The One-Hour War

"You are a wingless dragon, Skula!" "And you are the son of a ghatta and a yerba, Oxyart!" Across the way, Amyn and Rosha exchanged glances. Rosha held her longbow at the ready, just as Amyn held her knife carefully in her fingers. Insults were an expected part of a conflict; sometimes, they were the entire conflict. Neither woman had expected this to hold true in this instance; too much was at stake for both sides. But here they were. "Eskaden aristocrat," yelled Skula. "Sichen barbarian," screamed Oxyart. The daughters of the village heads exchanged another glance as the surrounding villagers continued to cheer on the insults. Amyn made a face; Rusha copied her. For a moment, they looked the same. Their peoples had been one, a very long time ago when they still wandered with the herds. To the north, on the coast, some villages straddled the border between the kingdoms, accepting neither as ruler. "They are so afraid of us, they dare not touch us," crowed Naharin. "Your bathe in mud-- we don't want to catch Shiyahnik!" The insults continued-- parents were insulted, wealth was brought up, and sanitation was degraded on both sides. It was only when the Ijeis were brought up that things became serious. "Khulo couldn't keep the waters flowing if he had five priestesses!" Hands tightened around weapons, postures straightened; their Ijei had been insulted. Amyn breathed in through her nose, slowly, trying to keep an eye on the Oxyart. "Well," she called out, still watching Kizil's headman, "Ararat's trees are the scrawniest we've ever seen; either she can't grow them to save your lives, or your priest doesn't hear well." Rosha raised her longbow at that, aiming directly for Skula. Other warriors raised their slingshots and bows, a few gripping their knives. Ijeis-- and their priestesses and priests-- were supposed to be untouchable. Even now, the priest of Ararat stayed in Kizil with the elderly and the children; the priestesses who tended to Khulo's altar remained in Shodlik. All were able-bodied and knew the basics of fighting, like the rest of the villagers; all remained behind anyway. If they had been spotted in the opposite village, on the other side of the line, they would have remained untouched, and, if needed, escorted to the next village or back to their own. Skula raised her knife; Oxyart raised his club. One of the Shodlik archers shot first, piercing a knee. A Kizil rammed into a Shodlik slingshotter as she aimed; her arm was broken as his knee took a hit. The two leaders, still in the center, went for each other. The battle was slow enough to start, slow enough that everyone saw Skula trip over a rock, falling. Most of her warriors froze at this, unsure in the moment. It meant that they, along with the Kizil warriors, saw Oxyart laugh as he came for her, trip over the uneven ground, and fall, his legs spreading as he fell until his legs were almost completely opposite, and his face was screwed up in pain. Skula began to laugh, then, still on the ground. Oxyart joined her after a moment. Both of their weapons were down, and neither set of warriors went for one another as their leaders lay on the ground, laughing. Amyn and Rosha began to laugh, catching each others' eyes for a moment before going back to the other village's leader. Most of the warriors joined in; there would be no war today, it seemed. Not when both sides laughed together, and joined in the middle, slapping each other on the back-- as if they hadn't just tried to kill each other only a minute ago-- and helping the headwoman and headman stand up on wobbly legs.

The Conflict

Outcome

Iane and Shiyah became allies in their quest to stop the Eskada Empire.

Aftermath

Iane and Shiyah, even when owned by different Empires, were still allies as a people. Iane, who had considered the members of the Eskada Empire as thugs and arrogant aristocrats, never thought this of Shiyah after their brief alliance. And Shiyah, who thought of the Sichan Empire as backwards and unholy (at the time, akaunos were hunted in the Sichan Empire), also never thought this of Iane, even after they were taken over and absorbed. This is not to say that they did not insult each other or have strong opinions about certain products or practices; this is done in affection, however, and they were quick to defend each other.

Conflict Type

Skirmish

Battlefield Type

Land

Conflict Result

Shiyah was taken over by Eskada; Iane was taken over by Sichan, and later by Eskada.

Belligerents

Shodlik

• Iane

Kizil

• Shiyah

Strength

Five hundred able-bodied men and women, armed with longbows, stone knives, and slingshots.

Five hundred and fifty able-bodied women and men armed with stone knives, some slingshots, and wooden clubs.

Casualties

One concussed head, a broken arm, and bruised pride from tripping over a rock.

Two broken legs (different people), one concussion, and bruised pride (from slipping into the splits on uneven ground.)

Objectives

To keep the Kizil on their side of the border.

To gain more territory for their herds.