The War of the Bare Rocks is a currently ongoing war between Valtoria and Dravia. The war started when Dravia was discovered by Valtoria, and has been ongoing for a little over 100 years. The war has been mostly fought on a collection of small stone islands in the middle of the Central Sea, with neither side gaining any meaningful ground since the war started.
The Dravians sailed to the Bare Rocks in order to set up an outpost, and Valtoria saw its opportunity to strike, as they didn’t want to face their navy head on at the city itself. Valtoria sailed to the Bare Rocks and deposited their army onto the stony islands. They attacked the outpost, killing everyone there in a matter of days. Dravia responded by sending more of their army to the Bare Rocks, landing on a nearby island. Over the course of the war, the islands that each side holds have exchanged hands numerous times between each other, but no side has really gained an advantage. The war has been a stalemate since it started, most scholars say that both sides are equally powerful and there can never be a victor, but the two continue the war out of spite for each other.
The conditions of the war are brutal for the soldiers, the Bare Rocks are cold, windy islands where it often rains. The sun is usually hidden by clouds, making the place gloomy. Most battles in the War of the Bare Rocks end up with major casualties on both sides. The soldiers of Valtoria live in constant fear of ambushes, as the Dravians lack numbers so they make up for it with quick surprise attacks before retreating, and the Dravians live in constant fear that if they are caught in the open, they will surely lose the fight due to lack of numbers. Most soldiers that are shipped off to the Bare Rocks don’t make it back, at least not in one piece. Those that do usually must live with the traumatic experiences for the rest of their lives.
Few noble families have sent their children to fight in the War of the Bare Rocks, as it is far too risky even in the “safer” positions, but the current king, King Kenneth Kensley, and former ruler of the north Baldur Falcon served together in the War of the Bare Rocks before they were in power.
Most people don’t support the War of the Bare Rocks, seeing it as pointless, but the Kensley's have been insistent on keeping the war active. They claim that the war is still going on because Dravia refuses to repay back the loot they pirated when they first founded the city, but most people know that in reality, the Kensley's don’t want a strong independent city state interfering with the economics of Valtoria.