The Frontier Council's Rebellion

In 2422 trouble began. The new king, King John I, began to try and increase his authority in the South. Instead of nobles, he sent military governors into the south. He revived an old military unit, the Old Crown Guard, and assigned them responsibility for the south. (These mounted troops are derisively known as Redlegs, because they wear crimson leggings under their black cloaks and chain shirts). They crossed the Brown River on ferries and where ancient bridges existed in force and occupied River Cities and imposed “Crown Law”, which was really harsh, arbitrary martial law, imposed by military governors. The de facto southern capital, Brown's Ferry, was a site of constant civil unrest.

- Finally after two years of this the Frontier Councils voted to resist and fight for independence, The Frontier Council's Rebellion. The Frontier Army (dressed in forest green) won numerous battles throughout the south and all along the frontier, from the swamps to the Brown River and all the way west to The Great River and The Borderlands. Fishermen and farmers from the East Coast supported them also.

- Badly beaten in all but a few River Cities for three years, King John called for a negotiated settlement. The Councils cautiously sent their leaders, both civil and military, across the Brown River to meet with the King and his Councilors, on the relatively neutral ground of the Northern Bank of the Brown. A tent city was constructed to host the meeting and no significant armies were present for either side. At the initial meeting proposals were exchanged. A large, but solemn, feast was given the first night as each side reviewed their options. At the feast, Frontier leaders were systematically attacked by sorcery, poison, ambushed, and assassination. Almost all of the finest leaders of the south were killed by treachery, only a few cautious and skeptical warriors escaped, like the legendary general Tobin Thalion.

The attack is remembered as the Treachery on the Brown.

- A tremendous new army of Redlegs (Old Crown Guards) then crossed the river and began hunting leaderless frontier units and imposing ‘Crown Law’. There was still resistance, but the loss of nearly the entire civil and military command was too great. It became a capital crime to be seen in Frontier Greens and entire towns were forced to take loyalty oaths. The King’s influence still could not penetrate the deep south and many Frontier people moved even further south to the edges of the Southern Marshes and west towards the border lands, so trade routes lengthened. Councils still govern in many southern places and Redlegs do not travel alone far from the River Towns and Brown’s Ferry, but after five years an unpleasant calm has settled over the land.