The Seventy Years War

INTRODUCTION

The Seventy Years War, sometimes referred to in Hofslond as the Fear War, was a large scale global conflict between two coalitions of small nations. The entire region of Battlewrath faced severe famine and war during these years, and the total population of Southern Min'usu'une was cut by a third in just the first twenty years of the conflict. The war started in 1891 3p, during the Age of States, when Kings first rose to power claiming land all over the broken Archian Empire. This also took place during the Tsondalian Golden Age, meaning neither coalition wished for their entrance into the war, because their military might and recent discovery of Alchemy meant a sure end of one side. However, the fear of their entrance remained on both sides throughout the whole conflict.

THE BATTLE OF THE RED VALLEY

On Noctomb 9th in 1871, a regiment of Arvenon scouts from the city-state of Orsolon found themselves lost within the shadow of the Battlewrath Peaks, inside the borders of the dwarven settlement Jolster. They were swiftly captured by the inhabitants and placed for ransom of a ridiculous price of 400 Silver Headers. The Lord of Orsolon, Amir Silvirun, refused the price. Just six days later, Amir received four hundred heads in large silver chests, delivered at the gate of his castle in the dark of the night. Disgusted at the atrocity, Lord Silvirun gathered a force of six thousand soldiers, trained better than any other force in the Plains of Battlewrath, and invaded Jolster. Other city states at the time rallied around each side, sparking a political feud which resulted in trade blockages. Hundreds of Jolster civilians were slaughtered daily in looting raids on harmless towns, enraging those on the opposing side. On a cold Silvercrest day in Firstelli, Amir of Orsolon found his troops completely surrounded by a large force of allies of Jolster. The dwarven nations of Vocra, Asmar, and Olchar had gathered a force of sixteen thousand strong and encircled the Orsolon knights. Despite the unlikely odds, Amir refused the terms of peace and rallied his men to a ferocious last stand. In what became know as the Battle of the Red Valley, the combined dwarven coalition slaughtered the Arvenon army, spilling their blood all over the snow in a large valley. Lord Silvirun was one of the last to fall, and one legend says he slew over a hundred dwarves in the final minutes of his life. All six thousand Arvenon Orsolonites died, while only two thousand dwarves fell. After word reached the western Arvenon city-states, a coalition of Arvenon states was formed and all six of the nations declared war on all four dwarven settlements.

THE FIRST YEARS OF WAR

The first six years of the war were undoubtedly the bloodiest, resulting in over seventy thousand deaths. The Dwarven Coalition and The Arvenon Coalition battled dozens of times every year, mainly in the months of the season of Blossoming, when the snow was not as thick. The bloodiest battle in the third period took place in the month of Atember of 1877, when a combined force of thirty thousand Arvenon took on the entire Vocraii army in a desperate attempt to force the dwarven kingdom out of the conflict. Over the course of three days, fourteen thousand men and dwarves died in the warm foothills of Battlewrath, near the Cursed Vale. This battle sent such a shock of dead throughout both camps, that the fighting stopped for twelve days so both sides could bury their dead. They acted cordial to each other during these days, even exchanging gifts on the end of Blossoming Celebration. After seven years since the Battle of the Red Valley, the regulars on both sides had somewhat lost sight of why they were even in conflict with each other. But nonetheless, after twelve days, the fighting resumed.

THE NEXT GENERATION FIGHTS

At the dawn of the twentieth century after creation, almost every leader and soldier on each side who remembered the event of the death of Lord Silviruns death were slain in battle or died of age and illness. However, the war did not cease. The next generation had been brought up to hate the other side and the conflict grew worse, but the military actions died down. A political cold war took place over the next thirty years, as the war came to a ceasefire. Both sides consisted of orphans from the war, and to prevent an extinction of both kingdoms, agreed to lessen the bloodshed. The Coalition of Dwarves formed together into one kingdom, the Kingdom of Meleuhur, and selected a seasoned warrior named Kruuoph as their first king. The Arvenon nations stayed separate, but kept the coalition in tact as a uniform military government for any wartime decisions, but mostly left each other to their own devices at this point. The new king of Orsolon, Amir II, still angered by the death of his father, was the only one who kept the fighting consistent with the dwarves, leading to civilian unrest that led to his eventual downfall.

THE BATTLE OF SEVEN FLAGS

As the nations grew less and less hostile, one event sparked the end of the war. The Lord Protector of Orsolon, Kirin Silvirun I, the brother of Amir II, took over the headship of the nation and imprisoned his brother. Peace seemed hopeful, and it appeared Kirin was ready to sign a treaty to officially end the conflict once, for all. According to legend, the night before he signed the treaty, his wife convinced him that their was one last hope in military victory if he assassinated the King of Meleuhur, Kruuoph. Heeding the advice, the dwarf was poisoned in his sleep and tensions rose once more. Taking decisive action, Kirin marched a force of thirteen thousand cavalry into Jolster once more, bringing his brother Amir with him. As the pillaging began, the fate of Orsolon was sealed by a drow named Tierdryc, pureblood toralli from the western island. After receiving word that the tensions had hottened once more in the war, Tierdryc took control of a group of mercenaries from Tsonlar to prevent the Arvenon troops from ever reaching the Battlewrath Peaks. It is hottly debated whether the King of Tsonlar at the time knew of this force, many even saying that he sanctioned and sent out the battallion. Nonetheless, on the last day of the year, the 48th of Finelus 1939, Tierdryc and his troops surrounded a section of cavalry numbering six hundred who had strayed behind the main troop. The battle was short and horrifying, and Tierdryc personally decapitated each of the Arvenon Coalition soldiers when the dust had settled. This halted their progress into Jolster, as now King Kirin was obsessed with finding the mysterious ambushers. As their fate slowly began to sink into their minds, as they squandered valuable time mucking around in the same place at the foothills of Battlewrath, the soldiers of Kirin witnessed a massive force of one hundred and twenty thousand soldiers descend into the valley where they camped out of nowhere, under many different banners. The five dwarven nations, Archia, and Tsonlar had combined their strongest forces to put an end to Orsolon once and for all. In what became known as the Battle of Seven Flags, the dozen battalions of cavalry of King Kirin were annihilated completely.

Conflict Type

War

Start Date

Atember 1871

Ending Date

Seolos 1941

Belligerents

The Coalition of the Arvenon States

Unification of Dwarven States

Strength

87,000 Units

78,000 Units

Casualties

33,000+

28,000+

Objectives

Destroy Jolster and any of the Meleuhur city-states who took part in the killing of King Amir I

Retaliate and Destroy Orlson Economically