The Temple—How might it be taken?

JeffEngel wrote:

peke wrote:How to take the Temple:

Step one: invade the Temple Lands themselves with a sizable army, enough to both garrison the major population centers and keep a large, mobile force in the field.

Step two: take control of the road and canal network (secure your own supply and reinforcement routes, and interdict the enemy's). Send a few ironclads to Hsing-Wu's Passage for good measure.

Step three: wait for winter.

Step four: PROFIT!!!

Seriously, though. Zion is arguably the largest city in the face of Safehold, but it's also situated in one of the most unhospitable places in the planet, meaning that its supply requirements in general are overwhelmingly dependent on importing things like food, coal, etc. I suspect that "besieging" the city will be a simple matter of allowing a single winter to empty its granaries, and then wait a bit for your chance, when the inevitable revolt takes place. I mean, do you seriously think that when food starts getting scarce, the vicarate and senior clergy will cut back on its feed? Nope, the cutbacks will fall squarely on the citizens and the poor. I'm thinking of the days shortly before the French Revolution, kings and nobles feasting on Versailles, while the common people scrounged for bread.

Thoughts, anyone?

First thought is that (1) and (2) are daunting. It's almost like putting "and then a miracle happens" as the first step in a proposed process instead of toward the end as a punchline.

But yes, if you can pull that off, Zion is going to get very cold and very hungry. Still, the Temple could get some relief so long as it can keep a hold of the food stocks, push out the people it does not need to keep in, and stay inside the Temple itself as much as possible for angelic heating.

I think if you could occupy the Temple Lands and control their communications that well, you would have the troops and supplies for a close siege of Zion or even an occupation of it. And you'd almost have to maintain a close siege anyway to keep a trickle of supplies from getting in anyway to maintain the core presence keeping the Temple. Certainly if you can more-or-less control the remainder of the Temple Lands, the close siege of Zion will have less work to do and won't have to worry about being besieged itself. But that's a lot like saying that if you're fabulously rich, you don't have to worry about affording lunch.

Hi Jeff,

You could be right that setting up the conditions for a close siege of Zion and the Temple might be the way to go.

But I find myself thinking that we still have some cloak and dagger stuff lurking in the shadows which could have an impact on what happens to the Temple as the final drama plays out.

Don

JeffEngel wrote:First thought is that (1) and (2) are daunting. It's almost like putting "and then a miracle happens" as the first step in a proposed process instead of toward the end as a punchline.

But yes, if you can pull that off, Zion is going to get very cold and very hungry. Still, the Temple could get some relief so long as it can keep a hold of the food stocks, push out the people it does not need to keep in, and stay inside the Temple itself as much as possible for angelic heating.

I think if you could occupy the Temple Lands and control their communications that well, you would have the troops and supplies for a close siege of Zion or even an occupation of it. And you'd almost have to maintain a close siege anyway to keep a trickle of supplies from getting in anyway to maintain the core presence keeping the Temple. Certainly if you can more-or-less control the remainder of the Temple Lands, the close siege of Zion will have less work to do and won't have to worry about being besieged itself. But that's a lot like saying that if you're fabulously rich, you don't have to worry about affording lunch.

I wasn't thinking of a full-scale occupation, but rather a more focused one. Putting garrisons on the major population centers (let's say 5000 men for about a dozen small-medium cities) and a larger field army - or armies - to act as QRF. We already had evidence in the last book of how a much smaller force can effectively defeat a larger army by putting a cork on its supply line, and how difficult it is for anyone to dislodge a well-entrenched infantry force. Put a cork on the major roads, with a scout screen to give early warning of any nasty surprises, and the QRF ready to move in support of any cork that gets attacked, employ a fast-moving force of dragoons to carry out raids into enemy territory (distasteful as it is, crop-burning will probably be the best weapon to besiege Zion) and all the while, the garrisons in population centers will "keep a lid on things" to make sure the natives don't get TOO restless.

That's the theory, anyway. And the manpower requirements aren't that bad - Eastshare alone has over seventy thousand man under his command, and the Charisian task force will soon be reinforced by the first Siddarmarkian rifle regiments.

Thoughts, anyone?

peke wrote:

JeffEngel wrote:First thought is that (1) and (2) are daunting. It's almost like putting "and then a miracle happens" as the first step in a proposed process instead of toward the end as a punchline.

But yes, if you can pull that off, Zion is going to get very cold and very hungry. Still, the Temple could get some relief so long as it can keep a hold of the food stocks, push out the people it does not need to keep in, and stay inside the Temple itself as much as possible for angelic heating.

I think if you could occupy the Temple Lands and control their communications that well, you would have the troops and supplies for a close siege of Zion or even an occupation of it. And you'd almost have to maintain a close siege anyway to keep a trickle of supplies from getting in anyway to maintain the core presence keeping the Temple. Certainly if you can more-or-less control the remainder of the Temple Lands, the close siege of Zion will have less work to do and won't have to worry about being besieged itself. But that's a lot like saying that if you're fabulously rich, you don't have to worry about affording lunch.

I wasn't thinking of a full-scale occupation, but rather a more focused one. Putting garrisons on the major population centers (let's say 5000 men for about a dozen small-medium cities) and a larger field army - or armies - to act as QRF. We already had evidence in the last book of how a much smaller force can effectively defeat a larger army by putting a cork on its supply line, and how difficult it is for anyone to dislodge a well-entrenched infantry force. Put a cork on the major roads, with a scout screen to give early warning of any nasty surprises, and the QRF ready to move in support of any cork that gets attacked, employ a fast-moving force of dragoons to carry out raids into enemy territory (distasteful as it is, crop-burning will probably be the best weapon to besiege Zion) and all the while, the garrisons in population centers will "keep a lid on things" to make sure the natives don't get TOO restless.

That's the theory, anyway. And the manpower requirements aren't that bad - Eastshare alone has over seventy thousand man under his command, and the Charisian task force will soon be reinforced by the first Siddarmarkian rifle regiments.

Thoughts, anyone?

I think what Jeff was pointing out is that without fairly secure supply lines, you could risk being besieged youself. In the summer that wouldn't be a big issue since supply could be managed from the sea. In the winter after Hsing-wu freezes up, it could be a significant issue.

Don

n7axw wrote:

peke wrote:I wasn't thinking of a full-scale occupation, but rather a more focused one. Putting garrisons on the major population centers (let's say 5000 men for about a dozen small-medium cities) and a larger field army - or armies - to act as QRF. We already had evidence in the last book of how a much smaller force can effectively defeat a larger army by putting a cork on its supply line, and how difficult it is for anyone to dislodge a well-entrenched infantry force. Put a cork on the major roads, with a scout screen to give early warning of any nasty surprises, and the QRF ready to move in support of any cork that gets attacked, employ a fast-moving force of dragoons to carry out raids into enemy territory (distasteful as it is, crop-burning will probably be the best weapon to besiege Zion) and all the while, the garrisons in population centers will "keep a lid on things" to make sure the natives don't get TOO restless.

That's the theory, anyway. And the manpower requirements aren't that bad - Eastshare alone has over seventy thousand man under his command, and the Charisian task force will soon be reinforced by the first Siddarmarkian rifle regiments.

Thoughts, anyone?

I think what Jeff was pointing out is that without fairly secure supply lines, you could risk being besieged youself. In the summer that wouldn't be a big issue since supply could be managed from the sea. In the winter after Hsing-wu freezes up, it could be a significant issue.

Don

That's certainly a part of it. You'd need to bring along all the supplies you'd need for the winter, minus whatever you can steal locally, but plus all those also needed for people you are not turning into hostile guerrillas in the areas you are trying to control. That's quite a lot of shipping and vulnerable storage. And then you have to be sure to keep it all, and to prevent significant quantities from getting from your depots into the hands of either guerrillas or the Temple.

Restricting the occupation to a few major cities with modest garrisons and a QRF does reduce the manpower requirements a lot, but it also means that the rest of the Temple Lands aren't well-controlled. They're a seething bed of resistance, Napoleon's bleeding Spanish ulcer. Guerrilla bands will make life horrible for anyone who isn't under the protection of a garrison, and they'll either be trying to get your protection and food or joining the guerrillas. Or, worst, they're doing both - flooding your garrisoned cities as guerrilla agents that you're feeding.

The guerrilla bands will control the countryside. The QRF can chase them around, but they'll melt back into the peasantry. You'll have to keep up the crop-burning or the rounding up of people into the garrisoned cities - which now become poorly-policed concentration camps - or try to maintain decent-enough relations with the populace and let the guerrillas eat, maneuver, and terrorize them freely. Meanwhile, the guerrilla bands, when they can concentrate, have many choice, dispersed targets: garrisons, the Zion siege line, supply trains, even the QRF itself with enough concentration.

Seijin recon can do a lot to identify bands, but enough small-scale ones can still create a lot of havoc and ill-will while overwhelming available SNARC assets and attention available to devote to them.

JeffEngel wrote:

n7axw wrote:I think what Jeff was pointing out is that without fairly secure supply lines, you could risk being besieged youself. In the summer that wouldn't be a big issue since supply could be managed from the sea. In the winter after Hsing-wu freezes up, it could be a significant issue.

Don

That's certainly a part of it. You'd need to bring along all the supplies you'd need for the winter, minus whatever you can steal locally, but plus all those also needed for people you are not turning into hostile guerrillas in the areas you are trying to control. That's quite a lot of shipping and vulnerable storage. And then you have to be sure to keep it all, and to prevent significant quantities from getting from your depots into the hands of either guerrillas or the Temple.

Restricting the occupation to a few major cities with modest garrisons and a QRF does reduce the manpower requirements a lot, but it also means that the rest of the Temple Lands aren't well-controlled. They're a seething bed of resistance, Napoleon's bleeding Spanish ulcer. Guerrilla bands will make life horrible for anyone who isn't under the protection of a garrison, and they'll either be trying to get your protection and food or joining the guerrillas. Or, worst, they're doing both - flooding your garrisoned cities as guerrilla agents that you're feeding.

The guerrilla bands will control the countryside. The QRF can chase them around, but they'll melt back into the peasantry. You'll have to keep up the crop-burning or the rounding up of people into the garrisoned cities - which now become poorly-policed concentration camps - or try to maintain decent-enough relations with the populace and let the guerrillas eat, maneuver, and terrorize them freely. Meanwhile, the guerrilla bands, when they can concentrate, have many choice, dispersed targets: garrisons, the Zion siege line, supply trains, even the QRF itself with enough concentration.

Seijin recon can do a lot to identify bands, but enough small-scale ones can still create a lot of havoc and ill-will while overwhelming available SNARC assets and attention available to devote to them.

Good points, both of you.

Concerning supply routes, most of it would depend on pacifying west Siddarmark and defeating - or making peace (unlikely) - with the Border States and Silkiah.

But I think that you're overestimating the effectiveness of any guerrilla movements that may arise. Think back on Corisande. The situation there was as bad as it would be on this side: economy getting hammered by the scarcity of trade (though not food, I think), foreign HERETIC army occupation, and to top it off, genuine popular outrage for the alleged murder of a well-respected ruler.

If the Charisians play it smartly, the negative effects of the occupation can be minimized. Reopening trade relations with Siddarmark, for example, which will likely have a good surplus of harvested crops for trade, and would be a conduit for Charisian-made goods and foodstuffs. Basically, if the trade and supply situation in the occupied territories can be normalized, it's more than likely that the people will simply shrug their shoulders and adopt a "life goes on" attitude. And for any guerrilla movements to succeed, they absolutely NEED popular support. I think people would take a dim view of any "holy guerrilla fighters" that make a habit of burning down the granaries that keep the city fed, or attacking the supply caravans that keep those granaries stocked.

And as for weapons and supplies, same thing. If the guerrillas don't have widespread support, they won't be able to effectively wage war. After the Church's sweep for firearms with which to arm the MHoGatA, there can't be many left in the Border States or Silkiah. And weapon and supply caches are exactly the sort of things the Seijin's network can pounce upon. Again, Corisande. If the guerrilla members have no access to a support network to arm, train, and supply them, their threat quotient goes down to almost zero.

Thoughts, anyone?

peke wrote:Concerning supply routes, most of it would depend on pacifying west Siddarmark and defeating - or making peace (unlikely) - with the Border States and Silkiah.

The original proposal seemed to promise an end-run around the Border States. It's moved to a selective occupation of the Temple Lands. Here, it seems to be a benevolent but full occupation of the Temple Lands, with supply routes possibly through the Border States. (Or through the Gulf of Dohlar, but that will require either supplies all the way from Chisholm or Corisande, or purchased from a then-friendly-enough Dohlar or Harchong, I guess.)

I don't object to changing plans - it's a reasonable response to changed circumstances or knowledge - but it does mean that you get different problems and possible objections and may lose some prior advantages.

But I think that you're overestimating the effectiveness of any guerrilla movements that may arise. Think back on Corisande. The situation there was as bad as it would be on this side: economy getting hammered by the scarcity of trade (though not food, I think), foreign HERETIC army occupation, and to top it off, genuine popular outrage for the alleged murder of a well-respected ruler.

If the Charisians play it smartly, the negative effects of the occupation can be minimized. Reopening trade relations with Siddarmark, for example, which will likely have a good surplus of harvested crops for trade, and would be a conduit for Charisian-made goods and foodstuffs. Basically, if the trade and supply situation in the occupied territories can be normalized, it's more than likely that the people will simply shrug their shoulders and adopt a "life goes on" attitude. And for any guerrilla movements to succeed, they absolutely NEED popular support. I think people would take a dim view of any "holy guerrilla fighters" that make a habit of burning down the granaries that keep the city fed, or attacking the supply caravans that keep those granaries stocked.

Sadly, radicals have tested methods for taking their own us-versus-them attitude and forcing it on would-be moderates. The occupiers need to be able to defend the moderate body of the occupied population from the radicals, or allow them the means to do so and secure their allegiance to their own vision of the state to trust them to do so.

Corisande had a provisional government - the best, under the circumstances, that the existing tradition could provide - that concluded peace with (surrender to) Charis, and the Charisian occupation was very light and allowed/required Corisande to do most of its own policing. It's going to be tricky to impossible to do anything of the sort in the Temple Lands, where authority runs right into the secure Temple. Maybe Charis can make collaborators (it's good when they're on our side!) of some mayors and bailiffs, but the central authority is going to be the hardest nut to crack, not a partner for negotiated compliance.

One thing that may have helped in Corisande and may help in the Temple Lands is that there isn't a strong sense of nationalism to violate with occupation and capitulation. "Corisande" was and still is an entity that stood far above the units of actual loyalty: village, town, county, duchy perhaps. The Temple Lands are pretty much just that: vast estates of Church families and the Church itself. If you come in as the army of another nation, you may count on the shrug, with little enthusiasm to topple you on behalf of whichever Knight of the Temple Lands or all of them together. If you come in as a heretic horde, bent on defiling Langhorne's own Temple... you may be in for trouble. Certainly the vicarate would prefer the latter impression and work to cultivate it. From their point of view, I'd hesitate to count on it, but from the Charisian one, I'd hate to count on them failing.

And as for weapons and supplies, same thing. If the guerrillas don't have widespread support, they won't be able to effectively wage war. After the Church's sweep for firearms with which to arm the MHoGatA, there can't be many left in the Border States or Silkiah. And weapon and supply caches are exactly the sort of things the Seijin's network can pounce upon. Again, Corisande. If the guerrilla members have no access to a support network to arm, train, and supply them, their threat quotient goes down to almost zero.

Thoughts, anyone?

Roving bands of terrorists that the occupation government cannot find or stop don't need much in the way of weaponry to cause serious problems. Granted, if you're thinking only in terms of what you have between moving into the Temple Lands and the fall of the Temple, that may be tolerable from the occupiers' point of view.

We haven't seen much in the way of calls for the nation in arms, encouragement of popular rebellions. The Church hoped for them in Charis, Chisholm, and Corisande, but what they got has only been attempted aristocratic coups, terrorism by infiltrated agents, and a tiny amount of inspired home-grown terror. Some of that may be simply that the authority of Zion just doesn't run that deep in the Out Islands - the Church the people there care about is the local Church, which has carried on more or less as ever, perhaps better, without interference from Zion. And the Sword of Schueler must have wrecked havoc with Zion's popularity in Siddarmark.

If Charis and Siddarmark can enter the Border States, the Temple Lands, Dohlar, etc., not as heretic occupiers but as simply another state and a gentle force to detach the local church from Zion, they may enjoy the same relative acceptance as Charis got in Corisande - not exactly friendly, but with very few popular white-hot fires of rage and wrath. In that case, the Allied occupation really can be just quick reaction forces in case of serious rebellion, and police duties left to local collaborators. Happily, there's no crop-burning under this scenario, and the siege of the Temple won't have worse than curious onlookers facing it on the other side.

JeffEngel wrote:
The original proposal seemed to promise an end-run around the Border States. It's moved to a selective occupation of the Temple Lands. Here, it seems to be a benevolent but full occupation of the Temple Lands, with supply routes possibly through the Border States. (Or through the Gulf of Dohlar, but that will require either supplies all the way from Chisholm or Corisande, or purchased from a then-friendly-enough Dohlar or Harchong, I guess.)

I don't object to changing plans - it's a reasonable response to changed circumstances or knowledge - but it does mean that you get different problems and possible objections and may lose some prior advantages.

I haven't really changed the plans, I think. You were right before, I didn't give much details at how to accomplish the twin purposes of (1) occupying Temple Lands territory and (2) interdicting enemy supplies. But I still hold that, strategically, the best plan would be to leave Zion to wither on the vine.

Corisande had a provisional government - the best, under the circumstances, that the existing tradition could provide - that concluded peace with (surrender to) Charis, and the Charisian occupation was very light and allowed/required Corisande to do most of its own policing. It's going to be tricky to impossible to do anything of the sort in the Temple Lands, where authority runs right into the secure Temple. Maybe Charis can make collaborators (it's good when they're on our side!) of some mayors and bailiffs, but the central authority is going to be the hardest nut to crack, not a partner for negotiated compliance.

True. On the other hand, that very closeness to the temple may prove to be a double-edged sword, since those people closer to the Temple will likely be in a better position to recognize that the accusations of widespread corruption among the vicarate have a pronounced ring of truth.

IMHO, the nobles and high-ranking officials will, by and large, act in their own self-interest, cutting whatever deals they have to in order to keep their own power (and heads ). Sure, they'll plot and connive, but catching them will be child's play for the "Seijin Network". They'll settle down after one or two are caught and properly chastised.

If you come in as the army of another nation, you may count on the shrug, with little enthusiasm to topple you on behalf of whichever Knight of the Temple Lands or all of them together. If you come in as a heretic horde, bent on defiling Langhorne's own Temple... you may be in for trouble. Certainly the vicarate would prefer the latter impression and work to cultivate it. From their point of view, I'd hesitate to count on it, but from the Charisian one, I'd hate to count on them failing.

Also true. But the Charisian's message all along has been that they intend to CLEANSE Langhorne's temple from the people who are even now defiling its halls. How many people will actually believe it is more than I can say, although it may be higher than you suspect, IF my previous point stands.

If Charis and Siddarmark can enter the Border States, the Temple Lands, Dohlar, etc., not as heretic occupiers but as simply another state and a gentle force to detach the local church from Zion, they may enjoy the same relative acceptance as Charis got in Corisande - not exactly friendly, but with very few popular white-hot fires of rage and wrath. In that case, the Allied occupation really can be just quick reaction forces in case of serious rebellion, and police duties left to local collaborators. Happily, there's no crop-burning under this scenario, and the siege of the Temple won't have worse than curious onlookers facing it on the other side.

I don't like crop burning either . And after considering steps (1) and (2), it seems like the kind of thing that would push the population into a bad rage and into the Temple Loyalist's arms. I stand corrected .

peke wrote:

JeffEngel wrote:
The original proposal seemed to promise an end-run around the Border States. It's moved to a selective occupation of the Temple Lands. Here, it seems to be a benevolent but full occupation of the Temple Lands, with supply routes possibly through the Border States. (Or through the Gulf of Dohlar, but that will require either supplies all the way from Chisholm or Corisande, or purchased from a then-friendly-enough Dohlar or Harchong, I guess.)

I don't object to changing plans - it's a reasonable response to changed circumstances or knowledge - but it does mean that you get different problems and possible objections and may lose some prior advantages.

I haven't really changed the plans, I think. You were right before, I didn't give much details at how to accomplish the twin purposes of (1) occupying Temple Lands territory and (2) interdicting enemy supplies. But I still hold that, strategically, the best plan would be to leave Zion to wither on the vine.

Agreed. It needs to be isolated - militarily at least, politically as soon as practical - but taking the fighting into it should not be necessary. (As far as we can tell, and barring dramatic or narrative requirements we're not privy to or thinking of - it's so striking a denouement though that it's almost inevitable. Maybe Don's cloak-and-dagger action can suffice.)

Even if it isn't starving too quickly, the Temple's power reduced to a five mile radius makes it symbolically a farce. There's no fear of a joke being a martyr to rally around.

In any case, the plan with the details fleshed out looks very different than the impression the first description left me with. I'm not seeming major differences between us at this point.

Corisande had a provisional government - the best, under the circumstances, that the existing tradition could provide - that concluded peace with (surrender to) Charis, and the Charisian occupation was very light and allowed/required Corisande to do most of its own policing. It's going to be tricky to impossible to do anything of the sort in the Temple Lands, where authority runs right into the secure Temple. Maybe Charis can make collaborators (it's good when they're on our side!) of some mayors and bailiffs, but the central authority is going to be the hardest nut to crack, not a partner for negotiated compliance.

True. On the other hand, that very closeness to the temple may prove to be a double-edged sword, since those people closer to the Temple will likely be in a better position to recognize that the accusations of widespread corruption among the vicarate have a pronounced ring of truth.

Maybe. Maybe the Temple Lands still have too much core of absolute faith to the Church in the peasantry, and too much of the rough counterparts to the working and middle classes consisting of Church personnel with a sense of identity bound up in obedience to Zion. There are all these possible factors - I don't want to come to any conclusions about how they weigh out in summary. I know that I do not know enough.

IMHO, the nobles and high-ranking officials will, by and large, act in their own self-interest, cutting whatever deals they have to in order to keep their own power (and heads ). Sure, they'll plot and connive, but catching them will be child's play for the "Seijin Network". They'll settle down after one or two are caught and properly chastised.

That could work out well. It may be a bit troubling though, if there are too many. Corisande had a small bunch of ambitious nobles, a modest bunch of contended collaborators (realists, if you prefer, even true patriots - I don't want to use loaded terms, they're just so hard to avoid), and a majority of wait-and-see, go-along-to-get-along fence-sitters. Temple families in power may well be too much of a nest of vipers, with a far higher proportion of the ambitious plotters than Corisande, to make the comparison work well enough. It's a reasonable, serious worry anyway.

Working with local Levellers, or using them as a crutch to keep the noble snakes in line, may work. Even the late, unlamented Grand Duke Zebediah may perhaps have stuck to his oath if he had angry sorts with pitchforks and torches staring at him - in his own castle - all day and night.

If you come in as the army of another nation, you may count on the shrug, with little enthusiasm to topple you on behalf of whichever Knight of the Temple Lands or all of them together. If you come in as a heretic horde, bent on defiling Langhorne's own Temple... you may be in for trouble. Certainly the vicarate would prefer the latter impression and work to cultivate it. From their point of view, I'd hesitate to count on it, but from the Charisian one, I'd hate to count on them failing.

Also true. But the Charisian's message all along has been that they intend to CLEANSE Langhorne's temple from the people who are even now defiling its halls. How many people will actually believe it is more than I can say, although it may be higher than you suspect, IF my previous point stands.

Could be. I'm trying to avoid conclusions about that, so I may suspect less than you think. Responsible planners have to make plans on the basis that quite a few unlikely but possible-for-all-they-know things will go wrong before committing to an operation - barring gross desperation. I don't think Charis and Siddarmark are going to be contemplating an end-game against Zion under desperate circumstances, so in their place, they should opt out of an occupation of the Temple Lands unless and until they can do it with calm assurance they won't face or create massive popular uprisings against them.

If Charis and Siddarmark can enter the Border States, the Temple Lands, Dohlar, etc., not as heretic occupiers but as simply another state and a gentle force to detach the local church from Zion, they may enjoy the same relative acceptance as Charis got in Corisande - not exactly friendly, but with very few popular white-hot fires of rage and wrath. In that case, the Allied occupation really can be just quick reaction forces in case of serious rebellion, and police duties left to local collaborators. Happily, there's no crop-burning under this scenario, and the siege of the Temple won't have worse than curious onlookers facing it on the other side.

I don't like crop burning either . And after considering steps (1) and (2), it seems like the kind of thing that would push the population into a bad rage and into the Temple Loyalist's arms. I stand corrected .

Well, that's all part of working out what you took to be details and I took to be the important actual work. So okay!

The thing you have to remember is that in the Temple Lands, a sizable percentage of the population has its livelihood tied up with the church, including businesses financed by or perhaps completely owned by the COGA. Take that away and you have fertile ground for guerilla movements.

The most likely candidates for initiating such movements are fanatic Schuerites/inquisitors who manage to escape the net when the allies move in. The combination of religious fanaticism and economic deprivation could prove an explosive mix.

Don

One thing at a time, guys. Let's focus on kicking the church out of Siddarmark, and then worry about taking the fight to the enemy.