Brells War

Ending in a peace treaty almost 50 years ago, the Brells War started as a border dispute between Nesseona and Waidor, and turned into one of the deadliest events to occur on the continent.

The border dispute between Nesseona and Waidor had been occurring for centuries, causing many skirmishes along the Brosterre River, where Nesseona claimed the border to be, and the coastal forest in Nesseona, where Waidor claimed it to be. Nesseona was the first to push for the border to be placed along the river, encroaching into shared territory, and for many years Waidor pushed back against this.

Though the river was usually used for trade, as the years continued and the violence escalated, people began to avoid it, fearing being mistaken for a combatant. This strained the relationships and trade between all of the kingdoms on the continent, including Lurea, who had trade interests with Nesseona.

The final straw came when Prince Alan of Nesseona, the younger brother of Prince Valdon- later King Valdon- was severely wounded on patrol with a group of knights, his attacker: the King of Waidor, who had mistaken him for the crown prince. The king of Nesseona at the time declared war and marched across the river, Prince Valdon by his side, without sending an official declaration to the Queen of Waidor, first laying waste to the village of Brell, then a few other villages he came across. Survivors from these attacks fled to the capital of the kingdom, notifying the guard that the army would be there within days.

Waidor evacuated many of their citizens who could not fight and prepared themselves as best they could, although it would not be enough. The Nesseonian army was at their doorstep earlier than expected, covered in blood, wanting the heads of the king, and more importantly, the Queen and her daughters. Waidor did initiate peace talks, only for the messenger to be sent back without his eyes or hands.

When the battle began, the armies of Waidor managed to gain the upper hand, and the king killed Valdon's father when they clashed. Valdon watched it happen, seeing his father fall to his knees and be run through by Waidorian steel. His body was only recovered after the battle.

Valdon was now a king without a coronation and enraged by the dishonorable death of his father at the hands of another king, pushed forwards, weaponizing the anger and frenzy of his army. The Nesseonians regained the upper hand, killing the king, and pushed through the gates of the kingdom, into the castle. The queens guard fought with frenzy and fervor, though most perished in the fight.

Valdon marched into the strategy room where the queen and her daughters were hiding with the last of the guard, cutting down anyone in his way. Valdon locked eyes with the princess, a girl no older than him, and in a matter of moments, the Queen stepped between them. She carried a cutlass, all of her finery stripped and replaced with steel, her hair pulled back, and stormy eyes focused. It is said this moment brought the end of the war- a young man finding a mother standing between him and savagery. A fellow leader calling him back from the point of no return. The princess was an innocent in this, and she would not allow him to touch her.

Valdon lowered his weapon and called for his men to stand down. Though the events that followed this are widely speculated about, several things remain clear. Waidor was allowed to stay independent, the border was moved to the Brosterre river, and Valdon brought the princess back to Nessona, offering her refuge while her kingdom was rebuilt.

The events of her time in the castle are unclear, though it did seem to build the trust and relationship between the kingdoms and make treaty talks easier. By the time she departed from Nesseona, the treaty was signed, and all but one of the terms have been met. In the near future, the heir of Nesseona will marry the youngest daughter of Waidor, breaking tradition in Waidor for the first time in generations.

## The Village of Brell

The first village felled during the war, with no known survivors. The village has since been turned into a mass grave, with a large gate surrounding it. People were buried where they lay, with a single sign commemorating the spot on the front gate.

In the years since, a new plant native only to this village has appeared, and it has been called Widows leaf. It has been named this beacuse of an event described by soldiers of Nesseona, where the three widows that led the village put up a fight for their lives that rivaled the strength of a thousand armies, but ultimately fell to the hands of the army.

The flowers are described as having grey-white petals that are in the shape of bells, with leaves of dark green that drape over the ground and whispy greenery around the base. They grow inside the gates of the village and around it, seeming to be in a bleeding pattern.

*Written by the research department of the Drinthis Institute of Magics.*