The Second Cobal-Imesse War
Eight years into his reign as High King, Max II was fighting a losing war with Colo. Losing battle after battle, and gaining next to nothing in terms of territory, the High King was faced with growing resentment of his efforts to expand the kingdom northwards, both from his army and the people back home in Imesse.
In an effort to make quick gains at little cost, Max II took the advice of one of his most trusted advisors, the Duke of Hekmo, and mounted an invasion of the fertile river lands across the Manisar River from the Baronies of Wessfall and Wessridge. This invasion was to provide both material and financial resources for the ongoing war with Colo, as well as provide some much-needed victories to bolster the sagging morale of the country as a whole.
With only a few weeks of notice, seven additional levies were raised across the west to provide knights, cavalry and footmen for the invasion. Amongst these levies were many young warriors that would make names for themselves that would affect the Kingdoms right up to the present day. Lomain the Black, Crole Blackbeard, Leland and Landan Ahn, Rob Redman, Malan Lanoth, and Dogar Lann all took up arms in Max II’s call to fight.
Late in the summer of the year 215 after the founding of the kingdom, a force of some 15,000 men crossed the Manisar River near Terrick. Once across the river, this force was divided into two nearly equal bodies. One proceeded west along the shore of the river to Stomar, while the other moved down-river toward Selimar. Thinking his invasion a total surprise, Turl am Nari (the overall commander of this invading army) moved his two forces with reckless haste towards these two fortified Wards of Cobal.
The Ward of Stomar is a populous region in the north of Cobal. The Ward has a large population of Halflings, Humans and Dwarves. There are several busy silver and lead mines, timber mills, and a large number of farms and orchards along the banks of the river. The town of Stomar is walled with a hedge-wall that stands 18’ tall and is 11’ thick. This hedge is nearly 90 years old, and is almost as impregnable as if it were made of stone. There are three gatehouses built into this hedge, each with a pair of wooden and stone towers and stout oak gates. The town’s population was roughly 6,500 people in 215, and another 1,500 lived immediately outside of the town. The town itself had a guard compliment of about 60 halflings and men, and the Sherriff maintained another 30 Constables. In addition to these armed and armored guards, the Ward of Stomar had stationed a Company of Yeoman Archers at Stomar, as part of a scheduled rotation to ensure threats from the far western steppes could not surprise the populous.
As news of the invading army rapidly made its way upstream from its landing site, Stomar readied its defenses. In just half of a day, trenches were dug into the roads leading to the town, additional towers were erected within the hedge wall, and all the gates were closed, secured and reinforced. Thus, when the 8,000 soldiers from Imesse first approached the town, they were greeted with an immediate hail of arrows and sling-stones that took great effect on both men and horses. Hekmo was still miles behind the leading edge of his forces as word reached him that the town of Stomar was not only closed to him, but was already defending itself against his approach. By the end of the first day of the attack on Stomar, Hekmo had lost 35 soldiers and 22 horses.
Selimar was the target of the second force, located down-stream of the landing site. The Ward of Selimar is focused on timber, farming and river traffic. The town is walled with native stone, the wall standing 15’ with 25’ stone towers built every 200’. There are four gates, each with a tower, portcullis and drawbridge. The Sherriff of Selimar got word of the advancing army even sooner than the people of Stomar, so preparations were made and defenses ready well in advance of the army. The town mounted a defensive force of roughly 110 Halflings and men, and was rapidly reinforced with a short Company of Dragoons (300 cavalry). The attacking soldiers made an immediate push for the town, and were easily repelled. After a short respite, they attacked again, and this time they were met with the Dragoons. Imesse suffered a loss of 100 men and 77 horses.
On the following morning, shire folk approached the remaining boats and barges that had carried the attacking force across the river, killed the men left to guard them, and burned them all, effectively trapping the entire invading army in Cobal with no means of escape or resupply.
Over the next month, Hekmo marched his force from its original landing site east towards the Caldar, and then south towards the Minsloth fords. They were forced to avoid walled or defended towns (which would have bogged them down needlessly) and instead sacked and looted as many undefended villages as they could find to keep themselves fed. Along the route south, they were hounded mercilessly by Cobal cavalry and foot, always on the defensive and often in full withdrawl. By the time the force made the fords and began to cross back to Imesse, they had lost more than 5,000 souls, and twice that in horses.
While attempting the escape across the fords at Minsloth, Cobal cavalry repeatedly charged the invaders, who had ringed the ford in a desperate attempt to defend themselves. As the last few groups of soldiers rushed into the waters, the handful of captains remaining to repulse the cavalry were in danger of being left behind entirely and abandoned. In a bold and brilliant move, these captains (led by Lomain) managed to confuse the cavalry commander with a feint and escaped as a group across the ford. They fully expected to be covered in their crossing by soldiers that had already made it across, but Hekmo had (literally) abandoned the fords and continued his run towards Minsloth castle. Lomain finally made it to the castle and confronted Hekmo, challenging him to fight an honor duel. Hekmo accepted, and took the field with Lomain, but was stopped from actually fighting by the Baron of Minsloth.
The Battle at the Fords ended at sunrise on September 10, 215 AF. The war technically continued for another six months, with occassional river battles between Cobalian and Inessian ships fighting on the Caldar River. The war was finally ended officially with the return of the last 18 prisoners taken during the long retreat to the Imessian side of the Caldar on March 10, 216 AF.
The Conflict
Prelude
Imesse was losing a war with Colo, popular opinion was running against the High King, and the economy was in shambles. Turl am Nari thought a fast and easy foray into Cobal's river shires for supplies, cash and some much needed morale was the easiest path.
Deployment
Turl took 15,000 men and horses across the Caldar River from Terrick to the Cobal shores.
Outcome
5,800 dead soldiers and nearly twice that many horses. The actual conflict with Cobal ended within 48 hours of the crossing of the Caldar, and Turl was fundamentally removed from political and military power.
Aftermath
Cobal as a nation, and the river shires on the Manisar and Caldar banks in particular, hold a special hatred for the Duke of Hekmo, and a burning distrust of Imesse as a whole. Nearly an entire generation of the best and brightest nobility in Imesse fought in the conflict, and more than 50% of those men died in Cobal. Every noble house in the Kingdoms suffered loss during the short war, and Imesse has yet to fully recover from the cost.
Included Conflicts
Conflict Type
War
Start Date
August 28, 215
Ending Date
March 10, 216
Conflict Result
Turl am Nari was crushed and forced into a two week-long retreat across most of eastern Cobal.
