Kavees Rebellion

Summary
The Empai's expensive wars also created enemies within his Arcva. Some of them launched a failed rebellion that led to the rise of Andurian Rafil as the true leader of the Cellian Army.

Court Banaros
The Arcva court Banaros in Werex Bankasorabeau were medium-ranked administrators. In 1709, their patriarch Dorkiafen mysteriously died, and was succeeded in secret by his wife, Omianne Banaros. With the support of her brother-in-law, Vazius Banaros, and his sister-in-law Kleisthene Banaros, she recruited powerful adventurers Far Travel, a Vasten nomad, Arcen Kempt Financier Man, a Cellian merchant, and Erasmus Atreit, a Ghidovian exile. Omianne set out on a mission to re-trace the steps of ancient Zarod Betalium Rafil II. With the secrets he had uncovered, Omianne believed she could build a new Zarodom from the Vasten Ashanzu.

Flight from Werex
On their journey to Vastanomin Sala in 1710, they freed the warlock Junar Onud from his prison cell. Entering the desert, they began to gather support from the local Vasten and prepared for their rebellion. Her three mercenaries ventured to the ancient Alti city of Haurim. Instead of treasure to build a new Zarodom, the adventurers only found the Heart of Haurim. Returning to Vastanomin Sala, they orchestrated the overthrowing of the local strongman. Emissaries from Silvia Norsom of Ghidovia struck a tentative alliance between the enemies of the Empai.

Helstorm at Vastanomin Sala
Just as the plan began to convene, they learned that Andurian Rafil was on his way with four milliles to capture the wanted Omianne and crush their rebellion before it even began. Their shaky alliance crumbled - Far Travel departed to scout lands for the Zarodom. With his absence, AKFM tricked the Vasten soldiers to fight a losing battle against the Milliles to prevent them from pillaging the Callian rise as planned. The 2000 Vasten under Strongman War Club were more mobile and could have escaped, but were encircled by an army 40 times larger than the anticipated centile.

Omianne was betrayed by her court and murdered. The vengeful Erasmus took to the desert, where he used the Heart of Haurim to conjure a helstorm that eradicated most of the millile. Andurian survived, and along with many disgruntled servants of Banaros, led AKFM back towards Werex Bankasorabeau to face the Empai's justice. Erasmus and Junar took their chance to teleport to Ghidovia, where they pledged to serve the Zarodess.

First Kavees Revolt
In 1711, word reached Kavees of the loss of four milliles. Sensing their chance had risen, Junian Rafil, cousin of the deposed Dondorius of Kavees rallied his allied Loros and declared that the Empai had no right to their land anymore. As usual, the mix of foot soldiers and elite Vasten won initial battles against the disjointed Cellians, who were forced to cede much land around Nomi Auq and Nomi Fuval.

Andurian Rafil gathered two milliles and raised another six milliles from the local populace and prepared them for war. From his base in Esmin Vinaola, they waited. His supplies were harassed by raiders and guerillas, but Junian was not strong enough to face the Cellians. For two years, the war was at a stalemate.

The Battle of Nesmin Terra
In 1713, the "Hammer of Ghidovia" flexed his might. 8000 soldiers from his army clashed with Junian's 10,000, scoring a decisive victory. Junian and his forces were routed to Noesmin Terra, where they camped for the winter. In 1714, the end came when Andurian captured the town. His prisoners had their hands cut off and were sold into slavery, while Junian was to be executed.

Junian Escapes
The planned execution of Junian Kavees was interrupted by an ambush set by loyal Vasten assisted by AKFM. In Esmaj Vinaoladiu they burst the deposed Zarod from his confinements and smuggled him to riverboats which carried them to Mimimaj Bankalumafia, and then bribed their way across the ocean to Ghidovia, where Silvia Norsom awaited to welcome any enemy of the Empai.

Andurian Rafil, enraged, gathered his army, and build a new fleet of ships that winter. Along with highly secretive expeditions to Haurim, the Millile-leader took the title "Millile-Zarod" and set sail in 1715 to Ghidovia, prepared to wipe out that troublesome nation once and for all.

Second Kavees Revolt
Many of their loyalists had kept their support secret while under renewed Cellian occupation. A tight-knit society of cottage workshops funded by AKFM continued to amass weapons and secretly prepared for their next chance. With Andurian gone, Loro Violeteye Gold Spice Woman gathered 3000 loyalists and seized the vast farmlands near Vitro Auq and set up a new Zarodom in Esmaj Vinaoladiu, with LVGSW acting as regent for Junian Kavees.

The rebels were not able to fight a battle against the disorganized cellians, who retreated into Eskep Loro and were able to be resupplied via ships on Vitro Auq. Unable to assault the fortress, LVGSW instead left behind her army and travled west to try and capture the entrance to the lake. By 1716, she had still only achieved partial success.

Strongman Quick Mind
Vasten nomads of the eastern plains had never been subdued by Andurian's milliles, and these nomads returned under the guidance of the ashanzu Strongman Quick Mind in 1717. Quick Mind was a cellian-born vasten nomad from northern Vasta. He had left his tribe to travel alone and gained the friendship of many tribes. Quick Mind filled the power vacuum along the Empai Fuval left by the Helstorm that killed Strongman War Club and united the tribes into a loose alliance and took for himself the title of Great Strongman.

With himself at the head of a war party numbering 5,000 from across western Vasta, the Kavees Hills, and the Lasheva Hills, Quick Mind descended on Nomi Auq and fought both the soldiers of Kavees and the Cellian Empire. At the battle of Noesmin Armaterra, the ashanzu raiders were able to harass an isolated millile into surrender, whereupon most of the soldiers, being vasten themselves, took up arms against their oppressors. Quick Mind stripped all arcva and cellians of their wealth and cut the wings from the arcva. Slaves were freed, and although poorly trained and fed, the Great Tribe of Nomi Auq was definitively free from cellian presence.

Treaty of Eskep Loro
With the revolt dragging on into its fourth year, the rebels were surprised to welcome back Junian Kavees, smuggled back into his Zarodom by AKFM. In the year 1720, the rebels had control over Nomi Fuval and Vitro Auq, yet were losing ground in the south due to their inability to force Eskep Loro to surrender. The Empai saw a chance for a truce to end the fighting and allow Junian deal with Strongman while the Cellian Empire could turn its attention south to deal with the threat of Redoga to Papiska.

The two leaders met on a boat on Vitro Auq and signed a truce that, while not formally recognizing each others' claims, ended the war and ceded much of the Kavees highlands to Junian in exchange for continued Cellian control of the coasts. Most importantly, Eskep Loro remained the Empai's fortress and would continue to house a millile in case of renewed conflict.