Rise of the North (asoiaf)

From the very onset of his declaration Daeron had many opponents chief amongst them was his uncle and Hand of the King Prince Viserys. Prince Viserys felt that a war would be pointless and unsuccessful, after all his own father Daemon had attempted to conquer the Stepstones with dragons and he failed despite. What chance did Daeron have? To this Daeron replied, "You have a dragon, he stands in front of you".

Daeron spent over a year planning and preparing for his war and so in 159 AC set out to conquer the isle's. The War of the Stepstones lasted about 2 years, during which many battles both on land and sea were fought for the islands were home to many cutthroats pirated who took to attacking and harassing Daeron in order to protect their ports and strongholds. Despite this however Daeron succeeded and by 161 AC the last pirate had been executed, with the islands divided between both the brothers and second sons of prominent lords as well as warriors who had proved both valiant and performed great deeds, most of which was dornish as they were the nearest and gained the most by controlling Stepstones. Along with giving the Iron Throne control of the gates to the Narrow Sea the War of the Stepstones is also important in clearing much of the lingering suspicion that remained from the Dance of the Dragons, sons whose fathers and uncles were opponents in Dance used this the war to grow close ties with one another.

However, peace was elusive for the Tyrosh, Myr and Lys had once again banded together under the banner of the Three Daughters or in some messages Three sisters (an unpopular phrasing in Westeros as it confused them with the Three Sisters of the Bite) to combat Daeron's armies. Many of the magisters had also lost great sums of money when the pirates they sponsored were killed and wanted vengeance, and so the Second War of the Stepstones was fought. This war was much more brutal than the first, however it was also shorter. For none of the three cities was truly skilled at Large scale war and they had been dependent on sell swords and slave guards for too long. As such by the end of 162 AC Daeron had conquered the Second Kingdom of the Three Daughters.

It was in this campaign in which Cregan's sons Rickon and Jonnel also participated, leading the Northmen in the campaign that Rickon Stark, eldest and heir of Cregan Stark, died to a myrish crossbolt. His brother stricken with grief and anger rallied the northmen against myrish and is said to be at the forefront when the city of Myr was sacked. When he returned North, he expressed his regret in failing to defend his brother.

Knowing that his grip on power was weak however Daeron knew he had to tip the balance of power in his favor. And so, he wrote the most consequential decree of his reign. The slaves in the Kingdom of the three Daughters were to be freed and settled as free men in the disputed lands. In one brilliant stroke Daeron had gained armies of loyal supporters, broken the power of the Magisters and had silenced complaints from detractors by tying his war with the Westerosi hatred for slavery.

Daeron would divide the Disputed Lands in five parts, half of it will be used to form the kingdom of the Free Men made up of the slaves freed from the Three Daughters and the other half would be divided between the Three Daughters and kingdom of Stepstones. Daeron remained in Essos for the next year overseeing the new order, naming second sons and brother as Magisters and lords and awarding them land and wealth, punishing the remaining slavers (3,000 Tyroshi men and women were put to the sword in the year after Daeron's Great Emancipation Decree for practicing slavery), dreaming of further conquest but alas it was not meant to be.

King Daeron would die due to poison from an assassin sent by the rebellious magisters of Three Daughters. His brother Baelon Targaryen would inherit the throne who is also known as Baelor the Blessed, who is a great devotee of the Faith of the Seven.

Using the death of the Daeron as an opportunity the magisters of the three Daughters rebelled, but their power was too weak by than as most of the population slave population was set free and travelled to Free Land (Disputed Land). As such the magisters, who as it were much lesser in number, lands, wealth, manpower and weapon as compared to Free Men due to Daeron's reforms and Purges, were only partially successful as while the three daughters successfully broke with the Iron Throne, it will take them years to return to their former glory.

In 164 AC the south became a concern when Baelor Targaryen took the throne. Baelor the Blessed was a man who was fanatically devoted to the Faith of the Seven and thus was a clear threat to the North if he restarted the faith militant. While luckily King Baelor would make peace not war in his lifetime, spending most of his reign reforming the faith Lord Cregan was still greatly paranoid about a possible invasion by faith militant. As such to ensure the safety of the North Cregan sent a small detachment of rangers to Moat Cailin as well as had the Manderly's and castelan of Muddhall prepare their fleets. While as stated the invasion never occurs, the event is an awakening for House Stark who realize that they cannot depend solely on the crown for their safety.

 In the winter year lasting 168 AC to 169 AC, the coldest year recorded for generations, a rather subtle threat from the south occurs. King Baelor had written to every house of the north offering food and aid for the winter, King Baelor also inquired about and offered to help with any and all orphans or homeless greybeards. While some would fall for what appeared to be innocent kindness Cregan saw what it truly was, a way of having the faith infiltrate the North. Cregan rejected the offer for the entirety of the North.

Even though King Baelor dies just shortly later, Cregan mindful of possible future attempts to convert the North raised taxes in order to create the Order of the Weirwood. This order absorbed the existing network of orphanages, homes for greybeards, healing centers, birth rooms, and other such services which were run by the Wood Men of the North, an order devoted to taking care of weirwood tree and teaching about Old Gods, who would all be encouraged to join the order and end up running it.

Whereas previously the Green Men's, and the Nobles who sponsored their work, oversaw a disjointed patchwork of individual organizations, Cregan unified them all into one framework. Indeed, it is said that in creating the Order of the Weirwood Cregan indeed took control of the Faith of the Old Gods. The Order of the Weirwood would take over the traditional duties of the Wood Men, providing alms to the poor, birthing houses for mothers, healing for the sick, homes for greybeards without families or those who had been abandoned by their families, orphanages and much more. Along with taking over these traditional duties the order was it was to educate people in the history of the North, and through it over the next century literacy would double in the North. Further all these services would be made uniform, with Winterfell decreeing common duties and raising common taxes the social role of the Green Men was made uniform, uncaring for ancient compromises or local availability of funds.

Cregan decreed that all northerners who believe in the Old Gods were welcome as members of the order, and after 10 years of service may leave if they choose, or they may take vows for another 10 years of service. The Green Men were allowed to join for life, receiving salary, room and meals for their services. And at the end of their working life the Order would provide for them in their last years when they were too old to work, a duty traditionally undertaken by the Nobility in whose lands they served. These actions won him much praise from the Smallfolk and helped foster a deeper sense of identity amongst all Northerners and followers of the Old Gods especially in later centuries as the Order of the Weirwood would slowly expand beyond the North.

As the years passed and Cregan grew older and older, he began appearing less in public, especially when his wife died in 173 AC. In these years he began working with his son Jonnel to create his final great plan one which would consume the last years of his reign and that of his son and grandson. This was the expansion of Winterfell the keep. The expansion which would take 6 decades would turn Winterfell into the Largest keep in Westeros by land surpassing Harrenhal. But where Harrenhal would be dominated by large towers and keeps even the king could not maintain, the Starks would go a different route.

They would build 2 more sets of double walls in the same fashion as the original walls of Winterfell giving an invading army 6 walls and 3 moats to get through. They would also build 6 walls between the two new walls creating 6 partitions, only two of which can be accessed from the outside, these were also the smallest of the partitions in order to turn the field they held into a more defensible area. The other 4 could only be accessed from the middle ring which was kept empty and used for grazing cattle and vegetable gardens larger than most peasants' fields. The outer and largest layer meanwhile saw along with fields for growing food, Godswoods, lots of storage houses, Granaries, Butteries, houses, workshops for smiths, fletchers, candlemakers, halls to be filled with offices for those running the north. Large keeps from where the Wolf Guards, Order of the Weirwood and Bank of Winterfell are run as well as other keeps, which were used mostly as storage and spare rooms when Winterfell filled with guests due to tourneys and other occasions. Cregan also began planning another expansion of the City of Winterfell including by building the south bank of the city.

Cregan would arrange for marriages and betrothals for his remaining children and grandchildren. Cregan's eldest son would marry Robyn Ryswell daughter of Lord Ryswell. Cregan's daughter Laena would marry Lord Alyn Velayron's son and heir Corlys Velayron, as his wives Baela and Rhaena wanted trueborn Velayron blood ruling over Driftmark. His daughter Sarra would marry the heir to the Last Hearth Brandon Umber. Edric would marry Lord Manderly's second daughter, Lady Arranna Manderly. His son Barthogan would marry Lord Glover's daughter Lyanne Glover. His daughter Alys would marry Ser Robar Royce the heir to Runestone. His daughter Mariah would marry the heir to House Flint of Flint's Finger and future lord, Ser Martyn Flint. His daughter Raya would marry the heir to House Manderly and White Harbor Ser Ethan Manderly. His daughter Bella would marry Lord of Longsister Rolland Longthorpe. His daughter Melissa would marry the heir to House Blackwood, Ser Robert Blackwood. His son Brynden would marry Lady Elsera Forrester. His son Steffon would marry the daughter of Lord Borrel, Lady Anya Borrel. His daughter Alyssa would marry his friend Lord Elric Karstark's eldest son and heir Roderick Karstark. His daughter Larissa would marry the heir to House Burley. His remaining son Brandon however would choose not to marry and instead would travel across the Narrow Sea and become a sellsword, and then found a sellsword company named the Bloodwolves, as during his many battles in Essos, he earned the nickname the "Blood Wolf" many even insisted that he was Brandon of the Bloody Blade come again, due to his exceptional skill at arms.

There would be four cadet branches of House Stark, made because of Lord Cregan. Cregan and Baela's first son, Edric would be granted a repaired and upgraded Wolf's Den along with the small crannog and town that it overlooked and would form House Grey, named after the extinct Greystarks, as the last Greystark female had married into the main line of House Stark after their failed rebellion with House Bolton. Cregan's second son with Rhaena, Barthagan would be granted the lands of the Stoney Shore, along with the castle of Muddhall that will become Frosthold, and would create the new House Frost. Cregan and Alysanne Blackwood's only son and last child Brynden would be given the rebuilt and improved ancestral lands of House Blackwood when they were Petty Kings in the North Blackwood Grove and would create the new House Black. While the fourth and final would be Cregan's only son with Lady Marla Sunderland Steffon taking the name of his mother's house and ruling over the Three Sisters from his mother's family's ancestral castle of Sisterton. 

All of these cadet branches would be prosperous and would benefit House Stark and the North as a whole. Both Houses Grey and Frost would increase the North's merchant fleet and enrich it through trade as Edric Grey and Barthagan Frost would recreate their grandfather Corlys Velayron's voyages, however they would both also sail onto both sides of Beyond the Wall and make profitable hunts by hunting down many of the unknown and exotic animals beyond the wall like Shadowcats, Snow-Bears, massive deer, massive rams, exotic eagles, Mammoths, and wolves, although they wouldn't harm a direwolf unless they were in a life or death situation, while Beyond the Wall they would also gather many of the flowers only located Beyond the Wall, including coldsnaps, frostfires, piper's grass, and many exotic wildflowers, they would sell many of these animals and their pelts to foreign rulers in Essos, and other lords in Westeros, along with keeping some alive as trophies, the same would happen for the plants they collected as well, both would also set-up the small towns beneath their castles as tradetowns, both would also learn whaling from Ibbenese traders on their travels, one of the most valuable of their findings would be Ivory, as many religions throughout both Westeros and Essos would use it for religious purposes. House Black would provide some of the pelts from hunting, along with wood-crafting from furniture to weaponry, and sending lumber to the shipwrights in Frost town and Greytown, as their lands had many exotic animals it, and plenty of Ironwood Forest in it. While House Sunderland would be rich in fishing and whaling trade, along with being a trade hub for goods and ships entering and exiting the North. Thanks to Cregan all of these cadet branches would enrich the North and House Stark as a whole. 

Cregan would reign as Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North for six long decades. In that time he'd fought in the most destructive war Westeros had ever seen, where he had lived to see dragons fight, he'd become the most powerful man in the realm, and he'd married five beautiful women four of them all at the same time, he'd become a battle-hardened warrior, he'd become the richest man in Westeros, he'd lead his nation to riches, wealth, war, and glory, he'd establish House Stark as the greatest house in Westeros, he'd live to see the reigns of seven different kings, he'd be known as "The Wolf of the North", "The Old Wolf", and "The Old Man of the North" however all would agree that he not only was one of the greatest Starks to ever live but that he was also one of the greatest men to ever live. Cregan Stark and all his wives would die at the same time 184 years after Aegon's Conquest surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and several of his great-grandchildren, and he would be succeeded by his eldest living son Jonnel Stark.