Ramoran breakout

The Ramoran breakout is a much-studied but questionably-documented engagement that took place in 405 BWR, during the Mast Wars between the Eleven Cities that ring and navigate the Sea of Jars. It is discussed in some detail by two of the main historians of the Mast Wars, Dorymon and Apryan of Chogyos, who agree on the general course of events but offer very different foci when it comes to providing detail.

Course of battle

Agreed-upon facts

It is agreed that late in the autumn of 405 BWR, a flotilla of the navy of Pholyos, tried and failed to attack the harbour of Chogyos. Foiled in this endeavour but not wishing to return home empty-handed for the tempestuous winter, the fleet, under the command of Aromyod of Pholyos, instead attacked the port of Ramoros, using standover tactics to loot the port district.
The Pholyan mariners were interrupted in this pursuit by lookouts alerting them of the immanent arrival of a naval flotilla from Chogyos, who were said to have tacked expertly along the rim of a large autumn storm brewing off the port of Ramoros. Rallied back to their ships by Aromyod, the Pholyan mariners seemed to flee to the north but, as the Chogyan flotilla began to catch up with them, came about and crashed straight through their pursuers. Various Chogyan ships were boarded as the fugitives went on the offensive, and loss of life was apparently considerable; although the Pholyans did not pause to take any prizes they inflicted grave casualties on their pursuers while suffering very few themselves. Some Chogyan ships were apparently sunk in this assault. Breaking clean through the enemy lines, the Pholyans then escaped by tacking into the storm their opponents sought to avoid. Smarting from the assault and unwilling to follow, the Chogyans broke off their pursuit, and at least some of Aromyod's ships made it through the storm and home to Pholyos.

Disputed points

It is not clear how many ships were involved in this battle. Dorymon suggests Aromyod commanded a force of six vessels, while Apryan quantifies his force at "fewer than two hundred men," which would suggest four at the very most. Either number would leave Aromyod conspicuously short-staffed to storm a port the size of Ramoros, leading some subsequent historians to note that neither contemporary account of these events - neither of which come from eyewitnesses - may be wholly accurate. Aromyod may have been engaged in some sort of targeted raid on a specific part of Ramoros's port, though neither historian suggests what this could be.
The seamanship related in these accounts would call for great skill but is broadly plausible. It is also quite possible for a small force of well-commanded ships to run a larger blockade. Apyran argues against this somewhat by insisting that Aromyod led multiple boarding parties during the run, killing many Chogyan mariners; he goes into great detail about Aromyod leading a small force of men over the bowsprit of one Chogyan ship, ruthlessly fighting his way along the length of the vessel killing a dozen of her crew, then leading his boarders over the stern of the ship and back to his own vessel as it completed its penetration of the enemy lines. Dorymon does not mention this but does mention that small parties did board several Chogyan ships "with great loss of life." More than one modern historian has observed that both versions of events - particularly Apryan's - are rather far-fetched and opined that both authors might have some cause to account for the failure of a larger force against the stronger by overstating the aggression and competence of the Pholyan opposition.
The fact that other historians place Aromyod at the Battle of Kozylon Strait over a century later also counts against the credibility of these accounts. The point has been made that Aromyod is less a historical figure and more of a literary personification of the dash, reliability and flexibility with which small Pholyan fleets were able to overcome the larger and notionally better-supplied Chogyan fleets.

Commentary

The Ramoran breakout remains a popular story in the folklore of the Pholyan navy and Sailors on the Sea of Jars generally. Folklorists who study the songs, music and dances of such sailors often find themselves engaging with the story as they search for information about the sea-borne worship of the god Zargyod.

Conflict Type

Battle