379YE Autumn Equinox winds of war
Overview
While there are a number of places where activity of military import is taking place, surprisingly few of them involve clashes of Imperial armies with barbarian armies.
As a consequence of negotiations between the Thule during the Summer Solstice, a peace treaty has been signed ending (for now) the conflicts in Sermersuaq and Karsk. In some paces the Empire potentially gains territory, and in others it the Empire cedes territory to the orcs.
A SOMBRE EXCHANGE
In Karsk, the Thule withdraw
The orcs quit their positions in the hills of Crowslook and Branoc. There is no fanfare. One evening when the huddled humans go to sleep they are under the dominion of the Thule. The next morning, orders come down and the Thule begin to pack supplies and dismantle their camps. Within days they are gone, their forces marching north and west, taking up new positions in Krevsaty. Scouts suggest the fortified camp at the ruins of old Oloy has been greatly expanded; the isolated defenders of the Krevsaty Yelta watch the Thule foraging bands with some trepidation.
Meanwhile, the banner of the Golden Axe flies over Lestazny. The army camps not far from the remnants of the vale of Ivarsgard, down on the shores of the Semmerlak. Ivarsgard is already being reclaimed by the hungry forest. A few companies are dispatched to root out the wolves that have taken up residence in the ruins. and in the empty mine workings - but they do not present much of a challenge for seasoned Varushkan warriors.
In the north, the warriors of the Charnel Lord - Varushkan and orc alike - hold their positions around the Broken Barrow. There is no sign of the unnatural, undying warriors that have fought against the Thule in previous seasons. Raven messengers fly back and forth between the leaders of this enigmatic force, and the Senators and Generals of Varushka. Something is in the air - but the details are not clear at this time.
There are no engagements in Karsk between the Thule and the Empire as Summer lengthens into Autumn. Cautious for signs of Thule treachery, the Golden Axe maintains a solid defence. Injured troops rest, broken equipment is repaired or replaced (to the profit of the miners of Moresvah). More than one captain slopes off to visit the Sovereign's Heart in the ruins of fallen Isember. There is peace - or as much peace as one finds in Varushka.
In Sermersuaq, the Thule advance
Down out of the upper passes, come the Thule, cautious for signs of an Imperial betrayal. They regain the ground lost last season in the ]]Sermersuaq#Silver_Peaks|Stonefields]], and when it is clear that there is no Imperial opposition they move quickly and cleanly to take control of the Ice Caves. They give the retreating Imperial forces plenty of time to quit their positions.
The Green Shield watch from the open plains of East Floes and Suaq Fount, ready to drive the orcs back if they try to move even one inch out of the foothills. The Thule orcs make no effort to push beyond the peaks. The other Imperial armies have already left by the time they take the Stonefield Ice Caves.
The banner of a great white dire-wolf flies over the Silver Peaks now. Perhaps as many as five thousand Imperial soldiers were killed, or maimed, or lost the will to fight in the year since the Thule invaded Sermersuaq. Many of their bodies were never accounted for, lost in the broken canyons and buried beneath stone or snow. Nearly five thousand Thule fell alongside them. Yet there is little sign of the bodies - voracious Spring magic bred flowers from the corpses of the fallen. The Thule will see an excellent bladeroot harvest this year.
There are no significant engagements between the Empire and the Thule, just the smooth surrender of the northern peaks to the orcs. If there is frustration among the Wintermark troops, they use that anger against the enemies they can attack - against the Jotun raiders testing the defences of Wintermark. The Jotun raiders receive a savage beating, abandoning their raids and retreating quickly - just shy of a rout - back across the western borders.
There is peace in Sermersuaq - for now.
Game Information
Thanks to the peace treaty signed by the Imperial Senate, there has been no more fighting between the Empire and the Thule. They have ceded two regions of Karsk to the Empire. Those regions are now effectively neutral, belonging to neither side. A campaign army could move into the regions and conquer them, potentially without resistance. The matter of the troops loyal to the third power in Karsk - to the sovereign known as the Charnel Lord - still awaits resolution ... but that's something we can talk about later.
In Sermersuaq, incontrast it is the Empire that withdraws. The Thule, apparently trusting the Empire to keep it's peace treaty, have advanced into the areas they have abandoned. The region of the Silver Peaks now belongs to the Thule - as do the ilium-producing Stonefield Ice Caves.
The Fog of Peace
There is no true peace on the eastern front, but neither is there anything that could truthfully be called war. Not yet, at any rate. A peace treaty presented to the Senate on behalf of the Druj, and a treaty from the independent orcs of the Barrens, have been rejected. Yet if there is a state of war here, it is founded in uncertainty and confusion.
Angry Trees
In Holberg, Old Tom's Finest mount a spirited defence against the threat of Druj counterattacks, but mostly spend the long Summer days fighting off animated trees intent on tearing down the walls of Holberg. The resourceful Marchers adapt quickly to this threat. For a time it seems as if every axe and hatchet on sale in the markets of Holfried is bought by a grim-faced yeoman to use against the malicious vegetation powered by barbarian magics.
A few bands of orcs still haunt the northern forests - remnants of the scattered Druj armies. The orcs suffer less from the depredations of the angry trees - drawn as they are towards large structures and concentrations of people. Furthe, they flee all contact with Imperial troops, preferring to keep themselves alive through banditry and brigandage. It is a pattern the Empire has seen before. Within a generation, they will have forgotten they were once soldiers and will have adopted the practices of the common cut-throat and ruffian. Young heroes of the Empire will cut their teeth tracking them down and putting them to the sword.
Angry Ettercaps
At the same time, the Black Thorns leave the Empire for the Barrens. With the aid of the Great Forest tribe, their army moves safely from Dawnguard to Murderdale, and into eastern Brocéliande. They skirt the edge of Dark Ranging at speed, using all their skill to avoid direct confrontation with the vallornspawn that hold sway in those twisted woods. Their destination is Elerael, on the border with Reikos. They are quick - but not so quick that the husks, and the ettercap, and the stranger horrors of the vallorn do not claim some of them. Too many perhaps.
Yet news comes to the Navarr left behind, at the Broch and in Boar's Dell, that they have reached their destination. A vicious engagement with insect abominations and a few scattered bands of Druj orcs follows, but by the start of the Autumn Equinox the Black Thorns have driven the invading beasts out of the southern forests. Without the anchors of spring magic to hold it, the miasma parts and recedes again. Elerael is safe - for now - but the Black Thorns are caught between the vallorn on two sides, the unknown dangers of the Great Forest at their back, and the sickness in Reikos to the south.
Angry Orcs
As to the orcs of the Barrens - the Black Wind, and the Great Forest, and their allied tribes of orcs and briar - they launch an attack of their own. When the Navarr have passed through the Barrens, perhaps as many as fifteen thousand orcs move against Drycastle and the Towers of the Dawn. They advance cautiously, their attacks are sporadic and half-hearted and as soon as the encounter concerted resistance they fall back - confused. In each case, they command the Dawnish defenders to lay down their arms - it is clear they expected there to be no resistance. They talk of peace treaties, and seem surprised that their demands for the surrender of Imperial territory in the Barrens are ignored.
The orcs withdraw in disarray, clearly angry. In the confusion, there are a few losses on both sides, and reports of pockets of vicious fighting between orc warriors and Dawnish knights enthusiastic for an opportunity to strike against their enemies under cover of the fog of war. The towers of the Dawn sustain minor damage, but there is no decisive engagement between the Barrens orcs and the Imperial defenders. Not yet, any way.
Game Information
Holberg is still suffering the side effects of Druj magic even though the Druj themselves are gone. Navarr forces have pushed through the edges of the vallorn of Broceliande to secure the untainted region on the southern side of the territory and it is now in Imperial hands again. The business with the Barrens orcs is a lot less cut-and-dried. It seems they hoped to claim the Towers of the Dawn and Drycastle without significant opposition. Once they realised the inhabitants of the Dawnish estates, and the garrisons at the Towers, were prepared to defend their holdings, they soon backed off. Casualties are relatively few on both sides - but even so it is likely there will be diplomatic repercussions here. It's simply to early to say precisely what form they will take.