Grimbrand War

Overview
The Grimbrand War was a seven-year continental battle for freedom and territory, involving the nations of Spauria, Yookay, Fylarion, and the invading Grimbrand dwarves, who sought to conquer the continent by force. This was Spauria's largest, longest, and most recent military conflict to date, and it's conclusion launched the empire into the Second Age, ending the First Age after 321 years.

Grimbrand Activity on Dur (Pre-Spaurian)
Not much is known about the Grimbrand dwarves. It is speculated that they hail from a larger continent somewhere southeast of Glaun Encaru, but modern cartography has left such areas of the earth and sea untouched. For an unknown period of time before the First Age, the Grimbrands used the volcanic islands south of Dur for mining, and were once or twice encountered by Calbournian vessels during the Goblin Wars, and the initial exploration of the southern coasts. Each time, the dwarves quickly and bluntly refused to have dealings with the settlers, and thus kept them away from the islands.

Shortly after the establishment of Spauria, the few Grimbrands that inhabited the islands vanished, apparently voyaging homeward, and leaving nothing behind, but for a few carved runes which earned the island it's name. Initial skepticism and panic rose as Spaurian's began to wonder what this could mean, but their worries and concerns were soon directed towards the War of Kings, after which the Grimbrands were forgotten entirely.

Siege of Dur (FA 313)
For centuries the island of Dur was largely left alone by the Spaurians, who had been focusing on expanding their empire inland rather than at sea. Only a handful of explorers and adventurers had ever bothered to visit the large isle. However, in FA 301, the now ruined cities of Eastview and Dawngulf joined together to send explorers and skilled miners to Dur and it's islands in hopes of finding and collecting valuable resources. The cities were pleased to find that the islands were rich with copper, iron, and other precious metals, as well as heavy elemental influences from the nearby volcanoes.

For twelve years miners and explorers charted the isles and harvested the rich metals therein, uncovering evidences of ancient Grimbrand digging sites as they did so. However, in Nelvembir of FA 313, after the disappearance of a cargo vessel along the southernmost islands, and the vanishing of the subsequent search party, the people of Dur began to grow suspicious. Monster hunters were sent, and soon spotted foreign ships and unknown structures upon the far islands where the vessels had disappeared.

Rapidly the islands were overtaken by the Grimbrands with violent force, faster than any warning could be sent to each one. Those who did escape fled to Dur in mass panic, where the speeches of dragonborn Maxcis Shurtchugal encouraged the people and readied them for the impending battle.

Despite valiant efforts from the miners, Dur was besieged by the Grimbrands on Nelvembir 17th, FA 313. Less than one hundred men escaped by boat, and a remaining two hundred were taken as prisoners of war. Nearly five hundred were slain in battle. The unprovoked slaughter of Spaurian civilians and the conquering of Spaurian territory was more than enough to propel the empire into immediate military action, thus beginning the Grimbrand War.

Public Reaction
Following the Siege of Dur, the Spaurian public was outraged, and demanded immediate military retaliation. Whispers of a larger, nationwide threat from the foreign dwarves drifted throughout the empire, and in the coming months, the Spaurian army saw a surge of new recruits, especially from the south.

Lord Chyziss was enraged by the news of foreign armies amassing on Spaurian ground, but on one of the few occasions where his advisors were able to sway his decisions, the dragon king was convinced not to attack the Grimbrands at Dur due to reports of heavy artillery.

Early Period
The early stages of the war were slow, and for most of the winter months following Dur's siege, neither side provoked any attack. The Spaurian army did not have the necessary naval abilities or equipment to launch an attack on the Grimbrands, and the dwarves did not have a substantial force with which to begin conquering any portion of the mainland. Thus, both sides spent the winter in preparation, with the Spaurians using aerial spies and arcane scryings to gather information on their new enemies, and the Grimbrands heavily fortifying their islands and gathering more forces from the sea.

In the spring of FA 314, the Grimbrands launched a heavy attack on Dawngulf, which had been preparing for such an event for months. The Spaurians were able to keep the enemy at bay, with both sides trading cannon fire and arcane missiles for two days. In the end, however, Grimbrands were able to flank the city by sending half of their ranks into the surrounding mountains, to then close in for a massive pincer movement. The city was taken on the third day, and the Grimbrands now had a strong foothold in Glaun Encaru. From there, they moved swiftly towards Eastview by mountain and by sea, attacking the city head-on and taking it by force. The Spaurian military found the Grimbrand tactics simple and predictable, but brutally effective.

Immediately after taking Dawngulf and Eastview, the invaders transformed the cities into Grimbrand megafortresses, which would later be known as Mrov and Thulk.

Middle Period
Spauria was thrown into a state of national emergency after losing two of their most heavily fortified cities, and agreements were immediately made between the empire and Fylarion to aid each other in the war efforts, for the mutual benefit of their countries.

For the next seven years, the Grimbrand War would be a slow, brutal battle for territory, with the dwarves pushing relentlessly from the south, and the free nations attempting to halt them and drive them back towards the sea. Any attempt at peaceful agreements or compromises with the Grimbrands were futile, and met only with increased force.

As the years went by and the battles raged on, the Grimbrands expanded their territory as far west the mountain of Arrathatur, and as far northward as the edges of Fylarion.

Arkk-Sul
At some point in the late periods of the war, the Grimbrands came upon the sleeping Fire Giant Arkk-Sul while tunneling in the Deeps of Pavar, whom they revered as a god. The Giant aided the dwarves in their war efforts by crafting monstrous metal war machines, and teaching them to subjugate behirs. On many occasions, Arkk-Sul lead Grimbrand charges, laying waste to the armies of their enemies with prowess and ferocity never before seen. The "Flaming Devil" as he was called, struck fear into the hearts of Spaurians, who had only heard of such Giants in mythology, and found themselves powerless to stop it in combat. The presence of Arkk-Sul threatened to turn the tide of the war in favor of the dwarves.

''"He was like a mountain of burning coals... too hot to touch and too tremendous to escape." -Unknown Soldier''

Gruldug's Fall (FA 321)
In Ocknober of FA 321, the Grimbrand General Gruldug led a direct charge towards Fylarion, after the decision was made to strike at the heart of elven society, seeing them as the most dangerous threat. Unwisely taking an entire two-thirds of the Grimbrand militia with him, Gruldug and Arkk-Sul made their way to the edges of the magnolium woods, only to be met with the entirety of the elven army, who had been waiting for them. The Spaurians closed in from the west, and the combined forces of the armies were able to hold the dwarven forces in place long enough for Fylarion spellcasters to successfully wound Arkk-Sul.

With the Fire Giant in retreat, the Grimbrand forces fell back to the fortress of Karin-Mur while the Spaurians and Fylarion elves regrouped and readied for an attack. Before Arkk-Sul could heal fully, the Spaurian army, along with fresh reinforcements led by General Kalluin Eyarude, had arrived, with the elves approaching from the north. Though Gruldug and the Grimbrands were little prepared, the following battle was long and tremendous.

In a bold act of heroism that has been cemented in Spaurian legend, Kalluin Eyarude, the dragonborn monk later called "the Silver Snake," dueled against Arkk-Sul himself, ultimately defeating his opponent, who's flaming body fell from a citadel and crushed General Gruldug. The death of their most feared and respected leaders caused the remaining Grimbrands to panic, and flee from the battle into the safety of their underground tunnels, which would take them back to their territory. With the dwarven fortress in ruins, the Spaurians celebrated a strong victory, which would mark the end of the Grimbrand War. In the coming days, the Spaurian and Fylarion armies would find any Grimbrand stronghold north of Dholdum abandoned, with heavy walls being hastily built around the remaining dwarven territory. After much discussion, and lengthy negotiations between the two sides, it was agreed that the Grimbrands would surrender, and be subjected to many scrolls worth of terms and debts. This was done partially because the Spaurian military had no current means of sieging another megafortress, and because it was reported that the dwarves had desolated all land, resources, and natural water sources in the territory they had conquered. Thus, the land was of no considerable use to either side.

In Spauria, the news of the victory and the ending of the great war spread quickly, and the year 321 of the First Age ended with great joy and jubilance. It was decided that such a momentous event was fitting for the ending of one era and the beginning of a new one, and thus, the Second Age was ushered in. In the White Hills, the elves of Fylarion constructed the great Tower of Centirilya, from which all of Grimbrand territory can be seen through the magic of the elven craftsmanship. The tower stands both as a symbol of peace, and as a warning to the enemy against any future incursions.

Trivia
Project Ravenous Void was a top-secret military experiment headed by the Spaurian Mages Association that tested the possibility of deliberately crossing extra-dimensional pockets in order to cause large-scale astral vacuums. The project was abandoned after the conclusion of the Grimbrand War, and after concerns that larger implosions could leave lingering vacuums.

The Grimbrands never gave up any details concerning their origins, but it is rumored amongst Grimbrand offspring that their ancestors were part of a dwarven war-cult with a particular hatred for elves.

Arkk-Sul was the first and last known appearance of a Fire Giant on the surface of Glaun Encaru.