# **The Rise of House Redwyne: A Bannerlord's Conquest**
**Volume I: The Vineyard Prince**
**Chapter 5: Blood in the Wine Dark Sea**
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## **The Arbor – 273 AC**
The morning fog clung to the docks of Ryamsport like a shroud, muffling the sounds of hammers and shouted orders as the *Vine Serpent* was prepared for war. Aemon Redwyne stood at the prow, his breath curling in the chill air. At thirteen years old, he was the youngest lord in living memory to command a fleet—and today, he would either secure his legacy or feed the crabs at the bottom of the Redwyne Straits.
The reports had come in at dawn: **Salladhor Saan**, the self-styled "Prince of the Narrow Sea," had gathered a fleet of twenty ships—Lyseni pirates, Dornish reavers, and exiled Ironborn—and was bearing down on the Arbor.
Aemon turned to his captains, assembled on the deck.
**"We have five ships,"** he said, his voice steady despite the tremor in his hands. **"The *Vine Serpent*, *Golden Kiss*, *Maiden's Fury*, *Wave Thorn*, and *Sea Thistle*. Against twenty."**
Silence.
Then Harren Salt-Eye, the grizzled Iron Islander who had overseen the construction of Aemon's fleet, spat over the railing.
**"Aye, and if we run, they'll burn every vineyard from here to Oldtown. Better to die fighting than watch our homes turn to ash."**
Aemon nodded. **"We won't be fighting them head-on."**
He unrolled a map across the deck, weighted down by daggers and cups of watered wine.
**"The pirates expect us to cower behind our walls or meet them in open water. Instead, we draw them into the *Blackwater Shoals*—where their numbers mean nothing."**
The Blackwater Shoals were a death trap for any captain who didn't know the tides—a labyrinth of jagged rocks and shifting sandbars that could gut a ship in moments.
**"We'll bait them in with the *Golden Kiss*,"** Aemon continued, tracing the path with his finger. **"She's the slowest, but she's also carrying a hold full of empty casks. When the pirates give chase, we lead them straight into the rocks."**
**[Tactical Map Activated]**
- **Enemy Fleet:** 20 ships (mixed pirate vessels)
- **Allied Fleet:** 5 ships (Redwyne-class warships)
- **Terrain Advantage:** Blackwater Shoals (narrow channels, hidden reefs)
- **Weather:** Morning fog (reduces visibility)
Aemon looked up, meeting the eyes of each captain.
**"Any questions?"**
None came.
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## **The Bait is Set**
The *Golden Kiss* sailed at first light, her hold empty but for a few barrels of cheap Dornish red—just enough to make her look like a fat merchant ripe for the taking.
Aemon stood aboard the *Vine Serpent*, hidden in the fog-shrouded cove near the shoals. His fingers drummed against the railing as he watched the horizon.
Then—**sails.**
First one, then three, then a swarm of them, emerging from the mist like a pack of wolves. The lead ship, a massive Lyseni galley with scarlet sails, flew Salladhor Saan's personal banner—a grinning skull with a golden tooth.
**"They've taken the bait,"** murmured Ser Jon, Aemon's master-at-arms.
Aemon nodded. **"Now we wait."**
The *Golden Kiss* turned, feigning panic, and made for the shoals. The pirates followed, their laughter carrying across the water.
Then—**the first ship struck.**
A Dornish reaver, too eager, ran aground on a hidden reef with a splintering crack. Moments later, a Braavosi corsair followed, her hull tearing open like parchment.
**[Enemy Fleet Status]**
- **2 ships destroyed**
- **3 ships grounded**
- **Remaining: 15**
Aemon grinned. **"Now."**
The *Vine Serpent* surged forward, her scorpions loaded with wildfire-tipped bolts.
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## **The Battle of Blackwater Shoals**
What followed was not a battle.
It was a slaughter.
The pirates, trapped in the narrow channels, could not maneuver. The *Vine Serpent* and *Maiden's Fury* raked their decks with fire, while the *Wave Thorn* and *Sea Thistle* picked off stragglers.
Salladhor Saan's flagship, the *Valyrian's Revenge*, tried to flee—only to run aground on the same reefs that had claimed his allies.
Aemon boarded her himself, his sword slick with salt and blood.
Salladhor, a lean man with a silver beard and a golden tooth, met him on the deck, cutlass in hand.
**"A boy?"** The pirate king laughed. **"The Arbor sends children to fight its battles now?"**
Aemon didn't answer. He lunged.
The fight was short. Salladhor was fast, but Aemon had trained for this moment since he could hold a blade. A feint, a twist, and his sword found the pirate's gut.
As Salladhor sank to his knees, choking on blood, Aemon leaned close.
**"Tell the Drowned God the Redwynes send their regards."**
**[Battle Results]**
- **Pirate Fleet:** 15 ships sunk/captured
- **Redwyne Losses:** 1 ship damaged (*Golden Kiss* grounded but repairable)
- **Loot Gained:** 8,000 gold dragons, 3 captured ships (Lyseni galleys)
**[Reputation Updated]**
- **The Arbor:** "Lord Aemon the Sea Wolf" (+50% naval recruitment)
- **The Stepstones:** "The Grape That Bites Back" (Pirate raids -70%)
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## **The Lion's Response**
The victory feast lasted three days.
But on the fourth morning, a raven arrived from King's Landing.
Aemon broke the seal—**Lannister red.**
>*Lord Redwyne,*
>*Your defiance of the Crown's peace does not go unnoticed. Surrender the stolen Lannister ships and present yourself at court within the moon's turn.*
>*Tywin Lannister, Hand of the King*
Aemon crushed the parchment in his fist.
**"They mean to make an example of me,"** he said softly.
Ser Jon grimaced. **"If you go to King's Landing, you won't leave alive."**
Aemon smiled. **"Then I suppose I'll need a bigger fleet."**
**[New Quest: The Lion's Den]**
- **Objective:** Survive Tywin Lannister's wrath
- **Optional:** Build fleet to 20 ships before war breaks out
- **Failure:** House Redwyne destroyed
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## **Next Chapter Preview:**
- **The Greyjoy Gambit** – An unholy alliance with the Ironborn
- **Tyrion's Game** – The Imp's unexpected move
- **The First Taste of War** – Lannister ships sighted off the Arbor
*(Type* ***YES*** *to continue the epic saga!)*