Argonia lit.- The War Path

[KuKulzA]

The War Path
by Uduk-Jula
(OO-duk Joo-la)

Contents
1. The Introduction
2. The Arnesian War
3. Dunmer Tactics
4. Bitter Coast Argonians
5. Guerilla Warfare

[title]The Introduction[/title]
Throughtout history, as men and mer fought for supremacy, the native peoples of Tamriel were marginalized. the Imga ape-folk assimilated, the Khajit under the yoke of Imperials, the goblins and Orcs as well as ogres, centaurs, and trolls driven into the mountains. Only in the Black Marshes are betmer as elves call us able to survive without much interference. However as history has shown all of us, we betmer can fight. The Orcs of the old Orsinium we besieged for thirty years. The Redguards took many years to drive the goblins out of Hammerfell. The Khajits are resisting Imperial control as well speak. However, since us beast-folk, though not all derived from beasts, are marginalized, we are not populous enough to effectively engage in a long war of field combat, at least not likely. Therefore, this book will explain how we can spite our enemies. This is especially geared for Argonians.
[title]The Arnesian War[/title]
I, Uduk-Jula am a veteran of that old war. The Dunmer Great House Dres was increasing their slave-raids and terrorizing Argonian tribes. Some tribes wanted to move further into the Marsh, others wanted Cyrodiilics to help, and others wanted to wage war. A certain caravaner and trafficker of slaves, Roris the Dunmer, was caught by some Argonian Warriors and killed. As he was influential and well known this soon escalated into war. Several northern tribes and some clans of Naga and Paatru gathered to fight off the Dunmer.
I was made one of the four Warlords to wage war on the Great House Dres. However, we discovered that the Indoril folks and some Hlaalu folks had gathered to help the Dres. We needed a new tactic instead of field combat. We could not be fooled into fighting on their terms. So we gathered at the edges of the Marsh, which extends north in Dres lands. We used ambush, traps, and raids regularly to slow the Dunmer advances. However they outnumbered us and kept pushing forward. When they neared one of our caches, we would take all that we could and burn the rest, so they could not get the supplies, and when they took an area, we hid some guerillas to raid their supply lines. So even though their zeal kept them going, their supply lines grew longer and longer and the guerillas could sever them easily. For once, Paatru, Argonian, and Naga stood together to fight off the Dunmer.
However, we lost this war. It was a series of raids, counter-raids, guerilla warfare, and a few notable field battles, of which we Argonians only won one. The reasons why we lost are these. The Morag Tong killed two of the four Warlords, one Argonian, and one Paatru. Their bonemold armor, though lighter than normal heavy armors, was strong than ours and we often we unarmored, so when there came a field battle, we fell easily. Few of us have Kothringi bronze armor. Another factor was that as we fought, the tribes that supported us became weary. Captured warriors were made slaves, and as the Marshes could only support so much farming, the tribes that farmed needed their men back home to harvest. The Hunter tribes were running out of game as the animals were driven away by the fires and the warring. And so, the Argonian tribes retreated deeper into the jungle for their harvests, the Paatru left us and once again became our enemies, and the Naga became as ornery as ever.
[title]Dunmer Tactics[/title]
Five years after the War, I joined an Imperial Legion to see the land of Morrowind. I am glad to say that I earned an honor for having killed fifty Dunmer in one battle as a spearman. The Dunmer are many clans like us Argonians but are all of them gathered under five Great Houses. There used to be six and the Dwemer-folks. These five Houses are ruled by councils. They mostly worship the Tribunal Temple, ancestors, or Daedra. They are very zealous and brave. The best wariors are the Redoran House but they are far in the northwest. The Hlaalu are not as good warriors as any of the Houses but are rich and hire mercenaries. The Dres, whom we have fought for a long time, are good warriors and have a warrior caste. The Indoril were the most powerful at one time and they have very good warriors with metal armor, but not as many and not as brave as Redoran. The strange Telvanni in the northeast are fewer but very powerful and use magic, they fight like us with ambushes and traps against larger armies. And then there are Ashlanders. They are most like us byt most of them live in desert. They hate outlanders and wish they could drive them all away. They live as nomads and herd guar lizards. They have netch leather and chitin but know their land and are very brave.
The Dunmer like soften their enemy with raids and ambushes, then engage in field combat when having the upper-hand. They prefer to fight with their clans and so combined armies normally have regiments of different clans. They have somethign called a Hortator. These people lead with example. The Dunmer emphasize the individual warrior and his bravery. The Imperials emphasize the condition of the formation. We emphasize teamwork in our guerilla warfare. All very different ways of fighting. The Dunmer are proud, and you can easily lure them into traps when on your own territory.
[title]Bitter Coast Argonians[/title]
In Morrowind, land of Dunmer, there is a good place called the Bitter Coast. Here I found several Argonian tribes, on the mainland, and on Vvardenfell island. Most are fisher-folk but there are two that are not. One is Legio Argonis, an Argonian Imperial Legion, and the other is a group of guerillas led by Eleedal-Lei, a freed slave. As slavery is abolished, many slaves who do not want to be bound to their land as serfs run off to join other betmer. Orcs go to Valenvaryon, nicknamed "Orsinium of the East". Argonians go to the Bitter Coast. There is a sense of affiliation between these outlaws and freed slaves and the orcs, goblins (remnants of Helseth's army), khajits, and argonians are beginning to form a league. I would encourage these Betmer to join the traditionalists. The revolutionaries, Helseth and Imperials, Hlaalu and Dres, are not to be trusted. Many of the freed slaves go right back to the land as serfs because they are dependant on the land for food. The Indoril, Redoran, and Telvanni keep few slaves and need hirelings tht can fight Nords and Dunmer. Also, the Redoran, the Ashlanders, and the Telvanni can fight the hit-and-run war we can.
[title]Guerilla Warfare[/title]
Here it is. Guerilla warfare, the little war, this is how we can fight our enemies in small ways with big results.

The enemy comes, we leave. The enemy stops, we harass. The enemy is tired, we attack. The enemy leaves, we go.

What you need before beginning your guerilla war is:
1. a population of supporters
2. solid beliefs shared by all the warriors
3. thorough knowledge of the land
The supportive population can help get you food, can help hide your warriors, and can even join your cause. You must treat the common people with respect, give back anything you ask for, and help them with their land or hunt their game. When they trust you, they are your friends. If your warriors are not all solid in their beliefs, they can defect easier. If they believe the enemy is bad and needs to be repulsed, if they believe in you leadership, you have a chance. And if your forces have a solid knowledge of the land, you can hide caches, arrange ambushed, outmanuever the enemy, or trap them.
As you gain victories and more popular support, your forces will gain in size. You will need to split them up into smaller guerilla bands. However once the enemy is in a bad way and significantly smaller than before and worn down, you should amass all the guerillas, ready them for field combat. Then decisively end the enemy once and for all, even if it takes waves of forces to storm their encampment. If you are driven back, run, hide in the land, and await an oppotunity. Be the Hackwing that hit the enemy and bleeds it until it is ready to be killed and eaten, or better, eaten alive.

---

[/hr]
When confronted by a House Dres delegate about inevitable war with the Black Marsh, Im-Kalaya, ambassador of the Argonian Mission in Ebonheart, cooly replied:
"If you want to, go ahead and fight in the jungles of Argonia, you did once before, and even though you won, you lost half of your armies and we lost one out of ten warriors. The Imperials have been trying to control us since the First Era but they couldn't, maybe you will do better, but you will have to quit in the end"
When confronted by an Imperial legion general about inherent problems of the Black Marsh and the invincibility of the Legions, Ambassador Tsleeixth replied:
"Yes, we use Wooden spears and sharktooth arrows, we use canoes and live in huts, we don't know better. But I wonder, why haven't you Imperials been able to conquer us savages in loincloths?Apparently your Legions aren't so invincible afterall, huh?"
As Decumus Scotti, Imperial Commission clerk once said after his adventure in Argonia:
"I have no idea why the Empire would even consider taking Argonia, the folks there live happily as is, and if you try to invade, you will either get stuck in mud, eaten by bugs, infected by disease, or if you're lucky, get skewered by an Argonian or Naga or something. Leaving them alone is the best way."

[SwedishFish]

Interesting...where did you find it?

[KuKulzA]

I wrote it!

[SwedishFish]

Not bad, is Uduk-Jula a argonian?

[KuKulzA]

Uduk-Jula is an Argonian... lizardman...
to be politically correct, any human tribe, or any creatures like Sarpa or Paatru or Naga or also Argonians
yeah... I mentioned Naga and Paatru.....
Naga are slamanderish/snakeish/reptilian type sentient creatures
Paatru are like toad-folks... not much is known about them, but they are savage

[Eon-Nin]

Eh, don't feel like reading that. But I don't really think that theArgonians wage war like that. Especially the Naga.
And your Argonian name doesn't seem right, it should be like 'Licks-the-Ground' or 'Jumps-the-Fire' or something like that.

[KuKulzA]

I hope you guys read before critiquing, I don't mind criticism, I just hate when people don't read and criticize

1. they don't wage war like that? guerilla warfare, luring, traps etc. is not their type of war? didn't your read in my thing that they lost all but one field battle? (you didn't read it anyways)
2. the naga were raiders and highwaymen before the Imperials began leaving, then they began going back to their inner swamps... please, they would fight with Argonians if they knew their lands were gonna be invaded.... they are willing to attack caravans peacefully traveling through their lands, they wouldn't hesitate to attack armies that are trying to destroy their land- Dunmer armies
3. Argonians names that have been translated are like that, like Hides-His-Eyes in Argonian is Haj-Ei or something... Im-Kilaya isn't translated but it is Argonian

lastly I would like to say that this is written by a veteran who has fought in the arnesian war, he has also been in the Imperial Legion and fought in Morrowind... he has Imperial ideas in his head as well as the clannish ideas of his heritage....

[SwedishFish]

Don't worry about Eon. He did not read it. It does make sense. I could never see Argonians lined up in lines fighting like the civil war or something. Its not their nature.

[KuKulzA]

yeah, they aren't trained for "conventional warfare"... how do you line up in a big jungle/swamp land? its not easy, field combat can only occur in some places...
but the Dunmer have gotten relatively good at guerilla warfare in their own lands as well... but the Indoril and Hlaalu are probably more used to field combat, whereas Redoran, Telvanni, and Dres, whom endure more war have more experience with harsh terrain....

I got ideas from researching Argonians, Dunmer, as well as Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Native American guerilla tactics....

[Deeza]

I have edited this book and put it into the CS.