The Sinarean Dispatch

Sent at any other time this letter might have proven just another piece of paper. As it stands, however, it is nothing less than the founding document of modern Vardania.

— Lucius Valerus, Senior Archivar of Tarquinnia

Few people would believe that something as ordinary as paper could change the world. In doing so they would ignore both the effect paper's very existence had on Vardania, but also the many times that a simple message has altered the course of things. The simple message sent in the winter of 2926 DA undoubtedly was one of them.

The Cause

Vardania had entered another era of fragmentation following the dissolution of the Third Hegemony in 2804 DA. For about a hundred years, the continent remained largely peaceful and the 29th century is generally seen as a time of prosperity and order. This changed when the Lavranian Dominion fell into civil war around 2920. One of the involved factions, the Sinarean Army, had come under intense pressure by its rivals and decided to ask the nearest regional power, the Severan Kingdom, for aid.

The Message

"...It is indeed with great urgency that we send these brief few lines to you, Honored King of the East. The great strife currently fought in the provinces of Lavran is wrecking terrible havoc upon both land and people. Fiends responsible for assassinating the former rulers and those who unleashed this terrible conflagration still style themselves Kings within the walls of the Northern Daughter. Bandits and other vermin infest the country and not a day passes without some great atrocity.
We, as the last representatives of the rulers and people of Lavran, urge you to intervene. Commit your forces to our cause and surely the snakes in the capital will not be able to stand against the might of Aedes Ceranis! Grant us victory and we will be your supporters and friends and the resources of Lavrania shall aid you in your endeavours..."

The Receiver

Had anyone else sat on the throne of Aedes Ceranis at that time, events might have played out differently. Alas it was not the soft and honourable King Venris II. that received the plea, but his three daughters. In a, some would later call it cruel, twist of fate, all three had grown to be rulers as ruthless as they were brilliant. Weakness bred opportunity after all. And the Furies were more than ready to take advantage.
Using the somewhat vaguely worded last line of the message, the sisters launched a full-scale invasion and occupation of the Lavranian Dominion. The Sinarean Army played their part well, worn down in suicidal battles and then discarded. Within a year, all of northern Vardania belonged to the Severans.
What had started as a simple request for assistance had caused a massive shift in Vardania's balance of power. The Severans had tasted blood and with the north secure, there were few states left to stop them. Four years after the fateful letter had been sent, Alexiana Severa crowned herself Empress of the Fourth Tarquinnian Hegemony, ushering in a new age of imperial dominion.

It gave them the chance. That is what made this letter so important. The chance to see their own strength and the continent's weakness. And look where it got us. Four centuries of chaos.

— Iyazan Vegaran, Vardanian Warlord

Type

Text, Letter

Medium

Paper

Authoring Date

15.12.2925 DA

Authors

• Unknown

Signatories (Organizations)

• Sinarean Army

The Stage
Founded in the late 26th century, the Lavranian Dominion was a loose confederation of northern provinces who sought protection from outside threats. Never the most stable of nations, it had often been divided on the issue of wherever the state should further centralize. It was one such conflict that caused the civil war of the 2920s.
Wealthy and populous, the lands of Lavran enabled the Severans to secure the north, surpass their southern neighbours and finally to amass enough power to launch a campaign of re-unification against the rest of Vardania.

by Zezhou Chen