Late 16th Century
The Second Rhein Empire collapsed due to political conspiracies. Its former territory, once known as Lanitum, was divided into four small kingdoms: Klassenberg, Ehrenfest, Agemania, and Lawe. Each of these kingdoms aspired to reunite Lanitum under their own dynasties. Wars raged on, draining their resources.
King Jan Kóck IV of Lawe recognized the strategic advantage of his land. Situated in southern Indropa with full access to the Juliantik Sea, he decided to make peace with the other three kingdoms. He focused on rebuilding the economy and developing new ports along Lawe's coast. Initially, his people were disappointed—they had hoped to see Lanitum reunited under Lawe. Yet, the move proved brilliant. While the other three kingdoms grew weary, Lawe quietly amassed strength and resources. Once considered a coward for withdrawing from the war, Lawe was now a looming threat.
March 3, 1629
With meticulous preparation, Lawe declared war once more. Led personally by King Jan Kóck IV and the young Prince Van Kóck, they mobilized 120,000 troops—mostly mercenaries—and began conquering the territories of the three Lanitum kingdoms one by one.
Their first target: Agemania. The two armies clashed on the Geloni Plains. The battle ended in a stalemate, but Lawe emerged victorious with fewer casualties, while Agemania suffered heavy losses. Equipped with advanced firearms and artillery, Lawe broke through, intimidating local nobles into submission and turning them against Agemania. The capital, Grotenburg (later Göbsburg), was besieged and eventually fell on May 29, 1629. Agemania collapsed.
The defeat of Agemania shocked Klassenberg and Ehrenfest, who quickly formed an alliance against Lawe. Undeterred, Lawe pressed on toward its next target: Ehrenfest.
At the Agemania-Ehrenfest border, near the city of L'lio, the armies met again. Lawe fielded 105,000 soldiers, while the Ehrenfest-Klassenberg Alliance counted 178,000. Yet Lawe held the advantage in technology and tactics.
July 14, 1629: Battle of L'lio
Lawe chose a defensive position among the hills, placing musketeers at the front lines, supported by artillery corps. The Alliance's assault from below failed to break their defenses.
Confident of victory, Lawe sent in its cavalry—led personally by King Jan Kóck IV—to charge the enemy. But it was a trap. Tens of thousands of hidden Alliance infantry ambushed them. The cavalry became trapped. They tried to retreat to the hills but were cut off by the Alliance cavalry. Even the artillery could not provide support, as it was still cooling from prior firing.
Seeing his father in peril, Prince Van Kóck daringly led the remaining troops from the hills, leaving the artillery unguarded. As Lawe's forces rushed to save the trapped cavalry, elite units of the Alliance redirected their assault toward the exposed artillery.
In the chaos, King Jan Kóck IV watched his artillery destroyed. He led a desperate breakthrough to escape the encirclement but was mortally wounded. His guards tried to conceal his death, but the enemy discovered it and spread the news. Morale among Lawe's infantry plummeted; a chaotic retreat ensued.
Van Kóck remained calm. He ordered the retreating troops to reform their lines. A short, fiery speech reignited their fighting spirit. As Lawe's forces fell back, the Alliance pursued recklessly, breaking their formation. Lawe's regrouped army counterattacked.
The trapped cavalry finally freed themselves. Thanks to John Klasher, who led a small unit to repel attacks from the Alliance's elite troops, the combined surviving forces of infantry, musketeers, cavalry, and artillery launched a decisive counteroffensive. The Alliance's disordered formation was slaughtered, forcing them to retreat as night fell.
The Pyrrhic victory came at great cost to both sides. Lawe had to delay its campaign to wait for reinforcements.
October 6, 1629
With their forces replenished, 80,000 Lawe troops marched on Ehrenfest. The cities fell swiftly. The capital, Eiren, was besieged for a month before finally surrendering.
Learning from prior mistakes caused by the harsh winter, Van Kóck revised his strategy. He aimed to conquer Klassenberg quickly and end the war before winter.
With centralized forces, Lawe advanced into Klassenberg and reached the capital, Teufelsburg, on November 10. They laid siege to the city, but in their haste, supply lines were unsecured and eventually cut by Klassenberg forces.
Trapped in a siege with limited supplies and exhausted troops, Lawe was forced to take the city quickly. Thanks to Van Kóck's leadership, they tricked Klassenberg, regained supply routes, and restored troop morale.
December 9, 1629 – Teufelsburg fell. Klassenberg was conquered. Lawe had successfully reunited Lanitum under the Kóck Dynasty.
December 16, 1629 – Van Kóck gathered the nobles of his conquered territories in Selevia to negotiate. While not all submitted, most agreed. The conquered lands were divided into eight states, united under a single empire: the Lahelu Empire.
The eight states were:
1. Auster – Capital: Göbsburg
2. Südsea – Capital: Selevia
3. Schwagen – Capital: Teufelsburg
4. Animburg – Capital: Rosenberg
5. Magyaros – Capital: Karaman
6. Bolsava – Capital: Bolsav
7. Fortios – Capital: Klassen
8. Jömoburg – Capital: Jömoburg
All states, except Auster, were governed by local nobles responsible for managing lands, collecting taxes, enforcing laws, and providing troops when called upon by the empire.
December 26, 1629, in Selevia, Aug
ust Vilhelm Van Kóck was crowned as the first Emperor of the Lahelu Empire.