Day of the Bloody Crown

The Day of the Bloody Crown, also known as Sunscryer's Coup or the Battle of Magritta, was the crucial battle that toppled the Kingdom of Astarios and created the First Estalian Empire. The fighting took place within metropolitan Magritta, as loyal Royalist troops defended against Lupio Sunscryer's Imperialists, led by Lord Emilio Prieto. Supported by the Inquisition and the Cult of Myrmidia itself, Sunscryer's followers were able to subdue King Felipe III's defenders and publicly execute the unpopular monarch. Following the Day of the Bloody Crown, the transition of power in Astarios was for the most part peaceful, due to Sunscryer's status as an Estalian icon and heroic figure.

History
Since his coronation during the War of Diamanterra's Sorrow, King Felipe III Cavallero de Magritta had exhibited continual incompetence in his military command. The King's mishandling of the War resulted in a bloody stalemate between Astarios and Aragona, despite the former's strong military advantage. In the decades following the Portige War, Felipe's attempts at consolidating absolute power and failure to contain the Greenskin Incursions caused the King to become increasingly unpopular among the Astarian people. In addition to his lack of military prowess, Felipe's timidity made him a poor diplomat and lent him a reputation as weak and cowardly. By the 2460s IC, he had come to be known as Felipe the Short, in reference to both his stature and ability.

In 2470 IC, Lupio Sunscryer, hero of Tramoto, began his Irrana Campaigns to expunge the Greenskin threat. As the Campaigns wore on, meeting with continual success, Sunscryer became a beloved icon to the Estalian populace. Felipe grew wary of the charismatic young Lord, whose deep ties with the Inquisition and high noble birth made him all the more dangerous. The King attempted to consolidate his waning power by issuing over a dozen royal decrees, which heavily impacted the military nobility of Magritta and served to further enrage the Astarian aristocracy.

By late summer of 2476 IC, the Irrana Campaigns had come to an end, with Lord Sunscryer triumphant and all the more powerful. On July 3rd, Lord Emilio Prieto sent Lupio the Invitación a la Gloria, a document signed by the higher nobility of Magritta and inviting Sunscryer to overthrow Felipe as King. Sunscryer agreed, and less than two weeks later, his massive mercenary host began marching out of the Irranas towards Magritta.

In late September of 2476, Felipe discovered the plot to put Sunscryer on the throne. Panicking, the King imposed martial law on Magritta and declared Lupio and his army enemies of Astarios. Led by Lord Emilio Prieto, Lupio's mentor and close friend, the lords, inquisitors, and cultists of Magritta began plotting a coup, hoping to avoid a siege of the city. Word of the plot reached King Felipe on the 9th of October, and the King reacted by ordering the conspirators' death. Rather than face imprisonment and death, Prieto and his coalition of nobles gathered their soldiers to them as a deterrent. Interpreting the coalition's levying of troops as another act of treason, Felipe ordered his Royalists to open fire on the plotters.

With the Royalists' opening salvo, the city of Magritta erupted into chaos. Prieto and his fellow lords, accompanied by the forces of the Inquisition and a massive volunteer militia, began battling the Royalists throughout the streets. The fighting devastated large portions of the city, as cannon and mortar fire was exchanged between the noble estates and open conflict wracked the major roadways of Magritta. As evening approached, more and more of Felipe's Royalists defected to the Imperialist cause, tipping the balance in favor of Prieto's militiamen. At sunset, Prieto and a crowd of frenzied soldiers broke through the defenses of the Palacio Real de Magritta, causing the majority of the King's personal guard there to throw down their arms and proclaim defeat. Felipe himself took no part in the fighting, and was forcefully removed from his quarters by the Imperialists. The King was then dragged into Magritta's central Palacio Square, where he was publicly executed via beheading. Lord Prieto presided over the execution, and declared the returning hero Lupio Sunscryer the new ruler of Magritta by right of conquest.

Following the death of the generally unpopular King and the public backing of Sunscryer's claim by the Cult of Myrmidia, the bloodshed in Magritta quickly slowed to a halt. The vast majority of Felipe's soldiers surrendered or defected upon news of his death, and those that continued to fight were easily subdued by the swelling ranks of the Imperialists.