I have posted a poll for how the story will play out for the next chapters. The question is Whether House Stormbreaker will strike next at House Harlaw (Harlaw Island) or House Drumm (Old Wyk)? The poll will be around for about 1 week. Make sure to vote and if you have any issues regarding the poll just leave a review with your vote. Now onwards to the story!

Chapter 6: Raid of Orkmont

6500 years Before Aegon's Conquest, Island of Blacktyde

The early morning light of the sun peaked through the white clouds on the dawn of a new day. The pale, white clouds in the sky moved lazily unlike the men gathered below them. Darren looked upon the mass of men as they began to load up the ships gathered upon the sands of the beach. The bleached wooden frames of the Nydam longships clashed with the rocky sand on the isle of Blacktyde. He could make out the handpicked warriors loading each ship with the needed supplies for their campaign.

He could feel the anticipation build up in him at the thought of the upcoming raid on Orkmont. They had decided they would take four ships for this mission. Each would be loaded with around one hundred men each. They did not have the luxury of calling upon more men as they would be needed to hold Blacktyde itself.

After the war council yesterday, it was decided that Ivar and himself would lead the raid. Darren had appointed Rolly to overlook the camp and the worst cane to pass then he would be the new leader of his people. While he would have rather had Rolly with him he could not overlook the advantage of having Ivar with him.

Darren had overcome his mistrust of the Harlaw due to Ivar's adamant oath of fealty and it would help having Ivar lead since he had already passed by Orkmont safely. He would use his bird as a scout to hopefully avoid what ships and forces Orkmont still had. The plan was simple as they would strike the holdings of House Orkmont.

The island of Orkmont was one of the more prosperous islands due to it being rich in ores and even timber. The island's terrain was mostly rugged and mountainous but there was areas which had an abundance of timber. The mountainous areas of the island were also rich in ores such as iron, tin, and lead. The Houses on Orkmont had grown rich of the trade they received from the islands and even the mainland. While copper was sparse on the Iron Islands Orkmont still received shipments from the mainland. It was to Darren's knowledge that some of the copper came from the afar though most seemed to come from Dorne. The smiths on Orkmont were renowned for their metal work in creating bronze weapons and armaments and even newly used iron ones.

Orkmont was split between the Houses of Orkmont, Tawney, and even a branch of House Goodbrother. Years prior to the uneasy alliance between these three houses there was once a fourth which ruled as overlords of the island. House Greyiron once ruled the entirety of Orkmont before being driven off by Houses Tawney, Orkwood, and Goodbrother. While the Greyirons had bounced back since then they relocated to island of Pyke. It seemed they still help an animosity to the prior mentioned houses.

After striking the settlement of Orkmont he planned to loot as many arms and armor as he could to equip his small army. While he knew they could not hold Orkmont he assumed they could cause as much chaos as they could. With a skeleton force from each House guarding the island it would be easy to strike against them. He could only pray that the Old Gods continued to bring good luck to his cause. With most of the enemy forces being preoccupied with the Greyirons this was an opportunity he could not pass up.

After some discussions Darren had decided to focus on his men being lightly armored though they would focus on becoming a skirmishing force. He had around fifty men armed with short bows while most of his infantry force was equipped with slings. He planned to play to their strengths as while they were lightly armored with most of his men just being equipped with tunics and even some bronze breastplates. This allowed his force to be less encumbered than some of the foes they would face.

He came up with this doctrine as stones would be plentiful around each island to arm his infantry with a ranged option. And his faster moving units would be able to outmaneuver whatever resistance they would face in this holy mission. He planned for them to act fast and hit hard. He knew this would also have many drawbacks though. If it ever came to a pitched battle they would be slaughtered if they faced any heavily armed and armored troops. He would need to rectify this in the future though. One last advantage they would have is in ship to ship combat. As they would be lightly armored it would allow for better movement across ships without the risk of drowning if thrown overboard due to being weighed down by their armor. He planned in the future if given enough resources to armor his men in leather and bronze armor. They would also need more shields as there was a few dozen split between his men.

Darren continued to become lost in his thoughts as his forehead crinkled due to his continuous thinking. So lost in his thoughts he did not notice Ivar approaching him. His stoic gaze continued to look over the men as they seemed to finish loading the last supplies.

"Oye Darren are you there," asked Ivar, "The men are almost finished with the preparations."

All Darren could do was to blink as he turned his head to the person who called his name. His gaze turned to spot the light smirk that stretched across Ivar's unscarred face. He could see the amusement and excitement dancing in those striking light blue eyes of his companion.

"Aye I am here Ivar. I was just lost in thought of the upcoming campaign," said Darren.

"What has gotten you so distracted Darren," said Ivar, "This is our chance to strike back against the blasted Ironborn."

"Aye I know that Ivar. This is our first step in ending the stain of the Drowned God and his ilk from these islands. It is our chance to avenge those who were unjustly slain and enslaved by those iron cunts," said Darren passionately as the fire of his fury reignited in both his blood and spirit.

"It is our time to slaughter the heathens who desecrated our gods and ways by betraying that for which we all once stood for. My blood sings at the prospect of bringing retribution to them," said Darren before his gusto grew tempered, "Yet we must act carefully. One wrong decision I make can lead us all to death."

"Those are the shackles of leadership. We hold either triumph or damnation of those who follow us," Ivar said sadly. His expression turned melancholic as his gaze broke away from Darren.

Ivar stood in place as he looked upon the low tide of the sea. It was almost hypnotic as he was brought back into a memory he never wanted to relive. He was brought back to the escape from Harlaw. Some might say it was his greatest accomplishment but to him it would be a day of great tragedy.

Ivar could still see the rising smoke of the homes that burned around him. It coiled into large, darkened clouds that blotted out the sky. It would scare him forever as if a demon had plugged the world into darkness. He could smell the smoky burnt scent of burning wood and even flesh of the bodies around him. He could still make out the blank unmoving eyes of those who once followed him. Those accusing eyes would forever blame him for rousing them to try and escape the tyrannical rule of his father. Those haunting, lifeless eyes of the people who once looked upon him in hope. In all his preparations and belief that things would go well he was not prepared for the consequences of his choices.

"Ivar, oye Ivar come back to me," shouted Darren as he looked upon the cold, dark eyes of Ivar.

Ivar shook as he was brought back to the present. He would never tell those who followed him, but he was still haunted by the death and destruction his choice had ended up causing. His eyes grew less cold as he once more gazed upon the form of Darren. He could see the hulking frame of his liege before him as Darren placed a comforting hand upon his shoulder.

"I apologize Darren I was in a different place," said Ivar as he tried to reign in those painful memories.

Before Darren could question Ivar further a warrior ran up to the pair. With a quick bow the warrior turned to Darren and said, "My lord we are all set with the supplies. Most of the men have also boarded our ships. When will we set sail?"

Darren turned to the warrior and said, "We will set sail at once. With how far the weather is we can make it in a few days to Orkmont. Tell the ships we will depart soon."

The warrior ran off to relay the orders as Darren turned back to Ivar. He still held his hand to his friend's shoulder in some form on comfort.

"I do not know what plagues you Ivar, but I need you now. You will have two ships under your command while I have the others. I promise we will talk more once we are feasting in the halls of the Iron traitors."

With a shaky smile Ivar responded to Darren, "Aye I do not plan to abandon our cause. I will keep you to your promise as we drink and feast on the spoils of our enemy."

With that said both men set out to the ships. What awaited them as they drew closer to the small fleet of longships gathered was unknown. Darren could only grow hopeful as he walked onto his ship. His gaze once more landed upon Ivar as he boarded his ship. He could only hope what plagued Ivar would not impede their mission. With that last thought the ships departed from the beach and onto the open sea.

Island of Orkmont

A few miles off the coast of Orkmont the small fleet of four Nydam longships under Darren continued their slow advance towards the island. It had been around three days since they departed Blacktyde. It had been fair weather but the ever-present danger of the returning forces of the Houses Tawney, Orkwood, and Goodbrother caused them to take a cautious approach. With Ivar's intel of the forces of the Ironborn leaving, they had made a good effort of evading the still remaining ships of their enemy.

Darren had been able to scout a few times with his bonded seagull though that had happened less frequently than he would have liked. He did trust his men who followed him though the danger of being exposed as a skinchanger would draw more attention to him. He knew in his heart that eventually it would be known, but he planned to keep this advantage hidden for as long as he could. The night sky was above his fleet as they made their way closer to Orkmont. He could see small lights in the distance as the fleet remained unnoticed.

He had been fortunate to have gone at a slower pace as the black sky above gave cover to the approaching longships. He had even given orders to the ships to wrap cloth around each oar and the oarlocks to quiet their rowing. The night was obstructed as little stars could be seen this night. His fleet soon approached the beach that was close to the settlement of Orkmont.

He could feel his blood begin to warm at the thought of his axe cutting into the accursed Ironborn. His bronze ax was gripped in his hand as it clenched tightly around the wooden handle. His eyes grew cold at the thought of the upcoming battle. He had made one thing clear to all the warriors they would enact their vengeance against the Ironborn but would not dare harm the thralls. The thralls were First Men who were unfortunate to be enslaved by the iron curs. His men and him would free them from their oppressors. For while one is no accursed as a kin-slayer there is one other person the Old Gods despised. The First Men would slaughter all the slavers from youngest to oldest. As slavery was a sin against the Old Gods themselves.

His inner monologuing ceased as he could feel the thud of the bow of the ship striking land. With a quick movement he and the men surrounding him exited the ship. He could see Ivar directed the men of his ships following Darren's example. As soon as the last man exited he ship Darren started to move towards the growing lights in the distance.

It was decided that around eighty men would stay with the ships. Twenty warriors per ship to both act as guards while they were ashore. With purpose the assembled 320 warriors who would join the assault slowly made their way towards the settlement of Orkmont.

The Old Gods must have really been with the men as they maneuvered themselves around the outskirts of the small town drawing closer to the center of town. Darren had found this odd as he would have assumed there would be men out patrolling the city. Yet he could see the light growing bolder as his men continued their mission. It was not until they were close to the center of the town that he finally understood.

In the center of the town were the mangled bodies of First Men women, men, and children being burnt. He could feel his blood grow into a raging inferno as he witnessed something he despised. The bodies of the victims had not even grown cold as the Ironborn both warriors and villagers alike were fighting over the dead's possessions.

He may never know what occurred here, but the slaughter of people caused his rage to reach a crescendo. Darren slowly motioned for his men to take out their slings and soon 320 warriors loaded the slings and began the spin them. The air soon filled the whooshing sound that seemed to give pause to the Ironborn. They were confused till the first stones pelted everyone within the town square.

The stones of Darren's warriors hit many a person. The thundering sound of cracked skulls and bones filled the silent. Many were hit as everyone in the settlement seemed to be gathered in the horrifying practice of the First Men Hunt. No one was spared as even young children and women were hit with the stones. Bodies all around feel like puppets without strings as the stones ceased to be thrown.

With a thundering roar Darren said, "Draw your weapons men. We feast on the blood and flesh of our enemies tonight. We will repay this transgression tenfold. We will slaughter all who worship the Drowned God."

The roar of both Darren and his warriors caused great fear to be etched upon the surviving faces of the Ironborn. With one final roar the First Men charged into the wounded villagers and Ironborn warriors.

Darren felt alive bringing retribution to these monsters as they had caused great harm to his people. His face contorted into a ravaging sneer as his axe continued to slice down all who were Ironborn. He did not care if his ax cleaved the face of a young mother nor cut the throat of an old greybeard protecting the young ones. He would enact a blood debt from the sickening Ironborn. For every First Men killed he will slaughter five-fold Ironborn.

His axe soon clashed with the iron sword of a relatively unharmed Ironborn warrior. The man before Darren was just as equally muscled as him even if Darren was a head taller than him. Darren could make out the livery of House Orkwood. The men was garbed in a linen doublet with the dark green pines strewn closely together on yellow.

Before the man could even utter a single sword Darren threw a punch into the man's mouth. The Ironborn screamed as Darren could see blood pooling out of the man's mouth. The Orkwood tried to talk though only more blood spouted out as if the man bite through his own tongue. Darren ignored the look of plain fear in the Ironborn's eyes as he grew back the arm that was carrying the ax. With a strength he did not know he had he buried the ax into the man's head.

Grey matter along with bits of white skull, pale skin, and even blood stayed on his ax as he withdrew it. With a loud laugh his men continued the unexpected slaughter of the Ironborn. With his bloodlust satiated his mind cleared with it.

He could only relish in the moment as the enemy was completely caught off guard. He could see his men already started to loot and pillage the settlement as the fighting died down. He had accomplished the first step of his vengeance. As with the dead and dying Ironborn under his feet soon all the islands would be free from their taint.

With a loud voice he called to his own to heed his orders, "Slaughter all Ironborn here. We will have them become food for the weirwoods as that is all they deserve. Save the thralls and free them for they are First Men. Gather all the loot you can man. Focus on gathering arms and armor for we soon strike House Tawney and Housen Goodbrother." The men heeded his order as they quickened the pace of their looting searching for arms and armor. Darren could only feel pride at what they are accomplishing soon they will have the Ironborn littering their god's hall.

Author's Note: So, the Raid or Orkmont has finally started off Darren's Uprising. They have successfully raided the settlement of Orkmont and have fought off the forces of House Orkwood. Will they be able to move against House Tawney and House Goodbrother before the Ironborn learn of their actions only time will tell. I will say I feel that writing out battles and even combat is something I am trying to work on so while it may seem a bit simple now I will try and work on this for the future. Also, while writing this chapter, I wanted to go more into Ivar and Darren's personal struggles. Ivar is still haunted by the massacre at Harlaw and has survivor's guilt of both orchestrating the gathering and exodus of the First Men from Harlaw. He is facing the guilt of what he perceives as causing the death of his people but tries to stay strong to continue on supporting Darren. Darren meanwhile is plagued with sever self-doubt at his leadership abilities as he tries to grow more into a leadership role. Will he break under the pressure, or will it temper him? I plan to focus on Rolly as well since I have a plan for him and the remaining people on Blacktyde. It will happen in the next chapter so stay tuned for Rolly's perspective and to see about the Ironborn response. And again, if anyone knows how to fix the issue with the poll please feel free to PM me. I hope everyone is able to enjoy their weekend and stay safe!