A wandering fire
Soldiers of the cloaks, our season has been one of bloody conquest. Our allies in the Marches and Dawn have come to ease our strain and fight our people. Honour them! Welcome them. Our work is not yet done, grind forth and tend the wounds of out kith and imperial kin as we drive the Jotun from Stark
General of the BloodcloaksHeroes of the Green Shield army, hail to thee! For too long have the Winterfolk suffered under the Jotun yoke, they have been denied their freedom and this will not stand. No matter the hardship we will not cease until they are free. We fight in memory of our heroic dead, the like Dagmar of the lewd Parchment, a Suaq refugee who gave her life for our home.
General of the Green ShieldMarcher folk, Bounders all. We march North this season as the Strong Reeds will secure Bregasland. We do this to close the Northern Front with our Winter-born allies, who will then come south to take back our home. This starts the reconquest of what we have lost.
General of the BoundersDrakes, the largest dawnish army is coming to help in Sermersuaq. Lets take the forts before they get here. Overwhelming assault onwards Tom Drake's finest.
General of the DrakesCitizens of our glorious nation our strength is needed, Wintermark calls for aid. With the enchantments of Autumn Realm we can cross the breadth of the Empire on a forced march. The Jotun will not expect us and It will be glorious.
General of the Golden SunBalanced Attack
General of the Jaws of Winter's LightningPlunder
General of the Shard of WinterTusks, we're lockin the grapple with the bastards now. The next punch will fall in sermersuaq. We shall conduct a Steady conquest, and bring the Jotun to their knees alongside our allies. In turn, they will repay us in Bregasland. Let us go forward together, and drive the Jotun from Emperor James' borders!
General of the TusksBalanced Attack
General of the White Mountain FireAlliance
Dark clouds gather overhead as the Summer Storm withdraw east to Skarsind - forced to travel through the rugged forests of Hercynia since the Jotun collapsed the western end of Pakanaan's Pass. As the first rain falls from the magical storms that beset the entire Empire in the wake of Summer Storm, the Bloodcloaks, the Green Shield, and the Drakes are joined by the Bounders. The second Marcher army have barely stamped the mud of Bregasland from their boots before they are swept up in the campaign to drive the western orcs out of Sermersuaq. The Imperial forces are again accompanied by more than twenty thousand orc warriors out of Otkodov - the Jaws of Winter's Lightning, the Shard of Winter, and the White Mountain Fire, supported by the garrison of the Citadel of Silver and Bone that dominates the Silver Peaks.
As well as the gathering storm, there is a great deal of Imperial magic at work in Sermersuaq this season. The soldiers of the Green Shield, The Bounders, and the Drakes each bear enchantments that allow them to work closely together, coordinating their strategy with supernatural clarity. The Rivers of Life continue to flow across Sermersuaq, even with the presence of so many armies it seems impossible for the Suaq hunters and fisherfolk to put much of a dint in the sheer number of fish, fowl, seals, and larger beasts that churn up the lake waters or roam across the trackless tundra. There is plenty for everyone, and everywhere the spark of life is kindled to a flame. Every drop of water shimmers with healing power, and all save the most mortal of wounds - or those inflicted by willful executioners - heal overnight.
There is also aid from an unexpected source. During the Solstice, Imperial heroes rescued the hostage taken by the Jotun, so the hylje - the mysterious shapeshifters that dwell in the lakes of Sermersuaq - offer their aid to the armies of the alliance. The martial aid they offer is barely notable beside the sheer force of armies arrayed here, but their scouts are keen eyed and know hidden ways to move through the lakes, and they possess subtle magic that hides their friends and makes it easier for their Suaq cousins to locate and ambush the champions of the Jotun. It is notable that the Thule warlocks who come into contact with the hylje treat them cautiously, with a respect they often fail to show to their Imperial allies. Warlock and warrior alike seem taken aback by the easy familiarity and camaraderie with which many Winterfolk great them. When a certain scarred Thule warlock - the eyes and ears of the Dragons in Sermersuaq - is asked for an explanation she merely replies that the Thule have their own tales of the lakeshifters, and so are always careful to treat them with courtesy.
The hylje keep their own counsel, commenting only that their people do not live only in Sermesrsuaq. They refuse to be drawn more on this topic - and after all, are there not much more pressing matters at hand?
Before Olgafsdottirshal
Pressing indeed. During the Summer Solstice, the heroes of the Empire ventured through the Sentinel Gate to tray and rouse the earth itself against the Jotun fortification in Tanikipari. They were unfortunately unsuccessful in their attempt trigger a series of tremors that would have delayed the completion of the great fortification of Olgafsdottirshal. Consequently, the alliance must face not one but two great bastions of Jotun stonework if they are to drive the western orcs out of Sermersuaq completely.
During their domination of Sermersuaq, the Jotun have not been idle. Under the guidance of Igya Olgafsdottir - champion, eldest child of the powerful Jarl of Tromska, and respected advisor of the Queen of Kalsea - two immense bastions of white granite have been built. Finally completed in the first days after the Summer Solstice, Olgafsdottirshal in Tanikipari now matches the majesty of the Fortress of Kalant in Stark. The orc armies ralliy around these great citadels, ready for the final defence of the last land they still control in Wintermark. Each citadel is easily a match for two entire Imperial armies when it comes to defending the Jotun claim, even without their garrisons being supplemented by warriors and champions. As the Marchers say, though, "the job that never gets started takes forever to finish." The alliance armies gather, regroup on the cold plains of Tanikipari, and begin the assault against Olgafsdottirshal.
The Green Shield lead the way, they know that the hero's tale ends with a good death and they are ready to pay with their lives if they must. Famed throughout Wintermark for their heroic deeds, their presence alone has turned the tide of battle more than once. Their spirit remains undiminished in the face of the great stone walls of Olgafsdottirshal; their hearts sing with the opportunity to attempt impossible deeds in the name of driving their enemy from Sermersuaq. The Winterfolk warriors seek out every opportunity to face the strongest enemy troops, and the most defended positions. They issue challenges to the Jotun champions and meet them in furious battle, seeking to break their will and rout them through force of will as much as might of arms. Their risky tactics are effective at pushing the Jotun defenders, but they pay a heavy price for their triumphant charge.
The Drakes are barely a step behind the Green Shield. They, too, seek victory at any price. Where the Jotun are at their strongest, there too are the Drakes, attempting to smash through their positions and scatter the orc warrors. As with the Green Shield, they pay a great price for their courage. Yet it also pays off - it is the Drakes who finally breach the gates of Olgafsdottirshal, in the second week of the siege. Alongside the Green Shield, the two armies are the first to fight the orcs inside the great citadel, holding the gate against the Jotun attempts to close it again, and allowing their allies - Imperial and Thule alike - to overwhelm the defenders.
Olgafsdottirshal falls. The garrison fights until the bitter end, holding the Imperials for as long as possible. There are great deeds of heroism on both sides - and not only from the orcs themselves. Fifty yegarra under the banner of Eisa Winterborn hold the warriors of the Bloodcloaks and the Bounders at bay for four hours during the height of the siege, defending a narrow hall against everything thrown against them. They are overwhelmed in the end, but in the time they hold that passage several hundred thralls and injured Jotun are able to escape through an underground passage to the safety of the Fortress of Kalant.
Not all the thralls escape. As before the Thule warriors of the Shard of Winter hang back a little from the fighting, and make it clear that their focus is less on fighting the Jotun and more on taking their wealth - white granite used to reinforce Olgafsdottirshal, orichalcum and weltsilver... and nearly a hundred thrall masons brought in to complete the citadel. Once it is clear what the Thule are doing, there are angry rumblings among the Imperial soldiers. The orcs make no apology for what they are doing. Keya Prityanka, General of the Shard of Winter, sneers at those who dare to question her, and point out that even if her warriors are not engaging the Jotun to the fullest, that is more than made up for by those fighters brought from the Citadel of Ice and Bone who fight alongside the other Thule armies. Her words do little to quell Imperial anger as the thralls are lead away by blue-cloaked Thule.
At the Fortress of Kalant
There is little time for recrimination however. There is still a second fortification to conquer. Even with the Spring magic flowing through the territory, there are hundreds of alliance soldiers who will not fight again. Nearly a thousand Jotun bodies are left in the battlefield that is Olgafsdottirshal - but the fortification itself still stands. It will take several weeks of work, but the great castle is now in the hands of the Empire, and will provide significant defence against any future Jotun attempt to claim Tanikipari.
Little time for recrimination, and no time for rest. Tired soldiers have a single night to regroup and mourn the fallen, before the alliance breaks camp. As thunder rolls, and lightning flashes, and the wind whips the freezing rain into a furor, the armies march south to Stark, and the Fortress of Kalant. They are hot on the heels of the survivors of Olgafsdottirshal - they make only a token effort to slow the alliance armies as they head for the safety of the fortress in Stark. Built practically on the shores of lake Lanskipari, the Fort of Kalant stands almost on the very border with Skallahn. The approach is marked by scattered engagements, but the Jotun are always falling back, making it difficult to pin them down. That does not mean there are not furious fights however. Yanya Uranduln, champion and leader of the Howling Bears, launches a surprise twilight attack alongside a cohort of warriors from the Bear Who Swims army that seeks to scatter the Bounders and destroy their supplies, but thanks to warning from the hylje the attack is turned back with minimal casualties on the Imperial side - but with Yanya Uranduln seriously injured. Spring magic will save their life, but they will never forget the sharp-eyed Marcher beater who shot out their eye with an arrow just as the sun was setting.
The next morning, the Fortress of Kalant comes into sight and there is more than one soldier who balks at the challenge ahead... but as the dawn breaks it brings with it a second, brighter sun. A rare break in the thunder clouds that have darkened the sky for the last month lets the sun shine through, and creates the illusion of a wall of golden light rising to meet the alliance forces.
The knights and yeofolk of Dawn have arrived.
Crossing the entire breadth of the Empire, the Golden Sun are here to fight alongside the Winterfolk, and the Marchers and the orcs of Otkodov. They are no less tired than the soldiers who brought down Tanikipari, but their appearance alone raises the spirits of the Imperial warriors. Thanks to Autumn magic, the great host of the Golden Sun will help to bring down the final refuge of the Jotun invaders. The cheer that greets their arrival drowns out the first thunder of the day as the tempest resumes, and the torrential rain does little to dampen the spirits of the Imperial warriors as they begin the approach to the Fortress of Kalant.
All the remaining Jotun forces in Sermersuaq are gathered here. Even with the garrison of Stark it seems that they are greatly outnumbered by the alliance forces arrayed against them. Barely ten thousand Jotun warriors remain in Sermersuaq, and even with almost the same again in champions and their warbands, the alliance still outnumbers them two to one. But the Jotun have a castle, and the alliance is fatigued, and that may be enough to make a difference. For three days the siege continues, with the alliance unable to breach the walls of Kalant, and the Jotun unable to decisively break the spirit of their attackers.
On the fourth day, though, everything changes and the end begins. The Jaw of Winter's Lightning propose a strategy, and the commanders of the Green Shield and the Drakes concur. A daring push allows the Imperial armies to capture the ground in front of the immense white granite gatehouse, and to hold it for long enough for three Thule warlocks to unleash devastating magic against the doors They are torn apart by the power of Spring, the Jotun defending the walls are taken by surprise, and the fall of Kalant begins.
Within an hour of the gates being opened, the Jotun know it is over. They retreat, abandoning the castle to the Empire, giving ground in an effort to preserve as many of their own troops as possible. The garrison fights to secure their escape, but it is a lost cause. As the sun drops behind the mountains to the west, the last of the defenders falls and Kalant belongs to the alliance. The Shard of Winter again have been at pains to claim the wealth of the Fortress - along with several score more thralls unfortunately left behind in the chaos of the Jotun retreat.
By next morning, the Jotun forces have retreated into Iron Stand in Skallahn. There will no doubt be a handful of warbands who have not yet managed to get across the border, but there is now no significant Jotun force left in the territory; the last region of Sermersuaq under Jotun control has been retaken by the Empire. That just leaves one last region of Sermersuaq not under Imperial control...
Aftermath
As the magical tempest besetting the Empire slackens, the alliance takes stock. Sermersuaq is fully Imperial again. Both Olgafsdottirshal and the Fortress of Kalant are under Imperial control. Despite the ever present Spring magic, the alliance has lost perhaps fifteen hundred warriors. The Jotun lost many more than that, although a full accounting of the butcher's bill is impossible to tally. The alliance proposed by the Thule in Winter last year to drive the Jotun out of Sermersuaq seems to have ended in triumph.
But there is one final noteworthy incident, news of which reaches Anvil barely a week before the Spring Equinox. The unnamed diplomat - she of the blue-and-blue pavilion - invites several of the Imperial commanders to accompany her to a particular ceremony. She reassures them they will be quite safe, and several choose to attend out of curiosity as much as anything else. The Thule armies are camped outside the Fortress of Kalant, still under it's shadow but not within its walls. To the anger of several of the commanders, the Shard of Winter have gathered together all the thralls they captured during the fall of the two citadels. The frightened orcs huddle together, surrounded by warlocks in dark blue robes. Before anyone can ask any questions, a horn blows in the west and a group of fifty Jotun lead by a one-eyed godhi are spotted on the outskirts of the Thule encampment. The general of the Shard of Winter strides out to toward the Jotun, a single lone figure. The warlock and the godhi meet. There is a short discussion. Two Jotun warriors lay down a heavy looking ironbound chest before the warlock. The general does not bother to check it, merely raising their hand.
At that point, the thralls are roused by their captors and pushed through the Thule camp. They are unceremoniously released, and with many a fearful backward glance make their way over to where the Jotun force is camped. Then, all the orcs depart. The scarred diplomat watches all of this in impassive silence, and when she is done turns to the commanders who have come with her. "The same thing will happen with the other thralls that we have taken in Sermersuaq," she says calmly, her eyes glinting. "Be sure to tell the Ambassador what you have seen here, and your Senator for Ossium, and the General of the Bloodcloaks."
And then she thanks them for their time and returns to her sky-blue palanquin as the clouds break apart and the sun begins to shine in earnest on the plains of Sermersuaq for the first time in three months.
Game Information
As ever, the Wintermark armies fought in a manner that encourages heroism rather than slaughter, and everyone present in the campaign knows this to have been the case.
The Jotun have been driven entirely out of Sermersuaq, and the Empire now controls two additional rank two fortifications - Olgafsdottirshal in Tanikipari and the Fortress of Kalant in Stark.
Lions and Song (Battle)
- A major conjunction has been identified in Sermersuaq
- Further details of this opportunity will be added to this Wind of War as soon as they are available
There is a major conjunction of the Sentinel Gate during the Summer Solstice that will allow Imperial heroes to travel to Sermersuaq to interfere in an attempt by a group of Jotun champions to unleash magical vengeance not against the Empire, but against their allies the Thule.