Sarpyar

Sarpyar is a small fortress on a hilltop in the Sürgün Günlükleri ("Exile Chronicles") campaign, held by Lord Verdun Kobelar about half an hour from the village of Vadiyurt. Naturally strong, it has a commanding position but a single way out by land. Kemp Corvus's company, carrying Baron Vermont and his family away from their forest house, planned to rest at Vadiyurt and Sarpyar on the road to the baron's winter house.¹²³

Vadiyurt

The convoy found Vadiyurt burned and half collapsed. Its storehouses and homes had been emptied and its doors broken in; the tracks were mostly those of heavily armed men on foot. A first look found no bodies, but a closer search turned up several, with sword, spear and mace wounds, some struck again after death, and remains in the burned buildings; the smouldering timbers showed that the attack was recent. No more than ten dead were seen, while most of the village's people, some twenty households and more than a hundred souls, were missing. The soldiers judged the raiders to be at least two or three hundred strong.⁴⁵⁶⁷

A messenger sent ahead to the fortress returned to say that when the great force was sighted the bell had been rung, and some of the villagers who could flee had taken refuge at Sarpyar. Lord Verdun said the rebels had first called on the villagers to join them, and when they refused, had seized their goods by force.⁸⁹

Refuge

The fortress courtyard was full of shaken, weary refugees, mostly women and children, gathered around a great cooking pot; some of the wagons were left on the bridge for lack of room and as a barricade. The refugees filled everything but the upper towers and the council room. The fortress had ten soldiers and about a week's food, and had sent owls to call for help. Besides the refugees it sheltered a war priest, Rorek Morn, and the dwarf mine owner Grom Kızılsakal with his guards.^1011912

Expecting a call to surrender, the defenders reckoned that by eating the pack animals and rationing hard they could last ten or twelve days. They chose to give the soldiers first share and the villagers enough to stay alive.¹³

A raven came in at a window and turned into the mage Sylvia Linz, mistress of a wizard's tower in the region. She promised food within a few days and advised, if things grew desperate, destroying the bridge.¹⁴¹⁵

The siege

Hundreds of rebels camped in the ruins of the village. Their commander, Rainer Karga, rode up to the walls and called on the fortress to surrender unconditionally, promising that all inside could leave with their lives and goods; Verdun refused. Rainer then offered single combat and said he would return at noon.^16171819

At the war council in the lord's chamber the baron, Verdun, the house mage Klobus, the priest and the company weighed the challenge. The priest went out and fought Rainer before the walls; he lost, but Rainer spared him, and since victory did not oblige the fortress to surrender, Kemp refused to yield and the siege went on.²⁰²¹²²

In the days that followed music and drinking were heard from the enemy camp, which grew in small groups, with riders coming and going; word came that a force had been sent to break the siege and would arrive within ten days if nothing went wrong. A crossbowman from the rebel camp, Marcus Boldvar, came by night to warn of a murder plot, and a legionary carrying poison was caught inside the walls.²³²⁴²⁵

On the eighth day of the siege most of the enemy marched west, the way the company had come, though at least fifty or sixty stayed outside. On the ninth day the rations were very small: two pieces of bread and a little cheese for the soldiers, one piece and less cheese for the villagers. The remaining enemies withdrew into the northern forest, and an owl sighted approaching riders.²⁶²⁷

Relief

A regular cavalry force of some two hundred and fifty to two hundred and eighty riders arrived, some recognised as the crown prince's guards, and the gates were opened. Its commander, Colonel Joseph Wilhelm, reported that the siege was lifted and the rebels beaten in three clashes. He could leave no soldiers but gave every man of the company a horse, and after a rest of eight minutes his tired riders galloped back to guard the prince.^28293031

As the company left for Tal'gard with the baron, the refugees went back to rebuild their village, and the fortress's soldiers helped them.³²