the Fall of the Empire

Docyen and his personal guard journey to Faer itself, the ancestral capital of Faerlund and the only true city worthy of the name actually founded by the Steppe Elves themselves.   Once he arrives, the Kha-Khan ventures into the heart of the city to confer with his ancestors, eager to ascertain that the changing wind he scents is truly there and that his wishes are also the wishes of the divine lords of the steppe,-- that he will be the one to topple the Empire,-   He is not seen for three months.   When he emerges again, he speaks energetically of the coming time and how the Faer will finally teach their cousins the mistake that they made when they weakened their blood with that of humanity. How they will free Asha from her mortal prison and return her to the Heavens! How they will make the cities of the their ancient enemies bleed into the seas until even the oceans themselves turn red!   Only a week after his emergence, Docyen marries 13 elven maidens in a grand ceremony and shares his new wives with his khans--for they are blood of his blood-along with many other lavish gifts and offerings to further secure their loyalty. He holds mighty feasts for the entire city, hosts elaborate sacrifices for the priests, and rallies his people to such hearts of bloodlust that many believe that as soon as they celebrations end they will ride out to burn down the Empire.   Then, at the end of the year, he leaves as quietly as he came.   Only his wives remain behind, whispering to any that will listen that the time their Kha-Khan spoke of will be upon them at any moment and that they must make themselves ready. That they must prove themselves worthy of the honor that their King has put before them.

A rough coalition of Hill Tribes, Orcs, Goblins, Centaur, and even some Dwarves combines to turn the Tombrian Expanse into the Sovereign Nation of Tombria.   They elect a Half-Orc as their War Chief and set out to wage war against Faerlund to drive the Steppe Elves out of the lands that they hold as rightfully theirs. The fighting is brutal, and harsh, but in the end the Faer abandon the territory and begrudgingly accept their new neighbor.

The Faerlundian's, no longer being goaded into killing each other by Graz'zt, finally decide to deal with the matter of their "new neighbor". The Tombrian's fight valiantly against the Elven Onslaught, but are ultimately defeated, many scattering down the Neck and into the lands of Budan-Mar.   ...this, in turn, causes yet more violence as the refugees find themselves engaged with Imperial Forces who have had to deal with a few "Orc Invasions" over the last century. This, however, was something different and proved much more effect. Several cities are sacked, the City of Mar is razed by the ground, and the refugees actually manage to cut down the first Legion that attempts to deal with them before deciding to head further South before they find themselves dealing with more Half-Elves.   Avoiding Ornat, more or less, the Tombrian's head straight into Davomar where they once again engage in some light pillaging before beginning to settle in the nicks and crannies of the Province. Most of the Goblins, in particular, end up branching off from the rest of the group and settling in Merovin...   ...infesting Merovin..

While the Emperor is distracted in Dacai, officials back home begin to take advantage of dissent.   One, a charismatic Half-Elf by the name of Gallatyn claims that the Emperor has forfeited his sacred duty of stewardship by allowing a Half-Orc to serve as an Imperial Legate. This wins him much support by many traditional elements of the Legions and almost overnight he becomes a grave threat to the legitimacy of Aenestorian's reign.   Not long after, a Human Keeper by the name of Arboghast claims that the Celestian's line has long since lost any legitimate claim to divine sanction of their rule. Witness the events in Dacai, the unrest amongst his own legions, and most damning of all, the retreat and general silence of Cybilla. The outspoken Priest is soon endorsed by a few elements of the Briggyan Church and ends up at the core of a popular uprising that demands the Emperor's abdication.   Even before the Emperor is able to return from Dacai, Gallatyn and Arboghast begin to war against each other, Gallatyn correctly viewing the Priests' claim as counter to his own position as well, given the he is (in theory) heir to the same blood.

Attempts at negotiations fall through, to the point that while marching through Imperial Lands on the way home Aetius' host is assaulted by the 3rd Legion,-- a legion that he had, not all that long ago, been officially in charge of,- a fact that comes into play during the battle when a large number of the soldiers are more loyal to him than their newly minted Half-Elven Commanders.   Now in charge of an even larger force, Aetius simply decides that--
--while on his way home,-
he'll lay siege to Arn in exchange for the gold, supplies, and food that he's owned.   The siege lasts 6 months, largely because the Imperial House refuses to treat with him (other than sending the occasional Assassin). The Warlord's initial modest demands eventually give way to him simply deciding to starve the city out and attain it's unconditional surrender, afterwards allowing his host to sack it for three days, and then finally leaving with all that he'd asked for and more.   ...but not before he makes a few changes..

Some negotiations with the Dark Circle bring an end to hostilities in Northern Niocene, allowing the Demon King and the Motlundian's to comfortably split the continent between them.   This, in turn, allows the Demon King to position his forces to allay a counter-invasion of Imperial Troops from Northern Kepra and bring the overall revolution to an end. He has won; the Eastern Empire officially recognizes Cath'arak as a sovereign nation.   The Western Empire, of course, recognized no such thing...   ...but they were otherwise occupied.