Seventh Collateral Session

Seventh Collateral Session

Spire, the giant whisperer

Campaign	The Collateral Campaign
Game Date	Friday, June 16th, 2021
Start Date	Silde 15th, 261 IM
Start Location	Halperion, Halperion Prefecture, Jalinjeri
Ending Date	Tamiz 8th, 261 IM
Ending Location	Halperion, Halperion Prefecture, Jalinjeri
Absentees	Everybody except Rayjok Halperion
Next Session	Eighth Collateral Session

War had shaped the entirety of theSeventh Collateral Session. Refugees from war-torn areas were flowing in and through Jalinjeri on their way to ... anywhere. Their first stop along the road to the west was Halperion. Rayjok did his best to tend to the needs of the refugees, providing food, shelter and hope to any who entered his town and prefecture.

Halperion Tent City

In the ever growing town of Halperion, the newly appointed Mayor Merey Evnika set up a triage camp to process the vast compliment of incoming traffic. Refugees and other travelers fleeing the Garis war continued to arrive in an endless stream. Merey directed the wounded and injured to medical services and processed those interested in staying in Halperion either permanently or until the war was concluded, and those who simply wished to stay a night or two and pass through to Jalinbeti or beyond.

Merey Evnika enlisted the help of a few people from Jalinbeti and the new town of Jalinkoli to assure travelers that there are places for them to end their flight deeper within the country. For those determined to stay, she engaged in further investigations, to determine who might be of which class, merchant, laborer, skilled laborer, etc. in order to put them to work. Those with abilities in combat and former combat troops from the countries they had fled were strongly encouraged to volunteer with the Halperion Irregulars, to help defend from the impending Garis invasion.

Mission of Mercy

Believing that the remainder of Ortalyk unable to withstand the onslaught of the Garis military, Rayjok ordered a squad from the Halperion Irregulars special forces to make a quick trip to Karagay. There, they were ordered to attempt to evacuate Batil Zhurek and any members of the royal family and retrieve them from Karagay back to the relative safety of Jalinjeri.

The Ælfen Settlers

The Ælfen settlers arrived from Ælfwode shortly after the war started. At the time most thought that the war would be a short one, few reaalizing the ambitions of the Garis. The Ælfes chose a leader among themselves, Aydana Agash who was granted a seat on the prefecture council by Rayjock Halperion. Aydana Agash, incidentally is the grand niece of Dana Agash, the king of Ælfwode.

Through Aydana Altyngul the Ælfes agreed to provide Halperion Prefecture with what troops they could and of course, as many bows and arrows as they would be able to produce. In exchange for this, they negotiated sole conservatorship of the prefecture's forests and first right of refusal to any who would want to settle there or take timber without the express permission of the newly formed Ælfen Circle of Hyperion.

The Grendel Settlers

By Grendel arrived with goals in mind; to join the Halperion Irregulars and become the backbone of the prefecture's military. Every man, woman and child in the Grendel contingent volunteered for service. Nuradin Danijar, the War Chief of the Halperion Irregulars, was nearly tearful with the overwhelming enthusiasm from his fellow Grendel to join the cause of this new land.

The remaining Grendel, unfit for service or otherwise skilled in trades, laid claim to property in what they expect to be the center of a sprawling city. Nurtas Umitzhan, a blacksmith and metallurgist serves as the leader of the Halperion Grendel Horde and sits in council with Rayjok Halperion regarding matters of the prefecture.

The Ungir Settlers

Formerly banished from this territory, the Ungir were eager to return. Madi Mavlan quickly acquired the title of Halperion Fire Boss and created the Ungir Council of Halperion. Madi sits in council with Rayjok and other leaders concerning matters of the prefecture.

Of the matters regarding the Ungir in particular relates to their role in government, having been asked to perform two immediately needed tasks. First, they were to create as many potential lairs as possible for dragons seeking refuge in the region. Second, they were to create earthworks such as collapsing tunnels to thwart oncoming Garis armies, should they ever arrive. This was agreed to in exchange for exclusive rights to the ground directly underneath the city of Halperion. Also, the Ungir would claim first rights to any Garis siege weapons or otherwise captured by the Ungir earthworks.

The Giants

There are eight mountains in the south of Halperion Prefecture, which are home to more than a few giants. Rayjok, having seen the alarming rate that Hedgewind Jalinbeti was able to build with the help of the giants, enlisted the same help, through his translator Spire. The giants did not want any more to do with human affairs, but understanding that they would be in a war allowed an audience with Spire to make a case.

Spire promised the following: In exchange for the completion of the Halperion City Walls, the giants would be granted an assortment of dragon eggs to be provided by the incoming draconic refugees. Giants prize the hatchlings as pets it was learned, and the second half of this negotiation was soon to be underway. Rayjock Halperion further promised an annual collection of dragon eggs to be granted to the giants for their continued help with quarrying rock, suggesting the creation of an arena for the games suitable for both giant and human to enjoy the sport. The giants again agreed to this bargain and quarrying for Halperion's city walls was son underway.

The Aydahar and the Dragon Settlers

The Aydahar arrivals which first came as a result of Togzhan Kuat's embassy were soon followed by a great many Aydahar who came as refugees from their war-torn country. Arriving by the thousands, they were not alone as over a thousand actual dragons came with them in their migration. The Garis were relentless in their attempt to exterminate the chromatic dragons from the face of Otan and might have been successful had they worked any faster in their sweep of the Aydahar Confederation's southern regions.

Through the voice of his newly appointed Minister of Dragons, Togzhan Kuat, Rayjok offered refuge to the dragons in his southern mountains complete with freshly excavated enclosures that could serve as lairs. To the Aydahar he offered employment and land in the center of the city for tradespeople. Lastly he offered shelter, food and protection for the remaining Aydahar refuges.

In return for his generosity, he asked in turn for a clutch of assorted dragon eggs to be presented to him, one as soon as possible and another each and every year. He assured the dragons that the eggs would be allowed to hatch, and the wyrmlings well cared for. Further, he asked that any able bodied Aydahar not in a trade to report to the Halperion Irregulars to prepare for the Garis military should it ever strike at Jalinjeri borders. To this the Aydahar and the dragons agreed.

The Dweorgen Settlers

After the successful embassy of Caladan Ironforge the resulting Dweorgen Settlers came in force, armed with mining equipment and ready to mine. Rayjok granted them exclusive rights to the mountain closest to the city of Halperion and commissioned a road to between there and the city. In exchange he requested that the Dweorges provide at least one unit of heavy infantry, to which they agreed. Caladan Ironforge was appointed First of Halperion Dweorges and granted a seat on the council to represent Dweorgen affairs.

The Human Settlers

Three distinct groups of humans came to occupy Halperion Prefecture. The first were the Ortalykshilar who were already there in the former Kiywar Territory. The second were the refugees from Ortalyk, also Ortalyshilar, from the easternmost reaches of the country to as nearby as the village of Balagash. The last were of course those of the Sigis empire who began to arrive in droves after their country had been overrun by the Garis military.

The human settlers desired what all humans desire, power and influence. The skilled among them wished a human section of Halperion close to the citadel where human produced goods could be marketed. The second was to have two, not one, seat on the prefecture council, representing the Sigis and Ortalyk immigrants. This was granted by Rayjok Halperion on the condition that any able bodied humans not in a trade should report to the Halperion Irreglars to help defend the prefecture.

The two positions of Minister of Ortalyk Affairs and Minister of Sigis Affairs were granted to Suleimen Zhasulan and Kairat Kulyash to represent Ortalykshilar and Sigis Turgindar affairs respectively.

Rayjok's Cabinet Begins to Coalesce

In addition to all the members named previous, Rayjok Halperion's cabinet consisted largely of racial members, his finance minister, the war chief, the Mayor of Halperion, and a spymaster; the Ælfen rogue Kenzhe Farkhad, recommended to him by none other than the king of Ælfwode. Kenzhe soon proved to be the most mysterious person that Rayjok had ever met. She somehow walked without making the sound of footsteps.

As the cabinet assembled they soon put themselves to the task of preparing defenses for the possible Garis incursion, planning walled fortifications for the city, a system of underground tunnels and airborn assistance from none other than a fleet of chromatic dragons. With Ælfen archers, Grendel and Aydahar infantry, Human cavalry and dragon air support, they concluded that might be a force to be reckoned with, even for the Garis.

The Garis War Progresses

As Rayjok Halperion made his preparations for governing, the Garis Triumvirate had greatly expanded its war. Having already started a ground offensive in Sigis on Mawsim the 28th, the Garis navy had begun to antagonize the Araldar navy. They brought about its complete destruction by Silde the 8th, effectively leaving a shocked nation without a leader or a means to defend itself.

Barely a week later, on Silde the 13th, the Batis Empire fell to the Garis military, under the leadership of Zhannur Timurlan. Timurlan's banner was no sooner marching down the streets of the Sigis capitol of Asiltas than it was flying over regiments at the Ortalyk border.

The Tsar of Ortalyk, Batil Zhurek moved all of his forces to battle the Garis on Ortalyk's southeastern border only to see his troops crumble under the onslaught of the Garis might. By the 16th, the Garis had reached the capitol of Kala Astanals. By the 18th of Silde, the capitol had fallen. The Tsar, his family and what little of the military remained, fell back to Karagay.

Meanwhile, the Garis military ravaged southern Aydahar, particularly the chromatic dragon regions. Shock troops invaded the lairs of many dragons from young adult to ancient, killing them in preparation for the invasion. The invasion took only days as the Garis military swept through the Aydahar defenses as though they had no defenses at all. By the 28th of Silde the Zhannur Timurlan had negotiated a conditional surrender from the Aydahar and had moved on to invade the Caliphate of Ontustik, quickly capturing the border cities and advancing as far as the major city of Sie.

Rayjok Prepares

Taking in the situation through spies and other sources of news, Rayjok Halperion began to prepare his newly founded prefecture as best as possible. He commissioned a spymaster to be his eyes and ears abroad and began to assemble a special forces team to take out the Garis leadership, where possible.

The results of these efforts will soon be seen...

Player's Notes

Please add any errors or omissions here.

Copyright © 2021-2024 by Robyn Blaber and Will to Power Games. All rights reserved. Content on this website may not be reproduced without written permission of the copyright owner.