The Arcanvale Revolt

## Summary

The Arcanvale Revolt was a violent revolt from the city of Arcanvale, led by Lord Jorai Kopin against the creation of the new kingdom of The Vale. The revolt had started in 15 BC and lasted until 11 BC, just one year before the War of Unification.

## Justification for the Revolt

When the kingdom of The Westernlands had given the eastern peninsula to King Aleja, the leaders of Arcanvale and Violetwich were understandably upset. The leaders of these cities were cut deals with the leaders of the banking kingdom, which gave them access to enough gold to fill their own treasuries without being taxed. However, when the peninsula was sold, these deals seemingly were off. They went from not being taxed, enjoying a huge tax break, to now being taxed on the very thing their cities knew how to do, make art. Thus, Jorai Kopin, leader of the revolt, a mere 2 months after the Vale was created, essentially wanted to start a coup.

## Battles in the Revolt

Jorai Kopin was a ruthless tactician, a masterful strategist, and the ruler of Arcanvale. The first of his targets and the first of the revolt, was the settlers traveling the roads between his city and the newly established capitol of The Vale, Soolin. Jorai, led his troops into the forests at the border of the kingdom, and attacked them, leaving almost no one alive, except for a few stragglers. King Aleja caught wind of this attack and promptly declared war on the rebels of his kingdom. A lot of the revolt was small battles back and forth, but there are three main battles.

The first battle, one fought on the outskirts of Violetwich, was dubbed "The Night of Crystal." The rebels set up a barricade in between the city and the road leading to the capitol. Once anyone had gotten close, they were torn to shreds by a crystal cannon, one of the inventions of Jorai. One of the new recruits in the army of The Vale, Arthur Redvein, was witness to this carnage, and single handedly snuck around the barricade in the middle of the night, and destroyed the cannon, allowing the army of The Vale to fight back at their full intensity.

The second battle, fought in the woods near Soolin, was a horrible sight to see. King Aleja himself was witness to the actions of his people. In the forests were camps of rebels, hiding from the army. They were planning an attack on the capitol in the morning and had gone to sleep under the guise that no one would find them. The army caught wind of some of the locations, and the king himself, led a platoon of soldiers into the woods and massacred them while they slept. If Jorai Kopin didn't have a reason why they were fighting the new kingdom, now they did.

The last battle and the most important, was the, "Battle of Soolin." It was the last battle of the war. The capital of Soolin became under siege for more than 6 months, leading to some of the civilians to starve. Arthur Redvein, a now Lieutenant in the army, led the charge when the rebels eventually invaded the city. The fighting lasted for more than 13 hours. Ground was lost and regained on both sides, until eventually, Jorai Kopin, found himself inside The Lake Castle. It is unknown what transpired when he had arrived, but it is known that the Indolent Bishop had something to do with it. When the rebel leader emerged from the castle, he called for his troops to end the fighting. Thus the war had finally come to a close.

## Aftermath of Rebellion

After the rebellion had ended, life for The Vale had picked up. The people of the kingdom, with the leadership of King Aleja, had finally seen a lasting peace. The King and the Indolent Bishop showed mercy to the leaders of the revolt. They were allowed to go back to their home and lead their people, and the only thing they wanted in return, was their word. That they would never rise up against the people of th eland again.