Ravenloft: Prisoners of the Mist

Within the swirling Mist (IC) => Tales Around the Campfire => Topic started by: Neuwwwo on June 14, 2022, 03:26:03 PM

Title: The Mithril Owl: Scholarly Gazette
Post by: Neuwwwo on June 14, 2022, 03:26:03 PM
A much older owl returns to spread it's wings. (https://www.nwnravenloft.com/forum/index.php?topic=46057.msg574941#msg574941) The journal is distributed among Port-a-Lucine's libraries and bookworm's corners.

Quote from: 2nd Edition
Published about Port-a-Lucine
The Mithril Owl: Scholarly Gazette ⚚
Ninth Issue ☼ 14th Juin, 777
(http://i.imgur.com/f8cDlMd.png?1)
Published by the Society of the Erudite

Quote from: Introduction...
A Letter from the Societé:

The ninth issue of this scholarly journal is dedicated to every historian who arduously labored to translate living memory into words, and thus letting the rest of us be able to peer back to the past, and have the possibility to understand the present and future. As it is said; The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the falling of the dusk.

All those who wish to participate in scholarly endeavours, see their work shared and discussed, aswell as have access to reference material from as far back as 764:
We cordially invite you contact the Erudite Societé, housed within the Presses du Savoir.
Preferably, present to us a well-researched and original text of your own make, after which we will deliberate on it's merit and possible induction within our circle of equals.

L'horizon est l'avenir,
Mlle. Clementine Morisway, Editor and Archivist.


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A History of the Dementlieuse Revolution (770, Yvette Sallembier)

Spoiler: show
The Seeds of Conflict

The seeds of this conflict grew from unrest in the lower-classes. Tensions between the common people and the nobility have been growing for years. There were many abuses of the state and corruption was rife in general. There were previous attempts at an insurrection, notably in the year 767 during one of the wars with Falkovnia, Maximillain Merda attempted to lead an insurrection. Lacking popular support, his revolution failed. Though the idea of mass revolution was planted during this time.

However the beginning of this conflict starts with how it ends, Falkovnia. Following the Last war with Falkovnia, there was a demilitarized zone created around the Dementlieuse and Falkovnian border. However, when in July of 769 they mobilized their forces into the area. The government took action to prepare for an attack. So When he government announced Austerity measures and closed the food houses in the Ourvier, this increased tensions between the classes.

The lack of a threat from Falkovnia made many believe that this was just an attempt to kill the poor. It is unknown if Falkovnia wanted to incite the chaos as an attempt to their conquest. Knowing the King-Furher it is possible he didn't consider the conflict in Dementlieu and just wanted his precious army back to its power.

However, the lack of action from Falkovnia created far more tension then anyone anticipated. It is here that one sees things spiral into the civil war and chaos that. With the closing of the governmental food shops it closed off many's supply of food. Thus many went hungry. This in turn filled resentment towards the government.

Despite the later turn of events, the conflict at this stage was not yet violent. People agitated, but few took to violence at this time. It should be noted that it was during this time that the Councilor Helene DuSuis was discovered to be working with the revolutionary movement. This would be later verified when she was one of the members of the revolutionary council.

With her gone and then the death of Councilor Josephine Chantreaux it meant an election was called for. Many campaigned, and in the end Dame Adeline Laurent and Doctor Wymmer Drukker were elected to the council. It is a question that if they could have changed things or if the coming conflict was invetiable. 

The Three Way War

Their are two events that occur at around the same time that start the actual conflict. The first is that a meeting between the revolutionaries and the governmental forces turned violent when a gunshot accidentally shot one of the revolutionaries. This in turn spured on yet more violence. This was the point of no return. For now that violence has been used, violence would be used again. Once you commit to violence it is rather difficult to uncommitt to violence.

The other event was the death of Lord-Governor Marcel Guignol at the swearing in of Dame Laurent and Doctor Druker. When the Lord-Governor died, the leader of the Republican Guard, Armand Foquelaine attempted to take over. He used the emergency powers granted by the Republican Guard charter to try and take over. Yet for the moment he failed. He was led away to the jails. From this moment onwards the country was in civil war.

Foquelaine's jail time ended when he went to Chateaufaux and took control of the town. Here gathered his supporters, most of the republican guard and many gendarme. He planned a march to the city in order to save it from itself. The conflict had three participants and all would suffer.

This time was a shadow war. Revolutionaries would strike at the government. Government agents would strike at Foquelaine's forces. Foqueliane would strike at the revolutionaries. Yet for all this violence it was not yet truly open warfare; not yet anyways.

One of the more pivotal events was the trial of councilor Adeline Laurent. Adeline Laurent was accused of treason and trying to kill Dominic D'honaire. This trial was labeled by many as a farce. Regardless of your opinion of the trial. It was undoubtedly an unusual trial. Dame Laurent was denied many things that normal are a given, speaking for yourself at your own trial as well as having time to prepare your case.  The judge sentenced her rather quickly to death.

Death did come but not for her. The Trial of Adeline Laurent was one of the few open battles between the three sides. Jenout herself arrived on the scene to save her. While gendarme fought revoltionaires the streets of the city stained with blood. 

Foquelaine Takes Over

While the government and the revolutionaries fought each other, Foquelaine kept marching. While there were talks of a major battle happening between either Foquelaine and the governmental forces, that did not happen. Armand Foquelaine using trickery snuck into the city and only in a nick of time did the remaining members of the council of Brilliance escape. Thus began the reign of Armand Foquelaine.

Before moving on, we should look at the man whom Armand Foquelaine was. Armand Foquelaine was the descendent of Bernard Foquelaine. Lord-Governor in in 707 BC which saw the first mass uprising against the government. The Foquelaines are a deeply reactionary family, both Bernard and Foquelaine demonstrated that in power. Armand himself was a man who was obsessed with the both power and crushing the rebels. He strongly believed in the ends justify the means. By the end of his reign he had succumbed to the madness of power and his council was made up of a porpoise and mannequins. All of this shaped the reign of Armand Foquelaine.

Foquelaine's first act was to show just how reactionary and puritan he was. He immediately forced himself into power and usurped all power that there was. He wanted to make Dementlieu a great nation, believing that it had fallen from greatness. Consequently, he enforced puritanical laws regarding morality and artistic expression.

He made it clear that he tolerated no dissent when he closed down L'Observetor paper. He wanted no dissent. He had the republican guard make sure those that challenged his rule would disappear. He wanted a perfectly ordered society. He would eventually solidify his rule through an impromptu election. Though calling it an election is a tand disingenuous, for their were no other candidates. In fact one was not even allowed to vote for any other candidate. Those that did were dragged away. Thus it is no surprise he won the election and became Lord-Governor.

However, there was the matter of the revolutionaries. Here is a moment that Port-a-Lucine will never forget, Foquelaine's attempt to take out the revoltionaires. There were several bombardments by his forces onto the Ouriver. He had made the people the enemy and turned his forces against them. The city was shelled and countless lives were lost. This act of barbarity, however was forced onto the gendarmie. One was not allowed to refuse this order or they were shot as traitors.

Foquelaine was adamant that this method was the way to eradicate the revoltionaires, thus he perpetuated such barbarity several times. Despite the massive loss of life, Foquelaine remained in control. However he had alienated many whom had supported him with his tyrannical actions.

During this time Pauline Jenout was killed, the leader of the revolutionaries. Her death changed the revolutionary movement. She was said to be a sensible woman, who wanted change but also someone that you could admire and respect. Jean le Goutteux would be her replacement but he would prove himself to be just as corrupt as those he was replacing.

The very last act of Foquelaine's reign was to dispense with pretenses and declare himself emperor. The man believed himself to be a like the mythical Emperor Leon that founded our grand republic. But Leon he was not. Yet he would not have long to rule as Emperor for as he attended the opera house, he was killed.

The Revolution Claims Victory

With Foquelaine dead at the Opera, the revolutionaries and others stormed the Palas Dirgent killing those most loyal to him. This threw the city into chaos. The whole city was a battlefield. Yet when the smoke cleared and the battle was over, the revolutionaries were the victors.

The revolutionaries went about changing things. They abolished titles, all of the nobility enforced people to address each other with only monsieur, madame, mademoiselle or citizen. Then there were the killings. Scores of nobles were brought fourth and executed. They wanted no sympathy for the nobles, so they made killing them entertainment. It was a crime to agree with nobility or a crime to speak out against the Grand Assembly. It is interesting that both the Grand Assembly and Armand Foquelaine wanted no dissent and removed all those that spoke against their authority.

More over they felt nobles could not have money so they confiscated their estates and their wealth. The members of the Grand Assembly however were not interested in giving the money to the poor but keeping it for themselves.  Despite their wealth redistribute scheme, they were willing to make deals with organizations like the Red Vardo Traders so that their money was not touched by their redistribution scheme. This also encouraged scores of looting and robberies throughout the city as people wanted to redistribute wealth to themselves with violence. Many gangs moved openly through the day as if they owned the area and the revolutionaries did little to stop them.

One of their most ambitious changes was the change to time itself. Feeling that the calendar that we have always used did not work for the nation. They abolished it and replaced it with a different calendar. It is one thing to change governments, another to change time itself. This caused confusion among many as they were unused to it.

Yet despite this there was progress made. They abolished child labor, they made the little people full members of the republic, They established basic safety standards and an eight hour work week. They did enact laws to help protect the people of the republic.

Their legacy is far more mixed then Foquelaine's legacy. For they strove to do change society and remake the nation into something better. Yet, for all that change, it was filled with corruption and violence. They became corrupted with power and power corrupts and taints ideals. It turns good men and women rotten. In the end they left a legacy that was both good and bad.

The War with Falkovnia and the end

Now we return to Falkovnia the instigator of the whole conflict. On march 3rd 770 BC, Falkovnia invaded Dementlieu. Their declaration of war began with the assassination of most of the Grand Assembly. Also re-entering the picture was Dominic D'honorie and Wymmar Drukker for they returned and they averted a food crises. They made sure to bring out food to the people who needed, thus sparing starvation and famine from gripping Dementlieu.

The kingdom of the Hawk struck quickly and was able to take over Chateaufaux almost right away and then shortly later Edrign. More so then any other war, they showed what would happen if we lost. The non-humans of edrign were enslaved, particularly the dwarven people. They impaled many others whom did not support them. They brought all the misery of Falkovnia to the people of Dementlieu.

Their were a number of skirmishes, the hawks tried to take the University but dementlieuse forces stopped them from taking it. The Falkovnian resistance even helped to fight the hawks. Yet the Army of Drakov was ever marching to the City of Port-a-Lucine.

The Dementliuese forces under captain Juste Marceaux and Edmond Montte prepared the defences and prepared the troops for the coming storm. When the two armies met it was a blood-bath. Scores were slaughtered upon both sides. But in the end, that battle was Lost and the dementlieuse forces retreated back to Port-a-Lucine to prepare for the coming onslaught.

They marched onto Port-a-Lucine, and everyone fought as hard as the could to prevent them from capturing the city. Yet in the end, they took it. However, no sooner had they taken the city were they then given the orders to retreat and pull back from Dementlieu due to a civil war about to occur in Falkovnia. This miracle is what many believe saved the nation from utter disaster.

With this, the war was over. Dementlieu was saved from utter collapse and ruination. Here too ends the saga of this revolution, for some days later Lady-Governor Hélène DuSuis declared the revolution over. Thus ends one chapter of history.

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Le Coup de Revers: The Dementileuse Civil War (774, Vince Székely & Rhea Eleutheria)

Spoiler: show
Written by: Vince Székely; Originally Edited and Published by Rhea Eleutheria

Dementlieuse Civil War
Dates: July 25th 772 - July 4 773 BC
The Dementlieuse Civil War was a nearly year-long conflict that occurred in part due to the consequences and effects felt by the Dementlieuse Revolution of 769 and the subsequent Falkovnian invasion of that year. Numerous key players acting on the part of numerous interests precipitated a conflict that would ultimately lead to open warfare between the Council of Brilliance led by Helene DeSuis and the Solemn Covenant led by Marius “The Maitriser” de Mortigny, the Duc d’Ameranthe. The conflict would involve virtually every noble house and has had a significant impact on the country’s future where the effects of the conflict continue to be felt as the country has been turned over to the Provisional Republic with the promises of new elections in 774 based upon the status quo Pre-769 Constitution.

The Revolution
Although the tensions began as early as 767 and built up in 768 as revolutionary screeds spread, the catastrophic and significant events of 769 transformed the Republic of Dementlieu. The balance of power shifted from the powers of the aristocracy to commoners and even some nobles who expressed an idealized government that shifted power from the hands of the republic’s gentry to the masses that arose from initial modest demands to better the quality of life for the commons of the Republic. This had come to pass in the in the urban centers of Chateaufaux and Port-a-Lucine.

A period of tensions culminated in violence on the streets that developed into an environment which would destabilize the country and become fertile ground for what became known as the Revolution as numerous assassinations plunged the Republic into chaos as the legitimate government ceased to function. The government of Lord-Governor Marcel Guignol fell following his assassination to the January 769 coup d’état led by Armand Foquelaine of the Republican Guard. His own subsequent assassination and the assassination of Revolutionary firebrand Pauline Jenout led disaffected commoners of the Ouvrier District of Port-a-Lucine to take power under the direction of revolutionary coordinator Jean le Goutteux.

What began after can be described as a ‘Terror’ inflicted upon suspected enemies of the revolution and political dissidents who were unhappy about the state of affairs. Numerous decrees were directed such as the creation of revolutionary tribunals to quickly process revolutionary foes in a show-trial prior to execution by guillotine. However, the reforms such as the shorter work-day, minimum wages, safety standards, the end of child labor, and care for those injured at the workplace were long-awaited reforms the commons desired. Other changes included universal voting suffrage including the ‘little people’ or Halfling citizens of Dementlieu. During this tumultuous period of radical change, Jean le Goutteux suddenly disappeared with no confirmed reports as to what became of him and the revolutionary council floundered. Following the disappearance of Jean le Goutteux, the politician known as Hélène DuSuis took over and promised to continue the reforms began by the revolutionary forces. Following the return of Dominic D’Honaire with the shipment of Ghastrian food and Lamordian mercenaries the nobleman and ex-councilor rejoined the government in a new Council of Brilliance that maintained the universal voting rights and soon temporarily suspended the new labor laws due to emergencies brought by the Falkovnian invasion. Temporary measures remained to the chagrin of the commons whose original desires were these laws to guarantee a higher standard of living and political say in Dementlieu. The War with Falkovnia would prove disastrous as much of the country is devastated by the forces of Vlad Drakov.

The War with Falkovnia
The invasion of Falkovnia began in full following the ouster of Armand Foquelaine in an opportunistic strike that soon led to the fall of numerous cities and the razing of numerous villages and estates following their entry into the country on the 3rd of March 770 BC. Peculiarly, the Treaty of the Four Towers was not activated throughout the invasion and the primary allies of Dementlieu that provided assistance came from Ghastria and Lamordia. The massacre of Edrigan culminated in a battle between the People’s Revolutionary Army of Dementlieu led by Juste Marceaux and Vlad Drakov’s forces.

Yet, despite a Falkovnian victory and a brief occupation of Port-a-Lucine, Falkovnia withdrew following a revolt against Drakov back home that forced a retreat from the entirety of Dementlieu. The withdrawal left a depleted and exhausted regime under Lady-Governor Helene DeSuis to rebuild the country that maintained modest reforms from the revolutionary period while also preserving the rights of nobility that was in question under the regime of Le Goutteux. This position proved unpopular with both the commoners who agitated for further reforms and believed the council did not go far enough while the gentry felt the government had overstepped its bounds with these changes.

Post-War & Pre-Civil War period
Between Mid-770 BC and the Summer of 772, the years can be described as a time of rebuilding on the physical features of Dementlieu with towns, estates, and villages being restored with a restoration of the economy as trade opened up once more with Dementlieu’s neighbors. The Council of Brilliance under the direction of Lady-Governor Helene DeSuis with the Company of the Fox free company establishing a monopoly of violence around Port-a-Lucine and ensuring the government remained largely stable. The Company of the Fox was created by Baron Oskar de Larose, Constable de Rue Bas Ricard Gripp the World’s tallest Halfling, and Juste Marceaux, Viscount de Roissy. Its first captain was Baron de larose and later it transferred leadership to the Viscount de Roissy who was the former People’s National Army leader. The Company would lend assistance to Mordent against a Valachani incursion in 770 and later oust alleged Falkovnian collaborators in Port-a-Lucine and in the east at Chateau Chantres.

The Council passed laws restricting the use of magic through a license in February 771 through the efforts of the magical skeptic Wymmer Drukker and later saw the deterioration of friendly ties with Ghastria following the abduction of Dementlieuse citizens on behalf of Marquis Stezen D’Polarno that culminated in economic sanctions barring trade and business between Ghastria and Dementlieu. Ultimately these actions were reversed prior to the creation of the Solemn Covenant by Marius de Mortigny the Duc d’Ameranthe who led a coalition of eastern-based nobles in revolt against the Council of Brilliance by the 25th of July 772.

The Causes of the Dementlieuse Civil War
According to the official Company of the Fox newspaper called the Bulletin De La Compagnie Renard, Marius de Mortigny, Duc d’Amernathe demanded the end of the universal vote on the 19th of July through an ultimatum that included a demand for new elections for Lord-Governor alongside the Marquise de Fletans, Comte de Josquin, the Comtesse d’Azerac, the Baron de Mortain, and the Baron de Miseaux. Some of the causes of the war include noble resentment and weariness of the violence and changes in Chateaufaux and Port-a-Lucine. The universal vote given to citizens diluted the power of the aristocracy significantly.

Furthermore, many nobles were killed during the revolutionary excesses under Le Goutteux. The Council of Brilliance was unwilling to reverse changes made during the revolution, yet, it did not wish to further impede on noble privileges. The more radical elements of the revolution left the Council resented not only by the Covenant but also by revolutionary forces still present in Port-a-Lucine. The forces of the Covenant largely derived its forces from outside of the urban settlements and gained rapid support in the east and the south of the country including Chateaunoir in the hopes to restoring the previous Dementlieuse system of an aristocratic republic founded by Leon.

The Dementlieuse Civil War
These irreconcilable positions led to a conflict between the Pro-Council belligerents including the Company of the Fox and Pro-Covenant elements that divided the country and led to an action outside Chateaufaux on the 24-25th of July 772 BC. Cavalry under Jean-Michel Bedard on behalf of the Covenant engaged Company of the Fox soldiers under the joint command of Sieur Jerome de La Salle, Chevalier de Seimaire and Sieur Remi Rousseau, Chevalier de Seimaire. This engagement was followed by another action on the 7th of August 772 at Chateau du Press and subsequent naval actions along Sable Bay which led to a blockade of Port-a-Lucine.

This was followed by a battle along the Jewel Box Lakes at Fletans on the 21st of October and another action at Thiers on the 3rd of January 773 which the Company of the Fox retained control of Chateaufaux despite the Covenant’s efforts. The battle at Fletans was an overwhelming Company of the Fox victory that left doubt in the Covenant’s ability to push its ambitions via open warfare despite the blockade resulting in difficulty to the Council government in Port-a-Lucine. Marius de Mortigny’s forces later conducted maneuvers that would lead to yet another action the following day to the surprise of the Pro-Council forces.

A second action on the 4th of January at the Col de Sangue led to the first major victory to the Covenant which opened the city of Chateaufaux to House Mortigny’s forces and a withdrawal of the Company of the Fox to Port-a-Lucine. Warden Agnès Gauthier of the Church of Ezra was captured and the Duc d’Ameranthe agreed upon a winter ceasefire following the Covenant taking of Chateaufaux, allowing preparation for battles on the road to the capital. The capture of the clergy led to a sour point of the involvement of the clergy in the conflict in the conflict between the warring parties in Dementlieu. A tenuous truce held for several months until the bloody and infamous events at Chateaunoir.

Following the events at Col de Sangue a truce was called that lasted until a brutal massacre was carried out at the estate of the Duchess Simone d’Evreux. During the truce the Council of Brilliance lost touch with loyalist southern Dementlieu including the area in and around Chateaunoir. The Company of the Fox led by Viscount Juste Marceaux went to investigate with blacked out uniforms and found a mixture of gendarmes, d’Evreux house guards, and Covenant guards at the estate of the Duchess. After the Company of the Fox snuck into the estate, a massacre occurred whereupon the deaths of the Duchess, the mayor of Chateaunoir, and Auge Alard, Captain of the local Gendarmes were all killed alongside a Covenant representative and briefly captured Leopold de Auclair, Baron of Mortain. The Duchess died and her pregnant child was taken by the Fox contingent which Sergeant Saskia Niederhauser, a member of this contingent, attempted to flee with before Sieur Remi Rousseau silenced her. The estate was set ablaze by Sieur Jerome de la Salle prior to the group’s retreat to Port-a-Lucine.

These events proved politically catastrophe for the Pro-Council forces as the south of the country switched its allegiance to that of the Covenant. Sieur Jerome de la Salle committed suicide and was found culpable for the actions that took place. The Viscount de Roissy and Sieur Remi remained on as Pro-Council commanders and would be present in the final battles to come alongside Captain Alphonse DuPre and Captain Edmond Montte of the Gendarmerie Nationale de Dementlieu.

On April 27 The Council’s fleet would challenge the Covenant in a desperate bid to dislodge the long-term blockade on the city. The Battle of Point Sable was the penultimate battle of the war and an important naval engagement between the Covenant and Council forces as Council flagship rams the Chevalier de Foully destroying both ships and ending the lives of many including many young nobles on both sides such as Philippot de Poudre who was killed in action on the Chevalier de Foully. The battle occurred largely at night and could only be visible in Port-a-Lucine when cannon fire illuminated the sky. In the end, the Covenant fleet remained intact and capable of blockading the city until Marius de Mortigny’s forces arrived outside of the city and threatened a full-blown siege while encouraging its inhabitants to flee the city. Simultaneously, the Council urged any able-bodied person to defend the city while the Cathedral of Ste. Mere des Larmes did not permit refugees to seek safety for unknown reasons that have never been fully elaborated on by the Church of Ezra in Port-a-Lucine.

In brief, yet, violent ambush on the Jalabert Estate many senior Gendarme leaders were captured at a party organized by Verinne van Haute. Many notable Gendarmes were present such as Sieur Remi Rousseau, Joachim Schrotter, Viscount Juste Marceaux, Captain Edmond Montte, and several others. This led to the end of organized defense of the city which soon capitulated without further bloodshed. Sieur Gaston Maurice, Chevalier de Rocheville the premier covenant commander, perished in the estate’s fighting. The city gates were opened to the Covenant which precipitated the flight of the Council of Brilliance, effectively ending the war without a political settlement. Juste Marceaux and Remi Rousseau would find themselves exiled and revoked of all titles by Marius de Mortigny, Duc d’Ameranthe for their role in Chateaunoir, but spared the guillotine for giving up the city that undoubtedly spared hundreds if not thousands of lives in a last stand. Captain Edmond Montte would be imprisoned and the remnants of the Council government crushed.

The end of the conflict has not ended hostilities in many different sections of Dementlieuse society as the specter of another Falkovnian invasion arrived in the latter half of 773 BC. While the Provisional Government installed by Marius de Mortigny, Duc d’Ameranthe attempts to govern the city of Port-a-Lucine, a siege would be placed on Ameranthe on the east bank of the Musarde River leaving the country’s future uncertain as it prepares for new elections under the pre-revolution norms and laws. Captain Alphonse DuPre has been charged with governing Port-a-Lucine as part of the provisional government until institutions were re-established. With many issues that preceded the civil war unaddressed, one must ponder the lessons to be learned from the events of the Revolution and the Civil War if a more prosperous, peaceful future is to be attained by the Dementlieuse people.

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Promesses Brisées: On the Aftermath of the Dementlieuse Civil War (775, Jacinth de la Rochenoire)

Spoiler: show
Written by Jacinth de la Rochenoire
September 773-July 775

Foreword

Inspired by the work of Monsieur Vince Székely's Le Coup de Revers: The Dementlieuse Civil War, this piece is intended to provide context for resolution of the Third Falkovnian Invasion, the dissolution of the Provisional Government put in place by the Duc d'Ameranthe, Marius 'the Maitrisier' Mortigny, the march of the Jeune Compagnie, the Siege of Ameranthe, and finally the restoration of the Council of Brilliance as headed by Lady-Governor Helene DeSuis. Resource sources include credible reports from several papers, first hand account, and documents issued by the Provisional Government and Council of Brilliance.

Rule of the Provisional Government

News of a Falkovnian invasion shattered the uneasy quiet established in the aftermath of the Solemn Covenant's occupation of Port-a-Lucine and the creation of the so-called 'Provisional Government'. The Maitrisier, nominally the head of state pending elections, rode east to his ancestral fortress to defend his lands against his old foe Falkfuhrer Siegmund von Krauss, leader of the invading Falkovnian force. With most of his forces in Port-a-Lucine, Ameranthe proved too tempting for von Krauss to resist; not only would taking Ameranthe secure Falkovnian supply lines for a deeper push into Dementlieu's heart, but allow for the settling of a grudge that dated back to the Maitrisier's escape from torturous captivity at von Krauss's hands. Battle was joined for the first time on October 13 773 on the Musarde; thereafter, the two countries engaged in small skirmishes as the Falkovnians harried the villages that fed Ameranthe and the Maitrisier's forces counter-attacked without decisive result.

The Maitrisier's ally, the Comtesse d'Azerac Michelle de Froissart was left to rule in his stead; a rule that would prove ineffective in the face of resistance from Council of Brilliance loyalists.

Before his departure, the Maitrisier expressed the Provisional Government's will to see elections carried out to instate a new Council of Brilliance, and purged the courts of allegedly corrupt judges and magistrates. Elections were announced for the 24th of Aout, 773. The march of the Falkovnians postponed these elections. The elections announced for the 5th of Decembre, 773, were likewise postponed to the 10th of Janvier, 774. Then too, this date date passed with only the vague mention of security concerns as justification.

Meanwhile, civil unrest continued to brew. A petition by the Workers' Congress*[1] to the Provisional Government calling for temporary legislation to safeguard the works of Dementlieu. Demands included establishment of a minimum wage, the forbiddance of children under twelve to work, great representation of the common people within the new government, and the abolition of bonded labor.

While this petition would be ignored, two of its signatories would be find themselves in the center of events the Provisional Government could not afford to neglect. After a proclamation issued by Toret Armand Pineau of Ste. Mere des Larmes condemned Maitresse Verinne van Haute as afflicted with 'lycanthropy' and 'unable to control her violent, savage instincts', Warden Agnes Gauthier slew Maitresse van Haute wihtin the Theatre de la Cathedral, accompanied by several Ezrites from a far flung congregation. Allegations would later surface claiming that Warden Gauthier was acting at the behest of the Comtesse d'Azerac.

Certainly these allegations were bolstered by the words of the magistrate presiding over the subsequent trial. Court Judge Gastone de la Vigne offered a lenient sentence for the alleged-conspirators after the intervention of the Maitrisier's ward, Edme Tourette, claiming the Comtesse d'Azerac herself owned a measure of blame for the events in question. The same judge would later be dragged from his bed by agents unknown later that night. Both Maitresse van Haute and Warden Gauthier had been close allies and supporters of the Maitrisier, and this shocking turn of events gripped the nobles and commons of Port-a-Lucine in a paralysis of fear and uncertainty. This state would persist until the calling of the war's second levy, as once more the Duc d'Ameranthe's words moved the nobility to arms.

The Levies

Two extraordinary levees would be called by the Provisional Government. The first, called in Août  of 773, affected men and women (unmarried or childless widowers) from 18 to 25 years of Port-a-Lucine. Workers of industry and factories, farmers and associated workers, the clergy of Ezra, public official, and students of the University of Dementlieu were excluded, as were sons and daughters of nobility who provided a sum of 500 solars. The second, announced in Avril of 775, affected  all men of noble birth between the ages of eighteen to forty years of age, as well as all retainers meeting criteria for military service. The exclusion for this levy would be far steeper; 10,000 solars for each noble exempted. Women, while not compelled to service, were free to volunteer.*[2] This second levy was spurred by the Maitrisier's letter to the Comtesse d'Azerac, a portion of which was read at the Palais Dirigeant before an assemblage of the nobility.

"The causeway towers have been a focus of their attack, and although we held this connection to the land open as long as we could, we have been forced to yield it; Ameranthe is now fully an island again, and may only be resupplied by boat, approximately two of three of which are sunk or badly damaged by the Falkovnians. Our provisions have been kept laid in for six years since the time of my grandfather, but we did not expect such a large influx of refugees. I have heard some accounts that the Falkovnians allowed them to escape. No doubt they intended to tax our supplies more heavily. I estimate we have now only a few months of provisions remaining. The tireless work of Ezra's healers has kept plague and contagion from becoming too great a threat, but we fear that if we should attempt to stretch our rations too thin, malnutrition will cause an epidemic to spread faster than even they may control it. Significant damage to the Windlass and Mews towers has resulted from Falkovnian catapults, but they are too inaccurate to cause any serious failures of structural integrity. Nevertheless, it is only a matter of time before they manage to force a breach in the walls of the outer bailey. We have in preparation for this exigency moved all arms and stores within the keep itself, but fear what panic and unrest might occur in close quarters were we forced to thence retreat. Still, I cannot speak more highly of the spirit and resolve of the warriors who fight here, both those of the Gendarmerie and those of the Houses pledged to mine. After the bitterness of the last war, to fight again beneath the shining lighthouse is to fight filled with the spirit of our Republique, a beacon of righteousness and order in a world of chaos and depravity. I do not fear that my men will fail in their duty, nor that they will not sell their lives dearly to add to the grim cost of our Republique's freedom. I fear only that the sum of our lives may not be enough to stem this tide entire. But by Ezra's grace, if there is a chance that it will, we can, and will, do no other. Long live the Republique. -Marius de Mortigny."

The Jeune Compagnie and the March to Ameranthe

The forces of this second levy would become known as 'the Jeune Compagnie', a moniker owed to the youth of the noble sons and daughters enlisted in its ranks*[3]. The company would drill for the purpose of lifting the Falkovnian siege at Ameranthe. After a period of unrest marked by the formation of militant groups such as the Quartier Watch and accusations of treason levied against then-Gendarmerie Nationale Sargent Alix Sinclaire Martineau, orders arrived. On the 24th of Juillet, 775, the Comtesse d'Azerac issued orders for the Jeune Compagnie to march. They were to relieve the siege at Ameranthe. With the fortress secure, Sieur Jean-Michel Bedard and additional forces would arrive the following day for a final effort against the Hawks.

Though Sieur Jean-Michel's forces never arrived, the Jeune Compagnie and the Gendarmerie detachment serving with them were successful in relieving the siege. Of notable political importance, Warden Agnes Guathier became Madame la Duchesse d'Ameranthe when she married Marius Mortigny, while Falkfuhrer Siegmund von Krauss was killed at the Maitrisier's hand which resulted in a total route of the besieging Falkovnian forces. This moment of apparent triumph for the Duc d'Ameranthe would be short-lived, however.

The Coup

With a significant portion of the Provisional Government's strength once more engaged in the east, the groundwork laid by Council of Brilliance loyalists over the course of the years-long illegal coup came to fruition. As the fighting ceased at Ameranthe and the City of Lights slept, the Council of Brilliance  was escorted in secret from Blaustein and across Pernault Bay aboard La Grâce de Damon, a merchant vessel owned by former Gendarmerie Nationale Sargent Alix Sinclair Martineau. Despite coming under attack by anarchist-forces led by the outlaw Claude, self-styled Queen of the Pirates, La Grâce de Damon made landfall upon Université Bluff. Though the ship and most of its hands were lost, the Council of Brilliance was intact, as was a sizable contingent of Gendarme's loyal to their cause and a pair of foreign arcanist mercenaries. Their march to the the Palais Dirigeant met no meaningful resistance, and to all appearances the Comtesse d'Azerac had fled the city. With the de facto leader of the Provisional Government unable or unwilling to offer resistance, the Council of Brilliance once more occupied the Palais uncontested, and from there exerted dominance over all of Dementlieu.

News reached Ameranthe not long after, followed by an ultimatum:

“Be it known: That the rebellion and insurrection of the so-called Provisional Government has been brought to an end. All forces fighting under the banner of this GOVERNMENT are to present themselves TOMORROW, 27 JUILLET to ask the mercy of the Council. -Hélène DuSuis, Lady-Governor”

The people of Dementlieu held their collective breath as the forces of the Maitrisier marched on the capitol the following day. There, after a brief exchange, the Duc d'Ameranthe agreed to the terms of the Council of Brilliance: he was stripped of the titles of Challignac and Boie, the size of his house forces restricted, and a garrison of forty Gendarmes was installed permanently at Ameranthe. Additionally, Agnes de Mortigny, Duchesse d'Ameranthe, was arrested for the murder of Maitresse Verinne van Haute, to serve a sentence of three years in Pierre du Morte.  For his part, the Maitrisier asked clemency for those who served in the Solemn Covenant and the Provisional Government, and that all who fought against the Falkovnians would receive due honors as accorded to them by their valor.*[4]

The Council Restored

The chosen Council of Brilliance of Héléne deSuis once more guides the country uncontested. The many false promises put to ink in the illegal Constitution (unlawfully instituted during the mob rule and unfulfilled by both Revolutionaries or Provisionals) were rescinded. In their place, the legal architecture and framework enacted in the time of Léon was restored. With it came a return to order and an end to the fire and butchery of the Revolution and Civil War. Dementlieu, dimmed by this dark decade, once again shines as an eternally brilliant beacon of culture, prosperity, and freedom across the Core.

Footnotes

*[1] Signatories include: Jacques Varteur (representing the Miners' Association, Dockworkers' Union, Fishermans' Association, and several other groups), Amaury Berthelot (Bellgarde Consortium Board of Directors), Serra Regnard (Vice-constable, La Rue Bas), Lefwin Esbury (Artisan's Guild), Flambeau (Red Vardo Traders), Olivia Aumberden (Tailor's Association, Guild of Cobblers), Maitresse Verinne van Haute  (Manager of the Theatre de la Cathedral), Warden Agnes Gauthier, Lieutenant Laurette Élise Trelliard, Caporal Joachim von Schrotter (Gendarmerie Nationale)

*[2] Francette of House de la Rochenoire was the first such volunteer, followed shortly thereafter by Raymonde of House Tremblay.

*[3] Jacinth of the noble house de la Rochenoire was given over command of the Jeune Compagnie with the honorary rank of Sargent within the Gendarmerie Nationale at the insistence of the Baron de Duchbourg, who voiced concern that common-born Gendarmes leading nobility would be a breach of propriety.

*[4] For her instrumental role in returning the Council of Brilliance, Alix Sinclair Martineau was named Dame, and conferred the Seigneurie of Estellier. Jacinth de la Rochenoire, Commandant of the Jeune Compagnie, was titled Baron de Mouisset, affording his wife Sylvie de la Rochenoire nee Coulette the title of Baroness de Mouisset. Roland Steele, for his bravery and singular valor during the siege, was titled Sieur Roland, Chevalier de la Republique. Francette Vaillant was titled Maitresse for her civic work with the Theatre de la Cathedral in addition to her service at Ameranthe, while Alexandre Vaillant was named Maitre Vaillant for siegeworks performed to counter the Falkovnian trebuchets.

//OOC: Shoot me an IC letter if you want to contribute, donate books/transcriptions, or join the Society of the Erudite faction. (https://www.nwnravenloft.com/forum/index.php?topic=6519.msg262305#msg262305)