Event 1
Ignition
15 Mar - 11 Apr, 2015
Introduction
The Day of Keys, 7th Arrival. By tradition, a day of good things received and given but not this year. This is the year that on the 7th, the Emperor of Koben issues his declaration of war to the King of Miras. The Koben Empire and Miras Kingdom, although they have denied it for so long, are now at war.
The Kingdom, after falling into a lull of false peace over the year, picks up its preparations again with renewed fervour. City defences are reinforced, evacuation and safety measures are placed for the citizens and, of course, the Miras Royal Military is quickly stationed to protect their coastline. On the other side of the sea, the Koben Imperial Forces are likewise in a flurry of activity, as soldiers pour into its harbours and military bases bristle.
There is no way for the Kingdom, who must play a defensive guessing-game, to know what exactly the Empire's first move will be. Until the sun rises on the 10th Arrival and the sight they have been dreading comes to pass - the Koben Navy, accompanied by the newly unveiled might of their airships, crests the horizons of both Amedra and Belport with the morning rays. There is no time for the navies stationed in both cities to consolidate or begin coordinating battle plans in earnest; both are, save for a rushed communication at dawn, on their own.
The alarm sounds in the two cities. Citizens scramble, soldiers brace, and soon the air is torn by the sound of fire. The attack has begun.
The Koben Navy has attacked Amedra and Belport, with the Imperial Air Force and the Corsairs there to make matters worse; it's up to you how the attack and defense goes!
Event Details
Ignition
As of the 10th April, the main Kingdom ports of Amedra and Belport have become the first battlegrounds of the war. A substantial force from the Koben navy and the newly unveiled dreadnought have been sent into the Circen sea, splitting support lines between the two cities.
As the base of the Miras Armada and historically a prime target of warfare, Amedra is well-prepared - ships on home seas, soldiers ready to fight and citizens ready to resist or flee. There is a weakness, however, at the Old Docks which is home to the markets and many businesses, including the Traders' Guild headquarters, and are too sprawling and built-up to adequately defend. This is where the Empire intends to puncture the defense lines.*
Belport's defenses are not as tight. Though the staunch locals have prepared as best they can, the forces there are relatively spare as the Miras military has opted to spread themselves out to protect the vulnerable countryside coast of south Miras and Cantor, which is more accessible to the Empire navy base of Linhythe. The Jewel Sea Corsairs have bypassed this instead and crossed behind the invading navy to lead the attack against Belport.
The dreadnought and accompanying contingent of the Imperial Air Force are stationed in the space between Amedra and Belport. Some fighter craft are there to counter any aerial assaults, however they play a mostly defensive game - their motive is to test their capabilities and to disrupt communications between the two ports. On board the dreadnought are specialists and devices for this purpose.
The intention of the Kingdom is to defend and gauge the Empire's strength, especially their new and unknown airships. The Flight Regiment will challenge them in the air while on the ground the Armada, Legion and Healers will battle to protect their people.
The intention of the Empire is to split and then destroy as much of the weakened Armada as possible. They have succeeded in the former; the Armada is unable to consolidate and coordinate its spread-out forces in time, which is only worsened by the scattered communication following the Red Letter weeks. The Duchess' naive gesture just a month ago may prove to be a costly one.
*In the interests of maximum involvement, this landing will be successful. The Old Docks will be the site of a land battle between soldiers from the invading army/navy and local military and civilian forces.
Story
Activities
Event Outcomes
All submissions for the event will used to determine the outcome of the battle by using the actions of your characters as an indication of the movements of the two sides at large. For example, if one side has more fighters, then their attack/defense efforts will be more successful, or if one side has more doing healing or shielding roles then their fighters' value or their defense respectively will be better. Be clear about what it is your character is doing - it will make a difference!
Event Participation
Event Art
Draw, write or in any way depict your character's involvement in the main event to affect the outcomes! Art or literature entries will receive a bonus 30 EXP. Only main characters are eligible for the bonus EXP and the outcome.
Event Participation
Prompt Art
For characters who cannot be directly involved in the event, you can use this event as a prompt (e.g. reacting to the news from another city). Prompt submissions will get a bonus 10 EXP for the submission but will not count towards the event outcome.
Event Participation
Action Statement
If you don't have time to make an art piece, you can get 5 EXP by simply stating what your character is doing for the event via a post in the #event-board Discord channel. This applies to main characters only and there must be direct involvement with the events to get this. Side characters' involvement can be described to contribute to the event canon however no points will be given. If you go on to enter an art submission later, the EXP received for this will be replaced by the art submission points.
Special Role
Sarain Maradhras
Resistance Spearhead
The fiery leader of the Traders' Guild, Fidelo Lonars, is heading a resistance to the invading army at the guild headquarters, and Sarain is to co-lead it with him. He has heard of her as a formidable fighter in the underground circles and was surprised to see her resurface as a simple trader. Now, she will be instrumental to a daring plan to trap the invaders; while Fidelo and his crew goad them through the back alleys of Amedra, Sarain will lead a second crew to collapse a tower of scaffolding on and around them. If they are to succeed in the ambush, she must succeed.
Conclusion
Amedra was the focus of the Empire's attack, but thanks to its strongly established defences and a fiery populace, their Koben attackers were pushed out with unexpectedly thorough success. At the Traders' Guild, many of the people there at the time, locals and unfortunate visitors alike, presented fierce and well-rounded resistance to the vanguard of the Koben army that managed to land. There were plenty of willing hands in all arenas - fighters, healers and helpers for the evacuation - which made the civilian resistance a surprisingly successful one with fewer than expected casualties. The military forces too held strong on the air and ground. While the Koben army and navy fought bravely, they were forced to retreat after several hours of ferocious fighting. Of the Empire soldiers lost to battle, it is speculated that several deserted in the chaos - a statement unproven and likely to be kept secret.
It was not a complete loss for the Empire, however. Belport, in contrast, was much less fortunate. What the Koben military hoped to do in Amedra, they rather did in Belport thanks to the attacking forces of the Jewel Sea Corsairs and a sparse defense. Although the Empire forces eventually retreated from there also, the city paid a steep price. The casualties were high, with few available healers, and the damage to the city and navy stationed there was immense. The dreadnought between Amedra and Belport also held strong, successfully keeping communications between them at a standstill. Among those of the attacking air fleet, it is agreed that valuable things were discovered and confirmed about the capabilities of their airships - things that can be used to improve their attacking power in future.