06 - The Second War

Despite its name, the Second War does not classify as even the tenth war on record (and, as we have no knowledge of conflicts prior to the War of the Gates, it may not even classify for the title of the Hundredth War). Regardless, it was only the second time in recorded history that a prolonged intercontinental war was waged. Unlike that previous war, however, the conflicts happened even within the continents (it is generally theorized that Cremaia, Asuris, and Haicon acted as three unified military forces during the War of the Gates, as opposed to the numerous small countries waging war against one another in the Second War).

The immediate cause of the Second War is, ostensibly, the series of assassinations that preceded it. There are some who will argue that these assassinations merely exacerbated an already tenuous relationship between longtime rivals and that the war would have happened regardless. I disagree. I would suggest that the nature of the assassinations, and the anonymity of the assailant, resulted in a more tumultuous situation than had previously been the case.

Following the final assassination (the victim being the heir to the Heion throne), hasty negotiations began, but failed to solve anything. It seems as though numerous, contradictory pieces of evidence emerged as to the source of the assassinations. As each nation began to point its collective finger at its neighbours, the first disputes broke out.

The first actual clashes happened between Toral and Dalffashia (modern day Danreay and Zekalah) in TY 705 following an incursion by Dalfasshia into the island of Kazan, then a Torallian protectorate. These first sparks ignited the larger conflict. The Ordren dwarves and Maldona (modern day Llafwanwyr), Toral's allies for over 300 years, swore to aid Toral in its war. Dalfasshia's allies in Emphaladar and Eltherean rose to its defence.

Meanwhile, Heion had found evidence of a plot by Carandal (modern Crandol) to aid Heion's rival Sensou (modern day Sendousha) in an invasion of Heion's Southern regions. This began the Western part of the war, with these nations beginning their own skirmishes. The rest of the three major continents quickly got involved, and the large scale war that we know about today came to be.

The battles, alliances, betrayals, and tactics of the Second War are best left for those who devote their time to such things. Suffice it to say, no nations that were allies when the war began had remained so by war's end, though, in general, few nations became friendly with any of their initial enemies either. Thus, each nation actually gathered more enemies over the course of the war, with even Maldona and Toral attempting to destroy each other near the end.

The Second War lasted for almost 90 years, with the first peace talks beginning around TY 785 between Eltherean, Toral, and Dalfasshia (ironically, it would be another five years before Toral and Maldona would negotiate a lasting peace). The final treaties involved Heion and Sensou, with the final signings happening in TY 793.

In all of this, there were three neutral countries (though that term is used loosely). First, Praneya withdrew completely from any international relations during this time, with its then king, Bertolt Proctor IV, condemning the actions of all the nations and calling for peace and levelheadedness in the wake of the assassinations. When no one listened, he closed his borders completely. Again, there are no records of any attacks made on Praneya during this war, a fact that many scholars consider very odd, for the same reasons it was confusing in the War of the Gates.

Second, Kafre'en was still in the midst of its own turmoil, as no one had yet managed to carve out a country that lasted more than its first ruler's lifespan. Being in this situation, no one in Kafre'en held any true ties to any other country, and it was essentially left alone (though a staging area for the few Asurisian incursions into Haicon, Kafre'en was largely untouched by the war.

Finally, the small island nation of Kend'ran maintained its own neutrality, though this may have been a result of other nation's fears of what would happen to their weapons or supplies if left in the vicinity of these strange halflings for too long. A few historical documents report the Kender as being fierce opponents when anyone attempted to attack their settlements. After only a few such attacks, the other nations decided it was not worth the trouble.

NEXT: 07 - After the War