(Disclaimer: I do not own A Song of Ice and Fire nor its characters. Those all belong to George R. R. Martin, aside from my OC.)
(Lorimas POV, Mountains of the Moon)
The battle had been won.
In front of him were those taken captive, forced onto their knees, as their blood dripped onto the ground beneath them from the injuries received during the battle.
"What of the Leader?" Lorimas questioned.
One of the guards responded, "The Clan Chief who had gathered this host, had fled the battle, and the other chiefs were killed, My Lord".
He frowned at this news, while he'd seen a portion of the clansmen flee the battle as the tides shifted, he hadn't expected it to be the more prominent of the Clan Chiefs.
Reports from battles had suggested that most of the time, the leading figures of any incursion by the clansmen tended to be zealous in their approach and rarely retreated.
While the clansmen were by no means stupid, their pride and stubbornness made them predictable, it seemed this Chief was made of different cloth.
One of the clansmen stared at Lorimas, "The Mountains will be soaked in the blood of you Andali filth!" he spat.
Raising his eyebrows at that, Lorimas shook his head at the fool's assumption. While the clansmen did hold some advantages, they could no longer leave the mountains to seek food or provisions and what little they could grow wouldn't be enough to feed them all.
All he needed to do was starve them out and they would fold, or they would throw themselves at his forces. Either way, they would die or surrender, there was no other option.
His guards on the other hand refused to stand for the disrespect shown, one of them delivering a kick into his stomach. The man cried in pain as the kick hit a particularly sensitive spot, and blood dripped once more from his injury.
Paying no heed to the captives, Lorimas stared at the encampment that was now being created within the Valley.
The Valley while not exactly the ideal place to set up camp, was the only place large enough to do so, for an army of their size.
Vultures around them feasted on the dead, as the Valemen saw no reason to bury their enemies dead. It was a rather morbid sight but was to be expected, considering the millennia-old enmity between the two cultures.
Then again technically there should be enmity between House Mudd and the Andals but that was largely forgotten during his Houses time in Yi Ti, or as his nephew would say 'they had bigger fish to fry'.
Equipment and loot were being gathered from the dead, ready to be distributed as a reward to those who proved themselves in the battle.
Lorimas himself had observed quite a few men and knights who he intended to recruit to the Banners, they would make fine Wardens.
Turning back towards the captives, he looked to the guards. One of them stepped forward "What is to be done with the captives, my Lord?" He asked.
While a few of the captives were moaning with pain, others were staring grimly at them, resigned to their fate.
"Have them interrogated for any useful information they have, mayhaps one of them holds crucial information we can use in the coming days" He ordered.
While holding the Valley of Death gave his forces a significant edge over the clansmen, this was still their home and there was doubt in his mind that they'd be aware of concealed paths or caverns from which they could set up traps and defenses that could prove deadly to his men.
Sending him a quick salute, the guards immediately took hold of the captives none too gently and lead them away.
As for the officers around him, at those that weren't already directing the camp "Once you've looted the bodies, have them burnt" He commanded.
The Officers nodded and made their salute before moving.
…
The camp had now been settled properly, and Lorimas was now back in the command tent, receiving a more thorough report of the aftermath.
"Casualties?" he asked.
"Of the six thousand that have marched with us through the passage, nearly seven hundred are dead with another two hundred wounded" Yohn answered "There is hope that at least half of the wounded will recover, but the rest have been crippled".
It wasn't the worst scenario, but it wasn't better. Lorimas was well aware that this whole campaign could've gone tits up, had he not rushed the men towards the Valley's entrance.
Still, he felt pity for the families that would never be able to see their fathers and sons. Unfortunately, that was the price of war and there were more to come.
Alongside the dead, there were a few lordlings who'd died and some crippled, their bodies were given priority and were to be transported back toward their seats. The same would be done for the smallfolk, though that would likely be far more difficult.
Proper compensation would be sent to the families of the dead, a policy that had been longstanding since 'the Dragonslayers' time.
'It was only fitting that they care for the families of the men that died for their cause.'
"Any issues with the supply line?" Moving on.
"It will take a while but the line should be restored in a few days" This time Horton answered, "We have enough supplies to last us a few weeks, more than enough".
Nodding his head towards Horton in acknowledgment, his attention turned towards Symond who spoke up "It would be wise to send a rider to Lord Erlend, informing him of the situation, my Lord" Symond suggested.
Raising an eyebrow at that, Lorimas motioned for Symond to continue "The clansmen are likely to be aware of our usage of ravens to send information, they might shoot it down to get ahold of it"
Thinking it through, Lorimas could see the logic at that. The leading clansmen had shown some wisdom in retreating when he knew the battle was lost.
No doubt this 'Foreigner' and history would have made them more aware of the importance of information. Hence Symond's worries about them shooting down their ravens to get ahold of it was not unfounded.
Then there was the matter of the scouts, it was likely they were already dead or captured. Either way, their deaths meant any parties he sent out would have to be far more cautious.
These weren't the wild and savage clansmen he'd read and heard about. They were a genuine threat to the stability of the Vale and the authority Erlend had over it.
Whoever had been supporting them needs to be uncovered, as these moves by the 'Foreigner' proved that they represented a genuine threat to his Houses rule.
What made it worse was that the Shadow Wardens had almost no information about this threat, meaning this enemy was at least aware enough of his house's spy network that they were able to avoid being discovered.
He couldn't help but groan inwardly, he preferred to crack heads, drink and make love with his wife. Not whatever the fuck this was, this is why Erlend and Dalia dealt with this bullshit.
The war council continued for a few more hours, as plans were discarded, altered, or made to fit the present situation.
Still, the core goal remained the same, they would have to root out the clansmen and finally rid the Vale of millennia-old threat.
Then he could finally take a breather and spend time with his daughter since Erlend had confided in him, that he wouldn't be participating in the reach campaign.
...
Lorimas Mudd is said to have played a crucial role in the Mudd Ascension, he was by all accounts well-liked among the nobility, particularly within the Vale due to having spent his younger years within it, fostered within the Eyrie alongside Jon Arryn and Yohn Royce.
He would be one of the driving factors in the marriage between his older Brother and foster sister Aemma Arryn. One that proved fruitful as it lead to the birth of the much-beloved figure that was Erlend Mudd.
While there was some controversy in his adoption of Lady Mya Stone, who would grow up to become the famed Lady Firmstone.
Popular opinion had largely depicted him as a charismatic warrior, who cared little for the opinion of others and was known for the love he held for his wife the shrewd Lady Dalia. Many would liken him to the late Lord Robert Baratheon, though it was unknown if he ever had any relationships outside that of his martial bed.
One of his greatest achievements would be his role in the fall of the clansmen, ending the Milleinia's old enmity between the Valesmen and there at the time savage rivals.
Excerpt from 'A Tale of Mudd and Steel' by Maester Alyn Feld
[Note: This arc's main goal has largely been to flesh out Lorimas. As for why Lorimas isn't trying to undermine his nephew as is typical within Westeros. That stems from two primary reasons, he practically raised Erlend, so he considers him his son. Secondly, House Mudd has been battling for survival for several millennia, they had to rely on each other to survive and thus family has always been their primary concern, not glory.]