Unified Gograzhi Invasion - Vonor

Date: July - October, 724 GY

Location: Vonor

Outcome: Full scale invasion averted, but enemies still remain in Vonori lands.

In July of 724 GY, Gograzh launched a unified attack on Razir, Ishui, Kyr, and Vonor. The scale and ferocity of these attacks had not been seen since the beginning of the age when the nation of Ora was overwhelmed.

The nations scrambled to rally against these invasions, but each were taxed at their own borders and so were unable to assist their neighbors. The Gograzhi employed different tactics at each nation to suit the terrain, their preferred styles, and their opponents.

In Vonor, the Gograzhi emerged from the swamplands in South Gograzh and swarmed over and through the northern Vonor mountain range - slaughtering all the villages, farms, and outposts in their path. Although the mountain terrain slowed the invaders, they came in such numbers that it hardly mattered. Even worse, each village they destroyed added to their ranks of undead. There were very few survivors in the first couple weeks, which meant warning of the invasion was slow to spread.

One brave soul [a Vonori or Von-Orani] was the only survivor from an attack, but escaped with a horse and was able to alert the next town ahead of the invaders. From there, more messengers were sent out alerting the rest of the country. It took time to organize the defenses, so many towns were forced to either flee or ready themselves for a siege. One such key location was the village of Ithasos, located at Herasika Pass. A war band composed of people from every nation gave the village the time they needed to retreat (see Battle of Herasika Pass below). The warriors of Ithasos [any number of characters] organized the retreat, assisted the old and young through the switchbacks and rope bridges, and helped carry enough food and other supplies to see the village to safety.

The Gograzhi were a scourge upon the land. They took every opportunity to foul the waterways, destroy infrastructure, and ruin farmland. The silver lining to this destruction was that it slowed the forces down, allowing the rest of the country to rally and plan. By September 724 GY, the bulk of Gograzhi forces reached the Mandyas Mountains. Although some broke off to attempt the difficult passage through, most diverted west to go around the mountains. This provided the perfect opportunity for the Vonori to mount the first significant counterattack.

The path of the Gograzhi would take them through the Forest of the Blue Eyes. Although the Gograzhi force was not exclusively unintelligent undead, a huge portion of the advance force was. The intelligent undead and other Gograzhi used them like a swarm of locusts to clear the path. It had been a very effective strategy so far, but the Vonori devised a plan to turn it against them.

A force composed of Vonori from all over the country [any number of Vonori or Von-Orani] gathered at the Forest of Blue Eyes. They created simple traps to thwart the dumb undead. [Two Artificers] organized the trap construction while [one character with Tracking 1 and one character with Security 1] formed a team to survey the forest and identify the best places to set them. Their efforts had a surprising complication - the large population of territorial peacocks from which the forest got its name. [Three characters with Animal Empathy] organized a group to safely herd the peacocks (and the other forest animals) away from danger.

With the traps in place, some warriors hide to reset traps or finish off the undead as they came through while the rest of the force waited on the southern side of the forest. [A character with Lore: Warfare] oversaw the defense battlements. The plan was a resounding success, although there were some challenges. The force of undead was so large that not all were stopped by the traps. Additionally, there were non-undead Gograzhi among them. When they realized the danger, they began re-directing the undead and disarming trap, so the hidden warriors were forced to confront them.

[A warrior with a shield] acted as bait, drawing the Gograzhi toward them, while [a pair of ranged weapon warriors] hid nearby. [Three Earth Channelers] supplemented the prepared traps by ensnaring the feet of the invaders. [A wizard] defeated a throg singlehandedly, which caused the nearby scutters to flee. When a human traitor was caught in a trap, Corvinus Ravensworn and [another warrior within the forest] realized this was a chance to get information about the enemy. They knocked out the traitor and quickly retreated with them to the main fighting force. Interrogations with this prisoner revealed the name of a high ranking vampire: Nikephoros.

The Gograzhi who made it through the forest were surprised to encounter the waiting army. Although they initially attempted to fight through the human army, the heavy losses of the front force of undead, caused the Gograzhi leadership to order a retreat. They escaped back through the forest.

The Battle of the Blue Eyes was a turning point for Vonor. They had halted the seemingly unstoppable force. Although the devastation was very real, and the Gograzhi continued their fight, the threat of a full invasion was averted.

The Battle of Herasika Pass

[This specific encounter took place during a 2024 playtest event. Any player who attended that event may choose this as their War Day role (which does not require expending one of your three Historic Event choices).]

As the Gograzhi rolled through northern Vonor like an avalanche, a war band composed of people from every nation [any number of characters] attempted to slow the assault. Although it was impossible to hold the line forever, they were able to stall long enough for the village of Ithasos to retreat.

The Pass of Herasika sheltered the village of Ithasos. Based on the Gograzhi’s trajectory, a large force would come to a bottleneck at the pass as it was the only way for miles to pass through that mountain range. The defenders posted themselves at the mouth of the pass. Every minute they held the line was more time for the villagers to evacuate.

The defenders fought against wave after wave of husks and animated skeletons. Skulking among the common undead were wraithbound skeletons - a skeleton magically bound to a wraith. These proved difficult to destroy, but the defenders maintained their position. Eventually, the drawn out battle took its toll, and - concerned for their wounded members - the defenders initiated a retreat. Thankfully, their efforts allowed the entire village of Ithasos to escape, and stalled the tide of the Gograzhi invasion.

PC Roles

• Corvinus Ravensworn: J. Banish