I'm back, baby!
[X] Support General SoftEars and the Concentration of Force. February must not fall.
The next few weeks are filled with frantic activity. Supplies and equipment are stockpiled as your soldiers complete their training and begin to assemble for the long march to February. You personally oversee the final graduation of the officers of the newly formed 3rd Division. Your generals join you later, as you pour over maps of the month and plans begin to form. General SoftEars leads these discussions as orders slowly begin to trickle out to your forces.
Your diplomats work day and night to secure your army a route through March. Although most holidays have joined the Easter Declaration or the Independent Front, there are some minor holidays who have remained steadfastly neutral. Your team of expert negotiators trade and deal, forming a path through the Ides of March and past a dozen insignificant days. Negotiations with the Independent Front, however, go less smoothly. Despite Cupid's lobbying and your material support of Independent Front Forces, the members of the IF are wary of working with you. The fear of a hostile takeover runs deep. Yet, as the diplomats turn their attention to Valentine's Day and its allies, the fruits of your labor begin to show. Due to your quiet support of the Independent's struggle against St. Nick, there was already a growing support for Easter. Your negotiators find that all it takes is one final push.
Basically, you bribe them into accepting you.
Shipments of food and arms, even more than you were already sending, travel ahead of your convoys. Despite your factories finally entering full production, you aren't in possession of a major surplus, but these people need hard evidence of your good intentions. It's expensive, but it is successful. By the time your forces cross into February, suspicious glances have been replaced by cautious smiles. It is not a warm welcome, but it is a welcome, and that is enough.
Your forces have arrived in February to cautious optimism. The Independent Front seems to be waiting to see what your next move is.
Your generals have raised the issue of leadership: while your allies from the Easter Pact have agreed to follow your battle plan, the Independent Front has made no such agreement. some of your officers have been pushing you to pressure the IF into a unified command for the coming conflict.
What is your decision?
[] Unity is key in battle. With Cupid's support and the goodwill from your previous contributions, you may be able to sweet talk them into a partnership. Try to cajole the IF into listening to your plans. You won't have command over their units, but you may be able to convince them to act with you.
[] Unity? To hell with that. You are the major power here, not them. They need you far more than you need them. Some might call it bullying, you call it enforcing the chair of command. You will ensure that their unit follow your generals, even if they don't like it. Victory is the only thing that matters.
[] To be blunt: You don't need them. Your training and equipment is far superior to theirs, and with your allied forces you outnumber the IF as well. Let them act on their own, you will fight this war alone.
[] Other?
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Meanwhile, the ESS has not been idle. With operations in Easter territory slowing now that internal threats have been removed, they turn their attention back to supporting the war effort. Spies and scouts have slowly spread across early February and have begun to report on the situation in late January. It is not encouraging. Christmas pathfinders have already spread across the month, slowly crossing through every minor holiday. They aren't making any effort to hide, sometimes they are even accompanied by Santa's diplomats. So far you've been unable to determine what, exactly, the diplomats were doing there. Most of the holidays in January are already on friendly terms with St. Nick.
Most disturbing of all, no agents sent past the Epiphany ever seem to return. As soon as they cross the 6th of January, they go silent. What little knowledge you have gained points to... movement. Lots of movement. The nature of this movement is still unclear to you. Nevertheless, it adds to the growing anxiety of your commanding officers. Some believe it to be a brewing attack against the Independent Front, while others are concerned that Christmas may be fortifying it's borders against any attempt to attack it through January.
No matter the truth, it seems Santa is reacting to your movement in February.
Christmas is not idle. Movement has been detected near the Epiphany, but Kringle's counter-intelligence service has prevented you from gathering more information.
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October 31st has become a war zone. Skellington, unable to halt the armored fist of Santa's Blitzkringle, has changed tactics. The forces of Halloween have conducted a strategic retreat to the borders of Halloweentown itself. There they have reformed defensive lines and dug in to the best of their abilities, occupying the fortifications there. The Pumpkin King has called up his reserve forces to fortify the city itself. General Order 1031 has been issued to the armies of Halloween: "Not One Step Back!". Civilians have been evacuated to early October as the streets are filled with sandbags and tank-traps. The city is being turned into a fortress.
In the most titanic battle of the War on Christmas to date, the full might of Santa's forces in October have engaged the outer defenses of Halloweentown. Artillery thunders across the lines as monster and elf meet in a clash of steel and will. Gingerbread Tanks battle Werewolves as Fighter Planes duel Gargoyles in the skies above. The first of the great defensive lines was breached early in the fighting, at great cost to both sides. Now, the struggle is in a precarious balance. Skellington still seems to hope for the Kringlists to over-reach, allowing for his long-sought counter attack. The question remains as to whether his own army can hold until that point.
Yet, help may come from an unexpected source. Lord GobbleSnood has been planning something that could ease the pressure on Halloween. A daring raid against Christmas' main encampment in central Thanksgiving. A risky plan, to be sure, but one that could reap great benefits for both the Leftovers and for Skellington's armies. GobbleSnood has send a personal letter to you, asking for you to allow your ESS operatives to take part. For the past few weeks, the agents you attached to the Thanksgiving Resistance have acted solely in an advisory capacity, never directly joining in the combat. Now, he wishes for that to change.
While your operatives could ensure the success of the mission, they would be put directly at risk in such an action. The agents in Thanksgiving territory are, with no doubt, the most veteran individuals in the ESS. Their loss in combat would deal a great blow to both the efficiency of the organization, and general morale.
What do you do?
[] Allow the ESS to take part. The Winter Front needs all the help it can get.
[] It's too risky. GobbleSnood will have to make his attack alone.
[] It's far too risky. Encourage GobbleSnood to call off his attack altogether.
[] Other?
