Isabella the Mad

Isabella
General information
Faction	Principate of Procer
Species	Human
Status	dead

"There are no reserves, you fool, only second waves!"

―Isabella the Mad

Isabella the Mad is a Proceran general. She is famous for being the only general to have ever defeated Theodosius the Unconquered on the field.

Biography

Isabella is appointed to the command of the hosts of Procer to turn back the forces of Theodosius the Unconquered. When asked by the First Prince when she expected the war to be brought to a successful conclusion, Isabella replied: "It should take, about a hundred battles."

Isabella's crowning moment in history occured during the Maddened Fields, the only defeat ever inflicted on the first Tyrant of Helike.

Fighting Theodosius on the Maddened Fields, Isabella’s secretly gave her commanders wildly differing plans to carry out during the battle to outplay Theodosius' large number of spies. Crucially, Isabella set up Theodosius’ Dilemma. She does not offer a pitched battle or take back principalities: she tosses one wave of soldiers after another at any forces that splits from Theodosius’ main army. However, Theodosius' people does win most of those skirmishes and he gets a few ambushes in himself. But every time he wins, he loses soldiers and Isabella loses nothing much. He’s winning so much it’s destroying his army, and so he has to make a choice. Theodosius could fight a battle that couldn’t be won against nearly five times his number, to force a decisive outcome to the war. Or he could keep tearing through Isabella’s detachments for months and months, hoping for a better chance as his own numbers dwindled with every victory.

In the end, Theodosius bet on his legend, on being able to beat the odds and forge a miracle. Isabella bet that she could ride attrition to a symbolic victory. When Theodosius’ army retreated in good order, there were more than a hundred thousand corpses on the field.

It is noted that since the days of Isabella, Proceran warfare typically massed their cavalry into a single force and sent it to the side.

Isabella wrote her book after retirement, tilted 'A Hundred Victorious Strategies', within which she details her plan on the Maddened Fields as axiom: ‘The heart of warfare is deception. Therefore, the generals who can deceive even themselves are invincible.’”

Epigraphs

“The finest exercise of war is to interrupt the enemy’s plan. Therefore, the general without a plan is also without peer.” – Isabella the Mad, Proceran general

“After Isabella the Mad was appointed to the command of the hosts of Procer to turn back the forces of the Tyrant Theodosius, the First Prince asked of her when she expected the war to be brought to a successful conclusion. ‘It should take,’ she famously replied, ‘about a hundred battles.'” – Extract from ‘The Banquet of Follies, or, A Comprehensive History of the First League War’ by Prince Alexandre of Lyonis

“There are no reserves, you fool, only second waves!” – Isabella the Mad, only general to have ever defeated Theodosius the Unconquered on the field

“The source of might in an army is unity, not numbers. Therefore, the mightiest of all armies numbers a single soldier.” – Isabella the Mad, Proceran general

“The most dangerous opponent for a master is a novice. Therefore, seek to be a novice in all things.” – Isabella the Mad, only general to ever defeat Theodosius the Unconquered on the field

Victory lies in understanding the intentions of the enemy. Therefore, a general with no intentions cannot be beaten - Isabella the Mad, Proceran general

“One learns more from defeat than victory. Therefore, fear the general that has never won a battle.” – Isabella the Mad, Proceran general

“The heart of warfare is deception. Therefore, the generals who can deceive even themselves are invincible.” – Isabella the Mad, Proceran general