True to his god but not to his word, the Sword of Cyric known as Saxton Brand launched his assault on the town of River's End a tenday in advance of his original announcement. The surprise attack eliminated avenues of preparation the town's defenders had hoped to undertake, but the plethora of allies and heroes who joined the town's defense was sufficient to mount a formidable
defense. Some wondered why the Cyricists gave the defenders as much time as they did but these questions soon muted in the face of the marching monstrous hordes.
Compelled to Cyric's worship by the power of Divine Conversion, apostates of the gods of the orcs, gnolls, and goblins besieged the city from multiple directions; those postulating that the Cyricists intended to overwhelm the town with sheer numbers seemingly had their predictions confirmed. Powerful monstrous lieutenants commanded the enemy's battalions, including a fearsome ogre necromancer, a goblin champion, and a gnoll champion. Perhaps surprisingly, only a few of the Swords of Cyric joined the fray, scattered amongst the monstrous hordes. Saxton Brand himself remained out of the battle for much of it, overseeing all that transpired from an unseen vantage point.
To meet the invaders, River's End had the allegiance of the New Arcane Liberation Front and the dozens of adventurers, mercenaries, and even merchants who rallied to the town's cause. Additionally, these heroes called for aid from across many corners of the Sword Coast. Allies, supplies, resources, and more arrived to the town in droves.
From Baldur's Gate, heroes from the Guild, the Commons, and the Houses of Darius, Lyonaler, and Portyr joined the battle fighting side by side with aid from the faiths of Mystra, Helm, the Triad, Chauntea, Tymora, Sune, Kelemvor, and the Red Knight. Members from the Barony of Triel and the elven settlement of Doron Amar stood shoulder to shoulder with mercenaries from the Myradon Vindicators, the Bladestone Foundation, the Masquerade Court, the Phoenix Company, the Harpers, and the Green Enclave. Even the faithful of Talona and Auril arrived to lend aid: apparently their displeasure with the self-proclaimed One True God was sufficient to earn their participation and the nature of the Cyricists' surprise attack afforded no time for anyone to object.
Curiously, the majority of the Mystran delegation departed River's End for parts unknown just as the signal bells announced the imminent approach of the enemy host. Those who witnessed their departure might have recognized some among the group as Knights of the Mystic Fire. But there was precious little time to assess why they would do such a thing.
The fighting was fierce and devastating on all fronts. The perimeter defenses organized by the defenders took out many of the invading armies' forces but their sheer numbers were impossible to overcome by traps, snares, and stinkbombs alone, even slowed by the plant growth summoned by allied druids. If any wondered why the Cyricists did not even bother to demand the conditions of their initial threat to be met before attacking, few could spare the question any time before battle broke out in force. Goblin sappers strapped head to toe with smokepowder sacrificed their lives to obliterate the gates at three different points in the city's walls.
What followed was chaos and bloody attrition as the invaders breached the city's perimeter and penetrated into the town itself, only to be rebuffed and pushed back out by the defenders. Would-be surprise attacks at the town's fortress stronghold, well in the town square, and the barracks at the southern district were met by guard forces staged near the exits to the underground tunnel system scouted in advance by the heroes. A lone ballista launched salvos in to the enemy ranks to the north.
Slowly, the heroes turned the tide. As one by one the enemy subcommanders fell to the united forces' weapons and spells, Saxton Brand finally chose to enter the engagement himself. Slaying his hostage Ivarra, the captured Myradon Vindicator, the Sword of Cyric attempted to unleash the power of Divine Conversion upon the defenders in a final act of treachery. Perhaps he did not know that the Mystrans had long since developed a protection against Divine Conversion's power for River's End and her defenders had already been warded in advance of the siege. His efforts came to naught.
In a climactic final engagement, the united defense force of River's End slew Saxton Brand in the market square just as Hellrider reinforcements summoned by Triel's House Marshall arrived from the east to rout the remaining monstrous hordes fleeing from the battle.
The battle was won but at an indubitably high cost. Beyond infrastructure, the cost in terms of casualties was undeniable. Of the forces that rallied to the defense of River's End:
- House Lyonaler soldiers took out many more enemies than most but at a heavy cost. Of the 11 soldiers that departed for River's End, only 6 returned to Radiant Crossing.
- The Bladestone Foundation fought valiantly with the militia they trained but were just barely able to hold the incursion from underneath the fortress. Of the 10 guards that joined the defense, only 5 would return to the Foundation.
- The Myradon Vindicators' Support Rapid Response Force barely managed to fend off an enormous troll during the battle. 6 Vindicators joined the battle and 4 returned to Greenest.
- Mercenaries from the Masquerade Court fought valiantly but suffered significant losses. Only 2 of the 5 mercenaries would return to Baldur's Gate, including Rafe Landers, their commander.
- The anonymous band of heroes was unable to obliterate the Swords of Cyric they encountered, but neither did they suffer defeat. All three heroes survived to fight another day.
- The Knights of the Triad slew more of the enemy than most, while suffering only moderate casualties. 4 of the 5 knights who arrived at River's End would return to Baldur's Gate.
- Helmites from the Temple of Helm in Baldur's Gate cut swaths through the enemy forces while sustaining only minor casualties throughout the battle. All 10 of the Helmite soldiers would return safely to Baldur's Gate.
- The shambling mounds summoned by the former Councillor of Doron Amar were surprisingly effective, dealing massive casualties to the enemy.
- Knight-Captain Rhaena Clearwater, the former Apostle of Castus Micaela Navar, and the Chauntean Druid Wentworth Hearthhome all survived the battle unscathed, each contributing to the town's defense.
- The New Arcane Liberation Front suffered significant casualties. Of the 10 magi that fought for the town's defense, only 4 survived. All of their golems were dismantled and smashed by the monstrous hordes. Sierra survived the battle, with Sierra concentrating her efforts on counterspelling the worst of the enemy's magic while her Warden and a certain mage ensured her safety.
- Of the 80 town militia that manned the walls, more than half survived to tell the tale. Bolstered by the almost endless bounty of supplies, armaments, healing supplies, wards, and funding, while the town militia were not incredibly effective against the enemy forces, they nonetheless persevered.
- Of the town's remaining 900 civilian population, the vast majority lived, having taken shelter in the stronghold fortress or fled to the Radiant Crossing in advance of the battle.
And so when the sounds of battle cleared, it was only muted joy and cheers that greeted the heroes. More frequent were the wails of mourning as families realized they had lost their homes or their loved ones. The defenders managed to save key buildings - the town's fortress stronghold among them - using the Lyres of Building prepared in advance of the attack. But much of the rest of River's End was destroyed by the devastating magicks unleashed by the enemy forces, and some by friendly fire and collateral damage.
Despite the high cost, the Town Council led by Torias Kane expressed their gratitude to the heroes who had assembled in the town's defense. They knew in their hearts that without these willing souls, River's End would surely have been laid to waste. The Cyricist host that marched on the town had only been overcome through the defenders' united efforts. What remained of River's End could be rebuilt, however long reconstruction might take.
In the aftermath of the siege, a heavily battered Mystran delegation returned to the town. Unbeknownst to most, the siege of River's End was not the only operation that took place that day. Rumors of the Sharran agent known as Twilight (and Dolores, among other aliases) had circled River's End ever since Robb Strong had abandoned Baldur's Gate. With a powerful relic at hand and Twilight's machinations in play, the Knights of the Mystic Fire chose to operate in secret in order to secure both.
Executed by the Servant of Mystery known as Justinian, the Mystic Fire Knights and their Mystran magi laid a trap for Twilight under the flowing waters of the Chionthar itself. Having located the relic in question, they ambushed the Sharran agent as she attempted to seize the relic for herself, successfully trapping her within a containment spell.
What the Mystrans did not expect was for the Swords of Cyric to have followed them. The Sister of Strife Tamarinne led the bulk of the Swords of Cyric's forces in a second surprise attack just as the magi were about to transport Twilight back to Baldur's Gate.
As battle unfolded underneath the waves, Justinian was wounded and captured. Twilight broke free of her imprisonment and attempted to invoke the relic, now revealed to be the Heart of Oblivion, sometimes known as Oblivion's Tear, a legendary Sharran artifact of untold power. But in the process, a certain tiefling interloper lashed the Heart with her Moonmaiden-blessed whip, cracking the relic!
It was then - for unknown reasons - that Tamarinne chose to smash the relic herself; the resulting explosion swallowed everything in night. What remained when Mystic Fire reinforcements finally arrived was only a few Mystran survivors, their reluctant allies, Twilight, and a few damaged shards of the Heart.
These revelations delivered by the Mystran survivors to the victors at River's End confirmed what some may have long suspected. The siege was always a distraction; the Cyricists had thrown away hundreds of lives just to occupy the attention of the champions of the Sword Coast. But for what? Their efforts had borne what seemed to be questionable results.
Questions linger. For what purpose did the Sister of Strife Tamarinne capture the Mystran Justinian? Why did she leave Twilight for the Mystrans? What did Twilight intend to do with the Heart of Oblivion? And can the Cyricists still enact their intentions with only a fragment of the relic they coveted?
For these, it seems speculation is the only immediate answer.
// Thank you again to everyone who attended the event, and major kudos and gratitude to Soulcatcher and Cowboy who I cannot thank enough for helping me run this truly massive event. Please do not hesitate to let me know if I missed anything, there was truly a lot to keep track of. If I missed anything, battle-related, please let me know!
