Darshak Invasion After Action Report

The huge battle with the Darshak on the 10th through 12th of Spring revealed several new and interesting pieces of information. This report is based on my own observations, and I welcome additions from readers.

Darshak Leadership

This was the first battle in which two Darshak commanders took part--in the past, only one high-level Darshak was active in the Lok'Grotons at a time. This invasion was led by Kiril Drakesblood, with Necro supporting her.

The two commanders had problems working together. Well into the battle, Necro decided to withdraw his forces when Kiril was unable to deliver money she had promised. Lundar's journal includes a transcript of the discussion between them. Necro's decision to withdraw was a major factor in Kiril's defeat.

This is the first glimpse we've gotten of the way high-level Darshak interact with each other, and it is very revealing. It would appear that, unlike most theocracys, the Darshak Theocracy is not at all united. Rather, the Darshak leaders appear to each have their own agenda, which do not necessarily coincide, and although they will work together they are perfectly willing to betray their comrades when it suits them.

It's good news for us if the Darshak's leaders are so divided. If they have trouble working together, their ability to launch offensive operations is much reduced. What's more, if we can learn more about individual Darshak and their goals we may be able to weaken them by promoting internal divisions.

Goals of the Invasion

Past Darshak invasions have been raids directed at stealing beer or capturing exiles. This invasion, though, seemed more like an attempt at conquest. Although the sign on the beach implied a one-time extortion attempt, Kiril's behavior during the battle suggested it was more than that--she had proclaimed herself "Governor," and was talking about paying Necro after holding Puddleby for a zodiac.

It's my opinion that Kiril was not just raiding Puddleby, but attempting to conquer us and set up a government with herself as our ruler. Since she was killed in the battle there's no way to be sure.

Use of the Underground

The Darshak apparently had no knowledge of the Puddleby Underground. This gave us a tremendous advantage, because we were able to move forces from one strong point to another unmolested. At times during the battle the Darshak did make their way underground--some were spotted in the Myrm hive, and others briefly pushed their way through the rat tower entrance.

However, even once the Darshak had seen the Underground they never made any attempt to occupy it. The only explanation I can see for this behavior is that the Darshak had no idea of the Underground's extent and did not realize that the entrances they found were all linked together.

Although they apparently didn't figure it out during the battle, it's entirely possible that Necro will have realized the significance of the Underground after the fact. I think it's possible the Darshak will attempt to scout the Underground and use it themselves in the next invasion.

Darshak Combat Engineering

I've heard numerous reports that the Darshak walled off all four gates during the battle, leaving the underground route through the Myrm hive the only way in or out of Puddleby. I didn't see the walls myself, but apparently they were strong enough that they couldn't be torn down until after the battle. Taken with their ability to produce explosives, it's apparent that the Darshak have a dangerous technological advantage over Puddleby.

This battle was the first in which walls have been built, and it appears that the Darshak haven't worked out how best to use them yet. Once they do, we can expect to see walls build to protect magic-using Darshak from physical attack. To counter this advantage, we need to learn how to build walls ourselves, and how to duplicate Darshak explosives so that we can breach their walls quickly.