Grand Campaign

The Kingdom of Elon had emerged from the Great Northern War a devastated nation that had never regained its prestige and stature that it had held under the warrior King Azlyn or Queen Chello the Wise. The Kingdom had entered a steady period of decline that had seen its territory slowly erode and corruption grow among the nobility, whose power now virtually ran unchecked. The decline of the Christallo Dynasty reached its pinnacle after the death of King Azlyn the II, leaving his nine year old son Martin Christallo as King. A regency council lead by Protector of the Realm High Lord Oswin now governed in the young King's stead.

Burdened by high taxes and the excess of nobility, anger in the countryside had been building towards the Regency Council but not towards the young King himself. The Sainted lineage of the Christallo Dynasty meant that the monarchy remained shielded even after the scandals of the Regency Council grew wider. Initial attempts by Republicans to mobilize was met with little enthusiasm but did provide a riot in the town of Myr.

The Lord Regent responded by sending in the army to suppress the unrest, resulting in the deaths of dozens and further spreading the flames of rebellion. The most organized of these grounds was the Elonese Republican Army, spearheaded by Lord Orvun, a former noble whom had been exiled by Oswin three years prior. Armed with Vinayan guns, money, and supplies, the town of Ambrose rose up in revolt.

The Vinayan Army which had been waiting for any signs of unrest as an excuse to intervene now marched on its weakened neighbor to install a Republic. A three pronged invasion was launched, from the East came the Vinayan First Army Group with its complement of Almur mercenaries, and from the West came a massive Second Army Group. Finally by the sea, the Vinayan Armada approached the Elonese Coast to put her navy to the bottom.

Yet not all was not lost for Elon.

The invasion was met with muted, if not outright hostility, by the Elonese populace. The famed Elonese Rangers, despite the decadence of the nobility, had lost none of its skill at fighting gureilla wars. It was something that the inexperienced Vinayan army would soon discover as the further it marched, the bloodier the road became. Ambushes were frequent, fields were left burned to prevent forage, and wells poisoned to parch throats.

The Lords of Elon quickly responded with their own household troops, with their very lives and positions in society threatened, they would fight.

The first battle of the War would take place near the Ryn river.

The Great Bridge that spanned it had been raised when rangers had raised the alarm. Undeterred the Vinayan Army now made makeshift pontoon bridges in an effort to make a bridgehead across. A large Elonese force stood to meet them.

The Ryn would flow red for the first time in decades.

SUMMARY
-- Vinaya declares war on Kingdom of Elon.
-- See Battle of the Ryn River Crossing.
-- The Western Vinayan Army makes progress, capturing the towns of Dugan and Sherwood. However, they are continually harassed by partisans and a hostile populace, with the Elonese adopting a scorched policy against them. The town of Ambrose has declared its support for the Vinayan invasion but is the only significant population center to do so.