The War of the False

Military action

A civil war for the throne of Taldor breaks out.

In the wake of Marius’ death, two contenders to the throne arose. Theodore, the Emperor’s cousin twice removed, endorsed by the church, and Friedrich, the Emperor's nephew, to whom most of the nobility of Taldor swore allegiance.
The ensuing civil war became a bloody conflict, stretching from one corner of the Empire to the other. The forces were about evenly matched, but slowly Theodore got the upper hand. With the support of the church, he had access to wealth and the support of the people, a power that it turned out was greater than that of the faction of the nobility supporting Friedrich. This course was changed by Templar Grand Master Odo Damand’s appearance in the capital of Justa. Up to this point, the Templars had been neutral, considering politics irrelevant for their task. But four years into the War of the False, upon the steps of the Grand Cathedral, the Templar Grand Master denounced Theodore and called him a heretic, a worshipper of Mammon.
At the start of the war, a Templar Knight had been given evidence from a servant of Theodore that he was in league with Mammon and the Templars had then spent three years investigating, seeking clarity and debating before making a decision. Grand Master Damand was fully aware that his decision could forever ruin the Templars, but in the end, he determined that the alternative would be even worse. Taking up arms, the Templars drove Theodore’s forces out of the city and put the high ranking members of the clergy in chains. While Theodore himself escaped, that day became the turning point of the war.
For another five years, the war lasted, with the Templars standing side by side with the common soldiers. Finally, at the battle of Castle Blackstone, Grand Master Odo stood side by side with Friedrich the True as they stormed the walls of the last of Theodore’s garrisons. His armies were routed and a year later, the new Grand Ecclesiarch crowned Friedrich The True Emperor of Taldor.
Theodore himself was not captured, but rumors said he fled to the north, hiding amongst the barbarians and spreading the gospel of his foul patron.