SUBJECT: The Twenty Years War
QUESTION: Could it have been Balor’s influence that caused it?
It's a good question I think, and it bares some thought.
First we must make one of two assumptions. One, that the war was fought by some western noble or king who wanted to break away from the Cath'Bruig Empire. Or two, the West had already broken with the eastern Empire and the war was fought only within the political bounds of the West.
This is important because the reduction of the Cath'Bruig Empire would have made it easier for Balor to destroy the Kingdoms of men, piecemeal.
Now, I'm going with the first option, and will base all my arguments on that. My argument being that Balor was in fact influencing events in the West (by that I mean west of Gower) during that time, and may have very well helped to cause the war.
Think about this. What would he have had to gain?
A) The political fragmentation of the most powerful Empire in the world.
B) The weakening of that Empire. A twenty-year civil war would cost a lot, both in gold and men.
C) Creating mistrust in the world of men. I can imagine that one of the reasons the political leaders of the West were so slow in coming to the Cath'Bruig's aid (the whole of the empire couldn't have collapsed over night even after the sacking of Mirthemni) in the years it took for the Barrier to form.
All of this could have aided him, and it is indisputable that Balor did in fact sweep in on an unprepared, one might say distracted Empire, and destroy its greatest city. This in turn must have removed the greatest obstacle to Balor's cause very early in the game.
There's almost nothing recorded about this time, save for a small reference in the TFL manual. But it is possible that an enemy as powerful and farsighted as Balor could have had a hand in the war. After all, he did convert the Kithless three hundred years before, and freed the Watcher from his prison some time before he began open conflict with the light.
