Cape Wrath

Cape Wrath is a storm-battered peninsula on the southwestern coast of the Stormlands, a land of dense rainwood, rocky cliffs, and treacherous seas. Its name derives from the fierce autumn gales that lash its shores, and its geography—isolated, heavily forested, and far from the main roads of the Seven Kingdoms—made it a natural choice for a clandestine invasion. When the Golden Company sailed from Volon Therys, Jon Connington chose this stretch of coast for their landing, knowing the terrain well from his years as Lord of Griffin's Roost.

The Landing and Initial Conquest

The Golden Company's ships delivered their men to a deserted stretch of coast on the edge of the rainwood, lands that had once belonged to House Connington. The landing was not without cost: storms scattered the fleet, and only about half of the ten thousand men who had sailed from Volon Therys arrived with their intended force. Horses were lost, and the elephants—a key part of the company's strength—were delayed or missing entirely. Despite these setbacks, the discipline of the Golden Company proved decisive. Within days, Connington's forces had seized three castles: Griffin's Roost, Crow's Nest, and Rain House, taking the local lords completely by surprise. The swiftness of the campaign was due in part to Connington's strategy of showing no banners during the initial attacks, allowing the Lannisters to mistake the incursion for pirates or outlaws rather than a coordinated invasion.

Strategic Significance

Cape Wrath's position made it a springboard for further operations. From here, Connington could threaten Storm's End, the last Baratheon stronghold in the south, and send out ravens to potential allies in the stormlands and the Reach. The capture of Griffin's Roost gave the exiles a secure base, a castle with a hidden cove accessible only at low tide, allowing for resupply and escape by sea. The Halfmaester Haldon noted that the Lannisters' alliance with the Tyrells was fraying, that Stannis Baratheon remained in open rebellion, and that the ironborn had raised their own king—all of which made the Cape Wrath landing a well-timed blow against a distracted Iron Throne. Connington himself, now revealed as the mastermind behind the invasion, saw the cape as the first step in a campaign that would culminate in the taking of Storm's End and the restoration of House Targaryen.