OOC Note: A copy of my map may be helpful in deciphering this post.
http://i.imgur.com/C7B3rsD.png
Darcania had been all but forgotten.
Everybody in Eumenor knew Syrixia and its emperor was looking for a fight, and so Eumenor was going to give them one. The war seemed an exciting prospect, an escape from the drags of day-to-day life, and every man and boy old enough to bear arms was itching to try his hand against the Syrixian masses.
Fanshaw’s report had been forced to the back of the minds of the new Assembly; boosts to welfare, and healthcare were forced through government, new ministers were appointed nation-wide, and the voices of everyday men and women began to be heard on the national stage.
The first Spokesman of Eumenor, Sebastian Hasler, sat at a neat desk in a smart room, reading the day’s reports. Four men had drowned earlier that day, in the first test of the submersible. The weapon hadn’t been airtight, and had been promptly scrapped. Hasler was more sad at the loss of the men than the failure of the project; he was certain Syrixia had no such technology, and he was right. It was the overwhelming number of Syrixian forces and the ferocious – almost bordering on madness – with which they fought.
On a lighter note, two competing designs had been submitted to him by auto companies for the armoured cars he had ordered. Long vehicles, heavily plated, resting on thick wheels and capable of carrying several men, they would be keystones of Eumenor’s defence. On inspection of the designs, he saw the technology still had a long way to go – one boasted that at least twenty vehicles would be available by the end of the year. But the Assembly was reluctant to divert more funds away from the people to fund the war effort. Unlike the Directors, Hasler’s parliament recognised the needs of the population.
Nevertheless, they had come to realise the importance of the war, and that, no-matter what they tried, diplomacy was not an option. Vulnus’ motives were still un-known, but all knew he was searching for some sort of trigger for an offensive he had been long planning.
A knock on the door revealed the three Chiefs of Staff, who had arrived to discuss Eumenor’s doctrine and war plans. A map was laid out on the desk, and Eumenor’s countryside and coasts were spread out before them. Hasler peered at it through narrowed eyes, one hand resting on his chin, the other tracing the line of the Egibya coast.
“As I see it,” began the older man, greying but still strong, “our main threats by sea are of Syrixian invasion up Box Bay and into Ersulia through that way, or through the Nordsee, in order to raid the Havens and the ports on Farview Bay. We cannot allow this area to fall – it is vital for imports to arrive to keep our war effort going. Therefore a large mass of Eumenorian warships should be stationed off the coast near Fairfall, with naval blockades of Haven Bay and Farview Bay in place to protect the shipping there.”
The Eumenorian navy of 40 or so battleships and dreadnaughts, close to 100 cruisers, and myriad assorted destroyers and frigates, would be spread principally between the two strategic locations in the Nordsee, and the mouth of Box Bay. Blockades in both areas of powerful battleships would ensure that the Syrixians would not dare to approach Eumenor’s heartlands by sea. The Eumenorian navy was augmented by three super-weapons: the Floating Fortresses, almost twice the size of a standard Eumenorian dreadnought. One would be anchored by the Blue Havens, another outside the mouth of the Great Canal on the Ersul side, and the last in the centre of the channel of Box Bay roughly opposite Snowmaple. This would hopefully make Eumenor impregnable from the water. This strategy did not, however, leave forces enough to patrol the coastlines and still have ships left over to challenge Syrixia overseas – but that was a sacrifice that had to be made. As long as Eumenorian fleets were never hugely out-numbered, they could prevail.
The Ethias Strait was already being completely closed with large amounts of sea mines. It would be suicide for any ship to attempt to cross into Eumenor from that angle. Hasler was now satisfied with Eumenor’s defence by sea, and so the conversation shifted to the air.
“Intelligence has emerged,” another man began, “that Syrixia is building itself an airforce. This is no cause for concern: our New-Breed airship forces are more than a match for Syrixian technology. The integrated ships like the Elision are to be formed into two mobile armadas, the larger, including the Elision, flying abroad. This will constitute the main body of Eumenor’s attack fleet. We don’t believe Syrixia has an answer to this technology, the re-enforced hulls being able to withstand sustained Syrixian naval fire at the altitude at which they cruise. In fact, Syrixian naval fleets will be highly vulnerable to them, as will Syrixian cities. The danger comes when they have A-A emplacements or naval fleets of significant size to challenge our fleets. However, Eumenor will maintain air superiority abroad. At home, the smaller armada will be augmented by the remaining Old-Breed ships that haven’t been scrapped yet, and will be stationed around the country in small numbers, to provide air support in land battles, ward off Syrixian airforce raiders, and harry incoming navies. A-A emplacements have been installed in all our major cities. Eumenor is prepared for attack from the air.”
But it was from the land that Eumenor really was in danger. The third man began to speak.
“The Eastern part of Escor is not defensible. In the event of Syrixians landing in that area, we will pull back to the Eastern branch of the River Escor and occupy the west bank. Our infantry will hold the space between its source and Minas Escor, the beginning of the naval blockade. Syrixian advance through Escor past that point will be made impossible by the river, hills and dense forest – only a small number of troops are needed to secure that area. Ethias and Erir are bordered by the Northwall of Eumenor – an ordered advance by an army through those hills will not be possible. The light highland infantry will be able to prevent a breakthrough from the north.The Ethias coast is also heavily mountainous – troops will establish strongpoints in the cities and along the railway, and preparations are in place to close off the beaches. Again, assault there is heavily impractical.
Box Island is the weak point in our defences. There are six beaches there suitable to land on, near Southpoint, Breakwater and Straitview. If these beaches are taken, Syrixia can advance across the island towards Minas Boxalia and behind the main blockade. Therefore it is on the plains between the hilly areas near Straitview and Snowmaple that the bulk of our land forces must be concentrated. If Box Island is lost, they could cross the channel near Clearcoast and advance through Erir. A final naval blockade of the Bay of Ersul would prevent assault by sea, and troops stationed in Minas Ersul, along the Belmere Lakes, in the Havens, and along the Great Canal, will act as a last line of defence. Even if Box Island falls, it will be incredibly difficult for Syrixia to make any headway into Eumenor as long as the blockade holds.”
At that moment, the four heads turned to the doorway as they heard the sounds of a commotion in the corridor. Hasler could swear that he'd distinctly heard the word 'dragon'.
