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The distant sounds of footsteps walking down the hall echoed after the time-hardened stones of the capital of Nordskag, Castle Kongsete. Lieutenant-General Leonard Reindewic strode down the hall, flanked by two personal guards. Finally, the clunking of his boots ceased as he reached the door to the throne room. The two pikemen guarding the door reached towards the handles, though Reindewic cut them off by throwing each of the giant slabs of wood asunder and marching into the room.
Reindewic returned to his ship and had his men mobilize: They would march for Hvitskag later that day while respecting the treaty with the Mirnoye. Soon, Nordskag and Regalian soldiers alike began burning all Hvitskagger naval vessels they could find. Though some remained passive, the Hvitskaggers were barely civilized. Men, women, and even some older children took up arms against the intruders, to little effect. Any resistance was crushed almost as soundly as the snow beneath the boots of the marching soldiers. At the end of the day, a sizeable portion of Hvitskag was occupied, and with it, a large population of the nation. Unfortunately, not all of the upstarts could be caught; many Hvitskaggers fled into the Mirnoye treaty zone on Hvitskag, where both Regalia and Nordskag were not permitted to have soldiers. This caught the joint army between violating the truce, or risking dragging the war out by letting the Hvitskaggers hide and regroup.
Meanwhile in Drixagh, Lieutenant-Admiral Virathus Krupp continued his efforts to relieve the local population of their hardships and stimulate the local economy. Unfortunately, Drixagh was more ravished than he had originally anticipated. The area largely lacked cities; what little fortifications that stood were inhabited by tundra and forest nomads who survived on cattle. Practically all domesticated animals, wild livestock, and even horses had been eradicated in the area, meaning there was simply no economic base left to rebuild, especially since the soil was unsuitable for agriculture.
Krupp's attempts to placate the locals through mixed marriages and incentives was relatively successful, but perhaps not in a way the initiative creator had hoped. The locals had more so given up on remaining Northern as the Justifixion of their kin had proven too cruel to face, even for a people who normally relished death in battle. The majority of them simply converted and adapted to Krupp's attempts to Imperialize them, largely because they felt utterly abandoned. No other Northerne family in Regalia had publicly spoken out in any meaningful way to safeguard the Northerne culture. As the situation progressed, the Northerners started viewing Krupp as less of an Imperial dog, and more of a charitable samaritan, while those old Northern families that had all fallen under the sway of cowardly silence or Imperial yoke were now considered the traitors.
The general sentiment in Regalia had become that the North was now truly lost and forsaken. The barbaric free way of the Northerners had been broken: Nordskag's new king, Osvald Krumme, had rapidly set out to modernize his aging Kingdom, and in Drixagh the population adapted in large numbers. The only lands where Northerners continued to wave their axes around and scream obscenities at each other were Hedryll and Ostryll, as well as some of the northern Cairn Kingdoms; all locations far removed from Regalia and its politics.
Elsewhere in the west, Charles Montagaard, accompanied by Johann Eshevard, took a ship to Daenshore along with the Imperial standard banner to oversee the first movements against the Elves. Their intention had meant to strike at the Elves for a longer period now; global events had precipitated some sort of conflict between Regalia and the Elves, especially since the Elves made an alliance with the Songaskians. For many months, this front had been ignored by the Regalians because the Altalar were largely involved in a quasi-war with the Avanthar. The Lieutenant-Generals finally opted to strike when the Altalar were perceived as weak, and when the Orcs seemed as though they favored supporting Regalia. When arriving in Daenshore, Montagaard received a very lackluster welcome from the local Daendroquin and Lusitian population, always infamously anti-Imperial. His march through the city of Daenshore was solemn and quiet. The population simply stared at him unenthusiastically.
Upon arriving at the fields of Ulvar, near the border between Daenshore and the Hortutor lands, Montagaard rested the Imperial Banner and the Montagaard levies in preparation to strike out against Ríë Rivaëlla: The nearest Southern Altalar Kingdom. They chose to rest the day to observe Holy Mass and the celebration of Heron Kelter, the Daen reclaimer, who had once walked these same fields to claim more land for the Ailor race to settle on. The army settled down for the night, the purple, viridian, and black tents dimly lit by campires. Charles Montagaard and Johann Eschevard continued to receive Daendroque dignitaries until the late hours. Even Varran ambassadors from the city state of Ssil, and perhaps entirely unexpected, even some Avanthar who brought news of the royal tribes. Come dawn however, the sun rose to greet a camp caught in the grips of panic.
The preceding night, a massive Altalar army had approached from the nearby forests under the cover of night, using their superior skill in skirmishing to disable Regalian scouts and outposts before they had a chance to alert the base camp. By the time the army was within viewing range of the camp's outer sentries, they had practically surrounded the entire camp. Total number assessments were difficult, but it was obvious that the Montagaard-Imperial Standard Banner, assisted by some Viridian Knights, was outnumbered three to one. Johann Eschevard quickly managed to break down some of the tent areas and form up an orderly to brace for an attack, but the situation was turning bleak when the Elves brought about their own newly developed artillery: some Magic-based projectile weapons. The Regalian Army, usually relying on superior gunpowder artillery fire, was unable to deploy its weapons, while morale itself had also taken a considerable hit.
It was in that moment that the General Staff concluded that the battle was indeed hopeless. The Westmark Army was too far away, closer to the town of Palasta just outside of Daenshore, and there were no other friendly forces that could be alerted. In fact, even if there were, there was no way to get a messenger past the Altalar who were masters of bows and the forests around the area. Charles had the priests that accompanied the army administer a morning prayer to the soldiers to call for the Spirit's protection and blessing on this field, rousing the crowd with a speech to appeal to their sense of duty, their love for the Empire and their Emperor
When the speech had completed, Johann Eschevard and Charles Montagaard both donned their military uniforms and took to their steeds. Followed by Imperial banner carriers and even a bearer of the gilded image of the Emperor, they formed up with the front line of the cavalry, hoping to dent the Elven battle line to weaken their defense and to allow the Regalian Army to break out. When the charge commenced, Charles Montagaard and Johann Eschevard charged at the front of the formation, flanked by those same banners and followed by the image of the Emperor staring down the enemy battle lines. The Elves responded by firing their new weapons at the charging cavalry, the projectiles disintegrating both horseman and horse alike, but the charge persisted until it finally crashed into the Elven line, but was repulsed by Elven spears.
The carnage that followed was only reported back by the priests which the Elves had let go due to some old standing cultural notion that the Elves deemed killing priests something only barbarian races would engage in. The priests would later report that the cavalry barely made any impact on the Elven lines, and that as soon as the cavalry was routed to return to the battle camp with no sight of those who charged on the front, the Elven Army started closing in on the Regalians. First hailed by destructive hails of Elven cannon fire and archery and even magic, morale broke to the point where the army effectively tried to route the field, but was still mercilessly slaughtered.
The news of Charles Montagaard and Johann Eschevard's final charge and subsequent death in true Imperial glory was both shocking and abrupt to the people back in Regalia. The news travelled quickly homebound by airship and then spread across the Archipelago in a matter of hours due to networking of gossip and merchants. Before long, the bells of the cathedral tolled and the flags of the city walls were raised half mast, for the Undercrown had perished and the government was without a leader once more.
The Emperor tried to urge for calmness and contemplation, as well as a public mourning period for the loss of the Crown's representative. Despite all his bravado and bold speaking, his expressions made all too clear in context to his last speeches that he too remembered all too well it was but a mere number of days since he told the Empire at large that he knew of none capable enough to succeed Montagaard in his position. The Emperor made no further outward statements on what he intended to do to replace Montagaard, announcing he needed time to contemplate and would likely call for an Imperial Diet at the end of the week to consult with the nobility on the matter.
The public responded with mixed emotions, as Regalians had gotten used to over the past years. Montagaard was a controversial figure, but an able administrator. The economy flourished, and military successes were plenty. Pro-Crown loyalists even said Montagaard could be counted among some of the Crown's most loyal pro Imperialists who fought effortlessly for Royal superiority and prerogative. Then there were those who felt he was repressive, marginalizing and cruel. Regardless of how the people saw him however, a greater distraction was soon able to seize their minds.
Elves had never before defeated a Regalian army in the field. The casualties counted in the tens of thousands, and there was no way to confirm how many casualties had been inflicted on the Elves, or where and when they would strike next, or where their army even was. Furthermore, concerns were raised that the Songaskian Massya could turn on Regalia now he thought it was finally weaker, having opened a third front. Furthermore, news of Ch'ien-ji Warships started circulating in the streets. They were later proven to be pure conjecture, but the very implication of a foreign naval force prowling Regalian waters was enough to cause great concern among the average population of the Empire.
The Emperor tirelessly lobbied with the Allar and Qadir to dedicate more force to their alliance, and while the Qadir were less receptive, the Allars joined the military by the thousands, so substantial in fact that the state was able to allocate a full Allar-only Army Mark to support the coming war efforts. The Crown Alliance was coming together, albeit in the face of the tragic death of numerous nobles and notable politicians, while a global scale war with the Magic Covenant seemed all but inevitable.
Co written by MonMarty & Shayin
"Disrespectful southerners," the pikemen on the left muttered.
"Whatever it is, it must be urgent," the other said back, as he closed the doors behind the Lieutenant-General.
Leonard strode forward silently towards where Osvald Krumme, the King of Nordstad, as upon his stone throne cushioned with the pelts of animals slain in his predecessor's hunts."Whatever it is, it must be urgent," the other said back, as he closed the doors behind the Lieutenant-General.
"Your Majesty, King Krumme." Leonard began, stooping to one knee in respect, his right hand clenched around a rolled piece of paper.
"Rise; your respect is welcome but unnecessary. How may I help my friends to the south?" Krumme replied.
"Thank you, your Majesty. I bring plans from the capital for an invasion."
"An invasion of…?"
"Hvitskag, your Majesty."
Osvald's face lit up like the sky during Mershell's Dance. "Is that so? Come. There is much to discuss," Krumme said as he stood and beckoned Reindewic towards a chamber to the right of the throne. Strewn across a dark oak table was a large map of the Three Skags, over which the two poured for several hours, sharing quality strategies and battle tactics. Though Leonard was always somewhat reserved, the two left that room closer than they entered. A small semblance of friendship was not all that they emerged from the room with: The Lieutenant-General had his orders, and was intent on acting them out to the letter. Osvald, ever the pro-Regalian, granted joint command of the Nordskag armies to the Regalian Military. "Rise; your respect is welcome but unnecessary. How may I help my friends to the south?" Krumme replied.
"Thank you, your Majesty. I bring plans from the capital for an invasion."
"An invasion of…?"
"Hvitskag, your Majesty."
Reindewic returned to his ship and had his men mobilize: They would march for Hvitskag later that day while respecting the treaty with the Mirnoye. Soon, Nordskag and Regalian soldiers alike began burning all Hvitskagger naval vessels they could find. Though some remained passive, the Hvitskaggers were barely civilized. Men, women, and even some older children took up arms against the intruders, to little effect. Any resistance was crushed almost as soundly as the snow beneath the boots of the marching soldiers. At the end of the day, a sizeable portion of Hvitskag was occupied, and with it, a large population of the nation. Unfortunately, not all of the upstarts could be caught; many Hvitskaggers fled into the Mirnoye treaty zone on Hvitskag, where both Regalia and Nordskag were not permitted to have soldiers. This caught the joint army between violating the truce, or risking dragging the war out by letting the Hvitskaggers hide and regroup.
Meanwhile in Drixagh, Lieutenant-Admiral Virathus Krupp continued his efforts to relieve the local population of their hardships and stimulate the local economy. Unfortunately, Drixagh was more ravished than he had originally anticipated. The area largely lacked cities; what little fortifications that stood were inhabited by tundra and forest nomads who survived on cattle. Practically all domesticated animals, wild livestock, and even horses had been eradicated in the area, meaning there was simply no economic base left to rebuild, especially since the soil was unsuitable for agriculture.
Krupp's attempts to placate the locals through mixed marriages and incentives was relatively successful, but perhaps not in a way the initiative creator had hoped. The locals had more so given up on remaining Northern as the Justifixion of their kin had proven too cruel to face, even for a people who normally relished death in battle. The majority of them simply converted and adapted to Krupp's attempts to Imperialize them, largely because they felt utterly abandoned. No other Northerne family in Regalia had publicly spoken out in any meaningful way to safeguard the Northerne culture. As the situation progressed, the Northerners started viewing Krupp as less of an Imperial dog, and more of a charitable samaritan, while those old Northern families that had all fallen under the sway of cowardly silence or Imperial yoke were now considered the traitors.
The general sentiment in Regalia had become that the North was now truly lost and forsaken. The barbaric free way of the Northerners had been broken: Nordskag's new king, Osvald Krumme, had rapidly set out to modernize his aging Kingdom, and in Drixagh the population adapted in large numbers. The only lands where Northerners continued to wave their axes around and scream obscenities at each other were Hedryll and Ostryll, as well as some of the northern Cairn Kingdoms; all locations far removed from Regalia and its politics.
Elsewhere in the west, Charles Montagaard, accompanied by Johann Eshevard, took a ship to Daenshore along with the Imperial standard banner to oversee the first movements against the Elves. Their intention had meant to strike at the Elves for a longer period now; global events had precipitated some sort of conflict between Regalia and the Elves, especially since the Elves made an alliance with the Songaskians. For many months, this front had been ignored by the Regalians because the Altalar were largely involved in a quasi-war with the Avanthar. The Lieutenant-Generals finally opted to strike when the Altalar were perceived as weak, and when the Orcs seemed as though they favored supporting Regalia. When arriving in Daenshore, Montagaard received a very lackluster welcome from the local Daendroquin and Lusitian population, always infamously anti-Imperial. His march through the city of Daenshore was solemn and quiet. The population simply stared at him unenthusiastically.
Upon arriving at the fields of Ulvar, near the border between Daenshore and the Hortutor lands, Montagaard rested the Imperial Banner and the Montagaard levies in preparation to strike out against Ríë Rivaëlla: The nearest Southern Altalar Kingdom. They chose to rest the day to observe Holy Mass and the celebration of Heron Kelter, the Daen reclaimer, who had once walked these same fields to claim more land for the Ailor race to settle on. The army settled down for the night, the purple, viridian, and black tents dimly lit by campires. Charles Montagaard and Johann Eschevard continued to receive Daendroque dignitaries until the late hours. Even Varran ambassadors from the city state of Ssil, and perhaps entirely unexpected, even some Avanthar who brought news of the royal tribes. Come dawn however, the sun rose to greet a camp caught in the grips of panic.
The preceding night, a massive Altalar army had approached from the nearby forests under the cover of night, using their superior skill in skirmishing to disable Regalian scouts and outposts before they had a chance to alert the base camp. By the time the army was within viewing range of the camp's outer sentries, they had practically surrounded the entire camp. Total number assessments were difficult, but it was obvious that the Montagaard-Imperial Standard Banner, assisted by some Viridian Knights, was outnumbered three to one. Johann Eschevard quickly managed to break down some of the tent areas and form up an orderly to brace for an attack, but the situation was turning bleak when the Elves brought about their own newly developed artillery: some Magic-based projectile weapons. The Regalian Army, usually relying on superior gunpowder artillery fire, was unable to deploy its weapons, while morale itself had also taken a considerable hit.
It was in that moment that the General Staff concluded that the battle was indeed hopeless. The Westmark Army was too far away, closer to the town of Palasta just outside of Daenshore, and there were no other friendly forces that could be alerted. In fact, even if there were, there was no way to get a messenger past the Altalar who were masters of bows and the forests around the area. Charles had the priests that accompanied the army administer a morning prayer to the soldiers to call for the Spirit's protection and blessing on this field, rousing the crowd with a speech to appeal to their sense of duty, their love for the Empire and their Emperor
"Loyal Regalians, venerated soldiers, and true followers of the Emperor's will, the Imperial Spirit opens its arms to us as the scaled shall weigh our souls in the hour of battle. These heretic non believers wish to take from you what they think, in their infinite complacency and licentiousness, to be your most valuable possession: your life.
"Be not afraid of their blade or the wickedness in their eyes and their hearts, and strike they shall at us as they have done before to Herons Olenberg, Heizenwald and Yvrais. These creatures have disturbed our course, our Great Way, unjustly. They have violated our sanctity in a holy day as this, with aims to devour our hopes and spirits like an infernal beast from the Void."
"This beast threatens now to break the wills and hopes of not only you, my comrades in arms, but also of the people in the Empire: your wives and children, your parents and your friends, and above all, your Emperor."
"You Anglians, pillars of the Empire's society, upon our backs do the others reap, our infinite victories over hunger and death, first to strike against the tyranny of the Anahera menace, show now that we are the wheat separated from the chaff."
"You Dragenthalers, spirits of freedom and self determination. Your vigor and virtue to fight for what is yours, your free will tempered by the Imperial Spirit, shall inspire the Empire for generations to come. Show now, that you are the inspiration that the Empire longs for."
"You Calembergers, Vixians and Montanians, loyal brothers, but pillars equal in strength and stature that hold up the vision of our most holy of Emperors, show now your worth and value to the Empire, and let your people embrace their place among the peoples of old, together, all of us, as Imperials."
"This day, a crimson day where we will turn the soil red with the blood of the impious, shall be a day of your glory—a day upon which if you keep your faith, if you slay but one vile knife-ear in the face of judgement, you will win yourselves the cloak of Imperial martyrdom, for surely, the Imperial spirit will award you the gates to paradise to join by his side."
When the speech had completed, Johann Eschevard and Charles Montagaard both donned their military uniforms and took to their steeds. Followed by Imperial banner carriers and even a bearer of the gilded image of the Emperor, they formed up with the front line of the cavalry, hoping to dent the Elven battle line to weaken their defense and to allow the Regalian Army to break out. When the charge commenced, Charles Montagaard and Johann Eschevard charged at the front of the formation, flanked by those same banners and followed by the image of the Emperor staring down the enemy battle lines. The Elves responded by firing their new weapons at the charging cavalry, the projectiles disintegrating both horseman and horse alike, but the charge persisted until it finally crashed into the Elven line, but was repulsed by Elven spears.
The carnage that followed was only reported back by the priests which the Elves had let go due to some old standing cultural notion that the Elves deemed killing priests something only barbarian races would engage in. The priests would later report that the cavalry barely made any impact on the Elven lines, and that as soon as the cavalry was routed to return to the battle camp with no sight of those who charged on the front, the Elven Army started closing in on the Regalians. First hailed by destructive hails of Elven cannon fire and archery and even magic, morale broke to the point where the army effectively tried to route the field, but was still mercilessly slaughtered.
The news of Charles Montagaard and Johann Eschevard's final charge and subsequent death in true Imperial glory was both shocking and abrupt to the people back in Regalia. The news travelled quickly homebound by airship and then spread across the Archipelago in a matter of hours due to networking of gossip and merchants. Before long, the bells of the cathedral tolled and the flags of the city walls were raised half mast, for the Undercrown had perished and the government was without a leader once more.
The Emperor tried to urge for calmness and contemplation, as well as a public mourning period for the loss of the Crown's representative. Despite all his bravado and bold speaking, his expressions made all too clear in context to his last speeches that he too remembered all too well it was but a mere number of days since he told the Empire at large that he knew of none capable enough to succeed Montagaard in his position. The Emperor made no further outward statements on what he intended to do to replace Montagaard, announcing he needed time to contemplate and would likely call for an Imperial Diet at the end of the week to consult with the nobility on the matter.
The public responded with mixed emotions, as Regalians had gotten used to over the past years. Montagaard was a controversial figure, but an able administrator. The economy flourished, and military successes were plenty. Pro-Crown loyalists even said Montagaard could be counted among some of the Crown's most loyal pro Imperialists who fought effortlessly for Royal superiority and prerogative. Then there were those who felt he was repressive, marginalizing and cruel. Regardless of how the people saw him however, a greater distraction was soon able to seize their minds.
Elves had never before defeated a Regalian army in the field. The casualties counted in the tens of thousands, and there was no way to confirm how many casualties had been inflicted on the Elves, or where and when they would strike next, or where their army even was. Furthermore, concerns were raised that the Songaskian Massya could turn on Regalia now he thought it was finally weaker, having opened a third front. Furthermore, news of Ch'ien-ji Warships started circulating in the streets. They were later proven to be pure conjecture, but the very implication of a foreign naval force prowling Regalian waters was enough to cause great concern among the average population of the Empire.
The Emperor tirelessly lobbied with the Allar and Qadir to dedicate more force to their alliance, and while the Qadir were less receptive, the Allars joined the military by the thousands, so substantial in fact that the state was able to allocate a full Allar-only Army Mark to support the coming war efforts. The Crown Alliance was coming together, albeit in the face of the tragic death of numerous nobles and notable politicians, while a global scale war with the Magic Covenant seemed all but inevitable.
Co written by MonMarty & Shayin
