Battle of Perria

The Battle of Perria was the first military confrontation of the Second Sand War, an ongoing military conflict between the Volksrepublik Merkonis and a coalition of nations centered on the continent of Onthukhan. One of the largest battles in Eldham history, nearly 200 soldiers participated in combat.

Start of the war
Following an incident where a mercenary of the Zamotz Union was arrested and killed in Merkonisan soil, diplomatic talks were held between the two parties. Over the course of several days, these talks broke down, and both sides began to call on their allies in anticipation of war.

Meanwhile, in the Mercantile Kingdom of Visio, the autonomous region of Lafros plotted its secession from the nation. Once the Visian government was informed of the situation, an arrest warrant was put out for the Lafrosian leader, TheWorkingGamer, by Visian authorities. Lafros soon after declared its independence and a state of war was recognized between itself and Visio. Prior to this incident, diplomatic ties were established between Merkonis and Lafros to form an alliance named the Red Diamond League (or simply the Red League), whilst a mutual defense pact was signed between the Zamotz Union and Visio, informally joining a list of Visian allies under the Silver League (for the context of this war, also known as the Coalition). This would formally spark the conflict, as both sides responded to the call for assistance from their respective allies.

Battle Prelude
Shortly after the declaration of war, the city of Anatonia, located in the northwest of the Pale, seceded from the nation and declared itself a part of Merkonis. Wolfgang Godd-Fjell, the Kanzler (leader) of Merkonis, recognized Anatonia as part of Merkonis and began to formulate plans to aid the rebels before the Zamotz Union & Pale could move to stop the rebellion. Merkonis's ground borders allowed for little accessibility to the Anatonian rebels, for two reasons. Firstly, the border was divided by the River of Tears; to provide military support to the rebels, Merkonis must secure a river crossing for its full army. Secondly, although the Merkonisan city of Kriegstadt had clear access to the border, a safe border crossing could not be guaranteed, as the city was sandwiched between a major Zamotz city, Surif, and the Pale's regional stronghold, Perria. Seizing control of either would secure direct access between Kriegstadt and Anatonia without fear of Zamotz or Pale interception. Ultimately, Godd-Fjell opted to siege Perria. In the meantime, as Merkonisan international ties deteriorated overall, Godd-Fjell also sought out the aid of mercenary groups, which would come by sea across the Sea of Broken Shields.

In the meantime, both the Zamotz Union and the Pale anticipated a Merkonisan assault on either Surif or Perria, and fortifications were made on both cities. Although the Anatonian rebels were of some concern, armies were concentrated across both cities and on the southern bank of the River of Tears as the Merkonisan forces were expected to be a larger threat. Across Pale territory, supplies and soldiers were transported, including groups of men from other allied countries, such as the Ashtrokan-Wandenreich Empire, Visio, Anglunia, and the Holy Kingdom of Lutum. In the meantime, Irisnian soldiers arrived from the southern border of the Pale, Vulperium soldiers crossed through Zamotian territory and across the Velithangkan Sea, and Amarillan soldiers voyaged across the northwestern parts of the Sea of Broken Shields.

In anticipation of battle, the Merkonisan city of Neukromore was also fortified and was turned into a center of operations for the Merkonisan army. Despite its closer position to a potential battlefield, Kriegstadt was placed in a vulnerable region and had no prior fortifications; Neukromore, on the other hand, was safely within a forest and was primarily a fortified castle. Perrian residents and other Pale volunteers, meanwhile, embarked on an ambitious project to terraform part of the River of Tears, as well as reinforcing the city's walls. Much of the eastern River of Tears would be blanketed in a layer of reinforced soil and grass, allowing for the Coalition's forces to stand on it whilst fighting the Merkonisan advance. Archers on the northern wall of Perria noted the presence of enemy scouts patrolling the area from the north, alerting Coalition officials that the Merkonisan force was in Neukromore.

Battle Plans
Both sides had varying objectives for the upcoming battle. Merkonis sought to secure Perria under its control, and gain access to the Anatonian rebels whilst simultaneously weakening the Pale's regional hold. On the other hand, the Coalition's objectives varied within themselves, with some officials seeking primarily to hold off the Merkonisan advance while others hoped to destroy the Merkonisan forces and seize control of Neukromore.

To achieve their objectives, Merkonis hoped to defeat Coalition forces in open combat while simultaneously having detachments of soldiers begin to flank Perria from other directions, seizing parts of the city. While Wolfgang Godd-Fjell and Premierminister (Prime Minister) TheOneTheory planned for the battle and coordinated the army at Neukromore, both Wardaddy Godd-Fjell and the Merkonisan Verteidigungsminister (Minister of Defense), ErrorL, would be responsible for leading the Red League's forces. Commander John Vilheim, leader of the Lafrosian rebellion, independently led a small detachment of Lafrosian volunteers.

The coalition's approach was split into three main forces:

Whilst Red Team and Blue Team mostly did not see hand-to-hand combat, the Alpha Team were the ones on the frontlines. They would be the force responsible for capturing Neukromore, should the attack on Perria be successfully repulsed. Blue Team would be the first to engage in combat, as Merkonisan scouts and Blue Team archers would exchange arrows prior to the battle's formal commencement.
 * Alpha Team: Also known as the A-team, it was composed of the best fighters of each country. They would fight against Merkonisan infantry in open combat as needed. Initial fighting would take place nearby Perria, where archers can support the Alpha Team whilst combat occurred. This force would be primarily commanded by Imperial Executioner Endō Kamisato of the Ashtrokan-Wandenreich Empire, with some assistance from Pale Councilor Seny in coordination. Governor Innos and King Okomi from the Zamotz Union, as well as High King Wulfgar Ironback of the Pale all provided logistical support prior to the battle's start.
 * The Vulperium sent two legions of their best fighters to the battlefield, though they had merged into one for coordination purposes. This group communicated amongst themselves separately from the Alpha Team, being led by Centurions Auric and Shib, but would join them in their movements.
 * A detachment of the Zamotz Union's elite soldiers from the city of Historia, led by Commander Einar, also coordinated separately but accompanied the Alpha Team in their movements.
 * Blue Team: Composed of one half of the remaining fighters that were not on Alpha Team, the Blue Team manned the walls of Perria, though they were mostly concentrated on the northern and western walls. These individuals were largely responsible for firing at the enemy in battle as well as repelling any direct threat to the walls. They would also assist in repelling defensive attacks and sometimes in the transportation of supplies for the Alpha Team. This force was led by the Former King of Lutum, Blue Arbiter.
 * Red Team: Composed of the other fighters that were not on either team, the Red Team generally defended the city of Perria and were the primary force responsible for the transportation of supplies for the rest of the army. This force was led by the Oathmarshall of the Pale, Jib.

Methods
For the most part, combat in this war came in the form of hit and run attacks, with one or multiple men advancing to attack an enemy soldier or groups of enemy soldiers, before falling back once the enemy counterattack grew too strong, or successfully advancing forwards if the targeted group retreated. If one side was confident that they could kill another soldier, they'd take the risk of chasing the enemy well within enemy land in the hopes of killing them. This strategy was met with mixed results from both sides throughout the course of the battle.

In order to capture land, however, one could not rely on a hit and run attack. To capture territory in another city, the attacking party must place a capture block in the defending party's territory; then, they must secure the region for a sufficient period of time (depending on the number of soldiers on their side) without being repelled by the enemy. Should the attackers be repulsed from the capture block, their attack would be unsuccessful. Should the attackers maintain their position around the capture block long enough, part of the defending city's territory becomes unclaimed and susceptible to looting and breaking. In the Red League's case, the main objective was to capture all of Perria. In the Coalition's case, capturing Neukromore would be an ideal victory, though not all officials agreed that it was necessary to constitute a victory.

First Contact (2:40 PM-3:00 PM)
The battle formally commenced at around 2:36 PM EST, though fighting did not begin until a few minutes later. The Coalition's Red and Blue Team were stationed on the walls, whilst Alpha Team was on the southern bank of the river, west of Perria and just south of Kriegstadt. The Red League army, meanwhile, was stationed in Neukromore and marched southward toward Perria. The Alpha Team crossed the River of Tears at the start of battle, marching north. Once they were northwest of Perria, the Alpha Team turned east; this would lead to them flanking Merkonis from the west and mark the beginning of combat across the plains.

The initial confrontation swayed in favor of the Red League. The Alpha Team's initial charge was repelled, and much of the Coalition's army was forced to fall back toward the terraformed river land. This not only put the Merkonisans at an elevation advantage, but also meant that the Coalition forces there had their backs to the wall. With the north full of League soldiers, the ocean to the east, and the tall Perrian walls to the south, the Coalition forces could only retreat westward. If the Merkonisans were able to cut them off from this avenue of retreat and successfully crushed the Coalition, it could have spelled disaster for the Coalition. As such, forces were spread out, with the plains west of Perria being firmly in Coalition hands despite minor incursions by the League. Overall, despite several territorial concessions were made to the Red League, the Coalition's forces were able to stabilize in the western plains and in the terraformed land.

This would only be the start of the Coalition's problems, though, as new problems arose. The Red League had inflicted far more casualties on the Coalition than the other way around, and the Merkonisan detachments responsible for flanking Perria were successful in early incursions. The Red Team would eventually repel the attackers, but this did little to alleviate the pressure felt by the Alpha Team. For much of the first half of the battle, this remained the case. More problems arose for the Alpha Team, as the lack of range on the Blue Team's arrows meant that they were more frequently firing on the Alpha Team rather than Red League soldiers. Some archers also mistook friendly soldiers for enemies, firing on them intentionally.

However, the Alpha Team continued to stand their ground. The Red League's relentless attack grew weaker by the minute as their men found themselves with low supplies of potion and low durability on their armor, causing soldiers to strike less frequently and some to even begin to retreat to the forests of Neukromore.

Battle of the Neukromore Forest (3:00 PM-3:20 PM)
The Alpha Team was soon on the offensive, as territorial concessions by the Red League meant that combat now took place on the plains north of the River of Tears as well as the forests south of Neukromore. Although resistance remained fierce, it was evident that the Red League no longer had the potency to repel the Alpha Team, let alone take on the city of Perria. The casualty count began to turn in favor of the Coalition, as more League soldiers were isolated and killed as their comrades either retreated or were forced back by the Alpha Team.

Following a gradual retreat by the Red League, Coalition forces eventually secured all of the Red League's land south of the Neukromore gate. Combat was still active as Red League soldiers occasionally left the safety of the gates to launch hit and run attacks on the Coalition's soldiers, but these proved largely fruitless in either gaining kills or repelling the Coalition advance. From here, Coalition commanders Seny and Okomi each placed a capture block in front of the Neukromore walls, both of which were successfully used by the Coalition. The second block to be placed would make the Neukromore gate susceptible to being broken, and Seny soon broke it, allowing for Coalition troops to surge forwards.

Breach of Neukromore (3:20 PM-3:40 PM)
After a third capture block was placed inside of Neukromore, the Red League found itself unable to successfully repel the Coalition from their foothold inside of Neukromore. The last remnants of a united League resistance collapsed here, as the remaining forces became pockets of disorganized resistance rather than a unified army. Coalition losses remained low during this phase of the battle, although King Okomi was trapped underground by League soldiers and stabbed nearly to death, barely able to escape with his life. Wolfgang Godd-Fjell fled the city, and the remainder of the League's leadership found themselves critically wounded and unable to command their armies. By the time the battle formally ended at around 3:40 PM, much of Neukromore was unclaimed and looted by Coalition soldiers, and no resistance remained.

Casualties
Over 150 soldiers perished in battle, with the Red League suffering nearly a hundred alone. Much of these losses were in the last phase of battle, as soldiers who were isolated or unable to fight were massacred by Coalition fighters. The Coalition also lost a significant number of soldiers, with 64 Coalition fighters dying in combat. Most of these losses were sustained by the Alpha Team, with a few Red Team and Blue Team soldiers dying either in defense of Perria or whilst attempting to enter the frontlines.

Political Impact
Most individuals on both sides agree that the battle was largely a Coalition victory, though Wolfgang Godd-Fjell considered the outcome to be a draw. Although the Coalition ultimately failed to completely capture Neukromore, the Red League also failed in capturing Perria and ultimately suffered a far greater loss of life and equipment than the Coalition; a loss which contributed to their defeat in the Battle of Neukromore. As such, the battle is treated as a tactical victory - the Coalition did not win any strategic objectives in Neukromore, but rather won in terms of inflicting a greater loss of resources on the Red League and limiting the Merkonisan forces' ability to fight in future battles.