Capture of the South Sea

The Capture of the South Sea was one of the major turning points in The Great Divide, as it showed that Aedwin was capable of countering, if not defeating, the mighty naval prowess that was the Lauchette Navy. It helped stem the tide of Lauch reinforcements and supplies that were being transported into the Hales.

Buildup
The reclamation of the South Sea was high on the list of priorities for the Alliance of the Hales. It was the main way that the Lauch transported supplies and soldiers into the Hales. It was also a way for some supplies to make it into Aedwin, however, supply ships were being stopped and raided by either pirates or the Lauch, which prevented food and weapons from reaching Aedwin leaving some unarmed and unfed. After Greenfields was occupied by the Lauch, it became necessary for Aedwin to build a navy and fight back, as they could not fight them on land, and with Greenfields being occupied they would likely not be getting food soon.

With Lauchette supply ships going through the South Sea laden with cargo and riches, piracy hit a new peak. People stole ships and went off into the sea to steal food, riches, and weapons to further arm themselves. However, all coins have two sides, and this also resulted in Aedwin ships being raided, furthering the need for a well-stocked navy.

Battle
The battle between the Lauchette fleet and the flotilla of Aedwin ships attacked each other a while away from Aedwin. The commander of the Lauchette fleet, Antonin Cyril, ordered all of the Lauch ships to turn and fire at the Aedwinian ships. All of the ~30 ships in the Aedwin fleet returned fire, the newer military ships using archers equipped with flaming arrows, burning a handful of sails on ships and burning one ship, sinking it with its crew. The immobilized ships were boarded and raided, the crew killed or taken as prisoner and the supplies looted, after which they were scuttled.