“The Race Wars” was a global conflict across Falderia between two factions: the old falderian empire and the free-folk. Fighting took place throughout Falderia, with significant conflicts occurring in heavily populated civilian regions. The war was the deadliest period in Falderian history, seeing the Falderian population decrease by over 60%. The war saw the end of the elvish empire, the flooding of Gannelore, the destruction of Thonham, and the slaughter of many innocent civilians in the regions now known as Eschenfeld.
Increasing tensions between the oppressed free-folk (primarily elves, dwarves and halflings) and their oppressing human governors reached a breaking point after decades of protest and civil unrest. A militia of volunteering free-folk attacked the Thonham capitol building with the intention to send an unalienable message to the governing body of Falderia. Along with the fireballs cast through the windows, a message was burned into the grounds of the large parliament, “No equality, no Falderia”. Political and social tensions only heightened as citizens became wary of one another. The governing body gave no public response to the attack, but its armies are noted as mobilizing the same day.
The attack on Thonham sparked a series of violent clashes between the free-folk and the human forces across Falderia. The free-folk, who had been living in segregated and impoverished communities, rose up against their oppressors and demanded equal rights and representation. They formed a loose alliance of rebel groups, known as Eschenfeld, and declared war on the old falderian empire. The human government, led by Karel Glynnorin of The Glynnorin Family, later denounced Eschenfeld as terrorists and traitors, and vowed to crush their rebellion.
The war lasted for twelve years, and involved many major battles and atrocities. Some of the most notable events of the war were:
- The Siege of Embersail: The Falderian armies laid siege to the coastal city of Embersail, which was a strategic port and a stronghold of Eschenfeld. The siege lasted for over a year, and resulted in heavy casualties on both sides. The falderian armies eventually breached the city walls, but were met with fierce resistance from Eschenfeld. The battle ended in a stalemate, as both sides ran out of supplies. The Falderian armies retreated, but not before setting fire to many surrounding farms.
- The Battle of Thonham: Eschenfeld launched a massive counterattack on the Falderian Empire, and aimed to capture the capital city of Thonham. The Falderian armies outnumbered Eschenfeld, with many units garrisoned in cities outside of Thonham. Eschenfeld, however, used guerrilla warfare and magic to resist and wreak havoc. The battle was brutal and bloody, albeit short. The Falderian armies arrived at the walls of Thonham, forcing Eschenfeld to fight on both fronts. Eschenfeld knew the battle was lost, and surrendered the skirmish. Despite this, the Falderian armies executed the remaining Eschenfeld fighters. The Battle of Thonham was a decisive victory for the Falderian empire, and marked a turning point as the beginning of the end for Eschenfeld.
- The Massacre of Gannelore: The Falderian empire, emboldened by their success at Thonham, pursued the remaining Eschenfeld forces to the city of Gannelore, where the elvish militias had established their head of operations. The Falderian armies surrounded Eschenfeld base, and demanded their surrender. Eschenfeld refused, and prepared for a final stand. The Falderian armies unleashed a barrage of spells and catapults, followed with a ground assault. Eschenfeld fought back valiantly, but were overwhelmed by the Falderian armies. The Falderian armies showed no mercy, and slaughtered every Eschenfeld soldier and free-folk civilian they encountered. The Massacre of Gannelore was one of the worst atrocities of the war, and resulted in the death of over 100,000 free-folk. The Massacre is often quoted as the final straw that spurred the Scorched Earth event.
- The Scorched Earth Event: With little time left before an inevitable victory for the Falderian empire, Eschenfeld turned to magic never before or again seen. In the dead of the night, a small collection of the strongest spellcasters in Eschenfeld visited a small section of land in The Duchy of Parzelon. In this unknown location, the casters gave their lives to cause the worst atrocity in Falderian history. Less than 24 hours after the unknown spell was cast, Thonham’s living population had halved. The soil had turned dry and arid, the crops, trees and algae that once bloomed throughout the lands of Thonham had turned brown or died. Fountains that used to show The Falderian Empire’s prosperity had stopped flowing, and what remained of the animals, domesticated or wildlife, ran free or thrashed at their bounds. The white stone, for which Thonham was known, quickly became brittle, turning to rubble a dust in a matter of days. This marked the end of The Race Wars. During the Scorched Earth event, and in the weeks following, an estimated four million people died in Thonham.
- The Flooding of Gannelore: Little is known about the cause of the flooding of Gannelore. It occurred shortly after the Scorched Earth event, and crumbled the foundations of the city. The flooding formed The Gannelore Sea around The Gannelore River, and separated The Eroan Wilds from The Duchy of Parzelon. The flooding saw much of the remaining elvish population lose their lives, with the few remaining fleeing to The Eroan Wilds and the few remaining large elvish settlements such as Elvenwatch.
The end of the war brought The Thonham Accords, a set of agreements between the newly formed nation of Eschenfeld and The Falderian Empire reborn. Eschenfeld received every demand raised, although cultural properties of The Falderian Empire and Eschenfeld meant that equality was never truly achieved.
The Thonham Accords was seen as a humiliating defeat for the old falderian empire, and a historic victory for the free-folk. The Thonham Accords also marked the beginning of the final years of the elvish race. With such long life spans and low fertility rates, it is unknown if the elvish race will still exist in a few hundred years. The Thonham Accords saw the establishment of Eschenfeld as a nation, and The Falderian Empire as the two dominating powers in Falderia. The Thonham Accords also paved the way for the reconstruction and reconciliation of Falderia, and the promotion of peace and cooperation among its diverse peoples and cultures.