The Burning of Ivoryhold

"War is messy, brutish, and unnecessary. For centuries, the Tallet Emperor has droned on about his divine right to sacrifice human lives for his own ends, and they will continue to die for as long as they continue to fight for him. If we were to lay down our weapons for fear of who he might force us to turn them on, then he would see all of us dead alongside them" -The Philosopher King
Ivoryhold was the first major Tallet city that the Technocracy's section of the Free People's Army attacked on their own. A major military outpost for the Empire's military, the city was one of several targets needed to secure a path to the Ivory Tower. Despite the intention of the Philosopher King to take the city with minimal losses on both sides, it was completely destroyed in what is remembered as one of the bloodiest sackings in the Tallet theater.
== Background ==
=== The Tallet Theater ===
The Free People's army had fought through the conquered lands on the Tallet's eastern borders, and had reached the fortifications on the border of the original Tallet homeland. They were now preparing to march on the Tallet Capital, the Ivory Tower, which would topple the Faceless Emperor and end the Great War. Before this could be done, they would have to take out several military targets to prevent the Tallet from amassing forces behind them with which to flank what was expected to be a prolonged siege.
To take the targets, the army split into four separate groups: one lead by the Truest King to take the south, one lead by the Princess to keep up the rear, one in the center lead by ___, and one lead by the Philosopher King in the north. The Philosopher King's force of thousands of Encircled, Ashed mercenaries, Kushani archers, and various other groups marched fast and hard on this northern front, annihilating Tallet resistance without advanced warning, and eventually reaching the military stronghold of Ivoryhold.
=== Ivoryhold ===
Ivoryhold was one of the furthest cities out from the Tallet homeland, and had grown around a military outpost used as a rear staging ground for incursions into Eastern territories. At the time of its destruction, it was home to at least 200,000 civilians.
== The March on Ivoryhold ==
=== Initial Approach ===
"We are taking this city. You are low on supplies, vastly outmatched, and missing most of your garrison. You have no hope of repelling us, and we would prefer you surrender to minimize casualties. If you do this, no one will be harmed. If you refuse to surrender, we request that you please evacuate all civilians, as, once again, we wish to minimize casualties. We will leave a road out of your city and promise not to harass any refugees, but will be unable to spare anyone in the city if there is a battle." -The Philosopher King's letter to the Governor
After weeks of Unbounded activity blinding them and cutting off messages and supplies, the Governor of Ivoryhold was sent a message by the Philosopher King, warning him of an impending siege and asking him to evacuate all civilians to minimize casualties.
Instead of evacuating, the governor set the entire city to work constructing fortifications, building weapons, and training as infantry, sending out riders to attempt to call for help. His response to the Philosopher King's plea was thus:
"We have no civilians; the Tallet Empire represents order, and all Tallet citizens are part of that fight. We refuse to back down to the enemies of Tallet law. It is you who should surrender and beg mercy from the God of mankind."
=== Siege ===
"For centuries, the Tallet Emperor has slaughtered our neighbors, our friends, and our families, with armies from this very city. It is on this day that his victims will arise and say, 'No more!' No more shall we fear the armies standing against our freedom! No more shall we allow our brethren to be enslaved! No more shall the Tallet emperor make his callous declarations of divine right to subjugate everyone on the planet! Today we will make a victory for the freedom of humanity itself!" -The Philosopher King, shortly after the midnight breakfast
The Encircled forces attacked swiftly, and almost without warning, pushing siege weaponry onto nearby hills and mass-bombarding the walls shortly before dawn, only two days after the warning was delivered. Nearly a hundred thousand people were killed in the first hour of the battle, and by the time the sun had risen, the Encircled victory was all but assured.
Throughout the day, the Tallet and Encircled traded fire, and the city's defenses were gradually worn down. The Encircled, who had brought superior weaponry and far greater numbers, bided their time and focused on wearing down the defenses and morale of the defending forces.
Right before sundown, a fire broke out, and without any fire-fighting available, most of the city's wooden buildings and flammable food-stores had caught fire within an hour. During this time, the governor and his advisers disappeared, his last order being to fight to the last man.
=== Sacking ===
"It was never our intention to sack that city, and what happened there was a senseless waste of life, however, there are only so many variables one can account for. Data was collected, numbers were crunched, and we made the optimal decision." -The Philosopher King in a later account
With the city illuminated by fire, and the return-fire nearly ceased, the Encircled rushed the remains of the front gate, with Deathwagons filled with Ashed mercenaries, and Unbounded Killjockeys pouring into the holes. All remaining Tallet troops were captured or killed in the brief skirmish, and the city was taken in a matter of minutes.
The governor was captured along with a handful of other leaders attempting to escape. They were brought back, naked and in chains, and marched through the city streets to the place where they'd once ruled from.
== Aftermath ==
"What has happened here today is yet another atrocity among countless others. We told you what was about to happen, we asked you to surrender, we plead for the lives of the people under your governance, and now, you will reap the consequences of what you have done. It is our hope that perhaps next time, our pleas for civilian lives will be taken more seriously." - The Philosopher King's last words to the governor before lighting his pyre.
The governor and his surviving councilors were brought to the public tribunal area, forced to stand without clothes as a symbol of their dethronement, and all citizens were brought to watch as the King tried them all one by one, citing the crime of pillage and mass murder, as their actions had cost the lives and livelihoods of the entire city. The offenders were tied to wooden stakes, and burned alive to set an example to anyone else who refused to surrender at the cost of civilian lives. Everyone else who was not a soldier was allowed to leave, so that word would spread of what had happened.
Shortly after the city was taken, a force of Tallet arrived in response to the governor's request for reinforcements. This force stood no chance against the army the Encircled now held inside the city, and were quickly defeated, their survivors captured and their supplies used for the Circle army.
After resting in the remains of the city, the Circle moved on to take several more cities, quickly dismantling the southeastern front of the Tallet military, and injecting a large group of volunteering Unbounded lead by Black Eyes the Traveler, before retreating back towards the Circle, where the Goran-Circle Genocide Campaigns had begun.