THE BLACK BANNER | THE SUCCESSORS' WAR

[Xarkly 12581]

THE BLACK BANNER:

THE SUCCESSORS' WAR

Spoiler

 

HAENSE, URGUAN, BALIAN v. OREN, KRUGMAR, HAELUN'OR, ELYSIUM

431 - 434 E.S. | 1878 - 1881 A.H.

VICTORY

 

Battle of the Light Purse (431 E.S. | 1878 A.H.) - Stalemate

Storming of Daeland (433 E.S. | 1880 A.H.) - Victory

Battle of Acre (433 E.S. | 1880 A.H.) - Major Victory

Battle of Red Snow (434 E.S. | 1881 A.H.) - Victory

 

SEE THE FULL BLACK BANNER, THE COMPLETE MILITARY HISTORY OF THE KONGZEM OF HAENSE, HERE.

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The Successors' War was christened so because it mainly featured the heirs of King Sigismund III and Emperor Philip III as a direct sequel to the Sinners' War.

 

The years that followed the Peace of Eastfleet, which brought an end to the 19-year-long Sinners' War, brought many changes: in Haense, King Karl III took the throne after his father fell ill and died in an honour duel against Ser Walton the Wall; after a Thanhium blast destroyed her capital, Princess Renata de Savoie dissolved the declining Principality of Savoy; the Elven tribes of Celia'nor, Nor'aseth, Fenn, and Elvenesse (later renamed Amathea) formed the High Principality of Malinor, and set their sights on uniting all Elves under their banner either peacefully or otherwise; and the Orcs of Krugmar briefly grew influential after they vassalized the High Elves of Haelun'or, who feared attack by Malinor, and invaded the Kingdom of Elysium, but they soon found themselves trapped in a doomed war against Vytrek Tundrak, High Prince of Malinor. 

 

The most substantial change of the period was the dissolution of the Holy Orenian Empire through a final decree - the text of which has been mysteriously lost - in the will of the late Emperor Philip III and Empress Anastasia I, who sought to reform Oren as a Kingdom under the rule of their third-born son, Frederick. The same decree also ceded the Grenz region of north-western Oren to the scions of the late Manfred of Arichsdorf, who created the independent Crown of Westfall. This monumental edict deeply divided Orenian society, and was contested with steel by the Emperor's first-born, Peter, who was prepared to neither sacrifice his lawful throne nor Oren's imperial status. The viscous Brothers' War followed, which, after a bloody climactic battle in the streets of Providence, ended in the consolidation of the Kingdom of Oren under King Frederick I and the creation of the Grand Duchy of Balian by the exiled supporters of the short-lived Emperor Peter IV under Grand Duke John Casimir.

 

"Them two king's be gettin' ready to swing. I can feels it in me bones."

- Billy Barnmallow, a farmer of Honeyhill

 

Both King Karl of Haense and King Frederick of Oren were ambitious young men, and wary of one another. The scars of the Sinners' War ran deep, as many in Oren and Westfall, which remained administratively dependent on Frederick's court after the chaos of the Brothers' War, remained bitter about the cessation of the Upper Grenz to Haense in the Peace of Eastfleet, while King Karl's nobility and council reckoned Frederick was a power-hungry kinslayer and prospective warmongerer. Geopolitics hinted at their eventual confrontation as the two monarchs kept a close eye on the island of Karinah'siol - the home of the High Elves of Haelun'r - off Almaris' eastern coast. In the hands of a military nation, the island was immensely strategically valuable for controlling the eastern sea corridor, and with the High Elves' overlords - the Horde of Krugmar - occupied fighting Malinor far to the west, the island had never been more vulnerable.

 

While King Karl and King Frederick courted Al'Borok, the Rex of Krugmar, to convince him to sell the island, Grand King Bakir Ireheart of Urguan was about to complicate matters. The Dwarven warrior-king had grown bored and belligerent since the end of the Sinners' War, and so he leapt at the prospect of action when it came in the autumn of 431 E.S. | 1878 A.H. after his kin, Balor Ireheart, and his companions were killed after an honour duel had gone askew while visiting Krugmar. Mere hours after the news reached the underrealm, Grand King Bakir marched a retaliatory force of 2,700 Dwarves westward from Kal'Darakaan, and negotiations ensued when they reached Krugmar two evenings later. The Horde expressed a genuine desire to make amends, and the reason was clear: they were losing badly to the Elves of Malinor after their invasion of Elysium had backfired, and they had recently suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Mount Karimir. Warring another major power would spell their doom. Despite this, they could not afford the 11,000 mina the Dwarves demanded as recompense, and the Grand King brooked no compromise -- he ordered an attack. The ensuing Battle of the Light Purse was a brief affair, as the tired Orcs engaged the Urguani encirclement for less than an hour before pulling back to their stronghold and resorting to bombardment from their walls. Without the means nor patience for a siege, Grand King Bakir withdrew as night fell. Swallowing his hunger for battle, he begrdugingly marched back home to Urguan to avoid being trapped in the west by the coming winter snows, but he made sure to leave the corpses of slain Orcs as road-markers on his way back. Once back in Ka'Darakaan, Grand King Bakir issued a new ultimatum to Krugmar demanding 7,500 mina, the heads of Balor's killers, a tribute of Orcish leather, and the purging of all Azdrazi, the draconic cultists of Azdromoth rumoured to reside in the volcanoes of Krugmar. 

 

It was at this interval that the machinations of Urguan and Krugmar in the west collided with the plans of Haense and Oren in the east. King Karl stood on the verge of striking a deal with Rex Al'Borok to cede Haelun'or in return for sorely-needed funds for his war against Malinor, but the new Urguani threat delayed the agreement. The Orcish Rex called out to all former nations of the Tripartite Accord for aid, but to little avail: Haense was unprepared to alienate Urguan, its closest allies, and the Kingdom of Norland and the Vale of Nevaehlen lacked the strength to act without Haense. King Karl stomached his fury at the Dwarven King for his antics, and arranged a peace conference in his capital of Karosgrad to resolve the matter. As he would soon learn when the conference was attended by a goblin messenger who told the Dwarven and Haeseni kings to suck his toes, the damage had been done; for all Haense's careful planning, the rift caused by Urguan created an opportunity for the Kingdo of Oren. King Frederick not only offered Krugmar payment, but also he promised to broker peace with Malinor - his close ally - and join Krugmar in a war against Urguan. It was, without any doubt, a better deal, and both Haense and Urguan were rightfully alarmed that Oren's intervention to defend Krugmar could lead to a punitive invasion of Urguan and a repeat of the Sinners' War. Forced to act quickly before the Rex could accept the Orenian deal, King Karl and Grand King Bakir declared a joint war on Krugmar with Haelun'or as their first target.

 

"Bah, 'tis like my papej used to say. What Dwarves lack in brains, they certainly do niet compensate for in height."

- Utvand of Karosgrad, B.S.K. footman

 

Haense and Urguan did not act alone. While Nevaehlen and Norland, disdaindul of Grand King Bakir's wanton aggression in the last decade, refused to join a second Tripartite Accord, the Grand Duchy of Balian was both eager to make its military debut and mitigate King Frederick's gains as revenge for the Brothers' War. Together, Haense, Urguan, and Balian formed the Eastern Almaris Treaty Organisation, and championed the "Azdrazi purge" as their primary justification for invading Haelun'or (as a territory of Krugmar). This rational found little favour internationally, and even many Haeseni doubted the presence of Azdrazi on Haelun'or. It was, for all intents and purposes, a hasty excuse relied upon by Haense and Balian to launch their invasion before Oren could intervene. Their haste, however, was not rewarded: in the summer of 432 E.S. | 1879 A.H., Krugmar officially ceded the island of Haelun'or to the Kingdom of Oren in the Peace of Vienne. Consequently, the land that the Eastern Treaty was preparing to invade was now a part of Oren, not Krugmar, and King Frederick hoped that this political maneuver would intimidate the Eastern Treaty into relenting. 

 

This led to a deadly game of chicken as Oren rechristened Haelun'or as "Fi'Halen" and declared that both the island and Krugmar had been purged of Azdrazi. With Fi'Halen now under the rule of a Canonist monarch, the Canonist Church warned the Eastern Treaty - namely, Haense and Balian - to abandon their planned invasion of Haelun'or in order to avoid a war between Canondom. This gave the Eastern Treaty pause - although the Holy Orenian Empire had been soundly defeated by the Haeseni-Urguani alliance twenty years ago, many other members of that alliance were now missing, and, though the Kingdom of Oren had lost many old Houses in the Brothers' War, it was strengthened by a new generation of martially-minded leaders in King Frederick's court. In particular, Oren had found a powerful vassal in the levies of the Barony of Acre under Lords Gustaf and Hannes de Villain, who were competent and charismatic commanders. If the Eastern Treaty backed down, it would permanently damage their political prestige and cement Oren as the chief power on Almaris, not only through their intimidation of the Eastern Treaty, but also by militarising the Haelun'orian island. No steel had yet been drawn against Oren, but King Karl and King Frederick were far too deep into a battle of political wills to turn back. Regardless, the pleas of the Church still placed King Karl in a particularly difficult position - he had inherited the title of Fidei Defensor from his father, and the reigning High Pontiff Tylos II - previously known as Klaus Barclay - was a Haenseman and the former Court Chaplain, which prompted many in Haense to question if the war was a righteous cause.

 

"Isn't it a little too south for an Eastern Treaty?"

- Ordys Sivarrin, N.G.S. Cartographer

 

King Karl eventually resolved to see the war through, as turning back now would relegate Haense into a toothless secondary power. King Frederick, surprised at Haense's perseverance, quickly began to bolster his own forces, and a second non-physical battle ensued between the Haeseni and Orenian kings to hire the services of Almaris' two primary mercenary companies, the Ferrymen Band and the Blackvale Vrijkorps, with Haense employing the former and Oren the latter. While Norland and Nevaehlen could not be convinced to join the war, Matyas Baruch - Lord Envoy of Haense - scored an essential diplomatic victory by ensuring they would not join Oren. As tensions mounted and armies mobilised, the Grand Duchy of Balian found a chance to assert itself in the south, where the fledgling factions of Hyspia and Daeland met with the Grand Duchy to ensure that neither of them supported Oren and created tension in the south. Daeland, however, refused to acquiesce to the wishes of Balian and Hyspia. Although only a minor power, the Eastern Treaty was not prepared to stand idle when it looked as if Daeland intended to pledge its banners to Oren -- in the Storming of Daeland in 433 E.S. | 1880 A.H., an Eastern Treaty strikeforce overwhelmed the southern settlement and captured the Piast of Daeland, Casimir Kovaceski. He was brought back to Karosgrad, where he remained under house-arrest for the duration of the war after vowing Daeland would not assist Oren. After a final warning to desist in the upcoming war was issued by Oren and rejected by Haense, King Frederick formally consolidated his allies and formed the United Sovereign States of Almaris, consisting of the Kingdom of Oren, the Horde of Krugmar, the Kingdom of Elysium, and, of course, the High Elves of Fi'Halen. Additionally, the Crown of Westfall pledged its banners to King Frederick, but the short-lived independent Grenzi nation had withered into complete obscurity since the disappearance of Wilhelm van Aert, and had effectively been re-absorbed into the Kingdom of Oren. 

 

After over a year of politics and posturing, the first, and most significant, incident of the Successors' War came in the late-spring of 433 E.S. | 1880 A.H. The Romstuns, ferocious bannermen of the Haeseni House of Baruch, captured a noble of the Orenian House of Komnenos and took him to Karosgrad as a hostage, where a ransom was issued to King Frederick. For the first time, the feuding monarchs answered not in words, but with steel, and Oren called the forces of the Sovereign States to his capital of Vienne to march on Haense and answer the insult of capturing his vassal, and so too did the Eastern Treaty gather in Haense. Under the command of Lord Hannes of Acre, the Orenian-led forces sent a rider across the Haeseni border, who brokered an agreement that the two forces would meet in the field and do honourable battle. Thus began the Battle of Acre, where months of vitriol and threats would finally be put to the test. Night came and went as the Eastern Treaty and Sovereign State forces manoeuvred around the north-eastern Orenian border, positioning themselves strategically like pieces on a chessbord, before the Eastern Treaty finally rushed Lord Hannes' army at his home of Acre just after sunrise. The advance caught the Sovereign State in the middle of shifting position, and isolated their cavalry on a cliff while the bulk of the Eastern Treaty forces crashed into the unsuspecting Sovereign State infantry. The Eastern Treaty had some one-thousand more soldiers than the Sovereign States, and even then the Dwarves, Haeseni, and mercenaries were far more experienced in battle than the non-militant High Elves and Elysians bolstering the Orenian and Orcish frontlines. By midday, over-extended Sovereign State lines crumbled, and they sustained enormous losses disengaging. Not only was this a critical victory that proved the Eastern Treaty's strength to the world amidst enormous uncertain as to whether Haense or Oren was the stronger nation, but both the lords Hannes and Gustaf de Vilain of Acre were captured and taken to Karosgrad, where King Karl released Gustaf in exchange for keeping Hannes under house-arrest in Haense, robbing Oren of an important military commander for the remainder of the war. Adding even further to Oren's loss, the Blackvale Vrijkorps nullified their contract and exited the war. 

 

"Does that High Elf know he's holding that pike upside down?"

- Fergle of Acre, Orenian Levyman

 

Not all was well for Haense, though, and the war was far from over. In a final bid for peace, High Pontiff Tylos II summoned King Karl, King Frederick, and Grand Duke John Casimir for negotiations, where it was established that, while the Eastern Treaty would not forego the planned invasion of Fi'Halen, the Canonist nations would not engage in any raids or battles against each other until the invasion proper. This was an infamous diplomatic blunder on the part of Haense and Balian, and the Eastern Treaty forces were initially outraged - they had long-since held the momentum in the war, and a pledge not to raid Oren utterly destroyed that. King Karl and Grand Duke John quickly issued a statement reneging on the agreement, claiming that the High Pontiff had twisted their words and intentions. Even today, it was unclear what went wrong. Some accounts indicate that the Lady Palatine of Haense, Isabel Baruch, had consented to the ceasefire unwittingly, while others believe that Haense and Balian were forced to break the agreement due to backlash within the Eastern Treaty. Irrespective, the consequences of the ordeal remained the same - High Pontiff Tylos, entirely alienated, stripped King Karl of the title of Fidei Defensor and, while lamenting on how it had been twisted by political prestige, dissolved it. 

 

A second boost to Orenian morale followed just weeks later when an Orenian raiding party was dumbstruck to come across Grand King Bakir Ireheart idly walking the roads of Urguan alone. Upon his capture, King Frederick promptly urged the Grand Kingdom of Urguan to withdraw from the Eastern Treaty in return for the life of their Grand King, but the Dwarven Senate famously stated "this changes nothing" and, whether out of commitment to the war effort or content to let the Grand King suffer for his own mistakes, the rest of the Eastern Treaty remained steadfast as plans continued to construct siege-ships and assemble supplies and forces to besiege Haelun'or, which had proven to be a colossal logistical endeavour. The Orenian morale quickly plummeted once again when the Battle of Red Snow ended in disaster for the sovereign States; Targoth Zahgori of Krugmar led a warband of 2,500 that plundered Haeseni villages en route to Karosgrad, but they were trapped and slaughtered at the Haeseni capital by the defence of Lord Marshal Hieran Melphaestus and incoming Eastern Treaty reinforcements. A second blow to the Sovereign States came later in 434 E.S. | 1881 A.H. when the Romstun bannermen added another hostage to the roster of Piast Casimir and Baron Hannes when scouting the roads of Elysium -- Ellathor Vanari, Lord Commander of Queen Leika de Astrea of Elysium's modest army. In contrast with Grand King Bakir's capture, Haense successfully leveraged Lord Ellathor to secure peace with Elysium, as the Elysians were not a militaristic people, already tired from the recent Elysian War, and most Elysians were of the opinion that their nation had no business fighting this. Queen Leika had joined the Sovereign States in order to endear Elysium to Oren, but paired with dissatisfaction amongst her realm and Oren's growing losses, Elysium withdrew from the Sovereign States in the Treaty of Crow and Fox, and signed a defensive alliance with Haense to protect from Orenian or Orcish retaliation. 

 

"The Church scorned, the path to power lined with human corpses ... how could the Fidei Defensor do this?"

- Prior Ostvan, Karosgrad Monastery

 

Things continued to fall in favour of the Eastern Treaty as summer passed, continuing with Grand King Bakir's liberation from Orenian captivity by the Romstun warriors and a turncloak of Frederick's court. While the traitor's identity remains obscured to history, the Orenian court and army - the Petrine Legion - was rife with disenfranchisement after their military and diplomatic losses to the Eastern Treaty. What had started as an optimistic and clever political play had devolved into a disaster: Oren's raids were overrun with raiders and their harvests had suffered from razed farms, driving droves of refugees to Vienne; Elysium had withdrawn, Krugmar's strength was entirely spent from entering the Successors' War immediately after the Elysian War, and the High Elves had no military prowess in the first place; Westfall had effectively ceased to exist, and Malinor and Nevaehlen refused to join  the war. Growing tensions in Oren finally erupted when Gustaf de Vilain, Baron of Acre, declared that he was withdrawing from the war without the blessings of his King. This sedition amounted to open rebellion against King Frederick, and utterly destabilised Oren, especially when Haense released Lord Hannes de Vilain as a show of good faith and implied support of the Acrean rebellion. Faced with an insurrection from his largest vassal and his allies waned and withered, King Frederick was left with no choice but to concede the war against the Eastern Treaty.

 

By the end of 434 E.S. | 1881 A.H., the Kingdom of Oren, the Kongzem of Haense, the Grand Kingdom of Urguan, the Grand Duchy of Balian, and the Horde of Krugmar had officially concluded the Successors' War in favour of the Eastern Treaty. The High Elven island was yielded to Haense, and though the High Elves themselves had no say in the matter, they were gifted 5,000 mina to relocate. Additionally, the United Sovereign States of Almaris was dissolved, and a memorial bench was constructed in Vienne depicting Grand King Bakir and Emperor Philip III holding hands (the two were long-theorised to be lovers).

 

Through a series of dangerous gambles, Haense and her allies triumphed in the Successors' War, which acted as the hammer to the Sinners' War's nail -- it achieved the second major consecutive victory and gained a vital strategic stronghold on Haelun'or, where it would later settle Hyspian vassals. If Oren had been cracked by the Sinners' War, the Successors' War shattered it as King Frederick was left crippled by rebellion. In the ensuing Harvest War, the rebelling Barony of Acre would defeat King Frederick and dissolve the Kingdom of Oren after his death. This victory, however important, had not come without risk nor consequence - historians readily agree that Haense could have ended up facing a dire defeat if some events had gone even slightly differently (such as Nevaehlen and Malinor's neutrality, or Urguan's commitment to the war despite their Grand King's capture). King Karl had lost the title of Fidei Defensor, a prestigious title of deep symbolic importance from the Sinners' War, and earned himself a much more aggressive and warlike reputation than many of his predessecors which would act as both a boon and burden throughout the rest of his reign. Though victorious, not all in Haense were content, especially due to the feud with the Church (particularly the Waldenians of Reinmar). 

 

Yet, at the end of the day, none can deny the Successors' War was a phenomenal victory that cemented the Kongzem of Haense as Almaris' strongest nation for decades to come.

[xMuted 2459]

Sigrun Ireheart remembered this war fondly.

[Herod 802]

The decrepitly old and deaf Kaustantin Baruch enjoys another piece of history he witnessed as he reads the missive with a rare smile on his lips. "A worthy son for the golden one." He whispered quietly to himself.

[Javert 5498]

The Viceroy of Hyspia, who ruled Hyspia independently and neutrally during the Successor's War, recalls the events of the war. "I do believe that it was I who sought out Balian and Daeland to attempt a cease-fire, and our terms were to disallow conflict in the southern continent. It was both Balian and Daeland who at first agreed to the terms, but it was later broken by forces outside of the south. My largest regret is Hyspia not being strong enough at the time to enforce a southern peace."

[MaltaMoss 1759]

An old mercenary grins from the seven skies, a deep laugh escaping him as the memories flooded back.

"Ah! The Silver Isles Campaign! Mad Freddy! What strange times to live in."

[Borin 5245]

Cardinal Viktor smiles, despite the great amount of strain it took to achieve peace "Ah.. fun times.."