Vedran Draženović
Vedran Draženović | |
|---|---|
 Draženović in 2018 | |
| Born | 14 December 1971 Moddra, Scitaria |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Citizenship | Syaran |
| Notable awards | Syaran Science Fiction Writer of the Year (2014) |
| Children | 3 |
Vedran Draženović is a Syaran author best known for his prolific series of Alternate history works covering a wide variety of alternate scenarios and outcomes in the history of Tyran. Since beginning in 1993 at the age of 22 Draženović has published more than thirty novels, mostly within the realm of alternate history and occasionally science fiction. While his works have been met with mixed receptions among historians and critics, they have been major commercial successes and have been translated into more than a dozen languages.
Biography
Draženović was born in Moddra in 1971. He took a keen interest in literature at a young age and took up writing at the encouragement of his mother. His plans for receiving a college education were interrupted by the Refusal War, but graduated from the University of Moddra in 1994 with a degree in writing and literature study. While at college he met his future wife Sandra; they married in 1997 and have three children. Draženović currently resides in Zovahr along with his family.
Works
Most of Draženović's books focus on alternate "what-if" scenarios where specific events do not occur or certain nations and empires do not emerge/fall. Most of these stories are told through the perspective of a handful of major characters, usually political or military officials, with occasional interludes by minor characters, usually lower-class, who provide a more "interpersonal" look into the scenario. The chronology of the story usually takes place over several decades or centuries, often with historical characters given new roles in the altered timeline.
Pax Makedonia (1993)
Written while he was still in college, Pax Makedonia was Draženović's first novel to be published. Its original production run of 500 copies was quickly depleted, becoming the most purchased book in Syara in 1993. Pax Makedonia presents an alternate timeline where the Burning Plague never occurs, and thus the Makedonian Empire doesn't go into decline. The untarnished Empire proceeds to put down the Âu Lạc Rebellion with minimal losses, and a century later defeats and conquers the Rideva Empire. With Makedon's territory secure the Arkoennite Empire never forms, leaving Makedon with uncontested rule over Siduri. In 1305, the same year the real-life Empire was defeated at the Battle of Nemaro, the Makedonians instead invade and conquer the Cacertian Isles. Makedon establishes further inroads into western Eracura, absorbing much of Æþurheim and Shalum. The novel ends on the eve of a major war with the remaining Eracuran powers, which would assure Makedonian global dominance if victorious.
Pax Makedonia became a best-seller in Syara and was met with major commercial success. The novel was met with mixed reactions from historians, many of which argued the path towards Makedonian dominion was unrealistic. Ruvelkan historian Henrik Kelemen argued that the Makedonian Empire would not have survived the onset of nationalism and the rise of nation-states in the early modern era due to the lack of any overarching civic nationalist movement within Makedon. The book nevertheless was well received by Syaran audiences and it remains Draženović's most popular book.
World of the Reds (1994)
World of the Reds takes place in an alternate history where the Ruvelkan Socialist Republic emerges victorious in the Ruvelkan-Makedonian War, causing the Kingdom of Makedon to collapse into socialist revolution. The Ruvelkan Red Army proceeds to conquer the remainders of the Syaran Successor States, and afterwards invades and conquers Mansuriyyah to form the People's Republic of Siduri. The combined population and resource base of western Siduri allows the People's Republic to decisively defeat Acrea in the Kunhegyes Conflict, and afterwards seizes upon Arkoennite rebellions against the Cacertian Empire to invade Arkoenn. The rapid success of the People's Republic of Siduri prompts international communist-inspired uprisings across Tyran, toppling the governments of Tennai, Quenmin, Xevden, Delkora, Shalum, and Æþurheim by the 1930s. With the remaining powers of Ossoria, Cacerta, and Acrea cowed, the People's Republic of Siduri enjoys decades of peace, only for it to be broken by anti-statist rebellions in Gylias, which in turn prompt a steady downward spiral of internal conflict within the People's Republic. The book ends with a news report that a massive combined force of Acrean, Cacertian, and Ossorian fleets and armies are preparing to overrun communist holdings in Eracura.
Rideva Eternal (1996)
In Rideva Eternal, the Rideva Empire survives past the 14th century and successfully defeats the Arkoennites, uniting nearly all of south-Siduri under the Ridevan banner. The Ridevans later intervene to prevent the rise of Xevden before incorporating Quenmin into the Empire as a protectorate. A second war with the Arkoennites breaks apart the Arkoennite rule over central and western Siduri, but leads to conflict with the Rioni Union and the Rawwadid Sultunate. The Ridevans conquer Mansuriyyah but the fight against the Union proves difficult owing to the defenses of the Matra and Kurilla Mountains. Unable to defeat the Union outright, the Ridevans swing east and conquer the Northern and Southern Dyansties. The Ridevans form an alliance with the Padovan Empire, who provide the Ridevans with the ships necessary to sail north and defeat the Rioni Union and invade western Syara, forcing the Union to surrender. The Ridevan Empire survives for several more centuries before peacefully transitioning to the Ridevan Commonwealth while staying out of the affairs of Eracura.
The Vigilant on the Seas (1998)
In 1918, the Cacertian Empire succeeds in capturing Zovahr at the climax of the Desopya Campaign, forcing the surrender of the Republic of Syara and winning the Divide War. The subsequent end of the Ruvelkan Civil War allows the Cacertian monarchy to forge a marriage alliance with the Imperial Separatists, granting Cacerta a virtually unassailable presence in Siduri. Bolstered by its victories, the Cacertian Empire proceeds to compel much of Siduri to join a Cacertian dominated economic bloc. The Cacertians proceed to solidify their control over Siduri by invading Xevden. Growing concerns over Cacertian imperialism force Ossoria and Acrea to form a joint defense pact meant to counter Cacertian influence. The Empire counters by forming a mutual defense pact with Æþurheim, and begins a major naval buildup in the Sanguine Sea. The Ossorian-Acrean alliance, with support from Shalum, launches a pre-emptive strike against the Cacertian and Æþurian forces but fails to completely destroy them. In response Cacerta and Æþurheim invade Shalum, and—with Silua and Svinia neutral—Acrea is unable to challenge the action on land. The Royal Ossorian Navy engages in a running battle with the Cacertian Royal Navy along the Nuadan Ocean but is unable to score a decisive victory, while a trans-Siduri railroad allows Cacerta to ship weapons and troops through Quenmin, Arkoenn, Ruvelka, and eventually to Syara to be shipped over to Æþurheim. Shalum surrenders after three years of fighting and cedes most of its southern territory to Æþurheim while agreeing to allow Cacertian forces to garrison Shalumite islands off the coast. Acrea negotiates a separate peace with Cacerta, and the High Kingdom is left alone to prepare for the inevitable Cacertian invasion.
The Great War (2000)
After launching the invasion of Ruvelka, the Inner Sphere opts to consolidate its position rather than expand the Siduri War. The Common Axis is still formed by the Cacertian Empire, Quenmin, Tennai and Mansuriyyah, but without the immediate threat of invasion the Axis is unable to come to an agreement as to how to respond the fall of Ruvelka and the situation in Siduri remains tense but static. The Inner Sphere proceeds to forge strong ties with Æþurheim and Svinia, who join the alliance. In 1937 they commence the invasion of Shalum, and with Syaran and Arkoennite assistance are able to conquer it before either Acrea or Ossoria intervene. In response the two nations join the Common Axis, and a cold war settles between the two alliances with the Republic of Syara, Arkoenn, Svinia, and Æþurheim in the Inner Sphere, and Cacerta, Mansuriyyah, Quenmin, Tennai, Acrea, Ossoria, and the governments-in-exile of Ruvelka and Shalum.
A three year period of constant tension are broken by a border clash over the Æþurian occupied Arzells with Ossoria, spiraling into a wider war that involves all the major powers. The Cacertian and Ossorian navies attempt to defeat the Navy of the Syaran Republic and the Kriegsmarine in a massive battle in the Malian Sea, but are unable to force a strategic victory. The front in Eracura grinds into a stalemate as the Acrean Army is forced to attack on a narrow front against Svinia where it struggles to make progress. The Common Axis manages to convince Silua to join the war, opening up another front against Svinia, but in Siduri the Syarans are able to overrun and conquer Mansuriyyah, annihilating a large detachment of the Royal Ossorian Army. The Acrean and Cacertian navies attempt to cripple Inner Sphere activity in the Sundering Sea with a protracted raiding and submarine campaign which costs thousands of lives and hundreds of ships on both sides.
In Eracura, the combined Siluan and Acrean offensive pushes Svinia back and threatens to collapse the Inner Sphere's front. In Siduri the combined Quenminese-Cacertian-Tennaiite forces manage to launch a counter-invasion into Arkoenn, forcing the country out of the war. The Syarans pull back to occupied Ruvelka and Mansurriyah and force the Common Axis to fight through the Kurillas and Matra Mountains to finish them off before Syara surrenders. In Eracura, Æþurheim refuses to surrender and continues to fight against the Common Axis even as Shalum is liberated; it is only after Æþurheim itself is invaded that its government surrenders. The war ends up claiming over 10% of the population of Tyran, the most destructive conflict in history, with most of Ruvelka, Shalum, Mansurriyah, Svinia, and Arkoenn devastated, and with all three remaining superpowers exhausted. The book ends with "Let future generations known that a spark started in Zemplen burnt the whole world down".
The Ballad of the Black Tigress (2002)
The novel is written to resemble an elderly Kiều Thạc Nhu recalling her campaigns and rule, but reveals shortly after her ascension to the position of Empress she encountered a traveler from the Liúşai League, who while in the midst of torture refuses to recant his faith in Concordianism. This impresses Nhu enough that she converts to the faith, and it is implied this caused her to preserve her mental stability rather than descend into meglomania as what historically occurred.
Nhu describes her invasion of the Rideva Empire in 1288 which meets with even more success than the historial version, allowing her to conquer all of Tennai by 1295. Nhu then pivots south and proceeds to absorb Gylias and Knichus in largely bloodless campaigns, before she turns her attention north to deal with the Acrean Empire's presence in north-east Siduri, which she conquers in two years. With the Arkoennites absorbed conquering the Makedonian Empire, Nhu turns east and invades Lirinya and later Cacerta. In 1306 she proceeds to invade Arkoenn and quickly conqueres the steppe empire, proceeding west until she has conquered Syara before swinging south to defeat the Ruwwadid Sultanate. With all of Siduri under her control, Nhu launches two invasions into Eracura. She establishes footholds in Akashi which forces the Acreans to focus on while Nhu's forces in west Eracura seize Shalum and Æþurheim. The Acreans fight hard but are unable to stop Nhu from conquering Megelan, Delliria, Kosdrea, and Delkora Nhu invades Acrea proper and captures Acre, forcing the surrender of the Kingdom. Subsequent campaigns against Silua, Nordkrusen, Alemmar, and Sivina are succesful. Just before an invasion of Ossoria is to be launched, the High Kingdom voluntarily submits rather than face the seemingly unstoppable armies of the Kiếm Hoà Dynasty. Nhu, having conquered the world, retires to an estate in Van Lao.
The final page of the novel, however, casts doubt on the veracity of Nhu's recollection, implying she is in fact insane and is rambling to herself. It is left unclear whether Nhu actually accomplished the conquest of Tyran, or it it was just a fantasy.
The Ossorian War (2004)
During the Ossorian war crisis, King Nevan III does not veto the Ossorian declaration of war, leading the Royal Ossorian Navy to dispatch a fleet to overthrow the Aén Ďanez government. Despite intentions not to spark a greater war, and the decision of the Gylian Self-Defense Forces not to resist, the arrival of the Ossorian task force leads to incident where miscommunication causes the Ossorians to inadvertently sink two Gylian vessels and bombard Gylian public buildings. The incident causes the GSDF to assume the Ossorians intend to completely overhaul Gylias' unique social and political structure, and the GSDF begins resisting the Ossorians. The outbreak of fighting causes the Common Sphere, specifically Cacerta, to intervene. A battle breaks out between the RON and the Cacertian Royal Navy. The incident provokes a wider war which expands into the Refusal War, prompting the Royal Ossorian Army to deploy to back the Royalists directly. The Cacertians respond with direct support for the Wardens. Acrea, unwilling to get involved in a protracted conflict, withdraws from the fighting. The Syaran Civil War ends up stalemating and remains so until a ceasefire is aggreed to that divides Syara into an Ossorian-oriented North and a Cacertian-oriented South. The outcome prompts Filomena Pinheiro to wryly comment "What a wrestling ground we have helped make for the Ossorians and Cacertians".
Nordic Dominion (2006)
The Acrean Empire does not fall, but instead re-asserts control over western Eracura after defeating the Makedonian Empire in north-east Siduri. A rebellion in Delkora is put down, allowing the Acreans to retain control over most of the Nordic population of Eracura, despite continued unrest in Æþurheim. The rebellion of the proto-Svinian population results in a harsh crackdown and a reorganization of the Empire along increasingly autocratic principles. The defeat of the Makedonian Empire by the Arkoennites convince Acrea to expand Acrean influence in Siduri, leading to war with Arkoenn and later the Kiếm Hoà Dynasty. Acrea succeeds in keeping north-east Siduri under control, but over the course of a few centuries rising discontent over the monarchy leads to rebellions and revolts in the Empire's extremeties. A revolution overthrows the monarchy in the 1700s and causes the empire to fracture under ethnic lines. Eracura remains in a state of flux and conflict between the various states until pan-Nordic sentiment leads to the rise of the Nordic Dominion, which unites the various Nordic peoples across Eracura. Driven by nationalist sentiment, the Dominion proceeds to wage successful campaigns against Svinia and Silua, following it up with driving Ossoria out of the Arzells. The rising Cacertian Empire attempts to push the Dominion out of Siduri with the support of Quenmin, but the Dominion retains control despite heavy losses at sea. Over the 20th Century the Dominion steadily modernizes and becomes the premier power in Tyran, entering the new millennia ranging from Delkora to the Arzells.
Conquest of the Commonality (2008)
Following the Imerti Conflict, Syara falls under the control of an increasingly nationalist leadership that provokes a war over Zemplen with Ruvelka. The Syaran Commonality Armed Forces quickly overrun and defeat the Imperial Armed Forces of Ruvelka, annexing all of Ruvelka west of the Kurillas and deporting the population eastward. The victory proceeds to fuel increasingly ultra-nationalist rhetoric within Syara, leading to regional wariness over Syaran intentions. Syara becomes increasingly totaltarian in the years afterwards, with civil rights curtailed and a massive state security apparatus formed. Syara's increasingly belligerent stance on the international stage leads to sanctions and comdenation from foreign powers, which begins to cripple the Syaran economy. Worried that a steadily tightening economic situation will bring about the end of the Commonality, Syara invades and seizes the rest of Ruvelka, which prompts the OTN to organize a massive intervention force staged out of Arkoeen and Mansuriyyah. After a prolonged aerial and naval campaign, the OTN forces invade. The ensuing conflict is a year long bloodbath before the OTN finally captures Zovahr, after which the international community agrees to break up Syara into it's four Realms, undoing Syaran unification.
The novel, written in 2007 and published just three months before the start of the Zemplen War, has been described by one critic as "the height of pessimistic irony".
Sabria Eterna (2011)
The Sabrian Empire succesfully defeats the Acrean Empire during their conflict and retains control over parts of south-east Eracura. During the Quenminese Anarchy the Sabrians take a stronger stance in the warring states period and succesfully form an alliance of Quenminese client-states, giving the Sabrians the necessary power to resist Deinokrates III and secure victory over the Makedonian Empire in the Sabrian Wars. With most of Knichus, Lirinya, Quenmin, and Akashi under their control, the Sabrians dominate eastern Siduri for centuries. The Sabrians are unable to stop the Arkoennites from conquering much of Siduri, but their presence prevents the rise of Xevden by assisting the Liúşai League to victory in the Colonisation War. Although Akashi is lost to a resurgent Acrean Empire in the late 1700s, the Acreans are unable to challenge the Sabrians at sea and fail to cross the Sundering Sea into Siduri.
Owing to their vast merchantile nature and free exchange of information, Sabria becomes the epicenter of the Industrial revolution and rapidly becomes the most powerful state in Tyran. Since the Cacertian Empire never forms, the Divide War and Siduri War never occur. The Great War instead breaks out in Eracura and draws in many Siduri powers, but not Sabria, which emerges from the post-war period the undisputed superpower.
Golden Waves (2013)
The Darnan Cyras government makes a conscious effort to export the Golden Revolution across Tyran, and it succeeds in taking hold in Delkora, Knichus, and the Republic of Syara thanks to Marija Kostova. The success turns the Common Sphere into a major international power with significant influence in the global economy, countering the growth of the other major powers. Over the decades the CS becomes the predominant political and economic power bloc, leading to no wretched decade or FedCom Civil War. The success of the CS however inspires like-minded ideological uprisings in more traditionalist states such as Shalum and Æþurheim. Beginning in the 21st Century a cold war develops between the conservative monarchist nations and the CS, despite the Common Sphere's efforts to avoid a military confrontation and arms race. A massive epsionage and counter-intelligience campaign begins on both sides, with frequent entaglements and confrontations in what neutral states remain. The cold war goes increasingly digital, switch cybersecurity and social media becoming the "battlegrounds" of the conflict. The apex of the novel deals with the development of the first "quantum computer" created in Quenmin, and the resulting efforts by both sides to secure it's secrets.
Golden Waves resulted in Draženović winning Syaran Science Fiction Writer of the Year in 2014.
The Empire That Never Was (2015)
Orestes II dies in childhood, and thus the Makedonian Empire never forms. Western Siduri becomes dominated by the Seyhad League and the Chalna Empire , while the Erani re-assert themselves in the central Siduri Steppe to become a powerful confederation. The Hannashka Empire never forms as a result of the lack of Turkic migration to western Siduri due to the strong Erani presence, which eventually extends into eastern Siduri. The Rideva Empire adopts many Erani cultural traits as a result, while Quenmin develops into a major counter to Erani influence in central Siduri. The Sabrian Empire retains influence over eastern Siduri and never collapses; eventually Knichus and later the Liúşai League comes under Sabrian influence. The Neo-Erani Empire expands into western Siduri and absorbs much of Ruvelka and Mansuriyyah, and Syara becomes colonized by the Bosrei. The Arkoennites rise, but are heavily influenced by the Erani, resulting in an Erani-Turkic Confederation from north-east Siduri to Mansuriyyah. The Kingdom of Dragovita later expands south and absorbs most of Syara and parts of Ruvelka, creating a Slavic nation that dominates the western Sundering Sea. The Acrean Empire remains intact in eastern Eracura, but Dragovita extends westward and absorbs Shalum and Æþurheim. Ossoria conquers the Arzells outright, leaving Eracura dominated by Slavic, Celtic, and Nordic empires. Siduri settles into a pan-Turkic/Erani confederation, with Quenmin, the Tennaiites, and Sabrians holding onto southern and eastern Siduri.
Land of the Prophet (2017)
The Rawwadid Sultunate succesfully defeats the Arkoennite invasion of Mansuriyyah and respond by counter-invading into Ruvelka. Sultan Abdussalam leads an Islamic invasion of central Siduri, succesfully crippling the Arkoennite Empire and ensuring the independence of Dar al-Islam. The Sultunate expands south into Nalaya and encroaches on the remnants of the Rideva Empire. Over the course of several centuries Islam gradually expands across western Siduri, with the Sulunate steadily expanding up into Ruvelka, Syara, and south into Tennai. By the fall of the Arkoennites the Sultunate controls virtually all of western Siduri, while the rising Cacertian Empire maintains a wary peace with the Sultunate. Tensions flare up with expansionist Quenmin, who had pushed into southern Siduri near Tennai. The Sultunate is unable to prevent Quenmin from seizing control of Tennai, leading Cacerta to steadily pressure the Sultunate. In response the Sultunate forms an alliance with Ossoria, and Cacerta responds with an alliance with Acrea. A cold war settles between the two powers, but by the mid-20th century the steady expansion of Islam across Siduri reduces Cacertian influence while increasing the Sultunate's. A rebellion in Arkoenn leads the Sultunate to supporting the Islamic rebels, causing a war to break out between Cacerta and the Sultunate. Despite intervention by Acrean forces, the Sultunate succesfully drives the Empire from Siduri, establishing a continental Islamic dominion.
Pact of Steel (2019)
The Cacertian Empire never invaded the Republic of Syara, and the Divide War never occurs. During the Ruvelkan Civil War, Syara intervenes in full and defeats all parties to establish a client-state in Debrecen. Throughout the 1920s and 30s Futurism becomes a dominant ideology across Tyran, especially in Quenmin, Æþurheim, and Megelan. The three nations form a political and economic alliance known as the "Pact of Steel", and are later joined by Syara, Svinia and Arkoenn. With many of the world's powers united in a fascist power bloc, the remaining independent nations are left to attempt to form some kind of counter balance, leading to proxy wars in Gylias during the Liberation War and an insurgency among ethnic minorities in Mansuriyyah. In 1940 Æþurheim and Svinia invade Shalum, and Acrea, Ossoria, and Cacerta form the Common Alliance in response. The Great War breaks out between Æþurheim and Ossoria over the Arzells, pulling in both blocs. The Acreans manage to convince Silua to ally with the Alliance, allowing Acrea and Silua with Ossorian and Cacertian support to liberate Shalum. The Alliance attempts to get Mansuriyyah and Tennai to join, but the Pact invades Mansuriyyah and forces Tennai to sign a non-aggression pact that forbids Alliance forces from entering Tennai. A climactic naval battle prevents the Siduri powers from supplying Svinia and Æþurheim, resulting in both countries being subdued by the Alliance. Unable to mount an invasion of Siduri owing to a lack of staging grounds and exhausted from the Eracuran campaign, a cold war settles between the Alliance and the Siduri Pact.
The War to end all Empires (2021)
The War to end all Empires is a retelling of Draženović's first novel, Pax Makedonia, which instead attempts to offer a more "realistic" alternative. Like in Pax Makedonia, the Burning Plague never occurs, and the fall of the Makedonian Empire is averted. The Crisis of the Ninth Century never occurs, though violent rebellions still periodically break out across the Empire. The Tống Rebellion and the Âu Lạc Rebellion never happen, and instead Kiều Thạc Nhu serves as a levy officer in the Ancient Makedonian army. After amassing a significant following and wealth while in service, she eventually ferments rebellion against Makedon and covertly aligns with the Padova Empire. The combined Kiếm Hoà-Padovan alliance succeed in breaking away Eastern Quenmin, Knichus, and Lirinya away from Makedonian rule. The War of the Marked erupts in a similar fashion to real life, but with Quenminese support succeeds in conquering part of northern Arkoenn and incorporating it into Serikos. Wary of Kiếm Hoà-Padovan intentions, Makedon secures an alliance with the Rideva Empire to counter-balance their influence.
Rideva enters into war with the Padovans over Knichus, while in Syara and Ruvelka rebellion breaks out in Hayreniky among the Hayren populace, which manages to secede owing to Makedonian conflicts with Serikos over Arkoenn. The Hayren elect to expand their domain south into Mansuriyyah, conquering most of the Mansuri coast and stretching south into Nalaya. With the Hayren population re-united, the Hayren Empire seems likely to usurp Makedon as the premier power of the continent, but infighting between Islamic Hayren and Zobethos adherents leads to civil war among the Hayren Clans. The Khiyzan then take advantage of the instability across the continent to conquer much of Arkoenn and parts of Ruvelka.
While much of the Makedonian Empire is lost, without the Burning Plague the Slavization of Syara never occurs, and instead relations between Makedon and the Kingdom of Dragovita are instead marked by conflict over Górska. With Siduri now beyond their grasp and facing competition from the multitude of other powers across the continent, the Makedonians divert much of their attention to Eracura, while still maintaining borders defined by the Kurilla and Matra Mountains; Ruvelka as a unified nation-state never emerges and the Ruvelkan people are split between Makedon, the Hayren, and the Khiyzan. The Ridevans meanwhile succeed in conquering much of Knichus away from Padova, whose relationship with the Quenminese begins to falter due to disputes over Lirinya and influence in eastern Siduri. A later war between Quenmin and Rideva ends with the dissolution of the Ridevan Empire in the 17th Century.
In Eracura the decline of Dragovita paves the way for the rise of the Shalumite Empire, which threatens Makedonian holdings in Górska. In response Makedon forges an alliance with Aušra of Kretnga, who agree to make war against the Shalumites. The resulting conflict draws in the Svinian Kingdoms and is later joined by Ossoria, who seizes the opportunity to recapture the Arzells. The war ends with the destruction of Shalum as an independent nation and the limiting of Nordic influence to Æþurheim. Alarmed by the destruction of Shalum and worried of anti-Nordic sentiment spreading across Eracura, Acrea endeavors to expand its influence re-affirm Nordic culture and unity, fermenting the rise of ethno-nationalism along the states of Delkora, Nordkrusen, and Æþurheim.
With their position in Eracura largely secure the Makedonians return their attention to Siduri and make war against the Hayren and Khiyzan, a move which alarms the Quenminese. In an effort to re-assert their influence in mainland Siduri, the Padovans support the Xevden conquest of Gylias and later reconquered Lirinya from the Quenminese. The Makedonians attempt to form an alliance with Tennai to counter Hayren influence in south-west Siduri, but a long war of attrition in Nalaya ends in failure. At the dawn of the 19th Century, frequent warfare breaks out between the major powers in both Eracura and Siduri, resulting in a general shift towards specific alliances and power blocs by the beginning of the 20th Century. Alarmed by Makedonian control of the western Sundering Sea, Ossoria allies with the Nordic powers of Æþurheim and Acrea to counter-balance the Siluan-Svinian-Makedonian bloc. In Siduri, long standing tensions result in a Hayren-Khiyzan alliance against Makedon, which Quenmin joins after Padova forms an alliance with Makedon. Tennai is the only major power to remain neutral.
Tensions over Shalum in 1913 boil over into war between Svinia and Æþurheim, drawing in Silua, Makedon, Ossoria, and Acrea. Sensing the chance to strike, the Hayren-Khiyzan alliance attacks Makedon, which Quenmin joins in after the Padovan Empire joins with Makedon. The involvement of nearly every major military power turns the conflict in an enormous meat grinder across multiple fronts. In Eracura, Æþurheim and Ossoria wage war against Silua and Svinia in Shalum, while Silua and Svinia also fight Acrea to a stalemate. In Siduri the Hayren and Khiyzan struggle to surmount Makedonian defenses along Ruvelka's mountain ranges, leading to heavy losses. Quenmin and Padova battle for control of Lirinya and Knichus, with the Acrean Navy joining the fight against Padova. The war produces millions of casualties within the first year and is exceptionally violent. At sea, fleets of massive battleships clash; on land, entire armies are grounded down by artillery and machine guns. In the skies, airships and biplanes battle for supremacy. Poison gas, the telegraph, radio, and the aeroplane become the dominant technologies of war.
Unable to break the deadlock on land, the Royal Ossorian Navy attempts to split the Makedonians in two by capturing Chryse, but the ambitious operation ends in failure. In Mansuriyyah, the Makedonians support ethnic rebellions against the Hayren Empire while the Quenminese encourage Gylic rebellions against Xevden. The Hayren rule over western Siduri begins to crumble, forcing the Quenminese to dispatch forces to shore up the Khiyzan. This allows the Padovans to conquer Knichus entirely, and drive the Quenminese armies back to Quenmin. Shocked by this course of action, Tennai finally enters the war on the side of Quenmin and invades Knichus and Gylias. Despite Ossorian pleas to focus on Makedon, the Quenminese-Tennaiite alliance instead invades Lirinya, driving the Padovans from the island entirely.
With the Hayren no longer a threat and the Khiyzan unable to threaten Makedon, the Makedonians reinforce the Siluan and Svinian armies in Eracura, leading to explusion of the Ossorians from the Arzells. With their fleet decimated and their continental holdings eliminated, the Ossorians withdraw from the war. Now alone, Æþurheim is forced to surrender despite frantic Acrean efforts to invade Svinia. In Siduri, the Quenminese and Tennaiites refocus their efforts against Makedon, but with the Khiyzan and the Hayren effectively out of the war, offensive action becomes difficult. Fearing the result of a Quenminese-Tennaiite victory, Serikos threatens war against Quenmin, which opts to instead request a ceasefire with Makedon; Tennai follows suit and the war in Siduri ends.
In Eracura the fighting goes on between Acrea and Silua-Svinia, but unable to make any progress against the other both sides eventually collapse of exhaustion and agree to an armistice. The Treaty of Hirakawa, signed in neutral Akashi, officially ends the conflict. The ramifications are immense; inspired by Gylic rebellions, the Padovan Empire falls into communist revolution and is reformed as the Cacertian Socialist States. The Hayren Empire dissolves, as does the Khiyzan Khanate. Quenmin is dragged into a bloody insurrection as Lirinya fights and eventually gains its independence. Acrea's Nordic nationalism falters after six years of senseless slaughter, and influenced by the Cacertian Revolution becomes a social democracy. Mansuriyyah emerges as an Islamic state in western Siduri, incorporating much of southern Arkoenn in the process. Knichus and Gylias form the Southern Siduri Commonwealth with Tennai, while Makedon retains control of both Syara and Górska.
The war ends on a bittersweet note, saying that while the Empire persevered where others failed, the world would never quite be the same again.
Reception
Draženović's work has been met with major commercial success, selling over 20 million copies worldwide. Critically his works have been met with more mixed reactions, with some criticism leveled towards an inclination towards "pop history" rather than "honest retrospection into possible alternate history scenarios". Ruvelkan historian and literary critic Henrik Kelemen summarized a common view among historians regarding Draženović's writing:
From a technical standpoint, there is little to critique about [Draženović's] writing; it is straight to the point and competently administered. Characters are portrayed thoroughly and dialouge is neither overly verbose nor too simplistic. Draženović's prose is not by itself exceptional; few readers will be taken back or astounded by his command of written language. This is possibly the reason why his work has found international success, although it must surely also be based partially in the inherent nationalist appeal in many of his postulated scenario. It would be misleading, however, to ascribe to Draženović the makings of a genius; his delves into alternate history begin with a premise he imagines first then puts to paper, with research following after or at best during. Very few of his scenarios and stories can be said to be truly realistic in his interpretation of how events might unfold; they are burdered with blanket assumptions and topical understandings of foreign culture. This is perhaps ultimately why Draženović enjoys the success he does; he writes what an average person might imagine would happen had historical events gone differently, rather than an indepth study into potential consequences of a "course change" in the path of history.
Kelemen nevertheless gave a positive review to Draženović's books, stating that "[Draženović] makes people think about history in more than just memorizing dates and names". Draženović has also been credited with popularizing the genre of alternate history both in Syara and abroad.