The Mournare Nights

Next
 End
Meyrite invaders repelled
Sulyefel Dzaeyron removed from office and exiled

House Dragomyr
House Grimolt
House Brackwater
House Karthmere
William II Grimolt
Odwold Brackwater
Vicede II Karthmere
Malakae Lareyon, 1st Premier

The **Mournare Nights** were a series of conflicts and sieges from the beginning of 286 AC to the summer of 289 AC often grouped together as a war. The Mournare Nights were brought on by conflict from the City-State of Meyron, which had recently elected in a war-like, aggressive 2nd Premier, named Sulyefel Dzaeyron. He felt he had been insulted at the recent Dealing between the City-States, the Zaentovi, and the Kingdom of Andoras, and called for war. The original plans, which have since been lost, stated that Sulyefel thought of himself to be a better leader 'than any Dragomyr would ever amount to', when referring to Andoras. Some believe that Sulyefel was compelled by the same madness that led Nobilis Karthmere and Aegor IV Dragomyr into devastation and ruin.

The conflict, which never was given an official declaration of war, lasted for 3 years, 5 months, and 20 days, before the invasion failed and retreated to Meyron. It was named the Mournare Nights due to most of the war taking place in or near Mournare, and the fact that Sulyefel sieged the city for nights on end, so much so that the peasantry became used to the light of the fire keeping them warm and illuminated. Andoras did, however, declare war on Meyron for their actions, and forced them to pay a ludicrous sum of gold in reparations. Sulyefel Dzaeryon was exiled from his office, and later committed suicide just a year later, in 290 AC.

## Beginnings of the War

In 265 AC, it was agreed in an international delegation between several influential nations (led by Victor Damius) that a meeting should be held every five years, within the end of that year, usually December, and always in the same place -- Meyron, one of the larger city-states on Doras Edrossi. These came to be known as Dealings, and the Dealing of 285 AC was what eventually led to the events of the Mournare Nights taking place. The newly-elected 2nd Premier of Meyron, Sulyefel Dzaeyron, had been on the minds of many within the Dealing, being observed in an equally-heavy light. As the 2nd Premier of Meyron, it was his duty to oversee the Dealings until his death or removal from office, and many afterwards says he was performing his job quite poorly.

- William II Grimolt, after the Mournare Nights in 289 AC

It was a very slow-paced and boredom-inducing Dealing, and many Lords impatiently -- but politely -- reminded Dzaeyron to continue with the delegations, and not dwindle on one subject for hours. He continued on with disguised happiness; inside, he was boiling with fury. After the delegations ended the next day and all of the leaders had left for their own lands on December 23rd, Sulyefel began to amass an army on Meyrite soil, calling everyone in the State to arm themselves and gather within Meyron City proper. Sulyefel put into effect a mandatory draft, and most males above the age of 15 were forced to join the infantry and fight for him.

## First battles

Once all of his men were gathered, numbering near 40,000 men total, he set sail for the southeastern coast of Andoras, landing there on New Year's Day. Sulyefel demanded an apology from all Lord Paramounts of Andoras, including the king Aegor III Dragomyr himself, in exchange for not attacking the city of Mournare, a divided city that is as much in the Kingsland as it is in Thunder's Shore politically. William Grimolt, a very prideful and integral man by most accounts, decided to blow off Sulyefel, and no official response from Aegor III was ever attained. As a result, the Meyronites left the city -- but returned half a day later, in the dark of night, to lay siege to Mournare, the first of what would be known as the Mournare Nights. The attack was seen by many to be unwarranted, and also came without a declaration of war. Although mounting Andorasi pressure and pursuit from the kingdom's navies forced the Meyronites to frequently retreat and return, this was also part of their plan; the Meyronites would sometimes be gone for weeks at a time, only to return with force, or a new siege weapon that they had built in Meyron that made its way to the Andorasi coast.

## Further along the war, apprehension and conclusion

After about a year of attacks, Sulyefel was accused of being mad by his own countrymen, and the structure of Meyron's government began to take a change for the worse. Malakae Lareyon, the 1st Premier, attempted to hold the country together under crushing opposition, and before long the Mournare Nights were becoming a struggle to uphold for Sulyefel's ever-dwindling army. By 288 AC, the attacks had ceased for months at a time, while a moderate uprising in Meyron threatened to completely replace the government. Victor Damius, the long-time Premier of nearby Lavos, called for reason and sensibility amongst the city-states of Doras Edrossi, and encouraged Sulyefel and Malakae to stand down and end their assault of the city. Aegor III Dragomyr, by this point infirm and ill, had appointed his son Abregor Dragomyr as the regent to rule in his stead. In response, Abregor sent a fleet and an army to Meyron itself, threatening to attack the city in the same manner that the Meyronites did to Mournare if they did not stand down. This was further pushed with an official declaration of war by Andoras, who

Sulyefel officially deserted Meyron before 289 AC, but it is not sure exactly when he took an army of deserters and continued the assault on his own. One final assault of Mournare was conducted on June 16th, 289 AC -- this was particularly destructive, with most of Southern Mournare going up into flames. Later, during the same attack, an Andorasi fleet was mustered and went out to attack the Meyronites, destroying their siege ships and long-range weaponry. Sulyefel and a convoy of several corvettes and frigates managed to escape, but were finally apprehended near the island of Deimia on June 21st. The declaration of war which Andoras had brought upon Meyron was met with a massive sum of reparations, which were paid from most of Sulyefel's own treasury -- the man, it was discovered, had been not only thrusting his country into war, but also hoarding the nation's tax income. He was later exiled by trial, and accounts say he migrated to Ceryne after the war.