Odessan Invasion

The Odessan Invasion is a series of events leading up to an Odessan attack on Wydmoor Free City in 1401 Heavenfall. It covers a wide range of events with speculative ties to the takeover of Iros Forge and assassinations in Wydmoor, starting with the unseasonably warm weather and flooding of 1400 Wintercusp/Whitefall.

Significant Events

Late 1400: Unseasonable weather in Wydmoor region

• 1400 Harvest(?)-Wintercusp: unseasonably cold icy rains
  • Centered on Iros Forge
  • Buildup of snow and ice significantly disrupted travel in region
  • Mose detected that the ice and snow were 'somewhat evil'
• 1400 Wintercusp-Whitefall: Weather turns unseasonably warm
  • Buildup of ice/snow leads to immediate flooding
  • Severs ties to Iros Forge completely, washing out roads and bridges
• Warmth ends in Whitefall, and temperatures immediately plummets
  • Road to Iros Forge remains impassible due to road damage and cold/snow
  • Occurs immediately after the party clears the Tomb of the Barbarian King
  • Seemingly no correlation between barbarian mummy and rain
• Significance + speculation
  • Iros forge is a significant source of Wydmoor's economic strength and military equipment
  • As a naval power, Odessans have strong weather mages
  • Cold would have stifled Iros Forge natural resources (food, etc)
  • Following rains would have cut them off from support from the City, and allowed a takeover to operate in secret

Late 1400: Political instability in Wydmoor Free City

• Edrell's ascension to Captain of the guard
  • Apparently outsider in Wydmoor
  • Disrupts a figure loyal to the Mayor
  • Election supported by poor and funded by Thieves' Guild
• Tensions regarding tax collection
  • City guard, particularly under the jurisdiction of Fenn Lynrick in the merchant ward, are not adequately collecting Mayor's taxes
  • Mayor's men disguise themselves as guards and "collect taxes"
  • Frequent conflicts between city guards and mayor's men
• Murder of mayor's men
  • Germain and some guardsmen ambush and subdue Mayor's men
  • Mayor's men turn up dead the next day--Germain didn't kill them! Swear to Alexandria!
  • Men suggested that the Mayor's wrath would be "severe" since Germain stopped them
• Significance + speculation
  • Events were a considerable disruption in Wydmoor defensive structures
  • Much easier to launch an offensive on Wydmoor in its current state
  • Thieves received some extra leeway from Edrell after election
  • Thieves also stood to gain from conflict between guard and mayor--did they antagonize it?

Whitefall 1400: Wydmoor fire

• Fire in the Wydmoor slums
  • Arson sparked a fire that destroyed most of the eastern part of the city--namely slums
  • The cities poor, who were the support base of the current captain of the guard, were largely ejected from the city
  • Led to seizure of slum land by the mayor and the suspension of many economic laws
• Diaspora of Wydmoor's poor
  • Mayor refuses to waive entrance tax, keeping the poor outside the city
  • Areas around Wydmoor full of refugee camps
  • Harsh winter leads to heavy casualties
• Significance + speculation
  • Considerable political incentive for the Mayor to cause this fire
  • However, also incentive for the invaders to start it and confuse blame
  • Destabilized the cities main internal defenders--the city guard
  • Refugees could be a considerable complication defending the city, and may even be a source of discontents that could join or aid the Odessans

Date Unknown: Capture of Iros Forge

• Iros Forge, west of Wydmoor, is captured by a presumably Odessan force
  • The roads were unavailable for some time, so no one noticed when it happened
  • We found the place badly damaged but apparently operational, holding a large army flying odessan banners
• Significance and speculation
  • When the bad whether cleared, emissaries from the forge arrived for the mayor. It should have already fallen by this point. Why?
  • Iros Forge is a significant source of income for major Wydmoor figures
  • It is also a source of powerful Red Iron, a high grade military metal

Heavenfall 1401: Wydmoor assassinations

• While the party was investigating Iros forge, there was a coordinated wave of assassinations in Wydmoor
  • Successful assassinations of the Bank treasurer and many City Councilmen
  • Survivors: Edrell, Dandrell, Theodora, Calvis Wydsomme
  • Bog Wraiths not targeted
• Took out much of the city's elite
  • Again, considerably weakens Wydmoor's internal structure
  • Appears to have been executed by the same hobgoblin/odessan perpetrators of the Iros Forge takeover
• Speculation + Significance
  • Clearly part of the invasion
  • City council seems to have been the most vulnerable--is it significant that the mayor survived?
  • Requires a lot of expert knowledge of Wydmoor--did it have inside help?

People and Organizations of Interest

Odessa

• Mixed force flying Odessan banners that has taken over Iros Forge and is marching on Wydmoor
  • Considerable number of Hobgoblins in the force--Hobgobland is on the Odessan/Wydmoor border
  • May have also seen a character of Elvish decent--elves and Odessans have a relatively close relationship
  • Not entirely sure how the force is affiliated with Odessa
  • Why are they working with Hobgoblins?
• Inside support from Wydmoor
  • Some actions, especially the assassinations, would probably require insider knowledge
  • Significant disorder in Wydmoor leading to attack could be a coincidence, but it probably isn't
  • Multiple suspect groups/people could be aiding them, and are discussed below
• Iros Forge takeover
  • Almost certainly aided by unusual weather patterns--probably by weather mages
  • After the rain, some people left iros forge to report to wydmoor--mayor's men + others?
  • These people must have been Odessan agents?
• Assassinations in Wydmoor
  • Carried out in part by hobgoblins--how did they get into the city?

Calvis Wydsomme

• We originally attributed most of the Wydmoor problems to him
  • Mayor's men seemed more afraid of their boss than Germain when he subdued them
  • Slum fire served his political agenda in his confrontation with Sheriff Edrell
• Some reason to suspect involvement with Odessans
  • Fire also weakened the cities defenses
  • With many of the city council removed, he may be able to put more in office
  • His agents from Iros Forge must have come after the Odessan occupation
• Dead, and probably not the mole given how scared he was when he was killed

Edrell Odenthorpe

• Source of a significant amount of political instability in the city
  • His arrival stirred up conflict between the Mayor and the guard
  • Allied with the Thieves' Guild to secure his own power, although it seems this relationship has soured
• Has certainly grown considerably in power and authority as a result of the assassinations
• Personal reasons to suspect that he did not plan this course of events
  • Sad, drunken nadir in Germain's apartment
  • Crusade against the guild, which resulted in decent lost holdings for the guild, indicates that their relationship is over for reals

Rolf Hemsley

• Former City Magius
• Was in charge of establishing firebreak during Wydmoor Fire. Kept fire only to the warrens and poor areas.
• Was in charge of the city water supply
• Fled the city near the time of the first Mayor assassination attempt
• Odessan forces had intimate knowledge of city's water supply mechanisms and weaknesses

Wydmoor Bank

• Major player in the city, but one we know little to nothing about
• Little is known about the impact of this attack on them
  • Bank treasurer was killed in the assassinations
• Have lent a considerable amount of money to the Odessan King!