The Third Era - The Foundation of Thelandyr and the Long Years of War

Era beginning/end

"It wasn’t long, in historical terms, before the Thelandryn Empire was nearly equal to the Adrian Empire in prosperity and strength. It wasn’t long, either, before the two great empires recognized each other as threats to their respective peace. It has long been disputed how the first war started between the Thelandryn Empire and the Adrian Empire. But by whatever means, war began, and it never truly ceased."

The early years after the civil war in Adria were a trying time for the Elves, as they worked to establish a homeland in the western continent. The land was wild and untamed, as of yet unaffected by the arrival of Men and Elves to Adria, and home to as many Old Kingdoms -- most less welcoming than the Old Kingdoms of Adria.   Despite their humble beginnings and the wild nature of the land in which they found themselves, the Elves survived, and over the course of decades established a stable, if not powerful, kingdom. They called the new land Thelandyr, after the Elven deity of survival in wild and harsh places.   Over centuries they established a relative peace in their new land. Warning of a mutual threat in the East, and demonstrating an earnest desire to cooperate rather than rule, the Thelandryns forged peace treaties with many of the Old Kingdoms. The Thelandryn Empire continued to grow in power and influence in the west, as tenuously peaceful relationships with the Old Kingdoms yielded benefits across the continent from trade and diplomacy.   It wasn’t long, in historical terms, before the Thelandryn Empire was nearly equal to the Adrian Empire in prosperity and strength. It wasn’t long, either, before the two great empires recognized each other as threats to their respective peace.   It has long been disputed how the first war started between the Thelandryn Empire and the Adrian Empire. Both Empires hold each other to blame, and the historical records became so conflicted with one another that the truth is hard to discern, even to the most careful researchers. But by whatever means, war began, and it never truly ceased.   The sea between Thelandyr and Adria, known now as the Sea of Serenity, was quite the opposite during the long years of war. It was known in those years as the Sea of Blood, and the Serenity Isles as the Bloodstone Isles -- names rightfully earned. It was a battlefront that lasted for centuries.   Battles came and went, peace negotiations opened and closed, but the war never truly ceased. There would come years where the bloodshed lulled as the empires focused on affairs in their homelands, then years where the conflict grew so bloody it seemed impossible that either side could survive for long. But always, even in the times of the most relative peace, the war continued; if not as an open conflict, then as a tense armed stalemate, which was always temporary.