⚔️ The Armory of Forgotten Wars

“Where the blades are silent, but the echoes remain.”

This vaulted hall honors the countless conflicts—both noble and tragic—that shaped the history of Eyehasseen and its predecessor realms. From siege towers and shattered helmets to field letters and victory songs, the Armory of Forgotten Wars preserves what time has rusted, buried, or tried to forget.

Here lie the relics of conquest, resistance, defense, and regret. These are the weapons of survival—and the quiet reminders of what they cost.

🛡️ The War of the River Teeth (ca. 1350 BR)

“The bridges were burned. The water remembered.”

A brutal conflict between two river clans over control of the Nine Crossings. Neither side could read nor write—but both could count arrows. The war ended only when the river itself changed course, drowning both sides’ final camps.

Notable Tactics:

  • Ambushes by canoe
  • “Eel pot” traps disguised as tribute
  • Battle-signals drummed on hollow logs

Featured Artifacts:

  1. The Crescent Shield of Branch-Tooth Clan – engraved with eel patterns.
  2. Oar-Spear Hybrid Weapon – used in narrow water duels.
  3. River-Stained War Mask – carved from flood-warped willow.
  4. Log Drum Message Stick – etched with a rhythmic battle poem.
  5. Bridge Nail Pendant – recovered from a sunken crossing.

🏯 The Siege of Windvault (ca. 890 BR)

“Thirteen years. Eleven attempts. One breakfast truce.”

A legendary siege in which a mountain citadel withstood endless assaults thanks to secret ice tunnels and divine rumor. The defenders became poets; the besiegers, bakers.

Notable Events:

  • Catapulted sheep as warning
  • First known use of “psychological warfare via lullabies”
  • The Treaty of Shared Pancakes

Featured Artifacts:

  1. Siege Commander’s Spoon Baton – used during morale feasts.
  2. Mosaic Tile of the Tunnel Seal – shattered and fused with frost.
  3. Battered horn labeled “Third Attempt” – still faintly playable.
  4. Scroll of Defiant Poetry – composed by Windvault’s baker-poet.
  5. Canteen engraved with enemy’s motto, stolen and reclaimed – “We Wait to Win.”

🪦 The Dust March (ca. 415 BR)

“No victor. No monuments. Just names carved in dry stone.”

A slow, sorrowful civil war born of famine and inheritance disputes. Called a “march” because both sides wandered endlessly, seeking allies or harvests. The war ended when both banners were left at the foot of the Hollow Tree.

Notable Features:

  • Duel by letter writing
  • Refusal to name battles
  • The tradition of binding enemy wounds mid-combat

Featured Artifacts:

  1. Travel-worn boots of the Ink-Walker General – used to carry messages and treaties.
  2. Threadbare flags stitched with verses – one reads “Brother, if you fall, I carry.”
  3. Grain Ration Ledger – contains more prayers than numbers.
  4. Two Swords Bound Together at the Hilt – recovered at the site of the final standoff.
  5. Stone Cairn Marker – carved with hundreds of initials, moved from battlefield to museum intact.

🐉 The Campaign of the Bleeding Star (ca. 102 R)

“We did not fight the sky—we followed it.”

A spiritual and military crusade undertaken by three provinces to follow a comet believed to mark the end of the age. The army marched not to conquer, but to understand. They returned changed—and not all returned.

Notable Occurrences:

  • Sky-mirroring armor worn by scouts
  • Bloodless battles resolved by celestial omens
  • The appearance of “star-moths” guiding routes

Featured Artifacts:

  1. Helmet with Comet-Crested Plume – scorched and silver-touched.
  2. Astrolabe engraved with battlefield prayers
  3. Standard of the Fifth Heaven Host – dyed with indigo and stardust (allegedly).
  4. Journal of the Star-Scribe Lantheril – entries grow more cryptic by the page.
  5. Flask of Meteor Water – sealed under wax, contents glowing faintly.

🕊️ The Peace of Broken Arms (ca. 189 R)

“When all weapons failed, we shook hands with the hilts.”

A symbolic “war” declared by rival provinces as political theater, where the real goal was negotiating trade routes under the cover of armed conflict. All weapons were blunted, and no casualties occurred. It’s remembered now more as performance art.

Tactics:

  • Choreographed charges
  • Staged surrenders followed by state dinners
  • Dueling with insults written in calligraphy

Featured Artifacts:

  1. Blunt ceremonial halberd used in mock battles
  2. Peace-scroll signed in invisible ink (revealed under firelight)
  3. Ornamental armor with removable sleeves – symbol of strategic vulnerability
  4. Mock War Diary of General Lorith – includes recipes and jokes
  5. The Broken Arms Banner – features a dove, a pie, and two friendly swords.

The Armory of Forgotten Wars reminds us that every blade bears a story, but not all stories end with blood. Some end with bread, song, or a quiet breath at sunrise.