Alkeban Bush Wars

Following their defeat in the Seven Wars of Containment, and the arduous process of integration in the Dorminian State, the terror group FNA, or the Fraesnic National Army, sparked an uprising in 1710, with the funding of Varenth. Fraesn's government promised Varenth the use of their ports in return for support in their war of independence. The uprising did not last long and was quelled later that year at the Battle of Mets.

Later on, in 1725 AE during the war between Briece and Mascron, both Dorminia and Varenth saw opportunity to take advantage in order to gain a leg up on one another. To that end, Varenth sent troops to Mascron in order to weaken Dorminia's strength abroad. In retaliation, the Alkeban city of Cyren was ordered to attack New Varenth in order to distract the country from the ongoing conflict in the east. This sparked the First Alkeban Bush War, which lasted until 1730 AE and ended with an overall stalemate between the two major powers.

Only six years later, New Varenth launched a suprise attack on Cyren which sparked the Second Alkeban Bush War. Though the Varenthians were pushed back in the first half of the two-year conflict, with rogue New Varenthian troops occupying the Alkeban city for almost a full year, the Second Alkeban Bush War ended in a decisive Cyrenic military victory. The compounding casualties from both conflicts had a profound effect on Cyren's people, with rumors of rebellion and independence exponantially increasing over the next few years. By 1743 AE the major world powers, including Dorminia and Varenth, gathered together in Cyren to ensure peace on the continent of Alkebu in order to avoid another costly conflict.

## **The First Alkeban Bush War (1726 - 1730)**

The First Alkeban Bush War officially began on September 14th, 1726 AE with Cyren's attack on New Albertsville on the border between Cyren and New Varenth. The attack was ordered by the Dorminian government as a way to distract Varenth from the concurrent Mascron-Briece conflict. The battle of New Albertsville lasted ten full days before the Varenthian garrison finally pushed the AEF and Dorminian Light Brigade back. A few days later, the 4th New Varenthian Fusiliers engaged encamped AEF troops at Lake Listen, just south of the territorial border. The skirmish ended in a stalemate but both sides retreated and would meet again at the same lake a week later, with the AEF taking victory.

Much of the war was spent in a stalemate, with no territory changing hands between the two sides. As soon as one side would gain a victory and push forward, defenses would rally and push them back once more. At the coastal fort of Simbak-Sun near Cyren in mid 1727, a force of over 6,000 Varenthian rifles was defeated by a combined group of Cyrenic and native defenders. This decisive victory ran concurrent with the Dorminian White Brigade and Volunteer Army's loss the Battle of Langern to the west. The victory at Simbak-Sun prevented a second breakthrough in the Cyrenic defensive line, and allowed the AEF enough breathing room to support the retreating Dorminians and push back the Varenthian Foreign Legion for the rest of the summer.

Later, in 1728, the Varenthian Colonial Brigade ambushed two battalions of AEF rifles near Evelyn Falls and quickly routed them, pushing back the Cyrenic line behind Xhona Valley for the first time in months. The valley was then fortified heavily and the AEF and their native allies dug in against the Varenthian Foreign and Colonial Brigades, who launched their attack on September 29th. For almost two full months, artillery rained down on both sides and trenches were dug into the hillside in order to provide cover for the defenders as well as those on the offensive. The Varenthians attempted to sneak around the valley and take their enemy by surprise but found the perimeter locked down by Dorminian Volunteers and native troops. Finally on November 20th, the Cyrenic troops awoke to see the Varenthian encampment totally abandoned at the bottom of the hillside-- they could not take the losses, and retreated under cover of darkness.

More small skirmishes occurred between the end of 1728 and June 1729 in new and old battlefields. Evelyn Falls, Lake Listen, Langern and even Xhona Valley saw some more action after the first two years of the conflict. The largest blow to the Varenthians, however, came in late 1729 at Little Hill, an AEF encampment deep in Cyrenic territory. For several weeks, the Varenthian Foreign Rifles had poked and prodded the Cyrenic lines but found no way through to the actual hill itself. Finally on October 17th the Varenthians found themselves pushing back the preliminary AEF defenses and were able to push to the base of Little Hill, only to find the land empty. Before they could act, however, the Dorminian Volunteer Army and Light Brigade sprung an ambush from behind their backs, while AEF forces under the leadership of Martin Longhurst charged down the hill. Caught unaware between two large forces, the Varenthians were brutally beaten and forced into a route. This signaled the end of the Varenthian offensive in the First Alkeban Bush War and while small battles broke out along the border of the two territories over the next two months, the war was officially brought to an end in January 1730.

## **The Second Alkeban Bush War (1736 - 1738)**

By 1736, New Varenth and Cyren's governments fell into disagreement over territorial borders and while Doux Aten was preparing an ultimatum for the colony, New Varenthian colonial forces launched a massive attack on Cyren. The city was unprepared and was eventually sacked by the enemy, who left almost as quickly as they had arrived. The Second Alkeban Bush War was declared. Almost immediately, Doux Lukas Aten and the AEF were able to regroup and re-arm their regulars and returning veterans and launched an offensive of their own, meeting the New Varenthians in Xhona Valley for the first time since 1729. The battle would end in a Cyrenic military victory, though two more battles would occur in the same area over the course of the war. Being a conflict started by the colonies and fought only on Alkebu, Dorminia lent little support to the AEF during the first half of the war, with both powers wishing to feign a measure of neutrality. In early April of 1736, Varenthian troops also laid siege to the coastal fort at Simbak-Sun once more, which would last until mid-December when AEF forces pushed them back. Unfortunately, the enemy returned in February 1737 and held the defensive troops at the fort for another six months. Together, they made up the longest-running battle of both conflicts.

The war continued in a very give/take format for most of 1736 and into the summer of 1737. By mid-May, the Varenthians and AEF forces were locked in the Third Battle of Xhona Valley, one of the bloodiest battlegrounds of the war. For over a month, AEF troops led by Lieutenants Martin Longhurst and Daniel Krüger battered the Varenthian base camp headquartered on the highest ridge above the valley. During the fighting, Krüger was injured and taken to a Varenthian field hospital while Longhurst continued the assault which eventually broke through the line and pushed the enemy back across the valley. The victory was short lived, however, as it was soon discovered that while AEF forces were locked in combat at Xhona Valley and Simbak-Sun, the city of Cyren had been occupied by Varenthians. Major General Hendrik Steyn had been killed in the ensuing fight, as well as many high ranking officers, leaving Longhurst, Krüger, and Steyn's two sons stationed at Simbak-Sun as the highest ranking members of the Alkeban Expeditionary Force.

Over the next eight months, the AEF forces under Longhurst and Krüger kept under the radar and employed hit and run guerrilla tactics against the Varenthians. They sacked supply caches and transportation lines, liberated prison camps, and in late August, pushed back the offensive forces at Simbak-Sun, breaking the siege and freeing up not only an entire company of AEF men but also their artillery and airships. From there, an attack to retake Cyren was planned and in mid January, eight months to the day after "The Occupation" began, AEF forces attacked their own city. In what would come to be known as "The Reclamation", AEF artillery battered the occupying force from Table Mountain above the city and ground troops, with airship support stormed the eastern jungle gate and pushed into the city. While the battle raged on, a Dorminian airship fleet under the command of Commodore Marcus Aureas blocked Cyren's harbor from the north and either scattered or destroyed the Varenthian fleet. The battle lasted only two days, and while the city was reclaimed, several government and AEF officials, Alchemy Guild members, and citizens lay dead.

The Varenthian offensive was finished in Cyrenic territory, and what remained of the army was pushed back by outlying AEF and native battalions through the spring of 1737 until finally, New Varenth's governor called for peace. The forces that had occupied Cyren were, according to the government, acting outside of their orders from command and the leader of the attack had been tried and hanged almost immediately upon his return to the colony. Wary of the truth but tired of war, Doux Lukas Aten accepted the call for peace and worked with the Varenthians to draft an agreement. The Second Alkeban Bush War came to an official end on April 27th, 1737.