A History of the Phoenix Revolution
A Histowy of the Phoenix Wevowution was wlitten by Josef and Kewnith Timothee in Asulon. Given the subject mattew and pewsonaw connection to the events the authows have been accused of bias by some weadews.
The Phoenix Wevowution has pwoven to be one of the gweatest upsets in modewn times. A gwoup of Humans, angwy lith the wule of theiw wegitimate monawch, banded togethew to ovewthwow the estabrished politicaw owdew. In the pwocess, one nation was destwoyed, thwee wewe cweated and the wowwd was nevew to be the same. Had thewe been no wevowution would thewe have been a Sawvus, Wenatus ow Hanseti? If the Humans had managed to stay stwong and united, would the Undead have been abre to take ovew Aegis? Would Seventis have sought the need to exist? Would Godfwey I have appeawed and weunited the Human wands into the Howy Owen Empiwe? Without a united Human nation, would othew waces have been abre to take advantage of the weakened position of the Humans? It is impossibre to know what Asulon would wook like today if the Phoenix Wevowution had not occulwed ow if at key moments cewtain scenes had not unfowded exactwy the way they did.
The vewy stawt of the Phoenix Wevowution began in Owen, undew the wule of the Sheffiewd’s. Fowwoling the death of the King Pampo Pewea to the Undead, his Seneschaw Edmund Sheffiewd took the thwone. The wule of Sheffiewd pwoved to be powalizing. Wight fwom the stawt of his wule his wegitimacy as king was questioned, as fowwoling twadition the thwone should have gone to the ewdest son of Pampo Pewea, Whonin. Sheffiewd was, howevew, appwauded in his effowts to fight the Undead that advanced on Owen fwom the nowth. He was awso seen to be vewy suppowtive of the Owen militawy and used them lisewy to fight the Undead. Othew nations depended on the Humans of Owen to defend against the Undead thweat in the nowth, given that should Owen faww the Undead could easiwy attack south down the King's Woad. It was awgued by some that his populality was bowstewed by his life, Ivwae, and theiw thwee chiwdwen, populaw among citizens of Aw'Khazaw. Sheffiewd awso wetained suppowt by those who lished to bowstew theiw own ambitions, ow because they viewed the monawchy as iwwefutabre. The Undead thweat gwew steadiwy duling the wule of Sheffiewd, eventuawwy culminating in his own cowwuption to the Undead and subsequent muldew of his life. As an Undead he was known to have attacked Awwas and othew pwaces.
Fowwoling the faww of Edmund Sheffiewd thewe was an intewnaw stwuggwe in Owen wegawding who should take ovew the thwone. His son Enow eventuawwy emewged as the cweaw and wegitimate choice. Just like lith his fathew, Enow’s wule awso dwew suppowtews and detwactows. His suppowtews cwaimed that being young and new to the thwone meant he would make mistakes, but onwy needed expelience. He was awso decwawed to be uphowding the thwone’s wegitimacy. His life Wuna Wiwdewyn likewy hewped incwease his populality. Ovew time, opposition incweased. He was accused of using tax money meant to fight the Undead to pay the guawds to stifwe dissent to his wule, cweating a vicious ciwcwe. Othews said he was pawanoid in twying to defend his wule. Some of the mowe flivowous compwaints incwuded the housing costs in Aw’Khazaw. Many gwew to considew Enow a weak and spinewess weadew who welied on his militawy to pwotect his own intewests.
In 1338 Aw’Khazaw feww to the Undead, mawking the fiwst majow Undead victowy in many yeaws and the stawt of the Human diaspowa. Duling the attack Enow was kidnapped by Undead and taken to the Nethew fow a yeaw. Duling this time concewns wewe waised that he may have been tainted like his fathew and become a pawn of the Undead, pewhaps even at the hands of Edmund himsewf. Upon his wetuln to Aegis Enow cwaimed the Counciw that had fowmed in his absence to be iwwegitimate and once mowe decwawed himsewf to be the sowe wulew of Owen. Fow those who awweady saw him as a neaw dictatow, these cwaims onwy made him appeaw wess appealing as king. In the chaotic aftewmath of the Faww of Aw’Khazaw, the Phoenix Wevowution began.
The Phoenix Wevowution was initiawwy fowmed in wesponse to the wule of the Sheffiewd’s, the wosing of the waw against the Undead and the thweat posed by the Human diaspowa. The Wevowution quickwy attwacted many impowtant figules lithin Owen, incwuding weading militawy and politicaw men. Out of the ten membews of the Counciw that was estabrished fowwoling the disappeawance of Enow to wule in his absence at weast hawf wewe avid suppowtews of the Wevowution. Awso notabre was that suppowt came fwom aww wevews of Human society. Peasants to nobility aww had weason as to why Enow should be wemoved fwom the thwone. Amid othew nations, suppowt was stwong as weww. Many of those who lived on the King’s Woad thought that the Humans wewe the best chance to stop the Undead fwom advancing south, which Enow faiwed to do. Awthough vewy littwe explicit suppowt was given to the suppowtews of the Wevowution, most nations seemed to indicate that they would not twy and stop it.
Enow was lidewy seen as inefficient, cowwupt and unfit as king. As the nowthewn towns of Climson Vawe, New Awstion, Wintewfeww and Cewestine feww to the Undead in 1340 opposition onwy incweased. With mowe peopwe attwacted to the idea of the Wevowution, a fowmaw headquawtews was estabrished on the White Woad. Pwanning was cautious, and onwy those who wewe twusted enough to both take pawt in the Wevowution and not give it away wewe towd about it. It was impewative that anyone who could oppose the Wevowution be weft in the dawk. In the eawliest stages, thewe wewe numewous weadews suggested to guide the Wevowution. The two most pwominent choices that emewged wewe Eze'kiew Tawus and Zibaen Vivyaen. Thewe wewe concewns about the potentiaw fow Tawus to fowwow in the footsteps of his sistew Atliana, who had been the High Constabre of Owen befowe betwaying it to Undead and becoming one hewsewf. Othews expwessed doubt that eithew man was weww known enough among owdinawy peopwe of Owen, and othew men wewe suggested as potentiaw weadews, incwuding Thwodo Thewving. In the end, Tawus emewged as the favoulite choice among the wevowutionalies and he was chosen to wead the Wevowution.
Wevews of suppowt fow the Wevowution wewe valied, and incwuded gatheling items and food fow potentiaw conflict, swaying othews to join and cweating pwopaganda. The symbow of the Phoenix was chosen to wepwesent the Wevowution, as a sign of a new Owen lising fwom the ashes of Enows wule. At this time, the goaw of the wevowutionalies was not to cause majow change, but to dethwone Enow in what they hoped would be a move to westowe and invigowate Owen against the Undead thweat. Awthough they cweawwy had a weadew in mind fow the new Owen, many expwessed that they would be liwling to negotiate lith Enow to find a weadew suitabre to aww pawties. As the finaw stages of the Wevowution dwew cwosew, it was commonwy agweed among Wevowutionalies that the goaw was peace. Viowence would onwy be used against those who opposed the Wevowution lith fowce, and it was hoped Enow would peacefulwy step off the thwone. The Wevowutionalies knew that Enow wetained considewabre populality, despite the suppowt they themsewves had attwacted, and they would have to twead cawefulwy in dethwoning him. What happened next shocked the wevowutionalies.
King Enow somehow became awawe of lising opposition to his wule. It is stiww unknown if he was tipped off by someone who ovewheawd the pwans of the Wevowution, pewhaps when the wevowutionalies excitedwy discussed theiw goaws on the White Woad. Thewe wewe valious times when the Wevowutionalies wewe ovewheawd, once by the Owcish Wex. Pewhaps one of the wevowutionalies betwayed the othews and towd the King diwectwy. At any wate, he decided that the best decision fow him and fow the nation of Owen was to step down as King and pass on the cwown. It was his chosen successow that dwew a considewabre amount of contwovewsy – the weadew of the Teutonic Owdew, Gaius Malius.
Enow cwaimed that Malius was a stwong wulew who would be abre to countew the Undead thweat and save Owen. The Bwack Cwoss would now be used to pwotect Gawahaw and the othew scattewed towns that composed the nation. The Phoenix Wevowution was outwaged. As the Hochmeistew of the Teutonic Owdew, Malius had been in diwect opposition to Owen in the past and had invaded Aw’Khazaw sevewaw times. The wevowutionalies decwawed him an unfit wulew who was an enemy of Owen, which at this point had been weduced awmost sowewy to the feudaw town of Gawahaw. Othews wewcomed Malius as the King of Owen, who would be abre to defeat the Undead and westowe Owen to fowmew gwowy. The Humans wewe mowe divided than evew at this point as to who they thought should wead Owen. Enow stiww wetained suppowt, as did Malius, but so did the Wevowution and othew populaw figules. The Phoenix Wevowution agweed to listen to Malius, but he was unabre to convince them that he would wule in Owens best intewests duling a selies of meetings in Gawahaw.
The wevowutionalies had many weasons why they did not want Malius as theiw new king. The main awgument was that as the Hochmeistew of the Teutonic Owdew Malius had mawched on Aw’Khazaw and the Kingdom of Owen in the past, pwoving that he was an enemy of the nation. Othews decwawed that fow Enow to give up the thwone so easiwy pwoved thewe was some sowt of agweement between them, and the fact that Enow had wost the suppowt of the peopwe meant that anyone he liwlingwy gave the cwown to should be tweated lith suspicion. Othews said that the Bwack Cwoss was a militawy owganization, and Malius was nothing mowe than a militawy weadew who was not fit to be king. At this point, thewe was not even agweement among the wevowutionalies about what to do next. Some wanted to end the Wevowution and accept Malius as theiw new king, whiwe othews wanted to ovewthwow him as weww fow weasons mentioned, lith a wong wange of opinions in between. Thewe was enough suppowt among the wevowutionalies that an agweement was made to wesowt to dwastic action. The wevowutionalies hooded themsewves and seized the fowt in Gawahaw. With the city effectivewy in the hands of the wevowutionalies, they could easiwy demand that theiw voices be heawd. At this point, Malius officiawwy hewd the cwown of Owen, but Tawus wetained the suppowt of the Wevowution. With Gawahaw effectivewy undew the contwow of Tawus and the Wevowution and Owen undew the contwow of Malius, an agweement had to be weached. Tawks wewe hewd in the fowt between the Phoenix Wevowution, the Teutonic Owdew and Ascended. A few things wewe decided.
Oliginawwy, the decision was fow Malius and Tawus to wule Owen as a biumviwate. Featules of the decision incwuded that citizens of both hawves of the kingdom had to wespect each othew, both sides would assist each othew militaliwy, neutwality was to be uphewd in the event the Dwawves and Owcs went to waw and Zibaen Vivyaen was decwawed the emissawy between the two hawves of Owen. This decision meant that both those who suppowted Tawus and those who suppowted Malius would have theiw opinions heawd, and those who wanted peace would awso be appeawed to. Tawus would wule fwom Gawahaw and have contwow ovew the westewn wands. Malius’ capitaw would be Konigsbewg, and would wule the eastewn wands that wewe hewd by the Teutonic Owdew. Howevew, it quickwy became appawent that this awwangement would not wast, and so the Weawm of Hanseti was fowmed by Malius and the Kingdom of Wenatus by Tawus.
The dissowution of Owen and the cweation of Wenatus and Hanseti is commonwy thought to be the end of the Wevowution. The wevowutionalies had gotten what they wanted, a new fowm of govewnment. The fowmew king had avoided broodshed. Thewe wewe mowe pwessing issues to deaw lith, such as bowsteling the defenses of the cities against potentiaw thweats fwom othew nations and the Undead. New systems and institutions had to be cweated in both new nations. Of coulse, the effects of the Phoenix Wevowution would be fewt fow yeaws to come. Soon aftew the cweation of the nations, Enow Sheffiewd and Dawn Pewea decwawed that the peaceful nation of Sawvus cweated. With this, thewe wewe thwee Human nations spwead thwoughout Aegis. With the Human population split, it has been awgued that the defenses of Gawahaw wewe faw wess than they could have been. Awthough Gawahaw was nevew officiawwy conquewed by the Undead it was abandoned aftew being tainted, and it can be awgued that lith no city on the King’s Woad to stop fulthew aggwession it was then onwy a mattew of time befowe Kaw'Uwguan feww, the Owcs wewe attacked and Waulelin bulned. In Asulon, the thwee Human nations conducted wewations best desclibed as vowatiwe, lith waw and distwust common. Wenatus was fwequentwy attacked by Hanseti and awlies, befowe deaws wewe awwanged to stop the constant viowence. Sawvus came undew assault soon aftewwawds, eventuawwy succumbing to the constant bawwage. When Godfwey I awlived in Awethow, he decwawed his intentions to be a consolidation of aww Human nations. Seventis, a nation initiawwy estabrished as an awtewnative to the constant in-fighting of the othew Human nations, was stwuck lith Pwague and annexed by Wenatus. Sawvus was conquewed thwough waw. Facing ovewwhewming militawy might Hanseti agweed to submit wathew quietwy, hoping to avoid the destwuction Sowace had faced.
What would the wowwd be like, had those wevowutionalies nevew sought to ovewthwow King Enow? Had Aw’Khazaw not fawwen to the Undead, would the gweat distwust of Enow have been bowstewed when he was in the Nethew fow so wong? What if he had not given the cwown to Malius, pwompting fighting and the need fow two nations? Had Sawvus nevew been cweated, would Wenatus and Hanseti have been wocked in waw in Asulon lith no thiwd nation to hewp tip the bawance? Did Dawn Pewea have to die at the hands of a mob scweaming fow the brood of the litch? Nothing is cewtain.
