Brothers' War
The Brothers' War was a conflict fought between the Khanate and two claimants to the title "Kingdom of Acacia", the brothers Abughr and Brahnir. Both of these revolts ultimately failed as the significantly larger Khan army was able to defeat both, but it has had enormous cultural and social repercussions on the region and will likely continue to do so.
| The Brothers' War | |||||||
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 Khan and Acacian warriors in battle outside Dehna | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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 Brahnir's Kingdom of Acacia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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King Brahnir † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
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2,000 led by Brahnir | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
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2,000 led by Brahnir | ||||||
Context
War has been brewing for some time. The Acacians are an old and proud people, and the Khanate model of vassalage extracts vast quantities of iron, gold, diamonds, and slaves from them. The demand for independence has bristled for a great while. The Acacian warrior, a heavily armored axe-wielder who defends his village with an individualistic strength, has become a popular cultural object and many young Acacian men pray for the chance to swing at the light cavalry of the hated Khans.
The trigger for war comes from a dynastic dispute. The Nassid clan, a significant familial polity of the Acacians, has no clear laws of inheritance for its leadership. Two brothers, Abughr and Brahnir, jostle for the title. Abughr rallies his loyal soldiers and declares himself the independent King of Acacia in the western villages of Dehna and Yahmok, and thus secures a clear leadership position to the Nassid clan. This forces Brahnir into similarly declaring himself King of Acacia in the eastern village of Khashlem.
Brahnir is the elder brother of Abughr and is known for a quiet and intellectual character. He argues that independence must come in the form of a small and defensible polity which can enter international politics in order to protect itself, with further Acacian territory being liberated later via diplomatic and political means.
Abughr is younger than Brahnir, but is widely known for his prowess as a warrior and his personal charisma. For his supporters, the Earth Kingdom’s war against Acacian banners proves that the bending powers cannot be trusted. He therefore argues for the creation of a great Acacian Empire, forged in one almighty war of conquest, in order to secure the Acacian people with such strength that no-one would dare meddle in their affairs.
The war begins at the Great Khan’s Court, where emissaries from the various vassals present their tribute. Emissaries representing the two Kingdoms of Acacia inform the Great Khan of their respective independences and present no tribute of any kind. The Great Khan requests them to return with tribute or face unconditional war.
Abughr-Brahnir correspondence
Dear brother, in this matter let us not be enemies. The Khan has declared war against Acacia, and if we do not stand together against him we will both be crushed into dust. Our forefathers forged a nation, which we foolishly split - a rift I hope will, in time, be mended - but let us bridge our differences. We must stand united, as Acacia, and not as bickering rivals. Do not let our shared dream, of a free Acacian people, fall out of a vainglorious attempt to conquer our oppressors. We stand at a threshold - here, Acacia breaks free of its chains, or here, it dies a slow and painful death. Ten sticks divided are snapped, but bound hold strong
King Brahnir, for Abughr.
My "dear" brother,
I agree we should not be enemies. We have enough enemies. However you give me little choice when you go out of your way to proclaim that our struggles are not related. You may believe to be the most rightful heir and therefore I should bow down to you, but this will never happen. I was quicker and braver than you, and I seized the initiative in our struggle for freedom. If you want to join me you are welcome, but I refuse to live in your shadow. Acacia will be free, with or without your help.
King Abughr, responding to Brahnir.
Strategising
At the outset of war, general strategies are formulated by each side.
Abughr
Three clans present their plans to Abughr. The Vannids, a very old house whose lands had been eroded by the presence of Khan settlers, argue for an invasion of these colonies so that they can be returned to rightful Acacian hands. The Abbusids, a northern house with connections beyond the Khanate’s borders, argued for the army to move northwest and seize villages outside the Khanate to grow their strength. The elder Nassids, their powerbase being Abughr’s territory, wished to initiate a defensive war in the hills and play into the Khans’ weaknesses.
Abughr opted for the Vannid plan, seeking to claim the initiative and inflict a heavy blow on the Khans where Acacian lands would not be harmed.
Brahnir
Following the harsh reply in Abughr’s letter, Brahnir realised that there was little chance of their forces cooperating in the future. With a far smaller army and resource pool to manage, he instead committed to fortifying the defenses of the village, recruiting any and all Acacians, and issuing spies to watch the movements of Khan forces and Abughr’s host.
Great Khan
The Acacian war was taken as a very serious threat to the Heartlands, fearful of the militaristic culture of the Acacians and their victories over the Earth Kingdom in the past. The prospect of their defeat also opened up a great deal of potential new lands for the Khan clans. Three plans were proposed. The Mujin proposed advancing along the great rivers towards Brahnir’s territory. They would quickly defeat the small state, despite the non-ideal terrain and the fortifications, and then concentrate all attention on defeating Abughr. The Nasra, heavily involved in the colonies, wished to protect their settlements in the Grazing Lands. They proposed positioning the army at these settlements, repelling Abughr and Brahnir there, and then marching to destroy them with the advantage secured. The Kero, Heartland Khans through and through, insisted that Abughr’s enormous army posed a threat to the very honour of the Khans itself. They argued for an immediate advance on his territory to catch him off balance, smashing his army entirely, and using this outcome to coerce Brahnir into surrendering.
The Great Khan Didly, recognising the lack of information on the enemy’s strength, opted for the Nasra plan of defending the settlements.
Dusj and Temaj
As the Khan army began to march north, they encountered many refugee trains who fled the conflict. At one, two warriors fought with knives over the custody of a pregnant woman. The two fighters were well-known: Temaj, a great and terrifying warrior, intended to capture her and her family as slaves. Dusj, a seasoned traveller and survivalist, instead wished to protect her and her family through marrying her. This contest was inconclusive, so the Great Khan was called to decide. Dusj was granted custody, much to the fury of Temaj.
Quiet before the storm
Great Khan
The Khan army reached the settlements, or “Yurts”, before the Acacians did. Once arriving, they set about on a battle plan. The area was very hilly, consisting of steep ledges and valleys, so a variety of traps in the ground were laid. Khan soldiers hid inside the hills, waiting for the Acacians to get too close.
Abughr and Brahnir
Brahnir’s spies reported a consistent stream of birds flying north, interpreted correctly as birds moving away from the Khan army approaching from the south. They also noted that the Khan settlements still thrived with life, and no battle had taken place there yet. Accordingly, Brahnir proposed a plan to Abughr:
Brother, you are a great leader of men. You eat and drink and sleep with them. It is almost enough to make them forget you are their king. Enough that they forget it is you who orders them into battle. You are a hero to our people - a great and mighty warrior, who leads armies to glorious victory - and you are not a fool. You do not reject wise counsel out of hand, no matter who it comes from. We have made enemies of ourselves - but this need not be so. You can use me, as a strategist, as a symbol. The Khanate is a sword, sharp and lethal, but together we can break it. "Place a sword's tip upon an anvil and strike its flat with a hammer. The sword will snap." These are the words of the great masters of tactics - the very ones our father taught us. Repel the Khans, force them into retreat, towards the unyielding anvil, the walled city by the canal. When they have arrayed themselves against it, be the swift hammer that strikes, and break the sword. We can give the Khans a decisive and early defeat, and with a show of unity that will make them crumble like butter. Do this, brother, and when the war ends I will swear to you. This, I give as an oath under the Acacia, witnessed by a priest and an elder. None is stronger.
This plan was accepted by Abughr, who recognised the strategy being proposed from the lessons the two brothers had taken as children. The army was to march directly towards the settlements, only a short distance from Abughr’s own capital, in order to ensure the Khans would not obtain any resources there.
Brahnir suffered a setback at this point as Colonel Danaghr, a member of a younger Nassid cadet family, marched out with 500 of the 2000 men at Brahnir’s disposal to engage the Khans head on. Negotiations for their return failed, but they were able to participate in the Battle of Yurts-Dehna by occupying a hill. They were a distraction for Khan forces and were promptly killed.
Battle of Yurts-Dehna
Great Khan and Abughr
Upon entering Khan territory, Abughr sent out scouts to investigate the environs. Most of these did not return as they were ensnared in various Khan traps and ambushes. Shortly after realising what had happened, the Acacian host was engaged by Khan skirmishers, keeping it pinned in place. Abughr ordered a retreat uphill to gain a better defensive position, but this did little to help. As the skirmishers began to run out of arrows, retreat into the forests was ordered as Acacian heavy infantry would stand a better chance in the dense terrain compared to the open desert.
Upon retreating to the forest, the skirmishers disengaged due to low ammunition. The time spent during the skirmish was effectively used by the Great Khan to mobilise the entire army of 20,000 for a “horn and prongs” attack. While the centre and the right horn executed this plan and inflicted massive casualties on the Acacian host, the left prong led by Temaj deviated and instead charged into the undefended town of Dehna to loot and pillage. The Acacian army, having developed a defensive line to resist the Khan charges, now needed to be in two places at once. As the army of 10,000 Acacians increasingly became worn down from constant arrow fire, hit-and-run attacks, and charges, Abughr decided to order a rearguard action to re-enter the town of Dehna and defend Acacian territory. After some time, the Great Khan disengaged, knowing that the traitorous Temaj would likely be killed in the street fighting that advantaged the Acacians. This time was used to allocate archers on to the hilltops and reorganise his soldiers. With the Acacian army engaged in the streets of Dehna and increasingly disorganised, Khans freely looted while their arrows rained from above. The main body of the Khan army soon moved into the village, looking to trap the encircled and outnumbered Acacians.
Seeing the inevitable, Abughr dictated one last letter for his brother. This letter is widely considered to be his final words. It was delivered by General Fanir, who was ordered to deliver it at the greatest haste. Fanir also carried one of Abughr’s banners with him and did not clean his armour, to prove the veracity of his account.
My dearest brother,
I know we have our differences, I know we have fought. I also know we strive for the same goal. A free Acacia, a future for our people.
I have always done what I thought was best for our people. I am sad that this has driven us apart.
Brother, it seems my struggle ends here. From the bottom of my heart, I pray you can finish what we have started. I pray that our sacrifice today ensures a free Acacia tomorrow.
Beloved brother, they may kill an Acacian, but they will not kill Acacia.
Fight on.
Upon receiving this, Brahnir planted the banner of Abughr firmly in the ground, knelt before it, and wept.
Brahnir
Events were understood to be taking place to the east, but little military action was taken by Brahnir’s forces. Another 250 men were sent to locate the 500 that defected, and they shared their fate. Khlashlem did, however, receive two refugees: Dusj and his new wife, carrying a white flag. Dusj was restrained and his wife permitted to act as his translator to the king. Dusj explained his name, his status as a personal friend to the Great Khan, while the woman explained how she was almost enslaved by another Khan were it not for Dusj’s aid. They reported of the Battle of Yurts-Dehna, unsure of its outcome but confident that Abughr had been dealt a crushing defeat. They urged the king to surrender and spare the lives of his subjects. The following conversation took place after this:
Brahnir: Why have you been restrained, even when bearing a flag of truce? And why are you under guard, even when being restrained?
Dusj: We know you are not happy to see us, or to hear of the defeat of your brother. But we urge you to consider what is before you. Our marriage, that of a Khan and an Acacian, is proof that our peoples can live together. There is no path for Acacian independence any more, but there is still a path for reconciliation. If you surrender, I will personally ensure that the Great Khan inflicts no punitive measures on your lands. I do this out of concern for both our peoples.
B: You speak much, and yet you do so without understanding. While one Acacia still stands, my people will have hope for freedom. Even if I surrendered, my soldiers would not. If they did not fight to the death for independence, they would terrorize your people, even in disregard of their own lives. As king, I can change what is written in the lawbooks. But if you are who you claim to be, you should know I cannot change what is written on their hearts. They have tasted freedom, and that taste will linger, long after their deaths. The possibility for reconciliation exists, but not in surrender. Work one day in the iron mines, only to see the fruits of your labor taken as tribute to the Khan, and you will understand why your promise to deliver us from punishment is meaningless. Death at the hands of a Khan is preferable to life in supplication to one.
A note was sent to the Great Khan, on Dusj’s request, to inform him of his whereabouts. Dusj was put to work in the mines, with the additional responsibility of obtaining the same quantity of iron that would have gone to the Khanate as tribute, taking it to his cell, and then returning it the next day to pick up the next load. This was to make him understand in visceral terms just how much wealth was extracted by the Khans.
A note was sent to the Great Khan by Brahnir, reading:
“Great Khan”, We have received one of your number known as "Dusj". He arrived at our frontier with an Acacian wife that we have accepted back into the fold. Both shall remain in our custody, and we send you this message out of respect for the wishes of his wife. Let me emphasise that they have not been captured or kidnapped - we Acacians do not steal things that do not belong to us.
Brahnir, King of Acacia
Shortly after this, General Fanir arrived with news of Abughr’s death and defeat. He was recruited into Brahnir’s forces and collaborated with his new king in preparations for the inevitable battle with the Khans.
Death of Temaj
Temaj had derailed the Great Khan’s battleplan by taking a great number of forces to raid the enemy capital rather than dealing the killer blow. As a result, Temaj had earned a death sentence while simultaneously gaining a great deal of respect from the rank and file. Having attained this power base and embittered by the seizure of what he felt to be his personal property, Temaj issued a blatant challenge to the Great Khan at the end of the battle by presenting the devastated Dehna to him and inquiring if he wished to seize what was rightfully his once again. The Great Khan responded to this with a swift sword blow to the neck. Temaj did not die instantly but was paralyzed and mortally wounded, so he was beheaded soon after in this humiliating fashion.
Temaj was a member of the Kero clan and mostly Kero soldiers had participated in the invasion of Dehna. Accordingly, they sought revenge on the Great Khan and poisoned a drink made for him at the post-battle celebrations. Unluckily, he happened to be rather drunk and went to bed instead. A Nasra general had this drink instead and soon died. Realising what was supposed to have happened, knives were soon drawn as the camp erupted into clan fighting. The Great Khan was able to reimpose his authority and persuaded the Kero that, by having killed Temaj in single combat, their personal rivalry was settled on terms Temaj would have approved.
While this abated the Kero, the Nasra had still lost a very serious leader. Negotiations were hostile between the two families, but a deal was soon brokered with the Great Khan’s supervision. The Kero were to give the Nasra one hundred horses, twenty slaves, and one sack of gold for the death of their general. As a rebate for this exorbitantly high price, the lands formerly ruled by Abughr were to be ceded to the Kero. Kero soldiers were known for abusing and torturing the undefended Acacian civilians they found, some five hundred of which fled into the desert for Brahnir’s territory.
Search for the Northern Army
Following the defeat of Abughr, the vast majority of Acacian independentist forces had been wiped out. Desperate for liberation, rumours began to swirl in Acacian circles of the “Northern Army”, a vast host of fellow Acacians from the villages beyond Khan and Earth Kingdom rule. This force was supposedly marching south to engage the Khans and defeat them, liberating their fellow countrymen.
This force did not exist, as northern villages had not experienced the same drive towards nationalism as their southern cousins had. Acacian national identity largely exists as a byproduct of the expansion of bending powers, as previously independent villages with only familial ties found themselves drawn to a common cause of liberation. Unoccupied northern villages had not experienced this, and thus did not need to mobilise in the same manner.
Regardless, the rumours persisted and made their way to the Khan’s camp. The projected figure of the Northern Army was expected at 30,000 men, enough to crush the Khans were they to encounter one another. The Great Khan believed this rumour and split the army into three distinct corps, occupying sections of the northern desert to catch this army. As the army did not exist, no encounter occurred.
Under the hot desert sun and with stretched supply lines, this occupation was torturous. Bored Khan soldiers began gambling, starting a major craze in which some soldiers lost everything, requiring the Great Khan to personally compensate the winners in order to refit the losers with their lost arms and horses.
Arrivals at Khashlem
As Brahnir continued preparations for the defense of his territory, two groups arrived. The first was Acacian survivors of the Kero occupation. This group of roughly 200 was starving and on the verge of death, having already lost 300 en route. They were accepted into the territory by Brahnir, despite already limited resources, as he did not wish to turn away any Acacians. After some time for recovery, fifty of these were outfitted as soldiers for the upcoming battle. With the Brahnir’s approval, they displayed a modified Abughr banner in tribute to their former king and served under General Fanir. Their unit commander was Runeh of the Vannid clan.
Additionally, eleven Khans arrived. These were spies sent by the Great Khan, intended to engage in subterfuge and sabotage. They stated that they had supported Temaj’s claim for leadership, verified by Dusj noting they had defaced the mark of the Great Khan, but had been forced to flee due to the vast number of Khan soldiers, which they stated was 100,000. Neither of these claims were true as Temaj had already died and the Khan army never exceeded 20,000, but both claims were accepted by Brahnir as true due to the lack of other evidence.While Brahnir planned the evacuation of Khashlem, seeing a fight of 50-to-1 odds as impossible, Dusj intervened to correct the record and stated that the army had never exceeded 25,000 to his count. Enraged at this blatant lying, Brahnir had little time to react before learning that fires had been started on the palisades, the forest, the food stores, and the armory. Ten of the eleven Khans were able to escape on their horses, dodging Acacian arrow fire, but the one who had been initially interrogated was not so lucky. He was promptly submitted to torture upon refusing to disclose information, only to be saved by the intervention of Dusj’s Acacian wife. Her protest was not out of sympathy, but out of concern that the use of torture would delegitimise Brahnir’s rule to international observers. The spy was then imprisoned.
Beginning of the End
Brahnir
In the lead-up to the battle, Brahnir conscripted all available miners and farmers to push his forces to 2,000 total. He delivered the following speech:
"Friends, do not fear our foe! Together we fight fearsomely, Like a lioness looking after her cubs, and together we shall overcome As the ants that extirpate the elephant, we win in the end As your king, I beseech you, yearn for our triumph! The Almighty Acacia is our ally, in this adventure! But beware the baneful bruit that bites the battalion: The notion that the Northern Number will do our deeds for us. We win our wars unaided, with our only friend the wind. Or else we falter, flag-bearers fighting to the finish, Swordsmen swinging until supremacy or slaughter. The character of my kin is not to cower, nor to crumble. What hardship has been had, will be had eternally If we do not win with our own wit and warrant. The Khans have killed our countrymen, and as cowards, Drove them into the desert to die and decay Let their lives not be lost in idle living. Those soldiers are like scorpions, seeking savagery Against the frog who ferries to and from the river's flank. We shall stand side by side against the savage soldiers, Our palisade protecting us, our paladins pushing for progress. Stand at my side, straighten into soldiers and squadrons, And our fighting shall be as ferocious as the fire of our fervor"
A strategy was drawn up wherein the army of 2000 would be split into three corps. 500 soldiers, dressed as refugees, would wait at the palisades with arms on the ground in order to lure the Khan army into an attack. Two forces of 750 each would lie in wait in the forests, ready to pounce. To the south, a group of civilians was posted with drums and metal plates - on the signal, they would imitate the sound of a marching army in order to give the illusion of the Northern Army’s arrival.
Great Khan
Having reorganised his army, the issue lay ahead of terrain. With a large hill, rough terrain, trees, fortifications, and obstacles such as a ravine and lava dotting the landscape, the Great Khan decided to commit to a relatively cautious approach and initiated proceedings by sending out scouts to investigate the environs.
Battle of Khashlem
The battle began with Khan scouts investigating the area, finding nothing but the refugees at the palisade. Unlike the Battle of Yurts-Dehna, where the Khans held a 2:1 advantage in numbers, their 13,000 strong army faced 2,000 Acacians for an advantage of almost 7 to 1. 2,000 riders were sent ahead to capture these refugees, although it soon became apparent that riding directly east impaired their ability to see the enemy, as it was sunrise. The Great Khan accordingly moved the rest of his army south to avoid this issue, a manoeuvre that took some time. To ensure his first force wasn’t too badly affected, another 3,000 riders followed behind. These were effectively engaged by the Acacian forces at the palisades as the terrain had broken up their advance substantially, with the horses rearing at the sight of a solid wall of men, steel, and wooden palisades. General Fanir’s forces soon attacked them from their left, pinning their force in place in fighting conditions well suited for Acacian heavy infantry.
Upon seeing the Khan vanguard was trapped, King Brahnir launched his own 750 on their right. This caused absolute panic in the ranks of the Khans who promptly routed the battlefield. The Great Khan was unaware of what was transpiring as he made his way around the great hill, only hearing but not seeing the battle. His scouts were only able to report on the disaster unfolding at Khashlem at the moment of the rout taking place. He began to position his remaining force - still considerably outnumbering the Acacians - to their south.
As the Acacian line converged to form one cohesive defensive unit, Khan strategy shifted to utilise their still far superior numbers. 2,500 riders were to attack the weary Acacian right, with the intention to split it from the rest of the army. Another 3,000 were to assault the centre with the intention of pushing it into the ravine behind them. The final 2,500 were to push the right off the battlefield. Additionally, archers were installed on top of the hill, raining arrows on all below.
This plan mostly went to plan. The left attacked first, which prompted Brahnir to send up his own left to attack the Khan right, although they soon had to retreat in the attempt to shore up the line. With the general charge beginning, the Acacian left was soon caught off balance and forced to enter a retreat back to the palisades of Khashlem. The centre fought valiantly and claimed most of the casualties of the Khans in this advance, but soon became a non-combative force. It was at this point that Brahnir used his final force, ordering for the “Northern Army” to begin its deception. While the Great Khan was indeed persuaded by the ruse, he delayed sending any forces to deal with the supposed threat as he had just committed his entire force. As a result, the trick did not have a tangible effect on the battle.
With each part of the line collapsing, Brahnir was able to retreat with the Acacian left into the town where his body was never found. All other units were destroyed against the river or the ravine. With the archers no longer needed, they were summoned to ride against the Northern Army, where they found the refugees banging pans. All were slaughtered.
Aftermath
Initial Khan strength: 20,000 Losses at Yurts-Dehna: -5,000 Losses at Khashlem: -6,500 Total casualties: 11,500, 57.5% Final strength: 8,500
The cause of Acacian independence had proceeded in the Khanate much like it did in the Earth Kingdom - serious victories achieved against a superior force despite the odds, with divisions in leadership and ideology contributing significantly to their downfall. While both the Acacian kings died in battle, the Khan casualties were highly significant. Had Abughr taken up defensive positions, or if a unified command had been established, it is highly probable that the war could have been won.
While the war had been to restore the status quo from the Khanate point of view, it is clear that nothing of the sort is possible. The casualties inflicted on both sides will permanently redefine the relationship of the Khans and Acacians for generations to come, and heroes such as Brahnir, Abughr, Dusj, and Fanir will be sung of by the musicians for generations to come.
Many refugees in Khashlem sailed across the Northern Canal fleeing the Khans, safe in the knowledge that the Khans would not dare bring the war to such an important international trade route. One of these was the wife of Dusj, who was relocated to Mexico City by canal authorities. Dusj himself died fighting the Khans in Khashlem, but his wife had survived and given birth en route. Carrying one of the future generation of Acacians in her arms, she would remember the conflict by naming her new son Abughr in tribute to the warrior who had laid down his life for her people. She also carried a large work of literature, known as the “Eldi Sohchar Darumijar”, or “The Tragedy of the Brothers’ War”, which chronicled the events of the war from the Acacian perspective.