The Flynn Raids

The **Flynn Raids** were a series of raids that were conducted by Vestarian raider parties as well as some Jarldom nobles hearth-guards. This influx of pirate raids was conducted between 1270 to 1290, mostly within the Earldom of Flynn and the Elf Kingdom of Kunid. The Flynn Raids can be considered a recent attempt by the Jarldom to not only raid the Earldom for loot, but to also gain a foothold in the Southern Earldom to expand their kingdom.

## History

### Early History

After the reign of Haki Regginson and his lax laws that benefitted pirates more than the common folk. The influx of raids along the Vestar coast committed by outlawed men and foreign pirates who were now outlawed in the eyes of their new rulers soon after the death of Haki, these men pillaged the coast of the Jarldom until there were no settlements left to purge, leaving all but the most well-fortified settlements unmolested. This led to raiders seeking more fortune elsewhere along the coast and this resulted in the pirates seeking gold and fortune along the Sting River and less commonly, the Elf Kingdom.

### The Rise of Otto Gyldenglove (1270-1271)

Otto Gyldenglove was a famous pirate lord who was originally a sworn Hearth-guard for the late Haki Regginson and was also a great raider who left on long voyages to coasts as far as the Kingdom of Clonran to find gold and plunder. Otto found that most raider groups found him to be a leader of sorts and began to follow in his wake. This resulted in Otto commanding a raiding party of over 500 pirates and raiders who were seasoned in both combat and looting. This host soon found itself raiding many towns inland including more prominent areas in the west such as the Ceolhare Barony and most southern towns. This forced the hand of the Earl, who raised a small levy of questionable size to meet this infamous pirate.

### The Opening Conflict (1272-1274)

The Earl's response to this pirate threat was lackluster to say the best as he only brought a mere 300 drunken, underequipped and unprepared levies with 10 or so knights to back them up to battle against the stretched out pirate army of Otto Gyldenglove. Skirmishes between the Earldom and the pirate were usually in the favour of Otto as the heavily equipped and seasoned raiders of Otto gave no quarter to feeble levies that were slow to meet their fast-moving raiders. More and more skirmishes over towns and fields had finally led to the first battle of the "war", the Battle of Kinshaw, which saw a major defeat for the earldom due to lacklustre planning and the sheer unwillingness of the command structure.

### The Crisis Period (1275-1288)

After the battle of Kinshaw, hundreds of villagers were displaced from their home as well as a considerable amount of the Baron's men. During this period, minimal effort was taken to quell any amount of the growing raider army. With no orders to round up the remaining militia for a second battle, many peasants and former militia were forced to form larger units of militia in fear of the roaming bands of pirates raiding their village. Unfortunately, many villages that were targeted didn't fare well against the much more superiorly armed foe. During this period, every village along the southern Earldom were subject to violent and ravaging raids which only led to hundreds of deaths and thousands of others becoming refugees. This period did experience some brief pauses of major raids as Otto usually dismissed many people during the winter seasons so they could return back to the Jarldom and deposit their loot. During this period, very little news reached York of the true nature of the Barony. leading many to believe initially that the pirate issue is miniscule and not of any worth. In reality, the situation destroyed the Ceolhare Barony, destroying both economy and civilian life.

In the year 1278, just 3 years prior to their order's hiring, The Order of the Hen marched their forces towards Ceolhare as Gyldenglove's raiders amassed a sizable raiding force of around 50 men to raze the only town in the barony. After marching to Ceolhare, they allegedly found the raiders who promptly charged at the knights. The fight was over in minutes as the knights decimated the raiders, who upon discovering their captain was led by one of Otto's hearthguard named Noiki. Noiki was then executed after allegedly being thrown into a pit of ravenous wolf hounds before being drawn and quartered in Ceolhare's market square. This event impressed the forces stationed at Ceolhare that a personal request to hire the band was sent to York.

After word was given clearly to the Earl, who at the time was barely aware of the situation in Yorik, released a partition for mercenary deployment around the Earldom for any sellsword or mercenary company to join their army for an upcoming campaign, By the time the Earl's army was at strength, it took almost 5 years to replenish the levies and find enough funding to maintain the massive mercenary-cored army they maintained.

### The Turn of the Tide (1275-1289)

After the Earl's horrible defeat at the battle of Kinshaw, most of his levies retreated back to their villages and keeps to defend them from the incoming raiders who lost very few numbers during the battle. This emergency prompted the hiring and purchasing of knightly orders and eager sellswords who flocked to the Earldom for this very reason. By the end of this recruitment drive, over 100 hedge knights and over 200 sellswords along with what remained from the lacking levy, bolstered by more recruits taken from the regions youth, stood ready at the earl's orders. After hearing the news of the new host that the Earl had gathered, Otto responded by splitting his forces and raiding more villages. This led to a problem as the Earl's army caught up to one of the parties which prompted another battle. The Battle of Goaham Point which saw the Earl's mercenaries reign supreme over the outstretched and tired raiders who turned tail and retreated back over the Jarldom's borders.

### The Capture of Otto Gyldenglove (1290)

During the hunt for the last portion of Otto's party, Otto experienced a large rate of desertion as the raiders were either scared to stay or satisfied with their share of the loot that they have taken from the Earldom villages. This left Otto with around a couple dozen sworn swords and hearth-guard loyal to the late Haki Regginson. During the night when the party was going through a forest in the Kingsland. A group of sellswords have ambushed the party as they were in the dark which ended with the swift capture of Otto. Otto was then presented to the Earl at York who in turn had him executed in front of the city for his crimes against the Earldom.

### Aftermath and Ongoing Problems (1290-)

After the death of Otto Gyldenglove, the remaining dozens of raiders that were still within the borders of the Earldom discovered that they were alone in this conflict. Every one of them either returned to their longboats with a few men loyal to them and sailed to the Barristen Islands to stash their loots and establish pirate forts there while others stayed in the earldom to start gangs of peasant insurgents that would continue to harass the Earldom to this day.