- "Any who say there was a winner in this war is a fool. My kingdom lies broken, begging to be rid of death. My soul weeps and I know yours does too. Our people are dead... my family... is dead. My daughter... is dead. I only hope that with this, embers may turn to ash."
- ―Taelarios, speaking to Zelaria following the conclusion of the war
The War of the Ember Queens was a conflict between the kingdoms of Elizna and Irrliam between 1417 and 1420 about domination over the Brasan Republic. While relatively short, the war had massive consequences for the main belligerents, with Irrliam coming out the conflict greatly weakened and Elizna almost severing relations with the other sun elven realms.
History[]
Prelude[]
The root of the conflict can be traced back to the Treaty of Gemisle of 1311, which saw Brasan become a protectorate of Irrliam at the expanse of Elizna's ambitions. During the following century, the tensions between the two realms were exacerbated by opposing religion stances, with Irrliam's ruler being the main advocator of a more hard-line version of the sun cult while Elizna was promoting syncretic policies with its kheteratan subjects. The rivalry on the personal level between the Eliznan queen - Zelaria - and the Irrliamic Queen - Imariel -, made diplomatic relations even colder.
Brasan quickly became the center point of the rivalry between Irrliam and Elizna, with the latter often trying to meddle with the Brasanni elections. Elizna's efforts came to fruition in 1417, when the high council of Brasan elected a pro-independence Rabsukal. After Irrliam unsuccessfully attempted to remove the new Rabsukal, Brasan declared their independence with Elizna’s backing, the war would officially start.
Conflict[]
With its troops already levied before the start of the conflict, Queen Zelaria was able to advance quickly through the unready Irrliamic territories. Her newly formed elite maritime shock troops were able to seize the port of Anzabad only a few weeks after the beginning of the war. Queen Imariel Irrliazuir met the Eliznan forces near the confluence of the Suran and the Dasma, but despite managing to inflict heavy casualties on their enemies, her outnumbered troops were ultimately defeated. Mortally wounded during the battle, Imariel succumbed to her injuries after two days of agony.
Having defeated the bulk of their opponent's army, the Eliznan troops continued their advance toward the capital city of Medurubar and began to lay siege.
Slaughter of Medurubar[]
After 28 months of siege rhythmed by multiple unsuccessful assaults, a breach in the southern wall was finally opened. Exacerbated by the gruesome fighting during the siege, and a century of intense rivalry, the Eliznan commander was unable to control his troops, and the city was sacked with a level of brutality rarely seen before. The royal palace was raided and the members of the Irrliazuir dynasty were viciously slaughtered. Only survived Taelarios - who was away on a diplomatic trip - and his grandson Thelrion, a one year old infant who was hidden by a maid.
The events of the Slaughter of Medurubar shocked the other Sun Elven rulers, particularly Eledas III of Sareyand and Arantir I of Birzartanšes who lost family members. Elizna suffered an intense backlash and multiple countries threatened to enter the war against them, which forced Zelaria to sue for peace with Irrliam. Elizna ended up giving back the control of the cities of Medurubar and Anzabad, but kept control of the other occupied territories. The Brasani Rabsukal was deposed and the city remained under Irrliamic influence, but obtained much more autonomy.
Aftermath and consequences[]
Irrliam was greatly weakened by the conflict. Their military was crushed, their capital of Medurubar lay in shambles, and only two members of the ruling dynasty survived. Taelarios Irrliazuir had to sit back on the throne at the old age of 356, 56 years after relinquishing it to his daughter. His only heir, his grandson Thelrion, was only one year old and many decades away from being able to take the throne.
While the war was a military success for Elizna, it was a massive loss on the diplomatic side. The Slaughter of Medurubar (and their religious policies in a lesser extent) completely isolated them from the rest of Bulwar and diplomatic pressures prevented them from obtaining their main objective when the war started: domination over Brasan.