First War of Succession

The **First War of Succession** was the first civil war fought for control of the throne of Orden after the death of Good King Omund in 6E 477. Fought between the supporters of each of the king's four children - Persival, Kazimir, Aendrim, and Ulrich - it would ultimately claim the lives of each claimant and result in the fracturing of the kingdom into the four nations of Esip, Ezte, Helheim, and Oskaria.

## Summary of events

Nothing concrete is known about the death of Good King Omund, other than that it was sudden and violent. Theories abound as to the exact nature of his death - Esipian scholars claim he was murdered by his secondborn, Kazimir; the primary belief amongst Oskarians is that the death was at the hand of a rival noble that coveted the throne; yet others claim he was cursed, struck down for forsaking the gods; still others believe he was assassinated by some foreign power in a bid to destabilize the region.

Regardless of the true cause of his death, Omund's demise quickly led to a crisis of succession, as the king had not yet named an heir despite his four children. At the time of Omund's death, Persival, Omund's firstborn, was on campaign in Yua, and would not return for some months. Kazimir was the first of the four children to produce an official claim to the throne of Orden.

In response to Kazimir's claim, Ulrich demanded a moot be convened to elect the next king of Orden from amongst Omund's heirs. When Kazimir initially refused the convention, Aendrim attempted to have the prince arrested, leading to the Duel at Castle Blackmarch, which culminated in Aendrim being grievously wounded and Kazimir fleeing to Metagoro.

Thus began the war in earnest, as Ulrich and the wounded Aendrim combined their forces and marched on Metagoro, where Kazimir's own armies were gathered. The first conflict of the war of succession came at the Battle of Asyadi River, resulting in a stalemate as neither side could claim victory. It was at this point that Persival, having received word about the conflict and news of their father's death, returned to Orden along with their forces. As firstborn, Persival too rejected Ulrich's demand for a moot, further inciting the war.

The war would continue for five years, with no party able to legitimize their claim to the crown. Despite major losses at the Battle of Vitrand and the Skirmish at Calclif Pass, Kazimir's forces remained garrisoned in Metagoro, where the secondborn prince plotted to stage a massive counterattack. In a last ditch attempt to take the throne by force, Kazimir led his men on The Long March, a grueling nine-month campaign from Metagoro to Novograd, where Aendrim, still crippled from their duel five years prior, had stationed his own garrison.

The bloody Seige of Novograd lasted six weeks, and culminated in the death of Aendrim at the hands of his brother Kazimir, who would march on to Skyfall to attempt to claim the throne of Ord once and for all. Before the campaign could conclude, however, Kazimir's forces mutinied, killing the prince and ending his claim to Orden.

Upon learning of the deaths of their brothers, Ulrich, in a final bid, challenged Persival to the throne by right of single combat. The victor would rightly claim both the crown of Orden and the means to keep it, as all other claimants would be dead or defeated, made to swear fealty to the winner of the bout. Persival accepted.

The Duel for Ordenthrone, as it is called, took place outside the royal palace of Skyfall. The duel would ultimately lead to the death of both combatants. Persival drew first blood in the duel, striking their brother in the shoulder. Ulrich, however, refused to concede and forfeit with his life, striking back with a blow that fatally wounded the firstborn. Before they succumbed to their wounds, however, Persival responded with a final blow that saw their brother's neck impaled by their rapier. Bleeding out and fatally wounded, Persival notedly refused medical attention to both themselves and their brother, not wishing to "taint the match with the aid of interlopers". The two died within a manner of minutes.

## Aftermath

With each of Omund's children dead, the crown of Orden found no worthy brow to sit upon. The claims of the princes' spouses went unrecognized as the kingdom fell into disarray without a clear leader, fracturing under the crisis of succession. Following this fracturing, the states of Esip, Ezte. Helheim, and Oskaria were founded, splintered remnants of Orden that each claim their own sovereignty of the throne of Ord.

The succession crisis would erupt again, nearly five decades later, when Valentia dé Metagoro, the bastard grandchild of Kazimir, raised an army founded on her own claim to the throne of Orden and founded the emira of Caltalla after several decisive victories over the armies of Oskaria and Esip, launching the Second War of Succession.