The Minoc Campaign

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The Minoc (or Vesper) Campaign was a significant engagement in the towns Minoc and Vesper and around the wider North, fought between loyalists and rebels. Combat was at the event-cycle's core, with the two towns divided into a number of "zones", each conquered by the victor of a pre-arranged battle; a system akin to the game of Risk. The campaign saw significant turnouts for every guild involved, and could be considered the first major event since the demise of CoY and de facto end of CoRE; bringing together guilds from either organisation.

Contents 1 Background 1.1 Betrayal and Crusade 1.2 The Alliances Form 2 The War 2.1 The Occupation of Vesper 2.2 The Britain Moot 2.3 The Liberation of Vesper 2.4 The Battle for Minoc 3 Conclusion 4 Participating Guilds 4.1 The Royal Alliance 4.2 The Northern Alliance 5 See also

Background

The Campaign took place in a climate of mounting tensions between the greater factions – the loyalists and rebels – who had for some years been divided along other lines. The war itself sprung from earlier conflicts, fought primarily in the northern lands of Britannia. Border clashes and skirmishes between the men and women of the Britannia Guards and troops loyal to the Baron of Cove were common-place. This in turn was followed by an invasion of Yew by Vesperian troops, thinly disguised as an expedition to aid rebelling peasants.

Betrayal and Crusade

During this conflict the Guardsmen Militia and their allies, the Britannia Guards and Knights Templar, were faced not only with Vesperians and token sympathisers, but also the Rising Dawn Mercenary Company. These darkly-uniformed sellswords, it would later be revealed, were infact a band of Covian soldiers lead by Commander Gregor Eason. Cove and Yew had for some time been at peace, and even allied against the forces of Vesper before this covert betrayal. The Militia soon discovered the Rising Dawn's true identity, and at the Commander's resignation party the Yewish Lord Protector, Klion D'Gar, demanded that he surrender himself to be hung for his crimes. Eason would be grievously wounded, though would avoid the noose, and, feigning his death, flee to the safety of Nujel'm. To add insult to Yew's injury, Cove accepted peace with Kain Twothumb's Vesper.

Covian decline followed, and the "Green Death" ravaged it's surrounding lands. Baron Octiovus von Richter abruptly announced his plans to abandon the plague-riddled town and head for the safety of his estates in Yew. Upon recieving the news, the Commander in exile, Gregor Eason, made his return to assume power in a popular junta. The Church of Cove was soon declared apostate and sent to join the traitorous Baron in Stonekeep. Supporters of the evicted Church would rally under the banner of the Yewish Templi in an attempt to restore the Clergy and oust the accused Guardian-worshipper, Eason. War would innevitably follow.

The Alliances Form

Some days later the great and good of the "free" North would gather at Cove's grand baronial estate. During the course of this assembly the inter-baronial elite of Cove formally announced a state of war against the Protectorate of Yew. Representatives of various Vesperian organisations and orders bore witness to the declaration, as did the Knights Templar, who had refused to join Yew in its fight against Cove due to the strong undertone of religious fanaticism. The controversial and ever contested Covian-Vesperian border was finally set down on paper, splitting the Mountains of Avarice in two and drawing up the blueprints of a renewed alliance between the two rebel city-states. Towards the meet's end Klion D'Gar arrived – escorted by a detail of Guardsmen – to discuss terms. The Lord Protector offered the visiting Baron-Elect of Vesper, Kain Twothumb, the opportunity to take his men back to the city of bridges and leave Cove to face justice alone. With superior numbers present, however, the Baron outright refused. With three simple words, "So be it", D'Gar merged two formerly seperate conflicts into one. While the soldiery of Yew charged against the barricades of Cove's packed and heavily armed headquarters, the Northern Alliance formed, written not at the table but in the heat of battle. The Militia were routed by the allies' superior numbers, and attacked from behind by shadowy figures, believed by some to be the Undead – ancient foes of Yew's defenders. Attacks on Yew and Stonekeep itself became regular occurances, with the long-standing Citadel burning to the ground for the umpteenth time. The strategically important Nihon Bridge also gained a new, bloody veneer.

Regardless of the lives being lost in combat, Cove saw a rennaissance of sorts, with the plague finally receeding to the outer provinces. Baron von Richter, and – some months later – the Church, would both make triumphant returns, with the Lord Octiovus proclaiming that he had been blackmailed by D'Gar into leaving those many months ago. The war was no longer fought for faith, but for dominance in the region. Understandably unkeen to fight a revitalised Cove and it's Vesperian ally, the Britannia Guards sought to end their own conflict, sending a sizable delegation under the command of Baron Edmund Fairholm himself to establish peacefull relations. After some debate, a pact of none-agression was agreed upon, though it would not last long. During the battle for Yew's Eastern Outspost, the King's defenders found themselves willing or no beside the Guardsmen of Yew. A sound victory for the loyalists was won, and in the jubilation that followed, a martial bond to counter that of the North was formed; the Royal Alliance.

The War

Lines were drawn, and the alliances cast against one-another. For some time they would be locked in minor skirmishes, lacking any real purpose. This would change, however, when the Royal Alliance gained no small bargaining chip; the city of Vesper itself.

The Occupation of Vesper

One might argue that the Minoc Campaign should more rightly be named the Vesper Campaign, as its opening chapter and many of its hardest fought battles would take place in the streets and bridges of that ancient republican heartland. Through some unknown method the secretive Collegium acquired a stranglehold over the ardently seccessionist Baron Twothumb of Vesper. Under such manipulation, he agreed to hand over control of the city to the Britannia Guards, and some days later the blue-kilted Kingsmen arrived en masse to establish a position amidst the cobbled streets. Kain Twothumb was placed under house-arrest, and the militia declared an outlaw association. Many were detained, though others fled to allied Cove.

"We have surrended to the Royal forces, and all Vesperians should lay down their arms ..."

— Statement of Surrender, Council of Vesper

Though the Yewish Guardsmen were not directly involved in the bloodless occupation, they did support it and were consequentially targetted by the Northern Alliance. A significant host of thugs, brigands, Covian soldiers and displaced Vesperians marched deep into the heart of Stonekeep, unopposed, to set forth demands. So-called negotiations abruptly turned sour, turning the unprepared loyalist stronghold into a scene of chaos and brutality. The men of Vesper and Cove were forced to flee, though in doing so they pursued a scorched-earth policy, setting fires in and around Stonekeep to cover their retreat.

No major battles were fought in Vesper for some time, though few were the days without bloodshed. A chance for neutral negotiations arrived with the declaration of a so-called Moot in the Royal Capital.

The Britain Moot

Under the banner of truce; diplomats, leaders, generals, and armed contingents from across the north converged upon Britain, there to meet with neutral figures from the Kingdom at large, and discuss possible alternatives to continued conflict. Sections of the city were cordoned for use by each city-state, be they loyalist or otherwise. Despite the white flag of peace, and the call for none-violence, minor acts of belligerence broke out, though few casualties were tallied in the first days of the week. The Guardsmen Militia remained absent from many events and frivolities; declaring the whole thing a cowardly farce and an excuse for the men of Trinsic to skirt around the issue of war. At the moot's main event; a grand banquet and a lengthy parley, the absence of the Yewish raised further eyebrows, leaving the Britannia Guard to stand alone in a mostly hostile enviroment. New allies were rallied to either side, however; with the Royal Marksmen Regiment finally dedicating their forces for king and country, and the Kaldorians taking a sympathetic stance towards the Northern Alliance. Petty clashes at the feuding parties' embassies followed by reports of an upped Yewish presence at the barracks of Castle Britannia did nothing to defuse a situation ready to explode.

It is unclear just who moved first; though on the moot's third day the rebels took up arms and gathered to charge the gates of the King's palacial fortress. The Britannia Guards, Guardsmen Militia, and newly joined Royal Marksmen Regiment took to the outer wall and established temporary fortifications about the great draw-bridge. It proved an astounding failure for the rebels; a rain of arrows, bolts, and explosives turning the attempt into a bloody massacre, with nigh all those on the assault falling, while few casualties were recorded amidst the defenders. The Northern Alliance would put a far-fetched spin on the situation, declaring it the murder of innocent civilians protesting against the war. The next day members of the Covian army paraded two supposed orphans before a crowd of neutral nobles, dignitaries, and civilians; foremost amidst them the Duke of Trinsic, Irvyn Middlethorn. And so the moot ended; having failed to achieve it's stated goal of peace, but signalling the arrival of yet more arrow-fodder, the shedding of further blood, and the deepening of the two alliances' mutual loathing.

Weeks after these grim events a band of Covian faithful attempted to enter Trinsic on a Drow Hunt, only to be arrested by the local guardsmen. Duke Irvyn personally had the men freed, warming the two city-states' formerly tempestuous relations. A peacetreaty would be signed shortly afterwards, ending all possibility of a Trinsican presence in the war, and fuelling Yewish hatred of the walled city and it's leaders.

The Liberation of Vesper

With the distraction of the Moot over, the Northern Alliance flung itself into battle with both rigour and zeal. The fear and worry that had gripped both Cove and Vesper in the first days of occupation rapidly gave way to a new found sense of optimism, and even ambition. People were speaking of taking the war to the Loyalists, ridding Minoc of Royal Offical Jordan Jurrel's presence, and even invading Yew for a third time. Though neither of the two rebel Barons stepped up to lead this reformed Alliance, one Nils Twothumb – cousin of Vesper's disgraced leader – did so with the full support of all contributing parties. Beside the free Republican and Baronial militias could be found Knights of the Hospitaller Order, hirelings and volunteers of the Vesper Trading Company, and a band of steel-clad unknowns, decked in Vesperian livery. Plans were devised for the reclaimation of the city of bridges, and the Rebels began to make headway on the western mainland, even capturing the southern-most isle. Meanwhile those loyal to the King – the Guardsmen Militia, Britannia Guards, and Royal Marksmen – maintained their position in the east of town, holding the docks foremost; for without them they would not have the means to reinforce their numbers, resuply their besieged garrisons, or, should the need arise, escape.

Over the course of a month the North struck a succession of blows against the Kingsmen, driving their way slowly through the streets. Bridge by bridge, island by island. Though the battles were hard fought on each and every occasion the rebels consistantly tallied victory. As the Royalists faced defeat and were pushed ever closer to their waiting vessels at the quayside, desperate Yewish raids were made into the Covian provinces of Altmere and Covenshire, in a last-ditch attempt to draw away the growing and increasingly confident Northern forces. The raids proved to be in vain, however, and the Royal Alliance were handed defeat in one last brave stand. The rebel leader, Nils, was proclaimed Liberator of Vesper and in the ensuing victory celebrations the rogue soldiers in steel revealed themselves as Kaldorians under the command of one Cal Soulshadow.

Defeated though not undone, the Kingsmen withdrew.

The Battle for Minoc

Prior to Vesper's occupation, many in Cove and Vesper had feared that it was Yew's intention to march upon Minoc and make it a royal city once and for all. The easternmost bridges of Yew were the focus of much combat at the time, with every party well aware of their tactical worth. As such the Covian army had at one point – with axes and incediaries – destroyed Nihon bridge. Their fears were well founded; for Minoc seemed a natural field of battle, with its lengthy periods as a political no-man's land, constantly shifting loyalties, and repeated regime changes making it a beacon of the King's cause one moment and a Vesperian stronghold the next.

Most recently it had come under the jurisdiction of one Jordan Jurrel, Commander of the Royal Guard and representative of the Great Council. Prior to the province's pacification under Jurrel it had in part been ruled by a Vesperian puppet regime. Despite offering his moral support to the Royal Alliance, the charismatic Jurrel refused to become too deeply involved in the conflict – most likely because his own offices and many bureaucratic underlings were stationed within the soon-to-be embattled town. Whatever protest external or neutral forces might have voiced, the two alliances' skirmishes came ever closer to the Minocian streets. A month after the Royal Alliance had been expelled from Vesper two loyalist caravans of building materials, weaponry, armour, ammunition, and food supplies made their way to Minoc with the intent of fortifying the city against a rebel counter attack or uprising. The first to depart was assaulted on the road by the Northern Allies, though it proved a decoy as the second – under lighter escort – made its way into the town through other means. The armies of the Kingdom had established a presence in the young, industrious, and much bloodied township.

Battles were quick to break out, with the Northern Alliance once more on the assault, decrying their royalist counterparts as brutal occupiers and oppressors of Minocian liberty, while they themselves stood accused of brutal expansion. Not for the last time, the people of Minoc itself had no say in the matter. Their homes would be claimed for barracks, their shops stripped and transformed into infirmaries, and their civic buildings stockaded and ravaged by combat. The Northerners' uncertainty in earlier battles had gone; replaced instead by a fresh outpouring of republican jingoism. The Royal Allies on the other hand were increasingly despondant and fractious after defeat in Vesper, with acts of desertion and defection becoming common, particularly amidst the Royal Marksmen Regiment. Regardless of these set backs the loyalists held their ground much longer, successfully checking rebel advances and reclaiming lost territory on more than one occasion. Commander Jurrel himself stood witness to the battles, never leaving the town despite threats by the Northern Alliance.

From their fringe holdings in the camps to the south and woodland to the east, the Northern Alliance continued to execute their unrelenting campaign of conquest. As loyalist numbers dwindled theirs grew, and the war moved once more in the rebels' favour. Despite this shift towards the North, the battle for Minoc would never truly end. Blood was shed on a more irregular basis, and sizable clashes gradually shrank to brawl-like proportions, dragging the conflict on for some time without a single and defining last battle. Eventually the fighting simply ran its course, leaving in its wake an uncertain stalemate.

Conclusion

Perhaps rightly, the Northern Alliance declared victory. They had driven the Royal Alliance from Vesper, and had claimed more than half of Minoc. Their foes' strength, numbers, and supplies were in decline while theirs grew. So far as these hitherto united rebels were concerned, there was nothing more to do but wait for the Kingsmen to withdraw. Occasional patrols and raids aside, withdraw the loyalists did, slowly removing themselves from their remaining blockades and barracks in the town, until they held little more than a few sparse and constantly harassed outposts in the town's formerly wealthy north. There followed no admission of defeat, only a icy silence as the Northern host tightened its grip on the blood stained streets and skeletal ruins of inner-city Minoc.

The town's hardship did not end there, however. The Republic of Vesper – with its treasury bare – required funds to help rebuild its damaged promenades, re-arm its militia, and reward its war heroes. Resource rich Minoc offered the solution. The town was once more annexed into the Republic, without Covian acknowledgement, and declared for a second time West Vesper. Vesperian merchants were granted exclusive rights and privelages, the great mines of Mount Kendall fell under Vesperian ownership, and the revenues and riches of Minoc became property of its ambitious southern neighbour. One infamous elf, Olk Samsca – Vesperian officer and former gangster with an almost cult-like reverance for mushrooms – was also appointed Baron of the newly annexed domain.

The Northern Alliance would fracture in the weeks and months to come, with Cove and Vesper eventually going toe-to-toe for a myriad of reasons. The Royal Alliance too fell out of action, with the Royal Marksmen and Collegium going their seperate ways, both disbanding some time later. Only the Guardsmen Militia of Yew and Britannia Guards would remain on friendly terms, despite minor grudges nurtured during the conflict. Trinsic's refusal to join the war also resulted in the complete severance of ties between it and the opposing loyalist stronghold of Yew, politically isolating the great walled city and one time heartland of the counter-rebel cause.

Despite the Campaign's rather anti-climatic end, the stalemate did leave an opening for further feuds and clashes in the region, culminating with the town's sudden reclamation by the Britannia Guards and their new allies the County of Skara Brae, and soon afterwards the brutal Border Wars.

Participating Guilds

The Royal Alliance

Fighting for King and Country, and the final return of Minoc to the royalist fold.

• The Britannia Guards
• The Collegium Ditio Potentia Lex
• The Guardsmen Militia
• The Knights Templar
• The Royal Marksmen Regiment

The Northern Alliance

Fighting for the expulsion of royalist tyranny, and the liberation of the mountainous township.

• The Army of Kaldor
• The Baronship of Cove
• The Knights Hospitaller
• The Republic of Vesper
• The Vesper Trading Company

See also

• Minoc
• Loyalists
• Rebels