The Third House War

## Overview

The Third House War was fought between several of the High Houses who opposed the rigid control over magic instituted by House Muranne and the Centrum Arcanis. The war was ultimately lost, further cementing the authority of the Centrum Arcanis within the city, and resulting in the destruction of the opposing houses.

## Prelude

Some hundred years ago, and almost 20 years after the War of Wizards, several of the High Houses became concerned with the ruthlessness of the Muranne and Lavek during the War of Wizards, and began secretly discussing plans to remove those houses involved. House Tymerra, and Kalloris, both very closely linked to the lower classes through their family's wealth, gathered the disparate remains of the Free Magi. Using the Free Magi to arm themselves anew against the Muranne and Centrum Arcanum.

## Escalation

Unfortunately, before they could launch their attack, House Lavek and House Gallo launched a preemptive attack on Kalloris, encouraged by information gleaned from House Raubige. The attack served to polarize the houses further, when the individual brought forward as evidence by House Raubige disappeared abruptly. Houses Lavek and Gallo insisted their attack was legitimate, while Houses Kalloris and Tymerra played up their role as victims, calling the methods of the Lavek and Gallo into question. Less than a week later, low level members of House Kalloris assaulted a Gallo home, murdering all of the members therein, reportedly in reprisal to the Gallo/Lavek attack. In short order, the attacks escalated quickly, and within three weeks, the Houses had entered into all out war. Initially, House Ylandre supported Tymerra and Kolloris, believing they were being persecuted by the Gallo/Lavek/Muranne alliance.

## Changing Sides

After several weeks of publicly and militarily supporting Houses Tymerra and Kolloris, evidence of the Free Magi conspiracy finally made it's way to the Council of Lords, courtesy of House Raubige, in an effort to regain their reputation as a reliable information network. In the face of new evidence, House Ylandre withdraws their support of Houses Kalloris and Tymerra. Angered over the betrayal, Lord Rennan Kalloris, patriarch of House Kalloris, calls upon the Free Magi to assassinate Lady Beatrice Ylandre, against the wishes of his Tymerra allies. While the Free Magi fail to kill Lady Beatrice, they succeed in killing her sister and niece. Outraged over the attack, Lady Beatrice announces the official support of House Ylandre in ridding the City of the menace that is the Free Magi, and all their supporters within the Houses.

## The Fall of Tymerra

After only two weeks of combating the combined might of four houses, House Tymerra issues a notice of surrender. It's request to remain a High House is refused, and instead, The Council of Lords hands the entire House's assets over to House Gallo, and the House was lowered to the status of Low House, and given the additional status of a sub-house of Gallo.

With the loss of one of their allies, House Tymerra became more desperate. Knowing that its status on the Council of Lords would not last much longer, Lord Rennan liquidated much of the house's holdings, and threw all the resources behind funding his true allies, The Free Magi. With additional funds at their disposal, the war launched into a new portion.

## The Second Wizards' War

Officially, historians catalog this war as a part of the Third House War, though most citizens will be more familiar with the events of this than the rest of the Third House War.

With a new influx of funds provided by the outlaw House Kalloris, the Free Magi rose up once more to violently oppose not only the Centrum Arcanis, but the High Houses who sought their destruction originally.

Having learned hard lessons from the First Wizard's War, the Free Magi kept themselves hidden using new magic