The city of Riverrun was not burning.
Not yet.
But its people were restless—hungry for coin, bitter from taxes, and wary of steam. Rumors spread like rats in the alleys: the machines were taking jobs, the Duke had been killed, and the blacksmith's boy now ruled Emberhold through fear and fire.
They called themselves the Firebrands—a loose brotherhood of displaced workers, guild radicals, and landless militia. They wore red scarves tied around their forearms and painted their slogans in ash and soot:
"Steel is not law."
"Machines don't bleed, but we do."
It was only a matter of time before their anger found a flame.
I. The Rising
On the eve of Frostwind, the Firebrands seized the local loomhouse.
They smashed the automated spinners, overturned dye barrels, and set fire to three carts of finished fabric destined for Emberhold. One of the apprentices, a boy named Lior, had his arm shattered trying to defend the property.
Tobias was the first to report the uprising to Magnus.
"They're calling it a 'liberation,'" he said. "The city guards stood by. Half of them probably sympathize."
Magnus didn't respond immediately. He turned away from the report and stared out his window at the silhouette of his city.
"Riverrun feeds five provinces," he murmured. "Let it fall, and rebellion follows like rot."
"What shall we do?"
Magnus tapped his desk. "We test the Iron Vanguard."
II. Gears of War
The Iron Vanguard were not soldiers in the traditional sense.
They wore reinforced uniforms sewn with steel filaments. Their boots were magnet-padded for stability, their gauntlets built to interface with compact steam pistons. Each bore a "Flarelance" rifle: a gas-propelled weapon capable of firing molten rounds with enough heat to pierce armor.
But they were more than equipped. They were loyal.
Each member had signed the Oath of Iron—a contract Magnus had drafted personally. It bound them to duty and secrecy, reinforced with blood sigils and monetary incentives.
Their captain, a former mercenary named Varn, saluted Magnus as he received the orders.
"We march at dawn?"
"You roll at dawn," Magnus corrected, handing him a sealed tube. "This contains the Directive of Subjugation. Do not open it until you breach the loomhouse. And Varn…"
"Yes, Lord-Regent?"
"No martyrs."
Varn grinned. "Only obedience."
III. Smoke Over the Loomhouse
The Iron Vanguard reached Riverrun under heavy fog.
At first, the townsfolk mistook the hiss of steam valves for weather. But when the first Cinderwolf emerged from the mist—bronze limbs gleaming, lenses glowing—they screamed.
The loomhouse was fortified, barricaded with barrels, planks, and makeshift traps. From the roof, a Firebrand waved a red banner.
Then the Flarelances sang.
Magnus had ordered no cannon fire—only suppression rounds and precision targeting. Within ten minutes, the Firebrand sentries had been neutralized, their weapons confiscated.
Varn read the sealed directive aloud inside the loomhouse, his voice calm:
"You are not enemies of the crown. You are laborers misguided by false prophets. Surrender, and you will be offered rehabilitation under the Industrial Charter. Resist, and your limbs shall break under the will of progress."
The Firebrands refused.
So the Iron Vanguard took their legs.
IV. Puppets on Fire
The news spread quickly.
By the third day, broadsheets appeared across the duchy:
"Order Restored in Riverrun."
"Traitors Subdued by the Iron Vanguard."
"Lord-Regent Veyron Announces Reconstruction Fund for Loyal Families."
Of course, Magnus wrote the headlines himself.
He hired playwrights to re-enact the Firebrand attack in taverns, casting them as wild-eyed anarchists threatening innocent children. The propaganda worked.
Soon, Riverrun's rebellion was no longer a cause. It was a cautionary tale.
And the red scarves?
They vanished from every sleeve.
V. Elara's Letter
It came sealed with obsidian wax, stamped with a raven talon:
"So this is how you tame a city. With fire, metal, and illusions.
I wonder—do your machines dream of guilt, Magnus? Or do they only reflect their maker?
I await your answer.
—Elara, Duchess of Blackford"
Magnus read the letter twice before folding it into the fire.
"You'll have your answer soon enough," he whispered.
Then he turned back to the map of the kingdom.
And drew a red X over Riverrun.