OOC - A Brief Overview of the Mage War (Pulled from Auriel's History)

I don't know why it didn't occur to me until now that I should make this information easier to find. Anyway...

Within a year Thalia declared war on King Asgurt, proclaiming herself savior of the magical races of the land. The war should have been a blowout, with the larger armies of Dalen bristling with war-mages easily wiping out the mage-less humans of Verden. However, somehow, the patriotic and disciplined men and woman of Verden managed to turn back the armies of Dalen time and time again.

Two years into the conflict, as Dalen's armies continued to waste themselves upon the swords of Verden's armies and the walls of Verden's cities, the rebels finally came out of the shadows. They stormed and captured the Dalen city of Mizsulce, which at the time was a huge slave hub. Auriel herself participated in the assault and performed admirably, so much so that she was promoted to an officer after the city fell.

Unfortunately for the Rising Star, Thalia was in no mood to let this slight pass. She recalled all the armies that were moving to the front to reinforce the attacking armies and mobilized her personal retinue, forging an army with which to reclaim the city. Leading the assault herself, Thalia's army stormed Mizsulce, massacred the population, and burned the city to the ground (she needed to make a statement to other rebel groups that might be foolish enough to consider taking territory from her).

Auriel managed to escape the slaughter along with a handful of her men. They all went back into hiding, eventually joining up with other survivors. Meanwhile, the Dalen invaders in Verden were routed and crushed when the reinforcements they were expecting did not arrive in time. That defeat, compounded by fears of more slave and rebel uprisings, caused public favor for the war to tank. Verden sent raiders into Dalen to destroy resources and disrupt troop movements while a force was amassed to invade Dalen. Although Asgurt likely did not possess enough forces to take and hold territory in Dalen, Thalia's council feared the destruction that would be wrought from continuing what was now viewed as a largely pointless war, and Thalia was persuaded to sign a truce with King Asgurt.