Urchin War

The Urchin War was one the greatest military conflicts of Humanity and N'Ptalinai alike, also known as the Great War, the Domination War, or S'Both i Sora. 
== Good Intentions pave the Road to Hell ==
After the first contact between humans and N'Ptalini in 732 ET, relations were sparse but polite. 
Over the next century, contacts got more frequent. And while a great number of people on both sides tried to forge a lasting friendship, tensions grew constantly. Particularly as humanity in the late stages of the Shangri-La wasn't a unified entity, but a conglomeration of hundreds of settled world with at times wildly diverging values barely cooperating with each other. Countless peace and border treaties were signed and just as quickly ignored. 
In 837 ET, it came to open warfare after a human enclave on Isfahan was attacked by N'Ptalini supremacists / a terror cell of supremacist humans was apprehended by N'Ptalini forces. 
Conflict quickly spread to other worlds and forced humanity to an unheard of degree of co-operation and discipline. Many human worlds who didn't see the war as a common cause either ignored the battles or even closed their Mandalas - most famously Terra in 844 ET, marking the end of the Shangri-La era. 
== Cradle Robbery ==
While initially the N'Ptalini had distinct advantages in their well-organized society and their technological superiority (in particular the Skeintilt Buffer allowing their ships incomparable acceleration and maneuverability), humanity had far greater numbers and proved surprisingly hard to eradicate. 
It was only until 984 ET that the first human ship with was equipped with a skeintilt buffer, but the stolen technology was a first turning point of the war. 
== Reconquista ==
After tremendous initial losses, humanity regained much of the lost territories but had lost so much of its fleet that long-term survival seemed impossible. Only the re-discovery of the Excalibur I in 1002 ET allowed for a glimmer of hope (see Operation Underhill), and humanity forced the entire remaining N'Ptalini fleet into a desperate standoff at the Geshi N'Ptah mandala (see Operation Gwaihir). Both fleets sustained heavy losses, but except for a few rescue pods, the entire N'Ptalini fleet was destroyed, and Geshi N'Ptah was subjected to a prolonged orbital bombardment that destroyed almost all surface infrastructure. 
== The Lost Years ==
Due to the heavy economic and social losses, both civilizations descended into chaos, only slowly re-emerging over the next four-hundred years. 
==Other Articles on the Urchin War==
Urchin War
Category:Events
Category:732 ET
Category:837 ET
Category:844 ET
Category:1002 ET