The Great War

The Great War is the most recent and longest war in Kinilani history.  The war began as a territorial dispute between the nations of Chelestra and Kinilan over the Iron Hills, a particularly rich mining region.  The war steadily grew from a series of scattered skirmishes to more and larger armies, stretching for four generations of ever more intense battles.  By the end of the war, both countries were largely crippled economically, and grudgingly agreed to peace terms.

The Conflict

Prelude

After the Kinilan Revolution, the new democratic government was widely seen as weak, even illegitimate, by the other kingdoms. Chelestra, in particular, saw opportunity. While Kinilan has always held the heart of the Iron Hills around the city of Rethis, Kinilan had annexed the western reaches of the region in the late 1400s - an area that had traditionally traded more with Chelestra than Kinilan. Now, Chelestra saw the the chance to settle that score.
The war started small - skirmishes between border patrols, but that didn't last long. In 1639, Chelestran forces crossed the border, taking several border forts within days. By the time Kinilan had mustered a force strong enough to face them, they had already laid siege to Rethis.

Early Battles of the War

For the first decade of the war, the Chelestran army is made up of a small corps of professional soldiers, supported by minimally trained levies, drawn from the Chelestran peasantry, while the Kinilan army is made up of a larger force of volunteers, most well trained but with little experience. These forces are augmented by mercenary teams - small, highly skilled groups that integrate adventurous Magi with highly skilled warriors and specialists, but otherwise rely largely on mundane battlefield tactics. Historically, Magi have largely considered themselves above involvement in military service, and those few who did volunteer were considered far too valuable to risk on the front lines, instead being deployed as healers behind the line, diviners advising on strategy or attempting to foil enemy diviners, or other support roles.
The first major battle in the war was the First Battle of Rethis, which would become the first of many battles over control of the city. The battle ended in a decisive Kinilani victory, as most of the Chelestran levies fled at the first sign of serious resistance. The professionals held for a time, but opted to retreat and regroup rather than risk a pitched battle with the larger Kinilani force within sight of the walls of a hostile city.
The war traded back and forth for twelve years, with both armies bringing in ever more soldiers from the heartland, manoeuvring around each other, trying to interfere with supply lines or gain local superiority.  Even in these early years, mines and outlying towns were a major target of small scale raids, sabotaging the mine works and stealing ore shipments.  But in these early days, both sides made an effort to minimize the impact: penalties for undue harassment of civilians, and sabotage was limited to things that could be repaired within a few weeks, and so forth.  Both sides hoped for a decisive victory within a year or two, and hoped to take its infrastructure largely intact.

Escalation

Included Conflicts

• The Fifth Battle of Rethis

Conflict Type

War

Battlefield Type

Land

Start Date

1639

Ending Date

1735

Location

Iron Hills