Siege of Erilantha

A portion of the Temple District of Erilantha suffering from a firestorm as a result of deliberate Pirosar arson

### Date

13 Springfall 1382 — 4 Springtide 1383 (1 year, 22 days)

### Location

Capital city of Erilantha, Erilanthan Crownlands, Empire of Erilantha

### Result

Pirosar victory* Sacking of the City of Erilantha
* Execution of most of the Erilanthan urban aristocracy
* Absorption of the Erilanthan realm into the Pirosar Empire
* End of the Erilanthan–Pirosar War
* Disintegration of the Coalition of Balsatra

The **Siege of Erilantha** (Pirosarian: *Eriantha ostroma*, Erilanthan: *Erilantha beswiel*), also known as the **Battle of Erilantha**, the **Siege of the City of Erilantha,** and the **Battle of the City of Erilantha** was a major siege during the waning years of the Erilanthan–Pirosar War perpetrated upon the capital city of the Erilanthan Empire, Erilantha, by the bulk of the armies of the of the Pirosar Empire under the command of Emperor Jutotzas. Spanning from the 13th of Springfall 1382 to the 4th of Springtide 1383 Life Era (LE), it is considered the largest siege undertaken on the continent of Isciterra during the Age of Sorrow and is simultaneously the largest battle fought by both the Erilanthan Empire and the Pirosar polity in known history. After the disastrous Battle of Saranthil on the 2nd of Winterend and the failure of High Archon Varmaninde Laemthar from liberating the various wood elf tribes of the southern provinces of Erilantha, the supreme commander of the Imperial Military of Erilantha opted to give his army a force multiplier by retreating to the multi-walled capital city of Erilantha to weather out the Pirosars' warpath as human allies in the Coalition of Balsatra prepared to relieve his forces. However, by Autumnfall of 1382, the Battle of the Viarmon Plain occurred fifty miles west of Erilantha between a force of 40,000 led by Jutotzas's eldest son (and future King of Pirosaria), Prince Kende, and an army of 65,000 composed of human and dwarf troops from the Balsatran coalition. Kende's victory and subsequent routing of the allied forces doomed the garrison of the Erilanthan capital city, which soon succumbed to mass starvation and panic. By the beginning of Springtide 1383, Jutotzas's monitoring of the situation inside the capital through spies allowed him to stage a final devastating assault through the night of the 3rd of Springtide unto the morning of the 4th, assaulting the city through a combined marine invasion into its harbor and a land attack through its front gates.

## State of the Erilanthan Empire

The grand city of Erilantha had been the capital of the elven Erilanthan polities for millennia since the Age of Glory. It had never fallen to external forces before, resisting even the wild post-Lichdom warbands of undead Brumalians that rampaged through northern Isciterra. However, the city had befallen internal strife multiple times throughout history.

With the Erilanthan Empire rising in the Age of Pain to supplant the warlords that existed after the fall of the Old Erilanthan Empire, Erilantha once more became the centerpiece of elven power in Isciterra. However, the rise of the Pirosar Empire led to the outbreak of the Erilanthan–Pirosar War and the subsequent degradation of the Erilanthan state against the southern horde.

By Springfall of 1382, the Erilanthan Empire was on the brink of collapse as a result of its massive agricultural interior falling under the control of the Pirosar Empire following the Battle of Saranthil on the 2nd of Winterend, 1381. Several plagues were rippling through the capital city by the eve of the Pirosar attacks; this was the result of hundreds of thousands of refugees making camp both within and right outside of the walls of Erilantha.

## Preparations

### Strength

The Erilanthan army garrisoning the capital was potent: approximately 150,000 soldiers at the highest were stationed behind the grand walls of Erilantha, supported by 5,000 *Nacaris* constables to keep peace within the city during siege in addition to a 50,000-strong levy force composed of conscripted refugees and civilians, primarily of wood elf and human origin. This was as a result of the plans of High Archon Varmaninde Laemthar, who sought to utilize the remainder of the imperial army and maximize their efficacy against the larger Pirosar invasion force by using the capital as a force multiplier while waiting for Balsatran liberation. At the start of the battle, approximately one million people were next to or within the walls of Erilantha; however, a significant degree of this number were teens and children of different species, and all able-bodied men and women not already conscripted were either sick, possessed writs of exemption, or were otherwise hiding from conscripting parties prior to the start of the siege. All walks of life were conscripted, including children, and ranged from monks and nuns to merchants and tradesmen alike. Notably, however, most of the urban aristocracy were not conscripted, which Jutotzas would later recognize through the execution of most of the aristocratic class after occupying the city.

The Pirosar army at the beginning of the battle numbered approximately 330,000 men under the leadership of Emperor Jutotzas and was split into several large detachments commanded by the highest presiding officers of the Pirosar imperial military, with a detachment of 20,000 under the naval command of one of Jutotzas's senior generals, Parancsnok Úrkúm of Szejel. However, 40,000 men were split off early under the command of Jutotzas's primary heir, Prince Kende, to defend against a Balsatran relief force of approximately 60,000 in what would become the Battle of the Viarmon Plain. The Pirosars commanded a heavily experienced infantry and cavalry core with the bulk of their troops composed of auxiliaries and levies raised from across the breadth of the empire. Most notably, the sieging force for Erilantha contained a sizeable portion of forcibly conscripted high elves and wood elves from recently captured areas, supplemented by a larger orcish and human force.

#### Pirosar dispositions and tactics

Jutotzas ordered the construction of a naval siege fleet prior to having his armies converge on Erilantha; this fleet, under Úrkúm of Szejel, was composed of 500 ships mostly in the form of galleys, rowing boats, and horse transports for navally-deployed cavalry forces. Pirosar spies within the city reported the weakness of the Erilanthan harbors, and Úrkúm had convinced Jutotzas to have his naval force in wait until the bulk of the Erilanthan military was focused on the land-based siege, allowing the 20,000 men under Úrkúm to sail into and unload inside the lowly-defended harbor. At this time, the Erilanthan navy was essentially defunct and moored in the harbor; Úrkúm planned to destroy these ships before they were able to enter direct action through bombardment from trained dire eagles.

The main land force, composed of 290,000 troops, was split into four main bodies: the elite detachment of 40,000 commanded by Emperor Jutotzas and consisting of Pirosar human shock cavalry and heavy orc infantry, the first siege detachment of 80,000 commanded by Prince Akillé consisting of all conscripted elven troops in the area in addition to human levies, the second siege detachment of 80,000 commanded by Prince Domonkos consisting of regular human and gob infantry, and the third and final siege wave detachment of 90,000 commanded by Parancsnok Györkön Júrkhazan consisting of veteran human and gob infantry in addition to five giants and one titan.

While Prince Kende used his force of 40,000 to prevent a flank attack on the main siege army, Jutotzas organized his siege detachments into three semicircles. With Erilantha being a city surrounded by walls on all sides (with smaller sea walls and larger land walls, sans the opening to the harbor), Jutotzas decided to apply significant pressure to the land walls through constantly rotating his different detachments on different wall regions throughout the course of the siege. He used the Akillé detachment to test the defences of a wall face prior to weathering it down with the Domonkos and Júrkhazan detachments prior to donating his very own forces to finally scale and take over the walls; this was only accomplished when Úrkúm's plan succeeded on the 3rd of Springtide of 1383.

Pirosar engineers under the protection of the Júrkhazan and Jutotzas detachments constructed various artillery pieces to bring destruction and demoralization to the Erilanthan garrisons. This included the "superweapon" known as the *Sárkányfarkú*, a massive 100-feet tall trebuchet that was used to destroy the front gatewall of Erilantha during the midst of the siege.

## Atrocities

### *Nian Sioullthatan*

The *Nian Sioullthatan,* or the Night of Dead Souls, is an Erilanthan term for the nobilicide conducted by Pirosar troops against the Erilanthan nobility. Jutotzas's sparing of the commonfolk in his decree of mercy left out the upper class of the city, who at the time were known for their apatheticism and hedonism even during the siege itself.

Dozens of noble families were decimated, with their children taken back to Pirosaria as slaves. Noble teen daughters were taken and forcibly made wives of human or orc officers, and teen sons were either offered death or perpetual service in the Pirosar military. Their estates were ransacked and used as payment for soldiers and as temporary lodging for officers. The royal family of Erilantha was spared only due to Jutotzas seeing them as better off alive for the purpose of puppetry—just as they had been during the war itself.

## Aftermath

### 1383 "Decree of Mercy"

Emperor Jutotzas' decree of mercy, issued in the hours prior to the end of the battle, was directed to the commonfolk of the city of Erilantha and was a significant act of compassion and benevolence (given the brutality of the siege and capture). The emperor was aware of the suffering that the common people of Erilantha had endured during the siege, and following deliberation with his commanders, was moved to offer them some relief.

The decree, which was issued in the aftermath of the siege, granted a general amnesty to all commonfolk who had taken up arms against the emperor's army during the siege, but not battles prior. It also promised the restoration of basic services, such as food, water, and medical care, to the city's inhabitants, and punishment to all infantry who committed direct violence against any person.

Furthermore, the emperor ordered his officials to rebuild the damaged infrastructure of the city, including its roads, buildings, and bridges. He also directed the allocation of funds to help the displaced people of Erilantha rebuild their homes and livelihoods. The slaves that existed under the old system were not emancipated, however; they were instead utilized to aid in this reconstruction.

This act of mercy and compassion was highly appreciated by the common people of Erilantha, who were grateful for the emperor's understanding and generosity. The decree helped to alleviate the suffering of the Erilanthan municipal citizenry and to begin the process of healing and reconciliation between the conquerors and the conquered.

Emperor Jutotzas' decree of mercy also served as an example to his generals and officials, who were instructed to treat the commonfolk with kindness and respect; this was an essential part of Jutotzas's rule up to that point, especially with the growth of his multicultural empire. This approach helped to build a sense of trust and loyalty between the emperor and his subjects, ensuring stability and prosperity for the empire in the years to come.

## Legacy

### Redefinition of siege logistics

The sheer duration and scope of the siege redefined siege warfare for generations. The enormous logistics required to feed a standing army of near three hundred thousand over the course of a year was rendered possible only by a secured network of supply trains heading north from imperial lands. These convoys, on both land and sea, were manned by a mixture of slaves and peasants drawn from across the empire (and paid for their service). Heavy agricultural tithes were levied on the population of the empire during the siege, and recently taken wood and high elf lands were practically emptied of their recent harvests.