The War of the Sun and Moon

{{Fiction Although she would become a wise monarch, Eskatia triggered what is arguably one of the worst wars in Lavato's history, the War of the Sun and Moon. The Abyssal Messenger Annarose was orchestrating the scheme behind the scenes.
 * hasSetting=Lavato
 * storyBody===Origins of the War==

The War of the Sun and Moon began when the famous Knights of Crest were sent by the Duchy into the neighboring Kingdom of Baltemet. There is plenty of documentation that confirms the one who ordered this was Eskatia herself.

The official story is that the Cult of Argulus, an order responsible for heinous crimes in the Duchy of Crest, crossed the border and fled to the Kingdom of Baltemet. In actuality, the existence of this cult has never been confirmed. As a cult, it is likely they kept no records or other evidence of their existence. Because of this, modern historians assume that this was a fictitious group invented by Annarose, or possibly controlled by her.

However, if one analyzes the politics of Eskatia before and after the war, it is hard to believe that she would invade a neighboring country over the actions of a simple cult. Most scholars agree that there must have been a deeper reason behind it, perhaps a personal one. One theory is that Eskatia's handmaids, many who had been with her for her entire life, were massacred by a person or persons from the Order of Argulus. As much as this sounds more like fiction than history, the source is reliable.

When knights from the Duchy of Crest crossed over into Baltemet, Baltemet's soldiers retaliated in full force. But that decisive action of Baltemet Kingdom only triggered the mobilization of Crest's main military force. When the Knights of Crest were attacked, the Duchy's armies poured over the border and occupied two thirds of Baltemet Kingdom in just a few days.

Baltemet Kingdom, having almost instantly lost much of its lands, looked to its allied powers for relief. Many nations answered, most notably the small but powerful Kingdom of Beltorat, ruled by the steady hand of its king, Dragoneye Ainhazard. At this, the Duchy of Crest had no option but to prepare for all-out war.

With their overwhelming military forces and the special Augmented Soldiers created and personally led by Annarose, the Duchy of Crest gained a distinct advantage.

When the Battle of Baltemet signaled the fall of the smaller nation's last stronghold, the Solar Kingdom decided to become directly involved. At that moment, the war become one of the two biggest wars in Lavato's history.

However, before the Solar Kingdom officially declared war, Eskatia and Verlaat had a secret meeting in Regus, the Wizard Kingdom. Apparently, this was because Eskatia wanted to make a formal request that the Solar Kingdom stay out of the war effort. Ultimately, the conference was a failure and the Solar Kingdom did indeed become involved. However, some sources maintain the conference was a success and Verlaat promised not to get involved in the war. But within days, a troop from the Duchy of Crest's main army invaded a town that fell within the Solar Kingdom's territory, possibly by mistake. After that, Verlaat had no choice.

It is also widely known that Verlaat made several efforts to confer with Eskatia during the war, attempting to convince her to withdraw and bring an end to the fighting. As for Eskatia, she made an effort to listen what he had to say, and apparently there were many occasions where the two discussed each other's countries. In addition, Zagar advised Prince Verlaat against entering into conflict with the Duchy of Crest.

These meetings are compelling, but there is no evidence that they were the impetus for their eventual marriage. It is generally accepted that something else must have happened beyond the ears of history that led these two to trust one another. Eskatia was thought to be an excellent politician who always had the best interest of her people in mind, but because of her country's position and the evils hidden in her own castle, she was forced to walk the path of an invader. Similarly, despite Solar Prince Verlaat's good intentions, he was pulled in entrenched in this bloody war.

The Battle of the Borderlands
The only bloodless battle of the War of the Sun and Moon was The Battle of the Borderlands. Prince Verlaat, escorted by Zagar, was on his way to confer with the Eskatia. Unfortunately, due to a ploy by Annarose, Verlaat and his men were surrounded completely by the armies of Crest with no way to retreat. This trap is considered to be one of the great predicaments that stood against Verlaat during the War of the Sun and Moon. However, Dical did not press forward with his solders, and eventually let Verlaat and the others retreat without any bloodshed.

There are so many unanswered questions and loose ends regarding this event that it's difficult to know exactly what happened. Many historians say there may have been some kind of negotiation beforehand, for example. The Crest army had Verlaat completely surrounded. When the men looked to Dical for the final order to charge, Dical did not give any command, nor did he move the slightest muscle for two straight days.

One of Dical's aids who was keeping records during this event described the scene as follows: "At that time, Lord Dical was silent and did not say the slightest word. However, his overwhelming presence gripped everyone, and it seemed to me as if he was trying to determine something that meant the very future to him and our great Duchy."

It remains a mystery why Dical did not take any military action, but it gave Verlaat and the others the opportunity they needed to retreat. However, from this point on, Dical began to obstruct the actions of Annarose whenever possible. Some historians believe that Dical was considering all the events that had occurred in the war so far, and finally realized Annarose's true identity.

War's Resolution
Thankfully, Verlaat and Eskatia were able to join their forces and fight side by side against the true evil, the Envoy of Chaos. This was because of their advisers, the noble minded warriors who served each nation. }}