Overview
The Siege of Rimvold begins after Raphael bargains with Zain to send Ulzathir's forces there. The Siege of Rimvold removes Ulzathir from Rimvold, exposes the danger of Khauren acting through Zain, and brings Maric and Renneth into open combat against Gabriel.
Description
By the time the Siege of Rimvold begins, Zain occupies Rimvold as a conquered enemy city. He holds the Great Hall of Rimvold, keeps Gabriel and Ishqari with him, and sends Zhulkar, Khezriya, Qadir, and much of the remaining force back toward Ishtanûr to defend the capital. Gabriel guides Ishqari's blizzard magic and promises that he and Ishqari will be enough for the strongest enemies sent against the city.
The opposing force is led by Virel and Thorik. Virel commands the enemy side, with Thorik of Bjarnholt, Leif, and the astragon Glin among the attackers. Virel and Nahm coordinate from the air, Glin shields the army with starfield barriers, Leif counters one of Zain's beams with a temporal shield, and Thorik fights through the frontline with his lightning-wreathed axe.
Ishqari's snowstorm turns the field into a whiteout. Gabriel guides her inside a calm bubble within the blizzard. Nahm stalls Gabriel in conversation, and Gabriel offers terms that would require Haverloch to submit to Raphael and join in destroying the remaining members of the Order.
Zain is then pulled away from Virel's army by Zayren, Lythariel, and Remus. Their combined air, darkness, aether, and vector attacks overwhelm him. Lythariel's darkness counters his blasts, Remus disrupts his body and spells, and Zayren drives him into the ground. When Zain runs low enough on essence near death, Khauren takes control, keeps the body alive through Zain's aether magic, and rises with red lightning and origin-magic spatial attacks. Zayren, Lythariel, and Remus withdraw and warn the army.
At the same time, Maric arrives with Renneth and an astragon as the impossible storm spreads. His fire, earth, water, ice, and lava magic counters Gabriel's cold. Maric burns through the snowstorm, melts Gabriel's ice, turns the battlefield into lava, and eventually defeats Gabriel, whose body dissolves into essence. Virel catches the exhausted Maric afterward. Maric's victory over Gabriel shifts the Siege of Rimvold. Rimvold's defenders continue holding.
Zayren then reaches Virel after ordering a retreat because Zain has become an unsafe target. Virel trusts his decision and orders the army to retreat for the moment. By the following morning, Ulzathir has left Rimvold completely open. Thorik is assigned to lead the delegation that retakes the city, and he later occupies Rimvold and begins restoring Skarnheim.
History & Origins
The Siege of Rimvold is set up when Raphael approaches Zain in Ishtanûr and offers Malverand technology if Ulzathir attacks Rimvold. Varnhallow soon ceases to block the route, and after Varnhallow vanishes, Zain begins preparing the Rimvold campaign from northern Ulzathir and trains with Khauren.
Gabriel then joins Zain's council and trains Ishqari. He teaches her to magnify her blizzard magic and gives her a snowflake-like essence object that Khauren warns is dangerous and shard-like. Ishqari then develops frost-white markings and a surge of elemental essence, which Zain and Khauren both view warily.
Once Zain reaches Rimvold, he occupies the city and waits for the expected counterattack. His own side keeps part of the military at Rimvold. Zhulkar, Khezriya, Qadir, Aelius, Simon, Vianna, and Kren shift back toward Ishtanûr, where they expect a retaliatory strike.