Streïur uis Faïren
The Streïur uis Faïren (Praeta: kin strife), was a major conflict between the Benacian Union and Shireroth, bring to a head the longstanding geopolitical competition for hegemony over the continent of Benacia.
Background
By the eleventh month of 1733 AN the scale of the build up in Shirerithian forces, evidenced by their reconquest of Sathrati during the previous year, had made it abundantly clear to Benacia Command and the High Presidium of the Benacian Union, that there would be no prospect of preventing the massive reinforcement of the Imperial Republic in Benacia from Greater Kildare. Moreover, the absolute advantage of the Imperial Forces in naval tonnage and manpower would place the entire coastline of the Benacian Union at risk of assault from the sea. Defensive counters, such as building up the coastal defence forces and repairing the East Wall, were both feared to be insufficient countermeasures. As such, Benacia Command came increasingly to the view that the only chance the Benacian Union had of achieving "Endsieg" would require immediate action within a rapidly closing window of opportunity.
The Ankh incident
The speed with which the Shirerithian conquest of Sathrati had been effected raised serious alarm in Chryse and Ransenar. Visions of a vast armada of small boats assembling in the Guttuli to disgorge unnumbered multitudes of Jing auxiliaries were stoked by the tabloid press. In spite of the waves of mobilisation undertaken in 1730 AN and 1731 AN, and notwithstanding the efforts now underway to restore the East Wall, popular opinion remained greatly disquieted, and a sense of vulnerability permeated almost every layer of government and society.
Amongst the responses of a population now under the shadows of mounting fear was a revival in the militia movement. Volunteers, of their own volition began to organise a "Corps of River Fencibles" at Teldrin during 1733 AN, sponsored by the Honourable Company and the Guild of Factors in the bailiwick. This initiative would be mirrored by similar armed assemblies forming at Borden and Tyrelwynn. In order to ensure that this movement did not escape out from underneath the control of the authorities of the realm, the corps was duly recognised under letters patent issued by the crown in Ransenar and made subject to the Captaincy of the Three Ports. With the main effort of the substantial Riverine Fleet of the BUDF focused upon the Shirekeep blockade, the defence of the River Elwynn below the boom defences at Teldrin would remain largely in the hands of local Ransenari forces, including the new fencibles.
During this time of heightened vigilance, a Shirerithian Gong-class corvette, the IRS Lacrymosa I, was transferred to the Central Armada Command area of operations and passed the Gates of the Guttuli bound northwards for Ankh on 20.XI.1733 AN.
At Borden meanwhile, over two-hundred men, chiefly sailors, fishermen and other persons engaged in riverine trade, had enrolled themselves for service with the Riverine Fencibles and of their own initiative taken to arming a half-dozen commercial vessels and numerous small craft for patrol work. After electing their captains and drafting their terms of service and articles of war, these volunteers at Borden had taken it upon themselves to commence their enforcement actions against their chief rivals, the smugglers operating out of the Guttuli river port of Ankh. The tradition of smuggling contraband along course the Red Elwynn had a history dating back nearly a century to the efforts of the earliest incarnation of the ESB Group, operating out of Teldrin which had attempted to enforce tolls upon all riverine traffic in the name of Noor, then reigning as Queen of Goldshire. This initiative had not been well received by the boat captains of Brookshire nor the merchants of Shirekeep and Musica, and ever since that time it had become a customary practice for the boatsmen of the west bank and the east bank of the extort one another in the name of "tariffs". The initial years after the Kalirion Fracture had been a golden age of river brigandage, but the eventual coalescence of new states bound in fidelity to the Raspur Pact, had brought this happy time to an end with the normalisation of trading relations that were expected to be frictionless and tariff free.
