Battle of Pawns

The Battle of Pawns was the inciting conflict of the War of the Storm. It took place in 988 in the Vundkragi city of Vazendred. It was the boiling point after several months of rising tensions among several prominent groups within the city, including a thieves' guild, the clerics of a prominent temple to Marosk, the adventuring party Denouement, and most of the city's wealthiest nobles. Issues central to the conflict included a betrayal in the ranks of the thieves' guild, a scandal surrounding one of the Maroskian clerics who was discovered to be embezzling the temple's donations, challenges to Denouement's credibility after a recent shameful failure, and a complex affair perpetrated by Lord Kaster Heavyhammer.
The battle was preceded by a duel between Argos Gelvend, a paladin of Marosk who was serving at the temple, and Otka the Unmoved, a barbarian and member of Denouement. During the midmorning duel, which was witnessed by a crowd of several hundred at the center of town, a fight broke out in that crowd of uncertain causes, with witnesses describing how two Maroskian clerics killed a man who appeared to be an innocent bystander. Guards apprehended them for the crime, but were stopped by several hooded figures later identified as members of the thieves' guild, followed by these figured being attacked by the clerics. Several nobles sent their personal guards or even stepped in themselves to fight for various factions as the crowd was overtaken by complete chaos. In the midst of the fight, the ghost of a deceased lover of Lord Kaster appeared to him and, as he later recounted, briefly explained the cause of her death as having been at the hands of Maroskian clerics. In a blind rage, he ordered his considerable militia to fight against anyone wearing Marosk's silver gauntlet.
The fallout of the battle was tremendous. Several executions and rebellions took place in the following weeks, and crime rose dramatically in the city, while many citizens moved elsewhere. Royal investigators came to believe that several key figures in the battle had been under some magical influence, while others had been carefully manipulated for many months. At last a cabal of nobles was discovered to still be actively assisting the spread of crime, and evidence was uncovered to suggest their having masterminded the battle. They were interrogated with minimal success and executed about a month later. Their last words, spoken by each of them one after the other, were "The storm is coming."
The effects of the battle extended far beyond Vazendred, with many powerful relatives and allies of people who had fallen moving to exact their revenge against whatever faction they deemed responsible. It was, however, only the first of its kind, and indeed not even the most complex in the conflict to follow.

Conflict Type

Battle

Start Date

10 October 988

Ending Date

10 October 988