Local Press Wires, Goldshire Hamlet
Imperial warplanes appeared to have struck a funeral at a community hall in the Merjaca Goldshire capital Goldshire Hamlet, the administration of Duke Rimetar said on Arisday the 9th of Anandjan, 1641.6274, but the Ministry of Military Affairs denied any role in the attack. More than 270 mourners were killed, according to local health officials cited by the MTO, in an attack that has raised eyebrows in Shirekeep.
Lucien Tocqueville, an MTO official in charge of monitoring conflicts, said more than 1,525 were injuried.
The death toll was announced by Fintan Gwynedd Kavanah, the rebel administration's acting health minister. Kavanah said the air strike occurred in the eastern part of the city, where a wake was taking place for the father-in-law of Grigory Mazower, commander of the
Triskelion Forces and the man instrumental in the Merjaca Factions capture of the southern counties of Goldshire. Tómas Cavanaugh, aged 72, had died of natural causes in the week preceeding the attack.
The death toll was amongst one of the largest for a single incident in a
civil war that has seen the
massacre of PoWs, the
inaguration of gladiatorial games and a wave of
violent repression.
"The Imperialists committed a major crime today, by attacking a mourning hall for the Cavanaugh family. Magus Mazower's wife, Emer Neassa, herself is amongst the injured," Kavanah told a news conference in Goldshire Hamlet.
"There can be no doubt that this attack was a deliberate and cynical attempt to murder the leadership of the Free Duchy. We call upon the Imperial Forces to end their senseless backing for the bloodthirsty and tottering regime of that whore Noor. Goldshire remains committed to the Imperial Republic but every day this war continues our future together becomes more difficult to guarantee."
And there are signs of weariness in Shirekeep with the low-key but seemingly unending conflict along the banks of the aptly named Red Elwynn river.
"The Imperial Government disavows this attack and reminds the Royal Government that Imperial military cooperation with the Kingdom of Goldshire is not a blank cheque," said the
MoMA Spokesman in a statement.
"In light of this and other recent incidents, we have initiated an immediate review of our already significantly reduced support to the Royal Government's martial law regime in Goldshire and are prepared to adjust our support so as to better align with the principles, values and interests of the Imperial Republic, including achieving an immediate end to Goldshire's tragic conflict. Our intervention was intended to enable to capture and punishment of the killers of Prince Arn and Prince Rostam Ayreon-Kalirion. This has been achieved. It is for the Royal Government now to decide how best to bring about an end to the troubles occasioned by its rule."
Sources in the Royalist rump state known as the Kalirion Khanate said there was no Royal Government role in the strike.
"Absolutely no such operation ever occurred. You know what these disgusting traitors are like. They probably bombed themselves in the hope of obtaining sympathy."
Imperial support for the Royalist forces in Goldshire has dwindled since attention was turned towards the problem of defending against a resurgent Jingdao. The attack has ended a long period of relative calm that followed the apparent downing of a charted
Ryker Airship and the disappearance of
Villiam Al-Basani. Joint search efforts and the lull in fighting had led to hopes of a tentative truce. These hopes now appear to have been entirely in vain.
An estimated 252,000 people have been killed or injured since the civil war began in 1639.