사자전역

The War of the Lions (獅子戦役) was a civil war that took place in 에레보니아 from S.947 to S.952. It was fought by five princes all vying for the Erebonian throne, and it remains as the largest scale civil war in Erebonian history.

Rising Tensions

In S.942, Lianne Sandlot started hearing a voice, whispering to her about her fate and a mission she had to fulfill. Before long, 로젤리아, Elder of the Hexen Clan, appeared before her and guided her to the sealing grounds of 로엔그린 성. Together, they tackled a number of trials proving her fitting to become the 기동자 to one of the seven Divine Knights: the Argent Knight, 아르그레온. Lianne, however, found its power too great and decided to seal it away in the basement grounds of Lohengrin Castle.

Prior to S. 946, Prince Dreichels had no claim to the throne due to his commoner mother and was shunned by the highborn princes. As a result, he chose to renounce all royal obligation to defect into the 노르드 고원, leaving his royal affairs to his closest confidant, 롤랑 반다르. During his days leading up to emigration, Dreichels would visit his dying commoner mother, of whom left him a warning: "The blood flowing through you will not allow you to turn your back on the Empire's suffering." Despite this, Dreichels still went through with moving to the 노르드 고원 in S. 946. Upon arrival, he was quickly accepted by the people. With his noble nature, he fit right in and lived peacefully among them for upwards of three years.

Emperor Valius V of the Erebonian Empire was said to have countless wives and concubines. As a result of this, he had many sons who would become eligible for the throne. Shortly following his death in S.947, Crown Prince Manfred was assassinated, and the fourth prince Orthros seized the capital by military coup d'état. Once in control, he declared himself the new emperor and began purging all those who dared to oppose him. The families of each noble prince, each having different mothers from prestigious families, supported each one for their claim to the throne. This led to a large scale civil war between multiple factions in which all five (four initially, sans Dreichels) brothers declared themselves to be the 73rd Emperor of Erebonia.

Course of the War

To give himself the upper hand against the armies of his half-brothers, Orthros discovered and revived the Vermillion Divine Knight, 테스타 로사 that which had once been sealed away by Emperor Hector I underneath 헤임달, following his reclamation of the capital from 조로 아굴루가, the Dark Dragon. This brought about a shift in the balance of power, as the only other active Divine Knight, 아르그레온, had yet to be employed by Lianne. With the Vermillion Knight and its unmatched strength under his control, Orthros decimated his greatest competition in one fell swoop, and the fifth prince, Gunnar, was defeated.

It seemed inevitable that the armies of the remaining brothers would share the same fate, but it was at this pivotal point that the war took yet another surprising turn. This unexpected development came in the form of another Divine Knight: The 자줏빛 기신. The famed champion was acquired by Lucius, the sixth and youngest of the feuding brothers. A mercenary in Lucius' employ piloted the knight on behalf of the sixth prince. With its aid, Lucius was poised to challenge Emperor Orthros.

At some point prior to or during the first half of the war, Lianne Sandlot became the commander of the band of knights known as the 철기대 (중세). Her charismatic personality and peerless skills with the lance had earned her the leadership of the Eisenritter and the moniker Lance Maiden. They operated from the Lohengrin Castle off the coast near 레그람. They were a band of knights said to be able to charge across the battlefield like lightning, cutting down all in their path. She took 시온 알제이드 as her second-in-command, a greatsword knight wielding the Arseid family heirloom 보검 가란샤르.

In the fall of S.949, Dreichels' childhood friend and confidant 롤랑 반다르 visits Dreichels in Nord. Roland's arrival signifies that the War of the Lions had worsened and that 에레보니아 was on the way to ruination. His mothers' words sprung to his mind, and decided he could no longer ignore the suffering in his homeland. Dreichels set about preparing to depart, but before he could finish he was met by several of the tall knights of Nord, their cross shaped spears in hand. They were also close friends of Dreichels, and they volunteered to accompany him and Roland, fearing the two alone would not stand a chance. The next morning, Dreichels departed the highland village with seventeen Nord men in town and the highland Elder praying for their safety.

In S.949, the third prince, 드라이켈스 라이제 아르노르, entered the war along with 17 warriors from the 노르드 고원 that considered Dreichels their friend, and 롤랑 반다르, of whom trekked to Nord in order to warn him of the state of the Empire.

Shortly after Dreichels and 롤랑 반다르 took up arms, they happened upon the remains of a burned town said to have been destroyed by the Gunnar Army, leaving its innocent inhabitants without homes or killed. Roland reported that it was intended to draw out enemy forces who were hiding within. The sight horrified Dreichels, and served as motivation to bring the war to an end as quickly as possible, preventing any further meaningless sacrifices.

The army of Lucius, bolstered by the power of 젝토르, the Palatinate Knight, were able to defeat the army of Albert in the Battle of Olbia, fought around the war's midpoint (est. S. 950). As a result of his victory and continued control of Zector, Lucius was poised to challenge Emperor Orthros for the throne.

In the spring of S.950, just a half-year after Dreichels set out from Nord, Roland is killed in battle shielding his lord.

Soon thereafter, during a prolonged conflict in 레그람, 에레보니아, in S.950, Dreichels would reunite with the daughter of Count Sandlot, Lianne, leading the 철기대 (중세) into battle. Lianne Sandlot had met the wandering prince 드라이켈스 라이제 아르노르 at least once previous to this encounter, disguising herself as a doctor's daughter. The battle ended with Dreichels and Lianne recognizing each other as reliable and trustworthy, thus pledging to fight under a united banner. Despite their difference in upbringing, Dreichels and Lianne shared a concern for the innocent victims of the war and joined forces in order to bring an end to the bloodshed. With the Eisenritter in tow to bolster Dreichels' ranks of seventeen, their combined strength swept through various regions of the Empire, liberating one town after another. Together with the warrior of Nord and other volunteers they had inspired to their cause, Dreichels and Lianne successfully persuade his youngest half-brother Lucius to join with their alliance, bringing with him 젝토르 and its pilot's mercenary band. Lucius's victory over Albert in the Battle of Olbia one year prior is cited as the reason for earning Dreichels's support.

Meanwhile, Albert's defeat by Lucius forced him to regroup and soon thereafter form an alliance of his own, taking up with Gunnar (both of whom were ousted by a Divine Knights, in Gunnar's case Emperor Orthros and his 테스타 로사). Their combined armies were bolstered by the accumulation of Magic Knights. Their force was said to be so large it compensated even for their lack of a 기신.

Later, the Hexen witch 로젤리아, who had once guided Lianne to 아르그레온 nearly a decade prior, guides Dreichels through a trial near 트리스타 to become the 기동자 of 발리마르, the Ashen 기신.

Over time, Albert and Gunnar gained control over Magic Knights. From then on, their alliance proved a fruitful one; the other emperors, including Lucius (now allied to Dreichels), were held off until the war's final days.

오르트로스 라이제 아르노르, however, awakens the 엔드 오브 버밀리온 from the cursed 테스타 로사 and annihilates the armies of Albert and 군나르 라이제 아르노르 as well as 젝토르 in a swift battle. With it brought the 황마성. At this point, all armies but those sworn to Dreichels and Orthros had been defeated.

On the first of July S.952, with the 잿빛 기신 in Dreichels's possession and the Argent Knight in Lianne's, along with their many aforementioned supporters, they marched on the capital for the final time, eventually making their way to the 황마성 at its center. Orthros felt pressured by the combined forces of Dreichels, Lianne, and Lucius; the warriors from the 노르드 고원, the 철기대 (중세) under command of 리안느 샌들롯 and 시온 알제이드, and the remnants of the Lucius Army (most notably his mercenary pilot of 젝토르, the 자줏빛 기신). Emperor Orthros schemed to elevate the cursed 진홍빛 기신 to even greater power, and thus created the Vermillion Apocalypse. The demonic god emerged in 헤임달 alongside the 황마성, decimating the approaching allied forces of Albert and Gunnar in one battle. Neither the Magic Knights of Albert and Gunnar nor even the Palatinate Knight under orders of Lucius could contend with such a foe and were felled. As the thousand-arm Knight decimated all who challenged Orthros, countless crimson spirit veins spread out from the Infernal Castle, stealing life force from the capital's citizens as well as those in the surrounding area.

On 4 July, S.952, Dreichels and Lianne infiltrate the Infernal Castle that spawned alongside the Vermillion Apocalypse and overpower the demonic god, ending the War of the Lions. Their victory came at a steep price, however: in an attempt to shield Dreichels from the Vermillion Apocalypse's attack, she was mortally wounded and dies soon after the battle. With her death, the line of Count Sandlot came to an end.

Three days after it appeared, the Infernal Castle vanished, signaling Dreichels's victory and the end of the war.

Aftermath

As a result of the war, Dreichels became the 73rd Emperor of Erebonia. The bloodline of Orthros became the lords of House Cayenne, and Lianne Sandlot was to be promoted to the rank of Count. Shortly after the war, Lianne was said to have died mysteriously (from her wounds in the battle with Orthros). Valimar was sealed away in the 구교사 on the 24th of August, put to rest in the place he had originally found him.

While Lianne's death was a mystery to many, the truth behind the matter was that she had died during the battle against the Testa-Rossa. In the aftermath, once the cursed Knight was sealed anew, Roselia retrieved her body and brought it to the home of the 마녀의 권속. After half a year of no decomposition, Lianne suddenly revived as an 불사자, as witnessed by Roselia and Shion Arseid, her second-in-command. Rather than returning to her duties, Lianne decided to leave Eryn and wander 제무리아. She left Shion Arseid in charge of Legram due to his courage and bravery in the war, raising him to the rank of viscount. The House Arseid began referring to themselves as 'S. Arseid' from that point forward in her honor.

As is customary for any conflict involving the fragments of the Great Power, Roselia enacted the 마녀의 권속's 구조, wiping the general populace's memory or knowledge regarding the Divine Knights and the 황마성 from the minds of the populace and their role in the war. Following the 구조's initiation, the common belief was that Lianne died under mysterious circumstances. There were theories that she was murdered or died from an illness. One of the accounts of St. Sandlot's death places it right around the end of August. Ever since her death, 레그람 holds an annual memorial service for St. Sandlot and the Arseid Family has taken up the responsibility to care and maintain 로엔그린 성, although its use was limited thereafter prior to the war when Lianne's father, Count Sandlot, governed over it.

Roland's bloodline continued to serve the royal family as their bodyguards after his death in the war. His duel wielding sword style fell out of favor, and his blades were lost to the rest of his bloodline until they were eventually rediscovered by his descendant 쿠르트 반다르.

As 73rd Emperor, Dreichels dedicates himself to the reconstruction of post-war Erebonia with his befriended retainers yet regretted being away from his friends from the Nord or the witch. He marries Evelyn, the daughter of a lord marquis who had been moved by Dreichels's earnest dedication to his cause and supported him throughout the war, prior to his assassination. Empress Evelyn bore him two sons and two daughters. Apart from raising his own four children, he also raises the orphaned son of 롤랑 반다르 like a third son of his own. The Vander would go on to flourish primarily as a guardian and martial arts instructors as well as taking up the post of high military officer. Around the year S.974, Dreichels establishes the 토르즈 사관학교 on the very place he had found, and returned, 발리마르 (now known as the 구교사.

However, throughout his time as Emperor, there was a burden Dreichels carried he spoke of to no one. The curse-ridden Dreichels was followed around by the 이슈멜가 in its thoughtform, constantly beckoning Dreichels that he would be more befitting as its 기동자 instead of 발리마르's, which it describes as a "scrap of metal". Dreichels found Ishmelga repulsive compared to Valimar and decided to endure its torment, only to be reminded that Ishmelga would return if his soul were to transmigrate. The curse hid itself when Dreichels receives a surprise visit from 리안느 샌들롯 in S.994, who had revived soon after the war and not aged a day since Dreichels last saw her. Dreichels had heard rumours about her revival and called her cold-hearted for breaking their promise to live together, to which she replied she would have been unable to grant him his wish to have children. She immediately asks about the darkness that possessed him. It is unknown when exactly Dreichels passed away. His soul reincarnates as 길리아스 오스본 two centuries later.

A statue of Lianne and her two foremost commanders was erected in Legram in approximately S.1000 to honor St. Sandlot and the 철기대 (중세)'s achievements in the war. The knight kneeling on the lower right is the 시온 알제이드.

Unbeknownst to the general populace, the modern noble line of the Cayenne dukedom descended not from the ducal line, but instead from a junior branch of the 아르노르가, specifically the bastard blood of Orthros. 크로와르 드 카이엔 inferred that newly-crowned Emperor Dreichels deliberately buried the truth regarding House Cayenne's surviving lineage to avoid stoking conflict amongst the deflated peerage after their fruitless supporting of the late noble princes Albert, Gunnar, and Lucius. Not only did this decision prevent the name Cayenne from being sullied, Erebonia's oldest and most powerful duchy, but also prevented the need for further turnover within the Lamare Province. The result was as intended on Dreichels's part; House Cayenne remained the nobility's de-facto leader (and thus, the Noble Alliance's, later on during the 10월 전역) for two centuries to follow.

However, in the process, Dreichels's decision resulted in a quiet resentment and humiliation being sown in Orthros's descendants, culminating in the actions Croire took by claim of what was 'owed' to him and those of his Cayenne blood. This also informed his course of action directly. From the military occupation of Heimdallr, to reawakening of Infernal Castle and Vermillion Apocalypse, Croire replicated Orthros's methodology to the letter, hoping to realize his ancestor's dream in the process.

Over two hundred and fifty years after the war, Orthos's descendant Duke 크로와르 드 카이엔 formed the 귀족 연합 in order to settle his family's grudge against the empire and the royal family. After creating the Panzer Soldats based on the Divine Knights, Croire and the Noble Alliance eventually overtook Erebonia and started the 10월 전역. After reaching Testa-Rossa and using 세드릭 라이제 아르노르 to pilot it, Cayenne was eventually stopped by VII반 and arrested by Dreichels's reincarnation Chancellor 길리아스 오스본 and the 철혈의 아이들s while Cedric was cursed by the Divine Knights and needed to recover.

Trivia

• The War of the Lions and Emperor Dreichels were first mentioned by 클로디아 폰 아우슬레제 in 영웅전설 하늘의 궤적 SC during a conversation with his descendant 올리발트 라이제 아르노르.