The Imperial Civil War
"It was the very first blow our great Imperium had. The Tyrant undid most if not all of the delicate efforts we undertook to keep our empire together. It was a miracle that the Imperium is still unified, even after ten millenia of strife" Victoria Elnara Astridsson, learning about the Imperial civil war in a history class"The Imperial Civil War was the very first large scale war in The Sanguine Imperium. The War was caused by a coup by a group of tyrannic noblemen who were opposed to emperor Markus Christiansen's liberal reforms that reduced the power of the nobility and democratized many positions in the Imperium. After taking power, the noblemen initiated a reign of terror across the entire Imperium, with historians referring to it as the Darkest age in the Imperial era. The war also saw the widespread deployment of deathfog, a deadly biomagical weapon that could instantly kill any being, whether Human or undead, as well as deployment of Deathfog borne creatures. It was found that members of The Undead Legion had an immunity to the deathfog, and were resistant to the attacks of deathfog creatures. This, alongside the undead legions fervent loyalty to the values of the Imperium lead to the eventual downfall of the usurpers, with the legions commander slaying their mutated leader in single combat. The war has been a reflecting point for many people. It highlighted the need for good governance and the need to give more power to the general populace so that the minority do not enjoy wealth whilst the poor languish. It also proved to be a test of loyalty for the various peoples of the Imperium, and though whilst being mostly restricted to the Kingdom of Sanguinia and Tenebria in geographical scope, the war certainly affected everyone in the Imperium, and to this day, they are happy that the tyrant was overthrown and just rule was restored
The Conflict
Prelude
"Perhaps, no they were without a doubt afraid that they couldn"t control the people anymore. Markus wanted to give the people more power and democratize many of the functions of the Imperium. Its odd how some people can lust so much for power" Johan Christiansen, the youngest brother of Markus remarking on his murder in the aftermath of the civil war"Though the Imperium was founded with an egalitarian and liberal vision, there were many flaws that had to be ironed out to make it a truly liberal civilization in the vision of Mathias Christiansen. Most of the rulers in the Imperium however, did not address these issues or did so on a very small scale, until the reign of Markus Christiansen. Markus was not meant to originally ascend to the throne. He was further in the line of succession, behind his elder siblings. In his spare time, he had enlisted as a soldier in The Boreal Legion and in his travels and adventures, saw how noblemen used workarounds and loopholes in the legal and political system to swindle the commonfolk. Seeing this made him quite angry and sad at the same time, and he vowed to bring a change one day. He would eventually have the chance, for his elder siblings all died in a fire one day whilst spending their holidays elsewhere, thus leaving Markus as the next eligible heir. Upon ascending to the throne, Markus began a sweeping series of reforms that had eliminated the loopholes and workarounds and worked tirelessly to improve the living conditions of those on the bottom of the pyramid. He had also worked to democratize the Imperial government further and thus, give more power to the general populace. This had earnt him the ire of a certain group of noblemen, and they had begun to work with one of Markus' relatives who shared their ideals in hope of assasinating him
Planning the Murder
"Whatever happens, we have to get rid of him. He thinks all power belongs to those illiterate farmers? At best, it is ridiculous and at worst, it is the tyranny of the majorityThe nobles had prepared for a long while, almost 2 whole years to plan the assassination and subsequent coup of the emperor and his comrades. Due to some defecting agents from the various imperial intelligence agencies, the loyalists had no idea of the conspiracy brewing in the bowels of the castle. They had discussed every idea from the usual poisoning to sneaking in venomous or dangerous animals in his room. In the end however, Lord Harkonan, the chief conspirator had suggested the idea to use deathfog in order to efficiently kill the king and all of the potential obstacles. At first, there was objection from most of the conspirators, since deathfog was incredibly volatile and had just as big of a chance to kill them alongside the king. Moreover, deathfog was not as easy to cover up as with the traditional methods of execution such as poisoning. But Lord Harkonan assured them that all would be well and according to plan, provided that they had cooperated with him and retained utmost secrecy. The conspirators, though initially hesitant supported Harkonan fully, knowing that he was an experienced politician and someone incredibly close to the emperor. Their efforts would soon bear fruit, after 2 long years of planning on a dark and stormy night
The Night of the Murder
"My friends, it has been a long while planning for this night. The Night that we finally destroy our greatest foe and finally achieve victory. For 2 years, we have conspired in every way and every place possible, and today we shall make those dreams bear fruit through the deadly and poisonous method of deathfog. It will bear fruit, by the grace of the gods. Let us just hope for the best" Lord Harkonan, giving a speech to his co conspirators on the night of the assasinationOn a dark and stormy night, most of the inhabitants of the royal capital were huddled in their homes. Some were playing boardgames, others sparring or spending their time in other ways and the majority were just having a good rest, like Markus. None of them knew however, the carnage that would unfold that night The conspirators had released the deathfog at midnight, just as they had planned. Their efforts would soon bear fruit, for almost every one of their targets had perished to the deathfog attack despite the best efforts of Imperial emergency services. It wasn"t until well into the morning that the medical teams entered the palace, where they discovered to their horror that the emperor and most of his family were dead and so were many of his closest aides.
The Conspirators take over
"We have done it my friends. By the grace of the gods, we have done it! Now the time has come to finally undo everything that disgusting fucker did to us. Be afraid not, for i have taken the necessary steps to ensure that no one else will threaten us" Lord Harkonan, speaking to his comrades after the successful execution of the plotAfter the murder, the next in line of succession to the Imperial throne was Linden Christiansen, who had collaborated with the conspirators to murder his father. Linden ascended the throne shortly after, and soon began to repeal many of the reforms of his father. He had also elevated many of the conspirators to high positions, including Lord Harkonan to the post of Imperial regent and home minister, allowing him wide leeway in slowly turning the Imperium into a police state so that he could continue to enjoy power and fortunes without fear. The result was the transformation of the imperium into a state that its citizens couldn"t believe in their wildest of dreams, with frequent arrests and executions for the slightest percieved "crime" This did not go unnoticed however, and soon there was a growing opposition to him that would soon erupt into a full fledged rebellion. Whilst there were already people who had begun an armed rebellion, the majority of the people opposed to the government carried out nonviolent means of resistance until a certain event
The Night of the Massacre
As the dissenting voices grew, the government took harsher and much more draconican steps to curb the demonstrations. This included murder as well, and a strict lock on information circulating around Inaria as well as the other parts of the Imperium. Though the individual kingdoms of the Imperium had nearly unanimously opposed the central governments decision, the centre refused to budge. This indeed, lead to a series of events that would culiminate in open rebellion One night, the government had devised a plan to either arrest or kill most of the leadership of the dissidents, alongside a large amount of their supporters. A curfew was suddenly announced all across the Imperium and the government moved in to arrest and later murder the dissident leadership. They had also released deathfog into many of the areas in disguise of the dissidents, so as to make the massacre seem like an internal conflict Although well executed this time as well, the plan did not go quite as promised. Many people had gotten note of it and due to their patience running dry, began open rebellion against the government. After a violent day of clashes that saw thousands dead, including some of the key conspirators, the rebel forces largely moved to remote places such as the mountains or the frigid tundras in the northernmost parts of the continent, determined to overthrow the tyrants and restore just rule to the imperium againThe Engagement
Initial Stages
During the Initial stages of the rebellion, the loyalists were faced with a chronic shortage of equipment and trained personnel. Though only a small minority of the tyrants ( here referring to Lord Harkonan) were zealous and steadfast in their loyalty, fear was a potent tool too to keep his soldiers in line and thus, there were still many that kept their loyalties to him for fear of getting the worst treatment in their lives. Moreover, the other parts were afraid too that the tyrant would turn his murderous gaze to the other kingdoms, and bring much harm and after he had assured them that nothing would happen and that they would even get to keep their autonomy if they didn"t interfere, their support for the rebels had become completely clandestine and secret Nevertheless, the rebels still managed to wage a successful insurgency from the remote corners of the continent, hoping to weaken and eventually destroy the tyrants forces in war of attrition as it was the only realistic option. However, their victory would come sooner, thanks to a certain military order that would turn against the tyrant
The Legion strikes back
"For Fucks Sake Elias we have to do something! We can"t let our countrymen die in droves whilst we sit here laying eggs!" "I know but.... they have my father chained in the dungeons alongside my only sister. If i make the slightest of moves, i am boned beyond relief" "You aren"t the only one. Literally almost everyone in the legions ranks has one of their loved ones at the tyrants hands. Do we not raise our voices? Do we not condemn them? We are just waiting for your decision to shelter the rebels and join them to restore just rule to our country again" "I.... I think you are right. As much as i am afraid, sitting ducks will make the matter only worse. I am leaving you in charge of the fortress here. I"ll be riding out to meet the rebel leaders. If we join them, maybe we can change the tide of the war and get the other kingdoms to openly support us and become part of our war effort" A conversation between Elias Maltoran, commander of the undead legion and his second in command, Carolus Lorian, regarding the Undead legions support for the rebels.Though, the Undead legion had remained rather netural ( at least officially) in the initial stages of the war due to a combination of fear for their relatives as well as pressure from the government, they had finally taken the decision to support the rebels almost unanimously at an emergency assembly. Their leader had gone out to meet the rebel leaders to discuss ways of cooperation, whilst the second in command had conducted various works at home That very night however, a gigantic army belonging to the tyrants forces had attacked the legions headquarters. The army was gigantic, composed of over a quarter million soldiers, determined to finish off the legion. Despite the legions best efforts, the battle was still a bloody one and it wasn"t until their commander returned with rebel forces that they had won. With their victory, the tide had finally began to turn. The Undead legion swore themselves to the rebels service, and this emboldened the individual kingdoms enough to begin sending their own military support in open defiance of the central government
The Tide Turns
"At long last, we will take back our rightful kingdom and return it to glory! Let this be a lesson to the future generations, so that they may not commit the same mistake as we did" Carolus Lorian, giving a speech to his troops before leading the assault on a key cityWith the combined forces of the legion and other states intervening and also with huge mutinies breaking out in his armies, the tyrants forces almost crumbled to pieces. Many towns and cities were retaken in lightning speed, and all the towns had at least some of their parts controlled by the rebels. Not knowing what else to do, Lord Harkonan and Linden came up with a plan. They would release deathfog around the borders of key cities and rebuild their strength from within. The plan was eagerly received by most of their side, and preparations were made to execute it
The Fog of death
"It was horrifying. I saw the skin of my friends literally melt off and violently melt off and disintegrate. I Don"t want to go back there. Just the thought of it makes me want to throw up" A loyalist soldier, talking about his experience of barely surviving the deathfogWithout the slightest bit of warning, the tyrants forces suddenly released deathfog all around their major settlements and holds, alongside some important towns as well. The result was the nightmarish death of tens of thousands of loyalist soldiers, their physical forms melting away and becoming one with the wind. With the deathfog deployed around them, the loyalists could not in any way breach the defenses. This gave time for the tyrant to build up his forces in a rather sinister method, and by the time the loyalists found a solution, it would be too late
A Weakness is found
"Judging by the fact that some of our lads did survive the attacks, it may be possible to get through the barrier. If we go first and disable the deathfog barrels and other generators, then we may have a chance of mounting a full scale assault" "But what makes you think that this will succeed? They were only few, and it could have been pure dumb luck or the gods saving them" "Well in that case, the gods will save us again through the power of pure dumb luck. Its a shot worth trying right?" A conversation between Carolus and Elias, on a potential workaround to the deathfog problemThe rebel commanders were both horrified and frustrated. Their victory was clutched from their hands at the very last moment, and despite the best of their efforts, the deathfog problem still persisted. Even their brightest of minds could not fathom any way to cross the deathfog barrier, but it would be an unlikely duo that would provide the answer Carolus had noticed that all of the survivors of the deathfog attack were members of the undead legion. At most, they had only slight breathing problems but were otherwise okay. This had led to a devious plan made by Carolus, who proposed to use undead legion soldiers to infiltrate the key towns and cities, turn off the sources of deathfog, thereby allowing the human and non legion undead soldiers to take part in the assaults. The Idea had enamored the loyalist leadership and they gave it the green signal. The results turned out to be a spectacular success for the loyalist side and they began their winning streak again. But what would transpire soon was a fact that would forever be imprinted into their memories
The Beasts are let loose
When the Loyalists finally began to breach the deathfog barrier, they were met with something they couldn"t comprehend even in the wildest of their dreams. Swarms of deathfog borne creatures, some using the element itself were let loose and when they clashed with the loyalists, they left a path of corpses in their wake. Had it not been for the undead legion and reinforcements from the other kingdoms constantly trickling in, the loyalists would indeed have lost the war. But that was not the case and even with so many deathfog creatures at his side, the tyrants forces could not hold up and in a short amount of time, most of the continent was recaptured by the loyalists. Harkonan and Linden then hatched a plan to make their final stand in the Imperial capital and enact their most daring plan as of yet, leading to the last battle
The Final battle
"Brothers and sisters! Today we stand at the gates of our beloved citadel, vengeance burning in us to reclaim it from the tyrants venomous claws. Many lives have been lost, and yet we have emerged victorious. Only this city remains. The tyrants forces may be deadly creatures whom no mortal can match by himself, but there are many of us today and we shall indeed be victorious! Throw whatever fear you have into the dark abyss of your mind, and let us together, end this tyrants reign once and for all and make it a lesson for our progeny to hear" Elias Maltoran, commander of the undead legion giving a speech before the assault on the Imperial capitalWith most of the major cities and settlements in the continent falling to the loyalists, the tyrants forces made their way to the imperial capital for their final stand. They had also shrouded the barriers in deathfog and filled the perimeters with deathfog creatures, all just to buy time for their final and greatest plan The Undead Legions legionnaires tried to disable the barrier just as usual but instead found themselves bogged down due to hordes of deathfog creatures. Though they were resistant to their attacks as well, the legions numbers were few compared to them and thus they made a mad ditch to turn off the generators so that the bulk of the loyalist forces could attack When the loyalists forces passed the perimeter however, they found themselves bogged down as well and slaughtered by even larger hordes of deathfog creatures. Even with the reinforcements from the other kingdoms, the fight was a bloody standstill with the tyrants forces firmly holding their ground, which ran red with the blood of loyalist and traitor alike. It was upto a group of elite undead legion soldiers to put an end to it Elias had taken some of his best soldiers and commanders and attempted to infiltrate the imperial palace, with the goal of assassinating the tyrant and hopefully forcing his forces to surrender. Despite encountering stiff resistance and many of his allies falling victim to the claws, jaws and maws of the deathfog creatures, he fought up until the tyrant was in sight. But he was different this time, grossly mutated and transformed into a gigantic creature. It was not until he got close to him that he knew, this was the tyrant The tyrant had spoke about how he fused Linden with himself to create this "majestic" beast and how Elias and Carolus would make a good addition. He also revealed his plan, to release deathfog throughout the entire Imperium using a network of aerial creatures and underground teams. He told him that the trigger lay in his hands and he would use it soon, but first, Elias and Carolus had to be incorporated into him and made into "Crown jewels" Elias and Carolus then fought the mutated Lord Harkonan and found it nearly impossible to kill him. Many Undead Legion Champions perished, including the younger brother of Carolus and Elias's father whom they had freed from the prisons of another city. In the end however, the two were victorious after Carolus impaled the beast with a gigantic spear made of ice, incapacitating it long enough for Elias to climb to its head and behead it. With the death of the tyrant, all the deathfog creatures had also died. Most of his remaining human forces surrendered, whilst the ones that were not were killed outright. At long last, just rule was restored to the Imperium
Outcome
The Aftermath
The Imperium was ravaged. Though the war had not affected the more southern parts, it had a massive impact there too. And in the north where the war was mostly fought, the land was devastated. At least half a million people had died from combat alone, and the total death count as estimated at 850,000 in total, nearly equally divided between the loyalists and the tyrants forces. The recovery efforts were further hindered due to the Bloodmoon Rebellion almost a year later, which further weakened the Imperium. After the period of these two conflicts however, the imperium began to recover, slowly at first and rapidly later on. It was to be a lesson for everyone of the future, about what corruption and power can do to one man and the entire populace
The Rebellion
Shortly after the civil war, a rebellion began on the bloodmoon islands that would exact a massive toll as well. The Imperium had at first faced off against the rebels demanding autonomy and more oppurtunities in their homeland but after the arrival of a deranged cult and their demonic masters, both sides united and were successful at last to destroy the cult. The back to back blows had made the Imperium quite weak, and it took a long time for them to recoverAftermath
The Age of liberty
"Let the civil war be a reminder. A reminder to what tyranny can do. We must stand by the rights of our citizens, and make sure that they have the most power in the affairs of our empire. I swear to Regulus himself, that i shall never betray my citizens nor trample on their rights for as long as i breathe" Johan Christiansen, the emperor who succeeded Markus delivering a speech on his coronation ceremonyThe Period that followed the civil war and the bloodmoon rebellion came to be known as the age of Liberty. It was an era of radical reforms that had ironed out many of the imperiums mistakes and flaws. The age also saw a huge democratization of the empire, the largest of its kind until the reign of Alarius Christiansen many thousands of years later. It was then that the publicly elected representatives in the imperial parliament were given much more power, a process that would be complete when Alarius gave them equal if not even more power than the noblemen and the influential peoples who would represent their groups
Historical Significance
Legacy
A lesson for all
"It taught us a lesson on how to fight tyranny with all we had and what it could truly do the people. History books on the war have become a holy book for those who fight against tyranny everywhere, and even the Duskfall Horc Federation has been taking inspiration from it in their war against us. A history professor, talking about the legacy of the civil warThe civil war has many lessons in it for everyone. It was a warning to tyrants of all kinds, that their rule would at one point crumble into dust and when it did so, it would be in the most violent way possible. It also served as a beacon of hope to all the citizens wanting a better and more egalitarian society, that they would have it in the end if they struggled for it. So great was its pull that even the Horcs had taken inspiration from it during their war against the imperium ( whilst ironically being allies with an autocratic empire as well). To this day, it is taught in history books as one of the most indispensable events in history
Conflict Type
War
Battlefield Type
Land
Start Date
2999 AI
Ending Date
3000 AI
Conflict Result
Loyalist Victory. Huge portion of the Inarian Continent Devastated and many of its inhabitants killed
Location
Belligerents
Loyalists
Forces of The Tyrant
Strength
Casualties
Objectives
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