Tartessian War

The Tartessian War was a war between the Elves and the Carthaginians which eventually led to the decline of the Elvish civilization.

Lauchanáro and the Society for the Strengthening of Elvendom

Lauchanáro, born in the year 1235 (589 BC), was one of the most brilliant artists and inventors of Elvendom; unfortunately, however, he also was flamboyant and easy to rouse. His name, which means 'firesoul' in Old Albic, characterized him well.

In the year 1277 he founded the Society for the Strengthening of Elvendom. This party proposed industrialization on the basis of mineral coal and a steam-mill Lauchanáro had invented; socially, however, the society was ultraconservative, speaking out against naturalization of Celtic wage-workers and other reforms that were discussed at that time.

Lauchanáro sought to be elected chancellor of the Commonwealth of the Elves, and managed to win many followers. However, the High Table voted against him in 1284.

Lauchanáro's Rebellion

This failure outraged Lauchanáro. He secretly built up a private army, and three years later, he instigated a rebellion against the High Table, supported by Celtic mercenaries he had hired for this purpose. The rebellion lasted 44 days, then it was squashed by the loyal warriors' guilds, and Lauchanáro had to leave the Commonwealth and retreated to Tartessos where he continued to build up his private army.

War

In Tartessos, Lauchanáro formed an alliance with the king and the Carthaginians who sought to get the highly profitable tin trade between the Elvenisles and Tartessos into their hands. In 1288, Lauchanáro, Tartessos and the Carthaginians attacked the Commonwealth with a large number of ships and Celtic mercenaries. Lauchanáro's men in the Commonwealth staged a second rebellion to weaken the Elvish defences. After seven years of war, the Commonwealth of the Elves collapsed, and the Elvish trade network in the Atlantic was taken over by the Carthaginians.

Aftermath

The Elvish civilization never recovered from this defeat. Celtic warbands raided the country, and more and more Celts settled on the Isles, and eventually, the country came to be dominated by Celtic warrior-kings and its population mostly Celticized.

Tartessos, which had allied with Lauchanáro and the Carthaginians, was bitterly betrayed by its allies; it no longer played a major role in the tin trade, and went into decline. Tartessos became a pirate cove, and twenty years later it was destroyed by the Carthaginians.