The invasion of the Westerlands was not a raid. It was an annexation.
Behind the advancing Northern army came the Engineer Corps. They did not carry rifles. They carried shovels and pickaxes.
They were building the Western Line.
Using the rubble from the destroyed gate of the Golden Tooth as ballast they laid tracks with terrifying speed. They used captured Lannister oxen to pull the heavy rail cars. They used captured Lannister soldiers to dig the grades.
"It is an abomination," a captured knight spat as he watched the black locomotive chug past him hauling tons of stolen gold. "You use our own land to rob us."
"We are just improving the infrastructure," the engineer replied cheerfully.
Lannisport
Lannisport was the third largest city in Westeros. It was rich golden and soft. unlike King's Landing which smelled of shit and rot Lannisport smelled of spices and perfume.
But today it smelled of fear.
The city had no great walls. It relied on the protection of Casterly Rock which loomed above it like a stone mountain. And it relied on the Lannister Fleet anchored in the harbor to ward off pirates.
But the enemy was not coming from the sea. Not entirely.
On the hills overlooking the city Andar Stark stood next to his artillery.
"The fleet is trapped," Andar observed.
Below them thirty heavy war galleys were anchored in the bay. They were trapped between the open ocean and the docks.
"They cannot sail out," Robb said. "Why?"
"Because of the wolf at the door," Andar pointed to the harbor mouth.
A single ship sat at the entrance to the bay.
The Dreadwolf.
It sat low in the water black smoke pouring from its stack. It blocked the exit. Any wooden ship that tried to pass it would be turned into splinters by its turret.
"They are rats in a bucket," Andar said.
He turned to the gunners.
"Target the docks. Use incendiary shells. I want the ships burned. Do not hit the city. We need the warehouses intact."
"Fire!"
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
The Napoleon cannons roared from the ridgeline.
The shells screamed down into the harbor. They smashed into the decks of the anchored galleys.
CRUMP.
Liquid fire sprayed over the sails and rigging.
The Lannister fleet which had cost millions of gold dragons to build began to burn.
Sailors dove into the water. Captains screamed orders that no one followed. The ships burned where they sat drifting into each other spreading the inferno.
From the harbor mouth the Dreadwolf moved in.
It did not fire. It simply rammed.
The ironclad plowed through the burning wreckage snapping oars and crushing hulls. It was a shark swimming through a school of dying fish.
The City Gates
At the land gate of Lannisport the City Watch stood trembling.
They were not soldiers. They were policemen used to catching pickpockets. Now they faced the New Model Army.
"Open the gates!" The Greatjon bellowed hitting the wood with the flat of his axe. "Or we will blow them to the seven hells!"
The Captain of the Watch looked at the burning fleet in the harbor. He looked at the endless lines of grey coated soldiers.
He dropped the bar.
The gates swung open.
The Northern Army marched into Lannisport.
They did not sack the city in the traditional sense. There was no rape. There was no random murder.
It was a systematic seizure of assets.
Andar rode to the Bank of Lannisport.
He walked in followed by a squad of riflemen. The bankers were cowering behind their desks.
"Good morning," Andar said placing a ledger on the counter. "I am the new auditor."
He pointed to the vault.
"Open it."
"You cannot!" The head banker squeaked. "This gold belongs to Tywin Lannister! The Iron Bank will hear of this!"
"Tywin is not here," Andar said. "And the Iron Bank prefers clients who are solvent."
Jory stepped forward and placed a small charge of dynamite on the lock.
"Open it," Andar repeated. "Or we open it."
The banker fumbled for his keys.
Inside the vault stacked floor to ceiling were bars of gold and silver. The wealth of the West.
"Load it," Andar ordered. "All of it. Put it on the train."
Casterly Rock
High above the city the fortress of Casterly Rock stood silent.
It was carved from a living mountain. It was six miles long and three times the height of the Wall. It had never been taken.
Daven Lannister the castellan looked down from the dizzying heights.
He saw the city occupied. He saw the fleet burning. He saw the ants stealing the gold.
But he felt safe.
"Let them steal," Daven said. "They cannot come up here. The Rock is eternal. We have food. We have water. We will wait them out."
Down in the city Robb looked up at the massive fortress.
"We cannot take it," Robb admitted craning his neck. "It is a mountain Andar. Even your guns cannot knock down a mountain."
"We do not need to knock it down," Andar said.
He was looking at a geological survey map he had found in the Lannisport archives.
"The Rock is honeycombed with tunnels," Andar said. "Mines. Sewers. Sea caves."
"They are guarded," Robb said. "And blocked with iron grates."
"Iron grates," Andar smiled. "How quaint."
He turned to his engineers.
"Find the main sewage outflow. The one that empties into the sea."
"You want to crawl up a sewer?" The Greatjon asked disgusted. "Like a rat?"
"No," Andar said. "I want to pump something up it."
He pointed to the Dreadwolf.
"The ship has a high pressure steam boiler. If we connect a hose... and mix in some chemical agents..."
He looked at the Rock.
"Ventilation is the weakness of any mine. If we pump enough tear gas into the lower levels the smoke will rise. It will fill every tunnel every hall every room."
"Tear gas?" Robb asked.
"Capsaicin extract," Andar explained. "From the peppers we bought in Dorne. Mixed with sulfur smoke. It won't kill them. But it will make them wish they were dead."
[New Quest: The Smoking of the Rock]
[Objective: Force the surrender of Casterly Rock]
[Method: Chemical Warfare (Non Lethal)]
[Tech Required: High Pressure Blower]
Andar watched the sunset reflect off the burning ships.
"They think they are safe in their stone shell," Andar whispered. "But even a lion needs to breathe."
He turned to Jory.
"Get the peppers. And the coal. We are going to smoke them out like bees."
The siege of Casterly Rock had begun. And it would not be fought with swords but with chemistry.
...…
Author Note
Hi guys! Thank you for reading my fanfiction.
I wanted to let you know that I'm releasing bonus chapters for Power Stones. Here are the goals:
25 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
50 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
75 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
100 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
Thanks for the support!