The Siege of Amat-Geshud

Overview

The city of Amat-Geshud has been besieged for the last 2 years – some dispute between The King of Amat-Geshud and a foreign power. The details remain vague but it's clear that one of the princes must have done something undiplomatic. It doesn't really matter though; there was bound to be unpleasantness at some point as the neighbours started coveting the city's riches.

Life Under Siege

But a siege is not as bad it sounds. Sure, some of the outlying orchards and pastureland has been abandoned, but the underground farms are doing well and are nigh-impregnable behind the massive walls.

The siege has actually helped spur several industries:

• Mining - needed more than ever as the city crafts bundles of arrows, patches punctured cuirasses and cleaved shields, and forges more and more spears
• Art - war always makes for fine art, and once trading with allies resumes there will be plenty to export
• Brewing - as long as there's something fermentable on offer, peace can be kept inside the walls

The Malcontents

Even in a city content to wage a simmering war, there are always malcontents:

• The stir-crazy - citizens who will go mad without being able to wander outside the walls
• Trapped travellers - visitors who happened to be at Amat-Geshud at the outset of the war, keen to take their chances past the besiegers
• The restless - those who feel they need to stretch their legs and break new ground elsewhere. It's how everyone got here after all - Amat-Geshud is not the first time these people have tried to build a city on this site, and the elders remember the latest founding.

The King's Decree

The King of Amat-Geshud has been clear: no one gets in or out of the city until the siege has been cleared. At the same time, he doesn't seem to be in a huge rush to actually break the siege.

For a reason of your choosing, you've had enough waiting – you're leaving the city and striking out on your own. What's the king going to do, chase you down? It's hard to imagine any lasting consequences…