Second Fel Uprising

The Second Fel Uprising was a cataclysmic war from 1266-1358 between the forces of Etsasya Ss'srackos and the lithryns of Telreymor. The century of conflict was long and costly for both sides, but ultimately the forces of the Accursed King were defeated. It was divided into various stages of open conflict and relative uneasy peace. The effects of the uprising were vast, resulting in a change in lithryn society and the creation numerous orders to prevent such an atrocity.

The Conflict Begins

Corruption of Etsasya

The Second Fel Uprising began due to the efforts of one particularly driven aj'ra mage, known as Etsasya Ss'srackos. He was an accomplished mage, one of the greatest among the masters of the aj'ra. But as is often the case, his ambitions knew no bounds, and he continued to delve deeper and deeper into the forbidden arts. This would draw the ire of his superiors, but Etsasya continued his work in secret, learning more about the unimaginable powers offered by the demonic force of the fel.
Etsasya became warped and twisted by his machinations, and it eventually was too hard to keep hidden. His obsession was finally discovered after he summoned a demon that laid waste to a whole village. The collective mages of the aj'ra stripped him of any authority, and ordered his immediate execution. Etsasya knew his time was up, and fled Sothakar, journeying to the north, where he planned to continue his research.

The First Embers

Etsasya continued his secret research in the southern reaches of Telreymor. He conducted his practices in secret, but unlike in Telreymor, he discovered ancient secrets that greatly aided his purposes. Some suggest that much of this was provided by the mysterious Black Lady, some ancient creature said to whisper power and secrets to Etsaysa, and told him of the First Fel Uprising.
Etsasya began to develop his own unique methods and use of fel magic. In particular, he began to use it to mutate and control captured teryns. In the city of Celiandor he began to grow his own little cult, gathering strays and the lowly, tormenting and twisting them into cruel, monstrous creatures.
Etsasya grew his following, being careful to avoid the ire of any officials in the southern cities. Growing his cadre, he expanded and created newer cults, filled with the criminal and downtrodden, the outcast and the rejected. Small at first, these groups continued to expand, as more and more people were abducted and the power-hungry Etsasya continued to perfect his mutative magics.
Worries, fears, and growing tensions gripped the cities of the lithryns. During this period the rivalry between the city of Dunnosh and Telar City had reached its maximum, with much of the far south of Telreymor quite independent. Because of this, much of the early problems in this region did not concern the nobles of the north.
The growing cult influence ultimately could not remain hidden forever. In the city of Corensar, Etsasya had brought the young noble Tulain Thulma'Esha, and when the cities leaders finally discovered the extend of the fel cults in their ranks, they moved to wipe them out. Etsasya struck first, and led his servant in an uprising. Overwhelmed by the power of the fel and Etsasya's powerful minions, the city was overrun in 1266, traditionally seen as the beginning of the Second Fel Uprising.
Numerous other uprisings occurred in the south, as Etsasya assembled his various followers into a new army never before seen in the history of Telreymor. The war had begun.

Early Stages of the Uprising

The War in the South

Etsasya did not waste any time, and set about establishing his rule. Using his new army various smaller cities fell under his sway, and he set up his capitol in the city of Corensar. Here, he began organizing his army under various military generals and warlords, and have them start to roam the lands in large military units, razing, pillaging, and taking back any captives to be converted into new warriors for his army.
Many of the might lithryn kingdoms in this region began to fight back, but they remained relatively disunited and the unique properties of fel magic were unknow to them. Thus the various armies of Etsasya were able to win major victories.
These cities called for aid, and received most of it from the city of Dunnosh, which had created its own hegemony on the continent. The armies of Dunnosh marched south, and there armies of Etsasya faced a true threat. The organized and highly effective warriors of Dunnosh managed to beat back the relatively disorganized military bands that comprised Etsasya's forces.
By 1268 the armies of Dunnosh were making good headway into the south, until finally Etsasya emerged himself at the Battle of Green Skies, where he used his great powers to lay waste to the central force of Dunnosh.

The Borderlines

The lithryns were forced to pull back, and used the natural rocky terrain to set up a semi-permeant border with the southern warlords. The fel armies of Etsasya were stretched too thins to do much else, so for almost a decade there was no major conflicts. Plenty of skirmishes continued, but the two sides reached an uneasy state. Etsasya continued to create more felspawn, and summoned demons from the Twisting Nether to do his bidding. Most the lithryns suffered in his lands, but managed to do alright.

The Second Phase

The Invasion

In 1281 a major army of felswawns under General Tulain began an invasion of into the north. His forces fought with the elite soldiers of Dunnosh, and resoundly defeated them at the Battle of Sanara. Though Tulain himself would later be slain, he gained large holdings and territories, and various continuous campaigns would continue for the next twenty years of so. Dunnosh would suffer heavily during this period, but managed to hold back the tide of the felspawn. The great city-nation did loose much of its southern territory, though various lithryn holdouts continued to persist in the south.
Various waves of conflict between Dunnosh and the felspawn armies continued, with territory being constantly lost and gained. By this time the rivalry between Dunnosh and Telar City had abated, though the lithryns of Tel Tela did not yet completely participate in active conflict.

The Second Peace

Between 1299-1308 there was a period of relative peace, or as much peace as could be accomplished, between the two sides. Etsasya himself began work on creating his own dark and vile society, based around the worship of demons and the fel itself. He set himself up as the supreme leader of his domain, and became known as Accursed King by those who hated him.

The Third Phase

The Storm Continues

Peace was never achievable for long, and everyone knew so. The kingdom of Dunnosh had thoroughly prepared, and conflict ensured under a new champion of Etsasya, his prize pupil Kishasha the Carrion-Bringer. In 1309 she led a large attack into Dunnosh's main territory, but was defeated surprisingly at the Battle of Ferana.
The lithryns thus led there armies to the south, emboldened by their success. Though they met with initial victories, the main army was overstretched and foolishly embarked on impossible campaigns, and was forced back when a major army of felspawn returned. Now it was the lithryns who retreated, and the great fel warlord Kurain Saenal'esh began a long ten-year military campaign in the central lands of Dunnosh.

Fall of Dunnosh

Using his military genius and tactics, Kurain laid waste to the lands and armies of Dunnosh, and in 1320 he began the siege of Dunnosh itself. Though the city and its inhabitants fought hard, the city fell. Thus, might of Dunnosh was extinguished and the eyes of Etsasya looked farther north, to the final great power in his path. The great city of Tel Tela.

The Third Peace

When Dunnosh fell the remaining lithryn kingdoms looked to one power to unify under: Telar City. In the south, Etsasya prepared for his final campaign. Key to his success was the creation of the Great Rift in 1313, which unleashed hordes of monsters into Telarith and allowed for the defeat of Dunnosh. 

The Fourth Phase

Destruction of the Great Rift

The lithryns of Tel Tela knew that war would soon be coming, and they also knew that the Great Rift could supply endless troops that would overwhelm them. So, in 1322 an elite group of lithryn champions launched a sudden and rapid attack deep into the heart of Etsasya's domain. The tale itself is legendary, but eventually the group of heroes, led by King Ashanda Kaelen'Esha himself, infiltrated the City of Flames. There they fought Etsasya, and used an ancient and mysterious weapon known only as the Sun's Wrath to destroy both the Great Rift and city of Corensar. 
The king was slain, and Etsasya lost many of his troops, but survived the conflict. He set about rebuilding his forces and ultimately began to travel north, to pursue his final vengeance. 

Rallying Under a New King

In Tel Tela, chaos ensured after the death of the king, but under the great leader Abrithas Ren'Threnor restored power and in the next few years would unify the remaining lithryns under his command. Skilled and wise, he guided his soldiers into battle and managed to fight off the felspawn and Etsasya for over ten years, though they slowly lost more and more land to the enemy. 
Things would reach a climax in 1341, when Etsasya besieged the city of Tel Tela itself for over a year. Things were dire for the lithryns, but thanks to the efforts of one Seara Threnor'Esha, the long-lost daughter of Abrithas. She roused the people of Telreymor and using the powers of the light encouraged them to fight on. Inspired by her actions, the city was eventually freed, and Etsasya was beaten back. 

The End of Etsasya

Unknown to many, factions had begun to fight in the camp of Etsasya. In particular, his pupil Chara Aarach'esa plotted to betray him, and worked to undermine her master. Fighting was fierce between the two forces for years, until it all came together at the Battle of White and Green in 1347. Etsasya summoned a vast majority of his force to wipe out the smaller lithryns. However, during the height of the conflict Chara betrayed and slew her former master, and his army was routed. 

Final Phases of the War

Though Etsasya was slain in 1347, the war would continue for several years, as demonic warlords claimed power for themselves, and the lithryns would spend years fighting and defeating them. The last one was slain in 1358, marking the official end of the Second Fel Uprising.

Effects of the Uprising

The century-long conflict drastically altered the continent of Telreymor. It would take years, in some cases centuries, for the blighted land to heal and return to its natural state. Millions had died and the lithryns would take centuries to truly recover. 
The Uprising did have the unintended effect of unifying the lithryns. Dunnosh was completely destroyed, and thus Telar City, under new dynasty, took hold over the continent. This began the Dynastic Cycle. 
The lithryns themselves prepared to ensure that such a calamity never happened in their lifetime. Prevalent necromancy saw the rise of mass cremation rituals, and the effects also included deeper religious convictions and preparations in case of future uprisings. Notable among these were numerous military orders. Chara Aarach’esa, former student of Etsasya, secretly formed the Order of the Felguard, while the teryn kingdoms created the Justice-Bringers to combat wide threats like this. The Justice-Bringer wandered the lands and prevented dozens of potential uprisings from occurring. 
Numerous holy protection spells were cast in stones and in cities that weakened fel magic. In addition, the use of the ancient anchors, while not entirely known, were tweaked to weaken any fel magic in the area. Thanks to these efforts there has never been another major fel uprising or incursion in Telreymor since.

The Felspawn

Etsasya was best known for using the power of the fel to create mutant monstrosities. Taking ordinary lithryns, he would force them to drink demon's blood and intoxicate them will fel magic. Through various rituals they would converted to mindless and savage felspawn, rapid, powerful, and strong. These were quite common early on, but were notorious to control.
Etsasya created many different types of felspawn, continuing to refine his art. Mortals who choose could be granted fiery powers, horns, tails, and wings and became stronger but also possess more intelligence than regular felspawn.
Many other variations of felspawn existed, to serve certain purposes. The majority were forced lithryns who were given enhanced strength but also were largely mindless and could only due so much without a strong military commander.

Related Historical Events

• 1266 AD
  Second Fel Uprising