UPDATE 19 – 921 AF
In the far east the Skarabians continue their conquest or, as they prefer to call it, colonisation of Raland. With their success the previous year, the Skarabians decide to utilise the same tactics, seizing the coastline by supporting the land forces from the sea. Once again this works well as they claim large amounts of land. Oddly enough though, resistance is even lighter this time as the lands appear to be completely depopulated and several abandoned villages are found. There are signs of life, but no people.
People are, however, found in massive numbers by the other Skarabian expeditionary force.
In Calador and Tiesto a week of mourning is proclaimed. Celebrating their new alliance the two Royal Houses met on the Great Lake for some private time to talk, have fun and do whatever it is royalty does. The celebrations were cut short though when the youngest son of the Mearl king was found missing… and later floating in the water. The loss of his son was a massive blow to the Mearl king, but he finds some consolation from his oldest son, and heir, and his daughter who is married to the Caladonian Crown Prince.
The attention of the Caladonian people was soon diverted though as Calador went to war on the side of Dashtaka.
The Ironalians continue their southern expansion, reaching the great sea. It didn’t go as smoothly as last year though as attacks by hostile tribes slowed down the rate of expansion. Even so, the target was eventually reached as the force made it to the ocean. Sadly, the spot reached isn’t exactly ideal for a city, but as the year drew to a close there was little time to search for a better spot due to violent snow storms. There can be little doubt, however, that a good spot must be close by.
(Ironal: -2000 infantry)
In Dashtaka things are quiet. The people eat, work and sleep as always. The merchants expand the colonies. Missionaries go to Mearlekrol and Calador spreading Tierism… and the army is engaged in a brutal fight.
With almost 60,000 troops on the Th’Lex front they don’t just outnumber by roughly 2-1, they are also in possession of the initiative. Those two things would also be needed. The Th’Lex might be outnumbered, but their troops had, in general, better training and were more intimate with the lay of the land.
The first Dashtakan thrust came directly towards Murv-Nabanmadido. The majority of the Th’Lex army was already positioned to defend the capital, but whereas the Dashtakans had massed their army into an unstoppable horde, the Th’Lex still had forces spread around the nation and, even worse, being forced on the defensive effectively stopped the Th’Lex from utilizing their shock cavalry and their Kmenme-Th'Lexestari to its full effect. The battle was long and bloody but the Dashtakans were victorious. After four days of fighting the sun set on a bloody field with the remainders of the Th’Lex in full flight back towards their capital. Tired and weary the Dashtakans gave pursuit and laid siege to the city.
Bad as this was for the Th’Lex, worse was to come as a large Caladonian force crossed the lightly-defended border in accordance with an agreement they had made with Dashtaka.
Just to make things even worse for the Th’Lex the Tiestans also decided to take advantage of the situation by launching a massive attack. Faced with enemies on three sides the Th’Lex had no chance and soon all that held out was the capital. As allied forced arrived to help the Dashtakan the city struck its colours and opened the gate. Upon entering the city the victorious forces found that the Khan had been killed by his own officers in the hopes of mercy and a mild peace.
The lands were soon divided though and with all central control gone the remaining Th’Lex troops soon turned back to their old ways, becoming little more than large bands of raiders and bandits. Using mobility they take great pleasure in attacking the occupying forces and then escaping. Annoying as they are, they are, however, little more than bug bites.
(Th’Lex destroyed. Dashtaka: -12,000 Nezvenii, -13,000 infantry. Calador: -4000 infantry. Tiesto: -6000 infantry)
Destructive and massive as the Th’Lex war was, it was close to nothing compared with the Scanian conflict. Or maybe it was. Regardless of this, the Tribunal continued its attack on Scania seeking to capture the capital. They knew they would face a slight numerical disadvantage, but with the better training of their forces they were not concerned. Concern came, however, when they finally found the Scanian army. Next to the red and blue banners of the Scanians were the yellow standards of Skarabe. Outnumbered 2-1 the Tribunal commanders knew doubt. Deciding in the end to follow their orders they prepared for an attack.
As the sun rose the next morning the army started moving. Initial casualties were harsh. The battlefield had been cunningly prepared by the Scanians. From small things such as bear traps and bent nails to pit and masses of dried grass which was ignited with fire arrows, the Tribunal forces took constant losses. The losses themselves were nothing compared to what happened when a volley of arrows struck home, but the myriad of traps had a bad effect on the morale of the troops.
Finally, the troops met together in a massive brawl. The fighting was intense and hard. For every man that fell, two stepped forward. As the shadows started to grow long the Tribunal force had to pull back. The first attack had been repulsed. The cost in lives had been great, and mostly for the allied forces.
The next day the Tribunal attacked again. With no more traps to worry about they closed the distance much faster and slammed into the Skarabian force. Soon, the islanders started wavering and faster than anyone had expected they turned and fled leaving the Scanians to fend for themselves. Fighting ferociously they did what they could, but eventually they too had to retreat. The battle had come to an end and it was the Tribunal who were victorious. Victory came at a price though. Many men had lost their lives or were severely wounded and the commander was forced to advance further at a crawl.
(Skarabe: -14000 infantry. Scania: -9,000 infantry. Tribunal: -13,000 infantry)
The conflict with Ziopar was more quiet. The Tribunal had placed a strong force to guard their flank and the Zio didn’t seem too keen to get into close combat. Apart from some minor skirmishes, little happened along that front.
