Why does this Dragon shoot Lightning?
The War in the South II

"Smiting people with lightning sounds more like the Father to me. Maybe the Red God is expanding his horizons?" - Ser Justin Massey, before a large argument with Melisandre.

"I am a tree. Ignore me." - Xerneas, to some poachers in the Kingswood.

"Ser Penrose, if I so wished I could fly the dragon over your walls and bypass your garrison entirely. Surrender peacefully." - King Stannis Baratheon to Lord Courtney Penrose, during the parley outside Storm's End.

"Kill the Stag! Death to the Old Gods!" - Battlecry of the Warrior's Poachers

"Well, poop." - King Renly Baratheon, upon hearing of the situation.

When Aegon the Conquerer first planned his conquest of Westeros he constructed a large model of the continent to plan over, beautifully carved with features only a dragonrider would know. This model would become known as the Painted Table, an object of curiosity for countless Targaryens afterwards who would often plan their own wars and schemes on its magnificent surface. And when Dragonstone fell to Stannis Baratheon at the conclusion of Robert's Rebellion, the future king took possession of the artifact himself.

Now, with only small parts of the Stormlands allied with him against his opponents; Stannis Baratheon used the model to plan his own strategy in the coming war. His naval forces were excellent (due to control of the Royal Fleet) and so too were his air forces - following the appearance of Zekrom. But his land army was...lacking. Not perhaps in heart, for the followers of the Red God were certainly stirred into mania: but in numbers he was outnumbered by every other faction - even the Lannisters following the destruction of Harrenhal (though news would not reach the south for several days). And so Stannis's council was forced to plan and scheme, searching for a way to gather support for his cause.

Meanwhile, tensions were coming to a head on Dragonstone between the worshippers of the Red God and the followers of the Seven. Despite Lady Melisandre's hopes, the dragon Zekrom did not show any interest in 'converting' the populace - or for that matter much at all. When not in use by Stannis, the dragon would often be found on the beaches of Dragonstone; staring in the rough direction of Dorne. Several times the Red Priestess had to suddenly move a worship session due to Zekrom wondering off, disturbed by all the noise. But the dragon's control over lightning was causing its own problems as well.

For while Lady Melisandre and her converts were convinced that the dragon was a gift from the Red God, many of the Faith worshippers had claimed it for the Seven following a comment made by Justin Massey. A pointed remark by Maester Cressen about the only recent dragonriders being faith worshippers had only further degraded the situation. Hardly a day went by without a fight breaking out (even though those responsible were punished) or Lady Melisandre making an increasingly desperate demand for the sept to be burned. Something needed to happen soon, or the forces gathered on Dragonstone would be too busy tearing each other apart to fight for the Iron Throne. And Zekrom was not alone as the harbinger of religious arguments in the Stormlands.

Deep within the Kingswood, a group of smallfolk poachers had been alarmed by the appearance of the Stag-shaped beast Xerneas. Firstly because of its colouration, secondly because it was glowing and thirdly when it decided to talk to them. The fact that the stag appeared from nowhere - replacing a large tree - may have also contributed to the shock of the poachers. Wisely they ran away, rather than attacking the beast as that would have surely led to their deaths. However when they reached their village, the frantic retelling of the story would have awful consequences in the months to come. Even more so when another group of hunters told the same tale.

Back on Dragonstone however, King Stannis Baratheon had finally formulated a proper strategy. To take King's Landing he would require more support, even with the aid of Zekrom. Especially since rumours had arrived about a magical beast (Jirachi) attaching itself to Princess Myrcella. He needed an army. The problem was that this was much easier said than done. The ideal recruiting ground, House Baratheon's ancestral lands had already mostly declared for his ambitious brother Renly along with the Reach. This could not be tolerated if the King wished to press his claim. So the king decided to kill two Pidoves with one stone and ordered his forces to prepare for combat.

For Stannis had planned a direct attack on the centre of Renly's power. The ancestral Baratheon stronghold of Storm's End which the man himself had withstood siege in during Robert's Rebellion. Ironically, it was not actually difficult for Stannis to take the fortress during this conflict - unlike the Tyrells. The troops left behind by King Renly immediately yielded upon seeing Zekrom, allowing Stannis to quickly set his mind to capturing the surrounding areas. A letter was sent to King Renly, demanding his submission - even as Stannis's wife and daughter were moved into the ancient castle. It is debated to this day as to whether or not Stannis believed he could convince Renly to yield, or merely wished to lure him into a trap. Later events would give evidence for both arguments.

But back in the Kingswood, a small conflict had broken out between smallfolk recruited by radical Faith worshippers (many of whom would later become members of the 'Reborn Faith Militant') and the beast Xerneas. Convinced the creature was an avatar of the Old Gods (due to its ability to become a tree), the militants had recruited as many poachers as possible to bring it down. The quiet support of the lords of Felwood and Haystack Hall (both of whom had heard of the chaos in the Riverlands) only further inflamed the passions of all involved.

However when the army entered the Kingswood, Xerneas did not make an appearance - likely because he had reverted to tree form. Unfortunately this did not stop the militants, as the more extreme members began a forest fire in an attempt to smoke the creature out. As there had been no rain for quite some time, the fire quickly grew out of control until vast swaths of the northern Kingswood were aflame. Many of the militants met their ends here, swallowed up by their own folly. The Lords of the nearby keeps frantically ordered breaks in the forest to be carved out, in an attempt to prevent the flames from reaching their lands.

And then Xerneas reappeared. Banishing the flames with a single action, she reared up on her hind legs and roared at those who had angered her:

"LEAVE THIS PLACE!"