The Wars of the Successors

The Wars of the Successors, the Successor Conflicts, the Warlord Era, and known to most elves as the "Sunless Age" (Olmë: Ouessen Duach) was a period of time between c. 3000 and c. 3700 TC. This epoch saw a steady continuation of trends, that had been to a degree halted, albeit temporarily, by the actions of Calad, the elven emperor. They included a general population decline, especially in previously urban centres, elven or otherwise, a decline of trade and degradation of old trade routes, increased migration, outbreaks of diseases and plagues, and a near constant state of war.

The term is generally considered to apply solely to the western hemisphere, as the entire period is believed to have been catapulted into existence by the death of the last elven Empress, Ettari in late 3077 TC, and the subsequent fracturing of her domains, which had at that time covered lands only in that part of the world. Some scholars argue that the breakdown in social order and rampant warfare had begun decades or even a century or more hitherto the Empress' death, depending on the region.

Entire cities and their populations had been destroyed, or abandoned. The Imperial Highway which had been the main thoroughfare throughout the empire fell into decay. Palaces and many other architectural wonders could not be saved from the flame either. The elves, however, were not the only ones affected. The fledgeling human states, chiefdoms and kingdoms of the time had also suffered grievously.

The Imperial historian Kendwaer wrote: ''"For the quicklings grew distraught and full of anger and many now sought out their former overlords and they exacted their vengeance, bringing down the fury of their faceless heathen gods upon them, smiting them with club, spear, and sword. When there was no more elven blood to spill, they had then turned on each other, as if a plague of maddening had tainted them, and they cut down their neighbours, friends and foes alike, and they gorged on their carcasses -- blood ran in rivers." ''

While Kendwaer was known for his anti-human sentiments, the general consensus was that his writings on the early years of the era, while certainly embellished to a degree, were nonetheless the most objective, if visceral, to have been produced.

Though considered to have nominally ended with Celwe's coronation in 3700 BTC, the effects of the period were felt for at least a few more centuries in certain parts of the world. The Ealingan kingdoms in the East did not suffer nearly as much, as they had limited to no contact with the western elves. Their trade network depended more on their far-eastern colonies as well as the Cerulean merchant cities, which had also survived the era without noticeable long-term effects.

The collapse of the Caras Lenanh
The elven empire had been dying a slow death ever since the last Tarenarin invasion 300 years ago. While it must be said that Calad, Ettari and their allies had managed to sanitise or cauterize the wounds the easterlings had inflicted on the empire, and in the case of the former reverse its fortunes, for a short time, it seemed that the death of the empire was inevitable.

In 3077, Ettari and all her children had been assassinated, effectively leaving the empire without a single leader and creating a power vacuum. Though the Empress had plans in the case of her own death and that of her heirs, these were never put into motion. Within a week of her demise, the Empire had been carved up into dozens of smaller entities. The remnants of outer imperial territories, a variety of vassals and client states, as well as larger, more organised states, such as the Peninsular Empire under Eirien. Some simply gained the independence they wanted, wishing nothing to do with the Empire one way or another, but a plethora of others claimed that they were the rightful heirs to the Sapphire throne.

Successor states
Main articles here: Eirien's Empire, The Empire Reborn, Pentari Alignment, Gweirniu's Dominion

The largest and most powerful of the rump states were:
 * Eirien's Empire, also known as the Peninsular Empire, was the de facto successor to the imperial regime. It was centered on the Starcast peninsula and several outlying island chains and originally headed by Eirien ar Fiannan, the Head Chancellor of the Senate. Illian remained the state capital. While its territory remained static for the majority of the period, Eirien's state fought several defensive wars against the other Successors both on Tuir Lenanh and overseas. Eventually Celwe would assume control from the imperial senate in 3695 BTC and begin a campaign to reunify the empire.
 * Gweirniu's Dominion, nestled in south-central Neuvalon, broke off from Eirien's authority early in 3078, reforming under General Torwallach aep Gweirniu, a noted military leader who had served under both Calad and Ettari. Ard Uendacil was proclaimed the new capital, and Gweirniu's armies quickly pacified the neighbouring nordling and Hangfels tribes and chiefdoms. While it was possibly the strongest of the remaining Successors militarily, its landlocked location and hostile environment soon created financial difficulties which would plague its citizens for most of its existence.
 * The Pentari Alignment, which held on to most of the remaining territories in northern Neuvalon, including a dozen smaller, overseas holdings and cities. It was characteristically different than most of the other Successors, by way of being a semi-democratic, constitutional polity, rather than a monarchy, for staying out of all but one of the warlord conflicts, opting to rather focus on trade, and for promoting beneficial, symbiotic unity between the elven ruling class and their numerous human subjects. The Alignment's capital was the old city of Allantra, (modern Antrijs) and its first nominal leader was Norwe aep Cwernach, one of the five "Cerulean Kings".
 * The Empire Reborn, situated in the south of Tuir Lenanh, it spent the first decades of its existence fighting the emergent Avaline Kingdom. Initially led by High Mother Rhuanni, who was a known proponent of the Dybriodd Siaina, a more violent and elitist interpretation of the Cult of Siai. Despite its unfavourable location, the so-called Reborn Empire called upon the more fanatical of the empire's believers, proclaiming several Tuith Gwaedd, or "bloodpaths" against the other successor states, particularly the ones on Neuvalon and beyond.

Besides these four, there were several other, albeit less notable entities formed in the wake of the empire's collapse: As opposed to previous eras in history, documents from the 31st century onwards are scarce, often subjective, and sometimes outright false. This is attributed to the fact that most of the elven historians, and thus their manuscripts, remained either on Starcast itself or fled to northern Neuvalon among the Pentari, who openly offered asylum to, among others, imperial scholars. The famous traveller and historian Eneirin noted that "The Pentari saw this as a way of best preserving the people's way of life before the easterling invasions, and the subsequent years of hardship we'd endured."
 * The Authority of Dweutumno
 * The Avaline Insurgency, later the Kingdom of Tor Vallon
 * The Empire of Galaan
 * Esphoran League
 * Eithne's Magocracy
 * The Union of Two Republics
 * Serisia
 * Luvianni's Empire

More to come.