Osmax-Fowatan War
From The Lands Of Liberos Project
| Osmax-Fowatan War | |||||||||
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| Part of Forming rivalry between the Osmax and Fowatan | |||||||||
 Recorded Picture Of Battle Of Apar, first battle to fully utilize shields in favor of the Osmax | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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| Strength | |||||||||
Estimated (Min - Max)
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Estimated (Min - Max)
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Approx. 10,000 - 12,000 killed or wounded | Approx. 15,000 - 19,000 killed or wounded | ||||||||
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Military deaths: 25,000 - 28,000 Total civilian dead: 5,000 - 12,000 N/A Total dead: 31,000 - 33,000 dead | |||||||||
| Many warriors were armed with only knives and whatever they could find | |||||||||
| “ | The only man I'll surrender to, is Bemous himself! | ” |
—Max II, after being encircled by Fowatan Warriors | ||
Background
The growing border tension between the two warrior-like cultures of the Kingdom Of Fowatan and Kingdom Of Osmax was soon to crack after nearby border skirmishes and outright disrespect of one another. The two Kingdoms rivaled each other in power, and a victory over the other would indefinitely give immense strength to the victor.
Events Prior
After long years of relative peace and expansion, King Fentalius Of The Fowatan declared war on the Osmax sometime in the year 37 First Era. Enraged by the aggressive expansion of the Osmax, the raged leader of the Fowatan had already raised and trained an army of nearly four thousand. King Max II Of The Osmax attempted to reason with the King through diplomacy, but his attempts were quickly cut off.
Course of the war
Leading the armies across the lowlands of Osmax territory, Fentalius quickly swept rage and terror across villages conquering large swathes of land within years. At the Battle Of Kivon King Max II was killed in battle, his body was never found. A Fowatan soldier afterward remarked to a scholar: "King Max stood surrounded by Fowatan Warriors. His guard had been annihilated, leaving only himself in his desperate last charge to kill Fentalius. And when they demanded him to surrender, he cried out: "The only man I'll surrender to, is Bemous himself!" The King is only remembered for how he died.
In the Spring of 41, his son rose to power. Max III, also known as Max The Great is widely known as one of the best First Era Kings to ever reign. He ascended to the throne in the middle of a grueling war that had already lasted 4 years and was on the losing end of it. The Osmax armies had already been crushed, except the small dispatches of ones to the North, and the new General Of Osmax, General Panerius Links, was relatively inexperienced and proved to be invaluable. Max aged only 22, and mostly uneducated, had rivals already forming within the days of his fathers death. Within his first month of rule, Max already had three assassination attempts and one coup. All proved to be unsuccessful as the King became increasingly paranoid. He soon raised an army of over 10,000 thousand against the horde of Fowatan Warriors whose numbers are still disputed to this day.
In the Spring of 42 First Era, more than a year after taking rule, and with nearly no more land recaptured, only more lost, including the fallen city of Kivon where his father had died, Great King Max III proved his steel. After five months of relentlessly training his army as villages fell, and women and children were slaughtered, the Battle Of Apar began. With the odds heavily against the Osmax, some say outnumbered 3:1, the soon-to-be legendary king rallied his army, proclaiming that this battle would be the same to the 1st Battle Of Opam, and that whoever won would win the war. The Fowatan armies were battered from years of war but experienced also. While the fresh Osmax armies could barely imagine the horrors of war, they had one thing the Fowatans didn't. Hope, and determination. The Osmax won the battle against the odds, with the terrain, the morale, and overall spirit pushing the tip. The battle only lasted about two hours, but nine thousand had died. Panerius recalled after the incredible Osmax victory, "You could barely see the ground, only bodies stacked upon each other like logs could be seen." The Battle created the Legend Of Max III. The Osmax-Fowatan War was a milestone in completely solidifying the control over the region and quickly becoming the rising power for the next few hundred years.
Aftermath And Impact
The war left approximately 30,000 people dead, and thousands injured. Villages and small cities had been torched to the ground, with much of the little economy of the Osmax destroyed. The next thirty years would prove to be tough for the Osmax, having to put down near revolts and suppress the newly captured territories. Were it not for the expanding power of Max III and his oong reign, the Kingdom could certainly have revolted. As the years passed, the two Osmanian cultures merged, allowing the Fowatan identity to become forgotten.
