The War of Horse and Oak
Following the dissolution of the Iorian Empire and the limited success of the Kingdom of Titanshatter against the divided Iorian states, the Aristocracy of Aergradde was left largely untouched by the fighting. The clergy called for a crusade of the just and civilized against the wild and savage east. They would burn the forests which hide monsters and traitors, creating new land for the people of Aergradde and a safer tomorrow.
The Freewood was caught off guard in the early days of the conflict, when the fighting was fiercest and after the disastrous Battle of Titansblood River, the military of the Freewood has been reduced to a guerilla force and driven deep into their own territory, relying on the ancient woods to protect them. Aergradde has suffered thousands of casualties to disease and the woodland itself, as they hack down trees to build massive bonfires, shielding them from pouring rain, monsters, fey creatures, and Woodlander guerillas.
Once started, no hail of rain drops, arrows, poison, or spores can stop the Graddeans' fires, whose smoke chokes the canopy, where Woodlander archers hide, forcing them down from their vantage points to be slaughtered. The fires rage as Graddean knights and foot troops storm Woodlander villages, driving the people of the Freewood Charter ever deeper into the woods. When supplies and troops run out, the crusade withdraws, leaving Woodlanders to recover and prepare for the next incursion.
The Conflict
Prelude
The history of conflict on the border of civilization and the Feywood of Tukarsh extends to far before the founding of the Ackramorian Empire. The Freewood Charter was officially established during the reign of the Ackramorian Empire, providing recognition and political autonomy to the peoples living in the borderland of the Feywood in a bid to create a buffer state that could create a lasting peace between east and west. While the Freewood Charter was mostly successful, encroachments on the Feywood and attacks from fey creatures persisted, keeping old animosities alive and well until the both of the empires, the Ackramorian and Iorian, lost control over the region.
Battlefield
The Freewood has found itself fighting a defensive conflict for the past six years. In that time, the Aristocracy of Aergradde has launched a number of crusades into the Feywood and Freewood territory. The land itself fights on the side of the Freewood, inflicting heavy losses on the crusaders all on its own. The woods confuse and disorient crusades, the rain arrives to fight fires started by Graddean warriors, and Fey creatures stalk camps at night, picking off sentries and spoiling supplies.
Conflict Type
War
Start Date
17th of Whitmenis, 36 ABA
Belligerents
Strength
280,000
48,000
Casualties
60,000 Killed, Wounded, Captured
31,000 Killed, Wounded, Captured
Objectives
Tame the wild Feywood to the east to eliminate the threat of monsters and Fey creatures attacking Graddeans and to expand Aergradde's territory eastward.
Protect the Feywood to preserve the balance between civilization and nature and protect Woodlanders from the warmongering Graddeans.
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