About 32 years ago, in the early years of King Bertram’s reign, Thelidor launched a bold campaign against the Kingdom of Arinn to its west. Queen Isolde of Arinn had recently ascended the throne after a contested succession, and her court was fractured by rival nobles and merchant factions. Bertram saw an opportunity to secure Thelidor’s western border and expand its influence over key coastal trade routes.
The war began with skirmishes near the River Vire, where Thelidorian scouts clashed with Arinn’s border sentries. Edric Longe, then a young and rising military strategist, was tasked with planning the campaign. His crowning achievement was the Siege of Grey Harbor, Arinn's only port city. Using terrain manipulation and psychological warfare, Edric cut off supply lines and sowed dissent among the defenders, forcing a surrender without breaching the walls.
However, when Bertram proposed a new march from Grey Harbor to the Theocratic nation of Veloria, Edric refused. He argued that the Arinn's weakness would not last, and invading an additional kingdom would have dire consequences as time went on. That, and an invasion of Veloria was much different than Arinn, for Veloria was a divine kingdom. It would provoke wrath from Stella Maris, whose temples dotted both coasts. Bertram, furious, branded Edric a coward and sidelined him politically. The war ended with the Treaty of Broken Tides, granting Thelidor control of Greyharbor and several trade routes—but leaving Arinn humiliated and vengeful.
The war’s legacy is still felt. Veterans whisper that Edric’s campaign saved thousands of lives, while Bertram’s ambition nearly doomed the realm. Queen Isolde survived the crisis and later consolidated her power, turning Arinn into a more unified and dangerous neighbor. Some believe she still seeks revenge—not through armies, but through diplomacy, marriage, and shadow agents.