Southern Wars (Starting Sept. 2011)

[TDLR]

First off, a mini-rant, skip if you'd like:

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After the Aenilian-Arcaean conflict -- which if I must say was a very good one and a lot of fun for me at least -- I looked along with the players of other southern realms as to where the next conflict would emerge. A relative peace fell over the region for maybe 2 or 3 weeks. Nobles in Zonasa became all hissy and a few didn't want to recruit up because we weren't at war and there was nothing to do (although, of course, there was a starving city and some a few regions in disrepair after a bit of starvation).

Now that conflict has come, I must say I'm rather perturbed by the responses from some of those same hissy characters (who of course aren't ideally prepared for this conflict). Many of these characters (who conveniently have friends or family in other realms) want the war to go a different direction, regardless of the ongoing plot lines. "We just got out of a war defending Aenilia along with the Kindarans, we have a history of alliance and friendship with both realms... now's the perfect time to go attack them!!" Or, "Zonasa has a well documented history of fighting against C'thonia and Nighthelm... let's go help them!" etc...

*facepalm*

Just goes to show you can't please everyone, and there are some people you can never please.

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And now, to the Southern Conflict and it's causes from the Zonasan perspective, for those who are a bit farther removed IC-wise from the situation but still OOC curious. Of course, to all the following reasons/motives, one must consider the greed and boredom motives. If realms aren't fighting each other and trying to grow their influence, why play a game called "Battlemaster?" If I leave any motives out, please feel free to add them in the thread. Anyway, here goes:

Kindara is declaring war on C'thonia for a whole host of reasons, which some will debate the influence/merit of. But principally:
1. Giving C'thonia an honorable death -- admittedly the realm has done little and gone nowhere since its initial founding.
2. Removing King Thain, who at least in Zonasa is generally viewed as a future threat to the security of the Duchy of Batesaor, from power.
3. There was a little bit mentioned about C'thonia having betrayed NeoSartania, but I'm not sure of the merit of that motive.

Zonasa, of course, can support any/all of these. There's no love for C'thonia in Zonasa.

Cathay (ally of Zonasa) has also declared war (still unofficial, I think, but forthcoming) on C'thonia with the intention of annexing a few rural regions in order to feed her cities. While Zonasa would typically support this -- because again, there's no love for C'thonia in Zonasa -- in this case the realm has objected to the actions. A few reasons:
1. First and perhaps most important on the sovereignty level, Cathay annexed the region of Ahael from Aenilia (ally of Zonasa) in the previous conflict (with as-of-now unfulfilled promises of returning the region once peace was restored).
2. Also, Kindara has objected to Cathay's advances in the region (how is Kindara to feed Hatdhes without Edairn, afterall?). The region of Edairn has been historically connected to Hatdhes as well.
3. And finally, and this most important to Erandi, Erandi (IC) and I (OOC) object to characters/players blatantly teaming up on isolated or smaller realms because they can (one of the reasons my characters left Beluaterra recently. Also the reason why Zonasa did not attack NeoSartania although she had more cause than any other realm). Therefore, Erandi's own sense of honor (yea, he's got an ivory tower, although Jenred among others can certainly tell everyone why he shouldn't. :P), would dictate that C'thonia should have the chance to fight Kindara mano-a-mano, so to speak. And so by coming in to annex regions while C'thonia is engaged elsewhere, the Cathayans are behaving dishonorably. Erandi doesn't view the Cathayans as enemies of course, just simply misguided. Ergo, as soon as Cathay launches a TO in C'thonian territory, Zonasa will declare war against her ally, with the intention of bringing them back to the 'honorable' path and returning Ahael to the Aenilians.

I don't quite know the full background behind Ohnar West's grievances with Cathay as recently aired on the rulers' forum, nor do I know exactly what's going on in Aenilian politics to speak on those matters. Jenred has said a little about the conflict on the rulers' circuit, but with little in the way of a concrete position. Although I am interested in his reference to a "crusade" and what this could mean for the South...

Anyway, hope that informs those interested in knowing. Cheers.

[Nathan]

I don't quite know the full background behind Ohnar West's grievances with Cathay as recently aired on the rulers' forum

Wait, what? We have grievances with Cathay? I think Veleno has to give Selene a talking to, just as soon as I find this out IC. Cathay has always been a useful ally to Ohnar and Lasanar before her.

EDIT: On the rest of what you wrote - interesting. I wasn't overly aware of the southern war, but it seems something Veleno would be interested in if Batesaor is involved (she has a soft spot for the city). Otherwise, she's too busy with northern politics to be overly bothered unless she's sent there as Ambassador.

[Bedwyr]

Jenred's said little because he's playing four different games right now and trying to keep them all balanced until he can gather more information, and of course Arcaea is occupied at the moment.  The Crusade was a reference to the Sunset Crusade to remove the False God Tony and Conan from power, and was just Jenred bitching (again, it's one of his pastimes by now) about murky diplomacy when he would much prefer a clean war.

OW is annoyed at Cathay because Cathay was buying up all of Arcachon's food at a fairly high price, which is how Arcachon managed to get enough gold to trounce OW...And didn't explain the situation to OW, so Selene found out about it from Arcachon and was...Unhappy.

[Velax]

Yes, I can confirm the Kindarans are extremely unhappy about Cathay's stealing of regions. Cathay stole Ahael from Aenilia while Arcaea was keeping them busy and now they're doing the same to C'thonia while Kindara keeps them busy. What really rankles is that Brian didn't bother to ask for permission or attempt to discuss the matter, he simply stated that Cathay would be taking Arrmol and Edairn and that was the end of the discussion. That's really not the best way to treat the only remaining proper ally you have. Before this matter, and the issue recently where a Cathayan trader threatened the Kindaran general (Leofric, my character) with retribution if he didn't sell him food, Kindara and Cathay were very friendly. Cathay have just decided to toss that all down the toilet, though, over the sake of one region. Foolish. Very, very foolish.

Leofric is calling for the Cathayans to be taught a lesson and he is certainly not the only Kindaran doing so.

[Indirik]

OW is annoyed at Cathay because Cathay was buying up all of Arcachon's food at a fairly high price, which is how Arcachon managed to get enough gold to trounce OW...And didn't explain the situation to OW, so Selene found out about it from Arcachon and was...Unhappy.

Perhaps Selene should tell OW that. So far as I know, she has not. I don't remember seeing any Cathay traders around. Not that I ever really looked....

Also, I personally am mad at Cathay for never sending troops to help OW. At least twice during the war I heard that Cathay is going to send troops to help defend against Arcachon, but they never did.

[Bedwyr]

Perhaps Selene should tell OW that. So far as I know, she has not. I don't remember seeing any Cathay traders around. Not that I ever really looked....

Also, I personally am mad at Cathay for never sending troops to help OW. At least twice during the war I heard that Cathay is going to send troops to help defend against Arcachon, but they never did.

Arcaea's pretty pissed about that too.  Especially since Jenred had to (literally) beg Brian to get that agreement.

Jenred doesn't like begging.

[Sacha]

Not even in the bedroom? ;D

[Bedwyr]

Not even in the bedroom? ;D

Nope.  Rather the opposite, in fact.

[Sacha]

You dog!

[egamma]

Bedwyr,
After all the talk I've read today about your girlfriend, you'd better hope she doesn't read the forums...  ::)

[Bedwyr]

Egamma, she does...Which is why I posted them  :D  She likes being bragged about.

[WarMaid]

Egamma, she does...Which is why I posted them  :D  She likes being bragged about.

She does...

And she does :)

[DoctorHarte]

1st offensive, won by Zonosa :D! It was somewhat evenly matched, though Zonosa lost only 1k CS and Cathay lost seven thousand CS, ha!

C'thonia on the other hand, it very boring. We watch as Kindara looks like fools and continue to kill the population of Hatdhes for weeks now, without a successful TO. Soon there will be zero population in the city.

[Velax]

"Look like fools"? Bit much coming from someone who manages to get almost every realm he joins destroyed.

[Huntsmaster]

1st offensive, won by Zonosa :D! It was somewhat evenly matched, though Zonosa lost only 1k CS and Cathay lost seven thousand CS, ha!

C'thonia on the other hand, it very boring. We watch as Kindara looks like fools and continue to kill the population of Hatdhes for weeks now, without a successful TO. Soon there will be zero population in the city.

I saw that battle report. Cathay had bad lines, and Zonasa had a load of cavalry. I think Elk alone killed a troop of infantry and 2 of archers with his horse.