The Hammer and Anvil Affair

The affair was an extended conflict, political struggle and country wide conspiracy in the city of Wessuxton, Pierce . The end of the conflict is well known for the involvement of Garroth Lockley as told in the series of books, Lethal Umbra.

BACKSTORY

In a 1498 AC, the influential group known as The Builders won a plurality of seats in the Wessuxton government. Since the group was devoted to urban expansion and industrialization, the massive forests around Wessuxton became a focal point for the new government. The lumber would fuel the rapid expansion and development of city and launch a golden age for settlement. But this created a conflict with the Mielikki, Goddess of Forests worshippers that had been given domain of the forests. The Builders pushed ahead, and the consumption began to brush up against the inhabitants of the woods, creating friction, then conflict.
The Mieikkites tried to petition the Queen to stop the destruction of their domain. Queen Katherine intended to mediate the situation, but the Builders influence in her parliament and privy council was too strong, and thus, bound her hands. Without support, the Mieikkinites began to take a more hostile approach to Builder excursions into their domain. They began raiding lumber camps, and sabotaging equipment. The Builders began responding with larger and more aggressive escorts. This situation came to ahead in 1501 AC with the Massacre of the Wooden Temple. After a harsh raid on a lumber camp, a detachment of Builder Guards hunted the raiding group to a Mielikki Temple. When the worshippers refused to give up the location of the raiders, the head guardsman ordered the Temple burned. Many worshippers were trapped inside and burned alive. Sensing the gravity of the situation, the detachment began murdering the witnesses. After the incident Wessuxton began an inquest, and eventually imprisoned many soldiers of the detachment. But the damage had been done and as a result, The Old Growth took control of the movement against The Builders.
In 1503 AC a high-ranking Builder politician was assassinated by an individual bearing the mark of Mielikki. The Builders responded by executing five Mielikkinites under custody for petty crimes. The Builders asserted they were all part of a grand conspiracy and part of the plot that led to the assassination. They also launched an expedition into the forest to locate more conspirators. In the process they raided a camp of Mielikkinites; confiscating a magical artifact that had been used by the worshippers for ceremonies. The artifact was the The Heart of Mielikki , and immensely important religious artifact for Mielikki worship. This ended up bringing Constantine, a high-ranking member of the Old Growth faction to Wessuxton, crossing paths with Garroth Lockley and launching the second phase of the Affair.
In 1505 AC, thanks to the escapades of Garroth Locksley, Constantine recovered the Heart, and combined it with the The Eye of Mielikki and attempted to take out the Builders in the city. But it was just a ruse orchestrated by The Vice-Commander of the Builders Neilson Willchestor. He killed Constantine, attempted to kill Garroth, and took control of the artifacts. Using the power of the artifact, and the assertation of a massive Miekkitinite and Old Growth infiltration of Wessuxton, took control of the city and began his dogmatic and cruel rule. Over time, massive purges of the population and government legitimized by show trials, erased any and all opposition to Neilson. He sent detachments of Builder Guards into the forests with one mission, destruction. Any sign of Miekkiti worship was eradicated, and worshippers were either killed on the spot or scared off. After purging the forests around the city, he then set his sights on all non-Gond devoted worship. Anyone caught worshipping any other god was branded as an enemy of peace and arrested. His militant arm, The Hammers, went around destroying all icons and temples devoted to other deities. He did this all under the guise of erasing dissent, for the goal of stability; for only then could he carry out The Builder Gond's imperative of progress and advancement above all else.
In 1507 AC Garroth returned to Wessuxton, and he along with Victoria Ambright, The Queen and her Crown Agents, were able to topple and apprehend Nielson. Nielson was eventually executed for his crimes; many of his champions and enablers where imprisoned or exiled from Terrania. The Academy took the artifacts into the possession, and the affair was finally over.

Duration: 1499 AC - 1508 AC