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This document seeks to establish a basic history and structure for the siege. Please add comments.
We are in the process of building a season by season master calendar, where you can add your own events and suggestions. Stay tuned.
<John>
"Blow by Savage Blow" -- The Siege of Whitewall
Phase Zero: Backstory
In the Lunar heartland, powerful forces make careful plans, contingencies, and counter contingencies. The world must be healed. The Empire must bring everyone to the Goddess. The barbaric rebel god Orlanth must be enslaved.
In Sartar, disparate and divided rebels struggle against the Lunar occupation. There is no clear strategy, no single leader who can unite the scattered clans. Hope is fading.
Heortland is split by civil war. King Broyan of the Volsaxi makes careful preparation in his fortress city for evil times ahead.
In Whitewall, the exiled Kheldon Queen Kallyr Starbrow serves King Broyan.
In Tarsh, Lunar General Fazzur Wideread looks to the rich unconquered lands of the south. He draws his captains together.
Jeff Richard on 1618 Notes from Jeff on the winter of 1618- 1619
Phase One: The Invasion of Heortland
The first year of the siege, 1619, is marked by cautious progress then disappointment on the Lunar side, and a miracle on the Orlanthi side. Broyan is pinned within Whitewall, but refuses to venture out to battle. Military actions on either side are relatively constrained, though there are several large scale assaults on the wall and several reprisal raids by Orlanthi. There is comparatively little heroquesting or ritual activity. The coming of Kallyr Starbrow begins Sartarite interest in the siege. Broyan's unexpected and miraculous victory over the Crimson Bat demoralises the local Lunar command. In the aftermath, the Lunar Commander is replaced and the Lunar strategy changes. The Empire begins to take serious notice of the struggle.
Illusion Week, Sea Season 1619
Fazzur's Lunar army invades northern Heortland. With his most mobile forces he presses rapidly south to capture prize coastal cities such as Karse. Resistance is sporadic and for the most part easily dealt with.
A special force led by Jorkandros Blinder is ordered to eliminate King Broyan and his rebels at the isolated plateau fortress of Whitewall.
Phase Two: The Siege Begins
Truth Week, Sea Season 1619
Lunar cavalry on the main road climbing to Whitewall are waylaid by rebel ambushes. This is expected. The force advances cautiously, with minimal casualties.
Disorder Week, Sea Season
The Lunar force advances to the top of the plateau.
Despite magical ploys, formal challenges and the slaughtering of hostages, the defenders within the city refuse to come forth to give battle. The single main access road is cut, and encirclement of the city begins.
Stasis Week, Sea Season
Encirclement of the city complete. Construction of siege towers and walls begins. balista and onager built by Lunar engineers; wood could be brought down from Wilmskirk? and finished on site or brought down ready made as a DIY siege engine flatpack. Sartarite rebels waylay these caravans. Lunars try to move these to within striking distance. Main purpose to keep Orlanthi heads down and demoralise ordinary inhabitants ""not"" to destroy walls. Constant round the clock equivalent of grape shot. Will lead to abandoned areas within the city where the shot is concentrated.
Illusion Week, Fire Season 1619
First major engagements. Exploratory raids, assassinations, reprisals, and blockade running.
<Chris>I would make this earlier, even before the city is fully encircled. Player characters get to go on these raids.</Chris>
Truth Week, Fire Season
Umbroli destroys ravine-spanning access bridge to plateau. Lunar supplies cut off. <Besiegers in danger of starving? JH>
Death Week, Earth Season 1619
First major assault on the walls. First champions' battles.
Truth Week, Earth Season
First moon boats arrive and reestablish supply chain to plateau.
Phase Three: Enter, the Bat
Disorder Week, Dark Season 1619
First major night battles.
Movement Week, Dark Season
Windsday: Arrival of Kallyr and her band.
Truth Week, Dark Season
Speculation: 'Summons of Evil?' ritual begins.
Godday: Rumours of the Crimson Bat approaching. Panic in the city.
Disorder Week, Dark Season
Waterday: Crimson Bat sighted. Attempted mass breakout from city -- many slaughtered.
Fireday: Lunars mobilise for major assault.
Wildday: Crimson Bat begins attack. Broyan and select band kill Bat's riders. BatBlat <Jane>
Speculation: Out of control, Crimson Bat destroys sections of upper city wall and kills many in the besieging army before flying southwards.
Godday: Defenders take advantage of complete Lunar demoralisation. Major raid burns Lunar supply camp.
Harmony Week, Storm Season 1619
Lunars regroup. Major assault on the walls.
Speculation: Jorkandros recalled to Karse.
Phase Four: The Blue Arrow Callings
The year 1620 is a year of rapid escalation and much heroic battle, 'the summer of heroes'. Sartarite rebel bands flock to the blue arrow callings, while Lunar numbers increase steadily throughout the year. Tatius the Bright assumes command of the siege: the arrival of his Lunar College of Magic instigates a period of frantic magic and ritual warfare and increasing quest-related activities. Heroes are frequently co-opted into enemy quests, and even standard rituals and quests attract unexpected enemies. Both sides delve deeper into myth, taking greater risks and beginning sustained experimental questing. This activity is paralleled by an increase in military assaults upon the city. Increasingly, individual champions engage in herocombats with mythic enemies on the walls and on the plain before the Great Gate.
Sacred Time 1619
Speculation: Broyan enacts {begins?} a high level 'Vingkot Defends His Kingdom?' quest at the Orlanth Temple. Various Lunar heroes appear as adversaries at many stages of the quest.
Messengers go out with the blue arrow - a call to war to defend one's gods. Orlanthi Sacred Time ceremonies and Sea moots are regaled with stories of the siege, and the defeat of the Bat.
<Donald> Isn't Broyan supposed to be disabled during the BatBlat and remains in a coma for some time?
About this time Broyan is mythically required to ride round the walls in his chariot. There are two problems - Broyan is in a coma and there's a gap in the walls. Much debate about what to do, attempts to repair the gap but in the end it doesn't matter because Broyan is strapped standing in the chariot and his driver takes him round the walls. A combination of the magics of the charioteer and Whitewall itself take it smoothly over the gap.
This is a brief summary of many people's ideas posted to the Yahoo group and referenced here so it isn't forgotten. I'm sure there are bits missed so please expand. </Donald>
Fertility Week, Sea Season 1620
Sartar hero bands begin to arrive in force. Defenders are boosted by experienced fighters, who continue to arrive through the summer.
Movement Week, Sea Season
Speculation: Kallyr leads the Vengeance Wind against the lunar standards.
<Chris> This is the low point for the Lunars. Desertions should occur, with salutary punishments visible from the walls. </Chris>
Illusion Week, Sea Season
Tatius the Bright arrives to take command of demoralised Lunars.
First external Lunar reinforcements arrive, including elite Heartland troops. Lunar numbers climb steadily through the summer.
Truth Week, Sea Season
Construction of massive siege engines begins. These will probably be trebuchet. Motali Siege Ladders?<steve>
Disorder Week, Fire Season 1620
Arrival of the Lunar College of Magic.
Stasis Week, Fire Season
Speculation: Major Lunar assault, backed by strong magics and heroes questing to locations within the city, breaks through the outer walls. Repulsed by 'Kallyr's Ten?' and several as yet unnamed heroes. Fighting within the city for two days and two nights. A good chance for Lunar Allies to hide out in city to cause unrest, sabotage food stocks and water supplies. Could get by due to the influx of Heroes with new faces coming frequently(?).<steve>
Movement Week, Fire Season
Speculation: Wind Moving Sun? reprisal raids disrupt Lunar funerary ceremonies. Nevermind Lunar ceremonies what about the Orlanthi?<steve> Illusion Week, Earth Season 1620
Speculation: Battle of Sun in Darkness?.
Phase Five: End Game
Disorder Week, Dark Season 1620
Kallyr leaves Whitewall, ferrying many non-combatants to safety. Her leaving brings a change in defender strategies: most remaining rebel leaders become more conservative and defensive in their tactics: there is less of the overt risk taking that characterised the summer.
<Chris> Speculation: They may have figured out that Tatius' goal is served by a magically vigorous defense that identifies the inhabitants of Whitewall with Orlanth. However, they don't know what to do about it. They freeze up for a while, then start arguing. These arguments continue through Sacred Time. </Chris>
Death Week, Dark Season
Speculation: Major fire in the city. Loss of much food storage.
Caused by insurgents left in city from Stasis week, Fire season?<steve>
<Chris> Maybe a brawl starts that crystalizes the incipient factions that were forming around the different proposed repsonses to Tatiu's strategy.</Chris>
Stasis Week, Dark Season
Speculation: Runner plague in city.
Illusion Week, Dark Season
Speculation: Tensions within the city lead to arguments among leaders. 'Beti' Leika demands a moot of heroes. Moot outcome is indecisive.
Speculation: Continuing leadership tensions lead to various factions taking control of their own parts of the wall.
Harmony Week, Storm Season 1620
Speculation: Continued disunity leads Broyan and other leaders to begin a (competitive) 'Making of the Storm Tribe?' heroquest.
<Chris> Further speculation: Kallyr returns to assist him. </Chris>
Movement Week, Storm Season
Speculation: Successful completion of Tribe-Making Quest. Broyan's leadership confirmed and accepted.
<Chris> This implies acceptance of his solution to the problem posed by Tatius' strategy -- that Orlanthi know the story of how Orlanth went to hell, but also know how he returned. </Chris>
Sacred Time 1620
Speculation: Broyan concludes Vingkot rituals and does not repeat them.
Extreme Speculation: Broyan begins another mythic sequence, perhaps a section of the 'Lightbringers Quest?' that identifies Whitewall with the Underworld.
<Chris> I'm not sure that Whitewall gets identified with the Underworld. I assume that Kallyr plays Orlanth and then Broyan plays Vingkot. Kallyr is not at Whitewall when she begins the LBQ. Perhaps she re-enacts various parts of the LBQ over the following seasons, with Whitewall serving as the juming off point. There may be other myths that would have the effect of identifying Kallyr with Orlanth. Maybe we should use the one in KoS about Orlanth being exiled (during Sacred Time) and Vingkot recalling him later (just before the fall of Whitewall, so that Kallyr can mythically descend into the underworld). </Chris>
By 1621, it is clear to both sides that the city will eventually fall. Lunar troop numbers rise steadily as the seeming limitless resources of the Empire focus upon Whitewall. Despite this, the rebels are still capable of stern resistance and occasional deadly surprises. The defenders concentrate on ferrying the last noncombatants to safety, and put in place plans for their own escape. High level defensive and offensive heroquesting continues, but the College of Magic concentrates its efforts on magical bombardment. Individual hero duels become rarer. After weeks of sustained magical attack, a massed hoplite assault overcomes the walls and enters the city.
Death Week, Sea Season 1621
Construction of strange new siege machinery begins. Massive trebuchet?<steve> Fertility Week, Sea Season
Major reinforcement of Lunar lines. Lunar troop and auxiliary numbers continue to increase dramatically.
Illusion Week, Sea Season
Seven of Vistur? begin construction of magical ramps.
Truth Week, Sea Season
The Gift of the Cradle. A magical artifact or band of defenders from the Giant's Cradle inspires and strengthens the defenders.
Disorder Week, Fire Season 1621
Speculation: Plague outbreaks. Rioting among certain defenders.
Phase Six: The Fall Of Whitewall
Death Week, Fire Season 1621
The Scouring of the Wall. Heler Winds? rain acid.
Fertility Week, Fire Season
The Night of Pyres. Massed Lunar night attack.
Movement Week, Fire Season
March of the Slime. Creeping slime attacks the city, but is turned to water.
Illusion Week, Fire Season
The Feast of Eagles. Eagle Riders take Tarkalor's Gate?, but are repelled. Defenders feast on eagle meat.
Movement Week, Earth Season 1621
The Goddess Beneath the Walls. A demigod burrows beneath the walls; the Earth Herself awakens to defend the city. Link this to the Blooded Hag theme?<steve> Illusion Week, Earth Season
Sorcerous fire falls on the city, to little effect.
<Chris> Speculation: Broyan, as Vingkot, sacrifices for the return of Kallyr, as Orlanth. </Chris>
Harmony Week, Dark Season 1621
Freezeday: Lunar army masses before the gates.
Windsday: First flight of defenders.
<Chris> Speculation: Kallyr departs on the LBQ. </Chris>
Fireday: Seven meteors from the moon strike city, causing major damage. Air Temple destroyed -- resulting lighting storm kills many Lunar troops.
Death Week, Dark Season
Waterday: Final assault begins. Ramps moved magically into place: many supporting troops die after being drained by ritual. Imperial hoplites storm the heights: rocks detach themselves from walls and buildings to fight back.
Clayday: Troops take walls, surround High King's Citadel?. Umbroli assault therm from all sides.
Windsday, Death Week, Dark Season 1621 -- Whitewall Falls.
<Chris> Speculation: Kallyr enters the Underworld. </Chris>
No prisoners are taken, and only twenty three bodies are found. The rebels have escaped.
Speculation: Shargashi demon eats many Orlanthi in the final assault.
But the Wind dies. "Orlanth," proclaim the triumphant Lunars, "is dead." Fimbulwinter? descends on Dragon Pass.
Movement Week, Storm Season 1621
Broyan visits clan moots at Bullflood? to tell story of Whitewall.