The Falcon's Fight

The death of Lady Jeyne Arryn caused a stir in the Vale as multiple claimants rose up to take the Eyrie: Jeyne's appointed heir Joffrey Arryn, Ser Arnold Arryn who had tried to take it once before, and the wealthy and influential Ser Isembard Arryn of Gulltown.

The Prelude
Following the end of the Dance, Princess Rhaena Taragryen was married to Ser Corwyn Corbray against the objections of several of the members of court, though the two seemed rather happy with one another. Rhaena would give Ser Corwyn a daughter in early 134 AC named Aemma. Later that same year Lady Jeyne Arryn would die of a chest cold in Gulltown and spark a succession crisis in the Vale. Lady Jeyne had named her cousin Ser Joffrey Arryn, the Knight of the Bloody Gate, as her successor.

Instead another of her cousins, Ser Arnold Arryn, though his son Ser Eldric, rose up against her. In Gulltown, another claimant rose in the form of the head of House Arryn of Gulltown, Ser Isembard Arryn. Ser Isembard hired sellswords and sellsails to his cause, using his extensive treasury that had flourished since the end of the Dance, as well as bribing Houses Waxley, Grafton, Upcliff, Ruthermont, and Moore to his side. Ser Arnold’s claim was backed by Houses Royce, Templeton, Tollett, Coldwater, Dutton, and the Lords of the Three Sisters. Ser Joffrey was aided by Lords Hunter, Corbray, Crayne, Redfort, Hersy, and Belmore.

The War Begins
The three sides went to war in a series of clashes that left many dead by the time that the intervention of the Crown arrived. Ser Joffrey and his men held the Gates of the Moon and the Eyrie but their opponents were keen to force them under siege. Isembard Arryn’s sellswords wreaked havoc across the Vale proper and Ser Arnold was killed in a battle on Tollett lands against the forces of the Gilded Falcon, though his son Ser Eldric continued the cause. Numerous skirmishes quickly flared up in the Vale as various lords declared fought their neighbors for their declared claimant.

The Crown Intervenes
Queen Rhaenyra had hoped that the Valemen would be stopped by the threat of intervention but after the deaths of Lords Hunter and Coldwater in a bloody battle outside Ironoaks, she was forced to intervene. She ordered Ser Corwyn Corbray to the Vale with fifteen hundred knights and men-at-arms carried by the Royal Fleet to Gulltown along with Rhaena atop her dragon. Prince Viserys, desperate to prove himself, was allowed to go with Rhaena atop his dragon though he was informed that he was not to assault any castles, only open armies, though Queen Rhaenyra was still furious that he wished to endanger himself. Together they would ensure order and Ser Joffrey’s ascent to his rightful seat.

The Fall of Gulltown
The Royal force swiftly defeated the Braavosi sellsails and Grafton fleet outside of Gulltown and Ser Corwyn’s knights stormed the city in a swift battle that had Lord Grafton’s men turn against Ser Isembard’s forces when they threw open the gates of the city and allowed them in. Ser Isembard was not present at the battle but his sons were killed or captured by Corwyn’s men. The Gilded Falcon’s support quickly drained away after this and his supporters turned on him, with Lord Ruthermont taking the man hostage in his own camp and bringing him to Ser Corwyn in Gulltown in chains. Lady Forlorn would take the man’s head and end one of the two problems in the Vale.

The Conflagration at Runestone and Aftermath
Ser Eldric Arryn and his men fought on though they were now hopelessly outnumbered. Mourning and Silverwing descended upon the gathered army as it camped outside of Runestone and burned many of the men alive, including all that remained of the line of Ser Arnold Arryn. The survivors surrendered to the two Targaryens and those that attempted to flee were suddenly faced with the army of Ser Corwyn when it arrived two hours later with the forces of Ser Joffrey swelling their ranks. The remaining lords bent the knee to Ser Joffrey and accepted his rule of the Vale.