The Vandwig Disaster
The Vandwig Disaster was a failed campaign by members of the Empire Nobility in the Roslin and Hagenmyth duchies, with the goal of destroying the Floating Refuge and putting an end to piracy in the River Lionel. The campaign was done without the support of the Legio Imperallis, as the imperial army did not have experience in naval warfare, and the pirates were not deemed important enough to develop it. The end result was a catastrophic defeat for the Imperials, with most of their sailors surrendering and joining the pirates, which would embolden the criminal elements for years to come. The Vandwig family would also be the subject of ridicule, and their fortune would never recover.
After being rejected by the lords of the Grizdenwald Duchy, whose armed caravans were not under threat, Lord Vandwig managed to secure the alliance of Duke Anton Roslin III. The Duke was charmed by his words of a glorious battle, and returning a hero to the Empire, which would bring him riches and alliances, that would help revitalize his duchy and wealth.
At the time, naval sieges had never been done before, and the Legio Imperallis was unable to provide significant assistance to them. At the same time, the Lords did not seek out much more help, thinking that, if a single duchy can take down peasant rebellions and bandit gangs, the resources of two duchies would surely be sufficient to destroy these upstart pirates.
At the same time, Isra Al'Sabin at the Floating Refuge had heard of the preparations being undertaken, and was arming the Caretakers as much as she could. As the rumours of an Imperial attack spread, panic begun to overtake the Pirates, with many crews getting ready to leave and hide out deeper in the Maoratari Duchy to wait out the conflict.
On the Floating Refuge, Isra Al'Sabin was busy making preparations, and stopping the pirates from fleeing. A large argument ensued, which almost turned to blows, but at the end, a group of ten pirate captain decided they would not hunker down with her, and would sail their ships out of the protection of the rocks, and flee the siege before it happened. As they did so, they saw the twenty imperial battleships approaching them. Some of them tried to flee and some chose to attack, but they were all destroyed with minimal damage sustained by the Imperials.
The Imperial battleships however quickly realised that the natural formation of the rocks made them impossible to attack outright. The Floating Refuge was positioned at the center of a large collection of tall rocky formations, and it was impossible to reach it without slowly traversing the narrow passages. At the same time, the rocks themselves were armed with a dozen bunkers, equipped with supplies and cannons, and also connected to the Refuge. The bunkers were too high to be hit by close ship cannon fire, but could shoot at ships at a distance, and throw boulders onto ships that got too close. The siege therefore was established, with the battleships forming a circle around the Refuge, occasionally engaging the bunkers in long-range cannon fights, and the smaller logistics ships would clear the surrounding area, and bring supplies for the crews, and large number of guards and sailors that were expected to storm the Refuge once the siege ended.
Image Credit: mullenkamp
The question of how the messages were being transferred over the blockade would be answered too late, as it was uncovered that the Sundered Bones had fleshcrafted fish and seabirds to be able to carry messages. This, in addition with many mages of the Sundered Bones launching devastating spells from the bunkers, was a very important contribution, and a big reason why the Sundered Bones would be tolerated on the Floating Refuge for years to come.
Leading the raiding pirates was an upstart pirate captain who would make a name for himself as Thousand Faced Jack. Jack and many other pirate captains did significant damage to the Imperial logistics, and while they were not able to completely cut them off, the damage they did was more than enough. In order to capture and kill so many pirates, the Lords had mustered a two thousand guards, and even more sailors to crew the ships, and all those stomachs were beginning to rumble.
As the imperial battleships and logistics ships approached, they were bombarded by the armed bunkers. The deafening sound of cannon fire could be heard everywhere, and gave the signal to the pirates to sully out on their ships, that were protected inside the rocky formations. The battle was brutal, as ships crashed onto one-another, and fierce close-quarters battles were had. However, the imperials, after months of low supplies, who were expecting an easy victory, and were not ready for such fighting, surrendered in masse. The pirates were under orders from Isra Al'Sabin to allow anyone who surrendered to join them at the Floating Refuge and bolster their ranks.
As this happened inside the rocks, on the outside many ships decided to dissobey orders and desert. However, they did not know that there were a number of independent pirate ships and Maoratari Duchy ships, which were waiting for just such a break to happen, and were eager to gain captives, loot and supplies. It is said the Thousand Faced Jack himself infiltrated one of the battleships, and convinced them to flee towards his ship, capturing them, and taking the battleship as his own, which is now called the Dread Sovereign.
Isra Al'Sabin, had proved herself to be a great leader, and established herself as the ruler of the Floating Refuge, and head of the Caretakers, whose dominance was now undisputed. She also showcased her cunning, tactical acumen, and deep connections with many important figures in the Empire, traits that would be invaluable in her future.
The Floating Refuge would become a well-known safe haven for pirates and outlaws, and as the years passed, would become even larger than before, and house representatives of many large criminal organizations such as the Sundered Bones and Mr Key's Associates.
Frederic Vandwig was captured and hanged, his body placed at the top of the remnants of his personal ship, that crashed on the entrance to the rocky paths, as a reminded to all who approached, of what had been accomplished here by the pirates.
Prelude
Over the past few years, Lord Frederic Vandwig had noticed that his mid-sized merchant fleet returned less and less profits, and more ships were being attacked by pirates. He was a driven and stubborn man, and with his family facing financial troubles, he could not afford to pay the costs of piracy. After a fiery speech at the capitol of the Hagenmyth Duchy, he managed to secure the support of the local Duke, but it would not be enough.After being rejected by the lords of the Grizdenwald Duchy, whose armed caravans were not under threat, Lord Vandwig managed to secure the alliance of Duke Anton Roslin III. The Duke was charmed by his words of a glorious battle, and returning a hero to the Empire, which would bring him riches and alliances, that would help revitalize his duchy and wealth.
At the time, naval sieges had never been done before, and the Legio Imperallis was unable to provide significant assistance to them. At the same time, the Lords did not seek out much more help, thinking that, if a single duchy can take down peasant rebellions and bandit gangs, the resources of two duchies would surely be sufficient to destroy these upstart pirates.
At the same time, Isra Al'Sabin at the Floating Refuge had heard of the preparations being undertaken, and was arming the Caretakers as much as she could. As the rumours of an Imperial attack spread, panic begun to overtake the Pirates, with many crews getting ready to leave and hide out deeper in the Maoratari Duchy to wait out the conflict.
Deployment
After learning that the pirates were planning on leaving, Lord Vandwig decided they should cut preparations short, and sail out to encircle the Refuge quickly, so that they could catch out all of them. Ships were quickly bought and leased by merchants to serve as logistical support, and twenty battleships were bought from the Legio Imperalis. Each of the two nobles had their own private ship, which they took with them as the flagships of the armada. The direct leadership of the naval force by the nobles was later deemed by the Legio to be a critical factor in the devastating losses sustained.On the Floating Refuge, Isra Al'Sabin was busy making preparations, and stopping the pirates from fleeing. A large argument ensued, which almost turned to blows, but at the end, a group of ten pirate captain decided they would not hunker down with her, and would sail their ships out of the protection of the rocks, and flee the siege before it happened. As they did so, they saw the twenty imperial battleships approaching them. Some of them tried to flee and some chose to attack, but they were all destroyed with minimal damage sustained by the Imperials.
The Imperial battleships however quickly realised that the natural formation of the rocks made them impossible to attack outright. The Floating Refuge was positioned at the center of a large collection of tall rocky formations, and it was impossible to reach it without slowly traversing the narrow passages. At the same time, the rocks themselves were armed with a dozen bunkers, equipped with supplies and cannons, and also connected to the Refuge. The bunkers were too high to be hit by close ship cannon fire, but could shoot at ships at a distance, and throw boulders onto ships that got too close. The siege therefore was established, with the battleships forming a circle around the Refuge, occasionally engaging the bunkers in long-range cannon fights, and the smaller logistics ships would clear the surrounding area, and bring supplies for the crews, and large number of guards and sailors that were expected to storm the Refuge once the siege ended.
Siege
After the first weeks passed, and the pirates supplies begun to drain, an imperial victory seemed like a foregone conclusion, and it is said by the survivors that Frederic Vandwig and Duke Anton Roslin III were feasting together and toasting their victory. The tide however begun to turn, as reports started to come un, of the logistics ships being attacked and destroyed by pirates. It appeared, that not all pirates of the Lionel were on the Refuge, and many had been promised money and favours by the Caretakers if they attacked the logistics ships.The question of how the messages were being transferred over the blockade would be answered too late, as it was uncovered that the Sundered Bones had fleshcrafted fish and seabirds to be able to carry messages. This, in addition with many mages of the Sundered Bones launching devastating spells from the bunkers, was a very important contribution, and a big reason why the Sundered Bones would be tolerated on the Floating Refuge for years to come.
Leading the raiding pirates was an upstart pirate captain who would make a name for himself as Thousand Faced Jack. Jack and many other pirate captains did significant damage to the Imperial logistics, and while they were not able to completely cut them off, the damage they did was more than enough. In order to capture and kill so many pirates, the Lords had mustered a two thousand guards, and even more sailors to crew the ships, and all those stomachs were beginning to rumble.
Break
As the months passed with diminishing supplies, imperial moral begun reaching a breaking point, with many officers asking the nobles to break the siege and return home. Unable to see a way out, and with so much of his family fortune tied into the campaign, Lord Vandwig decided to launch an all out attack, and try to storm the Refuge. After ordering the ships to attack, the Duke decided that their campaign was a disaster, and there was a loud argument on deck between the two men. At the end, the Duke took his personal ship and returned to Montbrin in shame.As the imperial battleships and logistics ships approached, they were bombarded by the armed bunkers. The deafening sound of cannon fire could be heard everywhere, and gave the signal to the pirates to sully out on their ships, that were protected inside the rocky formations. The battle was brutal, as ships crashed onto one-another, and fierce close-quarters battles were had. However, the imperials, after months of low supplies, who were expecting an easy victory, and were not ready for such fighting, surrendered in masse. The pirates were under orders from Isra Al'Sabin to allow anyone who surrendered to join them at the Floating Refuge and bolster their ranks.
As this happened inside the rocks, on the outside many ships decided to dissobey orders and desert. However, they did not know that there were a number of independent pirate ships and Maoratari Duchy ships, which were waiting for just such a break to happen, and were eager to gain captives, loot and supplies. It is said the Thousand Faced Jack himself infiltrated one of the battleships, and convinced them to flee towards his ship, capturing them, and taking the battleship as his own, which is now called the Dread Sovereign.
Aftermath
Very few ships managed to leave the assault intact, one of whom being the personal ship of Duke Anton Roslin III, as it was very fast and heavily armed. Most ships however were caught or destroyed, and their crews would go on to abandon the Empire and join up with the crews of different pirates or form their own. By the end of the conflict, there were more pirates in the Lionel than before, and they became emboldened by their victory.Isra Al'Sabin, had proved herself to be a great leader, and established herself as the ruler of the Floating Refuge, and head of the Caretakers, whose dominance was now undisputed. She also showcased her cunning, tactical acumen, and deep connections with many important figures in the Empire, traits that would be invaluable in her future.
The Floating Refuge would become a well-known safe haven for pirates and outlaws, and as the years passed, would become even larger than before, and house representatives of many large criminal organizations such as the Sundered Bones and Mr Key's Associates.
Frederic Vandwig was captured and hanged, his body placed at the top of the remnants of his personal ship, that crashed on the entrance to the rocky paths, as a reminded to all who approached, of what had been accomplished here by the pirates.
Header Image Credit: Riot Games
Conflict Type
Military Campaign
Battlefield Type
Naval
Start Date
511
Ending Date
512
Conflict Result
Total Imperial Defeat
Location
Belligerents
Imperial Forces
Led by
Strength
20 battleships
2 noble personal ships
60 logistics/merchant ships
2000 Guards
2700 Sailors
2 noble personal ships
60 logistics/merchant ships
2000 Guards
2700 Sailors
12 armed bunkers
40 pirate ships (approx.)
5000 pirates (approx.)
40 pirate ships (approx.)
5000 pirates (approx.)
Casualties
20 battleships
1 noble personal ship
49 logistics/merchant ships
1800 Guards
2400 Sailors(approx)
1 noble personal ship
49 logistics/merchant ships
1800 Guards
2400 Sailors(approx)
5 armed bunkers
10 pirate ships (approx.)
1500 pirates (approx.) mostly of desease and starvation
10 pirate ships (approx.)
1500 pirates (approx.) mostly of desease and starvation
Objectives
Pacify the Pirates and destroy the Floating Refuge.
Break the Siege and defeat the Imperial attackers
Maps
-
River Lionel
