| Category | Wars | |||
| Period | 1553 - 1554 | |||
| Theater | Hells Womb | |||
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| Map | Lirgaza |
The Siege of the Eastern Capital was the final decisive engagement of the Artery War (1546 - 1554). The battle unfolded within and beneath the ruins of Zayr, across a vast network of tunnels and chambers. The most heavily fortified and trapped areas were those pathways leading to the submerged access points of the Pyramid of Merioss.
In the initial stages of the siege, the deceased Councilor Dax, one of the leaders of the Black Tide, wreaked havoc upon the assailants, showering them with a deluge of flames. Commanding the formidable Pyramid of Merioss, which remained impregnable for many months, the assailants resorted to burrowing beneath Zayr, assaulting its defenses, while down the coastline at the Pyramid, attacks were orchestrated by aquatic mercenaries; Lacedon (former allies of the Black Tide), Scrag, and sahuagin.
Six months later, requiring the full might of the Council of Nine, the Pyramid was breached. The level of arcane energy expended was such that it attracted one of the wardens of the Web of Magic. Kloidan, a former Syndic of the Council of Nine, was pulled into the Web and lost. After the Pyramid was breached, Dax and his Knuckle-Bone Slingers retreated to the escape passages, traveling south to the ships of his old friend Jariall.
The Pyramid's fiery power was then directed towards the still-haunted ruins of Zayr. After softening the defenses, platoons of Githlarâk blasted their way in with their Gith Lances, clearing a path for the regular army. The battle raged for three more months across the city-sized ruins and through a maze of tunnels. On 14 Brightstar 1554, the Siege of the Eastern Capital was finally declared over.