Vulture Hunt

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Vulture Hunt
Location Dornish Marches
Battles Battle at Stonehelm
Result Iron Throne victory
Belligerents
Iron Throne: Vulture King
House Wyl
Notable commanders
Lord Orys Baratheon
Lord Sam Tarly
Lord Harmon Dondarrion
Lady Ellyn Caron
Vulture King
Lord Walter Wyl
Strength
Combined strength at Stonehelm:
  • ~7,500 - many armored knights or disciplined men-at-arms[1]
  • 30,000[2][1] - some knights and trained spearmen, many more rabble. Subsequently split in two:
    • Western half under the Vulture King: 15,000
    • Eastern half under Walter Wyl: 15,000

    The Vulture Hunt was the campaign to stop the first Vulture King during the reign of King Aenys I Targaryen.[1]

    History

    The Vulture King was a Dornish outlaw who gathered thousands of followers to rise against King Aenys I. He called upon all Dornishmen to avenge Dorne for the destruction wrought upon her in the First Dornish War. Deria Martell, Princess of Dorne, largely ignored the insurrection. though Princess Deria continued to issue denunciations from Sunspear, there were many who suspected she was playing a double game, as she did not take to the field against the rebels and was rumoured to be sending them men, money and supplies. Whether this was true or not, hundreds of Dornish Knights and thousands of seasoned spearmen had joined the Vulture Kings rabble eager to avenge the wrongs inflicted upon Dorne by House Targaryen, leading to the Vulture King's support swelling up to nearly thirty thousand strong. The Vulture Kings forces became the largest and most threatening of the four uprisings against the Iron Throne.[1]

    The Vulture King scored a number of early victories against the marcher lords, but later made the mistake of dividing his forces in two, sending half to besiege Stonehelm under the command of Lord Walter Wyl while The Vulture King marched against NIghtsong and Horn Hill.

    King Aenys was ineffective at dealing with this crisis, as he was with others that spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms, which Dorne was not yet part of. The former Hand of the King, Lord Orys Baratheon, along with the marcher lords—foremost among them Lord Sam Tarly and Lord Harmon Dondarrion marched against the Vulture King's host. [2][1]

    During a battle at House Swann's castle of Stonehelm, Orys's forces crushed a part of the Vulture King's host and captured Lord Walter Wyl. Walter's father, the Wyl of Wyl, had chopped off Orys's sword hand in the First Dornish War. Orys chopped off Walter's sword hand, then his other hand, followed by both feet, calling his actions usury. Although Lord Baratheon died of his battle wounds during his return to Storm's End, his son Davos said Orys died smiling at the rotten hands and feet dangling in his tent.[3]

    The Vulture King fared little better, unable to capture Nightsong he abandoned the siege and marched west, only to have Lord Caron sally forth behind him, to join up with a strong force of marchmen led by Harmon Dondarrion the mutilated Lord of Blackhaven. Concurrently Savage Sam of Horn Hill suddenly appeared to athwart the Dornlish line with several thousand knights and archers. All three forces converged on the Vulture King's men. Savage Sam's blade, Heartsbane, cut down dozens of the Dornishmen and is said to have been turned crimson from their blood. The Vulture King had twice as many men as all three of his foes combined, but they were largely untrained and undisciplined, and unable to withstand the charge of armoured knights. Attacked from front and rear, their ranks shattered and the Dornish threw down their shields and spears and attempted to flee back to the mountains only to be rode down in what was dubbed the Vulture Hunt.[2][1]

    The rebel King was taken captive and tied naked between two posts were he was left to die, though the songs say he was torn to pieces by the very vultures whom he took his style, the truth is he perished of thirst and exposure, and the birds did not descend to dine on his flesh until after her perished. [4][1]

    King Aenys in gratitude rewarded Davos Baratheon, Sam Tarly, Ellyn Caron and No-Nose Dondarrion with gold, offices and honors.[1]

    Generations later, another Vulture King arose but was eventually defeated by Lords Caron and Dondarrion.[5]

    References and Notes