After the Greyjoy Rebellion, warfare is changing. Cold winds are blowing from the north. One thing that is inescapable is the death of the King, and the imprisonment of his beloved friend for treachery against King Joffrey.
What happens next in a new Westeros of pike and shot- is up to the players…
Late 289 AC.
The Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.
Lannisport, rebuilt harbor.
"Why did you drag me here, Davos? I scarcely have the time to concentrate on the prattling of a dishonored maester when I have a fleet to organize." Stannis groused audibly, his ever-brooding glare cast forth as his loyal right-hand-man, clutching his palms behind his back, followed alongside the Prince of Dragonstone. Swallowing, Davos quickly sought to alleviate his master's grouch.
"What I heard from the boy was something I have nary seen in my whole life, my Lord. I thought it best you see it for y'self." Davos explained, stopping alongside Stannis and the small retinue of Baratheon men before a large tarp, covering something beneath it, pointed towards the open sea. Alongside it stood two more men- one a Lannister man-at-arms boredly peering about whilst lazily holding aloft a spear. The other, a pacing man in destitute robes. Young, with all his hair on him. The robes were of course a maester's, but in many places tattered, dirty and bereft of the signature chain of such a station.
The master of ships glared daggers at the boy, who quickly curtseyed at their arrival, seeming more skittish and unsure when they did. "My lords! Prince Stannis, it is my great honor to show you an invention that will change the tide of this war!"
"It has already been changed. The Iron Fleet cannot hope to stand against our combined might, boy…"
"Garrick, my Lord."
"-Garrick-." Stannis bit out the name, making the boy flinch, before Davos quickly stepped forth, sighing. "Just show Lord Baratheon the creation, boy. I am sure he will be pleased." The finger-less knight sent a meaningful look toward Stannis, who could only roll his eyes. Garrick smiled and soon went to take the tarp from over whatever was beneath it. When it did, Stannis' eyes furrowed, before he scoffed.
"A… Large metal tube. Unseemly large." Stannis muttered the last apart, stepping up towards it. Indeed, it was cylindrical- with one end open towards the sea and the other closed off with a cylindrical shape. It had a nice furnish to it, but the boy no doubt didn't make it himself. Nonetheless. "Am I supposed to be impressed, Garrick?"
"Not yet, my Lord." Something glinted in the boy's eyes with sharp glee. It uneased Stannis, catching him off guard, but the Prince reaffirmed his stance and stared back just as tersely at Garrick, who was already moving toward the Lannister bannerman.
"This is… Well, I have not made a name for it, but I suppose 'blasting stick' will fit for now."
"Blasting stick…" Stannis ate out the word slowly, though Garrick seemed to not mind. "Yes! You will see. Now, Gerold, do show the proper instruments to operate this." The man-at-arms rolls his shoulders and picks up three things, settling them down beside the Blasting Stick. A small, cylindrical ball of cast iron, heavy and rotund. A stick, with hemp rope at the end . And a cylinder of linen, opened at the top, filled with what seemed to be…
Stannis sniffed, his head reeling back. "That smell…"
"Yes, it may remind you of something… Ash, or, burning. Let me explain. What we have here is a simple concoction that, in use in tandem with the Blasting Stick, can fire this iron ball at a speed unseen before."
"Fire it?" Stannis asked, leaning over the ball. Even the Mountain would have a hard time throwing this further than a hundred feet. He then peered at the black dirt-like substance. "The primer, is it? How will black sand throw something as unseemly as this?"
"It is a… scientific process that you may not understand and--..."
"Indulge me, -sir-." Stannis grit out, already at his limit. Garrick stared dumbly, before rounding on Gerold, who was awkwardly standing about, peering between the two. "Ah, Gerold, help me with this, yes? I suppose a demonstration will have to be held." As Gerold went to his work, he first took up a long ramming stick, with which he pushed in the linen pouch of black sand, before ramming in the ball afterwards. "Out in the bay, I have a target. According to my calculations and the wind speed today, that small boat you see out in the bay at around 5 to 6 hundred feet away from us," Garrick pointed at said boat, which could easily carry around twelve or fifteen men, anchored, sails up and with a colorful blue flag hoisted on it, "we will light the priming sand, which I call Blastingpowder, to hit the target under -one- second, using the cylindrical shape of the barrel of the Blasting Stick to send it further than anything has ever been shot or thrown, -destroying- the boat."
Stannis arched an eyebrow at this explanation, as a piece of hemp rope was readied from a hole atop the base of the Blasting Sick. The pole with the equally flammable rope was lit into an embery, small flame. Turning about, Davos had walked up beside Stannis, his eyes having more curiosity than the Prince, so the Baratheon huffed out and turned back to the charade. "Very well. Show us." Stannis said boredly, before Garrick seemed to want to push the two away.
"Errr- please. Step back. This will be -very- loud. Gerold? Fire when ready!" Garrick said, as everyone stepped back. Garrick quickly put a finger in either ear, followed slowly by Davos, Stannis, and the others that could and had accompanied them. Gerold breathed in, and slowly, whilst crouching and leaning back as if from a sword strike, put the matchstick against the small piece of rope sticking out of the Blasting Stick. It lit on fire quickly, smoking and going down its entire length, before the flame went into the opening, deeper into the Stick. There was a deep silence then, as Garold cowered, and Garrick breathed in sharply, still smiling with glee.
Nothing happened.
Stannis scoffed, pulled his fingers out and spoke. "This is a waste of--..."
The blast of the cannon would change the course of history forever.
An Early-Gunpowder AU of A Song of Ice and Fire GSRPG
by Thiccroy.
NINE YEARS AGO, the House of Greyjoy, behind it, both willingly and unwillingly, the Iron Islands- rebelled. Attempting to secede from an Iron Throne thought to be weakened from the Civil War that gripped it less then a decade beforehand, Balon Greyjoy, styling himself a king, sought to take the mainland by surprise.
Lannisport, its harbor and docked fleet of the great House Lannister, was sunk by a sudden attack headed by Balon's brothers, Euron and Victarion. The attack was a success, curbing Iron Throne defenses and strength in the Sunset Sea, allowing the Iron Fleet and its reavers to wreak havoc across the western coast and its relatively untouched seaside towns and villages.
However, in the Straits of Far Isle, the Iron Fleet was caught and beaten back by the combined might of both the royal fleet and the ships of the Arbor, led by the master of ships Stannis Baratheon. While a host of men gathered from the Westerlands, North and Stormlands, roused up by the King, the fleet readied itself and rebuilt the harbor of Lannisport. However, unlike history as we knew it, much would change when one young man, ostracized from his brothers in the Citadel and having risked his life to go to the far East of the known world, came to Lannisport.
"Maester" Garrick soon showed off his findings and invention to the prince of Dragonstone. The first "boomsticks", (or as some would come to call them "little dragons" or "drakes") thirty of them, were evenly placed across the first three ships of the royal fleet's vanguard. In the subsequent battle at sea near Saltcliffe, where the remaining Iron Fleet under Euron Greyjoy sought to combat the coming force, the power of these boomsticks were shown off to many a noble carried on the ships of the royal fleet.
The devastation it wrought, and the deaths of Euron (supposedly) and Victarion Greyjoy, cemented the coming end of the Iron islanders. Many of the Houses surrendered on sight of Stannis' 'black ships', whilst Pyke held on, bombarded from the sea by the barrage of heavy steel balls sent through the air faster than any dragon could have ever flown. By the end of it, the House of Greyjoy had been supplanted- House Harlaw, choosing to side with the King in the Siege of Pyke taking the seat of Lord Reaper. The last two Greyjoys, Asha and Theon, were gifted to Robert's two chief allies within the war- Tywin Lannister and Eddard Stark respectively.
Following the failed rebellion, Robert showered praise upon his younger brother, giving him gold and full command of the royal fleet to "put a boomstick on every bow from Sunspear to the Wall". Soon after, the Maester Garrick freely gave the schematics and plans of the boomstick before his mysterious death in 293 AC- his throat slit in a Maidenpool brothel. The quickest among the vassals of the Iron Throne to adopt the boomsticks was Lord Lannister, who soon, in 295 AC, with the help of engineers, blacksmiths and other Masters, crafted the "little boomsitck" (or better known as "wyrms"), an infantry-man's hand-held version of the larger boomstick.
Warfare is changing. Cold winds are blowing from the north. One thing that is inescapable is the death of the King, and the imprisonment of his beloved friend for treachery against King Joffrey.
What happens next in a new Westeros of pike and shot- is up to the players…
The Greyjoy Rebellion. House Harlaw become Lord Reapers of the Isles. Pyke is destroyed. Asha and Theon Greyjoy, last of their line, become hostages to Twyin Lannister and Eddard Stark respectively. Gunpowder warfare is introduced to Westeros.
Jorah Mormot unseats Jaime Lannister in the Tourney of Lannisport. However, something dark had washed over the young knight's face ever since Pyke, and he instead asked for a gold bounty instead of the hand of one certain lady of Hightower.
The Royal Fleet is outfitted with new boomsticks every day. By the end of 292 AC, almost 100 ships have at least five boomsticks on either side of their hulls.
293 AC
Maester Garrick, Father of Drakes as he is known in King's Landing and the royal court, is found dead in a brothel in Maidenpool after having been invited by the Lord of Riverrun to the Riverlands to begin the outfitting of his river-navy with boomsticks.
The first boomstick arrives at the Wall- a gift from Eddard Stark to Benjen Stark, Ranger of the Watch.
The use of boomsticks squashes the power of various pirate companies within the Narrow Sea. Robert Baratheon, through Petyr Baelish's council, sells off 50 of the Royal Fleet's ships to the Three Sisters of the Disputed Lands- against the council of Stannis.
295 AC
Lord Tywin Lannister adopts a new form of warfare with the creation of the wyrms- hand-held boomsticks. He reorganizes the men-at-arms of Casterly Rock into the first 'Wyrm Foot' banners. Many bannermen of the Iron throne and of the Westerlands copy him.
The House Bolton of the North begins crafting their own Wyrm Foot, forcing Eddard Stark to, hesitantly, buy and organize his own- against the ideals of his bannermen.
296 AC
Thoros of Myr organizes a volunteer brigade of 'The Sons of Fire', a band of loyal Wyrm Foot to the King made up of mostly hedge knights, wanderers, smallfolk and devotees to the Lord of Light.
Melisandre begins using Blasting Powder in her rituals within Lord Stannis' court.
The Prince of Dorne takes out a large sum to manufacture and bring in instructors for the creation and training of Wyrm Foot. Reach marcher lords grumble.
297 AC
Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen are taken in by Illyrio Mopatis.
A band of drake and wyrm wielding mercenaries forms in Essos known as the Band of the Smokelungs. It is mostly made up of Ironmen fleeing the persecutions of the Iron Throne and other criminals fleeing Westeros.
The Goldcloaks are mostly outfitted with wyrms. Lords closest to Stannis Baratheon take after him and completely remake their fleets and men-at-arms into the new form of warfare.
Asha Greyjoy is betrothed to a son of the House of Farman. She flees Casterly Rock in a daring escape and is not seen until recently.
Jon Arryn falls ill.
298 AC
Jon Arryn dies. The events of A Game of Thrones take place up until the arrest of Eddard Stark.
Lord Dondarrion, beforehand, is given control of the Sons of Fire and he successfully ambushes Gregor Clegane, however is unable to capture him. Dondarrion suffers a mortal wound as is resurrected by Thoros of Myr. The Sons of Fire continue to work against the Lannisters in the Riverlands.
The first real show of Lannister power is seen at the Golden Tooth when the forces of Piper and Vance are utterly decimated, with both Clemont Piper and Lord Vance killed by Jaime Lannister's led forces, amongst them wyrm foot.
Lannister forces besiege Riverrun and occupy Harrenhal, sack various castles and settlements and place themselves at the Crossroads. Eddard Stark is under arrest. Robb Stark calls the banners. Tyrion Lannister, promising Mountainmen wyrms and drakes,is freed and accompanied by them.
Game start.
ON WARFARE
DRAKES, also known as boomsticks, Blasting Sticks or little dragons, have, until this point, been mostly used in naval warfare. Large, unwieldy on terrain, they are at most ten or twenty on a singular ship, with new ships being made to accommodate an entirely extra level to the hull to create two lines of boomsticks. To this point, the only point of notice that cannons would have been used in a siege was the destruction of Pyke from a sea bombardement by the Royal Fleet.
WYRMS, accompanied by pikes, make up the Wyrm Foot. A synergized force of two kinds of men: fast moving lines of pikemen with either long spears or very long pikes, depending on the wealth of their lord or training, wielding small bucklers and alongside that any kind of secondary weapon they deem necessary. Alongside them are the shot- wyrm bearers that use matchlock weaponry (arquebuses) that, under the Lannister method, begin an attack by firing in a disparaged line some five feet in front of a waiting pike line, as long and as fast as they cna, before retreating and joining the pikes behind them. This is the quintessential Wyrm Foot.
KNIGHTS AND OTHER forms of warfare are still used. There are three specific places that have not almost fully adopted the pike and shot method. The Reach, with a deep-rooted pride in the gallantry and need of their knightly caste to remain intact. The Iron Islands, mostly among the old generation that is still glowering at the humiliating defeat of their old ways of reaving by the power of powder. And the North, who's traditional values and belief in northern strength has divided the land between those following the Bolton ideal of modernizing their retinues, or sticking to their old ways of hardy men that win hardy battles.
CHARACTERS
Choose only those who are seen in the list below. This is a Westeros-centric game.
[IMPORTANT FOR GAME START IN BOLD]
ROBB STARK- The young are doomed to take up the mantles of war and responsibility. And so, Robb Stark, now acting Lord of Winterfell, calls the banners of his loyal people to march south and rescue his mother's lands and his father's life. However, he marches south with an army divided by tradition and progression in the arts of war. Where will Robb stand?
TYWIN LANNISTER - Power through gold, influence and military might has made Tywin the most dangerous man on the continent. He now gambles with open war with the Riverlands at the onset of the debacle surrounding Tyrion and the arrest of Eddard Stark. Only time will tell if his legacy is safeguarded by the power of the drakes and wyrms.
CERSEI LANNISTER - Joffrey's future must be secured. Above all else, Cersei protects the lives of herself and her children, for they are the jewels in her golden mane. But as the western wind blows across the rivers and the trouts bleed, Cersei looks to those within her court that may or may not be the right men and women for the job to secure her son's future on the throne.
STANNIS BARATHEON - The Ironbreaker. Master of Ships. Prince of Dragonstone. And yet, it is Eddard Stark that calls him back to King's Landing. The news of the Stark's imprisonment comes alongside his letter, and Stannis Baratheon, commander of the royal fleet and the man who created 'modern warfare', sits and mulls the situation over, weary eyes seaward.
RENLY BARATHEON - Supported by a coming wave of Reachmen and Stormlanders, the young Baratheon eadies himself at Storm's End. He, like his brother Stannis, understands the brevity of the situation, however will Renly hold on to his newfound alliance with the Tyrells and once more prove the greatness of knightly chivalry? Or will the smile disappear against a dagger in the dark?
* - Asha and Theon Greyjoy are quite different from the books. Unlike the adventurous Greyjoys they are in the canon timeline, Theon is a sullen and somewhat spiteful young man, who is secretly torn between love for Robb and a deep want of revenge against the Iron Throne for taking his birthright. Asha is this to an extreme- escaping and beginning her own, new journey in the wilds of a war-torn Riverlands, not knowing that one of Clegane's missions is finding her.
**- Jorah Mormont changed after the Siege of Pyke. While Thoros of Myr had a renewal of faith in the fires of the Blatstingpowder, the young Mormont saw death and carnage. Jorah is against adopting the new drakes and wyrms, and is a sullen man, haunted by the screams of men dying from torn limbs underneath rubble.
[ CLAIMS ARE MADE ON A 1, 2, 3 BASIS- "WHAT I WANT MORE" IN A DESCENDING PATTERN. ]
32/32 player slots taken.
RULES
Respect SV Forum rules.
Respect each other out of character.
Respect my time as a GM- send in orders on time. Game turns will run every two-to-three weeks form the first due date. "Report writers" may be recruited to help insure prompt returns.
Private, in-character discussions between players must be held in a way for me to be able to see them, i.e. Discord, SV PMs, etc.
Orders are to be sent through SV PMs to me with the title "CLASH OF FIRE - (Character name)". Orders are 250 words max.
Membership in the Discord is not obligatory, but -extremely- suggested for proper OOC communication and faster alerts on any kind of changes or announcements.
1. petyr Bealish What use is brute strength and knightly virtue of a bullet will kill you all the same
2. Rodrick Harlaw Arr I be a pirate arr
3, Lord Paxter Redwyne The sinews of war is money and I have a lot of money
