War of the Dragons

Invasion map in the War of the Dragons

**The War of the Dragons** was an enormous, destructive conflict that engulfed Neuphany for just under twenty-eight months. It was fought between six distinct factions with varying goals: some being retaining the status quo, others for total domination or even liberation.

The factions were as follows:

* The House of Darcedon, under Crown Prince Phillip II, "The Dragon Prince"
* The House of Merovia, under King Bonafice V
* The Papetral Pontifect, under High Pontiff Velzar
* The Zemori, under Great Devil Zebuleon, described as "The Dragon of Arcadia"
* The Nazari, under Pahaliah
* The Counts of Bellhaven in Tyrrhos, influenced by Draigoch

The war gets its name from the fact that the de facto "leader" of each faction was either an actual dragon, or took the title of "dragon," with the notable exception of Merovia.

Most of the holdings acquired by the House of Darcedon dissolved or defected by the time of the Battle of Agabad. Even by CE 903, the Pontifect would reacquire all of Cisteria and Cascadia.

## Setting the stage

### Phillip II's reasoning

Though he is often portrayed as a warmonger and greed-driven peasant-king by his neighbors who suffered during the war, Phillip II outlined his philosophy behind the conflict in several audiences with the High Pontiff and in statements he made to the public in the short period between the invasion of Tethryndor in April CE 895 and August CE 895.

Phillip II, who was influenced by his wife Bianca del Oroba, came to understand when he took the throne on 1 March CE 895 what his wife described as the "lamping shock" that would cause Laconia to fall to either the elves or to barbarians (lamping is using a light source to illuminate the eyes of animals at night and identify their position in the water or treeline; lamping shock is the expression used to describe when there are far greater animals in line of sight than expected). Having technically ruled Darcedon since the age of six for her sickly father, del Oroba illuminated many of Kasmir's problems and highlighted emerging issues that could be exacerbated by other potential issues.

#### Threats from Crotalusia

The varied tribes of Crotalusia were being unified under the Nazari, and the Auber colony of *Grenadia* was being aggressively courted by both the Nazari and the dragon-men who served them. Though the mostly serpentine nation-state would do little to Arborea and Cisteria, Kasmir and Laconia as a whole shares over half of its borders with Crotalusia. Thus, if the barbarian tribes in the mountains were unified, the struggling Kasmir would be a primary target, and would have little recourse.

#### Fiscal insolvency

Despite a powerful professional army, most of Kasmir was reliant on inklings of foreign trade with Jigoku and its own agriculture, which inhibited its economic success. Debts now owed to the House of Marques, the House of Merovia, and the Bank of Mandolin put greater pressure on Darcedon to generate new revenue streams, which appeared unreasonable. Though in a powerful military position during the War of the Bloody Vigil, Kasmir as a whole was very close to insolvency by its conclusion.

Though Gantelusia was suzerain to Laconia, collecting taxes and mustering armies was mostly impractical. In addition, attempts to create and repair infrastructure were heavy investments, among other capital sinks regarding its mining and manufacturing capabilities. It was a greater burden at the time than a boon. These economic problems spurred Darcedon to act in its own interest as a "matter of survival."

#### Uncertainty and concerns in Jigoku

Among the most credible reasons to go to war were the Crown Prince and Crown Princess pointing to "cataclysmic" invasions and events in Neuphany's past as being reasons for unification - by force or by diplomacy. Specifically, Phillip II highlighted the serendipitous and sporadic invasion and short-lived rule of the Falians. A previously unknown foe had arisen and conquered the entire continent in a few short years, and were in the process of enslaving Neuphaniards as a whole and stripping them of their cultural identity. With this possibility having been demonstrated once before, Phillip II expressed discomfort with a disunified continent.

Kasmir, being one of the few areas trading with the Far Eastern lands of Jigoku, noted that a possible successor state to the Muzdash Empire was arising based on information relayed by merchants and travellers. Though these reports misintepreted the ambitions of this kingdom, the logic was the crux of the concerns and not the threat's veracity.

### Outline of initial goals

Phillip II and Bianca del Oroba created a plan of action that was intended to limit the scope of the invasion to Crotalusia, part of Tethryndor along the coast, and *Madelia*.

* The coastline along the Arpasian Sea would give Kasmir an advantage in securing their northern border from possible Cyravine invasion, and provide more fertile farmland to develop their heartland for other purposes.
* A unified *Madelia* would ensure a heartland for Kasmir in the event of an invasion, and give better access to trade and diplomatic unions with the western coast. Darcedon would also incorporate lands they deemed to be rightfully belonging to Laconia.
* Reasserting claims in areas like *Granadia* and *Nazaria* would help secure Laconia against future invasions by the Nazari if such a thing were to come to pass.