Siege of Buorna

The Siege of Buorna was a largest and final battle of the *Farar's Crusade*. During this long siege, the crusader armies of Bishop Feran Grishing surrounded and besieged the Joran city of Buorna, the stronghold of the *Tomasites*, a group of heretical Werrans from Joraje, who sought reform in the faith, to make it more peaceful and less corrupt. After a series of attempted escalades, the crusaders breached the walls with large trebuchets, and slaughtered all the citizens of the city, heretical or not. This battle would definitively end the crusade, and the heresy, though there are still small pockets of heretical owrshippers scattered throughout the region near the ruins of the razed city.

## Background

During the early Third Dynasty, a priest called Farar Tomas, the Farar of Farni Buorna, began to preach that the Werran church, with its current practices and dogmas, was corrupt, and called for reforms to make the faith more peaceful. This belief would spread throughout the surrounding countryside, and soon peasants and burghers alike were calling for reform. Slowly, Tomas' preachings would find their way to Nonrebaurg, seat of the Bishop Supreme, Karl VI, who, outraged at this heresy, being spouted by a preacher no less, would call a crusade against the town.

## Lead up

A vast army was raised from lands throughout Juhnvechteya, and they marched forth toward Joraje. The citizens of Bruona, hearing word of this massed force advancing toward them, appealed to the Duke of Joraje, Johazlos Taepe, though he refued, saying that he would not make enemies of the Bishop Supreme and the armies of Werranism. Having had their pleas rejected, and being left totally alone, the burghers prepared for the coming army.

A series of small skirmishes and battles were fought just as the crusaders made their way to Buorna, with Tomasites ambushing the army as they moved through the forests and the crusaders burning an village they came upon that had even a hint of Tomasite leanings. The largest skirmish occurred at a crossing called Karel Brod, where a large group of Tomasite archers ambushed a company of crusaders from the trees while they were wading through the river. about 200 crusaders were shot by the archers, who disappeared before the crusaders could mount a charge. in retribution the crusaders burned the nearby town of Karlehof, and mounted each inhabitant's head on a spike.

## The Siege

The great host of crusaders came up to the town, and found it well defended. While before there had been a single stone wall, now there were multiple earthen ramparts, high palisades, stakes, and numerous moats to cross before the town was accessible. The defenders had been joined by several smaller hosts of Tomasites from the countryside, while the crusaders had recieved many more reinforcements from Joraje throughout the course of the siege.

Lead by Bishop Grishing, the army surrounded the town and began to lay siege. The Bailiff of the city, a man named Jan, went to meet with the bishop, to discuss allowing the non-Tomasites within the city to leave the town peacefully. However, during this parley, a group of Tomasite knights led a sally on the crusader siege camp, and successfully destroyed a trebuchet which was under construction. Because of this, Grishing refused the request, and threw the bailiff back into the city.

### The Escalade

The first assault upon the city was made with siege ladders. Hundreds of men rushed the walls with ladders, though this was repulsed, with Tomas himself leading the defense upon the walls. The attackers tried again the following day, though they were repulsed yet again.

The next assault was under the support of a siege tower. The crossbowmen on the tower were high enough to have a clear shot behind the walls of the city, and nothing would set it alight. However, seeing this great tower be rolled up, a single Tomasite sallied forth on a horse, holding a single lamp and a small glass jar of oil. He rode toward the tower, fought off a few men who saw him, shattered the jug on the tower, and threw the lamp on it, setting it aflame, before being stabbed and killed. Within minutes, the tower was a massive blaze, burning through the night and into the next morning.

The crusaders, growing impatient with the lack of success, began constructing a new tower, as well as several more ladders. Having had their losses replaced by local recruits and late companies of crusaders, they began to assault it daily with ladders, and eventually brought up the tower to the walls. Having seen the siege tower, however, the Tomasites began constructing their own weapon, a large trebuchet, behind the wall, in the path of the tower, under the supervision of the Tomasite engineer Sernal Feyfar. As the tower neared the walls, it was hit with a large iron shell, inside of which was molten slag. The slag set the tower alight, and it collapsed in on itself.

### The Breach

Finally, having failed in the escalades, Grishing decided to batter down the walls. He commisioned for the engineers Dieter Hausan and Helfet Jaeger from Tanderland to build his forces two great trebuchets, and he would begin to launch great stones at the city's walls, while using smaller trebuchets to throw the heads of the slain at Karlehof into the town itself to damage the morale of the defenders.

Finally, two months after the siege began, a breach was made in the walls by the great trebuchets. This was slowly widened, and by afternoon a section large enough for five men to walk in abreast was created. Ordering his infantry to charge into the breach and to scale the wall with ladders, Grishing is quoted as saying "*Slay them all! Arkhas will know the true!*". Following his orders, every inhabitant of the city was killed. Tomas was slain at the door to his church, sacrificing himself in an unsuccessful bid to evacuate a group of children from the city, and his head was brought to Grishing, who had it cast into the Ploughwater. "Let us never have to hear of this horrid man again" he said after the battle.

## Aftermath

Following the siege, each man woman and child within the town was slain. It was looted of all its valuables, then the crusaders tore down its houses, towers and walls, and set it alight. The fire could be seen from Hrad Kanberk, and the castle's occupants thought that the sun was rising in the west, so bright were its flames.

After the siege, the crusaders began to split up, some returning to their homes, some continuing to hunt the Tomasites, and a few further began to ransack the countryside, having acquired a taste for stolen silver.

Bishop Grishing was slain in battle the following month, during an ambush by Tomasite woodsmen, who shot him through the jugular.

## Fate of the Tomasites

While the teachings of Farar Tomas had been officially outlawed the following year, his particular vision of the faith has remained quite popular in some areas of Joraje, with Tomasite churches even being found in some isolated regions. Generally Tomasites practice in secret, for if they are caught openly showing their loyalty to Tomas' doctrine, they are usually tortured and executed by the bishops, despite their lack of authority in Joraje. Many Tomasites have been scattered throughout Juhnvechteya following their defeat and the destruction of their homes, though they rarely worship openly.

There are some Tomasites, operating throughout both Joraje and Juhnvechteya as a whole, who continue to carry out attacks on both Bishops and their retinue, laying ambushes on roadsides and attacking them in crowds. These Tomasites are known as the Misericorders, for the long dagger they use during their fast attacks.

Nordervesting has a small minority of Tomasites, as due to its proximity to Buorna, many Tomasite refugees fled there to escape the wrath of the rampaging army.