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| First Songaskian War | |
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| Historical Event | |
| Event Name | First Songaskian War |
| Dates and Times | November 9th 302 AC - June 303 AC |
| Location | Regalian Archipelago |
| People Involved | Regalian Empire, Songaskian Masaya, satellite Nations and States to both empires |
The First Songaskian War was a devastating conflict over a century in the making. It was a bloody fight between two great political giants of Aloria, the Regalian Empire and the Masaya of Farah’deen. Enemies for years, neither side had been willing to commit to full-scale war due to the various distractions and the difficulties each had faced. However, a single spark in Regalia set a flame that grew into a fire which roared into the fringe lands of the Regalian Archipelago, then into the City of Regalia, and finally across the seas to the arid deserts of Farah’deen.
Background Information
For years, the Regalian Empire and the Songaskian Masaya had been at odds, their conflict based around key differences between the two groups, such as religion, their militaries, and schools of thought. While there had been no active warfare between the two, the Regalians and the Masaya quietly authorized privateers to raid the opposing side’s merchant shipping. If these pirates were found out, the Regalian-allied pirates were left alone to suffer the Masaya’s punishment. However, if Regalia captured Masaya-allied pirates, Regalian warships went and bombarded Masayan coastal towns. They also exerted political influence over states at their borders and performed infiltration and spying operations on each other’s militaries, civilians, and governments. Over the years, all of this added a budding, ripe animosity; yet there was a reluctance to start a war with the other side due to the required logistics for an undertaking of such proportions by the two nations.
History
Opening Move
There had been little indication that there would be a war between the two empires as the year of 302 AC drew closer to its end. Ultimately, a supernatural event occurred that compelled the Masaya into war. At the Harvest Ball in Regalia, the demon Behesael appeared, and attempted with other nefarious accomplices to possess then Emperor Alexander Kade. However, midway through the ritual, the mage making the transfer of the Archdemon’s spirit into the Emperor’s body was killed, forcing the malevolent being to seek refuge in a nearby stone statue. However, this effectively trapped the creature and the statue was immediately carted off by Imperial Guards. When the old body of the Archdemon (the withered corpse of Mrs. Baver) was destroyed, it suddenly ended numerous dark storms across Aloria. These Void Storms were the result of ancient Void energy maintained by the presence of Beashel in Aloria. The next day, priests of Shambala in the Masaya felt that the sun was shining so bright that it had to be a sign from their god. They appealed to the Massya, who approved of their divination. He gathered his vast armies into every single available boat from the great, coastal Pearl Cities before setting sail for the distant Regalian Archipelago.
Enemy at the Gates
It took two weeks, but the Masayan forces eventually landed in the Regalian Archipelago in the region of Rivellia. Using infiltrators, they managed to avoid Regalian Navy patrols as well as overthrow the region’s coastal defenses. In a matter of hours, the entire lordship fell to the Masaya as the colossal enemy force swept through the region. A state of emergency was declared in Regalia with many Qadir and Songaskia residents of the Empire and the same-named city being thrown into jail as anti-Farah’deenic sentiments sharply rose. A week after the landing, 20,000 Regalian troops invaded the occupied Rivellia in their occupied territory. Their objective was to seize control of the formidable Kreutzfeld Castle and the town of Steinberg to help clear the way for the larger Imperial Army. Upon landing, the Regalians were beset by Masayan soldiers while simultaneously a political situation in the Dragenthal levies threatened to break the army apart mere hours after arrival. However, the Regalian troops soldiered on and beat back the enemy army. As the new year came to the humid region, the soldiers of the Masaya attacked the beachhead again with the Regalian defenders barely holding them off. Noting that the Masaya army was similarly depleted in manpower, Regalia chose to strike out against the enemy to push them further back.
The Battle of the Old Rivergrand followed, taking place in one of the few lush areas of Rivellia. The battle went poorly and resulted in a resounding defeat for the Regalian Army, with only 3,000 troops making it away and several commanding nobles injured or captured. The Songaskians promptly took apart the Regalian defenses around Steinberg but soon afterward lost their captives to a daring raid performed by a three-man team. The Regalians would not be deterred, and tried to land again, this time at the port of Sudlandet. The battle there was intense and ended in a draw after several hours of fighting as the Masaya pulled back, withdrawing from the second beachhead. Several more Regalian nobles and their bodyguards had been captured, including the Arch Chancellor, yet the Masaya had sustained a considerable number of casualties, forcing them to regroup. Over the next few weeks, several attempts were made to free these captured Regalian nobles with very few succeeding and more often than not resulting in many of these rescuers getting caught themselves. At the end of this period, the Imperial Family left Regalia with the simple words that the Arch Chancellor had been sacked and the recently formed State Council was now in command. Meanwhile, the Daenshore Governate and the Kingdom of Lusits had begun to mobilize and Regalia’s Eronidas allies also were gathering raiding parties to strike against the enemy.
The Fall of Regalia
It seemed it was too late as on the morning of the 26th of February, the Songaskians devastated the Regalian Fleet with the help of explosives planted by southern Mai-Allar tribes and sailed their forces onto the Regalian Crown Isle. The few defenders of the city remaining were defeated by traitors who helped open the gates and allowed the city to fall. Immediately the Azure Tower was closed and the prison was opened, allowing hundreds of Qadir and Songaskians out, while the Songaskian Massya’s second wife began to govern the city. The nobility of Regalia either went into hiding or joined the new administration as collaborators and thus, a tense peace began in the capital. At the same time, the Emperor declared the Ithanian city of Joyau-vert du Nord as the new Regalian capital and also announced he was marrying Juliana de Lobo, the “Mad Queen” of Lusits. This allowed the Regalian Empire to gain access to the Lusits army to reinforce their troops. A short time later, with the support of its subsidiaries, the remains of the Regalian Fleet set sail in force.
To the dismay of many, they did not go to Regalia, instead arcing around the area entirely and going to aid Califaera against the Heraatz rebels who were being supported by the Masaya. What followed was the Masaya declaring war on Califaera, Hadravia invading Malifant after which Saruhanna declared war on Hadravia. Amidst all of these war declarations, the annexation of the Regalian Archipelago was going poorly for the Masaya as revolts and riots were commonplace. Further weakening the Masayan position was news that the Eronidas Dredge Fleet, a combined effort of Eronidas, Ailor, and Dwarves, had smashed the Farah’deenic city of Aftalasah. Behind the scenes, the Masayan forces in Regalia were beginning to debate if they should return home to aid in defence of their nation. The capital city itself had remained peaceful though a group called the Crown Rebellion suddenly struck as several small contingents of Masayan troops were removed from the city. The resulting riot claimed thousands as Masayan mages unleashed a fire that burned down an entire district of the city. The occupier’s forces had been forced to retreat and now occupied only the Imperial District, rather cramped yet well defended. Imperial forces soon returned, and after a surprising parley, the Songaskians left the city with all acquired loot.
The Hadravian War
Despite getting their capital back, the Regalian Empire needed to take back its honor and prove itself dominant again. The Regalian Third, Fourth and Fifth Armies were formed and then deployed out to into the Hadravian War to battle the Masaya and its allies. Landing in early May at the major port of Aslaqqa, the Fourth Army was sent to distract and battle Songaskian forces while the Third and Fifth armies went and attacked supply lines based out of the ancient Watif Esballah Castle, all in Malifant. While the Fourth Army was rather successful in eventually defeating Prince Isdevli Osmanli, the castle was taken with huge losses by the Third Army. A counter-attack by the enemy the following week was defeated, and when the Fifth Army arrived, the Masayan forces were routed, though at a serious loss to Regalian troops. Another week afterward, Prince Isdevli Osmanli returned and attempted to destroy the Fourth Army of Ulric Typhonus but failed, finding the Prince’s army completed annihilated.
Empowered by these recent victories, the Third and Fifth Armies merged to form the Second Army with the Fourth Army becoming the First Army and marched further into enemy territory. The large First Army encountered a similarly large Songaskian force and moved in to battle them. As the fighting grew worse, Ulric Typhonus was suddenly shot down from his horse by archers in the Regalian lines. Unable to properly move, his honor guard dragged him away while fending off several attacking Regalian swordsmen, more traitors. The levies around him were from a large mix of the different noble houses, so it was unknown who the traitor was then and still even now. While the army took many losses and a small level of confusion arose as their leader was now absent, they managed to defeat the Songaskians army. Soon after, the Second Army met with the forces of Aliyah Allaslaha while attempting to distract the Songaskians forces. It ended in a disaster when Crown Prince Cedric Kade was captured which brought the fighting to an end as peace talks opened. In mid-June after weeks of waiting, a peace was forged and the war was over. Regalian forces extracted themselves from the region with each nation’s borders eventually returning to how they previously had been in separate peace treaties.
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Effects
The First Songaskian War was thought at the time to be the ultimate venting of national frustration and hatred for the Songaskian Masaya despite the wars rather unwanted beginning. Today it is seen a bloody conflict that lost Regalia far more than they could ever possibly claim to have won back. The Imperial Treasury was robbed of a vast sum, the Imperial District itself was stripped of all fineries, another district was burned to the ground, the Lordship of Rivellia collapsed into a state of abject poverty which has still to recover while the Imperial Fleet was secretly very weak, a fact the Regalian Government kept very quiet until the reveal of new battleships and vessels built in the aftermath of the War. Despite this, the Masaya were not untouched either. They had lost tens of thousands of soldiers to Regalia in defence of its allies, and their fleet capabilities were even weaker than before. However, it pales in comparison to the bloodshed that ensued when the Regalian Empire invaded Farah’deen in the Second Songaskian War, which most see as a Regalian attempt to even the scales politically in a childish “You invade my homeland, I invade yours.” The conflict is also seen in a negative light in that it collectively weakened the major powers of Aloria against the oncoming Ohnark led by a statue claiming to be the Elven goddess Estel that rampaged over Torse and was later faced by Regalia at the Battle of Curag Fields.
Trivia
- The city of Erothur was created when the Eronidas Dredge Fleet was forced to stop at the Songaskian city of Shathur, where the murder and pillaging lasted until the peace treaty a dozen weeks later. This event served to highlight for the Songaskians that Regalian machinery was quickly evolving to match the skill of the local Qadir.
- For a brief time at the very start of the war, Crown Prince Cedromar Kade of Regalia went missing in Hadravia, later being rescued by a small group of nobles and a Regalian-loyal Qadir who was used as a translator. No one but the Regalian Nobility is aware of this event though most have chosen to forget it in the face of Cedromar I’s rise to power
- It is still unknown to the public which house’s levies are responsible for attacking Ulric Typhonus, who survived his brush with death thanks to the quick action of his bodyguards and medical staff on the backlines.
- This war was referred to as the Qadir War by the uneducated masses of the Regalian Empire, particularly the Regalian Archipelago, for nearly three years. However, the Second Songaskian War and the addition of the Qadir into the Crown Alliance forced the Regalian Government to aggressively educate their populace on political correctness, at least in terms of this war.
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