War for Kestalor

Iadrian forces clash with Lord's Army defenders near the border of Kestalor.

Kingdom of Vestus

Kingdom of Tenval

Kingdom of Vestus

Lords' Army of Kestalor

The **War for Kestalor**, also known as the **Swamplands War** or the **Celliden Conflict**, was a brutal conflict between the Kingdom of Iadria and the Novarian Alliance of Tenval and Vestus for control of the collapsing nation of Kestalor. The War lasted from 6A 607 into the winter of 6A 615, directly following the disastrous Celliden Civil War, the collapse of the Kestaloran government, and the extinction of the royal House Shancer. The War began with King Drystan I of Iadria's marching of his armies into the Celliden Swamplands. Its violent and indecisive nature eventually resulted in a stalemate and the withdrawal of both major powers from the area, while dozens of generals and officers betrayed their respective rulers and founded the numerous and volatile Celliden Principalities in the ruins of Kestalor.

## History

The War began following the end of the Celliden Civil War, with the Lords' Army of Kestalor successfully defeating the Royal Kestaloran forces of House Shancer and razing the capitol city of Cloria in a pyrrhic victory that broke most of their army as well. With the ruling government entirely defunct and the only remaining authority the various surviving lords and remnants of the rebel army, the surrounding nations closed in on the collapsing nation. Declaring postmortem support for House Shancer and Kestalor's ruling monarchy, King Drystan I, ruler of a militarily powerful Iadria, rallied an army of 30,000 men and cavalry and marched south into the Celliden Swamplands. As the Iadrian armies neared the end of their long trek through unoccupied swampland, a regiment of battle-worn rebel forces marching from Cloria engaged the vanguard by the northern border. The battle that ensued saw a sound defeat of the Lords' Army forces, the stragglers fleeing into the swamp as their army was routed. The Battle of Marshwood was seen as a great victory by Drystan's forces, boosting morale among the armies despite the near 600 Iadrian dead.

As the Iadrian forces secured Marshwood Fortress, thereby claiming control over a sizable portion of the Northern Wetlands, the kingdoms to the south took notice. The warlike kingdom of Vestus, led by King Glovan II of House Talrance, began rallying its forces, as Glovan met with King Alessio IV, Lord of House Albarate and ruler of Tenval. Alessio was quick to bring the forces of the formerly Vanadian country to Vestus' side, the two kingdoms declaring as allies their protection of their neighbor Kestalor and intent to restore its government. Within the month, Vestus had rallied an army 14,000 strong, and Tenval a second of nearly 11,000. The two hosts advanced separately, the Tenvalan Army crossing its northern border with Kestalor - intending to advance along the coast - while the Army of Vestus moved along the southern coast toward Cloria. Though fractured and lacking leadership, some forces of the Lord's Army of Kestalor and the remnants of the loyalist troops put up a brave fight against their invading neighbors, staging desperate defenses at Idiver, Ormshire, and Farleigh Fort. Nevertheless, they were quickly overrun, and the Allies' advance continued. The Tenvalans faced slow progress, forced to make their way through the dense forests of the Kestaloran foothills in order to avoid the wetlands. Moving through the civilized riverlands of Kestalor, the Vestusian forces reached Cloria quickly, where they faced futile but valiant resistance from the last of the Lord's Army that had fought so hard for the city.

As the Second Siege of Cloria neared its rapid end, the Iadrian armies responded. While King Drystan advanced south