Salvre Kirrentai

The Salvre Kirrentai was a Soleannen crusade against that was supposed to take place within the Third Escharian Empire, Valerei, and Simulami, following Katia Bellator's massacring of Solitude, and the eventual decision of leading a force to radicalize the area with Soleannen against the traditional views of Oracle Ekesir, and the opposite radicals of religious Freedom, Hazel. Not only did the war not happen, Escharia fell and the three leaders of these factions disappeared from sight.

The theft of the finding of the ancient site
The origins of the conflict date bate to 9/23/2023, Volunt of House Bellator arrived to visit Oracle after going through a dream. This dream is vague in Soleannen thought and Oracle recounted it as such:

“Beneath the veil of ages, where shadows dance upon forgotten shores, a sacred object lies concealed, obscured by the ruins of yesteryears. Venture through the labyrinth of crumbling sandstone, where whispers of the lost weave their melancholic tales. Within the heart of the forsaken lighthouse, where the echoes of a bygone era resonate, seek the unseen, the relic of untold power. Amidst the remnants of the past, where time's grasp is frail, it awaits, patiently yearning for discovery. But heed the call of the Ascension Site, where stone circles stand as celestial conduits. There, at the threshold of the heavens, listen to the wind's ancient song, for it carries the key to unlock the secrets of the forgotten.

Let the waves of the sea, once home to the illustrious Soleanna, be your guiding symphony. As the salted air kisses your cheek, embrace the whispers of the lost city's demise, for within its turbulent depths lie clues to your destined prize.”

After telling Volunt, the Bellator vowed to find the meaning of this. He headed to Litoci, thinking of the clues that led there before. He recalled the passage in an old tome on the history of the Holy Tower of the Fire of Solaris that lay on the sea. Journeying there he found the ruins of the old lighthouse and found his way deep into its core. There he found the reliquary that housed the possible location of the ruins of the once great city of Soleanna.

The Reliquary
Many were called to go to this sacred reliquary, as it was found with many ancient artifacts inside. The faithful gathered in the Mother-church of the Soleannen faith, the Ekkir of Drakhasrei. While in prayer, however, a follower of the Luxite faith snuck into the church and stole the sacred item. When he was caught, he killed many of the followers there, despite them not having any weapons or armor. Once the waters of the sacred pool ran red with the blood of Niedene, the Ekeris’s blood ran hot with the embers of Ivoras. He called for those of the Soleannen faith to raise the army and ready the fleet against the Luxites.

As the Soleannen militias gathered in the Ekkir, the Luxites prayed in their secret tunnels. The militia banded together and explored the subterranean labyrinth cave complex and stumbled upon an ancient tunnel deep below which led far from the city. Within it, they found an acolyte praying to the goddess Lux. He was taken away and immediately questioned by authorities of his involvement. Refusing to give his name and much information, the heretic spoke only in defiance until finally admitting at the end that he showed the thief into the city.

Once Oracle had this piece of knowledge, he ordered the Luxite to be burned on a pyre while the citizens placed a veiled screen over the Great Golden Statue as it stood for peace, whereas the bloodshed would surely be opposing of it. This served as a warning to those who wished to do harm to the faithful, and anyone else who would defile the sanctity of the Soleannen sites.

The Blight
Following this was a battle through the Luxite lands to retrieve the artifact. As war with the Luxites raged on, the Kolia Tree's roots grew. Upon return to the city of Drakhasrei, the Ekeris was horrified to see that blighted corruption had begun to blossom from the tomb of Ren Morningstar, which was assumed to be the work of the Tree. With this sight, the Ekeris called Soleannen priests to the Ekkir and charged Aelian Bellator with bringing the sacred flames of Ivoras from the mountain of Bellator. With the Bellator flames, they set fire to the tree and watched as the tree burned away, each leaf burning away with a hiss and scream. The Ekeris watched with dancing flame reflected in his eyes, until a miraculous spectacle appeared before him, coming out of the ashes. A form was spotted stepping out, long believed dead, sitting bewildered and confused. The form was K'ero Isariseanal. The Ekeris was wary of this sight and approached him with caution, but soon the feelings of joy at reuniting with an old and dear friend overwhelmed him. They spoke of what they each knew and went together to pray in the chapel of Sovide'Ilaura.

Katia's and K'ero's dissagreement
After the Kirretai conclave and K'ero's return, Katia Bellator, feeling particularly pious, traveled south to Baunei by foot, opposed to the Ekeris' carriage and the winged nature of the recently awoken K'ero. Once nearing the limit of the Ascension Site, Katia finally caught up to her fellow clergymen. There they walked among the high columns and discussed the various points of the previous conclave. The initial talks were discussed on how to deal with those who did not believe or rejected the Soleannen faith. K'ero raised the point for a peaceful approach of mediation and mild rules, as he explained this to the clergy, Katia stood silent and pensive. Something was brewing in her, the ring atop her hand glowed faintly as she was filled with rage.

In an instant her silence died as she charged an opposing idea of a forceful conversion of the non-Soleannen. This worsened as Katia went further in claiming that the non-Soleannen may as well be killed off. The clergymen took this with negative reception and soon the two sides were arguing. They kept arguing for a while before the dispirited Ekeris dissolved the council.

The Blight and the Mandate
However, as the council took place, the blight has not been cured by the burning of the Tree, it in fact has spread. The Ekeris ordered for the recently returned K'ero Isariseanal to investigate the nature and origin of this blight. The reliquary that was recovered from the Luxite War ended up showing the way to an ancient site. This site was the ruined Temple of Anetos, believed to have been built over a thousand years ago before the fall of Soleanna. Inside of the ruins was a diary, belonging to the last priest of Anetos. However, since that discovery and the growth of the blight, the Ekeris has become increasingly concerned that darkness was coming and was willing to do whatever necessary to ensure the empire did not fall to the same fate as the old Soleanna. He petitioned the Emperor to restore the Soleannen mandate to all Escharian lands and have allowed the Bellator house to bring people to trial for breaking Kirrentai Law.

The first trials of this mandate was the detainment of Duchess Lysaera of Suderen. It was believed that she is involved with the growth of the Blight in Drakhasrei, which engulfed the tomb of Ren Morningstar. With the discovery of the Soleanna Ruins the Ekeris fears that a similar fate may befall Escharia. The Kirrentai pushed harder for the mandate to be enacted and had the duchess brought to trial. However as this trial happened, a more serious and consequential trial occurred.

The Solitude Massacre
On the faithful night of October 21, 2023, Solitude was attacked and purged of non-Soleannen residents, as well as it could. The town was previously given freedom of religion, due to the Gertonians that lived previously. However, Katia led her bannermen through the town and marked the houses, killing those deemed non-Soleannen and establishing the mandate to the town.

In the morning, smoke rose from the city as bells rang atop the towers. Katia strolled through the streets accompanied by various captains of the bannermen. With the success of the purge, they guaranteed that no possible rebellions could happen from the purge, however that was surely a mistake to believe.

The Oracle sat alone shrouded in a heavy atmosphere of foreboding. Esageus gave him word from the West, bearing grim tidings of the townsfolk that whispered of a great and macabre bloodshed, a nightmare that had engulfed Solitude. It was rumored that Katia Bellator defied Soleannen laws and laid the town of Solitude in ruins as a haunting monument to her transgressions. Following this was the news of many of the survivors had sought refuge in Lostesrei. The aged Ekeris took this news sternly, pacing relentlessly through the vast stone halls of the Ekkir, only for K’ero to arrive bearing the same dire news.

Death of Sylene and the Kirrentai
With a sudden resolve, the Oracle's eyes blazed with an inner fire. He gave a demand to both dissolve the Kirrentai and also bring Katia for a trial on her crimes, seeing as this could follow suit and cause a full scale breakdown. Of course, the first action in this dissolving was to melt down the century old golden statue of Sylene. With some persuasion, they both agreed to the task that was of the heaviest of all tasks. Esageus departed to fulfill his duties, leaving K’ero and the old Ekeris to work on the fiery fate of the Icon of Sylene. As the once-pure and golden form melted in the searing forge, the Oracle wept and offered a fervent prayer to the melting statue, essentially an apology to what it once was.

Many days that followed after this, Katia Bellator stood before the Ekesir herself at the trial. She confirmed her actions, standing to her cleansing of the city of Solitude. K'ero, who had until then been listening to the echoes from far above him, was suddenly looking in the faces of seemingly endless soldiers, and at their front was Hazel, Hand of the Emperor. The chaos in their interruption and the massacre that followed could impossibly be recalled accurately. Who started the fight, impossible to tell. What mattered was that Katia escaped. The Hand and the Ekeris had failed in their goal, and proceeded to blame each other in an instant.

The Proclamation of War
Only within a few more days on, a Manifesto was nailed to every news board, in every city on the continent of Nieden. It was brought by riders bearing a black banner with a white gleaming sun surrounded by a golden edge all around, the flag of Soleannen. Once their deed was done, they departed with haste, leaving dust in their trail. On the hanged document, it read:

"I, Queen of Raykara, Katia Bellator have escaped the foul trap laid by the foul Enem Hazel McSpiegel while being judged by the Ekeris himself within the  blessed walls of the Ekker. As i fled the east and made my way back home, i learn now, much has changed and more has been lost. The need has arisen for me to intervene, in a way i had not previously planned. If before i stood to fight for a pure Escharia, now i stand to fight for the existence of an Escharia! So, whoever you are, if you value faith and unity above a sinful safety; Heed my call, gather to my flag, come forward and join our Crusade for the survival of our DREAM!!!"

This commenced a religious hell to all of Niedene, not just Escharia.

The Factions of the Salvre Kirrentai
From this, three sides arose: Hazel, Katia, and Oracle. Oracle upheld the traditional values and wants to lead back to that traditional faith, Katia forged her way to the Neidene supremacist route that mandates Soleannen and targets those mainly of non-Soleannen and non-Niedene, and Hazel, who led the Red Lillies, who wanted to establish religious freedom while abolishing the Kirrentai and the cardinals.

Many of the Niedene nations, being as Escharia, Simulami, and Valerei, were set up between the three factions. Simulami mainly was of Oracle's leading Kirrentai whereas Escharia was leaning to Katia's radical group (refer to MAP 1 for help). Armed neutrality was displayed by Nis Arkhall and Lokaith, with pure neutral being those under Lileanen and Losterai's control. With many towns pledging to these sides, the Salvre Kirrentai was ready for armament... except it never happened.

The Coincidence and the Death of Escharia
Coincidence with this event was strangely tied well. It more or less started with a threatening statement of a god of war raising an army from the ground, outside the capital of Simulami. Another instance of this god of war was the destruction of the Soleviel Church of Nuvallen. Within the destruction was the light shimmering from inside and off the stained glass of the Temple to Solaris. It's great halls stood empty as not a soul or watchful eye could stop him this night. This god of war, Howertt, descended from the clouds, striking the building, and blasting through the roof of the church. After claiming that Solaris was a dead god and disappearing, many have called for a rebuild and reconstruction of the church in Simulami. However, this conflict was only worsened as the Escharian-Simulami conflicts boiled over, slowly intertwining with the Salvre Kirrentai.

Both events came to an end with the Escharian Empire falling to bits and pieces. The King Duke of Escharia was involved in causing some of the most heinous abominations of the Rathnir world, with many others abusing dark and possibly void like magics. It was told that he was annihilated by Solaris himself, coming from the sun and destroying him and his magic, with many of those who partook in their evils, trashing Soleannen in the process to destroy Simulami. This ended the conflicts of the two nations, but it damaged just as much. Escharia fell and broke apart, the eastern portion becoming part of the Neiden Empire while the eastern part collapsed into Reikarii and a smaller Escharia.

The factions within the Soleannen Neiden, of Oracle, Katia, and Hazel, have strangely disappeared from the Salvre Kirrentai war entirely. Katia was last heard leaving Nikephoros in the hands of Valerion Bellator, while Oracle and Hazel have not been seen in a while since. It is unknown if all their disappearances were of guilt and embarrassment, but it is certain that Soleannen still reigns in the old Escharian lands under mandate or by volunteer.

Possible Theory of the Blight
The Raykaran Research Society has gone through the history of this entire event along with the coincidental event and has come to the unfortunate conclusion that the blight may have not represented the descent from Soleannen but the descent of the Escharia as a whole and the damage caused to the Neiden continent. The Soleannen faith was more of a red herring that was more personal and looked more obvious. Under the wrong leadership, the blame was subjected on the innocent who were not aware of these events, like those of Solitude, and if not for the destruction of Escharia, it would've killed countless more. Nevertheless, it should be hopeful that the new nations of old Escharia learn from the mess, or it is very much possible to see a real conflict take place, spilling more blood than needed.