First Halesche Crusade

The First Halesche Crusade was the first of a number of wars conducted by the Kingdom of Halengard, and the Church of the East during the height of the Blessed Era. The popularity of the war drove many Septist rulers to join the war. It started as a war of revenge against the Orcish dynasties that had plagued the southern borders of Halengard, but ended as a reconquest, with many of the East Astrian rulers partially funding and reinforcing the idea of two independent Astrian kingdoms in Akhatai. The war ended with the decisive Siege of Nauenstadt.
During their conquests, the Crusaders established the Kingdoms of Nauenstadt and Kiedensee, which were in their infancy merely new names for destroyed and pillaged Orc lands and cities. They later grew into fledgling East Astrian states, protected by the influences and armies of the Septist Church.
== History ==
=== Background and Causes ===
Defined by its most popular name, and the one used during the mid-Blessed Era, the Halesche Crusade was exactly that. Centuries of Orcish aggression into the lands north of the steppe had pushed popular support amongst the Halesche for a land war in Akhatai so far that any reigning monarch would have been a fool to deny the clamour. The northern regions had always been distant, whilst the southern regions had always been plagued by war. With the election of Albina I as Queen of Halengard the people in both realms there saw a figure that they could unite behind. Yet no commoner or noble had greater hatred for the Akhatai than Albina Helferich herself.
It was not hard to levy support from the Halesche, but Albina knew it would not be enough to conduct a land campaign across the steppes, where the orcs reigned supreme above all in combat. She had witnessed it herself years earlier after the burning of her village, as known by the people in the Legend of the Maiden Lost. Although not strictly religious, she ordered emissaries to nearby nations that shared the Septist faith. Countries who, hundreds of years earlier, had been enemies.
In the winter of 1419 B.E, Queen Albina of Halengard, King Rurik of Artava, King Ruslan of Eskaya and King Vladek of Wiecza met at the Schwarzhof summit to discuss plans for the coming campaign. The details of the meeting were never recorded, but it thereafter became obvious that the direction of the campaign had been decided. The campaign was declared a Crusade against the Orcs, and although not sanctioned by the Church, many flocked to the banner of the Archangels, especially from Eskaya. In the summer of 1420 B.E, the warhost, numbering around 89,000 knights, men-at-arms and faith adherents, crossed the border and entered Akhatai.
=== Khur and Grom Burn ===
The East Astrian army, which had crossed into the Goblin kingdoms in the summer, first sacked Bayanluut and then besieged and sacked Beyenchur. Around this time, their forces split. King Rurik's forces devastated the central territories of the Dschingur, moving to Baatgaljuut and as far south as Guukhlant, before turning north and heading towards Vykopal. King Ruslan of Eskaya and King Vladek of Wiecza ravaged the two Goblin kingdoms of Nuul Khur and Nuul Grom, although did not destroy their settlements until much later. After this, Ruslan headed to join up with the Halesche, and Vladek returned to Wiecza.
The Halesche and most of the reinforcing Eskayan force under Queen Albina on 11 March defeated an Orcish army under the Khan Kublai at Kughurbai, despite heavy losses on the Eskayan side. On 17 April they moved to and sacked the Goblin capital of Khur and defeated another Orcish army with units from Khukhet and Taraiga at the Battle of Khurland. Initial panic spread through the Khan's lands, and the citizens abandoned Beyenchur. Within two years, Helferich returned with a fresh warhost into Dschingur lands. The Orcs had been right to move as Beyenchur was seized and burned by the Halesche by November 24, 1423 B.E. The armies then returned to Halengard to hold council for the winter, content in their destruction of northern Akhatai.
=== The Khan Rides ===
With the intrusion of the Astrians and the destruction of the Goblin kingdoms to the north, the previously defeated Kublai took the break in hostilities as a chance to ride to the southern lands to stir up support for the war. Despite his previous problems with controlling the unruly tribes there, he was able to, after a few battles, drum up a great warhost of many warriors.
Despite two years earlier being defeated at Kughurbai, the Orcish people were not content to let Human victory sit over their heads, and Kublai counted on that. For another year he courted the affections of his warriors, and rode north in the spring. His departure from the south was said to be with the blessings of the War God, Kherekhis.
In 1424 B.E, Kublai's forces headed past the destroyed Goblin lands and devastated the borders of southern Halengard. Under his army, the Warchiefs Borjigidai Dayargai and Temejichur Adurkhan headed eastwards and ravaged the southern part of Halengard: first they sacked the border towns; then on 3 May they received word of a renewed attack by Artava and Wiecza towards the area of Sukhbataar. Knowing that the main host would not be able to head eastwards in time, they rode with haste to the city and reached it on 14 May. There they participated in the siege and achieved victory against the invading army.
After receiving word of the victory weeks later, Kublai turned his armies around and headed away from Halengard, his original target. This would prove to be a fortunate move for the Khan and his advisors as days later the Halesche finished drawing up their host and set off from Heldenbrecht to pursue the Khan. A month later, Kublai met with Borjigidai and Temejichur, as well as the Kings Rurik and Vladek, at the Battle of Kholkhu. Roving tribes from west had interfered with the Halesche advance, and in their hastiness their baggage train was discovered and destroyed by local tribal nomads loyal to the Khan. Despite their weakened state, Queen Albina continued to push on. The Halesche army would be unable to maintain the pace, and the battle would turn out to be a disaster for the depleted Astrian forces. The Halesche, who had been pursuing the Khan, would not arrive in time. They were forced to turn back north to reinforce.
Having defeated two of the Astrian forces, and having severely incapacitated another years earlier at Kughurbai, Kublai was now in a strong position to reclaim and seize the northern Goblin lands for the Khanate. The legend of the Bloody Hand of Helferich was now largely ineffectual, and the Halesche were at their weakest state.
=== The New States ===
Despite being unable to aid the allied forces as the Battle of Kholkhu, Queen Albina I knew that the Khan would seek to reclaim his lands, now that he was in a position of relative strength. Against the wishes of her advisors to return to Halengard, she dug her army in at what had once been known as Beyenchur. The area was to be known as the capital of the self-proclaimed Kingdom of Nauenstadt, although at that time it was still an idea. Ahead of her advance, she sent riders to Lanskroun and the surrounding areas commissioning an emergency supply shipment, which within weeks made haste southwards, thanks to the efforts of Lord Aran Volkemar, commander of the Lanskroun detachment. He brought a further 1,000 levied men from the city guard southwards with him and joined up with Queen Albina I at Nauenstadt.
The Khan had already received word of the Halesche efforts a week earlier, and had arrived just after Volkemar. Units of the Khan's army reached the Erkhon near Nauenstadt. There Kublai built a great fortification from the land, left two detachments there to defend his supply train and began to cross the river. Aware of this, the Halesche decided to hedge their bets on a decisive battle. Queen Albina led her own army to meet the Khan in the field, setting the stage for the Battle of Nauenstadt that would see the Khan defeated and the establishment of both the Kingdoms of Nauenstadt and Kiedensee.Category:Browse