The Fratricidal War

Following the abandonment of Caer Oorun, now under the Kraken’s rule, the displaced population had to find a new land to rebuild everything. With the support of the capital’s authorities, where they had taken refuge, the inhabitants of the Lost Province migrated to the Anthea peninsula, where the soil was fertile enough to offer them the prospect of a fresh start. In return, the authorities signed an agreement stipulating that a certain percentage of their production would be prioritized for the metropolitan population, which was suffering greatly from the resource shortages caused by the Kraken's rise.

In this context, myriads of provincials emigrated to new lands, still largely untamed. Over twenty years, many territories were settled, from the Arami Plains to the Nutsuwa Highlands. However, in 146 AC, when the Nifir epidemic spread like wildfire across the Peninsula, it wreaked havoc throughout these regions. Through commercial contacts between sedentary farmers and nomadic traders, the three Lyra Clans who traditionally roamed the southern peninsula were also severely impacted.

Amidst this health crisis, a Lyra preacher named Amahle Kalu gained attention with his fierce diatribes against the "settlers" and the Oneiroï's patronage. From Brisingan, he called upon the Lyra Clans to revolt, urging them to take up arms to repel those he saw as mere invaders. Still mourning loved ones lost to a disease brought by the settlers, many sympathizers from all Clans rallied under his banner. For them, Anthea was their home, and they had to defend it at all costs from those who, year by year, restricted their migration routes and shrank their wild expanses.

To say that the central authority was displeased with this defiance would be an understatement. Confronted with this open insurrection, the Council of Four—uniting leaders of the Bravos, Lyra, Yzmir, and Ordis—had no choice but to mobilize troops to silence the rebellion. The Lyra Clans, caught in the crossfire, had to align with one side or another, or declare an uncomfortable neutrality. For the governing elite, the very concept of Concord was at stake: allowing a secession was undeniably the first step toward future divisions. And that was something they could not tolerate.

Although the combined Faction forces significantly outnumbered those of Amahle Kalu, the latter’s fervor and knowledge of the terrain gave them considerable trouble. From Brisingan, the Lyra Caravanserai, the man who called himself the Prophet coordinated militias skilled in guerrilla warfare. His intentions were clear: Anthea was to be placed under the supervision of the Lyra Clan Matriarchs; his fiery sermons claimed that the Nifir was a divine punishment for colluding with the Oneiroï. His only solution was for Asgartha to withdraw from the southern peninsula and for the so-called Eidolon cult to ultimately fade away.

Yet, there was no room for negotiation with such absurd demands. Even the revered Matriarchs were forced to declare Kalu a heretic, unable to endorse his quasi-religious insurrection. Amahle promoted discord; he was openly inciting revolt and rebellion. After years of simmering conflict, the Prophet’s loyalists were finally cornered by a grand opposition in the plains of Cathor-Firi. It was there they prepared for their last stand, their swan song. When the Council of Four’s forces swept over them, the enemy ranks were swiftly overpowered, with the aim of quashing any hint of dissension. Kalu was captured on the battlefield and handed over to the justice of the Matriarchs. Brisingan, which had sheltered the rebel armies, was dismantled.

To this day, no one knows what became of this so-called Prophet. Yet the fervor he inspired made him a Oneiros, allowing those who wish to call upon his Eidolon. Nevertheless, his appearances are carefully monitored by the Matriarchs, who fear the unrest he could still incite even after his death. What drove him to defy the patronage of humanity’s dreamlike allies? What secrets did he take to the grave? Many fear that his revelations may spark new uprisings among the Lyra Clans, and perhaps even among the other Factions...