The Uclandian Uprising
The rebellion does not have a name for itself, but Empress Azura Voss does. She simply refers to the rebellion as “The Uprising”, or if she has to refer to one of the people involved, she only ever refers to them as “the rebels”, or “the dissidents”.
The History of the Uprising
Just before Emperor Thorian and Duke Redmoss (and several Nobles) went off on an end-of-season hunt, Emperor Thorian gave Lady Voss the task of working with the Steward of the castle, Torca. Azura began to micro-dose poison Torca and stepped into his role easily. When he died, spoiled food was blamed. She increased taxes and levies in the absent Emperor’s name. When a protest formed outside the castle walls, the Emperor’s Guard was sent to arrest the protestors and disperse the crowd. Four people said to be the ringleaders and instigators of the protest, were questioned, tortured, and publicly beheaded as a demonstration of Imperial power. Their deaths only fueled the rumblings of discontent. Anyone caught speaking against Lady Voss or Emperor Thorian was arrested and imprisoned. At night, handbills were posted on trees declaring Voss a tyrant and unfit to rule in the place of Emperor Thorian. No one claimed responsibility. In retaliation, Lady Voss ordered the city gates shut and locked and declared no traders would be allowed into Vahaava Ri until the dissidents surrendered themselves to the Castle Guard. Despite increasing hunger and diminishing food reserves, no one came forward. The common belief was that when Emperor Thorian returned, he would take control back and things would return to normal. One day, a procession demanded entry to the city’s main gate. It was the Emperor’s hunting party bearing the body of Thorian Marcrest II. He had been killed in a freak hunting accident when he ran afoul of a large boar and discovered his crossbow quiver empty. He was severely mauled before any of his men could intervene and died of his injuries. Duke Redmoss took control of the hunting party, and they brought the Emperor’s body back to Castle Marcrest. When the people of Vahaara Ri heard of their Emperor’s death, they all mourned, but none more than those who had hoped his return would bring salvation. Finally realizing that salvation would not come from outside the city walls, a group of city merchants approached one of their peers, a seamstress with a reputation for being wise, and pleaded for her counsel. She was known as “Ser”. She told them to meet her at midnight four nights later in the storage basement of the One-Eyed Bear, a nearby tavern. The night they all met in the basement of “The Bear”, as everyone referred to it, was the true birth of the Uprising. Ser rejected any suggestion of commonly known structure or plans, with the logical explanation that if there was no common knowledge of these things, no one person would be able to reveal secrets if captured and tortured. She sent all the merchants away with two tasks only. Discreetly enlist those who were sympathetic to the cause of overthrowing the self-declared Empress Voss. Send any hunter they felt could be discreet & want to help feed the people to Ser’s shop Then send word to her in the form of orders. She would take care of the rest. Ser ran her shop as she slowly and quietly built the foundations of the rebellion. She gathered a group of hunters trusted to slip outside the city walls by means of a hidden and forgotten tunnel. She also formed a network of people willing to butcher the meat, preserve it, and hide it away from Guard's eyes. In this way, the rebellion could help the people who needed it most, in exchange for their silence and support. When the Castle Archivist discovered a hidden section of the Marcrest Library, and subsequently the Legends and related prophecies of the Dragon Covenant, he went to see Ser. He told her of his discovery, and what he’d read. He told her about the Great Calamity hundreds of years before, as well as the Dragon’s Withdrawal, about their prophecied return, and that a Rightful Heir was integral to Uclandia’s freedom. Ser gathered some of the wisest and most trusted rebels to her and together, they established a hierarchy. They also decided that their origins, and goals as well as achievements would be recorded for historical annals so that future Uclandians would know the truth if they were wiped out. It was also decided that they would actively study the hidden documents. If they seemed valid, the rebellion leaders would then choose members to seek out the Rightful Heir while others among them would develop a plan to remove Empress Voss from power. Their goals were listed in their documents as such:- Feed, comfort, and provide for the poor & starving people of Uclandia as best able
- Develop a plan to remove Empress Voss from power
- Study the hidden legends & prophecies to bring about the return of Dragons
- Seek out the Rightful Heir
- Actively remove Empress Voss from the throne
- Put the Rightful Heir on the throne of Uclandia
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