The Conflict
Prelude
During the reign of King Tarquin III, various policies and actions which were deeply unpopular with the people, especially the urban middle class, led to a series of small revolts. Although each was put down, the increasing violence and repression which met each one led to a spiralling of conflict, the putting down of every uprising creating further martyrs and grievances to fuel the next.
Eventually, Carr Tharn, a tradesman's daughter from Illyria whose father was killed in the final small uprising, led a huge revolt from the trading district when she became the first figure to publically denounce not only Tarquin but the monarchy as a whole. This drastic step drove some moderates away, but was enough to raise her profile to the point she became the de-facto leader of a new, armed faction, the first to declare itself to be in official revolt against the government.
The majority of actual conflict in the Revolution took place in major towns and cities. Illyria saw the most fighting, and the most destruction, but most urban areas saw either some combat or some rioting in favour of one side or the other. Outside of the urban population centres, little changed for the assorted farming communities, druidic groves, isolated rangers or similar peoples. Mostly outside the reach of Tarquin's repressions, they had less cause to hate him, but equally saw no reason to oppose the new Republic, which seemed to be equally irrelevant to their quiet lives.
Almost all of the peninsula was eventually included in the new Republic, either by willing concession or by the application of force by the new Army of the Republic - hastily formed out of the old City Guard and the new militia groups. The only exception was the city of
Verdorn. To the surprise of both the scattered monarchist hold-outs and the new Republic, rather than declaring themselves loyalists to the crown or welcoming in the rebels, they did neither. Instead, they declared a separate independance from the Kingdom of Nerevarn, calling themselves a free City-State -
The Free City of Verdorn - and friend to the new Republic of Nerevarn. Despite fierce objections and many angry diplomatic letters, the Republic in the end decided against open warfare with a well-defended and wealthy city, especially one which had cleverly maneouvered themselves into the position of 'fellow rebel'.
After several years, most of the peninsula settled down into more or less peaceful acceptance of the new Republic, especially when the economic recovery (after the decades of tyranical rule by the corrupt Tarquin) began to be felt. Now, a century later, only Verdorn remains outside the rule of the Republic of Nerevarn and its blood-stanined lilly flag.
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