Battle for the Capital

## Overview

The Battle for the Capital was a monumental period of struggle in the history of The Continent, occurring in December 201 AG during the Uprootings. Following the calamitous Ruinous Advance and C'thardjia's journey north following the Battle on the C'thardji Strip, The Fellowship planned to convene around the capital to the north and south, to wait 2 weeks before beginning battle. The resultant 14 day push to claim the Capital and eventually its Royal Palace saw underhand negotiations from the Fellowship's own jeopardise a lucrative relationship with a crime syndicate, bloody genocide, the storming of the Treasuricus (with it, a deadly unleashing of Dragons) and finally the securing of the Grenthyx Dynasty's Royal Palace. By 301 AG, it was thought that the conclusion of the Battle for the Capital was second only in importance within the Uprootings to the death of King Barren II Grenthyx himself in the Siege of Chaesterlyn.

## Timeline

### Two Weeks of Tension

On the 2nd of December, messengers riding around the perimeter of the Capital confirmed that Ch'mazi and Helmontan Matriarch Ophellaer Fyth had successfully arrived with C'thardji forces on the south side of the city, while the rest of the Fellowship's forces were stationed in the north. At the behest of Forkoux Fyth, a plan is followed which perplexes many in the Fellowship. It stipulates that in order to let the fear and reality of actual conflict set in amongst the already partially divided Grenthyx Force stationed inside the Capital, they would wait two weeks until they would attack to allow for this to happen. As a consequence, so Fyth theorised, at least more than would otherwise could be expected to surrender, thereby reducing the total potential amount of casualties in what all knew would be a decisive yet bloody conflict. Ophellaer, Mazi and Mhordyn's Tíras Theôs, though seeing his plan as strange, trusted him and waited patiently.

However, others were not so easy to comply. Though Fyth had made Airibi I Root of The Borrows, Lythe Armitage of Contra and Wilddar Braitbirn of Llanoreid aware of his plan nearly a week prior, they were infuriated in what they perceived to be a fragrantly foolish decision to give them time to build up their forces. In-particular, Teagus Nora, head of Contra's forces on its Advisory Council, objected on the grounds that they had already put great stock in the Helmontan Patriarch's wild theories and to put even more in would be to invite a greater risk of error; an outcome that would be unacceptable, so Nora maintained, at a time where they were on the brink of securing the greatest victory of the entire conflict. Concurring, Cesil Burnwyn and Alfret Codding were to face the wrath of Manton Fisher, Fyth's high aide, who argued relentlessly with them. By the end of the third day of fighting, the fact that they had already wasted time was a partial factor in their decision to end the fighting and to stick with Fyth's plan. Satisfied, Forkoux spent the time recovering from the Ruinous Advance and minor injuries he had sustained towards the end in Mhordyn on The Murndorl which had been brought down the Oppidan River.

In truth, the nay-sayers of Contra, Llanoreid and the Borrows were not willing to forestall progress without question. In secret, they would hatch a plan to compensate to their advantage for the lost time over the coming two weeks; a plan they would only reveal to Mazi, Tíras and Forkoux a day prior to their planned entry into the city on the 16th of December.

### Partisan Assistance & First Push

#### Partisans Prepare

Shoan Delrow and his partisans heard of the news of the arrival of the Fellowship from whisperings and spies in the Capital, knowing to expect open conflict very soon. They used the time between the latest news of the Fellowship's arrival at the wall and the end of the 2 week period to prepare and collate all the supplies to fight in any way they could. In truth, this was anticipated by Fyth earlier in the conflict, whose finance had kept the group of Partisans afloat to prepare them for this point since nearly a year earlier. He relayed this information to the rest of the group during their weeks in waiting, reassuring them of the assistance they would receive once inside.

#### Tension Brews in the Fellowship

On the 15h of December, a final pre-battle meeting was called for the Fellowship in which all attended. There, Airibi, Lythe and to a lesser extent, Wilddar, elaborated on the plan they had hatched for when they were to enter the Capital. They started by noting the role of crime syndicates in the Capital, particularly focusing on the notorious Righteous Blade syndicate - widely seen to be one of the sole benefactors of the waning of the Grenthyx Dynasty in the Capital. Root in particular was impressed that, by the mid 190 AGs, it had eclipsed even the once-dominant the Cobalt Spectres syndicate in notoriety and success. He saw this relatively quick ascension to be an indication of its effectiveness as an organisation; an effectiveness that he now sought to mobilise with the support of the others. Their proposition to Fyth and Theôs was to broker a deal with the syndicate to secure what they saw to be much needed support in the forms of arms and men. Not to do so, or worse yet - not to attempt to strike the deal - would be inviting far too much risk in an operation where any extra assurance of victory would be worth welcoming. Forkoux, with his intricate knowledge of the Capital, had also tracked the rapid expansion of the Righteous Blade. Though sedentary throughout the meeting, Fyth elaborated on what he saw to be a devastating moral case against any deal with syndicates given the forced labour, kidnappings, killings, family-destroying tendencies and general ugly, lack of moral awareness of its leadership. In addition, he made a practical argument that syndicates, and particularly a syndicate as infamously manipulative and overbearingly persistent as the Righteous Blade would hold them to every minute detail of their word, making the case that Root and his compatriots underestimated how ruthless they could be should they fail to see immediate returns. Quite aside from the potential of this, it was clear from their explanation that they intended to swindle the syndicate, with Forkoux having to infer (due to it being the weakest part of the plan) that they planned to crush the syndicate as soon as any occupation of the Capital commenced after a victory.

In spite of his plea, the others dismissed his concerns as outlandish and unverifiable, comforting themselves with the argument that with the C'thardji support Ch'mazi and Ophellaer Fyth offered, any resistance from the syndicate would prove futile. Fyth, once more, implored them to see reason and to trust his knowledge of the workings of the Capital, making the point that their methods and strategic know-how when it came to the city were beyond what any of their top strategists could ever conceive. Rather than to dissuade them from the plan, this only strengthened their conviction. Teagus Nora and Airibi's head of forces, Ronder Bridger, retorted, almost in unison, that their know-how and strategic superiority is precisely why they saw a deal with them as the best route to secure victory. Forkoux bemoaned yet further that they were,

> "Short-sighted fools; apes meddling with fire in a forest consisting entirely of dry wood; the extent of which you [they] know not."
>
>

As the meeting grew more heated, Theôs unexpectedly announced his sympathy for the plan, much to Forkoux's distress. He explained that although he respected Forkoux's knowledge, he would be confident that a way to alleviate the risk of the Righteous Blade posed after the victory would present itself during the battle as they also grew more familiar with the city. Ultimately, he reasoned that with this operation being the most vital of the entire war, they would indeed be foolish not to take any chance they could get, even if it meant doing a deal with the devil. The meeting disbanded, albeit with some delay arising from Wilddar being slightly shaken by Fyth's arguments and wanting to 'double-check' the course of action with his Advisory Council. Once they confirmed the decision, it was all but certain that the plan was to go ahead. However, Fyth was not content with enduring what he saw to be another instance of him entering another depressed state of disinterestedness at the rest of the group when they made a grave error of judgement. Instead, he settled to prevent the deal in any way possible, the importance of doing so even necessitating a commitment to sabotage and act against the rest of the Fellowship for the first time. As Fyth schemed aboard one of his studies in the Murndorl, the day of the entry into the Capital from both the C'thardji in the south and the rest of the Fellowship in the north arrived, and all was ready for an entry into the Capital.

#### The First Push & Time to Flee

On the 16th of December, the Dynasty and Fellowship forces braved the unusually frigid conditions to begin the first open battle the Capital had ever seen. In spite of strong numbers on their side, the Dynasty's forces suffered an initial lack of coordination, with their generals panicking at the prospect of holding off attacks from the north and the south. This was anticipated by many, not least the dynasty, being the occupants of the Capital and it representing the heart of its rule. However, the districts of the Capital that immediately clung to the northern and southern walls where the Fellowship advanced were largely neglected areas which the Dynasty had paid little attention to; thus leading to the last-minute realisation that strategic dominance may not belong to the side already inside the city after all.

Suddenly, early on this morning dead with silence, a great sequence of flames ruptured the stillness of the inky-black sky, shooting up and catching the sleeping men off-guard. Delrow's Partisans had put their spare time into use by organising strategically placed burnings of barracks in the northern and southern districts which clung to its walls where the Fellowship wished to proceed. The Grenthyx soliders scurried into action to attend to the flames only to be targeted by the Partisans in random attacks to soften them up for the impending arrival of the Fellowship, of whom Forkoux Fyth had anticipiated such a signal that they were to commence the attack. Indeed, entry into the Capital on either side was fraught but made far easier by the disarray and dispersion that the Partisans had caused. The day proceeded with significant gains for the Fellowship, establishing a bridge through which allies could flow between the northern and southern flanks of their forces by the end of the day. The two strands quickly acquainted themselves in the relatively short time permitted to do so, particularly with Forkoux and Ophellaer. Tíras and Mazi spent much time together as the other Fellowship leaders conversed with their counsels, such as Ch'matrin. Also that evening, the Fellowship had sent out a formal request to meet with Sedis-Maxima (de facto leader) of the Righteous Blade Syndicate, Xelius Pryce, as well as his delegation. This was after another unsuccessful 'last-ditch' attempt on behalf of Forkoux Fyth at avoiding having to do anything extreme by himself to attempt to convince Duchess Ch'mazi against the dealings. Though Mazi was somewhat ambivalent, she followed the advice of Matrin who had conversed at length with Airibi Root, Teagus Nora and Ronder Bridger in-particular. Fyth admitted privately to Ophellaer that would now be compelled to move to the next phase of his plan; herself outraged at the fact that Root and Lythe Armitage had decreed her say unimportant as her impartiality towards Forkoux was far from guaranteed. With the Helmontan Matriarch being in a fed-up, ruthless mood herself, she concurred with the Patriarch.

The meeting was to take place on the 18th, two days later. The following day saw a united effort to significantly push back Grenthyx resistance, much to King Barren's distress once the news reached his ears. In fact, by the 17th he had made the decision along with his council to vacate the Royal Palace out of an abundance of caution should the Fellowship pose a danger. Barren made his way out discreetly to return to Chaesterlyn, accompnied by Ladriani Andrade as a consequence. Fighting continued through much of the day, allowing the Fellowship to now control as much as one quarter of the Capital. This day marked a number of other evacuations of those nobility who wished to avoid capture by the Fellowship at all cost. Most notably, this included three members of House Euphratuman who resided in Euphratuman Place: Salnuram, Ereasélla, and Byzantia. Courtesy both of their strong relationship with Clan Kazadi and their familial presence in the form of Immasculata Euphratuman, they entered a temporary exile in the Kazadi controlled territory of the Mabuso Estate, Mabuso-Pala. Forkoux's recently widowed father, Randogor, however, wished to remain at House Euphratuman in anticipation that his son would find him. Of the nobility who did not flee, most of whom being shareholders in the Treasuricus bank, their reasoning was that they would risk the worst because they hoped to avoid displays of cowardice to the Fellowship, a power they increasingly saw to stand a real chance of holding power.

### The Syndicate Dealings

Meanwhile, Xelius arrived at the allotted meeting location in the Fellowship controlled Capital. There, a typically erudite and to-the-point Xelius stipulated what they could offer: men, training, weapons and invaluable strategic know-how and familiarity with the city. Prematurely enticed, Root in particular was less pleased when it came to the leader's demands: that should the Fellowship emerge victorious from the fray, the syndicate would require no oversight or interference in any of their activities and be allowed to accumulate power absolutely and unequivocally unopposed, enabling them to establish nothing short of a monopoly. This caused commotion amongst the Fellowship, as they were desperate to locate a way to ensure that they could swindle the syndicate such that the Fellowship would not end up having to obey their demands after the Uprootings had concluded.

Along with Lythe Armitage of Contra, his advisor, Cesil Burnwyn, made the move nobody had the stomach to make. He returned to the meeting (after deliberation time) stipulating that they would be willing to accept these terms only under the condition that between the time the Capital is taken and the conflict is deemed over, the syndicate would cease all *overt* operations (whose definition would be entirely up to the Fellowship) and further, that they use their considerable influence in the crime world to suggest others follow suit. After further deliberation time, Xelius and his inner circle declared an acceptance of the terms, but were only willing to commit to an *agreement in principle* pending a second meeting to officially ratify a contract. Seeing this final aspect as but a trivial formality, Root, Armitage and Braitbirn all but declared victory and celebrated their hard-won deal. Cesil Burnwyn was particularly highly praised for his quick-thinking between deliberations and nerve to provide a counter-deal. The two Fyths and their High Aide, Manton Fisher, meanwhile, had sat in the shadows of the meeting without so much as a single word. Fisher had elected to stare savagely at the proceedings while Ophellaer and Forkoux had resigned to a deliberately unconvincing neutral appearance, giving the impression that they knew something about the nature of the arrangement to Xelius and his circle that they did not. Forkoux, using his knowledge of the workings of the top syndicates, led only by the most astute and careful deal-makers, knew that this would be noticed, thereby setting his plan in motion.

In truth, the Helmontan Patriarch had been correct - Xelius at the very least noted Forkoux's strange body language during the negotiations. Knowing him to be a key part of the Fellowship, this was in truth a large reason as to why the Syndicate insisted on a second meeting to ratify the decision. As Fyth characterised him, always the careful and astute deal maker, Xelius knew that he and his circle needed time to consider these factors and their bearing on the future of their operations. From Forkoux's perspective, this was precisely the position he had intended to soften them into - a position which critically was now amenable to a visit from him accompanied only by Manton. Ultimately, Forkoux judged that the language of subtle yet powerful suggestion rather than coercion was one which the Syndicate would far sooner recognise than hostility, thereby making his eventual presence with Xelius that evening far more welcome. Xelius began by noting the stakes on his Syndicate that the agreement potentially had, and that Forkoux must tell him anything which might compromise its integrity in any way. Happily obliging, Fyth was in his element when he, with absolute honesty, stated that the other members of the Fellowship had absolutely no intention to keep to their promises, and (to the outrage of Xelius) that there existed no genuine difference between their spoken promises and something even as binding as a contact. Knowing he now had the full, undivided attention of the concerned Syndicate leader, Fyth reassured him in his most diplomatic tone that he recognised the onus was naturally now on him to prove to the Syndicate why his word should be privileged over his colleagues'. To this, Fyth explained:

> "To this end - the answer is mercifully brief and simple. You know of my extensive dealings with the likes of the Dynasty over the last decade. My record in dealing with those with whom I disagree is therefore plain as day. This, as your organisation will also know, trains one's judgment of intention in another. Let me tell you now, that I have categorically never dealt with anyone quite as loathsome or intolerable - and for our purposes tonight - untrustworthy and shallow as the likes of Root or Armitage. *Braitbirn is but their puppet*. Mazi and Theôs? Truthfully, unsure yet nonetheless complicit in their plan: to swindle you and wipe you out as soon as your services are exhausted to them. It is neither here nor there why I continue to associate with them: suffice to say that I have reasons which are unrelated to the suggestion I now make to you - exit this deal."
>
>

Fisher, who had been sitting aside from the Patriarch, rose as Forkoux swept from the room without another word, leaving the dazed yet deeply contemplative leader of the Righteous Blade seated. Satisfied, Fyth left their domain with a masked smirk and rested with ease that night.

The following day, when the second meeting began, Airibi, Lythe and Wilddar, expecting the finalisation of the deal, were seated in jolly moods. This was soon dampened when not Xelius, but merely a representative, entered the meeting room to read from a scroll which declared that the Righteous Blade syndicate had decided to immediately cease negotiations with the Fellowship due to factors brought to the attention of its leader. Following a swift departure, the Fellowship remained stunned for the remainder of the day. Even the return to their front lines in their ever-advancing boundaries could not quite shake their daze. Nor even the positive news which came from the significant gains the Partisans had made. Over the following days, suspicion grew from the triumphant character appearing in Ophellaer and Forkoux that the Patriarch himself had sabotaged the deal. After Root along with an incandescent Cesil Burnwyn confronted Fyth one evening, the smug Patriarch declared that he had prevented a decision that would have caused great suffering and torment, a decision which he suggested Root and Burnwyn take as a lesson sooner than an insult if they had, as he put it, any sense. Naturally, this only fuelled their furnaces of rage, a fact the provocative Patriarch was acutely aware of. As Tíras and Mazi learned of what had happened, their reactions were markedly less extreme. In truth, both had perceived Forkoux's persistence to be too strong for them to contend with and, though they saw him to be too radical in his actions for his own good, respected his determination and moral character all the same. While Ophellaer and Forkoux celebrated in private, tensions began to brew among the Borrosian forces, and particularly in their suspiciously silent commander, Ronder Bridger.

### The Wrennoc Massacres

Bridger had grown to resent what he saw to be a 'dove' attitude within the Fellowship; a willingness to forestall progress in the name of peace. Bridger became so frustrated that he saw the need to stage a demonstration to impress upon the Continent why the Fellowship ought to be feared. The following day, while Root was elsewhere, Ronder was on the ground commanding Borrosian forces pushing into the Wrennoc district of the Capital. The distract was neither poor nor rich, but populated in its modest streets with commoners who had provided the dynasty with shelter and warmth in the trying winter. This, to Bridger, was the prefect place in which to stage his demonstration. Sometime near midday, he ordered his troops, who had just crossed into the Wrennoc district, to carry out a massacre of untold proportions. They were to kill all they could find under the pretence of demonstrating the seriousness of helping the dynasty. Ordinary men, women and children were slaughtered mercilessly as his forces executed without question his orders - justifying them as being for the 'greater good' and in revenge for the Borrosians killed in the Capital. It was unknown truly how many people died, but the killings lasted for hours. Estimates ranged from 5,000-10,000 killed.

Once it became clear what was happening to the other kingdoms' forces as they moved in to the district to reconvene, they were shocked to find what was happening. General of Helmont's Gryhskor Guild, Glossop Eckashel, was beside himself when he worked out what was occurring. However, he knew as an astute general that to do what he wanted to do (actively try to stop the Borrosians) would threaten to shatter the whole alliance of the Fellowship and potentially have equally grave consequences if an unallied, unhinged Borrows were unleashed on the Capital. However, at the end of the day when leaders convened, Glossop approached Bridger as soon as he sighted him and delivered a significant blow to his face, rendering him unconscious. Forkoux, upon learning of the slaughter, was horrified and immediately insisted that he go to speak to the the victims. He wished to immerse himself in their pain, to share it, in the hope that he could prevent anything similar from ever occurring. Though, Fyth in his shaken state did not consider that he was elsewhere and couldn't have known about the plan even if he had the highest will to prevent such a tragedy occurring. The Borrosians, who were celebrating to the shock of even the vacant Wilddar Braitbirn, gradually began to realise the severity of what had happened, not of its moral severity but merely based on the idea that they might be punished. Forkoux, Mazi, Tíras, and Wilddar (or rather his council as he remained shaken) all agreed that no punishment could ever teach them of the deepness of the crime that they had committed other than having to live freely with it.

Airibi and Lythe however were less scathing. In fact, Root said he forgave Bridger, claiming that he had simply made a mistake. Lythe insisted that their lives were worthless in any case so it made little moral difference. In actuality, Airibi wished deeply to dismiss Bridger for the atrocity, and recognised it as such. However, his general had saved his life before and in his naivety, the young leader felt that he couldn't dismiss him. His attitude was to change, realising that he made a grave error in defending his general, and though he couldn't bring himself to condemn Bridger for the massacre due to its severity, he would be keen to look for any misstep from his general to dismiss him. At least in part, it would save him from any embarrassment - he was fearful of looking weak if he suddenly appeared to turn his judgement around on Bridger's actions in the massacre.

When Fyth returned from consoling families, he vowed to see that the Wrennoc district be given special attention during and after their time in the Capital to support the families, a cause which Manton and Tíras in particular concurred on. This would come from Forkoux's own wealth and a commitment to establish a group to help the district recover following the Uprootings. Eckahsel, admiring Forkoux's sensitivity, explained how he had to abstain from preventing the latter parts of the carnage and drew his forces away so that it was clear it was not done in their names. Fyth understood, and though he would find it difficult to outwardly support violence, inwardly smiled at the idea of Eckashel's blow to Bridger. In fact, Eckashel's power had caused Bridger to remain unconscious for a further two days, at which point the slightly shaken but nonetheless advancing Fellowship neared Causton Square and the Potestas district which held locations such as the Royal Library and grand Treasuricus bank. The latter, Bridger, who showed no remorse, wished to raid once again to repay what he saw to be prosperity stolen from the Borrows during the reign of the Grenthyx Dynasty. Root finally foresaw a circumstance which he could use to dismiss Bridger, assuming that it was plausible that Bridger could make some minor misstep which caused a delay to their advance or at worst failing to secure the bank. However, he could not have foreseen the calamity that would in fact follow.

### The Storming of the Treasuricus

As the Fellowship's forces entered the mighty Potestas district, progress was swift. While Llanoreid, Helmont, Mhordyn and C'thardjia veered along its edges in order to capture key strategic streets, Contra and the Borrows' forces congregated around the Treasuricus Bank, as per the orders of Ronder Bridger and Teagus Nora. Nora was acting against the wishes of Lythe Armitage and his top advisor, Cesil Burnwyn, though they were unconcerned with this as the pair were more concerned with Lythe's recent bouts of shortness of breath; a precursor to his laser health issues. The huge building's lavish design left it prone to attack, however a small guard remained on site to protect it. Their numbers were far too few to pose a threat to the impending Contran and Borrosian tsunami of vengeance, quickly ending a short-lived skirmish outside the bank.

The grand entrance to the bank was the best fortified location, and took the weight of many contrans and borrosians with tree logs until Bridger and Nora realised that their efforts were making no impact. Instead, they erected ladders and access points through standing on one-another to storm its stately windows, smashing into counting rooms and opulent hallways which fed into its central lobby. As the force flooded into the lobby, any remaining Grenthyx guards were significantly outnumbered and killed almost immediately. Bridger, who was present, took a hostage to demand to know the locations of vaults for the kingdoms of The Chaestlands, Truvenscia, The Opialands and Ephellindron - all loyalist kingdoms. Bridger was seeking to pillage the vaults and claim what he saw to be rightfully the Borrows' riches, compensation for what he argued was historical unfair treatment and hatred towards his people. Having nothing to lose, Ronder was elated when the guard cooperated, ignoring his pleas to cease the operation due to the presence of dragons who protected the extremely high-security vaults for the kingdoms who had entrusted their gold in the bank in return for access to the Grenthyx currency.

The forces split and journeyed into the deep underground high security vaults. However, they had underestimated the warnings of Dynasty guards, with each branch deep into the vaults finding a dragon guarding each vault to their target kingdoms. Luckily, most fled at the mere sight of the beasts, including Bridger himself, who had insisted on raiding the Chaestish vault. However, a particularly ambitious and foolhardy general at the Opian vault ordered a mixture of Contran and Borrosian men to slay the beast and break into the vault. However, after a brief foray with the dragon, during which its chains had been significantly damaged, a retreat began. The dragon, now agitated, easily broke free of its chains and began pursuing the fleeing forces down narrow corridors, funnelling a fiery furnace issuing from the approaching dragon. In all, the none who journeyed to the Opian vault survived, dying painful deaths. As the rest of the forces fanned out of the bank complex, large points now a smouldering ruin, the still agitated and traumatised dragon diminished their force somewhat further (though nowhere near the amount who had perished far below). The dragon took flight and was not seen again, escaping into the wild seemingly.

Following the unsuccessful operation, Airibi finally had his reason to dismiss Bridger, who was swiftly denounced and replaced the following day. He had not banked on such a disaster occurring in the storming of the bank that would see many of his own men lose their lives; but the moment was nonetheless opportune. Lythe Armitage was passively disgruntled while his head of forces, Teagus Nora, sent a squad immediately to see that Contra's vault was safe and secure as soon as she learned that the building had suffered damage. The others were concerned yet again by the doings of the Borrosians, whose reaction would be far worse had Airibi not dismissed Bridger. This fact somewhat improved moods, though Forkoux held deep concerns about the future of the Treasures as an institution and the stability of the Grenthyx currency when assets ceased to be frozen as they had been since the inception of the conflict. While the storming had taken place, the Fellowship had secured the city's hub, Causton Square, and other surroundings landmarks such as the Royal Library and Provincial Court. An increasingly concerned dynasty knew it now had to double up every effort to block a path to the Royal Palace. Though the King had long since evacuated and was, by now, safely retreated to Chaesterlyn, the loss of the Capital was seen a devastating prospect and would all but indicate one outcome of the conflict: a Fellowship victory.

### Final Sweeps and The Fall of the Royal Palace

#### Final sweeps

With well over half of the city now under Fellowship control, the next stage was to secure all key strategic positions before advancing to the Royal Palace itself. Braitbirn insisted, a rare event in itself, that the forces of Llanoreid were to secure the premises of Oppidan Shipwrights, an organisation known in years prior for fuelling the dynsaty's shipbuilding forte. Despite Root's dismissal of Ronder Bridger, after the events at Wrennoc and the Treasuricus, all except Contra agreed that the Borrows would not be involved in the immediate advance, instead tasked with assisting Ophellaer Fyth providing relief to the parts of the Capital in distress from the battle - much to the Helmontan Matriarch's displesaure. Nonetheless, Contra and Llanoreid proceeded to key dynasty positions fortified by the remainder of their Capital force.

Meanwhile, Helmont under Forkoux were to carefully advance into the more affluent areas of the Capital, including Russella Hill, the locations of houses such as Euphratuman, Anderon and Pryce. Advancing across all fronts, Patriarch Forkoux Fyth visited Euphratuman Place to meet with the only remaining resident there following a mass exile - his father, Randogor Euphratuman. Recently widowed, the 61 year-old Randogor was comforted by the presence of his son and was grateful to see the Helmontan forces, fearing for his life due to the recent events in Wrennoc at the hands of Borrosians. While the others progressed in this phase, Fyth remained at his childhood home as his Gryhskor forces under Eckashel secured the houses of the other aristocracy to ensure they were all accounted for.

By the 28th, all areas were secured outside of the Royal Palace, with casualties either side but a substantial amount of surrenders on behalf of the dynasty. Fyth exited his home to reunite with Eckashel, and indeed with Root, who had finished his time demanded by the others assisting Ophellaer in providing relief to the affected citizens of the city. As the remaining forces on the Grenthyx Dynasty's side prepared for an attack on the Royal Palace, the Fellowship met in full in order to commence their attack on the royal palace to commence on the 29th.

#### The Fall of the Royal Palace

With the worst of the winter weather lifting, the Fellowship and dynasty forces clashed on the way to the expansive Royal Palace. Progress was slow throughout the 29th, the deadliest phase in the closing forary to the battle. During the scurry, many lives were lost on either side, though once more this was reduced due to surrenders. During this fight, Redginold Latimyer of the Grenthyx Force perished while fighting a particularly verhelent batch of Cotran soldiers. By the early hours of the 30th of December, the Fellowship, headed by Glossop Eckashel and his Gryhskor Guild, had reached the main gate of the Royal Palace.

For a time, entry into the now relatively unguarded palace proved impossible due to the immense design of the point of entry. In spite of its beautiful and ornate appearance, it was also engineerd to impeccible strength. However, after some time Forkoux joined Glossop at the gate only to open it immediately for them with a key. Fyth revealed that he had acquired it during his time with his father in Euphratuman place thanks to their closeness to the crown. Once inside, the Fellowship met little resistance due to the diverted force that had met them in battle outside the palace. However, diplomats remained including Hadryan Andrade, Forkoux's estranged brother-in-law. Andrade had been ready to speak to the Fellowship ever since the previous day, when Jean Arrelar had instructed him to stay as he himself fled to the Chaestlands. Feeling humiliated by this blatant cowardice, leaving him to do the work, and with his necessary capitulation to a brother-in-law he loathed. With him, Hadryan agreed to a surrender of the Capital, completing his humiliation.

### Victory and Occupation Preparations

As Hadryan Andrade signed a decree of surrender, the Battle for the Capital ended in the afternoon of the 30th of December. Shortly after, Jorjaeryn III Grenthyx arrived at the palace days later only for the Fellowship to form groupings. Certain parts of the palace were used by Tíras, Forkoux and Mazi while other parts were used by Lythe, Wilddar and Airibi (who was now franticly searching for a new general for his forces thanks to his dismissal of Ronder). This was intentional on behalf of the former three: they had planned to make their dealings with Jorjaeryn as discreet as possible and thus wished to temporarily seclude themselves. Lythe, Wilddar and Airibi enjoyed the spoils of war that their sections had to offer, including the throne room which was defiled. All the while, Ophellaer was still helping with recovery efforts elsewhere in the Capital.

As Gryhskor Guild members escorted Jorjaeryn III in for fears of his safety, Tíras and Mazi prepared a small banquet for them to discuss over. Conversation was sombre with Jorjaeryn angry at what had happened in the conflict. Forkoux reassured him of his grievances with the other members of the Fellowship, while Jorjaeryn reassured the group that he had very little control given the scale of the influence of bad actors in the reigns of power in the Dynasty. Reassurances were provided on the following occupation of the Capital, whose terms were agreed upon following the meetings with Jorjaeryn. This was to the distress of Lythe's Cesil Burnwyn, who was enraged that they had secluded themselves and negotiated with what they saw to be a criminal and chief agitator in the Dynasty. Fyth dismissed Burnwyn, showing little care for him and his compatriotrs' anger. This end of this fallout period of the Battle for the Capital consolidated one of the most important periods in the timeline of the Uprootings.