The Sack of Seahelm

[Cracker 4570]

 

 

‘How shall I begin the deeds wrought by these nefarious men! The images of the Old Faith were trodden underfoot as though they were soil.  The relics of the Princess Sarai were tossed into unclean places.

 

But all equanimity was lost as the Great Ash Tree of our Rurikid protectors fell before the hellfire of Orenian siege. Its sacred oak, the marvel of the world and testament to our strength, was broken to bits and distributed among the elven soldiery, its infinite splendor fashioned into missiles of mannish war. As the madcap Hetman burned what remained, we knew we were once more uprooted, forced to make the exile again. The fires rose high and we fled from Owyn’s fury as so many times before.”

 

- Excerpt from a leatherbound journal found in the wreckage of Seahelm, 1558.

 

________________________________________________________________

 

The wild border raids betwixt the Avar badlands had grinded to a standstill. Despite the Rothesay garrison’s domination of the field on the early half of the year, the Count Henry’s decision to conserve supply for the inevitable assault had led the Dreadlanders to mount impressive counter-offensives. The tide of war sifted to and fro, inclined towards the Dreadlander tactics of partisan warfare.

 

However when the Emperor’s own ship landed in Jarnstrand, the unholy alliance of Rurikid, Uruk, and Dreadman were forced to defend their port city of Seahelm against the great host of Oren. The town had thrived under imperial sovereignty into one of the great cities of the realm, matching even Riga in influence and prosperity. Yet, the imperial blockade along with discontent in the Rurikid camp had dwindled the once great city into a lifeless carcass of timber. Only catchpoles and crooked peoples remained, those unsavory enough to keep common ties with Rat Tom’s lost cause.

 

Ser Ulric the Pilgrim and his White Cross Company had begun chartering the siege camp and within the fortnight, a great imperial garrison was established. In response, the defenders scorched the fields and reared great fire pits as to ward away the army marching to mete justice. Incinerating his own country, the Thomas Ruric’s defense seemed tactful as to starve and draw out the imperial supply lines. However, his wanton acts of destruction had only emboldened the spirit of the soldiery, who saw themselves liberators against a lunatic who immolated his own homeland for personal gain and vainglory.

 

 

 

The first wave of wildfire had deterred an outright advance into the city. As the trademark Helvets siege battered against the wooden walls of Seahelm, the Emperor charged Ser Drevin the Red and the Nauzican Brigade to perform a lightning offense unto the forward garrisons to wedge the rebel forces into a rout. This elite honorguard of the Emperor performed their duty in utmost distinction. The Segar Tower garrison, commanded by Lorelai Manslayer, an elven bandit of great renown, had collapsed within moments from the stinging bite of Sunfield steel. The commander of the Ivory Tower’s attempt to relieve his compatriot with reinforcements was met in vain as he was struck from the battlements by the mighty mace of Ser Bruno Buron; upon his fall, the Dreadhost thuggery had broken into a rout, their characteristic discipline lost in a flash.

 

With the armies of the Dreadlands scattered and the west of their city seized, the Rurikid morale shattered. Garbed in boiled leather and broken chain, they huddled together Seahelm’s square in a state of fright, their flanks exposed. The Larian regiment along with the Dominion had them encircled, with the massed levies of the Empire smashing through their center in a swift stroke of tactical brilliance. Those that did not drown at Dogger Bay had now found themselves burned alive in the fire pits of their own design, their hasty retreat spelling doom for the city defense.

 

The battle had been over before the first oils had run dry; the Empire stood triumphant over the den of decadence and dissent that was Seahelm. Through his spyglass from the battlements of the seized city, the Emperor himself noted the scurrying band of Rat Tom. John II at once commanded Balgruff Frostbeard, Staunton levyman, to man one of the rebel ballistas and take aim, reminiscing on how Thomas Ruric had promised the Emperor eternal friendship and loyalty not two years ago. The Rigan dwarf released a fierce bolt to the the Rurikid honorguard, splintering the dozen-or-so host into ultimate disarray.

 

After the sack of the city, terms were flung from the trebuchets to the remaining Nortruppen rebels. The Empire demanded unconditional and outright surrender of all remaining strongholds on the isle. They were given a saint’s day to respond, lest another assault as bloody as Seahelm began.

[EddyTheBrave 643]

Ser Drevin de Sarkozy and the Nauzican brigade feast upon the food purloined from the siege's ransack.

[ARCHITECUS 4788]

A troupe of locklearish men make off with thousands of looted Marks.

[trol 272]

The Hetman Sveneld of Godansk says a prayer for his comrade Kili.

[osumanduas 1442]

 

 

Wettlock cheers alongside valiant Ser Drevin, Sunfield, and the rest. Clanking tankards with his brothers they'd spill stories of the battle in vigorous detail, glad to have survived their trice on the rooftops of Ostavar. Gorging themselves on Crownland wines, and tender boar from Killeen's forest; the Nauzican Brigade would be heard well into the night, intoxicated by the prospects of living another day.

 

 

 

[Temp 2006]

A hand placed to his jaw, Hornbet looks to the remnants of the siege camp, "Where the 'ell did our towers go any'ow?"

[Taketheshot 3834]

After all was said and done, the oils of the fire burning out and the rebel horns sounding general retreat to the last surviving rebels.  Balgruff approached the the pile of men that had been annihilated by his crossbow bolt attempting to push their way out of the city to save the coward rat Ruric.

Balgruff pulled the dead men aside their bodies barely recognizable from the force of the impact. Balgruff found the rat. Balgruff Tore the tabard from the mans body, and stuffed it in his pocket, quickly pulling back to the camp behind Duke Staunton.

[Narthok 10416]

The Rurics and their men board the Quadinaros II and sail south

[Jachnun 566]

William weeps for the Adunian library. 

[L0rdLawyer 2272]

Kellrin bursts out laughing after finding out a trebuchet shot flattened the Ruric Lord.

[Salty Saradunan 46]

"Frosthelm will be there doom" says Saradunan

[_pr0fit 3084]

2 hours ago, wolfkite1 said:

Kellrin bursts out laughing after finding out a trebuchet shot flattened the Ruric Lord.

 

Sven Laughs after finding out a trebuchet shot flattened the self proclaimed marshall of oren

[Taketheshot 3834]

5 minutes ago, professorus said:

 

Sven Laughs after finding out a trebuchet shot flattened the self proclaimed marshall of oren

Looks over the casaulty list not seeing Kellrin, only seeing ser demetrios and his squire....

[Kaelan 1918]

Aelthus Laflyn of Aureon cleans his blade as he rests during the sailing back to Laureh'lin. "A slaughter that was," he says to no one in particular. "Though I'm glad to be returning home to rest." 

[6xdestroyer 1610]

3 hours ago, wolfkite1 said:

Kellrin bursts out laughing after finding out a trebuchet shot flattened the Ruric Lord.

Chuckles as he rubs his hands together, having used a piece of the old gloop felsen wall to flatten the Ruric lord.