Siege of Falador
| Conflict | |
|---|---|
| War of 164 | |
| Date | |
| 164 Fifth Age | |
| Place | |
| Falador and northern Asgarnia | |
| Outcome | |
| Pyrrhic Asgarnian victory, re-evaluation of Burthorpe - Asgarnia relations, alliance formation between Asgarnia and the Dwarven Realm, increased fortification of Falador's walls, complete end to Kinshra political influence, coronation of Lord Daquarius as Kinshra leader | |
| Combatants | |
| United Asgarnian militants, White Knights, Temple Knights, Falador City Militia, Falador City Guard, Burthorpe Imperial Guard, United Refugees and Citizens of Asgarnia, Dwarven Black Guard Ice Mountain Branch, Wizards' Tower Agents | Kinshra, Wilderness Mercenaries, Asgarnian Tribal Goblins (excluding Garagorshuun and Thorobshuun), Chaos Dwarves |
| Commanders | |
| Sir Amik Varze, Kara-Meir | Lord Sulla, Thorbarkin |
| Strength | |
| 4,000 White Knight cavalry and infantry, 2,000 retired White Knights and peons, several Temple Knights, 5,000 Falador City Militia, 2,000 Falador City Guard, 50,000 citizens, refugees, and free agents, 900 Dwarven Black Guard, 600 Burthorpe Imperial Guard, 100 Wizards' Tower agents, several hundred trebuchets and catapaults, 100 Pig Fat Bombs, Gar'rth | 4,000 Kinshra cavalry and infantry, 10,000 Goblins, 100 White Wolf mounted cavalry, 4,000 Wilderness Mercenaries and Arms-For-Hire, 100 Wilderness Berserkers, 500 Chaos Dwarf footsoldiers, 100 Chaos Dwarf Mortars and Dwarf Multi-Cannons, Jerrod |
| Casualties | |
| 3,000+ White Knights, 1,000+ White Knight elders and peons, 3,000+ Falador City Militia, unspecified number of free agents, approx. 200 Dwarven Black Guard, approx. 200 Imperial Guard, 100 Wizards' Tower agents | 90%+ of all soldiers |
The Siege of Falador was a massive battle that occurred during the Year 164 of the Fifth Age, fought primarily between the Kinshra of northern Asgarnia and the city of Falador. The battle was the final major conflict of the War of 164, ultimately giving Asgarnia a pyrrhic victory over the Kinshra.
The battle was the ultimate endgame of Lord Sulla, a Kinshra lord that had risen to power by assassinating the successor of the late Lord Shadwell. Allying himself with multiple mercenary, criminal, and tribal organisations, Sulla had managed to deal considerable damage to Asgarnia as a whole.
Background
Morytanian Conflicts
In the winter of the Year 164, a werewolf named Jerrod was employed as a personal agent of Lord Lowerniel Vergidiyad Drakan, the vampyre overlord of Morytania. Drakan, having conquered Hallowvale during the cataclysmic God Wars of the Third Age, had long been an open enemy of Misthalin and the human kingdoms beyond. However, due to the intervention of the Seven Priestly Warriors during the late 1100s of the Fourth Age, Drakan had been unable to send his hordes to invade the region, the holy River Salve and the Paterdomus temple impassable. For millennia he would continue to hold Morytania under his thumb, unable to expand his borders beyond the Salve.
In 164, the River Salve was breached by a young rebel werewolf named Gar'rth, who sought to escape Morytania and abandon the werewolves' bloodthirsty ways of life. Endowing an ancient and secret spell, he managed to cross the Salve and travel far to the west, miraculously managing to avoid detection even as he travelled through the Misthalanian capital of Varrock. The werewolves' extremely low birth rate, however, made such departure unnacceptable to House Drakan and the werewolves of Canifis.
Seeking to bring Gar'rth back, Drakan sent Jerrod, a distinguished werewolf veteran and uncle to Gar'rth. Crossing the Salve with the direct aid of Drakan, Jerrod passed through Misthalin and into southern Asgarnia, a process that took several months and took a heavy toll on his nerves.
Jerrod, whilst searching Asgarnia for his nephew, was forced to feed on travellers, farmers, and wandering gypsies, his brutal murders prompting a massive influx of refugees to seek shelter in Falador. After failing multiple times to find Gar'rth, Jerrod allied himself with Lord Sulla, the leader of the Kinshra. Proving himself a valuable soldier during the Battle of the Monastery, Jerrod played a key role in the events of the War.
Kinshra Front
Meanwhile, as Jerrod searched Asgarnia, Sulla usurped the Kinshra throne by assassinating the successor to Lord Shadwell. The victim, an unpopular lord that had failed both militarily and diplomatically since his inaguaration in 163, was not missed.
Sulla, an infamous Kinshra veteran, immediately put into motion his war plan, which would ideally wipe out the Asgarnian government and end the White Knights. Gaining the support of some 500 chaos dwarves under the Zamorakian extremist dwarf Thorbarkin, Sulla's military capability was bolstered significantly with the addition of gunpowder-based artillery.
Nearly doubling his powers by hiring mercenaries from the Wilderness, Sulla's army became a severe threat to Asgarnian homeland security. Sulla then managed to liberate roughly 10,000 goblins from the goblin tribal settlements near Ice Mountain, making his numbers far greater than the White Knights'. Only the Thorobshuun and Garagorshuun tribes, which had been on peaceful terms with their human neighbors since roughly the Year 720 of the Fourth Age, refused to aid Sulla.
Allying himself with Jerrod, Sulla led his force of 20,000 soldiers to the pine forests north of Falador, thus beginning the final phase of the War of 164.
The Battle
Mobilisation of Faladian Forces
The Kinshra first came from the North and began burning the settlements in the grasslands north of Falador, and began driving people south. At this time, large groups of thugs and mercenaries in the Wilderness began mobilising, and so too did the goblins. Theodore, Kara, Doric, Gar'rth, and Castimir heard of the Kinshra movements from travellers fleeing towards Falador. This prompted them to return to Falador in a hurry. Falador already had knowledge of the attack by messenger from Edgeville. The White Knights were in discussion at this time, and mobilisation had not truly begun.
Messengers were being sent to the crown prince in Burthorpe, but he did not promise to act (because he was under dark influences, but this was unknown to Falador).
It was decided to not deliver a pre-emptive strike at the Kinshra, for Sir Amik believed it cause them lose their moral standing. Sir Amik's plan was to allow Falador to be besieged, and to have the city guard fight on the walls where the larger numbers of the enemy force as well as their main advantage - advanced cannons - would be less effective. This was disagreed with by many, but the city began preparing for the siege regardless.
The people of Falador were overly confident in the city walls, as they were indeed quite grand, yet were no match for the advanced Kinshra artillery.
Initial Faladian Resistance Effort
At the walls, Faladian citizens and Faladian Guard were doing all in their power to prevent the Kinshra from entering the city, this included sharpened spears surrounding the city, and requesting military assistance from Varrock. Varrock refused to give aid to Falador, and the Kinshra's higher forces eventually overpowered Falador's initial resistance, and it was up to the Guards within the walls, and White Knights to defeat the remaining Black Knights.
The Siege
The Siege of Falador persisted for just under a week, and as the enemy forces ravaged the city, Falador's food was being consumed faster than previously anticipated. Sir Amik himself was injured severely in battle, as well as Sir Vyvin, who had lost his right eye (As he currently wears an eyepatch) Young peons, and new recruits into the White Knights, were forced to battle despite their inexperience, as were many citizens and refugees.
The Breaking of the Wall
The Kinshra, with the Chaos Dwarves under Lord Sulla's command, used the multi-cannons to breache the wall. First came north, then east. The breaches in the wall have been very important in the novel Betrayal at Falador, as thanks to the breaches, Sulla had an advantage.
In West Falador, slightly South-West of the bank, there is a crumbled wall. Often used as a shortcut, this could possibly be a remnant from the siege.
The Black Knights rushed through Falador's crumbled wall, raiding and killing all in the east side of Falador.
Aftermath
As the White Knights fought the remaining Kinshra forces, one of the main Commanders of the Kinshra was killed battling a group of White Knights. Seeing one of their commanders fall by a sword through the heart, the remaining Kinshra forces fled the city in fear. Soon, the White Knights and the remaining Faladian guards chased down the Kinshra to the forest just north of Falador. The Asgarnian forces cried out in victory. News of the White Knight's victory spread quickly. With White Knights victorious, the Kinshra grew furious, and since then, have been plotting once more to seize control of Falador. The death toll was high, with the Kinshra having lost over 90% of their warriors and the Asgarnian forces suffering over 7,500 casualties.
Notable Combatants
A † denotes the individual was killed during the duration of the battle.
United Asgarnian Forces and Allies
- Sir Amik Varze
- Kara-Meir
- Squire Theodore
- Gar'rth
- Doric
- Ebenezer
- Castimir
- Sir Tiffy Cashien
- Sir Kuam Ferentse
- Sir Vyvin
- Commander Blanheim
- Captain Ingrew
- Lord Tremene
- Lord Radebaugh
- Squire Marius
- Bhuler †
- Colonel Payne †
- Master Segainus †
- Master Troughton †
- Master-at-arms †
- Sir Pallas †
- Sir Erical †
- Sergeant-at-Arms