Ivory Ward Campaign

The Ivory Ward Campaign was the first major conflict of the Black Tide War (1465 - 1486). In one of the boldest maneuvers of the war, Admiral Bloodtusk risked the entire fleet on the siege of Salandirik, a city owned by Midrêth's greatest naval power.

In the ensuing conflict, Bloodtusk had three things on his side, the first that the Horn Tusk Conflict (1023 - 1467) kept Ivory Asylum tied up with watching its rival, the navy of the Ba'lith Empire, and the Buccaneer's hyenas, pirates of fame and those looking to be known. In 1465, all of this left Salandirik vulnerable to a northern approach.

The second part of Bloodtusk's strategy was a Maleraunt guerrilla force, a people treated poorly because of their often brutal and dark nature, and eager to settle old scores with their Ivory Asylum colonialist overlords.

The last feather in the undead admiral's cap was a death fleet that could screen itself in a squall or thicken a fog. On 1 Brightstar 1465, by the time the alarm was sounded, Bloodtusk's Armada of the Damned was carving its way through the defending fleet. Masters at close quarters, the death ships overwhelmed their prey from each side, a wave of recently raised sailors followed by older and hardened undead, survivors of many battles, and then the Masters.

With the coasts and isles swarming with pirates joining in the hunt, relief became very difficult. Preyed upon on the flanks by pirates and Ba'lith, Ivory Asylum had to let her colonies hold out as long as they could. Civil unrest, guerrilla forces cutting off relief, polluted water supplies and famine ended the siege of Salandirik in the waning hours of 1465. The sacking of Salandirik was so bad that it took ten years to rebuild and a lot of outside money. The Paradomea Syndicate, always on top of these things, became a major supplier in the rebuilding of the city.

On 19 Witchrite 1467, the colonial city of Ivory Ward fell to Admiral Bloodtusk and his Bloodtusk Regime.