Shattered War

## The Shattered War

The four primary factions of the Shatted War; Clockwise from the top left: Valtoria, the Cathyrion Imperium, the Southron Hordes, & the Larethian Crusade

### Participants

Larethian CrusadeCathyrion Imperium

Southron Horde

Kingdom of Valtoria

Kingdom of Mordenheim

Heldegarde's Army

Sethulhmet

### Result

General ArmisticeImperium Defeat

The Shattered War was the defining conflict of the Shattered Kingdoms era. It began with the fall of the Cathyrion Empire after the execution of the child-Emperor Fyrello at the hands of a religious insurrectionist movement known as the Mission Protectorate - once a decorated priesthood of Corellon Larethian that had long been disgraced by the Empire - who had come to venerate it's Emperors more than the true Seldarine. With the Emperor's death and this attempted coup, the Empire fractured into several states - with various provinces, vassals, and colonies suddenly without a unified ruler to answer to. Out of this chaos was born the "Shattered Kingdoms" that gave the era, and the war, it's name. The war was fought between several different factions, spread out across roughly three major fronts. In the end, several new nations rose to power that remained in place for centuries before the rise of the Sol Empire, and it's subsequent collapse into the modern day wasteland after the apocalyptic War of the Nine Knights.

## The Northern Front

The **Mission Protectorate,** led by the religious zealot Eurys the Archpriest, gave rise to the more militant **Larethian Crusade**, eventually led by Lord Prospyr Atrius. The initial victory over the Emperor was short-lived, as they were pushed south out of Sol by the loyalist "**Cathyrion Imperium,**" led by Emperor Fyrello's half-elven cousin, Kyberion.

Meanwhile, the mostly human province of **Valtoria** declared themselves independent, and crowned their own king, Veldemar Seward - who was a regional governor appointed by the Cathyrions before the war. The Valtorians fought against both elven factions - in a massive three-way conflict in the high north.

Many of the Larethian Crusaders made it further south of Valtoria, however, and their allies among the wood elves of Golgotha rode north to join them, including the regional governor Lord Cypherius Sarthyn. However, this faction of the Crusade ran afoul of the newly independent kingdom of Yarmouth, as well as the dwarf clans of the nearby mountains (now present-day Durkheim), and the orc tribes that had been defending Morninguard against Imperial annexation. These three established an alliance that came to be known as the **Southron Hordes**, and saw the Crusade as little more than an extension of the old Empire they once served. The incredibly diverse Horde proved to be a more formidable opponent than any of the Northern factions could have prepared for.

## The Southern Front

The Southern front was perhaps the least involved in the War, though by this period most of **Sethulhmet** had fallen under Imperial rule. Thus, there were a great many revolts against the few remaining loyalist factions - including some pledged to the new Cathyrion Imperium still clinging to power in the imperial capital in the far north. The desert also had to contend with opportunistic land-invasions from pirates and corsairs from the east.

Additionally, Golgotha saw the already dominated **suel tribes** overrun the few Imperial forces that had remained in the forest. In time, these tribes would enter into a tense truce - possibly even an alliance - with the Larethian Crusaders of the wood elf tribes in the region, in exchange for a return to their independence. Still others among the Suel would throw their lot in with diplomats representing the Southeron Hordes, instead.

## The Eastern Front

In Eastern Solerra, the dwarven **Kingdom of Mordenheim** - which had long and successfully resisted the Empire - found themselves a new enemy in the newly liberated tribal people of the North, who had been fighting against imperial colonization for years. Pillaging their leaderless oppressors, the tribes found themselves suddenly well-armed - and recognizing their strength in numbers, well-prepared to wage war against the second greatest power in the world - the dwarves. Led by the human, Astra Heldegarde, and the gnoll, Thaal the Relentless - this northern tribal faction - called **Heldegarde's Army** - proved to be a surprising thorn in the side of Mordenheim - led at the time by King Tormath Mordenstone.

Like the Southern front, this eastern conflict was largely self-contained, but it is included as part of the larger war, given that it too resulted from the Cathyrion Empire's collapse.