Schönntu Rebellion

The Schönntu Rebellion was a nationalist, anticolonial uprising fought by the Schönntu people under Zweschra Kweulherdt against Kaisa. Beginning in 1330 CE in the hinterlands of eastern Kriehehrdtia, the uprising lasted almost a year but was suppressed by a Kaisan expeditionary corps led by Xander Gabris.

Background

The conditions for indigenous people in Kaisan Kriehehrdtia were brutal. Most of the value of the colony was in the rich resources of gold and other minerals. To coerce the indigenous people into working in the mines, subject to poor woking conditions and even poorer pay, Kaisa imposed a tax on every household in the colony. For those who could not pay this tax by other means, which included most families, they were forced to labor.   In the 1320s CE, mine owners began complaining to the Kaisan colonial administration that they were unable to find sufficient labor, because competition from the colonial farming plantations, which had comparatively better conditions, were drawing too many away. In response, the colonial administration introduced an additional poll tax, attempting to draw more people into the labor force. Already unhappy, the indigenous population broke out into revolt.

Revolt

Zweschra Redtolls, a leader of the Kweulherdt tribe, quickly rose into a position of prominence amongst the rebels. She and her band raided farms and small towns along the coast, killing Kaisan colonists and taking arms and supplies for the fight. In one early battle, she cunningly encircled a detachment of colonial troops, killing almost all of them before they were able to flee. To the Kaisans, used to putting down small uprisings swiftly and easily, this was a great morale blow. Zweschra herself became a nearly legendary figure. A talented thaumaturgist, she was revered by her people and feared by the Kaisan colonists.   The plan of the rebels was to destroy colonial infrastructure, distract the Kaisan Army, gather resources from raids, and spark a wider revolt. They hoped that their example would lead to a mutiny within the Kriehehrdti Colonial Auxiliaries. Attempts had been made to lay the groundwork for this within the auxiliaries, but unfortunately the uprising came before the revolutionaries were completely prepared. Ultimately, the auxiliaries remained loyal to Kaisa.   Within the coastal cities, indigenous Kriehehrdti began to riot and push out the colonial military. To regain control, the Kaisan colonial troops responded in force. They shelled neighborhoods where riots took place and burned villages believed to be sympathetic to the rebels to the ground. The death toll is estimated to be in the tens of thousands. Zweschra Kweulherdt and her army were forced to flee to the hinterlands, where they engaged in guerilla strikes against military incursions and the sparse colonial outposts further from the coast.   An expeditionary corps of eight hundred soldiers led by Tagmatarchis Xander Gabris was sent from Kaisa to put down the rebellion. Equipped with fully modern equipment, including several recoil-operated machine guns, they set out to hunt down Zweschra and her forces. A series of encounters ensued, resulting in a series of decisive victories for the Kaisans. The machine guns, particularly, were put to ruthless effect. In one battle, a group of about four thousand rebels attacked the corps. The rebels suffered more than a thousand losses, for only eight Kaisan soldiers killed.   The rebellion fell apart after that, and Zweschra's army was soon reduced to a small band of raiders being hunted across the hinterlands. Eventually, the rebels were cornered at Nädt Jammlo. Taking a defensive position, the rebels were prepared for a siege, but Gabris wanted to make an example and decided to storm their position, instead. Zweschra and her soldiers put up a stiff resistance, killing several dozen Kaisan troops, but the overwhelming force of the Kaisan soldiers came out on top.   Kaisa claims that Zweschra was killed during the battle, but no body surfaced, and some of the soldiers present claim to have seen her sprout gnarled wings and take flight from the battlefield.

Legacy

While Kaisa was able to maintain their hold on Kriehehrdtia, the uprising was a wake-up-call for the colonial powers, as for a short time it seemed like the colony would collapse. Kaisa began taking a much more direct role in colonial enforcement and further integrated the colony's political structure.   The Schönntu Rebellion was among the first uses of the recoil-operated machine gun, and it swiftly became a mainstay of colonial warfare. In a little more than a decade, it would be used to horrifying ends during the Last War.