The War of the Counsels

The War of the Counsels was a conflict which took place in the year (circa) 15 of the 3rd era. It was a civil war between the Kessel controlled Sargeroth Union and the Fractured Sargeroth Military, led by Captain Knewt.

Foremath
The conflict officially began when Captain Knewt, a member of the Sargeroth Union Counsel of Five, went absent from a very important meeting of said counsel. It was in the aftermath of the death of Waverly Autumn, another Counsel member. It is believed that Knewt had been planning insurrection for some time before the incident, however, the death of the Waverly Autumn made the passing of law and creed impossible until the seat was filled. The meeting which Knewt abstained from was to determine a new counsel member to take the deceased's place. However, without Knewt, only 3 members were present and so a decision could not be made.

Very soon after the meeting, it became clear that Knewt would have no intention of taking part in the counsel, sending a letter in his stead claiming that as the Captain of the Imperial Guard, his presence was required elsewhere. Soon, Lucious Kessel, the sitting Lord of Affairs was advised to call his soldiers to arms.

In the next days, Knewt called all Sargeroth military personnel to report to him immediately. It was days until news had spread throughout the city that conflict was rising however. Very little was communicated between counsel members and certainly no official statements were made to the Sargeroth people. Regardless, within a week, soldiers were massing in the North and South.

Battle of the Ravine
In the chaos following the dissolution of the Counsel of Five, Sargeroth Military soldiers were caught between the two forming sides. 3 Captains of the Military sided with the Union while the rest sided with Knewt. Despite this, over 500 soldiers began marching North to protect the Union. Many of these were Kessel Guardsmen who were folded into the Sargeroth Regulars. Many others were simply following the orders of their "defecting" Captains; still, some others were simply more positively disposed to the Union and did not want another regime change.

Those still loyal to Knewt, however, were given the directive to kill all "defecting" soldiers, creating a crucible of fighting in the North Ravine which led into the badlands of central Sargeroth and finally to the Kessel boarder. Here, Knewt's soldiers, described as "Sargeroth Regulars" opened volley after volley of arrows upon the "Unionists".

First-Blood
Led by Captain Hurod, the Regulars took placements along the cliffs of the Light District. Volleys struck down dozens of Unionists until they reached the Main gate which gave cover under the Northern Ridge. The Unionists, led by Captain Leaftly, sent shielded soldiers to run convoys back and forth for the retreating troops. Their shields blocked many arrows and allowed 100 or so more soldiers to move safely into the badlands.

Soon, Hurod was given the command by Knewt to send infantry into the ravine. Some scaled down the cliffs by rope while other rushed down crowded stairways to form lined ranks. Leaftly himself held the defense while evermore soldiers poured through. However, by nightfall, Captain Jenner in the Light District had brought boiling oil and wrapped arrows to douse and then light the fleeing ranks ablaze. Leaftly finally retreated, leaving several dozen more soldiers to cower under the cliffs until Hurod's ranks tore them apart. In all, over 250 Sargeroth Soldiers were lost. Those who safely passed began massing at the Barbarian Castle of Evervale.

The 1st Battle of the Northern Ridge
Seen now as the longest overall battle in Sargeroth history, the 1st Battle of the Northern Ridge lasted almost the entire 37 days of the conflict. Its artillery still being heard as peace terms were being drawn up. Unionist leadership, knowing the Northern Ridge's strategic importance, dug in and mounted heavy artillery pointed at the Pagoda of the Light district where Regulars were massing. Both sides constructed artillery as well as strong defenses to protect against the enemy's bombardment. Volleys were traded day in and day out, filling the ridgelands with the smell of gunpowder.

Several Infantry assaults were launched, yet neither side could budge the entrenchments of their opponents. Blumen soldiers trained to use Elytra were even launched to recover some Blumen soldiers holed up in their Light District Headquarters. The team was able to successfully recover their brethren but sustained heavy casualties upon their retreat back to the Northern Ridge. A heroic stand was made at the base of the ridge where it connected via a small bridge to the Light District to ensure their recovery. It is assumed that more were lost during this maneuver than brought back however. Amid roaring artillery, Regulars attempted to follow their enemies up the ridge but were repelled several times until all units were brought back to the protection of the pagoda. The fortress itself was devestated, with 2 of its 4 turrets crumbling entirely. However, the Unionist battlements were fresh and broke quickly. If it were not for the valor of building magisters creating new and improvised "cobbwebbing" artillery defenses, the Northern ridge would have fallen much sooner than it did.

Eventually, with Knewt's push onto the ridge in the 2nd battle of the Northern Ridge, the artillery placements of the Unionists were abandoned for more defensible positions. Unfortunately, many fell during the infantry charges by Knewt and his most hardened soldiers. If it were not for their heroism, the Kessel inner sanctum might have been breached, making these soldiers the most highly decorated after the war.

The 2nd Battle of the wall
The 1st Battle of the Wall had taken place years before this conflict, during the Gloran rebellion (after Khal Menion's assassination).

The 2nd Battle of the wall put the first to shame however. It still stands as Sargeroth's bloodiest battle, however, this is not why the battle is remembered.

Sargeroth Regulars, 500 strong marched for the Kessel wall along the North boundary, once seen as a neutral zone, now fully controlled by Kessel, save for the Sargeroth Military Headquarters, deftly built years in advance for just such an occasion. Led by Captain Zell, the Regulars charged at the gates with battering rams and torches to set the wooden edifice ablaze. However, supplied with Jorhan's Sap. the Kessel wall, long seen as impenetrable, refused to ignite. Zell's charge failed as Kessels poured out oil and coals on the advancing ranks. Zell himself, leading the last units, fell to a stray arrow.

News quickly traveled to Knewt at the Military building of Nadir's square. The charging soldiers, rather than staying to their positions fled almost as soon as they reached the wall, too terrified by its long-standing reputation. It was then that Knewt put Captain Souteron in Charge of the battle. Souteron, a yet untested leader knew what was necessary to break through the ramparts. He was unafraid of pushing his soldiers to certain death and so, conjoining all remaining soldiers on the front into his ranks, he threw wave after wave of soldier against the wall. The first 3 were repelled, each breaking further through the main gate but unable to breach it. Upon the 4th, Souteron sounded his horn and charged in himself on horseback, willing his soldiers forward. The wave broke through the passageway and the reputation of the unbreakable wall was shattered along with its reinforced gate. Evervale militia and Kessel House Guardsmen were on the other side of the wall waiting for the Regulars. Right under the tower of Highcliffe itself where Lucius Kessel watched, the battle pushed ever closer to the Kessel inner-sanctum. The Heroism of the Evervalians proved true however as they held the Regulars until reinforcements arrived. Kessel-Bannered Cavalry stormed through the Regulars and were able to use the side gate of the wall to launch a successful counter attack. Confused and scattered, the Regulars retreated to the Military headquarters until it too was dynamited and infiltrated. Captain Souteron, cheeks still red from his iconic accomplishment was forced, as well, to retreat into Cliffside where the Kessel soldiers did not follow.

Battle of Edgewoode
In the aftermath of the Battle of the Wall, Knewt Commanded Captain Jenner with 400 of his best soldiers to move from the Elmira district to Edgewoode to assault Kessel from a new angle. The Kessel wall's weakest point was in the village which had a population mostly loyal to the Kessel banner. Here, a mixture of Blumen soldiers and Unionists fought off several waves of Regulars attempting to dynamite the ramparts. Some consider this to simply be an extension of the Battle of the Wall, but it followed its own path which differs enough to warrant its own name. The Blumen soldiers, led by Lile Blumen actually climbed down from the walls to take the offensive. Meanwhile, Unionist archers were stationed along the Northern ridge above, raining down a storm of arrows. The Regulars had almost broken through the Blumen ranks when a misfired cannon on the Regular's side blew a crater directly in the middle of the fight. It blocked the Regulars from charging forward as they were commanded and gave the Unionists time to recover from the onslaught. Casualties mounted on either side and the battle continued for several days until the War was officiallly declared ended. This marks it as the longest Infantry battle of Sargeroth's history.

For 10 days and 9 nights, the two sides traded barrages and volleys, both with unsuccessful offensive maneuvers. It was here that Lile Blumen was slain by none other than Captain Jenner himself.

The 2nd Battle of the Northern Ridge
Led by Knewt and 3 of his Captains, 350 more Sargeroth Regulars marched up the steep face of the Northern ridge, finally pushing the beleaguered units upon its face back to Thess Tower. Understanding that if the ridge was taken, the Kessel Quarter could be flanked, Lucius Kessel sent his last reinforcements to the ridge. A hodgepodge of 100 or so soldiers were cobbled together with the remains of the Ridge's original defenders to make a stand while defending the archers firing below into Jenner's ranks. All other forces of Kessel, Blumen and Unionists were being massed for the Southern assault to come, leaving the Kessel Quarter extremely vulnerable.

Detachments were sent out along the ridge to slow the progression of Knewt's ranks. Each fighting to the bitter end in hopes of buying enough time for the Southern force to move unnoticed through the Western Desert. The Rearguard, some of which were the archers themselves, tried to hold barricades at Thess Tower for as long as they could. It took 2 days for Knewt's army to finally break through. However, as soon as the last battlements fell, Knewt received word of a large host of soldiers missing from the Unionist ranks. Knowing that the south was especially vulnerable, he discerned that a southern assault was inevitable. He sent a message to the Southern Guard to reinforce their ranks, but for reasons unknown, the South was woefully ill-prepared, either from the message not reaching the proper recipients (many messenger hawks were shot down routinely by both sides) or its words being ignored. Knewt withdrew his force reluctantly and began forcing his way back to the city proper. However, he would not arrive in time.

The Southern Assault
In the largest assault ever to be undertaken by Sargeroth Military, over 600 strong, a coalition of Blumens, Kessels, Unionists, and Evervalians (led by Bareth Gloran), replete with cavalry and dynamite technicians, stood poised to strike at the vulnerable southern wall of Sargeroth.

On the morning of the 36th day of battle, Horns sounded as the Army took its positions. Led by Lucious Kessel and Kursk Blumen themselves, the assault began with a pincer movement of 2 groups. The left, tasked with assaulting the main gate was led by Captain Leaftly on the ground along with the Kessels. The right group, comprised of Blumen and Evervalian militia with Bareth Gloran leading the charge had laid dynamite at the base of the annex wall the night before.

The left struck first, rushing towards the Gate with Cavalry in the front. Sargeroth Regulars stationed along the wall did their best to rain arrows upon them, but no Vanguard was positioned outside the wall. Infantry was positioned in Old Sargeroth waiting for the ranks of Unionists to break through. Before they did, however, a devastating explosion followed by a cacophony of screams and the sound of the annex wall tumbling echoed through the city. Blumens and Evervalians poured through the breach into the Annex and eventually into Nadir's Square. Awaiting their arrival were woodcutters holed up inside their lumber mill. As the explosion echoed, dozens of them were set upon a confused and terrified battalion of Regulars. The woodcutters (as always) took heavy casualties, but as the two sides of the pincer broke through their enemy lines and met in Nadir's Square, it was clear the battle had been won.

Battle for the Thoroughfare
Some Regulars were lucky enough to barricade themselves into the Military building of central Sargeroth, many others fled to the north via the Main Thoroughfare. the Unionist coalition had foreseen this happening however and soon, ranks of them filed up onto the long bridge, assailing their enemies ever further into the North.

It was here that Captain Isut, who had been left in charge of the Southern force, mounted a formidable defense upon the narrow causeway. They barricaded behind themselves with broken carriages and other rubble and for several more hours held off the Unionists. The Coalition soldiers were never able to break through, allowing the remnants of the Regular army to join back up with their compatriots in the north. However, before a counter-assault could be finalized, Knewt called for a ceasing of hostilities, calling all Business counsel members to meet at the counsel building to discuss terms of peace.

The war of the "Counsels"
First, colloquially referred to as Knewt's war, those who drew up the official peace agreement named the conflict after the replacement of the Counsel of Five for the new Bicameral Legislature containing 2 new counsels: the Business Counsel and the new High counsel (also consisting of five members). The members of the Peace Accords understood that one counsel was simply being replaced with another, elected counsel as well as a new formulation for the process of legislation. It was hailed by the majority as a necessary improvement upon the old, oligarchical precedent. With the Signing of the Peace Accords by the leaders of the two sides, a new Sargeroth was created and the Inter-Bellum period of the 3rd Era officially began.