Damming of the Imbreagat

Our homes are lost, our history is squandered - for what? The greed of man

— furious rebel

The damming of the Imbreagat was the highly controversial construction of Fusorium Dam high up in what was once the Imbreagat River. The dam was an initiative by the Medimian Empire, who sought to provide more consistent water supply to areas of the Empire's southern reaches through the creation of a reservoir.

The Now-Lost River Imbreagat by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

However, to dam the Imbreagat was to permanently destroy the river's continuing flow -- and the Imbreagat was a major trade river heavily involved in Arriusi culture as well as providing vital water sources for parts of Niniéra and the Vostene Republic, among other lands.
News first spread of the dam's impending construction in 5578 after a well-received announcement by the Ruby of Trade, the ruby in charge of all matters of trade and construction. Weather in the preceding years had been harsh, leading to widespread drought and famine through Medimia's lands, and rebellion had brewed with fierce fervour.
Tension with the southern border nations, too, rose higher as accusations of stealing Medimian trade, price-gouging to Medimian customers, and illicit magical practices caused a sharp increase in fights and attempted rebel actions. With weather conditions trending towards ever more severe, Medimia's south began to suffer: if not drought, then floods. If not floods, then blizzards. Something needed to be done.

The dam, according to the Ruby, would serve to not only provide Medimian lands with a far increased water supply, but would also reduce the impact of flooding in rainier times - and would put paid to southern arrogance by removing one of their key trade routes. Certain long-standing routes with a history spanning centuries would need to be replaced with land crossings, or to shift to lower-down tributaries if not other rivers entirely.
Indeed, the dam would reinforce Medimia's position in the minds of many as the entity in control of not only their land, but the ones lying within their reach, and none could actually stop them.
That did not mean none would try.

The Dam's Construction

If we could just stop it before it could do too much, if we could save our towns, if we could protect the trees...

— hopeful rebel

Large-scale construction efforts are no slow endeavour, even with the Amethystine Regiment's forces being pulled in alongside countless workers and standard military forces. Whilst magic would speed up the process of the dam's construction, it would still take seven years to build the dam itself. Seven years meant plenty of time for furious locals, Arriusi, and other rebel factions to band together in an attempt to stop the construction before it could be completed.

Throughout the construction period, attacks of varying scale came in stutters and bursts. Virescan citizens coordinated rebellion efforts through their secret language whilst largely staying out of efforts themselves, per orders of the Teacup Resistance.
By dividing their approaches, the Resistance's members could be found innocent of any accusations of rebel involvement near the dam, and other rebel groups could be kept out of Resistance plans. This was, too, why the various groups involved had only loose involvements; if the Empire detected too large a force, they risked drawing the Empire's full focus. Such a thing would never end well.
So the attacks were more often small and subtle. Stones were drowned in water to weaken and crack them, or replaced by lighter, brittle varieties. Construction equipment was stolen, weakened, or broken. Food supplies were stolen away, or mysteriously never arrived.

We're gonna build a dam to keep all the water in by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

More drastically, small tremors and explosions were set off in the dead of night to crack parts of the dam, weakening it enough to collapse at certain points and setting back construction by months to years. Yet by far the most significant event of this period was the collapse of the large nearby mines that were providing most of the building material. Rebel forces had received word that the mines were not properly secured further in, and one had recently pierced a well of natural gas that had taken multiple miners' lives.

Mining the Stone by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

They crafted pseudo-official letters of notice, and called on the building site's inspectors to see the mines vacated and inspected out of fear of 'rebel tampering'. What the inspectors had not suspected was that whilst they alone were in the mines, a contraption would knock out several support pillars and light the well of gas. The explosion rendered the mines unusable for years; the gas could easily flow through the new openings, nearly suffocating the first folk to check on the damage.
Medimia's response to the mine incident was swift and stern, as it always was. Countless were arrested and subsequently either enslaved or executed, even if their guilt was uncertain. From then on, what the Resistance had feared came true: Medimia's gaze rested on the south, and rebel activities were forced to drastically decrease.
When the nearby valley was flooded to become the reservoir, suspected rebels were - as punishment - locked into houses within as the water arrived to grant them the river they so craved.

With the bulk of the rebellion either scared off or dealt with, the dam was finally completed in 5585.

The Dam's Completion

Completing the dam spared its workers and guards as they were ushered away, and for a time, it seemed like the troubles had ended with the reservoir's establishment, especially as it immediately proved itself useful through times of drought.

The peace was not to last. The dam would come under attack repeatedly over the next few years, with attempts ranging from launched explosives to illegal arcane mages attempting to destroy it through sheer force.
Finally, after three towns were flooded from a successful detonation, the Medimian army stepped in, backed by the larger-than-life figure of the Ruby of War herself. Large border walls and surveillance sprung up over the next two years, and the area began to be used as a military training and development site by 5589. Thoroughly stymied by such a display of dominance from Medimian military with no real way to fight them, rebellion efforts died off, attention turned elsewhere.
In the decades since, the dam has become an important representation of Medimia's ability to influence its local and political environment. It stands as firmly as it ever has, with the occasional attempt to take down its walls ending in tragedy for those who attempt it.

Flooded Reservoir by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Only nature's own disasters seem able to topple the dam at this point; indeed, flooding in the early 5610s saw the reservoir nearly reach capacity at some points, and particularly harsh winters have seen cracks form in the dam itself. Those who fought to end the dam hope that one day, nature will do their work for them.

Fusorium Dam by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Conflict Type

Rebellion

Battlefield Type

Land

Start Date

5578

Ending Date

5589

Location

Imbreagat River

Political Ramifications

As the Imbreagat's source lies entirely within Medimian lands, the nation was technically within its rights to do as it liked to the natural world. However, the river flowed largely outside of Medimia's borders. Damming it was intended to cause political outrage, and outrage it did sow.
Many now believe that Medimia's forces were deliberately trying to bait their southern neighbours into attacking to then claim those nations' land for their own, as to attack first would be internationally condemned - or worse.
Throughout the various attempts at rebellion, no solid evidence was ever uncovered by Medimia of external political influence over the resistance forces - but it certainly existed, if one looked in the right places at the right times.
Traces can still be found of even Aletheian interference through well-timed 'trade' meets in the Republic and Niniéra, logged carefully in meticulous hand by true trader attendees. Some skills that the rebels possessed would have been impossible to learn alone, and yet were only taught in the home of Medimia's enemies.
The strongest evidence of outside influence, however, is the presence of arcane mages. Medimia has always kept careful watch over its mages; very rarely does one escape their constant monitoring. For so many to be caught up in the rebellion was unheard of, though none - if caught - ever admitted who had sent them.

The Imbreagat was so beautiful, once...

— reminiscing grandmother

The River's Gone?!

Initially, it was said that the dam wouldn't impact the Imbreagat with any severity. Unfortunately, this quickly proved not to be the case.
The reservoir's depth and the dam's unique construction caused far less water to travel out of the dam and into the river proper, meaning it ran dry far before it reached any former tributary.
When this effect was first seen, Medimian plans altered to redirect this remnant of the Imbreagat into a nearby lake.
The redirection has seen that lake now flourish more splendidly than before, but was a final nail in the coffin for many who had not originally opposed the government's plans with such severity.
It was entirely a political move of dominance, with little of the guise of being 'good for the people' that the project had originally held.
If the river had been allowed to continue with its weaker flow, the outrage would have been far less...
...but Medimia would not have their perfect training ground now, nor would they have cemented themselves into so many minds as able to do whatever they wanted.

Fuckers.

— Arriusi sailor