BLCC-18

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BLCC-18

Erzenur Castle after CC-18

Set 1

Scanning The Battlefield

Set 2

For The History Books

Set 3

Duel Of The Fates

Set 4

Noble & Proud

# Silver is Steel

## Lore

*The scar upon the Sultanate festers.*

*Sultan Unqid’s dream of conquering the Imperial cities of the Perassic Sea is known to all of Calradia. Months ago, his campaign targeting the city of Danustica was meant to bring about the first of many glorious victories along the Perassic coast. Unfortunately for the Sultan, the campaign only resulted in his own city, Husn Fulq, being sacked and captured by the forces of Empress Rhagaea, which were under the control of an ambitious Duke Ethynol.*

*Since Duke Ethynol’s notorious campaign against the Aserai and his capture of Husn Fulq, he has used his command over the armies to marry into the royal family, proclaiming himself Imperator of the Calradic Empire through marriage to the deceased Emperor Arenicos’ daughter, Ira.*

*Sultan Unqid has made his intentions of reclaiming Husn Fulq clear to all. He has publicly vowed to the Aserai that he shall not enjoy the luxuries of being a Sultan until the city is reclaimed. Thankfully for the Sultan, his Pashas have confirmed what he has been long waiting for... An army has finally been assembled to reclaim Husn Fulq. Unqid need only now lead it to victory.*

*Imperator Ethynol will not give up his crown jewel without a fight, though. For if his conquest is stripped of him… The political ramifications for the South Empire could be deadly.*

*Centuries ago, Husn Fulq was a coin scale, flipping sides to whoever could pile on the most silver. Now, silver has become steel.*

## Post Event Lore

*The reclamation of Husn Fulq (which has, at urging of the Empress' followers, also become known as 'Bath') has failed, the Sultan's armies driven back once more, with Dux Ethynol having cemented his position as the next Imperator(-Consort) from his marriage to Princess Ira.*

*Yet unlike his previous engagement with the Vlandians, the Sultan avoided a full disaster. Indeed, for a moment it seemed if he might wash away that dishonor by slaughtering the forces of the Empire in the same way. The Imperial vanguard was scoured from the field, the banner touched by the Empress' hand taken from them. But the Sultan was no fool, bringing his forces back together for the next phase of the battle before they lost cohesion. His wisdom was soon proven.*

*Bitter fighting ensued as the rest of the Imperial host was deployed to the battlefield, both sides beginning a war of maneuver. The Aserai might push onto a rock the Imperials held, then the Imperials would take the camp and take the Aserai's rock only to then have to defend it. Skirmishers on both sides deployed, working to bait the other into an unfavorable engagement, sometimes successfully but more often not. Warriors waited in ambush, trying to catch the enemy by surprise.*

*Unqid pulled off masterful flanks, pulling infantry and cavalry flanks at the same time as his archers kept the Imperials pinned to anything resembling hard cover. Ethynol's men responded to his quick redeployments with a professionalism that put Garios' traitor legions to shame. And in the end, it was Ethynol who took the victory for his mother-in-law and wife, reclaiming the lost colors of the Calradic Empire in the process. It was not easy, but the glory of victory is all the greater when it is won against a worthy opponent.*

*And Unqid was not done proving that worthiness - he had lost the field battle, and so his luxuries would go unenjoyed for months more. Yet where fate had saved him from facing the lion upon the Rock of Garontor, the heavens now demanded he prove his courage in the defense of Shibal Zumr.*

*He had prepared well for the siege, emptying nearby quarries to have the necessary provisions for a siege. Piles upon piles of stones, entire armories of arrows, and the poleturners emptied their workshops of javelins to use against the Imperial assault. The hammer of the Empire came crashing down upon Shibal Zumr, storming the walls and the caves with steel and fury, and at each line of defense it met a crushing deluge of projectiles. The Aserai kept losing ground, the Sultan taking a crossbow bolt to the shoulder as he led his people, but they were making the Imperials pay dearly for every inch, and ultimately managed to secure the castle and force a withdrawal. Sultan Unqid too had proven himself against a worthy opponent.*

*Though the Aserai had failed to liberate Husn Fulq, they had held their heads high and only lost a Khuzait castle that, ultimately, was of little strategic value to them. They were still poised to liberate their city, and would harass caravans to it to soften the ground for the next attempt.*

*Though Shibal Zumr still stood, Ethynol had once more cemented his worthiness and secured the legitimacy of Imperial succession. And if rumor is to be believed, his marriage with Ira has gone on swimmingly with her noted absence from the sparring fields...*

## Aftermath

The Southern Empire took Erzenur Castle from the Aserai Sultanate.

## Links

Event post: [1]

Wrapup post: [2]