Jeanne d'Ay de Gesapsgel

Sainte des Paysanne Jeanne d'Ay de Gesapsgel
Born	c. 418BCE Alesia, Gesapsgel, Arcadie
Died	c. 360BCE (aged approx 58) Nedhena, Ardues, Arcadie
Venerated in	Acadian Neterism
Beatified	16th May, 1554, Gesapsgel, Republic of Arcadie by Pierre Rheims
Canonized	18th May, 1554, Gesapsgel, Republic of Arcadie by Père Lawrence II
Major shrine	Sanctuaire du Partisane, Église de la Grande Sainte
Feast	18th May
Patronage	Peasants, Arcadie

Jeanne d'Ay, also known as de Gesapsgel and as the Sainte des Paysanne, is the patron saint of Arcadie, honored as a great liberator and independence figure due to her role in the expelling of the Seurian Kingdom which had occupied the region in the 400BCE period, and her role in paving the way for Arcadie's occupation of the former. She is a controversial figure in the Neterist religion, not being counted as a saint in any nation except for Arcadie due to her role in the Journée du Sang (Day of Blood) - a brutal massacre conducted against Seurian civilians and landowners in Arcadie near the end of the independence campaign waged by the forces of what would later become the Clan-Pouvoir of the first unified state to emerge in the region. She has remained popular as a symbol despite the anti-religious inclinations of the République Autonome d’Arcadie, owing to her anti-Seurian role and the continued struggles between the two groups occuring in the modern period.

She acted as a major military and political leader, both during the independence campaign against Ancient Seuria and in the aftermath, being given an early title of leadership (de Gesapsgel) in the system formed by the Clan-Pouvoir after its rise to power, and provided a form of religious legitimacy through her actions which the state would expand upon as a means to retain and expand their power over subordinate clans. Due to this, she can directly be traced to the rise of Neterism in Arcadie. She would die at the age of 58 after a wound caused in a battle with remnant Seurian forces during the Invasion of the Seurian Isles.

She would be canonized as a Saint in Acadian Neterism by Père Lawrence II after a long period of worship in Arcadie, during a time of immense struggle between the Seurian population and the Acadian state owing to the recent actions of Jeanne d'Tarc de Arvoire and her supporters (who would play an outsized role in the colonization of Meridon, encouraging their own distaste for d'Ay). She has been portrayed in numerous cultural works, both negatively and positively - although most recent works have leaned towards a negative interpretation outside of those subsidized by the République Autonome, owing to greater knowledge of the Journée du Sang becoming available.

Birth, Historical Background

Jeanne would be born to a relatively poor family in Alesia, Gesapsgel, shortly before the beginning of Seurian dominance over Arcadie began in 400BCE. Her father was a farmer and village watchman, although this was in a supplementary role to full-time members of the watchman when they were sick or otherwise indisposed. She was, as mentioned, born shortly before the beginning of Seurian dominance over Arcadie's own politics, being approximately 18 when the official subjugation would occur in 400BCE. Her early resistance to, and dislike of, Seurian forces was seemingly based in the negative economic situation caused by their subjugation - with the forcible reorganization of trade lines causing a loss in funding for her father's farming ventures.

She would share the generally recorded sentiment of the youth amongst the period, that the Seurian monarchs must be expelled in order to restore Arcadie, but would back this view with a staunch belief in the divine nature of such a removal owing to an entrenched belief in Neterism. She commonly stated that she believed angels of some sort were behind her actions, and that they supported the justness of such actions unconditionally, which she used to increase the belief of soldiers in the Neterist faith. She would eventually join with the armed forces of one Gautzelin II, a partisan fighter who made a claim to a monarchic role in the aftermath of the collapse of the pre-occupation system, and would become a soldier in time for the battle of Alesia.

Battle of Alesia

With the efforts of the Anagonian Rikor Hak, Seurian forces would be pushed back to a great extent from their previously dominant position, with this collapse causing a greater failing in their control over Arcadie - which the partisan forces would use as their means to seize power. Jeanne, who was still acting as a footsoldier at this point despite both her young age and popularity amongst the troops, would be forced to take the role of a commanding officer due to the death of her immediate superior to a stray arrow. She would successfully lead her troops to seize the city through its destruction, burning the walls down and seizing the city after the demoralized Seurian troops fled. This success would propel her rapidly to a position of control over the campaign as a whole, where she would repeat the tactics of her siege successfully in the neighboring cities of Salm and Andevagis, being able to prevent fleeing Seurian troops from linking up with more secure positions outside of the immediate area.

She was additionally able to link with the forces of Gautzelin II, serving as one of his subordinates in the Battle of Champ de Brume, successfully holding the line against Seurian charioteers despite morale issues caused by the sudden appearance of such (as part of a plan by the Seurian commanding office of the region, Conchúr Dubhchonna, to break Arcadie morale), and would be invited to all future meetings of commanders from that point on, being recognized by this point as a key leader.

Political Rise

First Expelling Campaign

After the victory in Alesia, the forces of Gautzelin were surrounded on most sides by hostile Seurian forces. Jeanne would be a part of the minority voice in the war council proposing a break out towards the coast to link with allied forces, although this was rejected as idealistic and the decision was made to consolidate forces in the captured territory instead. Jeanne would be less important during this period, aside from her continual support (verging on incessant requests) for the institution of a Neterist chaplain in military formations, which was eventually conceded to as a means to promote a common ideal of loyalty.

She would be crucial in convincing peasants to enlist willingly into the military of Gautzelin - successfully portraying herself as fighting for their long-term rights in the new state entity, and mobilizing them as both an agricultural and political force in favor of anti-Seurian action, allowing them to act as the ears of the independence fighters in territories they did not have forces directly present within.

Aside from this, she did not take a major role until the collapse of aligned forces due to a lack of support in the coastal regions - which lead to the Battle of Gesapsgel after an Seurian invasion into the consolidated territory.

Battle of Gesapsgel

With her predictions realized, Jeanne would take a greater role in the planning of this battle, eventually resulting in her injury while organizing affairs near the defenders of the city. This injury would take her out of military activity for some months despite her swift recovery, with the military campaigns of that period tending towards successful in small degrees. Upon her recuperation, she would claim to have had a vision of the conquest of Gesapsgel, and - in what would become a common action upon her part, revealed this to the peasantry before the nobility, in order to cause a forcible swing towards the implementation of her plan.

This would succeed, and she would play a major role in the organizing and infiltration of Gesapsgel, including arranging for the sabotage of defensive mechanisms within the fortification situated in the center of the city. This would allow for Arcadie troops to storm the building with relative ease, and provided them a logistical center for planning and stockpiling - a center she would be appointed to lead, in what was a calculated move by Gautzelin to reduce both the time she had for internal politicking and to encourage more popular support through support of the popularly-acclaimed Saint.