The Sack of Ioskos

A bloody battle which saw the destruction of the cliff side city of Ioskos in northern Tiberoa at the hands of The Crusaders of Truth in 2E 724.
At the end of the battle, the cliff upon which the city was perched suffered a collapse at the hands of an earthquake, dumping half of the settlement into the Pontic Sea. There is debate as to the true cause of the cataclysm; while most sources site it as a natural occurrence, vague accounts of the event scrawled unto the walls of nearby caves seem to depict a robed man with insignia of the Order of The Ring of Truth placing his hands together to create the earthquake. The truth, however, remains yet unknown.
The crusader's victory saw the the forfeiture of the Ring of Truth to Alabastian hands and formation of The Order of The Ring of Truth.

The Conflict

Prelude

The Sack of Ioskos came at the end of a 6-year-long crusade propagated by The Crusaders of Truth, on a quest to seize the Ring of Truth by any means necessary. By the end, the crusader's warpath led them to the city of Ioskos. The siege of the city lasted only several hours before the knights and their allies were able bypass the city gates. What followed was the end of an era for the city as well as much of the surrounding region.

The Engagement

The siege began in the early afternoon of the 24th of God's Call, only hours after the Crusaders' forces came upon the city. The Crusaders of Truth were well aware that the city would not simply hand over the ring and so, in their eyes, negotiation was well out of the question. They began by assaulting the city walls with catapults and hails of arrows and their foot soldiers prepared two battering rams to be used on the city's southwestern gate. The first assault on the gate ended in disaster, but a series of lucky tosses from one of the crusaders' catapults crashed through the top of the wall on both sides of the gate, cutting off most reinforcements to the top of the gatehouse. It was only a matter of time before defenses were weak enough for the attackers to make a second attempt at bringing the gate down. With a mighty swing of the ram, the southwestern gate succumbed to structural damage and one of its great hinges suffered a mechanical failure, and the crusaders' forces swiftly made their way into the city.
As the fighters filtered into the city, the battle had shifted from traditional siege warfare to house-to-house combat. Choruses of screaming and panic filled the air as civilians ushered themselves into action amidst the cries and calls of battle. With a fervor to defend their home from invaders, it seemed that the battle was at a stalemate. Eventually, however, another lucky boulder from over the wall struck and killed the commander of Ioskos' defense, as well as most of his retinue, leading much of the city to fall into disarray. Morale and battle lines fluctuated all across the city, but eventually it was clear to the populace that they were fighting a losing battle. By this point, many were faced with the choice to fight or flee, as surrender meant certain death at the hands of their attackers. Soldier and civilian alike either ran for safety, or rallied themselves to fight on, deep into the night.
By midnight, the city was in total chaos; the crusaders all dispersed amongst the city streets, their Tiberoan allies continuing to pour into through the gate. The crusaders' leaders, a band of three brothers, had finally made it to the courtyard of the palace of King Deretrides. The soldiers held firm, but after an hour or two of fighting, their resolve broke. Those who were not killed, fled as the crusaders headed inside the palace. The royal guard proved to be tougher than the soldiers outside though, and the crusaders were evenly matched. At some point, one of the crusaders' commanders headed back into the city streets in order to gather reinforcements for the assault. While he was gone, King Deretrides' own sons came to their father's aid. Two of the crusaders, Tristyval and Astav, pit themselves against the two boys, finding that their combat abilities were quite fierce. The fight lasted minutes, but it must have felt like hours to the warriors involved. Tristyval was finally able to overpower his opponent, slaying him quickly before going to aid his brother, who was nearly run through. In his haste, Tristyval slew the second opponent before making for the king's throne room.
None were in the throne room save for Tristyval and King Deretrides, so there are none who know exactly how the confrontation played out. It is known only that, in some way or another, King Deretrides struck Tristyval a fatal blow. Impaled through the chest, Tristyval lay dying as the other commanders, his brothers, finally managed to defeat the remaining guards. In a fit of rage, the eldest brother, Richelieu, ordered his brother Astav to kill any remaining members of the royal family that could be located. Richelieu then met the king himself in battle. The battle was short, the king tired and demoralized. But when the final blow was struck, Richelieu did not kill King Deretrides. He instead cut the ring of truth free from the king's hand.
Soon after the confrontation, there was a near deafening sound, followed by violent seismic activity. Some sources say that the earthquake was a natural event, while others state that the ring awoke something in Richelieu. A fury unlike any that Tiberoa had ever seen. Whatever the truth is, the power was such that it caused half of the city of Ioskos to shear off from it's cliffside perch, to be claimed by the waves. The two brothers were able to narrowly escape and, as they told it, King Deretrides was killed in the collapse. Almost immediately following the collapse, the remaining forces that were loyal to the king surrendered or fled. The Crusaders of Truth and their allies were victorious.

Outcome

In the short term, half of Ioskos had been utterly wiped away, and the line of King Deretrides had been thoroughly deposed by the attackers. The Ring of Truth, an ancient Tiberoan relic, had been lost to the invaders and an exodus of refugees who had escaped the conflict poured into neighboring settlements. With their victory complete, and the Ring of Truth in their possession, the Crusaders had dissolved their warband and formed the Order of The Ring of Truth upon their return to Alabast. The former holdings of King Deretrides were split amongst the Tiberoan rulers involved in the battle, and any survivors from the royal line were lost to the ages.

Aftermath

The Order of The Ring of Truth worked tirelessly to obscure it's involvement in the bloody conflict, an effort which proved largely successful for a time. Indeed, they were hailed almost invariably as heroes by their countrymen and were rewarded by many local rulers for acquiring such an artifact for the good of Alabast. Though many contemporary sources do agree that there is much nuance to the order's involvement, the finer details are often lost in translation. One of the most widely accepted stories to have survived is that the order answered a call for aid from a Tiberoan faction, which led to their embroilment in the Tiberoan Civil War. Their acquirement of the Ring of Truth, in this context, is framed as a reward for their valor and honor in the support of their allies. These same sources also tend to omit much of the Richelieu's veracity in the wake of his brother Trystval's death. In fact, it would not be until Richeliu penned his memoirs many years on that the truth of their brutality would come to light. Even still, the truth was throttled by those who sought to preserve the image of the order in the eyes of the Alabastian peoples.
The order would go on to face a varied history following their formation. Using the Ring of Truth, they would do great good for their country and would work in the name of truth and justice for many years before facing their own tumultuous fall from grace. Ioskos, however, remained abandoned and ruined in the long years since the siege. The tragic city would never again serve as a center of power in the region.

Historical Significance

Legacy

To this very day, Ioskos is avoided by many Tiberoans due to the belief that the city ruins are now home to the souls of its former citizens, unable to find rest. It is said that on the anniversary of the city's destruction that cries of the departed echo through the surrounding countryside, and that those who walk the streets of the ruins of Ioskos at night are at risk of dark curses or even possession, according to some. Many kingdoms in Tiberoa have since taken to observing the 24th of God's Call as a day of remembrance, known as "The Night of Painful Tears" or "Póno Dakrýa" in the Tiberoan language.
The siege of Ioskos also served to sour relations between Alabast and large swathes of Tiberoa for many years, with most Tiberoan kingdoms refusing to do business with Alabastian traders for decades following the event. It wasn't until the The Circle of Alabast made a generous gift to several major kingdoms that regular trade and diplomacy was allowed to resume. Even so, some Tiberoans still hold a grudge against the Alabastian peoples for allowing what they deem "a rogue faction" to operate within their borders in such a warlike fashion, often taking to painting many Alabastians as warmongers or friends of oppression.

In Literature

In addition to being referenced secondhand in "Richelieu's Memoirs: A Recovered Account", a number of writings on the subject have been released over the years. Some of the most notable Tiberoan materials include the aptly named "The Sack of Ioskos" as well as "The Fall of A King", the latter being a tragic play that recounts the events of that fateful day. 
On the other side, Alabastian accounts featured mostly embellishing stories that attempt to absolve the order, such as "The Truth Behind Truth". Most contemporary Alabastian materials tend to get closer to reality as time goes on though. 
Further still, there are materials that seek to uncover the cause of the earthquake that occurred during the battle, however most of these range from far fetched to totally conspiratorial, like the writings found in "The Secret Order Of Daemons" which alleges that the crusaders are actually daemons sent from "The Plane of Agromonia" to destroy King Deretrides and embed themselves within the political factions of Alabast. Though such tales should be taken with a grain of salt.
Such to say that there is no shortage of reading one might discover on the subject scattered in libraries and bookshops all across Nïr Morred.

Conflict Type

Siege

Battlefield Type

Land

Start Date

24th of God's Call, 2E 724

Ending Date

24th of God's Call, 2E 724

Conflict Result

The Crusaders of Truth crushed the city's defenses, deposed the royal family, and seized the Ring of Truth

Location

Ioskos