(Erlend Mudd, Saltpans)
Erlend Mudd-Arryn, as soon as the thought came to his mind, Erlend couldn't help but cringe at it. That was a rabbit hole no one wanted to fall into, least of all him.
The cursed Potter inheritance cliche seems to have sneaked its way into this verse, though if he saw anything resembling goblins within this verse, he would make sure to annihilate them, their greed could very well destroy Westeros.
This world was already fucked up as it is, it couldn't handle it anymore.
Potential genocide aside, Erlend turned his attention towards the town ahead of him, while minor and insignificant, it did have some potential for development. A pity that it faced such a harsh fate during the canon timeline, though that was unlikely to occur this time around now that it was under his control.
The only thing of note from this minor holding was that a daughter of House Hawick had wed a Frey, but the house was left to its lonesome as they were frankly worth nothing. Ser Symond for all his need for vengeance was not one to take it out on those he considered innocent, good for him.
One look at the large army gathered before his modest castle and Ser Quincy Cox quickly surrendered, choosing fealty over destruction. The landed knight was clearly shaken by the appearance of the Banners.
Truthfully Erlend had no idea if he had been part of the royalists or rebels, nor did he care to find out, both sides no longer mattered and any support he could've lent to either would've been quite insignificant.
Something his vassals agreed with as they planned to continue moving forward, plans for future development can wait, the Riverlands had to be secured first.
…
(Maidenpool)
Standing at the opening of his tent, Erlend overlooked the pink stone walls, one of the things Maidenpool was famed for alongside its sweetwater bathhouse, commonly known as Jonquil's Bath.
With him was the 3rd Banner, with the rest of the Banners having moved to besiege and capture the various towns and holdings under Harrenhal, which would be the first major stronghold he intended to capture. Similarly to the Saltpans, Harroway's Town had already surrendered with House Roote joining with whatever force they could muster to the Mudd cause.
Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to leave Twilight Isle defenseless, it had the 7th banner guarding it, and that combined with the 8th banner which was undergoing training, left a solid 6,000 men to guard it, more than enough to keep any foolish opportunists out.
Unlike Danaerys he would not abandon his Essosi territories under the dubious control of a probable turncoat. After all, it made for a perfect springboard for his plans in the eastern continent.
The 1st to 5th Banners would be participating in the Riverlands campaign, supplemented by about 10,000 men from the vale. The 6th banner under the command of Lt. General Strong would focus on securing the narrow sea and Crackclaw Point with the aid of the Shadow Wardens.
At the moment Maidenpool was his target, a major stronghold mainly for the fortune it held and the trade that ran through it. Yet that wasn't the true reason he was here, he had a far more important matter to deal with.
It would be surprising if the Mootons chose to resist, seeing that he had no qualms about reducing Maidenpool to dust, Erlend was sure House Cox wouldn't mind having their town replace Maidenpool as the primary trading hub in the area.
Across from him was the undeniable beauty of the rivers that famously ran through the region, sure they would more than likely become an obstacle should any of the riverlords try and muster a force to meet him in open battle. However, whatever advantage the rivers would give them would largely be negated by the size and skill of the Banners.
"My Lord." Horton Redfort approached him, there was a bit of hesitation in his tone.
"A contingent of soldiers has arrived, their leader requests a meeting with you."
"Hmm, he's early, let him in." His Shadows finally arrived, which certainly made for a good sign.
"Are you sure, my Lord?" There was a hint of concern in his voice, understandable when one considers the fact that assassinations weren't all that uncommon during such a chaotic period.
Not to mention how suspicious his Shadows tended to look.
"It's alright Lord Redfort, they're meant to be here."
Nodding his head, the old man motioned for them to allow the visitors in, whilst Erlend sat in the impromptu office setup within his tent.
A rather gaunt-faced man entered shortly after, his steel gray eyes seemed apathetic to all who lay eyes on it. He wore all-black clothing and light armor supported by a cloak that held a crown emblem, signifying his status as an elite soldier of House Mudd.
The man bowed his head to Erlend, and then saluted before speaking.
"My Lord, the Narrow Sea and Crackclaw Point are yours." His voice was cool, yet distant, with nothing that could point to any sort of emotion.
Old Horton looked both surprised and pleased at this piece of news but was summarily ignored by the two, as his liege nodded for the gaunt man to continue
"That's good, any issues with General Strong?" Erlend asked.
"Negative my Lord, General Strong seems to have matured since his last battles with the Dothraki, being more careful with the lives of the men under him."
This was good, while Duncan Strong was a good man, his brash attitude and aggressive demeanor meant that his plans tended to lead to unnecessary deaths, hence why Erlend had Commander Eller oversee the campaign alongside Denys Strong who served as his brother's aide in the campaign.
"What of the losses?"
"80 deaths, and 167 injuries, none of which were crippling". Erlend frowned at that.
The deaths meant that they resisted, but that was to be expected, their keeps were ironically harder to infiltrate compared to their fellow crownlander lords. So a bloodless capture would not have been possible.
"Were the causes dealt with?" This time Eller nodded his head.
"Indeed my Lord, the stubborn ones were executed by General Duncan, the rest were spared due to Lord Denys not wanting to implicate the innocent." The distaste in Ellar's voice was obvious, he believed that destroying all potential enemies stem and root, was a must, a bit extreme, but his loyalty and skill were valuable enough to overlook it.
Horton didn't like Ellar's attitude but chose to remain silent. Erlend had impressed the importance of maintaining a proper chain of command with the Vale lords and they wisely chose to accept it, largely thanks to the fame that the Banners had accumulated.
None of them wanted to be embarrassed by the experienced commanders, so they didn't care to cause many incidents.
Sure, it still happened, but it was rather rare as the valemen were quite intimidated by his men. Plus, no one wanted to bear enmity with someone who could potentially make the difference between life and death on the battlefield.
Ellar continued discussing the crownlands front, with Horton simply observing and voicing his opinions whenever asked for them. The old lord wasn't new to war, and his insights gave a better view on the Westerosi perspective on warfare.
Finally, the discussion on the matter ended, as they sat within the tent contemplating the information, so far everything had been successful.
Harrenhal would be difficult to capture without making use of his children, but that made it all the more worth it.
After all, this war should show the Westerosi that he was more than capable of subduing them without his dragons. Not that they even knew of their existence yet.
Erlend then asked the question that had been on his mind for quite a while "What of the red dragon?"
…
William Mooton was a coward, a timid fool whose wife held him by the balls. The Lord of Maidepool had fleshy and pale skin, he looked soft and acted soft. Probably having lost any bravado he might have had when his brother died at Robert's hand during the Battle of the Bells.
Unsurprisingly, after seeing the 3,000 men of the 3rd Banner camped outside his seat, the man quickly gave in, swearing fealty to him. He could've held out and attempted to withstand a siege but he wisely chose to give in.
There had been some hope that one of the most powerful men in the Riverlands would've put up more of a fight, but disappointment was to be expected, reports from the Shadows had already informed Erlend of the craven's attitude and personality. Then again this was the same fool that let Maidenpool burn and hid behind his castle walls during the war of five kings.
The true power behind House Mooton had been Ser Myles, the younger brother of the lord. That power had now shifted to his wife, who had been part of the entourage that welcomed the lord of the Vale into Maidenpool after William swore fealty to him. It was obvious she was in charge, as the knights and household all deferred to her.
Kneeling before Erlend, the young Lady showed a subservient stance, wary of insulting him. Her husband chose to remain quiet, simply choosing to take a step back and his head low.
"Maidenpool is yours, my Lord." Keeping her head bowed.
"Excellent, I hope everything is well within your household, Lady Mariya," Erlend responded.
"Indeed it is my Lord, it's an honor for us to host you here." Completely brushing over the fact that he had fully intended to turn this place into dust if needed.
"I hope your brother, Lord Marcus will be just as accommodating as you and your… partner." One could practically feel her stiffening at that statement.
True to her upbringing she quickly got a hold of herself and merely smiled thinly at the not-so-subtle threat of his.
"Of course my Lord, I'm sure my brother would be honored to host you within Castle Darry." He couldn't help but inwardly snort at the simpering tone, choosing to ignore it.
"Well then, it's been quite a while since a Mudd has stepped through these walls, I'm sure you wouldn't mind guiding me?" Deciding to move on.
This time seemingly coming to life, Lord William began happily recounting all he could about the ancient town and castle as we moved, oblivious to the gaze Erlend kept on his wife, curious about what she would tell her brother.
…
(Harrenhal)
5 large towers could be seen as the men marched close towards Harrenhal, with thick walls that would've seemed more at home with the giant of old rather than the humans that inhabited it.
The banners were finally converging around Harrenhal, as the surrounding seats were subjugated, either choosing to kneel and swear fealty or resisted and were promptly besieged and imprisoned.
Overall, they only lost about 150 men with another 86 injured, though they were supplemented by men who joined after the river lords knelt and swore fealty to House Mudd.
Lord Marcus Darry had chosen to kneel after getting a raven from his sister Mariya, it seemed the two realized where the winds were sailing and didn't want to end up on the wrong side of things.
A wise decision, considering the situation, so he didn't begrudge it, having allowed the raven to make it there in the first place.
Harrenhal would likely be the first major battle since the Trident. House Whent being a fairly young house and was likely only choosing to fight due to some misbegotten loyalty to either the Targaryens or their kin the Tullies.
Having chosen to remain neutral in the rebellion due to their divided loyalties, House Whent was one of the neutral powerhouses in the Riverlands he had to deal with.
Frankly, he couldn't care why they were fighting, what was important was that they had about 4,000 raised men guarding that monstrosity of a castle, and that could prove costly should they choose to flank him when he inevitably dealt with the Vance's.
Old Horton had already ridden into camp towards the command tent, while Erlend directed the 3rd to begin setting up camp and move into siege positions. There was no need for him to rush, everyone knew their positions and should be in place.
Once he was sure that the 3rd was settled, Erlend rode towards the command tent. The commanders were studying a map of the castle while the Vale lords gave their input and suggestions that they thought could be useful.
"Ah, my Lord. We were just discussing the siege." Yohn bowed his head as he spoke.
"My Lord." The rest of the Commanders and Lords quickly followed suit.
"Lord Lorimas has done significant damage to the morale of the defenders so far, and we think we've found a place by which we can infiltrate the castle." Yohn continued.
"We agreed that I will be part of the attack that gains their attention," His Uncle said.
"They're still unaware of your presence or your men, so should the 3rd banner join in the siege midway, their forces would be in disarray."
"Giving the infiltration force more than enough time to get to positions." Erlend continued that train of thought.
"It's a dangerous gamble, but my son has agreed to lead the infiltration contingent," Horton informed him.
"I'll not let you down my Lord, we are ready to take the risk," Jasper spoke up.
"I am sure you will succeed." Erlend smiled, hoping to ease the young heir's nerves, he didn't want him to mess anything up.
"See that the trebuchets are ready, we attack as soon as everyone is in position,"
"At once my Lord." They all responded, and quickly exited the tent.
The preparations took a bit longer after that, as the riverlanders were integrated with the banners while making sure to keep the 3rd Banner out of sight.
The attack commenced at first light, the Banners and its allies were ready to attack the monstrosity that was Harrenhall.
With Ardent on his left, and his shield on the right, Erlend remained calm as he awaited for the signal. His men stood composed, years of experience helping keep them confident for the upcoming battle.
"Let us go ahead my Lord, it would be disastrous if something were to happen to you." Raymond the head of the household guard spoke up, staring grimly at the thick walls that surrounded the cursed castle.
"If I can ride against horsefuckers without flinching, then I can take on a bunch of cravens hiding behind their walls," Erlend responded bemusedly, his body was way beyond human at this point, dying by blade or arrow was unlikely.
"I still insist one of us goes ahead, my Lord."
"You worry too much Raymond, it will take more than a craven's arrow to put me down."
Before his friend could insist any further, a horn that signaled for them to make their move could be heard from the besieging banners.
"YOU HEARD THAT LAD, LETS SPREAD TERROR IN THE HEARTS OF THESE CRAVENS!" His roar was loud as could be, as the three thousand men that made up the 3rd Banner cheered in response.
No more words needed to be said as they converged to where they needed to be. Their shields ready for any archer that may be prepared.
4,000 men guarded that castle, Whent had called all he could to his side, yet the Banners easily surpassed that number with nearly 18,000 men at the helm. The rest had positioned themselves to guard them should the other river Lords come to Whents aid.
His Uncle and Yohn were taking on the Main Gates with a significant portion of the Banners, while Erlend led the 3rd Banner to take the east gate that was located near the Tower of Ghosts and lightly defended compared to the main gate.
Throwing himself at the walls, he couldn't help but feel relieved as arrows whizzed past him, failing to hit him. While he could take them without much damage, it wouldn't be easy to explain the lack of damage if too many were to hit.
There was no full valyrian armor for him to bullshit his way through that.
The ladders were quickly raised, and Erlend was the first up, with his men not too far behind. Having made it to the top, he caught several arrows aimed at him with his shield.
Quickly putting himself in a defensive position the guards caught themselves and charged at him. Ducking a swing by an attacker, Erlend rammed his dagger through leather armor, straight to the man's heart.
His men rushed over, shoving any guardsmen off the thick walls who stood in their way without hesitation. One even stabbed a guard straight through the eyes as they tried to resist.
Pulling Ardent, Erlend noticed the sword of an incoming knight and quickly parried his attack. Holding him off for a bit, It wasn't long before he noticed the knight growing tired, with no hesitation, likely from having to stand vigil for so long, regardless he pressed the given advantage and cut through the knight.
Minutes went by as the two sides fought fiercely fought for control.
"My Lord!" Raymond shouted, shattering his opponent's arm with his mace, then ending him with a killing blow and moving towards Erlend. "The infiltration was a success, the gates are open."
True to his words, the walls quickly fell after that, as the guardsmen dropped their weapons in surrender once it became clear that they were vastly outnumbered within their keep.
The Banners did not relax, as they gathered themselves, and moved to kill any stragglers foolish enough to play hero.
Soon enough, Walter Whent chose to surrender, the old man offering his own life to protect his family. Erlend refused the old idiot and simply put all of them in house arrest, choosing not to have any of the Whents killed for now; they were more valuable alive than dead.
With Harrenhal now his, Erlend headed towards the war room, this victory did not mean he could rest easy.
Not yet, anyway.