Thurim War

The Thurim War was a war sparked by Vibius Calenus from the Nirvan Republic, who led 5 legions and allies against the Thurim Mountain Range, which were led by the Dwarven city of Vagh Thurim.

## Background

Vibius was born into the successful Calenus family, with the more famous Gaius Calenus being his father. While the two had a close relationship, Vibius always wished to distinguish himself with his own name.

After the success of the Arenian Campaign in **482PR**, Vibius was able to prove himself a successful commander in the field, given the respect of the troops and even right to triumph at the end. Though the loss of his father stung, it gave him the chance to explore his options independently and prove himself as leader of the Calenus Faction.

At the end of **483PR**, Vibius began using his control of the Senate to build an army and campaign. When the legislation was passed and the legions raised (note, legion was still just a unit of measuring troops at this point).

In order to understand the terrain, Vibius raised further troops from Bhirn, which allowed him to have suitable troops for the mountains he would be fighting on. After his troops were gathered and familiarised, he declared war on the Thurim Mountain Range citing previous raids for the reasoning, though it was really expansion of lands.

## Course

### Initial

Unlike the previous campaigns by the Calenus family, it did not take long for Vagh Thurim to bring out an army to stop them. As proud nobles and Dwarves, they wanted to end the war as quickly as they could. Once their army was gathered, they went out to meet the Nirvans before they even reached the mountain range.

#### Battle of Ukan

The Battle of Ukan was quite a big welcome call to both armies. While the Nirvans won the battle, it showed that the Thurim soldiers could hold their own, even when completely exhausted. To the Thurim soldiers, it meant that they couldn’t just win battles with sheer force, and that they would have to hold in for a proper war.

After the battle, Vibius built a statue for his efforts, showing a perfect Nirvan soldier.

### Entering the Mountain Range

The Thurim Mountain Range is an interesting place, it is littered with many different villages that make their home either on the outside of the mountain or built inside it. For the villages on the inside, it became very difficult for the Nirvans to access, simply watching as they closed their stone gates and hid inside.

This became a troubling sign for Vibius who could no longer freely move through the mountain range as the villages could hold any number of troops. Instead of building fortifications everywhere like what happened in Bhirn, he instead used his newfound allies to make a plan.

The Bhirnians came up with the idea of smoking out the enemy, knowing roughly where their chimneys would be situated so they could block them. It was an incredibly effective tactic, forcing the villages to either surrender or fight, where they got slaughtered.

#### Battle of Thurnik Hold

Eventually, close to the end of the campaigning season, Vibius and the Nirvans reached the holds near Vagh Thurim. The first of these holds was called the Thurnik Hold, held by the Thurnik family who were fiercely loyal to the crown. Knowing that losing the hold could severely damage their economy and chances of stopping the Nirvans, King Berok Thurim raised an army again and sent them out to defeat the Nirvans.

The battle was close, with the Nirvans almost overwhelmed in the middle. Though in a test of faith, Vibius managed to turn the tides of the battle through not only his magic but a successful duel against Urmbrek.

After the battle, Vibius took some time to heal, letting his troops do the same and rest. There was no more campaigning for the rest of the year with the Nirvans taking control of Thurnik Hold.

### The Siege of Vagh Thurim

During the winter, Vibius returned to the Nirvan Republic and gathered more troops to fill the losses he had accumulated over the short war.

When he returned, he led his soldiers straight to Vagh Thurim, building up his fortifications and besieging the city. Just like his grandfather, Vibius made sure to keep the hygiene standards high so that disease was minimal.

#### Battle of Vagh Thurim

Before the siege could get fully started, King Berok gathered every available person he could and armed them with whatever was there. When his makeshift group was prepared, he marched to meet the Nirvans outside of the cities walls.

The battle was a disaster, with King Berok not only betraying his fellow people but getting captured. In the city, chaos erupted, and actually helped improve their attitude towards the Nirvans, even if they slaughtered their way to the throne room.

The war would end later when a new King of Vagh Thurim was crowned, allowing him to sign the surrender.

## Aftermath

The Thurim War did exactly as planned for Vibius, he was able to claim a large amount of land and power through his direct actions and even be called imperator by his men, and most importantly, he was able to distinguish himself from his father as a great commander.

The success of the war also did wonders for not only Vibius’s political career but the Calenus Faction as well, who were expected to dominate politics for some time.