Second Alteraci-Stromic War

The Second Alteraci-Stromic War was the second and largest conflict between the Kingdom of Alterac and Kingdom of Stromgarde. The Second Alteraci-Stromic War resulted in a bittersweet victory, that would later lead to a civil war.

Prelude
After over a decade of transforming the Kingdom of Alterac and its military, King Fitzroy Perenolde I decided to put to his impressive accomplishments to use. King Fitzroy I looked to the east to the Kingdom of Stromgarde, the old rivals of the Kingdom of Alterac. The two kingdoms had been bitter rivals before and the harsh trade tariffs, which made Stromic land trade more difficult, had caused Alteraci-Stromic relations to sour. King Fitzroy I entertained the idea of potentially conquering Stromgarde, which would transform the Kingdom of Alterac into the largest and likely most powerful kingdom.

King Fitzroy I conscripted many of the citizens of the Kingdom of Alterac and Hillsbrad Foothills and mustered his forces through the narrow mountain passes leading to the Hinterlands and then again into the northern Arathi Highlands, beginning the war.

Alteraci Offensive
Upon entering the country from the north, King Fitzroy Perenolde I ordered his eldest son, Prince Edward Perenolde II to raid the Arathi countryside with the Prince's Regiment, an elite group of soldiers the King had created in his youth. Meanwhile, the King led the bulk of his host to siege the city of Strom.

Battle in the Tall Grasses
As the bulk of the Alteraci host marched towards Strom, King Daren Trollbane took notice of this invading army. He dispatched a large force of his own to repel the Alterci host or at least slow their advance.

The Alteraci and Stromic armies clashed in the grasslands, where tall blades of grass covered some areas of the battle. One of the bloodier battles of the war, the Battle in the Tall Grasses was a skirmish with significant casualties for the Stromics. The terrain prevented cavalry from being possible and the men at arms simply cut each other to bits. In the end the Alteraci emerged victorious with the greater number.

The Battle of the Tall Grasses served as a useful distraction, allowing Strom to prepare for a siege.

Siege of Strom
After a victory at the Battle of the Tall Grasses, King Fitzroy I led his host to the gates of Strom, demanding King Daren Trollbane to surrender. King Daren refused, naturally and the King began what would be a three month long siege.

The Prince's Defeat
As the King began his siege, he also ordered his second son, Prince Arthur Perenolde I to lead Alterac's recently strengthened fleet against the Stromic Navy. The intention was for the Alteraci Fleet to siege Strom from the sea, setting up a naval blockade. However, the Stromics were able to repel them and Alteraci Fleet was forced to retreat to Southshore.

Due to this failure, King Daren Trollbane was able to prepare for the Siege of Strom even longer and was able to dispatch troops into the countryside.

Aid from Kul Tiras
After his younger son's failure, King Fitzroy I sent word to the Kingdom of Kul Tiras. The fact that Queen Annabel Perenolde was the daughter of a prominent Tirassian nobleman and previous alliances along with the promise of reparations made King Fitzroy I hope the Tirassian Navy would succeed where his son had failed.

The Lord-Admiral of Kul Tiras accepted his offer and sailed with the remnants of the Alteraci Fleet to set up a naval blockade of Strom. They succeeded with ease, greatly outnumbering them and completing the Siege of Strom.

The Garnet Skull Company Enters
King Daren Trollbane held against the Alteraci-Tirassian siege of Strom for three months. However, realizing he would not be able to hold out forever, he sought out allies. Fearing he would not be able to pay the price of any kingdom, which would likely not be plainly gold, King Daren hired the famous mercenary organization known as the Garnet Skull Company. The Garnet Skull Company was an enormous private army comprised of Humans, Dwarves, and Elves that were known to have never broken a contract and to be extremely effective Led by a grizzled Dwarf known as 'Garnet Eye' who had no known name and was missing an eye, which he had replaced with a garnet. The Garnet Skull Company sailed from the South Seas where they had been operating previously and landed on the eastern coast.

Battle of King's Square
Prince Edward II and his forces had occupied the small village of King's Square in the Arathi Highlands as their base of operations. The Prince's Regiment had been carrying out raids throughout the Arathi countryside, burning crops, villages and seizing all valuables.

The Garnet Skull Company attacked them in the night, slaughtering most of them and taking Prince Edward II as prisoner. Demanding a cease fire in exchange for his son, King Fitzroy Perenolde I, a ruthless pragmatist, declined. Prince Edward II remained in the Garnet Skull's possession, rather than executed at King Daren's orders.

The defeat of Prince Edward II demanded that more forces were sent to harass the countryside, weakening the siege forces as more were sent to defeat the Garnet Skull Company and rescue the Prince. While the Alteraci and the Garnet Skull engaged in many skirmishes throughout the Arathi countryside, the Stromics geared up to expel the now smaller siege forces.

Liberation of Strom
After three months of siege, King Daren determined the Alteraci host had dispersed enough for him to attempt to defeat them. Coordinating with the Garnet Skull Company and the Stromic forces dispatched throughout the country prior to the siege which had been ordered to remain in hiding, King Daren opened the gates of Strom. Outpouring came 10,000 Stromic soldiers opposed to the 17,000 Alteraci, King Fitzroy I was no fool and did not charge, fearing attacks from the walls. As the two armies clashed, the Alteraci initially overpowered them. Their fresh soldiers had been on the right side of a siege for three months whereas the others were forced to ration had been living in fear. After the Alteraci Calvary reserves flanked the Stromic forces, all hope seemed lost.

However the Garnet Skull Company and Stromic forces led by Sir Corwin Anders charged the Alteraci host from behind with a force of 5,000. The Alteraci were forced into retreat to Thoradin's Wall, having sustained substantial losses. With their victory, the Stromics reclaimed their city and most of their kingdom.

Following the Liberation of Storm, the Kul Tiras Navy withdrew, leaving the naval blockade weakened.

Stromic Offensive
As the Alteraci host held Thoradin's Wall, awaiting reinforcements, the Stromics went on the offensive.

Battle of the Span
The Alteraci forces dispatched by King Fitzroy I had been unsuccessful and instead taken the Thandol Span, preventing trade from the south from entering the Highlands. Despite having lost the siege, the Kingdom of Stromgarde remained blockaded at all ports and exits.

Under the command of Sir Corwin Anders, a portion of the remaining Stromic force attacked the Alteraci at Thandol Span, successively reclaiming Thandol Span, allowing for the Kingdom of Stromgarde to acquire a secure entrance and exit to their realm.

Sinking of the Blockade
Hoping to regain access to the sea, King Daren then ordered the Garnet Skull Company to end the weakened naval blockade imposed by the Alteraci fleet under Prince Arthur Perenolde I. The Garnet Skull Company had a mere fifteen ships under their control but were crewed by seasoned mercenaries and pirates who were able to force the Alteraci into retreat with assistance from the mainland. The Alteraci Fleet returned to Southshore, disgraced by a second defeat.

The Kingdom of Lordaeron Enters
Upon regaining control of his kingdom and most of its entrances, King Daren halted efforts to rebuild his forces and kingdom. Meanwhile, the King of Alterac returned to Alterac City, conscripting large numbers of the populace to restore his wounded forces to previous numbers. A strong border guard remained at Thoradin's Wall. With the loss of his Tirassian allies, King Fitzroy I turned to the Kingdom of Lordaeron for aid. Alterac and Lordaeron had remained in good favor with each other since the days of King Aaron Perenolde and King Fitzroy I promised King Menethil freedom from tariffs if he sent even a few thousand men. King Menethil obliged, sending 5,000 Lordaeronians to Alterac City to bolster the Alteraci host. However, winter came upon the Eastern Kingdoms and Alterac was awaiting Stromgarde's advance. As a result, the war enjoyed a few months of standstill while both sides licked their wounds.

Battle in the Hinterlands
Once spring came, the Garnet Skull Company began their assault. King Daren planned for the mercenary company to enter Hillsbrad Foothills and harass the Alteraci from within while he prepared for a larger assault on Thoradin's Wall. However, King Fitzroy I would not fall for a similar ruse twice, sending the 5,000 Lordaeronians to guard the mountain passes of the Hinterlands, expecting this.

Although greatly outnumbered, the Lordaeronians stopped the Garnet Skull Company from entering the mountains through strategic placement. The Garnet Skull Company retreated back to Arathi, defeated and having sustained serious casualties.

Invasion of Hillsbrad
After this loss, the war continued for several months without serious conflict save border skirmishes. Meanwhile, the main Alterac host strengthened itself in the Alterac Mountains and King Daren devised new strategy.

Raid of Southshore
The Stromic naval forces now outnumbered the Alteraci with the assistance of the Garnet Skull Company, thus King Daren shifted his focus to the sea. The Garnet Skull Company was sent to take Southshore, afterwards, Stromic War Galleys would land on the shores of the Hillsbrad Foothills further away and invade the kingdom by sea.

The Garnet Skull Company was successful in establishing their initial blockade of Southshore, biding King Daren enough to land his troops. However, Prince Arthur Perenolde I arrived from Herring Rock, where he had relocated to rebuild the Alteraci Fleet with several ships in tow. The Prince ended the blockade quicker than it ended, destroying the Garnet Skull Fleet. This proved to be a great victory for the Prince, one he would remembered for more than his previous defeats.

Battle of Hillsbrad Fields
After the Stromic host landed along the Western Hillsbrad Coast, they marched towards the Alterac Mountains hoping to put stress on the kingdom. Instead, King Fitzroy I rode out to meet the Stromic forces, with his enormous host in tow. The battle began with approximately 10,000 Stromics and 6,000 Garnet Skull Company mercenaries against 20,000 Alteraci and 5,000 Lordaeronians.

The two armies met around the village of Hillsbrad Fields, a small farming village, at dawn. The cavalry charged one another, clashing over an immense wheat farm. Bloodbath ensued which continued for several hours. Strategically placed Stormic archers kept the Alteraci forces at bay while the men at arms battled across several farms and throughout the village. As the sun began to set, the Stromics retreated, however only 1,000 returned home. Many were executed or captured, including King Daren Trollbane who was captured.

Following this defeat, what remained of the Garnet Skull Company negotiated their withdrawal with Sir Corwin Anders, who held Strom in the King's name.

Conquering of Stromgarde
King Fitzroy Perenolde I returned to Alterac City as a great victor, the war essentially won. All of the conscripted soldiers were dismissed and the Alteraci remained at peace till the end of the year with King Daren in their custody. However, as Sir Corwin Anders continued to refuse to negotiate the terms of their surrender over letters, Alterac geared up for a second assault on Strom.

The Storming of Strom
King Fitzroy I sieged Strom and took the port town below, eliminating the ability to receive supplies while he starved the garrison out, until Sir Corwin Anders surrendered. After six months of siege, the Alteraci forces stormed the city. The Stormic held out for several days, slowly giving up the city an inch at a time. The Storming of Strom took a whole week before they were pushed into the keep.

it was then that Sir Corwin Anders finally surrendered, agreeing to return the captured Prince in exchange for King Daren. However, Sir Corwin did not have the Prince, who was presumed dead. Sir Corwin instead returned a skeleton that matched the Prince's reported physique and in return received King Daren.

Afterwards, King Fitzroy I declared Alterac victorious in conquering the Kingdom of Stromgarde although distraught about the loss of his son. Yet, as he went to address his troops, the Stromic people rose up against the Alteraci force which numbered a mere 7,000. The populace of Strom along with support from the garrison, defied their surrender under King Daren's leadership and drove the Alteraci from the city.

Stromic Resistance
The Second Alteraci-Stromic War continued for another two years after the Storming of Strom. The Stromic orchestrated an effective guerrilla war with the support of the common folk and the revived support of their King, pushing the Alteraci to Thoradin's Wall. King Fitzroy I changed his goal, instead he went about conquering a large western portion of the Stromic Mountains in a string of small victories.

Treaty of Boralus
After two years of guerrilla fighting, King Fitzroy I determined he had succeeded his goals and sued for peace. King Daren obliged and the two met at a summit in Boralus in the Kingdom of Kul Tiras.

The Treaty of Boralus determined that a western portion of the Northern Stromic Mountains and Thoradin's Wall would remain under Alteraci control whereas the rest of the Kingdom of Stromgarde would remain in the control. 100,000 gold would be due in reparations to the Alteraci for the loss of the Prince. The Treaty was signed by the two monarchs, marking the wars end after nearly five years.