Third Galerian War

The **Third Galerian War** (372 2A) was a war between the kingdoms of the Union and the united tribes of Galeria. The war lasted from the early spring of 372 2A through early autumn. Originally a war of aggression started by the Galerians, it quickly turned in favor of the Union forces, who pressed their armies deep into Galeria and forced a surrender. The war resulted in the complete destruction of the Calgarii Tribe and the acquisition of countless Galerians into slavery.

The Third Galerian War is unseen in The Chronicles of Aerothos, but plays an important role in the background of the story and is commonly referenced by many different characters.

## Causes

At the beginning of the Second Age of the Halryians nearly the entirety of the land that would become the Kingdom of Ulranar belonged to Galerian tribes. After two wars, a vast majority of that territory was taken by the Halryians. In 370 2A, the Calgarii Chieftain, Ondrogan, began to lay the foundations that would unite the Galerian tribes together in an effort to reclaim the lost land. The Kingdom of Ulranar had recently finished construction of Brightmoon Keep, close to the western border of Galeria, which Ondrogan believed was a sign of oncoming war by the Union. He united the three remaining Galerian tribes and made a preemptive strike on Brightmoon Keep.

## The War

### Battle of Brightmoon Keep (Spring 372, Galerian Victory)

The Galerians, largely consisting of Anvarii troops under the command of their chieftain, Verganten, moved on Brightmoon Keep. Verganten sent forth a large company of light horsemen, who killed Ulranarian soldiers outside the keep and acquired the attention of the men garrisoned. They were successfully able to lure out a large portion of the Ulranarian force and lead them into an ambush in the surrounding forest. Verganten was then able to quickly launch an assault on the undermanned keep and took it was relative ease. He allowed what few soldiers who survived the attack to reside in the dungeons.

### Battle of the Georn River (Summer 372, Arathenian Victory)

As soon as word reached the Union of the Galerian aggression, all of the kingdoms mobilized for war. The Arathenians hastily mustered their armies and made their way directly into the Galerian heartland by way of passage through the Armacian Mountains. First to make it out of the mountains, Lord Dominus Marellus was met by Ondrogan's army a few miles north of the base of the Georn River. Dominus' charged forth, sending his infantry to meet the Galerians. With the enemy occupied, his Arathenian cavalry outmatched the Galerians, and Dominus quickly flanked the Galerian infantry against the river. Ondrogan escaped with his personal retinue, but nearly the entirety of his force was destroyed.

### Battle of the Ditch (Summer 372, Rhodri Victory)

In the east, the armies of the Rhodri and Sorndirans moved into position to attack the Ronari tribe. As they came north of the Armacian Mountains, the Ronari were able to gather two considerable forces: one which awaited the Union troops at the city of Bricar, and the other, laying in wait to the south. Rhodri scouts were able to find the army that sought to surround the combined Rhodri-Sorndiran army at Bricar, and so the army of Rhodrien stayed behind to defeat the secondary Galerian force, leaving the Sorndirans to siege Bricar under more favorable conditions.

The Rhodri army came upon the Galerians at the edge of the Ronar forest amidst a torrential downpour. Between the two armies was a massive ditch. The Galerian army had taken up a position on the opposing ridge and was unwilling to budge. King Arn Marcher set up his army across the ditch, while Lord Gawain Lander moved his bowmen to an elevated position near the Rhodri army. Lander's soldiers rained arrows upon the Galerians, well within the range of their longbows. King Arn, aware that the Galerians would mostly like turn and flee, marched his troops into the ditch, luring in the Galerians, who would be tempted to take the bait knowing that the Rhodri bowmen would end their attack, unwilling to risk friendly fire. The plan worked, and both armies met at the bottom of the ditch. As the battle ensued, the terrain became increasingly dangerous, as the ground turned to slippery mud and standing water began to fill the ditch. King Arn made a daring attempt to charge his knights across and take up a position on the Galerian-held ridge, as most of the warriors had made their way into the ditch.

In the midst of the fray, Sir Edward Vaughan killed the Ronari champion and commander, Brennos, by crushing his skull with a shield. Despite this, the Rhodri retreated up their end of the ditch. Leaderless, the Galerians were left in a confusion as the Rhodri longbows under Gawain Lander resumed their attack, and Arn Marcher kept the Galerians from retreating up the ditch. As the water-level rose, the Galerians were left helpless as the bowmen finished them off.

### Battle of Hernovia (Autumn 372, Arathenian Victory)

King Aurelian Hadrius arrived at the Calgarii city of Hernovia in early autumn. Ondrogan was unwilling to hide behind his walls and boldly claimed that he would kill the Arathenian King personally. While he left a small amount of troops within the city atop the walls, Ondrogan led his army out into the field to wage pitched battle. Behind the Arathenian army was a young tactician, Beyard Viridius, who expected such a maneuver. The Arathenian line held against the Galerians, but as the battle went on, he ordered the center under Dominus Marellus to slowly give ground, allowing the flanks led by Sir Gaian Marellus and Lord Tiberius Faustan to envelop the Galerian army. Meanwhile, Lord Orion Virian led an assault unit to scale the walls of Hernovia with ladders and occupy the attention of the reserve forces inside.

While the Galerians were being surrounded, Verganten arrived with his Anvarii troops to relieve Ondrogan. But his support was held at bay by Sir Marcus Danion, and Ondrogan was left to fend for himself. A decisive charge from Sir Lucius Etrian destroyed what Galerians remained, and he personally slew the Calgarii champion, Ardix. Though Verganten escaped, Ondrogan was taken prisoner and forced to sign a treaty. The war had ended, and Ondrogan, along with countless other Galerians throughout the war, were taken back to Arathen.

### Battle of Bricar (Autumn 372, Sorndiran Victory)

While the Rhodri occupied the secondary Galerian army in the south, the Sorndirans continued northward to the Ronari capital of Bricar. En route, they were met by the Galerian army led under the Ronari Chieftain, Drostan, who had decided to wage pitched battle in favor of a siege. Drostan made a full-frontal assault against the Sorndiran army, which proved effective when his berserkers led a charge into the Sorndiran left flank and broke through. It was the bravery of Prince Ulrich Brandt, who led a counter-charge with a reserve force to save the left flank, that kept the Sorndiran army from routing. Lord Casper Marden was then able to deliver a decisive heavy cavalry charge from behind into the Galerian line, causing a full-scale route.

Drostan fled into Bricar with what remained of his troops. There he waited, until a few days later, messengers arrived with news that the war had come to an end. Drostan then surrendered to the Sorndiran army.

## Outcome

After the war, the Galerians were left with no fighting force. Many of the men had died in the war, and those who did not and bore arms were taken back to Halryian lands as slaves, most notably within Arathen. Chieftains Verganten and Drostan remained in Galeria, agreeing to never again raise arms against the Union, as well as paying a regular tribute of gold. Ondrogan was taken to Arathen City, where he was paraded through the city on the celebration of Anarian's Triumph and hanged outside of the Senate building.