War for the West

While the Velarian Campaign proved devastating for the Hegemony, it was what is now known as the "War for the West" that truly marked the beginning of the end for the Second Tarquinnian Hegemony.

— "War of the Seven Princes" by Darius Keseidis

In hindsight, Miera's decision to remove Votarian in late 2210 seems unwise at best. However from her point of view, the half-Vitrian posed the greatest threat to her reign. With Gordian dead, Amelian "the Younger" remained in command of the last great rebel army.
An intervention from Eugenius Valerian, the other surviving son of Emperor Eugeron seemed unlikely. The man had never shown any interest in the throne and was known to be content governing Helenia Province. Rebellions and uprisings by other governors had been contained for the most part. With all of this knowledge, Miera's position seemed secure enough. Votarian had become an obstacle.

Aftermath of an Assassination

by Nathanael James

Miera would soon experience her first setback. The loyalists had expected Votarian's forces to simply evaporate, split into various minor factions easy to put down. Several of Votarian's commanders did indeed split off to continue their rebellion against the crown. The main part of the army (some 65.000 soldiers) however, remained under Helias, Votarian's nephew and chief general. While he retreated north, news from the north reached the capital. Eugenius was gathering his forces and his men had begun to take over Gordian's territory.
Suddenly the Empress found herself surrounded by hostile forces and if Eugenius and his allies had acted swiftly they may have ended the war before the end of the year. In the last weeks of the year, the balance of power changed yet again as Amelian "the Elder", Prince of Sigrin answered Miera's plea for assistance.

War on all Fronts

The first phase of western campaigns lasted for about a year was one of manoeuvre and raiding. While this does sound harmless when compared to the titanic battles of the previous year, it was no less devastating to the region.
Large scale raids turned vast swaths of land to ashes. Cities and strategic fortifications changed hands seemingly by the day, the city of Ochona nearly twenty times within a month.

Father against Son

The plains south of the river Sirryn would see Amelian "the Elder" fight against his firstborn son. Outnumbered three to one, the younger Amelian proved his worth as a general once again, evading his father's forces at every turn. While he could not prevent a sizeable detachment under General Trajan from crossing the river to assist the Empress, he was able to contain the main part of his father's army. By early Decem of 2211, new developments forced him to march north to assist his allies, his father hot on his heels.

For every Ally a hundred Enemies

It was only in late Martius that Eugenius launched his attack. Combining his army with Hellias forces, he bore down on the capital with nearly 200.000 soldiers. Warmaster Octavius was now caught between the Three Centurion's army and the pretender. He was saved by the Empress, who began to influence Votarian's former commanders. Promising them Eugenius's territories and titles, she won their allegiance. At the same time, her agents fed Eugenius false information, causing his vanguard to be annihilated by the renegade commanders.

Scarlet River

by Vilius Petrauskas

Rebel forces were not as united as they appeared. Eugenius and Hellias lay in constant arguments over leadership, the former no general but unwilling to give away control of the army. At the same time, Helias received messages from the Empress, claiming that the fall of Votarian had been a plot instigated by Eugenius and that Miera had received false evidence. Although ignored at first, Miera's whispers sowed the seed of doubt and Eugenius's overbearing behaviour strained the alliance even further.
Following the destruction of his vanguard in late Iunis, he ordered Hellias to continue on toward Velaris while he dealt with the Centurions. A fatal decision that enabled Octavius to slip past and attack Ilin Province. Eugenius, beyond furious at his allies failure, unleashed his anger upon the renegade forces. On the 20th of Quitil 2011, he defeated them in battle near Irtinis and proceeded to execute every single captured soldier (nearly 32.000). The river Kerin was red for days as the corpses were simply dumped within it.

Eugenius crushed them so what? They served their purpose well. Brought us more time and disrupted the pretender's plans. A tool which serves no purpose should be discarded. All Eugenius has accomplished is shown the realm how cruel he can be.

— Empress Miera upon learning of the massacre at Irtinis

Second Battle of Aurasio

By early 2212 the situation changed drastically. While Amelian "the Younger" managed to reach his allies, the pretender now found himself surrounded. Octavius in the north and the elder Amelian in the south. Additionally, Trajan had secured the capital after crossing the Sirryn, making a swift strike toward the Empress impossible.
With the rift between Hellias and Eugenius growing daily, Amelian was tasked with overall command of the army. Knowing that he needed to draw the enemy away from the rebels powerbase, he marched the united army east. Catching the loyalists completely off-guard he pushed past the capital. With the elder Amelian unable to catch up, Octavius was forced to return south to assist in the defence of Velaris.
Drawing the loyalist armies further and further east, he finally engaged them in battle. The Second Battle of Aurasio, on the 21st Iunis ended in a resounding victory for the rebels. Having taken severe loses (up to 50.000 according to some sources), Amelian "the Elder" retreated to the capital.

Triumph and Betrayal

by Vilius Petrauskas

With the majority of Miera's forces now out of the picture, Amelian launched a massive campaign to surround the capital and cut off all supply routes.
By late 2212 he had taken over most of the Western Provinces and all lands west of Hideon's Canal. In early Octor he beat Octavius near Murtia and a week later destroyed his father's vanguard near Venis. Loyalist forces retreated behind the Quea Vetara e Amelia, a series of fortifications surrounding the capital.

As he was preparing to launch a final massive attack, Eugenius fell victim to Miera's intrigue. Hellias had had enough of the pretender's arrogance and the Empress's messages had planted a poisonous seed in his ear. In early Ianuaris of 2213, he revolted, captured Eugenius and marched his army toward Velaris.
The pretender was handed over to Miera and Hellias received a fitting reward for his duties. He was assassinated a few days later. Eugenius was imprisoned for two months, tried and finally executed. On the 4th of Martius, the Prince of Helenia was drowned in front of the entire court.

Will of Iron

by Sune Reinhardt

Even without Hellias's forces and those that deserted in the face of their leaders demise, Amelian "the Younger" still commanded a force of about 115.000 soldiers. Knowing any letters from the capital promising a pardon to be lies, he simply fought on. Metachares was the only heir remaining but still under the detestable influence of Miera. So Amelian fought to remove the child from her grasp.
Retreating east in the face of a loyalist counteroffensive (over 300.000 strong) he established himself in Aurasio. With the canal at his back and knowing that Adeon Prince of Moira secretly supported the Empress, he prepared for battle. What is known to history as the Third Battle of Aurasio, was in truth a series of engagements over several days.

28th of Iunis

Outnumbered three to one, Amelian brought out every bit of tactical genius he possessed. In a whirlwind cavalry fight, he managed to wipe out most of the loyalist vanguard, personally wounding Warmaster Octavius in the process. With the Warmaster out of the picture Amelian "the Elder" took command of the army.

2nd of Quitil

As the bulk of the loyalist forces entered the area around Aurasio, the younger Amelian unleashed his trap. The woods around the city had dried out due to hot weather and when set ablaze they became a deadly trap. In the confusion created by the sudden inferno, rebel forces landed a devastating strike at the heart of the enemy army.

4th of Quitil

As loyalist forces attempted to reorganise, Amelian's cavalry struck again. Attacking isolated formations, they killed and captured tens of thousands of soldiers. Daring raids even managed to strike at the enemies supply train, destroying large parts of it before being driven off by Amelian "the Elder's" rearguard.

Final Stand

On the morning of the 5th of Quitil, the loyalist army had managed to regroup and Amelian "the Younger" facing either being starved out in Aurasio or a fight against insurmountable odds, chose the latter. The two armies clashed near the outskirts of the city. Once again Amelian proved himself one of the greatest generals of his age, breaking his fathers right and surrounding a force nearly two times larger than his.
The rebels seemed victorious when a new army emerged from the east, smashing into Amelian's force and causing a mass rout. Within minutes the rebel army evaporated, tens of thousands cut down while fleeing.

Balance of Power

by Jue 'Leo' Li

Vespasian, the Prince of Magna Caria and a cousin of the deceased Eugeron had entered the war. After breaking Rodarit's Revolt in early 2213, he had divided his army in two.
One group under the Atheryan general Dhion Hi had secured Eugenius's old territories, while the Prince had marched through the Carian Gate to assist the loyalists. Amelian "the Younger" was captured, his defeat marking the end of the Western Campaign.

He was brought before the Emperor. After a show trial, the young man was beheaded. A decision which begun to strain the relationship between Miera and Amelian "the Elder" who had till last moment pleaded to have his son remain imprisoned.
Victorious the Empress was able to stabilize her regime. For their services both Vespasian and Amelian were rewarded. Both became Imperial Ministers, the former in military matters, the later with command over the realms civilian administration. With the fall of the last pretender to the throne, peace returned to Vardania. For the moment at least...

Conflict Type

Military Campaign

Start Date

20.12.2210

Ending Date

05.07.2213

Conflict Result

Death of Eugenius. Stabilization of Miera's Regime.

Location

Western Provinces

Maps

• 

  Vardania after the Velarian Campaign 2211

While Eugenius possessed more resources and allies than Gordian, he posed a lesser threat than his brother had. For the duration of the first phase of the War, Amelian "the Younger" was without a doubt the crown's most resilient and dangerous foe.

— Darius Kaseidis

Growing Power
Ironically Valerian control over the realm increased as the war went on. With rebellions breaking out throughout the land and the Imperial Regent and Warmaster unable to commit forces, the task of pacification fell to the various warlords and governors.
Most of these belonged to the ruling Dynasty, most powerful among them those Princes not involved with the succession struggle. And while most of them acted swiftly, occupying unruly cities and provinces, they did not leave once order had been restored. A clear breach of Imperial Law.
By the end of the Western Campaign in 2213, the Valerian Dynasty effectively controlled one-third of the Hegemony's provinces. As long as they remained loyal, the Empress did not object.

by Victor Rossi

Father against Son
The relationship between Amelian the Elder and his son had always been rocky at best. Complete opposites in terms of character, there was not a single time a meeting of the two that did not end in a massive argument.
In 2200, a disagreement escalated and the younger Amelian was banished from his father's court in Sigrea and barred from ever inheriting his titles. Emperor Eugeron, seeing his potential promoted the younger Amelian to governor of Imera Province. An insult the Elder Amelian never forgave his older brother.
War in the North
When Rodarit, the Feran governor of Caria Province revolted in 2211, he started a series of uprisings that would not cease until the end of the Empire over 40 years later. He waned himself in a strong position, with a large part of the Hegemony's military fighting itself and Vardanian dominance widely unpopular among Ferans.
At first, success followed success, his subjects rising to assist their would-be liberator and the surrounding provinces falling easily. With an army of about 50.000 soldiers, he laid siege to the city of Maera.
This is where his luck would end. Vespasian had merely been gathering his forces and countered Rodarit, driving the Feran from the city. In a series of three battles, Rodarit's army was systematically destroyed. The rebel escaped and fled south into the Reach. Having raised another army from the Ferans there he attacked Vespasian again in 2212.
Although he would be defeated and killed in 2213, Rodarit lived on in Feran folklore. A symbol of Feran resistance throughout the centuries since, he was declared a saint by the Vodarian Church in 3005 DA.

by Dominik Mayer

It may take months. It may take years. Buty your reign will end Miera. Your intrigues and schemes and plans, they will come crashing down and burn. You claim to do this out of love, but in the end, this war will cost you everything.

— last words of Amelian "the Younger"

by Konstantin Turovec