The Second Crusade, "The Eastern Crusade"
To purge the Forbidden Lands, let the Blood of Martyrs Fuel Thee
The Conflict
Prelude
Reports of stirring in the eastern land would worry the current pope of the Church of the Flame, one Lawrence Christenson, as tribes openly worshipping hell stood against all the Flame stood for. This would merely escalate into almost full blown panic as an estate in South Ashenfeld owned by Lawrence was raided and vandalizes with chickens blood painted in strange hellish runes and symbols. After a day of fearing for his safety, he would assemble the church's council, and in a unanimous decision, would declare a crusade into the Forbidden Lands to purge the unclean Hell Tribes.
Deployment
Not only recuriting form its own ranks, the Church of the Flame offered any who would fight under their banner the blessings of the gods. The Kingdom of Ashenfeld would send much of its troops to fight under the crusaders banner. While Vebastonne had their own gods, many knights couldn't resist the chance to test their mettle against such a numberless foe, and so a knight under the name of Sir Henri Nepveu, would amass a great lance of knight errants to march with this force.
While much of the Hell Tribes were scattered and didn't really have ay desire to work with one another, their dark gods would whisper to them of blood to be spilled, and so many tribes would unite into massive tides of enemies.
Battlefield
The Empty Range and the Forbidden Lands
Conditions
Nightmarish, for the army had to march through the massive Empty Range Mountains, past the Crooked Path, and into the Forbidden Lands. Arcane storms, exploding volcanoes, night raids, summoned demons, and waves of madness and disease were common. These conditions led to it also being known as the "Bloodiest Crusade"
The Engagement
Conflict would begin almost immediately upon the army moving into the Empty Range, with several scattered warbands of Hell Tribes would harry and engage the Crusaders. These scattered tribespeople were easy to lay low, but the terrain made fighting incredibly difficult and slowed progress. However, morale was mostly fine, with the crusaders finally fighting a fierce battle at the end of the Crooked Path. This battle was particularly bloody, but a victory for the Crusaders. They would widen their advance to spread into the Forbidden Lands, but this is when the war turned. Many of the Hell Tribes were now forming into massive hordes, with some reports saying that some battles had literal oceans of savage barbarians rushing at the crusaders. This would lead to casualties rapidly increasing, and for dread demonic spells and rituals to be preformed to summon great demons upon the crusaders. However, the overall commander of the Crusade and representative of the Church, one Lord Victor Lockwood, would inspire the jaded and bruised men and women to press on for one final push. They would push into a great temple that was causing much of the demonic incursions, and lay siege. Many thousands would die, but in the end, the crusaders broke through and slaughtered the defenders, scattering many of the Hell Tribes.
Outcome
While a great victory was declared by the Church, the cost was great. An exact number of those lost was never recorded, as it is said some fields were literally awash with blood. The march back alone would kill many as the path was infinitely treacherous. However, the forces would eventually make it back, and were celebrated as heroes to the faith and the civilized realms.
Aftermath
The fallen were honored in a great statue within the largest church in Ashenfeld's capital of Aramoor. Besides this, Pope Lawrence would a few months after the crusade was officerly over, be found dead upon an empty pulpit, with his throat slit and his eyes torn out. While the church covered up this death as merely natural causes, some whispers exist of there being a soldier who killed the pope out of revenge for being sent on the crusade.
While much of the tribes were scattered and destroyed, many more remained. It is said this crusade would lead directly into the third crusade.
Historical Significance
Legacy
The Second Crusade is seen as a great triumph over the heretics, or at least so the Church props it up as. A time when people fought for godly virtue. The Vestoni hold it as a time when those knights so young would prove themselves beyond a shadow of a doubt in their martial abilities.
Included Conflicts
Conflict Type
War
Battlefield Type
Land
Start Date
1870
Ending Date
1872
Conflict Result
While a Military Victory for the Crusaders, the objective of fully wiping out the Hell Tribes was not reached
Belligerents
The Crusaders
The Hell Tribes
Strength
Estimated around 130,000
Unknown, too high to estimate
Casualties
Very high, no exact number was ever able to be recorded
Countless
Objectives
To purge the eastern lands of all the Hell Tribes
To butcher the invaders for their dark gods
