The Grand Incursions

**The Grand Incursions** were a set of prolonged military conflicts by the Gaminud rag Nakta (later the Duchy of Oldfoundland) against the Blue Dawn. The first Incursion began in 113 AB, and the last ended in 634 AB. The primary purpose of the Incursions was to convert the lands of Diorenus to the Theian faith. However, all attempts at this were unsuccessful, and the Grand Incursions are widely considered one of the largest military failures of the Tratudi regime.

## Background

Following the collapse of Balderlane's empire, the newly-independent Gaminud, as a union of city-states, found itself struggling to keep together. Under orders from the Duke, the Atramagal (archbishop of Theianism) began implementing a set of policies intending to unify the region via religion. Oldfoundland at the time was heavily divided between the three Theianist sects, but from 99 to 112 AB, the Fatalist sect slowly became the most dominant within the Gaminud. Using this newfound unity, the Atramagal decided to attempt to spread Theianism elsewhere.

## The Golden Incursions

### The First Incursion (113-114 AB)

In 112 AB, word of a Dawnist state present on the islands of Diorenus to the south spread throughout Oldfoundland. The Atramagal, seeing an opportunity to unify the Gaminud under a common cause, put out a call for acolytes to destroy the alleged heretics. An expedition consisting of 15 ships and 793 sailors, mostly composed of nobility who lacked land of their own, set out from the city of Amelia near the end of 113 AB.

The expedition suffered from major logistical issues- not enough food was packed for the nearly month-long journey, and much of it was improperly stored and as such spoiled. Three of the ships mutinied, one was lost in a storm, two sank at sea, and the rest suffered significant losses in soldiers. By the time the expedition landed and made camp on Diorenus, only 406 sailors remained.

Undeterred, one of the surviving bishops would lead an attack on the city of Bashkat, which led to 243 casualties and next-to no damage to the city. The surviving bishops and their clergy would soon after commandeer one of their remaining ships, abandoning the remaining members of the expedition. They would arrive back in Amelia in 114 AB, bringing news of their supposed victory to the Gaminud and being commended as heroes.

### The Second Incursion (115 AB)

The First Incursion was a major propaganda victory for the Gaminud. The word of such a major logistical and religious achievement inspired the Tratudi in an otherwise tumultuous time. The Duke, seizing an opportunity to foster unity and nationalism, put out a call for any commoners who wished to join a second Incursion, targeted this time at the isle of Dabbadia. One of the Atramagal's reports claims that over 200,000 people sent in requests to join the mission (which is heavily disputed, considering the estimated total population of the Gaminud at the time was around 124,000). Regardless, the expedition set out around the middle of 115 AB with 1,688 sailors spread among 19 ships after a few months of gathering, vetting, and training applicants.

However, this Incursion had even more issues than the first. The selection process was plagued with constant bribery, nepotism, and racism. In a notable example, every applicant from the Okeanos Gamina was rejected, despite being the foremost experts in shipbuilding within Oldfoundland. As a result, there was a severe shortage of ships for the journey, requiring sailors to sleep packed together like sardines. Furthermore, the ships used were very old and went completely uninspected for damages. During the voyage, several ships shattered apart upon being battered by strong waves. None of the food logistical issues from the previous incursion were solved, either. The crew members, whom received the bare minimum of training required, had no idea about how to deal with such scenarios- reports say that every single rowboat among the ships which made it to Dabbadia was gone. Only a third of the original crew successfully made it to the target destination.

However, the trouble had not ended for the survivors. The adventurers were both unaware of and unprepared for the heavily mountainous and rigid terrain present within Dabbadia. All of the plant seeds which they had brought with them were unsuited for the low-water environment, and few animals lived in their landing area. They attempted to return home, but immediately found themselves in a conflict with a group of roving pirates, which destroyed every single boat present in the incursion. A few members of the clergy managed to sneak aboard one of these pirate ships, eventually commandeering it once it stopped in a dock. The remaining Incursion sailors attempted to create a colony, but were wiped out during the winter.

### The Third Incursion (118 AB)

The clergy, somehow, managed to once again convince the Duke that the incursion was a great success. [tbd]