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Marrishland has a long and violent history. Several civilizations have risen and fallen, here, and the book tells about events during one of the most turbulant periods - a period whose events determine whether a civilization survives or dies.

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The Fraevyd Phase (ca. 2702 - 2715 I.D.)

The mundanes at the Battle of Bleakfurd left no survivors, so the magocrats did not, at first, learn how their army had been defeated. In the face of this mystery, the Mardux hesitated to send more wizards to put down the rebellion. Many magocrats opposed this decision, and the Mardux fell to Weard the following Duxfest. Rather than clearing the way for the magocracy to crush the mundane rebels, however, this change of rulers led to three years of political strife within Domus Palus.

The people of Gansen Beige and Suptor did not bask long in their victory, and it is clear they expected a much swifter retaliation. Leaders among them - three of whom now have their names written in the stars of the Rebel - organized resistance among neighboring towns and villages. The mundanes quietly killed any magocrats living among them.

Using the stratagem that had served them so well at the Battle of Bleakfurd, some communities made no secret of their rebellion, but nearby towns feigned loyalty to the magocracy, knowing the wizards would want to stay in a friendly place before marching against rebels. This remained a brutally effective tactic for a handful of battles, until some of the wizards escaped and revealed the torutsen tactic to the Mardux.

The next several battles heavily favored the wizards, who executed entire populations in retribution for such false hospitality. In fact, armies of magocrats thereafter treated any community not ruled by a wizard as an enemy encampment and ruthlessly executed or enslaved anyone living in such a community. The mundanes were in no position to object, as the Mardux's forces were far too powerful to fight on the wizards' terms. Many mundane communities still loyal to the magocracy begged wizards to live among them, promising obedience in exchange for protection from the ravages of the Mardux's armies.

For the next several years (ca. 2705 - 2715 I.D.), it seemed the rebellion had been crushed. In truth, it only became more widespread. Most of the wizards who had grown disillusioned by the slaughter of the mundanes established themselves as magocrats among rebel communities. Far from putting an end to dissent, however, these maverick wizards provided a veil of protection behind which the mundane rebels prepared for the next assault against the magocracy.

The most famous of these was Weard Fraevyd Erbmung, who violated Bera's Unwritten Law by teaching mundanes to wield magic and to brew torutsen. He only taught them the secrets of countering magic with Elements, however, claiming only to be forcing the magocrats to fight on the same terms as mundanes. His star is in the Dead - Ekyl, which means "equalize."

Weard Erbmung allowed the mundanes to deprive the wizards of one of the only advantages they possessed. Fraevyd raised a new army of magic-wielding mundanes and led it against Saxus Rubus - a coastal city a week's journey south of Domus Palus. This fierce battle lasted ten days only because the urban mundanes defended their city from the attacking rural mundanes. The wizards played no significant role in the Battle of Saxus Rubus (ca. 2715 I.D.), as the magic-wielding mundanes completely negated any magic the magocrats attempted to use against them. The melee resulted in the deaths of more of Fraevyd's warriors than the defenders, but when Saxus Rubus fell, the rural Mar wasted no time increasing the defenders' body count.

The rebels surrounded the city gates and put the entire city to the torch. Those who tried to escape the burning city were cut down by the rebels waiting outside. A few escaped to Domus Palus, but by the time reinforcements had arrived, Weard Erbmung's army had vanished into the swamps to the east. Mardux Hafgrim Schutzorn and his successors took the rebellion far more seriously after hearing about Saxus Rubus's fate.

(Contributed by Weard Gilda Kronas)