The Centennial Conquest

The Centennial Conquest was a war fought between the city-states of Eastern Baelor. Stormkeep, a major port city by the Sunset Sea, set about conquering the other 5 major city-states, slowly bringing them all under its influence. The war ended at the Battle of Crowshire, in which forces loyal to Stormkeep breached the city's walls and slayed the city's leader, Griffonlord Tyrian Windheart. The war lead to the formation of the Crimson Empire.

The Conquest: 803-804 AFA
Founded in 703 AFA, Stormkeep had grown into a bustling port city and regional power by it's 100th anniversary in 803 AFA. It's leader, Lord Evander Orwell, was a devout follower of Helena, and believed that his military was the strongest on the Eastern side of the continent. On the eve of the city's centennial celebration, Evander had a dream that he believed was a vision of Helena, telling him to conquer the other Eastern city-states and unite that half of Baelor. The next day, he announced his intentions to the people, preparing Stormkeep for war. He called it the Centennial Conquest.

They soon found early success, conquering both Davenclave and Ebonvale relatively easily. They named their new nation the Crimson Empire They decided to regroup afterwards, giving them time to establish their rule in both cities before marching on. However, a brutal winter saw their conquest halted entirely, and they would be forced to wait until the spring of 804 AFA to continue.

That spring brought easy victories at Fairdale and Oreville, who both surrendered upon the cities being surrounded. At the time, Fairdale was mostly comprised of Halflings, and they were allowed to keep a large portion of their power within the city as terms of their surrender. Oreville, a mostly gnomish city, had a similar fate. This left only Emberfalls, Crowshire and Evergate as the remaining major powers to oppose them, and Emberfalls and Crowshire had recently fought a war (the Winter War) to a stand-still. The now Emperor Orwell believed victory would come swiftly.

He was wrong. First targeting Emberfalls, he found the city difficult to siege, as the Cascading Run that surrounded its walls proved to be a difficult obstacle. After months of siege, the city finally fell in late summer of that year, eventually surrendering before the city was sacked.

That left only Crowshire and Evergate, yet Stormkeep's forces by this point were weary and tired of battle. Crowshire used this to their advantage, pulling all their troops and citizens back into the city walls from nearby villages. They burned the villages to the ground, leaving Stormkeep with no way to pick up supplies on their way to the city. By the time they reached the walls of Crowshire in fall of 804 AFA, Stormkeep's troops were near starvation.

Knowing that a prolonged siege would spell doom for his forces, Emperor Orwell decided his best chance was to overwhelm them quickly with sheer force. His troops outnumbered their 5 to 1, and so they set about breaching the city's walls. But they were unprepared for the might of Crowshire's Griffon riders. They swooped down from the air, deftly dodging arrows and dropping heavy storms, fireballs and other attacks from above. After a full day of fighting, the Empire's forces had been completely stalled.

However, the momentum of the battle shifted that night, as a powerful storm blew in from across the Broken Expanse. With their griffons battered by the heavy winds and rain, the riders were unable to halt the siege. Flaming rocks rained down on Crowshire from trebuchets, and soon the city's gates had been breached. They fought bravely, yet were ultimately defeated. Their leader, Griffonlord Tyrian Windheart, refused to surrender the city. And so Emperor Orwell ordered him thrown from the city walls into the Broken Expanse, and his death effectively marked the end of the conquest. Able to resupply in Crowshire, by the time the forces of Stormkeep marched on Evergate, the white flags of surrender had already been hung from the city's walls. The Crimson Empire now ruled most of Eastern Baelor.

Aftermath
With the eastern city-states now united under one banner, Emperor Orwell returned to Stormkeep to rule his new empire. Though some in his inner circle believed that he should attempt to cross the Endless Peaks and the Broken Expanse to finish his conquest, the Emperor thought the notion was foolish, and instead felt content that his "vision" from Helena had been fulfilled.

Though there was relative peace for a time, the citizens of Crowshire did not take kindly to imperial rule. 23 years later, they would rise up during the Windheart Rebellion, though they were ultimately unsuccessful. Since then, the Empire has remained stable, and enjoyed a prolonged period of prosperity.