'Battle' of Zoenbor (Zoh-en-boar)

The 'battle' - or massacre - of Zoenbor was the first, and bloodiest, action in the Zoenaald rebellion, birthing the kingdom as it currently exists. It began in Zoenbor - the only city and port-capital of the island of Zoenaald. The island and its inhabitants were a regular thorn in the side of the League of Blue and Green, which thought they had taken every precaution to prevent further rebellion.
Felinor I had corrupted a large number of League soldiers and the city garrison with an aggressively pro-Bolmor, traditionalist message. Taking advantage of a change-over in the League appointed administrators to the island, he brought most of the League soldiers and the city watch out in rebellion, drove off by force the ships bringing the new administrators, proclaimed Zoenaald a 'free kingdom', and then commanded his followers to root out any remaining 'traitors, assassins, spies, heretics, and foreigners' - this subsequent action is what the Kingdom refers to as the Battle of Zoenbor (on the basis that some of those resisting were armed, and did defend themselves), but it is almost universally known as the Massacre of Zoenbor, as it was unexpected, bloody, and designed purely to secure Felinor's new rebellious state.
Little is definitively known of the 'battle' - it is only called a battle on the island because the of the supposed sacrifice of 50 members of the City Watch, of whom ten named members are celebrated annually as the 'Heroic Ten'. Their deaths are used to imply that there was some equality in arms, and that the 'disloyal' City Watchmen began the killing. From what is known from escapees, it seems clear that these men were cut down by their comrades when they stormed the common hall shouting that they were going to kill the Vice Captain.
It is likely that other forms of sporadic resistance from the victims also claimed some lives among the aggressors - particularly where mages were targeted - but, on the whole, the 'battle' consisted of a well-planned mutiny, the swift dispatch of any resisting elements, and a 20,000 strong mob tearing its way through the city of Zoenbor, looking for perceived enemies to slaughter and loot.

Conflict Type

Rebellion

Battlefield Type

Urban

Start Date

22nd Month of Toil 782 AC

Ending Date

22nd Month of Toil 782 AC

Belligerents

Felinor's Rebellion

League Loyalists & Civilian Victims

Strength

Approximately 4,000 of the 5,000 League troops stationed on the Island Approximately 800 of the 1,200 League Garrison in Zoenbor Approximately 600 of the 1,000 City Watch 20,000+ mob of Zoenbor citizens whipped up by Felinor's rhetoric

Approximately 1,000 of the 5,000 League troops stationed on the Island Approximately 400 of the 1,200 League Garrison in Zoenbor Approximately 400 of the 1,000 City Watch Unknown numbers of:

• Mages, and those suspected of being mages
• Tetra merchants who had not joined the conspiracy
• Hamhatid traders
• The largest Vayzin population outside the Forgotten Isles, estimated at 500 people

Casualties

Claimed: 50 City Watch, 28 ex-League forces, 1,000 'glorious martyrs' from the populace
Verifiable: At least 10 City watch killed in combat with their comrades - these are remembered as as the 'Heroic Ten' on Zoenaald. It is likely up to 1,000 citizens did die, but all outside accounts suggest that this was during the looting after the massacre, either in fighting among themselves, or as the rebel soldiers attempted to restore order.

Unknown, perhaps 200 people who were targeted survived - either fleeing directly from the port, or fleeing into the island and escaping in the following weeks.
The City Watch were slaughtered to a man - two squires alone survived as the Vice-Captain bolted the last ten men into the armoury for their last stand.
Approximately 50 of the League Garrison surrendered after more than 300 of their colleagues had fallen. Most of these were hanged in the week that followed.

Objectives

Felinor's forces sought to take control of the entire island, and proclaim an independent kingdom - which he achieved.
It is not clear that armed conflict was the original intention, but the violent massacre of undesirable citizens (mages, League sympathisers and merchants, and foreign populations of Vayzin, unsympathetic Tetra, and Hamhatid traders) was clearly signalled in Felinor's rhetoric in the weeks and days leading up to the 'battle'.

To almost all victims and loyalists, the 'battle' took them unawares, and they were slaughtered quickly. The Vice-Captain of the City Watch had some idea that violence may be likely when the new administrators arrived and had (allegedly) sent warnings ahead, as well as asking for the rotation of a full half of the League forces on the island.