The War of the City-states

In the year 1102 AC, a group of nobles and merchants were raided when they traveled from Drekar towards Umar. Although not an uncommon occurrence within the Azureglade, this raid had dire repercussions. The orcs and gnolls from the Orcdell were known as the Ragespawn Tribe, and they took from the attack something precious. All travelers and merchants in the caravan died that day, except one: the daughter of the governor of Drekar, Cilicia. She had managed to escape the carnage, but the raiding party found her tracks and captured her. Then the Ragespawn Tribe tried to ransom her. The raid and capture of the governor’s daughter might have been prevented if the honor guard from Umar had arrived to guard the caravan. The City-State of Drekar demanded justice and a response from City-State of Umar , as to why the guards had not been sent. Umar valiantly tried to restore its reputation. Both Umar and Drekar sent out groups of adventurers to rescue the governor's daughter. However, whenever these groups encountered each other, it led to arguments and even small skirmishes. In the end, all groups looking for the Ragespawn Tribe turned back empty-handed – if they returned at all. Of the ones killed by the tribe, only the heads were sent back to Drekar, infuriating the governor further. Eventually, a single Drekar soldier managed to defeat the Ragespawn Tribe, but he could not find any sign of the missing daughter.

The Search

Clues were found that the governor's daughter might have been sold as a slave and put on a transport to Umar. The merchants of Umar were shocked to hear this news and sent out their city guard to find the girl. Time went on, but the governor's daughter could not be found, even with the help of the divine. In the meantime, the relations between Umar and Drekar worsened. As a token of good faith, Umar allowed Drekar search parties into the city to help, but these groups caused a great deal of chaos. When even some civilians lost their lives to the search parties, Umar decided to close its gates and forced the Drekar troops to leave the city. The governor of Drekar quickly ran out of patience. He sent his military forces to lay siege upon Umar. Umar closed its granaries to prepare for the blockade and war. Its troops stopped searching, but in a last attempt to avoid conflict, the city hired adventurers to continue the search for the governor’s daughter. With Umar's produce no longer being exported, food shortages soon hit City-State of Ardee, City-State of Mag Mell and City-State of Myntal. As food prices went up, revolts broke out within those cities. Drekar saw this as an opportunity and asked the suffering towns to help them take Umar so they could reopen the granaries. As a land-bound city, Drekar needed the naval fleets of the other cities to help with the siege. As expected Mag Mell claimed neutrality, but the Duchess of Ardee agreed to help. The siege laid upon the City-State of Umar lasted for a full 6 years. All that time, the wall of the city held out.

The Destruction of Drekar

In 1116 AC disaster struck Drekar. An orc army descended on the city, razed it and claimed its ruins. Only later, it was found out that the orcs had acted in service of Lady Cilicia, the governor's daughter. No one knows where she had been in the 16 years since her disappearance or how she came to lead the orcs. Drekar forces immediately left the siege at Umar and hurried back to liberate their city. They had hoped for Ardee's help in reclaiming the city, but the Duchess no longer saw anything to gain in the war and recalled her fleet back home. The forces of Drekar tried to retake this city for years, waging an intense guerilla war with the orcs. In 1121 AC, with dwindling resources, troops, and support, they had to abandon any hope of retaking the city.

Azuraill Rises

In the Azureglade, the instigators of this war were laying low until the time was right. In secret, the Old Elven Houses had been playing the dominant forces of the area in the hopes of weakening them. In their eyes, both the savage races as the ever-expanding City-State of Drekar were problems that needed to be fixed. In the spring of 1122 AC, the elves of the Azureglade completed their plans. Led by house Ravensong, the elves ended the War of the city-states with a single blow: they destroyed the orc infested ruins of Drekar with ritual magic. With that strike, they reclaimed much of their ancient lands, held by Drekar and reentered as players on the field of politics within the region.

The Conflict

Aftermath

The Drekarian Army scatters, finding employment as adventures, mercenaries, or brigands. Some even found employment within City-State of Umar. These people as well thousands of refugees found new homes in the Argentland, Azureglade, or The Great Divide. The City-State of Umar weathered the storm but looks with a wary eye to the east as the nation of Azuraills consolidates their power around Azure lake. City-State of Ardee seem to had minimal losses and some bitter diplomatic relations, but that isn't something new and retain their status quo. Azuraill, the victor and mastermind behind all this, seems to have gained the resurrection of their kingdom.