The Final Offensive

[Nectorist 12869]

The Final Offensive

"I gaze upon the fields of my victory- a more beautiful canvas than any within the Augustine. Thousands of dead enemies, yet hardly a felled Imperial in sight! Why would I feel guilty for the carnage here, knowing that they sought the same of the Empire?"

- Emperor John VIII

 

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There is no greater cause to be undertaken by a son or daughter of Horen than the advancement of history itself. There is an end to our world that is laid out by God and revealed to us by his private miracles. Man is bound by a fate ordained by the Lord, a fate that plays a part in bringing about this end, and it is those who do not avoid it that are blessed with His eternity. Although we are cursed with lives brutish and short, we are made immortal by our great deeds- be they good or evil- that have made their mark on the lands of Almaris and those that came before. This war, one of the longest any of the living races has known, exemplifies this well. Since the reign of my predecessor, Peter III, there has stood the Coalition and there has stood the Empire.

 

Tragically, this dichotomy was imposed not by the world at large, not by the majority, not even by half of it, but by a few whose hearts were wrought with avarice and jealousy. There is no doubt in my mind that the Imperial farmer, the Haeseni carpenter, the Dwarven miner, and the Nordling fisherman have no interest in making war with each other. Peace is the object of desire, even if war is the tool by which to obtain it, and it ought to be the intent of all the states of Almaris, and lands beyond, in every dealing and action made. The course of history has begun to lead us to such a place: peace upon the world. Warfare is far more localized- peoples are not slaughtered by great numbers in the aftermath of victory- and the appetite for conquest among the masses has subsided greatly over successive generations. However, there are those who seek to delay history and stall the fate which the Lord has in store for this world.

 

When my predecessors, Anne I and Joseph II, expelled Haense from the Empire, they were forward-thinking in their heavy-handedness. Long had Haense been agitated under the Empire, even if it did benefit, and it was clear that rebellion was to come had its continued inclusion into the Empire persisted. All of its agitations towards the Empire involved a perceived tyranny, one that many would have assumed to be done away with in the aftermath of the Edict of Expulsion. With Haense and the Empire on relatively equal footing, what is to say that cooperation and goodwill could not have sprung from it? Anne and Joseph were far from violent in their respective dispositions, and all diplomacy undertaken by them was in good nature and aimed towards designing the time of peace that the Lord guided them towards. However, the history many of us have lived through has shown that such feelings were not reciprocated.

 

From the reign of Peter III onwards, no invasion was perpetuated by the Empire. Empress Anne fought and bled with the rest of the world in the war against the Inferi invasion, devoting Imperial lives towards working against a common threat. Emperor Joseph faced only a small insurrection from the Sedanites. Emperor John, without provocation on his part, was unjustly invaded by the Nordlings, but drove them back to their borders and, magnanimously, refused to pursue them further. Emperor Philip was met with an ultimatum for crimes that did not exist, then was subject to a declaration of war from the Urguanites. The Empire has sought only peace, yet a Coalition has remained a constant. Whether Iron Accord or Tripartite Pact, the states of the Coalition have circled the Empire like vultures aiming to strike when they perceive weakness. 

 

After our victory at the Siege of Haverlock, I pondered for a moment, considering the actions of Anne, Joseph, and John. Each had the choice to inflict violence upon those who had wronged them, to subjugate and pacify them in the mold of men such as Emperor Aurelius, yet they did not. They chose mercy, they chose trust, they chose goodwill, in the hopes of building a world that would no longer see war. The ideals by which they fashioned the Orenian order are ones that I have adopted. Although I am a soldier at heart, I know the value of peace. I wish to set my warhammer aside so I may hold my grandchildren in my arms. I wish to sit with my wife and speak with her about a matter other than war. I wish to enjoy the company of my friends and citizens within the tavern of Providence without donning my armor in the event of an attack. However, the Lord has a role for me to play, just as he does us all. Operating as his instrument, I will do justice to the ideals that my predecessors sought to use as the foundation of a new world order and ensure that they are fulfilled.

 

Were I to cease now, the Coalition would return, ready to renege on the newly-made peace as it rears its ugly head for war once more. It has been seen time and time and time again. Despite the tendency of the Empire to operate only in peace, war has continuously been brought to it by the states of the Coalition. I have learned that kind words and soft hearts are not the means by which peace will be had. There is but one way that we may finally set aside our weapons and live in harmony and unison- history itself must be advanced and the new age be ushered in by strength. This war has marked an end of the Age of Man, but what will be birthed from it will only be decided when the dust has finally settled.

 

No Peace Until Victory.

 

 

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WARCLAIM

 

Wargoal: Conquest of Tile 88

 

 

    Attackers:

 

    Holy Orenian Empire (LEAD)

    County of Blackvale

 

 

Defenders:

 

The Grand Kingdom of Urguan (LEAD) & Allies 

 

 

Warclaim Date: TBD (preferably April 2nd)

 

[Shmeepicus 4213]

Within the confines of Reutov, Ivan took up his blade.. a heirloom of the House Ruthern. "I pray to Godan above that this is the last time I am called to war from my family.. if only the Coalition could have sought reason and in that, peace." He mumbled, before getting a squire to help him with his armour and making the long trek to the Capital.

[OP bandamont 901]

Anton withdrew his ferrum longsword , pointing it at the lands of urguan and saying "we've got to finish the job"

[Serf 647]

"OIM HAPPY TO BE IN TAE EMPIRE ! ! !" Shouted a dwarf in Empire lands.

[MailC3p 2404]

Spoiler

Based

 

[Azie 657]

"AVE ORENIA." Said Lorena as she read over the missive.

[CharmingCavalier 2189]

Henry Penton spoke to his aides as the document was published. “It is by their ignorance to reason that they bring war unto their lands and their people. Unwilling to admit defeat, the half-men delay and obstruct the common will for peace that exists between the nations of Almaris. May they find reason with this new offensive, as we seize what is rightfully ours.”

[mkaxeman 1106]

"Ayo, **** the dwarves." - Mohammed 'Jesus' Pablo

[MapleSunflower 1889]

Primrose Gendik nods in approval of the form. She readies the clinics for the war's wounded. 

 

Madeline Vernhart looked to her husband with a frown, cradling her daughter in her arms. With a tremble in her voice, she said "It's come."

[The Tough Guy 4319]

Kronk slammed his axe against his shield as he let out a cry "Bring et ohn yeeh weeh cuhnts!" The Grand Marshal shouted before taking a hefty swig of whiskey.

[JoshBright 3014]

Sir Jarad Munnel would unpack his weapons and raise the banners of war "they have their there choices and we have made ours" he would say to his family and men

[FredrickTeufel 356]

George Maximilian Simply looks over the missive for a moment. He knew this was coming, he had known this for the years of silence in the peace talks. "Here we go again. . ." He mumbles to himself, ready to do it all over again.

[Sixbyte 356]

Eber would slowly dawn his helm, calling for his trust horse Swifty Sam VII- blade upon his side! 

Edited March 27, 2022 by Glines

[STBNL 250]

Palomar prepares, sharpening his blade.

[oryP 1068]

Sergeant Major Kendrick Nightingale smiled upon the parchment. “Finally, I get an excuse to kill a dwarf.” He’d kick his feet whilst sitting upon an oak chair within the confinements of his office in the Bastion.