Broken Stone War

The Broken Stone War was a conflict that was fought in 2626 AI, approximately 197 years before the beginning of Pillars of Eternity in 2823 AI.

Background
The Broken Stone War was a natural consequence of the expansion of Aedyr overseas and the friction between colonists and native tribes of the Eastern Reach. The Glanfathans were not used to encounters with outsiders before and viewed the intrusion on their land as something of a test. The ruins that covered their land were considered sacred and these strangers, despite warnings, plundered them, taking artifacts. Glanfathans that resisted were captured and forced into slavery, becoming property of the new colonists. Their people, heritage, and land at stake, the Glanfathans struck back, hoping to drive them out of their lands permanently. Despite their best efforts, more Aedyran invaders appeared. By 2623 AI, the Aedyrans had established towns, pushing the Glanfathans out of some areas and enslaving any who refused to leave. They tried to live in peace, keeping an eye on the Aedyrans, and with the exception of a few isolated incidents, it seemed to work. This tentative peace came to a bloody end in 2626 AI.

Progress of the war
In 2626 AI, a group of farmers, while clearing farmland for planting, accidentally knocked down one of the ancient adra menhirs on their land. This innocent act drew the ire of the native population and started what would come to be known as the Broken Stone War. When it was finally over, several thousand colonists had been killed as well as hundreds of the Glanfathans. Even though the war was technically over, the Glanfathans escalated their attacks on the settlers over the next two years using vicious tactics that left many colonists, several military figures, an erl, and six thayns dead.

Unable to stop the Glanfathan attacks, the erls elected erl Edrang Hadret to the position of gréf. Well respected and known to be a master of military tactics, he was tasked with dealing with the Glanfathan threat. Edrang fought with the Glanfathans, led by an orlan named Regd, for the next two years. Neither side could gain the upper hand over the other resulting in a tense stalemate between the two groups. Because of this stalemate, the hostilities slowly died off and in 2631, the Dyrwoodan people signed a treaty with the Glanfathans. Regd would step down, the Glanfathans would stop their attacks altogether, and the Dyrwoodan people would leave the ruins alone. This treaty angered the nobility in Aedyr, as it brought to a halt the supply of artifacts. Edrang also tried to get the practice of slavery outlawed, but this was not successful. Because of this, the peace between the Dyrwood and Eir Glanfath was uneasy and tumultuous. Small patches of rural violence still cropped up, but were easily dealt with, as neither side wanted another war.

During the conflict, soldiers in the Dyrwood reported wild tales of having their minds invaded, of seeing comrades lose control of themselves, of orlan and elven Glanfathan warriors wielding knives engulfed in purple flames that "cut away" the souls of their victims. As the case was, they had been terrorized by mind hunters&mdash;elite warriors of the Glanfathans. But as the war was a new experience for everyone involved, many Dyrwoodans dismissed many of the more outlandish tales over time. But over the decades that followed, more settlers reported similar violent encounters with Glanfathan guerilla fighters.