The Wolfman War

Five Years that Changed History

The Wolfman War, as it has come to be known, is probably the single most important event in Keese's short history. Its effects have been profound and far reaching, influencing the very foundations of the town's society.

It began, in the way most wars begin, with humans invading territory they had no right to.

Invasion

The wolfmen had lived in the Larcax Forest for countless generations. Although they could not be described as a peace-loving race, they co-existed with the orcs and other inhabitants of the forest harmoniously enough. They fought amongst themselves, they occasionally squabbled with the other races over territory, but all in all things were stable.

But then the humans came.

The reasons for building Keese were myriad, and its location was the best one in the eyes of the settlers. Of course, the primary motive behind it was to provide a base for the domination of the Larcax Forest by humanity. Once Keese had been built, and the humans started moving in, it was only a matter of time.

Even after Keese was built, it was many years until the human's even became aware of the wolfmen's existance. Orcs are not subtle creatures, and their existance was well documented, but the wolfmen were previously unknown. It was only when the human encroachment into wolfman territory became sufficiently serious for them take aggressive action that their existance was announced.

Most historians agree that it was the building of Fort Deltane that united the normally disparate clans against the humans. They began a campaign of geurilla warfare, attacking any adventurers and travellers they encountered, terrorising the small villages and hamlets that dotted the forest like mushrooms. The attacks were certainly noticed, and many of the humans were surprised to discover a new race in their midst, but the whole point of Keese was to face and conquer the dangers of the forest.

The wolfmen were added to the bestiary, and treated as just another threat. The wolfmen continued their efforts for a year or two before the war really began.

The Fall of Deltane

In an effort that combined all the seperate wolfman clans, they mounted a highly co-ordinated attack on Fort Deltane. The defenders were totally unprepared for such an organised military offensive, and were slaughtered by the hundreds. The soldiers stationed at Fort Deltane were among the toughest in the Barony, but only a few dozen survived to flee to Keese and tell the tale. Fort Deltane fell within hours.

Amazingly, despite this overt act of war, the authorities of Keese did not recognize the wolfmen as the threat that they were. They handed all responsibility for dealing with the wolfmen over to the Adventurers' Guild.

It is a widly held belief that the politicians did not believe that the adventurers would succeed, and that they hoped to step in at the last minute and save the day, thus reaping enormous credit and public support at the cost of the adventurers (who were gaining power despite all their efforts). As we shall see, this gambit back-fired explosively.

The Adventurer's Guild held a necessary role in Keese, if not a vital one. In a town where hired thuggery was one of the largest portions of the economy, a body was needed to regulate it and maintain a semblance of control. Yet it was not a respected guild, and none of the other guilds were ever likely to volunteer support for them unless it served their own interests.

The adventurers were on their own. A number of rangers and a few isolated mages co-operated for their own reasons, but the guilds they represented were unwilling to officially assist.

So the war began.

For over three years the wolfmen systematically destroyed the smaller human settlements in the forest, driving the farmers and peasants back to Keese. All this time, the adventurers sent out scouts and mounted attacks, but their efforts were no more than the geurilla tactics the wolfmen had earlier tried and dismissed. The wolfman forces crept ever closer to the source of their anger - to Keese.

Over the three months of winter, the wolfmen amassed their forces around the city. Only now, with an army numbering thousands almost within sight of the city walls, did the council act. In the last month of winter, they gave their full support to the efforts of the Adventurers' Guild, and urged all the other guilds to provide every assistance they could.

Not an instant too soon, the humans finally had an army. On the day of the first thaw of spring, the wolfmen attacked.

The Battle of Keese

The Battle of Keese is the largest military engagement in recent human history, and the firepower unleashed against the attackers is unlikely to be equalled for many years hence. The battle did not last long, a day and a night, but the ferocity of the fighting will be spoken of in legends for centuries. The wolfmen had the advantage of numbers and planning, and were man-for-man far superior to the humans in strength and aptitude. The humans had the defenses of the city on their side, and the power of magic.

The sight of a concerted, organised magical attack is terrifying to behold. To this day, the land immediately surrounding Keese is scarred by innumerable balls of flame and bolts of lightning. After an intense barrage, the wolfmen were confused and demoralised, and their numbers had shrunk radically. Now the fighters came out and took up the fight. Although the casualties were great on both sides, the wolfmen were eventually driven into retreat and fled scattered back into the forest.

The Council immediately began to declare the war won, and to take full credit for it. However, with the truth of the matter so obvious even to the layman, and with such influential parties as the Churches and the Mages' Guild now backing the adventurers, they quickly lost the confidence of the populace. The influence of the Council began to wane.

Meanwhile, the wolfmen continued to be driven back, away from Keese. With the humans now more united, they made the progress that before was impossible. Even so, it was another eighteen months until they were driven back as far as the Fort where the war had started. In the second Battle of Fort Deltane, the wolfmen were defeated and the five-year war was won.

Aftermath

The war is still very fresh in peoples minds in Keese. Wolfmen are feared and hated, and if the two races meet in the forest, no mercy is ever shown. Confidence in the council was irreparably shaken, and only partially restored when almost all the old members were ousted to be replaced by some of the heroes of the war. The head of the Council is now the former head of the Adventurers' Guild, the leaders of the two main Churches are now ex-adventurers, as is the head of the Mages' Guild.

The Adventurers' Guild now dominates Keese politics, the whole society is based around adventuring. The Mages' Guild research combat magic, the Craftsmens' Guild make armour and train Healers, the Merchants' Guild trade in weaponry and supplies. Even the Churches are being affected, with a new church devoted to Yorcas, God of War, being erected and the Church of Elna slowly losing its influence.

Keese was a rough place before, but now it is a city based entirely around the ideals of violence. Nothing comes for free, everything has a price and often its not the one you think you've paid. Fights are the normal way of settling differences, and duels to the death are relatively common (although the Church of Yorcas is trying to get its alternative, non-fatal dueling system to be accepted, with some measure of success).

Shady characters strike shady deals. Business and politics (which are becoming increasingly indistinct) are conducted by the process of backstabbing (both metaphorical and literal). Mysterious strangers are becoming so common, a new word needs to be invented. Rumours of fantastical treasures and horrific monsters are treated as just another day at the office for the people responsible for investigating them.

All in all, unless you have something to offer, and something to prevent it being taken from you, Keese has now become a threatening place indeed.