Chapter 7: Motivations and Outcome of the Raid of Orkmont
Excerpt from A Cumulative Record of House Stormbreaker by Maester Riddick
The attack on Orkmont was one quite fortuitous for Darren and his forces. The Iron Islands were currently entering a period of great chaos as the Greyirons were making a play for the throne of High King. Many of the surrounding Houses did not stand ideal as for centuries prior the Greyirons ruled undisputed though other Houses soon grew jealous of their overlords.
A few hundred years before the even the start of House Stormbreaker the Greyirons were driven off their ancestral lands of Orkmont. Houses Tawney, Orkwood, and a cadet branch of House Goodbrother formed an alliance to drive them from the island. Not much is known about this event as much early First Men history of the Iron Islands was lost, but the alliance was successful in their attempt.
House Greyiron would be driven off the island of Orkmont and would later lay claim to the island of Pyke. There they would settle and raise the Castle of Pyke alongside the founding of the city which would be known as Lordsport. While ruling from Castle Pyke the Greyirons would form the cadet branch known later on as House Greyjoy.
Some maesters debate what the motivations of the raid on Orkmont as Darren could have struck any of the surrounding islands. Many can agree it could have been the influence of Ivar Harlaw as it is believed he convinced Darren to undertake the raid. Some others believe it was luck as stated before the forces of the Houses of Orkmont were off fighting their own battles.
While many debate the exact reasoning behind the raid it is agreed that this allowed the First Men forces many early victories. The forces under Darren evaded all sea patrols on his journey to the island. This shows the tactical brilliance of Darren's generalship as his forces suffered no causalities from any engagement before their landing. It was a struck of luck as he would need all the forces at his disposal to face the retaliation of Houses Tawney and Goodbrother.
The successful raid allowed Darren to equip a number of his men with both arms and even armor. The records never recorded how much loot was gained but it can be estimated to be quite substantial as before the attack his forces were underequipped. It was also the first time the slingers of House Stormbreaker were fielded.
Many First Men legends would later immortalize these warriors as they would later become proficient in both close combat and mid-ranged combat. As time would go on these units would still be equipped with slings as a ranged weapon but would also be trained as a proto-heavy infantry. Though the sling would be phased out with the coming of the Andal Invasion.
The slings used were phenomenal against lightly armored levies and would be able to cause devastating losses if enemy infantry charged their formation. Though the slings would prove useless against Andal armor. The First Men were masterful of forging any armament of bronze but any weapon they had would be obsolete against the Andal's steel armor.
The Raid of Orkmont also saw the first pitched battle between Houses Tawney and Goodbrother against House Stormbreaker. The mobility of Darren's smaller and quicker force allowed him to fight on his terms. The introduction of the sling demoralized and devastated the formations of the early Ironborn as Darren encircled his foes while continuing his campaign on Orkmont. Though his luck would run out with the returning forces of the Houses Orkwood, Tawney, and Goodbrother.
Darren ended up changing his tactics as he decided to avoid any pitched battle he could. The mobility of his lightly armored forces allowed them to quickly move away from any large Ironborn contingents. His campaign would soon divulge into guerilla warfare similar later on to what the Rhonyar would later use after the defeat of Prince Garin the Great before the full subjection of the Rhonyar people.
Darren's campaign on Orkmont would also see the emancipation of First Men thralls across the island. These fellow First Men would join Darren and help swell his forces numbers. Though in response to this many Ironborn lords would put many First Men to the sword in retribution. This would come back to haunt Darren as any island we struck would soon enact similar reprisals to the First Men thrall population.
These actions would only enflame anti-ironborn sentiments throughout the Iron Islands. Some First Men thralls inspired by Darren would lead many thrall rebellions throughout the island though most were brutally suppressed. The greatest of these thrall rebellions would occur on the island of Harlaw. While it is one of many noteworthy footnotes of Darren's Uprising, it would occur closer to the end of the war.
The actions undertaken at Orkmont, and a clear declaration of war would start many wars between House Stormbreaker and the Ironborn. Darren himself would only take part in two of these wars before his death. The Raid of Orkmont had also crippled the Ironborn to an economic degree.
Orkmont was home to many Ironborn smiths and even iron mines which were used to fuel House Orkwood's wealth. The island also had large deposits of tin which were used in the production of bronze. This would cripple House Orkwood for two generations. This would see them forming a blood feud with House Stormbreaker for generations.
After the Raid of Orkmont alongside the rest of Darren's Uprising it would see House Stormbreaker gain much infamy in the Iron Islands. After Darren's death the Ironborn would continue to fear the 'Demon of the Weirwood' and his allies even to this day. While the infamy of House Stormbreaker helped deter most Ironborn from seeking retribution against House Stormbreaker. It would cause future Kings of the Iron Islands to call for many Great Reavings against House Stormbreaker in the future.
It would also sour the relations between the Ironborn minority and the First Men populations when eventually House Stormbreaker conquered some of the eastern Iron Islands. The Ironborn under House Stormbreaker would seek to rebel and even enlist aid from their fellow Ironborn in future rebellions. These rebellions would not end till House Stormbreaker forced the Ironborn from the lands ruled by them. Many maesters debate why such actions were not taken sooner and many have differing theories. The most agreed upon is that House Stormbreaker refused to do what they had undergone after the conclusion of Darren's Uprising.
The First Men who survived the conflict under Darren would undergo an exodus from their homeland. They would then seek refuge in what is now known as the Cape of Eagles. There is much history to still discuss before Darren's Exodus. The campaign on Orkmont saw much success for Darren yet it caused as much grief in his later campaigns.
Author's Note: The war between the First Men and Ironborn of the Iron Islands has begun. Currently I have a poll to determine the next phase of Darren's campaign on my profile. After he deals with the remaining forces of Houses Tawney and Goodbrother of course. The choices are between attacking House Drumm (Old Wyk) and House Harlaw (Harlaw) and it looks like House Drumm is going to be the next target. I plan to keep the poll up for a few more days to determine Darren's next course of action. Make sure to get your vote in and if you are having trouble with it feel free to leave your vote as a review or PM. I also known in canon history that House Greyiron ruled from Orkmont as Kings if the Iron Islands. They will soon take back their ancestral seat of power. I wanted to spice up the lore a bit of having the Greyirons being driven off through the alliance and settling on Pyke, I thought it would be an interesting idea of while they ruled Pyke, they would form the cadet branch of House Greyjoy. During the time period of Darren's Uprising, they regained control of Orkmont as their seat of power again. The raid was possible by Darren due to the majority of forces of House's Tawney, Goodbrother, and Orkwood fighting House Greyiron. I won't change the canon extinction of House Greyiron though. Canonically House Greyiron ceased to exist due to a coalition of Andal warriors and Ironborn Houses which would later on see the rise of different Ironborn houses like the Hoares. Since it will play into the interaction House Stormbreaker will have with the Andals. I also plan for the next phase of the story to be focused on Darren's campaign on Orkmont and then switch perspectives of the different Ironborn houses learning of what occurred on Orkmont. After that once the poll results are tallied, I will work on the next phase of Darren's Uprising. Also, the next chapter of Roman Invicta of Westeros is going to come out this week and I plan to update Rise of the Grey Wolf this weekend or early next week. Thank you everyone for being patient regarding those stories.