The Gathering Storm - Year of the Three Emperors

It was not only Gratian that suffered under the curse of Amelian. Soon all the northern Lands would reap what hubris had sown.

— Ciceron of Moira, Historian

Three decades of senseless bloodshed had come to an end. The last of those driving it was now a cooling corpse sinking into the abyssal depths. But those dreaming of a new era of peace were blind to the dark clouds already gathering. For the death of a ruler always breeds opportunity.

Unstable Titan

Why the Fourth Hegemony collapsed so drastically in the 3000s is a complicated matter. Many of the things playing into it started decades or even centuries before. However, there are two main causes to be named:

Fatal Weakness

The Fourth Hegemony, more so than any of its predecessors, had been built through military force. Most of the old administrative and political structures had been replaced with a militarized bureaucracy with four army commands at the core. Since the death of Gratian I., they had increasingly become states within the state, influencing how the Hegemony operated on a global scale according to their desires.

Total Exhaustion

Southern Army High Command had been especially successful in that regard, largely dominating the imperial government from 2980 DA on. Accordingly, the Hegemony turned its attention and ambitions south toward Tyanis Wound and beyond to Anidara. The result had been the most devastating and senseless war Vardania had seen in nearly a millennium.

Puppet Emperors

Lastly and perhaps most fatal was the streak of weak Emperors that had ruled the Hegemony since 2980. Either incompetent or uncaring, they had squandered that which had previously been built, losing popular support in the process. Amelian's Folly was the final nail in the coffin, the Severans hanging on by a thread.

Year of Usurpation

by Evgenij Kungur

Vitelian I. left no heir upon his death. Instead, the throne passed to his uncle Gratian II. Succession had never been a big problem for the Severan Dynasty. By 3016 DA, things had changed, however. The Southern Army, their main base of power, had been crippled, a weakness noticed throughout the realm.
Things came to a head when the Northern Army proclaimed its commander Aviteon Emperor on the 15th of Octem. A week later, the Eastern Army followed suit, raising their senior commander Leontinian to the purple. Gratian, who had returned from peace negotiations with Anidara in early Novem, now found himself opposed by two-thirds of the Hegemony's military.

Impossible Odds

Few believed that a boy of barely 17, with no experience in command or administration, stood any sort of chance now. Said boy was soon to prove that the blood of Maria the Red had not yet run its course, however.

Heronian Might

When the Hegemony retreated from Anidara, it had been accompanied by many thousand Heronian mercenaries. These battled-hardened veterans joined Gratian in droves, partially on the promise of land to settle and partially out of loyalty to a realm that had by all accounts been a gracious employee. Used as shock troops they would decide many a battle in Gratian's favour.

A loyal Friend

At the height of the war, Gratian received aid from an unlikely source: Theodoros Amares, Legate of the Western Army raised his banners for the young Emperor. Rather than use the instability for his own benefit, Amares proved a loyal servant, acting as both commander and teacher for Gratian. The Western Army soon proved its worth, crushing Aviteon in several battles.

Broken Ambition

For the northern Usurper, the war had rapidly turned into a complete disaster. Having underestimated Gratian, Aviteon had pushed his armies too far and overextended his lines to the point that when his offensive stalled and defeats started to mount, his army simply collapsed. Late in 3017 DA, he was assassinated by his own generals, his last army annihilated near his capital of Lavran just a day earlier.

Divided Empire

by Pawel Kurowski

Sadly, sources on the conflict are sparse at best, a clear picture of events difficult to create. What is known that Gratian and Leontinian found themselves in a stalemate by mid-3017 DA. Rather than force the issue and risk annihilation, both sides struck a peace deal. This treaty, often called the "Poisoned Peace", would be remembered as the most infamous act of Gratian II. for it entailed nothing short of the division of the Hegemony.
Leontinian was made Co-Emperor and ruler of the eastern half of the Empire. While Gratian remained the "senior" ruler and overall Emperor, he had effectively ceased all control over half of his realm. The idea was that each ruler would be able to deal with issues facing their half more efficiently while larger threats were to be countered by joint action. First of these threats was to be Aviteon, who was crushed by the combined might of east and west.
The "Year of the Three Emperors" was not the most destructive or even extensive of civil wars, but its aftershocks would weaken the Hegemony for centuries to come. Usurpation, long suppressed by a series of smooth successions, was seen as a viable way to power again. Valuable manpower had been wasted; the Northern Army virtually destroyed. Worst of all, there were two Emperors backed by rival armies and with old grudges to settle.
Future historians would name this the beginning of the "Diarchy" - the "Rule of Two" and for many that term has become synonymous with chaos and terror. For as bad as the previous decades had been, Vardania's age of crisis had barely even started...

Mercy? For someone that viciously struck at the realm while it was in crisis. For someone that would rather shed the blood of brothers than help them rebuild. No. Such people deserve no mercy.

— Gratian II. Ironside

Conflict Type

War

Start Date

Late Septem 3016 DA

Ending Date

Early Novem 3017 DA

Conflict Result

Division of the Empire. Begin of the Diarchy.

Location

Vardania - The Northern Daughter

Severan Dynasty

~ 247.000 Soldiers

Heavy Casualties

Regain Control.

Led by Gratian II. Ironside

Various Usurpers

~ 400.000 Soldiers

Heavy Casualties

Usurp the Empire.

Led by Aviteon I. the Great

by Mariusz Kozik

First among Equals

That the Southern Army was the one most favoured by the late Severans was no secret. More resources had been put into the build-up to Amelian's Folly alone than were budgeted for the other three armies for five years. When that campaign turned disastrous, even that already meagre budget was cut.
For years, officers within the Northern Army had warned the imperial court of a growing rebellion. They all were ignored. By 3016 DA, it was too late. Legate Aviteon had removed all internal opposition and was merely waiting for his chance. The death of Emperor Vitelian I. handed it to him.

A ruler is made in the thick of battle. Let the boy win his spurs.

— Theodoros Amares about Gratian at the Battle of Veanis

Defeat in Detail

Many people wonder just how Gratian survived such overwhelming odds, especially in the first weeks when neither the Western Army nor the Heronians had joined him. With just 25.000 soldiers he faced over 200.000, but not all of them at once.
Each of the four Armies covered an entire front and had to split its units to act effectively. So in truth, Gratian only faced two smaller armies of 20.000 each at first. Decisive action on his part allowed him to defeat these forces in separate battles, gaining vital breathing room in the process.

Young Emperor

Gratian II. is often called the "Accidental Emperor" as the circumstances leading up to his ascension are nothing short of ludicrous. The fifth son of a fifth son, he had twenty-three people ahead of him in the line of succession. Each and every member of that group ended up dead one way or another and by 3016 DA, Gratian was the sole possible heir left.

by Gilles Beloeil