Siege of the Ice Fields
The Conflict
Prelude
The Aquimore-Vohai War left the ice fields full of temporary structures, where pirates and bandits able to deal with the shifting ice were able to hide. They began banding in force, attacking traders and military alike, and in doing so cut off Syle from convenient travel routes.
Battlefield
The wide, constantly shifting ice fields between Aquimore and Pheaceton. Icebergs and glacial shelves reaching hundreds of feet into the air, through which naval vessels break through ice sheets and soldiers destroy the structures many of them built years before.
Outcome
Prisons were flooded with the surviving pirates in both Aquimore and Vohai, tangling the courts for nearly 3 years afterward. Trade up to Syle along the routes the icebreakers had run became more common, as did overland travel along the fields.
Historical Significance
Technological Advancement
This siege saw the first use of Icebreakers, massive metal coal-fired ships from Aquimore built to ram and break through the thick ice sheets, carving a path for others to follow.
Included under Conflict
Conflict Type
Siege
Battlefield Type
Naval
Start Date
1595
Ending Date
1596
Location
Belligerents
Strength
40,500 from Aquimore, 13,246 from Vohai
Casualties
1,342 from Aquimore, 5,623 from Vohai
Objectives
Remove pirates from the ice fields, restoring trade through that region
Ice Shelf Pirates
Led by
Strength
5,032
Casualties
4,386
Objectives
Retaining control of the ice fields
Syle
Led by
Strength
593
Casualties
26
Objectives
Remove both pirates and empires from the ice fields, the former through violence, the latter through diplomacy.
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