The Tuartanic-Northmen War, also known as the Northern Bastion War, is a term used to describe the ongoing back and forth conflicts between the Tuartanic Order and their Kanisgardian Allies, and the Northmen and the Old Ataens on the direct border between ‘Northern’ territory, and the Tuartanic Order on the eastern side of the Mist Water Lake. These conflicts have lasted for hundreds of years, ever since the Northmen Pantheon sided with the Succubus Demon Overlord in 20130AA and the Tuartanic Order being introduced in 20410AA, with the two being stalemated due to neither being able to land a significant blow, due to a mix of alliances, seasons and unspoken rules between the two.
In the year 20854AA, a Vampire Realm of the Dvorak Family, driven out from Kanisgard over a millennia and a half ago in 19334AA, that had set itself up in the regions farther east and had hidden and made itself sustainable using magics, Vampiric or otherwise, was finally discovered by the Tuartanic Order having received reports of mysterious fighters and allies seen in Ataen camps and bands. This officially introduced the Dvorak Vampire Realm into the war, and renewed interest and support from Kanisgard and outside parties.
The Conflict
Prelude
The prelude to the Tuartanic-Northmen War, for the Tuartanics, began when the Kanisgardian Tsar, Nikolas Perrenchov and Tsarina, Bozhena Vasiliev, soon after the Kanisgardian Elections to decide a Tsar and Tsarina, in 20410AA, decided as joint rulers to ask the Tuartanic Knights for their military aid in the Northmen incursions and raids upon Kanisgardian land, beginning in roughly 20131AA. Specifically, they requested that the Tuartanic Knights act as a bulwark against the Northmen on the Northern Gates, and in return receiving aid, military and financial by Kanisgard, and given lands on the eastern side of the Mist Water Lake
This plan was largely devised and conceived by the Tsarina, Bozhena Vasiliev, who specifically chose the Tuartanic Knights due to their reputation, but mostly for the fact that Tuartanic holdings in the West on Septentrion, were under heavy pressure from the traitorous realms and Kingdoms that sided with the Demon Overlord. By 20400AA, they were practically surrounded in their Fortress-Monastary on the eastern-shores of the Septentrion Continent. Bozhena correctly assessed that the fall of the Order was innevitable in their current state, and that this offer of land and direct aid, couldn’t be turned down by the desperate Knightly Order.
The Grandmaster, or Hochmeister of the Tuartanic Order, Michael Von Nachtnebel, received this offer via the Order’s Telepath, and, after he’d assessed the offer, sent a message back to theirs. He said he’d accept, under the strict condition that his Order would not be overseen or have their freedoms restricted by the Kanisgardians, the Order’s independence being highly important to him. Bozhena responded, that Kanisgard would not restrict the Order’s expansion, nor oversee any of it’s operations or how it wishes to conduct itself, unless it comes into conflict with Kanisgardian interests. Bozhena wasn’t worried about the Order’s expansion into a potential power to rival Kanisgard, as, while the lands given were of good quality, the surroundings territories were believed to have lacked much in the way of resources, with the east being mountainous forest and steppes to the south of them.
Though the Grandmaster was cautious of this offer, with the current situation his order was involved in, he could never turn it down, and so sent a message back to the Kanisgardians, declaring his acceptance of their offer. In the evacuation of the Fortress Monastary, they’d take practically everything aboard their ships, artifacts, weapons, armour, equipment, wealth etc. Escorted a ways by Privateer Mercenaries until they reached the straits into the Inner Seas, wherein they’d reach Kanisgard to be escorted to their new holdings. On the way out, they set enchanted fires to their Fortress Monastary, which grew into a blaze, which then consumed the fortress, leaving ruins in it’s aftermath.
The cold, open battlefields of the Tuartanic-Northmen War are a mix of fields, a great amount of tall and deep forests of Oak, Ash and Pine, hills and mountains, with a thin layer of snow beginning to come down in Autumn and great amounts of snow covering the ground in the Winter months. Scattered about will be small settlements, villages and castles, with some larger towns, typically on the coasts. Each of these settlements have some defences, from small palisade walls to great works of stone, like walls and towers.
There are no official conditions between the Orderite and Northmen forces, however there are a couple unspoken rules between the two, the key one is to never poke the bear too much. If the amount of raiding and attacks reaches a point on one side, for example if the Tuartanic were to advance too much on the Ataens, then the side that’s being attacked, the Ataens will always strike back with a huge counterattack in vengeance. The rule has kept the amount of violence to a relative minimum, though these are still bloody back and forth wars of retribution, skirmishes and raiding.
Due to the large amount of hills, mountains and forests, there isn’t much space for cavalry charges, so the large amount of combat fought is on foot, even the Knights fight on foot. Most of the combat fought between the Orderites and the Northmen, is made up of raids and skirmishes in each other’s lands, with there rarely being any real battles, stretching into the thousands on both sides. A typical ‘large’ engagement in the Northern War, being in the middle or high hundreds on both sides, though these ‘large’ engagements aren’ uncommon.
Both sides primarily rely on infantry tactics due to the lack of space for heavy cavalry, with both sides using defensive and aggressive infantry tactics, like the Shield Wall and the heavily armoured and magically enhanced charge of Knights and heavy infantry. Magic is commonly used on both sides, with typically the elite forces of both sides, like the Huscarls, Druzhina and Knights, knowing some form of offensive and defensive magic, with popular choices being Ice and Fire magic, be it enchantments, enhancements or projectiles, with Knight Champions, Werewolf Druzhina and Berserkers having their bodies reforged and strengthened with magic to make them superhuman.
Mages and Wizards are highly sought after and feared for their destructive potential, for while a Knight Champion is an incredible foe and is physically stronger, tougher and faster then a typical Wizard, a Wizard can create and pull off far more destructive spells that can wipe out an entire battle-line or shield wall.
While siege warfare is conducted in the northern theatre of war, it’s most prevalent in the eastern theatre of war against the Drovaks, which is mostly fought by the Kanisgardians. The Drovaks have spent hundreds of years fortifying their holdings in their eastern realm, building impressive fortifications for their castles, fortresses and capital on high ground, and with their forces being expensive and professional, their tactics are primarily defensive in nature, rarely ever sallying out for battles, with at best, large skirmishes on ground the Drovaks find favourable. So the Kanisgardians bring their siege engines to bear against them, with trebuchets and the occasional cannon, to bring down Drovak walls and cause a breach, miners attempting to dig under and bring them, with of course siege ladders and towers to get on the walls themselves.
However, the Drovaks are masterful defenders and their forces, though small, are professional, well armoured and elite, meaning time after time, Kanisgard attempts to siege a Drovak stronghold and time and time again are they repulsed. Though, while the Drovaks rarely sally out of their strongholds, and have been known to go on the offensive, raiding and pillaging Tuartanic and Kanisgardian lands, and even a couple attempts at conquest, but the relatively small size and expensiveness of their forces, means that they are cautious whenever they try, relying more on subterfuge to bring down potential conquests.
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