The Siege of Oswiezim

The Siege of Oswiezim was an important battle in the Western War between the Kingdoms of Vichin and Corveaux, which took place on the 23rd of November 1428, when Field Marshal John Cleight of Stokengrad laid siege to Oswiezim, occupied by the rebel Jurij Nenadov, whom the Kingdom of Corveaux had recognized as King.

## Background

When the declaration of King Louis of Corveaux, that he would support the independence and religious freedom of any willing Vichinian protectorates reached the Westerlands, Duchess Elierena Harwick declared to a gathering of her vassal lords in the City of Bardiov, that she would remain loyal to the Vichinian crown after what the Corvians had done in Deepwater. However, two of her vassals, Jurij Nenadov and Hadrian Vyachlaw, were unhappy with this decision and rode home to their respective castles to muster an army.

In Vichin, King Florence II called upon John Cleight to muster his vassals and ride for the Westerlands to quell this rebellion, but Lord Cleight was met with astounding resistance from the Westermen, who would often use guerilla tactics and strike from their flank. John resorted to burning down the forests as he went so the rebels would have nowhere of hiding, and after winning against Lord Cunnington's forces at the Battle of the Camp on the 13th of November, John Cleight's forces marched in pursuit of the fleeing rebel army and laid siege to the port City of Oswiezim. He allied himself with the pirate Vargo Sixfins who joined his ships to bolster Cleight's miniscule fleet and planned his attack.

## The Siege

At the break of dawn, on the 23rd of November, Cleight's fleet, jointly led by Vargo Sixfins and Sergeant Barrister Croy, attacked the port of Oswiezim, where they were met with the strong standing fleet of the city. The naval battle quickly turned into a chaotic mess of entangles ships as the strong tides pushed the bulk of the two fleets into the harbour, where the onslaught continued. One group of Vichinian soldiers managed to ram down the weakest of the two port gates and enter the city.

Sir Barrister had been lost in the chaos, so three soldiers took over the command. While Sir Eyck Cadagan snuck through the city with a unit of foot soldiers to capture the gatehouse and open the main gate to John Cleight's armies, a soldier named Severin Golov took charge of the remaining archery division and struck at the bulk of the city guard with a clever manoeuvre, using ropes to trip the front lines of horsemen. Once the gates were opened, John Cleight led a charge into the city and took the rebel forces unawares. During the fighting, he was struck from his horse and nearly killed by an infantryman, until Eyck Cadagan saved him. The Vichinians managed to break through the barricaded Fort Ravelin, Jurij Nenadov was killed in the fighting, and the city was yielded to Lord Cleight.

## Aftermath

The battle marked an important victory for Vichin in the Western War, and even after the bloody stalemate at the Battle of Bull's Run, Vichin continued to hold Oswiezim until 1430, when it was taken by the newly proclaimed King Hadrian Vyachlaw of Edierne. The outraged pirate lord Vargo Sixfins, whose fleet had been destroyed in the fighting, seized his compensation from the vaults of Oswiezim without Cleight's leave, and journeyed to his home port of Anon where he continues to be a problem for the port towns of the Bay of Crabs.

For their valour in battle, Severin Golov earned a knighthood and was knighted by John Cleight himself during the victory feast after the battle, whereas Sir Eyck Cadagan, whose family had once ruled the Duchy of Volynia, which had been taken from them after Eyck's father rebelled and died in the Battle of Dog's Field, was granted a letter of recognition, giving him and his descendants the right to inherit and to own land once again.