House Lannister’s downfall was sudden. Roose Bolton drove his dagger into Tywin Lannister’s heart, stamping out any belief the lions could defeat the wolves in battle. The Faith Militant reformed and roused the smallfolk, who lashed out against the precipitously declining dynasty. The lowborn ended a line that had ruled the Kingdom of the Rock for thousands of years.
With King Renly’s eyes still fixed upon his wayward brother, crows circled in the west. No honest man believed the Faith would rule the westerlands in perpetuity. The void needed filling, and the north had as strong a claim as any on the grounds of conquest. When Lord Eddard affirmed he had no intention to pursue the claim, Roose Bolton made his intentions known. He would eradicate the Faith Militant, restore peace, and commence a new dynasty that would rule the westerlands for the next thousand years. House Bolton of Casterly Rock.
“Hold on, hold on...” The Bolton soldier spat. “He means to take Casterly Rock? Don’t tell me, he must ‘ave a siege tower a thousand feet tall made o’ human skin.”
“Nah,” answered another soldier. “The siege of the Rock is a bluff, skulduggery. Roose will be resting in his leech bath while Steelshanks does the grunt work at Lannisport and Ramsay Boy plays his games with the smallfolk. And when them in the Rock hear what the bastard is doing to them in the villages, they’ll swing open the front gate to make sure they get a head start out the door before Ramsay arrives.”
The Story
“I had a long talk with Lord Stark before I returned north,” he said. “The westerlands are in utter disarray. Kevan Lannister is marshalling a motley legion to reclaim the Rock from the Sparrows. He will fail, I will see to that. Both King Renly and King Stannis have proffered House Stark grand favours in reward for their annihilation of the Lannisters, in which I played no small part. Lord Stark has no desire to leave Winterfell, so those gifts will be issued to his kin and loyal bannermen.” Roose took another drink. “I don’t want the little fields of the Hornwood. I want Casterly Rock.”
This What If? scenario is part 2 of 3, including the Bloody Hunt and the Blockade of Lannisport.
This is a fan-made scenario inspired by CMON Limited’s A Song of Ice & Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game and is in no way associated with CMON.
