1st Mokhwa, Suiseibi 4191 Second Age, Northern Ravkari Borderlands
The land once known as Ashed Vale had never known peace. Even before the war, it had been a place of ghosts—haunted by the old skirmishes of the Three Moon Rebellion and burned forests from long-forgotten border raids.
Following Velmara's declaration of war, the Dawn March Battalion—a column of 14,000 soldiers under General Kael Adrastin—was ordered to push eastward and secure the Ravkari border, under the justification of "preventing further acts of insurgency."
But Ravkari was not idle. Their border was defended by the Thorns of the Mother, a semi-autonomous militia of jungle-trained mystics and archers loyal to the high priestesses of the Sky-Sister Circle. They had no siege engines, no airships. But they knew the land better than any map Velmara had ever drawn.
When the Velmaran legion entered Ashed Vale, they were greeted not with resistance, but with silence. At dawn, under a thin veil of mist, the first column began crossing the Vale's shallow ravines. That was when the jungle screamed.
From the trees, hundreds of Ravkari Sun Arrows lit the sky—burning runes carved into shafts exploding mid-flight, raining ethereal flame. Dozens of Velmaran troops burned alive before they could draw blades.
The ground split beneath the forward marchers as hidden rootmancers twisted the ground, pulling soldiers down into sinkholes of living vines. Panicked screams echoed as soldiers suffocated, crushed by soil that moved like muscle. Adrastin ordered to retreat. But it was too late.
From the eastern ridge, Hunt-Mother Siraya Nelkav led the charge of the Ravkari's elite: the Bloodshade Riders. Mounted not on horses, but six-legged thorn-beasts, they tore through the Velmaran flank like lightning through parchment.
General Adrastin's Magebreaker Division, forbidden from entering the fray at first due to treaty restrictions on spellcraft, was now unleashed. Cloaked in black iron and wielding soul-siphoning relics, they launched void shock grenades into the forest.
The Ravkari lines faltered. Dozens of mystics collapsed, their spirits torn from their bodies, their last screams swallowed by the dark. A third of the jungle was turned to ashen fields in one hour. The Vale burned.
When the battle ended at dusk, 9,000 Velmaran soldiers were dead. Over 4,000 Ravkari warriors had fallen, including the Hunt-Mother herself—her throat torn out by a voidwrought blade.
General Adrastin survived, but with a fractured leg, a burned face, and an ego in ruins. Despite the losses, Velmara claimed victory, citing "neutralization of hostile forces."
6th Mokhwa, Kaenbi 4191 Second Age, Capital City of Gravenhall, Tzaria
The bells of Gravenhall rang not for war, but for mourning. Not for its own dead—but for the souls lost in Ashed Vale, especially those torn apart by soul magic, a practice Tzaria had condemned for over a millennium.
Inside the towering obsidian dome of the Hall of Iron Lords, the ruling council of Tzaria gathered behind locked doors. The Iron Crown, a triune leadership formed by Marshal Velric Dorne, High Minister Maraleth Ezaine, and Archsage Luthien Valevar, convened in full assembly.
"I warned you all this was coming," muttered Marshal Dorne, fingers drumming on his steel gauntlet. "Velmara has tested the world's patience and found it lacking."
"They used soul-breaking ordinance against Ravkari spellcasters," Archsage Luthien said flatly. "That is an abomination. A line crossed."
Minister Maraleth remained silent, watching the growing storm from the council windows. "And yet," she finally spoke, "Tzaria cannot afford to draw swords without knowing where Edenia stands."
Dorne scoffed. "Edenia is watching. And when they move, it will already be too late for the rest of us."
Tzaria prided itself on honor through restraint. Descended from the ancient Orders of Steel and Word, its people believed in strength married to justice. The news of Ravkari priestesses burned alive by soul grenades ignited nationwide outrage. Thousands rallied in Sableford Square, chanting "No more silence for slaughter!"
Yet others urged caution. Tzaria had been bled dry in the Dusk War forty years ago, and many citizens remembered losing fathers and uncles to imperial border conflicts. Was this truly their war to fight?
On 7th Mokhwa, Suiseibi 4191, the Iron Crown delivered a speech broadcast across the continent: "We do not draw our blades in haste. But neither do we turn from horror.
Velmara has crossed the sacred threshold by using banned magic in open warfare. Until they answer for their crimes, all diplomatic ties are severed, and Tzarian fleets will blockade all Velmaran trade ports along the eastern coast.
To the fallen in Ashed Vale—we did not know your names, but we honor your deaths.
Let the world know: Tzaria watches. And when we move, we will not stop."
That day became known as the Oath of the Iron Silence—a statement of neutrality… with a loaded gun beneath the table. What the world didn't see—yet—was the quiet shift in the Western Barricades. Tzaria began recalling its foreign scouts.
Munitions factories in Hollowmoor doubled output. And in secret, the Silver-Helmed Dragoons were reactivated—an elite force dormant since the Dusk War.
10th Mokhwa, Hikaribi 4191 Second Age. Capital of Velshad, Volgrad Dominion
In the heart of Velshad, where marble towers gleamed red under permanent dusklight from the Crimson Horizon, the Chamber of Claws convened. Here, politics were not debated—they were hunted.
Volgrad, long considered the "Blade behind the Curtain" of continental power plays, had not wept for Ravkari nor condemned Velmara's voidshock grenades. Instead, they sent wine to Velmara's war cabinet. In Volgrad, war was not a tragedy. It was a transaction.
Volgrad's rulers, the Triarchy of Flame, were not monarchs or elected officials—but three high houses bound by blood pact: House Dreviir (War), House Kalthein (Coin), and House Myrrak (Whispers).
The massacre at Ashed Vale did not frighten them. It aroused them.
"If Velmara bleeds, we sell them steel.
If Ravkari resists, we sell them spells.
If Tzaria condemns, we offer them peace—at a price."
—Archduke Calveran Dreviir, 4192 Second Age
Officially, Volgrad's embassy issued a brief statement: "The Dominion regrets the loss of life in Ashed Vale. We advise caution, dialogue, and mutual disarmament."
Unofficially, emissaries were dispatched to Velmara, offering mercenaries, rune-charged artillery, and strategic grain shipments—in exchange for resource rights in Ravkari lands after conquest.
Simultaneously, agents under House Myrrak slipped into Tzaria, posing as neutral merchants and healers. Their purpose was not peace—but intelligence.
Volgradians, raised under survivalist philosophy and war economy conditioning, cheered the potential war. Taverns in Velshad raised mugs to "Velmaran glory" while betting on which nation would fall next.
On 12th Mokhwa, Kinbi 4191, an unholy pact was signed beneath the Vault of Salt and Flame: Velmara would receive Volgradian siegecraft and manpower. In return, Volgrad would own 40% of future Ravkari mining colonies and have exclusive access to southern ports. In case of a Tzarian offensive, Volgrad reserved the right to "act independently"—meaning they could switch sides or sabotage the alliance when opportune.