Forgotten Realms Go To War! Need Advice

[Iron_Chef]

How big an army can these city-states/countries field? What kind/quality of troops?

Cormyr
Dalelands
Hillsfar
Melvaunt
Mulmaster
Sembia
Thentia
Zhentil Keep

Am I missing anybody? I want to put together a big "Moonsea Wars" campaign. Not sure how to do it exactly (reasons, all participants, probable outcome), so advice is appreciated.

With the newly unified Zhentil Keep, how long should Fzoul wait before going to war? I know he wants to take a couple places within 5 years, but not sure if that's by subterfuge or force.

 

[Dark Jezter]

I'm not extremely well versed in Realms lore, but Cormyr has the elite Purple Dragon Knights and War Wizards. I also believe that Sembia is home to many skilled mercenaries.

 

[Datt]

Who is fighting who? Is it a big everybody for themsleves or are there some allies fighting other allies?

 

[Mr Fidgit]

Cormyr's armies were hammered during the last war against orcs and goblins (detailed in Cormyr: A Novel, Beyond the High Road and Death of the Dragon) and more than likely couldn't field a force strong enough to help their northern neighbors

an even bigger concern is from Sembia. since the war, tensions are high between the two nations, and Cormyr would probably be more concerned with homeland defense if Sembia assembled an army of any significant size...

 

[Iron_Chef]

Here are the players in the war:

Melvaunt/Thentia (allied) oppose Zhentil Keep/Mulmaster (defensive)

Hillsfar/Sembia (allied) oppose Cormyr/Dales/Zhentil Keep/Mulmaster (offensive)

Cormyr/Dalelands (allied loosely) oppose everyone else except Melvaunt/Thentia (defensive)

Zhentil Keep/Mulmaster (allied) oppose everyone else

Zhentil Keep will dispatch a "Zimmerman Letter" to Sembia (as when the German Kaiser entreated Mexico to attack and seize the southern USA in World War I to keep America out of European war involvement) and promise them if they attack Cormyr and the Southern Dales, they can keep them while Zhentil Keep carves up the Northern Dales and Moonsea.

Archendale and Scardale may go "rogue" and use the opportunity to seize more territory for themselves, or may ally with another state to ensure their survival and continued independence.

These are the rough ideas I'm working on. Zhentish actions--or the appearance of (framed?) Zhentish actions--will undoubtedly provoke the war (not sure what they are yet). Perhaps Manshoon is behind it in an effort to weaken Fzoul's power base and regain control of the Keep and Zhentarim? He doesn't seem like the sort who forgives and forgets, LOL. Perhaps he's struck a secret alliance with certain others such as Khelban Blackstaff. The threat of a unified Church of Bane running the Zhentarim and a reborn, conquest-minded Bane overseeing everything may make Manshoon the lesser of two evils...

 

[Datt]

Well I guess it depends on if you go by what is in novels or just by the books. If you go by the books then everyone is going to have a pretty good army for this.

In Cormyr you have the Purple Knights and the War Wizards. Those are can combine for probably about 7,000 or more.

In Hillsfar you have the Red Plumes. They are at least 5,000 strong.

Not to mention if things start to really threaten Shadowdale you know Elminster will step in. So you might have to come up with some way to keep him out of it or it will be a really short war.

Mulmaster has at least one sphere of anhilation also. So if they are really tring to destroy things they could always bring it out.

And like if either Cormyr or Sembia start building up an army then the other one will defientely start building up there own forces.

 

[diaglo]

you need the assassination of an ArchDuke

 

[Apok]

Given the current state of Cormyr, they'd be struggling just to hold their own borders. The events of the Cormyr, Beyond the High Road, and Death of the Dragon novels have been incorperated into the 3e FRCS, so they are now "cannon."

To sum up, Azoun IV is dead and Princess Alusair has become the country's acting Regent until Azoun's infant grandson (Azoun V, how original...) comes of age. The country took a major pounding from a massive assault of Goblin & Orc armies being directed by seven Ghazneth and a huge Red Dragon (actually an ancient elf female transformed over hundreds of years though dark sorcery, motivated by bloody vengeance). Cormyr was ultimately victorious, but at a huge cost of men, resouces, and their King. There are few veteran soldiers left, and even fewer battle-hardened nobles and commanders to lead them. Right now, they are in the process of rebuilding their shattered country and the Steel Regent (so Alusair is known to her people) is taking steps to secure the countries internal politics and it's external borders.

If the Zhents launched a major campaign, you can bet Cormyr would do its best to slam its doors and hole up, defending itself as best it can. It is unlikely that they would send any kind of help to the Dalelands if they were besieged. It is very possible that Cormyr would not be able to withstand an assault from Sembia for very long. If Sembia did decide to take military action, they could likely conquer Cormyr but at a large cost of men and money. I'm guessing that Sembia's merchant-prince rulers would think very carefully before commiting to all-out war.