Roperian Revolt

The Roperian revolt, or First Salamanderian War, was a war between a fundamentalist sect of the Izeran church, the Roperians, and the forces of the Council of the Horselords and Council of Tards. Besides its cruelty it allowed for the Tards to control the West coast of the Salamander strait.

Background
The West Coast of the Salamander strait has always been a culturally diverse location. It has been settled by Tards, Alleans, Teklion (those who did not make it to Tabarad), and other smaller groups. Its rural areas are inhabited by Bathierans, although these were not under the Horselords. The native Salamanderians intermarried with many of the colonizers but some small Salamanderian communities existed, both in the cities as on the countryside.

All these peoples had religions and rituals on their own and religious turmoil and violence has never been uncommon, yet over time the communities learned to live and trade with each other. When the Roperians were founded in the year 14 b.Z. they enjoyed little to no support and were nothing more than a private club of religious zealots. The reality of the situation was that the other cultures were not the monsters the Roperians made them out to be.

The Roperians were a fundamentalist Izeran sect that was founded in 14 b.Z by a man called Caelestinus. Their main believes were that the teachings of Izerama were the only true words spoken and that all other religions needed to be exterminated in order to save mankind. Forceful converting or throwing people from high places were their favorite means of achieving this goal, hanging unbelievers was forbidden as this would mean they died in the same way as the holy Izerama. The sect grew slowly and during the beginning of the conflict they had only 40 followers, including the now 82-years old Caelestinus. The sect was entirely based in the capital city of the region, Iguadon, the biggest city and the only city founded by the ancient Salamanderians to still exist.

Horselords expansion
Historians link the beginning of the conflict with the expansion of the Horselords to the region in the winter of year Zero. The Horseking Gekke I and Sulla, the leader of the Tards, had made an agreement to split the Salamander strait and share the income from such an important trade-center. After campaigning in the region for a short bit the region came to be under Gekke's, as the many cities did not have any walls they decided to surrender to him, and thus relatively little changed. A dispute between Sulla and Gekke I over religion turned tense however as both leaders called each other heretics. This spark was carried over to the Salamander strait and religious tension increased every day, the Roperians growing from 40 to 2000 members throughout the region in one week. Small riots broke out in the capital but order was preserved by small Council garrisons

Kandar murders
Tensions really escalated with the murder of 2 Kandars, practitioners of the Kandarin faith, the religion of the Bathierans. Gekke I responds by hanging the ones responsible, three members of the Roperian sect, on poles with Kindarin holy sigils. The Horseking then proceeds with cracking down even harder on the non-Kandar population of Iguadon, stating that: "It would be for the best if the Steppe had but one faith." The hanged Roperians became martyrs as they died in the same way as the holy prophet Izerama. More and more Izerans flock to the Roperians and violence increases in the streets. At night Roperians attack Kandars, in one case cutting out the baby of a pregnant woman, and during the day Council troops respond by burning down the houses of the ones responsible, or whom they deem responsible. Gekke I responds with utter brutality as the situation slips out of control. The Izeran population, whether they are Roperians or not, are ordered to be hanged whilst watching the open sea, towards their ancestral homeland of Tardia. All those that resist are tortured, slaughtered or blood Horsed, (A brutal way of punishment from the Steppe). On top of this the entire Izeran district is burned down, approximately 55% of the city is burned down and 65% of its inhabitants perished, reducing Iguadon to a Bathieran town rather than a trade hub.

Tetrarch Scipo's proclamation
A day after the massacre at Iguadon the highest authority of the Izeran church, Tetrarch Scipo, issues a proclamation urging the Izerans in the region to take to the hills and resist the Horselords with all means necessary. Caelestinus, leader of the Roperians, gave a burning speech in the market square of Chaemeolonia, the new capital city of the region, and this combined with the horrors of Iguadon urges the people to go in open revolt. Izerans across the coast start purging the towns along the coast, burning every Kandar they find on the stake. Other neutral religions in the region form their own militia's to protect their belongings but they mostly remain out of the conflict, although they are forced to wear black cloaks and a curfew is imposed upon them. The rural side of the region remains in control of the Horselords and Gekke I and his army are present in the region. Tard infiltrants trained the local Izerans to be an active guerilla fighting force. Sulla of the Tards now had taken an active interest in the region and watched the events unfolding there with great interest.

Opening moves
Gekke I cut off any supply routes to the coast from the interior and proceeded to encircle and capture any towns that resisted him in the rural areas still. This phase of the revolt is known for its extreme brutality and to instill fear upon the Roperians Gekke I had all captured soldiers tortured and executed on the front, in full view of the towns and cities on the coast. The Revolt leaders responded by rounding of Kandars and throwing them off of the highest buildings they could find, allowing the army of the Horseking to see how their kin was being executed. The experienced general then proceeds to move up even further and many Salamanderians flee to the cities along the coast to escape reprisals, causing the harvest to fail and scarcity to prevail in the region. In the meanwhile Salamanderian guerilla fighters harass the horseback armies of the Council, leading them into hilly and rocky terrain before cutting them down with missile fire. they stood no chance against the riders of the Steppe however and focus of the Roperians came to be mainly on defense of the coast.

Tard involvement
Always keen to see an opportunity for expansion Sulla decided to reinforce parts of the coast with great strategic significance. Great quantities of troops were shipped over and an entire army under the leadership of Labienus was garrisoning the city of Chaemeolonia, the most important port town in the region. Sulla and Gekke I had made an agreement to share the Salamander strait together but this agreement had been informal and this was the situation before the Horseking had extinguished the entire Izeran population in Iguadon and the rural countryside. Under the pretext of protecting his people Sulla announced the troop movement officially in Tardia and he was met with great applause. Sculptures made out of wood depicting Gekke I were torched in the main square of the capital of Izmer, the holy city, as the Horseking was seen as the bringing of all that was evil. With one stroke Sulla had gained more support at home whilst also gaining a foothold on the other side of the strait.

The Tard troops were cheered upon by the Roperians as they were seen as crusading forces that would drive the barbarians from their homes. When the fleet arrived in Chaemeolonia a cheerful parade was held and the leader of the expedition, Labienus, was greeted as a saviour of humanity. The Tards brought with them food and the shortages were resolved, earning the Tards immense gratitude and boosting their morale. Much to the annoyance of Gekke I. Although the two forces were not officially at war a clash between them seemed inevitable. It was Gekke I's ambition for the Horselords to control the entire steppe without any outside interference, as demonstrated in the Steppe Accord. The Horseking saw the intervention as a direct attack on him personally and his dominance over the Steppe. The Tards had also broken their honour as they had broken their word about the Salamander strait. Personally insulted, furious and determined Gekke I decided to continue the push. He would strike at the very heart of the rebellion and cut off it's head whilst dealing a devastating blow to the Tards as well. He was heading for Chaemeolonia.

Battle of Chaemeolonia
Although Labienus official orders were to occupy the port of the town and not the city itself he felt obliged to do something against the impending Horselords. He sent a message to Gekke I saying that if he were to attack Chaemeolonia the Tard forces would have no choice but to defend it. The fearless reputation and size of the enemy force moves the Tard general to caution however and he prepares his fleet to evacuate his forces should the tide of battle be against them. He also orders a defensive perimeter to be set up, manned by local militia's trained by the Tards and professional Tard forces themselves. He keeps his elite heavy cavalry back in the city, waiting for the ideal moment to send them out.

Gekke I did not even open the letter sent by Labienus and he moved forward. His scouts reported that the city was heavily defended by Tard forces and that the narrow streets prevented good use of the riders. Thus the Horseking ordered his troops to dismount and fight on foot, something they excelled at in personal combat but not in open warfare. The Tards on the other hand were a drilled machine after years of civil war and the earlier Alexandrite war. The battle began with an aggressive push by Gekke I's infantry, right in the center. The shear momentum of the charge swept through the Tards but the nearby Silver Guard boosted their morale and the Tard defenses held against the onslaught. At that moment Labienus realized that the Horseking had dismounted his forces and the Tard commander ordered his elite cavalry to circle around the enemy and hit them in the back. During this maneuver the cavalry threatened the Council archers and Gekke I drove in with his personal bodyguard, still mounted atop their war camels. The Tard cavalry outnumbered their counterparts heavily and this resulted in Gekke I himself being stabbed in the head and falling to the floor. News of the Horseking's death quickly spread throughout the Council forces and this combined with the Tard cavalry threatening their rear was enough for them to break of and flee. The battle had been a decisive victory for the Tards who suffered very little casualties whilst inflicting many on the enemy.

Declaration of war
Gekke I did not die that day. He was hit in the eye by the tip of a spear but the seers managed to safe his life, the price to pay was his right eye. The defeat had been so devastating that the Salamanderians had not only driven the Horselords from the coast, but from the rural area as well, giving them complete control over the area. Humiliated and defeated Gekke I saw no option to escalate the conflict and as soon as his health allowed it he had written an official declaration of war to the Tards. Sulla tried to negotiate as a long war in the Steppe would be immensely costly to his war-torn country. The Horseking refused and set to work to gather a new host of riders. The battle of Chaemeolonia had drained some of his finest riders from his already scarce manpower pool and finding able-bodied men was proving to be more of a challenge then originally anticipated. The remainder of the beaten army was posted on the border and performed regular raids into enemy territory, seizing booty and razing villages to the ground in mobile hit-and-run attacks. Labienus planned an offensive into the Steppe but Sulla was hesitant, this was a war he did not want

Peace of Chaemeolonia
When spring arrived in year 1 a.Z. Gekke I had an epiphany. His new army consisted of new recruits whereas the Tard forces were a professional war-machine, backed by a province of religious fanatics that wished to have nothing to do with the Horseking. He realized that this war would be to costly for his people and that now was the time to back down and come back at a later time, when they were stronger. This change of heart was welcomed by Sulla and negotiations were opened between the two powers. Sulla negotiated from a position of strength, his forces occupied the Salamander strait and had beaten the Horseking in open battle, it was only natural that he would gain the most. He did know that Gekke I could never accept a humiliating peace however and thus he tried to appease him. He offered to 'rent' the province offered by sending 2000 talents over time towards the Horseking, on top of this the Diktator promised to not intervene in the Steppe, practically joining the Steppe Accord. In exchange the Salamander strait would be completely occupied by Tardia. Gekke I accepted under two conditions. The first would be to change the rhetoric from both sides concerning religion to be more cordial. Instead of heretic or heathen the two nations would now call practitioners of the other faith non-believers. The second condition was the addition of a secret article in the peace that would guarantee that the ringleaders of the Roperian Revolt would be handed over to the Horseking. Sulla, having no love for these religious fanatics which he merely used as an opportunity to expand, accepted the deal and the peace could be signed. This was done just outside of Chaemeolonia. Gekke I refused to enter the city of his first defeat and Sulla had chosen this location to remind the Horseking that his forces had beaten him before and trying again would be unwise. As such the peace was signed. It lasted 13 years.

Roperian resistance
Initially the peace of Chaemeolonia was welcomed by both Izerans and Roperians. Feasts were held in the towns and soldiers were greeted as heroes. Labienus made an honorary parade in the capital and took office there to oversee the annexation of the territory. For many Izerans it was as if they were finally united with their long lost brothers across the strait. Yet Labienus quickly set to work to arrest the Roperian leaders to turn them over to the Horseking, as was agreed upon in the peace. This did not go unnoticed and small pockets of Roperians began resisting Tard forces. The arrested Roperians were never seen again by the Salamanderians and rumours quickly spread that they were tortured to death in an attempt to enslave the Salamanderians. The Izerans in the area refused to believe this, as did the more moderate Roperians, but a core of hardliners believed it and started actively fighting Tard forces. At night groups of Roperians attacked Tard patrols, more intensively every night. Fearing that the situation would escalate again the Izerans form militias, arming themselves to protect themselves and their possessions.

De-escalation came from Tetrarch Scipo who sent an army of priests and clergymen to the region, preaching peace and patience. These religious men go into the streets and many neighborhoods and spread calm among the population. More and more Roperians deserted their old ways and swore fealty to Tardia. After the priests came soldiers that were told not to use violence. They went into Izeran districts and urged the militias to disarm and disband. This soft approach seemed to work and Roperians slowly came to be seen as aggressors, dangerous to the stability of the region. As a result it was easier and justifiable to arrest their leaders and the sect was forced to flee the cities for the countryside. It was during this flight that Caelestinus, now 83-years old, was captured and sent to Tardia with the others. He died on the ship, probably having committed suicide. In Tardia the ringleaders were shown the sacred white oak on which Izerama was hanged and they were offered a position of martyrdom if they were willing to go to the Horselords voluntarily. Those who accepted were treated as royalty, and those who did not were shipped off in a less peaceful manner. In the Steppe they would die one by one as they would be hunted by the Bathierans for sport.

Octavian's arrival
To quell the last pockets of resistance Sulla decided to send his favorite, a young promising man called Octavian, to the region with a battalion of spies and informants, later called Octavian's Servants. Labienus is recalled back to the capital, being cheered on whilst he leaves, and Octavian takes over his place as gouvernor of the region. Octavian sets out to work and offers great payments in exchange for intel on Roperian hide-outs. A Roperian turncoat called Constantius offered his services to the young spymaster and using his old connections the duo manages to capture many more leaders and soldiers, slowly thinning out the remaining guerilla's. Within months the region is pacified and Octavian returns to the capital a hero. Leaving Constantius behind as governor, using his knowledge on the people and region to keep stability in the region.

Aftermath
The conflict was a brutal and bloody. The capital city of Iguadon was reduced to a backwater town and entire Izeran or Kandar communities were wiped out. Allean and Teklion descendants continued to be oppressed and many fled the region. These factors resulted in a shortage of manpower and knowledge that was needed to man the farms and the output of the soil was reduced to almost none. Although Constantius was a capable governor who managed to keep the turbulent region stable it took many more years before the region was fully recovered. Refugees from the northern mountain range were welcomed in the region in the following years, almost leading to another conflict with Tir and the Horselords, but this was avoided by Sulla. The wealth of the region was reduced drastically and rebuilding efforts were slow, although the Tards did improve the infrastructure in the region.

The conflict had been the second occasion where the Council of Horselords and Tardia had been pitted against each other. In the Alexandrite war it was Gekke I who had prevented Sulla from gaining absolute victory, but now the Tards had proven themselves able to withstand the forces of the Steppe in battle. The conflict was humiliating for Gekke I as this was his very first defeat and it was a hit to his image as uniter of the Steppe. Tard forces occupying a piece of what was rightfully his was an insult that the Horseking could not tolerate and he started plotting the return of the coast to the Horselords. After the assassination of Sulla in 12 a.Z. Gekke I thought the time right. Sulla had signed the peace treaty and as such the peace could be declared invalid. It was ambiguous but a Council horde invaded the Salamander strait in 14 a.Z., starting what is known as the Second Salamanderian War.

Internationally the response to the conflict was one of uproar. The extreme violence was condemned and looked down upon and states chose sides in the conflict. Even the distant republic of Macarmonil chose a side, trading with the Horselords as they viewed their cause just. International opinion shifted towards anti-Tard feelings as their occupation of the Salamander Coast was seen as an invasion and considered an unprovoked attack upon the Horselords. The conflict did bring Trinsulae and the Tards closer to each other as Trinsulae started actively seeing the Council of Horselords as hostile. All in all the war was a Tard victory but it had consequences that lasted for years and would result in relative international isolation and a second war. The Horselords on the other hand lost the war and started licking their wounds, the war had been a loss but the financial compensation made it seem to the Bathierans that it had been more of a stalemate, revanchist feelings were high however and the people demanded that the complete Steppe was brought back under control.