Fourth Battle of York

This is a historical article, describing a past event or events that occurred on Shartak.

Local soldiers resting in-between skirmishes.

Hostilities Begin

The Fourth Battle of York started in early-to-mid-February 2007 when Keiichi hired the Mercenary's Guild to seige York. Upon being tipped off that the Mercenaries Guild where planning something in York, several Colonial Police officers surrounded a hut where mercenary leader The Malice was sleeping. Upon discovering he was surrounded, he tried to escape but was shot dead by Colonial Officers. Swearing revenge, the Guild found that an invasion was needed. Saying they would only attack the Colonial Police and the York Protestant League, the Guild rushed into York and killed several officers and citizens who had voiced their dislike of the Guild.

York's Defenders

Though the CP and the Mercernary's Guild were the most prominent combatants in the Fourth Battle of York, neither side was without allies. The Colonial Police received substantial assistance from the Order of Patriots, the 1st Colonial Militia, Colonial Counter-Terrorist Unit and the Derby Hospitallers. The 1st Derby Privateers, annoyed with what they considered the unacceptable behavior of the Colonial Police, renounced their alliance with the CP at the invasion's outset. The 1DP sat out the remainder of the battle.

The Invaders

Like the CP, the mercenaries were not alone in their war against York. The Jolly Roger Gang, having long declared its hostility to York, chose this opportunity to put its words into action and joined the MG's assault. Also joining the assault was the 1st Imperial Privateers Regiment. 1IPR announced its intention to withdraw from its raid on the native town of Wiksik to help the mercenaries in their invasion.

The Battle

Although weakened, the Colonial Police did not stop fighting. They soon launched a powerful counter-attack that killed nine mercenaries, among them 'The Butcher of York' himself- Tom Failur. The Order of Patriots, in addition to inflicting casualties on the invaders, hunted down and killed the nearest roaming shaman, forcing the invaders to revive much farther away. York's defenders coordinated their efforts, putting together patrols to sniff out and eliminate hostiles. The Guild, out of arms and men, vowed to return with more soldiers.

A few days later, the Mercenary's Guild returned, and averaged "five kills a day," according to the Guild's spokesman. The war moved from downtown York to the surrounding jungle, as the two sides pursued a two-sided guerrilla warfare campaign against one another. According to the Yorkman newspaper, the Fourth Battle resulted in just over 200 deaths. The vast majority of these casualties were borne by the Mercenary's Guild, the Colonial Police, and the 1st Imperial Privateers. It should be noted that these are only kills logged in the Shartak Underworld, so these figures are probably a tad low.

The Effects

The Fourth Invasion had little effect on the long-standing grudge between the Mercenary's Guild and the Colonial Police. If anything, the positions were only hardened. However, the particularly poor performance of the Imperial Privateers (suffering a 2:1 casualty to kill ratio) resulted in a distinct loss of prestige for that clan. The Imperials' version of events is detailed below. The 1st Imperial Bank left York, headed for the shipwreck, but CP leader Kjendlie publicly requested its return, apparently trusting the Bank's claims of neutrality.

On the York side, frictions developed between several of the defenders in the wake of the battle. First the Colonial Militia withdrew from the Alliance of York, and the Derby Hospitallers soon followed. This is ironic, given that the two clans agreed on virtually nothing. Long-time Colonial Policeman Nighter also departed the CP. Meanwhile, politically-motivated hostilities between CM member Arminius and CP officer Che threaten to drive the CM and CP further apart.

The primary effect of the Fourth Invasion seems to be a hardening of the stances of the two major combatants. A fifth invasion would surprise few.

The 1st Imperial Privateers Regiment's Version of Events

The following represents one perspective of the events, and is definitely not held in universal regard.

At the invitation of their allies the Mercenaries Guild, the Imperials broke off their siege of Wiksik and attacked York, approximately one week after the Guild's hostilities in York commenced. The attack by the Imperials was publicly condemned by both the 1st Colonial Militia, who were under the misapprehension they had brokered a truce with the Imperials, and by the Colonial Police, who had established communications through their diplomat-at-large, Nighter.

The Imperials offensive met with fierce resistence from York's defenders, notably the Order of Patriots and their littoral patrols along the northern York coastline. Other York tactics included use of messenger to coordinate attacks on enemy positions, and the assassination by Mr Bungle of the nearest roaming shaman which caused Imperial soldiers to be revived in the locality of Dalpok well out of the York theatre. This very capable defence effectively neutralised the Imperials in the first stage of the war.

The Imperials however never lost resolve in what they consider to be a current invasion, which they call The Keiichi Incident. Following the Mercenary Guild withdrawal from York, on 27 February '07 Nighter attempted to broker a peace, assisted by Imperial recruit Master Lucky, effectively an advocate for Colonial Police views within the Imperials. This peace offering was rejected by the Imperials, and Master Lucky resigned his commission from the Imperials when 4 Colonial Policemen coerced him to kill a fellow Imperial soldier, Rotten Balls.

Learning of the Mercenary Guild withdrawal from York from Nighter, the Imperials on 27 February '07 commissioned the assassination of the local York shaman by Mercenary Guildsmen for the sum of 250 gold coins. This assassination attempt was unsuccessful. The assassination was to serve as the trigger for an invasion of York on 1 March by the bulk of the regiment. Imperials fighters dispersed once it became apparent the assassination had been repelled by York fighters.

From 1 March '07, the Imperials then moved their theatre of operations from within York proper to a land blockade of the York peninsula, killing Yorkmen who travelled beyond York's borders without the benefit of the local shaman to revive them immediately back into action. Imperial-related deaths of York fighters and non-combatants dramatically surged during this new strategic phase of the war, despite highly co-ordinated patrols by York's defenders. Ella Chen, a colonel of the Imperials, was the leading campaigner during this period, successfully inhibiting York movements in the north-west through concerted guerilla attacks. The Colonial Police headquarters was the target of repeated Imperial sorties during this period as Kjendlie became the main target of attacks, with politically-motivated propaganda raining thick from both sides.

On 21 March '07 the Imperials received Kjendlie's appeal to offer terms leading to withdrawal, which was rejected out of hand.

The Imperials consider the following outcomes have emerged to date from the Keiichi Incident: first, a depleted, weak and discredited Colonial Police whose headquarters have been converted to a tavern: second, a disbanded CCTU, whose leadership by the effective general but inexperienced politician Bauer had only temporary results due to his inability to keep his subordinate confederates in line, and the dissolution of York's alliance with Derby: and, following from that, emerging and deep factional divisions within York's defenders particularly with the 1st Colonial Militia.

On 10 April '07 the Imperials declared a signal victory, sighting the pirate Raffles safely sleeping within York's confines. The Imperials' political objectives in this offensive were to open trade by pirates into York, and avenge Imperial deaths at the hands of York's anti-pirate forces. Those goals were declared by the Imperials to be almost both achieved.

Hostilities continue into the lead-up to the Wicksick Dork Cup, although on 11 April the Imperials offered the Colonial Police a cessation of hostilites in exchange for uninhibited trading rights for pirates in York, and the trial of Kjendlie in the Derby Courts.

Also See

First Battle of York
Second Battle of York
Third Battle of York