Great War

The Great War (also called The War of the Dissolution or The Holy War) was a conflict that involved most of Fruos that took place from IA 988-991.

The conflict began with the Edict of Apotheosis proclaimed by Rosen Emperor Telmein III, in which he declared himself the New God prophesied in the Fruosian Pantheon. He demanded all of Fruos submit to him, causing Galbard, the Felwyn Kingdom and Sovellis to form an alliance against him. Along with the Dwarves, they battled the Empire.

The war saw a lot of lives lost in a short period of time. Most deadly was the Empire's destruction of Bronzewit after it surrendered to the Allied Powers.

The war ended decisively at the Battle of Laimen, during which the Emperor was killed. The Allied Powers imposed a harsh peace on their foes, dissolving the Empire and breaking it apart.

Background
The idea of a pan-Fruosian war being declared by the Empire was not a new one. Indeed, Telmein's grandmother, the Empress Lorelei II, spoke of the idea of expanding the Empire to the east, noting that doing so would probably see most of the rest of Fruos unite against her. Telmein's ambitions were equally clear, although he spent the earlier part of his rule asserting dominance over the Western Protectorate. His demon legions had raised alarm, especially in Galbard, and were viewed as a threat to peace.

The conflict began with the Edict of Apotheosis proclaimed by Telmein, declaring himself the New God. Following the proclamation, the Rosen Empire sent envoys to all the other realms of Fruos, demanding their immediate subjugation on threat of war. In reality, Telmein had already begun the war, sending legions into the Frenwold Forest with the view to seizing the western coast before any of his rivals could.

In response to the Edict and consequential summons, an emergency magical council was convened between Galbard, the Felwyn Kingdom and Sovellis (the Three Powers). Each agreed to form an alliance to stop the Empire. Galbard sent envoys to the Dwarf realms to secure their support, a mission made easier by Telmein's demonic raids on Dwarven lands out of Dansk. An alliance was formed between the Three Powers and the various dwarf clans, often referred to as the Allied powers.

Allied mobilisation and early battles
The early war saw a series of battles beingfought, mostly on the Rosen border and then within the Imperial demesne.

In early 989, the Imperial Free City of Bronzewit surrendered to Allied forces. When the Emperor heard of this, in his wrath he ordered Storm Mages to destroy the city. Their maelstrom engulfed the city, killing all within it and leaving it a corrupted magical ruin.

During the Siege of Djenzig in late 989 by the Lutgehr Dwarfs, rebels within the city overpowered the Imperial garrison there and negotiated the city's surrender to the besiegers. In 990, Arch-Duke Andei of Sovellis managed to create a small breach in the Imperial Paling and was therefore able to magically teleport soldiers into the Empire's Western Protectorate. There, they found a great deal of unrest and were able to assist the fledgling rebels, who had suffered under oppressive Rosen rule.

By spring of 991, with the war pressing in form both east and west, Telmein summoned his demonic legions and battle-mages for a final counter-offensive in the eastern theatre (it is believed he was content to abandon the West, possibly with the intention of later killing most of the civilians there). After some initial success, the Imperials forces aimed to secure a decisive victory on the amassed Allied forces Laimen, in the north of the No-Mans Plain. The week-long battle hung in the balance until an unknown cleric somehow managed to slay Telmein in entirely unknown circumstances, themselves perishing shortly thereafter. Imperial forces quickly routed after the death of their leader. With the Western rebels making rapid advances and the Allied powers preparing a final invasion from the east, the remainder of the Imperial Court sent peace commissioners to the Allied powers with a mandate of surrender at almost any cost.