The March on New Daneska

The March on New Daneska was a civilian-led protest against the Litherian government's harsh treatment of atheism, notable for backfiring and causing the establishment of the Litherian Inquisition. Led by Leonard Midas, a staunch Litherian atheist, the march included members from nations across Tilendrel, some smuggled in from Everflame days in advance.   Buildup   In the months after the Second Arcane War, the Litherian government cracked down harshly on atheism, agnosticism, and alternative faiths. This led to some violent uprisings, but their inability to coordinate made them ineffective. Seeing this, Leonard Midas, a Litherian atheist in exile in Bentrelhold, decided that it was now or never if he wished to prevent Litheria's march towards religious exclusivism.   Reaching out to old contacts in Everflame, the Ironheart Kingdom, and the Southern Elves, he sent out a call to arms for those who did not worship the New Gods, instructing them to gather in New Daneska's Market Square on the 4th of Drethmire. Word spread quickly and across borders, and when the day came an estimated 15,000 gathered for the march.   Resolution   The group began its march to the Emperor's Palace, encountering only minor resistance from local police forces. Once they reached the Piazza Del Sole, however, they were met by a detachment of the Litherian military accompanied by a number of clerics from the city's temples. After appeals from the priests and threats of violence failed to disperse the crowd, the soldiers began killing the protestors. Some managed to flee, but more than half were slaughtered, their bodies burned on the spot on the Emperor's orders instead of the Litherian custom of burial.   Aftermath and Impact   Seeing not the will of his people but a plot by dark forces, the Emperor established the Litherian Inquisition to combat atheism and prevent such uprisings in the future. The Council of Priests, noting their clerics' help in dispatching the protestors, moved to undermine the Emperor's authority by taking control of the Inquisition, a plot only stopped by a chance conversation overheard by one of the Emperor's servants. Foreign governments, fearing similar uprisings, softened their stances on atheism, agnosticism, and alternate religions, a loophole which cults like the Ra'keth Brotherhood were quick to exploit.   Leonard Midas escaped the slaughter of the protestors, though his current whereabouts is unknown. Litherian bounty hunters continue to search for him, to no avail. Similar protests, though smaller in scale, have also occurred in Renthegar, Thronehold, Everflame City, and Mettleven since the March.