The War of Ashes

Introduction

The War of Ashes began in the Spring of 2932EC, when a group of adventurers agreed to make their way into the Ashen Crater in order to search for a group of Haerkglar miners who regularly made their ways into the tunnels within to gather adamantine ore. While within, the party was assaulted by a number of Ashen scaled Kobolds, led by a number of similarly colored Ssiardi, creatures that had not been seen since the fall of Atalan. While they were able to escape, the wounding of one of the Ssiardi seems to have drawn the ire of Ashen'wrath himself, and the Dragon whipped up its followers into a frenzy. Their first strike came down upon the Broken Tusk Clan to the north, while occupying what forces the Coalition could muster with a smaller attack upon Bad Water.

The Battle of Bad Water

The forces of Ashen'wrath moved faster than High Reaches could mobilize, but much of the same adventurers that initially entered the crater were able to reach the town in time. Terenshan, the Birad of the Kutarans was able to mobilize a small force of riders to come to Bad Water's aid. Furin Ironstoker, and his mercenary company, known as the Hran'rwok was already there, negotiating an agreement to attempt to open the mine below the Bad Water river. The fighting was fierce, but the fact that it was a distracting force became quite obvious with the lack of Ssiardi in the assault. The tactic worked however, for while the assembled forces were able to throw back the assault, The Broken Tusk were attacked and subsumed.

The Battle at The Pickets

The Battle of the Pickets, is in actuality a series of hundreds of skirmishes that took place along the entire border of the Ashen Crater. Haerkglar, and Gnomish engineers worked quickly to construct earthen works and trenches, and at first it was these the Coalition defended. As the months and years continued those simple earthworks became more and more complex, from simple wooden palisades at first to stone works shaped by magic. The war continued in this manner for a number of years. Times where sections of the pickets fell, and had to be retaken, unfortunately the Coalition quickly realized that a war of this kind was beyond their capabilities to win. In a war of attrition, even when the Coalition came out on top in most engagements, the forces of Ashen'wrath greatly outnumbered those trying to contain them. So it was at first seen as divine aid when the Halmorians arrived with their Legions in 2939, seemingly intent on helping.

Battle of Greenvale

In the Summer of 2940, for the first time since the Halmoria's Legions arrived, the forces of Ashen'wrath broke through the Northern line. Using the captured fortifications as a beach head, they struck out against the growing town of Greenvale. Though the small town had become a center for adventuring types, and held a sizeable contingent of knights of the Crimson Crusade, the town was overrun and sacked before reinforcements could be brought to bare. By the time Kutaran outriders made it the survivors had fled, and the Kobolds had already begun to erect defenses. It took an entire campaigning season to drive them back to the crater, and retake the section of pickets. By that time most of the people of Greenvale had moved on to either Home, or Devon's Reach, and another town was lost to the ages.

The Bronze Charge

With the loss of their Coalition allies, and not trusting the task of trying to slay Ashen'wrath to the Halmorians who seemed content to simply contain the threat while they made their meandering conquests elsewhere on the continent, Illyriel Llewyn decided it was time for bold action. Joined by her own Kobold allies, a number of newer Bronze Warden recruits, the special operating team of DEAD, and other various allies including Terenshan, and Furin Ironstoker, they deigned to attempt something bold. Transported by DEAD mages, and a number of Warmages from the Arcane University, the group fought their way into the heart of Ashen'wrath's realm. When the Dragon himself emerged he found himself face to face with Niassa'nai, her presence masked by powerful magics. Reports of the battle are vague, those few who returned shaken in ways only true war can do to a person. But what we do know, is that both Niassa'nai were grievously wounded, nearly all of the DEAD squad fell in battle, and Illyriel was carried off by her Kobold allies, severely wounded. Terenshan and Furin emerged some time later, though it is unclear how the pair survived so long behind enemy lines.

Conclusion

Though most of the picket lines still exist in some shape or form, most of Ashen'wraths forces were scattered, or driven underground by the Halmorian Legions after Ashen'wrath retreated to heal his wounds. After the Halmorians abandoned the continent, the pickets lay mostly undefended except by a rotating militia drawn from nearly all of the towns spread out along the continent. In recent years the Haerkglar have begun trading once more with the surface, but they have not committed troops forces to the Crater front.

~ Entar Hovis, Historian of the Arcane Conclave, Alestra.