Under the Black Banner

Marching under the wicked banner of the Black Pope, the Mortali Brotherhood has set out to wage war once more from their hidden necropolis within the underbelly of The floating city of Atlantropa. Having vanished for over four decades, the Mortali were thought destroyed by the denizens of the Gulch, until 1906 when they would unleash a brutal campaign of conquest against the Criminal Syndicates and Corporations within the Gulch. They would besiege the important trade hub known as Maglenia, the Caspian Family would not give it up without a fight. 

The Caspian Family had been pushed out of  Maglenia by the Mortali Brotherhood, it was their last stronghold in the northwestern reaches of the Gulch, a vital trade route that let them skirt the more contested regional nexus. The decimated ranks of the Family's armed brigades worked their way back towards the east, slowly losing more and more ground in the interbellum, the once feared Kraken Brigade had to consume the remains of 4 other Brigade to gather strength for the coming battles in the dreaded Arteria 77, also known as Funky Town. 

Funky Town, it had garnered the name due to the absurdity of the violence that consumed the once thriving trade nexus, according to records, the Town fell during the Penumbra Wars. Apparently a maddening plague spread amongst the original inhabitants of the place driving them to dance, sing, and cackle maniacally for days. Until the murders began, the MIA had to intervene, they scorched the place, purified it fearing that the disease would find its way to the surface or further spread across the Gulch. 

This is all history, as of now, nearly a century later, the Criminal Syndicates have taken over the cursed place, as it serves its old purpose once more, as a vital trade nexus between the Western and Eastern reaches of the Gulch. As such it has become a battleground between several groups, as they all want to control the vital Arteria. 

With the arrival of the Kraken Brigade, the Mortali followed, unleashing a new hell onto this already defiled land.

April 1907 Operation Grunwald

The previous year, the Mortali Knights relentlessly pushed and managed to reach the northern outskirts of Arteria 77, successfully crushing any speed bumps we tried to put in their way. It appeared that Funky Town would fall before Christmas of that year. By December 1st, the Krakens and Zmeya Brigades had not been able to fully fortify yet, and reinforcements from the Bauk and Striga Brigades had yet to arrive; all seemed doomed. As the final, hastily made lines prepared to engage the Mortali's vanguards, nothing happened. Strangely, although forward scouts had eyes on the knights' encampments, they saw no signs of them preparing for an attack. Dumbfounded, the Brigades' command wasn't sure what to make of this, until Justicar Crymaria arrived back from Novoazakov. According to her, this was an old-world tradition; campaigning ceased during winter, and it would appear that the knights observed this tradition.

High command immediately began to plan an attack on their known position. Justicar Crymaria overruled them; instead, it would be best to keep fortifying. It would be foolish to look this gift horse in the mouth. As the fortifications were underway, they would initiate the planning of a counteroffensive on the Mortali, one that would take advantage of this time they had been given—Operation Grunwald.

First Phase of Operation Grunwald

Operation Grunwald had succeeded in reclaiming ground from the Mortali knights at an unexpected pace, despite the hectic urban warfare that the collective Caspian forces faced. They persevered. The lessons learned from Maglenia by the Kraken Stalkers proved vital in their targeted strikes against the Mortali back lines, taking down warlocks and necromongers, severely weakening the knights. The ULTRAs and T-65s punched through the demonic war beasts and knights alike, while the newly created mixed fire teams composed of all the present brigades exceeded expectations. By early May 1907, they had retaken all surrounding Capillas and were at the doorsteps of both Kotkino and Matrosivika.

Their speed was unprecedented. Lady Crymaria and the top brass had expected a severely grinding endeavor at the start of Operation Grunwald in April. The three Mortali hordes had all been pushed back, with them all taking surprisingly large casualties. Although the initial planned encirclement of the Mortali's Band of the Falcon had fallen apart due to the rapid advancements of the frontline, the Caspians would now have to try to either encircle Matrosivika (Band of the Falcon) and Kotkino (Cannibal Cohort) or attempt to keep up the momentum against the Knights and punch through them. The Slayer Cohort would also have to be kept on the back foot, as they had managed to pull further back than the other two Mortali hordes during the initial month of Operation Grunwald. As such, the path is forked for the Caspians: will they encircle Matrosivika and Kotkino or attempt to dislodge the Knights with what is left of their momentum?