1337 Invasion of Ihazon

The 1337 invasion of Ihazon was the Empire of Radosis' largest and final invasion during its expansionist era.

Pre-invasion

During the 1300s, the Empire of Radosis was under rule of Empress Clementia, a ruthless divine with ambitious plans. Her main policy consisted of rapid expansion, requiring several neighbouring countries to bend under her rule. By 1332, Radosis had annexed Tekkea in a brutal but efficient campaign. In the upcoming years, large parts of Tekkean industry and economy would be converted to support new invasions. In just a few years, the Radosian army had over doubled in size.

In 1336, the Radosian army occupied the frozen tundra that is today known as Thoiria. The harsh and unforgiving terrain posed difficulties even for the might of Radosis, but their troops quickly adapted and swiftly passed through the winter lands. In September 1336, the Radosian army reached warmer woodlands and the trade town of Kemur, located just outside the border of Ihazon. Control of the town would be seized to make sure no communication between Kemur and Ihazon would happen. The Radosian army then settled in Kemur to reorganise their troops over the winter.

The invasion of Ihazon

In February 1337, Radosicus troops started moving into Ihazon. Several local settlements were scattered about, all of which were razed completely to the ground along the way. After one month of marching and plundering, troops reached Langenthal. The modestly sized city, which was largely undefended, was seized immediately. All Ihazonan troops stationed there were killed during the siege or executed shortly thereafter.

While some troops remained stationed in Langenthal and others moved to seize control of small nearby settlements, most of the Radosian army was gathered to reach their destination: Trondheim. Ihazon's infrastructure made the march much quicker, and the army arrived outside Trondheim after only two weeks.

Trondheim at the time was a large economic and religious population hub, as well as being heavily fortified. The large stone walls would deter most attempts at an invasion, and had already done so many times beforehand. Previous attempts at seizing the city were visible, but all had merely scratched the inner city. However, the Radosian army was seen as an unbeatable force for a reason - Its main force consisted primarily of bulky Radosian pigmen, possessing great strength and endurance, as well as several battle hardened divine.

Trondheim was seized within one hour.

Descriptions of the battle

The few remaining tapestries describing the battle have been carefully taken care of and restored by the Church of Langenthal. The most famous tapestry, "When the heavens fell", describes (transcribed from old Trondheiman):

"It was unlike anything ever seen to the eye of man. An ordinary blue day with the sun shining. Children were playing in the streets. Merchants were trading their goods. Philosophers strolled through the parks in deep thought. Clerics healed the wounded. It was a good day.

Then the heavens turned on us. Winged angels of death scaled the walls. No one knew what they were about to unleash. Giant fireballs started raining down from the skies. Beams of light bombarded the streets. Raw, forbidden arcane magic; unchained and ferocious. Raw destructive power. Houses went up in flames. Some were pulverised completely. Then the walls were demolished, and the rocks that once defended the city were now being hurled over the city. I saw a child in front of me get decapitated by debris. People were screaming, bloodied, seeking shelter from the endless onslaught.

Then the pigmen came. The enormous muscular men in heavy armour marched through the devastated streets with halberds and huge swords. Our brave soldiers, the ones that were left, were ruthlessly slayed. Women and children were given no more mercy. With my life hanging in a string, I managed to escape. My wife was not so lucky. It might not be long before I am found, but let this tapestry be evidence of the evils committed here today. O God, almighty, why are you testing us so? I beg of you, have mercy on our people, so that we may atone for our sins!"

The tapestry is currently in Langenthal's Museum of Made-up History and Abstract Art.

Aftermath

Trondheim was kept under Radosian rule and partially rebuilt during Radosis' control. Other cities were left ruined.

By the late 1340s, economic turmoil started tormenting the Empire of Radosis. Empress Clementia's expansionist rule was running out of new land to conquer, and Radosian soldiers stationed all over the Surface were becoming restless after being away from their home for long. Despite this, Clementia's ironfist rule denied any soldier to come home yet.

On June 2nd, 1350, the Radosian High Palace was seized from inside forces and Empress Clementia suddenly found herself surrounded by enemies. The Empress was quick to take to arms but was heavily outnumbered. She was savagely killed at the hands of one of her divine sons. The announcement of her death was welcomed in the Empire by large crowds cheering and applauding, despite many Radosians having favoured her rule during its golden days.

Together with Clementia, several high-positioned officials were shortly after hunted down and killed. What was meant to signify the beginning of a new end, however, eventually became another bloodbath.

Clementia's 5 sons were all determined to take over the throne as Emperor of Radosis. All sons had loyal followers that would soon follow them into their deaths. During the next days, Radosis suddenly found itself in a brutal civil war between fellow brethren. Some of the sons were battle-hardened from partaking in the invasions of Tekkea and Ihazon, and had a definitive edge as well as extremely potent destructive power. This would become known as the Fall of Radosis.

The Empire of Radosis's rule was completely decimated but a fortnight later. The collapse of Radosis would be quickly felt elsewhere. Upon the news, local forces started striking back. The Radosian army, now with much less soldiers and no command, was quickly overthrown. While most of the surviving Radosian soldiers returned home, many Radosians remained and eventually settled down in Ihazon and Tekkea. By 1351, Ihazon was completely free from Radosian influence and rebuilding of the country had started. Trondheim would later experience economic growth and a large spread of their religion, although it would never grow to be quite the same. The population had been decimated and many of the survivors settled elsewhere. Langenthal, however, would continue to grow into the financial and commercial hub it is today.

In addition to large shifts in power structures, marking the end of Radosis' mighty expansionist era, the 1337 invasion also saw the near death of an entire race. The many divine that participated in invasions would meet their ends in internal bouts and struggles. Some even left the Surface entirely. From the 1350s and onwards, divine have been a near non-existent race, with only a few notable exceptions, such as Togfan.