Atlas Elyden #139 - the War of Sundering Text (Patron exclusive) (Patreon)

As promised in my last post, here is a play-by-play of the major events of the War of Sundering. the image is an abridged 2-page spread intended to follow the War of Sundering map in the Atlas Elyden, and the full text had to be condensed, omitting some detail.

Unfortunately, there was not enough room on the page to list the events in numerical (chronological) order, so the numbers corresponding with the numbers on the map are added to the text as superscripts.

Below is the complete text, numbered for clarity, exclusive to patrons. I hope you enjoy! Also, as always, feel free to point out any mistakes!

Info on the Korachani Calendar can be found here.

3703 RM

1.     A Korachani delegation investigates reports of militarisation in the south of Nárthel and within its own borders. It tries to tighten the leash on Venthir on the 11th of Cykranalen, which is clearly mobilising for a war. This results in Venthir declaring war on Sarastro as a display of strength.

2.     Venthir enters into an agreement with Saloroc, allowing it to use its territories as its own, and it begins moving its armies there, which begin marching into Sarastro between the 16th and 25th of Livialen.

3.     Venthiri armies lay siege to Shahal on the 18th Livialen, marking the true start of the conflict that becomes known as the VENTHIRI/SARASTROAN WAR.

4.     Beginning on the 9th Rachalen the Venthiri siege to Idadal drags on for 5-months and is broken on the 28th Nihavalen by Sarastroan reinforcements and Mulcibian mercenaries, causing the Venthiri armies to withdraw. The eastern border is fortified and troops patrol the Neyshabur desert for enemy activity throughout the remainder of the war. Skirmishes are not uncommon but the inimical climate of the region means little progress is made in the region for months.

5.     Serapi mercenaries working for Sarastro sneak into Tarati, where they attack military industrial centres, razing them. Venthiri forces counter them, but the serapi are able to outmanoeuvre the defenders, moving from target-to-target sowing discord. They sabotage a bastion on the 28th Rachalen, damaging vital telegraphy wires, disrupting Venthiri leadership for months but are driven into the desert after this, where they disperse.

6.     Venthir lays siege to Baesha on the 14th Rachalen following weeks of bombardment, and infantry, shaper corps, and golem shock troops are sent in. The attackers get drawn into bloody city fighting that goes on for seven months, with victories measured in buildings and streets gained and lost. The siege is lifted on the 13th Haelen with elite Sarastroan shapers liberating it after a few weeks of action, pushing Venthiri forces to the north, where they are slaughtered by artillery fire, allowing Ionic troops to move in and fortify the remains.

7.     After 2-months of fighting Venthiri and Sarastroan armies reach a stalemate in the Shamas Shugal on the 3rd Murdad, and the entire region from lake Saragon in the west, to the Jaela Mountains in the east see many battles take place over the next year. This theatre sees fighting throughout the war, and becomes known as the NORTHERN SARASTROAN CAMPAIGN.

The Battle of Karafr takes place on the 12th - 13th Malichalen, 3704, just 160-miles north of Argea. It is the first major mechanised engagement of the conflict, with tanks being used extensively in the conflict, leaving the area east of Karafr a wasteland. The battle is indecisive and leaves most of the Shamas Shugal region hotly contested until the end of the war.

After well over a year of fighting, Venthiri forces are finally able to clear a corridor in the Shamas Shugal on the 13th Cykranalen 3705. They capture Karafr a few weeks later, on the Equinox Day, allowing their forces to move south towards Argea.

8.     Venthiri strike teams known as Jackals move across the Jaela moutnains between the 3rd - 15th Murdad – their goal to capturing or disrupting gold production in the region of Hagaat. They carry out raids on quarries and supply lines, stealing gold where they can. They take and destroy the mines of Nut on the 25th Murdad, killing hundreds of workers. The Jackals head towards Argea to reconnoitre and carry out minor acts of sabotage and espionage while allied forces reach them. They are caught by Sarastroan Monitors on the 11th Ashtalen. They are tortured, but reveal little before being executed. Only one, a shaper, avoids detection and remains in the Argea as a sleeper.

9.     Imartham becomes a military base and home to Sarastroan shapers who scry on Venthiri lands from afar. On the 21st Korahalen they learn that Halira is being used as a headquarters for Venthiri forces. By the  30th of the same month Sarastroan infiltrators have made their across way the Koror Mountains to study the city, sabotaging it where possible.

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10.   The Conclave of Khadon ratifies the schism of the Church of the Undying Machine on the 21st Algolen, leading to appearance of the Reformed Church of Sarastro, based in Argea. There is major unrest in Korachani cities as people protest the appearance of the heretical religion. Starting on the 7th Cykranalen churches of the Undying Machine across Sarastro became targets of the new religion, with the conflict escalating in a church in Faravar, where people were killed, leading to fighting in the streets. Such instances escalate over the months.

11.   After months of planning, Ba’akh (a vassal of Sarastro since the Sanction of 3103) declares its freedom amid the chaos of war and begins ejecting Sarastroan politicians from its cities on the 5th Livialen, beginning the BA’AKHI WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. Sarastroan ships cross the Daarken Gulf and arrive in Ba’akh over the next few weeks to blockade its ports and disgorge troops to regain control.

So far unable to interject in the Venthiri/Sarastroan war due to its various treaties with them, Korachan also orders its forces into Ba’akh to curtail the uprising and transport ships begin arriving between the 18th – 25th Livialen  - Korachani transport ships arrive in Ba’akh, with their own troops, who ally with Sarastroan forces to bring control to Ba’akh. Its ships blockade the north of the nation, which brings them very close to Sarastroan vessels.

By the 26th of Nihavalen Ionic armies (under the supreme leadership of Sarastro) sweep across Ba’akh, fending off occasional Korachani attacks in the north. They raze, pillage and loot, taking prisoners, in what becomes known as the Rape of Ba'akh. The Ba’akhi government stubbornly orders its people to continue fighting, though the mood amongst the common people has soured over the past months and independence is the last thing most people want.

Ba’akhi leaders are finally deposed on the 6th Satavalen and are replaced with Sarastroan sympathisers. Envoys of the new government speak to Sarastroan leaders to begin the peace talks, knowing that vassalage will likely follow. Sarastro accepts the terms on the 13th and begins rebuilding its fortifications. The state has suffered greatly, fighting both Korachan and Sarastro for months, and has been reduced to a ruin with little in the way of resources. It is used as a staging ground and a means of controlling the Daarken Gulf throughout the rest of the war. This ends the BA’AKHI WAR OF INDEPENDENCE.

12.   Ba’akhi forces commandeer a Korachani ship without raising the alarm on the 8th Rachalen. This leads to an exchange in which both sides think the other is the aggressor, ending with the sinking of many ships and hundreds dead on both sides. This brings Korachan into direct conflict with Sarastro, officially starting the WAR OF SUNDERING, making Ba’akh an enemy of both states. The next days are a diplomatic nightmare as relations across the Inner Sea region break down.

13.   Korachani ships move deeper into the Daarken Gulf and the seas of Sûn, and Tiama, beginning a blockade of coastal cities in Sarastro, Io, and Ba’akh between the 10th – 12th Rachalen.

14.   Lidea declares its allegiance with Sarastro on the 11th Rachalen, greatly increasing its reach, giving it access to more ships with which it begins to harass imperial ports and convoys, including Narachan, Bachan and Cypria, amongst others.

15.   Governors and diplomats from across the empire gather in Khadon on the 13th - 15th Rachalen for an assembly where they debate unfolding events, causing more harm than good. Despite the discord, The Council of Seven expects all vassals and dependencies to support Korachan during the war but many instead tarry their declaration.

Its northern dependencies (Azazem, Laaskha, Skaros, Pelasgos, Vârr, and Rhamia) all offer their support, as do Vaaltha and Mharokk to the south. Lidea has already declared its loyalty to Sarastro, and Io is effectively  a Sarastroan territory already, with Saloroc granting its armies free passage of its territories effectively making it an ally. Paraiya, believing itself to be far from the conflict, abstains, risking the retribution of their parent state. Surprisingly, Venthir reforges its ties with Korachan, and the two remain uneasy allies for the duration of the war.

The vassal states of Azazem, Laaskha, and Vaaltha unite under the Treaty of Baayn on the 18th Rachalen, in which the form a mutual defence treaty that solidifies their loyalty towards the empire, together they appoint Olymarius Farġia as supreme general of their armies.

16.   THE BATTLE OF THE RED CLIFFS take place on the 18th - 19th Rachalen. Korachani ships sail up to the mouth of the river Shibboleth and begin attacking fort Commos. This escalates overnight into a dramatic naval engagement that eventually sees the Korachani fleet scattered, forced to withdraw, moving east to join other Korachani ships in the attack of Lidea. Sarastro strengthens its defences in the area, putting pressure on Mharokk, which is still effectively a loyal Korachani vassal.

Korachani troops begin landing in north western Lidea on the 21st Rachalen whilst bombarding the coast. Many assailants die but enough survive to secure the beach, and they capture the city of Kliban on the 23rd. This allows Korachan to form a beachhead, and scouts begin moving south towards Cathago to reconnoitre. The waters north of Kliban become a hotbed of naval conflict.

17.   The people of Karakhas learn of the WAR OF SUNDERING, which stokes the flames of unrest, leading to growing chaos and conflict across the nation. The manufactory of Tanat is destroyed on the 18th Nihavalen  3704 as unrest reaches peak levels. By Nihavalen the next year the capital, Dekana, has effectively descended into anarchy, with fighting in the streets and government buildings. Korachan, by now deeply embroiled in the war in the Arid Triptych, is unable to counter the speedy guerilla attacks against it and rapidly loses its grip on the city and surrounding regions.

18.   Lidean land forces begin harassing their neighbours from the 5th Murdad, including Paraiya to the south, and Mharokk to the west, though the majority of its forces march towards Ba’akh to support Sarastroan troops there, crossing the border on the 2nd Korahalen. As the need for labourers and slaves increases, Lidean forces begin launching slave raids against the Lacer Enclaves in the Shibotha and Enraton Mountains to the east of Lidea. The enclaves are almost wiped out during this time and hundreds of lacer are taken and put to work in industries around Sarastroan territories.

19.   The Siege of Maleth begins on the 17th Murdad. Lidean ships blockade the island of Maleth and bombard its fortifications. The siege is finally lifted on the 8th Nihavalen 3705, just a month before Sarastro gains its independence. 

20.   The Solstice Battle takes place about 400-miles off the western coast of the Korachani peninsula between imperial ships and an alliance of Sarastroan and Lidean ships. The conflict is ultimately won by Sarastroan forces on the 2nd Solstice Day, though the both sides navies are left crippled, slowing movement across the Inner Sea.

21.   Archbishop Magnus Emulkhil Ducas, one of the Council of Seven, is assassinated in Khadon on the 16th Korahalen. It is blamed on the Sarastroan Orthodoxy (though the Paternova are actually responsible). The ends any chance of diplomacy between Korachan and Sarastro. 17th - The Council of Seven convenes the next day, agreeing to conscript more forces to launch an invasion of Sarastro. Soon after this, the League of Patricians submits a vote of no confidence its leadership, throwing it into chaos. The shockwaves of this vote reach the Council of Seven, and becomes known as the Arkhaten Rebellion.

22.   The Grand Armoury of Tarkush in Azazem is destroyed on the 4th Ashtalen. It remains unknown if this was an accident or the result of enemy sabotage. The explosion leaves half the city destroyed and hundreds dead, and it severely cripples Korachani weapons production during the war.

23.   Korachani forces begin a concerted attack on dissident lands around Daarken Gulf on the 7th Ashtalen, in a conflict that becomes known as the SIEGE OF DAARKEN. The conflict sees many naval battles and blockades taking place, and various coastal cities are attacked, including the Sarastroan stronghold of Morulaurgo. The attacks are largely successful in bringing disorder to the region, forcing Sarastro to divide its resources, taking its attention away from the VENTHIRI/SARASTROAN WAR in the north and its ultimate goal - Argea. By the 25th Nihavalen, disease had begun to spread across Morulaurgo.

24.   Korachani troops begin landing on Sarastroan soil on the 14th Nihavalen. Nemeziah, a key strategic point in the north of Sarastro, is besieged on the 17th Nihavalen. It is caught between Venthiri forces in the north and Korachani forces in the south, and falls three months later on the 22nd Akoralen, after which it is razed.

25.   A large naval battle takes place off the coast of the Shattered Peninsula, in the Daarken Gulf on the 30th Nihavalen, which sees Sarastroan and Lidean forces beat the Korachani fleet in the Daarken Gulf. The conflict later becomes known as the Battle of the Shattered Peninsula and it is the second major naval loss for Korachan, whose arrogance at sea has cost it dearly. Imperial ships are driven out of the Daarken Gulf, hampering their ground troops in the region, who lose their support and access to reinforcements.

26.   The government of Anakarra (capital of Vaaltha) is seduced (possibly enthralled by shapers) by Sarastroan diplomats and declares the nation of Vaaltha a Sarastroan stronghold on the 9th Satavalen. This becomes known as the Fall of Anakarra. Most other major cities of Vaaltha refute this, and the nation descends into a civil war, though some other northern cities eventually side with Sarastro (Kanesh alone remains loyal to Korachan, and its ports become a vital link between the empire and the vassal state).

27.   Ships from Sarastroan Vaaltha begin a blockade of imperial Vaalthan cities around 14th - 23rd, with most ships focusing on Kanesh, which is one of the major Vaalthan ports in the north to remain loyal to Korachan. The cities are bombarded and their ports blockaded, signalling the first major conflicts of the civil war. Sarastroan ships are unable to move south into the Sea of For as the Strait of Cykranosh is blockaded by Korachani ships, so instead they begin a siege of the great fortress of Nal Sara. Imperial Vaalkan ships do what they can against the blockades as they await reinforcements from Korachan.

These acts mark the beginning of the VAALTHAN WAR, which lasts until the end of the WAR OF SUNDERING.

Korachani ships begin arriving in Vaaltha on the 23rd Satavalen to aid against the blockades. Major naval engagements take place around the cities of Kanesh, Assora, and Udsser. They drop land troops on the north east of the Vaalthan Peninsula where they engage with traitor forces defending the umbra fields of Larshen and Havak. Other troops make landfall, in the hopes of securing Anakarra, but its position is too well-defended and the attacks fail.

Fort Nal Sara is destroyed on the 27th Satavalen, allowing Sarastroan ships to move south, but they are pursued by Korachani, who effectively trap them, with ships from Egora, and Ember reinforcing them. This leads to the effective destruction of Sarastroan ships in the area. Pirates from Derkaz take advantage of the war, opportunistically attacking ships from both sides. Jurrasi ships based in Cykranosh interfere with Korachani movements, aiding Sarastro, but they refuse to fire, lest they too become embroiled in the war.

The umbra fields of Larshen and Havak are secured by Anakarran armies on the 2nd - 11th Haelen on behalf of Sarastro and fortified.

Imperial Vaalthan cities, including Tahil, Menorah, and Egora, amass their own forces, protecting their ports and borders, marching north with what they can to oppose Anakarra and its forces. They muster around Menorah on the 15th and march north to Larshen and Havak, though are unable to shift Sarastroan forces there, leading to months of prolonged fighting with little gained by either side.

The Vaalthan Invasion begins on the 14th Malichalen 3705. Following months of preparations, hundreds of thousands of Korachani troops sail south across the Inner Sea to land at strategic points in Vaaltha, to retake the sundered state.

28.   The Mharokkin city of Saffa defects to Sarastro, whose troops begin landing across the Bay of Nuthen, giving Sarastro another entry into Mharokk.

29.   Tentative attempts at diplomacy between Sarastro and Korachan begin on the 28th Satavalen in the neutral territory of Ketesh. The Most Humble Order of Ketesh thwarts a planned act of terrorism that intended on killing the diplomats in a bomb blast. Despite the attack being stopped the talks break down.

30.   In Karakhas, the atramental research facility of Noamarach is attacked by Sarastroan-funded Karakhasid dissidents on the 27th Satavalen and it is severely damaged, limiting Korachani production of Atramental bombs for the rest of the war.

The Serkan Massacre takes place in the city of Serkan on the 17th Malichalen 3705 in Karakhas. It leaves the entirety of the city’s governing office slaughtered, destabilising the region.

31.   Lidean artillery batters the Natjal Lines between 8th - 10th Malichalen, signalling the start of the MHAROKKIN CAMPAIGN. Tens of thousands of troops swarm across the river into Mharokk after this. Lidean forces bombard the city of Enuk from across the river Shibboleth on the 15th. Mharokk follows suit with its own artillery.

Arkhimydes Belin, a prominent Lidean general and acolyte of Sathep the Risen, dies on the 18th Malichalen 3705 from wounds sustained by cannon shrapnel three days earlier in Enuk. His death throws the Lidean army into disarray as his lieutenants quarrel over who should replace him. It takes the intervention of the Lichking Sathep himself, who appoints the Sarastroan Achaxce Bennalab, a member of his Overcouncil, as his replacement. She is disliked by many Lidean generals but proves herself over the coming months.

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32.   The Battle for Takuh takes place on the 17th - 28th Algolen following months of escalating conflicts in the south east of Mharokk, an invasion fleet from Lidea crosses the Shibboleth, leading to over a week of intense fighting around the metropolis of Takuh, which is taken by Lidean forces on the 16th. The city of Kenearth is taken on the 28th. Together, these conquests allow Lidean forces to form a beachhead from which later incursions are launched.

Confident from the victory. The Lidean forces continue moving east, eventually taking the city of Dassk on the 5th Cykranalen. It is the westernmost major conquest of Lidean forces during the entire war. General Kiletbashar Melek is assassinated during a military rally on the day after the victory in Daask. His assassin is never located and the death throws the Lidean military in the region into disarray for some time.

Lidean forces move against the atelier city of Eberuk on the 14th Cykranalen, where legionnaires and other vat-born creatures are incepted. The site is of high strategic importance, so the use of artillery is precluded. Instead, shaper corps are used to neutralise military targets before infantry detachments move in to secure the city, though no side is able to gain the upper hand. Lidean forces finally take it on the 8th Livialen, expelling imperial resistance and instating their own fleshwrights and cloners, who take over the running of its manufactories for the Sarastroan war effort. This hampers Korachani military output in Sammaea, though they are in turn able to retake the city on the 5th Nihavalen, around a month before the end of the war.

Kenearth is retaken by Mharokkin troops on the 10th Livialen, though the city has been largely destroyed by this time. Makeshift fortifications are quickly built around it to ensure it doesn’t fall again. However, much of Natjal Plains remains contested between Mharokkin and Lidean forces.

The Battle of Natjal begins on the 27th Livialen. The Sarastroan defence is centred around its last remaining stronghold in the region, Takuh. The Imperial 3rd Steel Legion, Tarragon banner, performs admirably, pushing Sarastroan forces east to the mouth of the river Shibboleth while taking minimal casualties. The actions of the clone legionnaires are instrumental in deciding the conflict, which ends on the 30th with their storming of the governor's hall and the expulsion of the last Lidean forces, which flee across the river or are captured and put to work as slaves rebuilding the captured city. This ends any major Lidean occupation of Mharokkin territories.

Fort Garakk is destroyed by an alliance of Mharokkin and Korachani shaper corps on the 23rd Korahalen, following massed bombardment from Tahuk, curtailing months of Lidean incursions across the Shibboleth. This helps to secure the southern Mharokkin border, effectively ending the Mharokkin campaign.

Eberuk is retaken by Lidean and Korachani forces on the 5th Nihavalen, further securing eastern Mharokk.

33.   The Siege of Tahmal. Imperial forces surround the city of Tahmal in Sarastro, with Venthiri artillery in the north, and Korachani troops in the south. A great battle takes place in which the south of the city is breached. Sarastroan reinforcements, in the form of fire lizard riders, relieve the city, allowing an elite shaper corps to stem the advance of imperial forces, though the city and its surrounding lands become mired in a conflict that drags on for many months. Three Korachani Steel Legions, totalling around 600 legionnaires, attack Tahmal on the 22nd Murdad, entering its streets and reinforcing troops that have been mired in bloody conflict there for months. Their actions begin to turn the tide, though they too become mired in brutal city fighting.

On the 2nd Solstice Day a group of tarragon riders come upon the rear of an Imperial army camped some miles outside Tahmal. They surprise the forces camped there and cut through them, taking dozens as prisoners, who provide information on the Imperial Army’s movements. The leader of the tarragon troops, Erikhin Garakhamman cuts a swathe through Korachani supply lines and camps between the 1st - 7th Korahalen, ending at Tahmal, where he leads an attack that clears it of imperial Legionnaires, allowing Sarastroan forces to enter. Following two days of desperate fighting, Korachani forces, finally claim the city as their own on the 9th and the last of its Sarastroan forces camped there are killed, captured, or flee east.

Imperial troops move east on the 10th, meeting Sarastroan forces in the ruins of Nabassar on the 13th. Their tanks prove decisive there, though more than half are lost with the rest severely damaged. Using Nabassar as a staging post, imperial armies (including the remnants of their tanks, oghur shock troops, shaper corps, conscripts, slave troops, religious fanatics, mercenaries, and more) continue to move south east. Many stop at Solonia on the 15th, where they initiate a siege that lasts almost a month, ending in a contested imperial victory, allowing them to march deeper into Sarastroan territories. This is a major victory, and plans are finalised to march onto Argea with an allied force of Venthir troops, which were recently able to clear a path through the Shamas Shugal, as well as Mulcibian mercenaries, that have been hiding in Sarastro since their earlier engagements.  

34.   The champion Dazakur rallies the disillusioned and forgotten people of western Mharokk, leading to the surrounding lands splintering to form the state of Allasan. This disrupts Korachani travel in the region, including the Shadow March, which suffers during this time.

35.   The Siege of Fort Nikan. Sarastroan forces attack the fortress of Nikan, drawn by rumours of a godstone being held there. They take the fortress on the 21st Livialen, making it the first major territory taken by Sarastroan forces in Mharokk.

Sathep begins researching a ritual(41) he believes will end the war with the aid of the godstone.

36.   One of The Seven, Akengoron Gabra, believes he can turn the tide of battle. He commissioned a bespoke warship in Murdad 3704 which is finally finished on the 22nd Livialen. He begins recruiting a small force of loyal retainers, mercenaries, and fanatics, intent on sailing for Anakarra, and the process is completed on the 30th. Hi arrives at the Anakarran blockade on the 3rd Rachalen and learns of the situation, ordering a grand attack on the enemy-held capital on the 9th Rachalen, though a surprise force of White Legionnaires in the employ of Sarastro begins landing in various locations along the south eastern coast of Vaaltha, including the far west of Mharokk (which had recently formed the state of Allasan), beginning a new siege of the nation, ultimately costing Korachani forces the attack on Anakarra. He died during the attack and is remembered to this day in Anakarra as a liberator. Dissident Vaalthan troops and White Legion mercenaries begin a siege of Egora, on the 11th Rachalen. It is finally taken by Sarastro on the 29th Murdad.

37.   A handful of small elite Lidean teams penetrate deep into southern Mharokkin territories on the 2nd Rachalen, targeting the Grand Atelier - the empire’s largest and most advanced birthing atelier, used to incept most of its clone troopers and umbran beasts. Vicious fighting breaks out outside the facility, with the defenders using their own creatures to sow discord amongst the Lidean forces.

When it becomes clear that the defence will fail, the remaining forces, including a squadron of steel legionnaires, make the difficult choice to destroy the facility and all its birthing vats to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. On the 1st Solstice Day celebration, Raishazar Melqart thwarts an assassination attempt during a military parade in Argea, executing the assailant before a crowd. The act improves morale amid growing famine. The war in Paraiya continues to be an important source of food in Sarastro.

38.   Driven by increasing starvation, Lidean and Sarastroan forces begin moving south across the river Shibboleth into Paraiya on the 7th Rachalen, beginning the Shibboleth Campaign. Fighting rages on in flood plains, fields, and plantations, with scattered groups fighting over fortified farmsteads. Granaries and other stores of food are priority targets and anything found is sent back to Sarastro to alleviate starvation. The city of Louara is taken by Lidean and Sarastroan forces on the 22nd, becoming the main base for their incursions in Paraiya over the next months, though it is later retaken by imperial forces on the 11th Ashtalen. It is fortified, allowing people of the Runic Tribes to pick off Lidean Forces, bringing a degree of safety to the region. What little food and resources Sarastro was able to take east to its beleaguered cities and troops is nowhere near enough, and people are growing desperate.

By the 16th Ashtalen people across Sarastro are starving, causing the defence of Argea(40) to falter. By the 18th there are riots in the cities of Sathepra, Acatea, Faravar, and Napata. The streets are lined with the bodies of the dead and starving, and civil conflict with police forces only increase this number.

Knowing that the situation is dire, Arch Sarakashar Raishazar Melqart seeks the advice of the Archidoxes and other military advisors. There is discord as some believe Sarastro should surrender, while others, blind sycophants of Sathep, say that they should fight on. With Sathep injured following the First Ritual of Segarra(41), the Overcouncil is unable to reach an accord and fighting continues amid massed starvation. To make matters worse, the last Sarastroan troops are expelled from Paraiya on the 19th, marking the end of the SHIBBOLETH CAMPAIGN.

39.   An alliance of separatist Patrician Houses forms around the city of Axsuah in south eastern Azazem on the 19th Rachalen. They pool their resources and spend months fortifying their lands, training their workers, and mobilising their armies, before declaring their independence from Korachan. By Satavalen, more Azazemi cities are drawn into the conflict, and Korachan launches a siege of the region that drags on until the 4th Akoralen, after almost 6-months of fighting, with the alliance defeated. The city is razed and what remains of its people are either repopulated, many of them as slaves, or conscripted to the front lines in Sarastro.

40.   The First Siege of Argea begins on the 5th Ashtalen, calling upon most of its forces in the Arid Triptych. Following the taking of Solonia and surrounding lands, imperial forces push south towards Argea, bombarding it from afar, but its shaper corps are quick to neutralise the threat, causing many casualties in the imperial ranks before they even reach the city, which has been fortified throughout the war, with dozens of bastions scattered for miles around, each of which makes the imperial forces pay dearly for every step they take.

The forces make their way to the outskirts of the city where they scatter, taking cover as they advance steadily, unleashing oghur and steel oghur shock troops and mechanised legions that disgorge conscripts and fanatics deep into enemy-held territory, sowing discord. Most die, though it affords better trained and equipped forces to advance relatively untouched by the 11th.

Eventually, Tomyress Vilka, the most infamous Korachani Archshaper taking part in the war, reaches a small tower a few miles outside Argea. Clad in the revered Iron Mantle Auspices of Shadow, and supported by 6 of the famed Proedriin of Laaskha, she begins to penetrate the magickal defences of the capital and surveils the surrounding area, taking detailed notes that are sent back to army command before she moves closer. On the 12th she sneaks into the city unseen, and is able to disrupt Sarastroan communications. Meanwhile the Proedriin permanently neutralise Sarastroan magickal defences, allowing Korachani forces to resume long range disruptions and bombardments. It is only through the efforts of Sathep’s Archidoxes - powerful archshapers and acolytes of his Hesychastic teachings - that the assailants are unable to utterly break down the Argean defences.

By the 15th Ashtalen the imperial armies have pushed deeper into Argea, surrounding it, though the Sarastroan defence is dogged, leading to a stalemate, with few Korachani troops making it into the city. But that is all rendered moot as Sathep is about to put his final gambit into effect(41).

In Korachan, weeks of conscriptions begin to bear fruit and around 300,000 new recruits start to receive basic training on the 2nd Nihavalen prior to being shipped across the Inner Sea to assist in different theatres, particularly northern Sarastro. Troops and ships are sent to Maleth, finally lifting the siege there on the 8th Nihavalen.

Over a hundred thousand new conscripts begin to flood into northern Sarastro stating on the 19th Nihavalen, and they sail up the river Solona to Argea, beginning the Second Siege of Argea. The city and its environs are subjected to heavy bombardment before these fresh forces move in, supported by elites, tanks, shaper corps and shock troops.

After this, Korachani armies make a final push into Argea o the 30th Nihavalen, abandoning attempts at securing wider territories in favour of cutting off the enemy’s head. After weeks of conflict surrounding Argea, the city is effectively surrounded and cut off from other Sarastroan forces. Led by the indomitable Iron Angel, 2,000 clones of the 1st Steel Legion Gryphonne Banner (the largest number of legionnaires seen in a single area of the war so far), storm into the city, but find themselves cut off in a series of ruined manufactories that are seeded with mines.

The Iron Angel is cut off by three Archidoxes and is attacked, being severely wounded before being forced to retreat. The legionnaires are surrounded by specialists and technarcane auxiliaries led by more Archidoxes, who slaughter them. This is remembered as the Rout of the Korachani 1st and remains one of the biggest blunders of the Steel Legions.

Without the inspiring presence of the Iron Angel and the Legionnaires, what remains of the Korachani army is itself cut down, its fresh recruits unprepared for the horrors of what they experience. The remnants flee and scatter to the north. 

It is a blow the imperial army does not fully recover from and despite the stubbornness of The Seven, it is clear that Sarastro had gained the upper hand, though desperate fighting continues across Sarastroan cities, with cities and manufactories serving as the battlegrounds.

41.   Prior to this, Sathep the Risen uses the godstone retrieved in Nikan(35) to perform a great magickal ritual on the 15th Ashtalen that targets the great city of Corybant in Venthir, killing almost 200,000 people and destroying it in an explosion that surpasses anything else seen in the Fifth Age. The explosion lights up the night sky for over an hour, and its glow can be seen by forces fighting in Argea, over 200-miles away, causing imperial forces to falter, giving Sarastroan forces a reprieve and the impetus needed to push them back, securing the city. This is the First Ritual of Segarra.

News reaches Khadon of the event by the 16th, but The Seven believe this to be a fluke and call Sathep’s bluff, though they begin conscripting thousands of people to populate a massed invasion of Argea they hope will overwhelm Sarastroan defences through sheer numbers.

Even though the ritual almost kills him, Sathep knows he must prove the attack can be replicated and begins preparing for another. There is growing unease amid imperial forces in Argea, while Sarastroan people celebrate the event as a great miracle, quantifying Sathep’s war with Korachan. Despite this, food riots become more widespread(38).

Still wounded, Sathep targets the city of Tarati with a second attack on the 22nd Ashtalen, marking the Second Ritual of Segarra. The effects are not as pronounced this time – the city being farther away and Sathep himself being weaker, but it is still powerful enough to topple many buildings and leave thousands dead. Sathep is so weakened by this second ritual and leadership of Sarastro is delegated to a mix of generals who put every last resources available to the nation to use.

Despite the second attack, Khadon still does not relent. But behind closed doors, The Seven and Korachani generals are deeply shaken by the attacks. Plans are discussed to assassinate Sathep and his generals, but nothing comes of them. 

Hetepheres, on the other hand, reconsiders her actions and withdraws Venthiri forces from Sarastro though does not surrender, keeping her armies on alert. This effectively ends the VENTHIRI/SARASTROAN WAR and gives Sarastro the break it needs to consolidate its forces to repel Korachani troops

Imperial forces were observing for another powerful magickal attack and were able to triangulate the source to a small fortress outside Argea.

42.   Despite imperial losses across the Inner Sea, Korachan still has at its disposal more manpower than Sarastro, it has more food reserves (more and more Sarastroan cities are facing starvation), and Sathep knows this. Despite his magickal prowess, he cannot win a war on so many different fronts whilst his forces are outnumbered, surrounded, and starving. Conversely, Korachan does not know whether Sarastro is capable of further attacks similar to the ones that destroyed Corybant and Tarati, and does not wish to get bogged down in a protracted war that will only be a siphon to already strained resources. Sathep agrees to meet with imperial envoys in Argea on the 19th Satavalen. A ceasefire is called for as the terms are discussed over many days.

The Sarastroan Treaty is signed 4-days later on the 23rd Satavalen. The treaty recognises Sarastroan sovereignty and independence, though this also brings with it various embargos and edicts that must be observed for peace to remain. It must relinquish territories gained to their former owners, including Mharokk and Vaaltha, though it retains control of Ba’akh, Io, and Lidea. The Korachani empire is no more. Instead, it is sundered in two – the High-empire of Korachan, with its capital in Khadon, and the Low-empire of Sarastro, with its capital in Argea. Both empires must acknowledge the respective religion of the other and both must open their borders to trade and travel, particularly the passage of pilgrims undertaking the Shadow March.

Pockets of fighting continue in various regions, including Karakhas, though these are isolated and largely due to miscommunication or troops being cut off from their command, and not knowing that the war is technically over. Of note is the region of Anakarra in Vaaltha, which continues to be attacked by mercenaries of the white league even as Sarastroan forces withdraw. It is an open secret that they continue to be employed by Sarastro and Parthis to disrupt the region.

A covert war between Korachan and Sarastro continues for many years after the independence of Sarastro, becoming known as the Silent War. Imperial agents of the Sanctified Orders of the Inquisition collect intelligence and perform counter intelligence as needed until 3722, when the War of Sundering is officially declared over.

Korachan will eventually lose control of Mharokk (3728) and later Vaaltha (3737), following years of Sarastroan diplomacy, trade and coercion, all of which are loopholes in the Sarastroan Treaty that go against its spirit. After this the two empires exist in an uneasy peace peppered with short localised conflicts along contested territorial boundaries, both on land and at sea, particularly as new borders are being drawn up.