War of the Giant Camellia

War of the Mousefolk

Written by RiverFang

In the throes of the Eldritch War, lesser skirmishes happened between the various races of Isekai. Goblins and Orcs used the chaos created by the eldritch horrors to pillage and raze cities of those that had traditionally warred with them. Well known cities and landmarks of the Elves, Humans, and Dwarves were erased from the face of Vóreios like they never existed, but it is the minor conflicts that changed the history of the world outside of the madness of the Eldritch War that did more than erase something from the world. In the case of the Mousefolk, the conflict known as the War of the Giant Camellia is more of a beginning than an erasure.
Before the horrors of the Eldritch War erased the Mystic Jungle and replaced it with the Deadzone, the small and somewhat gentile race of the Mousefolk did not exist in the histories of the world, not even the histories compiled by the Dragons that were said to be the most complete tellings of the world. The Little Greenwood was strictly home to the Halflings of Coastland and the odd, stout plants that grew in the climate of the area. No other sentient race lived in these parts, or at least those were the thoughts of the Goblins that chose to burn the Little Greenwood.

The Conflict

Prelude

The Mousefolk were a race centuries old, having called the Little Greenwood home since they joined the other races on Isekai. Due to their small size and gentile nature, the mouse-like people kept to themselves, living an invisible existence in the fields of giant flowers that graced the edges of the forest. Their duties were to tend and cultivate these fields, serving as shepherds of the insects and animals that pollinated the flowers and allowed the flora of the area to grow in size beyond all else. Many of their villages were hidden in the waves of giant camellia blossoms, beneath the heavy petals of whites, pinks, and reds.
Goblins were pillagers, even more so than the Orcs of the Moorlands. The giant and stout plants of the Little Greenwood brought hefty prices across Vóreios if taken to the right buyer. Droves of Goblins had come over the last few years and had cut some of the plants, taking what they could, but when their forces were exhausted from the endeavor, the creatures had taken to burning the edges of the forest, salting the earth, and leaving the once thriving edge of the forest as another Deadzone on the Northern Continent.
The cutting of the plants could be tolerated. The Goblins never took more than the Mousefolk could cultivate in the following months. For three years, the cycle of cutting and regrowth continued and the home of the Mousefolk continued to flourish. When the cycle changed to fire and salt, the gentile folk could no longer find tolerance. This was an affront to their livelihood and the duties bestowed upon them by the gods. The gentile folk of the forest would go to war to save their forest.

Deployment

Within days of the Goblins beginning their path of fire and salt through the Little Greenwood, the Mousefolk gathered a force of one hundred able men and women to engage the Goblins. This force was broken into three units, the Black Ants, the Dragonflies, and the Hornets. As the Goblins had spread along the northern edge of the forest, the Mousefolk forces were further split into battalions made up of combinations of the various units so that the enemy could be engaged on all fronts.
The Goblins were unaware of the existence of the Mousefolk, causing confusion when the gentile folk first attacked. At this point, the Goblin forces numbered little more than fifty, but within a few weeks, their numbers had grown to number nearly two hundred or more. The Goblins deployed four units in their fight against the Mousefolk, the Foot Soldiers, Worg Riders, Ambushers, and Elites.

Battlefield

The Mousefolk live on the northern edge of the Little Greenwood, where the odd, stout flora give way to the open plains and the far-reaching Traveler's Grass of the Great Plains. In some areas, the Mousefolk’s territory expands into the shorter grasses of the plains, but not far.
The Goblins knew that to avoid most conflicts, the fires they started could not reach the Traveler's Grass of the Great Plains as an uncontrollable fire would rage that would drag the armies of the Human Empire into a war that the Goblins could not hope to win. They were strategic in their burning, only allowing the fire to reach the very edges of the Little Greenwood.
The majority of the War of the Giant Camellia would occur in the areas the Goblins had already burned as they wished to preserve the remaining camellia fields. As the war raged on for weeks, the Mousefolk began moving battles into the thick foliage of the camellia fields and the rest of the forest as their intimate knowledge of the land gave them an upper hand.

Conditions

Unlike many of the other battles during the Eldritch War, the War of the Giant Camellia was not defined by harsh conditions. Weather in the Little Greenwood during the summer and fall months is mild, allowing for the perfect growing season for many fruits and vegetables. The two forces were not struck by issues of hunger or exhaustion as the forest often supplied them with the necessary provisions to stave off hunger and other diseases that are prevalent in prolonged conflicts.
The stature of the flora in the Little Greenwood did pose some problems for the combatants due to the short heights of some plants. This also led to injuries from thorns, low hanging branches, and various other parts of the plants. Herbalists and healers became an important part of both sides due to the injuries and diseases afflicted by the forest.

The Engagement

The five-month war had many engagements, but only three of the many were considered defining points of the war. The Battle of the White Camellia was the initial offensive by the Mousefolk, which resulting in many casualties for the original Goblin force. The second major battle, the Battle of the Pink Camellia, resulted in the most casualties of the war on both sides. The battle was drawn out for many days on the banks of the Fiddle. The last major battle of the war was the culminating battle. Known as the Battle of the Red Camellia, the Mousefolk moved the fighting to the remaining camellia fields and routed their enemy over the course of three days.

Battle of the White Camellia

The first battle of the War of the Giant Camellia, the Battle of the White Camellia involved the Mousefolk forces attacking an unsuspecting group of Goblins as they attempted to set camp for the evening. The Goblin band, numbering only fifty, had no established leader at this point. The Dragonflies, led by Elric Stonewhisker, the leader of the Mousefolk forces, provided a somewhat aerial barrage of arrows as the Black Ants and the Hornets provided support from the ground. This battle resulted in few casualties, but the presence of the Mousefolk was now known and the Goblins wished to retaliate.

Battle of the Pink Camellia

The war had raged for nearly four months with each side leading small offensives and skirmishes. As the Mousefolk moved to cultivate land closer to the Fiddle river as the fighting lulled, the Goblins saw an opportunity to trap the Mousefolk forces along the banks of the river. The battle raged for nearly twelve hours as the Mousefolk attempted to regain the upper hand by targeting the Elites. The Hornets sent barrages of quick attacks while the Dragonflies sent volleys against the Ambushers. The battle ended with the war's first casualties on the Mousefolk side and nearly one hundred casualties on the side of the Goblins.

Battle of the Red Camellia

The battle that would begin to bring about the end of the war, the Battle of the Red Camellia was one of the final battles and is considered the tipping point of the war. The Mousefolk moved the fighting to one of the remaining camellia fields in order to gain whatever advantages they could. The Goblins, unused to fighting amongst the dense foliage of the Little Greenwood as the war had been fought in mostly open areas up until this point, struggled as the low hanging plants made it difficult for some of the Ambushers and Warg Riders to complete their complicated maneuvers. In this fight, the Dragonflies of the Mousefolk became extremely important and allowed the gentile folk to gain a great advantage.

Included under Conflict

Eldritch War

Conflict Type

War

Battlefield Type

Land

Start Date

27 Summer’s Morning, 5 E.A.

Ending Date

30 Fall’s Evening, 5 E.A.

Conflict Result

Glorious Victory

Location

Little Greenwood

Belligerents

Mousefolk of the Camellia Fields

Led by

• Elric Stonewhisker

Pillager Goblins

Led by

• Dralegs Arrowback

Strength

The population of Mousefolk was not great, but they made up for their small numbers in ways of tactics. Their forces only numbered little more than a hundred, split amongst three units.
The Black Ants made up the majority of the forces, numbering fifty strong. These Mousefolk rode into battle on the backs of giant ants, wielding swords, lances, spears, and shields. If a Mousefolk was knocked from the back of their ant, the ants would attack alongside the Mousefolk, creating a barrage from the colony.
The Dragonflies, numbering thirty-five, rode into battle on the backs of giant dragonflies, bred for their incredible speed. These Mousefolk fought with bows and magic, trained to work at extreme speeds and great distances.
The Hornets made up the smallest portion of the force, but they were by far the most dangerous. These Mousefolk rode on the backs of giant hornets and dive-bombed their opponents, aiming to sting the enemy’s leaders and remove them from the fray.

Over the course of the war, the Goblins had varying forces as they gathered more fighters. Early on, their force numbered only fifty, but grew to over two hundred as the war drew to a close. That number, after the initial conflict, was split into four units.
The Foot Soldiers, making up the bulk of the force (roughly fifty percent), were Goblins wielding a variety of weapons, including swords, spears, javelins, and rough-hewn shields.
The Worg Riders were a mixed group of Goblins and Bugbearas comprising about twenty percent of the force. Armed with vicious worgs and a variety of weapons, this group was known for their guerrilla tactics and unsavory way of fighting.
The Ambushers, making up about twenty-five percent of the force, were Bugbears that served as foot soldiers and guerrilla fighters. This group is the strongest of the force and was used frequently.
The Elites were a group of Hobgoblins comprising five percent of the force. Trained soldiers, this group led the force and rallied troops when possible.

Casualties

Many of the Mousefolk’s battle insects were lost during the conflict, numbering over two hundred casualties for the insects. The loss of life for the gentile folk was much less, only numbering ten casualties, with seven of them set to make a full recovery.

Throughout the various conflicts, the casualties for the Goblin forces were high. The Elites often saw the Foot Soldiers and the Worg Riders as disposable and would attempt to push through the Mousefolk’s forces with sheer numbers. It is believed that the casualties for this group numbered nearly four hundred at the end of the war.

Objectives

The greatest objective of the Mousefolk was to drive the Goblins from the Little Greenwood and establish their presence as the protectors of the forest.

The Goblins’ only goal during the war was to survive and hopefully wipe out the Mousefolk so they could continue burning and salting the northern edge of the Little Greenwood.

Outcome

After the Battle of the Red Camellia, a few small skirmishes occurred, solidifying the Mousefolk’s victory. A majority of the Goblin forces had been decimated, causing them to flee in defeat at the end of the last battle.
Another of the large camellia fields had been burned during one of the last battles, but a majority of the camellias elsewhere remained safe and flourished. Only a small section of the northern edge of the forest had been salted, an issue that would be repaired over the course of the next few months during fertilization.

Aftermath

As the War of the Giant Camellia drew to a close, the Mousefolk could no longer return to the invisible existence that they had once had. Travelers from the Human Empire and Coastland had seen the gentile folk throughout the war and curiosity had taken hold. Over the next few months, hundreds of visitors from the Elven Kingdom, Dwarven Kingdom, Human Empire, and elsewhere flocked to the remaining camellia fields to meet with the race that had decimated such a large group of Goblins.
For a time after the war, the camellia fields of the Mousefolk became great attractions for others. Early on, The Mousefolk saw this as an invasive act, but many of the other races wished to aid in the cultivation and rebuilding of the parts of the Little Greenwood that had been damaged.

Legacy

Before the War of the Giant Camellia, the Mousefolk were an invisible race, hidden amongst the flowers of the Little Greenwood and unknown to the greater world. This short-lived war introduced the gentile folk to the world in an explosive way, proving that size did not mean that the race had to be docile and pacifistic like the Halflings to the south. The Mousefolk were seen as a military prowess that could be great allies during times of war, something that would be needed during the coming years of the Eldritch War.

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War of the Giant Camellia

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