Serudians

== About ==
The Serudians (Bistonian: Serudianas) (Crimsonian: Серудианци) are a Bistonian indigenous ethnic group currently situated along the coasts of Bistonian Shingleton, however they were previously situated in the Scattered Islands Archipelago, but had been forced out of the archipelago by both St. Ark and Bistonian governments following the aftermath of the New Shingleton Incident in 1989. Although the Serudian population is small (around 2,300 at the time of 2010), the Serudians were historically one of the largest indigenous ethnic groups in pre-migration Bistonia in the 12th century, and had a large presence in Southern Bistonia, becoming the first group of people to establish settlements in modern-day St. Ark.
== History ==
=== Origin ===
Prior to the Lithuanian migrations, tribes began arriving to the region of modern-day Bistonia, through a landbridge which had connected Bistonia to the continent of Mesothemia tens of thousands of years ago during the last Ice Age, during the human migrations throughout the planets. As the Ice Age ended, the landbridge which had connected Bistonia was submerged, disconnecting mainland Bistonia from the rest of the continent. This resulted in most of Bistonia to become isolated from the rest of the world. The tribes which migrated to Bistonia, would subsequently become the indigenous inhabitants of the land. It is unknown where the Serudians originated, though it is speculated that they descended from the tribes which inhabited the Slativias Mountains in Central Bistonia, arriving to the Mazoji Region, establishing settlements along the banks of the Silavetra River.
Eventually, the Serudians were immediately met with a conflict with another tribal group called the Yagoi. The Yagoi peoples were known by several other Bistonian tribes as a superior group and had been forced to make peace treaties or pay tributes to them in exchange for protection, otherwise they would be wiped out. Initially, the Yagoi had seen the banks of the Silavetra River as a valuable and sacred land, until the Serudians had arrived and had destroyed their value by constructing settlements. This prompted the Yagoi to send attacks and ultimatums towards the Serudians, which resulted in an all out conflict which forced the Serudians to go to war against their neighboring tribe. Eventually, after a long conflict, the Yagoi people were forced to make peace with the Serudians, after sustaining heavy losses and after having their settlements plundered, and forced to recognize the Serudian's control over the land.
=== Kingdom of Serudiantu ===
Following the defeat of the Yagoi tribe, the Serudians proclaimed the Kingdom of Serudiantu, after securing and solidifying their control over the Mazoji region. Afterwards, in the year of 1031, the Kingdom of Serudiantu would reach its peak and flourished, with Serudian explorers discovering the Scattered Islands Archipelago, including the island of Bistonian Shingleton, and constructed settlements in certain parts of their recently discovered territories. The Serudians would also construct monuments dedicated to their kings in their capital city located in the Mazoji region, where they would be created and carved out of stone and placed in the heart of the city. It also didn't take long for the Serudians to discover Nesekme, which would later on be known as modern-day St. Ark Federation. They became the first recorded group of people to arrive on Nesekme. However, due to uncertain reasons, these settlements established by the Serudians would later on collapse and disappear months later after their establishment, which would repeat for over nearly centuries till the 1800s.
Following the rise of the Kingdom of Serudiantu, there were also setbacks which had later on accelerated its decline. Despite being known as a powerful empire in mainland Bistonia at the time, the Kingdom of Serudiantu were ruled mostly by clans, which were ruled by noble families. These noble families would fight eachother for power and gain the throne as the King of Serudiantu, however the king of Serudiantu would mostly control the power of the noble families. This wasn't until a certain king called Lybu, who was known as a heroic warrior, died at the age of around 45, which resulted in a revolt orchestrated by the noble families. The revolt was put down, but in the end it was not worth saving the Kingdom of Serudiantu, as their kingdom was beginning to crumble. Eventually, Lybu was succeeded by another king, but his successor was nowhere near as him.
=== Lithuanian migration ===
Prior to 1270, the Kingdom of Serudiantu was slowly declining, as noble families would often wage constant civil wars against eachother in an attempt to claim the throne, and famines ravaged throughout the kingdom in which over a thousand people died due to starvation. It didn't take long until the Serudians were eventually forced out of mainland Bistonia, as the Lithuanians had fled terror from the Takubayars in the year of 1270, after their homeland was destroyed. As the Lithuanians settled into mainland Bistonia, they became a threat to the tribes which had already settled into mainland Bistonia, and the Lithuanians waged a bloody brutal conflict which lasted decades in which the Kingdom of Serudiantu was unfortunately forced to fight against the Lithuanians, and as a result the Serudians had lost, forcing most of the Serudians to flee the Mazoji region, with the Lithuanians eventually scorching the city.
=== Scattered Islands Archipelago ===
After the Serudians had lost a brutal conflict against the Lithuanians which had settled recently in mainland Bistonia in the year of 1270, the Serudians were forced to abandon the capital city and their remaining territories and cities on mainland Bistonia, and they were essentially forced out of mainland Bistonia. As a result of this, the Serudians relocated to the Scattered Islands archipelago, a set of islands which were under the Kingdom of Serudiantu. There, the Kingdom of Serudiantu would remain for almost 8 centuries, and the Kingdom of Serudiantu was finally in peace. In mainland Bistonia, the Kingdom of Serudiantu's settlements and control over Bistonian Shingleton were lost too, as authority collapsed as the Lithuanian migration had devastated the kingdom.
As the Kingdom of Serudiantu had settled onto the Scattered Islands archipelago, the kingdom was left mostly undisturbed, as nobody had heard the existence of the Serudiantu, there were however rumors within medieval Bistonia that there was once a tribal empire which had built colossal structures and eventually collapsed, and they were now gone a long time ago, this rumor was however exaggerated, and the Scattered Islands archipelago would not be discovered for another time. The Kingdom of Serudiantu also became an isolated kingdom, forbidding any contact with the outside world. In the year of 1370, merchants had first reported a cluster of islands inhabited by a group of people not known to the entire world, and they were attacked. The Kingdom of Serudiantu would then face attacks by Lithuanian outlaws and bandits, and as a result over thousands of people died.
The Kingdom of Serudiantu and the Scattered Islands archipelago would then continue to be isolated and undiscovered by the outside world until the year of 1828, when a certain expeditioner from the Colony of New Hope had discovered the Scattered Islands archipelago accidentally, and was attacked by Serudians in which resulted in a war between the Serudians and the United States of Megaton and Columbia weeks afterwards, and Crimmitonia then proceeded to intervene, which lasted for over a minute till the Kingdom of Serudiantu surrendered. It was forcefully made a protectorate by both the Kingdom of Crimmitonia and the United States of Megaton and Columbia, and the Kingdom of Serudiantu would last for another 6 years.
=== Pesca Partition ===
Years after the Serudians lost the battle in the year of 1828, the Kingdom of Serudiantu was on the verge of collapsing as a result of instability after the war, and it was forced to pay tribute to both the USMC and the Kingdom of Crimmitonia. Although it remained as a protectorate for both countries, the Kingdom of Serudiantu still continued to exist for another 6 years, although both countries controlled their foreign affairs. It wasn't until in December 1833 that a Serudian revolt occurred in the Kingdom of Serudiantu, and the puppet king was overthrown and replaced with a legitimate ruler, declaring neutrality and splitting from both influence. As a result of this, both sides sent an ultimatium to the Kingdom of Serudiantu, in which the kingdom declined. Afterwards, the Kingdom of Crimmitonia and the USMC had plans whether or not they would own the archipelago, in which after a long debate it came to an end, where they had made a decision to divide the island into two parts for themselves.
The next week, in January 1834, the Kingdom of Crimmitonia and the United States of Megaton and Columbia then declared war on the Kingdom of Serudiantu, and Crimmitonian forces would land on the archipelago first, and captured several islands. The United States of Megaton and Columbia did the same aswell, and a few islands fell under their control. The Serudians eventually fought back, however they were powerless and their forces were immediately destroyed as a result. The next day, the Kingdom of Serudiantu surrendered, and it was occupied by both sides. Weeks later, the Kingdom of Serudiantu was forced to sign the agreement and the Scattered Islands archipelago was divided into two parts which later on became colonies and eventually territories by both sides. It would be later on known as the Pesca Partition, and as a result of the partition, the Kingdom of Serudiantu was dissolved in the year of 1834, and had lasted for nearly 810 years.
=== Colonial rule ===
After the Scattered Islands archipelago fell under the hands of both sides, the Serudian population began dwindling as a result of constant revolts and rampant disease throughout the island, and both sides would send settlers to populate the Scattered Islands archipelago. However, due to border errors within the treaty, some borders divided between both sides had become disputed, and as a result it would become a problem which would last for over a century. Because of the constant arrival of settlers, they were forcefully kicked out of their homes, and would be reduced to only two islands north of Pesca, now renamed Pescavillagio.
On Crimmitonia's portion of the Scattered Islands archipelago, it was worse compared to the other side, as the Crimmitonian administration brutally ruled over the small colony of Serudiantu, as Serudian children and the rest of the Serudian populations were forced into assimilation schools. The Serudian language was then banned from speaking, and Serudian children were stripped of their clothing and replaced with normal ones, the Serudians were then forced to abandon their tribal religion, and convert to Orthodox Christianity. Serudians who opposed against the act towards the Crimmitonian administration were brutally cracked down and humiliated, with most of them being stripped of their clothing and forced to dance naked infront of the Crimmitonian nobles which controlled the island. The Serudians were also forced to speak the Bulgarian language, including Lithuanian.
In the year of 1914, the First Great War broke out, in which the Kingdom of Crimmitonia joined, and Serudians in the Scattered Islands Archipelago became conscripts, although only just a small number. In 1915, after Crimmitonia bombarded New Shingleton, the United States of Megaton and Columbia would join the allied forces, and waged a war against Crimmitonia, and would invade mainland Bistonia. The United States of Megaton and Columbia would then invade and seize the Crimmitonian portions of the Scattered Islands archipelago, where the Serudians were given fair treatment. As the horrors of what Crimmitonia had done to the natives were revealed, it then spread globally, and would become a part of Crimmitonia's brutal history.
===Interwar period===
In the interwar period, the United States of Megaton briefly occupied the Crimmitonian portion of the Scattered Islands Archipelago, including most of Western Bistonia and Bistonian Shingleton, unlike most of their occupied regions which had been unstable as a result of the war, the Scattered Islands Archipelago was briefly peaceful, and it would be handed over to the Republic of Crimmitonia, and throughout the years, the Serudians were granted rights, and would be finally able to own land in the Scattered Islands Archipelago. This however, didn't last long, as the Second Great War had broke out, and the Republic of Crimmitonia ended in a coup d'etat by the Crimmitonian army, in which the Second Kingdom of Crimmitonia was established as an authoritarian royal dictatorship. The Serudians were stripped of their rights, and would be forced out of their owned territories, where they were handed over to the Crimmitonian settlers. A genocide against the Serudians occurred, which resulted in over a hundred dead.
Weeks following the aftermath of Crimmitonia's bombardment of New Shingleton in the year of 1942, the United States of Megaton and Columbia would then declare war on Crimmitonia and it's allies, and joined the Allied Forces during the Second Great War. The United States of Megaton and Columbia then initiated an operation which resulted in the occupation of the Scattered Islands archipelago, this resulted in the end of the Serudian genocide, and those who were accused of committing gruesome acts against the Serudians in the island were sentenced to death by hanging in which they were publicly hanged in Pesca. 
=== Post-war period ===
In the aftermath of the war, the Scattered Islands Archipelago was briefly occupied by the United States of Megaton and Columbia from 1945 to 1947 along with parts of Western Bistonia and Bistonian Shingleton, and a military administration was installed within the occupied territories. During the occupation, most of the Scattered Islands Archipelago was intact from the war. In the year of 1947, after nearly two years of occupation, the United States of Megaton and Columbia handed over the Scattered Islands Archipelago along with the rest of the occupied territories in Bistonia to the Second Republic of Crimmitonia. However, by the time they were handed over, the Crimsonian Civil War had broke out, which would last for another 2 years which resulted in the Crimmitonian government fleeing to Bistonia where it soon fell after another communist insurgency broke out in the region. Most of Crimmitonia's portion of the Scattered Islands Archipelago then fell under Crimsonia. 
=== Cold War era ===
During Crimsonia's rule over the Scattered Islands Archipelago until 1957, the Serudians were then given equal rights, as the Crimsonian government eased restrictions on Serudian culture, and allowed the practices of their religion, and lifted the banning of the Serudian language which resulted in the revival of Serudian culture across the island, however there were major setbacks, as Crimsonia had wanted to rehabilitate their portion of the Scattered Islands Archipelago. As a result of this, most of the buildings in Pesca, the capital of the Scattered Islands archipelago, was leveled to construct apartments and other services, which resulted in the eviction of numerous Serudian residents living in their portion of the city. It wasn't long until Crimsonia lost control over the Scattered Islands Archipelago, as the Bistonian Conflict in 1957 had began, which lasted for over 2 years until Crimsonia was forced to sign a peace treaty which guaranteed the handover of most of mainland Bistonia and the independence of Bistonia.
In the year of 1960, as Bistonia declared independence from Crimsonia, Serudian locals approached a small patch of land next to Pesca, and claimed it and proclaimed independence from Crimsonia as a microstate called the Republic of Seruditium in the Scattered Islands Archipelago, in which the Crimsonian government recognized in an attempt to form autonomous republics after the wave of violence in the aftermath of the Bistonian Conflict. However, before they could provide autonomy to the archipelago in 1961, Bistonian Shingleton joined Bistonia, and the archipelago was occupied in which Crimsonia was forced to recognize. Initially, the Serudian microstate had demanded that the Bistonian government provide the rest of the archipelago to the microstate, in which Bistonia denied and claimed the microstate belonged to them. During this period, violence erupted in the neighbouring island of Pesca, which prompted Bistonia to settle the disputed borders together with the St. Ark Federation to no avail.
In the year of 1985, Zedrutia had wanted to establish relations with the Serudians and the Republic of Seruditium, and had made negotiations with the president of the microstate which allowed for the Republic of Seruditium to claim territory in Krasnoazhyn, however this was never met and Zedrutia had left their idea to negotiate and establish diplomatic relations with the micronation, there were rumors as to why the plan was never met, but the one which was mostly known was that the president of the microstate had declined their offer. Around this period a conflict occurred in Mazojiodesa and Pescavillagio, which had worsened. Pescavillagio was then raided by Bistonian angry mobs from Mazojiodesa, and as a result of this most of Pescavillagio was abandoned. This prompted the Serudians to help the majority of the victims and built shelters for them, and in the microstate they constructed temporary homes out of metal sheets, and had estimated that the conflict would end by a few years. 
However, in the year of 1989, the New Shingleton Incident occurred, which prompted both the St. Ark Federation and the Republic of Bistonia to evacuate citizens from the archipelago, in fears of contamination, the Serudians were also affected, and they were forcefully evicted out of their homes. Some along with others fled to the St. Ark Federation, while most fled to Southern Bistonia, where they established a community in the Silavetra Peninsula. The Republic of Seruditium was also affected, which prompted the leader to dissolve the microstate, which ended it. 
=== Contemporary period ===
In the modern period after the end of the Cold War, the majority of Serudians now live in communities scattered throughout the Silavetra Peninsula, where they were built in 1989 months after the New Shingleton Incident, including some communities in the St. Ark Federation. To this day, the Serudians still waited for a possible return to the Scattered Islands archipelago, after living in exile away from their homeland after 30 years, despite sending demands to both governments, all of them were declined as it was believed the Scattered Islands archipelago was still contaminated. Some homes in the Scattered Islands Archipelago, including numerous Serudian cultural sites, were torn down by the Bistonian and St. Ark governments.
== Culture ==
Over thousands of years of their existence, the Serudians had their own culture, language, and their own instruments away from the influence of other cultures from the outside world, however, after the Serudians were forcefully made a protectorate by both countries which then eventually turned into a colony, the Serudian culture was nearly eradicated, as both sides had imposed laws which prohibited them from practicing their culture and speaking the Serudian language. However, in the 1950s after Crimsonia granted equal rights, along with the independence of the St. Ark Federation, the Serudian culture was revived, and would continue to exist.