The War of the Southern Storm

The War of the Southern Storm, otherwise known as the War to Devour the Elves and the War of the West, was a conflict involving the kingdom of Sonora, the kingdom of Nyth Noelle, and the tribes of the Orcish Take lead by the then-Dominus, Zahm the Feybane. Laying siege to the whole of the Ivorwood, Zahm attacked the Elves with brutal force and unfettered savagery, wounding the Fey Queen Aya'danu herself and killing Amen the White her Consort Alabast at the time, nearly winning the war if it were not for the intervention of the human kingdom of Sonora. Struck down by the bronze dragonborn paladin Zerath the Bronze Flame, Zahm's defeat saw to the construction of Fort Callion and the wall of the Reins by king Devlin Sonora, made to slowly choke the Orcs out over a long period of time.

The Conflict

Deployment

The Orcs gathered in full force and charged straight down in an organized fashion, having forgone their infighting and warring due to their bloody unification at the hands of Zahm the Feybane. The undefended Elvish settlements of what is now known as Grynn were slaughtered and decimated, all manner of elf and other denizens being slain or taken by the Orcs for slave labor, consumption, or other malevolent purposes.
The Elves responded in kind and held an advantage over the orcs for a bit of time due to their magical prowess, but through the torture of various captured Elven mages, Zahm and his shamans learned ways to protect and defend themselves against the elves' arcane power. With no true martial fighting force to meet them on the battlefield, the Elves were pushed nearly to the border of the city of Velve Nelore itself, until Aya'danu and her chosen charged in themselves.

Battlefield

• The Siege of the Collonade: This was the first major loss of the Elves and the site where Amen the White was killed by Zahm the Feybane, but not before taking his eye with her. The first Collonade would be decimated by Zahm's forces and cut down to bits and burned, leaving charred ashy gray land in its wake. This land would be resettled by a group of Separatist elves who broke away upon Aya'danu's alliance with the humans, the land becoming known as the Cinderwood.

The Engagement

When Aya'danu, her Consort Amen the White, and her Chosen charged to meet the Orcish warriors, the magical power alone was enough to strike the cavalry hard and fast. However, it didn't take long for the orcs to regroup and apply their new magical knowledge to defend themselves. Four of the seven chosen fell and were torn apart by the orcs, and Aya'danu met Zahm himself in the center of the fray, his magical knowledge and sheer force of will combined with his magic devouring armor allowing him to mortally wound the fey queen, scarring her left side to become desiccated and ruinous. Aya'danu would only survive due to the sacrifice of her Consort, who engaged Zahm in one on one combat to allow the queen to escape. Aya'danu watched as Amen's head was crushed by Zahm's bare hand, but not before she took his left eye with her rapier and dagger.
It was during her time of mourning that she was approached by Devlin Sonora himself, the king of the human lands who wished to offer a deal. He and his armies would join the war and subsequently protect the Elvish people for so long as they could if she were to give up the lands that the Orcs had taken to be owned by his own kingdom. In her grief and desperation, the Archfey gave him what he wanted and made the deal, and was bound to her word as an Archfey even to this very day. From there, the human forces sundered the Orcish army from the west, and Zerath the Bronze Flame, the champion of the Knights of Sonora, struck Zahm down and took his championed axe Elfincleaver for his own.

Aftermath

King Devlin Sonora was given ownership over the lands to the west, which he named the region of Grynn and planned to expand too. However, he would succumb to an early demise as he was infected with a vicious disease that would see him expire within five years of the end of the war. Due to this, the lands were never truly settled and merely sat in the ownership of the human kingdoms for years to come.

Historical Significance

In Literature

The song "The Ballad of the Bronze Flame" was written about the battle between Zahm and Zerath, immortalizing both in the legendary conflict between them. There is also the fearful rhyme of "Fear the Elfincleaver" born by Elvish Bards to speak of the evils of the legendary axe of the same name.

Conflict Type

War

Battlefield Type

Land

Conflict Result

The Orcish Incursion was destroyed and the Orcs were forced into the region now known as the Orcish Take.

Belligerents

Zahm's Legion

• The Tribes of the Take

The Kingdom of Nyth Noelle

• The Chosen
• The Fey Courts of the Veneer
• The Kingdom of Nyth Noelle

Led by

• Aya'danu

Strength

Zahm's legions ran about 15,000 with a mixture of orcs, goblinoids, and other creatures. They also rode mounts comprising of tuskaloths, aurochs, and other beasts.

Nyth Noelle's armies comprised mainly of elves, gnomes, halflings, and other fey creatures to a total of 11,000, comprised of some martial warriors but predominantly magical creatures and magic users such as wizards or druids.

Casualties

Objectives

The objective of the legion was to destroy the Elvish Kingdom and eventually all of the other kingdoms residing within Albion.

The Elves sought to defend their kingdom from the invading forces of the Orcs.