The Red Year is a term used in Ynnic history to refer to 1787, a year when the Red Sentries of Corinsfield, led by Ichabod Roose, inflicted a shocking defeat on the Empire of Arverynn and subsequently sacked the Ynnic holy city of Adbrabohvi, inflicting two major blows on Ynnic power and the Ynn River Worship faith. The year ended with Corinsfield annexing the Arverynn Empire's eastern holdings, while Ynnic lands along the southern bank of the Niz Velsynn were conquered by Plumstead. The events of the Red Year paved the way to the Decades of the Mountain.
Roose's Campaign[]
Adrahel's Rebellion[]
Since 1785, Lord Adrahel II of Fadhevych planned a rebellion against emperor Calrodiy VII Vyrekynn of Arverynn as he aimed to overthrow him and further his personal power. In order to ensure a victory, he enlisted the help of Captain Ichabod Roose of Corinsfield and his Red Sentries.
Adrahel's Rebellion openly started in early 1787. Emperor Calrodiy VII sent an imperial host in response and besieged the castle of Fadhevych, however the imperial troops were defeated and routed after a daring sortie which shocked many, as Arverynn was a power to be to feared in the Ynn.
The Fadhevych Intervention[]
Depiction of Corinsfield banners flying over Fadhevych.
During the celebrations for Adrahel's victory, Corinite Red Sentries and Adrahel's retainers partied side by side. Captain Roose approached Lord Adrahel and questioned the motives behind his rebellion, before concluding that Adrahel was only motivated by personal ambition. He executed the lord on the spot for his act of petty treachery, and to Roose's surprise the local Ynnics cheered due to their disdain of the corruption allowed by the feudal system and their view of the Corinite faith as a possible bringer of justice. The Corinsfielder troops were roused by the former Istranari crusaders within their ranks and supported Roose's choice as well, and by the end of the day, the banners of Corinsfield flew over the castle of Fadhevych.
Red Night of Adbrabohvi[]
With the combined army of the Ynnic Fadhevychi retinue and the Corinsfield army, Roose marched to the most beloved holy site of the Ynnics, Adbrabohvi. Without much preparation, the city was not able to mount a defense and surrendered to avoid the destruction of their millennia old religious buildings and artifacts.
Captain Roose promised the people that no damage would be done to the city; yet as he had entered the city's main temple to find the secrets hidden within, rogue Istranari crusaders acted independently under the cover of night and pillaged the city, seeking revenge for their failed crusade. Meanwhile, Roose found no secrets but an old Ynnic priest and a grim prophecy:
"Flame cannot burn water. Sarda will fall. But not by your hand. And it will re-emerge. Stronger than ever."
Consequences[]
Emperor Calrodiy VII lost hope in victory against Corinsfield after the Red Night and proposed an armistice that the Corinsfielders swiftly accepted as they felt overextended with their conquests. As Adbrabohvi fell and the spread of Ravelianism and its discoveries grew wider in the Ynn, the native Ynn River Worship faith was further shaken.
The Empire of Arverynn started to be seen as in decline, which made many Ynnics in the empire lose faith in the Vyrekynn leadership of Sarda. Meanwhile, the victorious Corinsfield was nonetheless exhausted, and the weakness of both former belligerents would not go unnoticed in New Havoral.
Plumstead's Opportunity[]
Plumstead took advantage of the distracted Arverynn and besieged the fortress of Selocshana during Roose's campaign, an important stronghold of strategic importance to the Empire. Not only was this the first time the fortress faced a modern Cannorised army, but the Auvukonyr mercenaries it relied upon defected to the Plumsteader forces at the promise of full integration into their society.
The surrender of the castle allowed Plumstead to not only occupy Selocshana, but to seize the entire southern bank, pushing the border to the river.