The Lion's Rain was an Iron Rain that occurred at the end of the Martian Civil War in early March 742 PCE. It was called by Darrow au Andromedus, with the goal of retaking Mars from House Bellona.
Prelude[]
After rebelling against the Sovereign at The Gala Massacre in December 741, House Augustus fled back to Mars, but forces loyal to Octavia au Lune and House Bellona managed to reach the planet ahead of them and laid siege to Augustan-controlled cities, forcing the Augustans and their allies to flee into the Asteroid Belt.
One month later, at the suggestion of Praetor Darrow au Andromedus, the fleet split for a three-pronged assault aimed at coercing the Gold houses of The Rim to their side: Darrow sailed to Europa to conscript his razormaster, the former Rage Knight Lorn au Arcos, while ArchGovernor Nero au Augustus led a detachment to Ganymede to steal every vessel in the moon's famed orbital dockyards, while his daughter Virginia raided The Academy to capture the current class of students for ransom.
The Augustan forces were soon after betrayed by the ArchGovernor's chief Politico, Pliny au Velocitor, resulting in the capture of Nero and Virginia before either could accomplish their objectives. Virginia escaped with the aid of her brother Adrius, and rendezvoused with Darrow as he departed Europa after successfully thwarting an attempted ambush on his forces by Aja au Grimmus and Kellan au Bellona. Following Nero's capture, House Bellona and their allies seized control of the Martian capital city Agea.
Darrow and Virginia managed to take back the fleet from Pliny, after which Darrow called for the first Iron Rain in twenty years to retake Mars from Bellona control.