Not much was known about the people of the western peninsula, except that they were comparatively a barbaric people. Only those on the coast ever traded with us, and even they with an irrational wariness. And, as with any other nation, as long as trade income was minimal, we had no use for them. Pressure from the merchants to rectify the utter lack of profit in the region was one thing, but there was also the matter of control of the peninsula. The longer we waited to establish a foothold on the western coast, the greater risk we held of allowing some upstart peoples to challenge our dominance over the waters. This was a dangerous prospect, both economically and militarily, and could not be tolerated under any circumstance.
Naturally, a large portion of the military was being kept at the western border, ready to strike at the first sign of aggression. While it would have been more than possible to invade immediately, a 'legitimate" reason for invasion never hurts from a diplomatic standpoint. Not only does the world not see you as so much of a empire-builder, but the native peoples might be ever-so-slightly less aggressive because of it. Finally, an unfortunate band of thieves crossed the border, and was caught in one of the border villages. They were promptly put into chains and sold in the nearest market. While likely not a nice experience for them, they would actually probably end up leading fairly comfortable lives as house slaves. Little did they know that they had doomed their lands...
"Doom" being used in the most liberal sense because, as we liked to think of it, we were really saving their people. Saving it from an eternity of lawlessness and ignorance, bringing order and reason to their land. Besides, with any luck, few of their people would end up as slaves like the thieves. The centuries-old occupation message was simple, but effective: resist and you will be killed or enslaved, surrender and you will live freely, or defect to our side and fight with us and you will be granted full citizenship rights. Few other nations were willing to offer citizenship to outsiders so willingly, but ours was already such a hodgepodge that we didn't really care. If the natives had any brains, all of them would defect to our side and agree to fight with us. Not only would they be avoiding slavery, but they would be gaining citizenship to one of the most advanced, prosperous nations in the world. Unfortunately though, barbaric peoples often had stubborn ties to their backwards culture and were thus entirely unpredictable.
Western Border Camp, Tavok
The warriors of the republic who had been gathered at the westernmost camp, having been informed of the capture of the petty thieves, had already begun to march westwards. Typical of the region, it was a forest of tall spruce that they marched through, though not nearly as dark or foreboding as those farther north. Still, there were enough shadows that the possibility of ambush might linger in one's mind. But the soldiers really had nothing to fear until they crossed the border. And, even when they did, the seemingly haphazard manner in which the Tav army was accustomed to moving did not lend itself to ambush. The men advanced in small packs of around 8 soldiers, staying relatively close to the other packs and interlocking routes so as to give the illusion of chaos. If one pack was ambushed, the others could close in around the attackers, reversing the tides so that it was really they who were being ambushed. As an army accustomed to dense forests, almost all fighting was conducted in this manner; guerrilla warfare was the only kind of warfare they knew. And with so many skilled bowmen in the Tav army, guerrilla warfare suited it well.
However, in this particular expedition, bowmen were a minority. The bulk of the attacking force was actually made up naphtha throwers, usually a supplementing force in the army. The reasoning behind this was that it was entirely possible that the natives had never been exposed to such a substance, and that perhaps the shock factor alone of hundreds of fire pots being hurled at them might lead them to surrender. At best, it was hoped that they might come to regard us as gods of sorts; at worst, they should just be terrified out of their minds. Even for one who knows of the substance, it can be horrifying, as there are not many who relish the prospect of their flesh being consumed by fire.
These, combined with the many Swordsmen and the versatile, well-trained Tav Warriors, ought to easily be enough to overwhelm the poor natives without too much trouble. Still, it's never unwise to play it safe, so naturally a lone Hawkrider had been sent south from Tyyrik to scout out the land from afar, while some scouts on foot were also sent ahead to see what they could find. Meanwhile, a small fleet of ships headed up the coast from Tyyrik to complete the two-pronged assault.
Summary of Actions: -Scouts sent ahead to spy
-1x Hawkrider sent ahead to spy
UNITS:
ORBAT:
10x Tav Wolfriders [125]
50x Tav Warriors [525]
10x Tav Storm Mages [MAG:50]
10x Tav Glaivemen [75]
120x Tav Swordsmen [660]
160x Tav Naphtha Throwers [880]
1x Tav Hawkrider [28]
30x Tav Spearmen [150]
1x Tav Irat'ak (40) w/ 15x Tav Warriors (157.5) [197.5]
1x Tav Irat'ak (40) w/ 15x Tav Warriors (157.5) [197.5]
1x Tav Saval (170) w/ 10x Tav Glaivemen (75), 20x Tav Naphtha Throwers (110), 20x Tav Swordsmen (110), 10x Tav Archers (55) [520]
Total Force Strength: 3358 STR, 50 MAG
CLAIMS MAP:
