Merios Campaign

The Merios Campaign was a small-scale military campaign of the Merios Civil War conducted by Ivaegoss, the first king of Lotao, and the Merios-Hiemarbhudra that seeked to wipe out the Merios-Arbhudra. Ivaegoss started at the town of Vannae before systematically searching and raiding the towns of Wegna, Nelir, Ipasit, and Ainsug before coming to a halt in the southern town of Rechalt. This marked the end of the Merios Civil War.

Background

Merios Towns

The Merios Towns were a series of settlements and dwellings that were situated all around the Merios Lake, encompassing it from all sides. Of these settlements, there were also large towns, that served as anchor points where trade and politics could flourish. Between these towns were rows and rows of dwellings, made mostly of immigrant populations, and along the coast of the lake there were hundreds of kilometers of farms.

Merios-Arbhudra and Merios-Hiemarbhudra

The two factions developed separately; the Merios-Arbhudra was the official police force for the Merios Towns created by Ivaegoss in 24976 AYM, and the Merios-Hiemarbhudra was created later that same year by Murhane, Ivaegoss's brother, to combat the Merios-Arbhudra's corruption. As the conflict between the two sides grew, Ivaegoss sent his brother Kiulamm to the Merios Towns in help Murhane with his cause. However, their strained relationship, whose history of hostility stretched as far back as 24988 AYM, essentially split the Merios-Hiemarbhudra, and the company now could not exert nearly as much influence as they had before. By 24972 AYM, the Merios-Arbhudra had spread into every single street in the Merios Towns, and their control over the Merios Lake diverted the vast majority of the food to themselves and their members, causing widespread starvation in not just the Towns, but all of Lotao.
Both the Merios-Arbhudra and Merios-Hiemarbhudra had HQs in Vannae, and both were heavily injured by the fighting. Despite this, both sides still used their HQs numerous times, to the point where they would often take nearby other buildings as additional parts of their respective HQs. The Merios-Arbhudra's HQ was located in the very center of Vannae, a spot specifically designated for them by Ivaegoss upon their founding. The Merios-Hiemarbhudra's HQ was in the western edge of the city.

Prelude

The main catalyst of the Merios Campaign was the ambush and killing of Murhane, Ivaegoss's brother, by members of the Merios-Arbhudra in 24968 AYM. At once Ivaegoss arrived at Vannae, where he formally deposed Kiulamm and took charge of the Merios-Hiemarbhudra. Among other things, Ivaegoss restructured the Merios-Hiemarbhudra and its members into separate forces under his control, which could be better managed by him. He also promoted the most devoted of the group as leaders of the individual sections. There were 5 sections, called Budalags, in total; Auvarnall, his adopted son, was placed in charge of the Heta-Budalag, Tuorifane, an immigrant and Murhane's friend, was placed in charge of the Nota-Budalag, Hesveld, another immigrant, was in charge of the Yota-Budalag, Laistram, a prominent and militant friend of Ivaegoss, was in charge of the Anta-Budalag, and Vestuol was in charge of the Ulta-Budalag.

Conflict

Vannae (4 Yota-Eimarae)

The Battle of Vannae occurred in the streets of the city of Vannae. A large force of Merios-Hiemarbhudrians gathered in the HQ, and, led by Ivaegoss, they stormed the HQ of the Merios-Arbhudra. About 90 Merios-Arbhudrians were killed compared to only 14 Merios-Hiemarbhudrians. Many fled east and soon later, back west, spreading the news of the attack to other secondary HQs in the other Merios Towns.

Wegna (10 Yota-Eimarae)

Wegna was a northern city and the second-most populous of the Merios Towns. Earlier, in response to the news of Vannae, the Merios-Arbhudrians there had issued a conscription decree, which was largely ignored by the public. In a desperate last attempt, they then rounded up large swaths of the population and set them outside the city. When Ivaegoss reached the city, he went past them and fought the Merios-Arbhudrians at their own Wegnian HQ. Many of them were massacred en masse, and the casualties numbered around 48. However, Ivaegoss, by focusing his attention entirely on the Merios-Arbhudra, failed to notify the rest of his army to spare the civilians outside, and as a result, over 75 innocent civilians were also killed.

Nelir and Ipasit (14 and 15 Yota-Eimarae)

It was at this point when the remaining Merios-Arbhudrians realized they could not win, and therefore the focused their energy into sabotaging and crippling the farms, buildings, and other assets the Merios-Hiemarbhudrians found valuable. Over 100 kilometers of farmland were burned, and 150 buildings and structures were demolished. When the army arrived at Nelir, they found it in ruins. Ivaegoss sent 2 of his Budalags into the nearby town of Ipasit, where they found it also in ruins. In Nelir, there was a small disorganized force of around 25 Merios-Arbhudrians, which were soundly defeated. In Ipasit, there was a group of 18 Merios-Arbhudrians, which were also massacred.

Ainsug (23 Yota-Eimarae)

Ainsug was mostly deserted, as the Merios-Arbhudrians there likely fled to Nelir and Ipasit in the early days of the Campaign. When Ivaegoss arrived there, he found several civilians, which he led back to Vannae.

Rechalt (3 Anta-Eimarae)

Rechalt was a city south of the Merios Lake. When Vannae was taken, many of the survivors fled southwestward and alerted those in Rechalt. By the time the army arrived at Rechalt, around 45 Merios-Arbhudra had gathered in the city. In the ensuing battle, all of them were killed.