Imperial Civil War
General Albanus's final day began with a heavy sense of foreboding, worsened by the disastrous news delivered by the exhausted messenger from the Velvet Coast. Camped outside the besieged city of Grunga, Albanus was already grappling with setbacks. Mikhail I, the self-styled King of the Gap, had humiliated the Imperial forces by capturing a squad of army engineers. The city’s defenders had collapsed a tunnel meant to breach the walls, and now the decapitated heads of Albanus’s men adorned the ramparts—a grisly message that resonated through the bitter winds of the Frontier.
When the scroll from the capital arrived, its contents deepened the general's foul mood. The specifics of the news remain a mystery, but the impact on Albanus was immediate and profound. Witnesses later testified with contradictory accounts of his reaction, each one painting a different portrait of a man at the end of his tether.
One account claimed that, after reading the scroll, General Albanus walked aimlessly towards the city walls, seemingly indifferent to the danger. He trudged through the thick snows of the Frontier, his face as cold and expressionless as the winter landscape around him. His personal retinue of veterans, loyal men who had followed him through countless battles, were forced to intervene, dragging him back to safety as arrows from Grungan archers whistled past. It was a reckless act, unbecoming of a commander of his stature, and the sight of their general brought low disturbed the remaining legionaries.
Another version suggested that Albanus, upon reading the message, simply retreated to his tent in silence. The once commanding presence of the secondborn of Emperor Alerio seemed to vanish, replaced by a hollow stillness. He spent the rest of the day in solitude, emerging only briefly to give orders, his mind appearing elsewhere, locked on whatever dire news had reached him from the distant capital.
Yet another account, more dramatic than the rest, held that Albanus summoned the commanders of his cohorts that afternoon, his voice steady but edged with quiet fury. He ordered the Second Imperial Legion to prepare to storm Grunga at dawn, a final, desperate bid to break the city’s defenses. The legionaries readied themselves for what they knew would be a bloody assault, but Albanus would not lead them into battle the next day. He did not sleep that night, and as the camp stirred in the pre-dawn darkness, the general's tent remained eerily still.
What happened next remains shrouded in speculation and rumor. Some said he took his own life, unable to bear the weight of his Father's death. Others whispered that an assassin had slipped through the camp’s defenses. A few even claimed it was Albanus’s own men, disillusioned by their leader’s growing instability, who dealt the final blow. In any event, the Second Legion would not assault the city that morning, and few of its soldiers would survive winter march through Novaya back home to the Velvet Coast.
- Excerpt from The Histories of the Grand Duchy of Novaya and the Frontier by Valentina Tarkova
The Conflict
Prelude
On the 3rd of Halenfall 12IE the city of Skyreach, the capital of the Imperial League, was destroyed in a cataclysmic burst of magical energy in an event that became known as The Devastation of Skyreach. While it would later be attributed to the Elven Sorceror Vonketrol, in the immediate aftermath mass hysteria as the news of the city's destruction and the death of Emperor Alerio spread through The North. By the time news of the Devastation reached Prince-General Albanus I in The Frontier, reports of mass civil unrest in the cities of The Velvet Coast had already begun to circulate. Albanus would not survive to return east to claim his rightful Throne, as death would find him the night that the messagenger arrived in his camp. As news of Albanus's death spread andwith him the extinction of the line of Alerio, Noble Houses scattered all through The North felt the time was nigh to press claims for states of their own, credible or no. The first, and also the largest territorial claim pushed would be by the Novayan House of Nosov, claiming the entire province of Novaya as The Grand Duchy of Novaya. Although this generally seen as the rebellion that started the Civil War proper, it would not be the last as Velvet Coast houses such as the Alneto Family of Floria pushed their own claims.
The Engagement
Early Skirmishes and Rebellions (12 IE - 14 IE)
Following the Devastation of Skyreach, the first years of the war were characterized by localized uprisings and the initial formation of rebel enclaves. With the death of Prince-General Albanus I, the Imperial League was left without a strong military leader to coordinate its response. As news of his death spread, regional leaders saw the empire’s vulnerability and began mobilizing their forces. Shortly after, General Cato Seneca of the 3rd legion of the Imperial Army declared himself Lord Governor of Mevania and immediately set about securing the surrounding countryside before other prospective warlords could do the same. General Seneca claimed that as his older brother, Octavius Seneca was the champion of Alerio the Imperial Mandate should fall unto him. The Alneto family of Floria, prominent administrators of The Imperial League's bueracratic institutions immediatly disputed Seneca's declaration, arguing that custodianship of the league should be left to the public servants of Floria's House of State. The Novayan Rebellion (12 IE - 13 IE): The House of Nosov, led by Grand Duke Vladimir Nosov, declared Novaya’s independence, rallying local nobles and the famed Plainsfolk Horsemen to their cause. Initial clashes were dominated by skirmishes and guerrilla tactics, with Novayan forces using their knowledge of the terrain to harass imperial supply lines. The rebels seized key towns, including Kulska and Trigorod, establishing control over much of the province by the end of 13 IE. Velvet Coast Insurrections (12 IE - 14 IE): Simultaneously, the cities of the Velvet Coast erupted into violence as powerful merchant families, such as the Alnetos and Viscontis, vied for control. Fighting was fierce in urban centers like Floria and Solova, where loyalist troops and rebel militias clashed in street battles. Imperial forces, unfamiliar with urban warfare, struggled to suppress the insurrections, leading to widespread looting and destruction. Siege of Grunga (13 IE - 14 IE): The Kingdom of Grunga, under King Mikhail I, declared independence and fortified the city against imperial retaliation. The Second Imperial Legion, still leaderless and demoralized after Albanus’s death, laid siege to Grunga. The defenders employed scorched earth tactics, collapsing tunnels and destroying bridges to slow the imperial advance. Despite several bloody assaults, the siege ended in a stalemate, with the city remaining in rebel hands.Escalation and Major Battles (15 IE - 17 IE)
As the conflict intensified, the war entered a new phase marked by larger-scale engagements and decisive battles. Both the Imperial League and the rebels sought to secure strategic strongholds and resources, leading to a series of costly confrontations. Battle of the Fields of Trigorod (15 IE): The Imperial League launched a major offensive to retake the southern part of Novaya and cut off rebel supply lines. The battle saw 20,000 imperial legionaries face off against a coalition of Novayan cavalry and local levies before the walls of Trigorod. The plains outside the city became a killing field, with heavy losses on both sides. The imperial forces initially gained the upper hand but were eventually forced into a tactical withdrawal after a surprise flanking maneuver by the Plainsfolk Horsemen, which decimated their rear guard. Fall of Trigorod (16 IE): Seeking to break the Novayan rebellion, the League directed its forces toward the city of Trigorod, a key stronghold for the rebels. The siege lasted for months. Imperial engineers attempted to breach the city’s defenses with sappers and siege engines, but the defenders, bolstered by local volunteers and seasoned mercenary companies made up of Legion Deserters, held firm. The city finally fell after imperial forces stormed the gates in a night assault, but the victory was pyrrhic—imperial casualties were enormous, and the loss of life among the civilian population fueled further resentment against the League. Burning of Floria (17 IE): Desperate to regain control of the Velvet Coast, loyalist forces under General Teros of the Seventh Legion conducted a brutal campaign against the insurgents in Floria. In a controversial move, Teros ordered the city’s waterfront torched, destroying warehouses, docks, and much of the lower city. The fire raged for days, killing thousands and displacing tens of thousands more. Though the imperial forces eventually secured the city, the destruction of Floria became a rallying cry for the rebels and further alienated the coastal population.War of Attrition and Fragmentation (18 IE - 20 IE)
By the war’s final years, the conflict had devolved into a war of attrition, with neither side able to achieve a decisive victory. The Imperial League’s resources were stretched to their limit, and infighting among the nobility further weakened the loyalist cause. The rebels, emboldened by their successes and buoyed by local support, continued to resist, albeit at great cost. Guerrilla Warfare in Novaya (18 IE - 19 IE): The Novayan forces shifted to guerrilla tactics. Ambushes, hit-and-run raids, and scorched earth strategies became commonplace, as rebel units targeted imperial supply convoys and isolated garrisons. The constant harassment eroded imperial morale and made it nearly impossible for the League to maintain control over occupied territories. The Siege of Rekaguard (19 IE - 20 IE): The last major engagement of the war saw rebel forces converge on the imperial stronghold of Rekaguard in southern Novaya. The city was defended by some of the empire’s best troops, but with supply lines cut and reinforcements nowhere in sight, the defenders’ situation grew increasingly desperate. After months of encirclement, the city surrendered in early 20 IE, marking the symbolic end of the Imperial League’s dominance in The North. Fragmentation of Loyalist Forces (20 IE): As the League’s power waned, its armies fragmented. Units that once fought for the empire splintered, with some turning to banditry, others swearing allegiance to regional lords, and a few attempting to flee south. The once-proud legions were reduced to scattered remnants, unable to regroup or maintain any semblance of coordinated resistance.Historical Significance
Legacy
The Imperial Civil War left The North irrevocably changed. The once-unified Imperial League fragmented into a patchwork of independent states, each ruled by former rebels, warlords, or opportunistic nobles. The chaos and bloodshed of the war deeply scarred the region, leaving cities in ruins and the countryside depopulated. Economically and politically, The North would take generations to recover from the civil war’s devastation.
