RM: Interlude: Meanwhile With Stannis

It had been a swift campaign so far. After the Battle of Last Rest and the march into the Central Riverlands, Stannis had mostly only fought skirmishes against Tywin Lannister's forces, save for a small force of Tywin's Lapdogs under Lord Karyl Vance and Lord Jason Mallister. Wayfarer's Rest and Seagard had been in Tywin's pay from the very start of the War, after all, and they had used the funds and equipment that Tywin had sent them to bully House Ryger of Willow Wood, House Piper of Pinkmaiden, and House Smallwood of Acorn Hall into joining them in treason, while they had simultaneously aided the Lannisters in forcing the Brackens and Blackwoods to bend the knee.

As Stannis moved west toward the Westerlands, however, these Rebellious Riverlords had coalesced into an army of eight thousand men around the Town of Pennytree to try and block Stannis as he marched west toward the Westerlands and Tywin Lannister's Base of Power. At the same time as Lord Seawynd was fighting the Battle of Timber Hall, Stannis was fighting the Battle of Pennytree.

During the Battle, Lords Bracken and Blackwood defected, turning cloak on the Traitors and allowing Stannis to pick up an easy victory as they attacked from the flanks of the Traitors' own formations. Easy Victory had been an understatement, it had been a slaughter, with both Jason Mallister and Karyl Vance dead, alongside Patrek Mallister, who had been wounded badly in the battle. House Piper of Pinkmaiden, House Ryger of Willow Wood, and House Smallwood of Acorn Hall all bent the knee in the aftermath and Stannis set them to work capturing Seagard and Wayfarer's Rest from their Garrisons to prove their loyalty while he took the main force of the army into the Westerlands.

On the march, he met with Edmure Tully, heir to the Riverlands, and spoke with the man. Apparently, Lord Hoster Tully was too ill to so much as leave his bed to use the privy, which was part of the reason the Riverlands had been so divided in loyalties. If the Lord Paramount was too ill to ride herd on his lords then this was bound to happen when civil war broke out and the potential for old grudges, land claims, and other matters of redress cropped up. Hoster Tully, however, had enough presence of mind remaining to send his heir, and likely the soon-to-be Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, to bend the knee to Stannis. Edmure brought with him another eight thousand troops, bringing Stannis up to sixty thousand men as he marched into the Westerlands.

It was here, at the Golden Tooth, that Stannis' advance stalled out for the first time. For a full week, they were stalled out at the formidable castle that commanded the approach to the Westerlands. The Golden Tooth was a proper fortress, the kind that would be able to hold off a siege indefinitely. To make matters worse, it had been built with walls thick enough, and at a tricky enough elevation on the top of its hill, that it was taking the artillery some time to reduce them, as bombards couldn't handle the elevation required, but four-pounders did little more than chip away at the walls a bit at a time with each shot.

It was infuriating for Stannis, and he cast about for any way to break the deadlock and resolve the siege favorably so that he could move into the Westerlands Proper and chase down Tywin Lannister to put an end to this. As usual, of course, it was his trusty Ser Davos who had brought him the solution to his problems. Ser Davos brought a local Goat Herder into the tent to see him. Stannis had initially not been amused by this, as the Goat Herder didn't look like much. Unkempt, shaggy, brown hair, a stubble on his chin indicating the lack of a recent shave, and worn, but sturdy clothes of leather and wool. If you had put this man in any section of hills in the entire world, Stannis would have said that he was the archetypal hill-dwelling smallfolk.

"Ser Davos, what is this?" Questioned Stannis.

"This is Halleck, Your Grace. He's a goat herder what rents his pasture from Lord Lefford." Answered Ser Davos.

"I can see that he is a Goat Herder, Ser Davos. Why is he here, though?" Queried Stannis.

"Tell the King what you told me, Lad." Encouraged Ser Davos.

"Well, Your Grace, it's just that I'd been thinking. You see, Lord Lefford's a might greedy. He squeezes us something fierce and he don't respond to any of our petitions, 'cept to call out the guards. You though, you've got a reputation for fairness. Me and a few of the Lads thought you might be interested in hearing about some of the Old Goat Paths that run through the hills 'round here. There's one goes all the way to a hidden postern by the castle." Offered Halleck the Goat Herder.

"And you thought that by offering such I would take that into consideration when it came time for you to pay taxes?" Asked Stannis.

"Begging your Pardon, Your Grace, but anything's better than being down to our last Groat." Nodded Halleck the Goat Herder.

"From what his friends told us, they ought to be paying half what they are, Your Grace." Cut in Ser Davos.

"I see. Lord Lefford is not content with his mines, it seems, but must also extort his Smallfolk to the breaking point. Truly, sometimes I wonder the sort of environment Tywin Lannister has fostered." Groused Stannis, teeth grinding.

"If you're interested in the Goat Paths, your grace, they're wide enough for four men to travel through abreast at one time." Offered Halleck the Goat Herder.

"I see. And you say one of them will let us approach a hidden Postern Gate?" Questioned Stannis.

"Yes, Your Grace. Supposedly, it'd been built into the Castle during the Dance of Dragons by Old Lord Humfrey Lefford as a way to escape the Castle. I only know about it cause one of the Lads' Great-Grandads helped install it. He was a master mason, you see." Nodded Halleck the Goat Herder.

"What say you, Ser Davos? Can we trust this information?" Queried Stannis.

"Aye, Your Grace. I think the Lad's telling the truth if you don't mind me saying." Nodded Ser Davos.

"Very well. Send a Force under Ser Rolland Storm and Ser Justin Massey to attack via this Goat Path and Hidden Postern. If the information proves true, then we will see about lowering the tax burden for the smallfolk around here." Commanded Stannis.

"Aye, Your Grace." Affirmed Ser Davos, tossing off a salute before going to carry out his orders.

"Thank you, Your Grace! The Lads won't let you down." Vowed Halleck the Goat Herder.

"Understand, if this proves some trick or folly, you will find yourself paying the price. I have little enough time for japes and even less for deceit." Warned Stannis.

That threat seemed to cause Halleck the Goat Herder to stand up straighter. However, as it would turn out, he needn't have worried. The Goat Path did exist, as did the hidden Postern Gate. Soon enough the sounds of combat could be heard ringing out from within the Golden Tooth as Ser Justin Massey and Ser Rolland Storm led their small but elite cadre of troops into the Golden Tooth via the Hidden Postern. With the castle under attack from within, Stannis urged his men on, attacking it from without. By the end of the eighth day of the Siege of the Golden Tooth, the Castle was in Stannis' hands and the path into the Westerlands was open to his army.

He moved west swiftly, capturing Oxcross before moving North to secure his flank. Here, near a large village known as Copperhill, Tywin Lannister Confronted Stannis' Army once again with a force of his own. Stannis' slightly less than sixty thousand men against Tywin Lannister's force of Forty Thousand. The Battle of Copperhill was fought at the same time that Ricasso Seawynd was finishing his defeat of House Cox and Saltharvest.

Tywin's position was strong, lined up on a hillside, forcing Stannis to march uphill to get at him. Fortunately for Stannis, Tywin's Force was short on artillery, only having three dozen guns to Stannis' seventy-five. If Stannis' Artillery could silence Tywin's, then he could force Tywin off the hillside with an artillery bombardment. That had been the plan, and fair dues to Stannis, because it had worked, though not before Tywin Lannister's Musketeers had wreaked a deadly toll amongst Stannis' troops, as he had to send a force up the hill at them under Ser Justin Massey, simply to keep Tywin's Force occupied instead of attacking Stannis' Main Force before his plan could truly take root.

It was a bloody slog up that hill, and even Ser Justin Massey, normally so quick to boast, would have hesitated from boasting about this particular fight. Such was war, however, and as Ser Justin led no fewer than three pike charges up the Hill, bouncing each time against Tywin's Forces, a gunnery duel ensued between the artillery complements of each army. Tywin had clearly spared no expense in training his gun crews because the enemy gave as good as they got. Stannis watched from his position near the reserves as a Gun Battery fighting under the Chevron and Dagger Banner of House Foote put a cannonball right into one of his Crownlander Artillery Batteries, the cannonball ricocheting off bronze cannons, the ground, and field fortifications, pulping gun crews and disabling the guns in the process.

That hadn't been the only good shot the enemy artillery got off. Generally speaking, for every battery the enemy lost, they damaged or killed one of Stannis'. Unfortunately for Tywin, though, those maths didn't favor the Westerlander Gunners. Soon enough, the enemy artillery was taken completely out of the battle and Stannis recalled Ser Justin Massey and his battered assault force to begin his bombardment. A horn blast echoed out across the hilly terrain, blaring three, staccato, bursts, as Ser Justin's Force withdrew back down the hillside, jeers from the Westerlander Troops following them back down to Stannis' Main Force.

As Ser Justin returned, Stannis could see that the Westerlanders had mauled the Assault Force badly in the constant assaults up the hill. Ser Justin Massey himself came back without his Helm and sporting a cut across the bridge of his nose where a Westerlander Sword had carved into his face. Ser Justin would have to work harder to charm people in the future, as he would develop a scar there even though Stannis had him being healed with the best medicines available. The Enemy was in high spirits after having sent Ser Justin packing. They would not be that way for much longer, however.

As Stannis' Artillery belched smoke, flame, and death, cannonballs began to rain down upon the Lannister Formations along the Hillside. Many Lannister Troops were slain in the bombardment, smashed apart like a bowl of eggs by the fire from Stannis' Artillery, formations sundered, and so on. Panic began to take hold as the Enemy Troops realized that the Hillside provided almost no cover from the Cannons of Stannis' Artillery Force. Shouts rang out as officers and Lords tried to badger their men off the Hillside in good order. It was only partially successful, as some Westerlander Units instead broke and fled the field, the very little levy training they had not up to the task of a modern battlefield.

Stannis watched as one such Lord, with the peacock of Serrett Emblazoned on his Surcoat, tried desperately to organize such a maneuver. Unfortunately, Stannis sent in his own Musketeers to keep pouring on fire, and in the first volley, the Serrett Lord took a musketball to the knee, going down hard. He ordered the bombardment to continue and all told, half the Lannister Army must have been killed, wounded, or put to flight before the other half managed to reassemble itself at the bottom of the Hill.

That was when Stannis sent in his main force. Pikes charged the enemy, supported by Cavalry. The Enemy Cavalry rode out to meet Stannis' Cavalry in a crashing of lances and the thundering of hooves, stalling out the advance of Stannis' Hussars and Knights. It was the infantry, however, that would win the battle. Tywin's force put up a hell of a fight, especially considering they were outnumbered almost three to one. Eventually, however, Tywin realized he was just throwing good troops after bad and sounded the retreat.

The Battle of Copperhill was another major victory for Stannis in the Westerlands, though it had come at a cost. Four thousand dead or wounded, largely from the many failed assaults up the hill by Ser Justin Massey in order to keep Tywin Lannister's forces pinned in place on the hillside. Tywin, meanwhile, suffered nine thousand killed, wounded, or captured, and a further twelve thousand fled which would take time and effort to reassemble into some form of Army.

Tywin himself had withdrawn with nineteen thousand men toward the Crag, forcing Stannis to take Ashemark and Sarsfield before he could proceed to finish Tywin Lannister. Obviously, Tywin was hoping to be reinforced by his Ironborn Allies, however, Stannis knew that the Iron Isles were still fighting amongst themselves after the Reader's Coup. It was unlikely in the extreme that reinforcements would be coming to aid Tywin from that quarter any time soon. Instead, Stannis decided to besiege Ashemark first, then Sarsfield, before moving for the Crag and Tywin Lannister.

Ashemark's fortifications, however, were somehow even stronger than those of the Golden Tooth. While Stannis could assault the Castle, he would lose many men trying to do so and wanted to keep that as a last resort option. It was as he was settled in for a moderately lengthy siege that he received Ravens from Lord Seawynd and Lord Royce of Runestone in the Vale.

Lord Seawynd had captured the bulk of the Eastern Riverlands but needed reinforcements before pushing on Maidenpool. Apparently, this was due to the Tattered Prince, a professional Sellsword Commander who had been hired along with a host of other Sellswords. Meanwhile, Lord Royce stated his intent to bend the knee and send forces to aid Lord Seawynd. Stannis ground his teeth as he tried to do the maths about how many forces he would have to detach from Harrenhal in order to make Lord Seawynd's Campaign in the Eastern Riverlands a success. Eventually, he decided to send just enough that between Lord Royce's Forces, and the Forces he already possessed, Lord Seawynd would have ten thousand troops.

He sent ravens to Lord Seawynd letting him know that, as well as to Ser Denys Irons and the troops in the Central Riverlands with reinforcement orders. Then, Stannis turned his attention back to Ashemark. The Castle was strong, true, with thick walls and a number of outlying towers and other defenses. However, no fortress could hold out forever, and Stannis Baratheon would see Ashemark humbled by the end of the month, he swore it. This, it turned out would happen a day sooner than Stannis had planned for.

Lord Damon Marbrand would be shot off the parapet by one of Stannis' Musketeers as he moved to survey Stannis' Camp one morning. He would die of his wounds that same day. While Ser Addam Marbrand, the heir to Ashemark, was with Tywin Lannister's Army at the Crag, that left the Castellan of Ashemark, Ser Humfrey Hill to command. Ser Humfrey chose to surrender rather than risk a sack. As the fourth month of Two-Ninety-Nine dawned, Ashemark fell into Stannis' Hands.

Now, Stannis just had to take Sarsfield, and the way to the Crag, and Tywin Lannister's Army, would be open to him. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here's the next chapter. We see how Stannis has managed to fare so far and the answer is pretty damn well. He's trapped Tywin at the Crag between the Pendric Hills and the Sunset Sea and once he takes control of Sarsfield, he will have full control of Tywin's only way out of that particular bit of the Westerlands that doesn't involve trying to use ships or somehow sneak an army past Stannis down the long way toward the Kayce Peninsula. If he can keep Tywin stuck here, then Tywin will be forced to either bend the knee or destroy his army against Stannis' Army in a futile attempt to escape.

Tywin is, of course, hoping the Ironborn will come to reinforce him, but that may not be possible, even if the Reader had any intention of honoring the debts of a man who is clearly on the losing side. The Reader isn't Balon, after all, he's not stupid. He's quite capable of seeing which way the wind is blowing and jumping accordingly.

At any rate, the next chapter will involve the Vale, House Royce, and Littlefinger. Then we'll get an interlude on the current state of the Civil War in the Iron Isles.

Stay tuned. . .