Zanaro Civil War
During the years leading to the Civil War each of the Praetors began to reform their armies from the already exhausted population of Zanaro, peace having just been reached less than a decade before, and now the Lords were directly disobeying the Emperor. The Great Families had skirmishes of several occasions with Imperial Magistrate Forces, and even the Imperial Knights. Emperor Aelrick Korvain had become much older, and was now facing a second war within his reign, this time not from an outside threat, but from within, a threat he hoped to stop in its tracts with his reforms.
The Scairp Family decided to strike hard the Craien family with a mass assassination of its leadership, this attack, which occurred during a diplomatic meeting, sparked the powder-keg that Zanaro had become. With the Craien family in chaos the Scairp family led a full scale invasion into their lands. Emperor Aelrick Korvain called together the Imperial Army, the supposed unified army of Zanaro, to counter attack. He led the attack against Scairp lands himself. The unified army collapsed soon after the initial attack as soldiers who were loyal to the Scairp began attacking from within the Imperial Army itself, Emperor Aelrick Korvain was killed in the first battle of the Imperial Forces. The Scairp gathered their forces in the region and assaulted the Gealbhan holding, an independent region that served as the defenders of the Imperial Families. The Scairp army was held back, but their assassins snuck through the province, and prepared to eradicate the Imperial Family.
As the Scairp were preparing their death blow to the Imperial Family the Spinne family renewed their attacks on the Lowe. The Lowe had only a token defense, as most of their troops were engaged with the Scairp, hoping to end the war before it got started. The Spinne cared little of the Lowe's intent, instead under the command of Lord Merik Spinne they felt the best way to defend their territory was to conquer more land from the distracted Lowe. The Mourne family was sent to defend the borders of the north, as the rest of the family focused their war efforts in the south.
Near the end of 1325 the Scairp family had positioned its assassins in Chathair Impiriúil, ready to end the reign of the Korvain family and bring the Empire under their rule. The fires from the night lasted for weeks, and the entirety of the Korvain family was killed to the last man, with the other Imperial Families disintegrating during what is now referred to as the Night of Embers. Shortly after the death of the Imperial families the Scairp Family defeated the Gealbhan forces, and took Chathair Impiriúil as their new capital. The war was in full swing, with each of the families now fighting for control after the death of the Emperor.
By the year 1326 there was no question that the war had begun with each of the Great Families vying for power, and the hopes of unifying the Empire under their reign. The Scairp Family held tight to Rioga, the symbolic capital of the now quickly disintegrating Empire. The Lowe family made headway into Scairp lands, but at the loss of some of their own lands to the Spinne family. The other Great Families took this as a chance to conquer their weaker independent neighbors, now they the Emperor could no longer protect them from their might. The Minor Families fought hard to maintain their independence, and to protect their people, for a majority of these families it meant the total extinction of their family lines, and the near enslavement of their people. The Capall family was the most brutal, conquering four of their neighbors, and quickly putting the survivors to work in stripping the lands of their natural resources for the war effort. The Ein family willingly joined the Photain family for protection from the potential encroachment of the Craien Family who had a great enmity for their neighbors.
Leading up to the year 1331 the Nathair family had been seeking peaceful resolution to the war, even attending the Scairp held Imperial Assemblies, with the Nathair and the Scairp families being the only attendees, all in the hopes of a peaceful resolution. In 1329 the Nathair family formally recognized Lord Augustus Scairp as the Emperor of Zanaro, forging an alliance with the Great Family that betrayed the Korvain family. A joint Nathair/Scairp force descended upon the Fenix Family, in the hopes of securing the loyalties of the Foiche Family, a long time foe of the Fenix. In the end though the attack left the south of their realm weak and open to attack. The Nathair saw their lands split apart, and the Scairp lost the capital to the Craien. 'Emperor' Augustus Scairp was killed by Lady Natallia Arnórr, the commander of the Craien remnant forces. She crowned one of the last members of the Craien family, Lord Jon Craien as the new Emperor of Zanaro. Emperor Augustus Scairp had ruled for only five years, never having attained any true power. The new 'Emperor' offered a bounty for the capture of any leader of the Nathair or Scairp family to all within the Empire. By 1331 the Craien were one of the most powerful families, with a tight hold on the capital, and overseeing the destruction of several of their most dangerous enemies. It seemed assured that they may become the new Imperial Family of Zanaro.
By 1337 the Scairp were on the run, heading directly into Fenix territory in the hopes of gaining new lands that could be utilized in a counter attack to the powerful Craein assault. The Craien family was now united under the three remaining members of the Craien family, with the minor families serving them in most capacities. The Nathair had been pushed back to a single province, and an alliance with the Capall gave the Craien much needed food and military support for the continued war effort. The Lowe family saw themselves in dire straits, most of their land was conquered, and now their forces were divided between the Scairp and the Spinne. They looked to ally with the Fennix, who were having to fight the Scairp as well, but their message never made it to Fennix lands thanks to the efforts by the Scairp forces. The Foiche saw the loss of their home islands, as well as the loss of their last mainland holding. Times were looking grim for quite a few of the Great Families, but those who were looking to be victorious were also unaware of the constant efforts by the Capall and their long-term plans for the throne.
Within four years the Lowe family was killed to the last man, and most of their lands were now under the control of the Spinne Family. One of the minor families of the Lowe took the reigns, declared all members of the Great Family as Lowe, for they would fight and die as their lords had before them. With this the Lowe began one last push at the Scairp, seeking to kill the leaders of the traitorous family. The much weakened, and severely outnumbered Lowe forces could not break through the Scairp lines. The Nathair family continued to hold out against their enemies. The Craien/Capall allaince continued to hold firm, and was joined by the Phortain family. The three forces managed to push the Scairp further north, continuing to weaken their enemies. The Craien requested the support of their allies by recognizing the Craien family as the new Imperial Family of Zanaro, this request was quickly shot down, as neither family had any intention to bend the knee to the Craien, this caused tension within the alliance, and may well have been what brought an eventual end to it.
The alliance ended abruptly in 1343 with a Capall invasion of Craien and Phortain lands. The surprise attack left the two former allied families in shock, the Capall continued to show how violent and dangerous they were. The Phortain asked for aid in defneding their lands from the Capall. The Craien offered to help, only if the Phortain would send a regiment to aid in pushing the Fenix out of 'their' lands. The Phortain complied, believing their allies would send aid. The Craien never sent aid, and it is rumored they executed the Phortain brigade after they helped defeat the Fenix family's forces. This greatly angered the Phortain who began a campaign against the Craien. The Phortain forged a new alliance with the Capall against the Craien in return the Capall promised not to invade their lands in the future. The Phortain believed greatly in the honor in another mans promise, but this war saw the end of honor for many of the Great Families as they only saw the throne, their goal.
By the year 1345 the Lowe remnants had been slaughtered, not by the Scairp, but by the Spinne Family. The Spinne had pushed the Scairp back, taking their lands, and then destroying what remained of the Lowe family forces and taking their lands as well. The aggressive campaign the Spinne were on was inhuman by all accounts, with a seemingly growing army, and a knack for brutal tactics unseen before. The secret to their power is widely known now, they freed the criminals, and offered gold and power to the bandits and mercenaries in the lands they conquered, giving them a constant supply of troops, as long as they kept expanding. The Foiche family constructed a massive fleet and began to retake their lands, and more from the Fenix family who had become focused on the attacks in the south. This gave the Foiche family a massive advantage against their foes. The war seemed to be dragging on forever, having already lasted longer than the war with the Driaz Kore.
The Spinne family invaded Craien land in 1348, and captured the Imperial Capital by 1349 killing the Emperor Jon Craien, who had 'ruled' for seventeen years, nearly as long as some of the Korvain Emperors. The true blood Craien family members were now extinct, and the Craien clan soon found itself in a civil war. The Spinne family installed their Lord Rinae Spinne, the daughter of Merik Spinne, as the Empress of Zanaro. She immediately went to work to seek supporters. The Phortain Family allied with the Spinne, as the Spinne had become seen as the most powerful force within the Empire by this time. The Spinne family also offered an alliance with the Foiche family, who readily accepted. The three forces began to gather power and support in the hopes of ending the war once and for all. The Spinne family sent a large amount of food and weaponry to the Foiche to bring an end to the Scairp once and for all, as well as hold the now splintered Craien at bay. Meanwhile the Phortain worked to create beneficial trade routes with the Capall. These routes opened a new passage to Rioga, as well as created much needed roads in the wartorn region. This was only possible thanks to the Capall, who signed a non-agression pact with the Spinne. By the year 1350 the Spinne appeared to be on the cusp on unifying the Empire into a cohesive whole.
All of their plans for peace went out the window in the year 1354 when on New years day the Capall launched a surprise attack against both the Spinne and their allies the Phortain. The Capall used the roads the Phortain had constructed to strike deep into their territory. While the rest of the Empire was unaware the Hemingr family had seceded from the Capall family, and were slowly devouring their lands, forcing the Capall to either expand outwards, or turn their attention inwards. The Lord of the Capall was unwilling to look to the internal borders until the external ones had been stabilized, seeing the Hemingr revolt as a small nuisance. One of the two Craien factions, the Arnórr had begun to gain momentum and slowly unify not only the Craien remnants under their control, but also lands that other families ruled over. The Northern Craien forces also destroyed the remaining Scairp with the joint efforts of the Foiche. While the two were not allied the joint effort was seen as a much needed accomplishment. Many people celebrated the eradication of the Scairp usurpers, but very few understood the growing might of the Capall army.
By 1359 the Capall had captured the Imperial capital, killing Empress Rinae Spinne, and installed Lord Aegrin Capall as the new Emperor of Zanaro. Rinae Spinne had only ruled for ten years, and was viewed by quite a few peasants as the true Empress of Zanaro due to her focus on the commoner instead of the nobility. The Phortain family gathered together the few remaining members, leaving the Ealdræd family to guard the border, and sought to speak with the new Emperor. Emperor Aegrin executed the remaining Phortain family members, and publicly declared that only the Great Capall families would be the leaders of the new houses, and that all others had best prepare to be eradicated. The Ealdræd family heard this declaration, as well as learned of the execution of their lords. They rallied together the commoners of their land and began a counter attack against the over stretched Capall forces. All the while the Hemingr family continued to pick away at the Capall from within. The northern Craien remnant proceeded to attack the Foiche family, capturing all of the mainland holdings the Foiche had, and forced them back to the islands. The Foiche were greatly weakened, having little strength left to keep up the war after being forced out of the mainland twice. The Arnórr family continued to grow in power, bringing together quite a few members from the northern Craien forces as the two forces clashed.
In the year 1361 the various families began a joint assault on the Capall, splintering the 'rulers' of Zanaro. The fighting was intense as the Capall had been smart about a slow steady expansion, as well as their traitorous methods. The Capall descended upon the Spinne, viewing them as outsiders, and the only family that still had true blood Korvain members within its ranks. The threat of that being used as a means to gain power was to much of a threat for the greatly angered Capall. They drove the Spinne to the most northern provinces, and executed the remaining members of the Spinne family, leaving only the Mourne family who had not yet entered the war, having maintained their watch of the northern border. The last lord of the Foiche family stepped down from his position, granting it to the head of the Kóri family. Under new leadership the Kóri family began recruiting pirates and brigands from around the seas to aid in their war for Zanaro, many being granted lordships, and titles of power. By 1367 the Capall forces were greatly weakened, with the Imperial capital being captured by the Arnórr family and executing 'Emperor' Aegrin Capall who had ruled for less than a decade. The Capall family also had most of its best generals and leaders executed by the Arnórr family. Lord Heringer Arnórr declared himself Crown Regent, not Emperor, of Zanaro. Promising to surrender the position at the end of the war, as well as asking all of the Great Families to consider Rioga as a neutral space, free from the war. All of the families accepted these terms save the Capall, proving only that they were just as bad as the Scairp were in the end. The Kóri family also gained mainland power, something that the last Lord of the Foiche felt would be impossible after losing so many men in the war.
The war began to slow, with the population having taken a great hit, and many of the peasants having begun to focus on trying to rebuild their homes and their lives. By the year 1378 the Capall were a shadow of their former strength, the Kóri had taken a chunk of land from the Craien Northern Army who continued to hold onto what land they could. The Craien forces were being held together by a council of minor family lords, each with their own agenda and demands before any major decision could be reached. This constant bickering led to many Craien forces being defeated by less trained, or smaller forces. By the year 1378 the Mourne family had begun to push the Capall back, and formed an alliance with the Kóri family and the Arnórr family. The three families became the Alliance to restore the Empire. They focused on the eradication of the Capall family, who they viewed as some of the worst traitors the Empire had known, as well as the Craien remnant forces, who had begun to seek an Oligarchy instead of an Empire. The Alliance would have Alliance Assemblies at Rioga once a year to discuss the war effort and begin to look towards the future. Even at these peaceful meeting there was tension as each lord or lady viewed the others with some suspicion.
By the year 1387 the Capall had finally been eradicated, and the Craien remnant forces had been either assimilated or defeated. The alliance though did not survive the defeat of their enemies and it seemed the war was preparing to enter into a second phase. This 'second' phase of the war was much slower, with only a few provinces changing hands between the five families. Where the nine families ended up destroying the Empire, these five couldn't seem capable of doing much damage to one another in the grand scheme, part of the reason was likely due to the loss of so much life over the last few decades of warfare. During this time period Rioga was 'claimed' to be under the protection of the Arnórr Family until and Emperor or Empress could be declared.
In the year 1398 with the Major families decimated, and only those minor families who managed to remain mostly out of the war surviving a truce was formed. An entire generation of Zanarite people knew nothing but war, with only stories of a peaceful time under the reign of an Emperor. It was in the summer of this year that the five remaining families met together in the ruins of Chathair Impiriúil, renamed Torman after the first Imperial Assembly in over seventy years. The first meeting of these families was tense, but peace was visible for the first time in decades. They met again in 1399 this time there was less shouting, and more discussing as diplomacy had begun to take root among the now five different cultures that had been formed over the near century of fighting. The meeting ended with a member of the Mourne family being proclaimed Empress, the formation of a new government, as well as the hammering out of the borders of the Praetorates. The government was to be based on the government of their forefathers, but with each of the Great Houses, as they were now called, having an opportunity to attain the throne peacefully.
The Year 1400 marked the beginning of the reformed Empire of Zanaro with Empress Sylvia Mourne as the first new Empress in a time where peace was needed. The Empress focused her first year on healing old wounds, creating a viable government, and rebuilding a devastated nation. She even reached out to Ashford, who had been watching the war fearful it would spread into their lands. An arrangement was made and Ashford provided aid to the Empire, and those citizens who had fled to Ashford were welcomed back to Zanaro with open arms. It was the beginning of the modern Zanaro we know and love.
