The wizard Caphias Mennoc played a pivotal role in the downfall of Lodoga. The scheming eunuchs of the emperor’s court had long since sewn the seeds of discord by dismissing many prominent and well-meaning nobles. Overall the government was corrupt at the highest levels leading to widespread deterioration of the empire. The wizard Caphias Mennoc was well aware of this and sought to thwart the corruption in his own meager way, although he had no inkling of how widespread his teachings would eventually become. Caphias traveled Kabdoaria as a wandering alchemist curing the sick of mild ailments while secretly inciting them to revolt against the local corrupt lords.
The small revolt was left unchecked for several years by greedy and apathetic lords who were simply more interested in gold. Those energetic enough to thwart the rebellion often included the more moral lords who instead turned to Caphia’s teachings and eventually gathered to his cause to leads the peasantry. Several key members of the Kabdorian corrupt lords begun to collapse and the imperial city sought to deal with the matter personally. The rebellion was brutally snuffed out under the weight of a well trained military, although war was far more costly than empire would have ever guessed. A war of attrition, magic, guerilla warfare and subterfuge leaned greatly on the side of Caiphas and they caused a good deal of logistical damage before the rebellion was eventually put down. Moreover the natural spirits seemed to work against the imperial army and it seemed one natural disaster after another plagued them.
In the aftermath the Lodoga nobles succeeded. They left in their wake a great void of law and a great deal of resentment. Many of the government infrastructure was damaged or totally destroyed. Many of the lord were dead or joined the rebellion and were in hiding. Homes, farms and trade routes were sacked during the war of attrition. Banditry took a sharp rise after the troops left and general anarchy reigned for several years. Eventually the Kabdorian population found more meaning in Caphia’s teaching than ever before and the revolt quickly swept back into place - although in more hushed tones. After the emperor was assassinated and the Ladoga began to break apart, many began to speak of independence and several powerful lords isolated themselves into tight knit sects, ignoring the greater lords of the lands. After the great war ended and Ladoga dissolved, these lords consolidated their power and formed new realms, often using the popular teachings of Caphias as a pretext to do so (although not always buying into it themselves). With all of the large armies in shambles, there was none to stop them.
Although Caphias was said to be slain during the upheaval, his teachings against corruption have stubbornly held on among the population. Even the Halflings and Elves which border Kabdoria started to take an interest before the empire began to disintegrate. His teachings are based on the simple, yet foreign concepts of fairness, collective responsibility, and not overburdening the working class. Naturally many lords found such non-sense threatening, but many also found it a welcome change from the weary corruption. These teaching live on today in much of Kabdoria, centered on the realm of Cias Lynnm on the western fringes. There a boy with supernatural wisdom an insight spurs on the teachings of Caphias and bases the law of the land upon them.
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I’m deciding on wither to keep Caphias as living figure or not (luckily I can leave it be for a while). If he is alive I am aiming him to be a well-meaning instructor, but his teachings are far out of his control at this point. I figure him to have been bold enough to do something about the corruption after watching it for years, but definitely not brave enough to follow through with his words when it came down to war. He is probably as surprised as anyone that his little rebellion actually worked. In fact I would like him be a bit of coward and really not all that interested in upheaval and riots anymore. When the first real blood started to spill, he was likely scared out of his gourd, guilty as hell, and fled to the hills. Being a somewhat legendary figure now, he hides from his reputation as much as those who wish to see him dead. I would image him as somewhat of a hermit sage now, not all interested in the affairs of the world. If news of him being alive became known, it would likely change a good deal in current Kabdoria.
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