Neo-Carnian Revolution

The Neo-Carnian Revolution was an attempt by a group of Viesten-backed Carnian nationalists to rebel against the Empire of Yimmu-Audal, destroy the Kingdom of Galadonn, and restore the Caeronate of Carn. Most of the war was fought in Galadonn, consisting of the 1st and 2nd Battles of Galadonnia-however the latter included fighting in the city of Illeviane.

The conflict is widely regarded as the last major "Post-Astyllean" wars of the continent; several of the commanders and political leaders involved had been involved in or witness to the collapse of the Empire of Astyllea, and the Carnian Revolution was ultimately rooted in longstanding grievances stemming from the partition and dissolving of Carn in the collapse of Astyllea's aftermath.

Context
The roots of the conflict lie in the collapse of the Empire of Astyllea; when the election of Kerplis Elernel had been challenged by a military Junta, the Empire was driven into civil war and, soon after, collapse. As the continent splintered in numerous independent states, a stronghold of the rebellious plotters-the Caeronate of Carn-was thrown into its own bout of turmoil. Torn apart internally by divisive leadership and political instability, the Caeronate collapsed entirely; it was partitioned between several existing states both native and foreign to the region. For most, Carn as a political entity had ceased to exist.

Long after the dust had settled, the region of Aldovir had undergone immense change. The Kingdom of Galadonn, once regarded as an insignificant state in central Aldovir, had rapidly expanded to become one of the major regional powers of the subcontinent, conquering and colonising much of central Aldovir. The Lunar City State of Lirgal had likewise expanded to control much of central and western Aldovir, whilst Sironia had come to be a vassal of Viesten, a Knightly Order turned theocratic Sakrelist state. Both Lirgal and Galadonn had since become states of the Empire of Yimmu-Audal, leaving only Sironia in the hands of a non-Alteniquian power, in direct opposition to the revived "Mistic Doctrine".

In the lands which were once known as Carn, there were sporadic attempts at a political revival of the Caeronate; whether through the briefly lived 'Nord-Carn' or the union of Sironia-Carn, it was clear that there was want for some political continuity of the long defunct state. During of a blossoming period of cultural revival and historical research in Aldovir, Carnians once more began to seek a means of resurrecting the memory of the Caeronate-only to be surprised with a lucrative opportunity.

The Rebellion
Shortly after the ascension of Cassius to the throne of Yimmu-Audal, a small group of Carnian nationalists - many of whom had taken part in the abortive coup d'état in Astyllea - issued a declaraation that they were reforming the Caeronate of Carn as the Neo-Carnian Caeronate. Their claims were lofty in ambition; the reconquest of all former Carnian territories, the total defeat of the Kingdom of Galadonn, and a demand for unconditional surrender of the Empire of Yimmu-Audal. Almost immediately, several states and nations came out in either opposition or support of the Carnian rebellion; Viesten joined them in their demand of an unconditional surrender of Yimmu-Audal, whilst the various states of Yimmu-Audal and their allies rushed to the defence of the Empire. Numerous towns declared that they had seceded from Galadonn and Yimmu-Audal, followed by threats from the Carnian rebels of the complete destruction of both the cities and culture of Galadonn should they be opposed. The nations which declared support for the Carnian rebels were not so much a full multi-nation coalition, but rather a collection of powerful individuals and nobles sympathetic to the cause of the Carnians.

Emperor Cassius issued a response of his own, citing his regret at the conflict but his resolve in facing down the rebellion. Refusing the demand to surrender unconditionally, he formally declared war on the Neo-Carnian Caeronate and the small Micro-Coalition which had formed to support them.

First Battle of Galadonnia
The focal point of the Coalition campaign was Galadonnia, the Capital City of the Kingdom of Galadonn. As so much of their grievances lay with Galadonn, or more specifically with Emperor Cassius (who was King of Galadonn), it is likely that the aim was to knock Galadonn out of the war early-allowing for a swift end to the conflict and a Viesten/Carnian victory. Galadonnia-which was undergoing a large redevlopment project at the time, rediverted all of its resources into building immense trenches around the city. It was their intention to try and prevent the attackers from ever reaching the actual city walls-keeping the fighting either at the bottom of these trenches, or outside the defences.

The Coalition armies arrived first in the Lunar City of Lirgal, Galadonnia's closest neighbour to the south. The Lunar Council of Lirgal-on seeing the arrival of the armies-locked their gates and closed off the city, to prevent Lirgal being used as a staging post for the attack. As a result, the initial wave of attacks on Galadonnia was staggered; reinforcements were split between those still trying to approach via Lirgal, and those who had been re-routed to Licritia. This allowed the Audalad troops to easily repel the first attempts to scale the defences, with few Coalition troops making it across the trenches. The attackers then regrouped to the east, attacking from the direction of Lantstein. It was here that the attackers had their best chance; attacking in unison, they attempted to scale the eastern side of Galadonnia. Fierce fighting, however the Audalad troops were victorious in the end: the Coalition troops were repelled once more. After a few more scattered attacks along the walls, the Battle was over: the Audalad Defenders had won.

Second Battle of Galadonnia
By the time the Coalition Armies had regrouped to prepare for another march on Galadonnia, the perception of the war had developed significantly. Few were confident in the ability of the coalition to secure a military victory, and some had begun to suggest seeking a political solution instead. In the wake of the First Battle, several notable Coalition leaders and military generals had withdrawn from the conflict entirely-fleeing the continent and going into hiding. Regardless, the Coalition troops were determined to take another swipe at the Galadonnian capital. Once more, the attacking troops approached Galadonnia. Knowing that Lirgal had locked their gates, they instead approached from the North this time-hailing from the City of Illeviane, the staging post for their attack. The first attack was largely inconclusive; there were low casualties on either side, and the defenders withdrew to regroup. It was when they attacked from the East that the tide of battle turned. The Audalad Defenders-lead by the Galadonni troops-sallied forth to meet the attackers in the field. An enormous battle took place along the Galadonni defences, with both armies meeting head to head. Eventually, the Coalition attackers broke; their armies fled, routing back toward Illeviane. With the attackers on the run, the defenders pushed their advantage. The battered Coalition forces in Illeviane found themselves set upon by Audalad troops, who had chased them into the city. Illeviane-which was largely unprepared for any large scale attack-was torn apart in the battle that followed.

Eventually, the city fell-however the quick withdrawal of the Audalad troops back to Galadonnia prevented Illeviane from being "conquered" in a true sense. With Illeviane in flames and the Coalition armies broken, Audalad victory was all but assured.

Peace Negotiations and the End of the War
In the aftermath of the Second Battle of Galadonnia, it was clear that the Coalition Forces were entirely unable to mount another serious attack on Yimmu-Audal. Peace negotiations were opened on two fronts; first with the Neo-Carnian Caeronate, and then with the Kingdom of Sironia.

The Neo-Carnian Caeronate

The decision to begin negotiations was undertaken by Emperor Cassius, however the de-facto leader of the negotiations on the Audalad side was Gael Uí Néill, the newly appointed Chief Diplomat. As a Lirgalyn citizen, Gael was native to the Aldoviri subcontinent and had long advocated for cooperation rather than coercion in the eventual peace talks with the rebellion. Tensions were high throughout the negotiations; many on the Audalad side felt that harsh reprisals were due, and others hoped to make gains of new land or territories. However, some called for a deal that would stabilise the region of Aldovir for the future; it was clear that there were need to be some repercussions, but many felt that simply replicating the partition of Carn and the complete dissolving of the polity would only lead to future issues.

As a result, and after intense negotiations for several days, a peace Treaty was reached: The Cornflower Accords. Under the Cornflower Accords, Carn would retain many of its cultural and internal political machinations, but would become a County of the Kingdom of Galadonn. The announcement of the Cornflower Accords was met with much acclaim, with celebrations across the Empire. With the Carnian rebellion all but snuffed out, focus turned to the last remaining combatant in the war; the Holy States of Viesten.

The Holy States of Viesten and the Kingdom of Sironia

With Carn now integrated into the Empire, a strategy was developed for continuing the war with the Holy States of Viesten. As the Audalad armies geared up to prepare for an advance on their holdings in Aldovir-mostly within the Kingdom of Sironia-another path to victory was found. It was speculated that if the Audalad negotiators could convince the fiercely patriotic Sironians to integrate into the Empire, then Viesten would likely collapse; Viesten had poured almost all of its resources into the war, and its non-Aldoviri holdings were scattered minor territories in Haven and Plagos. If they lost Sironia, they would collapse in on themselves.

Thus, secret negotiations were initiated with Sironian leaders by Gael. The target for their integration was Theiónikos, a State with whom they had a shared cultural and religious heritage. The negotiations were even more difficult than the prior talks with Carn; unlike the Carnians, the Sironians had not rebelled-they were instead an allied force, who did not need to be "re-integrated" but rather convinced of integration as a whole. However, after much discussion and debate, they agreed to join the State of Theiónikos through the Treaty of Azethvir.

With this Treaty, Viesten as an entity had all but ceased to exist. A few scattered declarations were made before their lands in Haven and elsewhere were annexed by foreign nations. The signing of the Cornflower Accords and the Treaty of Azethvir had essentially ended the war, as no armies nor landed individuals remained in open hostility to Yimmu-Audal.