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报告书：艾俄尼斯的灾难
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2022-08-01更新
最新编辑:Lu_23333
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更新日期：2022-08-01
最新编辑：Lu_23333
报告书：艾俄尼斯的灾难
第一部分：准备
国王关于入侵阿卡维尔的计划于270年代暂时搁浅，此时他开始了对位于泰姆瑞尔和阿卡维尔之间的小型岛国的征服，随着282年位于艾思龙涅特黑港的陷落，尤瑞尔五世已经有了最终战利品的前瞻。他立即下令对港口进行大量的修复，使其可作为入侵武装力量的集结点，以及这场战役的主要补给源。这时他开始建造许多大型的航海运输工具，可在最终前往阿卡维尔时使用，在那里，之前海军的力量相当薄弱。因此，这就可以看出，帝国对于此次侵略的准备相当充分，甚至是在艾思龙涅特的征服完成之前，而不是像某些人控诉的那样，只是一个突发奇想。
284年巴索蒙王子将艾思龙涅特纳入帝国政权后，帝国的所有精力全部投入了计划阿卡维尔战役。海洋远征于285年被派遣，于286年侦察阿卡维尔的海上航线；并且有大量的帝国间谍，法师和普通人，被雇佣收集情报。根据这些情报，位于阿卡维尔西南方的赛尔锡王国，被列为入侵的首要目标。
同时，国王仍在征集他的远征军。一个新的远东舰队为战役而组建，在一时之间使得其余的海军相形见绌；据说这是泰姆瑞尔历史上最强大的舰队。第五，第七，第十，以及第十四军团被选为首批登陆军，作为增援的第九和第十七军团紧随其后，并在滩头阵地安全后登陆。尽管在外行人看来，这似乎只是军队全部力量的一个较小的部分，但是必须记住，这批远征军必须要维持在这条极长且贫乏的补给线；此外，国王和军队司令部相信，这场入侵不会遭到激烈反抗，至少在开始的时候是如此。可能最关键的在于，海军仅有足够一次运输四个军团的重型运输能力。
这里值得注意的是，上古议会并未在国王关于此次战役的准备中找到瑕疵。根据在战役之前获得的情报，（尽管明显地缺乏后见之明，花了巨大努力去收集情报），上古议会认定国王并非有勇无谋。一些人提出远征军规模太小。而相反，上古议会则相信就算建立了可运输和增援更多军团的海运（不削弱整个帝国的贸易是不可能实现的），也仅仅只是会扩大这场灾难的规模；这无法避免。也不能使剩下的帝国处于空城状态；卡莫兰·尤瑟颇依旧记忆犹新，并且国王相信（这点上古议会也认可）帝国的安全使不可能在泰姆瑞尔之外大量集结军事力量。如果有，上古议会会认为远征军规模过大。尽管在他统治时期建立了两个新的军团（以及第五军团的重建），远征军中的损失使得相较于行省之间，帝国处于一个相当危险的削弱位置，由于目前形势而使得所有事情都非常清晰。这暗示了阿卡维尔的侵略战争超过了帝国目前的力量；即使国王在阿卡维尔可以投入并保持大量的军事力量，帝国在他之后可能会分裂瓦解。
第二部分：入侵阿卡维尔
远征军于288年雨手的23日离开黑港，并在海上航行六周之后，在一个好天气里登陆阿卡维尔。登陆地点是一个位于大河河口的小型赛尔锡港口，因为临近泰姆瑞尔，并且河谷肥沃，为军队提供了简便的道路以及良好的食料。开始时进展得很顺利。当远征军逼近时，赛尔锡放弃了城镇，因此他们占领了它并重新命名塞普提米亚，阿卡维尔新的帝国行省的第一个殖民地。当这座城镇工程强化防御并且扩大港口设施来服务远东舰队的时候，国王与两个军团向内陆行军。报告中表明周围的土地都非常肥沃且水源充足，并且军队在取得上游的下一个城市时没有遭遇任何抵抗，它也被抛弃了。这重建为艾俄尼斯，国王在这里建立了他的总部，比塞普提米亚更大，并且有更好的地理位置，以支配四周的田园。
迄今为止，远征军尚未遇到任何实质性的抵抗，尽管军团不断地遭遇到骑兵的威胁，阻止了大型探索队离开军队的主体。国王极度匮乏的一样便是骑兵，这是因为运输舰队的空间有限，不过一时之间，战斗法师使用魔法感知弥补了这个缺陷。
国王现在派出使者，试图联系赛尔锡的国王，或是任何管理此地的人，但他的信使都一去无返。回想起来，上古议会认为有价值的时间都浪费在这种努力上了，就在军队还停滞在艾俄尼斯的时候，这些被浪费掉的时间可以更好地用在快速行军之上，敌人显然地对这场入侵感到惊讶。然而，国王认为在这个时候，赛尔锡已经被帝国的力量所震慑，而他可能可以通过谈判来赢得这个行省，就不需要严苛的战争了。
与此同时，四个军团正忙于在塞普提米亚和艾俄尼斯之间建立一条道路，沿河设立防御卫兵护标，以及加强两个城市的防御，和任何可在后期使他们得益的活动。由于骑兵的缺乏，使两个城市之间的交流持续被敌人的骑手所威胁，军团始终无法认真地与其交手。
原本的计划是在首次登陆获得一个港口后，立即让两个加强的军团登陆，但是至关重要的决定拖延了他们的登陆，取而代之，开始使用舰队来运输殖民者。国王和上古议会都同意，由于本地人对这些他们所征服的地区的完全抛弃，殖民者需要经营此地从而使远征军不必要全部依赖于舰队来运送补给。此外，伊内斯里亚发生暴动，这个地方恰好横跨在往阿卡维尔的补给线上，而且上古议会认为第九和第十七军团在平定那些地区和保卫远征军的补给线上可得到更好的利用。
平民的殖民者以及他们的补给在炉火月中开始于塞普提米亚登陆，并且接管了这些地区的准备工作（这些首先由军团士兵开始）进行春季播种。这时一些骑兵也被带来，而在这两个帝国殖民地的袭击也随后平息。赛尔锡使者最终也抵达了艾俄尼斯，据称要开始和平谈判，而驻扎进入的远征军可得到期待中的一个安宁冬天。
此时，在军队处于冬季之时，上古议会催促国王带着舰队返回泰姆瑞尔，处理一些帝国的迫切事务，但国王决定留在阿卡维尔更好。结果是走运的，因为大部分的舰队，包括国王的旗舰，在返航时被早期的冬季风暴所摧毁。288-289年的冬季风暴季节异常的漫长，并且相当严重，还阻止了舰队带着额外的补给返回阿卡维尔。这通过战斗法师报告给了国王，远征军可用手头现有的补给撑到春天。
第三部分：远征军的覆灭
阿卡维尔的冬季天气比他们所想的更加恶劣。因为补给上的问题，以及额外的数千名居民，远征军陷入了供养不足的局面。导致情况更加恶劣的是，赛尔锡骑手们大规模回归，并不断袭击两座城市城墙之外的觅食和探测队伍。在风暴雪中，一些位于塞普提米亚和艾俄尼斯之间的哨塔被夺走，其余的也因难以防守而被丢弃。因此，两座城市之间的交流完全靠魔法方式来完成，这更加剧了军团的战斗法师的负担。
在黎明月的5日，一组赛尔锡的使者来到了艾俄尼斯，声称从赛尔锡国王那里带来了一个和平的请求。当晚，这些奸诈的使者谋杀了一座城门的卫兵并让他们的一支城墙外的军队进入城内。当警报拉响时，已经进入城市的赛尔锡抓到并杀死了最后一个人。无需再说明，国王和赛尔锡之间的谈判决裂了。
春季的到来只是带来了更多的麻烦。取代所期待的春季降雨，一种干热风开始从东边吹来，伴随着不同的强度持续了整个夏季。所有的农作物都死了，甚至河（在上一年中，可在艾俄尼斯的远上游中驾驶小型船只）也因为太阳的灼热而干涸。不知道这是否是之前未知的，阿卡维尔独特的气候造成的结果，还是赛尔锡使用魔法来控制了天气。上古议会偏向于前者，因为没有直接的证据表明赛尔锡掌握了这种可怕的奥术力量，但后者的可能性也不可完全剔除。
由于漫长的恶劣天气，补给舰队推迟了从黑港启程。最后它们在次种月上旬离开了港口，但又再次被风暴损害，并在延迟了八个星期之后终于蹒跚着到了塞普提米亚。因为在阿卡维尔的令人绝望的补给情况，国王使用舰队调度了他大部分的战斗法师，来协助度过这场似乎会持续整个夏天的难关。此时，上古议会督促国王放弃入侵并带着远征军返回泰姆瑞尔，但他再次拒绝了，说明舰队没办法每次运输全部四个军团了。上古议会同意将一个或者几个军团留在阿卡维尔等待舰队返回会打击军队的士气。但是上古议会也表明，失去一个军团总比失去整个远征军要好。上古议会一致认为，这是避免灾难的最后机会。一旦做出为增援和补给而送回舰队的决定，事件将进展到它们必然的结局。
从这里开始，在阿卡维尔发生的事很多都无法得知。随着大部分的战斗法师协助舰队，远征军和泰姆瑞尔之间的交流变得非常局限，尤其是随着在阿卡维尔的情况恶化，以及剩下的战斗法师将他们的力量放在军团的全部需求。然而，看起来，赛尔锡也可能使用法师以某些未知的方法干涉。一些在阿卡维尔的法师报告说他们的力量反常地虚弱，而在赛瑞迪尔战争学院中的法师（他们为上古议会负责交流通信）报告了与他们在阿卡维尔的同伴的联系有问题，甚至是在大师和训练了很长时间的学生之间。上古议会催促战争学院特别研究赛尔锡的奥术力量，预防帝国再次与阿卡维尔发生冲突。
可以得知的是，国王在高阳月的中旬离开了艾俄尼斯，仅留下一些驻防保持城市。他了解到赛尔锡在北方，一座山的另一边大量集结了他们的武装，他想在他们的军队集结全部的力量之前击破他们，并夺取他们的补给（他所急切需要的）。疾速的行军似乎让赛尔锡大吃一惊，并且远征军翻过山峦跳入他们的营地，追逐赛尔锡军队的路线并抓住了他们的首领（一个某种形式的贵族）。但在不久之后，国王就被迫撤退，并且军团在撤退艾俄尼斯的路上损失惨重。国王现在发现他被困在艾俄尼斯，与被困在赛普提密的小型驻防彻底切断。到现在，余下的仅有几名战斗法师，只能致力于创造水来保持军队存活，而这是个在战争学院中不会被重点强调的技能。舰队安全地返回了黑港，感谢战斗法师军队，但任何返回阿卡维尔的尝试都被一系列更加严峻的风暴，在289年余下的时间里击垮了艾斯荣尼的风暴所阻拦。
上古议会与故我昂的最后一次联络是在霜降月的上旬，在夜星月之前，上古议会极其担忧阿卡维尔的情况，并命令舰队无视危险扬帆航行。尽管风暴持续着，舰队依旧计划勉强前往阿卡维尔。在与国王的战斗法师联络过之后，希望腾升而起，而战斗法师们则报告了艾俄尼斯仍在坚持。计划等待远征军脱逃艾俄尼斯并退到塞普提米亚，在那里舰队将会与他们碰面。这是与远征军的最后一次直接联络。舰队抵达塞普提米亚，发现这里的驻防遭到了一个大型赛尔锡军队的残酷袭击。舰队随行的战斗法师反击敌人直至足够远到让幸存者上船，随后舰队撤退。
仅有的几名抵达塞普提米亚的远征军幸存者诉说国王如何在两天前率领军队撤出艾俄尼斯，成功突破敌人战线的重围，但在前往塞普提米亚的路上被压倒武力所包围。他们讲述了国王和第十军团坚持到最后一刻的英勇事迹，这让第十四军团的一名残余者抵达了塞普提米亚。当晚，第十军团的两名幸运者抵达了塞普提米亚，在敌人放纵地庆贺他们大获全胜的时候悄悄溜过了敌人的封锁线。这些人确认目睹国王的死亡，在重整第十军团的盾墙时被敌人的箭矢杀死。
第四部分：结局
上古议会认为，阿卡维尔的入侵在开始的时候便由于一些原因而注定失败，不幸的是，没有任何人事先有所预见。
尽管有大量的才智和有能之士集结，远征军无疑没有为阿卡维尔的情况做好万全准备。困扰军队和海军的意外天气造成的损失尤其惨重。如果没有在战争中市区大部分的远东舰队，远征军很可能在289年成功撤退。恶劣的气候还迫使国王不得不将他大部分的战斗法师军队投入舰队，使得他在接下来的战斗中缺少了他们的有利帮助。并且，理所当然，那场出乎意料的干旱在289年沉重打击了艾俄尼斯，击垮了军队在本地补给的希望，并且使远征军在被困于艾俄尼斯的时候陷入了无法维持的窘迫境地。
赛尔锡也比情报人员所报告和建议的要强大很多。关于赛尔锡最终可集结对抗远征军的军队规模相当模糊，因为在国王和上古议会的正常联络被切断之后，仅有一次的危急战斗。然而，看起来赛尔锡在数量上超过了国王的武装数倍，因为他们可以迫使四个最好的军团撤退，并随后围困他们数个月。
正如之前所陈述的那样，上古议会降低了对入侵阿卡维尔这个初步决定的批判。根据此时我们所得知的，这个计划似乎相当可靠。事后才发现，这场战争成功的几率很低。然而，上古议会相信，从这场灾难之中，可以获得一些有价值的经验。
第一，在他们的命令下，赛尔锡很可能有着极其强大的奥术武力。他们控制如此广大地区的天气的可能性似乎难以置信（要注意，三名上古议会成员强烈反对这段文字，甚至是在这个报告中涉及），但上古议会认为这个原因应做紧急调查。就算是极小的潜在危险也必须严肃对待。
第二，赛尔锡似乎并没有值得一提的海军。远征军从未从海上被威胁，并且远东舰队只遭到了恶劣天气的袭击。事实上，初步计划要求一部分舰队留在阿卡维尔协助沿海操作，但到头来，那里几乎没有可以让大型舰队船只停泊的地方，因为有着无数的礁石、沙堤和群岛等，在北部和塞普提米亚的南部的沿岸海域出现。由于在塞普提米亚和艾俄尼斯土地上的树木彻底缺失，远征军亦无法制造小型船只来航行于沿岸浅水海域。如果考虑一些近海海军操作方式来开拓这个对于赛尔锡而言最明显的优势，将来任何与阿卡维尔的军事远征都会进展良好，很不幸，远征军并没有利用这个优势。
第三，在另一个入侵开始甚至是在计划之前，必须更长期地研究阿卡维尔。在入侵之前四年内所收集到的情报的确很全面，但很明显并不正确。天气情况完全是出乎意料；赛尔锡比预期得更强；而国王试图与赛尔锡谈判根本就是场灾难。阿卡维尔被证明出乎意料的相异，并且上古议会认为，未来的任何侵略阿卡维尔的尝试，若在没有比之前更加完善的条件、政治，以及人民背景之前，都不应该做任何计划。
最后，上古议会全体一致做出结论，我们现在知道，仅靠我们现有的了解，任何侵略阿卡维尔的尝试都是愚行，至少对目前的帝国如此。帝国的军团留在家里是必要的。总有一天，一个和平的，团结的帝国会重返阿卡维尔，并为在艾俄尼斯的这场灾难和倒下的国王给予他们猛烈的回报。但不是现在，也不是目前可预测的将来。
Report: Disaster at Ionith
Report of the Imperial Commission on the Disaster at Ionith
Part I: Preparations
The Emperor's plans for the invasion of Akavir were laid in the 270s, when he began the conquest of the small island kingdoms that lie between Tamriel and Akavir. With the fall of Black Harbor in Esroniet in 282, Uriel V was already looking ahead to the ultimate prize. He immediately ordered extensive renovations to the port, which would serve as the marshalling point for the invasion force and as the main supply source throughout the campaign. At this time he also began the construction of the many large, ocean-going transports that would be needed for the final crossing to Akavir, in which the Navy was previously deficient. Thus it can be seen that the Emperor's preparations for the invasion were laid well in advance, before even the conquest of Esroniet was complete, and was not a sudden whim as some have charged.
When Prince Bashomon yielded Esroniet to Imperial authority in 284, the Emperor's full attention could be devoted to planning for the Akaviri campaign. Naval expeditions were dispatched in 285 and 286 to scout the sea lanes and coastlands of Akavir; and various Imperial intelligence agents, both magical and mundane, were employed to gather information. On the basis of all this information, the kingdom of the Tsaesci, in the southwest of Akavir, was selected as the initial target for the invasion.
Meanwhile the Emperor was gathering his Expeditionary Force. A new Far East Fleet was created for the campaign, which for a time dwarfed the rest of the Navy; it is said to be the most powerful fleet ever assembled in the history of Tamriel. The Fifth, Seventh, Tenth, and Fourteenth Legions were selected for the initial landing, with the Ninth and Seventeenth to follow as reinforcements once the beachhead was secured. While this may seem to the layman a relatively small fraction of the Army's total manpower, it must be remembered that this Expeditionary Force would have to be maintained at the end of a long and tenuous supply line; in addition, the Emperor and the Army command believed that the invasion would not be strongly opposed, at least at first. Perhaps most crucially, the Navy had only enough heavy transport capacity to move four legions at a time.
It should be noted here that the Commission does not find fault with the Emperor's preparations for the invasion. Based on the information available prior to the invasion, (which, while obviously deficient in hindsight, great effort had been made to accumulate), the Commission believes that the Emperor did not act recklessly or imprudently. Some have argued that the Expeditionary Force was too small. The Commission believes that on the contrary, even if shipping could have been found to transport and supply more legions (an impossibility without crippling the trade of the entire Empire), this would have merely added to the scale of the disaster; it would not have averted it. Neither could the rest of the Empire be denuded of legions; the memory of the Camoran Usurper was still fresh, and the Emperor believed (and this Commission agrees) that the security of the Empire precluded a larger concentration of military force outside of Tamriel. If anything, the Commission believes that the Expeditionary Force was too large. Despite the creation of two new legions during his reign (and the recreation of the Fifth), the loss of the Expeditionary Force left the Empire in a dangerously weak position relative to the provinces, as the current situation makes all too clear. This suggests that the invasion of Akavir was beyond the Empire's current strength; even if the Emperor could have fielded and maintained a larger force in Akavir, the Empire may have disintegrated behind him.
Part II: The Invasion of Akavir
The Expeditionary Force left Black Harbor on 23rd Rain's Hand, 288, and with fair weather landed in Akavir after six weeks at sea. The landing site was a small Tsaesci port at the mouth of a large river, chosen for its proximity to Tamriel as well as its location in a fertile river valley, giving easy access to the interior as well as good foraging for the army. All went well at first. The Tsaesci had abandoned the town when the Expeditionary Force approached, so they took possession of it and renamed it Septimia, the first colony of the new Imperial Province of Akavir. While the engineers fortified the town and expanded the port facilities to serve the Far East Fleet, the Emperor marched inland with two legions. The surrounding land was reported to be rich, well-watered fields, and meeting no resistance the army took the next city upriver, also abandoned. This was refounded as Ionith, and the Emperor established his headquarters there, being much larger than Septimia and better-located to dominate the surrounding countryside.
The Expeditionary Force had yet to meet any real resistance, although the legions were constantly shadowed by mounted enemy patrols which prevented any but large scouting parties from leaving the main body of the army. One thing the Emperor sorely lacked was cavalry, due to the limited space on the transport fleet, although for the time being the battlemages made up for this with magical reconnaissance.
The Emperor now sent out envoys to try to contact the Tsaesci king or whoever ruled this land, but his messengers never returned. In retrospect, the Commission believes that valuable time was wasted in this effort while the army was stalled at Ionith, which could have been better spent in advancing quickly while the enemy was still, apparently, surprised by the invasion. However, the Emperor believed at the time that the Tsaesci could be overawed by the Empire's power and he might win a province by negotiation with no need for serious fighting.
Meanwhile, the four legions were busy building a road between Septimia and Ionith, setting up fortified guard posts along the river, and fortifying both cities' defences, activities which would serve them well later. Due to their lack of cavalry, scouting was limited, and communication between the two cities constantly threatened by enemy raiders, with which the legions were still unable to come to grips.
The original plan had been to bring the two reinforcing legions across as soon as the initial landing had secured a port, but the fateful decision was now taken to delay their arrival and instead begin using the Fleet to transport colonists. The Emperor and the Council agreed that, due to the complete abandonment of the conquered area by its native population, colonists were needed to work the fields so that the Expeditionary Force would not have to rely entirely on the fleet for supplies. In addition, unrest had broken out in Yneslea, athwart the supply route to Akavir, and the Council believed the Ninth and Seventeenth legions would be better used in repacifying those territories and securing the Expeditionary Force's supply lines.
The civilian colonists and their supplies began arriving in Septimia in mid-Hearthfire, and they took over the preparation of the fields (which had been started by the legionnaires) for a spring crop. A number of cavalry mounts were also brought over at this time, and the raids on the two Imperial colonies subsequently fell off. Tsaesci emissaries also finally arrived in Ionith, purportedly to begin peace negotiations, and the Expeditionary Force settled in for what was expected to be a quiet winter.
At this time, the Council urged the Emperor to return to Tamriel with the Fleet, to deal with many pressing matters of the Empire while the army was in winter quarters, but the Emperor decided that it would be best to remain in Akavir. This turned out to be fortunate, because a large portion of the Fleet, including the Emperor's flagship, was destroyed by an early winter storm during the homeward voyage. The winter storm season of 288-289 was unusually prolonged and exceptionally severe, and prevented the Fleet from returning to Akavir as planned with additional supplies. This was reported to the Emperor via battlemage and it was agreed that the Expeditionary Force could survive on what supplies it had on hand until the spring.
Part III: The Destruction of the Expeditionary Force
The winter weather in Akavir was also much more severe than expected. Due to the supply problems and the addition of thousands of civilians, the Expeditionary Force was on tight rations. To make matters worse, the Tsaesci raiders returned in force and harried any foraging and scouting parties outside the walls of the two cities. Several watch forts on the road between Septimia and Ionith were captured during blizzards, and the rest had to be abandoned as untenable. As a result, communication between the two cities had to be conducted entirely by magical means, a continuing strain on the legions' battlemages.
On 5th Sun's Dawn, a large entourage of Tsaesci arrived at Ionith claiming to bring a peace offer from the Tsaesci king. That night, these treacherous envoys murdered the guards at one of the city gates and let in a strong party of their comrades who were waiting outside the city walls. Their clear intention was to assassinate the Emperor, foiled only by the vigilance and courage of troopers of the Tenth who were guarding his palace. Once the alarm was raised, the Tsaesci inside the city were hunted down and killed to the last man. Needless to say, this was the end of negotiations between the Emperor and the Tsaesci.
The arrival of spring only brought worse troubles. Instead of the expected spring rains, a hot dry wind began to blow from the east, continuing with varying strength through the entire summer. The crops failed, and even the river (which in the previous year had been navigable by small boats far upstream of Ionith) was completely dried up by Sun's Height. It is unknown if this was due to a previously unknown weather pattern unique to Akavir, or if the Tsaesci manipulated the weather through magical means. The Commission leans towards the former conclusion, as there is no direct evidence of the Tsaesci possessing such fearsome arcane power, but the latter possibility cannot be entirely ruled out.
Due to prolonged bad weather, the supply fleet was late in setting out from Black Harbor. It finally left port in early Second Seed, but was again severely mauled by storms and limped into Septimia eight weeks later much reduced. Because of the increasingly desperate supply situation in Akavir, the Emperor dispatched most of his Battlemage Corps with the fleet to assist it in weathering the storms which seemed likely to continue all summer. At this time, the Council urged the Emperor to abandon the invasion and to return to Tamriel with the Expeditionary Force, but he again refused, noting that the fleet was no longer large enough to transport all four legions at once. The Commission agrees that leaving one or more legions behind in Akavir to await the return of the fleet would have damaged Army morale. But the Commission also notes that the loss of one legion would have been preferable to the loss of the entire Expeditionary Force. It is the unanimous opinion of the Commission that this was the last point at which complete disaster might have been averted. Once the decision was made to send the fleet back for reinforcements and supplies, events proceeded to their inevitable conclusion.
From this point on, much less is known about what transpired in Akavir. With most of the battlemages assisting the fleet, communication between the Expeditionary Force and Tamriel was limited, especially as the situation in Akavir worsened and the remaining battlemages had their powers stretched to the limit attending to all the needs of the legions. However, it appears that the Tsaesci may also have been actively interfering with the mages in some unknown manner. Some of the mages in Akavir reported their powers being abnormally weak, and the mages of the War College in Cyrodiil (who were handling communications for the Council) reported problems linking up with their compatriots in Akavir, even between master and pupil of long training. The Commission urges that the War College make a particular study of the arcane powers of the Tsaesci, should the Empire ever come into conflict with Akavir again.
What is known is that the Emperor marched out of Ionith in mid-Sun's Height, leaving only small garrisons to hold the cities. He had learned that the Tsaesci were massing their forces on the other side of a mountain range to the north, and he intended to smash their army before it could gather full strength and capture their supplies (of which he was in desperate need). This rapid advance seems to have taken the Tsaesci by surprise, and the Expeditionary Force crossed the mountains and fell on their camp, routing the Tsaesci army and capturing its leader (a noble of some kind). But the Emperor was soon forced to retreat, and the legions suffered heavily on their retreat to Ionith. The Emperor now found himself besieged in Ionith, cut off from the small garrison at Septimia which was also besieged. By this time, it seems that the efforts of the few remaining battlemages were devoted entirely to creating water to keep the army alive, a skill not normally emphasized at the War College. The fleet had arrived safely back to Black Harbor, thanks to the Battlemage Corps, but all attempts to return to Akavir were frustrated by a series of ever more savage storms that battered Esroniet throughout the rest of 289.
The Council's last contact with the Emperor was in early Frostfall. By Evening Star, the Council was extremely worried about the situation in Akavir and ordered the fleet to sail regardless of the risk. Despite the continued storms, the fleet managed to press on to Akavir. Hope was raised when contact was made with the Emperor's battlemage, who reported that Ionith still held out. Plans were quickly laid for the Expeditionary Force to break out of Ionith and fall back on Septimia, where the fleet would meet them. This was the last direct contact with the Expeditionary Force. The fleet arrived in Septimia to find its garrison under savage assault from a large Tsaesci army. The battlemages with the fleet threw back the enemy long enough for the survivors to embark and the fleet to withdraw.
The few survivors of the Expeditionary Force who reached Septimia told how the Emperor had led the army out of Ionith by night two days earlier, succesfully breaking through the enemy lines but then being surrounded by overwhelming forces on the road to Septimia. They told of a heroic last stand by the Emperor and the Tenth Legion, which allowed a remnant of the Fourteenth to reach Septimia. Two survivors of the Tenth arrived in Septimia that night, having slipped through the enemy lines during their undisciplined victory celebration. These men confirmed having seen the Emperor die, cut down by enemy arrows as he rallied the Tenth's shield wall.
Part IV: Conclusion
The Commission believes that the invasion of Akavir was doomed from the start for several reasons, none of which could have been foreseen beforehand, unfortunately.
Despite extensive intelligence-gathering, the Expeditionary Force was clearly unprepared for the situation in Akavir. The unexpected weather which plagued the army and navy was particularly disastrous. Without the loss of a majority of the Far East Fleet during the campaign, the Expeditionary Force could have been withdrawn in 289. The weather also forced the Emperor to assign most of his Battlemage Corps to the fleet, leaving him without their valuable assistance during the fighting which soon followed. And of course the unexpected drought which struck Ionith during 289 dashed the hopes of supplying the army locally, and left the Expeditionary Force in an untenable situation when besieged in Ionith.
The Tsaesci were also much stronger than intelligence reports had suggested. Information on the size of the army the Tsaesci were eventually able to field against the Expeditionary Force is vague, as the only serious fighting took place after regular communications were cut off between the Emperor and the Council. Nevertheless, it seems likely that the Tsaesci outnumbered the Emperor's forces by several times, as they were able to force four crack legions into retreat and then keep them under siege for several months.
As was stated previously, the Commission declines to criticize the initial decision to invade Akavir. Based on what was known at the time, the plan seemed sound. It is only with the benefit of hindsight does it become obvious that the invasion had very little chance of success. Nevertheless, the Commission believes several valuable lessons can be taken from this disaster.
First, the Tsaesci may have extremely powerful arcane forces at their command. The possibility that they may have manipulated the weather across such a vast region seems incredible (and it should be noted that three Commissioners strongly objected to this paragraph even being included in this Report), but the Commission believes that this matter deserves urgent investigation. The potential danger is such that even the slight possibility must be taken seriously.
Second, the Tsaesci appear to possess no navy to speak of. The Expeditionary Force was never threatened by sea, and the Far East Fleet fought nothing but the weather. Indeed, initial plans called for a portion of the Fleet to remain in Akavir for use in coastal operations, but in the event there were very few places where the large vessels of the Fleet could approach the land, due to the innumerable reefs, sandbars, islands, etc. that infested the coastal waters north and south from Septimia. Due to the utter lack of trees in the plain around Septimia and Ionith, the Expeditionary Force was unable to build smaller vessels which could have navigated the shallow coastal waters. Any future military expeditions against Akavir would do well to consider some way of bringing a means for inshore naval operations in order to exploit this clear advantage over the Tsaesci, an advantage that was sadly unexploited by the Expeditionary Force.
Third, much longer-term study needs to be made of Akavir before another invasion could even be contemplated. The information gathered over the four years prior to the invasion was extensive, but clearly inadequate. The weather conditions were completely unexpected; the Tsaesci much stronger than expected; and the attempted negotiations by the Emperor with the Tsaesci a disaster. Akavir proved alien beyond expectation, and the Commission believes any future attempt to invade Akavir should not be contemplated without much greater knowledge of the conditions, politics, and peoples of that continent than presently obtains.
Finally, the Commission unanimously concludes that given what we now know, any attempt to invade Akavir is folly, at least in the present state of the Empire. The Empire's legions are needed at home. One day, a peaceful, united Empire will return to Akavir and exact severe retribution for the disaster at Ionith and for our fallen Emperor. But that day is not now, nor in the foreseeable future.
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