Gysian-Arthesian War

The Kingdom of Gysia spent most of spring and early summer amasing its army in the City of Tareghasi, which grew to be around 15 000. Cavalry was not used, as the Ghoro Marshlands were infamously bad for cavalry charges. In August, the king lead his army as they marched from Tareghasi to Lerast.   Meanwhile, after reports came in from Birdfolk spies, the Arthesian coalition realised that the army amassed by the Gysian king would be too big to directly confront with their current forces, so they decided to retreat further into the marshlands, destroying some of their settlements to deny the Gysian any easy shelter.   In early September of 352bc, the Gysian Army finaly reached the City of Lerast. The army was subsequently divided into two. Around 2000 soldiers would stay behind and protect the city and conduct small raids in tbe surounding region, while the rest of the army marched into the marshlands.

Immediatly upon entering the Ghoro Marshlands, the gysian army, which was filled into a long colum thanks to the narrow windy roads, began getting harrased in its rear, the soldiers there having to constantly fight off small groups of warriors that employed hit and run tactics.   Finaly, after a few days of marching, the Gysian army's path was blocked by a relatively strong Arthesian force, composed of around 1000 warriors, mostly Shapeshifters and Necromancers, as well as a small group of elemental mages.   The battle was long, but after around 8 hours of combat, the coalition force was forced to retreat. Nearly 300 Arthesian warriors died in the battle, while 1400 Gysian soldiers also died. After the Arthesian fled, the Gysians realised that it had been protecting a large village, who's population had evacuated just before the battle had started. The gysians promptly burnt it down.   Meanwhile, another Arthesian force had reached the City of Lerast from the west, with the goal to cause a large diversion to attract the main Gysian army away from the Marshland. The plan worked, as during a nigh of october, a team of Birdfolk Shapeshifters flew above the fortress walls unseen and set fire to the city's wooden warehouses, before leaving. In the ensuing chaos, a team of elite Arthesian warriors, composed of Wolfkins and Catfolk shapeshifters infiltrated the outer section of the fortess and killed a large number of the defenders, with very little casulties on their part, before retreating back into the marshland under the cover of night.   The king was enraged upon hearing the new, and decided to immediatly march back towards Lerast so he could regroup and hopefuly attract the Arthesian there to deal with them on his own conditions and deal them a desisive blow. The army hurried back to Lerast as a full Veosian moon was approching, all the while being constantly pestered by small groups of warriors.   In Arthesia, the successful night raid had become a catalyst for the enlargement of the current coalition. The elite warriors had included members from multiple clans outside of the coalition, and now these same clans pledged their alliegance to it, swelling their ranks to triple the number they had before. A few weeks later, the alliance was upgrated to a formal treaty and declaration of statehood, which was drafted and ratified by all allied clan chiefs in the city of Forno. Thus, the Arthesian Confederacy was born.   November had come, and with it, colder temperatures that did not permit the continuation of the campaign for the next 6 months. During that time, Arthesian warriors, who didn't have those same constraints, attempted a seige of Lerast. After that failed following the defenders organising two successful sorties, they changed strategies and started targeting the supplies destined to the city. They also raided the Gysian countryside nearly unopposed, although most unfortified villages had been evacuated, leading to few Gysian casulties.   By April, the defenders inside Lerast were eager to take revenge. The King returned to the city, to prepare for a final desisive battle, but since the king had no heirs, and seeing how the previous battle had went, his advisors recommended him to stay behind the frontlines, which the king relunctantly agreed to. In early april 353, the Gysian army marched out, and burned a few other small settlements in the marshlands before it was confronted by a small Arthesian force.   The initial battle went well for Gysia. The Arthesians was greatly outnumbered, being no bigger than 500 individuals against around 13 000 Gysian soldiers, and Veos was in its new moon phase, denying them much needed energy. The battle was largely over after an hour, as the Arthesian Warriors had to retreat further into the marshland.   The Gysian army pursued them for the rest of the day. The arthesian forces were just slow enough that they had no trouble following them into a large clearing just as evening approched. It was then that some of the king's advisors realised they had walked into a trap. The arthesian forces had lured the Gysian army exactly where they had wanted, and were now surounding the army on all sides, including their only way out.   The largest battle of the war ensued. More than 5000 Arthesian warriors against around 13 000 Gysian soldier. The later fought well, but even with the absence of Veos's light, the Arthesian shapeshftters were much stronger than them and were cutting them down at a rapid rate. However, the mage soldiers within the Gysian army managed to cut an exit through the ring of warriors, and parts of the army, including the king, escaped. The rest were slaughtered or imprisoned for ranson.   The king, and about 4000 soldiers found their way back to Lerast, and where again picked off on their way there. The king had clearly been shocked by the events of the previous week, and insisted on returning to Gys as soon as the next day. In the next few weeks, a peace offer came from the Arthesians, and the King accepted it, thus ending the war.

The war would lead to creation of the Arthesian Confederacy, the new youngest country on the continent. Due to the Gysian king's personal trauma he acquirred during the war, he has yet to lead any further expeditions into Arthesia, prefering instead to bride them for peace.

In Arthesia

The creation of the Arthesian Confederacy would bring unparaleled peace to a usualy restless region of the continent, as most of the region's clans were brought under one banner, and unified against not only Gysia, but any outside forces that would threatened their soverenty.

In Gysia

For Gysia, the war was a tragic, but nessessary lesson, the knowledge of which they would apply to their next war, this time against a much, much stringer foe: the Kavasian Empire.