The Chesian Wars (A Griffins & Gunpowder Collection)

By Joshua K Johnson

A collection of Short Stories set in the Griffins & Gunpowder Universe. Also includes the first chapter of The Cerberus Rebellion, the first novel in the Griffins & Gunpowder Universe.

The Dragon's Prelude

The Empire of Chesia has been united under the iron fist of the Red Dragon. Now, the self-proclaimed Emperor has called his generals together to plan war.

The nations of Garton and Andivar further the Emperor's goal to control all of the trade in western Zaria.

But the Emperor has smaller, and closer, targets in mind.

A Short Story of approximately 2,000 words.

The Sithean Betrayal

The tiny nation of Jarin has enjoyed an era of unprecedented prosperity at the expense of the weak leadership in the Empire of Chesia. But now, an Emperor has risen that has refused to submit to the Jarin taxes.

Acheron Tavoularis knows that an invasion is imminent and leads his soldiers in a desperate defense against the more numerous Chesian invaders.

On the other side of the field, Vladik Ortoff reluctantly leads hia Imperial soliders against an adversary that would be best ignored.

When both commanders are presented an offer of aid from the notoriously neutral Sitheans, they have no choice but to accept it. But only one can receive the support of their newfound ally; the other suffers betrayal.

A Short Story of approximately 10,000 words.

The Red Dragon's Gold

For centuries, the nation of Malkala has bought peace with the larger, though fractured, Empire of Chesia through trade subsidies and bribes.

Now, a warlord has united the Empire under his Red dragon banner and he's not interested in buying from Malkala; he wants to own it.

The officers of the Army of Malkala now face a juggernaut many times its size and face the temptation of gold and lands; a temptation not everyone can resist.

A Short Story of approximately 6,300 words.

The Gathering Storm

Malis Acantha sees the writing on the wall. The Empire of Chesia has been united under the iron fist of a man that styles himself as the Emperor.

Now the Grand Duke of Welos has traveled far and hard to gather allies to his cause: to stop Chesia before their insatiable hunger crushes the nations around them.

The friend that he thought he would find, however, is not the man that he remembers.

A short story of approximately 6,500 words.

About The Griffins & Gunpowder Universe

The Griffins & Gunpowder universe is a Gunpoweder Fantasy set on the world of Zaria. where Elves, magic and mythical creatures coexist alongside rifles and railroads.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joshua K Johnson
• Release date: Sep 26, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301864027

Joshua K Johnson

Joshua Johnson is the creator of the Griffins & Gunpowder universe, A“Gunpowder Fantasy” setting that combines epic scale, magic and mythical creatures with rifles and railroads. He is the author of The Cerberus Rebellion, The Chesian Wars and more forthcoming works. When he isn't working or spending time with his family, he writes novels, short stories and novellas. He currently lives in Northern Illinois with his wife and young children.

Book preview

The Chesian Wars

(A Griffins & Gunpowder Collection)

Published by Joshua K Johnson at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 Joshua K Johnson

The Dragon's Prelude

Alexsei Charkov, Commanding General of the Central Army of Chesia, strode down the Grand Hallway with long, sure steps. His uniform, gold with red accents, was freshly cleaned and pressed. He clutched a stack of reports in one hand and several rolled maps in the other. The Grand Hallway ran the length of the Imperial Governance building and had entrances to every assembly hall and council room in the building. Guards stood outside of each room; some rooms were guarded by a pair, whereas others were guarded by six or more.

Massive banners, gold with red dragons sewn across them, hung from the ceiling and brushed against the floor. Iron chandeliers burned bright in the late evening, complemented by a sliver of golden sunlight from windows in the western wall.

At the end of the hall stood the entrance to the Hall of Assembly, where the district governors would meet to negotiate treaties and sign agreements with one another and the surrounding nations. The Hall had stood unused for more than three hundred years, since the end of the last Peace.

The Empire of Chesia had not been a united entity for more than fifteen hundred years, but had managed several extensive periods of peace and cooperation. A charismatic district governor would convince his fellows that it was in their interest to work together, or a particularly skilled diplomat would bring the districts together under a web of treaties and alliances. It was rare, however, for the treaties to last longer than the life of the man responsible for them, and the districts quickly devolved into independent entities again.

Many of the Chesian Districts were small: a town, its surrounding farmlands and a stronghold or keep. A handful of the Imperial Districts had as many as half a dozen towns, extensive lands and citizens, and several fortresses. The Gorban District was the largest in the Empire, boasting two large cities, a dozen smaller towns, five major fortresses and more than a tenth of the entire Imperial lands.

It had been the control of such a significant portion of the Empire that had given Frederick Maximilian the starting point he needed to launch his unification. Frederick had ascended to the title of Governor of Gorban after the passing of his father and had wasted no time in making his vision of a unified Empire a reality.

A series of alliances, trade agreements and carefully planned assassinations had brought a third of the Chesian Districts under Frederick's control in less than three years. They had formed the backbone of his army when he had launched his War of Unification against the rest of the Districts. A five-year campaign had brought another third of the Empire and had convinced the rest of the governors that standing against Frederick was futile.

Maximilian had crowned himself as the Emperor of Chesia and had spent the last three years establishing a new government to rule over the Unified Empire. Many of his most loyal followers were placed in positions of authority within this civilian government.

The Imperial Army had maintained its fractured command structure. As Frederick had brought districts under his command, either through conquest or diplomatic measures, he had selected their best officers and field commanders to lead his military. The Imperial Guard was made up from a significant portion of the Dragon's Teeth, the elite infantry and cavalry that Frederick had raised in his home district. The rest of the elite soldiers had been sent throughout the Empire to serve as examples of the benefits of training and discipline.

It was members of the Dragon's Teeth that guarded the huge black door that Alexsei stopped in front of.

Both of the guards were shorter than Alexsei who, at a hand taller than six feet, was taller than most Chesians. His black hair was longer than theirs and they had the brown eyes that were common among the northern Chesians; Alexsei's eyes were green. The two sergeants on either side of the door pressed their right fists to their hearts. The corporals beside them saluted sharply.

The other generals are assembled, one of the sergeants said. Alexsei nodded and stepped through the gilded door.

Lanterns burned along the walls of the windowless council room and reflected off of the mirrors on the ceiling. A round table filled most of the room and was surrounded by two dozen armchairs, only a fraction of which were occupied. The largest chair, a massive wooden thing gilded and studded with gems, and the seat to its right were still empty.

General Vladik Chihagov, Commanding General of the Southern Army of Chesia, sat to the left of the Imperial Seat, his arms folded across his chest. The top three buttons on his golden uniform jacket were undone and sweat beaded along his forehead. He stood five feet and eight inches tall, average for his home district of Kamar. At fifty-nine, he was one of the oldest active generals, and his once black hair had gone mostly to gray. He watched Alexsei carefully with tired green eyes.

General Grisha Ortoff sat to the right of the second empty chair. The Commanding General of the Northern Chesian Army was of average height for an Imperial citizen; he stood six feet exactly. His brown hair was freshly combed and still damp; his brown eyes watched those around him with a lazy interest. The Rachowi had been one of the few members of his district's military command to survive their futile resistance against Frederick's forces.

When are we expecting His Imperial Majesty? Alexsei asked as he took his seat to Grisha's left.

A few minutes, Vladik said. His voice was gravelly and thick with a southern accent. A messenger brought word.

True to the messenger's report, His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Frederick Maximilian, arrived ten minutes after Alexsei. The seated generals stood and saluted as he strode across the room and around the table.

He wore the dress uniform of a Grand General, though he had been rather preoccupied with converting the districts of Chesia into a unified state. He was six feet tall, with narrow shoulders, a pair of small green eyes separated by a thin nose and well-kept black hair.

He walked with the assurance of a man that had fought his own battles and won, and the careful steps of someone who knew that he had enemies everywhere. Five of his guards followed him through the door and took up positions behind him.

Grand General Aleksandr Petrachkov also trailed behind the Emperor. He walked with a hobble, the only reminder of the injuries he had suffered in battle thirty years before. When he could stand fully straight, he was an inch taller than Frederick. He was completely bald and, in the fashion of most Chesian soldiers, kept his face clean shaven.

Thank you for gathering on such short notice, Frederick said as he sat. The generals returned to their seats and mumbled their greetings. We have come across an opportunity that I felt needed to be addressed immediately.

Is this related to the activities along our border with Andivar? Vladik asked.

His scouts had been reporting that the Andivari were preparing to launch a pre-emptive strike against the Chesian fortresses along the southeastern borders.

Andivar was the only nation that the Chesian generals feared uniformly. The Andivari were the only nation on the eastern continent that maintained a standing army. Most reports out of the nation claimed more than five hundred thousand infantry served as in a permanent capacity as members of the Andivari Army; outside reports claimed half that number.

We have received word that Malkala and Jarin are in a position to be captured without interference from their supporters in the surrounding nations, Frederick said.

Malkala was on Chesia's southeastern border, situated in a fertile valley and surrounded by tall mountains. The nation had long been one of the largest suppliers of iron ore to Chesian foundries and had been able to maintain their independence through a combination of trade subsidies and the weakness of the Chesian districts nearest to them.

The nation of Jarin sat between Chesia and the Gulf of Sithea. Deep water harbors allowed them to import goods and supplies from the other nations around the Gulf of Sithea and then move them inland, where they were traded to Chesia for a profit. Frederick had been slowly cutting into the taxes and fees that Jarin was charging to Chesian merchants, but they still took far more than anyone cared to accept.

Your Majesty, Grisha started cautiously. Taking either Jarin or Malkala will require the devotion of a full corps of our soldiers, weeks of planning and precious supplies that are in short supply. Any losses to the forces that we send against them will hurt our ability to go to war against Garton or Andivar.

Grisha left something unsaid that everyone in the room knew was true. Garton and Andivar, to the northeast and southeast of Chesia, shared a border with the nation of Ehtroy. Ehtroy controlled the narrow strip of land that connected the eastern and western continents on the southern side of the world of Zaria known as The Pinch, and the fortress that protected it: the Citadel. It was The Pinch, and the trade through it, that Frederick wanted to control. Chesia would have to mount an invasion of either Garton or Andivar and then against Ehtroy if that dream were to become a reality.

The Malkalan army can muster fifty thousand soldiers, at most, Aleksandr