The Occupation of Velarris

Summary

The occupation of Velarris was the result of a coordinated assault by The Dustborn tribes on the city-state of Velarris, City of Harmony. After a hardfought victory, The Dustborn decided to occupy the city given its relatively stable status and rediscovery of lost knowledge.
The occupation ended when Aviela of Velarris was Enhanced and wrought furious destruction upon the leaders of the tribes.

Participants

• The Dustborn Tribes: A collection of tribes formed into a confederate whole. These tribes unite when they go to war against external powers, whether it be raids for resources or to enact vengeance upon those they feel have wronged them.
• The People of Velarris: The peaceful citizens populating the flourishing city-state of Velarris. They have no experience or training in any form of combat, and only few had ever even read any battle strategies that survived to their time.

Conflict

• Early Exposure to Velarris: The Dustborn first encountered the city-state when scouts were returning from a revenge raid, enacted upon a warrior state that killed many Dustborn warriors while searching The Gardens of Collapse for buried secrets of the past.
• Scouting the City: Dustborn scouts were sent with a small raiding party to investigate the verdant fields surrounding the city walls. The Velarrin people, accustomed to doing trade with people from the outside, welcomed the Dustborn into their homes.
• Return to the Gardens: The party reported what they had experienced, and the lush farmland surrounding the city, as well as its rediscovered knowledge of magic, agriculture, and medicine. The tribe leaders met to discuss. The conclusion was war.
• Siege of the City: Though called a siege, the Velarrins did not put up much of a resistance to the large invading army until it was too late. They were swiftly conquered, and the occupation began.

Major Events

• Crowning of the Dustborn King: The leaders elected a king to sit at the head of their council prior to the siege. This leader was given the ultimate authority. His leadership encouraged violence against the citizens, in line with the Dustborn culture.
• Pockets of Resistance: Citizens who had lost family to the invaders' cruelty rose up, meeting in secret and striking the Dustborn while they slept. These attacks were met with harsh punishments: slaughter of family, children, and the destruction of personal property.
• The Engagement Celebration: The king and council celebrated his engagement to a local leader, the scholar and healer Aviela. A grand weeklong party was thrown to mark the blending of peoples. The marriage promised to quell resistance from the citizens.
• The Rise of the Shadow: A supernatural dark spirit burst from within the city center into the celebration, killing the king, sundering the earth, and calling lightning down upon the Dustborn masses.
• Rebellion: The people of Velarris, inspired by the appearance of the Shadow, rose up and struck back against their oppressors. With the shadows that seemed to swirl around each citizen, empowering them, deflecting blades, and slowing their foes, the invaders were chased from Velarris.

Aftermath and Legacy

• Formation of New Beliefs: The fear of the Shadow was engrained into Dustborn culture, with tales told of the spirit who would punish the guilty and protect the innocent. In Velarris, Aviela became revered as a local protector deity.
• Surge of Progress: The Velarrin people learned of their failings, and formed an official military. They expanded their borders, walling off their outer farms and enforcing strict regulations on visitors to their lands.

Conclusion

The Occupation of Velarris is a lesson that can be widely interpreted through different perspectives. It shows that on Teralt, generosity is taken advantage of, but also that the greatest strengths come from knowledge and strife. It is a perfect proof of what happens when a kind people are oppressed and taken advantage of, and resonates through history, despite its warped tellings.

Conflict Type

Rebellion