Jarrod's War
From FABT
|
Previous: |
|||||||||||||||||
|
Concurrent: |
|||||||||||||||||
|
Next: |
|||||||||||||||||
|
Date: |
13 June 1541 CE - 8 March 1572 CE | ||||||||||||||||
|
Location: |
|||||||||||||||||
|
Outcome: |
Inconclusive
| ||||||||||||||||
|
Engagements: |
| ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
- "My father was an old fool. He wanted to continue the war, avenge my grandfather and restore the Tuchankan Empire. Clan Urdnot had remained a staunt supporter of the Traditionalists for centuries by this point, but it was Jarrod who remained the loyalist. Many in Urdnot began to see that the Reformists were right...that there was no hope of rebuilding the empire, that it wasn't worthy of being rebuilt. We didn't have the men, the manpower, or the military...and even if we did, the genophage ensured we didn't have the numbers to go to war, or to replenish our losses fast enough. The advantage we held was no longer there. Jarrod couldn't see that, or refused to. But finally, I had enough. My brother Wreav was Jarrod's golden boy, but I was the eldest. I had fought the most battles, led the most men, won as many victories as I suffered defeats. I had the experience. I defied my father, and donned the blue Urdnot banner...the blue of the Reformists, against the red of the Traditionalists. Jarrod refused to see reason and declared war on me. Militarily, the victory was mine. But I had yet to discover what a treacherous, cowardly little pyjak my father had become. He invited me to a crush. I suspected a trap, but I wanted to believe he would not dare go as far as to spill blood on sacred, holy ground. The Traditionalists, by their very nature, were against such a thing. Even the Reformists, as opposed to our old traditions as we were, could not fathom such blasphemy. But he did. His warriors sprung up from the graves of our ancestors like the undead. My warriors fell within minutes, but not before I repaid my father's treachery by driving my dagger deep into his chest. That's why I left. You ask if I should care about my people, Shepard. There you have it."
- — Urdnot Wrex to Marcus L. Shepard in 2183 CE.
Jarrod's War, also known as the Urdnot Civil War and sometimes as the Traditionalist Schism, was a civil conflict between the Urdnot Traditionalists and Urdnot Reformists that took place between 13 June 1541 CE and 8 March 1572 CE and was part of the larger Krogan Civil Wars. By the 16th Century CE, the Tuchankan civil wars had been raging for 736 years, with no end in sight to the destructive conflicts that had torn apart the krogan clans and left Tuchanka in perpetual ruin ever since the end of the Krogan Rebellions. For those 700 years, the two belligerents of the conflict, the Tuchankan Traditionalists and Reformists, had been fighting each other near constantly, either battling to a stalemate or obtaining bittersweet victories. Land grabs, turf wars and ideological struggles were the primary objectives of the warfare being waged, all the while the Traditionalists fought to restore the old culture and wreak vengeance on the Citadel Council, while the Reformists wished to leave the war behind and focus on reconstruction and genophage-adaptation. Meanwhile, the Council would remain officially neutral, while occasionally intervening with black operations with a mandate to disrupt both sides, ensuring that neither gets too close to winning: the Council did not see a victory for either side as being beneficial to the galaxy, as a Traditionalist victory would mean a return to krogan militarism, while a Reformist victory could lead to the krogan adapting to the genophage and overcoming it, and thus leading to more krogan militarism down the road.
Urdnot Jarrod, along with Weyrloc Gregor and Reyrdok Jurn, is considered one of the founding fathers of the Imperialists, and later Traditionalists, and was a veteran of the Krogan Rebellions, having served under the famous warlord Seg the Great, who was also his father. Being chieftain of the one of the oldest and most powerful clans on Tuchanka, Clan Urdnot, Jarrod was quick to unify his power through alliances with other powerful clans, including Clan Weyrloc and Clan Reyrdok. Urdnot's domain stretched over the city of Hagalok, and 135 minor clans owed fealty to them and acknowledged their sovereignty as a clan and their storied history, with the clan going as far back as the Primordial First Kingdom and the Century of Sundering that followed its abrupt and unexplained collapse. Clan Urdnot had given rise to many great heroes of krogan mythology, and according to krogan religion, Clan Urdnot was descended from Vaul Titanslayer, the god of gods within the krogan pantheon of the old religion, prior to the development of Kalrosism post-Firestorm War. As such, Clan Urdnot held a great deal importance in krogan society, and Jarrod wielded that power against the Reformists. Urdnot's alignment with the Traditionalists became a point of contention with the Reformists, who eternally desired to remove Jarrod from power so that a Reformist sympathizer could steer Urdnot towards joining them, thus turning the tide of the wars in their favor. Despite the power Urdnot held however, they were defeated in many wars and battles across the conflict, and found many equals amongst the Traditionalists and even the Reformists. Clan Jorgal, Clan Nakmor and Clan Dahmbra were just three such clans who could rival the power of Urdnot and were aligned with the Reformists, while Clan Weyrloc, Clan Korten, Clan Strirgon and Clan Juntor were Traditionalist clans who had similar if not equal military/economic/political power to Urdnot. Urdnot's power was coveted because of the consistent quality of its warriors, the power and influence it held, and for the old and fabled Titan Chair, the throne of the Urdnot chieftains and a crucial symbol of their power, largely due to its ties to the old krogan religion, and the myth that it was forged and built by Vaul Titanslayer himself to be given to the first Urdnot chieftain, so that it may be Vaul's seat on Tuchanka. Jarrod knew this and used it to his advantage, and as such, the Urdnots didn't just remain as steadfast Traditionalist loyalists, but as one of its principle leading clans, often seen commanding large Traditionalist hosts into battle.
This all began to change in the 1500s. Where the Urdnots had once been unquestioned brothers-in-arms to the Traditionalists, cracks were beginning to appear in this persona as many and more Urdnot warriors either abandoned their clan to join Reformist ones, or began to question their leadership more frequently. More often than not, Jarrod found his position challenged by would-be usurpers, although he would defeat them all in time. In one case, the Urdnot chieftain's adjutant, and a man Jarrod once trusted, defected to Clan Togg and took command of a Togg-Khoxx army to wage war against Urdnot and annex some of its recently acquired territory along the Marsdok Strait. The following war saw Jarrod defeated on numerous occassions, due to the lieutenant understanding and countering his tactics at every turn: eventually Jarrod took his battered army and returned to Urdnot Keep in disgrace, planning to send a call for aid to his ally Weyrloc Guld.
His eldest son, Urdnot Wrex, took matters into his own hands when he gathered the remnants of Jarrod's defeated army, recruited an additional 6,000 fresh warriors from Urdnot's minor clans, and marched against the Togg army. Wrex used unconventional strategies that he had learnt from his studies of turian and batarian warfare and applied it against Togg and Khoxx, who were expecting the usual krogan brute force struggles. Wrex's army, being smaller, was able to rapidly outmaneveur the Toggs and Khoxxi forces, eventually frustrating them into leaving their fortresses on the coast and engaging Wrex on a field of battle he had specifically chosen after he had cut off their supply lines, destroyed communications infrastructure and launched numerous fire-and-forget rocket attacks upon their bases. He then feigned a weaker left flank, causing the Urdnot lieutenant to commit his reserves and armor to what he believed was an opening, only for them to run into a minefield and subsequent ambush: meanwhile, while Wrex was engaging them in battle, two smaller armies swept down behind the Toggs and Khoxxi and snatched up the forts they had left poorly garrisoned. Wrex captured the traitor and killed them, returning to Urdnot Keep as a war hero. Jarrod was impressed by his son's exploits and made him his chieftain's adjutant, and gave him command of a larger Traditionalist army with a mandate to wipe Clan Togg off the map. Wrex however surprised Jarrod with his combined brutality and mercy, wiping out the Togg leadership while granting clemency to the Togg warriors who chose to join Clan Urdnot and swear fealty to them. Jarrod, who had wanted Togg completely wiped out, but did not want to undermine his son's leadership for fear of looking weak, immediately sent the Togg warriors off to die in battle against Tigar the Blasphemer during the ongoing War of the Blasphemer. when Tigar the Blasphemer was reported to have assembled a massive army and was planning an amphibious assault on a Traditionalist outpost (based in a Primordial Age krogan castle) along the Hagalok Sea. Wrex was given command of a large Traditionalist force that was to repel the invasion, and he won a decisive victory that smashed Tigar's forces and forced him to withdraw in disgrace: not long afterwards, Wrex was officially put in command of Urdnot's operations to kill Tigar. Finally, the Reformists sent a force to join with Wrex's, as both sides wanted Tigar dead: during this time, Wrex became friends with a Nakmor commander and expressed interest in Khoxxism. It wasn't long before Wrex realized he had been fighting for the wrong side, and that his father was wrong.
Following Tigar's defeat and expulsion from Traditionalist territory (although the war against him continued), Wrex tried to convince his father to have Urdnot switch sides to the Reformists. Jarrod's response was to publicly humiliate and mock his son for his "weakness" and for allowing cowardly Reformist dogma to corrupt his mind. Wrex challenged Jarrod's stance on the matter, and the chieftain had his son demoted in rank and instead gave command of his army to his younger son, Urdnot Wreav. Wrex later announced his renunciation of his Reformist beliefs, and asked for his father's forgiveness. Jarrod, wanting his son to redeem himself, sent him to the fort of Taf Khenan, which Wrex had defended against Tigar's invasion, to "find himself again". However, this had been part of a deception on Wrex's part, who seized command of the Taf Khenan garrison and rallied them under his banner. Wrex then abandoned the fort and marched through Hagalok, gathering support against his father along the way. When word reached Jarrod of his son's treachery, Wrex had already assembled an army of supporters 300,000 strong and growing. Capturing the fort of Taf Reffac, Wrex delivered a speech to his assembled men declaring their support for the Reformists. Desperate to stop Wrex's movement before it grew out of control, Jarrod assembled an army of his own, put Wreav in command, and sent it to lay siege to Taf Reffac. The battle was a landslide victory for the Urdnot Reformists, with Wrex having predicted Jarrod's actions and having marched out with 20,000 of his men and ambushing Wreav within Hagalok, putting his brother to rout. When Wreav returned, Jarrod took personal charge of the Urdnot army. The war had begun.
Jarrod's War was not a quick affair. The war lasted thirty years, with Wrex refusing to march on Urdnot territory due to his policy of denying Jarrod the means by which he could paint Wrex as a villain. His tactics largely involved capturing enough of Jarrod's fortifications and bases that he would be forced to engage him in battle, and then Wrex would defeat him. Wrex's successes on land were numerous, although his affinity for naval engagements did not carry over, and he was defeated in several decisive seaborne engagements that saw the Urdnot Reformist fleet destroyed. Ten years in, Urdnot support for Wrex was at an all time high, with a majority of Clan Urdnot declaring for Wrex, not Jarrod. In order to make up for a lack of manpower, mercenaries were hired to make up for the gap. While this kept Jarrod in the war, it only prolonged his eventual defeat, as Wrex continually proved himself the better tactician. Things came to a head in 1566 CE when Jarrod assembled the largest army he had ever personally commanded, supplemented by 50,000 men from the Dread Battalion and 11,000 from the Ghosts of Marcenion. Wrex was defeated twice by Jarrod at the First Battle of Husterfrik and Second Battle of Husterfrik respectively, forcing to withdraw and regroup at the abandoned city of Srel Mutack.
Jarrod's army marched on the city and engaged Wrex's forces in what was meant to be a final, conclusive engagement. Jarrod's army surrounded Srel Mutack, cutting off all avenues of escape and slowly began to squeeze the knot. In a brilliant move, Wrex deliberately withdrew troops from his left flank, leaving it exposed. Jarrod saw this, believing he had found an opening and commited his mercenary reinforcements to an assault on the left flank. By doing this however, he had redeployed troops from the siege lines, and left his forces thinned. Wrex concentrated a push on this weakened line, and successfully broke out of the siege and came in behind Jarrod's lines. Concerned of being outflanked, Jarrod abandoned the siege lines and pulled his troops back into the city, only for Wrex to turn around and then surround Srel Mutack, having successfully tricked Jarrod into lifting the siege and then, in turn, being besieged himself. Jarrod weakened his center in an attempt to trick Wrex into funnelling into a pre-selected killzone, but Wrex instead committed his reserves to pushing on the left and right. Seeing that the battle was lost, Jarrod took a smaller force and broke through Wrex's siege lines, and abandoned the field. Jarrod's army was left destroyed, including all of his mercenary forces. The Battle of Srel Mutack was a decisive victory for the Urdnot Reformists, leaving the Urdnot Traditionalists militarily exhausted. Several more battles followed the campaign, but Jarrod soon realized he couldn't beat Wrex on the battlefield and had to change his strategy. He came to the realization that Wrex's death would lead to the Urdnot Reformists disintegrating and likely returning to his fold, and end the threat they posed. Jarrod arranged for a crush at the Hollows, a sacred krogan mausoleum where combat and the spilling of blood was forbidden, calling for him and his son to discuss terms, having his men hide within empty graves where they would ambush Wrex and his bodyguards and kill them: due to the rules of the Hollows, Wrex would not suspect such blasphemy.
Wrex came to the crush, with Jarrod making one last plea for his son to join him and renounce his Reformist beliefs, while Wrex did vice versa. When Wrex declared that Jarrod would have to step down as chieftain and accept that the Reformist ideology was the way forward, Jarrod gave the signal for his warriors to spring the trap. Wrex was shocked and disgusted by Jarrod's desecration of such holy ground, and as his own men rapidly fell, Wrex didn't hesitate in impaling his father with his ceremonial dagger. Disgusted and appalled by the means Jarrod had used in an attempt to achieve victory over his son, Wrex felt nothing but shame for his people. Instead of returning to Urdnot Keep to proclaim his right to the chieftainship, he gathered his belongings and fled from the planet into self-exile, vowing never to return. Jarrod's War ended with Jarrod dead and Wrex in exile. As such, no true victor can be considered to have arisen from the conflict, although the effect it had on the civil wars was massive and, in retrospect, turned the tide.
With Jarrod's death and Wrex's exile, Wreav rose to become chieftain of Clan Urdnot. However, appalled by his father's betrayal of krogan traditions, Wreav became disenfranchised with the Traditionalists and chose instead to leave, declaring Clan Urdnot's exit from the civil wars and their formal neutrality. This move shook the power balance of the Traditionalists, who had forever relied upon Urdnot manpower and resources to wage their continuous wars, and without them, the Traditionalists were left rudderless and without direction, and would be swiftly defeated in the subsequent Seventh Great Bloodletting. Clan Weyrloc would ultimately take up the leadership of the organization, although Guld's deluded ravings of having been cured of the genophage, and his later attempt to produce a cure, made him an unreliable commander. The Reformists would attempt to convince Wreav to join their cause for many hundreds of years, but Wreav, while no longer an active participant in the wars, was still an avid Traditionalist. It was during this time that Urdnot was able to recover from Jarrod and Wrex's conflict, recovering most of their manpower whilst also developing technologically. Wrex would return 600 years later with a renewed determination to unite his people, and it would be his mission to unite Tuchanka that eventually brought the civil wars to an end, but this flashpoint in history could not have occurred had Jarrod not been killed, as Wrex would never have gone into exiled, and thus never met Marcus L. Shepard, who not only convinced him to give his people a second chance, but as a consequence of serving with the human, Wrex learned of the subsequent Reaper threat, and the danger it posed to his people. As such, Jarrod's War is quite possibly THE most critically important conflict of the civil wars, second only to the conclusive Wrex's War, and represents a turning point in the Krogan Civil Wars.