The Norvoshi-Qohorik War

A conflict originating from a schism in the Norvoshi faith, the Bloody Summit caused a civil war to break out that ended after several mercenary companies came to Norvos' aid and defeated the Qohorik army.

## The War

### Before the Summit

During the Century of Blood, many Norvoshi began to overlook the demon god of the Qohorik faith, the Black Goat, and decided that it would be much easier to band together in conflicts to come as their cities were in locations beneficial to one another and as a result, would have much to gain through working together than they would by hostile relations, yet not all Norvoshi and Qohorik shared this sentiment. In both cities, sects who met separately with their brothers and sisters began to gain traction in the two centuries that would build up the eventual bloody conflict that never came to become a true war.

The Norvoshi followed the thoughts of Rhythar Sortharis who would have become the chief priest of Norvos had an angry outburst at another priest not dissuaded his colleges at a vote for the leadership, just two weeks after the outburst. Rhythar began to meet with important nobles and those merchants who aspired to nobility developing a plan to change the leadership that they all felt had become too keen and accepting of the demon god of the Qohorik people. It took six years of careful planning before Rhythar thought he had enough support to overthrow his rival priest and gain enough support to successfully wage a war against the heathens of Qohor.

### The Summit

At what became known as the Bloody Summit, Rhythar proposed that there be another vote of the priest as a measure of loyalty to the chief priest. Twenty-one of the twenty-four priests agreed for the call of the vote including the chief priest. All three of those who voted against the proposal would vote for the chief priest as they felt that there was no need for a change of leadership or reassurance of the loyalty of the priestly congregation. Rhythar took offense to all three priests. As the vote was called, the chief priest lost the vote sixteen votes to eight and appalled by the results began a speech asking for reasoning as to his brothers’ doubt in him. During the speech, Rhythar and two other priests, Byris Ytheros and Pes Honeris, took knives they had hidden within their hair shirts and slit the throats of the three priests who opposed the vote with Rhythar making the statement, “Your friends in Qohor would have done just this. The people whom you have thought were your allies are heathens and savages, we thought it important to remind you all of who they truly were.” The chief priest called others into the chamber who upon seeing the murdered priests drew their blades and slew the two priests who had followed Rhythar’s orders. In what seemed to be an instant, the chamber was thrown into chaos. More supporters of both sides were called into the chambers and after the whole ordeal, none remained in good enough condition to walk out of the chamber of their own strength. The summit had claimed two hundred and seventeen lives when the fighting died down over a day after it had begun.

Fighting had broken out outside of the chamber as well all throughout the city, common folk fighting both alongside nobility and against them, and seemingly a third faction of those who supported the Qohorik had risen up amidst the fighting. They dispatched a rider to Qohor who had already readied their forces, causing many to doubt that the conflict arose inside of the Bearded Priest hierarchy naturally. Those who supported the anti-Qohorik cause had dispatched riders to other cities and many mercenary companies yet only four came back with positive answers, the Company of the Cat, the Bright Banners, the Long Lances, and the Second Sons.

### The Fighting outside the Walls

The mercenaries and Qohorik forces met outside of the city of Norvos and upon realizing that their intentions were opposed to one another, a battle began with Qohorik cavalry initiating the conflict by slaughtering the supply caravans of the mercenaries. A counter-attack from the mercenary companies followed yet came down to a stalemate. The battle would begin normally after the remaining cavalry of both sides retreated. Qohorik archers proved to be of no value to the well-prepared mercenaries and after the infantry of both sides clashed, the Qohorik forces retreated to wait for reinforcements. The battle had cost the mercenaries eighteen hundred men and the Qohorik forces twenty-three hundred men.

The Qohorik forces waited for four days for their reinforcements, hoping that their numbers might be filled back to full with their brother's arrival. Yet they were unaware that a fifth mercenary company had answered that call of the Norvoshi and cut down the fifteen hundred men who had come in three groups we cut down to the last man. The four other mercenary companies were alerted to the fifth’s presence by a barrage of horns blow by three hundred men simultaneously. The Qohorik were surrounded quickly and cut down, with four hundred making a break through to the south and running away from the conflict to return to their city with their tails between their legs.

The mercenaries entered Norvos three days later and slaughtered any who opposed them resulting in Rhythar’s faction taking control of the council of Bearded Priests and the Norvoshi holding a grudge against the Qohorik for nearly twenty years before their relations improved.

## After the War

Qohorik and Norvoshi relations were intense for a time, but in recent years, they have begun to settle down, even though grudges still exist. Many of those in the older generations refuse to speak of the event as the trauma is too great.