Antonian Apostasy
From FiranMUX
Contents |
Overview
The Antonians were a small group whose existence was suddenly laid bare to the public in March of 39 A.U. The men and women of this group came from all walks of life, and are thought to have been led by Antonius Marcus and Sir Nathim Ista Ankur of the Chimera Clan. Many in the Republic, however, disbelieve that the far-reaching plot attempted by this group could have been masterminded by commoners, and indeed, evidence exists that more powerful forces were at work.
The existence of the Antonians was a secret up until the sudden Dawn Raids, ordered by Lord Viceroy Taleo Teranzik, captured the bulk of the Antonians in one fell swoop and so ended their attempt to usurp control of the Republic.
The circumstances which led to these raids are murky, but after the conspirators were brought to justice and interrogated, several members of the Clan Council shed light in their judgments levied against some of the worst, but least successful, traitors of modern times.
Objectives
To understand the Antonians, one must first examine their objective: to install in the position of Ranivor the young Prince Avahlon Elianik. Not long before the conspiracy came to light, Prince Avahlon participated in an Elikian ceremony which was considered by the great majority of the population to seriously damage the dignity and reputation of the Elianik family. In addition, Prince Avahlon was widely considered to be the most flighty of the new generation of Elianik princes. The Viceroy sent him away to the Oracle in Agadin, hoping to settle and mature the boy. However, given his reputation for being malleable, Antonius Marcus and Sir Nathim Ista Ankur believed that they could use his Elianik heritage to give their coup the semblance of legitimacy while at the same time providing a leader who could be easily bent to their desires.
To put Prince Avahlon on the throne, however, they would have to be prepared to cut through the Republic's security surrounding the Palace and likely destroy any Clan Leader to stand in their way. So they recruited, and found fertile ground.
Conspirators
Antonius, widely believed to be the instrumental leader of the plot, and Nathim looking among those who seemed disaffected with the status quo, particularly among potential soldiers and nobles they could turn to their cause. According to the judgments made against various implicated parties, Antonius convinced Sir General Vasyklo Garkansen to allow him use of Republic lands to train his forces. (Sir Vasyklo denied the charge and has not been convicted of anything relating to the conspiracy.) Nathim recruited Junot Tahani to make and train others in the use of ballistae. He recruited Firuell Aurik to lead his military force when the time came to take over the Palace District.
He used Lady Yasha and Lord Kristover Rissik to procure supplies and permissions for building ballistae, whose public purpose was to be as a gift to the Republic. He recruited the Gold Dragon lords Audentus Manosik, Kamen Manosik and Neo Junik, a Griffon woman named Megaera, and the Chimeran Moyanik Keniran. Antonius claimed to intend to use influence with Lord Judge Inarus Elikista to enlist his help when the moment arrived, but Lord Inarus was never formally charged with a crime.
Infiltrators
However, the conspirators were reportedly far too ready to trust that others shared their aims. No less than four separate clans infiltrated the conspiracy in the persons of Lord Commander Rikon IstaNydiam, Centurion Sarina Whitefeather, Sir Priest Parosh Dilarik and Lord Judge Anzo Iberik. All provided considerable testimony against the many conspirators, and all reported that they were consistently lax about security for such a clandestine operation. They reported that the conspirators gave details out quite freely, which undoubtedly aided in the prosecution of the Antonians. All were lauded by their clan's leadership.
The Lanesh Connection
One of the more chilling revelations made by the Viceroy in sentencing was the group's connection to the Lanesh Regime. It was specifically stated that they wished to recreate the Regime's trial of Clan Leader Firgalas, ending in the execution of Lord Viceroy Taleo. Of all the revelations, this sends particular chills down the spines of older Firans feeling the threads of history repeating. This time, however, the assassination was stopped before the attempt could even begin.
The Purge
In the end, a great many people were killed or exiled. Junot Tahani and Megaera were exiled from Firan lands, as was Winia Aurik, wife of Firuell. Antonius Marcus, Sir Nathim Ista Ankur, Lady Yasha Rissik, Lord Kristover Rissik, Lord Neo Junik, Lord Audentus Manosik, Lord Orestes Rissik, Lord Kamen Manosik, Firuell Aurik, Moyanik Keniran, Malvina Nesharen and Lianna Ista Ankur were all put to death. The Keniran family was stripped of all possessions, sent to the Old City and sentenced to pay an additional fine of 25,000,000 stenis, as well as being renamed the Karanik Family. The Marcus family was sentenced to death, though granted the option of asking for quarter. The noble Rissik family was stripped of its nobility.
Conclusion
In the end, the Antonians left a swath of destruction behind them, though decidedly not the one they intended.
