The Great Ithrinese War

INTRODUCTION

The Great Ithrinese War, also called the Conflict of Death in parts of Battlewrath, was started as a result of straining trade between the sides of the Relloun Channel. The war was fought between Eastern Tsonlar, Archia, and Ithrium. Although the Ithrium Empire ended up winning the war, it suffered the largest military setback in its history, losing over 250,000 fighting age men, not including those who succumbed later to wounds or disease. The war would begin the Ithrinese decline into oblivion and eventually lead to their downfall 700 years later. 

 THE WAR 

 The war began in 2903, when the High King of Archia, Virune III, declared war on Ithrium. Why? The trading in the Relloun Channel had become so rife with corruption and fraud, that Archia's routes through the dark east even had become affected. Afraid of what a poor Archian economy could mean for his legacy- and his son's- Virune did what any of The House of Ungoloth would have: declared war to avoid the problem. The Ithrinese Emperor, Ostaph, was caught off guard, dealing with his own civil unrest at the time. The Ithrium Army was quickly dispatched to Barrowhorn to repel the Archian assault. Much of the initial bloodshed took place in the defeneding of the Accursed Vale, the total casualties on both sides numbering in the six figures. The stalemate at the northern border presented a massive opportunity for the arvenon in the jade expanse, still bitter from The Siednik Wars. Under orders from Lord Protector Elburt III of the Free Empire, the arvenon armies in the east began a bold invasion of Ithrium. Ostaph sent his two sons, Ostaph II and Jorlaph, to repel the second incursion. The bloodiest fighting took place during the siege of Pruefrost, a siege that lasted over three years and claimed the souls of two-hundred thousand mortals.

 THE END OF WAR 

The bloodshed became needless and vengeful, and many outcried against the war- in all three nations. Virune was slain in 2911, just eight years into the war, and his son Virune IV took his place. VIrune IV was more level headed, and managed to slowly ease his troops away from the Accursed Vale over the next twenty years. Ithrium lost another 50,000 men during the slow Archian retreat. Elburt III died in the siege of Pruefrost, and a drow of his family, Roland I, ascended his throne. Roland, seeing how unpopular the war was with the western half of Tsonlar, ordered the arvenon armies in the east to stand off and end the war. Although the order was not immediately executed, the Tsondalian forces left Ithrium in 2915. The total body count from the terrible war numbered over a half million, and sparked another bout of the dreadful haze plague, claiming another 2.3 million lives in middleton. The results were disastrous on the commoners of the area, especially in Ithrium. 

Conflict Type

War, Theatre

Battlefield Type

Land

Start Date

2903

Ending Date

2931

Conflict Result

Ithrium is severely weakened.