War of Ashes

The War of Ashes, also known as the Lonna Esta Varnar, was a war of conquest between the Alvyri Vandryl and the Kingdom of Agaroth during the Era of Discord. The war took place from 178 to 171, and lasted a period of seven years. After losing the conflict, Agaroth was formally annexed by the Elven empire and added to its provinces.
Although it was not the first time another race was conquered by the Elves, the war marked a distinct shift in foreign policy against the other Arcadian races, and would come to shape the identity of the Elven empire for centuries to come.
Following the war, many of the Anari people would be displaced in favour of Vandrylian nobles, who forcefully settled large swathes of the eastern coast for its idyllic scenery. The war would later come to be known as one of the great conquests of the empire. For the people of Agaroth, however, the taste of defeat would be one that they would suffer for decades more.
== History ==
=== First contact ===
Although not unaware of the lands west of their heartland, the Elves of the Alvyri Vandryl under the Aeranardal dynasty were primarily interested in protecting their borders. The first mention of contact with Humans only reached the ears of the Emperor Eiradhras some time during the year 179, and an expedition was immediately outfitted at his behest.
A host of one-thousand men under Lord Istileth Taelancaeri would reach Agaroth's shores the following year, comprised mostly of Vandrylian Elves who had answered the call, though recorded were two groups of Taervyran and Calavyri representatives. There they recorded contact with a warrior hamlet of rugged beings, stocky in nature and remarkably similar. They would later come to know them as Humans. The event was marked with significant bloodshed, although the reasons for the slaughter were never recorded. News of this would reach the courts of Vandryl and Agaroth respectively, setting the stage for war.
=== The war at its height ===
Some efforts to placate the Elves were recorded amongst Anari historians, but whatever their efforts were they were largely ineffectual. The following month, in early 179, King Talancaril instituted the first of the court armies, headed by the Marshal Verinn Nathoron. They rode east in great numbers, harrying the small Vandrylian host. After a month of irregular fighting, the two forces met at Claw Point, a coastal fortification and ruined dockyard long since abandoned by the Anari and hastily fortified by their enemies. The ensuing battle would result in a victory for Marshal Verinn and his forces, but would not end the war. For the Elves, their invasion was just beginning.
Despite the relatively isolationist nature of the Elves, there was great unrest in Elyn Vandryl following the arrival of the defeated host, and in the following months an even greater host was raised, headed by the Emperor Eiradhras himself. He would lead his armies across the water, although would greatly underestimate the wisdom of the Anari, who had not been content to sit and await their destruction. Somewhere off the coast of Agaroth the two fleets met in combat during the Battle of the Emerald Straits.
The heavy losses sustained as a result of the battle would halt the Elven army from reaching their intended targets deeper within Agaroth, but within the next three years they would reach the capital of Ar-Tyriath, laying siege to its walls. The city would later fall in a dramatic assault, causing the death of countless civilians and many soldiers more.
=== Aftermath ===
Ultimately, the war ended not long after the capitulation of the capital, and many of the native Anari were uprooted by their new overlords without mercy. Some of these fled across the seas towards Astria, but many would stay. The events of the war were both a lesson and a mark of pride for Elyn Vandryl, and would influence its expansionism over the next few centuries.Category:Browse