Kings and Commanders
"Oh heavenly ones/Bless my march/Miss not my hand/When drawing bow/Oh spear, oh hand/The One guides thee/He guides us all/He guides us all/He guides us all."
Early Veritasan War Chant, circa 250 P.D.
"Kehexou was a meeting point and a turning point. Khemran and Veritasan cultures mixed and were absorbed by the Kehex, and the people turned to the East, even as the leaders turned to the West. In conflict between will of the people and will of the leader, the masses win."
-Telemaii Chrialia, Triumphalist Historian, Summatives.
Part Three:
"So you mean to have us embark on another war."
"High Elder Dominius, that is not my goal in the least. I would hardly call a little action such as this a "war", per se."
"Veritasan blood will be split, nonetheless. Regardless of the cause, do you really think Veritas is in a condition for battle, especially so soon after Cendrian?"
"It will not take more than one thousand, at the least. Surely a Falchioni contingent can be spared from the garrisons in the west?"
"This will be viewed as yet another gambit for imperialism, and Khemri will not like it. And you speak freely about the fall of an established dynasty. We all know that kings do not topple easily."
"Even if you take their families hostage," one Elder joked to mild amusement.
Delagani shrugged. "It's the loss of Veritas if you won't support a coup in a nation that should be our natural ally."
High Elder Dominius leaned forward.
"Let me make myself perfectly clear, Stratikrator. Veritas will not commit troops to action in Kehexou. If the Mayanas dynasty will topple as easily as you say, so be it! We will welcome the new change. But if Veritas is seen as the instigator of a failed coup in Takrau, then Kehexou will merely join the leagues of our enemies. It is the will of the Assemblum that we wait."
Turning on his heel, Delagani strode out of the chamber.
"Good day, my lords," he spat sarcastically.
A few elderly Assemblymen noted that he didn't include the "and masters" section of the parting. Stratikrator Delagani, as anyone could tell you, served no master but Veritas.
---
The scholar pointed to a small table, with three decomposing documents, one bronze inscription, and a ring lying under a sheet of glass.
"Using the most accurate sources, we have pieced together a crude timeline of the events that occurred in the Second Rebellion. In the early spring of 1102 P.D. Terias Gayanax left Salvation with Veritasan gold. He arrived one month later, avoiding a storm that ravaged the eastern coast of Kehexou. From these court documents, this personal memoir, the date on this coronation ring and the plaque here, which originally stood at the base of a statue in Old Takrau, we have narrowed our margin of error to one month."
Spring 1102: Terias arrives in Takrau, posing as wealthy merchant. Is promptly thrown out of the exclusive merchants guild for impersonating a merchant. Soldiers arrive, and a small scuffle between merchants and troops starts. Minor bureaucrat takes notice. Terias finds widespread dissent against Mayanas Dynasty, but no resistance.
Summer 1102: Terias flees to Soloxau, hearing rumors of a Republican resistance organization. However, said organization engages only in small-scale sabotage, and Gayanax is almost killed in a raid by pro-White Shield militias. Minor bureaucrat reports to Mid-level bureaucrat. Gayanax flees to the south in a small galley.
Fall 1102: An early storm knocks the galley off-course, shipwrecking Terias on one of the more isolated Southern Isles near Kehexou. Destitute and upset, is imprisoned in local jail for tresspassing on a Tenali* plantation while shipwrecked. Convinces wealthy owner that he is Terias by showing his father's coronation ring. Mid-level bureaucrat reports to High-level bureaucrat, who launches an investigation into the "Merchant Rebellion".
Winter 1102: Gayanax spreads his influence over the Southern Isles, where the plantation owners and tenali merchants are already under suspicion for the bogus Merchant Rebellion. Promises lower taxes, and more influence in government to landowners, who support him informally. Rumors sweep through Kehexou proper of an heir to the Gayanax Dynasty.
Spring 1102: The Shield on White (Mayanas Dynasty) orders a mobilization of the army, to crush the Merchant Rebellion (which is now real) and their Gayanax pretender. Advance scouting galleys are sunk by merchant ships, refitted into warships. With the Southern Isles pledging allegiance to him, Terias heads to the Far Coast on the mainland. The colonists supported the Gayanax Dynasty policy of aggressive expansion back in its heyday, and they set up a temporary capital for Terias at Palaxau.**
Summer 1102: Official beginning of the Second Rebellion, (the First was against Khemri) called also the Kehexan Civil War. Terias Gayanax declares himself openly, and forms the new crest of the Spear on Green. The Spear on Green controls the Southern Isles and Far Coast, and the Shield on White controls the mainland and the capital. Veritas pledges "neutrality". Merchants, navy, and rural populace declare for Gayanax, the urban populace remains loyal to Mayanas, along with the nobles and some of the army.
Fall 1102: The Shield on White captures and subdues some of the Southern Isles, with moderate casualties. Meanwhile, The Spear on Green assembles 40 galleys, and lands a force on the northwestern tip of the Main Island. Probes toward Takrau are beaten back, and the Shield on White raises all the army, and recalls the entire Southern Islands garrison force. Gayanax moves slowly to the east, hoping to capture Soloxau, the larges and richest city on the island. The armies prepare for a decisive clash.
Late Fall 1102: The Spear on Green moves toward Soloxau, defended by only 500 men. The garrison refuses to surrender, and Gayanax starts a siege. However, the Shield on White army arrives to the south, trapping the besiegers in between the fortress and a larger force. The Battle of Soloxau began, with Green archers harrassing the advancing flanks of the White spearmen. Archers are driven back with a charge, but stay in good order. White flanks advance, ahead of the center. Gayanax gambles on throwing his spearmen towards the right White flank, moving his archers in between the left and right flanks as a defensive screen. The ploy works, and the left flank fails to aid the right flank, continuing to advance to relieve the city. As a result, the right flank is routed by superior numbers, and the center exposed in the rear. Gayanax cuts off the advancing flank from the center under Mayanas...and Green banners appear over Soloxau, the Republican resistance finally pulling off a successful riot against the small garrison. White forces retreat in disorder to the capital.
To be continued post-update...
---
*Tenali is a large, wholesome, largely tastless fruit. It is ground into a paste very useful for cooking, and also serves as a cheap food for the poor. The Southern Isles are divided up into Tenali plantations, with wealthy, reclusive owners controlling large tracts of land.
**Iggy, you never named the city on the mainland that Kehexou has, so I did it for you.