The Briarbird Rebellion is the most recent of a handful that have followed in the Isendelian aggression against the surrounding baronies of Ithar, Moraeth, and Jorung. The support of the aristocracy for the war was divided from the beginning. The longstanding peace established by King Aymondane and the previous baron had been lucrative for trade between the regions and war meant higher taxes, raising of armies, and disruption of trade. However, the conquest of new lands from the surrounding baronies also meant new opportunities for those noble families hindered by the established power structures in the realm and too for knights who had found little glory in the long peacetime of her predecessor and Tyr Isendel found easy allies in those who sought to grow their power and influence quickly.
The vast majority of the Painted Swan committed to the warfronts in neighboring territories, the Briarbird Rebellion, lead by two soldiers of the former era, Consus Thorne and Paloma Shale, has survived, despite several defeats, where earlier rebellions had failed. The message of the Briarbird Rebellion is that the aggression of Tyr Isendel and the cruelty of her rule has diminished the goodness of the Barony of Isendel and the oppression of the Inquisition has brought misery to the people, and the rebellion seeks to supplant those most corrupt who benefit from tyranny and oppression.
Though having enjoyed significant victories, the Rebellion most recently suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Painted Swans, but in this defeat was revealed the Inquisition’s employ of witchcraft, which turned the tide of the conflict to devastating effect. The forces of the Rebellion have been splintered and continue to suffer defeat after defeat, while public support for the Rebellion continues to grow in the wake of the most recent revelations of the Inquisition’s hypocrisy, corruption, and the betrayal of the church’s own tenets and teachings.