In the most recent of the seemingly endless wars between The Realm of Quintus and The Scipion Empire (Skip-i-on), which the historians and storytellers will no doubt call The Rogue's Great Folly, the near destruction of the two great trading empires of Nyonia was seen. It began when mercenaries hired by Marian were tasked with settling a dispute over taxes between the Kingdom of Rogues and the Realm of the Seven Ports.
Beginnings
The Chief Administrator had ordered a routine audit of the tax revenue and had, to his dismay, discovered that the Realm of the Seven Ports had been cheating them of the taxes his nation imposed on other nations for the use of their roads to trade. They are looking to punish the Realm of the Seven Ports. To recover some of the lost tax revenue, the Chief Administrator hired as many mercenaries from The Scipion Empire (Skip-I-On) as he could find. The Kingdom of Rogues eventually recruited ten strong companies of mercenaries, which totaled 2,000 men.
The war he would start would see his own nation crippled.
Spies from the Realm of the Seven Ports. became aware of the mercenary army and mercenary companies to supplement their own army. By the time the Marian mercenaries had invaded the Realm of the Seven Ports, they had an army totaling 10,000, which became known as Alexandria’s Army (named for the capital of the Realm of the Seven Ports.).
First battle
The first battle caught the Marian’s off guard because they did not know the terrain very well. Alexandria’s Army included cavalry, Wangai, Koori, and Hammehish (Realm of Frost) companies which combined with their superior knowledge of the terrain allowed the Alexandrian Army to virtually rout the Marian mercenary army. The Marian’s suffered some loses, about 100 men killed and another 200 wounded. The Marian mercenary army retreated almost 10 miles. Tthe Alexandrian army thought tthey had routed the Marian mercenary army.
The Alexandrian army thought the war was over and headed back to Alexandria. On the second night, the army celebrated more than they should have. As the sun rose at dawn, the Alexandrian Army, still recovering from its recent battles, discovered why Marian warriors are some of the most dangerous opponents on Nyonia. The Marian mercenaries regrouped; some of the commanders who allowed their units to run during the previous battle had been sacrificed to Agrik after their retreat.
The Marian mercenaries, using their well-honed battle tactics and battle magic, steadily marched into the Alexandrian army camp and proceeded to slaughter many members of the Alexandrian Army. The Marians were able to destroy the entire Alexandrian cavalry by killing all the horses in their makeshift stables. Hardly a Wangai or Koori escaped alive. The remnants of the Alexandrian Army had a fighting retreat back to Alexandria. The initial attack killed almost 2000 soldiers in the Alexandrian Army. On the retreat back, another 500 were killed, and a total of 1500 were captured. All the wounded were immediately put to death.
The Alexandrian Army started with 10,000 soldiers, but only 5,000 returned, and many of those were severely wounded. The Marian mercenary army had lost a total of 250 men dead and an additional 100 wounded
Siege of Alexandria
As the Marian mercenaries lay siege to the city of Alexandria, the Council of Captains was forced into hiring mercenary companies from The Realm of Quintus. The Council of Captains directed the mercenary companies to attack the eastern city-states, which are part of the Kingdom of Rogues. The Council hoped this would force the Marian mercenaries to return to the eastern city-states to defend them.
The Kingdom of Rogues had a standing army and mercenary companies at its command to defend itself.
Army to the left, Army to the right, Caught in the middle again
Some 3,000 Mauryan mercenaries found themselves facing a force of 15,000 soldiers, which became known as the Rogues' Army. The Rogues' Army was severely lacking in military leadership, discipline, and shared purpose. For instance, specific units were always expected to provide night guard duty. The Mauryan mercenary army took full advantage of the fractured Rogue Army and their own cavalry to make a night attack on the Rogue Army camp. The Mauryans would never have assaulted this one against their regular foes, the Marius army, because the Marius always fortified their camps to prevent sneak night attacks.
The Mauryans used all their battle tactics and magic in the assault. The Rogues' Army was almost destroyed. The mercenaries were killed, captured, or ran, never to return to this field of battle. The Kingdom of Rogues standing army was reduced to approximately 7,000, although many were wounded. The Mauryan mercenaries suffered minimal losses (fewer than 100 men killed and injured).
With no other option, the Chief Administrator was forced to recall the mercenaries in the Realm of the Seven Ports. And fearing that the nearly 2,000 mercenaries he possessed would be insufficient to remove the Mauryans from his land, he turned to the Scipion Empire (Skip-I-On) for formal assistance. The Scipion Empire (Skip-I-On) did not desire to enter into a direct conflict with either The Realm of Quintus or the Kingdom of Rogues. Instead, they released some of their own military companies to act as mercenary companies in the campaign. None of the mercenary companies flew the banners of The Scipion Empire (Skip-I-On).
The Realm of Quintus also had no desire to enter into direct conflict with The Scipion Empire (Skip-I-On) or their best trading partner. Instead, the Emperor provided a writ allowing his nobles to follow their desires to either aid the Kingdom of Rogues or not. Many nobles formed mercenary companies and treated the entire affair as a kind of crusade against The Scipion Empire (Skip-I-On).
The Mauryan mercenaries took the great city of Florence to use as a military base of operations for the coming war. The town is still under Mauryan mercenary rule.
The Marian mercenaries also took the city of Milan as their base of operations. Since then, the two mercenary armies have conducted raids against each other, their enemies’ home countries, and the Kingdom of Rogues.
Meanwhile, the Marian mercenaries that besieged the city of Alexandria decided to stay. They pillaged, burned, and collected sacrifices surrounding Alexandria. Sacrifices were conducted to Agrik in full view of the citizens of Alexandria. Victims often suffered for days, sometimes weeks, before dying.
Now the Kingdom of Rogues was in a bind in the West were the forces of the Realm and to their East were those of the Empire and sitting in the middle of the two nations was Venice their last great city and capital for the better part of the following year the two nations would war in the heartlands of the Kingdom of Rogues who’s people would suffer significant losses as they were caught between two armies who raided and burned farmers fields to feed their forces and starve their enemies.
Big Change
On the 21st of Siem in the year of 176 AoE, the Alexandrian army, with a company of Mehgarth mages, left the safety of Alexandria to engage the Marian mercenary army. The Marian mercenaries quickly formed battle lines and prepared to destroy the advancing army. As the Marian commanders and their battle mages prepared their troops with magic, they realized many of their most powerful magical abilities had been stripped from them.
Without their most powerful combat-enhancing magic, the Marian mercenaries would no longer be able to dominate the battlefield as they had. By the end of the day, the Marian mercenaries were able to start a long, hard retreat back to the eastern portion of the Kingdom of Rogues, and their hopeful home to the Scipion Empire (Skip-I-On).
In the eastern portion of the Kingdom of Rogues the Mauryan mercenary army experienced the same loss of combat magic. In the end, they were able to retreat to their base of operations and hold it.
No one knows precisely why the magic of both the Mauryan and Marius was reduced so dramatically on that day. Mages have speculated that the energies used for the Mauryan and Marius types of magic had been drained and needed time to recover. Priests from all orders believe it has something to do with part of the Concordat of the Illimitable Tome.
Whatever the reason, on the 21st of Siem in the year of 176 AoE, the people from The Realm of Quintus, and The Scipion Empire (Skip-I-On) were reminded that some forces would restrain their violent ways.