The Hazaran War
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The end of the winter of 1185 saw the threat from the East making its way towards the Western nations. Rumors that a violent strike from the Hazaran hordes sent the City of Elua and the surrounding duchies into a state of fear and apprehension. And then a visit from diplomats representing the powerful Khan left the d'Angelines with no choice but to react...
The Hazaran Arrive
Months passed, War Councils were held and decisions were made, and winter turned to spring...
As Spring drew to a close, the people of Terre D’Ange found themselves
waiting. Waiting for news from the Duchy of Camlach. Waiting for a sign that
the Hazaran were pressing closer. Waiting for word from Alba and Eire, from
Caerdicci Unitas, that they would send aide or assistance to the D’Angelines
in defending their borders. Weeks passed and then months, and still there
was no word.
And then Summer began.
Word comes from the Allies of Camlach that a skirmish has taken place, that
Hazaran soldiers armed with long curved swords stormed against the southern
pass in numbers unexpected. The D’Angeline forces held strong, but
casualties have fallen on both sides. Duc Marius d’Aiglemort stood at the
head of the armies, a strong leader, and a visible target. Though the Allies
were able to push the Hazaran back into the mountains, it was not without
losses. Duc d’Aiglemort was captured, taken by the Hazaran cavalry. It is
unknown where they have gone with him, nor whether he is alive or dead. The
forces are left frightened, under the more tenuous leadership of his sister,
Seraphine.
The riders of Aragonia arrive in Siovale, making camp amidst the plains as
they send forth representatives to the City of Elua awaiting orders. In the
meantime, the leaders of Terre D’Ange ponder the decisions before them. Ducs
and Duchesses still weeks in from their coronation ceremony prepare to sit
upon the War Council and advise the King upon how to proceed.
And then it was Autumn...
Rumors arrive in the city from the duchy of Camlach, filtering through the
populace through government servants with lips that loosen well for coin.
Duc Marius D'Aiglemort has still not been seen in weeks, nor have either of
his sisters. Seraphine was last noted leading a small troop of infantrymen
through the pass shortly after rumors of her brother's death began to
circulate. She never returned, and no one currently placed with the army has
seen or heard from her since the new Commander came barreling through the
mountains from the City of Elua.
It is to him that the whole of the army now looks, both the Allies of
Camlach (though they still grumble), the reinforcements sent from the Royal
Army, the Aragonian troops, and the Skaldic Mercenaries. The man's identity
is kept a secret from all but those closest to him on the field, and his
location is ever changing so as not to be vulnerable to the clever Khan.
The world moves on, but there is something of a crackle in the air that
eases its way from time to time even into the most casual of conversations.
The Battle of the Pass
Chaos in Camlach! News of the Great Battle with the Hazaran makes its way to the city of Elua only one night after it happened, brought to the concerned families of soldiers by courier, to the King and the War Council, and then filtering out into the general populace, with or without some healthy embellishments.
Early in the morning, the Allies of Camlach lay a trap in wait, hiding infantry in the forests along with Skaldic rebels. The new Commander then set his own branch of cavalry to serve as a decoy, posing as a simple raiding party. Groups of Hazaran, overconfident at the success of their strikes against the d’Aiglemort party charged through the trees to eliminate the morning raiders. And it was then that the rest of the D’Angeline army struck, pouring out of the trees like a rushing river to defend the land they love.
Details on the rest of the battle vary, depending on who one asks. Some say that it went back and forth for a great deal of time, with the Allies and the Royal army uncertain that they would prevail. Others, with bravado, say that the Hazaran never stood a chance against the children of angels, who have from the beginning been blessed in blood and deed by the Companions above.
Blessed or no, the Hazaran army did manage to break through the line, with heavy losses taken on both sides as they struggled in a stalemate, ground lost and gained as the hours of morning stretched onward.
And then Commander LacNoir spotted an opening, an opportunity to strike at the side of one of the Hazaran cavalry corps. With the cry, “Into The Gap” echoing from his lips and against the mountains, the loyal D’Angeline army and the Aragonian reinforcements charge. The Hazaran were taken by surprise, their attempts to use the flaming gunpowder proving as destructive to their own armies as to the D’Angelines. And so they began to retreat.
With the blood of Camael thick in their veins, it is the Allies who continue to press onward, rallying behind the cry of commander and country to push the invading forces farther and farther away. Rumors here speak of unexpected heroics, of a woman healing a dying Lieutenant with the very touch of angels in her fingertips, of allies and friends fighting for each other, falling for each other, and in some cases dying for each other. Love comes in many forms, and the love of one’s country sings deeply to D’Angeline hearts.
What happened next no one seems certain about. Among the many bodies of slain Hazaran the Khan’s was not found, and some say he too retreated to the still occupied Skaldic territories. The rebels from Skaldia, along with a portion of D’Angelines made up of the allies and companies from the Royal Army made quick with the support, and word is now that Berolinum itself is under siege. And what of the Caerdicci? Are there borders holding as strong against the threat?
Families await word from their loved ones, and prayers are heard rising from
every temple. Angels watch over these, your children.
For More Information: The Eastern War (Treatise)
