Battle of Gevoka

Event
February 16, 2018

The Battle of Gevoka was a decisive, destructive conflict between the League of the Rusted Crown, the Unbroken Tide, and their respective allies. The Tide won.

Opposing Forces

Allied Armada (Aggressor)
(in order of size)

• Tanyth Aramont Grand Imperial Navy
• Unbroken Tide
• Harmonium
• Githzerai
• Assembler Rebellion
• Farwatch (representing the Rational Ascendancy)
• Wyrm Princes of the Celestial Circle
• Primex

Conspiracy Armada (Defender)
(in order of size)

• League of the Rusted Crown
• Fated
• Orzhov Syndicate
• Githyanki loyal to Caterina Berrett, and their red dragon partners
• Reavers

The Allied Armada was more numerous but lower in strength per unit. In particular, the Unbroken Tide wings relied more on armed merchant craft and converted civilian craft. Both forces fielded numerous paranormal beings, including many Unbound.

Background

Following the Sixth Reset, the Hornwood Equation allowed Sigil to resume thriving as a bustling trade hub. Sigil Space became an essential point of entry, so control of Sigil Space became important for power, prestige, and profit. Many of Sigil's factions and other groups vied for control of Sigil Space. (As usual, the Lady of Pain seemed unconcerned with events beyond her city, even events just outside it.)

Caterina Berrett wanted to demonstrate to the multiverse her cunning and power, including her rising influence in the Fated. She had drawn many Githyanki to follow her instead of Queen Vlaakith and wanted to draw more. The League of the Rusted Crown wanted to control Sigil Space, to ensure that slavery and their other immoral business could still flow through Sigil, or at least its docks. The Conspiracy Armada planned a show of force. They assembled an impressive armada in Gevoka, a remote system of the Prime Material Plane in the Darkened Worlds. They planned to invade Sigil Space, defeat the Harmonium fortresses and ships, and claim control. However, soon after they finished mustering at Gevoka, the Conspiracy was ambushed by the Allies.

Highlights

• The ambush was well-executed. The Conspiracy Armada was surprised and began the battle in some disarray.
• Some of the Conspiracy Armada was distracted by monitoring events on Ravnica. They were also trying to sort through a torrent of misinformation about Berrett and the League that was flooding many public information networks.
• The Conspiracy's confusion increased when Caterina Berrett arrived in the middle of the battle. Berrett gave contradictory orders which caused chaos among the wings of the Conspiracy Armada.
• The battle was short but unusually violent. Some forces on both sides seemed intent to kill instead of capture, including some among the Unbroken Tide and the Fated.
• The Reavers proved to be unreliable. They were more intent on assimilating many red dragons -- which they did -- and then retreating.
• As the Allied Armada started dominating, the Conspiracy Armada broke and fled.

Aftermath

• The Allied Armada split into several task forces to:
  • Pursue the largest fleeing ships
  • Secure Gevoka, then capture survivors and salvage wrecks
  • Secure Sigil Space
  • Seize or destroy the Risen Valor, a mechadead factory ship in orbit at Innistrad
• Sigil Space was secured under the Harmonium and Tanyth Aramont, and thus the Unbroken Tide.
  • The Harmonium openly opposes slavery, so Sigil Space became an anti-slavery zone.
  • The Unbroken Tide never directly holds any territory or buildings.
• Caterina Berrett wasn't captured nor was her body found. Some experts believe that she is ashamed of her forces' defeat and went into hiding.
• Queen Vlaakith used Berrett's failure as further propaganda to reinforce the loyalty of her Githyanki subjects.
  • Some Berrett loyalists tried to reaffirm their loyalty to Vlaakith. It's likely that Vlaakith punished or killed them.
  • Other Berrett loyalists fled and remain at large.
• The Risen Valor was apparently destroyed before the Allies arrived. Considerable debris was falling out of orbit.