The War For the Eastern Rend

The War for the Eastern Rend, also known as the Sonoran-Rend War or the Sonoran Invasion, was a conflict between the Kingdom of Sonora and the Clans of the Eastern Rend for ownership over the territory. The conflict lasted three years and ended with the established one-on-one Honor Combat between the appointed Clanswarden Siobhan of Clan Kascarda and King Dalen Sonora, ending with Dalen's victory but the allowing of Siobhan to live, if she would marry him to unite the lands.

The Conflict

Prelude

Tensions between the Sonoran lands and the territories of the Rend had come to a boiling point after the Rend was found to have provided aid to the Dark Elves of the Zaffrewood during Dolan's Incursion to the north. After the assassination of the king and the crowning of his younger brother Dalen, the Lords and Dukes of Sonora pressured him to respond in kind to either the Dark Elves or the Rend in avoidance of looking weak to the other Kingdoms, particularly the Dwarves. As such, with the Rend being the louder and more active of the two voices, Dalen reluctantly called for war.

Battlefield

• The Scorch of Kinswarden: The rebellious members of the Rend sought to tell the kingdom that they would no longer suffer the invasions and incursions of their people on their land, mounting an assault that would see the nearest town to the Rend, Kinswarden, be burned to the ground in the dead of night. A group of soldiers led by the united clans of O'Dimm and Horryn, struck the countryside in a great mixture of fire and ice as a statement of disdain. Dalen Sonora would later use this as justification to his people to go to war.
• The Battle At Carrion Cross: One of the biggest issues for King Dalen was actually getting his forces into the Rend proper to mount an assault, as the clans had in-depth knowledge of the land borders throughout the entirety of the area. The largest battle would be at the bones-turned-caves of Carrion Cross, the natural border of porous mountain ranges that divided the two lands. Here, Clanswarden Siobhan Kascarda and Chieftain Bolin Roarke would assault the Sonoran marches with guerilla tactics, traps, and use of the natural animals and magic that resided within the land. This blow would decimate the Sonoran efforts and force them to retreat at the start of Winter, waiting out the cold and snow to regroup on another plan.
• The Bone Blacken Assault: Towards the end of winter, while the Cross was abandoned due to avoidance of the cold and heights, a warmage by the name of Cassian Mor worked with a small squadron of other mages to sneak into the Cross before the Rend could return, covering the cave walls in arcane runes, laying a number of traps that would wait out the marches before being tripped. When the Rend forces re-emerged and returned to utilzie the caves and caverns as they had done in the past, massive glyphs lit up the Crossing and blew their forces to cinders. This started a great fire and chain of explosions that caused a mudslide on the eastern front, further weakening the Rend forces and claiming the life of Bolin Roarke. This would be the start of turning the tide of the war, changing the landscape of Carrion Cross forever.
• The Battle of Mothersyard: The final battle would take place at the grand valley overlooked by the legendary mountain of Mother's Mesa, where the Sonoran and Rend forces met in open combat. Over time, the Sonorans overran the Rend with their superior armor and fighting capabilities, and it wasn't until Clanswarden Siobhan Kascarda met King Dalen Sonora on the battlefield that she pointed her blades at him and challenged him to Honor Combat, to decide once and for all the fate of the Rend by the loss of only one of their lives. Dalen accepted, feeling the same in that he was tired of all the killing, and wished for the war to end. 

Conflict Type

War

Conflict Result

The Sonorans emerged victorious and the Rend became land sanctioned and controlled by the Kingdom of Sonora.

Belligerents

The Kingdom of Sonora

• The Kingdom of Sonora
• The Knights Argent

Led by

• Dalen Sonora

The Clans of the Eastern Rend

• The Clans of the Rend

Led by

• Siobhan Kascarda-Sonora

Strength

Sonora bore the strength of over 30,000 men and women, a fifth of it comprising of mages in service to the crown.

The Eastern Rend was capable of bringing up to 19,000 fighting men and women along with a number of animals, clerics, druids, and other peoples to make up the ranks. They also had the advantage of knowing the territory around the land, which they used in tandem with guerilla war tactics.

Casualties

The Sonorans would lose approximately 6000 people in the war.

The Eastern Rend would lose upwards of 8000 people, both during the war and during the executions after.

Objectives

Take over the Rend and bring it into the Sonoran fold.

Maintain the Rend's independence and way of life, free from Sonoran rule.