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The Siege of Ironrath is the climax of the Forrester-Whitehill conflict, Following the Port Town Ambush, House Whitehill besieges Ironrath with an army that greatly outnumbers the Forresters, The battle leads to the capture and razing of the Forrester stronghold, along with the deaths of most, if not all, of its soldiers and smallfolk, leaving House Whitehill the apparent victor of the conflict between the two houses. However, the victory comes at the cost of the life of either Gryff or Ludd Whitehill, and while most of the Forrester household is killed, several members of the family escape, including the surviving Lord, Talia, and Ryon.
Prelude[]
If Rodrik survived the ambush[]
- "This may be hard to understand... but Asher gave his life so that I could keep mine."
- ―Lord Rodrik Forrester delivering the news of Asher's death.
If Rodrik Forrester survived the Port Town Ambush, then he, his Sentinel, Beskha and the pit fighters are seen traveling back to Ironrath. The pit fighters complain about being hungry and Amaya suggests that they should have raided some villages to feed themselves, but the Sentinel reminds them they didn't come to Westeros to steal from farmers. Beskha and Rodrik bond over the loss of Asher as he was a little brother to both of them. The Sentinel then informs Rodrik that he must bear the duty to tell his mother that she has lost another son.
Rodrik and the group arrive at Ironrath and are greeted by a joyful reception from the smallfolk, Elaena Glenmore and Talia Forrester. Lady Forrester seems pleased but she soon asks where Asher is. Rodrik tells her that Asher died and she collapses in grief. The citizens of Ironrath are saddened as Asher was a hero to them. Rodrik gives a rallying speech, swearing to kill the Whitehills and avenge Asher before being interrupted by Amaya. She warns Rodrik that the odds of the Forresters are against them, and a slaughter is more likely to occur rather than a battle, she asks why she and her fighters shouldn't just take what they want and leave. Tensions arise and it seems like a fight between Rodrik and the fighters is imminent, but a messenger from House Whitehill appears with a message from Gwyn Whitehill. She warns Rodrik that her father and his army will be at Ironrath by nightfall. Rodrik convinces the pit fighters to join the Forresters in battle and prepares Ironrath for a siege.
If Asher survived the ambush[]
- "Your brother was the coward. You should have seen him squeal, when Gryff gutted him like a pig!."
- ―A Whitehill soldier taunts Asher before Asher kills him.
Asher, Beskha, the Sentinel and the pit fighters have stopped at the Tuttle farm after the ambush, they secure the small land and prepare themselves for another fight, since a group of Whitehill soldiers is heading their way. Asher orders a Forrester horseman to ride back to Ironrath and warn the rest of the family of Rodrik's death, he and his fighters then ambush the Whitehill group as soon as they enter the farm, and with their superior skill they swiftly kill them all. Asher notices Gryff isn't among the men and a soldier mocks Rodrik's death before Asher beats him to death. Asher mourns for his brother and Beskha comforts him, but his Sentinel warns him that they don't yet have time to grieve, since Ludd and his army are probably marching on Ironrath while they speak, Asher rallies his men and they resume their journey to Ironrath.
When Asher arrives at Ironrath the people are overjoyed but Elaena, Elissa and Talia are still in mourning over the loss of Rodrik. Elaena points out that by Ramsay Snow's terms of war, House Whitehill has already won now that Rodrik is dead. Asher tells her that he is now the Lord and that he doesn't care about Ramsay's terms, the war won't end as long as he still lives. His sentinel hands him the Forrester greatsword and Asher is officially declared the new Lord of Ironrath by the people. He gives a rallying speech and swears that Rodrik's death will be avenged.
House Whitehill arrives at the gates of Ironrath[]
If Rodrik is alive[]
- "Rodrik Forrester! By order of houses Whitehill, Bolton and Baratheon, I order you to surrender your keep and present yourself for execution."
- ―Ludd Whitehill demands Lord Rodrik's execution.
Rodrik, Elissa, Beskha, The Sentinel and dozens of crossbowmen mount the walls of Ironrath to confront Ludd Whitehill and his army. The Whitehills have an army of 500 men with Ludd, Gryff and Harys at the front. Rodrik's sentinel informs him that Talia and Elaena are safe in the cellars and his men are ready for battle. Ludd demands Rodrik to surrender his life and his keep. Rodrik refuses to give in. And Ludd Whitehill forces Ryon Forrester, Rodrik's youngest brother to hold something and to raise it so his family can see it, it is revealed to be Asher's severed head on a pike. Rodrik, Elissa and Beskha are horrified and Gryff laughs at their reaction, claiming that they fed the rest of Asher to dogs. Rodrik furiously swears that he will kill Ludd for what he has done. Ludd gets bored by the conversation and launches an all-out assault on Ironrath. A battering ram begins to break down the gates of Ironrath while simultaneously, Ludd's crossbowmen let loose a volley of flaming arrows at the Forrester crossbowmen. Rodrik can then issue orders to his men, to either return fire with their own crossbowmen, killing a few Whitehills in the process, further barricading the front gate, or put down fires started by the flaming projectiles of his enemies. Ludd and Gryff retreat to their camp and they leave Harys in charge of the siege.
Rodrik and his companions get off the wall as Elissa curses Ludd for his cruelty. Amaya asks Beskha to tell her what's happening, but Beskha's reply isn't reassuring, The Lord's Sentinel expresses anger over either Duncan or Royland's treachery since the information they provided to the Whitehills put the Forresters at a considerable disadvantage. Rodrik states that simply waiting for the Whitehills to breach the gate is a bad plan and they should instead plan a counter-attack, a small party will sneak out of Ironrath by the postern gate, where they can get behind Ludd's army and hopefully either kill him or rescue Ryon. His sentinel warns him that if this plan goes wrong and Rodrik dies, the war will immediately end with their defeat, Rodrik gives Amaya one last chance to join him. She accepts and the pit fighters join Rodrik and Beskha in his attack on the Whitehill camp. On the way, Rodrik spots Elaena Glenmore arguing with Maester Ortengryn over leaving Ironrath. Ortengryn suggests sending her to the Riverlands where she can be safe, but she says that Ironrath is where she belongs, since she has been by Rodrik's side ever since his return to Ironrath after the Red Wedding. The player can decide to send her away or let her stay. Beskha cuts the moment short and warns Rodrik they have to go. Elaena says farewell and Rodrik leaves with Beskha and the pit fighters to attack the Whitehill camp.
If Asher is alive[]
- "We'll never bend the knee to a fucking Whitehill!"
- ―Asher Forrester's defiance to Ludd Whitehill.
Asher, now wearing northern clothing, leads his soldiers to confront Ludd Whitehill, who has arrived at the gates of Ironrath, Ludd brings forth Ryon, held captive by Harys on horseback. Asher derides Ludd for resorting to use his brother as a hostage even though he has a large army under his command. Ludd brings out his siege weapon and tells Asher he could destroy the gate and kill them all if he wanted to, but he doesn't feel the need for any more bloodshed since Rodrik is dead and his victory over the Forresters is all but assured, so he offers the Forresters a chance at survival if they bend the knee as their bannermen and produce Ironwood for the Whitehills, he also offers Gwyn's hand in marriage as an official seal of this pact between their two houses. Asher is taken aback by Ludd's offer and Ludd gives him an hour to consider his options. Ludd also gives Asher the body of Rodrik Forrester as a symbol of good faith so they can give him a funeral.
Asher discusses possible courses of action with Elissa, Beskha, Ortengryn, his sentinel, Talia and Amaya. Asher can be open to marrying Gwyn or refuse altogether. No matter what, he needs to come up with a plan to kill Ludd. Ortengryn suggests marrying Gwyn and bowing their heads so that the bloodshed can end once and for all. Amaya suggests an ambush at the feast as a way to kill Ludd, but Beskha suggests poisoning Ludd so that they can ensure his death. Each plan has its risks, but Asher chooses one of the two schemes to kill Ludd and prepares to put them in motion, he privately has a conversation with Beskha, asking her to protect Ryon and bring him to safety no matter what happens to himself, she promises to do so, considering Ryon part of her own family.
Asher sends a messenger to Ludd with their response and enters his great hall with his soldiers and companions so they can set the stage for their coming plot.
The Battle[]
If Rodrik is alive[]
- "You might be right, about all of it. But I'm still the last lord standing."
- ―Rodrik Forrester before executing Ludd Whitehill.
Rodrik arrives at the Whitehill camp with Beskha and the pit fighters. He scouts out the camp for possible vulnerabilities or distractions that they can use to clear a path to Ludd. The fighters either free the horses, burn down the towers or kill some guards. Rodrik and Beskha sneak through the camp and eventually, Ludd and Gryff are alerted to the commotion. Ludd goes off to get his greatsword while Gryff goes to secure Ryon. Rodrik must choose to follow either Ludd or Gryff.
Follow Ludd[]
If Rodrik follows Ludd, he claims to Beskha that killing him might be their only chance to let the Whitehill army fall apart. Beskha agrees, wanting vengeance for Asher. They sneak behind Ludd and kill two of his men, Beskha covers Rodrik's back while Rodrik and Ludd exchange a few words and engage in an intense duel, Lord against Lord. When Rodrik starts to get the upper hand in their fight, Ludd exploits the environment to his advantage, pushing a spear rack in Rodrik's path, distracting him long enough to give himself time to grab a crossbow and attempt to shoot Rodrik, Rodrik swiftly uses a Whitehill soldier nearby as a human shield, wasting Ludd's shot, in retaliation, Rodrik strikes Ludd's crossbow with his greatsword before Ludd has a chance to reload, knocking the weapon out of Lord Whitehill's hands, angered, Ludd launches himself on Rodrik, leveraging his own weight to pin him down and using a nearby spear to pierce Lord Forrester in the chest, but Rodrik's plate armor protects him long enough to give himself the chance to knock Ludd off of him and pierce him in the belly with his own spear before decapitating him with a single swing of the Forrester Greatsword, leaving Rodrik as the last lord standing and the technical winner by Ramsay's terms. Beskha goes missing but Rodrik is unaware that she actually went and saved Ryon from, captivity.
Follow Gryff[]
If Rodrik follows Gryff, he plans to rescue Ryon. Beskha is unhappy as she wants Ludd dead as retribution for orchestrating Asher's death, but she goes along with it nonetheless. Rodrik watches Gryff open Ryon's cage to secure him and keep him close, he takes advantage of Gryff's distraction and faces him, Gryff, in typical mockery, taunts Rodrik while his bodyguards engage him, but Rodrik quickly impales them with the Forrester Greatsword. While Gryff is distracted by Rodrik's fight, Beskha sneaks behind him and takes Ryon away, much to Gryff's anger. Rodrik and Gryff fight one-on-one, In the midst of the duel, Gryff temporarily disarms Rodrik and also stabs him in the shoulder with a dagger, while Rodrik extracts the dagger, Gryff takes a crossbow and fires, hitting the Lord's other shoulder. Unfazed, Rodrik retrieves his greatsword and drives it into Gryff's leg, before Gryff can crawl to his sword, Rodrik impales him in the belly, in pain, Gryff begins to cry and beg for mercy, Rodrik can then leave Gryff to bleed out or he can slowly behead him while Gryff keeps weeping.
After dealing with either Ludd or Gryff, Rodrik calls out for Beskha as he retreats the camp, clutching the wounds he sustained. A Whitehill soldier quickly approaches him, sword drawn, but Amaya swiftly impales him with her spear, she compliments him on killing Ludd or Gryff, but Rodrik inquires about Beskha and Ryon's whereabouts, Amaya says that Beskha can take care of herself and they retreat back to Ironrath.
If Asher is alive[]
- "Run out of words, Gryff? That must be a first!"
- ―Asher after he plunges his sword into Gryff Whitehill's chest.
Now in the Great Hall of Ironrath, Asher and his sentinel discuss their plan, everything is ready for the Whitehill's arrival, but Gwyn Whitehill enters the hall before her family and asks for a word in private with Asher. She and Asher discuss their situation near the hall's fireplace, neither one is very happy about the arrangement but Gwyn tells Asher it's the best deal he could get, this is the only assured way to let the war end, and further conflict is unnecessary since Ludd is afraid of Asher and his unpredictable nature. She asks Asher to make sure that nothing will happen when her father and brother walk in. Asher can give his word that nothing will happen or say he can't promise that. His sentinel makes an excuse so that Gwyn can leave. The sentinel tells the lord that everything is ready and the plan can proceed, he asks the Lord's input on how they should proceed. Asher can choose to stay with their original idea of ambush/poison or agree to a marriage. The Whitehills enter and Ludd begins to boast of his victory, Asher greets him and Ludd either provokes him if he's shown respect or gets angered if Asher fires back with his own insults, he demands to sit in the Lord's chair. The conversation gets heated but Gwyn calms it down as best as she can. The two houses sit down for a marriage feast, their soldiers both on edge.
Ambush is chosen[]
Ludd notices that Talia isn't at the feast and the Forrester's soldiers are acting tense. He suspects that Asher is up to something but he doesn't know what it is exactly. He gets out of his seat and demands to know what is going on. It is here that Asher signals the pit fighters to attack and scars Ludd's face with his sword. Ludd tries to escape but Asher gives chase, cutting down several Whitehill soldiers that stand in his way, he even manages to plant his throwing axe in Ludd's shoulder, but before he can prevent Ludd from leaving the keep, Gryff tackles Asher and they both engage in a fierce duel, Asher gets the upper hand by pushing Gryff into the hall's fireplace, as Gryff is stunned by the pain, Asher stabs him in the belly with his sword, avenging his brother by killing the man who led the ambush at the port town. Gwyn stabs Asher after he pulls his sword out of Gryff, saying that he ruined everything. During the hall fight, Beskha escapes with Ryon.
Poison is chosen[]
The families have a heated conversation in which Gryff mocks Asher for his past as a sellsword, Asher can ridicule Gryff for his cowardice or attempt to make amends, but the discussion gets dissolved when Talia brings the poisoned wine for Ludd. He begins to sip before demanding Asher drink first, as it is customary in the North, before Asher can reach for the cup. Lady Forrester agrees to drink instead. If Asher lets her drink, Elissa solemnly utters the House words, "Iron From Ice", and takes a sip of the wine. Without hesitation, she passes the poisoned goblet to Ludd, who unsuspectingly follows suit and drinks as well. As the effects of the poison gradually take hold, Elissa succumbs to the poison and Ludd quickly follows suit. They both fall to the ground and begin to die. Seeing their Lord collapse from the poison, the Whitehills engage the Forrester soldiers and the pit fighters, Asher and Gryff have a brief duel, but when Asher gets the upper hand and almost kills him too, Gwyn stabs him, giving Gryff time to escape. If the poison is knocked out of Lady Forrester's hand, the scene plays out the same as the ambush.
Peace is chosen[]
The sentinel signals to either a pit fighter drawing his sword or Talia carrying the poisoned wine that the plan is off, Lady Forrester sees this and she gets out of her seat to talk to Asher in private. Asher states his trust in Gwyn and his belief that marrying Gwyn is the correct course of action, she is horrified by this and thinks that this union will bring ruin to their house. She grabs a dagger, and before Asher can stop her, she slashes Ludd across the face. From this point, the scene plays out the same as the ambush, with one major difference. Gwyn will not stab Asher but protect him from a Whitehill man, stabbing him to death herself to save Asher's life.
Fall of Ironrath[]
- "The North Remembers!"
- ―Rodrik's presumptive last words after the Fall of Ironrath.
The Lord of Ironrath enters the courtyard of Ironrath as Ludd/Gryff begins to break down the gate and slaughter the smallfolk. The Lord fights off Whitehill men near the stairs of the Great Hall entrance, supported by his pit fighters, he is then forced to make a difficult tactical decision, ordering his men to either defend the smallfolk or attempt to retake the keep's main gate.
Regardless, the lord rallies his soldiers and charges at the Whitehill army, personally killing many men. Ludd or Gryff gather a squad of Whitehill archers and orders them to let loose volley after volley of arrows on the charging Forresters, forcing them to get to cover and preventing their advance on the main gate. The Lord sees a flaming cart and gets the idea to push it down so it can ram the archers and disband their formation, he is helped by Amaya and a Forrester soldier, and the plan works, some Whitehill archers flee while others are crushed by the cart, Ludd/Gryff's horse gets spooked by the cart and throws the Whitehill to the ground. Seeing this, the Lord charges at them, but before he can strike, Harys shows up on horseback, blocking the Lord and enabling the surviving Whitehill to retreat. The Lord and Harys have a long and drawn-out fight which Harys ultimately wins thanks to his greater strength and size. Before Harys can kill the Lord, a person stabs Harys in the back.
- If Rodrik is Lord or you didn't pick the poison plan as Asher, Elissa comes to their aid before being slain by Harys.
- If the poison plan was picked and Gared Tuttle saved Bowen, Bowen saves Asher before being slain.
- If poison was picked, Bowen was killed but Erik was set free, Erik saves Asher from Harys before being slain.
- If poison was picked, Bowen was killed and Erik was punished, a random soldier saves Asher.
The Lord grabs a hand axe and swings at Harys but his blow is parried by the large warrior, who stabs the Lord through the gut. Harys laughs, pleased by his apparent victory, But the Lord hits him in the neck with the axe while he's still laughing, but it isn't enough to kill him. Harys shoves his sword further into the Lord's flesh as the Lord hacks at him again, they both fall. The Lord impales Harys through the mouth with the Forrester Greatsword and pulls out Harys' sword, still stuck in the Lord's side.
The Whitehills completely breach the gate and swarm Ironrath, killing Amaya and overwhelming all the Forrester forces. The Lord looks up in sadness at his failure and pulls himself to his feet. He fights off multiple soldiers, getting further wounded by a sword slash and an arrow to the side, The Lord is drained of strength and is unable to lift his sword. The surviving Whitehill walks by on a horse and coldly glares to the Lord. a Whitehill man attempts to finish off the lord, but he's saved at the last second by his Sentinel. If Rodrik is Lord and didn't send Elaena away, she is seen getting dragged away by Whitehill soldiers as Rodrik reaches out to her. The Sentinel tells the Lord they must survive to ensure the future of the house and to give meaning to all the loyal men who died in the name of their lord. The sentinel sends the Lord off on horseback and fights off some Whitehill soldiers.
The Lord rides away as the last thing he sees is Ironrath in flames, his home destroyed.
Aftermath[]
The lord is seen in a forest where he falls off his horse before passing out. He is woken by Talia and one of three people:
- His Sentinel, if the traitor was killed and if Asher didn't agree to peace.
- The Traitor, if he was spared and Asher didn't agree to peace.
- Gwyn, only if Asher agreed to peace.
They take the lord to safety, so they can recover and strike again.
Elsewhere, Beskha is seen riding off with Ryon to safety.
Casualties[]
- Lord Ludd Whitehill (determinant)
- Beheaded by Rodrik Forrester (determinant)
- Poisoned by Asher, Elissa, Talia Forrester (determinant)
- Gryff Whitehill
- Beheaded by Rodrik Forrester (determinant)
- Stabbed by Asher Forrester (determinant)
- Elissa Forrester
- Poisoned by Asher, Elissa, Talia Forrester (determinant)
- Stabbed by Harys (determinant)
- Bowen
- Stabbed by Harys (determinant)
- Erik
- Stabbed by Harys (determinant)
- Amaya
- Stabbed and shot by Whitehill bannermen.