Eltermerian War

The Eltermerian War was a short conflict during the early 1st Century during which the Kingdom of Briawicke invaded and annexed the larger Republic of Eltermere in order to gain a trade advantage on the Spurnian River.

## Background

The Kingdom of Briawicke had only recently seceded from the Kingdom of Ocary, and was a nation still feeling for its place on the continent. King Samuel Waltham saw a chance for great wealth in the lucrative trade monopoly Eltermere held over the Spurnian River, and sought to gain this for himself.

When negotiations to absorb Eltermere into his realm broke down (it is safer to say they were never taken seriously by Eltermere), King Samuel decided it was time to sheathe the pen and draw the sword. He raised his levies and marched to the border town of Fauston, where he was met by a force of Eltermerian militia under Councillor Garret de Pervoche.

## War

Realising King Samuel was deadly serious about the earlier negotiations, Councillor de Pervoche ordered a parlay and attempted to work out a diplomatic solution. King Samuel refused to budge, however, and de Pervoche was unable to offer Waltham Elteremere's sovereignty.

This second round of negotiations broke down after several hours, and King Samuel withdrew for the night. In the morning, he was unable to dig de Pervoche out of the town in the Battle of Fauston, losing several dozen men in an assault. Having an overwhelming numerical advantage, he resolved to wait de Pervoche out.

The Siege of Fauston ended after three weeks. Councillor de Pervoche and his subordinates were taken prisoner and the militiamen dispersed while the Briawickians crossed the Spurnian River and headed east towards Eltermere.

The town of Eltermere was put under siege in early September. It was defended by 600 militiamen led by Councillor Godfrey Ratcliffe, an experienced warrior. Nevertheless, he was helpless to challenge King Samuel's larger army just as King Samuel lacked the forces to assault the town's defences.

To the south, the town of Assar had heard of the conflict, and sent 200 militiamen to assist the capital. Upon his arrival outside Eltermere, however, the Assarian leader Councillor Luc Castelle was confronted by the larger Briawickian force. He withdrew and made camp within sight of the capital, unable to challenge the invaders but safe in the knowledge the Briawickians would not waste men and resources to defeat his army.

Ratcliffe had seen the arrival of this Assarian force, and decided on a gamble. Supplies in Eltermere were running out, and there was nothing the Eltermerians could do but lash out blindly. During the night, the defenders sallied out and raided the Briawickian camp. Over the course of around an hour, the defenders threw the Briawickian camp into chaos, and came very close to breaking them. Councillor Castelle saw the attack and rallied to Ratcliffe's aid, but it was too late. The Briawickians reformed and beat back the Eltermerians, managing to turn the tide and flood into Eltermere before the defenders could close the gates. Eltermere was lost that night, and Assar capitulated soon afterwards when it heard the news.

## Legacy

The Eltermerian War left the defending nation in utter defeat. Eltermere and Assar were absorbed into Briawicke with a high level of autonomy - King Samuel's only demand was that the trade income Eltermere had been siphoning fro the Spurnian River merchants was now to line the coffers of Briawicke.

Due to Councillor Castelle's late entry to the late-night raid on the last day of the war, the people of Eltermere did come to resent the people of Assar - many people believed that had Castelle arrived half an hour earlier, the Briawickians could have been routed entirely. This resentment was strong immediately after the war, but has lessened considerably since the Great Gap, possibly due to time.