AAR: The Seven Year War of Ascencion, AAR from Celebrities from Ermor's POV

[Numahr]

Valerius:

I see. When you attacked, I did not feel as if you did not have the strength to fight a 1-to-1 war.

Re. Agartha, I think at some point he hesitated (based on troops movement), and then got tempted to go for the easy prey. Actually conquering a full nation before engaging me was, I think, a sound strategy from Agartha's perspective. Would you have coordinated well later (which is more difficult with a no-diplo game, of course), Agartha could have (possibly!) crushed me with you. Assuming equal gains from Ermor's spoils, Agartha could then expect to be in a strong position as in having 2,5 spheres against 1,5 for you. And this is how Agartha actually played. I think, ironically, that I would have played strategy-wise exactly as they did...

Now that we enter our first war, I will be curious to get your feedback on the more tactical aspect of things! :-)

Fellow anonymous readers:

From now on the empire of Ermor will be constantly at war, meeting all nations in the battlefield at some point or another, and fighting large scale battles almost every season...

[Valerius]

I agree that Agartha's decision to go after a weakened Abysia was a good one and profited him nicely. But when I attacked you for the first time Agartha hadn't yet attacked Abysia so I was hoping that he'd also be worried about your growing strength and also that he might hold a grudge over the fact that you took some of "his" provinces during initial expansion (Sixlands clearly divides the six regions and I at least take it as an act of war if someone takes one of my provinces during expansion).

I felt I wasn't ready for you because at the beginning of the war I hadn't yet done the research that would enable me to handle your hordes of undead (I didn't even have many centaur longbows). And I think we'll see this lack of preparation as we follow the course of that first war.

I'll definitely give you my perspective on that first conflict. Once that is over I'll be out of the picture for a *long* time as my turtling phase begins.

[Immaculate]

Excellent AAR. Keep it up.

[earcaraxe]

As the leader of the ill-fated Abysia i would like to add my perspective.

I was very much suprised by the bandari offensive: it was insanely early, much indies still standing. I think, a war this early only bears fruit only if the agressor manages to defeat and conquer the enemy very quickly. I was convinced Bandar Log's army and magic arsenal werent capable of that. In reality Bandar didnt even came close to beat my troops and fire-mage commanders in a quick war even with their blessed sacred cavalry: they not only didnt manage to win quickly but even got beaten back to our "natural" border. I didnt push further, hoping those monkey brains would get the message of peace, but they intruded again, sealing our fates. The monkey army's attempt of conquering Abysia was futile and in vain - and a huge strategic mistake - , but it left the demonic fire-worshipper's realm exhausted and weakened as I spent all my gold on the patriotic war instead of forts and research. It was an excellent move by Agartha to start the invasion, and it was a finely carried out and swift one! Grats!

[Numahr]

Earcaraxe,

Thanks for your perspective. We'll come to all these events in due time... But as we discussed earlier I totally agree with your analysis. Bandar's strategy illustrates quite well the cost of indecisive early wars, both for the attacker and for the defender.

[Anaconda]

impressive!

[earcaraxe]

oh, u r right , i didnt want to steal the storytelling, sorry.

btw, when bandar first attacked, i was counting on your ermor to grab my northeastern provinces, now i see why u didnt.

[Numahr]

Thanks Anaconda.

earcaraxe: yeah I did not want to make a "cheap" province grabbing on you and take the risk to maybe kill one of your armies, or to weaken you to the point where you could not resist to Bandar Log. I thought: "Let's have 2 provinces less and an Abysia as strong as possible to sustain this pointless looser-looser war against Bandar Log, rather than 2 more provinces and a victorious Bandar Log on my Southern flank". So you see, we could not speak but I was your friend :-) Seriously, beside pure realistic geopolitics, I had the feeling Ermor had a good understanding with Abysia, and only when you turned AI I sent my armies on your lands.

And to make me lie, you are the only nation I did not fight against, except 1/2 unintentional encounters...

[Numahr]

Winter: Pangean offensive and Ermor’s reaction

Overview of Pangea

The people of Pangea are barely civilized worshippers of the wild. Half beasts such as minotaurs and centaurs are powerful soldiers due to their sheer strength and wild energy. They possess powerful Nature magic, but also Earth, Blood and Death.




Late autumn and Early Winter (20-21): Pangean Offensive

Throughout autumn, intelligence had reported an increasing concentration of Pangean troops at the border. As a reaction Ermor launched a campaign of recruitment of Lion Tribe Archers. These light archers are highly appreciated by Ermorian strategists as Pangean and Bandari troops are lightly armored and vulnerable to missile fire; additionally they have an excellent stamina and can follow armies of undead in forced marches.

In Late Autumn, Pangean troops cross the border and walk towards the border fort of Werk Enum.



The Pangean invasion army is mainly constituted of a large battalion of Minotaurs, who receive a Haste enchantment at the beginning of the battle. This tactic would be perfectly appropriate against the classical Ermorian heavy infantry as so many Minotaurs charging even faster than normally can easily trample any opponents smaller than themselves. They effectively annihilate the provincial defense in one terrible charge getting straight to the centurion located at the rear, without getting any casualties, not even a scratch.



They immediately lay siege to the Simple Hillfort guarding the border. The fort was built spontaneously by the local governor, with his own resources. While it cost nothing to the State budget, the fortifications are weak and the Pangean army is successful in making a breach quickly.



The fort is conquered the next month, with large quantities of Pangean reinforcements confirmed. The fall of the hillfort of Werk Enum is not a disaster. Another fortress, built by Ermorian central engineers with the state budget and the highest defensive standards, protects the Ermorian heartland immediately West of Werk Enum.

Ermorian strategists analyze that the main Ermorian war asset, the undead cavalry, constitutes a good counter to the Minotaurs as they are too big to be trampled. The terrible Minotaur charge will be stopped by the sheer volume of the undead cavalry, who, although weaker on a 1-to-1 basis, can dominate melee by simply overwhelming the Minotaurs. The main army mobilized against Bandar Log is quickly sent to the new Pangean Front, as well as freshly reanimated undead cavalry.


Mid- and Late-Winter (21-22): Ermorian reaction

With the situation stabilized in the South, Ermor prepares a powerful counter-offensive, aiming at conquering Pangea. While Pangea conquers Werk Enum, Ermor purchases the services of a group of mercenary siege sappers commanded by a skilful siege engineer. They are intended not so much to take back Werk Enum, as the large number of undead soldiers will be enough the fort’s weak defenses. Their mission is to help in the conquest of the more challenging forts of the very Pangean heartland.



At this point the mass-reanimation of undead soldiers gives Ermor a significant quantitative superiority in open battlefields, and the Ermorian Headquarter is reasonably optimistic about the forthcoming war.


Graph of army sizes by mid-winter of the year 2 of the Ascension War: Ermor has the largest army, approximately twice as large as Pangea. The quality of Pangean units is recognized to be higher, though. Other contenders are way behind, although Pythium, with which no direct contact exists, seems to be expanding rapidly her military.

The clash finally takes place in late winter, with a decisive battle between the world’s two largest armies.

[Numahr]

Late Winter (23): A costly baptism of blood for the Ermorian legions

Ermor’s soldiers

Who are exactly Ermor's legions?

The main component of Ermorian legions is undead, who need to receive unholy blessings to reach their full potential: Power of the Sepulchre to boost their offensive potential and Protection of the Sepulchre to protect them, to some extant, from banishment by enemy priests.



Casting these spells is not a mundane task. The powerful versions of these spells, reaching the whole army instead of just a small area, require several Ermorian Thaumaturges to unite their magical strength and/or the presence of a Grand Thaumaturge.

The two signature units of the Ermorian army are the Undead Cavalry and the Shadow Vestals.


Longdead horseman under the effect of the Unholy Powers of the Sepulchre (+4 magical resistance, +4 attack, +4 action points)

The main strength of longdead horsemen is their speed and maneuverability, both in campaign and in the battlefield. They deliver a good offensive punch at first contact with their light lance. As most undead, their morale is unbreakable and they never get tired by long fights. But the lack of durability is their main weakness as the slightest bow is very likely to disrupt their brittle bones. Moreover, they are vulnerable to banishments by enemy priests, a mass destruction weapon on undead. Actually, their real strength relies in the huge number Ermorian Grand Thaumaturges are able to re-animate, combined with the fact that these huge armies don’t eat and don’t ask for gold.


Experienced Shadow Vestal blessed and under the effect of the Power of the Sepulchre

Shadow Vestals present very different characteristics. They are an elite sacred unit, and their number is limited by the high price involved and the limited number of Vestals Ermorian temples can “produce” every month. Once they receive the blessing of Mors Nihil Est, their main strength is their durability against mundane, non magical weapons: their natural etherealness is combined with the blessed twist fate and good defense skills in melee, and they can literally dance in the midst of enemy blades and spears. Very high magical resistance once they are blessed makes them almost invulnerable to banishment. But beside these magical protections, they are actually as weak as any light infantry, and this tactic can be countered by a determined enemy using a continuous rain of missiles and magical attacks. Their offensive power is not exceptional but adequate: they have a good attack skill once they are buffed by the Power of the Sepulchre, but their blows lack strength, and even human medium infantry with adequate protection need to be hit several times to fall. Thanks to their light equipment and to their blessing, they also don’t tire from long fights. They still have a soul, and they can gain experience but are also susceptible to rout in battle. Overall they can be considered as a good (pseudo-)heavy infantry. They complement well the undead cavalry, and are generally used to hold the center of the battlefield, together with standard heavy infantry.


Orders of battle

Ermor fields an army greater than ever seen: 4 full regiments of undead cavalry on both flanks, a full regiment of Shadow Vestals and another of heavy infantry to hold the center, numerous Lion Tribe archers and crossbow-equipped sappers at the back to provide ranged support. Eight Thaumaturges are present, aiming at strengthening the Undead by Unholy spells and on-the-spot reanimation of soulless or skeleton warriors.



The Pangean army is also formidable. It is composed by a large host of Minotaurs, twice as many as the initial invasion force. They are disposed in a formation apparently designed to overwhelm the battlefield on the right flank.



They are supported by Satyr light infantry and flying harpies, in number probably too few to have a strong role in the forthcoming battle.






Battle

The Pangean light infantry goes forward while the Minotaurs hold their ground and receive several enchantments: Haste, Wood Warriors and Legions of Steel. The Ermorian Undead Cavalry easily bypasses harpies and Satyrs, and reaches the Pangean main line on both flanks. The Pangean light infantry has, however, absorbed some of the momentum of the undeads’ charge, and delays the Ermorian infantry and archers.



Minotaurs, under the effect of magic enchantments, are now as well protected as heavy infantry, compensating for their lack of defensive skills with their axes. Pans, Pangean mage-priests, spam banishments on the undead. Tactics are forgotten as a confused melee ensues on all the battlefield’s width.



The melee takes a heavy toll on both sides. Ermor gets in a more favorable position when archers and mercenary crossbowmen finally get in range of the Minotaurs, while some of Ermorian undead cavalry succeed to reach Pangean commanders on the left flank.


Rain of arrows on the minotaurs

No side routs as both soulless undead and berserk Minotaurs have unbreakable morale, and the slaughter continues for a long time. Progressively Shadow Vestals replace fallen undead cavalry on the frontline while the line of Minotaurs gets thinner and thinner. Almost all undead cavalry is destroyed.

Maybe Minotaurs could have won the battle, if not for the short-lived reanimation of new undead hordes by Ermorian thaumaturges. Reanimated soulless warriors head toward the frontline in great numbers. Before they make contact with the exhausted Minotaurs, Pangean commanders, three of which have fallen to outflanking undead cavalry, choose to retreat.


Ermor's decisive weapon: Minotaurs could destroy almost all undead cavalry, but a horde of newly risen soulless soldiers is heading towards them.



The last berserk Minotaurs and one more mage too exhausted to save his life are finally slaughtered by the undead, and Ermor takes control of the Werk Enum province.


Aftermath

Pangea has thrown all the Werk Enum’s garrison in the battle, so Ermor takes back the undefended fort the next month. The battle has been bloody for both sides, as is best illustrated by the army size graph. However both sides still have large reserves at their disposals.



In these conditions, the war against Pangea is far from over. Another Pangean army, much smaller, has simultaneously attacked in the Southern part of the border, and will have to be dealt with. They are supported by an amphibious presence in the strategic sea of Boat Eater.


Strategic situation at the aftermath of the battle of Werk Enum (star), with directions of the main offensives. Here it appears clearly that the great losses of the battle of Werk Enum have not exhausted Ermor and Pangea’s war capacities.

However, Ermorian strategists consider the outcome as positive, giving Ermor an enhanced quantitative advantage and illustrating the Ermorian superiority in battle thanks to the endless reanimation of soulless warriors. The fearsome Minotaurs have fought well but, as expected by Ermorian strategists, they can be countered by adequate number of undead cavalry. Thus, the decision is made to lunch a grand offensive on Pangean territory once Werk Enum is taken back.