Ummarnu War

The Ummarnu War is the name of the conflict waged between the Huitca Federation and the Kingdom of Councils (KoC) in August 2021.

Causes
TBA

Battle of Palermo
On 13 August 2021, a Huitcan army attacked the combined forces of KoC and Kush at the fortified island settlement of Palermo. The battle was a tactical victory for the Huitcans, who didn't suffer a single casualty. However, they were unable to exploit this early advantage due to defensive action by KoC during the grace period.

Operation Red Fog
After the Battle of Palermo, KoC adopted a two-fold strategy: on the homefront, Palermo was transformed from a simple fortified settlement into a nearly unassailable stronghold with the help of Kushite allies; while paid mercenaries attacked Huitcan towns, supply depots, and military installations all across their territories.

This operation proved to be a resounding success, resulting in Huitcans delaying their anticipated attack, as they were busy with military operations against Solisios in the south. Seeing that their opponent would not make the first move, KoC took the initiative and attacked Huitca's most-populated city: Aequalis.

Siege of Aequalis
After several clashes with Huitcan troops tasked with defending their city, KoC scheduled its full assault for 22 August 2021. This time, most of KoC's army was made up of mercenaries and part-time soldiers, whereas the Huitcan garrison was bolstered by forces from the Empire of Andorn.

Upon reaching the walls of Aequalis, the attackers found themselves unable to build siege engines vital for breaching them [Huitcans abused land claim mechanics to make sure the attackers couldn't place blocks where they otherwise would have been able to]. As a result, the first part of the battle consisted of frustrated attackers hurling insults at the defenders, most of whom had at that point already started celebrating their victory, before the battle was even over.

However, KoC scouts discovered a way into the city, which enabled the mercenary army to enter and start engaging in skirmishes with the defenders, at this point mostly consisting of poorly-briefed Andorn troops, who soon found themselves overwhelmed and were subsequently slaughtered.

Despite the attackers' smaller numbers and the city's strong walls [made stronger by land claim shenanigans], most of the Huitcan force was not even involved in the actual fighting, which resulted in a swift KoC victory. However, KoC was likewise unable to exploit its advantage, as the vast majority of its victorious force, including the mercenaries and part-time soldiers, was banished from the realm shortly afterwards due to war crimes [judged by mods who are literally part of Huitca and were perfectly happy to turn a blind eye when it came to the defenders' own metagaming].

Palermo Phony War
After the customary post-battle grace period ran out, the Huitca-controlled city of New Awm declared war against the Kingdom of Councils, now completely defenseless. The governor of Veratol, caveposter, acted as the one man army tasked with minimizing harm done to the empty fortress of Palermo, preparing to ambush any attackers who would come, but the attack was called off.

Result
Following the phony war, negotiations between the leadership of KoC and Huitca started bearing fruit and a white peace was arrived at, leaving both sides unsatisfied and the causes of the war unresolved - Huitca didn't recover any lost territory, KoC couldn't support any independence movements within Huitca's borders.

After the Battle of the Kushite Sea between the navies of Huitca and Solisios, both sides turned their attention to the upcoming naval arms race.

During the negotiations, representatives from the Republic of Ombria reached out to the belligerents on KoC's side regarding a land dispute on the island of Inades, an issue that would culminate in the Second Battle of Palermo, re-igniting hostilities in the region after a period of relative peace.