Grand Betrayal of Values

The Grand Betrayal was a disastrous period in Frankonian history that saw several of the Republic's most important figures exposed as cultists of Baphomet; more precisely, Templars of the Ivory Labyrinth. The subsequent inquisitions against the Templars were a bloody and highly sensitive period. It resulted in large reformations in the organisations of the Septemvirate dynasties, the government, and many guilds.

In 3648, the Golden State Inquisition received an anonymous tip regarding the whereabouts of the Sun-Crown of Easivra, a cultural artefact that had been lost for centuries. This type of retrieval is not within the jurisdiction of the State Inquisition. However, the recipient, Exemplar Galrund Fellcomet, neglected to inform his superiors and gathered a small force to investigate the location, which was supposedly on an uncharted island south of the Trazon Jungle. One of the junior State Inquisitors in this operation was Exactor Angelique Delecour. As it turned out, the tip revealed something far more sinister than simply an artefact.

Following the lead, the group of State Inquisitors disembarked on an island that was host to a large fortress which had evidently been the target of a protracted siege. None of the State Inquisitors could identify the origin of the fortress or find records about any major conflicts in that part of the world. Few things in the fortress were in good condition, and the Sun-Crown was nowhere to be found, but the Inquisitors recovered what they could. They also noticed traces of recent activity deep inside, which led to them discovering a hidden passage into a Sanctum of Baphomet. Inside, they found some cryptic Abyssal tablets as well as inscriptions on walls that all but confirmed the active operation of an organisation that call themselves the "Templars of the Ivory Labyrinth," and they managed to decipher concrete evidence of one of their lairs in Frankonia. Upon their return, Exactor Angelique informed Exemplar Galrund of the shadowy group, who in turn informed Pontiff Solavin, who was the Grandmaster of the Templars of the Ivory Labyrinth in Frankonia.

The Grand Betrayal

Due to the Templars being cultists of Baphomet, Exactor Angelique saw it fit to involve the Hellknights of the local Order of the Nail. She and a group consisting of Republican Guards and a Hellknight squad stormed the Templar lair near Terre-de-Mer; as this happened, the Templars in the urban areas received mass orders to openly depose local authorities. High-ranking Templar cultists of the Republican Guard, Golden Legion, the Azure Conventus, and local volunteer guards moved in concert, under false pretences of legitimacy, to overthrow the government of Frankonia. The coup was on the verge of success; only a group of stalwart Republican Guards hindered the cultists from entering the Dome of the Five Lilies. Mass confusion erupted in the cities of the Republic, and armed skirmishes between cultists and non-cultists became commonplace.

The raid of the Templar hideout yielded, after some interpretation, lists of all Templars in Frankonia. Utilising magical means of communication, Exactor Angelique and the Hellknights informed trusted elements of different organisations the identities of all traitors within their respective constellations. Battles and mass arrests followed, with Angelique leading the charge against the State Inquisition's own traitors. Pontiff Solavin had already begun purging "enemies of the Republic," with Exemplar Galrund being one of many victims. Ultimately, the forces of order prevailed. However, the tribunals that followed the exposure of the Templars led to great shock; no segment of Frankonian society was free from their influence; the Templars' generational organisation saw entire dynasties put on show trials and executed publicly.

After the Grand Betrayal, suspicion reigned supreme in the Republic. The Consular Vicariate of the Chancellery was granted areas of responsibility that had long since been rescinded after their role in the Silent Morning, and the Golden State Inquisition started to vet all new elected and unelected government officials under Zone of Truth. It also led to Angelique Delecour being appointed the new Leonine Pontiff.