Ohnni Conquest of Imesse
Benn Ohn was the warrior king that conquered and unified the peoples that would become the Kingdom of Imesse. He was the founder of the Kingdom and the first King of the Ohnni Dynasty.
Benn Ohn was born in Wessridge in the year 58 BF. At the age of 35 (23 BF), he became the King of Wessridge, which was comprised mainly of the current Baronies of Wessridge, Wessfall, most of Cyell and much of Dunrick. He had fought a bitter and bloody rebellion from the region of Coldhome, leading a force of more than 5,000 foot and 600 horse. That rebellion lasted nearly two years, and at the end of it, Benn had emerged as the undisputed leader of Wessridge and a veteran fighter and commander.
The Kingdom of Wessridge controlled a significant section of the north bank of the Caldar River, and was routinely contested in power and influence by the neighboring Kingdom of Minsloth. Minsloth controlled the south bank of the Caldar from just south of the city of Minsloth all the way to Jorick. In the year 10 BF, the ruler of Minsloth, Gilbreth Mollus, had amassed a force of some 3,500 troops on the south bank of the Caldar River about 15 miles northwest of Jorick. Fearing an invasion from across the river, Benn marshalled his forces once again. In just two weeks’ time, Benn had 5,000 soldiers and knights ready to defend the country.
In August of 10 BF, Benn ferried his forces across the Caldar at Wessfall, some 40 miles downriver from the army of Gilbreth. In a grueling forced march, he maneuvered his army around and behind the army of Minsloth in less than two days and attacked the smaller force at dawn. The fight was short and very one-sided, and Benn lost only 65 men in his defeat of Gilbreth. Gilbreth was killed in the action, as were both his sons, and the surviving leaders fled as fast as their mounts could carry them.
Benn marched his army to Jorick, where the city immediately surrendered to his forces by throwing open the gates. He accepted the surrender of the city with much pomp and ceremony, and affirmed the ruler of the city as Myron Warrhim, the current ruling lord. Ten days later, Benn marched his force south to the City of Wennick.
The local ruler of Wennick at the time was Wilman Staton, and he did not surrender. He closed his city to the oncoming army and restated his allegiance to the Mollus rulers of Minsloth. What followed was 60 days of brutal siege, wherein Benn rained fire and destruction over the walls of Wennick day and night. Over the course of that fall, no fewer than 20 attempts were made to resupply the city from the river, and all were fought off, most resulting in the burning of the ships attempting to reach the docks. Thousands within the city died of starvation, disease and the repeated fires that continually resulted from the besieging forces. After two months with no supply or relief, the city surrendered to Benn. Wilman was hung from the gates for his defiance, and his nephew Borman Frigani was made the new ruler.
From Wennick, Benn marched to the City of Mull, 40 miles to the southeast. The ruler of Mull was Marin Tabor and he immediately surrendered his city to Benn. His rule of the region was affirmed by Benn, and Benn positioned his army to winter outside the city for the remainder of the winter. During this time, several new siege engines were constructed, tested and then disassembled for transportation when the new campaign season began.
With the arrival of an early spring in 9 BF, Benn again marched towards Minsloth, where the brother of Gilbreth Mollus, Aelbreth, had taken up the rule of his now dead king. The city had fortified itself over the course of the last year, stockpiling food, arms and stores within the walls of Minsloth, and tall stone and wood towers had been built along the riverfront to help insure an open harbor in case of siege. As Benn’s army approached the walls of Minsloth, riders were sent forward to demand the city’s surrender. These demands were rejected, and the first several of these messengers were killed outright. Benn finally shot an arrow into the city’s gate with the attached letter stating that five days would be granted, and then the gate would be leveled, the city sacked and all inhabitants would be “chastised” for their resistance. Again, Aelbreth refused the ultimatum. At sunset on the fifth day, Benn had three huge trebuchets moved into position, fully 200 yards out of the furthest bowshot of the city. For the next four days, all night and all day these huge machines hurled stones weighing hundreds of pounds each at the gatehouse of the city. At daybreak on the fourth day, the southern bastion of the gatehouse collapsed and crushed the gate and portcullis underneath it. The ruble pile was more than 15’ high, and impassable for horse-mounted troops, but the 5,800 foot of Benn’s army easily scaled the ruble and stormed into the city. The fighting lasted an entire day, and more than half of the city was burned to the ground, including much of the harbor and central keep. As the sun was setting, a group of ten armed men walked into the central square of the city under a white flag of surrender. The man carrying the flag was Aelbreth’s son, Aelwald am Mollus. He gave Benn the news that his father had fled the city via boat hours earlier, leaving the city and its populus to the mercy of the conquering king.
Benn accepted the surrender, placed Aelwald in charge of what remained of the city, and had all his troops leave the walls of the city and make camp nearly a mile to the east. Benn remained at Minsloth for the remainder of the spring season, ordering his men to assist the remaining residents to rebuild the homes and buildings that had been destroyed in the fighting. It is still remembered in the lore of the city the effect this effort had on the defeated people. Watching their conquerors work side-by-side to rebuild homes, shops and riverfronts so that life could continue was very impactful on the populus. Later, Aelbreth was captured while hiding in a barn near Wennick and returned to Minsloth in chains. Benn had a court summoned, with himself, Aelwald and three local men that had survived the fighting to sit in judgement of the former leader. Benn abstained from judgement, but the three locals and Aelwald all pronounced Aelbreth guilty of cowardice and desertion of his post, both punishable by death. Aelbreth was beheaded just outside the ruined gatehouse of the city, and his body was returned to his son for a proper and dignified burial, as befitted a noble lord.
By the end of June, 9 BF, Benn again marched his army south towards the ancient city of Beldoah. After a march of more than 60 miles, the army arrived at the gates of the greatest city on the Caldar River to find the leaders of the city waiting at open gates in front of a pile of swords and spears nearly the height of a man. The city was won without a drop of blood being shed, and much credit for this is given to Benn’s efforts to help the defeated population of Minsloth survive after the battle. The city’s leader, Harmon am Toricki, was named Lord Toricki and affirmed the ruler of the region.
After ten days, the army again marched north towards Del. Del did not surrender immediately but did after the ultimatum issued by Benn produced the three great trebuchets before the city’s old and ill-kept gates. The march continued to the large town of Ricken, where there was an afternoon’s fighting in the hills just outside the city. Once the defending forces were routed, the rest of the community surrendered. Midton followed two weeks later, then Eston. By the first days of September, Benn’s army had swollen to more than 10,000 seasoned fighters and was approaching the capital of the Kingdom then known as South Lothia.
The city of Southridge surrounds the high castle of the King of South Lothia, Silas Arnan. Southridge was a large city, with a population of more than 16,000 people. Its walls were high, its gates were strong, and its stores and warehouses were full of food, fodder and arms ready to weather a long siege. The castle, however, stood on a high motte hill only a few hundred yards from the walls of the city. After the initial ultimatum was delivered and rejected by King Silas, Benn had his trebuchets wheeled into a position where they could hurl their projectiles at the castle itself without any risk of attack from the city walls. After only a few hours of bombardment, the closest tower of the bailey wall gate collapsed entirely, bringing down 40’ of wall with it. By the end of the day, half the central keep was destroyed and as many as 200 knights and men-at-arms were dead. Fires had spread across the castle grounds, horses were panicking and racing around trying to escape, adding to the mayhem and confusion, and it became clear that King Silas was already dead. By morning, the fires had spread to engulf the entire castle and even spread to the nearest city buildings.
A party of mounted men moved through the now open gates carrying a flag of surrender at sunrise the next day. Benn took the surrender, and placed the rule of the region into the hands of a trusted commander of his army that had been sorely wounded in the previous battle of Ricken, and could not continue in the campaign. This commander was named Arden am Stonnard, a nobleman from Wessridge that had served with Benn from the beginning of the war, and he would rule Southridge for the next 37 years.
Conflict Type
Military Campaign
Start Date
10 BF
Ending Date
1 AF
