For thousands of years the people of the Iron Islands dedicated themselves to a culture
of raiding and pillaging, while worshipping the Drowned God and living off the sea.
Although they valued their independence, they often united under powerful families like
the Greyjoys of Pyke or House Hoare who went on to conquer the riverlands.
But after the doom of Valyria and Century of Blood, House Targaryen of Dragonstone invaded
the continent and conquered nearly all Westeros.
For over a century the Ironborn accepted subjugation, choosing House Greyjoy to lead them as Lords
under a Targaryen King.
And were now forced to make the long journey to essos or beyond to follow their reaver
traditions.
In 113AC, Dalton Greyjoy was born and early on in his life proved a valiant and skilled
warrior.
By the age of 5 he was rowing for the Ironborn and by the age of 10 was raiding the Basilisk
Isles alongside his uncle.
By 14 Dalton had fought in a dozen engagement and sailed as far as Old Ghis, even claiming
4 Salt Wives.
Salt wives were women taken as secondary partners for Ironborn warrior, tending to their needs
while away at sea.
And while a man could possess several salt wives, they could take only one Rock Wife,
who served as their legitimate spouse on the Iron Islands.
During Dalton’s travels he also came to possess a Valyrian steel sword called Nightfall,
taken off the dead body of a corsair.
At the age of 15, the young greyjoy saw his uncle kill during a raid against the stepstones,
and so Dalton went on a vicious rampage in retaliation, emerging from the battle covered
in blood from a number of wounds.
And so was henceforth known as the Red Kraken.
Later that year, Dalton’s father passed away, and so he returned to the Iron Islands
and claimed the Lordship of the territory and immediately ordered his people to build
ships and train warriors.
In 129 AC the continent of Westeros was torn apart by civil war following the death of
King Viserys I. Dalton Greyjoy, now 16 and Lord of the Iron Islands, was said to have
laughed when he heard of the outbreak of war, and was now being courted by both sides for
the power of his mighty fleet.
The Green faction representing King Aegon II, offered to make Dalton Master of Ships,
if he would sail his forces to Blackwater bay and engage the fleet of Lord Corly velaryon.
The Black faction, representing Queen Rhaenyra however offered a better deal in the eyes
of the Ironborn, giving them free reign to do as they please as long as they targeted
Green faction territories.
The Red Kraken therefore fought for the Blacks, raiding the coast of the Westerlands, looting
and pillaging without mercy as they had in the days before Targaryen conquest.
Although Lord Jason Lannister was busy fighting in the riverlands and was therefore unable
to help defend his lands, his wife Johanna Lannister took action, sealing the gate of
Casterly Rock and saving their fortress from being attacked.
The rest of the westerlands however suffered greatly with Lannisport sacked, the Lannister
fleet burned and hundreds of women taken captive, including the favorite mistress of Jason Lannister
and their daughters.
Dalton Greyjoy then took his forces to capture the city of Kayce before moving on to Fair
Isle and faircastle ruled by House Farman.
Again the Ironborn ravaged the land, with the Red Kraken capturing 5 of Lord Farman’s
daughters, keeping 4 for himself as salt wives, and giving the 5th and least attractive of
them to his brother Veron Greyjoy.
Although the Dance of the Dragons civil war ended in 131 AC with the ascension of Rhaenyra’s
son King Aegon III, Dalton refused to stop his raids, openly defying Targaryen rule.
Through his many years of battle and return to the traditional ways of the Ironborn, the
Red Kraken was widely admired and respected by the warriors of his homeland but in the
end lost his life when a concubine named Tess slit his throat in the middle of the night,
before throwing herself into the sea.
With their leader dead, having never had a rock wife and produced any legitimate heirs,
the Iron islands fell to infighting, with Dalton’s sons born by salt wives, as his
closest living heirs.
The Red Kraken became a legend amongst the Ironborn and beyond for his ravaging of the
Westerlands, but the Lions of Casterly Rock would not allow their raids to go without
response.
Unfortunately Jason Lannister died during the Dance of the Dragons, and so it fell to
his widow Johanna, who sent her men at arms to sail aboard the fleet of Ser Leo Costayne,
Lord Admiral of the Reach.
In 134 AC, this combined force raided the Iron Islands, capturing one of Dalton Greyjoy’s
salt sons, gelding him, and making him into the court fool of Casterly Rock.