Dwilight University/History/First D'Haran Rebellion
Cause and Consequence of the D’Haran Rebellion in the Spring of 5 YD
The Tomb Islands, the second largest land coupling in the Middle Sea after the islands of Madina and Fatmilak, are a cursed cradle. Two weeks to the day after the fall of the Empire of Springdale in the north, the damnable Tomb Islands experienced their third rebellion to date….
I can claim validity of this short piece of history by virtue of being a witness to and direct participant of this event. I openly admit I take no precautions to conceal any prejudice I may have as a collaborator of this affair. It is my right and prerogative to express my honest opinion even though I am attempting to write a piece of history, which is supposed to free of any bias. Nevertheless, I can provide primary evidence for everything I state. The intention of this essay is to explain the causes of the D’Haran rebellion and the consequences of its success. It is also to be one of the few recorded pieces for that event and thereby supply the next generation of D’Harans some understanding of what occurred in their realm before they donned its banner. On that point, since I have already stated my authority on this subject, I shall also disclose that there was much else that I was unaware of and am unable to account for. Accordingly, there is much that I wish not to reveal. Whatever significance that information has is up to the bearers to reveal for I may never be privy to it, and what information I withhold is my own. If the others so choose to keep theirs private, then like a great deal of other lost articles of knowledge, let it remain a prized jewel of the Unknown.
In the realm of D’Hara, then a young hopeful realm with few remarkable achievements and slow progressing ambitions, the nobility fractured into rebellion. Some nobles will assume the process of peace to discontent to rebellion is an easy common route knowable by instinct and sense. However, those who claim that must have never actually seen the seed of rebellion bloom into the tempest of change for they would then have to qualify their statement to include the doubt, the mistrust, the separation of friendships, the agony of choice and the pressures of such a path. Those matters are neither easy nor common.
A seed of rebellion is not latent, and it is certainly not intentional, at least the one I experienced in D’Hara was not. The Dragon Rebellion was caused by many fault lines.
The Seed of Rebellion
Much of it began with the Dragon Queen, Lady Katayanna Ogren. Some time before the actual rebellion, a disagreement occurred between the Queen and a few of her Lords. This is one of the incidents I was not a witness to or properly informed of and so I must relate the same basic gist that I have come to understand. Apparently, for sure not certainly, the disagreement was between the Queen and the Duke of Port Nebel, Conrac Amcastra, over the entrance of Astromancy into that city. The Duke and another highly regarded Lord had become followers of Sanguis Astroism and wished to bring a temple to Port Nebel. The Queen hotly disliked this outcome and a feud broke out. Again, I am unclear as to exactly what occurred, but I believe the Lord was banned and sent away. This was Lord Mathias Ridder, a respected and proven D’Haran noble, who had always been a trusted companion of the Queen since she first led her issues against Shadovar. Since the feud ended in this way, many nobles were unpleased. This is a significant event to relate because it became the first thorn among the D’Harans who turned against the Queen. Adversely, the Queen began to mistrust her Lords and nobles, sinking into the depths of insecurity and doubt of loyalties.
Colonists and Remainders
As tension over this issue grew, somehow pressures on the Queen from her Lords and the Astromancers led to the fateful decision that she would abdicate from the throne and leave D’Hara. She announced her intention to relocate to a new colony out west. This is a key moment which marks the entrance of the first separation in D’Haran nobility. While talks of the new colony developed publicly, nobles began to wonder exactly who would leave and who would stay. Following this, those who would stay publicly discussed what would happen to D’Hara after the exodus. An official forum was made for the Colonists to collect and plan their departure in private. Then, an unofficial forum was privately made by the Remainders. The sides were mixed with Dukes, Lords and Knights, and each included government officials.
The Colonists were led by the Queen herself (who was also the Royal Fiduciary) and included the Confessor, Katrina Dragul and a few other knights. The Remainders were organized by General Cenarious Stormrage, the future King, Lord Machiavel Chénier, the former Royal Fiduciary before the Queen, I and a few other knights who would take high positions after the rebellion’s success. There was also a group of unaffiliated nobles who did not approve of the colonists but were not as enthusiastic as we Remainders were.
The Queen versus the Remainders
As the seed grew into a stem, as the temperature of D’Hara rose, and as time drifted closer to destiny, the problems of D’Hara heightened. The Remainders began to feel that the Queen was abusing her position and her intentions to form a colony by siphoning much needed wealth and food from the realm. Since some of the Colonists were Lords, they directed all their gold and food resources to the Queen. The Remainders did not like the excessive hoarding by the Queen and felt that her plan would leave the realm emptied. This became an issue which needed to be addressed, an issue that the Colonists assured was not true (at least not their intention), and the Queen ignored. Moreover, since the Queen announced her imminent abdication, the Remainders were expecting a fast transition of power so they could continue the business of the realm. Many inquiries by the General and the Remainders as to the exact time of her abdication were answered with continuously delayed timeframes. The vagueness of the Queen’s plan disturbed the Remainders. The Queen also repeatedly demanded the General give her command of the militias in Port Raviel to be used by the Colonists. The General refused since this would remove the defenses of the capital city. The two had become opponents. Furthermore, the Remainders asked the Queen to release herself as the Royal Fiduciary, and for the Confessor, who was a Colonist, to step down so the next cabinet can be formed for the future of D’Hara. She refused to oblige, and instead gave the Royal Fiduciary position to one who would help her cause. This action irritated the Remainders. Finally, the Queen became aware of the Remainders unofficial communication and interpreted it to mean insurrection.
General Cenarious’ Burdens
In her distrust of Cenarious, she removed him as Marshal of the Queen’s Guard, her own army, and demanded he step down as General. General Cenarious, as the magnate of the Remainders, was also aware of the Queen’s change of mental state and shared his feelings with us. In the Remainders group, he outlined the inadequacies of the Queen’s plans and asked us what would be best for D’Hara. Our discussions were as varied as the public ones, but I clearly, univocally, unequivocally, stated rebellion as the only answer. My farsightedness assured me that there was no other resolution to the mess except ejecting Katayanna from the throne by force. Eventually, the Remainders agreed. General Cenarious had discussed briefly such an outcome from time to time for contingencies sake, but without confidence or desire. None of the Remainders, except for myself, really wanted a rebellion. They all hoped for a peaceful transition of the Crown, and the friendly departure of the Colonists, who were unfortunately caught up in the Queen’s cloud of failings. I, however, knew the seed was about to bloom.
The Rebellion
The Queen pressed harder on General Cenarious as much as the Remainders did, and he finally made his decision. He ordered the armies to gather in the city to be alert for insurrection, but this was a disguised call for all the rebels to gather. The only loyalist with an army in the capital was Confessor Katrina.
On the actual call for rebellion, there was a diversity of reactions. The Queen naturally deemed it a pathetic failure, though she must have known her own head was doomed. Some nobles were disappointed in the result and remained neutral. Others sided with the Queen as loyalists, while the rest of us became rebels. Maybe one or two fled D’Hara altogether. Some of the Colonists joined the loyalists, and some joined our side, and many were neutral.
At first, the loyalists had the strength of the nobility as they were the first to have public support, even though none of the Queen’s supporters had a unit in the capital. As the rebellion carried on the Remainders, who had units in the capital, announced their support for the General. In addition, more of the influential nobles sided with the rebels, such as the Duke of Port Nebel.
The Colonists worried that the rebels would persecute them but were assured they were not targets. In fact, the rebels encouraged the Colonists and promised them support once the Queen was overthrown.
The General pleaded for the Queen to renounce her Crown so none of the loyalists would be hurt in any fighting, but the Queen would not take such insolence and pressed on as the monarch of the fractured realm.
The loyalists claimed the General inflated the allegations that the Queen and her entourage were stealing from the realm, while the rebels claimed the Queen had turned criminal to secure her future. The loyalists said the rebels had broken their oaths and were betraying D’Hara, while the rebels said the Queen had negated all oaths in her maliciousness and conceited dealings. Fortunately for me I never made an oath to the Queen.
Honour, loyalty, devotion, friendship, community, all in question, hollowed, confronted, during the rebellion. The word traitor was used several times. The Queen was labeled petty, greedy and insane. The General was called worthless, self-centric, and opportunistic.
During the rebellion, the Queen, as an elder of the Way of the Dragons, the indigenous faith of the realm, expelled many nobles in opposition of her, including myself, disturbing the religion she helped form. As well as expelling us from the religion, she expelled many other nobles from other guilds she was elder of, such as the Oceanic Trading Company. Following this, she also requested the aid of infiltrators to assassinate those who spoke out against her, myself included. She even offered the city of Paisly to whoever could remove its lovely Duchess, whom at the time was Lady Kisharianda Onyxien. As Royal Fiduciary, the Queen raised all duchy taxes to ensure none of the rebels received any funding. This measure was ineffective since the rebellion had already begun and only angered all of the D’Haran nobles. She used everything she could to attack the rebels.
For my part, I was bought off by the General to support his rebellion publicly. Though I chose to be a Remainder on my own volition, my involvement was never on principle, only for the benefit of my goals. I cared little for Katayanna except for what she was in the power to give me. I knew Katayanna’s days were over. I knew Cenarious was one of the leading men to take her position. Since the beginning of this event, the power was shifting to Cenarious and once he did what I knew he inevitably would do, I sided with him. Honestly, I personally never liked Cenarious, everyone knows that, and tried to pull for another Lord to launch the rebellion, but Cenarious knew what I wanted most and was willing to offer it to me. As undeserving and underachieving as he is, that was how he won my support.
For the militarily inclined, I believe there were two battles in Port Raviel against Katrina’s Black Guard which made up the entirety of the bloodshed in the rebellion. More venom was spewed in words than blood spilt by swords but that is the essence of all rebellions.
The scene shifted and ebbed until the rebellion succeeded.
Consequence of Reform
General Cenarious was victorious and declared the Dragon King of D’Hara. D’Hara was restored to order, and the positions were recast. New names elevated to Duke, Count, Marquis, Marshal, Confessor, and Royal Fiduciary. Lady Katayanna was banned and took her exile to Caerwyn, followed by Lady Katrina, all the while proclaiming her innocence and that her intentions were for the best of D’Hara. Lady Katayanna even said she was planning on stepping down the very day after the rebellion was called, but could not because an infiltrator tried to assassinate her. Too bad no one was aware of that plan earlier. The rebels asked the Queen to return the tax gold she stole during the rebellion so they may redistribute it to the Colonists and the realm (which was starving) but instead she spread it amongst her loyalists, and then sent the rest to her family.
The Way of the Dragons was reaffirmed as D’Haras faith, and everyone was welcomed back. The former Queen on the other hand was punished by the Prophet for her actions and demoted. The Colony plan fizzled out. Some of them followed Lady Katayanna, while others went their own ways.
We Remainders became the new masters of the realm and hold onto our memories of this past with quiet reflection. The rebellion is both our medal of service to the future of D’Hara, and our scar from what D’Hara was in the past.
The rebellion led to the restoration of unity in D’Hara. Its position in Dwilight was secured, and with this realignment we turned our attention to expanding east - into my territory.
Prince Bowie Ironsides.
Summer of 7 YD (or the 22nd of June 2009).
