Siege of Salt Lake

The Siege of Salt Lake (12 Ches - 7 Tarsakh, 1492) was a protracted siege of the forces of Amphail against the Plowshare Militia, an organization of tenant farmers that had captured Salt Lake. The Siege ended before serious bloodshed occurred, due to the timely intervention of the Breadwinners.
Though neither belligerent was affiliated with the Cult of the Dragon, the Siege of Salt Lake is considered to be part of the Great Dragon War, as the conflict ultimately brought Amphail into the Council of Waterdeep and was a defining moment for the Breadwinners.

The Conflict

Prelude

In 1488, Artus Goldfinch, the baron of Salt Lake, stole one of the Eyes of Akadi from the Salt Lake Temple of Akadi. In retribution, the temple's guardian inflicted a terrible drought on Salt Lake, exacerbating already tense relations between the peasantry and the Goldfinches. 
In early 1492, after four years of drought, Artus Goldfinch fell ill. Utilizing this opportunity, a farmer named Jonah Ward, better known by the moniker Harvest, who had been organizing the town's peasantry in secret for nearly a year, formally created the Plowshare Militia to seize Salt Lake for the peasantry that worked the land.
On the 12th of Hammer, the Plowshare Militia attacked, quickly seizing the town and confining both Artus and Enya Goldfinch to house arrest. This action drew the attention of farmers all around Amphail, many of whom left their fields and flocked to Salt Lake to join the fight.
Worried about the destabilizing effects a peasant uprising could have, and afraid of a potential drought if farmers didn't return to their fields, Lord Dauner Ilzimmer of Amphail ordered his levies drawn. Led by Harmon Tholme, the forces of Amphail arrived outside Salt Lake on the 12th of Ches.
There, the noble forces found that, though their soldiers were better equipped and trained than those of the Plowshare Militia, the peasantry outnumbered them. Unable to reach a compromise after negotiating with Gabriel Goldfinch, who had been given a degree of freedom if he spoke to the attacking forces on Harvest's behalf, and worried about ordering a bloodbath, Tholme opted to besiege the town, hoping to starve out the defenders.

Deployment

The defenders of Salt Lake constructed makeshift barricades around most of the town, utilizing spiked posts in order to prevent themselves from being overrun by Amphail's famous cavalry. The Plowshare Militia rotated defenders periodically, but a great number of militiamen had to be kept away from the front lines to police the rapidly overcrowding Salt Lake, a town that was never meant to hold as many people as it did during the siege.
The forces of Amphail were led by Harmon Tholme, a seasoned general who was more comfortable fighting raiders in small camps than besieging a small town. He ordered his soldiers to surround Salt Lake on all sides, save for the lakeside, and kept his cavalry in the rear, ready to charge should the Plowshare Militia make their move.

The Engagement

Ultimately the siege did not break out into full bloodshed, though it came close. Hearing of the conflict in Salt Lake, Lady Silverhand of Waterdeep ordered her forces to assist the besiegers. Knowing that Amphail was the weakest member of the Lord's Alliance, and desperate not to lose face, Lord Ilzimmer ordered Tholme to attack the town.
His attack never occurred, as the adventuring party the Breadwinners, which included the heir to Salt Lake Mariana Goldfinch arrived to the front lines to mediate a solution. The Breadwinners, infiltrating Salt Lake uncovered the Eye of Akadi Artus Goldfinch had stolen. With an escort from both the forces of Amphail and the Plowshare Militia, the adventurers fought Akadi’s Wrath and ended the four-year long drought.
Upon returning to the front lines, the Breadwinners met Dauner Ilzimmer, who arrested the Militia escort and attempted to force a fight. He was talked down by the adventurers and agreed to one final peace talk between himself and Harvest.
The peace talks occurred on the 7th of Tarsakh and were tense but fruitful. Artus Goldfinch was relieved of his title and arrested, to be held in Amphail. His title was then bestowed upon his daughter Mariana. In exchange for disbanding the Plowshare Militia and sending back the non-saltlaker peasants to their own farms, Harvest agreed to the formation of the Salt Lake Council, though he could never serve on it.  
Satisfied well enough, Harvest and Lord Ilzimmer signed the document, ending the siege.

Outcome

Still needing to adventure, Mariana Goldfinch, now baroness, appointed Gabriel Goldfinch her regent. Gabriel helped create the Salt Lake Council and began presiding over it.

The siege was the final mission the Breadwinners undertook to convince members of the Lord's Alliance of the the threat posed by the Cult of the Dragon. Following the end of the siege, the Breadwinners would leave to aid Agent Viné Seraph of Force Grey in infiltrating Castle Naerytar.
The Siege of Salt Lake is also the first recorded instance of the future heroes of the Great Dragon War going by the name of the Breadwinners.

Aftermath

Amphail had committed all their military resources into the siege. Once it was ended, Dauner Ilzimmer left to join the Council of Waterdeep. While on the council, Lord Ilzimmer acted as one of the greatest supporters of the Breadwinners.

Gabriel Goldfinch established himself as a strong yet caring ruler in the years following the siege. Following his cousin's establishment of the Tazmikillers, it appeared that Gabriel's time as regent was indefinite, though no one complained. His marriage to Isaac Kotter, a former member of the Plowshare Militia, further cemented him as a mediator.

Though the threat of a military uprising was quelled, the Salt Lake Council still inspired the peasantry of Amphail and its vassals to pursue greater rights for themselves. While this has not resulted in anything as dramatic as Salt Lake's Council, time will tell if this marks a true turning point in the nobility's control in Amphail.

Historical Significance

In Literature

The events of the Siege of Saltmarsh are best chronicled in The Wrath of Dragons, the definitive work of the Breadwinners, penned by a latecomer to the group, Esme Heavensong.

Included under Conflict

Great Dragon War

Conflict Type

Siege

Start Date

12 Ches, 1492

Ending Date

7 Tarsakh, 1492

Conflict Result

Conflict ended without bloodshed, Plowshare Militia dissolved, Salt Lake Council established

Location

Salt Lake

Belligerents

Amphail

• Lords' Alliance

Led by

• Dauner Ilzimmer
• Harmon Tholme

Plowshare Militia

• Plowshare Militia

Led by

• Harvest

Strength

150-200 soldiers
100 cavalrymen (lancers and knights)

300-500 peasant militamen

Casualties

Minor losses and injuries during brief skirmishes

Minor losses and injuries during brief skirmishes

Objectives

Return Salt Lake to the Goldfinches
Force the peasantry back onto their farms

Force Amphail to recognize peasant control over Salt Lake