Buoy Invasion of Pratiriat (Praw-Teer-ee-at)
"I've scarcely seen pirates so voracious. Frankly, I could say the same of the Kaban. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised, given the extent of their revolutions throughout Mot D'nir. I suppose it's easier to notice when we have stakes in the matter. Thankfully, we showed up just in time; it seems that guerilla tactics will only get the tortoisefolk so far. Unfortunately, we cannot investigate into the matter further, as it falls under the Jurisdiction of Urale, and my business in Kala cannot be slown."
Conflict Summary
The Invasion of Pratiriat (1890 NG) involved two parties: pirates from the island of Buoy and Pratiriat, a Kaban village on Kazbur's northwesternmost island. Soundly out of the Augury's reach (which the Kaban residents coordinated intentionally), Pratiriat only possessed rudimentary defenses and had no information regarding Buoy's existence, nor did they realize the region had a steadily increasing pirate presence. Before the Kaban, northwestern Kazbur was the natural place of retreat during times of conflict at the island.
The conflict was a slow defense as the pirates set their eyes on the new infrastructure and artifacts of the village (of which they had none). The Kaban utilized guerilla tactics, similar to what had been performed in the marshes during their period of slavery. Unfortunately, their efforts were lackluster, thanks to the pirates' knowledge of such tactics.
Three separate invasions were attempted over the course of 4 weeks. By the time the final assault arrived (which involved 14 rafts, 3 trade ships, and a recovered Ocean Pride steel ship), a Shellbay royal fleet arrived. The interference was unanticipated and may not have been successful had the traveling fleet not housed an elderly Quasar Turases, Saltkrigere General. The fleet, only arranged to defend the traveling general, consisted of 9 warships. Quasar Turases mentions that the Ocean Pride ship was daunting, but his only regret was destroying it, rather than recovering it for Saltkrigere use.
Parties Involved
Citizens of Pratiriat
When the pirates of Buoy invaded, the Citizens of Pratiriat were a mostly unarmed force, though they had a knack for general survival skills. Their villages were soundly established before the invasion and they had little of value, making it a senseless invasion to start with. The villagers had little resources to speak of, managing to fight with fishing spears, nets, ropes, and knowledge of the area.
The citizens had no desire to reach out to the Augury for help, nor would they have time with the frequency of invasions. Rather, they focused almost entirely on traps and nature. Their most successful tactic was landscaping in such a way that previously stable waters rushed with great force while still looking stagnant (a method learned in the marshes). This led to the dispatching of rafts on one occasion as they smashed against the jagged rocks of streams.
The event would lead the citizens to agree to the construction of an Augury port and now they are well armed with proper fortifications, though no one expects the pirates of Buoy to return any times soon.
Pirates of Buoy
The Pirates of Buoy were a poorly prepared force. While they had unofficially staked a claim on the Pratiriat territory and used it as a location of retreat, they had arrived without any expectation of fighting. The several trips following the initial invasion were bourne of arrogance and anger, leading to unprepared fighters who were easily dispatched.
While the forces at Buoy had ships, ballistae, and trained soldiers, they took their time in delving out such crucial resources, believing the Kaban to be incompetent (perhaps only reading of failed revolutions, rather than the courage it took to wage them).
Still, a handful of Kaban would die at the hands of dwarvish and elvish pirates. Thanks to the attacks, the Augury was able to learn significant information about the island folk, but the most gruesome report was from the surviving citizens who claimed that "the deaths were few, but each was a tome of lashes worse than the last."
Saltkrigere Royal Fleet
The Saltkrigere royal fleet from Shellbay had not intended to intervene with the pirate invasion, it was a mere stroke of good fortune. Saltkrigere General, Quasar Turases, had been making rounds around Laminarum in what he knew was his last campaign. The fleet had prior traveled to the Snow Rock Isles and were making route for Kala when they encountered the Pirates. Most politicians would not have had the arms to fight during a peaceful campaign, but the significance of the general's presence warranted extra ships and weapons.
Quasar would claim the stroke of luck to be a blessing of Bailum while also solidifying the Turases name as a naval force to be reckoned with. After all, the steel ships of the Ocean Pride were things of legend, and now all would know that the Saltkrigere could dispatch them.
Turases would mention the battle to be a highlight of the campaign, not for the combat, but because he could hear cheers of the Kaban when the surprise fleet arrived to save the day.
Invasion 1: First Contact
The pirates of Buoy first made contact with Pratiriat after a low-stakes retreat from their native island following an internal dispute. A single ship would arrive with three available rafts and a crew of 25 men. After coming ashore 3 miles away, a recon group of 3 pirates would find the Kaban village and make efforts to enter under the guise of Bourilia merchants; having heard several stories about Kaban hospitality, they mistakenly assumed they could easily take advantage of the local tortoisefolk.
The Orator would provide food to the outsiders but refused to allow them within the territory. After a few attempts at coercing the village leader, the encounter would grow violent. Two of the pirates were killed and the other would flee with minor injuries. Presumably, the survivor informed his crew of the village (perhaps even making up stories of relics and resources in order to push the conflict forward). The pirates began preparation for a second assault from the water, maneuvering their ship to the village coast 3 days later.
Invasion 2: The Igiraat Defense
The Igiraat Defense, named after the Orator that designed it, involved burying Kaban fighters throughout the long, shallow shores to the north. A long strand of twine would be dropped in the water, serving as a form of alarm for the hiding fighters. To better hide the twine, the Kaban would dump their waste along the waters, turning it a murky green. When the sailing ship arrived, the invaders would have no choice but to invade via raft due to the shallow waters. Three rafts, each with 7-8 fighters, would eventually find themselves in the center of a field of hidden Kaban. When the wire was tripped off, the Kaban would rise with arrows and spears, pelting the invaders from every direction, while those just beneath the rafts would drag the fighters into the water with the element of surprise.
All in all, seven pirates managed to survive and two Kaban were injured. One pirate was kept prisoner and held within a waste room at Pratiriat until he answered a litany of questions about Buoy. Later, all of the answers would be sold to the Saltkrigere when they arrived. Those who survived barely managed to sail their ship as they made their way back to Buoy.
Invasion 3: Captain Noris Attacks
According to records upon recovered ships, it seems that the seven pirates that returned to Buoy were harassed and beaten for their embarrassing failures against the "villagers." Instead of simply killing the returning pirates, Captain Noris (a Dwarf) would make a bet with them. Since the crews had such good fun making a mockery of the failed crew, Noris claimed he would go down himself to prove how easy an invasion would be. To keep things fair, he would take one ship but manned it with a crew of 50.
Upon arriving at the coast, Noris would bombard the village with catapults. Noris described them as "pin cushions" in his journal. In the flurry of excitement, Noris sent 45 men in 7 rafts to shore, making sure to avoid the mistakes of those before him by keeping eyes on the water. Instead of going through the shore, they would go to a far-off river mouth and approach from behind via streams. In prior visits, these had been stagnant, but through a combination of ingenuity and fishing necessity, they had been redirected to an oasis at a lower elevation. The increased flow helped corral fish into nets. Eventually, three rafts were caught in fishing nets and crashed upon jagged rocks downstream, sinking them. All of the men survived, but they decided to progress on foot.
When they reached the village at midday, it had been completely abandoned; when they looked to the coast, their ship was gone. With no evidence of where their victims had gone, the pirates would occupy the land while a scout troop of 10 returned to the rafts to search for the ship. Another 15 would search for the missing Kaban, presuming the village had no more than 20 inhabitants based on the architecture (only a few large buildings and no beds). Being a more communal people, the village actually held 60 individuals. Hours passed before those who went searching were declared missing. The ship was found anchored five miles offshore. The five pirates left to man it were missing, and no Kaban were aboard. While the ship was being returned, a battle ensued as the missing villagers returned from the west. Four Kaban were killed, but 13 pirates died. Captain Noris would flee when he saw his ship on the horizon, and all of his men followed.
Invasion 4: Battle for Pratiriat
When Captain Noris returned to Buoy, he was treated just as the failures before him. No pirate on the island respected his authority aside from his initial crew, which was now a measly seven. Still holding a reputation, when Noris was infuriated by his treatment he would get a crew of Buoy's finest: 200 pirates known for the highest risk missions in the island's history. In order to make up for his shame and embarrassment, he would take 2 wooden vessels and a third out of retirement: an old Ocean Pride steel ship, which was as much a relic as it was a vessel of destruction. Requiring 100 men to sail, possessing a dozen fire magic weapons in its barracks, and having old vases of explosive J'barri fire starter (a recipe lost to time), it would be impossible for the Kaban to survive the invasion, especially given the ability to catapult the vases.
When the forsaken captain arrived at Pratiriat, he released the vases upon the village and coast, destroying several houses immediately and rendering the coast ablaze. The pirates would remain in their ships, attacking from afar. The Kaban hadn't expected a fourth attack, leaving them with little preparations aside from more arrows. The defenses were lackluster and many would hide within their basements, fearing obliteration if they were to run. Orator Igiraat and 10 other men would keep watch from the back of the village, armed with spears should a frontal assault take place.
Unfortunately, eight were killed in the initial catapult attacks. Each death tore recognition from the body as the explosives crashed into the city, striking fear into every citizen. Above that, most Kaban were entirely unaware of the existence of steel vessels, as were most after the Ocean Pride disappearance. Reports of some citizens say that the attacks felt apocalyptic, with smoke smothering out the light of day. All seemed lost as hours passed and there was no end in sight. Before long, the only available fighters presumed no troops would come ashore until the village was leveled. The Kaban had all but resigned hope in the presence of Noris's insecurity: until the Saltkrigere Royal Fleet arrived.
Housing perhaps the most important individual of Shellbay at the time (Quasar Turases, Saltkrigere General), the fleet had been traveling around the world in a campaign of peace for Shellbay, the Turases family, and the Bailum Consilium. Their route would take them from Shellbay to the Snow Rock Isles, the Southern River Kingdom of Bourilia, Poueir and eventually Kala. There was no expectation that warfare would take place any step of the way, but 8 defensive ships were traveling alongside the elderly general to protect him in case of emergency. Their route would take them right through the battlefield, and while the lieutenants recommended avoiding the conflict altogether, General Turases was intrigued at the sight of a steel vessel and insisted on helping the Kaban.
The battle that ensued took 3 hours as per Augury records. The two wooden pirate ships fell in the first hour as Saltkrigere forces rammed, boarded, and eventually sank the opponent forces. The next two hours saw an intense battle between the steel ship of one hundred pirates and the surrounding 9 wooden ships. Two Saltkrigere ships had their hulls punctured by explosives while the others took extensive action with catapults to puncture the invulnerable hull. After an hour and a half, one more Saltkrigere ship was destroyed, but the steel hull had finally been punctured. As the ship began sinking over 30 minutes, soldiers in the Saltkrigere fleet took notes of the pirate deaths, later describing them in journals. Whether they "turned to slag when ammunition made contact" or " exploded as rocks battered their deck," no survivors remained when the ship sank. The Kaban reportedly cheered in the aftermath and before long General Turases would communicate with Pratiriat, commending the villagers for their survival, and exchanging intel on the pirates.
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