The Border Wars

Beginning in 2483 and lasting five years, the Border Wars were a series of military engagements between the nation of Ikaanos and the Kingdom of David.

History

While the term "Border Wars" refers to a very specific period, it was in truth only a part of a conflict that has been waged off and on for the last several hundred years. The Kingdom of David was established by the first wave of settlers to land on Raana. It is the oldest nation on the planet, and its inhabitants can trace their roots all the way back to the original colonists. Therein lies the root of the tension between the Kingdom of David and Ikaanos. The first wave of settlers crashed on the surface of Raana, the damage to their ship and cargo leaving them unable to found a society with the level of technology they started with. When the second wave of colonists arrived almost a century later, with their own vessel intact, they found that the first wavers had devolved into a tribalistic society, with a level of technology akin to that of the medieval period on Earth.

The first wavers refused to accept the second wavers as their superiors, and opted to remain as a separate people. Predictably, the technologically superior second wavers began taking advantage of the power difference, to raid and conquer the farmlands and trade routes of the first wavers. Thus started a conflict that would span centuries, with the second wavers attacking the first wavers, and the first wavers retaliating.

By 2483, the first wavers had enjoyed several decades of relative peace. There were still occasional raids from slavers, and occasional border skirmishes to deal with, but there had been no major conflicts. As such, the population and economy of the first wavers' settlements had grown significantly. Seeing the riches of their neighbors, the second wavers decided that now was the time to strike. An Ikaanian military expedition launched from Fort Vishnu annexed some of the farmland on the Davidian side of the border, and went on to raid trade routes and pillage towns. Hundred of tribal women were enslaved and brought back to Ikaanos as sex slaves.

Retaliation was swift. The initial expedition was greedy, and quick to overextend itself on raids deeper and deeper into the Kingdom of David. The Davidians, intimately familiar with the jungles and swamps they called home, were able to take advantage of the invaders' unfamiliarity with the terrain. Small hit-and-run ambushes whittled down the Skyguard's numbers slowly but surely, until they found themselves surrounded, trapped in unfamiliar territory, low on manpower and ammunition. The Colonel commanding the force was killed in the brutal slaughter that followed, and a 33 year old Major by the name of Mykel Dornham took command. Under his leadership the expeditionary force broke through the Davidian encirclement and managed to limp home to Fort Vishnu, having taken extreme casualties.

With the expeditionary force almost completely wiped out, all the territorial gains Ikaanos had made were lost as well. The Davidians quickly sent military forces to reoccupy the lands the Ikaanians had attempted to annex, and began amassing forces for a counter-invasion. The Skyguard responded by promoting Major Dornham to Colonel and placing him in charge of the campaign against the Davidians. By now a legend amongst the Skyguard as the surviving soldiers spread tales of his heroic leadership in the Davidian wilds, Colonel Dornham would go on to successfully defend the Ikaanos homeland from the Davidian counterattack.

During this defensive campaign, he would be wounded by a crossbow bolt to the abdomen, leading to a more senior officer taking charge of the Skyguard's counter-counterinvasion back into Davidian lands, while Colonel Dornham stayed behind with a small contingent to recover and defend the homeland. Colonel Dornham's stellar performance would eventually lead to his appointment to the position of Lord Commander of War following the war's end in 2488.

Entering 2486, the Skyguard once more advanced into the Kingdom of David. Although they would bring a much larger force and were now more cognizant of the dangers hidden in the treacherous terrain, the assault once again suffered constant ambushes and attacks. Progress was slow, and morale was low. The Davidians had captured weapons and armor from the first expedition and used them to great effect, though their lack of technology meant that they only had as much ammunition as could be recovered from the bodies of their foes.

Finally, after two years of grueling combat and no real progress in taking and holding Davidian lands, the two sides were forced to negotiate. The Davidians did not have the manpower to fight a defensive war indefinitely, but neither was the Skyguard willing to continue throwing men into what was becoming a hopeless endeavor. Ultimately, a "white peace" was declared. The war was over, the border between the two nations would not be moved this time. Neither side would pay reparations, and the Ikaanians refused to return the tribals who were captured and enslaved. This did nothing to cool the tensions between the two nations, and although both sides have had their fill of war for now, the lingering animosity all but guarantees the future will hold more war.

Outcome

White Peace; no change to established territories or holdings. The casualties of both sides are officially reported to total around 8,500 men. This does not include the many wounded on both sides; only the dead. It is also believed by some that the official figures are intentionally low, and that the Ikaanians alone really lost 15,000 men or more. Post-war Ikaanos has no shortage of deserters who turned bandit rather than continue marching into a meat grinder, and there are plenty of retired veterans selling their skills as mercenaries and bounty hunters for various factions and houses. The slave market experienced a brief flood of rare tribal women as many were captured during the beginning of the war. This unexpected abundance drove down prices for a while, but tribal women are now back in high demand again as supply has once more dwindled to what can be gained from the occasional raid.

The economy of Ikaanos did not take much of a hit due to the war. The fighting was mostly in and around Davidian territory, so there was very little disruption to farming and trade. The exact effects of the war on the Davidians is not known, but a decent chunk of the fighting was over Davidian farmland, some of which was damaged in the fighting. The Kingdom of David has a much smaller population than Ikaanos, so it's possible they experienced a manpower shortage as well. This all just conjecture, however, as the Davidians keep such details to themselves.