some of his belongings as trophies of his kill, but we know of nothing of Daeron’s personal effects being found after the fire in his tent. The tent fire theory is similarly unlikely, as we know that even in cases where people have been exposed directly to dragon fire, some remains are left that can be identified. When Rhaenys and Meleys fell at Rook’s Rest, the remains of Rhaenys were found near Meleys’ body despite having been horribly burned,  while Dragonstone’s Castellan Ser Robert Quince could still be identified by his size despite being burned alive by Sunfyre (after Aegon II’s seizes the island). Daeron is supposed to have burned after his pavilion caught fire and collapsed on him, but this requires us to believe that he slept so soundly that the commotion of battle and the smoke and flames did not wake him, and that no one was able to return to the location of his pavilion post-battle and search the wreckage for remains. Contrary to Gyldan’s claims that only Seasmoke flew with a rider during the Battle, I believe that Daeron rode with Tessarion during her initial clash with Seasmoke, and possibly during the battle with Vermithor afterwards. Most likely he fell from her back at some point during the fighting and his body was never recovered, especially if he landed in the Mander or fell into the fires of Tumbleton.

The Riverlords lost less than a hundred men compared to the over a thousand men lost by the Greens; Addam, Daeron, Ulf and Hugh were all dead by the following day, when the battle at last ended, and only Silverwing survived of the four dragons. The Riverlords made no attempt to march on King’s Landing and restore order, while the remnants of the Hightower army remained around the ruined town for another day before marching back towards Oldtown under Unwin Peake’s command. The Dance would continue for another year however, and it is to this final period that we will now turn our attention.

[twoiafart]

The Hightower host at Tumbletown Artwork by Francisco Vegas

With Lord Ormund dead, a cousin of no particular account named Ser Hobert laid claim to the command of the Hightower host. Lord Unwin Peake, Ser Jon Roxton the Bold, and Lord Owain Bourney—one of the men who had infiltrated Tumbleton and thrown open its gates—all suggested they could lead the gathered forces as well. The rudderless army soon fell into an orgy of looting, rape, and slaughter—all directed against the helpless survivors of Tumbleton—that lasted for days. Not even holy septas were safe, nor the silent sisters sworn to the service of the Stranger.

[thesevenkingdomschroniclesrol]

Unwin es un hombre orgulloso, brusco, duro, ambicioso y astuto. Tal como su padre en el Consejo del 101, Unwin no creía que una mujer debería gobernar a los hombres y por ello su casa apoyó a Aegon II y su derecho a ser Rey.

 Por eso marchó con unos mil hombres y se unió al gran ejército de Lord Ormund Hightower que planificaba tomar Desembarco del Rey. Después de la Primera Batalla de Ladera y la muerte de Lord Ormund Hightower, Unwin fue uno de los hombres que intentó reclamar el liderazgo sobre el ejército tras la muerte de Ormund, peleándose con los otros candidatos a liderar.

En un consejo de guerra, apuñaló a Lord Owain Bourney en el ojo con su daga, declarándolo un cambiacapas. Unwin quería esperar en Ladera con la esperanza de recibir el refuerzo de Lord Borros Baratheon, no obstante, al enterarse de los disturbios en Desembarco del Rey quiso marchar sobre la capital de inmediato.

Ser Hobert Hightower aconsejó precaución, y Hugh Martillo y Ulf el Blanco se negaron a unirse a cualquier ataque. En un consejo de guerra secreto, conspiraron para matar a los Dos Traidores. La tienda de Lord Peake fue incendiada por Bruma durante la Segunda Batalla de Ladera.

Unwin fue uno de los que sobrevivió a la batalla. Le preguntó a Ulf el Blanco sobre sus intenciones después de la batalla, a lo que Ulf respondió que tomaría el Trono de Hierro después de que los verdes capturaran Desembarco del Rey.

Ulf murió después de beber vino envenenado con Hobert. Unwin ofreció mil dragones dorados a cualquier caballero de noble cuna que pudiera reclamar a Ala de Plata, pero ninguno lo logró. Al ver que su ejército estaba desapareciendo por deserción, Unwin decidió abandonar la campaña hacia Desembarco del Rey y retirarse de Ladera.

Cuando se formó el consejo de regentes del rey Aegon III Targaryen, a Unwin no se le ofreció un lugar entre ellos lo cual lo enfureció. No obstante, tras la muerte de Lord Corlys Velaryon en 132 le ofrecieron el puesto, el cual aceptó. Después de la muerte de Ser Tyland Lannister, Unwin fue uno de los tres regentes que permaneció en Desembarco del Rey, además del enfermo Lord Manfryd Mooton y el Gran Maestre Munkun.

Unwin insistió en que los otros regentes, que habían abandonado la capital antes de la muerte de Tyland, habían renunciado a su lugar en el consejo al hacerlo. Con el apoyo de Munkun, Unwin anuló todos los nombramientos del rey Aegon III, ya que el Rey no había consultado a sus regentes para hacerlos.

En cambio, Unwin seleccionó a su propia gente para los puestos vacantes y se nombró a sí mismo como Mano y Lord Protector del Reino. ¿Podrá mantener su poder instaurando a sus familiares y cercanos en todos los puestos de importancia del Reino? En este momento parece ser él quien reina y el resto obedece.

[crown-of-winter]

Cronología del foro (Parte 2/3)

AÑO 130 AC

- Mes 1: La triarquia se une al bando de Aegon II Targaryen, aportando noventa buques de guerra, Aegon el pequeño es llevado por tempestad de regreso a Rocadragon, Viserys Targaryen desaparece y es dado por muerto. Horas después fallece Tempestad. - Mes 1: La Batalla del Gaznate toma lugar, en ella el poder naval de la triarquia se enfrenta a las fuerzas de los negros, y si bien Rocadragon no sufrió en demasía, si lo hizo Marcaderiva. Villaespecia fue saqueada, los cuerpos de los hombres, mujeres y niños fueron masacrados en las calles y abandonados como carroña. Marea Alta ardió y todos los tesoros que Lord Corlys Velaryon fueron consumidos por el fuego, la Casa Velaryon perdió un tercio de su fuerza naval. Muere el príncipe Jacaerys Velaryon y su dragón Vermax. - Mes 1: La Batalla del Aguamiel: Las fuerzas Hightower se enfrentaron a los partidarios de Rhaenyra en el Dominio, quienes lo superaban en número, hasta que Daeron Targaryen y Tessarion, el dragón, trajeron la ventaja al bando verde. Tom Flores y Lord Costayne mueren, mientras que Alan Beesbury y Alan Tarly fueron capturados. Daeron Targaryen, fue nombrado caballero. - Mes 2: Batalla del Forcaverde, siguiendo el plan del príncipe Aemond Targaryen, Lord Jason Lannister y las fuerzas de Occidente se enfrentan a las de los ríos, Lord Jason Lannister es herido por el escudero de Lord Pyper, pasando el mando a Lord Tarberck que logra realizar un plan y asesinar a Lord Pyper pasando así el obstáculo. Lord Lannister termina muriendo debido a estas heridas. - Mes 2: Dalton Greyjoy, decide aceptar la propuesta del bando de los negros y saquea Lannisport, llevandosé varios barcos, riquezas y mujeres. - Mes 3: Reconquista de Reposo del Grajo, muere Lord Walys Mooton, intentando asesinar a Fuegosolar, el dragón vuelve a volar. - Mes 3: Caída de Desembarco del Rey: Rhaenyra y su esposo, Daemon, junto a las semillas del dragón y Lord Velaryon, logran tomar Desembarco del Rey, quién era defendida por la reina madre, Alicent Hightower. Aegon II Targaryen, y sus hijos Jaehaera y Maelor logran escapar. - Mes 3: La Reina Rhaenyra Targaryen, se sienta en el trono de hierro y hace que la gente jure, pero tras levantarse se nota que el trono la ha rechazado porque esta toda cortada y llena de sangre. - Mes 3: Al enterarse de la toma de Desembarco del Rey, Aemond Targaryen elimina a la Casa Strong, casi al completo, mientras que toma a Alys Ríos como su amante. - Mes 3: La Batalla de la orilla del lago, llamado también Pasto de Peces por sus participantes, fue una batalla acaecida a lo largo de la orilla occidental del Ojo de Dioses dónde los Occidentales se enfrentaron a los hombres de los Ríos y los Lobos de Invierno al mando de Lord Dustin.  Murieron más de 2000 hombres, entre ellos muchos notables como lord Frey, lord Lefford, lord Bigglestone, lord Charlton, lord Swyft, lord Reyne, ser Clarent Crakehall y ser Emory Colina, el Bastardo de Lannisport. Las huestes de los Lannister resultaron destrozadas y masacradas, también muchos norteños fallecieron aquel día: más de 2/3 de las huestes de Lord Dustin. - Mes 3: En el Dominio, lord Hightower y su pupilo, el príncipe Daeron el Audaz, continuaron cosechando victorias y sometieron a los Rowan de Sotodeoro, los Oakheart de Roble Viejo y los señores de las Islas Escudo. - Mes 3: Lord Borros Baratheon, parte al sur contra los Dornienses, por sucesos en las marcas. - Mes 3: Los barcoluengos del kracken rojo caen sobre isla bella. - Mes 3: Rhaenyra Targaryen:  premia a Ser Luthor Largent, comandante de los capas doradas, por matar al hermano de la reina Alicent, ennobleciéndole. A ser Lorent Marbrand lo nombró lord comandante de la Guardia Real y le encargó dar con seis caballeros dignos de servirla a su lado. El gran maestre Orwyle acabó en las mazmorras, Lord Otto Hightower, fue asesinado, la reina Alicent apresada, ser Tyland Lannister fue apresado y torturado para saber dónde estaba el tesoro de la corona real. Lord Rosby y Lord Stokeworth, también encontraron la muerte. Mientras que el Martillo y el Blanco fueron nombrados caballeros. Lord Bartimos Celtigar, fue nombrado consejero de la moneda y lord tesorero. - Mes 3: Lord Bartimos Celtigar, para volver a llenar las arcas Targaryen, inicia una gran cantidad de impuestos, generando el descontento de la población. - Mes 3: En Puenteamargo, asesinan al príncipe Maelor Targaryen y a ser  Rickard Thorne, de la guardia real, escudo juramentado del niño. -Mes 3: Torrelabella cayó ante Dalton Greyjoy, y con ella, la última resistencia de los hijos del hierro en Isla Bella. El Kraken Rojo reclamó a cuatro hijas de lord Farman como esposas de sal y entregó la quinta a su hermano Veron. - Mes 4 :  En el Dominio, lady Merryweather rindió Granmesa a lord Ormund Hightower, quien, no les hizo daño alguno a ella ni a los suyos, aunque saqueó las riquezas y los víveres del castillo para dar de comer a sus millares de hombres con el grano de la señora, antes de levantar el campamento y marchar sobre Puenteamargo. Cuando lady Caswell apareció en la muralla de su fortaleza para solicitar idénticas condiciones a las brindadas a lady Merryweather, Hightower dejó la respuesta en manos del príncipe Daeron: «Obtendréis las mismas condiciones que ofrecisteis a Maelor». La señora no pudo sino contemplar el saqueo de Puenteamargo, y la quema de muchos de sus territorios. Posteriormente ella se suicidó, sus hijos e hijas pasaron a ser rehenes de la Casa Hightower en Antigua. - Mes 4: Tras que Cole, y Aemond decidieran irse, Sabitha Frey tomó Harrenhall, dónde encontró una embarazada Alys Ríos. - Mes 4: Aemond Targaryen junto a Vaghar queman: Darry, Aldea de Lord Harroway , Molino del Señor, Hebillanegra, la Hebilla, Lagobarro, Vadopuerco, Bosquearaña, entre otras localizaciones. - Mes 4: Se realiza el baile de los carniceros: Los hombres de los Ríos asesinan a Ser Criston Cole, el hacedor de reyes, y a su hueste. - Mes 4: Ser Byron Swann, segundogenito del Señor de Yelmo de Piedra, intenta asesinar a un dragón y este lo carboniza. - Mes 4: En el día de la doncella, se anuncia la llegada del invierno. - Mes 4: Al otro lado del mar Angosto, la Triarquía había empezado a hacerse pedazos por sí sola, en guerras internas. - Mes 4: Tras quemar gran parte de los Ríos, Aemond Targaryen retorna a Harrenhall y lo recupera. - Mes 4: Lord Corlys Velaryon propone negociar indultos con los Lannister, Baratheon, y Hightower, enviar a la Reina Alicent y a la Reina Helaena a la fe, tomar a Jaehaera de pupila para luego casarla con Aegon, el pequeño y enviar al muro a Aemond y Aegon II. Rhaenyra y su consorte Daemon, rechazan la propuesta, decidiendo ir a matar a los hermanos de Aegon II Targaryen. - Mes 4: Alicent Hightower le pide a su hijastra que dividan el reino con Aegon II Targaryen, pero Rhaenyra rechaza la oferta. - Mes 5: Se produce la Batalla de la Ladera también conocida como las Traiciones de Ladera, porque Ulf y Hugh, así como Ser Roger Corne y Lord Owain Bourney  cambiaron de bando, pasando de los negros a los verdes. En ella mueren: Lord Roderick Dustin, Lord Footly, Ser Garibald Grey, Ser Pate de Hojalarga, Lord Ormund Hightower y Ser Bryndon Hightower. - Mes 5: Se acusan de traición a Ortigas, y a Addam Velaryon, sin pruebas, más que el amorio de la joven con el esposo de la Reina. Se apresa a Lord Corlys Velaryon y se envía a rocadragón al maestre Gerardys. - Mes 5: El pastor manco habla mal tanto de Rhaenyra como de Aegon II, ante la gente de Desembarco del Rey. - Mes 5: Ortigas se marcha de la estancia de Lord Mooton, para no volver a ser vista, así mismo la Casa Mooton cambia de bando en favor de Aegon II Targaryen. - Mes 5: Mueren Aemond, Vaghar, Daemon y Carexes -Mes 5: Se suicida (aunque hay rumores que cuentan lo opuesto) Helaena Targaryen, Reina de Aegon II Targaryen. En respuesta, el pueblo inicia una revuelta sangrienta clamando justicia por los príncipes muertos y su madre asesinada. - Mes 5: Durante la revuelta de Desembarco del Rey mueren:  Lord Bartimos Celtigar, Arthor Celtigar, Ser Lorent Marbrand, Ser Luthor Largent, Ser Willam Royce, Ser Glendon Goode y Ser Gyles Yronwood, queda sin un ojo Ser Deddings. Las meretrices coronan a Gaemon, un supuesto bastardo de Aegon II, como rey; mientras que un caballero, nombra a su escudero, Trystane, Rey, aludiendo que es hijo del difunto rey Viserys. - Mes 5: Se realiza el asalto a Pozo Dragón, mueren: Joffrey Velaryon, Glendon Goode, Willam Royce, Gyles Yronwood, Shrykos, Morghul, Tyraxes, Sueñafuego y Syrax. - Mes 5: Rhaenyra es obligada a abandonar al castillo, la Pulga aprovecha para reclamarlo y asesina a: Garth el Leporino, ser Harmon del Cañaveral, veinte hombres y lady Mysaria de Lys, tras ello libero a los prisioneros, el gran maestre Orwyle,  lord Corlys Velaryon, la Serpiente Marina. Ambos andaban cerca al día siguiente y fueron testigos de cómo Trystane, el escudero de ser Perkin, ascendía al Trono de Hierro.  En las celdas negras, los hombres de ser Perkin encontraron a ser Tyland Lannister, el antiguo consejero de la moneda del rey Aegon, aún con vida; ciego, sin uñas y eunuco. - Mes 6: Gobiernan los 3 reyes: Trystane "Fuegoeterno" , Gaemon, y el "predicador". - Mes 7: Segunda batalla de la Ladera: en esta contienda Addam Velaryon intenta demostrar que los bastardos no son cambiacapas, y recluta casas ribereñas (se une la casa Tully a la guerra) para una batalla, en la misma mueren: Daeron Targaryen, Hugh Martillo, Owen Fossoway, Marq Ambrose, Jon Roxton, Richard Rodden, Leygood, Vermithor, Tessarion, Addam Velaryon, Bruma, Lord Stanton Piper y Lord Lyonel Deddings. - Mes 8: Sucede la Caída de Rocadragón fue la toma del castillo de Rocadragón por parte del rey Aegon II Targaryen y sus seguidores, allí mueren: Bailarina Lunar y Robert Quince. - Mes 9: Rhaenyra Targaryen, es auxiliada por Meredyth Darklyn temporalmente. - Mes 10:  Rhaenyra llega a Rocadragón, la cuál había sido tomada por su hermano, Aegon II, él la entrega a Fuegosolar y este la asesina, delante de Aegon el menor. - Mes 10: Aegon el pequeño, es apresado por Aegon II Targaryen, quién envía cuervos a todo el reino para avisar de la muerte de su hermana. - Mes 12: Muere Fuegosolar, el dragón del rey Aegon II. - Mes 12: Lord Borros Baratheon, encara con rumbo a Desembarco del Rey, la reina Alicent, lord Larys y el gran maestre Orwyle, son enviados por el Rey Trystane a negociar, y la reina viuda llora de alegría al enterase que su nieta Jaehaera está viva, allí llegan a un acuerdo con Lord Baratheon para apoyar a Aegon II - Mes 12: Lord Borros Baratheon, devuelve el orden a Desembarco del Rey, toma a los tres reyes como prisioneros. - Mes 12: Corlys Velaryon jura lealtad a la causa de Aegon II Targaryen, siendo indultado el y los suyos de todo lo que hicieran y retomando su puesto como consejero naval - Mes 12: Regresa el Rey Aegon II Targaryen a Desembarco del Rey. -Mes 12: Aegon II realiza las sentencias de los 3 "reyes": Trystane Fuegoeterno, muere siendo previamente nombrado caballero como su último deseo, Gaemon Peloclaro es perdonado y se lo nombra Guardián de la Corona, el Profeta muere tras dar la profecía de que Aegon II moriría en menos de un año, mismo que dijo a Lord Baratheon.

[horizon-verizon]

Whilst King’s Landing quailed in terror, the foes they feared had yet to advance a foot toward the city, for King Aegon’s loyalists found themselves leaderless, beset by division, conflict, and doubt. Ormund Hightower lay dead, along with his cousin Ser Bryndon, the foremost knight of Oldtown. His sons remained back at the Hightower a thousand leagues away, and were green boys besides. And whilst Lord Ormund had dubbed Daeron Targaryen “Daeron the Daring” and praised his courage in battle, the prince was still a boy. The youngest of Queen Alicent’s sons, he had grown up in the shadow of his elder brothers, and was more used to following commands than giving them. The most senior Hightower remaining with the host was Ser Hobert, another of Lord Ormund’s cousins, hitherto entrusted only with the baggage train. A man “as stout as he was slow,” Hobert Hightower had lived sixty years without distinguishing himself, yet now he presumed to take command of the host by right of his kinship to Queen Alicent. Lord Unwin Peake, Ser Jon Roxton the Bold, and Lord Owain Bourney stepped forward as well. Lord Peake could boast descent from a long line of famous warriors, and had a hundred knights and nine hundred men-at-arms beneath his banners. Jon Roxton was as feared for his black temper as for his black blade, the Valyrian steel sword called Orphan-Maker. Lord Owain the Betrayer insisted that his cunning had won them Tumbleton, that only he could take King’s Landing. None of the claimants was powerful and respected enough to curb the bloodlust and avarice of the common soldiers. Whilst they squabbled over precedence and plunder, their own men joined freely in the orgy of looting, rape, and destruction. The horrors of those days cannot be gainsaid. Seldom has any town or city in the history of the Seven Kingdoms been subject to as long or as cruel or as savage a sack as Tumbleton after the Treasons. Without a strong lord to restrain them, even good men can turn to beasts. So was it here. Bands of soldiers wandered drunkenly through the streets robbing every home and shop, and slaying any man who tried to stay their hands. Every woman was fair prey for their lust, even crones and little girls. Wealthy men were tortured unto death to force them to reveal where they had hidden their gold and gems. Babes were torn from their mothers’ arms and impaled upon the points of spears. Holy septas were chased naked through the streets and raped, not by one man but by a hundred; silent sisters were violated. Even the dead were not spared. Instead of being given honorable burial, their corpses were left to rot, fodder for carrion crows and wild dogs.

Fire and Blood by GRRM, pg 495

[duxbelisarius]

The Dance of the Dragons: A Military Analysis (Pt. 10)

We now arrive at the military climax of the Dance of the Dragons, the First and Second Battles of Tumbleton; As always, if this is your first time encountering this series, the previous parts are all linked on my Master Post. If there’s any point at which George can be said to have “Jumped the Shark” with his Dance narrative, it has to be Tumbleton. All of the awful writing tendencies we’ve identified previously are on full display here: plot holes and contrivances left and right, characters suddenly emerge to move the plot in a certain direction without any set-up or internal logic, world-building is ignored or applied as the author demands, alongside inexplicable decision-making galore.

In terms of when the battles took place, we established in Part 9 that the First Battle of Tumbleton likely took place on April 30th 130 AC, and that Rhaenyra likely gave her orders for the arrest of Addam Velaryon and Nettles on May 2nd. Assuming that May 3rd was when an attempt was made to free Corlys Velaryon, who was imprisoned for defending Addam, this means that it would have been the evening of May 4th when Queen Helaena committed suicide, sparking the Riots in King’s Landing. After about five days, Rhaenyra was forced to flee the city and a rogues gallery led by Aegon II’s Master of Whispers, Larys Strong, took over governance of the city. The Hightower army remained at Tumbleton from April 30th all through these events; we’re told that the army’s commanders belatedly heard of Aemond’s death at Harrenhal and were aware of the unrest in King’s Landing, indicating they remained at Tumbleton well after May 22nd. Assuming that word of the Battle over the God’s Eye began circulating the day after, May 23rd, it would have taken about a week for word of it to reach the army at Tumbleton via raven, and another two days elapsed from when the news was first received before the Second Battle began. That gives us June 1st 130 AC as the likely starting date for the Second Battle of Tumbleton, the First Day of the Sixth Moon, meaning just over a month elapsed between the First and Second Battles.

Before analyzing the battles themselves, a brief synopsis of what happened between The Battle of the Honeywine and First Tumbleton is helpful; by the time of the Battle by the Lakeshore, House Rowan, House Oakheart and House Grimm and the Shield Isles had all been forced to submit, “for none dared face Tessarion, the Blue Queen” according to Gyldan. Next to submit were the Merryweathers and Caswells, who surrendered Longtable and Bitterbridge respectively without a fight, with the Merryweathers castle being stripped of it’s wealth and food stores, but otherwise left unmolested. Bitterbridge was not so lucky, being brutally sacked with the support of Prince Daeron; this was after Lady Caswell revealed that Prince Maelor, Aegon II’s only surviving son, had been murdered alongside Ser Rickard Thorne of Aegon’s king’s guard, who was tasked with bringing the prince to Ormund Hightower.

Tumbleton was the seat of House Footly and a prosperous market town, protected by town walls and a small keep, located c.200 miles or roughly a week’s travel to the southwest of King’s Landing at the headwaters of the Mander. The Black forces there numbered some 9000 men by the time of the First Battle, comprising the 7000 strong Riverlord-Winter Wolf army that had annihilated Criston Cole’s forces at the ‘Butcher’s Ball,’ while the remaining 2000 were men from the Blackwater Rush area and the remnants of the Black forces in the Reach. Ser Garibald Grey, Pate of Longleaf, Roderick Dustin, and ‘Red Robb’ Rivers were among the commanders, as were Moslander of Yore, Ser Garrick Hall of Middleton, Ser Merrell the Bold, and Lord Owain Bourney from the Blackwater region. The Hightower army numbered over 20000 men by this point, a tenth of which were mounted knights, according to Maester Munkun; 24000 seems like a reasonable estimate, as Gyldan states that some estimates for the Black forces go as high as 12000 but in all cases the Blacks were heavily outnumbered.

There are serious narrative issues with the First Battle of Tumbleton before it even begins; as stated in Part 9, Maiden’s Day would likely have been sometime in March, to give the Daemon & Nettles plot in the Riverlands sufficient time to develop. Given that Ulf and Hugh were also dispatched to Tumbleton on Maiden’s Day, means there would have been a period of weeks in which the Blacks simply did nothing but await the Hightower army, despite having two very large and old dragons at their disposal. In light of the little real damage being done to the Riverlands by Aemond, we also have to ask why the Black Council did not simply send all four dragonriders to deal with Ormund and Daeron, as once Tessarion was dealt with it would have been easy to destroy the Green armies. Furthermore, while the Black forces at Tumbleton were heavily outnumbered by the Hightower army, Gyldan tells us that the army’s ranks had grown by forcing the surrendered Black houses to join their forces to it’s own. Had the Blacks met the Greens in open battle with Vermithor and Silverwing to offset Tessarion’s presence, there’s every reason to believe that the former Black supporters in Ormund’s ranks could have turned coat and assisted the Blacks. Charging out to meet the Greens, whose only protection would have been a younger she-dragon flown by a 15 year-old boy, would surely have appealed to power-hungry, blood-thirsty men like Hugh and Ulf; the conduct of the Winterwolves and Riverlords at the Butcher’s Ball suggests they would favour this course as well. None of this would bring George closer to his desired outcome however, and so he simply ignores it if he was even aware of it at all.

The First Battle is chock full of contrivances and inexplicable decision-making from the start; we’re told that 6000 of the defenders met the Hightower army outside the town, ‘fighting bravely for a time’ under Ser Garibald Grey’s command. Apparently George thinks it would be a wise idea to take a page from the book of Game of Thrones: Season 8, Episode 3, and have an outnumbered army supported by dragons leave the safety of it’s fortifications and fight on open ground. 9000 men, a third of whom we know are archers, supported by two large dragons should be more than a match for a foe three times their number, with the aid of fortifications. The dearth of any sieges worth that label during the Dance is an glaring omission on George’s part, especially given how much more common sieges were than outright battles in Medieval and Early Modern Europe. We can probably chalk this up to George only having the Dance last 2 years, thus barring any month long sieges, but in the betrayal of the Blacks by Ulf and Hugh gives him an easy out, making the actions of the Blacks that much more perplexing.

As one could predict, this doesn’t turn out well and the defenders retreat through the main gate; it’s here that we get one of the most brazenly contrived examples of plot armour and plot convenience in the entire Dance. Once the defenders were safely inside the town walls, Roderick Dustin and the last c.600 or so of the Winterwolves sally forth from a postern gate, sweeping around the Greens left flank and fighting their way through ten times their number to reach Ormund Hightower’s command post, where Roderick Dustin cuts down both Ormund AND his cousin Ser Bryndon Hightower. To believe that even a fraction of this was possible, we have to assume the Winterwolves were mounted, as accepting that they pulled this off entirely on foot is a non-starter. A postern gate should be small enough for foot soldiers and horsemen to pass through, but any larger would make them a liability to the defenders; this means we have to assume that 600 or so horsemen were able to exit a postern gate, likely to the side of the town, before assembling for a charge around the flank of a more than 20000 man army, and all this without being seen. They also apparently did so without any trouble from the Green cavalry and archers, who were responsible for Grey’s retreat (the Green mounted troops alone were almost a third the number of the entire Black army). We are expected to believe this force of c.600 mounted men fought through 6000 or more enemy soldiers, and were able to do so despite such a small mounted force being at an inherent disadvantage against large ranks of infantry, behind shields and polearms and having suffered little from fatigue or battle. With the Hightower army being as large as it is, Ormund would had to have situated himself towards the rear of his army’s center, in order to ease communication between the flanks. So Dustin likely had to fight his way through the left flank of the army to it’s center-rear, and at no point did Ormund try to avoid the oncoming, seemingly unstoppable Northmen. Ser Bryndon takes one of Dustin’s arms clean off with his great axe, but nothing can stop a man who is armoured by the plot itself; this is extremely significant, because the entirety of the plot at Tumbleton will hinge on the deaths of Ormund and Bryndon Hightower.

It’s at this point that the dragons suddenly decide to intervene and the First Battle of Tumbleton ends; assuming that Ulf and Hugh arrived at Tumbleton weeks prior, and learning that Lord Owain Bourney and Ser Roger Corne were secretly aligned with the Greens and sought to betray the defenders, we should expect that Ormund and Daeron were aware of their presence also. This combined with Daeron’s use of Tessarion to conduct reconnaissance and support the army, makes it completely unbelievable that Dustin was able to pull off his stunt, or that Grey’s forces fought as they did without being annihilated by Tessarion. Nor does the betrayal by Ulf and Hugh make much sense; they may have been cowards who turned-coat once they say Ormund’s forces or the prospect of fighting Daeron, but this doesn’t explain why they made no effort to engage them BEFORE they encountered them at Tumbleton. It’s possible they were promised rich rewards for helping Aegon return to the throne, but this implies that Larys Strong or one of his agents was able to assure them that the King still lived, and that these promises would be made good. This would had to have taken place in King’s Landing prior to Maiden’s Day, but for how avaricious Ulf and Hugh are shown to be, it’s difficult to believe they would remain content with whatever they were promised for so many weeks. This also requires us to believe that neither of them thought of betraying whoever their associate was, alerting Rhaenyra and the Black Council to Aegon still being alive.

Regardless, the First Battle of Tumbleton is an utter disaster for the Blacks; while Tessarion assails the defenders around the walls, Vermithor and Silverwing burn the town from end-to-end, reducing it to ashes. Lord Bourney and Ser Corne open the gates to the attackers, and while a few lucky inhabitants flee the rest burn alive, drown in the Mander, or fall to the Green forces in an orgy of murder and rape. However, we noted at the beginning that a month passes between the First and Second Battles; this is because George goes out of his way to invent reasons and contrivances for the Hightower army to remain at Tumbleton, and prevent the Greens from retaking King’s Landing.