[b][/b][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 1757[/h2][/center]

[img]https://i.ibb.co/nmG6kQB/Labelled-Map-1-1.png[/img]

[b][u]1st of March[/u][/b]

As [b]The Viswan Empire[/b] crumbles, it is [color=87CEEB][b]The Empire of Grimhout[/b][/color] that first seizes the opportunity. Baptiste Crevier, acting with the full authority of Grimhout, is quick to send messengers to the banished prince Shah Jafar, and pledge his support for the prince's claim to his throne. The colonies of Grimhout are still the youngest in the region, but Baptiste has been quick to not only wade into the convoluted bickering politics of India, but also to align himself against the lingering strength of the Viswan Empire. Sealed reports are quickly dispatched back towards Europe, calling for aid, but Baptiste is not the kind of man to sit idly by and wait for help to arrive. Even while his messengers search for the banished prince, Baptiste hires a string of European soldiers for hire, who have been carving out a life in India for years, and puts them to work training up local soldiers in the European style of war. Taking inspiration from the armies of the Viswan Empire, Baptiste dubs these new soldiers 'sepahi', and with the aid of his soldiers of fortune, begins carving out Grimhout's influence. If the Emperor Shah Mal wishes to bring ruin to the Europeans that have sided with his banished brother, then the Viswan armies will not find Grimhout to be as poorly defended as Fort Ivars. 

[b][u]2nd of March[/u][/b]

The diplomats of [b]The Kingdom of Paranas[/b] arrived too late, or perhaps they were always doomed to fail. As the soldiers of [color=#018c85][b]The Kingdom of Komentiolos[/b][/color] continue to cross the narrow strait in their thousands, and the ships of [color=BA55D3][b]The Republic of Kalseran[/b][/color] and [b]The Empire of Reria[/b] dominate the Black Sea, perhaps Philipp Lehner believes the balance of the war is shifting, and he is not a man to miss an opportunity. In a surprising move, it is Philip himself who leads the court gathering, throwing away the facade of King Niklas IV holding any real power, as Philipp launches into a speech of fiery rhetoric, painting [color=FFD700][b]The Empire of Khazaria[/b][/color] as a nation of savages, the crest of a wave that would sweep away all civilisation if it is not brought to heel. Even as he whips the court into a frenzy, the official declaration travels east. The Kingdom of Altenten will go to war against the Kingdom of Paranas, and in turn, the allies of Paranas. As another pawn is placed on the board, thousands of soldiers march to battle lines, with many returning to the border with [b]The Kingdom of Stevata[/b] that they had abandoned only months earlier. It seems as if the noose around the throat of Paranas is beginning to tighten, the calls for peace from the Western Alliance falling on wilfully deaf ears. 

[b][u]3rd of March[/u][/b]

For now, the war between [color=#018c85][b]The Kingdom of Komentiolos[/b][/color] and [color=FFD700][b]The Empire of Khazaria[/b][/color] seems to have lulled, the two sides moving their pieces into position, before committing themselves, and as the conscripts of Komentiolos continue to flood the defensive lines in Kavatsona, Khazaria looks to it's own people. Just as Komentiolos has branded it's northern neighbours as savages, Khazaria brands its ancient enemy as devilish crusaders, driven by a terrible bloodlust. Even as fresh soldiers are brought into the folds of Khazaria's armies, the young Şahin Macar does not rest on his laurels. Just as King Nikolaos II sent emissaries to the other nations of Europe, so too does Şahin Macar, yet while Komentiolos called on aid to beat back the 'barbarous hordes of the east', Khazaria instead travels with a message of brotherhood and unity. After all, the alliance between Khazaria, [b]The Kingdom of Stevata[/b], [b]The Kingdom of Teclav[/b] and [b]The Kingdom of Paranas[/b] is enduring one, and this fresh war only began after Khazaria marched to the aid of it's ally Paranas in the face of the Komentiolos invasion. Is that the actions of a 'barbarous horde'?

[b][u]6th of March[/u][/b]

The barren ground between the two great fortified battle lines has grown eerily quiet. Occasionally, scouting parties make the dangerous trek beyond their own nations lines, but as time has gone past, even these excursions have become more and more rare. Thousands of men, separated only by the country in which they born, and yet given orders to slaughter the enemy if the opportunity presents itself. The lines of [color=#018c85][b]The Kingdom of Komentiolos[/b][/color] look like something from a bygone age, ancient siege weapons jutting up like bizarre sculptures, and conscript 'legions' manning the extensive earthen defences in their tens of thousands, the city of Byzantion becoming a truly formidable fortress, while the lines of [color=BA55D3][b]The Republic of Kalseran[/b][/color] could not be more different, stretched thin, but heavily fortified, and watched over by row upon row of field guns. Between the two, the massed army of [color=FFD700][b]The Empire of Khazaria[/b][/color], [b]The Kingdom of Stevata[/b], [b]The Kingdom of Teclav[/b] and [b]The Kingdom of Paranas[/b] still waits. After their victory at Battle of Drarama, many believed that Khazaria would continue to push their advantage, but the massed army now sits behind earthen fortifications of it's own, the legendary horsemen of Alp Tarkhan simply used as scouts and sentries, rather than riding out to bring ruin and destruction to their enemies. For now, there is peace, for now, the bloodshed has stopped. But to believe that war will not ravage the land once more would be naive.  

[b][u]8th of March[/u][/b]

The wedding of Prince Christophe Dervaux and Princess Marie D'Aboville officially begins, hosted in the Imperial Palace in Rivierberg. The festivities of the event spill out into the city itself, and the celebrations last for days. The two nations, [color=87CEEB][b]The Empire of Grimhout[/b][/color] and [b]The Kingdom of Arhan[/b], are officially bound together, but that is not the only significance of the event. Ever looking to further his ambitious, Arch-Duke Jean-Baptiste Dervaux uses his son's wedding as an opportunity to bring together all of the nations of the Western Alliance, and promote the unity of the powerful alliance. Young nobles hailing from not only [b]The Kingdom of Kehsi[/b], [b]The Kingdom of Hispalis[/b], [b]The Principality of Asmont[/b] and [b]The Kingdom of Genstadt[/b], but also [b]The Kingdom of Dorist[/b] and [b]The Empire of Reria[/b] are all brought together, and given lodgings and fine wine in the Imperial Palace. The rare moment of debauchery that engulfs the city brings together dozens of powerful families, and as bloodlines begin to intertwine, the bond between these nations continues to strengthen. 

[b][u]9th of March[/u][/b]

Just as [b]The Kingdom of Altenten[/b] prepares to march to war, the soldiers of [b]The Kingdom of Stevata[/b] look east once more, returning to their positions along the shared border between the two nations. King Oswald IV has already known war far beyond his young age, but the actions of Altenten have clearly lit a fire in the young king. A declaration is issued, condemning Altenten in the strongest terms. After all, the string of treaties that Oswald agreed to sign with his western neighbours now lie in tatters, the peace that Altenten begged for squandered and dragged into the mud. In his declaration, Oswald also makes it abundantly clear who he lays the blame upon. It was Philipp Lehner who demanded that his late father-in-law turned away from war, and yet it is Philipp who calls for war now. The declaration paints Philipp as a Machiavellian opportunist, utterly without honour, but more importantly, it makes one thing abundantly clear. If diplomats of Altenten do call for peace again, they will find a young king far less willing to accommodate their pleas. 

[b][u]11th of March[/u][/b]

Across their foothold in the province of Kavatsona, the armies of [color=#018c85][b]The Kingdom of Komentiolos[/b][/color] do not lay idle. Work continues all across the defensive lines, ensuring that the soldiers of Komentiolos will not be caught off guard for a second time. As the long days stretch into long weeks, and more soldiers continue to arrive from across the narrow strait, the kingdom also turns it's attention to the sheer logistical challenge of maintaining it's new vast army. The entire nation has been dedicated to this war, so from across Komentiolos, supplies are brought forth. Private gardens are commandeered into farmland, prison populations press-ganged into farmhands, even the personal wine supplies of King Nikolaos II are provided for his 'legions'. And yet, in the shadows of the court, whispered conversations are being had by those nobles not gripped by the same nationalism that has whipped the nation into a war machine. The thousands of new soldiers manning the line are thousands of hands lost from their role in the nation, craftsman and artisans. If they are lost, then Komentiolos loses vital skills, and while the nation pours it's entire input into the war effort, the coffers of the nation continue to drain. However impressive these vast armies of Komentiolos are, they are draining the nation dry, and they cannot be maintained indefinitely. If war is to come, then it must come soon, and it must be decisive. 

[b][u]13th of March[/u][/b]

Even while there are murmurs of discontent in the heart of [color=#018c85][b]The Kingdom of Komentiolos[/b][/color], the province of Aegyptus continues to stand as a horrific reminder of the risks of disloyalty. The soldiers of General Marcian Augustus continue to slaughter their way across the province, and the scenes that play out as they descend upon villages are drawn from the pages of Armageddon. The locals are treated like animals, cruelly hunted for sport by men that have become numbed by the horrors of war, men, women and children cut down where they stand, or crudely crucified and left to bleed to death from their wounds as their villages are burnt to the ground, with little thought about whether they are rebels or innocent. The nobles of Aegyptus, the same men and women that celebrated Komentiolos embracing the province, are dragged from their villas and forced to witness this massacre, even the king's own brother shown first-hand the brutal cost of rebellion. The message is clear, rebellion will not be tolerated, and yet day by day, news begins to slowly bleed out from Aegyptus, first reaching the colony of [b]The Empire of Reria[/b] to the west, and then the traders of [color=BA55D3][b]The Republic of Kalseran[/b][/color] to the north. The old ways have been forgotten, thought long gone, and yet all across Aegyptus, as the nomadic locals flee for the relative safety of the desert beyond the Komentiolos borders, King Nikolaos II has developed a new name, a name that is spat and cursed whenever it is uttered. Caesar.

[b][u]15th of March[/u][/b]

Every day that Fridrik Kotka grows older, the bond that exists between [b]The Kingdom of Teclav[/b] and [b]The Kingdom of Orvag[/b] continues to grow stronger, and the recent diplomatic actions of [color=#018c85][b]The Kingdom of Komentiolos[/b][/color] have not escaped the attentions of either nation. Komentiolos has called for aid, and with the Western Alliance already calling for peace, it seems as if King Nikolaos II will understandably be focusing his efforts on the nations not yet aligned, Orvag amongst them. It is not surprising then, that Grand Prince Fridrik Sidorov acts. Personally undertaking the short journey from his palace in Lebin to the Orvag capital of Ekda, Fridrik journeys to personally meet the young child that is responsible for the growing relationship between the two nations. Warmly greeted by the ageing King Valterri IV, the two rulers break bread together, and while no official treaties are struck, it is becoming increasingly clear that if Komentiolos does call for it, Orvag will not march to war against Teclav, or any nation that calls Teclav it's ally. 

[b][u]16th of March[/u][/b]

[b]The Kingdom of Paranas[/b] is quickly to join [b]The Kingdom of Stevata[/b] in it's condemnation of [b]The Kingdom of Altenten[/b], as it's own defensive lines continue to stretch. Just as [color=#018c85][b]The Kingdom of Komentiolos[/b][/color] has committed it's nation to the war, Paranas has done the same, although with little alternative. The vast gathered army of Paranas, Stevata, [b]The Kingdom of Teclav[/b] and [color=FFD700][b]The Empire of Khazaria[/b][/color] has stricken the supplies of the kingdom, stripping the land of it's resources, and while supplies do continue to trickle in from Khazaria and Stevata, the kingdom of Paranas is beginning to show the strain of it's efforts. For both sides of this bloody conflict, the time of dithering and preparing is quick running out, and if the coming months do not see the fiery horse of war, then it will be the pale horse of famine and sickness that rides out. 

[b][u]18th of March[/u][/b]

Even after the effective toppling of King Freud I, [b]The Kingdom of Dorist[/b] is still a shell of it's former self. Thousands of sons, husbands and fathers never returned from the bloody struggle for Shardvul, and those men that did survive the Siege of Kronik are haunted by the nightmares that they witnessed. The coup of General Albert Riechsand has brought precious stability to the reeling nation, but there are still murmurs of discontent. While the nation struggles to recover from the loss of Shardvul, and the cost of the bloody war, the considerable army that Dorist still controls continues to drain those precious few resources. There are those who murmur in the darkness that the Dorist army should be drastically cut back, but for Albert Riechsand, the army of Dorist is the last pillar still standing, the bastion around which the rest of the nation can rally. Those few that are brave or foolish enough to publicly speak out against Albert are dragged away in the night, and for the vast majority of the population, peace continues. As the days pass, Dorist seems to continue turning it's attention westwards, warmly accepting the olive branch of friendship offered by [color=87CEEB][b]The Empire of Grimhout[/b][/color] and the rest of the Western Alliance. While Albert continues to use the army as a unifying symbol, he is not a man hungry for war, and the peace of the west seems to be more appealing to the former cavalryman than the wars of the east. 

[b][u]21st of March[/u][/b]

The combined fleet of [color=BA55D3][b]The Republic of Kalseran[/b][/color] and [b]The Empire of Reria[/b] have hounded the sheltered harbours of [color=FFD700][b]The Empire of Khazaria[/b][/color] for weeks, but they have been unable to inflict any lasting damage. As the ships prepare to return to their own harbours to resupply and rest, Admiral Iraklis Roberto plays the last ace in his hand. Taking a leaf of Khazaria's own playbook, Iraklis commandeers a small fleet of merchant ships and fishing vessels, transforming them into rudimentary fireships and then releasing them with the tide. Some of these fireships are destroyed by cannon-fire, yet more dash themselves against the rocks that shield the natural harbours of Khazaria, but some do find their way through, and the soldiers of Khazaria are forced to react, rushing from ship to ship as they attempt to extinguish the flames before they can spread to Khazaria's own fleet. In the end, there are enough hands to man the pumps, and little damage is done, but in the chaos and the confusion, shots are exchanged between the harbour defences, and the lurking ships of Kalseran, and Admiral Iraklis achieves his true aim. The Luciani Ratio has steadily spread throughout the republic, and with it at his disposal, Iraklis has carried out a simple test, and found the results to be extremely satisfactory. With the ratio, the cannons of the fleet out-range the cannons of the defenders. With a wry smile on his face, Iraklis leads his fleet back to the provided harbours of [color=#018c85][b]The Kingdom of Komentiolos[/b][/color] and begins preparations for the next time Kalseran and her allies sail to war. 

[b][u]24th of March[/u][/b]

Tsar Viktor Barinov is dead. In truth, the ageing Tsar had been deathly ill for weeks, but the truth of his sickness had remained a closely guarded secret, known only to his most trusted advisors. After all, [b]The Empire of Stabuga[/b] is a nation of hardy folk, and it has always been the strength of the Tsar that has united the countless factions that make up the empire. To know that the great Viktor Barinov had died in his bed, blood filling his lungs, could have brought the Empire to it's knees. But with time, the palace has been able to carefully control the flow of information, and when Viktor does finally give his last, haggard breath, Tsesarevich Petya Barinov is ready to take his place. The young prince is popular and charismatic, and after the mourning of his father's death, his coronation is celebrated all across Stabuga. After all, Petya has long been the heir to the empire, and he has been prepared for this moment his entire life. With the changing of the monarch, the entire face of Stabuga begins to shift. After all, Petya has a strong friendship with Queen Marta II, and the affinity that he feels for the ruler of [b]The Kingdom of Fosbak[/b] has not waned since he has assumed power. In the midst of it all, it is the treaty with [color=87CEEB][b]The Empire of Grimhout[/b][/color] that is slowly neglected. [b]The Kingdom of Orvag[/b] finds itself caught between two nations that are growing increasingly close with every passing day, and the rest of Europe will no doubt be casting a wary eye towards the northern alliance that seems to be emerging. 

[b][u]26th of March[/u][/b]

Still there is no movement along the defensive lines across [b]The Kingdom of Paranas[/b]. While the rest of Europe breathes and moves, the great armies seem to be stagnant, the very air stifled of any breeze. Neither side seem to want to make the next move, as the armies continue to dig themselves in, preparing for the assault that will seemingly never come. Wary of the thinly stretched nature of their own army, [color=BA55D3][b]The Republic of Kalseran[/b][/color] conscripts the local populace into aiding in the defence of their homeland, while across the churned mud of the land between the tow armies, there is grave news. Through the massed cavalry of Alp Tarkhan, a sickness seems to be spreading. It is slow at first, difficult to notice, but is testament to the affinity that Alp Tarkhan's horse-lords share with their steeds that they see the signs as early as they do. Whatever this sickness is, and wherever it came from, it has the potential to cripple the greatest strength of [color=FFD700][b]The Empire of Khazaria[/b][/color]. 

[b][u]27th of March[/u][/b]

Perhaps Şahin Macar grows tired of war, or perhaps, like Philipp Lehner, the young ruler thinks the balance of the war is slipping away from him, but whatever the reason, when the diplomats of the Western Alliance arrive in the imperial court of [color=FFD700][b]The Empire of Khazaria[/b][/color], they are warmly welcomed. The dove of peace from [color=87CEEB][b]The Empire of Grimhout[/b][/color] is embraced, and Khazaria agrees to work with the Western Alliance to find peace, suggesting a conference in which the warring nations can find common ground. Whether this grand ambition will find any grounds in reality, still stands to be seen, but the declaration is still offered to the courts of [color=#018c85][b]The Kingdom of Komentiolos[/b][/color], [color=BA55D3][b]The Republic of Kalseran[/b][/color], [b]The Empire of Reria[/b] and [b]The Kingdom of Altenten[/b], and supported by Khazaria's allies. 

[b][u]29th of March[/u][/b]

In stark contrast to their ancient enemies, [color=#018c85][b]The Kingdom of Komentiolos[/b][/color] makes no such push for peace, instead looking for yet more allies to bring into the war. While the diplomats of the Western Alliance are given ample hospitality, their words are simply echoes on the breeze, and Komentiolos sends it's own diplomats north. Clearly believing the Western Alliance to be a lost cause, Komentiolos looks to the nations that are yet to declare their allegiance. The capital of [b]The Kingdom of Fosbak[/b], Elhavn, becomes the de facto centre for this gathering, and representatives of Fosbak, [b]The Kingdom of Dorist[/b], [b]The Kingdom of Orvag[/b] and [b]The Empire of Stabuga[/b] are all invited to attend. All four nations do send their own diplomats, so Komentiolos can enjoy their first small victory, but the next step will prove to be far more difficult. The north has it's own treacherously complex web of politics, and the diplomats of Komentiolos will need to learn quickly if they are to stand a chance of tempting these nations into the war. If they are successful, then they will bring the strength to drive Khazaria and it's allies from Europe, but if they fail, then they will be left out in the cold. 

[b][u]30th of March[/u][/b]

Admiral Iraklis Roberto takes to sea once more, determined to burn his name into the history books of not just [color=BA55D3][b]The Republic of Kalseran[/b][/color], but of Europe. With the Seaguard at his back, and a vast fleet of Kalseran and [b]The Empire of Reria[/b] ships of the line, Iraklis descends upon the sheltered harbour of Chersonesus, on the tip of the province of Kumbag. The harbour has weathered the storm of the combined fleet before, and the soldiers of [color=FFD700][b]The Empire of Khazaria[/b][/color], [b]The Kingdom of Stevata[/b] and [b]The Kingdom of Teclav[/b] rush to man the defences. And yet when the roar of cannon-fire does break, echoing to every corner of the Black Sea, it comes from warships that are anchored beyond the reach of Khazaria's own cannons. Systematically, Iraklis directs his gunners to destroy the harbours coastal batteries, before urging his own ships forward. With the majority of it's defences in tatters, the handful of Khazaria ships that are huddled in the harbour becomes the coastal town's only defence, but they are quickly torn apart by the massed cannon-fire of the Kalseran ships that slip into the harbour. The Seaguard pour out onto the shore, and the battle that follows is bloody and brutal, claustrophobic and frantic skirmishes in smoke-filled streets. The soldiers of Khazaria buckle first, but as the Seaguard look to push their advantage, the soldiers of Stevata and Teclav rally, and from his flagship, anchored in the harbour, Iraklis can see that this is a battle that he will not win outright. Signalling the retreat, Iraklis leads his fleet back into open waters, but not before razing Chersonesus to the ground. For weeks, Kalseran and Reria have dominated the Black Sea, but for the first time, they seem to hold all the aces. 

[b][u]31st of March[/u][/b]

The news of the significant victory at the Battle of Chersonesus is still only beginning to spread to the court of [color=BA55D3][b]The Republic of Kalseran[/b][/color], but Admiral Dionisio Giorgino is already determined not be overshadowed by his comrade's achievements. Gathering a fleet of his own, Dionisio sails west, looking to replicate Iraklis success by hounding the harbours of [b]The Kingdom of Paranas[/b]. Perhaps it is blind ambition, or perhaps it is simply foolishness, but Dionisio stumbles into a great folly. While the fleet of [color=FFD700][b]The Empire of Khazaria[/b][/color] was shattered by the combined fleets of Kalseran and [b]The Empire of Reria[/b], Paranas escaped the carnage with less damage, and have been free to repair their ships. When Dionisio bears down upon the Paranas coastline, expecting to pick off coastal batteries from a safe distance, he is genuinely taken by surprise when a fleet of Paranas sails out to meet him. Paranas still commands more than tow dozen ships of the line, almost comically dwarfing the fleet that Dionisio has been able to muster. By the time he realises his mistake, and ordered the retreat, it is already too late, and the ships of Kalseran and Reria has strayed into the range of the Paranas guns. Just as the roar of cannon-fire echoed across the Black Sea just a day before, so it does again, and what follows is a massacre. The allied Kalseran fleet is all but wiped out, and Dionisio himself is gravely wounded, shrapnel tearing away his right arm as his ships is destroyed around him. It is only the quick thinking of his second-in-command, the young Giovanni Varda, dragging the Admiral clear and securing a dinghy, before rowing back to the safety of [color=#018c85][b]The Kingdom of Komentiolos[/b][/color] coast. The republic has been dealt a bloody blow, and Paranas has dealt a stark reminder that they may be bowed, but they are far from broken.