Damego War

The Damego War (1215 - 1218) was a conflict between the two most prominent royal houses in Cattala, House Celestine and House Tyrheni, that led to the deaths of thousands of soldiers and civilians along the borderlands that make up modern-day Monte Calida, and Amosseri, with a focus on the town of Damego. The personal and political rivalry between King Augustus Celestine and Prince Tywin VI led to a war that undermined both powers and ultimately created a 300-year feud that divided the two great houses of Cattala.

Background
By 1215, the Celestine monarchy had vast wealth and control of every region in the kingdom. Feudalism had made the family dominant economically, politically and militarily. However, the island was split into seven principalities, each ruled by a different noble family. The Celestine's ruled modern-day Amosseri province, but every other family pledged allegiance to the Crown of Cattala, and therefore the Celestine family. The second-most wealthy and powerful family was the Tyrheni of Jennai. Historically they had dominated all of southern Cattala, and once built an entire city in one month and named it Gennaio, after the month it took to construct using slave labour. This city became Jennai and was a vital trading post between the farming communities in Lessito and the major cities of Celestine and Calora.

First Battle of Damego
Prince Tywin the VI came to the throne of Jennai in 1216 and immediately removed the Royal Insignia from the coat of arms and flag of his principality. This was considered treason by the Crown, and the six other principalities were appalled by the action. It was the first time any household had rebelled from the Celestine rule in nearly 200 years and war in mainland Cattala became a real prospect. King Augustus Celestine publicly executed the Tyrheni princess Cecily, who was engaged to his fifth son, in revenge for the act of treason committed by Prince Tywin. The Tyrheni declared war and forces immediately attacked the Celestine outpost of Damego, the first battle of the war and the place for which it is named after.

Tyrheni forces quickly moved across the border into modern-day Amosseri, and sacked dozens of villages along the way. From within Royal Celestine's gates, it has been written that "the fires of a hundred towns choked the sky with the black smoke of Tyrheni treason". The Celestine army was slow to respond to the rapid advance of Tyrheni's troops, and within three days they had reached the gates of Celestine.

King Augustus' Royal Guards, the elite soldiers of the king, fiercely defended the city and managed the halt Prince Tywin's advance. Reinforcements from elsewhere in Amosseri arrived and forced the Jennaian army into a retreat.

Second Battle of Damego
A major battle was held in Damego once more, the Second Battle of Damego, in which thousands of soldiers from each side were killed. Victory was uncertain, as it appears both armies withdrew after two weeks of fighting. The Aroe's of Fieranti, rulers of the major city of Calora, were close allies of their southern neighbours, the Celestine's. Prince Bryn Aroe was married to King Augustus' eldest daughter and he sent several battalions of cavalry and infantry to serve at the King's command. A surge forward by the Celestine-allied army pushed the Tyrheni troops back to their own border regions and begun two years of war.

A stalemate occurred on the border, and a series of bloody battles were held on the boundary between Celestine and Tyrheni lands over a two year period. The Battle of Vameria severely weakened the Fieranti army, and led to their withdrawal from the conflict. After nearly three years of war, and the loss of thousands of men, King Augustus and Prince Tywin agreed a ceasefire in Monte Calida, with Jennai being forced to pledge allegiance to the Celestine's once more.

Aftermath
Neither the Tyrheni nor the Celestine's won the war. The lack of comprehensive victory forced Prince Tywin to pledge fealty to the Crown of Celestine, but the image of the monarchy was severely weakened. No longer was House Celestine the undisputed lead house and for the first time its military dominance was under scrutiny.

King Augustus rapidly built up the strength of his army to prepare to counter any future threat from the Tyrheni. Defensive fortresses were built surrounding Celestine and the city's walls were strengthened to guarantee future protection from any quick-moving invasion force.

A fragile peace had been created by the ceasefire but conflict in Cattala was not over for very long. The Roumelese Wars began just six years later, and the Damego War was just the start of three centuries of fighting between the Celestine's and the Tyrheni.