Doraltic History Collaboration Thread (TWI ONLY)

by **Dormill and Stiura** » Fri Apr 06, 2018 7:30 pm

History of Dormill and Stiura | Introduction

This is the map of Dormill and Stiura, including its cities and Republics, as of this update. While details remain subject to change, this is the most accurate image I can provide of the geopolitical landscape within D&S as possible. Please use this as your point of reference for certain named areas in the following posts.

The Republics and Territories are as follow:

Annecy (Capital: Warnecque);
Ardeda (Capital: Tasofie);
Arvan (Capital: St. Recont);
Avillon (Capital: Launey);
Cour Rouge (National Capital Territory);
Dormill (Capital: Altagene);
Duinen (not pictured) (Capital: New Groningen)
Grottingon (Capital: Utrecht);
Kapolder (Capital: Kapolder);
Lieurneux (Capital: Amberieux);
Mer (Capital: tbd);
New Friesland (Capital: New Leeuwarden);
Perot (Capital: Virjwerd);
Stiura (Capital: Veldzicht);
Swaneeak Atoll (not pictured) (Capital: New Aquitaine);
Temple (Capital: Temple);
Zwolle (Capital: Zwolle).

The History of Dormill and Stiura spans many thousands of years, with many kingdoms and empires once in ownership of what was to become Dormill and Stiura. This thread (and the connected Dispatches) shall, as completely as possible, tell the history of Dormill and Stiura as can best be observed through a series of eras, with specific beginnings and ends that encompass periods of time where certain political mindsets dominated within the many various states that have existed here and were the driving force behind the policy of their respective era. Doraltic historians hold a consensus that there are eleven distinct political eras grouped into three periods, where there was a radical shift and reestablishment in what would be considered politically or socially normal. These are usually marked by the rise and/or fall of certain political parties or crucial events that directly impacted policy-making within Dormill and Stiura. The eras are named, in order, The Ardedan Era, The Colonial Era, The Stiuraian Era, The Revolution Era, The Young Republics Era, The Favre Era, The Post-Imperial Era, The Division Era, The New Republics Era, and The Dyson Era.

The goal of this thread is to provide important points of context and condense the three whole dispatches of information into easily readable, collaboration-friendly, sections.

For reference, anything that is marked in bold are events that are critical to Dormill and Stiura, but can be changed depending on collaboration, these will usually be events involving the interaction with Real-World Entities. Anything marked with an underline are to be regarded as events or concepts that have been collaborated on in private conversations and have not been formalized, things such as the Aurian Troubles and the 1989 Gael Crash will be here. Anything in italics should be regarded as events that have not been collaborated on yet and are of top discussion priority with the relevant persons, such as the Canal War or anything involving the Dormill-Stiuraian Empire in general. Any combination therein shall be regarded as a mixture of the above descriptions.

Anything in the "Working Concepts" spoilers are meant to be primers for collaboration between myself and others, it is highly suggested that these become the points of discussion as this thread progresses.

With that being said, I hope to see the best as I work on this.

by **Dormill and Stiura** » Fri Apr 06, 2018 7:31 pm

History of Dormill and Stiura | Pre-Unification Period | Prehistoric and Ardedan Eras
c. 3000 BCE - 1622 CE

Dispatch Version
Additional note: While you might see instances of conlanging throughout this section, bear in mind that this remains mostly incomplete and subject to change, please use the English translations instead of the native words unless I say otherwise.

The first known records of settlement of Dormill and Stiura comes from clay pots made by Proto-Nyssic migrants in the Département de la Côte Nord, Avillon. These pots are dated to around 3000 B.C.E, and are painted with images of various Nyssic mythical creatures, among the surviving artifacts is a pot painted with an image of a “Lunathach”, a mythical woodland creature that were guardians of their forest domains. Over the passage of the ages, the Proto-Nyssic peoples that had originally settled in the North Coast began settling in lands further south, populating vast amounts of Gael where they would become the basis for many future civilizations, including the Ardedan Civilization. Ardedan comes from Ardeda, believed to be either a portmanteau of Arné Teda (Eng. Autumn’s Trophy or Bounty) or a created word from Greek and Arabic words for “land” and “dirt” (‘ard and Édafos), although Ardedans refer to themselves as from the quasi-historical foundation story of the First Ardedan Kingdom (c. 800 B.C.E - 690 B.C.E).

Other artifacts recovered show a path of migration that trended towards the South, with settlements in modern Montrelais, Abancourt, Warnecque, Mala, Borey, and Broons. The history of these settlements has been lost, but most assumptions point to ancient civilizations even older than the Ardedan to have existed around 2100 B.C.E, most notably being the Kapolder River Civilization, which is assumed to have existed from 2850 B.C.E up until it mysterious disappearance in the early 1800s B.C.E, with some evidence suggesting the civilization was destroyed by outside invaders, or at least there is some evidence of weapons and tools not native to Gael at that time.

Following the end of the Kapolder River Civilization, and most other civilizations in the area, there were few signs of anything new for a few more centuries, until the first recorded instances of óhyó hihland khuye (Early Highland Ardedan) around the late years of 1000 B.C.E. Little is known of the early history of the Ardedan civilization except for history told by Áedán Abeln (translated from records recovered later in history, his actual name in Ardedan remains unknown), which describe how the people of Ardedan descended from the sources of the Bret’a glitrittó arfo and Annura glitrittó arfo (Sky and Earth Rivers) and met in the “Twin’s Embrace”, where the two gods of the rivers, twins, met for the first time after being separated by their parents of the sky and earth. The Legend of the Twin Rivers continues, describing how the Earth and Sky each birthed men at the sources of their child’s rivers, which were then carried by the twins to the Embrace, where they established a town.

After this meeting, so the history goes, the two tribes eventually became one and formed the First Ardedan Kingdom; known to them as Khufye pamua pra lyó Guna Glitrittó Arfola (Kingdom of the Twin Rivers).

The founding of the First Kingdom was marked by the erection of the North Wall. As the core of the city was made on the banks of the Twin Rivers, the protection of the city was mostly vested in this wall, which was always defended by a garrison of several hundred men, as the city developed over the following years with the monarchy, this garrison became the Royal Greatshields, under the direct command of the King and tasked with his protection. Being located directly on the river, the Kingdom quickly developed a fleet of ships to sail the remainder of the southern River, encountering several Xrevaran civilizations and eventually Lake Zrenla, which was initially thought was the vast ocean of the south for many generations up until explorers found the southern terminus of the lake and the Cazren River that terminates in Asfyr Bay.

The early years of the Kingdom were marked by extended periods of expansion and prosperity, with a lack of significant rivals, the Kingdom quickly expanded along the southern River, establishing settlements along its banks as it went. Most of these settlements have since been abandoned but a few remain as small villages within the modern Ardedan Republic. Around 785 B.C.E, the Kingdom reached its territorial extent as their southern expansion was halted by a prominent Xrevaran King that was based in modern Etriin Province. This rivalry between Xrevaro and Ardeda resulted in the formation of a fortress by King [Better Name than the Roman Ones I have], which eventually became a major city in the form of modern day [Shengzhou] to defend the southern territories.

Governance in the First Kingdom was surprisingly devolved, with individual cities being ruled over by a Lord-Governor, or Ine, (lit. Landlord) who were appointed at the will of the King, who also ruled over Távé'á’tápem (Crown City) as its Ine. Each individual Ine was required to tax their citizens and then send a portion back to the King as tribute in a form of economic management not dissimilar to feudalism. According to records from [Major Historian of the Era] this tribute system varied between Lords, which usually took the form of the item(s) that held the greatest value of their provinces. Given that determining what was considered reasonably valuable was an effort in its own right, this system prompted the central government in Távé'á’tápem to pull the legwork of establishing a broad bureaucracy, including most importantly in this context, assessors and tax collectors. As centralized money was not common in the First Kingdom, the tax and tribute usually took the form of that year’s grain harvest, there is additional evidence to suggest that livestock or other tradable goods were collected as part of a province’s taxes, depending on the given assessment made by a Royal Assessor. An example of this varied tax and tribute system is best known in the southern provinces, where one would collect their tax in the form of cattle, while its neighboring province would collect taxes in the form of the rare metals used to trade with Xrevaran merchants that frequented that city and its surrounding villages.

The first evidence of writing in the First Ardedan Kingdom was recovered from an old temple near the Doraltic-Xrevaran border, a form of Cuneiform that tallied a portion of that year’s tax. Unfortunately, the Cuneiform is impossible to translate as no record survives of any translation between Early Written Ardedan and Modern Written Ardedan, the latter of which has taken on the Latin alphabet from its Nyssic-based alphabet at some point after the divergence between S'áot'á'n'áundik Baimjeid (Highland Ardedan) and Def'n'áundik Baimjeid (Lowland Ardedan) in the early 2nd Century, the original alphabet is suspected to be an import from the [Waalwijk] Kingdom, or some other civilization north of the Gaeltic Spine.

In the late 700s B.C.E (725 - 700), attacks by Xrevarans began to heighten, spurred on by a new Xrevaran King that desired control over the Twin Rivers. These attacks culminated in the War for Retren Valley, where Xrevaran forces began a widespread campaign in the area surrounding modern [Shengzhou] that lasted from 716 through 703, capped off by the three year long siege of [Shengzhou]. Being so distant downriver, the city could not be reinforced quickly enough by forces from the north, and food stores ran out eventually. The Lord-Governor of the City, [Actually Decent Name], seeing no other option to end the siege or break out, surrendered to the Xrevaran forces. His body would be taken back to [Capital of Xrevaro in this time] where he would be executed. The loss of the [Shengzhou] shook the First Kingdom to its core, causing many lords to question the power of their King, and in 699, revolted.

The Revolt of 699 tore apart the First Kingdom, and eventually it ended unceremoniously with the suicide of the King in 690 with no heir. In the wake of his death, the Xrevaran King renewed his efforts to seize control of the rivers, and marched his armies north to sweep up the remaining lords and claim the prize of ruling Távé'á’tápem.

Unfortunately for him, the remaining lords, desiring independence, continued their revolt. This began the period of the Xrevaran Conflicts, which in all lasted ninety-five years as the various Lord-Governors, and their descendants, fought against Xrevaro. Around 650, the Xrevaran forces did manage to finally reach Távé'á’tápem, still recovering from the fall of the First Kingdom. However, the garrison of the north wall remained in their post, making the city an impregnable fortress on all sides. Not easy to give up, enemy forces attempted three separate sieges to take control of the city, the first two were repulsed by the city itself while the third was broken when a united army of the remaining lords rallied from outside the city to break the siege. It would be this army that then proceeded to march south until Xrevaro finally relented, its King agreeing to establish a new border with the Ardedans in exchange for peace. The Lords who fought against the Xrevarans, now knowing the benefit of working together rather than fighting among themselves, agreed to work on establishing a new kingdom; leaving their first order of business to attempt to find any descendent of the last King.

The Interregnum would last all the way through 610, but there was still no sign of anybody claiming to be King or related to the last King. As a result, the Lords eventually began to squabble over who would be declared the next King, with a council of 7 lords taking up residence in the palace and ruling the new “Kingdom” as Co-Regents until a new King could be declared, reforming parts of the original bureaucracy, initiating land reforms to quell the public, and building a base of power. From the West, [an Oster] came to Távé'á’tápem, claiming he had heard the people were seeking a new King and that he had ruled in the lands near the source of the Blue River, he requested that he be made King to resolve the dispute. However, one of the Seven Lords, [an Ardedan], had declared he had gained the support of the remaining six lords, and thus should be made King. A third claimant also appeared [a Roendavarian] also laid claims to the throne. The three men rallied the people of Távé'á’tápem and whipped them up into rioting bands, each of them demanding that their man should be made King. The remaining Six Lords were unable to effectively keep control of the city, and fled to the southwest for sanctuary, they would eventually happen upon a great mountain, and in honor of their patron god, established a town on the face of the mountain, which would eventually become Tempel.

After the War of the Three Kings, [any one of the three] won out, being crowned King in 595 B.C.E and establishing the Second Kingdom. His first actions as King was to conquer the lands that belonged to his rivals in an effort to quell initial resistance to his rule. Subsequently he had his younger brother marry into the royalty of [one of the other two Kings] to enforce his legitimacy to rule over Ardeda. King [Name] spent the remainder of his time as King establishing a new apparatus of the existing bureaucracy, a system that could wield the power of King without resorting to an interregnum or worse, anarchy. As such, he ordained the creation of a new Temple wherein his new government would be seated. The Gr'áe’jópo (lit. Group of Old Men), known also as the Ardedan Senate due to the similarities it shared with the Ariethos experiment with democracy, was composed of the oldest, wisest, and wealthiest men in the Kingdom at the time, including noblemen from across the realm alongside historians, military leaders, and great thinkers. The historians [Name from Writing History] and [New Historian] would serve in the Senate during their lifetimes, alongside several famous generals, Princes, and other members of the Royal Family.

It was considered a prerequisite that a man must have service in the public interest of the Kingdom, either as a General or a Civil Servant, before standing for election to join the Senate, and must already contribute to the Ardedan state in the form of personal taxes. In order to stand for election in the Senate, a prospective candidate must make their announcement on the steps of the Senate Temple, declaring their history, accomplishments, and intentions to the citizens of Távé'á’tápem alongside paying the equivalent of a year’s worth of taxes in the form of a tithe to the Temple. During these announcements, a scribe of the Temple will record every word said by the candidate during their speech, and once they are done, the scribe shall submit it to the record of the Senate. The Senate can then decide, based on the candidate’s credentials, to add him to that year’s ballot, or reject his candidacy. This power to reject a candidate would be frequently used in the history of the Senate to reject those who don’t align with the Senate’s leadership or is a member of a rival family to a prominent Jópo.

The Gr'áe’jópo took several years to establish their power in the Kingdom, and spent plenty of time formalizing their relationship with the King to create a fair and balanced system. Throughout the remainder of the time of predominant Ardedan rule, the Gr'áe’jópo would have the power of legislation, to raise and disband armies, to promote generals and leaders of the civil service. They would have the power to declare holidays, levy taxes, and create or disband courts across the Kingdom. The most controversial power that was shared between the King and the Gr'áe’jópo was that, under the circumstances that either would be seen as unfit for their service in a court of law, their counterpart could end their rule and take over until such a time as the other would be able to assume their powers again. In the case of the Gr'áe’jópo’s relationship to the King, they could force his abdication if he was sick, dying, senile, or otherwise unable to perform his duties. In the case of the King’s relationship with the Gr'áe’jópo, the King could force the Gr'áe’jópo to disband if they are stuck in a gridlock, or are being influenced too greatly by one man.

Over the next several decades, the Second Kingdom went on to expand further to the East, past the historical borders and into the vast unknown of the upper White River. Respecting their border with the Xrevaro, the Second Kingdom refrained from expanding further down the Blue River throughout its existence. This changed in 465 when the famous general and politician [Totally not Caesar] led a campaign towards the ancient city of [Shengzhou], swiftly taking control of the city and throwing out the local Xrevaran lord. This triggered yet another war between the Xrevarans and the Ardedans that ended with [the General] himself forcing the surrender of the King of the Xrevarans. Following this, the Gr'áe’jópo began to consider how to deal with this pesky general who had been stamping on their power for years now, resolving for a few years to send him on a campaign against the Valkoihet. As they deliberated on the situation, they became deadlocked, and unable to legislate as every debate circled back to the status of [the General]. The King, annoyed at the deadlock, used his powers to dissolve the Gr'áe’jópo, and at the manipulations of those against [the General], declared the general an enemy of the Kingdom.

Well aware that his actions would eventually array the Kingdom against him, [the General] had prepared by building alliances with other generals and his supporters in the Gr'áe’jópo and raising an army equal in size to the army that remained loyal to the Kingdom. After the King’s declaration, [the General] began his civil war, plunging all of Ardeda into chaos over his ambition. The First Ardedan Civil War lasted for the following five years, with the army of [the General] chasing the Royalist army across the Kingdom, eventually ending when the King’s guard mutinied and killed [King Name], surrendering to [the General] shortly thereafter.

Following the end of the First Ardedan Civil War, [the General] briefly served in a position of absolute authority while he and his allies rebuilt the government to operate entirely without a monarch, creating the elected position of Más'áóúa’gá'laiba Gr'áe’jópo (Protector of the Senate) to serve the old King’s capacity as a check on the power of the Gr'áe’jópo. As the new government began to take shape, a new name was given to the new nation, now free of the King, which the Gr'áe’jópo eventually settled on Sjíbo’gá'laiba Gr'áe’jópo gá'lá Tŕit́'aaib Píndav’gá'lef gá'lá It́'aegë’gá'lef (lit. Land of the Senate and People of the White and Blue Rivers, Eng. The Ardedan Republic), and set to work on establishing themselves as a functioning government during the remainder of the 400s B.C.E.

Famously, one of the most progressive choices ever made by the Ardedan Republic was to permit Women to serve alongside Men. As it was seen that Women were, in some capacity, equally capable as their counterparts both as military leaders, exemplified in the general [Woman], who disguised herself as a man to serve in the army and led three successful campaigns north of the Van Curan Valley [or possibly into Feerwerd] throughout the late 200s B.C.E; and their capability as civil servants, like when the Priestess [Name] took over governorship of Tempel in 186 B.C.E from the suddenly deceased Governor, and managed to not only successfully levy that year’s taxes, but managed to do so while nearly halving the cost of the previous year’s and contributing the greatest amount of any province that year. The two women, who after their respective successes became close political allies, advocated for their ability to serve in the Senate, and after several denials, the Senate permitted them to stand for election, which they won handily. Women would continue to serve in wider roles in Ardedan society throughout the end of the Third Kingdom, surprising the invading French and Dutch at the idea of women in leadership positions.

As the Republic kept expanding, their conquests soon began to brush up on the banks of the Kapolder and Waalwijk Rivers, establishing new borders in the far north of the Republic. However, the division between the northernmost reaches of the Republic and the southern regions began to make things difficult.

All the while this was happening, the Republic established its first settlements along the Luvtar River around 15 C.E. After conquering the local area some time ago, these settlements would be the first instance of organized rule in Aruia. Unfortunately, these settlements would be short-lived as the Luvtar River suffered from yearly floods, wiping away the settlements in the area and making it too expensive for the Republic to return and reestablish their settlements. This loss in the far south compounded with heightened attacks from the Xrevaro [or possibly an extended war against the Valkoihet] stoked tensions in the north of the Republic, with some leaders both in their home provinces and in the Gr'áe’jópo calling for greater autonomy to be given to the north. These requests were frequently denied by the southern members, causing yet another deadlock. However, unlike the King, who was mostly independent from the affairs of the Gr'áe’jópo and was willing to dissolve the body if it was incapable of acting, the current Más'áóúa, [Name], was firmly on the side of the south, and permitted the gridlock to continue, further driving the sentiment in the north that Távé'á’tápem no longer cared about the people, but more about preserving their own power. Lacking options, northern leaders began assembling armies and getting ready to rebel against the Gr'áe’jópo. However, a revolt would not be necessary as [Earlier Person] was killed before the steps of the Senate Temple, and was replaced by the northern-aligned [New Name], who immediately dissolved the Gr'áe’jópo.

Obviously seeing the two events as planned, the former southern Jopo declared that their northern counterparts were enemies of the Republic, and had to be eliminated, starting the Second Ardedan Civil War in 59. As the War began to tear apart the Republic, Tempel would split away from the Republic as well, utilizing the mountain to reinforce their position and hold the Holy City for themselves, with the High Priest of Tempel taking over governance of the new state.

In the North, the unified effort to throw out their southern oppressors collapsed after several years of war, dividing their armies in two between the generals [a Kapolderian] and [someone from Abancourt], making their defeat at the hands of either the Republic or the wider Empire more and more likely. However, the movement of a tribe of Pre-Osters came across the southern bank of the Blue River, forcing the armies of the South to leave and respond to them before Távé'á’tápem would be threatened, this granted one of the armies of the north the opportunity to take control of significant amounts of land from the southerners. By 100, the Republic was reduced to only Távé'á’tápem, with rebel armies or foreign invaders surrounding them on all sides. However, the city remained as impregnable as always, the siege weapons of the northern armies were incapable of breaching the walls. Meanwhile, in the far north, the remaining armies began to reinforce their new positions and threw out several vanguards of its rival armies, creating a stalemate around the Van Curan Valley. In 117, the two armies agreed to stand down and establish a new border between them, leaving the Republic a rump state, bound for its eventual demise.

In 115, the southern lands conquered by [one of the two above Generals] broke out in a sudden revolt, the remnants of the Republic’s loyalists declaring that they will never serve a Northern Rebel. Over the following years, under the leadership of the legendary female general [name], the Sjíbo’gá'laiba’máloum Píndav’gá'lef (Kingdom of the White River) was founded at some point halfway through 117. Further north, the two dynasties of [General 1] and [General 2] began to establish their power. The [General 1] Dynasty (120 - 1795) would begin its long history by securing its borders against the [General 2] Dynasty. After several years of border skirmishes, the northern dynasties finally began to settle on their own internal affairs. This began with the establishment of a new capital on the mouth of the Gá'lef’ŕítc'áút́'aét́'aéf (River of the Lake), the modern day Kapolder, which he would name T'aoif’tápem (New Crown). From here, [General 1] and his descendants would rule over Sjíbo’gá'laiba’máloum gr'áámjin'á’pímeu (lit. Kingdom beyond the Mountains), typically referred to as either the First Drustain Dynasty of the Ardedans or the Kingdom of the North. The administrations of the three kingdoms that make up this era did not vary wildly, mostly utilizing holdovers from the Republic. The only major exception Pég'á’gá'laiba Petc'á’sjeiai (Temple of the Brother Gods), was ruled in a much more centralized manner, with the priest of the temple holding extreme authority over the land he ruled.

The era of the Three Kingdoms was mostly peaceful as each focused its energies on their respective internal administrations, the Republic would finally collapse in 130 in an unceremonious fashion. However, given the centuries of democratic rule the Republic provided, democracy would ultimately never die in Ardeda, with each of the successive kingdoms respecting and adopting these old democratic systems to aid in their internal administrations, ushering a golden age of wealth and prosperity that would rival even the greatness of the Corinthusi.

800s BCE, Ardedan-Xrevaran Rivalry: Xrevaro. Should we have this rivalry or do you have another relationship in mind for this era?
699 BCE, Revolt of 699: Should actually add in details about the Revolt of 699, and possibly leave the door open for invasions and raiders to make the situation extra dire for the First Kingdom. Protacism might well have also been introduced to Ardeda in this time. Whether or not it should take hold is something I am not sure of but it would have to relate strongly with the Empire of Corinthus later on, either making Ardeda a conquest or sharing some other relationship. It was around this time that the scientists and explorers of the Davari city-state of Ariethos, founded in 798 BCE, would have undertaken their expeditions called the Ferostiath. The first three Celionath (Kings) of Ariethos would have undertaken these expeditions and spread Protacism as well as literature, Protacism, philosophy, and science. - Roendavar
Ardedan Interregnum: I am obviously asking for both Ostehaar and Roendavar to be involved in this moment of my history, whether or not that is possible or practical should be discussed as I want to start building ties and bridging the gap between west and east Gael in this era.
At this point in time, there are now five notable city-states in the Davari lands. These were Avathon, Vartas, Thespos, Lerios, and Entarinth. Since the Roendavarian lands were now fully occupied by these city-states, they would want to exert influence in lands beyond Roendavar. One of their first targets would be the land to the east of the River Stenon, which we call Deriasthil. They would have elected another expedition, this time as a united Davari race, and laid claim to the lands, hence the claimant. While we don’t have any “legitimate claims”, we would assert that we are the “enlightened race” due to the already flourishing sciences and arts in the city-states, thus, we are the better rulers. -Roendavar
I would also like some general help in establishing the tone of the Interregnum and the court politics that went into it.
Finally, I need to add in more details surrounding the War of the Three Kings beyond just Crown City, perhaps an invasion from either Roendavar or Ostehaar to add a layer of tension to the whole conflict.
As I have established, the Davari City States would have wanted to exert their influence outside the Roendavarian lands and our reasoning was to spread enlightenment and civilization. Definitely would come to a point where the Davari City-States would launch an invasion, a precursor to the Thesara Alliance which would be making an appearance in the future. - Roendavar
Ardedan expirment with Democracy: Ariethos, and the Davari in general, were already very libertarian and had a strong sense of politics and philosophy during this time. After the exile of the rebellious oligarchs in 604 BCE and the establishment of democracy afterwards, it was a success for the city-state of Ariethos. If the events beforehand came into fruition and Roendavar would have gained a foothold in your lands, Ariethos would have been the main administrator of these holdings and might spread it to your lands as part of their quest to “spread civilization”. - Roendavar
I need history for the 300s and early 200s BCE to cover the large gap in time between these paragraphs, possibly continuing with conflicts against Balnik and/or Xrevaro. Possibly also start involving the Sunuwar and Arvan if that doesn’t start earlier or later.
Conquest by Corinthus, c.190s BCE: It is around this time that the Empire of Corinthus would have invaded, if it acted like the Holy Roman Empire or otherwise granted large autonomy to Ardeda then this history can go unchanged with the exception of a few major points. Consult with Roendavar as to how things went with this empire. The Second Petal Invasion saw much of Gael conquered by Aragonus the Great and the Empire of Corinthus between 217 BCE-212 BCE. You could be conquered around 217 or 216 BCE since we were already interconnected by this time. The Empire of Corinthus was hegemonic and granted semi-autonomy to large portions of its conquests, as long as they remain loyal to Corinthus and cooperate with its trade routes. Each conquest was split into geographic areas called Thronai and they were administered basically like an elective monarchy with a democratic council (kind of like how Roendavar functions today) within a larger empire. So yes, your lands would have been semi-autonomous under the wider Thronai of Lorathunos, which you can be the capital.
Early 100s CE: I'd need to establish whether Pre-Osters had a presence in eastern Ardeda, to what extent, and how that affected the Ardedan Civil War.

by **Dormill and Stiura** » Fri Apr 06, 2018 7:32 pm

History of Dormill and Stiura | Pre-Unification Period | Colonial Era
1622 - 1655 (in Stiura) 1622 - 1791 (in Dormill)

Dispatch Version

First contact within the Western Isles by European powers were made when Ferdinand Magellan, during his circumnavigation, discovered the islands of Corindia in 1521. He would subsequently discover the islands of San Javier and then the continent of Argus later that very year before his death in the Spice Islands. The return of Juan Sebastián Elcano to Spain would set off European interest in the Western Isles fully. Subsequent missions by the French explorer Jacob Georges Rémy, Portuguese explorer Fernão Mendes Pinto, and English explorer Sir Francis Drake solidified the European image of these new lands by the turn of the century.

The first Dutch mission to the Western Isles was conducted from 1586 through 1601, culminating in the establishment of the first Dutch presence in the region with the conquest of the Portuguese Silmaniese city of Leeblie in 1595. The remaining Portuguese territory in Argus would be conquered in the outbreak of the Dutch-Portugese War. This tenuous foothold was what prompted the Dutch East India Company to further their efforts in exploring the Western Isles in search of a safe place to base themselves outside of the reach of their enemies. With English assistance and French neutrality in that particular conflict, the East India Company explored northwards through Argus, establishing relationships with early Torom, Segentova, and the Daciaran Empire.

The Ceasefire of Antwerp and the beginning of the Twelve Years Truce granted the Dutch access to Spanish and Portuguese ports in Salimanasia, allowing the VOC to expand its operations in the Isles. In order to establish new trading relationships in the west, the VOC Board sent Captains Mick Grottingon, Wacob Jillekens and Maikel Vroomen, all renowned Argean explorers, to accomplish such a mission. These efforts would see the Netherlands interact across the entire Western Isles, trading with nations of the Mesder frequently as well as those of the Southern Sea and Eastern Seas. While Jillekens would remain active until the 1630s, both Mick and Maikel would retire, leading their respective sons Tjeerd and Aric to lead efforts to establish a Dutch trading network across the Western Isles.

France, meanwhile, did not suffer much in the way of tensions or pressure in their efforts to colonize the Western Isles as the Compagnie des Îles Occidentales (French Western Isles Company) solidified their presence from Nouveau Toulon. The French monarchy soon stepped in to handle most of France’s affairs in the Western Isles with the establishment of the Royal Segen Colony in 1600.

In 1611, testing the Dutch willingness to stand up to the Peace of Antwerp, the Portuguese under Spanish direction began to close off its ports to Dutch ships, followed shortly thereafter by a Spanish-Portuguese embargo of all Dutch trade globally. This prompted the VOC to launch an expedition into Salimanasia, starting with an attack on Lman Bay. Led by Captain Wacob Jillekens and 1,700 VOC troops, the Dutch swiftly took over the city, and followed it up by taking Pappaloosh City, the center of Portuguese affairs in the region. These actions would prompt the local population, most especially the Chah-Chajd Empire, to fight off the European invaders over the following years. The Anti-Colonial War would further spread from Argus, negatively impacting European-Islander relations and prompting similar anti-European conflicts throughout the remainder of the 17th Century.

Simultaneously, the Netherlands found itself back in a fight with the Spanish as the Thirty Years War began in earnest, the Dutch government granted the VOC further powers in the Isles, including the power to issue their own colonial charters. This catalyzed the Dutch colonization of Gael, beginning later that year when it sent Maikel and Aric Vroomen with an exploration fleet into the Argean Sea, establishing contacts with Vaenland, Kudraela, the Third Ardedan Kingdom, the Sunuwar Hangate, and the Daciaran Empire. In summer 1621, Aric made a landing in the mouth of the River of the Lake, not far from the ruins of the city of New Crown, which was destroyed by the Sunuwar Hangate a decade prior. Seeing the value in establishing a permanent presence along the Argean, Aric and Maikel appealed to the VOC to begin establishing settlements in north Gael. Unfortunately, Maikel succumbed to scurvy during the following expedition, leaving Aric to return to the River of the Lake with the VOC’s blessing and establish a settlement along the south bank following the creation of a polder near the center of the river as a trading port. This polder and port city would eventually become Kapolder, named in his honor. As 1624 progressed, the situation in Salimanasia worsened as the English pressed their influence in the region further, threatening both Spanish and Portuguese control enough for both to cede control to the Netherlands. Though the fight was long from over as the VOC began to build up its power in Gael as a way to escape the situation.

Throughout the mid-1620s, with the success of Vroomen's city and the foundation of Ringoven further north of it, the VOC granted a charter to its first Gaeltic colony, naming it Kapolder after the same city and granting it dominion over all the Gaeltic lands explored and settled to that point. Eventually, after a brief war with the Ardedan Kingdom, the Dutch also seized a trade city on the north coast, which was then renamed to Waalwijk. Waalwijk would become a part of the Kapolder colony shortly thereafter. In the west, two other charters were established for the purpose of establishing more colonies for the Netherlands in Gael, these would form the basis of New Friesland and Batavia. The former was established on the Grottingon Bay to put pressure on the newly formed English colony of Kentshire (now the New Fife region), with Batavia given a mandate of everything to the east that wasn’t Kapolder. Around then, the Dutch made their first treaties with Dacaria formalize the western border, allowing the Dutch access to most of the Orange River in exchange for them recognizing the eastern bounds of the Deriasthil at the border. As the Dutch gained a greater understanding of the land they were colonizing, they ran into a very particular problem, even more European colonizers.

In 1627, the French fully established themselves in Gael following the erection of the royal standard on the north bank of the Kapolder, and began construction on a court to counter the in construction of the Kapolder Stock Exchange, this would begin the multiple year rivalry between the French and Dutch colonies in Gael up until the creation of the United Republics. Through the following year, the French began to entrench themselves further by establishing another opposing settlement to Waalwijk, forcing the two governments to come to terms to prevent a war from breaking out over the territories. In the subsequent treaty, the border between French Gael and Dutch Gael was established, with the French additionally respecting the existing Dutch coastal settlements in Ringoven, South Alban, and Waalwijk.

After the treaty, both the French and Dutch governments turned their focus back to European affairs, leaving their colonies to fend for themselves. While this period began with hostility between the colonies, it was the actions of Kapolder to increase their trade connections with the French colonies that began to bridge the gap between the two disparate cultures. However, as the 1630s began, the first vestiges of an independent Batavian and Gallic identity began to take shape.

The brief era of positive relations between the Ardedans, Dutch, and French would abruptly end in the turn of 1630. The economic consequences of the Thirty Years’ War in Europe began to ripple into the Western Isles, prompting both the Dutch and French Gaeltic colonies to levy increased taxes on its residents to fulfill the needs of the vast European armies fighting across Germany. In addition, the escalation of the war’s scope saw the withdrawal of all professional military forces from Gael.

Lacking protection from their mother countries and facing an Ardedan Empire poised to a resurgence thanks to support provided by the Lesvans and the Corinthusi Realm, the French colony of the North Coast (also known as the Emerald Coast) and Dutch Stiura conscripted and outfitted their own independent militaries, with the latter following it on by mandating all able-bodied men shall train in militias to take up arms in the defense of the colony. It would be the French who eventually struck the first blow, with a force of over 5,000 North Coast soldiers, reinforced by militias raised among the populace of what is now Dormill and Annecy, marched out from the gates of Fort Louis and into Ardedan territory in 1633.

While the reasons why the French-Ardedan War began remain clouded, it is widely believed that a false flag attack on Broons was used to justify a punitive expedition, the French demanding reparations in the form of gold and valuables from Ardeda and a concession to allow French military forces unfettered access throughout Ardedan territory. The expedition would be stopped only twice before they reached their target at Tafeath, and in both instances the Ardedan army was routed without a serious fight.

At the Ardedan capital, the French realized the weight of their folly, the soldiers anticipating little more than the stories of swift and easy conquest brought over from Mexico or Peru, rather than a wall that would rival Vienna or even the mighty Theodosian Walls. Lacking cannons or any means to lay siege, the French forces were eventually forced to retreat back to Fort Louis by the Ardedan Royal Greatshields, which had been dutifully holding the North Wall from attackers for well over two thousand years.

When the expedition returned to Fort Louis that August with no success, colonial governor Cyril Fabien Desjardin had assembled an army ten thousand strong and outfitted with sixty cannons, and ordered the original expedition to return to Ardeda with the Emperor’s Crown or his head. Now with a legitimate threat against Ardeda, the Ardedan Imperial Army quickly mobilized to face off the French Army, intercepting them at the north bank of the Sonnae river and a second time in the wooded hills north of Tafeath. In both instances, even though the Ardedans had access to gunpowder weapons, they lacked the effective numbers and training to stand up to the semi-professional French force. At Tafeath itself, the Royal Greatshields joined the conflict, holding back a French siege by sallying past the North Wall multiple times throughout the remainder of 1633 and into 1634, the French laid in for a siege that many feared they could not win. By the turn of February, conditions in Ardeda deteriorated when French forces managed to construct ships up both the Sky and Earth Rivers and mounted their cannons upon them.

Sensing that his Empire was soon to be crushed and no evident aid materializing from Daciara as he hoped, Emperor Iapetos Ariledhienas entered into negotiations, allowing now Duke Desjardin through the gates of the North Wall and over the Bridge of Heroes that led into Tafeath proper, the first time in centuries a foreign leader had walked through under arms.

Fortunately for the future of the Ardedan people, Desjardin managed to be surprised by the apparent ‘advanced’ nature of Tafeath and of Ardedan civilization in general, and treated his counterpart the Emperor Iapetos as he would have just short of King Louis back in France. Negotiations surrounding Ardedan concessions proceeded from April 1634 through early July as both sides attempted to use the ceasefire to build and show strength. In the end, on the 19th of July 1634, the Emperor of Ardeda conceded to most of the terms set forth by Duke Desjardin. Although the Ardedan Empire in name would continue to exist, it conceded all of the territory north of Tafeath to the French alongside paying the demanded indemnity. Further, from that point on, the trade of the Ardedan Empire would be directed north through Fort Louis and into Gaul, rather than south down the Twin Kings River as had been Ardedan tradition for thousands of years, essentially locking Ardeda as a vassal of the French.

The subsequent period of instability caused by the effective collapse of the Ardedan Empire was felt throughout southern Doraltia, as local authorities denied the French access into their lands and refused to pay taxes to Tafeath which would be funneled as tribute to Chery, the then capital of French Doraltia as Cour Rouge remained under construction and would not be complete for several more years. During the transitory period, Dutch explorers found their way into the city of Vardrathinas, home to the Temple of the Proacist God of Smithing and Forging. In their reckless exploration, the ancient steam works of the temple were irreparably damaged, ruining the site as a pilgrimage point for Protacists across Doraltia.

The Dutch exploration and desolation of Vardrathinas prompted the city’s authorities to appeal directly to Desjardin for reprieve, bypassing Emperor Iapetos entirely in the first sign of the decay of his authority. The appeal was eventually met by Deskardin who took it as a claim on the territory for the French. The Dutch, who had been exploring and trading in the area for quite some time by 1636, contested the French claims. This combined with the already tense situation over the ultimate control of the Vroomen River to produce the first time in the history of European colonization of Doraltia where both sides edged into a possible war.

The war was fortunately averted when Captain Vroomen called for a States-General with Stiura, New Friesland, Ringoven, South Alban, and Waalwijk, which was seen as potentially controversial but gained tacit approval from Batavia and Amsterdam through a now characteristic lack of response from the VOC board. The Treaty of the River would be signed in 1637 and defined the border between French and Dutch Doraltia, with the Dutch winning out the most territory by gaining control over Vardrathinas and its surrounding land. Objections raised by Ardedan authorities over the fact that land south of the Twin Kings was handed over to outsiders were ignored by Desjardin, who threatened to send a French force back into Ardeda to assert control. Like with the Dutch, King Louis did not interfere with Desjardin’s actions during the Treaty of the River, signaling his support for the creation of an authority in the Western Isles that reflected his own in France.

At the start of 1640, the Dutch had nominally completed efforts to explore northern and central Gael, mapping out the extent of southern Stiura, Eppendorf, and Feerwerd before reaching the Kotlumi mountains. Their attempts to cross it were halted at the mountain pass city of Aftavan, which represented the northernmost extent of the Kingdom of Balnik, though the lowlands from there to the Helle and Orange rivers were all feudal territories loyal to the Balniki realm.

Their southern border more or less established, the Dutch went forward with their plans to colonize the vast Vichdall region (which now composes modern Eppendorf, Feerwerd, and parts of southern Stiura and southern New Friesland) starting with the establishment of Eppendorf near the source of the Eppen River in late March. Tensions between Batavia and Balnik would further escalate after the discovery of gold near the source of the Helle River, the subsequent rush from across the continent prompting disagreements between the two governments over their sovereignty, which itself led to acts of violence on both sides. By the summer of 1640, several hundred Dutchmen and Balniki had died in clashes and Eppendorf had been attacked twice by Balniki mobs.

Though an attempt at negotiating was considered by the Dutch government in Veldzicht, a further attack by the Balniki prompted a response of war. The war itself would be surprisingly brief, as the modern Balniki army did not cross over the Kotlumi to face the Dutch army, which made quick work of the poorly armed and trained vassal levies and militias. By late November 1640, no real threat was posed to the Dutch in the Vichdall, though no peace could be reached with Balnik until the end of winter when the mountains became passable once again. Balnik and Stiura would make peace in the spring of 1641 wherein the Dutch gained sovereign control over the land a hundred kilometers inland from the banks of the Orange and Helle river and a preferential arrangement for the gold mines already opened in the southeastern region.

As French efforts to transform its Gaeltic colonies into a metropolitan authority became more evident in the early 1640s, the East India Company, which still had nominal control over the affairs of the Gaeltic colonies, additionally made efforts to increase its own power. During this time both colonies saw a spike in European-origin colonization as a mixture of government encouragement and a desire to escape the Eighty Years’ War drove many to the Western Isles. This was in addition to the mass importation of Indian, African, and Magrati slaves to both Dutch and French colonies, further building on the population increases and subsequently their relative power.

The French effort would ultimately end in the splitting of attention between the center of its operations in Pacifica, Gaul, and its remaining possessions to ease the administrative load across the Isles, though the nobility in Metropolitan France held favor to the Gallic colony with the hope that it could solidify and extend its influence to all the remaining French colonies in the region. Around the same time, the French also solidified its control over the Arvannan peninsula with the founding of the City of St. Isabelle (what would eventually become St. Recont) and dividing the administrative territory of their Gaeltic colony into four major Departments; Arvan, North Coast, West Coast, and Gaul. The formation of the Departments coincided with the formation of multiple Marches, most especially the March of Launey, March of Montrelais, and the March of Boissieux; which served to differentiate the stabilized colonial territories (North Coast and West Coast especially) from the non-stabilized territories (such as Boissieux and Launey). The main Chateau of Cour Rouge would become habitable in 1643, becoming the home to the Desjardin family from that point until the Dormillian Revolution.

The pan-Isle European conflicts that were a common sight since colonization began to wind down in the mid-1640s, especially as the English Civil War heated up and turned their attention from the Western Isles and as the negotiations of the Peace of Westphalia continued in earnest. As a result, the first Treaty of Kapolder was signed by representatives of the colonial governments in Gael in 1646, solidifying the terms of the Treaty of the River signed a decade earlier. The Treaty of Kapolder additionally established the first regular trading relationship between the Dutch and French Gaeltic colonies, granting the VOC and the French Western Isles Company charters to that effect.

As a response to the reorganization of the French colonies, the VOC sought to replicate the same procedure in their possessions in the Western Isles, organizing a separate authority in Veldhaven around 1645 which formally separated it from Stiura, which had nominal control over Velder affairs as the focal point of the VOC’s activities in the Western Isles. Veldhaven was subsequently invited to the States-General of 1648-49 although their presence was mostly requested to iron out the trade relationship between the Dutch colonies now that the Velders were more independent of Veldzicht’s authority.

Also during the States-General of 1648-49, the combined colonies determined that they were going to start the process of a more permanent unified organization, petitioning The Hague to be admitted entirely as Provinces under the Union of Utrecht, however these efforts were rebuked by VOC authorities in Amsterdam which obviously did not want to lose control over the profitable territories between the Spice Islands and the Western Isles, preventing the petition from reaching the States-General back in Europe. This began to drive a wedge between Veldzicht, Kapolder, New Leeuwarden, and Batavia over whether these colonies would be allowed to unite with the remainder of the Netherlands or continue to be administered under the authority of a private company. Notable promoters of independence from the VOC included both Aric Vroomen and Tjeerd Grottingon, two of the three founding sons of the Batavian colonies. The old man Wacob Jillekens, who had been operating out of Veldhaven up until its split from Veldzicht, returned to Batavia to argue against breaking from the VOC, claiming that organizing the colonies as Provinces of the Netherlands would drag them into European conflicts they had neither the time or resource to respond to.

By the end of the States-General, several of the assembled colonies, especially Kapolder, South Alban, Ringoven, and Waalwijk, signed a resolution declaring that they would organize themselves as the Province of Kapolder with Aric Vroomen declared as the first Doraltic Staatskapiten. Though Stiura, New Freisland, and the remaining colonies did not openly support the move by Kapolder, a portion of each colony’s leadership generally approved of the move and began to consider taking the same course of action to unite the remaining colonies under a united province. These efforts would be spoiled by the outbreak of the First Anglo-Dutch War in 1652.

Almost as soon as news arrived that English and Dutch forces were fighting across the Channel, both the English colony of New Fife (in what is now the northern Orange River Valley as far south as Zwolle) and the Dutch colonies began to arrange the mobilization of military forces. It would be the English who struck out first by attacking the New Frisian city of Grottingonshaven and burning several VOC ships in harbor. The outbreak of the war prompted the formation of the third colonial States-General and the formation of the first united Batavian Army, headed by Major General Rudyard Abelen. At the same time, Stiura and New Friesland agreed to sign the Union Resolution, forming the United Provinces of Batavia, which invited Kapolder but was rebuffed while the war was ongoing. General Abelen’s army met the English militias at Terborch and soundly defeated the untrained and disorganized English forces. The Batavian Army then successfully crossed the Orange River by the end of November 1652, seizing control of Waynesburg in the process. A second army made up mostly of Stiuraian militia simultaneously conducted operations around Banff and Dooyork, though in a more disorganized fashion than their counterparts on the Frisian side of the river.

When winter fell that December, General Rudyard Abelen’s army had made its way to the outskirts of Reading, the second largest English settlement in New Fife after Port Orange ~50 miles north. During the winter of 1652-53, English and Dutch forces mostly contained their combat to the seas as had become the case in Europe, with VOC and English ships clashing throughout the Western Isles. The loss of a major portion of the English fleet during this time would also compromise Cromwell’s ability to exert control over the many disparate English colonies in the Western Isles.

By March 1653, after the post-thaw muds bogged down General Abelen’s army during the initial march, the two main fighting forces met for battle in the fields of Port Orange. In all, an English army of around 7,000 met the Batavian Army of 7,200 and fought for two days, each day ending with the English conceding ground against Abelen’s drilled and cannon-armed forces. It is said that on the third day, the English flag was struck from its pole in Stafford by the Batavian militia, who had forced marched and stormed the town during the clash between the main armies on the other side of the river. The fall of the flag combined with rising dust and smoke from the east prompted the English general to surrender to General Abelen, who marched what remained of the English forces to Veldzicht as prisoners of war.

For his victory, the States-General awarded Major General Rudyard Abelen a Beloningspenningen, a gold medal, for his service. This was the first of its kind awarded to a Batavian and under an independent authority other than the States-General of the United Provinces. This action would, simultaneously with the negotiations of the Treaty of Westminster, prompt The Hague to assert its sovereign authority over the Batavian colonies, negotiating the handover of New Fife directly rather than allowing the Veldzicht States-General to lead the way as was the case for Ardeda.

Though the war had ended for Batavia, the Anglo-Dutch War would not end for several years afterwards, leading to the deployment of a large contingent of Dutch and VOC forces under the command of Johannes Jillekens, the son of Wacob Jillekens and third among the Founding Sons (alongside Aric Vroomen and Tjeerd Grottingon). Ostensibly, this force was organized to prevent English forces in Town-beside-the-Sea from organizing an effort to retake New Fife, though subsequent deployment of Dutch forces in Veldzicht, Kapolder, and Waalwijk prompted fears among Batavian leadership that this force wasn’t here to keep the English out, but rather hem in talks about Batavian independence. These fears would be confirmed in early 1653 when the VOC flag was replaced by the Oranges’ Flag in Kapolder. Following news would announce that “to ensure the continuing security and prosperity of the city of Kapiten’s Polder and the other possessions of the Seven United Provinces in the Western Isles, the VOC has transferred its administration of these lands to the States-General,” bringing a swift end to the VOC’s rule over Doraltia and exchanging control to The Hague directly. Among the first acts of the newly appointed Governor Boele Van Cann was to call for the end of the States-General in Veldzicht and the cessation of the Province of Kapolder and the United Provinces of Batavia.

This move would have allowed Van Cann the ability to reorganize the administration of the colonies in a way that would allow him, and by extension William of Orange (as he was an Orangist) more direct control of the colonies in competition with Desjardin in the adjacent Cour Rouge. Although the colonies signaled the disbanding of the Veldzich States-General shortly thereafter, the Batavian States-General would reconvene in secret in June 1653 in the young town of Helle to respond to the sudden growth of Dutch tyranny in the colonies. On 24 June 1653, news broke across Batavia that Aric Vroomen, the Staatskapiten of Kapolder, had died. The news shocked the nascent Batavian nation as Vroomen had been considered preeminent of the Batavian Founding Fathers; further shocks would reverberate out from Kapolder as Governor Boele Van Cann announced at Vroomen’s funeral that he would take over governance of Kapolder and reorganize the colonial borders to stretch from Kapolder City to Veldzicht.

Protests against Van Cann’s move to unite Kapolder and Veldzicht were almost instant, egged on by pamphlets coming from Helle claiming that Vroomen’s would express his wish to unite Kapolder with the remainder of Batavia as soon as the war formally ended and the Batavian States-General was allowed to reconvene. Though the details of Aric Vroomen’s will were never publicly revealed, the Vroomen estate would subsequently deny that any details relating to a Union Resolution was a part of his will. Regardless of the certain truth, the notion that Vroomen’s dying wish was to unite the Batavian colonies into their own complete union set an intense fire under the protests. This would drive the people of New Leeuwarden to demand the New Frisian governor, Gerhard Kloeten, to resist the efforts of Van Cann by force if necessary. The response New Friesland offered was to deploy its militia forces, most of whom were veterans of the New Fife Campaign, under Major General Rudyard Abelen to Stafford.

Seeing the movement of troops across the functional border of Batavia as insurrection, Governor Van Cann ordered Johannes Jilkens, the final of the founding sons of Batavia to march his army of now 12,000 strong to dislodge the rebellious army in Stafford and force Kloeten to recognize the central authority of a new Batavia. In order to save time for Abelen’s Army to withdraw and regroup with more forces, the States-General in Helle revealed their presence by declaring the independence of the United Provinces of the Batavian Republic (known commonly as the Stiuraian Republic) and raising a flag of revolution, striking out the State Flag of the Netherlands with a Gold and Black cross, the symbol of General Abelen’s medal and icon of anti-Dutch sentiments among pro-independence Batavians in the years leading up to the revolution.

Taking the bait, Van Cann ordered Jilkens south to Helle to arrest the States-General there for treason against the Seven United Provinces, sparing Abelen’s army of a fight and allowing them to regroup in New Leeuwarden. At the same time, Vaenland mercenaries managed to slip through the tightening blockade of New Leeuwarden and joined Abelen’s second United Batavian Army, which now numbered 9,500 and grew by the day with militias across New Friesland rallying to the cause.

Those loyal to Van Cann would face persecution for their choice, including a significant portion of the population of Helle which was not previously aware that the rebellious States-General had settled into their town. Stiuraian Patriots would drive out the loyalists from 30 June to 3 July 1653, most of whom died trying to protect their property or on the exodus across Liveri back towards Kapolder. During early July 1653, the remaining Kapolderian cities, Ringoven, South Alban, and Waalwijk joined the call from Helle and declared the independence of the Free Republic of the United Kapolderian Provinces, isolating the Stiuraian Revolutionary War to western Doraltia.

By mid-July, Jilken’s army arrived on the outskirts of Helle across the river and laid in to siege the city and find a way across the river. Although the States-General considered retreating from Helle into the Vichdaal, hoping to unite with General Rudyard Abelen’s army and find safety in New Friesland, President Maximiliaan Wauters decided to hold out in Helle instead, taking advantage of what few forces were in the city to deny the larger army a way in. This gambit, the Helle Holdout, would prove to be the most consequential action of the revolution as Wauter’s resolve restored confidence in the other revolutionaries of the righteousness of their cause, allowing them to rally and hold the main bridge over the river and into the city against four onslaughts by Jilken and his army. By this time, the Treaty of Westminster has been signed, officially handing over New Fife to the Dutch and opening up the Orange River to sailing by Dutch ships, allowing them to cut off New Friesland without resorting to a direct blockade as was being executed in Ringoven and South Alban to a costly success.

The Stiuraian Revolution would persist for the rest of 1653, signified by the retreat from Helle by the States-General and the Battle of Bovenstreek against Abelen’s Army, then followed by the crossing of the Orange into New Friesland. With Batavia nominally secured, aside from the far south that was functionally unreachable and unimportant to the revolution, Johannes Jilkens focused his efforts on starving out New Friesland with a direct blockade, conceding the remaining Kapolderian cities to redirect Dutch naval forces to constrict New Leeuwarden.

As the situation grew dire throughout 1654, the States-General, now situated in Kettingweir, judged that the only way the revolution would succeed was to bring down the only man with power among the Dutch loyalists, Johannes Jilkens. Determining that Jilkens held all of the power in his relationship with Governor Van Cann due to his control of the army, defeating him would be the fastest way to ensure the victory of the revolution. However, actually drawing Jilkens out into a pitched battle proved incredibly difficult since he refused to face his opponents on the field, opting to trust in the blockade to starve the revolution out. This effort would, however, fail as the garrison at the West Fort on the trans-Koltumi border with Roendavar mutinied in favor of the revolution, delivering vital food from their stores up the Orange River to Vlagberg. Seeking to prevent the 4,000 soldier garrison from joining the revolutionary forces in the north, Jilkens made his way towards Vlagberg to secure the town. Sensing their opportunity to take the fight to Jilkens, General Abelen’s army also marched south towards Vlagberg, sailing part of the way on the Orange thanks to revolutionary civilians providing the army with as many boats as possible to make the journey.

Several delaying actions were fought by militias across the southern plains between Helle and Vlagberg to stall Jilkens’ army for long enough to allow for the bulk of the main revolutionary army to arrive in Vlagberg by piecemeal. Fortunately for the revolution, the entire army plus the reinforcements from the south successfully formed just weeks before Jilken arrived with his army at the end of the summer of 1654. Deep in enemy territory and caught in front of an army that was now larger than his, Jilkens ultimately decided to enter into battle, writing in his diary of the day of battle, 10 October, “the only honorable option left for me is to lay down my life and honor to protect the land my father discovered.” His death during the battle broke the loyalist army and ruined Governor Boele Van Cann’s morale and will to prosecute the war, even though experts agree that he would have had plenty enough time to secure control over Batavia with another army and the fleet arrayed against New Leeuwarden.

Van Cann would negotiate his surrender to the Batavian States-General on 13 January 1655, marked as the day of Stiuraian Independence, through negotiation would take until 1658 with the Dutch government to determine the precise nature of this newly independent Stiuraian Republic.

by **Dormill and Stiura** » Fri Apr 06, 2018 7:32 pm

History of Dormill and Stiura | European Period | Stiuraian Era
1655 - 1791

Dispatch Version

1655: After 2 years of rebellion, and after it had spread to Stiura and New Friesland, the VOC grants independence to Stiura, and focuses its efforts on trading in the region. In the Treaty of Kapolder, the Stiuraians grant the Dutch the right to continue operating from the newly independent ports, allowing the VOC to continue operations at the low costs that generated great profits for the Netherlands as a whole.
1666-1670: Stiura begins to form its own independent governing system, seriously decentralizing its authority into constituent States and forming the States-General, the assembly where representatives of the states would coordinate policy and administration.
- Around the same time, the position of States-Captain, Staatskapitein, is created to serve as the state executive, empowered as the head of the Stiuraian State, meanwhile, the States-General would be an executive council forming both the legislature and the head of government.
- The court system of Stiura would also be of mixed authority, with the States-General exercising Parliamentary Supremacy, it would ultimately have control over the establishment of the judiciary and the composition of its members. However, to protect the people from the government, the Courts were given sweeping powers to hard check the States-General, among which was the sole power of impeachment and constitutional review, exercised early on through simply reviewing passed legislation but later on by reviewing legislation before they were passed.
- The complex functions of the early Stiuraian Government necessitated the creation of a Constitution in 1701, making it the first codified constitution in Doraltic (and possibly Isles) history.
1670 - 1680: The following ten years saw a significant growth in Stiuraian territory and power, asserting its dominance of the Batavian south by expanding Helle and establishing Vlagberg and Feerwerd.
- In 1676, Stiura would conquer the largest swath of Balniki territory to date, occupying modern Klappenberg and driving the Balniki Kingdom back towards the modern borders.
- In early 1680, Stiura begins its trading relationship with Almorea, setting the groundwork for the Almorean-Doraltic friendship
1680 - 1700: Stiura’s trading influence grows both locally and internationally, eventually striking a deal with the Dutch to buy out the VOCs remaining stake in the Western Isles (officially removing the Netherlands from regional canon) and take over their business
- Simultaneous to the Stiura-VOC deal, Stiura and Kapolder form a custom union, letting Kapolder into the emerging Stiuraian market on preferable grounds, establishing a relationship between the two nations that will eventually end in the formation of the United Republics
- Through 1690 and the early 1700s, Stiura and Razzgriz would fight two wars (and several quasi-wars) over trade disputes in the Southern Sea, solidifying the future emphasis on controlling the peace in the Southern Sea for Doraltic foreign policy, this would also lead to spats among other nations in the South and the formation of future alliances
1704: Diedrich Grottingon, son of Tjeerd Grottingon, after spending years in Batavia working for the administration of the East Indies, emigrates to Stiura, ingratiating himself with the foreign ministry and begins work on forming Stiura’s ultimate foreign policy.
1706: States-Captain Joan van Hoorn, operating from Veldzicht, appoints Grottingon as Chief Foreign Minister, granting him control over the direction of Stiuraian foreign policy for the remainder of its independent existence
1710 - 1720: With a cabinet of phenomenal statesmen, States-Captain Van Hoorn leads Stiura into a golden age, expanding its borders to their modern extent both south into Balnik and west into Roendavar.
- Additionally during this era, early signs of industrialization took shape, namely in connection to Stiuraian shipbuilding and trade, the precursor to Giffardmeer Company, the largest auto manufacturer in D&S, is also founded as a shipbuilder.
- This is also the longest era of peace Stiura experiences, as relations between Stiura and its rivals warm through new trade deals, it also sees the large disbanding of Stiura’s previous conscripted military force, instead directing its individual states to train and arm local militias to keep the peace.
1730s: As a result of Stiuraian-led privateering before the 1700s, most of which ended in the mid 1710s, piracy in the Argean reaches an all-time high, a veritable golden age of piracy consumes the region as pirates operating from the Free Haven (the modern ID) cause mayhem in the trade lines of the north. This prompts Stiura to end its era of peace and start a war to end piracy, leading to the eventual 1740 Coalition.
1740 - 1768: Stiura joins an international coalition to end piracy in the International District (then known as the Middides or Free Haven), providing the bulk of naval power and equipment to the fight, additionally hires out Vaenland Mercenaries to assist in the subsequent occupation.
- In order to maintain its presence near the International Island, due to the nature of the agreed-upon rotating occupation, Stiura leases out a port in the nearby area to base its forces (this location would be in, by order of preference, San Montagna, Athara Magarat, Roendavar, or Khoveria)
1750s: Maximum Stiuraian colonialism, Stiura uses its presence in the International Island and the leased land to extend its proper colonial influence into Argus, striking further deals for land or trade access among the nations of northwest Central Argus (should any come to exist), including several Hangates.
1770s: The 1740 Coalition fails to truly keep the pace in the ID, eventually ending in a bloody and costly war that nearly bankrupts Stiura, forcing it to rethink its colonial ambitions and refocus its efforts on economic restoration
- This leads Stiura to look at the nearby French colonies as a potential major source of trade, should Stiura be able to convince the French to relax their mercantile practices over the colonies
1780s: Stiura sends expeditions to verify the location of the Swaneeak Atoll, intends to send a colony in 1795 but the formation of the United Republics stalls plans.
- Additionally, Stiura starts to put political and economic pressure on the French colonies to force France into the negotiating table, citing the ongoing American Revolution and the present Dutch-Franco Alliance formed to fight the British as a point from which Stiura can negotiate from, there will ultimately be no substantive response from the French Kingdom before the Dormillian Revolution
1789-91: As the Dormillian Revolution begins, Stiuraian leaders discuss how to respond to it, eventually resolving that it is in the best economic interests of the Republic to aid the revolutionaries while the French remain distracted with their own revolution. They also began to form the idea of a unified state, instantly securing the economic wealth the French colonies had in order to restart the still ailing Stiuraian economy.
- In 1791 proper, Stiuraian leadership under States-Captain Aric Diedrich Grottingon, son of Deidrich, negotiates with Remy de Launey on the matter of Stiuraian Intervention, agreeing to intervene on the behalf of the Dormillian Revolutionaries in exchange for bearing the cost of the coming war, Stiura gains concessions from De Launey that once the Revolution is won, that a union of the Stiuraian Republic with a Dormillian Republic shall be swiftly put to action.
- The debts Stiura would incur from the Revolution came mostly from other nations in the Isles, placing their coming political situation in precarious waters.

by **Dormill and Stiura** » Fri Apr 06, 2018 7:33 pm

History of Dormill and Stiura | European Period | Revolution Era
1791 - 1815

Dispatch Version

Phase 1: The Riotous Mob (1791 - 1792)
- Assault on Arette
- Battle of Ringoven
- Battle of Kapolder Bay
- Battle of Fort Louis
Phase 2: The Disorganized Militia (Early 1793)
- Last Battle of the North Wall
- Siege of Abancourt
- Recapture of Waalwijk and Ringoven
- Cour Rouge Mutiny
Phase 3: The Lucky Volunteers (Late 1793)
- Conquest of the North Coast
- Battle of Dufour Hill
- Encirclement of Cour Rouge
Phase 4: The Victorious Army (1794)
- Fall of Abancourt
- Surrender of the Duke’s Army
- Fall of Cour Rouge
- Treaty of Kapolder

1795: As the Revolution finally ends, the process for Doraltic unification begins, though there is initial political resistance from Dormill, seeking true independence rather than a perceived vassalship under Stiura. These sentiments are quelled during the process, where it becomes clear that Remy de Launey would be at the center of the emerging United Republics, and that the two component states would be at equal standing.
1796 - 1800: The United Republics forms, and the early political system is shaped by Remy de Launey’s policies, creating a decentralized state where Dormill and Stiura, the original two Republics, act more in a state union than a true federal state, though are restricted from various forms of state expression that are left to the true and proper federal government.
- As this goes on, a system of power sharing forms where the Dutch tacitly agree to the Presidency of de Launey, a Frenchman, in exchange for broader power within the National Congress, and thus ultimately, power over Doraltic policy and finances.
- De Launey’s early death precipitates an early constitutional crisis, with the resolution coming with the further solidification of the semi-Presidential system, with Vice President Rene Perot being inaugurated as President, and Congressman-Stadtholder Alois Beltz as “acting Vice President”, Deltz would go on to serve as the President of Congress for several years, entrenching the concept that Congressional leadership has near equal powers to the President as Co-Heads of Government.
1800 - 1815: Defined primarily by Perot’s presidency, with Dormill and Stiura’s political culture stabilizing in his rule. The Republic of Zwolle is the first Republic to be established post-unification, a compromise between the various authorities in Stiura who wanted control over the quickly growing city and its economy.
- Perot would also expand the National Congress to 10 members per Republic, with the internal political structure surrounding the Congress creating an environment where each individual member had a vote, a method that wasn’t legally defined through that point.
- Dormill and Stiura would also further its international aims by succeeding Stiura in several of its former trade agreements, even expanding them to cover most of Gael and the Southern Sea (the later thanks to a renewed trade agreement with the Osean Empire)

by **Dormill and Stiura** » Fri Apr 06, 2018 7:33 pm

History of Dormill and Stiura | European Period | Young Republics Era
1800 - 1875

Dispatch Version

1815 - 1825: The Industrial Revolution takes full swing in Dormill and Stiura, with Kapolder and Cour Rouge becoming one of the first cities to use gas lamps on a large scale by 1816. Mass economic growth and the second largest boom in population growth in national history saw Dormill and Stiura quickly rise to international economic prominence. Dormill and Stiura would use this, and the growing access to mineral wealth in the nation to great effect.
- In this time, the Republics of New Friesland and North Coast would be formed, increasing the United Republics’ membership to 5.
- The worst of social oppression of Ardeda also takes place in this time, as rapid industrialization and the expansion of capitalism isolates Ardedans from the new economic system, now dominated by Europeans, this starts a period of building tensions that will last up until the end of the century
1825 - 1835: Period of long-term political stability and continued economic growth, Viares and Amberieux come into their own as fully planned industrial cities. This will also see the first signs of Doraltic interest in Arvan, where the nobility of Dormill fled during the Revolution and settled into the local culture, integrating with the Noronnican ruling class. This interest in Arvan manifested mostly as an extension of Doraltic-Noronnican relations, focusing on lifting trade barriers and maintaining local peace.
- In 1828, Alexis Moser published Federalism No. 1, a political essay discussing the present state of the United Republics and advocating for the federal state to start taking a more active role in national affairs. This highly conservative piece becomes a rallying point for Dormill and Stiura’s anti-liberals, seeking to use the federal government to centralize power and protect their status quo and socio-economic standings.
- The following years see a shift in Doraltic politics as Moser’s Conservative movement gains ground in the managerial class of the nation, these people saw the federal government as a tool for their advancement, and figured now was a good time to transition the United Republics from the original federation into a centralized state with them in positions of authority.
1835 - 1844: Doraltic Conservatism backfires when the Central Bank of the United Republics, which had invested heavily into [Some foreign venture that goes under], causing a bank rush, a collapse of the Kapolder Brouse, and a major recession, all blamed on President Moser and stirring up serious socalist sentiments in the working class, followed by the formation of multiple socialist parties.

~1844-6: Aftermath of the Second Central Argus War: Though Dormill and Stiura was not involved in the fighting within the Khas-Kiriat Empire, it did influence the subsequent peace deal, attempting to worm its way into the Southern Sea by creating republics modeled on the Doraltic system. This ultimately fails as Osean and Khas-Kiriati influence in the Southern Sea is too entrenched for Dormill and Stiura to uproot.
~1848-9: Formation of Eppendorf: Riding the wave of a new political scene in Dormill and Stiura, the people of southwestern Stiura start movements to create their own Republic, distinct from Stiura and its increasingly Conservative leanings, this leads to major protests and the formation of the Republic of Eppendorf, encompassing the modern borders of itself and Feerwerd.
1850: The Doraltic Triumvirate: In an effort to exert pressure on the Southern Sea Empires, Dormill and Stiura allies itself with Aizcona and Corindia to form a Triumvirate. This alliance allows Dormill and Stiura the access it needs to press its interests in the Southern Sea.
1853: The Canal War: International efforts to build a canal in Central Argus to facilitate trade between Gael and Raedlon are attacked by multiple actors, predominantly those in the International Island, who were attempting to sabotage Canal construction to force international concessions. The situation became a major diplomatic issue when the violence broke down negotiations over the use of the canal, precipitating a war involving the Triumvirate, Noronica, Vancouvia, multiple Hangates, and the Osean Empire as each fought for control over the canal, the International Island, and other concessions. The war eventually ended inconclusively, with the establishment of the International District proper and the Central Canal Authority, both of which started relatively small but expanded in scope and territory to respond to threats against them.
1855-1865: Major turn towards socialism: Continued Conservative rule in Dormill and Stiura saw the newly forming socialists of Dormill and Stiura, vested mostly behind the People’s Labor Party (precursor to the modern Labor Party), take serious power within both the Republics and subsequently the National Congress. This newfound power resulted in a major push to open up Doraltic democracy and introduce major and significant socialist policies.
- This point in time would see the formation of Congress’ second house, the National Assembly, representing blocks of ~50,000 people across all of the United Republics, giving Ardedans their own distinct representatives within the Doraltic federal government for the first time since unification. This was an attempted concession by the Conservatives to quell rumors of a possible general strike and uprising.
1860-1868: Anti-Socialism: As Dormill and Stiura's public further embraced socialism, the Conservatives began making serious effort to curtail socialism where they could, goading the federal government to increase its authority and risk expanding a conflict far out of its control. This leads to mass anti-socialism in the predominantly rural central areas of the country, prompting representation movements in central Dormill and central Stiura that are left unresolved for decades.
1869-1874: Political tensions mount: Nicholas Favre, son of a business magnate, enters the scene, unifying Dormill and Stiura's socialist movement behind the Doraltic Progressives' Party, escalating the already extremely tense political situation leading into the 1874 election, with several militias raised by the Republics to protect polling places from dissidents, prompting the federal government to start considering reigning in and reorganizing the various semi-independent militia groups.
1873: War of the Mandrake: Tensions in Roendavar flare over into an open war, with republicans and monarchists on a collision course. While Dormill and Stiura attempts an intervention, it underestimates Caliesti Alecsander and is thrown out of the newly formed Roendavar. Tensions between Roendavar and Dormill and Stiura, which additionally hosted escaping Republicans and those against the newly crowned King. This prompted Dormill and Stiura to call back on its Triumvirate, starting a period of extreme tension between various monarchies and republics.

by **Dormill and Stiura** » Fri Apr 06, 2018 7:34 pm

History of Dormill and Stiura | Era of the Industrial Revolution and President Favre
9 May 1844 - 10 January 1910

Dispatch Version

~1870s-1880s: War of the Second Triumvirate: Tensions between Roendavar and the United Republics boil over into a full war, with the great forests of the Thamson Line protecting both sides from direct attack for a while. The war transitioned into a pan-Argean theater as more forces both aligned with the Triumvirate and against it intervened. The War would end with Doraltic concessions, as the goal of the Triumvirate was to bring down as many monarchies as possible.
1880-1: Ardedan Rights Act: After further protesting over the course of the previous conflict, the National Assembly and the States-General finally passed a comprehensive bill of rights to address the issue surrounding Ardeda. Among its provisions was the full protection of the Ardedan language by the federal government, and the enabling of an Ardedan Republic. The ARA also broadened the scope of previous civil rights legislation, extending the right to vote to all men at age 20, reducing qualifications for federal office, and banning multiple forms of discrimination across racial, linguistic, and class lines.
1885: Favre’s Flaw - Having spent time in national politics, President Favre began centralizing federal power behind him, taking advantage of his cult of personality surrounding him to become truly dictatorial. This included the formation of the federal National Criminal Registry, and the subsequent National Criminal Investigatory and Registry Commission.
- The 1885 Election are also one of the most contested up to this point, with over a dozen Presidential candidates running, several of them on platforms expressly directed at ending Favre’s rule in and of itself, others focused on undoing his most egregious alterations of the Doraltic system.
1888: Third Central Argus War - Dormill and Stiura mostly involves itself on the naval front of the war, utilizing its much expanded navy to put pressure on reactionary monarchist forces involved in the fighting.
1893: First Oster War - As Verdon begins its invasion of Ostehaar, Dormill and Stiura intercedes in an effort to stall Verdonnian advances, invading the Oster southwest and setting the conditions around which the Great Gael War, and War of the Fourth Triumvirate, will begin.
1905: Favre’s last election - Old yet still of sound mind, President Favre runs and wins the most contested election in United Republics history, forcing the first run-off in Presidential election history and barely winning 50% of the vote, suspicious circumstances are abound, calling the entire integrity of the election into question, now with several Republics refusing to seat their States-General delegation unless Favre submits to an investigation or steps down.
1905-1909: Four long years of maximized political tensions in and outside Dormill and Stiura nearly tear the nation apart, key government services and several trade unions collapse under the pressure, triggering severe economic instability.
1909: All tensions within Dormill and Stiura reach their head as investigations reveal President Favre, alongside every major Presidential candidate, influenced or attempted to influence the 1905 election, entirely invalidating the election and prompting an immediate move to impeach President Favre, who publicly resists efforts.
- Kapolder and Cour Rouge are racked with over seven months of high intensity protests and riots, during which multiple people across all walks of life are killed in the crossfire. During a violent breakup of a protest in Cour Rouge, Tilija Hangma, last of the Mgars, is killed by stray gunfire, dying of her injuries that evening.
1911: Years of secret negotiations sees Dormill and Stiura form a new Triumvirate with Noronica and Aizcona, seeking to resolve the worsening Magrati Succession Crisis by supporting the claims of the Noronnican Overlord as the next Mahang. The crisis would only worsen with Doraltic involvement, as Dormill and Stiura’s various rivals in the Southern Sea used this as a point to rally behind, expanding the scope of the coming war to encompass all (or nearly all) of the Western Isles.

by **Dormill and Stiura** » Fri Apr 06, 2018 7:34 pm

History of Dormill and Stiura | Modern Period | Post-Imperial Era
10 January 1910 - 14 April 1947

Dispatch Version

The War of the Fourth Triumvirate (aka War of Khas-Kiriati Succession, Great Gael War, Third Central Argus War)

March 1911: In an effort to end the war before it begins, Dormill and Stiura begins a blockade in the Southern Sea, specifically targeting ships of the Coalition and forcing them away.
April 5, 1911: Unwilling to be the belligerents in the war, the Coalition deploys Merchant Raiders against the Dormill-Stiuraian blockade, forcing the DSN to sink three ships, damaging another two, and forcing the rest away.
April 6, 1911: Using the attack against the Merchant Raiders as a casus belli, claiming that the ships were unarmed, Verdon declares war on Dormill and Stiura. Razzgirz, the same day, declares war against Noronica to claim the Khas-Kirat throne, beginning the War of the Khas-Kirat Succession (also remembered as the Great Gael War in Gael, and the Third Central Argus War in Argus).
1913: The first two years come and go, the situation in Ostehaar has turned to the advantage of Verdon while the Verdonian heartland are coming under the bombing sights of Dormill and Stiura's new air force following the successful invasion of Roendavar.
1914: The War in Argus progresses for Noronica, aided by Dormill-Stiuraian forces pulled away from Gael after intense fighting in Ostehaar. In Gael the front has stabilized on all sides, only the naval war remains a fluid battle with both the Noronnican and Dormill-Stiuraian Southern Sea Fleets try to push back the Western Eterna fleets and begin a blockade.
1915: With even less movement on the front in Gael, the two sides begin to consider peace, and talks begin in the presence of a ceasefire. In Argus, however, no such ceasefire comes as more nations become involved in the conflict, pulling more resources away from Gael.
1916: The Second Miklanian Civil War ends in defeat for Noronica, its fleets in the far west crippled. The situation causes a crisis in the government of Noronica, leading to the United Republics briefly taking over operations in Athara Magarat. In Gael, the ceasefire holds tenuously, even the naval conflict has died down to some extent with the two sides infrequently allowing for the movement of supplies between them.
1918: In Argus, the War is nearly over. The Third Central Argus Coalition had been decisively defeated in battle and there are already talks that they will come with terms. Athara Magarat has been secured, and the Overlord was finally placed on the Khas-Kirat throne.
1920: The War in Gael suddenly heats up again as Razzgirz, still at war with the Triumvirate, attempts to instigate an Ipachi Uprising in Dormill-Stiuraian Samudera, Dormill and Stiura responds by sending the DSN deep into Osean waters and shelling two Osean cities.
1925: Five more years passed, although no permanent peace has been reached, a second ceasefire was reached between the sides in the War in Gael, peace was achieved in Argus through the Treaty of Lituvo, which recognized the Overlord of Noronica as Hangma of the Khas-Kirat Empire and otherwise ended the conflict without reparations demanded on either side, rendering the Third Central Argus War over. Later on, just before the Second Oster War begins, a new round of talks gains significant ground, but its members are killed by Osters disguised as each other's bodyguards, beginning the Second Oster War.
1927: After significant losses on all three sides, a permanent peace of status quo ante bellum is adopted, restoring the borders of Ostehaar and Verdon, additionally levying reparations from both Verdon and Dormill and Stiura to Ostehaar. Separate settlements are made between the allies of the three powers are made through 1930 These settlements would officially end the Great Gael War and the Khas-Kirat Succession War.

The Canal War had ended, and with that President Favre ousted from power. The Elections of 1909 were the first in history where women played a major role, after the Supreme Court upheld Article 1, Section 10 of the Constitution earlier that year, forbidding any Republic for adding new restrictions on who can vote. Feminist and Suffragette Leader Trijntje Harlow would become very influential over the course of the election, leading voting rallies nationwide and in the territories that were still held by the United Republics. Her marches became a rallying point for similar movements throughout both the United Republics and abroad as formerly oppressed or marginalized peoples began to protest their governments for change. As the election season of 1909 came to a close, and the new President elected, Harlow, for her efforts, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Valor, the highest civilian honor that can be granted. She would also go on to receive international praise for her work. In early January of 1910, she was offered the position of Chairwoman of the Liberal Republican Party, which she accepted. Under her leadership, she would set the precedent for Liberal Female leadership in the United Republics, eventually transforming the Liberal Republican Party into the Liberal Party.

Former Vice President Dieudonne Blaise, who had sided with the revolutionaries against his President, was swiftly elected as President in the 1909 Election, and inaugurated in 1910 to the fanfare of a new United Republics. Now as President, Blaise began his term by easing tensions abroad, first by fully recognizing the Peace of Rio Pena and withdrawing the last of Dormill-Stiuraian forces from the area of Menna Shuli and Argus in general. He then went on to sign the "Protectorate and Territories Act of 1910", granting citizens of nations in a protectorate of the United Republics a faster way of attaining Doraltic Citizenship, and granted wider privileges to both territories abroad and the protectorates alike. This act would soon result in the election of Brahma Prashkant Tamang, the first Samuderan native Governor of the Banda Territory, and a move of greater autonomy in the Xrevarandian Republic.

Much like his predecessor, President Blaise would also sign into law several new pro-worker legislation, increasing the federal mandate for paid holidays to equal 20 days, decreasing the work week for average citizens to 45 hours, and overall making the lives of the average industrial worker better. However, these advances for the workers came with the decrease in productivity in several industries, with some factories outright shuttering under the pressure. This coupled with a weakening housing market as people moved into cheaper apartments soon resulted in an economic recession. President Blaise and the National Congress of that year attempted to make changes but conflicts of interest between the Republics and their delegates to the National Congress only worsened the situation. Workers began to strike in the later weeks of 1910, forcing the National Congress to return to session suddenly during the election cycle, securing sweeping victories for both the Liberal Republican Party and the right wing National Republics Party, founded by Hugo Sonner, founder of the vast Sonner Holdings Group, which had a hand in every industry in the United Republics and was considered the strongest company in the nation. The remainder of the 1910s saw Blaise slip into the status of a lame duck President, merely signing off on whatever the National Congress threw his way in an attempt to preserve his power. The more that went on, the weaker his party became as they tried to fight both their President and the ever-growing rivals in the National Congress. By the time 1919 came around, Dieudonne Blaise was uninterested in running for a second term, opening the door for a fight between the Liberal Republicans and the National Republicans. The Liberal Republicans attempted to field a candidate, but internal disorganization resulted in the untimely postponement of the 1919 Liberal National Conference, with individual members instead fighting for endorsements between themselves. In the meantime, Hugo Sonner continued to gain massive amounts of support across the Republics, especially in the population centers along the coast.

Hugo Sonner was elected in 1919 with promises of reasserting the position of Dormill and Stiura in the Southern Sea and ending the depression that began to take root from the 1911 Recession. Ostensibly, he was successful in reversing most of the impacts of the depression by introducing new policies both at home and in the remains of the empire, mostly involving massive deregulation in certain industries while tightening control over the budget to generate an excessive surplus.

The initial years of Sonner's Presidency saw him, on the surface, do as he set out to accomplish. He committed more troops to the Banda Territory and the Xrevarandian Republic, alongside reinforcing the defenses of Dormill-Stiuraian occupied Ostehaar, especially against the Verdonian occupied section in the belief that the Osters were in no position to attempt a reconquest of the occupied lands with the devastation of the Great Gael War still fresh. Unfortunately for him, on 5 May 1925, reports came in that there are groups in both Ostehaar and the occupied south that popular uprisings were being organized by the Oster government, eventually leading to the Massacre of Lindastir, a brutal attack against diplomats from the various present at the Lindastir Peace Talks, among the dead included former President Favre, who was Dormill and Stiura's chief negotiator. The Second Oster War began soon after with Oster attacks against the lines of both the United Republics and Verdon. Believing that the other side was responsible for the Massacre of Lindastir, the two alliances continued their war against each other with renewed vigor, setting the stage for the most brutal years of the Great Gael War.

President Sonner, determined to gain control over Verdonian occupied lands before the Osters can, pressed his efforts against them rather than maintaining the Doraltic lines against Ostehaar. This led to the collapse of two large salients and the encirclement of nearly 20,000 soldiers, of which at least 8,000 died before surrendering to the Oster Army, the single biggest loss of men the United Republics would ever face in a single action. As the following two years dragged on, both the United Republics and Verdon were pushed behind the original borders of Ostehaar. In 1927, after several months of a stagnated front, the triad met in the city of Dinha and discussed a treaty, one that restored the borders between the three nations from before the start of the First Oster War and enforced a large reparation against the United Republics and Verdon. Other peace settlements relating to the Great Gael War were signed throughout the following year, with the war officially ending on New Year’s Day, 1930.

The reparations, though not intended to reflect unnecessary ill-will against the United Republics did serious harm to the Dormill-Stiuraian economy; compounded by a sudden drought in the vital Great Kings River valley plus the lack of the seasonal flood caused by the completion of a new damn crippled food production in the United Republics, and skyrocketed food costs, which in turn with the reparations and a lack of productivity initiated a large-scale economic depression in the United Republics. However, under mysterious circumstances at the time, President Sonner won his reelection in 1929, running a platform of repairing the economy and reasserting Doraltic international power after the Treaty of Dinha.

To respond to the depression, the States-General began to act in terms of self-preservation rather than the advancement or even near-term resolution of the crisis, passing laws that started to fly in the face of the Constitution. The Supreme Court made attempts to review several of these new laws, even overturning several as clearly Unconstitutional, but with no checks against who or when the Republics can send to the States-General, several legislatures began to sack key members of the States-General at the slightest grievance, sometimes spending months at a time without sending replacements, and never holding an election on the matter. The situation would be so bad such that over the time between 1932 all the way until the end of the United Republics in 1947, the Republic of Stiura only ever had 4 total councilors serve on its behalf. The political instability was ripe for exploitation, if only a new President could have been elected.
However, it was revealed in 1935 by a private investigation that not only did Sonner rig both the 1919 and then the 1929 elections in his favor but additionally was embezzling a significant portion of the government's budget to his own accounts; these would lead to his impeachment where he would be found guilty in a year later, ending with his removal from office and the nullification of the Sonner Administration. The entire Sonner Administration was implicated in the trial and everybody excluding Othmar Geary, the Minister of the Interior who was appointed after Sonner's reelection, had resigned in disgrace if they weren’t removed from power by the National Congress itself. Geary was now left with a nation that was dividing quickly between its distinct ethnic and cultural lines, threatening a deadly Civil War if nothing was done to stop it. This is where Ludovic Denis stepped in.

In 1939, the Presidential Elections saw the nationalist upstart, Ludovic Denis beat Othmar Geary with promises to eventually assert Dormill-Stiuraian dominance once again, and restore honor to the Dormill-Stiuraian people. Under his early administration, the United Republics refused to be party to the Rickemonde Accords on Imperialism and the Nolon City Naval Treaty, citing that both does nothing to limit current empires while hampering any other nation from acting freely. These actions and the contentious election beforehand caused a fracturing in the national fabric, initaly between the supporters of the quasi-dictator and those who opposed him, but soon turned to ethnic, religious, and political divisions. Soon, even tensions within the National Congress began to reach a boiling point as the President began to push for discriminatory legislation that would permanently divide Dormill-Stiuraian society into castes, where the pure French Dormillian Catholics would stand above the remainder of the nation as the nobility while every other citizen, most especially those of mixed origins, were to be deemed as "impure monsters".

The Republics of Lieurneux, which had always been the bastion of the racist concept of "High French Culture" up to that point, and Avillon, which saw the movement of Ardedans across their borders as dangerous, stood behind the legislation while the remainder of the Republics stood against it, for good will or not. This resulted in the States-General becoming entirely incapable of functioning as all of the Republics fought over who would represent them, typically resulting in a "revolving door" situation with several Republics as Councilors joined, quit after the session ended, or were withdrawn. The Forum was little better while facing a similar situation, however, since the average people controlled the election of the members of the Forum, they could gain some amount of progress on the necessary legislation to maintain the United Republics. Unfortunately, as the situation worsened, both Communists and Fascists began to openly fight for control of the Forum and on the streets. Eventually, the United Republics broke down as various Republics began the process to secede from the Union, eventually leaving Lieurneux and Avillon alone as the remaining Republics got their bearings as new nations, leaving the door open to invasion by the Francophile Fascists. By the time of 1941, all but the former territories in Samudera were "reconquered" by the United Republics, with its Denis being declared President-for-Life shortly before the outbreak of the Imperial War. He would remove his own Vice President shortly thereafter, and moved the United Republics to war against Noronica and the remainder of the Free Powers. However, constant resistance made the war impossible to fight for the United Republics and President Denis was eventually killed by revolutionaries in 1946, with the remainder of the government of the United Republics surrendering to Noronica on New Year's 1947. Four months of occupation and negotiations followed, ending with the complete dissolution of the United Republics of Dormill and Stiura, and several territorial concessions, most notably the annexation of the city of South Alban.

The Imperial War

to be added in

by **Dormill and Stiura** » Fri Apr 06, 2018 7:35 pm

History of Dormill and Stiura | Modern Period | Division Era
14 April 1947 - 30 October 1995

The War against Noronica, as the Dormill-Stiuraian people remember the Imperial War, was an abject failure for the United Republics, it represented the greatest political and military failure in the history of Dormill and Stiura, overshadowed only by the collapse of the Last Ardedan Kingdom to the French. In the east, Noronica reigned supreme, annexing the city of South Alban and reeducating the populace in "True Noronnican Values". This occupation in the East would be reflected on as a mercy as in the west, socialists were fighting what remained of Stiura’s fascists in open revolution. Throughout 1948 and going through 1950, both the "National Republic of the New Netherlands" and several socialist revolutionary armies, such as the "People's Liberation Army of Stiura" or the "People's Liberation Front" (not to be confused with the Xrevarandian revolution by the same name) had fought on even ground, each of them incapable of dealing the decisive blow to win against the other. This changed with the intervention since unknown benefactors that dedicated arms and men to the cause of the revolutionary armies, eventually winning the Stiuraian Civil War, and dividing the three former Republics into several collections of city communes, revolutionary governments, and outright socialist dictatorships.

Several revolutionary leaders, such as Wisdom Meeuwessen, Kaeden Westenberg, Rébecca Abel, and Gérald Hawkins, came together in late 1950 to discuss the future of the revolution. In a landmark agreement, they rejected the Vellemoz Accords and began to spread the idea of a union between the new states far and wide. However, the Socialist Republic of North Stiura, the second largest socialist state and the strongest dictatorship, attempted to hijack the concept and annexed several of the smaller communes around it under the guise of forming the "Socialist Union". Their attempts had seen initial success, as they crushed their neighbors in one-sided wars, but that would be seen as short-lived as their attempt to annex the Veldzicht Commune was beaten back by an alliance of other socialist states, self-styling as the "Republican Union". The power of the dictatorships was being challenged by Democratic Socialists, and such began the War for the Future of the Revolution, a two year long war between the Republican Union and the Socialist Union that, after multiple tough and hard fought battles, saw victory for the Republican Union in 1953.

The Republican Union, which shortly after winning the war restyled itself as the Second Stiuraian Republic, had officially formed, and began its work of creating a Utopian socialist state by reorganizing the administration of the multiple individual communes, States, and collectives. After several months of debate, the solution the Union reached was an ingenious blending of socialism with Dormill-Stiuraian Federalism. At the highest level of governance was the Union Assembly, an elected body representing every citizen in the Union irrespective of their home. The Union Assembly was designed with callbacks to the original National Congress, especially in terms of their consensus-based decision-making. At its core, no legislation can be passed without full approval of every member of the Union Assembly present, so debate and negotiation between the interests of different groups was the norm. This system would develop quasi-political parties (as political association was unnecessary as all members must act in the interest of the revolution) between those that represented cities, the farmlands, the industrial worker, teachers, scientists, and so on.

Also in 1953, the Second Stiuraian Republic, the Republic of Ardeda, the Free City of Kapolder, and the unrecognized United Dormillian Republic established a border agreement between each other, as each recognized the potential for conflict over control of the vital Kapolder River. In the Kapolder Accords, the states agreed to establish a neutral zone of 25 kilometers from the banks of the Kapolder River and Giffard Lake. The Neutral Zone would be under the administration of Kapolder, but it agreed to maintain only a light military and political presence in the Neutral Zone, insofar as basic necessities were provided to the residents of the Neutral Zone.

The situation of the status of Dormillian sovereignty would be put to the further test throughout the 50s as the Noronnican Administration put further pressure on the "dissidents", forcing the government of the United Dormillian Republic to go underground for fear of capture. Those sympathetic to the Republic's cause would be kidnapped and detained in 'reeducation' camps across Noronnican Gael, sometimes being reported by even their neighbors the night before. This silent persecution would go on for years afterwards, with the people paralyzed by mistrust, censorship, and fear.

In Noronica, the violation of the Vellemoz Accords by the Stiuraians (and the old United Republics as a whole) did not go unnoticed. Under the guise of reinforcing and protecting Dormill, the Overlordship mobilized two more divisions and sent them past the Kapolder River Neutral Zone, which saw resistance from the Kapolder River Defense Force put up by the Free City of Kapolder. The situation was bound to escalate as the new divisions established themselves in Mala and Courlaroux, both hugging the river.

By the turn of 1955, protests soon broke out both in the Second Stiurian Republic and Kapolder of the violation of both the Kapolder Accords and the sovereignty of Kapolder itself. At the same time, several city communes, the State of Eppendorf, and the Free City of Kapolder signed a declaration affirming an alliance between them to defend the Neutral Zone, this was followed by several other members of the Second Stiuraian Republic. As this alliance grew, the original declaration became an ultimatum, that the Dormillians and Noronnicans withdraw behind the Neutral Zone and respect the Kapolder Accords. This would turn out to play directly into the hands of the Noronnicans, who rallied loyal Dormillians to their banner and rejected the ultimatum while making overtures of peace and cooperation.

The Stiuraians, fearing that other nations would use the situation as a means of invading them and crushing the revolution, stepped in and permitted arbitration, overruling the declaration signed by its constituents. In the arbitration court in the International District, it was determined that the Second Stiuraian Republic had openly violated the Vellemoz Accords in two counts, both under the same clause. As a political union, its mere existence violated the accords, alongside its involvement in the Kapolder Accords. The Republic was forced to abdicate most of its authority to its constituents, and renounce the Kapolder Accords. Kapolder, also involved in the situation, was forced to surrender control over the Kapolder River Neutral Zone to a new mandate, under the control of Noronica. This humiliation at the hands of Noronica was considered the last straw in Dormill, as the United Dormillian Republic resurfaced in Montrelais and declared independence. Several villages and small cities in the area soon joined the Republic, and they began their long fight for independence, which would soon spill over into several wars that consumed all of Dormill and Stiura.

As Noronica was distracted by the war in Dormill, the Second Stiuraian Republic reasserted its power in 1960, shedding socialism officially, but not in policy, to appeal to the anti-communist crowd, and began to support the Dormillian Republic later that year. This action drove the Noronnicans to a breaking point, and they responded by declaring war on any state that would support the Dormillian Revolution in 1961. As Stiuraian troops marched across the Neutral Zone, their rallying cry "Kapolder River or Fight!" infected the minds of its residents, motivating them to take up arms against the Noronicans. The Union troops were soon joined by Kapolderian units and marching further east, this would begin the Dormill-Stiura War.

The Dormill-Stiura War featured the best technology and tactics of the era, with jet fighters appearing for the first time alongside new weapons. The Second Stiuraian Republic made quick strides into the borderlands of Dormill with the city of Courlaroux, the old capital of the United Republics, coming under their control in a manner of weeks. The capture of the old capital was a massive morale boost for the Stiuraians and Kapolderians, giving them hope that this war would not take too long. However, the wide and open flatlands of southern Dormill, broken only by sporadic hills, left the unarmored and exposed infantry of the Second Stiuraian Republic and Kapolder easy prey for the aircraft of Noronnica and their newly established loyal Prefectorial State of Dormill, this proved too much for the combined allied Army.

The situation eventually bogged down as the Second Stiuraian Republic and Kapolder attempted to unite with Dormillian Republican forces for a siege of the centrally located city of Abancourt, the extended artillery barrage and bombing effort would be the largest such effort ever performed in Gael since the Great Gael War, and the first to happen that deep into "Dormill and Stiura". The Siege of Abancourt, and the Noronnican response in the Siege of Montrelais, would also be used as a rallying point for the political efforts on both sides of the war, with the Dormill-Stiura Alliance fighting for the liberation of the city and the Noronnicans fighting for the return of order and the end of the upstart Dormill-Stiuraians.

As Abancourt and Montrelias would continue to be the subject of a deadly and brutal siege, the war was gaining attention from internationally, as organizations such as the UCCR began working with the Second Stiuraian Republic in 1963 among other international observers on both sides of the conflict. One of the more significant actors in the mid-stage of the war was the Republic of Ardeda. It was unknown why the Republic of Ardeda joined the war, nor why they would attack every other participant, but their entrance in the war would prove decisive for the tone of the rest of the war.

The Ardedan Reclamation War overlapped the Dormill-Stiura War from 1963 until both eventually ended in 1967 and saw the Republic of Ardeda invade significant amounts of territory in Southern Dormill and create a three-front situation between Noronica, the Dormill-Stiura Alliance, and themselves. The acquisition of the entrance to the Van Curan Valley was seen as a major victory for the Ardedans, and the break of the siege of Abancourt by Prefectorial Dormill resulted in all three sides fighting over control of the valley and surrounding land.

From 1964 onwards, the conflict had stagnated into a back-and-forth fight between the various sides in various locations. The remainder of the war also saw the works of Dimitri Lévesque be put to the test, as the Second Stiuraian Republic made major strides in securing the entrance to the valley and throwing Ardedan war efforts into disarray. In the north, the Stiuraian Navy had probed the Prefectorial Dormillians and the Noronnicans to some success, eventually manifesting (with aid by Republican Dormillian spies) in the successful marine invasion of both Ringoven and South Alban in 1966.

The invasion of South Alban and Lévesque's lightning offensive after retaking Abancourt had put enough pressure on the Noronnican government for them to reconsider their affairs in Dormill. This combined with a Red Scare and fears of the state of the Noronnican economy that was strained by mounting debt led Noronica on the path of revolution, and to end the war. The Treaty of Courlaroux was signed in 1967 between the Second Stiuraian Republic, Kapolder, and the United Dormillian Republic and the Overlordship of Noronica and the Prefectorial State of Dormill, it demanded that the Vellemoz Accords be abandoned entirely and that respect be afforded to any agreement made between the three allies. In addition, the United Dormillian Republic would be recognized as a sovereign state, plebiscites were to be held in the years that followed on the future of the sovereignty of the Prefect or the Republic. However, with the end of the Overlordship in 1973, the United Dormillian Republic would assert complete dominion over their lands, while also creating a quasi-state in Waalwijk to prevent further stirring the ire of Kapolder, which had claimed the cities as their own. Stiura and Ardeda would follow up the Treaty of Courlaroux with their own, the Treaty of Vroomenstadt, also signed in 1967, restored the pre-war borders with no other conditions, this would influence a change in the Ardedan leadership towards the Stiuraians that would sow the seeds of the Association of Central Gaeltic States.

As the dust settled from the Dormill-Stiura War and the Ardeda Reclimation War, a sudden sense of camaraderie was felt in the leadership of the Dormill-Stiuraian states, though the tension of the recent conflict was still strong. Talks of an association between the various nations was started by Kapolder, motivated by establishing an “Economic Safe Zone” which would encompass the old United Republics and former allies. The idea of such a “zone” would become popular as socialist policies in the Second Stiuraian Republic was resulting in a slow-down of its economy, alongside a change in the public’s mood following the official abandonment of socialism as a guiding principle in Stiura, at the same time that both Dormill and Ardeda were repairing their economies from their war; so in a 1977 summit between these nations ended in the formation of the “Association of Central Gaeltic States”, a loose collection of agencies and forums built to facilitate cooperation between its members, but lacked any formal mechanisms relating to the rights and duties of its members.

The prospect of a long-term peace that was offered in part by the Central Gael Association, combined with political independence from Noronica, was new for most Dormill-Stiuraians. The first year since the signing of the Treaty of Vroomenstadt would see prosperity like never before in recent history. Also during this time, Ardeda saw a cultural renaissance as the nearly extinct native languages of Ardeda were revived with government programs alongside the recovery of artifacts from the time of the Ardedan Kingdoms. A small political association calling itself the Ardedan Restoration Movement soon thereafter formed in the mid months of 1969 with the aim of restoring the Ardedan culture to its former glory, and exporting it to the growing diaspora across the Isles. The Movement was peaceful at first, emphasizing education and outreach to the people of the Republic of Ardeda, providing food and shelter in some small villages, distributing medical aid where the government at Boissieux was unable to go, and overall being a successful charitable organization for the benefit of the Ardedan people.

Unfortunately, these peaceful endeavors would be hijacked once the Movement was entrenched in Aruia. In March of 1970, the Ardedan Restoration Movement opened its first facilities in Del'Ivo, a small town nearby the Luvtar River, and began its operations in Aruia with the government's permission. Like before, the Movement focused its efforts on outreach, while also performing some of the first commercial DNA testing to determine ancestry, which was used to trace the origin of several thousand residents to the Ardedan Kingdom, or to Bar'lson Ardedans, primarily a linguistic group but also an ethnic group of Ardedans that diverged into parts of modern Aruians throughout the time of the Ardedan Kingdom. These successes brought more fame and funds to the Movement, which expanded its operations throughout Aruia. Behind the scenes, however, the elements of the Movement in Aruia began to radicalize, with some members believing themselves to be descendants of the noble folk of Ardeda, or prominent landowners whose names have long since faded into history. Regardless of their motivations, the result was all the same, by the time the [Replacement to Orsandian Civil War] began, the Ardedan Restoration Movement in Aruia had been completely hijacked by these radicals.

Now calling themselves the Ardedan Restoration Party, they took to the politics of Aruia quickly, winning the hearts and votes of local voters (especially those who wanted to attach themselves more to their Ardedan identity), aligning themselves as an "anti-establishment" party, blaming cultural decline to the recent economic liberalization, and subsequent 'Ardedan Restoration' as the only way to restore the identity of Aruia, and creating a conspiracy that the ethnic majority of Aruia was poised to wipe out the Ardedan people from their nation. This rhetoric was most popular in the regions of Bar'lson and Luvtar, where these radicals would take control and start implementing policies to discriminate against the Aruian majority, among other things. The central government of Aruia attempted to politically respond, but a sudden terrorist attack on both Aruia's President and the Aruian Parliament caused a leadership crisis. The President of Aruia at the time, Li'borio Meninza, was severely injured and was unable to rule, at the same time, ARP members of the Aruian Parliament, who were mysteriously away when the attack on parliament was executed, began to challenge Senate leadership on the whole affair, demanding answers as to why the Chief of the Senate was unable to prevent the tragedy that claimed several lives. Overtures of a formal investigation was made by the Aruian Senate, but the Popular Assembly, the lower house of the Parliament which was firmly aligned with the ARP, heightened their attack against the Senate, eventually rallying conservatives to their cause and forcing the Chief of the Senate out of office through a vote of no confidence. The path clear, the Popular Assembly proceeded to declare a snap election, one where the ARP overwhelmingly won on suspicious circumstances, claims of voter suppression and fraud were rampant in the years following.

All the while, the Ardedan Restoration Movement denounced the ARP as racists and radicals that have twisted the mission of Ardedan Restoration. The Republic of Ardeda also stepped in, pressuring the government of Aruia to investigate any connection between recent events and the ARP, and the possibility of illegal actions that were taken for the party to secure power. The ARP saw this as a betrayal on the part of Ardeda, and soon came to believe that the government of Ardeda was infiltrated by non-Ardedans or impure Ardedans and were in on the conspiracy to destroy the Ardedan race. Considering that the Ardedan Defense Forces, the consolidated Army and Air Force of the Republic was several times larger than the Aruian People's Defending Units, the ARP and those allied to them soon formed several paramilitaries to fight Ardeda, the most prominent of these was the ARP's own Ardedan Restoration Army, which began operations in the hinterland of Ardeda late in 1970.

De strijd or The Struggle would become the longest fought conflict by any Doraltic state, as the Republic of Ardeda, Aruia, and eventually the [Replacement for Orsandian Revolution] fought against the paramilitaries of the ARP and its allies in a low-intensity and asymmetric conflict that would overlap with the [Replacement for Orsandian Civil War], and even bleed into the Reunification of Dormill and Stiura.

[Replacement or Recanonization of the Ordsandian Civil War]

After many months of coordination between their militaries, the Stiuraians and Kapolderians began to form integrated military units for better coordination in the future, seeing the chances for an actual reunification in the distance. These formations would serve as the basis for the modern Multinational Brigade, one of the most frequently deployed Dormill-Stiuraian formations ever since reunification.

The United Republics was on the verge of reunion, after nearly 30 long years of forced division by the international community, a new united Doraltic state would return with great fanfare, seeking to make right by their mistakes and restore faith in Doraltic Federalism. Before that, however, the affairs of this restored state had to be put in order, in the early months of 1982, the reuniting states met in Kapolder for the first of three Constitutional Conventions to determine how the United Republics would function. The 1982 Constitutional Convention, better remembered as the Kapolder Convention opened as a hectic set of political events as the new government began to take shape, the Kapolder Convention quickly took center stage in the local political world as the political leaders of the new nation began to form their new Constitution.

At a basic level, the second Constitution is very much like the original, written in modern language and with a few notable exceptions. Firstly, the Declarations of the Rights of Man and Citizen were expanded with language inspired by various Bills of Rights written within nations of the Isles among other lessons learned as a result of the division of the United Republics. It also included other notable securities against government overreach against at the Federal and State levels.

The second major departure from the original Constitution was the redevelopment of the rights and duties between the States and the Federal Government. A divide in the Convention was formed between Centrists and Federalists, one desiring to reform Dormill and Stiura into a quasi Unitary Republic in the footsteps of the United Dormillian Republic, with Semi-Presidential elements to distance the new state from the errors of the old one, while the other, with foundations in the Second Stiuraian Republic, Kapolder, and Ardeda, sought to take what was the most successful aspects of the United Republics and Federalism and redevelop them, taking out as many faults as it could. The internal conflict between the Centrists and the Federalists will come to define Dormill and Stiura into the modern day, forming the basis of the Liberal Party and the Center-National Party, which has been in part succeeded by the Democratic Party and Dormill and Stiura Forwards respectively.

After several days of intense debate on the subject of the Rights and Duties between the States and the National Congress, the Federalists won out with a few concessions, one of which granted the First Congress the power to redraw the internal borders of Dormill and Stiura, and reserving that power to any future Congress if they found it necessary and all parties consented to the new division. After the Kapolder Convention, the soon to be reunited Republics spent the following years harmonizing law and rebuilding what was forcibly taken from them. On the subject of future harmonization, a question on the legal status of the Association of Gaeltic States came up a few months after the Kapolder Convention ended during the Association's yearly Summit at Dinha. After some debate, the Association voted to take steps towards dissolving itself, where it would be completely subsumed by the United Republics. In exchange, the remaining members required a promise from the Doraltic nations to restore the economic mechanisms of the Association as soon as reunification was complete.

Little more progress was made in relation towards reunification in the following years, with governments slowly harmonizing their legislation. The most notable impact this made before the 1985 Constitutional Convention at Chery was the creation of the Doraltic Guilder, the replacement of the older Franc Guilder. The Guilder was introduced as a non-physical currency in 1984 in the form of traveler’s checks and electronic banking; the prolific Bank of Kapolder was quick to start operating with the Guilder. Each state would fix their exchange rates with the Guilder, and by the time the Republic of Ardeda joined the “Unionzone”, all their respective currencies were regarded as non-decimal divisions of the Guilder.

As scheduled at the end of the 1982 Convention, the delegates reconvened in Chery in 1985 for a second round of negotiations, this time focusing on rewriting and modernizing the language of the original constitution, most of which concerned the future Congress and its procedures. Though the sections regarding the Congress’ procedures would be removed from the text in the final Convention, though it would be preserved as the “Constitution of the Official Proceedings of the Congress of the United Republics of Dormill and Stiura”, which while not a part of the Doraltic Constitution directly, is considered as fundemental to understanding the formation and function of the government that it is taught alongside the 1982 and 1795 Constitutions in schools across the nation. The contest between the Centrists and Federalists continued on from 1982, where the two factions attempted to resolve the loyalties of the Cabinet and Ministries. After fierce debate, another compromise was made where the President would have the authority to nominate their cabinet, but such nominations would be official by a vote in the chamber of Congress that was granted authority on the matters of the respective ministry the person was to be appointed. Congress would also, with time, be granted an unofficial authority to nominate cabinet members, but not to proceed with appointment unless on the consent or rejection of the President, balancing the original system out as expected of Doraltic Federalism.

As talks of reunion were progressing, a desire to take revenge against Noronica was also becoming prominent, especially in the Second Stiuraian Republic, where they had gone so far as to fight a war for Arván, and broadly to exact their view of reparations against the Noronnicans. The new Arvanan state’s sovereignty was tenuous as it came under the ever-increasing gaze of the fledgling and the vengeful Stiuraian Republic, who had a strong claim to the peninsula throughout Arván’s tenure as a dominion of the Noronnican Empire. There was a strong call by the jingoistic citizens of Stiura, and especially within its government, who desired to invade and succeed in conquering the land in what would become called the War for Cape Blanche d’Aigle (White Eagle Cape, a name given by French Dormill-Stiuraians). As Noronica was nearing the climax of its civil war, it was a prime opportunity for invasion of the small peninsular Republic. The other Dormill-Stiuraian states outright condemned Stiura for its action, but did little more than stall reunification talks as the Stiuraians fought their war.

On 3rd January 1988, after the increasing build-up of troops and artillery across the border, Stiura swiftly invaded the southern Arvanan territories, occupying major settlements and establishing martial law to the South’s inhabitants. An emissary was later sent to the Government in St. Recont, demanding the immediate surrender of the Republic of Arván on the 6th January. All Arvanan military resistance ceased and the flag of Dormill and Stiura was flown outside the Presidential Palace of St. Recont. In the immediate days following, the Stiuraian Congress debated on the ownership of the new territory, with the state New Friesland claiming it for themselves while the Stiuraians desired to create a new state. This would mark a brief standoff between both states along their borderlands known as the St. Recont Crisis.

A missive from the Government of the People’s Republic of Noronica expressed their dismay at what they viewed as an ‘illegal seizure of Noronnican territory’, yet no military action took place due to most military resources being put towards the civil war. This left the Arvanan peninsula open to the complete invasion and subsequent annexation by the Stiuraian state.

There would be no further response by the Noronnicans until the final stages of the civil war in 1990 as the commander of the rebel forces, Tytus Alexander, declared that he would ‘ensure the restoration of the sovereignty and dignity of Arván’. In late 1991, under Operation Restoration, the new Noronnican armed forces which were tired from their efforts in the civil war, launched an amphibious assault on the coast of the Arvanan peninsula at 4:39 AM, taking the coastal defences by surprise as the forces invaded from the west, ignoring the heavily defended island of Mer. The forces managed to gain a solid footing before the occupying forces of Stiura could be reinforced, undergoing sea-borne bombings of key positions from the NRS Republic, the only aircraft carrier built during the period of the Noronnican People’s Republic. The Stiuraian Navy quickly sailed northwards to challenge the NRS Republic before too much damage can be done to ground forces. Admiral Landon Berger, who was in command of the fleet, employed a new tactic he had been studying. Understanding that he couldn't take on the Noronnicans navy head-on, he ordered his ships, particularly his submarines, to perform sea denial missions against both the Noronnican fleet and their supply chain to their ground forces. His contemporary on land, Lieutenant General Modeste Monet, had additionally taken notice and directed his forces to cut off the invading forces.

The first major battle in the war was the Battle of Rippen, in which the Noronnican forces were forced to retreat to the town of Rippen after being repelled by the stronger 2nd Army Corps that met them, led by the Ardedan-Dormillian Modeste Monet, who had learned maneuver warfare from the likes of Dimitri Lévesque. Monet was a Ardedan General who was sent ostensibly as an observer by the Ardedan Republic but also served as an advisor to the Stiuraian Army there. The decision to split the Noronnican invasion force had been a mistake on the part of General Patrick Lipton as his forces were too thinly spread, and he had totally underestimated the numbers of the occupying forces in the south of Arván. The force in Rippen held the town for a month until they finally gave way due to lack of supplies and support. The fighting was intense and bloody, seeing close-quarters urban combat that is irregular for modern combat with Stiuraian Tanks having a challenge rooting out entrenched urban combatants, which would become the driving point behind the development of more capable Infantry Fighting Vehicles such as the IVg Bull. Both sides lost large swathes of their troops, so while it was a victory for Stiura, it was at a horrendous cost.

When General Lipton was informed of the Battle of Rippen, he consolidated his position in Alimenter and called for immediate reinforcements including a large flotilla of Noronnican ships. This was granted to him, yet on passing the heavily fortified island of Mer, Stiuran Flotilla managed to sink the NRS Dexterous destroyer which was a large blow to Noronnican morale, boosting Stiuraian morale and vindicating Berger's new strategy, which would come to earn him high praise in the Navy after the war, both the Stiuraian and the reborn Dormill-Stiuraian Navy. Recognizing the need for victory for the homeland, the new Noronnican Government sent a missive warning Lipton of the stakes, reportedly including a personal message from the newly-crowned Tytus, although this has been refuted by some historians as ‘jingoistic nonsense’. Ignoring the details of this letter, the newly reinforced Noronnican forces launched a powerful offensive towards the east of the peninsula, ruthlessly cutting down any resistance from the occupying forces. Combined with the resistance efforts in towns in the north of Arván, the forces of Stiura were forced to retreat towards St. Recont, Monet's effort to cut off Noronican supplies had failed as the Stiura, a cruiser began to retreat from the larger fleet arrayed against it.

Naval clashes following the loss of St. Recont were rare due to both sides’ wariness of each other’s naval capabilities. However, the one other major naval battles occurred between the eastern tip of Arván and Base Mer where the two navies came into close conflict. The Battle for the Tips as it became known lasted for a day, with the Noronnicans coming to a close victory after volleys of anti-ship missiles and the use of diesel-submarines underneath the two fleets. The Noronnican fleet then pushed through to the waters outside St. Recont, holding the city under land-attack cruise missiles.

Meanwhile, the Noronnican land forces reached the outskirts of St. Recont. The city was already under heavy fire from both cruise missiles and bombings from the NRS Republic, so artillery fire from the Noronnicans forced the temporary territorial Government to surrender after increasing resistance from within the city.

After the fall of St. Recont and the victory of the Democracy and Development Party in the 1992 Congressional and Presidential Elections in Stiura, the citizens of Stiura began to stir anti-war sentiment, with major protests taking place in Stiura Hall and Veldzicht against the war effort. Desiring to be the ones to end the legacy of the previous government and establish that the Stiuraian state will focus on peaceful relations going forward, the newly inaugurated President and their Administration pulled troops out of the southern territories of Arván and entered talks with the Noronnicans, causing major uproar from the political right in Stiura against peace. Their lack of power in the National Congress that year left them powerless to halt the negotiations. The Treaty of St. Recont was signed in June 1993 where both sides agreed to protect the integral sovereignty of the reformed Republic of Arván much alike how the Treaty of Haalban did the same between Ostehaar and Stiura in 1985. To this day Arván remains to be a contentious subject for both Noronica and Dormill and Stiura.

Eventually, after much work, the United Republics was restored with the 1982 Constitution in 1995, in commemoration of the 200th year of the foundation of the original United Republics.

by **Dormill and Stiura** » Fri Apr 06, 2018 7:35 pm

History of Dormill and Stiura | Modern Period | New Republics Era
30 October 1995 - 10 January 2016

After the reformation of the union, the newly formed Liberal Party took the First National Congress by storm in the 1995 Election, opening the door to their President Antonin Siskind. Siskind was a tall yet scrawny man, much like his contemporaries that lived under the threat of death or homelessness during the Dormill-Stiura War. He hadn’t fought during the war, as his hometown was captured by Kapolderian forces early on in the fighting, leaving only a peaceful occupation in its wake. As the war drew to a close, he got caught up in the political stirrings in New Friesland, especially by the rhetoric of United Republics revanchists that believed that the fault of the conditions that fell on all of the former Republics fell squarely on the victors of the Imperial War, especially Noronica. As reunification went forward, he also began to fight back the revanchist attitudes of both his community and the Stiuraian Republic as a whole, pressing solidarity between Dormill-Stiuraians and Noronnicans. When the War for the White Eagle Cape began, he had to flee from Stiura to avoid conscription and persecution for his "loyalist" stance. After the war was over and reunification was completed, his calm and quiet demeanor was a perfect fit for a Presidential Candidate that only wished to rebuild Dormill and Stiura and bring its people back together, which was well in line with the Liberal Party at the time.

However, his weakness as a politician, especially his want for assertiveness and his uncertainty of his own opinions led to many instances of him flip-flopping between policies, depending on who told him what to support on a certain day, even his wife had considerable influence in his actions. This would result in both harmful and beneficial policies for Dormill and Stiura, such as the renewal 1985 Treaty of Haalban that established a special relationship between the State of Ostehaar and the Kaelectian Republic, alongside social programs such as the “New Future Initiative” where STEM fields were given priority funding and attention in public schools, which bears fruit in the modern day as tech startups, engineering works, and scientific research reaches its zenith. As for the power granted to the First National Congress to redraw the internal borders of the United Republics, they strangely decided to restore the old borders of the United Republics and declared to reserve this initial power for use by any future National Congress.

The Liberal-controlled 1st National Congress began its work by formally ending the White Eagle Cape War, the Peace of St. Recont forcing the United Republics and Noronica to recognize the sovereignty of the Republic of Arvan. After that, however, the new state began to see teething problems. The most critical of such problems was the rampant unemployment and runaway inflation initiated by the Gael Crash of 1989 and reinforced by a Housing Crisis at the tail end of the Arvannan War. The Liberal Government stepped in with a pair of wide-reaching programs intended to “force” the invisible hand to work in favor of the Dormill-Stiuraian people, enacting laws to create the Ministries of Labor and Employment, and Housing and Development; which was followed by the Reformed Banking Act of 1994 which established multiple new institutions such as the Bank of the United Republics that serves as the Central Bank of the nation to this day.

The immediate threat of a second economic crash averted, the attention of the Liberal Government turned towards redeveloping the power of the National Congress, its relationship with the Republics, and ultimately how the nation shall operate itself. Going forward, the National Congress will gain more powers and responsibilities with respect to the Republics.

The end of the century came quietly for Dormill and Stiura, with most simply enjoying the ability to be Dormill-Stiuraians again. This itself resulted in large-scale internal migration between the many Republics, with Kaelectia and Dormill receiving the most new citizens at the expense of Stiura or Lieurneux.

On New Year’s Day of the new century, the United Republics began to advocate for the formation of an international forum to resolve crises and bring stability to the Isles at large. President Granger also remarked during the New Year’s festivities that Dormill and Stiura would enter the new century with a new mission to finish restoring the nation to its former glory and then exceeding them.

The end of 2000 and all of 2001 would be marked by the discovery of the Near-Earth Asteroid Baetylus 2000VC04 and the further discovery of a possible impact event. President Granger, in a then unprecedented move, coordinated with the Balniki government and that of multiple other Isles nations to respond to the crisis, leading the formation of an impromptu council of nations as a forum to respond to the impending crisis. When the news broke that the asteroid had a high likelihood of impacting within Gael, Congress initially debated the veracity of the information given its Balniki source, but was soon convinced when the Doraltic Space Sciences Institute and United Republics Air Force Space Service corroborated the Balniki and Magrati reports, confirming the near certainty that the asteroid would intersect Earth’s orbit low enough that it could pass through the Roche Limit and break up.

Knowledge and fear in hand, Congress quickly passed legislation to redirect federal funds into a “Doraltic National Emergency Response Fund” and direct the United Republics Army to begin construction of shelters across the nation to house as much of the population as possible in the event an impactor struck major population centers. In order to ease the building national panic, the Granger Government spent enormous time and effort on various campaigns to assure the public that the asteroid is not large enough to survive atmospheric entry and that any possible fragments would be too small to pose a threat to national integrity. The resulting economic slowdown caused by the initial panic combined with a market that was falling apart did serious damage to Granger’s overall status as President, dipping well under 45% approval by the nation in mid-August through early September, with elements of the Doraltic right wing casting doubt at the threat Baetylus posed to the nation and the proportion of response the federal government provided.

By September, tracking of Baetylus and its possible fragments painted a grim picture for Dormill and Stiura, with its largest population centers in Kapolder, Boissieux, and Launey all at risk for direct impacts as powerful as a nuclear bomb. By then, the Army had completed enough shelters across the nation to house up to 3 million people for the entire week of the expected impact, these shelters were focused primarily in the urban areas surrounding the Kapolder Bay. In addition to the underground shelters, the Army had also constructed or made plans to requisition the use of several post-impact shelters, mostly to process the people who could not enter an underground bunker or lost property in the impacts themselves. When the Congress prepared to enter recess at the end of October 2001, President Granger exercised for the first and so far only time the Presidential power to compel the continued attendance of Congress, seeking to pass further legislation relating to the crisis and calm concerns from the public that Congress would abandon Cour Rouge for other destinations to ride out the impacts.

By November, the predicted path of impact was solidly confirmed and preparations began to wind down, further construction of impact shelters would cease by mid-November, the Army claiming that it would be impossible to complete further meaningful work before Impact Day in early December. When impacts began on 6 December, millions of Dormill-Stiuraians huddled in impact shelters across the nation, fearing the worst as news filtered in of impacts across the Southern Sea and then Balnik.

Ultimately, there would be seven total major impacts across Dormill and Stiura, with several more minor impacts. The closest any impactor would reach a major population center was the first, impacting over a hundred kilometers from the city of Temple, while the most severe impact would be Van Curan Valley meteorite, with an equivalent energy output of 700+kt of TNT. As a result of the following Earthquakes, a significant part of Temple, Broons, and Enoire were damaged or destroyed and up to 5000 people lost their lives in the immediate week following, mostly from injuries sustained from collapsing structures in Temple and Broons. In the end, the United Republics suffered a billion dollars in damaged and destroyed property, 9418 dead from the immediate impact and events relating directly to them, and several million hectares of burned or glassed land.

As 2001 finally ended, Dormill and Stiura threw itself headfirst into the international reconstruction effort, sending the bulk of funds saved up from the National Emergency Relief Fund allocated to international aid to Balnik, alongside dedicating several waves of economic stimulus across Gael to restart national economies. This provided a significant political win to Doraltic Conservatives, who advocated now would be the perfect time for the government to get its foot off the neck of the economy, and allow the free market to reset itself. Given the options, President Granger reluctantly agreed to a massive spending bill that saw the Doraltic Government continue pumping money into the nation to kickstart the economy, but also made significant tax cuts, especially to the uppermost individual brackets and across the board regarding business incomes. The 2002 Spending Bill also included ride-alongs that loosened restrictions that aimed to cede control of the Doraltic economy to private interests.

Simultaneous to these efforts, Dormill and Stiura also reaffirmed its commitment to RTEA and sought out agreements to ease economic barriers, efforts which would eventually bear fruit in the form of several bilateral and multilateral trade agreements across the Isles. However, the crisis would not be averted, as the sudden and severe shock the nation took would bring tensions previously left behind back to the surface.

In early 2003, De strijd would be briefly revived when fascist terrorists attacked the Abancourt Central Train Station, killing nearly a hundred and injuring many more. This attack was followed by an extreme uptick of extremist violence across southern Dormill and Stiura, focused on Feerwerd, Temple, and Ardeda. Given the nature of the attacks and the increase in violence, the Granger government spearheaded yet another major international effort with the Vauvillers Anti-Terrorism Accords, a Pan-Gael initative that aimed to root out terrorism in the area through a coordinated military and intelligence effort. Though tensions briefly spiked between the United Republics and her neighbors, the Vauvillers Accords served the function to restore the relationship between them nations, especially that of Balnik, with which the United Republics signed a separate accord later that year to normalize their relationship and ease tensions by demilitarizing their shared border.

The Central Gael War on Terror was a relatively quick if surprisingly high intensity affair, with most cells of the most important terror organizations shattered and sent deep underground by 2006. The most important stage in this operation was Operation Iron Wing, which sought to deploy United Republic Army troops onto domestic soil for the first time since reunification. Operation Iron Wing was directed to take back control of the city of Temple, which had fallen under the occupation of the Court of Swords, an alleged successor group to the infamous Court of Ten that terrorized Feerwerd during the course of the original De strijd in the 1970s and 80s.

The Liberal Party had enjoyed complacency as they saw little contest for control over the Government following Baetylus and their success at restoring the Doraltic economy, settling into a rhythm of furthering the centralization of the government and the liberalization of the economic situation of the nation for quite some time. Initially, these efforts saw vast success as the Doraltic economy grow at an unprecedented rate. The Granger government, taking full credit for the growth of the economy, made overtures to export the wealth of the nation abroad in a series of trade agreements called "The Three Rings Agreements''. First and foremost for this plan was securing a safe base in Gael, which culminated in an expansion of the trade provisions in the Treaty of Haalban with Ostehaar in mid-2004, followed by other agreements with the United Republics' partners and allies throughout Gael. The Granger government then extended the range of Dormill and Stiura's free trade agreements in the Southern Sea and Argus throughout the mid-year before topping that feat off by reestablishing the relationship between the United Republics and Raedlon, famously starting a new relationship with Almorea alongside several nearby nations. Agreements with other nations in Argus, the Mesder, and the far east were also made as part of the "Third Ring".

During this time, the armed forces of Dormill and Stiura saw little in the way of action, the peace leaving several enlisted and officers uneasy. The prospect of losing their careers to sequestering and general reductions in the Armed Forces was enough for them to put political pressure on to maintain the size of the Armed Forces, finding an alliance with the Center-Nationals (the main opposition party to the Liberals) and lobbyists to achieve that end. The fruits of their labor would be quick to show as in December, the [Replacement for Orsandia, probably Alteran] government came to both Congress and private companies with a request for aid in developing a new fighter within Gael. When January came around, and the new appropriations of the coming year were to begin drafting and approval in February, the Center-Nationals, who won a fair amount of seats in the Forum in the previous election and were looking to increase their control going into the 2005 election, pushed for the inclusion of funding the Gaelfighter project in their version of the Defense Appropriations Bill of 2005.

However, their lack of control in a mostly Liberal-Conservative States-General made the efforts challenging, until a chance meeting between the leading delegate of Stiura's States-General delegation, who was considered to be the Opposition's leader in the States-General, and Kermit Benbow, then the party whip in the National Assembly. After a few weeks of negotiation, the Conservatives and Center-Nationals formed a coalition in both chambers, putting the Military-Industrial Complex's agenda on the map of the national conversation. This coalition would, now serving as the Opposition against the super-majority of the Liberals, push even harder for their own appropriation bills, even teasing a government shutdown without some compromise. Eventually, the Liberals acquiesced and passed an amended omnibus of appropriations bills, most notably including funding for the Gaelfighter project.

The coalition between the Center-National Party and the Conservative Party deeply angered the more liberal members of the Center-Nationals, who viewed the coalition as a "Unholy Alliance" with the extreme right. The sentiments would be carried most prominently by Sargent Garrett Davidson, who after retiring from the Stiuraian Army when it was absorbed into the United Republics Army, went on to join the Center-National Party in 2001, winning his seat in the 2003 election. He felt that the party had sacrificed its centrist roots simply for power and control, even if it did benefit the same people he wanted to represent the most. Davidson's charisma and initiative would soon be given a new direction after he visited Ainslie and spoke with several members of Ahnslen Centrists for Economic Growth and Development. Their core ideologies were extremely compatible with the Tribune, and with several of his allies in the National Assembly once he returned.

Near the end of 2005, he alongside several other prominent centrist politicians from around the Isles met in Vlagberg, Eppendorf to discuss the prospects of an international organization to represent each other and increase their exposure throughout the Isles. The Centrists International would be formed during that time, establishing itself as a non governmental organization dedicated to the promotion of centrism, economic development, and pragmatic politics. Several political parties, such as Ostehaar's Tomorrow Party, ACEGAD, Michigonia's Liberal Party, and Dragao do Mar's PDN, were among the attendees and the first political parties to associate themselves with the organization. During the closing ceremony of the First Forum, Garrett Davidson took the stage to finish the day's speeches and events. During his speech, he remarked on the surprising success of the Forum and proposed a second would be held in the following year. In his last remarks, he announced the formation of Dormill and Stiura's new Centrist party, Dormill and Stiura Forwards, and his own intentions to have the party join the Centrists International once he had guided the party to a position of legislative authority in the United Republics itself.

When the National Congress reconvened at the start of 2006, some 30 Tribunes and 3 Stadtholders would abandon their party to join Davidson's own mutiny against the Center-Nationals, putting the Progressives on the map as a party to keep a close eye on. However, the situation of several politicians abandoning their party after the election precipitated a large case from several political parties and the Republic of New Friesland, and the mutinying members that would eventually rise through the courts and reach the High Federal Courts. The three mutinying Councilors, all from New Friesland, were withdrawn without replacement in a matter of days while the Representatives still had a legal fight with their former parties on the matter of their sudden departure. The Court of Cassation heard arguments in regards to Parti du Centre-National contre Justin Porcher et d'autres later on that year, ruling that the members were in their right to leave their party at will under precedent that any member of Congress is permitted to act on their own judgment while in session so long as it was not a violation of established rules. The ruling was challenged to the Constitutional Court, which concurred with its sister court on the matter, and barred Congress from punishing the members if it introduced such rules, acting on the spirit of Title IV. The Constitutionality of this decision, especially when that section of the Constitution did not explicitly address Congress, remains a topic of continued legal debate.

The power of the Liberals might have been secured with a fractured opposition, its leadership realized that the Progressives would storm the elections of 2007 if their popularity was maintained. After several months of investigation, party officials realized that the core reason why the Fowards Party was as popular as it was, was a result of their much more "left-leaning" perspective compared to the party where Davidson came from. In that, the Liberals would take the election cycle radically changing their core ideology to align themselves to the actually left-leaning parties of the Greens and Labour in an attempt to compete against the Progressives, as a result introducing leftist politics to the national conversation.

Unfortunately for the Liberals, their former policy of laissez-faire economics would backfire on them when 2011 ended with the collapse of the large investment banking section of the Bank of Kapolder, known as Kapolder Investments Group, shut down multiple industries throughout the region, especially in the industrial-focused trans-Ardeda and the modernized coast. The 2011 Recession had put the economic stability of Gael at risk again following Baetylus and the 1980 Crash. The Republic of Ardeda, initially the worst affected, had introduced new measures to permit the Republic a degree of direct control over several key industries in an effort to lessen the impact of the recession. Though there was a legal question as to whether Ardeda had the right to assert control over its internal economy, the Richelieu government instead focused on introducing Austerity measures to bring government spending under control.

By 2013, the Ardeda would again become a thorn in the side of Cour Rouge after defying Congress which had asserted that all Republics must bear the weight of sudden austerity and raised taxes imposed months before, resulting in an extended legal battle between the Republic and Congress that made its way through the High Federal Courts. The taxation crisis between Ardeda and the remainder of the United Republics was eventually resolved through the 2014 Kapolder River Economic Compact, a type of interstate compact between Ardeda, Dormill, Stiura, and Kapolder where the signing Republics agreed to establish a more uniform economic policy in an effort to disperse the worst of the crisis between its members, in the hope that each Republic could handle the situation if it was less intense. This sudden shift in policy only heightened ongoing protests in Kapolder, organized prominently under the OccupyKapolder social media group, who had been arguing that Kapolder should have taken more serious measures to resolve the crisis sooner and certainly not under Ardedan leadership.

The international opinion of the Isles regarding the formation of a “League”, originally proposed by prominent Doraltic politicians leading into the start of the 2000's, and supposedly reinforced by the Baetylus Emergency Response Council, was silent until 2015, when an otherwise normal conference was held [SOMEWHERE]. There, the very organization Dormill and Stiura had advocated for since 2000 was being formed, the League of the Western Isles. The United Republics praised its formation, though was remiss at the lack of an invitation to the initial confrence.

By mid-2015, the worst impacts of the earlier 2011 Recession were resolved, with the Richelieu government taking slower steps to restimulate the Doraltic economy, fearing the very same policies the Liberals had been advocating ten years prior. The sudden shift in tone did serious damage to the Liberal Party, now without a clear guiding policy for the voting public to get behind. This vacuum was sealed by the newly created True Democracy for True Dormill-Stiuraians Party, better known as the Democratic Party of Dormill and Stiura, which grew out of the OccupyKapolder movement with the intent to fully reshape the Doraltic political system such that the 2013 Taxation Crisis could not be repeated, by entirely dismantling the federal system of government and centralizing power behind Congress. This radicality was just what the Doraltic left wing needed to latch on to, leading to a meteoric rise in membership of the new party and subsequently their shocking overturn of the Liberals as the major left wing bloc of Doraltic politics, in stark contrast to the more centrist-leaning Fowards Party which they would from then on be in opposition to.

The Struggle: To shorten the relationship between Dormill and Stiura, and Aruia, the best equivalence I thought of was to make Kaelectians North Irish to Aurians Irish. When I thought of this, my thoughts drifted quickly to the actual Troubles in Norther Ireland, which was an Ethno-Nationalist conflict between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland for the uninitiated. Although the United Republics never owned the territory of Aruia, and as of writing this nor has Auria been involved in the Dormill-Stiuraian Civil War, the idea stems from a potential ethics shift in Aruia that sees the rise of tensions between the newly divided State of Upper Kaelectia (in particular a small region within the State that consists of mostly ethnic Aruians) and Aruia itself. The conflict would be mostly contained in the mid-1980s as to not interfere with the Arvannan War, but it can be expanded to overlap with that war if it can be worked through. After some time, the Federal Republic and Aruia eventually come to work together and put down the main terrorists involved in the entire issue. As mentioned in the main text, the Troubles would be revived in 2003 where the Vauvillers Anti-Terrorism Accords drafted an informal Gaeltic (Central or Continental is up for debate) military alliance to root out terrorism in Gael.
The 1980s Gael Crash (Canonized): Brought up originally by Ainslie, the idea is that as a result of multiple factors (mostly involving the end of major conflicts in Gael), the economies of Gael nearly faced a total collapse as they began to finally reform into civilian-centered industries. For an amount of years, but contained in the 1980s like the Aurian Troubles, nearly all of Gael faced depression-levels of economic instability which was resolved by individual polices within each nation. I would like to sign a bilateral or multilateral Free Trade Agreement with some nations at some point near the aftermath of the Gael Crash (Michgonia proposed a North-West Gael Free Trade Area, which can be used) to secure the collective economies of Gael.
Operation: French Isle: It is unfortunate that I was not involved in the Second Arvan War, however, considering the shape of history as it now, I would believe that Dormill and Stiura would be closely involved in the Operation pursuant to the Treaty of St. Recont. I would need to closely work with Noro himself to figure out how French Isle would change with Dormill-Stiuraian involvement. The best case scenario in my mind is that both nations reclaim Arvan for themselves, with Noro claiming it as the Prefectorial State while D&S claims it as part of the State of Kapolder. If it is possible, I would also like to establish a shadow government in Alban to counter the Noronnican government in St. Recont. How this plays out in the modern day, especially since Dormill and Stiura is not a member of the League is also a point of discussion.

by **Dormill and Stiura** » Fri Apr 06, 2018 7:35 pm

History of Dormill and Stiura | Modern Period | Dyson Era
10 January 2016 - Present

Not long after he was inaugurated in 2016, Dyson signed legislation that finally completed the process for Dormill and Stiura to join the League of the Western Isles, continuing the Richelieu policy of reconstructing Dormill and Stiura’s foreign affairs through multilateral agreements. At the end of 2016, Dyson jointly condemned Noronica and the Republic of Arvan over the escalating air conflict that reached its breaking point on 20 December, citing the Treaty of St. Recont and their mutual obligation to respect and defend the sovereignty of an independent Arvannan Republic. When the Argean Rapid Reaction Force invaded the Republic on 26 December, Dyson further condemned those involved as involving themselves in “a brazen display of neo-imperialism and neo-colonialism on a nation that had zero time to properly account for the actions of its leaders to the proper international authorities'', distancing himself from Vancouvia, Ostehaar, Corindia, and Noronica as a result.

President Dyson did not share the same sentiment as his predecessors regarding the Sautero Conference. Where they saw it as a slight that the United Republics was not invited to participate in the formation of the League that it became, he still lauded the simple truth that the Isles had finally come together in the pursuit of peace. He nonetheless criticised it where it was due, especially in the initial decision to have the League be hosted among a rotating list of cities before it settled on the International District in the aftermath of the 2015 Coalition. Though his criticisms initially hampered efforts for the United Republics to join the League, Doraltic membership was ultimately approved by the end of the year, with Roger Van Adrichem leading the mission as of 2021. In addition, both Dyson and the wider Doraltic government cast doubt on the League as a result of its botched handling of the rise in tensions between the MSTO and Aprosia during the South Argus Crisis and the eventual Second Imperial War, which Dormill and Stiura further condemned, initiating a period of off-and-on tensions between Miklania and the wider MSTO and Dormill and Stiura.

By January 2017, when it became all too clear that Arvan would fall and Noronica would annex the nation, Dyson reluctantly ordered the United Republics Army to intervene on the behalf of the Republic of Arvan, starting a brief undeclared war between the United Republics and Noronica over the matter. By the time of the St. Recont Mutiny on 29 January, the United Republics secured just about a quarter of the nation, most importantly gaining control of the city of Alban without resistance as social order collapsed around them. When the Arvannan government collapsed two days following, the United Republics was forced into the awkward position of occupying the land it managed to get its forces in, but could no longer recognize the Arvannan government, which by 1 February had capitulated to Noronnican demands. From then on, Dormill and Stiura remained in Arvan, eventually establishing a civilian government and began to treat Arvan as a territory of the United Republics, to much international contention and scorn.

In early June 2017, a new scandal rocked the nation as the Republic of New Friesland withdrew its delegation to the Council of Dormill and Stiura, ruled as a direct violation to the Constitution as no body in the New Frisian government submitted an appeal to the Electoral Commission nor a notice of withdrawal to the Council itself. Eventually, the Republic conceded to the High Federal Courts and sent a temporary delegation, however the damage it intended to do was done as the United Republics was rendered incapable of concluding the process of joining the Cooperative Union, which was formally ended by President Dyson shortly after his inauguration. As it turned out, a brief crisis within the New Frisian government involved an attempt at power by its Minister of Administration and the Public Assembly against the Kapitien. The crisis would be resolved shortly before New Friesland settled out of the lawsuit when the Minister of Administration and several key members of the Public Assembly resigned in disgrace, with the Kapitien stating his intentions to not run in that year’s elections.

This scandal would be briefly overturned by the end of the National People’s Party which was revealed to be led by Niels Fletcher, a former general of the Stiuraian Army during the Dormill-Stiura War and the last member of the fascist terror group 'Court of Ten' yet to be captured, the seats freed by the collapse of his hyper-nationalist party proved surprisingly critical to the victory of Dormill and Stiura Forwards in the election, as all 37 seats were won by them during the election.

As 2017 came to a close, a sudden spike in drug overdose and related deaths swept across Dormill and Stiura, most especially southern Stiura, Eppendorf, and Feerwerd. Simultaneously, similar cases began to arise out of Ainslie, leading to widespread health and safety concerns across both nations. As more cases began to spring up, so did the cities of Eppendorf, Zwolle, Port Orange, and Klappenberg see an uptick in violent crime, especially of an organized variety. After a shootout that claimed almost 20 lives rocked downtown Stafford, the Doraltic public began to put pressure on the Dyson government to step in and resolve the “Buzz Crisis”, which he responded to by further pressing the Republics involved to step up their police work. When the Bureau of Special Intelligence revealed to Dyson that November that they had reasonable confidence that a majority of Buzz had been coming out of the Anliana Cartel of San Javier and seeking a public approval victory ahead of that year’s Congressional election, Dyson organized several operations throughout 2018 to root out the cartel from Dormill and Stiura and exact retribution on them for the deaths of so many Dormill-Stiuraians, publicly utilizing federal forces on several raids in early December 2017 to start.

Earlier in the winter of 2018, a government crisis in Noronica had begun to tear the nation apart between its Overlord, Tytus Alexander, and then Prime Minister Joshua McIntosh. Dormill and Stiura, and by extension the Dyson government, feared the fallout of a second Noronnican Civil War would extend beyond Noronnican borders, and would threaten the already tense peace in Arvan. This was only reinforced when impromptu protests in the cities of Alban and South Alban broke out into riots, the people again clamoring for the government to respond and restore order, culminating in early January 2019 with the United Republics Army marching into Arvan in an effort to secure it against a possible escalation of violence between the two sides of the growing Second Noronnican Civil War. Dyson used a significant portion of his diplomatic power to negotiate among the Noronnican leaders and eventually the elected First Prefect Trystan Alexander to resolve Doraltic-Noronnican tensions caused by the “Winter of Discontent”, ultimately ending in the Treaty of Nolon, whereby the two nations will equally recognize their administrations in Arvan and move to strengthen their relationship going forward.

On 12 March 2019, the operations Dyson started to combat the Anliana Cartel in 2017 culminated in Operation Damocles, the Doraltic raid on Agustin, San Javier, to capture or kill Anliana leadership who intelligence leadership determined were operating from the city. While ultimately successful at its objectives, the deployment of such a large and prominent Doraltic force just weeks after the previous intervention in Arvan had been regarded as a PR disaster, with the Dyson government scrambling to justify its actions before both the nation and the international community.

By that May, reports had come out that further worried the Dyson government, as oil and gas prices within the United Republics remained “inordinately high” as a result of the sanctions imposed by San Javier against Dormill and Stiura as an act of retribution for Agustin.

After his victory in the 2019 election, Dyson and the United Republics has refocused its efforts on the domestic administration, trying to balance the objectives each of the individual republics have sought out to improve their own prosperity and the national objectives of securing Doraltic prosperity.

by **Ostehaar** » Sat Apr 07, 2018 1:29 am

Tag. As neighbors we might find a lot to tie together. I'll go over the entire thing at some point.

One thing, though - I'd love it if we could put the Gael Crash a little bit sooner, like 1984-5-6 or so. It would then ffit well to my own economic trouble and the end of the several wars of the time (Ost-Xrev, Noro, DSCivil).

by **Thuzbekistan** » Sun Apr 08, 2018 7:56 am

I'll be keeping watch over this thread as well.

As discussed in some long lost things, I was hoping to have supported your commies in your civil war. We could then refuse to recognize the Federal Republics until much later on or never at all depending on what you would want to result from that. I'll look through your factbooks for other encounters we may have had.

by **Dormill and Stiura** » Sun Apr 08, 2018 4:01 pm

Ostehaar wrote:Tag. As neighbors we might find a lot to tie together. I'll go over the entire thing at some point.

One thing, though - I'd love it if we could put the Gael Crash a little bit sooner, like 1984-5-6 or so. It would then ffit well to my own economic trouble and the end of the several wars of the time (Ost-Xrev, Noro, DSCivil).

I had generalized the Gael Crash to include the 80s as a whole. But the critical part is that is must begin at some point after the Federal Republic forms and before the Arvanan War to make sure I am involved and it does not make the war impossible to fight.

Thuzbekistan wrote:I'll be keeping watch over this thread as well.

As discussed in some long lost things, I was hoping to have supported your commies in your civil war. We could then refuse to recognize the Federal Republics until much later on or never at all depending on what you would want to result from that. I'll look through your factbooks for other encounters we may have had.

The question is, if Thuzbekistan does not recognize the Federal Republic, then which government will they recognize if not assume the Civil War is still ongoing in their eyes?

by **Malagwi** » Sun Apr 08, 2018 4:57 pm

Ok, ideas for Malagwi to assist The Stiuraians during your civil war.

1. Malagwi provides gold and arms to Stiuraian perhaps via submarine drops, in exchange for oil or fuel trade upon victory.

2. Malagwi provides small rebel groups with arms to Stiuraian in exchange for future alliances.

3. Malagwi could provide air drops of supplies to Stiuraian forces , perhaps Malagwi and Thuzbekistan have diplomatic ties to allow Malagwi use of Thuzbek's airfields / ports.

by **Thuzbekistan** » Sun Apr 08, 2018 5:15 pm

Dormill and Stiura wrote:
Ostehaar wrote:Tag. As neighbors we might find a lot to tie together. I'll go over the entire thing at some point.

One thing, though - I'd love it if we could put the Gael Crash a little bit sooner, like 1984-5-6 or so. It would then ffit well to my own economic trouble and the end of the several wars of the time (Ost-Xrev, Noro, DSCivil).

I had generalized the Gael Crash to include the 80s as a whole. But the critical part is that is must begin at some point after the Federal Republic forms and before the Arvanan War to make sure I am involved and it does not make the war impossible to fight.
Thuzbekistan wrote:I'll be keeping watch over this thread as well.

As discussed in some long lost things, I was hoping to have supported your commies in your civil war. We could then refuse to recognize the Federal Republics until much later on or never at all depending on what you would want to result from that. I'll look through your factbooks for other encounters we may have had.

The question is, if Thuzbekistan does not recognize the Federal Republic, then which government will they recognize if not assume the Civil War is still ongoing in their eyes?

None. We would simply say that the government won power illegitimately and demand the restoration of Autonomous states. Would you want this state of basic hostility to be present day or would you want us to eventually recognize the government after 10-15 years?

by **Dormill and Stiura** » Sun Apr 08, 2018 5:17 pm

Thuzbekistan wrote:
Dormill and Stiura wrote:I had generalized the Gael Crash to include the 80s as a whole. But the critical part is that is must begin at some point after the Federal Republic forms and before the Arvanan War to make sure I am involved and it does not make the war impossible to fight.

The question is, if Thuzbekistan does not recognize the Federal Republic, then which government will they recognize if not assume the Civil War is still ongoing in their eyes?

None. We would simply say that the government won power illegitimately and demand the restoration of Autonomous states. Would you want this state of basic hostility to be present day or would you want us to eventually recognize the government after 10-15 years?

Into the modern day sounds more fun, especially with the Specter in the works.

by **Thuzbekistan** » Sun Apr 08, 2018 5:22 pm

Dormill and Stiura wrote:
Thuzbekistan wrote:
None. We would simply say that the government won power illegitimately and demand the restoration of Autonomous states. Would you want this state of basic hostility to be present day or would you want us to eventually recognize the government after 10-15 years?

Into the modern day sounds more fun, especially with the Specter in the works.

That it does. You would see me as all the more threatening then. So what other interactions may we have had, then?

by **Dormill and Stiura** » Sun Apr 08, 2018 5:24 pm

Thuzbekistan wrote:
Dormill and Stiura wrote:Into the modern day sounds more fun, especially with the Specter in the works.

That it does. You would see me as all the more threatening then. So what other interactions may we have had, then?

I'd say less of a threat and more of a backwards and ignorant people that need to be properly taught

As for other interactions, I'm open for ideas to add to my working concepts.

News · by **Samudera** » Mon Apr 09, 2018 2:08 am

by **Athara Magarat** » Mon Apr 09, 2018 6:25 am

Le Tag - historic rival.

And I will provide more ideas for GAW battles soon.

by **Verona Beach** » Fri Apr 13, 2018 9:42 pm

Tag- Interest in 1980s financial crisis since the 1980s were when Verona Beach was getting on its feet again.

by **Aruia** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 1:02 pm

tag -
the Aruian troubles sounds like a good concept. i wanted to expand on some attack on that started with a missile attack on Con Petro, that derailed to a terrorist attack. If i understood the Aruian troubles spouse to revolve around terrorist attacks inside Aruia due to tension between Dormill-Stiuria?

Secondly, we could have a historically pinpoint after that when Dormill started to form naval bases at the Luvtar region.

by **Dormill and Stiura** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 1:10 pm

Aruia wrote:tag -
the Aruian troubles sounds like a good concept. i wanted to expand on some attack on that started with a missile attack on Con Petro, that derailed to a terrorist attack. If i understood the Aruian troubles spouse to revolve around terrorist attacks inside Aruia due to tension between Dormill-Stiuria?

Secondly, we could have a historically pinpoint after that when Dormill started to form naval bases at the Luvtar region.

I was more thinking it was a bunch of terrorist attacks and an underground war between Aruia and Kaelectia, with most of the action on my side of the border. But expanding it to Aruia sounds like fun.

The Troubles, as mentioned in the Working Concepts spoiler for that era, is a series of conflicts between Aruia and Dormill-Stiura over what Aruia believes to be its rightful territory in Kaelectia. This conflict will be isolated between the government of Upper Kaelectia and Aruia until the full Federal Republic responds and eventually works out an agreement with Aruia (which could allow for the Luvtar Joint Naval Station to be formed) to bring the terrorist elements to task, and eventually did a bit before the Arvan War.

After that, there would be one last instance of these terrorists popping up in 2003 when they attack a rail station in Avillon, motivating the creation of the Vauvillers Anti-Terrorism Accords.

by **Aruia** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 2:00 pm

Dormill and Stiura wrote:
Aruia wrote:tag -
the Aruian troubles sounds like a good concept. i wanted to expand on some attack on that started with a missile attack on Con Petro, that derailed to a terrorist attack. If i understood the Aruian troubles spouse to revolve around terrorist attacks inside Aruia due to tension between Dormill-Stiuria?

Secondly, we could have a historically pinpoint after that when Dormill started to form naval bases at the Luvtar region.

I was more thinking it was a bunch of terrorist attacks and an underground war between Aruia and Kaelectia, with most of the action on my side of the border. But expanding it to Aruia sounds like fun.

The Troubles, as mentioned in the Working Concepts spoiler for that era, is a series of conflicts between Aruia and Dormill-Stiura over what Aruia believes to be its rightful territory in Kaelectia. This conflict will be isolated between the government of Upper Kaelectia and Aruia until the full Federal Republic responds and eventually works out an agreement with Aruia (which could allow for the Luvtar Joint Naval Station to be formed) to bring the terrorist elements to task, and eventually did a bit before the Arvan War.

After that, there would be one last instance of these terrorists popping up in 2003 when they attack a rail station in Avillon, motivating the creation of the Vauvillers Anti-Terrorism Accords.

that would require a development and reimagine of Aruian people than, because what Aruia as a word for trading cities near the coastline. Which dissappeared during the invasion of Kaelectia. I RP that Aruians are hisitorically proud of their Kaelectia heritage so we need to find a way that legitimize this conflict mostly maybe the people around the coastline after the invasion from the sea claimed that Kaelectia leaders didn't try and protect them so that might be the reason for splitting away from them. Though Aruia became a nation only after the Kaelcetia kingdom fell.

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