Silent War

*"Once upon a time the Epochians and Audeans saw only endless growth, now they stand in each other's view."*

-*Exerpt from 'The Clash of Hegemons' by Vanviq, Scribe of the exalted blood of Invith, 421 AC.*

The Silent War refers to the political struggle between The Exalted Audean Dominion and The Universal Technocratic Commonwealth for supremacy in the youthful sector of the galaxy. The Silent War began after the brief war fought between the UTC and EAD in 353 AC known as the first clash, in which both sides struggled for control of the UTC border world of Miocion after a surprise invasion by the Dominion. The rivalry that followed from the war would come to dominate the diplomatic situation of the Commonwealth and the Dominion and eventually the entire youthful sector. Ever since the First Clash both sides have focused their efforts on securing the loyalty of non-aligned states and expanding their spheres of influence, the UTC through the continuous expansion The Cretacean Treaty Coalition and the EAD through the propagation of the Audean faith. At present, about two-thirds of the youthful sector is directly aligned with one side or the other, with most others in various states of lesser alignment. Only a few states, most prominently The Celestial Empire of Invith, have managed to avoid choosing sides entirely, although they are under ever increasing pressure to do so. Many fear that the unrelenting hostility, as well as the increasingly direct conflict for the loyalty of the remaining neutral and semi-neutral states, will eventually cause the Silent War to ignite into an intergalactic war of apocalyptic proportions, though neither side has thus far shown a willingness to purposely escalate the conflict. Regardless of how it pans out, The Silent War is expected to continue dominating interstellar politics for the foreseeable future in one way or another.

## Flashpoints

### **The Cuphite heresy**

The Cuphite Heresy Crisis was an Audean religious dispute which escalted over into the realm of geopolitics. In 477 AC, the Cuphite cult of the EAD, which is dedicated to science and technology, managed to sucessfully carry out the ancension ritual needed to create an Audon, the highest form of psionic power known. This event alone had proved controversial, since the survivor of the ritual was the Scholar Havirtin, a radical within the cult who vocally oppossed the Dominion's hardline policy against AI and was rumoured to resent the dominance of the Audean cult within the Dominion. Following their ascension, Havirtin became even more radical than before, championing of Cuphite exceptionalism and technological supremacy, which drew the ire of the Audean establishment. Even so, their status as Audon protected Havirtin from their opponents for many years, but eventually, they went to far. In a sermon broadcast in 492 AC, Havirtin launched their most radical action yet: actively denouncing the role of Audeos as the highest deity and even giving praise to the UTC. This was the final straw, leading to Havirtin being branded a heretic and to the cuphite cult being subjected to a thorough sweep by dominion's inquisitors against their sympathisers. After a bloody, but ultimately futile attempt by Havirtin and their followers to launch a putch against the rest of the tribunal, they were forced to flee into exile, left in a difficult position as no neutral nation dared to risk drawing wrath of the Dominion by harbouring them. Havirtin thus did the unthinkable and applied for assylum in the UTC. Against all odds, their request was accepted, nearly sparking war between the two superpowers.