Coup Attempt

[Rubanya]

To all Uloro in the Empire, I write to you today to raise the alarm! The Empire faces a grave threat. An army hostile to Imperial authority has already seized control of our capital city, Zekran!

This army I speak of consists of some kantoro of Imperial troops who have become enmeshed in a plot to assassinate the Emperor and his heirs and place an evil usurper on the throne!

I have reason to believe that this plot includes military officers at the highest levels of the Imperial Army. Fortunately, I have reason to believe that most of the Imperial Army remains loyal. Also, the Imperial Navy is steadfastly loyal, as always. This is an attempt at a palace coup. Unfortunately, my nephew, His Imperial Highness, the Zekresh Emperor Cledman VI has been captured by forces involved in this conspiracy. He was already in poor health and it serves the purposes of the conspirators that he should swiftly die. As I write this, he may already be dead. They will claim he died of an illness, but the palace has been seized by carefully selected soldiers on orders from the conspirators and no one has been allowed to see if the Emperor is even alive. These disloyal, traitorious soldiers even dared to bar me from seeing the Emperor. What soldier, without orders from the Emperor, dares to defy the Lord Chancellor of the Empire and to deny me a chance to visit my beloved nephew as he lies gravely ill in his palace? I fear the reason for this is that my nephew, the Emperor, was concealed from me either because he is already dead, or because he would have told me that he is being held prisoner by traitors!

I am not entirely certain who is behind this, but I am certain that it involves high ranking military officers in the capital. Field Marshall Krulmuk commands Imperial forces in the capital. Either he is behind this or he is no longer in command of the garrison in the capital. It is not clear who the conspirators plan to place on the throne. There are several candidates, but none of them are legitimate.

Let there be no doubt about the line of the succession. The conspirators may resort to lies about this to justify their treason, but here is the truth:

The succession to the Imperial throne passes from father to eldest son to next eldest son. Daughters and their descendants are ineligible to inherit the throne under any circumstances whatsoever. This has been a matter of settled law since the Decree Banning Female Line Succession issued by Emperor Tarno I in the first year of his reign. For more than a thousand years, this has been the law of the Empire. It has been the custom since before the founding of the Empire. Every time this law has been violated, civil war has resulted. Witness the chaos and rebellions of the reigns of Emperor Marivuk I, the "Husband Emperor" and Marivuk II, the "Princess's Emperor". This Empire does not need a Marivuk III.

Since the tragic passing of the Emperor's two sons many years ago before either of them could have any children of their own, it has been clear that the Imperial succession would not go to the Emperor's descendants, all of whom are through his daughter and are banned from the throne by the Decree of Tarno I even if she had not been disowned for marrying a commoner.

Next in the line of succession, since the Emperor has no sons, would be male descendants of his sons. There are none. Next in the line of succession is the Emperor's brothers, eldest first. Alas, His Imperial Highness had a brother, but he is deceased and left no children. Sisters of the Emperor and their descendants are banned from the throne by the Decree of Tarno. Illegitimate children, regardless of parentage, are also ineligible to inherit the throne.

Next in the line of succession are brothers of the Emperor's father, eldest first. I, Rubanya Cledman, am the only brother of His Imperial Highness, the Emperor Cledman V, who was the father of the current Emperor, Cledman VI. For this reason, I am the crown prince, the heir to the throne.

If His Imperial Highness, my beloved nephew, the Emperor, should die or already be dead, then there is no room for doubt or debate about the Imperial succession. In that event, then Imperial law bestows upon me and me alone the right to wear the Imperial crown and to use the title of Zekresh Emperor. Also, in the event that the Emperor is unable to rule for any reason, his authority may be exercised by the Lord Chancellor of the Empire. In addition to being the Crown Prince, I am also the Lord Chancellor. This is no coincidence. My nephew, the Emperor, appointed me Lord Chancellor precisely so that there would be no disputed succession if he should pass away before me. It was also agreed between us that in the more likely event that I passed away before him, that the new Crown Prince, my son, Durbanyva, would be appointed Lord Chancellor.

Therefore, by the power vested in me as Lord Chancellor and Crown Prince of the Zekresh Empire, under conditions of emergency and with the Emperor captured and held prisoner by forces hostile to lawful authority, I hereby declare myself Imperial Regent, to rule on behalf of the Emperor until he should be able to rule again or until his death.

As Imperial Regent, exercising the full powers of the Emperor, I hereby confirm that the Imperial succession shall be from the present Emperor Cledman VI to his Uncle, Rubanya Cledman, to his son, Durbanyva Cledman, to his eldest son, Shalimuk Cledman.

As Imperial Regent, exercising the full powers of the Emperor, I hereby decree that Field Marshall Krulmuk and all officers and soldiers of the Imperial Army who are stationed in or currently present in Zekran on this day, the 19th day of the 10th month of the 40th year of the reign of His Imperial Highness, the Emperor Cledman VI, are hereby dismissed from Imperial service and may not be permitted to return to Imperial service without approval of the Lord Chancellor. Those whose actions have been honourable shall be permitted to return to service in the Imperial Army when the crisis is over and their loyalty has been satisfactorily determined.

As Imperial Regent, exercising the full powers of the Emperor, I hereby decree that the post of Imperial Army commander shall be held temporarily by the Lord Chancellor.

As Imperial Regent, exercising the full powers of the Emperor, I hereby decree that each and every Imperial Army garrison outside the capital is hereby placed under the authority of the Ulor in whose province they are located. Garrison commanders are hereby ordered to obey orders of the Ulor of their province except for any order commanding them to engage in treason against the Empire or to thwart the legitimate succession to the Imperial throne. I further order each Ulor and each Imperial garrison commander to immediately make ready for war and determine how many troops could be spared for action outside the province should that be necessary. This information should be communicated to the Ulor and to myself at the earliest opportunity, but not to the regional headquarters or anyone else.

As Imperial Regent, exercising the full powers of the Emperor, I hereby decree that each and every person who in any way attempts to impede the legitimate succession to the Imperial throne or to render assistance to any usurper shall be guilty of treason and subject to a penalty of death without recourse to any trial, appeal, parole or the usual preliminary tortures. Each Ulor and each and every officer of the Imperial Army and the Imperial Navy are hereby ordered to seize anyone violating this decree and have them put to death immediately.

Proceed with the most earnest determination. Together, we can thwart this plot and we shall prevail. Long live the Emperor!

Rubanya Cledman,
Crown Prince,
Imperial Regent,
Lord Chancellor of the Empire,
and
Imperial Army Commander

[Wanderjar]

Wanderjar could scarcely believe the good fortune of this. As the revolution just had begun for he and his separatist allies, the enemy Empire has a coup, which would inevitably destablize the region, giving them a massive advantage.


"Well Jezefar," He said to his trusty aide. "Their pain is our gain. While they suffer hard times, we take this as a divine omen for us to continue our path. It appears to me, that the Corpse Empire is now rotting on its death bed."

[Nashlan]

To Imperial Regent, Lord Chancellor... (etc.) Rubanya Cledman,

Apologies for the shortness of my reply, but I am preparing to enact the changes you requested in your previous letter, and find myself a little rushed.

Know that I, both as an Ulor (and hence, for my province) and personally support your decision to take the Imperial Regency, and back your claim to the Imperial Crown, should the Emperor already be dead. Of course, like yourself, we all pray this is not the case.

I am ready to assume control of the kantoro in my province, and will be effecting this shortly after this letter is dispatched. I will send a follow up communication at a later date to inform you of the strength of force I could send to your aid, once this has been established. Unfortunately, as in many provinces the garrison in Nassavix is severely understrength.

Long live the Emperor, and death to his enemies.

Your Humble Servant,

Ulor Nashlan,
Nassavix Province.

[Nashlan]

To Imperial Regent Rubanya Cledman,

I have now taken control of the Imperial Army garrison in Nassavix. The commanding officer, Ekanor Falan Gervin has advised me that we can send the 3rd Kantora Nassavix, of five hundred men to your assistance. The commander of this unit is Gurikan Talan. Should further troops be required, the 2nd Kantora Nassavix, of similar strength, could also be dispatched, but this could endanger the safety of the province.

Sincerely,

Ulor Nashlan,
Nassavix province.

[Valast]

The fleet is ready to sail, your highness.

[Rubanya]

Not yet, Valast. More troops are coming.

[Kortelan]

To Imperial Regent Rubanya Cledman,

I am the Ulor of the last Verronese province to side with your cause but I have done so in a grand way. The former commander of the kantoro here has been arrested on charges of Corruption, treason, and we believe he was helping the coup attempt. I have replaced him and as this letter is sent to you it shall pass the entire garrison of Kajakan Tros. Also if Valast is there with you, which I assume he is, tell him I have just signed a deal that will make my province a fleet of ships fast enough to catch smugglers. When building of them gets under way I invite him to meet me and I can show him these ships and possibly have the company who is doing this build more for him.


Signed

Kortelan, Ulor of Kajakan Tros.

[Rubanya]

Imperial Garrison Fortress
Yishil
Oron 24, Salgan 10, Adonsik 40 Cledman VI

Valast, what are we to make of this? Krulmuk sent me a message claiming that he has no intention of resisting lawful authority and that if I think otherwise, there has been a misunderstanding.

[Valast]

That makes me laugh, Rubanya. Krulmuk's supporters are still holding Kast Yvar and Zekran. Thousands of troops at Kast Yvar are still threatening to fight Prince Shalimuk's men if they attempt to enter the fortress, even though Shalimuk is now the Ulor.

I suggest you remind Krulmuk of your recent decree dismissing from service all military officers in Zekran. That includes him. If I were you I'd tell him to come here alone and unarmed to explain in person that he admits he is no longer a member of the Imperial Army. You can be sure he won't do it. This is some kind of a trick. I know Krulmuk is not known for trickery. This is probably some scheme of Levorek's.

What matters is that while we have a strong fleet here and growing stronger as ships arrive, we are weaker than Krulmuk's force at Zekran. How many more men are coming?

[Rubanya]

We have six kantoro here already. Two more are on their way from Tanan. We should eventually have more from Ulor Vanimuk in Ulawan, Ulor Duranin of Iluvan Shasif, Ulor Ne Doc of Vumman and Ulor Tervin of Trayavix. We might also get help from further afield, possibly Ulor Moryva of Yusha Fonan or even what's his name, the new one in Nassavix or some of the others in the Far West.

But I don't expect that we have time for troops to arrive from the Far West. It could be over before troops can even get here from Iluvan Shasif and Vumman. The key is the Verronese provinces. They have 12 kantoro almost right next to us. It should be enough for us to advance on Zekran or at least to be secure here. If they go over to the other side, an offensive is out of the question and we would have to evacuate Yishil for some even more distant locale, probably Trayavix or the Far West. If we have to retreat that far, we'll have already lost most of the Empire and may not be able to recover it.

What? Oh, yes. Lost track of what I was saying. Yes, the Verronese provinces. Absolutely key.

The situation there? Glad you asked, Valast, unfortunately, it's not all that good. Ulor Ziyan of Kajakan Yost has not responded to my letter at all and he's the most important one. He's the closest and the garrison there is the largest. There's five kantoro there.

The garrison at Kajakan Folon has been taken over by Ulor Tremalkan, but he says he cannot spare any troops even though he has four kantoro there and no threats of any consequence.

The only real spot of hope is Kajakan Tros. They have the weakest garrison, only three kantoro, but the new Ulor there, what's his name... actually all the Verronese Uloro were replaced not long ago. And the Slythian one. That reminds me, I've dismissed Konigak, the Ulor of Slythia and reinstated Anigon as Ulor.

What? Oh yes. Kajakan Tros. Ulor Katelon... or was it Kortelan, I have it here, I just received a letter from him today. He said he is sending all three kantoro from Kajakan Tros and he arrested the garrison commander for treason.

That reminds me, I should write a reply. Oh yes, but first, the military situation. So that gives us how many kantoro?

six already here, one more from Tanan, three from Kajakan Tros. It's only ten, I'm afraid. There's five more in Yormukan, but we'd have to fight our way through Frayethay to get there. Frayethay is not with us.

[Valast]

Your highness, if you would like, I could transport all those forces to Kast Yormuk by sea, then we'd have fifteen kantoro all in one place. And within easy striking distance of Zekran.

Also, I could transport others from some of the more distant locations you mentioned. Or some closer ones. What of Ferillyan? Kaliskan? You said Iluvan Shasif and Vumm are with us, I could send ships to pick up troops from there.

[Rubanya]

Yes, good point. Ulor Gontalin of Ferillyan is neutral thus far, but he might be persuaded. Ulor Rodinyva of Kaliskan should be replaced. I would dismiss him now if I had someone better to put in his place.

That reminds me, I have important correspondence to attend to. Thank you for your counsel, but now I must be alone.

[Rubanya]

Oron 24, Salgan 10, Adonsik 40 Cledman VI
(Delivered Oron 25, Salgan 10, Adonsik 40 Cledman VI)

Ulor Kortelan,

Thank you for your kind note of support. I trust the troops are en route. They have, of course, not arrived yet. As I'm sure you know, the Imperial Courier Relay is far faster than marching men. I expect your troops to reach the border of Salan Kajakan Folon in a little over a week. If Ulor Tremalkan has not sent any troops by then, I may ask your men to assist in rallying the garrison and taking them with you. A similar mission may be necessary in Kajakan Yost which may even be hostile. It is difficult to tell at this point.

Glad to hear of your support. Good luck.

Rubanya Cledman
Imperial Regent
Crown Prince
Lord Chancellor of the Empire
Imperial Army Commander

[Kortelan]

-A letter marked For Crown Prince Rubanya Cledmen's eyes only-

To Crown Prince Rubanya Cledmen.

I have sent a letter to the leader of my garrison to expect such a possible order and he will send a letter back saying when they should reach Salan Kajakan Folon. I have told him that if he gets the order to rally the garrisons he will be personally in command of them. We can expect nothing but the best from him, he is a good man and loyal to me and the proper emperor until his last breath. If I may suggest it may be better that if the other Verronese provinces refuse to aid you that they be put under the leadership of Verronese man. Combine all three Verronese provinces and put them under the rule of one or a small group of Verronese men. Make sure each of those men are as devoted to your cause as me and my aids are. I am suggesting this idea because the Verronese provinces must be key in your plans considering the size of our garrisons and the closeness to the capital. I suggest a Verronese man because then it would rally all Verronese people to the cause of that man who would be in turn loyal to you. If you decide to do this I will step up for the job and I will make teh Verronese the shining example of the reforms you have wanted your entire life. Top on my list would be rooting out corruption. I hope you will consider what I wrote in this message and good luck on the upcoming fight. You have my full support and unswerving loyalty.

Ulor Kortelan of Salan Kajakan Tros.

[Kortelan]

Note to Rubanya:

Greetings Regent. Kajakan Folon has betrayed our cause and at this moment their garrison is holed up awaiting a siege by orders of their Ulor and my garrison is getting ready to storm the Ulor's palace tomorrow a little past dawn. Sadly that event will probably be over with by the time you read this. I have ordered the leader of my garrison to behead the Ulor and present it to the garrison when dealing with them again. I have sent a note to Verronia to request aid if things do not go as planned. I have also told that Ulor that if he doesn't help his fate will be the same. Also I am asking again can I annex the other two provinces and reunite the Verronese homelands? To have our homelands reunited is the dream of every Verronese person from birth to death. Almost every Verronese person in the entire empire will be behind you and your cause if you allow this to happen. I will go with what ever your decision is as you are the emperor and your will is supreme and just.


Ulor Kortelan of Salan Kajakan Tros.