GHOLGOTH
I will attempt to write down as much of the history of this regional alliance as best I can, mainly for the reference of our newer members who were not around in years past. Personal bias is inevitable because this is written from my perspective, but I will try to be as impartial and accurate as possible.
There's really three distinctive periods in Gothic history and an extensive pre-history which begins in 2003.
In early/mid 2003 there was an alliance called the Allied Powers Treaty Organization (APTO), which like many alliances in its day existed for the sake of mutual defense, trade, and so on. A poorly coordinated invasion of Melkor Unchained by APTO and other alliances such a the Ur Trade Pact saw the Allied Powers eventually wither and fragment, having never recovered from the loss. It was around this time that Damien Dreadfire came to power inside Automagfreek, and the newly formed Freekish Empire forged close ties with Pantera, ruled at the time by the 'Lord Reaver' Bastien the Bronze. The two nations would eventually merge as one under the "Blood Pact", which at the time caused concern amongst some nations which sensed a shift in the balance of power. The Blood Pact eventually grew as Crimmond and then Tersanctus joined the fold, and this lead to talks between AMF and Pantera about setting up a new place for like-minded nations to call home. This new region would also serve as an alliance, and would be based on the principles of honor and brotherhood, with a focus on maintaining "the old ways".
THE EARLY PERIOD
The exact date that Gholgoth was founded remains a mystery, but if memory serves it was some time in mid/late 2004. The first nations to join and found the new regional alliance were many former APTO members, including: Automagfreek, Pantera, Crimmond, Sigma Octavus, Aequatio, Illior, Skager, Artitsa, and joined by others such as Tersanctus and Drakonian Imperium. Some 13 nations rallied under the new Gothic banner, and the regional alliance quickly established itself as an international powerhouse, though as a whole it did not go to war very often. Gholgoth had adopted a "Don't mess with us, and we won't mess with you" philosophy, though nations such as AMF continued hostile expansion across the I.I. globe.
Gholgoth was founded without formal leadership or any real power structure, instead preferring a model in which every member had equal authority and say in the affairs of the region and alliance. Membership would be approved or rejected based on a vote taken by available members, and no limits were placed on any Gothic nation save for a few unwritten rules: Do not attack your brothers; Come to the aid of your brothers no matter what; Gholgoth must always come first before other alliances. Membership was considered exclusive, and only the best RPers were considered and approached to join the ranks.
The Early Period mainly saw the establishing of the region and the slow but gradual expansion of its roster. Large scale wars were few at this time as far as I can remember, except on the odd occasion that a foe decided to sail into Gothic waters, in which case they were promptly dealt with. Though Gholgoth was a new regional alliance, it was looked upon as the 'elders' of II that could bend and sway affairs to its liking with minimal effort.
THE HIGH PERIOD
By 2006/2007, Gholgoth was at the peak of its power. Having absorbed the CAD alliance (Generic Empire, Borman Empire, The Warmaster, and more), a powerful ally of Haven (another regional powerhouse), Gholgoth was actively on the warpath. Tensions had run high between Gholgoth and Haven based alliances, namely the Sovereign League, as the two regions grappled for global supremacy. While roleplaying regions were plentiful in the 2007 period, few can deny that Gholgoth and Haven were the two most powerful entities at the time, while others such as Greater Dienstad were considered highly influential but were not aggressive enough in their foreign policy to raise eyebrows, and as such were often courted both officially and unofficially by members of each camp.
As tensions with one Havenic alliance died down, tensions with a new one emerged, primarily APOC (Alliance for the Preservation Of Civilization), the Royal Georgian League, and others. Gholgoth and Haven came very close to blows on several occasions, and Operation: Hellfire saw AMF engage both Questers and Praetonia, considered the two most powerful Havenites. The result of the war was interpreted differently by the different players, but ultimately it did nothing to ease the ever growing tensions between the two regions. Gholgoth at the time had been closely allied with the New Alliance Treaty Organization (NATO), an old and defunct alliance which had been resurrected by AMF and some members inside Haven, and had gained a sizable roster and base of power. Gholgoth had secretly drafted war plans (Operation: Devoured Elysium) for a full out invasion of Haven, which would be possible due to not only NATO presence inside Haven, but Gothic holdings as well via Novacom. Many feared that an all out conflict between I.I.'s two greatest organizations would lead to a new world war, as both camps were allied to basically every other third party power base.
The operation never got off the ground and the plans were abandoned, and at this time OOC tensions between the two camps boiled over, and many inside Gholgoth opted to outright ignore Haven and continue on in the roleplay world in 2008. Though at the time it was largely viewed as a good idea, in hindsight it lead to the decline of both camps as well as the old powers, namely regions and regional alliances altogether. This ignore had widespread consequences, consequences which still echo throughout I.I. to this day. Much like the fall of Rome, the decline of the great regions and alliances would leave a massive power vacuum throughout I.I., one that would be filled with many smaller alliances fighting over the ashes as the old powers gradually slipped from prominence.
DECLINE
Following the spat with Haven, Gholgoth fell into open decline, plagued by inactivity and indifference. Quite a few Goths remained active in the I.I. scene, but the regional alliance as a whole did very little. Every so often it would lurch back to life in order to reassert authority that it refused to admit it had lost, but these efforts fell on deaf ears and crashed and burned before takeoff. Gholgoth participated in a large scale invasion of the region Mediterranica in late 2008, taking over a vast majority of the region before the war collapsed due to OOC fighting between the two camps. The invasion had reasserted Gholgoth's power and influence, albeit briefly before the active Goths fell back into seclusion, frustrated with the death of the war in mid 2009.
After this time, Gholgoth did nearly nothing in the international scene as a regional alliance save for the occasional saber rattling over the course of the next year, though individually members continued to be active throughout I.I. Gholgoth for the first time was under threat of civil war, as the salve trading ways of Ralkovia and The Scandinvans had come into conflict with the views of other Gothic nations, sentiment which still lingers to this day. Talk had also begun to circulate from inside Gholgoth about folding the region altogether, and its members going their separate ways. New wars were launched, recruitment drives were made, but it did little to breathe new life into the once great behemoth. Activity from Gholgoth's founding veterans dwindled almost to nothing, with many leaving the game or dropping out of the roleplay scene altogether, further leading to the overall decline.
RESURRECTION
By mid 2010, a new generation of RPers had flocked to I.I., and a new world had taken shape. Forever gone were the days of old, and only the few who remained that were around in years past truly knew of Gholgoth's history and prestige. However, the legend of the Goths never fully died, and whispers about a great and terrible force of veteran I.I'.ers continued to be heard here and there, and with the return of AMF to the RP scene came the resurrection of the regional alliance. Interest from the newer generation in Gholgoth grew as The Kraven Corporation, Ralkovia, The Scandinvans, and others ratcheted up their rampages across the world, and gradually the Gothic roster began to grow.
With nations such as Abruzi, Milograd, Gratislavia, Mount Shavano, and others taking up the Gothic banner, the regional alliance had been resurrected and was making waves once more across I.I. Members were recruited from the defunct Conglomerate and other alliances, and Gholgoth's base of power had been restored. This phase of our history is still being written, and the future looks to be bright for this veteran organization.
![[ National Flag ]](https://i.imgur.com/7vADKOP.png){kind=link}