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Night of the Red Coup

The Night of the Red Coup (13th of Flamerule, 1447) was the start of the Elturel's Reign of Vampires, when the city's High Rider was revealed to be vampire. The night saw the majority of Elturel's governing officials killed, beginning a twenty day reign of terror that would become known as the Reign of Vampires.

The Conflict

Prelude

In 1442, High Rider Klav Ikaia of Elturel's Hellriders, led an expedition into the Snakehills. A feral vampire had begun turning a wide swatch of yuan-ti, orcs, trolls, and other monstrous races into vampire thralls, which threatened the safety of the various settlements under the protection of Elturel's Guard. . The expedition was a success, and the feral vampire, and most of its spawn, were destroyed. Unbeknownst to the rest of the expedition, however, Ikaia had become infected.   The new vampire lord of Elturel kept his true nature hidden, but the darkness of his curse ate at the city like a cancer. In 1447 DR, the secret was discovered by Naja Bellandi, the High Watcher of Helm. Bellandi managed to escape from the High Hall before she was turned into a vampire herself, fled through the moonlit shadows of the garden, and escaped from the vampires hunting her by jumping from the Maiden's Leap into the canal below.

The Engagement

Following Ikaia's reveal as a vampire, the High Rider moved into action, realizing that he couldn't remain hidden any longer. Ikaia and his supporters had already infiltrated the highest ranks of the government and, at Ikaia's signal, they swept through what remained, killing or converting dozens. The Hellriders themselves were betrayed, caught off guard, and slaughtered in a vampiric frenzy.   Naja Bellandi, having dragged herself from the canal, returned to Helm's Shieldhall, only to find it an abattoir. She gathered any survivors she could find and sent word to the patrols still operating outside the city. A siege was raised, but the Hellriders were ill-equipped for such an action and their one-time allies had been alienated by High Rider Ikaia's imperial actions (even before he became a vampire).   Inside the city, desperate Elturians began barricading their homes and gathering in churches and other defensible areas, hoping to withstand the onslaught.

Outcome

The rapid destruction of Elturel's ruling populace meant that no significant resistance could be mounted in the city, save for the soldiers and civilians Naja Bellandi could muster into a guerilla force. Though the city was thrown into chaos, it was unquestionably a matter of when, not if, Ikaia's forces would take over the city in its entirety.

Historical Significance

Legacy

The story of Naja Bellandi and her dramatic escape from the High Hall and off Maiden's Leap has become legend in Elturel. Her heroic actions in both exposing Klav Ikaia's nature and attempting to rally the Hellriders endeared her to the surviving Elturians and would lead to her being declared the country's High Observer following the Reign of Vampires.   In time, this night would be referred to as the Night of the Red Coup, after the blood that was spilled all across Elturel.
Included under Conflict
Conflict Type
Rebellion
Battlefield Type
Urban
Start Date
13th of Flamerule, 1447
Conflict Result
Reign of Vampires begins; Elturel leadership killed or converted
Location

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