Vular War

Cartography

The buildup to the Vular War was a conflict with both Jomzaar and the Vularian urge to learn every skill, recipe, or secret in the world. It spread fast across the shores of what became The Realm, and within the first millennium had also set its roots deep into every inland culture and indigenous settlement. In the last couple of centuries prior to its conclusion, there was, as such, no neutral part anywhere in the world.

“Even Moss’Ari, nature’s guardians, had taken a stand.”

Skjald El Mary

 

Organisation

The Vular race during the Third Age was a martial and technological meritocracy, organised not as a single kingdom, but as a federation of fiercely independent, yet strictly hierarchical, family states. This system was designed for two purposes: relentless internal advancement and overwhelming external conquest. Vular sovereignty rested upon the High Seat, occupied by an elected High King or High Queen—the ultimate authority who decreed the sacred Greater Plan.

The leaders of the mighty family houses, often commanding the fortified coastal Ports and Settlements, were titled the Crown Stewards. Each Steward held near-absolute authority over their domain’s economy, crafting guilds, and military levies. They held a mandatory seat on the Vulars Council.

The Stewards’ loyalty to the High Seat was absolute in principle, but conditional in practice. They adhered to the Greater Plan only if it benefited their House or furthered the collective cause of Vular supremacy. This autonomy fostered intense internal rivalries—an endless competition for knowledge and resources that drove innovation but also fueled the religious and philosophical schisms (between the bull-headed god followers and the nascent ‘new-godders’).

 

The Vular Host

To do the military grind, the noble houses utilised skilled generals as leaders of The Knight-Orders (The Vulkar). The Vular always entered battle proudly displaying their strength. Each House and Settlement maintained unique uniforms and heraldry, which, despite the central military command, allowed them to be easily distinguished on the battlefield. This arrogant display of force was a deliberate psychological weapon, designed to distinguish the Vular from the Jomzaar—and all others.

The combined military forces of the Vular—the Vular Host—were infamous across the world for their exceptional discipline, uniform quality, and arrogance in display. The Host was drawn from a permanent, standing guard and a regular conscription system. Every able-bodied male was generally enlisted in their early twenties for a seven-year period, ensuring a vast, rotating reserve of highly trained, hardened veterans capable of immediate deployment.

These troops were taught sophisticated tactics, medical skills, and weapon mastery, making even a basic Vular squad a formidable enemy. Vular combat philosophy favoured breaking the foe before melee contact. Their armies therefore relied heavily on:

• Missile Artillery: Superior long-range war machines and enchanted ballistics, a product of their Stoicheian-taught mastery in alchemy and mana manipulation.
• Pike & Adamant Phalanx: Exceptionally disciplined heavy infantry, forming dense shield walls and pike formations—the cornerstone of their defensive stability.
• Heavy Cavalry: Elite, hard-hitting shock cavalry that delivered the decisive charge after the enemy lines had been softened.
• Seaside bombardment: When possible they softened foes by heavy bombardment from their ships.

 

The Vulkar, were the true Vular elite equivalent of knights, but more akin to high-mobility, heavily armored shock cavalry and dedicated monster-slayers. These were small, independent orders drawn from the most prestigious noble families, trained from birth in a complex, ritualistic fighting style that melded the arts of war and Stoicheian teachings.

They acted as the High Seat’s direct, personal reserve—their intervention on the battlefield was often a sign of impending Vular victory. Their numbers were relatively small, numbering only four thousand across the entire race, but their impact was disproportionately vast.

 

The Hird Legions: This formed the backbone of the Vular Host. Each Great House was required to contribute a set number of Hird Legions, trained to a uniform standard in basic combat doctrines, but equipped with their House’s unique wargear. A single Hird Legion typically numbered two thousand heavy infantry, renowned for their discipline, marching in the infamous Adamant Phalanx formation—a shield wall made near-impenetrable by Vular metalworking.

 

The Artisan Forges: Separate from the martial Houses, specialized Houses of Lore and Craft contributed the Artisan Forges. These were mobile, highly protected siege and logistics companies responsible for advanced engineering, the forging of enchanted ammunition, and the rapid deployment of field-artillery—a unique Vular innovation that terrified their opponents. A typical Artisan Forge numbered around 500 craftsmen.

Skjald Sejrik

 

Special

“What wrongs the misled children did then, was fully attoned during Tnhe Great Invasion”.

Skjald Ulrich