Yunbad-J'barri Conflict

Complete Overview The Yunbad-J'barri Conflict (430-432DR), also known as the Yunbad genocide, concluded in The Mountainfold  . However, to understand the war in its entirety, one must go back to The Yunbad Pilgrimage to Hawumad . Having faced a year of famine and hardship struck up by none other than mere misfortune, the Yunbad discovered magic by the pity of their god "Denpa." With his magic came fertility, longer life, growth of crops, and a golden age for the people of Udundst. When high priest Heime began ordaining his closest followers with magic, society saw the true grace that their gods could bestow. Blessed with years beyond the standard Yunbad lifespan, Heime would eventually pass suddenly, leaving the position of high priest to his close friend Maud. Maud used his position to fulfill selfish desires, such as the prolonged lifespan promised with magic. He exploited the power bestowed upon him but also acted in a "suspicious manner" at all times, according to the few surviving records of his in Kala. Whatever they may have been, Maud tightly guarded secrets around his rise to power and abuse of it, which eventually led to the Yunbad slave trade.
In the years that Brillé kept to itself, Kala had begun sending troops out to search for valuable resources across Belenad. Eventually, they found the beautiful mountains of Udundst, both rich with resources and unpopulated. However, while the Yunbad only populated the upper mountain ranges, stragglers would occasionally find their way to the new j'barri mines. These stragglers were scarcely treated with decency, often being taken as slaves or baubles for the Pride Leader of Kala. While this was a common occurrence under Heime, it was Maud who learned of the j'barri presence. Ultimately, he would cut a deal with the miners at the foot of Udundst. They would still get their slaves, but they would come from the ranks of Yunbad acolytes: casters of healing and fertility magics. These slaves were typically acolytes who grew suspicious of Maud's rise to power, though they were told that they were receiving a unique opportunity to study the increasingly common lionfolk.
While the J'barri grew comfortable with their new magical slaves (and the opportunities therein), a self-proclaimed god incarnate by the name of J'bar began spreading his name throughout the j'barri nations. J'bar would singlehandedly manage to bring together the three Pride Leaders across the nations (Tut Maut, Can En, and Nil Hra) and grant them unfathomable power within Renad-Pai. while it took years of cultural manipulation, the three pride leaders (now known as the Epiket) would be ordained with fire magic under the gaze of both J'bar and the patron god Riiji. When Yunbad slaves saw that the j'barri had been ordained with magic, they saw it as an affront and fought against their masters. Unfortunately, they were quickly dispatched by a "typhoon of magma and flame."
As magic became a cultural norm among the powerful of both Udundst and Renad, Maud would be overthrown by an organization known as the Denpa Powlwe. These individuals claimed themselves highly devoted to their chief god and wished to return Udundst to its ways under Heime. Chief among their desires was to discontinue the slave trade. When Maud was eventually killed, this came to fruition. As months passed, Nil Hra was enraged by the silence her letters were met with. Upon learning that the slave trade was officially discontinued, she used her forces to storm Udundst on 10 occasions. Only the final attempt would scratch success, knocking at the doors of the Yunbad before the Denpa Powlwe committed mass suicide, completing a ritual that would devastate all of Udundst.
As the j'barri stormed the caverns of Udundst, both the Denpa Powlwe and priests of Roja were informed of the fact that the teaching of magic had been a facade. Denpa claimed that he had never informed the Yunbad of fertility magic, nor had Riiji informed the j'barri of fire magic. While scarcely outlined here, magic had been a major factor in pushing both societies toward aggression, due to the perceived power on each side. While both sides were devastated by the decades of lies their people had built upon, neither had time to respond. Roja had no way of informing Kala of their newfound information (and its entirely possible Nil Hra wouldn't have listened). The Yunbad were equally dismayed, though their assailants were making way to their seat of power. As such, the sacrificial ritual of the Yunbad by the Denpa Powlwe was propositioned as an appeasement of the gods: one which we may only pray worked.
This sacrificial ritual is now known as The Mountainfold , which led to the death of all assailing Kalan forces and the Yunbad of Udundst. Over the course of years, all Yunbad slaves were determined infertile, eventually dying of old age. Having assumed that Denpa and Riiji had provided magic to their respective people, the central lie of magic has therein stained the culture of the j'barri ever since. No one is certain as to who told them to seek magic, but the central figure held responsible is simply called The Impersonator. Whether or not it was one or more individuals is unknown, but they likely worked on the same agenda. Some believe it to be Hod or J'bar, while many modern perspectives say that this "Impersonator" is merely a personification of greed, power, and lust for chaos.
Following the conflict, fire magic was banned in all j'barri nations (though some took more time than others). The Impersonator was eventually standardized in the Renadi Pantheon as its own individual entity. The new Kalan order after Nil Hra would slowly remove Ferrehet from day to day culture, while still leaving both their prior leader and patron god as symbolic figureheads of the nation.

The Conflict

Prelude

The prelude goes all the way back to the slaughter of the Yunbad revolutionaries on Renad-Pai during the Discovery of Fire Magic by the J'barri. This incident made the Epiket look like unworthy wielders of magic, which put the free Yunbad of Udundst on edge. This was not enough for Maud, though. The benefits gained through his slave trade with the j'barri satiated his greed and ascension to power just enough to keep the conflict from progressing. It was not until the revolutionary Denpa Powlwe, headed by Gomma Pai, that the conflict would truly erupt.

Deployment

The entirety of the war took place on the Yunbad's home soil. There were 10 separate deployments by the Kalans, and most of them were utter failures. It was not until Ferrehet guided Nil Hra that her offensive would be successful. The J'barri were not used to such steep mountain climbs and had the low-ground disadvantage, and the J'barri would need a pincer strategy with a distraction.

Battlefield

The Udundst mountain range housed most of the battles. The Yunbad knew that they would need the home advantage to succeed. Unfortunately, without any advances, they could hardly make progress in the war.

Outcome

The death of Nil Hra would be felt by the Kalans, but many viewed her as unstable near the end of the war. Her council had already wanted to take the city in different directions, but she held executive power. Though it was poisoned for 80 years, the poisoning of the Brillen lake would be considered short term compared to the other consequences of the war.

Aftermath

Following this disaster, the J'barri would almost entirely abandon the use of fire magics while slowly adopting blood magic. The Yunbad were rendered extinct in the mountainfold, and their home is still considered inhospitable. The worship of J'bar was banned due to his potential involvement with the construction of the war.

Historical Significance

In Literature

Plenty of pieces have been written on the conflict, whether philosophical analysis, romanticized stories, or modern comparisons. One of the most famous books was mass produced on Tut'Maut. "Ven vil Kala" is a story explaining the faults of Kala and Roja in the conflict, beckoning people to come to Brille instead. Oddly, the book circulates almost entirely within the walls of Brille.