The War of the Alpsrift

"It's horrible, I hear they're dying in droves-" "Yasana's son came back last week, I hear they're still trying to talk to him and he won't say anything-" "My uncle's all for moving out of town right near and going to Cada Cratal, we'd all be safer there is what he says-" "I'd stay inside if I were you, they say the Riftbeasts are coming down further and further-" "Unless we win today, we all die."
The War of the Alpsrift was a conflict revolving around a suddenly increased number of Riftbeasts being emitted from the Rift in the Alps.  Many Rider troops joined together to defeat the influx, assisted by all available Spellslinger Coteries and, near the most heated combat, conscripts and volunteers from nearby villages and cities.  The fighting drew on for over a month, making this the longest continuous battle involving Riftbeasts ever fought.

The Conflict

Prelude

The Rider troop assigned to the Alpsrift reported several odd events around it during the weeks before the first outburst, including odd temperatures and winds on otherwise calm days.  These phenomena were regarded as cause for slight concern and another Rider troop was removed from their Rift and sent to the Alpsrift to support the one on duty there.  When they arrived the phenomena seemed to die down, before increasing rapidly again in the final few days.  Additional Riftbeasts were also reported, although not outside the bounds for the Alpsrift's typical activity.

Deployment

The Riftbeasts began appearing on the 6th day of the 5th month 433, "spewing out of the Rift as though some great eldritch being was disgorging a meal" as put by one Rider who was present and survived.  They came through in droves and the Rider troops were quickly overwhelmed, having to retreat back towards the towns below.  Luckily no Riftbeasts chased them and they sent messengers to the town to request assistance.
The next day the troops rode back in, this time assisted by a Spellslinger Coterie that had been brought in with a third Rider troop.  They approached the Rift cautiously, spread across the trail encapsulating the spellslingers within the Riders.  The records show that at this point, even a kilometre out from the Rift, they were met with a dense concentration of Riftbeasts, including what several report as a pack of Rifthorses (debate rages as to whether this was in fact true, as Rifthorses are typically solitary animals).  The group made it about halfway down into the crater where the Rift lies before being forced to retreat due to the sheer amount of Riftbeasts present.  Most were non-malignant this far out, although the rifthorses caused at least one Rider to be injured.
After a week, the troops had swelled to a full 13 Rider troops and 6 spellslinger coteries.  They numbered nearly 200, and it was the largest force of such specialised fighters that Mythia had ever seen.  The towns nearby began preparing defences, each citizen being issued with a sword and a mirror and given instructions to run if they could not fight should the Riftbeasts reach their home.  At this point the first truly organised assault on the Rift began, led by the Rider troop currently on active duty at the Alpsrift.
The Alpsrift troop led five others and 2 spellslinger coteries up a track on the North side of the crater crest, in order to assess the situation.  The climb was hard work and the spellslingers moved slowly to avoid damaging their equipment.  There were few Riftbeasts on this side of the crater and the group encountered little resistance moving onward.  They reached the crater lip and were astounded by what they saw.  One spellslinger wrote - "A seething mass of riftbeasts lay below - I crouched down instinctively to be sure they would not see me.  It seemed as though so many creatures could not occupy the same space - there was a mass of movement, the black of rifthorses and their kin, the deep green of the klaia, all mixed together in one huge group."
The group descended the mountain and reported to the other troops the situation.  It was decided that all would draw up on the same side of the crater to begin their first assault.  Little did they know that they would be unable to leave for nearly another 3 weeks.

Battlefield

The Alpsrift sits in the middle of a crater in the Alps.  This crater was, at the beginning of the first assault, completely full with riftbeasts, with what seemed to be more and more being produced.  The Alpsrift flew in small circles, faster and faster, flashing its blue light on the surroundings.  The Alpine Fires had not yet occurred and so the crater was still surrounded by dense forest.

Conditions

On the first day of the first serious engagement, the skies were clear and a slight natural breeze blew to the East.  The dense forest meant that Riders were unable to maneuver easily, but the cramped nature of the crater made many Riftbeasts easy targets for spellslingers.  The clear skies would continue for most of the engagement, with the occasional dusting of snow.

The Engagement

The forces attacked at noon on the 16th day of the 5th month.  Spellslingers cast area targeting spells at the mass of riftbeasts, inflicting heavy early casualties on their forces.  Rider troops surrounded the crater beating back those creatures that managed to escape the early attacks by the coteries.  The first day seemed to indicate an easy victory for the combined forces of Mythia and morale was good.
The next day, however, the Rift spat out yet more riftbeasts, almost replenishing the population that had been destroyed before.  The forces found themselves hemmed in on many sides and fighting for their lives, defending each other as they took moderate losses.
A similar pattern continued over the next two weeks, neither side gaining a decisive advantage.  Reserves were called up from all over Mythia, and citizens from nearby towns began volunteering.  Invalids and dead were returned where possible but these trips were few and far between, so intense was the fighting.  Carrier pigeons and hawks were enlisted to drop supplies and food to the troops, the first time such a measure was implemented on such a large scale.
Finally, in the last week of the battle the Rift slowed its production of riftbeasts and then finally ceased.  The combined forces, wearied and wounded, fought back the last of the beasts, at which point there is said to have been a great rumble from the Rift, as though of pain and discontent.

Outcome

After news that the Mythian forces had emerged victorious reached surrounding towns and the rest of Mythia, there was a mass influx to the settlements near the Alps as those who had fled their homes in fear of the riftbeasts returned.  There were mass celebrations all over Mythia, and the Queen declared the following week one of festivities and celebrations.
The Mythian forces lost over 300 fighters, mainly those who had volunteered to assist from nearby communities.  This left many families and groups affected and the emotional trauma experienced by them has never been fully acknowledged.

Aftermath

Many who fought in the war of the Alpsrift were maimed or grievously wounded.  Some came back from the battle unable to talk, listen, or see - some with parts of themselves missing, some with terrible burns on their hands and scars on their faces.  Many never spoke of the battle again, either unable to do so or preferring to move on.  Mythia lost many of its Riders and the time to train replacements was extensive, leading to knock-on effects on the riftbeast populations around other Rifts.  For at least another 50 years Mythia no longer had a fully effective Rider or spellslinger base.

Historical Significance

In Literature

Many of those spellslingers who survived the war went on to write texts about their experiences.  These poems and prose pieces are kept in the Mythian archives in The Literature Museum.

Technological Advancement

The war was the first time carrier birds and beasts were used to independently resupply troops in the history of Mythian warfare, and this caused a huge change in military strategy, with nearly all major armed forces investing in programmes to train birds for resupply drops.

Battlefield Type

Land

Start Date

6th day, 5th month, 433

Ending Date

12th day, 6th month, 433

Conflict Result

Mythian victory