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Post by aspenivan on Sept 29, 2014 19:15:27 GMT
When war finally broke out between the Elves and the Sylphs, it broke out like a hurricane. Each side had been preparing for the inevitable showdown for nearly a generation after their last war, and neither had even started their march before unhatching plots to shore themself up and undermine the other. Future historians would struggle to delineate this series of events chronologically, instead opting to sort by region.
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The Northern Front
The first move of the war after King Cadoc officially declared it was by a conspiracy of elven nobles, in close cooperation with Cerdigonian spies. In the blink of an eye, Sefti's western lumber camps disappeared before the eyes of the Capital - no taxes, no deliveries, and no word from any royal officials. Days later, scraps of news finally arrived: The camps and their central village were still standing, but under a new flag coupled with the colors of Cerdigon. An army of several thousand had been assembled in the area: 3,000 elven militia and 1,000 local dwarven mercenaries, lead by an unidentified noble traitor.
To make matters worse, unknown to the Sefti, reinforcements were on the way to the new pro-Aeron "Sefti Royal Army." This in the form of the fearsome Huntsmaster Cadfael Tanglemane, leading one-thousand Sylph horsemen. Starting at the northern borderlands, they paved their way South in blood and fire: two elven villages were razed and their inhabitants all killed or scattered. To avoid the extra weight, the mercenaries didn't even take any loot to speak of.
However, in a rare stroke of luck for the beleaguered Queen Athinea, her own mercenary orcish advisors had predicted that Cadoc would try to send reinforcements, and she had moved her entire army to the forests just North of the lumber camps to preempt this (or at least stage the recapture of the lumber camps, if nothing else). On the morning of the second day in the forests, her patrols caught the Wild Hunt at camp. It wasn't quite an ambush, but her troops were engaging the Sylphs dismounted, and it was only a matter of pinning them down now. Furthermore, informed by runners traveling around the forest, the entire force of the Traitor Noble was heading North through the forest to link up with the cavalry, and she realized only too late that this would not be a simple march to regroup.
The first battle of the War of Sefti Succession would take place far from the settlements being contested, in thick forests of late-Autumn orange.
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The Southern Front
But even while battle was raging in the North, Prince Aeron nearly won his prize without a single shot as he accompanied his father's grand army to the recently-emptied Sefti capital. But they would be sorely disappointed: though there were almost no elves under arms to be seen in the outskirts, there was a wide block of halberds and muskets waiting for them with banners of Vaekirate black and red. They sent a herald, a Priest, to inform the enormous Sylph force that the city was under Vaekirate protection until the conclusion of the Imperial Trial in New Byrnis. Adding insult to injury, he also declared that the Vaekirate would require King Cadoc to leave his army and ride to the great Survaekom Northern Capital, lest he die in battle before standing trial.
Furthermore, the herald was keen to emphasize that there were not only reinforcements on the way from Karmozijin Kerk, but other Vaekirate troops already in the region: some to secure the Cerdigonian capital, and others to secure all of the border villages of each side. Doubtless, some of these would encounter the battle in the woods and, afterwards, the trail of destruction the Wild Hunt had left in its wake.
The only silver lining was that the Vaekirate Guard would not be securing any castles, and scouts had confirmed that the Sefti Manor lay empty for the taking.
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-- The Battle of the Forest commences
-- Kingdom of Sefti loses Iron Village and Game Village (resources remain in place and can be reclaimed if new villages built)
-- Sefti and Cerdigon capitals are secured by the Vaekirate Guard to prevent their taking (2 halberdiers and 1 musketeer for Sefti, 1 halberdier and 1 musketeer and 1 Warrior-Monk for Cerdigon), and 6 Peasant Roundshier units are on their way North to secure the border villages of each side.
-- At present, the Vaekirate is neutral in this conflict, but will protect population centers (not counting Manors). Furthermore, it is ordering Cadoc and Athinea (will be informed after battle) to make way for New Byrnis immediately.
-- For subsequent posting in this thread, the order will be as follows:
Kingdom of Cerdigon
Kingdom of Sefti
Aedakom Vaekirate
Mercenaries/Sefti Royal Army (if applicable)
Moderation Mark
Each player must designate all forces and named commanders when posting movements. Secret movements can be PMed to a moderator.
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Post by cerdigon on Oct 1, 2014 7:45:56 GMT
'' Your Grace, we could take this city in an hour. '' General Eurion murmured as the Herald rode off back towards the glinting capital in the distance.
'' Just give the order. ''
King Cadoc scowled, fist curling around the reins of his horse. How could the Vaekir have mustered troops this fast? With the enemy nowhere in sight?
'' Father...'' Aeron said, his urging caution. '' We do not need a war with the Vaekirate now. '' The Prince that would be King could see the conflicting emotions that were swirling around Cadoc's face.
''' We march on. '' War horns sounded, trumpets blared, and like that the capital of the Kingdom of Sefti was saved...for now.
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Sir Drystan grunted as he landed over the palisade of the manor. His great wings flapping before folding neatly over his back as he raised his axe to confront whatever enemy that might be waiting for him. The manor was strangely empty however. There was no rush of enemy troops to attack the interlopers, at least not yet. The peasant hovels seem to have been abandoned, with only women and children to be found. The men folk it seemed had been mustered out for war.
'' No! '' He barked as a soldier with a torch approached one of the buildings.
'' The manor is to remain untouched. Tear down that flag. '' He said with a nod towards the Sefti banner as the soldiers swarmed forward over the keep, using their immense wings to propel them over walls and other obstacles. The vanguard of the Royal Cerdigonian Army remained wary however, the elves were a tricky folk. He wouldn't count on these bastards not to spring a trap.
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NOTES:
-- A Cerdogonian force is dispatched to seize control of the manor, it will be garrisoned but not torched if captured.
-- King Cadoc returns to Cerdigon to prepare for the trial, leaving General Eurion in command alongside Prince Aeron and Vardic Whitestag.
-- The army marches to prepare to confront the Seftian's in the forest.
-- Additional movement's PM'd to the moderator.
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Post by ravigen on Oct 3, 2014 18:23:56 GMT
The cleanup after the battle had been tiring, the elven dead were buried with as much due honor as they could in the forest, the Sylphs were burned in small bonfires that took more time than most wanted to put to dealing with the mercenaries. The wounded were tended to as best as could be and units were rearranged to better deal with the loss of men. But despite this their morale was not shaken, everywhere you went you could see the determination in the eyes of the troops, barely heard mutters of vitriol against the Sylphs and the traitorous Duke. Tomar-Re led continuous sermons and prayer sessions for anyone who wished to come and nearly the whole army did at one point or another.
Athinea walked through the camp, watching all of this happen, clad in a practical, though still expensive, tunic, smiling and reassuring the wounded and any who looked like they needed it, and it did seem to work, she could see smiles on the faces of her people as she walked past. She knew all too well that many of them would not survive the coming war, but they could not back down now, Cadoc would not get his hands on Sefti, not as long as one elf stood against him.
She stepped into her tent where her sister awaited her, Merithea was pouring over a map and talking in hushed whispers with her aides, when she noticed Athinea's arrival she allowed herself a small, tired smile, and bowed.
"My lady, everything is set for your journey to the Capital."
Athinea smiled and bowed respectfully in return.
"Thank you sister, I will leave everything to you while I am gone."
Merithea nodded and returned to her map, they had a lot of work to do and not as much time to do it as she'd like.
--
Queen Athinea prepares to head to the Capital for the trial.
The Sefti army recuperates in the forest before moving on to a new location.
Movement's pm'd to mod |
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Post by Vaklu on Oct 4, 2014 0:39:21 GMT
Wild Hunt
Tanglemane and his men had moved a good distance from the battle and had finally stopped to take stock of what they still had. They found themselves in need of supplies and maybe a few healers. Thankfully there was a great deal of countryside to forage from.
-Movements pm'd to Mod
True Sefti Royal Army
Duke Agricola had been pleasantly surprised when his archers had joined him after the battle in the woods. He'd been astounded when Captain Stoneboot and his sellswords had wandered into the camp at dusk. He'd been sure they'd be wiped out with the other light troops he'd left behind. The next morning they began the march south in high spirits towards the King's army proud at having at least bloodied the much larger army of the false queen.
Moves to join the army of Prince Aeron
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Post by zurajai on Oct 5, 2014 19:11:44 GMT
To Brother Tomen,
I send this letter to you in Cerdigon with great regret and displeasure. My regiment, ordered by you to occupy the Sefti villages on the Sefti-Cerdigon border, has found nothing left but ash and death. From the scattered survivors we have gleaned that the village was attacked by mounted outriders, Sylphs, who held no qualms in openly slaughtering the defenseless villagers. It is with a heavy heart that we must abandon this village to it's fate and will be marching to the undefended villages away from the border in an attempt to save them from such a gruesome fate. It seems, as well, that a second village has suffered similarly: a messenger from my fellow soldiery has arrived in order to express similar dismal circumstances.
I cannot help but make a recommendation, Brother, in accordance with these attacks. It is clear that these soldiers, Sylph by all accounts, were mercenaries under the employ of Cadoc. Though none flew the banners of Cerdigon, from what we've been told, it is my suspicion that they were ordered to these actions. In any case, I would request a letter sent by you to Chief Priest Staas expressing our dismay with these actions and request immediate censure by force to hunt down and destroy the devils who perpetrated these horrors. War is no excuse for such barbarism, any one who has heard tale of the sacking of Byrnis knows such things.
Your humble Servant,
Captain Hugo Doria
-- The two regiments displaced by the Sefti villages being destroyed will fall back to the other unharmed villages currently unguarded.
-- Request sent to Chief Priest Staas requesting censure and military intervention to be brought down on the perpetrators of the brutal razing of the Sefti villages.
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Post by aspenivan on Oct 8, 2014 0:30:52 GMT
Moderation Mark
The Great ForestFor days, the forests of the Sefti hosted a cat-and-mouse game of epic proportions, entire armies moving to and fro beneath its brown canopies. Merithea Sefti had one goal: Keep the royal army intact until Athinea returned from the trial. She had been hoping to use troops' knowledge of the terrain to her advantage with the help of the experienced dwarven scout Gwendolyn Castlestone. However, with the rebel Sefti army intact and Duke Agricola alive, the enemy army was giving her a run for her money in the extended chase. It was only a matter of time until they forced her into battle. In the meantime, the Sefti did enjoy small victories. Most notably, they found a small force of Sylph village conscripts, with no leaders of note, wandering in the woods and looking rather lost. The elves had no difficulty surrounding and ambushing the peasants. The battle hardly began before the Cerdigonian troops surrendered en masse, terrified and already exhausted from their long and poorly-guided march. Their weapons and banners were taken, but they were allowed to return home...if they could find it. Princess Merithea also managed to stage several surprise skirmishes against Duke Agricola's vanguard, but she never managed to deal a fatal blow to the traitors. Finally, she had no choice but to face General Eurion Giantslayer in battle. It was bright and early in the morning, and Winter's first light snows were pattering onto the treetops. A few snowflakes made it through the canopies to the camps, but at present the ground remained dry. By now she was well North of the lands either Sefti or Cerdigon claimed, not far from the edge of the western mountains. The sylphs were heard marching just a little too soon before her troops could leave camp: She had to choose between abandoning key supplies or defending them. Naturally, she chose to stand firm. " Elves of Sefti! Subjects of Queen Sefti the True! Form battle-lines and repel the wicked kin of the Murderer King!" Cheers erupted from the camps as troops rushed to form up for the coming battle. They may have been afraid, but for now they would rather die than surrender to the minions of Cadoc. _ Eastern Sefti
The Wild Hunt was spotted a few times in the area trying to approach villages, only to turn back upon spotting their Vaekirate garrisons. For now, the Vaekirate troops could do nothing to catch up with the fast-riding mercenaries, who retreated West. But fortunately for the Aedak faithful, the Wild Hunt was unaware of the report sent to the Chief Priest, though they took note of the Vaekirate militia who had settled even in the frontier villages of Cerdigon as they made their way back to King Cadoc's manor. Tanglemane survived the voyage, but remained in poor shape. He had regained consciousness, but suffered from unceasing pain in his chest and the beginnings of an infection in his cheek. His soldiers hoped that some rest at the castle and a proper medicus would do him well. __________ -- Kingdom of Cerdigon loses 1,000 peasant roundshiers and 500 peasant archers in an ambush (CAPTURED and FORCED TO DISBAND by Kingdom of Sefti) -- The Wild Hunt, unwilling to attack Vaekirate troops, stops its raiding and retreats to Hakin -- The Battle of the Two Generals begins |
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Post by aspenivan on Oct 13, 2014 21:57:59 GMT
Final Moderation Mark
Despite early successes against isolated pockets of Cerdigonian troops, Princess Merithea was forced to retreat and lost most of her army at the Battle of the Two Generals. Holed up in the capital while her sister attended the Trial of Cadoc, her one hope had been the relief army of Queen Kallista Eudokia. But when messengers arrived ahead of the Juturnan mercenary army, they announced their liege's intention was not to preserve Sefti against the sylphs, but simply to force Cadoc's abdication and pass a united Sefti throne to Prince Aeron. There was no hope. At this point, all parties were aware of the inevitable course of this chapter in history. They all, even Cadoc, opted to allow it to unfold without further bloodshed. For his part, King Cadoc the Usurper pled guilty to all charges of manslaughter before the Vizier of the North. A session that could have dragged on over months was thus concluded within two days. For crimes against the Sefti Family as well as the people of the border villages, Cadoc was stripped of his fief and titles. He would live the rest of his days under "house arrest" - a well-treated prisoner in the Court of Ishui Seldu. Prince Aeron would be allowed to visit his father, but not the other way around. To seal the former king's fate, his wings were clipped and his forehead branded. For her part, Queen Athinea abdicated the throne to her son and left the land forever, accompanied by her loyal sister. The Vaekirate would continue its search for the Wild Hunt, but withdrew its garrisons from Sefti lands. Finally, with thousands upon thousands dead and even more wounded, the land was at peace. Now the task would fall upon the young King Aeron to turn a single, reunited Sefti-Cerdigonian Crown from a legal construction to a political reality. It did not help that the recent fighting had pushed elf-sylph tensions to an all-time high, and many waited in anticipation to see how their new "king" would handle the situation. __________ -- King Cadoc is IMPRISONED FOR LIFE (Retinue no longer exists) -- King Aeron assumes the United Sefti-Cerdigonian Throne (new Monarch Retinue, traits will be posted in ledger) -- Kingdom of Cerdigon and Kingdom of Sefti united in Sefti-Cerdigonian Commonwealth (player cerdigon gains all settlements of both kingdoms) -- Player cerdigon choose one of the following (effects will be posted in Realm Activity): - Apply the Cerdigonian Codes: The elves have proven their weakness in defeat! It is time they kneel before us in their proper place, as servants of Sylph masters.
- Insitute Formal Equality: To integrate the land, we must integrate the people. The times no longer require us to hold the elves in perpetual suspicion. You are undisputed King of all your subjects now, both elf and sylph!
- Leave things as they are: Who said anything about integration? The elves have their own nobility, and we have ours. Just leave them be as long as they pay their taxes. Imposing a new administration will anger them and threaten your legitimacy, no matter how nicely you put it.
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Post by cerdigon on Oct 14, 2014 3:25:22 GMT
When the Cerdigonian army entered the capital, it was not Sylph's leading the victory march, but the True Seftian Royal Army. Despite the grumbling of General Eurion, it was to be made clear that the Sylph's were not here as conquerors but as partners. Duke Agricola and Eurion rode with the newly declared King as he struck towards the keep that dominated the center of the city. It had been years since this long lost son had returned to his people. The urge to exact vengeance was swift but it would not win him a Kingdom. If Aeron wanted to keep his throne, then further bloodshed would be of little use. Drastic reforms would be needed, the elve's could no longer be treated as second class citizens. For one, the newly declared Commonwealth had just absorbed a great deal of them. Unfair treatment would build resentment, the resentment would fester like an infection, then boil over into rebellion.
Aeron had ambitions that extended beyond his current borders. This was to be but the first stepping stone on a long road but first reform would have to begin at home. There were no throngs of people to greet the 'liberators', thousands had died, the streets were relatively deserted. Only curious stares peered out of windows. The cheers would come with time. Soon heralds would emerge throughout the city, booming voices declaring an....
'' AMNESTY! King Aeron has declared an amnesty for all Seftian's whom rose up against him! A public oath of loyalty will be held tomorrow! The Cerdigonian Code has been abolished. All Elve's now have the right to own prop... -- '' The list went on and on, there were sure to be rumblings of rebellion from Elve's and Sylph's alike but King Aeron had more than enough swords at his disposal to put them down.
SUMMARY:
-- Amnesty declared for Seftian's whom took up arms against the King. (Seftian prisoners are released whom swear an oath of loyalty except for Firetooth captives).
-- King Aeron institutes formal equality in the Commonwealth.
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