The Grerin War
King Gautier Oweyn's shortest war
The Conflict
Prelude
Gautier Oweyn and his rune casters finished concuring Lales and Tapis and set their sights on the small kingdom found next to both conqured nations. Word had spread that Aryia's soldiers were literally invincible causing the people of Grerin to rebel when their king ordered them to fight with all the strength they had.
Conditions
Though the days during the conflict were some of the brightest and sunniest days of the year, the Grerin countryside, capital streets, and castle are covered in blood, gore, and destruction.
The Engagement
A few weeks before the war actually started, word reached Grerin of the Aryish army crushing Lales and Tapis' defenses. Rumors began to spread that the Aryish rune casters made the soldiers immune to all injury as well as grant them immense speed and strength. In the wake of these rumors, fear ran rampant amongst the Grerish peasants who began petitioning their king Victor Abel to surrender to Gautier Owyen immediately so they wouldn't be slaughtered like the rumors said happened to the Lalish and Tapian people were. King Victor, placed little faith in the rumors and chalked Aryia's victories up to pure luck responded to these petitions with an announcement that he expected everyone who could fight to do so in defense of him and their nation.
Unrest rapidly grew, causing some to start talking publicly about overthrowing the king. King Victor, realizing the situation was precarious, ordered his soldiers to imprison and execute anyone who was overheard speaking such treachery. Within days of this order, ten men and women were arrested and thrown into the stocks where they remained for a few days until the gallows were built. Once it was ready for use, these men and women were hung in quick succession, though their deaths seemed to have little impact as more people were arrested for speaking out. Tensions finally reached a fever pitch when Jac Rosser, age 12, was arrested. The boy was placed in a prison cell while the soldiers asked the king what they should do since he was a boy, not a man. The response they got was to kill him like all the others. As Jac was led to the gallows, however, the tension finally erupted, and the citizens started attacking and throwing rocks at the guards. The mob, with the element of surprise on their side, were able to kill one and wound a few other soldiers as they retreated while freeing Jac from his bonds.
The peasants continued rioting throughout the day but, as morning dawned, the tide turned against the peasants as the soldiers emerged from the castle in full force. The people fought valiantly but, against well armored and armed soldiers, they did not have much effect. The initial anger that had fueled the rebels faded and turned into regret but, word had reached them that Gautier's army was making its way towards Grerin and the rebel's fear of what the Aryish commander would do if they didn't surrender to him drove them on. Knowing they couldn't match the soldiers regarding skill or equipment, the people created some barricades by tearing down shops and other structures. Through determination and sheer luck, the rebels were able to hold out for five full days despite heavy casualties.
On the fifth day, the Aryish army arrived. Whatever the future king of Aryia had been expecting, it had not been stumbling upon a civil war. But, he immediately used the fighting to his advantage and unleashed a surprise attack on the soldiers, killing a multitude of them and forcing the rest to retreat to the castle. The rebels were initially scared they would all be killed by the Aryish leader and his 'demonic' troops. Instead, he ordered his rune casters to heal the peasants who needed it and asked, with great reverence, to speak with the leaders of the rebels. Within moments he was talking with, Hans Rimensberger, a baker, and Dexsia Galerus, a chandler, asking them about their rebellion, how many people they'd lost, what their supplies were like, how many were supporting King Victor and what the streets between their current position and the castle looked like. They spent hours talking, during which Gautier was told the story of and met Jac Rosser.
Once he, knew everything he needed to, the Aryish King ordered his troops to make camp for the night and in the morning marched on to the castle. Most of the peasants stayed behind, though a few insist on coming along to help the troops. As they drew closer to the castle, arrows began raining down on them, though they caused little injury as most of the Aryish soldiers had their shields up to protect them from the projectiles. While the Grerin soldiers were occupied trying to dispel the invaders, Gautier ordered a group of twenty along with a couple of peasants who had worked in the castle begin digging a tunnel out of sight of the archers. The digging was slow, due to most of the ground around Grerin being hard infertile soil but, after a few days effort their tunnel finally reached the ground directly underneath the castle's south-east wall, the one closest to the archer's back and the keep's entrance. Lighting a fire, they quickly escaped the tunnel and waited for the heat to do its job.
Less than an hour later, there was a loud groaning sound and both the invaders and defenders watched the wall collapse into a pile of rubble. Some of the men on top of that wall died instantly, crushed under stone and mortar. Most, however, merely sustained severe injuries. The Aryish army flooded through the opening, killing injured defenders as they passed them and completely overwhelmed the uninjured and unprepared defenders. Before the sun had set on the 2nd of July, Gautier Owyen and his troops had entered the castle and dragged King Victor outside. Despite his previous proclamations about being strong and fighting until the last the last king of Grerin sobbed as he begged and pleaded for his life. Owyen showed no mercy, and executed the blubbeirng man on the spot. To Victor's, children, and adult grandchildren, he offered to show them mercy if they agreed to his terms of surrender. Unanimously, they did, and thus the Grerin War came to an end almost two weeks after it had started.
Outcome
Because of their herculean efforts, Gautier Owyen had his rune casters heal the rebels who helped him conquer Grerin with minimal bloodshed, and gave them access to the best lands available in all of the lands he'd conquered. Hans Rimensberger and Dexsia Galerus were given shops in Aryia's market square.
Aftermath
Gautier Owyen added the Grerish people to his kingdom. The rebels would go on to become some of the wealthiest people in Aryia due to the rich lands they were given. The events that led to the war inspired Jac and many others to dedicate their lives to protecting the peasants and led to the formation of The Golden Circle.
Historical Significance
Legacy
After this war, a number of kingdoms and nations that found themselves in Gautier's sight surrendered immediately out of fear of their people turning on them. Most, however, fought fiercely with the full backing of their people.
In Literature
This war is often a footnote in the many books celebrating King Gautier's conquest. It gets more attention in the books about Jac Rosser but its still very brief.
Conflict Type
War
Battlefield Type
Land
Start Date
21 June 5 ARC
Ending Date
2 July 5 ARC
Conflict Result
Aryia and the rebels victorious
Location
Belligerents
Strength
5,000 soldiers
20 rune-casters
20 rune-casters
Casualties
20
Objectives
Conquer Grerin
Strength
3000 soldiers
Casualties
75% (18% caused by rebels 57% caused by Aryia)
Objectives
To protect the king and keep Gautier Oweyn from conquring Grerin.
Strength
15000 peasants
Casualties
60% (all caused by loyalists)
Objectives
Make the loyalists surrender to Gautier Oweyn to keep casualties to a minimum.
Wow, I really liked the amount of depth you went into for the action itself. I'd love to hear more about the following kingdoms struggles. Some fought some surrendered, I wonder how many succumbed to their own people turning against them. Well done!