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The Long Elven War was a two-year-long military campaign waged between the Regalian Empire and various Nelfin states across the continent of Daen. While in actuality it was a combination of two wars, the Altalar-Regalian War and the Dread War, the name Long Elven War is often used when comparing this conflict to the earlier Elven War of 302 AC, now often called the Short Elven War given its shocking brevity. Caused by the geopolitical alliances across Aloria, and plagued by political intrigue throughout its duration, the war is ultimately seen as a turning point in the Regalian Empire’s history. For both the military and diplomats, the conflict highlighted notable flaws in the functions of leadership at the time, and many continue to study it in detail to discover what could’ve happened if things proceeded differently.
| Long Elven War | |
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| Dates and Times | July 26th, 305 AC - November 9th, 307 AC |
| Location | Daen |
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Background Information
After the conclusion of the Ranger Crisis in 295 AC, the continent of Daen became a focus for the Regalian Empire’s interests. While initially aligned with the Altalar, the Regalians would eventually renege on the Ranger’s Treaty, culminating in the Elven War of 302 AC. Over the span of a month, the Regalian Empire would successfully defeat the Altalar in battle, seize the Crown of the World and annex several northern Elven states into the Empire’s territory. For a while after the conclusion of this war, consolidation would occur in the west, though it would only be a few short years before war would return to Daen.
Following the Bone Horror Crisis, the various nations and states in Aloria were in a weakened state, with only the fallout of the Cataclysm itself being more severe. In the aftermath of this global conflict, it was predicted that new alliances would be forged in order for these nations to check their rivals in the world. The chief architect of this hypothesis was the 4th Baron of Guidand, Bonace Tylleronde, who began to court various states in the Regalian Empire. In Hadar, the Allar were granted equal citizenship in the Regalian Empire with Races such as the Ailor, creating a new chapter in relations between the Suzerain state and the Empire. The Asha and Qadir would also join this Crown Alliance, creating a large new faction of power within Aloria.
Elsewhere, the Altalar Successor Principalities aligned with the Songaskian Masaya and the Sihai Empire to form the Magic Covenant, united in their rivalry with the Regalians. Finally, the Avanthar, Cielothar and allied Yanar formed the Wild Union in an effort to deter encroachment from both Altalar and Ailor. With various coalitions created, it would only be a matter of time before war broke out. The Regalian Empire and their Crown Alliance would be the first to initiate conflict. In the east, the Second Songaskian War would be fought in an attempt to divide the Magic Covenant in two. Near the end of this war in Farah’deen, the Undercrown of the Empire (a brief political office that was equal to that of Chancellor) led a military expedition against the Altalar. Unfortunately, the Regalian Army led by the Undercrown would be fully eradicated by Altalar weaponry, and as news reached the Crown Isle of the defeat, the Long Elven War began.
History
The Altalar-Regalian War-
The first chapter of the Long Elven War was fought in Teled Methen in retaliation for the defeat of the Undercrown’s army. Known as the Altalar-Regalian War, the conflict saw several Regalian armies deploy against the Altalar Principalities. Stemming from political intrigue between various factions of the nobility and government, Field Generals were frequently shuffled around to different armies, logistical plans were changed on a whim, and overall coordination was nonexistent. This led to various defeats on the front lines, with entire regions lost in a matter of days due to negligence on multiple fronts. To make matters worse, Unionist zealots began to desecrate Estellian temples, massacring the priests inside. These atrocities would prompt the Wild Union to join the side of the Altalar, adding yet another enemy to the conflict.
Eventually, after several victories and defeats, with atrocities committed on both sides, the front line stabilized. While Regalian expeditions were attempted along the southern coast of Teled Methen, they would be pushed back by Nelfin counterattacks, creating a year-long standstill for both armies. Meanwhile back home, Regalia faced the Dragon Crisis, with said creatures returning to Aloria after their long-assumed extinction. During this crisis, it was discovered that Cedromar I was a Archon, able to transform into a Dragon. With this revelation, the Imperial Dragon went on to assist the Regalian Military in defeating the Avanthar, removing the Wild Union from the war. However, as the Wild Union disintegrated, a new opponent would arrive from the southwest: the Dread Empire. Having surged into the southern Altalar cities, the Kathar forces began to imprison both Altalar and Regalian alike, prompting the latter two forces to pause any further movements against each other in order to determine if the war was worth continuing. It was during this lul in the conflict that a strange plague made its way to Regalia from soldiers returning from their Kathar encounters, causing a brief period of unrest in the capital. While the plague was eradicated in time, Regalians began to evaluate plans for dealing with this new threat of the Dread Empire.
- For more information about the Altalar-Regalian War, click HERE
The Dread War
With the arrival of the Dread Empire, the Altalar and Regalian Generals entered into an uneasy truce to team up against a common adversary. In what would become the Dread War, these two former enemies worked together to liberate various Altalar cities from Kathar occupation. Throughout this campaign, various military tactics would be implemented that saw a notable shift from the status quo. While the standardized cavalry charges of the Calemberg Generals saw some success and the Tenpenny Model proved to be effective in combat, some tacticians implemented unorthodox strategies. The most notable example of this was the use of Silven to infiltrate a Kathar-occupied city to stir up a revolt among the Altalar prisoners of war. Capitalizing on the Dread Empire’s worship of Arken, the Silven were able to cause chaos behind enemy lines, allowing the Regalians to retake the city and push the Kathar back towards their territories.
As the Altalar and Regalian forces reclaimed more land from the Dread Empire, the war entered its final battle, one of the largest in recent history. With almost a dozen armies facing off against each other across the plains of southern Teled Methen, the encounter would culminate in a duel between the Dread and Imperial Dragons. Surprisingly, the Dragons departed the field of battle, devastating the morale of the Kathar who retreated back to their pre-war borders, bringing about a close to the Long Elven War.
- For more information on the Dread War, click HERE
Effects
The Long Elven War brought notable change across the differing regions of Aloria. For the Kathar, their defeat during the Dread War saw the regicide of the Dread Empress by her sister, who took the throne for herself. For the Regalian Military, the status quo of the old guard was put into question, as several women, afflicted individuals, and youthful commanders proved to be just as effective, if not better, than their mundane, senior male counterparts. For the Altalar and the Regalians, the Long Elven War prompted the return of positive relations between the two nations, to the point where the Altalar were willing to join the Regalian Empire. Unfortunately, a delay by successive Regalian Chancellors would see the Altalar interest wane, and the resurgence of the Allorn Empire a few years later ended any prospects of integration. Finally, the Long Elven War highlighted the consequences of political intrigue between the noble factions; controversial decisions led to heightened hostilities internally, and the loss of thousands of soldiers which might have otherwise been spared. While few took much note of these actions at the time, the conclusion of the Sendrassian War (not to be confused with the Sendrassian Civil War) saw scholars reference the actions of the Long Elven War as additional proof of an institutional decay in the capabilities of the Regalian Empire, prompting many to look for ways to adapt to the changing times.
Trivia
- During the Long Elven War, the Regalian Empire saw the conclusion of Cedromar’s reign as Emperor, two Archipelago Crises, and several changes to the head of government. This volatility of central leadership is often seen as a contributing factor to the chaos on the front lines.
- While the Allorn Empire’s resurgence saw the hopes for integrating the Altalar into the Regalian Empire thwarted, some optimistic scholars hypothesize that if the integration did go through as expected, the resurgence would’ve seen the Empire plagued by a civil war between Corontium and Daen.
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