War of Great Sorrow
The War of Great Sorrow was a war between the Kingdom of Scalados, Erdelan, Draxhaven, and the Kingdom of Dreibach that lasted from Y348-Y361 and ravaged nearly every corner of Belcantas. It resulted in the treaty ensuring the independence of the city of Cantonova for 750 years, as well as the destruction of the city of Bjália and subsequent unification of upper and lower Scalados.
The Conflict
Prelude
Beginning in the early Y340s, the military leaders of Dreibach and Erdelan began increased campaigns against the Orc tribes of the Prairie Clans in response to their increased presence in southern Erdelan and an uptick in raids on Dreibachan villages. While they managed to weaken several clans and disband the Thunderwalkers (a clan west of Ettelane) entirely, the remaining orc clans fortified themselves and were largely successful in scattering or fending off the kingdoms' armies. Leaders of the two kingdoms, growing ever more paranoid, began attacking Nuél-orokh and Fey-orc societies as well. The near-extermination of the Tidewalkers on the border between Dreibach and Scalados prompted the Eldatar to declare war on Dreibach.
Battlefield
The War of Great Sorrow was fought on four main fronts: the eastern front, the western front, the Cantonovan front, and the Bjálian front. The eastern front (Y348-360) was the longest continuous battle site of the war, with the relatively scattered forces of Dreibach and Erdelan locked in a stalemate with nearly all the combined forces of Scalados. The western front (Y348-352) was primarily fought by Dreibach against the rebellious forces of the modern-day Western Duchy; fast-moving troops quickly razed the rebel city of Tygrar and forced the Torch of Tygrar and the surviving Tygrans to retreat into the Western Woods. The brutal Bjálian front (Y357-361) was initiated by a surprise coalition of Erdelanian warriors and the chromatic dragons of Draxhaven, taking advantage of Scalados's focus on its southwestern border in order to ambush and eventually raze its powerful northern capital. Finally, late in the war, an influx of arms from the Aquatic Kingdoms allowed Cantonova to nearly oust their weakened Dreibach occupiers in the Uprising of Cantonova (Y358-361) before the mass retreat of Scalados freed enough manpower and resources for Dreibach to return and nearly raze the city.
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