Battle of Crimson Tides
Summary
The Battle of Crimson Tides tells of how the previously-unnamed Crimson Lake earned its name. It tells of the first battle between the Ebonblade and Darkforge after the collapse of the Folatia Empire- a battle that allegedly destroyed an entire religion and allowed their sacred lake to run red with blood.
Supposedly, the Crimson Lake is haunted, with the hundreds of massacred civilians forever tied to its bloody waters, pulling people in and drowning them as a form of revenge for their lost lives and desecrated homeland.
Historical Basis
The Battle of Crimson Tides seems to be rooted in a fair amount of historical fact, to the point where some argue that it isn't myth, merely a part of Estyan history that the superpowers tried to erase. However, with most of the records from the end of the Folatia era lost or destroyed in the fracturing of the empire, most of the evidence is anecdotal. Despite this, geologists have been able to identity sections of the area with abnormally high calcium and carbon in the soil, which they believe to be indicative of the scale of death and destruction that took place.
Regarding the hauntings, there have been no sightings of ghosts, however many scholars have gone to research the region and their bodies found in the water a few days later.
Cultural Reception
Patriots for either the Ebonblade or Darkforge are prone to either brushing off the Battle of Crimson Tides as mere superstition, or blaming the other side for the tregedy.
On the opposite end, those that protest the war often hold up the Crimson Tides, and the Crimson Lake in general, as evidence that war is naught but destructive. They will later shift to utilizing the desecration of the Silver Sands during the Battle of Blood and leave the Crimson Lake forgotten.
In Art
Artists that choose to depict the Battle of Crimson Tides typically paint beautiful landscapes marred with bodies and a pristine lake running red with blood. It is jarring imagry that is often displayed in private collections or museums, and a skillful artist can earn thousands off of a single piece depicting the tale.
Other common depictions include the spirits that haunt the lake and whose bodies were never laid to rest. One famous piece showed ghastly faces rising from the water to seek revenge on those who sent them to their deaths.
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