The Seaglow Coalition

We stand together, or we die alone

Aiqura never was a peaceful continent. It's quite funny that a threat from the outside was what brought inner peace. Hopefully it won't fall apart once the war is over.

The Seaglow Coalition is a 200 years-old alliance between the five major Human countries of Aiqura. It rose in an emergency to respond to the Ivering Empire threatening to conquer Seaglow Island.

Members

The Yemid Republic

The Yemid Republic is an average country having most of its lands in the north of Aiqura. It also owns a few islands around the continent, including Seaglow Island.
The Republic is the founder of the Coalition and its current head of exploration. They are the ones who sent the explorers who found Menicea and Gérouns a hundred years ago.
Aside from founding the Coalition, Yemid also kept it together. The Republic is renowned for its diplomatic talents and put it to good use whenever the Coalition's stability faltered.

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Maqenid

Maqenid was the first realm to officially ally with Yemid against the Ivering Empire. Its lands stretch on the west coast of Aiqura.
Maqenid is the main provider of ships within the alliance, and thus the current head of its navy. Its capital, Bristanaq, is also designed as the backup stronghold in case Seaglow Island would fall.
It also founded the Crescinto River Arsenal alongside Yemid, strengthening its bonds with the Republic even more.

Ronodia

Ronodia was the second realm to join the alliance. Keeping it in afterward was a challenge for Yemid, as the kingdom has a heavy past with its neighbors.
As head of the armed troops, Ronodia has decent control over where the war prisoners go. They use their influence to keep most of them, who they then turn into elite soldiers to their cause using mind-numbing magic. Many consider them a threat to the Coalition's stability, yet their contribution to the war effort was as vital as Maqenid's.

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Farandis and Viridor

Farandis and Viridor were the last two realms to join the Coalition after trying to stay out of the war. Both are providing soldiers and supplies to the alliance, handling the production side of the conflict.
They were particularly wary of joining forces with Ronodia, who they had many troubles with. Without Yemid's intervention, Farandis and Viridor might have stayed out of the conflict for good, or worse, helped the Empire instead.

Hell gate (licenced art) by Michal Kvac

Founding

Everything began with the Black crystal. A tall hexadecimal smooth crystal that came out of the center of Seaglow Island 200 years ago. The Island was wide enough so that the mineral formation wouldn't be seen from the seas. Knowing that what just happened was probably big, the Yemid Republic, owner of the Island, forbid any entry or departure from it.
Doing so gave them enough time to study the crystal, confirming both their hopes and fears. The black stone was indeed a powerful Magic source, containing potential information on arcane's most advanced layers. Yet, studying it enough to grasp even the slightest bit of information would take time. Years of on-the-ground studies, as the crystal was seemingly unbreakable. An amount of time they knew they'd never have.
The Yemid Republic did all it could to keep the crystal's existence secret for as long as possible. They decided to bet on their diplomatic talents and try to rally as many Aiqurian nations to their cause as possible.
They began with Maqenid, the friendliest and yet most potent ally in the upcoming war. Their fleet could hold the Empire's long enough for Yemid to convince more nations to join the fight, and it did. As soon as the word got out of Seaglow, the Empire heard about the crystal and prepared its attack. The only advantage Maqenid and Yemid had was that gathering the whole imperial fleet would take time. Meanwhile, the small flotillas they would face were easy for Maqenid to handle on their own.

Maqenidian flag

On their side, Yemid used their informers' networks to spread very believable rumors that the Ivering Empire was plotting a raid on Ronodia's shoreline. The rumors made their way to them before the news about Seaglow did, and Ronodia started their preventive assault on Ivering's shores. A few weeks later, all that Yemid had to do was ask if they'd like to join the newly born coalition. Ronodia was in.
The last two nations left to convince were Farandis and Viridor, two small realms trying their best to stay out of all this. Eventually, Yemid's offers and the growing pressure from the Empire made them step out of their neutrality. Farandis and Viridor joined roughly simultaneously, focusing on growing food and crafting supplies for allied troops.
The Coalition was now complete.

In the name of the sun (Licenced art) by Michal Kvac

The first years of the war were the bloodiest. Countless skirmishes and battles that didn't seem to make the war move in any way.
After losing territories, retaking them, invading other lands, and losing them again, the first truces were signed. The only compromise to which both parties agreed was to leave the Black Crystal untouched. No one was to approach it by any means.
The Coalition used this time to strengthen its bonds and its stability. Finding common grounds proved to be difficult, for all founding nations were drastically different and sometimes former enemies. As years of peace went by, tensions between members of the Coalition rose. Each member wanted to make sure to have its share of the crystal when the war would end.
The Empire took this opportunity to resume the hostilities for the first time. It even managed to capture Seaglow Island for a few weeks, before the Coalition took it back and reestablished a truce.
This time, peace was to last longer as the Empire just had discovered Grishnak and met Morknars. The news reached the Coalition, who hastily sent envoys to prevent an alliance between the two parties. In the end, Morknars chose to stay relatively neutral, though having a slight preference for the Empire when it came to commerce. This liking was light enough for the Coalition to stay in good terms with Morknars and made Grishnak a neutral ground. Both the Empire and the Coalition's diplomats spend a reasonable amount of time spying on each other there.
Only a few decades later, it was the Coalition's turn to find new lands. Vrans Gardis, one of their explorers, discovered Menicea and Gérouns. Unlike Morknars, Gérouns were quick to choose their side. Without openly joining the Coalition, they decided to restrain their commerce to them.
The Empire took this very seriously and sent back any visiting gérouns home. They also closed their borders to Menicean, and engaged in piracy activities around merchant ships between the two continents.
Nowadays, the truce is still on. Despite a few skirmishes happening from time to time, most of the Empire and Coalition's troops stay close to the border, ready to intervene.

All it takes is usually one leader thinking that the time is right. That this time, they will make a real difference in the outcome of the war. But really, they won't. It's like the world itself is waiting for something to let us go. Like we are stuck in this situation.

Founding Date

11

Type

Alliance, Generic

Location

Aiqura

foggy pillars (licenced art) by Michal Kvac

The Republic is ultimately the one pulling strings behind the Coalition. It is frightful to see how a once pacifistic nation could build an alliance this strong in such a short time.
If Seaglow was to win the war, who knows what will happen to Aiqura. It would be sad to see the nations splitting once again and going back to fighting among themselves.

- An Engineer from Maqenid

by pixabay

Tricking us into a war comes with repercussions that Yemid accepted. We then chose to remain within the coalition.
Joining the Empire would mean giving up on our identity and adopting their customs, that we cannot accept.

-Ronodian warchief

The Shackled Sun, Ronodia's symbol

My grandfather told me that it was just a normal morning. Hunting in the forest as he always did every week. He knew a place, hidden within the hills: a small lake where animals came to drink. His favorite spot.
The first rumbles were barely perceptible—a noise that could be mistaken for the rustling of leaves in the wind. Then, the tremors began. Slowly yet steadily, forcing my grandpa onto his knees after a couple of minutes.
A whirlpool formed in the middle of the lake as the tip of the Crystal emerged from it. The land all around shattered, torn into pieces, taking trees and cliffs in its fall. Slowly, the Crystal was emerging.
The ground kept shaking for a few minutes, less and less as the Crystal was getting in place. By the time that my grandpa was out of his torpor, the nearby villagers were already there.
One hour later, the Island was under lockdown.