Antiporosian Civil War

**The Antiporosian Civil War** was a conflict fought in the kingdom of Antipoross from 17033 to 17035, between Loyalists to the legitimate Queen, Athetta, and supporters of a Southedian pretender, Terrenis Ullertrim.

## Background

In 17033, the King of Antipoross, Hectras I, died of a heart attack without having named an heir. His niece, nineteen-year-old Athetta of Poross, was the next in line for the throne by Antiporosian law, however many did not like the idea of a teenage woman as monarch. Seeing the unrest in the country, Terrenis Ullertrim of Dagerton, a noble and governor from bordering Southedia, claimed the throne under the pretense that he was, in fact, a distant relative of Hectras. Many people in Antipoross were quick to suspend disbelief of his being a distant relative of the king in order to have a noble, male King. Others were opposed to a foreign noble taking over the country, and remained loyal to the newly crowned Queen. Fighting broke out when Terrenis marched over the border with his personal militia, and the Loyalist army met them in battle.

## Battle of the Falton River

*Main article: Battle of the Falton River*

Athetta's army of 20,000 men moved quickly to stop Ullertrim's militia from seizing any land. Terrenis had entered Antipoross with over 17,000 troops, mainly Southedian soldiers and mercenaries. However, before the battle began, over 6,800 citizens of Antipoross who were not loyal to the Queen, joined Terrenis' army, unbeknownst to the Antiporosians, led by general Potracas Turamba. Turamba marched straight toward the pretender's army, meeting them in direct open battle, with the west bank of the Falton River to the east of both armies. Since the number of Ullertrim's men was vastly underestimated, Turamba attacked Ullertrim aggressively without knowing the full extent of the enemy. The lines crashed into each other at noon, the summer sun making combat exhausting. Within two hours, Terrenis and his supporters had pushed through Turamba's center, splitting his army. His left flank was pushed against the river and surrounded. With no escape route, many soldiers were pushed into the water and drowned. What remained of the Antiporosian army fled, losing about half of their entire army. The Queen and her Loyalists were shocked, expecting easy victory. The pretender's army continued its march toward Antipoross, no Loyalists putting up resistance. When news of the battle reached Athalea, the city declared it was no longer loyal to the Queen and would support Ullertrim. This was in part caused by widespread discontent at the Royal Family's rule, as they had imposed tariffs on Athalean and Espiralian trade to fund the war effort. Athalean forces sailed to Caddock Harbor, another Antiporosian colony, and captured the city with little resistance.

## Siege of Antipoross

Meanwhile, Terrenis' army continued toward the capital of Antipoross, picking up thousands of supporters eager to fight against the Queen on his way. When his army finally reached Antipoross, it numbered over 26,000, much larger than any army the Loyalists could muster at the time. Ullertrim also sent 5,000 men to secure the entire coastline of the kingdom under his rule. Before the pretender could lay siege to the city's walls, however, the Queen and her court fled to Poross. Ullertrim besieged Antipoross for nearly a year, before the city ran out of resources and capitulated in late 17034. Terrenis and his men then sacked the city, taking almost anything of value still left in its walls. This act made much of the mainland wary of making Terrenis monarch. As Ullertrim marched south, the Loyalists had gathered a large army, only bolstered by the sack of Antipoross.

## Battle of Poross

*Main article: Battle of Poross*

As Terrenis' entire army came closer and closer to Poross, the last loyalist stronghold, the Loyalists prepared for a final stand. They would send their poorly-trained army of 18,000 to the farmlands north of the city gates to hold off the pretender's army, and withdrew 2,000 more experienced soldiers as well as as many supplies as possible inside the walls to prepare for a siege. When Terrenis finally reached the city in 17035 with 25,000 experienced men, both sides were expecting a Loyalist defeat. Many assumed they were correct when the battle began, the Loyalists almost immediately being pushed back all the way to the city walls. However, as the Loyalist militias were being crushed, Terrenis became too eager and rode near the front lines to encourage his men. When the Loyalist army was almost spent, a stray arrow hit Terrenis in the neck, between the plates of his armor. When the Southedians and mercenaries learned of this, they withdrew from the battle, having no reason to stay and help usurp a Queen from a foreign land. Now, the remaining Antiporosian opposition, now less than 7,000 men, was left alone against the entire kingdom of Antipoross. The 2,000 soldiers and many peasants stormed out of the gates, pushing back the opposition. The rebels were forced to surrender, having no pretender to support. After the battle, every single man who fought against the Queen in the battle was ordered to be executed for treason. The Loyalist army brutally beheaded every last rebel, then burned all the bodies in a mass grave. The head of Terrenis Ullertrim was set upon a spike and displayed in the streets of Antipoross to cheering crowns.

## Aftermath

*Main article: Athalean War of Independence*

After Ullertrim was vanquished in the Battle of Poross, the people of Athalea decided not to swear loyalty to the Queen, declaring that they were an independent Empire of Athalea. The Queen declared that all Athaleans were guilty of treason and that it was rightfully Antiporosian. This began the Athalean War of Independence, which resulted in a resounding Antiporosian Loyalist defeat. In 17036, 14,000 Antiporosians sailed to Athalea, vastly outnumbering the Athalean forces. However, the Athaleans managed to achieve a decisive victory due to superior military strategy in the Battle of the Red Fields, and another in the sea off of Thelsod in the Battle of Thelsod. After the War of Independence, Antipoross lost its colonies of Caddock Harbor and Espiral. Shortly after the Treaty of Thelsod in 17038, the Queen was deposed by members of the Antiporosian military, crowning General Yohanas Capras as the new King.