The Sorfandien War, the last of the Domination Wars(995 - 1016), was initiated by the Cal-Thaoun Dynasty. It was a preemptive strike against the warmongering First Khazarkar Empire. They believed that it was only a matter of time before the soldiers of the Conclave invaded the rest of Sorfandien. At the time, this war was also necessary to divert public attention from Cal-Thaoun's depleted economy. The poor state of the economy, characterized by high inflation and a large influx of refugees, was the result of the Hedrac War and the Moredhel War. In these conflicts, the refugees from Borillisk, Melephaeusa, and the Niratar Theocracy flooded northward into Cal-Thaoun's territory, significantly burdening its economy. During this period, the Gulimbor Cataclysm(996 - 1203) was also ongoing, forcing many to abandon the continent altogether. In most cases, these people had to be transported by ship for little to no cost, as many were destitute from the wars.
The Cal-Thaoun navy, being larger and more formidable than that of the Khazarkars, leveraged this advantage to dominate the seas. In 1010, the Cal-Thaoun navy, accompanied by marines, captured half of Mannakhôr. Over the subsequent year, a series of battles ensued as the Khazarkars fought to reclaim the port. Even after securing the location, the Khazarkars remained constrained by the Cal-Thaoun navy and their Ivory Asylum allies. For the remainder of the war, Pharmûn Bay was closely monitored, facilitating the safe passage of the numerous refugee ships during the Great Exodus(998 - 1017).
