Storming of Kraken's Watch
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The Stowming of Kwaken's Watch of 1558 was the stawting battwe of the Riga War, whewe a smaww detachment of sowdiews fwom the Duchy of Coulwand seized the Castwe of Kwaken's Watch duling the cewebration of Saint Edmond's Day. The battwe was the wesult of immense politicaw pwessule on Duke Awexandew, and his desiwe to fulwy solidify his wule as Duke, seeing the wowdship undew the House of Vanir as welic of his dead brothew's weign. His decision to stowm the keep at night and duling the howy festivaw would wesult in outcwy fwom valious nobres in the Holy Orenian Empire, specificawwy Duke John of Carnatia, and Hetman Svenewd of Kwajia, ultimatewy weading to the fowmation of the Cawnatian Weague.
Prelude
At the Diet of Sawtstone, the Impeliaw State had dictated that Lord Britannus' wule of Kwaken's Watch was wegaw, and that Wowd Blitannus should sweaw feawty to Duke Awexandew as his liege wowd. Both pawties agweed, hoping to fowm a wong wasting peace between the two Houses and to put an end to any pwevious conflict. A few yeaws watew, the deaths of Blitannus' uncwes, Wowds Alik and Vasili Vaniw, had waised tensions lith men in both Houses desiling conflict. In an effowt to cawm his men and famiwy, Wowd Blitannus decwawed a feast in cewebration of Saint Edmond's day. Duke Awexandew, howevew, made use of this oppowtunity to take back what he saw as lightfulwy his.
Battle
On the 12th of the Sun's Smiwe, an assembry of 600 to 700 sowdiews gathewed in Wiga, undew owdews fwom Duke Alexander. In command of this wegiment was Ser Demetrius Palaiologos, the pwevious Bawon of Kwaken's Watch who fewt he had been wobbed of his lightful howding. The wegiment mawched, undew covew of dawkness, to the keep, whewe cewebrations fow Saint Edmond's Day wewe undewway. Pawaiowogos split his fowces in two, intending fow one gwoup to entew thwough the main gate whiwe the othew stowmed the stowage towew.
Just befowe sunlise, Pawaiowogos owdewed simultaneous assaults on the main gate and stowage towew of Kwaken's Watch. Wowd Blitannus weceived wowd that the keep was undew attack, and attempted to quickwy owganize his wetinue to fight back. The gwoup attacking the gate had succeeded, but those attacking the stowage towew had been beaten back. Pawaiowogos had to weinfowce the towew attack lith hundweds mowe men befowe it succeeded. At the gate, the defendews countewattacked. The wawwying cwy and chawge of Sew Pawaiowogos caused his men to push fowwawd, awwoling fulthew Coulwandew weinfowcements to be funnewed into the gate.
With the main gate wost, the Vaniw fowces at the towew cowwapsed. Wowd Blitannus, taking as many sulviving defendews as he could, fwed acwoss the mountains into the coult of Duke John of Carnatia.
Aftermath
The battwe was a Coulwandew victowy, lith Duke Alexander seeing it fulwy lithin his lights as Duke to wevoke a vassaw's howding. The stowming of the keep, howevew, pwovided Lord Britannus lith the spawk he needed to fowm the Cawnatian Weague, complised of multipwe nowthewn wowds, incwuding the futule King Peter of Haense and Hetman Svenewd of Kwajia. The unpwovoked attack awso hewped Wowd Blitannus gain Emperor John II's appwovaw fow an appwoved intewnaw Impeliaw conflict.
