Wildwalker Uprising
East Sceya was defended by duke Andreas' nephew, duke Theodor Ari of the Wetlands, who is known as the "Hunter Prince". The Hunter Prince was outplayed several times by the commander of the Free Sceyan forces, Damatír, resulting in terrible losses and the loss of several important settlements.
The Damatír were winning the war in the winter, while imperial reinforcements were locked out of the duchy by the terrible storms over the Giantheights and along the Mistsea coast. Several settlements were destroyed and many imperials were sent fleeing north to Irondeep. It is a credit to duke Theodor and his Hunter Corps that they were proactive until the very end, rather than staying within the safety of Irondeep's walls as lesser warriors would.
The Hunter Corps held the northern Blacksmoke pass until spring came, with imperial reinforcements. Recently bloodied in the Akshusian war, the Sceyan Royal Army, supported by the Vengance and Devotion legions, came upon the Free Sceyan army and forced them south.
A brutal war of attrition and guerilla warfare was fought throughout the East Sceyan Greatwoods, with Damatír wolfriders attacking behind imperial lines, while legion knights led expeditions into the deep forests to destroy the Free Sceyans.
After a few years of brutal warfare between the two groups, the imperials had secured the Northern territory through a set of forts and began moving south, securing land with large forts.
Duke Andreas met for peacetalks with Deidre, and they came to an understanding. The imperial forces would withdraw north of Solsøen, while the Free Sceya coalition forces would remain south of Solsøen. The Neutral Territory would be allowed to be settled by both imperial settlers and Faordaon locals, but neither side were to claim it as their own. The treaty also stipulated that the duke was not to support any imperial settlements, while the Free Sceya coalition was not to attack any imperial settlements.
Since then the Neutral territory has become a hotspot of crime, banditry and confrontations. Neither side is capable of fully defending its people, for fear of starting war with the other.
The Conflict
Prelude
Imperial and Damatír conquests in East Sceya (450-485 IA)
While it may be strange to consider today, both the imperial presence and the Damatírs, who are the founders and leaders of the Free Sceya coalition, are relatively recent additions to the geopolitical landscape of East Sceya.
While some Damatír had been settling in East Sceya since the defeat of their Wolf Queen in 450 Imperial Age, the arrival of the final and most zealot warriors following their final persecution and defeat in the west in 475 IA drastically changed the balance of power in the east. Finally there was a sylvan alternative to the overlordship of Eldfjall Höfból, the goliath tribes of the Giantheights and the Mistborn thalassocracy.
The Damatír allied themselves with the Faordaon, Comercirojo and Dhynmark, trading grain, horses and information for protection against Goliaths and Fire Giants. Within a few months, the Damatír had firmly driven back any and all raids, claiming the Greatwoods for themselves and their allies, forcing the Goliaths into the Giantheights and forcing the Fire Giants into the northern territory.
The Goliaths and Fire Giants had not been ready for the force and severity with which the Damatír acted, nor for their level of military organizaiton. Any of their warbands that moved into the forest quickly found themselves fighting in the enemy's territory, against a faster, more aggresive enemy that knew the lay of the land. They were forced to reluctantly pull back. Perhaps they would have pushed back with greater effect, were it not for a new enemy in the north...
Imperial expeditions, mustered by prince Andreas Ari of West Sceya, began pushing on the Giantheights. The first imperial victories in the region came at this point, as the prince pushed east with his experiences of guerilla warfare. As the fortresses of the fire giants burned to draconic fire, they were forced to pull out of the East Sceyan Greatwoods, letting the Damatír claim the Greatwoods for themselves.
With the firegiants distracted in the north, the Damatír were able to focus their attention on the Mistborn raiders along the Mistsea Coast. Deidre, the son of Siobhan, rose to prominence in this time, with his daring raids pushing back against the Mistborn. He led the first succesful Damatír sieges, first bringing Bonn Schabta to its knees, and finally pushing the Mistborn out permanently by sacking Briúchaín Aghaid. With these victories, Deidre's ascendancy as master of the Damatír was certain.
In the north, prince Andreas became duke Andreas Ari with the succesful siege of Irondeep and surrender of Eldfjall Höfból. The Duke of Irondeep claimed the region of East Sceya north of the East Sceyan Greatwood as his own, as these regions had belonged to the Fire Giants, and set free the Kolathrell to labor for fair wages, travel and gain education. He also pushed against Mistborn presence around Nordfjorden and claimed the island of Saltø from Mistborn elemental warriors.
An Uneasy Peace (485-494 IA)
The Imperial north and the Damatír south quickly became the new status quo, as neither group was willing to move against the other. The Duke had no interest in moving his military forces into wild and untamed lands, fighting an enemy who could move quickly and outflank his armies, while the Robber Prince saw nothing to be gained from attacking north into regions that had never belonged to the Faordaon.
If it was just up to these two men, it is likely that peace could have been maintained indefinitely. However, there were factions on both sides which would not accept such a status quo. Among many of the older Damatír, especially the Siúcraic, this was finally a chance to have a revanche against a weaker outpost of the Gold Empire. Damatír raids on imperial villages quickly became a fact of life, but most of these happened within the Greatwoods that nominally belonged to the Damatír. Meanwhile, many Imperials saw it as both natural and good that East Sceya should be conquered fully, and that the massive Greatwilds were ripe for settlements. Many pioneers, pilgrims and adventurers flocked to the Greatwilds, finding great places for lumber, amber, hunting and general pioneering. In spite of common Damatír attacks, these settlers continues with tenacity.
The Dragon Church also understood that there were many unsaved souls here, who could be swayed with the promise of imperial liberation. Silver dragon clerics erected clinics and hospitals, gold dragon clerics hunted monsters and copper dragon clerics gave good weather. Slowly but steadily, imperial influence seeped into the Greatwilds, with its promise of industry, techology, education and spiritual salvation.
There were many near-conflicts in this period, especially when the Damatír moved beyond the forests into the grass plains of the Duchy of East Sceya. Forces from the Sceyan Royal Army from Irondeep and Saltø were moved near settlements and built forts, ready to fight back against Damatír and send them to back to the forest.
It is clear that there was talk of a military expedition into the Greatwilds, to bring the Faordaon and Damatír into the fold. A Devotion legion order, SRA regiments from West Sceya and the Gold Emperor himself would aid the duke in conquering the rest of East Sceya, when tragedy struck in Akshus.
Called south by personal oath and geopolitical opportunity, the Duke and much of the imperial armed presence in East Sceya travelled to Akshus, to fight in The Imperial-Akshusian War.
Deployment
The Free Sceya coalition was deployed in a three-pronged attack into the north of East Sceya, each of them led by a Damatír champion.
The Western Attack
The western attack was led by Synce, a champion of the Damatír, and consisted largely of Damatír wolfriders and wildwalkers. The western attack led the charge of the war by attacking forts held by the Hunter Corps. The goal of the western attack was Blacksmoke Pass, seeking to cut off East Sceya from reinforcements from West Sceya.
Synce had been an untested battlefield commander before the uprising, but they were supported by several experienced thanes. Deidre gave command of the western attack to Synce in order to keep his thanes in line, hoping that Synce could direct their energy and hatred of the imperials productively, though this would be a terrible miscalculation.
The Northern Attack
The northern attack was led by Deidre, the leader of the Damatír, and was the largest attack of the Free Sceyan offensive. It included Dhynmark warriors, a hobgoblin demilegion and goblin mercenaries, as well as a core of Damatír wolfriders and wildwalkers. Their goal was Irondeep, seeking to cut off the main force of Sceyan Royal Army from the smaller contingents spread across the Imperial Territory.
The Eastern Attack
The eastern attack was led by WILDWALKER, a thane of a warcompany of Damatír. The eastern attack incldued a hobgoblin demi-legion, a fire giant hird and a core of Damatír wolfriders and widlwalkers. Their goal was two-fold: the destruction of Saltø and isolating the Whiteshield Order in their fortress-monastery of Ausat Spaan.
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