March 2018 Challenge: The Siege of Tarynth

[aeshnidae]

Got a late start on this one (don't you hate it when work interferes with mapmaking?), but here goes...

Some 450 years past, the kingdom of Shannara was plunged into a second decades-long civil war between the great houses of Weston and Wickham. In 910 A.C., the forces commanded by Lord Wickham sacked Tarynth, capital of the realm and seat of House Weston, and Lord Janos Wickham installed himself as king. Driven out of the city but not conceding defeat, forces commanded by Lord Philip Weston and his allies laid siege to the city in 912 A.C. House Weston was aided by rebel forces inside of Tarynth, who had been subjected to vicious and depraved treatment by the self-styled King Janos and his cronies. Both of the great houses also called upon the services of mercenary companies from the nearby realm of Duscany.

For now, this is just a very rough sketch of the city of Tarynth. The upper portion is the Old City; the rest is the New City, with the Royal Quarters and Military Quarters behind their own walls. Not yet visible are Freedom Bay, to the west, and Angler's Bay, to the south. I plan to show where various military and rebel units were stationed towards the end of the siege in 913 A.C.

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tarynth sketch v2 (sm).jpg

[Tonquani]

Great start. I'm looking forward to seeing where this one goes...

[elboe]

Looks good so far, with a nice back story. Good luck.

[aeshnidae]

Thanks, guys! I'm working on incorporating a hand-drawn battle map feel, something a commander would review to plot his advance. Next I'll add trenches and palisades dug/erected by the House Weston forces.

### Latest WIP ###
Siege of Tarynth (sm).jpg

[aeshnidae]

Added important buildings, hills, trenches, palisades, trees, water color, and a ship. Still need to add legion and rebel positions and an inset that shows the broader area.

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Siege of Tarynth v2 (sm).jpg

[Meshon]

Looking good! It makes me think of a map smuggled in to the city by a spy in a desperate midnight run, maybe through that section of the East wall with the gap in siege works.

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[aeshnidae]

Thanks, Meshon! I plan to add some handwritten notes showing the siege operations (tunneling, trebuchets, siege tower). I was thinking the map would be in the possession of a field commander but I like the idea that it would be smuggled into the city in order for the rebels there to coordinate with the Weston forces outside the walls. That would give me a good reason to add arrows showing how the troops intend to move on the city.

I might ditch the idea of an inset showing the broader area, since it's not immediately relevant to the forces assembled around the city.

### Latest WIP ###
Siege of Tarynth v3 (sm).jpg

[kacey]

I really love the colours you’ve chosen for this, it looks really good so far.

[aeshnidae]

Thank you, kacey!

I've added more troop units, arrows to show planned troop movements, and some notes. Is it too busy with the added notes? I want to include some notes, since the map is being used for military planning purposes, but I don't want it to be overwhelming.

This is the decisive battle that cements House Weston's victory after a long stretch of fighting. The city of Tarynth has many Weston sympathizers, including most of the City Guard (who preferred living under Weston rule). Throughout the night prior to this battle, the City Guard and other rebels in Tarynth closed the gates leading from the old city to the new, effectively shutting the Wickham forces out of the Old City. Some rebel forces entered the New City in an effort to barricade the gates between the New City and the military barracks. At the same time, a small band of Weston forces to the south made their way through a narrow, unguarded sewer exit to assist the rebels. To the west of the city gates, Weston bowmen line the hillside, ready to fire on Duscan mercenaries in the pay of Janos Wickham.

I did some research on medieval sieges and troop movements. The estimated numbers vary wildly (from 2000 soldiers to well over 10,000 soldiers) and a lot of what's written (and survives) about battles is exaggerated. So I'm aiming for some realism here, but not going to worry about it too much.

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Siege of Tarynth v4 (sm).jpg

[aeshnidae]

I added some a bit more to the bay areas, to make it feel less crowded; switched up the paper background; made some minor changes to font size and placement; and generally futzed around a bit. I'm pleasantly surprised by how quickly this came together!

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Siege of Tarynth v5 (sm).jpg