Ethelbert Landon Morriss

== About ==
Ethelbert Morriss (full name: Ethelbert Landon Morriss; April 23rd 1955 - April 29th 2013) was a former Bistonian general of Fahrsekian-Pelkian descent within the Free Bistonian Army during the Crimsonian-Bistonian War and a politician who was the former governor of Bistonian Shingleton from 1989 to 1997, when he was kicked out of office by the Bistonian government after violent protests in the state. Ethelbert became the governor of the state in 1989, after having overthrown the governor in a coup d'etat internally during the Free Bistonian Army's intervention on the island. He was also involved in the Pelkian Homeland Army, a right-wing nationalist armed group.
After the Shinglederry Agreement which was made possible due to his Fahrsekian-Pelkian descent, Ethelbert used it as a potential to begin consolidating his power over the island, building a criminal ring around his state and allegedly using government funds from the Bistonian government to build luxury mansions and buildings while most of the island was in ruins following the aftermath of the war and the agreement which was signed. His corruption and scandals eventually led to his downfall in the year of 1997 when he was ousted from power after protests soon turned violent in Bistonian Shingleton, which prompted the Bistonian government to send in the military.
Ethelbert was subsequently arrested soon after he was ousted from power, and he was jailed without trial or criminal charges. He was eventually put in a trial in 2008 for his corruption and ties to organized crime, which he was revealed to have been letting them get away despite law enforcement's attempts to apprehend them, and then his war crimes during the war had been revealed. Due to how severe his crimes were, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison without possibility of parole in 2008. He only served 5 years of his sentence before dying at the age of 58 due to a heart attack on April 29th 2013.
== History ==
=== Early life and career ===
Ethelbert Landon Morriss was born on April 23rd 1955 in the city of Izvorche (now called Somerby) in the eastern part of Bistonian Shingleton in the People's Republic of Crimsonia. His father was of Pelkian descent while his mother was of Fahrsekian descent. Both of his parents were originally the descendants of immigrants from the Dominion of St. Ark which arrived to Bistonia during the 18th centuries. Ethelbert's father was allegedly a Pelkian nationalist, having been involved in a secret organization which looked towards the future to seceding from Crimsonia, and wanting the region to join the newly founded St. Ark Federation.
In 1960, during the Bistonian Shingleton crisis following the aftermath of Bistonia's independence, Ethelbert's father was killed in an ambush attack by pro-Bistonian militias which were clashing together with the Pelkian-Fahrsekian nationalists who formed an alliance together. Eventually, Ethelbert's mother had to raise him alone and struggled financially, until in 1961 when the Bistonian military moved into Bistonian Shingleton after the referendum. It was also during his childhood that Ethelbert learned Lithuanian, English, Fahrsekian and his native Pelkian language.
In 1973, Ethelbert joined the Pelkian Homeland Army, which was a right-wing nationalist armed group which operated all throughout Bistonian Shingleton. However, his involvement in the PHA was minimal, and eventually led to the death of his mother as a result of a shootout by law enforcement, after law enforcement had discovered his involvement in the armed group. This led to Ethelbert becoming more active within the Pelkian Homeland Army, having been allegedly involved in bomb attacks or drive-by shootings which largely targeted Bistonian personnel. It did not get better for Ethelbert, not due to his involvement in the armed group, but he was in time for the Federation War, which brought Bistonian Shingleton under the occupation of the St. Ark Federation. Ethelbert eventually served as collaborators along with most members of the Pelkian Homeland Army, which willingly gave up their arms to the St. Ark military and the armed group was dissolved. Ethelbert was involved in committing brutal attacks against growing resistance and, along with many of his armed men, stormed a protestant church in a town and had it burned, along with most of the town's inhabitants. 
After most of Bistonian Shingleton had fallen to the Bistonian Armed Forces, Ethelbert and his collaborators came to a dead end and stopped their activities. After the St. Ark Federation surrendered and Bistonian Shingleton was now back under the administration, most Pelkian nationalist groups had reemerged after the war along with the many pro-Bistonian groups which led to resumed infighting, which had worsened after the war. Ethelbert and his collaborators revived the Pelkian Homeland Army, only for the armed group to crumble after their plot had been uncovered by the authorities, and all members were subsequently arrested with the exception of Ethelbert, as authorities had failed to identify most members within the group and allowed Ethelbert to flee. Ethelbert settled in the city of Kriadavia in 1978 where he found work and began a new life without many people on the mainland being aware of his identity.
=== Crimsonian-Bistonian War ===
In 1987, the Crimsonian-Bistonian War broke out, and within the first year of the war, Bistonia's government had begun to collapse under the stress that the war had brought. Ethelbert, having been struggling in Kriadavia to make a living after having fled Bistonian Shingleton for his involvement in an armed group, was struggling even more. However, Ethelbert's life would begin to change immediately after the New Vilnius Coup, which led to the Bistonian government led by Mantvydas Visvaldas being ousted from power and Stanislovas Darijus assuming power and establishing a provisional government. After Visvaldas was ousted from power, those who were loyal to his government, especially with units which were in Kriadavia at the time, had become disillusioned. This led to a mutiny, and subsequently the Kriadavia uprising which led to the mutineers establishing a rival government and a splinter group known as the Free Bistonian Army. 
==== Involvement in the Free Bistonian Army ====
Somewhere around early 1988, Ethelbert enlisted within the Free Bistonian Army, and became a rifleman. However, his initial career in the Free Bistonian Army was met with bad luck. Ethelbert was one of the units which traversed to Central Bistonia and fought the Crimsonian army head on in harsh weather conditions. Despite these challenges Ethelbert managed to survive and was praised amongst the ranks due to how he managed to survive in combat against a squad of paratroopers in the region, which was all attributed to his experiences he acquired from his time as a member within the PHA. His experience in Ethelbert gave an impression to the generals of the Free Bistonian Army, and Ethelbert was promoted high amongst the ranks, despite not being known in public. 
On October 1988, Ethelbert, now an officer within the Free Bistonian Army, participated in battles which were vital to the Bistonian offensive simply known as "Silo", which involved the liberation of Mazoji. It was during his time in Mazoji that he was wounded after the BSPA heavily shelled on their positions during the siege of the city, and Ethelbert was left with half of his right ear. His fingertip on his pinky finger had to be amputated as a result of the battle. However, his heroic actions and his cooperation with the Bistonian Armed Forces along with many of his comrades assisted some of the units which struggled to liberate the city. 
=== Bistonian Shingleton ===
In the aftermath of the Battle of Pezra which brought a blow to the command of the Free Bistonian Army, the Free Bistonian Army attempted to revitalize itself and prove itself worthy of fighting against the Crimsonian invasion, by beginning a series of interventions in regions that remained out of their hand and were of interest by the Free Bistonian Army, and thus focused on Bistonian Shingleton. Ethelbert was subsequently appointed as the general to the Free Bistonian Army in Bistonian Shingleton, but was helped mostly by the Bistonian government by Stanislovas Darijus, as his background and his reputation as a sharpshooter during his combat in Central Bistonia had brought impressions by most of the Bistonian Armed Forces. Some surviving units of the Free Bistonian Army were brought to the region by aircraft along with Ethelbert, where they established their headquarters and garrisons on Moylston Island, due to it being located in the center of the frontlines during the conflict in Bistonian Shingleton.
However, Ethelbert was once again in time for another battle which begun, in the areas around Simonas Elijas International Airport, where pro-Bistonian militias were retreating whilst continuing to fight against Pelkian nationalist groups and armies belonging to the Bistonian Socialist People's Army, which still remained even after Operation Silo and its absorbing into the Crimsonian military. These groups eventually chased these pro-Bistonian militias into the main terminal, locking them in and besieging the facility which brought slight damage to the airport. Ethelbert, despite having ties to the Pelkian Homeland Army which had been disbanded decades ago, went on the offensive and began the takeover of most of Moylston Island. Ethelbert's units, which were more organized and outnumbered the militant groups which had surrounded all of the Bistonian militias within the airport, subsequently caught them by surprise from behind and forced many of them to retreat and leave the scene, but not before leaving most of their heavy equipment behind.
After the battle, Ethelbert had helped the pro-Bistonian militias trapped within the main terminal and due to his reputation and rank, the leaders of these militias controlling the main terminal eventually handed control over the airport over to the Free Bistonian Army, and the Bistonian flag was raised on Moylston Island, declaring its liberation from both sides. Ethelbert helped many of these pro-Bistonian militias to get back to Bistonian Shingleton, where they were anticipated by the Bistonian Armed Forces. By then, Ethelbert had helped the Free Bistonian Army to grow, and had already formed their own group based only in Bistonian Shingleton, with the entire island falling under the FBA. Moylston Island was still under Bistonian control however, which allowed the Bistonian government to reopen it and rebuild it back to its partial state. In the aftermath of the 15th November Incident which occurred in New Shingleton, Ethelbert began an offensive which had been largely opposed by the Free Bistonian Army leadership in Kriadavia, by forging an alliance with the pro-Bistonian militias through connections which were made after they had assisted them in the battle over the airport. Ethelbert used this as an opportunity to seize power over the territories held by pro-Bistonian militias and by late December 1989, when the war was nearly over on the mainland, Ethelbert's forces had moved to the city of Izvorche, beginning his rule over Bistonian Shingleton as a governor, coming to power without being elected. It was also around this time that Ethelbert was accused of war crimes, intentionally destroying villages and ordering the deaths of around thousands of Pelkian civilians in an attempt to quell resistance.
=== Aftermath of the Crimsonian-Bistonian War ===
By December 1989, the Free Bistonian Army leadership had attempted to oust Ethelbert from power, however by that time they had been reabsorbed into the Bistonian Armed Forces, after only a year of being separated during the war. Ethelbert still controlled Bistonian Shingleton, with his own unit, which are now remnants of the Free Bistonian Army, refusing to cooperate until the end of the war, however the Bistonian government was allowed to keep a minimal presence on the state, which led to a crackdown on alleged members of Pelkian nationalist groups. This crackdown was heavily blamed upon on Ethelbert, which led to the Pelkian nationalist groups providing weapons to gangs, in an attempt to frame them on Ethelbert and lead him to his downfall. By 1990, the war against Crimsonia had ended, and Ethelbert eventually gave the green light to cooperate, allowing for the remaining FBA units to reintegrate into the Bistonian Armed Forces, however Ethelbert was still given emergency powers, and was appointed as a temporary governor by the Stanislovas government, as the situation in Bistonian Shingleton at that time had become largely unstable and terrifying after the war, and entrusted Ethelbert with his actions.
In 1991, the situation in Bistonian Shingleton, a symptom of the consequences brought on by the Crimsonian-Bistonian War, had reached a boiling point and had escalated. Pro-Bistonian militias eventually continued fighting against the Pelkian and Fahrsekian nationalists, despite being outnumbered and cracked down upon by Bistonian law enforcement. These clashes led to the deaths of hundreds, and it would soon worsen with the deployment of the Bistonian Armed Forces to the region, which were mostly concentrated within the larger cities. Ethelbert cooperated with the government by declaring martial law and advising many of his people to lay down his arms, and had been close to finding a way to the solution to bring temporary peace on the island.
=== The Shinglederry Agreement (1992) ===
By 1992, the Bistonian-Shingleton Conflict, which had been continuing for decades, had been brought to a temporary end. Ethelbert had managed to convince the leadership of some of these Pelkian nationalist groups, alongside the pro-Bistonian militias, to sign a peace agreement which would eventually bring an end to the conflict, with the Bistonian government being participants in the agreement. Both sides agreed to settle peace and cease fighting, and in exchange the agreement promised peace, stability, and amnesty to all Bistonian political prisoners, including former members of Pelkian nationalist groups. Despite Ethelbert being a participant in the conflict and having been killed people for the cause, he subsequently became one of the key figures in bringing peace to the state, and convinced both sides to cease fighting eachother. The Shinglederry Agreement made major headlines on Bistonian newspapers in 1992, bringing an end to a bloody conflict.
However, there were many setbacks within the agreement, and as a result the agreement had been seen as nothing more than blatant lies. Ethelbert, which agreed to step down from power, as his time as a governor was up and in reality he only ruled temporarily, refused to step down and resign, and in the process he had become the governor of Bistonian Shingleton for life, without even holding a single election, which began a spree of rampant corruption and scandals across Bistonian Shingleton. This led to most of the veterans of the conflict within both sides claiming that they've signed only to receive nothing in return, and claimed the only thing they've received were more failures for the Bistonian government. More setbacks included that facilities which were proposed were not constructed and former child soldiers and veterans denied any treatment or rehabilitation, the most devastating of them all was that many separatists forces continued to exist throughout Bistonian Shingleton, mostly through youth gangs across small towns in Bistonian Shingleton, including several urban cities, most of these youth gangs had been influenced and nostalgic for propaganda on both sides.
=== Governor of Bistonian Shingleton (1992 - 1997) ===
In 1992, in the aftermath of the Shinglederry Agreement, the Bistonian government demanded Ethelbert Landon Morriss to step down from his position as lead commander over control of the island, instead, Ethelbert Landon Morriss denied their demands, and proclaimed himself as a governor in opposition. However, the Bistonian government decided not to intervene and overthrow him, and as a result he was left alone to assert influence over the island for another 5 years. Over the years, Ethelbert Landon Morriss became one of the most corrupt and unpopular governor in Bistonian Shingleton, as he stole millions of dollars from the population and got involved in scandals.
During his early years in power, Ethelbert halted the construction of facilities meant to treat over thousands of veterans from the conflict, and as a result thousands of them awaited treatment by the Bistonian government, and Ethelbert began stealing funds from the Bistonian government, and used them to buy luxurious cars, including a mansion outside New Jefferson, as people in urban areas and local villages struggled in the aftermath. Crime was rampant aswell, with the majority of them being attacks from youth gangs in urban areas, however Ethelbert bribed police in those cities to not intervene, claiming that the police only served to protect the state. He was involved in major scandals aswell, and began cracking down on opponents and sometimes in other cases, he would have them killed.
== 1997 Bistonian Shingleton Protests ==
On July 17th 1997, during the morning rush hours, factory workers emerged in the city of Shinglederry and demonstrated against Ethelbert Landon Morriss, calling for him to step down or otherwise overthrown from his position as the governor of the state and for him to provide better working conditions. As a result of this, several other cities in Bistonian Shingleton began following along, and factory workers from those cities began demonstrating, civilians followed aswell, and in 5 days, the small demonstrations would eventually grow into protests which spread all across the island. As a result of this, Ethelbert Landon Morriss was quick to take action, and riot police was deployed to the cities in the afternoon to crack down on the protestors and it came to no avail, which forced riot police to spray at civilians using live rounds on July 21st 1997.
In the aftermath of the massacre which had occurred in the hands of riot police, the protests began turning violent, and eventually protestors began flocking to several police stations throughout the cities in Bistonian Shingleton and raided them, resulting in 10 dead. Eventually, protestors began seizing arms and outnumbered and overpowered police, as violence was rampant throughout the city. Because of this, the Bistonian government became completely aware that a civil war was bound to happen in Bistonian Shingleton and began plans to deploy the military in the region. 11 days later, the Bistonian Armed Forces were finally deployed to Bistonian Shingleton on August 3rd 1997, and the violence stopped immediately once they arrived, however it was too late, as the damage had been done. Eventually, the Bistonian Armed Forces arrived to the government building where Ethelbert Landon Morriss was requesting help from, and he was then detained and overthrown from his position as governor, marking the end of the conflict. After he was overthrown, elections were held, and a new administration and governor was assigned to replace his position. After he was overthrown, anti-Bistonian sentiment among seperatists began reigniting, contributing to the rise of the seperatist and unionist movements later on in the future years.
== Aftermath and trial ==
After he was arrested by the Bistonian authorities with the help of the Bistonian military, Ethelbert was forcefully placed in a prison outside New Jefferson, where he would spend his life there without serving trial for around 11 years, until in the year of 2008 a trial was held after there were accusations of him committing genocide, including being involved in scandals and rampant corruption. After he was found guilty, he was sentenced to over 35 years in prison without any possibility of parole.
== Incarceration and death ==
After his sentence, Ethelbert was transferred to another prison complex, this time located in the outskirts of Shinglederry. During his incarceration, he had remained silent, and had barely talked according to prison guards. On April 23rd, Ethelbert celebrated his 58th birthday, and continued his routine for another few days. On April 29th 2013 in the morning, when prison guards were waking up most of the inmates, they happened to find out that Ethelbert was not responding and still laying on the bed. As the prison guards attempted to wake him up, they opened his cell and found out that he had passed away. They then took his corpse afterwards to an autopsy, where it was confirmed he had died of a heart attack, and that he was already dead for an hour.
After his death was announced, mass celebrations occurred across several cities in Bistonian Shingleton, including the city of Londonberry, where he was born and raised. Ethelbert's body was then cremated and his ashes were scattered in the Bistonian Sea.