Notice to all readers: This story was initially rated "M" for graphic violence and profanity, but has been toned down to a "T+", so to speak. Some scenes may include borderline "M" violence. Keep this in mind.
War is only a cowardly escape from the problems of peace - Thomas Mann
Prologue: Act One
A century before the fall of Nabradia and the Archadian Empire's southern push out of the continent of Valendia, a bloody struggle between the expanding empire and the small island nation of Suur ignited. While Archadia's intent revolved purely on northern domination, the peoples of Suur held fast in the face of Manifest Destiny. Due to the remoteness of the conflict in relation to the political hot-spots at the time (Reciprocity treaties in Nabradia and the proposed construction site for the Nalbina Fortress), little to none of the actual fighting or the atrocities committed at Suur were ever recognized by the international community. Naturally, Archadian efforts to screen this information from the rest of Ivalice lent a hand in what would become to be known as, "The Forgotten War".
Nevertheless, to fully understand the leaf, one must first look to the root. In the fires of Amnen did the true hatred originate; decades before the establishment of Suur and its people.
Approximately 90 years before the rise of Gramis Solidor, future emperor of Archadia, a man by the name of Xavian Solidor sat at the throne. Emperor Xavian was a natural leader and an unequalled tactician, and was viewed by many to be a descendant of the Gods themselves. Nevertheless, he carried on the militaristic tradition of the house of Solidor. Passed down to him from his father, Dionysius, Xavian pursued what he believed was his divine right: complete domination over the 4 central Ivalician continents in the name of Archadia. After the empire's borders swelled enough to cover over two thirds of the Valendian continent however, sustaining the vast political network became too daunting of a task for any one man, even Xavian. Consequently, he divided the Archadian Empire into 6 sub-divisions: Tyre to the West, Itea to the North, Sidion to the East, Sarepta to the South-West, and Niniveh to the South-East. Ur, the 6th province, he directly controlled the affairs of and placed it nowhere other than around the capital, Archades. Xavian then entrusted 5 of his closest officials to independently govern each state they were appointed to. These officials were granted the power to operate their respective state however they pleased, so long as they complied with the demands of the higher authority. In other words, any decision or act passed through the Senate and authorized by the emperor, be it political, economical, or military, must be fully and unconditionally attributed to the state in question. Mercantilist trade relationships between Ur, the 5 states, and the various conquered nations were established, and brought about 4 years of relative peace throughout the Valendian Continent (Pax Archadia).
It was not long before Emperor Xavian had the furnace of the Archadian war machine re-lit after hearing rumors of a mystic substance discovered in the Republic of Amnen, just east of Niniveh's borders. This substance, known by the locals as "Scarlite", had certain properties which allowed the fusing of practical magicks to mechanical instruments and, to Xavian's particular interest, weapons. He initially sent and envoy to Amnen, requesting samples of the Scarlite in return for the country's right to sovereignty, when Archadia moved into the territory surrounding the small republic. His offer was promptly rejected. Although completely oblivious to the fact that the Amnenians themselves had already begun to develop technologies using the offensive capabilities of Scarlite, Xavian was swift to counter the small republic's rebuttal with military intervention. He ordered the official of Niniveh, Amarus de Corsi to assemble a contingent of soldiers to occupy Amnen, assuring him additional reinforcements would be available in Ur if required, although he believed this would be completely unnecessary.
This was not the first time Emperor Xavian had a fault in his judgment, but this time, the cost for his underestimation of the Amnenians was the decimation of the entire Niniveh Division.