First Imperial-Union War

The First Imperial-Union War, also known as the Union War of Independence, was a conflict between the Ivory Empire and the Corbray Union that occurred between 2389 IA and 2394 IA. Unionist forces defeated the Imperials in the Corbray region, and in the resulting treaty, the Imperials recognized the region's independence and sovereignty. 
The Corbray colony had been established by royal charter in the early 24th century IA. Tensions between the local Freestaters and Corbrayans and the colonizing Imperials increased after the discovery of metallic dynalite in the Kepner region and reached a fever pitch after the issuance of the Corbray Pacification Decree in 2387 IA.

The Conflict

Prelude

The territory that would eventually become the core of the Union had been long inhabited by a number of Freestater groups. Imperial colonization of the area began in 2312 IA when groups of Imperials, seeking social and religious freedom from the strict social structure of the Empire, began to travel across the False Sea to settle in the Corbray area.
Relations between the Imperial homeland and the colony changed when a source of metallic dynalite was found in the Kepner region east of the colony in 2381 IA. More Imperial involvement, spurred by the creation of a mine to extract the material, sparked a wave of violence between the Freestaters and Imperials.
The Freestaters began pushing for local rule, separate from the Imperial Court. These efforts were often violently suppressed, and supporters of local rule were often sentenced to hard labor in the dynalite mine. 

Corbray Pacification Decree

The Imperial Court issued the Corbray Pacification Decree in early 2387 IA in an attempt to create a purely Imperial colony in the Corbray and Kepner regions. The decree created formal divisions between Freestaters, Corbrayans, and Imperials in the colony and stripped Imperial citizenship from those considered Corbrayan or Freestater. 
Furthermore Corbrayans and Freestaters were segregated from colonial society and slated for deportation. Corbrayans would be sent to the Imperial mainland to work as servants in Imperial homes, and Freestaters would either be sent to "reservations" east of Kepner or sent to work in the dynalite mines. 
Colonists considered to be Imperial were forbidden from having exramarital relations with either Freestaters or Corbrayans. Previous marriages between the groups were invalidated, and future marriages were explicitly forbidden. Imperials suspected of having sexual relations with non-Imperials were accused of bloodline contamination.

Deployment

Following the issuing of the Corbray Pacification Decree, the Imperial military began gathering the Freestaters in order to deport them to the Imperial homeland. Groups of Freestaters formed self-defense organizations to defend against this forced deportation, and in 2389 IA, four of these groups announced the creation of the Corbray Union, the first iteration of the Union.

The Engagement

Initial Hostilities

Imperial military forces were ordered to arrest the leaders of the Corbray Union and disarm the rebels shortly after the establishment of the Corbray Union. This effort led to the Battle of Norhest. Unionist forces confronted an Imperial garrison attempting to arrest Vietnam, one of the leaders of the Union, and fighting broke out between the forces. Imperial troops suffered 200 casualties before retreating to Fort Mercury.
Unionists forces began raiding isolated Imperial bases and patrols for weapons. Weapons and technology based on Ancient technology was the most highly sought after in these raids, but any weapons were taken to bolster Union efforts. Other raids led to the destruction of Imperial records of the Freestater populations in the area.
Despite the numerous raids by Unionists, violence remained relatively limited. Imperial forces were under the command of General Morobe Cobalt, a man known for his cautious use of armed force against civilians, a fact that hampered his ability to root out Unionist supporters in the Corbray area.

Battle of Hope Hill

Having gathered enough weapons and volunteers to face Imperial forces, the Union began a operation to expel the Imperials from Fort Mercury. In response, the Imperial garrison there marched to meet the Unionists on the field of battle.
The two forces met near the small town of Hope Hill. The Imperials had created a temporary fort for the night, expecting to meet the Unionists the next day. The Unionists instead launched a surprise attack on the fort during the night, and throughout the night and early dawn, the Unionists attacked the walls in a series of waves. The Imperials managed to force the Unionists to retreat in the morning.
Despite technically being a victory for the Imperials, the Battle of Hope Hill quickly became a pyrrhic victory for the Empire. Almost 75% of the Imperial forces were injured during the battle, with General Cobalt and other officers among the wounded.

Martial Law and Farharbor Massacre

The disastrous Battle of Hope Hill sparked the declaration of martial law in the Corbray area. A fresh force of Imperial forces, commanded by General Blanche Viru, arrived at Fort Mercury in 2391 IA and took up peacekeeping from General Cobalt's forces shortly afterwards. General Viru proved to be a more proactive commander.
General Viru quickly gained a reputation for violent retribution for Union activity. Several Unionist leaders were arrested and later killed while in custody, and civilians began suffering casualties in Imperial activities.
The Farharbor Massacre occurred in the opening days of 2392 IA. After Unionists assassinated Imperial officials in the city of Farharbor, General Viru ordered Imperial forces to carry out a search operation in the city's main market to root out the perpetrators. Without warning, the Imperial forces fired on the gathered civilians, killing and fatally wounding 21 and wounding another 117. Four of the dead were children, and another victim was a known Imperial supporter.
The Farharbor Massacre fueled anti-Imperial sentiment throughout the Corbray area, and Union propaganda featured the massacre prominently. Despite Imperial declarations that the Imperial forces were attacked, eyewitness reports indicated that the attack was unprovoked. Union support rose in the weeks following the massacre, and attacks on Imperial positions became more aggressive.
General Viru was not reprimanded for his activities in the Corbray area, though he was placed under the command of General Cobalt after his recovery from his injuries.
In retribution for the Farharbor Massacre, the metallic dynalite mine was bombed, destroying it completely.

Battle of Dry Creek

The final battle of the war came in late 2392. Imperial forces attempted to encircle the main Union army at Dry Creek, but were themselves trapped at the end of the peninsula. General Viru attempted to break out in what became known as Viru's Charge, but the failure led to the utter destruction of his forces and Viru's death at the hands of Union forces.
Following the disastrous Viru's Charge, the remaining Imperial forces soon surrendered.

Conflict Type

War

Start Date

2389 IA

Ending Date

2394 IA

Conflict Result

Union victory

Location

Corbray Region