Westeros: Total War mod

House Tully is an old noble house, dating back to the Age of Heroes. Unlike many Great Houses they never ruled as kings, but held Riverrun for a thousand years as vassals of those who did. House Tully rose to prominence during the Wars of Conquest, when Lord Edmyn led the rebel riverlords who deserted King Harren the Black and joined Aegon the Conqueror, and were so established as Lords Paramount of the Trident.
Given the Riverlands' geographic vulnerability, House Tully has ever sought alliances in case of invasion. Lord Hoster Tully sought to wed his brother Ser Brynden, hero of the War of the Ninepenny Kings to Bethany Redwyne, but Brynden would have none of it. This began a years-long quarrel between the two, for which Brynden earned the moniker "Blackfish." Hoster also took a ward, Petyr Baelish, then an obscure lordling from the Fingers. Petyr fell in love with Lord Tully's eldest daughter Catelyn, but was rebuffed. As consolation he took the virginity of Lysa, Hoster's other daughter. Hoster forbade Petyr from marrying either of his daughters due to his low standing, and ordered Lysa to drink moon tea to prevent her from bearing Petyr's child. Hoster accepted an offer from Tywin Lannister to wed Jaime Lannister to Lysa, but Jaime unexpectedly joined the Kingsguard before this could occur. Hoster rebuffed Tywin's offer of Tyrion as a replacement. Other prospects existed from House Brax and others, but Hoster finally accepted an offer from Lord Rickard Stark that Catelyn be betrothed to Brandon Stark, heir to Winterfell. Petyr Baelish dueled Brandon for Catelyn's favor, resulting in his exile from Riverrun. Brandon and Rickard's executions by the Mad King complicated matters, but Lord Hoster threw in with the ensuing rebellion, arranging for Catelyn to wed Brandon's brother Lord Eddard and for Lysa to marry Lord Jon Arryn. The Riverlands was a major theater of the war, and Lord Hoster fought in the Battle of the Bellsand crushed the royalist houses of Goodbrook, Darry, Mooton, and Ryger. His control over his bannermen was not complete; aside from these recalcitrant houses, House Frey delayed their contribution until after the decisive Battle of the Trident, itself fought in the Riverlands. After the war, the Tully girls rode off to their husbands' seats, with Ser Brynden accompanying Lysa to the Vale to serve as Knight of the Gate.

The Units

The Tullys have a good all-round roster, with some excellent missile troops to defend those vital fords and bridges.

Peasants

Peasants are levied men who have been brought in at the word of their lords to fight in battle. They wield the weapons available to them, mainly scythes or pitchforks. They can serve for arrow fodder, but for anything else, they are no good. A gathering of boys so green they piss grass and greybeards theystand no chance against any other forces. They are cheap units, however, and can be effectively used for garrison duty in castles, while the professionals fight wars far away.

Levied from the lands of the lords these spearmen are not professional soldiers who dedicate most of their time to practice to master their weapons, but rather famers, millers and masons who respond when the lords call their banners and eagerly join battle. Their willingness to join in the field might lessen, however, once they experience the fatigue and famine of campaign. They are not sustainable in close combat, as their lack of severe skill in handling the spear will make them loose ground
and rout easily when facing more powerful units.

These bowmen are levied from local farmers and hunters. They are not terrible bowmen, but they lack proper training, and are very likely to run at the first sign of a knight!

These men are the eyes and ears of a Westerosi army. They lack good armour and weapons, but make up for it with ​speed and maneuverability. They are excellent at flanking weakened enemies and chasing down routing units.

The spear is shorter than the long pike, though in return it is easier to wield and less cumbersome in close combat. The sturdy wooden spears make them a unit well suited for taking down units with heavy armour, seeing as they are quicker and can strike the holes in their defences. In addition they carry large drop formed shields. When locked in a spearwall formation, they are capable of holding off more powerful units, hiding behind their large buffers and picking strikes at the enemy. They are not much good for gaining ground in such a defensive formation, however, and must soon be supported to complete the decimation of their foes. Likewise as the pikemen, the spearmen are vulnerable to attacks from the rear and flanks, especially against heavy cavalry as they will be battered against the momentum of their horses.

Not only does the longbow have a greater range than both the shortbow and the crossbow, it is also a more difficult weapon to master. To learn it thoroughly, the archer must eagerly practice for ten years. Only then will he master the bow completely. Needless to say, these men are skilful in their use of the deterrent and will keenly prove so on the battlefield. In battle, the longbow has been proved to not only be a weapon good against massed, poorly armoured units but also to pick out the better targets, such as knights and nobles as their arrows can penetrate their steel plates. The longbowmen are a powerful force when used from afar as they should, though their commander should take care not to put them in exposed areas, as they are not equipped for close combat.

The pikemen are heavy infantry, armed with long, hard shafted pikes. Their armour is heavy chainmail and leather gambesons and they utilize the phalanx formation when attacking. The main strength of the pikemen is their ability to act in cohesion and as a single, impenetrable unit. Only their flanks and rear are unguarded. The pikemen often make up the bulwark of a host, commanding the long line of soldiery. Care must be taken, however, that they are not assaulted from the rear or flanks, especially by cavalry, for then they lose every advantage they have. For the pikemen are significantly strong when facing cavalry and being in formation, they skewer peasants and nobles both on their long confounds. The simple pikes carried forth by the pikemen quickly prove particularly deadly in their skilled hands, the wealth and prowess of a knight matters little when his horse has been impaled and he lies on his back on the ground.

The crossbow is rightly feared by commoners and nobles alike. A simple weapon to use, it requires little training; the tremendous force created by the traction of the bow makes the iron-fronted bolts able to penetrate steel plate, chainmail, leather and flesh. The weapon is simple in both design and purpose, and so every commoner could be equipped with it. These men, however, are professionals. They have devoted their lives to mastering the crossbow and are more than proficient with its use. On the battlefield, they lack the arc of firing provided by regular bows and so the ground before them should be cleared of allied units before unleashing the power of their bows, so to avoid friendly fire. Like other missile infantry, however, they must be kept out of the mêlées, and if kept in the front lines, they should be retreated thoroughly behind friendly lines. From there they can continue wreaking havoc upon the enemies left standing.

Men-at-arms are not knights, but that is just in name. They are armed and armoured in heavy steel and pose a significant advantage when they are on the battlefield. These men are not inconspicuous on the field of battle; they swagger in their heavy armours, afforded only by the patronage of their lords. They wield castle forged swords and regular shields, common but deadly weapons. On the battlefield they are good against infantry, but must be guarded against charges from heavy infantry and cavalry.

The Riverlands are large and the population spread out. So the River Lords have developed a force of men adjusted to the livings and makings of the lands around the Trident. Armed with the powerful crossbow for long ranged skirmishes and ambushes, capable of dismantling a knight’s suit of armor with a single bolt and tearing through a horse in an instant, they are dangerous at a long range. That is not all, however. When close combat commences, they discard of their crossbows and take up spears to do battle with. Wielding both close and ranged weapons make them a highly versatile unit, separating them from the crossbowmen and archers in being capable of standing when melee ensues and spearmen by having the option to fire a few volleys at their enemies.

The men are regular men-at-arms, only their patrons have provided them with a warhorse as well. They resemble knights even more when atop their mounts, looking yet more imposing in heavy armour and flying the banners of their lords. Like the men-at-arms, mounted men-at-arms are professional soldiers who have been taken into the service of a lord and in return been afforded with the tools of war. They function as heavy cavalry and are a unit often sighted in the order of battle. When charging, they point their large lances forward and drive them with incredible momentum into the targets. As a mounted force, they are even more imposing than their infantry counterparts and pose a greater threat on the battlefield. Normally, a lance will break upon such impact and the man-at-arms will draw his mace or sword and plummet it into the nearest foe. They are, as other cavalry, vulnerable against spearmen and pikemen, and best used against light troops or when delivering the final blow to a wavering unit.

Sworn swords are knights gathered from the region. Armed with the long lance, behind which they concentrate the full momentum of the destrier onto the pointy end, mercilessly driving into the enemy. When locked in mêlée, they will draw their swords of castle forged steel and wreak further havoc. Though the unit might seem immensely powerful, it will not steamroll all opponents. Especially, the sworn swords should be guarded against pike and spearmen and if outnumbered by heavy cavalry they should be withdrawn and used elsewhere. Remember, the best use of the sworn swords is hit and run, to utilize the power of their horses.

Raventree Hall supplies the Tully lords with exceptional archers when the banners are called. Their longbows furthers their reach to strike at their adversaries, and reduces their own endangerment greatly. Living soldiers win wars, not dead ones. The River Lords of the Trident value these men of archery for their sturdiness and valor; they will not flee as easily common bowmen. They are not melee soldiers, however, and will not stand for long lest they be either reinforced or retreated. Their long training with the longbow has left little time for practicing with axe and shield. Not only do the Blackwood men have a strong respect and allegiance to their overlords and a fierce hatred against their enemies – there is enmity betwixt them and the Brackens of Stone Hedge, issuing them to do better than the men who stand at their side, making them that much stronger.

The prancing horse of House Bracken of the Stone Hedge is displayed on the rippling banners of this unit. House Bracken is sworn to House Tully of Riverrun and when the banners are called, these men head the column of Stone Hedge men. They are medium cavalry, combining the speed and agility of the light cavalry and the power and weight of knights into a highly versatile unit able of both pounding into the enemy lines and harassing them with swift deadly attacks followed by an as swift retreat. Lord Jonos Bracken, the Lord of Stone Hedge, is proud to present these men for battle and hastens to advise them used offensively and effectively, to win glory and battling. More than Lord Blackwood, at least.

The Mallisters of Seagard have stood against many foes, chiefly from the sea where the ironborn come from to reave and pillage. During the Greyjoy Rebellion, the son of the kraken Rodrik Grejoy came to the shores under the walls of Seagard with longships and reavers from the sea. Under the walls there Rodrik Greyjoy was killed by Lord Jason Mallister, the valiant lord of Seagard. Since then the threat of ironborn sails on the horizon has been little. The guardsmen that hold the Booming Tower of Seagard, however, are ever vigilant and ready. Armed with javelins and swords and shields, these are highly proficient men, good both in the close combat during sieges and on the open battlefields. They best ordered to let off a few devastating volleys before closing for hand-to-hand combat.

Noblemen are perhaps the grandest and most splendid warriors to be seen upon the battlefield. Their glistening plate armour is made of the finest steel and their surcoats emblazoned with the sigil of their House. They are the lords bannermen and their sons and heirs. Rich as few and with royal blood fleeting in their veins, they are a proud and deadly force. In battle, they need not fear as much as the commoners either. If flung from the perched seat of their barded destriers, most men are already done for. Many would rather collect the ransom of such highborn hostages than kill them off. They fight no less fiercely for that matter, however, and are capable of breaking through most formations. Though they are not, to be sure, immortals. If facing far too many enemies, they too will fall.

Where the two rivers the Red Fork and the Tumblestone meet lies the fortress of Riverrun. It has been the seat of the House of Tully for centuries following the fall of the House Hoare and Harren the Black during the invasion by Aegon the Conqueror. As quickly as the stone upon Harrenhal melted House Tully rose as a power in Westeros. Though it was never a sovereign of one of the Seven Kingdoms, the Tullys made the eight by being named Lords Paramount of the Riverlands. The Household Guard of House Tully is stationed at Riverrun as a personal force of guardsmen in service to the Lords of the Trident. The unit is equipped with shield and spear, regular equipment for garrison service, albeit these men will stand just as firmly upon the meadows in battle as in the streets or atop watchtowers.

Where the two rivers the Red Fork and the Tumblestone meet lies the fortress of Riverrun. It has been the seat of theHouse of Tully for centuries following the fall of the House Hoare and Harren the Black during the invasion by Aegon the Conqueror. As quickly as the stone upon Harrenhal melted House Tully rose as a power in Westeros. Though it was never a sovereign of one of the Seven Kingdoms, the Tullys made the eight by being named Lords Paramount of the Riverlands. These men are selected knights riding along with the Lord of Riverrun as guardsmen and a force to be reckoned with on the field of battle. The knight represents the malicious perfection of soldering in Westeros, their barded destriers and steel armor making them almost invincible. Their fluttering banners and swift attacks are of stories and songs, their valor and bravery inspirational to young squires and daunting to young maids.

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