The Wondrous Night

The Wondrous Night was a bloody uprising that took place in the city of Pakan in the year 256 GM. The incident received its name due to the influence and instigation by the mages of the The Wondrous Order who convinced the citizenry and militia to round up clerics and their sympathisers, as well as almost the entire town leadership and put them all to death.

The night of fighting and death started at 6pm on the evening of 311-256 and continued until sunrise the next morning, and saw the streets red with blood and a new ruling class installed in the town. In 12 hours, almost 1100 people were killed or driven away out of the population of almost 15,000, including the head clerics of Eachism, 6 of the 7 members of the town council, and numerous supporters and followers.

The Conflict

Prelude

As a key component to the The Wondrous Order's overarching plan to take control of most of the Isle of Melas, Pakan's demise was carefully planned. Months before the uprising, a young wizard named Marco Gavaldi was elected to the town council and began recruiting allies that had specific issues with the clerics of Each-Uisge that held great influence among the people. Gavaldi began using influential citizens to spread unfounded rumors about dark rituals being performed in the catacombs of the Cavalaqua Abbey across the lake.

Soon, small children began to mysteriously disappear and their bodies would turn up horribly beaten and abused, prompting more rumors to spread accusing the clerics of orchestrating the kidnapping and using the children in their rituals. While in reality, Gavaldi employed a tribe of werewolves and werebears to hunt down and take the children in order to cast the blame on the clerics.

During this time the town council, led by a human named Stefano Zenzi, made public their support for the clerics and the work of the Abbey. Zenzi had served as head of the council for over 20 years, and in that time had developed a close friendship with the Chief Abbot, Cavalia, and trusted him implicitly when questioned about the allegations. The support was made public, which continued to anger the citizenry and further erode their belief in the council's moral leadership.

Deployment

On the night of 311-256, while in an emergency council meeting, Gavaldi sent a signal to a trusted ally to spread the story that a massive sacrifice of children was planned to occur tonight in the Great Entrance Hall of the Cavalaqua Abbey. They pointedly included members of the city guard that had been especially enraged by the rumors. While the council meeting dragged on into the night, a determined group of guardsmen accompanied by a large group of armed citizens circled Lake Kirok to prepare to rescue their children and defeat the clerics.

Gavaldi had also arranged for his werewolf allies to hold the surviving children in a hidden cave some ways from the city, and earlier that evening they had all been gathered into a wheeled cage and, covered, were taken just outside the walls of the Abbey

Battlefield

The Great Entry Hall at the Cavalaqua Abbey was full of clerics at that time of the evening, preparing to move down for evening prayers. Unknown to them at the time, a large, armed mob led by the city guard was descending on the Abbey. Also unknown to them, other allies of Gavaldi from the The Wondrous Order got there first and were able to use magic to disable the clerics' ability to defend themselves and prepare for an attack.

Back in the town, other members of the city guard were preparing to enter the town council chambers and arrest the members of the council. Loyal guard members, including Captain of the Guard Antonia Zenzi, the Council Head's daughter, got word of the coup attempt and attempted to intervene.

Conditions

The night was cloudy and rainy, and the rainy sky was said to represent Each-Uisge's body slowly dissolving in sorrow over the land.

The Engagement

Before the armed mob finished climbing the high hill upon which the Abbey sat overlooking Lake Kirok, the werebeasts wheeled their kidnapped children through the front gates of the Abbey and presented themselves and their charges directly to the clerics. The The Wondrous Order mages also concealed themselves in the wheeled cage to prepare. The angry guardsmen and the citizens then arrived in the courtyard and saw their kidnapped children. Doubly enraged, the mob attacked the clerics and, due in part to the mages dampening their clerical abilities, all 125 clerics that night were slaughtered in cold blood. When it had become apparent a significant number of clerics had escaped into the catacombs and other hidden areas of the Abbey, the mob evacuated the building with their children and used explosives to bring the entire structure crashing 100 feet down into Lake Kirok, utterly destroying the structure and killing all those left inside. The mob celebrated their victory over the perceived evil, gathered their children and began to return to Pakan.

Meanwhile, the rebels in the city were met by Guard Captain Zenzi and her team of loyalists to defend the council. Gavaldi was able to lend aid from inside the council chambers and the loyal guard was quickly overwhelmed. Stefano Zenzi and his daughter, as well as the other council members were dragged out to the town square, just in time to see and hear the site of Cavalaqua Abbey crashing into Lake Kirok. Runners returning to the city ahead of the Abbey attackers relayed what they had found there, and the council members were all quickly hanged. Gavaldi took charge of the town and instructed all the rebel guardsmen to continue rounding up dissidents and immoral collaborators with the clerics throughout the citizenry.

By the time the night was over and dawn had broken, over 1,100 people were killed, exiled or driven away from town. Gavaldi assumed the title of Head of the Council until new elections could be held while the guard continued to make certain all traces of Each-Uisge influence was banished from the town.

Outcome

In the short term, life returned to a semblance of normal in Pakan, as most citizens congratulated themselves in rooting out the evil in their midst. Soon after, however, Gavaldi's temporary power became permanent, the City Guard became his personal security and no leadership change was imminent. Without the clerics' benevolent influence on the city and lacking the strong, fair leadership of the council, life in Pakan began to slide.

Aftermath

Over the next several months, Gavaldi's mind began to escape him as if an evil influence had used his body and left him an empty shell. He became increasingly erratic and issued mindless orders and decrees. When he perceived his own security were preparing to turn on him, he hung himself in his apartment. The security men scattered to become mercenaries or guarding minor business and criminal interests. Pakan slipped into lawlessness and anarchy.

Conflict Type

Battle

Battlefield Type

Urban

Start Date

311-256

Ending Date

312-256

Conflict Result

Complete banishment of Each-Uisge and his clerics, as well as the rightful leadership of the town.

Location

Pakan