War of Lorian Ascension

Written by TheirGraceGrace

“I was there when Star Emperor Do’anär the Venerable died. The parade was spectacular, although the large amount of refugees made everyone a little anxious. We had heard the rumours: that General Veronis Viriwë wasn’t in attendance against tradition, that the human horsemen to the east were restless. And most frightening: the Emperor’s life was in danger from a mysterious group of assassins.
Those of us in the crowd were cheering loudly. We wanted to show the world that the Star Empire was still strong despite the fires to the north. Maybe we were the foolish ones, but the draw to patriotism was incredibly strong. We had no idea that our longest-lasting Empire since the Great Sundering was about to collapse.
The person next to me saw it first and screamed, and I heard several cries come from the crowd. Following their eyes, I saw the Emperor, a crossbow bolt impaled into his heart. A little blood was trickling from his mouth, and the guard were rushing into the crowd, searching for the assassin. As they began to rough up some people, a group of people in the crowd began to fight back, drawing swords and daggers out of hidden places in their clothing. The guards quickly slew them, and their blood ran red in the streets of Lerdelore.
But the Emperor didn’t recover from his wounds; whoever had shot the arrow had used a poison. This poison was so devious that not even the best alchemists in the realm could save him. He was dead within a few days, and with him the peace he had kept for the 816 years of his reign.”
~ Nemar Misoporos, A Rain of Falling Stars.

The Conflict

Outcome

The war lasted for several years and devastated much of central Orkanis. General Viriwë became the first King of De'aria, and The Khanate of Kahari declared independence from the Star Empire. The Star Empire itself ceased to exist in name, but its northern territories coalesced into The Kingdom of Loria.

Aftermath

The caldilar do not forget, and their loss in this one war has coloured the Kingdom of Loria’s interactions with all other Sedestan nations. The “theft of caldian hegemony” figures very heavily in the culture of the moon elves and their human subjects, and it is commonly traced back to this conflict.

Historical Significance

The war began with the assassination of the Star Emperor, Do’anär the Venerable in the fall of 3E 2. The death of the leader of the Star Empire left it in the hands of Apendor the Plentiful, who had only just turned 75 that summer and was therefore very young by caldian standards.
This was taken as a sign of weakness by General Veronis Viriwë, Do’anär’s trusted advisor. The powerful warrior had disagreed with the Star Empire's open policy regarding refugees from Quempo. Viriwë decided to take the opportunity to claim land for himself and carve out a kingdom of his own. He was able to use his charisma to bring his soldiers in line and conquer much of the southern regions of the Empire without strong resistance.
The Kaharian people were receiving the brunt of the refugees from Quempo, and they wanted the rest of the Empire to help. In any case, the deserts of Kahari were much too hostile for those coming from cold northern forests, so them having the largest portion of refugees seemed impractical. So, at this point, the coalition of the Kaharian Khans was formed and they also declared war on the young Emperor's lands.
The war dragged on for years. Neither side really gained or lost much ground, and much of the good quality farmland of southern Loria and northern De'aria was burned or trampled during the conflict. Instead of solving the refugee issue, the war displaced even more people who crowded into the larger cities. Offensive after offensive only left the towns and cities of northern Sedesta more vulnerable to crime and demonic influence than they had ever experienced.
After five long years of conflict, the Emperor, General Viriwë, and the new Grand Khan of Kahari signed a treaty known as the Treaty of Loria. The Treaty, in summary, permitted the three parties to keep the lands they currently occupied, established the Kingdom of Loria and forced the three new nations to help with the reconstruction of the Empire of Quempo. While grumbling was done on all sides, the Treaty was upheld, and they all held up their end of the bargain on the whole.

Sides

General Veronis Viriwë
the Star Empire
The Khanate of Kahari

Conflict Type

War

Start Date

3E 2

Ending Date

3E 7

Conflict Result

Loss for the Star Empire, but no clear victory for any party.

Location

Sedesta

Art Credit: emperorcharlesii (me!)