The First Cinder War was a conflict between the former Bulwari governors of the Jexisian Empire during its collapse. It started with a rebellion of Bulwari governors in 1161, just before the empress' death, and ended in 1169 with the death of Elizar and the defeat of the loyalist forces.
History[]
Prelude[]
Empress Jexis’ paranoia increased toward the end of her reign, as her hold on Cannor weakened and the fight with Ioriel was seing no end. The action that confirmed the fears of most Elves in Bulwar about her insanity was the execution of Gelmonias Dalzuir, an old general of Jaher and governor of the Upper Buranun who had quarrelled with Elizar for years because of the latter's ruthlessness. Their poor relation would lead to a defeat in West Dameria as they sent conflicting orders to the Legions. Although Elizar was the most blamed for the defeat, Jexis sided with her brother against Gelmonias. As the old general tried to defend himself before Jexis, Elizar took the opportunity to kill his rival in front of the court by bashing his skull on the floor below the Imperial throne. The only one who protested the act was the governor of Imulušes, Birzartan, who demanded to have Elizar punished for his actions. Jexis refused to listen to her secretary, removed him from his positions and had him imprisoned.
The news of the murder of Gelmonias and the imprisonment of Birzartan shocked the Bulwari governors. Darastarion Dalzuir and Eletar Amarienzuir, respectively son and brother to the victims of Anbenncost, rose in rebellion. After condemning the act, Jexis had Filinar, close friend and advisor of Elizar, send to Bulwar with orders to bring the traitors to Anbenncost for judgment. Thus began the Imulušes-Buranun rebellion or more popularly known, the Bashed Skull Urprising.
Conflict[]
Filinar hoped for a quick victory after rallying his forces from his demesne in Kalib and managing to take the capital of the Buranun governor, but most of the them relucted to commit forces beside the governors of Baharšes and Elizna. Darastarion retreated east after the loss of his capital, while Eletar harassed the Jexisian forces in the Kuz mountains, preventing Baharsesi forces to link up with Filinar.
The rebellion took a different turn after the Empress Jexis was assassinated in 1162. Most governors rejected her brother and would be emperor Elizar, especially after he embarked on a campaign of vengeance against his sister's suspected murderer, Ioriel. As the threat of Elizar faded away, several governors joined the rebels, notably in Ginerdu, Sareyand and Yametšes.
Despite the dire situation in Bulwar, Filinar remained loyal to Elizar. As the skilled general he was, he managed to defeat and slay the governor of Sareyand in battle near Harklum, before instructing his Eastern allies in Hašr and Azka-Sur to finish the rebels around the Naza. He then embarked on a western campaign to provide a possible safe landing region for the Legions stuck in Cannor. However, the brutality of Filinar during the capture of the port city of Anzabad ended up sparking revolts against the empire in the nearby Medurubar and Brasan.
Filinar's army suffered his first defeat in Medurubar after a flood forced him to levy the siege. In the campaign of the Lower Suran, a low noble elf priest by the name of Taelarios appeared as a capable leader of the rebel faction. In the East, the Eastern loyalists were knocked out of the war following their defeat in Kutriq. In Cannor, Elizar was killed by a lone Moon Elf archer after managing to burn Ioriel alive, sparking uncertainty for Bulwar as there was no more heirs of the Jaherian bloodline. With little hope of victory and no more cause to fight for, Filinar took his own life on the banks of the lower Suran in the summer of 1169, ending the war.
Aftermath[]
After the war, the Phoenix legions that followed Elizar in Cannor retreated to Bulwar. Their leader, Erelassa, demanded the bulwari governors meet with her in the city of Kalib. There, she presented the bulwari governor an infant by the name of Jaddar, and proclaimed him as the heir of Jexis. At her dismay, all rejected her claim outside of Vulzin, governor of Elizna and fervent member of loyalists.
The initial meeting was followed by long negotiations during which the victors of the war drafted the Partition of Kalib : The Empire is declared forfeit and Jaddar was officially dismissed as possible heir. The various governors and Taelarios (who still lacked an official title) acknowledged each others as Kings of their demesnes, cementing the end of the Empire. From the old governorships appeared the kingdoms of Dalarand, Sareyand, Re’uyel and Birzartanšes.
Chronology[]
- 1161:
- Gelmondias is murdered by the empress' brother, Elizar, and Birzartan is imprisoned after protesting
- Darastarion and Eletar rise in revolt, starting the Bashed Skull Urprising
- General Filinar, close friend of Elizar, is sent to Bulwar to quell the rebellion. His arrival is met with apathy as most governors find excuses to not lend their retinues to the envoy of the Empress. Only Vulzin the Red of Elizna and the Akal of Baharšes actively joins Filinar in his quest.
- Hoping for a quick campaign, Filinar marches on Traz-Buranun but finds that Darastarion has left for Setadazar beyond Lake Naza. He must divert part of his forces to help quell the Imulušes rebellion but he is forced to retreat after being unable to pass the treacherous passes of the Kuz mountains.
- 1162:
- Jexis’ reign comes to an end as she is assassinated by an assassin allegedly commissioned by her archenemy Ioriel, provoking the shattering of her Empire. Elizar tries to hold together the remains, but he is much hated. Along with the remaining legions present in Cannor, he embarks on a campaign of vengeance against Ioriel.
- Filinar remains loyal to Elizar and continues his mission in Bulwar. He takes control of the city of Bulwar and the Imperial demesne 'until Elizar returns'.
- 1163:
- Since the start of the rebellion, Uyel, governor of Yametšes, has been besieged by demands from both Filinar and the rebels to join their side. She remained neutral until Birzartan, who's boat crashed on the shores of Yametšes after managing to escape his jail after months of detention and torture demands an audiance with her. The sight of one of the most formidable nobles of the Empire reduced a pitiful state stirs Uyel to take action. She proclaims that Elizar is not worthy to become Emperor and proclaims that all Bulwar shall fight for their freedom.
- The news of Re’uyeli forces advancing along the Bahar coast forces the Akal of Baharšes to end the siege of Birsatansbar. In Bulwar, the news of Uyel joining the fight convinces the governorships of Ginerdu, Brasan and Sareyand to rise up against the Elizarian loyalists.
- Revolts in Kheterata keep the governor of Elizna, Vulzin the Red, occupied and unable to join forces with Filinar.
- Filinar focuses on securing his position in the East. He manages to trap and slay Eredas of Sareyand into a battle near Harklum, while injuring his son and heir who flees back to Sareyand. Finilar's allies in Hašr and Azka-Sur are tasked with ending or at least delaying Darastarion and Eredas II.
- 1164:
- Filinar continues his march down the Suran and conquers Anzabad, stronghold of the governor of Ginerdu, Veharia. The governor is taken prisoner and executed in a public by the orders of the general. His actions create the opposite reaction as the one desired from the cities of Medurubar and Brasan however, the two cities refusing to accept the overlordship of a leader now perceived as bloodthirsty as his master, Elizar.
- Darastarion rallies his troops and helps Eledas II defeat the hašri forces. The governor of Azka-Sur feels his chances are better with the rebels and make peace by giving them a contingent of elephants to assist them in their western campaign.
- 1165:
- Medurubar is besieged by the loyalist army, hoping to open the way towards Brasan and its port to facilitate the arrival of reinforcements from Cannor.
- On the seas, the battle of the Western Drolas sees the combined Yametšesi, Imulušesi and Anzabadi fleets sink a large portion of the Imperial armada.
- 1166:
- The army of Filinar escapes for the most part a violent flood of the Suran and Buranun, forcing him to lift the siege and withdraw inland. During the following months, they are harassed by peasant guerrillas led by Taelarios.
- 1167:
- Filinar bypasses Medurubar and pushes toward Brasan, betting the survival of his army on the arrival of reinforcements from Cannor.
- 1168:
- The siege of Brasan ends, after its walls were taken by the loyalists
- Elizar reaches his height when he captures and burns Ioriel, but there is little he can do to stop the collapse of the empire. He later dies by the bow of a Moon elf of the Redglades.
- The news of the death of Elizar strikes Filinar hard. He attempts to negotiate peace with his enemies but all pledge that only his death can bring peace to Bulwar. Darastarion proposes an honorable death to Filinar as his army closes in on Brasan, pledging to protect his infant son. Filinar impales himself on the sword he received while fighting with Elizar, ordering his troops to open the gates to his enemies.
- 1169:
- With his forces occupied in Kheterata and his fleet defeated, Vulzin the Red accepts peace.