Second Lotherian Civil War

## Belligerents

The Baron of Blood

The Drakkarians

The True Legion

The Second Lotherian Civil War was in reality a succession of conflicts that occurred in the Third Era following the Great Revolt. The war was a result of the collapse of the Republic of Lotheria following the assassination of Chancellor Leon Chamberlain on 12 Inferna, 3089 AC.

## Collapse of the Republic

The Republic of Lotheria, young as it was, began to fall into a decline following the Palantir War. While they were victorious over Gallacian forces, the war consumed thousands of lives and exacted a heavy toll on the Republic's finances. With their coffers nearing empty, radical tax reform was passed to replenish them. This reform put heavy pressure on the middle class in particular, costing the Lotherian people massive amounts of their income, increasing discontent.

The Shatter in 3088 AC would deal another devastating blow to the ailing nation, as magical anomalies sent industry reeling. Santeria, the primary economic hub for the Republic (and the world) was partially destroyed in a magical explosion, resulting in shipping being gutted. Shortages and recession soon followed, and the Great Revolt broke out early in 3089 AC. Riots raged across the nation, and cities burned. Even Sol experienced a massive uprising in the early months of the year. The deeply unpopular Chancellor Chamberlain attempted to calm hostilities by passing a bill with aid for the poor and hungry, which also included laws that victimized mages. This latter portion would come to be his downfall.

On 12 Inferna, 3089 AC Chamberlain arrived at the Lotherian Senate to give a speech in favor of his new bill. While at this speech, he was assassinated by a rogue mage, the explosion killing his Vice Chancellor as well. The resulting succession crisis would shatter the Republic into fragments, as infighting began. The Senate briefly assumed control of the nation, before being overthrown by members of their own guard. These guards were loyal to a rapidly developing faction: The True Legion. Dedicated to the old ways of the Imperial Legion and resurrecting the Lotherian Empire, this faction would end up recruiting a large portion of the Republic's military. The True Legion racked up numerous victories in the early months of the war, only resisted by local militias and the small remaining number of loyal military troops, before being halted by a group of powerful warriors led by Freya Drakkar. This new faction, the Drakkarians, would gain vast amounts of support from anti-legion warriors in the coming years. The two groups would engage in a selection of bloody battles over the fallen nation for the next two decades.

## Decades of Warfare

In 3096 AC, a new dark horse candidate entered the fray: Baron Johann Stressler, who would eventually become known as the Bloody Baron. Stressler attracted many allies to his cause, amassing an army of the outcast and the downtrodden. Of his troops, many were vampires, lycanthropes, and mages, granting an unexpected edge despite a lack of raw manpower. However, despite this, the Baron was unable to gain more than a strong foothold in the against the two other factions.

The war continued for many years with no true victor. A victory in one battle would be overturned in the next. The three tightly-matched factions shed blood against one another intermittently, with some short-lived peace treaties interspersed between year-long bouts of combat. In 3100 AC, Windhaven would mobilize it's own forces to reinforce its independence and non-involvement in the war. Originally allied with the True Legion, Windhaven's powerful Silver Guard was an army all its own, and as such no faction made any attempt to siege the city in the following years, allowing it to maintain a somewhat peaceful existence.

The capitol of Sol was heavily sought after for it's defensive advantage and it's significance in the hearts of Lotheria's people. However, numerous battles failed to decide a victor and only cost many lives and damaged the once beautiful city beyond repair. The Treaty of Grey Orchard in 2099 AC established Sol as a neutral ground in the war, ending any conflict over it and granting its people some degree of respite from the horrors of the war.

## The Death of the Praetor

In early Ferella of 3114 AC, the Hunters successfully slayed the Eldritch monstrosity posing as the Praetor, the once powerful general who led the True Legion. His apparent death (the real Praetor died long ago, replaced by the being that the Hunters slew) devastated the Legion and struck confusion into its ranks. Many of it's ranking officers began a bloody internal power struggle, which further weakened and fragmented the faction. Baron Stressler used this weakness to his advantage, embarking on a campaign of rapid strikes into Legion territory. This resulted in a resounding series of victories that caused the Legion to collapse entirely. Though some pockets of resistance remained in the many fortresses of the Dragonspines, the True Legion was defeated by the early summer of that year. Stressler then turned his rapidly growing and rejuvenated armies upon the Drakkarians, able to bring the full might of his faction to bear against them.

## The End of the War

Though the Drakkarians fought valiantly, their numbers were insufficient against the Baron's forces, and they began to give ground. Having been at war for almost two decades, the tired Drakkarian forces eventually retreated to their capitol of Dagger's Edge in early Barran, 3114 AC. The Baron's armies would follow, surrounding the city and laying siege to it soon after.