Yianushirs revenge

Having heard the news of the attacks in the south Princess Mangkur had been waiting for her father to allow her to bring the fight to the Varshans. In Yianushir she had been governing the Kingdom in the name of her father whilst he was on campaign. One day she finally got the order that would let her raise 4,000 men and savage her way to the southern coast.

Snow had begun to fall over the mountain forts that divided the Erigiresh from the cooler southern climates of the old Varshan empire. The men who manned them would grow complacent and lazy with the lack of any sort of action from either side and would even skip duties all together and spend their days in the whore houses that scattered the region. This sense of invulnerability would come crashing down as the army from Yianushir made itself known. Several forts would rapidly fall with all men inside being slaughtered or maimed before the Eriaz soldiers continued south towards the towns and farms further south.

Every town they came to would be burnt and salted and the men killed, women burnt and the children left to fend for themselves in the coming bitter winter. The limited resistance met would be made quick work of them. The Princess, now heir apparent to the thrown of Kisuran was noted for her ferocity in battle and sadism when it came to carrying out the devastation. By the time they reached the coast many estimate at least 50,000 had been put to the sword and many more having been torched in their homes.

As they approached the coast they would look out for a secondary target, ships to get back home. Knowing there would most likely be a prepared army on their path north that would show them as much mercy the Eriaz had shown the Varshan people in their way. Ships where relatively easy to find along the winding beaches and shingle shores and soon the army would find a city, the name forgotten in Erigi records, with large walls and a larger port.

With no bombards available to allow them to move faster the Kisuranis would attempt to sneak their way into the city.

“We’ll surrender” the Princess said to her generals.

“I’m sorry?” one would reply

“We surrender to them, they send out their shitty little garrison to round us up and we slaughter them. They wont have more than 4,000 and I doubt any would have seen any real combat in decades”

“It could work, but how do you expect us to keep our weapons? They may be Varshans but they wouldn’t be stupid enough to let us keep them”

“Hide them up your shirts or down your trousers I don’t care just hide them”

A few minor protests would be levied but with no real alternative they would approach the city and attempt to hand themselves over. Normally it shouldn’t have worked but the prospect of capturing the heir to Kisuran gave the defenders the idea they could bargain with their liege for lighter taxes so they sent out a detachment of men, nearly all the city could spare, to round up their new prisoners. This would quickly turn out to be a mistake as a few Erigi would sneak into the gate house to make sure it didn’t close, before the order was given to attack. The screams of the Varshans was short lived as the horde made quick work of them before surging forwards and into the city. Anyone who stood in the way of the men would quickly regret it as they made their way towards the harbour to find ships. A few men would stay and guard the gate and serve as a rear guard should an emery force show up uninvited.

The vessels found where unlike anything that sailed the 3 rivers of the Erigiresh, with deep hulls that went both far above and below the waterline and large masts with large triangular sails. Unsure of how exactly they functioned a few Kisurani would kidnap a handful of sailors to tech them quickly. Having been given a crash course on sailing and with every man on a ship the force would leave, but not before having the city put to the touch.

The voyage back would be long but still took a ¼ the time it would have done with a tradition galley. As news filtered back to the Erigiresh Princess Mangkur would gain the name “Scourge of the Varshans” and her arrival back in Kisuran would be met with much celebration. However in the lands that had so suffered it would only serve to entrench the idea that the southern deserts where full of uncivilised savages and the anger over the attack would fuel many attacks in retribution.