The Shemlin Uprising

As with any uprising it all started with a paragon of the rebels, for the Shemlin this was Barbanis a natural born son of the empire one of the few to rise through the ranks of the Auxiliary and ascend to the ranks of the Legion. Barbanis was born to slaves who worked the estate of Septimus Arturus Vermilion, a high ranking member of both the Legion and the Magocracy, Septimus was a known advocate of the rights of those born into the Empire regardless of who their parents were. It was those very ideals that lead Septimus to raise Barbanis alongside his own children. Many hurdles had to be overcome for Barbanis, namely in his rise through the Auxiliary, the fighting force that leads the charge before the Legion marches in. Barbanis made a name for himself in the Auxiliary through his tactical brilliance specifically in one of the many conflicts with the Dwarves, Barbanis took command of a small fighting force and captured a Dwarven Thaig of Járnhalda allowing for an Imperial garrison to be established and stage a full fledged invasion of the Dwarven kingdoms who had long since taken to hiding in their mountains. It was this victory that lead to the then General Septimus Arturus Vermilion to uplift Barbanis to the Legion itself giving him his first command as a Centurion.
As a Centurion, Barbanis called for his 100 soldiers to come from Auxiliary, thus came the first humans in the Legion. Now entitled to land, pensions, and the right to take part in symposiums and elections, this was a turning point for the Shemlin... Or it should have been, it just so happened that Barbanis was placed under the command of the man he was raised alongside Octavius Severus Vermilion after Septimus took a position in the Imperial Senate for his success in the conquest of the Dwarves. Octavius did not share his father's views on citizenship, and perhaps it was for this reason that any time there was a noteworthy symposium or election Barbanis was deployed to the most dangerous conflicts. While Barbanis' name brings up mixed feelings in the Empire, it is worth noting that the man had an iron will, he took this treatment for decades before his sudden and inevitable betrayal.
At the Thaig of Járnhalda, Barbanis forged an alliance with the Dwarves and assisted them in taking back the Thaig in exchange for sheltering escaped Imperial slaves. It was the Dwarves who taught mankind to shape steel, and it was human steel that rose up in the empire. And for an entire generation of Shemlin, rebellion set in all across the Empire slaves revolted while the Legion focused on their war with the Dwarves, having two Legions trapped in the Deeproads of the Dwarven kings, while another three Legions lead ongoing sieges of the Thaigs closest to the surface. This left only the Legion under the command of Octavius Severus Vermilion to deal with the rebels, and while much can be said of what Octavius contributed to the study of magic as it pertains to Draconic bloodlines, he was severely lacking in tactical knowledge and made many blunders that allowed Barbanis to snatch victory where there should have only been swift defeat. It was not until Barbanis had the gall to stage an assassination attempt on our glorious emperor Gilgamesh of the Gilded Scales that the rebellion came to a swift and sudden end. It is said that two gouts of flame could be seen from the throne room, a feat that raises many questions about either the abilities of our glorious emperor, or the lineage of Barbanis himself.
Regardless of the truth, the conflict ended with Septimus presenting new legislation that would allow any rebels whom surrendered to become full imperial citizens, but forbid them from carrying weapons for two generations. It is also worth noting that Septimus nearly bankrupted his family paying a blood price to Gilgamesh for the remains of Barbanis, which are entombed in the Vermilion family crypt, a sign of the high regard with which Septimus held Barbanis.

The Conflict

Prelude

It is worth noting that in the early days of the Empire, Humankind was still living in the uncivilized squalor of nomadic tribes in an endless search for food and shelter. It was by the grace of our forefather that we brought civilization to them, it was only fitting that the work the land for the Elves of old who gave them fertile lands to work. The title of the war comes from the old Elvish word for Humans "Shemlin" or "Quick Blood" as it can be translated to the common tongue, referring to their short lives when compared to Elvenkind.

Outcome

As an outcome of this conflict Humans were given rights as imperial citizens, but forbidden from any and all martial practices for no less than two generations.

Aftermath

The empire lost it's free labor force and therefore had to begin an endless cycle of conquest due to legislation that made it illegal for any person born into the Empire to be a slave of the Empire. As well as sowing the seeds of mistrust of Dwarvenkind throughout the Empire.

Conflict Type

War

Start Date

50 AU

Ending Date

73 AU

Conflict Result

Empire victorious