Dragonstone, Stewardship of Donnel Lefford

[Poach]

Dragonstone

The fortress of Dragonstone sits in the Blackwater Bay and has long served as the seat of the Crown Prince, currently the infant Rhaegar. Until he comes of age, King Aerys II has appointed Ser Donnel Lefford to serve as the Castellan of the island fortress. An imposing structure, with Dragon motifs worked into the stonework, it commands the surrounding seas and holds the fealty of multiple other Narrow Sea houses. Until the Prince is of age, however, those surrounding isles are sworn to King's Landing itself. The fortress contains within it a hugely detailed model of the Seven Kingdoms, used by Aegon the Conqueror to plot his invasion, and maintained faithfully ever since in his honour.

Income

40,000 Base Income
6,000 Wealth (+15%)

Total: 46,000 Dragons

Trade

1. Native Resource: Perfumes. +2 AI convincing rolls.
2. Traded Resource: Armour from Hadlow Keep, -15% Infantry hire cost
3. Traded Resource: Horses from Hellholt, -15% cavalry hire cost
4. Traded Resource:

Buildings

Tier I:
Tier II:
Tier III:
Tier IV:

Edicts: Both land edicts (+2,000 Land Militia Points)

Military

Siege Defence

+8 base

Total: 8

Levy

Land:

4,125 Light Infantry
1,375 Archers

5,500 men in total.

Sea:

66 Levy Ships (1,000 points)

Militia

Land:

800 Heavy Infantry
400 Archers

= 1,200 men

Naval:

(2,000 regional bonus, 2,000 edicts)

48 Dromonds
24 Heavy Galleys
12 Narrow Sea Galleons (AOR)
4 Grand Warships

Professionals

1,500 Heavy Infantry
1,500 Archers
600 Light Cavalry
500 Knights of Dragonstone (Elite Cavalry) [regional bonus]

= 4,100 men

[Poach]

Donnel sat atop the tallest tower in the keep, staring at the model of Westeros set out before him, brooding in his own thoughts.

The Carons sided with Aerys over Steffon Baratheon and were rewarded with vassals, whom they have kept. Brax sided with Aerys over Tytos Lannister and was rewarded with vassals, which he kept until he died and the entire House fell into bickering over the proper succession. The Baratheons came to Aerys' side when the Reach declared war, and were rewarded with vassals, whom they have kept.

He fed Aerys intelligence during Maelys' invasion and got a Lordship in a nest of vipers - hardly an equal reward to the others. He informed on Highgarden and marched to Aerys' side when the Tyrells attempted to take King's Landing, and he got his Lordship stripped of him when it was at long last no longer a death sentence, and got carted off to this rock in the middle of the sea instead.

A poorer rock whose incomes weren't even his, which conferred upon him a title below the rank of Lord, and which would in turn be taken from him again when Rhaegar was old enough.

He had been perhaps Aerys' staunchest vassal these past few trying years, and yet it seemed only he was not prospering for it. Donnel threw his empty wine cup at the table.

[Oznerol]

A raven arrives from Hadlow Keep, in the Stormlands:

Ser Donnel Lefford,

We seek trade with Dragonstone, as we have to increase our keep's income and prosperity. A keep we hold in the name of Lord Steffon Baratheon, Crownlander fine trade goods will do much good to our province, Ser Lefford.

In the light of the Seven,

Ser Selwyn Tarth, Lord Guardian of the Kingsroad.

[Poach]

Stepping off the boat that had brought him here from Pentos, Donnel Lefford looked up to Dragonstone and began his walk. After the Tourney at Castamere he'd left early in the morning in grief and anger: at Aerys for using him as a mere pawn to draw out his enemies and at Ilsa for using him to conceive a child that was then kept from him. He'd drank his way to Gulltown and then ended up on a ship bound for Pentos.

While in the Free City he'd drank and whored and entertained several ideas about his future: trying to find the Golden Company, for what better way to take revenge on Aerys than by joining them; taking the Black had crossed his mind, but they couldn't have women; going home and staying there, forsaking Dragonstone and any loyalty to the King seemed like a good course of action for some time, but that would be an embarrassment and a failure.

Then the word had come from across the sea: Aerys had murdered the High Septon and burned the Great Sept down. Donnel had never been particularly religious: like all men he believed and like all men his adherence to scripture was haphazard at best, but that news had cut to the core of his being. The Crown and the Faith were the two great powers in life, one secular and one spiritual, to which all men were bound. The Crown had attacked the Faith, and Donnel had no love for the man that held the crown.

More word had come, that the Warrior's Sons had reformed at Oldtown, rallying around a new firebrand High Septon, and for a time Donnel was considering going there: he'd even found a ship going to Oldtown to take him, but at the last minute decided against it. Word had instead come of a new faction forming, primarily in the Crownlands. A loose affiliation of Lords and knights, calling themselves the Holy Lords, who had heard the High Septon excommunicating House Targaryen and had declared their loyalty to the Faith first and the Crown second until such a time as the Crown was welcomed back into the arms of the faithful.

That was a cause for Donnel. He would go to Dragonstone, he would proclaim it a stronghold for the Faith, and he would see the Crown suffer for what it did to him.

* * *

His work was swift. Septons loyal to the new High Septon were found and brought to Dragonstone, given free reign to preach and denounce the Targaryens. The most devout and loyal Knights were elevated as Knights of Dragonstone, their shields bearing the seven pointed star, and those not fervent enough were cast out. Ships were raised and crewed from among the regulars of the new Septons' flocks. Other Holy Lords were told of Lefford's return and loyalty to their cause.

Dragonstone, once the retreat of House Targaryen, was a bastion of the Faith now.

[ficenzi]

A raven flies in from Hellholt. House Uller accepts your trade offer.