The Winter Raids

Desperate raids of deep winter.

Empress, the situation here is dire. I cannot blame them for choosing survival after their expected resupply failed to arrive but the depths of moral depravity that have since happened are attained only by their own willingness to take that path. Read below their crimes as boasted by the soldiers themselves.
— Excerpt from Skyknight's Report

Pushed to the Brink

During the final season of the life of Emperor Bolkhar Dodai - and despite the best efforts of Empress Enkhtuya Dodai - a series of raids were conducted by the Bral Military against the bordering regions of Grara. The soldiers that conducted the raids were stationed at the small Juumdason Fort on the Graran side of Tokai Pass. The winter began early that year and the soldiers were running low on supplies. When an expected resupply did not arrive, morale plummeted and the soldiers attempted to return to Bral only to find that heavy snowfall had lead to an avalanche in the pass, blocking their resupply and their return home. Choosing between starving to death and, well, living, the soldiers launched the first of a series of attacks that are now known as the Winter Raids - they couldn't die here afterall, many had left dirty socks back home. In order to acquire the resources to feed the soldiers, they performed a quick strike against the storage building in a small town. This attack cost the life of one soldier and resulted in several injuries. Their next raid was against a different town and was conducted with a greater degree of planning - probably because they weren't starving; stealthily, under the cover of a snowstorm, they managed to secure a large amount of flour and preserves from the storehouse, leaving only the bodies of two dead guards in their wake.

A Step Too Far

As more successful attacks were carried out - and their storeroom increasingly full - the garrisoned troops began to take more than they needed, looting the villages. Once their base needs were met, they sought entertainment which they found in the form of inflicting additional suffering on the civilians of the towns they sacked. When the Skyknights finally arrived to investigate the fort, they found a garrison overstocked with food, foreign currency, and stories of the things they had done to innocent civilians. Playing along, the Skyknights joined in on the meal and listened to the stories while one of their number headed back to the Imperial Palace to give their grim report. The orders sent back read only "Due to tragic circumstances not only was the supply team lost, the garrison was as well." When next the garrison went to raid a village, they aimed for the biggest one yet, the leader of the wing promised the knights aid in the battle after all. Instead they found a city ready for their assault - convinced, not easily, by a member of the skyknights that rogue soldiers were coming for them - and were forced to retreat, scattered across the snowy landscape. The remaining members of the garrison were picked off by the expert warriors and their flying mounts.

Never Again

Though everyone with full knowledge of the situation - the seven knights and the empress - swore to take that knowledge to their graves, Enkhtuya saw an opportunity to use the situation to further her agenda. With the recent passing of the emperor and his only heir yet unborn, Enkhtuya - unconventionally - took the throne and ordered an end to all military operations in Grara marking the beginning of her focus on the internal affairs of Bral and a time of peace for the nation and their neighbor.

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Supply Team's Fate

The group sent to resupply the fort was killed in the avalanche that cut the soldiers off from the nation. It took many cycles before their disappearance became cause for alarm - and even then action was slow to be taken. Given the deep snow, their progress was expected to be slow and when they did not return the scouts that were sent out discovered evidence of the avalanche. Unfortunately, it had been so long and the snowfall had continued since, leaving no visible trace of the supply team. When the scouts reported back their findings were interpreted to mean that the supply team had made it through and the officers did the math on how long the garrison and the supply team could survive with the food sent and it was long enough not to be urgent. Due to the danger in the pass, sending another team with supplies was deemed too dangerous. Eventually, when the report reached the desk of Empress Enkhtuya Dodai, she sent a wing of the renowned Skyknights to investigate the fort. They were able to bring a small amount of food, just in case, but their primary mission was to check in and report back.

"During a routine resupply run the supply team was killed in an unfortunate avalanche. Even worse, the garrison at the fortress were lost to the cold and the hunger caused by the other tragic loss of life. We say never again will this happen to our brave soldiers and will be ceding control of all territory beyond Tokai Pass. There is too much to do within Bral to squander lives outside of it for nothing but to say it is ours."
— Empress Enkhtuya Dodai