Sack of Jyltheim

The Sack of Jyltheim was an action fought between the Cyngdom of Talor and a band of Varholdian deserters living in the city of Jyltheim.
== Background ==
In 510, a band of Varholdian deserters tried to raid into northern Talor and were met in battle at the Greenstream River by Cyng Allnoth the Wall. The Varholdians caught Allnoth by surprise and he was forced to hold the bridge over the Greenstream while his retinue armed themselves to fight back.
The Varholdians were driven back, but not before Cyng Allnoth was mortally wounded. He died after the battle and was succeeded by his son Cyng Aethelhere Strongmace, who immediately set out for revenge.
Aethelhere's first act as Cyng was to find the raiders' base in Jyltheim. He meticulously planned his attack, and the next year, in 511, Aethelhere set out with his retinue.
== Battle and Sack ==
Aethelhere attacked in the dead of winter, January 511. The Varholdian deserters had taken over the mead hall in the centre of Jyltheim and scared the townsfolk into cooperation - the people of Jyltheim supplied them with food and drink in exchange for their lives.
Cyng Aethelhere knew this, but did not discriminate between the townsfolk and the deserters. He reasoned that the townsfolk had brought themselves level with the deserters by helping them, however unwillingly, and by by sharing the town with them.
When the Fyrdmen of House Eorlfric attacked, they struck without mercy. On the night of the 23rd of January the Fyrdmen came from all directions, silently killing the deserter sentries and setting fire to the outbuildings of Jyltheim. 
The wooden outbuildings caught easily and the fire quickly spread to the town centre. The deserters were burned alive in the mead hall, and those who tried to escape were caught as they fled the city and crucified later at the site of the Greenstream battle.
== Legacy ==
The entire population of Jyltheim was killed in the Sack. It was later settled by ambitious farmers who used the stone foundations to rebuild some of the buildings in the town centre, and since the formation of Satï has become a major administrative centre, but it has never regained its former size.
The Sack of Jyltheim sent a clear message to other Varholdian deserters in the region: Talor was not to be trifled with. The Cyngdom saw few further attacks from deserters, and those few were dealt with just as mercilessly.
Category:Events
Category:Talor