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The War of the Second Dragon
For almost eight hundred years after the Trolloc Wars, there was a relative peace. New nations had grown. The peace was destroyed, however, when a man named Guaire Amalasan claimed to be the Dragon Reborn. Little is truly known about Amalasan, other than that he was an educated man who knew a great deal about the Prophecies of the Dragon. He was a charismatic leader, and a great captain. After proclaiming himself, men from all over the land flocked to his banner. He quickly gained control over vast amounts of land, and laid siege to the Stone of Tear. While always slow to send soldiers to help other nations, all rulers recognized the tremendous threat Amalasan represented. One of the first nations to send help was the relatively minor nation of Shandalle, led by the young ta’veren King Artur Paendrag. Very quickly the more powerful kings and their generals noted that Paendrag never lost a battle to Amalasan, at worst gaining a stalemate. He became known as Hawkwing, for the speed with which he moved his troops. The decisive battle in what came to be known as the War of the Second Dragon was the Battle of Endersole. On the first day, both Amalasan and Hawkwing’s armies suffered heavy casualties. But with nearly 22,000 more men, Amalasan could much more easily afford those losses. During the night, Hawkwing moved his troops for a flanking attack, while Amalasan thought he was retreating. Early the next morning, Hawkwing’s forces attacked. Amalasan’s troops fell apart almost immediately, and actually did fall apart when Hawkwing’s forces reached Amalasan, who was captured by Aes Sedai. Hawkwing immediately moved toward Tar Valon. White Tower law stated that no one could enter White Tower lands with more than twenty retainers. Hawkwing took his entire army to within miles of Tar Valon itself. Whether he did this in defiance of the Aes Sedai, or as a requested escort for the Aes Sedai and their troops that were with his army, will never be known. The news of Guaiare Amalasan’s capture triggered the formation of two large armies, totaling over one hundred thousand men, and their subsequent attempt to free him. Despite the White Tower’s attempts to deny it, the appearance of these armies was a total surprise to the Aes Sedai. The forces trying to rescue Amalasan actually reached the White Tower itself before the attack was repelled. Artur Hawkwing helped turn back the attack. After helping to defend the White Tower, Hawkwing went back to Shandalle, and FY 943 is currently considered the first year of the rule of Artur the High King. The Amyrlin Seat of the time was Bonwhin Meraighdin, a Red. No one knows whether she ordered it, but moving in concert, three rulers moved against Artur Hawkwing. Over the next twenty years, called the Consolidation, Hawkwing proved that he was one of the greatest captains ever. By FY 963 he was the undisputed ruler of everything from the Spine of the World to the Aryth Ocean. During that entire span, Artur Hawkwing never lost a battle.
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