Sultan's War

The Sultan's War is the name given to a conflict during the mid-7th Century between the newly-created Sultanate of Falsil and the Kingdom of Dunfleasel. This was one of the first large-scale conflicts between the countries on the Trade Lake and those in Suren's Desert.

## Background

For centuries, the Shahs of Ubarif had claimed the lands of Suren's Desert. To be precise, the titles they held stated that he had dominion over 'the vast and good lands betwixt the Dale Hills and the Prye River'. Up until Shah Abdalla Al-Magribi, though, none had tried to make this dominion come true. The Shahs were not independent, after all. They were vassals of the Shahanshah of the Vardanid Empire, which kept them on a tight leash, and anyway the lands in question - the towns of Berham, Grisloe and Orsham, also known as Al Asad, the Lion's Land - were under the control of the powerful Kingdom of Faramond.

The situation changed abruptly in the early 7th Century. Faramond was weakened by the Scanbroughan Secession, and was unable to keep Gabrainn and Dunfleasel from seceding in the late 640's. For the first time now, Al Asad was in a weak enough grip to snatch. But there was still the matter of the Shah's superiors. Shahanshah Harses III was adamant in his refusal to condone an invasion. So Shah Abdalla waited and plotted.

His time came only ten years later. His own superiors were weakened by the Vardano-Reman Religious Wars, and Harses was no longer able to control his vassals. Shah Abdalla sent his armies forth and invaded Dunfleasel.

## The War

The invasion took Dunfleasel completely by surprise. Grisloe and Orsham were occupied within a week, and the capital Berham placed under siege. This only lasted until early 660, at which point the city buckled and the King of Dunfleasel was killed. This ended House Erlinghard and threw the nation into chaos.

Faramond and Gabrainn stepped in shortly after the Sack of Berham, with the Kings of both countries leading armies to Dunfleasel's aid. The desert-equipped armies of Shah Abdalla were unable to gain a foothold in the Dale Hills, and were repelled time and again by Faramondian and Gabrain forces.

In the meantime, the Dunn forces were marshalled. The Duke of Armel, taking control, put his levies under the control of Baron Roderick of Pantmawr, a respected and experienced warrior. Roderick led sorties over the Dale Hills and, in July 660, retook Orsham from Abdalla's forces. He marched north with the aid of King Olla II of Faramond and captured the city of Takalmas in December of the same year. He put the city to the torch and lynched the resident noblemen, ending the line of House Al-Risigri in much the same way it had ended for the Erlinghards.

In February of 661, Shahanshah Harses died without an heir. This threw the Vardanid empire into confusion and, by mid-March, the nation had fractured entirely. Shah Abdalla, by withdrawing most of his forces from Al Asad, managed to carve himself a large slice, which he named the Sultanate of Falsil. He left matters on the western front to his brother Desharvi Al-Magribi, who managed to chase the Dunn forces out of Takalmas and Orsham.

By October 661 neither side had made any advance, and a peace deal was agreed. Dunfleasel would cede the occupied territory as long as Falsil gave up claims on the rest of the land it had sought - in particular, the yet-untouched town of Beyham.

## The Aftermath

Both sides were weakened by the war. The Duke of Armel was sworn in as the new King of Dunfleasel, and the capital city moved to his seat. Dunfleasel has not fought in any war since, though it initially plotted to retake the lost territory.

In Falsil, Abdalla was treated as a hero - he has since faded into legend as Abdalla the Lion, named for the land he took. Despite this, the Sultan's War is largely regarded as a lost opportunity on the Falsili part. Had his forces not been occupied when Harses died he would have been quicker off the mark, and might have taken yet more land for his new Sultanate. As it now stands, Falsil is dwarfed by most of its neighbours.