Siege of High Mesa
The Siege of High Mesa was the Wyranth assault on High Mesa Castle during which Baron Theodore von Monocle, on his airship's first mission, rescued Duchess Liliana, about twenty years before the events of For Steam and Country. The Tyndree Kingdom survived the siege; it folded into the Wyranth Empire in the 2nd Year of King Malaky XVI's Reign.
Overview
According to A History of Rislandia, the siege lasted six months, during which the defenders of High Mesa Castle held out against overwhelming Wyranth forces. The Wyranth Empire prosecuted the siege through the combined use of siege engines and deliberate starvation tactics, grinding down the castle's capacity to resist. Despite the disparity in strength, the Tyndree garrison maintained its position for the full duration before the fortress was ultimately taken.
Defense of High Mesa Castle
King Aldous III of Tyndree personally led the defense throughout the siege. According to A History of Rislandia, Aldous III refused to surrender even when defeat had become a certainty. Before the final Wyranth assault, the king negotiated the safe passage of Tyndree nobles and scholars, ensuring that a portion of his kingdom's leadership and learning survived the fall. Aldous III did not avail himself of this arrangement. He was killed during the final assault, sword in hand, defending the throne room of High Mesa Castle. His body was never recovered.
Rescue of the Nobles
Among those present inside the castle during the siege was a duchess identified in A History of Rislandia as Duchess Liliana. Baron Theodore von Monocle conducted a daring rescue operation, evacuating the duchess and other nobles from the besieged fortress aboard his airship, The Liliana. This action is recorded separately on the Rescue of Duchess Liliana page.
Fall of the Castle and Aftermath
Following the death of Aldous III and the collapse of organized resistance, High Mesa Castle fell to Wyranth forces. A History of Rislandia treats the siege as part of the Wyranth-Tyndree War and the broader Conquest of Tyndree.
Legacy
The Siege of High Mesa is remembered both as a testament to Tyndree's final resistance and as the occasion of Baron Theodore von Monocle's celebrated rescue mission. The airship used in that evacuation, named the Liliana, became one of the most storied vessels associated with the Von Monocle Family. King Aldous III's refusal to surrender and his death in defense of his throne room passed into the historical record preserved in A History of Rislandia.