(0027-0032/6) The War of Succession was a long and bloody civil war fought between two rival factions of the kingdom of Erindar. The conflict resulted in the abdication of Queen Elwyn Fremantle and the establishment of the kingdom of Elyria.
ORIGINS
The kingdom of Erindar was rendered extremely weak after the disastrous War of the Cataclysm. The nation had lost tens of thousands of lives and was nearly bankrupt. Erindar's popular monarch, King Erin IV had been killed at the battle of Harkalad and his young wife, Elwyn (The Lady Elyrion) had assumed the Ivory Throne in his stead. Elwyn was very young when she assumed the throne, and seen by many at the Erindari court as weak.
Eventually after more than two decades of her contentious and erratic rule, the kingdom was growing into two great factions; the east and west halves of the country were stauchly opposed. In the year 27/6, in a desperate attempt to unite the Erindari political factions, Queen Elwyn approached a powerful eastern noble named Eldred Orsini, with a proposal to marry her and unite the country. Eldred refused the offer, and instead declared war upon the crown and the kingdom was shattered by civil war.
SIEGE OF GRESHAM
The Queen ordered Eldred arrested and sent the loyalist army to capture his stronghold at the city of Gresham. The city was under siege for over a year, but was never captured. During the long siege more and more Erindari vassals withdrew support from the Queen, and her armies were finally defeated on the field.
BLOODY STALEMATE
The next three years saw much bloody carnage as the two halves of the kingdom raided and pillaged each other. Neither side could gain an advantage militarily. Duke Eldred began to plot other methods to depose Queen Elwyn. Eldred sent a group of powerful assassins into the Cordova Palace, and in a night of dark terror, the Queen was nearly assassinated. Soon afterward, Queen Elwyn abandoned the royal castle and fled to the home of her Uncle and closest ally: Duke Gregor Krasdan. From his castle, she continued to wage a desperate, futile war against Eldred.
THE ABDICATION
By the year 32/6, it was clear that Eldred has the upper hand. He had captured the Cordova Palace and held the eastern two-thirds of the kingdom. Queen Elwyn made the decision to abdicate the throne of Erindar and the Treaty of Greypoole was signed, whereas the kingdom would be divided into two smaller realms divided by the Eldir Vaas river. Queen Elwyn did not go into exile, but rather formed a new kingdom in the far western regions of Erindar. That same year, Queen Elwyn declared herself the ruler of the new kingdom of Elyria and made the city of Rilsavar her capital.
Eldred then became the new king of Erindar. The war permanently divided the kingdom of Erindar into two smaller nations with much bitterness on both sides.
