Chapter 15: The Threat of the Rockborn

Domeric Bolton loves history; in the Great Hall of Winterfell, before Eddard, he tells the children of Winterfell about Skagos and the Rockborn who live on that land.

"The Skagosi are like the wildlings Beyond the Wall, north of the Wall; they speak the Common Tongue, some tribes may speak the Old Tongue, and they worship the Old Gods, just like the First Men of the North and the wildlings beyond the Wall. Some Maesters at the Citadel classify the Skagosi as wildlings, believing them to be descendants of seafaring adventurers among the wildlings, a seafaring people within wildling civilization; others believe their customs are closer to the mountain clans of the North. There is also a view in the Citadel that the Skagosi may have Ibbenese blood."

"Regardless of whether the Skagosi are more like wildlings or mountain clans, they are a fierce, warlike people who maintain many barbaric customs, such as offering living humans as sacrifices to the weirwood. Many ancient books record that the Skagosi have a custom of cannibalism, which is even more common during the harsh winter season."

Sansa shivered, "That's terrifying."

Bran tapped his bowl with a spoon, "What's so terrifying about that? Old Nan's stories are the ones that are scary! In Old Nan's stories, the Skagosi on Skane, next to Skagos, snatched up women, killed the men and the elderly, and held a half-year feast using their meat!"

Sansa turned pale with fright, and Robb said disdainfully, "Old Nan's stories are all just to scare little children."

Domeric smiled, "I'm afraid there is some truth in the stories. Today, the most authoritative work on Skagos and the Rockborn is Maester Bard's *World's Edge*. Maester Bard once served as a Maester at Eastwatch for sixty years during the time of Lord Commander Osric Stark."

"The terrifying Skane Feast in Old Nan's story is also described in Maester Bard's *World's Edge*, though the details differ. The Rockborn feast recorded in *World's Edge* lasted for half a month, not the half-year in Old Nan's story. Skane is likely a no-man's-land, with bleached bones on the beach; passing ships avoid it from afar, and many passing sailors say they can still hear the wailing of the lonely souls of those who died miserably, so I believe the authenticity of this story is very high."

Robb and Jon both began to feel nervous; after all, Old Nan's stories were one thing, but stories recorded by a Maester were quite another.

Eddard cast an approving look at Domeric, "Domeric, you are practically a walking library to have so much knowledge about the desolate and barbaric island of Skagos."

Domeric said modestly, "Lord Eddard is too kind; I just enjoy the battles, heroes, and stories in books."

Theon said irritably, "I haven't believed in stories since I was weaned! Stupid stories are nothing but the ramblings of an old woman."

Eddard smiled: "Theon, you, Jon, and Robb should all learn from Domeric. Read more books; reading can increase wisdom. If you want to become military strategists or leaders in the future, reading more will help you."

Robb and Jon nodded solemnly, while Theon was somewhat perfunctory.

Eddard added: "Of course, if you are determined to become thick-headed brutes who only know how to charge into battle without any strategy, then it doesn't matter whether you read or not. Just like Greatjon Umber. He actually requested that I let him lead troops alone, rowing fishing boats across the sea to Skagos to take revenge on those barbarians."

Greatjon's lands were raided by Rockborn Pirates. The first attack occurred at the newly established salt farms along Seal Bay. The soldiers in these salt farms usually refined sea salt in the morning and drilled with weapons in the afternoon. Because these people were newly recruited and had only been training for a few days, they were no match for the Rockborn Pirates when they attacked the salt farms.

During the first attack, the Rockborn Pirates killed more than twenty people. A few days later, a raven flew from Last Hearth, reporting that the Rockborn Pirates had slaughtered another village, killing the elderly and men, abducting women and children, and leaving corpses everywhere. Greatjon was nearly bursting with rage and requested that Eddard march on Skagos to take revenge on the Skagosi.

Jon looked at Eddard, "Lord Stark, the Skagosi..."

"They are Rockborn," Eddard corrected, "Skagosi is a derogatory term. The Skagosi are uncivilized barbarians; they are traitors to the North and our enemies. I will not underestimate the enemy. Despising the enemy only breeds arrogance, and arrogance and underestimating the enemy are great taboos on the battlefield."

Jon nodded, "Alright, the Rockborn Pirates are burning and looting in Greatjon's territory, and Greatjon is requesting to send troops to Skagos; isn't that reasonable? Why do you think this is being brave without strategy?"

Eddard said calmly: "Jon, if you want to become a capable commander when you grow up, you must consider the risks in everything you do. Greatjon wants to assemble a fleet of fishing boats to compete with the barbaric Rockborn pirates at sea, and he even wants to penetrate deep into the unfamiliar island of Skagos. Can you not see the risks in Greatjon doing this? Think about it carefully before you answer me."

Jon pondered for a long while, "Greatjon's fishing boats are no match for pirate ships at all. They might be attacked by the Rockborn Pirates as soon as they set sail; he might not even be able to reach Skagos."

Eddard nodded, "Not bad. Even if he arrived at Skagos, that island, haunted by terrifying cannibal legends, is a place few outsiders dare to set foot in. For Greatjon and the men of House Umber, it is essentially an unfamiliar place. The consequences of deep penetration into narrow mountain paths, ancient forests, and strange lakes would most likely be the total annihilation of the entire army."

Robb gritted his teeth, "The damned Rockborn Pirates are simply traitors to the North. They once swore allegiance to Winterfell, yet they have repeatedly rebelled. I suspect the Rockborn have long forgotten that the Starks were once their liege lords. The Rockborn Pirates are attacking House Umber's lands; Father, as Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell, are we just going to endure the slaughter and humiliation of the Rockborn?"

Eddard said: "I have already ordered Greatjon and Rickard Karstark that any Rockborn Pirate seen is to be killed without mercy, and their ships are to be destroyed as much as possible, but they must not go out to sea to engage them."

Domeric said: "Lord Eddard, Skagos is a backward and barren island. I think if we let House Karstark and House Umber join forces, and Winterfell also sends soldiers to participate, we could assemble a fleet, sail to Skagos, and teach these barbarians a lesson; the chances of winning are very high."

"Of course, if Lord Eddard summons soldiers from the entire North, let the Crannogmen archers, the cavalry from the Rills, the Dreadfort cavalry and spearmen, the knightly orders of White Harbor, the mountain clans' infantry, the Deepwood Motte spear-and-shield men, and the Torrhen's Square horse archers all assemble in a grand force at Seal Bay, find ships to transport them to Skagos, and completely wipe out this group of barbarians, making them submit would not be difficult."

Eddard smiled bitterly, "Do you think the Rockborn are really that easy to deal with?"

Domeric shrugged, "When a lord assembles a great army, the barbarians will flee into the deep mountains, struggle for a while, and then be defeated and captured, kneeling in submission. When a tyrant ravages, a hero will respond to the people's call and descend, holding high the banner of justice, killing the tyrant, and rebuilding the dawn. Justice can always defeat evil; that is what history books always write."

A confident smile hung on Domeric's face. Among his peers, Domeric was considered mature, steady, and learned, but he was still too young after all.

Eddard frowned, "How can war be child's play? Every victory you see is actually fraught with danger. Never underestimate the Rockborn. In fact, the last rebellion of the Rockborn occurred during the time of Daeron II, just over 100 years ago. That rebellion lasted for several years and claimed the lives of thousands, including the then-Lord of the North, Barth Stark."

Originally, Eddard's Salt Farming Plan was aimed at the Ironborn raiders on the West Coast; he did not expect the Rockborn on the East Coast to be the first to jump up. According to reports, small groups of raiders still appear on the West Coast, but the targets they attack are mostly fishing villages; the Ironborn rarely harass the salt farms guarded by coastal arrow towers.

The ravages of the Rockborn forced Eddard to turn his attention to Skagos. According to the raven sent from Karhold, the shadow of Rockborn Pirates has also appeared in the peninsula territory of House Karstark, though the scale is not as large as that of House Umber.

The expansion of Winter Town, the salt farms, the land expansion military farming plans, and the beehive plans in various places cause a large amount of Gold Dragons to flow out of Winterfell every day. Now, Winterfell's funds are tight, and the damned Rockborn Pirates jumping out to make trouble at this time makes Eddard feel depressed.

Because Skagos is too mysterious, no one knows how many tribes or how many people live in the deep mountains of this island. However, judging from the situation when Winterfell quelled the Skagos rebellion last time, the Rockborn are not easy to deal with.

Now, the Night's Watch at Eastwatch kills any wildling boat they catch in Seal Bay, but they still cannot prevent wildling ships from appearing in the territories of House Umber or even House Karstark. It is conceivable that wildling raiders rowing to land on Skagos is a common occurrence.

The accents of the wildlings and the Rockborn tribes are similar to the Common Tongue. It is rumored that some tribes can still communicate in the Old Tongue, all worship the Old Gods, and their customs are similar. If the hateful King-Beyond-the-Wall Mance Rayder were to infiltrate his forces into Skagos and use Skagos as a springboard to attack the North, it would be a great disaster for the North.

Not to mention anything else, the salt farms, land expansion military farming plans, beehives, and Winter Town expansion plans that Eddard has worked so hard to manage would all have to be interrupted, and the previous investments would be washed away.

At the thought of this, in the warm hall, Eddard actually felt cold, and a chill crawled up his spine.

The cold wind rose, chilling to the bone.

(End of chapter)