The Necromancer's Siege of Liscor happened during the Second Antinium War, ten years before Erin arrived at Liscor.
Background[edit | edit source]
After the Second Antinium War had started, the Necromancer, Az’kerash, led a massive army against the port-Kingdom of Desonis, where he quickly overwhelmed the kingdom’s army but did not approach the capital. Rather, he seized a local port and departed for Izril. He then landed to the north of the continent, and his arrival would herald a plague that swept the Human cities while his armies grew in number, leaving only death in his wake. With an army consisting of draugr, advanced and incredibly powerful zombies, wraiths, crypt lords, wights, and bone giants, he marched south, towards Liscor.
While he was advancing south, he clashed with the Goblin King’s forces once, and the battle between them ended in a stalemate. After the battle, both forces largely ignored each other. He then marched his army to Liscor unimpeded by exploiting the fractured nature of the militaries of both Humans and Drakes.
History[edit | edit source]
Beginning of the siege[edit | edit source]
The Necromancer's armies besieged Liscor and cut the continent in two. Because of him, the Drakes could not assist the Humans and vice versa. Perhaps this was to aid the Goblin King as well, because it meant neither side could assist one another while the Goblins enjoyed the use of the High Passes. The Necromancer's armies even spread out past Liscor while he besieged the city, heading south of the Blood Fields to harvest more bodies for his army and caused much damage to Drake lands.[1] He even obliterated an Antinium army that was sent north, although he did not make them into undead.[2]
As the siege of Liscor began, the Liscorian army withdrew around their city in advance of his assaults, and held the walls of Liscor as he concentrated the bulk of his forces in an attempt to bring it down, with his powerful undead and the aforementioned bone giants to assault Liscor’s walls. The Liscorian army was forced to fight the undead on the walls and slew the giants only at great cost. Though his giants failed to break Liscor’s walls, they had done such terrible damage that there was no hope of Liscor repelling the undead alone.
In the next stage of the siege, he inflicted plagues on Liscor’s inhabitants, launched rotting corpses over the walls and personally unleashed his magics on the city’s defenders. Against all odds, every citizen fought to defend the city and endured for four weeks, hoping against hope for relief.
Relief by Zel Shivertail and prolonged siege[edit | edit source]
When Zel Shivertail heard of Liscor’s plight, he abandoned his battles against the Antinium to march north, with three other Drake [Generals] and their armies. They cut a path to him and assaulted the entrenched army around Liscor.
On the first day of the battle, Az'kerash slew [General] Hekiss, then [Generals] Vusso and Misa on the second. Only Zel Shivertail remained as the undead forces threatened to overwhelm both the city of Liscor and the attacking army.[1] Zel Shivertail's Skills mainly revolved around defensive formations and holding the line, and he lacked offensive strategies and thus was unable to launch a decisive strike that would corner Az’kerash. Every time he would charge at his position, Az’kerash would screen himself with his undead troops or disappear. Meanwhile, the Necromancer also couldn't kill Zel - not by magic, overwhelming numbers, nor ambushes. Zel's rallying presence and Skills kept the defenders of Liscor from folding under Az’kerash's devastating attacks.
The siege became a stalemate for months, as both forces refused to retreat or give up. While Liscor's defenders were thinned out or levelling, the Necromancer's army slowly swelled in number with reanimated defenders and freshly created greater undead. After three months, Liscor reached the breaking point.[2]
Relief by Klbkch and break of the siege[edit | edit source]
The situation changed completely when an army of Antinium lead by Klbkch came to Zel's forces as allies.
Klbkch sent the first wave of Antinium Soldiers at his undead army, crushing the Necromancer's zombies in an instant, boring down a bone giant, while the Draugr held their ground and grappled with the Antinium Soldiers. The undead army was full of horrors and the Soldiers stalled. Klbkch sent the second wave of Antinium Soldiers crashing into the backs of the first wave of Soldiers, not slowing even as they ran into the backs of their comrades. They trampled ally and enemy alike, pushing forwards without regard for casualties on their side. The undead were unprepared for the savage momentum that carried the Soldiers forwards, and their lines began to cave in.
As the third wave of Antinium assailed the Undead, Zel took all his forces with him and attacked as well. Az’kerash held his ground, trying to stop the attacks from Zel and Klbkch’s armies. But then Liscor’s gates opened and a group of Drakes poured out. Attacked from three sides, his undead army was engulfed.
As the Necromancer was cutting down Drakes and Antinium with black magic, reanimating their corpses and hurling them at his enemies, he turned to run at Zel's advance, using spells like [Deathbolt] at the Drake [General], which Zel could duck. Zel hit Az'kerash in the chest with his bare claws, and tore through whatever protection the Necromancer had on him. After the Necromancer stumbled, Zel tore him apart and threw both halves of his body to the ground. With his defeat the undead around him stumbled and then began to fall and crumble, unable to sustain themselves without their master’s mana.[3]
Aftermath[edit | edit source]
Az'kerash was (falsely) presumed dead after his siege was broken. The Free Antinium and Klbkch entered into a treaty with Liscor that allowed them to stay there permanently.
Because of the number of citizens killed and others emmigrating due to the Free Hive being established, Liscor lost its traditional method of crafting Shield Spider armor for a time.[4]