The Conflict
Prelude
After The Fall of Ys, Ahes Dahut was left alone in her crumbling palace, isolated and cut off from the world for 200 years, until the arrival of the Druid Rozenn. Rozenn discovered a way to manipulate Ahes' original curse to replicate its effects, transforming herself into the first of the Marie-Morgane. Despite this early success, repeating it proved exhaustive and arduous. Few visitors came to the sunken city, isolated in Douarnenez Bay with few settlements nearby. The city was only accessible from the surface during the four Fire Festivals, as well as midnight on Nedeleg. In the next 300 years, only 50 Marie-Morgane were added to the city's population.
The Marie-Morgane remained trapped in the upper keep of Castle Hill, while the rest of the city had fallen to The Finfolk and Draugr. Survival was a constant struggle, without resources to spend cultivating food, shore up the crumbling structures or research magic. Then, a breakthrough! By tapping into the maelstrom of Cadfan's Tempest, The Oceansong could be used more quickly, effectively and consistently. A daring strategy to use it to save the threatened city was hatched.
After The Fall of Ys, Ahes Dahut was alone for 200 years, sequestered in her sunken palace and cut off from the world. This changed with the arrival of the Druid Rozenn, who discovered a way to alter the curse binding Ahes to her life below the waves, allowing the pair to replicate it as The Oceansong, transforming Rozenn into the first of the "Daughters of Ys."
Over the next 300 years, growth was slow, the process exhaustive and time consuming. Few travelers came to the sunken city, remote, dangerous and accessible only during the Fire Festivals. Then, a breakthrough in magical research allowed the Oceansong to be deployed faster and more often. WIth only 50 Marie-Morgane in the city, Ahes and Rozenn were constantly battling against the incursions of The Finfolk into the ruined castle. They
With Douarnenez Bay lacking major settlements and wary to the presence of the merfolk, the
Glenan Archipelago was selected as a secondary location for the daring raids along the
Odet River and the Ar Mor Kernev. The region was home to numerous sunken settlements from Old Kernev, but relatively untouched by the Finfolk. Furthermore, Kemper had been established as the capital following the Fall, and Ahes had never forgiven her half-brother
Salomon I for siding against her in the struggles against
St. Guenole prior to the fall.
On 13 Eost, 736 SI, a small team of Marie-Morgane launched their first attack, taking a small fishing fleet at Benodet as it raced to return home before a massive storm moved in. During the hurricane, the Marie-Morgane were able to move deep inland along the flooded Odet River, attacking flooded villages and carrying off resources and prisoners.
The Marie-Morgane frequently moved during storms, when floodwaters increased their range and threw the Bediz into chaos. At other times, they would target stragglers and fishing boats.
The Marie-Morgane continued their raids growing their numbers with each successive attack. On 30 Gwengolo, 742 SI, they arrived within sight of the capital at Kemper. Unbeknownst to the Marie-Morgane, political instability following the reign of
Lowenen I had given way to the reign of King
Nevenoe I. Having ousted the House of Kernev, Nevenoe was secretly preparing to revolt against
Kingdom of Gallia and needed to secure the support of the
Penn-ar-bed.
A contingent of powerful
similherez and siege engineers worked tirelessly to prepare for the merfolk assault, constructing a potent rivergate. The Marie-Morgane assaulted the town's defenses, but were consistently hampered in their efforts, capturing very few opponents and only scraping by on stolen supplies. On 45 Gwengolo, the horn sounded and the Marie-Morgane retreated to Glenan.
The Odet Raids swelled the Marie-Morgane's numbers, allowing much needed manpower to be put to use defending the Beacon City and expanding its resources. The merfolk were ill-prepared for their population boom. Resources were scarce, tensions were high and the Finfolk were aggressive, until the
Stormy Season returned, wrecking a great fleet near
Barrad-Faout and breaking coastal defenses erected by the lords of Kernev.
On land, the resurgence of Ys-Beneath-the-Waves, and Nevenoe's response to the raids, led the lords of the Penn-ar-Bed to throw their support behind the King in the War of the Red Hand.
The Odet Raids were viewed as successful by the Marie-Morgane. For the Marie-Morgane, their population crisis had been solved, allowing them to first secure all of Palace Hill, but also Cathedral Hill and Gardenhill. The Daughters of Ys could also begin to truly rebuild, developing sustainable aquaculture, magical studies and cultural expression. They established contact with both the
The Morgazh and the
Selkie.
Yannic Corentin, a Viking chieftain turned Marie-Morgane, had proven instrumental in leading the new merfolk following the Raids, and founded the @
Beg-Sabrenn, an elite military unit to defend the city and its interests.
The Lethaned, now aware of the presence of the Merfolk, looked to the sea with apprehension, often conflating the Marie-Morgane with the Finfolk of the Painted Channel, and developed defenses of vulnerable rivers and maritime trade. The event cemented the relationship between the
Penn-ar-Bed and the Ducal Cities after brief tensions during the First and Second Lethan Civil Wars, and the Fomorian Interregnum.
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