Antefred War

The Antefred War was the first in a series of expansion wars, known as the Caninian Campaigns, initiated, supported and directed by the small western kingdom of Caninia. The objective was the expansion of Caninia's borders, the conversion of the people to the Winged Faith, and the annexation of nearby lands to eventually form the Caninian Empire. While the former kingdom of Antefred had long been Caninia's neighbor, by 300 the Forasi people had come down from the mountains in the west and began unifying the local tribes, and by 630 the Forasi takeover of the region threatened local Caninian populations, pilgrimages of the Winged from the East, and Valonia itself. The Forasi made their kingdom's capitol at Bellado, and claimed lands in the Jagged Grasslands as far west as the Coral River and as far east as the Red River. The kingdom of Antefred under the Forasi people flourished   Although Antefred did border Caninia and the Forasi people lived along the banks of the Coral River, they largely left Caninia alone. The Forasi were mainly concerned with starting border wars with Veninglaria to expand their land across the Red River. These wars threatened Winged pilgrims from the east hoping to make their way to Caninia. The earliest initiative for the Antefred War began in 661 when Veninglarian emperor Dolachi Redwater I requested military support from Caninia in the empire's conflict with the Forasi-led Antefreds. This was followed later in 664 by a call to arms in Caninia, during which Caninian king Valesien Morningblade supported the Veninglarian request for military assistance and also urged faithful Winged to undertake an armed campaign against Antefred.   This call was met with an enthusiastic popular response across all social classes in the newly powerful Caninia. Mobs of predominantly poor Winged numbering in the thousands were the first to respond. What has become known as the Uprising passed through Caninia and indulged in wide-ranging anti-pagan activities. By the year 666, King Valesian had marched his regular troop, supported by armed mobs of Winged, across the Coral River and began the invasion of Antefred.   The first official battle in the war was the Siege of Estelle in 666, just a few weeks march from Valonia. The siege lasted 5 days and the defenders hardly even registered who was attacking, and why. The Caninians captured 3 more Antefred cities and several towns with relative ease. Antefred's armies were busy in the east with Veninglaria. By spring of 667, the Forasi people, who were not small in population, had raised a sizable army and started a resistance. Caninia continued to take cities up and down the Coral River, but Antefred maintained control of its coast and interior. By 668, Veninglaria had ceded all land up to the Red River to Antefred, and was effectively out of the war. This allowed Antefred to concentrate its armies in the west, providing an even more difficult resistance for the Caninians. The year 669 saw some defeats for the Caninians, and was mostly a standstill for both kingdoms. At the beginning of 670, King Valesian Morningblade conscripted every male of fighting age in his kingdom, and restarted the campaign with vigor. More cities fell to Caninia throughout the year, but the main hosts of each army managed to avoid direct confrontation until November.   On November 16, 670, the armies met at the Battle of Feriara, a small stone fort the Forasi had built as a watch garrison near the present day town of Gorgo. Here the Caninians, numbering around 12,000, managed to defeat a Forasi host of nearly 20,000. Some say it was due to the Caninians religous fervor, others say it was due to the Forasi being mainly composed of many different tribes. Still others claim it was King Valesian returning with the famed white sword Justice, the alleged weapon of Stone Bird, that gave his troops renewed vigor and provided him with his name. Either way, this was a turning point in the war. After this battle, the Caninians easily swept east, capturing towns and converting the pagans to followers of the Winged faith. By June of 671, the Morningblade and his army had arrived at Bellado and were met with a notice of surrender. The Forasi had surrendered, and the former kingdom of Antefred had joined the new Caninian Empire, led by Emperor Valesian Morningblade. So ended the Antefred War, and so began the Caninian Campaigns.