Elvish Wars

The Black Spider, a political organization formed by the drow and their sand elven allies, had become too great a threat for the Elvish Empire's council to ignore. The first and last civil war of the Elvish Empire was proclaimed.

Warfare

The elven council tried calling together all armed forces that the houses each privately had formed. This worked only halfway, as no common organization existed and units of two different races could hardly fight together. Most houses therefore kept their militias for themselves, using them as immediate defense if drow were to attack them. The main power in the Elvish Empire was therefore formed by the troops of a single high elven house, Mystraleth. Their soldiers alone comprised a force of 6'000.
Black Spider troops, meanwhile, had a field day. Their perfectly organized and unified army, empowered by great many powerful warcasters, could easily destroy smaller elven settlements and be gone before larger Elvish Empire troops could come and assist. Through skirmishing and sudden huge onslaughts, the Black Spider absolutely dominated warfare. Without the brave troops of Mystraleth, the Elvish Empire would have fallen to drow blades on a multitude of occasions.
Unluckily for the Black Spider, the light elves had a number of extremely powerful individuals. Those heroes set out to infiltrate drow territory, killing some of their leadership, including Sizza Maer'Duth. Shocked by the death of their leader, the remaining Black Spider leaders scrambled. Most of the drow troops fled Oshmondu altogether, retreating to the Caverealm and founding Menzoberranzan.

Aftermath

The Elvish Wars weren't over with the fall of the Black Spider, however. Single houses and most sand elven tribes hadn't been put down and continued the battle as if nothing had happened. In combination with outside pressures, the weak Elvish Empire faltered and fell. The remaining great houses moved out of their territories in 4'157 b. OW and retreated to Silur.
Single remains of the empire all around Oshmondu continued the fight all the way until 3'922 b. OW, battling on as the land around them turned wild, occupied by savage goblinoids or orcs.

Conflict Type

War

Battlefield Type

Land

Start Date

4'158 b. OW

Ending Date

3'922 b. OW

Conflict Result

The elven people split, the drow moving off into the Caverealm to found Menzoberranzan, while the light elves fell back to Silur.

Location

Oshmondu

Belligerents

Dark Elf Houses

• The Spider Movement

Other Elven Houses

• Elvish Empire

Strength

8'000 soldiers and 500 warcasters

10'000 fighters and 100 skilled magic users

Casualties

3'000

Over ten thousand, as various separated houses were overrun by united drow forces or barbarian hordes

Objectives

Become masters of the Elvish Empire

Exterminate the drow and keep the Elvish Empire alive.