Conjured Siege

See also: History of Absalom

The Conjured Siege was an unsuccessful attack on the city-state of Absalom by the Arclords of Nex and magical school of the Arcanamirium in 2850 AR.

Background

Several centuries after the disappearance of Archmage Nex, the Arclords of Nex managed to gain control of the nation of Nex and reinitialized hostilities with the nation of Geb, while hoarding any scrap of information regarding their lost master.

This did not end well for the Arclords, and they fell from grace and were exiled in 2279 AR. They settled on the nearby isle of Jalmeray, where they committed the unprovoked genocidal extermination of the indigenous Sunghari people on the Jalmeri island of Kaina Katakha. The destruction was so complete that the haunted island remains uninhabitable more than 2,000 years later.

Hoping to spread their influence beyond Nex, the Arclords also founded the Arcanamirium, a prestigious school of magic, in Absalom after being exiled. However, they Arclords were easily driven out of Jalmeray by the returning rajas of Vudra and their army of genies in 2822 AR.

Meanwhile, Absalom was in the throes of its Age of Excess, during which foreign organizations took over the city's Grand Council for centuries following the enactment of the Proxy Laws in 1997 AR. Absalom's citizenry had grown to blame the council's two major foreign factions, the Blue Lords of Taldor and Cult of the Hawk from Osirion and Qadira.

The construction of the Primarch's Residence, under the despotic Primarch Daynce of House Ryeen, became the breaking point for all sides. Lord Daynce demanded that the Arclords design tremendous magical illusions to provide him with sufficient comfort to exercise his exacting and demanding rule over the city; the illusions' complexity, which included programmed false inhabitants and events, required power drawn from the demiplane of the Crux of Nex to sufficiently entertain him.

Daynce's demands and the city's corruption wore so greatly on the Arclords that by 2850 AR, they had recruited the Arcanamirium to join them in an attempt to overthrow Daynce and usurp control.

Events

Bitter after the loss of the island of Jalmeray to Vudra, the Arclords spent great amounts of money, time, and influence to hire, summon, charm, and even magically create an army to attack the city. The Arcanamirium contributed to the assault, which began as only as a targeted removal of the city's leadership, but it quickly devolved into an all-out war against the city's district watches.

The city's supplies during the siege became critically low, and Absalom nearly lost the siege due to their military commanders' incompetence and inexperience after centuries of revelry. In addition, Absalom's foreign allies decided not to come to its aid, assuming they could take over the city once the Arclords finished with it.

Absalom eventually defeated the attackers by threatening any who could not contribute to the defense with hanging or banishment, and by hiring ruthless mercenaries, assassins, and demon summoners. They were also assisted by the Ashawar Lancers, a company of Vudrani soldiers who had already successfully defeated the Arclords on Jalmeray.

Lord Dayne also ordered the execution of the entire High Council✝ and replaced them with sycophants, but was soon killed by the forces of the Arclords and Arcanamirium, who then paraded his body through Absalom's streets.

Outcome

Despite the death of Lord Dayne, Absalom's desperate defenses held to eventually repel the Arclords. However, due to their underhanded tactics, many of Absalom's citizens were unsure about which side had been the greater villains.