Silver Eagle Rebellion

The Silver Eagle Rebellion was a rebellion instigated by Silver's Claw that would lead to the eventual downfall of the Queendom of Leland.

The Beginnings of Rebellion

Abuses of the Crown

Following an assassination attempt gone horribly wrong in 517, the crown had become increasingly paranoid about the threat of being overthrown. This led to increased military presence throughout Leland as well as a host of new laws and regulations designed to stop even the potential of a revolt. This included declaring all visaurants enemies of the state because of their immunity to Power of Persuasion, which every queen was required to possess. All of this, naturally, required more money to enforce, meaning a sharp increase in taxes as well. Those unable to pay the taxes or suspected of having insurrectionist leanings were arrested.

First Appearance of Silver's Claw

Though it is likely that Silver's Claw was operating in the shadows for a time prior to their first claimed attack, it is agreed that the attack on the prisoner transport ship at Sudlan Bay Trading Post in 706 marks the beginning of the rebellion. Claw agents swarmed the ship that had docked for a respite, released the prisoners, and blew the ship up, spreading copies of Silunsei's Manifesto all over the dock.

The Heart of the Rebellion

Strategy

Rather than rush to overtake Harmonil, Silver's Claw took a more drawn-out approach. They instigated small revolts all over Leland, some successful, others not, starting at the farthest southern reaches and moving northward. Their strategy was to empower the common people to take control of their situation rather than to just claim power for themselves and introduce a new rule. The slow movement toward Harmonil was to make Queen Elena Ahyen squirm as she saw the rebellion slowly moving toward her on the map.

Death of the Queen

In 712, Silver's Claw was betrayed by one of its northern leaders, but a few agents escaped capture. In the chaos that followed the arrests, these agents were able to infiltrate the Palace of the Lionness  and one of the agents, a visaurant, confronted Queen Elena directly. The identity of this agent is lost to history, but they plunged a dagger into the queen's heart, ending the seven century rule of the Ahyen queens.

Outcomes

Short-Term

As news of the fall of Queen Elena spread through Leland, anti-imperant sentiments reached their height. Violence and rioting broke out, leading to the murder of imperant families in all reaches of the peninsula. Some historians believe upwards of 60% of the imperant population was killed during this period.
Meanwhile, in Harmonil, Elena's absence created a power vacuum that was filled by the inner circle of Silver's Claw. Those won over by Silunsei's words felt betrayed when the figure never revealed himself or tried to claim power, leading to some resentment toward those who did claim power.

Long-Term

The most obvious long-term outcome of the Silver Eagle Rebellion was the formation of the Leland Confederacy which still stands to this day.
Prior to the fall of the queendom, Power of Persuasion was already the most uncommon of the enmanities, but after the violence against imperants it became truly rare, manifesting in less than one percent of the population for generations.

Start Date

706

Ending Date

712