5001-HârnWorld/3rd Edition/49

Puril’s plan was to seize Sarkum and march east on Aleath, thereby flanking Kanday. Surprise was achieved. Puril quickly overwhelmed Sarkum and Hebon, both independent allies of Kanday, but Puril suffered a mortal wound and died early in 689.

Puril’s son, Kabe, succeeded his father but the transfer of power gave Kanday valuable time to respond to the Rethemi strategy. The surviving petty states west of Aleath declared fealty to the Kandian king, Andasin III. When Kabe arrived at Sarkum by sea from Golotha, he found himself besieged by a fresh enemy force. Kanday recaptured Hebon in 690, although Andasin III was killed in the final assault. Kabe was still trapped in Sarkum. Any hopes he may have entertained that Kanday would lose heart with the death of their leader were dashed when the enemy rallied to the young Queen Eriel. In 692, fire broke out in the besieged Sarkum and Kabe perished. The castle surrendered, but Ezar’s War went on.

Chafin I was Kabe’s eldest surviving son. A competent strategist, he was able to maintain the stalemate along the Kandian border except for the loss of Dunir in 693. Determining that indirect methods could still win the war, he instructed the Order of the Crimson Dancer to assassinate Queen Eriel in 694. The murder did not, however, have the desired effect. The assassin was caught and when she confessed (under torture) and implicated the Rethemi king, all Kanday was outraged.

Mirelael succeeded her elder sister in a storm of fury against the Rethemi. Her armies seized the fortresses of Selvos and Menekod in the swift campaign of 695. To this point, only lands held by the Order of the Copper Hook had been lost by Rethem. Fearing that some of his own lands might soon be conquered, Chafin sought terms. The Peace of Selvos was signed in 697, ending a bitter 15-year war in which two monarchs from each side and many thousands of men had died. The peace established, more or less, the present Rethem-Kanday border.

Kanday emerged stronger than ever from Ezar’s War. The independent states west of Aleath, and lands taken from the Order of the Copper Hook, had been added to the kingdom. Rethem, on the other hand, verged on civil war. Chafin had the notorious Ezar assassinated in 698. The Order of the Crimson Dancer suffered the disfavor of the king to the extent that they emigrated to Orbaal in 701. Chafin I was assassinated in 703; this time no one was caught.

Andasin IV, the current ruler of Kanday, succeeded his mother, Mirelael, in 707 at the age of 17. The first five years of his reign were as peaceful as the problems along the border with Rethem would allow. Andasin IV would have preferred to maintain the Kandian tradition of peace and was distressed when he became embroiled in a war with the Thardic Republic in 712. The war started, probably as a result of a misunderstanding, when the Kandian Earl of Kuseme sent a band of knights to assert his control over a few disputed villages east of Eidru. Kronas Elernin, the Marshal of Ramala Province, took exception and moved forces to challenge the Kandian earl.

Kuseme Castle is clearly visible from Coranan and linked to the city by the Kobar Bridge. The Thardic Senate was in a hawkish mood and anxious to recover Kuseme, lost during the Five Year War. It made this minor crisis a pretext for war. Kronas was ordered to attack and seize Kuseme and he did so with dispatch. After much maneuvering, the opposing armies met in the autumn of 712 and Kronas emerged the victor. Eidru Keep was seized by Kronas; Kuseme was besieged.

The onset of winter prevented further conflict. The young Kandian king was not interested in war and offered peace. Before hostilities could resume in the spring, a peace was concluded that gave Kuseme and Eidru to the Thardic Republic. Kronas was furious, believing that he could have conquered all of Kanday. Privately, Kronas still believes that the senate acted out of jealousy and fear; the hero-worshipping masses are always fond of successful generals. In any event, the Senate was more than happy with the territorial gains, annexing the former Earldom of Kuseme as Eidel Province. To placate Kronas and his followers, the general was rewarded by being made both marshal and magistrate of the new province. Kronas still holds both offices. Although a few senators have expressed unease, none have yet challenged his considerable power.

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