Wars of Arin

The Wars of Arin were a series of large-scale combats fought between 755 and 801 LC. On one side was the Onyx Empire, which included the country of Arin, ruled by the wizard Keraptis, as well as Garnath, ruled by Lord Zathmore, and at some points Tanilon, ruled by the drow general Daelras. On the other side were the various forces of the SouthLands, most notably the aggregated armies of the White Alliance, founded by Morley Pallianor, joined by with the Dwarves of the Thair Mountains led by Thorin Orchammer (and later Thorin Archer) and the men of Braith under King Xorg (and later his sons Zorg and Borg).

Throughout the length of these wars, the Onyx Empire sought to expand its territory from its central point in Arin. At various points, they were able to conquer most of Tanilon as well as Lan-Zarek, and even parts of northern Kellan, but were always driven back. They were severely impeded by the Thair Mountains in the south and, to a lesser extent, the Onyl Mountains in the north. In the end, Keraptis declared an all-out offensive that began in 785 LC.

The empire split its army into two parts. The northern force, commanded by Zathmore, was charged with capturing Alior and moving through the Gap of Veclin to attack the northern part of Tanilon and, eventually, Jar-Kahn, which was controlling much of the northern forces behind the scenes, led by Gandriel. The southern force, meanwhile, was led by Morjec, another wizard loyal to Keraptis.

In the south, Morjec was able to make an end-run around the Thair, marching through Lan-Zarek, then coming down the Vorilon River into Kellan. At one point, they were able to push as far south as Hanmer and Kimelis. In the north, things did not go well. While Zathmore conquered Alior with relative ease, the Gap of Veclin held fast. Further to the east, Eliendis also offered stiff resistance. At that point, Keraptis made a fateful decision: to cut off support for Zathmore and focus on the southern front.

This proved to be a tactical error, as Zathmore turned on his master, attacking Arin from the north. Keraptis had to call back his forces to defend against the traitor, allowing the SouthLands to regroup and begin pushing back. While Zathmore was defeated relatively quickly, and Daelras given command of the northern army, the opening was enough for the fledgling White Alliance to take advantage. It is thought that, in the end, the Empire simply overextended itself, leaving itself open to attack in its home territory of Arin.

The wars essentially came to an end upon the Empire's defeat in 801, after which Keraptis himself was hunted down and (presumably) slain by a band of high-ranking soldiers. While no peace treaty was signed, the region of Arin had been laid waste, and the army broken and scattered, but the forces allied against it were weakened, and thus were content that the invaders pulled back to their base. One of Keraptis' old minions, Morjec, came to power there not long afterwards, and it is thought he may be close to launching yet another attempt to conquer all of Lanad i'Sarois.