Conquoring the Shadow's

Part of the Southern Crusades, this particular crusade was controversial due to the believed low quality of land and low population. Though many, the Light of Akoom included argued that such things didn't matter and all peoples should be brought into Akoom's grace.

The conflict

Prelude

The shadow plains had sent supplies and aid to the Silent Lake cities in nearly every crusade before this point, bringing the area to the paladin's attention. Not wanting an enemy at their back, no matter how pathetic, plans were made for the crusade.
The plan was to take the Wū Yāo Mén plateau before the end of Sieliah allowing the spring and summer for actually taking and consolidating the land, being finished by Kasdiel and allowing consideration before the darkness settles in. These plans however were leaked to the remaining Shadow Guard by a Sorrol spy.

Deployment

With the rainy season coming to an end, the empire assigned Crusader fists three, five, seven, and eight to Wū Yāo Mén to advance up the steps. The Shadow guard, still trying to gather extra troops brought the last two hundred of their number to the top of the stairs. Quickly advancing down to halfway on the stairs and quickly forming their phalanx.

Battle of the stairs

Realizing the stairs wouldn't even allow a full fist into combat at once commander Garrik sent the more flexible third first to push back the Shadow guard, two paladin, and two auxiliary detachments advanced. The battle properly started when they were around halfway up as fire rained down from the top of the stairs as magic users from the shadow plains arrived to support the guard. This initial engagement lasted only a few minutes as a full detachment of the third was obliterated, sending the rest fleeing back down the steps, the slippery steps killing a few more in the retreat.
This marked the first severe defeat of the Empire since the slave revolts as ten mages pushed back eight hundred soldiers. Things seemed to die down till that night when the sound of the thunderous charge of two Caverly detachments of the fifth stormed up the cliffs. The light spell to shock and awe the guard had the opposite effect as it revealed, at the last second, the wall of spears awaiting the cavalry, causing another rout. Once again the paladins had lost a quarter of their offensive to a smaller force in moments. Among the dead was commander Garrik who had been at the very front, and one to cast the light spell. This continued for days, then weeks, with the third fist slowly losing more and more men.
By the first Suriel, the third fist was down to a few half-strength detachments while the fifth had lost just under one and a quarter detachment, though spread out among all its forces. in comparison, the Shadow guard was down to one hundred men, with all ten mages at the top of the stairs. The guard's plan had worked, news of a militia force marching for their location had arrived, they just needed to hang on, but the news had also reached the paladins demanding the third prepare for another offensive.
On the morning of the second, the guard prepared another phalanx, waiting for the third that had started marching up the stairs. Waiting for the fire to come from above, it never came. the reason became apparent as the sound of metal footsteps came from above, the guards already engaged in the front by the remnants of the third fist. Oathbreaker Grisk, commander of the second fist, tyrant of Sorrol had got to the plateau another way and was now killing the guard's back line. After half an hour, the longest engagement of the battle, Grisk was the only one on the stairs with his second fist marching the rest of the fists up.

Consolidating the plateau

In comparison to the disaster that had been this campaign so far, Grisk quickly established his forward base, routing the relief army as they entered the plateau, strangly he ignored the plan and set up his forward base at the bottom of the pass rather than the top. though it became clear why when he then elected to consolidate the small gain up to this point. Scouting parties were sent out from the fifths remaining Caverly, though no more than a squad of five in any group during the dark months, finding the villages, where militia groups were stationed, defensible points, and any remaining strongholds.
While all this was going on, Grisk brought the fifth back up to strength, and even a temporary village as a supply route on the plateau. By the first sunrise, he was ready to relaunch the crusade and show these villagers the might of Akoom.

The crusade

For the first few days not much seemed to happen, the camp had been found by a militia group abandoned and the lights had ceased to venture through the plains. unfortunately, this changed on the tenth day when two milita groups were attacked. The first was by the fifth, learning what a cavalry charge is actually capable of, the battle being over in minutes, the second saw the second and sixth fists slam into the militia's main forward base, destroying it within an hour.
Over the next two weeks, every milita group was hit by a fist, smashing all resistance in the area. Grisk then turned his attention to the population centers, razing any that resisted, teaching the world the cost of defiance. by early Rapha, the entire region had been subjugated, though Grisk had discovered the Mire.

Aftermath

The area had become part of the empire, and the cost on both sides had dire consequences. The vision of Paladin's indestructibility had been shattered by the battle of the stairs, the western and desert cities now raising armies quickly. Military doctrine within the empire also changed, relying less on brute force to win battles, for the most part.
The shadow plains suffered major depopulation, with many villages that hadn't been destroyed still ending up abandoned within a year as people consolidated into larger communities. This trend would continue with the area never recovering.
The discovery of the Mire led Grisk, to suggest the fifth and ninth fists stay to guard the area, though the need for cavalry led to the creation of an eleventh fist, from detachments of the fifth, second, and seventh. These were reinforced back up to strength, the third never being rebuilt. The presence and efforts of the paladins are believed to slow the spread of the mire down, also leading to Rulfim's shield that halted the undead advance north.
Grisk himself was summoned back to answer for his 'crimes', the fact he never became a Flykir was blamed on the brutality of this crusade.

Did I ask how many women and children? ..... No, I didn't, they resisted us. BURN IT

- Commander Grisk to a Justicar.

Conflict Type

Military Campaign

Battlefield Type

Land

Start Date

17 Sieliah, 31 Devine

Ending Date

16 Rapha, 32 Devine

Conflict Result

The Empire of Akoom was victorious.

Location

Mire of lost souls

Belligerents

Crusader Force (Empire of Akoom)

Free peoples of the Shadow Plains

Strength

Around five full Crusader fists, with the Black flame division joining and taking command after the battle of the steps.

Estimates taken from sources

• Three thousand militia

• Two hundred Shadow guard

• Fifty magic users of various types.

Casualties

The full third crusader fist was lost at the battle of the steps, the fifth being decimated in the same battle. Minimal from all other fists.

Rumoured as total

Objectives

Subjigate the Shadow plains.

Repel that Empire of Akoom