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 serves King Broyan.
In Tarsh, Lunar General Fazzur Wideread looks to the rich unconquered lands of the south. He draws his captains together.
Phase One: The Invasion of Heortland
The first year of the siege, 1619, is marked by disappointments 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 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 rushes south to capture prize coastal cities such as Karse. Resistance is sporadic and for the most part easily dealt with.
A special force 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 forces 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. (Defenders on the walls invent 'mooning').
The main access roads are cut, and encirclement of the city begins.
Stasis Week, Sea Season
Encirclement of the city complete. Construction of siege machinery begins.
Illusion Week, Fire Season 1619
First major engagements. Exploratory raids, assassinations, reprisals, and blockade running.
Death Week, Earth Season 1619
First major assault on the walls. First champions battles.
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: Summoning of Evil ritual begins]
Godday: Rumours of the Bat approaching. Panic in the city.
Disorder Week: Dark Season
Waterday: Bat sighted. Attempted mass breakout from city many slaughtered.
Fireday: Lunars mobilise for major assault.
Wildday: Bat begins attack. Broyan and select band kill Bat's riders.
[Speculation: Out of control, Bat destroys sections of city and 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: Jokandros Binder recalled to Karse.]
Phase Four: Blue Arrow Callings
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 and the arrival of the 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. Sacred Time ceremonies and Sea Moots are regaled with stories of the siege, and the defeat of the Bat.
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]
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 new siege works begins.
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.]
Movement Week, Fire Season
[Speculation: Wind Moving Sun reprisal raids disrupt Lunar funerary ceremonies]
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. Change in defender strategies: most remaining rebel leaders become more conservative, defensive, less overt risk taking.
Death Week, Dark Season
[Speculation: Major fire in the city. Loss of much food storage.]
Stasis Week, Dark Season
[Speculation: Runner plague in city]
Illusion Week, Dark Season
[Speculation: Tensions within the city lead to arguments among leaders.
Beiti Leika demands a moot of heroes. Moot outcome is indecisive.]
[Speculation: Continuing frictions lead to various factions taking control
of their own parts of the wall]
Harmony Week, Storm Season 1620
[Speculation: Continued factional breakdown and questioning of leadership
leads Broyan and other leaders to begin a (competitive) Making of the Storm
Tribeheroquest.]
Movement Week, Storm Season
[Speculation: Successful completion of Tribe Making Quest. Broyans
leadership confirmed and accepted.]
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].
By 1621, it is clear to both sides that the city will eventually fall. Lunar troop numbers rise steadily as the attention of the Empire settles on 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 bombardment, a massed assault overcomes the walls and enters the city.
Death Week, Sea Season 1621
Construction of strange new siege machinery begins.
Fertility Week, Sea Season
Major reinforcement of Lunar lines. Lunar troop and auxiliary numbers continue to increase dramatically.
Illusion Week, Sea Season
Seven of Vistor begin construction of magical ramps.
Truth Week, Sea Season
The Gift of the Cradle. A Magical artifact or band of defenders from the Giants 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 Tarkalors 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.
Illusion Week, Earth Season
Sorcerous fire falls on the city, to little effect.
Harmony Week, Dark Season 1621
Freezeday: Lunar army masses before the gates.
Windsday: First flight of defenders.
Fireday: Seven meteors from the moon strike city, causing major damage. 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 drained by ritual and die. Imperial hoplites storm walls: rocks detach themselves from walls and buildings to fight back.
Clayday: Troops take walls, surround High Kings citadel
Windsday, Death Week, Dark Season 1621Whitewall Falls.
No prisoners are taken, and very few bodies are found. The rebels have escaped.
The Wind dies. Fimbulwinter descends on Dragon Pass.
Movement Week, Storm Season 1621
Broyan visits clan moots at Bullflood to tell story of Whitewall.
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