White Raven-Shadowgate conflict

### Outcome

**White Raven victory*** Shadowgate forced to pay war reparations and release all vassal states
* Beginning of the Mediano civil war

The **White Raven-Shadowgate conflict** was a major war between the White Raven Brotherhood and Shadowgate, originating from the pre-existing tensions between the two during the Shadowgate Crisis.

To date, it is the largest conflict on the server.

## Background

### Escalating tensions

Originally beginning during Shadowgate's secessionist movement, tensions between the Brotherhood and Shadowgate had already been high, due to an attack that Shadowgate carried out on Raven's Reach, followed by constant propaganda defaming the Brotherhood as terrorists. Tensions cooled briefly after the crisis came to a close and Shadowgate claimed their independence, but the Brotherhood maintained their 'kill on sight' mandate on any Shadowgate citizens crossing into their territory. In response to this, Shadowgate continued their propaganda bulletins, once again claiming their foes to be 'terrorists'.

Tensions eventually reached the boiling point, when two members of the White Raven Brotherhood were ambushed by shadowgate. One Highblade of the Brotherhood was attacked on the docks of a new colony, he was caught off guard and was overwhelmed. On the second occasion a Sentinel was killed. He was leaving to inspect a colony when he was surrounded by Shadowgate at sea forces and killed. The event could be witnessed from the walls of Raven's Reach, where a Sentinel witnessed the events unfold. He opened fire from the arrow towers and managed to kill 2 Shadowgate soldiers, while wounding 1 other. These small skirmishes eventually culminated into a war.

## War

### Opening moves

On 17th July, Grand Highblade Athelas officially declared war on Shadowgate.

The first official engagement of the war was launched by the Brotherhood on 18th July. A small band of three White Ravens led by Athelas departed Raven's Reach at night and sailed towards Shadowgate's logging camp along the southern coast of Imatun. Two Shadowgate militia soldiers garrisoned the camp, who worked to harvest timber for the war effort and assist in constructing future warships. The Brotherhood raiding party landed a short distance away and travelled to the camp while hidden in the trees. The White Ravens observed the Shadowgate troopers for a short time, until one left to load some supplies onto a boat. At Athelas' command, they rushed out of the woods and overwhelmed the lone guard, quickly killing him. The other soldier, however, ran back after noticing the attack, but was engaged in a duel and cut down by a White Raven swordsman. The raiding band set the camp alight and stole a chest-load of bounty, before sailing back to Raven's Reach.

### Shadowgate strikes back

Angered by the raid on the logging camp, Supreme Chancellor Beauregard planned a retaliatory strike against the Brotherhood.

The final battle took place on open ground south of Shadowgate, a battle of Six members of the Brotherhood, alongside two mercenaries from SWTC (South Western Trading Company), against eight Shadowgate members. After a slow approach, and one of the SWTC Mercenaries being heavily wounded, a smart usage of grenades, made Shadowgate break and flee, Seven of them were slain, and one fled out of the battlegrounds. An 8-1 Victory for the White Raven Brotherhood sealed them once again as the Military Superpower of the world.

## Trivia

* This was the first war with spectator seating