Sancturi Campaigns¶
"The petty kingdoms in the area crumpled almost immediately under the might of the Imperium." — The Sanctuary Age Timeline (S326)
The Sancturi Campaigns were the wars of conquest by which the Sancturi Imperium, having consolidated the Broken Sea's southern kingdoms, spread north and west province by province through the 600s SM. Each was fought by one of the Provincial Legions and is named for the land it took: Danar, Corvald, Rhyunn, Pevelor, Vael'Doreis, the Hills of Ghorresh, Arnyr, Faragond and Dalmar. Some succeeded quickly, some were abandoned, and the last were still being fought in the Sanctuary Age Timeline's present of 704 SM. The Proturas timeline marks "Sancturi Campaigns" as a regionwide conflict around 360 AL, in its own calendar.
Preparation¶
The Sancturi spent the later 500s SM "building up its economy and military." In the late 590s "several expeditionary campaigns were launched to determine where best to expand the imperium. Acadia was ruled out due to Hollows and security issues. Lothkandar was ruled out due to lack of resources and poor climate. Danar and Corvald were identified as good prospects and the Sancturi began organizing and recruiting the Provincial Legions" (S326). The Legions, Obsidian, Nightshade and Griffon, are Factions' subject; their campaigns follow.
The campaigns¶
| Campaign | Legions | Years (SM) | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danar | Obsidian 614-674; Nightshade 617-652 | 614-674 | Both provinces abandoned |
| Corvald | Griffon | 624-641 | Conquered and stabilized |
| Rhyunn | Griffon | 644-653 | Conquered and stabilized |
| Pevelor | Griffon | 645-693 | Capitulated; forty years to settle |
| Vael'Doreis | Nightshade, later Obsidian | 654-688 | Forests burned; elves fled to Luiria |
| Hills of Ghorresh | Nightshade | 690-698 | Land grab, little fighting |
| Arnyr | Obsidian | 691-present | Conquered after twelve years; expanding |
| Faragond | Griffon | 695-present | Legions lost to the Necromancer in 700 |
| Dalmar | Nightshade | 700-present | Floren crippled; pushed back by Brusau |
Danar¶
The settlement of the island of Danar began in 614 SM in Southern Danar and again in 617 SM at Pesh. "Raids by Oesterkull and Orcs were consistent problems. However, it was the enmity of the Wights and their armies of corporeal and incorporeal undead, as well as undead plagues, blights and roaming monsters that lead to the eventual abandonment of both provinces on the island in 652 SM (Pesh) and 674 SM (Southern Danar)." One result of the campaign "was the development of Namakan Runebinding" (S326).
Corvald and Rhyunn¶
The Corvald campaign began in 624 SM, and "open warfare was over with the petty kingdoms by 625 SM. However, the army took almost another 20 years to stabilize and civilize the area." Rhyunn followed from 644 SM; its petty kingdoms "crumpled almost immediately," and "using the lessons learned in Corvald, they were able to stabilize the area much more rapidly" (S326).
Pevelor¶
The tiny nation of Pevelor "capitulated almost immediately" when the campaign opened in 654 SM, but "civilization and development of the area took another 40 years due to chronic raids from neighboring mountain Orc tribes" (S326). The timeline's heading dates the Griffon Legions' campaign 645-693.
Vael'Doreis¶
The war against the elves of Vael'Doreis was the hardest. Staging areas were secured in 654 SM, but "the elves waged a guerilla war and Sancturi forces had difficulty penetrating the forests to damage Elven settlements." In 661 SM the High Council put the campaign on hold. The elves could not dislodge the Sancturi foothold either. By 675 SM the Obsidian Legions had regrouped from the failed Danar campaign and joined the Nightshade Legions "with a new scorched earth strategy. They burned the forests of Vael'Dorais, driving the Elves back until there was no forest left to retreat to. By 688 SM the entire area was reduced to ash and the last Elven refuge in the west was destroyed. The survivors fled west and eventually established Luiria in 691 SM." The Sancturi did not settle the ash, beyond a few well-guarded roads (S326). The Proturas timeline likewise moves the Elves of Vael'Dorais off its chart and brings on the Elves of Luiria about 440 AL (S107).
Hills of Ghorresh¶
"Mostly a land grab and infrastructure campaign, there was little real fighting other than minor skirmishes with natives and Hollows" in the Hills of Ghorresh, 690 to 698 SM (S326).
Arnyr¶
"A fierce campaign against the largest Riven kingdom in the North, it took almost 12 years to conquer Arnyr" from 691 SM. In 704 SM the area was being stabilized, "but the legions have already begun grabbing some easy targets on the western and northern borders" (S326). The Arnyr campaign "continues to be an unmitigated success story for the Sancturi," and planners expected the Oesterkull republic of Vrudal and the witch kingdom of Hacros "to fall completely under the warlord's rule within a few years" (S319).
Faragond¶
The campaign in Faragond from 695 SM was "initially a success against several small Riven petty kingdoms" until "it ran afoul of the enigmatic Necromancer in 698 SM. The Necromancer has marked boundaries (usually skulls on sticks), which if approached trigger an assault by a horde of undead." In 700 SM the Griffon Legions "drove deeply into the Necromancer's territory ... with the intention of cutting off the head of the snake. Instead, the legions disappeared and not a single soldier returned." They have been rebuilding since and lost ground to Athagilion in the meantime (S326). By Fall 704 "the Sancturi advance in Faragond has been all but halted" after "a catastrophic loss to the Riven 2 years ago that nearly cost them the entire province" (S319).
Dalmar¶
The Nightshade Legions entered Dalmar in 700 SM. "After an initial incursion that has left Floren crippled and took considerable Brusau territory, they have been pushed back by Brusau backed with Ozau mercenaries." Both sides entrenched; "neither side has bothered to secure Floren as it would open up a larger front. However, both sides raid Floren mercilessly," and rumor had the legion positioning "for an invasion of Ozaustein in the spring" (S326). The occupied towns of Floren were renamed, Langstran becoming Kurano, the provincial seat, and Valdemark Castle becoming Odawara, the Warlord's headquarters (S315).
Named battles¶
Seige of Valdemark¶
Valdemark Castle, "the largest and most defensible fortress in Floren," sits "atop a natural basalt rise that straddles Amberdale" and "projects power and controls access in all directions. It was largely ruined in the Seige of Valdemark, but has been mostly repaired and improved" as Odawara (S315). The Dalmar Province's places are described on Dalmar Province.
Battle of Beddenford¶
Brusau's stand against the Dalmar campaign had help from an unexpected quarter. Vinias, "a magi of legendary power," most recently "led the White Fire to assist the Kingdom of Brusau in driving back the Imperium at the Battle of Beddenford" (S319). The source gives no date; the Sanctuary Age Timeline's note that the Sancturi "have been pushed back by Brusau" places it between 700 and 704 SM.
Great Burning of Altandon¶
Brusau's resistance did not outlast its queen. "After Queen Aalina Lorimer's death, the Erubule (council) made a treaty with the Sancturi," by which the Lorimers and the nobility kept their lands and wealth and received provincial citizenship "in the reorganized province of Brusau" (S187, S189). The Sancturi, "given control of Brusau in a treaty," set about purging the worshippers of Arcantus. The capital, Altandon, with its Great Library and Observatory of Arcantus, was held by General Yutoshi of the III Nightshade Legion under Warlord Diasamu, while Principate Sadau of the Onyx Order oversaw "the assimilation of the natives." The session notes record the toll in one line: "Great Burning of Altandon. 2,000 civs dead" (S189). The fighting of these years is the Sancturi Campaign's; the fall of Pemeril's wards to devils in the same season is recorded there too (S184).
Gap
The sources give no commander for any campaign but Brusau's occupation, no Legion strengths, and no account of how the Sancturi themselves remembered the Danar failure. The Great Burning of Altandon and the Battle of Beddenford are known only from single lines.
Earlier accounts¶
The frontier gazetteer of January 2019 (S315) places the Obsidian Legions' headquarters in Floren, in Dalmar, where the Sanctuary Age Timeline of 2023 (S326) gives Dalmar to the Nightshade Legions and Arnyr to the Obsidian; which Legion stood where is Factions' question, and the newer timeline is followed in the table above.