Gothic War (GD)

Gothic War
A burning Drasdag, under siege in MC 2029.
Date MC 2026–2030 Location Greater Dienstad, Gholgoth Result End of Scandinvan slave trade in Greater Dienstad Full withdrawal of Macabéan forces from Gholgoth Total suppression of Theohuanacan pirate rebellion Occupation of Nicaro by the Golden Throne
Belligerents
The Golden Throne	Scandinvan Empire, Theohuanacan Pirates

The Gothic War, MC 2026-30 , was a major military conflict primarily fought between the forces of the Golden Throne and the Scandinvan Empire. Although the war began in Theohuanacu after the instigation of a rebellion by the Scandinvans, the fighting quickly spread to Nicaro and Scandinvan-territory in Gholgoth after both countries suffered largescale armed invasions by the Golden Throne. The war ended in MC April 2030, with the signing of an alliance between the two warring powers in exchange for an end to the Scandinvan slave trade in Greater Dienstad and the complete withdrawal of Macabéan forces from Gholgoth.

Prelude to War

At the dawn of the 21st century MC, a confederation of southeastern Theohuanacan coastal port cities led by Tlaloc, Palenque, and Tiwanaku operated as safehavens for piracy, their governments long ago coopted by criminal elements. Their ships, officially unaffiliated but nevertheless given safe harbor, raided the western Theohuanacan coasts in search of loot and slaves to sell in the newly lucrative Firmadorian markets. Western Theohuanacu was devastated as pirate ships destroyed, murdered, and raped their way up and down the coastline. In MC 2004, Tapexa's harbor was heavily damaged in an attack led by Captain Jonah "Green-Skinned" Deringer. Inxuahtl and its surrounding townships also suffered heavily from repeated pirate attacks on municipalities as small as secluded fishing villages. By MC 2007, the resurgent pirates attacked and took Callisto, capital of the Thacu Islands. The raiding expanded to the southwestern Panooly and the northeastern Indran coastlines.

The freestate government in Zealand waged a shadowy war against mounting subversive forces, in the name of Theohuanacu, but the national government proved largely incapable of extending their control beyond the capital city. Located in the center of the country by design, Theotihuacan was faraway from North Point, the freestate capital of Zealand. The two governments drifted as North Point became the increasingly dominant partner in the relationship. As fewer government forces intervened in the west, rebel movements, such as the the Free Inxuahtl Movement, consolidated their forces and launched a revolution engulfing most of central and western Theohuanacu.

A nascent Golden Throne had meanwhile aligned itself with Holy Panooly and, possibly to protect southerwestern Panooly coasts without involving itself militarily, issued a contract to the southeastern Theohuanacan pirates to escort a division-sized mercenary unit to the inland southwestern city of Nichahuan. But the operation turned sour when the contract was suddenly rescinded. No longer receiving pay from the Golden Throne, the mercenaries established a government of their own in the city and began taxing its inhabitants. Relations between the private military contractors and their pirate escorts deteriorated for unknown reasons, causing the mercenaries to expel the latter. In retaliation, the pirates joined with the remnants of the local rebel forces previously defeated and jointly attacked and sacked Nichahuan. Survivors were sold into slavery.

In 2010, the Zealand Freestate seceded from Theohuanacu to become an independent state. It became known that rebels had captured stockpiles of nuclear weapons after overruning Theotihuacan. They were not slow to use them, almost all of them exclusively within the confines of central Theohuanacu. Theotihuacan and most of the center surface of the island were devastated and became uninhabitable, remaining so to this day. The western freestate was largely protected by the fallout by virtue of the mountain range running north to south, seperating them from the rest of the continent. The pirate cities, however, received the brunt of the fallout, leading to largescale population loss as a result of heavy radiation poisoning. Tlaloc was particularly affected.

- The Golden Throne invaded and occupied Theohuanacu in the aftermath of the War of Golden Succession, as an early move in its cold war with Stevid. This includes the occupation of Tarn(?).

- Initially the western and southeastern cities were left to their own devices in return for contributions to the Imperial Levy (taxes) on Theohuanacu.

- Two rebellions between occupation and Gothic War are crushed, leading to the imperial reorganization of Tlaloc. Palenque and Tiwanaku left as the center of the slave trade in central Greater Dienstad.

- Palenque and Tiwanaku earn large revenues selling luxury slaves to the Scandinvan Empire.

- Scandinvan Empire lends financial and material aid to a rebellion in southeastern Theohuanacu against the Golden Throne, hoping to corner the luxury slave trade market.

Aftermath

Economic Consequences of the War

- The growth of Macabéan bases in Mokastana and Haishan flooded these countries with money. Although the number of forces deployed in these countries fell drastically, some bases remain and one of the consequences of the war are the new economic connections between the Golden Throne, Mokastana, and Haishan.

- The Imperial Bureaucracy of the Golden Throne accumulated enormous debts to pay for the war, leading to an increase in taxation and largescale public land auctions as a means to balance the Macabéan treasury.

Death Toll

- Scandivan estimates for Scandinvan deaths: 0.75% (30 million) to 1% (40 million) of total population. Est. 4/5s were military deaths (24 to 32 million).
- Macabéan war deaths in Drana: ~25 million (1/40).
- Macabéan war casualties in Nicaro: ~6,000
- Macabéan war casualties in Theohuanacu: ~20-30,000.
- Nicaroan dead: ~200,000
- Theohuanacan dead: ~500,000-2.5 million

Conterversies

Chemical Weapons

- Use of sarin gas on Macabéan troops: "It was sarin gas that had been used."