The Unification Wars - 23AtD-45AtD
The Unification Wars were a bloody time in Requerm history, a decades-long series of wars with the intent of uniting the people of Requerm under a single banner. It eventally ended with the official founding of The Kingdom of Krakonia after the Krakonian Military managed to defeat and/or recruit all of their known enemies.
Due to The Effects of the Dawn , many different, conflicting cultures were thrust into the same general locations, forcing many people to immediately forge alliances for their own survival. These temporary alliances often led to the formation of early settlements, but for as many settlements that were created, almost as many fell immediately because of how vastly different the citizens' cultures were. Of the ones that survived, many were due to strength more than anything else, including a formidable number of bandit camps led by different power-hungry opportunists. It wasn't long before these rival bands sought to overpower each other, resulting in many normal civilians getting caught in the crossfire. On top of this bandit turmoil, other settlements were created by other powerful leaders that quickly recruited civilians into desperately working for them just to survive, creating power dynamics that were far in the favor of the leaders to the point that civilians were essentially enslaved with the threat of death via Requerm's many dangers if they ever left the alleged safety of the settlement. Requerm's wilderness alone was hard to live in, so what was a random person thrust into this world to do, if not immediately align with the first guy to promise them food in exchange for their eternal, undying loyalty?
Meanwhile, a group of adventurers known as The Harbingers of the Rising Dawn had created a tavern, called The Hook , for the sake of aiding adventurers in an attempt to discover the secrets of both The Dawn and The First Civilization . This settlement eventually grew from a simple tavern, to a defendable castle, and then to a reputable city, eventually being officially founded as Krakonia City . As more and more refugees from the conflicts occurring in Requerm flooded Krakonia City's gates, it became more and more apparent that the people needed safety and security before any real progress on research or exploration could truly begin, so the Harbingers eventually shifted gears and formed an army of their own to rival the many other settlements in the surrounding area. When the city grew powerful enough to stand on its own, the Harbingers disbanded and officially declared the beginning of the Unification Wars in an attempt to rally like-minded individuals to their cause, claiming that they were not fighting for their own political gain, but rather for the safety of all those living in Requerm (The political gain was just a nice side effect).
Progress was slow at first, as Krakonia needed allies in order to practice what they preached, so they reached out and negotiated with the various native tribes in the area. Many were wary of outsiders at best, but enough were eager to have some semblance of peace after The Dawn that they agreed to assist Krakonia in the wars in exchange for their continued freedom to exist, seeing this alliance as their best chance to fight back against far worse settlements with far worse intentions.
Having secured some alliances, Krakonia then focused their efforts on clearing out the bandit settlements in their immediate surrounding areas, knowing that by doing so they could secure the safety of their citizens as well as their allies, gain additional, much-needed resources from their targets, and in the process of all this, demonstrate their strength to any onlookers who were hesitant to ally with them. These actions went a long way towards making the Krakonian Military a force to be reckoned with.
Finally, after years of growing their military strength, Krakonia turned its eyes towards the other so-called settlements in the region that treated their citizens more poorly than the Great Beasts . This would be the most difficult task in the wars, as these were actual military forces with their own strengths and tactical might, and proved to be the bloodiest and lengthiest task of the war. Eventually, through a combination of superior strength, tactics, negotiations, magic, and espionage, Krakonia managed to take down their final targets, declaring victory over the Unification Wars in the same breath that they announced the founding of the Kingdom of Krakonia. The Krakonian Military was changed to The Kraken's Reach , and many who participated in the wars found themselves with cozy positions in the Kraken's Reach. Many of the alliances forged during the wars became the basis in which the The Clan System found some ground, granting some political and military power to the clans that helped during the wars, but more importantly, granted allies the freedom to continue with their specific ways of life without being pressured to assimilate fully into the kingdom.
Veterans of the Unification Wars are viewed with great respect and treated as such when interacting with most citizens of the kingdom, even sometimes receiving some benefits, including discounts, when dealing with shopkeepers or politicians. There is no offical system in place for this, it is simply seen as the right thing to do when given the opportunity, or in other words, a way to say thanks to the military might that protected the citizens from harm when no one else would. There are those that believe that Krakonia simply took advantage of desperate people the same way all their enemies did, but compared to those other settlements, most people would gladly pick the kingdom that actually values the continued prosperity of its citizens over the literal slavedrivers that they defeated.
Despite one's opinion on the wars, the fact remains that the Unification Wars accomplished what it set out to do, uniting the region under a single banner. However, many grudges were inevitably forged during this time, and it will take much more time before everyone accepts the legitimacy of the crown. In this period of false peace, the soldiers in the Kraken's Reach and the adventurers of the AGK are both encouraged to remain vigilant, despite peace being officially declared throughout the kingdom.
Due to The Effects of the Dawn , many different, conflicting cultures were thrust into the same general locations, forcing many people to immediately forge alliances for their own survival. These temporary alliances often led to the formation of early settlements, but for as many settlements that were created, almost as many fell immediately because of how vastly different the citizens' cultures were. Of the ones that survived, many were due to strength more than anything else, including a formidable number of bandit camps led by different power-hungry opportunists. It wasn't long before these rival bands sought to overpower each other, resulting in many normal civilians getting caught in the crossfire. On top of this bandit turmoil, other settlements were created by other powerful leaders that quickly recruited civilians into desperately working for them just to survive, creating power dynamics that were far in the favor of the leaders to the point that civilians were essentially enslaved with the threat of death via Requerm's many dangers if they ever left the alleged safety of the settlement. Requerm's wilderness alone was hard to live in, so what was a random person thrust into this world to do, if not immediately align with the first guy to promise them food in exchange for their eternal, undying loyalty?
Meanwhile, a group of adventurers known as The Harbingers of the Rising Dawn had created a tavern, called The Hook , for the sake of aiding adventurers in an attempt to discover the secrets of both The Dawn and The First Civilization . This settlement eventually grew from a simple tavern, to a defendable castle, and then to a reputable city, eventually being officially founded as Krakonia City . As more and more refugees from the conflicts occurring in Requerm flooded Krakonia City's gates, it became more and more apparent that the people needed safety and security before any real progress on research or exploration could truly begin, so the Harbingers eventually shifted gears and formed an army of their own to rival the many other settlements in the surrounding area. When the city grew powerful enough to stand on its own, the Harbingers disbanded and officially declared the beginning of the Unification Wars in an attempt to rally like-minded individuals to their cause, claiming that they were not fighting for their own political gain, but rather for the safety of all those living in Requerm (The political gain was just a nice side effect).
Progress was slow at first, as Krakonia needed allies in order to practice what they preached, so they reached out and negotiated with the various native tribes in the area. Many were wary of outsiders at best, but enough were eager to have some semblance of peace after The Dawn that they agreed to assist Krakonia in the wars in exchange for their continued freedom to exist, seeing this alliance as their best chance to fight back against far worse settlements with far worse intentions.
Having secured some alliances, Krakonia then focused their efforts on clearing out the bandit settlements in their immediate surrounding areas, knowing that by doing so they could secure the safety of their citizens as well as their allies, gain additional, much-needed resources from their targets, and in the process of all this, demonstrate their strength to any onlookers who were hesitant to ally with them. These actions went a long way towards making the Krakonian Military a force to be reckoned with.
Finally, after years of growing their military strength, Krakonia turned its eyes towards the other so-called settlements in the region that treated their citizens more poorly than the Great Beasts . This would be the most difficult task in the wars, as these were actual military forces with their own strengths and tactical might, and proved to be the bloodiest and lengthiest task of the war. Eventually, through a combination of superior strength, tactics, negotiations, magic, and espionage, Krakonia managed to take down their final targets, declaring victory over the Unification Wars in the same breath that they announced the founding of the Kingdom of Krakonia. The Krakonian Military was changed to The Kraken's Reach , and many who participated in the wars found themselves with cozy positions in the Kraken's Reach. Many of the alliances forged during the wars became the basis in which the The Clan System found some ground, granting some political and military power to the clans that helped during the wars, but more importantly, granted allies the freedom to continue with their specific ways of life without being pressured to assimilate fully into the kingdom.
Veterans of the Unification Wars are viewed with great respect and treated as such when interacting with most citizens of the kingdom, even sometimes receiving some benefits, including discounts, when dealing with shopkeepers or politicians. There is no offical system in place for this, it is simply seen as the right thing to do when given the opportunity, or in other words, a way to say thanks to the military might that protected the citizens from harm when no one else would. There are those that believe that Krakonia simply took advantage of desperate people the same way all their enemies did, but compared to those other settlements, most people would gladly pick the kingdom that actually values the continued prosperity of its citizens over the literal slavedrivers that they defeated.
Despite one's opinion on the wars, the fact remains that the Unification Wars accomplished what it set out to do, uniting the region under a single banner. However, many grudges were inevitably forged during this time, and it will take much more time before everyone accepts the legitimacy of the crown. In this period of false peace, the soldiers in the Kraken's Reach and the adventurers of the AGK are both encouraged to remain vigilant, despite peace being officially declared throughout the kingdom.
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