By guile

[The Fresh PtwP]

How do you think JonCon plans to take Storm's End?

I think they might try a Trojan horse version of Davos smuggling food in. Only instead of onions the garrison gets sellswords...and death, but I really have no clue how this is going to turn out.

Thoughts?

[Praetor Xyn]

19 minutes ago, The Fresh PtwP said:

How do you think JonCon plans to take Storm's End?

I think they might try a Trojan horse version of Davos smuggling food in. Only instead of onions the garrison gets sellswords...and death, but I really have no clue how this is going to turn out.

Thoughts?

Well presumably if they were aware of the entrance Mel and Davos used they could just go in that way in the dead of night while everyone is sleeping. They'd have to knock down the bars but that's easier than breaching walls.

My bet though is on them just having someone loyal to them on the inside to open the gate.

[The Fresh PtwP]

4 minutes ago, Praetor Xyn said:

Well presumably if they were aware of the entrance Mel and Davos used they could just go in that way in the dead of night while everyone is sleeping. They'd have to knock down the bars but that's easier than breaching walls.

My bet though is on them just having someone loyal to them on the inside to open the gate.

Any guesses on who?

[Good Guy Garlan]

5 minutes ago, The Fresh PtwP said:

Any guesses on who?

Lomas Estermont. The Golden Company took Greenstone and probably has hostages to use as leverage. 

[Makk]

I think the Golden company will pretend to be the Golden company. They will attack and clear out the remaining Reach besiegers and then tell the Castellan (I forget his name) that Stannis has hired them. They are desperate, find it a plausible story, and will open the gates.

[Lord Lannister]

19 minutes ago, The Fresh PtwP said:

Any guesses on who?

Elwood Meadows perhaps? He suffered a sleight by losing command of Storm's End after surrendering it to Stannis, and is in an odd position of being one of the few Vale houses sworn to Stannis who seemingly abandoned them by going North.

[Lost Melnibonean]

1 hour ago, Makk said:

I think the Golden company will pretend to be the Golden company. They will attack and clear out the remaining Reach besiegers and then tell the Castellan (I forget his name) that Stannis has hired them. They are desperate, find it a plausible story, and will open the gates.

I think this is the most likely. 

[Lady Blizzardborn]

2 hours ago, Makk said:

I think the Golden company will pretend to be the Golden company. They will attack and clear out the remaining Reach besiegers and then tell the Castellan (I forget his name) that Stannis has hired them. They are desperate, find it a plausible story, and will open the gates.

That's funny in a way. But yes, this seems a very likely course.

[Jango]

I don't think Jon Connington entirely plans to leave Storm's End. He knows his fate and that his time left is dwindling. Jon seems like the man that would see it more appropriate to go out with a sword in his hand and the taste of blood on his tongue, rather than slowly rotting and losing control of your body, eventually morphing into something hideous and uncontrollable. I do think, however, that he does plan on getting everyone else out. Kind of like how 

Spoiler

The Blackfish goes out in a final stand in the show as Brienne and Pod escape on the river.

Just my thoughts.

[The Fresh PtwP]

4 hours ago, Makk said:

I think the Golden company will pretend to be the Golden company. They will attack and clear out the remaining Reach besiegers and then tell the Castellan (I forget his name) that Stannis has hired them. They are desperate, find it a plausible story, and will open the gates.

That's actually really likely.

[acwill07]

52 minutes ago, Jango said:

I don't think Jon Connington entirely plans to leave Storm's End. He knows his fate and that his time left is dwindling. Jon seems like the man that would see it more to go out with a sword in his hand and the taste of blood on his tongue, rather than slowly rotting and losing control of your body, eventually morphing into something hideous and uncontrollable. I do think, however, that he does plan on getting everyone else out. Kind of like how 

  Hide contents

The Blackfish goes out in a final stand in the show as Brienne and Pod escape on the river.

Just my thoughts.

That doesn't really make sense.  Connington's entire purpose in life is to sit Rheagar's son on the iron throne and he won't be able to do that if he falls at Storm's End.  Connington fully plans to take Storm's End and then continue the invasion from there, and you can bet he has a plan that doesn't include him dying.  In fact, the second Arianne chapter released from WOW reveals that he's already taken Storm's End.

Taking Storm's End is crucial in their overall plan of winning the iron throne, because the taking of Storm's End is supposed to put the rest of Westeros on notice that Aegon is here and he means business, which will hopefully win them some allies.

[Lord Wraith]

5 hours ago, Makk said:

I think the Golden company will pretend to be the Golden company. They will attack and clear out the remaining Reach besiegers and then tell the Castellan (I forget his name) that Stannis has hired them. They are desperate, find it a plausible story, and will open the gates.

 

3 hours ago, Lost Melnibonean said:

I think this is the most likely. 

Makes sense to me, also perhaps nicely foreshadowed.

Quote

"Whilst we await Lord Walder's death, there is another matter," said Aurane Waters. "The Golden Company has broken its contract with Myr. Around the docks I've heard men say that Lord Stannis has hired them and is bringing them across the sea."

 

[rotting sea cow]

8 hours ago, Makk said:

I think the Golden company will pretend to be the Golden company. They will attack and clear out the remaining Reach besiegers and then tell the Castellan (I forget his name) that Stannis has hired them. They are desperate, find it a plausible story, and will open the gates.

This. Also remember that the GC banners are very similar to Baraethon ones and JonCon probably also found some in the other castles taken by the GC.

The problem is not defeating the Tyrell army outside SE, the problem is taking the fortress with minimal loses.

[Lost Melnibonean]

9 hours ago, acwill07 said:

That doesn't really make sense.  Connington's entire purpose in life is to sit Rheagar's son on the iron throne and he won't be able to do that if he falls at Storm's End.  Connington fully plans to take Storm's End and then continue the invasion from there, and you can bet he has a plan that doesn't include him dying.  In fact, the second Arianne chapter released from WOW reveals that

Spoiler

he's already taken Storm's End.

Taking Storm's End is crucial in their overall plan of winning the iron throne, because the taking of Storm's End is supposed to put the rest of Westeros on notice that Aegon is here and he means business, which will hopefully win them some allies.

You ought to put spoilers in tags. 

[Lost Melnibonean]

9 hours ago, Lord Wraith said:

 

Makes sense to me, also perhaps nicely foreshadowed.

 

Even Kevan at first believes that to be the case in Cersei I, Dance 54. 

[HouseFossoway]

I don't think they're actually going to be able to take Storm's End.

Spoiler

All that was revealed to us from Arianne's second chapter in the TWOW is that Arianne is at Griffin's Roost, and that she has been told that they have taken Storm's End. They are also in the process of demanding that she go with them to meet fAegon. I think that they tried to take Storm's End, failed, and are now trying to bring Arianne to them so that one of the generals can forcibly marry her so that she will send a letter to Doran telling him to declare for fAegon, because if they don't get the martells on their side soon, they have no hope.

 

[James Steller]

23 minutes ago, HouseFossoway said:

I don't think they're actually going to be able to take Storm's End.

  Hide contents

All that was revealed to us from Arianne's second chapter in the TWOW is that Arianne is at Griffin's Roost, and that she has been told that they have taken Storm's End. They are also in the process of demanding that she go with them to meet fAegon. I think that they tried to take Storm's End, failed, and are now trying to bring Arianne to them so that one of the generals can forcibly marry her so that she will send a letter to Doran telling him to declare for fAegon, because if they don't get the martells on their side soon, they have no hope.

 

I hope that's true. I'd like Stannis to maintain control of Storm's End.

[Lord Varys]

15 hours ago, Makk said:

I think the Golden company will pretend to be the Golden company. They will attack and clear out the remaining Reach besiegers and then tell the Castellan (I forget his name) that Stannis has hired them. They are desperate, find it a plausible story, and will open the gates.

That is the most likeliest scenario. And one would also assume that Connington and company will pardon all of Stannis' men if they, in turn, join Aegon. They have common enemies in the Lannisters/Tyrells, and with the Golden Company supporting them they could actually win a victory over their enemies. That's a lot better than starving and dying in the name of the doomed pretender Stannis.

Thus it is most likely that most of the men the Golden Company will kill are the Reach men under Lord Mathis Rowan. They have to make it look convincing to the men watching from the walls of Storm's End. And they would be well-advised to first win the allegiance of the Stormlanders before reaching out to the Lords of the Reach - which they then could do through Mathis Rowan if he survives and accepts Aegon as Rhaegar's son.

7 hours ago, rotting sea cow said:

This. Also remember that the GC banners are very similar to Baraethon ones and JonCon probably also found some in the other castles taken by the GC.

That might be the case. However, we don't know whether the banners of great houses lie around in various castles or are usually allowed to be used by bannermen. But the Golden Company banners alone should be enough. They will crush the Tyrell token force, and then ride up to the gates, claim Stannis hired them and ask them to open the gates. They might even tell them that they have brought provisions and stuff to supply the garrison.

Quote

The problem is not defeating the Tyrell army outside SE, the problem is taking the fortress with minimal loses.

That should not be all that difficult. Once they are inside they will outnumber the garrison and they are not likely intending to butcher the men. If there are some die-hard Stannis fanatics in there there might be some fighting but not all that much, one assumes. My guess is that Connington and the other officers will come into the castle and take the castellan captive in his solar or the great hall. Then the leaders of the garrison will have to make their choice, and they most likely will make the right choice.

If Aegon takes the lead there we could see another one of those instances where his charisma wins the day. Both with Stannis' men and the captured Mathis Rowan (assuming he survives the battle).

Oh, and by the way:

Does anybody else hope we get a good tour of Storm's End in Connington's and Arianne's chapters? I want to see how devastated the godswood is and whether the weirwood there was burned down or whether it is still (somewhat) intact.

[Lost Melnibonean]

34 minutes ago, Lord Varys said:

Oh, and by the way:

Does anybody else hope we get a good tour of Storm's End in Connington's and Arianne's chapters? I want to see how devastated the godswood is and whether the weirwood there was burned down or whether it is still (somewhat) intact.

Ooh, that would be interesting since Jojen tells us, "There is a power in living wood, a power strong as fire," as Bran et al. survey the lack of harm done to the Winterfell godswood in the wake of Ramsay’s treasonous sacking and torching of the castle. 

The two cases are distinguishable, though. At Winterfell, Ramsay apparently intended to ruin the castle, not to destroy the godswood or the heart tree per se. Of Stannis's action at Storm's End, Ser Dontos tells Sansa, "He made a great pyre of the trees as an offering to his new god. The red priestess made him do it." That suggests the trees at Storm's End might have been felled before they were burned, so that they would no longer have been living wood. 

[Lord Varys]

2 minutes ago, Lost Melnibonean said:

Ooh, that would be interesting since Jojen tells us, "There is a power in living wood, a power strong as fire," as Bran et al. survey the lack of harm done to the Winterfell godswood in the wake of Ramsay’s treasonous sacking and torching of the castle. 

The two cases are distinguishable, though. At Winterfell, Ramsay apparently intended to ruin the castle, not to destroy the godswood or the heart tree per se. Of Stannis's action at Storm's End, Ser Dontos tells Sansa, "He made a great pyre of the trees as an offering to his new god. The red priestess made him do it." That suggests the trees at Storm's End might have been felled before they were burned, so that they would no longer have been living wood. 

Sure, a man like Stannis would be as methodical in burning stuff down as he is in other things. But we don't actually have a description of what has transpired at Storm's End from a POV character, so what we have as of yet is just hearsay.

And even a dead weirwood - like the one at Raventree Hall - might still have some power. If it was hacked down and then burned in a great pyre then only the stump and the roots should remain - which also might retain some little power (as did the one Jaime was sleeping on).

But it could be that the stories are exaggerated and Stannis only felled some trees around the weirwood, hacked them to pieces, and piled them around the heart tree. The weirwood could then have caught fire without being burned completely.

But regardless what happened there I think it would be very interesting to see the ruins of that godswood and get the thoughts of both Arianne and Connington on the matter, with perhaps some of Stannis' men witnessing the entire event explaining to them and the reader what transpired their in detail.

They should all be very interested in Stannis weird and quite fanatical views on religion.