Battle of the Straight of Viodoxa

The Battle of the Straight of Viodoxa, more commonly known as the battle of the straight, was a conflict fought between the Sovereign Aezenfjord Ship Enforcer and the former Escharian warship Dame der Wellen (Lady of the Waves). Enforcer under Captain Sterling was escorting two Hebra-Class merchant haulers through the Straight of Viodoxa, Din's Pearl and Sky Spirit, and was ambushed by Dame der Wellen who had been lying in wait on the Aezenfjord coast.

As Dame der Wellen approached, flying a false Aezenfjord flag, Captain Sterling ordered Din's Pearl and Sky Spirit to fall in to the leeward side of his vessel, closer to Viodoxa. While it is unclear what the rationale behind this decision was, interviews conducted by the Sovereign Aezenfjord Navy with the sole Aezenfjord survivor of the battle suggest that Sterling knew the ship to be Dame der Wellen, a ship he served on while on loan to the Escharian navy, and which he knew to have been presumed destroyed during the ascension. When Dame der Wellen came within range to fire, she unleashed a full broadside on Enforcer. Enforcer then responded with a broadside of her own. Dame der Wellen's armament was slightly weaker than Enforcers, possibly due to damaged or lost equipment from the chaos of Escharia's collapse, but nonetheless was still powerful. Fortune favoured Dame der Wellen in this opening broadside, collapsing Enforcer's aft mast and disabling her rudder control. Enforcer's broadside inflicted minor damage on Dame der Wellen. Sterling then ordered the two merchant vessels to withdraw towards the Viodoxan coast, and both ships fired their second broadsides which caused devastating damage to both ships. Sterling called for all hands except gun crews to abandon ship, and resolved to pound Dame der Wellen as long as possible to allow the merchants to escape. Ultimately, only one lifeboat managed to escape with four crewmen. One of these lived long enough to land the craft on the Viodoxa side of the straight, where he subsequently made the week's journey to Concord to report to the navy. Sterling's sacrifice inflicted enough damage to Dame der Wellen that the ship could no longer sail, and the ship has been found wrecked off of Aezenfjord's northern coast.

Based on logs uncovered within the ship, the crew were false converts to Soleannen who worked aboard Dame der Wellen. When the ascension occurred, they were left in control of the ship after the Aezenfjord loan officers, including Edward Sterling, abandoned ship and left it to its fate. The deserters then went into hiding for months while maintaining the ship off of supplies from Lileanen, and then sailed south to gather strength by ambushing Aezenfjord ships which they were familiar with the design of. While the ultimate goal of the deserters is unclear, it seems likely that they were gathering strength for a misguided offensive against Aezenfjord to gain a nation to live in.

Sterling has been hailed as a hero for his sacrifice saving Din's Pearl and Sky Spirit, and the Sovereign Aezenfjord Navy named the Sterling-Class Fleet Auxiliary, a modified Hebra, after the captain.