The Galifar-Lhazaar War Begins

Military action

The Galifar–Lhazaar War, a decade-long conflict between the Kingdom of Galifar and the pirates and buccaneers of the Lhazaar Principalities.

The Galifar–Lhazaar War, a decade-long conflict between the Kingdom of Galifar and the pirates and buccaneers of the Lhazaar Principalities, began in 28 YK. The Lhazaar Principalities developed during the same period when the Five Nations were formed, more than a thousand years before the birth of the Kingdom of Galifar. By the time KingGalifar I united the Five Nations, the Principalities were already well-established, as was their inhabitant's well-deserved reputation as raiders and pirates. When Galifar I proclaimed that his kingdom “stretched across the width and breadth of Khorvaire,” the Lhazaar pirates’ princes ignored him. Their domains in the east were far from the great cities of the Five Nations in central Khorvaire, separated by a formidable mountain range and the endless seas over which the princes ruled supreme.   By 28 YK, Galifar I had consolidated his hold over the Five Nations and turned his attention to the threat to his new state’s integrity that lay in the east. The Lhazaar princes and sea barons were wreaking havoc among Khorvaire’s coastal communities, interfering with shipping and refusing to bend to the will of the Galifaran Crown. Thus began the Galifar–Lhazaar War, a series of naval engagements that lasted nearly a decade. The sea barons knew the currents better and started out with better vessels, but Galifar I dedicated his efforts to building a powerful navy. Aided by magic and the help of some of the dragonmarked houses, particularly the sea-going half-elves of House Lyrandar, the Royal Galifaran Navy was able to garner enough victories on the Sea of Rage to force the Lhazaar princes to meet to discuss terms. In the end, the Principalities agreed to officially become a part of Galifar I’s united kingdom but to remain largely autonomous in their local affairs. The Lhazaar sea princes would be left more or less independent within their own domains, yet they each agreed to pay tribute to King Galifar I and recognize him and his heirs in the House of Wynarn as the legitimate rulers of the mainland kingdom, as well as to refrain from attacking Galifaran shipping (an agreement often honored in the breach).