The Western Desert had allowed the Neolandians to inflict a heavy defeat at Katolis, but at the same time prevented Ilehas from moving his troops directly against Ezran: the recent campaign showed beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was not possible to maintain an efficient supply line between the treacherous desert dunes.
The attention of the contenders, therefore, turned to Del Bar, still bloodied by the civil war.
During 1240 Prince Vigimer and his uncle Kalines had momentarily allied and inflicted a heavy defeat on Sigmond's forces, forcing him to retreat north. There the Black Prince had begun to ponder the idea of an alliance with the Regent of Neolandia, but at that time Ilehas was committed to repelling the Allied invasion and rejected the proposal.
After the Battle of the Sand, however, Ilehas felt strong enough to run the risk of opening up another front.
On May 7, 1241, he sent a powerful army to the south, formally with the aim of "stopping Del Bar's unnecessary bloodshed, driving out the usurpers and restoring the rightful ruler." At the head of the army was Taleq: the magician had proved to be a skilled commander during the war of the previous year and enjoyed the friendship and trust of the King of Neolandia. Although, quoting his own Chronicle, "I would have much preferred to remain at the palace. Military life is tremendously exhausting, and I'm not young anymore." Neolandia's army, reinforced by the feared Black Guard of Prince Sigmond, succeeded in defeating King Florian's brother twice within a month. Kalines himself died during the Second Battle of Ferniburg, and Sigmond was able to gird his father's crown and proclaim himself King of Del Bar.
Katolis could not just stand by and watch.
We have already seen how Prince Vigimer was among the firsts to recognize the imperial title of King Ezran. He then became the natural ally against the combined forces of Sigmond and Neolandia.
Two days after the Second Battle of Ferniburg, on June 1, the imperial army crossed the border between Del Bar and Katolis. At the head of the army stood the banner with the two-headed phoenix, an unmistakable sign that the same ruler was marching with his men.
"My brother hates war more than anything," writes Callum, who had remained in the palace to rule the country on behalf of the king. "But the empress would never refuse to lead her men. Ezran gave in, as always. I wonder... if she would tell him to throw himself into the fire, would he do it?"
Beyond the High Wizard's dislike of the queen, it is undeniable that unlike Ezran, who had a mild disposition, Aanya was perfectly at ease among his soldiers, who in turn worshipped their young commander. The king of Katolis makes in comparison a poor figure: mediocre knight, completely denied in fencing and archery, throughout the campaign he resigned himself to leave his wife the role of commander-in-chief.
Third in command of the army, General Gren, who was a skilled officer despite the limp-he had in fact suffered an injury to his left leg during the campaign of the previous year, which had never fully recovered.
Around Purda, the Imperial and Vigimer's armies met. The cunning prince made a formal act of submission, once again acknowledging the imperial pretensions of the royal couple. This act infuriated many of his advisors, but he responded with a phrase that became famous: "the crown is well worth a bow".
Del Bar's campaign would have lasted two years, proving to be much longer than expected. Before it could launch an attack on the capital, the imperial army had to lose months and months in the arduous task of subduing one by one all the warlike mountain tribes that formed the backbone of Sigmond's power. They were hard days: many soldiers, not accustomed to fighting in the mountains, perished in the cold and the avalanches.
During January 1242, the Imperial Army risked being completely wiped out when the Vidusi tribe tricked them into a narrow gorge and then targeted them with stones and arrows. The Empress herself was wounded by a slingshot, and only the quality of her armor managed to avoid the worst.
At that point, however, came an unexpected help: a woman, covered with wolf skins, managed somehow to overcome the Vidusi soldiers and to ask the king for an audience. She said to be an expert guide, and that she knew a hidden path that would allow a small group of chosen men to swoop in behind the enemies. With the help of the gods, this would have allowed the bulk of the army to secure themselves and fight back.
Ezran feared that it was a trap, and was about to refuse when a noise behind him made him jump: it was the sword of Soren that fell to the ground. The captain of the Imperial Guards, whose courage was renowned throughout the world, was shaking like a leaf in the wind. For a moment, Ezran even feared that the woman had cast a spell on his friend: imagine his surprise when Soren ran forward unarmed to hold the woman in a loving embrace. The mysterious guide was none other than Lissa, former wife of Viren and mother of the brave captain.
In her youth, she traveled far and wide through the mountains of the kingdom, studying its flora and geology. Returning to his native land following the turbulent end of his marriage, for several years he had lived a life of retreat in a provincial city: then the civil war broke out. Lissa had lost both her properties and her house in one fell swoop when his city had been plundered by Kalines' forces in the aftermath of the Battle of the Red Hill.
For months the woman had taken refuge in the mountains, but it was not enough to escape the war. Lissa was in the vicinity of the Vidusian lands when she learned of the trap in which Ezran's army was, and lost no time in reaching him.
It was a fortune: thanks to her plan, the imperial forces managed to avoid annihilation, inflicting a heavy defeat on the riotous tribe.
For the rest of the campaign, Lissa accompanied Ezran as a guide and adviser, making military operations much easier.
Meanwhile, in the North, Taleq also had problems. Sigmond, once ascended to the throne, no longer seemed so intent on fulfilling the terms of his agreement with Neolandia. He probably hoped that the Neolandians and the Katoleans would annihilate each other. Taleq was well aware of this:
"I could do nothing but wait: I was sure that if I had driven the army away from Ferniburg, Sigmond would have taken the opportunity to turn against us. But for now, he didn't dare, because he needed us to fight Katolis."
Despite friction with his allies, Sigmond had succeeded in his goal of obtaining his father's crown. With the ferocity that distinguished him in battle, he had all his opponents eliminated: historians do not agree on the figures, but certainly, in those few years at least six hundred and fifty between nobles, bourgeois and ordinary citizens were hanged for high treason. "In that city, only two people were happy with the government of Sigmond: the executioner and the gravedigger" writes Taleq.
Ezran's army, meanwhile, continued slowly but relentlessly to subdue one tribe after another. Vigimer, for his part, began to make contact with the many nobles who had been outraged by Sigmond's ruthlessness, carefully eroding the power of his half-brother.
On 28 February 1243, the Imperial army could finally leave the mountains behind and advance towards the enemy capital.
"We were ready to receive them," says Taleq. "My soldiers were many and well-armed, and we had on our side the most imposing fortresses in the country... but the gods wanted to punish us for our arrogance."
What the dark magician could not foresee was that Neolandia was sick and tired of Sigmond. Without the support of the southern tribes, the new king could rely only on his Black Guard; but as loyal as his men could be, they were not enough to counter an insurrection.
Between 4 and 7 March, in those that would later go down in history as "the three days of Ferniburg", the people of the capital rose. Sigmond's soldiers were lynched in the streets by the angry mob, which then headed for the royal palace.
Sigmond died inelegantly when the rioters threw him out of one of the palace windows. How much of this was planned by the sneaky Vigimer? We do not know. Certainly, however, he was quick to take credit for it. Throughout the kingdom, in the meantime, the fortresses opened their doors to Katolis's army.
And Taleq? The poor magician found himself in a difficult situation. When news of Sigmond's defenestration reached him, the Neolandian army was marching south, intending to clash with Ezran's army. Within a day, Del Bar had gone from being an ally of Neolandia to supporting Katolis: Taleq could do nothing but acknowledge this state of affairs, and act accordingly.
"I had no choice. I couldn't fight in that condition, with Katolis's army so close and the risk of the traitorous Delbarites cutting off our supply lines." The army of Neolandia retreated without a fight.
On March 21, the imperial banner was raised next to that of Del Bar on the towers of the royal palace of Ferniburg: the civil war was over.
