~Ihesha Vaeolea Byreathea~ - Vaeol's & Byreath's Duel

This was a judicial combat between Lady Vaeol Yaranevae of Son and Lady Byreath, clanwife of Clan Zhihuafa, fought outside of Lea's walls, capstoning the end of Byreath's War. Ironically, it was never supposed to be fought between Vaeol and Byreath. Instead, Lady Vosaeth of Clan Miniada, Vaeol's oathsister and a fostermate of the city of Lea, had issued the challenge, only to become injured right before the fight. Lady Vaeol, both as Vosaeth's othermate, stepped into her oathsister's stead to ensure that Clan Zhihuafa would never recover from its recent loss to the allied Retaea Clans and so bring the war to an end.
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The Conflict

Prelude

Byreath's War had begun in late 24,543 at Clan Zhihuafa's instigation to control trade across the Retaea and Shemez and settle feud scores among rival clans. Byreath's and Vosaeth's enmity had existed before the war but strengthened after the Zhihuafa's failed ambush on Vaeol's and Vosaeth's combined houses at the Battle of the Three Brothers in Koelae 24,544, and further when Vosaeth's and Byreath's selected champions fought at the 24,544 Blighttide Clanmoot. Although Byreath's champion had arguable won, the loss of credibility and reputation she suffered under the political strokes of Lady Vei of Clan Miniada, Zaeofoth her erstwhile headwife, and Lady Vifaul, High Matron of Lea. The Zhihuage fled Clanmoot and lashed out inidiscriminately at clans they perceived having betrayed them, including Clan Aloaha and resulting in the death of Lady Zhorofi their clanwife, which Byreath had delivered to Lea and set upon a stake.
Lady Vei Miniade leveraged the clans' ill will to forge a new alliance against the Zhihuafa, including Lea, and then trapped the Zhihuafa and their allies in the far south, in the Battle of the Canegrass Meadows in Shenelae, 24,544. Clan Zhihuafa survived only by forsaking its few remaining allies and fleeing back northward, a desperate move leaving them with few supplies and the booty garned from their aggressive warfare. They thus found themselves approaching Lea, the city whose matrons Byreath had bribed and lied to, seeking to manipulate them against the other clans at the war's beginning.
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Deployment

Clan Zhihuafa neared Lea on 17. Koelae, 24,545 and beseeched truce, which was set for the next day. Lady Vifaul the High Matron directly led the delegation of select elder matrons, along with Lady Zhaene Son's ambassador, and also included both Lady Vosaeth and Lady Vaeol.
Despite Lea's earlier support of the Retaea alliance against Clan Zhihuafa, the war had become deeply unpopular within the city. Lady Nimizi, Vifaul's predecessor, had been forced to resign, due to perceived sympathy to the Zhihuafa, a condition she had shared with more than one matron who had struggled to avoid the same fate. Even against the city's outrage at Byreath's manipulation and the desecration of Lady Zhorofi's skull, many saw the war as an embarrassment to Lea's prestige. Thus Lady Vifaul walked an unsteady line between continuing to erode Byreath's influence and appeasing Lea's pacifist factions, who decried the war's impact to trade, wished to offwrite it as a Retaea problem, and even tried to blame its cause on Son (Vaeol's home city) meddling in Retaea Clan affairs.
Byreath led Clan Zhihuafa's survivors to the trucemoot. Despite their desperation, Byreath continued to have a tight read of Lea's fractured mood. She pandered to their greed and desire for any easy out by offering the full plunder taken during the war, a considerable treasure that included gold, silver, gemcraft, porcelein boardware, amber, ivory, blackwood, soapstone, myrrh, and dried queenstongue, in exchange for a hired barge and safe passage across Lake Arasene to Than.
Before the matrons could decide, however, Vosaeth again ensnared Byreath's vindictive sense of honor. She suggested support for the bargain, but on condition that Byreath alone remain an effective prisoner in Lea, never to see the horizon again within the city's walls, which the nomadic Retaea considered a shameful fate. When Byreath predictably lost her temper, Vosaeth used the opportunity to reissue their weapondare challenge (for the third time). Byreath, to maintain any credibility before Lea and her own clanfolk, had to accept. The fight was thus scheduled for (1.) Afaelae Treesong, two days hence.
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Battlefield

The weapontrial site was set at a stockyard just outside of Lea's landfarthing (as separated from the island on which the rest of the city stood) outside the city's walls with the city's marshals officiating. The location allowed the Lea Matronhood to watch from the landfarthing's walltop and further distance themselves from the affair. Vosaeth's and Vaeol's combined households, fully armed, arrived early and set a camp on the lakeshore side as apportioned by the marshals, with similar arranged provided for Clan Zhihuafa on the stockyard's landward side. They arrived at midmorning (between Third & Fourth Belltides), took their spot, and made preparations.
Vosaeth, after kissing her baby son and receiving her house's blessing, mounted her Shotalashu Kaef, at which it stepped on a hood-adder and was bitten back. The steedlizard panicked, reared, and fell, landing atop Vosaeth and breaking her leg. in the confusion, Vosaeth begged Vaeol her oathsister not to let Byreath win by forfeit. Thus Lady Vaeol crossed the weapon trial yard with her son in arm (as token of truce) and delivered her own challenge to Byreath. When Byreath first refused, Vaeol psychically levitated her aloft and slammed her against a stone ruin, repeating an insult given during the previous year's Motorae celebration. Lady Byreath accepted the challenge on condition of fighting her best weaponstyle - polearms on foot - and that no psychic power should be allowed.
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Conditions

Lady Vaeol and Lady Byreath met to fight in the broad empty stockyard right when a drizzle began. Although the season was still Heaventide, which is typically dry, the weather had run wet, making the stockyard muddy, which factored into Vaeol's strategy.
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The Engagement

After the heralds signaled the fight's start, Vaeol antagonized Byreath into making the first attack, which she avoided, and then used her faster, lighter swordbill to take the initiative against Byreath's heavier axebill. However, when they circled to close range, Byreath struck Vaeol's helm and cut her face. Despite the wound, Vaeol wounded Byreath's arm, and then knocked her to the ground. She then slew her foe by a stab to her throat.
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Outcome

While both Vosaeth and Vaeol recovered from their wounds, the Zhihuafa, on seeing Byreath their clanwife slain, fled Lea. Their survivors eventually joined the 24,535 Blighttide Clanmoot, where Clan Zhihuafa was officially cursed and cut off from the Retaea. Those survivors who were not adopted into other clans were summarily banished and hunted down as outlaws after Clanmoot's end.
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Aftermath

Lady Zhasael Zolaemaue, High Matron of Son, on hearing of her daughter Vaeol's wound within her victory, ordered her to return to Son. Before Lady Zhaene Son's ambassador could deliver the order, however, Vaeol's and Vosaeth's houses fled northward, where they rejoined Clan Miniada at the Blighttide Clanmoot. Then began a half-year Shota-and-snake game where Vaeol, her flag, and Queen Taiase found excuses to avoid Lady Zhasael's commands, until they passed through Ofu-Laubu's elfgate and came to Qabarat, where they became involved in that city's political scene.
Lea's Matronhood (despite Lady Vifaul's protests) used Vaeol's intervention to wholly assign the war's blame to Son, claiming the other city was meddling in Retaea Clan politics and trying to control trade between the Retaea and the Yaro Valley. This in itself was a pretext to pressure trade concessions from Son, who now controlled the Marshland Dykeway leading between the Yaro and Retaea. Trade disputes would continue to mar the cities' relations for several years afterward.
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Historical Significance

Legacy

Lady Vaeol bore scars on her brow and cheek, proof she had almost lost an eye, for the rest of her life. At times she claimed that Byreath's ghost haunted her, and several times underwent purification rites against ritual bloodfilth stemming from Byreath's death. In Qabarat, she bore the nickname ~Shaverazere-Halaeaze~ - Thiefqueen-Slayer, since many likened Byreath's bloody, meteoric career to the ancient Thief-Queens from whom the Retaea Clans are descended, along with the additional stigma of wifeslayer.
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In Literature

Lady Vaeol recorded these events in her daylog, as portrayed in _A Castrovel Adventure: Part 4.

Included under Conflict

~Rei Byreathi~ - Byreath's War

Conflict Type

Duel

Battlefield Type

Arena

Start Date

1. Afaelae, 24,545

Conflict Result

Zhihuafa Defeat

Belligerents

Clan Miniada / Flag Yaranevaea

Clan Zhihuafa

Strength

Lady Vosaeth Miniade (principal challenger)

Lady Vaeol Yaranevae of Son (second; actual combatant)
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Lady Byreath Zhihuafe

Casualties

2 wounded

1 slain

Objectives

Defeat Lady Byreath; deny Zhihuafa escape.

Safe passage to Than; maintain clan honor.