Subjugation of Kurokaigen
| Subjugation of Kurokaigen | |||||||||
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| Part of Minecraft Attack | |||||||||
.png) Picture of the Arenican Tower from Kurokaigen city center. The white building on the right dates back to before the subjugation. | |||||||||
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| Combatants | |||||||||
 Sableterre/Arenican Empire, bcfoss |
Kurokaigen Wikaros | ||||||||
| Commanders | |||||||||
| bcfoss | Wikaros | ||||||||
| Casualties | |||||||||
| 0 | 1-2 | ||||||||
The Subjugation of Kurokaigen was a colonial war instigated by Sableterre (styling itself Arenia at the time). The conflict itself was very brief and relatively bloodless, but the colony ultimately proved to be a net loss for Sableterre.
Background
Following a period of fragmentation after The Calamity, the world began trending towards centralization again. Centered around Gouffre pastèque, L'Empire de la Citroye soon outshone all other nations as it gradually unified all of the north (and almost half of the world's population) under it's dominion.
Desiring to expand Sableterre's influence and prestige, bcfoss broached the subject of invading Kurokaigen during a diplomatic conference in Shanbao, which all of the attendees (excluding Wikaros) eventually sanctioned. Kurokaigen was given a grace period of three ingame days (or else an ingame week) to prepare for the invasion.
Conflict
It is uncertain whether Sableterre honored the grace period to completion or invaded a day early, but either way Kurokaigen was duly informed of the declaration of war. Arenian forces led (and consisting solely of) bcfoss did not, however, immediately set sail for Kurokaigen, instead choosing to remain in Sableterre proper for a period of 1-2 ingame days.
bcfoss believed that Kurokaigenian forces might launch a preemptive invasion of Sableterre itself, and thus delayed his departure in order to confront this potential attack. As luck would have it, just as bcfoss was beginning to prepare for the voyage in earnest, the presence of a very real Kurokaigenian force was detected (via minimap) due west of old Epinettia.
Ambush
Purportedly, bcfoss had at some point before the war revealed the existence of an underground railway connecting the mines of old Epinettia and the jungle south of Kurokaigen to Wikaros. Correctly predicting that Wikaros had chosen to travel along the tunnel instead of sailing, bcfoss set up an ambush at the head of the mine (La Fosse). The trap was sprung as Wikaros emerged from the mine, to lethal effect. Having lost it's best equipment in the ambush, Kurokaigen promptly sued for peace.
Probably disliking the anticlimax of it all, bcfoss refused, saying something to the effect of 'You can surrender when I beat you in your homeland!'
Invasion en route
The exact route Arenian forces sailed in order to reach Kurokaigen is lost to time, though it is known that bcfoss was operating under the cautious assumption that whatever route he had taken was the most likely direction from which a hypothetical Kurokaigenian invasion might be intercepted, no matter how pathetic it might be by this point.
There were only two paths to Kurokaigen from Sableterre, but neither can be discounted entirely as the route he selected.
- Arenian forces sailed west along the southern coast of old Epinettia and through the western strait of Terra Glareae (itself a holding of Sableterre), entering the western sea from the south. This was the fastest route for bcfoss to reach Kurokaigen, but he could not know whether Wikaros knew about it.
- Arenian forces sailed northwards along the eastern coast of Epinettia, traveling the great river until it forked on the banks of Old Japan. From there they sailed into the western sea from the east, continuing in a straight line across the expanse to Kurokaigen. This is a notably longer voyage, but bcfoss could be certain that Kurokaigen (a cultural descendant of Old Japan) knew about it.
Regardless, Sableterre arrived off the east coast of Kurokaigen no more than a day after setting out.
Second Battle
It was around midday when bcfoss made his landing. There were no official docks, but bcfoss nonetheless landed at the stretch of beach approximating docks, within easy bowshot of the settlement. Wikaros had taken up position in the town center, but there was little time for maneuvering as bcfoss made a beeline straight for him.
In the aftermath of the battle of La Fosse, the remaining Kurokaigenian equipment was terrible, consisting of an iron chestplate and possibly a leather cap and pants. Sableterre meanwhile was decked out in mixed iron-diamond armor and a diamond sword, itself somewhat behind other contemporaries. Wikaros possibly loosed a single volley of arrows before bcfoss was upon him. A fierce but brief melee broke out, during which Wikaros was slain.
With the Arenian rite of conquest performed to bcfoss's satisfaction, Kurokaigen's surrender was finally accepted.
Aftermath
Kurokaigen was annexed into the newly christened Arenian Empire, ceasing to exist as an independent state. Arenian Kurokegania became the focus of intense development by it's new overlord, but secessionist sentiments continued to simmer below the surface. The threat of secession would continue to be used as leverage against Arenia, and the conflicting agendas of ruler and subject were a directly responsible for Sableterre's involvement in the coalition war and Siege of the Gouffre.