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| Perrion War | |
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| Years | 249 AC - 266 AC |
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The Perrion War was a conflict that raged between 249 AC and 266 AC on the isle of Perrion inhabited by a mixture of Perrion Ithanians, and Pelyon Teledden Elves. The isle of Perrion was a vast and wealthy land with a collection of minor duchies, counties, and viscounties that formed the last bastion of independent Ithanian-minded people not yet under the banner of the Regalian Empire. The Perrion War started as a quick imperialist conquest by Arch-Chancellor Morgan Kade of the Regalian Empire. However, despite Regalia's overbearing military capabilities and the vast sums of money Morgan pumped into the project, the war became a slog that lasted 18 years due to the high militarism of the locals and distance to Regalia's supply lines with an apathetic Ithania that did not help. The war is remembered as one of the most brutal castle-siege wars, as the Perrion had many castles that caused a constant back-and-forth war with Regalia as castles were lost and retaken. With the final fall of the largest duchy, the whole of Perrion was incorporated into a semi-autonomous subject of the Regalian Empire in 266 under the Treaty of Bonedict, signed by Emperor Vilgemar long after Morgan's death.
Prelude
For the past few decades, Arch-Chancellor Morgan Kade was the chief powerbroker in the Regalian Empire. Gone were the days of competent Emperors, replaced by seasonal puppets that provided an illusion of imperial power while the Arch-Chancellor implemented his agenda. As a strong supporter of the haute culture, Morgan always desired to bring all of the Ithanian people under the imperial banner. While his great-grandfather, Nicholas, had brought the Ithanian Sovereignty into the Empire, the isle of Perrion remained fiercely independent and resisted initial overtures to join. In contrast, Perrion was known for its heavily militarized fiefdoms, with knights and mercenaries constantly fighting with one another over regional eminence.
Morgan initially sent envoys to Perrion with a demand to join the Regalian Empire, which was fiercely rejected by the Perrion locals, finding the courtly Regalian diplomats to be poncy and weak. As such, a justification for war was granted, and preparations were made to begin the invasion. Given its proximity to Perrion, the Arch-Chancellor requested that Ithania provide armies for the conflict. However, Ithania cared little about the Perrion Isle and didn’t see a reason why Ithanian lives should be spent fighting against their Ithanian cousins, even if Perrion was lacking in refinement and grace. When the Queen of Ithania exercised a unique legal provision to reject Morgan's request for military support, the Arch-Chancellor was left only with Regalian troops at his disposal. Even with the lack of Ithanian support and the militarization of the Perrion population, Morgan believed that the Regalian Military was more than capable of conquering the isle in only a few short years, and was confident when he gave the order to invade.
Experience
Among Soldiers
For the Regalian Military, this deployment of its troops into a warzone was some of the first action many had seen in their lifetimes. The wars of conquest fought by Emperor Allestrain over three decades ago had seen great glories achieved for the Regalian Empire, and so mixed among the seasoned warriors from Heritages with long lifespans across the Empire, were young, fresh-faced soldiers eager for some of the same glorious action they had been taught of. However, they rarely found it, and instead often became stuck in grinding sieges against ancient castles older than their great-great-grandparents. When not at siege, they would face terrifying and indecisive clashes with the Perrion forces whose defense-minded strategy meant any draw was a defeat for Regalia. There was the benefit that one of the greatest enemies to the soldiers was boredom, as some sieges could last years, forcing the troops on both sides to find many ways of passing the time. By the end of the war, many Regalian soldiers had been left hardened and grim.
Among Officers
Due to the prominence of siege warfare during the conflict, officers were chiefly responsible for ensuring that their soldiers were supplied and able to wait out the defenders of the castles. Due to Ithania’s lack of support, most supply shipments had to come from Corontium, which took weeks to arrive at the front lines. On top of logistics issues, officers had to ensure that their soldiers were always ready to engage their Perrion opponents, and frequently drilled their soldiers in the latest tactics to ensure competency was high. Due to the duration of the conflict, many Perrion veterans rose in the ranks to train fresh recruits, creating a jump in combat effectiveness with constant frontline experience.
The Perrion War was also seen as the golden age of chivalry, and knights featured prominently on the battlefield. Many accounts report on individual Regalian Knights facing off against a Perrion opponent in single combat for the surrender of a castle, or a cavalry charge of mounted knights facing off against equally mounted opponents. Most of the traditions of knighthood such as the joust and melee were displayed during the Perrion War, leading to mutual respect between both sides for their bravery and honor.
Among Command
During the first few years of the war, the Regalian Army was commanded by Grand Marshal Marie-Anne II Brunig, the Queen of Calemberg. As Regalia’s most decorated commander of all time, Marie-Anne oversaw many of the initial battles against Perrion forces, leading to strong initial gains at the start of the campaign. However, following her death a few years into the conflict in 251 AC, the Regalian Marshalry faced a succession crisis which ultimately led to a pause in the war. Armies in the field bunkered down for their sieges as a new Grand Marshal was chosen internally. Once the matter of succession was solved, planning once again resumed.
The main challenge facing the commanders of the Perrion War was ensuring that captured castles would remain in Regalian hands, which was easier said than done due to the delays in logistic shipments. On top of this, the war dragged on far longer than initially planned, which saw an entire generation of commanders retire and be replaced by their successors. The duration of the conflict also took a toll on troop morale, as the constant fighting only wore out the Regalian side, as the Perrion defenders were already accustomed to generational warfare between rival nobles. All of these issues culminated in the decisions of commanders, who by the final years of the war hoped that the conflict would end quickly.
End & Aftermath
Describe the final event that precipitated the end, the conclusion of a treaty, stipulations, and the aftermath of the war.
The decisive battle came when the Regalian Army laid siege to the Duchy of Brisemar. As the most powerful of the Perrion fiefdoms, Brisemar’s capture would force the remaining holdouts to the negotiating table. As the siege dragged on into its third month, Viridian Grandmaster Jeanne d’Arcoulais rode out to challenge the Duke of Brisemar for control of the capital city. In the Battle of Shattered Lances, the Duke’s honor guard faced off against the Grandmaster and her Elders in several jousts and melees for the capture of Brisemar. In the end, Grandmaster d’Arcoulais prevailed over her opponent and won the city in the process, though was mortally wounded in the process and died a few days later.
With the capture of Brisemar and word of the Battle of Shattered Lances reaching the ears of the other Perrion Lords, negotiations began in the Duchy of Dalaloure, which was known for being the most peaceful of the various fiefdoms. As outlined in the Treaty of Bonedict of 266 AC, the Perrion lords agreed to join the Regalian Empire, in exchange for semi-autonomy in a similar vein to Ithania. With the treaty signed, the Perrion War came to an end, and the Army began to return home.
Review
Despite 18 long years of siege warfare, the Perrion War is fondly remembered by the Regalian population. Many of the brightest tactical minds participated in the conflict, and tales of their many feats have passed into local legends. For the knights of the Empire, the Perrion War is mythicized in their ranks, and many cite this war as the reason why they took up the calling themselves. For the common soldier, however, the Perrion War was fatiguing and the endless siege warfare only caused further morale drops when the Regalian Army was shipped off to the Dunden War mere months after returning from the west. As for Morgan Kade’s ambitions, the Arch-Chancellor never saw the conclusion of his war, as he was executed for treason in 256 AC, less than halfway through the conflict. In an ironic twist of fate, the glory of this war was given to Emperor Vilgemar, a man chosen by Morgan as an assumed puppet ruler, who proved to be the Chancellor’s undoing.
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