The Great Wars of Midvail

Possibly the most significant military conflict ever recorded on Dioya, The Great Wars of Midvail were a 400+ year time period in which two or more of the nations of Midvail were at war with one another during the start of The Era of Change.


The Great Wars of Midvail were a feudal time period fueled by a fierce sense of independence from some Kingdoms and Nations, a hunger for expansion from others, and a desire to prove oneself from others. Millions died during this time period, but significant advancements in foreign policy, military tactics, and technology came as the result of the bloodshed.


Though referred to as ‘The Great Wars of Midvail’ a more accurate name may be The Great Wars of Gaia, due to almost every direct participant of the 400 year warring period being from the country of Gia and every major battle taking place within the borders of the country.

CHILVED SUCCESSION

The Great Wars of Midvail had a definitive start when the human knight Edgar Volla of the Kingdom of Hearthfield revolted against King Efran Pobrey IV along with 7 other noble families. Edgar lead his troops from the second major city of Hearthfield, Chilved and pushed eastwards to fight against the royal army. Hearthfield’s greatest troops were considered to be born and trained in Chilved, and much to the Hearthfield king’s dismay, this theory was put to the test when the outnumbered rebels began to make significant progress in their eastward expansion. King Pobrey refused to send his entire military after Chilved as he feared a possible sneak attack could happen with his capital vulnerable, but he did reach out for foreign aid. As Edgar Volla pushed east, Chilved was attacked from the west by the kingdom of Westlia, lead by the Half-Orc king Torruk Ara. Volla retreated with most of his troops, halting the expansion, but returned only after half of Chilved was destroyed and all of the 7 noble families were executed by Ara in the name of King Pobrey. Volla challenged Ara to 1-on-1 combat and narrowly won, plunging his lance into Ara’s chest after losing 3 fingers and his right eye. With the Westlian forces without a leader, the Chilved forces pushed back, making quick trade agreements with the Kingdom of Greystone for their standing army to make a formal declaration of their alliance with the newly formed kingdom. After 4 years of battle, King Edgar Volla I of Chilved was crowned and Chilved became its own kingdom. Soon after Chilved’s establishment, Greystone and Westlia engaged in a war that would last for 12 years.


FALL OF WESTLIA
In the 10th year of the Greystone and Westlia war, a newly revitalized and established Chilved decided to enter the conflict, eager to prove themselves further. King Edgar, now known as ‘King Edgar the Father’ and his oldest of 12 sons Prince Edgar II lead every charge against Westlia. Though Westlia had a formidable army, the combined efforts of Greystone and Chilved was no match for the Kingdom who had already suffered the death of a previous leader only a decade prior. The queen of Westlia, a human named Sera hedged her bets against the two kingdoms, allying with Kinsmead who supported in the war against Greystone.
Eventually Westlia fell and was acquired by Chilved, with a portion of the city turned into the Fullapire bog by the Fullapire witches.




THE TANTIVIRE EMPIRE PUSH


The most surprising and polarizing war of the Great Wars of Midvail was not one that included a sneak attack, but one that came from a seemingly harmless place. The Kingdom of Tantivire was one ruled by the Human, Firbolg, and Halfling races. It was known as the most ‘magical’ of the cities of Midvail, with many small but influential magical schools that adopted the teaching methods of the Devic Order. Tantivire was a Tri-Monarchy, believing that countries should be evenly run by a grandparent for wisdom, parent for knowledge, and child for strength. At the time when Tantivire mobilized, it was ruled by King Kazhu the Elder, King Norban, and Queen Kith Riverheart the Younger. All three rulers decided that Tantivire should no longer remain a kingdom, but should be a full empire and should take over Midvail, expanding just like Chilved did with Westlia. Tantivire announced to Midvail that the Tri-Monarchy would war with anyone who gets in their way, a message met as if it was a joke. The joke ended during The Sinking of Luna, a nautical strike lead by magically submersed ships off the coast of the northern city of Luna. Losing nearly all of its ports, Luna allied themselves with Tantivire and the Tantivire Empire began to take hold. Midvail being united under the rule of Tantivire was an appealing prospect to many, after it seemed like a viable one. With the money they acquired from Luna, Tantivire armed their forces with Elvan steel, causing many Elves to offer their services to the growing empire. Chilved and Hearthfield were the first to condemn Tantivire, claiming that they would never bend the knee to an empire who did not respect their citizens.
This war lasted for many years and Tantivire was eventually defeated and routed.


ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ELVEN BORDER


For the Elves, entering the politics of central Midvail proved to not only be fruitless, but it scared many into action. This fear pulsated through the Elven cities of the east and eventually, a summit was called in Pearlmyre. Representatives from every major city and civilization in Eastern Midvail attended, with the summit lead by Pearlmyre’s Council of Three. The summit resulted in two major laws put in place around the entire region, the first was that a border stretching from south to north of Mt. Fae would be established and all areas east of the mountain would be members of the country of ‘Merydia” (The Elvan script for Middle Country.) The second would be that while the cities within Merydia were their own sovereign nations, a unifying law that held Merydia would be that there would be absolutely no future participation of any kind in military conflicts involving the rest of Midvail (to be called Gaia.) This meeting was known as the Merydia Summit.


A response to the establishment of Merydia lead Glenarm of all places to threaten Forgevail with war. The exact reason why the home of the Bardic College felt the need to confront the newly established Merydia is a mystery, but many believe that erecting a wall that split the continent in half threatened the traveling bard’s way of life; or at least complicated it. A group of Bardic Knights known as The King Crimson marched on the Merydian wall and were promptly slaughtered at the boarder by Elven soldiers who outnumbered them 5 to 1.




THE DRACONIC WAR


During the final 50 years of The Great Wars of Midvail, it seemed that the bloodshed would never end. With every kingdom and nation in Gaia suffering from the ramifications of the centuries of war, unification seemed like a distant fantasy. When it comes to the wills of hot-blooded rulers, alliance is only a crutch and a luxury, that is, when there is not a Dragon laying siege to your city.


The Great dragon MitneVrak lived with his brother KivnaRak for over 4000 years just outside of the city of Sthimisku. There, the two Great Dragon siblings lived along with their kin Ixendask and Vrakxarzith. These, some of the last Great Dragons on Dioya lived peacefully and were worshipped by the Dragonkin of Sthimisku and Drishukshand just as they had been for as long as they lived. This peacefulness was interrupted by a young Tabaxi war sorcerer from Hearthfield who deserted his post during the war against the Tantivire Empire. This soldier, named Needle in the Sky saw the opportunity to slay one of the greatest creatures to ever walk Dioya and planned out an elaborate and painstaking plan to murder the dragon. Needle succeeded in killing KivnaRak, the weaker of the brothers which sent MitneVrak into a rage. Needle evaded attention from the enraged dragon who turned his fury on all of Midvail, recruiting the devout of Sthimisku and Drishukshand to take up arms and destroy the civilizations of man.
MitneVrak first threatened the dwarven kingdom of Korrvigsguard, traveling alone and perching atop the mountain. The young King Korrvigsguard IV bent the knee to MitneVrak in private telling the dragon that he will send a force of 5,000 dwarven soldiers to aid in his vengeance. This tactic spared the city of Korrvigsguard and was also deployed by the city of Ozyrn who begrudgingly joined forces with the Draconic army. The difference between Ozyrn and Korrvigsguard was that Ozyrn had the powerful Goliath cleric, Pani Truthspeaker. Truthspeaker operated in secret, scrying information of the Draconic army’s plans and communicating them to Hearthfield. Because of the efforts of Truthspeaker, the Draconic Army had many of their sneak attacks thwarted and by and large, the trust of the Dwarven cities remained solidified between the kingdoms of man and dwarf, despite the dwarves being forced to fight for MitneVrak. The city of Kinsmead was threatened with destruction just as Korrvigsguard and Ozyrn, but unlike the other two, Kinsmead refused to bend the knee, fighting the Draconic Army before they even reached the center of Midvail. This resistance lasted throughout the entire Draconic War, with dragonkin fighting Dragonkin, an unprecedented occurrence.


Ignoring Kinsmead’s resistance, MitneVrak layed siege to Greystone, heating the stone buildings of the Kingdom with his electric charged breath. The siege lasted for 30 days, resulting in half of the kingdom falling to the Dragon’s forces before moving on to central Midvail. The Queen of Greystone, Saraf Pobruge lead her forces to Chilved as allies and refugees where she was greeted by the young Prince William, recently crowned at the age of 15 after the death of his father Charles III the Cultured. King William was eager to prove himself as both a competent leader and a compassionate one, meeting Saraf and her forces and rallying Chilved’s forces. William left Chilved in the hands of his twin sister Princess Willa. When Greystone fell, the whole of Midvail felt it, out of fear that MitneVrak would attack, the largest united army was built to combat the invaders from the East. Forces from Thicket, Glenarm, Hearthfield, Luna, Chilved, and even the rebuilding Tantivire joined together east of the Fullapire bog, meeting the invading Draconic Army and fighting in a 3 month battle known as the Battle of Flesh and Scale.


The Battle of Flesh and Scale resulted in the greatest number of casualties of any recorded battle in Dioya’s history, with nearly 1 million deaths recorded and most casualties being from Luna and Hearthfield. As the battle went on, leaders from many military factions were either killed, like Queen Saraf or retreated, like Halmorn Mavrid the Half-Elf Half-Halfling general of Luna.
To make matters worse, Chilved and Greystone came under attack from a group of cultists known as The Torches of Fae who worshiped the BiDivine Infernal god of Fire, Fae. While King William traveled to route MitneVrak’s forces, The Torches of Fae traveled from the Fullapire bog and attacked the farms outside of Chilved and launched sneak attacks on the remnants of Greystone, attacking Draconic force and Greystone citizen alike. Chilved sustained minimal damage from these attacks, but not without sacrifice as many of the remaining Riders of Chilved who were stationed in the city sacrificed their own lives to prevent invasion from the cultists. The most notable casualty from these attacks was Princess Willa who died atop her warhorse.
As things looked bleak, King William convinced the new king of Greystone, Favain Pobruge to stay with him as the battle raged on. May are unscertan who struck the blow that changed the tide of the Battle of Flesh and Scale. Some say it was King William’s lance, others believe they saw a member of Thicket’s Bluetree family’s sharpened shield, no matter what or who struck the blow, someone managed to attack MitneVrak directly as he was breathing lightning on the unified armies, wounding the dragon perminantly. MitneVrak flew from the battlefield and shockingly abandoned his army, marking the turning point of the Battle of Flesh and Scale and the bloody end to The Draconic War. Without their leader, the Draconic forces were slaughtered, many laid down their weapons, but thousands of faithful dragonkin were slain. When the Draconic army was defeated, Greystone was reclaimed, the remaining Dragonkin returned to their cities to find MitneVrak hibernating, and the heroes of the Draconic War were hoisted into celebrity status.


THE SHORT PEACE


There was a 16 year time period in which the only two nations of Midvail who fought were Greystone and Kinsmead. The exact specifics of the clash between the two nations is still unknown but it is said that King Favain Pobruge of Greystone attempted to take over the lands of the south to build a greater nation. Kinsmead managed to ward off the invading troops and extend the war for much longer than it needed to with the help of golems gifted to them by the kingdom of Korrvigsguard. While Greystone and Kinsmead fought, the rest of Midvail enjoyed an uneasy but significant peace. Many theorize the biggest factor in the occurrence of The Short Peace was King William’s marriage to the Half-Elf Noble Pricilla Glenspire. Not only was King William and Queen Pricilla’s marriage a significant moment in the relationship between the Kingdom of Chilved and the country of Merydia, but it was one of the first times since before The Great Wars of Midvail that near all of the kingdoms of men seized their fighting. This laying down of arms was supposed only to last for a month, but ended up lasting more than a decade and a half. Tolthe Glenspire of the Pearlmyre Council of Three and father of Pricilla commented on such an occasion as “the true indicator that their love was meant to bind the plane with peace.”


While King William was quick to prove himself during the Draconic War, his attention was turned towards his people and his legacy when he married Pricilla. The Short Peace was a time where Chilved rebuilt, celebrated, and reorganized their entire economy. Chilved, Thicket, and Hearthfield began trading, with permanent routes between the cities established, still in existence as of The Great Disturbance. After King William and Pricilla had their son, Leopold, many say his age finally caught up with him. King William grew much less aggressive and much more understanding with not just his family, but his kingdom and he went from being regarded as a fearless leader to a beloved ruler. Glenarm received a boost in attendance, arranging a negotiation with Myridia for free travel, in Cullfield, the School of Illusion’s open arm policy boosted the economy of the city. Hearthfield and Korrvigsguard entered a friendly economic competition with one another and even Thicket and Luna provided aid to rebuild Tantivire. Midvail seemed to be at peace. But this hope for civility died one faithful night.




THE FINAL WAR
The Final War was as bloody as it was quick. On a winter’s night, the outskirts of the city of Thicket were set ablaze by sorcerers from Tantivire, an event commonly referred to as The Night of Burning Wheat. Over the course of multiple days, Tantivire launched a fullscale invasion of Thicket and nearly succeeded, razing half of the entire kingdom and threatening to burn every plot of land and build anew. The only remaining district of Thicket that had left to be conquered by Tantivire was Stoneheaven Heights. The final battle is commonly referred to as The Battle of Stoneheaven Heights. Thanks to the healthy trade agreements between Thicket and Chilved, plus Hearthfield’s new Queen being from Thicket, when Thicket made the call for reinforcements, the two kingdoms answered. Chilved lead the charge, but Hearthfield provided an army of over 100,000 soldiers who mobilized under King William after the sudden heart attack-related death of King Immund of Hearthfield.


King William’s strategy, titled “The Great Push” was two fold in nature. Using the flat land created by Tantivire’s burning of the city of Thicket, the Riders of Chilved, lead by King William himself would charge in from the south and cut off any routes that lead north, isolating the invading forces and allowing soldiers from Hearthfield and Chilved to invade. The strategy proved to be a major success and the unified kingdoms pushed north, lead by the Riders of Chilved. The push resulted in the slaughter of tens of thousands of soldiers from Tantivire and when the Kingdom finally surrendered, they had lost over 200 miles of their own territory. King William’s reception of Tantivire’s surrender is shrouded in controversy. As King William continued to morn his wife’s passing, many believe he let The Great Push happen for well longer than it needed to be, numbed by the grief he felt for the loss of his wife.


A great amount of unease surrounded Midvail in the years following Tantivire’s surrender. Many believed that the peace was to be short lived and that Tantivire would push back, or that Chilved or Thicket would eliminate the city entirely. What is known is that between Thicket, Chilved, and possibly even the city of Cullfield who remained mostly apolitical during The Great Midvail Wars but still had small factions of spellcasters who would lend efforts to some nations, a young White Drake was released in a Chilved camp on the northern boarder of the kingdom during a visit from the Royal family. The Drake ran rampant for hours, killing tens of men in a blaze of fury, but was calmed down by nonother than the young Prince Leopold who approached the Drake alone, disobeying his father. The young prince calmed the Drake and was named "Prince Leopold the Rider"


Soon after this event, Queen Mira of Hearthfield proposed an official end to The Great Midvail Wars, personally approaching every nation, major city, and kingdom in the entire continent to interweave each nation with each other economically. Mira’s attempt at peace was, for the most part a success, and after centuries of conflict, the Great Midvail Wars ended and Dioya’s Era of Change reached its middle point. Mira’s unification proved to be the foundations to what would eventually become The League of Every Organized Nation during The Great Disturbance which further solidified the bonds between the nations of Midvail.