War of Diamanterra's Sorrow

The War of Diamanterra's Sorrow was the common Estalian name for the Portige War, also called the Fall of Portigelle. The initial conflict began in 2458 IC with the Kingdom of Aragona's declaration of war against the allied states of Portigelle and San Luis. In 2462 IC, following the Annexation of San Luis, the Kingdom of Astarios entered the war as an independent third faction.

Prelude
In 2458 IC, the Kingdoms of Estalia were still recovering from the devastating Twenty Years' War and subsequent Abasko War that had wracked the peninsula only decades before. Tensions ran high between Portigelle, Aragona, and Astarios, the three major powers of the Twenty Years' War, and the peace secured by the Tilean invasion had become ever more fragile in the years since. Portigelle, having taken the brunt of the losses in the previous wars, sought to ally itself with the Duchy of San Luis, a small but fairly powerful region to the west of Aragona. Duke José de Arçeo signed the Pact of Céfiro with King Llorente Menata de Portigelle in September of 2458, cementing a trade and military alliance between the two western powers. King Valeriano IV of Aragona, an arrogant and unforgiving man, saw in the alliance a slight against his own Kingdom, and perceived the Duke of San Luis' actions as a betrayal of their neighborly friendship. More importantly, perhaps, King Valeriano saw the chance to expand his Kingdom and gain power over its foremost rival, the Kingdom of Astarios.

Outbreak of War
Shortly after the Pact of Céfiro's signing, in November of 2458, Valeriano IV issued a royal declaration of war against the allied domains of Portigelle and San Luis, proclaiming San Luis a rightfully Aragonan duchy and accusing Duke José and King Llorente of conspiracy and heresy. The declaration was followed by a near-immediate invasion of San Luis, as two enormous Aragonan mercenary armies marched on Sahagún. The suddenness of the events gave Portigelle and San Luis no time to muster their forces, allowing Aragona a massive military advantage from the outset. The outlying fields of Sahagún had fallen to the raiding Aragonan vanguard by early January of 2459 IC, and the arrival of the larger invasion force less than a month later made the Battle of Sahagún a decisive Aragonan victory. The capture of Sahagún established a strong Aragonan foothold west of the RIver Tarmos, allowing a near-unending stream of mercenary soldiers to flood into San Luis.

Sahagún's fall spurred Portigelle and San Luis into action. Duke José de Arçeo of San Luis began raising a ragged and diverse host of Estalian, Tilean and Bretonnian mercenaries, while King Llorente Menata de Portigelle's scant Royal Army flocked to Diamanterra, preparing to march north. Continual skirmishes began to escalate into full-scale war in the Céfiro Hills, as the Duke de Arçeo's cobbled-together army desperately fought off the full strength of Aragona. Valeriano's armies ravaged San Luis as they pushed deeper into the hills, raiding and looting mercilessly. Meanwhile, Portigelle's standing militias sustained a front at the edge of the Piña Wood, barely preventing a full-scale invasion. The Portige forces' advantage in the woods of their homeland faltered quickly to the greater numbers of Aragona, however, and the Battle of Pomedena Grove won the Piña border war for Valeriano. Aragonan troops marched into the forest, burning and looting their way toward Verin. The majority of the Royal Army of Portigelle remained garrisoned in Diamanterra, keeping the invaders away from the capital.

Valeriano's Conquests
By spring of 2460, raiding Aragonan armies held free reign over most of the Céfiro Hills and Piña Wood.