The siege

In late Spring the scouting parties from the king's armies began. By early Summer The watch towers were tracking massive troop movements. By midsummer the city of Arsenal was surrounded and the siege began.

Keygan felt the city was ready, they had been preparing for this very thing since they'd learned of the tragedy at Grandee months earlier. What the king's armies had not learned was that the more powerful Wardens within Arsenal had nearly completed the most massive magical evacuation attempted in over a thousand years. Far to the south off the coast of a different kingdom, in the long abandoned island city of Redoubt, the other wardens were making their new home. The civilians, injured and green recruits had all already evacuated. With them had gone, the books, archives, and magical artifacts that Arsenal had guarded for longer than anyone could remember. Gone was any unnecessary furniture or equipment, food, water, weapons and medical supplies were all that remained.

Most of city was booby-trapped, Keygan and the Warden Captains knew it was destined to fall. The only worry that remained to Keygan was trying to get Jerle to evacuate before the bulwarks here began to fail. Perceptor Hardigan, the former perceptor of the city of Weisslund urged the same, it was clear that Jerle was still not fully recovered from his heart seizure. He would not however admit it to anyone and refused to yield to advice that he evacuate. He argued that if Arsenal fell his duty was to fall with it.