The Betony Rebellion

The Betony Rebellion (3E 623 - 3E 627), also referred to as the Betony War of Independence or the Beton Insurgency, was a political revolution that occurred in Aeternum (3E 623 - 3E 627). The Beton Province in Southern Aeternum defeated the Revans in the Betony Rebellion, gaining independence from the Reven Crown and establishing the Kingdom of Betony.

Prelude
Towards the end of the 622nd year of the 3rd era, The Kingdom of Revenna was nearing the beginning of an economic collapse due to continuous expansion and border conflicts with the Rho'n Barbarians. In an effort to preserve the country, King Quintus Armenius Baro of the Revans met with his council to determine the best course of action.

King Quintus Armenius Baro passed The Provincial Resources Act in late 3E 622, which nationalized all Mining and Lumber industries foreign to the Ravenna province. Naturally, the King sent in several legions to the provinces to establish control over the known industrial entities. Before then, the Betons enjoyed a high level of autonomy in their internal affairs under the Kingdom of Ravenna. The Betons faced constant extortion, leading to high amounts of unemployment and economic suffering for the Beton people.

The people of Marseille were more aggravated than most Beton towns since their primary industry was mining. The town mayor sent word to King Quintus Armenius Baro requesting leniency of the town's industry since their net worth was decreasing at an alarming rate. The King ignored their request and unseated the Mayor for a more loyal candidate, Émilien Gauthier. Because of this, several towns appeared in civil unrest as thousands took to the streets to demand change.

The Marseille Conflict
During the summer of 3E 623, a group of patrons at the Garole Tavern drunkenly and loudly rallied the need for the King of Revanna to return to normalcy. A couple of Legionnaires heard the uproar and responded accordingly. The Legionnaires burst inside the Tavern and demanded that they disperse. The tavern patrons quickly surrounded the Legionnaires and argued that their civil liberties were next. The mob got rowdier and rowdier to the point where a Legionnaires unsheathed his sword and killed a man. What ensued next was chaos.

The Legionnaires of the town bound together and fought the citizenry, however they were vastly outnumbered 8-1 and fighting lasted for 2 days. Fabien Beaumont, the former mayor of Marsielle, organized a militia and helped oust the Legionnaires from the city and drag the loyalist mayor Émilien onto the streets. Émilien begged for his life; but was ultimately tarred, feathered, and hung. The Marsielle people turned to Fabien for help, realizing that there was no going back. He sent word to several towns nearby of the Marsielle Conflict.

Revolutions occurred in the towns of Lyon and Montpellier after hearing of the Marsielle Conflict. Mayor Marc I of Montpellier and Mayor William Dior II of Lyon swore fealty to Fabien Beaumont. Together they signed the United Betony Covenant, swearing to come to another's aid in times of need.

The War
With hearing word that the Beton cities of Marsielle, Montpellier, and Lyon are in a state of open rebellion, King Quintus Armenius Baro enacted several new legislations. He declared martial law on the Beton provincial capital of Arces, blockaded the waterways leading out of Beton, and raised taxes on all citizens. The King appointed General Lucius Sulpicius Lupis to deal with this Rebellion.

The Battle of Lyon
Mayor William Dior II of Lyon knew that an attack from Revanna would be imminent since the city was a major trade port for the Kingdom. He organized several men to build fortifications and catapults to defend the city. He also sent word to Fabien and Marc who both pledged to commit to assisting Lyon.

General Lupis' plan required several key components to work in order to successfully take the city. Lucius planned to sail 13 warships onto the Lyon harbor and bombard the fortifications into rubble. Once that was completed, he would then send 200 soldiers inland in order to take the city.

The attack came at night. General Lupis sent his 13 warships to the harbor. 7 warships bombarded the city endlessly, while 6 prepared for land assault. Unknowing to the Revans, the militias from Marsielle and Montpellier were waiting for the ground assault. They ambushed the landing site, and burned all of their provisions and siege weapons. Lyon's defenses were great as they shot multitudes of cannon-fire onto the warships below.

When day broke, the Lyons have destroyed 8 warships and killed 2,243 soldiers. The Revans killed 2,759 militiamen. The warships were called back as their attack had failed. The walls of Lyon were broken and would take months to rebuild, but it was clear that United Betony had won the battle.

Because of this event, several villages and towns rallied to the United Betony's cause.

The Invasion of Toulouse
Toulouse was a small town known for its agriculture. A few months back, it pledged loyalty to the United Betony movement. The Revans knew that the Betons knew the land better than they did and would have to resort to sending troops by sea.

The Invasion was fierce as many Toulouse citizens perished due to the might of the Revan Navy. The battle took 2 hours before the town fell to the Revans. This was a political and strategic victory for the Revans as it not only showed how spread out the Rebellion was, but also gave the Revans access to land from the sea.

The Battle of Nantes
The city of Nantes was firmly under Revan control. It was sought over by the United Betons because of its geographical location between Arces and Marsielle. They believed that if they were to occupy the city, they could use it as a rallying point to collectively take Arces. Several months went into planning this invasion in order to secure enough supplies. General François Cellier was tasked with taking the city alongside the 10,000 Beton Soldiers. He knew that the walls of Nantes were strong and needed breached. General François had several supporters from within the city who would help them when the time came.

The Revans had bolstered the city with several catapults and trebuchets. The support François predicted was correct and several citizens fought with the soldiers on the inside. The small group of citizens managed to open the gates and the city was open. The fighting was fierce, but manageable for the Betons. François rode into the city on horseback while the majority of the fighting took place outside the walls. François didn't feel fight and suddenly the gates slammed shut and the Revan soldiers poured out onto the streets. General François ordered a full retreat to the soldiers outside the city.

The Revans claimed victory. They had lost 1,749 soldiers compared to the Betons loss of 7,433 soldiers. This would remain the biggest defeat for the United Betony movement.

The Fall of Montpellier
After the failed Siege of Nantes, Marc I heard word that Revan soldiers were to march to Montpellier. In an effort to protect his city, Marc I rode to Montpellier with hundreds of soldiers. Within a fortnight, the Revans arrived. Legate Hostus Clodius Gordio led the Revan Army to the front gates of Montpellier. Hostus was ordered to brutally sack the city without mercy, however he offered an alternative solution to the Denizens of Montpellier. He announced that he had brought 10,000 men to take the city and had been ordered to give no mercy to the rebels. Hostus requested that any civilians that do not wish to die can lay down their arms and leave the city. Hostus told the city that they had 1 hour to decide. Marc I looked to his war council. They stood firmly with the United Betony movement. After an hour, the siege began.

The battle lasted throughout the night as thousands on both sides dropped. The Revans had managed to break through the main gates and poured into the city. When dawn rose, the city was a pile of rubble. Buildings were devastated and corpses littered the once populous streets. This would be a Revan pyrrhic victory as both sides have sustained catastrophic losses, including the deaths of Marc I and Legate Hostus Clodius Gordio.

The Convallium Revolution
North of Marseille, and across the Geminae Mountains, the city of Convallium was in a state of Rebellion. This was the first Rebellion from within the Revan Motherland's borders during the war. The ruling council was overthrown by a militant group known as the Filii Convallium. The group had sympathy for the Betons, and had been disillusioned by King Quintus Armenius Baro of Revanna. The group had gained control of the city in a matter of days and had declared war against the Revan Crown.

The Battle of Livius Fields
Fabien Beaumont received intelligence reports from the leader of the Filii Convallium, Paullus Salonius Aruns, that the financial situation in Revanna was dire and that the only way for the Kingdom of Revanna to survive was to utilize Betony's resources. Realizing this was a war on economics, Fabien informed his followers about the news. Fabien targeted a large expanse of land outside of Convallium known as Livius Fields. It was largely unimportant to the Revans, however it would provide a place where Betons could stage battles from within the Motherland.

The Battle took weeks to orchestrate due to logistical concerns. Several thousand Betony soldiers marched across the mountains and into Convallium. General Lupis of the Revans was caught off-guard as he expected the rebels to move toward Arces. The attack happened so suddenly that the Revans near Livius Fields didn't know what hit them. The Betons swiftly captured the terretory and set it up as terretory behind enemy lines.

Frustrated, King Quintus Armenius Baro appointed General Tiberius Avidius Barodia to the defense of the Motherland.

The Siege of Fort Severus
While Fabien Beaumont was operating in the northern front, the various mayors of the United Betony movement had another idea. Their plan was to rush Revanna's Economic clock and put pressure on the Revans to the south. About 50 miles from Arces was Fort Severus. This fort was on the edge of the Tyrion Ridge, and could be seen from Arces.

The Revans were on the defensive during the battle, determined not to lose the northern road to Arces; however with troops being depleted to the North, their supplies were running short. The Betons fought ferociously to capture the Fort, but it was no use as the defenses were all too strong.

They resorted to laying siege to the fort. The men inside were losing morale as they were forced to eat the horses, then the dogs, then the cats, then the rats. On the 22nd day, they surrendered the fort. The Betons made sure to light the Revan flag on fire, hoping General Lupis would notice.

The Rescue of Drusilla
During the campaigns in the northern front, the Betons had captured Consul Drusilla Minicius Bellicus of Ambracia. This became a personal affair when her brother, Gallus, found out. Gallus had requested that General Barodia give him command of two thousand soldiers to rescue her. General Barodia denied this request as he needed Gallus to help push the Betons out of the Motherland.

Gallus pondered for hours before ultimately deciding to commit treason and leave Barodia's camp with around 13 men. He snuck through the countryside to where the encampment was. There was around 200 soldiers at the camp. He noticed a set of prisoners on the edge of the Flecte River, including his sister. He ordered his men to set fire to a tree a mile away in order to draw some soldiers away. As they did so, several soldiers left. During the deployment, Gallus freed the prisoners and ran. They got about 2 miles before the Beton soldiers had noticed their escape. Gallus looked at his sister and told her where to lead the former prisoners. Drusilla asked what he was planning on doing. Gallus said he was going to buy them time to escape. Drusilla, teary eyed, begged Gallus to come back. Gallus said that this was the only way. After several moments, the prisoners left and the soldiers prepared to defend themselves.

It was a bloodbath as Gallus and his men were easily slaughtered. The prisoners made it back to Barodia's camp. This was a political boon to the Revans, but would stamper the army in the coming days.

The Battle of Bordeaux
Fabien Beaumont had met with several Beton Military Leaders and confirmed that the time to take Arces was near. He rode south while various other commanders joined the northern front.

Their goal was Bordeaux: a city close to Arces. If they took Bordeaux, Arces would lose all resources from the north. They spent months planning this attack as it would be a decisive battle. Fabien had decided to call all the banners from the middle and southern regions of the province. They had acquired 45,482 soldiers and 113 siege engines, while thanks to their efforts in the north allowed their supply lines to become even more secure.

General Lupis was getting nervous and desperate to hold off the Betons. He had stretched his forces too thin and was close to being overran. He had amassed 20,000 men to protect Bordeaux. Believing that the Betons would resort to fighting dirty, he told the soldiers in Bordeaux to not let any non-military personnel through the main gates.

When the Day of the Battle had come, it started to rain. It was difficult to distinguish the volleys of stone from the intense thunder. The Revans had decided to divide and conquer the invaders by using an encircling movement to force the surrender. Traditionally, it took a few thousand to fully complete an encircling movement, however they didn't want the Betons to catch wind of their plan. Only 1,500 Revans were expected to make the full encirclement alone. This was a stretch, but it was a gambit that the Revans had to take.

The group fought with zeal, however they did not notice the Beton reserves waiting. The Betons managed to break the encircling movement and the Revans were overrun. With several thousand men still accounting for, the commanding officer inside Bordeaux offered to surrender to the Beton forces. The remaining Revan soldiers left for Arces as the commanding officer at Bordeaux was publicly executed.

The Battle of Arces
The Beton forces at Bordeaux collected their spoils and began the march to the Beton capital of Arces. At this point, General Lupis's health, both mentally and physically, were rapidly deteriorating. He had ordered the Beton population to the inside of the main fortress. General Lupis's strategy was to force the Betons to leaving him and his most important assets alone by providing a human shield. Lupis had placed several men on the walls as well as in various chokepoints throughout the city. Lupis was planning on the Betons breaking into the city and would slowly making their way to the chokepoints where his soldiers were waiting.

Fabien Beaumont went to the front lines and gave a rousing speech about freedom from the tyranny of King Quintus Armenius Baro and the economic prosperity that followed. With the Betons ready to end the war, the battle commenced.

The Betons and Revans exchanged volleys of arrows and projectiles from their trebuchets as soldiers clashed on the battlefield. Lupis knows that Fabien has the manpower, however the Revans had more provisions than the Betons possessed. The Betons pushed against the main gates and worked tirelessly to tear down the gates. From on top, the Revans spilt flaming tar onto the attackers below. This slowed them down long enough for the Revan archers to take down several men.

It was tooth and nail for several hours until the Betons managed to break into the city. Lupis watched carefully as the army went into the city. He watched the chokepoints along the city streets. He was shocked as several chokepoints were being overrun. The Beton army realized the plan and helped take out other Revan checkpoints throughout the city.

General Lupis sought to flee the city, but the fortress was broken into--not by the soldiers--but by the Civilians.

Upon learning of the loss of Arces, King Quintus Armenius Baro realized that even if they reconquered Betony that all of their resources would zero-out the cost of the war. He sent word to all his soldiers that he was going to open negotiations with Betony.

The Treaty of Betony
After several weeks of discussions between Revan and Beton delegations, the Revans have signed the Treaty of Betony. Under this document, several conditions were taken to end the Betony Rebellion.

Preamble. Declares the treaty to be "in the Name of the The One" (followed by a reference to the Divine Providence) states the bona fides of the signatories, and declares the intention of both parties to "forget all past misunderstandings and differences" and "secure to both perpetual peace and harmony".


 * The Kingdom of Revanna acknowledges the Kingdom of Betony to be free, sovereign, and independent territories, and that the Revan Crown and all heirs and successors relinquish claims to the Government, property, and territorial rights of the same, and every part thereof,
 * Establishing the boundaries of the Kingdom of Betony, including the territory south of the Germinae Mountains and north of the Vashal Wastes. Revanna surrenders their previously owned land,
 * Paying restitutions to the Kingdom of Betony as a result of the Marseille Conflict
 * The King of Betony will "earnestly recommend" to Betony Provincial Lords to recognize the rightful owners of all confiscated lands and "provide for the restitution of all estates, rights, and properties, which have been confiscated belonging to Revanna subjects" (Loyalists);
 * Betony will prevent future confiscations of the property of Loyalists;
 * Prisoners of war on both sides are to be released; all property of the Revans now in the Kingdom of Betony is to remain and be forfeited;
 * Territories captured by either side subsequent to the treaty will be returned without compensation;
 * Ratification of the treaty is to occur within six months from its signing.

The End of the War
In the 627th year of the 3rd era, the Treaty of Betony was ratified. Fabien Beaumont I was declared the King of Betony and would keep Arces as Betony's capital. Fabien had met with 6 influential mayors in his campaign and had deigned them Lords with their own generous holdings.


 * Lord William Dior II would control the Lyon province
 * Lord Cédric, son of Marc I, would control the Montpellier province
 * Lord Wilfrid Devereaux would control the Nantes province
 * Lord Gaël Choquet would control the Gavreau province
 * Lord Lionel Lemaigre would control the Rouen province
 * Lord Grégoire Moreau would control the Ponce province

General Lucius Sulpicius Lupis would bring down the Revanna flag atop the Arces fortress and replace it with the Kingdom of Betony flag. Anger and bitterness spread throughout the Revan Military and would eventually lead to the Barodian Insurrection.