Through their iron rule, Wolfenstaad became the most powerful, as well as the wealthiest of all nations north of the great sea.
Breylon was one of the most diverse of the nation’s cities. It had a mix of Commoners and Nobles from many lower Noble Houses. And for all outward appearances, they appeared to co-exist in peaceful harmony. But that perception changed when the attacks began.
Civil unrest begins...
It started in the outskirts of the city. Places of business were burned at first. It was initially dismissed as random acts of vandalism. Uncommon, but not worthy of concern. It would dissipate, as it had always done so in the past. But as civil servants attempted to put out the fires, more dissidents would appear, throwing bottles through the windows of other buildings. Buildings of worship, statues commemorating historical figures, even open markets and schools. The bottles were stuffed with cloth soaked with oils and other flammable fluids. They were lit before being thrown, and would then explode and spread flames everywhere as the bottles shattered. It soon became evident that the attacks were coordinated, with many people working in concert with one another. The disbelief among citizens grew to fear as it became evident it was not like past protests. It was something more.
...and grows into something more
As the fires grew, the dissidents’ numbers seemed to grow as they made their way down to the inner core of Breylon. Towards the port and bridge leading to the capital. The fires continued to burn, with some fires reaching the top of the tallest cathedrals. Many of the dissidents then turned their attention from destroying property, to the citizens who were not a part of their actions. Some would attack citizens fleeing from burning buildings, while others would board up the buildings with people inside. A few were able to break out, or were broken free by other citizens who heard their screams. But many never made it out, and their remains would be found inside the burned buildings the morning after.
A place of sanctuary amidst chaos
Many that were able to escape would find refuge within the Wolven Cathedral, one of the few buildings that even the most brazen of Dissidents would not dare to enter. Perhaps they feared incurring the wrath of a demonic guardian from legend. Or perhaps it was a residue of morality against desiccating a sacred place. It may never be known. But it was left largely untouched, while the rest of the city burned. And the fires burned strong into the night. The fires burned so bright, that Nobility who were in the Citadel could see the fires at night. They could actually see the buildings burning from across the strait. The strait that separated their island capital from the mainland.
The Rulers respond
After what seemed like a longer time than expected, the ruling Nobility at last sent the Leige Protectorates into the city. Some of the dissidents, consumed with fervour by the chaos they wrought, attempted to fight the Liege Protectorates. The were cut down within moments. For many, it was the first time they had seen their nation’s silent soldiers. They soon realized, far too late, why their armies were so feared by other nations. Upon seeing their fellow dissidents cut down, many turned and fled, abandoning their campaign of anarchy. The few dissidents who were not killed or taken, fled like locusts into the night. However, the damage was done.
A Rulers' wrath
In one night, that group of dissidents had caused more harm within Wolfenstaad’s borders than any invading army had ever been allowed to do in the nation’s history. Bodies of loyal citizens, mostly Nobles, lay throughout the city. Some burned beyond recognition. It would take days before many could be properly identified. The shame felt by the ruling Nobility was overshadowed almost instantly by their rage at what their own people had visited upon them. The sentences decreed by Wolfenstaad’s King and Queen were so brutal, that it caused some of their most ardent of followers to counsel a more measured, tempered response. But their pleas would fall on deaf ears. Tolerance would give way to retribution.
Theories for treason
It was never publicly stated what caused a small but violent group of Commoners to begin burning one of their nation’s oldest cities, street by street. And killing their own citizens without hesitation or remorse. But a theory began to be voiced. First in whispers, and then louder, until it could be heard in the Citadel. A theory that the acts were committed by group of disillusioned citizens who felt the reforms being proposed were not being passed fast enough. Or that the ones bringing reform, were not doing enough to aid them in their struggles. It was believed that their misguided idealism was what fuelled their violent actions that night.
Harming their own cause
If that theory was indeed true, then the events of that night would only deepen the tragedy by adding a bitter irony to it. For after that night, the support which had been growing with each successful reform, would all but vanish among the Nobility and many Commoners. Many Nobles, with the exception of Cyan and a few of her supporters, no longer felt comfortable with passing new reforms. And many Commoners, while still desiring change, no longer felt comfortable speaking openly of it, fearing they would be seen as sympathetic to the actions of the Dissidents.
A return to the old ways
Representatives would once again be appointed by the ruling Nobility. Before that night, the appointed representatives were sometimes Commoners favoured by the Nobility. But after that night, almost all the new appointed representatives were of Noble blood, making the loyal Commoners feel that they had even less of a voice than they did before, reinforcing the reality that the actions of those dissidents had undercut years of progressive reforms which had been slowly but steadily improving their lives.
A lesser known theory...
Another theory regarding the dissidents’ actions was that it had been orchestrated by a Noble who sought to overthrow the King and Queen’s rule. The theory was that after the Night of Fire, the person had either been killed, fled, or been captured and taken to a lower level of the Citadel. While the theory of a disloyal Noble was largely dismissed by the council of Nobles, after that night, many lower levels of the Citadel were closed off. Areas once open for all Nobles could only be accessed by the King and Queen. And their royal guards. It was believed that Cyan suspects there may have been citizens wrongly imprisoned there, as it was rumoured that on one occasion, she was seen exploring the lower levels by herself, apparently in search of victims of her parents’ wrath…