The Refuse War

If'n yer offered a quote too good ta be true, ya don't want ta be tha one payin' when it comes due. If'n ya learn nuthin else, learn from tha mistakes of Freeport.
— Small business owner to apprentice
  The Refuse War was an aggressive interplanar one-day war between the plane of Jannada and the once-thriving city of Freeport. The war could have been entirely avoided had Freeport performed their due diligence prior to awarding their trash collection contract to Grungnat's Garbage Disposal.

The Conflict

Prelude

Freeport

Grungnat's Garbage Disposal was a small, twelve person business advertising as an environmentally friendly disposal service. Co-owned by the confident mage Grungnat and the charismatic business-goblin Bob, Grungnat's slowly won small disposal contracts throughout the city states of the Andisol Valley. Their cut-rate prices caught the attention of the city of Freeport, landing them an enviable exclusive arrangement with the bustling city for their garbage collection and disposal.   Grungnat insisted their small disposal service could effectively perform their contractual duties without hiring any additional employees due to new magical processes he had developed for the sorting and eventual disposal of the refuse, assuring his business partner they would make a mint as a result of the additional cost savings. What he failed to share was this process merely involved utilizing his mastery of Portal Travel to transport the refuse to a different plane upon collection.  

Jannada

The people of Jannada are a prideful people with a strong cultural appreciation for their natural spaces. Their settlements are built to accentuate the local natural beauty and their society prioritizes maintaining a small footprint upon their surroundings.   They were naturally deeply offended as a people when the garbage began falling from the sky, banding together to identify the cause and enact a solution as quickly as possible.

Deployment

Before the seasons changed the mages of Jannada were able to locate Freeport as the origin for most of the trash raining down upon their plane. They quickly assembled the majority of their warriors for a multi-pronged assault, surrounding Freeport on three sides within the first minutes of the attack and leaving the port along the Blackguard Ocean as the only route of escape. Many citizens of the city were fortunately able to escape in the resulting panic after the beginning of the attack, families separated in the chaos, most personal belongings left behind to face the fury from Jannada. Freeport's own elite defenses were disorganized and frantic by comparison.

Battlefield

Freeport itself became the main battlefield, its Battle Mages unable to repel the relentless assault from Jannada's overwhelming forces. Antimagic fields and protective shields cast to defend the city were quickly overwhelmed by the sheer fury of the attack.

Conditions

The weather began overcast the morning of the assault, with fog rolling in from the Blackguard Ocean. If not for the low visibility the city may have had a chance to rally their defense before the attack began. Ultimately the weather worked in favor of the besieged city, however, as the lack of visibility allowed the docked ships of the port to slip out to sea unmolested, overloaded with panicking civilians. Without the fog Freeport's list of casualties would have been much higher.

The Engagement

Freeport was quickly overrun, its defenders stalling the attacks long enough for all ships to leave port before surrendering to Jannada's forces. Upon discovery of Grungnat's Garbage Disposal's illegal dumping the officials of Freeport agreed to assist the Jannada in bringing the true culprits to justice. Grungnat was quickly apprehended by a joint task force of Freeport and Jannada forces, and the remainder of the Disposal Service pressed to repair the damage done to Jannada or face the same fate as their founder.

Aftermath

Freeport

The city of Freeport was decimated by the sudden and brutal attack. Once a thriving seaport to rival Avorae, Freeport is now a city of ruins slowly laboring to reinvent itself. Most refugees from the attack chose to settle elsewhere in the wake of the assault, forging new homes near the ports where they first found refuge after their frantic escape escape.  

Grungnat's Garbage Disposal

Grungnat himself is serving his sentence in Jannada for crimes against nature. Bob continues to attempt to hold together the pieces of the business while laboring to repair the damage done to Jannada. The company was even rebranded to Honest Bob's Cleaning Jobs after losing all existing contracts once news about Freeport spread, but even this failed to rebuild the trust lost in the aftermath of the Refuse War.  

Jannada

The damage to Jannada's formerly unspoiled vistas was extensive and devastating but with the combined efforts of its inhabitants and the remainder of Grungnat's Garbage Disposal, coupled with the tenacity of nature, it has slowly been returning to its former state of pristine glory. Tales are still told to the youth of Jannada about the days when trash fell from the sky, and the one day war that brought the offenders to their knees.
Conflict Type
War
Battlefield Type
Land
Start Date
5722
Ending Date
5722
Conflict Result
Once the cause of the invasion was discovered, Freeport sued for peace by forcing Grungnat's Disposal Services to undo the damage for no charge, and turning over Grungnat himself to face justice in Jannada.
Location

Belligerents

Jannada

Led by

Strength

75,000 well-trained soldiers

Casualties

minimal

Objectives

The inhabitants of Jannada sought to rid their home of the endless refuse dumped through portals onto their cities and treasured natural spaces.
Freeport

Led by

Strength

12,000 defenders consisting of Battle Mages, City Guard, and self-armed volunteers.

Casualties

Approximately half of the defenders were lost, as well as an estimates 40,000 civilians and most of the infrastructure of the city.

Objectives

The city of Freeport sought their own survival in the face of invasion from a foreign plane.
Grungnat's Garbage Disposal

Led by

Strength

12

Casualties

Grungnat was captured to face punishment for his crimes, leaving his partner Bob to fulfill Freeport's requirement for Grungnat's to undo the damage done to Jannada.

Objectives

Grungnat's Garbage Disposal wished to save their business and garbage disposal contracts.


Cover image: Nature Forest Trees by jplenio

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