Battle of Lirgal

Overview
The Battle of Lirgal was a battle fought between the Lunar City-State of Lirgal and a disparate group of invading forces, spearheaded by an Asitir Cult which sought to destroy the Lunar City. Fought entirely within the city limits of Lirgal, the battle was a first of its kind for Lirgal and had devastating results; despite a valiant defence, the Lirgalyn Army and their allies were overwhelmed and the city was lost to the attackers.

Following the Battle, the Lunar City-State of Lirgal fell into a period of rapid collapse; depopulating and falling into ruin.

The Battle
The Battle was fought across almost the entire city; beginning in the southern district of SouthWatch and coming to a head in the central Districts of Siralua Lirgal and Nightsky Plaza.

The Sundering of SouthWatch
The invading forces arrived from the South, flowing into the District of Southwatch. Their target was the Vitra Library, Lirgal's repertoire of knowledge. Within its halls were sacred tomes and ancient texts which the Asitir Cultists believed would aid them in their work to unravel the established doctrine of the faith and sow dissent and discourse wherever possible. The Library was also targeted by several mercenaries, who hoped to line their pockets with riches made from the auctioning of rare books or secrets held in the Library's inner sanctum.

The open plazas of SouthWatch had been fortified to the best of the abilities of the defending citizens; whilst the Lunar Guard focused on a strategy based around repelling the attackers at the gates, the citizenry erected hastily constructed barriers and roadblocks to try and hinder access to the district. When the attackers surged into the District, they poured through the streets towards the Library; the defenders had been preparing for an assault toward the city centre, and were caught off guard by this diversion. The Library fell in a matter of moments, with several fires breaking out as staff and citizens alike fled through the chaos clutching books and parchments to their chest. The attackers then turned their focus to the rest of the city, charging through central SouthWatch towards the bridge into the rest of Lirgal.

It was here that they met fierce resistance by the Lirgalyns and their allies; the Audaladae of Yimmu-Audal stood firm and locked their shields together, as fearless Sakrelist warriors of Sironia dove headlong into the enemy lines. The Lunar Guard cut down scores of foes in the central plaza, as the coalition of troops from across the continent slowly pushed the attackers back. Unforunately for the Lirgalyns, it was too little too late; the loss of the northern half of the district left their flank exposed, and the central plaza was soon overrun with cultists. As fires began to spread throughout the city, an order was given to withdraw to Scorpion Swamp-where the fortifications were far greater.

The Sullying of Scorpion Swamp
Scorpion Swamp, known for its creeping vines and narrow streets, was a far better defensive position than the open plazas of SouthWatch. As the defenders pulled back across the bridge, they manned barricades and prepared for the coming onslaught. The Rangers of Alavanea crept along the rooftops, armed with poison tipped arrows and unseen by all; when the first attackers swarmed into Scorpion Swamp, they were immediately met with volleys of arrows from the unseen bowmen. On the streets, the Sironians continued to offer stiff resistance; their unyielding attitude allowed them to become an extension of the barricades themselves, cutting down any attackers who attempted to scale them.

The claustrophobic streets of Scorpion Swamp became a chaotic miasma of bloodshed; as more and more attackers poured into the alleyways, they found themselves ensnared by booby traps or diversions; all of which were designed to cause maximum disruption, and to allow the easy dispatching of those who had come to harm the Lunar City. It was only when a derelict building, once intended to be the Embassy of the Lotus City-State of Vraelea, was used by the attackers to circumvent a barricade that the tides shifted. Suddenly, the path to the main Gate was open; the heart of Lirgal lay open, with scores of attackers rushing toward it.

Veterans of what was once the Empire of Lunaris rushed forth, delaying the advance of the attackers using their mastery of bladework to prevent their progress up the central thoroughfare. The fight for the Gate was ruthless; a great many defenders were killed, and for every attacker that was repelled it was as though another 3 sprung out of the very ground itself. Scorpion Swamp had fallen, and the fight had moved into the city centre.

Nightsky Plaza Perishes
With much of the city ablaze, an evacuation of Lirgal began. Civilians were ordered to flee via dockyards, escaping the city via the rivers and canals that lead throughout the rest of Aldovir. The centre of the city was locked down; the gates of Lirgal were shut just as they were during the Neo-Carnian Revolution, and preparations were made for a final assault. Several members of the government were by this stage either dead or missing; with the survivors taking command of the defenders in the city centre.

With the city surrounded, the attackers began assaulting the city centre with catapults and other projectiles; their aim was to shatter and demoralise the remaining defenders, so that they could easily sweep in and take control. Many citizens refused to leave; defending their homes with everything from ancient relics to rusty tools. Eventually, following a tremendous explosion in the Temple of Asitir, the attackers arrived; scaling the walls and throwing themselves into the city centre. An order was given from Gael Uí Néill, who was commanding troops from the City Hall, to delay the attackers as long as possible to allow the escape of as many refugees as possible via the north and east gates.

The fighting was furious within the city centre; houses were looted, citizens slaughtered, and the very air itself seemed to be ablaze. Through the chaos, the coalition of defenders managed to keep the attackers from Nightsky Plaza long enough for most of the surviving citizenry to escape. Once this was confirmed, the Lunar Guard and the remaining allied soldiers withdrew to the City Hall-for a final stand. The final assault on the City Hall was a chaotic swarm of swords on all floors of the capital building; from the ground floor to the rooftop, soldiers battled for control. In the end, facing overwhelming strength, the Defenders were forced to surrender the building and retreat through the eastern gate. Gael, refusing to leave, was killed in his office on the top floor of the City Hall.

Aftermath
The Battle and its aftermath are often referred to collectively as the "Fall of Lirgal", due to the tragic series of events that unfolded.

The entire Lunar Council of Lirgal either vanished or was killed in the fighting, along with countless citizens and members of the lower government. However, thanks to the staunch defence put up by the Lunar Guards and their allies, a significant number of survivors were able to escape the city during the fighting-however the records of what became of them are few and far between.

The Asitir Alaryn was likewise utterly destroyed by the battle; the Temple was occupied by the cultists, and its presumed that all of its inhabitants were killed if they hadn't departed prior to the fall of the city. With the Alaryn destroyed and the Holy City of Asitir in ruins, the Asitir faithful once more took the roads-many of them forming refugee caravans and setting off to find a new home.

The city itself was then fought over by the various factions which had attacked it-which ironically saved it from being destroyed outright by the Cultists, due to the failure of any one group from consolidating power over it. For the period that followed, the Lunar City-State of Lirgal slowly depopulated as more and more citizens joined the Caravans that set off in search of somewhere safe from the approaching Comet.