Ironborns and Barrowton.

[Kandrax]

Why Ironborn didn't attack Barrowton?

[Corvo the Crow]

It's the second most powerful settlement in the North after WH.

Lady is related to horselords neighbouring the lands, thousands of people living there making the ironborn won't be able to match the numbers. 

This could've been in the small questions, just saying.

[Shouldve Taken The Black]

They didn't attack a lot of places. The plan was really just to take Moat Callin to stop Robb coming back, and Deepwood Motte as a base of operations, then raid the shit out of the North. If they tried to capture and hold too many places inland they would have been beaten. Osha points this out to Theon when he took Winterfell - their power comes from the sea.

The Ironborn also have no interest and little skill when it comes to siege warfare. 

[Free Northman Reborn]

Because as Asha says the North is too full of Northmen for the Ironborn to conquer. The Ironborn only conquered weakly held castles, devoid of defenders. As soon as a decent sized Northern host faced them (like Rodrik's 2000 men at Torhenn square), they were defeated.

Barrowton was well defended, and fortified. Even 2000 men inside the town walls would be worth  5 or ten times that number outside the walls. And that 's before you consider that the Ironborn are useless at siege warfare. Or any reinforcements from the Rills or White Harbor or elsewhere.

All the Ironborn could ever hope to do was engage in hit and run tactics, and strike in weak spots while sizeable armies were not present.

 

[Jon Fossoway]

What makes you say Barrowton is the most powerful northern settlement?

On 24/4/2018 at 4:40 AM, Corvo the Crow said:

It's the second most powerful settlement in the North after WH.

Lady is related to horselords neighbouring the lands, thousands of people living there making the ironborn won't be able to match the numbers. 

This could've been in the small questions, just saying.

 

[Corvo the Crow]

38 minutes ago, Jon Fossoway said:

What makes you say Barrowton is the most powerful northern settlement?

 

I dunno, walls perhaps? Walls surrounding the second most populous place in the North with thousands of people living that can aid in it's defense?

Also not THE most powerful, SECOND most powerful. 

[Free Northman Reborn]

1 minute ago, Corvo the Crow said:

I dunno, walls perhaps? Walls surrounding the second most populous place in the North with thousands of people living that can aid in it's defense?

Also not THE most powerful, SECOND most powerful. 

And Lady Dustin confirming that she held back much of the military strength of her already populous domain. 

Victarrion had 10,000 men just down the road at Moat Cailin. Barrowton had significant resources to plunder. If it was feasible to take Barrowton the Ironborn would have done that just like they did with Deepwood and Torhenn square.

But it was too strong.

[Corvo the Crow]

13 minutes ago, Free Northman Reborn said:

And Lady Dustin confirming that she held back much of the military strength of her already populous domain. 

Victarrion had 10,000 men just down the road at Moat Cailin. Barrowton had significant resources to plunder. If it was feasible to take Barrowton the Ironborn would have done that just like they did with Deepwood and Torhenn square.

But it was too strong.

Yes and even if she had gone all in with Robb, she could always pull a Tyrion during a siege. Only thing limiting the number Tyrion could get was lack of arms and armor and that was because all the smiths and materials were used for chain making. If Barrowton, or any other place, gets besieged smiths would work day and night  to properly equip everyone until they run out of material.

A wall gives a ten to one advantage we are often told and we have even witnessed it once, skeleton garrison under the command of Ser Roland Storm kills near a thousand of Loras' men.

[Jon Fossoway]

4 hours ago, Free Northman Reborn said:

And Lady Dustin confirmng that she held back much of the military strength of her already populous domain. 

Victarrion had 10,000 men just down the road at Moat Cailin. Barrowton had significant resources to plunder. If it was feasible to take Barrowton the Ironborn would have done that just like they did with Deepwood and Torhenn square.

But it was too strong.

The Dreadfort is also strong enough to divert an army away (for reasons, they said) while having a small garrison in it.

I'd say the Bolton's castle and Karhold are the most powerful strongholds in the known North after Winterfell. And we still have White Harbor and its castle on the coast, backed up by a decent fleet.

As for the thread, I do agree that the ironborn were too weak to hold a castle with a town sorrounding it.  Theon tried and got his penis chopped off.

[Corvo the Crow]

1 hour ago, Jon Fossoway said:

The Dreadfort is also strong enough to divert an army away (for reasons, they said) while having a small garrison in it.

I'd say the Bolton's castle and Karhold are the most powerful strongholds in the known North after Winterfell. And we still have White Harbor and its castle on the coast, backed up by a decent fleet.

As for the thread, I do agree that the ironborn were too weak to hold a castle with a town sorrounding it.  Theon tried and got his penis chopped off.

Barrowton isn't a town surrounding a castle. Barrowhall is a castle surrounded by a walled town.It's not like Wintertown and Winterfell, it is like KL and Red Keep.

Also Karhold and Dreadfort are castles as you said. Barrowton is a settlement guarded by walls and also includes a castle, those are quite different. If we were to talk about the strongest castle in the North than probably the answer would be Winterfell with more than a single layer of walls, towers and If I recall a moat.

[Free Northman Reborn]

Yeah, Barrowton's fortifications are probably average, but the number of men manning them made it a hard target.

[Lost Melnibonean]

As the second town of the North, it should have been a very tempting target for a raid if that river is navigable. 

[hodorisfaclessman]

On 24/04/2018 at 7:57 AM, Kandrax said:

Why Ironborn didn't attack Barrowton?

Seems a senseible next target for balon.....but storywise the ironborn invasion gets forgotten about 

[Trigger Warning]

Why risk exposing your forces when the goal is to hold certain strategic points. Overcoming fortifications is easier said than done, they don't want to be caught up in a siege or strung out on the march advancing or withdrawing, they'd be vulnerable and lack supplies with the weather rapidly declining.