RM: Interlude: The Battle of Pebbleton

It had begun as these things often did among the Ironborn, with a naval clash. Two mighty fleets faced each other off the coast of the Small Town of Pebbleton, the seat of House Merlyn, on the southeastern coast of Great Wyk. Pebbleton was not a large town. Only some twelve thousand Ironborn called it home, most of whom were involved in the business of catching, salting, or pickling fish. It was barely large enough to be considered a town by the standards of the Greenlanders. You could fit one hundred Pebbletons into a city like White Harbor, to say nothing of King's Landing or even Lannisport.

The Iron Isles were not as populated as the Greenlands, however, though they were quite densely populated. This was largely down to a trick of geography. The Iron Isles were small, you see, exceedingly so. The two and a half million Ironborn that lived on the Isles had to do so in densely populated clusters of settlements. For example, Pebbleton might not be large, but it also served as a trade hub for five nearby villages, all of which were between five thousand and ten thousand people strong, along with a number of smaller hamlets of between five hundred to a thousand people. In actuality, the area around Pebbleton, which formed the heart of House Merlyn's Power, contained forty-five-thousand-five-hundred Ironborn within it.

That was without counting settlements on the outskirts with sworn bannermen like Sheephill or Stonedelving, both of which contained a further nine thousand people, with a few attached hamlets of between five hundred to one thousand people. All told, it was likely that House Merlyn had, between vassals and their own lands, some seventy thousand people within its borders, and they were considered to be not important enough to send candidates to a Kingsmoot, with small lands and marginal fleets.

All that was to say that when the Fleets of the Traditionalists, under the overall command of the Wynch of Wynch, Lord Waldon Wynch of the Iron Holt, met the fleets of the Reformists, under the overall command of Rodrik The Reader, the Harlaw of Harlaw, there were many who could bear witness to the sight. Many who could claim to have witnessed the dying of an age. It was just a shame that their Lord, Meldered Merlyn, the Merlyn of Merlyn, would not survive its death throes.

It began as these things did, in blood and fire, with the cannons of the reformists belching their smoke and flame at the traditionalists. The Longships that the Ironborn used were not suited to carrying many cannons themselves, perhaps ten to a longship, more likely fewer even than that. Fewer still of those were four-pounders, with most being two-pounders, and none being the sort of Bombards capable of blasting holes in castle walls from a third of a league out at sea. However, when the Traditionalist Fleet was still largely using ballistae, rams, and boarding actions, such weapons were more than a match for them.

It started with a charge led by The Stonehouse of Stonehouse, Dagon Stonehouse, the Lord of Highmount Hall on Old Wyk. Dagon Stonehouse was an old man of an age with the Reader. He was keen to die in battle before he became too infirm to fight, command a ship, or even travel. He led a contingent of thirty ships, a fifth of the Traditionalist Fleet, into a charge at the Reformists' line of battle. As the Stonehouse's Longships poured on speed, oars pumping and sails unfurled, Rodrik the Reader gave the order to fire broadsides.

The order was not immediately followed by all, as the sight of the Traditionalists simply throwing a full fifth of their fleet away on some mad, doomed charge seemed to stun the gunners aboard the Reformists Flotilla. The broadsides that followed were less a unified volley of cannonfire and more a ragged staccato of individual ships' guns, the sheer unmitigated bravery of the Stonehouse's vanguard allowing the Traditionalists to close enough to begin firing back with their ballistae without being immediately destroyed. Unfortunately for the Stonehouse, his vanguard still paid a heavy price for their courage, with more than two thirds damaged, sunk, or crippled by even a ragged fire from five times their own numbers of ships.

The remainder of the Vanguard, however, managed to get off a few shots with their ballistae. Some missed entirely, others thudded into the Reformist Longships, doing damage. At least two, which had been doused in whale oil before firing and lit alight, managed to catch their targets aflame, with the unfortunate ship Silverfin, Captained by Germund Botley, younger brother of the Lord of Lordsport, Sawane Botley, not managing to douse the flames in time to keep their powder from catching alight, blowing Germund and his older son Balon Botley to the Drowned Gods halls, along with the eighty warriors carried aboard. They were the first casualties of the Battle of Pebbleton, but they would not be the last.

Another volley was fired out at the Vanguard of the Traditionalists, most of the shots missing as the traditionalists closed, with guns that had been expected to fire at far longer ranges now needing to be manhandled to point in newer directions. At the same time, another volley of ballista bolts was issued forth from the Traditionalists' Vanguard. Ships on both sides were struck, with the Longships Cunning Knave, Swiftaxe, and Blue Wave, captained by Will Humble, Romny Weaver, and Boremund Harlaw, respectively, catching alight from flaming projectiles. The Blue Wave managed to quench the flames. The others, however, did not, consigning yet more warriors to the Drowned God's Halls in fiery doom. However, now all but five of the Traditionalist Vanguard had joined them in death.

There was no time to reload the guns, instead, the Reformists braced for impact as the remaining five ships of the Traditionalist Vanguard crunched into their broadsides, rams striking out. Ironborn Ships were built sturdy, however, and a single ram would not sink most ships. No, instead, the ram was used as the opening gambit in a boarding action, or else used to shear the oars off a War Galley or Dromond, forcing the ship to rely solely on sails to move. In this case, it was the former, as Ironborn Traditionalists leaped onto the decks of five reformist vessels.

Shockingly, one such ship was the Seahouse, the Personal Longship of the Stonehouse, who led the charge onto the deck of Great Spout, the Personal Longship of Lord Meldred Merlyn, laughing all the while. Lord Meldred Merlyn was a fat man, round and fleshy, more fond of furs and velvets than mail and plate. He still moved to meet the forces of the Stonehouse in battle. The Stonehouse himself had been half convinced the Merlyn would simply surrender, cowering rather than fighting. He was pleasantly surprised when the Fat Lord met him on the deck of his ship, steel in hand.

To test his opponent, the Stonehouse plucked a throwing axe from his belt, tossing it at the Fat Lord. Meldred Merlyn, to his credit, knew he would not be fast enough after so much banqueting to catch the axe as the Ironborn often did when playing the finger dance. Instead, he simply raised his shield, blocking the blow that was aimed at his fat face. The Stonehouse grinned, nodding at his opponent, clearly deciding that the display was good enough. The pair met as groups of Ironborn struggled to the death all around them, the Stonehouse cutting out with his sword for the Merlyn's legs, only for the Merlyn to backpedal away.

The Stonehouse barked out a laugh and rushed forward, parrying a blow from the Merlyn's Axe as he did so and planting his shoulder into the mailed torso of the Merlyn. Encouragingly, the Merlyn didn't immediately crumple, instead choosing to headbutt the Stonehouse. As neither were wearing helms, when the bald head of the Merlyn met the Stonehouse's nose, it was the latter that cracked. A spray of blood on the decks as the Stonehouse fell back, laughing all the while. A cut of the Merlyn's axe flashed out that the Stonehouse leaned away from, before coming back in with a quick pair of cuts with his arming sword, forcing the Merlyn to block with his shield. As the twin cuts took chunks out of the Merlyn's Shield, the Stonehouse slammed a powerful cut into the wooden bulwark as a follow-through, smashing the shield to flinders. The Merlyn stumbled as his shield was destroyed, and that gave the Stonehouse the opening he needed to split the Merlyn's fat skull open.

That seemed to take the fight out of most of the Warriors of the Great Spout's Crew. The Stonehouse's men began cleaning them up, and within the first hour of battle, they had captured another Longship. That wasn't enough for the Stonehouse, however. If he was to be denied his trip to the Drowned God's Halls in style, then he would demand no less than multiple prize vessels.

Unfortunately for the Stonehouse, or fortunately, depending on your point of view, Rodrik the Reader had taken note of the captures and ordered any ship captured by the enemy with guns still aboard to be sunk by the rest of the reformist fleet. A practical measure to deny the enemy any resources with which to even the odds. The Stonehouse had but scant moments to enjoy his victory before it all ended in smoke and flame.

The Stonehouse's last thought as the cannonballs came whistling in was that it seemed he would get to enter the Drowned God's Halls in style after all. . .

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Rodrik the Reader scowled at how things in the battle had been going. The Stonehouse's Doomed Vanguard had indeed been doomed, but they had also been something else. A clever ruse to allow the remainder of his fleet time to narrow the gap between the two fleets to where they could begin firing back at the Reformist Fleet. It was a ruse of the sort he did not think that Waldon Wynch was capable of. The man had largely been a toady, seeking to curry favor with Balon his whole life. Apparently, underneath the smarm and disingenuous brown-nosing was a head for tactics. Who knew? Not Rodrik, though he couldn't deny the effectiveness.

"Very well, two can play at that game. Signal Ser Harras and tell him to unleash our first surprise." Nodded Rodrik.

"My Lord? Already?" Questioned Maron Volmark.

Maron Volmark was young, not yet a man grown at fourteen winters. However, he had the blood of Harren Hoare flowing through his veins. The Reader intended to use that once the traditionalists had been defeated on the field of battle to present Maron as the Reformist Faction's choice to be the new Lord Reaper of Pyke. In actuality, the Reader would be the power behind the Seastone Chair, guiding Maron Volmark as he had this whole war, while Maron had been serving as his Squire of sorts. It wasn't a concept the Ironborn partook in culturally, mind you, but having Maron close to hand would only help in the long run.

"Yes, Maron. Already." Nodded the Reader.

"All right, I'll tell the Flag-Bearer. I still think it's too early." Huffed Maron, before heading toward the Semaphore man on the other end of the deck of the Reader's Flagship, the Sea Song.

"He may be callow, but he does his duty, albeit with some level of cheek. I've worked with worse before, I suppose." Mused the Reader.

As the Semaphore flags went up, signalling to the Tower Keep that was the Castle of House Merlyn. Moments later, a series of flashes of light, directed via mirror, beamed out of the Tower Keep. The Reader smirked at seeing that. The message had been relayed, and Ser Harras would be bringing their first surprise around shortly. Of course, the Reader also had a second surprise waiting for the Traditionalist Fleet, but he preferred not to use it unless he had to. After all, you never knew when you would need to keep something in reserve.

"My Lord? Is something funny?" Queried Maron Volmark as he returned to the Reader's Side.

"Only that Waldon Wynch fancies himself a tactician." Chuckled the Reader.

"I don't follow, My Lord. Why is that funny?" Asked Maron Volmark.

"Because he is about to learn that tactics do not win wars, Maron, logistics do." Grinned the Reader.

As he said that, their first surprise came sailing around the headland into sight. Balon's building of the Iron Fleet had been one of the most intelligent things he had done in his reign. That he had proceeded to fritter it away on some pointless effort to fight all of the other Seven Kingdoms at once had stung, especially as both of Rodrik's Sons had died captaining ships in said fleet during that rebellion, but he could not say that the ships were not magnificent.

Indeed, he had hated to sink so many during the attack on Pyke Castle. Two-thirds of the Three-hundred-strong Iron Fleet had been destroyed, scuttled, or beached during the attack on Pyke. Of the rest, sixty were too damaged to be made ready in a speedy manner. The rest, though, the Reader had captured and armed with four-pounders purchased from Oldtown with Lannister Gold, as the Tyrells were now out of the War after Renly's defeat and the Lannisters still expected the Ironborn to take their side once they finished this civil war. Those Forty War Galleys, which had been hidden in a natural cove in the Rocky Headlands that formed this part of the coast of Great Wyk, were now sailing into view of the Traditionalist's Flank, with his heir, Ser Harras Harlaw, in overall command.

On seeing this, the cohesion of the Traditionalists Frayed, and after another half an hour of combat, broke entirely. Two separate reactions unfolded, with a third of the remaining Traditionalists fleeing entirely under the Sunderly of Sunderly, Horgan Sunderly. The rest under Waldon Wynch stayed to fight it out. They were hopelessly outmatched, though, however, they fought like Devils, even so, taking many a Reformist Warrior to the Drowned God's Halls with them. However, after one last hour of battle, the contest was decided.

Of the three-hundred-forty ships that the Reformers had brought to battle off Pebbleton, perhaps fifty-two were lost to enemy action or damaged badly enough to require significant repairs, with only six of those being War Galleys. Of the Three Hundred Traditionalist Ships that had been brought to battle, two hundred thirty had been sunk or captured, while the remaining seventy had managed to flee the onslaught. The traditionalists had lost roughly four and a half times the number lost by the Reformists.

They may not realize it yet, especially with a Traditionalist Army still having Hammerhorn Under Siege and clashes still occurring on Saltcliffe, but this battle had effectively shattered the power of the Traditionalists to act offensively in the Civil War. Now, all that was left was to relieve Hammerhorn, and the rest of the Civil War would effectively be a simple sweeping up of Traditionalist Garrisons and smaller bands. The war was as good as won.

And then, Rodrik the Reader would see just how much he could get for his allegiance and those of the Isles from Stannis. He doubted that Tywin would be in any position to offer him much of anything, nor to demand much of anything from him, for that matter. The Reader wasn't sure about getting any potential concessions from Stannis, but there was one thing he knew in his bones.

And that was that, whatever way the tide swam, the Ironborn would negotiate it under his leadership. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here we see the next chapter. The Ironborn Civil War is predictably going the Reader's Way. A major naval clash off Pebbleton on Old Wyk has seen the back of the Traditionalist Fleet broken, and now their ability to move troops around to different islands is pretty much gone, which means so is their ability to wage offensive warfare. Hammerhorn is still under siege by a major army, and there are still some smaller bands skirmishing on Saltcliffe between the Reformist House Saltcliffe and the Traditionalist House Sunderly, but this was decisive.

As the Reader said, the problem with being a tactician is that tactics are small-scale. How do I win this battle? Asks the tactician. The Logistician asks what do I need to win this campaign, how can I get it, and how can I apply it to the best effect with as little waste as possible. In his position, Lord Wynch likely would have sunk all the Iron Fleet, as that was the quickest path to winning that particular battle. He certainly wouldn't have gone to Oldtown and bought up a bunch of cannons with Lannister Gold he never intended to pay back. The Reader did, and it's effectively won him the Isles.

A note on Maron Volmark. His having Hoare Blood is canon, per chapter Twenty-Nine of A Feast For Crows, but it isn't really expounded on very much except to say that he has the bloodline through his mother. Here, I have it that his Mother was descended from the Female Line of House Hoare via a daughter of Harren the Black's Brother, who had been sent to the wall and became Lord Commander, but as a Daughter, was ineligible to rule after Harren and his sons burned with Harrenhal. The Female line I have as having had control of Hoare Castle on Great Wyk, which had been rebuilt after its destruction during the whole Crakehall-Shrike Debacle.

At any rate, the next chapter will be a look at the Goings On at the Wall and in Tolos, where we'll see the end of the Wildling Invasion as the Weeper and Rattleshirt try to take on the Watch and Starks at once, while Dany will be plotting to deal with Viserys in Tolos.

Stay tuned. . .