Shield Islands

The Shield Islands are a cluster of four islands in the Sunset Sea, lying off the western coast of the Reach. Their names—Greenshield, Greyshield, Oakenshield, and Southshield—reflect their ancient role as a defensive bulwark for the Mander River approaches. During the War of the Five Kings, the ironborn under King Euron Greyjoy seized the islands in a swift and brutal campaign, installing their own lords: Nute the Barber at Oakenshield, Andrik the Unsmiling at Southshield, Maron Volmark at Greenshield, and Ser Harras Harlaw at Greyshield. This conquest gave the Iron Fleet a strategic base for raiding deep into the Reach, up the Mander River itself, and threatened the heartland of House Tyrell's power.

The Ironborn Occupation

The ironborn occupation of the Shield Islands was marked by violence and the imposition of the Old Way. Euron Greyjoy's forces, including the Iron Fleet under his brother Victarion, overwhelmed the island garrisons. The new lords were chosen for their ferocity and loyalty to the Crow's Eye. From these islands, ironborn raiders struck at the Mander, burning villages and carrying off plunder and slaves. The Reach lords, preoccupied with the war against Stannis Baratheon and the Lannister alliance, were slow to respond, allowing the ironborn to entrench themselves.

The Reach's Response

The Tyrells and their bannermen did not abandon the Shield Islands. Lord Paxter Redwyne, master of the Redwyne fleet from the Arbor, was tasked with clearing the seas of the ironborn threat. His fleet, combined with forces from Highgarden, prepared to retake the islands. The ironborn victory was always understood to be temporary; the Reach's naval power and resources were far greater than those of the Iron Islands. The ironborn raids up the Mander, while damaging, also galvanized the Reach lords to action.

Narrative Significance

The fall and precarious hold of the Shield Islands illustrates the reach and ambition of Euron Greyjoy's kingship, as well as the vulnerability of even the most powerful regions when their attention is divided. The islands serve as a staging ground for ironborn aggression and a symbol of the chaos engulfing the Seven Kingdoms. Their eventual reconquest, though not depicted in the narrative, is foreshadowed as a necessary step in restoring Tyrell authority and securing the Reach's western flank.