Hetman's War

The Hetman's War (or the Yentish Unification War) was a war fought in Yent from 619 to 622.

It began when Hetman Jan, a charismatic Yentish warlord, rebelled against his liege, Queen Ilse. Thundering against Yent's corrupt monarchs and urging a return to the warlike Yentish ways of old, he developed a sizeable following.

With advice from the fortune-teller Alistair Humbolt, he was able to outmanoeuvre a superior Alcorese army, eventually putting the city under siege.

In the south, King Oswalt III remained neutral in the war, content to see Hetman Jan weaken his rivals; he only took up arms when his vassal, Lord Draycott, joined the rebellion. He died shortly after declaring war and was succeeded by the 13-year-old King Oswalt IV.

The siege of Alcora ended when the city's northern quarter mysteriously exploded, allowing the Hetman's forces to storm the city. Jan's armies conquered northern Yent, and were moving to strike at Drycastle when Fen Widefield, a knight sworn to King Oswalt IV, killed Hetman Jan in a duel.

Declaring himself Hetman Fen, Widefield briefly led the rebel forces for a few weeks. Widefield had angered the dragon Tamburlane, who destroyed Culdum in his fury. Widefield died leading his army into a disastrous battle with the dragon, the few survivors deserting. This dealt a fatal blow to the rebel forces; King Oswalt's armies, left with no organised opposition, were easily able to sweep through the north and establish control of all mainland Yent.