The Halmorian Invasion

Introduction

In these volumes we will examine the last incursion into Eramere from the Halmorian Empire, beginning in 2939 EC with their invasion and subsequent occupation of Torica, and ending with the Empires withdrawal from Eramere in 3053 EC. While this tome shall not go into great detail about the day to day of the war, nor will it expand on individual battles, it will offer a concise summary of the century plus long conflict. For more detailed accounts of specific parts of the conflict we'd suggest looking into further volumes in this series.

The Invasion and Occupation of Torica

The Halmorians began this conflict, much as many other had in the past, with the occupation of the strategically important island chain that the city of Torica resides. The Torican government at the time maintained no organized military, and the small contingent of Crimson Crusaders stood no chance of repelling the initial invasion force, which by all accounts consisted of three legion cohorts, or a little over half of a full strength Legion, or around three thousand men. The armada that carried the large invasion force immediately set to establishing a loose blockade of traffic out of the Ardena river.

The initial stance of the Empire was that this invasion was justified, as the Town had been founded by people who were rightful vassals of the Empire, and that they were merely bringing a wayward colony back under their control. Their occupation of Torica secured, the Empire began to reinforce, and deploy two more expeditionary legions onto the continent, marching first toward the pickets that made up the front lines of the War of Ashes.

Reinforcing the Line

The Halmorian's numbers, and the professional skill of the Legions were at first a great boon for the Coalition forces trying to hold back the tide of Ashen'wrath's army. They deployed themselves into several key positions, and were able to better contain any sorties the Kobolds, and Ssiardi attempted to make. Legion forces were active in several key, large scale defenses of the fortifications around the crater, and they were for a time treated as welcome allies. However as more and more cohorts arrived, it soon became clear that the Halmorian forces could likely make due without aid from their coalition allies, and it was then that they pressed their advantage.

The Siege and Destruction of Home

Beginning in 2942 EC the Empire dedicated an entire full strength Legion to the siege and conquest of the city of Home. Not fully understanding the nature of what made the trade center successful, the traditional siege tactics that had served the Empire so well in it's past simply could not break the will of the city. While Home did not have an overwhelmingly skilled defensive force, they were able to remain constantly resupplied through the use of the Portal network created by the city's founder Gaius. That combined with the city's other magical defenses, it became clear a single legion could not take the city. While the forces available to the Empire were quite expansive, it could not afford to dedicate that much manpower, while maintaining the blockade and siege of High Reaches, and the defensive fortifications around the crater which had at this point become solely their responsibility. Worse yet, High Reaches' own defenses ensured that the Legionary cohorts assigned to it's conquest were also held at bay. Both sieges had essentially become a stalemate.

Fortunes changed when Ashen'wrath was gravely injured in a daring assault into the heart of the crater itself, by forces loyal to the Dragon Niassa'Nai. With the injury to their patron the forces within the crater became far less active, and the Empire was able to divert much of their presence there to Home and High Reaches. Still however, the City resisted, with reinforcements and supplies being able to arrive in an instant from any of the towns where portals were constructed, the Halmorians were unable to put a tight enough hold on the city to break it's will. Unable to force a surrender, and unwilling to sacrifice the men that would be needed to force the issue, and take the city despite its defenses, the Empire moved to more drastic measures. A group of powerful Clerics lead by the Isochrone themselves enacted a ritual of incredible power. Calling down both fire from the heavens, and disrupting the very earth beneath Home's foundations, the city was swallowed in display of divine might that had never been witnessed before.

The Siege and Conquest of High Reaches

Beginning in the same year as the siege of Home, the effort to take High Reaches was far more traditional. While the city had their own farmlands, and a number of powerful magical defenses, the Legion was able to cut off most mundane forms of communication. The one attempt at a brute force seizure of the city before the wounding of Ashen'wrath was soundly pushed back, a combination of the skilled militia, and the arcane defenses implemented under the supervision of Gralin Hovis, and perfected over the years by members of the University.

Once the Home fell however, the Empire was able to commit the bulk of their forces in Eramere to the taking of High Reaches, which was Halmoria's ultimate goal. The fighting was hard, and the forces of High Reaches acquitted themselves well, and the Halmorian's took heavy losses, but they were determined, and simply had the numbers to strain High Reaches defenses. Once the outer walls around the farmlands were breached, and High Reaches food supply was held in enemy hands, it was only a matter of time before the city was forced to surrender.

The Halmorian Retreat

While they faced a relatively active resistance for nearly the entire time they were on the continent, the might of the Legions were enough to maintain a strong hold on the continent. However, when High Reaches was destroyed, taking a large number of the Halmorian forces with it, they were forced to reduce there presence more and more until it was restricted to Torica, and a few forts along the coast. While the Halmorians were never fully expelled by some great rout, their waning interest in the continent with the loss of the High Reaches Temple, led to the Empire finally cutting their losses, and their abandonment of Eramere.