High Elven War of 34 L.C.

## Cause

The adoption of the Dawnblade heir Aurelias Dawnblade by Aeriyth Dawnsorrow, and the subsequent merger of the House of Dawnblade with House of Dawnsorrow resulted in ire sparked by members and vassals of the Dawnblade house refusing to acknowledge the adoption, as well as the Last Will and Testament of Faoln Dawnblade which asked for such.

The rebels have taken upon themselves to name their group the House of Dawnblade Restored, and have sought to disrupt the peace and prosperity of Quel'Belore with assassination attempts upon the young Aurelias. What was initially civil unrest in the northern duchy escalated to war with House Morninghaze, House Dewsong and House Morningsun - the triumvirate powers in the House of Dawnblade Restored, responded to a declaration of peace written by Aeriyth, by laying siege to the lands of House of Lindael due to their neutrality, and refusal to declare for either side.

## The Tapestry

Sometime during the war's duration, a tapestry depicting the main houses involved in the civil war was created and sold by various vendors within the allied territories. It illustrates the sigil of the House of Dawnblade Reborn, a blood-soaked longsword with a hilt of the sun, being snapped in two by the crowned, silver phoenix of House of Dawnsorrow as its wings support the golden phoenix of House of Val'cari with the sun upon its wing. The Dawnsorrow phoenix is flanked by the House of Carhagen raven on the left, toting its signature helmet and with an olive branch in its beak, symbolising their aid as a peace offering to the House of Dawnsorrow after recent incidents. Upon the right is the raven of the House of Ravenwing, bearing the moon upon its wing and appearing to prepare a vicious dive.

## April 26th, 624 K.C.

The Highguard, Clan Varyn and Tanya Seltara on behalf of the Church of the Holy Light, set out to the Lindael lands to liberate them from the rebel siege and assault. They successfully dismantled an encampment and arcane sentry near Aduial Dú and secured a line of passage to the mountain city. They sustained only minimal wounds that were tended to by Commander Eliorah Morrison, in conjunction with the Highguard warmenders and clerics after the fact.

Once the immediate area around Aduial Dú was secured and the null-zone lifted, Duke-Regent Tarso Valcari and Marshal Vincent Ravenwing were summoned into the area and the group arrived to the mountain-city shortly there-after. Commander Lightscathe filled in the Marshal on the situation, to where he pledged the support of the House of Ravenwing and one hundered highly-trained assassins, and updated Tarso on the day's events.

After most of the Highguard and the Duke had retired to their quarters in the citadel, Aeriyth met with the ruling council of Aduial Dú who appealed to her for supporting placing Taevan Lightscathe as regent of the area, supplanting its absentee-ruler Rhea Lightblade-Arlious who had neglected the peoples for some time. The Ranger Lady had exceptions of her own before support was given; that Rhea would not be removed from her father's lands, and that she have the option to sit on the ruling council after pledging fealty to Aduial Dú's regent should she desire to once more rule over the territory. After careful negotiatons on both ends, a compromise was agreed upon and Aeriyth signed documents pledging her support to Lightscathe's ascendancy, and the House of Lindael shifted away from being neutral in the civil war, to officially against the House of Dawnblade Reborn and with its full military force of one-thousand three hundred and forty-six, under command of Taevan Lightscathe.

As fate would have it, such would be the day that the Highguard's former First Ranger and Triumvirate seat Talrick Graydawn, missing-in-action and presumed killed-in-action since his mysterious disappearance during the March on the Highlands, would appear -- in an equally mysterious way -- in the mountain-citadel Aduial Dú. While not greeted with a particularly warm welcome, but not shunned away either, Talrick offered what aid he could in the upcoming battles.

## April 27th 624 K.C.

The House Lindael with its new regent Lord Taevan Lightscathe receive word of the Army of House Dawnblade Restored assembles in the South and with fury the new Lord calls his banners and asks the Highguard to join them to hopefully route the Army. Battle was joined and the fighting was fierce upon both sides but it was apparent that the discipline of the Lindael House and strength of the Highguard proved to be to much and the whole army of the rebels were routed instantly. The Highguard took up place once more in the mountain-citadel while the White Lancer's hunt and ride down the remainder of the cowards. At the end of the conflict, Rebel Commander Halrum Dewsong and two of his sons were confirmed dead.

## April 28th - 30th

Missing in action up until a pivotal point on the 30th, Cassandra Ellison (a high elven shieldmaiden and retainer in the Highguard) arrived in Aduial Dú, bearing the head of the rebel Dawnblade leader in a satchel. While such would've obviously been a decent blow dealt to the insurgency and structure of the House of Dawnblade Reborn, the rebels have not faltered in their efforts to lay waste to the countryside surrounding the mountain-citadel. For this reason, Aeriyth neglected to announce the recepit of their leader's head out of suspicion. During these three days, the rebellion set fire to many farms and townships which forced a great number of refugees to seek shelter in the bosom of Aduial Dú, and put pressure upon supply lines into the mountain.

Dawntide had been re-purposed to aid in such a venture, with most of the traffic and trade ships routed to funnel supplies to the populace of Aduial Dú as well as the increasing number of refugees.

## April 31st

One of the trade ships returning from Aduial Dú to Dawntide was hijacked at some point in its voyage by the insurgents, and upon making port in Quel'Belore, exploded. Investigation onto the matter yielded shrapnel that closely resembles the make and model of khorium explosives in Talrick Greydawn's posession. With a decent chunk of Quel'Belore's harbour in splinters, not to mention casualties and other vessles damaged by the explosion, Aduial Dú faces ration of supplies and the Dawnsorrow's naval defense compromised.

## May 2nd

After liberating Alexandriia Dawnstalker from a private contract gone wrong, the Highguard answered a distress call from the mountain-citadel following an explosion that collapsed, and set fire to the western wing of the main lodge. Warden Alexanya Moonfall was caught under the rubble, and when the Ranger Lady's force arrived to lend aid, the House Lindael guard were revealed as insurgents donning the uniform. A fight broke out in the foyer between Highguard forces and the rebels, and another explosion detonated which caused the collapse of the eastern wing, as well as more fire. Cassandra Ellison took over command of the defense, as Aeriyth and two others went below the lodge to sweep for other charges. Three were found in total, yet they ran out of time to properly disarm them and instead merely tossed them off of the mountainside; yet they were of the same make and model as the ones stolen and used to assault Dawntide. It was a long and arduous battle, but eventually the rebels were slain and fires doused and the elves regrouped upon the northern wing's balcony to discuss an alternative base, when Cassandra unsheathed a sword, boasting an enchantment that sliced through armour like butter, and plunged it into Aeriyth's side. In quick succession, a poison-laced dagger was thrown towards Elias before the Farstrider hit the ground, yet intercepted by Sir Bitores. Ellison shouted "Taethan Sunscathe sends his regards" before vaulting off of the balcony and onto a dragonhawk lying in wait below.

As the citadel's lodge creaked and groaned with the fire damage and rubble straining its support beams, the Highguard evacuated to a small emergency outpost by the base of the mountain, with secure bunkers leading well into the natural structure. Eventually the entire structure came sliding down Aduial Dú's mountainside in a heap of stone and charred wood. Firaelis Val'cari and Elias Dawnsorrow, while both traumatized and shaken by the grizzly circumstance befalling their mother-figure, stood guard as menders worked to and fro to secure the life of the Ranger Lady, as well as the other injured Highguardians.

## An End?

The insurgent terrorist attacks died down after Cassandra Ellison fled, fresh from her successful betrayal but foiled attempt on the lives of the Highguard. It is suspected that whatever rebel network she had been the head of retreated underground, was not fully defeated, but sent into hiding following the failed attempt on Highguard lives. Aduial Dú's reconstruction was underway by mid-August, with Dawntide's decimated harbour nearing completed repairs and re-opening the much-needed supply routes from the north to both Faldir's Cove and Marshtide Watch.