The Flagship: Axios War Bulletin IV (Final)

[VonEbs 1224]

The Flagship

Axios War Bulletin IV

 

Johannesburg Destroyed, Philip I Frederick Presumed Dead

 

The streets of Johannesburg.

 

In what witnesses are describing as a terrible, earth rending explosion, the capital of the Holy Oren Empire and final stronghold of Imperial forces on Tahn was burned from the face of the world. Johannesburg can at present be described as a steaming slag heap, instantly deadly to any who might stray into the exclusion zone. It is currently unclear how many perished in the blast, though it appears that much of the remaining Holy Oren Empire’s army and leadership are missing, presumed dead, including the Emperor, Philip I Frederick. Civilian casualties were limited by an evacuation order issues earlier this year. May the Creator have mercy on the souls of the dead.

 

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Contents

Johannesburg Destroyed, Philip I Frederick Presumed Dead

Prior to Blast, Fight for Johannesburg Characterized by Fierce Street to Street Fighting

Axiot Coalition Declares Victory, Begins to Rebuild

Kingdom of Hanseti and Ruska Becomes Independent

Kingdom of Norland Formed

Duchy of Barranquilla Declared Independence

Duchy of Mardon and Barony of Cantal Join Courland

Kingdom of the Westerlands Splits Off

Marketwatch

Political Change in Haelun’or

12 People Changing Axios

Putting this War into Context

Editor’s Note

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Prior to Blast, Fight for Johannesburg Characterized by Fierce Street to Street Fighting

 

 

The fight for control of the Holy Oren Empire Capital was like no battle the Descendants have seen since perhaps the Undead invasion of the North in Aegis. The numbers of combatants involved was extraordinary, and the ranks of the Axiot Coalition swelled as they pushed Imperial forces further and further into the city, preparing for a final assault. The city had been fortified heavily before being invested by the Coalition, but morale was low among Imperial troops, and large segments of the Imperial levies deserted as the year progressed. The city itself was devastated by the fighting, a former center of trade and culture wrecked beyond recognition even before the explosion that destroyed it at the penultimate moment in the war.

 

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Axiot Coalition Declares Victory, Begins to Rebuild

 

With the last stronghold of the Holy Oren Empire toppled and the Emperor missing, presumed dead in the explosion that consumed his city, the Descendants must begin to rebuild. In the end, nearly every power had entered the war, in reality if not officially, on the side of the Coalition, and warriors from every race and culture participated in the campaign, which wound its way from the Duchy of Lorraine to the Barony of Cantal and the Grand Kingdom of Urguan and Kingdom of Haense to the Ducal City of Metz and finally to the Crownlands and Johannesburg itself. Orenian power has been crushed completely and totally, with its former possessions splintering into a number of Kingdoms, two of which, the Kingdom of Lotharingia and the Kingdom of Courland, were the primary rebel powers in the War. Still, there has been no move to either crown a new Holy Oren Emperor or reconstitute the Empire, leading to speculation that the Coalition intends to prevent such events from occurring. In any case, the powers of the Isle of Tahn must begin to stitch themselves and their societies back together after a hundred years of Orenian domination.

 

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Kingdom of Hanseti and Ruska Becomes Independent

 

 

Prior to the destruction of Johannesburg, the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska (also known as Haense) had exited the war in favor of White Peace and declared its independence from the Holy Oren Empire.

 

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Kingdom of Norland Formed

 

Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Norland

 

Jarl Ruric of the Krag and Jarl Reyurnt of Ostermark have come together to reform Norland as an independent nation in the far western edge of the Isle of Tahn, near the high elves of Haelun’or. Ostermark is a city of considerable size and strategic importance in that region of Axios, and will be fairly easy to hold against invaders. Norland has already begun solidifying diplomatic relations with the powers of the continent, declaring pacts with Haelun’or and the Grind Kingdom of Urguan

 

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Duchy of Barranquilla Declared Independence

 

Coat of Arms of the Duchy of Barranquilla

 

Rogrigo Cortez, formerly the Count of Barranquilla, has declared his independence and formed the Duchy of Barranquillam taking the title of Duke. He has taken steps to establish diplomatic relations with the powers of the continent and form an army for his new nation.

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Duchy of Mardon and Barony of Cantal Join Courland

 

The Duke of Marna and Baron of Cantal, Philip Louis Horen, pledged to the King Tobias “Tuvya” Staunton of Courland prior to the destruction of Johannesburg, and joined his own host to that of the Coalition. It is unclear exactly what his defection means in the long term, though his holdings are significant and brings the size of the Kingdom of Courland to a comparable level as that of Hanseti-Ruska and Lotharingia, adding the settlements of the County of Board and Barony of Cantal to Courland’s main stronghold, Ostwick.

 

===

 

Kingdom of the Westerlands Splits Off

 

The storied Kingdom of the Westerland was forced into a White Peace by the Axiot Coalition in became de facto independent from the Holy Oren Empire, taking with it a sizable swath of territory, which while not terribly important strategically, is rich in natural resources. The Westerlands barely contributed any forces to the Holy Oren Empire during the war, and is relatively untouched by fight. Leopold of Marna, the King of Vandoria, will lead this new Kingdom.

 

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Market Watch

 

 

Iron Ingot: 2.2 minas - Kal Omith

Gold Ingot: 2.2 minas - Kal’Omith

Diamond: 8.5 minas - Kal’Omith

Hay Bale: 0.2 minas - Sutica

Leather: 0.5 minas - Sutica

Oak Logs: 0.2 minas- Sutica

 

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Political Change in Haelun’or

 

It’s hard to precisely describe the political maneuverings of the high elves, so it is best to leave them aside and focus on the consequences. The Orenian backed Uthirate was overthrown with the aid of the mali’fenn, and a Sohaerate was declared with Erinali S. Tahn’thill as Sohaer. This is just the latest in a series of political upheavals in Haelun’or, with governments rising and toppling with great frequency.

 

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St. Karlsburg City Holds Elections

 

St. Karlsburg, the Capital of the newly independent Kingdom of Haense and Ruska, is holding elections for Maer. There are several candidates for the post, including the current Maer, Lukas Vanir, who is expected to win the election easily. The Flagship will keep you informed of any developments in the campaign.

 

===

 

9 People Changing Axios

 

King Tobias “Tuvya” Staunton of Courland

 

 

King John D’Amary of Lotharingia

 

 

Grand King Bastion Ireheard of Urguan

 

 

Rex Drokon’Ugluk of Krugmar

 

 

Duke Parek Roswell of Pasnia

 

 

High Prince Tristin Tresury of Linandria

 

 

Sohaer Erinali S. Tahn’thill of Haelun’or

 

 

Princess Titania Hawkson of Norseth’onn

 

 

Trade Princess Lilyana La Terre Amant Carrington of Sutica

 

 

===

 

Putting this War into Context

 

It is of paramount importance to attempt to contextualize the events of the past few years and how they truly are extraordinary, if still rooted in past events. It is probably best to start at the beginning, with the Oren the editor first encountered as a young elf in Aegis, the Kingdom of Oren, which spread out from the Jewel of Aegis, Al’Khazar. That city and kingdom were truly cosmopolitan, and Descendants from all over Aegis desired to live there. Human settlements sprawled in all directions, but those to the North soon came under threat from the Undead, who launched their invasion from the North. The battles for these Northern outposts, the now immortalized Alstion and Snowy Fields, did much to both hone the human spirit and the determination of the Descendants. It was also ultimately this invasion that destroyed Al’Khazar after many years of bitter fighting and inevitable advance and retreat.

 

The Kingdom of Oren was ruled by level headed men, first St. Daniel, then Pampo Perea (his wife, Dawn, was the famous Dawn of Dawn’s bakery, and later queen of Salvus), and then, after Pampo’s death at the hands of an undead Necromancer during the First Battle of Al’Khazar. Edmund Sheffield and his wife Queen Ivrae ruled a mostly content Oren for several years until a terrible corruption fostered by the Undead Latsi took ahold of the King, and after an act of cannibalization and the Queen’s death, threw the Kingdom of Oren into chaos. Some weeks later, Enor Sheffield, the kidnapped son of the King, was elevated to the throne under mysterious circumstances, and this set forth the events that are widely believed to have created the Oren we all know today.

 

Enor’s rule created bitter division and allegations of corruption and incompetence, and when Al’Khazar finally fell into the Undead’s hands, there was mass hysteria throughout both Oren and the wider world. Governments fell, rebellions flared, and King Enor was toppled by the Phoenix Rebellion. His last act legitimized the Hochmeister of the Teutonic Order, Gaius Marius, and the ensuing civil war resulted in the Kingdom of Renatus, centered on Galahar (a city built on the ruins of a thousand cities) and the Kingdom of Hanseti, while the Kingdom of Salvus formed from the remnants of the Orenian Government. Renatus was initially ruled by the Tarus family, who had been known for their martial contributions to the Phoenix Rebellions, and Hanseti eventually came under the rule of the (in)famous Mirtok DeNurem, while Salvus was a co-monarchy between the last of the Sheffields and Pereas. These three Kingdoms eventually came into conflict after the exodus to Asulon, and though Salvus quickly fell to internal division and exterior invasion, Renatus and Hanseti were locked in a rivalry. Both Kingdoms went into decline, and Renatus began to fracture as humans did what they had done since time immemorial: found new settlements. Eventually, the throne of Renatus sat empty, and the leadership of the kingdom, such as it was, cast about for a candidate. They found one in Godfrey Horen, who made many claims about his line’s direct descent from Horen himself (an absurdity, as all Humans are directly descended from Horen) and claiming the divine right to rule. Despite the obvious fabrications, Renatus installed Horen on the throne, and thus the second Golden Age of Humanity began, built on lies, superstition and confusion.

 

Godfrey Horen began a ruthless consolidation of human lands, reincorporating by force and diplomacy the disloyal vassals of Renatus, and after swallowing the Kingdom of Seventis and beating back a coalition of forces arrayed against him, he turned towards Hanseti. War simmered between the two powers for decades, and it would not be until Anthos that the Kingdom of Renatus, now known as the Holy Oren Empire, would dig out its last splinter. It was also during this time that human culture began to shift, becoming increasingly prejudiced against both their fellow men and their cousins, their fellow Descendants (Orcs, Dwarves and Elves). The Church of the One True Faith emerged from doctrinal conflict as a major power in human affairs, akin to that of a secular state.

 

After dealing with internal problems, the Empire then looked to the other races, and began the systematic weakening of the other nations and attempted to conquer them all, with some initial success, forcing the elves of Malinor into a humiliating treaty and making war on the Orcs and Dwarves. Depending on your point of view, the Dwarves of the Grand Kingdom of Urguan are either the unsung heroes or the vilest of villains in the history of the Descendants; they were certainly the only power that withstood Orenian aggression for the intermittent centuries of human domination.

 

Emperor Godfrey Horen’s son, Horen, was widely acknowledged as a madman, and on the eve of his final victory over the Dwarves, he faltered. The ensuing chaos caused the fragmentation of the Holy Oren Empire into several Kingdoms (Oren/Renatus, Savoie, Ruska, Hanseti, Salvus, Kaedrin, Herendul), several of them under Dwarven protection. The Kingdom of Oren itself was inherited by the weak willed William, and war raged for several years amongst the Kingdoms. Salvus was destroyed again, this time by a combination of Kaedrini betrayal and Orc invasion. The Kingdom of Ruska and the Papal States of Savoie joined together after a brief crisis, and in turn marched on Abresi, intent on restoring the Empire. Thus, it was House Carrion, under Emperor Sigismund, that reconstituted the Empire. House Carrion’s rule did not last far past Sigmund’s death, and under suspicious circumstances akin to those that lead to the rise of Godfrey Horen, Peter Chivay of Kaedrin, a former White Rose, became Holy Oren Emperor. Anthos itself was soon afterwards consumed by chaos, and the Descendants began their flight again.

 

The next hundred years or so were not especially interesting due to the invariableness of Human domination. The Elves had fractured and were scattered, and were thus brought under the heel of Imperial dominion once again, and the weaker of the elves began to collaborate with their human overlords in a desire for power that had thus far been denied to them. The Grand Kingdom of Urguan continued its resistance, occasionally aided by other powers or rebels, but it was mostly a solitary fight. Certainly, there were crises and rebellions within the Empire, as the sultanate of Haria rose and fell and rose again, the Zionist war, and most recently, the Duke’s War, where House de Sarkozic attempted to restore Ruskan hegemony to the Empire. The Empire and the restored House Horen (which had survived to retake the throne after House Chivay ceased to produce heirs) weathered these storms fairly comfortably, and only the Duke’s War seriously threatened to disturb the world order. Eventually, even the Orcs of Krugmar fell under the influence of the Emperors, though these Emperors became increasingly weak as the Empire decentralized and complacency set in after years of relative peace and unchallenged hegemony.

 

When this was began, with the Emperor launching an assault on Savoy, many were swift to dismiss the chances of the rebels to succeed against such an immortal foe. Later, Courland took up the standard of rebellion, and through the Emperor’s folly, Lotharingia joined them. Perhaps many of us had forgotten that immortal lesson of history: every Empire must fall. Still, there was little reason to believe that this war would be any different. Still, despite the doubts, the rebels and their partners won victory after victory against the Empire, stunning the Descendants like few wars truly have. The Emperor’s grasp on his vassals and allies weakened slowly at first, but after confidence was undermined at the Battle of Goldsmith Field, the Empire truly began to collapse, and the outcome of the war was no longer in doubt, merely how long it would take to beat the Empire into submission.

 

It is difficult to put one’s finger directly on what made this war different. Perhaps Empire had become too complacent, its leadership too tired and set in its ways to adapt to the new challenge. Its leadership was indeed clogged by a cadre of ancient families, many of whom had produced heirs that possessed both addled minds and aggressive ignorance in great parts. It is possible that Orenian culture had just become decadent and was unable to comprehend defeat and could not be motivated to prevent it. Perhaps years of resistance finally forged the Coalition into a fighting force capable of fighting Imperial forces on the field. It was often remarked that Imperial troops were of especially poor quality, and so obsessed with obtaining loot for themselves that they often fought poorly and were unable to form cohesive units. There was also constant bickering and breakdowns in communication during battles, something the Coalition did not experience. It will take more time to truly reflect on the consequences of the war, but it clear to the editor that it represents a truly transformational moment for the Descendants, and will not be soon forgotten.

 

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Editor’s Note

 

Thank you for reading The Flagship. It has certainly been a momentous few years for the Descendants, and though this publication did not take a side in this war, nor should it had, it would not be proper to fail to acknowledge the great sacrifices undertaken by the Dwarves of the Grand Kingdom of Urguan especially to preserve the flame of freedom and liberty in the dark ages of Human domination. I cannot help but hope that the world will be a better place for the Descendants to live going forward.

 

~Ebs Telrunya

Editor in Chief

[shimmeringbliss 268]

((Ebs! The Sohaer is LadyParion, not LadyRebecca!))

[VonEbs 1224]

1 minute ago, shimmeringbliss said:

((Ebs! The Sohaer is LadyParion, not LadyRebecca!))

((If someone could provide the right skin I would appreciate it. I just grabbed the one associated with her MC account))

[iris1612 1780]

"Patrek Roswell is on the list, but King Marius, who was crowned this VERY DAY isn't? And who's this Tatiana woman? Does Norseth'onn even still exist?" Says a confused Boris

[ACU20 567]

((No this is Patrek, love the post by the way, great writing))

[shimmeringbliss 268]

[Will (TauFirewarrior) 2466]

"Hm, I wish the editor of this thing would get my side of the story." said Orsino, former Uthir of Haelun'or.

[Pureimp10 5691]

"I would be love to hold an interview with the Flagship! Send a letter to my administrative office (PM me on the forums) for a date and time!" says Maer Lukas.

[Thatpyrodude 2008]

6 hours ago, Pureimp10 said:

"I would be love to hold an interview with the Flagship! Send a letter to my administrative office (PM me on the forums) for a date and time!" says Maer Lukas.

"Not Maer for long." Mutters a scheming Strelt

[Taketheshot 3834]

6 hours ago, VonEbs said:

Prior to Blast, Fight for Johannesburg Characterized by Fierce Street to Street Fighting

A former Orenian soldier looks confused as he munches on his lunch at his new job in the mines "But they didnt even breach the city? They dont even talk about the trench warfare.... This author is terribly versed in his reporting skills. He should have paid a visit to the Coalition or Orenian trenches, seen the horrors for himself...."

[Arctic_Guard 1068]

"Still more active than the rest of Axios, defending it from the vile necrotics... Where's your contribution to the world?" asks a devout Westerlands Company man who fights to preserve the future greater good as he reads the pamphlet sitting in the local Tavern booth. "Who even is this writer? I don't believe anyone has even seen them before. It's like they don't exist? Fiction!" He then asks to a tavern goer at Death's End who also gives a shrug and spews, "No idea, must be another nobody necrotic. Honestly I am not sure why they even bother. The Company of the Westerlands has better conflicts to fight than some petty squabbles with those who defend degeneracy," the tavern goer states. "I hadn't even seen any assaults on the Westerlands or even raid parties during my stay here either. It's like they knew they couldn't breach the walls with their petty pitchforks." The Westerlands Company man-at-arms grunts as he tosses the horribly written weak show of propaganda into the hearth fire, "So nice of them to deliver more heating for our homes though. It's almost like they care for our stay out here in the cold even when we ignore them anyway."

[ErikAzog 3575]

Erik'Azog adjusts his reading glasses, "Ah, another excellent edition from the Eberley brothers."

[Zhulik 3559]

King Leopold the radical purple-haired human, whom advocates the rights of all citizens of Axios for they were born and thus belong to the world, observes the news-story. He then proceeds to rip out follicles of his lavender locks, rolling upon the floor as he listens to the right-wing slant presented by the article. Grinding his teeth as his eyes teared, he would mutter "F-fake news!" before screeching into multiple birds, sending off their tweets.

[Narthok 10416]

(( this is excellent, looking forward to the next edition

[Vege 4804]

((The person in the picture for Tobias isn't me! It's KingVege, aka Ramsey Stafford))