Letters from Alnaria

Loz

Loz

TNPer
-
The Great Invasion
WIP​

The Great Invasion of Alnaria was a devastating conflict of the early 18th Century. The Syrixian Empire under the leadership of Nandanatha was in a period of rapid expansion. With a wealth of colonies and recent victory in the Vestrugat, the Empire, and the Emperor seemed invincible. In the late 17th Century they would begin preparing for the greatest invasion the world had ever seen. Young men from across the known world were brought into service, trained, and readied for war. Great caches of supply were built, along with a fleet to move it all. The Kingdom of Alnaria, was for all intents and purposes caught unawares. Rajesh had come to see Alnaria as the spiritual equal to Syrixa, the other axis on which the world tilted, High King Arzan however was not privy to these thoughts. Whatever the High King thought when he was told Syrixian vessels were landing at the Coastal City of Gondin could not have possibly grasped the true gravity of the situation.

The invasion plan was simple. The Syrixian fleet would opened with a feint against the city of Gondin in order to draw the majority of the Alnarian fleet away from the Capital of Armenalis. What ships remained to defend the Golden City were then set upon and destroyed when the trap was sprung. As the Syrixian Armada began the blockade of the Capital, a chance pigeon was able to intercept the Alnarian vessels sailing for Gondin. Alerted to the trap, but hopeless in the face of overwhelming opposition, the Admiral decided to sail around Iteria to the Exalted Empire of Astragon, where the remnants of the fleet would remain for the vast duration of the war. Unopposed at sea, the Syrixian invasion force began its landings at Gondin and Arderulos, and creeped up and down the coast towards the Capital. In Armenalis they would find no resistance however. Having discerned the trap, High King Arzan ordered his forces from the coast, and into the defensible mainland. For the next three years the two sides would hammer away at one another. The south of Alnaira became a perpetual battleground, while the North would see a brutal guerilla camping against the invaders. In the end a commination of Syrixian overextension, Alnarian exploitation of terrain, and death of Emperor Rajesh himself in battle during the reconquest of Armenlis would bring an end to the war.

OOC Note: This main info post is a massive work in progress. All posts below will be vignettes from those involved in the war either directly or tangentially.
Open for: Syrixia & all involved colonies
Astragon
Skanda
 
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Prelude to the Invasion: Alnaria Land of High Bliss

In the years and decades before the invasion, Alnaria had know a period of peace and prosperity know now as the "Nimrelian" or the "Bliss under the Stars" when translated to Mercanti. The first use of the term is credited to High King Arzan as he looked upon the night sky from the mountain fastness of Kharzad-Zul and remembered the beauty that was. Today the term is rarely used as even the most passing invocation is enough to illicit a profound sadness of nostalgia on even the most stone hearted of Alnarians. This age truly began with the peaceful annexation of the Al-Eressa nearly 300 years prior to the invasion, and would see some of the most tremendous works in the Kingdom's history. In the 16th century the completion of the Kingdom's first system of highways would revolutionize travel, and would be the catalyst to a carefully orchestrated cultural fusion of the Kingdom's many peoples. In decades that followed even the proudest Valdarians or Arnuins began to see themselves as Alnarians first.

By the 17th century the once grand host of Nurlinor was largely diminished. What was once one of the most devastating forces on Iteria now largely occupied itself with keeping the King's peace, and maintaining major public works. Beyond the borders of Nurlinor, Provincial Primarchs in conjunction with regional leaders maintained their own forces. All could be called under the banner of the King if needed, but this lack of a centralized military force would prove costly at the beginning of the invasion. The meticulously maintained public works would also prove a double edged sword as both sides benefited from the relative ease of maneuver they provided. Many of the great battles of the invasion would hinge on the control of Alnaria's many roads, canals, and mountain passes.

High King Arzan was a product of the peace to which he was born. Had the great invasion never happened he would have likely been considered an unremarkable leader, blessed with a quiet reign. Alas that was not to be his fate. As a war leader Arzan became defined by the mantra "half a plan now is better than a full plan later." Throughout the war Arzan would instill in his Commander's the importance of quick, decisive action, while simultaneously ensuring his staff was able to react to ever changing conditions. This unconventional approach would prove affective against the largely traditional and plan based Syrixian Invasion force.

Following the flight from Armenalis, Arzan would establish his headquarters in the city of Kharzad-Zul, built into great mountains and nigh impregnable. From here the High King would send Telerin Sulimno to the north to rally the scattered forces. From his ever changing outposts in the woods of Loth Londin he would wage an asymmetric war, and develop tactics still used by Alnarian Special Forces. With Valarun in the South and Sulimno in the North, the stage was set, and the war was on. ​
 
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Prelude to the Invasion: Astragon a Paranoid Titan

The years immediately proceeding the Great Invasion saw the exalted empire at its height and in the midst of the Razadi golden age. Astragonese noble cartels opened trading offices across Eras and great trading fleets brought immense wealth back to Astragon which flooded the imperial coffers. The capital supplied by such a vast enterprise ensured that the emperor was able to support a vast naval fleet and to maintain one of the largest and most well-trained standing armies in Iteria. This period of prosperity reached its absolute Zenith during the reign of Shaddan II the so-called "Red emperor" whose boundless ambitions fueled a period of expansionism. A military genius, Shaddan had conquered immense swathes of territory, his domain stretching from the shores of Makopa to the very tip of Northern Iteria. However, the red emperor did not sit easy upon his throne.

Despite ranking amongst the greatest conquerers in Iterian history, Shaddan was a deeply unstable man. possessed of an erratic and deeply paranoid personality Shaddan was prone to periods of mental instability that saw him suspecting treachery within his own court and invasion from foreign powers. It had often been said that during this period the Shavashkaid were busier than at any other time in Astragons history. However this paranoia did have an unexpected benefit, Shaddan commissioning fortifications and garrisons across his empire, effectively making the territories of the exalted empire some of the most well-defended in Iteria.

Thus when news began to emerge that Rajesh I was planning a vast invasion of Iteria, Shaddan's Astragon was well placed to play a role in eventually thwarting the warrior emperors goal of conquest. The size of the Astragonese armada and the fortified nature of the imperial coastline allowed Astragon to serve as a safe haven for Syrixia's many enemies and as a staging area from which privateers and naval fleets could harass Syrixian supply lines. The remnants of Alnaria's fleet would take refuge in the exalted empire during the early stages of the war. Syrixia may have ruled the waves but it would not be able to ever truly capitalise upon this advantage thanks to the forbidding dangers presented by the exalted empires fortifications.

As the invasion of Alnaria began with landings at Gondin and Arderulos Shaddan began actively planning for a counterattack. raising an expeditionary force of some 150,000 Kaiderin Impi the emperor gave command of his finest regiments to the only general he trusted to safely march them across south iteria Mufambe Na Musa the conqueror of Fuss. Mufambe was instructed to march to Alnaria to aid the forces of King Arzan and to "Drive the Perfidious Suchari back into the waters of the Meterran Sea!"
The War for Alnaria had begun in earnest.​
 
Sarazed
Prefecture of Iraelia, Syrixian Empire

Yiram Nirel shook his head at the representatives from the Prefect's office.
"We don't have that many men to give," he shook his head, straightening his green Imperial uniform as he sat.

"The Empire calls, we are expected to answer," Cheftzi Gab replied, pointing to the Imperial proclamation he'd set on Yiram's desk.

"And what would you have me do when the Emperor asks the impossible?" Yiram replied.
"Should I empty every city and kibbutz of men down to the boys who have just been had their bar mitzvah, or should I go younger?"

"You're exaggerating," Cheftzi replied flatly.

"Not by much," Yiram shot back.

"The Empire needs soldiers, it's as simple as that," Cheftzi replied.

"The Emperor," Yiram sighed, "can find a way to materialize them out of thin air because there are no more soldiers in Iraelia left to raise."

Cheftzi was about to reply, clearly frustrated, when the second man who had come here with him from the Prefect's office spoke.

"What about the Maccabees?" Avi Yifrach asked.
"Their order is renown for their marshal skill. They would be a formidable addition to any contingent of men we were to send."

"The Maccabees," Yiram replied, shaking his head, "fight for Shaddai and only Shaddai. They will never fight for one of His Majesty's foreign adventures."

"We can have the Prefect draft a summons and..." Cheftzi began, only for Yiram to cut him off.

"They answer to Shaddai. Even the Dayyan only holds so much sway with them."

"They have fought before," Avi said. "They've fought when called before."

"Yes," Yiram answered. "When the land was threatened. When the people of Shaddai was threatened. When His temple was threatened. They fought. This is not that though. This foreign adventure of His Majesty..."

"You should know to show His Majesty proper respect," Cheftzi interrupted. Yiram scowled.

"I am. But the Hammers of Shaddai will see this as that; a foreign adventure that is not being fought in the name of Shaddai. They will refuse. And they will see the whole of their order imprisoned before they allow themselves to be forced into a fight they do not believe in."

The room grew silent, with only the clock's ticking echoing throughout. It was Avi who broke the silence.

"Then it falls to us to find the third option; convince them."

Yiram sighed. Here it was. He needed to prepare for a journey to the Holy City.
 
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Armenalis the Golden

The Golden City takes its name not from real gold, but from the brilliant shine upon its buildings at sunrise. Each morning light pours over the sea, and onto its innumerable spires and colorful streets. On this day however High King Arzan found himself staring out over the bay at sunset. The radiant shimmer replaced by a backdrop of dull gold over the city. He enjoyed these sunset moments as much as he did the sunrise, finding both moments in the day useful to re-center himself. The emptiness of the Horizon, often a comfort to the King today put his mind ill at ease. The emptiness of the usually bustling Royal Havens was today mixed with the endless blue as the fleet sailed to Gondin. Reports had reached the capital of skirmish fleets and small landing parties harassing the city. Arzan expected little real resistance, and anticipated the fleet's return less than a fortnight from launch. Despite his confidence in the Royal Navy, and the City's walls, the emptiness in the Haven still sat poorly with him. His brooding was interrupted however by his wife, Queen Analime.

Ana came up behind the King and wrapped her arms around him, placing her hand on his heart. "Its going to beat out of your chest if you don't come inside and calm down Arzan." She whispered.

Arzan brought his hand to hers and sighed deeply. "I'll be in soon, just taking in the sunset." He reassured her.

She pulled her hand away and stood beside him on the balcony to match his gaze. "You're telling me the sunset has your heart racing? You sure its not the dozens of ships currently heading to battle?"

Arzan pursed his lips. "Yes, it's because of the dozens of ships currently heading to battle."

"And what is you worrying going to do to make them victorious?" She asked.

"...nothing I suppose" He answered. "But it feels like I should be doing something."

"I'll fetch a horse then and we'll be off to battle!" She said laughing.

"Alright, alright." Said Arzan with a chuckle. "Point taken."

Arzan went in with Analime that night leaving an empty horizon, come morning his view would be very different.
 
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