Subject: Essay #6 - Ramian

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CLOTHING.ORG
BY: Andrew Leker
FOR: Miles Teves

ABSTRACT: The Ramian Invasion of 3113.


The Ramian Invasion of 3113

Before Burdoth was a realm, it was split into many provinces which often
opposed each other. Only through the wars of many centuries did the principle
province of Ardis establish herself dominant over the others. This was not to
happen until the Energy Weapons War of 3445.

The Ardis region has historically wielded the most might of the Burdothian
provinces. Though it originally extended only as far north as the Glounda
Forest, ramian sieges of the 32nd century forced the Dharsage rule of Ardoth
to press north to drive out the conquering ramian forces, establishing
Ardoth's presence as far north as Sychill.

With the advent of regular ramian invasions, the Dharsage knew that it would
only be a matter of Ume before the gire forces entered through the Bolpey
Channel and to Ardoth herself. Ardoth intensified her ship-building and
patrolled the Bay with earnest. Burdoth's eastern-most lands were garrisoned.
At the same time as Ardis was expanding by the north and northeast, Lusail,
the realm's northern-most province, was also suffering gire assault. After
losing Trosoe, a large coastal city, the people of the neighboring city of
Sydra fled south to a branch of the Lusail River. This temporary migration of
coastal peoples settled at the foot-hills of the Liggit Mountains, boxed
in-between the Ayns on the north and the Roise Mountains on the south. The
city they founded is still populated, and is called "Elds."

Hearing that the gire were continuing their inland march, many of the
refugees of Alds decided to leave the valley, fearing that with no route of
escape, they were certain to die at the hands of the gire. A population of
about four thousand headed back to the end of Syls Valley and entered a large
forest, feeling assured that the ramian would not venture there to find them.

Their leader, Salmansi T'san, was an inspirational man, a true visionary who
was able to convince these people to enter a dark forest, full of unknowns,
under his leadership. They traveled aimlessly for many months, learning what
was edible, and what was not, what was tame, and what was wild. Near the
heart of the forest they came across a valley with a lake, in the center of
which rose a forested island. Salmansi stopped the weary procession and told
them that they were at their new home. Construction of their city began
immediately.

Lands for council were placed on the island Elgry, in the lake's center, to
which a long dock was built to the shore. The buildings in the forest were
designed to blend in, not carve through the wilderness. Tree stations were
erected in a huge line of sight that ringed the city. The site chosen in
Glounda was relatively free of Corondon, mandare, scragger, and croid, all of
which had plagued the travelers since their entrance into the forest. Tarro,
however, were abundant. Their new home fell short of being a paradise.

The ramian invasion of 3113 took the entire Bay of Assydre by complete
surprise. They ripped into the coastline, laying waste to town, cities and
farmland. The native S'sydrans were killed in indiscriminate hordes wherever
the ramian gire traveled. This was especially true in Sydra, the bay's
southern-most city. The ramian "Eecroh" were sent in advance of military
force to stir as much panic as possible.

One of the city's tribute captains sat on a hill-top early in the day, from
where he saw several ships travel down the coastline from the east. The
unfamiliar outline of the gire vessels aroused his suspicion, and he ventured
down the hill for a closer look. Small landing vessels were nearing the
sandy-white shores of the bay. Even from a great distance he knew that the
forms traveling to the beach were not human. Finally he was close enough to
see them clearly; they were
hideous, bony things that stood a near arm's-length above a man. They wore
little clothing, and carried few weapons. Upon hitting the shore they
disembarked rapidly, traveling in pairs in all directions. This Sydran was
about to head back west to the city, to warn his people when he recalled
Syla's whereabouts. She had taken advantage of the warm Mullin day to rest by
the side of the city's Thooh'sa. There was no way that she could know of
these creature's arrival. The scene of her death was tragic - the young
tribute captain lashed out at her murderers and began a vengeful killing
spree. Legend says that this young man slaughtered so many of the invaders
that the people of Sydra had time to escape the siege of their city. The
fabled character was given the name "Lelligire," which means "ramian killer."
The city of Trosoe took his name at the end of the war.


Sydra and Lelligire greet each other
After the war's end
After the ramian had been driven out of Sydra, but before any Sydran refugees
had returned from Elds, or elsewhere in S'sydra, many of the surviving
Lelligirians traveled to Sydra to scavenge the city's remains for stone,
wood, and anything else that could prove useful for construction. The Sydrans
returned to find their city pillaged by Lelligirian hands; there was great
outrage which turned immediately to hostility. The survivors from Elds were
lead on a four day march to Lelligire, where they terrorized the population,
burned and looted. The damage done to the two cultures was irreversible;
Sydra and Lelligire would be enemies from this time on.

Gire and Ardothian Forces
During this time in 3113, battles were being fought between the ramian gire
and the Dharsage forces. Although a few centered around the Essanjan Sea,
most took place further to the north, in Sychill Sea. In these early years,
the bronth of Dobre were not ship-builders. Their inland existence had kept
them apart from the battles. Through what is now the Ocean city of Sychill,
the ramian forces poured into Burdoth. Though contact between humans and
their enemy was limited, it was eventually learned that the ramian intended
to take the Burdothian lands as their own - the assault was a prelude to
invasion. It was noted early on, with skepticism of its significance, that
the Gire were interested in flat, fertile lands, especially those with
plentiful water supplies. Though these needs would be expected of any
conquerors, the ramian war-machine seemed pre-occupied with the cultivation
of soils as soon as they took an area.

Each year they crept further south into Burdoth, cultivating huge fields of
the "shirm-eh" plant - considered a weed by all but the shirm-eh-chewing
thriddle. In the years to come, Burdoth's northern coast saw a heavy flux of
gire ships importing ramian, and exporting shirm-eh. It was about this time
that ramian entered Dobre, igniting the rage of the realm when they massacred
a population of 45 just north of Tlon (the largest Dobren city). Dobre
quickly mustered its coastal population, and with the assistance of Essajee,
created the famous Loo-raum, "Ramian-Killer" ships. The Dobrens made wave
after wave of assaults upon the Gire ships in Sychill Sea, and in the
northern waters of the Assydre Sea. In the ninth year of the war, the ramian
were no longer able to force their way in and out the Sychill peninsula. The
small island of Reet became their naval base, and was one of the last of
their strongholds to be disbanded by the Ardothians.

REET
At the invasion's end in the coming generation, ramian were driven back out
of Burdoth through the north. Reet was their last stronghold, and spelled
their final defeat. After losing the islands to the combined Lelligirian and
Ardothian fleets, the ramian retreated back to Voligire. Little was left of
Reet's original Lelligirian population by war's end. Those who lived here now
had thrown off all allegiance to Trosoe (now Lelligire). The people of Trosen
had been treated with the contempt and snobbery of the Trosoens for
centuries, and now, after being destroyed by the ramian, they had no feeling
left for their origins in Lusail. Had Trosoen (Lelligirian) assistance come
earlier, the massacre at Telmin would have been avoided. The new capital,
T'sulya, shared few bonds with Lelligire. Sydra would be her favored trading
partner.

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