War for the Upper Rinlands

The War for the Upper Rinlands is an ongoing war waged between the Damaria empire against the nations of the states of the upper Rinlands. The war was initiated by Ashlind I of Damaria in 1438, with the casus belli being to unite the entire Rinland region with Damaria. The Upper Rinlands was in an alliance with Akarros and Messilia which joined the war. Collectively, the defending coalition is referred to as the Southern Alliance.

## Timeline

### Early stages (1438-1441)

Empress Ashlind I personally led an army of 30.000 men from eastern Vaskia towards Riddelrest, the largest city of the upper Rinland. She would lay siege to the town of Galvon, which fell within just a month. Marching towards Riddelrest, Ashlind hoped to subdue the resistance quickly and prevent the allies of the enemy coalition from responding in time. The siege of Riddelrest proved to be an arduous affair. A few months into the siege, Ashlind was notified of an Akarrosian force assembling at Vaskia, preparing to invade. Ashlind decided to return to Vaskia to deal with the counterattack, leaving the Siege of Riddelrest in the hands of General Sorrin Chevil.

The Akarrosian attack proved to be quick and suprising for the Damarians. In 1439, the Damarian stronghold of Twin Crest Fortress fell to the Akarrosians, who then marched on to Cavameir and laid siege to the city, fiercely defended by Rickart Sewellyan and his retinue of Vaskian Elite. Ashlind would arrive with a new retinue of men, managing to break the siege and push the attackers back to Twin Crest Fortress, which she would recapture by the end of the year.

In 1440, Riddelrest finally fell to the Damaria Siege. However, the Damarian army had stretched it supply lines thin and were being harrassed by the Rinland dwarves who employed guerilla tactics to disturb and harass the invaders. Ashlind, believing the Akarrosians to be demoralized, launched an attack into Akarrosian territory, laying siege to Aklion Castle. However, the castle proved to be almost impregnable due to its strategic position, costing Ashlind time and resources for no gains whatsoever. Meanwhile, the struggling occupying forces led by General Sorrin in Riddelrest was surprised when a major attack force led by retinues from Akarros, Messilia and Upper Rinfolk dwarfs laid siege to the city. By the end of 1440, Sorrin deemed the situation hopeless and managed to organize a retreat from the city, fleeing north into the lower Rinlands and loosing all territory gained since the start of the war.

Following the retreat from the Upper Rinlands, both sides would rest for a while to recoup and reorganize their forces.

### **Current situation (1441-current)**

The current situation of the war has been of a conflict of a lower intensity compared to the initial phases. Skirmishes regularly occur on the borderlands between the opposing sides and both remain highly defensive. Multiple attempts have been made to settle the situation and reach a settlement, but to no avail. Empress Ashlind is under the impression that the coalition defending the Upper Rinlands will eventually break apart, and has chosen to play the long game of stretching the resources of her enemies.