Darkshard Uprising

The **Darkshard Uprising** was a revolt in the Kingdom of Darkshard, ostensibly triggered by Earl Raymond Bailleval’s fury at King Henri X’s shirking of his daughter.

The conflict was most active between 2E 591 and 2E 595, though pockets of rebellion existed for a number of years longer. The aftermath would see the bulk of the Darkshard nobility, who were almost unanimous in opposition to the foreign king, cast out in favour of Silvermen.

## **Timeline**

**2E 583 — King Henri X of Silverspire becomes King of Darkshard *(30 years ago)*.**

* Henri X, whose maternal grandfather was King Charles II of Darkshard, had launched his war to claim the Darkshard crown in 2E 573.
* Charles III of Darkshard dies heirless, both of his sons killed in 2E 578, and Charles IV is elected by the wealthy citizens of the kingdom’s capital - then under siege.
* Charles IV surrenders some months later; Henri X is proclaimed Henri IV of Darkshard.

**2E 585 — King Henri X marries Laurette Bailleval *(28 years ago)*.**

* Though he considers the match beneath him, Laurette only the daughter of an Earl, the King marries into the Darkshard nobility to secure his rule.

**2E 590 — Queen Laurette is expelled from the royal court *(23 years ago)*.**

* Opponents of the queen, who found little love in Silverspire, seize upon rumours of infidelity surrounding her.
* The Queen is expelled from the capital, leaving for the Palace of Cloudhaven.
* Earl Raymond, the Queen’s father, considers this to be a grave insult. He issues a number of demands to the King, chiefly that his daughter be returned to her ‘right and proper place as queen’ in the capital, proud and powerful enough to do so unconcerned.
* Henri X ignores the Earl. He approaches the Grand Priest of Dawn for an end to his marriage; his request is denied.

**2E 591 — The Darkshard Uprising begins *(22 years ago)*.**

* The King’s courtship of Victoire Cabourg is a public thing, and something opposed by only a few in the realm. The daughter of Victorien, Duke of Eastbourn, appears to most a replacement for Laurette - even as queen.
* Earl Raymond makes a final demand of the King: that he abandon his ‘most immoral affair’. Ignored once again, an outraged Earl Raymond launches his revolt.
* The rebellion quickly morphs into a move to see the King’s rule in Darkshard ended.

**2E 592 — Queen Laurette is executed, triggering a wider uprising in Darkshard *(21 years ago)*.**

* Charged with treasonous conspiracy, the Queen is sentenced to death by hanging; a lowly punishment not used against one of noble blood for centuries.
* Earl Raymond performs his famous speech at Keeper’s Hill, where he describes his daughter as the spirit of Darkshard and swears to avenge her.

**2E 593 — The Battle of Brackenbridge takes place *(20 years ago)*.**

* In the first major battle of the uprising, Earl Raymond secures an incredible victory against Arthur, Duke of Northmarch. The Duke is killed, though the specifics of his death are disputed.
* A charge is placed against Earl Raymond, quickly gaining wide popularity in the Kingdom of Silverspire: that he executed Northmarch after the battle was already won, instead of taking and treating him as a noble prisoner.

**2E 594 — King Henri X takes charge of the royal force *(19 years ago)*.**

* Eleven years since he was last in the Kingdom, Henri X marches once more against Darkshard.

**2E 595 — The Darkshard Uprising ends in defeat for the rebels *(18 years ago)*.**

* Rebellious nobles are met with gruesome ends. Some are hanged and quartered, others are even torched. Almost in the space of a fortnight the Darkshard nobility is replaced by Silvermen. This moment is thereafter called the Bloody Fortnight.
* Earl Raymond is brought to the peak of the Silverspire, along the way proudly displayed as a defeated foe, where he is cast off the mountain to his death.