Kindred Rebellion

The **Kindred Rebellion**  (6Y 71-6Y 316) began as a result of the declining mental state of Kroyek. Plagued by the lack of economic and strategic gains of the War of the Ancestral Grudge and growing ever fearful of Lavaria’s expansion, Kroyek had attempted to strengthen his control over the Freeholds by abolishing the Wardens and centralizing the retinues under a single Iron Banner. While many accepted this change, many still wished to return to the previous system as they identified more with their perspective holdings than the centralized government. One, in particular, Lord LilPUDGEdaBEAST, managed to rally support for a rebellion against Kroyek.

## The Road to War

Dissent within the Iron Freeholds sprouted following the dissolution of the Wardens and the consolidation of power under the Iron Banner with the crowning of the King Under the Mountain. The results of the War of the Ancestral Grudge left great unease to the sitting King, and in his spiraling madness, he sought isolationism and consolidation but at the cost of the once-coveted liberty of self-rule left exclusively to each hold.

One lord, in particular, would be pivotal in the rallying of support to end the reign of Kroyek. Lord LilPUDGEdaBEAST of Blackstone soon voiced his concerns publicly. His dissent forced him to flee the city wherein he sought to gain the favor and support of his fellow Stoneborn countrymen. Ironhold, commanded by TheDustWizard, would side with the fledgling Lord. LilPUDGEdaBEAST sought sanctuary at Pigeon’s Rest where he began rallying an army to combat the King Under the Mountain.

## Battle of Pigeon's Rest

### Result

Rebellion Victory

The **Battle of Pigeon’s Rest**  (6Y 131-6Y 134) was the first battle of the Kindred Rebellion. Fleeing the city of Blackstone, LilPUDGEdaBEAST took refuge at Pigeon’s Rest just east of Lake Pigeon. It would be at this tomb that the Throng of the Iron Banner would clash with the rebels in an effort to extinguish the rebellion before it could rally more support.

### Setting the Stage

The King Under the Mountain, Kroyek, rallied the Throng to vanquish LilPUDGEdaBEAST’s forces before he could gain enough support to march on Blackstone. On 6Y 131, with the cover of darkness, the Throng approached the encampment through the forest south of Lake Pigeon. They would quickly learn of the resolve of their rebelling kin who fought with great ferocity. It would be a hard-fought battle, with heavy casualties and loss of gear for the Iron Banner. For three days the Throng waged siege against the encampment. Alas, on the third day Kroyek called the horns of retreat and pulled back the Throng behind the safety of Blackstone. Victorious, LilPUDGEdaBEAST’s renown strengthened and the support for his cause grew in number. Pigeon’s Rest, a monument symbolic of rebellion, would serve as a beacon to all Stoneborn kin who grow weary of the subjugation of Kroyek.

### The Throng's Blight

The army of Kroyek suffered many issues during the Battle of Pigeon’s Rest. Namely, the Throng lacked the discipline and patience needed to succeed in an armed conflict. Many of the bannermen refused to obey simple orders and commands or grew too impatient to wait for reinforcements. This blunder can be attributed to the high casualty rate which also caused great chaos on the battlefield.

Furthermore, the choice to attack the encampment at night proved to be a great miscalculation of resources as the army was ill-equipped to properly defend themselves from large swarms of mobs while also having to simultaneously defend themselves from a barrage of arrow fire.

## Siege of Blackstone

### Result

Rebellion Pyrrhic Victory

The **Siege of Blackstone**  (6Y 310-6Y 316) was the final battle of the Kindred Rebellion. Having struck a great blow to the Throng, LilPUDGEdaBEAST, emboldened by the victory, rallied his forces for a final push on Blackstone. This final push, while costly, would prove the decisive victory LilPUDGEdaBEAST would need to secure the throne of Blackstone.

### Breaching the Black Gate

Blackstone proved to be a strategic nightmare for the attacking forces. A section of the large gate stood before them, surrounded on both sides by large impassable mountains. This would create an almost perfect funnel, which the defending forces used to their advantage. The rebels attacked in coordinated waves and many were killed attempting to breach the Black Gate by Blackstone marksman. When they finally did breach the gate, the charges left a large hole that proved difficult to pass through.

### A Stout Defense

Once the siege party broke through the first line of defenses they pushed their way to the inner workings of the fortress. They cleared the Black Gate from all remaining defenders (the defenders at this point were called back to the inner walls) and pushed into Evorsio1's mine where they would establish a forward operating base.

From here they would launch countless waves to breach the inner wall and gain a foothold. It was at this point that the siege party received the bulk of their casualties. While the gate was breached, the defender's foothold was simply too strong. It would take additional strategies for the attackers to gain ground.

### Will\_Sir's Espionage

*"The Siege of Blackstone, a memorable battle. I participated as mercenary, working espionage for the rebellion. Twas I who snuck into the iron banner's sleeping corners.  Observing and watching, whence I made my move I had been caught by King under the Mountains himself. Objective complete, I took refuge outside the window."* - **Will\_Sir**

Although the day of the espionage is not known, what is known is the effectiveness of the attack. The Rebellion had dispatched Will\_Sir to conduct an espionage operation in an attempt to destroy the bed room of the defenders. His objective was met with near success as he was able to sneak into the towers of Blackstone and break the beds. Evorsio1 was slain and was unable to respawn due to the loss of beds, thus losing all effectiveness as a defender. As for the remaining defenders, they were luckily alerted and were able to kill Will\_Sir and regain control over their bed spawns.

This, however, gave the siege party the opportunity they needed to push through the inner walls and begin their assault on the keep. While the Throng of Kroyek rushed to regain their spawn beds, the attackers pushed through forcing Kroyek and his men to make a last stand at the keep.

### The Duel

There would be no last stand, however, as the leader of the rebels, LilPUGEdaBEAST, in order to hopefully end the entire conflict, called upon Kroyek at the foot of Blackstone and challenged him to a fight to the death. As a man of honor, Kroyek accepted the duel. The two fought viciously, with all their forces looking on in awe. With a final blow, LilPUDGEdaBEAST ended the war, killing Kroyek and ending his reign over the Iron Banner.

### CFunk's Memoir

*“It really is inspirational that an army who were unfathomably slaughtered throughout 5 days somehow managed to pull through, against literally all odds, to secure a victory. This is a battle that will be sung for a lifetime to showcase the importance of plot armor.”* - **CFunk**

The odds during the Siege were in the defender's favor. So why then did Kroyek, King Under the Mountain, decide to test his fate and accept a duel with LilPUDGEdaBEAST? Kroyek, though stricken with madness, was not without his sense of honor. The chance to spare the lives of his men, even while faced with certain victory, seemed all too surreal to the dwarf and so he accepted.

## Aftermath

Following the death of Kroyek, the Kindred Rebellion came to an end. The legacy of the civil war ended the Iron Banner and reestablished the Iron Freeholds, naming Blackstone as its capital. In doing so, the Wardens were reestablished and their feudal armies reinstated. While bloody, the Kindred Rebellion served as a case study for many on how to properly conduct wars and coordinate supply chains.