Siege of Helena

Battle of Upper Rodenburg Part of the War of the Two Emperors Surviving Renatian defenders stand atop Helena's walls Date: Tobias' Bounty 1716 Location: Helena, Renatus Result: Pyrrhic Renatian Victory Belligerents Empire of Renatus: Empire of Renatus Kingdom of Norland Rexdom of Krugmar Haelun'or Kingdom of Courland Reiter Mercenaries Holy Orenian Empire: Holy Orenian Empire Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska Golden City of Ves County of Leuven Kingdom of Curonia Princedom of Fenn Reiver Mercenaries Commanders and leaders Empire of Renatus: Godfrey III, Emperor of Renatus Martinus Horen Donald Dabber Alvar I, King of Norland Burbur'Lur, Rex of Krugmar Dimaethor Visaj, Sohaer of Haelun'or Holy Orenian Empire: Joseph I, Holy Orenian Emperor Marius II, King of Hanseti-Ruska Ecbert Devereux Alfred Myre, Prince of Ves Conrad De Falstaff Solarius Watanabe Aelthir Tundrak II, Grand Prince of Fenn Aelthos Tundrak Strength Empire of Renatus: 17,000 Infantry Holy Orenian Empire: 22,500 Infantry Casualties Empire of Renatus: ~13,900 dead or missing Holy Orenian Empire: ~18,400 dead or missing

The Siege of Helena was the siege of the Renatian capital in the second year of the War of the Two Emperors resulting in a pyrrhic Renatian victory, having been able to repel the invaders at great cost.

Prelude

As the Renatian regime built their megafortress of Loches, Orenian army commanders were not caught unawares. Careful negotiations with the Dwarves gained the Orenians a route of troop movement; this was reneged upon within the week after the Renatian diplomatic corps made their case to the Under-King. Instead, Oren and its allies would march through the historically neutral Cloud Temple and its generally uninhabited forests to arrive at the gates of Helena itself, skirting the defenses. Renatus, left with no further options, hastily recalled William Jrent and Robert d'Anpalais from Fort Loches to help plan a patchwork defense of sand pits, trenches, and archer galleries in and around the Imperial Palace and the city's main causeway. Just as they neared completion, the Orenian army and their siege weaponry arrived at Helena Fields.

Battle

After a short round of misfires on the part of Orenian trebuchets, and with the assistance of Haeseni sappers, the raised drawbridge of Helena was detached and a route opened for a battering ram. The great majority of Orenian siege weaponry then aimed at the Imperial Palace, blasting its roofing, and its frontal entrance, to shreds. For hours the Orenians would meticulously sweep the city in search of Renatian soldiers hiding among the citizenry before the high command sounded the order to ready a charge on the seat of Renatus. With minimal losses so far on either side, and it fast-apparent that the Renatian Legion was centering itself in a tight circle in and around the Imperial Palce

In and around the ruins of the intricate Gates of the Bastard Dragon and Dragon Empress, it is said a combined twenty thousand men died, their limp bodies forming new barricades for the weary defenders. For many hours, it seemed as though the Orenian soldiers had found their possible entry points at an end, before a breakthrough atop the former Parliament building of Helena. A breach atop its defensive platforms allowed Orenian soldiers to breach the wings and upper gardens of the Palace, though found too that a combination of foresight and unlucky trebuchet hits had collapsed their entrances into the throne room.

So, as the numbers of both sides dwindled to a quarter of their original sizes, the Orenian commanders issued the order to charge once more, and the numerically superior forces that entered were repelled by the elite soldiers Renatus had tasked with forming a final line of defense within the throne room, including such figures as Ser Aldis Chase and the one-handed Martinus Horen.

With supplies from the elongated route and useable divisions dwindling, Joseph I sounded a general retreat from the city, allowing Renatus brief respite before its own offensive.