The Last Battle

[The Smith]

With a single word from Lord Hand Aenys Targaryen the last battle of the Stepstones War began. The Center moved out quickly flanked on either side. At the Van Aenys stood side by side with Ser Damian Royce. Royce’s armor gleamed into the son. Further back, Princess Martell moved forward flanked by her own soldiers.
As the Westeros army marched closer the Myrmen and Tyroshi began to ready themselves. Drums and pipes called men to their lines. Archers lined the tops of the barricade and the walls of the keep. When the war had began few of the Andals had feared Myr Crossbowmen, but that lesson had been taught in blood scattered across the island chain.
Lord Stark and Lord Lannister each lead their own forces, and their glances kept them abreast of one another. Neither of the proud men wanted to give the other an inch more of glory then their own. Yougn Leyton stayed close to his Knight’s side, feeling his heart pound with nerves. Damon Lannister two was close behind his father. The Starks though were spread among the North men. Edric rode with some Reeds. Damin ambled toward war making jokes with Lord Umber.
The Left flank moved just behind the center as well. Lords Hightower and Tully had warned all of their men to be ready. The arrows would be the worse on this side of the field. With not only the barricade but the walls of the keep to deal with, everyone was concerned about the safety of the left Flank. Gareth Hightower was ready as well deep among the Oldtown men, ready for glory.

[The Smith]

Then just out of bow range Aenys gave the command. A slow rumbled echoed out from the field as the men began to charge at the enemy. The first arrows began to fall from the sky. The first arrows fell short, and were small in numbers, more like scouts then a true force. Then the sky turned dark with arrows. Men raised their shields, and Aenys scream of rage could be heard down the field far to either side of him. The first casualties of the battle fell to the ground.

In the front of his force, one of the first to fall is Lord Harold Tully. An arrow takes him in his right shoulder, and he topples from his stead. Many of his men stop around him. Trying to aid him, he curses at the men, but already a small pocket grows in the charging horde. Tuly urges them go, and to charge. To leave him behind, but the men hesitate, and their compassion is rewarded, in many cases with death. Arrows rain in focusing on this pocket of fish warriors. Another arrow shatters against his helmet and blood begins to course down his face.

Lord Gwayne cannot see the Tully ranks slowing, so he charges forward and the left flank becomes exposed as the two forces split wider apart.

Lord Aenys and Damian Royce crash into the barricade at full force. They see the newly built wall sway. With sheer blind luck they had found a segment of the wall that was weaker than the rest. The soil was do sandy at this location, and it gave as the attacked it. Soon Damian followed Aenys through a breach behind the barricade itself.

The Martell soldiers were not so lucky. There was no toppling wall here, and they tried to mount it with ladders. The Myr crossbows cut men down in droves, until they turned to deal with the grow threat behind their own walls. It was then that Lysanndra managed to climb a ladder to mount the wall.
The Right flank, especially the Lannisters, ran into a thick concentration of crossbow men, and their quick reloading skills, massacred the Lion’s men. Aurane’s own horse was killed out from underneath him, and only his squire and his shield saved Lord Lannisters life. Leyton though took a bolt through his foot, making it impossible for him to follow on. Aurane scrambled forward and grabbed the shield from one of his deceased bannermen and started moving forward. His men slowed down under the relentless hail.

The Starks were slowed too, as Tyroshi cavalry slipped out from around the end of the barricade and made to harass the charging force. Their horses cut into the sides of the Northmen, bleeding them worse than a Bolton. The right side of Starks force stalled as they attempted to deal with the curved blades of the Tyroshi cavalry. Edric took down two men until he was cut across the face. His wolf chased after the man who had wounded him. Though the harsh bleeding blinded him, Edric felt the wound and knew he would survive. Erik’s men reached the wall, and it was then he realized that his advance was exposed. The Lannisters, and his own right had been bent back, and the whole right flanked bowed back. His men soon started to take fierce arrow fire as they tried to mount the wall.

[The Smith]

Hightower forged forward, and the Tully men fell back. A few of the fish men actually run. Gareth Hightower turns back to urge the breaking line to move. Gwayne has no choice but to continue the charge, slowing for the Tully men would be suicide, so he presses his men on.

As his men poor through the breach, Aenys tells Damian to lead men south along the wall. The Hand stays at the breach protecting it and urging men in through the hole. He sends some men North to hold the line, but sends the rest along with Ser Damian Royce. Damian cuts behind the lines and cuts deeply. Myr men and Tyroshi both run from him. Soon he is joined by the Martell warrior Princess and the two move south along the barricade.

Lord Aurance and five Westermen reach the wall. He looks back and sees that his charge has fallen behind him. Far behind him. He breathes raggedly and pushes against the wall to cover himself from arrow fire. He looks to the man beside him, and sighs. “You stay here. I am going to have to go get them.” He runs back out into the field toward his stalled men. The archers fire, but miss him as he runs. He reaches his men, and booms out commands in a voice he has trained since the day he had first belted a sword to his waist. He even kicks a few slow men in their asses. Soon his men move once again toward the wall. When he reaches the wall again, he smiles charmingly at the man he had commanded to weight, “Back… did you miss me?” He asks pleasantly, and then orders that ladders be brought up.

Lord Eirik has a stupid name, but is still a great warrior. He gives command of the attacking force to Damin, and leads the rest of the mounted Northmen against the Tyroshi cavalry. Damin grunts, and screams, “Up and over boys. Its fucking child’s play.” Ladders are lifted, and with the Royce and Martell force wreaking havoc behind the palisade the way is easy for the Northmen to try and mount the wall.

The gates to Sandskull keep open slowly. A lesson taught early in the conflict was the proclivity of the Free city forces to hire a broad variety of mercenaries. One of these units was now charging from the gates. The Barbed Tigers were a company from the far north made up only of heavy cavalry. They were supported by fierce Tyrosh cavalry. And then by Myrish axemen. This cavalry crashed into the left flank and tore it asunder. Soon Lord Hightower was completely isolated and surrounded pinned against the barricade with twenty men at his side. Gareth HIghtwer was pushed back almost too the Center in front of the rolling iron tide. Hightower and Tully men broke and started to flee.

[The Smith]

Lord Hightower stood shoulder to shoulder with two of his men fighting as hard as he could. His small band of soldiers slowly falling to a steady tide of enemy soldiers, he killed three men for every one of his that fell. His sword arcing in deadly flight, not one blow managed to land on his person.

The enemy footmen pouring out of the keep were suddenly slowed. The retreating band of Hightower and Fishmen were stopping and turning around. Lord Harold Tully had thrown aside his damaged helm, and dropped his shield and sword. His hand was too weak to properly grip the blade. He held only the banner of his house in is left hand, and marched forward toward battle. His men and the Hightower men turned as they felt shame at their own fear. There was a great deal of confusion and the Left flank turned into a giant bloody mess, but the lines of the Andals held firm.

The two Cavalry elements from the keep itself cut into the center of the Westeros army, death following in their wake. Yet they had long ago lost their support in their bold charge.

The Center was now split with one small section pushed back by those horsemen from the keep. Yet now almost half of the men were on the far side of the barricade. Aenys decided that the breach was theirs, and too an element north along the inside of the palisades. His hammer dripped with the gore of Myrmen.
Royce thrust south was so rapid that once he blew through the initial defense he was cutting through men expecting trouble to be on the other side of the wall. His and the Martell men hacked their way south almost too easily.
Lysandra moved along now her blade red with innards. Suddenly the men in front of her fell to pieces. She stood staring at General Devilos Metropilos, the commander of the Tyroshi in the battle. He raised his curved blade and attacked her. She raised her sword, and fought him back. Blows came fast and loose at booth of them. She knew he was the better swordsman, stronger and faster. He was going to kill her, and when she knew that… she accepted it, and decided to take him with her. Leaving herself exposed she lashed out. The General thought it a feint, so she blew past his defense. Her sword cut deep into the man, and his only counter barely drew blood. No one was more surprised than the Dornish princess herself.

Damin Stark leaped down from atop of the wall his boots landing on the exploding head of a Tyroshi soldier. He saw the Royce’s coming, and fought hard to unite his force with Ser Damians. Soon North, Vale and Dorne worked together to move further south.

Lord Lannister reached the top of the Barricade only to find that the Royces had swept further south than his own men. He looked around from his perch atop of the wall. Then he decided quickly. He would try to deal with the Horsemen to his immediate rear. He summoned his men, and moved back to deal with those cavalry.

Lord Samuel Baratheon’s forces crashed directly into thestalled foot men charging from the keep. The knights tear them to pieces. With only no loses on their side. Only Lord Baratheon himself is unhorsed by a swing of one of the Myrish Axemen. He falls to the ground bruised, and beaten but not truly harmed.

The is why Ser Oswyn his heir is the first to enter the Keep itself, with Donal Storm closer beside him. The Knights fought deep into the court before the mass of defenders slow them. They hack about them laying low most of the defenders.

The mercenary troops fall in as well. Laying about them with a controlled furor. Men fight to lower the portcullis, but Captain Jaqen cuts his down, and defends the mechanism alone against the Myrmen desperate to stem the tide.

[The Smith]

Eirik charged after the Tyroshi cavalry attacking his troops. He clashed into them once, and then pushed them back further. They fled south and he followed them. Protecting his men from any further attacks.

Lannister managed to make his way to the Barbed Tigers just as they were leaving the center behind to drive through the Right flank. He had brought lances, and archers and managed to stop their onward movement, but his men paid dearly for it. The heavy horse cut down huge swathes of westermen like grain.

Ser Royce pushed the last of the Tyroshi men out from behind the palisade. The Tyroshi run south toward the beaches just out of sight through some trees. Royce decides to hold the line, and send half the men under Lyssandra, North to help with the cavalry trapped by the Lannisters.

Aenys Tagaryen is challenged by the Myrman general, who takes a deep breath to challenge the Lord Hand to single combat. The lord Hands hammer makes it very hard for him to speak. The Toad did not ever even break stride. His men move north behind the palisade, but slowly. Even after the general is killed. The men here have nowhere to retreat, the walls of the keep and the cliff over the sea at their backs.

Hightower is down to five men by his side. He fights on, and on. He grows tired, but puts that aside. Weakness is death, and that is all that is. He is finding it difficult to move as the dead pile around him, but he has no choice but to continue.

Lord Baratheon stands, and mounts again, and then rides into the fray, not within the keep but outside. He carries his sword, but his true weapons are his words, and mind. Ordering tactics and giving commands he soon has the left flank organized.

As the left flank organizes, Gareth takes a large group of his houses men, and begins to fight his way toward his brother. Desperate to save him.

Inside the Keep the Knights have dismounted to fight on foot. And Captain Jaqen has been relieved as Lord Harold Tully and his Riverrun regulars burst into the keep. The fighting begins to spread slowly through the keep. Oswyn and Donal begin to fight their way up to the higher levels of the keep. There is mass confusion in the halls as people run about screaming and dying and fighting.

Wounded Tully directs his men throughout the keep. The riverlanders kill the archers greedily desperate for revenge. Oswyn and Donal break out onto the walls of the keep, and are surprised to find that the archers have fled. A single van dressed in Volatnian finery stands there watching the battle. He turns to see them, and smiles. He draws two long straight steel blades, and takes a strange fighting pose. Donal and Oswyn glance at each other, and then Donal launches himself forward. The man moves in a blur and Storm tumbles to the ground behind him. He can feel blood now running down his arm.

Oswyn steps forward his eyes on his brother, and that was a critical mistake. When his focus turns back just in time to throw up a desperate block for the sword coming at his throat. A boot slips under his shield and into his stomach, and the next thing he knows he is falling off the wall into the keep. He falls ten feet until he crashes into the narrow stair carved into the wall. His helm popped off and his mace and shield flopped down the four stories to the ground below. His gaze grew unfocused as he stared up into the sky. He felt no pain, and darkness swallowed him.
Donal thinking he had just watched his brother plummet to his death threw himself at the man. But the Volantian was far too quick for him spinning and cutting and landing a plethora of small slices. Donal began to feel weak as the man played with him. He was hopelessly out matched. Then just as he was sure he was about to die, a throwing knife struck the Volantine in the back. Captain Jaqen charged into battle. The Volantine changed his style and turned sideways to the two men, cutting and blocking and just managing to stay ahead of his two opponents. Donal became worried that he was going to lose to this man even double teaming him. Then Jaqen landed another strike to the man’s shoulders. There was an opening and Donel took is, he lunged in low and impaled the Volatine on his spear, and then launched the man over the wall. Both of the man’s fell to the rough floor. One decorated with serpents and the other with eyes.

With the Volantine dead the fighting in the keep quickly came to an end.

Ser Gareth Hightower made it finally to his brother’s side. Only one other man had survived and stood breathing hard, and nursing a wounded arm. Some how Hightower had still escaped unmarked.


As Lannister fought the heavy cavalry, the Martell princess led her men to support him. The mercenaries seeing the tides had turned, decided to abandon the field and were joined by the Tyroshi cavalry. They headed south toward the beach.

Just then Lord Stark and the scouts come riding toward the battlefield, and keep. There were boats docking at one of the small dock towns on the sea.

Sorry for the ending, but it is late and I am tired.

[Horas]

Ser Crawley canters into the keep with his Knights. While everyone else went through hell and back, Crawley had not had to use his sword until the enemy was already running away. Another man might consider it a slight on his honor that he had not been ordered in until the very last, but the Crawfish Knight had already been paid and hadn't suffered injury or losses, and so the battle was in his eyes a rousing success.

[Flex]

Aurane had found another horse and once their opponents had retreated he rode up to the Martell.

"Fortunate timing, Princess." He looked around and saw his son arrive, helmet missing and sweat and blood beading his brow.

[Sam]

When the left was stabilized, Lord Baratheon led the remainder of his men charging through the Keep's gates, looking to kill or capture any remaining Tyroshi or Myrish defenders. As the battle still rages outside, Lord Baratheon orders the banners of the King and the Hand raised above the keep, with his own flown directly beneath it. Conspicuously, he does not order the banners of anyone else raised, in a clear statement that Lord Baratheon was claiming the keep, in the name of the King of course. He orders two thirds of his men to secure the castle itself, and to bring any and all prisoners into the courtyard, while the remaining third are sent up onto the battlements atop the walls.

He also sends a man to find Oswyn and Donal, to have them brought to him.

[Marie]

Gwayne pulled off his helm as he knelt by the bodies of his fallen men. They were good and loyal companions after years of fighting and their loss had hit him hard. After losing so many, he was beginning to wonder if he'd purposely been put in the most dangerous position. But for now he knelt by the two men who'd remained by him at the last as he fought back tears of grief and frustration. "May the Crone light your way to the heavens and the Warrior give you new weapons to fight in the afterlife," he murmured. He was not a religious man, not normally, but now the familiarity of the Seven gave him comfort.

[Lord Harold Tully]

As the battle started to die down, the wounds Harold inflicted started to cause pain, and he now felt faint having known he has probably is loosing blood. He needed to be seen too as soon as possible, and after the banners being raised he ordered a Tully banner to be placed among the high walls. With that he was aided to the medical tents to be seen about the arrow in his arm.

[Sam]

Sept 19, 2013 8:52:59 GMT -5 Lord Harold Tully said:

As the battle started to die down, the wounds Harold inflicted started to cause pain, and he now felt faint having known he has probably is loosing blood. He needed to be seen too as soon as possible, and after the banners being raised he ordered a Tully banner to be placed among the high walls. With that he was aided to the medical tents to be seen about the arrow in his arm.

Lord Baratheon's men holding the walls allowed the banner of Riverrun to be raised, but placed it slightly below that of Storm's End, rather than beside it at an equal level.

[The Smith]

1000 thousand Myrmen surrender to the Lord Hand, and all combat on the field ends... for the moment.

[Princess Lyssandra Martell]

Sept 19, 2013 4:40:10 GMT -5 Flex said:

Aurane had found another horse and once their opponents had retreated he rode up to the Martell.

"Fortunate timing, Princess." He looked around and saw his son arrive, helmet missing and sweat and blood beading his brow.

Lyssandra looks around at the dead and dying. Much like everyone else she was coated in blood, gore, and mud. "Yes, the Royce man is very observant. He sent me here." She took to one knee and held her head down. A few of her men gathered around in confusion.

[Flex]

Aurane gave a confused frown. "Princess, why are you kneeling?" He asked, dismounting from his horse as he spoke.

[Princess Lyssandra Martell]

She held up her hand for him to wait as she looked to the ground then let out a retch and vomitted. A man patted her on the back, "Let it all out!" She stood up straight and wiped her mouth, "Feels better now." She looked at Lord Lannister, "You did well." She started moving off into the keep.