637 DR. Kūdom War of Oð.

Prelude

Despite its name, the Kūdom War was not a conventional war. It was a conflict waged across the City of Oð between the Merchants’ Guild of Oð and the assembled forces of the Iron Crown. High Lord Edgur III was absent from the public-eye for many years, which the powerful trading guild interpreted as weakness. The Guild, already contracted by the Crown to mint state coins, decided to mint coins of its own using cheaper materials. These “New Aurad” and “New Kūdom” where then exchanged for the original coins for use in all trade. The original coins were removed from circulation and probably melted-down.

When the New coins first appeared, there was no word from the Crown. When the Merchants’ Guild increased production however, it was brought to Edgur III’s attention that Lady Dāyla’s portrait was not included on the New Kūdom. In her place were portraits of the Guild council members. This insult prompted the High Lord to act. At the beginning, it was unclear whether the Crown had enough power to confront the Guild. For generations, the Merchants’ Guild had slowly taken on most government duties and responsibilities, e.g., police, security, judiciary, minting, tax collection. The Lord’s Men were few in number outside the City Wall and Kryr Shùrulm. The Crown appeared unconnected and irrelevant as opposed to the Merchants’ oligarchy.

Campaign

The High Lord’s first action was to raid the Guild’s three mints. The concurrent raids were planned to prevent the Guild from removing resources from the other two. On the 23rd of Tolð, the nighttime raids began. At the Beréd Dān mint, soldiers of the Lord’s Men were stopped by armed guards. Swords and pikes were leveled and battle spilled onto the streets of Kyard. The Merchant Guard summoned reinforcements from the surrounding neighborhoods, who patrolled the wealthy district in large numbers. Though surprised by the Lord’s Men, they quickly outnumbered and drove the Crown’s men back. At the Eldras mint in Sulyard, the Lord’s Men also met resistance but entered the building, arrested workers, destroyed machinery, and filled a heavy wagon with precious metals. At the Dormàna mint in Pryard, the Lord’s Men found no resistance and an abandoned building.

The Merchants’ Guild was surprised and furious. In the half-months to follow there were three attempts on the High Lord’s life. Two were stopped by his personal guards, the third was dispatched by the High Lord’s own sword. During this time skirmishes flared throughout the City. Edgur III stationed a contingent of soldiers at the Kryçaryn, preventing all commerce from entering or leaving via the Kre Dùlnar. Additional contingents closed Southgate and Highgate keeps, making egress to the Nyr Plàtan more difficult and costly. Everyday news bulletins were posted detailing the bloody street battles between the Guild and Crown. They had underestimated the High Lord, but the war was far from won. Observers worried that the stalemate might last indefinitely. Then the Guild made a mistake.

On the night of Vulūne the 3rd, a fourth assassin entered Kryr Shùrulm. While the High Lord held a late night conference with his commanders, Lady Dāyla was murdered. When the High Lord returned to their chambers he collapsed next to her body and refused to leave her for three days. On the 6th, the High Lord summoned an old confidante, Akànzir Kèldir, and asked how the war could be ended and his wife avenged. Keldir summoned ̄Ændroð the Magician to Kryr Shùrulm and the three made plans to end the conflict. After being admitted to the Iron Library, Ændroð accessed tomes detailing the Ritual of Dragùl Lorgra, a practice abandoned in Oð since the Empire’s fall. Edgur III selected the only person he trusted, Keldir. Following the ritual, a horrified Keldir met with Katùlðdralyð and conveyed the High Lord’s wishes.

By the 1st of Drûr, a group of Wizards was assembled. The minor Circle would become the Drāgyr Drūden Nar (i.e., Circle of the Northwoods). The leader of the group, known only as Imp, orchestrated a series of raids on the homes of Guild members. By the 3rd of Drûr, four of the seven council members were hung from the gate of Kryr Shùrulm. Their undying agonies quickly became a spectacle for curious city folk. Columns of black smoke soon rose from collection houses and the Kreyard Guildhouse suffered terrible tremors before falling into the Kre Dùlnar. On the 4th of Drûr, Ōlàunda Aldar, spokesman for the Guild, knocked on the Kryr Shùrulm gates beneath the moaning corpses of her colleagues. She met privately with the High Lord, leaving the sprawling fortress watches later, shaken to the core.

Resolution

Production of New Aurad and New Kūdom was stopped and the stamping dies destroyed. The Merchants’ Guard remained under oversight from the Lord’s Men. The courts are discharged and reappointed. The High Lord was given a seat on the Merchants’ Guild Council, a seat which he never occupied. The Council, at their own expense, sought a Taldàni master sculpture to carve a statue of Lady Dāyla. The statue was placed in the Iron Library at the High Lord’s request. The Merchants’ Guild also “volunteered” to build a number of barges and warships at Terázya. The purpose of these has yet to be determined.