02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

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As whispers of a religious war begin to rumble in
the streets of Cygnar, Khador initiated a bold move
recruiting Tharn warriors from the Thornwood.
The Khadorans sponsored a series of small border
skirmishes to test Cygnaran defenses. Finding the
results to their liking, Khador immediately began
small-scale incursions across the border into Cygnaran
territories. While unfortunate as an event can be, the
invasion effectively sidetracked Cygnar from internal
disputes and stalled what might have become the first
Cygnaran Civil War.
The border war outlasted both the reign of
Malagant the Grim and Queen Cherize of Khador.
Cherize disappeared without a trace from her own
chambers on the eve of a celebration for her highness
on Vendarl 3rd, Doloven 295 AR. Shortly after on the
morning of Malleus 13th, Ashtoven 295 AR Malagant
the Grim was found in his bed lifeless and wasted from
sorrow and fever. Shortly after, a deadly plague called
the Ten Ills scoured the tribes of the Tharn. All of
these stories are interwoven aspects of the war and are
recounted best in the Enduring Books of Cygnaran Lore
and Tradition, Volume IV (505 AR).
The legion of losT souls
Tales of cherize’s Treachery and her enmiTy wiTh malaganT
The grim are legendary. sTories of The grim king and his
warrior comPanion raven and The beTrayal ThaT led To The
demise of malaganT’s reign and The deaTh of his beloved
queen serahza also sPawned The legend of The legion of
losT souls. hundreds of years laTer, The legion Proved To
be more Than legend aT The baTTle of black river bridge in
corvis (see The wiTchfire Trilogy: lols).
The Border Wars continued for some time,
expanding to involve Llael and Ord. Queen Cherize’s
successor Ayn Vanar V was but five years of age at
the time, so Lord Regent Velibor ruled Khador in
her stead. Cygnar’s new king, Crowle Malfast, was
crowned in the month of Ashtoven, and as the
fighting with Khador increased King Malfast “the
Fist” ordered the use of warcasters and warjacks in
the Battle of Broken Sword (297 AR). Khador was
unprepared for the Cygnaran warcasters’ tactics and
found themselves at the mercy of warjacks armed with
swords, pikes, and cannons.
The war continued with a persistent series of
skirmishes. Ord and Llael were constantly beset; Ord
especially was targeted by Khadoran forces with the
city of Midfast once more under constant siege. In 305
AR, a warrior named Markus Graza slew 14 champions
of the barbarian tribes laying siege to Midfast one after
the other in a series of challenges. This effectively
stalled the attackers until reinforcements could arrive.
Markus soon thereafter fell in battle, and the radiant
figure of Asc. Katrena appeared above his body and
drew him up in a pillar of soul fire. The barbarians
witnessed his ascension and fled the field.
Yet even the Ascension of Markus did not fully
quell the Border Wars. It took Queen Ayn Vanar V to
come of age and cease the war in 313 AR. The young
queen was tired of all the suffering and bloodshed
and she withdrew her troops. Lord Regent Velibor was
then exiled to the northern wastes to live out the end
of his days.
The Quiet Century
Though the time known as the Quiet Century was
not without its small battles and conflicts, there were
no outright declarations of war or border aggression
on a massive scale. For over a hundred years from
314 AR until 464 AR the Iron Kingdoms endured
a time of uneasy quiet. The 150-year period was a
time of technological growth, military innovation,
and religious development. Still, relations between
the faiths were tense as Menite leaders spoke of a
new crusade, and many turned to Morrow to see the
promise of a better day.
The mechanikal industry saw the foundations of
several schools of military wizardry, scholastic pursuit,
and mechanikal learning. Merywyn Academy (314
AR), the Cygnaran Strategic Academy (328 AR),
the Khadoran Mechaniks Assembly (393 AR), and
Sunbright Strategic Academy (412 AR) all began
during this time.
A number of mechanikal wonders were also
created in this gap between wars and conflicts. In 343
AR Magnus Jullian Montfort incorporated Gasparo’s
Arcantrik Convergence Engine (created in 308 AR)
into plate armor, creating the first prototype for
warcaster armor. In 436 AR Magnus Ashlan Halstead
invented the arc node based on the arcanik relay and
paved the way for innovations in tactical warcasting
and the creation of new types of warjacks. Most
importantly, Khador began construction of the Korsk-
World Guide 41