Gladius Sulla

Gladius Sulla, mostly referred to as just Sulla, sometimes as Sulla the Great, was a Tard statesman and dictator. He was the first leader of the Council of Tards, which he later reorganized in the state of Tardia. His military genius won him the Tard Civil War and Alexandrite war, whereas his political agenda resulted in the conquest of the Salamander strait during the Roperian Revolt. He was later murdered after a marriage dispute with his right hand man Labienus.

Childhood and early carreer
Little is known about Sulla's childhood and upbringing besides the fact that he was a commoner. He was brought up during the late Tardian Kingdom, born during the reign of Caesarian II, a highly corrupt and unable ruler that divided the country by distancing himself from the military, nobility and population. Bad harvests rocked the hard soil of Tardia and the only guarantee of food and pay was to join the army, which Sulla did at the age of 18 in 21 b.Z. the same year Caesarian II died and his son Gabianus I became king. Gabianus gave up ruling altogether and threw lavish feasts for the nobility, draining the countries resources whilst the Tards experienced some of the worst harvests in Tardian history. Small uprisings and revolts happened regularly and Sulla gained much military experience during these years, quickly rising through the ranks as a promising and bright officer. In the year 16 b.Z. he was given his own cavalry regiment, which he reformed and drilled extensively, laying the base for the later famous Tard Heavy Cavalry. His cavalry was so effective in quashing dissidence that he was promoted to general 2 years later in 14 b.Z. being just 25 years old.

Massacre of Sumela
In the year 11 b.Z. Sulla was given the task to quell an enormous revolt in the mining region of Sumela. The people had been dying of hunger and horrible safety regulations in the mines had caused many to die underground. The entire region sparked into open revolt and declared independence. Gabianus was furious at the greatest attack on his rule as of yet and he ordered the military to crack down on the province. Leadership of the operation was given to the 28-years-old Sulla. He orchestrated a brilliant campaign and won two battles against the rebels before laying siege to their capital, which quickly surrendered. Sulla sent a message to his king notifying him of his success and the king responded by ordering Sulla to slaughter all those that had revolted or had ties to revolters. Sulla found this to be to much and initially he refused, only to be threatened to be fired. As a discredited military officer of common origin Sulla would have to fear for his survival if this were to be true and thus he carried out the order, decimating the entire region. The military leadership of the Tardian kingdom was horrified at what they had done and where they previously supported Gabianus due to his generosity they now began to resent him, Sulla being their natural leader. It was at this time Sulla began a secret relationship with Gabianus' daughter Servilla

Preparing the palace coup
The situation after the massacre became tense as the military was in a de facto state of rebellion, refusing to take orders from Gabianus. The king then locked himself in his palace at Izmer, protected by the elite Royal Guard, led by a man called Labienus, one of the few who had remained loyal to the king. Taking the palace would be impossible. First of all because it could easily be held by a very small amount of troops, secondly because Izmer was a holy place in Izeranity and taking it by force would surely anger the population and the clergy, which was firmly in control of Gabianus who was the Tetrarch of the Izeran faith. Thus the country was locked in a stalemate where the military occupied the region and the king the capital of Izmer. This situation lasted for a year when in 9 b.Z. Labienus proposed to Servilla, the daughter of Gabianus and his only child. The king flat-out refused as he thought his daughter to be more worth than the highest noble. Labienus was hurt as he was the most important noble to support him and was technically the only person holding him in power at that point. As a result he realized that the monarchy was a corrupt system and he contacted Sulla, telling him he had wished to join him. The plan was simple. Labienus' royal guard would arrest the king, forcing his abdication, after this troops would enter the city on the pretext of securing the succession of a council of generals, hereby not officially being an attack but a safeguarding force. The plan started with the beginning of spring.

The palace coup
Initially the plan worked out perfectly as the Royal Guard did in fact capture Gabienus and dethroned him. Sulla's troop marched into the capital and imposed a curfew whilst advancing on the palace. A small group of the king's closest followers freed the king from the dungeon before he could arrive however, and during the fighting in the palace a fire broke out causing even more chaos. Gabianus and his followers used this confusion to seize the royal jewels and his daughter Servilla, he had secluded herself to her chambers because she had been alerted to the plan by both Sulla as Labienus. The king fled to the countryside where his status as Tetrarch and ownership of the enormous Alexandrite stone brought him support.

Tard civil war
For more on this subject see: The Tard Civil War

Battle of Izmer
Sulla's plan for a quick overthrowing of the monarchy was frustrated by this. Moreover, Gabianus suddenly found the will and capability to raise an army. He and his followers had created the Alexandrite banner, symbolizing that it was Gabianus who owned the stone and thus divine right to rule. Sulla's supporters were mainly around the coast and were outnumbered by the rural and agrarian part of Tardia. Gabianus army moved forwards to take back the capital, if this succeeded Gabianus would surely win the war as he would have the Jewels, the Izeran church and the palace. Sulla knew this and decided to intercept the king's army, even though it was twice the size of his own. The two armies met in front of Izmer but it was Sulla that initiated the charge and the ferocity of his more elite troops broke the enemy levy army. Gabianus was beaten and fled to Sumela.

The Sumela campaign
Sumela had been the beacon of anti-monarchal feelings but since the massacre the region had resented the military and thus they switched sides, providing what little wealth Tardia owned by giving him control of the Sumela gold mines. Sulla's advance was long and tedious but eventually he came on top, mostly by creating a new regiment of Silver Guard, the old royal guard, enabling him to protect his supply lines from hostile inhabitants who were no match for the elite regiment. It was the arrival of Speratoi mercenaries that saved Gabianus and led total victory slip from Sulla's fingers. Suffering his only defeat in the battle of hill 391 against these heavily armored troops.

The Attia stalemate
The Attia stalemate was the last and most tedious phase of the war as the elite Speratoi prevented Sulla from creating a breakthrough with his swift tactics. Slow and steady was the approach needed but this was not his strongest characteristic. The stalemate continued for some time, until Speratoi forces at the Attia silver mines had become arrogant and had neglected to keep night watches. Sulla took full advantage of this and marched to the enemy camp at night at incredible speed, overwhelming the Speratoi and destroying them as a fighting force during the war, although still being present in Gabianus armies. The battle of the Sharp night was another turning point in the war and forced the Royal army to adopt a scorched earth policy, forcing Sulla to stay put. The entire region of Attia got burned down and the ones responsible for this, the Speratoi generals influencing a broken Gabianus, were lynched and the last Speratoi left after this. Command of Gabianus' army was left to a lesser noble called Marcus Alanius. This general divided his army in small groups and harassed the rebels but by now the Alexandrite banner was broken. Marcus fled to Tabard and Gabianus and his followers fled Tardia, practically bringing the civil war to an end.

Aftermath
During the war Sulla had stripped Gabianus of his title of Tetrarch and given it to a rebellious clergyman by the name of Scipo. This man set to work to reform the Izeran church and the institution became firmly anti-monarchist, stripping the king of much of his manpower. Scipo remained in power after the civil war and started to spread Izeranity more actively than the monarchy had ever done. A council of generals came together to elect their leader and naturally Sulla had been chosen, although Labienus had won some votes as well, which scared Sulla. More important to him however was Gabianus, the royal jewels and Servilla. The newly elected Diktator, or ruler, sent out a vast network of international spies and agents to quell dissidence abroad and to find Gabianus.

Alexandrite war
For more on this subject see: The Alexandrite war

Search for Gabianus
With the dawning of year Zero Sulla had cemented his rule even more. A year long small pockets of resistance and revolts had been prevalent throughout the country but these had been crushed one by one and Sulla was finally in complete control of the country, starting to look outwards. At the start of year Zero he had given the order to assassinate Marcus Alanius in Tabard, killing the most able general the royalists could muster. There was no sign of Gabianus however and thus Sulla started cementing his position in the international community. A deal was brokered with the Council of the Horselords about shared ownership of the Salamander strait. That same season it became clear that Gabianus was in Laurelorn, where his entourage had been killed and he and his jewels seized. Sulla, furious at a foreign king killing Tard citizens and frustrated about the jewels being seized began negotiations with Orion I of Laurelorn to get the jewels back, in secret however he had summoned his army and marched for the forest kingdom. Orion I sent back most of the jewels with the exception of the majestic Alexandrite stone. Sulla was not relieved as it was this very stone that he had wished to regain, he revealed his army and demanded the Alexandrite stone be returned. Orion I was furious as he had offered the Tards friendship and now they were here for war. Negotiations were halted and Sulla began marching his army into the forests of Laurelorn. That same week he received the message that Gabianus had been killed by the Trinsulaeans as a way to gain favour with the Council of Tards. Sulla was furious and proclaimed that the Trinsulaeans had no right to kill Gabianus and send agents to safeguard any other Tard civilians in Allea, unofficially they were looking for Servilla as Sulla was still madly in love with her. Deep down Sulla was glad that Gabianus was killed as his position was now more secure than ever.

Arrival of the Horseking
Initially the war went well for Sulla as he ordered burning down the forest on his way to the capital. This strategy worked as the Laurelorn military Kithband were reliant on the forest for their hit-and-run tactics. Sulla had to change strategy however when a diplomatic envoy of the Horseking Gekke I with many riders had come to the forest, initially as a diplomatic visit but the Horseking did not hesitate to come to the aid of his father-in-law and started harassing Sulla's supply lines. The Dictator then decided to rush to the enemy capital to either seize it or to provoke a pitched battle where his superior army could outmatch Kithband. This worked and a pitched battle was fought in the province of Laurelorn, right in front of the capital. The Kithband commander Chiron attempted to stall for time so that Gekke I's forces could arrive but Sulla's advance was quick and deadly, overrunning kithband's left flank. This feat was accomplished by the leadership of a fresh new upstart called Octavian which Sulla would take under his wing after the battle. Most of the Kithband was broken but the small force that remained was reinforced by Gekke I and his elite riders from the steppe. Sulla took on a defensive square and the battle turned into a stalemate. Eventually the Diktator negotiated a peace with Orion I. In this peace of the Stones it was agreed that Laurelorn would give Sulla all the jewels, including the alexandrite stone. In return Sulla would grant half of his share of ownership of the Salamander strait with Laurelorn, totalling around 500 talents paid in small amounts of 50 talents over a period of time. The Diktator had now finally achieved ownership of all the royal jewels and his prestige and popularity in Tardia grew immensely.

Treaty of Attia
After the Alexandrite war Sulla signed the treaty of Attia with the Trinsulaeans, negotiating a military and defensive alliance. On top of that free trade is established between the two countries and the Izeran church gets the right to buy land for their churches in Trinsulae, enabling them to spread the Holy Words of Izerama to the islanders. These good relations between Trinsulae and Tardia attracted traders from the young democracy and with their help the Tardian economy was brought back to life, slowly recovering from decades of mismanagement and corruption. The many mines of Tardia went into usage again and silver, gold and gems were sold in great quantities. Other exports include: linen, slaves, grain and sheep. As can be noted the lands of Tardia started producing again, mainly because of Trinsulaean investment into irrigation canals. With expansion into the mainland the Tards even started exporting a little bit of wood.

War against Piracy
Sulla not only expanded Tardian forces on the land but he also founded the Tard fleet, building 10 quinquiremes for anti-piracy actions. The Midsea was crawling with Tongaaleese pirates and since trade had been blooming lately the Diktator was forced to protect his merchants. The West was not hit as hard as the Eastern side of the Midsea however as in Kartaga the city of Zenkar was plagued by a so called High King of the Seas. Trade in this state came to be dried up almost completely as no one dared to travel there anymore. Sulla was the very first foreign statesman to realize that this was an international issue and he offered the Suffete Arturo I his navy in support. They were too late to prevent the disastrous battle of the Sunken cave but joined the sea-faring coalition against piracy together with their Trinsulaean allies. Sulla gave Octavian command of the 10 quinquiremes and he performed well, saving the German ships from annihliation during the battle of Zenkar Port. Sulla's treasury was filled with 200 talents from participating in the coalition although the main winners of the campaign had been Trinsulae and Kartaga.

Roperian Revolt
For more on this subject see: Roperian Revolt

Religious differences
Sulla and the Horseking Gekke I had made an agreement over combined ownership of the Salamander strait, severing Tardia from the Steppe. The southern part of the Steppe-part of the strait had been conquered by the Horselords in the winter of year zero. Prior to this a diplomatic conflict between the Horseking and the Tetrarch about their respective religions had increased tensions between the two empires as a Tard ambassador was brutally killed in the Citadel. Official ties between the two countries were tied for a while but hostilities returned soon. Sulla had no intention of forgiving nor forgetting however and he remembered this injustice. That winter religious riots broke out between the Kandars and the extreme Izeran sect of the Roperians. The Horseking responded to this by brutally repressing the Izerans in the region and they revolted in what is called the Roperian Revolt, after the extremist sect that had become popular in the region. Sulla was concerned about the violence but saw an oppurtunity. By helping the Izerans in the region he could increase his presence in the region whilst simultaneously gaining support from the Izeran church and the population at home.

Battle of Chaemeolonia
Sulla ordered his army led by Labienus to cross over to the other side of the strait. The capital city of Iguadon was abandoned as Council troops had destroyed the city, as such Chaemeolonia was the new capital of the region, a city where the Ropists held supreme power. Sulla ordered Labienus and his army to garrison the ports in this town just as the Horseking advanced on the city. Gekke I demanded that the Tards leave the region as the Steppe was the domain of the Horselords and any foreign empires were not allowed to intervene in its matters. Labienus refused as Sulla's orders stated that he had to protect the Izerans and the port at all cost. Realizing that the Tards were not moving Gekke I decided to move against the city, fighting the Tards for the second time in that year. The battle was a decisive victory for the Tards as Gekke I's dismounted army was flanked by Sulla's cavalry and completely destroyed, Gekke himself losing an eye in the battle. War was declared by the Council of Horselords but besides some minor skirmishes there were no more fights between the two states.

Peace of Chaemeolonia
In the Spring of year 1 a peace between the two states was signed, negotiated and signed by both Sulla and Gekke I. In it ownership of the Salamander trait was given to him, in exchange the Tards pay a tribute totaling 2000 talents, spread over time much like the peace of the Stones. In addition the Tards and Bathierans promise to not call each others religions heretical anymore, rather calling a follower of another religion a non-believer. On top of this Sulla promised not to interfere in the affairs of the Steppe with the exception of the regions of the Salamander strait, which are to be his domain. In a secret treaty Sulla also promises to round up the ringleaders of the Roperians and send them to Gekke I. Although this last part of the treaty was a secret it became known that the Tards were arresting former leaders of the Roperians and they began another series of attacks, this time against Sulla's forces. Unlike Gekke I Sulla responds with stealth rather than force. He sends a regiment of spies and agents to the region, lead by his right-hand man Octavian, the organisation quickly receiving the name of Octavian's Servants. With the help of an ex-Roperian leader called Constantius the Roperians are quickly routed out and the troubled region returns to be stable once again.

Tabardan elections
During the Tabard Election of year 2 Sulla decided to back the candidate Paros. This as to strengthen the treaty of Utrond which is a vital treaty for the safety of Trinsulae, an important ally against The Horselords and Laurelorn. Octavian and his Servants are send to Tabard to influence the elections. They try to blame Lysander, another candidate, for poisoning the waterwells by planting evidence of his involvement, whilst having poisoned these waters himself. This planted evidence leads to a German spy being captured who reveals to have worked for Alepides, the military candidate. Lysander gains support but the Servants remain hidden. Eventually Paros does win the election and for Sulla's support he receives 200 talents from the Republic of Tabard.

More importantly is the discovery that Servilla lives in Polleander's estate, under his personal protection. During a meeting between Octavian, Polleander and Paros about a future trade deal and alliance Octavian accidently stumbles upon Servilla. She recognizes Octavian as a small noble boy from court and the two discuss what has happened. Octavian then arranges a correspondence to be established between Sulla and Servilla.

Eastern expansion
After some further campaigning in the North of the Salamander strait the region is under complete control of Sulla's forces, who then proceeds to expand eastwards. Slowly but steadily the Eastern frontier shifts further and the kingdom of Laurelorn and Tardia, as the state is now officially called, come closer and closer. The economy further grows in these years and the Tards began to prosper as they had never done before. A group of mountain tribes was converted to Izeranity in 10 a.Z., this nearly caused a conflict with Tir and the Council of the Horselords but eventually Sulla decided to give in an grant the Tirian slaves these migrants brought with them their freedom. In the meanwhile Sulla was preparing the return of Servilla. A hard task seeing as she was the last claimant to the Tard throne and bringing her in could disgruntle the military and population, who had become fiercely anti-monarchy. Using Octavian's servants and by planning carefully for years the time had finally come in year 12.

Servilla's return
Ever since 10 b.Z. Sulla had been in a relationship with Servilla and twenty years later the couple was still madly in love. Sulla spent most of his personal time on writing correspondence with her and preparing her return, and the time had finally come in 12 a.Z. Polleander of Tabard had granted Servilla a beeautiful ship which she used to sail back to her homeland. Here she was welcomed by the masses as a woman of reason who had set aside her noble heritage to return as a mere citizen of Tardia. She was 44 at the time and her beauty still rocked the entirety of Tardia. A grand parade was held in her honour and there was a festive mood. She was led to an elevation where Sulla, Labienus and Octavian were awaiting her arrival. The plan had been for Sulla to publicly propose to her, announcing their secret relationship to the entire world. Up until then only the couple and Sulla's right hand man Octavian had known of the relationship. Thus it came as a complete shock to Sulla when Labienus suddenly fell to his knees and asked Servilla to marry him. Earlier in 9 b.Z. Labienus proposal had indirectly caused the Tard Civil War and apparently Labienus had still not forgotten her. Servilla promptly rejected the proposal, after which Sulla kneeled down and asked her to wed him, to which she said yes. Labienus was furious and began to plot once again. His plan was to use his Silver Guard to kill Sulla, seize power and, most importantly, to seize Servilla for himself. The plan was discovered by Octavian's Servants however and Sulla decides to move Labienus' Silver Guard to protect Tetrarch Scipo on his travels to Tabard. Labienus is ordered to stay at Izmer, but he recognizes his position and flees the city for the interior, where he raised support for an eventual rebellion.

The Sharp Wedding
Sulla decided to counter this threat by calling an election to assign a new Diktator, an election he would surely win as his support amongst the generals is big, especially in the capital where Octavian's Servants are most active. This election is being announced during his wedding with Servilla and after this political statement he spends the entire day with his wife. During the party the new wealth of Tardia is shown, wine flows endlessly, an elephant in Salamanderian clothing bought from Jugurtha entertains the many guests and the best musicians money can buy are present to honour the bond between the couple. The party lasted for hours and in the late night the couple decided to make for their quarters to consumate their marriage. Unbeknownst to Sulla a noble by the name of Cassius follows them to their chambers. As Labienus is far away and Octavian's Servants had been searching endlessly for plots without any success Sulla thought himself safe and as such no guards were present. The noise of the party and the elephant silenced any violent noises too and whilst Sulla and Servilla were having sex Cassius stabs the Diktator multiple times, twice through the heart, killing Sulla instantly.

Legacy
It is safe to say that Sulla's reign had left a permanent mark on Tardia. After his death his post-humously adopted son Octavian is given his vast wealth and prestige. Labienus and Octavian then share power after a short threat of civil war, forming the Birumvirate. Ever since being a young officer Sulla was in the making of becoming an important figure. His reform of the cavalry brought Tardia a cavalry regiment that could match that of the Council of Horselords. His role in the massacre of Sumela is a dark stain on his reputation but his resilient and competent leadership brought an end to the corrupt and ineffective Tardian Kingdom. His aggressive and expansionist policy made the Horselords and Laurelorn sworn enemies, whereas this brought Tardia closer to the Trinsulaeans. This connection with the Trinsulaeans gave Sulla the chance to vastly increase the wealth of his poor state and he left it rich in trade and resources.

Militarily he fought two wars himself and a third war was instigated by him. The Tard Civil war and the Alexandrite War showed Sulla's military genius, his offensive tactics being studied by many who followed. The Roperian Revolt showed that Sulla was also a capable strategist that new how to use diplomacy and stealth as well as the military to achieve his goals. When Sulla died his realm had doubled in size and had become at least twelve times as wealthy. Making it not only an important local player but a contender to international politics as well. His death brought an end to the stability of Tardia and replaced it with the power struggle between Octavian, his appointed heir, and Labienus.