The First Zekran - Ilania War

by Steldranuk

Ardimuk was already a grown man by the time he became Emperor and refused advice to take the reign name of Tarno IV. Instead, he ruled as Ardimuk I. Ardimuk had fought at the side of his father in the war to overthrow Princess Lanit and had also commanded an Imperial Army that suppressed a minor rebellion amongst the Crab People. Upon assuming the Imperial throne, Ardimuk I immediately began preparations for an undertaking he had long urged upon his father: war against the Principality of Ilania and the Principality of Corinweld. These were the ancient enemies who had destroyed the old Frayeth Empire and made the Frayeth people into destitute refugees driven to desperate refuges such as the crude fort that later became Zekran. For his desire to avenge this ancient wrong, Ardimuk soon earned the nickname, "Ardimuk the Avenger".

In the second year of the reign of Emperor Ardimuk I, all was ready. Ilania lay in the center of a group of ancient states which at times were unified, such as under Prince Toralin of Corinweld in ancient times. At other times, they would strive against one another for supremacy in an ever-changing set of alliances. The main states in this group were Ilania, Ravelonia, Corinweld, Groglinth, Nawarna and Grogia. Fortunately for Ardimuk, they were not always allies. Ardimuk chose to attack Grogia when he did because, at that time, Ilania was allied only with Groglinth. Nawarna and Corinweld were allied with Ravelonia against Ilania and Grogia was neutral in that conflict and allied only with Groglinth. Though it was obvious that an attack on Grogia would draw in first Groglinth and then, inevitably, Ilania itself, the fact that there was no direct alliance between Grogia and Ilania meant that there might be time for a swift campaign to crush one or even two enemy states before Ilania's army and navy could fully enter the battle. Then Ilania itself could be more easily defeated. In support of this objective, Ardimuk made an alliance with Ravelonia, ancient rival of Ilania, and another alliance with the people of Clam Island, ancient enemies of the Grogians.

The Shasa Zirra (Seagull River) was all that stood between the Aylorkernan of Logoran, which was Zekresh territory and had been part of the ancient Frayeth Empire, and the territory of the Grogians to the South. East of Grogia lay the lands of the Fire People which were now also Zekresh territory. Beyond Grogia, along the coast, lay Groglinth, ally of both Grogia and Ilania and beyond that, Ilania itself.

No river barred the way into Grogia from the East, but Ardimuk feared that bringing an army through the lands of the restive and disloyal Fire People would inevitably result in the Grogians getting advance warning of the attack. Instead, Emperor Ardimuk I envisioned crossing the Seagull River in force, rapidly marching through Grogia, forcing a crossing of the Grog River and invading Groglinth before Ilanian troops could respond, if they chose to enter the war at all. He expected that Ilanian troops would respond, if not in defense of Grogia, then when the Zekresh forces crossed the Grog River and invaded Ilania's ally Groglinth. At that point, his secret treaty with the Principality of Ravelonia would come into play. Prince Elgan of Ravelonia had agreed that if Ilania declared war on the Zekresh Empire and sent troops away to the North, that Ravelonia would attack Ilania from the South and induce its ally, Corinweld, to attack Ilania from the East.

Emperor Ardimuk had no doubt that Ilania would fall, he only hoped to capture the Ilanian capital, Nysarinda, before Ravelonian forces did. He hoped to defeat the Ilanian Royal Army rapidly in Groglinth and advance to Nysarinda.

Instead, the element of surprise was lost before the army marched, the crossing over the Shasa Zirra was resisted by Grogian warriors, and the invasion of Grogia became a difficult ordeal. Eventually, Imperial troops did invade Grogia from the East, but by this time, it made little difference. By then, the river had already been crossed and the advance from the East took place too far North to strike the rear of the Grogians and instead merely reinforced the Imperial forces after having taken an unnecessarily long route to get there.

The Grogians, also known as the "Frogs", were led by a man named Gilatanda. Gilatanda bore the title of "Ek-talan", an ancient title among the Grogians meaning "high chief" or "king". (Grogia means "land of the frogs" in all three of the main ancient languages of Ilania and in modern Ilanian. In the language of the Grogians, the name for their own country is Ne-Jivam which also means "land of the frogs")

Gilatanda, the Frog King, was a fearsome warrior who personally led his warriors in battle wielding their traditional axes. More devastating by far was their archery, for the Grogians were excellent archers. In the swamps which cover substantial portions of their lands, the Grogian archers would ride upon small, flat boats, propelled by poles swiftly over the muddy waters and swamp grasses while Imperial troops floundered, almost immobile, in hip-deep mud. Knowing his advantage in the swamps, Gilatanda always retreated into swamps when superior Imperial forces attacked him and always, he triumphed in the swamps. Imperial forces bypassed the swamps at their peril for then Gilatanda's army would emerge to strike unexpectedly from the flank or the rear of the Imperial forces.

Emperor Ardimuk I personally led the invading forces into Grogia and was greatly dismayed by the unexpected ferocity and skill of the Grogian warriors. His advance through their country was so greatly delayed that circumstances turned against him long before he reached the Grog River. The Clam Islanders did raid the coast of Grogia, but not nearly with the effect the Emperor had desired. Also, the Clam Islanders had boasted that they could hold the Ilanian Royal Navy at bay with their greater numbers of vessels and alleged superior seamanship. In fact, the Ilanian Royal Navy had much larger and more advanced ships while the Clam Islanders had little more than large boats. The fact that the Clam Islanders had more boats than Ilania had warships was of little consequence. Two weeks after the first Imperial soldier crossed the Shasa Zirra, Ilanian Royal Navy ships were in the Glivo Trayakir (Gateway Waters). They soon began raiding the coast of Logoran, then Slythia and even Frayethay.

The Zekresh Imperial Navy met them in battle, but despite its own much superior numbers, was soundly defeated in the first battles. The Ilanian Royal Navy was threatening Zekran itself when their fleet was called away by news that Ravelonia and Corinweld had entered the war and that the Ravelonian Navy was blockading Nysarinda.

Ardimuk had finally crossed the Grog River, triggering the provisions of his secret treaty with Ravelonia that they would enter the war. The Zekresh forces by then were battered and harried and unable to even hold their position on the left bank of the Grog and were promptly repulsed by Groglinth forces and Ilanian troops that were already in the country. This army of Groglinthers and Ilanians pursued the Zekresh as they retreated into Grogia and were attacked on the flanks wish renewed vigor by Grogian warriors under Gilatanda. To the dismay of Emperor Ardimuk and Prince Elgan of Ravelonia, Ravelonia's ally, Corinweld, refused to enter the war and remained neutral even though their army was perfectly positioned to strike Groglinth while its army and most of Ilania's were in Grogia.

As a consequence of the retreat of Zekresh forces and the neutrality of Corinweld, the Ravelonian army was defeated by the Ilanians.

Ardimuk sued for peace. This was agreed to in the hastily arranged "Peace of the Fens". The treaty agreed to a return to prior borders and an end to the fighting with no long-term settlement of grievances or even promise of peace.

The peace did not even last until the end of the year. Ardimuk blamed Corinweld above all for the failure of his invasion. He was also well aware that Prince Varin of Corinweld had promised Prince Elgan of Ravelonia that he would enter the war and that Prince Elgan was furious about it. Thinking that Varin had no allies and could not hope to stand alone against the Zekresh Empire, Emperor Ardimuk began assembling a new army in Argan Inuva (South Fireland) which bordered Corinweld. Little did he know that Corinweld's unexpected neutrality was due to a secret treaty of alliance with Prince Aran of Ilania.

The invasion went well at first and Zekresh forces besieged Prince Varin in Corinweld Castle, but Ilania soon entered the war and broke the seige. The Zekresh Imperial Navy had used the opportunity of the brief peace to begin construction of larger Ilanian-style warships. None of these were finished by the time war broke out, but the Ilanian Royal Navy missed their chance to raid the coasts of the Empire by remaining in their home waters to guard against an expected attack from Ravelonia.

Prince Elgan of Ravelonia was in fact unwilling to enter another alliance with Ardimuk since he had gained nothing and lost much in the last war. Groglinth and Grogia soon entered the war on the Ilanian side. Groglinth sent troops to help defend Corinweld. Grogia sent warriors across the Shasa Zirra to attack Logoran, but they were soon repulsed.

The war then became a war of attrition. The following year, the 3rd year of the reign of Ardimuk I, Zekresh managed to renew its offensive and beseige Corinweld again, this time capturing it and Prince Varin who was forced under torture to give up his lands to the Zekresh Empire by signing a scroll known as the "Dungeon Abdication". Prince Varin's son Darin claimed the crown of Corinweld nonetheless and led Corinwelder forces against Zekresh. The Ilanian Royal Navy now sallied forth to attack Logoran, raiding the coasts and drawing forces away from the Grogian border. As planned by Prince Aran, the Grogians then attacked Logoran, not across the heavily defended Shasa Zirra, but by sea, escorted and transported by the Ilanian Royal Navy. Ilanian troops also participated. Logoran was soon overrun. Aylorkern Havimuk of Logoran fought valiantly, but could not hold out forever against such an onslaught. Emperor Ardimuk, perhaps influenced by his father's ambition to see all the warlordships abolished, sent minimal reinforcements and even ordered the Zekresh Imperial Navy to keep most of its ships on the defensive on the North Shore while the Ilanian Royal Navy pillaged the coast of Logoran.

Ardimuk cynically watched the enemy ravage Logoran, besiege its warlord in his castle and eventually capture him. Ardimuk directed all reinforcements to the Imperial Army force at Corinweld, consigning Logoran and its warlord to doom. This strategy was unimaginable to Prince Aran of Ilania who took news of his victories in Logoran as signs of profound Zekresh weakness and directed his own reinforcements increasingly to push the advance in Logoran, weakening his forces in Corinweld. All the while, Ardimuk offered every inducement to Prince Elgan of Ravelonia to get him to enter the war. Failing that, he made an alliance with the Ogdalin of the Warna Nation, who feared Ilanian dominance if Corinweld fell to Ilanian forces.

With the help of Warnan troops, Zekresh forces took all of Corinweld in the second year of the war, the fourth year of the reign of Ardimuk I. They then advanced into Ilania itself. In the meantime, Ilanian forces had captured and killed Havimuk, the Aylorkern ya Logoran.

Warnan and Zekresh forces were well on their way to capturing Nysarinda when the Ilanians withdrew some of their forces from Logoran to reinforce their homeland. Then Prince Elgan of Ravelonia contemplated what the world would be like if Ilania were to not just be weakened, but conquered and reduced to a province of the Zekresh Empire. Fearing such an outcome more than he feared Ilania, Prince Elgan convinced the Ogdalin of the Warna Nation to withdraw most of his troops from the invasion. When this happened, the invasion bogged down.

Ardimuk pressed on relentlessly, retreating when he had to, but advancing again each time. Another year of war dragged on. Prince Aran of Ilania now prepared a new scheme with Gilatanda, the Ek-talan of Grogia and Thon XIV, the Prince of Groglinth. In the third year of the war and the fifth year of the reign of Ardimuk I, Grogian and Groglinther forces struck East from Grogia into Argan Tros (North Fireland).

The tribes of the Fire People rose in revolt upon the arrival of Grogian forces in Argan Tros. The rebellion spread faster than the Grogians could march until Emperor Ardimuk and his army were completely cut off from the Empire. The rebellion spread to Argan Inuva and even to Kikali soldiers in the Imperial Army in Corinweld and Ilania. Ardimuk was forced to retreat to Corinweld where he was beseiged at Corinweld Castle by Ilanian and Corinweld forces.

With these developments, Prince Elgan of Ravelonia again feared Ilanian supremacy and entered the war on the Zekresh side. At Elgan's urging, the Warna Nation also entered the war on the Zekresh side once again. The Ravelonian Navy struck a devastating blow at Nysarinda and the Ilanians were forced to call back all their naval forces to defend the capital. This allowed Zekresh Imperial Navy forces to act with impunity, bringing troops from the North Peninsula to Argan Inuva to suppress the revolt and send an army to the relief of their besieged Emperor at Corinweld Castle. An overland attack from Warna by Warna and Ravelonian forces compelled Prince Aran of Ilania to withdraw some of his forces from the seige at Corinweld. Warna and Zekresh forces were then able to reach Corinweld first and lift the siege. Ardimuk knew this was his chance to crush Ilania, but likely at the cost of losing all the rest of the Zekresh territories in the South Peninsula as rebel armies, especially Kikali ones, were growing stronger and bolder by the day.

Ardimuk also feared that if his army did reach Nysarinda with the help of Ravelonia and Warna that those fickle allies would again snatch victory from him at the last minute. Instead, Ardimuk called for peace negotiations to give himself time to suppress the rebels and develop a new strategy. The negotiations took place at Corinweld Castle and the resulting agreement was called the Treaty of Corinweld. This time, Ardimuk found it necessary to promise that his forces would never again attack Grogia, Warna or any of "the principalities" (Ravelonia, Ilania, Corinweld and Groglinth). The Treaty of Corinweld was signed in the 6th year of the reign of Ardimuk I.