The Border Wars

From MoongatesWiki

The Border Wars was a 2008 scenario, similar to the earlier Minoc Campaign, pitting the familiar Royal Alliance and Northern Alliance against one another in a clash between the borders of the Kingdom and the free cities of the North. The opposing alliances fought in pitched battles for control of particular way-points between Yew and Cove, moving the border deeper into enemy territory upon victory. Elimination of the opposing side, though the more common goal, would not be the only means of defeating the foe – games were set to simulate strategic battle, such as the capture of rival positions and the imprisonment of enemy officers. The Border Wars were a significant part of a second battle for Minoc, with its result playing a part in the course of the wider conflict.

Contents 1 Background 1.1 Reconquest of Minoc 2 The War 2.1 First Blood 2.2 Olympic Intermission 2.3 Hostilities Resumed 2.4 Eastward Push 2.5 The Britain Moot 2.6 The Minoc Accords 2.7 Short-Lived Truce 3 Associated Events 3.1 Religious Feud in Cove 3.2 The Troubles of Yew 4 Propaganda War 4.1 Trinsic sends aid to Cove 5 Participating Guilds 5.1 Royal Alliance 5.2 Northern Alliance 6 See also 7 References

Background

Following the Minoc Campaign the frontier city and its surrounding lands had been surrendered to Vesper's forces, and annexed once more into the Republic as West Vesper. Though minor loyalist exclaves continued to opperate as staging posts for short raids and hurried patrols, no attempts were made to expand beyond or dislodge them. With each passing day the local citizenry became increasingly disgruntled by both the occupation and inaction of the royal forces, with some even pitching in on the short-lived northlands declaration.

Reconquest of Minoc

Following an attack on Stonekeep, Klion D'Gar – in his last significant act as Lord Protector of Yew – ordered a campaign of reconquest, sending forth small parties of Guardsmen to harry Vesper's positions and occupy important buildings. Those initial clashes were often paltry and one-sided things, with little progress made. The conflict, however, would soon gather pace.

Whilst escorting a caravan of iron ingots through the high and frigid passes of the Serpent's Spine Mountains to the Britannia Guards main garrison Baron Fairholm and his men were ambushed by a detatchment of Vesperian soldiers. Despite successfully fighting their way through the mayhem and unloading the goods at their intended destination, a second ambush proved successful for Vesper, inflicting several casualties within the very walls of Castle Fairholm. During the course of that ambush Baron Fairholm would himself be taken prisoner and hurried north-east to the dank cells of Vesper's gaol. A hasty rescue would soon follow, lead by his second, Commander Esmeralda and bolstered by a contingent of Yewish Guardsmen. Upon his liberation the Baron declared his support for their war, and announced the dedication of his men to the fight. The battles that followed proved larger and longer, for shortly after the Baron's rescue the Army of Cove mobilised in support of Vesper, occupying Minoc beside their allies. Regardless of their matched numbers, on both occasions the royal alliance emerged triumphant. When the king's forces marched into Minoc a third time they faced no opposition. A rapid attack on Vesper itself also encountered few defenders, leading them to conclude that victory had been achieved. In retaliation the rebel allies would launch a major raid on Yew's flour mill, harking back to an earlier invasion. There too they met only with crushing defeat, leaving no doubt as to who held the power in the North.

The War

The kingsmen were finally in control of Minoc after years of Vesperian rule. They were troubled, however, by dwindling supplies and a lack of reinforcements. Therefore, royalist commanders concluded that they must draw the attention of their foes away from the twice besieged township; exactly as the Republic of Vesper had attempted to do in Yew just weeks ago. As such they demanded the secession of Altmere – provincial bread-basket of Cove's baronial empire – an obvious choice, as it's seizure would grant them a safe and easily patrolled road into Minoc. Meanwhile the Northern Alliance, reunited by the common foe once more, planned to push the border deep into Greater Yew and to the much fought over Nihon Bridge. In capturing those lands they would surround Minoc completely, giving them the greater advantage in the innevitable second campaign for Minoc.

First Blood

Recent skirmishes in Minoc and Yew aside, the first true battle took place as predicted on the sturdy bridge due north of the Desert of Compassion. There the two armies gathered, the Royal Alliance to the north and the Northern Alliance to the east. Attempts at diplomacy were stunted from the start by mutual dislike, with talks barely progressing beyond insult and mockery. The fighting that followed was short and brutal, with the Guardsmen Militia, Britannia Guards and Militia of Skara Brae all contributing to the kingdom's defence, making full use of their superior manpower, their greater number of archers, and the narrow possition to hold the fortified bridge against a joint Covian-Vesperian assault. Jubilant though the victors may have been, the opportunity to launch a counter attack would not arrise for some time, as the city of Vesper would less than a week later hoist the white flag of truce and call into action an uneasy ceasefire that they may safely organise and run the Second Sosarian Olympics. Despite it's success, the event would prove a tense and hostile affair.

Olympic Intermission

Olympic neutrality offered both sides a long and predominantly peaceful escape from the war, though its shadow was undeniably cast over the games. Some ten events ranging from the ancient and noble joust to the simple bare-knuckle brawl filled the bill, punctuated by several side contests such as darts and the ingenious "bear race", with competitors from every corner of Sosaria attending. Hostility lay just beneath the surface, however, and the truce remained under constant strain. It came closest to breaking with a failed assassination attempt on the Yewish Captain, Bladius Dart, immediately after the sailing event. In spite of this, the Yew team emerged – due in no small part to their sizable contingent – the victors with a total of thirty points. The Skara Brae and Britain teams took second and third place, turning the event into a truly royalist victory and a welcome boost to morale.

In the closing ceremony the "Olympic Sword" was given to Bladius Dart, and Lord Edmund Fairholm of the Britannia Guards gave begrudging praise to Vesper for its fair and organised hosting. Yewish Militiamen would that eve march into the Swaggers Inn, loudly announcing their plans for the establishment upon it's coming conquest. Their arrogance was not unprovoked; for certain associates and underlings of the proprietors, the Vesper Trading Company, had constantly threatened Yewish athletes and supporters under the ceasefire's protection.

Hostilities Resumed

The Olympics had ended, and so had the uneasy peace. For some it had proven a much needest respite, for others a painfully prolonged test of their restraint. It would not take long for the Northern Allies to strike once again at Compassion Bridge, hoping to finally dislodge their foes. The odds were not in their favour, however, and the rebel league were defeated for a second time by larger royalist opposition bolstered by fresh recruits and emboldened by sporting success. A week later the two alliances faced off once again, this time however their numbers were matched; for the Britannia Guards had been delayed and the County of Skara Brae could only send a lone mage to the Yewish front. Despite this, headway was made by the Royal Alliance in a tactical victory that at last pushed the border from the embattled bridge. Victorious though they may have been, dwindling numbers in the royalist camp raised fearful memories of the Minoc Campaign; there too they had begun strong and confident, but had ended with a severe lack of both manpower and supply. In the wake of defeat Captain Escaflowne of Vesper's Militia rallied the citizenry of the Republic to deliver a defiant speech, calling on them to join the fight and double their efforts for freedom and the North. Just two days after the battle a dozen Yewish civilians perished at the town's Mill – the first of many brutal yet mysterious murders to take place during the course of the war. The investigation would go on for some months, sapping needed supplies and diverting the Militia's attention. (see below).

Not long after this attrocity a royalist caravan of equipment, military resources, and miscellaneous supplies departed the Britannian capital to restock the front's rapidly emptying stores. Under the joint leadership of Rookie Marksman Kevin Longshot and Baron Edmund Fairholm, the caravan rolled its way through the densely forested and troll-haunted Pass of Despise, avoiding the most obvious and direct routes that ran within in arrow-shot of besieged rebel territories. According to Waywatcher reports, someone inside the royalist camp had informed the Covians and Vesperians of the caravan and its intended path. Acting upon this information the rebel commanders split their forces in two, deploying deep behind enemy lines, around the blood-stained and fire-scarred Nihon Bridge. Despite having their numbers temporarily stretched, the Northern Allies soon regrouped to outnumber their royalist counterparts and were thereby able to halt their foes' progress. Thanks to a last minute manouver by Besieger Corporal Sineal Walker, the vast majority of the supplies made their way safely back to Stonekeep, though heavy losses had been inflicted upon the Royal Alliance – a pyrrhic victory for both sides.

Eastward Push

With their position supplied, the royalist forces prepared to push their foe from the area, with a detatchment from Skara Brae arriving to bolster the Guardsmen Militia under Count Emile Lampet himself. Meanwhile, due to a lack of available troops, the Vesperian Militia were forced once again to muster a unit of volunteers, plucked primarily from the backwater province of harlots and thieves; Swaggerland. Once they had joined their Covian allies at the border, the two free cities dug in to await the royalist advance. However great the recent casualties inflicted upon the Royal Alliance may have been, the Northerners were faced once again by a significantly larger force. Heavily out numbered the rebels were put to flight, retreating deep into the surrounding woodland to tend their wounded behind the walls of a small, makeshift fort. The Waywatchers of Yew were quick to locate this hastily errected structure, and after a brief scrap the remainder of the Northern Allies' were sent packing, with the exception of a Covian officer and scout captured during the fight, and the Baron von Richter's own undoubtedly priceless cap, stolen in a frankly odd exchange with newly made First Marksman, Kevin Longshot. As the Kingdom's soldiery marched to the colossal and heavily fortified Crossroads Keep they moved the border with them, reaching the Crimson Plains, and the edge of Altmere. Over the next several days minor skirmishes broke out around the Keep before erupting into a fully blown battle, as the rebels fought to wrest the imposing and tactically vital structure from the royalists' loose grip. Continuing their streak of successes in battle the Royal Allies struck a heavy blow against the Northerners, defeating them in the crowded corridors and open guard rooms. During the second round of fighting a band of elite Guardsmen from Yew – including the double-turncoat Phil Lynx, formerly of Vesper – crossed over the roof to flank the Vesperians and Covians, while the bulk of the Yewish and Skara Braean soldiery pushed them hard at the fore. With that, the rebels were forced to withdraw to their encampents beyond the border, leaving the towering Keep wholely in the hands of their as yet unbeaten foe. Some days later Duke Irvyn Middlethorn of neutral Trinsic called for a second great Moot in the city of Britain, that peace might be negotiated away from the conflict zone.

The Britain Moot

For the second time war in the North had been halted for a week of diplomacy in the streets and palaces of Britain. It began with a brief ceremony and a grand ball in the pale stone halls of Castle Blackthorn. Prior to this the varied leaders of Sosaria gathered in the Castle's courtyard, surrounded by supporters and detractors both, each to make a speech of their own. Despite the somewhat cold and bitter atmosphere the evening progressed as planned. Curt words were exchanged, some people danced, and two of the Northern Allies' foremost military leaders became so laden with booze that they performed a cooperative striptease to the horror of all in attendance. The following day Castle Blackthorn, tidied of spilt ale, glass, and vomit, came once more into use. There would be held the central event of the Moot: An assembly of nobles, officers, and representatives from across the realm, with the search for a mutually acceptable end to the Border Wars at the core of the talks. Despite the constant barrage of insults, accusations and spitefull remarks flung across the long negotiating table, progress would be made towards peace. The resulting treaty, however, would only be announced to the public for another several days. The murders in Yew were also discussed at length, with the Vesperians and Covians both agreeing to arrest or hand over the accused within their cities. Several events would follow, including an open-to-all market, a battle of golems, a tale-telling festival, and a pool party within the grounds of Castle Britannia. Throughout the course of the Moot several minor scraps and skirmishes would take place between the Yewish, Covians, and Vesperians, though perhaps of greatest note would be the execution of Padan Fain and the flight of Kiran before the event's end.

Following the closing ceremony the outcome of the talks held at the start of the week and the agreements met there in would be announced to the public, and carried across Sosaria by courtly heralds and town criers both. The treaty, known hence forth as the Minoc Accords, had been signed by all parties bar the absent Lord Fairholm, who is known to have demanded the annexation of Altmere as part of the agreement. His own position on the Accords remains unknown, though others openly pointed to its futility and seemingly short-term nature. For the most part it would prove a success, however, effectively ending the Border Wars and allowing all parties involved to look to their own domestic issues.

Short-Lived Truce

The Minoc Accords seemed to have achieved much. Fighting had ceased, Minoc had been freed of all outside forces, and the Yewish had begun to prepare for the construction of a new, northern road. However calm things may have seemed on the exterior, alas, the northern powder keg's fuse remained undoubtedly lit. Kiran remained free and active in Vesper, untouched by the Republic's guard force, yet very much at odds with the reigning Baron-Elect, Elliot Heath. Meanwhile Olk Samsca, the elven veteran of many Vesperian campaigns and former Militia Captain, Baron of Vesper, Cove, and Minoc – then West Vesper – returned to the city of bridges after a mysterious absence. Shortly after his return, Baron Heath placed an arrest warrant upon Samsca, for the alleged charge of treason. Outraged, the elderly elf set his minions to scattering pamphlets across the Northern lands. Each pamphlet contained the article "In Defence of Freedom" a long and dramatic denunciation of Baron Heath's regime. They had been weak and cowardly, it declared, in kowtowing to Yewish demands, in arresting free Vesperians at the beck and call of loyalists, and most importantly in surrendering West Vesper without sufficient struggle.

This call-to-arms did not go unheaded, for during Samsca's trial five armed and masked men strode forth and publically assassinated the Baron before fleeing the scene into the nearby woods. Captain Escaflowne abruptly placed bounties worth fifty thousand gold upon the heads of Kiran, two of his accomplaces – Jasin Natael and Sabal Szor – and the Covian Olchafa Serpent. This threat to the charged conspirators' lives would be short lived, however, as only days later the Captain declared that a party of Drow had been behind the murder, provoking accusations that he too had been privy to the assassination. During the late Baron's funeral many people arrived from all corners of Sosaria, irrespective of ideology and politics. Following the Captain's own speech, several other figures took to the podium, including Kiran and Jasin, the latter of which announced his plans to run for Baron, Heath's predecessor Van Cocidius, and even Sineal Walker of Yew. The coffin would then be taken to a tiny island off the coast and lowered into a waiting grave. Fearing that Heath's death would cause the Vesperians to back down on their promises to hand Kiran into their custody, the contingent of Yewish Guardsmen present at the funeral promptly set about beating and imprisoning him, causing an outcry amongst many of those in attendance. With their man in chains, the Guardsmen returned to Stonekeep. Later that evening a Vesperian warband led in person by Escaflowne attempted to break Kiran out of the gaol. Despite outnumbering their opponents they were dealt defeat, and forced to withdraw empty handed – one less in number, in fact, as Baronial candidate Jasin Natael had also been captured during the course of the battle. Both sides accused the other of breaking the recently siged Minoc Accords, though Vesper would be first to openly declare war. Though the season of campaign had ended, petty clashes continued to haunt the North.

Associated Events

Religious Feud in Cove

The Troubles of Yew

Following the Royal Allies' third victory of the war, the people of Yew had visited upon them catastrophe on a scale – and savagery – unseen since the days of the Tolagâl Orcs and Manshoon Chembyl: a brutal massacre of civlians both young and old at the town's Mill. Blood stained every floor-board, piles of skin and bone sat festering in the middle of the floor, and disfigured corpses lay upon the ground or hung from the building's machinery. Only a handful of the workers survived the attack, though they were each bound, gagged, and deeply wounded. The brutality of the attack, the disgusting treatment of the dead, and the bite marks on the few survivors raised suspicions of Vampiric involvement, though it had been many years since such creatures had last been sighted in Yew. Panicked survivor testimony, a forged note, and a tan kilt abandoned nearby pointed the finger at Cove, leading the Militia to march upon the rebel barony with vengeance in mind. Only the joint intervention of the two towns' Churches prevented further bloodshed, with Cove's Father Siegfried escorted to the scene, followed at spear-point by several members of the baronial army. They suggested that the perpetrator would be known to Kiran of the Vesper Trading Company, who had been manipulating events across Sosaria to expand his illegal nightshade business just before the war had started. In a show of remarkably poor timing, Kiran arrived moments after being mentioned. Though it seemed unlikely that the aged one-eyed rogue was personally behind the attack, he was beaten and imprisoned at Stonekeep for several days. The victims were given proper burials beside the King's Road with full Avatarian ceremony, while the Mill itself was burnt to the ground, leaving it a smoking ruin for months to come.

The investigation into the massacre made slow progress during the following week, with Kiran bloodied daily by Militia interrogators. Ever since his initial incarceration the rogue had declared himself innocent. He did however claim that an informant within Cove had warned him of the impending attack, and that he in turn had passed this knowledge on to Yewish officers, blaming the murders on their failure to act. Finally he relinquished a name; Mischief, a Covian woman in the employ of a certain Jackal Verilax, Mayor of Buccaneer's Den by way of might and gold. Later that evening the Duchy of Trinsic sent out two of it's finest detectives in the wake of a similar but thankfully smaller attack, during which a man had been slain and his female killer had vanished into the Fens of the Dead. The many-talented – and unfortunately belisped – Iljian and an accomplice spoke at length with Captain Dart and Corporal Tripps in the blackened remains of the Mill. They would aid in the arrest of Mischief, it was concluded, as she was known to spend much of her time in Trinsic; though it would be they who interrogated her first at the Duke's pleasure. With the Captain's consent the Trinsicans returned home, and immediately began to prepare for her capture. Their first attempt failed, however, with the mysterious young woman giving detective Iljian the slip, leading them into a game of cat and mouse.

While Trinsic's finest searched high and low, Yew faced yet another round of murders, this time focused entirely upon a single family. The first to die – the father, found to be one Adam Walton – had only just informed the authorities of his daughter Betty's dissapearance when cut down by a skeletal spectre clad in rusted armour and wielding crooked blades. The Militia patrol that found Mr. Walton made their way to the family estate, and there found a second grisly scene awaiting them; the scattered remains of at least three people strewn across the wide cabin in an almost ceremonial display. Following a trail of clues they happened upon the supposed killer, a Bone Warrior whose ilk had not been seen in years, and a young woman accused locally of wytchcraft. The skeletal fiend was soon dispatched and its alleged mistress taken into custody. After a questioning the woman was permitted to walk free under escort, though promptly disappeared. Over the next several days the town was struck by repeated arson attacks. Both the larger and smaller healing houses were put to the sword and torched by a shady organisation claimed by an eye-witness to bear the mark of a red hand; their connection to the Mill, Walton, and Trinsic murders unknown.

With the disappearance of Yew's long reigning Lord Protector Klion D'Gar, war at the eastern border, the greater of its flour-producing Mills a skeletal ruin, both of its hospices reduced to ash, and the last vestiges of an epidemic still haunting the provincial rim, the Guardsmen Militia were forced to declare a state of rationing in Yew, and move once more in the direction of martial law. Stonekeep and surrounding military structures were converted into temporary refuges for the sick and starving while the first rebuilding projects were launched; draining vital war funds and resources initially meant for the Front. Donations of flour from the Trinsican Paladin Kara Du'Monte – whose source remains unknown – were abruptly impounded and added to the reserves. After talks with the Duke, Lady Du'Monte recieved lawful backing, links with Stewan Seagull of Baked Delights, and the right to name hers a mission of charity from Trinsic. In gaining Ducal support she had also ensured safer passage, officially removing the threat of Covian or Vesperian assault upon the caravans, bound as they were from an outwardly neutral city. In the following issue of the Poste, rumours were spread of an uprising in Yew, with the author accusing the House of D'Gar of "hosting wastefull feasts, even as their people face starvation". The D'Gar Guard – in their distinctive crimson sashes and black kilts – were said to have confiscated a batch of flour inbound from Trinsic. These events are not attested to in Militia records, and were flippantly denied by all involved. While handing out the weekly ration, however, a patrol of Guardsmen happened upon yet another corpse, this time of an unknown young man. A petition of relief destined for the D'Gar estates lay strewn around him, and a lock of silky white hair remained clutched in his hand. Though the Poste's claims of revolt had initially been dismissed as foreign meddling, there now arose a genuine possibility that the people of Yew would turn against the drowish Lady D'Gar and her half-human brood.

The rapid spread of vegetable blight across the woodland province proved one disaster too many for the citizenry. Yew was being punished, they concluded, for allowing drow to reign over mankind. Fingers were pointed at the House of D'Gar, the nobles who supported them, and the allegedly corrupt Clergy who had not acted to depose them. While the homeless and hungry of Yew began to abandon the province in droves, others began to congregate in vigilantee bands, not least of all the so-called "Freedom's Sword" movement. In a bold act, a member of this organisation marched alone into the middle of Stonekeep, painted insults and accusations on the Church doors, and nailed firmly in place a long and detailed document. The Clergy were self-serving heretics, it declared, who had failed to hold mass or service for the greater part of a year, while the nobility gorged themselves on fine meats and rich wines. At its end, the document urged the Yewish people to reclaim their lands and return to a righteous and godly path. After brief delay the perpetrator fled, though he had doubtless caused many a sleepless night amongst the provincial elite. Less than a day later, the Church's inquisitorial Magistrate publicly announced that the House of D'Gar would be relieved as rulers of Yew, citing Yewish laws of inherritance; "upon the incapacitation of a ruling lord ... all rights and lands of a noble house are forfeited to local retainers when an heir of sufficient birth cannot be found.". With Lord Klion absent, his wife and children would be permitted to keep their titles and a portion of familial property, but would not be permitted to partake of provincial governance. The statement finished; "Neither female nor drow shall ever reign over Yew, even in the temporary absence of the Lord." After the Church had made this announcement to the Yewish soldiery, Captain Dart declared that the forest township would make the transition once again to stratocracy and militia rule, putting into action a nightly curfew, regular street patrols, and – eager to maintain Yew's time honoured tradition of self-reliance – reducing their dependence on foreign aid. A steady flow of foodstuffs and ingredients would make their way into town regardless, smuggled in by southern do-gooders and profiteering scum alike.

Following her removal from power the Lady D'Gar argued vehemently that the Church held neither the authority nor right to dictate the fate of her husband's household nor that of Yew as a whole. Furthermore she accused the Militia of scapegoating both she and her family for their own ineptitude and inability to protect the people. The wanted criminal Mischief, she revealed, had long been in contact with the D'Gars. Following a heated debate, and despite the simmering mutual hatred harboured between them, Larynda arranged for Waywatcher Corporal Floria Tenne to meet the much hunted informant. During their discussion Mischief made a number of claims regarding the Mill disaster and following events, pointing the finger of blame at several men in both the Vesper Trading Company and the Covian Army. Kiran, she argued, had masterminded the whole thing both to prolong the conflict and avenge the deaths of his loved ones several years ago, while the bloody deed itself had been carried out by one of his unnamed lackeys. She also revealead that she was wanted in both Cove and Vesper, but also acted as informant for both towns' armed forces. For some days Kiran's commrade Padan Fain had been held in Stonekeep's gaol. Under torture and the threat of hanging he had backed up the core of Mischief's claims. Fain would leave Stonekeep with one less eye and half of a bloody stub where once an arm had been. Making use of the Covian Church's quest to arrest Mischief, a band of Waywatchers departed for the rebel township, planning to hand her over in return for Kiran, present at the time. Whether they had genuinely intended to make the transaction is unknown, though their leader met with Father Siegfried in private, striking up a deal. When the Friar ordered the shady bar-manager's imprisonment Regular Guardsman Kas Valentine stepped in with the support of Vesper's Captain Escaflowne, demanding that Covian troops take the accused into custody, and escort him to the border independently. Suspecting a trap the Waywatchers refused, resulting in a hasty skirmish and an equally rapid withdrawal. Kiran was promptly taken by Valentine to the Baronship's cells, though successfully slipped away before the key could turn; enforcing Mischief's claims of a partnership between the two.

Kiran and his colleagues would materialise once again during the course of the Britain Moot, protected, so they thought, by the neutrality of the event. During the course of the talks and surrounding celebrations Padan Fain slew at least one innocent, sending the corpse to the Guardsmen Militia's temporary headquarters at the Fighter's Guild, as an elaborate and gruesome threat to Captain Dart's own kin. Whilst the Minoc Accords were being argued over and constantly rewritten, minor bouts of fighting broke out, not least of all between Kiran's supporters and accusers. The violence was punctuated towards the Moot's end with Padan Fain's arrest by Yewish Sergeant, Radek Wilkes. After being dragged back to the Fighter's Guild keep and served a second round of torture, Fain admitted to his own role in the massacre at the mill, though he claimed at first to have acted alone. Before Sergeant Hoagie of Cove he also echoed Mischief's earlier accusations against the Covian Veterans, Kas Valentine and Olchafa Serpent, going so far as to implicate them in the murder of Bishop Destain. Without further trial, ceremony, or delay he was rushed onto Yewish soil and hurriedly beheaded. With his associate slain so brutally and the Minoc Accords tipped to brand him a criminal, Kiran fled from the city in the company of his supporters. The twice accused Covians were promptly arrested and spent the remainder of the Moot in the black-and-white attire of convicts.

Though no longer an exclusively Yewish affair, the damage had been done. Yew had fallen into decline, many had fled their homes, starvation hung over those who remained, and the authority of both Church and Militia had been questioned. In a bid to return some form of peace and stability the Militia would – over following months – initiate a number of rebuilding projects, host a series of charitable events, uproot and replace blight-stricken crops, and impliment new irrigation systems. The Yewish peasantry remained on edge, however, and some began to whisper of sinister wytch covens at work within the Deep Forest, looking to the Walton affair as proof.

Propaganda War

Shortly after the brief Olympic ceasefire had ended, the latest issue of the Ye Sosarian Morning Poste had a story centred upon the departure of an aid caravan from the Duchy of Trinsic, bound for disease blighted Cove – regardless of the latter's territorial war against the Kingdom. A few days prior to this, Duke Irvyn Middlethorn had announced enduring friendship between Trinsic and the rebel trade-port. The two cities had indeed reached a high in relations not long ago, and had even become regular trading partners. As such Yewish opinion turned bitterly against Trinsic once more, for they saw this aid as the southern duchy's out-right support for the Northern Allies, and a stab in Britannia's back. In her article, correspondant Elsa Quillmark interviewed the Yewish Sergeant Radek Wilkes, asking for his reaction to Trinsic's support to the "fatigued citizenry of Cove". In his statement, Wilkes declared that the Duke's title and privelages would be placed in jeopardy for his apparent actions "aiding rebels". This was countered by Covian Sergeant Hoagie Grayner who declared that the Baronship was thoroughly grateful for Middlethorn's help; proclaiming and that the aid would "[strengthen] the friendship between our fine towns!".

In the following issue, Besieger Corporal Sineal Walker submitted a long, damning, and threatening letter, accusing Trinsic of breaking its neutrality and of cowardice in the face of war. He went further, declaring that Duke Irvyn and his nobles ruled purely for personal gain, and threatening that continued perfidy would "[draw] the attention of the city of justice and its allies". Shortly afterwards an open letter signed by "The Citizens of Trinsic" was sent to the Poste, responding that "offers for aid [...] [had] gone out to all the territories afflicted by the war". These claims would be confirmed in a follow-up notice from the Ducal office, announcing a second supply caravan to Minoc. This second caravan from Trinsic encountered no resistance, taking an indirect route through Yew before braving the dangerous warzone.

Participating Guilds

Royal Alliance

Seeking to draw the Northerners' attention away from Minoc, and secure a safe route into the town for King and Country.

• The Britannia Guards
• The Community of Skara Brae
• The Guardsmen Militia

Northern Alliance

Seeking to push the Loyalists out, thus starving their Minocian supply lines, and forcing the capitulation of Minoc to the Republic of Vesper.

• The Baronship of Cove
• The Republic of Vesper
• The Vesper Trading Company

See also

• Minoc
• The Minoc Campaign
• Loyalists
• Rebels

References

• News from the Front
• Announcement of the caravan from Britain to Yew
• The Poste issue starting the propaganda war
• Letter from "the citizens of Trinsic" addressing Yewish accusations