The Conflict
Prelude
The kingdoms south of the great empire of Aethelas had an understanding. All shared a land of karst peaks and granite spires, dense jungle and savannah plains. But that peace was a fragile thing, built not on trust, but on the mutual submission under the powerful and commanding empire above them: the nomadic clans roaming the Great Steppe of Rhomrehgar, and the elegant, rainforest-dwelling horned elves of Quyrie-Ève. Each held a resource the others coveted. The Morgrim (or ‘morgs’) had control of vast mineral resources in their mountainous region and commanded large, mounted armies that could traverse the continent with astonishing speed. The Valéquyrie (or ‘horned elves’) possessed knowledge of agriculture and medicine that kept the other races from succumbing to famine and plague, in addition to the timber of the rich, dense rainforests.
Conflict
The war began not with a battle cry, but with a series of quiet, calculated moves. When Aethelas began to succumb to a mysterious and quickly-spreading plague, those in the kingdoms below saw an opportunity. The Morgrim, paranoid and isolationist by nature, secretly began to hoard their metals, believing the other kingdoms would inevitably turn on them. This created a blacksmithing crisis in the Great Steppe, where steel was essential for their tools and weapons. In addition, the mounted clans, led by the charismatic warlord Uthraukh, began to raid the outer farms of Quyrie-Ève, cutting off the elves' supply of grain and other resources. The elves, in turn, refused to share their healing knowledge with the Morgs, who were suffering from drought and sickness themselves.
This domino effect of distrust and resource scarcity escalated into the
Clash of the Uprisen, a conflict defined not by grand battles, but by sabotage, guerrilla warfare, and a devastating trade embargo. Spies from both sides roamed the land, poisoning wells, burning crops, and disrupting supply lines. The war was a slow, grinding machine that fed on paranoia and attrition. The elves, with their limited numbers, relied on clever traps and the intimate knowledge of their rainforests to ambush their enemies. The morgs, with their near-impenetrable fortifications, endured long sieges. With their superior mobility, they struck back at vulnerable points and then vanished back into the vastness of the plains.
As the war dragged on, both kingdoms realised it may end in the inevitable entropy of both nations. The morg clans were sick and starving, but the elves were no fighters. And so they made a desperate pact – a trade of lands. Proposed by the Valéquyrie, they would lay claim to mountains and steppes held by the Morgrim (thus cutting them off from Aethelas and preventing them from expanding northward) and Rhomrehgar would incorporate new swaths of rainforest.
The result of their collaboration was a new city, built at the very border of the warring kingdoms. It was called
Quyrehgar, City of Exchange. It was a place where morg smiths worked side-by-side with elven gardeners, where clan traders sold their wares to everyone, and where the new hybrid creations were shared freely. The city was a beacon of cooperation, and its very existence demonstrated that the races could thrive together. It was to be a city founded not on the spoils of war, but on the principles of exchange and collaboration.
Sadly, the peace that followed remained a fragile one, and the city became a point of contention between the two people, often being sacked and rebuilt. However, between the countries as a whole, a lasting pact born from the ashes of a devastating conflict.
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