War of Tredeh
The conflict between the Scarrs and the Ironwood tribes called the War of Tredeh, started out as a unremarkable and typical conflict between rival gangs in Caledonia . It involved a great deal of asymmetric conflict and street fighting as well as economic manipulation, an assassination attempt, and an insurrection. It took the Scarrs three months to establish control of Ironwood territory, but in the end, after the Scarrs captured the west river front they were looking to acquire, the Ironwoods were unable to sustain the levels of manpower and weapons required to fight the Scarrs. When the Ironwoods sued for peace, the Scarrs moved quickly into the territory of the Ironwoods.
The rest is history.
A team of scroungers going through the newly captured territory brought Renault Jackson, the Scarrs senior purser, a sheaf of papers marked Riltraga from an old office building, the Headquarters of the Department of Patents and Intellectual Property. Jackson convinced Desmond Slate that the Scarrs should not sell the documents that they found but instead exploit the knowledge and manufacture and sell this ancient product themselves.
Through hard work, this strategy succeeded and brought an incredibly powerful force in the form of the Riltraga trade into play in Caledonia and beyond. This substance shaped individuals, society, the economy, and politics across the world.
The Conflict
Prelude
Desmond Slate takes over the Scarrs , a tribe in the northwest quadrant of Caledonia at the age of 18. The territory of the Scarrs is located 15 blocks west of the Vatn river, and Slate perceived a need to acquire land along the river to increase the wealth and status of his tribe.
Deployment
The Scarrs tease the Ironwoods into taking aggressive action to push back the infringement of the Scarrs into their territory by taking over three blocks of Ironwood businesses along the periphery of the border between the two territories. Ritalyn Worscher takes immediate aggressive action, sending gang enforcers into the disputed business to re-establish dominance. He then begins moving into Scarr territory, burning businesses and killing Scarr tribe members in an effort to end the conflict quickly.
Battlefield
The Scarrs are well prepared for this unorganized gang warfare. They hide in buildings and use sniper tactics to pick off Ironwood gang members. The Ironwood combatants are street toughs and because they do not have military training, they are caught unprepared for this pre-planned and well executed resistance. They retreat to Ironwood territory and prepare a "hit and run" style attack on vulnerable targets. They penetrate into Scarr territory headed directly to the child quarters to strike at the heart of the Scarr tribe. Among the Ironwood troops, hides a skilled assassin, and under cover of the the fighting and confusion, he slips out and heads to Desmond Slate's personal quarters.
The Engagement
The Scarrs have some security at the child quarters, but the armed guards are intended for dealing with crazys, not concerted strikes of multiple fighters. Ten children ages six to ten are killed in the raid and another fourteen are taken as hostages by the Ironwoods, infuriating the Scarr tribe members both middles and olds. The Scarrs give chase to the attacking Ironwoods, but are unable to catch them.
The assassin reaches Desmond Slate's home while he is out coordinating the defense of the tribe's territory, and finds four of Slate's children, and one of his regular female companions at home. He murders these and slips back into Ironwood territory. When siblings of the slaughtered children encounter the scene, they report to Desmond who is infuriated. He doubles down on advancing to the Ironwoods headquarters and killing Ritalyn Worscher .
The next day, the Scarrs enter Ironwood territory and begin a systematic house by house search for child hostages and Ironwood combatants starting at the border between the tribes, and heading east. They ruthlessly burn any building that offers hard resistance to the ground. The purge is thorough and brutal.
The Ironwoods are unprepared for this house by house scorched earth approach to taking over their territory, they attempt several unsuccessful hit and run attacks, before settling into sniper positions and trying to attack from range as the Scarrs penetrate deeply into Ironwood territory. The Scarrs are slowed, but soon develop protective shields against the mixed assortment of magical and non-magical attacks brought against them. The Ironwoods bring in backup and are able to stalemate the Scarrs progress for a short while, but the Scarrs adaptability and ruthlessness allow them to make progress.
When the Scarrs reach the headquarters of the Ironwoods, Desmond Slate kills Ritalyn Worscher in close combat. With the death of their leader, the Ironwoods second-in-command Tresther Formaz, sues for peace and a negotiates a settlement with Slate that allows him to keep control of half of the Ironwood territory on the west side of the Vatn river and all of the east side territory. The agreement includes recognition of subordinate status of the Ironwoods to the Scarr hierachy and tribute to be paid monthly.
Outcome
The Scarrs permanently annexed the property they had taken over and acquired an additional 7 acre slice of property with 1/2 mile of Vatn riverfront on the west side. The Ironwoods retained a 1/4 mile of riverfront property on the west side and the 1/3 mile of riverfront and all the territory they had previously held on the east side of the river.
Aftermath
The long term effects of this rather unremarkable conflict on Eryia were profound. The scroungers from the Scarrs found the ancient Headquarters of the Department of Patents and Intellectual Property, and retrieved the secret processes of the ancients for producing Riltraga. The Scarrs learned to manufacture these drugs and fundamentally changed Eryian society for both good and bad. Desmond Slate the leader of the Scarrs became a notable political figure and the Scarrs became the wealthiest tribe in Eryia due to their production and distribution of Riltraga through the docks that they acquired during the War of Tredeh.
Historical Significance
Technological Advancement
Riltraga, a set of ancient drugs used for healing and recreation entered Eryian society. The impact of this familiy of drugs was profound in social, economic, and political terms.
Belligerents
Strength
12 villages, total fighting strength of 1732 combatants excluding scroungers.
the Ironwood tribe had 9 villages and 2153 combatants excluding scroungers.
Casualties
112 combatants, 34 non-combatants
326 combatants, 75 non combatants
Objectives
The Scarrs sought to take over the territory controlled by the Ironwoods, an area of approximately 228 acres with area on both shores of the Vatn river. Of specific interest were the dock areas on the west riverside.
Though the Ironwood tribe initiated the war, they were fighting from a defensive position. They were seeking to reclaim a 3 acre territory at the border of the Scarr and Ironwood border that had been taken over by the Scarr tribe.
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