The Eastern War

INTRODUCTION

The Eastern War took place between the years 4764 - 4793 4p. The circumstances behind the large scale conflict were the building of tensions between The Kingdom of Ardune and The Archian Empire over the course of centuries. Ardune had thrown off its overlords during the reign of Christophe II in a peaceful and aimicable agreement between their respective leaders. Christophe's great grandson, Emeric II, strongly disagreed with his anscestor's decesion to lightly throw off their valuable colony, seeing as it acted as a gateway to the coveted resources of the Dark East. This tensions would eventually lead to the war, which would end up lasting about thirty years, before Ardune finally conquered their former colonizers, beheading the final Archian ruler Emile of Ceenar in 4793. Ardune would come to the forefront of Abeonic politics as a result of The Third Magic War of Abeon, but primarily because of this, more local, conflict.

TENSIONS BETWEEN KINGS

The timing was nothing short of perfect. The balance of power in Abeon was slowly tipping in favor of Tsonlar again, and the grip of the north for High King Sephtis of Archia seemed to be ever slipping. Puluke of Ardune, or Kerian VI, saw this with clarity and meaning. Archia was a cat, backed into a corner by The Abeonic Treaty and was more dangerous than ever. But Kerian knew Sephtis' ambitions to retake the colony, ambitions which his great grandfather Emeric II had planted. But in 4764, Sephtis had already prepared a force of nearly sixty thousand in Kornon to sail across the cordal coast- significantly ahead of schedule. In Jylon of 4764, the Archian navy blockaded the Ardell sea trade to both the north and the east, cutting the capital of Eastkorn off from the rest of the known world. By Atember, Kerian knew what was coming. He gathered The Knights of Ardune at the fortress city and waited for the impending naval assault.

THE SIEGE OF KERIOT

Kerian's hunch was proven right on the 48th, when massive tribuchets loaded with flaming rocks bombarded the portward wall of the city. The siege engines were cleverly loaded aboard vessels, anchored far away from the range of the city. The bombardment of Keriot continued for nearly two sets, until on the 18th of Animatos, fourteen thousand Archians landed on the edge of the island to begin a siege. Two months starving and ill prepared, Kerian and his men still found courage and resisted the unfair demands of Sephtis' brother Amon, who commanded the army. The siege lasted nearly two years, until Kerian and Amon finally came to an agreement in Freezmir of 4666 4p.

THE HOMELAND WAR

With the siege of Keriot over, and Archian control of the capital depressing the morale within his army, Kerian inwardly felt like the war had been lost. However, his son, Kerian VII, had gathered an army in Nortemere and joined his father somewhere inbetween the two cities. With a fresh army and the Knights of Ardune still under his command, the eighth ruler of Ardune felt ready to stand and fight Sephtis at last. However, they were still outnumbered 3-1, and Kerian opted to guerilla warfare techniques in the favorable hilly countryside. On the Archian side, Amon and his wearied men were joined by the rest of Sephtis' army in the months following the assault. In Animatos of 4668 4p, Amon was finally ready for the brutal conquering of the entire island. Contingents of the navy were sent to blockade Nortemere, to prevent any allied reinforcements. With the island properly contained and surrounded, Amon and forty thousand soldiers marched through the countryside, burning and pillaging villages. In Finelli of 4668, Amon's army reached a camp 14 furlongs from Nortemere; the conquering of the Ardune was nearly complete. During the night on the 26th, King Kerian VI and his son's army came into Amon's encampment and ambushed the army. Hundreds were slaughtered in the madness, and Amon himself was gravely wounded in the fray. By sunrise, nearly four thousand archians were dead, while Kerian had sustained no losses. After the surprise attack, the war fell to a standstill for four years. The Ardell kept to the eastern half of the island, while Amon and the Archians stayed within range of Keriot. Skrimishes were infrequent, but rather devasting. 

 SHIFTING TIDES 

 In Atember of 4774, the Archian army mysteriously disappeared from the island, leaving Keriot back in the hands of the Knights of Ardune. Kerian and his son were altogether baffled, but thankful for the end of the homeland war. He immediately started making plans for a full scale assualt on EastKorn, the trading city on the delta border of Caeveit and Archia. After 7 years of preparation, Kerian led the naval bombardment of the city in the Blossoming of 4781, following Archia's siege of Blackstone Fortress. The city fell in just 20 days, and brutalities of Knights of Ardune were recorded by Svynhyde Stevenson, a vei warrior captured there. With a foothold in the west, Kerian and a retinue of battalions landed in Archia, ready to strike. Then, the Third Magic War broke out. Sephtis' primary armies were marching on Kristar to take back the north- leaving the capital of Ceenar exposed. Kerian captured it in Octivii, and forced unconditional surrender of the Elymas family. The Eastern War coincided with the Third Magic War, both ending with the capture and execution of Empree Emile Bassoette, the last ruler of Archia. 

 REPERCUSSIONS  

 The advance tactics and brilliant movements of Kerian during his defense and counter attack on Archia are legendary and tell of his strategic mind. Kerian was killed, however, in 4791, just before the end of the war. Although he was unable to see the fruits of his labor, his son Kerian VII finished his mission and beheaded his father's murderer.