Cellian Civil War

## **Summary**

The Cellian Empire's relative stability rapidly deteriorated into a civil war, with much territory in Daria and Kavees lost.

## **Fragile Peace**

The Cellian Empire's quality of life had risen rapidly in the last century, propelled by international trade, adoption of iron, new technologies imported from the Caugos Confederacy, and internal peace. Average wealth rose to nearly 180 gold pieces per adult head, with famine and poverty absent from major economic centers. However, the lands of Kavees and Papiska faced a declining population as wars and disease forced many to emigrate to the more densely populated callian rise. This internal migration meant that many of the western cities of the empire had multiplied in size.

### New Empai

Empai Dondorius Rafil III took the throne in 1930 and was faced with a difficult situation. Previous wars against Redoga, the Iron League, and domestic Loros trying to strengthen local power meant the Empai could not keep the empire's milliles everywhere. The inexperienced Dondorius placed more and more power in his advisors to keep the empire together while he would focus on domestic issues within Werex and containing piracy from the City of Darnos.
The confidence of his advisors would continue to wane through the first five years. The Empai spent much of his time on pleasure cruises to Papiska, or watching chariot races or gladiators. He also became fascinated with history, particularly the The Fall of Morata. This culminated in him returning to his millile-leaders and demanding control of the army back so that he could embark on an expedition to Morata where he would wage war against the Caugos Confederacy and Alyoza to incorporate Morata and Osiria into the empire as a new provinces.

## **Gorn's Coup**

A plan was hatched by several of the Empai's advisors to kill him in 1935 and take over control of the empire from the Rafil court. The main ring-leaders were Gorn Betalium, commander of the army, and Vellos Amari, spymaster and diplomat of the empire. The plan put in place was for the Empai to visit a Nolariaball tournament in an Alfar community inside Werex Bankasorabeau's Cathedral of the Sun. Vellos arranged for the Empai's tokai bodyguards to play in the tournament. A number of Ashanzu dressed as Iridians attacked the empai but failed to kill him, forcing Donorius to order his soldiers to murder the Empai, his wife Laura Rafil, and the Tokai guards. Many of the Alfar present were forced into exile to prevent news from spreading, although rumours would ultimately make it beyond the Cathedral.

### Consolidating Power

Gorn Betalium declared himself the Empai and set about ensuring loyalty from his subjects. Doga Arcel Malae of Daria was arrested and ordered to surrender control of all of his soldiers and ships. A similar demand was made of Doga Dorian Haurim of the Callian Rise, who refused.

To reinforce in anticipation of a possible power-struggle, Gorn ordered the Crimson Sails to plunder and subjugate the human city-state of Darnor that was a source of piracy. With its elimination, Gorn ordered the Crimson Sails to disband and re-routed the sailors into new milliles in Werex Bankasorabeau. A subset of the Crimson Sail instead went rogue and became pirates themselves.

## Splinter Zarodoms

A number of other dogas saw the refusal of Dorian Haurim, and the empire began to rapidly lose land. With the empire's armies all being moved around in a short manner of time, there was desertion of soldiers and evacuations of border towns.

### Zarodom of Rafil

Dorian Haurim proclaimed that he fought for the restoration of court Rafil. A large number of Cellian deserters supported his challenge, and he was in possession of a handful of milliles to resist the Empai. By the time Gorn's forces had marched up to the Callian Rise, they were met by a formidable defending force. After several months of evading the Cellians, Dorian and Gorn met in battle outside the town of Mimin copaterra. The battle was a decisive victory for Dorian, but further reinforcements from the colonies meant that he was unable to take Werex Bankasorabeau. By the year 1940, Dorian and Gorn agreed to peace whereby Dorian would rule the land he held as Zarod Dorian Haurim I, and he named his zarodom the Zarodom of Rafil.

### Zarodom of Ijhier

With his father Doga Arcel Malae of Daria imprisoned by the new Empai, Alexales pondered whether to accept the order to return his milliles to Arcellus and arrest the deserting Crimson Sails, or to raise a rebellion. Faced with an increasingly aggressive Caugos Confederacy, Alexales ultimately decided to declare independence and named his zarodom the Zarodom of Ijhier.

### Zarodom of Kavees

With the Empai recalling his forces from Kavees, the border regions were left undefended and Vasten raiders quickly made the area inhospitable. Local militias in the south around Vitro Auq were able to eventually stabilize but not before the region saw massive depopulation as refugees left for safer parts of the world. A local loro re-created a join Arcva-Ashanzu court of Kavees, and proclaimed the Zarodom of Kavees in 1945. Control over the northern parts of Kavees was nominally regained only through agreements with the local Vasten warlords.