Fourth War against the Southern Elves

General introduction

The Fourth War against the Southern Elves, 'Belló Quartó incótre Emdulicés Mériiánés' in Tarrabaenian, was the last major conflict between the Mdûlûn to the south, especially the coalition of city states under the leadership of Sendar at the eastern coast of the Grey Sea and the Confederation of Tarrabaenia in the year 1612 of the Era of the Earth.

The war started in early summer, when the bulk of the agricultural work for the first season was already done. The Mdûlûn had ammassed a big fleet as per the conditions of the alliance between Sendar and several others of the city states. With this they wanted to raid the Tarrabaenian coastline, destroying as many of the fields as possible, to plunge the Confederation of Tarrabaenia into a famine, so that they would be too weakened to withstand an invasion of a land army the year after.

In the end the plan failed, due to an unforeseen geographical advantage and its exploitation by the Tarrabaenians.

Partaking parties and preparation

The Mdûlûn, after the devastating defeat of their fleet by Asterius Poírius Acássia during the Third War against the Southern Elves prepared for a thourough retaliating strike against the Confederation of Tarrabaenia. The awareness that one of their city states' fleets had been defeated by an originally non seafaring nation with a fleet only slighty bigger than their own and profiting from the special conditions around the Paunis rivers' mouth that incapacitated most of the Mdûlûn fleet brought about a sentiment of despair and anger. Thus a coalition led by Sendar was formed, as Sendar was one of the cities that was not yet as exhausted by the wars.

The aim of the coalition was clear: Return with a fleet strong enough to beat the Tarrabaenians and to lay waste to their farmlands. A total of seven city stated rallied under that cause and built ships and sent Men to Sendar. Alltogether the fleet was the mightiest Erana had ever seen since the Great Scorching had destroyed the fleet of the Empire of Asargam. It is said to have had 210 ships manned with some 14.000 troops.

The Tarrabaenians, too, prepared for another war with the Mdûlûn, expecting them back to take revenge. They strengthened their fleet in the Grey Sea by 30 ships, keeping a fleet of 112 vessels. A short while later, Avenna Turillius Plurumus had only recently discovered the Paunis rivers' upper course, the connection between the river mouth at the Grey Sea and the Paunis was discovered by Avennas' son Sidoneus Turillius Olturnus. This connection provided the Tarrabaenians with an advantage, they immediately saw and exploited: an opportunity to fall in the Mdûlûns' back. The outpost built by the Paunis' riverbank became a major shipyard, supplied with wood from the north, were a second fleet of 64 ships was built, ready to be sent to aid the Grey Sea fleet, should need arise.

Course of events

On the seventh day of the month Céptitevor, the Mdûlûn fleet approached the Paunis river's mouth, where it was spotted by a Tarrabaenian outpost. The news were sent to Savína immediately, as well as the coastal bases of Tarrabaenia. No time was lost and the ships were made ready immediately, even without an instruction from the capital. To move out, the order was needed though, but as soon as it reached the naval bases, the ships were already ready to move out. The fleet united at the easternmost base and set out to meet the Mdûlûn fleet as close to the Paunis' mouth as possible.

Meanwhile the massive Mdûlûn fleet was still withheld by the task to traverse the currents at the rivers' mouth, while avoiding the Blue Rocks a bit further into the sea. Nonetheless the bigger part of the fleet was already past the Paunis, when the Tarrabaenian fleet arrived. By the same time the Paunis river fleet was also notified of the giant Mdûlûn fleet and started moving down the river. Going downstream, the fleet approached the battle site to be at a considerable speed.

The Tarrabaenian fleet, while not as versatile and flexible as the Mdûlûn fleet was able to get into a stable and well defended formation to hold its ground and keep the Mdûlûn in check. When the last Mdûlûn ships were about to traverse the Paunis' mouth, the Paunis fleet arrived.

The Second Battle at the Blue Rocks

The huge Mdûlûn fleet started to press ever harder against the withstanding Tarrabaenian fleet, which stood much like a wooden wall shielding the coast of Tarrabaenia from the aggression. Nonetheless, the sheer number of the Mdûlûn was guaranteed to break the resistance eventually. All of a sudden, the Paunis fleet showed up, sinking Mdûlûn ships where the river emptied into the Grey Sea and then turning north to pinch the Mdûlûn within the two fleets. Being equipped mainly for ramming, the Paunis fleet started to break into the Mdûlûn lines from behind, sinking some dozen ships and creating great chaos. The Grey Sea fleet on the other hand, while sturdy, was not for ramming, but rather for boarding. They started to advance as soon as they noticed the enemy fleet was going in disarray. While on the south end of the fleet a substantial number of ships was sunk, on the south end the Mdûlûn were slaughtered on their own ships which were being boarded by the differently equipped main fleet.

Some of the Mdûlûn ships on the flank of the fleet were lucky enough to circle around the Paunis fleet and withdraw befor being taken out. On their hasty flight, some came too close the the Blue Rocks, running aground and getting badly damaged.

The aftermath

The Mdûlûn suffered another decisive defeat at sea, which affected them greatly, economically as well as psychologically. Their self esteem, especially that of Sendar, was shattered and they withdrew for a long time. In their fear they started to fortify the northern city states to be ready for any Tarrabaenian invasion that might come their way. Although the alliance of Sendar was weakened, it persisted, with Sendar not being the leader of an active and aggressive alliance, but rather a mighty, but paranoid city state, pressing the other members into contributions and payments for a fleet, that was not a mere defense fleet for the leading power.

This in turn led to the rise of a second city state, Rodasaikus, which presented itself as a defender of freedom, vowing to break the sendarian hegemony. Thus, a second alliance formed, locking the Mdûlûn city states in a long lasting, but mostly cold civil war.

The Tarrabaenians were well aware of their luck, having discovered this second access to the Grey Sea. Under normal circumstances they could have never withstoof the Mdûlûn naval power. With this knowledge, they forewent setting after the Mdûlûn or trying to attack them on their grounds later. In the west though, were geography favoured them and let them proceed on land, they successfully pushed the Mdûlûn further back, driving an even bigger wedge between the city states west of the Grey Sea and east of the Grey Sea.

Conflict Type

War