Hakon Dispute
A brutal civil war between Gameth and its northern territory of Hakon. Already weakened by several pirate invasions from Myltev, Hakon's independence from Gameth would diminish the kingdom's stature to the point where the nation became a land of lawlessness and chaos. It would take decades for Gameth to scrape its way back onto the world stage.
The Conflict
Prelude
For centuries, Hakonian officials felt alienated and ignored by Gamerian officials in the capital. Gameth frequently turned its attention towards foreign affairs and costly wars, ignoring the environmental concerns raised by local Hakonians. The situation reached its breaking point when Gamerian officials raised taxes and harvested thousands of acres of forestland in Hakon to rebuild after Cpt. Gordiefsky's failed invasion of Gameria in 783, leading to widespread revolts through Hakon by the start of the 820's.
Deployment
Most Gamerian forces were based along the coastline to defend against potential invasions from Myltev, leading to months of marching to reach Hakonian territory in the Kelethian Woods. Hakon's rebels used this time to fortify their positions deep within the woods, turning Oakengaard into an impregnable fortress and establishing battlefronts deep within the forests. Fifteen years of fighting would have the battlefront shifting north and south on several occasions, but during the entire war Hakon would always have the favored terrain.
The Engagement
- Initial Skirmishes (821 - '24): Gamerian forces began their advance into the Kelethian Woods, routed after several punishing encounters with Hakonian rebels. More used to naval campaigns and invasions by sea, Gamerian soldiers were inexperienced with forest combat and fell prey to various traps and spells laid by Hakonian forces.
- Oftin's Abjuration (825): Oftin, home of the wizarding school Eldermere University, became enveloped by a large force field in the early spring of 825. Eldermere's faculty, exhausted by years of warfare, set out to establish Oftin as an independent territory where spellcasters from both Hakon and Gameth could study the arcane arts in peace. This independence was respected by both sides after some initial grumbling, its autonomy surviving for years after the Hakon Dispute.
- The Rooted Years (826 - '33): The dense forests of Hakon slowed the pace of combat to the point where battle-lines never moved more than a couple of miles any given week. Trenches were buried and positions staked out by both sides, a bitter stalemate with neither side willing to abandon ground. Hakon was fighting for its political survival, and Gameth ignored all other issues to the sole focus of maintaining its hold on Hakon. Gameth's political influence diminished on the global stage, and the nation racked up enormous war debts with Sardivelia to fund its costly civil war. To this day Gameth continues to pay its creditors for debts accrued during the Hakon Dispute.
- The Redpox Plague (833 - '35): Gameth's breaking point came in the fall of 833 when a vicious plague of Redpox spread across the continent of Liat. The plague disproportionately affected spellcasters, killing off most of the Gamerian royal family and its highest-ranking generals. Unable to continue its war of attrition, Gameth acceded to Hakon's demands for independence in 836, leaving Gameth shattered and diminished in stature.
Outcome
For the next four decades Hakon would remain an independent kingdom from Gameth, forging trade deals and alliances with neighboring kingdoms like the Lotan Conservation that favored its view of environmental conservation. Gameth, its territorial holdings reduced to their smallest size since the early years of Cosmere's conquests, experienced a period of significant decline as war debts wore on the economy and the Redpox Plague ravaged the cities of Gameria and Midworth.
Aftermath
The independent kingdom of Hakon would prove short-lived: Astrid Nestorius, next in line to the Gamerian throne, was kidnapped by Hakonian radicals and raised in secrecy at Oakengaard's Temple of Erivo. In 874 she was convinced to take the Gamerian throne in the face of Avicennan expansionism and cults like Fairouz the Undying's Coven, her deep connections to Hakon leading to its reunification with Gameth the following year.
Learning from her grandfather Terran's mistakes, she made sure to respect Hakonian causes like a sanctity of nature and the preservation of ancient ruins. This made Astrid's monarchy a challenging balancing act, especially after the annexation of Ravi and a technological revolution hitting the capital of Gameria. Despite the temptation of powerful technology and industrial supremacy, Astrid prioritized the kingdom's unity and ensured that Hakonians were consulted on any proposed technological reforms.
Conflict Type
War
Battlefield Type
Land
Start Date
821, 4th Cycle
Ending Date
836, 4th Cycle
Conflict Result
Hakon victory, Independence from Gameth
Location
Belligerents
Hakon
Strength
Casualties
Objectives
To maintain Hakon as a Gamerian dependent
To secede from Gameth and establish its own independent kingdom
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