Reyvad Civil War (June 1256 - Sept. 1256)

# Beginning

On May 15, 1256, Grand Prince Ignas Solketi died, leaving behind controversial inheritances for his sons. His eldest son, Zydrunas, inherited the ancestral lands of Dramuvas, while Gerwazy, his middle son, was given the principality. Leszek, his youngest born, simply maintained his boyardom in Oposka. The brothers were fundamentally cooperative until May 31. That morning Leszek was banished from the city upon getting in a duel with Miron Jagoda, Gerwazy's favorite, which he lost. During Ignas's funeral proceedings, his wife Laima became hysterical. Soon a violent argument broke out between Laima and her mother in law, Gierdre, cutting the funeral short. Gerwazy had his mother, whom he'd always resented, dragged away by the guards. Zydrunas, witnessing his mother being seized and hauled through the city streets, slew her captors, spiriting his mother away to their ancestral homeland of Dramuvas. Zydrunas was henceforth declared a criminal and stripped of his principality by his infuriated brother. On June 7, Zydrunas assembled his army and marched north to his brother's domain, beginning the civil war. He made progress in Pelczniki, but was held back after a minor defeat at Zamecz. In the meantime, Leszek, back in his domain, stormed the rebelling castle town of Staritsa and successfully captured it. In the third week of June, Zydrunas sent a contingent east to capture the lucrative silver mines of Ulburszy. Pan Azuolas, his lieutenant, surpassed Zydrunas' expectations by securing the whole of Ulburszy to his side and negotiating a peace with Wolodskie.

On the beginning of July, the stalemate at Pelczniki was broken. Zydrunas advanced north, while Gerwazy moved out of his dysentery-ridden camp, leaving 500 soldiers behind. After a minor victory at the Czarna River, Zydrunas decisively defeated Gerwazy at Waclaw, expelling him from Pelczniki. However Zydrunas' campaign soon ground to a halt as Pelczniki refused to surrender. For most of the month it rained profusely and sporadic thunderstorms struck Reyvadin and Pelczniki. After the third week, however, Zydrunas ingeniously managed to flood Pelczniki by diverting the river's course, causing a devastating deluge to damage the city. Meanwhile Leszek joined the war, marching against Gerwazy from the west. During this Gerwazy hastily assembled an army of townspeople and local mercenaries. After four weeks, Pelczniki surrendered.

## Visela Campaign

It was in August that Gerwazy truly realized the danger of his situation. He delegated further responsibilities to his councilors and commanders, chiefly the Prince's trusted friend Miron Jagoda and the city's Mayor, Anton. The two promptly understood the need for a new host to be raised. Given the means to do so, the city's burghers and lower classes were mobilized into a massive 5,000 strong host. With the advantage of numbers again on his side, Gerwazy set off on a campaign to defend the fragile townships and forts of the Visela's southern bank from Zydrunas's incoming offensive. Unfortunately for the Grand Prince, Zydrunas's offensive was already in full swing, and the foragers of the two armies ran into eachother. The battle lines were made along the river's floodplain on August 8th, a ruined donjon the only distinguishing mark of the field they fought over. What followed was the bloodiest battle of the war. Miron's new urban army fought desperately beyond their capabilities, and the duelist himself was no less determined. He held the left flank for most of the battle against continued Dramish sorties. In the center the Constable, Przemek, was prevented from supporting either the Prince's Druzhina on the right or Lord Miron on the left, constantly assaulted by Drams and mercenaries both. The few Sargothian mercenaries in the employ of Gerwazy were unable to exploit their genuine successes on the field, and lost many. Gerwazy himself was unable to capitalize on the success of his druzhina, despite repeated charges. The Drams were too hardened, Zydrunas was too experienced, and their Dhirimite mercenaries too powerful to resist. Despite heavy losses, Zydrunas's managed to scramble Gerwazy's formations and drive him from the field, inflicting heavy casualties. Miron Jagoda himself perished on the field, slain in a duel with the Dramish Prince. Gerwazy's army was driven from the southern bank entirely, and Zydrunas's offensive continued as planned.

It was not long after the Battle of Visela that Zydrunas surrounded Wiselhorod. After a siege which took up most of the month, Zydrunas captured Wiselhorod after the defenders preformed a botched sally. Meanwhile, Leszek advanced south to Zydowno and there he defeated Walenty and Bartek. While the former would eventually be impaled on Leszek's orders, the latter led a Kerrylist uprising which took the capital by storm. On August 25, 1256, the Kerrylists under Bartek, fighting for a pretender masquerading as Kerryl, captured the city of Reyvadin and put their claimant on the throne. That very night, Gerwazy was killed whilst attempting to escape the dungeons. In the meantime, thousands of peasants amassed under the leadership of Miliwoj to drive out the Dramish princes and to restore the Reyvad monarchy. This came to culminate at the Battle of Slaswiec, a military disaster which resulted in a decisive Kerrylist defeat. Dramish infantrymen broke through the solid line of Pelczniki veterans and began reaping havoc in the soft core of peasants behind them. This caused the peasants to push forward in a panic, driving the experienced Reyvad infantry out of their well defended forest chokepoint and into open plains, where they were soon enveloped and slaughtered. With most peasants either slain or having abandoned the cause, Bartek and his veteran druzhina prepared to put up a stand against the brothers at Lodzow. The battle ended as a Solketist victory, finalizing the brother's dominion over the principality. That very day Reyvadin surrendered on the orders of Mayor Anton.

## Turmoil once again

The months between September and February were a trying period for Reyvadin, despite the brothers' best efforts, Reyvadin never came close to recovering from the war. It remained in a constant state of debt. poverty, and unrest; leading to their untimely assassination. Their assassination on February 7, 1257 sent shockwaves throughout all of Makersdom. The Reyvad Sejm chose to reject Solketi rule, instead electing the elderly and infirm Mieszko Gorski as their Grand Prince. Dramuvas split from Reyvadin, becoming a sovereign realm deeply tied to Dhirim. Oposka also split, becoming a vassal realm of the Tsardom.

The great Summit of Reyvadin was held on February 18, being attended by Tsar Krasimir, Count Henri de Nivaut, Mayor Anton, Tomas Solketi, Ada of Oposka, among others. Ultimately a new course of action was decided in that meeting - with the backing of Curaw, Dhirim, and Dramuvas, Mayor Anton would propose an offer to the Sejm, that they recognize the ten year old Viktoras Solketi as their rightful grand prince, with the looming threat of foreign invasions from north and south.