The Drowning War

The Drowning War was a cataclysmic conflict spanning from the dates 25BD (although this date is contested, with some scholars placing it as starting earlier at 33BD, with the fall of Koln) to 0TG, between the collection of forces under the Moarkor and the successive enemies to the west, culminating with the Imperium of Avalon, as well as the Gods themselves.

While it is named the Drowning War, the conflict in question was in fact a series of wars resulting in the ultimate formation of two rival power blocs, the Avalonian Divine Blade alliance, and the Moarkor's own collective of subservient nations known as the Silver Empire, a moniker coined by his noble subjects. It is notable that while depictions of the period describe the conflict as endless, the Drowning War was punctuated by several ceasefires and ebbs in activity, and much of the manoeuvring was in fact done on the diplomatic stage as opposed to the military.

The war ended with the comprehensive defeat of the Imperium of Avalon and its allies and the death of the Gods, which ensured Silver Empire military dominance on the global stage, although the immediately ensuing disaster of the Drowning severely damaged the Empire infra-structurally, compromising its ability to defend itself and maintain conquered land.

Background
Worship of the Divine, the collective of deities that created and henceforth ruled Eun, was widespread, with near universal acknowledgement of their sovereignty. Barring a few exceptions (such as the Cult of Fire, the followers of the One-that-Dwells, and the Egemonic belief that their own pharaohs were gods), Divine worship was the state religion of every country. The Gods were prayed to for fortune, success in business, prowess in battle, and many other wishes and desires. The priesthood enjoyed high influence, oft surpassing the authority of reigning sovereigns in their own nations. The centre of religious worship on the central continent of Esvaan was Avalon.

However, the Atrocity of Aldiss in 400BD, and the Doom of Meris in 322BD, did much to shake faith in the Gods. Both events, orchestrated by Honour and Jealousy respectively, demonstrated a cruelty heretofore considered atypical of the Gods. In the years to come, while no other singular event reached these levels, evidence of divine callousness mounted, from unjust punishments to the destruction of households for not being devout enough, or simple negligence and allowing natural disasters to occur. A mounting disaffection with the Divine grew.

Direct military action against the Gods had already been demonstrated with Arienne Mil Torainen's first Black Crusade, and archaeological finds of First Civilisation ruins had started to elucidate the mystery of the First Godwar. Famous thinkers of the time, such as Solemnis of Fel, Magnus of Galea, and Chihiro of Kana wrote treatises discussing the theoretical advantages of a break from Divine rule, as well as debating at length on Divine ethics.

Meanwhile, in the northwestern continent of Arcat, the Third Immortal, then known as Vallen Farnorth, was amassing a large mercenary army. Buoyed by such rhetoric, and by personal grievances with the Gods, he swore to usher in an age of independence from divine negligence. He chose to struck at an opportune time; a recent succession crisis had rocked the twin kingdoms of Koln and Arabat, exhausting their military might, while a disastrous maritime engagement with Galea had crippled Herenno and triggered a civil war. The time was ripe for Vallen to take over Arcat.

Fall of Koln and Arabat
The man we know today as the Moarkor started out his career not through feats of military brilliance, but clever subterfuge. It was not through force of arms that he gained a high position in the Hypastes mercenary army, but through guile and wit. His charisma, although enforced by sudden, surgical strikes of overwhelming power, is what allowed him to absorb other mercenary troupes. But his greatest feat of trickery was the taking of Arabat.

Koln and Arabat were twin kingdoms; their founding legends said that they were founded by brothers, each one being the progenitor of his country's respective royal line. They had long been neighbours, and usually peaceful ones, at that, a rarity amongst the states of Eun. However, the Moarkor found them at a time of crisis. King Segmur I had died while on campaign to expand Arabat's borders to the north, caught in a freak avalanche. He had four sons and three daughters, and per Arabatian law, all had equal claim to the throne without one being explicitly declared heir. The Queen of Koln, Maira, proved unable to control the squabbling noble and merchant factions within her domain, and so they supported different heirs for the Arabatian throne, intensifying a disagreement into the brink of civil war. Maira marched on Arabat and installed martial law, while she sent a request to King Harhad IV of Herenno to serve as impartial arbitrator for the throne.

However, her invasion was met with resistance, and soon territories outside of the core cities spiralled out of control. Gangs fought each other in the streets, different regiments of the army clashed with each other in skirmishes that they strenuously denied were battles. Meanwhile, the northern barbarians that Segmur I had attempted to subjugate took advantage of the chaos and sent raids that reached even the capital's walls. The crisis began to escalate, and spilled over into Koln, where the Queen already struggled with progressive elements that called for an end to monarchical rule. King Harhad marched on Koln and quashed the rebellions, but he found less success in Arabat, where the mountainous terrain allowed for much more effective guerrilla warfare.

It was into this simmering civil war that the Moarkor strode. Invited by one of the daughters of the late Segmur, Fianna, to restore order, he defeated the forces of her squabbling siblings one by one, then crushed the dozens of dissident remaining factions. Order looked to be restored; however, Farnorth refused to relinquish governmental authority, citing that Fianna was too weak to rule, and that he would retain control in her stead until the situation stabilised. His excellent strategy and sound tactics had already earned him the approval of most of the army, and he quietly had the loyalist Royal Guard purged. He had Fianna confined to the palace, and in response Harhad and Maira marched their forces into Arabat, to oust him from the throne.

Fed false information that the Moarkor's army was encamped at the Tallman fjord pass, trapped by ice in an attempt to march around the northern force, Harhad and Maira immediately struck. Farnorth ambushed them at the pass, using a decoy camp and a skeleton force to lure them in, before shattering the tall walls of ice around them and storming in with his army. The army was utterly destroyed by a numerically inferior force; with a contingent of around a thousand men, the only survivors, King Harhad fought his way free, and managed to escape. Queen Maira was killed in the fighting, which shattered Koln's government, cracking under its already enormous stress. Using this as a casus belli, insisting on his pretence of restoring order, he marched into Koln, finding only minimal resistance, and annexed the territory.