Dance on Tyanis Wound

Whoever said that hubris doesn't hurt should be thrown into the sea. There he can join the other two-hundred thousand bodies. All of them there because of godsdamned hubris.

— King Vendrik IX. of Ironwood

Myth and song like to tell of wars started over the most righteous of causes: a stolen princess, murdered father, the depravities of a tyrant. Truth is, as is often the case, far more mundane. Quite often, strife is caused by money, for money is power and power is coveted by all. Many a Dance can be traced back to one of the partners not paying their due. As was the case with the one on Tyanis Wound.

Setting the Stage

Conflict is a constant on the waters of Tyanis Wound. At the crossroad of three continents, it is a hub for trade and communication, one many have tried to control over the ages. A period of general instability from 2700 DA on had kept the major powers of the region occupied and left a vacuum for the merchants of the Golden Coast to exploit.
By 2980 DA, the Fourth Tarquinnian Hegemony began to increasingly project power south. Driven both by a merchant class increasingly under pressure from their Anidaran rivals and a Southern Army bent on conquest, the Fourth Hegemony launched a massive military build-up in the region. Something that greatly unnerved Anidara.
As the year 2991 DA dawned, it had become clear to the southern states that any form of diplomacy would fall on deaf ears. The north seemed bent on war. Under the guidance of the rich and charismatic Nargo Hodrik, many Anidaran realms came together in the small city of Antikonea and formed a League of Mutual Assistance.

Northern Storm (2991-2994 DA)

In doing so they had given Emperor Amelian I. the justification he had been looking for. Claiming the League to be a tool of aggression against the Hegemony, he declared war and launched his fleets south in early Iunis:

Burning Coast

The speed of the Hegemony's assault caught the League completely off guard, half the members' fleets destroyed in a series of battles around the island of Sunava. By late Septem, around two months after the onset of hostilities, the Hegemony enjoyed near-complete dominance of the sea. Raids and minor landings took place all across Anidara's northern coast. While devastating they were merely a distraction to keep the League's attention away from where the hammer would truly fall.

Helian Landing

On the 9th of Octem, an advanced guard of the Southern Army's elite forces landed in the town of Cassandra and occupied the local fort. By the end of the day, a further 30,000 soldiers had embarked along a stretch of coast known as the Helian Expanse. Within a week, they had advanced more than seventy kilometres inland and occupied all passes through the Susana Mountains. With a League response largely failing to materialize, the Imperial Army dug in and began to make preparations for a new campaign.

Blood River (2993-2994 DA)

by Martin Deschambault

While shaken, the League was far from beaten. Using the lull in fighting to recover, Shah Ardashir of the Ninth Dynasty of Pesh-Ar began to mass his armies in earnest. When the Hegemony began to advance once more in early 2992, he was ready to counter them. Attempts to expand toward the cities of Echana, Vara and Lydras were beaten back, although at horrendous cost. As the year 2993 DA dawned, the war had slowed to a bloody crawl.
Under pressure from the Emperor, who had expected the war to be finished by now, Warmaster Aelius decided to focus his forces for a decisive strike at the heart of Anidara: the twin-cities of Pesh-Ar. With 50,000 soldiers he stormed south along the river banks, very nearly reaching the city. But by now contingents from other League members began to arrive. After heavy fighting that turned the river waters red, Aelius was driven back.

The League strikes Back (2994-3001 DA)

Aelius' gamble had exhausted the Hegemony's armies, their fleet had seen increasing setbacks and the tenuous supply lines between Vardania and Anidara were increasingly threatened. Sensing weakness, the League began an all-out offensive. The destruction of the main Tarquinnian Fleet off Lydras in late 2994 signalled its onset.
With supply increasingly strained, the exhausted land forces of the Hegemony were ill-prepared to face the deadly Anidaran onslaught. Shot to pieces by the marksmen of Arran, speared by the unstoppable phalanx of Sekara or trampled by the invulnerable cataphracts of the Kidarites, the once invincible Legions were crushed.
By 2997 DA, the Hegemony had been driven out of Anidara and off the islands it had occupied. Then, in a stunning reversal, the League launched a massed naval assault on the mouth of the river Amarin, culminating in the sack of a hundred cities. By 3001, it was clear that the hubris of Amelian had come back to haunt the Hegemony.

Endless War (3001-3013 DA)

Said man was already dead by then, suffering a lethal stroke in 2998. His successor, Luciana II., did little to amend the situation, preferring to throw lavish parties on her estates. The war was left fully in the hands of the, increasingly divided, Southern Army High Command.

On the Edge (3000-3003 DA)

The war had previously eluded the lands of Interra, but in late 2999 DA that luck changed. A succession crisis in the Duchy of Velenrand presented an opportunity for the Hegemony to gain a foothold closer to Anidara. The League intervened. Although the Hegemony was victorious on land, the worsening naval situation forced them to retreat.

Rampant Piracy (3002-3014 DA)

While the League's fleets had managed to drive the Hegemony back, they themselves had endured harsh losses in the process. Rather than further strain their economies, the League began to enlist pirates to harry the Hegemony's navy. The resulting "Pirate War" saw thousands of vessels sunk and civilian naval traffic virtually cease.

Heronian Steel (3007-3015 DA)

A new force entered the conflict in late 3006. Heronian mercenaries and settlers increasingly appeared along Anidara's western coast seeking employment. Insulting treatment by the native Anidaran's saw them eagerly accept offers made by the Hegemony. By 3008, several large Heronian armies were raiding across Anidara, even sacking Echana in 3010.

by Gilles Ketting

As the year 3012 dawned, the war seemed in an unsolvable stalemate. Western Anidara was ravaged by Heronian armies, the fragile League already breaking apart and the rich trade cities tormented by the very Pirates they had unleashed.
The north fared little better, stuck in a regency after Luciana had died in 3003 and with both regents and Southern Army generals scheming for control of the young Emperor Vitellian I. Constant raids had seen large swaths of coast virtually abandoned by their inhabitants. Hundreds of thousands had died, trade had collapsed, realms around Tyanis Wound faced economic ruin. All sides seemed ready for peace.

Rise of the Faithful

Sources do indicate that some form of peace talks was ongoing when Vitellian reached maturity and assumed power in late 3012 DA. Those who hoped for a quick end of hostilities were soon disappointed, however. With Vitellian there had risen a religious fanatic who saw it as his divine mission to gain victory for the Hegemony.

One Last Effort (3012-3013 DA)

Within months of his ascension, Vitellian initiated a massive military build-up, conscripting tens of thousands to strengthen the Southern Army and beginning construction of a new fleet of warships. Entire forests were cut down to fuel the new investment and by early 3014, a fleet of over 500 warships stood ready to sail south.

Bellean Campaign (3014-3016 DA)

Newly vitalized, the Imperial Army began to conduct large-scale raids against western Anidara, often in conjunction with Heronian forces. Success soon followed, with several cities, including the important centres of Vara and Anadra, falling into Vardanian hands. By late 3015, Heronian forces were massing for a decisive campaign east.

Burning Ocean (Early Iunis - Late Septem 3016 DA)

by Dominik Mayer

Fortune seemed to be decisively turning against the League, especially as Vitellian himself set sail with his armada. It seemed like the League, riven now by internal conflict was about to fail. For Algo Hodrik, Admiral of the Lydaran Fleet, that was not an option. Ignoring orders from the League military command, he gathered every available ship and sailed to meet the Emperor's fleet in battle.
After weeks of random encounters and skirmishes, the two fleets met somewhere out on the waters of Tyanis Wound. What became known as the Last Dance saw nearly a thousand ships duel among the waves. Days passed, and the bloodshed would not lessen. Until finally the flagship of the Hegemony burst asunder and Vitellian himself drowned in the waves. Broken, the Imperial Navy retreated.
Without Vitellian to drive it, the Imperial cause collapsed fully. The new Emperor Gratian II. recalled all forces and signed a peace with the League, or rather with Algo Hodrik. Twenty-five years of war, hundreds of thousands of deaths, economic disaster across the eastern part of the world. And the result? Status quo ante bellum.
At least on the waters of Tyanis Wound. To the north and south, the disruption caused would have serious consequences and change both continents forever. Anidara would see an old spectre reawaken in the wake of royal weakness. And Vardania was about to enter an age of crisis not seen in over a thousand years, the Year of the Three Emperors serving as the herald of the coming chaos.

But look deeper and you will find the greatest of all sinners, the fool Amelian, whose hubris and idiocy caused so much devastation in the world. For worse than the criminal is the one who accomplishes nothing with his deed.

— Excerpt from "Descend" by Antonian Mateus

Conflict Type

War

Battlefield Type

Naval

Start Date

01.06.2991 DA

Ending Date

14.08.3016 DA

Conflict Result

Pyrrhic Victory for the Hegemony. Death of Emperor Vitellian VI. Year of the Three Emperors.

Tarquinnian Hegemony

~ 830 Ships Total

~ 205.000 Soldiers

Heavy Casualties

Secure the Coastline. Establish Dominion.

Led by Vitellian VI.

League of Antikonea

~ 779 Ships

~ 300.000 Soldiers

Medium Casualties

Drive the Hegemony back North.

Led by Algo Hodrik

Fragile Alliance

As much as some propagandists like to proclaim the League as some "pan-Anidaran" project and symbol of southern unity, it really was nothing more than an alliance born out of fear. That it took over two years for the members to even start to co-ordinate their efforts shows that it was not much beyond ink on a piece of paper. By 3010, it had fallen into all-out civil war, only the various naval forces showing even a resemblance of coordination against the Hegemony.

The Brothers Hodrik

The "victory" of the League, if it can even be called that was mostly the work of two men: the brothers Hodrik. Of Onadaran stock, they each had made a name for themselves. Nargo had become one of the most influential and wealthy traders in the south, while Algo had risen to command a fleet of privateers. Much of the war effort was either conducted by their forces or financed through them.
Anidara did not thank its saviours. Nargo fell victim to the schemes of Shah Ardashir, who confiscated his wealth. Algo in turn was assassinated just days after his victory, who paid the blade that did it is unknown. Both brothers are still revered as heroes in some towns along the Anidaran coast.

by Suzanne Helmigh

The Zealot

As short as his reign was, Vitellian I. is one of the most famous Emperors known today. This largely is due to his failed attempt to revert Vardanian Apostasy and return the Gods of the ancient Pantheon to their old glory. The disruption this caused was seen as extraordinary, but his project was soon abandoned after his death.

Both Invincible Sun and Eternal Moon are guiding my destiny. The south shall bow before the Queen of Cities, I swear it by my eternal soul.

— Vitellian I.

Heronians on the Move

By the early 3rd Millennium, Heronians had become a common sight around the Divide. Fleeing from disaster at home, many sought fortune abroad. A fatal combination of famine, war and plague had brought them to the brink and some say that Heronian culture was on the brink of extinction.
Their reputation as fierce warriors soon saw them employed as mercenaries in large numbers. During the later stages of the war, the Hegemony made extensive use of their forces.
When Gratian recalled all Imperial forces, many Heronians began to fear Anidaran reprisal. Legate Votarian, who had grown to value them greatly, executed a large-scale evacuation, bringing as many as 150,000 Heronians back to Vardania. Their example soon inspired others. It is estimated that between 400,000 and 500,000 Heronians migrated north in the first decades of the 3rd Millennium.

by 王 建喜