Lore:The Naji War and The Whitecrown Insurrection
The Naji War refers to the War between the various kingdoms using najiros as weapons in Althas: the Anointed Kingdoms, the Lambitelor Kingdom and North Narthendar. The Whitecrown Insurrection refers to the uprising that occurs in Anorthile. These events occur between 935 - 939 MA due to the jevrethor discrimination and enslavement that had built up years prior.
Contents
Prior History
By 924 MA, troubling rumors of jevrethor oppression were spreading throughout Althas. Such news troubled the The Vanguard. They send agents to infiltrate Lambitelor so that they could learn what was going on.
They also sent agents to Lambitelor, which laid beyond the normal reach of the The Vanguard, to search for any Night Stones that might be there. The Night Stone that Wealcan had stolen back in 903 MA still had yet to be found. The Vanguard began to shift their focus of magic towards combat and the development of new weapons.
After the death of Wealcan in 932 MA. His heir, Folgere, takes command of North Narthendar and learns of the location of his father's Night Stone. He retrieves it and begins using it to enslave the jevrethor that he holds. The Vanguard quickly become suspicious of Folgere as strange rumors they have heard out of North Narthendar cause them to redouble their watchfulness.
By 934 MA, the King of Lambitelor, who had long known of The Vanguard and Vasomi’s agents' presence in his kingdom, and prepares to destroy them. He has fed them false information for years and now slowly begins to piece together exactly who their agents are, who have now infiltrated many areas in the government and military. In midsummer, the King of Lambitelor gathers all of the agents of The Vanguard and Vasomi and executes them all publicly, totaling in the death of 107 men and women. Their heads are sent to Anorthile and Gorandel as a warning. This day became known as the Lambitelor Inquisition.
The Naji War
Battles in Lambitelor
In 935 MA, after the Lambitelor Inquisition, Anorthile and Gorandel immediately declare war on Lambitelor and call upon the other Anointed Kingdoms to do the same. Anorthile prepares both its East and West fleet to sail to Lambitelor, along with a great host. The gathering of these forces takes about a year.
The Vanguard are fed false information that Lambitelor have essentially no najiros in its military. The Vanguard do not recognize the magical threat that awaits them in Lambitelor.
The combined western and eastern Anorthile fleets, supplemented with Nosmalos’s fleet, sails for Lambitelor late in the fall of 936 MA. The fleet carries a vast expeditionary force made up of forces from Anorthile and Nosmalos as well as forces marched in from Gorandel. However, only a small company of najiros from the Vanguard join them, led by Heofon. Also, nearly a third of Anorthile’s strength remains behind to put down the Folgere’s sons in Anorthile. Also, along the way, Anorthile’s western port fleet is damaged while sailing through storms around the southern tip of Althas.
In 937 MA, the Expeditionary Force lands on the two westernmost islands of Lambitelor not long after the beginning of the year. They meet heavy resistance on the islands: contrary to the Vanguard’s belief, Lambitelor have a large number of najiros in its military, most of whom were specially trained in subduing other najiros and jevrethor. Guerilla tactics used by Lambitelor warriors, and the lack of najiros in the expeditionary force, results in heavy casualties throughout the assault. It takes a month to secure the first two islands. The heavy usage of magic across the entirety of the islands results in numerous civilian casualties.
In Early Spring of 937 MA, the Expeditionary Force focuses its army solely on the third, and last, Lambitelor island. The fighting is, once again, fierce. The island is secured over the course of a little less than a month. This time most of the civilians had been evacuated before the fighting began.
In Late Spring of 937 MA, the fleet surrounds the capital island of Lambitelor and blockades it. The Expeditionary Force begins its siege campaign on the capital island. However, najiros-led Lambitelor warriors inflict further damage on the fleet and the Expeditionary Force.
By Early 938 MA, after months of sieging the capital city, both the Expeditionary Force and the defenders of Lambitelor are exhausted. Several Expeditionary ships have been destroyed by Lambitelor’s lighter ships and najiros forces. Fearing that the Expeditionary Force will lose too many ships to return in a single trip should they need to retreat, Heofon decides that they must subdue the city now. Heofon lays a plan to even the odds: Heofon plans to lead his Vanguard force to free the jevrethor (held captive in terrible conditions) in a fortress outside the capital city. They will convince these jevrethor to fight with them against the Lambitelor armies.
Heofon and The Vanguard launch their plan, freeing the jevrethor. The jevrethor gladly agree to fight alongside The Vanguard. The Vanguard also discover Nemnesheth and take several vials to study.
By Mid 938 MA, The Vanguard and the jevrethor lead the Expeditionary Force in an assault on the capital. The jevrethor breach the walls and go on a rampage throughout the city, killing indiscriminately. The King of Lambitelor, who was leading the defense, is wounded early on. The Vanguard try to stop the jevrethor’s destructive rage, but are ignored. In order to stop their destructive attack on the city, The Vanguard believe they are left with no other choice: they turn on their jevrethor allies, using the Nemnesheth they had just discovered, and slay them.
The capital is severely damaged, and where many civilians and jevrethor lie dead. Without their jevrethor allies, the Expeditionary force falls back to the fleet and is forced to retreat to Eänos in early summer. Although Heofon is hailed as a hero, the Lambitelor War is remembered as the most controversial war in Anorthile’s history.
Aftermath
The King of Lambitelor orders the execution of the rest of the imprisoned jevrethor in Lambitelor out of, and in response to, fear created by the jevrethor offensive. In 939 MA, the King of Lambitelor dies of his wounds, and his son is crowned King. The newly crowned King sues for peace and betrays Folgere by revealing the location of Aernclyf in North Narthendar as well as instructions upon the best path to approach it.
The new king also puts new Lambitelor laws into effect to try and reduce the jevrethor's numbers:
- Najiros (including jevrethor) are forbidden to marry or have children.
- Jevrethor criminals are to be pursued with extreme prejudice (lethal force).
These laws, the many executions, and the heavy tension with the people of Lambitelor cause many jevrethor to leave Lambitelor for the mainland.
Battles in the North
In 936 MA, Folgere launches his attack against the other Narthendar states (South Narthendar and Mundríce) and Lamniemalos. Many of his supporters in South Narthendar and northern Lamniemalos join his forces. Folgere’s enslaved jevrethor spearhead his assaults.
In Spring 936 MA, Mundríce is besieged. The armies of Lamniemalos, Driesefair, and Vishethas are forced to turn to face Folgere in the North.
The Anointed decide it is best to send The Vanguard and Vasomi forces to suppress Folgere’s forces due to his use of jevrethor. The head of the House of Joldeseb in Anorthile is defeated in battle outside of Thavairos. However, Folgere's two sons take refuge in each of the two fortresses he controls with the remnants of his allies.
In Late 937 MA, The Vanguard continue their fight in the North against Folgere. The siege of Mundríce is finally broken, and the forces of Driesefair push west to besiege Múthrand (chief port city of South Narthendar), where they are joined by forces from Vishethas. In southern Lamniemalos, The Anointed’s forces are pinned down by Folgere’s jevrethor and rebels from the north.
Despite this, by Summer of 938 MA, the forces of Driesefair and Vishethas take Múthrand, though with heavy losses as Folgere diverts most of his jevrethor forces to the west. The Vanguard and Vasomi lead the march against North Narthendar, while another force goes to relieve the forces in southern Lamniemalos.
Northern Narthendar falls in late fall. Folgere’s forces fall back to the mountain forts in the western range in Lamniemalos. The forces of the Anointed make camp in eastern Narthendar during the winter months.
In Early 939 MA, Folgere falls back to the hidden fortress of Aernclyf. He divides his jevrethor into three forces: one leads his western forces in the mountains, another leads his southern forces in the forest (south of the fortress), and the last is a small group guarding the fortress.
In midsummer, Heofon volunteers to lead a group of najiros (a few of whom are jevrethor of the Vanguard) to circumvent Folgere’s forces and take him out (now with the information given by the new Lambitelor King). The King of Gorandel also joins their group so that he can destroy the Night Stone as soon as it is secured. Heofon’s force sails in a single ship and lands in the small ford in northern Lamniemalos; they follow the path that they were told of and launch a surprise attack on Aernclyf. Folgere recalls his jevrethor nearest to the fortress using the Night Stone, but they arrive too late: Folgere is subdued and his Night Stone destroyed, releasing the jevrethor from his control.
The formerly enslaved jevrethor betray Folgere’s forces. After decimating Folgere’s forces, some of the freed jevrethor vanish, fleeing and disappearing within the populations of Althas. However, others launch fierce attack against all in the North: on Lamniemalos, North Narthendar, South Narthendar, Mundríce and the forces of The Anointed. Folgere is killed in his stronghold by the jevrethor forces he recalled; they destroy Aernclyf, where the King of Gorandel dies in the collapse.
Heofon and his remaining forces flee the destruction of Folgere’s Stronghold and join up with the forces of the Anointed in southern Lamniemalos. They prepare to defend the heartland of Lamniemalos and its capital. The Forces of the Anointed, Vanguard, and Vasomi are caught off guard by the sudden assault that came right behind Heofon’s retreat. Heofon makes a stand north of the capital and leads The Vanguard forces against the jevrethor. He personally slays the greatest of the jevrethor, but is mortally wounded.
In fall of 939 MA, Loslevri, who was freed from Folgere’s stronghold by Heofon, anoints Heofon to be the next Chosen, and he is raised from the dead by Driomi. Heofon is changed by this event: his hair is white, his eyes golden like a jevrethor’s, and he has gained great longevity (he will live for 133 more years). Heofon also gains a jevrethor-like knowledge and instinctive ability with magic as well as a great enhancement to his power (by nature of his Chosen status). He is considered by many to be the greatest najiros who ever lived.
The Whitecrown Insurrection
In 936 MA, Lord Folgere sees his chance to strike as most of the forces patrolling Narthendar are distracted. Folgere sends assassins to Thavairos to kill King of Anorthile in early spring while the fleets prepare to sail. The House of Joldeseb, an ally of Folgere, attempt to seize the Anorthile throne, as they held two of the three Kingdom's fortresses that guard the Capital Vale. This is intended to draw forces away from the attack on Lambitelor. This rebellious coup becomes known as the Whitecrown Insurrection.
In Late Spring of 937 MA, The forces that remained in Anorthile retake the two fortresses held by the House of Joldeseb. The two sons of Folgere are executed publicly for their crimes and rebellion. The rest of the House of Joldeseb distance themselves from the failed rebellion, but maintain ambitions for the throne.
