The Great War
"Often titled the 'War of Ilythiirin Aggression' or the 'War of Eashillian Succession' by the more technical, the Great War was a conflict of a scale that has not been since perhaps the wars of the Elven Court in the distant past.Show spoilerWhile some attempt to pin down a singular reason as to why our world was subjected to such devastation and have come up with everything from global economics to greater-than-normal tension during the Eashillian succession, I will instead state that the war was inevitable and could have been sparked by anything. For a century prior to the outbreak of the war, a short time in the mind of an Ilythiiri aristocrat, the two great powers of Ilythiir and Néresia had been bitter rivals in everything they did. From grandly executed assassinations of Néresian political figures to the execution of Ilythiiri emissaries, from supporting rebellions to the employment of privateers, both sides attempted to destabilize and topple the other while too afraid to risk outright, direct warfare. As the decades passed and we drew closer to the outbreak of the Great War, the conflict between the two powers became ever more overt and direct. Where once the Ilythiiri would have stopped at the simple and discrete assassination of a member of the Néresian royal family, they instead used magic to drive them mad and proclaim loyalty to Ilythiir before committing explosive suicide at a grand ball. Where once Ilythiiri emissaries would have merely been quietly disposed and never seen again, they were instead tortured and executed publicly and gruesomely with their bloody remains thrown into the sea. Ambiguous privateers became warships flying the colors of Ilythiir or Néresia. Both sides were becoming more and more willing to end their conflict with the shedding of blood on a continental scale, and the threat of Eashillia passing to the Néresian royal family was simply the spark that set the world ablaze."
The Great Conflicts of History, by Veit Balderk
The Conflict
Prelude
The two great powers of Ilythiir and Néresia had long been bitter rivals with a century long history of committing horrible actions against the other in hope to destabilize and topple them without bloodshed on a grand scale. This changed in 979 CR when, following a string of assassinated Eashillian royals, the royal house of Néresia laid claim to the throne of Eashillia on account of their closeness to its royal family and lack of heirs. What followed next was two years of Néresian diplomats and emissaries to Eashillia being discovered dead while the lords of Southern Eashillia, wishing to retain their autonomy, appealed to Ilythiir as a counterbalance to Néresia. In 981 CR, following the discrete transfer of Ilythiiri troops into Eashillia, war was formally declared against Néresia, ostensibly on behalf of the people of Eashillia. Mere hours after the declaration was recieved, a series of assassination attempts left Néresia deprived of many of its experienced commanders.
Outcome
Aftermath
Belligerents
Ilythiir
- The Confederation of Minarte
- The Grand Principality of Eashillia
- The High Kingdom of Ilythiir
- The Kingdom of Thorenia
- The Principality of Zaled
- The Union of Andustara
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