Event 4
Mutiny
19 Jul - 15 Aug, 2015
Introduction
The Koben Empire is fresh from a momentous victory on the North Continent. The lands of Valsk and Belport have been wrested from the Miras Kingdom, and with them a very important resource in wartime has been taken - the forges. The mineral riches of the mountainous north now rest in the hands of the Empire, which wastes no time in exploiting this. With the help of the few prisoners who succumb to pressure, the forges are brought back to life for a different master.
For a month there is a break as the both sides recalibrate. The Kingdom struggles to accommodate its many refugees while the Empire works to cement its hold on the North. Soldiers and workers stream into their wintery new territory by the shipload. The Kingdom, however, can at last no longer sit still in the face of war. Anger is high in its citizens, the Empire's military is busy and a daring plan has reached fruition. The time is right.
On the 14th Harvest, it begins - a large-scale mutiny by the Jewel Sea Corsairs in both Linhythe and Song-Lu, worked for many months and paid handsomely for by Miras. On an agreed signal, chaos erupts in both port cities as they are attacked from within. Then when the mayhem is at its peak, the horizon breaks with a fearsome sight - the arrival of the Miras Armada and Flight Regiment, armed with the best magical beasts and offensive magic the Kingdom can afford. The front is now in Empire harbours, for a true battle between the magical might of Miras and the technological might of Koben.
The battle has been taken to the ports of Linhythe and Song-Lu, with a great mutiny by the Jewel Sea Corsairs and a magically-charged onslaught by the Miras forces. The Empire's military and citizens must now defend its own soil against an attacking army set on destruction!
Event Details
Mutiny
Linhythe and Song-Lu have become the newest battleground in the war between Empire and Kingdom. On the 14th Harvest, Miras forces arrive with an attacking front that leans heavily on its magical prowess, introduced by an internal attack on the cities by the Corsairs*. For many months, Miras has been working secretly to buy their favour - in exchange for their betrayal, they promise wealth and safety. Progress was gradual until, during the Month of Seeds, they acquired an important recruiter within the Corsairs - Guenievre Favreau.
Miras intends to allow the Corsairs to wreak havoc inside the cities first. Then on a signal, the Corsairs will retreat immediately to Miras lines and they will launch their own attack with the Armada and Flight Regiment. The goal is to cripple the Empire's naval capacities by destroying ships, docks, infrastructure, shipyards and hopefully the military bases. The plan is to do this by the use of battle mages - Wizards and Conjurers with powerful abilities or familiars, the ranks of whom have been swelled by recruitment from the Academy of the Arcane. These mages will attack from the back line, where they are protected, with magical firepower and conjured beasts in a spectacular onslaught. The Flight Regiment will lead more direct attacks in the city. The main targets are a military-contracted shipyard in Linhythe and the docks in Song-Lu. While orders are to avoid killing civilians wherever possible, these are undeniably civilian targets and desire for revenge among the soldiers is running high...
The Empire military is spread thin with its operations in Valsk and Belport, but with one fortuitous circumstance - its presence in Linhythe is already heightened in the wake of recent gang warfare there. Steamships are also already en route to Song-Lu, albeit heavy with tired soldiers. For them, it is a race against time to regroup and push out their attackers before the cities and their existing shields/defences are destroyed. Air Force will meet Flight Regiment in the first battle to truly pit flying mounts against airships, while the rest of Koben's military and citizens will fend off the magical arsenal of Miras with their own arsenal of higher technology and grit.**
*For the Corsairs out there, it is entirely up to you whether your character is part of the betrayal or not - while many will participate, not all will. For those who do not, there'll be a loyalty quest after the event!
**Please note that the two sides are evenly matched. Miras has better magical shielding, beasties and magical firepower. Koben has metal armouring bolstered by alchemy and some magical shielding, guns and al/chemical explosives (of course, limited in power to match magical attacks). The Flight Regiment has strength in numbers, agile mounts, experience and a proud history of consisent superiority in past battles (owing to Koben's comparative lack of flying mounts). The Air Force has craft that are metal-hulled, fast-moving (but not as fast in turning), equipped with guns and something of an unknown threat against Miras as they have not yet been used in a large scale battle. Airship tactics are devised with pegasi in mind.
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
Aurek Dombrowsk
Harbour Interception
Just returned from the North Continent, Aurek's ship reaches in Song-Lu's inner harbour at a crucial time. He pulls into the docks just as the Corsairs in Song-Lu begin their mutiny, attacking the unguarded ships and buildings around the piers. As the other sailing military vessels are still hours away and the ships in the harbour need time to get ready to defend, Aurek's ship is the only one there that will be ready and armed for a while. As the Corsairs were not expecting his well-timed arrival, he has an unprecedented chance to intercept, trap and make them pay.
Conclusion
Song-Luans truly came together to protect their city. Despite a thin military presence, people from all walks of life rose to fight back against invading Mirian forces. With a defense high in illusion magic and strong cooperation to bind their actions, they succeeded in confusing Miras's attack and launching a determined guerilla counterattack. Instrumental to its success were the Peacekeepers, who contributed greatly to the coordination of fighters all over the city. Thanks to the efforts of its community, Song-Lu escaped relatively unscathed - what damage it suffered was superficial only, and many of the Corsairs who tried to cause havoc there were captured or thwarted.
Linhythe, however, was a completely different story. It was for Linhythe whom Miras and Delverne truly saved its firepower; almost all of the attacking forces were sent to this line and no effort was spared in the scale of the onslaught. While those who fought for Linhythe worked well together for a balanced defense, their numbers were simply not enough; almost all local Linhians fled rather than fought. It was instead Linhythe's organised crime rings and many brave visitors from other cities who stood their ground. The results were similar in the air - what airships the Koben Air Force managed to send were vastly outnumbered by the Flight Regiment. They were well-defended however, and came away from the battle with comparatively few losses.
The city, on the other hand, burned. The betraying Corsairs and attacking Kingdom forces did their job well. They demolished the shipyards and dealt crippling damage to the naval base in Linhythe. Even among those who did not agree to betray before the attack, many changed their minds during the battle. With essential infrastructure in ruins and the remaining population nearly empty of all but criminals and the poor, Linhythe has been rendered useless in many important facets.
The Empire's battered navy is now forced to relocate out of Linhythe, which can no longer act as its base. It moves all it can north into Song-Lu and, to a lesser extent, Belport. Only what the navy can spare for defense remains along Linhian coasts; policing of Linhythe's pirate-infested southern coasts must be reduced. The Corsairs too have been officially disbanded. Whoever of their number remain on Empire shores are now considered no more than criminals - for many, worse than criminals for the acts of their brethren.