Struggle with Remoh, Kumoran's Resolve
It was during the conflict of 241-42 when Kumoran realized that the forces of his rival, King Durantakis of Remoh, were better organized. Remohan city walls seemed impenetrable as Remohan archers inflicted heavy casualties upon the attacking Daferans. Before long, Chemkan reinforcements arrived, forcing the Daferans to retreat away from Remoh and its surrounding lands by about twenty miles. It was at this point that King Kumoran of the Daferans arrived at two important issues: first, he needed time to better organize his army into divisions, including one to scout out enemy movements; and second, he needed the enemy to be distracted by another conflict. In March 242, Kumoran approached King Durantakis and the Chemkan Senate, calling for a council, during which he signed with them a peace treaty. Such a treaty re-established the border close to the city of Remoh, with all land outside of it belonging to the Daferans, the boundary before the Chemkans arrived. In exchange for that, the Daferans would contribute mercenaries to defend the Remohans and Chemkans in case of an attack by an outside enemy force. Although the Chemkans were slightly suspicious, they, along with the Remohans, nevertheless signed the treaty.
Hidden Preparation
Over the next year, King Kumoran established over 100 hidden encampments in various locations throughout the Interior Desert, Escarpment, and Coastal regions. While doing this, he met with a sea merchant named Induman, who, through brutal and violent piracy, gained not only a large amount of wealth, but also land in the Meredythian Island region. The two men made a deal, where, in exchange for Kumoran's daughter, Aelena, to be promised to Iduman's son, Eduman, Iduman and his pirates would teach a planned curriculum of combat and defense skills to the tens of thousands of new Daferan recruits that Kumoran was taking into the encampments. As they agreed to the deal, Kumoran presented Iduman a word of warning: that the Chemkans and Remohans were dishonest and sneaky, presenting a threat to the Daferans and pirates.
Meanwhile, Kumoran had a plan of his own, hidden from Iduman, in which Daferan warriors, disguised as Chemkans and Remohans, would attack the fleet of Eduman, while another division of Kumoran's would serve as the said mercenaries for the Chemkans and Remohans. Also part of the hidden plan, additional concealed encampments were built near Remoh, Corbo, and Sorto.
Pirate Provocation
In March 243, Kumoran launched his first band of Daferans, who boarded a ship and approached the ship aboard which was Iduman's son, Eduman, where they struck it with flaming arrows and sunk it. Eduman died as a result. When learning of this, Iduman, thinking this was the work of the Chemkans and Remohans, sent hundreds of his pirate ships, each to the city of Remoh and Corbo, the latter of which was a bustling sea port. In April 243, Iduman's pirate ships attacked both places, first with arrows, and then, when some of the ships made it to the docks, with infantry, who attacked defenses at the city walls. The two cities effectively were able to fend off the pirates, and furthermore sent soldiers on ships to Induman's bases in the Meredythian Island regions. But nevertheless, they sent a message for help to Kumoran, thinking that Kumoran was faithful to the treaty.
The Black Wave of 243
Instead, King Kumoran called upon Daferan warriors to launch a coordinated offensive upon the cities of Remoh, Corbo, and Sorto from their hidden encampments. The Daferans swept through Remohan and Chemkan territories, conquering these first and then the cities. The warriors were masked and dressed in black, striking terror into the local inhabitants. They, furthermore, used soul gem "demons and ghosts" to scare enemy soldiers and civilians alike. Their real weapons, though, were flaming arrows, fly-daggers, torches, and a new type of shield made a special plant fabric, produced by a work of spellfire to be retractable. Once the nearby encampments launched upon the three targeted cities, reinforcements from the 100 encampments launched into action, employing the same strategies. In May 243, Remoh fell, as streets were stormed, shops and homes were raided, and numerous people were slaughtered. However, King Durantakis escaped undetected by Daferan forces, as he fled to Tekon to seek refuge and deliver news of the Daferan assault to Alexia I. In June 243, Corbo fell. This city was stormed in the same fashion, as docks were occupied, and ships, both Chemkan and pirate alike, were commandeered and looted. In September 243, the Chemkan capital of Sorto came under attack. Having heard news of the terror to the South, the city of Sorto had strong defenses set up, which the Daferans originally could not penetrate. Kumoran, however, placed the city under siege; and not long after, the Chemkan Senate wrote a letter of surrender. Unknown to Kumoran, though, as the gates of Sorto opened to let in the Daferan warriors, all members of the Senate escaped undetected to the Wannonian capital of Tekon, where they met with King Durantakis. Meanwhile, back in Sorto, King Kumoran established his base.
The First Assault on Wannonia
It was at this point that King Kumoran felt determined to exact harsh revenge and humiliation on Wannonia by defeating it and taking Empress Alexia I as a prisoner and personal servant. In October 244, he launched another Daferan "wave" into Wannonian territories. However, Wannonia was well-prepared, with both their border wall and another force: the eagles, of which Kumoran had previously known nothing. Furthermore, the Daferans were too spread out, thinly distributed over a large swath of territory. And along with the wall and fleet of eagles, Wannonian Legions were superior to the Remohans and Chemkans in their garrisons.
Kumoran's plan for this was similar to when he was fighting Remoh two years previously. He would sign a peace treaty with Alexia I while secretly training more Daferan recruits. He would then sow a distraction, this time, in the form of a civil conflict in Calanas. When the time came, after establishing numerous hidden encampments, Kumoran would expect to launch a surprise offensive upon Wannonian territories.
In October 245, the plan seemed to unfold well thus far, as Empress Alexia signed the peace treaty.