Purification ov Normandie
|
This article or section is a work in progress. The information below may be incomplete, outdated, or subject to change. |
| Purification of Normandie | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 A photo of Offensive of Karum |
|||||||
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Order of the Holy Lakes
|  |
||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Theodoric van Orton Kamil Karaçamyıldızı Felipe Lamar Ludovi Tracey | Svafar Kveldulfsson Hælæif Kaupmannsson Athils Valisson |
||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
 Hurmu Fyrð (since 1744)
| 
|
||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 45,315 | ≈ 32,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1,177 killed | 5,435 killed 14,321 captured |
||||||
The Purification of Normandie was a military conflict fought between the Normandie Revolt Army and the Keltia Restoration Movement (KRM) on the northwestern tip of the Keltia continent on the planet Micras. The war was characterized by its use of modern military tactics, urban warfare, and combined arms operations in a densely populated and rugged terrain. It resulted in a temporary resurgence of Normandian ortonist control over key regional centers but ultimately ended in a fragile stalemate.
Following decades of political fragmentation and Vanic influence in northwestern Keltia, a resurgence of Normandic identity and nationalist sentiment coalesced into the Keltia Restoration Movement — a coalition of paramilitaries, tribal militias, and Vanic Haraldists seeking to reestablish a sovereign Keltiam polity. Meanwhile, the Duchy of Normandie, long considered a remnant of duchy expansion in the region, found itself increasingly isolated and viewed as a puppet state by local populations. However, this force proved these rumors wrong by getting the Order of the Holy Lakes behind it. The Normandie Revolt Army destroyed all communication links of the Vanic lobby that was working against them.
By early 1744 AN, intelligence reports indicated that the KRM had begun arming heavily, with outside support suspected from unknown actors in northern Keltia. Tensions escalated until open hostilities erupted in Quimper, marking the beginning of the war.
History
Phase I: The Quimper-Bethencourt Offensive (1744, Spring–Summer)
By the spring of the second year after the collapse of the Lysstyrer control, the western provinces, Quimper and Béthencourt had become festering grounds of unrest. The Keltia Restoration Movement (KRM), a radical paramilitary organization steeped in Vanic and anti-Hurmudan rhetoric, had entrenched itself deep within the urban and rural folds of Normandie’s western frontier.
For Theodoric van Orton, self-declared High Warden of Normandie and leader of the Normandie Revolt Army (NRA) in 1744, the prolonged presence of the KRM in Quimper and Béthencourt was not just a military nuisance, it was a spiritual blight. Ortom, ever the ideologue, proclaimed a "cleansing offensive to restore providence and order to the soil of our ancestors." The plan was codenamed "Operation Fenrir Eclipse"—a nod to the old Norse mythos Ortom’s circle had embraced in their propaganda.
The assault on Quimper began at dawn on the 2nd of June. The NRA’s 7th Mechanized Vanguard Division, supported by the 3rd Reconnaissance Drone Battalion and the 14th Precision Artillery Regiment, launched a rapid three-pronged offensive on the city’s eastern and northern districts.
NRA forces deployed composite mechanized spearheads, Leclerc-class tanks supported by infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), often equipped with ECM (electronic countermeasure) pods to neutralize KRM's signal jammers. Drone swarms provided real-time visuals of enemy troop movements, relaying data to forward fire controllers directing 155mm guided munitions on key KRM barricades.
Within five days, the KRM’s defensive network composed of sandbagged intersections, overturned buses, and sniper nests—was systematically neutralized. Dozens of KRM cells retreated westward toward the hills of Koad ar Vurzhud village.
Quimper was declared "secured but unstable" by the NRA’s central command on June 10. Civilian displacement, however, surged—over 40,000 people fled into the countryside during the brief but intense shelling campaigns. Theodoric van Ortom, in a broadcast to the nation, called this victory “a divine re-sanctification of tainted soil.” Unlike Quimper, Béthencourt would not fall so easily. The KRM had transformed the city into a labyrinth of resistance.
Beneath its medieval cobblestone streets and crumbling Gothic churches, the KRM had dug extensive tunnel systems—some repurposed from old smuggler routes, others carved out anew by conscripted labor. These passages were booby-trapped with IEDs made from fertilizer, scrap iron, and scavenged electronics. Surveillance drones often failed to map these underground routes due to signal jamming and physical obstruction. Urban combat began in mid-June and dragged into early September. The NRA deployed its elite Night Reaper Brigades, trained in subterranean and counter-insurgency warfare. These units, often masked and clad in reactive armor, fought brutal close-quarter battles in sewage tunnels and half-collapsed subways.
Above ground, rotary-wing squadrons—including the Falconfire AH-72 attack helicopters swept through Béthencourt's skyline with impunity. Their support was crucial in eliminating rooftop RPG teams and providing overwatch for advancing infantry. To deny the KRM escape routes, the NRA detonated controlled collapses of sewer junctions, using seismic sensors to predict tunnel locations. They also introduced sonic disorientation devices—low-frequency sound pulses that disrupted communication and caused psychological stress among insurgents in confined underground zones.
By late summer, NRA forces had successfully divided Béthencourt into controlled sectors. The KRM, under pressure, resorted to martyrdom tactics: suicide bombers, vehicular rams, and incendiary traps. Civilian casualties increased significantly, forcing the NRA to implement "Cleansed Zone Protocols"—forcible evacuation, martial law, and the internment of suspected collaborators in Camp St. Vahiel on the outskirts of Quimper. The KRM's central command, led by the enigmatic figure known only as “Arzhur the Pale”, attempted a final stand in the ruins of the Béthencourt Cathedral. A desperate last radio transmission proclaimed:
“We do not die. We awaken beneath the earth.” It was silenced by a direct artillery strike. By September 27, the NRA declared full territorial control over both provinces. Though pockets of KRM sympathizers remained, the organization had fractured into rural guerrilla cells, no longer capable of mounting conventional operations.
Phase II:Rohan-Falaise Gothic Line (Autumn 1744 - Winter 1744)
Following a series of successful operations in the early stages of Purification of Normandie, the Normandie Revolt Army (NRA) launched an ambitious campaign, known as Operation Iron Reclaim, aimed at recapturing the historic cities of Rohan and Falaise. These cities were symbolic strongholds of the Keltia Restoration Movement (KRM) and were considered pivotal centers of Vanic cultural and political resistance. Rohan, with its medieval architecture and narrow alleys, had long been a sanctuary for dissidents and guerrilla fighters. Falaise, a more modern urban center, was heavily fortified and served as a logistical hub for the KRM’s operations in the region.
The NRA, confident after previous victories, sought to capitalize on their momentum to deal a decisive blow to the KRM. However, the KRM had significantly improved their military capabilities through the acquisition of modern weaponry, including anti-armor rockets and man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), as well as enhanced communication networks that allowed for rapid and secure coordination. The KRM employed a mixture of conventional and asymmetric warfare tactics designed to counter the superior numbers and equipment of the NRA forces. Psychological operations played a crucial role, targeting the morale and command structure of NIA troops.
The battle commenced in harsh winter conditions, turning Rohan into a grim urban battlefield. The KRM utilized extensive urban barricades, converted buildings into fortified strongpoints, and made effective use of sniper teams positioned in strategic locations such as rooftops and bell towers. An extensive network of tunnels and underground passages facilitated swift and unpredictable KRM troop movements. KRM’s psychological warfare included disinformation campaigns, audio deception techniques, and targeted propaganda to disrupt NRA communications and morale. Reports of hallucinations and widespread panic among NRA troops were documented, contributing to a breakdown in discipline and effectiveness. Despite repeated attempts, NIA forces were unable to secure significant footholds in the city, suffering heavy casualties and stalled advances.
Following the stalemate at Rohan, NRA forces turned their focus to Falaise, initiating multiple frontal assaults over a period of three weeks. The city was defended by well-organized KRM mechanized units and irregular militias familiar with urban combat and the terrain. NRA supply lines became increasingly vulnerable to KRM guerilla raids, which targeted fuel and ammunition convoys crucial for sustaining the offensive. The disruption of logistics culminated in a critical sabotage operation by KRM deep-operations teams, severely damaging a vital fuel depot and rendering NIA armored vehicles immobile. With diminishing supplies and mounting casualties, the NIA command ordered a full withdrawal from Falaise. This retreat marked the end of the first major counteroffensive by Normandie and dealt a severe blow to their strategic objectives. The failure of the Rohan-Falaise operation shifted the momentum of the conflict in favor of the KRM. International observers began to recognize the Keltic resistance as a formidable insurgent force rather than a mere guerrilla movement. Within Normandie, political and military leadership faced scrutiny for the failure, leading to the dismissal and reassignment of several high-ranking commanders. The morale of NIA troops deteriorated, and confidence in the campaign waned. For the KRM and the Keltic people, the battles of Rohan and Falaise became powerful symbols of resistance and national identity. The cities bore heavy civilian casualties and infrastructural damage, yet the sacrifices were framed as essential to the struggle for sovereignty.
Phase III:Fall ov Karum (Winter 1745-Spring 1745)
The Fall ov Karum was a rapid five-day military campaign in the winter of 1745 AN, conducted by the forces of East and North Normandie (EANN) and their allies, the Norman Brothers, against the Republic of Karum. The operation led to the total collapse of Karum’s political and military structure and marked a significant shift in regional power dynamics.
Following the Normandie-KLM War of 1745 AN, the Keltia Restoration Movement (KLM) transitioned into a formal state structure and renamed itself East and North Normandie (EANN). Under a Neo-Vanic ideological framework, EANN began a campaign of expansion and consolidation. During this time, a splinter faction known as the Norman Brothers broke away from the KLM but continued to cooperate with EANN, launching military raids into Karum. Their goal was to dismantle Karum’s independence and integrate the region into the Vanic order.
Under the command of Athils Valisson, EANN forces and Norman Brothers jointly breached Karum’s northern frontier. Facing minimal resistance, the border defenses quickly fell. Karum’s rural northern regions were targeted next. With only local gendarmerie forces available for defense, EANN easily occupied the villages without major conflict. To stop the rapid collapse, the Normandie Revolt Army (NRA) integrated with the Hurmu Fyrd. Hurmu Fyrd and the elite Nordstorm division attempted an airdrop into Karum, but the lack of suitable airstrips allowed for only a limited deployment via hard landings. EANN troops advanced across the Hexarchy border, capturing Ankuwa and the capital Nerik without encountering significant organized resistance. Karum’s central government ceased to function.
One of Karum’s key commanders, Kamil Karaçamyıldızı, was forced to abandon the capital. Attempts to retreat into Hexarchy territory failed. A remnant force based in the Green Region launched a counterattack on Nerik but was ultimately repelled.
