Fall of the Thaner
The fall of the Thaner occurred in the Years of the Prophet 442 and 443, when the dragon Inkrimane arrived to the Children of Aktar and with her minions, broke the two great kingdoms in the mountains.
The Conflict
Prelude
In the 442nd Year of the Prophet, on the 14h of March the bronze dragon Inkrimane landed on mount Aktar. By the next day the dragon had driven away or killed the lorechanters that lived on the sacred mountain. The next day, king Semberethes of Deim't received word of what had happened and immediately sent out a muster call for the Qohoti Serafi to muster and retake Mount Aktar.
Deployment
The Qohoti Serafi failed in its mission, as the dragon's minions surged forth from the mountain in great numbers, spreading across Deim't. Semberethes sent word to every Ras within his kingdom, ordering the muster of every serafi. By this point dread had begun to creep in, as the dragon's arrival had broken the Qohoti Serafi on the field and while the dragonthralls were disorganized, they were numerous. Agbith took note, but at this early hour they merely observed.
Columns of Deim'ti soldiery streamed through the mountains, converging on mount Aktar. Bringing siege weapons and lorechanters, they sought to muster a force that could slay a dragon. This time, Inkrimane herself took to the field only briefly, but even this encounter demonstrated to the Deimt'i that their siege weapons could not fell the beast on their own. Retreating to a fortress with king Semberethes at the army's head, they sent an envoy to Agbith.
Even before the messenger arrived, Agbith was mustering for the dragonthralls had spread out of Deim't and into their neighbor's territory. While the Agbithans were able to beat back these raids, they could plainly see that slaying the dragon was needed to restore peace. Thus, they marched for Deim't, and were welcomed by the border guards.
The Engagement
Though all the armies of Deim't and Agbith were mustered against the dragon, she proved their superior. Descending upon the army of Deim't in the fortress at Tawt, the Deim'ti's force was broken in one decisive engagement. As the dragon herself landed on the walls of the fortress, Semberethes attempted to offer her his crown in exchange for his life and those of his soldiers. Instead, the story goes, the dragon turned the king and his collected generals into bronze statues that still decorate the halls of the fortress at Tawt, eternally frozen in their moment of submission to the dragon queen.
The dragonthralls rallied, and the vanguard of the Agbithan army was beaten back in the mountain passes. The rest fell back, resolving to defend Agbith from their mountain forts.
Outcome
While Agbith would hold out longer than her neighbor, the dragon would come for them too. While capable of fighting the dragon's minions, the appearance of the queen always heralded defeat. In the end, the whole of Agbith and Deim't were conquered, save for the greater part of the province of Agbithan Gafhi. The dragon never flew so far, and her minions alone could not defeat the Gafhi Serafi under Ras Gafhi Tsaham.
Aftermath
The fall of the two Thaner kingdoms produced a massive exodus of dwarves in every conceivable direction. Thaners ran to Yunthal, they ran south, they ran to the Mekub, and even to Ibrita, Valeny, and Runber. The greatest forges in the known world suddenly went cold, and the shaftbuilder cities that the Thaners had built upon were lost to the dragon. Some of the exiled Thaners regrouped under Ras Gafhi Tsaham, who would begin the Agbithan Crusade. The Crusade has since many times attempted to push into Agbith, but in 70 years have not gotten far.
Belligerents
The Thaner Kingdoms
Strength
Provincial serafi and Royal army of Agbith. Local militias and general muster.
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