Metal Wars

The Metal Wars was a **independence** in which the Brabantsian Gullers and the Laiscuitian Nutonists fought against the Nation guard of the Rim for the right to secede from the Unified Rim Area. The war ended when the counsel of the Rim signed the Articles of Secession.

## History

For hundreds of years the economy of the Rim depended on the ores mined in the Thurndi Mountains. These were then send down the Gnice to be refined in industrial cities such as Plopsapolis downstream. This economic dependence had lead to peace and prosperity. In year 1277 AD the local city-states and kingdoms would unify into a singular powerful realm known as the Unified Rim Area, or URA for short. For a 110 years these nations would life in peace, but everything changed when in 1387 AD all ores of the Thurndi Mountains disappeared over night. At first many were afraid that this was a sign that a second Event Horizon had happened, but as the dust settled it became clear that it was only the ore that was effected. The sudden disappearance of its most important natural resource caused the local economy to completely collapse, and many where forced into poverty. A few months later the separatists would declare a war for independence against the URA.

Tensions between the URA and the Laiscuitians in the southern borderlands and the Brabantsians in the eastern borderlands were already high before 1387 when they where advocating for self-determination. The separatists were dissatisfied with the union because they saw that most of their tax money was being used to improve the capital of Burnthall instead of the development of their lands. Rumours began to spread that it was the URA counsel or even that Abel Beersa had lost the favour of the Azen, which lead to many of those who believed them to run straight into the arms of the separatists. Their numbers quickly grew and a few months down the line they felt comfortable to fight for independence against the URA and its leader Abel Beersa.

### **Total War**

The first city to rise up against the URA was the city of Den Peen. The city was home to the abandoned castle of the Brabantsian dukes, which served as a constant reminder to the Den Peenians of what they had lost. For years the elites of the city had criticised every move the counsel of the URA made and been a general thorn in the side of the URA. For this it came as little surprise that the people of Den Peen would take up arms and declare a distant descendant of the last duke of Brabantsia, an young man named Piet the Gull, as their rightful liege. What came as a surprise however where how eager the rest of the population of Brabantsian was to take up arms. The druids of the Wittewieven declared that they would set up a state in accordance with the true vision of the Azen. On the eastern border the people of Ernestbeet dedicated themselves to establishing an government controlled by town sheriffs and around the people of Kruisigem fought total autonomy. The national guardsman stationed around Brabantsia realized the direness of their situation, and many evacuated the province, leading to utter chaos.

The national guard retreated to a tactical position on the western shore of the Gnice. Here they would gather their strength while the rebels in Brabantsia fought amongst each other and tired themselves out. Then they would swoop it in a glorious return, liberating the province from these foul separatists and restoring order to the region. However it was not meant to be as when the guards left their posts to join the attack force more cities would begin to rebel. All around the province of Laiscuit the industry cities would declared their desire to return on the path of self-determination after being captivated by series of treaties by the natural-philosopher Adan Nuton on the power of localized government and aristocratic rule. Despite more than two dozen cities rising up the rebels in Laiscuit were on much more friendly terms with each other than the handful of factions that rose up in Brabantsia. Quickly these cities would combine their rebel forces to form a united front against the URA and its national guard, united in their shared understanding that they all fought in the name of Nutonism.

The Nutonists hounded the guardsman when they moved through their lands and captured supply caravans whenever possible which made them a threat in their own right for the URA. The generals of the national guard realized that if they were to make a move against Brabantsia the unified Nutonists would capture everything they left behind and make their move on Burnthall itself. It became clear to the heads of the guard that they had to regain control of their own ground first before attacking when even more cities (such as the city of Petesnook) began to rise up as well.