The Second War of the Marsh Kings

The Marsh Kings' Reign has always been characterized by tensions and struggles among its rulers. The first generation of Marsh Kings each claimed divine right over the swamp from Forgall the Domitor himself, not realizing that he had pitted the thirteen of them against one another to fight over the fen. They each established and built their own kingdoms over the swamp, but when borders collided with each other, war broke out. The first War of the Marsh Kings resulted in stable borders and a fragile peace as the kings spent their time recovering from the war and preparing their heirs for their thrones.
The men and women who would become the second generation of Marsh Kings had nothing resembling the animosity their fathers felt towards one another. Cosmia had arrived in the swamp to arbitrate between the kings of the First War, and the new kings had become aware of Forgall's deception. They became united in their anger against the Domitor, but where some of the kings took it as a fact of life that mortals were the playthings of the gods, others took it upon themselves to purge Forgall's influence from the Reign altogether. Fearful that anger against the Twelve would bring further despair upon them, four of the thirteen Marsh Kings banded together to force the remaining kingdoms to stay their hand. Although this conflict was brief and was resolved mostly through diplomacy, it became known as the Second War of the Marsh Kings.

The Conflict

Prelude

In 3793, the last of the original Marsh Kings, Rosch of Paddra, died, and the second generation of Marsh Kings had officially taken control of the Reign. Each of the first kings had told their heirs about Forgall's gifts, and that dominion over the swamp was their divine right. After each of the second kings met one another, they realized that each of them had been given the same story by their fathers, and with Cosmia's guidance they came to understand that they had been deceived by the Domitor. Faith in the Twelve was fractured across the region, and the question of whether the Twelve even belonged in the Reign was hotly debated. Opinions were split among the kings themselves, with a majority wanting to reject the influence of the Twelve altogether. The remaining four, whether out of faith or just fear, supported the Twelve and banded together to protect Cosmia.

Outcome

A generation without conflict in the Reign

Aftermath

Later generations of Marsh Kings saw the Second War as a sign of weakness on the part of their predecessors. Some became more warlike, while some fractured into smaller kingdoms. The current generation of Marsh Kings tends to view the Second War favorably, and conflict in the Reign is currently at a low.

Historical Significance

Legacy

In the peace following the Second War, the Reign prospered. Travel between individual kingdoms became safe and easy as roads were built across the Reign. Much of the infrastructure that exists today in the Reign had its beginnings after the Second War. Cosmia's role as an advisor during the Second War also solidified her as one of the chief deities in the region, although her following and approval tends to vary depending on the prevailing views of the kings of the Second War.
The distrust of the Twelve that came out of the Second War, however, never fully healed in the Reign. To this day it is the one major region of Khasrana that does not recognize the Twelve - which was made all the more difficult when the Paragon forms of Forgall and Cosmia manifested in the swamp. The Marsh Kings' Reign is currently exempt from Pavilion oversight as part of an agreement to not let denizens of the Reign interfere with the Paragons.

In Literature

The conflict that routed the Twelve from the Reign is recounted in the popular folktale Of Moths and Marshes. It focuses on Cosmia's efforts to stabilize the region after Forgall's deception was discovered, but ends in the ejection of both Forgall and Cosmia from the region and the subsequent rejection of all of the Twelve's teachings in the Reign.
Older records of the conflict suggest that the modern version of it is more based in legend than in fact. Some records of the Second War claim the belligerents as being the fourth generation of Marsh Kings rather than the second, and that it was not Cosmia herself who arbitrated among the kings, but a Midisan diplomat who had arrived to help stabilize the region.

Conflict Type

War

Battlefield Type

Land

Start Date

3793

Ending Date

3794

Conflict Result

Peace agreement among all thirteen Kings, rejection of the Twelve

Belligerents

Cosmia's Faithful

Domitor's Downfall

Strength

Four of the Marsh Kingdoms, roughly 15,000 troops

Nine of the Marsh Kingdoms, approximately 60,000 troops

Casualties

4,000

3,000

Objectives

Protect Cosmia and uphold rule of the Twelve in the Marsh Kings' Reign

Eject the Twelve from the Marsh Kings' Reign, maintain sovereignty over their own land