Siege of Thaliasted, 3E 494
After the Battle of Leah’s Field, Lucrenian forces now controlled the countryside, and were expected to advance on the most prominent urban centre in the area; Thaliasted. However, he first sent Cailean, who had been awarded the rank of commander, along with 4,000 to take Soth’s Keep. Lucien wanted to keep the southern side of the city as free as possible, and went about preparing for the upcoming siege.
Lucien also sent a message to his main army, some five miles to the north, asking to replenish his forces. His fanatical officers sent more than he had asked for, but it would later turn out to be fortuitous that they did so.
About a week after their victory at Leah’s Field, Lucien’s forces arrived at the city. They were somewhat delayed by skirmishers of Aralian forces, mostly aiming at disrupting Lucrenian foraging parties, but also to make time for Thaliasted to prepare for the coming siege.
When the Lucrenians neared the city, Lucien realized that his forces were not numerous enough to encircle it entirely. Instead, each of the Lucrenian sub-commanders stationed their contingents outside of the city’s various gates, fully blockading the crucial thoroughfares by 2nd of Early Summer, with a total of around 20,000 soldiers - 16,000 infantry, and 4,000 'mobile guard' cavalry. Thaliasted immediately began starving due to the lack of supplies and unpreparedness for a siege, while the Lucrenians were well supplied due to their domination of the fertile and productive local countryside, despite the harassment of Aralian skirmishers.
Lucien also sent orders to half of the light cavalry under his command to act as scouts, and/or fight off reinforcements, if any were to be seen coming from the south. The other half stayed near the city as a reserve, ready to help repel any sortie made by the Aralians.
In Sylasar, the Aralian Emperor learnt of the siege and sent a 12,000 strong relief force, along with plentiful supplies, to help Thaliasted on the 14th of Early Summer. When this force reached Soth’s Keep, they were delayed by Cailean’s forces, and scouted by the light cavalry forces stationed just to the north of Soth’s Keep. The remaining cavalry that did not report back to Lucien successfully ambushed the Aralian scouting party, and managed to push back the cavalry sent by the imperial main force.
Lucien got the message and he, gambling that repelling the relief attempt was more important than maintaining too tight a blockade, took the remaining cavalry at night to meet the imperials at a pass, where he managed to rout the Aralians.
Despite their apparent success, the besieging Lucrenian forces were now stretched thin by Lucien’s withdrawal. Scholars believe that if the garrison’s general Thomas Rhys had chosen to launch a sortie at this point, the Aralians could have broken the siege, but they did not, and therefore lost the opportunity. One reason that might explain why he did not might be because of the unrest in the city, although it is not clear if the riots had begun at this point.
It seems that Lucien realized he had put the siege in danger with his gamble, and he hurriedly returned to Thaliasted after he attained victory at the pass.
As the garrison and Thomas realized that no relief was coming, morale among the defenders of Thaliasted became weaker, and weaker; it was clear action would be needed.
Starvation, coupled with the unrest within the city walls made their efforts more difficult. Thaliasted’s large non-human population had taken up arms against Aralian rule, and incidents reportedly occurred where humans protesting imperial rule were slaughtered in the streets, supposedly on accident by roaming bands of elven rioters. The only district not to participate were the Dwarven District, who walled themselves off at the beginning of the siege, refusing to give up supplies to the starving non-dwarven populace. This also made tension even higher within the large city.
Tristian Thalia, soon to be the Emperor’s son in law, decided to launch a counteroffensive of his own. For this first attack, Tristian decided to concentrate on one specific section of the city, drawing soldiers together from all sectors of the city towards the Western Gate, where he was faced by around 5,000 soldiers under Moira MacDhrostain.
After the defending soldier gathered in the area, the Aralian noble began his sortie by ordering his archers to rain down a constant stream of arrows against their enemy, to which the Lucrenians responded accordingly. Using the cover granted by the Aralian missile units, the infantry rushed through the Western Gate and fanned out into battle formation, with Tristian himself leading the assault. During the subsequent skirmish, it is reported that Tristian both broke through a section of the Lucrenian line and almost killed Moira, but he was then shot in the eye by the widow of a slain Lucrenian soldier. Despite some levels of success, the sortie had failed to break the siege and the Aralian forces retreated into the city. As they did, it is said that the injured Aralian nobleman swore he would take a thousand eyes in return for his own.
That night, another plan to break the siege was devised by the defenders. As a concentrated attack on one of the gates had failed, Thomas would this time launch simultaneous strikes from four of the six gates. Two large forces were gathered at the Eastern Gate, where Lucien was in command, and at the Western Gate where the main attack against exhausted enemy units would be undertaken. The other forces at the Small Gate, and the Emperor’s Gate were designed to pin their besiegers in place. As Thomas sounded the attack, a grinding battle took place at the Emperor’s Gate, with both sides suffering many losses. After a while of this slaughter, Roanalid Tulach and his forces at this gate managed to doggedly repulse the Aralian assault, driving them back into the city.
The situation was far more serious at the Eastern Gate, where the Aralians had a larger force. This large contingent of defenders managed to break the Lucrenian infantry and drive them back, but Lucien himself then arrived with 400 mobile guard cavalry, and with them, struck the imperial flank. This weakened the sortie irreversibly and the defenders were slowly driven back inside the gates.
Once again however, the worst of the fighting occurred at the Western Gate. Here, the Aralian forces were lead by the one-eyed Tristian himself and, after intense fighting, there was still no weakness in the Lucrenian ranks. At this point, the imperial nobleman seems to have realized there was no point in continuing the grinding melee, and commanded a slow, steady withdrawal. All the while, the Lucrenian archers continuously showered his soldiers with arrows. This was the last effort by Tristian and Thomas to break the Lucrenian siege, and it had failed with the loss of thousands of men. With this defeat, he could no longer afford any more attempts at a breakout.
On the 19th of Early Summer, the Aralian garrison closed off all access between the city and the walls surrounding it, shooting arrows and throwing rocks at any civilians trying to get too close. The remaining Thalia family, including Tristian, took a squadron of Aralian soldiers, as well as their own private guards, closing themselves inside their castle, located in the epicenter of the city.
A Markovian in Thaliasted known as ‘Malina the Lover’, climbed over the wall despite this and informed Lucien that on the night of the 23rd of Early Summer, there would be a religious ceremony for Zelana, which would leave the walls relatively unguarded. She supposedly betrayed the city because her marriage to her fiance had been interrupted by the siege and, frustrated, asked for the Lucrenians’ help in obtaining said groom. She supposedly later joined the war on the Lucrenian side, but the details are incredibly vague.
Whatever the case, details of the opportunity led Lucien to borrow ladders from a local monastery and to purchase ropes in order to form an assault party. That night, a 100 strong contingent, led by the Lucrenian prince himself, climbed the walls, dropped into the city, and killed the guards at the Eastern Gate. Then the attackers flung open the gate and let the remainder of Lucrenian forces at the Eastern Gate inside the city. The other Aralian detachments stationed elsewhere were unaware of this surprising development and, instead of helping, stayed at their posts.
At the same time, Lucien began to fight his way toward the centre of the city. Now attempting to save the city for a final time, Thomas sent envoys to Roanalid Tulach at the Emperor’s Gate offering surrender and a payment in exchange for a capitulation by terms. The envoys were sent specifically to Roanalid, as he was known to be peace-loving, and had spent many years in Thaliasted, and were acquaintances with Thomas.
However, Lucien, who had finished slaughtering his way to the centre of the city, was furious that a surrender had been allowed even though the city had technically been taken by storm. Nevertheless, the many Lucrenian unit commanders agreed that a surrender would be honoured - Lucien reluctantly accepted this judgement.
No civilians in Thaliasted would be captured, or enslaved, no harm would be done to Aralian-built places and buildings, nothing would be taken as loot, and three days of safe passage would be given to Thomas, the Thalia family, and any other inhabitant of Thaliasted not willing to live under Lucrenian rule. Malina, who had helped the invaders capture the city, also informed Lucien of a shortcut to West Rock, where most of the refugees were heading.
Using this path, Lucien caught up with the Aralian refugee column after the three day truce, destroyed it, and killed Tristian in a duel. He supposedly did this because of the close relation to the Emperor that Tristian was about to have. For her assistance, Malina received her groom. However, he promptly committed suicide for unknown reasons. This Markovian traitor would later die in the first assault of The Second Siege of Thaliasted.
Included under Conflict
Conflict Type
Siege
Battlefield Type
Urban
Start Date
2nd of Early Summer, 3E 494
Ending Date
23rd of Early Summer, 3E 494
Location
Belligerents
Aralia
Rebel Forces of Lucien
Strength
6,000 (Thaliasted)
12,000 (Relief force)
12,000 (Relief force)
20,000
Casualties
5,000
7,000
7,000
6,000
Objectives
Defend Thaliasted
Take Thaliasted for Lucrenia
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