[i]"If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud. Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, my friend, you would not tell with such high zest to children ardent for some desperate glory, the old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori." [/i] -Wilfred Owen

[center][h2]Spring of 1800[/h2][/center]

[img]https://image.ibb.co/d33vte/Country_Labelled.png[/img]

[u][i][b]1st of January[/b][/i][/u]

As the new century dawns, war continues to consume Europe. The army of [b]The Eternal Hadeen of Dashkatar[/b] reaches the walls of Larymnas, and for the second time, the capital of [b]The Kingdom of Sescos[/b] is besieged. King Pieter Mátyás takes command of the defense, calling for aid from those who have already condemned Dashkatar at the Conference, even while he rallies his own soldiers. He also sends a messenger to the army of [b][color=ed1c24]The Redcliff Empire[/color][/b], still in the lands of [b]The Republic of Oflua[/b] just to the east, imploring them to abandon their self-serving war and instead join against the threat of The Eternal Hadeen. The garrison is experienced, and determined, but the formidable defenses of the city still bear the scars of the First Siege, and the Dashkatar army is hungry for a quick victory. 

[b][i][u]3rd of January[/u][/i][/b]

A colonial expedition of [b][color=007236]The Three City's Republic of Ianian[/color][/b] embarks from the nation's homeland. Their voyage will take them along the same route as the fleet that set off just a few months earlier, skirting the southern coast of Africa and to the far east. But while the fleet sailed in full support of [b][color=00aeef]The Empire of Attolia[/color][/b], this colonization could almost be perceived as a threat, settling lands in what is quickly becoming Attolia's colonial stronghold. Regardless, the journey will take some months, but the bright-eyed voyagers are full of hope and trepidation. 

[u][i][b]6th of January[/b][/i][/u]

While the army of [b][color=ed1c24]The Redcliff Empire[/color][/b] continues to languish, seemingly without orders, the forces of [b]The Kingdom of Ilastiri[/b] is not so idle. Rallying the armies of [b]The Republic of Oflua[/b] to aid him, it is General Andrei Obnizov, of Ilastiri, that takes command of the defense. The Redcliff army has only faced a heavily-outnumbered, and weak force of [b]The Echyan Empire[/b] during their march. But the soldiers of the Kingdom of Ilastiri are not weak, they are hardened warriors, led by a experienced and decorated general. This will not be such an easy fight. 

[b][i][u]7th of January[/u][/i][/b]

Seeming to awaken slightly from their slumber, [b]The Kingdom of Aontas[/b] readies it's soldiers to defend their homeland. They begin a rigorous operation to root out the spies of [b][color=708090]The Kingdom of Ubren[/color][/b], executing those they do find with a ruthless efficiency. With the rot purged, the garrisons of the province's city dig in, preparing themselves for the coming Ubren army. 

[b][i][u]9th of January[/u][/i][/b]

Despite the ever-present threat of [b][color=ed1c24]The Redcliff Empire[/color][/b] on their borders, [b]The Echyan Empire[/b] continues to try and avoid war on it's lands, instead opting to lend it's considerable navy to the Conference's pledge against [b]The Eternal Hadeen of Dashkatar[/b]. The Echyan fleet takes a moment to prepare itself, before sailing along the coast. Their navy is the greatest weapon in the Echyan arsenal, but they have yet to be bloodied, so are keen to prove their worth, as well as to hopefully appease the war-hungry Redcliff. 

[u][i][b]12th of January[/b][/i][/u]

With their other rivals otherwise occupied, [b]The Kingdom of Claidor[/b] grows brash. With the full backing of [color=0054a6][b]The Empire of Rubrus[/b][/color], Claidor continues ever-escalating troop movements along the border with [b]The Kingdom of Vendsyssel[/b]. Perhaps inevitably, one of these patrols eventually collides with a Vendsyssel patrol. With tensions already at a boiling point, a shot is fired, and a skirmish breaks out. The truth of which side fired the first shot is lost forever, but both nations use it as the spark to ignite the flames of war. The two nations prepare to go to war, officially declaring war on each other. What the rest of Europe will be watching for, is how [b]The Kingdom of Aontas[/b], [color=f26522][b]The Republic of Toubres[/b][/color] and [b][color=0054a6]The Empire of Rubrus[/color][/b] will respond.

[u][i][b]13th of January [/b][/i][/u]

Perhaps as a sign of intent, or perhaps a random coincidence, but the day after the deceleration of war between [b]The Kingdom of Claidor[/b] and [b]The Kingdom of Vendsyssel[/b], Claidor's closest ally, [b][color=0054a6]The Empire of Rubrus[/color][/b], begins a strenuous training regime for it's forces. Spearheaded by General Vadim Rogozin, the training focuses on how best to bring the formidable strengths of the nations infantry and cavalry to bear as one concerted force. With war erupting, this training could be put to use far earlier than anticipated. 

[u][i][b]15th of January[/b][/i][/u]

Larymnas is a city on the brink. [b]The Kingdom of Sescos[/b] is hard-pressed on every side by [b]The Eternal Hadeen of Dashkatar[/b], the garrison outnumbered, and forced to defend a city who's outer defenses had been breached before the siege even began. There is only a glimmer of hope, that the armies of the Conference, that pledged their support against Dashkatar, will march to their aid. The meager force of Sescos that is still stationed elsewhere, rally themselves and begin daring raids against the Dashkatar siege camps, but they do not realistically believe they can break the siege, just as the defenders do not believe they can sustain it for long. 

[u][i][b]18th of January [/b][/i][/u]

Pledging their armies under the command of General Andrei Obnizov, [b]The Republic of Oflua[/b] seizes the initiative as [b][color=ed1c24]The Redcliff Empire[/color][/b] continues to seemingly wait for instructions. The Redcliff army has made camp on the outskirts of the Ofluan village of Kirosyt, and histories will remember the following conflict as, perhaps unsurprisingly, The Battle of Kirosyt. The combined army of Oflua and [b]The Kingdom of Ilastiri[/b] numbers nearly ninety thousand men, and for the first time, the Redcliff army finds itself heavily outnumbered. As dawn breaks, the two sides collide. In what is by far the bloodiest battle that Europe has witnessed in living memory, the great military power of Redcliff is truly tested for the first time. Redcliff's general, Melezio Parenti, is a phenomenal commander, undoubtedly one of the greatest to ever live, but he is no god. On the back foot, outnumbered and on unfamiliar territory, his legendary offensive tactics count for little. When the smoke finally clears, thousands of men lie dead, and the Redcliff army is shattered, forced to flee back towards the relative safety of [b]The Kingdom of Sescos[/b].

[u][i][b]20th of January[/b][/i][/u]

In a shocking move, Centrix, a province of [b][color=ed1c24]The Redcliff Empire[/color][/b], secedes to [b][color=00aeef]The Empire of Attolia[/color][/b]. With the tide seemingly turning against Redcliff, morale continuing to plummet in the face of high taxes, a string of defeats, and a lack of any garrison in the province, the population almost unanimously agrees to pledge it's allegiance to Attolia. How Redcliff will respond to this, is yet to be seen.

[b][i][u]21st of January[/u][/i][/b] 

The European Trading League continues to grow, as [b][color=007236]The Three City's Republic of Ianian[/color][/b] invites [color=f26522][b]The Republic of Toubres[/b][/color] to join the swelling ranks. Toubres is quick to accept. While the move does bring more trade into all involved nations, some question Toubres' apparent desire to be exempt from the Strait Tax, despite their commerce being little affected by it. Only a handful truly understand the true motive. 

[u][i][b]23rd of January[/b][/i][/u]

Just to the south of Centrix, in the newly-conquered province of Salid, the army of [b][color=fff200]The Holy Territories of Edoniras[/color][/b] digs in, preparing for a defensive campaign against any counter-attack from [b][color=ed1c24]The Redcliff Empire[/color][/b]. Edoniras knows that Redcliff is wounded, but a wounded animal can be the most dangerous. 

[u][i][b]25th of January[/b][/i][/u]

Ships of [b][color=007236]The Three City's Republic of Ianian[/color][/b] arrive into the ports of [b]The Akkadian Empire[/b]. With the Redcliff threat to [b]The Eternal Hadeen of Dashkatar[/b] effectively wiped out, and [b]The Kingdom of Ilastiri[/b] committed to their own campaign against [b][color=ed1c24]The Redcliff Empire[/color][/b], Akkadia commits a sizable portion of it's forces to their allies. Over fifty thousand Akkadian soldiers embark onto the ships of Ianian, ready to go to war. 

[b][i][u]26th of January[/u][/i][/b]

The forces of [b][color=708090]The Kingdom of Ubren[/color][/b] continues it's slow but steady advance through the biting cold of the winter that has descended over [b]The Kingdom of Aontas[/b] province of Torrik. The present garrison of Aontas is horrifically outnumbered, more than ten to one, but they dig in nonetheless, grit and determination steeling their will. The Ubren army reaches the city of Inversen, and digs in, beginning a siege of the city. Although the city is strongly built, it's garrison is woefully outmatched, and few believe they can hold the city for long. 

[b][i][u]28th of January[/u][/i][/b]

The fleets of [b]The Eternal Hadeen of Dashkatar[/b] and [b]The Echyan Empire[/b] clash for the first time in the mouth of The Nalci Strait. Although it is only a relatively small skirmish, it shows the prowess of the Echyan navy, as they break the Dashkatar force, forcing them to retreat back into the relative safety of the Strait, and the larger Dashkatar fleet. 

[u][i][b]29th of January [/b][/i][/u]

[b][color=fff200]The Holy Territories of Edoniras[/color][/b] reinforces the province of Sul. The move raises some questions among the observers of the developing war. Do the Holy Territories fear action from [b][color=00aeef]The Empire of Attolia[/color][/b], or even plan actions against the Empire themselves? Or is it simply further strengthening the forces they can bring to bear against [b][color=ed1c24]The Redcliff Empire[/color][/b]? Only time will tell. 

[u][i][b]30th of January[/b][/i][/u]

For the first time, [color=f26522][b]The Republic of Toubres[/b][/color] truly weighs in on the conflicts consuming Europe, and tests its radically reinvented army, officially declaring war on [b][color=ed1c24]The Redcliff Empire[/color][/b]. Sailing with the protection of a formidable arm of the Republic's fleet, the army moves through the Mediterranean Strait, and descends upon the Redcliff island of Resdian. The garrison of Resdian is still badly bloodied from it's attempted crossing, and they offer little resistance. Although they are highly trained, their morale is low, and they are facing a well-prepared and well-equipped invading force that heavily outnumbers them. Wherever the Redcliff garrison attempts to dig in, the Toubres ships turn their cannons. In less than a day, the flag of Redcliff is torn down, and replaced by the flag of the Republic.