First Northern War
The Conflict
Prelude
Matar am Ohnni, King of Imesse, had dreamed of making a name for himself as a conqueror and a warrior like his grandfather, King Benn Ohn. Raids and skirmishes along the Colian border had been even less than usual over the previous years of his reign, but after a large cattle raid (that resulted in no deaths) Matar marched an army of 4,000 men and knights to the castle at Lokhom 100 miles north of Northridge.
Deployment
Matar marched at the head of a force consisting of 400 mounted knights, 3,000 men-at-arms and 500 archers. Initial resistance by the Colians consisted of local clansmen, lightly armed and armored and often not even mounted.
Conditions
Matar began the war by marching his force across the frontier early in September, with clear skies and dry conditions. Cool nights without frost made marching over the rough terrain seem easy, and progress was fast.
The Engagement
Resistance to the invasion was very light at first, with fortified farms and villages defending themselves long enough for non-combatants to make their way to safety, then the defenders would withdraw as well. This was the course of the war for the entire fall and early winter. With these seeming successes under his belt, Matar returned his force to Lokhom castle, and waited for the worst of winter to pass. The winter was bitterly cold, but the snowfall was uncommonly light, amounting to less than half of the normal depth of snow the region typically received. Thus, by the middle of March, Matar felt he was safe in marching his force of 4,000 troops back into Colo with the goal of reaching and taking the city of Rotrishold before the start of summer.
The march north was shockingly different than what it had been in December. The small army met a countryside empty of all human life. All farms, villages, towns and strongholds had been abandoned and destroyed... not by the soldiers of Imesse, but seemingly by the Colians themselves. Matar's men were forced to hunt the sparce and half-starved game they found struggling to find food after a long cold winter. Matar's horses suffered on the march, as many as a third of them going lame only 30 miles beyond the frontier.
25 miles south of Rotrishold itself, Matar's army encountered its first armed resistance. In a narrow, shallow valley between two low hills a force of about 200 Colians had felled large spruce trees across the trails and paths the Imessians had been using as roads, and forcing the army to stop its march and clear the road ahead. As a heavy, wet snow began to fall, horns began blowing from the forests on the valley walls and more than 3,000 mounted Colian knights and perhaps 6,000 heavy foot charged down out of the hills and surrounded the tired, cold and foot-sore army of Matar.
The battle was brief. Matar lost perhaps 400 men, all his horse, and was forced to surrender himself to the Ryuri of the Benroty Clan, Gundar Benroty. Matar was chained and brought back to Rotrishold, where he was imprisoned for eight days. After that, he was marched in chains to the center of the city and beheaded by Gundar himself. His body was placed on a cart and given back to the otehr prisoners to be returned to Imesse and buried as they saw fit.
Outcome
After nine months of war, King Matar was surrounded, captured and executed by Gundar Benroty
Historical Significance
Legacy
Matar is still remembered with much disdain, and his utter defeat by the Colians has tainted his legacy forever
Conflict Type
War
Start Date
September, 34 AF
Ending Date
July, 35 AF
Conflict Result
Crushing loss for Imesse
