Vintrius

The Barony of Vintrius
House dul Naevius
Liege	Barcus dul Naevius
Resources	Dairy and fish
Population	101325
Income	0 weekly, 0 per annum
Size	2895 km^2 (1118 mi^2)

Vintrius is a barony with a small coastal area in the Bay of Acris in Vavard. One of the original domains where the first settlers moved during Dav's consolidation, it is also the one has has drifted into the most conflict during recent years. After the death of the whole Renarde lineage, the old barons, to the hands of a rebellion, the Duke of Vavard was forced to choose a new baron: Davon dal Naevius and his wife, Yarena dul Naevius. During their coronation, the residence was attacked and the baron was brought to the village of the castle and executed in public view, leaded by the leader of the revolution, Kaython dul Pondulle. His wife died too, but their young child, Barcus, managed to escape with the help of his newly-appointed regent, Quintilius ab Moungrey.

History

Depiction of the civil war as of Aprilis SC 371. The map only shows the areas surrounding the Naevius Castle (roads leading to towns out of the map have been deleted).

The history of the domain of Vintrius is convoluted. While they were part of the initial group of settlers that colonized the most fertile lands surrounding Vavard, recent years have been catastrophic due to a series of deficient rulers.

The Vintrius Reclamation Conflict

The Vintrius Reclamation Conflict (as it is being called by the victors) has been fought since mid-summer of 369 ever since the death of Lord Rheumis dul Renarde, the Baron of the domain since his thirteenth birthday back in 298. With his passing, a huge power vacuum opened within the Barony: the Renardes have been long distrusted by the population they rule over due to their very loose morality and harsh practices within the Barony. When Lord Rheumis II, the legal heir, took control of the Barony it was to the immediate dissatisfaction of both the gentry and the general population, who felt that the heir's quickly-enacted taxation policy was absurd and a front only to allow for the lavish hunts and feasts the elder-most Renarde often indulged in. During the early months of the conflict the outermost edges of the Barony began to ally with whomever could offer the best protection, which oftentimes was not the new Baron.

After a year of struggling to find the authority, money, and manpower to keep the borders of his Barony in line, Rheumis the Second and his entire family was assassinated by his unmarried eldest sister, Alori dul Renarde. The successful attempt was botched in that members of the Lord's Chevaliers captured the men responsible for the murder and turned them over to the Reeves, who extracted a confession which led to the arrest of Alori -- a woman who was otherwise seen as the most capable, reasonable, and intelligent of the Renarde Family. For the crimes which she eventually admitted to she was jailed for life by Duke dul Acris and stripped of all claims to her family's estate. The death of Alori -- whom the 'rebels' that were undermining Rheumis II in the outer portions of the Barony were found to be led by -- escalated the conflict as third in line to inherit was Robin dul Renarde, a crippled intellectual who had publicly suggested that Auberon would be better served as the Duke of Vavard. Robin was killed in Novembris of 371 from a fall from his horse, though it is widely rumored that his Chevaliers executed him to save Vintrius from a potentially ruinous rule.

By the end of 371 the outer reaches of Vintrius were in open defiance of the Renarde rule and had allied themselves with the more authoritative and powerful domains. Clarissa dul Moram, the now-eldest child of the late Lord Renarde, died in late Novembris to the plague but was never in line to rule as she had been married off to Baron Vindis le Moram in 355. This left only the youngest son of Lord Rheumis as a potential Lord of the Baron, but he revoked his right to rule as a member of the Davite Clergy serving as a priest in Farin; left in temporary chaos, the rebels took over the entirety of Vintrius. Led by a merchant-prince who is said to have the backing and trust of the people of the Barony, the rebels demanded one of gentle class to be ascended to the title with Duke dul Acris in an effort to soothe over the incapabilities of the defunct Renarde generation and establish a new ruling family. The dul Naevius were elected.

The dul Naevius Era

Naevius family, whom had lost all titles to the Renarde in the past. The new baron was Davon dul Naevius, who was a close friend of the Duke and one of the advisors of the Renarde; this displeased the rebels who pulled the baron out of his coronation, murdered the baronial guard, and executed him in front of the entire population after the Battle of the Coronation; the baroness was also murdered to end the new ruling family during their first day, but the heroic acts of Regent Quintilius ab Moungrey helped the young child escape to an undisclosed location while the Grand Chevalier, Jameston ab Moungrey, and the Chevalier of the West, Carleon of Vintrius, rode away from the castle to raise retinues amongst the villagers and townsfolk: the eldest son of each family. The young duke was sent with Lucas dul Avegnon, Chevalier in the East, and retinues levied from the crew of a ship.

Duke dul Acris agreed to the terms of the rebels and ascended the dul The Battle of the Coronation was lived through three moments which are depicted on the images to the right side. The rebel forces were first gathered from the village -- many of whom had traveled to 'celebrate' the crowning of the baron, as Baron dul Naevius had called it, even if he donned no crown after the death of the Renarde. As the horns were sounded across the palace, the baronial guard emerged from the castle and formed ranks, some of them still drunk from the feast-making. Archers began firing rounds upon the rebels which had come in straight rows. A bard inside the castle tales how he could hear the arrows flying from inside, so many that he thought the enemies would be done with in two blinks. The family was assured that there was no way some peasants would manage to get past their forces; the situation outside was far away from this notion. The arrows did manage to reduce considerably the first group of attackers, but they were outnumbered two to one.

As the attackers loom closer, the archers try to scatter the attackers but this makes the rebels rearm themselves in multiple rows, taking advantage of their advantage in numbers. The men of the baron form one single rank and ready their shields. The rears and one of the central detachments were led by the chevaliers while the second detachment in the middle was led by a group of knights together with some reeves and other members of the guard. As they loom closer, the archers are commanded to focus their strength on the center of the mob and the rebels continue to disperse themselves. Some rocks are thrown to the shields of the guard but they are not effective.

The shock of the attackers is heavily outmatched by the training of the guard who keep their ranks and the skirmish begins. The first moments of attack where positive for the baron and his forces, peasants and commoners falling dead to the ground, one after the other, stepped over by their own men. Both flanks do a good job of keeping the attackers away from any flanking, while the central detachments find their own flaws in the group of reeves and knights who can't keep their ranks. The knights call for the help of the archers who try to issue their last arrows to the back of the mob, and then they unsheath their daggers and hatchets to join the defense of the weaker lines, the hybric of knights and the left flank; the right flank is left unguarded and the rebels take advantage of this.

Men of both bands begin to fall as the thick mob furthers into the defensive lines, ranks broken into the battle of numbers. Here, the brother of the Baron dies in battle. Meanwhile, in the castle, one of the chamber servants of Baron Davon draws a dagger upon him and tries to attack him; the shouts of help are readily attended by other servants and the baroness who subdue the traitor and he's brought to the ballroom where his throat is cut to the horror of the guests, made an example for the others.

The final moment of battle ensues when the detachment of knights retreats into other detachments and the flanks begin to fall. A hole is made by the rebels who rush to the gates which are opened by a traitor within the walls. The archers are killed easily by the mobs -- though the rebels are reduced to a close victory. Inside the castle, the baron tries to defend with his servants and some loyal guests, armed with knives and hatchets; they hold for some moments but the mob captures him, his wife, while the young child, Barcus dul Naevius, is sent to the catacombs through the kitchen by Quintilius ab Moungrey; he escapes with him and a group of other men, including the chevaliers.

After news of the slaughtering at the castle reach the capitol of the duchy, the Duke of Vavard negotiates a one-year-long truce with the rebels so that the new baron's regent and his chevaliers could raise forces to battle the rebels, with the threat that the Order would step in battle and excommunicate them.