Side Story 2.6: The Winter Campaign
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While the two adjacent regions of Ogind and Arwen remained deeply entrenched in their battle lines, waiting for the winter cold to ease, the Empire's Winter Campaign in the Eastern Subcontinent of Arkanus had also ground to a halt. The pause was most pronounced in the northern regions, where winter's grip was at its most merciless. Even the southern reaches of the Eastern Subcontinent had suspended major operations, as Imperial command refused to overextend their already strained logistical lines across such vast distances.
Despite the current lull, the Empire had achieved significant territorial gains during the campaign's active phase. They had successfully reclaimed a substantial swath of land—approximately twenty percent of the previously infested territories. This brought their total control of the Eastern continent to roughly seventy percent, a considerable improvement from the desperate situation months prior. However, the remaining thirty percent under enemy control presented an increasingly dire threat. The Great Evil and its dark forces had used this time to consolidate their power, transforming the occupied territories into bastions of malevolent strength. Former citizens and noble lords who had fallen under the enemy's influence were no longer merely corrupted—they had undergone complete transformation into demonic entities, their humanity stripped away and replaced with otherworldly malice.
The human cost of this conflict extended far beyond the battlefield. The refugees who had managed to escape the initial demonic surge months ago were now struggling to rebuild their lives in unfamiliar lands. While the Empire and the remaining unaffected lords of the Eastern subcontinent had provided crucial protection and security, the mass exodus had created unprecedented challenges. The comfortable lives these displaced people once knew seemed like distant memories, replaced by harsh realities of overcrowded refugee camps and severe resource shortages.
Food and housing remained critically insufficient to accommodate the enormous influx of displaced populations. The unaffected regions, already struggling to maintain their own communities, now bore the additional burden of feeding and sheltering hundreds of thousands of refugees. The strain on local resources was immense, forcing difficult decisions about rationing and resource allocation. To address this crisis, the Empire had implemented emergency employment programs, putting able-bodied refugees to work in the fields and farms of their host regions. This served the dual purpose of providing the refugees with income and purpose while helping to increase food production in areas desperately needing agricultural support.
Recognizing the severity of the humanitarian crisis, the Empire had begun dispatching aid ships loaded with provisions to supplement local food stores. These supply lines were crucial for preventing famine and maintaining morale among both refugees and host communities. The long-term plan involved establishing food security independence in the affected regions, but that goal remained months, if not years, away from realization.
While the grand campaign had entered its winter hiatus, Imperial forces in other theaters remained far from idle. Preparations for continued operations were underway across multiple fronts, with particular attention focused on the northern hemisphere where specialized winter warfare capabilities would prove essential. The harsh conditions that had forced the suspension of major campaigns elsewhere actually provided opportunities for pillar houses specifically equipped for cold-weather operations.
The arrival of reinforcements marked a significant escalation in the Empire's winter preparedness. The House of Whitebear and House Kodiak, both renowned for their expertise in arctic warfare, had deployed their elite forces to the northern fronts just weeks prior. These arrivals brought thousands of seasoned warriors, their armor and equipment specially crafted for the brutal conditions they would face. Every piece of gear, from their reinforced cold-weather clothing to their specialized weapons, had been designed with the understanding that victory in winter warfare required as much preparation against the elements as against the enemy.
The strategic objective for this winter offensive was both ambitious and carefully calculated. Imperial command had identified a crucial section in the northern hemisphere that, if secured, would provide a vital foothold for future campaigns when more favorable weather returned. Control of this region would serve as a launching point for subsequent operations and deny the enemy a strategic position from which to launch their own counterattacks.
The force assembled for this operation represented some of the Empire's most formidable military units. The House of Whitebear's Elite Regular Imperial Army, known as the Frostguard, formed the operation's primary assault force. These one hundred thousand heavily armored warriors, mounted on massive polar bears bred specifically for warfare, represented the pinnacle of cold-weather military capability. Their training in arctic conditions was legendary, and their polar bear mounts provided both mobility and psychological impact that few enemies could withstand.
Supporting the Frostguard were the Iron Claws, the Elite Regular Army of House Kodiak. This hundred-thousand-strong force of heavily armored berserkers specialized in breaking enemy lines through sheer ferocity and unstoppable charges. Their reputation for devastating frontal assaults had been earned through countless battles, and their presence on any battlefield typically spelled doom for enemy morale before the fighting even began.
Aerial support came from the House of Bloodhawke's Crimson Wing, another Elite Regular Imperial Army consisting of one hundred thousand wing-mounted redhawk riders. These aerial warriors provided crucial reconnaissance capabilities and devastating long-range support, their elevated position allowing them to strike targets that ground forces couldn't reach while simultaneously gathering intelligence on enemy movements and positions.
The combined force was further strengthened by six hundred thousand Army Support Group personnel, providing logistics, medical support, engineering capabilities, and specialized equipment maintenance. Intelligence operations were conducted by elite operatives from House Bloodhawke, whose network of spies and scouts had already begun gathering crucial information about enemy positions and weaknesses. Marine troops stationed throughout the northern hemisphere stood ready to provide additional support under the command of the Grand Duke-Generals.
This formidable force was led by three of the Empire's most distinguished military commanders. Grand Duke Alexander "Glacierheart" Whitebear brought decades of arctic warfare experience and an intimate understanding of both the tactical and logistical challenges of winter campaigns. Grand Duke Ursus "Colossal Clawed" Kodiak was renowned for his ability to inspire berserker fury in his troops while maintaining enough tactical discipline to achieve strategic objectives. Grand Duke Kaelnore "Crimson Talon" Bloodhawke combined aerial warfare expertise with remarkable strategic acumen, his tactical innovations having influenced Imperial military doctrine for years.
The planning phase consumed several intensive days of coordination between the three Grand Dukes and their respective staffs. The final strategy reflected careful consideration of terrain, weather conditions, enemy capabilities, and the unique strengths of each participating force. The Frostguard would serve as the primary assault vanguard, using their superior mobility and cold-weather advantages to establish initial footholds in enemy territory. The Iron Claws would function as shock troops, deployed against the strongest enemy positions and most heavily fortified defensive lines. The Crimson Wing would provide continuous aerial reconnaissance and long-range fire support, ensuring that ground forces maintained tactical awareness while delivering precision strikes against high-value targets.
The campaign launched within a fortnight of the final planning session, deliberately timed to catch enemy forces unprepared for major winter operations. The element of surprise proved crucial, as demonic forces had not anticipated such a large-scale offensive during the harshest months of winter. The two-week campaign that followed demonstrated the devastating effectiveness of properly coordinated elite forces operating in their preferred environment.
The systematic elimination of every dark force and demonic puppet in the targeted region required meticulous attention to detail and unwavering determination. No enemy stronghold was left intact, no corrupted leader allowed to escape. The thoroughness of this cleansing operation ensured that reclaimed territories would not become staging areas for future enemy counterattacks.
The campaign's success was measured not only in territorial gains but in the remarkably low casualty rates achieved. Among the elite pillar houses, losses were limited to injuries rather than deaths—a testament to both their superior training and the effectiveness of their strategic approach. Even supporting forces from allied northern lords experienced minimal casualties, well below the expected ranges for such intensive winter warfare.
This exceptional performance reflected the tactical genius of Grand Duke Kaelnore Bloodhawke, whose strategic planning had orchestrated the entire operation. While Grand Dukes Alexander and Ursus were formidable commanders in their own right, their approaches typically favored overwhelming force over subtle maneuvering. Under different leadership, their houses might have achieved victory through sheer brute strength, but at considerable cost in both personnel and resources. Grand Duke Kaelnore's intellectual approach to warfare had transformed their raw power into a precisely directed instrument of strategic dominance.
The combination of these three houses under competent strategic leadership created a force comparable to other legendary Imperial military partnerships, such as the renowned cooperation between House Solmane and House Ravencrow. The winter campaign had proven that careful planning and tactical intelligence could multiply the effectiveness of even the most powerful military forces, achieving decisive victories while preserving valuable human resources for future operations.
As winter began to wane, the Empire found itself in a significantly stronger position than when the cold season had begun. The successful northern campaign had secured vital strategic territory, the refugee crisis was being systematically addressed, and preparations for spring operations were well underway. The Great Evil's forces might have grown stronger in their remaining territories, but the Empire had demonstrated that coordinated, intelligent warfare could achieve remarkable results even under the most challenging conditions.