Skirmish at the Zeri Strait

== Overview ==
The skirmish at the Zeri Strait was a significant sea based conflict fought between the Grenthyx Armada of the Grenthyx Dynasty and C'thardjia's Jandor Fleet in the Uprootings. It was the first direct conflict Ch'mazi conscripted C'thardjia into, as a result of one of the two agreements made with Forkoux Fyth at Hyfele'iyla two months earlier. The unexpected skirmish was only ended by the neutral Zerisorn's (whose waters it illegally occurred in) threat to destroy either side. It forced Mazi to reassess the means by which C'thardjia would gain a foothold to assist the rest of The Fellowship's forces. 
== History ==
=== Mazi decides to attack Port Grenth and buildup ===
Due to the Hyfele declaration from the Hyfele'iyla summit, C'thardjia became officially enlisted in The Fellowship, drawing up a plan to take out the Grenthyx Armada stationed at Port Grenth in the Chaestlands, and then for Mazi to establish a foothold by taking Fort Seamaid in the Chaestish Isles.
=== Spies ===
Dissident regias of C'thardjia, Rh'jandel and Wy'varri had long been sceptical of Mazi's break of ties with the King. Despite feeling loyal to her Duchess, Jandel and Varri saw C'thardjia's involvement in the war as a breach of their pacifist ideals. Having made her feelings very clear to Mazi prior to the Hyfele'iyla Summit, Jandel arranged for Varri to spread the leaks to the Dynasty in order to avoid garnering suspicion. These leaks would contain their plans to ambush the Armada at Port Grenth, allowing the Grenthyx Dynasty to take advantage of the situation and avert disaster. As a result, the Dynasty hatched a trap to ambush the Jandor fleet far away from Port Grenth, destroying them with their superior numbers.
=== Setting sail ===
The Jandor Fleet departed from Ella'lacio in the early hours of the 10th of September, travelling through much of the Palan Sea supplied to rendezvous with Mhordyn at the Chaestish Isles in order to gain a foothold with their forces there. However, trouble was quickly encountered.
=== The Skirmish ===
Unexpectedly, the Jandor fleet led by Ch'edro was ambushed by the Grenthyx Armada a few miles off-shore from the Palouisos Islands in the Zeri Strait. Battle begun quickly, though the Jandor Fleet were woefully outnumbered. However, this did not go unnoticed by the nearby neutral Zerisorn. The custodian of the Palouisos Islands, where the battle was now clearly visible from, contacted in their own coloured boats both Trevonir Harthyx of the Grenthyx Dynasty, who had been ready to strike at this point thanks to Varri, and Mazi to stop the fighting. They were warned that if they failed to comply, they would both face annihilation from the combined naval force of the Delegation of Neutral Kingdoms, who although neutral, would defend their waters or territory to the last if provoked directly. Fearing such a devestating confrotnation, both sides gradually ceased fighting and the custodian returned back to the Islands. 
=== Aftermath ===
Wounded and somewhat depleted from the short battle, the Jandor Fleet returned to C'thardjia without their target of Fort Seamaid secured or even neared. To make matters worse, they were unable to notify the fleets of Mhordyn who had been due to rendezvous with them there. Along with the Grenthyx Armada returning home, this meant that the Mhordynians were waiting for their doom upon the arrival of the armada. The C'thardji and matriarch of Helmont, Ophellaer Fyth, were forced to rethink and turned their attention to the Northern C'thardji Strip and its border with Truvenscia as a means to gain the foothold which Mazi so prized from the Hyfele declaration. 
Category:Events