The Imperial Guards took over Cippur two decades back and ran it into the ground. Asmara fell a few years ago. Two lordlings tore it apart after their father's death. The way the story is told, the younger son gathered enough support and deposed his older brother, who somehow managed to escape, hired every mercenary company willing to fight for a cut of the action and returned to claim the throne.
"The siege went on for years and by the time the town fell and the mercenary companies took what they considered a fair share, there wasn't much left of it."