It was, predictably enough, in the city of Mountain's Reach that the trouble started. Within hours of the decree being made known, the poor quarter of Mountain's Reach exploded into angry riots. Crowds took to the streets, burning and looting, as the armies of the Kerilian protectorate, aided by a group of Zo in the city's fortress, strove to maintain order.

And with mere riots might this whole affair have ended, if it had not been for one woman. One angry woman, who had seen her nearest and dearest perish at the hands of the Ghorak Zo, and who would never stand by to watch as they took over her beloved home. Geldaran Reng of Mountain's Reach; her name stills rings loud in the halls of history. With infamy and abuse in the official histories, but not so in this one. For she must truly be counted one of the most influential resistance fighters against the Ascendancy that has appeared in all the years since the Battle of Tears.

Geldaran was born and raised in the city of Mountain's Reach, born to a Kerilian family of limited wealth, and even less social standing. Her childhood was uneventful (despite the numerous legends that have since accrued to her name), and uneventfully she may well have gone through life. But, for good luck or bad, she was called to a different fate, and to a brighter, though shorter, trajectory.

At the time of the Ghorak Zo invasion, Geldaran was a captain in the Mountain's Reach city guard, a post of some responsibility. Her husband fought in the same guard, as did her only son. But in the campaign against the invading Zo, when contingents from Mountain's Reach went to join Mobius, her husband and son left but never returned. They were buried on the shores of the river Aethry, and they took Geldaran's heart with them.

And in this angry, strong, woman, the people of Keril found the leader they needed to turn their riots and discontent into the firestorm of rebellion. For feeling against Mobius was running so high that it needed only the tinder spark to kindle the flames that still run hot to this very day.When ordered to suppress the rioters by whatever force necessary, Geldaran instead joined them, taking with her the entire Mountain's Reach guard. It took only mere hours for the rest of the city Elders to join their ranks, and suddenly Geldaran was leading the entire city of Mountain's Reach in outright rebellion. The Ghorak Zo caught inside the city were slaughtered to the last man, woman and child, except for those lucky enough to reach the sanctuary of the acropolis in time.

The effects of this were felt across all of Shan Deral. The People of Low Norlan, although they had little liking for their traditional Kerilian foes, were quick to join with them in resisting the hated decree of Mobius. And from there, rebellion spread right across the northwest valleys. The Fen'neko had neither forgiven nor forgotten their subjugation two hundred years earlier, and memories of their horrific losses at the hands of Mobius' Sentinels had faded. They were more than ready to fight again.

Rebellion spread to the lands of the Halflings also. Normally a more peaceful, easy-going race, Halflings roused to anger are a formidable sight. And they were angry now. For in his decreee, Mobius had taken away the Halfling lands to the southwest of Nunshul Pass to give to the Zo, an intolerable affront not only to the Halfling racial pride, but also to their culinary pride (for it was that area of Shan Deral that was reknowned in particular for its fine wines).

In Human lands, rebellion spread quickly to the protectorates of Rosyaye, Khorobit and Ren'tlic. Sul, being so close to the Capital, and thus directly under the eye of Mobius had no real opportunity to rebel. The other Human protectorates, for a variety of reasons, never became directly involved. And the Dwarves, Sylvans, and Thoom, as was their wont, went quietly about their own business, leaving the Humans to clean up after themselves.

Thus, in the space of a few short weeks, Geldaran found herself as the symbolic head of a rebel movement that stretched from Moonwood to the eastern shores. Organistion was non-existent, and unity a dream only, but passion was there in abundance. One can only conjecture her feelings and motivations. Had she predicted the speed of events? Most unlikely, for they took even the wily Mobius by total surprise. Was she appalled at what she had become? Possibly, but events showed her to be more than capable of the task ahead.

And she began that task with a stroke of genius.