Invasion of the Chaestlands

Category:Events
== Overview ==
The Invasion of the Chaestlands was the monumental final push and final defence for The Fellowship and the Grenthyx Dynasty respectively of the Uprootings. The invasion was broadly conceived on an eastern and western front, with the former having arrived in the kingdom from land, and the latter by sea. Once in the kingdom, towns blazed, meadows trampled yet hope lingered. The invasion resulted in the defeat of the Grenthyx Loyalists and the retreat of the Grenthyx Force to Chaesterlyn, which would act as the stage for last event of the conflict, culminating in Barren II Grenthyx's execution. 
== Sequence of events ==
=== Leaving the Capital and Acanthus Declaration ===
==== The Fellowship prepare ====
Following the conclusion of the Liberation of Truvenscia on the 17th of June, the Fellowship regathered in full in the Capital to review their plan to invade the Chaestlands, with their plan having already being conceived during the period of the Capital-based Fellowship's ignorance of the Refortification of Truvenscia and Annexation of C'thardjia from February to May. Strategists and leaders did however wish to involve the unexpected reinforcements that Ori Sao General Nang Bo-Chul offered the force. It was agreed along with Ch'mazi and Ch'matrin of C'thardjia that they would use their considerable naval might on which they sailed to reach the Jia Peninsula during the Annexation of C'thardjia to assist in the Fellowship's push to annihilate the Grenthyx Armada. In addition, Mhordyn's Tíras Theôs communed with other Mhordyn lords to plan for their involvement in the north-west of the Chaestlands, south of Castle Preôs (incidentally, the location where the conflict had first turned hot in March of 201 AG). Finally, the entire naval force of C'thardjia, and Helmont was given the order to meet at Lovesung on the Bay of C'thardjia, while the naval force of Mhordyn, Contra and Llanoreid was to gather at Port Erbrùr at Cape Erbrùr in Mhordyn. On this western front, Ch'mazi, Helmontan Matriarch, Ophellaer Fyth, and Archon of Mhordyn, Tíras Theôs, would preside over affairs. Llanoreid's Wilddar Braitbirn had transferred his command of Llanoreid's navy to Alfret Codding, working alongside Lendyn Kelbur, in order to act on two fronts as a part of preparing for the split nature of the invasion. In addition, Mazi's father and council member, Ch'edro, would command C'thardji's naval efforts in the push. In all, these preparations amounted to a week of planning. Finally, on the 24th of July, Fellowship ground forces exited the Capital to make their way down the Long Acanthus Road to the Acanthus Gate. The naval force was to leave days later in order to better synchronise the start of their attack.
==== The Dynasty prepare ====
Following the humiliation of losing his short-lived annexation of C'thardjia and refortification of Truvenscia, King Barren II and his Royal Council were furious and terrified in equal measure. Dissent brewed, with General Jean Arrelar insisting in an unusual act of courage against his superior, General Seiį, that the defeat in Truvenscia could be blamed on the Rovi General. Despite his reservations, Seiį was to be given a role, though a delayed one, paired with Ladriani Andrade, Cardinal Inquisitor of the Grenthyx Inquisition. Arrelar was appeased via a new, hastily-arranged plan to send a strong, forceful message to the Fellowship, a last chance to scare them off invading. Though most knew this to be ultimately futile, the plan was agreed upon, and remaining forces distributed around the Chaestlands as per their anticipation that the Fellowship would attack from land and sea. 
==== The Acanthus Gate ====
Helmont's Forkoux Fyth, Contra's Lythe Armitage, The Borrows' Airibi I Root, Llanoreid's Wilddar Braitbirn and C'thardjia's Ch'mazi arrived ahead of at least half of the Fellowship's entire ground based forces at the Acanthus Gate on the Chaestish-Mhordynian border. Demanding entry, the leaders called for those manning the gates to open them immediately. To their surprise, the gates did indeed part - but not for them. Instead of open path, the Fellowship were greeted by The Shadowy Delegate, the figure Barren had hastily arranged to confront the Fellowship. In a last-ditch attempt to intimidate the Fellowship, Barren wished to take advantage of the Delegate of Cúrovi's natural arresting effect around people. Forkoux confronted the delegate, being the least susceptible to his aura. 
The delegate handed Fyth terms of surrender after having bandied thinly veiled, yet diplomatic, threats to the Helmontan Patriarch. They included immediate disbanding of their forces, submission to Barren's rule, and surrendering their lands to the Dynasty. Fyth rejected them out of hand, and instead delivered the Acanthus Declaration to the delegate; a pre-prepared list demanding, among other things, that unless the King were to abdicate immediately and stand his forces down, the Fellowship would have no other choice but to invade. When the delegate resoundingly rejected the terms, the negotiations were disbanded and both parties retreated back to their forces. Shortly thereafter, the Fellowship gained control of the gate, opening it to let their forces flood into the Chaestlands. The Delegate, as per new orders from Kurbad Veln, fled to a keep where he secreted his new student, Varco. The two set out through the Chaestlands later that day, abandoning General Seiį to begin their escape, sensing what the outcome of the conflict would herald. Concurrently, preparations were well underway for the Fellowship's naval powers to depart Lovesung and Port Erbrùr. 
=== Initial Pushes at Moss Garden and Thrushfall ===
The first two key positions targeted by the Fellowship were that of Moss Garden and Thrushfall, both close-by to the forking of the Long Acanthus Road. The forces of Mhordyn at Fyth's disposal and Llanoreid at Wilddar's disposal thus began an attack on Moss garden, and the forces at Lythe Armitage's and Airibi I Root's disposal at Thrushfall to the south-east. Moss Garden's fortifiers put up a strong fight, but were outmatched by the skill and number of their combatants. The castle fell on the 6th of July after 4 days of fighting, with House Robinner surrendering. This began a period of consolidation, turning the Chaestish castle into a temporary base of operations for Fyth and Braitbirn. Meanwhile, Armitage and Root had mustered their forces for an attack on Thrushfall beginning on July 2nd and concluding on July 7th. Though more heavily fortified than Moss Garden, House Saunterly were utterly unprepared for the brute force with which Root in-particular applied to his attack, with the position falling to the Fellowship on the 7th. 
The Borrosians' and Contrans' period of consolidation did not begin as smoothly as Fyth and Braitbirn's however, with Lythe Armitage suffering a stroke on the 8th. Tensions rose as Root learned of Contra's desire to temporarily leave Thrushfall to capture the nearby University at Brendellos in order to allow Armitage to recover under the eye of any physicians who remained at the University. Root judged this to be foolish and would risk leaving Thrushfall vulnerable to a counter-attack, advising that they ought to stick together. Commander of Contra's forces, Teagus Nora, and General Bryce Myrick both overruled Root, leaving to take Brendellos at once. Relatively unguarded, the position was successfully captured by the 9th of July in a short-lived battle in which Contra, overcompensating for their Duke, stormed the town and University with the full amount of their forces. A rift of tensions became palpable between the Borrosians at Thrushfall and the Contrans at Brendellos, with one accusing the other of putting at risk the entire invasion strategy. Concurrently, at Seamaid's Yonder and the Chaestish Isles in the west, much was at play.
=== The Breach of the Armada and the Split Western Landings ===
==== The Breach of the Armada ====
Around the time that the Fellowship reached the Acanthus Gate in the east, the mighty Grenthyx Armada, led by Trevonir Harthyx, formed a great defensive shield offshore from Fort Seamaid in the Chaestish Isles in anticipation of a naval attack. Descending from Port Erbrùr in the north were the Tychen and Cerene Fleets of Mhordyn, the Staron, Grigor, and Deerhold Fleets of Contra and the formiddable Llanoreid Home Fleet, Altamona Fleet, Kelbur Fleet and Lollan Fleet of Llanoreid. From the south, the Jandor Fleet of C'thardjia and Tyst Fleet of Helmont swept below Pala, to head north to rendezvous with the others at Seamaid's Yonder, slightly ahead of the offshore blockade formed by the Grenthyx Armada. Lord Admiral Thurso Saeôs and Alfret Codding of Mhordyn and Llanoreid respectively had forged a plan to breach the armada to clear way for a capture of Fort Seamaid itself alongside Tíras Theôs, Ophellaer Fyth and Ch'mazi - the present Fellowship leaders on the western front. By July 2nd, all players were in place for the unprecedented naval confrontation, tens of thousands of ships in all. Despite the sheer scale of the Fellowship's fleets together, Admiral Trevonir Harthyx felt confident that their additional ships loaned from other Continents in the months prior - anticipating such an epic showdown - made the two sides evenly matched in terms of number.
With all in place, a brief meeting occurred between the present leaders of the Fellowship and Admiral Trevonir Harthyx on a small island (the westernmost point of the Chaestlands) just beyond the Dynasty's protective shield. Harthyx, like the delegate before him, offered the Fellowship a chance to surrender. With all leaders refusing, the meeting was hastily disbanded and leaders returned to their vessels. Among those present were The Murndorl, The Absolutist and the Regia of the Sea the flagships of Helmont, Llanoreid and C'thardjia respectively. These were captained by Lionel Harthyx, brother of their enemy's admiral, Alfret Codding, who had been reassigned to command the ship in stead of Wilddar, and Ch'edro, Duke consort of C'thardjia. Though, with the Murndorl lacking artillery, it remained firmly behind the battle, utilising its extensive meeting spaces as a command centre for the effort, rather than a warship. The absolutist, however, was formidable in its firepower, and thus was at the fore of the impending attack.
The Breach of the Armada begun late on the 2nd, lasting through to the 4th of July. A tumultuous and historic confrontation developed, with canon fire darting above the water as countless ships exchanged their blows, themselves frequently on fire and their crew burning in the flames of the battle as they did. After mere hours of fighting, a graveyard of burning corpses of fallen, incredibly varied ships was strewn across the shallow waters. It was said that after a time, ships seldom sunk, for the pile of wreckages below them already did not allow it. Varco and the Shadowy Delegate, having departed from Castle Garadé's port to reach Cúrovi in the west, barely missed the deafening screaming belches that issued from the hull of ships and the lungs of sailors alike. Though evading the firestorm, the pair were spotted leaving by C'thardji officials aboard the Murndorl with Ophellaer Fyth and Ch'mazi. This would in future act as the basis for speculation regarding the fate of Varco. 
Such was the devastation of the battle, the The Absolutist was annihilated by the Grenthyx Armada, with Codding perishing aboard, refusing to abandon his duty he was honoured to fulfil for his duke. Similarly, the new and young admiral of Mhordyn's fleets, Thurso Saeôs lost his life aboard his ship, leaving House Saeôs with but one final heir, with his father having suffered a similar fate in the Occupation of the Chaestish Isles in 201 AG. Though the Murndorl was at a safe distance, her mast and hull were hit by multiple great canons, forcing Mazi and Ophellaer to secrete themselves in the central hall at the centre of the ship in the worst of the battle in order to put as much distance as possible between them and the hull. Even still, the ship sustained enough damage to sink any ordinary ship, with its lower hull utterly breached. However, it was spared from the fate of so many around it thanks to a mechanism located in the hull devised by Forkoux and Belron Garth, which isolated the breach and cut off the water from entering any further, resulting in the ship only displaying a slight limp. The Regia of the Sea, commanded by Ch'edro, also sustained considerable damage at the behest of Trevonir Harthyx's armada flagship, but did not sink. 
Eventually, by the end of the 4th, the battle favoured the Fellowship. In spite of heavy losses, Trevonir Harthyx was killed when Tíras' ship destroyed the armada's flagship. Most other armada ships were either destroyed or surrendered in the following hours, effectively smashing the shield they had created. The battle would leave its scars. Shipwrecks produced from the battle would litter the region for generations to come, a familiar sight to anyone who frequented the Chaestish Isles by 301 AG. After a painfully brief period of mourning the dead, the time for the Fellowship to begin their assault and capture of Fort Seamaid itself was rapidly approaching, set for the following day after the conclusion of the Breach. 
==== Fort Seamaid ====
With landings in the Chaestish Isles, an assault on Fort Seamaid could commence. Early on the 5th, ships deposited ground-based forces waiting to engage in combat after the naval-based Breach. Seamaid, though fortified by the Dynasty, was relatively easy to take, being secured within a day. In the next 3 days, the Fellowship planned for the Split Western Landings at Port Grenth and Castle Garadé. However, it emerged here that Ophellaer Fyth, being months into pregnancy, would simply be unable to take an active role in further ground based conflict. It was also here that she transferred most of her power to Glossop Eckashel, General of the Gryhskor Guild. Ori Sao's Nang Bo-Hyuk agreed with Ch'mazi that the commitments of the Ori were satisfied in helping to give the Fellowship a much needed foothold for the coming invasion. At this, the Ori forces departed back to their kingdom. With the Llanoreidic and C'thardji delegations agreeing their numbers to distribute to each port. In all, they were ready to set sail for the final landings on the 8th. 
==== The Split Western Landings ====
They both arrived and begun their assaults, with Tíras Theôs having arranged to meet with the Mhordyn noble houses on the northern flank after securing Port Grenth, and Ch'mazi with Eckashel securing Garadé. The Fellowship arrived at port and on beaches in coordinated assaults on the two positions using landing vessels which housed their force. The battles swayed relatively quickly in the Fellowship's favour, costing few lives on either side, but particularly the dynasty forces owing to Mazi, Ophellaer and Tíras' expressed wish to encourage surrender. By the 14th of July, the positions had been fully fortified. It was decided that Ophellaer would remain at Castle Garadé for the remainder of the conflict, being around 7 months pregnant. In both ports, each arm of the western offensive of the Fellowship now prepared for their sweeps, each intended to dominate the north-west and the south-west of the kingdom respectively, to eventually convene with the eastern front at Chaesterlyn in order to finish the conflict. 
=== Ambush at Thrushfall Heath, Massacre of Design and reconvening ===
==== Betrayal at Brendellos ====
Meanwhile, betrayal was brewing in the now Contran-occupied Brendellos to the east. Earlier in July, former Chaestish socialitate Sue Jorgan began to grow desperate and worried that a Fellowship victory would prove unfavourable for her continued freedom. As a consequence, using one of her faux vaults in the Treasuricus, she bribed for the Dynasty's ends someone who she judged to be the most susceptible Fellowship combatant to such a gesture - General Bryice Myrick of Contra. Informing King Barren II Grenthyx's Royal Council, she asked that Myrick create a friendly fire massacre at the soonest possible opportunity, such that the Fellowship would become destabilised, allowing loyalist forces to sweep in and neutralise them. Even though Jorgan herself fled on the 1st out of unbridled paranoia, Barren's Royal council continued to commune regularly with Myrick, unaware that his payment for his services would never come his way. 
==== Ambush at Thrushfall Heath ====
As a consequence, as the Contrans were leaving Thrushfall to see that Lythe Armitage would recover, Myrick lied by assuring the Borrosians that they would meet at the nearby Thrushfall Heath on the 11th of July - 5 days from their departure of Thrushfall. Sighting his opportunity as the other Contrans were busy capturing Brendellos, Myrick travelled to Chaesterlyn, away on the pretense of scouting for enemies. There, he alert the king and his council that he had sighted his opportunity and would ensure that the Borrosians and Contrans would turn against one-another, estimating that it would take the more northerly Llanoreidic and Helmontan forces too long to reach their location to prevent such an eventuality. Myrick's information allowed the dynasty to send a substantial amount of men to ambush the unsuspecting Borrosians. On the 11th of July, on the planned date, while Myrick was back at Brendellos, a betallion of Root's forces were slaughtered in the Ambush at Thrushfall Heath. Though the Borrosian batallion were far fewer in number than Barren or Myrick hoped thanks to Root's suspicion, the blow was still grave enough to deeply anger Airibi. 
As Myrick had predicted, though angered, Airibi would not immediately presume the Contrans to have betrayed them in their isolation at Brendellos. Instead, he had kept an eye on Root, knowing that he had shouldered a greater sense of responsibility since he assumed all duties of his recently dismissed Great Commander. As such, Root was liable to act less rashly than he had before. Instead, he opted to send a delegation to Brendellos to ascertain the truth behind what happened at the Heath. One step ahead of the Borrosian duke, Myrick had informed Lythe, who was regaining consciousness, that he had received word of The Borrows' betrayal. Taking advantage of his weakened state of senility, Myrick lied that Airibi's Borrosian forces had suddenly gone missing at the heath, ostensibly because the dynasty wished to acquire Borrosian armour to pose as Borrosian troops to launch a surprise attack at Brendellos to kill the weakened Duke of Contra. Alarmed by this news, and fully trusting his general, Lythe entrusted Myrick to do what he sees fit until they could reconvene with Forkoux and Wilddar to the north. A crisis would unfold, for Myrick had instructed the much obliging commander of forces on the Advisory Council of Contra, Teagus Nora, and the forces of Contra, to attack the so called Borrosian impersonators to the last man, and that they had trained and studied the Borrows to appear as convincing as possible. 
==== Massacre of Design ====
On the 12th of July, about half-way between Thrushfall and Brendellos, Contran forces engaged the Borrosians, or whom they thought to be dynasty soldiers in disguise. Many died, though due to the sheer quantity of either force, a small amount in total. This was before Cesil Burnwyn, head of Lythe's Advisory Council, noted that the amount of so called Borrosian impersonators far exceeded the number of Borrosians that could plausibly have been ambushed at the heath and whose armour was stolen. Wanting to take him up on this point about an hour into the battle, Cesil searched for Myrick; but to no avail - he had fled to Chaesterlyn earlier that day. Alerting Lythe, who was recovering, Armitage's trust in the head of his advisory council prevailed, agreeing to order a ceasefire to establish what had happened. Indeed, when this occurred, and while the bodies were being counted, Lythe and Airibi reconciled, realising the betrayal. They now became united in their hatred for Myrick - perhaps more united than they were prior to his antics. On the 13th, either side agreed to leave a small joint garrison at Brendellos to oversee Armitage's recovery and set out to the rendezvous point with Llanoreid and Helmont's forces.
==== Worries from Llanoreid and Helmont ====
With Forkoux and Wilddar having fully consolidated their rule over Moss Garden on the 11th, they set off south that same day to reach a pre-agreed rendezvous point at which all of the Fellowship's eastern forces would congregate. The camp they had planned at this point lay half way between Chaesterlyn and Brendellos. Upon Fyth and Wilddar's arrival with their forces on July 13th, they sent messengers abroad to Airibi and Lythe to establish where they were, as they could not hope to proceed without their presence. A reply arrived back later that day just ahead of their own arrivals with the Contran and Borrosian force, and they discussed the betrayal at Brendellos. By the 14th, it was agreed at a meeting that they would need to stall their campaign to Chaesterlyn in order to recover from their losses, trusting that Ch'mazi, Ophellaer Fyth and Tíras Theôs' forces had experienced similar delays in the west. It soon began to dawn on the collective Fellowship that the invasion would not be as swift as they had hoped, yet they were unaware of a great trap they had played into the hands of which was about to reveal itself, engineered by the fearsome General Seiį.
=== Stratagem of the Virtuous Sweep, Great Mhordyn Sweep and the North & Eastern Pushes ===
==== Stratagen of the Virtuous Sweep ====
Meanwhile, to the west, Tíras and Ch'mazi departed from Port Grenth and Castle Garadé on the 17th of July to begin a strategy that would see them sweep across the Chaestlands in a highly coordinated way. This would be done in order to capture the largest city in the Chaestlands, Floralys, in a manner that was as swift and effective as possible. Over the course of the next few weeks, the Helmontan and C'thardji forces present south of Floralys arched around it, sweeping through villages and keeps with remarkable success. Often, resources were distributed to its civilians who were shaken from the threat of war. Notable among captures were the city of Sen Varus from the 24-27th July and House Shantale's Pure Hill on July 31st, along with much of the south of the Chaestlands. This was a critical component of the Fellowship's strategy - to appear to be skirting around south of Floralys, preoccupied with capturing other locations, in order to drive forces away from the south of the city so that Tíras and C'hmazi could attack the city unexpected once their sweep had concluded. By the 8th of August, all key positions south of Floralys were secured, and Grenthyx Force soliders pooled in the north of the city thanks to the efforts of Mhordyn's contribution. A battle could now begin. 
==== The Great Mhordyn Sweep ====
By the 18th of July, Mhordyn had acquired the pre-planned ground support of the houses Veiôs, Saeôs, Preôs and Ieôs from Castle Preôs situated nearby the north-western border of the Chaestlands, close to the now captured Port Grenth. In turn, they headed south, straight in the direction of the city of Floralys. Along the way, on the 20th, they engaged in the Battle of Meadow's End at House Juillard seat, ending two days later. There, the Mhordyn host settled for 5 days until the 27th, to further create the impression that they had captured the point in order to act as a base with which to launch an attack on Floralys from the north, convincing forces to fortify that side. Starting on the 27th, Mhordyn rushed out to capture further towns and villages along the way to Floralys, coming incredibly close until, by the 8th of August, they were at their closest point. This officially begun the Great Mhordyn sweep.
Once their aims to distract were over, Tíras and his Captain of the Highguard of Mhordyn on the Council of the Archon, Nórach Wuel marshalled the now great force of Mhordyn to capture all remaining strategic points in the north of the Chaestlands, save for Chaesterlyn itself which continually demanded special protection. This is done until the 5th of September, where all positions were captured, and Mhordyn's forces combined with the western front of the Fellowship at Lake Vindahal to the north of Chaesterlyn. 
==== The North & Eastern Pushes ====
However, long before this point, but after the commencement of any sweep operations on the western front, the eastern front of the Fellowship remained in a vulnerable position at their camp. Stalling to recover, they remained at camp from the 14th to the 22nd, made aware on the 17th that Grenthyx Dynasty had begun to enact a daring plan to trap and crush the Fellowship while vulnerable, led by the fearsome General Seiį, who had already recaptured Thrushfall and Moss Garden under cover. Advance notice granted the camp time to organise to resist an impending pincer movement of Dynasty forces coming from their north and east. Fortunately for the Fellowship, the dynasty did not countenance the Contran garrison at Brendellos as Myrick arrived back at Chaesterlyn too late to alter Seiį's plan, with it being well underway upon his return. 
The garrison quickly evacuated Brendellos with a recovering Lythe to reinforce the camp as soon as they were aware of the approaching Dynasty forces. Without the element of surprise, the Dynasty's attack on the Fellowship camp was far less efficient and sweeping as they had anticipiated, though Seiį had devised a further plan in this eventuality. As he predicted, the battle ensued through Helmontan and Llanoreidic forces led by Forkoux and Wilddar attempting to push north on the road to Moss Garden; their original position, with Airibi and Lythe's Borrosian and Contran forces pushing north-eastward towards Thrushfall, both attempting to reclaim the fortresses. What proceeded was damning, a campaign pushing gradually up the road with all the might of their forces all the way until the 10th of August. On this day, either arm of the western front had reached the two key forts against all odds (or so the ever-plotting General Seiį wished them to believe). 
=== The Last Stand of Floralys and Recapture of Moss Garden & Thrushfall ===
==== The Last Stand of Floralys ====
The Last Stand of Floralys was one of the largest battles throughout the Uprootings. Lasting 3 days short of a month, from August 8th to September 6th, the battle was noted for its loss of life and unique environment, with much of the fighting occurring around areas undergoing extensive restoration work as a result of great devastation inflicted upon the city by dragons not long ago. Fellowship forces led on the ground by Ch'mazi and General Glossop Eckashel (to stand in for Ophellaer Fyth) breached the southern walls of the city on the 8th with relative ease thanks to the vast majority of the Grenthyx Force being pooled around key locations in the centre and north, anticipating a breach of their northern wall by the strategically close Mhordyn arm of the invasion. Caught off guard, the Grenthyx Force had to quickly move all of their force to meet the advancing Fellowship forces in the south of the city. By mid-August, the battle had turned ruthless and many began to be killed, including Estan, Captain of Mazi's guard. By the 28th of August, it had become clear that the Fellowship were turning the tide. 
In response, King Barren ordered General Seiį, who had only just returned to Chaesterlyn from his engagements in the east, to help in Floralys. In a canal close to Floralys Castle toward the end of the battle, a great showdown occurred between the Rovi general and General Glossop Eckashel of the Gryhskor Guild. Many wounds were inflicted before either party perished, itself occurring only before Eckashel himself was fatally stabbed. Above the canal, on a precarious structure, Eckashel had mustered the energy to cast Seiį into the canal far below, littered with dangerous floating debris. The two warriors died around the same time from their injuries. By early September, a grieving yet determined Mazi had captured Floralys Castle, and forced local Dynasty representatives to surrender the city. The battle had already taken far longer than was intended, thanks to the unpredicted scale of its events on either side. On the 6th of September, the city's surrender was declared, meaning that Mazi, with the Helmontan and C'thardji forces present, could now begin the journey to rendezvous with the rest of the Fellowship at Chaesterlyn. 
==== Recapture of Moss Garden & Thrushfall ====
Meanwhile, beginning on the 10th of August, forces on the eastern offensive had battled to reach the key points of Moss Garden and Thrushfall and were to mount an offensive to retake the positions. Sure enough, after a moderate but suspiciously easy struggle, both positions were returned to Fellowship control by the 13th, beginning a period of re-consolidation for the Helmontans and Llanoreidic at Moss Garden, and the Borrosians with the Contrans at Thrushfall. Ignorant of an imminent threat brewing further east still, the eastern Fellowship begun this period with intense scenes, with many feeling disheartened that their strategy left them so vulnerable so as to be flanked by General Seiį, who had, by this point, mysteriously disappeared. In a meeting of the full eastern Fellowship on the 14th of August between Moss Garden and Thrushfall, Root and Fyth convinced Braitbirn and Armitage (in proxy only, represented by Cesil Burnwyn) to fortifty their defences as they both suspected a counter-attack, far more terrible for their side than anything they had experienced in the invasion thus far. By the 15th, this would become all too clear. 
=== The Cataclysm of the Descending Loyalist Veil ===
==== Loyalists Gather ====
Following the Fellowship-issued ultimatum towards Truvenscian houses which stipulated that they were to cease all activities, they began to convene regardless to discuss assisting the Dynasty. Feeling similarly frustrated and compelled to remain neutral by the Delegation of Neutral Kingdoms, Velosorn's House Ķeles joined these talks, prepared to flout law in the Delegation. Ķeles' particularly acute frustration about their forced neutrality while their allies were overran during the Liberation of Truvenscia resulted in them being the first to table secret discussions with both the Truvenscian houses and the Dynasty. With the plan entrusted to General Seiį to execute, Jean Arrelar assisted in coordinating the houses to mount a resistance effort in the coming Invasion of the Chaestlands. 
==== The Attack Begins ====
On the 15th of August, the forces had descended in a veil formation, moving from the east to attack the newly-reclaimed Fellowship strongholds of Moss Garden and Thrushfall. Combined with Jean Arrelar's divisions in the Grenthyx Force, the great force begun concurrent punishing besieges of the two strongholds, beginning the last prolonged, intense period of fighting in the Uprootings. Partially caught off guard, the Fellowship responded in a stumbled but decisive manner. Root and Fyth in particular had their suspicious, leading them to keep their guard up, so lessened the initial blow. By the 28th of August, fighting had become intense enough so that a paranoid Seiį was dedicating himself periodically to both Thrushfall and Moss Garden. 
==== The Kidnapping of Wilddar Braitbirn ====
On the day of the 28th, a plan hatched by Barren's Royal Council to dispatch Cardinal Inquisitor, Ladriani Andrade, to Moss Garden to kidnap the Helmontan leader, Forkoux Fyth. Seiį, wishing to ensure the success of the mission in his new paranoid micro-managerial style, accompanied Andrade. The pair enjoyed a tacit familiarity with one-another's methods, despite obvious differences. As such, they infiltrated Moss Garden under stealth, partly thanks to a diversionary battle occurring nearby, but mostly thanks to their skills. Knowing that the leaders would be secreted in the fortress, they searched for Fyth - the most prodigious de facto leader of the Fellowship. However, their searches were unsuccessful, as Fyth had elected to join the diversionary battle in an unexpected move that would not see him on the front line, but nonetheless present and commanding. In lieu, the scheming pair instead elected to kidnap Wilddar Braitbirn; Llanoreid's Duke. 
Though less remarkable than Fyth, this satisfied them enough to transport him to Chaesterlyn for intense questioning. Scared, Braitbirn was held in the lavish residence in a cell, being the sole remaining location that the Dynasty could be assured of security. Braitbirn was questioned, principly by Andrade, as both Seiį and the king insisted on him assisting the reportedly struggling efforts of the Grenthyx Force to the south-west in Floralys. With Seiį gone, Ladriani convinced Barren in his paranoid state that Braitbirn was more useful alive so that they might extract information from the Llanoreidic Duke, contrary to Barren's wishes to see him executed. Indeed, Ladriani was able to retrieve minor fragments of information, however, the Duke's tediously loose sense of his own side's strategic tenacity made the process slow and ultimately fruitless.
==== The Tide Turns ====
As August waned and September begun, it was becoming clear that though gusto and drive was significant in the loyalists' surprise attack, their numbers were still relatively thin, and, coupled with their less-than-perfect element of surprise, begun to succumb to the Fellowship's sheer number in force and widespread hope to see the conflict through to the end; an end they judged to be imminent. Eventually, on the 3rd of September, the forces were driven away from the positions, with the last few days being more of an attempt to make any ground around Moss Garden and Thrushfall, and less so an operation to crush a hobbled occupying force as they had wished. 
Of the severely depleted Grenthyx Force, those few who survived and were not captured enjoyed the opportunity to flee retreated back to Chaesterlyn, whereas the loyalist houses from Truvenscia and House Ķeles of Velosorn were either taken captive or returned to the east, fleeing the impending doom of the last, desperate yet moving operation. With the phase of the conflict over, the Fellowship held a meeting late on the 3rd, where it was agreed that they would convene with the forces of Mhordyn to march to Chaesterlyn at last. Positive reports being were received from Floralys in the South. Though the battle had not yet concluded as they had hoped, it was thought that sufficient progress was made so as to make it highly likely that it would conclude in time for at least a portion of their planned Siege of Chaesterlyn; a topic which quickly became the prime area of focus in Fellowship meetings. Though the cataclysm had been a success for the Fellowship, their forces took a damning blow, particularly for Forkoux (and later Ophellaer when she learned), as acclaimed Gryhskor Guild archer and half-sister of Ophellaer, Detroia Fyth, had perished defending Moss Garden among other soldiers. 
=== The route to Chaesterlyn ===
As both fronts prepared to do so, Mhordyn's forces join with the western push at Lake Vindahal, ready to head south to Chaesterlyn. With Lythe still recovering from his stroke, Contra was to be led by Teagus Nora in lieu of their Duke. With all Mhordyn forces and their patron houses gathered, the ensamble set off down to Chaesterlyn on the 6th of September, arriving at Chaesterlyn 4 days hence.