Difference between revisions of "Taking of Griffin's Roost"

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Revision as of 22:31, 30 May 2019

Taking of Griffin's Roost
Antonio Mainez By Sword or By Guile.png
Archers prevent a raven released from the maester's tower from delivering news of the attack © FFG
Conflict Landing of the Golden Company
Date 300 AC
Place Griffin's Roost, Stormlands
Result Golden Company victory
Combatants
33px Iron Throne/ House Baratheon of King's Landing:

Stormlands

House Targaryen.svg House Targaryen:
Golden Company.svg Golden Company
Commanders
Unknown House Connington.svg Jon Connington
Strength
Connington garrison <1,250
  • 200 archers
Casualties
All but 4 4

The Taking of Griffin's Roost occurs amidst the Landing of the Golden Company.

Prelude

In his campaign to place Aegon Targaryen on the Iron Throne, Jon Connington joins the sellsword Golden Company in invading the Stormlands. Their Volantene fleet is scattered by a storm after Lys, and only six of the sellswords' ten ships arrive at the rendezvous near the rainwood in Cape Wrath, land formerly owned by House Connington. The gathered force is not quite half the Golden Company's full strength of ten thousand.[1]

Jon leads a quarter of the available strength to take Griffin's Roost, the ancestral seat of the Conningtons. Jon was the Lord of Griffin's Roost during the War of the Usurper, but he was forced into exile after the Battle of the Bells and the castle passed to his cousin Ronald Connington. The current Knight of Griffin's Roost, Ronald's son Ser Ronnet Connington, is away in the Riverlands with Ser Jaime Lannister. Prior to the battle, the sellswords make a battering ram at their camp.[1]

Battle

The nearby woods have grown close to Griffin's Roost, which allows Ser Franklyn Flowers to lead his men within twenty yards of the castle's gatehouse. The crash of the ram brings two defenders to the battlements, but they are quickly brought down by the archers of Black Balaq. He commands two hundred veterans wielding crossbows, horn-and-sinew bows from Essos, yew longbows, and goldenheart bows from the Summer Islands. The gate is not barred, and the ram breaks through on the second strike.

Franklyn's men advance past the gatehouse and are halfway up the narrow ridge called the griffin's throat before the castle is alerted by a warhorn. The archers quickly bring down two ravens released from the maester's tower. The Golden Company uses grapnels to climb the curtain wall and attack at six places along the battlements. A defender pours oil on the sellswords attacking the gates, but the unheated oil does little damage. Ronnet's defenders are also confused by the sellswords shouting the words of House Connington, "A griffin! A griffin!"

The battle only takes a few minutes. When Jon Connington rides up the griffin's throat with Harry Strickland, they see Black Balaq bring down a raven himself. Jon tasks Franklyn with preventing any further ravens from flying, and he or his men toss the maester from his tower. The remaining guards throw down their weapons.[1]

Aftermath

Jon expected to lose at least one hundred soldiers attacking Griffin's Roost, but the Golden Company only suffers four casualties. Jon has Ronnet's siblings, Raymund and Alynne Connington, and bastard son, Ronald Storm, secured as hostages. The servants and the four surviving members of Ronnet's garrison swear allegiance to Jon Connington, Lord of Griffin's Roost. When Aegon arrives four days later, he announces his intention to lead the attack on Storm's End.[1]

After returning to King's Landing from the Riverlands, Red Ronnet asks King Tommen Baratheon's small council to allow him to prove his loyalty by bringing them the heads of Jon and Aegon. Tommen's regent, Ser Kevan Lannister, has Ronnet kept under guard, however, as he thinks Ronnet may sympathize with his kinsman Jon.[2]

Quotes

I never thought that it would be so easy.[1]

References