The Ghealan Wars
The Ghealan wars was a military conflict between the Belanos clan in Ghealas and the neighbouring Arakhne peoples of Aranea.
The children of Old Nick had spread their influence far past the Earldom of Hol Gheal. Herleva within Ghealas, Kalfr to the West in Rhudd, and Eadgifu to the North in Aranea.
After Queen Hereleva died in 738, pressure from the family of her mother Matilda forced King Oswin to abdicate. This was forbidden under the peace terms settled through their marriage. Oswin would raise an army and annex Blaec Gheal as an attempt to throw the Belanos family out of power in late 739. This would become known as The Annexing of Blaec Gheal. His illegetimate son with the Traveling Priestess, Aethelred, becomes their chieftain after Oswin surrenders and is beheaded.
Aethelred had been a semi-finalist in the Koaneg Eskern Tournament. He was a famed hunter and due to his parentage, was both well-liked but feared. Aethelred returned to Blaec Gheal with his supporters and was devastated to find out his father’s fate. He send word to the tribes in the North of Aranea, warning that the Belanos would not act peaceful for long. He was ignored at first, as the Dolomedes were currently engaging in skirmishes between the Phoneutria who had recently returned for the first time in 20 years, from a migration to the Great Salt Path.
A Belanos mining company discover metal on Aranean territory. A fight breaks out between the two parties and eventually a riot in the town begins. The Belanos in Hol Gheal seize this opportunity to launch an attack on the town. The local Aranean chieftains, one of who is Aethelflaed’s grandfather, and the other of whom is a Phoneutrian huntress, allow the Belanos to keep the mine but they must allow the Arakhne to work and must return their slaves.
Hostages are exchanged, and Eadgifu, a Belanos who lives with the Phoneutrians, is taken as one. They are not happy to give her up as she was researching a cure for a pollution-related illness that was going around. Once they find this out, the Belanos accuse Eadgifu of being a spy and kill her.
Old Nick meets Aethelred while hunting in the forest one day. He is carrying his daughters headless body. They relay their stories and decide to team up. Eadgifu is beheaded in 741, and in 742 Sarhilde is announced as heir after she kills her aunt. Old Nick refuses to march on Blaec Gheal if one of his descendants is in charge. Some of Aethelred’s men try to raid the city and are killed, but not before Aethelred finds evidence they have killed all their hostages and have their heads on stakes to ward off any further Aranean raids.
Old Nick then attacks the city with Aethelred, and Sarhilde, Lindru of Larix, and Vaefar are forced to flee the city. Vaefar is an augur and predicts Aethelred will die by moonset, to which Aethelred makes a blood bet with him. Although they are able to destabilize the royal family in Ghealas for a bit, Aethelred and his army are eventually slaughtered after their Calcatrix allies turn on them due to a loop hole in the bet.
Old Nick gives him a water burial, as Sheena does with her loved ones, and lays him in the banks of Lake Deorcan. Aethelred is revived as an Aliruna by the next moonset, but due to the amount of crows who fed on his corpse he is stuck with them as familiars and central to his life force- if the crows all die, he dies.
After his revival his men siege Blaec Gheal once again and his people crown him King of Gheal. Sarhilde finally folds and instead of death, uses her way with words to convince Aethelred to marry her. She does not know of his immortality, and realises this too late when she tries to kill him and he comes back to life. She is now stuck with him.
He then divorces her and chases her and her man out of the castle, making Blaec Gheal under complete Dolomedes control. To escape being killed, Sarhilde joins the Gwraig and navigates and hides with them in the rivers. She is eventually able to meet Old Nick and convince him to take a stand against Aethelred. The two of them meet and gamble for the fate of Blaec Gheal, but the game is rigged and Aethelred wins. Their alliance crumbles. The city is put under Siege by Old Nick’s army.
In the North of Ghealas, the Phoneutria, Dolomedes, and Latrodectes band together to rid themselves of the Belanos. A Phoneutrian-raised Belenakos, Katurix, betrays his army and the Belanos using his intelligence are able to formulate a plan to wipe out the Phoneutriae army and run Aethelred out of the city.
He then overtakes Hol Gheal and engages in battle against Aethelred, ultimately defeating him and releasing Lindru from her capture. They are able to retake Blaec Gheal and bring Ghealas under Belanos control. The Phoneutrians charge through Hol Gheal and are able to retake it, but only briefly, and Old Nick’s army overtake them, causing a slaughter.
The Dolomedes end up sequestered off to Ceowan, which is ruled by Herleva’s daughter Wulfgifu, where they do not fare well. Aethelred’s daughter Aethelflaed becomes chieftess of the remaining Dolomedes when she is of age. Aethelred’s crows are mistakenly sent to the four courners of Albanos to deliver nonsensical messages to different monarchs, and he is killed in his sleep. His body is tossed into the river and the Gwragedd guard it while waiting for his crows to return.
The children of Old Nick had spread their influence far past the Earldom of Hol Gheal. Herleva within Ghealas, Kalfr to the West in Rhudd, and Eadgifu to the North in Aranea.
After Queen Hereleva died in 738, pressure from the family of her mother Matilda forced King Oswin to abdicate. This was forbidden under the peace terms settled through their marriage. Oswin would raise an army and annex Blaec Gheal as an attempt to throw the Belanos family out of power in late 739. This would become known as The Annexing of Blaec Gheal. His illegetimate son with the Traveling Priestess, Aethelred, becomes their chieftain after Oswin surrenders and is beheaded.
Aethelred had been a semi-finalist in the Koaneg Eskern Tournament. He was a famed hunter and due to his parentage, was both well-liked but feared. Aethelred returned to Blaec Gheal with his supporters and was devastated to find out his father’s fate. He send word to the tribes in the North of Aranea, warning that the Belanos would not act peaceful for long. He was ignored at first, as the Dolomedes were currently engaging in skirmishes between the Phoneutria who had recently returned for the first time in 20 years, from a migration to the Great Salt Path.
A Belanos mining company discover metal on Aranean territory. A fight breaks out between the two parties and eventually a riot in the town begins. The Belanos in Hol Gheal seize this opportunity to launch an attack on the town. The local Aranean chieftains, one of who is Aethelflaed’s grandfather, and the other of whom is a Phoneutrian huntress, allow the Belanos to keep the mine but they must allow the Arakhne to work and must return their slaves.
Hostages are exchanged, and Eadgifu, a Belanos who lives with the Phoneutrians, is taken as one. They are not happy to give her up as she was researching a cure for a pollution-related illness that was going around. Once they find this out, the Belanos accuse Eadgifu of being a spy and kill her.
Old Nick meets Aethelred while hunting in the forest one day. He is carrying his daughters headless body. They relay their stories and decide to team up. Eadgifu is beheaded in 741, and in 742 Sarhilde is announced as heir after she kills her aunt. Old Nick refuses to march on Blaec Gheal if one of his descendants is in charge. Some of Aethelred’s men try to raid the city and are killed, but not before Aethelred finds evidence they have killed all their hostages and have their heads on stakes to ward off any further Aranean raids.
Old Nick then attacks the city with Aethelred, and Sarhilde, Lindru of Larix, and Vaefar are forced to flee the city. Vaefar is an augur and predicts Aethelred will die by moonset, to which Aethelred makes a blood bet with him. Although they are able to destabilize the royal family in Ghealas for a bit, Aethelred and his army are eventually slaughtered after their Calcatrix allies turn on them due to a loop hole in the bet.
Old Nick gives him a water burial, as Sheena does with her loved ones, and lays him in the banks of Lake Deorcan. Aethelred is revived as an Aliruna by the next moonset, but due to the amount of crows who fed on his corpse he is stuck with them as familiars and central to his life force- if the crows all die, he dies.
After his revival his men siege Blaec Gheal once again and his people crown him King of Gheal. Sarhilde finally folds and instead of death, uses her way with words to convince Aethelred to marry her. She does not know of his immortality, and realises this too late when she tries to kill him and he comes back to life. She is now stuck with him.
He then divorces her and chases her and her man out of the castle, making Blaec Gheal under complete Dolomedes control. To escape being killed, Sarhilde joins the Gwraig and navigates and hides with them in the rivers. She is eventually able to meet Old Nick and convince him to take a stand against Aethelred. The two of them meet and gamble for the fate of Blaec Gheal, but the game is rigged and Aethelred wins. Their alliance crumbles. The city is put under Siege by Old Nick’s army.
In the North of Ghealas, the Phoneutria, Dolomedes, and Latrodectes band together to rid themselves of the Belanos. A Phoneutrian-raised Belenakos, Katurix, betrays his army and the Belanos using his intelligence are able to formulate a plan to wipe out the Phoneutriae army and run Aethelred out of the city.
He then overtakes Hol Gheal and engages in battle against Aethelred, ultimately defeating him and releasing Lindru from her capture. They are able to retake Blaec Gheal and bring Ghealas under Belanos control. The Phoneutrians charge through Hol Gheal and are able to retake it, but only briefly, and Old Nick’s army overtake them, causing a slaughter.
The Dolomedes end up sequestered off to Ceowan, which is ruled by Herleva’s daughter Wulfgifu, where they do not fare well. Aethelred’s daughter Aethelflaed becomes chieftess of the remaining Dolomedes when she is of age. Aethelred’s crows are mistakenly sent to the four courners of Albanos to deliver nonsensical messages to different monarchs, and he is killed in his sleep. His body is tossed into the river and the Gwragedd guard it while waiting for his crows to return.
The Conflict
Prelude
The prelude includes the following:
Herleva conquering Deornet Valley and Blaec Gheal to form the Queendom of Ghealas in 709 as jointly ruled by the Dolomedes and Belanos between her and her husband Oswin.
Herleva’s declining faith in her bickering daughters after Hol Gheal is overtaken by Hilda, Wulfgifu shows no promise, and Inga alienates the entire family.
This leads to Herleva disinheriting her daughters in 738 and stating will only have the heirs of her siblings considered. Kalfr’s eligible children are brought to Blaec Gheal where Sarhilde shows promise. In early 739 Oswin is forced into abdicating by Herleva’s aunts.
Oswin and his daughter Inga have gathered an army by the summer. During the height of the Koaneg Eskern Tournament of 739, they kill Hilda Larix and take back Hol Gheal and Deornet Valley
. They cut off all supply routes to Blaec Gheal and by the first frost of 739 their army has dwindled and they’re starving. Herleva’s aunt Mildred disguises her soldiers and has them use the train halfway down the mountain, gathering the support of the Clockmakers and attacking the Dolomedes army gathered in Hol Gheal from the forest. They are able to capture Oswin and Igna. Oswin is executed and Inga is brought back as a slave.
Conflict Type
War
Start Date
738
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