R'kham's War

**R'kham's War**, also known as the **Resting Eye War** and **Waking War**, was a conflict that saw the Human Stromic Highlanders and southern Amani Forest Trolls overthrow the void entity known as **R'kham**. The War's conclusion marks the end of the First Era of the **Bearsong**, the long history of the Stromic Highlanders. It is estimated that this war began approximately two hundred years before the **Troll Wars**.

There are no known documents that exist that provide a record for the conflict and it has long faded from the histories of the Forest Trolls and Highlanders. The only memory of the conflict now exists within children stories for both peoples, believed by many to be entirely fictional.

The only sources of information have largely been secondary accounts from spirits and undead or individuals who fought in the war, such as Smolders-his-Thorns, but such accounts have been unreliable.

# Known History

## Uprising

What is known as the first acts of the war occurred far apart and coincidentally were simultaneous. Two leaders rose among the Forest Trolls and Stromic Highlanders: Tinu'jin and Tredagar nic Dunkeld. Both rose to prominence, uniting warring factions and instigated several slave uprisings against the forces of R'kham. At some point, the two leaders met and agreed to a alliance.

The early battles of the war were known to be bloody and ruthless -- many families and clans were ripped apart as R'kham's forces attempted to squash this uprising with terrible power. But the coalition managed to use the forests and mountains of the Highlands to avoid a direct confrontation.

## Shifting the Balance

Although the coalition's forces were frequently outmatch, a boon soon came in the form of an Obsidian Wyrm called Ygasion. With the wyrm's aid, coalition forces managed to gain real ground and footholds in the war. It is unknown exactly why the Obsidian Wyrm came to coalition's aid, but it was a boon that did not go to waste.

Additional forces from the Derwython and Bydronyth representing the forces of nature and decay respectively. After a series of losses, R'kham made his presence known and created a stalemate between himself and Ygasion. Each time one appeared on the battlefield, the other would soon follow.

At some point in the conflict, Tinu'jin and Tredagar fell in love and married, having several children, among them known as Glynhorn.

## Defeating R'kham

It is unknown exactly what tipped the scales in the favor of the coalition, but it is known that it came at great sacrifice.

At the moment of R'kham's defeat due to this great sacrifice, R'kham laid a curse upon the Stromic Highlands; all those who were born east of Ucheldir mountain range would bear |his mark. While his defeat came they were unable to destroy his physical form or soul, nor banish him from Azeroth's material plane. He was put into a long slumber.

Additionally, the entrance to R'kham's final stronghold was unable to be entered due to a powerful enchantment that was died to R'kham's soul.

The coalition's druids, shaman, and wizards managed to somehow create a pocket dimension to imprison R'kham called the Lockway. The entrance to this dimension was affixed to a far flung, remote island known as Ynys Bywydmaen, now called **Stone Life Island**.

## An Endless Watch ==

With R'kham imprisoned, the coalition managed to stay together for the next few decades. Tredagar's Clan became known as the **Royal Clan Dunkeld**, while Tinu'jin's bloodline would continue forward. The coalition was slowly reduced in scope as it became more and more difficult for the two distinct cultures to integrate. The coalition became dedicated to ensuring the long watch over Ynys Bywydmaen and simultaneously searching for the method to destroy R'kham -- once and for all.

That time came with the creation of Ygasium -- an lightweight alloy of intense strength that could maintain complex enchantments for long period of time. The first weapon to be created with such an alloy and enchanted was known as Gáe Hunmarú -- a spear that was blessed for five hours by five Amani Prelates, Loa Priests, and Witch Doctors while being forged. Its enchantment would allow for the spear to not only pierce R'kham's hide, but also destroy it from within from an expansion of barbs from the spear's head.

While delivering the spear to Ynys Bywydmaen, the boat carrying it was destroyed -- likely eaten by a giant sea creature. With the spear was the loss of several of the knowledgeable blacksmiths that knew the formula for Ygasium, causing it to be lost; only the remaining alloy ingots that remained were able to be worked.

With such a loss and with the slow unravelling of the coalition, both Tinu'jin and Tredagar abdicated their power to their chosen heirs and dedicated themselves to protecting the Lockway. They did this by creating the Bloodstone Amulet, tying it to R'kham's Power. The enchantment on the amulet required fifty souls to be sacrificed and destroyed in a ritual to open the Lockway -- a ruthless, but effective method to ward well-meaning, but ignorant folk from opening it and inadvertently releasing R'kham.

The final members of the coalition bedded their souls within Lifeseeds, similar to that of Smolders-his-Thorns, to extend their lives and continue their endless watch. At the end of their normal lives and before their first long rest, they destroyed the Bloodstone gem, casting a spell that would scatter its shards over the known world so that potential champions would need to find and awaken them to collect. The amulet was buried in the Chapel Vault, guarded by Rham'gun.