The History of Neptaris

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Zarakos of Taranio (-38 to 1 NC)

Original article: The Adventures of Zarakos

The history of the Freecity of Neptaris begins in the city-state of Taranio in old Aebasa on Gallorea a hundred and fifty years before the founding of Zeth on Aurea and the dawn of the Third Age of Man. In that city, known more for its adventurers than its philosophers, Zarakos, future founder of Neptaris, was born to a moderately wealthy merchant family. At a young age, he left his family home to become an adventurer. Unfortunately, ill luck constantly dogged the young adventurer and he found himself to be the only surviving member of two consecutive groups. After being kicked out of his third group for theft, he joined one of the many mercenary companies of the region and finally met with some success. During the Battle of the Gareon Dales, he was promoted to the rank of captain at the age of twenty-six and charged with the plunder of Cheros, a city-state that had supported the defeated city of Myra. Unfortunately, Zarakos' legion was caught unawares by an army from the neighboring state of Zamarda, which had come to reinforce the Myran defense, and the mercenary captain found himself besieged in a foreign city. After nearly a month under siege, Zarakos was able to sneak past the Zamardan army with a small group of loyal men. When the rest of his army realized that their captain had deserted them, they surrendered, but the Zamardan army refused their surrender and chose instead to sack the city themselves, killing most of the mercenaries in the process.

Zarakos, claiming that his men had deserted him and attempted to surrender without his permission, founded a mercenary company of his own called the White Gryphon Company after his chosen insignia. The White Gryphon fought in several major battles, eventually coming under the patronage of the Tyrant of Thene (whom he had fought for in the Battle of the Gareon Dales a few years earlier). He met with much success defending Thene from foreign invasion and was rewarded heavily by the Tyrant. Eventually, Cheros and her allies were quelled (though not defeated, the wars between Thene and Cheros would continue for centuries) and the Tyrant found himself with a mercenary company on his permanent payroll and no enemies to fight. Zarakos, realizing that his life might be at risk, made a rather rash suggestion to his sponsor. He would go into retirement and found a colony in the name of Thene on the shores of present-day Feldosha. The Tyrant quickly agreed and supplied him with a fleet of five vessels. Unfortunately, the Tyrant did not supply Zarakos with able navigators or captains for these vessels, and the adventurer turned mercenary turned explorer quickly became lost in the turbulent Aebasan Ocean. After roaming for a month on the open sea, he and his soldiers finally came ashore near the ancient city of Kamartha in present-day Eeridia.

Zarakos ordered his men ashore and began to plunder the nearby townships for food and supplies. The armies of Kamartha quickly responded to what was believed to be an invasion and captured Zarakos. The explorer turned raider was brought to the Queen of Kamartha, Aemara, with the dignity and pomp of a captured foreign king. Believing him to be a powerful ruler, Aemara quickly became enraptured of her prisoner and soon Zarakos had the run of the royal palace. Through the magical assistance of the Royal Scribe, Anesthos the Younger (the two lovers did not speak the same language), Zarakos and Aemara began a brief but torrid affair that shocked the citizens of Kamartha. After Aemara gave birth to a son, named Zamari, the priesthood of Kamartha fomented a rebellion against the monarchy. The Queen was given an ultimatum: exile Zarakos or be removed from her blood-right. Zarakos volunteered to depart, despite her pleas to retire into obscurity. He gathered his remaining soldiers as well as Anesthos the Younger and again set sail on the open sea. As his ships departed, Kamartha took her son to the Temple of Aridnus, whose priests had led the rebellion against her crown, and set fire to herself and her child, killing both. It is said that Zarakos commented upon looking back to the city on how great a fire they had built to honor him.

For the next four months, Zarakos and his men roamed the Betshaban Ocean, searching for a home. Each time they found land, Zarakos found some reason to continue, most often suggesting that the place simply didn't "feel" right. Then, one night, as his men planned a mutiny in the hold below his quarters, he suddenly woke and began screaming orders to head northward. He told Anesthos that he had dreamed of a great gryphon sleeping on a hillock and that this was the sign he had been waiting for. The ships did, indeed, find a coast to the north heretofore unknown by his navigator. After following the coast for a week, they came upon a bay near the mouth of a great river. Zarakos set ashore and led a group of his men inland toward six hills. Upon the highest hill, the men found a sleeping gryphon, just as Zarakos had seen in his dream. The gryphon woke and departed his roost, but Zarakos ordered his men to begin the construction of a hall and homes; their journey was over. Many of the men resisted Zarakos' claim, but he burned his ships in the harbor to prevent any hope of returning to their homes. Zarakos named his settlement Neptag, after the Kamarthan word for "freedom." Zarakos was thirty-nine when the settlement was founded.

Foundation (1 to 45 NC)

Original article: The Foundation of Neptaris

The first year at Neptag was hard on Zarakos and his men. Not being farmers by trade, at least one hundred and twelve of the original four hundred men with him died that first winter of starvation and disease. The following spring, Zarakos and a few of his men set about exploring the region around their settlement. They eventually met with a primitive tribe of elves who called themselves the Aris. These dark-skinned people were exiles from their own race and, through the magical translations of Anesthos the Younger, the two peoples established an alliance against the elements and dangerous creatures that prowled the nearby wood. To seal the alliance, Zarakos agreed not to cut down trees on the eastern side of the river they called Balinars (now called the Krios) in exchange for over one-thousand human slaves that the Aris had captured after a war with local savages. Fortunately, the slaves included women, and Zarakos and his men quickly set about expanding the population of their city. At Zarakos' order, marriage was prohibited, the women being kept as communal property of the men of the town. Despite his own order, Zarakos himself married a teenaged mute he named Aspruas, the Aebaran word for "silence." He was quoted as saying that she combined the best aspects of a good wife: beautiful, young, and mute. Zarakos begat sixteen children upon her before his death at age seventy-two.

Upon the death of Zarakos in 33 NC, the people of Neptag began arguing over who should succeed him. Two of his sons by Aspruas claimed rulership as well as several of his lieutenants and illegitimate children. Eventually, Anesthos the Younger settled the matter: he asked each contender to answer a series of questions. Only one of Zarakos' lieutenants, Ikthios of Zoandar, succeeded in answering all one hundred questions. Anesthos the Younger proclaimed Ikthios the regnant of Neptag and the people obeyed the proclamation.

The next year, in 34 NC, Anesthos founded the House of the Quill, a place where he could pass on his knowledge of writing and magic to young hopefuls. It was as Rector of the House of the Quill that Anesthos penned the Zarakeon, an epic poem that detailed the history of the city's founder. Most scholars today accept the Zarakeon as truth, mostly because of the caustic nature in which it described its protagonist. Anesthos continued to live and teach for the next decade before finally dying of extreme old age in 45 NC. Though there is no contemporary evidence to support the claim, it is said that Anesthos summoned King Ikthios to his deathbed to tell the regent of how he had falsified the test that had made him King... the questions he had asked did not have answers.

The Lineage of Ikthios (45 to 126 NC)

Original article: The Lineage of Ikthios

King Ikthios ruled Neptag another ten years after the death of Anesthos the Younger before his own death in 55 NC. Though the Rector of the House of the Quill claimed the right to select a new ruler from Ikthios' lieutenants, the dead king's own son, Aerolon, became the third ruler by popular acclaim. King Aerolon issued the Edict of Primogeniture, which ensured an unbroken bond of inheritance from King Ikthios, eventually giving rise to the first royal house of Neptaris, House Ikthian. Aerolon ruled with a steady but firm hand as the city began to expand during his rule and the alliance with the Arisan elves strengthened. When he died in 81 NC, few could say that the city was worse for his reign.

Aerolon's son, Kregimar, assumed the throne in 82 NC, after the House of the Quill again attempted to assert its right to select a ruler. Despite his initial popularity with the people, Kregimar's reign became harsher in the face of plague and starvation that marked the early years of Neptag's second century. The alliance with the Arisan elves began eroding as Kregimar demanded more and more of their forests to clear for agriculture. It was he who first established the name House Ikthian. In his later years, as insanity began to plague his mind and his body became weak with age, he began constructing a sizeable army. It is said that, upon his death in 112 NC, he was only months away from using that army to take the rest of the forest possessed by the Arisan elves.

Over the next decade, Neptag saw five Kings crowned. King Ikthiorn was crowned in 112 NC, but was poisoned within three months of assuming his crown. His own son, Agramen, was crowned at the age of twelve in the first days of 112 but died two years later when he fell into a well while playing in the castle gardens. Agramen's uncle, Gremoran, assumed the throne in 114 NC and ruled for five years before being crippled by a fall from his horse. Unfortunately, Gremoran had no male heirs when he was crippled thus, and the only remaining male descendant of Kregimar was in exile. Fifteen years previously, Kregimar had exiled his own brother, Pheremar, for taking an Arisan wife (interracial marriage was strictly against Kregimar's laws). Pheremar had since died, but his half-elven son, Orris, still survived, living in hiding with his mother in the Arisan forest. Adventurers, mercenaries and diplomats entered the Arisan wood, searching for Orris. They finally discovered him in 120 NC and brought him back to Neptag to be crowned king, despite the fact that he had neither visited the city before nor spoke the language. As Orris was still very immature, the city's priests called the First Ecumenical Council to determine who should serve as Regent. Joandar, Rector of the House of the Quill and himself half-elven (though raised by his human family), was chosen to serve.

The War of the Dark Rider (126 to 140 NC)

Original article: The War of the Dark Rider

In 124 NC, a contingent of dwarven refugees from the Kingdom of Derlos arrived at the Arisan forest in present-day Cambrecia requesting asylum. Unbeknownst to most, they had been fighting a war in their mountains against the orcs of Karad-ul, which lay in the eastern hills of what is now known as the Cambrecian Mountains. In a surprise attack, the orcs had tunneled into the halls of the King of Derlos, Sverni VII, and massacred his entire court. Without their King, some of the dwarves decided finally to request outside assistance. The Arisan Elves were at first resistant to the idea, but when a large army of orcs, led by a dark-armored figure upon a black, demonic horse began to stream into the Arisan valley, they agreed to an alliance with the dwarves. The dwarves and elves fought valiantly against the orcish hordes, but the fighting quickly reached a standstill. Regnant Joandar seemed at first reluctant to help the Arisan elves in their war, but it is said that King Orris, still very much a minor, convinced him to lend aid to their beleaguered allies. In 126 NC, the army of Neptag, which had not been seriously depleted since their build-up under King Kregimar, marched onto the battlefield for the first time. At the Battle of Five Hills in 127 NC, they helped turn the tide of the war and broke the stalemate between the allied armies and the orcish horde. For over a decade the war raged across both sides of the Kingdom of Derlos. The Arisan elves were most affected by the constant warfare, and their population began to sharply diminish. In the Battle of Three Blades in 140 NC, the orcish horde was finally defeated and their dark-clad champion disappeared from the battlefield. Over the next decade, the allied forces continued to exterminate any remaining orcs they could find, but the War of the Dark Rider was over. The dwarves returned to their mountains to rebuild their Kingdom, the elves returned to their forests to mourn their losses and the Neptags returned to their city, feeling invincible.

The Rise of Kamaros (140 to 210 NC)

Original article: The Rise of Kamaros

One of the local human tribes who fought in the War of the Dark Rider was the Kamaros, who were unified under the violent war-general Meargagh. After the conclusion of the war, most expected the Kamaros to fall back into barbarity, but Meargagh was able to maintain his control over his people and founded the city of Lar Durak to the north of Neptag on the shores of the Maroshan Sea. At first, Kamaros and Neptag remained on good terms, but Meargagh eventually became jealous of Neptag's wealth and civilization. In 152 NC and again in 155 NC, he led his armies against the city and was defeated before he was even able to breach the walls. At the Treaty of Tawn in 157 NC, Meargagh agreed to hand over his eldest son, Irgalach, to Neptag as a hostage. Regent Joandar took Irgalach into his house and began to treat the boy as if he were his own son. Irgalach received the best training money could afford and was raised as a Neptagian noble. When Meargagh died in 167 NC, Joandar released Irgalach to return to his people as their ruler.

Upon his return, Irgalach immediately began consolidating his power and preparing for war. Joandar was taken completely by surprise when Irgalach showed up at his gates in 170 NC with an army trained in the advanced tactics of Neptag. The city fell within a month, and Neptag was annexed into Kamaros. Joandar was taken back to Lar Durak to serve as Irgalach's advisor and tutor and the young King Orris, now 65 years old and still very much a minor, to rule as a dependant monarch. Thinking the Neptagians were pacified, Irgalach began expanding his empire northward.

Orris was not so easily pacified, despite his young age. In a secret meeting with the remnants of the Arisan elves, he gained their alliance and assistance in planning a rebellion. In 180 NC, Orris himself, barely a man at the age of 75, captured Fort Tintagar north of Neptag. Fort Tintagar was the center of weapon production for the budding Kamarian Empire as well as the central training facility for the armies. Through five years of war, Orris held the Fort against continuous attacks by Irgalach. Finally, in the Last Battle of Kamaros, Irgalach was slain by a stray arrow. His son, tutored by Joandar as the dead King had been, immediately agreed to end all hostilities with Neptag should it leave Fort Tintagar intact. King Orris agreed and returned to Neptag a hero, with the released Joandar by his side.

The Arisan elves had again taken many losses in defending Fort Tintagar and gaining the independence of Neptag, and many of them chose to remain in the city instead of returning to the harsh but simple life they had lived in the forests. Friendship between the two peoples increased such that, by the start of Neptag's third century there were more Arisans in Neptag than were living in the forest. A drought in 206 NC brought the last of the Arisan elves to Neptag, requesting permanent settlement. King Orris agreed and commemorated the event by renaming the city Neptaris to signify that it was to be a city of both men and elves. This caused some grumbling in the human nobility, but few seemed willing to challenge the young King's decision.

One young noble, Politos of House Rimman, was not so willing. He directly challenged the King's decision as well as his ability to rule in open Court. King Orris, disregarding the advice of his closest advisors, forgave Politos for his quick temper but asked him not to return to Court until he had decided to apologize. This temperance only served to enrage Politos further and suggested to the other nobles of the city that Orris, despite his success in war, was a weak peacetime ruler. Politos' followers began rioting in the streets, disrupting trade with foreign nations and attacking those who supported Orris. Finally the King was roused to defend himself, but it was already too late. Those who hadn't flocked to Politos' banner turned their backs to their King for allowing the uprising to begin in the first place. In 210 NC, Orris, the last ruler of House Ikthios, resigned as King of Neptaris. He decided to become a monk dedicated to Clementia and began life as a hermit. His last edict before he gave up his crown was that his mentor, Joandar, would select the next ruler.

The Neptarchs (210 to 301 NC)

Original article: The Rule of the Neptarchs

Almost as soon as Regent Joandar began the process of selecting the next King, the Second Ecumenical Council was held by the priests of Neptaris to revoke the trust King Orris had placed in Joandar. Led by Theodoros II, Archbishop of Betshaba in Neptaris, the Council issued an edict stating that it was the only body who could resolve the issue. Many of the people agreed and Joandar was stoned to death by a mob while he spoke against their decision from the steps of the Temple of Clementia.

After a great deal of deliberation and intrigue, the Second Ecumenical Council decided upon young Tivan Laes of House Kraegar to become the new ruler. Furthermore, they issued the Rule of Neptaris, which renamed the royal ruler "Neptarch" and established the Church of Betshaba as necessary to confirm the right of all nobles to rule. Some, particularly Politos of House Rimman, viewed this as a betrayal by the Council and tried to start yet another rebellion. The people, however, tired of the fighting, threw their support behind the new Neptarch, Tivan Laes. Over the next several years, Politos continued to try and build support for his coup, but his cries fell on deaf ears. He was finally silenced in 214 NC, when his body was found in a ditch behind a less-than-reputable tavern. Few mourned his passing.

Tivan Laes proved to be a capable ruler, despite the fact that he tended to favor the Church of Betshaba in most decisions. His son, Iolomar, was recognized as Neptarch upon his father's death in 230 NC. Iolomar was a conservative ruler who seemed more interested in maintaining the status quo than advancing the city's interests within or abroad. When he died in 265 NC, the Church of Betshaba crowned his son, Tivan Grael. Tivan Grael was known for his diplomatic skills and secured strong trade and military alliances with the few foreign powers in the region, including the Kingdoms of Kamaros and Derlos. Unfortunately, his domestic abilities left much to be desired as taxes rose in response to a famine, forcing even more people to starve in the streets. During his reign, Tivan Grael had five sons. The eldest, Theron, proved to be a strong young man, bold of thought and courageous. Many citizens waited patiently for Tivan Grael to die, hoping that Theron would correct the faults of his father. Unfortunately, Theron died during an accident at a jousting tournament and his father, who was present at the tourney, immediately had a heart attack and he himself passed. The Church of Betshaba recognized Tivan Grael's second son, Beran, as the new Neptarch in 301 NC.

The Sorrows of Neptarch Feldan (301 to 560)

Original article: The Sorrows of Neptarch Feldan Foxglove

Neptarch Beran of Neptaris did not have the impressive physique of his brother or the diplomatic skills of his father. He quickly broke most of the treaties his father had established and turned his attention to the city itself. Some of the nobles of the city, led by Agripo of House Perrenor, planned to assassinate the Neptarch and succeeded in entering the ruler's quarters at night and poisoning him in 315 NC. Beran did not die as a result of the poison, however, though he was incapacitated by it. The Archbishop of Betshaba, a cousin to Agripo, appointed the latter to the position of Regnant for the duration of the Neptarch's illness. One of the priests of the city, Bishop Darius of Aridnus, suspected Agripo's treachery and the Archbishop's compliance in that treachery. Darius started an investigation that would last for twelve years before he was finally able to prove that Agripo had not only poisoned the Neptarch, but also had been feeding him doses of that poison to keep him from regaining his seat. When Darius went to the Archbishop of Betshaba with this information (as he was required by the laws of the city at the time), he was declared a heretic and chased from the Church. Darius went into hiding for a brief time before again appearing on the steps of the Temple to Betshaba. In the early morning hours before service, he nailed his thirty-two-page doctrine, the Evidences of Deceit, on the temple doors. When the people read the Evidences, they began to riot in the streets. The Temple of Betshaba was burned to the ground and Castle Zepharos was overcome. Agripo was found cowering in his quarters, dragged into the street and torn limb from limb by the mob. Somehow, during the month of riots that followed, Neptarch Beran was murdered by unknown hands.

Darius of Aridnus, however, quickly took control of the mob upon news of the Neptarch's murder and was appointed Archbishop of Neptaris by popular acclaim in 328 NC. As Beran had no male heirs, Archbishop Darius appointed Feldan Foxglove of House Arisan to the position of Neptarch. Feldan Foxglove was a half-elf and one of the descendants of the Arisan elves who had migrated to the city a century before. The early years of Feldan's reign were troubled, with periodic uprisings amongst the nobles of the city who sought to place a purebred human on the throne. Most prominent of these Rebel Knights, as they came to be called, were Tivan Yan of House Kraegar and Largan of House Rimman. These two luminaries joined forces in 340 NC with the intention of removing Feldan from office. It is notable that the Archbishop Darius had died the previous year, and Odaneb of Betshaba, a supporter of the human majority, was chosen as his successor.

Tivan Yan and Largan found much support for their claims of rulership in the Churches of Neptaris (with the exception of the Church of Aridnus, of course) and riots again began plaguing the office of Neptarch. Feldan, at first, attempted to negotiate with the Rebel Knights, but Tivan Yan and Largan refused any bargain that did not put one of them on the throne. Entering through the same secret entrance used by Agripo decades before and captured the Neptarch and his supporters in 348 NC. Feldan himself was exiled, while his supporters were staked and hung from the walls of Castle Zepharos for all to see.

The Rebel Knights immediately began fighting amongst themselves as to who should take the throne. The Church of Aridnus decried them all as heretics, but the Archbishop of Betshaba rescinded that edict as quickly as it had been issued. The Fourth Ecumenical Council was called to settle the matter. On the third day of deliberation, however, Tivan Yan and Largan met in a field near Skulldug Rock, just south of the city, their armies ready for battle. The Battle of Dry Tears lasted for almost a week as the combatants fought in the fields surrounding the city, within the city itself, and even in Castle Zepharos itself. Splinter groups constantly broke off from the Rebel Knights and reformed as alliances were broken and sealed and broken again, often in the same day. After six days of fighting, the combatants had to join forces to fight a great fire that was threatening to destroy the entire city. The Fourth Ecumenical Council reconvened, but the Archbishop of Betshaba died after a week of intense deliberation. The Council was again halted while the priests voted on a new Archbishop and the Rebel Knights returned to open warfare in what was left of the city. The priests, torn between electing a new Archbishop and assisting the beleaguered populace (or their favored pretender to the throne), took six months to deliberate their choice. Finally Ardan of Betshaba, a member of House Perrenos, was raised as Archbishop of Neptaris. In a surprise move, Ardan chose Tivan Yan of House Kraegar as Neptarch in 349 NC. Largan, feeling betrayed by the choice, threw himself on his own sword during a worship service in the Temple of Betshaba.

The Rebel Knights, however, did not dissolve; neither did the ambitions of House Rimman. Paenoth of House Rimman, Largan's successor, quickly took the reigns of control within the Rebel Knights and renamed them the Knights of the Purple Sash. The Purple Sash worked secretly for years to undermine the power of Neptarch Tivan Yan, who quickly discovered that his activities during the Battle of Dry Tears had left him few allies in the city. Eventually, Tivan Yan was found dead in his chambers, strangled to death by a common prostitute. As Tivan Yan's only heir had died a year earlier from a childhood illness, Archbishop Ardan called the Fifth Ecumenical Council to determine who should rule. The Knights of the Purple Sash, however, surrounded the Pantheon, where the Council was being held, and burned it to the ground with most of the priests of the city inside. Archbishop Ardan, badly burned by his experience, escaped the mass theocide and fled aboard a ship into the Maroshan Sea. He was never seen again.

Paenoth of House Rimman crowned himself Neptarch in 362 NC, the first to assume the title without the direct permission of the Church. He quickly removed Tivan Yan's supporters from any position of authority (often through assassination and trumped-up charges of treason) and replaced them with his own Knights of the Purple Sash. He then began systematically removing many of the basic rights of the citizens that they had enjoyed since the city's foundation. Among his most hated edicts included the institution of slavery as a means of criminal punishment, the right of the Neptarch to lie with any woman on her wedding night and the required service of each citizen in the army. The Knights of the Purple Sash, which had become Paenoth's personal secret police force, betrayed those who disobeyed his edicts or attempted to foment rebellion. Fear began to grip the citizens of Neptaris, who were helpless for over twenty years under his tyrannical rule.

During the Summer Festival of 385 NC, however, a combatant known only as the Green Knight appeared to fight in the tournaments. After besting all of his opponents, including a number of Paenoth's most experienced Knights, the Green Knight approached the Neptarch to receive his reward. The Neptarch demanded that the Green Knight remove his helm to honor him and the Green Knight initially refused the request. Paenoth had his guards drag the Green Knight before him to remove the helmet himself and, strangely, the Knight did not resist this rough treatment. When the helm was removed, it was revealed that the Green Knight was actually Feldan Foxglove, the exiled Neptarch. In a moment of shock, the guards released their grip on Feldan and he lunged at the Neptarch Paenoth. Feldan ran Paenoth through with his unarmored shield hand, pulling his still-beating heart from the tyrant's body. The Guard was so shocked by this display of brutality, as well as the cheers of the people in attendance, that they quickly fled back into hiding with their fellow Knights of the Purple Sash.

Feldan returned to Castle Zepharos and was recrowned by a young priest of Betshaba (there had not been an Archbishop during Paenoth's rule). The newly reestablished Neptarch called for a new election from the priests of the city and they elected Mandrake of Cthos, the only living priest to have survived the Great Fire that had sent his predecessor into flight. This selection shocked and outraged many of the people of the city, as Mandrake was not only a member of House Arisan, but also a full-blooded elf, old enough to remember the migration from the Arisan forest.

Archbishop Mandrake quickly became a thorn in the side of Neptarch Feldan, who he considered weak because of his "thin", half-human blood. Feldan had become a very different man since his exile. Though he revoked many of Paenoth's more tyrannical laws, he established a new secret police force to root out dissention in the city. Naming them the Warders of Neptaris, this secret society quickly found willing participants in the city's merchant class, who remembered well the activities of the Knights of the Purple Sash. Neptarch Feldan gave the Warders the right to execute any citizen found to be plotting against the city or the crown, something traditionally reserved for the Church of Cthos and then only after a trial by members of the Church of Aridnus. The priests of Neptaris felt betrayed, and the Archbishop Mandrake was the voice for their concerns. Mandrake spoke vehemently on the pulpit about the evils of the Warders, but stopped short of directly attacking the Neptarch himself.

After nearly a decade of political hostilities between the civil and ecclesiastical leaders of Neptaris, the political war seemed about to turn martial when five Warders attempted to assassinate the Archbishop Mandrake in his quarters in 394 NC. They were defeated by the powerful Archbishop, despite his guards having all been slain. When the Neptarch found out about the attack, he recalled all of his troops and Warders to the castle and prepared for a siege. The next morning, however, the Archbishop Mandrake preached his typical sermon and performed his duties as if nothing had happened. It is said that Feldan went mad with suspicion, trying to figure out the Archbishop's plan and kept his castle on defense status for the rest of the week. The Archbishop, of course, was only presenting a calm façade to his enemy... he had a plan that would end the rule of the Neptarchs forever.

The Archbishop Mandrake sent letters to his brothers in every Temple of Cthos in the north and as far away as the Zetian Republic. He requested of his fellow ecclesiasts loyal but discrete members of the Makatielites, a sect of grim guardians dedicated to Cthos, to come to his aid. After some number had flocked to his banner, he formed the Guardians of the Scythe in 402 NC, his own secret society that would counteract the Neptarch's Warders and report only to him. The Guardians of the Scythe began to slowly infiltrate Neptaran society at its very base…the slaves and poor of the city. Over the next half-century, the Archbishop and the Neptarch fought a shadow war where each side attempted to discretely remove agents of the other side, while gaining trusted converts of their own.

By 460 NC, the Neptarch Feldan had had enough of this shadow war. In a move intended to solidify his power over the priesthoods of the city, he called for the impeachment of the Archbishop. There was no precedent for this sort of edict, but the Bishop of Betshaba, Elizabet II, an ally of the Neptarch, agreed and called the Ninth Ecumenical Council to try the Archbishop Mandrake for dereliction of his duty. For two years the Council tried Mandrake, who insisted on speaking in his native tongue. The Council finally decided only that it did not have the power to impeach an Archbishop and concluded without a verdict. The Neptarch was incensed. He immediately issued a declaration that the Archbishop Mandrake was guilty of the charges brought against him and appointed Elizabet II Archbishop of Neptaris. Furthermore, he exiled Mandrake from the city forever.

Mandrake departed for Marosh, which was an island of pirates and brigands even then. He established a church-in-exile there and began converting the pirates from the worship of Taltos to the worship of Cthos. As Feldan's laws became more and more hostile towards the priests of the city, more and more of the city's priests fled to join Mandrake. Without their spiritual leaders, the people of Neptaris became restless and riots again began to erupt in the streets, partially due to the influence of the Guardians of the Scythe who remained in the city to act as Mandrake's eyes and ears while he was away.

In 482 NC, Mandrake finally decided that he had strong enough support to depose Feldan once and for all. He sailed a fleet of one hundred vessels into Krios Bay and landed on the shores beneath Neptaris. The Army of the Sea-Queen, as his troops became known, besieged Neptaris, though they did not have the land-based experience they needed to take the city itself. Neptaris held out for six months before the people revolted against Feldan and opened the gates to the Army. As Mandrake marched his troops towards Castle Zepharos, Feldan and Archbishop Elizabet II fled the city by way of the sewers. Believing his enemy defeated, the Archbishop Mandrake declared an end to the Neptarchy and established himself as ruler of the city.

Mandrake's rule was one of oppressive reform intended to empower the Church and remove secular rulership altogether. Many of the city's Mayors and secular bureaucrats were executed for not revolting against Feldan and were replaced with ecclesiasts, many of whom were followers of Cthos. The city's complex bureaucracy began to break down under the unskilled hands of these priests and crime rose dramatically. Even so, Mandrake's reforms kept him in power for twenty-seven years.

By 509 NC, the people were at their breaking point. Thomas of House Kraegar assembled his fellow nobles and founded the Brotherhood of the Blood, an organization that supported the return of secular rulership to the city. Each of nobles houses joined the Brotherhood, including Mandrake's own House Arisan. They drew up the Petition of Natural Law and presented it to the Archbishop. Mandrake declared them all heretics and had the heads of each noble house put on a stake and hung from the walls of the city to die. The body of the head of House Arisan was given a special place beneath the privy of the Archbishop.

Almost immediately, open revolt started to rage through the streets of Neptaris. Unfortunately, few could agree as to which noble house to flock to for protection and each wanted to have its say in who should rule the city. The Archbishop tried to use his Guardians to encourage the division in the Brotherhood's ranks. He was successful in keeping them fighting amongst themselves (though some suggest that his job was pretty easy) until 516 NC, when the people of Neptaris marched on Castle Zepharos and demanded the surrender of the Archbishop. Confused as to what was going on, the Archbishop agreed to speak with a single representative of the Brotherhood in the hopes of discovering just which noble had succeeded in suddenly uniting the people against him. A cloaked figure entered his throne room with a small contingent of advisors and two guards. When he removed his cloak, he revealed the green-tinted armor beneath and attacked the Archbishop. Feldan Foxglove had returned, and he wanted the blood of Mandrake. Feldan and his men fought valiantly against the powerful Archbishop and eventually Mandrake escaped, but not after the Archbishop had lost his left arm to Feldan's sword. The Archbishop again took to the seas, swearing never again to return to Neptaris.

Feldan, the Twice-Shamed, again assumed his throne as Neptarch of the city and the people briefly rejoiced his return. The Archbishop Elizabet II, now quite aged, was reinstated in her old post and replaced Mandrake's many supporters in the clergy with priests who supported the Neptarchy. Feldan contacted his Warders and reestablished their rights, this time with the full support of the clergy. The city became peaceful, even prosperous, over the next half century. Even Feldan's legendary paranoia began to calm with age, and he disbanded his Warders in 552 NC. Suddenly, in 560 NC, Feldan died at his dinner table. A piece of mandrake root was found in his wine.

The Fall of the Neptarchs (560 to 645 NC)

Original article: The Fall of the Neptarchs

With Feldan dead leaving no heir to the throne of Neptaris, it fell to the priests of the city to determine a new Neptarch. The Eleventh Ecumenical Council was called to determine the new ruler. They quickly chose Marius of House Arisan, a half-elf and cousin of Feldan, but he was assassinated by one of his own archers within a year. In 561 NC, the Twelfth Ecumenical Council was called to determine yet another ruler and they chose a merchant by the name of Delanro Marn, who had no prior claim to noble blood. The nobles of the city were of course very opposed to the Council raising a member of the middle class to the position of Neptarch, but the decision stood and in 562 NC Delanro Marn was coronated.

Delanro began reforming many of the city's trade laws, but heavily taxed the upper and lower classes of the city. Furthermore, he established the Order of the Golden Coin in 568 NC, which was intended to be an extension of the Guard that would seek out and capture those thieves who preyed on the merchants of the city. The Order had many of the same rights as Feldan's Warders, though they were not allowed to execute a criminal who surrendered to them. Delanro died of old age in 582 NC, and his throne passed to his eldest son, Anatole Delane. Anatole's coronation was confirmation of the legacy of Delanro, and House Marn was officially recognized as a noble house. Anatole's reign was long and fairly unremarkable, though he did repeal many of his father's more restrictive laws against those classes not of the merchant sector. His most notable act was constructing a Temple to Minos, god of commerce, in his last decade of office, establishing that Church as a power in the city. When he died in 622 NC, his son, Bartas, was recognized as the new Neptarch by the Archbishop. Bartas proved to be a weak-willed and ineffectual ruler of the city. House Rimman coerced him into marrying Diaman, daughter to the head of House Rimman. Two days after the birth of their first son, Xaphargus, Bartas died in his sleep in 631 NC. Some suggest that Diaman strangled him herself.

Competition began almost immediately for the position of Regnant. Some of the noble houses even took to the streets, fighting with hired men and fomenting riots. Eventually, the Archbishop of Betshaba named Xaphar of House Rimman, Diaman's father, Regent until Xaphargus reached the age of majority. Xaphar quickly showed himself to be a tyrannical and unjust ruler. He issued new laws during the trials of his allies and his enemies meant to assist or hinder the efforts of the individuals on trial. He also reestablished the Warders of Neptaris and wrote laws to support them that gave them more power than even Feldan had. Xaphar executed people easily, which gained him the support of some of the more sadistic members of the clergy of Cthos, but alienated most of the other clergymen (particularly the clergy of Clementia). Xaphar also started a war of conquest against Kamaria in 642 NC in which Xaphar proved to be a much more capable military leader than a civil ruler. His success against the Kamarians led to an increase in the man's already over-inflated ego and he began to invite members of his court to watch the battles with him. His pride would result in an end to the rulership of House Rimman and plunge the city into decades of civil war.

The Great Civil War (645 to 670 NC)

Original article: The Great Civil War of Neptaris

As had become the custom under Regent Xaphar, he invited his daughter, grandson and a number of clergymen from Neptaris, including the Archbishop of Betshaba, to observe a battle against the Kamarians in what would come to be known as the Battle of Stones in the fall of 645 NC. As Xaphar and his company watched the battle (which the Neptarans were winning), huge boulders suddenly began falling from the sky. The boulders killed every member of the party except the young Xaphargus. When he crawled from beneath the bloody rubble he rose to face Mandrake, the former Archbishop of Neptaris. Mandrake pulled his sword and ran the boy through. Though Mandrake didn't realize it at the time, the last true Neptarch died by his hand.

When Mandrake returned to Neptaris after more than a century of exile in Kamaria, he expected a hero's welcome. Instead, the nobles of the city immediately began bickering amongst themselves over the now empty throne. Mandrake, finally disgusted with the whole affair, left the city to live out his years in the Arisan forest, now known as Darkwood. Without an Archbishop to call an Ecumenical Council, even the priests of the city began arguing over what should be done. The few who were not killed in the Battle of Stones either did not desire the position of Archbishop or refused to vote for anyone but themselves. By the spring of 646 NC, neither an Archbishop nor a Neptarch had been chosen. Each of the noble houses gathered their troops and prepared for war. Deimos of House Rimman was the first to take Castle Zepharos, so he had a clear advantage early on, but the other noble houses cut him off from the rest of the city, critically hampering his attempts at re-establishing the regency of House Rimman. Fighting raged through the streets as each House attempted to put its head on the throne. Soon, the fighting spilled into the countryside as mercenaries began flocking to the city to fill the ranks of the various noble Houses. In 652 NC, the fighting was briefly interrupted when a new Archbishop was finally chosen, but even he was ineffectual at calming the nerves of the embattled Houses and too afraid of repercussions to name a Neptarch himself until there was a clear victor.

In 664 NC, after almost twenty years of nearly endless warfare, House Arisan finally declared that it was tired of the fighting and was going into voluntary exile in the Arisan forest. Caridius of House Rimman, believing the House to be fleeing only so it could prepare its forces, departed the city in pursuit of the migrating House Arisan. He eventually found them and his men attacked, killing each member of the House in what would become known as the Massacre of the Wintering Hill. The Wintering Hill, located some ten miles northeast of the city, became muddy with the blood of the innocents who died that day; even still the hill is devoid of life and many suggest that it is haunted by those who were slaughtered. Caridius returned to Neptaris, expecting the others to bow before his obvious might, but he was killed by an arrow shot before he even reached the city gates.

The fighting continued after the Massacre of the Wintering Hill and House Delane made a simple decision that would shape the future of the city. House Delane was suffering great losses, as many of the Houses were, and hiring mercenary companies to fight their battles had become standard procedure. So none thought anything when they hired the Great Gryphon Mercenary Company, led by the son of a merchant, Valerius Marcosi.

Valerius Marcosi proved to be a brilliant military commander who won victory after victory for House Delane. In the Battle of Krios Forge, he overcame the combined forces of House Perrenos and House Rimman even though he was outnumbered five to one. He also used fishing ships as transport vessels to get his men to and from the city as quickly as possible. By the time his contract with House Delane was up in 668 NC, he had effectively destroyed the ability of most of the major Houses to wage war. When House Delane offered him double his previous salary, Valerius unexpectedly refused the offer. A week later, the army of Kamaria arrived at Neptaris, with Valerius Marcosi's Great Gryphons leading the charge. The Noble Houses fought a losing battle for the next two years as Valerius and his Kamarian allies scored victory after victory against the Neptarans. Most believed that Valerius had been hired by the Kamarians to assist in again annexing Neptaris in its time of weakness. When the last noble House surrendered to him in 670 NC, they discovered that they were very wrong.

Valerius Marcosi and the Code of Urban Law (670 to 700 NC)

Original article: Valerius Marcosi and the Code of Urban Law

Despite rumors to the contrary, mercenary captain Valerius Marcosi had not sold his sword to the Kingdom of Kamaria when he ended the Great Civil War. In fact, as soon as the last House surrendered, the Kamarian armies returned home, leaving only a small continent to assist Valerius in his plans. Valerius removed the throne of the Neptarch from Castle Zepharos and took it to the harbor, where he threw it from a ship into the sea with the people watching on in bewilderment. Valerius informed the people that he would assume the title Regnant of Neptaris and declared an end to the Great Civil War. The people were so rejoiced that they didn't even notice the grumblings of the Noble Houses and the clergy for Valerius' supposed vanity.

House Rimman, recognizing the anger and suspicion of the clergy and of the other Noble Houses, composed the Krios Bay Pact. This Pact was primarily formed to depose Valerius and return the city to its previous rulership. As a side note, it also detailed the selection of the new ruler of Neptaris and this section was written in such a manner to obscure the fact that only a noble of House Rimman could pass the qualifications. Even so, many of the Noble Houses joined the Pact with the full support of the clergy. House Rimman again prepared for war.

Valerius had expected this move, however, and knew how to break the Pact. He privately commissioned the Bishop of Aridnus, Justar II, to begin composing a set of laws based on those of the Republic of Zeth, far to the west. The Bishop realized that Valerius was intending to make Neptaris a democracy and spread the word to his fellow ecclesiasts. When Justar was made Archbishop in 671 NC, he immediately pulled the support of the clergy from the Pact and the remaining conspirators began marching on what was then known as Sanctus Hill. They succeeded in burning down the Pantheon before Valerius arrived with his troops. The armies of the Pact scattered, but not before Valerius discovered the House that had orchestrated the plan. Valerius himself killed the head of House Rimman in combat and exiled the rest of the House from the city upon pain of death. So many chose to remain, not believing Valerius was serious about the edict, that he had to double the number of his guard so that they could round up and execute those who didn't believe his edict. Over two-hundred members of House Rimman were hanged or beheaded by the summer of 675 NC, when the power of the nobles was permanently crippled.

In 675 NC, Valerius, Archbishop Justar II and various legal experts from Zeth had finally completed the Code of Urban Law (or the Valerian Code, as it would come to be known). When Valerius presented it to the people of the city and announced that he would step down as Regnant, most were so shocked they could not even riot. Over the next few months, Valerius had established the bureaucracy that would handle the first democratic vote in Neptaran history and on the first day of spring, 676 NC, the city held its first election. Even though Valerius himself was not on the ticket, his name was still written on almost 30% of the ballots. Valerius refused the honor and the three individuals who had the next highest votes became the first members of the Triumvirate, the ruling body Valerius had established to mirror the Senate of Zeth. The first members of the Triumvirate were Raelos Devag, a merchant; Gunther Strongsword, one of Valerius' lieutenants; and Tan Rizael, a popular minstrel in the city. Valerius retired to public life, never to be seen in Castle Zepharos again. When he died in 700 NC, he was given a funeral worthy of a Neptarch.

Cambrecia and the Zetian Empire (700 to 805 NC)

Original article: The Imperial Conquest of Kamaros

In 120 NC, while people of the city of Neptag was searching the Arisan forests for the future half-elven King Orris, seven powerful mage-priests first set foot on a peninsula to the west with seven great hills upon it. Beneath these seven hills they found and defeated a great two-headed dragon and established the city of Zeth. At the time, none in Neptag even knew this was transpiring or had ever heard of the Septira. Within four hundred years, trading vessels from this city had arrived in Neptaris, but few recognized the significance of this small, newly formed Republic. Some legal theoreticians were interested in this form of government that was so similar to that of the great city states they had left in Aebasa, but Zeth was little more than a curiosity to most Neptarans. When Marcus Argentis arrived on the shores of present-day Koramia with the bulk of the Zetian fleet in 631 NC, many started to take notice. Zeth had become an aggressive, imperialistic nation and the thought concerned many in Neptaris. When Septimius of House Varros defeated Aaronar VI, the last King of the Kamaros, in present-day Cambrecia in 664, the Neptarans knew fear.

Valerius Marcosi and the Archbishop Justar II decided on a plan. They invited Zetian scholars and legal experts to the city to assist in the creation of the Code of Urban Law, which became heavily modeled on the Zetian Code of Law due to the influence of these scholars. If they could not defeat the Zetian Republic, they would mirror them. It was easier to kill a stranger, Valerius once remarked, than a brother. Valerius' plan worked and by 700 NC, Zeth was Neptaris' major trading partner. Peace reigned between the two great cities for fifty years. Then, all of the masterful plans of Valerius and his Archbishop came crashing down one day in 751 NC. Octavius, a noble of House Zetar in Zeth, was crowned Emperor and the Republic was abolished. Neptaris was no longer a brother, but a reminder of days most in the Empire would rather forget. The Neptaran fleet tripled in size between 751 NC and 775 NC and secret pacts were made with a few large pirate fleets should Zeth attack. But Zeth held to the alliance that they had made as a Republic, and Neptaris was left to its own devices.

Meanwhile, the Empire continued to march across the old Kingdom of Kamaros, now renamed Cambrecia, and eventually came to the mountains that bordered that nation on the east. As they moved through the passes of those mountains, dwarves from the Kingdom of Derlos came to greet them. The Imperial army slaughtered the dwarven ambassadorial party to a man, and began a campaign of conquest against Derlos. When news reached Neptaris of these events in 800 NC, they knew a choice had to be made. Should they defend their weaker neighbors under the mountains, with whom they had constructed an alliance centuries ago, or should they join the more powerful Empire that could snuff out their freedoms in an instant? The Triumvirate, in a decision that would remain controversial for centuries to come, decided to defend the dwarves.

The First Cambrecian War (805 to 815 NC)

Original article: The First Cambrecian War

The Triumvirate knew that its decision to support the dwarves of Derlos against Cambrecia was controversial and the Church, who was starting to establish strong ties with the Imperial Church Hierarchy, initially opposed them. To win the Church officials to their side, they agreed to pass an amendment that would turn over the civil judicial system of [Neptaris]] to the priesthood of Aridnus, God of Judgment. The offer of increased secular power won over many of the more moderate priests and they began oiling the political war engine from their pulpits. By 805 NC, the people were ready for war. In that year, war was officially declared at a surprise attack on Fort Pagulium in the foothills of the Cambrecian Mountains.

Aador Manx, Marshall of Arms from 800 NC to his death in 811 NC NC, led what would come to be known as the First Battle of Jormir Field. With 2000 soldiers and a handful of dwarven irregulars, he overcame the defenses of Fort Pagulium, which was manned with 600 Imperial soldiers, in three days. The Empire was taken by complete surprise and Marshall Manx pressed his advantage, taking no less than five significant supply depots in the first year of the war. The Imperial military commander, Legate Cyricus Isidorus of House Livius, scrambled to defend Cambrecia on two fronts. Meanwhile, Neptaran naval vessels began attacking any Imperial ship they could find, including merchant vessels. In 806 NC, Neptaran advances began to slow, with Marshall Manx only taking two minor outposts. Legate Cyricus and Marshall Manx began playing a cat and mouse game in the hills, with the Legate constantly outrunning the Marshall's more cumbersome army. Finally, in the early months of 807 NC, the Imperial fleet was brought to bear upon Neptaris. After the disastrous Battle of Nimble Point, the Imperial fleet sailed into Krios Bay and set up an unbreakable blockade.

The tide of the war on the mainland almost immediately shifted to an Imperial advantage. By the end of 807 NC, the Empire had taken back all but three of the forts that Neptaris had claimed. The dwarves continued to press on the northern frontiers of Cambrecia, but most agreed that Neptaris was doing most of the fighting by this point, and supplies were running low. In the winter of 808 NC, a plague struck the Cambrecian coast and the war engines of Cambrecia and Neptaris slowed to a crawl. Both sides pulled their forces back to easily defendable locations, leaving entire fortresses empty. Some historians point out that Marshall Manx should have taken the advantage at this point and taken those forts that the Empire left open, but he chose to winter his troops under the walls of Neptaris itself.

The next spring, new troops arrived to bolster the beleaguered Imperial Legion. Neptaris, unfortunately, did not have the manpower to generate effective reinforcements and they could not effectively press the attack. Instead of attacking Neptaris, however, Legate Valerius Lucius of House Gradivius (Cyricus had died of the plague during the winter) instead chose to attack the dwarves. With Imperial troops in their very valleys, the dwarves redoubled their efforts and held the Imperial army at a standstill. This gave Neptaris the time it needed to rebuild its army as well as establish secret shipyards in a hidden cove a day's ride south of the city. By 810 NC, Neptaris was again ready to attack the Empire.

The Imperial Legion was again taken by surprise when Marshall Manx met them on the field at the Second Battle of Jormir Field. Manx was again successful in taking Fort Pagulium and tried to press his advantage as he had done five years earlier. Unfortunately, Legate Valerius was aware of the Marshall's previous strategy and quickly pulled his men from the mountains to meet Manx in the field. As winter approached, the two armies had met twice with inconclusive results. Manx returned to Fort Pagulium to prepare for winter.

Legate Valerius, unaccustomed to Cambrecian winters, decided to set siege to Fort Pagulium and destroy the Neptaran army once and for all. By the spring of 811 NC, however, the mass of his army was still outside the walls of Fort Pagulium, sick and hungry from a particularly hard winter. They pulled back to lick their wounds and prepare another sortie. The Neptaran military was not without its problems, however. Mere days before the Empire lifted the siege of Fort Pagulium, Marshall Manx was struck by a stray catapult stone and died. The Triumvirate spent most of the season trying to vote for a new Marshall, but came to an impasse several times. Eventually, Marshall Greor Alcyon of House Markos was chosen to lead the Neptaran army and he departed to Fort Pagulium to prepare the army for the next season's battles. The loss of time was not lost on the Triumvirate, however. After the selection of Marshall Alcyon, they issued Addendum XXVII, which changed the name of the governing body to the Supreme Assembly and added two new members, in the hope that an increase in the number of voting members would result in a decrease in the number of deadlocks that they would have to work through.

Marshall Alcyon decided to use a more naval approach to defeating the Empire and ordered the construction of some thirty new warships by the end of 812 NC. He used his armies to harangue Imperial troops on the mainland, but always avoided a direct confrontation. In the spring of 813 NC, Marshall Alcyon's fleet began to sweep the Maroshan Sea for Imperial vessels and succeeded in sinking the vast majority of the Imperial fleet that entered those waters. The destruction of Imperial vessels in the Maroshan Sea had the affect he was looking for... the Legion on the mainland started to crumble without support or fresh troops from Zeth. For most of the fighting season of 815 NC, Marshall Alcyon met with success after success on the battlefield.

During the winter of 815 NC, however, five Imperial transports landed near Neptaris' secret shipyards. After marching for two days, they attacked the ill-defended port and burned it to the ground. The Legion wintered there, unnoticed for two months. When spring arrived, Legate Valerius and a group of handpicked soldiers moved south, past Neptaris, and met up with the now-garrisoned troops at Neptaris' secret port. The Imperial contingent moved northward as fresh warships from Paladinium (in present day Koramia) moved towards Krios Bay. The Imperial warships took the complacent Neptaran Navy by surprise, catching most of their ships in port when they arrived at Neptaris. The Empire again blockaded Krios Bay while the Legion set siege to Neptaris itself.

Marshall Alcyon was preparing for battle in the foothills of the Cambrecian Mountains when word arrived that Neptaris was besieged. He ran his troops to the ground, often travelling 40 miles in a day, in an attempt to relieve the city. Legate Valerius, however, knew of an Imperial sympathizer within Neptaris and sent an envoy into the city to speak with him secretly. The sympathizer, whose name is unrecorded, had a son in the guard who was willing to open the gates to the Imperial army. With Marshall Alcyon and his army only days from Neptaris, Imperial troops walked into the city and quickly forced the Supreme Assembly to surrender. The siege of Neptaris had only lasted two weeks. When Marshall Alcyon saw the Imperial standard flying over Neptaris, he threw himself on his sword.

The Rule of the Empire (816 to 900 NC)

Original article: The Rule of the Empire in Neptaris

Imperial rule in Neptaris was surprisingly gentle, particularly compared to the harsh treatment the Cambrecian peoples were receiving. Neptaris received its own Prefect, or governor, and was established as a colony of the Empire separate from Cambrecia. The first Prefect of Neptaris, appointed by the Emperor Otho of House Zetar in 816 NC, was Antonius Callistus of House Livius. Prefect Antonius was at first regarded with deep suspicion by the Neptaran people. His first edict was to re-establish the Supreme Assembly, which was abolished under military rule after the end of the First Cambrecian War. The Prefect did retain the power to veto any decision of the Assembly, but this act went far towards endearing him to the people. He used his veto power rarely and even made a practice of calling for votes on some of his own legal decisions. In 818 NC, he issued an edict that was ratified by the Supreme Assembly as Addendum XXVIII: though Neptaris would remain officially under the rule of the Empire, recognize the Emperor as their ruler and pay a 10% tax to the Empire of all income, the Supreme Assembly would be the sole governing body of the city. Prefect Antonius retired in Neptaris but was elected to the Supreme Assembly in 820 NC. When he died in 832 NC, he was given a state funeral and the throngs who came to pay homage were as great as any that attended the funerals of the ancient Neptarchs.

It is said that one of the reasons Neptaris was given these freedoms was because of the volatile situation in Cambrecia. Neptaris had, despite its defeat, been successful in keeping the Empire out of the dwarven Kingdom of Derlos. Furthermore, the Cambrecian people were not easily pacified. Rebellions had struck throughout the countryside for the duration of Imperial rulership in the nation and intensified as the Empire continued to conquer the lands between Cambrecia and Ciritasnia (modern day Koramia). When a native King was appointed by the Emperor Leto of House Livius in 828 NC, a new rash of rebellions sprung up as Cambrecians took offense to the entire idea of the Emperor telling them who their King should be. The fact that King Toral Seaguard, the Emperor's appointee, was not of any known royal bloodline in the nation only exacerbated the situation. The Kings of Cambrecia, understanding that their power came from the Emperor's good will, became even harsher rulers than the Imperial Prefects had been. Rebellion after rebellion was violently snuffed out, the harshness of which only resulted in more rebellions. The Empire was spending so much time and resources on Cambrecia; they simply didn't have the capacity to oppress Neptaris.

Meanwhile, in Neptaris, the nobles of the city were warming up to Imperial rule even faster than the common people had. Many of the nobles saw how willing the Emperor was to install a hereditary ruler in Cambrecia and desired the same title for themselves in Neptaris. Their activism had a contrary affect on the people, however. Instead of endearing the people to the Empire, the nobles succeeded in maintaining the hint of rebellion within the city. The Supreme Assembly even issued an Addendum in 860 NC that removed all rights of the noble class, except the ability to use their now-useless titles. In response, many of the wealthier nobles helped establish a Temple of Zelos, God of the State, in Neptaris. Zelos, who was already popular with the Imperials and ruling class of Cambrecia, was not well liked by Neptarans because of his association with and support of monarchies and empires. The nobles did not realize it at the time, but it was the establishment of this Temple that would lead to the overthrow of the Empire in Neptaris.

In the last few decades of the ninth century, Neptarans began to trade heavily with Cambrecia both in goods and ideas. This included, of course, the Church of Zelos in Neptaris, whose parent Temple was located in Septarium, the capital of Cambrecia. The Neptaran Zeloites, however, were known to be defenders of democracy and were often viewed with contempt by their Imperial brethren. In 899 NC, the Emperor Metius the Elder of House Livius sent Ionnanes II, the Pontifex of Zelos, to Septarium in the hope of quelling the rebellions there through conversion. Ionnanes II, proclaiming the Neptaran priests of Zelos in Septarium heretics, stripped them of their robes and sent them home to Neptaris. With them, they carried a message from the Emperor that ceded Neptaris to Cambrecia. The people were so shocked that a response was not forthcoming until the following spring.

The Great Revolution (900 to 1000 NC)

Original article: The Great Revolution in Neptaris

In the spring of 900 NC, the response to the Imperial edict that ceded Neptaris to Cambrecia came in the form of Hadrag of House Markos. Hadrag, despite his descent from nobility, refused to align himself with the Empire and found himself imprisoned for his volatile beliefs more than a few times in the last decade of the 9th century. In the winter of 899 NC, he was released from his most recent stint in the work camps only to start fomenting rebellion again. This time, his voice was heard and the people rallied behind him. In the elections of 900 NC, Hadrag and two of his strongest supporters, Richard Goldshield and Theod Maquin, were elected to the Supreme Assembly. After passing a measure to declare their independence from the Empire, Hadrag stepped down and was immediately named Marshall of Arms for Neptaris.

Immediately upon his confirmation as Marshall of Arms, Hadrag gathered together a group of soldiers who despised the Empire and sacked the Imperial garrison in Neptaris. He also arrested Imperial tax collectors, bureaucrats and naval captains as enemies of the state and had many of them executed. Those who were not executed were stripped of their properties and sent to Septarium wearing nothing but hair shirts.

The King of Cambrecia, Basran Sugurd, massed an army and prepared to march on Neptaris. His trip to the city was fraught with danger as rebellious agents within Cambrecia harried his every step. When he reached Neptaris, he had only 500 soldiers with which to attack the city. Unfamiliar with military tactics, King Basran chose to attack, despite being outnumbered. His men were slaughtered by Marshall Hadrag and his army. Hadrag killed King Basran himself in battle and the royal's head was sent to Septarium as a lesson to the Empire.

Unfortunately, the Pontifex of Zelos in Septarium got the message all too well. He used the opportunity to name himself Regent of Basran's young son and recalled the Imperial Legate, Zemarchus Comitas of House Gabinius from northern Ciritasnia to fight against the rebels of Neptaris. Legate Zemarchus at first chose to ignore the pleas from the Pontifex and continued fighting against rebels in Ciritasnia. The Pontifex tried to amass what military strength he could, but continued rebellions kept most of the Imperial forces busy in central Cambrecia. The Pontifex finally realized that Neptaris was a fortified city, not a small rebel camp, and decided not to march on the city with the small army he was able to amass. He did, however, command the Imperial navy to begin sinking any vessel that carried the standard of Neptaris. The navy did not share the Legate's apathy for the situation, and Neptaris found itself unable to trade with its neighbors.

Marshall Hadrag, realizing that he must take the seas if he was going to achieve independence for the city, commissioned Garen Taltosbane as the first Grand Admiral of the Seas of Neptaris. Admiral Taltosbane, a former pirate that Hadrag had met in prison, quickly mobilized not only the Neptaran fleet but many pirate vessels from Marosh and slowly took control of the waters around Neptaris. By 923 NC, most of the Imperial fleet had been destroyed. It was in this year, however, that Legate Zemarchus had finally answered the summons of the Pontifex.

Marshall Hadrag, who had received little real resistance from the Empire, was now faced with a mighty Legion that was well supplied and trained. Within a month, Legate Zemarchus had taken the city and executed its leaders. Marshall Hadrag was drawn and quartered and pieces of his corpse were hung from each gate. The Legate then set the city ablaze and locked the portculli of the gates into place, trapping the citizens within. The city burned for two weeks before the fires finally subsided. Almost three-quarters of the city's population died.

Legate Zemarchus, arrogant from his victory at Neptaris, decided to solve all of Cambrecia's ills by taking his army back to Ciritasnia by way of the foothills of the Cambrecian Mountains, the center of rebellious thought in Cambrecia. As he moved through the foothills, he razed many towns and villages suspected of supporting rebellion. Late in the season of 924 NC, while Zemarchus and his Legion were enjoying their latest rampage through a defenseless town, a contingent of dwarven troops suddenly swarmed out of the mountains. The dwarves, led by King Jormung of Derlos, decimated Zemarchus' Legion and sent the Legate himself sneaking back to Septarium. Upon his arrival, the Pontifex had Zemarchus arrested, tried and executed for his actions in Neptaris.

The Neptarans were not appeased by the actions of the Pontifex, however, and the farmers of the former Territories began attacking any Imperial dignitary or fuctionary they could find. Their attacks were initially met with failure, but they eventually began to wear down the military presence Zemarchus had left behind. On the oceans, Admiral Taltosbane continued to maintain dominance from Marosh and prevented reinforcement by the Empire. Meanwhile, King Jormung began to supply the rebels of Cambrecia with weapons, food and much-needed training. Acknowledging the dangers of a three-pronged attack, the Pontifex of Zelos traveled to the Cambrecian Mountains to meet with a dwarven delegation in 925 NC. He initially met with some success, but a diplomatic blunder on the part of the Pontifex ended negotiations rather abruptly. He continued to attempt a diplomatic solution with the dwarves for the next five years, until his death in 930 NC.

Meanwhile, Neptaris itself was still under Imperial rule, though the Territories were now in full-fledged rebellion. Admiral Taltosbane died in 929 NC, but he had selected Griori "Blacklocks" Burgden as his successor. Blacklocks was a former Warcaptain from Tamerynd, and not only did he understand warfare at sea, but he had some experience in marine actions as well. His ships moved up and down the Cambrecian coast, attacking naval vessels, merchant vessels and coastal towns with no small measure of success. Hadrag's son, Creos, established a government-in-exile, called the War Assembly, on the island of Marosh in 932 NC. He and the fellow members of his Assembly officially recognized Admiral Blacklocks and began to coordinate efforts to retake the city itself. Unfortunately, the vast distances between the three forces made just sort an effort almost impossible.

In 936 NC, a gentleman farmer by the name of Simon Perrenoth rowed into the Maroshan Sea in search of one of Blacklocks' vessels. Miraculously, he succeeded and established contact between the rebellious Territories and the War Assembly. Creos Markos sent Simon Perrenoth back to the mainland with encrypted battle information for the dwarves. By the end of that year, Perrenoth had succeeded in constructing a secret means of communication between the three forces.

It is notable that, in this year, Garimund of Ryard stumbled across a flying ship in Ciritasnia. After boarding that ship, he discovered the decaying corpse of a man in strange armor with a book lying before him. That book, which would later be known as the Koram, would late become the founding notion of the Koramian Heresy.

Perrenoth's Neptaran Underground was operating at full force by the fighting season of 937 NC. Over the next five years, dwarves, farmer and pirates fought on the land and in the sea to free Neptaris. In 943 NC, Admiral Blacklocks and Creos Markos penetrated the Imperial defenses in the Bay of Krios and landed in Neptaris. They were able to secure most of the city, but the Imperials had decided to hole up in Castle Zepharos. The Siege of Zepharos lasted ten months. In the winter of 943 NC, Creos Markos died due to complications from the extreme temperatures of that winter and his subordinates decided to lift the siege. Admiral Blacklocks limped back to Marosh with the few troops who had survived.

By 945 NC, the Imperial Legion had finally recovered from its disastrous defeat at the hands of the dwarves. Legate Sarapion Leo of House Valerius arrived after sneaking through Blacklocks' barricade. When he arrived at Septarium, the Pontifex of Zelos supported the concept that the King, now of age, should command the Legions attempting to take Neptaris. Legate Sarapion refused and began to march on Neptaris when crusaders from the Church of Zelos captured him and brought him back to Septarium to answer for charges of heresy. During his trial, the Legate escaped long enough to get a message to his troops. On the day he was to be sentenced, they attacked Septarium and within a week had breached the walls. Upon being rescued by his men, the Legate declared martial law in Cambrecia and had the Pontifex and the King arrested on charges of treason. Sarapion, however, was not interested in conducting a trial. With the Pontifex and King out of his way, he again ordered the Legion to Neptaris.

Legate Sarapion's disagreement with the Pontifex and King of Cambrecia took several months to resolve and it was late autumn before his Legion reached Neptaris. He proceeded to reinforce the battered walls of Castle Zepharos and ordered the construction of massive numbers of warships in Neptaris' shipyards. Unfortunately, finding food was a problem. None of the farmers in the Territories would send food to Neptaris and shipments over both land and sea more often ended up in the hands of his enemies than in the mouths of his soldiers. When the spring of 946 NC arrived, he found his food stores empty. Sarapion took the bulk of his Legion into the now-dangerous countryside near Neptaris and began taking whatever food he could find, executing every farmer he could get his hands on. The atrocities committed during this time are still legendary, and some suggest that it was not just beef that the Legion subsisted off of that summer.

Perrenoth was able to get word to Blacklocks of the Legate's movements and the Admiral planned a daring blockade of Krios Bay. With only twelve ships, he entered the harbor and pounded the Neptaran shipyards in the early morning hours. Fortunately, Perrenoth had succeeded in warning the Neptaran people and only six people died in the conflagration that ensued. Needless to say, the Legate was incensed by the bold attack and immediately returned to Neptaris. He executed some two hundred people that were supposed to be working that day for dereliction of duty, even though the vast majority of them were civilians. He spent the rest of the fighting season of 946 between rebuilding his shipyards and trying to locate enough food to feed his troops.

In the spring of 947 NC, the Pontifex and King were released from their imprisonment and sent a message describing their ordeals to the Emperor. Metius was enraged by the actions of his Legate and immediately issued an order to Sarapion that he was to return to Zeth for trial. Sarapion, apparently, never received that message. He continued to fight against the rebels in the Territories and Blacklocks' men at sea until 952 NC, when a member of his personal guard assassinated him. Despite his political blunders, Legate Sarapion was the most effective Imperial military commander of the Great Rebellion.

Upon Sarapion's death, the Pontifex appointed King Medeno II of Cambrecia to the position of Legate, despite the fact that, according to Imperial law, only the Emperor had such power. Medeno, unfortunately, took his time with Neptaris. More interested in fighting the rebels closer to his own center of power, he recalled most of the Legion from Neptaris and sent them into the foothills of Cambrecia to fight the rebels there and their dwarven advisors. In the spring of 954 NC, Admiral Blacklocks sailed his flagship into Krios Bay without any serious resistance. He and his troops easily took Castle Zepharos and re-established Neptaran rule in the city. The following month, Neptaris held the first elections that it had seen in over three decades. Both Admiral Blacklocks and Simon Perrenoth were both elected to the Supreme Assembly. Unfortunately, Blacklocks proved to be a better naval commander than politician. In the winter of 956 NC, he was imprisoned for murder after a bar room brawl in which he was involved got out of hand.

Despite this turn of events, Medeno still refused to march on Neptaris and take it back, despite the protestations of the Pontifex. For the next decade, he continued to move his troops in the northern and western regions of Cambrecia, only sending a periodic raiding party into the Territories to cause trouble. Finally the Emperor Semelius of House Furius, upon his ascension to the throne in 968 NC, announced the creation of the Second Fleet, which was responsible for assisting in the conquest of Ciritasnia, Cambrecia and Neptaris. He also appointed Tiberius Phocas, also of House Furius and the younger brother of the Emperor, Legate of the Cambrecian army.

Tiberius arrived in Septimius with his newly established Fleet late in 969 NC. King Medeno quickly turned over the Legion to Tiberius, despite the fact that many of its members were now native Cambrecians. Tiberius found the Legion ill-trained and poorly outfitted, by Imperial standards, and immediately set about preparing them for battle. Unfortunately, Tiberius would never actually face Neptaris in battle. In 970 NC, the Imperial Senate decided, with the support of House Zetar and the Legions near Zeth, that Semelius could not retain the title of Emperor, as he was only the son-in-law of the previous regnant. When the Senate chose Antonius of House Zetar as the new Emperor, few were surprised. Antonius immediately set about reversing most of his successor's decisions, including Tiberius' appointment as Legate. It is notable that he did not, however, disband the Second Fleet... he ordered new ships to be built and refocused the Fleet to pirate suppression. In a politically unusual move, the man he chose to lead the Second Fleet was his own son, Androcles.

Admiral Androcles immediately identified Neptaris as a safe haven for pirates and thieves and when his first major military action was to take the waters near Neptaris. By the winter of 972 NC, he had succeeded in blockading the city. Realizing that they could not defeat the Second Fleet, the Supreme Assembly pardoned Admiral Blacklocks of his crimes and recommissioned him as Admiral of Neptaris. Within a week, he had disappeared. With Blacklocks having fled the city, most citizens considered the battle for freedom truly lost. They tried in vain to break the Imperial blockade for the next year and a half. Finally, the Supreme Assembly began to compose articles of surrender late in 974 NC. Contemporary reports suggest that the first person to notice ships flying a standard composed of two black keys was the messenger carrying those articles. Admiral Blacklocks had returned and he had brought three major pirate fleets with him from Tamerynd.

The Battle of Lost Souls was tremendous in proportions. Admiral Androcles had over 200 warships in or near Krios Bay and Blacklocks had brought 160 pirate vessels to fight them. For three days, ships, seawizards and priests fought in and near Krios Bay. Finally, on the third day, Androcles retreated and Blacklocks sailed into Krios Bay, victorious.

Androcles was not so easily beaten, however. Realizing that he could not defeat Blacklocks on the ocean, he retired as Admiral of the Second Fleet and was given command of a Legion by his father in 975 NC. Burned by his defeat at the Battle of Lost Souls, Legate Androcles trained his men by fighting rebels in the hills of the Cambrecian Mountains for three years before finally deciding to again attack Neptaris. As Androcles raged across the Territories, Neptaris discovered that the Legate was a much better army commander than a naval one. He initially avoided Neptaris altogether, instead choosing to pacify the land that fed the city. In 979 NC, he was ready to besiege Neptaris.

The siege was initially successful for the Imperial army as they shattered Neptaran defenses. After two months of fighting, Androcles finally broke into the city itself as its defenders moved to defend Castle Zepharos. One man, however, chose not to flee to the Castle, citing the lack of taverns there. Castle Zepharos had been besieged only a week when Admiral Blacklocks, now in his early eighties, snuck into the Imperial camp and kidnapped the thirty-year old Legate.

The Legion was shaken to its roots when it realized that their Legate, who was also the Emperor's son and heir, had been stolen from their very midst. The Supreme Assembly sent a message to the Legion informing the soldiers that the Assembly was awaiting terms of surrender. Not knowing what to do, Androcles' subordinates sent a message to Zeth in the hope that one of them would be raised to the position of Legate and receive the honor of rescuing the Emperor's son. For almost a year, the Legion maintained a military presence in the city while the Assembly and their hostage waited in Castle Zepharos (food and provisions were permitted within, to insure the Legate's continued good health). The message they received from Zeth was even more shocking than the kidnapping of Androcles: the Emperor Antonius had died and Androcles must be returned home to receive his crown at all costs. The Legion took this to mean surrender and promptly did so, with the condition that Androcles would be permitted safe passage to Zeth. The Assembly readily agreed and Neptaran independence was finally regained in 980 NC. Within days of the surrender, Admiral Blacklocks died in a tavern due to excessive celebrations. Androcles returned to Zeth to be crowned Emperor and surprisingly upheld the terms of surrender his troops had signed. Contemporaries lauded the Treaty of Neptaris, but it would pave the way for over one hundred years of fighting in the next century.

The Second Cambrecian War (1000 to 1128 NC)

Original article: The Second Cambrecian War

The turn of Neptaris' 11th century saw the city in a state of reconstruction. In 1005 NC, the city underwent redistricting, adding the Naval Docks as a District of the city itself. By the second decade of the 11th century, Neptaris was again prosperous as trade increased with the Empire. Only Cambrecia was heavily taxed by the Assembly. In 1012 NC and again in 1015 NC, the Pontifex of Zelos in Septarium met with the Assembly to ask for a decrease in these tariffs, but both times the Assembly refused. While making a third trip in 1021 NC, the Pontifex's ship was attacked by pirates and sank off the coast of Neptaris. The Pontifex was killed in the attack.

Emperor Androcles Leto of House Zetar (and son of the now deceased Emperor Androcles) chose Severinus of House Gabinius as the new Pontifex of Zelos in 1023 NC. Severinus was actually present in Cambrecia during the final days of the Great Rebellion and had been horribly scared in a battle near Neptaris. As soon as he arrived in Septimius, he demanded that the King of Cambrecia attack Neptaris immediately and regain the territory. The King refused, citing that he was honor-bound to obey the Treaty that had been forged forty years previously. The Pontifex was incensed at the King's defiance, but there seemed little he could do.

Late in 1026 NC, Pontifex Severinus decided on a plan. He issued the Denunciation of Democracy, which stated clearly that democracy and, hence, democratic states existed in violation of the law of Zelos. Within, he permitted a five-year period in which democracies were to be converted to a more "stable" form of government before action would be taken. Neptaris, of course, refused to convert. In 1031 NC, the Pontifex called for a Crusade to free the ignorant people of Neptaris from their oppressive democracy.

The Neptaran Crusade was slow to start, as priests and lay people loyal to Zelos began to trickle into Septarium. By 1030 NC, the Pontifex decided that he had the support he needed to attack Neptaris and personally led his troops into Neptaran territory. Neptaris sued for peace on the grounds that most of the Pontifex's army was composed of retired Legionnaires and, thus, must abide by the Treaty of Neptaris. The Emperor did not respond to this request, and the Pontifex continued to march on Neptaris. As 1030 NC drew to a close, the crusading army wintered in the Territories, preparing for their siege the following spring.

The legal maneuverings of the Assembly, as well as the exceptionally long winter of 1030-1, gave Neptaris time to prepare for the Pontifex and his men. New walls were constructed and troops were trained throughout the winter. Finally, after the first spring thaw of 1031 NC, the Neptaran army under the command of Marshall Lewt Morgar left the city to face the Pontifex. The two armies met in the Battle of Perrenoth Fields, where the Pontifex proved to be the weaker military commander. Even though the Zelosite army was twice the size of the Neptaran army, they were resolutely defeated. Unfortunately, the Pontifex and most of his staff escaped and returned to Septarium to lick their wounds.

For the next decade, the Pontifex directed small bands of Crusaders as they harried Neptaran troops and pillaged whatever villages they could find in the Territories. Neptaris continued to plead with the Emperor and the King of Cambrecia to put a stop to the Crusade, but both refused to respond from any messages from Neptaris. In 1046 NC, Marshall Morgar discovered and destroyed a Crusader camp near the Cambrecian border. Garulan, the King of Cambrecia, claimed that the camp was actually a village under his protection and immediately declared war on Neptaris for violation of the Treaty. Neptaris, despite attempts to apologize for the action, had to again prepare for war.

The King and the Pontifex began massing an army in Septarium while courting the Legion's assistance in the matter. By 1050 NC, they were ready to attack, relying heavily on the assistance of the Legion, though not direct support. The King marched through the Territories fighting guerilla tactics from locals and dealing with the wet weather that summer received. The Pontifex, now in advanced old age, chose to accompany the King in this effort. Their success came slowly, but it was still an inexorable movement towards the city itself. In 1053 NC, they were within sight of Neptaris when the Pontifex died of a heart seizure. Without the direct support of their high ecclesiast, many of the crusaders departed the army. With a fourth of his army departing the battlefield, the King decided to retreat back to Septarium instead of trying to take the city, which would certainly have been a bloody affair.

Upon his return to Septarium, the King of Cambrecia immediately set about preparing another attack, this time with the full assistance of the Legion. The King began to construct a massive fortress, called Fort Speculium, near his border with Neptaris. Despite many successive attacks by Neptaran forces, the fortress was almost complete in 1060 NC, when King Garulan died. His son, Medeno III, was not as aggressive military as his father was, but by 1063 NC, he was prepared to attack Neptaris, using Fort Speculium as his headquarters. Within days of the planned attack, most of the Legion upon which he relied boarded ships of the Second Fleet and went home to Zeth. The Emperor Androcles Leto had died without an heir and what would come to be known as the First Succession War had begun.

King Medeno III tried in vain to attack Neptaris, but without the support of the Imperial Legions, he was pushed back each time. In 1071 NC, Marshall Angar Tivalos began a counteroffensive against King Medeno III, easily defeating what meager forces he had in the Territories. By the fall of 1071, Tivalos had settled in for a winter's siege at Fort Speculium. The winter was surprisingly mild that year, but by the spring of 1072 NC, Tivalos had not yet breached the walls of the Cambrecian fortress. By late summer, it seemed that Tivalos was going to finally breach the defenses of the supposedly impenetrable castle when the Imperial Legion arrived. Unfortunately for Neptaris, the First Succession War was over, and Antipater of House Varro was selected as the first of the Elected Emperors. Antipater immediately sent a Legion back to Cambrecia with the intent of taking Neptaris. In the subsequent Battle of Mists, Marshall Tivalos and the army of Neptaris were defeated by the Imperial Legion.

After the Battle of Mists, the Legion marched towards Neptaris, but the Legate decided that his army had suffered too many losses to attempt to take the city. He returned to Septarium to prepare for the next years' battle. Unfortunately, bureaucratic problems in Zeth prevented reinforcements from arriving for five years. When they did finally arrive in 1077 NC, Neptaris had again rebuilt its defenses and was prepared for conflict. The careful Legate decided to take his Legion to Fort Speculium and use the castle as a base from which to wear down the Territories. As so many had before, the Legate soon discovered that taking the Territories was almost as difficult as taking Neptaris itself. By 1090 NC, the Legate had made some marginal gains in the Territories, but nothing that seriously weakened Neptaris or its navy.

In the summer of 1090 NC, Marshall Tivalos marched on Cambrecia, avoiding Fort Speculium and the parts of the Territories the Legate had gained altogether. The Legate was slow to react, believing the sorties to be a trick, and the Neptaran forces began to lay waste to the undefended countryside between Fort Speculium and Septarium. With supplies running low, the Legate finally decided to take Marshall Tivalos' attacks seriously in 1092 NC and pulled his army from the Territories to fight the Neptaran army. Marshall Tivalos was not looking to confront the Legion, however. He continued to attack small farming villages, remaining a step ahead of the Imperial Legate. In 1095 NC, the Marshall's plan came to fruition. Many of the farmers of Cambrecia began to migrate northward, away from the fighting and Fort Speculium. They eventually settled in an unclaimed territory on the southern shores of the Sea of Swords (the land they settled would come to be known as Enesia three centuries later).

With much of the food the Legion needed to fight no longer readily available, the Legate was forced to put his men to work in the abandoned fields of southern Cambrecia. Marshall Tivalos returned to Neptaris and was hailed as a hero for ending the war. The celebrations were premature, but all available evidence did suggest that Cambrecia was finally defeated, despite the lack of a Treaty. Marshall Tivalos died in 1103 NC of old age, believing that he had saved Neptaris once and for all.

In the summer of 1110 NC, the Emperor Caurus of House Valerius made two appointments that would renew the Second Cambrecian War. The first was Petros of House Zetar as Pontifex of Zelos. The second was his brother, Demetrios Paolus of House Zetar, as Legate of the Cambrecian Legion. The two arrived in Septarium late in 1110 NC and immediately began reconstructing the Legion in preparations for war. By the fighting season of 1113 NC, they were thus prepared and had refortified Fort Speculium. Marshall Doncan Mathros was more of a politician than a military commander, and did not foresee the trouble that the two brothers would cause. Thus, when Legate Demetrios began attacking the Territories with a well trained and well supplied Legion and Pontifex Petros renewed the call for Crusade, Marshall Mathros was unprepared for the fight that was to come.

The Legate and the Pontifex were both careful men, but not unwilling to take risks to achieve their strategic ends. They systematically captured significant trade centers in the Territories, which not only served to cripple Neptaran supply lines but bolster their own. Their tactics in this matter were remarkably similar to Marshall Tivalos' two decades before, though it did not achieve the same desired results. The farmers of the Territories took up arms when they could to hamper the Legion, but they proved to be no match for the well trained Imperial soldiers with two strong leaders. In 1117 NC, Marshall Mathros finally lead an army out of Neptaris to stop the Legion, but he was sorely defeated in the Battle of Dry Fields. He did escape and return to Neptaris, but the Assembly immediately tried him for dereliction of duty. The trial was more of an excuse to replace Marshall Mathros than actually punish him for any real crime and the only sentence he received was to be stripped of his rank.

The Assembly chose a wily smith by the name of Prentor Perrenoth as their new Marshall of Arms, and he immediately set about preparing Neptaris for an extended campaign for its very survival. He requested permission to establish martial law in Neptaris, which the Assembly agreed to in a very controversial decision. Marshall Perrenoth immediately issued a law which called for involuntary, though temporary, enlistment of all able bodied citizens into the military. With the strength of the merchant class behind him, he marched on Fort Speculium in the spring of 1118, the headquarters of the Imperial forces.

The Siege of Speculium lasted for eight months. As winter approached, Marshall Perrenoth lifted the siege and returned to Neptaris. Despite his failure at capturing the fortress, he was successful in dealing a heavy blow to the Imperial forces. The following spring, Marshall Perrenoth was able to retake most of the land in the Territories that had been lost while Legate Demetrios and Pontifex Petros repaired the damage the siege had caused to their fortress and their respective armies. In the spring of 1122 NC, they were prepared to fight. Instead of attempting to recoup their losses in the Territories, the brothers decided to march on Neptaris itself. They arrived at the city gates and prepared for a long siege. After five months, the outer walls were breached and Marshall Perrenoth had been killed in battle. The Neptaran forces retreated to Castle Zepharos and the brothers began to prepare a siege there as well. Before they had even finished reconstructing their siege engines, the entire Legion suddenly picked up and departed for Zeth. Semelius Secundis of House Furius, last of the Elected Emperors, had been murdered by Ditis Carnifex of House Gabinius, sparking the Second Succession War in the Empire. Legate Demetrios and Pontifex Petros both returned to Zeth to defend the claim of their cousin, Marcellus of House Zetar, to the Imperial throne. Neptaris recognized the advantage and immediately attacked and took Fort Speculium. From that base, they continued to make gains into Cambrecian territory. When the Second Succession Wars ended in 1127 NC with Octavius Augustus of House Zetar as the victor, the newly appointed Pontifex of Zelos (Petros had died in battle) was not interested in expanding his influence into Neptaris. He encouraged the King to sign the Treaty of Speculium in 1128 NC, which granted Neptaris independence and returned the lands that they had taken to Cambrecia. Neptaris had finally won its freedom from Cambrecia.

Peace and Reconciliation (1128 to 1303 NC)

The War of Two Masts (1303 to 1378 NC)

The Fall of Imperial Cambrecia (1378 to 1480 NC)

The Koramian Heresy (1481 to 1500 NC)

The Holy See of Cambrecia (1501 to 1650 NC)

The Nobles' Rebellion (1651 to 1759 NC)

The Third Cambrecian War (1759 to 1780 NC)

The Rise of the Guilds (1780 to 1891 NC)

The Fourth Cambrecian War (1891 to 1942 NC)

Koramia and the Greysword (1942 to 1961 NC)

The Great War and Neptaris

The Crimson Plague

The Time of Blood

The Restoration

Neptaris Today