The Great War

Fade in : The Consone War was raging, and a poorly timed tourney kept those of us not in the War busy with troops in a somewhat less destructive manner. I just so happened to be a Rook (Rooks are the leaders of the respective Crow Wings) in both Crow and nCrow deeply immersed in trying to keep two tournament strategies in line and out of friendly fire. 

Events outside the tourney, and the Consone War, transpired to have me call into question my role in leadership within the Crowfed.  Seeking not to stir further dissension, I resigned my Rookdoms and, as soon as the tourney ended, left the Crowfed, spent a little time as a Trout, then formed my semi retirement alliance of BLOC-Q.  I had grown weary of Illy, and expected my full departure was very near. 

Through my semi-retirement, I maintained contact (in and out of game) with people in Crow.  I kept abreast of developments in game, and was eventually convinced by a certain key player that storm clouds were brewing, and that Crow’s northern borders sorely needed a strong presence.  Harry, Cookieman and Rill had all gone inactive in nCrow, and new Rooks had come to the fore in potentially dangerous times.  In August before the war, I was convinced to return Mona and Roux to vCrow ( not initially nCrow) in order to help bolster the lines in the North. 

Certain powerblocs were beginning to take shape and that War with H?, unthinkable in the past, was not out of the question. . .  a host of reasons, shifting allegiances and past histories had conspired to alter the status quo . . .

Dlords, H?’s blood brothers, was now part of the Dominion. . . nCrow had had a long history of minor territorial squabbles with TCol in Keshalia, relations with TO had always been strained as well . . . any blow up on the Dominion front now could embroil Dlords who had historically been on very good terms with vCrow and the Crowfed in general.  If Dlords became embattled, their strong bonds with H? could then commit H? to defend their Dwarven allies.  Politics had become messy.

In the Consone war, NC had cozied themselves up closely to H? and was their reliable ally in the conflict, H? made never shied away in GC of the fact that they would stand with those who stood with them.  NC had a long history of tweaking some Crowfed noses at every opportunity, nearly coming to blows with uCrow and nCrow in the not too distant past, they were getting more and more reckless and unpredictable (from Crow view). Leaders in H? seemed amused by NC's antics, and did little to calm Crowfed's anxiety. Toss TVM’s increasing ties with N, NC and their role in the BANE war, and the long standing tension between them and nCrow further complicated the mix. Trouble with NC now meant trouble with TVM and most importantly H?, trouble with H? invoked trouble with Dlords , trouble with Dlords invoked trouble with the Dominion …  messy times indeed . . .

Further tangles could found within Crowfed itself,  many within mCrow had long and storied ties with people in H?, conflict between H? and Crowfed would cause certain strife within Crow. It was similarly known that eCrow had certain tolerances for NC that were not necessarily shared by vCrow, nCrow, uCrow, likewise the geography of eCrow and the evolution of various relationships put eCrow on very comfortable ground with alliances of the Dominion.  Alliances can indeed be very tricky affairs  (I now look back and better appreciate both of their positions) . . . .

Eventually I was moved from vCrow back to nCrow to help rally the troops and brace for what was to come ….

Sooner or later something was bound to give, nearly any altercation on any side could trigger Armageddon.  The metagame reached a fevered pitch, unlikely alliances were forged, formerly tense or outright hostile past dealings were laid to rest in the interest of a common goal, and the Grand Alliance was formed.  It is not proper for me to go into details, but it was a truly herculean feat.  I was aware of a great deal, but no doubt much occurred that I can only guess at . . .

There was little surprise when a relatively minor altercation (shades of the Trove War) blew up out of proportion into the biggest war in Illy’s history, it was inevitable at that point. The only question was where the fence sitters would lean…

Contrary to Tam’s view (no doubt accurate for him, but gauging these things is never an exact science, and likely I was privy to details that Tam was not), the final outcome was never a foregone conclusion in the early days. Any number of events could have entirely derailed the war from the GA’s viewpoint.  Could all the various alliances be kept focused and engaged?  Could internal bickering cause some alliance to flip? Would the “Neutral” alliances remain neutral, or might they suddenly throw down the gauntlet?  Could the GA shoulder the immense cost of the war?  Could coalition alliances be split out of the fold or would they all fight to the last city? 

Eventually, sheer weight of numbers did make the outcome a foregone conclusion, but it did take a good long time (although actually faster than I had guessed).  In the end, Illy is very much ruled by simple mathematics.  1 on 1 I do not doubt that H? would most likely defeat any single alliance, they are an incredibly disciplined and efficient organization. However, given the numbers arrayed against them, it was only a matter of time before attrition would take its toll. 

I have to believe that if leaders of H? were honest about the events, they would admit that the solidarity and the unity with which the GA acted had to have caught them off-guard.  I worried often that the train would come off its rails, it was never an easy task to keep the tracks well-oiled and pointed in the right direction. The real crowning achievement in the war was that so many alliances with such disparate views and objectives could be wielded effectively.  Make no mistake, the war was won in the metagame . . . and that story would be a good one . . .  ( I was but an observer, that tale is not mine to tell . . .)

Mona Lisa

Aka “Banshee of the North”

P.S.  One commonly held myth I can, without question, totally dismantle based on first-hand knowledge. Contrary to the beliefs held by many in H?, Rill played utterly no part in any of the events that formed the GA or led up to the war. In fact, Rill had gone missing from Illy in the months leading up to the war, she had already abandoned Ryelle’s account during the Consone war, and did not return to actively playing until well after hostilities began (as one of Rill’s sitters, I can swear to that fact…). 

Sorry to burst any conspiracy bubbles . . .there was, however, no shortage of other conspiracies much more entertaining . . . .