War Progression Story Sendrassian War - An Ominous Start

[BillyTheScruffy]

OOC NOTE:

I want to split this next war prog into 3 segments so as to not get in the way of my birthday celebrations. This progression deals specifically with Kreiburg, Ino-Femunn and Mac Conall armies. All 3 Admirals, Latimer, de Piedmont and Availlea will be dealt with on Sunday, followed by the remaining Generals on Monday/Tuesday. One character was seriously maimed in this progression, however this was with consent. With that in mind, please enjoy.

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10,100 Regalian Troops made their landing upon the Island province of Mozzhatzeel under Field General Theopold Kreiburg. The ships anchored about half a mile off of the southwestern shore, close to two major trading posts on the southern peninsula of the Island, ferrying the troops inland over the course of roughly four hours. Field General Kreiburg had received scouting reports earlier that week that indicated, as per his order, that if the Sendrassians were to invade the Island, they would most likely attack from the Eastern shoreline. Under his command, a composition of mercenaries, Lancyon warriors, Howlester artillery, Pavisa Crossbowmen, Wapnbog Archers, Dragenthal riders and tenpenny troops marched from one side of the Island to the other, alert and ready to battle as soon as the Sendrassians made their landing. Tacticians Emmeline Latimer, Benjamin Syldove and Revna Av Age-fjell analysed the surrounding territory, assisting the Field General with troop placements while Commanders Gerard Kreiburg, Jayden Beahan, Wasa Singateh, Constanzo dei Fierdo, Aaliyah and Hulinera Venicier gained control of the force and organised them into their individual regiments. The force dug in, solidifying their position and sending riders along the coastline to keep a watchful eye out for the Sendrassian Army that simply did not come. Reading the scout reports again. Benjamin Syldove correctly explained a miscommunication on the part of the Field General, as he had asked his scouts to designate which landing areas the Sendrassians would use to disembark, which the scouts correctly answered. However, this did not mean the Sendrassians were coming. Just that this would be the area the Sendrassian Army would most likely use to invade the Island and as such, the 10,100 person army, along with funding from Duchess Haeddi van Hal, simply went to waste.

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Tension would rise again on the highly contested Southern province of Dregux, the very same province that had been relinquished back to the Sendrassian occupiers a month prior as part of a deal between the Imperial Marshal William Howlester and Qar-Digmaan Cro-Zzhin with the Sendrassian Digmaan Tahnzazzizz for the former Grand Marshal Reimar Falkenreich's release. The loss of Dregux was a difficult realisation for Field Marshal Valarosta Ino-Femunn who rallied an army of 21,200 and a single Regalian Airship in an ambitious attempt to win back the progress that had been made on that Island over the last four months. Valarosta had her plan. After all, scouting reports had returned earlier that week with intelligence that approximately 12,000 Sendrassians were encamped in mid-Dregux and had devised an adequate path for Valarosta's army to follow to reach the army in peak time. Little time was spent on the Northern beaches dunes as the Field Marshal pushed for the sizeable host to enter into the jungle and follow the map planned out by Regalian Scouts up through the nearby mountain pass, an area that the Sendrassians had been hesitant to patrol purely for its inadequate paths that would not fare well with their Two Claw Raptors and Jungle Rhino mounts.


At the head of the army, both Yue-Liang and Quin traversed the narrow pathways through the mountain pass, guiding the vanguard regiments through rocky debris and jungle foliage that blocked their pathways. Once the two reached a branch in the old road, they took a few minutes to find their way once more. In the distance to the south, Yue-Liang could make out shadowy shapes of Jungle Rhino Sendrassian Riders that were scouting the clearings in the Jungle a mile or so out. Taking the initiative, Quin marched ahead but took an alternative path, which unfortunately was not sturdy enough to hold the Url and collapsed beneath him, leaving Quin plummeting forty feet onto the mixture of deciduous trees and rugged boulders below. Yue-Liang sprung into action to recover his comrade, but grazed his right arm somewhat on the descent down to the Url, guiding a rescue team alongside a number of Regalian medics. Quin had suffered significant injuries to his body, having broken his left arm below the elbow and received a nasty gash on the left side of his abdomen, which the medics attended to once they returned him to the collective force.


Overhead, a Regalian Airship whirred as he started off toward its destination just five miles off now. With so little distance to cover before engagement, the Field Marshal ordered the army to split into two under Lithuandir Telarel and Osira Lae'rinsyr - her two Field Commanders. In the distance, the first wave of bombing attempts could be heard from the Regalian Airship, as slow and hulking as it was. After the initial attack, the Airship spun back around for another wave while Field Commander Lithuandir Telarel led 7,500 Tenpenny footmen in against the 12,000 Sendrassian force. The Sendrassians however had been prepared for an attack, and despite the Airships bombing runs, which admittedly tore their defenses asunder, were able to push back against the sizable force. Blade clashed with claw, and even despite the first wave of Footmen falling under the command of Lyall Howlester, they found themselves pushed back quickly once the small remainder of Maz-Allar Globadiers began launching putrid, organic acid into Lyalls regiments. The onslaught of carnage and screaming echoed through the jungle as Ailor men and women succumbed to their pain from the substance, which allowed for a quick and simple massacre of the Regalian vanguard by the hardy Jungle Rider Rhino cavalry. Lyall herself was launched by one of these cavalry, its tusk tearing through the tendons of her left leg and her body smashed against a nearby tree, leaving her with not only a concussion but also a fractured rib cage. Witnessing the counterattack, Field Commander Telarel ordered Sollerian Spearmen into the fray, which devastated the Sendrassian Cavalry charge, buying enough time for Field Commander Osira to engage with their Tenpenny Footmen units from the right which effectively put pressure on the Sendrassian army from two sides.


Despite Osira's assistance however, it became increasingly obvious that Field Commander Telarel was not going to be able to hold his line as the devastation to his force continued. Maz-Allar soldiers ran rampant, wedging his force and cutting off a large portion of his troops from the command line. A last ditch effort to use magic to scatter the Maz-Allar troops by Mae Keppkuula, Anathema, Harlow Ketch and Charles Kholvunar fails, despite their abilities. Mae himself was overwhelmed by three Maz-Allar, but was saved from a grizzly slash to his abdomen by Harlow Ketch, who unfortunately took the swipe himself across the chest. Falling to a heap onto the ground in front of the group, Anathema attempted a quick rescue, but soon found themselves also at the mercy of the Sendrassian troops, slashed, stabbed and trampled, leaving them with little in the way of dignity and with a broken left leg and an impaled shoulder, with bruising all over their body. Through a feat of pure bravery and expertise, it was Charles that saved the group from certain death, single handedly slicing through Sendrassian after Sendrassian with their greatsword, his sword appearing to ascend into the air and slam down on the incoming charge, buying the group enough time to be rescued by nearby Field medics that dragged all four back behind the line.


Little headway was going to occur, and Valarosta, despite her dire need to make a push, ordered a retreat as the Sendrassian vanguard propelled the Regalian Army further back. Fearing a wedge, the Field Marshal ordered her bodyguard Gerhman Gahan into the fray to help rescue as many of the remaining living Regalians as possible. With the retreat in full motion, Gerhman returned hoisting the mangled body of an armored clad individual who was howling in agony. It was a tragic, significant defeat for Regalia. Despite the plan of action, despite the numbers, the inability for Telarel (who had taken a spear wound to his left shoulder) to hold his front and the poor performance of many of the retinues sealed the defeat of the Ino-Femunn army. Once the Regalian Army had been pushed twenty miles in, they found some reprieve to tend to their wounded. Many had already succumbed, leaving the death toll in the multiple thousands and injured even greater in number. The single Regalian Soldier that Gerhman had saved was tended to in the Generals tent. A mess she was, so much so that even peeling off her armor caused a great deal of pain which left the woman distraught and on the brink of death. It became visibly obvious once her helmet was removed that this was no ordinary soldier, despite having worn tenpenny armor and appearing as such. Lifting the helmet off of her -- the visage of the deformed, Marie-Paule Delmotte was on full display. The acid had taken its effect on her, leaving the left side of her face and chin horribly and permanently scarred. She lacked an ear on that side of her head, and the scarring would run horrifically down her neck and over her left shoulder from where the acid had leaked into her armor. This was not the worst of it however, as her right leg had endured an incredibly harsh trampling that despite not leaving her permanently with crutches, would leave her with a visible limp for the rest of her life. Her right arm was spared no mercy either, fractured in two with bone protruding from her upper arm with the likelihood of permanent scarring, and the absence of two fingers -- index and pinky on her right hand. No one knew that Lady Delmotte would be fighting that day, and her disfigurement sent shockwaves through the command tent with an internal investigation showing that she had donned an old Tenpenny uniform that had been on display at one of the Delmotte Estates in Basta, and had become stowaway to enter the war for the Empire. No one quite knew how to respond, but the Field Marshal knew quite well that the responsibility would fall on her to announce to Marie-Paule's Patriarch what had happened.

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Meanwhile further North, Field General Natharia Mac Conall was set to land on the Northern shore of the Island province of Nonztztal. This area was part of a brand new front for the Regalian Army, as up until now they had primarily been dealing with military excursions to Hadar's Southern border with Sendras, however now they were experiencing attacks to the North East. While Kreiburg awaited an attack on the Island to the West, Natharia had plans of defence and fortification. The Mac Conall army stationed themselves at a nearby ruin to which she immediately put her combined force to fortifying. Her force was divided into four sections, with the first being led by Viggo Sorenvik and was primarily composed of Beorl Axemen, Tenpenny Halberdiers and Turall Bladesmen. The right side was under the command of Field Commander Rudolf Addler and was made up of Tenpenny Halberdiers, Men at arms and archers. The left flank, commanded by Field Commander Emile de Piedmont consisted of Tenpenny Men at Arms, Sollarian Spearmen and Tenpenny Archers and finally, the last section was all Howlester Artillery. All of this was overseen by the Field General herself alongside her primary tactician Alistair Mac Conall, guarded by Alduir Stormblade, their personal bodyguard.


It was a little into the evening when Llossinsa returned to the Regalian basecamp with news that the Sendrassian Army was on the move. Notification was relayed throughout the Regalian lines to prepare for an attack. Immediately the Field Commanders mobilised, spears and swords at the ready. Drahl companions sprung into the air, observing the movement of the trees in the distance before cawing loudly. Immediately Natharia gave command for the artillery to fire, the bombards hitting their mark and sending Sendrassians flying -- the Battle of the Ronzzal Ruins commenced. Hoards of Maz-Allar soldiers burst through the treeline into the clearing, charging for the fortifications and clawing their way up the stonework. Viggo Sorenvik fought alongside to push back the would be attackers but was pulled over one side of the wall below and viciously attacked, his chest clawed at until nasty slices made contact with his skin. Seeing her husband in danger, Kaya somehow managed to tackle one of the assailants off of the wall and cushioned her fall with its body, the Beorl Axemen descended in tow and slaughtered the Maz Allar troops below. Despite outnumbering odds, Kaya was able to retrieve Viggo, saving his life and make it back inside the fortified ruins walls alongside the vast majority of the Beorl Axemen who succeeded in valiantly holding off humongous numbers of Maz-Allar with little difficulty.


Natharia then ordered the Archers within Field Commander Emile de Piedmonts section to fire alongside the Howlester Artillery. The elevated position of both units proved useful, as a great number of the Sendrassians fell from the ranged attacks alone, clearing the battlefield for a counter attack if the Regalian soldiers so wished, and they did just so. With the opening available, Alistair Mac Conall advised Emile de Piedmonts troops to begin flooding the outside of their fortified position, and the troops wasted little time in readying their weapons and storming the would be besiegers. A collection of Beorl Axemen, Tenpenny Men at Arms and Sollarian Spearmen stormed the field and decimated the Sendrassian charge. Some thought the Field Commander Emile to be foolish for such an action, but the initiative was not only brave, but tide changing as the Allar soon began to see the attack as fruitless. The Artillery and Archers had wiped out hundreds, if not thousands of their vanguard, and soon enough the commanding Digmaan screeched for retreat. The battle was all but won when Rudolf Adler stormed forth with his units to attack the retreating army, but was caught off guard by a nearby Sendrassian Als Allar Grunt that managed to shoot an arrow through his abdomen and floor him. Merlyn Wendlerson who came to his aid suffered a similar fate, taking an arrow to her right leg which would leave them with a limp for the next week or so. Natharia called for the attacking Regalians to fall back, announcing that a victory had already been achieved, which it had. Alongside her kinsman tactician and her bodyguard, the two started a warcry in victory which echoed throughout the Regalian fortification. It seemed that Mac Conall rightly anticipated an attack and repelled it with ease, with little under a hundred of her troops dying for the cause while three thousand of Sendrassians laid dead upon the field of battle, resulting in another sturdy victory for the Regalian side of this strenuous war.