Bizoan War and Occupation

The Bizoan War (1086-1092 ME) was a war of conquest by the Hartheran Union against the islands of Besoa and Antyok. The invasion lasted was followed by a period of Occupation from 1092-1114 ME. Besoa was liberated by nationalist forces led by the Sann'ali Court-in-Exile, who established the United Kingdom of Besoa.

The conquest was the bloodiest conflict in recent world history. The Occupation was even more brutal, with only a third of the original population left at its conclusion. Thousands died through famine due to Hartheran mismanagement of once rich farmlands, or from internment and execution. Many others were forced to leave the island, relocating particularly to port cities in Anrel, Vetth, Ororr and the Harthera, creating the Besoan Diaspora.

In the fifty years before the war, Besoan merchants came into increasing competition with Harthera for a number of reasons, both technological and political. Due to tension between Harthera and Ororr, Besoan traders were often favoured for lucrative shipping contracts to Ororran ports, and also controlled trade with the Eastern Isles and Anrel.

The Hartheran government planned a cunning and co-ordinated attack, aimed at conquering the Natorn Isles, using all their arts of flattery, diplomacy and guile, as well as overwhelming military force, to achieve their objectives.

Despite being small, the islands were wealthy. The Besoan nations, particularly Sann'al, had a vast trading network, their vessels calling at all the major ports on the north Anasthian coast, and as far away as Anrelplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigAnrel Isles

Anrel [ANN-rel], or the Anrel Isles, is the most northerly island group in the Natorn Archipelago. It consists of three major islands and numerous smaller ones. The largest, colloquially if infrequently called Mainland, is divided between the kingdoms of Trésard and Narette. The island, Marr Sirque and the west coast of Ororr. Their constant squabbles led to them having quite strong naval forces for their size. More importantly, their merchant navies were increasingly visiting Hartheran ports, making large cuts into profitable trade routes between Anrel and the south, and even between Ororr and Harthera. The historic Alsaneth navigator Gastrinimer was far more famed than any Hartheran of the time, despite Hartheran attempts to discredit him.

However, the isles lay far from Harthera waters, and it would be difficult to launch a mass attack on well-defended territory, without a nearby base of operations. So, Harthera began secret negotiations with the Ko-kway, a primitive tribal people living on Antyok. The Ko-kway had been displaced from their land, oppressed, persecuted and generally abused by settlers from Besoa. The Ko-kway were distantly related to the Junda islanders, and Harthera set about exploiting this long-standing hatred.

In 1086, a series of brutal joint attacks by the Ko-kway and the Hartherans allowed Harthera to seize Teraq. Their conquest of the island was brutal. The tribes massacred the Heronbaht population, while Harthera used the port to launch its attack upon Besoa, its main prize. The Prince's son did escape, but most of the island was laid waste. He now lives as a ward of the Margrave of Saria, in Northland.]

In 4185, the Hartherans conquered Antyok, in a series of brutal land attacks by the Ko-Kway, supplied with weapons and Hartheran officers. Shortly after, the Alsaneth navy was destroyed at the Battle of Menil Head.

Hartheran diplomats assured the Sann'ali royal court that they had no interest in further conquest. They were merely helping their blood-brothers, the Ko-Kway, who had suffered under the Princedom, and had merely defended themselves against Alsaneth naval aggression. The Sann'ali were glad to see the final eradication of the old Heronbaht state, and the smashing of the regicide southern navy. The king seized the opportunity. His army cross the border, and invaded Alsan the following spring. War proceeded for a year, with little progress except for bloodshoot, grinding down both sides. In 4188, a Hartheran fleet burned the Sann'ali port of Famul, while landing troops in western Alsaneth. The two nations realised their folly and signed an uneasy mutual pact of truce, in the face of their common enemy. Harthera then began a brutal war of conquest, burning cities, massacring thousands, destroying everything in their path until the land became a grey wasteland. The conquest was completed in three years, with Besoa united under a Hartheran military governorship. The King's nephew is now Crown-Prince-in-Exile, living in Belisan Freeport and commanding what remains of the Royal Sann'ali Fleet, which operates virtually as piratesplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigPiracy

Piracy has always been a danger for shipping around the world. Throughout history merchants have been preyed upon by desperate or greedy fishermen, by rogue naval ships acting as privateers, as well as organised fleets dedicated to larceny.

Hartheran, attacking Harthern vessels.]

After centuries of belligerence, Harthera exploited the two nations' bitter rivalry to push them into an internecine war. Once the two had fought each other to a standstill, the Hartheran high command were able to invade the island easily.

Despite being small, by the time of the Hartheran invasion the islands were extremely wealthy. The Besoan nations, particularly Sann'al, had a vast trading network, their vessels calling at all the major ports on the north Anasthian coast, and as far away as Anrel, Marr Sirque and the west coast of Ororr. The constant squabbles between Alson and Sann'al led to them having very strong and technically advanced naval fleets for their size, and their merchant warships were more than a match for perhaps three Hartheran vessels of similar size. More importantly, their merchant navies were increasingly visiting Hartheran ports, as they dominated the profitable trade routes between Anrel and the south. Also with relations between Ororr and Harthera always tense, they controlled a significant proportion of trade between Harlon and Toborr. The historic Alsaneth navigator Gastrinimer was far more famed than any Hartheran of the time, despite Hartheran attempts to discredit him.

The Besoans became an increasing thorn in the Hartheran’s side, until the Admiralty began to lay down plans to conquer the islands, guaranteeing Hartheran supremacy. The conquest was cunning and well co-ordinated, and took many years to come to fruition. It used all their arts of flattery, diplomacy and guile, as well as overwhelming military force, to achieve their objectives.

The first logistical problem was that the isles were far from Harthera waters. With the Besoan’s naval superiority in their home waters, it would be difficult to launch a mass attack on well-defended territory, without a nearby base of operations.

This was a significant problem, until a high-ranking Chelidt general suggested secret negotiations with the Ko-kway. They were a primitive, tribal people native to Antyok, the smallest Natorn island to the east of Besoa. Centuries ago the Ko-kway had been displaced from their land, oppressed, persecuted and generally abused by settlers from Besoa, called the Heronbaht. The Ko-kway were very vaguely related to the Junda – ancestors of modern Hartherans – and diplomats set about exploiting the long-standing hatred the tribal people held for the Heronbaht.

In 4185 HMplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigHirèrk Moonscale

The Hirèrk Moonscale [Hee-Rerrk] (HM) is a luni-solar calendar used at least since the time of Miyarris, which measures cycles based on the moons, solar years as well as the millennia-long cycles of global climate change. Today years HM are only seen in historic works and not considered accurate in historical accounts.HMHMepochsepochepochepochepochepochHMepochsME, a series of brutal joint attacks by the Ko-kway and the Hartherans allowed Harthera to seize control of the heavily fortified city of Teraq, the capital. Their conquest of the island was brutal. The tribes slaughtered the Heronbaht population in a massed attack on the rich farmland valleys east of the city. As the Heronbaht rode out to counterattack the Ko-kway, the Hartheran fleet, lying concealed some distance from the coast, entered the harbour and took the city with little resistance. Of the entire Heronbaht ruling elite, only the Prince’s son escaped, finding sanctuary in Senard in Anrel. The Hartherans took control of Teraq and its vital deep-water harbour, while the Ko-kway laid waste to the rest of the island.

A larger force quickly left Harthera and travelled north. Fearing an invasion the Alsaneth navy (the weaker of the two) attempted to investigate and challenge Hartheran violation of their waters. It was destroyed utterly at the Battle of Menil Head.

Meanwhile, Hartheran diplomats assured the Sann'ali royal court that they had no interest in further conquest. The Hartheran ships had been merely helping their blood-brothers, the Ko-Kway, who had suffered under the Heronbaht Princedom. They had furthermore merely defended themselves against Alsaneth naval aggression.

The Sann'ali were quite happy to believe both of these lies. The old Heronbaht state had been in their possession for centuries, and only the small principality of Antyok remained independent. With Antyok crushed, the hope of Heronbaht nationalism was finally over. They were even more happy with the humbling of the regicide Alsaneth. With their navy in disarray, the Sann'ali king saw a break in the deadlock which had kept the two nations at uneasy peace for the preceding centuries.

The following spring his army cross the border, laying waste to the already despoiled province of Derailad before meeting the hastily assembled Alsaneth army, which put up a spirited defence before fleeing into the mountains. Rather than skirt the coasts and seize the cities, or retreat and try an attack from the north, the foolish Sann'ali king pursued the runaway army into the mountains and fought an endless series of bloody skirmishes.

For a year there was little progress except for bloodshoot, grinding down both sides. In 4188, a Hartheran fleet burned the Sann'ali port of Famul on the east coast, while quietly landing troops on the west coast of Sann'al. The Sann'ali realised their folly and tried a hasty retreat to defend Famul, all the while harried from behind by the Alsaneth. The king sent re-inforcements to man the harbour defences of Perilth, and sent his main force towards Famul where he thought the Hartherans would land. Instead the Hartherans ignored Famul and marched overland behind Perilth, and assaulted the weakly defended city from the rear.

Harthera began a brutal war of conquest, burning cities, massacring thousands, destroying everything in their path until the land became a grey wasteland. The conquest was completed in three years, with Besoa united under a Hartheran military governorship. The King’s nephew is now Crown-Prince-in-Exile, living in Belisan Freeport and commanding what remains of the Royal Sann'ali Fleet, which operates virtually as pirates, attacking Harthern vessels.

Once they realised they had been deceived into war, the island's two nations belatedly joined together to fight the invaders. Once the Besoan armies had been crushed, both governments retreated from their capitals to rural strongholds, to direct a vicious guerilla campaign. In retaliation for every assault on the occupying forces, the Hartherans massacred villages and burned crops, causing famine. After five years the island's population had been reduced by three-quarters. Tens of thousands were dead, many others fled north to Anrel and the Spines, or were taken captive and treated as little more than slaves.