New Jellhem Massacre

The New Jellhem Massacre was the opening skirmish in the Stormgovan Civil War fought in the streets of New Jellhem between the Loyalist forces of Elizabeth Hrafn and the Jayist forces of Jaycob Hrafn. The results of the battle were inconclusive, with the Jayist forces being forced South into Bergusheim while inflicting greater casualties onto the Loyalists.

Course of the Battle
The skirmish began when, during the coronation feast of Elizabeth Hrafn, Jaycob Hrafn believed Elizabeth had hired an assassin to kill him during the feast and, upon the sudden movement of a feast-goer nearby him, Jaycob ordered his guards to force the man away, and as things escalated, the unknown man ended up dead, and the Royal Guard became involved, snowballing the fight into a genuine skirmish as Jaycob Hrafn and his personal Notusan Guard were forced out of the New Jellhem Cathedral and into the streets of New Jellhem. There had already been starkly divided opinions on the coronation of Elizabeth Hrafn, meaning upon seeing the fighting between the two guard forces, many citizens of New Jellhem became involved in the fight and swelled the numbers of both sides, and many took the opportunity to burn and loot the city.

Early Stages of the Battle
Both sides suffered very light casualties as the Jayists withdrew from the Cathedral and broader capital district as the belligerents were still in a state of disarray and unable to crush the other before the skirmish escalated. Neither Elizabeth nor Jaycob were seriously threatened during this stage, although doubtless had either been killed, the civil war would never have escalated like it did.

Middle Stages of the Battle
The arrival of citizenry swelling the ranks of both sides expanded the scope of the battle. The Jayists, seeing that they were outnumbered, made the decision to attempt to control the two major bridges on the Vetr River, thereby essentially cutting the city in two and allowing them to bottle the core forces of the Loyalists.

Clashes between mobs throughout the city paid little heed to the battle proper, as despite the use of dark fire magic and small rivercraft ferrying troops, the Jayist forces lost control of the bridges and were forced to retreat deeper into the city, leaving flaming buildings behind them. Elsewhere, a group of Jayist civilians forced their way into Hrafn Castle despite the resistance of the guards stationed there and managed to make their way to the throne room, looting many priceless artifacts, most of which were recovered as the Loyalists swept through the castle and forced the trespassers out.

Late Stages of the Battle
Despite the status of the battle being on a knife's edge, Jaycob made the decision to withdraw his forces South, ensuring his survival and enabling him to raise a larger army for subsequent battles. Rivercraft on the Vetr continued to harry Loyalist forces and isolated battles raged as the core of the Jayist forces made their measured withdraw south, eventually ending with them escaping the battle, leaving the city in the hands of the Loyalists having inflicted greater causalities and suffered very little that would hurt their chances in the broader war.

Legacy of the Battle
The end of the skirmish favored both sides. Elizabeth was able to raise an army among those Stormgovans loyal to her, enabling her to march on Seal Cove, leading to the battle of Notusan Fields, while Jaycob was able to gather his own forces from the sympathetic cities of Seal Cove and Veruta.