Unstoppable Invasion

An invasion of the south by the massed ranks of the Unstoppable Force

The Conflict

Prelude

The hobgoblins of the Mktulax domains had long longed to the lands south of the Barrier Mountains with a mixture of envy and resentment. None felt this more keenly than the warlord Paragast whose drive led him to conquer the domains and form his Unstoppable Force to invade the south.
With conflict between the domains at least temporarily quelled, the hobgoblin population rapidly increased, as did the population of thos3e that supplied their auxiliary forces. While the army was trained, agents were sent to establish contact with malcontents from the dwarven and human lands. With promises of gold the hobgoblin agents established a network of spies to learn more of their foes and plans were formulated to weaken their foes.

Deployment

The Unstoppable force was divided into three armies for the invasion. One army was sent to the eastern part of the Barriers to attack the dwarves of the Magrannor Halls. The other two were sent to the twi main passes through the barriers.
The only warning that Caresnas received about the impending attack was was a frantic report from their diviners when the hobgoblins began advancing through the mountains. Unfortunately by that point Caresnas' northern forces were well out of position, having been sent to deal with attacks from Clan Magrannor.

Prior to sending the bulk of his forces through the mountains, Paragast deployed units of monsters to drive out anyone that might be keeping watch and to thin out any patrols.

Unstoppable Force Invasion Map by Tanai Cuinsear

The Engagement

Year 223

Part way through the month of Roth, Paragast launched the full invasion through the mountains. The western army was tasked with capturing coastal settlements to prevent Caresnas sending reinforcements by sea. Meanwhile the central army was instructed to establish a solid foothold down as far as the major rivers. The commanders of both armies were instructed to hold at the rivers to have a natural barrier to blunt the inevitable counter attack.
Both armies sent their auxiliaries out ahead of the legions, allowing the goblins and other denizens of the savage lands to run amoc. The uncoordinated raids by goblin and orc tribes stretched the few forces Caresnas had in the area, and caused great confusion for the nobles trying to coordinate a defence. Walled villages proved little challenge for the horde that swept across northern Caresnas, and towns faired little better when the legions joined the fray.
It took almost weeks for the Kingdom's forces to be redeployed from their attempted siege of Varbeck’s Walls. By that time the hobgoblins had captured the majority of the isolated settlements north of the rivers. The auxiliaries of the Unstoppable Force (UF) were sent out to engage the armies of Caresnas, with vague promises of reinforcements that never materialised. This calculated move by the hobgoblin warleaders served several purposes:

• It delayed the forces of Caresnas, giving the hobgoblins more time to fortify their position.
• It disposed of the more troublesome parts of their army.
• It reduced the number of mouths to feed.

The last was perhaps the most important consideration as an army as large as the UF required a great deal of food. The comparatively Savage Lands could not support an army this large for long so claiming and holding arable land was a key part of the plan. Any southerners captured by the hobgoblins were put to work in the fields, regardless of rank or status.

Unstoppable 223 by Tanai Cuinsear using Wonderdraft

It took several months for Caresnas' army to fight their way through the goblin and orc tribes, which gave plenty of time for the hobgoblins to prepare. Earthworks, pits, and sharpened stakes protected every crossing point and catapults stood ready to sink any boats attempting to cross. Unable to advance, and unsure as to the reason why the hobgoblins had stopped, the forces of Caresnas set up their own defences on their side of the rivers. An uneasy stalemate ensued for the rest of the year, broken by the occasional light skirmish.

Year 224

Lulled by the relative ease with which the hobgoblin offensive had been stopped, many in Caresnas convinced themselves that the fight was over. Yes, there had been some land lost, but it had been sparsely populated in the first place. And with Chirin-on-Dimar attacking villages in the south there were surely better places for soldiers to be stationed.
Unable to deny the threat posed by Chirin, and needing to uphold defense treaties with towns like Lorin the king ordered some units to the sourthern border. This proved to be what the generals of the UF had been waiting for and a new offensive began.

Only in terms of it's of cavalry did the Kingdom of Caresnas have an advantage over the hobgoblins. Commanded by the Tarinian knight Stonewall their tactics proved an unfamiliar challenge to the hobgoblins

Better supplied than they were the previous year, the UF came surging over the rivers. More experienced in dealing with fortifications than the Caresian forces the hobgoblins overwhelmed the southerner's defences in short order. A mass retreat was hastily ordered and only through the intervention of the knights of the Order of the Shield did any of the kingdoms's survive.
The remaining soldiers fell back to Redwood and Shaon gradually restoring some sense of order on the way. Minor lords consolidated their forces while units from the royal army joined the knights in delaying the hobgoblin advance.

The UF seemed to be living up to it's name, but several things still stood in the way. The first was the city of Shaon, which the Argentiss family had spent many years reinforcing. The second was the Redwood, which was home to a renegade group elves who had long been allied with the kingdom.

Unstoppable 224 by Tanai Cuinsear using Wonderdraft

The Earl of Shaon sent as many people as could down south before withdrawing his forces behind the city walls. Most of the cavalry units were sent south as they would be more effective outside but Stonewall remained behind to aid the Earl in the city's defence. The hobgoblins of the central army surrounded Shaon, but while they prepared siege equipment, they seemed unwilling to make an assault that would cost them a disproportionate number of soldiers. A protracted siege seemed inevitable, but what was not clear was who benefitted more from the hobgoblins being delayed there.
In the Redwood the situation was much different. There were no walls or other fortifications to slow the hobgoblns' western army, but neither was there a single settlement or force to attack. Under the command of Vesryn, an elven resident of the forest and former adventuring companion to the royal diviner, the elves and surviving forces of Caresnas made strike and retreat attacks on the encroaching army. Unused to large forests the hobgoblins struggled to deploy their forces effectively and suffered appalling losses before pulling back.

Year 225

By the start of the third year of the war things were starting to turn against the hobgoblins. The siege of Shaon wasn't progressing to plan, partially because the generals of the UF had underestimated the benefit of Shaon being the headquarters of the Church of Seyr.
The coastline was proving harder to control than had been planned for, the ships used by the kingdom being faster the hobgoblins were used to. Countering the forces landed by Caresnas drew several legions away from the main attacks against Shaon and Redwood.

Unstoppable 225 by Tanai Cuinsear using Wonderdraft

The reinforcements for the UF were from the redeployed eastern army in the first year, and from northern garrisons in the second.

The seemingly endless hobgoblin reinforcements from the first two years appeared to dry up further delaying the assault on Shaon as the generals debated how many soldiers they could afford to lose. Adding to their hesitancy were the cavalry attacks that necessitated deploying several legions to shield the besieging forces.

Amongst the units that Caresnas deployed by sea were several teams from Explorer Company. These self-sufficient teams were assigned to disrupt the hobgoblin supply lines and free the enslaved farmers. While sustaining many losses the explorer teams successfully destroyed much of the food needed by the UF.

Year 226

After a difficult winter the hobgoblin's morale was low. Supplies were back at the level they would have expected in the Savage Lands and there were no reinforcements. A feud had broken out between the generals of the two armies and direction from Paragast was severely lacking. But Caresnas had problems of it's own. The war of false freedom was raging in the south and the elves of Laiqua were raiding trade and troop ships.

Paragast's absence from the front lines was a mystery at first. It was only on capturing a senior hobgoblin officer that Caresnas learned that Paragast was considered a fairly inept warlord.

Battles were reduced to minor skirmsihes as both sides reinforced their positions and mostly tried to avoid losing too many soldiers. The major battles during this period were typically down to over-ambitious officers not understanding the reasons behind the tentative and oft frustrating small engagements.

The Earl would tour the walls, his family weapon, Skvarbus-Marduk, shining at his side. By this point in the siege he knew soldier and would great everyone he met by name. Stonewall and several Seyrian Guides would accompany him on these walks, granting blessings and words of encouragement of their own.

The siege of Shaon continued to drain the defenders morale and supplies. Disease had been kept at bay by the Seyrian Guides but the endless pressure had left many in the city feeling like any chance of victory was impossible. It took all the Earl of Shaon's powers of persuasion to stop morale collapsing entirely. Many of the units remaining in Shaon were severly depleted so the Earl combined them into a reformed Shaon Sentinels, calling on the menory of the hero Dass Argentiss who had secured the north that unit 40 years ago.

Year 227

Paragast had conquered the Mktulax domains by breaking convention and destroying infrasture. When confronted with a foe that didn't follow hobgoblin conventions he was at a loss of what to do

The year started with specialists from Caresnas killing the generals of both the western and central armies. While the confusion this caused was initially celebrated in the capital, it soon ended up causing fresh problems. When replacements for the deceased generals were finally appointed they were not the type that possessed the patience to continue with the previous strategy and, spurred on by Paragast, they launched an all out assault on Shaon.

The city had barely been holding on before, and though it cost hundreds of lives this latest assault finally broke through the walls. The city was taken and many defenders slain. The Earl of Shaon had planned to lead a group of volunteers to try to distract the attackers long enough to allow some of his soldiers to escape, but this role was taken by Commander Stonewall who knocked out the Earl and sent him south with the fleeing soldiers.
The hobgoblins triumph was shortlived as their excessive focus on Shaon allowed the forces of Caresnas to move out of Redwood. Archers trained by Vesryn and mages trained by Virris slew nearly an entire legion before being forced to retreat by the UF's warcasters.
Sensing a weakness Caresnes sent additional soldiers to north west coast to attempt to strike at what was believed to be an unprotected flank. With none of his own forces availiable the king was forced to turn to mercenaries, calling on the Knights of Nacht. The knights were generally considered to be too unrestrained to hire under normal circumstances, but with only hobgoblins to prey on it seemed a safe enough decision.
The Knights of Nacht proved effective, but a creative officer in the UF discovered their lack of loyalty and a new more profitable agreement was reached bettern the UF and the knights. This treachery was only discovered when the knights launched simultaneous ambushes on Caresian forces also fighting in the northwest. With this switch in the mercenaries' loyalties the tide once again turned in the hobgoblins favour.

Year 228

Neither side was in a advantageous position as the start of the next year. The UF had suffered appalling casualties and the generals were now receiving requests for reinforcements from their own domains which were under attack by another foe. The loss of Shaon had created a major gap in Caresnas' defences and the remaining Caresian soldiers were stretched thin fighting battles in the north, south and east.

The Knights of Nacht seemed poised to capitalise on the situation when they abruptly withdraw their services. It later emerged that is was due to the disappearance of their pay and several senior officers in the knights. The UF took great offense at this sudden change of heart and fighting in the north west descended into something of a three way brawl with little regard for achieving anything that would bring the war to a conclusion.

A story told after the war claimed a descendent of Alfonse Darkblade was responsible for removing the officers and stealing the pay. This is yet to be confirmed.

The loss of Shaon had prompted a surge in volunteers keen to regain the centre of the Seyrian faith. Freshly trained and equipped seized from the hobgoblins they joined with the Order of the Shield and the Bellcross Badgers under the command of General Shieldbreaker. Paragast's Generals had almost completely destroyed Shaon's defences when they captured it which proved to be the hobgoblin's undoing. The Caresian forces easily broke through the feeble attempts at repairs and were able to reclaim Shaon in a matter of weeks..
The loss of what was seen as their one true military gain during the war sent shockwaves through the hobgoblin forces. The commanders of each legion began giving the interests of their domains ahead of the UFs goals and several legions deserted on mass. Paragast tried to regain control but his long absence from the front lines had caused many to lose faith in him. The Unstoppable Force splintered apart and returned to their own lands, leaving the people of Caresnas to claim if not victory then at least success in finally driving off the invaders

Outcome

The Kingdom of Caresnas survived, but with a great loss of life. The kingdom was short on gold and food for years afterwards, but there was no respite as conflict continued to rage in the south.
Several members of the royal court demanded that the Argentiss family be stripped of their title (with the implication that one of those complaining should receive the title of Earl instead). After careful consideration the king decided that since these nobles felt so aggrieved, they should be allowed to satisfy their anger by fighting a duel with the Earl Argentiss. When the complainers declined this generous offer, the king insisted on the duel. In order to avoid distracting the Earl from his duties the king also prevailed upon Stonewall to act as the Earl's champion, with predictable results.
With fewer hands available to work the field the kingdom was forced to borrow large sums of gold from the great trading houses. Some like the Renkarts tried to set an unreasonable level of interest but they were undercut by the Millerson’s.
The Knights of Nacht were banned from the kingdom, and all trade with Nacht and Mikel's town was forbidden.
The arrival of Clan Anvilbright in the western part of the Barrier Mountains would have been cause for another offensive, but Caresnas was so drained that it made more sense to conclude a deal with the dwarves.
The Unstoppable Force splintered apart and the remaining hobgoblin legions retreated to their own domains. The domains of Aberus, Prel, and Drimyr were seized by Rigel Fearshroud's forces and the hobgoblins spent the next couple of decades trying to hold on to what they had left.

Conflict Type

Invasion

Battlefield Type

Land

Start Date

Roth 223

Ending Date

Himer 229

Timeline links

Unstoppable Invasion

Out of position

Caresnas' forces were out of position as they had been preparing for a siege after the events of 223 / 03 / 12 - Northern Villages Attacked. This pulled not only the kingdom's forces out of position, but also the Order of the Shield and other Tarinian soldiers.

Eastern Army

The Eastern hobgoblin army was hampered by the efforts of one of the Joint Strike Teams (JST3) made up of elven and dwarven specialists. In addition to hindering the monsters unleashed in the Barrier Mountains JST3 were able to destroy an outpost which coordinates all of the army's communications and even assassinated the army's General.
The UF's eastern army suffered further setbacks when they foolishly sent several legions into the Green Vale. This flagrant breach of a rule long respected by those north and south of the Barrier Mountains prompted action from the vale's most notorious resident.

What do you mean they're gone? Gone where?
They've been destroyed sir. Along with the camp. Where they were is just a mass of rock and ashes

— a scout trying to explain what happened to two legions in the vale

Belligerents

Caresnas

• Kingdom of Caresnas

Hobgoblins

• Unstoppable Force

Strength

Caresnas

2000 pike

600 archers

200 cavalry

3000 untrauned

10 explorer company teams

Dragontrike company

Tarinian Forces

300 heavy cavalry

400 temple guard

Mercenaries

12 teams of Drakes

Knights of Nacht

18 Legion of the Mktulax, divided into three armies.
9 thousand auxiliaries consiting of goblins, bugbears, orcs, and ogres.
Several giants.

Casualties

4000 soldiers

400 cavalry

Half of the explorer teams

Almost all of the auxiliaries were annilhated.
None of the giants survived.
12 legions were entirely lost, only half the soldiers in the remaining 6 made it back north of the barriers.

Objectives

Defeat the Unstoppable force.

Defend Caresnas from Invaders.

To conquer the southlands

To end the threat of the southlands for all time.

Maps were created in Wonderdraft.