The Siege of Grunga

The Siege of Grunga was the opening battle of the Third War for the Frontier fought between Holzreich and the Grand Duchy of Novaya. Reichguard forces breached the city walls after the detonation of explosives in secret tunnels dug by dwarven mercenaries in the weeks prior to the commencement of hostilities.
After the Reichguard entered the city, brutal fighting in the streets took place over the course of five days before Grunga's keep was captured on the sixth day of the battle.

Prelude

In the weeks leading up to the start of the Third War for the Frontier, Holzreich began reinforcing the permenant warcamp outside the western walls of Grunga that had been a fixture of the city since the Second War for the Frontier. In addition, Dwarven miners dug three tunnels from the camp to the city walls, the longest running a length of approximately 600m, the shortest approximately 400m. In the days prior, small bands of Dwarven Mercenaries entered the city, allegedly on their way East to join the newly commenced war on The Velvet Coast between Mevania and Floria.

The Battle

At 9AM on the 2nd of Rising Sun, approximately 10 tonnes of explosives detonated beneath the western walls, creating a breach directly adjacent to the Reichguard warcamp. The preassemble troops immediatly assaulted through the breach, coming under fire from surviving Novayan archers on the remenants of the wall. Reichguard forces made significant early gains, completely securing the Western Wall by Noon and began to pour into the Nightfair Slums. It was at this point that the offensive began stall, as the citizenry of Grunga began to take up arms and resist the attacking Reichguard. Despite being no match for the Reichguard troops, the volume of civilian volunteers significantly slowed their advance. By nightfall, the Reichguard had failled to clear through the slums and halted for the evening.

On the morning of the second day, the Reichguard once again advanced, this time with a newfound brutality and little regard for the non-combatants of the population. After finally fighting through the slums, the assaulters found themselves confronted by the walls of the Bastion in the centre of the city. The monumentous task of taking the Bastion was circumvented however, as Dwarven mercenaries who had infiltrated the city days prior opened the gates from the inside, allowing the Reichguard to make short work of the defenders. The Reichguard consolidated their gains for the day and stayed the assault.
On the third day, the Reichguard force split, with half the force mopping up resistance in the eastern part of the city whilst the other half began to besiege Grunga Castle. Artillery units outside the city began to move their cannons into the city to commence bombardment of the castle walls.
After three days of sustained bombardment, the commander of the city's garrison raised a white flag over the keep and opened the castle's gates for the Reichguard.

Aftermath

After regrouping and resupplying in the city, the Reichguard began to advance into the Novayan countryside East of the city. Many surviving Novayan soldiers were executed by hanging or firing squad.

Start Date 2nd of Rising Sun 201IE
End Date 8th of Rising Sun 201IE

Strength

Grand Duchy of Novaya	Holzreich
2500 Duchy Men-At-Arms 500 Plainsfolk  Unknown number of Civilian Volunteers	15,000 Reichguard  1200 Dwarven Mercenaries

Conflict Type

Siege

Casualties

Grand Duchy of Novaya	Holzreich
2000+ Novayan Soldiers killed 6000+ Civilian Deaths	4500 Reichguard  67 Dwarven Mercenaries