Skyrim System In Westeros

The main army arrived at Lannisport, where Robert found Tywin wearing a worried expression. Originally, there had been three fleets, but one had been destroyed before it could even leave port. In war, there's often fortune to be had—victors plunder the wealth of the defeated—but first, one must survive to claim it.

Stannis's fleet was carrying Robert's troops. The fleet of Lord Paxter Redwyne, from the Reach, was tasked with ferrying the Northmen, while the forces from the Westerlands would stay behind to defend the coast alongside the forces of the Riverlands.

Wright saw Tywin for the second time, the first being at Robert's wedding when they had both been preoccupied with other matters. Now, he noticed that Tywin had shaved his head, donned the armor of House Lannister, and draped a gold-threaded cloak over his shoulders. His brother Kevan rode behind him on horseback.

Tywin's competence was undeniable—diplomacy, economy, leadership, and military strategy were all areas in which he excelled. Robert, now strapped for cash, had been borrowing from his father-in-law. But if you were his enemy, Tywin's ruthlessness knew no bounds. He would stop at nothing to achieve his aims, and unlike other nobles, he would not offer mercy. Where others might ransom captives, Tywin's word was final: if he said he would kill your entire family, he meant it. And, of course, there was his brother Kevan, often referred to as his shadow. If you thought you were dealing with Tywin alone, you were mistaken—it was a two-man operation.

After exchanging pleasantries, Wright saw no expression on Tywin's face—legend had it that he had smiled only a few times in his life. Finding the encounter rather unremarkable, Wright made his way aboard the ship.

Wright was with Stannis in the vanguard, while Robert's landing forces followed behind. There would be time to speak with Tywin later. The King's official entourage included a maester, tasked with documenting Robert's every word and deed. Wright suspected Robert and Tywin would have private discussions later about finances.

There were originally three fleets, but with the Lannister navy destroyed, only the royal fleet and the fleet from the Riverlands remained. The Riverlands fleet, commanded by Lord Paxter Redwyne, was tasked with ferrying the Northern forces, while Stannis commanded the royal fleet.

The port was crowded with warships. Lannisport was large, but not large enough to accommodate them all. Only a fraction of the fleet could dock at a time, while others waited their turn. These fleets had come from the western and southern coasts and now required resupply—food, arrows, oil, and clay jars were being unloaded in a flurry of activity. Wright even noticed workers carrying jars of pickled vegetables.

Pickles were something Wright had introduced when he was at the Citadel. It was a simple process—no particular skill required—but it helped preserve vegetables, which was valuable in a world where most places outside the North didn't have methods to keep crops for long. Previously, only hardy vegetables like potatoes could be stored for extended periods.

After some searching, Wright finally found Stannis's flagship. He was wearing the armor of the royal forces and was inside the ship's cabin, discussing battle plans with Paxter and a few senior officers.

Upon Wright's arrival, the officers greeted him with respectful nods.

"Don't stand on ceremony, I'm just here to discuss what role I'll be playing in this battle," Wright said.

Paxter glanced at Stannis, signaling that it was up to his brother to make the arrangements. Stannis quickly outlined the plan.

"Robert mentioned your use of magic at the Red Keep. You've been assigned to the left wing of the royal fleet."

"So, I'll be fighting alongside the fleet?" Wright asked.

"Of course. The left wing consists of 200 ships."

Wright realized that Robert probably hadn't made it clear how much his magical powers had grown. Stannis still seemed to think his abilities were akin to when he was a child.

Wright summoned a small flame to his left hand and spoke:

"In naval battles, ships are most vulnerable to fire. My flames won't immediately destroy ships, but if I target the sails, it won't take much. As long as it's not raining, one small fireball should be enough. I could set dozens of ships ablaze. Brother, you should decide how to arrange it."

Stannis and Paxter discussed the plan before Stannis said:

"I'll assign you a fast ship to burn the sails of the enemy's leading ships before the battle begins, causing chaos in their formation. Don't engage in boarding actions. Afterward, you can target the sails of their retreating ships."

In this world, neither compasses nor sextants had been invented. Wright, having studied mechanics at the university, knew how to make them — basic knowledge, really — but he wasn't keen on creating either of these tools just yet. Now, ships could only sail along the coast, with warships using both sails and oars. The sails were for regular sailing, while the oars were used for charging in battle. After all, human strength was limited, and once the sails were destroyed, it essentially meant the ship couldn't escape.

Before he crossed over, Wright couldn't even swim, and he knew nothing about ships. The sailors didn't dare let him do anything physical; he could only eat and sleep on board.

The warships weren't large, about 30 meters long, with one main sail and a triangular auxiliary sail. The ship's hull only had one deck, usually for supplies, but in battle, rowers would extend their oars from the hull, increasing maneuverability with hundreds of oars. Shields were mounted on both sides of the deck, and there were also sailors on board.

Normally, warships would have many archers shooting fire arrows or engage in boarding actions with shields, but this ship only had sailors handling the sails and oars. The only combat personnel were Wright himself, along with a few guards sent by Stannis to protect him and document the battle.

A few days later, during dinner, they heard the warning bells ringing on every ship in the fleet. Wright stepped out of the cabin and saw that Stannis's main fleet had already joined with the left wing. Over a thousand warships began to spread out, preparing their attack formations.

Small scout ships had returned, now alongside Stannis's flagship. In the distance, Wright could already see the sails of the Iron Islands fleet. Soon, the sound of a short horn blast came from the flagship — a signal they had agreed upon earlier.

"Captain, break away from the main fleet and proceed alone!" Wright couldn't steer the ship himself, so he gave orders on where to go and left it to the captain to coordinate with the sailors.

The warship slowly moved ahead of the fleet, and over a hundred oars extended, ready to charge at a moment's notice.

As the fleets drew closer, the sun was setting, painting the sky with red hues. Soon, the ships of the Iron Islands fleet charged forward.

It was Wright's first naval battle, and from his ship, he couldn't see the people on the Iron Islands ships, only distinguishing which ships were larger. There were a few similarly styled large ships, and he could only guess which might be the enemy's flagship.

The soldiers of the royal fleet saw the signal from their flagship. Among the thousand-strong warships, one fast ship broke away from the formation. Against the backdrop of dark sails, this lone ship charged ahead, drawing the attention of both fleets.

Wright stood at the bow, with two guards holding shields to protect him. The distance to the Iron Islands fleet was only a few hundred meters. Wright issued another order:

"Captain, turn left and proceed at full speed."

The ship immediately veered left and began sailing horizontally between the two opposing fleets.

The weather was clear with a perfect sky, and burning the sails was an easy task today. There was no need for complex spells or explosive fireballs—ordinary fireballs would suffice.

With that thought, Wright raised both hands, aiming at the front of the Iron Islands fleet. Two fireballs, the size of small buckets, shot from his hands, their golden-red flames sailing steadily over the sea toward the enemy fleet.

One of the fireballs flew too high and missed its target, continuing to soar into the distance.

The other fireball hit the leading ship, spreading across the sail. The sail, made from hemp, had been treated for waterproofing, but it couldn't withstand the fire. A hole quickly opened up, and the fire spread, engulfing the entire sail. The flames also reached the mast, causing the burning wood to fall.

The Iron Islands fleet was lined up in formation. Wright adjusted the height of his fireballs and began to fire with precision, rapidly launching a fireball every second. Countless fireballs shot from the lone ship, crossing the sea and landing on the enemy sails.

More and more ships in the Iron Islands fleet caught fire, slowing down. The ships behind had to dodge, and the entire formation began to fall into chaos.

The soldiers of the royal fleet, seeing the enemy fleet burning, let out a triumphant roar, their morale boosted. Stannis, seeing the chaos, immediately ordered the charge.

All the ships began to row forward, and Wright continued firing fireballs. A few ships from the Iron Islands fleet attempted to pursue, but they were hit by fireballs, and with only oars to rely on, they couldn't catch up. The range of fireballs far exceeded that of arrows.

As the fleets closed in, most of the Iron Islands ships were burning. The morale of the royal fleet soared, and the archers fired arrows while the soldiers engaged in boarding actions. The Iron Islands fleet's morale crumbled, and the ships at the back began to retreat.

From the north, Paxter's fleet from the Riverlands appeared, surrounding the Iron Islands fleet from both sides. Meanwhile, Wright's fast ship continued to launch fireballs, intercepting the fleeing ships. By the end of the battle, the royal and Riverlands fleets had suffered minimal losses, while the Iron Islands fleet had lost most of their ships to the flames. Only a few were captured.

After the battle, the two fleets gathered their reports. Lord Rodrik, the eldest son of Balon Greyjoy from Sea Stone, had been killed by Lord Jason Mallister. In this naval battle near the Fair Isle, Balon Greyjoy's younger brother, Aeron Greyjoy, was killed by a falling mast. Approximately 210 ships were burned, 65 ships sunk, and 210 ships captured, along with about 400 smaller boats. Over 2,000 prisoners were taken.

Earlier, Wright had informed Stannis that using magic would drain his power, so Stannis directed him to join the landing forces of Robert's army while the rest of the ships continued attacking the Iron islands. Finally, they would converge and assault the island where Balon Greyjoy was hiding, Pyke.