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The Overveer Revolution Of course, the revolution did not come just like that. It was planned and design by "the Masters", a group of Guild Masters who wanted to make Overveer a merchants-republic. They did not only profit from the hunger in the kingdom, but also caused the hunger by stealing or destroying cattle, crops and harvest. The stolen food was used to feed the own secret army, that had its camp in Rhauthus Forest. They had a unicorn in their coat of arms, and became famous as the Unicorn Army. The baron of Rhauthus, who also carried the unicorn in his coat of arms, was their secret contact, who also had contact to the throne and the government in Altheizar. Meanwhile, the King married the fighter Crenzia (also known as Honingkus), a young Naglani woman from Fanigawi, youngest daughter of the Lhympper Thyngfyrst. She came to Overveer to marry a man that met her taste for luxury and wealth - a king would do. Yantuins married her because of her great strategic insight, he hoped she would help him fight the Unicorn Army. They did form an army and went to Rhauthus Forest and fought against the unicorns, a battle that was won by the king. The battle was won, but not the war. Many soldiers of the Unicorn Army had fled to the borders of the Unknown Territories, and reorganised themselves for the next battle. "The Masters" where still in charge of the planning of the revolution. The baron of Rhauthus, who had been killed in the Battle of Rhauthus Forest, was replaced by Master Brent of Hartegard, the Guild Master of the Hartegard cloth makers. Inside the royal palace in Ildritz, the librarian Master Varsin was a spy for "The Masters". He had been loyal to his king, even before the king got to the throne. It is rumoured they had been lovers, which could explain the lack of loyalty after king Yantuins married Crenzia. Being the royal librarian, he had access to most secret documents, including the dairies of the king. It was also Master Varsin who set up the plan to steal the crown of Overveer. The crown, the famous Glass Crown that had a long history in Overveer, would be stolen and sold to finance the revolution, so was the plan of Master Varsin. He did steal the crown in the inn that is now named after it (The Stolen Crown/De gestolen kroon). He went to Rhauthus to hand over the crown to Master Brent. Master Brent, however, had different plans. It was his idea to kill the royal family, and he did not care about the money he could get for the Glass Crown. He met Master Varsin near Spychl Lake, and tried to kill Varsin. During the melee, the crown was lost in the deep lake. It was never seen again and probably still is on the muddy bottom of the lake. Master Brent thought Master Varsin could betray him as he had done to his king. That was too dangerous in the coming murder plans - the rumour of Varsin having had a love affair with the king did make sense to Master Brent, and he figured the former lover would not agree in killing the king. So Master Varsin was killed near Spychl Lake and thrown into the water. Later historians from outside Overveer thought Master Varsin might as well be killed because he was either Naglani or Ainahawair. Those people never have been "full citizens" after the revolution (because their way of life did not fit the merchants ideals), and blamed for many wrongs in the Overveer society. "The Masters" gathered at Altheizar to kill the royal couple. Master Brent entered the royal palace by telling he had found the stolen crown, and wished to return it. He was invited to do this in a ceremonial way. During the ceremony, that was seen by many people, including "The Masters", Master Brent killed Queen Crenzia. Legend has it he did that with a fake glass crown, he placed on her head. The sharp edges of the crown cut into the skull of the Queen, who died on her throne from a loss of blood and a perforated brain. In the meantime, King Yantuins and his loyal guards were murdered by "The Masters". The body of the king was taken outside, and cooked. The royal meat was divided amongst the hungry people of Altheizar. At the same time, carts with food entered the city gates. This way, "The Masters" got the sympathy of the people, and the revolution succeeded with their help and loyalty. Identical scenes were seen in other cities, where the loyal rulers and city council members were murdered and fed to the people. Soon after, the land was ruled by an interim government of "The Masters" who designed the new politics of Overveer. There was enough food, and all was well, although the Emperor of Daleth and his Noblemen, and the Thyngfyrsts of De Taycha and Skaunsric were quite shocked by the brutality of the revolution and refused to trade with Overveer. Luban, on the other hand, was happy to trade with Overveer. Master Brent was the hero of the revolution, his portrait is on many Overveer walls. Revolution Day is still an Overveer holiday. Master Varsin is the "bad guy" in Overveer tradition, although many people do think his role in the revolution was more peaceful and human than that of Master Brent. The unicorns, who still live in Rhauthus Forest, had always had a bad name, and so far away from Altheizar, the people still hate "The Masters" for the tragedies they had during the Hunger - the Unicorn Army is still feared, although the infamous name and the legends of evil, stealing, greedy animals, now are attached to the real unicorns. Related topics: |