The Traelecii Civil War

INTRODUCTION

The bloodiest wars in the Fourth Period were fought on the homeland front of Traelec, primarily in the south and east of the peninsula. One such war, was the Traelecii Civil War. The actual war lasted just two months, but the tensions rose in various phases leading up to the actual violence. The primary leaders in the war were Lord Jax Arden and General Jay Esegar, with other famous commanders taking part in the battles beneath the respective banners. The war consequently weakened Traelec, and unintentionally triggered the start of a looming global conflict, which later became known as The Third Magic War of Abeon.

TENSIONS IN TRAELEC

Long before Blossoming of 4781, the provinces of the Confederation of Traelec were engaged in a political war, particularly Adorea and Trouffen. The first signs of trouble began to arise in 4774, seven years prior to the war, when Lord Travon Becker, then the Lord of Trouffen Province, began meddling in the Blue Hills dispute. At the bimonthly council meetings, Lord John Dolion of Adorea would denounce the skirmishes taking place, angering Becker and pitting the two lords against each other.

THE RISHIP DEBATE

In 4776, the large township of Riship began to petition to become its own province, citing claims to financial independence and multiple instances of Trouffen and Adorea taking advantage of their agriculture. Lord's Becker and Dolion immediately opposed the petition, both citing claims that the city was in their province. Lord Derrick Bramwell tabled the discussion for the coming year, which proved to be a fatal mistake. Fights began to break out between the townsfolk of Riship and those of Trouffen and Adorea. In 4778, the council finally decided to let Riship have its own pseudo-lord, a major-general of the city. This temporally quelled the citizens of Riship, but the feud between Becker and Dolion became more heated, now openly disputing about who's territory Riship lay in. The repercussions of one decision or the other were enormous, as the trade cost for Riship's barley and grain would be eliminated for whichever province accepted the city into its lands. However, before any agreement could be met, however unlikely that would ever happen, the people of Riship caught wind that they were to be subsided into another province, and open rebellion began.

HOUSTON MEETS ARDEN

In the early days of Blossoming 4781, Lord Oldrik of Northsward died, and with all captains and officers refusing the role of Lordship, the people agreed to let Lord Dolion rule the province. The leaders and rulers of Kristar and Trouffen were outraged at the prospect of one lord over two provinces, but they remained a minority on the council. With new troops with which to conquer lands, Lord Dolion sent the best Northswardian commander, Captain Roderick Houston to Riship, to quall the open rebellion taking place in the city. At the end of Markus, however, Lord Becker also sent a detatchment of Trouffenese cavalry, led by General Jax Arden. The two sides met each other, with numbers measured in the thousands, on the valley field of Riship. Peace seemed to elude any talks, and violent threats were common between the leaders of the two sides. General Jay Esegar arrived in the valley soon after, with the Adorian Army. After an unsuccessful plea from Arden for Esegar to leave the field, the two sides fought in an epic skirmish. Hundreds were slain, and the unity of Traelec was broken forever. The battle, later known as the Battle for Riship, marked the final time Adorea was Traelecii controlled.

THE RISHIP CAMPAIGN BEGINS

After suffering a brutal defeat at the Battle for Riship, General Arden attended the council meeting of Jylon 4781 in Cizmark City. The events of the council were catastrophic, and saw an end to the Allied Accords of Abeon, with the Northern Isles removing themselves from it. The newly appointed Lord Arden of Trouffen accused Lord Dolion of the murder of his predecessor Travon Becker, and the tensions between them rose well beyond the brink of war. Despite no real declaration of war, Lord Arden led a massive force of eight thousand Trouffenese soldiers in an invasion of the Adorian conquered territory of Riship, in a covert operation known as The Riship Campaign. By the end of Jylon, the Trouffenese banner hung on every town from Kristar to Romma, and little blood was shed, with a few exceptions of skirmishes with Northswardians. Hoping to catch Captain Houston off guard in Riship, Lord Arden divided his army into three segments and sent Captain Sanders northward, and Commander Towerson southward, to flank Houston's army once he had engaged them in battle. However, due to the betrayal of the outlaw Lerian Terden, Jax's army walked into two traps. Commander Towerson's forces were met by the traitorous General Harden's troop from Shoreson and the primary Trouffenese Army was led into an ambush at the outskirts of Romma Wood, where Houston and a large force of Adorians and Northswardians lay in wait. The Battle of Romma Wood was bloody and intense, lasting throughout the course of two days and a night, eventually leading to the retreat of Captain Houston's forces.

Despite the unlikely victory, Arden's Trouffenese force was decimated and all the momentum of the conquest came to a screeching halt. With more than half of his army dead, and no sign of Commander Towerson's reinforcements, General Arden faced a tough decision- turn back and defend against the Kristonian betrayal, or continue on with the invasion of Adorea and the Riship Campaign.

THE BATTLE OF THE HIGH DUNE

With the advice of his officers, Arden decided to lead his three thousand weary Trouffenese soldiers into the heart of Riship, to battle with the retreating Adorian forces. After camping a night on a hill called 'The High Dune', Arden's forces began a siege of the city of Riship. However, within minutes, Esegar's Adorian Army arrived in the plain, charging headfirst into Arden's troop. The first day of the battle was bloody and gruesome, and many fell beneath the weight of the Adorian charge, including Lord Arden's right hand man and Surprim of the Trouffenese Army, Klayton Mannering. The devastating losses in the first day of the battle subdued the will and ambition of Arden, and all seemed lost for the Riship campaign. However, a Kristonian army, under command from Re''inn Stevenson, arrived behind the high dune during the night. With hopes revitalized and a better chance to defeat Esegar's enormous army, the five hundred Trouffenese soldiers pressed on into the field at dawn, charging down the high dune into the armies of Houston and Esegar waiting in the valley below. Once they had lured the Adorian back behind the high dune with a slow retreat, the trap was set and Esegar's men were trapped in the ridge. Kristonian Archers lobbed volleys of arrows into the army, as Beau Shade herself led her five thousand into the flank of the Adorian Army.

The following skirmish lasted only a matter of hours, and resulted in a total route of the Adorian Army. As Esegar and his forces retreated, they were slaughtered by the Kristar Archers (pictured above) and hotly pursued by Commander Shade and her valkyrie. The second skirmish resulted in the deaths of four thousand Adorians and Northswardians, including Captain Roderick Houston.

Conflict Type

War, Theatre