This was a confrontation between a Son flag-troop under Lady Vaeol Zolaemaue, heading a diplomatic mission to mediate a dispute between the Stormshield Highland Lashunta Clans and the Elves, and Kazos, leader of Clan Sholasa and one of the few korasha leaders on Asana. The Sholasa intended to disrupt peace talks between the other Highland Clans and the Elves, which the Sonna flag met formal challenge, in personal combat.
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The Conflict
Prelude
Lashunta and Elven Clans had coexisted in the Stormshield Mountains since the Age of the Sage-Queens, after the Elves migrated north up the Stormshield Shore until they reached the Dale of Amaea in the Twelfth Millennium. Occasional feuds and wars had broken out, with the last major conflict in the area between the River Laul and the Yaro's headwaters occurring in the 24,300's. At its end, a peace was negotiated, with territories fixed at the Stormshield's divide, with the Elves taking the West, including the Dale of Amaea, and the Lashunta the range's eastern side.
Despite the peace's negotiated boundary, members of the Lashunta Clan Reul began hunting, scouting, and finally settling on the divide's western side, east of Elfring Dale, in the 24,490's. Since the Elves main settlements stood near the seacost and further northward in the Dale of Amaea, the Reul found the land devoid of habitation, and so settled unopposed. Then in 24,540, the Reul began scouting and hunting further westward, where they soon discovered elder ruins believed as Elven holysteads. Meanwhile Clan Sholasa further north began crossing into the Dale of Amaea, which had once been settled by Lashunta in the Age of Sage-Queens, and where they thus discovered Lashunta ruins.
Elves of Clan Imlarim, dwelling in the Dale of Amaea, detected the Lashunta encroachment and started patrols eastward. Ambushes and sniping bowshots proceeded with some casualties, and brought more aggressive presence from the westernmost Lashunta Clans. Word of the separate feuds trickled back to Lashunta clans to the south and east, whose alarm heightened tensions.
Concerned of escalation to a full-scale Lashunta-Elven war, Clan Noruma, the largest and most easternmost clan on the Yaro's headwaters, in Koelae 24,542 sent Elderwife Ianare to Son in the upper Yaro Valley downstream from the mountains, in hopes the city would intervene, either to mediate peace or, in worst case, to provide alliance for their fellow Lashunta. Accordingly, Son dispatched Lady-Flagmaiden Vaeol Zolaemaue (daughter of the city's High Matron Lady Zhasael) in Ashelae 24,542, along with Lady-Outrider Istae Ozalassaue. Lady Vaeol led her flag of veteran Damaya and Korasha warriors on orders to seek negotiaitons for a peace between the Elves and Lashunta Highland Clans. The Sonna flag-troop arrived at Noruma in mid-Ashelae, and then proceeded westward, crossed the Stormshield's divide south of the Dale of Amaea, and reached Clan Reul's floodtide treehold at month's end. From there, they proceeded westward until they reached ~Kyu-Areloru~ - the Elfring Dale - three days further westward: the closest and most recognizable Elven holystead, noted for a ring of standing stones at the dale's foot, on 3. Vealae.
Lady Vaeol then made contact with the Elves of Clan Imlarim, including Tolamad their elder, and got their agreement to a truce. She then sent word back to Clan Reul, where the neighboring clan elders, including Clans Noruma and Inella, to join her flag's camp for the truce. They arrived on 8. Vealae, at which the peace talks began the next day.
Although Clan Sholasa had likewise been invited to the truce talks with the other highland clans, they had refused. However, Kazos their clanhead secretly mustered his warriors. He planned to break the truce, attack the Elves, and capture the other clans' leaders. Kazos had siezed power ten years earlier, after a rift in the clan's matriarchal succession created a violent internal conflict. He had afterward led the Sholasa on a violent policy that, even if it had left all of the Sholasa's enemies defeated, had driven off all nearby goodwill. Kazos divined that the Elves would be easily targetable while fixed at the truce talks, and also that possession of the other clans' elders as hostages would make the Sholasa the preeminent clan in the Middle Stormshields.
Lady Vaeol, however, concerned at the Sholasa's refusal and having learned their warmongering reputation, ordered a reinforced watch on the Elfring Dale's eastern passes. On the afternoon of 9. Vealae, her scouts brought word of the Sholasa raid coming through the northeast pass. She adjourned the truce, mustered her whole flag, and set off to intercept the Sholasa.
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While Kazos led eight lightly armed Damaya riders and six Korasha warriors, plus his clan's four lead housewives, down the northeast pass on a skree-filled slope, Lady Vaeol led her more heavily armed flag: herself, Lady Istae, three Damaya riders, two Korasha riders, and five Korasha infantry, from the dale's base, but had advantage of better knowledge and stabler terrain. Her intent, however, was not to attack and defeat the Sholasa, but to bring them to terms and have them join the truce talks. She thus forwent obvious advantage to bring the Sholasa to parlay.
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Kyu-Areloru, the Elfring Dale, is shaped like an irregular, semicircular fan about three leagues wide, with the fan's spokes aligning to multiple passes and streams from the eastern, upper dales, funneling to the Elfing ruins' location at its western mouth. The Sonna camp (where the peace talks were held) stood about a leage east of the ruins.
Lady Vaeol chose to intercept the Sholasa at the base of the skree slope they were descending, where not only a large boulder provided cover for herself and her infantry, but a mushroom grove on shallower ground hid Son's Shotalashu riders, along with the clan elders of the Noruma, Reul, and Inella accompanying their troop. Once the Sholasa forward scouts reached the bottom and the rest of their warriors were making their way single-file down the slope, the Sonna had the advantage.
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Typical for Floodtide among the high westerns peaks of the Stormshields, the weather rained, varying at times between light and heavy. Given that Lady Vaeol had gotten the warning at slumbertide/mid-afternoon, by the time she set her force, it would have been early evening. Thus visibility would have been constrained even over the skree-slopes open ground.
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From Lady's Vaeol's position below the boulder, she watched two advance Shotalashu riders scout the path down the skree slope. When they reached the foot, her infantry detained them. Yet she then allowed one to signal the rest of the Sholasa already climbing downslope. Under parlay, the Sonna allowed the Sholasa to reach the bottom, where Lady Vaeol formally invited Kazos to attend the truce talks. When he refused, the Sonna Shotalashu-riders under Lady Istae flanked the Sholasa from the mushroom grove, and thus convinced them to continue truce. While night fell, the Sonna and Sholasa withdrew into the mushroom grove and established a camp.
Kazos, having been outmaneuvered and lost the initiative, desperately sought to save his reputation as an undefeatable war-leader before his clanheads and warriors. He thus gambled on a personal challenge (a common tradition in resolving armed Lashunta conflicts) to Lady Vaeol: an unarmed fight to determine whether the Sholasha should join the truce talks if they lost, or if he won, that the other Highland Clans should become the Sholasa's allies in war. In a further attempt to intimidate Vaeol, Kazos added a further condition for his win: he would claim the right to impregnate her. Yet Lady Vaeold defied his expectations (and also those of the witnessing clan elders and her flag) by accepting.
The two fought weaponless and armorless within a ring jointly made by their respective troops and accompanying witnesses. Lady Vaeol, after provoking Kazos, felled him, caught him in a chokehold until he passed out, and then forced him to yield under pain of death. His surrender was ackowledged by the four Sholasa housewives (Kazos's wifemates). She released Kazos to their custody, on their parole to join the peace talks on the next day.
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Kazos and the Sholasa attended the truce talks on 10. Vealae, which were also joined by a Qabarat delegation. At this time Kazos declared intent to step down as the Sholasa clanhead in favor of his eldest daughter Damyane, thus bringing their clan back into the Lashunta Matriarchy's conformity. After sharing what the Sholasa had learned of the Lashunta ruins lying within the Dale of Amaea, including presentation of an ancient crown of the Sage-Queens (Queen Taiase's crown), the Lashunta Highland Clans reached a tentative peace with the Imlarim Elves.
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Immediately after the 10. Vealae peace talks, and as part of the truce, a joint Lashunta-Elven expedition, consisting of Lady Vaeol and Kazos, set forth to research the ruins located on Ta-Anassu in the Dale of Amaea. The Imlarim Elves confessed it was a Moqeva burrow their ancestors had scoured but not fully explored in the Twelfth Millennium. On this expedition, they discovered Queen Taiase of Son in induced hybernation.
The peace between the Imlarim Elves and Highland Clans was solidified in the Treaty of Noruma, ratified on 10. Vinelae, 24,542. Clan Reul was allowed to keep their territory west of Stormshields' divide and east of Elfring Dale, with Elfring Dale set a a future, neutral meeting ground. However, Clan Sholasa relinquished their claims on the Dale of Amaea. Thenceforth, Lashunta and Elves agreed to jointly guard the Moqeva Ruins. Additionally, Clan Noruma secured agreement to allow trade with the Elven Clans, creating a conduit between the Stormshield Shore and Son.
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Historical Significance
On return to Son, Lady Vaeol received the flagname ~Yaranevaea~ as reward for her victory and successful mediation of the Lashunta-Elven dispute. Long-term, Son profited from the increased trade the Highland Clans brought from the Elves.
The return of Queen Taiase to Son, presumed dead after twelve thousand years, created a spectacle that rippled across the world. After she left Son as a goodwill ambassador, Taiase became much in demand as a historical lecturer.
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Lady Vaeol recounted her adventure in the Stormshields as part of _A Castrovel Adventure: Part 3_.
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