The Qadarni - "the Little War"

The Legion of Ever-Present Glory

When Vreshsheqmu advanced his army into Tsolyani territory they carried before them the standards of the Qadarni, or "the Little War."

These battles are quite common between the forces of rival nations. They are fought for prestige and glory, for loot, and in order to obtain captives for ransom or sacrifice. They are highly formalized and ritualistic, with both parties striving to observe the proper forms.

They involve much ceremony and colourful display of finery and martial skill. Personal challenges and duels are widespread. The battles are ritualized skirmishes often ending with little loss of life, though there may be captives who are later sacrificed. The victor receives the glory and the agreed upon spoils, the loser retreats in shame.

"Give Me What I Ask, And Kerunan Will Wear Black Again!"

The Protectorate of Kerunan © M.A.R. Barker

And so a young, hot-headed Salarvyani general set in motion events that would eventually lead to his death. General Vreshsheqmu used those words in his request for more troops from Koyluga, having over-stepped his orders in an attempt to seize the Tsolyani held Protectorate of Kerunan back for Salarvya.

Black is the colour favoured by Salarvyani troops, just as Azure Blue is worn by the Tsolyani. The Protectorate of Kerunan had been held by Tsolyanu for some 300 years and the Salarvyani had coveted it ever since.

Invasion had not been General Vreshsheqmu's original intent, having with him only 4000 Heavy Infantry, 3000 Light Infantry, 1000 of the reptilian Shen mercenaries, and a small contingent of priests providing limited magical support. Rather, he had advanced this force in search of prestige and glory. His original intent had been to engage in Qadarni, or "Little War"; and he had no authority to go further.

Having learned that the famous Tsolyani general, Kettukal, had recently arrived to take control of Kerunan, Vreshsheqmu hoped to best him and his First Legion of Ever-Present Glory in the ritualistic battle that comprises the Little War.

A note about spelling: the spelling of "Ry" is archaic; that on the map is more current and is the way it is pronounced.

The First Legion of Ever-Present Glory - 1st Imperial Heavy Infantry

This legion was our first release, featuring both spear-men and archers, command figures (Officers, Musician and Standard-bearer) and the redoubtable General Kettukal himself. The above picture is from Eureka's Tékumel gallery and was painted by one of their in-house painters, I believe.

General Kettukal

The reason I chose this legion to start with is that the General and his legion were the heroes in the magazine article that first introduced me to Tékumel. That magazine was "Wargamer's Digest", and the article was the account of "The Battle of Ry." IIRC, the year was 1976.

That battle was fought in 2347 A.S.*, between the Tsolyani and the Salarvyani before the small city of Ry on Tsolyanu's Eastern border. The Salarvyani general Vreshsheqmu thought he would take advantage of apparent Tsolyani weakness to gain a quick victory for Salarvya.

The accompanying map is shown below:



The reference numbers are a bit blurry - I will try and do something about that. More later...

* After the Seal (of the Imperium.)