Duren and the War on Xadia
(Both of the above images were created and posted by @yeehawsoren , this was originally supposed to be a repost but became too extensive.)
@madou-dilou , It’s not defending the border she’s against, but joining an offensive war against Xadia. I’m sure the Duren-Xadian border is militarized; but from the lack of complaint concerning the elves during the Summit, I think it’s safe to say that they are not as interested in attacking Duren as they are exacting revenge on Katolis. If this assumption is correct, then it would make no sense for Duren to join the war effort; especially with their vulnerability and strategic location.
Duren doesn’t just border Xadia, it’s also connected to three out of four of the other human kingdoms -Neolandia in the northwest, Del Bar in the West, and Katolis in the South- and has several waterways that can be easily navigated in an effort to reach Evenere. At the moment, Duren acts as a buffer zone between Neolandia, Del Bar, Evenere, and the majority of Katolis. This means that Duren has the most experience with elves, dragons, and anything else that might cross over the breach; this is likely the reason why the other monarchs were initially supportive of Viren’s proposal, because they’re used to Duren and Katolis safeguarding the border. I’m actually surprised this wasn’t brought up during the Summit, as this is a clear indicator of how naive the adult monarchs really are in regards to the consequences of conflict with Xadia; Aanya could have played that card like a champ, no one would have the ethos to counter her argument!
To further explain how detrimental it would be if Duren entered the war effort, let’s venture into an alternative universe in which Viren was successful in convincing the pentarchy to declare war on Xadia. For its prime geological location, Duren would become the most active warzone. Troops would have to be shipped in from the other kingdoms and locals would need to be evacuated from the cities closest to the border; I’d bet good money that the richest families would relocate to Evenere, the southernmost reaches of Katolis, or the far west of Del Bar and Neolandia -depending on the price of land and preferred weather. Farmering communities would be forced into handing over their crop and offer housing to foreign soldiers; they would be occupied in their own homes. All able bodied humans would be drafted into a war they never wanted, and the rest would practically be forced into slavery once supplies became scarce. Then, finally, the Elves would invade. They’d likely aim to occupy mining towns, ports, and farming communities first, in order to cut off supplies to the major cities. The Xadian armies would then lay siege on the capital. That’s when Duren would fall under Xadian occupation.
Here’s a rough visual image of how the elves would establish their forces after the fall of Duren.
Without knowing where major resources, cities, and ports are located along with the sort of terrain in each region, it is difficult to say for certain where Xadian troops would establish their outposts. This is just an estimated guess based off of the rivers, mountains, and guesstimated border lines. The rest is purely assumption based.
Outposts in Duren would likely be established in human townships, cities, and fortresses. Elven blacksmiths, leatherworkers, and anyone else specializing in a trade that contributes to the war effort -along with their families- would likely be relocated from Xadia to the outposts with the least risk of being attacked; this would be the beginning of elf colonizations in the human kingdoms. If elves are anything like people irl, then the resident humans will either be forced from their homes, enslaved, be allowed to go about their daily lives while under elven supervision, or a mixture of the three scenarios. War is not kind to those who never asked for it.
Supply roads and ports would be established between Occupied Duren and Xadia for safety and ease of travel. I’d suspect that the elves would require many of the magic rich resources only available in their homeland. This could, potentially, lead to the reintroduction of magic flora and fauna that has been lost in the human kingdoms for centuries. The trade routes could also be beneficial for curious humans, as elven merchants might be willing to hire them for such work (you know, eventually).
From the Outpost along Duren’s other borders, both supplies and soldiers would be sent to the war front, where the military outposts are located. Military outposts would be more like campsites, at least until a town is captured. Just as in Duren, the elves would focus on capturing the resources of the individual nations along with their ports, eventually starving the humans into submission. I can’t see them focusing too much on the mountainous areas, but that’s only assuming they’re of little interest to the Xadian tactictions. Evenere would likely be the last to succumb.
Admittedly, this scenario does not take the affects of the human armies’ actions into account. There is a chance that humans could make enough of an effort to halt the Xadian progression into their kingdoms; an exceedingly small chance. But what can one expect of a war in which one opponent has an excess of magical resources and practiced users; while in the other, only those with the ability to access ancient records, valuable knowledge, and rare materials can utilize even the most fundamental spells. Yeah. Humans are at a horrid disadvantage.
Anya’s decision to avoid war with Xadia, and call out her fellow monarchs on their gullibility, saved the Human Kingdoms.
Meanwhile, Viren is still trying to destroy them. Yay.
@random-fandom-ramble , @beautifulterriblequeen , @moonshadow-memes , @feral-anarchy , @thebestdragonprince , and all my other fellow theorists: Any thoughts?
origamiaround
stormborns
gummygunk
kaledo-art
romaincrisis
tangentwithtanner
areudirty
