Manslayer War
The Manslayer War was an extended conflict in the late Fourth Age between the forces of Parthenia under Psaro the Manslayer against the lands of Branca, the Kingdom of the South, led by King Alphonse Brancana, as well as against the military forces of Burland, Konenbur, Endor and Soretta.
The war was one of the defining conflicts of the late Fourth Age. The conflict resulted in the alliance of most of Azimuth's major nation-states and the destruction of much of the Parthenian forces, and it set the diplomatic stage for the east for many years afterwards.
Background
Parthenia
The lands of Parthenia before the Manslayer War were largely made up of various bestial tribes with local-level influences over each other. There was not a unified Parthenian army at this time, however certain clans of minotaurs did force the dominion of gnolls and bugbears in their territories. At some point during the late Fourth Age, Psaro fell in love with Rose. Rose was killed for her tears by three bandits. Psaro brutally slaughtered the bandits and took the name "The Manslayer". In his grief, he vowed to destroy the lands of humans, dwarves, and elves. With the aid of Steverossa, the Illithid, Psaro subjugated the races of Parthenia. Here, he began using the Temple of the Blackguard to gather divine power from the resting Zenthai, The Dragon King. This power was used to create the Black Mountains of Parthenia, to forge the magical barrier that coursed through them, and to work to perfect the Power of Evolution. Psaro spent much energy searching for the location of the Zenethian Children. He developed a spell to detect divine blood and his forces created bloodletting spell circles in several locations in Azimuth. In addition to preventing their prophecy, Psaro also needed this divine blood to perfect the Power of Evolution. Through unknown means, Psaro discovered the hidden location of Hometown.Branca
In the late Fourth Age, Branca, the Kingdom of the South, was ruled by King Alphonse Brancana. The nation enjoyed friendly relations with the other nearby human lands, including Burland and Konenbur. Conversely, Branca had little to no relations with the lands of Soretta and the Kingdom of Endor at this time. Due to the presence of various raiders and peoples in the Wild Lands to the east, Branca kept a military presence near this border in the Eastern Foothills. At this time, Aoth Stormwind, Vassal of the Platinum Dragon and his unit under the command of Sir Baric Nimir were stationed in this region. Most countries in Gimora did not have much knowledge of the lands of Parthenia at this time, and as such the building of forces by Psaro went unnoticed. Gardenbur had fallen shortly after the Great War, and relations with the races that then inhabited Parthenia were non-existent.Known Events
The Attack on Branca
Invasion of the Eastern Foothills
Around 10 Felim 4A 995, Psaro and his armies, led by Black Phillip, General of the Manslayer, and Steverossa, the Illithid, landed on the coast of the Wild Lands and invaded Branca from the east. The forces in the east alerted the Brancan army of the incursion, and the army of Branca was rallied. They met the forces of Psaro in the Eastern Foothills region and engaged in battle. This engagement was a decisive loss for Branca, and the Brancan army was scattered. Aoth Stormwind's unit was shattered and many of the members under Aoth's command were killed. With the way now clear after the battle, Psaro continued westward at a forced march. They crossed through to the far side of Branca, heading to the large forest at the base of the Gimora Mountains.Assault on Hometown
On 24 Felim 4A 995, Psaro and his armies, including Black Phillip and Steverossa, attacked Hometown. The few guards in the settlement were quickly overwhelmed, and the elder of the town engaged in a magic duel with Steverossa. Accounts relate that many high-level spells were cast in quick succession and many of the hamlet's buildings were burned and sacked. The Parthenian forces slew most of the residents and captured the childhood friends of the Zenethian Children, who were magically disguised as the Children. The real Children successfully hid away and evaded capture.The Burning of the Green Valley
After seemingly capturing their quarry, Psaro's armies marched back across the Brancan countryside. Though the forces of Branca were regrouping, the initial, unexpected attack had severely compounded the army's lack of preparation during peacetime. The Parthenian forces were largely unopposed during the march eastward, only being harried by ranger and scout units engaging in harrying attacks. As the Parthenian army marched, they sacked and burned any farmlands, homesteads, and settlements in the lush Green Valley region of Branca they passed by. The result was a large swath of land that was damaged, and many of the resources, namely food, that Branca relied upon were destroyed as Psaro's armies marched eastward towards the Wild Lands coast. Two small detachments were sent from the main body of the army. One went westward towards the Endor Tunnel, where they collapsed part of the tunnel which blocked access through it. The other went northwards into Burland, where the bridge crossing the Ochre River was destroyed. It is unknown if these detachments left during the army's initial march westward or during the army's march back after the sacking of Hometown. Around 10 Madaet 4A 995, Psaro's armies arrived at the coast, reboarded their vessels, and sailed back towards Parthenia.The Alliance
The Zenethian Children
Shortly after the 24 Felim 4A 995 attack on Hometown, while King Alphonse Brancana was mustering his generals and scouts after the destruction of his armies, he was approached by the Zenethian Children. King Brancana knew of the prophecy of their births and offered to aid. He provided the Children with a number of missives signed by his hand asking for military aid against Psaro. He tasked the Children with delivering these missives to the leaders of foreign lands. Over the course of their journey until late 4A 996, these missives would be delivered to the leaders of Burland, Soretta, Keeleon, and Endor. During this time, the military forces of Branca were regrouped and King Brancana began strengthening his armies and navy. Under his command, any remaining forces of Psaro present in Branca were expelled.Raiding Konenbur
Later in 4A 995, the Zenethian Children triggered an alarm spell on Rose's Tower in Rosaville. Psaro immediately sent Black Phillip and his armada to attack the intruders. As a result of this, the armies attacked the coastlands of Cascada, the Ruined Coast, and invaded the lands of Konenbur. Many small coastal settlements were sacked and burned. The navy of Konenbur and the Greenscales engaged with Psaro's forces. Parthenian forces reached the capital of Konenbur, but the city held, however records show that smoke could be seen from the sea. The navy of Konenbur intercepted the Parthenian fleet at the Rend near Cascada, where they set up a blockade. Over the course of the war, this blockade would continually be pushed back farther and farther southwards. By late 4A 996, Konenbur had lost control of the Rend and fighting was occuring in the Seafoam Sea.Crashing of the Endor Tourneys
In 4A 995, a doppelganger disguised as a defector from Branca entered Endor, the First Mountain. Through the doppelganger, Psaro spoke with High King Thorik Oathenhammer and convinced him that King Alphonse Brancana military mustering was intended as an army to attack Endor. This caused High King Thorik to gather his armies and prepare to defend a supposed upcoming attack. On 17 Adroth 4A 996, the finale of the Endor Tournaments Tournament of Bows was held at the Arena. During the finale, the doppelganger disguised as Psaro approached and spoke with the Zenethian Heroes. Psaro asked the children to give their blood to him and he would never accost them again. They declined, and Psaro used a Meteor Swarm spell to attack the Arena, killing the doppelganger. As a result of this direct aggression, High King Thorik realized he had been deceived and immediately declared war on Psaro and promised aid to Branca in the war. He ordered forces under his command to make ready and sent forces to clear the Endor Tunnel so his army could march eastward.Preparing for War
The Branca War Council
In late 4A 996, a war council was convened at the Brancan capital. King Alphonse Brancana led this council and discussed the strategy for defeating Psaro with representatives and leaders of the gathered nations. These included Sir Ragnar McRyan from Burland, High King Thorik Oathenhammer from the Kingdom of Endor, and Princess Alena from Keeleon, as well as the Zenethian Heroes. In addition, arriving late to the council were Guardian Quarivon from Soretta and Sir Kenneth Greenskin from Konenbur. The gathered leaders shared intel from the war and the Heroes discussed their interactions with Psaro and the information they had learned of his motivations and abilities. While information was available about the location of Parthenia and the strength of their army and navy that had attacked, there was no information about the full strength that faced them or any defenses in place at Parthenia. The Heroes elected to use their abilities to scout ahead with a Wind Walk spell. While the gathered armies marched eastward, the Heroes went ahead. At Parthenia, the Heroes found an anti-magic barrier around the island that repelled intrusion. They found where the enemy fleet was holding and went to turn back, however Petra D'Silva split from the party. Without the means to end the spell and not endanger all of them, they had no way to prevent Petra from leaving them, and she headed towards the beasts. Thinking themselves betrayed, the party returned towards the gathering forces on the coast of the Wild Lands.Events in the South
By late 4A 996, Konenbur had lost control of the Rend and fighting was occuring in the Seafoam Sea. After the White Fleet of Soretta joined the war, the naval battles in the Seafoam Sea began to turn to the favor of the allies and they began regaining territory. While Branca and the allies armies would attack Parthenia directly, the navies of Konenbur and Soretta would push a naval attack in the Rend to occupy the Parthenian navy vessels there. It is unknown how many of the bestial vessels were occupied in and around Cascada, however some of the Parthenian fleet were successful in pulling back to the Parthenian Bay.Events in the North
In late 4A 996, after Petra D'Silva left the other Heroes, she reached the lead ship of the Parthenian fleet. There, Petra convinced Black Phillip, General of the Manslayer, that she had defected and was placed as part of the crew on the Falcon. The mission of the ship and the small squadron of vessels it was with was to waylay the approaching Burland fleet in the north so that it could not join the allied fleet gathering on the coast of the Wild Lands. On the ship, Petra met Ringer, a gnoll. She convinced him to aid her in starting a mutiny and overthrowing the minotaur crew in charge, and they took the ship. The squadron was about to engage the Burland fleet. Petra raised a flag with the Zenethian symbol on it, and the Falcon surprised the other beast vessels, sinking them in cannon fire. Petra approached the Burland flagship and explained her plan, and she led the Burland fleet onwards towards the Parthenian Sea.The Invasion of Parthenia
The Battle of the Bay of Shipwrecks
On the coast of the Wild Lands, the Heroes provided the intel they gained to the commanders of the allied forces. The gathered vessels were prepared, including the flagships the Occidentalis and the Effervescent, and the allies sailed northeast into the Parthenian Sea. The Black Mountains of Parthenia meant the only location available to the allies for an invasion was the Parthenian Bay, and the main fleet of Parthenia had gathered there. Near the end of the month of Drimon in 4A 996, the forces of Psaro engaged with the allied armies of Azimuth in the Battle of the Bay of Shipwrecks. The Effervescent was sunk and the Occidentalis was boarded, but the Heroes fought their way clear and into the Parthenian Bay. The Falcon brought the Burland fleet to aid them and many bestial ships were sunk. The Falcon and the Occidentalis broke through the Parthenian navy and landed on the shores of the Iron Marshes while the rest of the allied fleet defeated and sank most of the remaining bestial ships. In the ruins of Gardenbur, King Alphonse Brancana directed the Heroes to find and take out Psaro in the Citadel of Bronze, saying, "Cut the head from the snake." The departed northwards while King Brancana and Ringer stayed behind.The Battle of the Iron Marshes
After the battle in the Parthenian Bay, the alliance ships landed at the Iron Marshes, and the armies disembarked and made ready. The armies of Parthenia had been split into two divisions on either side of the Muddy Peaks, one of minotaur troops in the west and the other of gnoll troops in the east. Both were to converge on the invaders from either side and engage in a flanking battle on the coast. With Petra's influence, she convinced Ringer that the gnolls would be better off if they could throw off the oppression they suffered under the minotaurs. Ringer took this message to the other gnolls in the eastern division, and this message spread among the ranks. When the minotaur force marched forward and met the allied armies in battle, the gnoll army abandoned the minotaurs to fight alone. They had fled the battlefield and retreated back towards gnoll territory in southern Parthenia. The engagement was a bloody pitched battle in the Iron Marshes, but while the minotaurs were strong, they were outnumbered and as a result, entire tribes of minotaurs were slain. During the fighting on Parthenian land, King Alphonse Brancana and Princess Alena were wounded, and Sir Kenneth Greenskin was slain.The Assault on the Citadel of Bronze
On 3 Janafen 4A 997, the Zenethian Heroes entered the Citadel of Bronze and made their way to the shrine at its apex. Psaro offered them their friends and their lives. All he asked for was their blood so he could perfect his use of the Power of Evolution. The Heroes refused. With a snap, Psaro summoned music and his minotaur general, Black Phillip, and Psaro drew his sword. Joseppe fell immediately as Psaro reflected a spell he cast, and the party engaged. During the fighting, Psaro let the hanging prisoners fall one at a time. Petra and Brigitte worked to save two of those captured, Cher and Gertrude, before Psaro could drop them. During this, Johanna dueled Black Philip. Johanna was overpowered and was slain by the minotaur, but Leo quickly expended his death magic to bring her back, and with her greatsword, she slew Black Phillip in turn. Meanwhile, Rath dueled against Psaro, and Psaro drew Rath 's divine blood. Pushed to near-death, Psaro attempted to cast an incompleted version of the Power of Evolution on himself using the four blood samples he had access to. The effect backfired, transfiguring Psaro into a mutated beast. The Heroes pummeled damage into the Manslayer. Though his increased strength and ferocity threatened their lives, eventually they saw the incomplete magic dissipate. They slew the creature, and Psaro momentarily regained some semblance of his former intellect before perishing in the Citadel. With Psaro gone, the magic that surrounded Parthenia destabilized and great shards of the anti-magic barrier began falling from the sky. The Citadel of Bronze shuddered and crumbled around them and the Heroes made their escape. Outside the Citadel, they took cover underground while the shards of magic impacted the earth and shattered to mist back to the ether.Aftermath
As the Heroes returned, they found the allied armies had won the battle in the Iron Marshes. The gnolls had abandoned the field, leaving the minotaurs to face them alone. Though there were fatalities and injuries, the allies had won against the navy and army of Parthenia. With the victories of the Battle of the Bay of Shipwrecks and the Battle of the Iron Marshes, and with the death of Psaro, the Manslayer War was won for the alliance. Pockets of bestial resistance outside of Parthenia remained, but these did not last long after the end of the war. However, the forces of Parthenia no longer put up much resistance and no other major engagements took place. The conflict resulted in the alliance of most of Azimuth's major nation-states and the destruction of much of the Parthenian forces, and it set the diplomatic stage for the east for many years afterwards. In the aftereffects of the war, and with Psaro slain, the beasts were forced to adapt once more to a world set against them. The race of minotaurs suffered many casualties and would take generations to recover. The conflict also resulted in a shift in the balance of power among the Parthenian races, with gnolls gaining much in the exchange. Petra D’Silva made great strides in stabilizing this burgeoning nation with the other powers in Azimuth, however it would be some time before this change led to the formation of the Parthenian Federation in the Fifth Age. In the human lands affected by the war, recovery began. Much of Konenbur and Branca had been raided and burned, and the peoples of these lands would see the bestial races of Parthenia as enemies in the wake of it. These prejudices held in peoples of Branca would lead to active laws allowing the repelling and slaying of any bestial race. It also saw an increase in military presence in eastern Branca and northern Konenbur as these nations sought to protect against any attacks in the future. Parthenia itself was not colonized after the war, as the human kingdoms suffered greatly over the course of the war and wouldn’t have been able to sustain an occupying force there. The elves may have been able to, however with the elven predisposition against new colonies at the time, they were very hesitant to do so. As such, Parthenia and the bestial races were able to start recovery and deal with the major power dynamic shifts among them on their own after the head was cut from the snake.Legacy
- "The Story of the Zenethian Heroes" tells of the adventure across Azimuth the Heroes took at the end of the Fourth Age, including their activity in the Manslayer War.
- The holiday Heroes Banquet celebrates the Zenethian Heroes and their contributions to the Tarterian War, the Manslayer War, and their continued effects on the world.
- The Parthenian Bay was renamed the Bay of Shipwrecks after the Battle of the Bay of Shipwrecks that occured there, where many ships from the alliance and Parthenia were sunk.
- "The Fate of the Effervescent" tells the story of the sinking of the elven flagship in the Battle of the Bay of Shipwrecks.
- The Glass Hills in northern Parthenia are the result of the shards of the barrier that fell there. Though most of these shattered shards dissipated into energy shortly thereafter, the largest shards are still strewn about Parthenia.
Conflict Type
War
Start Date
Near the begining of Felim, 4A 995
Ending Date
3 Janafen 4A 997
Branca, the Kingdom of the South
Hometown
Parthenian Sea
Parthenia
Outcome
- The war ended with the death of Psaro the Manslayer and the destruction of much of the Parthenian military.
- The Zenethian Heroes destroyed the magical dome surrounding Parthenia.
Major Battles
- Battle of the Eastern Foothills
- Attack on Hometown
- Burning of the Green Valley
- Raiding of the Ruined Coast
- Attack on the Endor Tourneys
- Assault on the Citadel of Bronze
Major Combatants
Parthenian Forces
Psaro the Manslayer
Black Phillip, General of the Manslayer
Steverossa, the Illithid
Parthenian Armies
Psaro the Manslayer
Black Phillip, General of the Manslayer
Steverossa, the Illithid
Parthenian Armies