Cambrecia and the Derlic War - Revision history

Noctifer at 02:33, 10 September 2026

2026-09-10T02:33:18Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:33, 10 September 2026
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	\|startyear= 800		\|startyear= 800
	\|startyearcirca=		\|startyearcirca=
	\|endyear= ~~1473~~		\|endyear= 828
	\|endyearcirca=		\|endyearcirca=
	\|continent= Duria		\|continent= Duria
	\|previous_article= Imperial Cambrecia		\|previous_article= Imperial Cambrecia
	\|following_article=~~The Cambrecian Civil Wars~~		\|following_article=Cambrecia and the Long Discontent
	\|main_article=The History of Cambrecia		\|main_article=The History of Cambrecia
	}}</noinclude>Under [[Cyricus Isidorus of House Livius\|Legate Cyricus Isidorus]] of [[House Livius]], [[Legion III Cambrecia]] moved into the trackless wilds of what had even then become known as the [[Cambrecian Mountains]], chasing rumors of wealthy dwarven miners high in the peaks. In a mistake that would resonate for decades to come and permanently alter the political landscape of southern Duria, the Legion slaughtered an ostensibly peaceful dwarven ambassadorial party from the [[Derlos\|Kingdom of Derlos]], which initiated what would become known as the [[The First Cambrecian War\|Derlic War]] in the Empire with the express intention of conquering the subterranean Kingdom. The Legion spent the first few months of the "War" failing to even locate the entrance to the underground mountain kingdom. The dwarves were shocked by the behavior of humans they thought were friendly and prepared themselves for battle, but cooler heads prevailed and an envoy was sent to [[Neptaris]], who had allied with the dwarves of Derlos some six centuries prior during the [[War of the Dark Rider]]. After brief deliberations, the [[Triumvirate]] of Neptaris secretly decided to maintain their alliance with [[Derlos]] and prepare for war against this new Empire. In {{ICYear\|55}}, Neptaris formally declared war on Zeth and immediately took one of their key military outposts in the foothills of the Cambrecian Mountains, [[Fort Pagulium]].		}}</noinclude>Under [[Cyricus Isidorus of House Livius\|Legate Cyricus Isidorus]] of [[House Livius]], [[Legion III Cambrecia]] moved into the trackless wilds of what had even then become known as the [[Cambrecian Mountains]], chasing rumors of wealthy dwarven miners high in the peaks. In a mistake that would resonate for decades to come and permanently alter the political landscape of southern Duria, the Legion slaughtered an ostensibly peaceful dwarven ambassadorial party from the [[Derlos\|Kingdom of Derlos]], which initiated what would become known as the [[The First Cambrecian War\|Derlic War]] in the Empire with the express intention of conquering the subterranean Kingdom. The Legion spent the first few months of the "War" failing to even locate the entrance to the underground mountain kingdom. The dwarves were shocked by the behavior of humans they thought were friendly and prepared themselves for battle, but cooler heads prevailed and an envoy was sent to [[Neptaris]], who had allied with the dwarves of Derlos some six centuries prior during the [[War of the Dark Rider]]. After brief deliberations, the [[Triumvirate]] of Neptaris secretly decided to maintain their alliance with [[Derlos]] and prepare for war against this new Empire. In {{ICYear\|55}}, Neptaris formally declared war on Zeth and immediately took one of their key military outposts in the foothills of the Cambrecian Mountains, [[Fort Pagulium]].
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	Cambrecia's own house was no steadier than the Empire's patience. In the plague-stricken winter of {{ICYear\|58}} that claimed Legate Isidorus, the same sickness reached Septarium and took [[Tarnos III Dravos\|King Tarnos III]], leaving the throne to his young son, [[Kestor Dravos\|Prince Kestor]], no more than five years old. A regency council, drawn from mostly Kamaros-descended nobility and backed by the increasingly influential priesthood of [[Zelos\|Zelos Goldenhand]], ruled in the boy's name. With Zeth's full attention on the war against Neptaris and Derlos, no one in the capital was minding Cambrecia's own succession, and [[Bellenos Dravos]], of the old Amesi-descended branch of the royal house, a line that had never accepted being passed over for the throne generations before, raised his own claim. The resulting [[Dravosid Kinstrife]] dragged on for sixteen years, a slow civil war fought in the shadow of the Empire's own occupation, until Kestor, grown to manhood, finally defeated and killed Bellenos in personal combat in {{ICYear\|74}} at the [[Battle of Vetrenos]] and reunited the kingdom under his own rule for the first time in a generation.		Cambrecia's own house was no steadier than the Empire's patience. In the plague-stricken winter of {{ICYear\|58}} that claimed Legate Isidorus, the same sickness reached Septarium and took [[Tarnos III Dravos\|King Tarnos III]], leaving the throne to his young son, [[Kestor Dravos\|Prince Kestor]], no more than five years old. A regency council, drawn from mostly Kamaros-descended nobility and backed by the increasingly influential priesthood of [[Zelos\|Zelos Goldenhand]], ruled in the boy's name. With Zeth's full attention on the war against Neptaris and Derlos, no one in the capital was minding Cambrecia's own succession, and [[Bellenos Dravos]], of the old Amesi-descended branch of the royal house, a line that had never accepted being passed over for the throne generations before, raised his own claim. The resulting [[Dravosid Kinstrife]] dragged on for sixteen years, a slow civil war fought in the shadow of the Empire's own occupation, until Kestor, grown to manhood, finally defeated and killed Bellenos in personal combat in {{ICYear\|74}} at the [[Battle of Vetrenos]] and reunited the kingdom under his own rule for the first time in a generation.

	It was precisely this victory that doomed him. A legitimate, battle-hardened king who had reunified Cambrecia without any help from Zeth was a far more troubling prospect to the Empire than a child regency had ever been, and Emperor [[Leto I of House Livius\|Emperor Leto I]] of [[House Livius]] had no intention of recognizing a monarch who might one day decide he owed the Empire nothing at all. In {{ICYear\|78}}, fresh Imperial legions arrived in Septarium, declared Kestor's rule illegitimate despite the regency council's own endorsement years before, and installed a man with no connection to House Dravos whatsoever, [[Quintus Sarnicos]], as King of Cambrecia in his place. What became of Kestor Dravos, the last of his line, has never been settled. Some in Septarium still whisper that he was quietly put to the sword in the dungeons beneath his own palace and buried without rite, so that Zeth would leave the Cambrecian people no grave to mourn at and no martyr to rally behind. Others insist he escaped the city before the legions arrived and lived out his years in exile, some say in Neptaris, others in the depths of the Cambrecian Mountains, given quiet sanctuary by the dwarves of Derlos, who, whatever else divided them from the surface, understood better than anyone what it meant to be betrayed by the Empire's ambitions.		It was precisely this victory that doomed him. A legitimate, battle-hardened king who had reunified Cambrecia without any help from Zeth was a far more troubling prospect to the Empire than a child regency had ever been, and Emperor [[Leto I of House Livius\|Emperor Leto I]] of [[House Livius]] had no intention of recognizing a monarch who might one day decide he owed the Empire nothing at all. In {{ICYear\|78}}, fresh Imperial legions arrived in Septarium, declared Kestor's rule illegitimate despite the regency council's own endorsement years before, and installed a man with no connection to House Dravos whatsoever, [[Quintus Sarnicos]], as King of Cambrecia in his place. What became of Kestor Dravos, the last of his line, has never been settled. Some in Septarium still whisper that he was quietly put to the sword in the dungeons beneath his own palace and buried without rite, so that Zeth would leave the Cambrecian people no grave to mourn at and no martyr to rally behind. Others insist he escaped the city before the legions arrived and lived out his years in exile, some say in Neptaris, others in the depths of the Cambrecian Mountains, given quiet sanctuary by the dwarves of Derlos, who, whatever else divided them from the surface, understood better than anyone what it meant to be betrayed by the Empire's ambitions.<noinclude>{{Duria_Guide\|chapter= History}}[[Category:Cambrecia]]</noinclude>

	Over the next two centuries, Cambrecia saw many rebellions as its citizens tried to found a new Senate in the capital city of [[Zelosia City\|Septarium]]. The Imperial response was heavy-handed at first, but in {{ICYear\|149}}, the Emperor [[Metius the Elder]] decided on a more surreptitious approach to quelling the Cambrecians. In his role as [[Pontifex Maximus]] of the Imperial pantheon, he sent the [[Pontifex of Zelos]], god of the State, to Septarium to build a great cathedral and begin the conversion of the populous to [[Zelos]]. The Pontifex of the time, [[Ionnanes II]], was a persuasive man, and was able to quickly convert most of the local leadership to his banner. Over the next few centuries, as the power of the Empire waned in its northern territories, the Pontifex of Zelos was able to secure greater and greater power within Cambrecia, often without the Emperor's knowledge or consent. By {{ICYear\|534}}, Cambrecia had become a monarchy, independent in most of its internal affairs.<noinclude>{{Duria_Guide\|chapter= History}}[[Category:Cambrecia]]</noinclude>

Noctifer at 01:49, 10 September 2026

2026-09-10T01:49:35Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:49, 10 September 2026
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	Cambrecia's own house was no steadier than the Empire's patience. In the plague-stricken winter of {{ICYear\|58}} that claimed Legate Isidorus, the same sickness reached Septarium and took [[Tarnos III Dravos\|King Tarnos III]], leaving the throne to his young son, [[Kestor Dravos\|Prince Kestor]], no more than five years old. A regency council, drawn from mostly Kamaros-descended nobility and backed by the increasingly influential priesthood of [[Zelos\|Zelos Goldenhand]], ruled in the boy's name. With Zeth's full attention on the war against Neptaris and Derlos, no one in the capital was minding Cambrecia's own succession, and [[Bellenos Dravos]], of the old Amesi-descended branch of the royal house, a line that had never accepted being passed over for the throne generations before, raised his own claim. The resulting [[Dravosid Kinstrife]] dragged on for sixteen years, a slow civil war fought in the shadow of the Empire's own occupation, until Kestor, grown to manhood, finally defeated and killed Bellenos in personal combat in {{ICYear\|74}} at the [[Battle of Vetrenos]] and reunited the kingdom under his own rule for the first time in a generation.		Cambrecia's own house was no steadier than the Empire's patience. In the plague-stricken winter of {{ICYear\|58}} that claimed Legate Isidorus, the same sickness reached Septarium and took [[Tarnos III Dravos\|King Tarnos III]], leaving the throne to his young son, [[Kestor Dravos\|Prince Kestor]], no more than five years old. A regency council, drawn from mostly Kamaros-descended nobility and backed by the increasingly influential priesthood of [[Zelos\|Zelos Goldenhand]], ruled in the boy's name. With Zeth's full attention on the war against Neptaris and Derlos, no one in the capital was minding Cambrecia's own succession, and [[Bellenos Dravos]], of the old Amesi-descended branch of the royal house, a line that had never accepted being passed over for the throne generations before, raised his own claim. The resulting [[Dravosid Kinstrife]] dragged on for sixteen years, a slow civil war fought in the shadow of the Empire's own occupation, until Kestor, grown to manhood, finally defeated and killed Bellenos in personal combat in {{ICYear\|74}} at the [[Battle of Vetrenos]] and reunited the kingdom under his own rule for the first time in a generation.

	It was precisely this victory that doomed him. A legitimate, battle-hardened king who had reunified Cambrecia without any help from Zeth was a far more troubling prospect to the Empire than a child regency had ever been, and Emperor [[Leto I Livius\|Emperor Leto I]] of [[House Livius]] had no intention of recognizing a monarch who might one day decide he owed the Empire nothing at all. In {{ICYear\|78}}, fresh Imperial legions arrived in Septarium, declared Kestor's rule illegitimate despite the regency council's own endorsement years before, and installed a man with no connection to House Dravos whatsoever, [[Quintus Sarnicos]], as King of Cambrecia in his place. What became of Kestor Dravos, the last of his line, has never been settled. Some in Septarium still whisper that he was quietly put to the sword in the dungeons beneath his own palace and buried without rite, so that Zeth would leave the Cambrecian people no grave to mourn at and no martyr to rally behind. Others insist he escaped the city before the legions arrived and lived out his years in exile, some say in Neptaris, others in the depths of the Cambrecian Mountains, given quiet sanctuary by the dwarves of Derlos, who, whatever else divided them from the surface, understood better than anyone what it meant to be betrayed by the Empire's ambitions.		It was precisely this victory that doomed him. A legitimate, battle-hardened king who had reunified Cambrecia without any help from Zeth was a far more troubling prospect to the Empire than a child regency had ever been, and Emperor [[Leto I of House Livius\|Emperor Leto I]] of [[House Livius]] had no intention of recognizing a monarch who might one day decide he owed the Empire nothing at all. In {{ICYear\|78}}, fresh Imperial legions arrived in Septarium, declared Kestor's rule illegitimate despite the regency council's own endorsement years before, and installed a man with no connection to House Dravos whatsoever, [[Quintus Sarnicos]], as King of Cambrecia in his place. What became of Kestor Dravos, the last of his line, has never been settled. Some in Septarium still whisper that he was quietly put to the sword in the dungeons beneath his own palace and buried without rite, so that Zeth would leave the Cambrecian people no grave to mourn at and no martyr to rally behind. Others insist he escaped the city before the legions arrived and lived out his years in exile, some say in Neptaris, others in the depths of the Cambrecian Mountains, given quiet sanctuary by the dwarves of Derlos, who, whatever else divided them from the surface, understood better than anyone what it meant to be betrayed by the Empire's ambitions.

	Over the next two centuries, Cambrecia saw many rebellions as its citizens tried to found a new Senate in the capital city of [[Zelosia City\|Septarium]]. The Imperial response was heavy-handed at first, but in {{ICYear\|149}}, the Emperor [[Metius the Elder]] decided on a more surreptitious approach to quelling the Cambrecians. In his role as [[Pontifex Maximus]] of the Imperial pantheon, he sent the [[Pontifex of Zelos]], god of the State, to Septarium to build a great cathedral and begin the conversion of the populous to [[Zelos]]. The Pontifex of the time, [[Ionnanes II]], was a persuasive man, and was able to quickly convert most of the local leadership to his banner. Over the next few centuries, as the power of the Empire waned in its northern territories, the Pontifex of Zelos was able to secure greater and greater power within Cambrecia, often without the Emperor's knowledge or consent. By {{ICYear\|534}}, Cambrecia had become a monarchy, independent in most of its internal affairs.<noinclude>{{Duria_Guide\|chapter= History}}[[Category:Cambrecia]]</noinclude>		Over the next two centuries, Cambrecia saw many rebellions as its citizens tried to found a new Senate in the capital city of [[Zelosia City\|Septarium]]. The Imperial response was heavy-handed at first, but in {{ICYear\|149}}, the Emperor [[Metius the Elder]] decided on a more surreptitious approach to quelling the Cambrecians. In his role as [[Pontifex Maximus]] of the Imperial pantheon, he sent the [[Pontifex of Zelos]], god of the State, to Septarium to build a great cathedral and begin the conversion of the populous to [[Zelos]]. The Pontifex of the time, [[Ionnanes II]], was a persuasive man, and was able to quickly convert most of the local leadership to his banner. Over the next few centuries, as the power of the Empire waned in its northern territories, the Pontifex of Zelos was able to secure greater and greater power within Cambrecia, often without the Emperor's knowledge or consent. By {{ICYear\|534}}, Cambrecia had become a monarchy, independent in most of its internal affairs.<noinclude>{{Duria_Guide\|chapter= History}}[[Category:Cambrecia]]</noinclude>

Noctifer at 01:48, 10 September 2026

2026-09-10T01:48:28Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:48, 10 September 2026
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	Cambrecia's own house was no steadier than the Empire's patience. In the plague-stricken winter of {{ICYear\|58}} that claimed Legate Isidorus, the same sickness reached Septarium and took [[Tarnos III Dravos\|King Tarnos III]], leaving the throne to his young son, [[Kestor Dravos\|Prince Kestor]], no more than five years old. A regency council, drawn from mostly Kamaros-descended nobility and backed by the increasingly influential priesthood of [[Zelos\|Zelos Goldenhand]], ruled in the boy's name. With Zeth's full attention on the war against Neptaris and Derlos, no one in the capital was minding Cambrecia's own succession, and [[Bellenos Dravos]], of the old Amesi-descended branch of the royal house, a line that had never accepted being passed over for the throne generations before, raised his own claim. The resulting [[Dravosid Kinstrife]] dragged on for sixteen years, a slow civil war fought in the shadow of the Empire's own occupation, until Kestor, grown to manhood, finally defeated and killed Bellenos in personal combat in {{ICYear\|74}} at the [[Battle of Vetrenos]] and reunited the kingdom under his own rule for the first time in a generation.		Cambrecia's own house was no steadier than the Empire's patience. In the plague-stricken winter of {{ICYear\|58}} that claimed Legate Isidorus, the same sickness reached Septarium and took [[Tarnos III Dravos\|King Tarnos III]], leaving the throne to his young son, [[Kestor Dravos\|Prince Kestor]], no more than five years old. A regency council, drawn from mostly Kamaros-descended nobility and backed by the increasingly influential priesthood of [[Zelos\|Zelos Goldenhand]], ruled in the boy's name. With Zeth's full attention on the war against Neptaris and Derlos, no one in the capital was minding Cambrecia's own succession, and [[Bellenos Dravos]], of the old Amesi-descended branch of the royal house, a line that had never accepted being passed over for the throne generations before, raised his own claim. The resulting [[Dravosid Kinstrife]] dragged on for sixteen years, a slow civil war fought in the shadow of the Empire's own occupation, until Kestor, grown to manhood, finally defeated and killed Bellenos in personal combat in {{ICYear\|74}} at the [[Battle of Vetrenos]] and reunited the kingdom under his own rule for the first time in a generation.

	It was precisely this victory that doomed him. A legitimate, battle-hardened king who had reunified Cambrecia without any help from Zeth was a far more troubling prospect to the Empire than a child regency had ever been, and Emperor [[Leto]] had no intention of recognizing a monarch who might one day decide he owed the Empire nothing at all. In {{ICYear\|78}}, fresh Imperial legions arrived in Septarium, declared Kestor's rule illegitimate despite the regency council's own endorsement years before, and installed a man with no connection to House Dravos whatsoever, [[Quintus Sarnicos]], as King of Cambrecia in his place. What became of Kestor Dravos, the last of his line, has never been settled. Some in Septarium still whisper that he was quietly put to the sword in the dungeons beneath his own palace and buried without rite, so that Zeth would leave the Cambrecian people no grave to mourn at and no martyr to rally behind. Others insist he escaped the city before the legions arrived and lived out his years in exile, some say in Neptaris, others in the depths of the Cambrecian Mountains, given quiet sanctuary by the dwarves of Derlos, who, whatever else divided them from the surface, understood better than anyone what it meant to be betrayed by the Empire's ambitions.		It was precisely this victory that doomed him. A legitimate, battle-hardened king who had reunified Cambrecia without any help from Zeth was a far more troubling prospect to the Empire than a child regency had ever been, and Emperor [[Leto I Livius\|Emperor Leto I]] of [[House Livius]] had no intention of recognizing a monarch who might one day decide he owed the Empire nothing at all. In {{ICYear\|78}}, fresh Imperial legions arrived in Septarium, declared Kestor's rule illegitimate despite the regency council's own endorsement years before, and installed a man with no connection to House Dravos whatsoever, [[Quintus Sarnicos]], as King of Cambrecia in his place. What became of Kestor Dravos, the last of his line, has never been settled. Some in Septarium still whisper that he was quietly put to the sword in the dungeons beneath his own palace and buried without rite, so that Zeth would leave the Cambrecian people no grave to mourn at and no martyr to rally behind. Others insist he escaped the city before the legions arrived and lived out his years in exile, some say in Neptaris, others in the depths of the Cambrecian Mountains, given quiet sanctuary by the dwarves of Derlos, who, whatever else divided them from the surface, understood better than anyone what it meant to be betrayed by the Empire's ambitions.

	Over the next two centuries, Cambrecia saw many rebellions as its citizens tried to found a new Senate in the capital city of [[Zelosia City\|Septarium]]. The Imperial response was heavy-handed at first, but in {{ICYear\|149}}, the Emperor [[Metius the Elder]] decided on a more surreptitious approach to quelling the Cambrecians. In his role as [[Pontifex Maximus]] of the Imperial pantheon, he sent the [[Pontifex of Zelos]], god of the State, to Septarium to build a great cathedral and begin the conversion of the populous to [[Zelos]]. The Pontifex of the time, [[Ionnanes II]], was a persuasive man, and was able to quickly convert most of the local leadership to his banner. Over the next few centuries, as the power of the Empire waned in its northern territories, the Pontifex of Zelos was able to secure greater and greater power within Cambrecia, often without the Emperor's knowledge or consent. By {{ICYear\|534}}, Cambrecia had become a monarchy, independent in most of its internal affairs.<noinclude>{{Duria_Guide\|chapter= History}}[[Category:Cambrecia]]</noinclude>		Over the next two centuries, Cambrecia saw many rebellions as its citizens tried to found a new Senate in the capital city of [[Zelosia City\|Septarium]]. The Imperial response was heavy-handed at first, but in {{ICYear\|149}}, the Emperor [[Metius the Elder]] decided on a more surreptitious approach to quelling the Cambrecians. In his role as [[Pontifex Maximus]] of the Imperial pantheon, he sent the [[Pontifex of Zelos]], god of the State, to Septarium to build a great cathedral and begin the conversion of the populous to [[Zelos]]. The Pontifex of the time, [[Ionnanes II]], was a persuasive man, and was able to quickly convert most of the local leadership to his banner. Over the next few centuries, as the power of the Empire waned in its northern territories, the Pontifex of Zelos was able to secure greater and greater power within Cambrecia, often without the Emperor's knowledge or consent. By {{ICYear\|534}}, Cambrecia had become a monarchy, independent in most of its internal affairs.<noinclude>{{Duria_Guide\|chapter= History}}[[Category:Cambrecia]]</noinclude>

Noctifer at 01:47, 10 September 2026

2026-09-10T01:47:23Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:47, 10 September 2026
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	What began as an exploratory expedition against [[Derlos]] quickly grew into a war Cambrecia had not prepared for. Neptaran Marshal [[Aador Manx\|Marshal Aador Manx]], moving in concert with dwarven irregulars from Derlos, exploited the fall of [[Fort Pagulium]] to seize five more Imperial supply depots before the year was out, and for two years [[Cyricus Isidorus of House Livius\|Legate Isidorus]] found himself fighting a war on ground he had not chosen. The tide turned only when the Imperial fleet broke Neptaris's navy at the [[Battle of Nimble Point]] in {{ICYear\|57}} and sealed [[Krios Bay]], cutting the rebellious Freecity off from the sea it depended on. Any relief the victory brought was short-lived: a plague swept along the Cambrecian coast the following winter, and among its dead was Isidorus himself, the very Legate whose slaughter of the Derlic envoys had started the war in the first place. Command passed to [[Valerius Lucius\|Legate Valerius Lucius]], who spent the next several years rebuilding the Legion's strength even as Neptaris, unbeknownst to the Empire, was doing the same in secret shipyards along its own coast. Marshal Manx fought on until his death at Fort Pagulium, and his successor, [[Greor Alcyon of House Markos\|Marshall Greor Alcyon]] of [[House Markos]], briefly seized command of the [[Maroshan Sea]] with a fleet of thirty warships, but Imperial spies located and burned Neptaris's hidden shipyards in the winter of {{ICYear\|65}}, and with reinforcement from the fleets of [[Paeldain\|Paladinium]] in [[Koramia\|Imperial Simmeria]], Valerius Lucius laid siege to [[Neptaris]] itself. The city fell within a fortnight when an Imperial sympathizer inside its walls opened the gates, and Marshal Alcyon, upon hearing the news, took his own life rather than witness Neptaris's surrender. With their human allies defeated, the dwarves of Derlos sealed off the entrances to their subterranean kingdom and disappeared into the roots of the mountains.		What began as an exploratory expedition against [[Derlos]] quickly grew into a war Cambrecia had not prepared for. Neptaran Marshal [[Aador Manx\|Marshal Aador Manx]], moving in concert with dwarven irregulars from Derlos, exploited the fall of [[Fort Pagulium]] to seize five more Imperial supply depots before the year was out, and for two years [[Cyricus Isidorus of House Livius\|Legate Isidorus]] found himself fighting a war on ground he had not chosen. The tide turned only when the Imperial fleet broke Neptaris's navy at the [[Battle of Nimble Point]] in {{ICYear\|57}} and sealed [[Krios Bay]], cutting the rebellious Freecity off from the sea it depended on. Any relief the victory brought was short-lived: a plague swept along the Cambrecian coast the following winter, and among its dead was Isidorus himself, the very Legate whose slaughter of the Derlic envoys had started the war in the first place. Command passed to [[Valerius Lucius\|Legate Valerius Lucius]], who spent the next several years rebuilding the Legion's strength even as Neptaris, unbeknownst to the Empire, was doing the same in secret shipyards along its own coast. Marshal Manx fought on until his death at Fort Pagulium, and his successor, [[Greor Alcyon of House Markos\|Marshall Greor Alcyon]] of [[House Markos]], briefly seized command of the [[Maroshan Sea]] with a fleet of thirty warships, but Imperial spies located and burned Neptaris's hidden shipyards in the winter of {{ICYear\|65}}, and with reinforcement from the fleets of [[Paeldain\|Paladinium]] in [[Koramia\|Imperial Simmeria]], Valerius Lucius laid siege to [[Neptaris]] itself. The city fell within a fortnight when an Imperial sympathizer inside its walls opened the gates, and Marshal Alcyon, upon hearing the news, took his own life rather than witness Neptaris's surrender. With their human allies defeated, the dwarves of Derlos sealed off the entrances to their subterranean kingdom and disappeared into the roots of the mountains.

	Over the next two centuries, Cambrecia saw many rebellions as its citizens tried to found a new Senate in the capital city of [[Zelosia City\|Septarium]]. The Imperial response was heavy-handed at first, but in {{ICYear\|149}}, the Emperor [[Metius the Elder]] decided on a more surreptitious approach to quelling the Cambrecians. In his role as [[Pontifex Maximus]] of the Imperial pantheon, he sent the [[Pontifex of Zelos]], god of the State, to Septarium to build a great cathedral and begin the conversion of the populous to [[Zelos]]. The Pontifex of the time, [[Ionnanes II]], was a persuasive man, and was able to quickly convert most of the local leadership to his banner. Over the next few centuries, as the power of the Empire waned in its northern territories, the Pontifex of Zelos was able to secure greater and greater power within Cambrecia, often without the Emperor's knowledge or consent. By {{ICYear\|534}}, Cambrecia had become a monarchy, independent in most of its internal affairs.~~<noinclude>[[Category:Cambrecia]]</noinclude>~~		For Cambrecia, the years after the Derlic War brought no relief, only a change in the shape of their subjugation. The dwarven wealth that had first drawn the Legion into the mountains was never recovered; the [[Derlos\|Kingdom of Derlos]] had sealed its gates and vanished into the roots of the mountains rather than ever treat with the Empire again, so the war that cost [[Cyricus Isidorus of House Livius\|Isidorus]] his life had, in the end, won Zeth nothing at all. Command remained with [[Valerius Lucius\|Legate Valerius Lucius]], who spent his remaining years in Septarium keeping the Legion garrisoned and the tribute rolls full, but the endless cycle of rebellion made direct military rule an expense Zeth could not sustain indefinitely.
	<noinclude>{{Duria_Guide\|chapter= History}}[[Category:Cambrecia]]</noinclude>
			Cambrecia's own house was no steadier than the Empire's patience. In the plague-stricken winter of {{ICYear\|58}} that claimed Legate Isidorus, the same sickness reached Septarium and took [[Tarnos III Dravos\|King Tarnos III]], leaving the throne to his young son, [[Kestor Dravos\|Prince Kestor]], no more than five years old. A regency council, drawn from mostly Kamaros-descended nobility and backed by the increasingly influential priesthood of [[Zelos\|Zelos Goldenhand]], ruled in the boy's name. With Zeth's full attention on the war against Neptaris and Derlos, no one in the capital was minding Cambrecia's own succession, and [[Bellenos Dravos]], of the old Amesi-descended branch of the royal house, a line that had never accepted being passed over for the throne generations before, raised his own claim. The resulting [[Dravosid Kinstrife]] dragged on for sixteen years, a slow civil war fought in the shadow of the Empire's own occupation, until Kestor, grown to manhood, finally defeated and killed Bellenos in personal combat in {{ICYear\|74}} at the [[Battle of Vetrenos]] and reunited the kingdom under his own rule for the first time in a generation.

			It was precisely this victory that doomed him. A legitimate, battle-hardened king who had reunified Cambrecia without any help from Zeth was a far more troubling prospect to the Empire than a child regency had ever been, and Emperor [[Leto]] had no intention of recognizing a monarch who might one day decide he owed the Empire nothing at all. In {{ICYear\|78}}, fresh Imperial legions arrived in Septarium, declared Kestor's rule illegitimate despite the regency council's own endorsement years before, and installed a man with no connection to House Dravos whatsoever, [[Quintus Sarnicos]], as King of Cambrecia in his place. What became of Kestor Dravos, the last of his line, has never been settled. Some in Septarium still whisper that he was quietly put to the sword in the dungeons beneath his own palace and buried without rite, so that Zeth would leave the Cambrecian people no grave to mourn at and no martyr to rally behind. Others insist he escaped the city before the legions arrived and lived out his years in exile, some say in Neptaris, others in the depths of the Cambrecian Mountains, given quiet sanctuary by the dwarves of Derlos, who, whatever else divided them from the surface, understood better than anyone what it meant to be betrayed by the Empire's ambitions.

			Over the next two centuries, Cambrecia saw many rebellions as its citizens tried to found a new Senate in the capital city of [[Zelosia City\|Septarium]]. The Imperial response was heavy-handed at first, but in {{ICYear\|149}}, the Emperor [[Metius the Elder]] decided on a more surreptitious approach to quelling the Cambrecians. In his role as [[Pontifex Maximus]] of the Imperial pantheon, he sent the [[Pontifex of Zelos]], god of the State, to Septarium to build a great cathedral and begin the conversion of the populous to [[Zelos]]. The Pontifex of the time, [[Ionnanes II]], was a persuasive man, and was able to quickly convert most of the local leadership to his banner. Over the next few centuries, as the power of the Empire waned in its northern territories, the Pontifex of Zelos was able to secure greater and greater power within Cambrecia, often without the Emperor's knowledge or consent. By {{ICYear\|534}}, Cambrecia had become a monarchy, independent in most of its internal affairs.<noinclude>{{Duria_Guide\|chapter= History}}[[Category:Cambrecia]]</noinclude>

Noctifer at 01:15, 10 September 2026

2026-09-10T01:15:33Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:15, 10 September 2026
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	Over the next two centuries, Cambrecia saw many rebellions as its citizens tried to found a new Senate in the capital city of [[Zelosia City\|Septarium]]. The Imperial response was heavy-handed at first, but in {{ICYear\|149}}, the Emperor [[Metius the Elder]] decided on a more surreptitious approach to quelling the Cambrecians. In his role as [[Pontifex Maximus]] of the Imperial pantheon, he sent the [[Pontifex of Zelos]], god of the State, to Septarium to build a great cathedral and begin the conversion of the populous to [[Zelos]]. The Pontifex of the time, [[Ionnanes II]], was a persuasive man, and was able to quickly convert most of the local leadership to his banner. Over the next few centuries, as the power of the Empire waned in its northern territories, the Pontifex of Zelos was able to secure greater and greater power within Cambrecia, often without the Emperor's knowledge or consent. By {{ICYear\|534}}, Cambrecia had become a monarchy, independent in most of its internal affairs.<noinclude>[[Category:Cambrecia]]</noinclude>		Over the next two centuries, Cambrecia saw many rebellions as its citizens tried to found a new Senate in the capital city of [[Zelosia City\|Septarium]]. The Imperial response was heavy-handed at first, but in {{ICYear\|149}}, the Emperor [[Metius the Elder]] decided on a more surreptitious approach to quelling the Cambrecians. In his role as [[Pontifex Maximus]] of the Imperial pantheon, he sent the [[Pontifex of Zelos]], god of the State, to Septarium to build a great cathedral and begin the conversion of the populous to [[Zelos]]. The Pontifex of the time, [[Ionnanes II]], was a persuasive man, and was able to quickly convert most of the local leadership to his banner. Over the next few centuries, as the power of the Empire waned in its northern territories, the Pontifex of Zelos was able to secure greater and greater power within Cambrecia, often without the Emperor's knowledge or consent. By {{ICYear\|534}}, Cambrecia had become a monarchy, independent in most of its internal affairs.<noinclude>[[Category:Cambrecia]]</noinclude>
			<noinclude>{{Duria_Guide\|chapter= History}}[[Category:Cambrecia]]</noinclude>

Noctifer at 22:30, 9 September 2026

2026-09-09T22:30:16Z

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	<includeonly>{{Article_Reference\|article=~~Imperial~~ Cambrecia and the Derlic War}}</includeonly><noinclude>{{EventArticle		<includeonly>{{Article_Reference\|article=Cambrecia and the Derlic War}}</includeonly><noinclude>{{EventArticle
	\|startyear= 800		\|startyear= 800
	\|startyearcirca=		\|startyearcirca=

Noctifer at 22:27, 9 September 2026

2026-09-09T22:27:51Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:27, 9 September 2026
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	What began as an exploratory expedition against [[Derlos]] quickly grew into a war Cambrecia had not prepared for. Neptaran Marshal [[Aador Manx\|Marshal Aador Manx]], moving in concert with dwarven irregulars from Derlos, exploited the fall of [[Fort Pagulium]] to seize five more Imperial supply depots before the year was out, and for two years [[Cyricus Isidorus of House Livius\|Legate Isidorus]] found himself fighting a war on ground he had not chosen. The tide turned only when the Imperial fleet broke Neptaris's navy at the [[Battle of Nimble Point]] in {{ICYear\|57}} and sealed [[Krios Bay]], cutting the rebellious Freecity off from the sea it depended on. Any relief the victory brought was short-lived: a plague swept along the Cambrecian coast the following winter, and among its dead was Isidorus himself, the very Legate whose slaughter of the Derlic envoys had started the war in the first place. Command passed to [[Valerius Lucius\|Legate Valerius Lucius]], who spent the next several years rebuilding the Legion's strength even as Neptaris, unbeknownst to the Empire, was doing the same in secret shipyards along its own coast. Marshal Manx fought on until his death at Fort Pagulium, and his successor, [[Greor Alcyon of House Markos\|Marshall Greor Alcyon]] of [[House Markos]], briefly seized command of the [[Maroshan Sea]] with a fleet of thirty warships, but Imperial spies located and burned Neptaris's hidden shipyards in the winter of {{ICYear\|65}}, and with reinforcement from the fleets of [[Paeldain\|Paladinium]] in [[Koramia\|Imperial Simmeria]], Valerius Lucius laid siege to [[Neptaris]] itself. The city fell within a fortnight when an Imperial sympathizer inside its walls opened the gates, and Marshal Alcyon, upon hearing the news, took his own life rather than witness Neptaris's surrender. With their human allies defeated, the dwarves of Derlos sealed off the entrances to their subterranean kingdom and disappeared into the roots of the mountains.		What began as an exploratory expedition against [[Derlos]] quickly grew into a war Cambrecia had not prepared for. Neptaran Marshal [[Aador Manx\|Marshal Aador Manx]], moving in concert with dwarven irregulars from Derlos, exploited the fall of [[Fort Pagulium]] to seize five more Imperial supply depots before the year was out, and for two years [[Cyricus Isidorus of House Livius\|Legate Isidorus]] found himself fighting a war on ground he had not chosen. The tide turned only when the Imperial fleet broke Neptaris's navy at the [[Battle of Nimble Point]] in {{ICYear\|57}} and sealed [[Krios Bay]], cutting the rebellious Freecity off from the sea it depended on. Any relief the victory brought was short-lived: a plague swept along the Cambrecian coast the following winter, and among its dead was Isidorus himself, the very Legate whose slaughter of the Derlic envoys had started the war in the first place. Command passed to [[Valerius Lucius\|Legate Valerius Lucius]], who spent the next several years rebuilding the Legion's strength even as Neptaris, unbeknownst to the Empire, was doing the same in secret shipyards along its own coast. Marshal Manx fought on until his death at Fort Pagulium, and his successor, [[Greor Alcyon of House Markos\|Marshall Greor Alcyon]] of [[House Markos]], briefly seized command of the [[Maroshan Sea]] with a fleet of thirty warships, but Imperial spies located and burned Neptaris's hidden shipyards in the winter of {{ICYear\|65}}, and with reinforcement from the fleets of [[Paeldain\|Paladinium]] in [[Koramia\|Imperial Simmeria]], Valerius Lucius laid siege to [[Neptaris]] itself. The city fell within a fortnight when an Imperial sympathizer inside its walls opened the gates, and Marshal Alcyon, upon hearing the news, took his own life rather than witness Neptaris's surrender. With their human allies defeated, the dwarves of Derlos sealed off the entrances to their subterranean kingdom and disappeared into the roots of the mountains.

	Over the next two centuries, Cambrecia saw many rebellions as its citizens tried to found a new Senate in the capital city of [[Zelosia City\|Septarium]]. The Imperial response was heavy-handed at first, but in {{ICYear\|149}}, the Emperor [[Metius the Elder]] decided on a more surreptitious approach to quelling the Cambrecians. In his role as [[Pontifex Maximus]] of the Imperial pantheon, he sent the [[Pontifex of Zelos]], god of the State, to Septarium to build a great cathedral and begin the conversion of the populous to [[Zelos]]. The Pontifex of the time, [[Ionnanes II]], was a persuasive man, and was able to quickly convert most of the local leadership to his banner. Over the next few centuries, as the power of the Empire waned in its northern territories, the Pontifex of Zelos was able to secure greater and greater power within Cambrecia, often without the Emperor's knowledge or consent. By {{ICYear\|534}}, Cambrecia had become a monarchy, independent in most of its internal affairs.		Over the next two centuries, Cambrecia saw many rebellions as its citizens tried to found a new Senate in the capital city of [[Zelosia City\|Septarium]]. The Imperial response was heavy-handed at first, but in {{ICYear\|149}}, the Emperor [[Metius the Elder]] decided on a more surreptitious approach to quelling the Cambrecians. In his role as [[Pontifex Maximus]] of the Imperial pantheon, he sent the [[Pontifex of Zelos]], god of the State, to Septarium to build a great cathedral and begin the conversion of the populous to [[Zelos]]. The Pontifex of the time, [[Ionnanes II]], was a persuasive man, and was able to quickly convert most of the local leadership to his banner. Over the next few centuries, as the power of the Empire waned in its northern territories, the Pontifex of Zelos was able to secure greater and greater power within Cambrecia, often without the Emperor's knowledge or consent. By {{ICYear\|534}}, Cambrecia had become a monarchy, independent in most of its internal affairs.<noinclude>[[Category:Cambrecia]]</noinclude>

Noctifer: Created page with "{{Article_Reference|article=Imperial Cambrecia and the Derlic War}}{{EventArticle |startyear= 800 |startyearcirca= |endyear= 1473 |endyearcirca= |continent= Duria |previous_article= Imperial Cambrecia |following_article=The Cambrecian Civil Wars |main_article=The History of Cambrecia }}Under Legate Cyricus Isidorus of House Livius, Legion III Cambrecia moved into the trackles..."

2026-09-09T22:27:10Z

Created page with "<includeonly>{{Article_Reference|article=Imperial Cambrecia and the Derlic War}}</includeonly><noinclude>{{EventArticle |startyear= 800 |startyearcirca= |endyear= 1473 |endyearcirca= |continent= Duria |previous_article= Imperial Cambrecia |following_article=The Cambrecian Civil Wars |main_article=The History of Cambrecia }}</noinclude>Under Legate Cyricus Isidorus of House Livius, Legion III Cambrecia moved into the trackles..."

New page

<includeonly>{{Article_Reference|article=Imperial Cambrecia and the Derlic War}}</includeonly><noinclude>{{EventArticle
|startyear= 800
|startyearcirca=
|endyear= 1473
|endyearcirca=
|continent= Duria
|previous_article= Imperial Cambrecia
|following_article=The Cambrecian Civil Wars
|main_article=The History of Cambrecia
}}</noinclude>Under [[Cyricus Isidorus of House Livius|Legate Cyricus Isidorus]] of [[House Livius]], [[Legion III Cambrecia]] moved into the trackless wilds of what had even then become known as the [[Cambrecian Mountains]], chasing rumors of wealthy dwarven miners high in the peaks. In a mistake that would resonate for decades to come and permanently alter the political landscape of southern Duria, the Legion slaughtered an ostensibly peaceful dwarven ambassadorial party from the [[Derlos|Kingdom of Derlos]], which initiated what would become known as the [[The First Cambrecian War|Derlic War]] in the Empire with the express intention of conquering the subterranean Kingdom. The Legion spent the first few months of the "War" failing to even locate the entrance to the underground mountain kingdom. The dwarves were shocked by the behavior of humans they thought were friendly and prepared themselves for battle, but cooler heads prevailed and an envoy was sent to [[Neptaris]], who had allied with the dwarves of Derlos some six centuries prior during the [[War of the Dark Rider]]. After brief deliberations, the [[Triumvirate]] of Neptaris secretly decided to maintain their alliance with [[Derlos]] and prepare for war against this new Empire. In {{ICYear|55}}, Neptaris formally declared war on Zeth and immediately took one of their key military outposts in the foothills of the Cambrecian Mountains, [[Fort Pagulium]].

What began as an exploratory expedition against [[Derlos]] quickly grew into a war Cambrecia had not prepared for. Neptaran Marshal [[Aador Manx|Marshal Aador Manx]], moving in concert with dwarven irregulars from Derlos, exploited the fall of [[Fort Pagulium]] to seize five more Imperial supply depots before the year was out, and for two years [[Cyricus Isidorus of House Livius|Legate Isidorus]] found himself fighting a war on ground he had not chosen. The tide turned only when the Imperial fleet broke Neptaris's navy at the [[Battle of Nimble Point]] in {{ICYear|57}} and sealed [[Krios Bay]], cutting the rebellious Freecity off from the sea it depended on. Any relief the victory brought was short-lived: a plague swept along the Cambrecian coast the following winter, and among its dead was Isidorus himself, the very Legate whose slaughter of the Derlic envoys had started the war in the first place. Command passed to [[Valerius Lucius|Legate Valerius Lucius]], who spent the next several years rebuilding the Legion's strength even as Neptaris, unbeknownst to the Empire, was doing the same in secret shipyards along its own coast. Marshal Manx fought on until his death at Fort Pagulium, and his successor, [[Greor Alcyon of House Markos|Marshall Greor Alcyon]] of [[House Markos]], briefly seized command of the [[Maroshan Sea]] with a fleet of thirty warships, but Imperial spies located and burned Neptaris's hidden shipyards in the winter of {{ICYear|65}}, and with reinforcement from the fleets of [[Paeldain|Paladinium]] in [[Koramia|Imperial Simmeria]], Valerius Lucius laid siege to [[Neptaris]] itself. The city fell within a fortnight when an Imperial sympathizer inside its walls opened the gates, and Marshal Alcyon, upon hearing the news, took his own life rather than witness Neptaris's surrender. With their human allies defeated, the dwarves of Derlos sealed off the entrances to their subterranean kingdom and disappeared into the roots of the mountains.

Over the next two centuries, Cambrecia saw many rebellions as its citizens tried to found a new Senate in the capital city of [[Zelosia City|Septarium]]. The Imperial response was heavy-handed at first, but in {{ICYear|149}}, the Emperor [[Metius the Elder]] decided on a more surreptitious approach to quelling the Cambrecians. In his role as [[Pontifex Maximus]] of the Imperial pantheon, he sent the [[Pontifex of Zelos]], god of the State, to Septarium to build a great cathedral and begin the conversion of the populous to [[Zelos]]. The Pontifex of the time, [[Ionnanes II]], was a persuasive man, and was able to quickly convert most of the local leadership to his banner. Over the next few centuries, as the power of the Empire waned in its northern territories, the Pontifex of Zelos was able to secure greater and greater power within Cambrecia, often without the Emperor's knowledge or consent. By {{ICYear|534}}, Cambrecia had become a monarchy, independent in most of its internal affairs.

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:49, 10 September 2026
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	Cambrecia's own house was no steadier than the Empire's patience. In the plague-stricken winter of {{ICYear\|58}} that claimed Legate Isidorus, the same sickness reached Septarium and took [[Tarnos III Dravos\|King Tarnos III]], leaving the throne to his young son, [[Kestor Dravos\|Prince Kestor]], no more than five years old. A regency council, drawn from mostly Kamaros-descended nobility and backed by the increasingly influential priesthood of [[Zelos\|Zelos Goldenhand]], ruled in the boy's name. With Zeth's full attention on the war against Neptaris and Derlos, no one in the capital was minding Cambrecia's own succession, and [[Bellenos Dravos]], of the old Amesi-descended branch of the royal house, a line that had never accepted being passed over for the throne generations before, raised his own claim. The resulting [[Dravosid Kinstrife]] dragged on for sixteen years, a slow civil war fought in the shadow of the Empire's own occupation, until Kestor, grown to manhood, finally defeated and killed Bellenos in personal combat in {{ICYear\|74}} at the [[Battle of Vetrenos]] and reunited the kingdom under his own rule for the first time in a generation.		Cambrecia's own house was no steadier than the Empire's patience. In the plague-stricken winter of {{ICYear\|58}} that claimed Legate Isidorus, the same sickness reached Septarium and took [[Tarnos III Dravos\|King Tarnos III]], leaving the throne to his young son, [[Kestor Dravos\|Prince Kestor]], no more than five years old. A regency council, drawn from mostly Kamaros-descended nobility and backed by the increasingly influential priesthood of [[Zelos\|Zelos Goldenhand]], ruled in the boy's name. With Zeth's full attention on the war against Neptaris and Derlos, no one in the capital was minding Cambrecia's own succession, and [[Bellenos Dravos]], of the old Amesi-descended branch of the royal house, a line that had never accepted being passed over for the throne generations before, raised his own claim. The resulting [[Dravosid Kinstrife]] dragged on for sixteen years, a slow civil war fought in the shadow of the Empire's own occupation, until Kestor, grown to manhood, finally defeated and killed Bellenos in personal combat in {{ICYear\|74}} at the [[Battle of Vetrenos]] and reunited the kingdom under his own rule for the first time in a generation.

	It was precisely this victory that doomed him. A legitimate, battle-hardened king who had reunified Cambrecia without any help from Zeth was a far more troubling prospect to the Empire than a child regency had ever been, and Emperor [[Leto I Livius\|Emperor Leto I]] of [[House Livius]] had no intention of recognizing a monarch who might one day decide he owed the Empire nothing at all. In {{ICYear\|78}}, fresh Imperial legions arrived in Septarium, declared Kestor's rule illegitimate despite the regency council's own endorsement years before, and installed a man with no connection to House Dravos whatsoever, [[Quintus Sarnicos]], as King of Cambrecia in his place. What became of Kestor Dravos, the last of his line, has never been settled. Some in Septarium still whisper that he was quietly put to the sword in the dungeons beneath his own palace and buried without rite, so that Zeth would leave the Cambrecian people no grave to mourn at and no martyr to rally behind. Others insist he escaped the city before the legions arrived and lived out his years in exile, some say in Neptaris, others in the depths of the Cambrecian Mountains, given quiet sanctuary by the dwarves of Derlos, who, whatever else divided them from the surface, understood better than anyone what it meant to be betrayed by the Empire's ambitions.		It was precisely this victory that doomed him. A legitimate, battle-hardened king who had reunified Cambrecia without any help from Zeth was a far more troubling prospect to the Empire than a child regency had ever been, and Emperor [[Leto I of House Livius\|Emperor Leto I]] of [[House Livius]] had no intention of recognizing a monarch who might one day decide he owed the Empire nothing at all. In {{ICYear\|78}}, fresh Imperial legions arrived in Septarium, declared Kestor's rule illegitimate despite the regency council's own endorsement years before, and installed a man with no connection to House Dravos whatsoever, [[Quintus Sarnicos]], as King of Cambrecia in his place. What became of Kestor Dravos, the last of his line, has never been settled. Some in Septarium still whisper that he was quietly put to the sword in the dungeons beneath his own palace and buried without rite, so that Zeth would leave the Cambrecian people no grave to mourn at and no martyr to rally behind. Others insist he escaped the city before the legions arrived and lived out his years in exile, some say in Neptaris, others in the depths of the Cambrecian Mountains, given quiet sanctuary by the dwarves of Derlos, who, whatever else divided them from the surface, understood better than anyone what it meant to be betrayed by the Empire's ambitions.

	Over the next two centuries, Cambrecia saw many rebellions as its citizens tried to found a new Senate in the capital city of [[Zelosia City\|Septarium]]. The Imperial response was heavy-handed at first, but in {{ICYear\|149}}, the Emperor [[Metius the Elder]] decided on a more surreptitious approach to quelling the Cambrecians. In his role as [[Pontifex Maximus]] of the Imperial pantheon, he sent the [[Pontifex of Zelos]], god of the State, to Septarium to build a great cathedral and begin the conversion of the populous to [[Zelos]]. The Pontifex of the time, [[Ionnanes II]], was a persuasive man, and was able to quickly convert most of the local leadership to his banner. Over the next few centuries, as the power of the Empire waned in its northern territories, the Pontifex of Zelos was able to secure greater and greater power within Cambrecia, often without the Emperor's knowledge or consent. By {{ICYear\|534}}, Cambrecia had become a monarchy, independent in most of its internal affairs.<noinclude>{{Duria_Guide\|chapter= History}}[[Category:Cambrecia]]</noinclude>		Over the next two centuries, Cambrecia saw many rebellions as its citizens tried to found a new Senate in the capital city of [[Zelosia City\|Septarium]]. The Imperial response was heavy-handed at first, but in {{ICYear\|149}}, the Emperor [[Metius the Elder]] decided on a more surreptitious approach to quelling the Cambrecians. In his role as [[Pontifex Maximus]] of the Imperial pantheon, he sent the [[Pontifex of Zelos]], god of the State, to Septarium to build a great cathedral and begin the conversion of the populous to [[Zelos]]. The Pontifex of the time, [[Ionnanes II]], was a persuasive man, and was able to quickly convert most of the local leadership to his banner. Over the next few centuries, as the power of the Empire waned in its northern territories, the Pontifex of Zelos was able to secure greater and greater power within Cambrecia, often without the Emperor's knowledge or consent. By {{ICYear\|534}}, Cambrecia had become a monarchy, independent in most of its internal affairs.<noinclude>{{Duria_Guide\|chapter= History}}[[Category:Cambrecia]]</noinclude>

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:48, 10 September 2026
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	Cambrecia's own house was no steadier than the Empire's patience. In the plague-stricken winter of {{ICYear\|58}} that claimed Legate Isidorus, the same sickness reached Septarium and took [[Tarnos III Dravos\|King Tarnos III]], leaving the throne to his young son, [[Kestor Dravos\|Prince Kestor]], no more than five years old. A regency council, drawn from mostly Kamaros-descended nobility and backed by the increasingly influential priesthood of [[Zelos\|Zelos Goldenhand]], ruled in the boy's name. With Zeth's full attention on the war against Neptaris and Derlos, no one in the capital was minding Cambrecia's own succession, and [[Bellenos Dravos]], of the old Amesi-descended branch of the royal house, a line that had never accepted being passed over for the throne generations before, raised his own claim. The resulting [[Dravosid Kinstrife]] dragged on for sixteen years, a slow civil war fought in the shadow of the Empire's own occupation, until Kestor, grown to manhood, finally defeated and killed Bellenos in personal combat in {{ICYear\|74}} at the [[Battle of Vetrenos]] and reunited the kingdom under his own rule for the first time in a generation.		Cambrecia's own house was no steadier than the Empire's patience. In the plague-stricken winter of {{ICYear\|58}} that claimed Legate Isidorus, the same sickness reached Septarium and took [[Tarnos III Dravos\|King Tarnos III]], leaving the throne to his young son, [[Kestor Dravos\|Prince Kestor]], no more than five years old. A regency council, drawn from mostly Kamaros-descended nobility and backed by the increasingly influential priesthood of [[Zelos\|Zelos Goldenhand]], ruled in the boy's name. With Zeth's full attention on the war against Neptaris and Derlos, no one in the capital was minding Cambrecia's own succession, and [[Bellenos Dravos]], of the old Amesi-descended branch of the royal house, a line that had never accepted being passed over for the throne generations before, raised his own claim. The resulting [[Dravosid Kinstrife]] dragged on for sixteen years, a slow civil war fought in the shadow of the Empire's own occupation, until Kestor, grown to manhood, finally defeated and killed Bellenos in personal combat in {{ICYear\|74}} at the [[Battle of Vetrenos]] and reunited the kingdom under his own rule for the first time in a generation.

	It was precisely this victory that doomed him. A legitimate, battle-hardened king who had reunified Cambrecia without any help from Zeth was a far more troubling prospect to the Empire than a child regency had ever been, and Emperor [[Leto]] had no intention of recognizing a monarch who might one day decide he owed the Empire nothing at all. In {{ICYear\|78}}, fresh Imperial legions arrived in Septarium, declared Kestor's rule illegitimate despite the regency council's own endorsement years before, and installed a man with no connection to House Dravos whatsoever, [[Quintus Sarnicos]], as King of Cambrecia in his place. What became of Kestor Dravos, the last of his line, has never been settled. Some in Septarium still whisper that he was quietly put to the sword in the dungeons beneath his own palace and buried without rite, so that Zeth would leave the Cambrecian people no grave to mourn at and no martyr to rally behind. Others insist he escaped the city before the legions arrived and lived out his years in exile, some say in Neptaris, others in the depths of the Cambrecian Mountains, given quiet sanctuary by the dwarves of Derlos, who, whatever else divided them from the surface, understood better than anyone what it meant to be betrayed by the Empire's ambitions.		It was precisely this victory that doomed him. A legitimate, battle-hardened king who had reunified Cambrecia without any help from Zeth was a far more troubling prospect to the Empire than a child regency had ever been, and Emperor [[Leto I Livius\|Emperor Leto I]] of [[House Livius]] had no intention of recognizing a monarch who might one day decide he owed the Empire nothing at all. In {{ICYear\|78}}, fresh Imperial legions arrived in Septarium, declared Kestor's rule illegitimate despite the regency council's own endorsement years before, and installed a man with no connection to House Dravos whatsoever, [[Quintus Sarnicos]], as King of Cambrecia in his place. What became of Kestor Dravos, the last of his line, has never been settled. Some in Septarium still whisper that he was quietly put to the sword in the dungeons beneath his own palace and buried without rite, so that Zeth would leave the Cambrecian people no grave to mourn at and no martyr to rally behind. Others insist he escaped the city before the legions arrived and lived out his years in exile, some say in Neptaris, others in the depths of the Cambrecian Mountains, given quiet sanctuary by the dwarves of Derlos, who, whatever else divided them from the surface, understood better than anyone what it meant to be betrayed by the Empire's ambitions.

	Over the next two centuries, Cambrecia saw many rebellions as its citizens tried to found a new Senate in the capital city of [[Zelosia City\|Septarium]]. The Imperial response was heavy-handed at first, but in {{ICYear\|149}}, the Emperor [[Metius the Elder]] decided on a more surreptitious approach to quelling the Cambrecians. In his role as [[Pontifex Maximus]] of the Imperial pantheon, he sent the [[Pontifex of Zelos]], god of the State, to Septarium to build a great cathedral and begin the conversion of the populous to [[Zelos]]. The Pontifex of the time, [[Ionnanes II]], was a persuasive man, and was able to quickly convert most of the local leadership to his banner. Over the next few centuries, as the power of the Empire waned in its northern territories, the Pontifex of Zelos was able to secure greater and greater power within Cambrecia, often without the Emperor's knowledge or consent. By {{ICYear\|534}}, Cambrecia had become a monarchy, independent in most of its internal affairs.<noinclude>{{Duria_Guide\|chapter= History}}[[Category:Cambrecia]]</noinclude>		Over the next two centuries, Cambrecia saw many rebellions as its citizens tried to found a new Senate in the capital city of [[Zelosia City\|Septarium]]. The Imperial response was heavy-handed at first, but in {{ICYear\|149}}, the Emperor [[Metius the Elder]] decided on a more surreptitious approach to quelling the Cambrecians. In his role as [[Pontifex Maximus]] of the Imperial pantheon, he sent the [[Pontifex of Zelos]], god of the State, to Septarium to build a great cathedral and begin the conversion of the populous to [[Zelos]]. The Pontifex of the time, [[Ionnanes II]], was a persuasive man, and was able to quickly convert most of the local leadership to his banner. Over the next few centuries, as the power of the Empire waned in its northern territories, the Pontifex of Zelos was able to secure greater and greater power within Cambrecia, often without the Emperor's knowledge or consent. By {{ICYear\|534}}, Cambrecia had become a monarchy, independent in most of its internal affairs.<noinclude>{{Duria_Guide\|chapter= History}}[[Category:Cambrecia]]</noinclude>