Red Star Courier/Page 2/6-06

The Red Star Courier Price: One doughnut "All the muse has seen fit to print" June 2006 Printed in Hamadan News Around the Front ----by Aeillien Mandraken, June 28th, 2006 While the conflict between Caligus and Yssaria has undergone one of those all too brief pauses while the combatants gather their breath before engaging once again, the other fronts of this continental war have continued unabated, and the recent events would seem to support this reporters recent arguments as regards the progress of said war. The events that have transpired have occurred along the two fronts on which Perdan is threatened directly. In the southwest, Itorunt quickly solidified control of two rogue regions along the border, and one region controlled by Perdan in the space of a week.* These regions, [Dayr]], Az Zarqua, and Zawr have been traded back and forth between the two realms (and Ibladesh) in their war with each other. Simultaneous with the advance of Itorunt, Ibladesh successfully took over Ar Mosul, putting it in a position to strike with ease into Caste Ubent or deeper into Perdan. In the northeast of Perdan, Fontan made good on its bid to take over Bescanon after its victory over Perdan earlier that week. What followed next was a battle in Meuse, where the Perdanese forces successfully used to advantages of defense to beat back superior numbers and foil the offensive there. Apparently encouraged by the victory, Perdan moved onwards to Bescanon in an apparent attempt to expel the invaders from the recently conquered region. Their attacking force was outnumbered solidly by the defenders, however, and did not faire as well. It is still too early to determine if these advances are permanent or temporary advance that will soon be reversed by Perdan, but the odds and logistics involved promise to make it difficult for Perdan to reverse their enemies' gains. Correction: The original version of this article failed to mention that Itorunt also captured Zawyr that same week. Caligan Offensive Turned Back ----by Aeillien Mandraken, June 23rd, 2006 The sun set both on the East Island and on the attempt by Caligus to regain the offensive today, as Yssarian forces beat back their attempt to take over Aureus while simultaneously defeating them in Supra after being defeated in an earlier battle that morning. Caligus attempted to take advantage of Yssarian troop leaders cycling back to their capital after the successful takeover of Tokat (see our article below), moving in force to Aureus and initiating an attempt to take the region over, simultaneously moving a larger force into Supra, presumably to cover the force in Aureus from an attack from Mashhad. The first move that day in the ongoing deadly chess match of the two realms came with the morning as forces of Yssaria arrived in Supra to a sunrise as red as the day it announced was to be. The Yssarian forces, as in their battles in Tokat, were outnumbered in number of troop leaders and solders. The odds this time, however, were too great for the Yssarian forces to overcome. Their infantry withstood having their lines broken first by the enemy infantry, then by the cavalry that charged in from the back of the battle field, causing all the enemy cavalry and infantry units retreat from the field. In the end, it was the remaining Caligan archers on the field, without cover but still with an advantage of numbers, that broke the last morning attack of the Yssarians. Despite causing more casualties to the defenders by two to one or better, after four hours of struggle the last of the Yssarian forces retreated from the field of battle. The Yssarians, bloodied but not withdrawing from Supra, rallied their forces, and with reinforcements during the day, made a better contest as the sun began to set on the field. This time it was the Yssarians who had the advantage of numbers, along with the advantage that had allowed them to make a close contest of the more lopsided morning engagement. The Caligan forces were beaten to retreat within two hours after the second engagement of the day, this time unable to withstand the lopsided disadvantage in casualties the Yssarians inflicted on them. Their offensive apparently spent, the Caligans have began to withdraw from Supra towards their capital. Successful Takeover in Tokat --by Aeillien Mandraken, June 20th, 2006 With the rising of the sun this morning came the successful completion of Yssaria's attempt to take over Tokat. This success came after an earlier attempt had failed to establish secure control of the province. During the last three or so months Yssaria has retaken Supra and Aureus, temporarily took over Aestus, and attacked the Caligan capital of Domus. The groundwork for the takeover was laid out in the most recent offensive on the part of Yssaria, which began after a series of defensive actions due to a declaration of war from Ubent and a reconnaissance in force by one of Perdan’s brigades. After Ubent and Perdan became more occupied by the efforts of Itorunt and Ibladesh, Yssaria struck out again, with a plan to take over two regions at once, Sordidus and Tokat. The two armies where in position to assist each other, and thus when Caligus responded by moving out to Sordidus, the army there withdrew to Tokat, abandoning the takeover so as not to be defeated in detail. At the same time, the local peasants stopped the first takeover of Tokat, and the Yssarian army gathered to make a second attempt to secure the province for its name. The Caligan troops inevitably advanced upon Tokat thereafter, and there ensued two battles to determine whether the takeover attempt would continue. The two battles saw Caligus with more troop leaders than the Yssarians, and a higher number of solders in the first battle, with the tally being closer to equal at the second. The Yssarian troops, however, were judged more deadly in battle by some neutral observers, wither by virtue of arms, armor, training, or some combination of the three is not known. This superior quality seems to have made the difference, as the Yssarians won both bloody engagements, and caused more casualties to their attackers than they received in turn. The list of wounded nobles, knights, and troop leaders on both sides was long, with over a dozen of noble blood being sent to the healers. As the sun set and the armies grappled yet again, a hero of Caligus by the name of Grontar perished in the battle, having been wounded as he fought side by side with his troops during the morning engagement, then spending his life on the field, apparently heedless of his wounds or his life. The two battles having decimated the fighting strength of Caligus, they withdrew, and the second takeover attempt by Yssaria proceeded undisturbed, this time, successful. Features Why we Fight --Contributor: Denver Donivan, Count of Leibo, June 22nd, 2006 Note from the Editor: As used by this paper, the word "features" refers to articles that are not straight out news coverage, but are not meant precisly to prove a point or an argument as an editorial would. Features may contain opinions and interpretations of facts, but are meant primarly to enlighten, elucidate, or amuse. Biographies, short histories, etctera, are features. With that said, we bring you what we intend to become a regular feature of our paper "Why we fight." Quite simply, these will be short pieces by the troop leaders and nobles of Yssaria explaining what motivates them to fight in the war against Caligus, Perdan, and Ubent. Without further ado: The reasons for which I give my sword to Yssaria are simple. The first is the memory of Eleran the Count. He was a great leader and died leading us in war to preserve our realm and our freedom when Caligus would destroy us. This, with the pure heart of the Yssarian people, drives us onto battle every time under the rule of his son King Eleran, a great, wise and noble leader. My second reason for fighting these battles is due to a family rift. My cousin PitFighter and his brother PitViper fight for Ubent and Perdan and the hate is strong between us. We have never been close but his family insulted mine a long time ago and since then the anger between the two has only grown. Some day, I pray, this feud will end with a duel to the death. With the current situation of the East Islands a glorious time for Yassaria is to be expected. I have never before seen such a close realm to the one we have. With a general whose tactics are, I believe, unmatched and leadership that is unwavering nothing can hold us back. Editorials We are winning: Here's why --by Aeillien Mandraken, June 22nd, 2006 Editorial The seemingly endless war on the East Island is now moving into a conclusive phase due to a number of trends that have been clear over the last three or so months, and these trends, if they continue uninterrupted, spell defeat for Perdan and her allies. Allow me a moment to summarize the current situation and the trends I have mentioned. The current diplomatic situation can be summarized as consisting of three alliances: 1) Sirion, Old Rancagua, and Fontan in the north. (let us call them the Northern Alliance) 2) Yssaria, Itorunt, and Ibladesh in the south. (let us call them the Southern Alliance) 3) Perdan, Ubent, and Caligus in the center. (let us call them the Central Alliance) And then there are the neutral realms: Light of Fontan, and Kalmar Islands. Now, the northern alliance and the southern alliance are both at war with the central alliance. Various members of each of these two alliances (that is, the Northern and Southern) also have alliances with members of the "other" alliance. Sirion, Fontan, Itorunt, and Ibladesh are among these. Looking at this, a quick study will notice that, in the first place, the central alliance is outnumbered. But this only begins to describe the problems they face. Allow yourself a moment to look at a map of East Island. There are three main active fronts to this war: Ibladesh and Itorunt fighting Perdan and Ubent to the north, Yssaria fighting Caligus, and the Northern Alliance versus Oligarch. With the recent defeat of Oligarch, Sirion and her allies have moved into the next phase of the campaign, the first blow of which seems to have been the recent invasion of Bescanon. Ibladesh and Itorunt, over the last three months, have, as far as I can determine, managed a tie on their front. Yssaria has, by and large, been on the offensive and winning on its front against Caligus, we retook Supra, took Aureus and Tokat, temporarily took over Aestus, and attacked the Caligan capital of Domus. During this period, the only successful Caligan effort has been taking back Aestus. This brings us to the third front, which has the promise of being critical to the outcome of the war. Having defeated Oligarch, Sirion and her allies have marched in force into Bescanon. To call their force "large" would, perhaps, be an understatement. And this development, quite simply, gives Perdan more commitments than it can meet realistically. Her allies, without her help, are, or would be, overwhelmed. Look at that map of East Island map again. The threats to Perdan, or her allies, require her troops to be in three, or perhaps four seprate theaters: Dayr to Al Aquabah; in and around Moyale to defend Ubent; around Domus to defend Caligus; and the aforementioned invasion along its northeastern border at Bescanon. Note that the two direct threats against Perdan lie along exactly opposite ends of its realm, in the southwest, and the northeast. This situation gives Perdan all sorts of choices, none of them very good. It can either try to meet the challenges along all its fronts and, in all likelihood, be outnumbered on at least one of them, if note more, or it can be strong in one or two places, without being able to meet its other commitments. This is not to diminish the bravery or commitment of Perdan or her allies, this argument is simply based on the results of the last few months of fighting, along with the simple strategic reality that they cannot be everywhere at once, cannot be strong everywhere, all the time. Perdan and her allies, outnumbered and surrounded on every side, cannot afford many mistakes. On the other hand, if one of the members of the alliance facing them stumbles, Perdan will still face multiple challenges and commitments. It faces multiple fronts, the realms fighting them face one, or perhaps two, fronts at most. Add the numerical disparity, and the situation cannot long be maintained to Perdan's favor. Barring remarkable change, it may delay the result, but it cannot prevent it. Back to the front page..