The Iron Insurgents

The Iron Insurgents were a large group of rebels active in the Lyfeldean kingdom of Hwajaegi, prior to the manifestation of High King Dae-hwan Yun's aetherial magic. The rebellion was founded by nobleman Jae-hyeon Jang, who is the uncle of Dae-hwan and the brother of his father, the former High King Do-hyeon Yun.

History

With young prince Dae-hwan showing no signs of any sort of aetherial magic, his uncle Jae-hyeon attempted to convince the High King Do-hyeon to name his nephew, Seong-il, as the next High King of Hwajaegi. Seong-il at least had manifested an aetherial ability in controlling metals, and his father convinced a large number of the general public that Seong-il would be a better candidate for High King and more capable of protecting the kingdom than the powerless prince Dae-hwan. 
The name 'Iron Insurgents' stems from two inferences that can be made from the word "iron". The first of these is that the metal iron is something the fae folk are generally weak to, and the general opinion of Dae-hwan is that he is a weak ruler. The second meaning behind the rebellion's name is from the phrase "ironing out the creases/wrinkles", and that Jae-hyeon views the task of taking Dae-hwan out of the successional line is taking the weakness out of the royal lineage of Hwajaegi. 
Since the succession plan was announced when the faeling prince Dae-hwan matured and he still lacked the magic he would supposedly need to protect both the people and the land of his kingdom, Jae-hyeon decided enough was enough. Over the course of several months, he infiltrated and corrupted the lords of many different noble houses, the merchants of many key traders within the kingdom and several of the ibekko within the Hwajaegi military, recruiting them all to serve his coup. The rebellion were patient and didn't mind the wait for Do-hyeon to retire to the life beyond, as it meant they had ample time to put in place plans for when the time came for Dae-hwan to ascend the throne. When the prince finally did take control of the kingdom, the group now called the Iron Insurgents secretly worked to diminish Dae-hwan's rule from the inside out.
The Iron Insurgents were lead by Jae-hyeon and his right-hand man, fellow Hwajaegian lord Tae-jin Lee. When no one else will stand by Dae-hwan, he has a chance meeting with the daughter of Tae-jin one spring. Also Dae-hwan is already suspicious of his uncle, the High King does not suspect the nobleman and Ah-ri likewise has no idea that her father is involved in such treasonous political endeavours. Her bodyguard, however, is aware and part of the rebellion, and despises her fondness and growing relationship with Dae-hwan, especially since the bodyguard also loves the woman but has never told her. Dae-hwan and Ah-ri enter into a secret relationship. She is the only person who doesn’t seem to care that he lacks the powers that all of the other fae High Kings have and still thinks he is still a wonderful leader for their kingdom. Due to her closeness with the Taewang, Ah-ri’s father gives the order to the bodyguard to kill Dae-hwan the next time his daughter goes to visit him. the bodyguard attempts the assassination, however the daughter realises what is happening and pushes Dae-hwan out of the way and is fatally wounded by her bodyguard’s blade. In fury that his daughter has been killed and blaming the Taewang, Ah-ri’s father kills the bodyguard and then gives the orders to storm the palace. The rebels start to burn the castle walls, meanwhile Dae-hwan is preparing to commit suicide in order to join his deceased lover. However, at the last minute he decides to stand his ground and defend the castle against the rebels who were likely to triumph and kill him anyway, in order to retain a good image of himself for his father.

Type

Political, Activist

Location

Hwajaegi