The Black Festival

The Righteous Massacre

After many years of friction with Hemlock, Petrea had been trying to gain independence through diplomatic means, the tension had reached a boiling point. Hemlock had extremely strict rules regarding non-human races, as they had gone to war with these races often. Their rights were restricted, and they were looked at as second-class citizens.

Meanwhile Petrea, who had long wanted independence, had become a cultural melting pot, where all manner of races had congregated looking for a better life. Due to this diversity, Petrea had long been campaigning to govern itself, so as to ignore the unfair laws regarding the other races. After decades of trying to change these laws, Petrea began ignoring them completely. This caused great strife, as Hemlock began to threaten serious consequences if Petrea continued to break their rules. Hemlock decided to send a large force to occupy the Capital of Petrea, which lead to possibly the most controversial moment in the entire conflict, the violent beginning.

The force arrived on the popular holiday, the Aureon Festival. This is a festival commemorating the Goddess of fertility, and it is considered a holy day, where violence is prohibited. Aureon was held in very high esteem, and there was a temple to the Goddess in the Capital of Petrea. The Goddess abhors violence, and even executions of dangerous criminals are moved to a separate day to honor her. This is why it was considered extremely morally wrong when the Governor of Petrea had staged the murder of the entire force from Hemlock during this festival.

The Governor was planning to go to war and fight for freedom, so he had planned to start off strong by getting rid of the King's hold on the city. He pretended to be welcoming of the force that the emperor had sent, and even let them have their own place in the barracks. The force was led by the honorable General Arthur Gideon, of House Gideon, one of the Noble Houses of Hemlock. The force was very relaxed due to the festival, and they all celebrated in what they thought was a touching display of patriotism. However, that night, when most men were in a drunken slumber, the Governor had a large force enter the barracks. They quickly killed every man in the building, as none had expected a fight and it happened so fast. The only man spared was General Gideon. General Gideon was alive, but they took his sword, which was a family heirloom for House Gideon. He was taken prisoner, and they eventually sent him back to the Emperor with a Declaration of Petrea's independence from Hemlock. This was the beginning of a long and violent war, that would claim more lives than any war in hundreds of years.

The Conflict

Outcome

Petrean Casualties: 0

Hemlock Casualties: 2,000

Aftermath

This brutal preemptive strike was morally unnaceptable, but strategically cunning. The soldiers brought by Arthur Gideon were some of the best in Hemlock, and killing them was a cold yet calculated action. Allowing Arthur Gideon to live was likely an action done out of empathy, though it was strange, considering everyone else was slaughtered. However, the mental scars sustained by Arthur Gideon were likely the cause of his failure as a general later in the war, as his rage towards the King of Petrea seems to have clouded his judgement towards the end of the war.

Historical Significance

Legacy

This action is still defended to this day by many apologists in Petrea, but most people look back on it as a dishonorable smear on Petrea's history. Most in Petrea consider it to have been a necessary evil, while most in Hemlock consider it to be an irredeemable war crime.

Included under Conflict

Petrean Revolution

Conflict Type

Battle

Battlefield Type

Urban

Conflict Result

Massive Victory for Petrea, massive loss for Hemlock, Petrean independence declared.

Location

Freightway