Dead Sea Revolt

Revolution

The Gods create an Apex Republic to prove that mortals are not ready for freedom. Predictably the Republic fails. Not all the gods are pleased with this outcome.

In 1126 demands for increased freedoms for the people had reached a fever pitch. Even some gods were in favor of reforms and increased provincial autonomy. To put these concerns to rest the First Five arranged for an isolated "Free City" to be established in Apex city, where demands for change was most intense. The Free City was to serve as an example of the innate savagery of mortals. Its failure would show how the gods were needed, and that mortals could not rule themselves. Life in the city would be "nasty, brutish and short" it was predicted by a highly placed Guardian.   This prediction proved true. The republic was isolated from the countryside with too little food to last even a single winter. Too many people had been packed into the then small city, diseases became rampant. No laws had been established for this "free city". The Gods had deemed that it would be "tampering" if they were to give any sort of rules to the "free city". With no government, no food, and far to many people the "free city" soon collapsed into anarchy. Within two years the experiment was called off. Thousands were dead. The Gods assumed this would be the end of the calls for freedom for the foreseeable future.   Khalesar the Waterwalker, one of the Gods in favour of freedom for the people was not pleased with the outcome. Enraged by what he saw as a deliberate sabotage of the "free city" by the Gods, and egged on by Kaurus the Unmaker he set in motion a plot to show the First Five just what real freedom looked like. Exactly why Kaurus supported his is unknown to all but him, though most believe he believed Khalesar's plan would show the other Gods just how destructive calls for freedom were, and turn them against any reform.   Khalesar gathered the survivors of the Free City, he found rebels and dissenters. Veterans from the Scourge were recruited. He gathered his own followers. With this force he seized the excess ships which had been mothballed after the Scourge. With this force he established the Dead Sea Collective, intent on destroying the Ordering once and for all. By 1140 this Collective had become a major threat to the Ordering. They had seized he islands in the Iron Sea and were launching raids as far south as The Crimson Coast. Fleets were assembled to stop them, but found little success.