The Conflict
Prelude
The destruction of the capital city of Saito at the hands of the Dark God left the country of Shikahn struggling to recover. The site of Saito's destruction was abandoned and left to be overtaken by the ever expanding The Red Forest, and the capital was moved to the opposite side of Lake Athaline and rebuilt as Taisan.
All but two members of the royal family were slaughtered in the destruction; two younger sons were mercifully not in the capital when the God and his Knights descended upon it. Thirty-five years ago, the elder brother, Kitfa Nagani was crowned King at age 20 in a hasty ceremony. His younger brother, Kasin Nagani, was named the crown prince at age 16 until such time as his elder brother had children of his own. Thus, the Nagani Line continued, though much shaken by the destruction and much less willing to so vehemently disdain a God as their older brother had done.
After five years of shaky rebuilding, Shikahn was wracked by another shock. The Rahnika, dragons aligned with the element of ice who called the country of Rahnik home, suddenly and violently began to claim territory on the western side of the Shirain Mountains. Peace talks failed quickly; the Rahnika did not respect a King so young and untested. Many years ago, Shikahn had forced the Rahnika back such that they only held small strips of territory. Years of being confined only to boreal forests and tundra allowed them to feel that reclaiming their lost territory was the best course of action.
The western half of Shikahn was their battlefield.
The Rahnika deployed their finest warriors to and past their borders, seeking to reclaim what was once theirs. These warriors also had the ability to shift forms and become enormous feathered dragons. The Rahnika intended to reclaim the entire western half of the country, and as such made an alliance with Andaikos, requesting aid in the form of the gifted natural healers known as Andaia, or dragons affiliated with the element of light. In return, should they succeed, they promised a cut of the territory reclaimed from Shikahn.
The Shikahni deployed their strongest Shonia, mages with incredible magic ability who are bonded to elemental
Shoni Sprites. The Shikahni also requested aid from the Shinaia, shadow dragons that live in the northeastern part of Shikahn to assist in pushing the Rahnika back. Towards the end of the war, Shikahn also reached out to the
Laiosa, dragons aligned with the element of fire for a final push.
Rahnik regained approximately half of its lost territory. It would have regained more had the Laiosa not agreed to join with Shikahn in the eleventh hour. The Laiosa were not able to repel the Rahnika fully, but it was enough to give the Rahnika pause.
With newfound respect for the Shikahni King, the Rahnika offer their terms. They retain control of the territory seized, and the daughter of the Rahnika royal family is wed to the crown prince of Shikahn. As Kitfa had no children, the duty fell to Kasin. In return, Rahnik ceased all military conflict. Shikahn accepted the terms.
Historical Significance
The union of Kasin Nagani of Shikahn and Isa Xerai of Rahnik is seen as a sign of hope for the future. When their first children, twins, were born, the country rejoiced as the elder twin was born the
Vessel of the Goddess of Truth. Surely, this was a sign that the treaty was blessed by the Gods...
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