The Scouring of Phoenix Hall

Disaster / Destruction

In the blood-soaked chronicles of Eldoria's civil conflict, few atrocities evoke such profound horror and searing outrage as the methodical annihilation of House Vaelthorne's ancestral seat. What commenced as a punitive expedition metamorphosed into one of the war's most unconscionable brutalities—a calculated demonstration of royal vengeance that would irreversibly alter the conflict's moral landscape.

Following House Vaelthorne's open defiance and declaration of support for The Gilded Rebellion, the Royal army, commanded by the House Duskbane's infamous Lord Karolis Duskbane, besieged their ancestral home. The siege persisted for seventeen merciless days before the outer walls finally yielded. Their ancestral estate, christened Phoenix Hall for its magnificent aviary and distinctive crimson-tiled roofs, was razed almost to the foundation stones. Civilians and soldiers alike were butchered indiscriminately, regardless of age, status, or capacity for resistance.

All 237 members of House Vaelthorne present during the siege, including 42 innocent children. Additionally, approximately 600 household staff, loyal guards, and desperate refugees from surrounding villages perished in the carnage. Of Duskbane's forces, 189 soldiers fell, primarily during the initial assault.

Notable Victims:

Lord Castellan Thaelon Vaelthorne, his beloved wife Lady Esmira, and their five children. Master Artificer Dorian Vell, whose brilliant defensive enchantments valiantly prolonged the siege. Sister Lumina, a compassionate healer from the Order of the Silver Chalice who had established a sanctuary for wounded commoners.

Sole Survivor:

Elyndra Vaelthorne, youngest daughter and last heir, who escaped through ancient forgotten tunnels beneath the estate, guided by the family's loyal master-at-arms.

Conventional siege weapons were augmented by court magicians wielding forbidden fire evocation spells specifically crafted to bypass magical defenses. Survivors desperately attempting to surrender were executed by merciless arrow volleys or cold steel. The ravenous fires were deliberately permitted to consume nearby villages as an additional measure of terror and intimidation.

This event swiftly became a passionate rallying cry for the rebels—"Remember the Phoenix!"—but also demonstrated the Crown's ruthless determination. The massacre galvanized previously neutral noble houses and accelerated support for the rebellion across Caerthall lands and neighboring provinces. Recruitment for rebel forces doubled in the month following the horrific news. However, several minor houses also hastily reaffirmed their fealty to the crown, driven purely by dread.

The haunting ruins were left deliberately untouched by Karolis Duskbane, standing as a grim warning against defiance. The site has since transformed into an unofficial pilgrimage destination for those harboring sympathies for the rebellion. Solemn annual memorial ceremonies are conducted in secrecy, where participants release crimson lanterns into the night sky to honor the fallen. Karolis Duskbane received the prestigious Order of the Royal Sword for his "decisive action in suppressing treason," further inflaming smoldering rebel sentiment.

Today, the blackened, skeletal stones of Phoenix Hall endure as a powerful symbol in Eldorian politics. Even years after the massacre, to invoke "the ashes of Phoenix Hall" is to summon not merely a historical tragedy but to call upon deep reservoirs of emotional and political significance that continue to shape faction loyalties throughout the fractured kingdom. The whispers of those who perished still seem to echo among the ruins—a testimony to atrocity that neither time nor royal proclamations have managed to silence.