Harvest Festival Massacre

In 998, the Harvest Festival was a especially celebrated due to the engagement announcement between King Kosta IV and Lady Enna Vaz. King Kosta presented her with The Star of the Jungle, a fist-sized sapphire found in the northern jungles.

That evening, while the people were celebrating and feasting, three pirate ships entered the city from different points along the King's River. Dozens of innocent people were murdered and maimed during the attack. As the Royal Guard was preoccupied with the attacks within the castle, a small band of pirates were able to sneak into the palace and steal the precious gemstone.

King Kosta ordered his most trusted admiral, Lord Raymon Cortez, to pursue the pirates and retrieve the stolen gem and return it. He also wanted those responsible brought to justice.

The Ironguard
The Ironguard was also in Erey City at the time of the attack. They managed to save the lives of nearly a dozen people during the initial waves of pirates. Lord Cortez found them on his way to his ship and they joined him on his quest.

Political Ramifications
Pirate attacks have been a consistent issue along the eastern coast of Pegias. They have become even more frequent since the mysterious fall of Nighthaven Keep. After the bold and savage attack on the city, the people demanded more action to be taken against piracy.

The Workers
Political organization The Workers used this as an example of how the royalty uses the military to pursue their own needs while failing to protect the commoner. When word got out that the King sent out the Royal Navy's most famous admiral to retrieve the Star of the Jungle, many people began to flock to the ideas of The Workers.

Conspiracies
Some believe that the whole operation was to perfect for simple pirates to pull off. The organization required to bring three pirates captains together for the raid was very uncharacteristic for pirates of the time. Some believed that the attack was orchestrated by a noble within the Royal Court. Others accused The Workers of being behind it to push their agenda. The one thing that everyone can agree on is that someone on the inside let the pirates into the palace, otherwise the Royal Guard would have immediately been alerted to their presence and made that their priority.