Velika on Fire [IC/Aurinel Only]

by **Altaro** » Sat Jun 25, 2016 5:10 pm

7 Oktōu 723 Atnos Polis

Velika was never an entirely stable place. In the past, the Anthros of the Grimalkin reigned over the island, managing to repel the forces from the nearby Anthros in Lykos for several decades. During the Great Tragedy, however, things changed rapidly. While Niun ravaged the land that would some day become Lykouros, the Grand Duchy of Parravon and Lyonesse seized the opportunity to take a colony on the southern portion of the island, which they have held to this day.

Just 3 years have passed, and the colony of Martina remains a thorn in the side of Lykouros. While the Parravonese colony is ruled by Elves, its population is still mostly made of Anthros who identify with the Grimalkin. The border has been heavily fortified since Parravon and Lyonesse took control of what is now Gulltown and Yvressia, with walls being constructed and guards constantly watching. A tense stalemate has stood over Velika for all of those 3 years.

The bottom of the fragile peace has started to fall out. The young new Emperor of Lykouros, Lucas Martin, has raised vocal opposition to Parravonese control over Yvressia, while the Grimalkin living under Elven rule in the colony have begun to grow restless, desiring reunification with their people. And watching warily is the Empire of Holoska, the greatest power of Aurinel. Allied to both Parravon and Lykouros, it stands torn between two allies: an old, gentrified Elven power, or a rising new Anthro power.

Peace is coming to an end.

by **Parravon and Lyonesse** » Sun Jun 26, 2016 4:43 am

Theodare Fraye, Governor of Yvressia and Protector of the Southern Isles, looked about him. Set on the border between the Parravonese colonies and the Holy Empire of Lykorous, wall stretched on for hundreds of kilometres to the east and west. Men armed with muskets patrolled it's immense surface, always on the lookout. It would come to war soon, and every man on the wall knew it.

The stone wall was an engineering marvel. Originally a collection of roughly aligned defensive fortifications, the wall was in fact a series of recently connected and refurbished stoneworks. The wall stood at a formidable 9 metres in height and was wide enough for 5 men to march abreast across it's surface. 24-pound cannons were anchored firmly into the stone at 10 metre intervals. Way-forts were set ten kilometres apart and had facilities to house and feed every soldier. Small towns were positioned around every fifth way-fort. Overall, the wall would not be easy to assault.

Fraye had come to the wall to inspect it's defences in anticipation of an Anthro attack. He had just finished conversing with the commander of a town way-fort when he noticed a figure riding towards the fortifications through the evening light.
"Sound the alarm, load the guns!" the Governor yelled to a sentry perched atop the tower of the fort.

A fanfare of trumpets soon sounded the call to arms as fifty soldiers formed up and loaded muskets and cannons to see off the approaching rider.
"Make ready! Present and prepare to fire upon my command!" Theodare barked.
As the figure came closer, he noticed that he was brandishing a peace banner in the form of a white flag.
"Shoulder arms!"Fraye commanded before turning to a lieutenant.
"Send a party down to open the fort gate," he said quickly.
The gate opened with a rending creak as a hooded man trotted through.
"What business do you have here?" Fraye demanded.

"I come with grim news, my lord. The Parravonese emissary up north in Velika was murdered! I came as fast as I could but I fear that I was delayed by the harsh weather. Alert the garrison!" the man rasped.

by **Lykouros** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 3:44 pm

Cassandra had just woken up, the sun had not risen yet. She softly brushed her fingers all over her fur, only to be interrupted by the sound of rapid writing and crumpling papers. She looked over to her side to see no one, Lucas had left her side a few hours earlier and went directly to the Palace Library.

The former lady captain quickly covered herself in red silk, using it to hide her nightwear, then slid through the corridors of the Warmth Palace. She reached the doors of the library, hesitating to open them as she heard Lucas' growls. The emperor had been like this ever since the day he was forced by the Parravon to retaliate as he learns of the oppression of Grimalkin people inside their colony. He had been writing, thinking, strategizing; for perfection was one of the three highest teachings he employed in his administration and this was the usual way he perfects his plans. This manner of living, which is to wake up, eat, write then sleep and all over again, was something he picked up due to the Great Tragedy.

Cassandra shook her head to get rid of the hesitation and finally opened the doors. Seemingly not hearing anything, Lucas continued to write, stopping only to growl like the Direwolves and stare at the ceiling to think. Cassandra suddenly embraced him from behind, holding him tight then tighter as to make him understand that he was not alone. Then Lucas rapidly stood up, carrying Cassandra along with him, to march outside and go back to their chamber.

--

Aetherius Lucas Martin had ordered 100 thousand from the active troops assigned to Velika, this was all the troops stationed in the Grimalkin Island, to assemble on the Hills of Azure near the 27 meter walls that separates the colony from the rest of Velika.

They all lit not one but five fires per soldier, this was a psychological tactic employed to instill fear among the Parravonese Army. It did not look like a hundred thousand army but a five hundred thousand army, which is half of the whole army of Lykouros according to the rumors Lucas had spread throughout Aurinel.

by **Holoska** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 6:11 pm

10 Oktōu 723

It had been raining since late the previous night, but the rain had finally cleared in time for breakfast. Seemingly within minutes, the clouds had broken up, and all that was left of the thick grey layer that had been dumping rain on the city were several puffy white clouds drifting lazily across the city. Women either hiked up their skirts, wore high-heels, or folded up their cuffs to keep from dragging over the wet ground. With the rain, the whole of the city had been cleaned off. The air was amazingly clean, and the dirt had been washed off the buildings, leaving small rivers of dingy water running along the side of the streets and into the sewers. The river that flowed along the western fringe of the city had swelled a bit, running up against the low dikes at the edge of the city's waterfront. The trams hauled by the Direwolves took down their roofs, and the passengers basked in the warm light of the sun.

It was this sort of morning that Eileen Ruslanova absolutely loved, when everything was clean and cool just in time for the day to begin. The problem with it was, she had to spend it meeting with two very, very angry diplomats. The prospect was ruining the Panther Anthro's appetite. She just sat at her table, picking at the bowl of porridge in front of her.

"Miss Right Honourable?"

She looked up and saw a Shadow Draconid woman dressed in purple standing just inside the door. "Oh. Hello, Miss Pauling. Why are you here?"

"The Emperor wanted to see you."

"His Highness? Yes, of course."

The Draconid woman smiled and opened the door, to let in the Chimerical Anthro man. Just seeing each other made each other smile. "Hello, Eileen."

"Hello, Mobiuz. While I always enjoy seeing you, why are you here?"

"I figured that you'd enjoy some time together before we face the deep muscle cramp that is meeting with two diplomats that hate each other."

She chuckled. "Okay. I think there might still be some food." She rang a bell, and one of her staff walked in briefly before seeing the Emperor and walking right back out. He came back with a bowl of porridge for the Emperor, set it down, and bowed before heading back out of the room.

"So...tell me again, what's the issue?"

"The byproduct of colonialism."

"Really? You, the ruler of the biggest product of imperialism in the history of the continent, are going to get annoyed about a nation having colonies?"

Mobiuz chuckled. "Holoska has what it needs. I've heard that there are nations talking about establishing new colonies across Osira, but maybe we should have some of our own."

"Colonies? You just said we have what we need."

"Yes, Holoska has been satisfied with her holdings for the last 50 years. But we can't just sit around and be complacent forever. Holoska is strong, yes, but if we just keep being content with being the strongest, we're going to realize someday that we've been left in the dust. It's what happened to the Kingdom of Teyran, right before we conquered it." He chuckled and started in on his porridge.

"Okay. So do you have any ideas?"

"Well, perhaps just buying some territory on Fiela would be a good spot. The Cukier Islands would be good too on the way to Shtokar, but we can't just go in and annex them. So I had this plan for an overseas empire that didn't involve conquering." The Emperor talked for a while longer, talking about a system of "Dominions" that would swear their loyalty to the Empire and rely on Holoska for protection in exchange for a shared market and a fair degree of political sovereignty. To Eileen, the concept seemed...foreign.

"Are you absolutely sure this is a good idea?"

"Holoska needs to remain competitive, and creating Imperial Dominions is perhaps the best way of going about it."

"Alright...wait, why were we talking about this?"

"I...don't remember."

"Alright. I guess we should go see the diplomats now."

"Sounds good." Mobiuz stood up and started walking out, with Eileen following close behind him. Both dreaded the meeting.

by **Parravon and Lyonesse** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 11:28 pm

Thousands of men restlessly lined the walls, staring in both horror and awe at the massive Lyrokousi host that faced them. It was time. Theodare leapt on to the ramparts
and stared at his men. A good quarter of them were newly trained farm boys, half were disciplined regulars and the final quarter were guards, grenadiers and sharpshooters.

"Gentlemen! I have but one question for you! Why should we fear these Anthro bastards? Look at them! They cower behind their fires and tents! These are no true soldiers!" Theodare's auburn hair flapped about in the wailing wind.

"Do you really believe that even ten of them are worth one of you, the valiant soldiers of Parravon? He spat over the edge of the wall to the cheers of his men.
"They are the ones who will shiver in fear at us! We have a wall, as long as we hold the gates, they can't touch us! There is nothing to fear! Who wants his name written in the annals of history? Who wants some bloody glory?"

Fraye shouted a curse as the Anthro force as his men cheered.
"Sound the call to arms! Load the guns! Let's see off these Lyrokousi scum! Fight! Fight for Parravon! Fight for your families! Fight for glory! I'll shoot the first man to run!"
Men ran about in every direction, carrying kegs of gunpowder and loading muskets.

It was said that there were 500,000 Anthros facing his 35,000 men, but Theodare knew that that figure was folly. There were at most 200,000 enemies against them, and there were probably less. They had a fighting chance.

by **Lykouros** » Tue Jun 28, 2016 7:43 am

After a short argument between the Emperor and soon-to-be Empress of Lykouros, 80 warships, equipped with the latest and most devastating mortars, were sailing toward the south-western side of the Parravonese Colony. Inside these ships were about 80 thousand of the well experienced, battle-hardened warriors that survived as vanguard against Niun, the only difference between their past and now was that they were now well armed, carrying muzzle-loading rifles and well versed in using them as they practiced with utmost fervor due to the Great Tragedy propaganda that Lucas had repeatedly circulated throughout the nation. This propaganda was the main reason for the largest conscription of soldiers in the history of the Three Nations, and was also the main reason for the people's ardent militaristic attitude, albeit at first to protect their lands and families from events like the Great Tragedy very soon it became a lust for actual war.

The reason for the argument between Emperor Lucas and the former Captain Cassandra, was that she wanted to help not just in any way but in her own way, which is the one that could actually be of use. She wanted to lead the naval attack of 80 warships on the South-Eastern seas of Lykouros, while Lucas understood that she had the skills and experience, due to once having been with her in a naval battle against pirates, he cared for her deeply that he had to at least try to stop her from doing this dangerous work, especially because she is in a special situation. But after only less than half an hour he gave up trying to discourage her and instead versed her with the plans he had made.

The plan was simple but definitely effective, according to Lucas. 80 warships, each one mostly discarded of defensive cannons and accurately supplied for one week just for them to instead contain 6 mortars and 252 bombs. They would fire all 6 mortars 6 times a day on all major ports in the Parravonese Colony. And to avoid unnecessary casualties, Lucas had sent spies all over the colony to incite rebellion amongst the major ports and force all Elven civilians and the Feline Anthros alike to seek refuge in the inner parts of the colony. The warships would travel from the south-west of the colony around to the north east side for just one week, after which they would signal the 100 thousand men army stationed on the Hills of Azure.

The plan was set, and the navy was sent out, leading them was former Captain, now Admiral Cassandra. The current was favorable but the fogs of the Lykouros seas were near and soon they would have a difficult time steering and traveling. But this was considerably easier as all ship captain was given a proper map and compass, as well as men shouting every half hour to signal their whereabouts.

Cassandra heard the seagulls near, and finally the fog disappeared. She ordered that they first rearrange their formation, but suddenly a loud bang resounded near her.

by **Parravon and Lyonesse** » Tue Jun 28, 2016 7:21 pm

Commodore Carenius Martine was staring out at the Anthro navy. He had gathered a meagre fleet of 36 Ironclad Warships and had sailed out from Gulltown only half a day ago. He always believed that a sudden offensive manoeuvre could be just as strategically effective as a strong defence, and thus he had rushed to engage the Lykorousi Navy at open sea.

He believed that the Lykorousi vessels would be equipped with bombardment mortars and would hold troops that would have no experience of naval combat. To maintain the essence of surprise, he had sailed around to the far left of the enemy fleet under the cover of a dense fog.

His ships' sails filled with the roaring wind as they advanced at full speed into the rear of the Anthro fleet. Suddenly, the smoked parted and they were revealed. They went forward rapidly as the Anthros sent volley after volley of mortar rounds at their vessels. Two ships slowly started sinking as a third was out out of action and was forced to be repaired. It was looking grim for the Parravonese.

Finally, his ships got too close to the enemy for them to fire their mortars. The right side of the Anthro fleet was trying to reposition to assist the left. Parravonese ships came board-to-board with Lykorousi gunboats and fired shots at point-blank range into the mostly wooden hulls of the enemy ships.

A good six Lykorousi vessels went down, sending the terrified Anthro troops down with them. However, by this time the rest of the Anthro gunboats had wheeled about to support their comrades, firing concussive rounds into the Parravonese ships.

by **Holoska** » Tue Jun 28, 2016 9:15 pm

The Anthro from Lykouros and the Elf from Parravon and Lyonesse had been shouting at each other for the last 15 minutes, taking no attention of the two Holoskan leaders that were busy watching them. Just as the Lykourian took a swing at the Parravonian, Mobiuz chuckled. "Okay, you win." With that, he slipped an Alrint with a square stamped through it to Eileen, which she pocketed with a smile.

After 20 minutes, they were still shouting and screaming at each other before Mobiuz finally stood up and stated simply "Gentlemen, while I appreciate your...passionate appeals for our Empire to join either side in this conflict, it is the opinion of me and the Grand Chancellor that Holoska shall remain neutral unless otherwise provoked."

After he finished, Eileen stood up and stated "We will refrain from military combat until our Empire is threatened. That is all."

Both of the diplomats glared at the two co-sovereigns, then stalked out of the room. Once he was sure they were out of earshot, Mobiuz smiled grimly and started speaking in Anthraic. "Tell the Generals to move forces towards the northern border. I think that Plouguerneau would be a good city-state once it's back to its Anthraic name of Geluuostas, don't you think?"

Eileen returned a similarly grim smile and responded in Anthraic as well. "You're really siding with Lykouros then?"

"Yes. But we'll let them take the pain for a while so that we can claim we're 'intervening' in their conflict."

Eileen smiled. "Anything to continue bringing about the Age of the Anthros."

by **Lykouros** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 4:09 am

Ship after ship sank and only 55 remained, but the Parravonese navy was not only exhausted but also diminished to only a handful of ships. The Parravonese were well trained in naval battles but Lykouros warriors were much more experienced, battle hardened, and well trained, and the advantage of the surprise attack of the Parravonese receded quickly as soon as the Wolf Anthros began boarding their ships. The last blow was given as the mortars rained down on the remaining ships and victory shouts resounded throughout the bay and the beaches, which was quickly overwhelmed by another bombardment on the port.

The Lykouros navy dwindled down to just 35 ships as they encountered numerous resistance from the Parravonese but this did not stop them from bombarding 3 major ports that surrounds the colony. The survivors from the rest of the sunken ships numbered only 4 thousand but reinforced by the Feline Anthros who were enslaved in the colonies, this increased their numbers to 6231; they were sent down to the ports to march to the inner lands of the colony ordered by the Admiral, all according to plan.

A handful of ports remained and the 6 thousand troops sent were to split the troops in the walls and hopefully infiltrate the walls... The end of the first movement was still a ways off.

While Cassandra was leading the navy to nigh-victory, Lucas Martin had finally arrived on the Hills of Azure. His presence greatly increased the morale of the hundred thousand army, but this was mostly due to the fact that Lucas arrived with 36 mortars and a myriad bombs for them. This was the second movement, the plan was to split the army and the mortars into two, 18 mortars and 50 thousand men with it would fire on the left and right side of the walls effectively splitting up the already diminished troops stationed in the walls due to Cassandra's battalion detachment.

The second movement was to be executed right after Cassandra gives the signal, which meant that the detachment force successfully arrived near the walls and perhaps even infiltrated them, but that's a whole other signal.

by **Parravon and Lyonesse** » Thu Jun 30, 2016 1:52 am

The rowboats approached the bleak, stone wall of the fort under the cover of darkness. Laeroth Calzedor was at the head of the boat furthest forward, staring at the Anthro soldiers patrolling it's top.

The Archduke had set sail for Lykouros when the first word of the war reached his army of 85,000 men who had been restocking on supplies in United Brunvik. He had joined forces with a small expedition of 5,000 of the Knights of the Order of Analos, a Knightly Order from Athilene.

He had led his allied army towards several rich Lykourosi trading ports that were weakly garrisoned due to the war in Velika. He was now approaching his first target, the prosperous but insufficiently defended port of Dalonqar. Laeroth was leading a raiding party of 35,000 elite troops towards the town's formidable bay fort on rowboats.

As they drew near, they were sighted by the recently woken Antho defenders in the fort. The enemy began firing cannon rounds at the rowboats, but many simply fell into the water between the boats. A few unlucky vessels were struck but only a few hundred men were lost in the frantic rush to the shore.

The troops scrambled on to the beach, leaving a quarter of the men to provide covering fire while the rest scaled the walls. Calzedor looked to his left to see Karl Fraye, the son of Theodare Fraye, leading a scaling party as he clambered up the stony surface of the fort battlements.

He began to climb at the head of a detachment of his personal legion of Half-Elf guards, yelling taunts at the enemy and encouraging his men. His squad reached the top of the wall with minimal casualties and began to fire their Eldritch muskets at the Anthro defenders. Wolf Anthros wailed and shouted as they slowly dissolved into thin air in crackles of purple lightning.

To his far right a regiment of Althilene Knights were matching even Wolf Anthros in melee with longswords and maces. By this point many more units had climbed the wall and the Lykourosi were simply overwhelmed by sheer numbers. The Parravonese had suffered modest losses of 3,100 men, but the city was theirs.

Laeroth ordered the men to sack the city and but to avoid harming civilians. Hundreds of chests of silk, gold and salt were plundered before his men returned to their ships. It was a glorious day for Parravon.

by **Holoska** » Thu Jun 30, 2016 8:50 am

The city of Plougerneau had always been mostly Anthro. Unlike the Empire of Holoska that bordered it, it was a majority type of Anthro, that being Panda Anthro. Perhaps it was because of this that the Emperor was somewhat partial to it. After all, he himself was part Panda and his daughter was a Panda. And yet, the town was controlled by the Elves of Parravon and Lyonesse, and had been for 30 years. Empress Pashkina had tolerated it being there, and Ludovitch III loudly protested against the Elves ruling it. Mobiuz, however, was about to act on it.

A familiar sight outside the city were the ships of the Imperial Navy sailing by on their way to other areas of the continent. Yet, the first thing that they saw when the sun began rising were ships of the Imperial Navy sitting at anchor right off the shore. As the last part of the sun cleared the horizon, the cannons began firing.

The very first volley shattered the base of the Guard's tower, crumpling the tower and sending it crashing into the courtyard of the garrison and at once crushing several Elven soldiers.The next volley shattered more of the walls surrounding the fortress. A third volley sent the walls careening down. And after that, they went silent. True, large parts of the city had been blasted apart, but all of a sudden the Imperial Navy ships were silent.

It was then that the small wall surrounding the town began to splinter under the brunt of several Holoskan mortars, as forces of the Imperial Army began to move in on the city. What little resistance the city offered was mopped up by the 15th Hebarka Regiment, a force of 6,000 men and women. The kicker? Their leader, the man overseeing the whole of their operations? He was an Elven man by name of Yerev Pashkuniz.

Colonel Pashkuniz watched as the foot soldiers marched through the streets, followed by the Direwolf riders holding the Holoskan Imperial Banner high. The Elven soldiers had been forced to submission, while the Anthros of the city watched silently as the Anthro Colonel rode ahead on a silvery grey Direwolf. At first, they were silent. Then, as they saw the Holoskan colors of his uniform, the mixed soldiers of Anthros, Draconids, Elves and Humans, and the Holoskan banners they carried, they began to cheer. Pashkuniz smiled as they began to call out in Anthraic. "Ṇsme yra léudheros! Ṇsme yra léudheros!"

Anthraic had been banned in the town since Parravon took over. But now, Geluuostas was free again.

by **Athilene** » Thu Jun 30, 2016 4:29 pm

Coast of Dalonqar
Lykouros

General Etienne de Valmont, commander of the Knights of Analos attached the Parravonese army, approached the Archduke’s ship with his own. He was a man in his mid-forties, his blonde hair already whitening at his temples. His order, the Knights of Analos, had entered into their first conflict in many years alongside the Grand Duchy. His knack was swordsmanship, and he had demonstrated that today. The Order tries to recruit all the young men with combat-oriented knacks. 5,000 Knights had bravely participated in the Battle of Dalonqar that day, facing down fearsome Wolf Anthros. They had acquitted themselves with honor, and had watched aloofly as the Parravonese sacked the city. Unfortunately, despite this victory already seemed to be turning against them. Yvressia was withering under the Lykorousi assault, and word had just recently arrived of the fall of Plougerneau.

Sir Etienne had been ordered to try to persuade Archduke Calzedor to sue for peace. He had brought with him a personal letter from the Grand Master on the matter. After he boarded the Calzedor’s ship he was directed to wait for an audience. He passed the letter on, hoping it would reach the Archduke’s hands soon.

by **Parravon and Lyonesse** » Thu Jun 30, 2016 7:25 pm

The Anthro Emperor, Möbius Katchmar, was sitting in his luxurious office in his palace. The battle had been short and decisive, with little to no casualties suffered by his Holoskan troops. However, a large part of the Parravonese trading fleet had escaped while the Imperial Navy was bombarding the town wall.

He heard the soft footsteps of an attendant behind him and turned around, placing a warm smile on his face.
"What is the matter?"
"Your Highness, we have received a letter from the Parravonese, it was delivered by trading galley just this morning."
"Well, I best see this letter then."
The servant handed over a letter bearing the seal of the Crimson Lion of Parravon. It read:

Addressed to His Highness the Emperor Möbius I of House Katchmar, Emperor of Holoska and King in Plougerneau,

We wish to negotiate a peace between our two good nations. Why should we shed more blood needlessly? We have been at peace for decades before the fall of Plougerneau. We shall cede you control of Plougerneau under the condition that you continue to allow Parravonese merchants to trade freely within it's boundaries.

We will also offer to construct a Holoskan Commission in Parravon. It will be used to house emissaries from Holoska and will allow for quick communication between our nations. Your emissaries every need will be catered for, and they will be provided with spacious quarters. We ask the same for Parravonese emissaries in Frostspark City.

Yes, this act of unprovoked war will sour the relations between our nations for many years to come. However, we hope, for the sake of the wives and children of the brave soldiers of both our nations, we can both see the futility in our quarrel, the quarrel of high and mighty rulers and negotiate peace to save the small-folk of our nations any more grief and harm.

Arch-Elector Elector Amrothin I of House Lorren,
Justice-Elector Charles IV of House Fraye,
Colonial-Elector Helmgart III of House Alymare,

by **Holoska** » Thu Jun 30, 2016 8:06 pm

The table in the middle of the room had two people at it: the Emperor and the Grand Chancellor. Both were talking over the letter. "Is it worth it to claim peace now? Can we not simply attack Athilene and take it all at once now?"

"Patience, Eileen. I get enough requests to charge the enemy all at once from Lucas. Peace might very well be beneficial to us at this point, albeit...not an immediate peace."

Eileen Ruslanova smiled. "What do you want, then?"

"I want the whole of Aurinel to know its place."

"I know that. But what do you want out of this war?"

"Two things, really. I want Parravon's colonies returned to Anthro rule, and I want to bring the greatest power of the Old Order to its knees. Parravon represents the strength of Elven nations, and I want to show how strong Anthros have become."

"Seems fair. But do you really want to take peace right away? There's another option we could take, you know."

Mobiuz smiled. "Tell me."

"Unlike so many other nations, we have a legislature. We could easily submit the peace proposal to the Sṇtējō, then while they debate it, we simply don't tell our navy to stop harassing the enemy's ships. Sure, we can't invade Parravon just now, but we can make any trade a living hell for them. And Athilene is one island, it won't be hard at all to blockade. In the process, we make the enemy more eager to accept peace on our terms."

The Emperor smiled. "Great ideas like that are why you're the Grand Chancellor. People love what you're coming up with."

"I'm glad the Emperor and my Friend both like it. I'll have couriers send out the message right away."

by **Parravon and Lyonesse** » Fri Jul 01, 2016 3:06 am

Admiral Aelius Caserus was sipping tea on the top deck of his flagship, Defiant, enjoying the morning air. He was in command of a mighty fleet of 28 heavy warships. They were currently anchored off the coast of Athilene, to protect it from blockades or invasion.
"What is it?"
He had heard the approaching junior officer from halfway across the ship.
"Sir, our lookouts have spotted a Holoskan fleet. They appear to number around 22 vessels. They are probably bypassing us to raid the straits or the Amethyst Isles."

"Well, it appears that we have been presented with a golden opportunity. The wind is on our side, and we could hope to catch them in the rear. Send word to the captains, we sail within the half-hour."
"Yes, sir."
As the lieutenant strode off, Aelius sipped at his tea. It's warmth felt like the sensation of victory in his mouth.

The necessary arrangements were quickly made, and twenty-five of his ships caught the wind and went surging forward. The remaining three would be left to guard the port in his absence. Aelius always took the wheel himself as he felt great pride in his vessel and even more pride in the fact that he always knew how it would react to the slightest turn of the rudder or trimming of a sail.

A few hours later, they were close enough to the Anthro fleet to see it with their naked eyes. The Holoskans had sighted them as well, and were turning about to face them. The Parravonese rushed forward with the win while the Holoskans lumbered forward slightly more tediously as they struggled against the wind.

Aelius' fleet contained four experimental 'Fire-Ships'. These vessels were equipped with hundreds of wooden frames on rotating platforms. From these frames shot firework-like rockets that would scream as they careened through the air unpredictably. As these gunboats were only useful at long range, they were placed at the rear of the formation.

Half-an-hour later, the leading ships of each fleet began exchanging broadsides. Cannonballs bounced and ricocheted off of iron-coated hulls as the Lady Celyse and Black Dread engaged two Holoskan ironclads. Intense volleys from the Fire-Ships had set three Anthro vessels afire. Roaring Lion had moved to support Black Dread and had defeated a smaller Holoskan gunboat.

The battle raged for many more hours, with the screams of rockets and the thunk of cannonballs penetrating hulls resounding across the lines of ironclads. Five Parravonese vessels were sinking and a sixth was on fire. Seven Anthro vessels had either sunk or surrendered. Defiant's veteran crew had boarded an Anthro galley and had quickly butchered the crew. Black Dread and Wolfsbane had been boarded, with the latter surrendering. Overall, the battle seemed slightly in favour of the Parravonese.

Aelius ordered the 6 ships that he had held in reserve to enter the explosive fray. Another Anthro ship was aflame and things were look even brighter for his fleet. Defiant wheeled about to deliver a point-blank range volley into the rear of a Holoskan ship. It's powder magazine exploded in a blinding flash. catching the four Anthro and three Parravonese ships around it ablaze.

A small fire had caught on the lower decks of Defiant, however it's experienced crew quickly dealt with the blaze. One of the flaming Anthro ships withdrew and the second surrendered. To his right, a Parravonese ship started sinking, but so did the Holoskan ship beside it.

The Anthro fleet started a slow, stubborn withdrawal, Aelisu realised his fleet was too battered to pursue, so he did the same. In the end, he had lost 10 warships to destroy 14 Anthro vessels. However, most of his ships were badly damaged, and he had to make rush back to the shipyards in Athilene to get them repaired.

by **Lykouros** » Fri Jul 01, 2016 7:10 pm

The news of the fall of Dalonqar soon reached High General Hildangaerd Corowa's ears, and he responded as quickly as possible. He sent 50 thousand men, lead by High Captain Oshiro Katsuo, to retake the port.

Puella Emilia, Tiger Anthro Lieutenant of the 4 thousand Legion detachment, had some trouble assigning the 2 thousand Feline Anthros that wished to join the infiltration party. The Feline Anthros had a wide variety of talents but none of which were evidently useful to the cause, but nonetheless she had chosen this job of infiltrating the walls and so she must find a way to quickly organize the detachment.

There were fishermen mostly, but also some potters and servants even, they all seemed exhausted and yet their eyes were filled with conviction and every breath they took, they took the essence of life around them. It seems to be that the Elves had overworked these people, and this made it difficult for Emilia, she could not force them to just stay, but neither could she have them toil on to the walls. She pondered for a while and finally she reached a solution. "All right everyone, I've orders for all of you." She took a short breath. "I need you to find more able bodies to aid the effort, and so you must infiltrate the crowd gathering in the middle of the colony." She stopped, and gazed slowly from left to right, searching for any kind of reaction, but it seems that the Feline Anthros were okay with it, even those who were full of energy a while ago shouting at the wife of the Emperor to let them fight were now silent and nodding.

3 thousand remained with the lady lieutenant as she ordered a thousand to strip down to rags and to ensure that the Feline Anthros were safe throughout the infiltration. And just before the second detachment marched out, she also had order the 3 thousand remaining to march with her. "We are near. We will win." She began to chant as their footsteps synchronize, after a while their murmurs became shouts. "This is Osira's will, for the Ethereal Emperor!"

Cassandra heard the thunderous chants of the detachment force from her flagship, the Izellah. She smirked as she heard them so enamored with the Emperor, the high morale that Lucas carefully kept as he continued spreading the Great Tragedy propaganda was working, and this made her proud of him.

After a while the voices were but echoes that resounded throughout the seas as the ships sailed onward to the next port. She had resupplied by taking what remains from port to port that they bombarded, this was to ensure that none remained for the Elves. She also laid down drifting mines near the port as to hinder any ships that tries to land or any ships that tries to take off.

The new Admiral reached the next port only to find nothing and no one in it.

by **Athilene** » Fri Jul 01, 2016 7:56 pm

Parravonese Fleet
Coast of Lykouros

General de Valmont learned of the victory of the Parravonese in the naval battle off the coast of Athilene. Although a victory, it seemed a Pyrrhic one, and he worried for his homeland. He immediately forwarded a message to Archduke Calzedor.

Analos
Commonwealth of Athilene

Grand Master Osbern III was a man in his mid-sixties, with gray hair and a long beard. He had been serving as Grand Master for over twenty years, and was renown in the order for his wisdom and foresight. He had earned respect and admiration from his men for his peaceful and prosperous rule. However, he had been unable to prevent the war that now posed an existential threat to the Knights.

He watched the naval battle between the Parravonese and Holoskans from the tallest tower of Castle Caillot. For the first time in over one hundred years the city of Analos was under real threat. The streets were deathly quiet as people cowered in their homes. Many of the well-off burghers had retreated to their country homes. The Grand Master had likewise sent the Parliament to Castle Artacho, a stronghold safely tucked away in Athilene's central mountains.

He may not have been able to prevent this war, but he and his predecessors had been preparing for it for centuries. They had narrowly escaped annihilation in the Athivesse Civil War, they were not about to be caught like that again. Athilene was a nation built with defense in mind, dotted with dozens of strong castles. Even now, militias were being drawn up to supplement forces of Knights in these castles. However, this would not be enough, and Osbern was looking ahead. The newly discovered lands to the east and south offered new refuges.

Below him the Analos harbor was empty, the Athilenean fleet having sailed out to assist the Parravonese in the battle. The heavily fortified chain towers on either side of the entrance to the harbor were standing at the ready, with the harbor chain stretching across the entrance.

Osbern sighed, and hoped that the peace he had urged would be achieved. He turned from the window and fed a few coals to his pet Flame Baby, and watched with amusement as it happily burned them.

by **Parravon and Lyonesse** » Fri Jul 01, 2016 9:25 pm

Good sirs, this is folly! We cannot reinforce the wall. We must keep pressing at Lykouros' underbelly!"
"The wall requires more men! We must defend our colonies!"
"We should withdraw and support the Amethyst Isles!"
"All of you are incorrect! We must attack Holoska from the south!"
Archduke Laeroth Calzedor's head throbbed. His cabin had been filled with arguing captains for the past hour. What was he to do with these idiots?

Suddenly, a messenger from the Athilene War Galleys entered the luxurious cabin.
"My lord, General Valmont has a letter which requires your attention."
He quickly read the note, attempting to block out the yelling captains to his right.
"I see. Tell General Valmont that he may withdraw his forces and galleys."
The Archduke nodded the man away courteous and turned to his bickering captains.

"Gentlemen. We must decide on one definite course of action. Lykourosi ports will be bolstering their defences after our raid. Therefore, I see two courses of action. We can sail to Gulltown and support Yvressia, or we can raid Holoska from the south. I shall put it to a vote. Write down your opinions and pass them to me."
The captains penned down their votes and politely handed them to the Archduke.
"Very well, with a majority of 9 votes to 5, we shall sail to Yvressia and defeat the harassing Anthro fleets there."

by **Holoska** » Fri Jul 01, 2016 10:20 pm

Coast of Athilene

The raging fight had been blasting on for three days as the Imperial Navy continued trying to break the Athilenian naval lines. And by god, the Athilenians were putting up a colossal fight. Nearly 13 Holoskan ships had been lost, but the Athilenians had lost more. Even then, they kept fighting. A Holoskan capital ship, the Emperor's Fist, decided to take a gamble. It was listing badly and taking on water, so it was doomed either way. Siezing a chance, it charged directly at the lead Athilenian ship. Naturally, every ship went after it, blasting more holes into it and speeding up its sinking. Regardless, the ship managed to smash into the Athilenian ship with great force, completing its suicide mission. While the Athilenian ship didn't either sink or explode, it was severely damaged.

Three captains on the Holoskan ships sized up the lines of battle. Both navies were broadside to each other, to get the largest area of being able to fire on them. Seeing an opportunity, one of them flashed light signals to two other ships, and the three of them began moving out of the main lines, risking being torn to shreds to move into a new position. The lead ship among them took a cannonball to the gunpowder hold, and was immediately blown into thousands of tiny splinters. The other two ships forged on, until they arrived in a position where they were lying broadside where the rest of the navy faced them head-on. The maneuver had put them into a position much like the upper bar on a "T".

With this, they opened fire. The Athilenians frantically started trying to move around to face broadside, but by the time they could, three more Holoskan ships had seen what was occurring and moved into a similar position, during which they had sunk more than 10 Athilenian ships. The whole frame of the battle shifted 90 degrees over the course of 28 minutes, and kept rotating as Holoska tried to keep the "T" crossed, and Athilene tried to return to a broadside. Neither side could keep it entirely to their advantage, but by the end of an hour, the Athilenian navy realized what had happened.

By the Holoskans keeping the battle rotating, they had managed to swap their positions relative to Athilene itself. At the start of the battle, the Athilenian navy had wedged itself between the island and Holoska's navy, but the Holoskans had rotated the battle so that some of Holoska's navy was now on the island's side, while another part was on the other side of the Athilenian navy. The Athilenians were surrounded.

The firefight kept up for another few hours, during which all the Imperial Navy had to do was just fire inwards, while the Athilenians were trying to keep up their final stand. The circling Imperial Navy, much like vultures, kept working at encircling the Navy, until most of them had either sunk or run up a white flag. With the surrender of the navy, there was nothing stopping the Imperial Navy from executing landfall at Analos.

by **Parravon and Lyonesse** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 1:44 am

Amrothin I had just conversed with a diplomat from Athilene yesterday, yet today, another one visited him.
"Greetings, noble ally! What can I do for you today?"
"Sire, the Athilene Navy was defeated at the Battle of Bloody Bay. Holoskan forces are occupying the island as we speak."
"I see. I imagine that you want me to attempt to retake the Isle?"
"If possible. The commoners will rebel and join your forces once they see your sails in the horizon."
Amrothin sighed.

"The Bay of Athilene is an incredibly effective defensive position. It is a wonder that even Holoska was able to beat it. Now Holoska has it's large navy sitting in the bay, guns ready to fire at anyone trying to retake the island. I am not opposed to invading, but I am opposed to sending my men and ships into a meat-grinder. There must be another way."

by **Athilene** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 6:59 pm

Analos
Commonwealth of Athilene

During the three days that the naval battle raged between the Athilenean and Holoskan forces, Grand Master Osbern was preparing. Due to the might of the Holoskan navy, he had decided Analos was an indefensible position. The remaining Knights in the city had been ordered to retreat to inland castles like Alaya, Labraza, and Maldi. Residents of the city had been fleeing for days, hoping to avoid the inevitable Holoskan occupation. The Griffin Guard had been specially tasked with evacuating sacred relics and historical artifacts from Castle Caillot, flying them to safety at Castle Artacho.

The last of these griffin riders was now taking off, Marshal Guiz Granville. The Marshal was second-in-command of the Knights, and had been a personal friend and loyal subordinate of the Grand Master for years.

"Osbern, I implore you to change your mind, there's nothing to be gained by staying." said Sir Guiz.

"My predecessors held this castle for hundreds of years, it won't be me that flees from it. I am an old man, I'll be no use on the battlefield. You will be more than capable of leading our order, and I hope my example will hearten the men." said Osbern, as he gathered up the cage of his Flame Baby, Ambre. He handed the cage and a small bag of charcoal to Guiz.

"Now, go. Defend our island, make them bleed for every castle they take." he continued, "And don't forget to feed Ambre, she likes coal especially."

As Sir Guiz flew away, Osbern looked out over the city. It was mostly deserted, and the gates of the city walls stood open. White flags flew throughout the city as Osbern waited in the deserted castle for the Holoskans.

Parravon
Grand Duchy of Parravon and Lyonesse

Sir Achard was saddened to have to bring such news to the Arch-Elector.

"My lord, we are going to surrender Analos without a fight. We cannot compete with the Holoskan navy, so we will focus on defending inland castles. The Holoskans will have to lay siege to each of these castles, a few at a time, to conquer Athilene completely. We expect we can tie them up for years, with some luck. Any forces you could spare to help us defend these castles will be greatly appreciated. Our own army that was accompanying Parravon's in Dalonqar is on its way back as well."

by **Parravon and Lyonesse** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 8:00 pm

"I can give you 20,000 men. Most of them are regulars, and they should be sufficient for holding castles."
"We thank you for all the men you can spare, my lord."
"Very well then, my commanders shall make the necessary preparations."

-

As the sun's rays peaked over the island of Athilene, it's splendid castles came into view. Many rushed to the railings to get a better view at the picturesque fortifications. General Decarius was pleased to see that this particular castle was still flying the Athilene Standard. They had taken three days to sail to Athilene, as they went round to the north side of the island to evade the Holoskan fleet.

"Lower the rowboats! Twenty men are to get in each!"
The men on deck quickly hoisted down the rowboats and started clambering in. Decarius leapt into the last one. The oars beat in a steady, rhythmic pace as the castle on the hill slowly crept closer towards them. The wind blew throw his white hair as Decarius peered closer at the island. You couldn't have guessed that this pretty little castle would soon be drenched in blood.

An hour later, the rowboats came ashore. Decarius ran up to meet the commander of a company of Knights who had come to greet them.
"A pleasant morning, isn't it sir?"
"You could say so, but I regret that we don't have very much time to enjoy it. Your men are to be divided and marched to the major castles that still stand."
"I understand. I will organise the men."
With a curt nod, the Knight galloped back up the slopes to the castle.

by **Holoska** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 9:14 pm

General Eivan Naborovitch walked through the city ahead of his men, surveying the city. The whole of Analos had given up without a fight, probably to keep Holoska from shelling it into oblivion. As cowardly as it was, he had to admit it was a good solution to keep the city from being destroyed. Either way, they'd come back for it soon. And when they did, they'd have to fight for every meter.

A small detachment of troops made their way into Castle Caillot. General Naborovitch came into the main throne room and saw the Grand Master sitting at his throne, waiting patiently for their arrival.

"Grand Master Osbern. We have come with the intent of negotiating your country's surrender. Holoska does not want to spill any more blood on this pointless conflict, and you and I both know that Holoska is far more than capable of occupying your whole nation by the end of next year. But since I'm assuming neither of us wants to see so many of our soldiers and your civilians die pointlessly, I have come bearing a message from our Sovereign Emperor with terms for a simple status quo ante bellum between Holoska and Athilene. If you sign this peace here and now, our Empire will withdraw all forces from Athilene tomorrow morning. Let us not waste lives further."

To that effect, he held out a small bit of parchment that had been stamped with Holoska's seal, one of the lines at the bottom having been signed by the Holoskan Emperor. The other one was marked "Grand Master of Athilene", and was blank, awaiting a signature. While his face showed nothing, General Naborovitch was hoping desperately that the Grand Master would sign it.

by **Athilene** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 9:31 pm

While he wasn't sure it would be as quick or simple as the Holoskan general believed, Osbern knew he was correct that Athilene would eventually lose any war with Holoska. He laboriously took out a pair of reading glasses and put them on, and with a slightly shaky hand took the parchment.

"You'll forgive me, I hope, general. I'm rather an old man these days." said Osbern, as he read over the terms. Status quo ante would be wonderful, more even than they had hoped for. However, things were not that simple.

"General, as I'm sure you know, Athilene is not like most nations. We are an order of knights, sworn to the service of the Lord of Redemption. As you may imagine, we hold ourselves to a high standard. Our motto has always been "honor, justice, faith." I'm afraid this ties my hands in ways that other leaders do not experience. I would very much like to accept your offer, but I cannot. One of my titles is Defender of the North Isles, given to my predecessors by the Arch-Elector in centuries past. Athilene cannot negotiate a separate peace from our ally Parravon, which is the center of our holy faith and the home of our Faith-Elector."

"But, I believe this peace can be achieved. If your gracious Emperor can find it in his heart to give us a few days, I'm sure we can negotiate. I ask for a ceasefire, and we can summon representatives of Parravon and Lykouros to Analos, and create a lasting peace."

by **Holoska** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 10:08 pm

General Naborovitch saw the old man pleading for peace, and took a moment to think it over. After a moment, the Elf smiled. "Very well. I will call for a cease-fire, but during the negotiations Analos will remain under Holoskan control, and you will be restricted to this palace. If Holoskan positions in Athilene are attacked, then the cease-fire will be ended, and Holoskan operations in Athilene will continue. I will send word to the Emperor and the Grand Chancellor."

The Human from Holoska smiled and bowed gently, then turned to leave. As he left, two of the soldiers stayed behind to watch the Grand Master.

Velika on Fire [IC/Aurinel Only]

Velika on Fire [IC/Aurinel Only]

Who is online