The Destruction of Seisyllwg
The Kingdom of Seisyllwg was a petty kingdom in central Ynys, bordered by the River Severin on the east, the kingdom of Dyfed to the west, and Bernicia to the north. It had a single town, Aberinwyr, which was an important port along the river and drove the economy of the nation. Beyond Aberinwyr, there was a little less than two hundred square miles of hills and farms. Sheep and cattle were raised alongside small but fertile farms. They maintained a small army, but nothing that was able to overcome the invasion from Dyfed when it came.
No one is entirely clear about what pushed Guortepir, the King of Dyfed, to invade Seisyllwg. Some claim that he wanted to pursue the remnants of the Biegen, Eot, and Ðuring populations that he had driven out of Dyfed, but only a few of those groups had taken refuge in Seisyllwg. Others spoke of a hidden treasure that was hidden beneath the castle at Aberinwyr, something that the Clarati sorcerer Clarion had buried there before the Age of Warlocks. This was said to be some kind of book, but the details change with the storyteller, and many are dubious that it ever existed. A few people point to the Princess Godifu of Bernicia. She served as her father's ambassador to Dyfed, and some members of Guortepir's court claim that she goaded the King into the invasion.
However the decision was made, the result was the same. Dyfed employs a large mercenary army, and they rolled over the Kingdom of Seisyllwg rapidly. They outnumbered the defenders more than four to one, and overwhelmed the army of Seisyllwg in less than two weeks. They sacked Aberinwyr, and brought King Gwennan back to Caer Eiddyn in chains.
After the conquest, Guortepir had his armies purge the kingdom of all undesirables, mostly those who were not Ynyswr. While many were killed, a large number of the refugees found their way into Bernicia in the north, and have gathered there around Prince Rhys ap Gwawr, the nephew of King Gwennan and the sole surviving member of Seisyllwg's royal family. He is trying to gather support reclaim his throne from Dyfed, and is frequently in the court of King Beornric the Shrewd, negotiating for his people.
Since the conquest, Aberinwyr has suffered under Dyfed rule. Guortepir's troops took everything of value they could from the city, and more than half of its population was either killed or forced to flee. The river traffic has taken to sailing past the city to cheerier ports to the south, and the most notable activity in the city is the ongoing search of the castle for hidden treasures. Recently, Guortepir has ordered that the castle be demolished entirely, to rule out any hidden rooms that might have been overlooked. Angry protests from the citizens have been met with violent suppression from the armies of Dyfed, and Guortepir has given control of the city to the mercenary Captain Rhydderch of the Blackthorn company. He is notorious for his use of intimidation to control the city, and has been known to burn dissenters in their homes just to make a point.
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